Chapter One
Is Anybody Waving?

"When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around
Do you ever really crash, or even make a sound?"
- "Waving Through the Window," Dear Evan Hansen

Saturday, April 9th

Chiyo rest her head against the window, idly watching the scenery pass by without much thought. At sixteen it was hardly the first time Chiyo traveled the train on her own, it was just the farthest distance; from Yoshioka to Tokyo. It was a simple two-hour trip.

Her dad could not be bothered to see his only daughter off. And her mom may have gone with her to Tokyo if Chiyo asked… but only begrudgingly. Either way, they sent their disgrace of a daughter off to live with a complete and utter stranger.

She sat at the head of the stairs, able to just barely make out the legs of her dad's suit. Her parents were deep in discussion about Chiyo's future… without her. She only knew that she would be going to Shujin Academy in Tokyo. One of, if not the only school that would take her with her 'history.'

"And he offered to house her?" Ryou, Chiyo's mom, asked in amazement. "He knows what she did right?"

Chiyo's hands balled up at her knees while she heard Takuto, her father, let out a low growl. "Why are you complaining?" he asked bitterly. "She has a school, she has housing, what more do you want?"

Ryou snapped, "The hundred thousand yen wasted on her future! She was supposed to be the best rhythmic gymnast Japan has to offer! I was supposed to have a daughter that was a winner! Beautiful and graceful, and she turns out to be a violent whore!"

As though someone punched her there, Chiyo's arms wrapped around her stomach. She dropped her head into her lap, her eyes squeezing shut as her parents continued.

"You think you have it bad?" Takuto challenged. "Do you know who they're saying that the victim was? And it's my daughter who attacked him! Who tried to get him to… Can't even say it. Do you know what they're saying about me in the office?"

Unable to take much more, Chiyo sprung to her feet and headed straight for her room.

Chiyo stared at her left palm, where three red marks looked back up at her, and the sad thing was, her right palm mirrored the left. For the most part. The mark on the center of her palm may have been the oldest, but it was the worst. Chiyo imagined this one would have left a lasting scar compared to the other five.

She was not proud of what she'd done to her body. But she also felt the need to justify it. The weeks leading up to this moment left Chiyo feeling a crippling fear. A kind of fear that just made her want to drop dead where she stood. She was afraid of what would happen to her and she was virtually abandoned by everyone. Chiyo simply needed to feel something, anything besides fear or numbness.

Everyone from Yoshioka had something to say about Chiyo. How they always thought she was a sweet child. How she became a menace to society. And how Chiyo would apparently open her legs to anyone who gave her enough cash.

What no one talked about however, was the truth of the matter.

Chiyo was supposed to be home later that night, but a bad pivot at the ankle resulted in a minor injury. Her coach sent her home early to rest up. Maybe Chiyo should have fought against Coach that night. She needed to nail her routine for the coming competition. She was their star pupil after all. Now Coach didn't even want Chiyo walking through their doors again.

When Chiyo wrapped her ankle she found she could walk on it okay enough. If she had brought that up maybe things would be different right now. But she didn't.

Walking home that night Chiyo heard the frightened cries of a woman. A man, so obviously drunk, had grabbed her by the arm despite her protests. When Chiyo saw the sight, all she could think about was how she would hope someone had the decency to help her if she was in a similar position.

"Damn brat… I'll sue!"

Chiyo brought a hand up and pushed her glasses into place as a means of distraction. The thick black frames were round enough to cover about half her face. Her powder grey hair fell to her mid-back, it hung freely in gentle curls.

"Are you for real? A mental shut down?"

Her pale grey eyes traveled to the opposite end of the car to find a couple of girls around Chiyo's own age in black blazers with a gold star logo by the lapel and matching black skirts.

"But it's true!"

"To a person though? It's gotta be a joke."

Eyes cast downward, Chiyo hugged herself as tight as she could. Her fingers digging into the fabric of her flannel shirt and squeezed. When was the last time she had a conversation like that? Mindless gossip with no real subject with the subject changing several times. She had them all the time a year ago, with her classmates, with her friends.

But now? Now Chiyo had a criminal record, on probation for her first offense. If only that was the end of it…

Sakura-san had given Chiyo two destinations she could go to meet him. His home address, however, was for the off chance Chiyo arrived in the middle of the night. The primary address was for a coffee shop by the name of Leblanc. Upon stepping off the train, Chiyo got her phone out. Pulling up the GPS app she got out the map of Yongen-Jaya.

Chiyo looked up to find herself slapped across the face by culture shock. The hustle and bustle of Shibuya was, needless to say, a stark contrast to the small town life Chiyo lived until now. The tall building's, the sheer quantity of people surrounding her. How easy must it have been to get lost amongst a crowd of thousands like this.

