Chapter 14 – Thug Beatdown
June 06, 2009 - After School
Gekkoukan High
SATURDAY
"A monk that hangs out in clubs?" I asked Yuko as we walked down the hall. "Isn't that kind of... I don't know... Against their rules or something?"
"Hey, don't ask me." Yuko shrugged. "I just heard it from the rumors." She shuddered. "Speaking of rumors, what do you think about those students? The ones who collapsed?"
I shook my head. "Something doesn't add up, that's for sure."
She suddenly punched my arm. "Hey! Are you just saying those things to scare me?"
"Huh?" I rubbed the arm that she punched. "Um... no?" I'm just distracted because of our plans for tonight...
"Whatever. Hey, c'mon let's go to Paulownia Mall." Yuko pouted, then ran ahead.
EVENING
IWATODAI DORM
I went home as soon as Yuko and I parted with the kids we met at the Mall.
Yuko as a coach, huh? I can imagine that. I chuckled. Those poor kids gotta be ready for some hard work.
"Everybody's here." Yukari stood up from her seat on the couch. "C'mon. Let's get going."
Junpei sighed. "Are you really that excited for this? I still think this is a bad idea." He was still sitting on the couch. "I mean, how can you be afraid of ghosts, but not be afraid of this?"
"It's easier to be scared of something you can't see, don'tcha think?"
"Actually, I'm more worried about things I can see... Like bats and knives." Junpei argued.
Yukari sighed. "Ugh. So it's a little dangerous... Just think of it as an adventure!"
Junpei grudgingly stood up. "More like a suicide mission." He muttered.
I scratched the back of my head as they argued. Again... "This isn't really the best idea, I know." Yukari turned to glare at me. "But let's just get this over with." I said before she could interrupt.
"How can you be so calm with this?!" Junpei exclaimed.
Well, considering that I've faced worse enemies than thugs before...
"The two of you are crazy..." He sighed.
PORT ISLAND STATION, BACK ALLEY
"What's up with those three?" Some thug asked as we approached their group. "Those uniforms... Hey, those're Gekkou's!"
"Erk... This is bad... Worse than I realized." Junpei said as he looked at the punks surrounding us.
"Stupei! Stop gawking!" Yukari whispered.
"I can't help i-"
"Hey, you." One punk -presumably the leader- said intimidatingly. "I think you're in the wrong place."
I looked around us. Hmph. Classic thug behavior... Surround the prey so they can't escape as the leader takes first blood... Although the leader has to do some posturing first so he/she doesn't seem weak.
"...don't belong here." The leader was saying as he walked up to us. "Get it?"
"U-um... Well." Junpei stammered.
"I said, beat it, goatee!" The punk yelled.
"G-Goatee?" Junpei stepped back. "Oh, you must mean me." He laughed weakly.
"We don't need your permission to be here." Yukari suddenly stepped forward.
"Ooh. Feisty." The punk leader laughed to his cronies.
"H-hey, are you crazy?" Junpei whispered to Yukari. "Take a look around you!"
Yukari scoffed at Junpei's warning. "C'mon. Don't be intimidated by these scum!"
"Scum? She just called us scum!" One female crony complained. "We'll post some pics that'll make her daddy cry!" She laughed.
"These punks are the worst." Yukari muttered as she clenched her fists.
"And you!" Another crony pointed at me. "What's your deal just standin' like that, huh? Ya think you're cool or sumthin'?"
I only responded with a cool stare, causing the crony to come closer. The crony had some sort of chain connecting his nose to... His ear. One of those people who pierce themselves all over.
"I asked ya sumthin' punk." He said to my face. "Got nothing to say for yerself'?"
"That's pretty impressive." I blandly stated.
"Huh?" The crony was taken aback by my statement.
"You chained your nose to your face so you wouldn't lose it." I said with a bored look, making his punk friends laugh.
"Makes sense now!"
"Ooh! Burn!"
"He was rather forgetful. Hahaha!"
The crony, having lost face in front of his gang, retaliated in the only way he knew how. He punched me... Or at least tried to. I dodged his punch and ducked to avoid his back swing. As he stepped back, I sidestepped to avoid his rising left knee. I grabbed his raised knee, raised it further, and then kicked his right foot to make him lose his footing. As a result, he fell on his backside... Rather painfully.
Seeing their friend on the ground, the thugs perceived us as a threat. They stepped closer, menacing looks on their faces.
"That's enough." A voice came from the other end of the alley.
