Prologue: Letter of Retribution
It's been four months since the incident.
My motto has always been, "Tragedy brings new beginnings, if you try hard enough." And believe me, I have not been trying as of yet. Why would I? Its been such a short time. Some people say "Self pity is unhealthy! Move on!" Phrased it kind of bluntly, but you get the just. They just don't give you a proper grieving time. Which I understand, because all they're doing is looking out for you. Damn, though, think about it a little. My entire world just collapsed before my eyes, its been four months since then, and "Xav, it was only all your friends, lost in one tragic school bombing! You had to watch them all get their limbs ripped off, while the psychotic kid in the corner who set the bomb laughed his little dick back into his body! Get over it!" Yeah, see, think about it like that, and you can see why I need my time alone. Oh, and some great help from the parental department, you know! I'm sure they would help me if they weren't passed out at coke parties every night! Not their fault at all! I'm completely sure, that my dad is thinking of me and my grief as he cheats on my mother with some cunt he found glued to a stripper pole! And, yeah, I'm sure my mother's thinking "Oh, how much I love Xavier!" as she gambles thousands of dollars, petty cash to her of course, in games of poker at the local shady ass casino. But I digress. The point is, I get that you're completely fucked at this point. I get it. Bomb went of in your school, 20 kids dead, 14 more injured. Even with all the high security too. Kid was good, for a psychopath. Cafeteria, good place to set off a bomb, to be honest. Anyway, that place is never gonna see the light of day again. So, the just of this is, yes, even with all above, I think "trying" would be a good idea at this point. So, yes, I'll take the assignment. For you, and for me.
-Xaver Nightlaire
ACT 1 - The Transition
(On a passenger plane)
A1,S1: Impossible
I sent that letter to the principal of my… well, former school, and all I could think was: "I cannot believe I'm doing this." For reasons that you read in the letter, of course. I was actually going to say no until I got to the point about the bomb. I decided then that I couldn't even bear to live in this city anymore. The four months have been understandably... impossible, is the word I would use to describe them. For the first few days, I didn't leave my room at all, except to go to the bathroom. I just sat there staring blankly at the wall. No one knocked once. Finally, on the fifth day, I finally ate something, in my sister Clara's room. We decided that staring at the walls really wasn't doing THAT much good. Sooo we just ate in silence, and then Clara burst into tears, followed by me. Followed by Francis, our housekeeper. These friends were over here a lot, since I had the biggest house out of all of them, so he had developed an understandable connection with them. Plus, of course, its a school bombing, so sad anyway. And woah, we just sat there and cried for two hours straight. It would've been a comical sight to see, from the outside, I'm not denying that. The other usual, still living resident of our home was Quicksilver, our dog, named by Julia, the twin sister of Clara. Julia, of course, was one of the lost ones. I suppose it's the disadvantage of having a class with everyone you love! See, I can still use humor, I've proved that now. Still not that broken… But I digress, of course. Quicksilver was Julia's dog, technically, and waits, and waits, and waits, and waits for her. All the time. It's heartbreaking, and I don't know when he's going to forget about her. Well, not forget, because you never forget, but at least move on? Dogs do that right?
A1S2: The Assignment
Lately, things have been pretty quiet. I've moved from being completely sedentary to going back to my hobbies. I do a lot of things, but it's surreal at this point doing them alone. My YouTube channel occupies much of my time. Yes, I'm THAT Xavier Nightlaire, of Night Owl Productions. My channel has a lot of fans, and I have a lot of responsibility with it. It's doing my favorite thing though, so it doesn't feel like any responsibility at all. My channel does gaming playthroughs and tutorials, mostly, but I do other things as well, like skits. Well, WE used to do skits. A lot of my fans were concerned about me after the incident. I didn't divulge the gory details, but the incident was covered countrywide, so they probably put two and two together. I have a reputation of being closer to my fans than many other uploaders out there, but I kind of brushed them off. I mean, they know I'm in pain right? What else can they do? I just carried on normally, doing what I usually did alone. Single player playthroughs, modding tutorials, etc. I'm very good with a computer, if you don't know already. However, just yesterday, I got a letter from the former principal. After the incident, he was interviewed, of course. A lot of questions about how a bomber got into the school, even with the best security possible.. His answer was honest, and I respect him for it.
