Souji sat facing the front of the room, eyes glazed over. Yu sat behind him, struggling once again to stay awake. Neither boy had noticed the other kids getting up around them, the bell having signaled the end of school. Yosuke approached the twins, bringing them back from their sleep-deprived stupor.
"Y-Yo, um…" Yosuke looked worried, and was struggling to find the right words to say. "…well, yesterday on T.V, I…uh…" Shaking his head, Yosuke tried to dismiss his thoughts, avoiding whatever it was he was trying to say in the first place. As he did so, Chie approached, asking Yosuke about the rumor about Saki discovering the body. Souji yawned, blocking out the two's conversation as he did so. Yu tried to pay attention, but felt himself drifting off again. He dimly heard Yukiko say something about needing to work again, but couldn't quite focus. Chie turned to look at the two.
"Whoa! You two look tired. Are you feeling okay?" she asked, mild concern evident in her voice.
Yosuke turned around, looking at the twins, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, you look like you didn't sleep last night. You didn't stay awake all night for…" Yosuke trailed off, a pained look contorting his face.
Chie looked up, eyes wide. "So you did watch it! You actually kept your promise!" She looked pleased, and blushed a little at Yosuke's response.
"What do you mean, 'actually'? I've always kept my promises to you!" Yosuke retorted, looking a little embarrassed. "It's just…" Yosuke continued haltingly, "That thing…the Midnight Channel…it was a little freaky, you know?"
At the mention of the Midnight Channel, the twin's heads snapped up, eyes widening as they remembered the phenomenon that had kept them awake all night. As Chie and Yosuke discussed what they had seen, Souji and Yu talked in hushed tones. "You think they had the same thing happen to them?" Yu asked, eyeing the others out of the corner of his eye.
"I don't think so. Look at them. At the very least, they seem rested. I'll bet they didn't get sucked into a T.V like we did." Souji responded.
"What? What do you mean, 'sucked into a T.V'?" Chie had heard them.
Yosuke was staring at the two silverettes, concern washing over his face as they explained what they'd seen. "You sure you weren't just seeing things? I mean, you look exhausted. Maybe you had a nightmare?"
Souji nodded absentmindedly, rubbing his shoulder where a bruise from hitting the rim of their T.V had formed. "Maybe. I'm not quite sure."
Yu looked up. "You were saying you saw some girl, with brown hair? Wearing our uniform? I think we saw something like that too." he stated, looking back and forth between his brother and the two brunettes.
"Really?" Yosuke asked, confusion evident in his voice. "Well, it sounds like we all saw the same person."
Chie nodded, a small grin playing on her face. "I liked the part where you got stuck 'cause your T.V was too small. That's pretty realistic." Chie broke into a giggle, and the twins laughed with her, easing the tension they felt. "If it had been bigger-"Chie started, but suddenly looked up, and then to Yosuke. "That reminds me! Our family's been talking about buying a bigger T.V." She looked at Yosuke, the unvoiced question obvious.
Yosuke sighed, but smiled at the same time. Souji raised an eyebrow at that, making another mental note for later. "Well, we just got some new shipments in at Junes. Wanna come look?" he looked pointedly at the twins, a mischievous grin forming. "You know, we have some pretty big models. Maybe big enough for you guys to fit in to."
Yosuke's grin widened as Souji glared at him, and Yu mumbled a quiet "Go to hell", a small smile on his face.
"Well, let's go check 'em out then." The twins sighed, but figured it would be better than sitting at home, listening to the rain outside.
The twins sighed in exasperation. Yosuke and Chie had just finished tapping the T.V's screen, teasing the boys about their far-fetched story. As they moved on to look at other models, the twins stared at the large flatscreen in front of them, doubt forming in their minds. "What if it was just a dream?" Yu wondered aloud, voicing Souji's inner thoughts. The concept had been plaguing him since they'd left the school.
"It's possible…but my head still aches, and my shoulder bruise has gotten darker." Gazing at the screen, Souji had a thought. "Surely, if it was a dream, it wouldn't work here. But if it wasn't an illusion…"
Yu looked at his brother, understanding dawning on him. "Don't do it." he said, reading Souji's intent as he looked between him and their surroundings.
Souji shook his head. "I need to know the truth. It's harmless if it doesn't work, anyways."
Stepping forward, Souji placed his hand on the screen, not worrying about any prints left behind. After a short moment, the screen started pulsating black and white, and his hand slipped in. Yu's eyes widened, and he quickly came over to block one side of Souji from view.
"I-is his arm in the T.V?"
Yosuke and Chie ran over, blocking Souji's other side. "What's the magician's secret, huh?" Yosuke stammered out, having trouble processing what he was seeing. Souji looked at the T.V, and grinned. Yu just looked down in defeat as his brother removed his arm, and stuck his head inside.
"Well, that's one way to find the truth." he muttered as Chie and Yosuke swore in shock.
