(A/N Hello! Next chapter is up! I hope you enjoy it. As usual, a big thanks to Grae for his wonderful beta-reading. If you enjoy this story, please leave a review :) I would like to thank the few people who have reviewed so far)
Chapter 7
22nd June 2011
As quickly as they started, people stopped talking about Kanji Tatsumi. There were very few rumours being circulated about him being in a biker gang, and even fewer about his sexual preferences. The whispers and snide comments which had followed him for his entire life, and increased tenfold in the past six weeks, had so abruptly stopped it was almost uncanny; being on the defensive all the time had been a part of his daily existence he had come to expect.
It wasn't because they had gotten bored though; merely something more interesting had come along. There had been a rumour around town over the past few days that an idol was coming to Inaba. She'd been on the news the other night, being interviewed as to why she was taking a break from showbiz and whether she'd be giving up her career. Kanji wasn't particularly bothered or interested, he wasn't into idols or music or nothin', so the name Risette meant very little to him. He only caught the story because his Ma had the TV on whilst they ate dinner.
The rumour had the effect of making the shopping district absolutely heaving with people, especially around Marukyu Tofu. The walk to school was becoming especially difficult; ever since that news special aired he was having to fight his way through throngs of people to get past the tofu shop. Everyone stood in a mob, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the famous idol. Kanji never stopped to have a look; who cares about some girl? She probably wasn't even there anyway.
Chie had patiently explained who Rise Kujikawa was the next day at school, and why she was such a big deal. She was a local girl who had made it big a couple of years ago, and had a lucrative career ahead of her. She'd apparently even been cast in a movie; her announced hiatus had come as a shock to everyone.
Yosuke was also apparently a fan of hers, going on and on about how attractive she was, exactly what he liked about her. "Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful slim legs…" Kanji had given Yosuke an unimpressed glance. Sure, it was manly to be like that about a girl, and loadsa people were being like that about Risette, but it just sounded creepy the way Yosuke said it. Kanji didn't get it. Everyone was making such a buzz around school. The girls wanted to be like her and the boys were completely enamoured with her. According to Yu-senpai it even got Ms Kashiwagi jealous; she had apparently gone on a rant whilst teaching the second years, and called Risette "inexperienced jailbait" that no one should get excited about. A freakin' teacher trying to compete with an idol around thirty years her junior.
In any case, Risette had appeared on the midnight channel. The image was really faint and hard to make out; it was a girl in a bikini. Yosuke swore that it was Risette who appeared; Kanji was happy to take his word for it. Dude spent long enough staring at her body to know the details, he was bound to know.
The next day at school they had come up with a battle plan. Kanji couldn't remember whose idea it was, but the entire team ended up going to Marukyu Tofu in order to try to warn to her. Chie said they had tried to do this with him too; they had seen a blurry outline of a guy on the midnight channel, worked out who it was, and tried to keep an eye on him before he could get kidnapped. Kanji thought back to the first time he met these guys; it did explain why Chie and Yosuke were following him the day he met Naoto, and why he ran into them again outside of his home.
A plainclothes cop was doing traffic control outside of Marukyu Tofu. Kanji was familiar with most of the police force; this was a relatively new guy, transferred from the city earlier this year. Kanji tried to talk to him about Rise, but Adachi-san seemed nervous and quickly made his excuses to leave. He was replaced by Detective Dojima who had no such fear talking to Kanji. Huh. Kanji didn't realise that he was Yu's uncle; he only vaguely knew him. Whilst it was rare for a detective to be sent to reprimand him after the many occasions he'd been hauled into the station, the Inaba police force wasnt that big so he'd unofficially met most people. The old guy hadn't seemed too happy that his nephew was hanging out with the likes of him. Whatever, he wasn't doin' nothin. Plus, Kanji liked Yu. He was a decent guy.
