Chapter One: Prologue! Behind These Bars, Storm The Gates!

It was a chilly day, even if it was almost summer. A black sedan pulled through the sleepy, quiet mountain town with barely a whisper, except for the droning swoosh of tires on pavement. Inside the sedan, a small family sits; one, a calm, slender face with a strong jaw and broad shoulders, drives through the day. Another, youthful but burdened by the passage of time and other things, stares resolutely down, knitting a scarf of sorts in a mahogany red. Then, in the back of the car, a young man, with youthful features, a strong jaw, broad shoulders and kind eyes, gazes emptily at the passing scenery. A small shop here, a sweeping stream there, and everywhere else, silence.

The boy was unnerved at the time, seemingly troubled by something. He was a little over Eighteen, but his face, youthful as it was, already showed the signs of age that only a few people can truly identify. The set of his eyebrows, as he ignored his mother in the front. The way his once-bright green eyes didn't shine with as much fervour anymore. The way his chest rose and fell, almost cautiously metering out their movements; the breath of a condemned man.

But, then again...

Aren't I condemned? I wish my heart knew what was wrong with it. If only so it didn't beat so much when I didn't need it to...

The sights of the town disappearing went unnoticed by the boy, as the sedan crested a hill and came to a stop. It's destination was a large complex, with wrought iron gates which sported a clean, black finish, red brick walls and a limestone port. The smells of a park or upper-class gated community were prevalent in the air. The boy also didn't notice this, though. What brought him out of his daze was the slamming of the driver and passenger doors, followed by the subsequent opening of his door. With that, his arm rest now removed from under him, he snapped alert with a jolt, shaking his head roughly before swinging his feet out of the vehicle. His father extended his hand to the boy.

... The boy refused it.

A look of displeasure made it's way across the man's face. "Hisao... I know how you must feel about all this, but it's an amazing opportunity for you. You need to start being more open-minded about this. How do you ever expect to get past this if you don't at least put an effort in, hm?"

The boy stared at his father with a passive mask of nonchalance easily working through his body. It was too easy, seeing as he did it so much during his time in solitary – uh, bed rest.

"Yes, Father."

The man looked unconvinced, but turned away. He gazed upon the familiar grounds, inhaling deeply, before he turned back.

"Honey, please help me with his bags. We can take them ahead to his room."

The woman, who had been gazing wistfully at her son, snapped her gaze to meet her husband's eyes, and gave a silent, stiff nod. So, as the boy gazed off into the distance across the town he was now to call his own, a hand resting on his chest; his parents with their torsos sticking into the trunk, gathering his things and setting them on the side of the road, it was almost too easy to miss the sounds of another vehicle approaching from the opposite direction.

Almost.

Hisao looked to his left, seeing a police cruiser pulling to a stop opposite them. Intrigued, he turned his body towards it, intent on watching the next few events as they unfolded.

The front passenger side door opened, and a young man in a well-kept uniform stepped out, stretching his arms at his sides. Long ride, I suppose? I wonder what they're doing here.

The officer ignored the boy. As he finished his stretches, he turned back to the cruiser, and... Opened the rear door? What?

As the door opened, he leaned into the car, fumbling around a bit, and then rose out of it again. It was after he rose that Hisao noticed the... cargo... that the cruiser had, until recently, kept contained.

A young man, who was maybe his age, stepped out of the cruiser, putting his arms behind his head freely to stretch. Hisao's heart couldn't help but start beating faster, as what was once a slight curiosity and anxiety turned almost into a full-blown panic. Only his fear, of this situation, and of his heart stopping in his chest, kept him in place.

The young man kept stretching, gazing lazily around his surroundings. His eyes swept easily over Hisao, and Hisao shuddered in place. After the boy finished scanning, he turned to the police officer, who was doing absolutely nothing right at this moment, and started talking. The officer stopped what he was doing, signalling to the cruiser, and the trunk opened. They spoke some more, until the officer let out a bellow of a laugh, the young man giving a small laugh of his own.

Hisao's fervently beating heart slowed down at the laughter, and he collapsed to the ground clutching at his chest and coughing weakly. The young man across the street gestured to the officer, and then to Hisao, and the officer gave a curt nod and strode over, barely looking both ways before he did so. By the time the officer arrived, both of his parents were tending to Hisao, his coughing and wheezing a worrisome thing. "Hey, I'm officer Teito. Is everything alright over here, or should I go get help?"

The two worried parents were about to speak, but Hisao beat them to it. "What - *wheeze* - w – what gives? *gasp* *COUGH* - Who the-" He drew a huge gulp of air, sputtering a bit, before shifting onto his knees, looking up at the officer with worried eyes. "- Who the hell is that?"

The officer, looking back, let out a barking laugh, turning back to the disgruntled boy with a smile on his face. "Him? Oh, Now I see." More laughter, softer than before though, wracked his body, his shoulders bouncing with his chest as it heaved. "You needn't worry about him. He's... a little difficult, but he's a good kid. In fact, you should probably go talk to him. He's... quite the character. A stand-up individual -" the officer stopped laughing, and a dark, almost... sad? Look came across his face. "... even if his records would say otherwise. Go on, you need this almost as much as he does." Teito's face lit up again, and he got to his feet. He held his hand out for Hisao, but the winded boy watched him for a moment, consideration on his face.

What did Teito mean by that? Should I go talk to him? I mean, the officer looked fairly comfortable, and he wasn't in handcuffs, or anything...

After a moment of deliberation, however, Hisao's curiosity got the better of his reason, and he took the proffered hand and rose to his feet. Gulping a little, he looked back at his parents, who were looking at him with worry in their eyes. Staring back for a moment, he turned back to the officer, taking a deep breath, and steeling himself for what he was about to do. Looking up, his determination made the officer smile. "Okay. I'm gonna do it. You sure about this?"

They walked towards the cruiser, and the officer pulled out his notepad and a pen. "Positive. Well, Mostly. Come on, though! You look like a nice kid, and that guy wouldn't hurt a fly! No matter how this turns out, it could only be good for you."

His grinning face and happy composure made Hisao feel a little easier, but at the same time, he also felt a little concerned. Not for his safety, per se, but more for the future of the human race as a whole. I mean, if guys like THIS can get onto the force... Maybe I should join up too? It was a morbid joke, but it worked well for putting him in an open mindset, and steeling his nerves. As he approached the object of his concerns however, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

Compared to himself, this guy was a TANK. Even though he was hunched over with his arms in the trunk, he could easily tell that this guy had half a foot on him, and he wasn't a short guy to begin with. After that, thick, toned muscles almost rippled up his arms, his shoulders looking to be almost three times the size of his (admittedly scrawny) ones. The skin on his arms was an orangy-red, but traces of pale, white skin could be seen on his underarms. Combined with faint freckles, his Caucasian heritage was undeniable. The boy lifted his body out of the trunk, to show a buzzed head of short, golden brown hair. Hisao, however, had no doubt that his hair must be red when it wasn't so short. He had startlingly blonde eyebrows, and a short-cropped but neat and clean red beard rested across the lines of his face. It was the same length as his incredibly short hair. The boy looked over to him, and a victorious smirk made it's way across his face. Hisao couldn't help but smile along. That face must be a common one he made; it looked so at home with the deep-set, mildly slanted (Almost... Asian? Strange...) eyes. They were a deep, vibrant green on the outside, turning into a cool grayish blue, with a startling ring of copper in the middle. Very intense, if I do say so myself. Damn! I haven't said anything. What should I say? What COULD I -

Hisao was pulled from his musings as the boy in front of him chuckled, extending an arm out to greet him. He had a good accent, but it was obvious that Japanese was not his first language. "Hey there, guy. Had us worried for a second. At least get in to the prestigious school – hospital – thingy before you keel over and die of fright, ne? Sorry; that's in bad taste. I'm Kanasu Mikaru. You can call me whatever you want, though." He smiled, and Hisao shook off his nervousness, smiling before extending his hand. "Hey there, I'm Nakai Hisao. I think I'll call you – Stubs?" Oh, well fuck.

There was no hands on this boy. Just two, even-length... stubs.

- I just called him Stubs.

... WHY THE HELL DID I JUST CALL HIM STUBS!?

He was holding onto the boy's forearm, shaking weakly, before a humungous guffaw followed; the boy lifting his other stub and shaking merrily and vigorously.

"GUAHAHAHA! 'Stubbs', he says! That's Great! Jeez, that's awesome. Hey, Hisao, do you think I can get everyone to call me that? That's like, the best nickname I've ever had!"

