Nagisa looked hazily out of the window as his birthplace began shrinking farther and farther from him. He was crowded by other kids his age who had come from different cities across the Dominion. Some cried while others ground their teeth in resilience. At age 15, all children of the Dominion were required to take an aptitude trial to let the government know what job they'd be best at doing. More importantly, it let them know if they were going to be able to "function properly" (which basically meant never speaking out toward the government and letting them order you around) in society.
All kids who fail the trial are to be sent off to the Schoolplace. The Schoolplace was a supposed rehabilitation center where failen kids were taught to be functioning adults in the Dominion. Nagisa couldn't necessarily tell you how big the Dominion was, or pinpoint where it was on the globe if you gave him a map, but from hearing stories as a child, he assumed it was quite large. The petite boy had spent his entire childhood in the slums with his mother, as they worked selling bread they'd cooked together. His father was killed in an accident while working in a government factory. After his death, they received a large compensation which helped them to start a small bakery where they lived. They were better off than most, as they could sell things in the market and Nagisa and his mother slept on a shared bed at night, but it was still no luxury.
Nagisa still hadn't really come to terms with the fact he was being taken away yet. He watched senselessly as the authorities dragged him away from his crying, screaming mother, and loaded him onto the bus with the other children like cattle. The guards threatened her to quiet down numerous times, and the last thing he saw was her face streaked with tears He didn't become fully aware of the situation until he was finally inside the Schoolplace.
The Schoolplace looked like a regular government-funded facility from the outside. It was exquisite, unlike the normal buildings of the town where he was from, where some places were painted and some barely held together. Upon entering, he was in awe of the inside, which was intricate and organized; as expected of such an official building, he assumed anyways. There were front offices toward the entrance and a waiting room area to be called into various formal offices for whatever bureaucracy was required there. However, it seemed no one was on duty. At the back of the waiting room, there sat an elevator. It had both an up and down button, which was strange considering that you usually expect the floor you enter on to be the first floor.
The children, fifteen he noted, were all loaded into the elevator. Most of their cries and resistance had died down by now. He wondered if he were considered odd to the bunch, as he had not cried once, then wondered if it were wrong of him not to cry when he was dragged from his mother. His mind was suddenly overwhelmed by memories of her screaming violent threats while throwing things across the room at him and tormenting him and pulling his long hair she forced him to keep. He immediately blinked them away, trying not to stray from his determination to leave the Schoolplace as soon as possible. It was one step closer to being able to leave his mother and the somber town he was taken from for good.
About ten seconds had passed since they'd been in the elevator and the doors were thrown open. It was peculiar, as Nagisa never felt like they moved or recalled if they went down or up. Before he could think of anything else, a gush of cold air brushed against their faces and they were introduced to their new lives.
"Welcome to the Schoolplace, kids," A man who they'd not met yet greeted them enthusiastically. The way he addressed them was rather peculiar, as the mood until then had been bleak. His hair was a glossy black and looked clean, yet unkempt. He looked rather young, though his eyes had shown with the ferocity of a person who'd known great hardships. "I'll take them from here," he insisted to the authorities that guided the children into the institution.
"I'm coming with you, Grim Reaper," a guard with a scowl on his face approached him, as if it were a challenge. His attitude was very different from the taller man. His hair was a dark brown, and he had a stockier build than his partner. He was much older and seemed eager to do his job as an officer of sorts, as if he enjoyed the power that came with it, whereas the other seemed indifferent.
"If you insist, Takaoka," he smiled with a slight hint of mockery. The thickset man let a minimal amount of hostility slip before masking it and signaling the children to follow the other.
"I'll be your teacher. You can call me Koro-sensei, and he's Takaoka-sensei," he chuckled, vaguely mumbling something under his breath. Takaoka rolled his eyes at this. "If you follow me this way, I'll show you how to navigate this heavenly vicinity." Though he said such an affirmative word, it seemed to have an indistinct sardonic connotation.
For a teacher, he seemed rather cynical. Though, Nagisa admired that about him. He would much rather have an honest teacher than not.
After being toured around the less-than-luxurious areas of the schoolplace which included the desolate bedrooms, bathrooms, and more, they were finally let loose.
