Fate/Reach Out

Chapter 12: Never believe in Coincidences


April 14th – Hanamura Residence

Lying on his western-style bed, Yosuke tossed his sheets aside with a groan and sat up. Even though every muscle wanted to relax and recover from today's ordeal, he couldn't get his mind to quiet down enough to find any relaxation. Every time he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but wonder about the Midnight Channel.

He never said this to Emiya or Satonaka when they discussed it, but he thought he recognized the person he saw on the Midnight Channel the previous time. While the image was too blurry to make it out for sure, something in his gut put a face over that silhouette for him: Saki-sempai.

Sure, many girls in school and in town had wavy hair, but… he couldn't shake the feeling that it was her. He knew the rumors almost as well as Satonaka now, how Mayumi Yamano had appeared on the Midnight Channel the night she was… was murdered.

He looked into the darkness of his room towards his desk. Even though he couldn't see it, he had found a poster that rattled him to his core. He would show the others tomorrow, but if he was right about his growing suspicions… It gnawed at him. That place inside the TV was dangerous.

It was raining right now, too. According to the weather report, it would let up by morning with a fog warning going into effect for until afternoon. In short, tonight was another night he could see the Midnight Channel. In fact, it should appear in another minute.

Maybe it would show a different face tonight. If that was the case, he could breathe a sigh of relief and tackle the issue with a clear mind. One way or another, he wasn't going to leave this alone.

A world inside the TV… that's got to be the most interesting thing to happen out here in the middle of nowhe- out in the country.

The clock next to his bed changed to show that it was midnight. Sure enough, as he stared into the blank screen, it lit up and began to sharpen with a barely-audible warbling. The picture became clearer and clearer….

"Saki-sempai…?"


April 15th – Dojima Residence

Shirou stepped off the stairwell to see the Dojimas already at the breakfast table. It was somewhat a strange, pleasant surprise to know they were both early risers as well, but this meant he truly had no opportunity to practice magecraft in their house. He hadn't done his usual exercises in days, and had the feeling his current circuit was bound to break down on him soon. But those thoughts were for later.

"Good morning, Shirou," Nanako greeted from the sink. It was the first time she ever called him by name, and it was spoken with slight unfamiliarity.

"Good morning," he greeted back, moving over to the spare chair sitting in the corner. His uncle and cousin regarded him oddly as he pulled it up to them.

"What's wrong?" Shirou asked.

Nanako head sunk along with whatever good mood she had and focused on cracking eggs. "That's mom's seat," she whispered.

The red head was immediately self-conscious of his decision. A few days here and already I'm making things difficult. Maybe coming over wasn't such a good idea after all. "Maybe I should just eat by the kotatsu-"

"It's alright," Dojima assured them. "You're part of the family, so you're going to sit and eat with us. That chair has only been collecting dust lately, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind you use it, would she Nanako?"

Her father wasn't asking about Nanako's opinion, but her late mother's, who he knew she was close to. Most of her life growing up was basking in Chisato's loving care, after all. The young girl reluctantly nodded at a moment's pause. Her cousin, seeing it as permission enough, allowed himself to be seated and eat the food she prepared for him.

"I look forward to your cooking again, Nanako," Shirou smiled. "I meant to tell you before, but I really enjoyed the breakfast you made the other day."

Nanako blushed and nodded in thanks, directing all her attention to her station.

Dojima chuckled. "Haha, if you're good as you say as well, perhaps you are my nephew with heredity cooking talent on Chisato's side."

Shirou nodded. "It seems so. I understand that Nanako only started recently, but I feel she can become a professional chef in no time. I'm a bit worried she'll be better than me in a few years."

At more embarrassing praise, his daughter's face grew brighter as she pretended that she wasn't hearing the conversation. It also gave Dojima a swell of pride. "And school has been going well so far?" he asked.

"I haven't done much out of school other than work and seeing the Junes store, but it's better than what I do every day back home."

"Oh? What are your other hobbies again?"

"I, uh…" Shirou's mind went blank, searching for an answer. He couldn't tell his uncle he practiced magecraft, for secrecy's sake, and he had enough jeers and laughs from people to know that that proclaiming to be an "ally of justice" wasn't what they considered a serious answer. Dojima looked like he wanted a serious answer.

He said the first alternative that popped into his head. "Fix stuff."

Dojima blinked. "You… fix stuff?"

"Mostly electrical appliances and such," Shirou offered. "I even fixed the Homurahara school generator one time."

It was sometime early in his freshman year when a thunderstorm nearly overloaded said generator to a total shutdown. The method of how it was done was secret (as it should be, involving magecraft), but his selfless act cemented himself as the 'fake janitor' in the eyes of many students, even though he had long grew that reputation prior in rumors and other odd jobs.

"That's-" the detective scrunched in thought, trying to find a fitting word but failing. "…unique."