Dojima-san had told them not to bother Rise too much, that this place was her home first and foremost. Kanji couldn't argue with that; it had pissed him off when those reporters were hanging around the textile shop after the biker incident. Still, they had come this far to talk to her, they might as well try. One thing Kanji had noticed about the investigation team is that whilst they were kinda proactive in some ways, when it actually came to upfront talking to people they really sucked. Yosuke was especially bad, dithering and hanging back at the Tofu shop, completely star struck, trying to think of an excuse to talk to Risette. Kanji rolled his eyes; he wasn't gonna have any of it; he just walked up to the one lady in there and asked to speak to had gone under the guise of buying some tofu as to not appear suspicious; Kanji had given Yosuke a crash course in the different types of Tofu the place sold. How on earth had this guy reached the age of seventeen and not know this stuff?
The lady had turned out to be Rise. She was so unlike the girl Chie had told him about; Kanji had expected someone bouncy and energetic, not quiet and subdued. It had been a chance to get even with Yosuke as well. The guy was absolutely smitten and had no idea how to talk to her. Kanji had taken particular delight in "letting slip" everything Yosuke had said about Risette's curves.
Yu was surprisingly candid about everything; telling Rise about the midnight channel, about the kidnappings in Inaba, and asked her outright if she had seen anything unusual. Kanji wished they had done the same with him; he'd have been more on his guard if there was this stuff going down. Maybe the bastard wouldn't have been able to attack him the way he did. Rise answered their questions plainly in return, but was adamant that the figure on the midnight channel was not her. She didn't own a swimsuit like the one the girl on the midnight channel was wearing, and apparently her bust wasn't as big as it had appeared. Kanji hadn't noticed.
They left, with a plan to return the next day at Yosuke's request.
23rd June 2011
The figure on the Midnight channel was clearer last night; a figure of a girl in a yellow bikini, hair pulled into pigtails. Despite what Rise said yesterday, that was definitely her on TV. Even Kanji was sure of it, though the girl on TV was a lot creepier than the person they had met yesterday. The way the figure was moving just seemed unnatural.
Kanji had thought about the kidnappings, and there was just something about the entire thing which didn't make sense. It was seriously bugging him. He could understand why someone would target him; loadsa people probably would be happy to have him taught a lesson, but targeting people like Yukiko and now this Rise girl? That just didn't sit right. They couldn't have made people hate them so much they wanted to see them hurt, or killed. Like, he'd been fightin' gangs and shit since middle school. He musta upset a lotta important people. But he couldn't imagine Yukiko upsetting anyone to the point of murder.
The plan was to stakeout at the shop and catch the kidnapper red handed. They had gone to the supermarket to get some food beforehand, and ran into that cop, Adachi-san. Unlike most cops Kanji had met, he seemed willing to listen to them. Hell, he even agreed with their plan to hang out in front of the shop all day. He'd decided to come with them, though, for their safety. Kanji had to admit, it would be useful to have a cop on side should they need to apprehend someone.
There was still a mob outside of the tofu shop; once they confirmed that Rise was inside, they tried to blend in with the crowd and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. It was freakin' tedious. Kanji was soon bored out of his mind. Hanging around was insufferably dull, and they couldn't even talk that much to each other for fear of missing something important. They had broken off into pairs, and Kanji had drawn the short straw of getting Yosuke as his partner. Yu was further up ahead with Adachi-san, and Yukiko and Chie were hanging back outside of the shop entrance.
After an hour or so of walking up and down the street in front of the shop, he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. They weren't weird in and of themselves except for the fact that they were half way up a telephone pole. Hey-
"What the hell are you doin'?!" Kanji shouted, his voice loud and powerful, ringing out over the excited murmur of the crowd. Yosuke snapped his head up at the sudden noise and looked to where Kanji was gesturing. The man heard him, startled, and almost lost his grip; he looked decidedly unbalanced, wobbling on the top of the pole. He was a portly, bespectacled middle aged man, with an old fashioned camera slung around his neck. He was looking directly into the upper levels of the tofu shop. He panicked at Kanji's shout, almost dropping the camera. Yeah, that asshole he looked like someone who would kidnap women. That sonnova bitch! Was this the bastard who pushed him into the TV as well?! And gone after Yukiko, Saki-senpai and Ms Yamano too… that sick fuck. Kanji was going to end him.
