the domino effect! part 1

a mysterious shadow figure breaks in Mayor Domino's mansion last night and attacked him. Josuke and Kiwi try to investigate the situation. meanwhile, Rohan and Koichi set off into town to look for Kyoko but aren't prepared what they're about to find.


at Mayor Domino's mansion

the next morning around 7am, Hiroshi wakes up then yawns while stretching his arms out. he then walks downstairs to grab the daily newspaper and a cup of coffee for Domino. Hiroshi then walks upstairs to Domino's bedroom door while knocking on the door.

"sir, i have your paper and coffee ready for you and also you have an upcoming meeting at noon." Hiroshi said

Hiroshi waited for a response from Domino but there was no answer. he knocks on the door the second time.

"sir, your coffee is getting cold!" Hiroshi said

there was still no answer from Domino.

"sir?" Hiroshi continued to knock on the door and there was still no response. he opens the door was in complete shock what he just saw.

"oh my god!" Hiroshi said with his eyes widen.


at Town's Hall Inn

"i think we should try looking around for her in town again today." Rohan said

"do you think we're gonna find her?" Koichi asked

"who's knows. i just feel certain that she's still here in West Morioh somewhere. if anything happens, we should use this inn as our meet-up spot." Rohan said

"i wanna help! i'm coming with you, too!" Koichi said

"all right, then. come on." Rohan said

minutes later, Kiwi rushes in through the door.

"Josuke!" Kiwi shouts

"Kiwi, are you okay?" Koichi said

"what's wrong baby?" Okuyasu asked

"it's awful! the whole town is talking about it and it's all over the news! Josuke, listen to me. last night, something terrible happened to Domino!" Kiwi said

Josuke turns around in shock, "Mayor Domino?"

"yes. i've heard he's still unconscious." Kiwi said

"everybody in this city loved that guy. why him?" Josuke said

"wait, somebody attacked Domino?!" Okuyasu asked

"yeah, it's pretty much the worst thing could've happened in this town." Kiwi said

"i'll go check on him." Josuke said as he walks away.

Kiwi follows him from behind, "wait, Josuke! i'm coming, too!"

"on that note, let's look for Kyoko. come on, Koichi." Rohan said

Koichi looks at Okuyasu, "do you wanna come with us, Okuyasu?"

"i think i'll just wait awhile. see how things turn out." Okuyasu said


at the main plaza

"mayor of West Morioh, Domino has fallen victim to the hands of an assassin! this is an urgent news report covering the incident!" Reporter said

"Domino, Mayor of West Morioh, targeted!" newspaper ad said

"this is terrible! who would do such a thing?" Citizen C said

"only jealous people would pull a vicious attack out of nowhere. no doubt about it." Citizen B said

"is it true?! is he still alive?!" Citizen A asked


at Blueno's apartment building

meanwhile, Blueno is currently on the phone with Hiroshi.

"what?! Domino was stabbed last night in his home?! stop bullshitting around! is this some kind of joke? is he alive?!" Blueno exclaimed

"yes, he's alive! calm down, Blu! listen for a second, okay? he was discovered in his room early this morning lying in a pool of his own blood. like i said he's alive, but he's been unconscious since he was found! according to the incident report that was written by me, there's no sign of locks being picked into his home, busted windows or anywhere else in his home. it took place inside his bedroom were nobody could've entered. the only thing that they found was a blank mask. i know it's a lot to take in but you need to come and see him, he's your brother." Hiroshi explained

Blueno hangs up the phone in shock while thinking to himself, "the question is: who would try to kill Domino, and why?"


at Domino's mansion

Mayor Domino is in bed sleeping and recovering from his injuries.

"doctor, what is his condition?" Hiroshi sobs

"he was stabbed twice in the front and another four from behind. i have no idea what happened in that room last night but whatever it was, it was brutal." Doctor said


outside of the Domino's mansion

the West Morioh citizens along with the reporters are questioning the incident that with Mayor Domino.

"who's was the first to find him?!" Reporter C questioned

"can his assistant Hiroshi answer a few questions for us?" Reporter B questioned

"are there any suspects? what's his current condition?" Reporter A questioned


in the up-street plaza

Josuke and Kiwi are in the taxi making their way to Domino's mansion.