And just like that, an invisible force of pressure was built over them. The awkward silence was not unlike the breakfast with Nanako two days prior: no one had an idea what to talk about. It seemed easier to share talks on the phone last winter, where they didn't see each other's faces or expressions. Shirou being a relative to the Dojima family was an established fact since last year, but the realization hadn't fully sunk into any of them yet.

"So…"

Shirou turned to his uncle. "Yes?"

"You…" He started again, trying to come up with anything else to talk about.

"I…?"

"…yeah."

"O-okay."

"Good."

"All right."

"Fine."

"Yep."

They stared at each other, unable to pull away despite the awkward tension they were facing. They were barely aware of Nanako nervously glancing back between the two of them, but paid her no mind.

Briiiiiing!

"Phone's ringing!" Nanako announced.

"I'll get it!" Dojima shot up.

"You do that!" Shirou encouraged.

And just like that, the tension was gone and everyone let out mental sighs of relief.

Composing himself, the detective walked to the phone stand, read the caller ID, and answered it. "Dojima speaking," he said, keeping his voice and expression neutral.

A short one-sided discussion later, Dojima's face grew grim and an feeling of uneasiness returned to the room. "I see… I'll be right over."

It didn't take Shirou and Nanako much to put two-and-two together. "Good luck/Good bye," they said to him respectively.

The grizzled detective gave them both a brief nod as he reached for his coat. Just like that, barely breaking stride, he left for work. He was very dedicated to his job. Still, It was disturbingly vague… and the last time he left early on a call was the night when Ms. Yamano was found dead on a telephone pole. Shirou had a sinking suspicion that someone else was found the same way.

He earnestly hoped he was wrong…


Yasogami High School Assembly Room

The first sign that today was off for the students of class 2-2 was their teacher being late. King Moron had never seemed to miss a chance to torment his students before in the time that they had known him. After nearly fifteen minutes without the foul-tempered philosophy teacher, the school intercom called for an immediate class assembly. No explanation was given, but everyone followed protocol and stood in line and rows ready to hear what the faculty had to say. To Yosuke, the faculty looked somewhat hesitant, restless. Even Morooka looked solemn for once, or at least attempting to remain civil to an extent even while he commanded the students to remain quiet.

Satonaka made a quick text with her phone before flipping it closed. "Yukiko had to leave early again, but she's going to make it back in time for lunch."

"I see." Emiya had wondered where Amagi had disappeared to. "Any idea what this assembly is about?"

"Not a clue. How about you Hanamura?"

They both glanced back to the auburn haired student to Emiya's right. He didn't respond right away, staring at the announcer's podium with a haunted look. Yosuke barely spared them a side glance before looking away again. "It's nothing…"

Emiya and Satonaka could only blink at his reluctant answer, looking to each other for a clue before their history teacher led the principal up to speak. His voice was soft and quiet, even with the microphone by his lips, which were covered by his long white mustache and beard so completely that it looked like he had no mouth. It made the next words he spoke somewhat easier to bear, but not by much.

"I… regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you," he started. "One of your classmates, Miss Saki Konishi of Class 3…"

Please don't be true, please don't be true…

"…has passed away."

There was a collective gasp by many students and then the droning murmur of gossip and whispers between them. Emiya and Satonaka exchanged shocked glances, and noticed that Yosuke looked almost physically ill from the news… like he was somehow aware of this before the principal even said a word.

It was just like in the Midnight Channel then…

"Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning," the principal continued. "The police are still looking into the cause of this tragedy. Now I assure you she wasn't a victim of bullying of any kind, so please do mind what you say to others or to the police, especially when they ask for your cooperation…"

The announcements went on and on, but Yosuke could care less about the stream of bullshit. He knew what had happened, and by God he was going to do something about it when school got out.


School eventually returned to normal for the most part, with the only difference being a new topic of discussion in Konishi's death. Most of it was just talk about the kind of person she was and wondering who was responsible, and these were for the most part normal.

However, some talk came from guys claiming her to be their 'soulmate' before getting into a fist fight about it, while the rest came from girls that were more than amused at a Saki look-alike being attacked on the Midnight Channel.

Needless to say, both Shirou and Satonaka were furious.

"This is why I hate gossip," Shirou all but growled to the short-haired tomboy as they watched a pair of girls walk off laughing. "It's so easy for anyone to throw those theories around and mock others without being personally involved. It's nothing more than verbal bullying behind one's back."

"Makes you want to go right up to them and smack 'em, huh?" Chie bit out, cracking her knuckles ominously.

"I don't hit girls," Shirou replied, though from the look on his face, it was clear he was debating the merits of suspending that personal rule in this case.

The only girl he would even consider hitting under most circumstances would be Fuji-nee in a kendo match, but as it stood, she was still far too good for him to even touch, let alone worry about hitting cleanly.