The punks turned around to see who had spoken. Someone dressed in a familiar maroon-violet trench coat and wore a beanie approached us.
"It's the guy from the hospital!" Junpei noticed.
"They didn't know what they were getting into." The guy from the other day said. "I'll make sure they leave. Alright?"
"Who do you think you are, huh?" The punk leader said, apparently not satisfied until he had his revenge. "You want some o' this too?" He punched the guy from the other day... Or at least tried to.
Shinjiro, -I think that was his name- caught the punk's fist and brought him closer. He then head-butted the punk and sent him to the ground.
The punk clutched his broken nose and moaned. "Aagh. Damn you, Shinjiro. Y-you just crossed the line!" He gasped. "You t-think you're going home alive?!"
Shinjiro was unfazed, however. "Wanna give it a try?"
"U-uh..." The punk stood up from the ground. "S-screw this! C'mon!" He left the alley with the females calling him a loser.
"D-damn it Shijiro!" The punk's buddy yelled as backed away from us. "Y-you're from Gekkou High too aren't ya? Y-you better grow eyes at the back of your head!" He turned around and ran after the leader.
Junpei let out the breath he was holding. "That was awesome, Senpai!"
"Hey, I remember you... You clowns were in Aki's room at the hospital." Shinjiro-senpai rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "You idiots!"
Hee-ho! Won't the beanie man make up his mind, Master?
What do you mean, Jack Frost?
He called you clowns and then he called you idiots. Hee-ho! Which is it really, Master?
I couldn't help but snicker at Jack Frost's observation, which made Shinjiro-senpai turn to me. "And you!" he pointed. "You find this funny? You nearly got your butts handed to you there."
"I... Um…"
"You may be able to handle yourself in a fight with your fancy dodging, kid." He exclaimed. "But what are you gonna do when those punks go after your friends?"
Ack... *sigh* I'm so used to working alone, that I forgot about that...
"Tch. Get outta here." Shinjiro-senpai turned around. "This place isn't for you."
Senpai got a few feet away from us when Yukari ran up to him and asked to wait. She told him that we had a reason for coming here.
"Did Aki tell you to come here?" He asked.
"Akihiko-senpai? No, he didn't." I replied.
"Hmph. You wanna know about that ghost story didn't cha?" He shook his head. "It's a rumor. Those who wound up the hospital were here talkin' shit every night... About the things they'd done to some girl named Fuuka."
"Fuuka..? Could you mean Fuuka Yamagishi from 2-E? But why would they pick on her?" Yukari asked.
"I dunno." Senpai answered. "I guess that's why people are saying Fuuka's spirit did it."
"S-spirit?" Yukari blanched at the thought of more ghosts. "W-what do you mean by that?"
Spirit? Could this be the root of those horror stories? Come to think of it... I heard it from some of her classmates that Fuuka called in sick and hasn't been to school for a while.
"This Fuuka girl might be dead." Senpai was saying. "She hasn't been home in over a week."
Dead?
"Seriously?" I scratched the back of my head. "But the only thing we've heard is that she's sick."
"But it turns out... She was missing?" Junpei continued.
"Mr. Ekoda is the homeroom teacher for 2-E right? Does he know about this?" Yukari shook her head.
"Hmph. I get it, Aki... Still trying to make up for the past... It's you who can't let go." Shijiro-senpai muttered, causing the three of us to look at him curiously. "Nothing..." He turned away. "Satisfied now?"
"Y-Yeah! Thanks, senpai!" Junpei elbowed me. "C'mon. Show some appreciation."
So this Fuuka might be dead, huh? This could mean a thousand things... She could be hiding to avoid her bullies, or she could be hiding for another reason entirely... She could also have run away from home... But her parents...
"Have her parents approached the police? If she was really missing..." I trailed off.
"Do I look like the type of guy who's close with the police?" Senpai smirked. "I dunno about that, but your best bet is that adviser, Ekoda. He might've neglected his duties in order to save his career. Tch."
I nodded. "Thanks for everything, senpai."
"...I didn't do nothin."
"You even gave us a hint!" Yukari ignored senpai's modesty. "Y-you're very kind."
"Huh?"
"I...um. Never mind." Yukari paled a bit.
Senpai shook his head again. "Hmph. Just don't come here again." And despite his harsh words, we could sense the kindness from them. Shinjiro-senpai turned around and left without another word.
Junpei feebly laughed. "Hey, c'mon guys. Let's go home. Now that senpai's gone, who knows when those punks will show up again."
