Prologue - Despair Behind Closed Doors Part III:

Kai tapped the tip of his ink pen to his chin, as he looked around the selection of shops the party of four strode past. It had been around ten minutes since they had brought Junpei along with them on their special journey across Hope's Peak Shopping Center in search of other people who may be locked up in need of rescue. People who were, just like everyone except Kai, Ultimates.

However, there hadn't been much activity during those ten minutes. Junpei had begun a friendly discussion with Shun about volleyball, and how the personal trainer would be up for a special training session sometime later. Yaya was playing a round of tic tac toe against Kenji on the palm of his hand. While he wasn't watching, Kai could tell from the constant muttering that the journalist was losing. Badly.

"Hey..." Kenji asked after his fifth crushing defeat at the hands of the Ultimate Grandmaster. "Could we sit and take a breather? Walking around in these boots has my feet cramped up..."

Conveniently, they were right next to two benches, the seats being made of wood with lustrous metal framing. There was a small box-shaped trash can nearby, completely empty. He wiped the traces of his last tic tac toe game on his jeans, adding to a dark blue smear that had taken over his knee.

"I thought we were looking for the others?" Shun said, looking away from Junpei.

"Well, we've been walking for a while with no results." Yaya stated, stretching out her arms. "It wouldn't hurt to take a small break. Besides, Kei is out and about, he's sure to encounter a few people."

"I've said it once, and I'll say it again. He probably won't let them out without making them pay up every last bit of change in their pockets," Shun deadpanned with a quick eye roll.

"Oh, whatever," Yaya shrugged, leaning back onto a bench, crossing one leg over the other with her hands in her lap. "If you want to continue looking for them, be my guest." Kenji joined her at her side.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with taking a break every once in a while Shun." Junpei explained, before moving to the second bench, positioned to where it and the first bench were back-to-back. Rather than sit down, however, he started stretching, bending down to touch his toes.

The volleyball star let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright, fine..." He joined Junpei in stretching while Kai took a seat in the bench. Well, more like laying down on it while he pulled his beret down to cover his eyes.

'This feels like a good time to take a quick nap. All this walking is pretty boring...'

Despite waking up in the pawn shop not even a full hour ago, all the boy wanted was a decent enough rest from all the traveling, since his feet were starting to ache. Not to mention he wanted some peace and quiet, so he figured taking a nap would give him time to himself. After a few short moments he had closed his eyes, drifting off to dreamland.

"Hey, I have good news, sweetie!"

'...'

"I've sent your resume over to the folks at the Togami Corporation, and above all odds they are very interested in what you have to offer! They wish to get to know you better, so we've scheduled an interview tomorrow afternoon!"

Kai rolled his eyes as he tried his best to ignore his mother's words. Glancing out of the window of the personalized limousine, he watched as the city passed by in a streak of colorful lights. Raindrops dotted the tinted glass, and slowly dripped down to the bottom before vanishing from view. The vehicle came to a stop at a glowing red light, one in a long line of other stopped cars.

"Kai. I want you to look at me."

He had to force himself to face the woman seated beside him. Her bright orange eyes stared deep into Kai's brown ones, and it was fair of him to think that if looks could kill, he wouldn't be sitting where he was.

"You know very well that your father and I want you to be happy. We understand that very clearly. However, we also want you to have a worthwhile career that pays you well. This hobby of yours, these charades on the street, were fun for a while. But you know that it doesn't earn you much at all. It's not something that can get you a nice home to live in, or put food on the table, or even support a future family." She crossed her arms over her modest bosom. "It's time to move on from this."

Kai's hands clenched into fists, and he tried his damn hardest to bite back his pent-up anger and frustration.

'She doesn't understand anything at all. She only wants and cares about what makes her happy.'

She seemed to notice this. "Don't you start with that attitude, young man. We only want what's best for you, and right now this isn't it."

'She doesn't get it. She hasn't spent any actual time with me to know what's best for me.'

The red light had now turned green, and soon enough the limo was moving again. The two were silent for quite some time, until the driver spoke up.

