A/N: Story so far: Following the school trip, Naoto's mood shifted drastically, leading to more than one unpleasant encounter with Kanji and a figure appeared on the Midnight Channel.
In this (long) part: Naoto becomes a regular on television, Kanji freaks, and Chie voices the virtues of beef bowls. Spoilers through September 16th.
Note: Two parts were posted at once: this one and an intermission with Naoto (access the latter via the drop down box). The site had some sort of breakdown and kept removing the new chapters after upload; very sorry if you fine people on alert received a dozen emails.
September 15th, 2011
Whoever it was, they'd looked like Naoto. Kanji felt like he should've been able to tell for certain, but the picture had been way too fuzzy - and why would Naoto have been on the Midnight Channel anyway? Kubo was locked up.
None of it made sense. Maybe the Channel had always showed people and Kubo had just started following it. Souji would probably be able figure it out, or Naoto himself, but Kanji just felt confused - and, not for the first time, a little inadequate. And now Naoto wasn't bothering to show up to class at all. Was he just pissed off and sulking?
Still raining, too.
"Kanji?"
Kanji nearly jumped. "Huh... ? Whassup?"
"C'mon, get with the program!" Yosuke rolled his eyes. "You saw the TV last night, right?"
Dumb Hanamura, acting like the Channel was a problem. Which it definitely wasn't. "So? Got nothing to do with us. Killer's behind bars." Kanji nodded firmly. "That shit Naoto said didn't make any sense either, so there's no use getting worked up about it."
Everyone stared.
Yukiko frowned. "Naoto-kun? When were we talking about him?"
"We weren't," Senpai said, one eyebrow raised.
Kanji's first impulse was to ask why the hell not. Instead, he launched into the best cover he could manage: rubbing the back of his neck and stammering. "Uh, no, well - h-how do I put it?"
Yosuke rocked back on one heel against the desk, his lips curling into a smirk. "What, were you outta it 'cause you were still thinking about what Naoto said? Dude, I can't believe you're still hung up on all that stuff!"
"I ain't hung up on it!" What, he couldn't even think about Naoto without getting ragged on?
"Yosuke." Senpai said it the same way Ma would, elbowing Yosuke in the side for emphasis.
It made no difference. "It's okay! We all understand," Yosuke crowed, then winked. "Just don't go overboard, man."
"Dammit, I said that's not it!" Hell, it wasn't worth bothering; Hanamura was and would always be an asshole. Kanji grunted and turned away. "Screw this, I got stuff to do. I'm outta here." With that, he stormed out the classroom door, leaving Chie to start scolding Yosuke as he strode away down the corridor.
What he hadn't mentioned was that 'stuff to do' involved trying to get hold of Naoto, just to make sure everything was okay. Yosuke would've just given him even more crap over it, and it was a stupid thing to waste time on anyway, given everything was just fine. The rain was hammering against the corridor window and the sky outside was steel grey; if Naoto had any sense, he'd be hanging out at home and keeping dry.
Kanji flipped open his cellphone - then paused. Didn't have Naoto's number. Didn't have his address either. How the hell was he supposed to contact him?
Dumb kid. Getting him all worked up over nothing. Kanji cursed out loud, earning a disapproving glare from a nearby third year, and shoved the phone back in his pocket.
He'd cracked in the end. Skipped history class to run home in the rain, caught the bus to the cop shop, then walked right up to the front doors, ready to kick the ass of the first person he saw unless they told him where Naoto was.
Lucky for him, Souji's uncle had been outside smoking. He'd told Kanji to stay away from the police station if he knew what was good for him - and no, Shirogane hadn't been there since two nights ago. Figured, since the cops had pushed Naoto out months back. But that didn't explain what he'd meant by 'settling matters'. Phrased like that, it sounded like he was going away somewhere.
New case, probably. That made sense. Kind of shitty of him to not tell anyone, but that was basically Naoto.
Stuck walking home in a torrential rainstorm - in his rush, he'd only brought enough money for a one-way bus fare - and drenched to his skin, Kanji decided that the next time he saw Naoto, he'd definitely give the kid a piece of his mind.
