Chapter Text
“Ah… I see our patient has finally awakened.”
Truth be told, he didn’t know where he was.
Or when.
The scratchy sensation of the bed beneath him felt familiar in the worst way possible. Thin mattress. Stiff pillow. Sheets rough enough to scrape against skin. A hospital bed.
He hadn’t been in one since he was a child.
…Hadn’t he?
The harder he tried to remember, the thinner his thoughts became. Questions dissolved before answers could form, like ink bleeding into water. Every attempt to anchor himself only made the strange haze around him feel deeper.
Who was he right now?
How old was he?
What did he look like?
He tried to move. Nothing.
Not even enough to check himself. Couldn’t run his fingers across old scars to see whether they’d faded. Couldn’t feel whether his hair was cropped short or hanging over his eyes. Couldn’t tell if he was five or fifteen or somewhere in between.
Only his eyes obeyed him.
And when he finally lifted them upward-
Blue.
Not hospital white.
Not fluorescent yellow.
Blue.
A deep royal indigo swallowed the room whole, rich enough to feel almost liquid. Velvet walls stretched endlessly around him, swallowing corners and shadows alike. No antiseptic sting in the air. No curtains. No IV poles. No distant monitor beeping.
To his right stood a wall of metal mortuary racks stacked floor to ceiling. Their indigo-painted doors were tightly shut, polished enough to catch dim reflections. Several trays had been left partially open, empty save for folded cloth sheets resting atop cold steel.
To his left sat something closer to a doctor’s office. An examination bed with elevated stirrups. Medical monitors with dark blank screens. Cabinets full of instruments hidden behind frosted glass. Anatomical charts pinned neatly to the wall, all drawn in the same monochromatic shades of blue.
And at the center of it all…
“Well, well… I am delighted we can finally make your acquaintance.”
The figure extended one pale hand outward.
“My name is Igor. Welcome… to my Velvet Room.”
The man himself looked almost unreal. Thin to the point of frailty, nose sharp enough to split paper, eyes wide and ancient. His voice crawled through the room slowly, deliberate and theatrical, as though every word carried more meaning than it should.
Ao opened his mouth. It refused to say what he wished.
“No need to force yourself, child,” Igor continued. “You currently exist in a most perplexing state. Neither asleep nor awake. Neither wholly physical nor wholly conceptual.”
His smile widened.
“This place exists between dream and reality… mind and matter.”
The velvet walls seemed to breathe around him.
“You are merely a single speck drifting above an unfathomable abyss. Beneath the floors of this world lies nothing but an endless sea without bottom or shore.”
The room grew quieter.
Then another voice cut through it.
“Master Igor does enjoy being dramatic.”
A second man emerged from the shadows at Igor’s side.
Younger, perhaps. Though “young” felt relative in this place.
He wore an outdated surgical gown beneath a dark blue coat, the style decades old. White hair framed sharp feline features, and golden eyes gleamed beneath half-lowered lashes. A clipboard rested neatly beneath one arm, fountain pen clipped against the paper.
“My name is Felix,” he said with a small bow. “I shall be serving as your attendant during your stay here.”
Unlike Igor, Felix spoke softly. Calmly. Clinical in a way that somehow felt more unsettling.
“You may not require our assistance immediately,” he continued, “but in due time… our services will become indispensable to you.
Felix approached soundlessly. The clipboard tilted toward Ao.
A document. Blank save for a single line at the bottom. Felix uncapped the fountain pen with a soft click and placed it into Ao’s unmoving hand.
Yet now…Now there was hesitation.
The pen hovered over the page.
Ink shimmered darkly against blue paper.
> Ao Hasegawa
————
Kyoto was a paradox for the young Hasegawa. He’d spent many long extended summers in its boundaries. Away from his mother, watched over by his dear grandfather. Though, hardly did he leave the streets of his familiar neighborhood. He never knew if that was his own fear, his mothers orders, or some overlay of the two. Just as he did now, he’d stare up into the endless blue and dream of flight. Dream of going up and beyond to some great unknown his mind would never let him. Ao didn't want to be stuck at home, pulling his body through the mud for the rest of his life. Maybe this one-way trip to Kyoto was just that.
