13 April 2011, Wednesday
Inside he unloaded everything he had bought, with Nanako watching on curiously, then said, "What do you think of the idea of us sitting down and planning out meals? Then we would know exactly what to purchase each week."
"Um… Okay."
Tsuna nodded and pulled a notebook and pencil from his bag, then took a seat at the table. They spent the next hour roughing out a plan, though he had to ask her a number of questions about things she liked, disliked, had never tried, and so forth before he could come up with a varied series of meals that should suit both of them. Dojima's preferences were a mere afterthought, since Nanako had no real clue what her father liked aside from things like sushi and cup ramen.
Worst case he supposed he could leave a note for the man asking about it.
With that out of the way he set about making dinner for the three of them, just in case the man showed up. It wasn't long before he and Nanako were tucking into gyūdon while watching TV. He was surprised when he heard the front door open and looked up to see Dojima coming in.
"Oh, Dad's home!" Nanako said.
Dojima tossed his jacket over one of the kitchen chairs and sighed. "What a day… Well, I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?"
"We made up a meal plan," Nanako said.
"A meal plan?" Dojima said in disbelief. "Well, I knew my sister is a good cook, but…"
Tsuna smiled serenely. "It seems to run in the family. If you would be so kind as to let me know at some point what things you like to eat, we can work that in."
"Uh, right. Can you put the news on for me?"
Nanako obligingly did so while Tsuna went to get the extra portion of food for his uncle.
"Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Yamano Mayumi's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Yamano-san has been involved in an affair with Namatame Taro, husband of enka singer Hiiragi Misuzu. The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Yamano-san's body."
Dojima sighed. "And interview with the kid…? Where the hell did they find her?"
"What went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?"
The camera switched to the student, though her face was blurred with a filter to help disguise her identity, and when she spoke it was clear that had been filtered, too.
"Um…"
"Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?"
'Why are they so obsessed with fog?' he wondered.
"Huh…? She was killed?"
"Oh, er… So did you see anyone suspicious around here?"
"No, not really…"
"We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?"
Even through the filters Tsuna could tell the girl (who resembled what little he had seen of Konishi Saki) was confused by the line of questioning, and unhappy at having her private life poked into. "Huh? That's…"
The image switched back to the announcer, who said, "Many store owners are raising concerns about losing customers as a result of this tragedy which occurred near the local shopping district."
"Hmph. If they lose more customers, it'll be because you're making such a stink about it," Dojima muttered.
"It really is bizarre, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from an antenna…" said the announcer's co-commentator. "I'd have to say it's a warning or a sign from the culprit."
"Yes, but so far, no one has come forward to take credit for the crime."
"Loads of prank calls, though," Dojima commented sleepily.
"So the cause of death is still unknown?" said the commentator. "And they don't have a single suspect yet? Taxpayers' funds are going to a police force who can't even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?"
Dojima's head started to dip forward.
"We'll be right back after these messages."
"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!"
"Hey, Dad… Can we go to Junes together sometime?"
Dojima did not respond. His chin was resting against his chest and his head was tilted slightly to the side.
"…No? Geez…"
"A rough day, indeed," he said. "Let's get him to bed, yes?"
Nanako nodded, looking more than a little put out. He felt bad for her, but also happy because she seemed to be opening up around him.
After that was taken care of and the dishes seen to he went upstairs to his bedroom. It was early enough yet so he settled in to play a game on his laptop. It began to rain, but that was ignored in favor of being a happy pyromaniac in the holds of Skyrim.
However, when midnight drew closer, he finished up his current quest and exited the game in readiness for seeing if the urban legend Chie had mentioned was even a thing. The TV was cold and dark and the only thing he could see was his own reflection and that of the street lights coming in through the windows.
Without warning an image appeared on the screen. It looked like the shopping district? There were vending machines present, but those could be found in many places. A girl with long hair was running down the street, but given she was in profile and the image was blurry and full of static, he could not definitively state who it was.
'Holy fuck,' he thought. 'Have I gone mental, or is this really a thing?'
A second later he felt something in his head—or someone.
I am thou. Thou art I. Thou art the one who opens the door.
He clutched his head and tried to drive whatever it was out. His family would be deeply unhappy to hear about this, and would probably become a bit violent over it.
The image on the screen vanished, leaving it cold and dark again. He reached out to touch it, to verify that whether or not there was heat, to see if it had actually turned on, or if all of it had been some kind of illusion—and his hand went straight through the screen.
Tsuna jerked back in surprise, his heart pounding. 'What the everloving fuck!?'
He was just about to open a window to the other house when one opened in front of him. Hayato's face was prominent, and he looked freaked out. "What the fuck was that!?" his Storm said roughly.
"Shhh! It is around midnight," he chastised. "My cousin and uncle are both sleeping."
Hayato squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and nodded. "Sorry. That urban legend thing, though…"
"Yeah, I just saw something freaky, and I had a voice talking in my head. Get Daemon, if you will. He needs to take a look at this."
Hayato nodded and looked off to the side.
While he was waiting, Tsuna pulled a vial out of storage and dropped a memory into it, then shifted it to the other side. Daemon arrived and immediately started rummaging in his brain, then disengaged with a frown on his face.
"I don't have a clue what that was, and find it deeply disturbing. I think we need to have at least one extra TV set up here so someone can be watching on rainy nights. That voice, though…"
In the background he could see everyone else using the pensieve so they could see what Tsuna had experienced.
"I couldn't tell where it was coming from," he said. "The combination of that and me putting my hand into a TV screen makes me wonder if that's the door it was talking about, or if I'm taking things too literally."
"The fact that you could… Can you do it again, now, while I'm watching?"