Hanamura walked up to them from around the corner, his steps slow and twitchy. "Hey guys," he waved weakly.

"Hey, Hanamura," Shirou waved back. "Are… you alright?"

"No," he sighed. A brief silence passed before he spoke up again. "Listen, did you either of you… check out the Midnight Channel last night?"

Out of all the questions he was going to ask, that specific one threw them off for a loop. "Of all the times you plan to talk about that-!"

"Just hear me out, alright?" the headphone student snapped, cutting Satonaka off with uncharacteristic sharpness. "Ever since we came back from that TV world, something's been bugging me, so… I watched it again last night. And I think I saw Saki-senpai… writhing in pain."

"…A few students said they saw the same thing, actually," Shirou admitted, crossing his arms and mulling over the meaning.

"And Saki-senpai was found the same way as the announcer a few days ago, right?" Hanamura continued. "She also appeared on the Midnight Channel too, when that one guy claimed her to be his soulmate. They both vanished and come back dead. It can't be a coincidence."

"Hold on…" Satonaka paled. "Are you trying to say…?"

"That people who show up on TV die?" Shirou finished the morbid thought. As horrifying as it was to consider, it was easy to see the logic Hanamura was going with, and it did fit with what they knew.

"I also found this hanging all over Junes," Hanamura reached in his jacket and pulled out a small poster. He unrolled it and showed it to them.

"That's… Misuzu Hiiragi?" Satonaka blinked, and then paled as recognition dawned.

Emiya's eyes widened. "That's the same as the posters in that room we saw yesterday," he realized, a chill running down his spine. "You think the murders could be connected to that TV world, too?"

"There's no other explanation!" Hanamura declared. "They both must have ended up there at some point!"

"I see what you mean, but you're not going in there, Hanamura," Shirou bluntly told him. It was obvious what he intended to try, and he wasn't about to let him.

"W-what?" Hanamura recoiled as though he had been struck. "Why not?"

"Hanamura, if you're right, two people were murdered in there. You'll need weapons to defend yourself and going in there alone might as well be suicide," Shirou blandly told him. He had refrained from mentioning that he was already considering diving into the TV himself once he got a hold of a decent weapon.

Satonaka nodded in agreement. "That's right. This isn't a job for us. Let's let the police handle it!"

Peculiarly enough, both Emiya and Hanamura blurted out in unison, "No police."

Their strange agreement had Satonaka stuttering in confusion before Yosuke explained. "Think about it, Satonaka. How could the police solve this? Someone is tossing people into TVs, and then their bodies are found suspended on telephone poles. Who in their right mind would believe us, especially if they can't go in like we did?"

Chie fell silent at that. Yosuke had a point: telling anyone what they experienced would only make them sound either crazy or sarcastic… by word of mouth anyway. "But we can prove it to them! We just need them to see Emiya-kun putting his hand into the T-"

"NO!"

Both of Shirou's classmates flinched at his barked tone. The threatening sneer on his face only made them more nervous, like they were invoking the wrath of King Moron himself. Chie in particular looked hurt and very scared at where the conversation was going.

As quickly as it came, the red-haired student's rage passed with a tired sigh. "No," he said again, regarding them both with a serious glare. "No one is to know about the existence of magic. By all accounts, you two aren't supposed to know about it. It's… I can't explain but it's very important this stays secret."

Shirou quickly glanced from side to side, his shoulders briefly slumping in relief when he saw the three of them were alone for the moment, and that his yelling didn't draw unwanted attention. "You haven't told anyone about what happened yesterday, have you?"

Both of them shook their heads quickly, unnerved by this side of the normally easygoing redhead once again. "Not me," said Chie.

"Who the hell would believe us?" Yosuke added.

Shirou hoped that his classmates had forgotten any mention of magecraft so his secret was safe on that front, but the fact that they were officially aware of the existence of magic meant that he needed to take responsibility and make sure they didn't say something that would bring an Enforcer to silence them. "I can't say too much here, but I want you both to promise that you won't tell anyone under any circumstance that doesn't already know about it."

"Don't worry about that Emiya; I'm not exactly looking to get tossed into an asylum," Yosuke grunted. "You know more than you're telling us, don't you?"

"Not about that world, no, but I'll explain what I do know later," Shirou promised.

"I'll hold you to that, Emiya."

"I think we're all forgetting something here," Chie reminded her classmates. "That bear warned us that the world over there was dangerous. I mean, it was creepy enough on its own, but it made it sound like there were monsters in there!"

"It's because of what that bear said why I have to go in there and do it quickly. If the police can't do anything, it falls to us unless you want to just ignore that people are dying." Never letting up on his glare, Yosuke persisted.

Shirou's fist clenched tighter, the magus barely restraining the urge to punch his classmate in the mouth for insinuating that. For Shirou, ignoring people dying or suffering when there was even the slightest chance of saving them was outright evil. "I'm not saying what you're planning is wrong, but why do you want to go so badly?"