June 07, 2009 – Evening
Club Escapade
SUNDAY
I entered Escapade in the hopes of meeting the 'clubbing Monk' Yuko was telling me about. Although, it was weird that I got through the front door with no hassle at all…
Near the entrance was some weird woman saying that I have a weird aura, she said that my future was bathed in both light and shadow and then asked if I wanted to hear my fortune.
"Do I have to pay anything?" I asked, wary of scams.
The woman chuckled. "No, you do not. Letting me see your fortune is payment enough."
I looked around to see if someone was paying attention to our discussion. Some onlookers looked at us, probably surprised at the weird pair we made. And that was a good thing.
So, the others can see her. That's a good thing, then. At least she's human and not a demon as I previously thought…
I turned back to the fortune-telling woman. "Maybe next time, Miss."
There was a bartender near the stairs. "And what'll ya have? ...Hey, aren't you too young to be in here?"
I was considering showing her my detective's badge –however unused it was- until I realized she wasn't going to throw me out. "Just don't cause any trouble, alright?" she said. I went up the stairs and saw what –or in the case, who- I came here for.
"Where's my booze?!" The monk yelled at me. "*hic* Where is it, huh? Where's my booze?" He drank his glass dry. "I don't got nothin' to say to any who doesn't have any booze."
I sighed and went downstairs to get his drink. "I ordered your brandy." I told him once I got back upstairs.
The monk huffed, he actually looked pleased. "You're awfully young, kid. You still in high school?" He laughed. "What're the employees thinkin', lettin' you in…? Well, since you've been so good to me… *hic* I'll pretend I'm your parent so they don't throw you out."
I shrugged and sat down beside him.
"Wanted to see where the adults hang out, huh?" The monk laughed. "Well, don't worry kid. In a few years or so, you'll be old enough to hang out here unsupervised." He put his glass down. "No need to hurry, ya hear? Actin' like an adult only makes you look more like a kid."
"That sounds pretty funny coming from an alcoholic, cigar-smoking monk." I smiled.
"Heh. Yeah, it does." The monk huffed again. "You look nothin' like those punks I see runnin' 'round town these days… Can't say the same for my son though… Always bein' questioned by the police."
"Thou art I… And I art thou…" The voice signalling the establishment of a new social link called me.
The monk suddenly waved his hand upwards, telling me to stand up. "Get outta here, kid. Go home, be with your girlfriend. You can spend the rest o' your sorry adult life here when you're older. *hic*"
I stood up, still caught in the effects of the S-Link. "I'm gonna remember your face, kid." The monk was saying. "You don't belong in a place like this…*hic*"
Outside Club Escapade
I shook my head once I got outside. I don't even know why I did that. Since when did I go to clubs just to verify a rumor? I scratched the back of my neck. *sigh* Oh well, at least I established a new S-link.
June 08, 2009 – Lunchtime
Gekkoukan High, Faculty Office
MONDAY
Intrigued by what Shinjiro-senpai told us on Saturday, Yukari, Junpei and I decided to ask Mr. Ekoda about Fuuka's circumstances. But apparently, we weren't the only ones who had the same idea.
"Oh, Mitsuru-senpai. Why are you here?" Yukari asked.
"Same reason as you three are." She turned to Mr. Ekoda. "Mr. Ekoda, I'm here to ask you about a student named Fuuka Yamagishi…"
"No!" Mitsuru's brunette companion protested. "I-I never thought it'd turn out like this… Fuuka…"
"Who's this, senpai?" I motioned to the brunette.
"W-wait! You're that girl…" Yukari answered me instead. "You were one of those who were bullying Fuuka!"
"Huh?" Junpei scratched his head. "But didn't they all… collapse?"
"I know. Which is why Moriyama is here." Mitsuru-senpai replied. "What did you do to Yamagishi?" She asked the terrified girl.
"This isn't an interrogation, Mitsuru." Ekoda chastised. "Natsuki, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to."
"I see." I blandly stated. "Isn't that the same thing you did, Mr. Ekoda? Not say anything if you didn't want to?"
"W-what?" Ekoda angrily turned to me. "What are you saying, Arisato?"
"What I'm saying is, all this time you've written down Fuuka's absence as 'due to illness'." I folded my arms. "But you should have known that she was, in fact. Missing."
Ekoda blanched at my statements but was saved from responding when Natsuki Moriyama spoke up. "Fuuka… she always looked so frazzled whenever we gave her a hard time… then, I realized. She's an honor student, but deep inside, she's just the same as us." Moriyama continued as if she was in a trance. "I knew exactly which buttons to push. We… we were just messing that day too!"
