Ch. 2: Mors Stupebit, Et Natura
As I made my way across the Scramble, I felt myself teetering on the edge of a total freakout. Normally, I'm a pretty rational guy, but waking up as a ghost after a suicide attempt is enough to rattle anyone's brains. I just couldn't make sense of it. I had died… I could recall the exact moment my body had hit the ground… I knew I was dead… but if that was the case, where was I? This place was identical to Shibuya, so there was no way it could be heaven, but in spite of the usual big city ills, it wasn't bad enough to be hell. Perhaps this place was limbo? Maybe the punishment for suicides was to go to a place exactly like the one you'd left. I bit my lip, suddenly much more uneasy than before. That… wasn't exactly a pleasant thought.
My musings were suddenly interrupted, however, when I collided head on with an invisible wall deviously placed over the path to 104. Falling flat on my ass, I stared incredulously as a network of translucent hexagonal panels flashed into sight for the briefest moment before fading back into invisibility. My mouth dropped. How was that even possible! According to the laws of physics, there was no way something like that could even exist… yet here I was, flat on my sore butt, wondering why everyone else seemed to be strolling right through the roadblock from hell with no trouble at all.
Shakily, I stood up, grateful that I was invisible to everyone else. That was definitely not my coolest move. With a sigh, I placed my hand on the invisible wall. Under my hand, one of the panels lit up, then faded. "Hmm… that's a dirty trick…" I mused, unsure of what to do next. I looked at the timer on my palm. 55 minutes remaining. Clenching my fist, I resisted the urge to panic. The only rational course of action would be to look around and hope for some sort of Deus Ex Machina.
Taking a deep breath to steel my shaky nerves, I began to survey the crowded junction around me. I saw people from all walks of life, in all manner of clothes. A few girls in Mus Rattus here, savoring vanilla ice cream cones… over there, a man in a fine Pegasso suit, walking with purpose, briefcase in hand. Back in the shadows of a tall building, a group of Angelique Freaques stood, the picture of dark refinement. I sighed. Typical Shibuya. I was sure I could make some sort of philosophical observation about the heartbeat of the city or the importance of individualism, but my life(?) was at stake, so… yeah.
I decided to sweep over the crowd again, this time searching for anyone obviously not following any sort of trend. A few tourists, a few gradeschoolers… nothing too out of the ordinary… until my gaze wandered back to the invisible wall. I traced its path with my eyes, from the corner of one sun-drenched shop to the shadowed wall of another. It was there that I saw him, and instantly wondered how it was I hadn't noticed him before. He was dressed in simple clothes, a red hoodie and ball cap obscuring most of his face. What was really strange, however, was the fact that the gentleman had wings growing out of his back.
For the umpteenth time that day, I felt my jaw drop. Once again, this was physically impossible. Even a cursory overview revealed that those wings couldn't have been faked. They were too intricate, too perfectly matched with the man's subtle rocking. Apparently, he felt my stare, however, and raised his head to look straight at me. My breath caught in my throat. The man's expression did not change, and he did not look away. He simple stared, scrutinizing me. I felt like he was staring right through me, straight into my soul. I heaved a deep breath and walked over to him, sliding a hand into my pocket and grasping the lacquered black handle of my knife.
Upon reaching him, I opened my mouth, ready to demand he explain what was going on, but he spoke first. "Want past this wall? Then go and find a partner." slowly, I closed my mouth, eyebrow raised. "Uh… come again?" The man sighed, his gruff voice accentuating his exasperation. "Look, just go and find another player, okay? I don't get paid to be a walking tutorial." I bit my lip, holding back a flood of retorts. I crossed my arms, staring him down. He wasn't too terribly old, probably not much older than me, and according to my friends, I had a way with intimidation. The man stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed. "Look, kid… I'm almost on break. Can you take the tough-guy thing somewhere else? Seriously, just… go to Hachiko or something."
Feeling dejected, I turned away. Was it intimidation I was good at? Maybe that was just because I was usually decked out in a little bit more Tigre Punks. I guess I lost a little of the awe factor without spikes and chains jutting out of my clothing. Well, in any case, there was little point in having a staring contest with Mr. Employee of the Month, so I decided to follow his advice and head to Hachiko. Besides, something he had said puzzled me. 'find another player…' what had he meant by that? Did that mean there were others like me?
Mulling over this latest information, I soon found myself staring up at the bronze statue of the fabled dog. What was it I was supposed to be looking for, exactly? The man said to find a partner, but… who, exactly, was I looking for? The only people I could see were the ones that I couldn't interact with… the living, I supposed. This was hopeless. Looking down at my palm, I found that I only had 40 minutes remaining. My time was ticking by fast, and I was still no closer to solving the mystery of what was going on. Taken by melancholy, I allowed my eyes to wander over the bronze form of Hachiko.