Kiwi gives Josuke the newspaper about Domino being targeted.

"take a look. it's all about Domino." Kiwi said

Josuke takes the newspaper from her, then reads it carefully.

"damn, so it is true. he was attacked." Josuke said while still reading

"yeah, so if we go to City Hall, we won't be able to meet with him." Kiwi said.

"then, we're just gonna have to go to his house. i heard that there are reporters swarming everywhere through out City Hall." Josuke said

Kiwi suddenly has flashback from everything that has happened in West Morioh over the past few days. she flashes back to Kyoko getting kidnapped, then the town getting hypnotized while going on an epic rampage and Mayor Domino getting mysteriously attacked. Josuke noticed her.

"Kiwi? what are you thinking about?" Josuke asked

"it's nothing." Kiwi replied softly

"if you're thinking about Kyoko, then you're not alone. i'm thinking about her too. don't worry, we're gonna find her as soon as we can. we're in this together, alright?" Josuke said

"okay." Kiwi said softly


at the main plaza

meanwhile, Rohan and Koichi are in the main plaza searching for Kyoko.

[emergency siren blaring]

[announcement]

"your attention, please! your attention, please! this is the West Morioh Weather forecasting center. as of now, a Laguna Seven severe weather warning has just been issued for the entire island. it's arrival time is estimated to be sometime between midnight or 1:30am. "

"i guess it's about that time." citizen B said

"hey! Laguna Seven is coming! make sure everybody knows about the warning!" citizen D yelled

Koichi turns to Rohan, "huh?" what's going on?"

"Laguna Seven?" Rohan questions

Rohan turns to a West Morioh citizen.

"oh! excuse me!"

"what was that broadcast about just now?"

"what do you mean? everybody knows what— oh! wait, are you visitors here? sorry. you've come sightseeing at a bad time… Laguna Seven is an annual storm that comes around once every seven years. it's about to pass through here." Citizen O explained

"a storm, huh?" Rohan questioned

"a big one. you're gonna need to evacuate to higher ground. half of West Morioh will be underwater soon." Citizen O said

"underwater? really?" Rohan question

"don't worry! it's not gonna happen right away! according to the forecast, it'll arrive sometime around midnight. annual, remember? see ya!" Citizen O explained as he walked away

"later!" Rohan said

"hm, the whole town will be… wait! it's gonna sink?!" Koichi exclaimed

"yeah, apparently so. we need to find Kyoko and quick. come on." Rohan said

"kay." Koichi agreed

the duo continued to search for Kyoko around West Morioh.

"by the way, where do you think we should look for her?" Koichi asked

"good question. where would she likely go around here?" Rohan said

"hmm? let's see. a mall maybe?" Koichi said

"maybe so. but everything's closed down early due to this Laguna Seven storm. let's stay on the lookout for Kyoko, okay? Koichi?" Rohan said

Koichi stammers "uh, yeah, right."

"hey, Rohan?"

"hm?" Rohan answered

"uh, this Laguna Seven thing, it's gonna be pretty scary, huh?" Koichi stammers

"yeah. by midnight tonight, everything here will be under water." Rohan explained

"so do you think that there might be somebody like a tourist maybe—who doesn't know it's coming yet?" Koichi asked nervously

"yeah, i guess." Rohan said

[announcement]

"in compliance with the Laguna Seven warning that was issued for the entire island earlier today. also, all stores and restaurants in the shopping plaza are now closed and everyone is to be considered public evacuation centers. large crowds are expected, so please shelter as quickly as possible."


outside of Domino's mansion

moments later, Josuke and Kiwi finally arrived at the mansion. the outside was a disaster, a large crowd of people are standing outside of the building trying to make their way inside.

"damn, we can't go that way." Josuke said

"we're never gonna figure out what's going on." Kiwi said

"unless, we find another way to get to inside the building to get to Domino." Josuke said

Kiwi walks up to a man, "umm, excuse me! do you know where the main entrance to the mansion is?"