"You have exactly twenty minutes to shower, get ready for school, and be back here," Takaoka said, "Or else." he added without hinting anything but seriousness.
Nagisa decided it was best to listen to him. He wandered off, getting hopelessly lost already. The place was unusually large, though lacking. He began walking off toward the shower.
"U-um!" he heard a squeak behind him. He turned around to find a small girl behind him. To be fair, she wasn't much smaller than him, if only by a few centimeters, but her frail structure made her seem worlds smaller. Her dark hair was in two braids that hung down to the middle of her chest. Her brown eyes seemed slightly larger than most behind her glasses. Nagisa seemed confused about how she ended up here, as she seemed adept at observation.
"Oh, hi. Did you need something?" He asked her.
"Not particularly… I just wanted to tell you that those are the girls showers, and the boys are across the hall," she muttered.
"Oh! Thank you, um.. What's your name?"
"Okuda," she smiled at him faintly.
"Thank you Okuda," he beamed as he walked toward in the opposite direction. He wasn't used to people recognizing he was a boy since his mother always insisted he wore his hair down and that it be kept shoulder-length at the least. Since his hair was a natural light blue (a "girlish" color), it was double hell. He approached the boys locker rooms, opening the locker marked with his name. He pulled out clothes that were his size and headed toward the shower.
"Woah, you're in the wrong room, little girl," A boy much taller than Nagisa approached him. His hair was rather short, brown on the top and blonde on the sides. He was exceptionally muscular, his skin an admirable warm beige that bore small, faint scars in some places as if he'd been in fights before.
"I-I'm actually a guy," Nagisa said feebly, hoping to avoid causing trouble. It didn't work though, as he quickly caught the attention of other boys.
"Seriously?" An orange-haired boy piped up, approaching him. He was a couple of centimeters shorter than the first boy, yet still taller than Nagisa. His deep violet eyes shone with more insensitivity than the other. In contrast, his skin was ivory. A few more followed. All of their extreme masculinity overwhelmed him and he cursed his small frame under his breath.
"Yeah, so, I'd appreciate it if I could shower now," his face was turning pale. The previous joy he'd felt had been wiped away like sand from the ocean shore.
The darker boy had murmured something inaudible to the paler boy and he laughed muffedly in response, saying something like, "Shut up, you'd best not start a fight," trying to pull him away.
"Yeah, c'mon, Terasaka," another boy with even shorter hair and thick eyebrows murmured. His skin was a few shades lighter than Terasaka, without the scars and scrapes, but he wasn't nearly as built. He was also shorter than the both of them. To add on, he didn't seem nearly as unsympathetic, to which Nagisa wondered why he hung around them.
"Shut up," Terasaka scoffed before leaving.
Nagisa softly let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in.
"Don't mind Terasaka, he's an idiot. Don't wanna get on his bad side though, it seems," Nagisa turned to his left and saw a boy with a petite frame like his, though he was taller than Nagisa still. His black hair hung over his eyes.
"I'm Chiba. You're Nagisa?" he extended his hand, and Nagisa shook it gratefully, nodding. "Figured. Those other guys Gakushuu and Okajima. I've only known them for a bit, but they seem almost as big an idiot as Terasaka."
Nagisa felt comforted by his fleeting, yet informative tone. Every thing so far had been overwhelming.
"I'm going to hurry and shower though, I don't wanna know what that 'or else' is that Takaoka-sensei mentioned," He trailed off toward the shower. Nagisa followed after and they hastily showered. Chiba didn't seem to mind whether Nagisa stuck around or not, as long as he didn't have to prattle on. Nagisa wasn't used to small talk either, so he didn't find their silence awkward in the least. When they returned to where they were released, Nagisa's hair was still slightly damp from the shower, as it was longer than the other boys'.
"You," Koro-sensei called out to Nagisa, pointing in his direction.
Nagisa approached as soon as he was beckoned. This got a shade of approval from the instructor, from which the blue-haired boy was taken by surprise. "You aren't in trouble," he started off, "But you will be with Takaoka if you don't tie up your hair." He pulled his hands up to Nagisa's head and began sectioning it off into parts. The end result was two messy knots on his head that pulled his hair away from his neck and face for the most part. "Much more boyish, don't you think?" He smiled again, holding up a mirror to the small boy's face.
