Persona 4: Dual Destinies

Chapter 1 – The Two Wild Cards

…

? Date: ? Weather: ?

The fog around the old car was thick, making it impossible for the driver to see or anything else around the street it was riding on visible. The car continued on and on, riding straight forward at a leisurely pace, like time did not affect the passengers.

Only four sources of light came from the car, the two white lights in front and the two reds in the back, sticking out in the lone road in the dark abyss around the car. They were the only beacons of light, in an ocean of darkness. The outside of the car was a dull silver color, nothing remarkable about the style or shape, making it look like nothing remarkable was on the inside.

But if you, the reader, were to look inside the car, you'd see the soft blue light on the inside, coating all over the leather interior, the small round table in the middle and the tiny bar off to the side, untouched. But what was inside the car, sitting on the plush seating, both looking comfortable and serene in the car listening to the sounds of a far off piano, were an old man and young woman. The old man was bald on top and had long white hair along the sides of his head, wearing a black suit with white gloves. He had an absurdly long nose with wild looking black eyebrows, giving him a crazed and slightly comical appearance.

The young woman wore a blue long sleeved dress with high collar and skirt that ended at her knees. Her legs were covered with black hose and on her feet were the shiny blue plain pumps. Her hair long white hair was combed back and held in place by a blue head band with only a single wisp of hair cascading down her face. Both of the people had very pale skin, as if the sun had never shined down upon either faces. But where the old man had dark onyx eyes, the woman had striking golden eyes. While the old man had his hands clasped together, deep in thought, the woman seemed to be awaiting something with her hands over a thick book on her lap.

The old man suddenly twitched, causing his eyes to peel open, staring straight ahead.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

The piano in the distance suddenly changed tempo and tune, sounding much closer than before; a singer accompanying the keys. The man chuckled, "Ahh… it seems we have guests with," he paused, smiling, "an intriguing destiny."

The woman beside him turned her gaze to the end of the car, setting her gaze onto the two chairs sitting beside each other, separated by a thick velvet curtain. The two people were covered in darkness, their faces indistinguishable, only their genders visible; a man and a woman, both ages unknown.

"Huh? Where the hell am I?" The man asked, annoyed at being in a strange place. He looked around, side to side until he landed on the bar. "I may be some place strange, but at least there's booze here."

The man leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "Please refrain from drinking for now. My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance." His hands gestured to around the four of them, "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter."

The man again spoke up, "What the hell? Am I seriously drunk?"

Igor continued on, unfazed, "It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter…" He smiled widely, "It may be that such a fate awaits you both in the near future." He sat back, nodding to the both of them. "Though I must say, we have never had two guests at once before." He chuckled, "most intriguing."

"Now then, why don't you introduce yourself?" His right left hand gestured to the chair on the right, "ladies first."

The woman in the right chair nodded, feeling no anxiousness or fear. "Narukami, Yuuko." She said in a quiet, soft voice. She continued to stay sitting, her own hands folded on her lap.

Igor smiled at her then with is right hand, gestured to the left chair. "And now the gentleman?"

The man sighed, not feeling up to talking to these strange people. But really, what choice did he have? Dreams like this are interesting enough. "Adachi, Tohru." His arms crossed over his chest, his gaze going to the curtain separating the two of them, wanting to see this mysterious woman that was next to him in his weird ass dream.

"Hm… I see." His eyes closed in thought, a few ideas and thoughts racing through his mind, making him chuckle, "Quite peculiar." He shook his head gently and looked back up at the two guests. "Now, let's take a look into your futures, shall we?"

With a nod of his head, cards appeared on the table before them with a flash of light. He grinned at their expressions, one filled with wonder, the other not enjoying his time there at all. "Do you believe in fortune telling?" He didn't wait for an answer, just continued with a wave of his hand over the cards that came together into a seven card pattern. "Each reading is done with the same cards," He paused, looking to the woman in blue before continuing, "yet the result is always different…" Chuckling again for the unknown time that night, "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"

With a wave of his hand, a single card flipped over, revealing a picture of a crumbling tower. "The Tower in the upright position represents the imminent future." He spoke cryptically.

Both of the guests leaned forward, entranced by the cards. One was eager to see what was to come next, while the other was trying to figure out the hoax that was being given.

"It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent." He nodded to himself, "the card indicating the future beyond that is…"

Another card flipped over, showing the picture of a crescent moon.

"The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents, 'hesitation' and 'mystery'…" He clapped his hands together, "…Very interesting indeed. It seems you both will encounter a misfortune at your destination, when you both come together in meeting, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."

His eyes bore into the very souls of the two guests, making them freeze at his next words. "In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year, starting at the month of a rainy spring, is a turning point in your destiny…" He sat back and smiled, "If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost."

The woman gripped the hem of her shirt, feeling puzzled at the information given to them. The man, however, was ecstatic. His life was going to get interesting once the rainy spring month arrived, no more boredom!

But wait, isn't this just a dream?

Then how can this even be true? It could just be an illusion of his mind, made from his boredom at his job and life. But he couldn't shake the feeling…

The feeling as if everything that was happening… Was really happening…

"My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen." With a wave of his hand, the cards disappeared. The man in the left seat let his eyes wander to the silent woman by the old man, Igor. Igor then spoke again, "Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you." He motioned to her with his left hand, making the woman nod to both of the guests. "This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."

The woman bowed her head the both of them, speaking in a mature sounding voice, "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey." Short, sweet and to the point.

Igor motioned for their attention, "We shall attend to the details another time. Until then…" He bowed slightly to the both of the guests, "…farewell."

A force came over the two guests, causing their eyelids to feel heavier and heavier with each passing second. They slumped over, letting the lull of sleep pull them in, causing their forms to fade away.

As the guests were spirited away, Igor started laughing to himself. Margaret watched her master, knowing exactly why he was laughing. "If you wish for me to not say anything to them, master, then I shall." She said, unfazed by the laughter, only thinking about the striking resemblance to one of the guests.

Igor slowed his laughing; looking towards Margaret, "Do that. In all of my years, I have only seen this kind of thing happen once before." His eyes glazed over with a faraway look, "To think, our universe has skipped yet again, replaying the events with minor differences."

Margaret nodded, thinking back to what her younger siblings had told her. "Ah yes, the incident with the two siblings that Elizabeth and Theodore told me about." Igor nodded in confirmation. "I remember, you had told me that the original course was that the boy would follow his destiny and eventually succumb to the universe and its needs. However, what you and I did not foresee was that perhaps the universe wants to be challenged, that sometimes even our universe wants to change. Hence why the next time the time came for the boy to come into the story, he came with a twin sister."

"And with his sister there, it ultimately saved both of their lives and the lives of many others." Igor finished. "As with Elizabeth and Theodore, I told them explicitly that they were not to disturb the balance that was greeting us, as shall you, Margaret." He closed his eyes and leaned into his now folded hands, "it seems that this time, we are to be greeted with a new player as well again."

As the area faded to black, Igor muttered these words…

"Though the players may be different, the roles they must fill are the same."

…

M Date: 20-12-10 Weather: Sunny

A commercial was playing on the nearby telescreen above the train station that morning, it was the popular idol, Risette, trying to coerce her to buy some winter drink that was supposed to, 'make you so hot inside that you would lose weight in minutes!' Yuuko was shaking her head, smiling to herself at the idol's antics, wondering how someone could actually televise themselves and gain such a huge fan base.

The people around her were packed in tight, huddling for warmth in the mid December winter chill. After the commercial was done, some winter bulletin was playing, telling the people around her about the coming Christmas and New Year's holidays coming up. "Make sure to buy something sweet for the holidays! Christmas isn't Christmas without a delicious cake!"

She brushed some of her silver hair from her face, out of the way from her grey eyes. Yuuko grabbed her grey woolen scarf and tightened it around her neck, fixing her thick white sweater with it. The chill in the air made her shiver, wanting the train to take her to her new home. She sighed to herself, thinking back on the reason why she had to leave the city and go stay with her uncle…

F Date: 10-12-10 Weather: Cloudy

"I'm sorry, Yuu-chan. But mama has to leave home for about a year, year and a half."

Yuuko Narukami said not a single word at her mother's words; she was used to her mother leaving for long periods of time, being a big time detective in the biggest city in all of Japan. Ryuuko Narukami has been proud to say that her case closing ratio was a clear cut twenty to one from solved cases to unsolved.

Ryuuko was a bright and bubbly woman around her family, but on the job and when it comes to her cases, she was a calm, stoic and even cold hearted person; anything to solve the case and catch the perpetrator. She had long black, messy hair usually held in a high pony tail with her grey, stone-like eyes. Her face was round, soft and kind, making her look like a dumpling on a body. Her skin was sun kissed and darker than most people, but it showed her sunny personality, which also dominated her casual attire of sun dresses and sandals. However, since she had not the time to change, she was still in her suit from work, her slacks with white button up with the top three buttons undone.

"Agh! Sometimes, mama really hates being a detective! Ryuu has to deal with rude people and such sad things all the time!" She huffed, going down and shoveling in the food before her, courtesy of her husband. "Ryuu hates it so much when they have Ryuu go off! Ryuuko can't stand being away from Koji-chan and Yuu-chan!" She burst into tears and started to bawl, tear spraying in different directions animatedly.

Across from Ryuuko was her husband, Kojiro Narukami, who watched the display with not a single emotion gracing his face. He was used to his wife's antics, he was a hundred percent sure she was going to go along with whatever her chief assigned to her. He was about eighty nine percent sure that the assignment was for her to go undercover at some long distance away, most likely pertaining to the case of the "Candy Man Cult Murders" that she was in charge of for the last six months. With a sigh, he picked up his utensils again and ate silently, listening to his wife go on about how unfair it is to leave her precious baby alone with her father and how much she was going to miss them.

It was at this point that Kojiro gripped his utensils tightly, a vein pulsing on his forehead, how was he supposed to tell his family about his work now? Ryuu-chan was going crazy about having to leave them alone for a long time, so now how was he to tell about his business trip?

Kojiro Narukami looked to be a plain man from faraway, the only thing about him that stands out was his hair, and that was it. His face wasn't anything special, it was sharp and angular, very defined on the chin, cheeks and nose. He wore wire rimmed glasses with his dark brown eyes and light skin. His silver hair was short and combed to the side, making him look even more refined. He was actually an accountant for Kirijo Corp., thank you very much. He was a no nonsense kind of person who was very particular about everything in his life.

The only thing he knew he couldn't control was his wife, who was now sobbing on the table, making a pool of tears edge towards his place mat. Sure, he couldn't control her, but he could definitely learn her emotions and ways so he could at least create statistics pertaining to her options on what she was going to do next.

He loves his wife dearly, but he would be the first to thank the gods when someone says their daughter is nothing like his wife. Kojiro couldn't handle another Ryuuko running around.

Sighing again, he placed his chop sticks down on the table, creating a silence. He looked up and stared at his wife, who was not looking up at him. She knew her husband didn't ask for much, but when he placed his chop sticks down before he was done eating was a sign that he needed silence. She respected and loved him enough to cease her antics every once in a while.

"It is unfortunate, Ryuuko, that you must separate from us for so long. I, too, must leave home for the same length of time, due to being called out to help establish out of country areas for the branching out. Apparently, the president wants the newest branches of the company to be balanced and self sufficient, hence why I am being called out." Unlike Ryuuko's job, he was free to speak the specifics to his family about what he does. "A recently made partner has been requiring assistance with their monetary department and I have been chosen by the president to go out of the country and train them. After looking in and determining that the accounting is amateur at best, it will only take me one year, six months and one week to properly train and put in place new policies for accounting where anyone else would be there for double the time." He sipped on his tea, looking calm as can be. "I leave on the twentieth, this month."

Yuuko gulped, her parents had never before been absent from home at the same time before. What was going to happen to her? "What is going to happen to me then?" She asked before thinking about it.

Ryuuko sniffled, straightened up, knocking the side of her head to try and think. She didn't want to leave Yuu home alone for such a long time...

Kojiro picked his chop sticks back up and continued to eat. "You'll be staying with relatives. I will phone my parents and see if they can take you in."

Relatives.

Ryuuko gasped and stood up, nearly knocking over the table in her speed. Kojiro calmly placed his hands on the table and kept it steady before anything spilled. "Relatives! Ryuu has the bestest idea ever!" She smiled and crossed her arms over her chest, nodding to herself. "Ryuu's little girl will stay with Ryuu's little brother, Ryo!"

Kojiro peeked up at Ryuuko, how sure and proud she was to have such a bright idea. He thought of the idea and weighed the options. Sure his parents lived nearby and Yuuko wouldn't have to adjust to a new place, but she would still be in the city. The city could influence her and his parents weren't strong enough to notice and negate away the bad influences that could tarnish his precious daughter's grades and social standing. He had met Ryotaro on occasion; he was a good man who knew how to take care of someone, especially family. Plus he lived in a quiet little town that barely even had a single bad police day. He believed that the only large incident to happen there in the last ten years was a car accident. And that was saying something.

Plus, Kojiro knew better than to say no to his wife, he would never win against her stubbornness.

"I agree, Ryuuko." He finally finished eating and delicately dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. "It would be best if Yuuko were to live with your brother, since he actually knows what it's like to live with a daughter. Plus he's responsible and would take better care of Yuuko than my parents would." He knew how much his parents love to spoil their only grandchild, so he knew if Yuuko were to suddenly change personalities, she would walk all over them. "Should I call or should you?" He asked, already knowing that Ryuuko would want to talk with her brother.

She made a noncommittal noise as she shook her head. "Ryuu wants to talk to Ryo." Suddenly, her cheery posture stood rigid, her face sharpening and her demeanor calming. "...alone..."

She nodded to her husband and daughter and swiftly retreated to her bedroom, wanting privacy.

All the while, Yuuko had been silent and calmly eating her dinner, which was now gone. She already accepted that she was going to leave home for a long time. She wasn't going to cry over how unfair it is, she knew better. Her parents didn't ask to be sent away for a long time. She wasn't going to act like an ungrateful brat, she was going to act like the calm and mature young woman she knew she is.

Kojiro knitted his hands together, leaving on his elbows against the table and his lips against his hands. Already, he was trying to piece together the numbers about how bad an accounting branch could be to send in an expert to straighten it up. Establishing new bases on newer continents wasn't easy… With a sigh, he picked up the dishes left behind and nodded to his daughter.

