Author's Note: Boy, it's been a while, hasn't it? I promise this story isn't abandoned, nor will it ever be. It's very nearly complete. I just lost motivation for a time because the remaining chapters are very action-y and I regretted choosing such a book because I'm not good at action-y stuff. Plus I had to get a new copy. Still, I want to complete this because it is so close to being done, it only seems fair. I had a few chapters on the backburner for a while now, so.
Part 7: Hell is Here
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Hajime led the banged-up boy through Nekomaru's office; still dazed but able to walk on his own. Nekomaru wasn't there at the moment, though Hajime knew he wouldn't really be bothered to learn his office was being used like this. There was a tiny kitchen area and cot set out, which Hajime tried to get the boy to lay on, but he shook his head.
"Chair," He insisted.
"You sure?"
"Yes," He then sat down.
"Alright, what's that name of yours?" Hajime asked. He didn't want to spend all day going back-and-forth with a kid who clearly needed some kind of help. The boy gave him a doubtful look.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"I often walk the railways in the morning since there's not much traffic. Sometimes my girlfriend joins me. Now your name?"
"Who was that other guy?"
"I'm not answering anything else until you give me your name," Hajime said sternly.
"I'm Oowada. Mondo Oowada," He answered after a few seconds.
"Alright Oowada-kun. How many fingers do you see?" Hajime held up a peace-sign.
"Two,"
"Now?"
"Three. Did that guy say he was my uncle or anything like that?"
Hajime frowned in confusion. "That's Mitari-san. I don't know him super well, but he's an only child and never married. If he's related to anyone but his parents though, I wouldn't know. Now let me see your eyes move,"
Mondo's eyes followed his fingers left and right, then up and down.
"Okay, your brain seems fine. What'cha runnin' away from, anyway? Kids your age don't just up and book it for no reason,"
Mondo suddenly looked alarmed. "Who said I ran away from anything?"
"When I see a kid who's in as bad a shape as you, I assume they've been on the run. Runaways aren't common, but I have some experience. Now-"
"Goodness, what happened in here?"
Hajime spun around and found his girlfriend standing there, dressed in a frilly blouse and lacy purple pinafore with sneakers. A bunch of colourful barrettes pinned her short hair back. She must've been arriving to work and heard them talking.
"This is Oowada Mondo-kun. He's visiting us from God knows where. Jumped off a train and everything and hit a post on his way out. Oowada-kun, meet Koizumi Mahiru-chan,"
"Please take good care of me," Shuichi bowed clumsily. Mahiru bowed back.
"Geezh, did he get that ear ripped-off by hitting the sign post? Or was he roughhousing?" Mahiru sighed in slight irritation.
"Who knows, I'm trying to get him to talk. But I still need to attend to my post, so can you keep an eye on him until I get back?" Hajime asked. "I know you're my boss, but this is an emergency,"
Mahiru sighed again. "I'll only allow it because of your good behavior," Hajime had grown used to her teasing by then.
"Were you waiting for the train?" Mondo asked her instead.
"The only thing I'm waiting for is for my mom to text me back," Mahiru responded. "And I can handle a little boy. If he throws a fit, I'll toss my phone at him," She smiled.
"I won't throw a fit,"
"I hope not. It's very unbecoming for boys, even young ones, to pitch a fit when they're ordered to do something. Just do what you're told,"
Hajime nodded at the two and started to leave before he looked back at Mondo. "Your name isn't actually Oowada-kun, is it?" He guessed, and the boy hung his head. "I thought so. We'll discuss this later. Mahiru-chan, don't let him move and if he gives you trouble, call me,"
Mahiru nodded and waved to Hajime as he left. Afterwards, she wet a rag with cold water and handed it to Shuichi. "Place that under your ear,"
Shuichi nodded, wincing at how it stun. She cleaned the blood off him best she could with a gentle hand. Shuichi teared up slightly and bit his lip, hoping she wouldn't see, but he knew she had when she tsk'ed at him.
"I'm sorry...you...remind me of my uncle in a way. I know that's weird, but-"
"I get it. Your parents never paid much attention to you so you mainly raised yourself, huh? I get it," Mahiru responded briskly. "He must've been a good man, your uncle. A rare good man,"
Shuichi just nodded, unsure of what to say. He remained still and let Mahiru continue to clean him off.
