Chapter Text
...
"Heeeeeeey...
Hiya."
An unfamiliar shadow appeared, almost sorta-looking like it was wearing a scarf. It had a perfect posture, and was looking straight ahead at you. Though, you could make out it's wavy hair, and the odd rattail it possessed.
"Just a random question," It began, "but do you know what a majority vote is?"
(No Idea.)
"How unusual!" It cackled dryly, a grin forming on it's face."It's when people are deciding something, and the choice that gets picked by the most people is what gets used... Yeah, that." It explained, as if it was absolutely obvious.
Nearby, an odd, blue room caught your attention, two unrecognizable people there, who seemed to only be in color.
The shadow turned it's head slightly to it's direction, glancing at the two. It unvisibly raised an eyebrow, beginning to speak up, "Oh? Looks like somebody's over there." It tilted his head slightly, as you both began to be observed in the debate.
MR. BLUE
-
"I love majority votes! They represent the way democracy should be, following the will of the people! It's a method that minimizes conflict!"
MS. RED
-
"I hate majority votes! They're just a way to silence the minority! It only makes more darkness build in the shadows!"
The shadow sighed, it's head cocking downwards and shaking in disappointment, as it clutched it's own arm. "... Sounds like they're having some tedious argument." It mumbled calmly, then it's head happened to lift upwards, now looking directly at you. "Incidentally, whose opinion do you support? Mr. Blue's, or Ms. Red's?"
(MR. BLUE)
In an instant, a rock fell on the red lady, crushing her. A pool of blood spread from under the rock, as the man stood motionless, as if you were looking at a simulation, Your eyes widen, shook. Why did she die?
"Aww... She died.
But good for you! Your opinion had more supporters!
In the end, the majority is absolute! That's just the way it goes in society!"
It beamed ahead at you, not seeming to care of the tragic death of the lady. You looked at him, disgusted. The silence was overwhelming.
"...Hmm? What's with that look?"
(IF I KNEW SHE WOULD DIE, I WOULD NOT HAVE VOTED.)
" If you'd known the other person would die, you wouldn't have voted? C'mon... That won't get you anywhere, okay?"
(WELL MAYBE IT WOULD HAVE...)
"It's what the game is all about..."
(GAME? WHAT GAME?)
You seemed to be irritated, unhappy with the situation.
"...You don't look pleased, huh? Alright, if you insist,"
Insist what?
"Let's hold a vote! Your opinion versus mine! Okay then... Let's go."
(Peekaboo!)
The bell rang, and Ryoko's eyes slowly opened, murmuring tiredly as she raised her head from the desk. "Ugh..." The highschooler rubbed her eyes, yawning while she tried to clear her vision, focusing on the objects around her. She thought back to the dream she was woken from, hands... hands that were walking slowly, until they were behind... Ryoko herself.
"I had... a weird dream," she processed, standing up slowly as she took her bag. Her actions were slow and seem woozy-she was partially-awake. The brown haired girl happened to acknowledge the aching in her jaw, "My jaw is sore ... because I was... sleeping with my head on the desk."
"This late already...?" It was so dark outside, it felt unbelievable. Exactly, how long had she been asleep? She had to get out before it was too late... "I have to go home..." She headed for the door of the classroom, her steps getting faster every minute "Better hurry." Her words were mumbled out quietly, focusing as she exit the school. She looked all around, and...
"It's... become so dark... gosh." It was hellishly... dark, and there was hardly anybody out. Ryoko didn't expect to be out this late. Even so, she for some reason didn't want to go home...the scenario around her caught her attention, she just focused her attention on observing the school.
\
There was one light on...perhaps it was the guard? Ryoko appreciated them for their service, how they spent their time making sure the school was okay.
Her eyes narrowed around, slowly looking towards the campus pond. There was a rumor going around in school about it, that if you looked into the water, your reflection would be sentient, and speak to you. Ryoko thought it'd be a great rumor for a loner to investigate.
Seeing the school like this... it had to be completely different in the night. The only light in the school has turned. She had to walk home at this time? It was so dark. She almost felt afraid to move. She noticed the school gates, but Ryoko didn't have the feeling to leave yet. There was a blurry figure in the distance behind the gates, suddenly running up at her. Someonestheresomeonestheresomeonestheresomeonestheresomeones-
"Hey, Ryoko."
A recognizable classmate approached him. He was a short, thin teenage boy with gray-blue eyes and soft, fluffy-looking white hair with bangs. One of his hands were in his pocket, and the other waving at Ryoko. He seemed a bit stoic, but at-peace.
Ryoko's eyes widen slightly, taking in who was there in-front of her. "Ranmaru...!"
The one standing in-front of her was Ranmaru Kageyama, or rather, Ranmaru. He was a classmate that Ryoko often found herself bumping into. He was a pretty calm dude, and relaxing to be around.