Then again, maybe it was just his cowardice finally thinning out.
“Honestly happy my brother asked me to get you, haven’t visited my dad in a while. You kids don’t know it yet, but once college is over, you’re basically just workin’ until you die.”
Uncle Zenkichi had been kind enough to take him to his new home. The same man who had helped him get emancipated from his mothers care, the same man he’d only see once or twice as a child yet had done more than any neighbor or helper.
“So you’ll be a second year next week. How’s it feel?”
-It’s nothing special
-Nervous
> I’m just happy to be in Kyoto
Zenkichi smiled “You picked a good place, most folks just go there for school trips but it’s a great area. There’s this bar me and my work friends go to, I know you’re a little young but they’ve got great bar snacks, I’ve gotta take you there…”
Dear uncle went on about his favorite spots around town. Every place he’d grown fond of in the Minami ward. Maybe it was to fill his nephews silence, or just an attempt to distract the boy from what had transpired.
Ao didn't want to think about it. His head was still seven miles up, floating in the clouds. Only coming down to earth with a familiar sight passing by. A cluster of magnolia trees behind a small fence. The visage of an old house beset by time. Outside of its gates, a carved wooden pole stood, inscribed with the Hasegwa name. Grey and cracking from years of sun and rain.
The boy remembered watching his grandfather carve it. Chiseling it out from a fallen branch, letting Ao hold it steady while he carved out their family name and sanded it smooth. How they dug out a hole in the ground and stood it upwards.
For how much time had passed, everything still looked just as Ao remembered it. The grand magnolias and old pines that fenced in the property. The century old house on its foundations, aging like a fine wine. Sure everything was a bit smaller than how it was in his memories. But Ao had grown a few feet since his childhood summers. It was not surprising.
Ao stepped out from the car. Carrying his backpack over his shoulder, all the possessions he had crammed into one package. Some clothes, his old bintendo GS, and a few books.
As if to drive the point home, the elder Hasegawa sat on the front porch of the home. Looking just as old and proud as before.
“Ah there’s my son! ‘Bout time you showed up!”
Zenkichi laughed “you hardly visit me or your granddaughter, I’m just following my old man’s example.”
Daigo Hasegawa was the portrait of an elderly patriarch. Nearly bald besides some scruff, well into his 90s despite his penchant for drinking, and a loose robe big belly combo that made him look like a laughing Buddai. He’d lived a hell of a life, and loved every moment of it. Around his waist hung a thick band of fabric with a netsuke and pouch for his cigs. A small treasure amidst his vast hoard inside his home.
To Ao, Daigo was warmth. The reassurance of the bare minimum. Seeing his grandfather perched on the porch like a fat sparrow in autumn sent him back to his younger days. With his coloring books and old VHS movies in the background. He couldn't help but smile. Beyond the gardens gate he walked up to the house, coming close enough for the grandfathers tired eyes to see him.
“Ah there’s my grandson, thought you would have stayed back in Takarazuka” he plucked a cig from his mouth and lit it “yer cousin Shin’s just about done cleaning out the top floor, didn't want ‘ya sleepin with the roaches.”
-There’s roaches
>When did shin move in?
“Tch, I’m gettin’ too old to do shit, Shin’s just helpin’ me not rot away to nothin’, heh.”
“Useful my ass!”
Tumbling down the houses stairs, a blur of cleaning rags and old shirts was Shin Hasegwa himself. Daigo was warmth, but Shin was more of a friendly slap on the back. Constantly frazzled and overthinking, with curly hair and a pudgy appearance, he’d been working as a psychiatrist for the better part of a year. Though most in town knew him as a perpetual batchelor. With little desire for the opposite or same sex, and a hunger for lemon sours and baseball games.
“It’s a full time job that I’m not even getting paid for” Shin dropped a pile of god knows what on the tatami floors “should be enough for you to sleep In Ao, had to clear out three boxes of old Yukatas.”
“Those are nice ones boy! They’re up in that part for a reason, don’t want the moths gettin’ to em’!”
“Who the hell would wear those! They smell like piss.”
Ao couldn't help but laugh at their bickering. He was a kid all over again. He’d take this over the perpetual silence of his mothers home any day.
