Next stop: Utopia Academy

[utopiamods]

You're falling, and you can't remember why. It's a sickening feeling that makes your insides lurch; the darkness and the vertigo combine, and all you can think of is a story you heard once, somewhere.

-I remember now. It's a simple story that everyone knows. A legend of a Princess, the Demon Lord who kidnapped her, and the Knight who fought to save her.

The Demon Lord had kidnapped the Princess countless times, but every time the Knight bested his challenges and rescued the Princess.

No matter what tricks and ploys the Demon Lord used, the Knight would always triumph in the end. This was because--

The world tilts on its axis one last time, and the dream slips from your mind as easily as it arrived. A new voice intrudes on your sleep.

"Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. This tramline terminates here; all change. Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. All change."

Sunlight streams through the windows of the long carriage, making the seats almost uncomfortably warm beneath its sleeping passengers. The air is muggy and thick, the atmosphere relaxing. Almost too relaxing; the warmth and the silence make it difficult to immediately muster any kind of reaction or thought. Your nausea settles, slowly. The last of the dream fades.

"We have arrived at Utopia. Repeat, we have arrived at Utopia Academy. Could all passengers please leave the tram, as it is terminating here."

Comments

[frozen_desires]

Unfortunately for Reiko, Tougyu wasn't willing to leave her alone.

Falling in step behind her with his hands tucked into his pockets, the SC member watched her back as they marched down the aisles. It was a long moment before he finally murmured something, partially to himself.

"Iwahijiri."

[myownfuture]

Was he walking behind her? A shiver ran up and down Reiko's spine; she looked over her shoulder, and there he was. Why couldn't he have stayed asleep?!

This was a public place, though. He couldn't do anything. There was no way.

"...Iwahijiri did this?"

[frozen_desires]

"Probably. Doesn't make sense why they'd involve the men though." He remarked absently as he glanced out through some of the windows as they walked, missing her glance at him. "Playing with bitches is their usual style." But even as he said that, he didn't seem overly offended.

Quite the contrary, actually. A little bubble of long forgotten hope swelled up within him. Hope that maybe they'd been transferred to a facility. The same facility Shishido-senpai had been taken to. That maybe he could see her again and apologize for...

His steps faltered before he stopped altogether looking befuddled. "For...?"

He'd failed to protect her, to stand by her side when she needed him. In the end, he had beaten her because he... he'd wanted to... what? Why had he beaten her?

[myownfuture]

Reiko didn't know why she stopped walking when Tougyu stopped. Perhaps somehow, some of Sora's idealism had rubbed off on her. Or perhaps she was just confused by his sudden change of tone. She turned, still suspicious, ready to put up a fight if need be.

"Sounds about right," she said cautiously. "For..."

[frozen_desires]

Tougyu was silent a moment longer before bringing his eyes up to meet Reiko's with a confused, almost childish look of uncertainty.

"I don't remember." And then he glanced ahead, past her shoulder before turning partially to glance in the direction they'd come from. "I don't remember getting onto this train either. Maybe I was drugged." He mumbled quietly, mostly to himself. He didn't bother asking Reiko if she remembered, partially because he already figured she hadn't from her earlier questions, and partially because he wasn't supposed to care about her.

[trollofthree]

"Really?" This surprised him, she'd woken up and walked out of the tram without looking anywhere near their seating. "Didn't think you'd spotted him. There goes my advantage."

[myownfuture]

She honestly didn't know Tougyu well enough to tell whether he was telling the truth or not. Some part of her believed that he couldn't be well enough in the head to come up with a lie like this, though. Still, she just didn't trust him. Sora might believe he was redeemable, but after the things he'd done to her...

"I'm going." Leaving without saying anything would be rude. But she didn't want to say anything more. She turned to continue down the aisle, looking for someone else she would know -- someone she wanted to see.

[frozen_desires]

Again, as soon as Reiko continued on down the aisle, Tougyu followed like an obedient puppy. It wasn't so much that he was following her because she was leading, but more because... it seemed like the thing to do. Especially when the alternative was to stand there looking like a dork.

So, he trailed after the fiery girl without complaint, all the while murmuring softly to himself under his breath in thought. If he realized he was saying his words aloud, he gave no notice of it.

[trollofthree]

Gino loosened his fingers enough that the other boy could stand, and flopped back against the seat to watch him pace. It wasn't like Lelouch was going anywhere, and this gave him a chance to stare at the guy's clothing. Imperial clothing.

"Is that your uniform or something?" The question was only slightly rhetorical; if there was an explanation for his being dressed like that, Gino wanted it. He reached out to pick up a matching hat from the floor, and spotted Lelouch's untouched uniform bag. "Guess not."

[allurprincess]

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the central walkway wasn't exactly roomy. So when a certain knight had headed up to talk to the conductor, getting back to her seat almost required that she bump into someone. In this case, one of her princesses. Sora stopped dead, a smile forming and her mouth opening to greet... who? Her jaw closed with a snap, and she glanced away for a second before rallying; she reached for Reiko's hand without further thought.