Staring down at her phone, Chiyo's head tilted to the side in confusion. A new app had appeared on her phone, while she still had the GPS open. It was a red icon with black accents creating the shape of an open eye with a five-pointed star as the pupil. The app icon suddenly grew, taking up most of the screen. It even appeared to be animated around the red area, giving it a shimmering, watery effect.

She tapped the screen twice if only to get some reaction from the app, but nothing else popped up. A sudden… change caused Chiyo to lift her head up. The voices around her became lower with each second, like a recording slowing down, deepening until it stopped altogether. Which was just what happened to the hustle around Chiyo. The people around her stood frozen in place, it was like someone had pressed the pause button on the DVD player.

Chiyo scrutinized her surroundings. Everyone was frozen, the people, the TV screens, even a man on his bicycle. She was about to start questioning her surroundings when something caught her attention in the middle of the crosswalk. It was a fire, not only flickering with life, but as blue as ice. The flames grew tall, soon flickering into a vaguely human shape.

The image stayed still for a moment before the fire burst, making the image appear larger and bulkier. A pair of orange slits appeared in the blue flames with a thin, crescent line underneath, creating the silhouette of a smiling face. The longer Chiyo stared into the silhouetted face, the more she could make out something human and distinct. Skin, hair, a set of yellow irises, and a wide, tooth-baring grin.

Someone bumped into Chiyo's shoulder, causing her to break free of her trance. It was like someone had pressed the play button and caused city life to resume. Movement and sound was on the move once again.

Chiyo looked down at her phone again. The mysterious app was still there but now a reasonable size. She tapped on the app and dragged it over to the waste bin. 'Best not worry about it too much,' Chiyo told herself. 'The last few weeks have been stressful, You're just nervous.'

Now the question was, did Chiyo honestly believe the lie she fed herself?

Putting complete trust in the GPS, Chiyo traveled to the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya. It should have been easy to feel claustrophobic with the narrow walkway and people traveling with them. But in reality, Chiyo found the crosswalk outside the train station to be worse in that regard.

She almost past Leblanc were it not for the awning over the door with the shops name printed on it. Opening the door the sent of coffee overwhelmed Chiyo in an instant. The store interior was a bit rustic and just as cramped as the rest of Yongen-Jaya. There was only a pitifully small handful of tables and a bar. An elderly couple sat at one of the tables watching the news while a middle-aged man in a pink button-down shirt, white slacks, and a brown apron sat at the bar with a newspaper over his knee.

"A public transit bus was driven down an opposing line with its customers still in it! The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up."

"How frightening," the elderly man said with a sigh.

"Didn't something similar happen just the other day?" his wife asked.

"Vertical is…" the middle-aged man said seemingly oblivious to the couple's concerns. "The name of a shellfish used for farming pearls…"

"Oyster," said Chiyo.

The man looked up from his paper at Chiyo before he placed the paper on the bar. "They did say that was today," he muttered before he stood up.

The elderly couple looked between themselves before they stood up. Chiyo was under the impression that they just sensed that it was a good time to leave. "We'll be going now," said the older man. "The payment's on the table."

The older man's wife gave the store owner a polite farewell as they hobbled out of the shop. The man, whom Chiyo presumed was Sakura Sojiro, muttered under his breath. Something about four hours for one cup of coffee. Making his piece, Sojiro looked back at Chiyo. "So, you're Chiyo?"

"Sakura-san?"

If Chiyo had to take a wild guess, Sojiro had to be in his late forties as the youngest. His black hair was slicked with a widow's peak and a bit of facial hair along his jawline. Oddly, his wire-frame glasses fit in with the setting of the coffee shop. "Yep, Sakura Sojiro. You'll be in my custody over the next year." He paused for a moment to scrutinize Chiyo. "When I first heard about you, I was expecting someone a bit more unruly but-"

"You were expecting someone with heavy make-up and tight clothes," Chiyo said knowingly.

"I didn't say that. Follow me, I'll show you where you're staying."

Chiyo didn't initially notice the door at the back of the room, which lead to a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs was, unsurprisingly, an attic. There was a bit of junk here and there, fake plants, plastic gas tanks, a ladder, a heater. There was a mattress by the window at the end of the room, and an old love seat to the left. A layer of dust covered just about everything while cobwebs decorated the ceiling. The only thing untouched by time was a cardboard box in front of the loveseat. Chiyo knew instantly that it was her things. Clothes for days off school, her gymnastics equipment, a few other belongings.

"This is your room," Sojiro said plainly. "I'll at least give you sheets for your bed. It'll be up to you to clean the rest."

Chiyo scrutinized the room. "Did you decide to take me last minute?" she asked bitterly.