"Miss Shiguro, we'll be back to the household in less than ten minutes."

"Thank you, Jarvis." Kai's mother smiled. But it was a false smile, covering up the foul mood she was now in. "See Kai, why aren't you grateful for what is given to you?"

'That's it. I'm tired of this.'

Kai's fist slammed into a glowing yellow button. A special button that told the driver to stop the vehicle, since he lacked the voice to do it himself. Jarvis didn't question his choice, only slowing down until the limousine was parked by the curb. On instinct and without looking back he opened the door and pushed himself out into the rain.

"Kai! Get out of the rain and back inside! Now!"

The boy blocked out his mother's demands, and instead pushed himself forward into the rain, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He shoved past pedestrians walking along the sidewalk under the shelter of an umbrella, ignoring the harsh words they barked at him. But he didn't care about it. He just wanted to get as far away from it all as possible.

Tears spilled from his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He thought it was the rain pelting his face, but the tears were hot. He really was crying as he charged faster through the storm, with nowhere to go but forward...

"Hey, get the fuck back here, asshole!"

Kai's eyes were heavy when he tried to raise them. He had woken up, not just from the sudden outburst that echoed off of the walls, but because of that one memory coming back to bite him. It left him with a foul taste in his mouth, but also with fresh tears on his cheeks. While he couldn't do anything with the former, he wiped away the latter with his sleeve before anyone could see that he had nearly cried in his sleep.

'So much for having a decent nap...'

As he sat up to adjust his beret, Junpei had noticed he was awake.

"Oh hey, you're awake." He said, which gathered Kenji, Shun, and Yaya's attention.

"If you're wondering what happened, Baby Face seems to have made a friend." Yaya giggled, fingers pointed down the corridor.

Kai's gaze followed, where he saw Kei in hot pursuit of a boy completely unfamiliar to him. So it seemed that they were crossing paths for the second time in one day. But since the hawker's face was a deep shade of red, and boiling with rage burning hotter than hellfire, Kai could tell it wasn't an intentional encounter. Kei wasn't alone, either. A small girl was following behind him, albeit at her own pace.

"Ooo, you're really scary, ya know that?" The boy looked over his shoulder. "But if you want it back, you'll have to catch me first!" He proceeded to stick out his tongue like he was a young child, further angering Kei, and continued sprinting with remarkable speed.

"Are you sure?" Kenji asked with a doubtful glance toward the grandmaster. "Kei looks ready to break him like a stick..."

"You heard the kid. Kei will have to get his hands on him first, something he very clearly isn't doing." Yaya replied with a small laugh.

'Well, she has a point.'

Kai nodded. She had a fair point. Despite how fast and furious he was, Kei didn't hold a candle to the other boy's incredible quickness. Same applied to the girl following behind him. Both were left eating his dust with a large gap between them. The five watched as he made it over a large, potted plant in one leap, continuing to close the distance between him and them.

"What do you think happened?" Shun spoke up. "Kei wouldn't just attack and chase someone just because they gave him a funny look...right?"

"No." Kenji said. "You heard him. There's something of his that was stolen. And something about that boy seems familiar..."

"Oh? Friend of yours, Kenji?" Yaya asked.

"No, but I believe I've covered something related to him...just give me a moment to think..."

'Stolen? So, is he some kind of thief?'

"If he stole something from Kei, would that make him a thief?"

"Thief?" Junpei looked repelled the word.

"Wait, now I remember! He's the Phantom Kitsune!" Kenji snapped his fingers as he came to remember the name.

"Phantom Kitsune?" Shun tilted his head.

"Ding ding ding! You would be correct!" Came a voice from behind the libero, which caused him to squeak in surprise and leap back. The boy hopped up onto the trash bin, staring down at the group.

"Ah, what have we here? A few new faces it seems…" He cooed in a calm, observant tone, taking turns looking each one over. He got rather close to Kai, however. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I would remember faces like that."