The man, realising he'd been caught, slid down the telephone pole and broke into a run as soon as he hit the ground; he was surprisingly quick on his feet for someone of his size and stature.
"Get back here! Stop running, dammit!" Kanji growled, already giving chase, his long legs working up to a full sprint. He quickly closed the distance between them, ready to tackle him. The man reached the road, stopped and turned to face him. His beady eyes were wide with fear and his cheeks red from exertion. Kanji could hear the others catching up. His hands were balled into fists; he was ready to launch himself at the guy and start breaking things. Anything. I'll break his fucking face! The guy held his hands in front of him as a barrier. Kanji could see his limbs shaking.
"D-don't c-come near me!"
"Shaddup!" Kanji snarled, his shoulders tense. "What kinda idiot would listen to-"
The guy interrupted him, edging back onto the road.
"I-I'll do it, you know! What're you gonna do if I get run over!?" Traffic was hurtling past him, dangerously close; because of Rise's popularity there was more cars on the road than usual. The rest of the group had caught up. They needed to incapacitate him. There was no way they were letting him hurt himself in order to avoid what was coming to him. Kanji could vaguely hear Adachi-san saying something, out of breath, but his attention was focussed on the bastard in front of him.
"Are you the kidnapper?!" Chie shouted, her temper flaring. The guy was frantically shaking his head, gripping his camera close to his chest. Kanji could see the sweat beading on his forehead.
"I will walk into traffic! I'll do it!" Kanji cast a sideways glance at Yosuke who seemed to have the same idea as Kanji; his body was tense, his shoulders hunched. They waited until a delivery truck passed them, the road was briefly clear. Three- two- one-
They launched forward simultaneously, Kanji sprinting to get behind the guy and tackle him to the ground on the pavement rather than in the middle of the street. The bastard barely put up any resistance; he hadn't anticipated getting the full brunt of Kanji's force, and went down easily. Kanji pinned him to the concrete, kneeling on the guys back, holding him limbs down. He'd been in enough fights to no not to give the opponent any sort of advantage. Yosuke joined in, pinning the guy's legs, making sure the guy couldn't flail about or kick them. He was protesting, screaming that they were assaulting an ordinary citizen. Kanji snapped at him to shut it.
"We caught him stalking Rise!" Chie told Adachi-san. "He's the one who has been killing people!" The guy began to protest, saying he was innocent, that he just was taking some pictures. "It's no use playing dumb!" she snapped.
"Yep, you're the culprit, all right." Adachi-san said, his expression shifting from looking worried to looking pleased, smiling at Kanji and Yosuke as he approached. "No two ways about it. All right, I'll take it from here."
They carefully got up, Kanji maintaining a grip on the guy's collar. He hurled him to his feet in one rough movement, not giving him a chance to bolt. The guy choked slightly, her shirt collar cutting into his neck, but Kanji didn't relax his grip. Bastard deserved it.
"We'll hear your story down at the station!" Adachi-san said, giggling slightly. He coughed, slightly embarrassed, but couldn't keep the smile from his voice. "Oh, how I've waited to use that line!" He reached for his handcuffs and carefully cuffed the guy's hands behind his back. With a firm grip on the guy's shoulders he began to lead him away. The commotion had garnered some attention from the crowd. Adachi-san was ignoring the stares and whispers of the onlookers, patiently reciting the guy's rights, explaining that he was arrested under suspicion of murder. The guy was starting to cry, blubbering tears streaming down his cheeks, wailing that he was innocent, that what he was doing wasn't illegal in any way. Kanji knew what that felt like, but he didn't feel sorry for the guy, he felt a sense of justice and retribution. He smirked. He hoped the bastard got what was coming to him.
"Looks like the killer was a pervert, just like we thought." Chie said, watching the scene with her hands on her hips. "Wait… does this mean the case is closed?" She sounded elated.