"You're lucky you were able to find any housing from the sound of it," Sojiro shot back. His tone made it clear he wasn't going to be putting up with any teenaged moodiness. "I'll be locking up each day after hours. You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble."

Throughout his piece, his tone made it clear he would follow up on his threats if Chiyo gave him a reason to. "I got the gist of your situation," continued Sojiro. "You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injured, then sued you. Right?"

Chiyo turned her head to the side, refusing to look at Sojiro. "Pretty much," she muttered. She didn't bother to say anything else. The adults rarely wanted to hear anything else. Why bother giving an opinion they didn't really want to hear?

"That's what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults," said Sojiro. "You did injure him, yeah?"

Chiyo shrugged, a silent manner of answering Sojiro without actually answering him. Yes, the guy was injured to the point where blood was drawn. But it was largely because he was drunk. All Chiyo did was pull him away from the woman, if he wasn't so intoxicated it wouldn't have been a problem. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, he fell over in his drunken state and brushed his head against the roadside rail.

But the man had some form of power, politician given how things went and Takuto's implications. It left Chiyo with a criminal record and essentially branded as such regardless of her past doings. It was all so stupid to her.

Regardless of what her life was before there was no winning the court case. But because the man was willing to 'put it past him' and it was Chiyo's first offense she was put on a year's probation. Her old school expelled her for it and life as she knew it was changed because of this.

Chiyo shield her face with her arm as paper yen flew around her. "And out of the goodness of my heart," the man said, turning back towards the woman, "I gave her a bit of cash, and suggested she rethink her life. She wouldn't listen."

"That's what happens when kids stick their noses in adults business," Sojiro said, more to himself than to Chiyo. What came after, though was most definitely directed at her. "It's best you not talk about anything unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Chiyo murmured.

"You better be taking this seriously, understand? One slip up and you'll be set straight to juvie."

Chiyo fought the overwhelming urge to glare at him. Her mom had given her a similar warning when she got on the train. As though the thought hadn't plagued her since she was first sentenced. 'Please, remind me again,' Chiyo said silently, 'maybe I'll get it the tenth time.'

"We'll be going to Shujin tomorrow, you'll meet the principal and your homeroom teacher. You're a week late, but from what I hear you shouldn't have a problem catching up."

Why did he insist on telling her everything she already knew? It wasn't as though Chiyo herself didn't do a little research on the school. Shujin Academy did not hesitate to boast about the Olympic alumni teaching PE, nor the accomplishments of the volleyball team he coached.

"What a waste of my Sunday," murmured Sojiro.

"The hundred thousand yen wasted on her future! She was supposed to be the best rhythmic gymnast Japan had to offer! I was supposed to have a daughter that was a winner! Beautiful and graceful, and she turns out to be a violent whore!"

"You think you have it bad? Do you know who they're saying the victim was? And it's my daughter who attacked him! Who tried to get him to… Can't even say it. Do you know what they're saying about me in the office?"

Chiyo couldn't help the glower. "Sulk all you want," Sojiro brisked past her, "it won't change anything."

"I'm not sulking!" Chiyo snapped at his retreating form. "I'm just-"

Sojiro closed the door behind him; Chiyo mimed actions she really wanted to make while her mind created the sound of the pseudo-scream she wanted to make.

Just like her mom!

Chiyo was the one who was really suffering for the lawsuit, suffering from the aftermath of the man's claims. But that didn't matter to the adults in her life. All her dad cared about was how it affected his standing at work. And her mother was mourning the ace gymnast Chiyo was supposed to be. What did Chiyo matter in all of this? It was only her life.

Readjusting her glasses, Chiyo surveyed the room again. Home for the next year, huh…?

Chiyo searched her carry-on bag for her hairbrush and removed a hair tie from the handle; she pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail. As much as Chiyo didn't want to, she went downstairs to ask Sojiro if there was any cleaning equipment, if she could use them, and where they were.

Getting what she needed, Chiyo got to work. Dusting overhead and causing the particles to fall Chiyo imagined her hair ended up looking more white than grey. The floor came next, mopping it clean of the dirt, and moving things around to be sure she got everything. To Chiyo's surprise, she didn't find any traces of mice, but supposed it was a good thing given the shop downstairs.

With the floor cleaned Chiyo stored some of the more unneeded stuff out of the 'living area' of the room, and told herself to remember where the heater was. As satisfied as she could get, Chiyo grabbed a few more items from her carry-on bag. They were more toiletries than anything, though she also had her glasses case with a cleaning cloth and her contacts. A part of her wasn't sure why she bothered bringing them, she hadn't worn contacts since she received her sentence.

Chiyo placed her hairbrush and glasses case on a storage box that would serve as a bedside table. She put the sheets Sojiro gave her on the bed before she broke into the box.