"Uh…" Tsuna turned to the TV and reached out to touch the screen. As before his hand went through, though this time he noticed there was a subtle ripple effect, like disturbing still water. "Seems so. Can Hayato do it? He saw it, but I imagine he didn't hear a voice."
They both looked at the family, who were just then emerging from their mental journey. When asked Hayato shook his head. "No, no voice. I just saw what you saw on the screen. It didn't occur to me to test the TV for warmth."
"Of more concern are those two students," Xeul said. "The girl seems quite pushy and strong-willed. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it could prove inconvenient."
He sighed. "Yeah, but… I'll be over first thing. We can talk more then."
— — —
14 April 2011, Thursday
The heavenly scents of cooking brought his family to the kitchen. "Morning. Do you think what happened with the screen is in any way connected to those weird dreams?"
"Possibly," Chikusa said. "Hayato saw those images, too, without the dreams, but there's nothing saying they aren't connected in some way."
He nodded and finished up, sliding plates onto the table with Ken's help. "I'm going to check the TV here, as well," he said, and wasn't the least bit surprised when everyone frowned. "Just to touch. I want to know if it's all televisions, or…"
Despite their reservations—they had promptly picked up their plates and followed behind him to they could supervise—he reached out to touch the surface of the flat-screen set up in the living area. As before, his fingers passed right through as if it was mere illusion. He pulled back and hit the power button, and the TV came on normally.
"Well," he said. "I still want to get a better TV for my room at that house, despite this. I've never been particularly clumsy—unsealed, anyway—so it shouldn't be an issue, especially if I work up some sort of cover for it."
Everyone relaxed at that pronouncement.
"Maybe a whiteboard on a swing arm?" Sin suggested. "You could jot down assignments or something, and just swing it out of the way when you want to play a game. You'd be sitting down at that point, so it'd be more than difficult to trip and fall in."
He nodded. "Okay, I have to turn back. I'll see you at the flood plain. After school we can go back to Junes and buy one. It'd be nice if they delivered."
"And if not, we just use the car."
— — —
The bell rang and Tsuna shoved his notes into his bag in preparation for leaving. Naturally, Yosuke showed up at their cluster of desks.
"Y-yo, um…" Yosuke stuttered. "It's, uh, really not that important, but… Well, yesterday on TV, I… Oh, ah, never mind. Look, I'll tell you later." He laughed sheepishly, and uncomfortably.
Chie hopped up from her desk and came around. "Yosuke-san, did you hear the rumor? Saki-senpai's supposedly the one who discovered that body."
"I wonder if that's why she looked so down," Yosuke said. "She doesn't seem to be at school today, either."
"Hey, Yukiko," Chie said, looking to the side where the other girl's desk was. "Are you helping out at the inn today, too?"
"Things are really out of hand right now," Yukiko said tiredly as she got up. "I'm sorry." She headed out a moment later.
"Is it just me, or does Yukiko-san seem way too stressed out today?" Yosuke asked.
"I guess they're running her ragged," Chie said. "By the way, did you see … it … last night?"
"Huh? Uh, well… What about you?"
"I did! I seriously saw a girl! But … my soulmate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean? I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure. Her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing our school uniform, and…"
"Hey… I think that's the same person I saw. I couldn't make out that much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier."
Tsuna exchanged a look with his family.
"Wait, so you did see it, too!? And we saw the same girl…?" Chie said, her face the picture of confusion. "Does that mean … we have the same soulmate?"
"How should I know?" Yosuke turned to Tsuna and the others. "How 'bout you guys? Did any of you see it?"
"I did, and Hayato, so I'm thinking this has absolutely nothing to do with soulmates. I couldn't tell who the girl was, just that she seemed to be running down a street and past some vending machines. It was really blurry and there was a lot of static. I heard a voice at one point, and that freaked me out almost as much as the image on the screen."
Yosuke huffed. "It sounds like we all saw the same person. A voice, though? Did you fall asleep in front of your TV?"
Tsuna shrugged.
"Oh, that reminds me," Chie said. "Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV."
"Oh yeah? Well, flat-screen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month."
"Oh, definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen! Hwa-taaaa!" she said, striking a pose.
"…We've got some pretty big ones in stock. I bet they'd be more than big enough."
"I was looking to purchase a TV myself," he said. "Does Junes deliver or…?"
"Uh… Yeah, they do," Yosuke said with a nod. "Let's go!"
— — —
Chie flipped out (with joy) over the size of some of the televisions, but flipped out again when she saw the prices. "Holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?"
"I dunno," Yosuke said. "Rich folks? Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around."
"Oh, they said they wanted one that's cheap. You got any suggestions?"
Yosuke led her off to the side so he could show her other options.
"Why are they beefing up their electronics department if no one buys the TVs?" he muttered, then checked the prices. Worst case he could just step over to Kobe or Osaka and purchase there, then have one of Samsara pretend to be a delivery person. He did find one big enough to suit his needs that wasn't too dear—of course, his perception of dear differed markedly from someone like Chie, given that he was insanely wealthy—and made a mental note to hit up the first clerk he saw to complete the sale and arrange for delivery.
That being determined, he shifted over to one of the sets that was on and brushed his fingers over the screen; nothing happened. He could see Hayato in his peripheral vision scribbling something down on a notepad. He moved to one of the flat-screens that was not on and tried again; his fingers sank beneath the surface.
Yosuke and Chie suddenly hustled back over with gaping mouths and wide eyes. Before Tsuna could move back Yosuke said, "Shit! Customers! They're coming!"
In the ensuing panic caused by the two teens, Tsuna found himself punted straight into the screen.
— — —
After a very long fall—though Tsuna admitted his perception was probably off due to surprise, mild panic, and the relief in the realization that his family had come with him—they all landed hard on some kind of surface.
"Fuck," he muttered, hauling himself up. "What the everloving fuck?"