(Flashback to 4 months ago, Xav is watching the local LA news)
Moriarty - Things can always still happen, even when you try your very hardest to prevent them.
Remember that.
(Return to plane)
I swear he was looking right at me when he said that. And that was the only thing he said.
After that, he disappeared for 4 months. I kinda assumed he just got another job. Seems like he had just kind of moved on, from what he said on the news. However, I couldn't have been more wrong. I take out the letter and reread it to myself, just to check that I wasn't insane.
Dear Xavier
I don't even need to ask how these months have been. So lets skip the formalities. I have a way I can "ease" you back into life. I don't take the definition of ease to be easy either. Just maybe… slightly, marginally easier.
I'm a ruined man, Xav. I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. No one's going to trust me again. My girlfriend left me after she found out, even. I guess I can't blame her… It's probably better for both of us. However, I have one more chance, and it involves making your life better. There has been a lack in schools for the disabled lately in L.A., quite noticeable, if you follow this type of thing. I'm not going to go into the details, but I'll tell you what I want. I want to open one of these schools. Think about it. It's an open market, and its for a good cause. However, I have not the experience with the subject to get the project off the ground. That's where you come in. First hand experience is always richer, you and I both know that by heart. Be my… investigator, spy, even consigliere, whatever you want to call it. There's a very famous school for the disabled in Japan called Yamaku Academy. I want you to take your senior year again there. You could call it another chance. All I need you to do is collect some information. It won't be an inconvenience, I promise. And after all, a school for the disabled might be a good environment for you right now, Xav. Some of these people have experienced pain beyond belief. First hand. Let me know what you think. If you choose to accept, I'll provide everything. All you need to do is say yes.
With Sympathies
Moriarty
A1S3 - A Second Chance
(Airport Terminal)
I step out of the plane and down the flight of stairs to the terminal. I have my sunglasses on, but it still seems overly bright. Is this because I'm happy? I figure I was sort of excited, even if it was to just be out of L.A. I walk into the terminal. Thousands of faces, thousands of stories. That's what she used to say. She loved stories, after all.
(Airport Parking Lot)
After about 10 minutes, a black Rolls-Royce pulls up to me. The back right window opens and Moriarty's face appears out of the darkness.
Xavier: "You aren't ruined if you can still afford the old Roycester."
Moriarty: (Laughing softly) Margins, Xavier. You wouldn't be one to understand.
I smirked at him.
Xavier: I wouldn't get smart with me, mate. I'm the key to your "door of new success" remember?
Moriarty: (Laughing louder now): You haven't changed a bit. That's a compliment.
I stepped into the unoccupied passenger seat and buckled in.
Moriarty: It's about a 20 minute trip to the school from here.
Xavier: So close.
Moriarty: There's a reason for that. People come from all over the world to go to this school.
Xavier: So it's high class?
Moriarty: Yes, Xavier, high class indeed. Like you deserve.
Xavier: (smirking) You're just… SO intent on being better than everyone else, huh? One more comment, mate, and I might just call this off.
We drove the aforementioned 20 minutes, during which time Moriarty gave me the details he knew about the school. Included were mentions of a 24 hour nursing staff and facilities for the students to do physical therapy, including a pool. The school was also built on the outskirts of a remote Japanese town.
Xavier: This is almost… like a vacation?
Moriarty: (laughing hysterically) Think about it how you like.
We pulled up to the wrought-iron gates of the school. He had definitely not exaggerated on the description. The place was huge, and looked pretty fancy. Fancier than my old school. The car came to a stop.
Xavier: Guess this is where we part ways.
Moriarty: Your assignment begins now. Activate the GGs. Phone me in at curfew tonight. We need to have a little chat.
Xavier: Will do. It was nice seeing you again, Moriarty.
Moriarty: The very same to you. And Xavier…
I looked back at him, questioningly.