"You stuck around this late for clubs?" Ranmaru began, putting his free hand on his hip "I was honestly getting a bit tired from waiting..." Understandable, but, ouch. Ryoko scratched her neck, tilting her head downwards. She didn't to make Ranmaru wait for that long...
"Hey, it's fine." He pat her shoulder, causing her to beam slightly. Ryoko looked back up at the white haired teen, who seemed to be smiling a little. What a relief. "Listen, Hirose. I... wanna tell you something."
Ryoko fixed her posture, as Ranmaru's hand dragged into his own pocket. The brown-haired antagonist fixed herself, getting ready to hear whatever her friend wanted to tell her. "Something to tell me? What's up?" She dusted herself off.
"My thanks."
"Your thanks? For what?"
"Eheh... you know." He scratched the back of his head, looking away. He happened to be a bit flushed. "You introduced me and Sara, right...?" He was...blushing a little. How sweet. "Right!" Ryoko replied.
"She's a really nice girl, she's gorgeous and has great quality in leadership. I'm absolutely moved..." He seemed to be beaming, cheeks flushed, but the way his face was turned to the side made it harder to notice. He was even fidgeting with his fingers a little. Ryoko noticed this, and smirked. "Cute, huh?"
"Precious." Ranmaru nodded "She swallowed a whole doner kebab whole too. She's a real glutton to boot..."
What a change of vocab...Eheh
"A whole doner kebab..."
Ryoko gasped, her eyes widened and it felt like air knocked out of her chest. "Wait," her mouth seemed to be slightly agape, but she slowly covered it up with her hand. "You went on a date?!" She exclaimed, as if it was simply unbelievable.
"Mmh...yeah. Just ended. Came back to school so I could, tell you about it." He playfully grinned, in response, Ryoko rolled her eyes, grinning back. "You know, you could've just went home!"
"Ahah. Bragging complete. Come on, how about we head home?" Ranmaru held out his hand, and Ryoko held it back. "Alright," Ryoko nodded as they stepped out of the school gates.
Among their way, Ranmaru was on a continuous rant about his date with her friend, Sara Chidouin. 5 minutes have passed since they left, and he was still going on and on about it. "And then Sara and I finally...." Ryoko lost focus on his rambling, just wondering how long was this date. Her train of thought got interrupted by the other's voice.
"...Hey. You there with me still? We made...huge progress." He seemed to be a little nervous when he asked, not wanting to stress her out too much or anything.
Ranmaru can be such a pain sometimes, Ryoko thought... She cleared her throat, "Did you two kiss?" The gothic teen seemed almost taken-aback at the question. "Hey, don't be stupid." He shook his head disappointedly. "It's only our first date, after alll..." He stayed silent for a moment, but shined again. "We did hold hands though! That's progress, isn't it?" He smiled. "Even if it was mainly cause she was helping me up after I fell, we still held hands afterwards."
"You know, for being such a calm guy, you are also pretty much a flirt." Ryoko chuckled, and Ranmaru tensed up, his cheeks turning a slight-reddish hue in embarrassment. "Flirt...? I don't see what about me says flirt." He scratched his hair. "Know, I'm a little hurt. That gets to me." He let out a quiet, dry chuckle. Obviously being sarcastic and joking.
And now he's moping, Ryoko thought, smiling and rolling her eyes.
She glanced around, catching sight of a small poster on a wall in the distance. It was basically warning her to watch out for strangers. Strangers? Why would she need to worry about strangers, when all she could do is simply avoid them. The only stranger Ryoko should be concerned about his her own stalker (if they were a stranger, that is.) Even Ranmaru seemed to stay silent, his eyebrow twitched into a furrow at the warning poster.
The only interesting thing left to take note of close-by was the faint streetlight in the distance, illuminating and giving light to the area. It was the only source of light here, especially since Ryoko never walked home when it was this dark. She flinched when somebody unexpectedly tapped her cheek.
"Hey, you good?" Ranmaru raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. "Do you wanna hold hands, again?" Ryoko blinked, processing the question. She stopped walking, awkwardly looking at the other. "Hmmm..? Sure!"
Ranmaru's cheeks suddenly turned red in embarrassment, looking away. "Nah, forget what I asked. Sorry." Ryoko giggled a little, patting his shoulder in some sort of comfort. Ranmaru shook his head, clearing his throat. "Sorta... off topic. Have you thought of finding a partner yet?"
...
"You have trouble sleeping, 'cause of your stalker...is that right?" He mumbled, scooting closer to her as if trying to be cautious of anyone around listening. "Is that why you always go home with me?" Ryoko responded.
"Dummy... I just wanted to brag..."
...
"Thank you." Ryoko smiled slightly
"For what? If you simply wanna be grateful, then I won't bother." He smiled back. Ryoko only giggled in response. "Come on, let's head home now!" She beamed. Ranmaru nodded. "Yeah, your parents would be worried if you came home so late."