'He seems like a lot of trouble...' Kai thought to himself.

"Have you gotten lost or something running around the big scary shopping centre? No? Eh, good thing. I hear it gets haunted at night..." He gave a playfully ominous giggle as he waved his arms like a ghost, making small 'oooo' sounds also like a spirit.

"Actually, no we haven't. We were walking on looking for others who may be trapped here." Yaya explained. "I believe we should introduce ourselves. Yaya Kyūyū, Ultimate Grandmaster. Pleasure to meet you.

"I'm Shun Tetsudai, the Ultimate Libero."

"Junpei Takishima, Ultimate Personal Trainer."

The two didn't seem to have cold feet talking to a thief. Noritaka didn't seem to mind though.

Instead, he leaned close to Kai's face again. "And who's this one?"

"He's Kai Shiguro, the Ultimate Mime Artist." Kenji explained. "And I'm Kenji Yonezawa, the Ultimate Journalist."

"Not a talker, hm?" The Phantom Kitsune tilted his head curiously.

"Not really. He uses pen and paper instead."

"Ah, I see." The boy then booped Kai on the nose with a gloved finger before standing up straight.

'Did...did he just...?' Kai's face heated up a tad more, earning a muffled laugh from Yaya.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you all! Just know how privileged you should be feeling right now, to be standing in the shadow of the Ultimate Thief himself! Yes, I am Noritaka Fukuyo, but I am probably better known aaassss, drumroll please, you'll need it...the Phantom Kitsune!"

NORITAKA FUKUYO

ULTIMATE THIEF

Noritaka was around Kai's height, but he had a more slender physique to suit his talent as a thief. His skin had a light, peach-colored tint to it which seemed to match his rounded face and small dimples on his cheeks, giving an adorable yet deceitful appearance. Two emerald cat-like eyes held a small glint to them, further giving him a mischievous aura. His indigo hair was styled neatly, with most pulled back into a short ponytail.

When it came to his outfit, Kai had to admit that Nori's was fairly intriguing. He wore a crimson red vest shirt over a violet short-sleeved shirt while a dark purple waist coat was worn over both. The coat's sleeves reached to his elbows and extended down to his ankles. His lavender pants were held up with a brown leather belt while his fuschia boots were secured to his feet by silver buckles. The most notable features were his fox-like accessories, which went well with his alias as the Phantom Kitsune. Two furry fox ears poked out from his hair, while his eyes peeked through an eye mask. A grand cape waved behind him, held around his shoulders with a bronze brooch in the shape of a fox. There was also a satchel slung over his shoulder.

"I knew that the name sounded familiar. I've covered a few of your stories in the local newspaper. Legend says you've never been caught." Kenji stated, pointing his pen in Noritaka's direction.

"Mmhmm! Correct!" The Phantom Kitzune applauded. "I am the shadowed spectre of darkness himself, striking from right under your very nose!

'He's really that good?'

"Which reminds me, this is a very nice coin pouch by the way Kai, you have good taste."

'Wait, what?'

Kai's eyes widened in shock. In Nori's open hand was a small coin pouch. His coin pouch.

'When did he-'

His hands shot instantly for the pocket at the front of his overalls. Empty.

'HOW did he-?!'

Noritaka let out a playful snicker while he tossed the pouch around like a bean bag. "Looks like I have another bit of treasure to add to my collection." Opening the front of his bag, he slipped the pouch inside, along with a few pieces of jewelry and chocolate bars. He looked back to see Kai with a rather angry face.

"Heh, you know what they say, Kai! Finders keepers. Like it or not I found something, therefore I'm keeping it! Unless you want it back, and in that case you'll have to take it from my cold, dead fingers..." He let out a rather sinister chuckle.

'I don't like him. I really don't like him...'

"Hey, give me my fucking stuff back, you prick!" Kei shouted from behind him.

During their conversation, he was able to catch up to the Phantom Kitsune, now less than twenty feet and getting closer and closer.

"O-Our stuff..." Said the girl behind him with a timid whisper.

