Chapter 2: Into the Heart of Darkness
(Disclaimer: All characters are Atlus's property.. See notes below)
The amount of cell security was excessive, to say the least; everything, from the bars to the windows for giving inmates food, everything was barred with chains.
I mean, I am a juvenile delinquent, he thought, but this seems like a gross human rights violation. He took comfort in knowing at least his cell was padded with soft, purple suede.
Still, Akira wasn't a huge fan of cells. He made this clear by shaking on his cell bars like some caged animal.
His pair of pint-sized twin guards (he labeled them Twin Buns and Pigtails for the time being) was not impressed by the noise their "inmate" was making.
Both girls continued to stand post but turned to meet him and his boorish noise-making.
"So you've come to, Inmate," Twin Buns responded to his right, proud and full of prepubescent insolence.
Her twin spoke up afterward in a more poised, elegant tone. "You are only experiencing this as a dream."
Twin Buns continued to disturb the peace with her loud screeching. "You're in the presence of our master. Stand up straight!"
"My back is straight, you whiny little bi…girl," Akira quipped. He was still talking to a little girl after all. A brat, but a little girl nonetheless.
Twin Buns took out a baton stick and slammed it with a terrifying amount of force. "Stand STRAIGHT!"
Akira reckoned he'd shut up for the time being. The amount of force from that small girl...a meter high girl no less.
His big-nosed prison warden kept his freakishly big smile and bloodshot, overinflated eyes on Akira. Leaning forward, with his stubby legs still crossed, he continued:
"Welcome. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those are bound by a 'contract' may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well." He signed his words with the rhythmic tap of his fingers, his glassy eyes never once resting to blink. "I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well."
Igor's last line was concerning to Akira. Either way though...cages made him anxious.
"LET ME OUT," he yelled, once again pulling the bars towards him in vain.
Igor though was more concentrated on his surroundings, as if he too was out of place here.
"Still, this is surprising. The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart…to think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a prisoner of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you."
Akira could only spare exasperation at this point for this...puppet-looking creature.
"By ruin, I speak the end to everything. However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated.' Rehabilitated towards freedom….that is your only means to avoid ruin…do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"
Akira was still overwhelmed at this point. Ruin? Rehabilitation? This living doll should at least have explained more about what was going to create an apocalypse if it was that serious. But at this point, his gut was telling him to switch off his mind and go along.
"I'd rather avoid ruin," Akira said while swallowing his curiosity.
"Then allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation."
It was the cue for the twins to do an about face towards Akira.
"Ahh, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline, and to your left is Justine."
Caroline, baton ready behind her, had to get her two cents in. "Hmph, try and struggle as hard as you like."
Justine, tucking an open, massive tome under her right armpit, followed up with:
"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators…that is, if you remain obedient."
Igor continued with his introductory spiel:
"I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion. Now then, it seems the night is waning…It is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually."
The sound of an alarm multiplied throughout the chamber.
"Times up!" chimed Caroline. "Now hurry up and go back to sleep!"
"You be quiet!" yelled Akira, ignoring the surprised look in Caroline's eye as he rushed to the bars. "We're not done here, Igor!"
It was useless though. Igor, and the room itself began to surrender itself to darkness.
4/10
Akira woke up, still in a daze. For a dream, that was quite a vivid one.
Either way, Sojiro did insist on properly introducing ourselves to the Shujin administration. Akira knew better though it would be a lecture from them rather than a warm welcome.
Sojiro walked up the stairs. "Well looks like you're up." He sported today a white suit, white fedora, and khaki pants. He still had that dumb shirt on, and the whole ensemble he had made him look like he was trying too hard to bring the '80s back. Though he got the impression he hadn't left the shop ever since the '80s. "Well then, let's go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. The school you're attending is in the Aoyama district. It'll cost you a bit to ride the train there, and the route transfers are a pain. I'll drive you there, but just for today. Let's go."
A walk a bit past Sojiro's house revealed that Sojiro's car at least wasn't stuck in the '80s like his clothes.
It was stuck in the '60s. He probably hasn't switched out the engine since then.
Looking at the buggy, Akira was reminded of the days when Japan was only known for producing cheap cars rather than examples of compact efficiency.
As Akira entered Sojiro's passenger seat, Sojiro couldn't help but say dejectedly:
"Sheesh…men aren't usually allowed in my passenger seat."
With what Sojiro is wearing, Akira thought, I would be surprised if any woman would volunteer to be in his passenger seat.
Heading into the next tunnel, the pair found them now in the darkness.
Meanwhile, in another realm of darkness, there lied an empty subway tunnel of two antiparallel train tracks. One side of tracks twisted towards a soft blue light presiding over a set of decrepit graves. The graves themselves were mounted in front of an impenetrable wall of metal piping and tubes. With the help of a brisk wind, clumps of newspaper would pay their respects at the graves, and then depart back into the darkness. On the opposite rail, a subway train full of what were seemingly people carted itself to unknown places. It wasn't of this world, however; the carts that periodically passed glowed neon red, so that a train passing through was like a laser beam piercing the dark tunnels ahead. The cries of something otherworldly populated the dark abyss. Ones of anguish. Ones of anger. Ones of laughter. Either way, they blended into something horrific, and they complemented a thick, oppressive air.
But then, the bloodcurdling cries of a plainly dressed man running began to sound.