"What day?" Yukari asked. "When?"
"May 29th." Moriyama answered. "We took her to the gym and locked the door from the outside."
"You… locked the door from the outside?" Junpei repeated. "You locked her in?!"
With each of Natsuki Moriyama's admissions, she quickly lost any sympathy any of us might have held for her. Ekoda was getting paler and paler, too. Moriyama revealed that Maki, another student who bullied Fuuka, returned to school alone to free Fuuka because she was afraid Fuuka would commit suicide.
"Maki never came back… a-and the next morning…"
"She was found lying on the ground by the gate." Yukari finished.
Moriyama said that she hurried to the Gym to let Fuuka out, but found that the door was still locked. When she opened the door to find no one inside, all of them freaked out.
"Every night we would look for her. But every night another one of us went missing… and they all ended up like Maki!" Moriyama shivered.
The room was silent. All of us had stern looks on our faces with the exception of Ekoda and Moriyama.
Fuuka was left alone overnight in the school and she wasn't there when Moriyama opened the door to let her out. Which only means that Fuuka didn't Transmogrify into a coffin.
"By the way, Mr. Ekoda." Mitsuru-senpai spoke up. "What was your intention in relating Fuuka's absences as 'due to illness'?"
Ekoda must have gathered himself as Moriyama confessed since he confidently answered. "I was thinking of the students, of course. You children may not understand, but we have to consider the future of everyone affected."
Children…?
"The future of everyone affected, huh?" I glared at him. "Don't you mean for the future of your teaching career?" I gritted my teeth in anger.
Ekoda paled and wiped his palms on his pants. "O-of course not! It was in Ms. Yamagishi's best interest. I wouldn't want her records to be stained by something like this." He was obviously thinking of a way out. "Her parents agree!"
I saw Mitsuru's eye twitch as she moved closer to Ekoda. "So to protect your career, you ignored your responsibility as a teacher… How despicable!" She spat out the word despicable as she fumed.
"I-I… no." Ekoda couldn't meet our eyes as we glared at him. Guilty as charged. "I was just…" His sweat gathered on his forehead and he fidgeted in his seat."
Mitsuru-senpai soon deemed the teacher as below her notice and turned back to Moriyama. The latter flinched as if she was expecting a lashing as hard as the one Mitsuru gave Ekoda. "About your friends…" The council president let out a breath to calm herself. "Did you notice anything about them? Anything at all?" Her voice softened.
Have to hand it to Ms. Kirijo, she's not so bad at interrogation. Hm… the good cop, bad cop routine is always a classic. Although in this case, she's both.
And what are you? Angel.
I don't do the good cop, bad cop routine, Angel.
"They all heard a voice." Moriyama answered. "A creepy one. And… and it was always right before each of them went missing. They said it was calling their name."
"Oh maan…" Junpei muttered.
"And you haven't heard this… voice?" I blandly asked.
Moriyama looked down and bit her lip. Did I say something?
I would say you're the bad cop, Master.
Mitsuru glared at me and slightly shook her head. "You haven't heard this voice?" She asked the same question I did.
"No…" Moriyama answered, causing me to roll my eyes.
"It's them isn't it?" Yukari piped up.
Mitsuru-senpai nodded as she left the shaken Moriyama's side. "Until now, there was no way of knowing how or why some people are conscious during the Dark Hour… It must be the voice that draws them in. It's not a random phenomenon."
"But why this? Are they specifically targeting humans?" Junpei muttered. "They're pulled into the Dark Hour by a voice?"
The four of us remained silent for a while. Mitsuru-senpai turned to Moriyama. "Stay at our dorm tonight. It's the safest place." The shaken girl could only nod in affirmation.
I sent a questioning look towards the redhead. "You're sure about this, senpai?"
Yukari frowned. "It's the only thing we can do, Minato."
I just nodded and looked at Ekoda and Natsuki. I have a bad feeling about this…
"Fuuka…" Natsuki sighed.
AFTER SCHOOL
GEKKOUKAN HIGH, STUDENT COUNCIL ROOM
Junpei, Yukari and I gathered in the Student Council Room as soon as school was over.
"I've always wanted to see the inside of this place…" Junpei said to himself as we waited for our senpais. He went around the room, touching the tables and looking out the window. I even caught him looking longingly at Mitsuru's lone desk which faced the entrance.
"You think senpai'll mind…?" Junpei said as he reached for the chair.
