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Tweak says, "And Dip, and dip..and Pitts..."

Shirai Reizo | 白井雷三 (some_other_dog) wrote in disappear_plot,
@ 2010-08-05 18:16:00

Noodle Alley is a familiar place to all but the most shut-in of Nanakamado students, and so is the cold lump of dread that settles into their stomach at the thought of Reizo Shirai.

Today, the normally bustling Noodle Alley toils under a washed out stretch of sky, the clients' usual vigor and mirth curtailed by the news of the most recent death and the gang and youth violence that has exploded in the area. Most of the diners wear strained smiles when they joke and laugh, but here and there the crowds are peppered with faces set in grim determination, shoulders hunched and posture tense as they soldier through their meals.

Worst amongst them are the ex-Nanakamado students who know just who’s responsible for the recent savagery and that once he is caught there will be no just penalty for him. The students, most of them paired off into two or threes, sometimes glance up at the passing group, curiosity and confusion breaking through into their miserable and gloomy stares before they turn back to their food.

The looks they get when they arrive at the mouth of the alley from the customers are severe enough to make up for sudden dearth of people. One or two even manage a weak, dispassionate warning to “get away from there” as the group disappears into the alley.

The alley itself is of no real importance. Bags of trash lean despondently against buildings, and the hard scrubbed ground itself is littered with cigarette butts and other miscellaneous bits of rubbish. Scraps of plastic skitter across the ground when the wind catches them, and a discarded snack bag crinkles and snaps against the tangle of sickly weeds it’s caught against.

Behind them the somber sounds of a fearful Noodle Alley peter away as they walk deeper into the alley, and before long die away completely, leaving them in a quiet only broken up by their own conversation and the gentle buzz of the city. The silence is heavy with disquiet when it settles in, full of the fear and tension felt by anyone who knows they are entering the bad part of the town, and it’s punctuated by the signs of struggle. A trashcan lays on its side, its meager contents half spilled out beside it, bent and dented. A switchblade, the blade glittering sharp and deadly even in the gloomy light of the alley lays not far from it, it’s tip red with fresh blood.

From up ahead a pained yell echoes and rebounds down the alley, and there’s a snap of wood breaking followed by several fresh shouts, ranging from angry to scared to hurt.

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some_other_dog
2010-08-18 06:16 am UTC (link)

The dog stirred from its position when Tom closed in on it, and growled low and deep out of its chest at the boy, teeth bared in promise of removing any curious and thoughtless hands or other taste limbs that came to close. It retreated further into the dark shadow of the door it was laying outside of, the crusted blood on its fur a deep and dark red in the dark of the doorway as it positioned itself half-in and half-out of it. It watched them, eyes wide and alert, ears erect.

It turned its head quickly, back towards the door, and let out a sharp yelp just as something came barreling out of the dark behind it, straight into Tom.

Reizo’d always looked a little rough around the edges, maybe even dog-eared, but never anything like this. His dyed hair was matted and stuck together in dirty lumps, and most of his clothes looked ready to fall apart at the seams. One leg of his pants was torn, and his shirt was half-undone, not from forgetfulness but from the lack buttons. What skin was visible was filthy, streaked with soil and blood in places, but even underneath the grime the baleful line of his scar was bright and noticeable, along with the shining gold of his eyes and myriad bruises and cuts. He looked bigger and meaner than he ever had behind Tom, one thick arm curled around the boy to hold him and the other holding the bloody knife to his throat in a meaningful way.

He stared at the group long and hard, a slow moment going by as his burning eyes swept across each and every one of them. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and gravelly.

“Get in. Now. Or you all die. Him first.”

The knife tilted, closer towards Tom’s neck, and Reizo grinned savagely, jerking his head back towards the door he’d just come through.

Behind him, oblivious to the unfolding drama, the dog at the door sat painfully on its haunches, body curved to let it lick and tend to the fresh blood pouring from its back leg.

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ofmanydevices
2010-08-18 05:34 pm UTC (link)

Several thoughts went through Tom's mind. His attention had been focused on the dog, he was less concerned with the hulking form that had stepped from the world on the other side of the door.
This was not the first time someone had grabbed him from behind, and he quickly worked out four possible ways to extricate himself from the hold. Though they all had the possibility of the shadow injuring him before he could escape, and if Tom escaped the shadow could just as easily injure or grab someone else. Tom tried very hard not to look at Seiko when that thought popped into his mind, and he failed miserably. He quickly decided on plan number five, talking. It wouldn't be too bad, besides, they needed to go into Paradise anyways, and Tom was still fully armed.

He quickly looked at the dog. The poor thing needed medical attention, but more then that the rest of the team needed to be notified of the fact that the group was apparently going into Paradise. He glanced to Kozue.

"Well I guess that clears up some questions. We'd better do as he says, though Kondo-chan, why don't you send a quick message to the vet about the dog before we go."