Damn it, Emiya, you aren't going to be the hero all the time, Yosuke thought for a split second before continuing. "The police had at least half a week to look for Ms. Yamano and now she and Saki-senpai are both dead! I can't just leave it alone!"

"We know all that already," Shirou growled before calming himself. "But… why are you telling us this?"

The taller teen looked out the window at the cloudy sky. "Because after what we've seen and what I thought about, I can't put this down even if I wanted to. Besides: for some reason, you can enter the TV. I tried putting my hand in a TV last night and it didn't work. You're the only one I can ask to help me, Emiya."

A tense silence followed as Shirou weighed his words. He was asking for his help… knowing full well of the danger but still going to know what happened to Saki Konishi and Mayumi Yamano. His reasoning was sound too, on how the world behind the TV might be dangerous if left alone…

A soft sigh escaped his lips. Sorry, Fuji-nee. I know you said no hero impulses, but… "If you're serious, we're not going in empty-handed..."

Chie's shock kept her silent for the rest of the school day aside from variations of "this is a bad idea."


Junes Electronics Department

"How many times do I have to tell you guys that this is a bad idea?!"

Once again in front of the ridiculously oversized TV with the two boys, Chie couldn't believe either of them; it was one thing for Hanamura thinking of some half-baked plan like going back, but she would've thought Emiya would talk him out of it. Instead, he was convinced into going along for the trip!

It was days like these that she would spend time hanging out with Yukiko, but as luck would have it, her friend was drafted back into hotel duties right after class. Chie honestly didn't know what to do without Yukiko: she was her friend, her partner in crime, her crutch, and they always shared secrets most of the time. Hell, she was willing to tell anyone about what happened in an attempt to prove she wasn't crazy or thrown in some sort of supernatural horror story, but the guys were right in that no one would honestly believe them. The only reason she came along was to try and convince them against this stupid idea of theirs.

As it was, Emiya was holding the closest thing Yosuke had been able to provide as a weapon for him: a metal golf club with a heavy wooden head. "Sorry about the golf club," he told Emiya. "You had a smart idea looking for weapons, but it's not exactly easy to get a hold of swords on short notice. I'm taking a pair of old wrenches, myself." He assured him by patting his jacket, with the tools tucked inside. At least they weren't going in completely unarmed.

"Well, it's no shinai, but it'll do," Shirou stated before closing his eyes and seeming to sink into a slight trance. After a second, his expression tensed, like he was having trouble focusing.

Satisfied, Yosuke rummaged through the small first aid kit he had found in the store earlier, making sure it had everything they might need for their expedition. On his shoulder was a long coil of heavy-duty rope with the aforementioned pair of wrenches concealed under his uniform jacket. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than trying to walk around with it in the open. "Okay, I think we got everything. Ready when you are, Emiya."

Emiya didn't reply for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes, he regarded the golf club somewhat dubiously before looking up at the taller boy. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Guys, listen to me!" Chie all but pleaded, managing to draw both their attentions to her. "Do you have any idea what's in there? What if you can't come back?"

"We were able to make it back the first time," Hanamura countered as he tested the rope around his waist again. "If we go in through the same TV, maybe we'll see the bear again."

"'Maybe' isn't good enough!" Chie cried. What was wrong with these two?

"I understand your concern, Satonaka," Emiya reasoned. "But this isn't something either Hanamura or I can pretend has nothing to do with us."

"But it doesn't have to do with us!" she tried again. "This isn't some anime like Kenichi! We're high school students, not superheroes!"

Emiya shook his head sadly. "Not yet, anyway," he muttered under his breath before looking back at the tomboy.

"Huh?"

Completely forgoing explaining his strange comment, Shirou simply tied a length of the rope around his waist. "This isn't a problem that can be solved by covering our eyes and pretending it never happened. If not us, then who else would even hope to discover the other world? As long as I have something to say about it, I'll get to the bottom of this."

He took another glance around the store. They were the only ones in there right now. The last thing they needed was for someone to spot them just as they leaped into the TV. Last time was far too close for comfort. "I'm not sure how this all works, but I think we'll be alright as long as we're careful. I may not look it, but I do have some experience with the supernatural," Shirou explained cheerfully.

He was already theorizing that his status as a magus was why he could enter that TV world and the others couldn't. If anything, he was a little excited with the notion of saving others already.

"But-!"

"Don't worry," he winked. "Hanamura will be alright as long as I'm around. I promise."

Chie could only stare with a mix of awe and disbelief. How could he be so okay with going back to that creepy, foggy place when it might get them killed?

"Thanks, man," Hanamura smiled. "Glad to know I can count on you. Partner?"

Standing next to one another, the headphone wearing teen held up his fist to him, knuckles facing forward.

