A/N: hay.

So, this is the official beginning of Act 1. I'll do two FT chapters per act (dropping to 1 once the cast... ah, thins out, so to speak) with plot sprinkled in, then a full plot chapter with a murder at the end, then an investigation chapter, and finally a trial/execution with an aftermath chapter right after.

Note: Mastermind interludes will also occur.

Also, the new FT poll is up, if you have yet to see it.

Also also, I still have no submissions for my mini-contest described after the last 'chapter'. Get on dat, yo!

Also also also, (disclaimer~!)

-DA BOSS

Act 1-1: Out of the Black

"So don't breathe when I talk, cause your hand, it's broke in two..."

Sawako's eyes fluttered open after a long and very broken sleep. Last night was surreal... after they'd returned to the cafeteria, the others shared what they had found out with the rest of the group. Nothing really came out, aside from the news that they couldn't escape - and that their rooms were personalized somewhat. Since the customizations pertained to talent, this pissed Sawako off greatly; despite the fact that she later found out that nothing was done to her room. An odd enough thing to be sure, but...

Groaning from thinking too much about what was and not about 'what will be', Sawako rolled out of bed and looked around, taking in her room's decorations again. Or, rather, lack of decorations - it was plain as could be, aside from the green wallpaper being much like her hoodie's familiar shade. At least she didn't have to continually be reminded of her talent and what was out there waiting for her...

Satisfied with her intake (apparently), Sawako groggily went into her shower, wanting to make sure she was clean before she went to see the others. The bathroom was just like any normal bathroom, as she slipped off her clothes and stepped into the shower - though, she couldn't help but think that the shower water felt suspiciously like blood.

After getting changed, Sawako went to the cafeteria like Li had suggested that the group all do together last night. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and what better way to spend it by bonding?" She'd said last night, though Sawako didn't know why she'd care. From what she remembered from books and stuff, it was always the quiet ones who broke first...

"Morning, Sawa-chan~!" A familiar airy voice called out, as Sawako smiled and went over to Hanae, who'd already made it to the cafeteria and was sitting with a group consisting of herself, Dell, Elliot, Daisuke and (surprisingly) Yoshida, though he wasn't even bothering to look up from his food and ElectroID.

Sawako yawned. "Mornin' guys... shit, those beds are comfy." She said, smiling sheepishly. "Almost makes me forget what we got ourselves into, yeah?" Dell nodded in agreement, while the other three who actually paid attention could only give sheepish smiles in return.

"Y-Yeah, well... I guess they'd seem a lot comfier when sleep is the best thing that's happened to you that day." Elliot replied, his head dropping slightly as Hanae ran a reassuring hand up his back. "Man... normally, I'd be out skating already at the nearest rink... Indoor or outdoor, it doesn't matter much to me." The others looked on at him with sadness on their faces - they'd all been ripped from their normalcy and thrown into this hellhole.

"W-Well... at least I don't have to worry about awful cast members now... Haha... ha..." Hanae added, trailing off as she began biting her fingernails worriedly. Sawako couldn't help but notice that, and moved over closer to Hanae to try and reassure her. Nobody else moved; they didn't know what to think or say to her.

"Hey guys... c'mon, keep the smiles up!" Dell piped up, drawing looks of confusion from the others. He simply responded with a toothy grin, before he spoke again. "If we get all depressed and stuff now, then we'll never get out of this mess!" The others couldn't help but agree silently; even Yoshida had lifted his head up slightly to give a look of some agreement, though he did end up muttering something nasty under his breath.

"You know... Dell's right. We can't give up now... We've only just begun, and we're acting like we've lost!" Hanae said excitedly, with Yoshida covering his ears in disgust as if he didn't want to hear what was next. "In fact, I'm gonna go prove it now!" With that, she took Sawako's hand and rushed out the door, with the fighter's yells of protest ringing through the air.

She still hadn't eaten breakfast.

After Hanae stopped, both girls had to catch their breaths. Sawako was first, and proceeded to, calmly and rationally, inquire about the situation.

"Oi! What the hell, Hanae-chan? You coulda warned me first!" She yelled. Calmly and rationally, of course.

Hanae simply giggled. "Sorry about that... spur of the moment, you know?" She had that smile that got her loved by even the non-action movie fans, the one that made her seem a lot cuter than normal people should be. It really added to her mystique as a famous actress.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Sawako could only faintly reply, since she was too busy trying to figure out what the hell was going on with this girl. Still... she did like her, the bit that she knew of her.

