Chapter 1:
Kagari woke up, face in the dirt, surrounded by soft moss. Blood trailed down his face to his chin from a cut in his lip, and he pushed himself over onto his back to wipe it away with the back of his hand. His heart pounding and his head pounding; he felt horrible.
It was dark, but nearby lights from a far off building shed enough light for him to see his surroundings: rough grass next to a chain link fence with thick spirals of barbed wire declaring a warning to any late night adventurer or possible trespasser with not so amiable intentions. Looking past the fence, he could see the glow of the dimly lit building, the building he and Kogami and the others had gone to catch Makishima...right? He rubbed his head, Oww He winced and felt the lump on his head most likely responsible for his headache. The last thing I can remember is... He winced again Oi oi! Even thinking hurts! He felt stiff and completely uncomfortable. His tongue felt dry and rough in his mouth, too thick too.
Was he dreaming? Usually dreams aren't painful. And if he wasn't, then how did he get here? His head spun making him see stars as he struggled, shakily, to get up, one leg feeling sorer and bruised then the other, but pushing past the feeling to get to a kneeling position. He then slowly placing one foot in front, trying to steady himself with his arms. He tried to push himself up with his arms, but fell to the ground. A cry of pain ripped from his lungs as he clutched his arm. A deep chunk of his arm was missing! A streak of panic shot through him as he discovered the source of the pain in his left arm. No wonder he was dizzy with the amount of blood he must've lost. Blood gushed out at the exertion and pressure he had placed on his arm in his attempt to stand.
If he was still alive with this kind of wound, then he couldn't have been here very long, or at least, had this wound for very long, a whole chunk of his forearm was missing and bleeding heavily. He cussed under his breath and tore off both the arms of his shirt. Wherever his jacket was, it was no where he could see, so the thin shirt material would have to do. He quickly wrapped both torn sleeves around the gash, wincing at the intense pain that shot through him. It would work for now, but he had to do something, clean it, wrap it better, and keep any more blood from leaving his body. He had to tell the others. Report that he was still alive. He searched for his communicator but found nothing. Damn, he growled. I always seem to end up in the worst situations.
His memory came flooding back in that moment and he reeled, head rushing. Ah...I see now. He glanced at the ground, eyes filled with a quiet sadness that refused to reveal itself in any other form then a quick flash of despair, which was repressed just as quickly as it had occurred. He smiled smugly, Geez...I really do have bad luck. He chuckled humorlessly and got up again, but more carefully this time. The last moment he could remember was standing in front of a dominator set to disintegrate. There's no way I could've lived through that... He squinted over at the building that housed the core of Sibyl, not quite nervous but apprehensive about not being found...or being found perhaps. Although I'm unsure of how long I've been gone...they should've found me immediately since I'm no longer in the vault. Even if Ko and Akane didn't find me, some drone should've... Me being a latent criminal, they wouldn't give pause to kill me for running. Why is it... Kagari trailed off. Unless... His eyes grew wide, I was marked dead by the system! And... if that's the case... He blinked rapidly and looked around to reassure he was alone and not just dreaming this. ...am I really, could I really, be... free? He laughed, low at first, getting louder and harder, and spun around causing his feverishly hot, practically dead body to scream at him to stop, but despite being-again-brought to his knees with pain, he continued to laugh hysterically. He calmed himself and stood straight, Well, even if I'm not dead now, I will be if a drone spots me. He took a breath and turned his back toward the building, facing the city, then he chuckled morosely. He slowly made his way toward the city building ahead, cautiously and carefully. Time to start over, or perhaps... begin.