Emiya returned the smile and bumped the fist with his own, before clasping their hands together. "Partner."

Now visibly more at ease, Yosuke turned to Chie. "Just to give you some reassurance we will get back, and partly because I don't want to accidentally break the merchandise here for being makeshift anchors..." He extended his hand out. "Satonaka, I'm leaving you in charge with this."

She looked down at Hanamura's offered hands and saw the end of the rope tied to their waists. "Wait, a lifeline? Seriously?"

"Don't worry," he insisted before handed the remaining coil over. "Just hold on to the rope until we get back."

"W-wait a minute!" she didn't ask to be their anchor for this suicide mission! She didn't even want to be here, let alone have anything to do with this!

"We'll be back soon, Satonaka!" Emiya called back as he placed his fingers against the screen, once more distorting the glass with waves of white light.

"Remember, don't let go of the rope!" Hanamura added as he climbed over the edge of the frame and into the TV, still gripping his partner's hand.

Just like that, the red-head and orange-head students walked through the TV, with white lines ripping over their bodies. Chie felt completely helpless as they vanished, an agonizing sensation that caused her stomach to twist in knots. The rope in her hands continued to uncoil with agonizing slowness while nightmarish possibilities played through her head. Most ended with their bodies hanging on telephone poles like the last two victims.

She should have kicked them unconscious when they weren't looking. Well, maybe just Emiya. He was a nice guy, but she was starting to see that he was as stupid as Hanamura in some cases.

Wait, was that a tug?

She tried both ends to be sure, and felt a strong pull back… a little too strong.

Wh-what's going on?

Chie felt her shoes skid across the surface. It wasn't obvious at first, but the friction and squeak gave it away. She looked down and saw her body was being pulled towards the TV. Or rather, the rope she was holding.

"No," she gasped and paled in horror, almost immediately pulling back. "no… NO! No no no no no no no no-!"

She knew it was just the rope, and if she let go then maybe she would be safe. But it was Hanamura and Emiya's lifeline! Her only sure way of knowing they were in there alive! She couldn't lose it!

Okay, calm down Chie. You can do this! This is just like... like fishing at the river! You just got to keep your footing and pull like hell!

The kung-fu enthusiast did just that, wrapping the rope around her arms and pulling on the line with all of her strength with her legs bent. She had watched and emulated enough movies like Trial of the Dragon to get her own posture down right. It was for naught: Chie felt the rope burn her hands and continue to slip into the TV at the same rate. It went in like a chain through a winch, winding monotonously and rapidly. In no time, she found herself just in front of the TV with only a portion of the rope left coiling around her arms.

As if karma suddenly had an inkling for the electronics department, she could see customers entering the room. Despite all the worries and anxieties of her two classmates, being caught in a "no-magic taboo" that Emiya warned against convinced her otherwise. It was then, with great reluctance, that she started bundling the rope in her hands and shoving it inside like it was on fire.

"I knew this was a bad ide-AAAAH!"

To her surprise and growing fear, Chie's arms were actually pulled into the screen as well, and far deeper than she had hoped they would. On impulse, she tried letting go of the rope and pulling them out, but her hands were stuck firm in the now liquefied surface. Having overstepped in thrusting, her arms were nearly shoulder-deep inside, and gravity has starting to take effect.

Emiya wasn't kidding! The TV IS pulling me in!

In a vain attempt to break away, she leaned her body back in another attempt to pull herself, but lacked the footing to balance herself. There was nothing she could do as the rest of body was dragged inside… and then fell in like a rock.


TV World

Both students had a less than graceful landing into the other side, much like what happened yesterday. They were at least prepared at the notion of crashing down after a jump inside, but not controlling their landing or spinning yet. In fact, their attempt to try and land feet first resulted in Shirou and Yosuke identically sprawled on their stomachs with their faces firmly planted on the ground.

"Owowowow…" Yosuke groaned as he moved his cheek parallel to the ground. "I hope this doesn't happen every time we jump over…"

Shirou shrugged off the pain quickly, glancing around the area, the golf club held in a guard stance Fuji-nee drilled into him. "It's the same area as yesterday. The TVs really are connected from place to place."

"No fooling?" Yosuke perked as he stood up. Looking around, he saw that Shirou was right. "Great! Maybe that bear will come back and we can find out what happened to Saki-senpai!"

"We better wait here, then," Shirou suggested with a frown. "The TV-stacked gate from before isn't here, and this is the only place we know the bear might appear. I'm not sure if we can wander very far this time because of our lifelines, either."

"Good plan," his classmate nodded. "But I wouldn't worry about our rope. It's a Junes specialty, measuring over a mile long."

"A mile? Isn't that exaggerating it a little?"

