The idea of this work is originally inspired by the Samezuka Channel CD, Ano Natsu no Long Slow Distance, in which the Iwatobi guys are lost and arrive at an abandoned amusement park.
This fic will probably be dark. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Free! and Free! Eternal Summer belong to KyoAni
CHAPTER I
WELCOME TO HAPPYVILLE
It was a simple job of tutoring an elementary school boy who lived in a lakeside house. The promised salary was quite high, and the house wasn't that far. He only needed to take the right bus to go there. Tachibana Makoto slid his mouse and clicked for contact information. He fetched his pen by the desk and scribbled the numbers on a post-it note.
"Makoto, what are you doing?"
He was having a voice chat via Skype with Haruka. Makoto dropped his pen beside his laptop before replying, "I'm sorry, Haru. I was searching for a job to spend my summer holiday." He slipped the note between his fingertips, "I think it may be a good idea to raise money for my living expenses in Tokyo."
"Oh," Haruka replied. After a moment of silence, his voice continued by the speaker, "have you got one yet?"
"I'm going to make a phone call." Makoto found himself smiling enthusiastically, "I hope I can get the job. It's a job as a private teacher. Promised salary is good, and it will only take half my time in the summer. After that, we can spend our time together this summer holiday, Haru."
"Sounds nice. You can practically learn to teach that way." Even though Makoto couldn't see Haruka through their voice chat, he had a strong feeling Haruka was smiling at the other line. "That means you're closer to your dream to become a swim coach."
"That's right. Wish me luck, Haru. I'll be back after I make the call." Makoto stood up from his chair, still staring at the screen of his laptop.
"Good luck, Makoto."
Makoto smiled and walked toward a telephone attached on the end desk standing beside his bed. The apartment room he was living at wasn't the best one, but at least it was comfortable enough. Makoto sat on his bed and copied the numbers written on the post-it note to the phone buttons. He pressed the receiver to his ear while looking up at the ceiling. He was nervous.
"Hello?" A woman's voice was heard.
"Hello. Excuse me, but are you the one who put on an ad looking for a private teacher on the internet?" Makoto's fingers were playing with the phone cable.
"Oh, yes! Are you going to apply for the job? Because it's still available." The woman's voice sounded enthusiastic.
"Yes, I'm going to. So is it your son who needs the teaching? What grade is he in?"
"He's in the fifth grade. Having difficulties with Math and Japanese Language. Also, he's easily distracted and doesn't have a strong motivation to study. Do you think you can do it? Like making both subjects fun so he can enjoy studying them?" There was something odd about the woman's voice, but Makoto couldn't decipher what it was.
"I will try my best." He had once coached Shigino Kisumi's little brother to swim. Shigino Hayato hated swimming at first, and he was afraid of it, yet Makoto managed to make him love swimming. He reminded himself about that for encouragement.
"That's great, but I can't just accept you. Would you please come to our house for your job interview? Just a few questions to make sure you're the right person for my son."
"Certainly. I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name's Tachibana Makoto. May I have your name, ma'am?"
"Are you a university student?" She asked, ignoring Makoto's request for her name.
"Yes, first year at Tokyo University."
"Sounds awesome. Call me Doukeshi-san. Prepare your pen. I'm going to tell you my complete address."
Makoto couldn't help but frown once he heard the name. Doukeshi—clown? Mrs. Clown? He shrugged it off. Just someone with a weird name. He and his gang were all boys with girly names, after all. Those weren't too awesome either, but Makoto loved that. Their names had been a strong connection between him and his friends.
As he listened, his pen scribbled swiftly on his notes. After he attended Tokyo University, he was used to write fast to catch up with his professors' lectures. After arranging the time of his visit, he hung up.
Makoto inhaled and let out a sigh. He quickly made his way back to his laptop. "Haru? Are you still there?"
"How was it, Makoto?" It was Haruka's voice. Somehow, that voice calmed him down from his nervousness.