"Hey we should give Rise the good news!" Yosuke said, obviously keen to speak to his idol again. The four of them headed into the Tofu shop.
Rise was nowhere to be seen.
24th June 2011
Kanji thought that they had prevented Rise's kidnap; seeing the midnight channel was a surprise. They did everything they could to prevent it, he knew that, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment that even after they chased and apprehended a guy, it wasn't enough. It turned out the bastard they had tackled was just your regular peeping tom, not the killer.
He had never seen the midnight channel in it's full glory before, so he didn't really know what to expect. It had surprised him when the TV had flickered into life, the sound crackling and loud pounding music began to play. It was so dramatically different from the blurry, static filled images of the past few rainy nights. It looked exactly like a low budget, late night TV show, from the stage to the lights, everything a psychedelic purple and neon yellow. Was this what his midnight channel was like; did it have the same late night TV appearance? Was it as carnal? He thought back to being trapped inside the bathhouse, watching in horror as his Shadow paraded himself as if he was in front of a camera crew, appealing for men, for sex. He felt a surge of empathy for Rise; she was probably going through the same thing.
Her show was very... sexual. The way her shadow moved and acted, it made him uncomfortable. She was leaning forward, showing her exaggerated chest, before snapping her body backwards to display her legs, her thighs. Were other people watching this? Watching her shadow display her body like this, against her will?
"Good evening, good evening! I'm Rise Kujikawa! " The girl on TV said, waving at the camera. Her voice had an echoey, musical quality, but there was something so sinister about it. Kanji felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to rise. "This spring, one young girl levels up to become a high school idol! So today, I'm gonna celebrate by pushing the limits of Standards & Practices! Does everybody know what time it is? Showtime! Show what, huh?"
She giggled, her hand over her mouth, suddenly looking coquettish. "Every-thing!" She squealed in delight and mock embarrassment. "How embarrassing! Is this too hot for TV!? Well, if a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing all the way! I'm gonna bare it all for you! Stay tuned!
The image on the TV flickered away, leaving the usual black screen. They had to get her out of there. Oh hell, they had to save her quickly. Kanji knew what it was like to be so powerless against your Shadow as they used your voice, your face to say things about you. And even if they got her out, if they were too late then who knows what else her Shadow would have done in the meantime. Kanji's had revealed a part of himself he had been denying, and he'd had to deal with hell as a result. Sure, Rise was an idol, but if her Shadow did what it was threatening to, then she would have to deal with the same. Or worse.
How many people were watching this? How many people were enjoying what they saw, waiting in anticipation for Risette revealing herself. How many of the sick fucks were getting pleasure from this? Or jerking off? He briefly thought to Yosuke. Nah, the guy is a perverted dick, but he wouldn't stoop so low, would he?
His phone began to ring; Yu's name was on the display. Kanji flicked the phone open.
"Hello? Yeah, Senpai, it's me." Kanji listened intently as Yu outlined a plan. They were going to meet at Junes tomorrow and go into the TV to rescue her. Kanji nodded, and made grunting noises of agreement.
"Uh huh. Yeah. Sure. See you tomorrow." Yu hung up. Kanji sat on the sofa in the living room, and ran his hands through his hair. He let out an annoyed groan before leaning forwards, resting his forehead on his hands, thinking hard. He hadn't anticipated needing to go back into the TV. In fact, he hadn't thought much about what the guys did when they went in to rescue people. But it made sense; they did go in to save him. The thought of going back into the sauna was making him feel slightly sick and anxious.
He shook his head at the thought and clenched his teeth. This wasn't like him. He was Kanji Tatsumi, dammit. He wasn't scared of going back to that place. He wasn't scared of anything. He certainly wasn't afraid of going into the TV and kicking some serious ass.