Daigo and Shin had their rooms downstairs. Well, Daigo didn't really have a room. He preferred to sleep on a futon in front of the old TV, as his original bedroom was filled to the brim with his most prized items. Shin meanwhile, kept his bare-bones. A stark contrast from the antique-store like feel of the Hasegawa estate. Ao would be the only one to sleep upstairs. Ascending the creaking steps he found his room. Small, with just enough space for the futon Shin had brought up. A nice little window with a dusty shelf, and a desk which seemed to be taken from an old office.
Tossing his belongings to the side and laying on the cushion, he smiled. Looking up at the wood ceiling as his eyes began to fall heavy. Very rarely is he comfortable enough to just doze off.
Things were good.
———
The first thing Ao saw the next morning was a dead bird. A small falcon of sorts, lying on the ground with its stomach up and wings crooked. Some flies had begun to twirl around its form. But it seemed like the maggots hadn't gotten to it yet.
The second thing he saw was somebody standing just behind the gates. Watching the dead bird with an intense gaze, as if they wanted to pounce on it.
Tokyo had its fair share of weirdos, maybe Kyoto was more similar than he thought.
With both of his relatives fast asleep and the bird very visibly dead, Ao stumbled to the first floor and out into the yard. Hair mussied, long pj pants dragging in the damp dewy grass. The stranger noticed him immediately. A girl around his age. Seemingly more put together for the early morning, she wore simple clothes that clashed with her hair. Dyed green and blonde at the tips, it was put up in a ponytail by an intricate clip. Her face seemed the type for a local. Round and square, with heavy eyelids and a short nose.
“Oh, who are you?” She spoke “I didn't know Mr. Hasegawa had someone over”.
-who are you?
-he doesn't
>im his grandson
“Ah grandson, I think he mentioned that once or twice” she looked over his shoulder at the bird “is he awake? I didn't know if he wanted any of the feathers.”
Ao looked back at the bird.
-Why would he care?
-what do you want?
>is..is that bird actually dead
The girl clicked her tongue “oh yea definitely. Thing must have gotten disoriented and hit something. I know Mr Hasegawa collects feathers and horns from local animals, but I don’t want to leave it here for too long. Once bloating kicks in things get real real messy.”
He shivered at what exactly “real messy” might mean.
“Mind opening the gate?”
Ao nodded, opening up the gate and letting her in without second thought. The girl seemed appreciative. A cold and analytic face warmed by a smile.
“Thanks.”
Kneeling down in front of the dead animal, she retrieved gloves and tongs from a satchel on her hip. Surprising items to just…have on hand. Grabbing the stiff body by its neck, wiping off some dirt and bugs that still clung to its back, she began to maneuver the dead bird into the plastic baggy. Trying to fold its stiffened limbs without tearing the bag.
“I’m Hitomi by the way. Me and my folks live next door” the girl spoke, making small talk while handling the corpse “you’ll be starting at Okubo High school right? I can help show you around if you want.”
Twisting the bag shut with a knot, Hitomi went back to whence she came. Leaving with a wave and the lingering smell of death.
Ao just shook his body like a dog. Trying to take off the ick. One hell of a way to start your new life in Kyoto..
———-
Hasegawa would be starting school a week later than everyone else. He wishes he could have gotten to Kyoto sooner, some time to get his bearings and settle in, but he’d take whatever he could get.
Sitting in the cleared-out space of his bedroom. Carefully preening his hair in the small antique mirror on his desk. Ao fretted about his new start. New people, new teachers, new uniform, all scarily unfamiliar despite the time spent In Kyoto.
The uniform was nice though. A dark navy and purple affair with chunky gold buttons and a high collar. The type he’d seen in photos from decades ago. He preferred it to his old school though, maybe it was his grandfathers tendencies rubbing off on him.
With enough money to buy himself lunch and enough pencil lead to get through the day, Ao crossed the boundary of his bedroom door. Steadying his nerves for the walk ahead.
Waiting at the foot of the stairs, surprisingly, was his grandpa. His arms crossed in mock-disappointment. Shaking his head with a smile.
“Tsk, you really want to go to school lookin’ like that son?”
>what’s wrong?
