JPHiP Forum
The Hello! Project Fanfics => H!P Fanfics => Topic started by: kjpop on June 07, 2012, 11:10:18 PM
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Howdy everyone!! So I received some feedback for that crazy vague one shot I recently wrote, and because of the encouragement, I've decided to go ahead and make it my latest project. Once Honto no Kimochi is finished, Quid Pro Quo will be my new baby <3 And luckily, HnK is wrapping up soon.
I'm kind of hesitating to actually post this fic here, however. After discussing plotlines and whatnot with my crazy roommate, he brought up a pretty good point. The subject matter is kind of heavy, and there are a lot of situations that aren't very wide-audience friendly, and I'm not talking about perv-levels either. It's bound to get borderline uhhhhh "mature" I guess, and I can't exactly control the audience that reads it no matter how many times I warn ya'll, you know? The idea of kiddies reading this fic doesn't settle well with me, so I'm thinking of just posting this fic off the site. But that's a hassle for everyone so meh, I'm not even sure anymore.
I'm being really vague right now so I might as well be out with it: to put it lightly, this fic has a lot of abuse and unpleasant sexual situations (that are not meant to turn you on at all >__< and I'm not talking 50 Shades of Grey here) from the get-go aka it's definitely not HnK quality, with all the lovely jokes and funny situations and shit. So, I guess this is my final errr warning? LOL Don't read it unless your ready to see the girls getting used and abused. I swear I'm not doing this for my own sick amusement T__T but my roommate and I kind of started going apeshit crazy with ideas, and this was the road we wanted to go with (and trust me, the ending is pretty epic lol we've outlined everything from start to finish already haha). He's not even an H!P/japanese idol fan in general lol we're just sick people, apparently.
Anywho, that being said, if you do happen to read this, I'll be working on Russian Roulette simultaneously, and that's a lot more fun and light-hearted than this one LOL So if you need a happy balance in your life, there ya go. I just don't want to be responsible for scarring you or anything. That's not my aim. Also, just another note: if you're a big movie buff, I apologize ahead of time if various elements in this fic remind you of certain movies. I'll admit this isn't the most original fic, and for that I apologize. But hopefully you can give it a shot and enjoy reading eat as much as I'll enjoy writing it ^__^ I've incorporated a huge cast of most of the H!P ladies in this fic, so if Morning Musume just isn't your fancy, stick around anyway, because everyone plays an important role eventually ;D Yes, that means graduates, too!!!
I just wanted to get this out there to say I was actually going to come through with it. Probably won't update for months though ahhah but since it's just hanging out here, I'm going to want to finish it eventually. PROMISE! So without further ado, here's chapter one! *Last note I swear: I don't know crap about the judicial system PERIOD, nor the prison system in japan haha*
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Prologue found here: http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=32897.msg1049368#msg1049368 (http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=32897.msg1049368#msg1049368)
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Chapter One: Condemned
"Has the jury reached a verdict?"
A nervous-looking middle aged man rose from his seat in the jurors bench, walking towards the microphone placed toward the front of the courtroom. He tugged at this tie knot with jittery fingers, swallowing hard as his eyes darted in all directions. His heavy breathing reverberated through the otherwise silent room as he slid sweaty fingers down his chest pocket to grab hold of the piece of paper that held the unanimous vote of the jurors. His squinty eyes met with the judge, waiting for a sign to proceed as he swallowed hard against the knot of his tie.
He received a nod to proceed.
"The jury finds the defendant guilty."
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Takahashi Ai was nothing more than a quiet office worker, spending the typical 9-5 schedule delivering files to and from various levels of her corporate office setting, taking part in monthly branch meetings where she often contributed absolutely nothing of value, and if she were lucky, making phone calls and setting up appointments for the heads of her department. It was a boring, but simple job, and she certainly couldn't complain about having some sort of occupation to pay the rent. Besides, her low-class status in the corporate totem pole suited her just fine and the lack of responsibility was a small relief. She always thought of herself as more of a wall flower, a fly on the wall, perfectly aware of her surroundings without herself being noticed.
Apparently that made for sufficient grounds for accusations of murder and corruption.
The scenario was simply this: She had been summoned to meet with her department head for a brief consultation. His personal secretary had stopped Ai before she entered his office, handing her a fresh cup of green tea to deliver to him in her stead. Ai had done accordingly, greeting the advisor and placing the drink upon his desk. He had summoned her to discuss her productivity that month, stating that her levels were once again stagnant, concluding their meeting with another threat of firing her from her position unless she would do something to increase her productivity levels by the end of next month.
Within 10 minutes of his tirade, the department head had begun foaming at the mouth and choking, violently tearing at the skin of his throat as he ripped his tie and the buttons on his collar apart. Ai rushed out of the office, screaming for help only to find that the personal secretary had collapsed on the floor. There was no sign of life in the room. The simple office worker rushed to call the police and the medics to save whomever they could, while she was immediately ushered to the police department for interrogation of the apparent crime.
After a week's worth of investigation, lethal traces of poison had been detected in the bodies of both the secretary and the department head, yet both had managed to survive by the skin of their teeth. To add fuel to the fire, detectives were able to unravel a series of complex codes and evidence of under-the-table deals of laundering using corporate finances on her personal computer at work. The backlog revealed 3-years worth of conversations and deals with rival companies, mainly involving Ai auctioning marketing plans and tactics to the CEOs of various other companies for large sums of money.
Upon discovery of these encrypted documents, Takahashi Ai had been placed under arrest for corporate espionage. Today, she sat with her attorney in an unpleasantly stuffy courtroom, listening to the state attorney deliver his final theories of her supposed crime in hopes to convince the jury to send the convict to jail after a week's worth of theoretical banter and accusations spewing forth from the attorney general and her own lawyer.
"Your honor and people of the jury...I would like for you to imagine the following scenario," the attorney general began, pacing from the the judge's stand to the jurors. "This woman, Takahashi Ai, has the face of an angel, an unassuming way about her. She carries herself confidently, quietly as she goes about her daily routine in the the departmental office. Her coworkers are hardly aware of her presence since she keeps to herself, often times slipping into her cubicle without making anyone even remotely aware of her arrival.
"She has worked in this office for 5 years now, without a word of praise or promotion from her senior advisors and bosses. No ounce of appreciation. In fact, she was summoned on her final day, only to be threatened by her departmental head!...It was the perfect set-up. No one would think of her, the quiet ghost of the department, to be capable of something like this. How could she? With zero status in her own department, how could she even manage to perform a crime of this particular caliber?
"But who better than the one that no one knew existed, the one who could get away with it all. She was silent, barely noticed. She had as much access to personal corporate records and documentations, typed notes from department meetings,...she had everything in her possession. And the motive? Her monthly threats of being fired for lack of productivity, of course. To extract the perfect revenge, Takahashi Ai would bargain with rival corporations, auctioning off marketing plans and strategies that had launched this company to the top of the financial food chain. She gained money and occupational stability with future job offers at other corporate settings while her current company crumbled to nothing.
"And the cherry on top? Murdering the man responsible for her misery. Though she could have simply delivered her two weeks notice to the department head because no one deserves to be harassed and threatened on a monthly basis, the woman had chosen a more extreme means of handling the matter. So how does one expect a quiet, unassuming woman to go about her murder? With poison. Gun shots would have echoed, stabbing would be too time-consuming, too messy. Poison is so easy, so quiet and unassuming. Familiar? Of course. The method matches the murderer, no? It's always the quiet ones, after all.
"So I leave you with this, honorable people of the jury. Recall simply the overwhelming evidence of documented digital conversations locked in encrypted code, the convicted woman's motive of murder through constant threats from a higher power, the evidence of the materials necessary for a poison concoction hidden so perfectly in the secretary's French press. It is through some sheer miracle that both victims survived this attempted murder. I only ask you to consider the future lives at stake if we were to let this woman free..."
The general attorney walked back to his seat, pausing briefly to make eye contact with the accused. His eyes were cold, and though his words were crafted perfectly to deliver a monologue that even Ai herself would believe if she were on the other side, the doubt in those orbs seemed to speak a different story.
The court was dismissed for a brief recess while the people of the jury met to determine the verdict of guilt or innocence. During this time, Ai and her lawyer could only sit in silence in the hallway. The evidence was overwhelmingly against her, though none of it had been her own doing. Indeed she was rather unsatisfied with her job, and it was true that she was annoyed with the constant threats of being relieved of her position if productivity levels wouldn't rise, but it was nothing she would even be upset over.
As for the enterprise corruption and encrypted documents on her computer, she had not a damn clue how those managed to even be unraveled or get there in the first place. She could hardly even handle online spreadsheets! And she barely even knew who these other corporate CEOs were that she supposedly contacted! And personal company files? She never touched them, much less had access. Her work was centered around scheduling and filing mundane documents of little importance. Her mind flashed for the nth time, trying to desperate think of anyone in the office that would have any motive, but none came to mind. She simple didn't know any person she worked with, and none knew her enough to even deliver testimony against her in court. It was all too confusing, but she hoped her words and her lawyer's final testimony would be enough to save her...
But as the court was summoned back into the courtroom, and as the nervous man from the jury stood and stated the outcome of her trial, all Ai could hear was every bang of the judge's gavel, and all she could do was watch helpless as her life flashed before her eyes.
"By the power vested in me, I hearby order the defendant Takahashi Ai to serve a life sentence for laundering of company finances, partaking in corporate espionage, and attempted murder. Court dismissed."
Bang.
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The tears had long dried, along with any sense of hope in heart. "We're here," she heard the uniformed officer said gruffly from the front seat. Cuffed hands clenched on her lap as near-bloodshot eyes stared outside her passenger window to examine her new home for the rest of unfortunate eternity. There wasn't much to see beyond the gargantuan stone wall that surrounded the prison's perimeter, save for perhaps one or two of the top most floors of the main housing building she could see through barbed wires.
The burly officer appearing before her window interrupted further interrogation as he opened her door and gestured for her to exit the vehicle. "No point in looking around now. You've got the rest of your life to get an eyeful of this place," the officer said snidely, pushing her forward to walk through the gated entrance of the facility. The fact of the matter was how right his words were, and she began to feel the warm tears strolling a familiar trail down her cheeks as she walked forward.
They walked through a maze of dimly lit hallways, up various rusting stairwells to the top most floor of the institution. The plethora of moonlight that seeped through the several windows that decorated the walls and the lack of institutionalized fluorescent lighting of this floor was a strangely welcoming sight. Her step was stopped abruptly by the burly officer in front of her, and she turned her head to face the large oak door he was facing. The officer twisted the knob and pushed the door open, tilting his head to signal the convict to enter.
Upon crossing the wooden threshold, curious tear-stained eyes wandered the elaborately decorated office. Vinyl records and posters of various famous music artists from the 70's and 80's had adorned the four walls of the room. Two wooden chairs with plush velvet seats were placed side by side before a large, vintage oak desk and another posh velvet seat that seemed to look more like a throne than anything else. On one side of the oak table was a gramophone, playing a very soft, classical piece of Mozart as the vinyl record spun soundly against the needle. On the wall directly behind the throne and the oak desk was an enormous religious cross that took up perhaps an estimated 1/4 of the length of the wall. Above the religious relic was a phrase written in Latin that read Promotor Fidei. One simply could not ignore it if they tried.
As the oak door behind her shut to a close, Ai felt large hands on either side of her arms, gripping her firmly in their grasp. She watched in silence as the velvet throne spun on its axis to reveal a sharply dressed man. He seemed to be in his 40's, though his ostentatiously colored designer suit and dyed hairstyle seemed to indicate otherwise. The man reached to pause his gramophone and stood from his seat. He walked to the front of his table, leaning his waist to rest against the giant oak as he examined the convict in front of him through keen eyes. His tanned, wrinkled skin stretched awkwardly as his thin lips eased into a smile.
"Ah, you must be our latest addition. Your name...?"
"T-Takahashi Ai, sir." Her voice was cracking. She refused to make eye contact, opting to burn holes through the carpet floor instead.
She heard his heeled designer shoes step closer. Clank, clank, clank. At the sight of his meticulously polished shoes before hers, she looked up to meet his gaze, holding her breath when she felt his fingers tilt her chin upward slightly.
"That's a lovely name," the man said as he engrossed himself with the vision of frightened beauty before him. He eased her head side to side, examining her with sharp eyes. After what seemed like hours of awkward and silent investigation, the man walked back to sit in his velvet throne and proceeded to play his Mozart piece once again. "For the remainder of your lifetime, you will be spending your days here at the Project Morning Reformatory in Yokohama. If good behavior is observed during your stay here, you might be lucky to receive parole." He paused to peruse some documents on his table top. "Though from what I can read here, I doubt you will be that lucky.
"Your mornings will begin at 6 A.M. sharp, with daily morning roll call and a guard-mediated examination of your cell. Breakfast will be served promptly at 6:30 A.M. From 7 A.M. to 11 A.M. you will be expected to perform various tasks depending on where you are assigned. By 11:30, you are expected to line up before your station for a brief roll call before you are delivered lunch at noon. Afterwards, you will be given an hour of exercise and leisure time in the prison courtyard outside. From then until 6PM, you will return to your station to continue work until dinner at 7PM. You will end your day by returning to your cell. The final roll call begins at 8:30 and lights out by 9PM. Understood?"
The convict nodded.
The older man smiled, flashing his unusually shining white teeth. "Excellent. I trust you understand why you're here, so there's no need to discuss those matters. Here at Project Morning, we strive to re-mold your lives, to help you find God, and to instill a sense of right and justice into your depraved souls. That way, if you die here, you can die with dignity. You will be wise to part ways with your former, wretched ways and welcome this new mindset unless you would enjoy harsher forms of punishment...?"
The convict shook her head.
"Good, good. Now, be off with you. It's well-passed roll call for the evening, and you need all the rest you can get before your new life begins tomorrow," he said simply, gesturing his hands in a shooing motion.
The guard began to pull the tiny woman out of the room, until the well-dressed man spoke up suddenly. "Oh, I forgot to mention some things. My name is Tsunku, and I am the warden at this reformatory. Be prepared to meet with me again in a few days to personally examine your assimilation into prison life." He shooed his guests off again, before easing his back into the velvet cushions of his chair.
The large oak door slammed shut and Ai was once again being marched unceremoniously through the winding hallways and rusting stairwells to the main portion of the institution that housed the inmates. With only a flashlight to guide them, the guard strained his eyes through the darkness to search for cell number 914. Upon the discovery of said cell toward the end of the 2nd floor hallway, the guard freed the convict from her handcuffs and pushed her all but gently into her new home. "Toilet, bed," said the officer, pointing to each piece of furniture, if you will, with his flashlight. "Your day begins at 6 A.M. Be prepared."
And with those simple instructions, he was off. She waited until the metal bars of her entrance were closed to wander her cubicle of personal space. With no ounce of light to aid her vision in shrouded darkness, Ai could only use her hands to feel her way to her spring-less mattress. The innocent convict curled up on her worn mattress and tucked her head against the cold and mold-infested wall of her cell.
For tonight, all she would do was cry.
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Sorry if it's a bit slow. Had to start somewhere :P It only gets interesting from here though, promise. This is all you get until HnK is finished teehee~
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-makes weird girly noises and will come back to edit later-
Oh my, poor Aichan. :( what a whirlwind shes just gone through... Man oh man this set-up is so promising though. Its a great start and I'm definitely hooked and waiting for more! Especially knowing where she and Reina end up in that prologue!
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waaah~ New fic of AWESOMENESS! :O :bow: First thing I thought of when I read the title was Silence of the Lambs. Hopefully...no one gets cannibalized o.O Of all the weirdness in fanfiction AUs, I don't think I could imagine the girls eating each other :nervous
How the heck did they manage to frame Aichan so perfectly? Man...whoever did this must be completely evil... :cry:
As much as I hope that the guards and Tsunku-papa will quickly realize that she's innocent...the justice system of any sorts is too risky and complicated to come to these decisions Dx Makes me feel bad for all the people in the world who have been wrongly placed in prison~
Project Morning Reformatory...it sounds kind of fun? ^_^; Well, until the daily tasks were revealed XD Hopefully, Aichan won't get beat everyday. She's to fragile to take it in~
Rini can't wait for more :3 You have such a spiraling imagination full of brilliance! :deco:
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Uso! Ai-chan's in court?! T.T and this's a aireina story? Or will gaki-san come as ai's saviour? xD
I WILL READ THIS. xD
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Oh man, someone set Ai-chan up the bomb! And now she's getting cozy with the mines, so to speak. Looks like she's going to have a lot of time to end up like the tragic prologue.
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I know I said I was going to wait until I finished HnK, but damnit all. I buried myself a hole I couldn't get out of after I started re-reading freakin' Black and Blue and started reading Rockstar's Guide last night. And it's my day off and I've cleaned just about everything three times over, and I've done just about everything you could possibly do on your free day, and all before dinner LOL
So seriously, this is it. I swear I'm going to stop writing. I swear it. UNLESS YOU KNOW, EITHER OF THOSE STORIES GET UPDATE OR SOMETHING. OR WHATEVER. YOU KNOW. HINT HINT. WINK WINK. NUDGE NUDGE. *crying* Gonna go on vacation and leave my laptop behind.
Quietriot - I wave banners in your honor. You realize this right? And now all I hear whenever I see your screen name is freakin' Gangster's Paradise LOL Your jail life portrayal btw, is bloody inspiring. Just putting that out there. Can I love you some more? Chocolate? Love? Affection? Sex? Pie? LOL I don't even know anymore.
And it's just going to keep getting worse and worse for Ai TEEHEE Hope this omake makes that clear.
mochi - BAHAHHA You caught movie reference #1!!! There won't be any cannibals...that I'm aware of...maybe........yeah LOL I think I have enough crazy sh!t thrown into this. Any more would make it really difficult to read hhahah
Pay attention to the details of the crime. It'll all come back. Just a hint-o~ Actually, just pay close attention to the tiny details. I'd love to hear what your speculations are after I put 'em out there for everybody. Remember, I like playing games ;D
PM Reformatory ain't fun and sunshine, sweetie LOL And don't think so highly of Tsunku and his guards just yet. And Ai's fragile alright, but as for the beatings...well, you'll see...*runs for life*
risa_ai - errrrr...this won't be a very...uhhhhh, romantic sort of story. It's going to be a little heavier than the usual. I'll try to lay down some romantic undertones between some of the girls, and you can interpret it however you'd like. How does that sound? ^^
HO HO HO Funny thing about Gaki btw...
rndy - It's gonna take a few years, but thanks to the wonderful world of fanfiction, we can time travel! Necessary details need to be mentioned first though. It'll all come together nicely in the end ;D
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Omake I
"Get up."
The convict slowly opened her eyes at the gruff sound of a stranger's voice.
"I said get up."
Ai dragged her curled form off the flattened mattress to stand on unsteady legs, trying to take in what was going on despite her sleepy daze. Through droopy eyes she watched as two female guards entered her jail cell, while two male officers stood at the entrance with their backs facing her direction. The two women paused in front of her with a click of their heels.
"What...time is it?" Ai asked, her voice raspy from the amount of crying she had done the evening prior. For all she knew, it was still evening. From what little she could see outside her cell, the hallway was still relatively dark and no other soul was active in their respective cell.
The female guard directly in front of her swiftly landed a punch below the convict's diaphragm, causing the woman to bend forward in painful retaliation of the sudden motion. "I didn't direct you to speak, woman." Her voice was firm, and from what Ai could see through tearing eyes was a hardened scowl planted on the officer's face.
She was no taller than herself, probably no older than herself either. Her dark brown hair fell plainly against her shoulder, nestled underneath her officer's cap. Her uniform was decorated with various stars and badges, each embellishment polished to shining perfection and not a single thread out of place. No doubt these indicated her powerful status amongst the other guards of the reformatory.
Her other female guard companion, however, was a different story. Her long black hair cascaded well passed her shoulders, concealing her own set of uniform accessories. She had a much kinder expression on her face. Her eyes at one point even looked like she pitied the convict as she straightened back to her original stance. But she simply remained silent behind the stern female officer.
Ai stood back at ease, groaning as she fought to catch the air that was blown right out of her from the powerful blow of the commanding officer. She heard the woman speak again. "Take off your clothes." The convict looked at the female guard with disbelief? Here? Now? This was a prison, not a brothel! What the hell was going on?
"Don't make me repeat myself, woman."
Ai looked to the other guard for any sign, pleading through the silence for some sort of intervention. But the other woman offered no such thing. The convict's eyes darted to the male guards that stood in front of her cell, and then back to the intimidating female officer before her. She could tell the woman was getting impatient, and she did not want to receive another punch from her either. Ai carefully took off each article of clothing until she stood before the female guards as naked as the day she was born.
The stern female officer handed the clothes to her partner then said, "Follow her."
Immediately, the kinder-looking black-haired female began to walk out of the cell, and Ai tentatively followed. As she stepped passed the metal bars, the two male officers on guard began to march along both sides of her naked form, with the stern female officer following behind her. Ai was humiliated, but somewhat thankful that the other prisoners of her wing seemed to still be sleeping.
She felt an intrusive hand wandering along her backside. Twisting her head, she found that hand had belonged to one of the male officers at her side. She caught lewd look in his snake-like eyes and the slightest trace of a smirk on his thin, thin lips, but bit down on her lips instead of crying out. Surely the stern female officer behind her witnessed this, and Ai was praying the woman would intervene in her defense, but no prayers were answered during her march of humiliation.
Thankfully, the black-haired female officer stopped before a cell that was isolated from all the others, and gestured for Ai to walk in. "Hold on tightly to the bars," she instructed. Her voice was nowhere near as brusque as the other female's; she almost sounded kind, even.
Ai did as she was instructed, avoiding the salacious stares of the two male officers as she did so. She found herself screaming in pain, however, once a powerful stream of scalding hot water began to hose her down at full force. The convict felt her grip slipping as the water lubricated the metal bars she held onto, and as the sheer pressure from the hose began to force her back.
The hose stopped abruptly and the drenched woman took in deep, heavy breaths as she sought to regain some composure, wiping remnants of hot wetness from her eyes. A dry, white powder was thrown at her, and she coughed as the powdery soap dust invaded her airways. Before she could even breathe again, her body met with a brief and powerful thrust of scalding water. It had taken all the effort she could assemble to not fall over.
"Turn around."
The convict did as she was told, this time making sure to grab hold of the metal bars. Another slap of powder soap met with her back, followed by another heavy stream of hot water from the hose. The water was making her back arch painfully out of position, and the boiling temperature against the sensitive skin of her back caused a sharp shrill to tear from her mouth.
As the stream died down to a trickling drip, Ai heaved, gasping for air in the steaming and humid cell as her grip hung limply against the metal supports. She felt coarse material meet with her raw skin, and she looked up to see it had been the black-haired officer wielding a crap piece of towel. The officer did what she could to carefully not irritate the convict's body any further, patting the poor woman dry with as much haste as possible.
Once the kinder female walked away, the stern-looking female appeared to pass her some under garments, a white t-shirt, socks, plain looking shoes, and a neon orange one-piece that resembled something of a jumpsuit. "Hurry up and get dressed," the officer instructed briefly before turning curtly on her heels, and instructing the remaining officers to wait outside of the cell with her as the convict made herself decent.
After a few minutes, the black-haired officer stepped back inside to check if the convict was ready, and the group fell back into the initial formation with the two male guards at her side and the two female officers standing before and behind her. As they marched through the hallways, Ai saw the sun rising through the only window in the main hallway of her prison wing.
"Hey look! Officer Niigaki brought us a new toy to play with!"
Ai was broken from her trance, looking along the walls of the hallway to find that women were lined side-by-side in front of their respective cells. It was time for the morning roll call. The stern officer and her female partner remained at the first level of the wing, settling in with the group of guards that were already there. Once the male guards dropped Ai back to her position at her own cell, they soon after joined the officer named Niigaki down on the first floor.
She could feel eyes from all directions staring at her. Ai nervously passed glances down the line of her side of the hallway, down toward the first floor of the opposite hallway, and coming back full circle to the portion of the hallway directly opposite of her cell. The women in her wing all seemed relatively young, and Ai began to wonder if she was in the midst of high-security juvenile delinquents. It was difficult to base any sort of opinion on first impressions, and she surely had no idea what these other convicts were capable of. There was no taking chances here, not with these kinds of women.
"All cells cleared, except for cell #1111," reported a male officer making his rounds on the second floor cells grouped across from Ai's cell.