A look round showed they were on something resembling a stage. The area, because he could not call it a place, exactly, looked like a studio set or something similar. There were bright lights ringing the platform at head height, and spotlights overhead, descending from structural beams. Fog was heavy in every direction and the area was overwhelmingly tinted yellow. Off to the side was a flat metal bridge spanning a gap, and the floor beneath him had outlines on it, of bodies, like he'd seen in some crime dramas, on a base of concentric circles, in black and white. The border of the "stage" was squares of red and black.
Sin, Hayato, and Mukuro were likewise looking around, trying to make sense of the place.
"Is everyone all right?" he asked, mostly looking at Chie and Yosuke.
"I think my butt's cracked now," Yosuke said as he picked himself up gingerly. "Whoa!"
"Wh-what now!?" Chie said. "Did you wet your pants or something?"
"No, stupid! Look around!"
"Is this … a studio? All this fog… Or is it smoke? There's no place like this in Inaba, is there?"
"Hell no," Yosuke said. "Man, this place is huge."
"What're we gonna do…?" Chie asked, her voice a bit on the thin and reedy side.
"I would say go home," he said, "but I'm not seeing an immediate way out."
"Dude, how the hell did you do that, anyway!?" Yosuke asked him. "Your hand! It was in the TV!"
Tsuna shrugged. "I've no idea. All I wanted to do was buy a television for my room to replace the old clunker in there. Well, I can't see the point in staying here to rot, so… I'm heading over that bridge to see what's out there. There must be an exit somewhere." He started walking, his family forming up behind him.
Chie and Yosuke hastened over after a pause, bringing up the rear.
I'd like to say I'm surprised, but…
Tsuna smirked and wrote: Kami only knows what the hell we're up against this time. Seems like the Great Shuffler was bored and wanted to see how we'd handle a new complication.
Sin snorted softly.
A warning would have been nice, but maybe that's what those weird dreams were about.
There were a multitude of paths they could take, but Tsuna let his intuition guide him. The sky where they could see it was jagged shifting bands of red and black. It reminded him of the floor and door in the fog dream.
They eventually found themselves approaching a building, which was both a relief and not. The path they were on ended at a door, a perfectly normal looking door, so he opened it and walked in.
"Hey, it is me or is the fog lighter in here?" Yosuke asked.
They appeared to be in a hotel room.
Yosuke checked the phone on a side table and shook his head. "No service. What a surprise."
Most prominent was the noose hanging in the center of the room, over a chair. Two of the walls had posters on them, and every one had the face cut or slashed out. Splotches of red (paint? blood?) were splattered on the walls, as well as ones of white.
Someone was feeling mighty violent.
And perhaps suicidal. Or liked imagining their victim hanging from that noose.
My intuition led us here for a reason. The posters, noose, and resemblance to a hotel room all must figure in. The question is how to put the pieces together.
Chie huffed in, scowling. "Can't you guys slow down a little? It's hard enough to see where you're going when—huh? It's a dead end! There's no exit!"
Tsuna chose not to remark on the increasing fear and desperation in her voice. There was little point in embarrassing the girl.
"It keeps getting creepier and creepier the farther we go," Yosuke said. "Aargh! I can't hold it any longer. My bladder's gonna explode!" The boy went over to the corner partially concealed by a folding screen.
"Yosuke!? What're you doing!?"
"I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!"
Okay, he clearly has an anxious bladder. Then again, we have been walking for what felt like hours.
"You're going here!? Oh, you have got to be kidding! At least go outside the room!"
Yosuke dashed out the door, his face red with embarrassment.
Chie shook her head and looked around. "What's with this room? Check out these posters. Their faces are all cut out. Someone must really hate whoever that is."
Is your intuition giving you any other clues?
Tsuna shook his head slightly as he pretended to examine the posters more closely. This is important somehow. I'm pretty sure I've seen that poster somewhere recently. Very recently. Like, at Junes. But I was focused on the televisions, not my surroundings. Once Yosuke-san is done, we should try again.
What are we going to do about these two kids?
Mukuro's brow went up, a faint smirk forming. I suggest one of us opens a window—or tries to—where those two can't see. Get the twins in place to meddle with their memories and make them think this was a dream, perhaps?
"Dude, this chair and rope," Yosuke said as he walked back in. "That kind of arrangement is never good. It's tied in a noose. Is… Is that a scarf?"
"We should try to find an exit," Chie said, moving closer to the door. "I'm not feeling so good."
"Now that you mention it, me, too. I'm seriously starting to feel sick."
Tsuna caught Mukuro's eye as he turned to exit, then headed through the door, leaning on his intuition again to guide his path. It led him back to their starting point, which was mildly disturbing. It had never led him wrong, though (except in the case of an impending hilariously stupid death), so he knew there was more to find, just not visible at the moment.
He heard two soft thuds and turned around. Chie and Yosuke were passed out on the floor. Amusingly enough, they had each fallen onto one of the corpse outlines.
Mukuro smiled innocently. Couldn't get in contact with anyone, so I sent these two to sleep. When we get out, however that happens, we can make it all seem like a dream.
Tsuna nodded and twitched as his intuition poked him. His head snapped around to see a figure approaching through the fog. It was oddly shaped, rather like an inverted egg on legs. He could not be sure, but the figure would reach his shoulder, maybe?
Once it got closer he could see it was "clothed" in red and white, with blue … fur? … on its head, and ears shaped like a bear's or chimpanzee's. Its eyes were large and black, and there was a zipper all the way around where its neck should be. It made the silliest sounds as it walked.
"What in the world…?"
"Th-that's what I want to know!" the figure said. It rather resembled a stylized bear.
"Hello," he said softly. "What is this place?"
"This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name. It's where I live."