-It’s a uniform, I can’t change it.
The elder Hasegawa smirked “your hair! Look at it, it’s a damn rats nest. You cut it yourself or somethin’?”
Ao looked away. He’d had it long for most of his childhood, only being buzzed once or twice. With new freedom came new hair, even if he had to do it himself. It was uneven in the back, almost like a mullet, with long sideburns and a scruffy top. The best he could do with some safety scissors and a mirror.
“Here, I’ve got somethin’ that’ll help ya.”
Daigo turned towards his hoard and clicked open a large trunk. The scent of mothballs and old linen hit Ao like a truck. But the item his grandfather retrieved seemed relatively intact. A felt military cap. Navy in color, with a bit of wear around the brim and a tag that had long since fallen off. Before Ao could say anything, Daigo shoved the hat onto his head.
“Ahh, there’s my boy. Suits ya perfect.” He grinned proudly. “Had that thing forever. Stole it off some drunk Vietnam vet vacationin’ in Okinawa.”
-how old is it?
>wait, you stole it?
“Borrowed permanently,” Daigo corrected.
Ao adjusted his uniform one last time. Straightening the collar, triple-checking his sleeves, all while his grandpa watched from behind him.
“Good luck kid, I got faith in ya” he said, resting a hand on the boys shoulder “just don’t get in trouble and you’ll be alright.”
———
Getting to school was the easy part. A short walk, less than five minutes, along a single road without so much as a traffic stop. Actually being there was something else. Just the…everything-ness of it all. Okubo high school was old. He’d heard from Shin that a chunk of the current building was built back in the 1920s. And that large central building hung heavy over Ao. The unfamiliarity, the students all talking and going about their business. They didn't seem to even notice the new kid, not even in a “oh hey is that guy supposed to be here?” Kinda way. His breakfast sat uneasy in his stomach as he made his way up the steps to the main doors, opening them up for someone behind him.
“Oh, it’s you.”
Hitomi had stumbled into him once more. This time without the dead bird, but with the same dyed hair as before (how’d she get away with that??). She wore the same uniform all the others wore. Long skirt, short sleeved dress shirt with a tie. A bit more modern than the ancient getup he had on. Slung across her body was a leather bag, one with a deep aged patina on its surface, large enough to be used in place of a backpack. He could see some plastic bags sticking out of one of the pockets, and what appeared to be a rather long set of tweezers with blunted ends.
Ao didn't want to ask what those were for.
“Is today your first day?”
Ao paused, then nodded. He never thought he had to think a simple question like that through.
“No worries, here, I’ll show you around.”
Despite her initial coldness. Hitomi seemed content at the very least. Walking along the halls with quiet familiarity. People seemed to notice her. With that kind of hair, who wouldn't. Between the dyed hair, permanent bitch-face, and corpse-handling hobby, Students stepped around her without needing to be asked. Some noticed her immediately. Which, honestly, made sense. Between the dyed hair, permanent bitch-face, and apparent hobby of collecting animal corpses, Ao got the feeling Hitomi had already carved out a very specific reputation for herself at Okubo High.
Still. Dead-bird girl was better than having nobody.
Hitomi walked ahead of him with practiced familiarity, occasionally pointing things out without slowing down.
“Nurse’s office is downstairs.”
A gesture toward another hall.
“Cafeteria food’s terrible on Wednesdays.”
Another turn.
“And avoid the north stairwell unless you like getting trapped behind couples making out.”
Ao nearly choked on air.
Hitomi glanced back at him, utterly deadpan.
“Get a grip. This is high school.”
They continued upstairs, thankfully not through the north stairwell. Ao trailing behind her like some lost animal. Getting lost in the colors and sounds of the new school. Posters and bulletin boards and so many new people he’d never seen-
“You know what room you’re in?”
Ao paused, trying to recall which room he’d been assigned. 23 seemed right,
“Ah nice, you’ll be with me then. It’s right up here.”
What were the chances? At least it meant he had one familiar face in his room, someone to talk to at the very least.
Luckily the classroom was a welcome respite from the crowded halls. Just as blank and plain as any other classroom he’d been in. Only a few students mulling about before the bell rang. He tried looking for any empty desks he could claim, but a friendly shout got his attention.