The innocent woman looked down to the first floor, watching as the officer named Niigaki gritted her teeth and whipped out her officer's baton from its sheath at her side. Her heels clanked and echoed as she stomped her way to the second floor. "Damnit Tanaka, I will have your head if you don't hurry your ass up and get out of here," the officer seethed, banging her metal baton against the bars of the cell. The convict in cell #1111 did not appear to be fazed by the ruckus caused by the irritated officer, however.
"The rest of you are dismissed. I'll deal with Tanaka."
As the convicts lined up and marched in single-file to the prison dining area, Ai tried to catch a peek of who this Tanaka woman was. She watched as Niigaki and two other male officers stepped inside the cell, but the convict behind her in line pushed her forward. The cafeteria was more than a few meters away from the cell hallways that housed the inmates.
The sound of marched steps transitioned to the familiar sound of women engaged in regular conversation upon entering the dining area. But as Ai and the rest of the women ushered in for breakfast settled down to their routine that morning, friendly banter was soon interrupted by the sound of horrific screaming, no doubt originating from the cell of the perpetrator that had made the mistake of crossing paths with officer Niigaki.
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Ok. This is it, I swear. I'm not writing anymore. I'm gonna go on vacation and just not bring my laptop. Yep. That's it. I swear. I've written enough. I want you all to update now. Go <3 PLEASE <3333333 I quit. I'm on hiatus. I mean it. Foreal.
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Huh??? Wat??? Haitus?!?! For real?? Noooooo :panic: i wanna know wat risa did to reina and juss how the rest of the story develops... :huhuh dont gooOo this story is too good
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Vacation? :cry: No updates? :gyaaah: SAY IT AIN'T SO~ :pleeease:
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...fine...but if you're not updating relatively quick afterwords, expect your thread(s) to be spammed with annoying messages full of emotions AKA whining (>w<)
AND THEY SHOULD TOTALLY UPDATE B&B + RGTGU~ :panic: Anyone know how to contact UFA and demand them to stick Risa in an action film with a gun, battle scars, tattoos, and a brilliant attitude? :3
ANYWAYS~
officer Niigaki~ <3 :luvluv1: Though you are a complete turd to these people....still so cool~ :3 Is the other officer Sayu? Half of me thinks Kame, just because of the spam of Kame pictures from Reina and Sayu's blogs :) And I feel like Sayu is evi~iiiiiiiiiiiil!
Back to Risa....:luvluv1: even if she probably did hurt Reina (or so I assume)...still cool ^_^
This is going to be Aichan's first full day at this reformatory and within the first second...it S.U.C.K.E.D :O As much as I wanna say "Ooh hopefully it'll get better and they can all have a happy ending~ <3" NO. THIS IS JAIL. HAPPINESS=getting beat by Officer Niigaki (:heart:)
You didn't specify who screamed at the end...Reina's too epic to scream...Risa's too epic to scream...it must've been one of the guys. Yup. :3
I HOPE TO SEE MORE! or I shall stalk you 8)2
P.S. if there's more Silence of the Lamb references, I may not get them. I only know of the title one since my sister (who had a phase of being completely and utterly obsessed with the Hannibal series) would recite lines 24/7 and that was one of the main ones XD
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theres no way you can leave us hanging like that!!!! D: think of the stuff u'll miss! D: have a good vaycay though ;3;
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I see a cliffhanger~ *sings*
HOLY. An angst story? >< ME NO WAN AI DIE! D:
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Dang, Gaki is a badass guard! And Sayu, too?! There's no way Gaki's a bad guy... Is there? :shocked
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Oh my hearts, stars and horseshoes. Okay first, let me just say I've basically died with laughter over all of your comments today, and had to endure strange looks from my best friend for my :D face. Except maybe, imagine it with evil fangs and maybe that's more accurate, heheh. (Gangster's Paradise? Well, I did grow up in the ghetto...) I can always be bribed~ that being said, I'm starting to get the hint about updating from, uh, EVERYONE. lol perhaps something tonight...
That being said, onwards to this chapter. OW MY KOKORO. The description of Ai's first day is just painful, bro. I know I've made her out to be a pseudo-bad guy in my own fic but I think I gotta establish that I am a fan of Aichan and during this whole chapter I just wanted to scoop her up and give her a big damn hug. T___T
Black haired female I'm assuming is Sayu. She's really the only one who comes to my mind anyway, with that description. Badass Officer Gaki?! Yes please. :heart: She can slap cuffs on me any day of the year, man, I'll go willingly~ I agree with Rini, even if she just beat the crap out of Reina (which I'm doubting, I have my own guesses as to what just happened) she's still swoon-worthy.
...Anyway so it's an update war you're looking for, eh? You gotta know you've just thrown down the gauntlet to the wrongggggg girl. I have the tendency to make people beg. And this is gonna end up being one of those "Well, I just updated so NO MOAR FIC UNTIL YOU UPDATE TOO!" things.
Challenge accepted.
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More.. moree.. moreeee about Takagaki... Pleassseeeeee :P :jphip: :peace:
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I think I speak on behalf the other writers when I say we do not plan to all update at the same time xD It just happens to work out that way.
darkacex99 - Just hang around. You'll see in good time ;D
mochi - I totally support putting Gaki into some action movies. Her reactions would be flawless xD She just needs to grow back her Renai Hunter hair and she'll be golden aha I swear, UFA has some brilliant actresses under their wing, and they have even more brilliant scripts and plots under their disposal HERE AT JPHIP WOOP WOOP :jphip: Sometimes I wish we could just actually direct these movies IRL They'd be best sellers, box office hits FO SHO.
Nah, that was the only Silence of the Lambs reference. I don't think I'm gonna be making references about fava beans or something like that here LOL But there will be other movie references along the way =]
LOL @ your getting beat by gaki with <3's comment lol I think we're both sick sadists or something. I'm just going to keep making jail worse for Ai, and I feel kind of bad for doing so, but girl's gotta build some character, right? HAHAHAHIMSUCHASICKHUMANBEINGOHMYGOD.
kiwi - <3333 I won't be gone for long~ NOT WITH THIS CHALLENGE GOING ON! NOT ON MY DIGNITY DAMNIT.
risa_ai - not angst LOL not yet anyway. *cue villainous laughter*
rndy - I'll leave it to you to decide. Details details!!!! We're essentially playing a huge game of CLUE lol
Quietriot - I'm sorry for making your friend think you're crazy ^^; I like showering authors with love and affection, because I know how much a bitch it can be to just sit down and write <3 Just showing my appreciation <333
Be prepared, btw. You're only going to want to hold her for the rest of the damn story LOL You might wanna skewer me (and some other people) along the way haha Sayu and Gaki are a tag-team...sort of LOL You'll see. And I totally agree with getting cuffed ;D Totes wouldn't mind lol And we're gonna see here who won the battle in cell #1111~ sorry ahead of time for disappointing you hahah
AND HO HO HO, THIS CHALLENGE IS SOOOOOOO ON~ Who told you of my gambling addiction, HMM?!?!? I can't say no to bets T__T It's a problem ahha
CHLoe_Li - I feel so bad whenever I see people want Takagaki, or like ships in general here LOL It's not meant to be that way, unfortunately. Maybe in a roundabout way, but definitely not the usual. Go read the other wonderful fics by all the other wonderful authors here for your fluffy romance fix <33333 They're all wonderful and great!! Only come here if you want to see me ruin your OTPs and destroy their lives hahha
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Chapter Two: The Inferno
She felt like she was in high school all over again, if one were to only trade the co-ed uniformed, semi-innocent population of impressionable youths for a large number of female criminals dressed in neon orange jumpsuits. Ai picked up her tray of gruel and stale-looking rice and stood off in a corner of the dining area, searching for a table. Prison life, from what she deduced, was really no different from high school. Most of the women seemed to be conglomerated into groups, or gangs rather, and many of the convicts shot her dangerous glares whenever she tried to occupy a portion of their respective tables. If this were high school, Ai was the loser that ate her bento alone in a bathroom stall until it was time for classes to resume.
Luckily, she spotted a table off by the garbage area in the opposite corner of the room. It smelled quite literally of trash, but it was a table, and no threatening stares were passing her way. She picked at the rice on her tray with her wooden chopsticks, hesitating for a short while as she examined the stale grains before popping it in her mouth to find that it was just like chewing on small pebbles. The "rice" scraped against her teeth like sandpaper with each bite, but damn it all she was hungry, even if it would take some getting used to. There was little she could do to dispute the matter anyway.
Five trays suddenly slammed on the table, with five different women materializing at the table shortly after. Ai looked up to see her company was an odd group of women that all seemed somewhat friendly at first glance. One could never be so sure, though.
"Prison food not to your liking, new girl?" one of them quipped as she settled herself beside the innocent loner. She had very long black hair, and her eyes turned into pleasant half moons as she smiled, her lips parting and revealing a cute little snaggle tooth whenever she did. This one didn't seem too...dangerous.
"...I can't complain," Ai muttered, poking at the questionable looking substance she dubbed as gruel.
"Don't eat that if you value your guts, new girl," another stated flatly. This one had long black hair also, but her appearance seemed less welcoming in comparison to the first. Ai couldn't read an ounce of expression on her face, and that made her feel unsteady as she took a seat beside her.
"...So what's your name, new girl?" a third one questioned. She seemed relatively taller than the rest of the four girls, even while sitting. Her hair felt just past her shoulders, and though her expression was as blank as a piece of printer paper, Ai felt a little more at ease with this woman than the former. She had an airhead-like quality about her voice that made her seem a bit more endearing than harmful, and that alone was comforting.
"T-Takahashi Ai."
"What're you in for, new girl?" the last two asked in unison, giggling like school girls after realizing they had just verbalized the same thoughts. Unlike the other three of the group, these two younger looking girls had their hair dyed into different shades of brown, though one had shorter hair and the other had hers tied back in a high ponytail. They both seemed much too young to be locked up in these prison walls, but their seemingly innocent exterior undoubtedly hid their true, conniving natures.
Ai looked up from her puddle of gruel to look each of the five girls in the eyes. None of them seemed like they wanted to outright cause any bodily harm to her, which was something of a relief after the morning she had. Paranoia might have wanted her to believe otherwise, but in this sort of hostile environment, she needed all the friends she could get, even if it was merely false security. "I'm...I'm innocent. I don't belong here..."
The group of five shared an amused look amongst themselves before bursting out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, earning a few murderous stares from nearby tables directed their way. The unwanted attention made the innocent woman even more uncomfortable, and she sank lower in her bench to avoid the stares from other inmates.
Their hearty display simmered down eventually, and each of the girls took in a few deep breaths to calm themselves down back into the conversation. "Sorry about that, new girl, but you're a funny one. You'll fit right in," the snaggle-toothed one said, patting the innocent woman on her back appreciatively. "But seriously, what are you in for 'supposedly' then?"
"Laundering finances, corporate espionage, and attempted murder..."
The dense looking one whistled. "Damn, new girl. Triple threat, huh?"
"Corporate espionage, hmm? We've got a real badass over here, ladies. You must be quite the smart one to be making money off an honest living," the expressionless woman responded as she swirled her chopsticks in the pool of crud on her plate in boredom.
Were they toying with her? She was never one to be so easily unnerved by insolent taunting, but being thrown in jail for a crime she did not commit and being humiliated in the course of 24 hours or so was enough to wear her patience to its breaking point. "I said I didn't do it," Ai retorted, slamming her fists against the table in her frustration.
"Whoa whoa, calm down there, new girl. No one said you did." The snaggle-toothed female carefully took Ai's tray away from her proximity before speaking again. "I'm Suzuki Airi by the way, and that right there is Yajima Maimi," she pointed to the dense looking woman, "...and this one here is Nakajima Saki," she pointed to the the expressionless female beside her, "...that one's Okai Chisato," she pointed to the short haired younger woman, "...and finally we've got Hagiwara Mai right there," pointing to the ponytailed girl.
Ordinary looking girls, with ordinary sounding names. It was hard to believe that these women were capable of crime at all. Ai was slow to question, but eventually curiosity had won the battle. "It's a pleasure, but...what are you all in for?"
Again, the snaggle-toothed one named Airi spoke up for the group while the rest busied themselves with eating the crap off their plates. "Nothing quite as impressive as yours, new girl. We were arrested for partaking in a contraband circle. You know, providing yakuza members all over Japan with decent artillery and whatnot. It's nothing really."
Chisato scoffed. "Pfft, don't be so modest, Airi," she paused to wave her chopsticks and make sure she had the new girl's attention. "You heard about that epic robbery attempt at Asahi bank in Tokyo two years ago? Made headlines for weeks! Those idiots were using our smuggled firearms. Top of the line stuff. They were just too stupid to use 'em right," she said proudly, taking a bite out of her stale rice.
Ai opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted when an uproar of jeers and catcalls overtook the entire dining area. She looked toward the entrance of the vicinity to find that officer Niigaki had strolled in with her usual hardened scowl and not a single hair out of place, followed by the inmate that she could only assume to be the one called Tanaka from cell #1111. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had won that battle, however.The convict looked like she had seen better days. She had sported a black eye, a bloodied lower lip, and a few red hand marks around her neck like some sort of choke hold imprint. The broken inmate shot her adoring crowd with a deadly glare as she walked through the cafeteria line to get her breakfast.
The innocent woman examined the convict carefully. She noted her honey brown hair and the woman's misaligned sharp eyes through her ruffled fringe; her orange uniform resembled a giant neon garbage bag that was two sizes too big. Ai almost wondered if the defiant inmate was starved during her stay here at the reformatory; the inmate's stick thin arms exposed through rolled sleeves were a frightening indication of possible starvation, and it made her sick just thinking about it. This woman didn't seem like being capable of any sort of criminal activity either or capable of a good fight for that matter, but she did prove to be a thorn at officer Niigaki's side. Ai quickly averted her attention away when she noticed the beaten up woman taking a seat at the far end of her dining table. The way she sat and picked at her grubby meal resembled something of a yankii, her lips muttering some presumable silent curses as she grudgingly ate her breakfast.
Airi leaned from the table to get a better angled view of the yankii at the opposite end. "Another day, another beating, hmm Reina? Just can't get enough of that officer Niigaki, hmm?" she jeered, before leaning back to her original position.
The yankii was not amused. She threw her chopsticks at the snaggle-toothed woman, but the latter had managed to duck from the line of fire just in time. Growling over her poor aim, the yankii shoved her untouched tray out of her way so she could rest her head upon folded arms on the table.
Airi laughed in her seat, her attention returning to the new girl in her midst. "Those two are like fire and ice, you know? Anytime Reina can get under officer Niigaki's skin, she will. And then the officer will proceed to beat the shit out her. It's like this at least once a week. Wouldn't mind getting caught in a cell with that officer though," she mused airily, leaning her chin against a loose fist as she gazed upon the decorated officer pacing along the cafeteria.
Maimi slapped Airi's head playfully, earning a frown from the daydreamer. "You know you're a messed up con that's spent one too many days in prison if you start developing some Stockholm complex over the resident head of the guards."
The five girls of the group laughed, while Ai smiled sheepishly in good nature. She herself didn't have the most pleasant first encounters with the stern officer. A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled the events of this morning. Perhaps Airi's strange infatuation with the cold-hearted officer had some actual substance behind it, though...
As if on cue, the officer of interest emerged from the crowd to their specific table. She wore her usual pokerface as she perused the faces, pausing to linger on the yankii at the end of the table before addressing the latest addition to the facility. "Takahashi, you've been assigned to work with the cleaning services. You will follow officer Michishige to your respective location upon roll call. Understood?"
Ai nodded, and the officer paced back to the front of the cafeteria with the other guards on duty.
Airi sighed happily, and the other four girls rolled their eyes. "Laundry duty for the new girl? What a drag for you," Saki commented, taking a sip from her cup.
"Is it that bad?" Ai asked.
"Not really, if sorting soiled cloth strikes your fancy. It's the dumps, though," Maimi commented. "And you've got two of the most spineless ass-hats in the facility working down there."
"You'll see when you get there," Mai chirped happily.
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The innocent convict hadn't a clue what any of the contraband girls meant by their "spineless ass-hats" comments as she was marched through the hallways of the housing cells with a roller collecting bin. There was hardly anyone else in her midst, aside from the few guards that were scattered about to keep watch. The black-haired officer from that morning was the Michishige figure that officer Niigaki had referred to during breakfast, and Ai was incredibly thankful to be under this guard's watch as opposed to the latter. Though her voice had a somewhat irritating nasal-quality to it, at least she seemed to have more of a heart than the head of the guards.
After collecting all the dirtied sheets, Ai was directed to a lower level of the facility. It was a dark, tangled maze of corridors and rooms, boilers and furnaces, piles upon piles of cleaning detergents and lines of retrograde washing machines along the very heart of the lowest level. Here the innocent convict found herself in greater company, spotting more than a few orange uniforms scattered about the area, with officers lined up along the perimeter as expected.
Michishige kept a close eye on her; she could feel it. She could feel the officer's eyes following her as she rolled her cart to the nearest washing station, and a familiar shiver ran down the convict's spine. So much for any benefit of the doubt with that one. Ai wondered if the seemingly kinder officer was capable of driving inmates to their knees like her commanding officer. It was difficult to fathom as she recalled how gently the woman had handled her post-shower earlier this morning, but the paranoia was making her manic, and she chose instead to focus her mind on the mundane task she was assigned.
"Hey, slow down with dumping that crap in here, new girl." Ai turned away from the penetrating gaze of the black-haired officer to meet the eyes of her scolder. This woman was as young as the Mai and Chisato contraband girls from lunch, maybe older, and her hair was just about the same shade of brunette as well. With her thin lips and puppy dog eyes, she hardly seemed like a threat just like the rest of them. Ai slowed in passing off the dirtied sheets, wondering what this woman was in for...
When the other half of their two-way assembly line wasn't responding and receiving her sheets, Ai looked up to find her brunette partner bickering with a taller, black-haired female for bumping into her for the nth time that morning. This other female was impressively tall, but looked incredibly lanky and ditzy to boot. Her bright, wide eyes were so doe-like, she seemed more like a lost child than a criminal. And it wasn't until the two women were up in arms, that Ai realized how sickeningly pale both inmates were against the fluorescent lights of the room.
"You two!!" The bickering women stopped their argument upon hearing the oddly stern squeaky sounding voice at the opposite end of the room. "Shut up and get back to work!"
Though the order was not directed towards her, Ai couldn't help but stare at the commanding officer of the division. It seemed as though with each passing second, her initial impressions of the woman were being torn down brick by brick. This was bothering her to no end, and she had no idea why. Despite herself, Ai had this nagging inkling that the officer was not the person she portrayed herself to be. Whatever that true personality would be was a thought for another time of day.
"So, Takahashi right? Corporate espionage criminal who insists she's not guilty?"
The innocent woman stopped mid-pass to look at the brunette in disbelief. "How did you...?"
"Find out?" the taller woman interrupted, grabbing the sheets from the confused Ai. "You're in a women's penitentiary. Word gets around faster than a bad case of chlamydia."
"Gotta hand it to you, new girl, that's pretty impressive," commented the brunette as she struggled to stuff the last of the sheets into the washing machine. "...Even if you didn't supposedly do it."
"...Thanks, I guess."
The trio rolled the collection bin off to the side while the machine did its business, and waited in the wings by few crates of detergent. They remained relatively silent for some time, and Ai could somehow feel officer Michishige's eyes once more piercing straight through the crates right at her. Her involuntary shiver was interrupted when the brunette randomly face-palmed herself. "How rude of us. I'm Mitsui Aika by the way, and this idiot here is Kusumi Koharu."
Ai nodded her head to acknowledge her new company, her attention briefly caught by the sudden appearance of the black-haired officer rounding the corner of the room to finally come into her line of view. Something...just wasn't right with her, Ai mused. "...And what are you in for?...If you don't mind me asking..."
Koharu shook her head, a goofy grin on her face as she replied. "Hacking."
"Yeah, we got a little careless," Aika added, rolling the collection bin with the heel of her foot. "We started out with hacking into bank computer systems to get some penny change for some good times after classes at university. But after we realized how easy it was, we moved on to breaking into corporate finance holds."
"But even that wasn't enough!" the taller woman chirped. "We started making some contacts with the black market, and a lot of money was on the line for some of Japan's nuclear weaponry. So we hacked into the National Defense system and managed to re-route a fresh set of nukes to the North Koreans for some big cash."
"...We obviously got caught. The government managed to trace the codes back to our apartment and here we are..." Aika sighed, pushing the cart away with a half-hearted kick.
The cart rolled off toward the washing machines until a hand prematurely stopped it along the way. Officer Michishige pushed the cart back toward the trio, who in some fearful act of nervousness stood straight upon her arrival, arms pinned tightly along their sides. Ai dared to make eye contact with the phantom guard, finding herself at a loss with the woman all over again. The officer lacked that chilling look in her eyes that Niigak had, but there was something else trapped behind those seemingly unfeeling black orbs...but what?
"Get in line. It's time for lunch." Her voice was uncharacteristically low, and somehow still managed to squeak as it left her throat. She was a peculiar figure to Ai, and she watched the officer carefully as the trio marched to their positions and proceeded to the main floor of the institution.
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This really was high school, Ai thought to herself.
As the innocent convict settled herself at an empty table by the garbage for lunch, she found herself in the mixed company of the contraband group from that morning and the hackers from the cleaning services. The combination was explosive. It had been mainly Saki and Maimi exchanging insults with the hackers, discussing their superiority in the realm of crime and execution to the "tech geeks'" cowardice driven set of algorithmic manipulations, while the remaining contraband convicts ignored the additional company altogether. This childish dispute obviously happened far too frequently for the rest to even feign interest anymore.
"So what's with that Tanaka girl?" Ai questioned the trio.
Airi shrugged her shoulders. "No one really knows why Reina's the way she is, or why officer Niigaki seems to have it out for her. Our group has been here the longest, as far as we know, but Reina's been here even longer. Whatever caused this probably happened well before the time we arrived. You're better asking her yourself."
"But good luck with that. Reina isn't exactly as welcoming as the rest of us. If anything, she's single-handedly managed to have everyone in the reformatory put her on their personal shit lists," Mai added.
Chisato laughed into her drink, spotting portions of the table with her beverage. "Do you guys remember that one time she got caught in a fist-fight in the showers? That was AWESOME!"
As the convicts recollected the scene happily amongst themselves, Ai tuned out from the conversation to steal a glance at the yankii. She sat by her lonesome at the edge of another dining table, looking bored as she poked at her meal in her own disinterest. There was no reason for Ai to hold any suspicions or ill-will against the inmate, but much like officer Michishige, and to an extent, officer Niigaki, there was something about these three figures that piqued her interest, something...she just couldn't place her finger on.
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Similar to the times of recklessness and injury-causing incidences on the playgrounds during the recess periods of one's middle school days, leisure time at the reformatory held the same potential for danger according Ai's observances. The innocent woman wandered the dirt grounds of the open recreational field, tossing a pebble up in the air and catching it as she silently surveyed the environment.
The hackers opted to huddle together against the shade of the institution, no doubt as a result of their habituation from several years of cooping themselves before their computers. The members of the contraband group were off in a corner, surrounded by other inmates Ai was not familiar with. They seemed to be engaged in some sort of auction-like activity as Airi and the members of her group pointed left and right to raised hands in the surrounding crowd.
As she wandered closer to the group, she noticed Reina standing with her back against the wall, her mismatched eyes scanning the grounds for any potential intruders venturing into her personal space. The two had made brief eye contact, causing Ai to drop her pebble absently. The yankii did not seem to care enough to acknowledge her existence as she broke their contact to continue scanning the area. Unsatisfied with their all too brief "encounter," Ai's eyes chose to not leave the lone wolf yankii's, her sights set solely on the isolated woman as her feet led her to wherever her destination happened to be.
"Hey, new girl, care to join?"
The sound of Maimi's airy voice tore Ai's attention away from her figure of interest. The crowd surrounding the contraband members parted to allow the innocent woman entry. "What exactly are you doing?"
The convicts exchanged knowing smiles. Airi reached out a hand to pull their latest addition closer inside their circle. Verifying she had the innocent woman's full attention, the snaggle-toothed convict held out her arm, tilting it downward until a several packs of cigarettes slid straight into her open palm from underneath her sleeve.
Ai felt her jaw drop in surprise. These criminals quite literally had a variety of tricks up their sleeves, so to speak. "How did you manage to get those?"
Airi winked at her shocked onlooker. "We may be stuck here in jail, but that won't stop us from doing what we do best! We can get you whatever you'd like."
"The five of us might have been unlucky enough to get caught, but there are even more of us out there. Connections are key, after all," Saki added, handing some cigarettes to a few inmates in the crowd.