He already knew Mukuro wouldn't dare try to look into the figure's mind, not without knowing what it actually was.
"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side. Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."
"Throwing people in," he muttered. "Do you know who?"
"I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!" The fellow's face was surprisingly mobile, and its voice was on the male side of androgynous. "You guys really need to leave before the fog comes back!"
"We have yet to find an exit," he said. "We have no idea how to get back."
The "bear" tilted to one side, as if considering, then tapped his foot twice. Out of nothing a stack of three old-style cabinet TVs appeared, complete with an antenna at the top.
"I … don't understand," he said. "Those are way smaller than the one we fell into. How could we even fit?"
The bear huffed and flailed its arms. "A lot of things here look different from what they are! That's the way out!"
Tsuna looked back at his family, then at the two sleepers. "All right…" He and Sin grabbed Yosuke while Chie was hefted up by Hayato and Mukuro. A glance at the bear showed it looked impatient. Impatient enough that it trundled up behind them … and pushed.
— — —
Tsuna sighed as he picked himself up off the floor, again.
We need to move them to where they were before they rushed over.
A minute later the two teens were in front of the TV Yosuke had been showing Chie, sprawled on the floor.
"I guess buying a new TV is going to have to wait," he muttered. He nodded to Mukuro as a signal, then watched as his official Mist released the two from their forced slumber.
Tsuna crouched down as the two came awake. "Are you two all right? You just … dozed off. I'd think someone set loose sleeping gas, but it was just you two affected," he said, oozing confusion and concern. "Do either of you have a history of narcolepsy? Maybe we should get you home. Guys?"
Without giving them a chance to protest—that Mukuro was likely keeping them a bit befuddled and woozy helped—he and Sin hauled Yosuke up while Hayato and Mukuro handled Chie, then started getting them out of the store. He kept an invisible-but-for-them window open on the other team, and once the two teens were delivered safely home, they reconvened at the other house.
Naturally, the remaining family members were unhappy to hear about their adventure, especially the part where Mukuro told them he had tried to open a window to them and could not.
"The window opened," Mukuro said, "but all I got was fog, like a TV screen of static when a local station went offline for the night."
"Experiment time," Daemon said, frowning. "Hayato, Sin, Mukuro… Can any of you reach into a screen, or is it just Heul?"
Brows went up and they all wandered over to the nearest TV. A minute later they had their answer: no.
"Hopefully, with what Mukuro did, those two really will think it was all just a bizarre dream, especially if they try to push their hand through a screen and fail," he said. "That we separated them and got them home before they had a chance to compare notes should help, I hope."
"On a related note," Sin said, "that poster? There were several on the walls at Junes. It was that enka singer on the news, Hiiragi Misuzu. The bear said someone was throwing people into that … world. If Yamano was thrown in, a room like that could be showing her loathing of Hiiragi."
"It could also be showing her desire to off herself due to the affair coming to light," Hayato said. "I guess it would depend on who owned that scarf, or if it was even relevant."
Daemon and Xeul nodded. "We'll start poking around, see what we can find."
Tsuna dumped a memory into a vial and handed it over. "All right. I should get back to the house. It's already quite late, and I fully expect to be too late to make dinner for my cousin, which puts me in something of a bad light."
— — —
"Hey, welcome home," Dojima said. He was seated at the living area table with Nanako, waiting on their cup ramen to finish "cooking", and watching the television. "Uh-hm… Well, I doubt you'd know, but have you heard anything about a student named Konishi Saki?"
"I heard someone say she wasn't at school today."
"Oh, I see," Dojima said. "To be honest … we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet." He sighed. "Work just keeps piling up…"
Tsuna honestly had to wonder what a police officer, a detective, was doing discussing things like that in front of him and Nanako. He also found it interesting that his uncle didn't so much as question where he'd been all afternoon, as if he was completely uninterested or unaccustomed to asking such questions.
"And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba," said the announcer as the program switched to the news. "Not long ago, television announcer Yamano Mayumi was found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown. But the police investigation has found that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn."
'That might explain why Yukiko-san has been so run down. They must be having fits over there right now, first having such a controversial person staying, and then with her death.'
"She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal?"
"Oh, yes," the commentator said enthusiastically, "the Amagi Inn! Their hot springs are first-rate. The manager's teenage daughter also works there, and it's rumored that she'll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there!"
The announcer smiled a polite but strained smile. "Uh… I-I see… Moving along, it's time for the weather report. The rain has begun to subside. From now until morning, heavy fog warnings will be in effect in the Inaba region. Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area."
"Is the ramen ready now?" Nanako asked.
"Give it some more time," Dojima replied.
Tsuna felt a chill go through him, but ignored it for the moment. He needed to make himself dinner.
— — —
15 April 2011, Friday
He came down for breakfast to see Dojima heading out. "Ah, you're up. Well, I'm off."
"…Dad had to go do something. He got a call, so he left," Nanako said, a worried look on her face.
Breakfast was quickly made up, eaten, and the dishes taken care of, then he and Nanako set out. Nanako split off at the usual place and he met up with Sin, Mukuro, and Hayato. As they walked along they came upon two female students gossiping as they headed to school.
"When I looked, I saw three police cars zooming by," Red-Umbrella-Girl said.
"You live by the police station, don't you? Did you hear anything?" White-Umbrella-Girl asked.
"I heard yelling, but nothing more. Total disappointment."
"Geez, you need to pay more attention to stuff like that. How else are we supposed to get the juicy stories?"
In the near distance he could hear sirens.
They were barely in the doors when the PA came on to inform everyone of an assembly. They were to skip going to their classrooms and instead go to the gymnasium.
Tsuna exchanged a look with his family and shrugged.
"Hey… Did you see it yesterday?" asked a girl with her hair in a bun as they all stood in the gym, idling restlessly.
