A/N: Welcome back to A:TCFB (Redux)! Sorry it's been a while, but it's been difficult to find time to write this, what with work, and livestreaming for my YouTube group. But nevertheless, here we are, with Chapter 2 - Dollhouse. Enjoy!
Chapter 2 – Dollhouse
The day after his mission, Adam was sat in his seat in the classroom, with his feet on top of his desk, and his hands behind his head. As he leant back on his chair, he closed his eyes and smiled due to his relaxed state of mind. However, his brow furrowed slightly when he heard a girl down at the front of the class ask another, "Hey, Sakuragi, Did you hear about that murder down by the riverside last night?"
Cracking his eyes open, Adam saw that the girl was talking to the girl he had saved the day prior. "So, her family name's Sakuragi." He thought, as he watched the girl shake her head. "What happened, Nakajima?" she asked of the other girl. "Old man was found this morning, with a single stab wound to the neck. I heard someone say that he was mugged when I passed the crime scene on my way here, but personally, I don't believe it. If you ask me, this was premeditated." Nakajima replied, which caused Sakuragi to gasp. "But, if that's true, Sachiko, you think it might…happen again?" she asked, causing Nakajima to shrug. "I'm not sure, Yukari. But I think it'd be best to keep an eye out. God knows we already have more than enough bloodshed to deal with this year. Don't need any more lives lost." She stated, which caught Adam's attention.
"What the fuck?" The Assassin thought, as he planted his feet back on the floor. "Something wrong, Robertson?" A familiar voice asked, causing him to look round, coming face-to-face with Izumi. "Nothing that you'd understand the meaning of, Akazawa." He stated bluntly, causing the 'Head of Countermeasures' to scowl at him. "How…" she started to say, only to be cut off as the door to the classroom was slid open, and in came Kubodera, along with his assistant, Miss Mikami.
Shutting her mouth, Izumi stormed off over to her own desk, as Adam sat up straighter. As he, along with the rest of the class, watched the two teachers enter, Adam's eyes narrowed when he saw the same black-haired girl with an eyepatch that had been watching him from the rooftop the previous afternoon. Quickly looking round, he saw that nobody was paying attention to the girl. "The fuck?" He thought, as he watched the girl walk over to the weathered desk, and sat down.
"I should ask, but Akazawa told me to treat the occupant of that desk like they don't exist. Coupled with the fact that the wankstain of a Principal told me to follow any advice the rest of the class give me. Fuck it, I'll play along for now. She doesn't seem like the talkative type, anyways." Adam thought, before he turned his gaze to the front of the class, where Kubodera and Mikami were ready to start the lesson…
A few minutes later…
Looking to his watch, Adam groaned, and got to his feet. "Mister Robertson, where do you think you're going?" Mikami asked, causing Adam to look to her, as he stuffed his textbooks into his back. "Well, I've already passed this coursework for English, so to avoid retreading unnecessary ground, I'm going to study in the library." He explained, looking to Kubodera. "If I may, sir?" he asked. After a few second's hesitation, Kubodera nodded. "Very well. You can go. But could I ask you to take Miss Akazawa with you? She's already completed the section we learnt today." He said, making Adam look to Izumi, who had stood up and was packing her own textbooks into her bag. "Dammit. Was hoping to sneak out and head home." He thought, before gritting his teeth. "Fine with me. Lead on, Miss Izumi." He said, gesturing out the door, before he followed Izumi out of the room.
After a couple minutes of silent walking, the pair had reached the library, inside of which they had met with a weary-looking grey haired man. "Ahh…Back again, Miss Akazawa?" he had asked, looking to them as they entered. "Yep." She had replied, before he had looked to Adam. "Oh, this is Adam Robertson. He's a transfer student from Scotland, who joined Class 3-3 yesterday." Izumi explained. "Adam, this is Tatsuji Chibiki. He's the former teacher of our class, and the current librarian here." She said to her classmate, who nodded as he shook the man's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mister Robertson." Chibiki said, getting a nod from Adam. "Likewise." The Assassin said.