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mellow_lellow
2010-08-18 08:42 pm UTC (link)

Before her dungeon Seiko might have been able to handle this, she'd have just nodded along, followed what the shadow said without much reaction, after all back then she'd have been certain everything would be fine. Now after her dungeon and still feeling traumatised by her experiences there, all she could do was whimper slightly. She managed not to back away, instead slowly getting back up onto her feet.

She glanced at Tom, he seemed to be dealing with this okay, and logically he was probably the best person to have in that situation. But looking again and seeing the knife so close to his throat made tears begin to well up in her eyes. Because all of a sudden she could see what would happen if this went wrong, when before she had only ever been able to see the best outcome now for the first time in years she was able to see the worst too. It was terrifying.

Quietly she moved over to the door keeping her distance from the shadow that had it's arm around her boyfriend.

"Right." She said quietly, her eyes flicking to the dog for a moment, even thought her fear she still felt sympathy for the wounded animal, though unfortunately it seemed she'd not be able to help it. "We'd better hurry I guess." She hesitated despite the danger outside Paradise, her fear of what lurked in there caused her to falter for a moment. But she had no choice her ninja boyfriend's life could depend on it, with a sigh she started through the door.

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the_nadeshiko
2010-08-18 09:40 pm UTC (link)

Kai had frozen the moment the shadow had barreled onto the scene, too surprised to even move. When he noticed what it was doing to Tom, his numbness was replaced with cold, awful dread, and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

The logical side of his brain knew that something like this had always had the potential to happen, and that he had to be braced to face it. The illogical, feeling part of his brain was screaming for him to run. But if he did that, it could mean certain death for everyone else, and he couldn't let that happen, either. They were all supposed to be in this together...

And that was enough to get him to trudge slowly after Seiko through the door. His gaze was locked straight ahead, staring into the darkness of Paradise, because he didn't trust himself to be able to look at the shadow without becoming paralyzed with fear.

Hands shaking and swallowing hard, he went through the door to the other side.

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daioujou
2010-08-18 10:30 pm UTC (link)

Kouchisei's thoughts of survival worked well. The temperature of his skin had seemed to drop, causing him to pull down his sleeves when Shirai investigated them. This pressure that he thought kept him short at times was clarifying that he was right. The Yakuza were a respectable organisation in some ways, but they also killed people.

So he said nothing and kept his own gaze downward, not wanting to draw his attention. They watched people trudge towards the door, and he was paralysed for a moment and couldn't follow them through it. This was a second confirmation proving humanity's idiocy, but the Yakuza would also stay and there was nothing he could do about Shirai anyway.

Yet, there stood one Shirai, and opposite were plenty of them. His mind thought about Tom taking one for the team so the other could be rushed, and his thoughts changed immediately because that was judgmental and wrong. Because if he did that, he would not be that different from the Yakuza brat, and that was something he was proud of.

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2dbeauty
2010-08-18 11:07 pm UTC (link)

The real predator was here. A dog? A dog was nothing. Lower on the chain. People ate dogs in some places, right? And Reizo no, his shadow was a step up from most people in that particular ranking. There was a feeling like ice in Toru's stomach- it made him sick and shaky, almost uncontrollably.

Reizo's shadow. The strong one. The strongest he's got a knife he's got Tom he's going to kill Tom this is not as planned

The ragged, devastated shadow was telling them to go through the door. Seiko and Kai had already, and who was Toru to question their judgment? A life was at stake if I hadn't gone for the phone I could have been the one in his grasp right now because he's my natural predator and- and cooperation was the only way to help.

With fists clenched and eyes downturned, he walked past the scene he did not want to see and into the door. Trembling.

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some_other_dog
2010-08-18 11:34 pm UTC (link)

The huge teen boy watched them go, shining golden eyes glaring out from beneath the greasy locks of his dyed white hair. The knife glittered red and deadly in the light of the day, homing in towards his captive’s neck, pressing to and marring his throat with a fresh slip of the dog’s blood as Reizo tensed. There was no doubt he was ready to cut Tom a necktie smile at the slightest offensive movement, or that it was a reminder that this was no time for anyone else to be giving out orders.

“Tell the others to come.” He snarled out from behind Tom, teeth showing in a display of feral aggression.

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lotus_beyond
2010-08-19 02:29 am UTC (link)

For a heartbeat, Renju froze. Completely, the reflexes of prey before a predator. She had faced down horrifying beings in Paradise, felt pain the likes of which she never thought she'd experience, even died once (an experience she didn't care to repeat). But her Persona was of no use here, and even the faint presence of Ksitigarbha in her head was warning her away from rash action. Here there were consequences. Here they could die. And she doubted that this Shadow was likely to hold anything back.

There was nothing she could do, save cooperate with it, something she had, to her chagrin, grown good at these past several months. With a regretful glance at Tom, she followed the others through the door. The thought of what might await them here... There were few minds she'd ever wanted to look into, but this was near the bottom of the list.