"Weeeell, it looks like I'd better skedaddle before these two catch me! Sayonara for now!" With a half-courteous and half-mocking bow, Noritaka reached into his satchel.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not letting you get away this time!" Kei charged forward like a bull, hands clenched into a hard, closed fist.

But before he could the thief, several small pellets had hit the ground and erupted into a thick cloud of dark smoke. Everyone inside was left a disoriented mess and thrown into a coughing fit.

'W-What's going on?' Kai stood, hands groping about to find somebody in the haze.

"What the fuck is this?!" Kei coughed out. There was a loud slam as he collided with something in the smokescreen.

Or rather, someone. Kai had walked into the line of fire, and ended up on the receiving end of a really powerful punch to the cheek. He didn't even see it coming. He could only feel the impact before everything went black and he dropped to the floor like a brick. He was unconscious before he even touched down, all voices around him being suddenly cut off.

"H-Hey, he's coming too. Could someone get me some ice?"

"Right, I'm on it!"

"Hey, let me help! Wait for me!"

When Kai's consciousness slowly slipped back into him, he could hear a cacophony of voices calling out to each other, and slender fingers prodding at his face. It wasn't long after he tried opening his eyes that his cheek flared up with a stinging pain, making him clench his teeth. His vision was distorted, a mess of smudges mixed together to form an image he couldn't identify.

"H-Hey, are you alright?"

The voice was unfamiliar to him. As he blinked away his hazy vision, the blurry shapes came to create a new girl standing above him, watching with a look of great concern.

Kai's hands moved to his aching cheek as he struggle to sit up. He was lying down on the wooden bench, instead of the hard, tiled floor.

"Oh thank heavens, you're awake." Yaya let out a soft breath of relief.

'What...What happened...?'

"When Nori's smokescreen was cleared, we found you down on the floor. But it wasn't difficult to realize what happened. Kei wound up hitting you, probably because he thought you were Nori." Junpei, almost as if he could read his thoughts, answered. "And man, was that quite a hit, you were for so long. It's a miracle this wasn't episode of One Punch Man."

Kai blinked. 'What?'

"Anyway." Yaya continued. "After the smoke cleared we found you on the floor out cold. Kei didn't seem to care, though, and left without saying anything. So we took care of you. Kenji and Shun are currently out to find ice."

'So, that's what happened...'

"I-It's good to see that you're alright." The girl at his side spoke up. "I-I'm Ichirin Takigawa, the Ultimate Jeweler. Nice to meet you."

ICHIRIN TAKIGAWA

ULTIMATE JEWELER

Ichirin was a small and petite girl, almost around Yaya's size. However, she looked much more like a doll with her thin and delicate figure. Her skin was very pale, almost like porcelain, which made the scars lining her face stand out like a sore thumb. One notable scar rested across her left eye, a deep chocolate brown. Her peach-colored hair was long, flowing down her back and stopping just above her elbows.

She was also dressed up like a doll, wearing a long-sleeved lilac dress with a rounded neckline, puffy sleeves, and baby blue buttons. Her feet were adorned in matching pumps and pastel blue thigh high socks. A bubblegum pink bow rested comfortably in her hair. Both of her ears were pierced with dangling earrings.

Kai reached into his pocket for his notepad, only for him to find that it was missing. 'Huh, did I drop it?'

"Oh, are you looking for this?" He looked up to see it in Yaya's open hand. "This fell out when Kei knocked you out, so I held onto it while we waited for you to wake up." She took the small notebook, as well as his pen, and placed it back into his hands.

He nodded his thanks. "I'm Kai Shiguro. Nice to meet you as well, Ichirin."

His cheek throbbed with pain, causing him to drop the pad and hold it into his hand. He bit down onto his lip.

"O-Oh! Hold on, Kenji should be back soon." Despite how much it hurt, feeling Ichirin's delicate hands gently inspect his cheek calmed him. Maybe it was how gentle they were. Maybe it was how much care she was giving someone she didn't even know.