"What's the catch?" Ai asked as she watched Saki and the others bargain and barter with other female convicts.
"No catch, really. We need to have our fun somehow. So we make bets with one another, and to the winner go the spoils. Plus, it's fun to know how easily we can get away with these things even under 'high security'," Chisato stated, a mischievous smirk plain on her features.
The innocent woman shrugged her shoulders. She was definitely impressed with how these women managed to take advantage of the system, and their cunning and skills would surely be an asset someday.
Ai eased away from the crowd to return to her original task of observing. She noted a particular group of women running laps around the periphery of the field, only because they had made regular passes around the loner yankii against the wall. Tugging on Mai's sleeve without losing sight of the marathoners, Ai asked, "Who are they?"
The youngest of the contraband group walked closer to Ai as she pointed to the female running laps. "Oh, you mean the bombers?"
"Ehhhh?"
"Yeah," Mai began, walking away towards their direction and away from the rowdy auction crowd. "Shortly after we arrived, these girls got stuck here, too. They're all bomb specialists and mercenary fighters, assassins, stuff like that. Can beat you up and blow your guts in one fell swoop. You'd be wise to not get on their bad side, new girl. They've been known for killing other inmates that rubbed them the wrong way."
"What the- Watch where you're standing, bitch!"
Ai had wanted to look into the eyes of the person she had the misfortune of running into, but soon felt her heart racing in a frenzied panic when she realized the victim in this scenario would be herself instead. The innocent woman began to cower back in fear once she recognized the oncoming attacker to be one of the convicts that belonged to the bomber assassins group running their rounds, her breathing growing more frantic when she found herself cornered between the stone wall fence and the raging beast coming toward her. She could only shut her eyes tightly and turn away as she felt the attacker's strong hands lifting her body up against the wall and smashing her against the stone foundation repeatedly.
"HEY, HEY! MAASA WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
At once, the thrashing stopped, but Ai could still feel the woman's hands pinning her shoulders forcefully against the wall. She cracked open an eye to find the contraband girls, the hackers, the beast's ragtag comrades, and officer Michishige surrounding them in a concentrated half-circle. "Put her down, Maasa."
The beastly woman growled, crushing the innocent woman's shoulders against the wall one last time before dropping her gruffly to the ground. The monstrous convict clashed shoulders with the petite guard as she made her exit, making sure the officer heard every last curse she muttered under her breath as she returned to her laps.
"Get on your feet, Takahashi," the dark-haired officer ordered.
Ai did as she was told, though she found it a bit difficult to breath steadily after that beating. Her eyes once again met with the black-haired officer's as the latter surveyed her beaten body for any alarming bruises. The guard seemed to be satisfied with the victim's current condition, giving her a hard look before walking back to where the other officers stood on duty.
"What was that about, new girl?"
She broke from her trance to find Airi and Koharu patting the dust from her dirtied uniform. "I'm not...too sure."
Shaking her head from anymore thoughts about the peculiar guard and stilling her heart after facing death in the form of a beastly bomber, Ai scanned the half-circle of bodies that surrounded her. Most of the wild woman's posse had evacuated the scene to return to their previous activities, except for one of the shorter members of the group. The petite figure pushed passed the hackers and the contraband girls to face Ai directly.
"I apologize on behalf of the group for what happened, new girl. Maasa's got...quite the temper, to say the least," the tiny woman stated, extending her hand in front of her for an apologetic shake. "Captain, by the way."
Ai took the gesture kindly, shaking the woman's hand in return. The innocent convict looked around to find her new circle of "friends" smiling in relief. They were definitely a motley crew of females, but at least it made Ai feel a bit less alone in Project Morning. She was convinced she wouldn't make it through her first night, that the despair of being convicted for a crime she did not commit would lead her into suicide. But through some forgiving stroke of luck, here she was in the company of some friendly faces, willing to at least give her the impression that they would help her ease into her "new life."
The injustice of her conviction would never be erased from her mind, not this easily of course. But that was something she would worry about tomorrow. For now, it was necessary to establish some human connection to protect her overall fragility, to set the foundation of her vengeance into place. Before making some noise of her own, she would settle for the serene silence of the new world around her, the rapid beating of her heart finally stilling to its regular pace.
...Until a heart-dropping cry of absolute pain ripped through the otherwise calm skies of the common grounds. The women in the half-circle exchanged silent looks of confusion, soon joining the rush of other inmates toward a specific corner of the grounds to get a look of what just happened.
The group pushed their way through the crowd, only to be restrained by some officers that separated the inmates from the scene. To Ai's horror, she found a group of young girls isolated from the rest of the convicts, no older than 15 perhaps, standing off toward one side of the crowd while two other teenage girls stood at either side of the bloodied remains of what could only be a male officer. Both of the girls had blood dripping from their arms and staining even their mouths, yet neither the duo or the group off to the side surrendered any expression on their faces. They were frightfully expressionless.
Officer Niigaki and a group of muscular male officers broke through the crowd to retrieve the two bloodied inmates and dragged them with little struggled to a separate corridor of the institution. Ai wondered if this gruesome occurrence was routine with the way the guards had acted without any direct orders from their head.
Michishige walked up to her commanding officer, who was currently examining the remains of one of their own. It made Ai shudder as she noted the equally blank expression on the head guard's face. Did that woman have a soul? The two women exchanged words as other guards busied themselves with carrying the shredded remnants of a corpse to a separate corridor in the facility. Niigaki nodded in silence while her black-haired partner presumably reported the events of the crime, apathetically kicking dirt over the pool of blood as she listened.
Interest amongst the inmates dissipated as they all began to line up at the sound of the alarm signaling the conclusion of their leisure time. As Ai fell into position, she felt a tapping on her shoulder. She looked behind her to see Aika smiling, her index finger motioning the innocent woman to lean in before they processed back to their cleaning service duties. "Welcome to Project Morning, Takahashi, where the good times just keep rolling."
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And now you've met our lovely jailbirds. Well, most of them anyway LOL Toned it down a few notches since the omake kind of wasn't so sweet lol I mean, if you completely disregard that last scene lol
Have you been paying attention to details? ;D Have I successfully made you suspicious of the guards, and Reina? HMMM!??!?! lol
All this serious bidness is making me go rawr ahha I should probably go back to HnK and get all happy again xD Because I miss writing Takagaki~ And Ai being the smoothest operator and Risa being in denial LOL And you know, love and funny things in general LOL Because after this chapter, things will just keep getting worse for our heroine T__T
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RISA IS AN OFFICER?! Well, GOOD AFTERNOON. xD ohmahgosh. Ohmah. I don't know what to ;_;
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Oh my goodness. OH MY GOODNESS. I've read the chapter twice now and still Im all asdfghjklasdhklfsl- In a good way of course. :heart: I'll come back to edit this with a decent response, perhaps after a third pass. XD
Help, still not composed, but gonna do my best now to comment. XD
I think I speak on behalf the other writers when I say we do not plan to all update at the same time xD It just happens to work out that way.
LOLZ. Yeah what even is up with that... It's like this place is a wasteland for a few days and then BAM- :panic: And I gotta spend like two days recovering from the writing and editing and commenting XD
I'm sorry for making your friend think you're crazy ^^; I like showering authors with love and affection, because I know how much a bitch it can be to just sit down and write <3 Just showing my appreciation <333
Heheh~ don't apologize <3 When I complain it's mostly lies so read everything like its opposite day and you'll get what I'm sayin'.
And, bleh, my intuition is really hit or miss when it comes to stories. Either I'm dead on or dead wrong, but I'll keep trying to speculate about stuff! I'm getting a good cop, bad cop vibe with Sayu and Gaki butttt Sayu scares me so damn much I do not think she's the good cop half. xD and you can't say no to bets? I shall keep that in mind... -cackles-
Now, onto the chapter itself. C-UTE! BERRYZ! AIKAKOHA COMBI! All my excitement. All of it. I think I'd forgotten you said this was gonna be an extended cast so upon first mention of H!P Kids I rolled around on the floor with much happiness (jk, but I did it in my head, fa sho XD ) I'm certainly interested to see what roles they all play, and as much as I'd like to think Ai could just be pals with all of them all the time happy happy unicorns rainbows I am SUSPICIOUS that that won't happen.
Still, seems like the greater threat to our heroine's well being here might be the cops and guards. (Especially Sayu. Do not trust. IT'S THE QUIET ONES, MAN. Er- THE ONES THAT WATCH YOU WITH THEIR CREEPY EYES.)
...And I still... just can't get Tanagaki off the brain. XD Help.
Ahah~ Quite pleased with the setup here~ <3 You fantastic writer, you. I'm too excited to even throw down anymore right now! XD
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I'm leaving a comment. I swear I will. :bow: I just need to read this a few more times to swoon (officer Niigaki~ :heart:) and gasp before I gush :3
Yeah...prison with a million cute, but scary girls? Totes not worth willingly getting arrested (SO DON'T YOU DARE FEMALE WOTAS XD)
She looked toward the entrance of the vicinity to find that officer Niigaki had strolled in with her usual hardened scowl and not a single hair out of place, followed by the inmate that she could only assume to be the one called Tanaka from cell #1111. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had won that battle, however.The convict looked like she had seen better days. She had sported a black eye, a bloodied lower lip, and a few red hand marks around her neck like some sort of choke hold imprint. The broken inmate shot her adoring crowd with a deadly glare as she walked through the cafeteria line to get her breakfast.
Ouch. I guess Reina was easier to beat then I thought...though she's most definitely holding back. Reina's too much of a yankii to get pwned that easily 8) GO OFFICER NIIGAKI!~ :heart: way to enforce the rules~ \(^ u ^)/
Michishige kept a close eye on her; she could feel it. She could feel the officer's eyes following her as she rolled her cart to the nearest washing station, and a familiar shiver ran down the convict's spine. So much for any benefit of the doubt with that one.
You call it "keeping a close eye"....Rini thinks Sayu is just being her pervy self and checking out some Aibutt :hehehe:
"But even that wasn't enough!" the taller woman chirped. "We started making some contacts with the black market, and a lot of money was on the line for some of Japan's nuclear weaponry. So we hacked into the National Defense system and managed to re-route a fresh set of nukes to the North Koreans for some big cash."
wtf? That's messed up dude! :shocked That's is SO SO SO messed up! Gah if that were to really happen..I'd have to hide. Why would you do that MittsiKoha? Gaaaaaaaah~ :panic:
The innocent woman began to cower back in fear once she recognized the oncoming attacker to be one of the convicts that belonged to the bomber assassins group running their rounds, her breathing growing more frantic when she found herself cornered between the stone wall fence and the raging beast coming toward her. She could only shut her eyes tightly and turn away as she felt the attacker's strong hands lifting her body up against the wall and smashing her against the stone foundation repeatedly.
:shock: When the Hulk turns angry, he turns into Sudou Maasa :on kimbo:
The group pushed their way through the crowd, only to be restrained by some officers that separated the inmates from the scene. To Ai's horror, she found a group of young girls isolated from the rest of the convicts, no older than 15 perhaps, standing off toward one side of the crowd while two other teenage girls stood at either side of the bloodied remains of what could only be a male officer. Both of the girls had blood dripping from their arms and staining even their mouths, yet neither the duo or the group off to the side surrendered any expression on their faces. They were frightfully expressionless.
:stoned: ...was that....holy crap...you DID NOT just...oh geeez. :on freeze: GET THESE LADIES SOME FAVA BEANS AND SOME CHIANTI! STAT!
Michishige walked up to her commanding officer, who was currently examining the remains of one of their own. It made Ai shudder as she noted the equally blank expression on the head guard's face. Did that woman have a soul? The two women exchanged words as other guards busied themselves with carrying the shredded remnants of a corpse to a separate corridor in the facility. Niigaki nodded in silence while her black-haired partner presumably reported the events of the crime, apathetically kicking dirt over the pool of blood as she listened.
why are they acting like this is okay? why is everyone else acting like this is okay? WHAT THE HECK KIND OF REFORMATORY IS THIS? :panic: Man...does this happen as often as Officer Niigaki (:heart:) beats Reina? Jesus christ man!
"Welcome to Project Morning, Takahashi, where the good times just keep rolling."
:imdead:
Man...if I were Ai, I'd beg to be locked away forever. With the crazy psycho murderers and crackheads that are stuck in a cell all day long~ IT'S NOT AS SCARY AS THESE McCANNIBALS :O :O :O
Sheesh...I had a bowl of rice reheating in the microwave...but I suddenly don't wanna eat anymore...nor do I want to cook chunky spaghetti for dinner o.O
You needs to update. :mon pray2: Pronto.
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risa_ai - yezzir!!! biggest badass in all of PMR ;D THE PROTECTOR OF JUSTICE, THE PROMOTER OF THE FAITH...or is she? :O
fim-face - lol, this is your new nickname...unless you don't like it ahha then I'll just call ya fimmy or whatever =] It's not so much a case of good cop, bad cop...or maybe it is LOL at this point things are kind of up in the air. Sayu and Risa are both capable of pretty evil things, and we'll see that in just a minute. And also, not necessarily H!P kids ;D they're a bit too young-ish haha, but you'll see!!!
I had to give Ai something to hang her hat on, because I have some heart. I think I'll give this much out for you guys to chew on: Airi and her crew are pretty much set in stone to be a support system for Ai; everyone else is up in the air. And how right you are about the guards. There's just something fishy about 'em ;D As for Tanagaki, I was totally debating over making an omake for their little cell brawl, but I thought it was just too soon to spill the beans. We need a bit more development before I give you guys dessert.
And in addition to my horrible addiction, I'm a sore loser too ;D
mochi - like I told fimmy, I really was tempted to write up an omake for the brawl, but nahhhh. Their time will come~ but you are right to believe that Reina's too much of a stubborn yankii to lose so easily. might explain those battle scars, ne? lol And I think you're mistaking my Sayu for the rockstar's guide Sayu xD
I must admit, I had the most fun thinking of the crimes for each of the girls, but I was at a standstill with Aika and Koha ahha if it were to happen...well, let's just not think about it ahha THAT FREAKIN HULK COMMENT THOUGH, OH MY GOD I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD IN REAL LIFE. I AM USING THAT FOREVER NOW. bahah fava beans. Let's not get too hasty and assume things ;D We'll see just what happened soon. Can't judge a book by its cover after all~ And you certainly can't judge a reformatory by it's bible-thumpin', well-dressed warden either ;D
Alrighty, here's part two of update extravaganza!!! I had fun writing HnK again, but uhhh this one won't be as fun to read lol unless you're like, really into this kind of thing haha Part three's gonna take a little longer, but hopefully it'll more than make up for the cockblockage in HnK and the shit that hits the fan in this update~ What a productive lunch break lol
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Chapter Three: Requiem
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
The warden stood before an arched window of his office, idly watching as entrenched guards and convicts alike went on with their mundane duties outside. "Schubert's take on Ave Maria never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Do you feel the same way, Niigaki-san, Michishige-san?" He turned around to find both officers at attention, their faces surrendering neither an expression of affirmation or negation. The warden smiled, taking a seat in his velvet chair and closing his eyes as he drowned in the haunting string melody.
Without opening his eyes to properly acknowledge his company, he questioned the guards dreamily, "I trust that you will take care of this?" The warden opened a single eye lazily, hoping to catch a proper reaction from his silent officers. Upon seeing both women nodding their heads in confirmation, Tsunku straightened up in his seat, reaching a hand to lift the stylus off the spinning record of his gramophone.
"Excellent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some important matters to attend to. You are dismissed, ladies."
The hardened female officers turned on their heels and began pacing with matched steps towards the oak door, until the Warden's voice interrupted their stride. "Oh, but before you leave...let's try to be a little more...subtle about how we handle the situation this time, shall we?"
The two female officers exited the warden's office together, but diverged ways once stepping into the spacious hallway. "Niigaki-san, where are you going? The solitary confinement cells are this way," the dark-hair officer noted astutely.
The head of the guards stopped in her tracks, turning to face her subordinate with cold eyes. "The warden had specifically requested for us to not escalate these matters any further. We will handle this my way, and you will learn something useful." Without waiting for any response from her partner, the head officer continued to walk her end of the hall without much haste in particular.
Risa had learned from her past mistakes, and Sayu would be fortunate enough to reap the benefits of her labor.
And justice would be served.
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It was largely a relief for her frantic heart to find that officer Michishige had not once stepped foot into the lower level during her cleaning service duties. The dark-haired guard was undoubtedly occupied with the post-murder scene with her fellow officers.
...Oh right. A guard had just been murdered. And by mere children. Even outside of these prison walls, that was something one just did not witness on a day-to-day basis. Curiosity overcame fear and disgust, and Ai finally spoke up to ask, "Ne, Mitsui-san, what's the story with those girls?"
The hacker lifted some freshly cleaned sheets from the dryer and began to fold them, a trace of a smirk playing on her lips. "You sure like butting your head in places it doesn't belong, don'cha new girl?"
"Oh come on, Aika, you can't blame her after seeing something like that," Koharu added, rolling in a fresh batch of sheets to be cleaned. "Those girls are some serious business, Takahashi. When they first arrived here, Tsunku-san even went out of his way to publicly announce that unless we wanted a premature death-sentence, we were not to disturb or even communicate with these kids. He never does that, even with the high profile criminals that come here."
"You've been out in the real world longer than we have, so I'm sure you've heard about them. Eight pre-teen psychotics are pretty difficult to overlook. I'm sure it made headlines for days!"
Ai struggled to recall anything on the news related to these kids, but nothing in particular came to mind. Then again, she did have the tendency to ignore the news completely and watch music variety shows instead. "I can't say I have."
Koharu and Aika exchanged confused looks with one another. The brunette hacker shook her head, and went on with her work. "Go figure. The stupid government is probably trying to hide their own incompetencies with handling those psychos. 'For the good of the nation' or some shit like that. Bahhh..."
"Well, since you haven't heard, we might as well fill you in. Those eight girls were all friends from the same neighborhood. Apparently, they were always kind of strange. They never really hung out with other kids, and always played by themselves or stayed at home. In school, they never spoke up, and they weren't bullied or anything because the other kids thought they were just weird and not worth the effort.
"But one day, one of the younger girls of the group didn't come to school. And each day of that week, another member of their group didn't attend school. That happened for eight straight school days. The faculty was growing concerned because they had called each of the girls' respective homes and received no answers, even after all the voice messages they had left. So, their principals personally dropped by to pay each of the girls' homes a visit. Each and every one of the girls was found alone in her home, dripping in blood and just staring at her dead parents' and siblings' bodies. Whenever their principals had asked what had happened, none of the girls spoke. It was only after investigation that the girls were found to have been responsible for their own families' deaths. Whenever they were interrogated on the matter, the girls would lash out and attack the police and no one had a damn clue why.
"So they were all transferred to a mental facility for juvenile delinquents because they were obviously too young for jail, and even if they never verbalized it, they needed help. But every time a psychiatrist had managed to get a little closer to the root of the problem, the girls had managed to somehow force the doctors to quit or commit suicide. And because each of the sessions were private encounters, no one knows why things ended the way they had, and lord knows you can't ever decipher a doctor's handwriting.
"Eventually, the mental facility was losing too many staff members to suicide and emergency room deliveries from random attacks, and they were making little to no progress with any of them anyway, so the eight teens were transferred to serve the rest of their lives here at the penitentiary. Tsunku-san and the other guards leave the girls to their own devices, only interrupting their periods of isolation to feed them. As far as we know, even though the girls are kept altogether in one huge, isolated high security room, none of them ever talk to one another. They just...sit there and stare. It's the freakiest thing..."
Ai gulped as she followed the two hackers as they rolled their empty cart toward the entrance of the cleaning facility. "What will happen to the two girls that killed the officer?"
"Well," Aika began, grabbing a new cart from one of the guards at the entrance, "This isn't exactly the first time this has happened, but it's definitely been a while. He was probably new, and he probably deserved it anyway...They'll probably just shove those two into solitary confinement, since they hate being separated from the group. I've heard it drives them crazy, more than usual, but it gets the message across to them in its own sick way. That group of girls...they're just too young to deal with the kind of punishment the rest of us are subjected to on grounds of bad behavior."
Ai stopped, and the hackers turned around to face at her. "What exactly do you mean by our kind of punishment?"
The two hackers glanced at one another, communicating warnings, concerns, and indecipherable messages through the sounds of silence. It should have concerned her, honestly, but the hackers' wariness to deliver information only fueled her curiosity. Her mind couldn't help but wander into the realm of the unspoken, the no man's land that possessed all the seemingly dark secrets of this damnable facility.
"That's a story for another day, new girl."
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The taller of the two women perused the orders scribbled on the plain sheet of yellow notebook paper in her one hand, smiling upon realization that she and her partner could finally have some good ol' fun again. In the other hand was a plastic bag filled with all the materials they needed to do the job. She passed the piece of paper to her shorter partner, who laughed light-heartedly while reading.
"We haven't had to make this in a long time, eh Lin Lin? They must be desperate this time."
The smaller Chinese woman returned the order to her companion and reached for her apron resting on the bench, tying a knot around her body as she put on the grubby protective wear. "Oh boy, we're going to have a rowdy crowd in the morning, Jun. It's gonna be the talk of Project Morning!"
"Good thing, too. It's been way too quiet here lately." The hint of amusement in the taller woman's voice was chilling, but all too expected. Even with their third-rate treatment at the penitentiary, these girls would relish in their rare moments of fun and assistance. After all, this was what they did best.
Jun Jun reached inside her pockets to reveal a lighter. She crumpled the piece of paper into a crude ball and set it on fire, allowing the ashes to collect into pile of black on the grease-stained tiles between her feet. The two Chinese chefs laughed as they made their way into the kitchen.
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She was greeted by egregious amounts of sunshine and surprisingly no music as she stepped inside the warden's office for the second time that day. Risa had sent Sayumi to deliver the additional reports of facility going-on's after the two female guards had taken care of their business with the juveniles. While performing circulatory rounds at the various occupational facilities at the penitentiary, the head guard was requested to meet with the warden to discuss some areas of concern.
"No need for you to stand at attention. At ease, officer," Tsunku laughed, relaxing into his velvet throne of a chair. "It's been quite some time since we've chatted like this, Niigaki-san. How have you been? And how has your mother been? Doing well, I hope?"
"Yes, sir."
"Ah, good, good." Tsunku revolved his seat to properly acknowledge his guest, resting folded hands upon his giant oak table. "Now, officer Michishige has brought to my attention some instances of rough-housing and insolence by some of our inmates. Would you say that's true, Niigaki-san?"
"Yes, sir. But the cases themselves are nothing dire, and I can personally discipline the perpetrators as needed."
The warden shook his head, the pads of his forefingers rubbing to soothe his temples. "You've said this countless times, and while it has worked wonders for some, Tanaka-san does not seem to understand the meaning of the word 'discipline.' Perhaps harsher methods need to be implemented for her?"
Fighting to not betray any expressions of consternation, the head of the guards stood tall in her place and nodded in total compliance with the warden's suggestion.
"I'm glad we can agree on these matters, Niigaki-san. Really, it warms my heart." He paused to rotate his chair again, so the velvet back of his throne faced the guard. "However, realize that you must be punished as well for your continual incompetence on the job."
"I understand, sir, but officer Michishige is outside your office, waiting for my orders."
The warden smiled a crooked smile. As he walked around the span of his desk, he lifted the stylus of his gramophone to rest upon the rotating record on the stand. For the moment, Tsunku happened to be in the mood for some Beatles, as the spinning record played 'Help!' while he stepped closer to the head of the guards. "Officer Michishige is also a junior officer who holds a greater understanding of crime and punishment than you apparently do. And like a good officer, Michishige will wait."
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Risa had finally emerged from Tsunku's office. As she re-adjusted the officer's cap on her head, she found her junior officer leaning against the wall, head tilted to rest on its side while she slept. She had been disciplined for far longer than initially expected. The head of the guards let out a sigh of relief as she tucked the shirt of her uniform back into place. Returning to her typically cold semblance, the higher officer shook her subordinate awake.
"Ah senpai, that was a rather long meeting with Tsunku-san. Is everything alright?"
Risa narrowed her eyes at the lazy officer until the latter straightened up accordingly. She pulled the younger officer away from the wall and began to march the both of them down to the cafeteria. "Fine, just fine. We have some more loose ends to take care of, Sayumi."
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Ai could have very well blamed it on the gruesome tale just told to her by the hackers, or their inauspicious decision to not reveal anything regarding the penitentiary's punishment regiment. Whatever the case, it made swallowing her dinner that evening particularly difficult.