Xavier: Yeah?
Moriarty: ... I'm sorry. For everything.
I nodded at him as the car door closed, and I turned back toward the gate.
Moriarty blames himself for the deaths. I could tell, the way he apologized, it wasn't just the generic "Sorry for your loss." He actually feels he was at fault. Unfortunate. Especially after his news statement, I didn't think he felt that way. I need to talk to him about that…
A1S4 - One small step for Xav
I walk up the path to the front entrance. The place has a clean feel to it, the kind of feel I like. Maybe too hygenic for some people, but just up my alley. The greenery is beautiful, and it creates a nice, if unique, schoolyard atmosphere. I could definitely get used to it here. A change of atmosphere is often good for these types of things. I walk up to the front door and open it. The front lobby is white, and it emits a friendly signal to me. I see someone standing in the corner, waiting for something. When he hears the door shut, he snaps out of his trance and walks over to me.
?: You must be Xavier… Kni… Nigh…
Xavier: Knight, sir. And you must be Mutou?
Mutou: Nice to meet you Knight. Yes, I am Mutou, your homeroom and science teacher. We're in room
Xavier: Nice to meet you, Mutou. Shall we be going then.
Mutou: *chuckling* Of course. By the way, would you like to introduce yourself to the class?
Xavier: Yeah, sure. I don't mind.
Mutou: Well, lets be off then.
We walk up to the room while Mutou gave the lowdown of the school. Of course, I'm recording the whole conversation, with my glasses. I don't normally wear glasses, but Moriarty gave me a pair of Google Glass to use during my assignment. It's helpful, because technically, the Yamaku establishment doesn't know I'm collecting this information. However, it's a publicly funded establishment, so all Moriarty would be doing by opening a new school in America is save the Japanese government a bit of money. We finally reach the door to the classroom. I look at the door. It's time to make new friends… for better or for worse.
Mutou: All set then?
I smile and nod to him and he opens the door. He promptly walks in and apologizes for being late again, and then turns to me as I walk in the door. A smallish sea of faces meets my gaze as I step next to him. A lot of students, a lot of problems, I guess. I a girl with prosthetics, another with a stump for a hand, and then… huh. No other visibilities. The other students in here must have more… internal problems. It's also a sea of green, due to the Yamaku uniform being on everyone. I didn't have time to get mine today, so I just wore a gray suit, red tie. A nice one at that. I might have overdressed, but it's better than walking in with the L.A. shorts and T-Shirt. I give a small smile to the crowd.
Mutou: Students, this is Xavier Knight. He will be joining us for the rest of the year here. Xavier, you were gonna introduce yourself?
I give a traditional Japanese greeting bow to them. Moriarty didn't teach me all about Japanese culture, but he gave me the basics. I look up from the bow and clear my throat.
Xavier: Hello, I'm Xavier, as he just… said. Um, well… I don't really know what to say about myself, so just get to know me if you want to. (nervous chuckle) That's it I guess.
I do a little mental smile to myself, satisfied. I never want to appear too confident when I first introduce myself, as people might think I'm arrogant or something. I don't know, it just feels better. Surprisingly, the entire class starts clapping for me. I do another little bow and Mutou turns to me.
Mutou: Xavier, it would be best if you sat next to Hakamichi for today. She's the class representative, so she knows all about the school and how it works. If you have any questions, just ask her.
Xavier: Which one is she?
Mutou: She's sitting over there.
I turn and see a girl with pink hair fashioned into drills waving and laughing at me. She looks like a bubbly spirit… Something I've been missing in my life! I turn and walk over to her.
Xavier: Hello, hm, nice to meet you er, Hakamichi.
Strangely, the girl starts doing hand motions to the girl sitting next to her, who has short, blue hair, glasses, and a stern face. She even starts going them back. What's going on?
Hakamichi: Whahahaha! I'm not Shizune!. I'm Misha! This is Shizune right here.
Ok, so the blue haired girl is Hakamichi apparently. Ok, fair. I don't know…It seems like they're messing with me. I need to figure this out, because I never like to be in the dark. You don't trick me. Or so they say.