? June 2011
The glimpse of Maru-Q Striptease on Rise's midnight channel did little to prepare him for the actual reality of the place. It was a strip joint; or at least the facade of one. The low budget, made-for-TV appearance was even more apparent now that he could see it properly. Everything about that place was cheap, from the pink-and-purple carpet and matching wallpaper, to the godawful neon strip lights. Tube lights were formed into outlines of naked women, standing, beckoning, sitting, flashing on and off. Behind every wall he could see how artificial it all was; there wasn't a proper ceiling, behind the yellow strip lights and tacky chandeliers TV spotlights and rigging lurked in the shadows.
Along every wall there were posters of Risette, each advertising her upcoming striptease in bright text. She was going to "bare it all for TV", "show every last inch" and more. The poses she was pulling in the posters, wearing skimpy outfits or her underwear, were revealing to the point of ridiculousness. Kanji could feel himself blushing. He tried not to look at them too much.
Most prominent of all was the music. The repeating refrain had a deep, pounding bassline, thumping over and over. It made Kanji's ears ring, and was giving him one hell of a headache, worse than being in this place usually did. As they ventured deeper into the strip joint the louder it seemed to get.
It was huge too. Every corridor ended with a heavy purple curtain, a projection of a heart or lips shining on it, only to be pulled aside to reveal more of the same beyond. It was never ending. Purple corridor after purple corridor. Posters. Lights. Pole-dancing poles. Stages. Kanji had flashbacks back to the bathhouse, how it was room after room of hot coals and benches, all lacquered wood and steam. At least it wasn't hot in here. Every time he thought they were getting close to where Rise was being held, egged on by Rise's Shadow, more of the strip club seemed to materialise. The fog surrounded them; even if they couldn't see it, it drained them. The neon tube lighting didn't illuminate much; it was hard to see in the place. The entire club was dark, shadowy, sleazy.
The other-Rise was keen to keep them company. Just like Kanji's Shadow, she would frequently talk to them, her disembodied voice loud even over the pounding music. Kanji didn't really know what Risette was like as a celebrity, but the way her Shadow acted was irritating as hell. She would frequently squeal and giggle, speaking in a high pitched sing-song voice.
"Today you're gonna see every last inch of me. Whats that? You don't believe me? Just follow me a little further in and I'll prove that I'm every bit as good as my word." It was going too far. The disembodied roar of the crowd they heard in there was so loud; cheers of appreciation and anticipation. It made him feel sick. Even Yosuke commented that they had to do something fast. This was a thousand times worse than hearing a few nasty secrets.
Kanji hated the thought of people watching him in the bathhouse, watching his other self parade around and expose his body, soliciting sex and male companionship. He hated people getting the wrong idea about him, though if they did he rarely tried to correct them, and seeing it happen to someone else was almost as bad.
? July 2011
It had taken them ages but they had finally made it to where Rise was being kept. Yu pulled aside the heavy velvet curtain and revealed a huge room beyond. It was far larger than the room Kanji had been in. The music in here was much quieter than outside, though he could still feel the vibrations from the bass. At the far side there was a stage, a stripper pole standing in the middle of it. Rise and her Shadow were there. The shadow of Risette was standing tall next to the pole, her hands behind her back, wearing nothing but a tiny yellow bikini. Rise was kneeling on the ground, her head bowed. They were arguing; Kanji couldn't hear the words initially, but he could see how Rise was shaking her head as if in pain. He recognised that broken movement. He remembered how he felt the same, completely at a loss as to how to overcome all of the things your Shadow was saying. It made him so angry. He curled his lips back into a snarl and took a decisive step forwards. He heard the others following after him.
Rise's Shadow turned and faced them as they ran towards her, her yellow eyes cruel and focussed despite her coy smile.
"All eyes are on me now"
"Stop it," Rise said, choking back tears. Her Shadow laughed, throwing her head back, making her pigtails bounce.
"Aww what's the matter? You wanna show your stuff don'tcha? How's this? Rise's Shadow gracefully leaped back onto the stage, grabbing the pole with one hand and swinging herself around. She wrapped one leg around it and leaned back, stretching and laughing.
"Please stop this..."