He blushed slightly. "Yes sir, thank you, Koro-sensei," he bowed gratefully.
"You're dismissed."
Nagisa returned to where Chiba stood and was greeted by two other boys. One seemed rather plain, but friendly with light brown hair that came to his ears and light green eyes to match. The other had glossy, ash brown hair parted away from his face with dark eyes and was significantly taller.
"Hi, I'm Mimura. This is Sugaya," The more amiable boy gestured to the boy next to him, who waved his hand in greeting.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Nagisa." The group of boys began voicing their opinions of the schoolplace. Eventually Okuda and another girl, Hayami, joined them. She had hazel eyes that reflected her serious personality. Nagisa learned soon that Chiba and the orange-haired girl with low pigtails, similar to Okuda's braids, were childhood friends. They got along very well, as if they were an old married couple. Probably from being together for so long, Nagisa noted.
Joining Terasaka, aside from the orange-haired Asano and almost-bald Okajima, who Nagisa had met moments ago, was Hazama- who sent shivers down Nagisa's spine with her porcelain, doll-like skin and raven black hair with eyes to match, and Muramatsu- who had very squinty, devious eyes and dirty blonde hair.
Not joining either group, were Hara- a full-figured girl with purple-brown hair who seemed to be unbothered by their surroundings, Okano- who had the same color hair as Hara but was much more serious, and Kanzaki- who had long black hair and seemed regal, her body well-toned.
Nagisa was still observing his new classmates when his thoughts were cut short by Takaoka. "Line up, you heathens."
The kids did as they were told, lining up in front of Takaoka-sensei. One boy ran up from the showers, immediately following after the others and lining up, even though he'd not known what went on before he arrived. He had very good speed, Nagisa noticed, as he barely realized the boy was late.
"What's your name?" Takaoka bellowed out toward the kid who was late.
"Kimura- Masayoshi Kimura, sir." He had dark, short, and spiky hair and seemed rather serene, yet serious. His school uniform was disheveled and his hair still slightly wet from the shower.
"Kimura..." He started off, then changed the subject. "This, as you all know, is the Schoolplace. However, it is not a traditional school, as you've seen," the kids looked around quizzically at each other, not daring to whisper comments in the silence that surrounded them. He continued on, "It is a school, well, a killing school that is. Kimura, come here," he ordered.
Kimura approached, not saying a word. Koro-sensei winced, swiftly wiping it away before looking at Takaoka. It was quick, and almost slipped by Nagisa.
Before anyone could take another breath, Takaoka grabbed Kimura by his hair with his sturdy, powerful arm. He tensed his muscles and gripped the boy harder. Kimura grimaced and winced loudly, his eyes tearing up as Takaoka tightened his hold. The man then slammed his head into the wall behind him, creating a splitting sound that pierced the silence from the abundance of unoccupied space that surrounded them. No one dared interrupt the sinister noise. Takaoka licked his lips, showing even more enmity than before. Nagisa tensed at this, faltering faintly at his malicious actions.
Takaoka dropped the limp boy onto the ground, wiping Kimura's blood onto a small towel from his pocket, acting as if nothing happened. Kimura lie dangerously still, the blank wall and floor now tainted by his blood resembling the lightning that started a fire soon to come. He continued on, "You have one week to train yourselves, with the help of Koro-sensei," he threw a smug look in his direction to which the other showed dispassion, "To be assassins. At the end of the week, you'll be pitted against each other in a fight to the death. Whoever is the last to be alive becomes the Graduate of your class. You'll be rewarded with the highest honor; a job in the military."
Hearing this was unbelievable. Jobs in the military usually went to people in the Upper Class. They had been taught from birth that they were never good enough to fight for the Dominion. Yet, here they were; failure children who had a second chance in life to be a military official. But like this? This seemed ridiculously unfair. Unfair was an understatement, but at the moment, even the articulate Nagisa had no words to describe the situation.
"Well, that's that, kids. Hop to it," Takaoka grinned in spite before exiting the room through the elevator they had first entered through.
Some kids fell to their knees while others clenched their fists or jaw. However, they were all customarily silent. Some were showing their respect for the first of them to die- some of them just in shock- as they knew each of them had an equal chance to be next.