Souji's voice came out of the speakers. "It's pretty spacious in here." he stated simply, as if this was nothing new to him.
"W-what do you mean, spacious?! Urk!" Yosuke grunted, holding his bladder. "This is too much for my bladder. I gotta pee!" he said as he took off, but came back shortly, still holding his bladder. "Crap, there's people headed this way!"
Chie looked around. "What are we gonna do?! We've got someone with his head in a T.V here!"
Inside the T.V, Souji grinned. "Hey, is that Saki-senpai? What's she doing here?" Outside, Yosuke fumed. "What do you mean? There's no way she'd be in there!" As he started forward, intent on pushing Souji in further, Yu looked up, sensing his brother's intent. He stuck his foot out, while grabbing Chie and pulling her in front of Yosuke. "Wha-?" Chie began, but ended as Yosuke tripped on Yu's outstretched foot. He reached out for support to regain his balance, grabbing Yu's shirt and jacket as he did so. In the brief moment between being grabbed and the ensuing fall, Yu sighed, and stoically fell into the T.V as Yosuke and Chie did the same, albeit not as willingly as Yu. The four fell in, leaving no trace that they had been there.
"Ow!" Chie exclaimed, more-so from shock than pain. She looked around, noticing she was alone. "Wh-where is everybody!?" she squeaked, beginning to panic. As fear began to set in, she heard a muffled voice from below her. "C-Chie….geroff er me" it said. Looking down, Chie's face flushed as she realized just where she was, or rather, who was under her. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Yosuke!" she exclaimed, quickly getting off of the poor boy and helping him up.
"Th-that's okay, Chie. As long as you're okay. Ach!" Yosuke bent slightly, rubbing his back left pocket. "I landed on my wallet."
Looking around, he noticed the absence of two people. "Hey…where's Souji and Yu?" he asked, concern in his voice. He jumped as he heard another pair of voices behind him.
"Over here." said the twins in unison.
"Sorry, we were looking around." Yu apologized, looking sheepish as the pair walked towards the brunettes.
Chie voiced the question in everyone's minds. "Where are we?" she asked, feeling her fear begin to surface again.
Souji looked around, placing his left hand on his waist habitually as he did so. "Looks like some kind of recording studio." he said, noting the cameras and lights. "But what's with the floor?" The group looked down, seeing outlines of bodies littering the area, all in black and white.
"This is seriously creepy, dude." Yosuke gulped, uncomfortable with his surroundings. "But still, what is this place? And what's with all this fog?"
Yu shook his head. "Dunno." he stated simply. "Whatever it is, it doesn't seem like we're going to get any information standing around, asking questions."
Souji turned to his brother, eyebrows raised. "Well, what do you propose we do?"
Yu flashed him a quick grin. "Why, walk around and ask questions, of course!" Souji rolled his eyes, but grinned at his brothers antics.
Yosuke and Chie laughed a little, feeling the mood lighten somewhat. "Wow, you're just the eternal optimist, aren't you?" Chie said, smiling.
Yu grinned even wider, tilting his head slightly and shrugging. "I try." was his response.
Souji looked at the group, still smiling. "He has a point. Let's look around, see what else is here."
Yosuke looked at him, concern and fear still apparent. "We don't even know where 'here' is? What if we get lost?"
Souji looked at him, acknowledging the teen's fears. "Well, anything's better than standing here, panicking." He nodded to Chie and Yosuke. "Let's stay close together as much as possible, but stick with a partner in case something happens."
He threw his arm around his brother. "I've got Yu, here. That leaves Chie to you, Yosuke!" He smiled mischievously as the two brunettes blushed.
"Wh-what? What's that supposed to mean!?" Yosuke stammered, as Chie looked down, cheeks darkening.
"I don't mind it, Yosuke…" she murmured, leaving Yosuke staring at her, mouth somewhat agape.
"Err…well; if you don't mind Chie, then I guess its fine." Yosuke sighed, offering her his arm. Souji nodded, pleased that his impulsive action had appeared to turn out well.
"Great! Now that that's settled, let's go!" Souji turned and started walking, a bit slowly so that the others could react and catch up, and headed across one of the catwalks nearby.
"I can't go with you all looking!" Souji chuckled, while Yu laughed out loud, the twins turning around to attempt to afford Yosuke some slight privacy.
"Eww, Yosuke! Why the hell are you going here?!" Chie squealed, staring at Yosuke with a disgusted look.
"I'm sorry, but I can't hold it any longer…grr! Dammit, I'm blaming you if my bladder explodes!" Yosuke zipped up his pants, turning around and walking away from the wall he had been standing at. "Geez, I couldn't have gone anyways. This room creeps me out too much."
Chie nodded slightly, looking around. "What's with this room anyways? Check out these posters. Their faces are all cut out."
Souji examined a poster on the wall near him, noting what Chie had just mentioned. "They're all the same, too. Whatever lives here has a pretty unhealthy obsession."