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Sakakura had originally intended on going, but Junko overrode him because she was the boss and could, though he still looked extremely displeased at the suggestion.
"Don't look at me like that. We all get in trouble if this plan fails," She said.
"You've never been out in the field before,"
"Don't need experience, I've got some of the toughest people coming with me. Big Sis could spit out nails if I asked her to, and Kiyotaka-kun isn't too shabby either. I'll also have Dr. Kimura with me, and Hiyoko-chan, who's quite the charmer and can slink out of situations like crazy. I think Kirumi-chan is going too, and she's got quite amazing strength. I'll be fine," She adjusted her ponytail. "Keep things going here, and if all goes well, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon,"
Juuzou walked with her anyway to her expensive foreign car, looking quite out of place in the summery rural landscape. Sonia and Mukuro sat in the backseat, staring idly at a phone together. Both of them were dressed in colourful but skimpy schoolgirl outfits.
"Oh, and before I forget, make sure Fujisaki Chihiro-kun is good and dunked by the time I get back," Junko said with some cheeriness. "And that he's put into Back Half,"
"Kiyo-san didn't like the idea too much," Juuzou told her, and Junko responded with another regal but terrifying smile.
"Do I look like I care?"
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Hajime was surprised to see Ryota Mitarai still standing near the train tracks; even-more-so because he didn't have his usual notebook or tablet with him to sketch with. As usual, he wore a plain and untucked suit in cream even in the humidity of summer. He kept running his hands through his hair instead and Hajime wondered why Ryota never bothered with tying it up.
"What are you still doing out?" Hajime asked anyway.
"M-My store isn't very busy during the afternoon..." He looked away.
Hajime felt like his store wasn't very busy during any time of day, but kept that thought to himself. "Don't stand so close to the tracks. It makes me nervous,"
Ryota looked at him then and fidgeted with his jacket. He kinda smelled like a cross between an old sofa and fried eggs. "Y-You're not the boss of me,"
Hajime just kept staring at him, and eventually Ryota ran off. Hajime saw Ryota a few times around town, usually with his head bent over whatever he was currently drawing on as he occasionally glanced up to view the object he was sketching. He went to the store sometimes to stock up on huge amounts of junk food before spending the rest of his time locked in his movie store, watching things on his tablet or drawing on it.
He headed back to Nekomaru's office and found Mahiru sifting through papers on his desk, making him clear his throat at her. "If you're gonna do the work, at least put on a uniform," He teased.
"Police work doesn't wait for someone to get dressed," Mahiru shot back with her hands on her hips. "It's all just generic stuff anyway,"
"How's the kid doing?"
"Good. I stopped the bleeding, but he's going to have to wear his hair long to hide that banged-up ear of his," She stepped closer to him. "While I was cleaning him up and waiting for the doctor to come, he confided in me that his uncle was murdered and he himself was kidnapped. Can you believe such nonsense?"
Hajime blinked a few times. "Well, it's certainly crazy, but boys don't just jump off trains looking like that around here. I'll try to ask him some more about it. Especially since if his story holds any ounce of truth, they'll likely come here looking for him, loaded too probably, if they're military,"
Mahiru left then, likely to actually put on her uniform and look professional, while Hajime checked in on the boy again. His ear had stopped bleeding and was bandaged, while the remainder of his face had been cleaned. Despite the large bruise on his right side, his eyes were clear and alert and he was currently drinking some Ramune the doctor got out of the fridge for him.
"Is he alright?" Hajime asked the doctor.
"Yeah, though he's badly dehydrated and hungry. He says he's twelve, that his name is Oowada Mondo-san, and he says he jumped on the train from up north. He won't tell me anything else though no matter what I try and promise. My advice is to fill him up with a big meal and watch that story pour forth from his lips," The doctor nodded before leaving. Hajime quickly called Nekomaru, promising to owe him one for covering his shift, then looked back at the boy again.
"You feel better? Headache gone?"
"Yes sir,"
"Don't mind being formal with me. Just call me Hinata-san. What do I call you? What's your real name?"