The first thing Chiyo found were a couple of framed photo's. One was of Chiyo, about nine, with a boy, about fifteen, and a middle-aged man. The three were dressed in padded apparels, helmets, and goggles. Chiyo and the boy looked like they were dragged through a haunted house while the man was beaming.

Chiyo hadn't seen her cousin in years, nor her uncle, or aunt for that matter, since the arrest. Her aunt did contact Ryou, comforting and advising her now that her child had become a pariah. Chiyo wasn't quite sure why she brought this particular picture with her now. A momentary kinship with her cousin, Kaname?

No. This was different.

The second photo was from middle school. Her hair was done up in a tight bun. Chiyo, beaming in delight and wearing a form-fitting lavender unitard had two silver and one gold medal around her neck. Her arms were laced over Rumi and Mina's shoulders.

"It's… It's nothing personal Chiyo," Mina shuffled her feet. "I just… don't think talking is a good idea right now."

"What?" Chiyo asked in disbelief.

"There's been rumors about you floating around," Rumi said matter of factly.

"That's all they are! The whole thing was-"

"About the arrest, the charges, how you attacked that guy after he refused to-"

"That didn't happen!" roared Chiyo. She was close to crying, frustrated and hurt by their attitudes. "I never-"

"I'm sorry, Chiyo," Mina said, slowly turning away from her. "This is all too much for me."

"Me too, actually," added Rumi.

A shriek escaped Chiyo's lips as she hurled the picture across the room. It landed with a shatter amongst Sojiro's junk. She dropped her head in her hands as she started panting.

Too much for them?! What about Chiyo? She was the one living it!

With a few calming breaths, Chiyo lifted her head and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. It was time she got back to work. No use crying now when they were miles away.

Getting things in a way Chiyo could live with was trial and error. Even when she was satisfied there was still much to be desired. She succeeded in giving her belongings a place, dressing the bed, and clearing off the table beside the couch.

The sun had set by the time Chiyo deemed the room livable. She was giving the room one last look through to be sure. She didn't even hear the creak, creak, creak from the stairs. "What the heck?"

Chiyo turned to find Sojiro at the head of the stairs, scrutinizing the room. "This… actually isn't that bad. Why don't you turn in for the night? It's not like you've got anything better to do. I'm going to close up now, I'd like for you to double check before you turn in. Think you can do that?"

"I suppose…"

Sojiro crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, listen up. There's a bathhouse you can use just down the road from here. But, you don't get back before I close up, you're stuck outside for the night. You want to waste my time, I'm wasting yours. Got it?"

"Yes," said Chiyo. She supposed it was fair enough. The restaurant business was bad enough without waiting on someone else before you could close up and head home.

Satisfied, Sojiro gave a brief nod before he went back downstairs. Chiyo followed as a means to double check as he wanted. She only stood at the foot of the stairs as Sojiro turned off the lights, locked the door on his way out, and turned the sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED.'

Chiyo changed into her pajama's and readied herself for bed. After turning off the light, she cocooned herself in the comfiture. The sheer silence caused Chiyo to toss and turn on the mattress.

She was a small fish dropped into a big pond. She was living with a man neither of her parents actually met, and it was clear to her that he was begrudgingly housing her. Should it really surprise Chiyo if Sojiro was being paid for it?

What use was it to ask how she got here? She knew exactly how.

Chiyo peered down at her phone, checking the time. Ryou wouldn't be expecting her back for another hour. Explaining why Coach sent her home early was going to be a real pain. Chiyo was certain she could still practice her routine with no problem. Her ankle was feeling fine and she had it bound. But on the other hand, it was no secret amongst the school that Coach saw Chiyo as her star pupil. Of course, she would favor Chiyo like this. The only reason Chiyo didn't argue even further was because of the looks the older students were giving her.

"Man…" Chiyo moaned. There was no way she could win tonight, was there?

"Just get in the car!"

"Stop it!"

The owner of the second voice sounded on the verge of tears. They did not sound that far from where Chiyo was. As soon as she heard the frailness of the second voice. She followed the voices, the first, masculine and slurring continued to impose himself on the second voice, frail and feminine.

It was the lights of the car Chiyo noticed first. The contrast between light and dark hurt Chiyo's eyes for a moment, but once they had adjusted she saw a woman trying to push a man off her. Beside them, the car door was open, waiting for either of them to get in.

The woman shouted desperately, "I-I'll call the police!"

Her attacker chuckled to himself. "Go ahead," he challenged. "The police are my bitches. Think they're going to care about you?"

Almost on cue, the high pitched whine of sirens echoed in the distance. The man cursed as he peered over his shoulder. "Now look what you did," he hissed at the woman. "Must've made so much noise someone called the cops."