Shadow Rise laughed again and gestured to the kneeling Rise.
"Oh she wants me to stop!" She sneered. "That's so funny! As if that's even close to what you're thinking, you little skank! You're me, and, obviously, I'm you!"
Rise protested, shaking her head, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. Her Shadow ignored her, gesturing once more to the group with a perfectly manicured hand.
"C'mon, look! You can't tear your eyes away!" She ran her hands down her body, cupping her breasts, stroking her stomach as she leaned back on the pole. "This is me! This is who I really am! Not Risette, the fake celebrity! Look at the girl right in front of you!" Her voice was desperate, full of anger and resentment under the coquettish flirting. Kanji couldn't tell it wasn't aimed at them or not. She'd seemed to have honed in on Yosuke and Yu.
"I'm sick of being some airhead cliche who chokes down everything she's fed and takes it all with a smile! "Risette"? Who the hell is she? There's no such person in this world! I'm no one but myself!" "C'mon look at me!" Kanji looked away, casting a sideways glance to Yosuke who was blushing furiously, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at Rise's Shadow. Rise, crumpled on the floor, lowered her head into her hands and began to cry.
"And now, the moment you've been waiting for! It's time for me to show you every last inch of myself!" She giggled again, gesturing once again to Yosuke and Yu. "And for our guests in the front row, I'll give you extra-special, extra-intense service!" Yosuke finally found his voice, coughing, embarrassed.
"Looks like she had issues of her own after all" he muttered. "But we'll stop her from going berserk!" He was gripping his kunai tightly, his knuckles white. Kanji felt a shiver going down his spine. He rolled his shoulders, gripping the edge of the metal desk he'd bought for combat purposes. They would end this.
The fight was over quickly, but hadn't gone in the way they expected. Kanji had been in loadsa fights before; they were usually quick, dirty affairs, intense and short lived. And usually him against a gang. There was something odd about being in a group, coordinating their strikes. But it was finally over.
She was weak, almost broken, but still stood tall when she accepted her Shadow. There was obviously more going in her head than he was aware of; her voice was quiet as she accepted her shadow as a part of her. She'd collapsed soon after, and he and Yosuke had helped carry her out of the strip club and into Junes. It was a relief to be away from the pounding music and into a place with proper lighting.
Yukiko and Chie offered to escort her home. Kanji went with them; he lived in the shopping district anyway and, after it became clear that she really wasn't in a fit state to walk, it made sense for him to carry her. She hardly weighed anything, but he still felt slightly uneasy carrying her through the streets of Inaba. They had gotten a few odd looks; after all it looked suspicious as hell to have someone like Kanji, a delinquent thug, carrying a barely conscious former idol through town. Yukiko and Chie helped to deflect any questions.
"She's just tired!"
"She overdid it today."
"We are taking her home to her Grandma."
They eventually made their way to Marukyu Tofu, Chie and Yukiko chatting happily. Kanji didn't say much. It wasn't particularly late; the midsummer sun was barely setting, and there were still a few people milling around the shopping district. Rise revived somewhat as they approached her Grandma's shop, and even insisted on walking the last few feet. Something had been bothering Kanji; how on earth she had managed to get kidnapped in the middle of the day when there were so many people around? Surely someone must have seen something, raised the alarm?
He began to ask her, but Yukiko quickly halted that line of questioning. He could see why; Rise looked exhausted.
"Are you going to be okay?" Chie asked. Rise unsteadily walked up the front steps to the tofu shop. Leaning on the door slightly, she turned to face them.
"I'll be fine. Thank you."
"Hey, don't mention it," Chie said, smiling. "We'll see you at school when you recover!"
They parted ways after that. Kanji stretched, feeling his shoulder pop. That was better. He'd left his desk in a surreptitious location in Junes; as much as it was useful in a fight it was a bitch to carry around for any length of time, and nothing more suspicious than carrying furniture around from one end of town to the other.
They hadn't caught the killer, but they had rescued Rise. When she recovered, they would ask her more about what happened.