"Of course not. What, is that rumor for real?" a long-haired girl replied.
"I dunno, but it seems like a lot of people have seen it."
Nearby he heard Chie say, "Yukiko said she'd be here after lunch. I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden. Hey, what's wrong, Yosuke?"
"Oh, it's nothing…"
Sofue-sensei, the weird world history teacher who liked to cosplay as an Ancient Egyptian, tapped the microphone at the podium on the stage. "Everyone, please settle down. The school assembly is about to begin. First, the Principal has something to say."
The principal took her place and cleared his throat before saying, "I … regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. Konishi Saki, of Class 3-3 … has passed away."
Chie gasped. "Passed away!?" she hissed.
"Konishi-san was found deceased early this morning. The reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you as students of this school to provide only the facts." He paused to wave his hands in a shushing motion as whispers sprang up everywhere. "All right, please quiet down. I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police, but to anyone who asks."
"Found dead?" Chie said quietly. "How could this happen…?"
The principal rambled on for a while longer, then released them to their classrooms. On the way to the staircase they encountered two girls gossiping away. Not a surprise, as gossip in such a small town was likely a favorite form of entertainment, but the subject matter was delicate enough that it all came across as being ghoulish.
"She died the same was as the announcer, right? That's so creepy."
"Well, last time, it was from an antenna, but this time she was hanging from a telephone pole! It's gotta be a serial murder case."
"Someone said the cause of death was some unknown poison."
"Unknown? C'mon, this isn't some sci-fi drama. Oh, by the way, did you hear? Someone saw a girl who looked like Saki on that Midnight Channel thingie. They said she totally looked like she was in pain! Isn't that scary?"
The other girl laughed. "Sounds like someone had a nightmare. The media's been broadcasting their interviews with her nonstop, so maybe they just had Saki on the brain."
Chie and Yosuke preceded them up the stairs, and Tsuna and his friends took care to be "uninteresting".
"Hey… Did you check out the TV last night?" Yosuke asked Chie.
"Not you, too, Yosuke!"
"Just listen for a sec! Something kept bothering me, so… I watched it again, and … I think the girl on the screen … was Saki-senpai. There's no mistaking it. Senpai looked like … she was writhing in pain. And then … she disappeared from the screen."
Chie's body language expressed doubt and surprise.
"You heard Saki-senpai's body was found in a similar situation as that announcer's right? Well, remember that guy you mentioned? How he was all excited that his soulmate was the announcer? Maybe, just maybe, Yamano-san might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chie said as they neared their classroom. "Hold on, are you saying … people who appear on that TV … die?"
"I can't say for sure, but I can't just dismiss it as coincidence."
They filed into the classroom and took their seats. Good news that so far neither had brought up their visit into the TV, which meant maybe they were convinced it was a nightmarish dream, but bad news that Yosuke clearly had feelings for the dead third year and might be unwilling to let the matter go.
He's insightful.
Tsuna nodded slightly.
But I can't see us letting mere children get involved in this.
Me, neither, he wrote, which is somewhat hypocritical, considering my own history…
Permission to meddle, Heul?
He nodded again. The last thing he wanted was for two children to get mixed up in whatever craziness was going on in sleepy, foggy Inaba.
— — —
"Are you out of your mind!?" Daemon said.
Tsuna merely stared at his brother.
"The very idea is insane!" His brother started pacing back and forth, intent on wearing a hole in the floor, it seemed. "How can you talk of risking yourself like that? What if you can't get back again? We wouldn't know a damn thing until you ended up dead and we were all in the next universe."
"What if whatever big bad is behind all this is only accessible in that TV World?" Chikusa asked.
Daemon threw up his hands and kept pacing.
"Heul has had two very bizarre dreams, all pointing to him being the one to handle whatever it is this is," Chikusa continued. "The Great Shuffler presumably does not send us places without something in mind, with one exception I can think of, and Heul had already made it exceptionally clear he wanted a holiday."
"Well," Ken said, "it's true we've always accomplished certain goals in any given universe, but that was of our own volition, as an extension of Heul's driving goal. We were given an additional complication that one time, and even told so at the start. What is to say this isn't the same, minus the warning?"
"Heul has always been the focus, the nexus," Hayato said. "He's the one having the dreams, the one who can reach into that whatever it is, that world. If people really are being thrown in there and dying because of it, because they can't find a way out… Sure, maybe the reporter chick committed the sin of adultery, but I'm having trouble believing that third year did something to warrant death."
"We can check, though obviously, we'll never have the opportunity to check her mind," Xeul added. "Her family might know something. I doubt we'd find anything, though."
"What if that bear thing doesn't show up again?" Daemon stressed, then glared at him. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Because I already know what I want to do. I'm waiting to see what everyone else thinks. If they think it's worth the risk."
"…And your intuition?"
He shrugged. "Doesn't have a problem with it. I'm not being warned against the idea. I'm not being nudged toward it, either, to be fair."
Daemon heaved a sigh and nodded. "Use the television here, then. The idea of going back to Junes to do this is ridiculous."
"And who will be going?" Ken asked. "The original four, or…?"
Tsuna shrugged again. "I'm not sure it matters." He was fairly sure that Daemon was being so tetchy because he felt helpless, knowing it was up to the appearance of a bear-like creature to ensure their return, and knowing they could not open windows to tag along, and that none of them dared to step between whatever that place was to what they recognized as the real world.
"Well, get on with it, then," Daemon said snappishly and huffed off to the living room, where the large flat-screen was located.
Tsuna hummed. "I think I'll prepare some bentos, just in case." He set about doing that and a half hour later they were ready for another trip to the other side of the TV.