He turned his attention back to the woman, grabbing her by the upper arms. She cried out, likely from being squeezed too tight. "Get in the car!" The man tried to force the woman into the black car beside them. "Moron's like you just need to keep your trap shut and follow where I steer this country!"

Chiyo bit her lower lip, watching the scene play out. She imagined the woman started crying as she struggled against the man. Chiyo's hands balled up, if she were in the woman's position she knew for a fact she would have wanted someone's help. Chiyo half-jogged up to the man and woman, hoping, if nothing else, as soon as he saw he was being watched the man would back off. The sound of shifting gravel beneath Chiyo's feet caused the man to peer over his shoulder at her. "What're you looking at?" he slurred. "Nothing to see here beat it!"

She stayed rooted in place, she hoped the look she was giving him made it clear that she would only leave when he left the woman alone. "See what you did?" the man asked releasing the woman's arms. "You went and got someone else involved. Now, you can either get in the car before I decide to take this brat too!"

The woman hiccupped on a sob, her eyes traveled from Chiyo to the ground. The man chuckled to himself as he placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "That's what I thought," he said.

He ushered the woman into the car. Chiyo's feet moved before her mind could concoct a proper plan. She reached her hand for the man.

"Hey!"

Chiyo hugged her blanket closer to her. As if the lawsuit wasn't enough the man accused Chiyo of attacking him because he wouldn't give her sexual favors. Once that part got out suddenly it became common knowledge that Chiyo had a history of compensated dating, opening the gates to the harassment.

She was labeled the class slut from her ex-classmates. Boys Chiyo never spoke to were sending her messages asking her if she wanted cash or if she would just open her legs to anyone who asked. Which was nothing to say about the phone calls and IM messages from schoolmates calling Chiyo everything under the sun.

By her glasses, her phone started to ping. A little afraid to answer it, Chiyo wiggled out of the blanket and reached for her phone. She needed to grab her glasses to be sure she was seeing things correctly.

The same red and black app with the eye was amongst her other apps. Hadn't Chiyo deleted it?

Too worn out to dwell on it too much Chiyo slid the app to the recycle bin and placed her phone and glasses back in place. She cocooned herself back in her blanket. Her stomach was doing flips, a sensation that was not unfamiliar to Chiyo in the weeks prior. The stress of her situation had caused Chiyo to actually throw up twice. Once after the initial arrest. The second time was after the trial.

A line of tears slipped out of Chiyo's eyes. Everyone talked as though things would fix themselves after a year's probation. Chiyo never bought it for a second. Her record was going to follow her no matter what. And the reputation she gained after the man's claims would follow her like a rain cloud.

Her eyes closed after a few minutes of silent weeping. She needed to at least try to get a good night's sleep.

It was like she had just dozed off, but something told Chiyo to wake up. Her eyes snapped open. The first thing she realized was off was the sounds; the gentle rattle of metal, the dripping of water. Neither of these sounds were in her room. The second thing that struck her as odd was how hard the bed suddenly felt. She wasn't in the attic, but a cramped room. A room that was so… blue.

Chiyo sat up and immediately felt something weighing down on her wrists. She looked down to see a pair of handcuffs, the style had to be several decades old at minimal. If only it was the handcuffs that were the only thing off about her person. Chiyo was wearing a stereotypical prison jumpsuit, complete with black and white horizontal stripes.

She brought a hand to her forehead, her breathing and pulse started to quicken. Placing her hand against her temple, Chiyo realized she didn't have her glasses on, yet she could see just fine. "Wha…?"

She heard a playful chuckle. Chiyo followed the sound to find prison bars with thick chains crisscrossing at the center, keeping her inside the room. Pupils contracting, Chiyo launched herself towards the bars. A metallic sound echoed in the room, followed by a pull on her right ankle. Chiyo looked down to find a cuff around her ankle, a length of chain littered the floor, leading straight up to a weighed ball.

Crying out, Chiyo flicked her leg, as though that could make the cuff come off. Her breathing became even more labored, she tried to shake her handcuffs off, she threw her back against the bars. Everything was irrational, everything was done in a false hope that she could somehow free herself.

"Quit your sniveling, Inmate!"

Through the other side of the bars, Chiyo felt something barely hit against her calf. She whipped herself around to find two boys of roughly thirteen. They both wore long-sleeved, high collared coats in a brilliant shade of blue. Black belts hugged their midsections, their slacks were tucked into their black, knee-high boots. On their heads, they each wore a blue and black peaked cap. Both boys were so blond their hair was almost white.

The boy to Chiyo's left wore his long hair in a low ponytail and had an eye patch over his left eye. In his hands, he carried a clipboard. The boy to her right wore his hair neatly short, his eye patch was over his right eye. He carried a silvery baton in both hands. Their visible eyes were a vibrant shade of yellow.