"It's going good. I'll have my job interview by Monday." He paused, "Haruuu, can you accompany me to buy a new set of clothes for the interview this Saturday? I'll leave Tokyo on Sunday, so I'm afraid we don't have the time to do that." He pleaded with honeyed voice, "Also, I need your eyes to help me choose the clothes."
A sigh was heard from the other line. "Fine."
"Thank you, Haru!"
"Why do you even need that? It's just a summer job interview. Your usual clothes are good enough." Haruka said.
"Eh? Really? But I'm still not confident... Haru, why don't you leave Tokyo sooner? You can also come with me at the interview. If you're there with me, I will feel more confident."
A sigh. "Makoto, I have an important joint practice on Monday."
"Ah." Makoto tried to hide his disappointment, "It's okay. I wish you luck. You're working hard, Haru. I know you're going to be a great Olympic swimmer one day, because you really are the best in the water, Haru-chan."
"What are you talking about?"
"So when will you come home to Iwatobi?" Makoto changed the subject.
"A week after you arrive there."
:-:
On Monday afternoon in Iwatobi, Makoto left his house in his new set of clothes that Haruka had picked up for him two days before. Haruka's choice was to go with the casual ones with a pair of jeans and a nice new shirt, freshly washed. The key point was clean and neat, and Haruka stuffed three packs of mint candies to Makoto's bag, for fresh breath. Perhaps Haruka was right. Makoto didn't need new clothes after all.
When Makoto made it to the bus stop, the place was empty. Not many people passed this area, he thought, especially at this time of day. He was wondering why the woman insisted him to come at dusk. The distance wasn't that far away, so Makoto accepted her request. He had also planned to come home a little late today.
He had come here before last summer, with Haruka, Nagisa, and Rei, to hold joint training camp near the lake with Samezuka Academy. They ended up taking the wrong bus, though. This time, Makoto wouldn't make the same mistake. He looked at the address note in his hand.
Lakethorn Front.
"Wait..." he murmured, "so the house isn't located near the place we held our training camp? I thought—"
A bus stopped in front of him. Makoto blinked and lifted his head. This bus looked...empty. There was the driver, of course. Makoto walked to the opened door of the bus. "Excuse me, is this bus going to Lakethorn Front?"
The driver nodded his head. "Yeah, come in."
Makoto did a quick glance inside the bus. There was indeed nobody inside. He gulped before taking his seat at the front, just behind the driver's seat. It felt uncomfortable, and strangely eerie. He fidgeted nervously in his seat. His mind kept considering whether he should take this bus or not, but before Makoto could decide, the door was closed and the bus started moving. He was the only passenger inside.
Makoto patiently waited as the bus kept going. He was hoping to see another station so he could just get off. For some unknown reasons, his heart couldn't stop beating too loudly. Something felt wrong—very wrong.
It was common knowledge that Makoto was a scaredy-cat, and he kept telling himself that it was his own fault. He was scared because the bus was empty, and it was his wild imagination's fault to create a picture of a faceless driver in his head. The driver kept silent along the way, he didn't even turn his head and Makoto couldn't see his face. The ride felt like an eternity—as he was expecting a bus station on sight every five minutes and didn't see even one. The bus took him high and deep to the mountains.
At least three hours had passed. Makoto had sent some emails to Haruka expressing his worries, but he hadn't got a single reply from his best friend. It's been a while since Makoto felt so lonely. After staring hard at his empty mail inbox, Makoto shifted his gaze to the bus window. His heart did a happy leap when he saw a station nearby.
Makoto was expecting the bus to stop, but the driver didn't at all hit the brake. A trickle of cold sweat broke through the temple of his head as the bus passed the station. "Excuse me." Makoto finally said, "Why don't you stop at that station? I was going to get off there."
The driver kept his head facing the seemingly endless road. He didn't reply, nor did he turn his head to face Makoto. "Hey—" Makoto was suddenly in panic, "can you listen to me—"
"You're going to Lakethorn Front." The driver suddenly said without even a glance at Makoto, "I'm going to take you there."