“Ay Hitomi! I was lookin’ for you!”
If Hitomi stuck out like a sore thumb, this guy was like a twisted finger. He was a decent bit taller than the students around him. With a dark complexion and long wavy hair that hung around his shoulders. He wore the same formal top and pants as everyone else. But Ao noticed a Jean jacket draped over his seat, one embellished with patches and pins. All with words he could hardly recognize.
“Who’s the new guy? You replacin’ me already?” He laughed.
“I’m just showing him around Alex” Hitomi gestured to the newcomer “This is Ao, I guess he moved here recently. He’s Hasegawas grandson.”
“Ohhh that old hoarder guy, yea nah I didn't know he had a grandson” Despite being a foreigner, Alex seemed to speak Japanese with little difficulty, though Ao could notice him pause with certain words “-but hey! I’m happy I’m not the only new kid here.”
He grabbed Ao by the hand and gave it a strong shake. One that nearly rattled his arm loose.
“Names Alex Navidson, n’ that’s Hitomi Maki-“
“I already told him my name Alex”
———
Ao didn’t expect himself to find friends so quickly. Well, maybe not friends. Not yet. Acquaintances, at least… people to orbit around while everything else still felt unfamiliar and too loud. That was enough for now.
Hitomi and Alex had dragged him to a little courtyard tucked inside the main building during lunch. It sat between two hallways like someone had accidentally forgotten to roof it over, all pale stone tiles and neat little trees planted in square concrete beds. The huge windows behind them painted the floor in cold blue-white light, making the place feel oddly clean and quiet despite the chatter echoing from nearby classrooms.
Ao sat cross-legged against the wall with a convenience store sando in hand, the plastic wrapper crinkling every time he took a bite. Egg salad. Cheap. Too much mayo. But it filled the gap in his stomach.
Hitomi sat beside him, methodically peeling the label off her bottled tea while Alex lounged opposite them, soaking up the sun like a lizard.
“So Ao,” Alex asked through a mouthful of food, “where’d ya live before?”
Ao swallowed. Answering with Takarazuka, though it felt odd to say.
Alex let out a low whistle. “Oi, fancy.”
Hitomi rolled her eyes “It really isn’t.”
“How’m I supposed to know?” Alex laughed, hands raised defensively. “Mate, I’m new here too. I don’t know shit about Japan.”
His accent thickened whenever he got excited, words flattening and blurring together. Ao had already noticed that. Half the time Alex sounded like he was speaking another language entirely.
“I’m from Adelaide,” he continued. “Used to live somewhere near Mable Springs, but that was ages ago.”
Ao nodded slowly despite not recognizing a single place name.
-I don’t know where any of that is
-I thought Australians were white?
>where are you staying?
“Oh I’m livin’ with Sakomato down by the shoppin’ area. Boys dorms facked so they put me with some old teacher.”
Ao looked at him quizzically. But Hitomi quickly noticed his confusion.
“Ah right, you weren’t here when it happened”
She pointed out the large windows, to a building just behind a small row of trees. Or at least, the remnants of it. Only the shell remained, the rest a burnt husk of soot and rebar. Wrapped with yellow warning tape and scaffolding for fruitless repairs. Nothing wooden remained. Ao shuddered to think of what such a violent fire would have looked like.
“A few weeks ago the boys dorm room burned down. They still don’t know what happened, but they think it might have been arson” Hitomi took a sip of her drink “it’s been happening around Kyoto recently. Buildings bursting into flames without a clear cause.”
For a moment he imagined what it must have looked like at night. Flames pouring from the windows, students screaming, smoke thick enough to choke on from across campus. The image came too easily. He shuddered.
“Well if it is someone, guess they haven’t caught ‘em, didn't the cops say they didn't find anybody on the ‘cams?”
Hitomi nodded “it’s so weird…It’s not even old buildings, before the dorm there was a scooter shop that burnt down. And before then there were a few houses. Nobody entered, nobody threw anything at them. They just…combust.”
Their words faded into the background. Ao staring through the glass at the charred husk of the building.
He felt something pull at him. Deep in his core. Something dark, thrumming.
Ao shook it off. Best not to dwell on things.