"You're embarrassing yourself in front of our master," said the boy with the baton in his hands.

The boy with the clipboard spoke, "Prisoner P508954TS, Kusakabe Chiyo, has arrived."

Chiyo looked straight ahead. The cell was just one of several in a circular room. In the center was a table where a man sat. His nose was long, his ears pointed. His eyes were almost unblinking. The grin he wore could have split his face. He wore a black suit and extended a white-gloved hand to Chiyo. "Trickster," he said, his voice deep enough to rearrange Chiyo's organs. "Welcome to my Velvet Room."

"What?" Chiyo uttered. Her hands gripped the bars. "Where am I?! I wasn't-"

"Open your ears next time, Inmate!" the boy with the baton snapped.

"The you, in reality, is currently fast asleep," explained the boy with the clipboard. He was far more soft-spoken than his brash partner. "You will wake up as though this never happened. Much like a dream."

"You're in the presence of our master. Show some dignity already!"

"I am delighted to make your acquaintance," continued the man in the center. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter."

"Wha…?" Chiyo's gaze fell upon the other cells around her. All of them were open, all of them were empty.

"I am Igor," the man introduced at long last, "the master of this place. Remember it well."

"What am I doing here?" Chiyo asked.

"I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well."

"But why like this?!"

"Yes, this is surprising," agreed Igor. "The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a 'prisoner' of fate."

Looking down, Chiyo's brow furrowed. Though she would have very much liked to deny every bit of it, wasn't there a bit of truth to it? No matter what, Chiyo wouldn't be free of her criminal record, her reputation. She would always be a criminal, she would always be easy.

"In the near future," Igor continued, "there is no mistake that ruin awaits you."

"Oh, really?" Chiyo asked flippantly. "And here I thought my life was ruined enough as it was."

Igor chuckled to himself. "I speak of the end of everything." He started drumming his fingers on his desk. "However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated.' Rehabilitated towards freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin."

"Aren't I doing that already?" Chiyo shot back. "Believe me, I'm being reminded enough to live an honest high school life."

"That all depends on you. Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"

"Well, I would rather avoid ruin."

"Then allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation."

In perfect unison, the twin boy's stepped out and turned themselves to face Chiyo. "Pardon me for not introducing the others." Igor rested his chin on the back of his hand. "These young men are my wardens here, to your left is Robert, to your right, Henry."

Henry scoffed, "Try and struggle as much as you like."

"The duty of a warden is to protect the inmate," added Robert. "We are also your collaborators. That is… if you remain obedient."

"You will understand the roles of these two at a later time," explained Igor. Like clockwork Henry and Robert turned their backs to Chiyo. "Now then, it seems the night is waning… Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again. Eventually."

A low siren wailed, getting louder with each second. Henry peered over his shoulder to face Chiyo. "Time's up. Now hurry up and get back to sleep."

Sunday, April 10th

A blue prison. Rehabilitation. Ruin.

Her situation must have gotten to Chiyo more than she originally thought.

Chiyo needlessly pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, her eyes kept forward on the road. Almost as soon as she had gotten dressed Sojiro was calling for her so they could head out and introduce themselves to the school staff. To her surprise, Sojiro had a car, which made her wonder if it cost any less than taking the subway.

The Shujin Academy uniform consisted of a white polo undershirt and a black blazer with the school's logo on the breast pocket. A black and red plaid skirt hovered over the black tights she wore. So much black…

As far as Chiyo knew, only the school staff knew about her criminal record and her dating history. However, Chiyo did not doubt it would stay that way for long. When did something like this ever remain a secret?

She created a character of sorts in hopes to combat this. A shy girl who spoke when spoken to, who kept her head down. Someone who would likely be seen in the library after school. Someone who drew in as little attention as possible. Someone who could not have possibly done the things they said she did. Maybe then, someone would believe her when she said none of the would-be rumors were true.

As a result, Chiyo put a lot of thought into her hairstyle. Should she leave it down? Put it up in a bun? She settled for a braid that would fall over her shoulder. She put in a couple of hairpins to keep her bangs out of her eyes.

"The school you're attending is in the Aoyama district," he explained when they first took off. "It'll cost you a bit to ride the train there, and the route transfers are a pain in the ass."

In her own opinion, Sojiro's white jacket and matching trilby was a bit overkill. Chiyo doubted they'd be at the school for more than three hours. But whatever.

Chiyo wasn't sure how long they were on the road before they passed a white building with a sign reading 'Shujin Academy' plastered outside. "Do me a favor and behave yourself, all right?" Sojiro asked as they got out the car. He left his trilby in the driver seat. Thank goodness. "Don't get me wrong - I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any trouble."