"yeah. it's at the main gate, but there's no luck getting in after everything that happened. they're only allowing authorized personnel to get through. you folks aren't the only ones. everybody wants to get it in. we're so worried about him." Citizen man said

"i see, thank you." Kiwi said

minutes later, Josuke and Kiwi were on the rooftop of a building as they watched all the angry citizens and reporters trying to get inside the mansion.

"how are we gonna get inside now? this place full of reporters and locals!" Kiwi said

Josuke thinks for a second while looking around. he then sees the backyard of the mansion, then gets an idea.

"bingo! the backyard. maybe we can sneak passed those people and get inside to talk to Domino, come on!" Josuke said as he and Kiwi started running.

minutes later, Josuke and Kiwi arrived at Domino's backyard.

"are you sure about this, Josuke?" Kiwi asked

"yeah, it's the only way in to get to Domino and find out what's going on. stay hidden Kiwi. i'll be back. i'm gonna go talk to him." Josuke said while opening the backdoor and walking inside the building.

Josuke heads upstairs where Domino's bedroom is. he knocks on the door. Hiroshi answers it.

"Josuke, you're here." Hiroshi said surprisingly

"is Domino alright? can I talk to him?" Josuke asked

"sure." Hiroshi said

"sir, you have a visitor."

Josuke walks inside the bedroom and he sees Domino in bed trying to recover from his injuries.

"hello there, Josuke. i heard that you were looking for me." Domino said

"yeah, i was. what happened?" Josuke asked

"last night, i was in bed reading the newspaper, then i heard a creaking sound. i thought it was the wind so i closed the window and once i turned back around, something grabbed me then covered my mouth and stabbed me six times. it was terrible." Domino explained

"do you know who did this? do you remember what the person look like?" Josuke questioned

"i wouldn't say just a person. more like two people."Domino said

Josuke had a puzzled look on his face, "you mean that there was more than one person that did this?!"

"indeed. remember when you showed me the picture of your missing girlfriend, i saw her and a tall masked guy here, last night." Domino said

Josuke's eyes widen while being in shock

"no, you're lying!" Josuke said

"i have nothing against any of you. there's absolutely no reason for me to lie." Domino said

"this can't be right! she wouldn't do something like this! i know she wouldn't! thanks for letting me know. i have to dig deep in this situation!" Josuke said while running out the bedroom.

minutes later, Josuke makes it downstairs to the backyard where Kiwi is.

"Josuke, what happened? what did he say?" Kiwi asked

"he said that more than one person attacked him and also, said that he saw Kyoko with a guy in a mask in his bedroom last night." Josuke replied

Kiwi's eyes widen, "no way! why would…? why would she do something like that?" Kiwi asked

"i don't know, but i don't believe it! not a single bit of it!" Josuke said

Kiwi feels a light breeze from the wind, "the wind has been really picking up lately. i could be wrong, but i believe that there's gonna be a typhoon here tonight."

"a typhoon storm? really?" Josuke asked

"yeah. i have a very strong feeling about it to." Kiwi said

"come on, let's get back to the inn before it comes in early." Josuke said


at the main plaza

meanwhile, Okuyasu is walking inside a small alleyway

"what the hell is going on? why's there so many reporters out swarming around the city?" Okuyasu thinks to himself as a walks out the alleyway.

a newspaper flies in his direction and covers his entire face. he then steps back in the alleyway and takes the newspaper off his face then reads it.

"wait a sec! is this why everybody's in a damn uproar?"

"Mayor Domino stabbed six times in his home last night. well, damn that explains why the reporters and the residents are all over the place and can't go back to the inn now… they're surrounding over there as well." Okuyasu said

"hey! who's there?!" Citizen E yelled

"hey, you guys! there's somebody hiding in the alley!" Citizen B yelled

moments later, a group of West Morioh citizens and news reporters are still roaming the city.

Josuke and Kiwi watched them leave as they sneaked into an alleyway.

"damn, they sure are persistent." Josuke said

"hey, Josuke?" Kiwi said

"huh? what is it, Kiwi?" Josuke asked

"do you think everybody's okay? these reporters are all over the place! it's hard to get back at our inn now! Rohan and Koichi are probably safe, don't you think?." Kiwi said

"i'm pretty sure they are. come on, we need to hurry!" Josuke said

"right!" Kiwi agrees

Josuke and Kiwi continue running down the alleyway.


at the shopping plaza

Koichi and Rohan are currently looking at the train schedule.