M Date: 20-12-10 Weather: Sunny

Yuuko had packed away the things she wanted to take along with her, already sent them off to her uncle's address and would expect to see them there a few days after she gets settled in. All she carried with her was her overnight bag with a few changes of clothes and her much smaller hand bag. She had been dropped off by her father, her mother already gone from the house and off to do her secretive work. Her father wrote out extremely detailed instructions on how to get to her uncle's home, down from how many steps it would take to walk there, which trains to take with their times, back up plans to taking cabs and even a full four page essay on why it's not a good idea to talk to strangers.

Inside her overnight bag, Yuuko had her parent's presents to her for Christmas, also known as her birthday. She hadn't opened them yet, wanting to save them till the day they wanted to give them to her.

"The train heading for the Yasoinaba Station will be arriving shortly! Please have a safe trip." The cheery voice said over the train terminal. Yuuko stayed close to the line, waiting for the train as other crowded nearby. Riding trains was practical, but you had to usually claw and bite your way to a seat before they were taken.

W Date: 15-12-10 Weather: Snowy

"Now settle down class! Settle down." The teacher spoke as the class before her began muttering loudly. For some reason, the class representative was standing up, looking extra serious for some reason. "Now, I got a little announcement, this is serious so shut up!"

The students gulped when the teacher rolled up her book and slapped it on her podium. "I know there have been some rumors about our class representative, so I'm just gonna clear up some things." She motioned towards Yuuko. "Narukami-chan is going to be transferring to a new school."

Some students started to speak up, voicing their anger towards the situation. Yuuko could hear her fan girls begin to cry at the idea their beloved class representative was going away.

Again, the home room teacher slapped her roll on the podium, telling the students to shut up and suck it up-

M Date: 20-12-10 Weather: Sunny

The train went over a rough patch of tracks, shaking the train slightly, bringing Yuuko out of her thoughts. She sighed and stared out the window, wondering how she was going to pass the time on her seven hour trip.

As her eyes stared through the glass, she caught her reflection and pondered to herself, what is it going to be like transferring to another school in the middle of semesters? Sure, finals were already done, but what was she to do? Just see what the others were learning and pick it up for next year? Who was to say they were even teaching the same courses and materials as her old school?

The young woman reflected on the glass stared back, her own face showing the lack of emotion displayed for her predicament. Perhaps she was worrying over the wrong things. What she should worry about was her dream.

That peculiar dream she had.

The Velvet Room, they called it. The weird old man, the beautiful young woman… The other guest that was there with her. She knew it was dream, probably made up from the depths of her mind, but the name is what made her pause, Adachi Tohru. First of all, that name was already unique enough, second of all, why would she make up a name for someone she didn't even see, but could hear?

She wanted to think it was just a dream, but her heart was adamant on telling her that that was not a dream, that that was a sign. She remembered the warning, "…the month of a rainy spring, is a turning point in your destiny…" She stated to herself, watching the falling snow rush past her.

April, it had to be April. April was the month that mostly had showers, hence rainy. But what was going to happen in April?

Call her crazy, but she was going to hold onto that conversation, she believed the words that was told to her.

...

She was already on the second train, most of her trip already behind her. She had already received a text from her uncle, saying: "Meet us outside the station at four."

The second train ride was considerably shorter than the first, being only about a half hour. Only half an hour away, until she was to start her new life in the small town of Inaba, to staying with her uncle and cousin. She remembered her uncle, she was tiny then, but she remembered how happy he looked. She remembered her aunt as well, before she died.

What was she going to say to him?

How was this going to work?

Would they get along?

What was her cousin like?

She worried over these thoughts, almost missing the voice that told her that the station was coming up next. She took a deep breath, standing up and walking to the exit, waiting for the train to stop with the little bit of others. One other was an older man, a sour look on his face. He wore a suit, no tie and his hair was combed neatly to the side. He almost reminded her of her father, but where her father was no nonsense and clean, this man was swaying slightly and had an air about him that said otherwise. She stood closer to the wall, not wanting to be around him.

Another woman was beside her, with short black hair and round brown eyes, she looked like a mix between Japanese and some other race, but for now, Yuuko dropped the pondering. She wore button down shirt with knee length pencil skirt with brown hose and black flats. She wore a large over coat over them which held her hands. Now that Yuuko thought about it, she looked a lot like…

Yuuko shook her head; there was no way the Mayumi Yamano was standing next to her on a train.

Soon, the train pulled to a stop, the doors sliding open and the two adults stepped off the train, disappearing in different directions. Yuuko timidly stepped off the train and onto the platform, noting how old it looked and how some of the paint on the walls was peeling. There was a light layer of snow on the exposed parts of the platform, a slightly thicker sheet sitting on the ground outside the platform.

She checked the clock on her phone, noting that her timing was nearly perfect, only ahead by a minute. Taking a tight grip to her bag, she stepped out from the platform and down the steps, clutching the rail in case she slipped from the ice.

"Hey! Over here!" A deep, rough voice called out to her. She couldn't remember much, but it sounded like her uncle.

Stepping all the way down the steps, she slowly walked over to the tall man, with his skin dark, hair the same shade as her mothers with stone grey eyes. He wore black slacks with brown field shoes, dark grey button up with a striking red tie. All of it was held together with a black blazer. He was waving over to her, a small smile on his lips.

Behind him was a young girl, her short brown hair in pigtails, wide brown eyes gazing straight at her. She wore a thick pink jacket with a dark pink skirt peeking out from underneath the knee length jacket. She clutched the man's pant leg, looking very much like a scared child, as she was.

"Well, you're more beautiful in person than in your photo." The man said cheerfully as he shook her hand. With a small gesture to around them, "Welcome to Inaba." He stuck his hands into his pockets, "I'm Dojima Ryotaro, I'll be looking after you." He sighed, "Let's see, I'm your mother's younger brother, and that about sums it up."

She could completely understand the weariness that accompanied the sentence.

With a smile of her own, "It's good to see you again, uncle. It's been a long time."

Dojima smirked to himself, "I'll say. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers." He chuckled when Yuuko blushed slightly in embarrassment. He then reached behind him and placed a gentle hand on the young girl's back, bringing her forward. "This is my daughter." He tilted his head towards Yuuko, "C'mon Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

The girl, Nanako, blushed and mumbled so softly, Yuuko was only able to hear, "…lo." From her. After the short word fell from her lips, she blushed even more and quickly ducked behind her father again, causing him to chuckle heartily at her actions.

"What're you so shy for?"

He yelped when Nanako slapped his leg, annoyed at his laughing. She then stepped further behind Dojima, continuing her staring.

Shrugging his shoulders, not knowing what else to do, "Well then, let's get going. My car's parked nearby." He waved her over as he and Nanako treaded through the snow to get to the car, Yuuko following close behind.

She couldn't get over how cute her cousin is! She was so adorable, clutching her dad's pant leg, acting all shy. Already, she could tell that Nanako was a sweet heart, wanting already to spend time with the young girl.

…

The buildings of Inaba were old, traditionally old with a newer edge. Some were downright new to the area, but not much were. They all blended together in an array of different colors and people milling about.

The sign said central shopping district, but with the size of the town and this being one of two shopping districts, she expected to see more people than was milling about. Perhaps the newer one she heard from Dojima has a larger area, perhaps a super market.

Dojima said that he needed some gas, asking the girls if they wanted anything from the station. Yuuko was already sick of eating gas station food from the stops on her way there, so she politely declined. Nanako told him she needed to go to the restroom, so after stopping at the Moel Gas Station, she slid out of the car and was directed by the attendant.

Wanting to stretch her legs, Yuuko left the car, her arms going skyward as she took in a deep breath of the winter air. With a satisfying crack, she dropped her arms, hearing Dojima mutter about taking a smoke break.

She didn't remember him smoking when she was little, but then again it probably started long ago, before she saw him today. She shrugged to herself, putting aside her observations.

"Are you in High school?" The young attendant asked her.

She nodded, "though it is strange to transfer into a new school mid semester, third semester no doubt."

He shrugged, (at least she thought it was a young man, but she wasn't going to ask) "Does it surprise a city girl to see how little there is out here?" He then started to fill the car up on gas, continuing to talk. "There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with friends or doing part-time jobs."

That, she couldn't doubt. She listened to him talk, walking around the car following him. She didn't have anything else to do except take up space next to the car.

"Speaking of which," she glanced up, "we're actually looking for part-time help right now." He smiled, "Give it some thought, why don't you?" He offered his hand, "We don't mind if you're a student."

She smiled politely back at him, filing away the info for later. She grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake, parting from him after a good two shakes.

When Nanako came from the station, standing near the car, the attendant excused himself and went back to work. Yuuko went around the car to greet Nanako when a sudden head ache hit her, causing her to blink back the whiteness that consumed her vision for a split second. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her head, rubbing, soothing the ache.

"…Are you ok?" Nanako asked, her wide eyes looking up at Yuuko. "Did you get carsick? You don't look too good."

Exhaustion, that has to be it. Seven hours on trains, then getting into a car, all while eating gas station food? She vowed she wasn't going to have that stuff again until next year. Not wanting Nanako to worry, she waved off her sudden dizziness.

Dojima had already stamped out his cigarette and made his way back to the girls, looking at Yuuko concerned. "What's wrong? You ok?"

With a small smile, Yuuko waved off their worries. "It's ok, I'm fine. I just got a little light headed, is all."

He nodded, "That's understandable. It must have been a long trip for you." She nodded in agreement. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. "Why not go take a little walk? Get some fresh air?" He let go and leaned against the car, Nanako already attached to his leg. "Just let me know when you're ready to go."

She nodded and began to slowly walk up the street, listening to the sound of her feet crunching through the snow. She passed by the small shops, glancing at a bookstore's notice and passing by an iron workshop of sorts. She always had a thing for collectibles, so maybe he had some good stuff inside?

"Hm? Oh, you seem to be new here." An elderly voice said from behind her. She turned to see a wrinkled, hunched over woman, whom she bowed to in greeting. "So polite." She smiled. "Our little shopping center may be a little run down, but we do have everything here." Her smile was strained as she spoke her next few words. "It used to be so busy here every day, but since that new supermarket came, only regulars come here now."

So that explained why there was so little people here.

"If only Junes hadn't of come to town," she sighed, hobbling off, "convenient, but so sad…"

So Junes was the name of the second shopping center. She might check that place out, maybe find a job.

A sudden thought entered her mind; Christmas was only less than a week away. Perhaps she could go to this Junes place and get gifts for Dojima and Nanako, of course after settling in and getting the rest of her wallet from her things being sent over.

Smiling to herself, she passed by a Tofu shop and a small convenience store, already avoiding the place, the thoughts of the disgusting food of today flashing through her mind. The lady at the counter looked nice and sweet, but for now, she needed to get away from the place.

Right next door from the convenience store was a grey and blue building, a sign over it saying, "Konishi Spirits and Liquor" on a hand painted sign. Under the sign, was a high school girl with long, light brown hair sweeping the snow off the entrance of the shop. She wore a long coat over her clothes, only her skirt, stockings and shoes visible. Looking at the shoes, stockings and skirt, only confirmed her observation.

She blinked and looked up from her work, kind brown eyes looking straight at Yuuko. "Um, hello?" She said hesitantly, "you don't look familiar. Just move here?"

Yuuko nodded. "My name is Narukami Yuuko. I just moved here from Tokyo, I'm living with my uncle and cousin."

The girl smiled, "Oh really? I have a friend who just moved from the city as well. My name is Konishi Saki, I'm currently a second year at Yasogami High."

"Oh! It's nice to meet you then, senpai. I'm a first year, but soon I'll be a second year." She bowed to Saki, "I look forward to speaking to you again. I won't keep you from your work."

Saki waved at Yuuko, promising to do the same.

Yuuko came to an intersection, leading down to the northern part of the shopping district, but thinking about Dojima and Nanako, she turned around and started to make her way back to them at the Gas Station.

However, during her walk, she hadn't seen the small lump of thick ice on the ground she stepped on, nor the man that was currently entering the thin alley to get to the apartments beyond.

"Whoa!" Dropping his bags, he reached out and caught Yuuko, steadying her. "Are you ok? You need to be careful; the ice around here can sometimes get out of control." He said as he brushed off some snow from her jacket.

Yuuko would normally thank the stranger and apologize for her actions, but she couldn't do anything. His voice was so familiar.

Could this man be the man she dreamed up?

She looked up at him, taking in his appearance. He had short, messy black hair with grey eyes and had a dopey look on his face. He wore a black suit, red tie, white button down with a thick yellow jacket over his blazer. He didn't look like much, but Yuuko knew that sometimes, appearances weren't what you'd expect.

He stopped and stared at her before breaking out into nervous laughter, "Um, have I met you before?"

…

This is too weird.

WAY TOO FUCKING WEIRD!

Tohru didn't think he was going to have such a cracked out dream that night, what with the crazy old man and that weird chick in the blue dress; even that other person behind the curtain. While he only knew the name and voice, he tried to wave it off by him drinking too late last night.

…except his mind always countered with saying he wasn't drinking at all last night.

So trying to deny the dream, he merely woke up like every other day, up and early, dressed in record time, getting gas station breakfast from the day-old pile and being the usual slave to the senior officers at the Police Station. His days usually blended together so much that he wasn't sure if the last hour was yesterday, last week or it really was an hour ago.

Nothing happened.

The only incident to happen in town was that car accident a few years back, before he was sent to work here. He could only wish he was around when the accident happened, so he'd have something to do!

Something to distract himself from the sheer and utter boredom that was emanating from every corner, every office, every house and every fucking street in fucking Inaba!

He wanted something big to happen; he didn't care what it was, anything to get him away from making coffee and donut runs to the local bakery every fucking day. He wanted to be taken away from the monotonous work of filing papers and listening to Dojima bark his ears off.

He wouldn't have to deal with this shit if it wasn't for that cold hearted hard ass bitch in the city. If she wasn't his supervisor when he was on the Tokyo force, then maybe he wouldn't be stuck in the sticks.

That dream was the only thing to happen that was even remotely fun or interesting.

Call him a child, but once in his life before he became this way, he actually liked breaking down mysteries. Now, as an adult, the only reason he kept this damn job was so that he could keep carrying his gun.

All that morning, while listening to the other officers snicker and laugh at some joke, (he had an inkling that it was about a stupid rookie move he made long ago) his mind drifted back to the dream.

He didn't have anything better to do, so for a moment he became that long forgotten detective that he always wanted to be when he was little.

The old man said a lot of stuff that could be filed under: useless info and useful info. Though, the latter seemed to get thicker and thicker than the former.

Useless info was the quickest one to get out of the way. He didn't think that the words of introduction and acquaintance were important. Neither would the introduction of his assistant be of any use. She would be a mystery for next time…

…If he wanted there to be a next time.