Xavier: You and Hakamichi, you're talking about me in some signal or code, right?
Misha: WHAHAHA! No, Knight, we're talking in sign language! Shiccan is deaf, and I'm her translator!
Of course, it's a school for the disabled. Sign language. Didn't make that connection…
Xavier: That makes much more sense, heheh. Well, er, it's nice to meet you both, anyway.
Shizune: …
Misha: Nice to meet you too, Knight! Shicchan says so too!
Xavier: So you translate everything people say to her, and then translate her response back? Respect, that's gotta be a tough job.
Misha: Haha! Thanks! It can be challenging at times, but overall it's pretty fun!
Shizune: …
Misha: Oh right! Shiccan wants to know if you have any questions about the school!
Xavier: Hmm… well, none that I can think of right off the bat, but there will be questions.
I smirk to myself. Shizune and Misha could be my guide to many mysteries of this place.
Shizune: …
Misha: Well, if that's the case, then Shiccan says we should get started on the work immediately! We're already behind!
Xavier: Ok, ok, let's do it.
I look up at the board and see that it's just some reading from a textbook and answering questions. I have plenty of experience with that, of course, being as it's pretty standard, but Shizune actually ends up doing most of the work. She's extremely fast and to the point, and nothing can distract her, including Misha's constant laughter. They both seem very individualized, in completely opposite ways. When we finish, there's still ten minutes left of class.
Xavier: You two are too much.
Shizune:...
Misha: Whahaha! Thank you! And Shizune says thanks, but we could've gotten it done faster if we had been more efficient filling out the ion charts!
Xavier: I think it was plenty fast enough!
Shizune gets an annoyed look on her face and starts signing frantically to Misha.
Misha: She says nothing is ever good enough until you get it to the best it can be. You always need to try harder.
Xavier: I like your perseverance…
Shizune…
Misha: Shizune thanks you, and says she likes yours! Me too!
I nod to her as a thanks, and then turn around to survey the class. There's a seat in the back that's unoccupied. Maybe they're out sick, or maybe there's no one there at all… Even small mysteries like this intrigue me. Before I can question Shizune and Misha about it though, I hear the chimes of the bell.
Misha: You should come eat lunch with us, Xavier! We insist!
Xavier: Tommorow, I promise. I need to take care of some things now.
Shizune looks dissapointed, and I feel bad, but these things are necessary.
Xavier: I solemnly swear I will eat lunch with you tommorow.
Misha: Shizune reluctantly says fine. See you after lunch then Knight!
I bowed to them and was off.
A1S5 - One Big Step For Him
I walk out into the schoolyard. The fresh, Japanese breeze felt amazing after being in the classroom. There are students all around me... I walk through the grounds, trying to stay sort of covert. I don't want any questions right now. Later, I'll get to know people.
(transition)
I arrive at the Academy Garage. Not many cars in here, probably due to the fact that many of the students cannot or are not allowed to drive. I look at the form in my hand.
Name: Knight, Xavier
Age: 18
Car Model: Tesla Model S
Floor: 2
Serial Number: 0192837465
I step into the elevator and press the "two" button. Someone else steps into the elevator before the doors close. It's a boy, sort of skinny, with messy black hair and coke bottle glasses. He looks a lot like Harry Potter, if I'm honest with you.
?: Ok, floor two, lets go.
He reaches for the two button
Xavier: I already pushed that.
?: AHHHHH! Who's there!?
Xavier: What do you mean? I'm in the elevator with you!
?: Oh, phew. Thought it was a drone. Like a nanobot. They exist you know! They want to keep an eye on us at all times!.
Xavier: Right… ok, well hm, can I have your name?
?: Sup man, name's Kenji Setou. Just call me Kenji. Hey, I've never seen you around the dorms before… Are you new?
Xavier: Yeah, just arrived today mate. Well, it's nice to meet you.
Kenji: Always nice to meet a fellow soldier. Hey, you're not a spy, are you?