"I know you like long walks, Kanji-kun, but what possessed you to go for one in a rainstorm?"
Kanji shrugged, dripping even more water onto the living room floor in the process. Dammit, he'd have to mop later. "Sorry, Ma."
Ma had been clucking unhappily since the moment he'd walked through the door. "You'll catch your death! Here, use another towel."
"I got two already! S'just gonna be more laundry."
Ma ignored him. "Make sure you take a warm shower too. And don't stay up too late! It's already ten."
Two hours till midnight. Senpai had told all of them to make certain they watched this time, like he had a feeling something was up.
"Kanji-kun? Are you listening?"
"Y-Yeah, Ma. I won't." Kanji walked over to the stairs, two white towels over his shoulder and a third on his head. "I'm gonna watch some television first."
He hadn't lied, either he just hadn't mentioned to Ma that he wasn't gonna turn the TV on first. By half-eleven, Kanji was sitting on the floor in front of his small television, feeling considerably less confident than last time.
Stupid damn kid.
At midnight exactly, the television buzzed and whistled into life, the static quickly resolving into an image. A person.
Kanji had only seen two of these before but he swore the picture now was clearer than ever. And it was Naoto.
He jumped to his feet, cursing under his breath.
Naoto looked the same as always, except he was dressed in a white robe - a lab coat, maybe? - that looked about five sizes too big, the sleeves flapping over his hands. And flapping was the right word, because he kept twirling them around and he was standing all wrong. Behind him... Kanji couldn't see that well, but it looked like a table and a bunch of metal hanging from the ceiling. The spiked shape on the far right might've been a giant drill.
Kubo was locked up. Why the hell was this happening?
"Good evening, everyone. I am the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane!"
If the stance was wrong, the voice was worse. It wasn't Naoto's. Kanji had seen this late-night B-movie once: a lantern-jawed hero had been rushing around a secret base inside a volcano, trying to rescue his girlfriend from this crazy, over-the-top scientist guy. Naoto was talking just like that. Rise had sounded weird too, doubled in pitch and verging on hysterical, and this had the same edge.
The camera zoomed in on Naoto and he was smiling.
"Welcome to 'Experiment of the Century: The Genome Project.'" Naoto grinned wider, his eyes bright and his arms making wild gestures. "I will be experimentor and experimentee both, in a forbidden yet wonderful bodily alteration process!"
Body alteration? What the hell did that mean? Was he gonna experiment on someone? Was that what the drill was for?
Shit, this was wrong. Kanji's Shadow couldn't have been this bad. Skipping around a bathhouse was a hell of a lot better than chopping people up. Chopping Naoto up.
Naoto twirled again. He was moving differently: more exaggerated and relaxed, like he wasn't trying to lock everything down. "You shall witness my departure into a new realm," he trilled. "The moment of a new birth!"
Man, B-movie was right. Talk about hamming it up.
...No, Naoto was in trouble. Had to focus. Shadows represented their owners, right? Or some part of them they didn't want to admit? Far as Kanji knew, his own had wanted to go camp it up in a bathhouse for reasons he generally preferred not to think about, and Rise's had wanted to freaking strip in front of a live audience because she'd thought that was how people saw Risette.
"From the chosen day forth, I shall walk a completely different path in life!" The camera zoomed out again. Naoto waved his arms, white cloth billowing around him. "And I will share this glorious occasion, this memorable day, with all of you!"
What did this guy say about Naoto?
"Do stay tuned!" With that, the static faded to black. Kanji stayed standing in front of the television, breathing hard.
Holy shit. He hadn't taken Naoto seriously. Back at Port Island, up on the hill, when they met in the street, Kanji hadn't told him what was going on, hadn't even figured out what he was planning to-
He dialed Souji's number almost on autopilot.
"Kanji, I-"
"Hey! Izzat you, Senpai? N-Naoto was just - h-he-" Kanji'd never been a good speaker, and right now it was word soup.
"I know, it's-"
"So does this mean he was kidnapped? You said people only show up clearly on TV after they've been thrown in, right?" Meaning Naoto was already in there, had maybe been in there since he quit coming to school. "The hell's going on? I-I thought we caught the damn killer!