"Isn't it a bit too early for you to be giving up on the food around here, new girl?" Airi laughed to herself, happily munching away on the suspicious looking gruel on her plate.
Koharu's expression contorted to that of disgust as she watched the snaggle-toothed inmate, finding the urge to vomit almost immediately. "That's probably our fault. We told her about the psychopaths."
The contraband girls "oh-ed" in unison and offered the latest addition to their gang a sympathetic pat on the back. "Well, unless you happen to get into shit of your own, new girl, you should be safe if you hang around us," pipped Mai.
Dinner was the final hurdle of the day, the last stage to overcome before Ai could return to her cell and thank god for allowing her to survive unscathed, for the most part. It relieved her to know she had made some "friends" throughout the day, despite the occasional moments where life had flashed before her eyes. Valuable relations had been made and the insight she gained from the eyes of her companions made the formulation process all the more simple. Timing, however, was a delicate thing.
As Aika once again engaged in a verbal battle of intelligence and dignity with Maimi over their areas of criminal intent, Ai noticed the two female guards circling the cafeteria. She could have likened them to any scavenging beast on a patient hunt for its dying prey, their eyes cold as ice as they scanned the convicts within the enclosed space. They were searching for someone.
"Ho, ho, ho~ Looks like Reina got in some deep shit again, ladies!" Saki chaffed, jutting her chin forward to the yankii's direction. All eyes immediately darted to the rebel and the head of the guards. The yankii wasn't giving the officer the light of day, and Risa had her hand resting on her baton, ready to beat the infuriating woman into submission. What was it this time?
"We're not done yet, ladies. Seems like Michishige's got a beef with the bombers," Chisato noted, and eyes moved on to examine the second encounter with the dark-haired guard. What the hell was going on?
The bombers had stood up without struggle or complaint, following the junior officer toward the exit of the cafeteria. After an exchange of scowls and presumable threats, the other party of two stood, and the head of the guards pushed the yankii toward the exit as well. The other inmates in the room did not seem to pay the scene any mind and went on about their evening meals as usual. Perhaps another regular encounter? It was expected of Niigaki and Reina, but the bombers and Michishige? Well, aside from the brief fiasco during leisure time today, Ai did not think anything of it.
"Where are they going?" Ai asked, curiosity once again leading her to dangerous territory.
"Oh, that's right. You're new. Well, let's just say, you better keep up your best behavior, new girl. Punishment around here is pretty rough," Airi stated, popping a few bites of rice into her mouth.
"Punishment? But they didn't even do anything!" Ai looked around the table for any evidence of sympathy in the group, but her searching was fruitless. Uncaring shrugs and leery eyes were all she received despite the silent please for some sense of humanity. "What...do they do to you?"
Airi watched as Reina and the bombers finally reached the exit of the cafeteria, solemnly shaking her head once they all vanished into the shadows of the hallway. "Just hope you never have to find out."
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What an eventful first real day for our latest jailbird!! Didja catch any hint-o's? =]
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I turn my back for one second to update and BAM, there you are. XD Reading nao~
I'm gonna have to resort to my German soon, cuz English just isn't cutting it everytime I'm like OH MY GOD at the beginning of your updates. BECAUSE DAMN. Wow I love your writing~ can I just gush about you for a moment?! I get so deeply immersed in reading your work it's like I'm watching a movie in my head, it's fantastic. :heart: Also, I read Fim-face as Fish-face XD but I can tolerate pretty much any nickname as long as its not like, stupid bitch or something. Bahaha~
So we catch a longer glimpse of Tsunku. Fucking gives me chills. Ever seen Sucker Punch? Because I get a Blue vibe from him in a way and I DON'T LIKE IT. (In the best way, of course XD ) Something tells me that the 'punishment' Gaki got served with is likely not too much better than what's about to happen to Reina and the bombers... And I can only imagine all sorts of sick, terrible things. Lol which might be an indicator that I have a sick, terrible mind, I DON'T KNOW. XD
Glad to see you did give Ai support tho. I feel better knowing she's not completely surrounded by sharks but then again I don't trust her to find much happiness or comfort since this isn't that kinda fic. Still, I'm totally hooked so like, bring on the heavy, man. I ain't afraid of no ghosts shitstorms. xD
P.S. I was totally in the midst of posting my update when you posted yours, so YOU stop reading MY mind. XD jkjk :heart:
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YESSSS :D an update!!! Whoo hoo :w00t: poor reina always get targeted, i wonder wat the punishment is :? This story is. Getting way interesting keep up the good work :twothumbs
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I feel like Ai here, there's a lot of stuff going on, but I'm not a hundred percent sure of what. I'm not even sure that I want to know what the punishment is.... except that I totally do! If only because my damnable curiosity is eating me up. I guess I'll just wait for the next chapter then.
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finally getting off my lazy butt and commenting you and others for all the hard work~ :bow:
Whew~ So it wasn't cannibalism! You scared me! I was all "Nooo she did it! SOMEONE GOT EA~AAAATEN!" You shifty word manipulator XD I should probably stop googling cannibalism too XD
Poor Risa~ She got punished via sexual abuse (theory~) cause I'm pretty sure a slap+kick in the butt doesn't take THAT long...DI~IIIIIIIIIIIE Papa T! DIE Dx
I wonder who the crazy killer gals are...S/milage perhaps? Though the numbers are a tad off depending on which "gen" is in...
BK=bombers
C-ute=weapon faces
Aika+Koha=nut-so hackers
Hmmmmmm :O
UPDATE SOON PLEASE~ I wants to know more about this freakiness called "discipline"!~
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i was thinking that the crazy killer girls were 9th/10th gen mixed in some weird way....idk lol
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That's a good thought actually! Cause the numbers fit and all and they're young! :O PWNED BY KB!~ :lol:
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Can i just go ahead and post the next three chapters? LOL I was on a roll today and worked up to chapter 6 bahahhaha oh well~ :P
Fim-face: OH MY GOD LOL There you go creepin' in my head again~ Blue was actually the inspiration behind Tsunku's character ahha Movie reference #2~
darkacex99: You'll see eventually~ Or well, it's heavily implied LOL I'd rather not go into details this early...or ever for that matter HAHHA
rndy: Curiosity killed the cat haha jk jk Ai is gonna slowly piece everything together because she's a master at playing CLUE lol no but seriously, she'll learn everything, but it's just gonna be the hard way =[
mochi: oh my god, please dont google that >_____< And LOL I won't say anything yet about the punishment *cough* but yeah, let's just keep pointing fingers and sharpening our kitchen knives to hurt Tsunku lol I think this is my personal, uncanny way of like playing off of the whole "BLAME TSUNKU" trend in the H!P fandom ahhahah payback's a bitchhhhhhhh~
Kiwi: bahahha it's like you've read my mind~
Well, fim-face wanted some heavy, so here's some heavy!!! Actually, it's probably more than some T__T I kind of went overboard, I reckon~ Derp~ Well, I'll let ya'll decide ahha The madness really begins here =D Put in some random pseudo-loli Sayu shoutouts in there lol it's not meant to be humorous but i couldn't help myself xD
Prison's shady yo, nothing is ever what it seems. Just remember that while ya put the pieces of the puzzle together~
Please pardon the offensive amount of profanity I use in the latter half of the chapter.
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Chapter Four: Albatross
Day 23
It had been 23 days since the incident, 23 days since the arrival of their latest convict, and 23 days since the penitentiary had suffered any bouts of noise and rowdiness that was deemed punishable in nature. The relative silence would have been a saving grace for any other officer at the penitentiary, but Niigaki Risa was not just any other officer. The quiet was a damning reminder, allowing her to think and reflect upon everything she had done and had left to do. Occupational justice and deliverance to another world of eternal damnation, this was her new calling, her private curse. She hated the silence and she hated being alone to dwell on these matters...
But tumultuous thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her office door. After muttering a brief invitation to enter, her eyes briefly left the files she had in her hands to see two muscular guards stepping before her desk, with the two juvenile delinquents passed out and hanging limply in their arms. Sayu emerged from behind them, awaiting for further instructions from her senpai.
"What do we do with 'em, chief? Are they dead?" one of the guards asked, shaking the juvenile in his arms for emphasis of their lifelessness.
Risa peered from above the manila folder in her hands to observe, eyes cold and uncaring as the limbs of the poor child swung listlessly from the man's actions. "Do you feel a pulse?"
Both guards placed two fingers against their convicts' jugular pulse points, but found nothing but cold sensations against their fingertips. "No, chief."
The head of the guards nodded and returned to perusing the files she had in her hands. "Then burn them. Make sure the others watch."
"Yes ma'am," both guards responded, marching in synchronization with one another as they exited the office to take care of business.
As the two male officers and the dead juveniles left, the dark-haired officer remained, staring at her senpai with wide eyes and total disbelief. Yes, she was a fairly new addition to the team, and though her elite training regiment had allowed her to bypass all the inferior positions at the penitentiary almost immediately, it seemed as though Sayu was still very much a novice when it came to the matters of discipline and "taking care of business," even in comparison to the underlings.
"What did we do to them?" She hadn't had a damn clue what Risa had done that day. She was simply ordered to follow, and stay outside of the underground facilities while Risa had went about with her business. The duo had managed to eventually enter the solitary confinement cells that imprisoned and isolated the two murderous juveniles, and they had done so every day for 23 days straight. Everything was just as Sayu expected: they simply came to feed the girls, and ward off any of the imbecile guards that hung around to taunt the children. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary...
"Nothing they didn't deserve," Risa answered simply, eyes still scanning the two manila envelops in her hands.
Sayu did not know much about her senpai. There really was no such opportunity to learn about her. And with the way the woman was handling this situation so chillingly, so heartlessly, Sayu was beginning to believe that there was no point in trying. Her senpai always struck her as strict, but she had never imagined her to be so cruel. "Isn't that a bit too harsh? They're just children!!"
The head of the guards eyed her kouhai from above the folders before dropping the files to her table altogether to properly address the woman. "When it comes to proper discipline, nothing is too severe, Sayumi. It's about time you understood that."
Sayu stared straight back into the eyes of her senior - those dark, cold eyes - silently begging to find some form of life, a bit of warmth in their depths. But Risa broke contact before any such thing could be found, and made her way through the exit of her office to handle the job she had just assigned personally.
And like an obedient kouhai, the dark-haired officer began to follow, but curiosity was a difficult thing to escape. Sayu walked up to her senpai's table to examine the two files that were resting upon it. Inside the manila folders were a detailed account of personal information and all related activities, as well as a picture paper-clipped onto the typed document. Upon further examination, the dark-haired officer found that the files she was looking at belonged to the two now-dead juveniles.
Sayashi Riho. Ishida Ayumi.
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Day 44
The bombers had to simply face one night of punishment, as deemed necessary and sufficient by the warden. And despite the meager hours spent in comparison to the other victim, the bombers had not spoken once of the incident to anyone. Not that they had to; everyone knew. Even the ever curious Ai had kept her mouth shut and settled to keep her wondering solely inside her mind once she had seen the group the next day, looking particularly gaunt and dragging themselves sluggishly on their daily jog routine around the recreational grounds. Perhaps some things were better left unknown.
As for the occupant in cell #1111, she and the head of the guards had developed their routine for well over a month now. Shortly after dinner, the chief guard would fetch the yankii, ensure the convict was well-locked in handcuffs, and drive the both of them to a small building well-isolated from the grounds of the penitentiary. Once dawn broke, the officer would return to fetch the convict and deliver her back inside her cell before the morning roll call.
Usually, the convict would have no wise-ass remarks to spurt at the cold officer as they walked the still halls in the early morning darkness. She was simply too worn, almost broken to do so. But today, the officer looked particular deserving of a verbal throw-down, and the yankii was going to take advantage of it, no matter how much "punishment" she would get as a result.
"Does it make you feel all high and mighty, Risa? Does breaking me, breaking the others for this bullshit about 'God' make you feel like everything you've done is forgiven? Are you happy now?"
The yankii made no effort to whisper as she walked before the officer. She didn't care who she had to wake up in the process to make her point, and fine by her since she hadn't had an ounce of sleep since the start of her punishment period. And when all she received was the sound of heels clanking against the iron floorboards, the yankii continued with her tirade. "You know what he's doing to us. You know you've dealt with it before. Hell, he's still probably doing it to you now, and you're letting him get away with everything!! Just admit it, you're weak."
The head of the guards growled under her breath, and slammed the insolent convict against the metal bars of her own cell. Fiery eyes were clashing, and had the convict not been worn and bound by handcuffs, a fight would have no doubt spurred between the two.
"Shut up before you say something you'll regret."
The yankii remained unyielding. She had done her damn time in this hell, and she wasn't about to continue suffering in this alone. The guard was closing the proximity between them as her typical means of intimidation, but the convict would have none of it, and stood tall. "Is it worth it, Risa? Is it worth being a tool for that hypocrite son of a bitch?"
"I may not believe in him, and I will never agree with his methods, but this is worth more to me than you will ever understand." Risa unlocked the bars of the yankii's cell and shoved the woman inside. Her glare was furious, vengeful, but so broken and tired. The officer wondered if it was alright to pity her. But as she closed the cell and began to walk away, the yankii spoke up again with daring insolence.
"Is it worth being a real criminal for? You talk about justice and virtue like you actually have any. You've regressed, Risa. You're worse now than when I first met you, and you truly are the most pathetic human being in this facility. You, that bastard of a warden, your bitch side-kick, and all the mother-fucking guards and scumbag men out there...I hope you all fucking rot in hell!"
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Day 45
As Sayu continued with her rounds as usual around the cafeteria for the evening, she had noticed the absence of the ever present head of the guards. Looking around further, she noticed that the yankii was still sitting by her lonesome. Odd. The two would have made their exit this late into dinner by now. After delivering the usual set of orders to deliver the inmates back into their respective cells after dinner, the dark-haired officer made her way to her senpai's office.
She grew concerned when she heard nothing on the other side of the oak door, and saw no light shining from underneath. Hesitantly, she turned the doorknob of the officer's door and peered inside to find her senpai sitting in her chair, shrouded in darkness with a near-empty bottle of whiskey atop her desk. It had taken the head guard much longer than necessary to realize that someone had just joined her, and from the amount of alcohol Sayu could smell permeating throughout the office, she could tell her senpai had been at this for quite some time now.
"Ne, senpai...is...is everything alright?" she asked timidly as she slowly walked over to her drunken companion. Thanks to the moonlight, Sayu could see her senpai's red eyes and tear stains that adorned her sullen cheeks. This was an image she had never imagined ever seeing upon the stoic wall of disciplined character, and admittedly, she had no idea what to do.
The junior officer placed a hand against her senpai's back, meekly patting and rubbing in hopes to console her partner from whatever it was that made her this way. Shortly after contact, and even without a word spoken in response, the head of the guards was reduced to tears, crying into the palms of her hands without care.
Still confused over what could have possibly caused this, Sayu took the crying woman into her arms, letting her senpai shed warm tears against her uniform because there was nothing much else she could have done to console her.
"She's right!" Risa shouted. "I have changed. But, it's for her you know? I do everything for her. She needs me, and she's dying. And everything is my fault! It's always my fault. I'm a liar, I'm a two-faced hypocrite. I killed them all! And, and she shouldn't be facing this alone!! She doesn't have anyone else! I'm a murderer!!"
It wasn't her place to ask, but there was apparently more to her senpai than she had initially conceived. Who was she talking about? But personal questions would have to wait to be answered. Sayu could only take her partner into her arms and hold her until all these guilty tears were shed.
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After Risa had fallen asleep in her arms, the dark-haired officer carried the woman to the sofa in her office to let her sleep restfully. She glanced at the clock on her wall and found that it was 10 o'clock and she could bet that none of the other guards had bothered handling the inmate in cell #1111 since Risa had made it all too clear to everyone that Tanaka was her burden to bear, and her burden alone.
The junior officer scurried over to her senpai's desk, turning on the table lamp to aid in her search for some instructions from the warden regarding the inmate and her punishment sentence. Thankfully, Risa was very particular with her organization of files, and Sayu was able to locate the manila envelop for Tanaka. Skimming through the personal information of which she had little interest for the time being, she had finally found the scribbled instructions on a loose sheet of notepad paper clipped behind the convict's facial profile shot.
Turning off the light of the room, Sayu quickly and quietly closed the door to her senpai's office and raced to the housing cells to find that Reina was still in her cell, waiting for a someone to come fetch her. The junior officer made her presence known by tapping her officer's baton against the metal bars of the cell.
Reina turned her head to examine the lanky-looking officer with disgust and disapproval. "Where's Risa?"
Caught off-guard by the yankii addressing her senpai with such familiarity, Sayu began to unlock the cell to fetch the inmate. "She's off for the evening. I will be escorting you for tonight."
"...That coward..."
The two marched through the corridors now bereft of life, and to an officer's vehicle to deliver the convict to her destination. The ride was silent and not a single word was shared or action acknowledged between the guard and the inmate. Sayu found herself often stealing glances at the rebel, not entirely sure what she was looking for, but found it necessary regardless.
Once they found their destination, the guard escorted Reina from her seat and found tears rolling down her sunken cheeks. Her eyes traced the path of those tears, finding faint marks along the woman's jawline, all the way down to the bit of skin on her collarbone that she could see from the orange uniform. From what she could see through rolled up sleeves, the officer found similar marks along the thin arms, welts of pink and red tattooing her pale skin. Once again, Sayu had several questions that were begging to be asked, but she had a duty to deliver. And right now, her duty was to make sure the convict would walk through the doors of this off-path building, no questions asked.
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YAY INSIGHT! AND WE'RE ALMOST TO THE HALFWAY POINT WOOOOOO~ ahha chuggin' along~ 8 more chapters, a two part finale, and an epilogue. WOOOOOOO!!!! lol over-caffeinated me~
Warning: the next chapter is not going to be a pretty one. Don't read it if you can't take gross detail.
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:on freeze: they died....yeah, this place is scaryy.
So it seems that Sayu is just as confused as the inmates. I thought that she was all stoic and secretive like Risa, the guards, and Papa-T...but she's just doing her job...maaaaaaaaaaan that sucks. She's like...a murderer's accomplice :O And she doesn't even know it~
So C-ute has been here longest next to Reina...so some point in time between Reina first coming and C-ute coming, Risa was an inmate too? :O :shocked I wonder...how the heck did she end up as head of the guards? and why the heck is she beating Reina if she "cares" so much? :O ...Tsunkupapa must have some ultimate punishment or something...
geeeeeeeeez I'll be thinking about what happens next for the next few days XD Caaaaaaaan't wait for more :D
Yay for gross details~ \(> w <)/
P.S....Rini googles lots of weird things...yeah. :3
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omg post them! post them all!!!
and yay i finally guess right on something! XD trust me this makes me happy cus i usually dont^^;
tanagaki's relationship is making wonder a bit, like was risa a convict too and like she got an easy way out of it by being an officer? or something else? and im guessing her crying and "doing it for her" is for either reina or her mom? and i gots 1 more question
WHY U KILL RIHORIHO AND AYUMIN?! WAT WRONG WIT CHU?! :panic:
cant wait for the next chapters
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*marks off two kids who won't be in the story* Welp! Guess that takes care of Riho and Daishi... Though every paragraph and sentence only raises more questions for me...
What the hell is going on!?!?!?!?!?
Warning: the next chapter is not going to be a pretty one. Don't read it if you can't take gross detail.
*nods* I'm ready.
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Well damn. If Tsunku's based off Blue they're all in for a really shitty ride (as if that weren't obvious enough lol).
Is it bad to say I'm kinda glad Riho and Daishi are dead? No more suffering for 'em, imo. Glad to see Sayu isn't really much of a villain here, it's a refreshing take on her, but I have a feeling she'll end up just as corrupt as the other guards or at least as defeated as Risa.
Mou... None of these chapters are pretty XD I think all of us are aware of that now. That being said, ready to see how this plays out. I gotta know what happens, no matter how gruesome; way too invested now.
Moar chapters plz? I could be convinced to ease up on the cockblocking in my own fics XD
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Oh snap an update :)
Rihoriho and ayumi dyin was a shocker, but hey it happens
Omg i luv reinas boldness and risa breaking down in this chapter
Warning: the next chapter is not going to be a pretty one. Don't read it if you can't take gross detail.
Hit me with ur best shot, im ready for dis :cathappy:
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mochi - yeah lol but as to how they died, that's more important~ keep fishing for details! haha
Fooled ya with Sayu, didn't I? As for Risa, I won't say a word but +1 for you ^__^ All your questions will be answered at approximately chapter 8 lol And dude, I totally google everything too ahhah I had to google the japanese prison system and I got nothing recent lol I probably just didn't look hard enough xD
kiwi - you get +1 for your speculation too ahah obviously I'm playing CLUE with pros here ahah damnit.
rndy - making that list and checkin' it twice!!...oh wait, not the right time for this ahhaha
fim-face - haha I throw in my positivity in small doses. I don't like spoiling~ AND SAYU!!! OH sayu <3 I don't wanna spoil anything, but I will anyway: Sayu is the biggest badass mofo ever. It'll take time, but you'll see~ Like, I love her the most here LOL just putting that out there.
AND DEAL. SO DEAL. YES DEAL. OKAY DEAL. WHERE DO I SIGN!? trollolololol
darkacex99 - bahaha your comment made me laugh LOL like "Oh, so that happened. lulz whatevs yo~" hahah that's amazing.
AND I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T WANT TO KILL OFF RIHOxAYUMI. And really, not those two in particular lol I put the names of the 9th and 10th gen on a dart board and had my roommate toss the darts and it just landed on those two haha so if you were wondering how we decide things around here, it's through darts ahah just blame my roommate xD I'm obviously putting a lot of thought into this =P
We're gonna do a bit of time traveling in this chapter lol so hang tight.
WARNING: The following chapter is slightly graphic in detail. Please don't read the chapter if the thought of blood/death/bad things makes ya queasy and uncomfortable, and don't say I didn't warn you. Happy reading~
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Chapter Five: Monster
Day 23
Ai was strolling the recreational grounds once again, hands in her pockets and scanning the area for nothing in particular in her moment of leisure. After the short stint the bombers had to suffer earlier this month, things had returned to normal: Airi and her group were still smuggling goods to auction off to their fellow inmates, the bombers had finally regained the energy and will in their step as they jogged laps around the area, the hackers were still bickering with one another in the shaded region of the open spaces, and Reina, although looking more and more enervated by the day, still scanned the vicinity for anyone daring to come near her. It was as if nothing had really changed.
As the latest addition to the penitentiary walked toward her contraband companions, a loud whistle rang throughout the open air and turned all convicts' attention to the fenced in area within the recreational grounds. The inmates gathered around the separated area, watching in silence as officers Niigaki and Michishige emerged from the gated corridors and into the fenced grounds. Following the two females were a burly set of male guards, the six remaining juveniles, and finally the two muscular guards who carried the dead delinquents in their arms.
Hushed whispers and muffled speculations spurred throughout the members of the crowd, and Ai shot her comrades a worried look. What had happened to those girls? None in the crowd had an answer to offer her. Ai watched as the head of the guards nodded, apparently signaling the two male guards to drop the dead juveniles one on top of the other in the center of the isolated area.
"Misdemeanor will be rewarded with punishment. Murder will earn you solitary confinement, and death will welcome you shortly after if you lack the will or self-discipline. Let this be a lesson to you all." In contrast to the silence of the crowd, Risa's voice was an omnipotent adjuration to anyone that had the audacity to defy her authority.
With another nod, the two male officers did as previously instructed, dowsing lighter fluid on the corpses and setting them on fire. The odor of rotting flesh and the sound of horrified gasps from the inmates, and screams from the remaining six delinquents filled the air. Faces turned at the sight of cloth disintegrating and skin curling to a brown crisp off the young girls' once limber bodies, flames stripping their flesh layer by layer to slowly expose the skeletal structures underneath. The smell culminated into a putrid concoction of rancid, rotting meat laced with hints of sulfurous sweetness as the fire blazed through the corpses' hair and spinal columns. As the fire grew into a blazing fountain of flames above the girls, their bodies rolled into an ashed pile of fluid-rich innards and bone, unleashing another round of unpleasant aromas reminiscent of grilled meat, though much less appetizing as one could only imagine. One can never forget the smell of rotting flesh once they've experienced it, and perhaps that was the head officer's intention. Immediately, several inmates forced their way from the crowd to vomit after smelling and seeing the gruesome act of inhumane savagery, while others shouted curses at the authoritative figures that surrounded and restrained the young girls as they cried and screamed for their fallen companions.