"Hey, um--" Wait, who was that behind her? She paused mid-greeting, and leaned around her, "Huh, Tougyu?" The name came as easily as the others were impossible, which would have been huge news if she wasn't so startled. "You're awake!" And back to her princess, "He's awake?"

[imperceptible]

Across the aisle from where Gino had been sleeping, another blond haired, blue eyed male woke up. This one, though, was considerably shorter.

Kevin woke up with his start and drew back from the window he'd been leaning against with a baffled look. He didn't remember falling asleep... nor what he'd been dreaming about. All he knew was that it had made him ill to the stomach. As he glanced about with an alarmed air, looking at an unfamiliar train and unfamiliar faces, the youth began to grow concerned.

"Where the heck...?" He muttered, carefully getting to his feet and glancing at the person closest to him, Gino. "Where are we?"

[myownfuture]

Reiko didn't have time to react before the time Sora arrived and grabbed her hand. Oh, thank goodness, a friendly face! Reiko had been worried she would never be able to ditch Tougyu.

There was something odd about the way Sora had phrased her words, but there was something odd about all of this, so whatever. "A-apparently. What do you mean, 'I'm' awake? I..."

[frozen_desires]

Whether it was because of her abrupt arrival or her immediate launch into jovial speech, Tougyu fell silent at Sora's appearance with an air of... reservation. Almost as if he were afraid to speak in front of her.

And perhaps he truly was. It simply wasn't natural, the way she'd so easily seen through his facade in a matter of minutes. Especially when Hiyo, Mitarai, Sumita... all of them had been fooled. No, there was something eerily special about Himoto Sora.

[trollofthree]

"Not Japan," Gino replied instantly, far too cheerful for someone stuck on a tram headed to a strange island. He glanced over, and looked the younger boy over. No one he recognised, but if he was right in his guess, that could mean anything. "Hey, if you wait a few minutes and ask again, we'll be in Utopia Academy. Wherever that is."

[imperceptible]

... okay, this guy had officially rolled over the line into annoying. Great, he'd only known the man for less than 30 seconds.

"I know that. And why would we be in Japan?" He inquired, carefully getting to his feet and looking both ways down the aisle, as if he could try and spot a familiar face.

[veepofchess]

He didn't even dignify that question with a response. He merely glanced over at Gino, and returned his gaze to the car ahead. The others seemed just as confused. After a long pause, he finally asked him a proper question: "Where is Suzaku?"

[trollofthree]

"Huh? Probably at the Tokyo Se-" He cut himself off. No, that didn't seem right. And why did he want to know where Suzaku was, anyway? He inspected the hat he'd found, turning it over as a distraction from nothing making sense. "Well, who knows? I'm his friend, not his governess."

[trollofthree]

"Why wouldn't we be there?" He shrugged, and slide his legs around so he was facing the boy. Even with him standing they were essentially eye-to-eye; he grinned. "Ah, I guess you're meant to be somewhere else."

[imperceptible]

"I'm supposed to be in America." Kevin replied after a moment, a sour look on his face.

The fact that they were looking each other in the eyes wasn't lost on the kid, even though one of them was sitting. He also didn't fail to notice the other's colorful apparel. Something he decided now was the opportune moment to address.

"What's with the getup?"

[allurprincess]

Seeing him up was amazing; they'd told her he wouldn't be awake for months, if that. She gave him another smile, then paused.

"Ah, that's right," she took her princess's other hand, so they were facing each other squarely, "I, um. Something's a little weird right now, and I can't remember... That is, so far Tougyu is the only-" She dropped her head, feeling a new surge of guilt, then lifted her gaze to the other girl's eyes and managed, "What's your name?"

[myownfuture]

Reiko's mouth dropped open. What kind of question -- wasn't this Sora Himoto, who remembered the names of every single girl she'd rescued? "I... I'm Reiko. Why are you..."

She was actually a little hurt, not that she would admit it. Especially not in front of Tougyu.

[trollofthree]

America? Wasn't that a blast from the past.

"Huh, this?" He looked down, then tugged at the large section of his mantle that was bunched up rather unflatteringly behind him on the seat. "It's my uniform."

[veepofchess]

Lelouch stepped over, and snatched his hat from Gino's fingers rather gruffly. "I would have thought with your height you would have been able to see him over everyone else." There was a note of derision in the statement as he put his hat on.

[imperceptible]

"Uniform?" Kevin repeated the word with a sense of incredulity. If only because the only kind of uniform he'd ever seen come with a cape were the ones from movies. Realistically, having a cape just wasn't really all that practical for movement.

... even if it did look kind of cool.

"What for? Are you a soldier or something?"

[chainedbyred]

He sighed, and wrapped his arm around Fletcher so his hand rested on the boy's opposite shoulder. "I guess. We can't swim, so it's our only option."