Yu looked around grimly, noticing the yellow fog that persisted even in the room. "What's with this fog, anyways? I feel like it's…rejecting us somehow." he thought, shivering as a chill ran up his spine. Yosuke spoke up, drawing Yu's attention.
"Dude, this chair and rope….that kind of arrangement is never good. It's tied in a noose. Is this a scarf?" Yosuke shuddered as he looked on his discovery.
"C'mon, let's go back and look somewhere else for an exit. I really don't like it here." Chie said, looking hopefully at Yosuke, who nodded and grabbed Chie's hand lightly, leading her towards the door. Stopping as he reached it, he looked down and realized what he had done.
"S-s-sorry!" he yelped, tearing his hand away and flinching, expecting a Chie-brand kick. Chie blushed as she herself realized what had happened, but couldn't bring herself to say anything.
As Yosuke slowly relaxed, Yu spoke up. "Does anyone else feel a little…off?" Yosuke nodded.
"Yeah, I feel a little…heavy"
Souji looked around. "Let's hurry back." he said, poking Chie lightly to get her out the door.
"Wha-what's that?" Chie yelped as she clenched Yosuke's arm, eliciting a squeal of pain as she dug her fingers into him.
"OW! That hurts!" he said, trying to lighten Chie's grip and look in the general direction she was at the same time. The group had returned to what they dubbed the studio room. The twins looked too, silver eyes desperately trying to pierce the fog; the last thing they needed now was someone ambushing them in such a strange place, assuming that whatever was out there could be classified as a person. They saw a large rounded shape moving towards them, the silhouette slowly becoming more and more focused as it moved through the fog.
What came to a stop in front of them took everyone by surprise, and Chie let go of Yosuke's arm, much to the brunette's relief.
"What is this thing? A monkey? A bear…?" she looked towards the rest of the group, who all shrugged.
"What in the world?" Yu said, looking the creature up and down. It appeared to be some kind of animal costume, the lower half primarily colored red, with a white stripe down the middle, adorned by two large red buttons, while the top was blue fur, with a large half-circle for the face, colored peach. It had large oval eyes, a small triangle nose, and a mouth.
"Th-that's what I wanna know!" it exclaimed, somehow appearing to look worried. "Who are you guys…?" It looked at each member of the group in question, lingering slightly on Chie before moving on.
Chie gasped, taking a step back. "It talked!" she squeaked, once again clasping Yosuke's arm tightly. As she yelled at it, questioning what it was, it whimpered and covered its ears, bending down and turning away.
"D-don't yell at me like that…" it whined, looking very scared now. Yu and Souji stepped forward, Souji motioning for Chie to calm down a bit. The twins kneeled a small ways away from the creature, smiling warmly to attempt to calm it down as well.
"We're sorry; we're just a little on edge right now." Souji crooned, Yu turning his head back to give Chie a sharp look as she muttered something impolite.
"Would you mind telling us what you are, first?" The creature turned back, its fear seeming to disappear somewhat as he answered Souji.
"I'm a bear. Can't you tell? I live here by myself." Yu nodded, smiling again. "Where exactly is here?" he asked.
The bear looked confused. "Here is…well…here. I don't really know what all of this is. I've always lived here. It doesn't have a name."
Yosuke did a double-take as he looked at the bear. "Wait…you live here?" he asked, but the bear ignored him.
"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side." it said, a look of concern slowly crossing its face. "Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."
Yu stood up, looking questioningly at the bear. "What? Throwing people in here? What do you mean?" he asked, but the question seemed to agitate the bear.
"I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!" he said, stomping the ground as he did so.
Chie let go of Yosuke, anger surfacing due to the stress she'd been having that day. "Hey, what's your problem? What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that!? What ARE you? Where are we? What the heck is going on here?!" she yelled at the bear, which lost its balance at the sudden increase in volume.
Souji winced. "Not helping, Chie…" he thought, but decided that was best kept to himself. As he stood up, the bear ran around to hide behind him, surprising the team and causing Souji to suddenly become self-conscious.
"I already told you. Anyways, you should hurry back." It said, cowering behind Souji once again. Yu couldn't help but giggle a little at the comical sight. As Yosuke yelled at the bear about needing to find the exit, Souji looked at Yu, hoping his brother could provide some sort of interference. But as Yu started forward, he ran into a pillar of T.V's that appeared as if from nowhere.
"Anyone see where that came from?" he asked, rubbing his nose. As the group piled around the front screens, the bear started pushing them in.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing!" yelled Chie, trying to resist. But the bear proved stronger, and squeezed the hapless teens into the T.V., and they began to fall once more.
"What a day, huh?" Yu sighed as he settled into his futon, exhausted from the day's events.
Souji grinned as he finished dressing for bed. "That's the understatement of the century, bro." he said, turning off the lights and settling into his futon. He thought about the events that had happened after exiting the strange world inside the T.V. Deciding to think about it later, he closed his eyes and went to sleep, getting an undisturbed rest for the first night since he had arrived.