Souji's voice was like granite. "Kanji. Calm down."
"Crap, s-sorry, Senpai. It's just-"
"I know. But I need you to keep your temper."
"Y-Yeah. Sorry." Damn, Kanji was supposed to be better than this. Senpai had talked him about that stuff a couple times, convinced him to stop lashing out, and now he was throwing his weight around just like before. He winced. "S'just... being a detective, solving cases, none of it's worth shit if he gets himself kidnapped, y'know?"
"Naoto's more reckless than I thought." Souji let out a breath. "I should've seen this coming."
Kanji had started pacing around the room. "Damn, that idiot pisses me off! We'll have to get everyone together and go get him before he"
"Good idea. But we can't do anything until tomorrow, understand?"
What?
No way, they couldn't leave Naoto in there all night, what if he... "But that's-!"
"Kanji."
... Souji was the smart one. Smarter than Naoto, that was for sure. Kanji swallowed. "Y-Yeah. Got it, Senpai."
"Okay, Kanji. Talk to you tomorrow." The phone clicked as Souji hung up.
Kanji's first impulse and one he was deeply ashamed of was to throw the phone against the wall, storm out of the shop, and find something to break.
But that wasn't him, not really. Just one messed-up part. He could and would do better, keep his shit together and help Naoto out. After that, never mind a piece of his damn mind - he'd pull a Chie and kick the kid into space.
September 16th, 2011
Going to school was about the last thing he wanted to do, especially since he hadn't slept more than an hour all night. Kanji had seriously considered playing hooky and going in the television by himself - but without Teddie he wouldn't be able to get back. Even if he somehow did, Senpai would bitch him out for hours afterward.
It just didn't feel right to sit around in class knowing Naoto was stuck in there. It'd been bad enough with Rise, but Naoto... Naoto was different.
He stormed down the corridor for the fifth time that break period, past his classroom and by the shoe lockers - where he paused. Two first-year girls were standing in front of Naoto's locker, both holding yellow envelopes and giggling quietly. More letters. They didn't even know Naoto.
Kanji didn't either.
"Hey, Kanji-kun." It was Rise, standing at his side and tugging distractedly at his shirt.
"... S'up."
Her eyes followed his gaze towards the lockers. "Oh. I forgot, Naoto gets them too." She shook her head. "I'm used to it, but I think he's too shy."
"Yeah."
She nodded. Her voice was different: as tired and quiet as when they'd first met. "You saw it last night, right?"
The best Kanji could manage was a nod. The girls slipped the two envelopes in next to Naoto's indoor shoes, then darted off the other way down the corridor, one clutching the other's arm and both still giggling.
Rise's hand was still on his shirt. "Naoto's gonna be fine. He has to be." She looked away. "Kanji-kun, it's all my-"
The bell rang for class, and she jerked back. "Oh... I, I have to go. I'll talk to you later. After school."
Kanji glanced down at her. The smile he tried didn't quite work. "Yeah."
Chie rocked back in her chair, kicking the legs. "C'mon guys. Cheer up. We'll do this." She swung round to Teddie. "What's the verdict, Teddie? Is Naoto-kun really in there?"
Teddie nodded. "I do smell someone."
"It's just like before." Yosuke let out a sigh, then grimaced. "Nothing's changed!"
Nothing was right. They'd been idiots, all of them, they hadn't taken Naoto seriously and now he was-
With a gasp, Yukiko jolted forward. "Of course! That's why Naoto-kun appeared on the news so suddenly!"
Everyone turned to look, even Kanji. An outburst like that just wasn't Yukiko, and her eyes were bright as she leaned forward towards the group. "He said something didn't seem right, and that he wasn't convinced." Her fingers gripped the table's edge. "And he also believed that the people who are kidnapped appear on TV first, right?"
Kanji blinked. Hold on. Was that what Naoto had meant by 'arrangements'? Getting himself ready to...
Yosuke's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait - you're saying he's using himself as bait?"
Though he looked calm as ever, Souji's voice was tight. "We came to the same conclusion he did, and now he's trying to prove his theory." He shook his head. "No way would the police have believed him."