Ryoko nodded back. "Right."
She glanced back at the streetlight. There was... a shadow. There was someone there. There was someone there....
Panic sunk into her chest, feeling as if she was in a life-or-death situation. She grabbed Ranmaru's wrist tightly, her breath becoming rapid. "Ranmaru, run!" She yelled out, Ranmaru only let out a confused gasp as Ryoko started to suddenly run towards the direction of her house.
They were both panting once they reached to their designated location."Haaaah... pheww.." Ranmaru breathed out, holding onto his chest. "We... made it- home..." He closed his eyes, trying to get ahold of himself. "It's okay... we should be fine now that... we are here." He shook his head, fixing his posture and putting his hands back into his pockets, smiling slightly in relief.
"Ranmaru... I'm relieved. If I went home, by myself..." She shuddered at the thought. Ranmaru pat her back. "Don't think about that, alright?" Ryoko nodded in response.
That girl... she seemed short, and had... long, curly hair. She was... staring right at me. And, it almost seemed like she was... trying to talk to me?
Ranmaru suddenly poked her cheek. "Hey, Ryoko. Your parents are waiting."
"Yeah." She closed her eyes, letting out a breath, before looking back at Ranmaru. "Hey, Ranmaru?" Ranmaru looked back at her, curious of whatever she had to say to him.
"...Thank you."
Ranmaru smiled, placing his hand on her shoulder again. "Hey, it's all good. I'm always here for you. Now, I have to get home... I'll see you tomorrow, at school, okay?" Ryoko nodded, and they waved to eachother as Ranmaru departed his way.
Ryoko sighed, "guess I'll go in." She raised her hand to open the doorknob, but noticed something. The house lights weren't on...? That was strange. No room she could see through the window had her lights on. She thought it might've been a power outage, but the fancy lamplight that lit up the front porch proved otherwise. The door to her house was unlocked, so she just twisted the doorknob and headed inside.
"Mom, dad, are you home?" She yelled. The brown haired highschooler was still confused on why the lights weren't on. It was completely dark, and ...there was a plant fallen over. The house... it was just, weird! There was an odd vibe all around, and she couldn't even decipher the reason for it.
She decided to go into the living room, turning the doorknob and pushing the door open. Normally, her mother would be waiting for her and watching TV in here. When she entered, it was still pitch black. This was bizarre! There can't be nobody here. Maybe... if she turned on the lights, she would find something. She turned on the light via the light-switch, and turned her head.
Her mom... was... unconscious!
"Mom...?"
"Mom, mom!"
She kneeled down next to her, shaking her to wake her up.
"Mom, hang in there!"
She checked her pulse. Thank goodness she was still breathing. It seems that she might've just fainted... "Oh, what do I do, what do I do...!" She mumbled.
She stood up, noticing some sort of key. "Why is this here...?" She breathed out, grabbing the key and rushing out of the living room. She bumped into somebody, who gently held her in place.
"Ryoko!"
"Ranmaru! Please help!" She panicked, "My mom collapsed!"
"Calm down..." Calm down?! How could she! "Did you call the hospital or cops?" He pat her head in attempt to soothe her a little, atleast to make her stop panicking as much. "Not- yet... I still need to call!-"
"Hey." Ranmaru cut her off, "You need to be calm. I'll handle it, okay? " Ryoko nodded, and Ranmaru went off to the side, dialing the cops.
Ryoko didn't know what to do, but she had to do something, didn't she...? What could she do? She took a deep breath, walking towards the fallen plant and lifting it back up, then ran up the stairs, to the second floor where her room was.
It was locked, but no worries. She had a key to test out.
She unlocked the door with the key, opening the door. "Dad, dad, are you here?" Ryoko yelled, "Dad?! Mom collapsed, where are..."
She blacked out.
(BEFORE I move onto the next part, look at this drawing of them!!!) 
Ryoko's eyes slowly opened, as she groaned in pain. Where... was she? Why was she looking at the ceiling...? Why was she sleeping here...
She decided to think of the events leading up to this moment.
She went home from school... and then, she went into the living room... right! And then she saw her mom...
"Mom!" She called out.
She wanted to sit up, but absolutely couldn't. It felt like she was tied down. Was there something on her head? It felt like it. She slowly, and reluctantly raised her hand, to touch whatever was on it. It felt like, either some sort of belt, or machine... maybe she was being tied down? Is this some sort of restraint?
"No way... ugh... what is the meaning of this?"
Her temprature rose, and suddenly fear awakened in her. "No! Where is this! Is somebody here!?"
She had no freedom to move. Her whole body was restrained, besides her right arm. "Someone..." She wanted to scream, but went quiet.
The. Stalker.
Ryoko had come to a realization.