"Right. Got it," Chiyo snapped irritably.

Sojiro shot Chiyo a warning glare, silently saying, 'That's exactly what I'm talking about.'

Chiyo couldn't even describe Principal Kobayakawa as 'portly.' Between his large appearance, bald head and the tawny suit he wore, the man looked like a potato. The woman at his side was far easier on the eyes no matter which way your door swung. Dark wavy hair cut just above her shoulder's; she had on a yellow shirt, and a long denim skirt. If her appearance didn't scream 'I'm a teacher,' then Chiyo didn't know what did.

"To reiterate," Kobayakawa said to her while Sojiro was busy signing the necessary documents, "you will be immediately expelled if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitated on accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on your side. You might have done a variety of… unsavory things in hiding in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here."

Chiyo simply nodded, she tried to make her eyes as big as she could, to make herself seem approachable. Though she was fuming inside; did he really have to put it like that?!

"If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. You'd better keep that in mind." Kobayakawa gestured to the woman at his side. "This will be the teacher in charge of your class."

"I'm Kawakami Sadayo." She slid a card across Kobayakawa's desk to Chiyo. "This is your student ID."

Silently, Chiyo took out her wallet and placed her new ID inside. "Be sure to read the school rules," continued Kawakami. "Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by any chance you cause problems, I won't be able to protect you at all. That is your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?"

"She's the one responsible for her own actions."

"But really though, why me? Surely there were better candidates."

"It was a sudden transfer. And your class was the only one that had an opening."

Sojiro and Chiyo exchanged looks over the chatter. Was this a usual occurrence with these sort of meetings among the staff? Sojiro cleared his throat, getting Kobayakawa and Kawakami's attention. "If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going? I have a store to get back to."

"Do keep a close eye on her, Sakura-san," said Kobayakawa. "Don't let her cause any trouble outside…"

"I'll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation she's in."

Like Chiyo couldn't figure it out for herself. She got it from day one. It wasn't that hard to understand.

She imagined her brow gave off her bitter mood as she followed Sojiro out to the school courtyard. "They're treating you like some kind of nuisance," Sojiro muttered.

"Yeah, that doesn't remind me of anyone."

Immediately Sojiro whipped himself around; he gave off the look of warning Chiyo was quickly growing accustomed to. "All right, your parents may have appreciated that mouth of yours, but my patients is running thin," he said firmly. "And if I were in your situation, I'd drop the attitude before it get's you in trouble."

"We'll you're not in my situation," Chiyo shot back flippantly. "And from where I stand, it doesn't matter if I have an attitude or not. The school's already decided I am trouble."

Resigned, Sojiro held up a hand. "Fine. Do whatever you want. But if you end up getting yourself expelled, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?"

"Yes!"

Why was it so impossible for the adults in Chiyo's life to believe she wasn't stupid? That she didn't need these constant reminders? Chiyo already knew how she was going to tackle her new school. She was going to make herself invisible. Make herself into a student overlooked by her classmates. She should be able to get by the year if she did.

They said that appearances could be deceiving. But Kusakabe was nothing like what Kawakami was expecting. When she heard about the girl's record and the circumstances surrounding it, Kawakami was expecting a delinquent. Bleached hair, an altered uniform, colored nails, heavy makeup, the works. Even someone who was trying to advertise her sex appeal. But not only did Kusakabe come in with her uniform as it should be, Kawakami was fairly confident that her hair was its natural color. And if she had any sort of makeup on it was so minor that it was unnoticeable.

No, Kusakabe looked nothing like a delinquent or a harlot, but more like a student you'd find working in the library after school

"What a troublesome situation."

Kawakami looked up to find Kamoshida crossing her path. She didn't need to ask what he was talking about. She imagined the entirety of the second year teachers, if not the entire staff, knew about Kusakabe. Her record was supposed to be kept between her and the staff, but Kawakami would bet every yen she had for herself that it would get out amongst the student body eventually.

"I just can't believe they pushed someone like her on me," muttered Kawakami. "Surely a male teacher would be better suited for this…"

"They might have if it was just a criminal record," Kamoshida agreed. "But given how promiscuous we were told she is, they probably wanted to give her a good female role model. Show her how a lady should behave."

Kawakami pursed her lips to the side but refused to say anything. If that were true then she was probably the last teacher to prove such a thing for Kusakabe. Not that she would say it out loud. "Still," Kamoshida sighed lowering his head. "Why in the world was someone like that even admitted here?"

"Who knows? It was Kobayakawa's decision. I heard it was for the school's reputation. Being the school to take in a student with a criminal record and a past of compensated dating and then some and getting them to turn their life around does sound pretty impressive."

Of course, all of that was assuming Kusakabe did not have a mind of her own. Kawakami wasn't sure if the student really was the type to go against rules or conform to them. Her reputation and appearance contradicted each other.

