Vash stared blankly at the closed doors. As a vibrant whistling rang from above, the train compartment lurched forward. It jerked, hisses of hydraulic and brakes pulled back for the engine to resume its work. The train's acceleration was a smoother experience than the Sandsteamer, a magnificent invention built by an engineer with a dream and hope in his vision.
He was dreaming. He dearly hoped, against all odds, that this was all a dream.
The frontal confrontation he just had with an army of heartless machines paled in comparison to this whole phenomenon. The steps he took as he delved further into the train, marching to the beats of the track bumps, was awfully heavy and slow. At some point, he felt his thoughts fleeing away from him. The same empty compartments and cabins, of mixed steel flooring, walls, doors and ceilings. Rows of empty seating coaches, posters and routes written in a language foreign yet all too familiar, and a knot sitting in the depth of his gullet.
The ray of sunlight abruptly blindsided him.
Vash stood looked to the side, seeing an expanse of blue as white sand receded away. He approached the windows, gazing upon a watery surface that reflected the starlight connecting with the heavens far beyond the horizon. From the firmament, a rain of white light descended, one after another, then a dozen followed by hundreds and thousands. Second by second, moment after moment—the world became a fantastical, silent theater which went on for as long as it was capable of.
A vista like no other which didn't exist in the place he came from decorated the flitting scenery. Electrical posts which leaned or stood upright, some half-drowned train tracks, and sometimes an empty flat island or two. He felt a brief twinge from the corner of his mind, his heart seemingly to drown in the passing by landscapes that stretched to no ends.
And then, he found a person.
It was almost like catching a glimpse of a squirrel in a narrow alleyway. You wouldn't notice, most people wouldn't, especially for a person of tall stature like Vash. And yet, the pale blue, nearly translucent hair that streamed like waterfall paled in comparison to a ring of light hovering above the person sitting on the train coach as if sleeping.
Ah—
A youthful face with a hint of maturation. The halfway point to adulthood. The girl of mysterious origin seemed to murmur something. Soft, faint, and yet clearly heard.
"...ah," she muttered. The lightshow outside seemed to have bedazzled his ability to see the girl's face in full. However, a droopy, innocent smile flourished from pale lips. "You're back, sensei."
Vash's eyes widened.
Sensei. Teacher. A label referring to a person of respectable position, someone Vash had known before yet counted among the many others he had failed. And yet, this unknown girl referred to him with that labeling. Admiration was in her voice. Adoration sweetly fell from her word. And then… unconditional trust.
Vash couldn't remember her. He couldn't recognize her. He didn't know her.
Even so… in this world of beautiful light, still he saw the uncaring shadow of reality. He approached, his boot landing on a puddle of rich red liquid. Tiny drops of crimson regularly fell from the seat under the girl. He languidly stared at the fresh bullet wound on the left side of her chest and sat next to her; the train background reduced into the backdrops as he sensed last bits of life's brightness draining away.
A few millimeters away from the heart. The bullet, likely of medium caliber, cleanly yet brutally broke through the ribs and punctured the lung. A fatal wound without advanced medical treatment. Even then, a girl of her age was prone to infection. Specialized and sterile area, not to mention the immense blood loss in need of urgent transfusion.
It was… already too late.
"...sorry about that," Vash said. He forced a smile. He always did that. He knew. But, it was something he couldn't help but to do. Even as he flexed and intertwined his fingers, he felt a sorrowful de ja'vu from this situation. "It took some time to get here."
If there was god, why couldn't he find the answer?
"It's alright," the girl whose name he knew not replied. The white dress, a uniform that neatly wrapped her limbs and flowed in a long skirt refined her image. A halo, a kind voice, and a warm smile. It might be presumptuous of him to call her an angel, though. It felt rude, this was their first meeting. "I think I'm getting used to waiting. Even though it was never in my style… there's some joy in feeling time's passing, now."
He glanced down. In the small space between the two of them, a small gloved hand caked in blood lay open. The little exposure of skin there had a pale coloration. Paler than white, almost blueish. Gently, Vash rested his right hand atop the delicate hand.
It was awfully cold, yet lacking in fear.
"...it was all my fault."
