Catch-22: The Walls Where Memories Burn Deep
By: M14Mouse
Summary: Ren has been here before. Different place. Different time but same four damn walls. He wanted to throw up.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
The past is a steppingstone, not a millstone.-Robert Plant
"That is one big slot machine," Sensei said behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Sensei and Akechi approach behind them.
"A sense of grandeur, I believe. Perhaps, even a sense of intimidation," Akechi said.
"It is definitely grand," Haru noted.
"And intimidating," Ann said.
"But, hell, the payout will get us to the next level," Ryuji said.
"We are lucky that Sensei and Crow were able to get more than the entry fee," Makoto said.
Sensei tipped his hat and Akechi scratched the back of his neck.
"Now, we mess with the machine…or in other words, rig the machine in our favor," Futaba said with a crackle.
"I almost think that you're having fun, Oracle," He said with an easy grin.
He knew that she was. This was her element after all.
"Maybe a little. Anyway, the rigging device should be close by," Futaba said with a grin.
It only took a few minutes and took down a few shadows to find the control panel and disable it. He wasn't 100% sure what Sensei and Futaba were doing to it. There was a lot of mumbling involved. He debated about asking but…he is just going to leave that be.
Soon enough, the group was back at the slot machine.
He slipped the card into the entry fee slot and pulled the lever. The group watched in awe as the slots landed on 7s. The machine started spilling out coins and bills. Ann and Haru turned to Sensei and Futaba.
"So…do we ask what you two did?" Ann asked.
"Best not too. It is probably very technical and terrifying," Yusuke said.
Futaba crackled…and Sensei just grinned.
"Just increasing our odds in our favor," Sensei said.
"They are scary," Haru noted.
"We need to move now. Our win has created quite a stir," Akechi noted.
"Good idea," He said as the group headed toward the counter and brought the shiny new high level membership card.
They rested briefly in the safe room before moving toward the elevator. He wasn't too surprised when he saw one of Sae-san's security details there.
"What a clever trick," Sae-san's voice said over the intercom.
"We are merely following your rules," Akechi said.
"Hmph! I am the manager of this casino, and the rules deem that I am the victor!" Sae-san said angrily.
"It appears both the Sae-san of the real world and that of this world are at their wit's end…" Akechi noted.
"Make sense given what we have seen," Sensei replied to Akechi.
"…I think our guests will be leaving now," Sae-san said as the security guard approached the group.
It was a quick fight since the group was together again. Futaba worked on increasing their stats and decreasing the shadow's abilities. Sensei threw cards at the shadow which caused them to freeze in place. He kind of agreed with Morgana that he wished they could do this from the start.
Once they were finished, they headed into the elevator which they came to shadow in black standing by a closed gate.
"Beyond this point is the high limit floor. Do you have a reservation?" The shadow in black said.
"We do. Joker…" Sensei said as he waved him forward.
He pulled out the card in his pocket to show the shadow.
"I'm sorry that you have only part of the requirement," The shadow said as the shadow looked at the card.
"It must have to do with my sister's cognition," Makoto said.
"But how…?" Ann asked.
"Simple really…we don't belong here," Sensei said.
"It makes sense. We are thieves. Unless we are in handcuffs, we wouldn't be near a courtroom," He said.
"Joker is correct. So, we need to change her cognition to allow access. I might have a solution," Akechi said.
"I'm curious. Wouldn't you have access?" Haru asked Akechi.
Akechi shook his head.
"I rarely visit this floor for work. Most of the time, they rarely need my help at that point in the case," Akechi replied.
"I have only been on the ground floor when visiting Crow," Sensei noted.
"You visit him at work?" Morgana asked.
"Of course…he would only eat convenience store meals if I didn't bring him food," Sensei said with a chuckle.
He could see Akechi flushing under the mask.
"Back to the matter at hand, we need to get past this point, correct? Then leave it to me," Akechi said.
Makoto stared at him for a moment.
"You're going to get us inside in one of her trials, aren't you?" Makoto said.
Akechi nodded.