After some hesitation, Shuichi told him.
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The poorly-lit hall between Front Half and Back Half was chilly and it made Chihiro start shivering almost immediately. He still had on the clothes he was wearing when Iruma and Komaeda had hauled his small unconscious body out of the immersion tank, and he was soaked. His teeth started chattering. Still, he held onto what he learned, because it was important. Everything was important now.
"Stop making that sound with your teeth, it is a disgusting sound," Celestia scolded, pushing him in a wheelchair, her smile nowhere to be seen. Word of what Chihiro had done was everywhere now, and she was terrified, terrified like all of them were, and they would continue to be so until Shuichi Saihara was brought back and they could all sigh a collective sigh of relief.
"I-I c-c-c-can't help it...I-I'm so c-c-cold," Chihiro shivered.
"Do you think I give a shit!?" Celestia growled. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Do you?"
Chihiro did, in fact, he had several ideas.
She pushed him through a door that was slightly warmer and Dr. Touko Fukawa was waiting for them, a white coat unbuttoned slightly over her slim pink dress, her braids messy, and a lopsided smile on her face. Chihiro's shivering slowed before it completely stopped, and then the Stasi Lights came back in their Technicolour glory, but that was alright because Chihiro could make them go away whenever he wanted. Iruma had nearly killed him in the tank, and in fact he thought for a brief moment that he was dead, but the tank also did something to him. He knew it did stuff to all of the kids that experienced it, but this seemed like something more. TK as well as TP was the least of it. Celestia was terrified because of what might happen concerning Shuichi, but Chihiro felt like he could terrify her too if he wanted.
It wasn't the time for that though.
"Howdy-howdy-howdy there, young man! We are so thrilled to have you here!" Dr. Fukawa laughed, sounding like a model in a food commercial. Her thoughts were flying around like scraps of paper caught in a strong wind, and Chihiro was intimidated by her. Something was seriously wrong with her. It was like radiation poisoning in her brain instead of in her bones.
"Hello," Chihiro greeted anyway.
Dr. 'Jack' tilted her head back and laughed crazily like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. "You came sooner than we expected, but that's right-darn-tootin' okay with us! Some of your friends are already here!"
I know, and I can't wait to meet them. I think they'll be glad to see me too, Chihiro thought to himself.
"First we gotta get ya in some dry clothes," She shot a glance over at Celestia, who was trying to discreetly scratch at the sudden buzzing itch on her arms. "We have nice people here, oh you'll love them. Can you walk on your own?"
"Yes," Chihiro got out of the wheelchair as Dr. 'Jack' laughed some more. He looked at Celestia and gave her a long, piercing stare that made her start shivering. Not because she was wet or cold though, but because of him. She was shivering because she was afraid of him, because she felt his power and didn't like it. It was almost sort of beautiful in a way.
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Hajime brought in another chair and set it down near the television, sitting down.
"Saihara-san, Mahiru-chan said you told her you were kidnapped. She didn't believe you, but I don't think you'd make up a random lie like that. She has...trust issues concerning men, we'll say,"
"I didn't lie about that. I was kidnapped from Yamaguchi, they killed my uncle and knocked me out," Shuichi nodded.
"How'd they travel from Yamaguchi to Hokkaido?"
"I was unconscious, so I have no clue. Maybe some kind of ferry. I really am from there though, I used to attend Project Junior High,"
"Sounds like you got some money in the family,"
"Yeah, my parents are rich. But what good is it when at the moment I'm really hungry. The only thing I've eaten for a few days are rice-balls and a taiyaki with cheese in it. Some man named Naegi-san gave them to me,"
"Nothing else?"
"Pieces of a rice-ball,"
"Geezh, let's get some food into you," Hajime pulled out his phone again. "Mahiru-chan? I'll make it up to you later,"
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Chihiro's room in Back Half was stark, with a basic futon pallet on the floor. There weren't any cartoon posters, no Beyblade sets on the window to play with, but Chihiro was okay with that. He was only ten, but he knew he had to be a man now, and a grown man doesn't play with toys.
