Chapter Text
Daichi stops in front of barred room, looking into the dimly lit cell and pointedly stares at the shadowed figure lounging on the single bed attached to the wall.
“I know you’re awake,” he says after a few minutes of silence from the occupant of the cell.
There’s a light chuckle before the shadowed figure moves to sit up. “You know me too well,” the man drawls, earning an eye roll from Daichi.
“Come here. I need to speak to you.”
With a sigh, the man gets up and shuffles indolently towards the bars, where the lights on the hallway illuminates his face, a smirk already in place.
“Did you miss seeing my face, Sawamura?” The man’s tone is playful, but the glint in his eyes spells otherwise.
“It looks especially good behind bars, Kuroo,” Daichi replies with a fake smile that got wider when Kuroo drops the smirk and narrows his eyes at him.
“What do you want?” Kuroo’s voice takes a hardened edge.
Daichi drops the friendly façade as well, adopting a serious demeanor. “Someone broke into the Athenaeum last night and stole a few volumes of the Compendium from the Vault. Do you know anything about it?” He asks, getting straight to the crux of the matter.
Kuroo raises a brow at the information. “Someone broke into the Athenaeum? Again?” He whistles, clearly in admiration of the feat.
“Do you know anything about it?” Daichi asks again, through gritted teeth, keeping his anger at bay.
“I’m sure you haven’t failed to notice, but I’m currently locked up at the moment. I’m touched though, that you think I’m capable of running heists while imprisoned.” Kuroo says, putting a hand above his heart and bowing a little smugly, which earned him a glare from Daichi.
Kuroo huffs. “I don’t know anything. But if I ever get a chance to meet them, whoever they were, I’d like to shake their hand and congratulate them on successfully one upping you lot.”
“Your group isn’t behind this?” Daichi asks, suspicious, trying to gauge Kuroo’s expression for a hint that his lying.
Kuroo scoffs. “My group aims for aspirations higher than that. Why steal books about history when you can steal a book of life?”
Daichi hums. “Why indeed. Though I feel the need to remind you that you also failed on stealing a book of life.”
“I only failed because they were wrong about you.”
Daichi only looks at him with a bit of pity, but soon shakes his head. “Well, it seems that you really don’t know anything about it, surprisingly. But once I learn that your group is actually behind this, you might be sharing this cell with a few of your members.” He steps back just as Kuroo snarls viciously at him at the mention of threat to his group members. “Until then, enjoy your stay.”
Daichi tips his head in a small nod to the guard nearby.
Kuroo just rattles the bars of his cell in response, but Daichi’s already walking away without looking back.
-----
When a person is born, their soul is linked to a book that details their life from the day they were born up to the day that they die. Any change in the book will result to a change in their life’s path and a book’s destruction will cause the death of the person that owns it.
A few centuries ago, the books used to be entrusted to the person for safekeeping, as it is meant to be one’s guide through life. But due to human greed and dissatisfaction, some people decidedly altered, going as far as against the prescribed events in their book of life, some to gather more riches, some to extend one’s life, but ultimately fostering chaos and creating imbalance among the people.
It is when the collective governments ruled about keeping the Books in one place to avoid all of that and restore fairness, peace and order and those people that did not support this edict, while not treated as enemies of the state and will not be actively pursued by the Guardians, they were considered outlaws and were forced out of their respective districts to fend for themselves. Such is the price they pay for their supposed freedom.
Hence, the law criminalizing Alteration and the establishment of the Athenaeum.
The Athenaeum is the proud and large six story, distinctly domed building, lined with marble pillars and tall windows, with a vast underground Vault, located at the heart of the central district-Shiratorizawa. It houses the citizens’ books of life, both alive and dead. As designated by the book, there are people from different districts that were given jobs as Book Keepers, tasked to keep the books safe and to relay the prescribed activity to the respective citizens of their district.
Sawamura Daichi is the Head Book Keeper for the district of Karasuno. And like the other Keepers, he has a case on his hands.
The resurgence of Outlaws had been happening for over a few years now, and only few of them have been caught so far. One of them is Kuroo Tetsurou, the infamous leader of the Resistance, a group of Outlaws actively rebelling against the Government regarding the keeping of the books in the Athenaeum and letting it dictate the people’s life, going as far as propagating lies about its nature. People know better than to believe them, but that doesn’t seem to deter them. They tried to be aggressive though.
Daichi met Kuroo when he was caught in an attempt to steal Daichi’s book of life, perhaps to try and alter it, but he was thwarted by Daichi himself, who had been working late that night and was promptly turned over to the Guardians. His group laid low after he was caught, and things were normal. At least, until last night, when some of the Compendiums were stolen.
Compendiums are not as significant as the Books and are stored in the Vault along with the books of the dead, but they are kept as compilations of significant happenings throughout the course of history. In time of peace and order, and people living harmoniously, the only entries are about the ruling government and their achievements thus far.
However, the missing volumes, as what Shimizu had told him, are the earliest ones, particularly from the time before peace was restored, detailing the significant events when Books are still personal possessions. Therein lies the complication as Archivists and Keepers alike have reasons to believe that Outlaws probably stole them to gather information to aid their wayward cause.