Officer Niigaki stared at the magnificent fire with merciless eyes, observing the verbal and physical expressions of absolute horror from the crowd, her junior officer, and most of the male officers on her team. None had expected this act of heartless brutality. She took in a trembling breath as she watched the remaining six cry and screech their anguish with more emotion than she had ever seen any of them portray since their arrival. But obligation reserved no space for sympathy, and the head of the guards felt that she had made her point perfectly clear. Wordlessly, she began to walk back in through the corridors to continue with her remaining duties for the day.
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Day 39
Not much time had passed since the fire display, but Niigaki had taken notice of the drastic difference in the atmosphere amongst the inmates. Whenever she had stepped inside the cafeteria halls or any part of the penitentiary really, one could hear a pin drop: all actions, all conversations, all thoughts seemed to stop in fear of the savage figure in their midst. The most cold-blooded of murderers seemed to even cower in the woman's wake, and that was a terrifying truth in itself.
As she paced the cafeteria hall with routine steps, her stride was interrupted by her junior officer. The dark-haired guard passed her a piece of paper, indicating that they had lost five more officers to murder, and one more delinquent to starvation. The head of the guards sighed and exited the dining hall to race toward the special confinement cells that held the juveniles. They had already lost two under direct orders from the warden, and three more due to starvation. After the burning, the girls would not eat a damn thing they were fed. Perhaps they did it in protest for their fallen comrades, but Risa felt it was done out of uncalculating stupidity.
"Cross out Fukumura, Iikubo, and Suzuki from the list when we're through, Sayu," Risa ordered as she entered the security code to the isolated facilities.
Entering the special confinement area, the two female guards were welcomed by the sight of five of their fellow officers shredded and clearly dead on the ground. Standing above the lifeless corpses were the three remaining delinquents, drenched expectedly in their victims' blood. There was no room for negotiation or forgiveness as the two female officers immediately found themselves being attacked by the juveniles.
Sayu was offering no retaliated struggle against the two girls leeching onto her, biting, scratching, and punching every inch of her. She couldn't do it; she didn't have it in her heart to harm these children no matter how they tore at her flesh with their sharpened teeth and nails. The dark-haired officer flinched once the sound of a gunshot had echoed in the room.
And another.
And another.
Suddenly there was nothing to struggle against, no teeth shredding skin, no nails tearing her hair or her uniform. Just three lifeless bodies tacked on to the ones that were long dead from the previous confrontation. Sayu looked up from where she lay on the ground, finding her senpai with a smoking barrel aimed at her. Eyes peering down, she found the bodies of the two girls that had attacked her now toppled heavily above her, bullet wounds straight through their chests. Fearfully, the junior officer looked back at her senpai, and found the body of the other attacker dead at the woman's feet.
"W-what kind of monster are you, Niigaki-san?"
The head of the guards reached a hand out to lift her kouhai from the ground, and swiftly pushed her junior against the walls of the confinement area, with her gun shoved directly at her forehead. Risa's cold eyes took in her junior's frantic heart rate, her extremely dilated pupils, and overall character drowning in trepidation. "I am not a monster."
With that, the senior officer released her hold on frightened Sayu, and placed her gun back inside its holster. "Cross out Kudo, Ikuta, and Masaki from the list and go fetch some other officers to clean this mess. We have work to do."
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Day 50
It was agreed amongst the inmates to not discuss the whereabouts of the remaining juvenile delinquents and to keep any personal speculation within private conversations in far isolation from the guards. Their sudden disappearance had sparked all sorts of rampant gossip exchanges and rumors of hearsay from whomever, and it had undoubtedly instilled a sense of fear in the hearts of most even further. It was clear that at this penitentiary, these women had everything to fear.
Ai had indefinitely joined the ranks of those inmates who took caution whenever in the midst of the head of the guards. She had convinced herself she had only seen a glimpse of what that woman was truly capable of. The most recent convict found it particularly odd, however, when she noted the absence of her contraband companions from leisure time today. Ai had wanted to discuss some further possibilities about the happenings surrounding the juveniles, but the group had vanished from the recreational grounds.
Turning her attention instead to the hackers, Ai asked if they had known of the contraband girls' whereabouts.
"What day is it today?" Koharu asked.
Ai furrowed her brows, not quite sure of the relevance of the hacker's question. "Sunday."
The lanky hacker roller her eyes knowingly. "They're probably at their prayer group thing, then."
Peculiar. Airi and her gang had never struck Ai as particularly religious by any stretch of the imagination. Friendly girls with not necessarily the best of intentions, but religious? Even she wasn't that stupid.
Later that evening during dinner, Ai had brought up the whole "prayer group" idea to Airi and the snaggle-toothed inmate could only smile. "How's about you join us next Sunday, new girl?"
Out of her own particular curiosity, Ai had joined the group as they were escorted from their work places to a separate portion of the penitentiary during their scheduled leisure time. The guards waited outside of the room on either side of the door, while the ragtag crew stepped into the empty room. Inside, the group was greeted by two rather friendly looking females, each wielding a Bible in her grasp.
"Oh, it seems we have a new addition," said the shorter female. She had a lovely baby face underneath her perfectly trimmed fringe, and she seemed rather kind at first glance.
The other female was a bit taller in comparison, also kind looking but without the fringe her companion had. What a bizarre combination of women, Ai thought.
"Yep, this here is Ai. She's a triple threat around these parts," Chisato spoke up, taking her designated seat beside Saki and the shorter Bible-carrying female.
Ai smiled sheepishly as she feigned gratitude after receiving her own Bible from the shortest of the contraband girls. The inmate had to admit she was out of her element when it came to the matters of religion and the sort, but even she had a bit more sense and common knowledge on the subject of a worldwide known piece of literature than these two females leading the prayer group. They had managed to stumble upon various phrases and passages that even she had learned once upon a time, and they often referred to religious teachings under incorrect contexts. This "prayer group" must have been a joke...
"Ah, where are our manners? All this Bible talk got us so excited that we've forgotten to introduce ourselves! My name is Mano Erina." The shorter girl bowed in greeting.
"And I'm Kikkawa Yuu," said the taller one, also bowing in respect. "But it seems our time here is up. We look forward to meeting with you again next week, Ai-chan~"
"And do keep an eye on that Bible, dear," Mano said with a wink.
As the girls exited the room, their Bibles were confiscated and they were told that they would be placed in their respective cells while they went back to their daily schedules. Over dinner that evening, Ai had shared her thoughts with Airi regarding the eccentric duo that had led the day's "prayer group." The group could only laugh at the her confession and insistence on taking her own Bible gift from the two women from before.
"Look, Ai, when you go back to your cell tonight, how's about you take a closer look at that Bible of yours? You'll be surprised to find just how helpful the word of the lord really is," Airi said, exchanging sly looks and smirks with her fellow contraband mates.
Well after lights out, Ai had taken the Bible from under her bunk and did as she was told. Using the faint fluorescent lighting from the dimly lit hallway, she flipped through the pages of the book and found nothing out of the ordinary...until she reached about halfway through. Within this portion of the holy book, was a perfectly cut out square indentation. Within this cut out block of paper and text was a pack of cigarettes. Out of impulse, the woman slammed the Bible to a close and slid it back underneath her bunk.
From across the hallway corridor, down one flight of stairs, Airi was looking up at Ai through the bars of her own cell, giving her a thumbs up. Ai returned the thumbs up with a smile and went back to bed. This group's cunning would never cease to amaze her.
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That last bit right there was my attempt at making things a bit lighter? Could've been an omake but then this chapter would have been madddd short.
So the next chapter is arguably the most important chapter ever lol but it's also gonna be the last of the more nasty and semi-explicit/pulp fiction-ish scenarios for a while. It has the potential to make you uncomfortable so read with great caution...lol
QUICK SOMEBODY WEDGE ME!!! I HAVE CHAPTER SIX WAITING IN THE WINGSSS!!!
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WEDGE! O_O
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WARNING: Heavily implied assault and pretty blatant torture. Please don't read the chapter if it offends you. I've warned you.
*hides in a bomb shelter*
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Chapter Six: Redemption
Day 127
Ai had a tally etched into her stone cell wall, counting the days since her conviction at Project Morning. She had been a resident at this penitentiary for approximately four months now and thankfully things have finally settled down since the juvenile incident; that was no longer a topic of conversation amongst the inmates.
Properly assimilating into jail house life was another seemingly daunting task that had finally been overcome with the grace of time. The cafeteria food hadn't gotten any better, and no one honestly expected it would. But the companionship she had received from her contraband girls, the bombers, and the hackers had helped her survive a little longer than she had initially planned. As curious a character as Reina was, Ai had given up on the chance of striking any conversation with the lone wolf. Her prison occupation situation had not improved in the slightest. It was still a boring, medial job that did little to pass the time, but she had no right to complain.
As she was folding some freshly cleaned sheets, Aika had called out for her. "Yo, new girl, ya mind heading to the storage room and grabbing me some detergent? We're out over here."
Ai nodded and made her way to the storage room through the maze of stacked boxes and empty corridors that lined the basement floor of the vicinity, following the trail of dim lights that led the way through the only functional rooms of the underground path. Once she had reached the door towards the far end of the basement hallway, she entered in search of the detergent that was stored in this musky closet space. She cursed her short height as she struggled to reach for the storage box on one of the highest shelves in the room. Even after pushing her entire weight on one hand and nearly dislocating her other shoulder to attain the highest height, the box was still far from her grasp.
But then she heard the door close from behind her, and found an arm reaching around her to effortlessly grab the prized detergent from the shelf. Ai was about to turn around to thank whomever had assisted her, but the hand wielding the detergent dropped it to the floor and covered her mouth instead. Another arm came from behind and wrapped itself tightly against her waist. Her screams were muffled with the grizzly, calloused hand that covered and squeezed her mouth, and dilated pupils failed to see who was trapping her in their grasp.
She continued to struggle in the arms of the intruder, but found that whoever it was, they were in uniform. "Shhh, shhh missy, calm down."
The intruder loosened his grip against the inmate's midsection, only to return with a hand wielding a gun in its grasp. With his index locking the gun into his palm, the attacker used his remaining fingers to pry open his victim's orange jumpsuit, popping a few buttons in his haste. "Now, be a good little lady and keep it down. We don't want to get caught now, do we? Because if we do," he paused to press the cold metal gun against her throbbing jugular and loosened the belt at his waist. "...somebody's going to get hurt."
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"Hey, took ya long enough, Takahashi," Aika snorted as she grabbed the detergent from noticeably pale and shaky hands. "...What's wrong? Why are you shaking like that?"
Aika gave her friend a thorough look: she took note of the woman's disheveled attire, with slight tears and portions frayed at the seams, tousled locks matted down in a half-hearted attempt to look presentable, and a frightened expression on a colorless face. A prominent stain on the lower half of her orange uniform was the last bit of information needed to come to the appropriate conclusion. The hacker reached out and held the broken woman in her arms, letting her shed tears freely onto her uniform.
Koharu emerged with a fresh batch of sheets to be cleaned, shooting Aika a questioning look regarding her position at the moment. The other hacker mouthed a single word and Koharu felt the blood rush away from her face. Releasing the cart from her hands, the tall hacker built up the courage to confront officer Michishige. With some caution on the guard's side, she listened to what the convict had to say, only stopping to ask if she had any idea who the perpetrator was.
Without an answer, the dark-haired officer scanned the cleaning area. Her eyes had found Ai in the arms of one of the other inmates and she immediately made her way to the woman. Kneeling beside the curled up inmate, the guard had found all the signs that Aika had seen earlier.
"Takahashi, I need you to tell me who did it."
The crying woman looked up and found the junior officer staring, waiting for a reply. "I...I don't know..."
Sayumi mentally cursed herself for not being more attentive, and lacking the experience to know who had done such an evil thing. She glanced around the room for any suspicious activity from the other male officers, but to no avail. She knew she had no choice but to report this to her senpai, though she feared the worst when it came to that woman's course of disciplinary actions. However, this situation was anything but forgivable and if anyone deserved a Niigaki-punishment, it was this man.
The junior officer left the hackers and Ai to rush toward her senpai's office. She didn't even bother knocking on the door and barged into the woman's office without any formal greetings. "Niigaki-san, there's been an incidence of sexual assault in the cleaning area in the basement level."
The head of the guards raised an eyebrow and gestured her junior to stand at ease. "And...?"
"...And neither I, nor the victim, knows who attacked her? What exactly do you want me to say?"
Risa rubbed the temples of her head with her fingers as she leaned her elbows atop her desk. "It could be only one person..."
"Should I report this to the warden?"
The head guard stood from her seat and escorted the both of them from her office. "I will report the incident after I handle the situation myself."
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The atmosphere over dinner had been bleak. Aika and Koharu had managed to inform their inner circle of the incident and each of the girls were on edge, taking great care as to not say anything that would strike the wrong nerve on their latest addition. None had imagined that she of all people would have been the one to suffer this. She was so quiet, so unassuming...
It was almost deja vu.
To add salt to a freshly open wound, Reina had walked over to sit at the far end of their table as she always had, finding the silence at the other end rather incongruous from the usual. The yankii concluded the silence was offensive and asked, "Why the hell aren't you guys being obnoxious like always?"
She wasn't even acknowledged from the motley crew, and of course, this irritated her. "What the hell? Cat got your tongue? You get raped, or punished, or something?" the rebel woman asked, laughing at her own twisted sense of humor.
Oh she struck a chord, alright. Ai frozen upon hearing the word and began to panic in her seat. As the hackers and the contraband girls worked together to ease her, Airi walked over to where Reina sat, glaring at the yankii square in the eye. "Look, Reina, I don't know what you're problem is, but you need to learn to shut the fuck up when you're not wanted, because yes, as a matter of fact, Ai did get raped. So just shut up while you're still ahead."
Reina bit her lip to try and stifle a laugh but it was too late; the yankii had attracted the attention of everyone within an earshot of their table. Cruel as it was, Reina didn't sugarcoat anything for anyone, and if someone had to teach the newbie a lesson, it would be her.
"Look, new girl, you need to get over yourself. We all have to deal with it around here, and just because you're new doesn't make you damn special. Take it from someone that has to deal with it every damn day. You can cry all you want, but no one really cares."
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It was late in the evening, and though everyone else seemed to have fallen fast asleep, Ai huddled against the wall as she lay wide awake in bed. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could hear was that harsh breathing and her own muted sobs against his sweating palms; all she could feel as that disgusting, painful feeling of something being forced inside her and the cold metal of a gun that could have very well ended her life. In the showers today, she had scrubbed herself raw, nails tearing through skin in attempts to wash away the grime of the deed. Her arms, her legs, her body were decorated with swelling red welts and self-induced scratches, evidence of her desperate attempts to forget. No, she couldn't sleep because it would only force her to remember.
The sudden illumination in the hallway of their wing had caught her attention, and she quickly jumped from her bed to determine what was going on through her metal bars. As Ai looked around, she found the other inmates of her wing doing the same, but all eyes immediately fell upon the two figures at the bottom floor of their hallway. Under further scrutiny, the inmate identified that they were officer Niigaki and the man that had molested her on her first night, and just a few hours ago. She could feel a cold shiver run down her spine.
"Ito Ryousuke: patrolman, divorcee, and with his own criminal history of rape and battery. Tell me, Ryousuke-san, how do you like working in an all-female penitentiary? Have you been making friends with our inmates?" Risa's voice echoed throughout the corridor, grasping the undivided attention of all the inmates in the wing.
The convicts watched as the head of the guards slowly circled around the pathetic excuse of a patrolman, basking in quiet pleasure as they watched him sweat under the unforgiving fluorescent lights of the hallway. "I-I-I don't know what you want to hear from me N-Niigaki-san," he stuttered, loosening the buttons of his collar with a quivering finger.
Without warning, Risa unleashed her baton and held it perpendicular to the man's throat, and forced it against him, blocking his airways as she pushed her entire weight to crush the patrolman against the wall between two of the lower level cells. His gagging and choking noises resonated through the desolate halls, and the inmates continued to be enthralled by the impressive display of strength by the younger woman, for once in admiration as opposed to fear. The patrolman tried to pull the baton away from the woman's grasp, but the lack of air intake was making him considerably weaker.
Before the man could pass out from insufficient oxygen intake, Risa pulled back her baton and began to walk away. The patrolman took a moment to gasp and replenish his air supply, before taking out his own gun and preparing to take fire. As he cocked the gun and prepared to pull the trigger, the head of the guards turned at her heels and took fire, placing a bullet square in the man's groin. "Why don't I do the talking for you, then?"
The man unleashed a ghastly scream that rang throughout the wing. He dropped his gun, fell to his knees and used his hands to shield the wounded area, but the female officer would not stop and her aim was unforgivably true. The head of the guards continued to shower the man's most sensitive area with one bullet after another, shouting the names of various female inmates that resided in this particular wing.
"Shimizu! Mitsui! Kusumi! Yajima! Suzuki! Tanaka!..."
The list of victims went on and on, and a bullet struck deep inside sensitive flesh with every tick off that list. Risa paused only to reload her gun, and continued to shoot the man repeatedly, never once taking notice of the looks of grotesque approval and alarm from the inmates contained within their cells, subjected to watch the torture of this wretched man.
Officer Michishige came running through the entrance of an opposite wing, rushing towards her trigger-happy senpai. "NIIGAKI-SAN, STOP THIS NOW!!" And she had tried to rip the gun from the woman's grasp, but the struggle she offered only earned her a well-placed punch in the gut and a kick that landed her flat on the floor.
Risa walked closer to the profusely bleeding patrolman, the nether regions of his uniform stained crimson from his own blood. The senior officer paused to aim once she was within arm's reach of the man, and shot her last bullet straight into his head.
"...Takahashi."
The head guard breathed heavily, tossing her empty weapon to the side as she stared at the mutilated corpse before her. It could have easily been seen as another act of cruelty, one driven by a need to restore order to the facility once more. But there was only one person in this wing that would understand that it had everything to do with revenge, and sadly, as Risa looked up to the cell containing said person, they weren't there.
Risa walked over to where she had subdued her junior, and offered the woman a genuine helping hand. "Call the other guards and tell them to clean up this mess."
As Sayu ran toward the exit, Risa picked up her gun and placed it back in its holster. She looked around for the first time that evening, eyes moving from one paled face to another. These women feared her and everything she was capable of. The head officer smirked smugly as she walked up the stairwells to the second floor.
It had been quite some time since she had faced their latest addition, but much like their first encounter, Risa had met with wide eyes and a slackened jaw dropped open in shock and horror. But honestly, what else was new? The officer reached a hand through the metal bars of the woman's jail cell, and patted her head as gently as she could, despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins. It was an uncharacteristic gesture, further highlighted by a gentle smile on her lips, but it was more than welcome by the nervous inmate.
"Takahashi-san...you, and everyone else in this wing, will never have to worry about that man bothering you ever again."
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"Are you a fan of Chopin's Nocturne, Niigaki-san? Nocturne in E flat, of course. A lovely classic."
Risa stood at ease before the warden's giant oak desk, bracing herself for her own punishment to be delivered for how she had handled the previous evening's situation with a lack of finesse and subtlety. She watched as the warden lifted the stylus onto the rotating disk, easing into his velvet throne upon hearing the soft melodies of a classical piano fill the room.
"I murdered patrolman Ito Ryousuke, sir."
Tsunku's head swayed gently with the melody, eyes closed as he basked in the gentle trills of the piano tune. "And do you expect to be punished for that, Niigaki-san?" he asked, his voice drifting dreamily along with the music.
"Yes, sir. We had already lost a number of our members due to the juvenile delinquents, and I had no right to abuse my position to murder another."
The warden leaned his elbows against the oak table, eyes still closed as he drowned in the melody. "Honestly, Niigaki-san, you do need to loosen up a bit. I will not punish you because God wouldn't punish you for your actions. What you did was for the sake of justice, and it was done out of good-will for the sake of others, was it not? As far as anyone's concerned, your 'sins' are forgiven. Perhaps your past can be forgiven as well."
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And there ya have it. I had managed to take out a lot of unnecessary detail in that one particular scene, and hopefully it's a lot more tastefully done than I had initially implied it'd be. And did anyone catch that HnK shout out? LOL That was for all the people that don't like Risa's fiancé haha
And now the tides have turned, ladies and gents. Everything will slowly unravel, so keep taking notes! haha And a lot more emphasis will be placed on sayu~ you'll get to see why I love her so much finally hahah Because there's more to her than just being a personal assistant/janitor/clean up crew for Gaki :lol:
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i saw teh update, dropped what i was doing and read like crazy....
holly crap is all i can say im like speechless right now D:
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:shocked :panic: :bow:
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Omg this is incredible. Its like the gritty reboot I've always wanted! Poor ai, poor everyone! But Gaki and Sayu and Tsunku! *keels over from the amazing story* grgfhgrgfhgrfddfghtgdg!
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I have issues. I was laughing the whole time, especially once Ryousuke's name came up :lol: Way to go
wonderfully, awesome, word's-can't-further-explain-this-epic-ness Officer Niigaki :3
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:imdead: holy crap :shocked intense intense intense....omg SSOOO GUDDD!! The rest of 9th and 10th gen got killed off :bigdeal: at least they wouldnt have to mourn long for the death of rihoriho and ayumi
Im sooo excited rite now, i luv how things are turning out XD ai randomly getting rapped when she juss wanted to get some detergent :mon scare: its not safe anywhere nowadays
Dat rapist officer got tore up :on beatup oh man
He mustve rapped all c-ute, koubou, and the ones from morning musume...he has been busy
Aite enough of me talkin, i really enjoyed these two chapters :on GJ: im uber excited even though this is an angsty story, cant wait for your next update
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darkacex99: yeah I'm kind of sorry about the angst lol but most of the angst and violence will pretty much be over with after chapter 8. And after that chapter, it's gonna be more of a detective case than an action plot (actually im just kidding lol), but you'll just have to keep reading to find out where I'm headed haha. At least the ending will be "nice" lol relatively speaking...
LOL well everyone took that better than I thought ahha So here's an omake for some fun-sake and whatnot. We're gonna follow Sayu around, so get your Sherlocke Holmes on, errbody~
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Omake II
Day 128
The last thing Sayumi needed was her senpai, with her extensive history of violence, holding any suspicions regarding her self-proclaimed, confidential mission to discover the truth. It was terrifying enough to be on the other end of the woman's gun once before, and that was an experience that required no repeating. And despite the head officer's well-meaning, wicked murder of the rapist patrolman, Sayu still had reason to believe that her senpai would only continue with her path of destruction if she did not get to the heart of the matter. The warden being so quick to dismiss her senpai's actions were also troublesome when she tried to wrap her mind around his reasoning.
Accessing the penitentiary archives was a bit ambitious, and would surely raise suspicion. For now, the junior officer had to settle for sacrificing a few hours of sleep in order to begin her detective work. First stop? The cafeteria.
The evening roll call had just concluded. The head officer had returned from delivering Tanaka, and retired to her office for some rest before her graveyard shift. Sayu had only 2 hours until that time, so she asked another officer on duty to take her rounds briefly while she went on her personal business. Sneaking through the dimly lit halls of the desolate penitentiary was something the junior officer noted she needed to grow accustomed to if she wanted to delve deeper into her senpai's records.
The dark-haired officer came to the expectedly empty cafeteria, and crossed through the double doors to the kitchen to find two women still awake and busy cleaning the piles upon piles of dirtied trays. Their matching orange uniforms indicated they were inmates, but their off-hours of work were incongruent with the reformatory's schedule.
"Aren't you two supposed to be in your cells at this hour?"
The taller of the two women turned around with a cocked eyebrow. "And are you going to clean these trays for us then?"
The officer shot the smart ass a glare and walked over to the sinks, flashing her badge to the two women. Neither happened to be impressed. "I need to know why Niigaki-san came down here before going to the solitary confinement cells with the juveniles. What business did she have with you two?" When neither responded to her question, the dark-haired officer grew irritated. Taking her gun from its holster and directing it at the two chefs, she asked her question again.
"Jesus, put that thing away!! We'll talk, we'll talk!!" Lin Lin shouted, soapy hands up in the air in surrender.
Once the junior officer placed the gun away from sight, the two chefs relaxed and returned to their evening duties. "Officer Niigaki wanted our assistance in the disposal of the two perps," Jun Jun replied.
"Yeah," the other woman added, "She just wanted to take advantage of our expertise with poison chemicals."
That answer was certainly unexpected, but the officer had to push further. "But you two are just criminals assigned to dining services. How are you accessing these chemicals?"
"We can't," the two replied in unison.
