A/N: POV Outsider OC
Tobe Arata was a freelance photographer; has been for two years now, but business was slow in Nikko, Japan. Every now and then he'll get a job opportunity in bigger cities with better pay. For now, however, he mainly does local events for the town's newspaper for the paychecks and to slowly build up his name. So when he received a spontaneous call as night fell about a kidnapping case, he jumped at the opportunity. He threw on the first outfit he could put together regardless of their state of cleanliness and sped to the police station, grateful he always keeps his camera bag packed. Arata had been expecting a small missing person case when he burst through the doors, as not a whole lot of large crime happened in the area. What he wasn't expecting, was for the entire station to be in utter chaos. Officers were scattered around the station in various states of gearing up and none bothered to glance his way as he entered the building.
He approached the receptionist who appeared just as frantic, but also like she didn't know what to do with herself. Arata could hear phones ringing and voices talking at loud volumes from deeper within. The receptionist was startled when she turned towards him, clearly, she hadn't noticed him walk in either. As soon as he introduced himself and explained why exactly he was there, the woman's eyes widened in recognition and reached to grab the phone, but immediately hung it back up to instead bustle through a door behind the desk. Not even a minute later she returned to lead him into the room she had just exited.
There, he was introduced to Eguchi Sho, who had taken charge of the case. Eguchi's mouth was set in a firm line as he glanced over paperwork while Arata stood stationary by the door in silence. He had really hoped he wasn't about to take photos of some poor kid's lifeless body, and that he could just get a few snapshots of the child moments after rescue. While a bigger case would help build his portfolio, he also didn't think he was mentally prepared for anything extreme, something that would potentially keep him up at night for weeks. However, the stiffness in Eguchi's frame along with the concern written across his face was leading Arata to assume this case wasn't a simple kidnapping. He very briefly considered backing out, if it wasn't for the fact he was in need of money, he most likely would have done just that.
As he feared, the case was considered the biggest kidnapping in years. It was a case he had heard of constantly in the news, though more recently, he hadn't seen anything new on it and even forgot about it. He never expected such a massive story to find itself in this small of a town. Eguchi had set his papers down to brief him on what to expect. Apparently, they received a phone call stating one of the five missing teenagers had escaped and was in need of an ambulance. Said teen also stated he knew where the others were still being held and that at least one may even be in a critical state. This explained the chaos that erupted in the station, they were not prepared for something this large scale.
Arata had arrived at the scene late after signing legal papers stating that he wouldn't discuss anything he may see or hear with anyone unrelated until after the case was closed. He had been provided a bulletproof vest to indicate he was with the police as well as protect him from whatever they could potentially walk in on. He had been informed on the way to the location that the victim, Kuramochi Youichi, wasn't cooperating and to take any photos from a distance so as to not agitate him further. Thankfully he didn't need to take close-up shots of injuries for evidence; that fell into the police's jurisdiction, he was simply there to document the rest. With how major the case was, Arata wouldn't be surprised if the whole incident gets turned into a documentary sometime in the future.
He pulled up right behind a K-9 unit not too far from the only ambulance and it wasn't hard to spot where Kuramochi was. The light that filtered out from inside the emergency vehicle wasn't quite enough to discern thorough detail other than colorations. Arata dug out his camera and double-checked he had the flash setting on before he took his first test picture. The sudden burst of light from the camera alerted Kurmochi to his presence, who glanced his way right as Arata took his second picture. Immediately after, four others stepped into view, effectively blocking any further snapshots. That was fine, he got his picture, and Kuramochi wasn't his sole reason for being there. The cops were going to storm the place and arrest the kidnapper; thus, there was a lot more he needed to document.
While Arata waited for the police to make their move, he pulled up the most recent picture to assure himself that the quality was optimal and if it wasn't then he would know he needed to try for another shot. The picture wasn't blurry, nor was it too dark, and if he were being honest with himself, he could imagine the image plastered across the front page of the newspaper. However, the longer he analyzed the photo, the more uneasy he grew. His camera was one of the most expensive things he owned to make sure he got the best, and clearest pictures he could regardless of any uncontrollable forces that may obscure the shots he takes. In a lot of cases, his camera would pick up small details that his eyes didn't catch in person, and this was one of those times.