Now onto the useful…

What exactly was the Velvet Room? What exactly is, 'a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter', was it some kind of new dimension?

He couldn't believe that he just thought that.

But the line of thought was interesting, and no one had rung the bell they taped to his desk yet so he could think more. At the thought of thought, he pulled out a note pad and pen, writing down his suspicions.

Velvet Room – dream? Reality? Mystery.

The old man also said something about an interesting destiny, two guests at once. Could it be that maybe people have been to this place before?

He scribbled again:

Search this Velvet Room, try to find places that don't sound like porn sites. Actually, maybe one or two…

Suddenly, a head ache washed over his mind, making him clutch his head in pain. He groaned to himself, trying to keep silent. However, luck wasn't on his side when one of the passing officers stopped and noticed his state. "Yo, Adachi! You alright?"

Bastard, how dare he actually try to sound concerned for him. But like he always did, he hid his terrible personality behind one that others liked or accepted better. He smiled with a dopey look back on his face before anyone saw otherwise. "S-Sorry. I haven't been getting much sleep. My apartment doesn't have that great of heating."

The officer, Kurosawa, sighed and clapped him on the back. "Tell ya what, your partner isn't here either, and the day's been slow. Take the rest of the day off, go relax!" He grinned at the rookie before leaving.

Tohru waited until he was gone before letting the smile fall. Then he smirked and shrugged, at least he got a free day off!

Taking his notepad and sticking it in his pocket, he pulled on his god awful yellow jacket that his mother gave him years ago. He hated the thing, he wanted something that didn't make him look so kid-like, but no, his damn job pays him shit wages as a rookie and his boss makes him buy him smokes and beer all the time so what little money is left is usually put towards bills, cheap ass food that could last him a month and what pitiful amount was left was put into that tin can of ravioli he ate years ago.

Maybe when he saves enough he could get himself a new jacket. A suit would take like three years of his sorry saving to afford, but a jacket could be so close to grasp in a couple of months.

Anything would do instead of this damn jacket.

Donning his jacket, he left to go to the parking lot of the Station when he stopped…

He doesn't have a car because the fucking piece of shit decided to blow a gasket last week and he was saving up to try and get it repaired!

Dammit that jacket is gonna have to wait even longer again.

Okay, first is his shitty car, then that jacket, maybe a suit in the future…

His goals…

Are just pitiful…

Sighing again, he turned on his heel and started walking to Junes. Maybe being around other people splurging their money on things they don't need would cheer him up.

He liked Junes. It was convenient, warm and everything was usually on sale or being bundled. He loved finding coupons for getting free stuff when buying one thing he was buying. He still smiled to himself when he actually found coupons for buy one ramen get one free.

He went home with over a hundred instant ramens.

After that, Junes never did that sale ever again.

But it was what it was. He had to live off ramen and still does, but for once, he wished he could eat something better for once. He could eye the shopping karts of the richer people, just imagining the delicious ingredients they had mixed together to create the dishes he wanted to eat again after so many years.

But that would mean he would have to either make friends and have dinner with them or actually move in with someone so they could cook. And having a roommate, male or female was not something he wanted. He would have to live with another person and have to do what they bothwanted to do. He would have to do stuff with them and have to listen to their shitty problems.

Fuck that.

He'd just enjoy his instant ramen and occasional cabbage for the rest of his life.

After buying a full bag of instant ramen and a cabbage, Tohru was walking down the streets, both bags in either hand, thinking about another part of the mystery.

Narukami Yuuko.

Just who was that?

He knew a certain Narukami that was the reason he was in this shit hole, but he didn't know any Yuukos.

He never knew with women. One moment they could be nice and friendly, then the next they could be cold and bitchy and send you to live in the sticks with a shit job. Most women were bitches, whores… Some are teasing jailbaits who don't care about who they step over.

Some are fucking prudes; others can be so slimy and easy…

Most women were either there to be fucked or to fuck with you.

But this… Yuuko…

From just her voice, she didn't sound like any other girl's he'd heard before. She had a soft comforting voice, sounded polite too. Almost reminded him of his mom-

Oh, that killed it.

Grumbling, he made his way into the old shopping center, waiting till he found the entrance to the apartment complex he lived in, the entrance stuck in between the old convenience store and tofu place. As he was walking towards it, he almost missed seeing a girl with silver hair slipping and falling. Wanting his image of the caring, sweet police officer of Inaba, he dropped his bags on the ground (he'd grumble about that later) and caught the slight girl before she fell.

She was so thin, so petite; he almost looked like a monster next to her, despite the small number of inches that differed between them. "Are you ok? You need to be careful; the ice around here can sometimes get out of control." He said as he helped her stand.

The girl looked up at him, "U-Um… Yes, I'm fine." She steadied herself, with the help of Adachi, before she bowed to him. "T-Thank you! I'm sorry, I must have hit you or made you drop something, didn't I?"

Adachi internally groaned, great, she's an overly polite type; in other words, some weird, dutiful prude. He smiled, "no worries! My stuff is all fine." He picked up his bags, showing them, "see? Nothing was damaged."

She nodded, "Okay then…" She held out her hand, "My name is Narukami Yuuko, I just moved here. You?"

Adachi had to stop himself from scowling; he knew the name of Narukami, the same surname of the detective who ruined his career! When he looked at Yuuko, he tried his damnest to try and find anything about try and find anything about Yuuko that could remind him of the older detective.

The only thing he could find was the eyes. The stone cold eyes of the woman who so quickly threw him under the bus, the woman who destroyed him. But everything else was different. The shape was different, the hair was wrong; the skin was too light, even the way she was standing and awaiting his hand was different. The only thing they had in common was the eyes.

And that's all he needs to hate someone.

He buried that hate deep inside himself, filing it away for use later. Instead, he smiled brightly, (what he thought was a bright smile) and placed the bags in one hand before grasping hers.

Her hand was different as well; they were small, delicate and soft. "Adachi Tohru, I'm actually one of the local police officers of Inaba."

She smiled at him, made him want to see it wiped off her face. "Really? Well, I'm glad someone like you is out there then. You look like you're really reliable." She gasped, "Oh that's right! My uncle Dojima is waiting for me!" She ran past him heading down the road.

Damn little bitch. Couldn't even say good bye?

Speak of the devil, she returned, bowing to him again, "S-Sorry! Good bye." She straightened up and waved as she ran down the road, "I hope I get to speak to you again, soon."

…

"How're you feeling? Ready to get back in the car?" Dojima asked Yuuko who nodded quickly. "Alright. Let's hit the road."

The three of them got into the car again, Dojima turning the ignition and already driving down the streets.

As the drive went by, Yuuko had to fill the silence. "The people here are nice." She stated, looking outside the window.

Dojima hummed to her statement. "Oh really? Who'd you meet already? I think I might know them."

She thought back, only two people gave her their names, but one she already knew. But she wasn't going to tell him that. "I met some girl, who goes to the school I'm gonna start soon. Her name is Konishi Saki."

He nodded, "Yeah, I know her. Her family owns the liquor shop." He smirked, "I better not catch you in there unless you're talking to her and her alone."

Yuuko smiled at the protectiveness already in Dojima's voice. She had a feeling he wasn't going to sit around and let her just do anything she wanted. She was actually glad to know he was going to set ground rules. Doing whatever she wanted when she wanted was a bad way to live, rules were always needed, to make sure others didn't get hurt or that you yourself don't get hurt.

"I won't." She wondered how he would react to her meeting an older man. She knew that the suit could be used for an office worker, a police officer and so on. Now that she thought about it, how old was Adachi? "I also met someone else, I believe his name was, Adachi?"

The tensing of his hands over the steering wheel did not go unnoticed by Yuuko. "Adachi? Yeah, I know him as well. He's my partner at work, we're both police officers." He huffed, "he's a little dopey, but he has potential as a detective. The only way to truly train him as a detective is if cases were to come to Inaba, and really, I don't want the long standing peace of our town to be ruined so I could train him." He stopped then continued, "Don't hang around him too much, he's kind of lazy and can sometimes be a klutz, he's a bad influence. A good guy, but a bad influence."

She hummed, listening to his words and trying to memorize the way from the shopping district to the Dojima Residence, which they arrived to. After Dojima parked the car in the covered area next to the house, the three of them left the car, Yuuko grabbing her bags and walking after Nanako and Dojima.

She took a long look at the small family home. It was quaint, out of the way, looking like a peaceful get away from the rest of the town.

This was going to be her home for the next year, maybe year and a half.

Taking a deep breath, she ventured inside, ready to dive into the new home life. Upon entering, Yuuko studied the layout, the entrance with the step up where the shoes go, to the kitchen/living room. To her right, she saw the entrance of the stairs leading upwards with two doors, one leading to the bathroom, the other leading to Nanako's room. Upstairs was going to be her room and Dojima's room as well.

She slipped off her boots, opting to take them up later that night. However, when she looked down, she noticed that only Nanako's shoes were left there beside her own. Dojima was still standing at the entrance, counting out the money in his wallet.

"Yuuko, Nanako, I'm going to go out and get our dinner. Any preferences?"

Yuuko shrugged, "Anything is fine really."

Nanako thought for a moment then suddenly she smiled, "Noodles!"

Dojima smiled, "alright, noodles it is!" He glanced at Yuuko, "I'll be back in just a minute. Keep Nanako company, explore the house…" He shrugged, "anything is fine. Just no parties." With a wave, he stepped outside in the frigid air and went off to find their dinner.

…

The three of them were sitting around the table together, all of them shedding their thicker layers and in their comfy clothes. Their noodle dishes were before the three of them, all of them having their own drinks, Yuuko with soda, Nanako with juice and Dojima with a darker soda.

As all three popped the tops, Dojima spoke up. "Alright, let's have a toast." The three of them lifted their drinks and sipped together. After all three drinks were placed down, Dojima spoke again, "So your parents are busy as always… Working overseas was it?"

Yuuko nodded, "Mother is off on a case, which is all she can tell us, and father was called off to help establish new branches of Kirijo Corp. on different nearby countries."

He nodded, "I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents…" He shook his head, "It's rough being a kid." He looked back towards her, "well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice to have someone like you around." With a smile, he finished with, "So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."

Yuuko felt a swell of happiness at his words, wanting nothing more than to hear those words. "Thank you for your kindness."

He chuckled, "Of course! We're family, we have to stick together." He rubbed his hands together, "Well anyway, let's eat!"

Everyone reached for their chop sticks at the same time when Dojima's cell phone went off. He frowned as he waved at the two girls, telling them it's okay to eat. He stood up, flipped open his phone and started talking with whoever was on the other side of the phone.

He sighed, listening to the call and eventually saying, "Alright, I'll be there in a few." With his phone closed, he turned to the two girls, shooting them both apologetic stares. "I'm sorry girls, but I have to go. The station needs me," He grabbed his jacket off from the nearby chair and started walking to the entrance, "I'm sorry. You two go ahead and eat without me, don't wait up." He slipped on his shoes and turned back once again. "Keep the door locked, okay?"

Nanako only waved at him, slowly and reluctantly before Dojima left the house, the sound of the lock being put into place and the car starting, the silence left behind was almost deafening, despite the TV which was still on.

Nanako stared at her food, a look on her face that spoke volumes. Clearly, this wasn't the first time this happened. Not wanting the silence to stretch on, Yuuko tried to come up with any form of comfort for the girl.

She thought back to her early years, being the only child of two working parents, one being a detective that was only home during the night time and the other who was always distracted by work both at home and when doing anything else. Her parents loved her dearly, but sometimes, she could feel just like the little girl in front of her.

"Happens a lot, doesn't it?" Yuuko said, taking her chop sticks and starting to slurp on her noodles. She watched Nanako, seeing how she reluctantly began to eat as well.

"Yeah… But it's ok. Dad has to work." Nanako said softly, slurping on her noodles.

Yuuko knew that she wasn't telling the truth. Nanako wasn't okay with it at all, she hated it. Just like she hated it when her mother had to leave so early in the morning, her father telling her that mommy has to, 'work', all the time. Her mother had missed on her first day of school, first missing tooth, coming home after winning a fight, her perfect report card grades, the list went on. Having a parent gone so much, even if they had another there, it wasn't healthy, wasn't right.

"Well, just so you know…" She smiled at Nanako, hoping to come off as comforting. "…I know exactly how you feel."

When Nanako stared up at her with wide eyes, Yuuko went back to her food, changing the channel on the TV to what looked like a quiz show that Nanako liked. Usually she flipped around till something caught her eyes, but she relented when the shine in Nanako's eyes returned. After a slew of puzzling questions that Nanako tried to answer, the quiz show pulled into commercials.

"At Junes, everyday is customer appreciation day!"

The sweet voice said on the screen, then accompanied by a tune with lyrics that made the little girl beam. "Every day's great at your Junes!"

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Sang Nanako, a bright and happy smile on her face. Yuuko watched her, glad to see her cousin smiling. "I love the Junes song!"

"I don't mind if you sing it more."

Nanako sang until the quiz show came back on. "Dad says, you're my cousin from his sister." Yuuko nodded as she slurped on the noodles, her rice already gone. "Is that why we have different last names?" She asked, eating her dinner.

Finally done, Yuuko pushed her empty plate away, sitting back and watching the show. "Yeah, that's exactly why. Us girls usually take the name of our husbands when we get married."

Nanako made a sour face, "that's weird. Why do the girls only do that?"

"Some age old tradition, I guess." Yuuko grabbed their plates after Nanako was done eating, "I'll do the dishes, you keep on watching your show." When Nanako agreed, Yuuko set to working on the dishes, noting how under used the kitchen was, it was well organized and didn't look that dirty at all.

It took her less than five minutes to wash their plates, throw away the containers from their food and dry the plates. She was left just staring at the sink, wondering where her work had gone. Washing dishes, doing house work or anything that needed to be done was usually her way to kill time. She glanced around the house, noting how clean it was, how little there was to do inside. The most she saw to do was to organize the table next to the kitchen.

She sorted through the papers, throwing away the ones which were out dated by at least a year and put any miscellaneous items away into new spots. Again, her work was done before she knew it, seeing the spotless table and the way it shone when she wiped it clean.

She sighed to herself, saying good night to Nanako after checking out the calendar near the stairs. She only had five days until her birthday, her sixteenth birthday.

As she walked up the stairs, found her new room, she pondered to herself about the significance of her birthday. Usually that day was to give gifts to others, to show how much you appreciate them.

Maybe, when the rest of her things arrive in one or two days, she can get the rest of her money together to get something for Nanako and Dojima! Maybe they would take to her better if she did something nice for them!