With a sad smile, I recalled the story of the Akita dog after which the statue was modeled. Every day, he would wait for his deceased master to return… up until the day he died. I laughed lightly as I remembered how, when I was in grade school, I had written a story where Hachiko's owner had come back with a whole car full of bones. I remember my mother being really proud of me. "My little Shakespeare," she had called me. I guess nobody had the heart to tell me the dead don't come back. Closing my eyes, I placed a hand on the cold metal of the statue. "Don't worry, buddy… I know how you feel." I said softly. I recalled my parents, how I had waited for them all night… how they had never come home. I could see the police officer vividly in my mind. I recalled the funeral, trying desperately not to cry… my fists clenched. It wasn't fair.
Gritting my teeth, a slammed a fist into the hard metal of the statue, oblivious to the pain. Drawing my arm back, I struck it again and again, striking it for all of the naivety in the world, for all the kids who thought their parents were just sleeping, or were just held up in traffic. The world didn't work that way. My eyes began to sting, and I let out a yell, letting my soul cry out. I was dead. I was dead and gone and never coming back. But my parents weren't here… nobody was here. I had been left behind not once, but twice, and it was simply too much to bear. I raised my fist a final time, ready to deal a final blow to the statue. I stared at its dignified face, emotions storming inside of me. I drew my arm back, preparing to bash its muzzle in when its eyes shot open, revealing a gaze of unholy red.
Gasping in shock, emotionally sobered, I stumbled back as a low, unearthly growl emanated from the memorial. It was the most uncanny sound I'd ever heard, low and ominous, but riddled with static, almost like it was coming from a pair of damaged speakers. Before I had time to react, a ghostly image erupted from the bronze, leaping high over my head to land behind me. I whipped around, staring face to face with a monster.
The creature was wolf-like, with white fur and a muzzle filled with sharp, bared teeth. For some reason, however, it's limbs and tail were not physical entities, but rather strange glowing symbols, reminiscent of tattoos. I didn't even bother worrying about physical impossibility this time. There was room for only one thought in my head: run. I quickly whipped around, dashing through the crowd back towards the Scramble.
The creature was faster. It cut in front of me, forcing me to skid to a stop to avoid running straight into its waiting jaws. I took a step back, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my knife. I held it in front of me defensively, forcing myself to remain calm. The wolf began to circle me, eyes locked on mine. Inch by inch, I spun to match its pace. The creature made several feints at me, testing my reaction time. Slowly, its growl began to intensify, building to a near deafening crescendo. Without warning, it rocketing off it's hind legs, leaping straight for my throat.
Just in the nick of time, I managed to duck to the side, bringing my knife into the creature's path. Perfect. It'd slam into my knife and I'd gut that son of a bitch where it fell. Nothing could have prepared me, however, for the sight of it gliding straight through my blade, totally unharmed. In fact, the only trace I had left was a thin trail of static that soon dissipated into nothing. "Shit…" I swore, backing away as the monster began to lope towards me, a look of satisfaction gleaming in it's eyes.
"No…" I whispered softly, unable to believe that this was how I would die. I took several more steps backwards, desperately trying to prolong my miserable little life. Screw it. If I was going to die, I was going to die trying. I turned and began to run, slamming straight into a rather solid pedestrian who had been standing behind me. I nearly fell, but he braced me with his arm, pulling me back to my feet. "Make a pact with me. Now." he commanded. "W-what…?" "Just say you accept!" he growled, stepping in front of me. "I… I accept?" I said, completely baffled, just as the wolf began to lunge. Immediately, we were both surrounded by a bright flash of light that sent the wolf sprawling back, blinking furiously. I felt a strange rush of power and euphoria sweep through my body. I was back in business.
The man turned to me. He was about my age, thin, but imposing. He was several inches taller than me, and had medium length brown hair that was presently drawn back in a messy ponytail. He wore tight black jeans and a long Lapin Angelique trenchcoat that nearly brushed the ground. His most prominent features, however, were his shocking green eyes. At the moment, they were stern and severe, but still they captivated my attention. The interlude only lasted for a fraction of a second, however, then he whipped back around, fists clenched. "You got any pins?" he asked, focusing intently on the wolf. I reached into my pocket, pulling out the white and black pins from earlier. "Yeah… two." The man nodded. "Good. Put away the skull pin. Just… focus on the other one. Your imagination will do the rest." Blinking, I was about to ask what he meant when black claws, crackling with dark, miasmic energy, erupted from his fingers.
