Chapter Text
"A girl...? Oh, forgive me darling, but I've seen no such specimen, as pretty as she is. Surely someone like her would've caught my eye. Why, after all, she's an Inkling! Ohohoho~!"
The Tree-Sponge's laughter follows him all the way back to his seat. It's been almost three months now and still, all he's found is answers like this. Her's especially stings, because why, they are Inklings after all! Why, no one here looks like them, so shouldn't it be easy? Shouldn't it be obvious where she is? Rantaro slumps down into his seat, hissing between his teeth. He can't, he can't give up. He won't . Rantaro's made a promise to protect his sisters and he will not be going back on that. No matter how long it takes.
Maybe Shuichi will be on the subway today. He's starting to become a nice distraction from all of Rantaro's shortcomings. Shuichi seems to have access to parts of the metro that Rantaro doesn't, so they've made a deal that he'll look the best he can in there and in exchange, Rantaro would tutor Inkish for him. Shuichi seems the type that probably would have done that for no reward, but Rantaro can't risk that. Just in case, just in case Shuichi decides he's changed his mind, it's a safety net; he'll have incentive to bring her back.
That's... probably not a good way to think of a friend. No that's, that's an awful way. Kokichi wouldn't talk to him for days if Rantaro ever thought about him like that. It's just... hard not to. He's running out of places to search and needs all the help he can get. As much as he'd like to explore those areas himself, attempting to get off on Shuichi's stop has not succeeded yet and Rantaro's feeling like he's on C.Q's last nerve. (Do Sea Cucumbers even have a nervous system?) So where does that leave him? Having to trust Shuichi of course. And he does, of course he does. He has no other option.
...Hm. That doesn't sound like trust at all, does it?
Maybe if he knew Shuichi better, it'd come easier, but as of now he's kind of a suspicious guy. Why is he even down here? Why doesn't he count as a civilian like Rantaro? He’s well aware that in their history, Octarians were sent underground but, how come Rantaro hasn’t seen a single other Octoling on here? It makes him feel uneasy, why is he always covered in the undead-Octarian's ink? It's been nagging at him. He's never seen Shuichi with a weapon, so perhaps they're just firing at him? However that's quite a bit of ink. It's surprising to be covered in that much and not be splatted, especially without something to defend yourself with.
(A sick part of Rantaro asks if Shuichi's just stringing him along, maybe he's already met his sister and put her out of her mise-)
The cephalopod in question boards the train, waving at Rantaro and giving the same old warm smile he always has and the matching green ink splatters to go with it. His gut twists and he can't tell if it's from guilt or fear for the worst. Shuichi, unbothered, takes the seat next to Rantaro and they begin their usual vocabulary lesson.
The lesson goes smoothly and ends quickly. Shuichi's a fast learner and has been picking up terms at a rapid pace. Apparently his uncle taught him a bit of it, so he’s already got the basics down. He keeps saying the weirdest slang terms though and Rantaro can’t figure out where he’s learning them from until Shuichi absent-mindedly mentions hearing it from a telephone.
Except Shuichi specifically says the telephone and Rantaro has a feeling that perhaps, this isn’t a misplaced word. His earlier, dark thought bears its ugly head once more and he, he can’t help but ask.
“Shuichi, why are you down here?”
It’s not a malicious question, far from it really. Rantaro just feels guilty for finding Shuichi suspicious. He doesn’t owe his life story to Rantaro, there’s no reason to even be suspicious of him aside from some green goo that isn’t even his goo. Well. Maybe there’s a few reasons to be questioning his intentions...
Shuichi tilts his head, seemingly mulling the question over. Hmm, he looks pretty tired. Rantaro’s never really noticed until now, as he mostly opts to look at the language books he’s brought or other passengers.
“I’m… here because I have to… prove myself. Only the worthy are allowed to enter the Promised Lands”
His voice is deathly quiet, like speaking the words would automatically fail him. Rantaro doesn’t quite understand.
“Shuichi, if you wanted to get out of here, I’d be happy to bring you along to my stop. It might surprise you, but I don’t actually live down here, despite my constant ridings of this train.”
Shuichi frowns, hands bunching up at his knees. "It’s not like that. I can’t just leave I’m… I’m doing something here. Something important.”
And that is..? Well, his answer isn't really what Rantaro was expecting. Shuichi isn't some kind of over-exaggerating hitman, nor is he a civilian of the deep.
He's a test subject.
All the rooms that Rantaro is barred from entering are chambers, filled with many kinds of tasks to complete. Shuichi describes a chamber where he had to shoot three moving targets at once, another where he was to go an entire minute without being hit by hundreds of projectiles hitting him, and a third where he was simply asked to build a cat out of boxes. Quickly though, he clarifies that they're not all that easy. In fact, many are extremely hard and he's had to reattempt them several times. One in particular that he states he's still trying to beat is a chamber at the cross-section of the J and D-line. It's simple really, all Shuichi has to do is defend a simple orb from simple enemies that only think of killing him.