"looks like the train's still in operation. i guess the noon departure has already left. there's another scheduled for tonight, even in all this bad weather. the 11pm, leaving for Ocean's Lobby. that's very impressive for it to still run during this type of weather." Rohan said

"maybe we can't find Kyoko because she got on the train." Koichi said

"well, if she did that would make things worse than they already are. West Morioh's too big an area to cover on its own." Rohan explained

"what if…i did something to upset her earlier?" Koichi said while frowning

"don't be ridiculous. there's no way that's the reason." Rohan said as he turned to a citizen.

"hey! excuse me..."

(holding up a picture of Kyoko)

"have you seen this beautiful young woman?"

"if i had, i would've told the news or the mayor about it. to think she's an assassin. kind of shocking, huh? i suggest you find yourself a room soon. Laguna Seven is on its way! take care! " Citizen Q explained as he walked away

"things are getting dangerous around here." Rohan said

"what about the others? think they're okay?" Koichi asked

"i'm sure Josuke and Okuyasu are fine. i'm more worried about Kyoko and Kiwi right now. at any rate, this city will become a ghost town." Rohan said

suddenly, the light breeze of the wind starts to pick up in their direction.

"the wind's really picking up. i'm sure most people are already in the shelter." Koichi said

"where could she be?!"

"Kyoko! where are you?!" Rohan shouts

Koichi's Reverb suddenly activates as he starts running down the alleyway. Rohan sees Koichi running.

"huh? Koichi! what is it?"

"hey! wait for me!" Rohan shouts as he follows Koichi from behind

Reverb comes out of the alleyway and onto an open street. he crosses it then heads towards the beach.

"i'm close!" Koichi thinks to himself

"Koichi! wait up! what's going on, dammit?!" Rohan shouts

Koichi runs down the stairs to the beach. he trips and falls down on one of the steps.

"oo..waaah!"

"oof!"

[tumbling sounds followed by a thud]

"ow!"

"are you all right?" Rohan asked as he walked down the steps

Koichi stands in the sand with a shocked expression on his face.

"Koichi! did you hurt yourself? there you are! you can't just run off like that! what the hell is wrong with you? one second, you're right…"

"beside…"

"me."

Rohan looks up and sees Kyoko standing across from them.

"i knew it. look!" Koichi said

"Kyoko!" Koichi and Rohan both shouted

"Kyoko! where in the world have you been? everyone's worried!" Rohan shouts

"yeah, we've been looking for you everywhere! come on! let's go back to the inn!" Koichi shouts

"a lot has happened while you were gone. i'll explain everything on the way." Rohan said

"don't bother. it's okay." Kyoko said

"huh?" Koichi and Rohan questioned

"there's no need, because i won't be coming back to you. we're parting ways." Kyoko said

"what in the world are you talking about? oh wait, you mean that stuff they said you in the newspaper? don't worry about it! none of us believes it!" Rohan shouts

"about that. i apologize for pinning a crime on Josuke but everything that they said in the newspaper is true. last night, me and my colleague broke into the mayor's mansion and stabbed him." Kyoko explained

Rohan and Koichi had shocked expressions on their faces.

"no way!" Koichi said

"you'll be taking the fall for last night's attack while i escape." Kyoko said

"what are you talking about?! i don't understand!" Rohan shouts

"why i'm doing it? there's no need for you to understand." Kyoko said

"Kyoko! what happened?! you're not making any sense! this isn't like you at all!" Rohan shouts

"please Kyoko! we'll work something out!" Koichi shouts

"i'm sorry you guys, but we can never see each other again. thank you for everything though i'll never for get it. and also…"

"tell Josuke that i still love him." Kyoko said as she turned away from the boys then walks away.

"this can't…this can't be happening." Rohan thinks to himself

"Kyoko!" Koichi cries


this isn't good! more problems keep coming towards the group's way. why did Kyoko leave the group? what's the real reason? and will Josuke and the others be able to see her again?

to be continued..