Mockingbird, Sweet Toto

I remember when the incident of the Red Hole happened. I was young, but it's hard to forget something like that. They evacuated all of Tokyo, but I didn't leave. I wanted to stay. It wasn't fair that this happened here. That it happened now. After that I was alone. No one was there anymore. I was just a pitiful existence.

Then one day, a car showed up. Then another. And another. Big machines came too. What were they doing? Why were they here? As I was watching, a man in a gray suit spotted me and waked over to me. He told me his name was Tamaki and I asked him what he was doing here.

"Well," he said, "we're building a prison. But this is to be a very special prison."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You see, when you have been charged and they send you here, you are treated like any other juvenile delinquent, but, slightly better."

"Oh?"

"Yes. If you live here, you may be a prisoner with no rights to do certain things, but unlike others prisons, we give you a type of money called Cast Points that you can use to buy food and clothes and other things you might need or want, even alcohol and drugs. It truly is a carefree lifestyle, only…"

"Only what?" I asked, interested in this prison.

"Only, you're still a criminal that must be punished," he said.

"What do you mean? What punishment?"

"I'm so glad you asked, my young boy. You see, this prison is an awful place if you're forced to live here, but a wonderfully fun amusement to the rest of civilization," he said with a smile. "We call Deadman Wonderland."

"Deadman…Wonderland? What does that mean?"

"You'll find out, if you choose to stay."

Despite the questions in my head, I didn't ask anything else and I decided to stay at Deadman Wonderland. Tamaki gave me new clothes and told me if I stayed I'd have to work for him. I agreed, and that's how it started.

Ten years later, I stand here in Deadman Wonderland in front of a death row inmate who had luck on his side and is refusing death.

"Just stay back, man!" he said, as if he were a threat to me. I just smiled. What could he do to me? In an instant, I flowed blood carefully from my hand and whipped it quickly. And as quickly as that the poor stupid man's head lay at my feet. With a sigh, I walked off as the body fell to the floor.

"What a shame I couldn't play longer. If only he hadn't died so easily," I said. But of course I was a very busy boy; I had other things to do. I started to head back into the dark prison house when some strange sight stopped me. What is this?

Chief Warden Makina and Tamaki were talking just outside the door. I quickly hid before they saw me and listened silently.

"They'll know something's up and you as well as I will be questioned," Makina was saying.

"I know," Tamaki answered. "But I know he won't just leave. He's been here longer than all of us, and if he didn't leave then…"

"Well we have to do something, he's out of control."

"I know…" Tamaki sighed. "Then I guess we have no choice. For the good of Deadman Wonderland…we have to get rid of Toto!"

What?! I thought, my eyes widening and my mouth dropping open. "Get rid of me? They can't! I grew up here! I lived here! I…" Everything started spinning and I quickly, yet shakily, raised my hands to my head. It was getting hard to stand, disbelief pulling my feet, trying desperately to drag me down. Hoe could they do this? Wasn't I doing my job? Why were they doing this to me?!

I ran away as quickly as I could trying not to fall, just trying to find somewhere to go.

I ran until I was out of breath and leaned against one of the buildings. My eyes started to tear up. I couldn't stand the thought f losing this place.

"Toto?" I heard a familiar voice say. I turned to see Senji looking me worriedly.

Senji was my lover. He and I had been together for a while and were almost inseparable, except for when I was working of course. Senji was the sweetest boy I'd ever met.

"Senji!" I said running toward him. I ran into his arms and felt his warm embrace. It was warmer than the heat of the sun. "Senji, they're trying to get rid of me!" I screamed.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I overheard Makina and Tamaki taking about getting rid of me!"

"What?! Why would they do that?!" Senji squeezed my arms and I tried to ignore the pain I was in.

"I-I heard them say I was out of control and it was for the good of DMW and I didn't know what to do!" I started crying to hard to say anything else. I just leaned against his chest and cried. He held me tighter and leaned his shoulder against the wall.

"We'll do something, Toto… We'll do something."

Senji took me to my room and left me to be alone, though I knew he was sitting outside the door somewhere. I started to write in my poetic diary. I now know my purpose… I wrote. I kept writing until I had a little over two full pages. I closed my book and lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling to contemplate. My head spun and I closed my eyes to relax, trying to take my mind off the events of the day.

Without realizing, I fell asleep and woke up four hours later, lying on Senji's chest with his arms tightly around me. I smiled and cuddled against him. Then all the memories of that day flowed back into my head. I sat up quickly and shook Senji to wake him up.

"What?" he said sleepily.

"What do you mean what?"

"Oh!" He got up and walked with me through the prison to Tamaki's office. I told him to wait outside, cut a small slash in my hand and walked in.

"Any jobs today, Tamaki?" I asked calmly.

"Hmm… I'm not sure yet but… Toto, come sit down." I walked slowly to the couch a little away from Tamaki. "Lately, we here at Deadman Wonderland have been discussing some things, and there are some changes we need to make." I shrugged slightly. "… One of my conversations with another member of the prison had to do with you, an-

Before anything else was said, a stream of blood swung through the air, scattering Tamaki's desktop decorations. Glass shattered over the ground and Tamaki jumped back. I sprang up onto the desk and looked down at Tamaki, blood circled around me like a full-body halo.

"I heard what you said! I heard your intentions, and there's no way I'm leaving DMW! AND… I don't work or you anymore!" I swung and whipped the blood all around Tamaki, then ran out, grabbing Senji's arm while I went by. As I ran through the prison, a big smile was spread across my face.

By every person whipped a stinging rope of blood, spraying more blood with every flick. A dark laugh escaped my throat. I suddenly heard Tamaki's voice over the intercom saying "ROGUE DEADMAN!"

Senji and I finally got through all the blood and massacre and out of the prison house. We ran back to my house then stopped.

"Wait," I gasped. "We can't hide here, they'll know."

"Then what do we do?" Senji asked. I stopped and thought for a moment. I turned to Senji then back. With a few flicks of my hand the house was destroyed, and only seconds later I fell to the ground. I'd used too much of my blood. I could barely hear Senji calling to me before I was swallowed by darkness.

I woke up I strange room with machines floor to ceiling everywhere. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My head was pounding and I was still dizzy. I looked around a little more and saw Senji standing in the doorway of the room.

"Senji?" I said slowly.

"It's not much, and you don't have to stay, but it was abandoned and I don't think anyone will find you here."

"Uh…mm, thank you, Senji…" Senji walked over and kissed me softly. His sweet kiss gave me comfort. With his delicate touch still on my lips, he said goodbye and left before he was found out. I sat and stared at the door. What could I do? I was now a rogue deadman hiding from the people who saved me.

"Now what?" I asked myself. "I guess…what I always do, always done; surive."