"Adam and I were hoping to get some studying done, if that was okay?" Izumi asked, getting a nod from Chibiki. "Of course. We're the only ones here, so take any seat you wish." He said, gesturing to the tables around the room. Nodding, Izumi and Adam entered the library, as Chibiki walked back to his desk.
Placing his bag on a desk near the windows, Adam sank down into the chair, and began to pull his books out of his bag. "Might as well. Came all the way up here, after all." He reasoned. "Should get some work done while I'm here, long as…" As he began to work through the book he had opened, he stopped when a bag was placed in front of him. Silently, he looked up to Izumi, as she sat down opposite him, opening up her own textbooks. "Can I help you? There's plenty of other tables." He said, drawing a smirk from his classmate. "Let's be honest, Robertson. You were never planning on coming here. If Kubodera hadn't asked you to take me with you, you'd be halfway home by now." She stated, which made Adam raise an eyebrow, before he placed his pen down and leant back in his chair, arms crossed.
"You're too smart for your own good, Akazawa." He said in a playful tone, which made Izumi adopt a smug smile. "Comes with the position." She snarked back, which made Adam ask, "Which position, Head of Countermeasures?" As she nodded, he leant forward and clasped his hands together on top of the table. "But what are you putting countermeasures in place against?" he asked, which made Izumi's face darken. "Trust me, it's better that you don't know." She said, which made Adam scoff. "Really? Cause I believe I deserve to know why everyone in the class looks at me like I'm the top suspect in a damn murder trial." He said, which made Izumi hold his gaze for a few seconds, before she sighed.
"Alright, I'll try and put this as simply as I can. But I warn you, on your own head be it." She said, which made Adam nod. "Tell me." He said, as less of a demand. Nodding, Izumi took a deep breath, then looked back to him again. "Class 3-3, it's…cursed." She said, which made Adam raise an eyebrow. "Cursed?" he asked, getting a nod from Izumi. "Alright…" he said, although he was in slight disbelief, but he decided to rein in his dismissal. "I'll let her explain, then I'll give my thoughts. I mean, I work for a Brotherhood that seeks mysterious artifacts that control people's minds." He reasoned internally, before he nodded for Izumi to continue. "Go on." He said, which made the auburn-haired girl nod.
"Each year, thanks to there being an extra person in the class, one who is dead, at least one person connected to the class dies each month." She explained, which made Adam's eyes widen. Unbeknownst to Izumi, the young man's mind was racing from this information, remembering two things; 1, the conversation he had overheard between Yukari and Sachiko earlier, which had mentioned bloodshed and lives lost, and 2, the incident yesterday, where he had saved Yukari from her accident. "And these deaths, I'm presuming that they end up looking like accidents a majority of the time?" he asked, getting a smile and nod from Izumi. "I presume that you're referring to Yukari's accident yesterday?" she asked, getting a nod from Adam. "Yeah, chances are good that was a part of it. And as much as I hate to tell you, despite you saving her, it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things." She said, which caught Adam off-guard. "What?" he asked. "The reason Yukari fell down the stairs in the first place, was because her mother was in a car accident. She…she didn't make it." She continued, which made Adam's eyes widen. "Shit…" he breathed out, only to furrow his eyebrows.
"Thought you said that only those connected to the class get killed by the curse?" he asked, getting another sigh from Izumi. "Yeah, there's a bit I was gonna get to. Along with those in the class, family members within two degrees of separation are affected as well." She said, which made Adam nod in understanding. "So, that includes parents, grandparents, and siblings." He stated, making Izumi nod. "Alright, say I believe you. Why tell me all this?" He asked. "Well, I personally believe that the extra person, the reason for all this, was already in the class before you arrived, which means that none of the blame for this can fall on you. So, I wanna apologise for that." She said, only for Adam to hold up a hand and shake his head. "Don't worry 'bout it." He stated, only for Izumi to shake her head. "There's more. I also wanted to thank you. Yukari would have died yesterday, if you hadn't saved her. Thank you." She said, getting a smile from Adam. "No worries. Any decent person would have done the same. And as for the curse, I believe you." He stated, which made Izumi look at him in confusion.