My heart clenched. He couldn't possibly know that… could he? Is he just exhibiting crazy behavior, or does he actually suspect something? I don't know what evidence he could possibly have though. Considering he believes in nanobots, I'm thinking that he's just being irrational.
Xavier: Nope. Why are you worried about that?
Kenji: They have spies all around… silently watching. Sometimes they even look like us, blending in, carefully usurping our secrets…
Xavier: The government?
Kenji: No man, the feminists! They want to take over mankind, don't you know? Man, I didn't think I was the only one that knew this, but everyone seems to be blind to it…
Ok, nothing to worry about. This guy's clearly just insane. He doesn't have any actually suspicions. I give him a weird stare, playing along.
Xavier: Feminists? Ok, I'll… keep that in mind.
Kenji: Come to my room one day man, I'll show you all my graphs. It's happening right as we speak!
The elevator doors opened. He stepped out.
Kenji: Until then… stay vigilant.
He disappeared through the elevator maintenance door. I don't know how he has access to that, actually. Even if Yamaku has student engineers, that guy is clearly not fit to be working on elevator mechanics. I make a note to myself to take the stairs back down. I see my car over in the corner. Time to see the town.
(Transition)
I parallel park next to a small cafe called the "Shanghai". Apparently a Japanese take on a Chinese tea shop… I exit my car and push the door open. It's pretty homely inside. There's not too many tables, which creates kind of an open, relaxed atmosphere. It's nice. I walk up to the counter, which nobody seems to be working at, so I ring the bell.
?: Coming!
A short, slim, red-haired woman rushes out of the back room and slams into the counter.
?: Owwwww!
Xavier: Ouch, are you ok? You can slow down, I'm not the Emperor or anything!
A girl sitting at a table in the corner laughs. I look over and flash a grin at her, but turn back to the waitress quickly.
?: Heheh, sorry! Welcome to the Shanghai! I'm Yuuko! Please take a seat and I'll be right with you!
Another woman sitting at the corner table yells to me. She's in a black, striped suit. A nice one at that.
Dapper girl: Hey, smooth talker! Come over and sit with us!
I shrug and walk over to their table.
Xavier: I try, I try. Can I have the names of you lovely ladies?
The dapper girl howls hysterically. Wow, easy audience. I look over to the corner of the table and see a few empty liquor bottles. There's the explanation.
Dapper girl: I'm Akiraaa Satou, and this is my sister Lilly.
Lilly: Nice to meet you. Are you attending Yamaku? I don't think I've seen you before.
Xavier: Yeah, I'm a new kid. Fish out of water, I guess.
Yuuko walks over to our table and places some menus on our table.
Akira: Order up, emperor!
She falls into another fit of laughter and Lilly gives her a stern stare and glances apologetically at me. I end up getting a coffee and a sandwich, and Akira and Lilly get some tea and pie. I examine them further. Akira, if she had not spoken to me before I saw her, could easily be mistaken for a boy, with her short straight hair and suit. She was pretty nonetheless. Her sister was very tall and her hair was much more girlish. Her eyes were a milky blue, and she kept them closed most of the time. She sat with a very calm and dignified stance. She was beautiful, to say the least. Beauty almost fitting of… a certain Lancaster girl. Our food arrives shortly as we are the only ones here.
Xavier: Quality coffee. So Lilly, what do you think of the school? Is it something worthy of the high ruler
Akira starts giggling again, and Lilly smiles.
Lilly: I love Yamaku academy. The staff is wonderful, and students are usually very caring and considerate. I think you'll find yourself to have a very nice time here. Make lots of… friends.
She falters there for a second, and it makes me think she may have gone through some losses lately. Her and I could get to know each other a bit more. We make some more small talk about the school, and I get some good recordings for Moriarty. I have some stuff to do though, so I finish my coffee and my sandwich, and get both of their numbers, since Akira and Lilly agree that we should all hang out together soon. I bow goodbye to them as Akira gives me a drunken grin and Lilly does… nothing. Well, she probably just didn't see it. I walk out the front doors and immediately walk into the alley next to the store and look for another entrance.