"Yes. I have some connections that come to mind. I will contact you once I have arranged a time. We should return to the real world for now. Well, see all of you in the courtroom," Akechi said cheerly.
"Tomorrow, it is then," He said as they turned back down the elevator and out of the palace.
Once back in the real world, everyone said their good-byes and departed.
He went to a nearby corner store and waited for a few minutes. Of course, he grabbed some snacks and those fish flavored chips that Morgana liked.
After he paid for his snacks, he turned right back around toward the courthouse and entered the palace again.
He didn't plan to go to the palace. No, his focus was entirely different.
"Ren…is something wrong?" Morgana said from his backpack.
"You know…it is silly. The station was different. Smaller and two…no three levels. I didn't see all of it but this place felt the same. It still gave me a sense of foreboding. I was kept in the basement. No windows. Just four gray walls. I remember staring at the light and counting the cracks in the wall," He said as he stared at the police station.
"How…How long were you there?" Morgana asked as he jumped out of his backpack.
"Maybe hours…but it felt like days. The worst part was the confusion. Why was I here? Was the woman alright? Am I going to be alright? Where were my parents? Should I call my parents? I felt so damn lost, Morgana. No one would answer my questions. It should have been the first clue that I was going to get framed," He said bitterly.
"I'm going to scratch his eyes out then cut him into a million pieces with my sharp claws," Morgana said angrily.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Thanks, Morgana. I just deal with this before you know….our plan. I have faith that our plan will work but to be there again," He said before his voice dropped off.
The noise from the casino fills the silence between them.
"You don't have to do this today. We have time," Morgana said.
He adjusted his glasses.
"Nah. I want to get this over with. I can't mess up if I am trapped in my own head. Besides, you are here with me," He said with a grin.
"So, am I," A familiar voice said behind them.
He was embarrassed to say that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned around to see Sensei behind them.
"A BELL! Yosuke-san was right! You need a bell!" Morgana shouted.
"Come now…what fun would that be?" Sensei said with a grin.
"Sensei…what are you doing here?" He mumbled softly.
"Queen said something and I thought that you could use another friendly presence," Sensei said.
He felt himself flush. He didn't think that his friends would pick up on this….
"Thanks," He said before he turned around.
"We go at your pace, Joker," Sensei said softly.
"Right," Morgana said.
He took a deep breath and started walking toward the building. While the building was here in the cognitive world, it didn't have the people here.
That…that was a good thing. He didn't think that he could do this before shadows or people were around.
He stopped at the entrance and looked up.
It was nothing but concrete, metal and glass.
It was the most depressing sight that he had seen.
"The station that I was brought to. It had a garden or some landscaping done in front of the building. I don't remember. Even in the middle of the night, I just remember the bushes, flowers and benches. Random, huh?" He remarked to the pair.
Sensei hummed softly. Morgana looked a little lost.
He shrugged before pressing on into the building.
It was like a ghost town inside but his mind could easily fill in the blanks. The lady at the front desk talking on the phone. There were a few people in the lobby. Talking…people going from place to place…shouting…cursing…It was a blur of noise that he couldn't make out.
"The lobby wasn't very busy that night but the noise was deafening. I couldn't make out a single word," He noted.
"You were in shock," Sensei said softly.
He nodded.
He walked past the front desk into the back. They pass the empty offices until he reaches the rows and rows of empty desks.
"Coffee, Smoke and Sweat. Phones ringing off the hook. More talking," He noted as he looked around the room.
"Then they dragged me to the back. The interrogation rooms. I think that it is downstairs here. The one that I was at was on the same level," He added as he waved his hand toward the elevator.
He stood there for a moment and stared at the elevator. He knew that Sensei or Morgana wasn't going to push him.
"My time in the field, I have had my share of interrogation rooms," Sensei said.
"Really?" He said as he glanced over at Sensei in surprise.
"Yes. Shadows really don't understand laws such as trespassing and murder."
Morgana snorted.
"Sensei is right about that one," Morgana mumbled.
"And what did you do?" He asked.