"Look, don't worry so much," Yosuke winked as he tugged the rope. "We have more than enough to cover the area and memorize the place: I packed some map making tools for the trip as well. As long as this holds, we have nothing to-"

The rope in his hand, once tight like a bowstring, drooped and slid like it had been unanimously undone. Shirou and Yosuke exchanged confused glances between each other and the rope in his hand, fear slowly creeping in.

"Was it… supposed to do that?" Shirou guessed, almost afraid of the answer.

The headphone student looked unsure what to say to that. His slight worry was whisked away a moment later, as his brow crinkled in confusion. "Wait… do you hear that?"

Shirou blinked and listened. Now that Hanamura mentioned it, he could make out something high pitched. Was it a mythical beast, or perhaps a familiar? He looked up to the foggy sky for a clue, but all he saw was their lifelines falter and drop. It was almost as if-

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Hanamura recognized it first. "Satonaka!?"

Damn!

He completely disregarded the fact that Chie fell through the same way before, and all of them survived a tumble through the TV screen once or twice: her scream of terror cried for help, and as an ally of justice, Shirou was bound to answer.

Quick as a whip, he dropped the Reinforced golf club and shot towards the sound of the scream. He could see her falling through the fog and braced himself under where she would land and held his hands out. He thought about Reinforcing himself, but if he screwed that up he could end up ripping himself apart, and this wasn't the time to take such a risk. Luck was on his side though, and he caught her bridal style. The force of catching her as normal caught him off guard and forced him down to his back, but the smaller girl was still safe in his arms.

Satonaka stared at him with wide eyes and her cheeks flushed. Shirou paid it no mind, focusing first and foremost of her safety. "Are you alright, Satonaka?"

She stared open-mouthed and gaping, almost unresponsive for several seconds. Then her face twisted into an angry scowl and she screamed, "YOU IDIOT!" before punching him square in the chin.

Completely blindsided by the reaction, Shirou let go of Satonaka and fell back, rolling his jaw. Da-damn! Her punches are almost as lethal as her kicks-!

"Satonaka!" Hanamura rushed over to them. "What the hell was that-OW!" Hanamura's words were cut off by several coils of the heavy rope slapping into his chest, knocking the unprepared boy down.

The smaller girl loomed over the prone boys and glared at both of them, shaking with fury and fear. "I told you! I fucking told you this was a bad idea! But did either of you listen? NO! You two just had to ignore the damn bear and come right back! You guys suck!"

"N-now Satonaka," Yosuke weakly reasoned. "Let's just take a breather-"

"Oh, and by the way: Great idea using a lifeline! At least that way I would know if your bodies were eaten or not, but all sorts of hazards could have happened that I wouldn't know about: poisoned to death, induced to a coma, turned to stone, but hey! Getting sucked right in with you idiots works just as well!"

Shirou nursed his bruising face tentatively, but noticed that the green sweater-wearing girl, in spite of her growing rage and tantrum, was cracking her voice and on the verge of tears. This promptly made him forgot about his pain and concerned for her. "S-Satonaka…" he tried, but she wasn't listening.

"And now we're all trapped in here! No food, no contact, no way back, no lifeline..." she paused to give a mock-search around the studio. "And absolutely no, stupid, frigging... BEAR!"

Her last word held the most power, as it carried an echo effect throughout the room, and reminded all of them that they were indeed in another world. By the end of her rant, Chie glared and huffed at the two shocked boys, unable to say anything in response. A tense minute of haggard breathing passed, and the chestnut haired girl fell to her knees, emotionally drained before breaking down to tears.

"I'll never see anyone ever again!" she wailed. "I want my parents! I want my dog! I want Yukiko! I-I… I want to go hooooooome! Waaaaaaahahahaaaaa!"

The two boys awkwardly exchanged glances. It wasn't often someone like Chie Satonaka would cry about anything. In fact, Hanamura didn't think he had ever seen her cry, period. She tended to kick anything that upset her rather than tear up.

Shirou had honestly hoped that she wouldn't get dragged back in here… quite literally in this case. Seeing her cry felt like he was being stabbed with every sob, and Hanamura seemed to share the feeling. "We're sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen," Shirou told her a touch awkwardly, arms outstretched in an easing gesture.

"Y-yeah! We'll get out of here before you-" Hanamura started to say before a familiar, high voice caught the trio's attention.

"You guys came back?" it asked, squeaking steps heading towards them from within the fog. Its eyes were comically wide with surprise, its pupils shrunken into pinholes. It was certainly expressive. It suddenly glared, stomping a foot and pointing a mitten-covered paw at them accusingly. "I get it! You three were the ones behind all this!"

"Wh-what?" Hanamura gaped for a minute before pointing an accusing finger right back. "Wait a minute, how do we know you're not the one killing people after they get tossed in?"

"Hey! I'm a nice bear! You three, however, are beary suspicious coming back after I let you out yesterday!"