"Keep your hands off that, Stupei." Yukari sighed. "You know she's going to come in any moment now… How d'you think she'll react to seeing you at her chair?"
True enough, the door opened just a moment later.
"Tonight, we will infiltrate the campus. Our objective is to rescue Fuuka Yamagishi." Mitsuru-senpai said as soon as we were all gathered.
"Um, I don't get it… Is Fuuka inside the school somewhere?" Junpei asked.
"And why at night?" Yukari inquired. "At midnight, this place turns into-"
"Exactly." I interrupted, eager to get to the point. "You remember that Fuuka Yamagishi might've been a new team member since she had the potential?"
"Yeah… but-"
"Well, people who have the potential, like you and me, don't transmogrify during the Dark Hour. Meaning, Fuuka is still stuck in the school." I sighed and put my palms on the table. "In Tartarus, to be exact."
"So… you mean Fuuka's been there since she was locked inside the Gym?!" Junpei exclaimed. "But… that was like ten days ago!"
"Would that mean…?" Yukari trailed off.
"Not necessarily. We can't jump to conclusions." Akihiko-senpai reasoned. "Tartarus only appears during the Dark Hour. So, what about the rest of the day? This is only a theory, but I think time may function differently with respect to Tartarus."
"So you're saying that Fuuka's only been in Tartarus for… 10 hours?" Yukari asked.
Akihiko-senpai nodded. "It's possible that she's still alive."
"Uh, but the Dark Hour's pretty brutal." Junpei argued. "We can barely handle an hour, and that's all four of us inside… how is she gonna last ten?"
"And even if she's still alive, how are we even going to find her?" Yukari added.
"Are you just gonna let her die, then?!" Akihiko-senpai exclaimed, surprising all of us. "… I have an idea."
Ah, a plan. Now we're talking…
"Let's plan to enter Tartarus exactly how Fuuka did." He said.
"We'll go to the Gym and wait for midnight. That's the quickest way." Mitsuru-senpai added, then she hesitated. "Honestly, I still have reservations. If something goes wrong, you could all end up lost in Tartarus too."
Akihiko-senpai shook his head. "I won't stand by and do nothing if there's a chance we can save her… I would never forgive myself. If you guys won't go, then I'll go by myself."
The rest of us hung our heads in shame and in admiration of Akihiko-senpai. He's serious too. He's not just saying it…
"… Alright." Mitsuru-senpai stated. "We're aware of the risks, but we can't just leave Yamigishi there."
"And we won't know until we try, after all." Yukari agreed.
"Heh." I smiled. "So… we're breaking in?"
Author's Note: Heya! There, quick update. Expect the 16th chapter to come by this week too. I meant it when I said, I'm not giving up! Haha. Oh, and as for the reviewers telling me to go with MinatoxMitsuru… Well, you got your wish! ;)
Team Status
Minato Arisato: Lvl 17
Yukari Takeba: Lvl 15
Junpei Iori: Lvl 15
Akihiko Sanada: Lvl 16
S-Links
Fool: SEES, Rank 3
Magician: Classmate, Rank 4
Emperor: Student Council, Rank 7
Hierophant: Old Couple, Rank 2
Chariot: Kendo Team, Rank 7
Justice: Treasurer, Rank 2
Hermit: Online Game, Rank 4
Strength: Team Manager, Rank 5
Tower: Unusual Monk, Rank 1
Review Responses:
Erebus13: A Japanese Skynet? Haha. Fear the anime Terminators! Although… the Kirijo Group already has its fair share of robots… Er, I mean Anti-shadow units.
Winter Antartica: I will definitely take your advice, Sir/Madam! In fact… I have one planned already mwaha!
That Guy: I would have responded to you in a PM but since you're an Anon, I'll just do it here. Thanks! And your opinion matters, of course. ;) I will definitely do my best to keep the story fresh. Haha.
KraadDrasfield: I'll keep that in mind when I get down. Haha. Thanks for the support!
AshCoveredWarrior: Thanks! And haha. I find Minato's personality cool too. BD.
"Other anons": Hi guys! Thanks for reading and reviewing my story. Thanks for the
support!
"Other reviewers": Thanks for the support guys! I'll update this story as regularly as I can from now on.
P.S: I've gotten some reviews about the lack of Skylark related detail (Hi, HeavensLuminousArc!). And hm… well, if more of you guys are itching to know about Skylark and Minato's past, more detail on that will be covered in the following chapters. ;) It's coming. Brace yourselves. xD