The dying girl tilted her head. As the dark blue heavens shed rains of stars, Vash stared long into the faraway horizon. All he could do was to listen, now.
"The decisions I made… and everything they caused."
The small and dainty fingers twitched. Even though there was no trembling, that seemingly trivial was a defiant challenge against all living being's inevitable destiny.
Death was a lonely and painful thing, that was why people avoided wanting to get hurt.
"It all had to come to this for me to finally realize that you were right all along…" The girl whispered, a forlorn smile on her face. "Still. It might be presumptuous of me to ask for your help at this point, but…"
The angelic girl craned her chin up. Beyond the windows of the train cabins, the stars continued to rain; one after another. Again and again. The scenery carved a deep impression in Vash's heart. Melancholy fogged his vision, his mind dyed in white.
"Sensei." In the white void, what remained was the lukewarm sensation of his present companion, sensing a visible weight leaning at his shoulder. The girl rested her head as if falling into a slumber. "You may end up forgetting these words, but even without your memories, you will likely make the same decision."
Was it? Was that truly the truth?
Vash prided himself in his ability to judge other's characters, but that did not mean the choices he made would always be right. He had traveled long, endlessly wandering to bridge a connection amid roiling waves of malice. He used his everything he got, borrowing on the wisdom of others and a small promise he had made in his heart just to keep on going. A show of faith in a place where it was the first thing to die in a ditch.
Still, he didn't want to make excuses. Therefore, Vash held on tight to the fading warmth in his hand.
"I've spoken of responsibility before." The girl's voice guided his consciousness. It was a heavy word to use, but he couldn't help himself from listening. "I didn't truly understand it back then, but now I believe I do."
The train track echoed. Somewhere, in the distance, at some time.
"Adulthood, responsibility and obligation, the choices you make which extend beyond those ideals."
In the white abyss that surrounded him, fragmented images surfaced. At first it was a series of landscapes. From an urban jungle of concrete, glass and steel to the deep snow burying houses and streets in a lonely night. Sprawling from the center of a gigantic city was a white tower that shot up a blue ray of light to the canopy of the world like a beacon.
"I even understand the meanings behind them."
Even though he had never once seen such a beautiful, orderly yet chaotic structure like this, it all brought forth a deep sense of nostalgia. It was a shame that his consciousness was further slipping away, but he sensed golden glows brimming with warmth suffusing his existence.
Yet again, he was shown another series of fragmented images. This time of people of varying age, height and appearances.
"As the only adult I can put my trust in…"
Of a group of children wandering the streets. Of friends and classmates hailing from the same educational institution. Of web of connections that seemed bright, gentle and full of happiness. Spending days at leisure, sometimes frantic, but fulfilling all the same.
"Only you can free us from this twisted, distorted fate."
And then rain fell. The sky was gray and bleak. The ruined portion of a building jutted out from the corner of his vision, and looming above him was an ashen-haired woman with a gun pointed towards him. A tablet lied next to him, drenched in the rain, riddled with bullet holes and violent scratch marks.
"And find the choices that will lead us to a new reality."
The woman clad in black dress frowned, but Vash knew that look. He had seen it before, in many places and across the age. An empty gaze which has given up on everything, turning away solely for the sake of cursing the world. Twisted lips, trembling as if silenced by the hatred of people's malice. A name suddenly crossed his mind, of a quiet Nameless God who had tragically awakened her Mystique to the side of Terror—
"So, Sensei. Please…"
Alas, Vash's eyelids fluttered shut. And then his consciousness was no more.
As night gave away, morning arrived. A bright blue sky greeted a city.
It was a promising start to a brand new day. Or, well, it would have been. However, the thing called "tranquil peace" was not something people consciously understood until the day that seemingly ordinary concept shattered into pieces. What one thought was an infallible system suddenly crumbled, and then the many denizens who had taken it for granted fell into the maws of emotional outbursts. In this maelstrom of chaos, the true form of wickedness would naturally be given the opening needed to sink its poisonous fangs and ruin everyone's efforts for the foreseeable future.
"Reporting, another train-jacker at the Uminami route! Requesting for backup!"
"Again!? That's the 7th time this week!"
"We don't have the manpower! Send the request to other department!"