"And we never 'fessed up." Kanji muttered. They could've stopped this.
"So you mean he got kidnapped on purpose?" Chie's hand smacked against the arm of her chair. "That's crazy! He could be killed!"
This was exactly the thought that had kept Kanji awake all night, no matter how hard he'd tried to push it out his head. He'd kept imagining how Saki had been found, hanging limp from a telephone pole - except it wasn't Saki he'd seen.
Rise's voice, quiet as it was, cut directly over his thoughts. Probably because it was still so quiet. "He said, 'This is not a game for me either' ..." She stared down at her hands, biting her lip. "It's all my fault, guys. I'm the one who said that to him."
Trying to prove his theory. Trying to prove he was a real detective or whatever crap he had knocking around in his head. And shit, it wasn't even just Rise's fault, or Souji's. Everyone was to blame - especially Naoto. Kanji leapt up and slammed his hands down on the table, jolting the metal and almost knocking over half the drinks. "That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us!" Him and Naoto, they'd talked. Right before he vanished. All it would've taken was a few words and Kanji could have help-
Which was exactly what Naoto had said up on the hill. Nobody wanting to help him.
"He knew we'd stop him if he did," Yosuke said, grabbing his drink to steady it. "Instead he left us clues so we could figure it out and-"
"I know! That son of a... "
"B-But - what about Kubo?" Chie rocked back in her chair again, eyebrows angled in confusion. "He did kill King Moron, right?"
"Don't matter," Kanji muttered, as he sat back down.
Souji shot him a reproving look. "It does, Kanji. And yeah, Kubo did. But that's all."
"I get it now! I remember Naoto-kun mentioning this!" Yukiko piped up again, just as firmly as before. "He said it was strange that the police were able to identify the cause of Mr. Morooka's death!"
"Then is King Moron the only one Kubo killed?" Yosuke blinked. "That'd explain why there were no signs of him being thrown into the TV!"
Souji nodded. "The killer didn't change their methods for King Moron. It just seemed that way because it was done by someone else." He winced. "We should've realized."
More like they should've listened. Naoto had figured this out and they'd ignored him, just so they could believe they'd won. Sat around congratulating themselves all summer. Stupid.
"But why would Kubo take the blame for someone else's crimes?" Chie arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that weird?"
"Maybe he wanted the attention," Souji said with a shrug.
"I guess. There's something else that's been bothering me, but-"
Forget this. Sitting making up theories ideas - those were what had gotten Naoto into this mess, but at least he'd acted on them. Kanji jumped up again, fists clenched. "To hell with someone who's behind bars! If we don't get off our asses, that stupid Naoto's gonna die in there! We gotta go find him!"
Everyone stared at him for a moment - then nodded.
"Kanji's right." Souji stood from his chair. "Let's head inside."
Yosuke had been jumpier than usual about going in the television. He tapped his foot against the black and white floor of the lot, twirling a knife in his left hand. "One of these days, they're gonna catch us. My parents will kill me."
Sat on the floor with his hands on his knees, Souji sighed. "I think we'd have bigger problems than that. Any luck, Rise?"
Himiko was shimmering behind Rise, slim hands holding the visor over her eyes. "Someone's definitely in here - and the world's grown larger."
"That's amazing, Rise-chan!" Teddie chirped. "There's no way my nose can pick up that much. Shall I give you a massage?"
If the bear had eyebrows, he'd have been waggling them. Kanji grunted and kicked at the floor. In turn, Yukiko snorted, Chie groaned and Yosuke snapped, "Don't bother her, Ted!"
"Doesn't matter, Yosuke-senpai. I know Naoto-kun's here, but I can't tell where." Rise let out a sigh. "I need something that'll help me understand him. Without that, I've got no idea which way I should look."
"The same thing I needed with Rise-chan and Kanji," Teddie said with a nod. "Clues!"
What did they have to go on? A couple of sentences at a nightclub, a few meetings over the summer and half-a-month of strange behavior at school. Kanji winced, feeling suddenly sick. "Dammit... there's too much we don't know about that kid. But if we don't do something, he's gonna-"
The rest was cut off by a sharp elbow to his ribs. "Hey! Snap out of it!" Chie insisted. "This is just like all the other times. We don't panic, we keep an eye on the weather, and do this like always. We'll save him, no problem!"
