A/N: Hi all. Thank you for taking interest in my story :) Before you read this chapter, I'd like to warn you that it's dark, and somewhat disturbing. That being said, the entire story will not be this bad. This was needed to show the extent of the situation and crime. While it may take a while for things to lighten up, I doubt things will get as bad as the last few paragraphs. That doesn't mean there wont be more pressure or crime, but it won't go as far as this and the next chapter. Okay, that's all!
An unusual call, well past midnight. It made sense; Yamazaki had answered many a phone in his time, and while most things weren't as extreme as the one he was about to receive, he had learned a thing or two. When anything serious happened nobody but the Shinsengumi could handle it. Like always, he found himself being practically forced to remain awake for the better portion of the night; eating anpan as if he was in the middle of a stakeout. The familiar taste reminded him to stay awake, and focus on the task at hand. Not without a few badminton daydreams, of course. He was leaning back in the chair, with his feet resting on the wooden desk; staring at the ceiling as if the drop tiles could entertain him in some way. It seemed as if Yamazaki was being left to man the phone stations all week. He didn't understand why they couldn't just hire some dispatchers and be done with it. But Kondo had insisted this method was more pocket-friendly in the long run. While that sounded nice, it would do no good if Yamazaki was too tired to support the weight of said pockets.
The call came in just like any other. There was no alarm to display the unusual events which would soon follow. The desk lamp didn't provide an ominous flicker. Everything seemed normal. Even earlier in the day and eventually night, it had been rather mellow. Perhaps the calm of the day in itself was a warning of what was to come, but it had been completely overlooked. Much like the cleanliness of the small room Yamazaki had been stationed in.
Leaning up, the man allowed his feet to fall to the ground. He was eager to hear something; to engage in any sort of social interaction that would discourage his heavy eyelids, which seemed to burn every time they closed. Of course, that sensation only brought the desire to shut his eyes for the night.
Quickly pulling the dingy white phone to his ear, Yamazaki leaned onto the table.
"Shinsengumi Headquarters-" No sooner than he had spoken, Yamazaki found himself being screamed awake. Well, that worked well. Now he probably wouldn't be able to sleep for a month. It was a bloodcurdling sound, which made the hairs on the back of his neck raise. He had even jumped a little; not that he would admit it.
"Hello?! Hello?!" A man shouted, and Yamazaki grabbed his trusty pen from its idle resting spot on the desk.
"Yes, Yamazaki speaking. What is your emergency?"
"H- Help! They started a riot! The doors are open! One of the patients- They had to sneak into the control room! Th- They murdered Reena!"
Frowning, Yamazaki started jotting down the man's words as quickly as he could. Anything could be useful, and he had a fresh page, just waiting to be filled.
"Alright, calm down sir. I'm gonna need you to speak clearly, and tell me exactly what happened. Just take deep breaths okay?" Yamazaki's words were met with a panicked "Okay", and the man's breaths could be heard slowing.
"What's your name?" The officer prodded, and the man responded with a lower voice, obviously trying to be calm, yet still on the verge of possibly screaming again.
"Sato- Sato Kenichi." The man panted with each pause, and it sounded as if he had been running. A loud slam could be heard in the background, but it didn't seem to startle him. Yamazaki wrote his name and continued his search for information. A small black button beside the phone was pressed by the officer; waking Kondo with a distinct buzz.
"Alright, Sato-San, can you tell me where you are?"
"Yes, I'm at Happy Meadow Asylum- It- It's the one on the hill in the middle of the forest. One of the patients- They had to break out of their room, and free the others! I- I don't know how, the entire floor was sealed off, but now I'm locked up here with them! I've locked myself in the office, but I know they'll find me! I- I smell smoke! I think there's a fire!"
Quickly scribbling the words, Yamazaki frowned. It sounded more serious than he had anticipated.
"You screamed when I answered, did anything happen?"
"Yes, I- One of the patients tried to stab me! I- I killed the bitch! She killed Reena!"
Nodding once more, Yamazaki pressed the button to Kondo's room again. He was taking his sweet time.
"Okay, do you know what her name was? Could she be the one that started the commotion?" He asked, hoping to keep the man talking. The more he talked the calmer he would be.
"I don't know! I- I just don't know! Please save me! Please help me! I- I have a family! I'm just a doctor! I only do what they tell me to!"
The door behind Yamazaki creaked open, and he glanced over his shoulder, relieved to find Kondo.
"Who? Who tells you what to do?"
Kondo lazily walked up behind Yamazaki scratching his balls through his boxers. The man's hair was on an odd position; bed head.