She smiled to herself as she laid out her futon and dressed in her white and black checkered night pants and white tank top. She climbed under the covers and fell asleep, looking forward to the few days left of school before winter break.

…

Tohru was on his lap top, searching through websites and slurping on his instant ramen. Searching for, "Velvet Room" was actually fruitless in what he actually meant, but he did find a few sites about some dance club in America and after adding a few words, found a number of porno sites.

He stayed for a short time on a few of those sites…

After his short break, he came to the same conclusion he hypothesized not too long ago. There was no such thing as The Velvet Room. In real life, this place didn't exist, but then again, the man did say that the place was, "Between dream and reality."

He sighed and instead logged onto a video sharing website and started watching old reruns of older TV shows. He didn't say a single word, or even laugh at the dialog, he just sat there, eating his ramen. His apartment was a pig sty, there were documents and folders everywhere all over the floor, his tiny kitchen was unused but still dirty and the hamper near the door where he kept his clothes was full of old dirty clothes that needed a wash.

He didn't even own a couch, a chair only a small round short table in the middle of the living room that barely had enough room for one futon. It was his home, the only thing he had to himself other than his old piece of shit car. Too bad the thing was out and he didn't have the money to get it fixed yet. He actually liked his car, he'd trade it in for a better one in a heartbeat, but he liked the old thing. He actually kept it clean, kept it filled with gas, he cared for the thing as his only true possession.

Which it was.

Now, he only had his laptop, a last gift from his parents before they kicked him out of their lives when he was shamed by being relocated to Inaba. It was a shame on their family name, as he was the only son in their family, their only child and he was already a fuck up in the eyes of the public.

"He was so good in school, got straight A's in all of his subjects. We just don't know why he continues to fail and shame our name."

He had heard those words said to him by his mother so many times, they no longer stung or burned as they flitted through his mind. His mother was so vocal on how none of his mess was her fault, his father at least had the decency to just glare at him.

He hadn't heard a single word from him in almost five years.

"Really? Well, I'm glad someone like you is out there then. You look like you're really reliable."

He gasped as his mind replayed that moment. That girl, Narukami, actually said those words to him, just because he caught her from falling. She didn't know him, she probably only said those words cause that was the nice thing to do. People like her only act nice, but really, they look down on every one. They think they're better than everyone else, they were the types who would love to just walk all over you if given the chance.

"I hope I get to speak to you again, soon."

He growled, throwing his already gone ramen into the trash, closing his laptop and throwing the futon onto the ground. He needed sleep. He was up way too late anyway, that's why he's dwelling on those nice words.

She can't be nice, she has to have some ulterior motive. She's just like her bitch of a mom. She was going to finish the job, finish the job of taking him down.

He threw himself on the futon, grabbed the covers and cocooned himself, falling asleep.

The last thing he consciously thought of was hating the way her eyes sparkled when she said she wanted to talk again. He hates her eyes…

…

Fog was everywhere.

The surrounding area was nothing but white fog, no walls, no ceiling, just fog.

The two of them were on the floor, a weird floor made up of red cubes. Yuuko was the first to wake up, sitting up and taking in her surroundings. She spotted a face down man beside her, wearing a white t-shirt with black knee length shorts and black messy hair. She gulped and touched his shoulder, feeling warmth and the subtle pulse from his heart.

She grabbed it and shook gently, whispering softly, not knowing was nearby. "Hey, wake up…" She gulped and shook a little harder. "Please, wake up. I don't know where I am… You're here… Please…"

The man groaned, not liking that he was woken up before his alarm. "What the fuck?" He groaned out as he sat up, rubbing at his eye, looking around. "Why am I-" he stopped, noticing his surroundings as not the home he saw a mere few moments ago. "What the fuck!?" He stood up, looking around, "Where the hell am I?" He said to himself, not noticing the shaking girl near him.

"Y-You don't know either?" Yuuko asked as she stood up, making the man, who she now knew as Adachi, jump backwards in surprise. She grabbed his hand before he leaned to far back and fell off the thin pathway ahead. "Careful! I don't know how far down the ground is…" She stopped and peered over, softly stating, "…or if there is a ground down there."

Tohru looked behind him, seeing his bare feet so close to the edge. He gulped as Yuuko led him towards the middle of the path, thinking that maybe she wasn't as useless as he thought she was. When she finally let go of his hand, blushing of course, he asked while looking around, "So, do you have any idea where we are?"

She shook her head, looking behind them to see that there was no path way behind them. The only way the path continued on was forward.

"Sorry, but I don't. I just woke up here as well." Her fingers started to play with themselves in her nervousness, "s-sorry."

Tohru groaned, her constant, 'sorry' was getting on his nerves. "Well that doesn't help." He ground out, a little too forcefully than he should have.

She squeaked at his tone and bowed slightly, "s-sorry…"

Great, he accidentally let his true self slip out. Oh well, he can make it better, just give her a few soothing words and smile and then everything will be fine again. "Oh, don't worry Naru-chan, it's not your fault. I'm just trying to find a way to get us both out of here." He smiled down at her, rubbing the top of her head.

Okay, his smile was a little genuine, mostly because that was the hand he used for his activities earlier that night.

Of course, his plan worked, she calmed down and even smiled back at him. "I'm sorry, Adachi-san, I'll try to stay out of your way then."

For some reason, she had a blush on her cheeks as she looked up at him.

He smirked to himself, knowing exactly what was going on in her little mind. The little girl had a school girl crush on him. How ironic.

Oh, he's just going to love crushing that crush and making her have a taste of reality. It's exactly what he needed to get back at the elder Narukami, petty, but it was going to be worth it.

He pulled away, "well then, nowhere to go than forward." Thinking how he can feed that crush of hers, he grabbed her hand and started to lead them forward, towards the fog and following the bright red path ahead of them.

They walked forward, one holding the other for dear life, the other getting more and more on edge as the time passed. They both didn't look down, their feet landing on the cubes perfectly without even looking.

They both jumped when a voice out of nowhere startled them into a tense standstill.

"Do you seek the truth…?"

The voice was neither a man's nor a woman's, it didn't sound from behind them, (no matter where they looked) or around them. Yuuko hugged Adachi's arm, trying to stay calm, despite her wide eyes giving away her stress.

Tohru didn't even notice Yuuko grabbing him, he just wanted to get out of there. Gulping, he continued onwards, the both of them unconsciously inching closer to each other.

As time passed between the voice and now, the two of them grew more and more tense, waiting for the voice to come back as they started fast walking down the pathway.

Yuuko yelped and hugged Tohru tightly when the voice came back, Tohru quickly wrapping his arms around Yuuko, not wanting to admit he was scared shitless of the place around them now.

"If it's the truth you desire, come find me…"

The voice was beckoning them, taunting them. The voice along with the unsettling fog was making them both of them terrified, the both of them gripping onto each other tightly.

Even Tohru needed to hold onto Yuuko, not for comfort, but to remind him that this wasn't some kind of purgatory that he was suffering through; that he didn't die in his sleep and was meant to spend eternity in there.

Instead of walking forward, the two of them started running together, both wanting out of this fog filled place. They were so intent on running and trying to get away from the voice that before they saw it, the fog revealed a door.

…Which they ran face forward into.

They let go of each other, falling to the red cubed ground. Tohru gripped his nose, which was the part that hit the wall first. Yuuko was clutching her cheek, groaning to herself. Where did that wall come from?

Was it even a wall?

The voice chuckled at them, making the both of them to jump back up, looking at the wall. The voice must be behind the wall, it had to be…

Can they face what is waiting for them at the end of the corridor?

That was the question that was running through both of their minds.

Tohru knew he couldn't just sit there for who knew how long, he had to continue on, he had to get out. He needed to get away from whatever was plaguing them. Yuuko just wanted to get home, back to the life that was waiting for her.

With their answers, the wall split open, becoming a doorway filled with a white light.

As they stepped inside, the ground was thick with fog, but still solid. As they stepped forward, a sudden weight came onto their hands, both of them sporting a different weapon with a weird crest on them. The crest was a single circle with a four point star in the middle.

Yuuko held a katana with a long curved blade and thick handle. The sword was covered in battle scars, showing its use. Tohru held a bright white six shot pistol, crest on the grip. Both of them gripped on their weapons, feeling comfortable with their own choices.

Yuuko held her sword like the sheath was attached to her wait, her stronger right hand gripping the handle while the left was held over the blade, keeping it steady. Her stance was solid with both her feet spread, knees bent and body angled to the side.

Tohru spied her, checking out how comfortable she was with a sword. She must be in Kendo, that stance was one of formal training. He gripped his gun with his right hand, standing straight and ready to dodge in a moment's notice. It's best to stay calm and fight.

The fog before them lifted slightly to show a figure, again indistinguishable. The voice paused, then spoke as if in disbelief. "I did not think to see two of you this time…"

They stared at the figure, both wanting to know about what they meant. Before either could speak, the voice continued, "To think, that you both would be pursuing me."

Tohru growled and aimed at the figure, watching and ignoring how the gun cocked itself and shot at the figure. "What the hell are you talking about!?" He yelled, not liking how secretive this figure was.

Yuuko watched how the fog moved with the bullet, watching how parts didn't move. That must be the figure that is where they should attack! Not wanting to run up to it and slash, she tried to imagine any other way to attack…

Out of nowhere, she felt another presence inside her mind, another voice inside that called out to her. "Call… me…" It said, sounding distorted, like it was speaking through a broken phone line. She gripped her sword with her left hand and with her right hand, she clenched onto the thin air before her, calling out, "Help me!"

With a sudden burst, lightning stroked out at the figure, missing.

"Hmm… It seems you can see a little, despite the fog…"

Tohru barked out, "Hey! How did you do that? Tell me!"

She looked at him, then thought, how did she do that? How… She then remembered, the voice said, call me, what she did was call out. She just imagined something to go out and hit it. "Just, call out and try to imagine something, anything to shoot out and hit it." She said, already trying to feel the consciousness inside her to help her again.

Tohru mulled over her words, trying to replicate the words that Yuuko told him. How was he supposed to do that? Who or what was he supposed to call out? "I… can… help…" the voice told him inside his mind. He tried to figure out where the voice came from, but then he tried something else, tried to focus on the figure and then called out, "Show me!"

A nearly invisible shape dashed towards the figure in the fog, bashing into it like a tackle, hitting it and doing small damage. "Alright! Take that!" He shouted, glad to do any amount of damage.

Yuuko smiled, glad to see that Adachi had figured out how to do what she did. At her glance, she praised him and soon, a nearly invisible shape appeared, making a light gather around Adachi. He glanced at her, standing straighter than before, more confident. He nodded, then turned towards the figure again.

"I will not be caught so easily, if the 'truth' is what you are trying to find, the search will be ever so harder…" The figure moved, it's arms spreading and sending out fog into the area, making the limited surroundings to be seen, mostly impossible to tell apart. "Everyone only sees what they want. The fog will only thicken…"

Tohru and Yuuko glanced to each other, trying to keep each other in their sights. They slowly made their way closer, both staring at the spot where the figure was.

Tohru and Yuuko both nodded, Yuuko calling out to the lightning before and Tohru aiming his gun at the figure.

"I wonder if we will meet again." The figure chuckled, "I look forward to it…"

The moment the area was filled with darkness, their minds feeling heavy, Yuuko called out the lightning and Tohru shot his gun at the same time.

…

T 21-12-10 Weather: Sunny

Yuuko was awoken by the knocking on her door, Nanako telling her that breakfast was ready. She groggily sat up and told her she was up. When Nanako wasn't near the door anymore, Yuuko sat on her futon, trying to figure out what happened in her dream.

Again, Adachi was in her dream… Why? She wasn't complaining, he was really cute, so she got a chance to spend time with dream Adachi. She just wished that he wasn't so angry and bitter when he showed it. Then again, she could understand why he was acting like that, she was terrified of that weird corridor, she could only imagine what he was feeling…

It couldn't be a dream… It was too real…

She shook her head and pulled on her uniform, school starting for her today. It didn't really make sense for her to transfer on the last few days of the second semester, but she didn't ask for her mom to be sent on an undercover gig and her father to be sent overseas.

She's just going to have to deal with it.

She had just gotten done with finals in her old school, so her scores must be sent over to her new school. She didn't know how to handle it again, how she was going to handle being known as the smartest girl in the entire class with her perfect grades. When people see her grades, they either flock to her to maybe get a taste and hopefully have her do their homework or they'll think she's too good for them and shun her.

She really hopes she doesn't get another fan club; it was already awkward being followed around by a group of girls.

Maybe she can keep it under wraps; make herself dumber so that she can fit in with the others? But that would go down the drain when her scores arrive.

She sighed and pushed the issue to the back of her mind, admiring the uniform of Yasogami High. The black and yellow colors were a favorite of hers, liking the way it had the old shape of sailor uniforms from the past. But she stared at the uniform and thought, I don't stick out, the only thing I might do differently are the stockings, but what else could I add?

She gasped and dug in her duffle bag, pulling out a bright yellow cardigan. She slipped it on while pulling out the scarf to lie on her chest. Smiling, she grabbed her loafers and padded out of her room and down the stairs, seeing the breakfast on the high table; Nanako waiting for her. "Good morning, Nanako." Yuuko smiled as she placed her loafers by the entrance for slipping on later.

Nanako gave Yuuko a small smile, "morning." When Yuuko sat on one of the chairs, Nanako followed, "let's eat."

Yuuko spied the breakfast, noting how simple it was; toast with sunny side eggs. "Did you make this, Nanako?" Yuuko asked, amazed at the young girl. She knew her aunt was out of the picture, but did that mean that Nanako was the one who did all the chores?

Nanako nodded, "Yeah, I can make toast and sunny side up eggs." She beamed proudly, "You start school today, right?" Yuuko nodded, "Kinda weird to start on a Tuesday." Nanako said while biting on her toast. "My school is on the way so let's go together."

The elder girl merely smiled at the younger, "I'd like that." She stopped, remembering her hair. "By the way, Nanako, do you know how to braid hair?"

…

After Nanako braided her hair into two braids, Yuuko was led to the high school before separating with Nanako, who wished her a good day at school.

Climbing the hill that the school was on was tough work, especially with the ice and snow everywhere she stepped. She had to be careful; Adachi wouldn't be there to catch her again if she slipped. She blushed slightly, thinking about the older man; he was cute, had a great smile and was really helpful. She was actually kind of giddy waiting for the next time they were to talk again.

But in her dreams, where he was supposed to still be the kind, sweet man she met, he was usually a more angry and bitter person at times. She already came to the conclusion that those dreams were reality, but that wouldn't make sense…

Why would Adachi be acting like two different people?