"You're…taking this surprisingly well." She said, getting a smirk from her classmate. "Trust me, with the amount of shit I've seen in my life, I've learnt that nothing is impossible." He replied, placing the book he had opened back in his bag. "You heading home?" Izumi asked, getting a nod from Adam. "Yeah, unless there's something you wanna ask me?" Nodding, Izumi said, "I want you to join the Countermeasures Group." This made Adam halt and look to her. "Why?" he asked.
"Well, people sometimes don't agree with the Countermeasures we come up with. And we'll need an 'Enforcer' to make sure they stay in line. To protect the others." She explained, making Adam raise an eyebrow. "You want me to beat up people who don't follow your rules?" he asked, smirking when she looked at him in shock. "No, God no!" she said. "I just want you to…scare them? I guess. I mean, since you joined the class, people have told me that they're…intimidated by you." She said. "Really?" Adam asked, making her nod. "Alright, I'm in." he said, extending a hand, which Izumi shook. "Look forward to working with you, Akazawa." He said, causing her to smile. "Call me Izumi. We're partners now. May I call you Adam in turn?" she asked, getting a nod from the Assassin. "Sure." He said, shouldering his bag. "I'll see you tomorrow after school. You can introduce me to the rest of the Group." He stated, getting a nod from Izumi, before he walked over to the door.
As he went to leave the room, he stopped and spun on his heel. "Actually, one last thing." He said, making her look back up at him. "What's the deal with the non-existent person? The one with the old desk?" he asked. "That's a charm they started to use years ago. To make the numbers up, we treat one person like they don't exist." She explained. "Alright, then. I'm going to head." Adam said, making Izumi nod. "Be careful. You're at risk now. Keep your wits about you out there." She stated, which made Adam smirk. "Don't worry 'bout me. I'm a survivor. Tell Kubodera where I went." He said, walking over to the door and leaving, but not before giving her one last wave.
"Well, he's definitely not as bad as I first thought. I hope I've made the right choice bringing him into the Group…" Izumi thought to herself, as she watched Adam's jacket disappear behind the door, before she turned back to the schoolwork she had opened up, only to see a small note placed on the open pages. Picking it up, she saw a phone number scribbled on it, with a brief message below;
"Give this to the rest of the Countermeasures Group. But tell them to only use it in extreme emergencies. I don't like having my time wasted."
Smiling to herself, Izumi pulled out her phone, and began to input the number…
Outside the school…
After exiting the school, Adam ducked into a nearby alleyway, before he scaled up a wall to the rooftops. Pulling up his hood, he quickly began to run across the city's skyline, leaping from roof to roof as he made his way to his house. Swinging in through his open window, he quickly got changed into his robes, pulling up the peaked hood to disguise his face. As he reached for his weapons, he hesitated for a second, before he decided to travel light tonight, securing several throwing knives to his chest, and a knife in the sheath on his boot. He also checked the Blades attached to his arms. These were the weapons he would never forget. They had become as much a part of him over the years as his own hand. "Alright…" he said, turning toward the window again.
"Let's go."
A few minutes later…
Vaulting up over the edge of a roof, Adam came to a stop to catch his breath. Leaning against a chimneystack, he looked out over the surrounding area, only to jerk his head to the side when he heard a scream. Looking down to the street level, he scowled when he saw a man pinning a woman against a wall, a knife gleaming in his hand. However, what really caused his face to darken, was the ring with a red cross on it. "Templar." He thought, standing up, before placing a foot out over the edge of the building, and dropping down, the rush of air causing his robes to billow round him.
Landing on the ground in a crouch, Adam saw that the man and woman had jumped at his landing. Smirking under his hood, he raised himself up to his full height, and looked to the woman. Remaining silent, he simply jerked his head to the side, and to the pair, the message was clear; Run. Nodding, the woman simply said, "Thanks.", before running off.
"So…" Adam said, cracking his knuckles while turning back to the knife wielder. "Your name?" he asked. "Sasuke Mimura, Master Templar." The other man said, pointing the knife at him. "And yours?" he asked, before Adam mockingly bowed to him. "Adam Robertson, Master Assassin of the Scottish Brotherhood, and Mentor of the Japanese Brotherhood." He replied. "There isn't a Japanese Brotherhood anymore." Mimura spat, making Adam shrug. "Not yet." He said, with a hint of a cocky smirk. "And there will never be!" Mimura yelled, before shooting forward, swiping at Adam's head, only for the Assassin to lean backwards, and swiftly reach up to grip the knife by its handle.