Chie was almost always the optimist, and Kanji tended to follow her - the two bruisers giving all the thinkers a mental kick in the ass. This time, he just couldn't feel it. "I-I know. I-I wasn't panicking," he mumbled. "We know he's here. So all we gotta do is get him out."
Himiko vanished, and Rise stepped forward, her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry I couldn't find him." She tried for a smile, but it looked weak and wrong. "Some scanner, huh?"
Souji pulled himself to his feet. "You did fine. We've had the same problem with everyone after Yukiko."
"And I think I only worked because you had Chie," Yukiko pointed out.
"All I need is some kind of hint to help me understand him better," Rise said. "Then I could find him for sure!"
Hands on hips, Chie nodded firmly. "Then let's go back out and figure out what we've got."
By the time they reached the food court again, the light was fading and most of the customers had left. Chie flopped down in her chair and leaned forward over the table. "Okay, guys. What do we know about Naoto-kun?"
Everyone sat in silence.
"He's a detective," Yukiko eventually offered. "And he can't get on with anyone at school."
"Kills a conversation stone dead," Yosuke added, folding his arms.
Rise groaned. "Guys, this isn't helping. I need something more." She paused. "Kanji and I hung out with him in Port Island, but he didn't really say anything unusual."
Kanji'd probably spent more time around Naoto more than anyone, but what he had might not help and he'd take crap from the others for it. Especially Yosuke.
... To hell with it. About time he stopped fussing about what people thought. "He likes detective novels," he muttered, willing himself not to blush. "And he hates attention from the girls at school. Says they don't know him."
"How'd you find that out?" Yosuke asked, eyebrows arched.
Thankfully, Rise stepped in. "Anything else, Kanji-kun?"
"We got that stuff he told us back at the nightclub. 'Bout his family."
Yukiko frowned. "I don't remember that."
"Didn't think so," Souji said, with a small smile.
"Oh yeah! And there's the bathroom." Yosuke smirked. "Remember, Kanji?"
"You want me to beat the shit outta you?" Hell, if Kanji had his way, he'd take that information to his grave and so would Yosuke - only much sooner.
But - if it'd help Naoto...
Teddie shook his head. "No, no. We need something different. We need to know what's bothering Naoto most. It was just like that when I used my nose to find you, Kanji, and Yosuke said you were totally-"
Yosuke lunged forward and grabbed hold of one small blue ear. "Okay, Ted! Enough!"
"Ow! Yosuke, stop that!"
Forget it. This was important. Kanji's hand moved to the back of his neck. "He - fusses about the case a bunch. Got upset over it a few days back."
"He does talk about it a lot." Yukiko sounded thoughtful. "And didn't he do all this to prove his theory?"
"Guys, a lot of this is just theorizing," said Rise. "I need information from someone who knows him, or maybe who's worked with him." She winced. "Naoto's a difficult one."
"Then we need to go ask around." Yosuke shrugged. "Someone in this town's gotta know something about him."
Kanji was the first one out the main door of Junes. "So, where do we go first?"
"Home," Souji told him. "It's almost dark."
There were already lights in the windows across the street. Some of the shops looked like they'd closed too. But that didn't mean they had to quit - wasn't like they were afraid of the dark. "Why can't we go ask around now?"
Souji shook his head. "It's late, Kanji. I have to go make sure Nanako's in bed."
Yosuke was leaning against the window, the lights of the Junes lobby glowing behind him. "And I've got a night shift to start."
After that, the excuses just flowed: Yukiko said something about a group reservation at the inn and Rise followed it up with some spiel about helping her grandmother close up the shop. "You ought to help your mother too, Kanji-kun," she said, waving a finger.
"She ain't stuck inside a TV!" Kanji snapped. Bunch of frickin' lightweights.
Chie's hand landed heavily on his back. "Hey, I can help." She smiled. "Got a little longer before my parents send out the search party."
She'd caught him off guard. Kanji blinked. "Uh - thanks."