Here we go again… Shirou grumbled a bit before looking over his shoulder at the two. "Could you two not pointing fingers right now? We can work out theories when we all have more information," Shirou offered, more concerned on other matters. "Satonaka's very upset and needs to calm down-"

"I-I'm fine, Emiya," she sniffled. "Just… give me a minute, okay?"

The bear took full notice of the female student now and looked surprised. "Is she alright? Why is she crying?"

"We're stuck here and…" Hanamura sighed, holding up the rope tied to his waist. "Well, the lifeline plan we came up with backfired on us."

"If it's not too much to ask," Shirou added. "Could you open the way back for Satonaka?"

The bear frowned, tapping its "chin" in thought. It glanced at each of them and then put its hands behind its back, trying to puff out its chest defiantly. "No."

Shirou shot to his feet, eyes wide. Any calm he might have had evaporated instantly, and he finally realized that he had left his golf club on the ground a ways off when he caught Satonaka. "What?! Why?!"

The girl still on the ground had gone completely still, shock rendering her numb as she stared at the short mascot with horror.

"You have the damned nerve to call yourself a nice bear!" Hanamura shouted, fishing for the wrenches in his jacket. "Last time you practically kicked us out! Now you're keeping us prisoner!?"

"That was before I knew who you guys were," the bear huffed. "And until I'm convinced otherwise, I say you three are the ones behind what's going on!"

"Behind what, exactly?" Shirou asked civilly enough, though he was making sure to circle slowly back towards his only weapon and worked to keep his body from trembling with every step. "At least tell us your side of the story."

The bear assumed a thinking pose as it explained. "Lately, I can tell that someone's been throwing people in here before the fog lifts. It's only been two so far, but the world's already getting messed up!" It then glared at them. "You came here two times, after each incident no less, and have done so by choice! That's beary suspicious, if you ask me!"

Shirou had to admit, the bear had good logic. But did it say very or berry? "The first time was an accident, honest. We did come here by choice because we wanted to check something."

"Check what?"

Yosuke took over Shirou's line of thought easily. "You said 'throwing people in', like yesterday. Those people that were tossed in died shortly after."

Shirou nodded grimly. "I doubt whoever did this is unaware of the consequences. They are killing people using magecraft, plain and simple."

Yosuke nodded, before blinking and turning to his classmate in confusion. "Mage-what?"

"Not the time, Hanamura."

The bear's mouth crinkled into a small frown. "You still haven't said why you're back here."

"It's pretty simple. We're-" Shirou looked back to Chie, who was now on her knees and taking slow, deep breaths, "well, most of us, are here to investigate this world's connection to the murders and try to prevent any more deaths."

"All we know is that when they get thrown in, they reappear dead in the morning hanging from a high point," Yosuke elaborated quickly.

Despite being hostile, the bear took their words to consideration. "Hmm… was it foggy on the morning the first one reappeared? Like today?"

Shirou blinked in realization. Exchanging glances with Yosuke, he realized the same thing and they started to ease on their battle stances. "Come to think of it... they were."

The bear mascot dropped a fist into its other palm in understanding. "Oh! That could be a part of it. When it gets foggy on your side, it lifts here."

"Fog?" Shirou asked. "Wait, what happens when the fog lifts here?"

"The Shadows get violent," it shook slightly, seemingly not caring that no one but it knew what it was talking about. "That's why I had to get you three out! It was about to lift in this world and they would have killed you!"

"Shadows?" Shirou and Hanamura repeated, exchanging glances again. This TV world wasn't anything either of them expected.

"Are they like… monsters?" Shirou guessed. The bear simply nodded.

"Though maybe I'll let them go after you!" it suddenly glared. "It'll be a sure way to handle the culprits that messed this world in the first place."

"Look, we're telling you-!"

Shirou didn't get to finish his rebuttal before Satonaka finally moved; her face still a little red, but back in control of herself. She snapped back to her feet and stomped over to the mascot. It flinched when she stopped a short distance in front of it and pointed at its face.

"Listen, bear!" she growled. "You go around accusing us when you don't even know us, claiming us to be suspicious! Frankly, you're the suspicious one going around in that costume of yours!"

"Wh-what?" The bear was honestly surprised.

"I agree," Hanamura glared. "You keep talking in circles and tell us nothing to make us believe you're innocent. How about you show us your damn face!?"

The two students jumped the bear that hardly put up a fight in its wailing struggle. As Satonaka pinned it down, Hanamura reached for the zipper behind hits head and pulled it. The head was tossed aside with its face frozen in a blank state of fear. When they peered into the body…

"AAAAAH!"

"Wh-what the hell?!"

-they both scurried back in fear from the headless mascot. Chie leaped away while raising her arms in reflex, as if it might lunge at her. Yosuke, having fell onto his hands after a few steps, continued to crawl away backwards. Even Shirou was left gobsmacked at the sight before him.

"He's… hollow?"

