rakuen | Next stop: Utopia Academy

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Next stop: Utopia Academy

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."

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Logic was hardly a part of their daily lives, seriously.

At Reiko's outburst, Tougyu's head tilted just a touch, making his look seem even more detached and perversely wrong. She seemed to be telling the truth, but then again, he was hardly a good judge of that. After a moment he finally spoke again, this time in a slightly more offended tone. Her demanding voice was starting to grate on his nerves.

"Nothing." And that was the honest truth. He didn't know anything and he doubted El would have done anything either. Not by doing it to him too without the faintest of hints. When it came to El dealing with Tougyu, the mastermind generally took the more direct route.

After all, simple tools required simple orders.

She stared at him, eyes narrowed, for a moment, before turning in a huff and starting back down the aisle. "I'll go talk to someone who does know, then."

Someone who wasn't Tougyu. She didn't really want to talk to Tougyu.

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."

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?"

"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?

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..."

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.

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.

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.

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?"

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..."

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.

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?"

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.

That caught his attention.

Tilting his head slightly and giving Sora a befuddled look, Tougyu actually spoke up in a quiet, curious voice.

"You can't remember?"

"Reiko," she repeated, in the hopes that it would spark some recognition. Her expression... the question had caused Reiko pain. She had caused that pain. A knife twisted somewhere in Sora's gut. "Reiko. I'm sorry, I'll try to remember--" and then Tougyu spoke, and three things happened at once.

Sora shook her head; the name she'd just relearned slipped from her mind; and she realised the second. Helplessly, she stared at the girl. Ra... Did it begin with R? She remembered saying something like that a few seconds ago. "I can remember yours," she said, to Tougyu. "Is it just... girls?"

"I'm your Weapon, Sora Himoto, how can you not..." Reiko's expression darkened and she gestured angrily at Tougyu. "You rescued me from him, and you remember him and not me?! What is this?!"

But even as she said it, something failed to click in her head. Sora had rescued her from Tougyu, she knew that in an academic sort of way, but... she didn't remember anything about it. How had Sora done that? It shouldn't have even been possible with the restrictions El had put on Tougyu...

"Because it's important." Tougyu answered in a quiet, speculative voice as he eyed Sora this way and that, like a curious, uncertain owl looking at an even stranger creature. He had watched their exchange and seen the flickers of pain, confusion and hurt cross their faces. Seen how devastated Sora was by not remembering Reiko's name.

It was the same kind of guilt he was feeling for not knowing why he'd hurt his senpai. Not knowing why he'd brutalized her to the point she...

"Or you were forgotten because you're a deceitful bitch."

Edited 2010-12-28 11:03 (UTC)

"That's not it!" Sora felt a surge of anger at the deadpan insult, automatic and boiling. "She..." and then she stopped, again, because this would be where she'd say her name. She gritted her teeth, fingers curling tightly around her princess's again. "Ngh. I don't understand!"

Reiko huffed in anger at Tougyu's comment. She knew he was just being an asshole, but it riled her up all the same.

She pulled her hands away from Sora and crossed her arms. "Let's get off this stupid train and find some answers, Sora." Do note that only one person was invited.

It didn't matter. Now that Reiko was with Sora, Tougyu was more hesitant to be around them, if only because he didn't want to be seen with her. Or, worse, exposed to more of her.

So he stood there, blinking his wide, sleepless eyes at them and contemplated just going off on his own. It wouldn't be too bad and besides, he had something to do. Something... he couldn't remember. Something that was very important but was clouded in a hazy fog he couldn't break through.

This is starting to piss me off. Tougyu thought absently as he made a noise of irritation.

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Next stop: Utopia Academy

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