"Fine, fine. Just don't get into trouble." Souji frowned at them both. "And try not to get anybody mad. We need all the help we can get."
"As if we ever would!" Chie chirped.
Teddie stepped forward. "I'll help too! A dark and starry night, spent alone with Chie-chan!" He glanced at Kanji. "Well, almost."
For the second time that day, Yosuke latched on to an ear. "No way! I'm only working tonight because you screwed up last shift, you can bet you're helping me!"
As he dragged a protesting Teddie indoors, everyone else began to filter away - Yukiko murmuring an apology, Rise giving Kanji a firm warning, and Souji ambling off in silence.
"Man, Souji doesn't trust us." Chie winked up at Kanji. "We can do this without breaking too many heads, right?"
"You really think the owner might know something?"
Kanji shrugged. "Naoto likes books. I saw him standing outside the bookshop in the summer. Maybe he bought stuff."
"Figures someone smart would go for books." Chie hummed. "Yukiko's just the same - though most of hers have big beefy guys with long hair on the front," she added, with a roll of her eyes.
When they reached the shop, the owner was outside locking up for the night. Kanji nodded to Chie - it was better that she handled this. He still didn't have that great a grasp on his temper. She returned the nod, then jogged over to the man standing by the door. "Hey! Do you have a moment?"
The man looked up. Even in the dim streetlights, Kanji could tell he was fairly young - or at least too young to be fussing with books. "Who are you?" He peered at Kanji. "Oh, I know you! Tatsumi-san's son, yes?"
Damn, seemed like everyone in the district knew his mother. Wasn't always a good thing. "Yeah, thass me. Y-You got time to help us out?"
He stepped closer. "Depends. What's up?"
"We're looking for someone," Chie said. "Naoto Shirogane, the Detective Prince, he was on TV a few nights back. He walks around here a lot."
"Can't say I've heard the name. I'm not a big fan of television shows. What does he look like?"
"Real small. Dark hair. Always wears a cap." Kanji had to stop himself from adding something about Naoto's eyes.
"Ah, I have seen him, then." The man frowned. "He stands outside my shop. Never buys anything."
"Oh. S-So I guess y'never talked to him?"
"No. He's never even been inside the store." The man shrugged. "Sorry."
Chie smiled. "No problem! Thanks for your help." She grabbed Kanji's arm and tugged hard. "We'll be going now."
Checking with the bookshop had been Kanji's best idea so far. The only other places Naoto went were school and the police station - and the cops liked him about as much as he liked the other students.
They'd never find what they needed. Kanji launched a kick at the ground as he walked, desperately wishing he could go back to that Sunday on the hill and listen to what Naoto had really been trying to say.
"Hey, don't worry." Chie poked him in the side again, this time more gently. "We'll figure something else out. This was just our first try."
They couldn't afford many more, not with Naoto stuck in there by himself. Kanji's memories of his first time in the TV were hazy but a few things stuck out: his Shadow, all that steam, and how totally shit-scared he'd felt.
His jaw tightened. Keep it together. Rise had been fine, and so had that asshole Kubo.
"S'good of you to help," he told Chie. "I - I didn't mean to get so riled at everyone."
She shrugged. "It's okay. You're kinda attached to Naoto-kun."
"Wh-What's that s'posed to mean?"
"Well - when we saw you. Back in May." Chie's expression was pitched somewhere between a smile and a wince. "And, and you like - well, he's a boy, and-"
This wasn't going anywhere good. "It ain't like that!"
She cringed. "Um, yeah. Of course not. But you hung out on the school trip, too, and you're in the same year."
"Yeah. And I don't know nothing about him," Kanji muttered, gaze dropping to the ground. "Can't get him outta there."
"Hey! Don't think like that." When he looked up, Chie was shooting him a glare that would've been terrifying if he hadn't felt so messed up. "We're gonna get him out." Her expression softened. "C'mon. I'll treat you to Aiya. I'm starving."
Kanji scowled. "Not hungry."
"Liar. I've seen how much you eat at Junes." She smiled again, though it still looked a little forced, and grabbed his sleeve. "Beef bowls help with thinking, right?"