He zoomed into the photo until Kuramochi filled the entire frame. From his distance, he knew there were some injuries, but not the extent of them. However, now he could see them clear as day, as all the imperfections stood out harshly against his skin. The first thing that drew his eye was the colorful smattering of bruises along the swell of his right cheekbone. It appeared to be new enough that all the darker shades have risen to the surface, Arata could only guess that he has had it for several days at most, but not long enough for the colors to change to green or yellow. On the opposite side of Kuramochi's face there was a discolored patch of skin. This, he had seen before the picture, but Arata had assumed it was a trick of the light. Now; however, he could see that was not the case. The skin was an angry red that caught the light differently compared to the rest of his skin. The patch had a slight sheen to it, almost like a burn with raised, lighter sections of blisters scattered across the area. His arms and legs were dotted with minor cuts and many shades of bruises, and Arata could just make out a trail of blood flow down his stomach from the angle he sat.
If this was the condition of the one that escaped, it led him to wonder how much worse the others were.
Arata was surprised Eguchi allowed Kuramochi as well as the others to accompany them to the location. Kuramochi, at least made sense as he knew where it was, but with his current condition, they should have just gotten as many details as they could from him. Though it was mentioned that he was uncooperative, so maybe they just wanted to appease him. Whatever the reason, it wasn't his place to comment. He trailed behind the group as Kuramochi led them through the forest, camera held low, but he was ready to take any photo at a moment's notice.
He was not proud to admit that the snap of a branch off in the distance scared him with how tense he held himself. The further they walked, the more his imagination ran wild with what they were going to find out in the middle of nowhere. This was his first criminal case after mainly doing shoots of festivals or family photos. The tension weighed heavy over their group, and he overheard the other teens ask Kuramochi if the four that remained captive would be in any condition to walk back. Arata didn't quite hear the reply to that question, but he did find out that the random teenagers that tagged along knew the victims, and that Kuramochi had called them himself.
So really, he shouldn't have been as surprised as he was when another, shorter teenager with a head of pink hair burst out of the foliage to fling himself at one of the others who had the same hair color. It was easy to tell that they were related, and going off of everyone's reactions and his own belated recognition, he lifted his camera up to take a picture of the scene. Not long after, another emerged from the trees, taller with black locks that fell into his face. Again, Arata snapped a photo of two more victims that managed to escape. They were bombarded with questions that never really got answered other than to inform them that the last two being held captive were still there.
Thankfully, Kominato and Furuya were not in as bad a shape as Kuramochi. They both had their own share of cuts and bruises and the occasional blood splatter on their clothes that Arata could tell didn't come from them. Other than that, however, they physically appeared to be okay. Mentally, he knew they had to be exhausted, indicated by the rather dark bags under their eyes, especially the ones on Furuya, almost as if he hasn't slept on a normal frequency in weeks. Both were barefooted as well as draped in clothes suited better for summer with shorts and t-shirts. But, he supposes, they weren't offered a change of clothes since they were kidnapped. Their friends were quick to catch on, sacrificing their own jackets for the sake of their peers. Kominato's older brother had swiftly forced his coat onto his sibling when they finally separated, eyes red-rimmed and cheeks glossy. Eguchi had offered Furuya and Kominato the option to be escorted to the ambulance if they wanted; however, they quickly declined the offer and said they would help direct the group if it meant that it would save the final two.
Kominato ended up taking the lead as the path was still fresh in his mind for him to retrace the steps back. Eventually, they emerged into a clearing where a large building stood. It was three stories tall and very weathered. From what he could see the glass in most of the windows were broken and boarded up with two-by-fours from the inside. Unkempt bushes and grass decorated the exterior, and Arata couldn't escape the thought that the building looked familiar as more flashlights drifted across the front of it.