"The remaining force stationed in DU tower is under Chief of General Security! Also, we don't have the clearance to mobilize forces outside of our own department without the president's executive approval!"
"Where do you think the president is, huh!?"
"Make it work, somehow!"
"I'm not a miracle-worker, dammit!"
"Mind your tongue, hey!"
Nanagami Rin rubbed her forehead, feeling headaches forming even as her eyelids drooped down once more. It was already a struggle to keep on working in an exhausted state like this, even with the few breaks given by Momoka and Ayumu. Still, the city's conditions had further deteriorated. The office floors below hers were all turning into cages full of crazed beasts, and the streets were infested with armed delinquents drunk in illegally-attained powers. Public safety had never been at an all-time low like this, and as a knock-on effect, so did the citizens' faith in the General Student Council's ability as the supreme authority ruling over Kivotos.
Any day now, the black-haired girl felt like the city would implode on itself. Just… where are we supposed to go from here?
She honestly didn't know. Even so, she didn't have the time nor patience to keep on sulking away. The option to sequester away was never on the table, and so Rin gritted her teeth, working through the pressure threatening to crush her office. What was worse…
"Where the hell is that "guest" she mentioned…?"
Her finger tapped against the surface of her desk. Stacks after stacks of documents filled the space it provided almost to the brim, but Rin was anything but untidy. Her direct subordinates were capable as well, though they had their own idiosyncrasy. Mostly Momoka, who was still throwing chips into her mouth and standing nearby an unattended computer.
"Well, his arrival is supposed to be today, if what the letter said is true…" The pink-haired girl tilted her head, crunching and grinding down her snacks at leisure. Rin always frowned at that since the papers submitted by her always ended up with oil splotches, but as expected, even that sort of issue was mild in comparison to the ensuing problems. Furthermore, Momoka was the type to work hard and play hard. Her work efficiency rate was second to none and therefore greatly appreciated. "But seriously, this sure fits the president's character. First is sudden disappearance. Then a cryptic message declaring the formation of a new club attached to ours while bringing in a total outsider."
"Umm, Momoka, isn't it rude to talk of a person behind their back…?"
"It's fine, Ayumu." Rin acknowledged the concern given off by the Executive Office's secretary with a nod. And, even when she looked to Momoka, it was not with a gaze full of displeasure. "Everyone's become cagey. That is understandable. The centralized governing of the president worked to a degree because of her ever-present role in managing the city. We never had this sort of crisis before, so it never registered in our minds that the system we have is not infallible."
"Mhmm. Frankly, everyone's at fault for not noticing the sand castle below our feet." Momoka scratched her curved horn, groaning all the while as her tail flitted about behind her. "Still, this is a bigger crisis than even my wildest expectations. Didn't somebody say it before? Where there's smoke, there's fire?"
Rin narrowed her eyes at that. An idiom that was well-known, but not exactly the sort of thing the Chief of the Transportation Office would bring up. In a way, it was the girl's way of providing assistance when warranted. And by her words…
"You meant to say that the previous system had never worked as intended."
"As expected of Rin-chan, the talk goes fast." Momoka flashed a sly grin only to replace it with a solemn, sobering look. "It's the only way to explain this bursting dam thing. In any case, we need to close the leak, even with duct tapes, or pray and hope for nothing."
Easy for you to say, but… "I suppose we do need to focus on finding our guest…"
Rin exhaled. She didn't make a show out of herself, but she still dipped her shoulders and cast her gaze down on the documents lying on the center of her desk. A white envelope the size of formal document marked with the symbol of a halo and a targeting mark, struck in the middle by a thin crosshair—
"Pardon me…" The office door opened, letting in a member of the GSC who seemed to be hailing from a different department. Well, each department actually had their own office and floor, but for convenience sake, all business had to be done in the vice-president's office for the moment. "Errm, I have a report to deliver to Chief Yuragi…"
"Huhm? What's up?" Momoka perked up. Unfortunately, the student seemed to be a bit more than shy, so the pink-haired and twintailed girl had to walk away briefly. Rin looked long at the interaction, but the way Momoka blinked and widened her eyes seemed to indicate that something was afoot. "Eeh? Is that for real…?"