Jun Jun nodded her head for her partner to explain while she carried their fresh pile of clean trays off to the drying rack. "Officer Niigaki and the warden are the only ones who have access to the medical labs with all the chemicals, you know, in the infirmary. Besides the doctors and medical personnel, but we never see them anyway."
"But why would she entrust you two criminals to carry on this task?"
Jun Jun returned with a huge grin on her face. "You'd be surprised by how much Niigaki-san happens to let us get away with. And for your information, officer, you just so happen to be talking to two of China's greatest meth lab scientists and drug trafficking agents. We know a thing or two about chemistry, more so than your average junkie and street pusher. Who better to turn to?"
"And so officer Niigaki had ordered you to...?"
"Poison the two perps. She watched us while we made the batches, of course. Probably paranoid that we'd go a little crazy or poison the other inmates or something," Lin Lin explained.
"But we were ordered to keep the dosage fairly small, to keep things a little more humane. Niigaki-san made that request very, very clear. Just a little bit into their meals each and every day until the effects probably overwhelmed their defense systems. They were young girls after all, they most likely died in their sleep."
It was a shaky foundation to start with, but the junior officer needed more. She couldn't rely on the convicted population for the time being; most, if not all, had been driven to fear the living hell out of her senpai and would most likely remain on their best behavior for a long time. There would hardly be another chance to fish for information in that pool, sans Reina, but that would require her to tread even more dangerous waters, considering how Risa had her hawk-eyes set solely on her. Tomorrow, her journeys would have to lead her to either the infirmary for the medical records, or to the reformatory's archives, but for the remainder of the evening, she would reserve that for plotting an alibi in the case of getting discovered.
And so it begins...
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Everyone at PMR is a badass lol So whoa. Poison, sound familiar?
Where will Sayu's nosy head lead her? Probably nowhere good =P anywho, I'm gonna be a bit busy this next week so idk when chapter 7 will come along T__T lol darn, right when it was starting to get sort of interesting too =P bear with~ and I kinda wanna get the happy going again with HnK so who knows lol we all want a break from the heavy, ne? =]
Anywho, this story is headed on a steady pace and everything about the plot is pretty much set in stone now, but did you guys wanna see something in particular? Just wanna get an idea of how I wanna break your hearts go about delivering this properly lol
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*rolls around in anguish*
OH GOD SAYU UR GONNA GET UR ASS HANDED TO U IF U ACT ALL DETECTIVEY!
i had a feeling that the pandas were part of that killing of the two kids ;3; like something was kinda fishy that both of them died so suddenly if that makes sense...eventhough it was totally wrong to poison them atleast risa had some kind of heart in the matter, but then again she could've just let them die in 1 go instead of little doeses...GAH TOO MUCH FO MAH HAATO! :panic: :panic: :panic: :panic: :panic:
have a good weekend and good luck ne~? :deco:
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Dang, what an informative omake. Sayu is definitely headed for trouble... And yet I'm depending on her to uncover some truth!
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Ahahah oh man I dont know if I've recovered yet from the last updates XD
Okay, you've convinced me, Sayu's gonna be a badass. XD but it's like a bloodhound sniffing around a bear trap laced with peanut butter, okay? Eventually... Something real bad is gonna happen. I don't trust that there will be a "nice" ending. I DON'T TRUST ANYTHING! :catglare:
Have a fun break from writing amidst all the busy-times coming up~ :heart: we'll be patiently (pfffft no XD) waiting for the next chapter~
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Oh lord sayu is starting to dig her own grave and risa's gunna push her in when she catches her :panic:
Oh and i hope you have a good weekend :thumbup
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I'll assume the worst when it comes to "nice" endings o.O
nuuuu Sayu~ There's a reason no one's told you what's going on~ you're gonna die now Dx curiosity killed...the bunny~ :catglare: And I can't believe the pandas are meth lab scientist people :O You just come up with the worst crimes lol
Since you'll have a busy week, have an awesome weekend~ :D
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After reading everyone's responses, I'm pretty much lol-ing from all the "SAYU'S GONNA DIE" conspiracy speculations ahha Am I really that evil, guys? xD Can't I write nice, happy things, too? xDDD And sayu's like my baby in this story, why would I wanna hurt her? *devil horns* lol
Slightly long chapter ahead! Looking forward to more speculation!!
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Chapter Seven: Genesis
Day 132
Today, the record spun along its axis to play the dated 60's hit Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel, an odd and carefree tune of melodious nonsense that sharply contrasted the tension in the room. The warden stood by his window, eyes closed and fingers twiddling about as he rocked on his air guitar to the quirky riffs of the retro track. The man had just offered his guest his sympathies and delivered her, what he considered, a pleasant alternative to her present situation.
"We like you, Takahashi-san. You've given none of the staff any trouble, and though the circumstances that have led us to this conclusion were unfortunate, we trust that you will be more than pleased with your new accommodations at the reformatory's educational facilities. Besides, there was an agreement between officer Niigaki and myself: We felt as though your corporate brilliance was being wasted in your former position at the cleaning facilities. You will find yourself a bit more at home in this new area."
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Day 133
With the two female guards presiding over their journey to the distant halls of the educational facility, Ai wondered if there was any likelihood that other inmates had been transfered to this sector of the reformatory as well. If she recalled correctly, Niigaki-san had shouted quite a long list of fellow inmates' names during the torturous shoot-out a few days ago, and surely she wasn't the only one with a decent educational background capable of whatever the duties called for with her new position. This section of the penitentiary did not seem to frequent many guests, and Ai herself wasn't even aware there was such a thing as an educational facility within a prison system. She was shocked enough learning that a "prayer group" existed, but there were many things left undiscovered within the walls of the reformatory.
But what if she wasn't so lucky? What if this was just another, more private location that would threaten further bouts of abuse and harassment?...But then the convict realized she was in the midst of two guards that have proven they were capable of showing some sense of morality, despite their cold facades...and didn't the warden say that he and the head guard herself agreed on this particular arrangement? She had no choice but to trust their judgment for the meantime.
The trio finally reached the end of the unfrequented hallway and crossed through oak double doors into Ai's relocated space. Her eyes wandered in awe of the various shelves lining the walls of the room, ornamented with dented paperbacks and worn hardbacks, and magazines and pamphlets littered about on scattered tabletops and wooden seats. The rich amount of sunshine that leaked in from the windows spaced between the bookshelves of the area was a welcoming sight, and the woman that emerged from the maze of towering shelves was even more so.
As the woman came within range, the head guard turned about face to address the convict. "Takahashi-san, this is Kamei Eri. She is the librarian here at Project Morning and from now on you will do as Kamei-san orders for your occupational time at the reformatory. Whatever Kamei-san says, you do. Do you understand?"
Ai nodded, eyes darting from officer Niigaki, to officer Michishige, then to her new supervisor. The woman seemed much kinder, if her lax smile didn't give that away from the get-go. Compared to the battle-hardened officers standing at either side of her, the new woman had an easy way about her. The clothes she wore were dainty and casual, her hair dyed to a rustic brunette trimmed to rest just above her shoulders, and her eyes stared lazily at her, vacant of any hints of anger or ill-will. Indeed, compared to the guards, this woman was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Eri walked forward to extend a hand in greeting, a lazy smile fixed upon her lips. "It's nice to meet you, Takahashi-san."
The convict took the friendly woman's hand in her own, marveling at the smoothness of her skin against her calloused, jail-hardened digits. A rush of childish insecurities began to course through her the longer the librarian held her hand. It had been so long since she had taken the time to care for herself, and oh how she selfishly craved those times of self-pampering. These were simple pleasures that were no longer within reach, for now...
"If there are any problems, Kamei-san, you know how to reach us. I can't imagine there will be," Risa stated, pacing her way through the oak double doors. Sayu trailed slowly behind her as her own eyes scanned through the educational facility, taking in every book, every detail. Wheels were turning, and as the dark-haired officer closed the oak double doors from the outside of the room, her eyes met with Ai's for the first time since their confrontation at the cleaning area. The guard hoped for once that the woman could sense that she was on her side, instead of the law, but the look of distant fear in the convict's eyes clearly displayed her failure in doing so.
Ai didn't even realize that the librarian had taken her own hands and replaced them with books in the convict's hands. The unexpected weight in her grasp forced the convict to clumsily drop the books to the floor, and in her own embarrassment, Ai dropped to her knees to gather them back with fidgeting fingers. The librarian knelt down beside her, placing a calm hand over Ai's, placating the inmate's unnecessary anxiety over the accident. With books gathered in one arm, Eri used the other to lift both of them back to their feet.
"There's nothing to worry about, Takahashi-san. You're safer here," Eri said, her soothing words and actions easing the tension from her companion's fidgety and tight grip on the books she just handed her. "...I read your files and officer Niigaki had warned me that you might behave this way, but I promise I'll take care of you." But her words did little to pacify the convicts nerves, evident in the way they continued to shake.
"...I suppose it wouldn't help to know that these incidents have since quelled down long before your arrival?" the librarian asked with a nervous giggle. Her humor wasn't appreciated. "Ever since officer Niigaki had taken the position as head of the guards, the reformatory and infirmary had to deal with less assault cases by the day. She really cleaned up the place, you know. Before her, the attacks happened nearly every few hours so it seemed..."
The librarian trailed off purposefully, to make sure Ai was all ears. Once she had gotten the inmate's attention, Eri led the both of them through the lined shelves of the library to continue with their organizational duties. "Prior to working here at the educational facilities, I was an intern at the medical lab and reformatory's infirmary. Before Niigaki-san took charge, the amount of victims we had to attend to never seemed to dwindle, but none of the medical staff questioned it. We simply couldn't. Our job was solely to help these women return to working condition, regardless of how alarming it was to discover the bruises, signs of battery, and even possible cases of pregnancy...
"But after that fiasco, everything had improved ten-fold, really. The number of women that came to the infirmary for anything other than the usual medical check-up had been reduced to single digits, and even then it was only every couple or so months. At that point, the medical staff was unnecessarily overflowing, so I was transfered here to the educational facilities," the kind librarian said with a smile.
As she was handed a few paperbacks that required indexing, Ai's curiosity unearthed itself as the dusted cogs of her mind ran together like clockwork once again. "And what happened to those women?"
Eri led the two back to the main desk so she could label the books accordingly. She eyed the inmate warily, wondering if this was overstepping her boundaries as a semi-authoritative figure at the facility. "Well, a few are still here but most of them have been released on parole and are living new lives outside these walls. But as you can imagine, some others did not fare as well." Her eyes fell upon the nervous convict, now standing in silence and staring blankly at the floor as her mind curiously ticked and attempted to make sense of something. It was a look that was all too familiar to this librarian.
"I can't read your mind, but I have a feeling I know what you're thinking of...And let me just advise you right now: don't even think about it, Ai-chan. You're still an outlaw yourself."
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Day 210
The sun had barely risen, and even then, the convicts that lined the western wing of the reformatory were still granted a few more minutes of sleep prior to the morning roll call. Had it not been for the ruckus in cell #1111, all eyes would have remained closed and captured in the land of dreams.
"Does mama know what her little angel does? Does she know how her daughter earns a living?" The rebel inmate used the chain connecting her handcuffs to place a choke hold on her commanding officer, trapping the woman inside the closed jail cell with her strangling grip. "Is mama proud of what a pathetic coward her baby has become?"
The head officer struggled against the convict's crafty use of her metal bindings, fangs beared as she fought desperately to regain control. The guard turned the tides, using the convict's momentum against her, and kneed Reina square in the gut, blowing the wind right out of her. With the loosened death grip against her throat, the head officer gasped to revitalize her airways, then swiftly side-swiped the rebel at her feet, causing the woman to crash straight onto the concrete floor. Risa placed a booted foot against the convict's chest, pressing her weight just slightly against Reina's sternum before taking her gun from its holster and pointing it to the fallen woman.
"I could kill you..."
Reina could feel the heel of the guards boot burying itself practically through her ribcage. Already weary from her long hours of punishment, the rebel woman forced a cheeky grin on her lips as she grunted, "Go ahead and put me out of my damn misery."
With a final push of her foot, Risa let go of her hold on the inmate and exited the cell. "You don't deserve that satisfaction."
Meanwhile, ears in a foreign cell internalized every word of the violent exchange.
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Day 229
This was a risk she was willing to take. Of course, taking advantage of her supervisor's kind nature was something Ai had never wanted to do, but the librarian's words had sparked her need to be informed. The meddling was not necessarily driven to fulfill self-enrichment, but it was deemed necessary. After she had heard how these previous assault cases were kept under the rug for years, reduced to a topic of hush-hush nonsense, Ai was reminded of her own unwanted sexual encounter. How quickly the warden and the head guard acted to correct the wrongdoings of their staff was alarming, so calculating and precise. Why else would officer Niigaki make such a show out of that brutal murder of the patrolman? It must have been to provide her and the other inmates a sense of false security, it just had to be. Murderous people like the head of the guards could not be capable of projecting genuinely kind intentions. Impossible. Furthermore, the injustice of properly handling these cases by these supposedly "authoritative" figureheads had re-awakened the events of primary injustice that had led her to this damned place to begin with. Life was not fair, but she would be damned if fate thought she would not seek retribution for the curse that was cast upon her.
It was an audacious task, but an imperative burden she was willing to bear. Perhaps it would grant her the freedom she deserved, but rather than dreaming up a scenario that might be unlikely, Ai toned down her ambitions for a smaller-scale possibility, one more likely to pull through if she could manage to have the appropriate people cooperate. She knew she could trust some choice inmates off the bat, while a few others would take some convincing. Ai couldn't waiver, not now. As the only inmate with the closest chances to access these secure files, she was the only one with key to taking this vile facility down. For the sake of revenge, for the sake of justice.
While Eri had gone to organize some freshly indexed books in the labyrinth of shelves and printed documents, Ai stealthily entered the librarian's office where the lone computer of the facility was housed. If she could only access these documented files, perhaps she could find the evidence necessary to put her plans into action...
"Good luck deciphering the encryptions, Ai-chan."
Ai tore away from the computer screen to find that she had been discovered by Eri. Fuck, caught red-handed and without anything to show for it.
"I had a feeling you would try something like this, so I coded the computer to ensure that no one could gain access into these files, not even the warden nor Niigaki-san. I saw from your files that you had taken part in some computer code encryption scandal as well, so I made sure these codes were much more sophisticated."
The librarian walked over to the convict and patted her on the back. "Look, I'm on your side here, but I can't give you everything on a silver platter. I'd get fired, you know." She winked at the inmate, who calmed down considerably since her surprise discovery. "If you manage to surprise me and break in, I'll be sure to erase any of the search history if ever the case is brought up in front of the warden or any other members of the higher staff. It'll be our little secret."
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"I need your help."
The hackers and the contraband girls looked up from their trays of gruel to stare blankly at the requester. "With what?"
Ai took a seat beside the hackers and dropped her tray carelessly in front of her. She checked to see if any of the guards were within their area before stuffing her hand down her shirt to take out a crumpled piece of paper. As she smoothed out the wrinkles of the scrap sheet, pieces of a digitized code were revealed one by one. Airi and her group stared at the document, not quite sure what to make of it, while Koharu all but grabbed the piece of paper from the center of the table, pulling Aika in closer so she could examine the code scribbled on as well.
"How did you get this?"
"From the computer at the educational facility. I have no idea what it means, but I need to somehow figure it out to get access to the actual computer. It's a just a block of numbers and letters that I can't make heads or tails out of."
Aika scrutinized the piece of paper further before asking, "And if you do get through the computer, what exactly are you searching for, new girl?"
"I need the medical records and the archived files of all the inmates here."
The group stared at their latest addition with wide, unbelieving eyes. "Are you fucking crazy?! You're digging your own grave, Aichan!" Maimi whispered harshly.
"We need to shut this place down, and those files have all the evidence we need to do this," Ai spoke, perfectly confident with her reasons as she helped herself to the rice on her tray.
"But what if your supervisor catches you? There's no way she would let you get away with that. She'll definitely tell the warden, and you'll definitely have to suffer a worse punishment sentence than Tanaka," Saki deduced. All eyes were on Ai as they awaited her response, not necessarily caring about what she had to say, but more interested in trying to talk her out of this act of chivalrous stupidity.
"I trust Kamei-san."
"Kamei..." Airi pondered, pointer tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Why does that name sound so familiar...?"
"Who cares!? The point is, Takahashi-san, you're head is on the line here. You can't trust everyone in prison, especially the authority here. Not everyone is as nice as we are, didn't we warn you from the beginning?" Chisato questioned, her voice threatening to escalate into a full yell tone.
"We'll never get anywhere if we don't take risks."
"And risks get you killed around here. You're a dead woman walking, Aichan..." Mai whispered, while the rest of the group nodded their heads in agreement.
Koharu and Aika slammed the piece of paper back on the center of the table. "We've figured it out!...Airi can we get a pencil or something?"
The contraband woman tilted her arm down, and through the sleeves of her uniform, a pencil propped itself right into the palm of her hands. After handing it to the hackers, the duo went to work on scribbling complex code languages on the backside of the crumpled sheet.
"This isn't the entire code, we're guessing; that'd be too simple. So we need you to take control of the command for us, and input the following code EXACTLY as you read it," Aika instructed, slamming her index finger against the instructions.
"If you make so much as one mistake in the input code, the computer will most likely stay in a permanent lock-down state, and there's going to be little else we can assist you with," Koharu said, handing Ai the piece of paper. "Since this is only part of the code, we're going to need you to act as our middleman. Write as much of the new code as you possibly can, every damn thing you see on that computer screen, and we'll decipher and deliver new instructions for you to encode. You'll be stuck in that facility twice a day, so with a little work, we can crack through this code in no time."
"You're all crazy," Saki commented.
"Hey," Aika uttered, directing the points of her chopsticks toward the contraband member. "You guys can get away with having your fun every single day. It's about time we have some fun around here, as well."
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And just as the hackers had promised, Ai, Aika, and Koharu were able to untangle the web of encryptions in about a week's worth of time. It was only expected that Eri's coding skills would be sub-par to that of the master hackers at the penitentiary. With Eri turning the other cheek towards the end of Ai's shift at the facility, the convict would have to work fast if she wanted to access all the appropriate files necessary to set her plan into action.
The first day she had cracked the code, Ai wasted no time in delving into officer Michishige's personal files. Much to her chagrin, however, there was nothing of interest located in her personal records, aside from being a newcomer to the penitentiary compared to Niigaki-san. The following day was dedicated into delving into her contraband group's files. Each of the five girls' weren't lying with their stories, but one particular notice on each of their records made Ai uneasy. Moving on to the hackers, Ai had found the duo was also telling the truth about their misdeeds. Likewise was found with the bombers.
The last of the convict files she perused was Reina's. As she skimmed through the personal records, it had shocked Ai to read that the woman had been at the penitentiary for about 10 years now, much longer than any of the other convicts in her circle, or most of the current convicts at the penitentiary in general. The details of her crime were nothing drastic, but still inexcusable to any official of the law. The recorded details of her punishment during her sentence were horrifically obscene and frequent. If anything, this provided Ai with a better understanding of why the yankii acted the way she did, as well as the meaning behind prison punishment at the reformatory.
Before Ai exited out of the convicts' archive folder, a name had caught her eye. She had seen this same name under the folder for inspectors and law enforcers, so she wondered if this just happened to have been an overlooked mistake in documentation on Eri's part. Curiously, however, the convict clicked the folder titled "Niigaki Risa." With that single click, everything she thought she knew about the heartless head officer was shattered, crumbling to the ground with each new detail she uncovered. Just how many secrets did this damn penitentiary hide?
As the convict reached the end of the head officer's criminal records, Eri emerged inside the office. "I'm assuming you've found everything you're looking for?"
Ai stood from her seat to allow Eri access to the computer to clear the search history data. "Do you happen to know anything more about Niigaki-san and Tanaka Reina-san?"
While the computer shut down, Eri stood upright again and faced the convict with a confused look. "Were the records lacking in the information you were looking for?"
"Well, not really. It's just that, I recall you said something about being here for quite a period of time. And you talked about some sort of incident that took place before officer Niigaki came into her position. What her files showed me were her misdemeanors as a criminal and her honors attained as an officer, but nothing about how or why."
Eri sighed and looked at the clock. There was still plenty of time before she could release her convict for dinner, so time could be well-spent through this. Knowing Ai and her persistence, attempting to talk her out of digging her nose deeper into these matters was a losing battle. The librarian instructed her company to take a seat beside her in the office. "It all started 10 years ago..."
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And the next chapter is a history lesson lol Project Morning Reformatory 101~ We'll finally get to learn about Reina, Risa, and maybe the warden and all the other goodies hidden at the prison. Lots more H!P cast members popping up fosho!!! So really, no more detective work after the next chapter...maybe lol It's more like story time, with hidden tidbits of useful information haha Just another one of my warnings that no one really seems to mind: im bringing back the torture and senseless violence with the next chapter lol bewareeee~
I wonder who you guys think I'll be killing off this time xD And give yourselves a pat on the back =] you've made it halfway through the madness!!!
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im like totally spazzing and rolling around on my bed and banging my hands against the wall! WHY DID U STOP THERE?! D:
btw rndy says she refuses to comment on this chapter LOL
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Oh mah gawd secret doors are bein opened :panic:
I wonder who you guys think I'll be killing off this time
hmmmm :? I monder myself too
Cnt wait for the history lesson in the next chap O0
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Gah, omg, why. Why would you stop there. You big troll. XD i just kinda threw my hands up after reading this one like, wtf am I supposed to say XD though at least it's a bit of a breather in between all the violence and ohnoes going on XD I now predict Eri will die tho. Someone will find out she's helped. If Tsunku is like Blue, Eri's gonna be Blondie. Them's my speculations. Though I still don't think Sayu will fare well either. XD the question for me here isn't really a matter of who's gonna die, but rather when. Lol
Also:
Koharu and Aika slammed the piece of paper back on the center of the table. "We've figured it out!...Airi can we get a pencil or something?"
The contraband woman tilted her arm down, and through the sleeves of her uniform, a pencil propped itself right into the palm of her hands. After handing it to the hackers, the duo went to work on scribbling complex code languages on the backside of the crumpled sheet.
Bahahahahahah I died laughing here. I bet it prob wasn't as funny to anyone else but Airi is now the human vending machine to me XD
...Hurry up with the next chapter please. ;^; Else I bring my stories to a screeching halt. XD
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omake or next chapter plz :twothumbs
It all started 10 years ago??? Geeeeeeeeez that's a long time ago....:O that's a long time to be a criminal....
Geez, first Sayu is being all nosy, and now Aichan? DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE A DEATHWISH OR SOMETHING? :panic:
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Anyone order a huge serving of angst with a double side of torture and criminal intent, topped with a generous helping of depression and suicidal thoughts for dessert? =P
But seriously, I have a feeling people are going to start questioning my sanity after reading this chapter. It's pretty dark. So warning: please don't read if you can't handle the not so subtle implications of depressing/suicidal thoughts, torture, rape abuse, etc. I kind of took all the horrible things and shoved them into this chapter. And it's a long one, too. Sorry >__< It's the final hurdle though, good luck.
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Chapter Eight: Advent
Niigaki Risa. Age 19. A university student double-majoring in philosophy and psychology. She wasn't too terribly brilliant, but what she lacked in intelligence, she more than made up for with her go-to attitude. During the several hours she dedicated to the various odd-jobs she worked, Risa would happily go about doing what she was paid to do while memorizing the words of Kant and Freud. When she waited tables, she engaged in awkward conversations about the id and ego to her customers, who often came back another day to continue their intellectual banter. While she washed dishes, she would read her lecture notes taped up to the walls above the sink. As she walked home in the dead of night, she would pop in her earphones and listen to the day's lectures she recorded on her phone. Indeed this was a woman that worked hard in all aspects of her life, with the strongest of will and self-discipline.
But why would a young university student allow all her time to be preoccupied by such serious matters? Youth should be spent having fun with friends and engaged in hours of mindless self-indulgence, right?
After work, Risa would usually be off well after hospital visiting hours. Thankfully, the medical staff took pity on the girl and let her break a few rules to come visit her terminally ill mother. Years of smoking finally took its toll on the maternal Niigaki, and she was suffering from stage 3 lung cancer. The chemotherapy and preventive surgeries were incredibly expensive, and Risa was having the hardest time just paying the apartment bills. Her mother's leave of absence from work forced the girl to pick up the slack, but apartment and hospital bills and tuition costs were piling up, and it was getting more and more difficult as the cancer progressed closer and closer to the serious stage 4.