She shrugged, hurrying her steps to get to the school, passing by other students along the way who stared at her and whispered. It was unavoidable, transfer student in the last days of the second semester? She was bound to be talked about.

With a fast pace and almost half an hour before the first class started, she entered the school and passed the shoe lockers, asking students where the faculty office was.

…

"You poor soul, I feel so bad for you."

The words of one of the female teachers rung through her mind, the lady with the weird headdress and the matching makeup. She came in asking for help, being the transfer student and all, but when the lady teacher she met looked at her file, she gave the look. The look that pitied the person before them, the look that said I wish I could help you, but there's nothing I can do.

"It turns out; you're going to be in class 1-B…" She groaned, dreading to tell the girl who her teacher was. "That's the class of Mr. Mo-"

The door beside Yuuko slid open, to show her the figure of nightmares. An older man with a thin comb over hair cut, thick over bite teeth which hung out of his mouth, body too thin for his head, dropping watery eyes, the cheapest looking suit that looked almost like plastic with a weird smell coming off of him, due to bad breath or some other unknown source. He was scowling, muttering about teenagers and their tucklers or something.

"So where's the little shit head that transferred? I'm gonna teach him what it's gonna be like being in my class!"

"Mr. Morooka," The teacher Yuuko had been talking to addressed him, "This is your new transfer student." She turned to Yuuko, gave her a withering gaze then said almost uncertainly, "g-go ahead, introduce yourself."

Yuuko gulped, not really feeling safe with this man in the same room as her, even if there was another teacher next to her. She took a deep breath and bowed to him, "pleased to meet you, sensei. My name is Narukami Yuuko."

Mr. Morooka grinned in delight, seeing that he had another lovely lady in his class. He leaned close to her, smirking when she shivered, keeping her face neutral. "Well, aren't you the polite one." He leaned back, beckoning her over. "I got it from here Ms. Sofue, I got a class to teach and a student to introduce." He left the faculty office, leading Yuuko by her arm and towards the stairwell. Time passed so quickly in the faculty office that it was almost time for classes.

They arrived at the first floor, classroom 1-B, Mr. Morooka slamming open the door, yelling for the students to shut up. "Hey! Listen up! We got a transfer student!" He yelled as Yuuko stepped into the room, her head bowed slightly, eyes downcast.

Nearby, she could hear some student already whispering, saying things along the lines of, "She got transferred into King Moron's class? Talk about harsh."

She shivered, gulping at the implications. Oh gods, was she safe in this classroom!?

"Now let me introduce our transfer student." He beckoned to Yuuko, making her shiver. "This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere." He glanced at Yuuko, making her squirm under his gaze. "Tell 'em your name kid, make it quick."

She nodded and stepped forward, bowing to the other students, "My name is Narukami Yuuko, nice to meet you all." She straightened up, blushing from the intense gazes of everyone in the class.

"Alright, alright, go find a seat."

Before she could move, a girl's hand shot up into the air, "Excuse me! Is it okay for Narukami-san to sit over here?"

Mr. Morooka shrugged, "Eh, yeah sure," He nodded his head towards the seat, it was in the middle of the rows. "You hear that? That's your new seat."

Yuuko made a quick beeline for the seat, practically running to the seat. She sat down, taking out her note book and waited, just wanting the day to be over. The girl sitting next to her, she had short brown hair like a boy's wearing a green jacket over her uniform, she leaned towards Yuuko, whispering, "He's the worst, huh?" Yuuko nodded, getting the creeps from him.

"Rotten luck that you got transferred into his class. But we only have to deal with it for a semester, then off to second year! Good thing he only teaches first years. Imagine if we ended up getting him for second year home room." She smiled at Yuuko, the day rolling past her as the classes blended together.

It was over so quick, the last bell rung and Mr. Morooka had left the class, leaving the students to themselves to go home or anything else for that matter.

When Yuuko was placing her stuff into her bag, she was approached by two girls, one the girl she sat next to the whole class and another who looked to be her polar opposite. She had long black hair that reached to her mid back with a red head band and red cardigan over her uniform. She stood very reserved while the short haired girl stood with a proud air on her.

"Hey, are you going home by yourself?" The short haired girl asked, "Why don't you come with us?" She smiled then gasped, "Oh! Nearly forgot!" She held her hand out to Yuuko, "I'm Satonaka Chie, I sit next to you."

Yuuko nodded, "Yes, I remember."

Chie smiled, "Well, nice to meet you!" She wrapped an arm around the long haired girl, "This is my best friend, Amagi Yukiko."

Yukiko waved and smiled, wanting the new girl to feel welcome. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry for bothering you."

Chie blanched, frowning, "Hey! Don't apologize! You're making me look like I have no upbringing."

Yuuko chuckled, sensing the deep bond between the two girls. She could never have something that strong with either of them. She knew she would never truly fit in, but that couldn't stop her from trying. "It's nice to meet you both."

Chie smiled with her arms behind her head as she stretched. "We were going to go to Junes today; they're having a huge sale on everything since Christmas is so close. Want to come?"

Before Yuuko could answer Yukiko spoke up, "We can't go to Junes Chie, it's so close to the holidays, we'd end up carried off with the crowds as soon as we get inside. If we even get inside."

With a wince, Chie agreed, trying to figure anything else out to help with their outing that Yuuko had no choice but to attend. "Well, have you seen the shopping district? It'll still be busy, but nowhere near as crazy as Junes right now."

Yuuko nodded and with that, the three girls left the classroom.

…

They chatted to each other, talking about their class, their school and soon the conversation turned to Yuuko.

"So tell us Yuuko, what was your school like?" Chie asked, stopping at one of the shops to pick up a free sample of their grilled steak.

"Well, my school was like any other I suppose. It was tall; the building still white like the day is was built. The students were just like the ones here, just different uniforms." She ducked her head and chuckled, "If it wasn't for the overall designs, I would say that these were the same schools."

"Huh, that's pretty neat. Are you going to miss anything from your old school?"

Yuuko stopped, what was she going to miss from her old school? "I… Don't know. I guess it would have to be…" She trailed off, thinking hard about the question. She was fine without the library, fine without the books, fine without the teachers, fine without everything else. But if she really thought about it, she would have to miss the familiar faces of the students she had grown up alongside. "I think it would have to be all the familiar faces. I know I'm going to miss them, even if I never talked to my classmates."

Yukiko blinked, "Wait, you never talked to them?"

Yuuko shrugged, "I never had the chance. I always wanted to make friends."

Chie came up to the both of the girls and wrapped an arm around their shoulders. "Well, if it's friends you want, then we'd be happy to help! I'm just glad you're not a guy, Yukiko wouldn't even talk to you!" She snickered, "can you believe that Yukiko has never had a boyfriend before?"

Yukiko blushed, "Chie! Come on, she doesn't need to know that…"

She shrugged, "It's okay, Yukiko-san. I've never had a boyfriend either. I've never even been kissed before." Yuuko said, trying to ease Yukiko's discomfort.

Chie gaped, "What!? I've never heard of two girls who've never had boyfriends! Let alone never kissed a boy before!"

Yukiko looked to Yuuko, relief on her face. The appreciation Yuuko felt from her made her happy.

Yet, she still felt as if she wouldn't be able to forge bonds with the girls, not yet…

…

When Yuuko arrived at the Dojima Residence, she announced her arrival and slipped off her shoes, noting only Nanako's shoes were at the entrance.

She entered the living room, Nanako greeting her before going back to her show. She was so engrossed in the show, Yuuko left her be for the moment. Nothing was happening at the moment so Yuuko decided to check the fridge for anything to eat, or anything she could use to make dinner.

What she did find was a covered bowl filled with what looked like fried rice.

Should she eat it?

Shrugging, she opened the bowl and started to eat it, making sure Nanako was still looking at the TV. What surprised Yuuko was the utter lack of taste in the fried rice. The rice was so bland and tasteless; it felt like she was eating paper.

Slowly, she covered the bowl again and shoved it back in the fridge, trying to block out the memory of the rice. Though, she was kind of glad she did that, she felt a small boost in her courage because of it.

She turned to Nanako after seeing there was nothing else in the fridge that could be of use. "Nanako, what would you like for dinner?"

She looked up, surprised to see that Yuuko was offering to get dinner. "Dad won't be back tonight…" She thought, "Let's have Nabe!" She beamed, excited to have a home cooked meal after so long.

Yuuko nodded and grabbed her wallet, seeing her savings. "Okay, I'll go out and get the ingredients. I'll be back soon, it's not even dark out yet." Yuuko grabbed a stray jacket, a long coat that came to her mid thigh that almost completely covered her uniform. She slipped on her shoes again, walking to the only place that she knew of that would have what she needed.

…

When Yuuko came home with groceries, she set to work on cooking the stew, using an old quick recipe her grandmother has used plenty of times before.

Nanako was nearby watching Yuuko cook, fascinated. She asked many questions like, why did she sear the meat first before adding it to the pot, why the vegetables were still so big when put in and how long it would be until it was done.

She never minded the questions, she even welcomed them. Yuuko welcomed the voice of Nanako while her mind was in a frenzy.

Why did she tell Chie and Yukiko that she missed the students of her old school? They never liked her, so why would she miss them? Was it just because they were always there, a constant in her life? It would make sense, since she saw the other students almost every day. But with the snickers and the jeers, the constant remarks, despite her status as Class Representative, why should she miss anything else about her old life?

She placed the rice in the rice cooker, mindlessly going through the motions.

She was in a new place, new school, new family even. This should be her chance to start over, her chance to have a different life.

She placed the pot into the oven, setting the timer.

But for some reason, she was holding herself back. She was holding back herself from reaching out and making bonds, making friends and getting close to her family.

It was like a barrier deep inside of her was blocking her. That that barrier was making her yearn for the unchanging life in the city; yearning for the familiarity of the school hell she lived in.

Why?

When the timer pinged, announcing the stew being done, Yuuko grabbed the pot holders and carefully lifted the pot from inside of the oven and carried it to the low table near the TV. "Nanako, you get the rice from the rice cooker then meet me at the table please."

Nanako followed her order and met at the table, both thanking for the food and eating together.

Even if Yuuko didn't feel right about her life at the moment, she was glad for a moment to see how happy Nanako was to have a home cooked meal. She filed that information away for use later.

…

W Date: 22-12-10 Weather: Snowy

"Oh hey, you're home."

Yuuko nodded to her uncle, glad to see he was home after not coming back last night. She was also glad to see he was eating the left over Nabe from last night. "Glad to see you enjoy my cooking."

Dojima nodded, "It's good. I didn't know you knew how to cook." He slurped up a piece of meat, chewing on it greedily. Even though he didn't say it, he seemed to enjoy the food as well.

"I only know a few recipes, just simple dishes really." She blushed, embarrassed slightly.

He chuckled at Yuuko, surprised to see her so flustered from a simple compliment on her cooking. "I know you used your own allowance to buy the stuff. I appreciate what you did, but I can't in good conscience let you keep buying dinner." He gave her a meaningful look. "But then again, I can't get mad. Both me and Nanako really did appreciate this."

He gave her a small smile, making Yuuko feel a swell of happiness that she did something good, that she did something right.

"By the way, your stuff came in. I already put all of your boxes in your room. I'm pretty sure you're happy to have your clothes and things back."

Yuuko nodded and went to her room, eager to pry open her boxes to find her stuff. She was also happy to know she was going to get her secret savings wallet. She had been saving money from all of her summer jobs and all of her allowances she never spent.

She saved about a hundred thousand yen over the course of a year.

Just enough for her to splurge on whatever she wanted. Yet, she had never really splurged before, she never really went shopping much, in fact, buying the ingredients for dinner last night was the first time she went shopping this year. She usually left the shopping to the family grocer to go out and buy what she and her family needed every couple of weeks.

But now that she was living with her uncle, she was going to have to learn how to do most stuff, perhaps this could be her chance to study up on her cooking, perhaps try her hand at sewing, maybe pick up a hobby.

As she thought about her possible paths, her cell phone started buzzing, the name of her father coming up on the ID. She took a deep breath and flipped open the phone, answering with a, "Afternoon, father."

"Ah, Yuuko. Picking up on the second ring? You must have gotten your belongings from the mail, did you not?"

"Yes, they just came in." She sat on the small couch, picking out her notebook and flipping to the page of today's lecture notes, reading them and trying to memorize them. "How is your trip? Is everything going alright?"

She heard her father snort, the sounds of paper being shuffled about on the other side of the line. "Everything with me is fine. The accounting for the budget on these projects is just horrendous. These people are trying to over budget so that Kirijo ends up paying more and losing more money. They're trying to swindle us to make a quick buck. Unfortunate that their little idea will only be that, an idea."

She hummed, opening the boxes inside to pull out her clothes, setting them in her dresser under the small TV. "How are your grades? Paying attention in class? You need to remember, the bonds you forge in high school and college are the ones that will help you later in life. Make only friends with people who are actually going to help you in your career. I know how many children your age there are without much future, probably talk about friendship and having fun."

Yuuko stopped, sitting still and listening to her father talk. He kept telling her how bad it was for her to stray and be swayed by the lazy teenagers that were no doubt filling the high school she attended.

As she listened to him prattle on, she couldn't help but notice with each passing second, her father never once asked her how she was. Or even how her days have been, what she has been doing other than school, how was her uncle and cousin, how she was adjusting to the change of scenery or even if she missed the city.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I'm pulling an all-nighter with my work. Go to bed early, or else you'll develop dark circles."

She barely had time to say her good night before the dial tone of the phone signaled his end call.

Yuuko's hand shook as she closed her phone, clutching it close to her chest as she let her tears fall down her face. She held back her voice as she sat on the couch, staring forward into the blackness of the TV.

…

Th Date: 23-12-10 Weather: Cloudy/Snowy

Yuuko had been sitting in class, listening to the long lectures Mr. Morooka was saying, her mind somewhere else entirely. The call she had gotten from her father did nothing for her mood, her mind was a complete frenzy, replaying the words over and over again.

Did the knowledge of her father only caring about her standing hit her that hard?

She had always been so close to her father, maybe being so close didn't let her see how he had spoken to her at times. He had always been asking about school, about the people she hung out with…

But never did he ask how she was. Ask her what she thought, what she felt. She felt as if a knife was shoved deep inside her chest, twisting with each thought and each solid realization.

Did either of her parents truly care?