"...But it's not that simple. There's so many of them and..." Shuichi's fingers dig into the leather of his bodysuit. "They all look like me. Not like, me, me. But they're all Octolings and I... I don't know what's happened to them, but I want to help. It's required, but I... how can I just shoot them down like that?" He sighs, releasing his hold and wiping his eyes.
After a beat of recollection, Shuichi continues.
The chambers are filled with these undead Octarians. There's no getting around them really, it's a kill or be killed kind of scenario down there. In fact, many tasks outright require Shuichi to defeat all foes in order to pass. It's a hard choice, but C.Q reassures him they can't feel, they only exist to stop him. It's not quite the reassurance he's looking for, but...
"What choice do I have? There's not really any respawn pads, so if I get locked in a corner… I can’t just exit out of a test. I have to survive it to the end.”
Rantaro feels his chest twist. “Why don’t you just skip those ones? Surely they have other questions for you to answer aside from whether or not you can take something out.”
“Ah, that. I have to clear tests to unlock more, skipping them isn’t really an option here. Entering every single one is a bit mandatory as I'm actually looking for something in all of these chambers- um, something aside from your sister of course. Every time I clear one, I hope.. I hope the next one will house a 'Thang'..." Shuichi’s expression is dreamy, like he’s just described a beacon of light at the end of a nightmare and not a… non-specific item.
Rantaro raises a brow quizzically. Alright, that... That really wasn't an answer he expected. It's not even one he understands.
"A... Thang? Do you mean 'thing'? Heh, you'll probably want to be more specific if you-"
He's cut off by Shuichi making some kind of... hissing-gurgling noise? Rantaro's never heard anyone do that . Maybe it's an Octarian thing.
"No! A thing! A 'Thang'! I was instructed by the telephone in Central Station to collect them to reach the 'Promised Land'- I think it meant the surface, though. It was…speaking pretty weirdly. I think it was voice activated and ah, I spoke to it in Octarian and messed it up."
There’s that telephone again. At least now he knows it’s the telephone that’s suspicious and not Shuichi. He kind of wonders who's on the other end.
"That still doesn’t explain things though, you want to get to the surface? I could easily get you ou-"
Once again, Shuichi cuts Rantaro off. It's a bit irritating, but now isn't really the time to lecture him on manners.
"No, no. It's not like that. I can't just... leave . I have to prove myself. I don't think I'm even... allowed to accept help. I signed up for this and apparently there hasn't been an applicant in a very long time, so... You really think they'd just let me leave?" Shuichi clicks his tongue, leaning forward in his seat and resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "Besides. I'm halfway there, what's two more of these 'Thangs'? Plus, if I just left, who'd look for your sister?"
Rantaro doesn't really know what to say again. Shuichi's right, he doubts all the cameras he's seen both on the train and at the station platforms are just for show. That and… his sister. He really needs to find a way to get in there himself, Rantaro can’t bear the fact that he’s not fully , not really looking properly. And… maybe he doesn’t want Shuichi to be going through this alone, too.
Shuichi smiles softly though, despite his earlier tone, even looking a little apologetic.
“I’m sure it will be fine in the end. I can handle myself. Octolings are trained for battle from a young age and while I was never an elite, my skills aren’t anything to look down upon. You’ll take me for a tour once I’m up there though, right? Apologies if that’s forward but, you’re the only Inkling I know.”
Rantaro softly bumps Shuichi’s shoulder, watching a grin form on the Octoling’s face and feeling his own form as well. “Of course. I know my way around the place and I’d be more than happy to get you set up. Hey, you think you’d be interested in turfing? My dad owns the company who hosts that sort of thing, so I could get you an ID no problem. Bet you’d kick ass at it too, even Kokichi would get a run for his money, heh.”
Shuichi questions why Rantaro’s using “turf” as a verb and he laughs, trying to keep it down as he’s getting several glares from nearby passengers. He explains it’s a game that’s quite popular in Inkopolis, where teams of four sling ink over a designated space and try to be the team with the most coverage. Shuichi lights up at this revelation and makes Rantaro promise that he’ll be allowed to play. (And that they’ll be on the same team.) Of course he does, he’d never deny Shuichi the satisfaction of curb-stomping a fellow player with a… well, Rantaro doesn’t know his preferred weapon, but he’s pretty sure with all the tests he’s been going through, all of the above might apply.
It’s sweet to think about. Shuichi doesn’t speak often about the domes he calls home, aside from the one time he mentioned his uncle and the fact he even lives in a dome, but Rantaro kind of assumes life underground isn’t too great. He hopes Shuichi can get out of this mess soon , but regardless of how long, Rantaro knows he'll wait for him, offering whatever he can to ease the sting of the task.
...Like fodder for his Inkopolis fantasies, apparently. A guy accidentally brings a fashion magazine down with him one time and suddenly you’ve got a Kensa stan on your hands. Oh well, black isn’t too bad of a colour.
For now though, Rantaro will just settle on standing by his side, as Shuichi’s been doing for him. Perhaps they’ll even be able to solve their problems... together.