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pinksunbeam
2010-08-19 03:11 am UTC (link)

Misaki had been watching quietly the whole thing and moved towards the door. This wasn't Reizo, it was but it wasn't, and she felt like things were more unhinged then ever. Her eyes glanced over at him, then at Tom, as a shiver ran down her spine. This image was burned into her head, replacing the small moment she had of Reizo being kind enough to let her and Kiriko make some cookies at his apartment. The immaculate place, there was an odd civil feeling about it that had remained with her even after she left. Even with his behavior Misaki had thought there was some decency in Reizo, this shadow though replaced all of that feeling and made her angry and sad.

The door was the only way to go and she sighed some muttering, "I always thought there was some decency in you Shirai-san. Was I wrong to ever think that?"

Shaking her head some the pink haired girl walked into the door to follow the others into what was going to be a decent into a virtual nightmare, that much she was sure of.

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anthesphoria
2010-08-21 02:54 am UTC (link)

Kozue was still clutching her cellphone in her hand—a grip that had clenched and tightened, becoming vice-like as terror rushed through her. She felt, although she realized it only dimly, almost like a rabbit or a squirrel must feel in the headlights of a car or the jaws of a much bigger animal, paralyzed with fear and uncomprehending of what was moving towards her and what was about to happen. There was no disguising it. (Kozue wasn't an awful liar, and a better faker, but neither of those faculties were available to her at the moment.) It was Tom's comment about the vet that pushed her towards actual thought, again; at first, perplexity amidst the fear. He was going to die, and he was worried about the…

She only half-heard Misaki's comment, and saw the girl moving past out of the corner of her eye. Maybe it would help; Kozue tried not to think about it, and eased the grip around her phone, willing herself to act despite her fear. "Yeah—I'll message the vet," she said. It was almost a whisper, tense and a bit shaky. She tapped out the message quickly, and quietly, trying not to draw attention: shadow armed. in trouble. and pressed the send button on her many-times composed message to Kiriko.

She swallowed, palming her phone and stepping forward, to follow after Misaki into the door. Did it lead to Paradise? It was the first time that Kozue had felt, with absolute commitment and certainty, that Paradise would be the safer and much more preferable place to be. She tried not to shake as she walked. At least, not obviously.

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ofmanydevices
2010-08-21 03:28 am UTC (link)

Tom's thoughts ran through his mind at an extremely fast pace. There was a time, a time even recently that he would not have worried at all, he would have been willing to die. First for his ideals, and then for his friends. Now though, when the possibility seemed more real then it had in a long time, Tom felt different.

His thoughts moved to Seiko, and Max, and Kozue, and the rest of the team. He had friends, he had people who cared about him, people he didn't want to leave. Tom was struck by the sudden realization that he didn't want to die.

He raised his arms, hands splayed out in front of him in the standard "calm down" gesture directed at the rest of the team. It also allowed him to show the shadow he was unarmed, but he doubted the shadow would believe that. It also put him in a better position to get his hands past the knife. He didn't expect to not get cut, either on the hands or even on the throat a bit, that was to be assumed, but it was better then getting his throat slashed. He had absolutely no chance of overpowering Reizo, but he might be able to slip away with minimal injury, if he could provide the right distraction.

It was a horrible idea to let Reizo continue to control the situation, but Tom wasn't ready to spring into action, not just yet. He needed to know more.

"You look like shit." Tom hoped echoing the same thing Reizo had said to him when they met in the park would spark some kind of recognition. He felt the need to leave "retard" off though. "And just so you know, I'm not doing this out of fear. I'm doing it because Shirai Reizo is on my team, he's my friend."

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some_other_dog
2010-08-23 05:28 am UTC (link)

The shadow’s eyes went hard and flinty at Kozue as she passed, and his teeth skinned back from his teeth in a snarl to “hurry up” at the rest of them. He kept Tom held tight in his grip, the knife so close to his throat that it would cut him even if he turned his head, and he pressed it closer, actually nicking the poor boy when he started talking.

“You’ll learn,” he half-laughed at the boy, “that I’m a whole different breed than that mutt.”

The knife turned, and flashed downwards, dangerous tip aimed at the shoulder of his captive, who (ACCORDING TO TJ) reacted quickly, a hand shooting up to Reizo’s wrist to deflect it. The knife found Tom’s wrist instead, scraping first across the blades he kept concealed around his wrists and then down into his forearm, cutting a gash into the arm of his shirt and his forearm.

Reizo bolted forward, all of his weight charging Tom forward and into a wall, and then into the inky dark of the doorway Kozue had just disappeared into. He turned on the stragglers with a growl, the knife lost in the struggle, but the way he clenched his hands into tight fists and his thick arms bulged showed that it was superfluous to begin with.

“In. NOW!”

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