The bear's body was completely empty, the insides lined with a black material, yet its arms were still moving. Despite his experience with magecraft, Shirou had no experience dealing with any branch that could produce a creature like this moving mascot, at least not with this level of autonomy.

"Just what the hell is that bear?!" Hanamura paled. No one had an answer for him.

Eventually the arms found its head and put it back on. Immediately, the face reanimated, showing an angry scowl on its cartoonish features. "I couldn't be the culprit! Why would you accuse me of that?"

Shirou frowned, already forgetting the out-of-head experience he just witnessed. "Well, to be fair, you blamed us first."

The bear looked humbled at that. "Oh… point taken. But really! All I want is to live peacefully here!"

Chie tilted her head to the side confused. "Peacefully?" she repeated.

"In this creepy place?" Yosuke added between glances. "I find that a little hard to believe."

It flailed its arms again, sounding defiant yet desperate, even to the verge of tears. "W-well, it's true! And I'll have you know that this place wasn't always 'creepy'! The more people that get thrown in, the worse it gets! I don't want my home to be a complete mess; it's the only home I know! That's why I have to find who the culprit is before my home's ruined! If I lose it then… then I… wa-waaaaaaah…" it finally started crying in earnest, much to the shock of the Yasogami High students.

"Is this thing serious?" Yosuke whispered. "Talk about overdramatic…"

"Still, you'd have to feel sorry for it," Chie soothed. "Losing its home… Poor little bear…"

Shirou thought deeply of the situation, considering everything that happened the last few days. The sudden murder of the announcer, and then the follow-up of a high school student; the rumors centered around them just before the deaths occurred; the magic window of the Midnight Channel both Nami-san and Satonaka told him about; the TV world where a lone talking bear resided. There were too many coincidences, and his father had taught him that magi never believe in coincidences.

Then there was also Igor's words from almost a week ago:

"It seems you will encounter a grave misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you…

"The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… If the mystery goes unsolved, your future, perhaps far more, may be forever lost. That is what the World foretells."

Though honestly, even without considering all that, Shirou knew his answer: a hero always heeded the call for help. "I'll help you."

In an instant, the bear's face brightened and his classmates gaped. "E-Emiya!"

The bear looked up hopefully, eyes sparkling rather comically. "Really? You'll help?"

"Consider me an ally of justice, and an ally of justice always helps those in need," Shirou smiled. "Even talking bears."

"Then I'm one lucky bear! Oh, thank you thank you THANK YOU!"

Chie glanced down to the floor, mumbling to herself. "Ally of justice…"

Yosuke glanced between the bear and magus before sighing in defeat. "So the bear practically guilt-tripped the magic expert into helping it, and he falls for it. Ah well, I guess that means I'm in. After all, we came here to find out what's going on."

"Thanks, Hanamura," Shirou gave him a grateful smile.

"BUT!" he quickly interjected before the bear got too excited. "We're completely innocent in this. If you want our help, you'll have to agree to let us back out when we're done. Got it?"

The bear, more than happy to have help in preserving his world, nodded with gratitude. "You have my word!"

"I'll help too."

The guys glanced to Satonaka in surprise. "A-are you sure? I mean, you had a breakdown just a while ago and-" Hanamura started before the tomboy cut him off.

"I thought about what you two said, about not letting this go," she answered. "I… I guess I was just trying to ignore it and hide. I still think this is a bad idea, but I really don't want anyone else to die here, especially not someone like Yukiko. If finding out what's going on here will prevent it, then I'm game!" she finished and punched her open hand, a little of her natural spunk back in her eyes.

"Then it's settled," Shirou nodded, even if a part of him was uneasy about letting them get caught up in a magical conflict. "Why don't we introduce ourselves then? As I said before, I'm Shirou Emiya, and these are my friends: Yosuke Hanamura and Chie Satonaka."

"Nice to meet ya!" Yosuke waved.

"What's your name?" Chie asked.

The bear smiled widely. "I'm Teddie Kuma!"

A silence passed between them as the name sunk in, and all three students felt sweat roll down the backs of their heads.

"…Somehow, I feel we should have seen that one coming," Yosuke deadpanned.


A/N: I'd say this is a big change: instead of being literally cut off from the guys, Chie gets dragged inside to watch what happens on the magical day of April 15th! I won't say much on why this is important since this extends to all throughout the storyline, but on the case of the rope, I see the TV as a worm hole sucking everything touching it inside. Since the rope was still opening the portal made by Shirou, she fell in too. I just hope I got her panic rant down.

I also thought a bit on Teddie's name: in the English localization, it's Teddie, and in Japan's version, it's Kuma. Neither interpretation give him a last name, so I thought of mixing them both and make it into a pun even more fitting than the somewhat dry ones he'll spurt out. For those that don't get it, Kuma is Japanese for Bear. Now say the translated version of his 'full name'. Hehe.