Now that was new. Rin had known Momoka not as long as some others did, as the girl was a first-year who jumped to position because of her prodigious talent. However, Momoka now looked like she was swallowing a particularly sour but not at all sweet lemon candy.
The Chief of Transportation Office wholly in charge of the traffic laws, routes and trades done through the city's veins walked back with a haggard gait. She had a piece of paper in her hand—which she unceremoniously dumped on the desk.
"This is…" Rin blinked, processing the report of arrest and criminal records of… a person suspected to be a vagrant squatting and illegally using train service? Not exactly something that warranted the executive office's consideration, but the fact that it reached all the way up here suggested thorough reading, and according to the document… "Red, tattered trench-coat as if riddled by bullets. Outlandish and dirty outfits. In possession of a heavily-customized large-caliber gun with no permits. Hairs that stand on all ends. A few ear piercings, potentially juvenile delinquency records. Taller than average stature with a lanky built and absolutely no civilian credentials or home address. Approximately a male adult bearing the visage of a twenty-five years old?"
…
"...oh." From the side, her diligent secretary murmured, "is that our esteemed guest…?"
Oh, indeed. And he got arrested and was currently confined in a police box at the train station of Shiratori Ward. What in the...?
Vash had never felt so tired like this. It was like he had been running through the night only to get unceremoniously dumped to the roadside in broad daylight.
Well, actually, he did run through the night, but everything else after that was seriously fuzzy that he only had vague feelings at best. How did he end up here? Had he been dreaming the whole day away, and that his fight against the droid armies was actually a figment of a drug-addled imagination? Well… not really.
It was one thing already to see a mechanical man with television display for head and mic for ears, but the fact that it—he—was dressed in a uniform that screamed expensive top to bottom before the man apparently in charge of the train station dragged him off to what counted as a police box alarmed Vash a great deal. There was an absurd telltale of minute motions in that gesture, of reactions and actions and intelligence paired with a level of emotional state that exceeded even the most advanced AI back home.
Yes. That robot man was definitely alive in a sense. Sentient, sapient. Like the Plant, but of entirely different origin and all-in on the mechanical aspect.
It was a discovery like no other, but Vash had quickly found himself with a bowl of piping hot rice bowl served by the local security… cop, police? Well, one would have expected a gruff old man too done with zaniness, but imagine it be a pair of children—girl teenagers with deep black and flat white hairs—that were questioning him in a contrasting dynamic of enthusiasm and laziness. The guns the two of them carried made him pause, but as he received a rather flimsy attempt of interrogation, he needed to ask…
"What did you call yourself, again? Valkyrie's Public Safety Bureau agents?"
"Yes indeed, sir! Officer Nakatsukasa Kirino, at your service!" The white-haired bundle of energy bright as the sunshine saluted. Dressed in a white and gray canvas which was outlined by black belts and gold-colored emblems, the girl certainly had the air of a civil servant, or in other words, a policewoman on the lookout for petty crimes. "Now, eat up!"
Eat up… Vash stared long and hard at the bowl of rice topped with fried food and thick sauce which smelled really good. It seemed the sauce was made from a bunch of condiments, the thick and gravy texture likely a product of a culinary technique that clearly spared no effort in its process. It looked way too good, too luxurious and special for something served to a criminal suspect, not to mention the timing… I-I don't think I've ever seen food cooked this fast and turning up with this result…
"Wow," the black-haired sidekick of the spirited Kirino murmured. "Mister, you must have absolutely zero idea what the food means, huh?"
Vash snapped back to reality. Fighting off his grumbling stomach, he wiped his face from any drool possibly leaking down the edge of his lips. That-that was dangerous…!
"Whatever do you mean…!?"
"You're raising your voice by half-an-octave at the end of your sentence there, sunglasses-wearing Onii-san." The awfully short girl wore a lopsided smile. Wait, step back for a moment there. What was that thing she just said there…? That weirdly raised his heckles. "Ah, go ahead and eat that rice bowl. It's just a reheated convenience store meal, but those sold here are to die for compared to those sold in the outskirts."
Hrrk. So this was the best deal among many others…?