Hayato, Sin, and Mukuro latched onto him, and off they went. They landed much the same despite Tsuna using Earth Flames to slow their descent, if one could call it a descent. To Tsuna it felt a bit like falling rapidly through a whirlwind and not a straight drop. With no real frame of reference, he wasn't exactly surprised when his attempt failed.
"It's the same place, at least," he muttered as he picked himself up.
"Y-you guys… Why'd you come back?" The bear had appeared again, silently. "I get it! You're the ones behind this!"
Tsuna's brow went up. "Behind this…?"
"Lately, I can tell someone's been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up. This is the second time you guys came here. And I don't think anyone forced you in. That means you're the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing the people in here, raaaawr!"
Tsuna couldn't help but think the bear-ish creature was adorable in its—his?—attempts at ferocity. "Hm, no. We're trying to figure out what's going on. For some reason I have the ability to reach into this world, but not to get back out on my own. I can bring people with me. You're saying someone threw people in."
"Yamano and Konishi," Sin said. "And both ended up dead."
The bear blinked, destroying his adorably ferocious look. He reminded Tsuna a little of Lambo, actually, just not as chaotically annoying.
"Two people, presumably thrown in here, presumably against their wills," Tsuna said calmly. "Two people found dead on our side, when the fog was at its worst. Don't know if there's a connection there. But we hoped to meet you again so we could ask questions, and have a way out after we investigated."
"A dead body? Whenever the fog appears…? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent. Ah… I get it…"
"So they flip-flop, like a binary gate," Sin said. "Shadows get violent?"
"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens!"
Tsuna was starting to wonder just how simple the creature was—or rather, how limited its experience was.
"What is this place, anyway?" Mukuro asked. "It looks like a TV studio. Is something being filmed here? That odd show?"
"Show? Filmed? What does that mean?"
"Hm. If you don't know what the word means…"
"I don't get it. This world has always been like this. No one has ever done that filming thing here."
"Okay," Tsuna said with a sigh. "Always been like this?"
"Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!"
"Not that I recall, but all right. What do you mean by shadows? And … what's with the costume? Who are you that you'd wear something like that? Is it to keep these shadow things away from you?"
"I … just live here," the bear said. "I just want to live peacefully. Okay. I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits. But I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else … I'm not gonna let you guys outta here. This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess! And then… And then… I…" The bear started sobbing.
Tsuna was annoyed at having his questions ignored, but also reminded of that first dream. "It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed on you," he muttered.
"You're the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me?" The bear someone managed to make his already large eyes even larger.
Tsuna felt a warm hand of support on his shoulder and knew it was Sin. "…In exchange, will you promise to always provide us with a way out, a way back to our side?" he said after a long pause. "Because according to what you said earlier, we'll die if we can't leave, and then we won't be any help to anyone."
"Of course!" the bear said with a little hop.
"Then … I promise."
"Th-thank you!" the bear cried, flapping his little arms.
"Well, I am Tsuna. With me are Sen, Hayato, and Mukuro," he said, gesturing to each in turn. "What is your name?"
The bear blinked innocently. "…Teddie."
"Of course it is," Hayato said with a huff.
"You know more than us about this place," Mukuro said. "Any suggestions as to where to start?"
"I dunno. Oh, but I know where the last person came in."
"Konishi Saki."
Teddie shrugged. "I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name. I'll take you there. You might find clues. Oh, one thing first. You should put these on." Teddie offered up four sets of glasses with a beary cheerful smile.
Tsuna accepted a set and examined them; they appeared to be normal glasses, though his had orange stripes on the side pieces. He slid them on and nearly gasped. Whatever the lenses were made of cut back or stripped away the fog and yellow cast to everything.
"Huh," Hayato said, looking around. "Pretty cool, little bear."
"They'll help you walk through the fog," Teddie said earnestly. "And, well, I've been here a long time. So you can rely on me! Uh, but I can only show you where the place is. You guys will have to defend yourselves. I've got no muscles, so I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound?"
Teddie skittered off, clearly expecting them to follow, and led them a place that loomed out of the distant fog, a place that closely resembled the shopping district. The sky overhead was jagged and shifting bands of black and red. It seemed to be a theme of this … other world.
Mukuro mirrored his thoughts by saying it aloud.
"Some weird places have appeared here recently. Things are getting so tangled, I dunno what to do," Teddie said.
Mukuro looked at the bear appraisingly. "You're standing awfully far away. I do hope you're not planning to flee if something comes up."
"Of course not! I mean, uh, I can't stand too close, you know. I'd get in your way."
Mukuro nodded sagely. "Right."
"Of all places, why this?" Sin muttered. "Just because the girl's parents had a store here?"
"I dunno," Teddie said. "This is reality for the one who's here."
"Let's look around, guys. If Konishi really was thrown in, the, ah, fluidity of this place might have manifested what she was most familiar with. We don't know if her family lived above the shop, or elsewhere in town."
"A liquor store, right?" Hayato asked.
"That's what I remember was said." He started walking again and stopped shortly after. Two vending machines were present, like the ones he saw on the Midnight Channel. To the left was what should have been a door, but instead was concentric circles of black and red, narrowing as they went, as if he was looking at the inside of a cone. The sign above read Konishi Liquor Store.
Not much farther on the street dissolved into fog and sky.
"W-wait a second," Teddie said, sounding frightened. "Th-they're here! Shadows. I had a feeling they were going to attack!"
Tsuna took an involuntary step back when a blue mask appeared from the … portal? Blue, with black pits for eyes and a downturned mouth. As it pushed forward a body of sorts appeared with it, like black slime, complete with sickening squelching sounds as it moved. Another appeared, much the same.
They almost resembled hooded figures with masks to hide their faces, but clearly were not. They were far too amorphous for that to be true. As they moved forward they left a trail of black slime on the pavement.
That voice invaded his head again, causing him to clutch it with one hand.