I can't do this alone though,
He thought of Christmas the year before. It hurt to think about, but he thought about it anyway. He got the toy robot he had asked for, a really cool one that functioned through remote control, but you had to build it yourself. All of the pieces were spread out around the floor and he had no clue what connected to what and wanted to play with it badly, so he started crying. His father; who was dead now, Chihiro was sure of it, kneeled down next to him and said they'd follow the instructions together and build it, one step at a time. And they had. He kept that robot on the windowsill in his bedroom right next to his Beyblades, like a guardian, and it was the one thing they hadn't been able to duplicate when he woke up in Front Half.
Now he just laid on his cot in his barren room, dressed in dry clothes with his hair cut, thinking about how fun that robot was to play with once it was completed. And feeling the hum. It was constant in Back Half; loud in the rooms, louder in the cafeteria, and loudest of all behind the closed double-doors that led to the back half of Back Half. The caretakers called it the Loony Bin because the kids there were essentially loonies. He supposed they were still useful too, like a candy wrapper.
The doors here all had locks, and Chihiro stared at his and concentrated, trying to pick it. There wasn't anywhere to go aside from the hallway, but it was worth a try. He felt it trying to turn, but still couldn't quite manage it. He wondered if Kokichi Ouma would be able to, because Kokichi was a strong TK-pos to begin with. Maybe he could've with some help. He thought about his father again.
At five in the afternoon, an unsmiling woman walked in dressed in a plain red dress; not wearing a nametag, but Chihiro didn't need her to wear one. She was named Sato; though her colleagues tended to call her a 'bitch' behind her back. She was a good arguer and liked to take pictures for her social media page in her off-time. Chihiro knew she was envious of several of her colleagues though and that was why Junko picked her up; she started a fight at her old photography business and nearly gouged another girl's eyes out and got immediately fired. Chihiro felt like she liked hurting people too much.
"Dinner," She said simply. "Want it? If not you'll be locked in until movie time,"
"I want it,"
"Okay. You like movies too?"
"Yes," But I won't like these movies because these movies kill people, Chihiro added in his mind.
"Kids always like these. They show cartoons beforehand," She smelled of cigarette smoke and wine. "Cafeteria is on your right," She gave him a large smack on his behind to get him moving.
The cafeteria was painted a mint green and several children sat at a long table in rows, eating what smelled like beef stew to Chihiro. His mother made it a lot back at home because his dad liked to take it to work with him. She was probably dead now too. Most of the kids looked like zombies and several even drooled or nearly shoved food up their noses. One girl tapped the ashes of her cigarette into her food before eating it again.
He had felt Aoi as he arrived and saw her sitting near the end of the table and resisted the urge to run to her and hug her tightly. That would attract attention. Sitting next to her was Ibuki Mioda, who was staring vacantly at the ceiling. Her hair was dull and thin and tangled and she was extremely thin. Aoi was trying to feed her.
"Come on Mioda-san, come on, the world's most famous rockstar needs to eat!" She got a spoonful of the food into Ibuki's mouth, and when some of it dribbled out she scooped it up and gave it back to her. Ibuki swallowed and Aoi smiled. "Good job!"
Hina, hey Aoi-oneechan, Chihiro thought.
Aoi looked around, startled, then grinned when she saw him. Fuji-chan!
More liquid trailed down Ibuki's chin and Mondo Oowada used his napkin to wipe it off for her. He then saw Chihiro and gave him a thumbs-up, which made Kokichi turn around too.
"Look, it's Fuji-chan! Asahina-san told us you'd be coming. Welcome to our happy little home," He grinned.
"If you're here to eat, get a bowl. Things close down early tonight because it's movie night," A woman named Chisa scolded him slightly. Despite her innocent looks, she secretly enjoyed slapping children because it made her feel good. Chihiro nodded and got a bowl of beef stew along with a scoop of lumpy white rice on the side. Aoi smiled at him once he sat down; her headache was bad that day but she smiled anyway.
"Eat up buddy," Mondo said, though his own bowl was still full. His eyes were bloodshot and he rubbed at his temple. "It looks disgusting but trust me, you don't want to go to the movies on an empty stomach,"
Have they got Saihara-san yet? Aoi sent.
No, they're all terrified.
That's good, that's good!
Will we get hurty shots before the movie?
Probably not, but this is a newer movie so who knows?