'Maybe it's both...'

"Hey guys! I'm back with the ice!" Kenji shouted from down the hall as he approached. He held a large metal bucket that was almost overflowing with ice cubes. A few dropped to the floor, where they shattered into pieces and melted into small puddles. "Shun's busy trying to find something in the convenience store to make an ice pack with."

Kai looked over to Ichirin. "Did you wake up there, Ichirin?" He only heard of it now, so he was curious.

"Huh? N-No, I didn't. I woke up in the jewelry store right across from it."

Down the hall was the convenience store where Kai could only assume Noritaka and Kei had come from, and next to it was the jewelry shop. Both were completely open without a large metal shutter in the way.

"Don't worry Kenji, I got the ice pack covered. Just let me..." Junpei didn't give anyone time to object as he suddenly removed his shirt, giving everyone a full view of his toned, fit body underneath.

"Uwah?!" Ichirin let out a shocked squeal, face burning a bright red.

"Oh. Oh my." Was the only thing Yaya could say.

Kai's cheeks glowed a light pink. 'W-What's he doing?! Why did he take his shirt off?!'

"There we go. Now..." Junpei trailed off as he took his shirt and scooped handfuls of ice onto it, then wrapped and folded it into a small ice pack. He was completely ignorant to their reactions. If anything, he seemed pleased that they reacted at all, judging by his confident smirk.

"H-Huh?" Shun had now appeared on the scene, and was now greeted with a shirtless Junpei. "Y-You know I was getting a plastic bag to make one, Kenji. Junpei didn't have to take off his shirt..." He was holding a small bag in his hand.

"Well..." The personal trainer scratched at the back of his scalp. "This is...a bit awkward..."

"Something tells me you were just trying to show off..." Yaya said with a sneer. "And you succeeded, judging by Ichirin's and Kai's faces. Didn't know our mute little friend rolled that way..."

'W-What? I'm not like that at all! ...right?'

Kai's cheeks burned hotter as he did his best to look away, holding the one that ached. Ichirin remained quiet, shuffling her feet across the floor with her arms folded behind her back.

The grandmaster only let out a victorious giggle. "Oh, I'm just playing with you two. It's just so easy to tease you. Why, it's not fair!"

"I-I'll go ahead and put my shirt on now, I feel like I've made the situation worse..." Junpei sighed, disposing of the ice cubes in the trash bit before slipping back into his damp shirt.

"I mean, Kai could still gawk at you if he wanted to, now that your shirt is practically see-through." Yaya continued to tease.

"A-Anyway!" Ichirin stammered, trying to get the conversation out of the gutter. "W-We should get Kai his ice pack. His cheek's looking very swollen right now."

"She's right. Let's just put this aside for now, and get to work on that..." Kenji agreed, and in mere moments the mime artist was holding a makeshift cold pack, or a plastic bag filled to the brim with ice cubes, to his hurting cheek.

He had to admit, even if it looked silly and his hand was incredibly cold, he felt leagues better to now be soothing the pain. Though it was a pain having to write with one hand.

"So, where should we go now?"

"Well, why don't we check out the supermarket? I mean, the place IS open." Junpei suggested with a shrug. "Plus, I don't know about you guys, but I could kill for a protein shake right about now."

"I agree. Not on the protein shake bit, but I could really go for a snack." Yaya added.

"Sounds good! I've always been wanting to explore more of it. Come on, let's go!" Shun grinned.

Kai, Ichirin, and Kenji all silently agreed, and the party of six made their way to the supermarket.

The supermarket was a very large and spacious shop, with an equally large inventory to boot. From end to end large shelves stood high, stocked high and low with all sorts of foodstuff. From where Kai was standing, he could see breakfast cereals, canned fruits and vegetables. On the far right side there were a row of refrigerators, supplied with dairy products like milk and cheese. The air was warm, and smelled like freshly baked bread.

"Alright, I'll be right back. Gonna go grab a protein shake." Junpei grinned, pointing over his shoulder to the dairy section of the store.