As the class continued on, she felt like the spotlight was on her, despite everyone having their attention on the teacher. She wanted to cry…

She felt cold, sick and most of all, empty. She felt empty inside, knowing that everything she tried to tell herself over the years, Mommy's not home because she works, and when she is home, she's only tired, that's why she acts so super happy all the time. But if she was happy to be home, to see her precious family, then why did she never sit by her father? Sit by her?

She never asked.

Neither did her father. Neither did her grandparents.

She felt so alone…

Did she have anyone to truly call her own? Anyone to call family?

She had Nanako and Dojima, but for how long? How long before they stopped caring as well? How long did she have to enjoy this awkward new family setting before it died out? How long?

She actually enjoyed spending those small moments with Nanako, enjoyed seeing Dojima whenever she could. She enjoyed their tiny home, their take out side dish meals and even those quiet moments when they sat around watching TV. She latched onto them, without even knowing it, she attached herself to the family as if subconsciously awaiting the moment it would all be gone.

How could she make them want her, need her? Could she come up with any way to get them to like her enough so they wouldn't end up leaving too?

She smiled then, remembering that Christmas was only two days away! Her birthday, the holiday that was meant for families and friends to share together!

Maybe if she were to get them presents, they'd appreciate her. Then they wouldn't leave, they'd have to stay a little while longer. She could make them a big Christmas dinner! A nice roasted ham with gourmet dishes… They were already living off of side dishes, why not make them a big dinner to show her appreciation?

When the bell rang, she stood from her desk, telling Chie that she had somewhere to go. Chie waved her off and she ran from the school, almost forgetting her shoes in her locker. She dashed through the snow, almost falling onto the ground a few times, slipping on ice. But she kept going, she had to get to Junes!

…If only she could remember where Junes was.

She groaned, face palming as she stopped running, standing in the middle of a random crossway. She saw the frozen rice field to her right and the houses to her left, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember where exactly she was. She was living in a small town and she was lost.

Great.

"Hey, you're Narukami!" The voice called to her, making her dart her gaze up. It was Adachi, waving at her in his over sized yellow coat. He was a nice guy, someone she latched onto when they met a couple of days ago. He was just so nice to help her, she instantly had a liking to him.

Plus he was really cute.

She smiled, "Oh, Adachi. Funny seeing you here? Heading home?" She walked up to him, gripping her bag tightly.

He shook his head, "nah, I'm just heading to Junes, the other officers need their coffee so they tasked me to go and pick it up, even wrote down exactly how they want it." He scratched the back of his head, muttering something else under his breath but she let it slide. "What about you, Naru-chan?"

She blushed, did he just call her Naru-chan? Did that mean… They were friends? How was she to act? What do friends do? She took a deep breath to calm down, just act natural. "I was actually hoping to go to Junes as well. I wanted to do something nice for Christmas time, so I wanted to go and buy ingredients for a big dinner."

He licked his lips, thinking about a luscious dinner. "That sounds amazing! I didn't know you knew how to cook."

She smiled, "one of my few talents. I'm actually going to follow a recipe online, not a big deal." She grabbed his sleeve, tugging on it, "do you think you could show me the way to Junes? I seem to have forgotten how to get there."

He agreed, the two of them walking towards Junes, both not noticing the man that was following Yuuko.

…

"So, why did the other officers send you to go and get their coffee? Couldn't just get someone else?"

Adachi sighed, a puff of frozen air appeared in front of him. "That's what I tell them, but since I'm the youngest and most inexperienced detective there, they send me to do all the crummy work." He shrugged, "Your uncle practically makes me his slave. Can't tell you how many times I have to go on smoke runs and brew his coffee. I could be using that time to be trained, you know?" As he talked, his voice got slightly rougher, sounding annoyed. He caught himself and smiled back at her, a dopey look on his face. "But I like working for your Uncle, he's a good guy…" He chuckled, muttering again.

Yuuko nodded, she noticed his changes, but she pushed them aside, she'd ignore anything if it meant having someone to talk to. "Do they at least give you money to buy the stuff?" She trailed off after seeing his face, already turning into a grimace. "…Don't tell me, they make you pay for it?"

He looked away, trying to find a way to change the subject. He quickly smiled down at her, "Actually, how are you adjusting to the town? Pretty big difference from the city, isn't it? I know I had a hard time adjusting too when I transferred here five years ago."

She cocked her head, "transfer? I thought this was your home town?"

The laugh from Adachi wasn't amused; it was a short bark of a laugh. "Here? No way, I was born all the way in Tokyo; I was transferred here after my superior retired. They said that my talents could be used in a town with such a small police force." He shook his head, his eyes going distant, "said I had the potential to be a great detective."

She watched him, watched how his demeanor changed when talking about his past life. His face was impassive, didn't show a single shred of emotion as he spoke. She didn't know how to address it, especially since she felt the same barrier between the two of them as she felt between her and the rest of the others of the town. Instead, she spoke about a more neutral topic. "I didn't know you lived in Tokyo those years ago." She giggled, "I think I was only eleven at the time, I think I was still in grade school."

Adachi laughed, scratching his head. "Yeah, imagine that." He shrugged, continuing to walk with Yuuko, passing through the streets, the both of them going back and forth with their conversation. "Just hang in there and get ready for a long, boring year. There's almost nothing to do in Inaba." They came to the entrance of Junes, the cars in the parking lot filling almost every single spot and then some. The entrance hall was filled with people on their phones, carrying bags and trying to check lists for their items they absolutely needed for the holidays. "The only time it ever gets slightly interesting is during the holidays, what with all the shopping and Christmas craze." He opened the door for her, helping her inside and keeping her from the other people and staying close to the stairs to the upper levels. "Well, this is it. Junes is pretty big, has maps, so just ask some attendants if you're ever lost." He waved to her. "I got to go. Coffee to get."

Yuuko nodded, waved back to him. "Thanks for showing me to Junes. I'm sorry for getting in your way. Is there any way I can repay you?"

Adachi smirked inside his mind, he wanted to say so many things to her, but on the outside he merely chuckled and declined her offer. "It's alright, just my public duty. Don't worry about it, the other officers can stand to not have their coffee for a while longer."

They nodded to each other, about to leave and go their separate ways when suddenly, a man covered in a heavy hooded jacket and bandana around his face pushed past Adachi and grabbed Yuuko's bag, dashing up the stairs, pushing other people out of his way.

"Ah! My bag!" Yuuko screamed as the people in the lobby tried to figure out what happened, helping the fallen people from the stairs.

Except Adachi.

For the first time in years, there was an actual incident going on! Right in front of him! Him, the only officer nearby! This was his chance to finally get some recognition! With a gentle hand on Yuuko's arm, Adachi grabbed his radio from his jacket, calling in a purse snatcher to any nearby officers before taking to the stairs, three at a time.

Yuuko ran after him, wanting to get her bag and get a piece of the snatcher before he got away.

The snatcher ran past people through the shops, pushing other people out of the way and throwing displays in Adachi's way, trying to stop him from catching him. But with Adachi's drive for excitement and wants, he easily slipped through the crowds, dodged the displays and kept at the guy. "Freeze! Japanese police!" Adachi tried calling out, to deter the guy from going on, but inside, he was hoping the guy wouldn't stop, that this guy ended up doing more damage and making a big deal out of the incident. But he had to play the part so Adachi had to act like the dutiful officer.

The guy stopped before ducking into the electronics department, the crowds were thinning out from the help of the manager of the store and his son nearby. Adachi followed him, not hearing how Yuuko had been following them the whole time.

The snatcher was breathing hard, almost out of breath as he tried to figure out his next move. He tried to turn into what he had hoped was a hallway to more stores but he had turned into a part of the store that was nothing but electronics.

He had to find an exit! That officer could be upon him at any moment!

"Freeze!"

What stopped the snatcher near the huge LCD TV was the voice from the officer chasing him but also the sound of a gun being cocked. He gulped and raised both hands, knowing that this time he was going to be taken to jail. This was it…

He turned around to face the officer, seeing that it was only a young kid, younger than him. He had to get out, he had to escape… If he didn't…

"You keep your hands where I can see them, now!" Adachi commanded, edging towards the guy, keeping both of his eyes on the snatcher. "I'm going to come to you, you're gonna drop the bag and we're gonna end this with you in cuffs. Got it?"

The snatcher sighed, there was no way out of this… He could try to make a break for it but what was he going to do? If he gets taken in, what was going to happen to… He couldn't think of that, not now.

Yuuko had caught up with Adachi, standing behind him and watching what was going on. Adachi had glanced at her, giving her a glare that asked her why she was there. She only tried to glare back, but she ended up inching behind him, only telling him, "that's my bag… I only want a piece of him…" She muttered, low enough that only he could hear.

And he could see where she was coming from. If someone jacked his stuff, he would chase after them too. He was still ticked that she followed them, but not as ticked as any other officer. "Alright, just hand over the bag and get on your knees."

The snatcher darted his gaze around their area, trying to find a way out of his predicament. Suddenly, he realized their standing, where they were positioned. The cop and the girl were right in front of a huge TV, one that could easily topple over and hit them. He didn't want anyone getting hurt, but it was them or him! He held out the bag, waiting for the cop to get in the right spot, the right angle…

When he was in the right angle of the TV, the snatcher retracted the bag and threw it into the cops face with enough force to push him backwards into the TV, the girl going to help him.

He didn't stay to see what happened; he just turned and ran as fast as he could through the store until he came to a back door and escaped through.

He just wondered why he didn't hear the footsteps or calls from the cop.

…

It was a flurry of movement; one moment, Adachi was edging towards the snatcher, Yuuko close by and waiting for it to end, then the next… Adachi was hit in the face with her bag, falling backwards towards the huge LCD TV and Yuuko jumped to stop him from falling.

She didn't take into account how heavy he was and ended up caving from is weight and into the display. She waited to feel the pain from falling into a display, but all she felt was a weird sensation run through her, like she was being dipped into water.

Then it was falling. It was falling through a long tunnel with what looked like TV borders, white black white black white black…

Adachi let out a scream once he realized they were falling and he didn't know where they were or what was going on.

They were both screaming, both holding onto each other and falling when suddenly the ground was fast approaching them, Adachi on the bottom, Yuuko on top. Adachi let out a grunt and groan as he felt the ground impact and the weight of Yuuko as she landed on him. She grunted when the force hit her then yelped when her bag hit her on the head and landed on the ground next to her. She clutched her head, rubbing the bump that was forming under her hair, still sitting on Adachi, who was still reeling from the fall.

Yuuko peeled her eyes open, gasping when she was met with what looked like a yellow and purple TV Station set, fog all around them with low hanging lights and wires above. The place was silent, the only sounds in there was the sounds from her and Adachi…

Adachi…

She squeaked, jumping up from Adachi, helping him up and apologizing a few times per second. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to land on you I didn't mean to stay sitting on you it was a mistake not that I mean you're a mistake why would you be a mistake I think you're a pretty cool guy but I don't want to sit on you unless that's your thing but that's not right I'm sorry so sorry!"

Adachi didn't even try to decipher what she just said, just acknowledging she said, 'sorry' a few hundred times. Aw, I kind of liked you sitting on my lap, cute school girl you are. He thought lewdly as he stood up, taking in the area. "It's fine… It's fine…" He glanced around, trying to figure out where they were. "Hold on, I'm gonna try to radio the station." She nodded and he took his radio from his jacket, trying to make a call out to the others. However, when he tried to call, he only heard static from the other end, like it was the only radio in the world.

He took a deep breath, putting it away. Okay, no radio; perhaps cell phone? He took out his cell, flipping it open and seeing only static where the screen was. "Hey, Yuuko," He didn't bother with formalities; this wasn't the time for that. "Can you try your cell phone? Mine isn't working."

She nodded, taking her bag and bringing out her phone, gasping when he suspected she met the same fate he did.

No radio, no cell.

They must be in the mother of all dead zones.

"Okay, no radio, no cell. Wherever the hell we are, it doesn't have any connectivity. We're basically stranded from technology." She nodded numbly, gripping her bag and edging closer to Adachi. "We only have each other. So we're gonna have to stay together and find a way out." He pulled out his gun, checking how much ammo he has. "We're going to be fine, we just need to find a way out. Just follow me and we'll be out of here as soon as we find an exit, okay?"

She nodded, edging even closer and wrapping her arms around his unused arm, squeezing it to near decirculation. "H-Hey! Don't grab to hard…" He looked down and saw the utter fear in her face, how terrified she was of this place. He sighed and just started walking, feeling her walking so close to him.

He had put on the show of caring, calm police officer, but on the inside, he was just as terrified as her. He was just better at putting on the mask over his true feelings. "We're going to be fine, trust me."

…

They walked through this hellish place for who knew how long. As they passed through the sets, a heavy burden was placed on each of their minds, making every step forward heavier and making the burden in their minds that much more sinister.

Tohru steeled himself, his courage blossoming forth, forcing him to keep pressing on. He probably would have keeled over from the sheer amount of pressure in his head, or the fact that he was babysitting that Narukami kid. All she did was grip on his arm, making their slow walking even slower than it should have been.

Dammit, why couldn't he just leave her behind and high tail it out of there!?

Inside his mind, he gasped, did he really just think about leaving her there by herself? That it would be easier to go on without her, like she was a burden to just shrug off? He knew he was cynical as all hell, but that was a new low for his mind to take him.

Emotionally, he had no qualms about destroying someone's feelings, but physically? Nah, he was too much of a coward to actually harm someone. Not on purpose, never on purpose. Maybe on accident, but not on purpose.

Yuuko, on the other hand was getting more and more terrified by the minute. Her mind must be playing tricks on her, that's why she was thinking such thoughts.

How could she think about leaving Adachi and taking off on her own? She couldn't do that! It would be wrong!

She tried so hard to keep the traitorous thoughts from her head by holding onto Adachi tighter, trying to use him as an anchor. Oh gods, she just thought, she was using him. Using him like he only had a single use that could be used by her.

Why is she so weak?

A soft squeaking took her from her mind, pulling on Adachi, making him growl at her but stop his movement.

"What? Why are we stopping?" He asked harshly, not even bothering to put on his mask anymore. He stared down at her, his patience already running thin.

She wasn't even looking at him; she was looking behind them, eyes searching the fog behind them. She suddenly stopped, gasping as she pointed behind him, "W-what is that!?"

He whirled around, pointing his gun towards the figure in the fog. It was standing there, short, round…

"Hey!" He barked, "Who the hell are you!? Speak dammit!" He cocked his gun, ready to shoot the thing in a few seconds if it doesn't say anything.

"Me?" The figure said, walking towards them and making a soft squeaking sound. As it got closer, the fog lifted around the figure to show a short, round teddy bear with huge anime eyes wearing what looked like a red and white space suit. "I'm just a friendly little bear."