As I watched in awe, the man shifted his position, dropping into a half-crouch. He looked every bit as feral as the wolf he was facing. "Come on…" he taunted, grinning wildly. With a blindingly fast leap, the wolf lunged at his head. Completely unfazed, the man performed a graceful sidestep, neatly avoiding the attack. At the same instant, he raised a clawed hand, ripping through the beast's right side as it passed. The creature hit the ground hard, whimpering in pain.
I could scarcely believe what I'd seen. Without even breaking a sweat, he had reduced a vicious monster into a pathetic, mangled heap. My entire body was paralyzed as I attempted to process what I'd seen. I didn't even notice that the creature had turned it's attention away from my new partner and towards me. "Look out!" he called, snapping me out of my daze just in time to see the monster charging me with the desperate fury of a dying animal.
I had no time to think, no chance to plan. Eyes wide, I swung my knife instinctively, trying desperately to defend myself. Clenched tightly in my fist, the small white pin began to glow. In mid swing, a beam of bluish light erupted from the blade of my knife, shaping it into a glowing blade. The monster didn't have a chance. The blade neatly bisected it, sending the two halves crashing to the ground in a burst of static. "Whoa…" I breathed, staring incredulously at the glowing weapon. With a quick flash, the pin in my hand faded back to it's normal luster, and the glowing blade retracted until I was left staring at nothing more than an ordinary knife.
Heaving a great sigh, the man walked over to me. "Not bad… but you should pay more attention when you fight. That's the fastest way to get yourself killed." I blushed, embarrassed. "S-sorry…" I apologized, unable to think of anything else to say. I had reached my limit for the day. The man laughed, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Anyway, you'll learn. The name's Yosuke. Nice to meet you." he said, smiling. I nodded. "I'm Masamune. Call me Masa."
Yosuke smiled, lifting his hand. I blinked, observing the timer on his hand. Looking down at my own palm, I confirmed it. Both displayed the same time… roughly 20 minutes. "I'd love to get better acquainted, but I'd suggest we hurry." he said, turning and walking briskly off towards the scramble. "Uh… yeah." I stuttered, following after him. Back at the entrance to 104, the strange winged man was waiting. He briefly glanced over Yosuke and I before heaving a great sigh and putting a hand to the wall. "Conditions met. Wall clear." Panel by panel, the wall dissolved, opening the path to our salvation.
"Uh… thanks." I said, turning to find that Yosuke had already walked ahead. "Hurry up, Masa." he called back, forcing me to break into a jog to catch up with him. Struggling to match his rapid stride, we made our way past the gleaming storefront of 104, heading straight for the relatively quiet Dogenzaka. The smell of ramen in the air became intoxicating as we approached. I looked down at my hand, watching the timer click down. We were nearly there, with 5 minutes to spare. Smiling, I walked ahead cheerfully before running smack into another wall. "The hell!" I shouted, unable to believe what had just happened. "There's another one? Give me a freakin' break!" Yosuke shrugged. "I don't see any reapers around either… hmm. Perhaps they wanted us to take an alternate route?"
I clenched my fist, well aware that we had no time to make the round trip through Shibukyu and A-East. Yosuke sighed, staring at his palm. "Hmm… two minutes. This could be problematic." I turned towards him, staring incredulously. "Uh… that's your reaction? We're in a lot of trouble here, man." I said, rubbing my temples. Any way you sliced it, there was no chance of us making it on time. Yosuke shot me a meaningful look. "Rule one: stay calm." he said, face placid. With a single, fluid gesture, he tuned, claws extending from his hand. They sliced through the wall like paper. As the barrier dissolved, he nonchalantly allowed the claws to dissipate. "Come along." he said, walking into Dogenzaka. Resolving to save my questions for a more appropriate time, I followed.
The minute we stepped past the wall, a rush of pain struck my hand. Looking down at my palm, I smiled with relief at the lack of a timer. Yosuke smiled. "Not bad, Masa. Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be much more difficult." I raised an eyebrow. "Sleep…? It's the middle of the day." However… now that he mentioned it, my head was beginning to swim. Slowly, I lowered myself to the ground, propping myself up against the wall of a building. My eyes became heavy, drooping lower and lower. In a matter of seconds, consciousness was stripped from my body, and I willingly fell into the black abyss of a dreamless sleep.
((AN: Wow… that was a long one. For everyone who took the time to read, thank you –so- much. Reviews are welcomed, etc. Tenga un gran dia! :) ))