"Besides, I wanted some girl time!" Hanae replied cheerfully, which Sawako felt was starting to rub off on her. "We haven't really gotten the chance to talk much, have we? You know, with the killings and all..."

Sawako could only nod grimly. True, the killings were interfering with everyone's ability to make friends, but...

"You know, I feel like I've met someone like you before..."

Sawako's head whipped back to Hanae, as she looked at the girl expectantly. What did she mean by that? Was there something she didn't know about from her past?

"You remind me of one of my co-stars in one of my older movies!" Hanae said cheerfully once more, with Sawako responding with a sigh of relief. So there wasn't more to that... She was just comparing her to an old castmate.

"I guess that my fighting skills would bring that to mind, eh?" Sawako replied sheepishly, rubbing her hand through her hair and shifting her hip to one side. "Still... why'd you think of me when you thought of that other co-star?"

"Well... I guess it's because there's just something about you that draws people in." Hanae said, fidgeting as she looked for the right words to convey her message to Sawako. Before she could continue, Sawako decided to bail the actress out.

"It's fine. I... kinda get it." She replied, though she really didn't get it fully. Hanae breathed a sigh of relief either way, as she looked back up briefly and smiled that pretty little smile of hers.

"Thanks, Sawa-chan. I can't wait to do this again, but I should go check on the others." Hanae replied as she started heading down the hall, waving at Sawako as she did. "Come find me again soon, okay?"

"I will!" Sawako chuckled as she waved back at Hanae, the latter turning around once more and heading back into the cafeteria. She didn't know what it was about Hanae, but Sawako felt a bit closer to the girl...

Intimacy Level Up!

Hanae Watatsuki: Level 0 - Level 1!

Sawako was bored. After talking to Hanae, she'd gone to grab a quick nap before lunch, but even then she was still having a hard time falling asleep. She was unsure if it was the room itself, or the fact that she was still trying to figure out what was going on, but the fact remained that she just couldn't sleep.

Sighing, Sawako got up and slipped on her shoes. She noticed that her sock was starting to get a tiny hole in it, and wiggled her toe around inside to see if she could force the hole open. After about a minute of this, she quickly grew bored again and put her other shoe on, hoping to go out and find something to do...

Not even two steps out the door, and she'd already collided with Daisuke. Definitely not a pleasant matter.

"Gnuuuu..." Sawako lightly groaned as she sat herself up. Daisuke sat up too, albeit much later and with much less groaning.

"Hey, are you all right, man?" Sawako crawled over to Daisuke to check his bruises. Aside from a bit of redness on his face (which she noticed seemed to get just a tiny bit worse when she got closer to him) he seemed fine.

"I didn't ask for you to check my bruises, you know... Th-that is, if I had any." Daisuke replied, standing up quickly, with Sawako following suit shortly thereafter. He responded by turning away from her to hide the redness of his cheeks.

"Meh, alright..." Sawako said quietly, before she realized something. "Hey, wait! You never told me your name!" Daisuke turned back to the fighter, confused.

"Hm? I... didn't?" He asked in an almost dumbfounded, 'r u srs' type of face that Sawako didn't expect to see on Daisuke. It was almost as if he'd forgotten a lot of things, among them how to introduce himself.

"I'm sorry... I'm Daisuke Kagegami. Nice to meet you, miss... er..."

"I'm Sawako Furutani."

The two extended their hands and shook them, finally having introduced themselves to each other. 'At least he seems nice...' Sawako thought, as she noticed that the two still hadn't let go of each others' hands yet, and broke away first. The corners of Daisuke's mouth turned ever so slightly downwards, but Sawako didn't notice it before he walked off.

"I'll be seeing you, Sawako. It's getting late."

Intimacy Level Up!

Daisuke Kagegami: Level 0 - Level 1!

'Huh?' Sawako thought to herself as she went back into her room to look at the clock. It read 21:45...? 'Shit! I was asleep for that long?!' She rushed to the cafeteria to grab some food before it closed, then went back to her room and ate quickly before falling into what she expected would be another long, arduous night of rest...

A/N: I suck at FT stuff.

Poll's up on my profile for new ones, obviously. Already got a few votes in, and it's looking interesting.

also I'm not sorry I'm already protagshipping uguu

Until next time, R/R, and tune in~

-DA BOSS