[REMODELED] main community

[ The soft voice of a woman can be heard over the PDA and read over the network. She sounds friendly and not at all unkind. She sounds genuine. ]

Welcome, patients. My name is Doctor Linda Grey. I am your warden.

You've all recently awoken from your deep slumber... you may be confused, angry, sad, or all three. But we, the staff at Yellow Brick Institution, promise-- no, guarantee-- that things will make sense. Not tomorrow, or even the day after that, but with time. We will assist all of you with your conditions and restore your misplaced memories. I will be honest and say that this process may be frightening or overwhelming to many of you, but you are not alone here. Every single patient here is in the same situation as you are. And the staff is here to help. Please cooperate and become an active participant in your own recovery. We will take care of you.

[ She clears her throat and continues on in a lighter tone. ]

Today is a historical day; we have worked tirelessly to awaken patients from their sleep, and have finally found a method that works in practice as well as theory. Today is day one.

Please make yourselves comfortable; the weather is lovely if you are to venture outside and use any of our outdoor facilities. However, our beach is closed for today. Starting tomorrow, it should be up and running for everyone to use. If you would prefer to stay indoors, we recommend you look at our extensive library. If you are lost or require assistance, please alert one of our staff doing their rounds.

Thank you, and please enjoy the rest of the day.

[ Static and rustling. When she finally speaks, it's in a very small voice. ]
Um... Ah! It's on...

[ A pause. Her voice is soft and thoughtful. ] When I asked the nurse what I was supposed to put here, she told me I could write about the dream I had while I was asleep. But it's so strange. I'm not sure what to do. Was it truly, truly not real? Can dreams feel like that?

[ She sighs quietly, and is silent for a moment. ]

So maybe I ought to be happy I'm here, in this place. Because it means a lot of terrible things never happened, in reality. And it means I can, maybe I can... remember what really did happen, and I can go on to live normally again. I am alive. But I can't help but be confused and sad.

[ She falls silent for another moment, then her voice picks up: ] My name is Euphie. I'm glad that none of us have to go through something so scary like this alone. It's nice to meet you, everyone.

[She picks up the communicator, and turns it around in her hands. After a moment, she turns it on, though doesn’t realize so for a few minutes. ] Although it doesn’t seem very complicated to use now…I don’t ever remember having seen something like this before. Maybe they were launched while I was asleep. I’ll have to remember to take notes on these for when I return home.

Oh. I seemed to have enabled the video recorder. [She looks into the camera, blushes and looks away, and then looks back and clears her throat. ]

[ She steadies herself, and speaks as best she can, in a clear and high voice. ] Hello, everyone. My name is Kotomi Ichinose. I don’t know what exactly has happened to me, or any of you, for that matter, but…I-I think I’m new here…but aren’t we all new…?
[She begins to shake, the gravity of her situation impacting her full-force. ]

[She closes her eyes, thinks to herself for a minute, and regains her strength ]

Let me start over. Hello, everyone. My name is Kotomi Ichinose, my hobbies are reading and playing the violin. I am new here. Because of that, it would seem I have no friends yet. I am happy to make all of your acquaintances, and hope we will all become good friends in the future.

[the video feed turns on, revealing the face of a golden-eyed boy in his late teens, regarding the device with a serious sort of look on his face - a hint of skepticism, a hint of confusion around the eyes, in the tilt of the mouth]

Dreams.

[his voice is a bit soft, but not lacking in firmness]

Usually, I'm not the one waking up from dreams.

[he's quiet for a while, his eyes falling closed and his mouth curving into a small frown. he opens them after a moment, and sighs, as if he expected things to go back to normal while his eyes were closed]

Does everyone here believe what we've been told?

[Lots of people have already started talking, but Xion couldn't think of anything so say, really. But she should say something, right? ...that's what you do in hospitals, isn't it? Say hello? So she clicks on the video and stares at the screen for a few moments, chewing her lip. Here goes nothing.]

...hello.

...I'm Xion.

[...and she can't think of anything else. This is probably just annoying people, isn't it?

Click. End transmission.]

[Fujiko can’t believe any of that. In fact, she’s pretty sure that few people would believe such a tale about such a 'fabricated' disease. Worst than that, now she’s going to stay locked up in that place. Do they really want to keep her there, like in a prison? That she won’t accept.]

At first, I really thought I was in a hospital, because of the gunshot, but this is no regular hospital… [She thinks to herself, looking at the device that was given to her.]

Maybe... Well, here goes nothing. [She fiddles with the keys on the device, and is able to turn on the video function.]

This is Mine Fujiko speaking. [She says, pausing for a moment.] Jigen, you bastard, I know you are out there somewhere, so get on your feet and get me out of this place, right now! [She sounds highly irritated. She isn’t sure if he’s within the vicinity of her ‘communicator’, but she’s sure that he will find a way to break into that place and get her out. He helped her escape prison once, didn’t he?]

I just … Hope he knows I’m here. [She thinks to herself, crossing her arms. She had to hatch a plan to get out of that place, in case he didn’t about her whereabouts.]

I don't know what happened to me, but there's one thing I do know. I didn't make my memories just so that someone could take them away from me. Again.

[muffled silence as Naoto presses a hand against her face]

...How many other 'patients' are here? Nill? ...Badou? .......Heine?

[There’s a smacking sound, like a palm striking the device in frustration. Badou obviously does not know how to use this device.]

What the hell is this? God dammit all… They're telling me I just woke up, that everything was a dream. That can't be fucking true there's.. there's just no way. David is real dammit,t hey can't tell me otherwise.

[There’s a sigh and hiss of pain, air swishes like the device is being shaken very fast.]