"Personally, I prefer my donuts. But anyway," the cranberry red hue in the shorter girl's eyes lazily stared back at him. "Is that coat of yours bulletproof? Made from composite armor?"
Vash stared owlishly, this time from surprise. How… did she figure that out?
"Ah, knew it. The chair's been creaking there, even though we already confiscated your gun and luggage. You're really tall by the city's standard, but Mister, your figure don't impress much weight on your person."
And now he was being openly insulted… It wasn't like he had a choice when it came to living the way he did. He was a double-S threat in the whole planet; a big shot and a public menace to common people's safety. He had to live by subsisting off other people's kindness or honest-to-goodness hard labor. Well, when put like that, he really was living in a pitiful state, but it was what it was. Besides, life on the road wasn't all bad either.
"...wait." And then the white-haired girl interrupted. Kirino had a strange look on her face as she stared down at the person sitting next to her. "Who are you and why are you so cooperative? Fubuki, have you been drinking espresso earlier?"
"Eeeeh… come on, Kirino. Even I have my own whim to work around," the girl now known as Fubuki pouted. "Sides, this adult isn't gonna be our problem for long."
"Hueh—?"
The cubicle's sliding door rattled open. As warm sunlight streamed in—of which Vash had particularly noted to be way cooler than the sunlight in No-Man's Land—a tall young lady walked into the police box. She wore glasses, her icy blue eyes giving a sharp sweep over the place before focusing precisely on him. She was well-endowed, with a hint of immaturity in her facial structure. The way her chest heaved up and down seemed to point a mad rush she had done to reach this place, but what was up with that?
That said, all the trivia Vash had noted was overpowered by the professional demeanor she carried to the point that authority was oozing from her being. He felt like he had done something wrong. She was seriously glaring at him. Like, really, really glaring. Almost as if she was trying to drill a hole in his skull with an hour-long sermon. Also, that was a very long hair it even almost reached her ankle, there.
"I… see. So you are the one."
Having finished scrutinizing him from head-to-toes, the much older girl dressed in a classy white uniform coughed into her fist. Her gaze flew off him, much to his relief, and sat on the two Valkyrie students. One of which froze up, her back straightening up. Words would have leaped out her voice box if not for the initiative stolen by the mysterious person.
"Excuse me, you two are…"
"Ah, madame Vice-president. Greetings there." Fubuki lazily waved. She did not deign to remove herself from the chair, instead sending a greeting as casually as could be as if calling out to a work colleague. "Bout time you got here. Guessing you've got serious business with Mister Outsider here?"
"Heeh!? Fu-Fubuki, you mean this adult here is…?"
Fubuki shrugged. "I mean, his fashion is out-of-place. Then there's his equipment. Did you see that caliber? A bit much for use inside the city's limits, no? Security camera also didn't catch anything, and there was nothing in the radio network even though he's this conspicuous. Then there's… nah, never mind. Anyway, here's your catch, miss VIP."
The Valkyrie girl handed out a paper onto the table. The newest addition in the already narrow police box trained her gaze on it before closing shut. As tension visibly melted away from her shoulders, the young woman sighed.
"Very well. Thank you for your continued dedication to the city's service."
"Heh he he… Then, can I ask for our office to receive a regular supply of donuts?"
"This and that are two different matters. Also, that counts as bribery attempt so I shall file a legal complaint to your direct superior later for dereliction of duty." The so-called Vice-president paused. "A very minor complaint. Now, let us be off—"
Vash's stomach growled.
Silence ensued. Kirino drew a blank expression with her lips forming a triangular shape, while the glasses-wearing lady twitched her eyebrow. Only the lazy-looking high-efficiency female cop snickered.
"Right, right. Why not eat while on the go?" Fubuki suggested with a sly smile on her face.
"That is only applicable for snacks and bread!" Kirino yelled out. "What if he suffers a stomachache!? It's unhygienic with a risk of accident in public space! Not to mention setting up a poor example for the younger children! It's bad for education!"
...you know what, that's all a valid reason to not eat while walking. Without further ado, Vash began to chow down on his late and heavy breakfast.
A/N: I got held up by some family-related matters. Now I'm back and can post again. Sorry for the wait.