He was running away from something; maybe the cries of the beings chasing him. Much to his misfortune, he found himself in a dead end. A gunshot pierced the man's right knee. He fell readily into the first tombstone placed in front of him, crashing readily through it. Instead of blood, though, a black tar was slowly oozing from his knee, pooling onto the ground and evaporating into a pixelated wisp. The frantic screams of a woman running also followed. The dark responded with another gunshot, and a woman in business clothes fell so that she was just at the border of being visible to the man. The wounded man turned towards the woman, and her to him. She saw her oozing blood from her forehead, just covering her bright yellow cat's eyes.
A gunshot into her temple made quick work of her. By the time she laid face down on the ground, the man could only catch a brief glimpse of her right eye before a puddle covered it up. It was nearly out of her socket, next to a large exit wound.
A man then appeared from the darkness. Or, rather, someone with the appearance of a man, but shrouded in a black cloud that hugged its figure. A quick cackle came from this deadly figure as it was standing over the deceased woman. Her corpse, clothes and all, was now starting to melt into tar and evaporate.
"My my, you two made me run quite far. I hope he appreciates my dedication after this. And your friend here made me waste my last bullet."
The bleeding man could only say a few words between his gasps of terror.
"P-p-p-please…I just drive trains…"
"Which is why…." The figure walked up to where the broken tombstone was and grabbed the man by the throat.
"NO, PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME!"
"Kill you?" said the dark figure with a bit of laughter at the back of his throat. "Please. But first…"
A collapsible baton appeared in his free hand.
"For wasting more of my time by running…"
A whack at the man's nose produced a black spray that hit the adjacent graves. At the man's knee were shards of what was his nose. There was now a hole between his eyes, and the black ooze was now flowing steadily from his head. The "man" was still alive, but horribly disoriented. He was still gasping out of fright.
The man's tormentor then summoned black and red streaks that enveloped everything within a meter radius, so that the blue light setting the scene was swallowed whole.
Cries of agony could be heard through the black veil. Though not too long. They soon bled into the sirens of the train passing by.
Sojiro and Akira walked a block from where they parked to where Shujin Academy was. The gates blocking the entrance stairway were up. Fortunately, someone had left them unlocked for the pair.
Before they entered, though, Sojiro pulled Akira aside to sigh to himself and then to say something to him.
"Do me a favor and behave yourself, all right? Don't get me wrong—I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any trouble."
Akira felt like they needed some more levity. "Geez, I thought you starting to get soft on me. I mean you did say men aren't usually allowed in your passenger seat."
"Don't get any bright ideas. I don't swing that way you weirdo. Just…let's go already."
The school was appropriately empty. Entering Shujin, though, both were greeted with a multitude of national championship trophies, primarily for volleyball. Before coming, Akira was told that Shujin was famous for its volleyball. It didn't matter to him though, as he wasn't the biggest fan of sports.
"Well, it's a shame that you're not the athletic type; the volleyball team here could straighten a punk out like you."
"What are you talking about?" Akira said defensively. "I am a lot more athletic than I look you know."
"Well at least you didn't deny you're a punk; perhaps you'll get somewhere eventually. Enough window gazing. The principal's office is the 3rd floor."
Entering the principal's office, Akira was correct in his suspicions; a lecture was waiting for him. In the room were the principal (with a double chin and too much fat around the waist) and a visibly annoyed lady in a yellow long-sleeved shirt and denim skirt. 30 minutes of speeches from both and quiet listening on Akira and Sojiro's part led to the following being established:
Cause any problems, and Akira Kurusu will be immediately expelled.
And to be doubly sure as Sojiro was signing the registration papers:
"To reiterate, just so we're clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitated on accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side…You might have done a variety of things in hiding in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no places for you to go. Keep that in mind."
Akira though kept in mind he had no place to go. That's why he was here.
The principal then motioned to the lady next to her. "This is the teacher in charge of your class."
The lady thus spoke, still visibly displeased. "I'm Sadayo Kawakami. Here's your student ID. Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all…that IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?"
"He is responsible for all of his actions."
A point Akira was well aware of and didn't need a half-hour of speeches for.
Kawakami at his point wasn't even trying to hide her annoyance. "But really though, why me…? There should've been better candidates?"
Well, at least she was honest.
"It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening," the principal replied.
It was at this point that Sojiro and Akira had about enough.
"If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going?" Sojiro interjected. "I got a store to get back to."
"Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on him," Kobayakawa replied. "Don't let him cause any trouble outside…"
"Well, I'll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation he's in."
Kawakami chimed in: "Come to the faculty office you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom."
It was then Sojiro and Akira's cue to leave.
Sojiro waited until they got to the first floor before talking.
With his left hand on his neck and his right in his pockets, he remarked:
"They're treating you like some kinda nuisance….I guess that's what it means to have a criminal record. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go."
"You say like that's from experience," Akira commented.
Sojiro paused. "Then that's what it sounds like." He turned to meet Akira head on. "By the way, if you get expelled now, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?"
"…I'll be careful, ok? You…shouldn't worry about me too much."
Sojiro softly grunted in acknowledgment. Then he trailed off. "School never changes, huh? Come on…we're going home."
After exiting Shujin and walking a for a block, though, a stampede of footsteps appeared behind them.
That stampede was a group of 10 cops running in his direction.
Was this Akira's nightmare? Hard to say, but it definitely sent a chill down Akira's spine. The memories of him being pulled away…
This was all for naught though. They soon rushed past the two of them, saying "Excuse us" as they sprinted off as fast as they could.
A parade of ambulances and police cars were coming behind him as well.
Akira could only guess there was an accident down in the direction they came from.
A news alert chimed on his phone: "Breaking news: train derailed at Shibuya. Estimated 80+ people injured. Death toll rising."
Flashes of red and blue twinkled and bled into the horizon ahead.
Notes:Delicious pancakes.