"I would've thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover the school's reputation."

"That's certainly true."

Kamoshida stretched his right arm out. "Just be careful, okay? Then again, if anything were to happen, I'd kick out a student like that in a heartbeat."

"I keep wishing that she'd just end up not coming to school," Kawakami confessed. Guilt nagged at her the instant she said it aloud. What sort of teacher was she if she said something like that? "But I could be overreacting. Kusakabe didn't look the part her record paints."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she presented herself as someone who liked being at school. But I can't tell if it's an act or not."

Interesting… "Well, I should be returning to practice," said Kamoshida.

"Oh, right. The tournament's coming up, isn't it?"

"Having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem in itself. We'll have to work hard to make up for the track team too."

Kawakami nodded briefly. As Kamoshida walked off she brought her hand to the bridge of her nose. Why her class?

Chiyo nestled herself in the corner of her seat, her arms crossed over her chest as they headed back to Leblanc. It would have gone a lot faster if they weren't caught in traffic. Sojiro drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently; he flicked on the radio. "You're taking the train, starting tomorrow," he said bitterly.

"Mm-hmm." Wasn't that the plan anyway?

"So… how was it? The school, I mean. Think you can manage?"

"Yeah, I guess," said Chiyo.

"Don't even think of doing anything stupid. You were already expelled once. To think you'd manage to re-enroll into a different school…"

"They just want the bragging rights that come with reforming a problem student," Chiyo muttered.

"Yeah, I guess that's true... It's not like anyone will be sympathetic with you. If that's what it was like at school, people might say stuff about me in the future too… What a troublesome kid I've taken in…"

Chiyo, unable to hold it in much longer, snapped, "Why did you if I'm such an inconvenience then?! You clearly don't want any part of this!"

"I was asked to do it!" Sojiro shot back, shooting Chiyo a look of warning. They were not going to spend the entire ride back having a screaming match. "And I just… happened to agree to it. I've already been paid for it too, after all."

"Well, that much I could figure out on my own."

"Again, a subway has derailed at Shibuya Station," said the newscaster, "greatly affecting the timetable all across the-"

"Another accident?" Sojiro asked in disbelief. "So that's why it's so crowded."

Chiyo lowered her arms and stared at the radio. Wasn't there a news report on something similar yesterday? "Are these common in the city?" she asked. "If so, then the city's more dangerous than I originally thought."

"It's not… usually. Though that does feel like the case lately…"

They did not make it back to Leblanc until evening hours, which only furthered Sojiro's irritation. Chiyo headed straight back up to her room, thoroughly sick of his whining and moaning. And to be fair, she was certain he was sick of hers. But he followed her upstairs with a book in his hand. "You may be under probation, but there are no special limitations on what you do in particular. Besides following the law, that is," Sojiro said, placing the book down on the table closest to the stairs. "That said, I'm obligated to report on you, which is why I'm having you record your daily activities."

A muffled jingle was soon heard. Sojiro turned his back to Chiyo and took his phone out of his pocket. "Hey, what's up? …I'm about to leave right now. Don't worry. I'll be there in no time. …Uh-huh. I'll see you soon." He hung up the phone and turned back to Chiyo. "I'll lock up the place, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night. So long as you don't mess up my store. If something goes missing, I'll hand you right over to the cops."

"Yeah, whatever."

"What'd I say about the attitude? You got school tomorrow, so you should be heading to bed anyway."

Without another word, Sojiro marched downstairs. Chiyo raised a brow. Wasn't he even going to watch her write anything in the diary? So she could do whatever she wanted after school, lie about it in the diary, and he would just accept it?

"Missed a big gaping hole in that little plan, didn't cha?"

Groaning, Chiyo sat on the edge of her bed. She dug out her phone, aiming to look up the best route to school on the GPS. As soon as she turned the screen towards her, there it was, the same red and black app. It was even in the same place it was last night.

"Seriously?" Chiyo asked in disbelief. "Don't tell me it has a virus..."

It shouldn't, the thing was brand new, an attempt to go to Tokyo without worry of anyone back home harassing her.

Letting out a 'tsk' Chiyo dragged the app back to the recycle bin. She was going to have to reboot the thing, wasn't she?

Authors Note: A few clear differences between Chiyo and Ren. With Ren, I often found myself thinking of Nick Wilde's 'never let them see that they get to you,' and figured the logical step for Chiyo was to be the opposite. She's not as stoic, she's more likely to talk back, has a slight case of Carcerophobia. And Chiyo actually needs her glasses to see.

Robert and Henry are modeled after the Bloody Twins from Alice in the Country of Hearts, though Robert wears his hair like the Bloody Twins adult form.