Kokichi was looking at them with a mischievous look in his eyes. Once upon a time he had only been a TK, but now he was something more. They all were, because Back Half increased whatever you had, but thanks to the immersion tank, none of them were like Chihiro, who knew things. The Front Half tests were side-projects of Dr. Munakata. He hadn't had any of those tests, but he had had the tank, and as a result could make the Stasi Lights appear whenever he willed them to. He didn't need the movies and he didn't need to be part of the group-think, but he was still only ten, which was a problem.
As Chihiro ate, he probed around for Ibuki, delighted to find she was still in there. He liked Ibuki. She was nothing like that bitch Angie, who led him on and even kissed him before tricking him into telling her stuff and then snitched on him. Who else could it have been? He hadn't even needed to read her mind to know that, but at least he got some payback by purposefully wetting her bed. That made him feel good the more he thought about it.
Ibuki-oneechan?
No. Ibuki's not here, Fujisaki-chan, so go, Ibuki has to...
The rest was gone, but Chihiro could figure out what it was. She needed to hide, because there was a sponge filled with pain in her head, and hiding from it was a sensible response until the sponge just grew bigger and bigger until there was no place to hide from it. Then it'd squash against the back of her head and she'd be gone as Ibuki.
Chihiro tried reaching into her mind, which was easier than with the lock in his room, because he had been a powerful TP to begin with and TK was still new to him. He was clumsy and had to be careful. He didn't think he could save her, but he could still relieve her. It'd be good for her, and good for them too, because they needed all the help they could get.
He found the headache-sponge deep in Ibuki's head and told it to stop spreading and go away. He kept pushing and asking for it to go, but it didn't want to.
Aoi-oneechan, can you please help me?
With what?
He told her. She came in a bit hesitantly at first and they pushed together. The headache-sponge gave a little.
Kokichi-oniichan, Mondo-oniichan, please help us,
Mondo was able to help a little. Kokichi looked more puzzled but still made an attempt before stopping. "It's super dark in there,"
Never mind the dark, we need you! Aoi cried. We can help her!
Kokichi came back in, and it was good to have him despite his reluctance.
It's only a sponge, it can't hurt you. Push it! Chihiro could no longer see his bowl; it had instead been replaced by the swirls of the Stasi Lights. They kept pushing until finally Ibuki looked over at Chihiro.
"Look who's here," She commented in a sickly voice. "Thank God my headache is a bit better," She started eating on her own.
"Holy shit, we did that!" Kokichi gasped in amazement.
"Gimme five," Mondo held his hand out and Chihiro gave him one, but any good feelings left with the dots. Ibuki's headache would just come back, and it'd worsen everytime she watched the movies. Ibuki's would, Aoi's would, Mondo's would. His would too and eventually all of them would join the Loony Bin.
But maybe...there was some other way...
Aoi-oneechan,
Aoi looked at him, listening. Mondo and Kokichi also listened to the best of their abilities, though they were still partially-deaf in that regard. But Aoi listened. She ate some beef stew before shaking her head at him.
We can't escape from here, Fujisaki-chan, so just forget it,
I know, but we still have to do something. We have to help Shuichi-oniichan, and we also have to help ourselves. I see the pieces everywhere, all over the floor, but I don't know what to do-
"You don't know how to build the robot," Mondo finished for him in a low voice. Ibuki had stopped eating and was staring at the ceiling again. The headache-sponge was growing again, swelling. Mondo helped her to another bite.
"Cigarettes! Who wants them?" Chisa was offering, holding out several boxes. "There's also sake and wine on tap if you're into that, and hard candy you can suck on!" It seemed like not only were unhealthy habits easy to pick up on here but were strongly encouraged. "Take some before the show!"
We can't escape, so let's build a robot instead, with a shield and protection barrier. Our robot, our shield, our protection barrier, Chihiro continued.
"Your euphemisms need a lot of work," Kokichi teased, making Chihiro blush a bit. Aoi gently nudged him before smiling at him. Chihiro sighed in relief that she understood it. She started to say something herself before Chisa walked by them, her red skirt swishing.
"Who wants something?"
It was only after she was gone that Aoi said: "If we can't escape, we have to take this place over,"