"I'll be coming with you." Yaya said. "I may get something to drink as well."

"Oh, count me in!" Shun beamed. "Got a hankering for some strawberry milk!"

"Alright. You guys coming with?" Junpei looked to Kai, Kenji and Ichirin.

"Nah, I'm good. How about you two?"

"No thanks..." Ichirin spoke in a low, soft whisper.

Kai shook his head.

"Suit yourself!"

With that, the three walked off to the far right of the supermarket towards the dairy section. Kenji smiled warmly as he took in a very deep breath.

"Mmm, you guys smell that?" Without a doubt he was talking about the smell of bread, which Kai could smell when they came into the shop. "Oooh, I just have to see what pastries they have here!" And without much of a warning, he had started following the aroma, making a mad dash toward the source.

"K-Kenji! Don't run so fast!" Ichirin cried from behind.

Kai only pinched his nose in annoyance. 'Jeez, there is no off switch on this kid, is there...'

"Should we follow after him? I don't want to see him get hurt..."

He reluctantly nodded.

By the time the two had found Kenji, the journalist was bent over a display case with his hands pressed against. He was staring down a whole set of sweet snacks. Maybe he was staring a bit too intently, as he was breathing hard enough to create a cloud of condensation on the thick glass. Doughnuts glazed over with icing sugar or syrup glistened under the light, while danishes stuffed with rich cream or fruit jam oozed their contents on the wax paper beneath them. The whole display was making Kenji's mouth water.

Kai had to admit he was drooling a bit seeing the pastries as well. But that wasn't his biggest focus at the moment. From another section of the store he could hear snoring. As in, someone was sleeping here.

"You hear it, too?" Ichirin asked, having heard it as well.

"Oooh, they all look so good!" Kenji chirped in delight, looking over a doughnut topped with chocolate sauce and sprinkles. "Maybe I'll get one of these..."

Apparently Kenji was so concerned with the sweet treats, that he didn't notice the loud snoring. The mime tapped his shoulder only to get no response. Kai repeated this three more times with the same result, which only further irritated him.

"Hey Kai, which one do you think sounds the best-"

He didn't get to finish as Kai slapped his free hand over his mouth, silencing him in a heartbeat. Ichirin let out a small squeak from the sudden movement, but remained quiet. Several seconds passed before Kai removed his hand and adjusted his grip on the ice pack with his other hand, now ice cold from pressing the makeshift ice pack.

'Please tell me you heard it now...'

"Oh, that's what you were trying to tell me?" A small sweat bullet slipped down his cheek. "Haha, sorry about that, guess I was carried away by these treats, eh?"

'Yes. Very much.'

"Should we investigate it? I-I mean, that means someone is sleeping here, right?" Ichirin asked, looking in the direction of where the snoring was coming from.

"Yeah, it would make the most sense. Come on, let's go."

"You two go on ahead." Kenji turned back to the shelf. "I'm still thinking about what to get."

Kai had to force himself from grabbing Kenji by the neck and smashing his head through the glass as he took Ichirin's hand and walked away from the bakery, leaving him behind.

Okay. I feel absolutely awful with updating this story with a 4,000+ word chapter but only have two character introductions compared to last time when I had four in the last part. But I really didn't want to have a massive wall of text for people to read. Some other writers may do that but it isn't my style, and I really didn't want to burn myself out with writing more.

I really do hope that doesn't upset anyone. Or make anyone think I'm just trying to drag this out as much as I can.

But on a more positive note, the entire Prologue to this story will be five parts long. And the last two parts will have four character introductions each for the last eight characters needing yet to be introduced to the story. Not to mention that a good friend, Prince PokéPersona, has beta read this chapter and has helped shape it to what it is. So thanks a ton for that dude! :)

One final thing. I'm thinking about doing some responses to reviews in the story, ones that ask questions regarding the story or some predictions or something like that. What do you guys think. Tell me in the reviews.

But anyway, I'll be taking my leave. See you all in the next chapter. Ciao!~