It would have been all too easy to drop out of school to work full-time to support her mother, but to earn a university degree was the only thing the woman ever asked of her. Even at the ungodly hours of three in the morning, Risa would share her thoughts on those philosophical or psychological matters that held no real meaning to her mother, but just seeing the woman smile so proudly as she talked was comforting.
However, the time came when grades slipped. Her tiring work hours prevented her from keeping up with the demanding course load and sleep would often win the battle over self-discipline for her studies. Sometimes she'd slack off work unintentionally, and her managers would often scold her and threaten to fire her if she didn't get it together. At university, her friends and professors were growing concerned over the increasing amounts of absent days. At home, she would have to answer to a screaming landlady for all the grace periods she let fly by without paying a damn cent off their rent. The time had come to drop out of school. With that gone, she would be able to work more, and at least pay rent. At nights when she came home from work, Risa would share whatever she had read from the few philosophy textbooks she kept, to at least leave her mother with the reassuring impression that she was still hard at work on her college degree. That smile was all that kept her going.
The period of semi-smooth sailing drew to a close Risa had been excused from the restaurant that provided her with most of her funds. The other jobs she worked did not pay her nearly enough, and unfortunately no businesses in the area were hiring. As Risa drunkenly complained about her financial situation over dinner to her former university friends, the boyfriend of one of her companions had pulled her aside after the get-together and offered her a solution to her problems. Now sober, she processed his proposal with some doubt. It had surprised her entirely to think of this man as a thief, but that's what he was. Nothing too major, just the occasional breaking and entering, avoiding all those houses with dogs of course. How else could he afford his girlfriend's high maintenance tastes?
But times were growing tougher and her mother was getting weaker without the necessary chemotherapy to combat her illness. It was a small price she had to pay, but it was for her mother. It was always for her mother.
The first few times were difficult, but Risa eventually slipped into her sleuth role with ease. Before she knew it, she had more than enough money to pay the hospital bills and even go back to university. However, one night she and her partner got sloppy. Caught off guard by the sudden emergence of the homeowner and his pistol, both of them had gotten caught and arrested. After several nights of interrogation, Risa had unfortunately been discovered as being responsible for the various break-ins recently reported around the area. Though it was hardly a severe case or crime, the only facility willing to take her in was the all-female penitentiary in Yokohama, known for housing high profile female criminals.
When it was time to be shipped off to the penitentiary, Risa was surprised to be joined by another female in the police car. Her light brown hair was unruly, as though she had just come from a brief scuffle with a cop, and through her bangs were a pair of wild, misshaped eyes. The woman was smaller in stature but carried her chained up self with notable pride. Their eyes met briefly when the woman finally came to acknowledge her.
"Heh, good to know I'm not the only one being sent to this hell-hole."
The woman smirked and extended her handcuffed hands forward, jutting one hand forward over the other for a shake. "Tanaka Reina. Master thief. Who are you?"
Risa maneuvered her own cuffed wrists to accept the shake. "Niigaki Risa."
The smaller woman sank back into her seat, cuffed hands behind her head as the car began to speed off to its destination. "So what'chu get caught for?"
"Robbery."
"Ha! How long have you been at it?"
"Less than a month."
Risa blushed as Reina laughed a little more loudly than necessary, warranting a stern glare from the driving officer through the rearview mirror. Reina flashed 6 fingers. "I've been at it since 6. Started off by literally stealing candy from babies. After I dropped out from high school, I ran away from home and lived in abandoned factory houses and stole my way through life. The only reason I got caught was 'cuz I was stupid enough to take some idiot on as a partner. That dumbass is the reason why I'm here. I'd probably still be out and sleeping in warehouses otherwise, ya know, living the high life. That's why you should never trust anyone besides yourself to get the job done."
The duo had arrived at the penitentiary in due time. Before they crossed through the gated entrance, they were met by a strict-looking woman. Her lips were tightly pursed and her eyes condescending through her dirty blond fringe. The rest of her hair had been bound in a simple ponytail that hung limply behind her head. Her raspy voice introduced her as the head of the guards at the penitentiary, Nakazawa Yuko. All while she had been directing the two of their daily schedules and duties (with Risa placed in cleaning services while Reina was in the factory mill making highway road signs), the duo had followed in silent awe as they took the rundown facility in. Not once did they meet the warden.
Before long the two girls had been stripped of what they wore and were hosed down to be cleaned. After tossing them their uniforms, the head of the guards had the girls parade through their wing stark naked, with the rest of the female inmates watching them as they marched solemnly to their cells. Catcalls and raunchy propositions for sex in the shower stalls were shouted, but the two marched on by. That evening, the inmates had put on quite a show with the taunting words they whispered into the night.
"You won't make it here. You'll die in here. We're gonna get ya. They'll feed ya to the dogs."
Being new additions at the penitentiary was not easy. They were often referred to as "fresh meat" by the other inmates, who took turns ganging up on the both of them, separated or together. And often, the two had put on a good fight, but were beaten into submission, and it was not until they were bleeding thoroughly that the head of the guards would come to the rescue and beat the other inmates to match. Because of these daily confrontations, the two girls had no choice but to turn to one another as a shoulder to lean on, their personal pillar of support. An odd friendship bloomed in the battlefield for their lives.
It had stayed this way for a good year. The one inmate nicknamed Mikitty often cornered one of them in the shower stalls, and her croonies would surround her while she did more than cop a feel. The one inmate the officers called Johnson was often too high off whatever she got her hands on to be much of a threat, but her murderer companion Abe Natsumi was anything but friendly. Yasuda Kei was the loner arms thief that the duo only ever saw during recreational hours, usually off in her own corner creating makeshift knives with the pieces of scrap metal she horded from the same factory facilities she worked at with Reina. The Ishikawa, Yoshizawa, Makoto trio did not seem to want much trouble with the duo, but they did not make their time in prison any easier. It wasn't until an intervention by the penitentiary's beloved comedian swindler Yaguchi Mari that most of the inmates treated the new duo with some type of respect, though sexual advances from Mikitty were painfully unavoidable, regardless of how valiantly they resisted.
And it had taken another 2 years before the duo had been welcomed into the motley crew's inner circle, once again thanks to Mari. The older women had shared their plans of escape. It had been well-thought out and various aspects of the escape were already completed and primed for the prison break. Time was the only thing they waited for.
"Notice how chief is knocked up? We'll wait 'til she delivers. Then she'll be too tired and hospitalized to do anything about it," Nacchi noted, stabbing the vegetables on her tray with her chopsticks.
The duo conversed between themselves during their recreational period one day, paying careful attention of the head of the guards as she walked around the grounds with her bloated belly. Reina had mentioned something about being excited to get out here, despite not having much to return to once she was free. Niigaki, on the other hand, had more pressing matters to attend to. Though she was allowed to contact her mother through letters filled with fabrications of supposed university life, the responses had stopped coming recently and it worried her to no end.
"We'll get out of here, Risa, just you wait. Then you'll see your mama, just watch!" Reina said with a triumphant smile.
Risa heaved a sigh and smiled in response. She was glad to have met Reina, and only wished the circumstances from which they met had been different. "I hope you're right, Tanakacchi."
The little thief patted her on the back and flashed her a rare toothy smile. "I know I'm right. Just wait. And besides, if anyone's gonna get out of here alive, it's the two of us. Helluva lot faster than those old hags, right? I got your back if you got mine."
"Til the end?"
"Til the end."
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On the night of the escape, everything had gone as planned. All Reina and Risa were instructed to do was to run, "run like the fuckin' wind" as Johnson put it. Kei had everyone in the circle armed and ready with her makeshift knives. Though they seemed ineffective in comparison to the guns the guards wielded, once the lights were out, the difference was hardly distinguishable.
And she was right. Once the lights were off and the locks of all cells magically popped open (as to how, neither of the girls were told in detail), out they ran with knives in hand. The few guards that scattered the interior were quickly taken care of and the members of the inner circle had managed to navigate their way to the exit gates of the penitentiary with ease.
What they failed to prepare for was meeting Nakazawa at the gate with her battalion of guards. Everyone was under the impression that she would be absent for the remainder of the month after having delivered her baby, but here she was in the flesh, armed with a gun in each hand. All she had to do was open fire, and the rest of the guards followed her lead.
One by one, the inmates that had gotten this far were falling to the ground in the barrage of fire. Risa and Reina did what they could to run the opposite direction to the other gate. It would be a tougher wall to climb, but it was better than getting shot down with the rest of them. They jumped over dead bodies, dodged bullets blindly, and cried out whenever the body of one of their own fell from peripheral view.
Before she knew it though, a white light flashed before Risa's eyes and the last thing she saw was Reina falling right on top of her.
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Without any indication of time in this isolated cell of total darkness, Risa had no idea of the hour, day, month, or even year. All she knew was that about every hour or so, Nakazawa Yuko would enter her solitary confinement cell and beat the living shit out of her, just enough to make her bleed, open up old scars and make some new ones. Another hour would pass and this time a group of men would be the ones paying her a visit. And for an entirely different reason.
Yuko was nowhere in sight and her desperate cries seemed to be absorbed by the cold walls of her confined cell. Sometimes it was one by one, other times more than that, but still Risa hated getting visits from these men the most. In the darkness, she couldn't see their faces. She could only hear their voices and feel their filthy hands as they touched her, not even undressing her in their haste. None of them had been gentle, but some were more abusive than necessary.
"Stop that crying, bitch. I'll make it hurt. You smell like shit, bet you look like it too. Dumbass broad, what would you do if I killed you right now?"
She lost track of time, lost track of the beatings and the rape. Before long, it had been just routine. Eventually the crying and the pleas stopped, but the abuse unfortunately did not. Yuko had stopped visiting, and as time drew slowly onward, Risa was only entertained by her unwanted male visitors. She had been subjected to this torment for a year. Risa had been broken.
One day, the slide slit opening on the door let in some light from the outside world, fanning itself into the darkness to reveal the shallow eyes of a broken inmate. The opening slid to a close, and the door opened soon after. The sheer amount of sunlight that spilled through was enough to overwhelm her eyes, and naturally Risa covered her face and scooted to the darker corner of her box-like space. As her eyes acclimated to unnatural sunlight, Risa could see a posh-dressed man standing before her. She wondered if it was time to undress herself again.
But instead the man came forth and unlocked the chains that bound her. "I'm the warden at this penitentiary, Niigaki-san. Tsunku."
When the inmate did not respond, he continued.
"I read over your files, Niigaki-san, and I stumbled upon some information. You seem to have a mother at the hospital right now, and in critical condition no less. It must be tough for you not being able to support her, hmm? Might I offer you a proposition? You'd be wise to accept it."
"What would that be?" her voice croaked, a harsh memory of what it used to be.
"I will be more than happy to help you cover your mother's medical fees, and then some... on the condition that work for me as the head officer at Project Morning. Due to your time in confinement, many things have eluded you. For one thing, since that foolish escape plot your fellow inmates pulled, the penitentiary has been under heavy scrutiny by government officials. They also, for what ever reason suspect fowl play. As they should.
"What you do not realize is that I have a business on the line here, Niigaki-san, a sideline expenditure that allows me to reel in excess profits simply because I can. And luckily for you, it was only now that you had to suffer the consequences of your actions and my business. Successful trafficking is particularly hard to come by, regardless of how many desperate girls are on the loose in Japan. More often than not, they cannot handle what they get themselves into and run amok, costing their employers their careers and business ventures because they themselves lack the will and discipline to overcome the pressures of the real world.
"Thankfully at this penitentiary, I have various women at my disposal. Wretched women that have done horrible things, so why would the government care if I do what I do to them? However, the government doesn't seem to agree with my views on this, so things need to change around here. Which is why I'm approaching you with this offer. You will no longer be subjected to the kind of abuse as your fellow inmates, and only the inmates deserving of punishment will have to suffer the consequences of their actions by partaking in my business. If you suspect any abuse from the guards, you are free to dispose of them as you please. We don't need horny bastards like those working within these walls and earning us suspicious glances from government officials.
"We will take on the guise of religion to add to our validity as a reformatory. God seems to be a universal crutch for these sorts of things, after all. And if any government officials were to come knocking at our door, what better excuse than the bible to dispel any suspicions? The justifications are written plainly in a book as old as time! But even if they are not convinced, all you would have to do is your business and deny any and all allegations that come your way. And in exchange, you are granted financial support for your mother's hospital care. If you agree, I will have her transfered to the best medical facilities in the world, with only the best doctors at her disposal and round the clock medical coverage from the entire hospital staff. Doesn't that sound splendid?"
"...And if I disagree?" her voice cracked again, from the several hours she had gone parched without the proper kinds of fluid to quench her thirst.
The warden tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I could very well kill you right here and now, but what a waste your body would be. My clientèle has grown quite fond of you, after all. No no, I'd keep you here, alive. We can play this game for as long as you'd like. Then perhaps after some time, I will come visit you and tell you how I personally went to visit your mother and had her killed."
Risa's generally unfeeling eyes finally filled with life after hearing the threat, standing up to her feet ready to strike if further instigated. "But why me? What happened to Nakazawa-san?"
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When you lack the nerve to rise above, to fight the wrongs so plainly set in front of you...When the law becomes a lie, what's left to believe in?
In slid one bullet, followed by another, and another before she was forced to rotate the cylinder to fill in the remaining empty slots of her personal revolver. After satisfactorily leaving not a single slot unfilled, the head of the guards spun the cylinder to a close, locking it safely into place with a click of the hammer. She wordlessly stood from her seat, and using her free hand, dragged the wooden chair she sat upon to the center of her office.
Then, ever so slowly, she padded over to the far east side of her office where a wooden crib leaned against the wall. Inside lay her son, no older than 5 months, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he awoke. He peered up through his wooden cage, through the bar crevices that kept him safe and sound, to smile at his mother. It was a smile so kind, so innocent and unaware. Naturally it brought a tear to his mother's eyes.
This boy was the bastard son she birthed for that wretched man who raped her after she discovered the truth. Her disgusting scarlet letter reminder of how weak she was, how afraid she was to expose him. He was a five month burden, the single life that lived in lieu of those countless lives she took. All for the sake of the man who was too afraid to get caught and lose everything he supposedly worked for.
"Kill them all," he said. "Don't let a damn woman free."
She watched as the little boy reached his pudgy arms up into the air, goo's and gaga's filling the quiet room as he urged his mother to carry him in her arms. But before the cries elevated into something more distressing, the woman shot five rounds. Five rounds for her selfish satisfaction of ridding the world of the single life that man cherished beyond his own. Five bullets for the guilt that stole the sleep from her wearied mind and guilty soul at night. Five holes bore into the innocent mound of flesh that she could never honestly love, that she wanted to hopelessly save from the living in such a horrific world.
The woman then walked back to where she left her chair at the center of her office. Above her was a sturdy oak beam foundation that held a portion of the ceiling in place. Hanging around the beam was a thick piece of rope, looped loosely at its dangling end. Steady hands tugged against the rope to make sure it was held firmly in place. After deeming it so, the woman pulled the chair to rest directly beneath the rope. She climbed the chair, stood to face the rope, and slipped her head through the noose.
Carefully scooting her feet to rest a step short from slipping completely off the chair, the woman took the revolver to her mouth. There was still the 6th round.
Bang. And only the chair tipped over to the floor.
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"...A premature termination of her contract. She has regrettably departed from this penitentiary...permanently -" Tsunku paused to lament, or at least give the convict that impression. "Now, what do you say?"
"...Is Reina still alive?"
"Oh yes, the rambunctious one," he said with a smirk and tinge of amusement in his tone. "She was captured and placed in solitary confinement as well. Barely hanging on these days..."
"Will you kill her if I agree?"
"Oh heavens no," he chuckled to himself as he turned to make his exit. "That's for you to decide, commanding officer Niigaki."
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Happiness is gonna cost you extra lol
I scare myself sometimes with the things I write. But seriously, this is it for the torture and devastation. If I haven't scared you away completely, all the chapters from now on are more of a mind game than blatant evil. I promise. I swear. DON'T GOOOO~ COME BACK~~~ THE HEAVY IS OVER, I PROMISEEEEE!!!! ;__;
That said, I think I'll be taking a break from this fic for a while. The heavy is taking its toll on my well-being :O
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Omg I'm walking out the door right now, must read and comment later~!~!~!
EDIT: Back!
Man, it is pretty heavy.... And more than a tad horrifying at that one part, but to me, having some sort of answer is worth the squick. So much begins to make sense and yet, I have so many more questions. Though, I understand that this is hard to write, considering how hard it is to read in some places.
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Juss woke up form my nap to find u udated YAY!!!
Omg this chapter was.....AWESOME!!!!! Luving the angst!!! Oh lord risa went throught soo much, now i know why she was so brutal on that officer that raped ai
It took me a while to realize that yuko was the one who commited suicide, im kinda slow To realize the obvious sometimes :sweatdrop:
Risa and reina were guud buddy buddies in the past so i wonder wat causes risa to beat up on her all of the time...never the less aweosme chapter u havent scared me away but u have actually drawn me in :cow: keep up da aweosme work
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u know i want more but my brain's full of panic D: congrats u are the queen of making risa's life suck megga butt lol
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Finally I think I have the heart to comment here. All of my feels all over the place... :panic: So we finally have our Tanagaki backstory. And it's rough, man. Though after everything else it fits lol Poor Mama Niigaki T_T and then the failed escape... And I can't really even touch on Yuko's case...
My big question after that tho is why is Risa now such a bitch to Reina? Seems terribly undeserved from what we know up to this point. I have several theories, in order of which I think is least to most likely the case: a) The obvious, Reina's done something we don't know about; b) Reina grew to resent Risa's new position and fostered some ill will between them or; c) It's one of those cases where Risa takes over because if she doesn't she knows it could be so much worse.
Or maybe I'm not reading closely enough XD STILL, ready for the next part and especially the easing up of the heavy. Even if only a bit XD
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rndy - im sorry >__< this chapter is like lightyears better :thumbsup
darkacex99 - ill provide some clarity for tanagaki soon~
kiwi - i take that title with pride~ :P
fimface - +1 =] just cant say which theory haha soon though~
Who's ready for some awesome? How about less crazy twisted violence? I know I am xD Gotta admit, it was weird as hell not writing any heavy for once, but it's a nice change and it's one I'll definitely enjoy getting used to for the rest of this story. Hopefully you guys will feel a bit more relief as you read. There won't be anymore giant warning signs for you to read after all xD
Now that all the heavy has been delivered, it's time to get Ai's plan going, ne? =D Let the mind games begin!
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Chapter Nine: Revelation
Day 350
Over the course of the day, each member of the contraband crew stood on their own separate times before a panel of sharply-dressed, stern-looking officials whom the girls had seen once or twice before. This seated group of people were a mix of men and women of considerable age, positioned in a half-moon formation, with pens and papers in their grasps. As the guard delivered his convict to the center of the half-circle of tables, he promptly made his exit, closing the door behind him to leave the inmate alone with these officials.
"Have a seat."
All too familiar with the pleading process, Airi and the rest of her crew would follow instructions obediently on their own respective summoning times.
"Suzuki Airi-san. Your records state that you have served five years here at Project Morning, a good quarter of your actual sentence," said one man to the far end of the circle. The others silently examined the papers in their hands.
Airi nodded.
"Do you feel you have been rehabilitated?" asked a woman this time, seated directly in front of the convict's line of view.
Now, the first time Airi and the rest of her crew had been presented in front of the committee was about 3 years ago - only two years into their sentence. Personally, the girls had been shocked to even be considered this type of presentation in front of the board and two years for their level of crime committed hardly felt sufficient. And unsurprisingly, the members of the board shared the same sentiments and rejected the group's request to be released on at least parole.
Three years later, and the convict hadn't changed her views on being released on parole; Airi was sure the rest of her group felt the same. She felt it stupid on their part to even consider releasing them all at once. It was as if they had been setting a trap to reel them all back inside all over again. But what the hell, right? Time to jump back to the real world and make a living; prison auctions were just chump change after all.
"Yes, ma'am, I can honestly say so. With the help of the Lord, I believe I have." Airi flashed a cute little smile, snaggly tooth and all, just for good measure.
That day, five files were stamped and re-sorted into the parole files, on five separate occasions.
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Dinner that evening had quite literally turned into the somber scenario of the last supper the girls had just finished discussing two days ago during their "prayer group" meeting. The coincidence was almost too uncanny.
"So what time are you girls leaving tomorrow?" Koharu asked between bites from her meal.
"No idea, they never said. Probably early morning," Mai responded rather eagerly. Obviously someone was rather thrilled to be leaving.
"Any idea where they're shoving you?" Ai asked.
"Nope, not a clue. They'll probably separate us, though. I mean it only makes sense," Saki replied.
"But we'll probably find each other anyway," Chisato said with a wink. The rest of the contraband crew smiled at her foresight.
"Even if that means breaking parole? You just got out of here, I really don't want to see your mugs again so damn soon," Aika groaned. Maimi socked her playfully from across the table, and the two began to bicker their last verbal exchange.
With a forlorn smile, Ai watched the typical battle rage between the hackers and the contraband members for the last time. Tomorrow, the table she shared with Aika, Koharu, and these departing convicts, and Reina on rare moments, would be no more. On a less sentimental note, having these five women gone from the walls of the penitentiary meant she would have to quickly revise her plans to make due without them...or perhaps use them from outside. Somehow.
Airi caught the older woman in deep thought. Smiling, the snaggle-toothed convict patted her on the back and snapped her attention back to reality. "Don't miss us too badly, Aichan. We'll be a lot closer than you think."
"And how exactly will you manage that," Ai asked jokingly, nudging the younger woman with her elbow.
"We have our ways, right ladies?"
The group paused from their little hubbub on their side of the table to flash some deceptive smiles, only to quickly return to their usual argumentative showdown.
"Anyway, it's a shame we couldn't stay long enough to help you out with your crazy plan. It would have been awesome to see it pull through. But Ai, we'll be around, and we'll find ways to help you. And I'm sure you'll find out ways to reach out to us if you need help. You're pretty crafty for a non-criminal, you know."
The two girls exchanged smiles, but the subtle moment of mutual camaraderie was interrupted by the noisy bell signaling the conclusion of their final mealtime. As the convicts lined up to return their trays and fall into single file for delivery back into their cells, Airi poked her head through her line formation to grab Ai's attention as she stood in her own line.
"Just don't forget to say your prayers!"
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Day 387
Nearly a month had passed since the contraband crew's departure, and admittedly Ai was finding it relatively difficult to deal with. No, she wasn't subjected to frequent bullying and fighting like other convicts now that her "crew" was gone. She just found it rather lonely. Conversations over meals were much quieter, if at all existent, and leisure time was even worse. With a tiny pebble back in her hand, all Ai could do during these times was walk around the grounds, plotting silently and observing as she tossed the rock up and down.
Her path crossed briefly with the head of the guards'. Despite that one horrific night when the woman revealed a brief act of kindness through her actions and her words, Ai was still frightened to death by the commanding officer. These days, the head officer was hardly ever instigated by anyone, so that demonic nature hadn't made an appearance in quite some time. Just knowing that anything can make her snap was reason enough for everyone - guards and inmates alike - to steer clear of her and maintain their absolute best behavior.
The uncharted path Ai walked led her unknowingly to the wall where Reina often stood on guard. To her surprise however, it seemed as though the snarky little yankii had some company. Three women had surrounded the girl, taking turns kicking the fragile-looking body crouched on the ground. As Ai walked closer, she could see the women spitting and spewing insults and threats at her as well.
"The hell makes you think you can tell us to 'fuck off' like that, eh Tanaka?" shouted the blond haired female. She wasn't grotesquely large, but in comparison to the figure on the ground, she looked so. Her other two companions remained quiet for the most part, but were relentless in their beatings. One had short black hair and the widest pair of eyes Ai had ever seen. The other had long brown hair tied up into a simple ponytail, and the buttons of her orange uniform seemed as though they would pop any moment now, struggling to contain her overflowing bosom.
Partially out of stupidity and partially out of her damnable sense of justice, Ai threw the pebble in her hand square against the back of the blond woman's head. Before the rock could even meet the ground, the frightening woman had her sights set straight on Ai, and eventually the two other women stopped their torrential beatings and joined in.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?"
The familiar sense of fear crept down slowly to her legs, locking them into place as the trio marched ever closer. "J-j-j-just leave her-r-r a-a-alone." Ai cursed her own pathetic voice.
"Or what?" asked the blond as she smacked a fist into the palm of her other hand.
"Saito! Miyoshi! Okada! Screw off before I come over there and make you!"
