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Disclaimer: M.K. owns it all. Except the plot. Which is mine.
It all happened after the fourth world war.
Due to nuclear annihilation of a majority of the world's population, entire continents had had to restructure their governmental and social composition.
Japan was no different.
Habitual tsunamis and raids had all but destroyed the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. The last reports had suggested the islands were now submerged by the ocean. The only two remaining islands (that were known to have people) were Kyushu and Hokkaido.
TenTen had just been a toddler at the height of the war; she had grown up watching her country fall around her, smashed into tiny, fragmented pieces.
It had only gotten worse as she grew older.
When she was five, the population crisis was petrifying everyone on the planet.
There were many intercontinental meetings, amidst bombs going off in midair and bodies lying in the streets. Crazed and stressed, the leaders of the world formed a drastic decision: No marriage, no intimacy, no children, no physical contact whatsoever.
At first, this new law was hard to enforce. But after the course of a few disasters and the senseless killings of several hundred individuals, most of the world's population got the picture.
As the old generation passed away and gave way to extremists, the law was lengthened to include harsh penalties for disobedient civilians.
By TenTen's sixteenth birthday, physical contact with another human being alone was charge enough to receive a sound bludgeoning.
As the continents reformed, Japan isolated its remaining citizens to the islands of Hokkaido and Kyushu.
Even with the Intimacy Law in place, conditions remained crowded.
Sapporo, where TenTen lived, was the most populated city on Hokkaido.
After a while, people began to spread out into the city, but it was dangerous. Collapsed buildings, disease, and wild animals ruled this newly created world, and few knew how to defend against them. Sickness was common, as were bodies in the streets. The NUJ took to throwing the corpses into the sea; there was no longer space for graves.
Eventually, the NUJ sectioned off Sapporo into the inner-city (which was monitored always by soldiers and where most people lived and worked) and the outer-city (which was a wild land, uncontrolled and a breeding ground for lawless factions).
If you strayed too far, it was as if you were walking off the edge of the world.
-xxx-
TenTen fidgeted at her standard issue desk, peering around nervously as her co-workers zipped around.
TenTen kept shooting darting looks at her partner's desk, anxious for him to arrive. He had never been late, and he had never skipped a day of work, which was why TenTen was so apprehensive.
She reached for her coffee cup, but a second later cringed away from it. She was jumpy as it was.
Several long minutes passed and TenTen sat straight up as Neji came through the front entrance. TenTen stood and leaned on her desk, popping her knuckles.
Neji briskly made his way down the rows of desks, casting TenTen a semi-amused look as he arrived at his work space.
"Calm down. You look crazy," Neji advised in his quiet voice as he shook off his coat.
TenTen took a few deep breaths, but her nerves were still a livewire.
Neji promptly ignored her as he surveyed a few notices placed on his desk.
TenTen tapped her foot impatiently and cast several glances at the wall clock.
"Ready?" Neji questioned, at her side.
TenTen started, clutching at her shirt.
"Get a bell to tie around your neck, won't you?" she snapped half-heartedly.
Neji's mouth lifted in a small smirk and led the way to the captain's office.
Nara Shikaku was a smoker, and his office always rank of pungent cigar. Besides his croaky voice dubbed to him, Shikaku sported scars on his face—evidence of the long years he'd spent in the Japanese army before the reforms.
He blinked several times at Neji and TenTen before he addressed them, his lids heavy.
"Did either of you hear the news this morning?"
TenTen shook her head, and Neji just stared back blankly.
Shikaku smirked around his cigar.
"Fantastic. Well, naturally, we're in deep shit, as usual."
He blinked and turned to a stack of folders on his desk. He threw one at TenTen, who caught it unexpectedly.
"In that folder," educated Shikaku, "is a list of known whereabouts of those damn rebel groups. There's also a list of a few of the members we know."
TenTen raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want us to do, sir?"
"I need inside information. Over the past few months, the few underlings we've managed to nab all point to some big event the top dogs of the rebel groups are cooking up. Get me someone who matters."
Neji nodded and exited with TenTen.
They walked back to Neji's desk, where TenTen flipped open the folder, perusing the documents inside.
"It's all stats, honestly. A few maps," she added helpfully. She looked up at Neji. "How do we need to go about this?"
Neji thought for a moment.
"I was thinking surveillance. We might get lucky."
TenTen wrinkled her nose.
"Are you sure?" she asked her partner, skeptical.
"Do you have any better ideas?"
TenTen slowly shook her head.
"Surveillance it is, then," Neji decided.
-xxx-
TenTen watched the rain rivulet on her small kitchen's single window, thoughtful.
The events since they had found the pregnant girl were blurry in TenTen's mind, and Shikaku had been gracious enough to give she and Neji the day off to sort through their thoughts.
Suddenly, TenTen's phone rang. She picked up on the first ring, already knowing who it would be.
"Come down," said Neji's soft voice.
TenTen jumped up from her spot and shrugged on her jacket before she made for the apartment's stairwell.
Neji was waiting outside the building, leaning against the wall.
TenTen raised her eyebrows at him when he didn't say anything.
"Well?" she prompted.
"They're keeping her in a cell until Captain Nara decides what to do."
TenTen sighed and looked out into the street where sheets of rain were falling.
Neji followed her gaze, his expression blank.
"There's nothing we can do, TenTen."
TenTen's face pinched painfully.
"It's murder. Homicide."
Neji considered her profile.
"It's the law, TenTen."
He watched her brown eyes narrow coldly as she shook her head.
Neji sighed.
"Why are you so upset about this? You know the law. She broke it, so now she has to suffer the consequences."
TenTen crossed her arms in defiance.
"I know I took an oath, but this just seems wrong."
Neji glanced around to ensure they were alone.
"Come upstairs," TenTen said suddenly, turning to Neji.
Neji stared at her in surprise.
"That's against the rules, TenTen."
The brunette fumed for a moment, her expression dour.
"Why don't you go upstairs and rest? It's rare we're given off days," Neji suggested quietly.
TenTen nodded absently, the spark of wrath gone from her.
"See you tomorrow," she said lamely, abandoning him on the street.
Neji watched her slide into the building and glance around, confused. Neji found himself wishing he could follow after her.
Just a small note: The second scene was prior to their capture of the pregnant rebel. Everything else followed accordingly.
More to come.
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