Hisao looked up at the boy in shock, before the boy's smooth baritone and smiling features registered in his brain. Becoming a nervous wreck, he started laughing too, mainly from relief though.

The two of them dropped their arms, and Hisao scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh heh... Yeah. Wait, no – shit. You're unnerving, man. I don't mind, really, but... Never mind. Screw it. I guess you don't really care what I say, do you?"

Mikaru grinned, and shook his head. "Nope! Well, I mean, there's obviously some things I won't tolerate, you know, because I still have my dignity and all. But, Hey! You seem like an easy guy to make nervous, so I'd prefer it if you just considered anything... water under the bridge. You're pretty cool, Hisao. WAAY better than those ass holes on the bid, by a long shot. Hey, can you give me a hand with this? - Pfft... Hand... heheheh..."

Hisao Shook his head, smiling at the ground. Seeing the boy's numerous bags, and lack of appendages capable of holding them, he grabbed a backpack, holding it out to the jubilant boy. He slid it onto his shoulders, and gestured towards a plain black duffel bag and a laptop case, bundled close together. "You want both?"

Mikaru gave a smile and a nod, so Hisao bent over to grab the duffel bag first. He grabbed the strap, and was about to lift, but Mikaru put his arm on his back, slowing him for a second. "Uh, on second thought Hisao, can you just give me the laptop? After that, I think it would be better if Officer Teito and your father helped me get the duffel bag there. There's a suitcase in the trunk you could get, though."

Hisao raised an eyebrow, but nodded and complied. Sliding the laptop's arm strap into place, he grabbed the suitcase, hefting it out of the trunk. "Holy shit... This thing is a little heavy, man. Well, at least to me. Heh."

Mikaru had a bit of a glint in his eyes, but smiled and nodded anyway. Hisao then turned to his father, who was looking suspiciously over at the two of them, and summoned him. Both the officer and Mr. Nakai walked over, coming to a stop at the rear of the car. "Yes, Hisao?"

Hisao pointed to the bag, and Officer Teito's face dropped. "Oh, right. Shit. Mr. Nakai, can you help me get that bag onto the boy's shoulders? I can't do it myself." Mr. Nakai glanced incredibly at the officer, the bag and the boy, but sighed eventually, shaking his head in defeat. "Alright, Officer Teito. If you say so."

The two men walked over to the bag, and the Officer beckoned Mikaru over, nodding silently. Coordinating with Mr. Nakai, the officer and the man grabbed the straps, which on second glance, had some sort of wire running through the handles, and Mr. Nakai looked up at Teito. With a mutual nod, they prepared to lift the bag, Mr. Nakai unsure of what to expect.

"Alright, here we go. One... two... three – OH, HOLY... SHIT..." The bag groaned a bit, as did the two men. With what looked like a tremendous effort, they lifted it as high as they could, and Mikaru quickly slid his head into the straps, balancing it on his shoulder and across his body. He stood steady, grunting slightly, but otherwise showed no other signs of discomfort or effort.

Winded, the officer doubled over, and gasped out "Oh, thank the Kamis I never have to do THAT again. You got it, Mikaru?"

Sliding his stump up the front of the straps, he slid it under, adjusting them a little, before grinning a little, and said "Heheh. Yup. I got this, Teito. Gomen, Mr. Nakai." He gave a bow, and Mr. Nakai stood flabbergasted. A little more jealous than anything, he waited for the boy to look up, and gave a curt nod, before hobbling back over to the car, holding his back and muttering something about 'little punk... mumble mumble mumble... steroids...'

Hisao, on the other hand, suddenly got the strangest feeling.

So, THIS is what it's like to have the biggest guy in the school at your back. NICE! - Wait, where's he going!?

Mikaru, looking pleased with himself and not just a little bit cocky, grinned and beckoned Hisao over. Well, as best as he could burdened with what seemed like a thousand pounds of crap on his shoulders, and no hands to do it with.

"Come on, Hisao! The rest of our lives wait just behind these bars! Not that I'm necessarily happy about being locked in a pen again..."

Hisao smiled, knowing that, no matter what kind of guy he was, no matter what horrible, monstrous things he was accused of doing... he was a good guy – but, more than that...

He was his friend.

End of Chapter One: Prologue: Behind These Bars!

Next Time! Chapter Two: Behind These Bars, a Mix-up and an Accident!