Tohru took a step back, flabbergasted at what the thing was and why it was talking in the first place. He had really been hoping to find someone else in this place, not a walking talking store decoration! "What the fuck are you!?" Tohru demanded, his patience gone.

The teddy bear shrieked, hiding behind Yuuko. "I-I-I already told you! I'm a friendly little bear! Honest!" He shivered and hid behind Yuuko, whimpering. "I-I knew I smelled someone new in my home… So I wanted to try and find them before it was too late!" He peeked from behind Yuuko, shrieking again when he saw the murderous face Tohru wore. "D-Don't hurt me…"

Yuuko almost felt like doing the same thing, seeing the face Adachi was wearing. He didn't even look like the same person as before…

She turned around and crouched by the bear, rubbing its head. She cooed, trying to make it feel as comforted as best as she could. "There, there… We understand." She smiled, despite the feelings of terror filling her at every moment, even now. "Everything's okay, okay?"

Tohru snorted, muttering about all the ways how everything was not okay.

The teddy bear straightened up, blushing, "wow! You're so nice! Not like your friend there." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black goo mass, squishing it in his hands then asking, "What's your favorite color?"

Yuuko blinked at the bear, why did it ask that out of nowhere? "Um, yellow, I guess…" She answered, wanting to know what it was doing.

Tohru was about to demand what it was doing when the bear pulled his hands apart, there laid in its paws was a set of glasses with a thin yellow frame. "Ta dah! Now you'll feel a lot better now!" The bear smiled and put the glasses on Yuuko, making her feel leagues better, along with better eyesight.

She gasped, standing up and looking around from side to side. "It's…" She turned to Tohru, smiling at him, "the glasses! Everything looks clear now! I even feel better just standing again."

Tohru stared at her like she was crazy. Yeah, the bear, the creepy ass place, and now she was telling him that she could see and feel better cause of some stupid glasses.

That the bear… made with its paws… from goo…

"I need to sit down." Tohru said as he plopped onto the ground, clutching his head and groaning. "Too much for one day… I need sleep."

The teddy bear suddenly ran up to Tohru, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, "No! You can't fall asleep here! If your fall asleep for too long, you could die!"

Adachi tried to speak, but the damn bear kept shaking him that it was impossible to speak clearly. "IF-YOU-DON'T-STOP-SHAKING-ME-I-WILL-SHOOT-YOU!"

The bear let go, jumping back in fright. "Hey! Don't yell at me! I just saved your life!" The bear grabbed some more goo and started squishing it. "Don't get mad at me! You've been nothing but mean to me, and I was just trying to help you!"

Tohru growled, "You stupid bear! You were shaking me! What the hell-" He leaned back as the bear came towards him with a pair of shades, "Hey! Get away! What are you doing to me!?" Tohru stopped his struggling once the glasses were on him, his thoughts lifted of the searing rage that was building within him.

"H-Huh?" He said as he stood, his mind clear of the invasive thoughts, the area around them was clear of fog. The area wasn't even a TV set, it was more of a twisted city like area with yellow caution tape and papers all over the streets. The sky was an eerie red and black striped pattern that always seemed to be moving, like it was a flowing river. "Everything is so clear…"

The bear nodded, "Of course it is! Those glasses are special, they make everything clear and the bad vibes don't hurt you." He placed his paws on his sides, looking up at both of them. "Humans don't belong in this place! It's bad for them! I'm taking you out of here!" He then looked around, "as soon as I figure out where we are."

Tohru glared at the bear, "hey, you somehow found us! Find us out of this place!" He crossed his arms, staring down at the bear, "just who are you, where did you come from!?"

"My name's Teddie!"

Silence…

Tohru sighed and covered his face with his hands, shaking from either anger at the situation or from pure confusion and incomprehension at the situation. "Of… Of course you are…"

"Yep! That's my name! I'm Teddie! And this is my home."

Yuuko wrapped her arms around herself, staring at Teddie. "You live here?"

"Yup! I've been living here for about…" He stopped, trying to figure out time. "Actually, I don't know how long I've lived here. I just know one, I was here." He gasped, remembering something important. "That's right! We need to go! As soon as possible!" He started shaking, terrified of his own next words. "If we don't leave, the shadows might come!"

Tohru who had composed himself finally decided to just ask, "Shadows? Honestly, at this point, I'm willing to believe anything."

Teddie nodded, "yeah! The shadows! They're really mean and dangerous! They don't like new things! They'll come after you guys if we don't move, now!"

Sensing the danger, the both of them nodded to each other, wanting out. NOW.

"Alright, follow me! If we just go backwards, we might just find our way back and-"

Suddenly, a voice cut off Teddie, making Tohru go pale as the words of someone close to him spoke in a chilling voice.

"He was so good in school, got straight A's in all of his subjects. We just don't know why he continues to fail and shame our name."

Tohru shook, the voice of his mother speaking loud and clear. The voice came from nowhere, like she was both far and close by. He swiveled around, trying to find the voice. "W-what!? Where are you!?" He grabbed his pistol and aimed in different directions, perhaps trying to find the source. "Whose there!?"

"My Tohru, he had such potential. He was so good in school, did everything I ever asked of him. But he was so boring. He had no friends in school, barely ever had a girlfriend. He was such a loser."

Flushing red from embarrassment, that those other two were hearing these words, he roared running towards the nearest pile of trash and kicking it apart, "Just where the hell are you!? Come out and say those words to my face you dirty bitch!"

Yuuko didn't know what to say, Teddie was nearby trying to get her to follow and leave, but Yuuko didn't move. There has to be something she could do to help him! "A-Adachi-san-"

Tohru kicked the trash, sending different pieces flying as he turned to Yuuko, his eyes blazing. "Shut up! Get out of here!"

"I thought it would do him some good, getting him that job at the Police Academy, even getting his sorry ass engaged to one of my friends' daughter, to hopefully make our name a better one in the eyes of populace, but even he screwed that up."

The voice grew in contempt, growing more and more hate filled. "He messed up the engagement, getting that woman killed with his idiocy! While on the job! He ruined our only chance to actually make our name stand out, to mean something! But that stupid, useless, idiot boy ruined it by bringing shame upon our name! By being sent off to work in some hick town in the sticks! He's got the blood on his hands, he's the one who cause all of this! It's his entire fault!"

Tohru gripped his head, shaking his head, muttering to himself, "Stop it! Shut up! You don't know anything you old hag!" He gripped his hair and roared to the sky, "SHUT UP!"

"Why should she?"

And new voice came through, one that was next to Tohru, one that was actually coming from beside him. Tohru stepped back, aiming his gun at…

Himself.

The mirror image was smiling at him, a sick and twisted grin on his features. His eyes were gold and there was a dark cloud surrounding its body. Other than those features, everything was a complete copy of himself. "Who are you!?" He demanded, wanting out.

"Me?" The figure asked, actually displaying a face of confusion, which was then destroyed by the grin. "I'm you."

Yuuko stood back, trying to understand what was going on. There were two Adachi's, the voice from before, did she say that he killed his fiancée? Who was this man?

"Awww, you look so scared, me." He laughed, "Is it because your mask isn't on? That you can't put it back up? You always were so good at hiding your emotions, always putting on that happy, dopey smiling mask, just so people could get off your ass." It walked closer to Adachi, staring him straight in the eye. "You're a coward, sure you can run in and help people, if they actually had something good going on, but when it comes to yourself and admitting your deepest, darkest secrets, you calm up. You put on the happy face and you blame others for your problems." It smiled then, mocking Adachi.

Adachi growled and shot at the figure, watching with satisfaction as pieces blew off into the distance. "Shut up you bastard!" He shot it and shot some more, unloading a full clip on the figure, on the thing that claimed it was him. He kept shooting until the bullets stopped coming out, even then he didn't stop shooting.

He hated that thing, he hated what it was saying and he hated how it had the gall to call itself him.

Yuuko quietly stepped forward, taking Adachi's tense hand and taking the pistol from him, watching his hand stay in the same shape, like it was still pulling the trigger. He slowly registered that the gun was gone and turned to see Yuuko standing there, looking at him with those eyes of hers.

Those damn eyes that pissed him off to no end.

"Adachi-san, you need to calm down. Getting angry won't solve anything." She said quietly, handing him back the gun. She looked down and away from him, trying to keep herself from angering him.

He sighed and took the gun from her, about to tell her that they should leave when a third voice came forward.

"That Narukami chick thinks she's so high and mighty. Just because she gets perfect grades and her dad works in Kirijo, she thinks she can just walk around thinking she's the gods' gift to our school."

Yuuko stopped, recognizing that voice as one of the boys from her old class. She looked up, eyes wide, "W-what…?"

Ignoring how Adachi was watching her, she spun around, trying to find the voice as well. She looked down, seeing a pipe on the floor, grabbing it and aiming it at what could be around her.

"I hate that bitch. She has a whole fan girl group that follows her around, kissing the ground she walks on. Because of her, it's been so hard to ask a girl out because either they were chasing after her or they had new standards that she set for them."

Yuuko shut her eyes, covering her ears, the voices forming faces in her mind, all of them staring at her with contempt and loathing.

"Did you hear? Narukami has never had a boyfriend. Though that doesn't surprise me, she's such a prude, such an annoying cling that no one would give her the time of day! No one wants to look at or even be near such a disgusting bitch like her. Only ones who ever want to touch her rancid ass would have to be an old pervert!"

"Narukami would be perfect for a big fat ugly old pervert! They just love having those smart, pure spoiled bitches like her to tear apart."

"I'd pay so much money to see her get torn apart."

Suddenly laughter filled the area, making Yuuko spill tears from her eyes, shrieking as they taunted her, hating her. Just because she was just a little different from them, they hated her. She didn't want to be hated, she wanted to be accepted, she wanted people to actually like her.

Adachi watched her, wanting to feel happy for how she was suffering, just like him, that he wasn't the only one with dark secrets. But that thought made him realize, he wasn't the only one with dark secrets. His own troubles, his own demons were being replayed in her life, just like him.

They had lived the same kind of life, just different ages.

"Narukami is so cool! Maybe if we swarm her, we can get her to do favors for us!"

"Screw that! I'm only flocking to her so that we'll become friends and I can leave her in that red light district! I even know some guys who'd be happy to tear apart girls like her."

No matter how much she cried or screamed, the voices wouldn't stop, they just kept going on and on. Shame filled every pore of her, facing the reality of her school life, how much others hated her. "Stop it… Stop looking at me… I don't want to be enemies… I just want friends…"

"But you'll never have friends."

A final fourth voice entered, making Yuuko look up with tear filled eyes towards her shadow. Like Adachi's, she only had the golden eyes and the dark cloud surrounding her, but instead of where Adachi was smiling, hers was staring straight ahead, silent tears falling down her cheeks.

"No matter how hard I try, no one is ever going to truly like me. I'll end up used, like trash until no one can stand me anymore or until my usefulness is gone." The voice of the shadow was empty of emotion, like a lifeless doll. "Even though I try so hard to be nice, I have no idea what it's like to have anyone be nice back."

Yuuko shook her head, trying to get the images of the students out of her mind, trying to grasp at the smiling faces of the new people she met, but ultimately losing them when they were distorted with the sneers she was so used to seeing. "Stop it! Leave me alone… please…"

"All I know how to do is cry! I just cry, cry and cry some more. Oh wait, that's right, I do know something else… I know how to recite information, like a parrot. I'm not really smart; I'm just really good at the recitals." The eyes went downcast, "no one loves me, no one ever will. My father is so absorbed in his work, sometimes he barely remembers I'm there. My mom? She's missed out on so much of my life; she might as well be dead. She tries to cover it up by being super happy and bubbly, but really, I can tell she's lying. Her face is so transparent, it might was well be made of water." It looked back up at Yuuko, the eyes more like golden tunnels boring into her mind. "My father? He doesn't care; he just cares that I get good grade and have good social standing. If I don't have that, then what good of a daughter am I?"

Clapping sounded from behind Adachi, making him spin around to see the forming body of his own shadow walking towards them, still smiling. How is it still alive!? He shot the thing gods knows how many times!

"Well, lookie here! Turns out I've been nothing but a spoiled brat; thinking that my problems were the world. Isn't it shocking to find out that other people can have the same problems? Especially since they're on their way to replaying your own life?" It laughed hysterically, its head thrown back as its shoulders heaved dramatically. "And to think, you are actually waiting for a good time to feed her affections and then quickly and cruelly break her heart!"

Adachi widened his eyes, not daring to turn, already feeling the gaze of Yuuko on his back. It was out, what was he supposed to say? The real reason why he thought of doing it?

"And it's all because of her mother." The shadow Adachi drawled, straightening up and staring at Yuuko. "If I had never been her mother's new partner, then I wouldn't have had access to the police equipment, then the accident wouldn't have happened." It smiled, sickeningly, "That's right, you felt so good, so happy when your patrol car got out of control in the rain…"

Tohru shook his head, "No! I didn't! I could never enjoy that!"

"But you did!" It edged closer, "When you realized your car hit that bitch you were engaged to, you were ecstatic! Like luck shone down on you. You didn't have to spend a single moment more with that fat, lazy, good for nothing cow."

"It was an accident!" Tohru screamed, backing up and having to stop when he felt Yuuko bump against him. "I swear! It was an accident! I didn't kill her!"

"Yeah, it was an accident, which was true. But deep inside, you loved knowing she was dead. And you want to know why?" The shadow Adachi was so close, almost touching regular Adachi, "Because the world is full of shit. Sure, I was born with a golden ticket known as 'talent', but what good did it do to me? I was still blamed vocally by the station, Narukami still believed me to be a killer, but out of the graciousness of her heart, she didn't get me convicted… No, she had a better punishment; I can keep my job… But I'm gonna have to suffer with a failing job in a crappy town under a crappy boss for the rest of my crappy life! That Narukami bitch is just like all the other women in the world!" The anger and contempt in the voice of the Adachi shadow was growing with each word, "Bitches and whores! Al of them! Everyone should just die! Die and leave me alone!"

Yuuko cried harder, hearing the innermost thoughts of the man she admired not too long ago. Sure she only knew him for a couple of days, but he was so sweet, so kind… How could this happen?

"I know how to pick them, don't I?" The shadow Yuuko said lifelessly. "I really know how to pick friends or even attach myself to the real assholes, don't I? Maybe I'm just doomed to forever wallow in loneliness." The tears fell faster, more and more as a smile spread on its face. "I thought he was a nice guy. I thought I could find a friend at last. But no, that will never be true. He was going to hurt me, over something my mother did. Seems like all my problems keep piling on, no respite."