"You call yourself a man?" Adam asked, before flipping the man onto his back. "Last I checked, anytime a man beat on a woman, he couldn't call himself a man anymore." He stated, which made Mimura growl, before he kicked him in the chest, causing the Assassin to stagger backwards. "Shut it, Assassin!" Sasuke spat, before flinging his hand out, the knife shooting out of his grip towards his enemy.
"Really?" Adam asked in an exasperated tone, as he easily caught the knife, before tossing the weapon away. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke shot back up to his feet, and ran towards Adam, his fist raised. Rolling his eyes, Adam simply caught the fist, and began to twist, the pain causing Mimura to fall to his knees.
"You may kill me, Robertson…" He grunted out, looking Adam dead in the eye, "But I promise you, that our Hunting Dog will find you." This made Adam raise an eyebrow. "Well, they'll meet the same fate." He stated, before activating his Blade. "Any last words?" he asked, raising the weapon. "I'll see you in hell, Assassin." Sasuke spat, making Adam smirk. "Make sure to save me a spot." He said, before bringing the Blade down into the Templar's neck. As he saw Sasuke's neck become a sea of scarlet, and his eyes closed, he quickly removed the Templar ring from his finger, then gently lowered Sasuke to the ground.
"Requiest in pace." He said, placing the ring into his robes, before grappling back up to the rooftops. Looking up, he saw that the clouds above were starting to darken. "Shit." He thought, before sprinting off in the direction of his house.
A few minutes later, Adam had vaulted through his open window, rolling to a stop in the middle of his room. Groaning in exhaustion, he reached into his robes and withdrew the ring he had taken from Sasuke. "Another one down…" he thought, as he opened the secret compartment in his wardrobe. Picking up a small box, he opened it to reveal several other Templar rings. Placing Sasuke's ring inside, he quickly closed the box and replaced it back on the floor of the wardrobe. Next, he began to remove his robes, tossing them into a laundry basket at the foot of his bed. "I'll get them tomorrow." He thought, as he changed into a simple black vest and pajama bottoms, before he flopped down onto his bed. As he stared up at the ceiling, he remembered back to something Mimura had said.
"What did he mean by the Templar's 'Hunting Dog'?" he wondered, before he shook his head. "Fuck it." He said, turning onto his side and dropping off into unconsciousness…
Meanwhile, over in Scotland…
Templar HQ
"Grand Master. You called for me?" the woman said, as she closed the door behind her. "That is true, soldier. Thank you for coming." Her superior said, causing the woman to nod. "Of course. Whatever you order, we do. That's the definition of a soldier." She explained, which made the Grand Master smile. "Well, I believe it's time for this time of yours as a 'Hunting Dog' to come to an end. What do you say?" He asked, making the woman raise an eyebrow. "S-sir?" she asked, as the Grand Master stood up.
"I'll be honest with you. I know why you've dedicated so much time and effort to your work for the Templars. It's because you want revenge on that Assassin. The one they call the Shadow. Correct?" he asked, causing the woman to begrudgingly nod. "Yes…sir. I won't deny it. If any Templar is going to kill that Assassin, I want it to be me. He left me for dead and slaughtered my team, so I want to make sure he remembers my face as the life leaves his eyes." She explained, which made the Grand Master nod in understanding.
"Well, as I'm sure you know, we've gotten word that the Brotherhood has sent the Shadow to Japan, in order to build a branch of the Brotherhood there. But I've noticed the Rite over there's went dark. I don't like it." He explained, making the woman nod. "Yes, sir. I already knew. I was actually going to ask if I could go after him." She said, which drew a laugh from her superior. "I admire your enthusiasm, soldier. And as it happens, I was going to approve your request." He stated, catching the woman off-guard.