"Depends. Normally, we try to have an ally within the town or city to aid us. If not, a good lawyer on standby. I'm quite lucky that none of the changes ever stick but I know not all of us are that lucky. One of us can't go into Brazil again and another isn't allowed into Russia."
"I wish that I had a good lawyer. Although, it probably wouldn't have helped," He noted.
"Probably not. Shido had too much power at that point. He would probably pay them off," Sensei noted.
"Scumbag," Morgana mumbled.
"He is." He said bitterly.
He sighed as he took a deep breath and walked toward the elevator.
It didn't give him the same sense of foreboding when he got on the elevator and traveled down to the basement. He felt numb as they approached the interrogation rooms. He stopped at the first door and opened it.
It was the same. Two different places but they looked the same. No windows. Same table. Same chairs. Same ugly gray walls. Same fluorescent lighting.
He wanted to throw up.
"I was there for hours but it felt like a lifetime before they came in," He said with a pause before he walked into the room.
"When they did, I wished that they left me alone," He added as he pulled out the chair and took a seat. He stared at the open door. He could almost imagine them coming in with their suits and folders in their hands. Sensei pulled the other chair and pulled it to his side then took a seat next to him. Morgana jumped onto the table.
"It was typical like how you see on tv. Two guys came in. One good cop. One bad cop. They were talking about the evidence and witnesses. How I just attacked the man…I plead with the cops that there was some mistake. It went on for hours until…," He said as his voice finally gave out.
"until they got what they wanted," Sensei added.
He nodded.
"Can I borrow Ms. Yukiko, Sensei?" Morgana asked.
"What for?" Sensei said.
"To set Shido on fire."
Sensei chuckled.
"If you ask nicely, I'm sure that she would help."
"Good," Morgana said in satisfaction.
He let out a small chuckle before the silence filled the air between them.
"Right there…was the tv," Sensei said as he pointed to the corner.
"Sensei?" He said as his eyes darted to the corner.
"My uncle found one of the letters that Adachi was leaving me and took me to the station for questioning about the murders. I was in a room like this…I told him everything…the truth. He didn't believe me and decided to make me stay the night. At midnight, I saw my little sister on the Midnight channel on the tv…right in the corner," Sensei said with a distant look in his eyes.
"In hindsight, I could have stuck my hand into the tv and it would solve my problem. Of course, it could have made it worse. Who knows? I remember screaming and banging on the door to be let out. To get to the nearest tv and save her. Of course, no one did…until my friends got me out. It remains the longest night of my life."
"But…but you save her," He said after a moment.
"And you're here," Sensei said.
He felt himself adjust his glasses. He felt the familiar feeling of closeness and understanding with Sensei that he updated his social link.
"And you will be here at the end. Whatever mask you bear and chains that you wrap in…you will set yourself free. I believe it," Sensei said with a hint of a smile.
"Thanks," He said.
"Or I could wrap your enemies in roots and suck out their life force," Sensei said mildly.
He burst out laughing as Sensei's smile grew.
**Crash**
He scrambled to his feet. He felt a wave of panic. Were they followed? Did Akechi figure them out?
"SON OF A BITCH!" Ryuji shouted from the hallway.
He, Sensei and Morgana rushed out of the room to see Ryuji on the floor by the elevator with Ann standing over him. Makoto was shaking her head.
"YOU PERV!" Ann shouted.
Morgana sighed.
Yusuke and Haru spotted them from the elevator.
"Sensei!" Yusuke shouted and waved.
"Sensei! Re-Joker! Queen was talking and we were worried…," Haru said.
"You have good friends, Ren," Sensei mumbled softly.
"Yes…yes, I do."
End of The Walls Where Memories Burn Deep
Next Chapter: The Girl Called Mint
Rank 4: Veles's roots can draw enemy shadow's HP and heal the group.
A/N: AND LOOK! We get another Rank up. WHOA! :D The Ren/Sensei scene was planned out awhile now because I was highly annoyed how the game handled this part of the game. As always, thank you for the reviews and kudos. Read and Review if you wish.