“Any luck?” Sugawara’s up from his seat, even before Daichi can fully enter the Hall, where the rest of the Karasuno Book Keepers are waiting for him to hear the results of his investigation.
Daichi shakes his head, taking off his long coat, depositing it in the back of a chair. “He said he doesn’t know anything about it.”
“And we’re gonna believe him? Just like that?” Tanaka asks, visibly dismayed.
“He’s been imprisoned for a few months now. There are no visitors in his log.” Daichi replies. It would be a mistake to do so, after all, since any association with a known outlaw is enough grounds to be detained as well until thoroughly proven to be innocent.
“So what are we going to do?” Asahi worriedly looks around at his fellow Keepers.
“Our jobs,” Daichi answers decisively. “Security’s been tight since the incident, and while the Guardians are doing their best to find the culprit or culprits, we run things as normally as we should as well.”
Little did Daichi know that that is easier said than done.
-----
“-ichi! Daichi!” Daichi huffs and groans as he slowly registers the sensation of being shaken.
“Daichi, wake up!” He opens his eyes, blinking until the dimly illuminated face of Takeda comes into focus.
“…Sensei. Wha’s wrong?”
Takeda doesn’t answer him, but pushes something hard against his chest instead and throws clothes and a heavy cloak on top of him. “You have to hurry!” Takeda says with alarming urgency.
Daichi blinks the confusion out some more before looking down, and fishing the hard object, coming out with a familiar book. “Sensei, what’s happening?” He’s awake and alert now, looking around the room for potential danger. “Why did you bring my book?” The Books are meant to be kept in the Athenaeum and under no circumstances can they be taken and brought out.
Takeda turns to him, away from packing a satchel on the writing desk. “You need to leave, Daichi. It’s not safe for you to stay here.”
“Why?”
“I heard that the Guardians are coming to arrest you.” Daichi recoils in disbelief in that, until Takeda continues. “They think you stole the Compendiums.”
Daichi stiffens, stands frozen as white-noise pass through his ears, Takeda’s words repeats inside his head, then he snaps and straightens, eyes wide. “Wh-What?! Bu-but I didn’t! Sensei, I didn’t! Why would I do that? How did they think that?”
He’s done everything to be a model citizen, following orders and doing his job as Head Book Keeper seriously and religiously, setting an example to his fellow Keepers and their Scholars, basically living life by the book. Surely the Guardians know this. Why would they suddenly think that he’s going to turn and side with the Outlaws?
Takeda steps in front of him and grasps his shoulders. “I know, Daichi. I know. But they’re set on arresting you.”
“But why?!” He’s done nothing wrong.
“You visited Kuroo in the wake of the disappearance of the Compendiums. They seem to take it as circumstantial evidence of you working with him.”
Daichi feels like a bucket of frozen water was dumped on him, his earlier words come to mind, as if mocking him. He curses. “But I’m not! I was investigating! I wanted to know if he knows anything! If his group had anything to do with it!”
“Daichi, I know. I know you wouldn’t do that, but they don’t. A guard heard your conversation with Kuroo and whatever Kuroo told you, they find very incriminating.”
Daichi rapidly leafs through the memories of his encounter with Kuroo yesterday, and groans cursing Kuroo in his head when he remembers the bit about mentioning his failure and pinning the blame on Daichi.
“I can explain it to the Guardians, sensei. I’m sure they’ll believe me.” Running away is just… wrong, especially since he knows that he’s done nothing wrong and he’s not afraid to stand for the truth. He can prove his innocence.
“They will need the Compendiums back, Daichi. That’s the only way you can prove your innocence. Until those are back, you’ll be detained. We don’t know how long that will take.” The worry in Takeda’s eyes, in his whole being culminating in his shaking hands. Daichi’s seen his mentor be anxious about the smallest of things before, but it’s never like this, and never has anything to do with Daichi, for Daichi. But at the moment it’s so potent that Daichi swallows in fear of what’s in store for him if he stays.
“But… but this isn’t in my book. And the others, I can’t just-”
“Daichi, please! I’ll take care of the others, but you need to leave. They could be here any moment.”
Daichi doesn’t waste time changing into the deep brown tunic and khaki trousers, and cloak and well-worn boots, a garb simpler and inconspicuous than the distinct Keeper uniform of dress shirt and vest and slacks he wears to work, hastily pushing his book inside the satchel Takeda’s insistently pushing into him and clutching it close like a lifeline.
“Where will I go sensei?”
“Anywhere but here, Daichi. And not your district, that’s the first place they’re going to look. Get as far as you can! To another district, anywhere.” Daichi nods hastily, grabbing Takeda’s hand and squeezing it, a last ditch effort to get some comfort. He steps out and looks around the surroundings.
“Daichi,” he looks back at Takeda. “Keep your book with you at all times, alright? And stay safe.”
Daichi nods, slinging the satchel across his body and pulls the hood of the cloak over his head. He takes a deep breath and runs.