Did she... harm her mom? And brought her here? Ryoko wondered if she was going to be killed. This was really cruel and indecent...
She closed her eyes slowly, thinking there was no hope as tears filled her eyes...
"Ryoko! Are you there...?"
That... voice.
"Ran...maru? Is that you?! Where are you!" She felt some faith return to her, the fact Ranmaru was there brought some relief to the overwhelming fear that was bubbling inside her chest.
"I'm next to you, I think. But... I can't move. Can you do something?" He also seemed to be afraid, his voice ever-so-slightly wobbly. And Ryoko realized, that Ranmaru was in the same situation as she was. She was glad she wasn't alone, but upset he was dealing with this too...
Her thoughts were interrupted by something muffled ringing. A... phone?
"Ranmaru, is that yours ringing?" She tried her hardest to eye him, due to the fact her head was immobilized.
"Huh?" Ranmaru mumbled, checking his pocket. "You're right, something in my pocket, it's..." He pulled out the ringing phone. "Here!" He seemed to hold the speaker closer to his face. "Hello? Whoever you are, help us. Please."
" ...Beginning voiced guidance."
Ryoko and Ranmaru were both confused. "What?"
"The First Trial will now begin. Ryoko, and, Ranmaru. Find the key hidden in this room. Then, remove your restraints. If you cannot do so before the time limit expires, the device on the beds will activate... And your bodies will be crushed with a thud. By all means, please enjoy this thrill with all your body and soul. The time limit is a healthy 5 minutes. And note that there is only one key, so please discuss who will use it."
...what the hell...was this? The first trial? We will die in 5 minutes?
"Wah... what are we gonna do...?" Ranmaru cried out. This was a rare side of him, he was usually so calm. There was no time to fret on what we were gonna do... "Ranmaru, can you check your clothes?"
"Know, when I took the phone from my pocket, I might've dropped something..."
Ryoko's eyes sparkled. "No way! Can you grab it?"
...
"Got it. It's the key." Ranmaru grinned proudly "All-right!" Ryoko cheered, "hurry, use the key!"
"Huh!?" His tone switched, now seeming more concerned. "But if I use it, you'll..." He cut himself off.
"It's okay! I'm sure you can figure something out. I believe in you, Ran." She smiled warmly
Ranmaru's cheeks had a slight pinkish tint. "...got it." He cleared his throat. "I'll use it, then I will save you too, for sure."
It took some time to use the key, but he managed to use it.
Jesus. That took some time, but it's fine. I need to save Ryoko... He thought.
There was about two minutes left, he simply looked around, observing everything nearby. There was a green lock, numbers on the wall, sandpaper...? And some thing to enter a code in. First, he noticed the numbers that were on the bottom of the wall.
3141.
He went to the dial, entering the numbers '3141'. It only made a sound after Ranmaru entered it. How pointless, was that just a waste of time?
He tried to enter the red into the green lock, but it didn't fit at- wait.
Some of the red on the key scraped off... Was the green key... under the red one? His chest filled with a burst of hope, as he got the idea to go to the sandpaper and scrape the key until the red resin came off. The thinner green key now showed, and he inserted it back into the lock
...
"It worked!" Ranmaru cheered, clasping his hands together. Ryoko was excited to hear the news. "Really?" Ranmaru nodded, murmuring out a breathy "mhm" as he removed the restraints holding back Ryoko.
She panted, "thank you... Ran..." Ranmaru nodded again, "Can you stand? There's a door here. Let's get out of here as soon as possible."
"Ah, wait, Ranmaru!"
"Damnit. It's pitch black." Ranmaru grumbled, evidently frustrated with the situation. "I can't see a thing!" Ryoko complained, leaning against the wall slightly and guiding herself with her hand. "Let's go along the wall."
Ranmaru agree, following what she was doing. "Left is a dead-end. Seems like we can only go right." He spoke aloud, clenching his free fist, "I mean it, Ryo. Don't let us get separated."
"...Right."
They kept going straight ahead, but as far as they went, there was no source of light nearby, not even in the slightest. It was either a very, very long hallway, or they just weren't advancing as much as they thought they were.
"Ranmaru... I don't hear anybody around. Wouldn't it be a good time to run before someone comes?" She suggested hesitantly. Ryoko herself didn't think it was the best idea, but a decent one at-least.
"Not really a fan, but I'm willing to if you are." He shrugged awkwardly. "But can I ask something?"
"Hm?"
"You're faster than me, aren't you?"
Ryoko scoffed slightly. "I wouldn't leave you behind." Ranmaru smiled in response. "Then let's run."
"Three... two... one-"
Just as they were about run, there was suddenly wind blowing from underneath. "Whah?!"
Their feet left the ground, it felt like they were flying."No... are we falling!?" Ranmaru yelled.
The floor gave away, and it felt like they were falling for an eternity. Ryoko felt her senses growing distant.