Despite her constant chanting of, 'no', the shadow kept talking, she was vaguely aware that Adachi was even next to her anymore, suffering through the torture of themselves like her.

"What's the point!? The world is full of shit!" Shadow Yuuko stated, making shadow Adachi walk towards her laughing.

"Atta girl! That's the spirit! The world is shit! Everything is shit! Get used to it because that's life!" Shadow Adachi wrapped an arm around shadow Yuuko, cupping her cup and turning her gaze to the two humans.

"I'm weak, I can't stand on my own two feet and I need someone to protect me. I'm a useless pile of trash that only knows how to recite lines and give fake smiles."

"I'm the asshole that only wants excitement, even at the expense of others! I'm a complete pervert, a person who will hope to the gods that the people who annoy me will die. I'm worthless cause I'll just sit on my ass until someone else changes my life for me!"

At the same time, Tohru and Yuuko screamed at the top of their lungs, "Stop it! You're not me!"

Laughter came from the shadows, the dark clouds around them consuming their bodies as their eyes glowed a bright yellow.

Tohru and Yuuko watched as the shadows took different forms, watching how they both cracked and twisted their bodies into their new forms. Yuuko's shadow was hunched forward, it's body thin and weak with a sad looking mask on its face. It was covered in a tight fitting leather cloak around it's body, blades sticking out of the openings.

Adachi's shadow was bent backwards, a mask on its face with a haphazardly drawn smile on it. The mask shifted every so often, showing an angry, bitter face behind the mask, like Yuuko's does. It's body was thick with muscle, a leather cloak on its body with two guns poking out of the cloak.

"We are the shadow… The true selves…" They spoke together, their voices merging together in a hellish mixture that made both humans have shivers run down their backs.

They sat there, watching the shadows as they moved towards them, intent to kill. They were shaken from their stupor by the shakes of Teddie who though forgotten was urging them to get up. "Get up! They sealed the exits!" He worried, trying to figure out a way to help the people he met. "I've been trying to call you guys for so long, but you were too wrapped up in what the shadows were saying." He reached behind him, gave them both medicines, "You're gonna have to fight!"

Adachi stood, shaking his head, "How are we supposed to fight huh? That thing… it…" He stuttered, thinking on what the thing had told him, made him think about the thoughts buried deep inside him.

Teddie shook him, making him pick up his gun, "You can think about that later! If you don't do something, you and your friend are going to die!"

Tohru glanced down at Yuuko, who stared at the shadows. She looked broken, like everything in her life was crashing around her. She probably felt exactly like how he felt, ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated… He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet, watching how her eyes looked up to him, emotions hard to read.

"We have to fight. No matter what happens, we have to fight…" He said as he turned to fight the shadows, gun reloaded and ready to shoot.

Yuuko glanced at Adachi, seeing how he was ready to fight for his life. She glanced down at her weapon, the pipe, and slowly she stood. She had to fight as well, even if she felt beaten down by the shadow, she had to get up! She couldn't die here!

Teddie stood back, "I'll be helping you guys from back here! If I tell you to dodge, guard or what, do it!"

They nodded, ready to fight.

"You guys have the first attack! Hit them with what you got!" Teddie cheered on, trying to be a moral support. "The one with blades, try shooting it! If you get to close, it could really do damage!"

Adachi stepped back, aiming his gun at the bladed shadow, aiming for the bright white of the mask with the blue frown on its face. He shot a good three rounds at it, watching how it flailed it's body before falling to the ground with a terrified shriek. He smirked, taking the surprise from the other shadow to shoot at the one on the ground again, making it dizzy.

Yuuko dashed forward, holding her pipe like a sword in her right hand. As she got close enough to the still standing enemy, she slashed at the smiling shadow, getting it right in the gut. It gasped and tried to attack her, but with the cry from Teddie, she side stepped it, stabbing her pipe downwards into the Shadow's gut, making it stay down on the ground.

Teddie whooped behind them, "They're both down! This is your chance for an all out attack!"

Yuuko and Adachi glanced to each other, nodding before running towards the enemies crying out in their charge. With a flurry of feet hitting the shadows, pipe meeting belly and gun shooting holes in the face and torso of their enemy, causing a huge cloud of dust to form around them. They were occasionally punched or slashed at by the downed shadows, but even when they were thrown out, Teddie cheered them on, telling them to get back in there before they stood up again.

Charging back into the cloud of dust, they continued their onslaught, running back in when they were thrown out.

Soon, the shadows stood up again, pushing them back while standing up a little shakily.

"You little shits! We'll make sure you never see the light of day again!"

The shadow Adachi aimed his guns at Yuuko, shooting towards her, hitting her on the side a couple of times before making her fall to the ground. Quickly it tried to aim at Adachi who without needing Teddie's cry dodging the bullets before any could hit him.

"That all you got!?" Adachi cried out as he snorted, ready to attack again.

The shadow Adachi growled and turned to the shadow Yuuko who looked almost like giving up. "Get up you worthless piece of trash! I'm not doing all the work while you get to sit around!"

The shadow Yuuko started sobbing, "You're so mean! What didI do wrong!?"

The shadows continued to argue with each other, giving Adachi a chance to catch his breath. He turned to Yuuko and saw her clutching her side, crouching down to her, "Hey, you alright?" He asked, helping her to her feet.

She shook her head, "I'm fine, I'm sorry to be a burden." She stated softly, feeling bad about falling.

Tohru shook his head, took out some medicine and applied it to her wounds, watching in amazement how they sealed up instantly in this world. "No worries, we came to this world together, we're leaving together." He smiled softly at her, "Please, just try to believe in me for a little while. I'll do the best I can to fight, to protect you."

Standing up and aiming his gun again, Yuuko watched him, amazed at how strong he was. Even though they both were brutally attacked by their shadows, he still had the strength to get up and fight. She took a deep breath and stood up; jogging towards him then breaking into a run as she slashed at the gunned shadow, making it fall to the ground. Before Yuuko could attack again, the bladed shadow tried to attack her, blades above its head ready to stab down wards when it was sent backward, being shot at again by Adachi.

Yuuko then grabbed her pipe, hitting the gunned shadow over and over again till it's mask fell off, revealing it's swirling eyes. "I got it dizzy!" She cried out, stepping backwards, watching Adachi shoot off more rounds into the bladed shadow, making it fall over with its mask off with swirling eyes.

Teddie jumped for joy, telling them that the shadows didn't have much health left. Adachi and Yuuko glanced and together they ran towards their coupled enemy, doing an all out attack, noticing with happiness that they were not fighting back as hard as they were the first time.

Soon, the cloud of dust formed a large skull as the shadows stopped fighting back, going limp. They jumped back as the shadows fall apart before them, showing the weaker forms of before. What was left of the shadows before was now a pile of yen near the bodies.

Adachi stood, breathing heavily, holding his empty gun close as he watched the shadows stand up, both looking worse for wear. Yuuko stood close, watching silently.

Teddie stepped close to them, "are you guys ok?"

Yuuko smiled and nodded, turning back to watch the shadows approach them.

"If they attacked you guys before, they might again if you say the wrong thing…" Teddie said, hiding the humans.

The Adachi shadow stepped forward, putting Tohru on edge. What was he going to say to that thing? Should he say anything?

"What do you want me to say? Huh?" Tohru said, exhausted from the fight and from being inside the weird place for so long. "Tell me, give me a hint…" He placed a hand on his face, grimacing at the words that were said earlier.

Yuuko watched, glancing at her shadow then at Adachi's. They went berserk earlier because…

She stepped forward, catching the attention of the shadows and of the human Adachi. She stared at the shadow form of herself, giving it a small smile. "You got mad when I tried to deny you, didn't you?"

It looked down, nodding. It shook, as if it was going to cry again.

Yuuko took a deep breath and gathered the shadow Yuuko in her arms, hugging it tightly, "You were right." She let her own tears fall from her face, stroking the hair of the shadow who was weeping in fright and happiness. "I tried so hard to deny my true self, to put on a happy face for everyone to see. I tried so hard to bury the feelings towards my parents so far that even I forgot they were there. I held onto their smiles and tried to only think of the positives when really…" She took another breath, calming herself down.

"…when really, I didn't want to admit that I resented them for that. Resented them leaving me behind, to not even try to stop their lives to even consider my feelings. I… I even went as far as to block out the voices of the students who hated me, going as far as to even think of missing my old school, to wanting the familiar faces to come back so I could have something to hold onto."

She pulled back, still keeping her shadow in her arms. "You are me. You are the same scared little girl who just wants a friend, a little girl who is even willing to over look the largest of vices, so she won't be lonely."

The shadow Yuuko broke into a smile, the dark cloud around it disappearing, replacing itself with a white light consuming it's body. The body disappeared, leaving behind the shape of a new being floating before her.

The strength of one's heart to face one's own self has manifested…

What flew above Yuuko was a woman, tall and slender with a white mask on her face with eye holes glowing yellow. She held a long spear, wore a headdress wrapped round the head with its long white hair cascading down it's back, reaching to mid thigh. The body was covered in a tight fitting black coat with dozens and dozens of straps and buckles along the front with hand stitched markings along the arms and on its gloved hands. The back of the coat was long, reaching to the woman's feet with the front being short to the hips. The thighs were covered in thick white thigh guards with long, lace up boots with blades on the ends. She looked down at Yuuko and spoke in a hushed, soft voice,

"I am thou, thou art me… I am the bringer of the truth, Izanagi… Use me well, my friend."

With her words, she was encased in light again, disappearing and instead of being gone, she was replaced with a blue card with her image on the front, fluttering down into Yuuko's hands.

The façade used to overcome life's hardships… One of many you will need in your journey.

She glanced up at Adachi, giving him a small smile, urging him to go ahead.

Tohru stared at his shadow, sighing in defeat. "You want me to accept you? Take you into my heart and all that bullshit?" He said, looking weary to the bone. "I don't know if I even can do something like that."

He sighed again and looked the shadow in the eye, "I admit it. I am an asshole. I was so happy to know that I wouldn't have to go into an arranged marriage, I didn't want to be shackled down, to stop living my life, despite how shitty it was. I only became a police officer not for the glory, not to be an agent of justice, I did it for a selfish reason…" He looked downwards, for once in his life really taking in his own words, his own actions.

"I did it just so I could carry a gun. How selfish and stupid was that? I thought, if I carried a gun, then people would start listening to me, start paying attention. No one would ever go against someone with a gun." He smiled to himself, his eyes still downcast and shoulders slumped. "I… I realized how lonely I was, how much I just need someone else near me, to understand me. Perhaps all I ever needed was a friend."

He chuckled, "but where am I going to find a friend who would actually overlook all the shit I do and say?"

Yuuko stepped up to Adachi, taking his hand, making both dart their gazes to her. She smiled at him, "I will. I just admitted to myself that I'm more than happy to overlook anything, just so I won't be lonely either." She squeezed his hand, reassuring him. "Neither of us have to be lonely ever again, okay?"

Adachi stared at her, before his eyes got blurry with unshed tears and he gripped her hand in response. "You're me." He looked up at the shadow, for once in his life, giving a genuine smile. "I'm you. I may the most cynical bastard in the world, the biggest pervert in all of Inaba and even the most dirty police officer, but I'm only human. You really made me see… That I'm not the only one with problems, that I'm not the center of the universe."

The shadow Adachi smiled back, holding out his hand, waiting for the human Adachi to take it. When their hands came in contact, the blinding white light came over the shadow, making the body disappear to reveal a new being.

The strength of one's heart to face one's own self has manifested…

It was a tall, slender man, wearing a dark coat with a red tinge and bright red veins and cracks along it's body. The mask was a bright red with glowing yellow eyes. It held a spear, black in color with red blade and blood dripping from the tip. It wore a black sash around its head, flowing behind him in a nonexistent wind. It's jacket had a high collar with an underlying black breast plate with tight fitting black pants and long lace up boots with blades at the end. He looked down at Adachi, the eyes giving off and eerie and demented feeling. He spoke in a dark, low and booming voice,

"You are I, and I am you. I am the being of corruption, Magatsu Izanagi. Don't disappoint me, human."

He disappeared with a white light, leaving behind the same kind of card Yuuko has, his picture on the front, both having the number zero on it.

The façade used to overcome life's hardships… One of many you will need in your journey.

When both were gone, the two humans collapsed on the ground, still clutching the other's hand. Teddie rushed to the both of them, asking if they were okay along with a many, 'don't fall sleep's. They stayed awake, breathing hard from the fight, the place they were in and from just facing their inner demons.

Tohru looked at Yuuko, watching her as she sat beside him, still holding his hand. "You're a piece of work, you know that?" He said, a smirk on his face.

She smiled at him, shrugging. "So are you."

He nodded, "I'll give you that one." He sighed, looking down at their hands. "You're really that desperate to have a friend that you'd even take me as one? Despite me saying and doing all those horrible things to you?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I could do without the anger and bitterness, but I can't be picky. I'm willing to overlook everything if it means I can just be happy and enjoy someone else's company, even for a short while." She looked up at him, "Let's try this again. My name is Narukami Yuuko, even though my mother did you wrong, I hope you won't take it out on me. I'm a really nice person, even if I am weak and I can't stand on my own. Let's be friends!"

He stared at her before breaking out into laughter. "Oh gods, that was horrible!" He smiled, gripping her hand, "My name is Adachi Tohru and I'm a complete asshole. I'll probably end up being mean or cynical, maybe even hold some bad feelings for your mom." He stood up, pulling Yuuko to her feet. "But if there's anything, I'm strong and I can definitely stand on my own." He shrugged. "I guess I'll be your friend."

They chuckled to themselves and slowly walked away from the cityscape, after Adachi picked up the money left behind and counted it out.

They held their heads high as they passed the broken city, the TV sets and only one thing was said between the odd group…

"Nice, I made ten thousand yen in here."

…

AN: The dates are actually in European format, with the day first, then the month with the year last. So it reads 20-12-10–20th of December of 2010. I've been forced to write like that for college, that now I can't stop doing it. I'm not changing it. The M, T, W, Th, F, Sa, S are the days of the week, so that will be included as well. So will the weather at the end, just so that everything is kept in check.

So yeah; Adachi and Narukami are the heroes of this story! YEAH! Adachi, the psychopath, misogynistic, twisted, spoiled asshole villain of the original game is now our hero.

Have fun with that thought.

These chapters are going to be super long, soooo… Look forward to a story that's over 100k by chapter 4… Ooooo that sounds fun!

Also: I based fem!Izanagi off of the concept art I found on Google with a similar design. Hope you liked it! :3

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