The women all turned their heads to the source of the voice. The phantom Michishige appeared to have materialized from thin air, and was currently walking towards the scene with her baton in hand, ready for any confrontation from the rowdy inmates.
"Tch, let's get out of here ladies. Bitches ain't worth shit."
As the trio dispersed, so did the junior officer. Finally the feeling was regained in her legs, and Ai walked over to where Reina was still crouched over on the ground. Dirt, spit, and scuff marks stained her orange uniform to a grimier shade of brown. She covered her head protectively with her tiny hands and stayed that way for some time until Ai broke the silence.
"Hey, it's ok now. You're safe."
The yankii opened an eye to peak through her arm shields. Seeing Ai there, without another body in sight, Reina staggered her way up onto two unsteady legs. Ai walked over to offer a helping hand, but was swatted away by the yankii's own grubby paws. "Screw off, I don't need your help."
As the yankii brushed the dirt off her uniform and attempted to make her appearance more decent to no avail, she noticed that Ai was still standing there, just staring at her. Having the woman there made her increasingly more irritated, and so she shot her a glare and shouted, "What? Do you want me to get on my knees and grovel? To thank you for saving my pathetic ass? I said screw off!"
Reina stomped her way over to where Ai was rooted, grabbing the collar of her uniform into her fist and pulled her dangerously closer. While the yankii glared her down, Ai just stared silently. She quietly took in all the cuts and bruises that marked the younger woman's face, down her neck slipping inside the white fabric of her undershirt, only to peek through the rolled up cuffs of her orange uniform. It was hard to ignore the look of cold hard steel in her eyes. The history was all there. All the hurt and suffering was set plainly in the depths of her dark, raging orbs.
"I know everything about you. You don't need to keep building these walls, Reina."
Reina's grip on the collar relaxed, caught off guard by the woman's words. "What did you just say?...Oh wait, that's right. You got transfered after that rape incident. Workin' in that library and havin' those computer geeks help you with some hacking crap. Heh. You must think you're some hot shit or something."
Ai continued to stare into the yankii's cat-like eyes, betraying no signs of fear or any emotion for that matter. Just staring. "I can help you get out of here."
"Oh you can, can you?" Reina released the older woman's collar from her grip with a hearty laugh. "A wannabe hotshot and a dumbass. I've been here long enough, Takahashi. I've seen it all. Women with more guts and more intelligence than your monkey brain could even imagine have all tried and fuckin' failed. And what did they get? They got dead, shot, tortured, whatever your simple little mind can dream of. Don't let that occupational transfer get to your head, monkey brains. You're nothing special. Just another shit stain on that warden's shoes."
As the yankii walked away with another laugh, Ai interrupted her. "You're right. I may not be the smartest, bravest convict at this penitentiary. I never aimed to be something that I was not or ever will be. I'm average, maybe even less than. But there's one thing that separates me from all those women that tried and failed. It's the key to our gateway out of here."
Reina paused in her tracks and turned around. There she was again, just staring at her with this subdued fire in her eyes. "And what would that be?"
"You."
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Day 400
"Oh, officer Michishige, what a nice surprise! It's always good to see you! Is there anything I can help you with?"
Ai peaked through the spaces of the bookshelves to find Eri engaged in an amicable, one-sided conversation with the dark-haired officer. Odd. That woman hadn't stepped a foot inside the educational facilities since she and Risa dropped her off here for the first time. What business could she have here?...Did she hear anything about the plans?
Impossible.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at the computer archives for some information, requested by officer Niigaki...Where is Takahashi?"
Eri smiled and pointed to the rows of bookshelves as she began to lead the officer inside her office. "She's somewhere stocking the books as ordered. Now if you'd just follow me..."
The convict's eyes met with Sayumi's hard stare just for a split second before she ducked down behind the pile of books already on the shelf. Much like her senior officer, this one also instilled a sense of fear in her bones, though she had done nothing in cold comparison to her superior. There was just something about her that made her...there wasn't a word for it. She remembered how there was no information of value in the junior officer's records, and the fact that this woman could be a dark horse at this penitentiary that could make or break her plans. Only time would tell.
But as for the penitentiary archives, what reason did officer Niigaki have to access those records? What was she looking for?
It didn't take long for Eri to emerge from her office, alone. The librarian caught Ai's eyes through the wooden shelving and the two exchanged confused looks of concern regarding the matter. Ai deduced that the officer did not elaborate on why she needed the records, and she would have to wait until she made her exit before she could confront Eri on the matter.
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It would have been a lie if Sayu told herself she was content with the information she had gathered from her run-in with the two Chinese chef scientists. However, the chances of finding free time to discover new evidence to feed her curiosity grew slim as of late. Her commanding officer had found several things for her to do all of a sudden and so coincidentally. It was as if Risa knew what she was up to, but she couldn't tell for sure. For now, she had to take her chances. The junior officer relieved herself from her post at the cleaning services to one of the higher ranked male guards whom she felt could be trusted to not divulge to Risa her present whereabouts.
And now here she was, sitting in front of the computer that held inside its complex wiring of discs and circuitry a simple stepping stone closer to the answers she was looking for. Sayu turned to face the shelving she could see through the slit of space left by the officer door. As she watched Ai fumble clumsily with a pile of books handed to her by the librarian, she wondered if the woman had any access to this computer and the files it contained. Not that the convict had any real reason to pry through confidential information, but appearances could be so deceiving.
Finally the screen loaded and revealed the various folders of documents and records. Everything was sorted by the tenures of the various wardens that controlled the penitentiary. Clicking through Tsunku's files, she found that everything was further subdivided by working personnel and inmate information. She had to act with great haste as meal time was fast approaching. Sayu skimmed through various guards' files, at least the ones she had been well-acquainted with. Unsurprisingly, Risa's files revealed nothing she didn't already know. Ito Ryousuke's files were nowhere to be found.
Switching to the inmates records, Sayu found that the contraband crew's files were no longer under the archives, along with the 9 juveniles. Paying special attention to Ai and Reina's records, she took in all their information through skittish eyes. A particular detail on Ai's file flicked the lightbulb in her head. The junior officer made a mental note to pay another visit to the Chinese chefs again that evening.
Satisfied with what she had found thus far, the junior officer began to close off the windows of all the accessed files until a familiar name under the convict profiles folder caught her eye. Niigaki Risa? Was she reading that correctly? She clicked the file and read through the report with care, mentally memorizing every detail down to the last period. Recalling Reina's file specifically, the dark-haired officer noted that various points of similarity in their respective reports.
A knock on the door had taken her attention away from the computer screen. It was the librarian.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but it appears to be lunchtime now, officer. Would you rather stay here while I escort Takahashi-san to the cafeteria?"
Sayu stole a final glance at Risa's report before shutting the computer down. "No, that won't be necessary, Kamei-san. I'll take her myself."
No indeed, nothing at this penitentiary was what it seemed. What more of an incentive to delve through the grime and unearth the truth? The officer waited for the clumsy inmate to stand at ease by her side before leading them silently through the halls to the dining area. She watched the convict nervously tap her fingers against the side of her uniform with her head down and eyes staring at the floor tiles while she walked.
Takahashi sure was a peculiar one, the officer thought. Just too peculiar to be here. Perhaps tonight, she would finally solve at least one mystery case on her list.
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Oh ho ho~ what am I cookin' up in my kitchen? xD This is turning into one of those Russian dolls. Like you think you got one layer down, but nope~ haha
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Leaving my mark here so as I can find my way back.
I missed you tooo.
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I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack ;)
Dialogue in italics indicates Chinese lol
Omake III
Day 400
Was her survival outcome worth trying to tackle two birds with one stone? As the junior officer navigated her way to the cafeteria's back room kitchen that evening, she decided it was too late to back out now. Que sera sera they always say.
"Well, well Lin Lin, look what the cat dragged in."
Sayu shot the two chefs a glare as they snickered between themselves, exchanging jokes in their native tongue. She could care less if they were mocking her. If it helped them comply, it was a small sacrifice she was willing to pay. "You don't want to see me and I don't want to see you, so let's make this quick. Does the name Ishii Kazuo ring a bell?"
"Hmm," Jun Jun tapped her temple with the end of the spatula she was cleaning. "You might have to refresh my memory, officer."
The junior officer had no time to play games for the evening; Risa had ordered her to take her evening shift for some reason and time was ticking. She produced her gun from its holster and pointed it straight to the older chef.
"Jesus Christ, you really oughtta stop using that thing!!"
"I just find it hard to believe that murderers barely even know their victims."
Lin Lin released her dishes into the dish and ran to hover protectively in front of her companion. "We're not told anything more than what we're ordered to make. If you want to know something specific, give us the approximate age and body measurements of the victim, and we'll be able to help."
"Ishii Kazuo. Age 61. Approximately 82.5 kg. Departmental head and supervisor at Ishiguro Corp. A failed murder attempt victim of poison after consuming green tea."
The two chefs dropped their guards and the officer returned her gun. She had only 20 minutes left.
"Oh yeah, 'White Collar.' Used to be one of the warden's highest paying customers," Lin Lin recollected.
Customers? What? The obvious look of confusion on the officer's face signaled the two Chinese chefs to elaborate on the subject.
"You mean didn't know? Warden used to run a whorehouse out of this place, but after that huge all-out escape attempt a few years back, the national justice department added their own security personnel to the staff for a while. Guess he had to cut his business down after that scare. But now that things have gotten a lot quieter, business is still quietly booming behind the scenes."
The minute details from the chefs account on the 'escape' matched up with what she had read from the prisoners' files. For now however, baby steps would suffice. 17 minutes.
"So how'd you do it? And why?"
The chefs returned to their washing stations as they recounted the orders for the case with pride. Jun Jun began, "Ishii used to hit up the penitentiary for a good time with a few of his buddies. And with their high income, Tsunku-san made sure to keep them coming back. To this day, that sort of business is taken care of over at some abandoned house far away from the penitentiary, supposedly. We've never been."
"But Tsunku-san most likely leaves out the details to his customers. You know, that they're fuckin' around with inmates. You'd think the orange uniforms would give that shit away. Anyway, we were told Ishii somehow found that out and threatened to out the warden if he didn't stop," Lin Lin added.
"Well," Jun Jun continued, "Niigaki-san came down one evening to tell us we had a case. Apparently Ishii was a avid tea drinker and we were ordered to make it as painful as possible. Tetrodoxin with a touch of ricin for good measure in a green tea gift package masked as a present from a woman of his, a long-time love affair."
"So, Takahashi-san wasn't responsible?"
"Didn't we basically just say that? Why are you bringing her up all of a sudden anyway?" Lin Lin asked.
"Because you two are the reason she's here in the first place."
The officer departed without another word to return to her graveyard post. The walls of this foundation were crumbling and slowly revealing the monsters from behind closed doors. For now, case file Takahashi was closed. Impressive, she thought, because she still had 5 minutes to spare.
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Ho ho ho, what goes around comes around, baby.
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:shocked: are my eyes decieveing me?!?!? UR BAKK!!!! :cow: i thought u would never update again :cry: im so glad i kept checking for udates :cathappy: welcome bakk
Wow detective sayu is on a roll XD she know
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I will be back to comment on both this and the last chapter ahakenakfkandkakhwhwhahs :cathappy:
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So guys. I'm alive. Expect this to be finished before the new year? :O DONT FORGET ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEE TT___TT
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Omg kjpop ur alive?!?? :shocked: i definately have not forgotten about u and ur awesome fanfiction :twothumbs.
Im eagerly anticipatin ur updates cuz this story is gettin really good :D
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you know i could never forget you kj ;3; and i feel like everyones slowly comming back out from their caves either cus its thanksgiving week for some or cus of rndy's posting XD
cant wait for what u put out~ :deco:
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Oh hey guys. Lemme dust up this fic a bit. I'm back full throttle! Pardon my poor guess-timations when it comes to day/month/year time discrepancies.
Italics are flashbacks in this chapter. Enjoy~!
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Chapter Ten: Exodus
As the blues of the sky crashed into the prominent grays of skyscrapers and sharp rainbow-fluorescent neons of billboards and street signs from a distance, one inmate at the Project Morning Reformatory was waywardly distracted from her duties at the library and chose instead to stare longingly outside the various windows that lined the walls of the room. This wing of the reformatory happened to have one of the best views of nearby civilization. And oh, how she craved the smell of car exhaust, the sound of crowds bustling 24/7, and the taste of real food. Oh, how she longed to return to her old habits of unruly shopping splurges and carefree dancing.
Ai looked down at her chest, covered by that horrendous orange jumpsuit. She grimaced as the books she carried weighed against her body, feeling the coarse material of her white undershirt chafe the delicate skin underneath. A formerly svelte form was now a thing of the past as the uniform presently covered her gaunt figure that forced the woman to turn her eyes away in shame upon seeing her reflection on any mirror. Oh, how she wished she could fast-forward time and set into action everything drafted into her sharpened 'criminal' mind. She practically craved exposing this reformatory's secrets and sought after freedom to determine the truth behind her imprisonment at the damnable place. It instilled a primal fury inside her, with the strange unworldly desire to be unleashed from the prison walls nearly breaking her will to maintain sensible control.
But it would have been a result of selfish impulse, it would have been all too hasty. If Ai had learned anything at all during her sentence at the penitentiary it had been the traditional lesson of patience. Patience was no longer merely a virtue taught to instill fear and values into ignorant, impatient minds. Oh no.
Patience was now the key to freedom.
Day 569
Kamei Eri proved to be quite the valuable asset to this convict's plans. It had been nearly a year since the two were first introduced and little did either suspect they would be tip-toe-ing about the prison walls with the weight of their covert affairs on their shoulders.
Ai never questioned the librarian's intentions or why she seemed to be so invested with her personal endeavors of bringing the institution down, and truthfully the convict found little interest in the matter. All she knew was that she had an ally, a means to an end.
The convict not only had the valuable profiles of former inmates at her fingertips, but she had current locations, occupations, and contact information as well. Ai made the wise decision of asking the librarian the favor of contacting these inmates to provide testimony for the annual penitentiary report, using a fabricated yet operative identity her former patients would recognize. The annual reports post-escape during Nakazawa's time did almost entirely without mention of probation-status inmates and their whereabouts. As to how the warden managed to get away with such a glaringly missing piece of information on an official status update was beyond both of the women. They could only guess large sums of money - and women - were involved.
Furthermore, because of Eri's previous position at the medical ward, the convict had access to classified medical profiles of past and present inmates. All the reported cases of rape and abuse were documented meticulously, but always swept under the rug for the sake of the reputation of the institution. However, from what the librarian could recall of the cases from her days at the ward, the majority of the abuse the female prisoners suffered would never be erased. The scars were a permanent fixture adorned on their bodies and minds.
It was crucial these former inmates cooperate. Ai and Eri had to approach these women through delicate means and being discovered would not be an option. Ideally, the two hoped to not only receive recorded testimony, but to also have the women reveal key locations in and around the reformatory where the inmate abuse occurred. If all went according to plan, their plotting would prove to be quite lucrative in their favor.
Day 603
After establishing secure means of contacting former inmates and utilizing the expertise of the penitentiary hackers to mask their web-based plotting, Ai decided it was time to commence the second phase of her plan. She hadn't made the best first impression upon one of the members of the bomber group, but thankfully Ai had found a comrade in Shimizu Saki.
The bombers' beloved Captain hadn't made leaps and bounds to become a person whom Ai could confide in, but the unspoken invitation was always there since their first meeting. Once discovering from Koharu that the bombers were assigned to clean-up crew services around the penitentiary, Ai knew at once she would require their assistance. She wisely approached Captain as her group took their daily jog around the recreational grounds. After questioning the leader over her lack of enthusiasm in her step, Ai discovered that Captain and her crew were once again rejected for the opportunity of being released on parole.
Pulling the both of them aside from the perimeter where the remaining members continued to jog, Ai began to bargain. At first, bits and pieces of her plot were shared. There was hardly any need for her to tell Captain anything beyond the escape plan she had in mind anyway. However, once Ai heard the booming steps of Maasa, she knew she had to be a bit more convincing. It was rather distracting having the Captain's self-appointed personal bodyguard shooting daggers into her pathetic little body with just her eyes, but the innocent convict was in dire need of their assistance.
Thoroughly satisfied with the full report, Captain agreed to joining her fellow convict with her plans of escape. Without a doubt, having the bombers on her side meant Ai was one step closer to redemption and she would make damn sure history would not repeat itself.
Day 735
Night had fallen and the guards had long since announced lights out for the convicts that evening. The moonlight had fallen through Ai's high cell window in such a way that it hit the wall beside where she lay. The tally marks etched on the molded concrete slab nearly reached a count of two years. She could hardly believe how time flew, nor could she hardly hide the smug look that graced her enervated face. With the prospect of freedom just barely out of her reach, could one blame her?
Because as if having the hackers, the bombers, and the librarian on her freedom faction of sorts was not enough, Ai also had one more resource that could not be forgotten. After much persuasion and persistent begging, she managed to drag Aika and Koharu to the weekly prayer group service with the pseudo-nuns. One year of dedicated attendance earned the plotting convicts various materials that would prove useful for the escape.
One resource in particular came with a notice:
"You have one week to use this. Changing addresses soon, too hard to keep in touch. Will give files to librarian."
This fortunate asset was discovered after smashing a statue of Mary in the private confines of her cell, and was distributed amongst the members of their closed group clandestinely. After one week, Ai took great care to hide the item in her Bible and return it to the nuns.
"We'll have the King James version for you next week, doll~" Kikkawa sang, tossing the Bible carelessly to her partner Mano. The two scurried away after a few winks and giggles. Ai and the hackers could only hope the nuns would pull through for them.
Now it was only a matter of time.
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Blood spilled forth from her mouth, pooling between the clenched fists and scraped knees that held up her battered body. "This wasn't in the plan," Reina thought before the head of the guards placed a solid kick beneath her diaphragm, drawing forth another round of blood from the inmate's mouth.
Without any energy to even retaliate with an insult, Reina was lifted to her feet as officer Niigaki pulled up against the convict's collar and slammed her pitifully weak body against the wall of the cell. "It's been a year, Tanaka."
The beaten inmate simply grinned as the guard closed the distance between their faces. Once a breath away, Reina spit blood into the guard's face. The officer switched her grip from the collar to directly against the prisoner's neck, squeezing harder as she watched her prey begin to choke on her own blood. "You think I don't know? You think I'm that stupid? What do you think you're doing?"
After a series of gurgling, choking noises, Reina could only feign a triumphant smirk. "Something I should have done a long time ago."
The head of the guards dropped her victim, watching as she coughed up more blood to the floor. "You will never succeed, Reina. Not while I'm around."
Reina lay on the floor, watching as the guard turned to exit her cell. "You know I love a challenge."
The cell bars locked to an automatic close. The last thing she saw was the butt of the officer's gun.
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It certainly was a sight to behold, a sight Risa wasn't necessarily comfortable seeing. Today was her first day wearing the official head of the guard's uniform, the position she mysteriously bequeathed from Nakazawa Yuko. After quickly examining herself in the mirror and straightening her cap one last time, Risa began to wander the office she inherited. For now the room was barren, save for a full length mirror, a desk, and a chair. The walls were freshly painted, she could tell; the odor of a new coat lingered too persistently.
Risa paced the floor of her office, waiting for the sun to finally rise. Concluding that no good would come from her restlessness, the newly appointed guard took a seat at her desk and re-opened the letter that sat upon it. Her mother had thankfully responded to her first letter after her release from solitary confinement. Within the letter, the officer discovered that the warden had stuck with his end of the deal. Her mother reported that a donation through an anonymous party had funded her past, present, and future surgeries and chemotherapy if needed.
Deciding now was a better time than ever to begin the morning roll call, Risa walked through the halls of the housing wing she used to occupy. Quickly glancing through the list in her hands, the officer read several unfamiliar names. How long had she been gone?
...At least Reina was finally transfered from solitary confinement, to the infirmary, and now back inside her cell. The same one she occupied since then.
The new officer walked towards her companion's cell and gently tapped the against the bars with the end of her officer's baton. The response she received wasn't what she expected.
"What the fuck are you doing wearing that shit?"
No amount of rhyme or reason would break her companion's blind anger. Reina began to grab the meager sheets she had on her cot and throw them at Risa in her raging fit. Before Gaki could even respond to calm her friend down, a male subordinate officer appeared at her side. Without so much as a formal bow to his superior officer, the man reached within the prison cell to grab hold of Reina in the midst of her temper tantrum and delivered a loud slap against her cheek.
Shortly after releasing the convict from his grasp, Risa impulsively smacked her officer's baton across the man's head. It was within reason, of course, as the head of the guards recalled that Tsunku instructed her to deliver punishment to any inmate or officer showing signs of bad behavior. As the aftershock of her impulsive assault of a fellow officer wore off, Risa needed to defend her actions. She would not tolerate this sort of behavior against the inmates, and certainly not to her dear friend. "From now on, I will handle inmate #1111 myself."
However, time passed and regardless of her good intentions, Risa was not given an ounce of forgiveness by her former comrade. The rebellious actions grew more frequent and more violent, and retaliation was needed to defend herself. After dutifully reporting to the warden, he merely responded, "My, my. That one just doesn't want to learn her lesson. I suppose we will have to return to a more serious means of punishment, won't we officer Niigaki?"
Later that evening, Risa took Reina from her cell. The inmate offered no resistance and followed the officer, the sound of their steps against metal stairways echoing through the hall. The two former companions remained silent until they exited the prison interior and found a police car outside.
Not a sound was uttered until the two reached their destination.
"Why?"
Risa looked over to her handcuffed friend in the passenger's seat. "My mother."
Unexpected tears roll down the yankii's face as she screamed, "So you're selling me out? What am I, your fucking sacrificial lamb for your vegetable of a mother? After all we've been through, this is what I get?"
Whatever pity the officer took upon seeing her companion's tears vanished without a trace as anger quickly filled its void. "JUST BECAUSE YOUR MOTHER NEVER LOVED YOU DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE ANY RIGHT TO TAKE IT OUT ON ME OR MY MOTHER!!" Risa watched as her outburst seemed to silence her friend's sobbing.
"...I didn't have a choice. They were going to hurt you..."
The officer exited the vehicle and retrieved Reina from the other side. Her hands were gripped tightly inside the yankii's cuffed ones as she led the both of them to this random building at the outskirts of the penitentiary grounds. Risa had never been here before, so she could sympathize with her companion's fear. She merely followed the instructions Tsunku had given:
"Just knock on the door, show them your badge, deliver the inmate, and leave. Come back before dawn. Don't ask questions."
Another guard appeared at the door, and Risa did exactly as she was told. The man at the door watched the inmate in his fellow officer's hands with hungry eyes. Risa turned to Reina, feeling her friend squeeze her hand and seeing the fear in her eyes. The horrified state her companion was enough to drive her mad with guilt.
The male officer grabbed Reina by the shoulder and before he closed the door completely, she managed to say, "And what do you think they'll do to me now, Risa?"
The door shut in front of Reina's crying face.
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As instructed, Risa returned to the building to retrieve her companion. The same guard from before delivered the inmate. The sun began to rise and realization hit as solemn silence fell between them. They were no longer friends, comrades in arms. The fine line had finally been crossed, the breaking point of their friendship was reached and divided them into their own sides of lonesome wretchedness.
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So that last bit with the TanaGaki flashback was supposed to be an omake, but since I've been gone for so long, I gave ya'll a mashup treat x3
So what is Eri cooking up? Do we trust her? Why does Ai need the bombers? What's that item she got? DID I KILL OFF REINA?!
Four more chapters!!!! Who's ready for more?
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You have done a thing, an interesting thing with this chapter.
I've felt so many things about this thing I've read.
Mostly anticipation for more things from you.
I'm so anxious to know how this thing will end!
(I'm in a weird mood, shut up.)
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Omg....everyone in my house is asleep and i almost screamed in happiness when i saw an update :cow: whoo hoo!!! Wow....i luv how u conveyed the emotions between the past risa and reina, oh man :cry: poor reina,
I cant wait to see how u wrap up this story Xd its gettin way too good :peace:
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wow. nice to see you back kjpop :) i really love your fics
i feel broken for reina and risa's story. i dunno, i think im also angry at risa, or for how it turned out for reina. cant blame her for how she is now...
or i guess i'm terribly mad at TSUNKU . weren't all his fault anyways !!!! XD
i just hope eri is really on ai's side. she should be ! she's my fave ! hahaha
and great, already been two years for our innocent convict. life had been so unfair for everyone ... :sob:
how about your other fic ? XD XD XD will love to see it updated too hahaha
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:pleeease:
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