Goro had tried to sleep, he really did- yet as the sun began to filter through his window and illuminate the dust motes, he found himself rubbing at his eyes and struggling to stay awake. A strange dream, made stranger by the familiarity of it all, made him feel like he'd been up all night, and yet...

Stone walls the color of the sea loomed over him, cold chains on his hands and colder concrete at his back; iron bars caged him into the corner of his cell. His cell? Goro shot up from his "bed", staggering at the weight of a ball and chain wrapped around his foot, and suddenly he was acutely aware of how cold it was in the thin prisoner's clothes he was given. Dragging himself to the bars, he leaned forwards, peering through. Cells, everywhere, and in the center of it all was a table- two golden eyes stared at him, he realized with a jolt. And yet...

He knew this place. A place between mind and matter, dream and reality- he'd been here before, in a far-off dream.

The twins- they were twins, Caroline and Justine- how did he know their names?- glared him down coldly. "Inmate", they called him, though Justine's yellow gaze flickered for a moment, a moment- they watched his movements, copied his steps, and eventually came to stand before the bars. As his hands touched the cold metal they turned, addressing the other party in the room, and Goro's breath caught in his throat.

"Trickster... Welcome to my Velvet Room."

"You look terrible," Sojiro told him as he came down the stairs, and Goro couldn't help but feel inclined to agree. Thankfully the older man had offered to drive him to Shujin- no trains to catch, no worries about missing his station- and he took the opportunity to drift, to dream. Sojiro had remained quiet during their car ride, giving Goro plenty of time to nap- he'd only started to stir when they pulled up to the school.

The strange man- Igor, something deep inside of Goro told him that Igor was the man's name- extended a gloved hand. His smile was sinister, his brows furrowed, and Goro felt the need to reach out, to take Igor's hand despite his expression. Fingers curling around the bars, he was barely aware of what the twins were saying.

"The you in reality is currently fast asleep," Justine spoke softly, almost gently, "You are experiencing this only as a dream."

Caroline's voice, on the other hand, cut through his thoughts like a knife. "You're in the presence of our master, stand up straight!"

Shujin's principal was a strange, round man- rotund and small, suspiciously egg-shaped- he sat in stark contrast to the strange man in his dreams, yet they had the same furrowed eyebrows. His eyes glared right into Goro's, cold and discerning, and Goro could only agree- he was a criminal, after all.

Respect your elders, Goro.

A long-forgotten mantra resurfaced from his memories, something that had been drilled into him since she departed from this world by foster parents, by fellow students, by teachers. The principal introduced his teacher, who looked nearly as tired as he felt and less than happy about the situation. Complaining or trying to look bad would cause Sojiro to be upset, would cause everyone to be upset, and so Goro found himself instinctively slipping into a mask, a facade.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am. I'll be in your care," In the gentlest voice he could muster, Goro smiled at Kawakami, who looked pleasantly surprised. He slightly bowed his head to look humble, before taking his student ID and tucking it in his pocket. "I'll try not to cause too much trouble for you."

"A-ah, alright..." It seemed everyone was stunned by his behavior, especially the principal, who stammered a bit before quickly righting himself. Kawakami let herself smile, just a little bit- Goro could see the sides of her mouth quirk up into the slightest smile, and Sojiro exhaled slightly as if trying not to laugh.

"It's good to see you know that your actions will have consequences. If you get into any trouble, there's nowhere else that will take you."

"I'm very much aware of that, sir."

Ah, he'd spoken out of turn. The principal's hard gaze returned, though it shifted over to Sojiro. "Take care of him, Sakura-san. Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble outside."

"You truly are a prisoner of fate. You must be rehabilitated- rehabilitated towards freedom."

"Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation."

My rehabilitation..?

Goro leaned against the car window, watching as traffic began to slow to a halt. The radio was a soft din in the background, though he could see Sojiro move out of the corner of his eye, turning up the radio.

"A subway has derailed at Shibuya station, greatly affecting the timetable all across the..-"

"Another accident?" Sojiro muttered in disbelief under his breath, fingers tapping away at the steering wheel. "There's been a lot of those lately. No wonder it's so backed up here."

An accident..? Flashes of memories- or maybe lucid dreams- went through Goro's mind. Why did that sound so familiar...?

...

Another accident.

Her sharp eyes were trained on the TV screen as a reporter attempted to detail what little was known about the mysterious train accident- the conductor didn't know what he was doing, his mind wasn't in the right place. To her side the SIU director spoke: this will go all the way to the top, he said, this was a crime of the company, the government.

It was all linked. It had to be linked, the drastic changes, the mysterious accidents, everything. Her eyes narrowed behind thin glasses as the Director continued to speak, topic shifting from the case at hand to the prospect of going out for a drink. Of course, she declined- "I have another meeting after this. I should get going."

I won't rest until this job is settled.

And then, she excused herself from the room, shutting the door behind her. She held her briefcase close as she walked to the staircase, eyes flitting to a curly mop of black hair- a boy, leaning on a banister, phone in hand. They'd met before, but she could never quite place what was wrong with him- his image, or how she perceived it- his blazer a shade of black, his gloves a garish red, she'd always chalked it up to his poor sense of fashion.

Hearing the sound of her heels click against tile, he glanced up- those eyes stared into her, giving her a sense of discomfort. Yet, he was soft, he was gentle until the time came for him to pounce, and then his expression shifted- he was like a cat, in that way. His glasses were tucked in his breast pocket, though he instinctively went to push them up as he smiled at her.

"Did you ask for me? Is it a case?" Even his voice held a certain pleasant tone to it, as he began to walk down the stairs with her.

"Not quite. I want your opinion on something."

"Me? But your judgement is usually correct, though," He shrugged dismissively, and quickly took his glasses out to put them on. She didn't slow down, and smiled to herself just slightly when he heard his footsteps become louder, but quicker- he was trying to match up with the pace she'd set. "But, since I'm still a student and you're making me work late, why don't we go get something to eat? There's this one diner in Shibuya I study at all the time, but it's really good there, or we could get su-"

"As long as you pay for yourself, Kurusu."

A disappointed sigh, followed by a soft laugh- what had he expected to hear? Finally Kurusu caught up to her, and she let her concentration lapse for a moment to notice that he'd gotten taller, and stood a little over her. Kurusu seemed to notice this as well, crouching a little awkwardly to have them at eye-level for a moment before smiling and returning to his normal height.

"Whatever you say, Isshiki-san."

slams that mf italics button

i can't read i edited it a bit because im illiterate

next time, probably: goro "pleasant boy- delinquent' akechi gets chaotic