Is this damn thing even working? Ugh, my head hurts like that one time Haine smashed me against a damn wall. And [shuffling, a sound of disbelief mixed with relief follows] the gunshot wound is gone, Mihai’s gone too… Where is the crazy bastard? I hope that albino freak and that sword chick are okay at least, there was some heavy shit going down.

I wonder if they're here too?

[His eyes slowly blink open and he feels a little groggy as he sits up, a hand coming up to rub at his eyes to clear his fuzzy vision. He feels like he's been sleeping for days, or possibly even longer. The last thing he remembers is being at the waterfall with Yamato-sensei and ..?]

Ungh .. my head hurts .. I feel like I got trampled by a ten ton toad.

[He looks around the room, noticing the whitewash walls that were somehow familiar. Had he been here before? Was he back in Konoha? Had he finished his training?]

Sakura-chan? Baa-chan? [He calls to them, thinking he is perhaps in the hospital back home, as the room definitely smells like it.]

[But it looks different he realizes, but he doesn't know where he is. His head is still fuzzy.]

Where am I? Am I in a hospital or something? I don't feel sick ..

[For some reason he knew he couldn't stay here but .. why? He couldn't quite remember and it made him panic just a little bit. Those memories were still so fuzzy.]

Oh yeah! I was training with Yamato-sensei and Bee-san and then--! .. I don't .. remember what happened next .. Ugh, maybe I did hit my head. That would probably explain why I'm here and not there!

[Glancing about he finds the device which he picks it up and accidentally turns on. It reminds him of the comm devices back home they sometimes used on missions.]

What is this thing? Can anyone here me? Is this thing even on?

Er... I'm not really sure I understand what's going on, or why I'm not allowed to get in touch with my family, but I guess I'll give this therapy stuff my best shot. My name is Haru Hoshino; I'm fifteen years old and a first-year high school student. It's nice to meet you all.

And, uh... do I really have to pick either the boys side or the girls side? For my room, I mean.

...none of it was real. [Murmuring almost to himself, before speaking up properly]

I was just wondering...does anyone else, um...having trouble believing it? It's just...if it hadn't happened...it doesn't make sense...how can it not be real, when I can feel him still...

I guess, what I mean...is there something that's lingering, that makes you not believe it? I know...I want to believe it. But...

[ for a moment or two it's just shaky breathing. none of it had been... the more and more he thought on it, the more and more upset he became. how could all of that have been a lie!? ]

They're wrong... [ they have to be! it's the only thing that actually makes any sense. ] They're wrong. They're wrong, they're wrong! It was real! It has to be! It has to be...

[ then a crash. he'll probably get into trouble for breaking what he can find in his room... but really?

he doesn't care. they aren't about to convince him his memories were wrong. and he's not quite ready to just sit there and do nothing. ]

[...Something isn't quite right here. The last thing he remembers is her. Yelling. Fire. Anger.

Emptiness.

His face feels cold and when he reaches up to touch it he realizes that he'd...been crying. Upon further digging through those hazy memories, he remembers...so much more. How could that--?

But rather than ponder about it more, Axel's left to stare...stare...and stare more at the ceiling over head.]

...You've gotta be kidding me.

That was...too real.

[He'd been staring at the ceiling for a few hours now, motionless. He was thinking and thinking hard, unsure of exactly where he was and, furthermore, why he was here. Yes, he heard the announcement and knew of his location but he just wasn't too sure on why. He felt more empty then angry. He sits up, brushing his fingers through his hair, and reaches lazily over to the communicator which sits upon the table at his bedside. After a moment of observation, he moves a slender finger to turn the device on. There's a short pause before he finally speaks.]

I find this all hard to believe. Waking up? It doesn't even feel like I've been sleeping. The sensations are mixed up, all wrong. [His voice holds obvious frustration. Not being able to understand much of anything bothered him to a certain degree. He grips the device tighter] This doesn't feel like reality. If I've 'awakened', how long has it been since I've been 'alive'?

[He pauses, an obvious dejected sigh filling the silence. He finds himself at a loss for words, his own realization hitting him and hitting him hard. Before signing off, he adds another quiet statement.] My name is Lelouch vi Britannia.

[ She sits on the edge of her bunk with calm poise, one booted leg folded over the other. ]

Since no one else has asked, I will.

Name.

Age.

Gender.

Previous location.

It's just a harmless game of introduction, you know the drill.

Don't lie. It defeats the purpose of the game and ruins the fun.

[ It's obvious from the look on her face that this 'game' is anything but.

If there's any fun to be had, it's probably not here.

Lightning had never been a good actor. ]

So it's all fake? [whether he's aware that the device is on or not is anybody's guess. but it's on. and he's talking. muttering, really.] ..Fake.

That can't be true. All of that-- that. All of it. Just a dream? ..Nothing was real. At all. [he's.. confused. wants it to be real, yet at the same time.. doesn't. because that would be a horrible reality to live in.

but reality is horrible, isn't it?]

...Che. Worst dream I'll ever have.

/ He watches the screen closely, an attempt to get acquainted to the device in his hand. The doctor seems calm, seated in bed and watching the screen. Calm, indeed but there is a certain fatigue in his eyes. /

This is... the first day of awakening, they tell me. Though everything has been much too vivid to be a dream, lucid or otherwise.

/ He turns his attention back to the device. It was clear that he was lost in thought for a moment there. /

Ah. My apologies. I'd... meant to introduce myself to my fellow patients.

My name is Kazutaka Muraki and... this is my first day of awakening. I am afraid I do not have much more to say after that for I am still in the process of sorting out everything -- what is real and what isn't but please. I will be more than happy to speak to you if you desire my company.