"Thank you, sir." The woman replied, bowing her head to the Grand Master. "There's just a couple things I need to ask you first." Her superior said, stepping round the desk to stand in front of her. "Of course, sir." She said, making the Grand Master nod, before he asked his first question; "Do you swear to uphold the principles of our Order, and all that for which we stand?" Widening her eyes for a second, the woman quickly composed herself, and replied, "I do."
Nodding, the Grand Master continued with, "And to never share our secrets, nor divulge the true nature of our work?" Nodding again, the woman repeated, "I do." And finally, the Grand Master asked, "And to do so from now until death, whatever the cost?" Taking a second to breathe deeply, she looked him dead in the eyes, and said, "I do." This made the other Templar smile again.
"Then I welcome you into our fold, Sister." He said, holding up a hand, revealing a small ring with a red cross emblazoned on it was held in his grip. Taking the woman's right hand, he placed the ring onto her fourth finger. After he let it go, the woman clenched her fist to examine the ring. "You are now…" The Grand Master said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "A Master Templar, harbinger of a New World."
"I won't let you down, sir." The woman stated, unclenching her fist and looking the Grand Master in the eyes. "Your team leaves for Japan at first light. Good luck, Master Templar." He replied, getting a nod from his subordinate, who bowed to him with her hands behind her back, before walking out of the room…
The next day, after school, in Japan…
Yomi North, Class 3-3
"Alright, listen up, all of you!" Izumi said, as a small group of students, which included Yukari, gathered round her desk. "We've got a new member joining the Countermeasures Group." She continued, making the rest of the members look to her in confusion. "Who?" asked a bespectacled boy with black hair, as a blonde-haired boy in a blue tracksuit smiled. "Who cares, Kazami? The more we've got helping us, the better our chances." the latter asked of the former, making the boy scowl at him. "And what if this newcomer turns out to be incompetent, Teshigawara?" he asked, pushing his glasses up slightly.
"I appreciate your concerns, Kazami, but I promise you, this one's anything but incompetent." Izumi piped up, which made Yukari, as well as another brown-haired girl with a pink clip in her hair, look to her in confusion. "What makes you say that, Akazawa?" the latter girl asked, before Izumi smiled. "Because he's been standing right behind you this whole time, Ogura, and none of you have noticed." She stated, causing the girl in question to whirl round, along with the rest of the group.
"Yo." Adam said, from his position leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "R-Robertson?" Ogura stammered, as he pushed himself off the wall. "In the flesh." He stated, cracking his neck. "Adam here's agreed to be our Group's 'Enforcer' and keep everyone in the class following the Countermeasures. And before you ask, no, he won't be beating anyone up. Think of it as…friendly intimidation." Izumi explained to the gathered Group members, all of whom looked to their new 'Enforcer'. "Hopefully, we won't have too much trouble." He stated, sitting on top of the desk next to Izumi. "Why, you got better uses for your time?" Kazami asked, making Adam look to him, one eyebrow raised.
"Well, you did say you don't like having your time wasted, didn't you?" Izumi asked of Adam, who nodded. "Yeah, easiest way to piss me off is to call me up with pointless shit. So, remember that before you use the number that I gave Izumi to phone me." He said, causing the rest of the group to hesitantly nod.
"Well, I thought it'd be best if you were introduced." Izumi said, drawing a nod from Adam, as he slid off the desk. "First up, we've got our two class representatives, Tomohiko Kazami and Yukari Sakuragi." She said, gesturing to the two respective students. "Nice to formally meet you." Kazami said, extending a hand to Adam, who gave it a single shake, before his gaze moved over to Yukari.
"N-nice to meet you. Also, thanks again for saving me a couple days ago." The bespectacled girl said, shaking hands with Adam. "No worries. Was just luck of the draw I happened to be at the bottom of those stairs. Think nothing of it." The Assassin replied, making the girl smile, as she nodded. "Alright, then." She said. "Look forward to working with you." Returning the gesture, Adam replied, "Same here, Miss Sakuragi." He said, shooting her a playful wink, which made the girl's cheeks pinken slightly.