Eguchi halted the group at the edge of the clearing and silently signaled for the K-9 officer to follow him up to the door. Arata took pictures of their approach to the front door as well as the three other cops that circled behind the building. Which left Arata alone with the teens and the last two policemen. They all watched as Eguchi pushed the door completely open to shine his light directly into the building.
"Nikko Police!" Eguchi shouted, his voice rang out in the silence. "If anyone is in here, make yourself known!" He paused to give anyone the chance to alert the police of their presence. From his distance, Arata couldn't hear if they received a response, but when Eguchi began to repeat himself, Arata easily took that to be a negative.
"We have a dog, if you don't make yourself known now you will get bit!" The K-9 officer jumped in, the dog barked along as if to make his own point. He had the dog restrained between his legs by the vest that doubled as a harness, and at a nod from Eguchi, the K-9 officer released the dog with a command that sounded German, and the dog darted into the building, the other two not far behind.
There was nothing for the rest of them to do now, but sit tight and wait. In the meantime, Arata lifted his camera up to take a couple of photos of the building while he pretended that the teenagers weren't side-eyeing him. He was flipping through the pictures to give himself something to do when he suddenly remembered why the building was familiar.
"I know what this building was." He found himself saying aloud, partially with the need to break the stagnant silence. Now he had the direct attention from the teens and the officers, so without prompting, he continued, "This used to be a facility that took in children with mental disorders many, many years ago. Some of those disorders being ADHD and even OCD on top of the more debilitating ones." Arata paused, not sure if he should tell them the worst of it, however, he figured it couldn't hurt, "They were understaffed and overpopulated, and the kids were abused and neglected, and many unfortunately lost their lives here." Arata quickly began to regret blabbering on; he was never great in social settings, and his tendency to fill the silence was rearing its head. But now he felt like he needed to lighten the mood as the air grew heavy with this information, "Thrill seekers have been known to come here to search for any paranormal activity." He would probably be better off if he stopped talking altogether as everyone continued to stare at him. Though a few appeared to be slightly interested, the rest, however, looked uncomfortable.
He officially dropped the topic after that, and a minute later, quiet conversation broke out between the teens, and Arata didn't bother to eavesdrop, instead, he fiddled with his camera to make it appear as if he was occupied. Movement out of the corner of his eye alerted him to watch the building, where the dog padded out the door, tongue lolling from the side of his mouth. Eguchi and the K-9 officer walked out after, making a beeline for them.
"Oh no… " Arata overheard one of the teens say under their breath as Eguchi approached metaphorically empty-handed. When he reached them, he stood in silence, mouth downturned in a frown and sympathy reflected in his eyes.
"There wasn't anyone else in there." He eventually said. The words were slow as if he was trying to watch the wording he used.
"No. No." Kuramochi was quick to interject, "Did you check the basement?" Anger and frustration were prevalent in his tone as well as the way he clenched his fists and stepped closer to Eguchi.
"Furuya and I looked before we left..." Kominato cut in before Eguchi could affirm or deny Kuramochi's question. He replied calmly, however, the wide-eyed stare he had towards the ground was damning of where his mind was taking this information.
"We saw the evidence in the basement, but there is no one else in there." Eguchi reiterated, "We checked the whole building." He quickly held his hand up to stop any further ired questions, "I'm not saying they are dead, just that they are not here." He clarified.
"So he took them and left us here?" Kuramochi asked, and for the first time that night, Kuramochi sounded broken, like what Arata expected from a traumatized victim, without his stubborn bravado. Eguchi didn't respond, though Arata doesn't think Kuramochi was waiting for an answer as his gaze clouded over and he went utterly quiet. Eguchi had turned to Arata to ask that he go with the K-9 officer to the basement to get photos from down there.
Arata knew this night was going to haunt him as he took pictures of bloodstain after bloodstain, the only sign left that a crime has occurred.