I am thou, and thou art I. The time has come for the truth. Open thine eyes, and call forth what is within.
In his hand a card appeared, with an odd mask on the back as the design. He flipped it over and saw a pattern of black and charcoal diamonds, but just a second later it flared with white light, nearly blinding him.
He could hear Teddie squeaking in fear off to the side.
A smirk started to pull at the corner of his mouth and he whispered, without conscious thought, "Persona."
The card's white light blazed into blue and expanded as a picture appeared in place of the pattern, but he couldn't get a good look at it. Again without meaning to, but being urged toward it, Tsuna lifted up the card and crushed it in his hand.
The blue flames exploded upward, expanding, and he could sense something rising up behind him. That his family members each made sounds of surprise was almost to be expected.
As the Shadows rushed forward, Tsuna realized he was wearing a set of brass knuckles again.
"Stay calm and listen," Teddie said from off to the side. "Some Shadows have weaknesses. I can tell this one has a weakness, but not what. If you can pinpoint that weakness and take advantage of it, the battle will be a lot easier! Try stuff out and see what works!"
He nearly scoffed. Just wing it? He realized very quickly that his flames were not on the menu. Literally. His eyes nearly bugged out when, of all things, a fucking menu (in bright yellow, no less) appeared in front of him, inviting him to investigate the following: Analysis, Tactics, Guard, Attack, Skill, Persona, Item, and Escape.
He glanced at the two enemies, which seemed perfectly content to bob in place. They had morphed from spooks to spheres, covered in black and pale pink stripes. The mask was on one side, but the other side had a massive mouth with red lips, very white teeth, and an abnormally long, black tongue that swished around.
'Right,' he thought dryly. Out of curiosity he focused on Skill, which shifted the menu to read: Zio, Cleave, and Rakukaja. They even had little help messages when he focused on each one, to explain what they did. 'I'm starting to get a vague idea of who might actually be the Great Shuffler,' he thought, then chose Zio from the list.
That caused him to lift his hand up again and crush a card that appeared. A figure was suddenly there and zapped the sphere (which he was calling a Rolling Stone in his head) with electricity. It promptly fell over as Weak! flashed up overhead. One more! The figure then vanished.
After a short pause he finally accepted that he was stuck, somehow, in turn-based combat, such as in some of the games he liked to play. And his flames? Not available! Awesome!
He looked to the side to see Teddie, who suddenly came to life and said, "I'll keep track of what attacks have what effects on enemies!" then froze again.
A look around showed that his family were all standing there as if entranced, and an unfelt wind was ruffling their hair. 'Have I finally flipped out, or is this really happening?' he wondered. A look forward showed the one sphere on the ground, tongue lolling around, and the other one bobbed there, tongue also lolling around.
Tsuna rolled his eyes and prayed for sanity, then chose Skill, then—actually, there was a red ring around the downed sphere. He focused on the other one and noticed it switched over to that one. Then he chose Zio. He automatically crushed a card, the figure appeared, and electricity zapped the fucker, causing it to hit the ground.
Weak!
One more!
'All right, so hitting a weakness gives me … an extra turn?' He used Zio again. The sphere vanished in a puff of oily black smoke.
Weak!
One More!
Tsuna heaved a sigh and used Zio again, with the same result.
And then he got an overlay to his vision which showed he'd earned forty-four experience, ¥100, and two Medicine. Also, he increased his level to two.
Your Hit Points and Spirit Points have increased!
You are now able to create Personas up to level 2!
'I've died and gone to hell.' He turned around again, because he felt a strange presence there, and stared up at a very large version of the figure he had seen attacking for him.
You have faced your other self…
'I don't fucking see how,' he thought snidely.
You have obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Izanagi!
"What the everloving fuck," he said flatly.
"Did I hear you say 'persona'?" Hayato asked.
As he nodded he heard Mukuro say, "Do you think we can do it, too?"
"Gosh almighty!" Teddie squealed before he could respond, flapping his little arms around excitedly. "You're amazing, sensei! I am one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such amazing power! No wonder the Shadows were scared of you!"
He felt Sin's hand on his neck, and his lover's flames invaded him to check on his health. It was interesting, he supposed, that outside of battle, at least some flames were viable in this bizarre place.
"I wish Junes would go under. It's all because of that store."
"I am not the only one hearing that, right?" he asked.
"You're not," Sin said.
"Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there."
"Oh my… How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is?"
It sounded like a group of housewives gossiping.
"I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."
"That poor father. To have his own daughter working for the enemy."
"What a troublesome child."
Inside the store everything was bathed in a blue light. Kegs were scattered around on the floor and other containers were stacked high, sometimes nonsensically high.
A man's voice sounded. "Saki, how many times do I have to tell you!? You know what the neighbors say about you, right!? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work there of all places!"
There was a picture on one of the tables. It showed Hanamura and Konishi, along with others. They were all wearing Junes aprons.
"I … never had a chance to say it," a female voice said. "I always wanted to tell Hana-chan … that he was a real pain in the ass. I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic. What a dip. Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back… I wish everything would just disappear."
"It's like … echoes of memories," Mukuro said. "Presumably."
Tsuna whipped around when his intuition prodded him sharply. Another Mukuro was standing there, but he was surrounded by a blue aura and his eyes were golden. His expression was one Tsuna had not seen in a very long time. It was scathing, sneering, and so tortured.
"Presumably," it said. "Boo hoo, she had it soooo hard. And poor Hana-chan, longing so desperately for a girl to call his own, or a friend he could claim who understood his tortured existence."
Mukuro eyed his shady-looking doppelgänger and smirked. "Come now, I do not normally speak such thoughts out loud. It would be far too crass and lacking in subtlety."
"You got that right," Sin muttered.