"Next up, we have Takako Sugiura and Junta Nakao. FYI, Takako has a role as my 'left hand'." Izumi piped up, gesturing to a girl and boy who had been sitting behind her. "Good to have you working with us." Takako stated bluntly, catching Adam off-guard with her tone. "S-sure. If you say so." Adam said, looking to Nakao. "Looking forward to working together." The boy in question stated, although Adam could tell by his tone that he wasn't particularly interested in the current conversation. "Yeah, same here." He replied, giving Junta a brief nod, before looking to Izumi.
"Naoya Teshigawara and Yuuya Mochizuki." The Head of Countermeasures explained, pointing towards the tracksuit wearing boy, who was standing next to a brown-haired boy. "N-nice to meet you." Mochizuki said, getting a raised eyebrow from Adam. "Do I scare you that much, Mochizuki?" He asked, causing Teshigawara to laugh. "Don't take it personally. He's like that with everyone." He said, extending a hand to Adam. "Looking forward to your new role?" he asked, as Adam shook his hand. "Not particularly. I'm only here on Izumi's request." He replied, making Teshigawara nod. "Yeah, and I can see why she wanted you in the Group. I can tell, without seeing, that you're by far the most built of everyone in the class. You work out?" he asked, making Adam unconsciously flex his wrist. "I guess you could say that." "You gotta teach me at some point." Naoya said, making Adam hesitate. "I probably shouldn't, cause of my patrols, but maybe once or twice wouldn't hurt." He thought, before smirking and nodding. "Sure, message me at some point, and we'll set something up."
"And finally, we've got Yumi Ogura, and while Takako is my left, Yumi acts as my 'right hand'. Get it?" Izumi asked, making Adam nod. "Nice to formally meet you, Robertson." She stated, as she shook Adam's hand. "Pleasure." He replied. "Sorry for scaring you earlier, Miss Ogura. And please, call me Adam. Robertson makes me think I'm in a doctor's appointment." Smirking, Yumi nodded, as she released Adam's hand.
"So, that everyone?" Adam asked of Izumi, who nodded. "Well, not exactly. There's still…" Yuuya went to say, only for Naoya to clap a hand over his mouth. "Remember, Yuuya, that role doesn't exist." He said, looking over to Adam, who was smirking. "I get it. Non-existent girl's a member. But I'm guessing it's unofficial, for obvious reasons." He thought, before nodding. "No worries, Teshigawara, I get it." He said, looking to his watch. "Well, if that's everything, I'm gonna bounce. I'll catch you guys the morra." He stated, picking up his bag. "Sure. See you tomorrow." Izumi replied, as he shouldered the strap of the bag. Nodding, Adam walked over to the door, waving goodbye to the Group as he entered the corridor.
"So…" Takako said, turning to Izumi after the door closed behind Adam, "You think he's going to be a good help?" Nodding, Izumi stood up, and addressed the whole Group. "I do. You've all noticed it, haven't you? There's an…aura, to him." She said, making the Group nod. "Izumi's right." Yukari said, only for Kazami to scowl. "If we're speaking candidly, I think he's hiding something." He stated, before Izumi looked to him.
"Aren't we all?" She asked, making Kazami shrug. "Look, I won't lie to you all. While I want Adam to help us, I brought him into the group to keep a close eye on him." She said, making Takako raise an eyebrow. "You think he might end up becoming a problem?" she asked. "Maybe. But better to be safe than sorry." Izumi replied, before picking up her own bag. "It's getting late. Let's reconvene tomorrow." She continued, before the rest of the Group nodded, and began to pack up their own belongings…
Later, on the other side of town…
Sitting up on the roof of a church, Adam looked out over the city, before shooting a look to his watch. Sighing, he stood up, and pulled up his hood. Taking a deep breath, he threw his arms out wide, then leapt off the roof, to the sound of an eagle's screeching…
A/N: And I hope you enjoyed the chapter! As you may have noticed, there was an entire section removed from the original story, that revolved around Adam tailing Mei Misaki to her mother's dollshop. But you see, I believed that since Adam had agreed to treat her as 'non-existent', making him acknowledge her would make the whole concept rather pointless, thus I removed it. So you might be wondering; why the title of Dollhouse for this chapter? Well, I think you could potentially make that title refer to the entirety of Class 3-3. But I'll leave that up to you. Anyways, I'll see you all in Chapter 3 - Elevator.
Madman out!