Makoto looked out the window, "I don't think I want to go this far—"
"Oh, I know..." The driver said in a low voice, "I know where to take you."
Realization crossed his face. Makoto was being deceived. He was the only passenger inside, and this driver took the advantage to that and wanted something from him. Was it his money? He didn't even wear anything expensive—he didn't bring his laptop, but he was going to be robbed, anyway. Without anybody around, it was so easy for a crime to be done. Just anything could happen.
Makoto punched the keys of his cell phone with trembling fingertips. Makoto didn't want his parents to worry, but he had to at least alert them for the situation he might have stuck in. When Makoto was trying to send a message, his cell phone refused to do so as he got no signal at all. He kept trying to send them in desperation, but the message wouldn't go out.
Haru, his mind couldn't think of another name, Haru, Haru, Haru, I'm scared.
Finally, Makoto felt a brake being pushed and the bus stopped. He turned his head to look outside the window and saw a huge, rusty iron gates, which stood at least five meters in height. Behind the gates were some sort of an old amusement park. The dusk had arrived.
"Doukeshi-san's residence." The driver suddenly said. Makoto almost jumped a little on his seat. Confusion and fear consumed him. Makoto didn't even want to see the driver's face now. Eyes shut, he stood up, picked up his stuffs, and quickly made his way out of the bus. Now he wanted to just run away. Once he stepped on the dusty ground with dried and crushed leaves scattered around, he jumped in terror as he heard a broken voice calling for his name.
"Tachibana Makoto."
The voice was unclear, scratched, and damaged—like it came out from a broken radio. Makoto looked around, horror-stricken. Near the huge iron gates, he spotted a single booth. It looked like a ticket booth, but part of the window had been shattered. The voice was coming from the booth.
Inside the booth, there was a wooden doll dressed like a traditional woman, wearing a scattered kimono. Her mouth hung open, and one of her eyes was missing. Her remaining huge black eye seemed to be staring hard right through Makoto's eyes.
Makoto felt like he could faint.
"Tachibana Makoto..." the wooden mouth moved mechanically, "I am Doukeshi-san."
Makoto screamed as his body turned back to escape the place. Usually, Haruka was always there for him to cling onto, but now he was alone, and Makoto felt a surge of panic building up inside him, overflowing uncontrollably.
Rough, muscular arms grabbed his shaken body from behind. Makoto screamed louder, but a piece of damp cloth was pressed roughly over his nose and mouth, muffling his scream. The sickly-sweet smell of chloroform made his head spin. His vision went blurry before it turned pitch black.
:-:
Makoto never come home since the day he left on Monday.
On the first night of his disappearance, his mother had called Haruka, asking in worry if Makoto had ever contacted him. Haruka apologized. And he apologized again. And again.
Because Makoto had asked Haruka to accompany him, but Haruka rejected him. Makoto had sent him emails he was too late to read, and Haruka couldn't do anything about them. He had made failed attempts to call Makoto. He didn't have a clue where Makoto might be going. Makoto emailed him that he was on a bus—the same bus they'd taken in mistake last summer, but it was different. Makoto said it was eerie and strange, that he was alone, and he was scared, and Haruka didn't even spare his time to read them.
On the second night since Makoto's disappearance, his mother was crying on the phone. Haruka apologized again. He booked a flight to come back to Iwatobi as soon as possible.
On the third night, the police had been alerted. Haruka did his best to provide every information he had for the police. He told them Makoto found a job ad on the internet, that he was taking a bus to go there, and the bus was empty, and it was eerie, and Makoto was scared. Makoto's laptop had been opened. Haruka found the job ad Makoto was talking about, but the numbers were no longer active. The location was also possibly a fake.
Nobody except Haruka had any other information to share.
On the fourth night, Rin came back from Australia. Sousuke was with him. Haruka didn't bother to ask why, or to ask anything at all. Rin silently gave him an embrace. Sousuke said nothing, looking at the ground. Nagisa was crying, and Rei kept patting him on his shoulder, whispering that everything would be okay, but his tears broke out after a minute. There were no further news about the investigation progress.
Makoto was kidnapped, and Haruka was crushed. It felt like he'd lost his other half. His heart was shattered to pieces, half of it gaped open and hollow.
On the fifth day, a letter was in Nanase Haruka's mailbox. He didn't know how and when it got there. It was an invitation. A childish one, with pastel colors and smiley faces all over the letter. Haruka read the card.
'You are all cordially invited to Happyville, a secret place of joy. Take our exclusive bus for your access to the place. Enjoy your ride, play your games, feel the thrill, and forget the world as Happyville will put you in a great amusement and pleasure.
Be mindful that Happyville also challenge you to a fun and thrilling game. Win it and claim your charming grand prize Tachibana Makoto, presented with honor by his master, The Joker. Be ready for the spotlight. To start your fun, be sure to bring your exclusive tickets.
Happyville will be opened exclusively for you. Any uninvited guests will not be allowed inside the Happyville. Since Happyville is a secret place of paradise, failing to maintain its secrecy will result in the destruction of Happyville, along with Tachibana Makoto, the grand prize. All that remained should be his ashes.
We are excitedly waiting for you. Sincerely, The Joker.'
Inside the envelope were five tickets to the amusement park named 'Happyville', each with different guest names: 'Nanase Haruka', 'Hazuki Nagisa', 'Ryuugazaki Rei', 'Matsuoka Rin', 'Yamazaki Sousuke'.
Nanase Haruka squeezed the card in his hand. He was filled with intense fury. He punched the mailbox hard with his knuckles, feeling sticky blood between his fingers. Self-blame replaced with pure hatred and rage.
He would play whatever game this Joker had challenged him. He would win it and take Makoto back to him, safe and sound.
:-:
"So this is the place?" Matsuoka Rin was staring at the rusty iron gates in front of him. "Happyville. Just as lame as its invitation."
"Rin-san, this is serious matter." Ryuugazaki Rei pushed his glasses to his eyes, "We should speak and proceed with caution. This is a potential murderer we are talking about—this is all so crazy! It defies all reason!"
"Rei-chan. Be quiet." Nagisa looked around, "How to get inside? We've brought our tickets."
"Nagisa-kun! Did you pay attention to the bus that took us here? What's with that eerie atmosphere—what's with that super silent driver? What's with that empty station? And most importantly—why should we go at nightfall? I need explanations here!" Rei kept going.
"We will reveal the truth." Sousuke finally said, "So all we can do now is play the game."
"Aaah!" Nagisa suddenly exclaimed.
"Whaat?!" Rei put his arms over his face as he was trembling with fear.
"See? A ticket booth!" Nagisa walked casually to the damaged booth with shattered window. Rei grabbed him and pulled him away.
"Nagisa-kun! What is that!?" Rei was practically screaming. Nagisa blinked his magenta eyes. There was something lurking behind the booth. It was a wooden doll of a traditional japanese woman, dressed in black kimono. One eye missing, the other eye was so black and void, but it seemed to be staring back at them.
"T-that's creepy. Damn it." Rin grabbed Sousuke's collar in reflex.
"O-oi, Rin..." Sousuke protested in whisper.
"Welcome... to... Happyville." A broken voice came out of the doll. "Nanase... Haruka... Hazuki... Nagisa... Ryuugazaki... Rei... Matsuoka... Rin... Yamazaki... Sousuke..."
The rusty iron gates began to open in front of them. Haruka was staring ahead. His eyes seemed to have lost their shine. Makoto was somewhere inside, waiting for him.
When he made his first step, the broken voice continued. "Are you... afraid... of the dark...?"
Author's Notes:
So that's the first chapter. I hope I'm doing okay. Next chapter will be updated in about a month. Comments and reviews are so very much appreciated! See you on the next chapter!