"Bunch of fucking heathens," said a new voice. "God damn bastards are always gossiping about things they should leave the fuck alone and take a stab at actually making something of themselves, starting with being more concerned about their education and skills, and less with giggling over juicy scandals."
"I'll take Doppelgänger Hayato for two hundred," Sin muttered, sharing a look with Tsuna.
"What the everloving fuck?" he said as he noticed a third entry into that day's Totally Fucking Weird contest, a doppelgänger of Sin, who said, "I have to agree. All those useless children who never once bother to look to their futures and ensure they command attention with their skill and knowledge, and instead waste so much valuable time on useless twittering and the utterly inconsequential."
Teddie looked highly confused.
"Am I going to have to mediate here, or…?" he asked.
"No need, Heul darling," Mukuro said. "I am more than capable of dealing with this other me."
"I am the Shadow, the True Self," Doppelgänger Mukuro asserted, looking oh so very superior.
"Don't be ridiculous," Mukuro replied. "You are nothing more than the thoughts I choose not to speak out loud. What, you think it would be wiser to appear as a complete asshole to everyone by recklessly spewing my thoughts all over the landscape when there are better, smoother, more politic ways to do so? And over such trivial things? Even then, I already know my family knows exactly the kinds of things I'd be thinking. No one needs you to state the obvious."
Doppelgänger Mukuro took on a confused look much like Teddie's.
"Gonna have to agree there," Hayato said, eyeing his doppelgänger. "There is a time and a place for such thoughts being out in the open, and I don't appreciate some aspect of myself thinking it's the thing to do to be a bitchy child and potentially damage my relationships when I, myself, can find far better ways to raise any issues of consequence that might be bothering me."
Sin snorted. "You somehow seem to think I'm unaware of the knowledge that I'm an utter snob, highly critical of people, and not afraid to say it. What point do you think you're making here?"
"It might just be me, but I'm starting to wonder if these guys are … like Shadows?"
"Yes!" Teddie cried. "You have to accept them, or … they'll go bear-serk."
Sin shot a confused look at the bear. "We already accept them. It's not like we're afraid or embarrassed by any of this."
"Oh…"
The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest…
Tsuna rolled his eyes and only hoped his family were seeing the same words wavering in front of them.
Each of the three doppelgängers shifted form to more of those peculiar, large figures, one hovering in front of each of his friends.
"Huh, it seems my, ah, Persona is named Ichinomiya Kantarō," Sin said, a card appearing in his hand.
"Mine is Aso Daisuke," Hayato reported, followed by Mukuro saying, "Shido Tatsuhiko."
"We are clearly going to have to do some research," he said. "If you three were confronted by some aspect of your, er, inner selves, is it possible that Konishi was faced with the same, except … she didn't take it so well?"
"And was attacked?" Mukuro said, examining his card.
"I think so," Teddie said. "The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go bear-serk. A strong-willed Shadow draws others to it. And the big mass of Shadows … kills the host?"
"Which would explain exactly why people who get thrown in here die when it gets foggy on our side," Sin said.
"We were confronted now," Hayato said. "So… If we hadn't been accepting, we'd have been tormented by these Shadow Selves, and eventually ripped to shreds, once the fog here cleared."
"Which means it's damn likely that if we bring the others in, the same thing will happen," he said. "Why I wasn't confronted the same way…"
The three of them looked at him.
"You are special, darling," Mukuro said. "Always have been."
"This world isn't made for humans. It's not comfortable for you here. I don't hear any more voices. I think we're done with this place. Let's go back."
The walk back to the "studio" was quiet as everyone assimilated all the weirdness that had just happened, plus the new information.
"Teddie," he said, "you said that this place is reality for people who enter, correct?"
"Uh-huh."
"So the shopping district, that hotel room we saw before… They existed because of the ones who were thrown in, it became their reality…?"
"I don't know," Teddie replied slowly. "It's never happened before. But that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them. The fog does lift here sometimes. The Shadows get really violent then. I always get so scared. I have to hide when it happens! I sensed people here twice before. But both of them disappeared after the fog lifted."
It was like speaking with a child. "To clarify. Yamano and Konishi were thrown in here, and since they had no way out, they wandered around. After a while, a Shadow emerged from them. The fog cleared, it went bear-se—sorry, berserk—and it ended up killing them. So if we hadn't met you, and been given a way out, we would have been in far deeper trouble."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. You were lucky I found you! They disappeared when the fog lifted. But they were safe before that. No Shadows attacked them. They attacked us, though…" Teddie looked confused, or possibly concerned. "Maybe they've been keeping a close eye on us? They might see people who investigate this place as enemies? It'll be dangerous, but we might be able to fight them! We might be able to save people!"
"So if we notice someone on the Midnight Channel, we could enter on purpose," Sin said, "find that person, and save them from certain death. Presumably."
Tsuna nodded. "Sounds about right."
"Um… Hey, can I ask something?" Teddie said, manifesting what Tsuna recognized as his version of "puppy eyes". "If Shadows are born from humans, what was Teddie born from?"
"That's a damn good question," Mukuro said. "You don't know anything about yourself?"
"I never thought about it before now," Teddie admitted. "Will you guys … come back here?"
"We did promise," Tsuna reminded him. "So yes."
"You'll … keep your word?"
Tsuna nodded. "But to come back we must first leave."
"Oh! Right! I'll be waiting here, so you should come in the same way each time, so we can meet up. You could come in from somewhere else, but then you might not end up here! You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you. Then you'd be dooooooomed. Got it!?"
Tsuna nodded again, not seeing the point in arguing based on evidence they already had.
"One exit comin' right up!" Teddie said happily, and tapped his foot twice. The same TV stack appeared. "Okay! Go go go!" he cried, tumbling forward to start pushing. "Squiiiiiish!"