"The higher ups! I don't know! The people who- They're here! They're at the door!"
Yamazaki circled the asylum's name, taking care to drag the bubble around the words "Fire" and "Riot". Kondo gazed down at the paper, and scratched his head with his ball hand as he read the words.
"Sato-San, stay calm, okay? Is the door locked?"
"Yes!" The man yelled, yet no sooner than he had spoken, said door could be heard bursting open. A loud thud sounded, and Yamazaki assumed the phone had been dropped. Commands to stay away were shouted, as well as warning such as "I have a knife you little bitch", and Yamazaki continued to recite the man's name, hoping it would get his attention. A female voice echoed throughout the room, saying nothing that seemed incredibly frightening.
"Sato-Sama, I can't sleep..." Despite the fact that it sounded innocent, the man flipped out. Maybe she was holding a machine gun, or a human head. That would justify his reaction. When nothing worked to call the man back to the phone, and a struggle could be heard, Yamazaki gazed up at Kondo.
"It sounds serious; you might want to take the whole team."
Kondo nodded, donning a serious frown as he memorized the name of the asylum. Too tired to speak. Well, that would be fixed the moment he got to the job. Kondo left the room, walking with a sense of urgency, and Yamazaki continued to listen to whatever was happening. Much to his surprise, the man wasn't the one screaming anymore. Now a woman was, and the man had fallen silent. There was a slam, accompanied with a significant amount of scraping, and Yamazaki tried to imagine what was happening.
The job required him to stay on the line; attempting to get the caller to speak to him again. Eventually, all sound died. The line didn't, but the voices did. There was just a repetitive tapping noise, like metal against cement, or tile. It didn't sound as though anybody was being stabbed; quite the opposite, actually. It sounded as though nobody was being stabbed, and while that was relieving, it was also alarming.
Then he heard it. Some form of hate-induced frightened dirty talk.
"If I'm gonna die, it's gonna be doing something I love- Stop fucking moving!"
Frowning in confusion, Yamazaki felt his eyes widen. He didn't understand what was happening. Kondo had left the door open, and behind him, Yamazaki could hear his makeshift family rousing from their dormant states, and pulling clothes on. Nothing was as uncomfortable as this. It was obvious what that man he had just been talking about and was currently doing. If the odd word's on the doctor's behalf wasn't enough, the repetitive chant of the word "no" was. God, he hated calls like this. Nothing could be this awkward and alarming. It didn't happen often, but this had to be one of the worst. Glancing over his shoulder, Yamazaki found Hijikata tugging his shirt on. The vice commander glanced his way before moving down the hallway. A few more men passed, and Kondo returned to the room Yamazaki was seated in.
"Oi, we have a possible sexual assault as well."
The moment the words escaped him, Kondo's eyes widened. The man promptly nodded, and dashed out of the room. In a matter of seconds, Yamazaki heard cars starting, and sirens. He was left alone, with nothing but this disturbing call. He didn't want to hear the horrid whispers, which were most likely the things nightmares were made out of. Yamazaki was a good guy; always smiling, and cheerful. While he had seen his fair share of violence, and death, this sort of thing made his stomach churn. There was nothing he could do from his side of the phone. He couldn't even call to the man, the name would feel dirty to him now. Such a common name; forever ruined. Each tap of what he assumed to be a belt or a knife strengthened the sense of dread, which tightened his chest. Loud footsteps could be heard and soon another woman started shouting.
"You nasty fuck, get off of her!"
Oh god, it was true. Yamazaki had been right all along. This was absolutely appalling, and he didn't want to keep the phone to his ear any longer. It would be so easy to hang up. Nevertheless, he couldn't. He had to know what was going on, and gather information. To his relief the moans stopped. To his dismay, his ear felt as though it would bleed from all of the yelling, and slamming, which ensued.
A girl was killed. Another girl yelled about it. The man shouted, and sickening gurgles filled Yamazaki's ear. The remaining voice was the second girl, sobbing, and calling out to her friend. She proclaimed that she couldn't live without her, and thus declared she would not let her friend be alone.
All Yamazaki heard was death, crying, and the familiar splatter of what he assumed to be blood. The perfect start to what he was positive would be a lifetime of nightmares.
A/N: Wasn't that intense? Yeah. So this is my first attempt at a Hiji fict, please tell me what you think of it.
The start is a bit dramatic, but as stated the entire story couldn't stay this intense, or twisted. (Uh, I think, at least)
So- I'd love to hear your opinions :)
Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter.