Chapter Text
Kageyama Shigeo, also known as Mob, blinked as he stared at the clear blue sky from his spot on the ground, feeling the green grass prickling his skin.
He didn’t remember how he ended up there. What he remembered was his brother being with him before he woke up there. He remembers his family, he remembers his master, he remembers Tsubomi-chan, he remembers school, his club, ghosts, Claw...
His powers…
With a sigh, Mob sat up and looked around. The area was empty, nothing but grass and trees…
Standing up, Mob noticed something strange. Eyes narrowing slightly, he approached a tree and touched it lightly. It seemed… or better yet, it felt different, more alive?
“I don’t get it...” He mumbled, stepping away.
He could feel it in the air as well. It wasn’t the feeling of a ghost or esper nearby. It was as if he were home, but mildly off, like there was just a little more air than usual, just enough for him to notice…
Mob shook his head and focused on something else. His brother was with him, before the… whatever happened that got him there. He turned around, blinking. “Where’s… Ritsu?”
His presense felt very faint, like he was far, far away. So where…?
He could sense other auras, though. Strange auras, not like espers, he couldn’t quite explain the minute difference. With no other way to direct himself, he followed it out of the forest, swaying a bit when vertigo hit his senses, and he recovered quickly.
Continuing to look up and around, Mob wondered once again where he was. It was too open to be a park, and even if it wasn’t, it didn’t even look like a familiar park he could recall from back home.
Back home…? Mob frowned. No memories popped up when he thought of it, no specific landmarks, just a lot of glass and steel and warm, cozy neighborhoods, but not much detail came to mind…
His Master’s company sign… seemed fuzzy. His Master… Mob stopped and stared glassily at the grass. He seemed fuzzy at best too.
Why…?
His family, parents, brother… His breathing quickened. Their faces weren’t coming to mind as clearly as they should.
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Before he could start to panic, he felt something in his breast pocket.
Shakily, Mob took it and blinked in surprise. It was a photo. Of his brother. Frowning, Mob racked his brain to figure out where did this come from, what were he and his brother doing before?
It was like there were blank spots in his mind. Fuzzy faces and vague recollections of places… But outside of what he remembered, of who he knew existed – his family, his master, his friends, his problems – his brain seemed to be eerily devoid of information…
Where was he...?! Or where he was before, even?! What was the name of his hometown?!
Everything seemed to be blank.
He remembers people, but the memories seemed to grow blurrier and blurrier every second. Mob looked at the picture, in an attempt to ground himself as the realizations struck him. If he didn’t have Ritsu’s picture with him… Mob’s eyes widened. Will he forget what everyone looked like? He only had his brother’s image.
Maybe if he found Ritsu, he would understand a bit better? Maybe Ritsu would know what to do? Mob nodded to himself, tucking the picture back to safety, and continued walking.
There seemed to be a town there. At this point, he could hear the sound of waves, the smell of seawater. Was he near the coast? Where was the coast?
With a resigned sigh, Mob strove forward. If anything, he could ask around there.
.
By the time he reached the town, he already felt tired, his feet hurt a bit, and he was thirsty. The sun was hot, so he felt sweat running down his forehead as well.
On a side-note, he felt like he was less tired than expected, which meant he'd progressed with his club, which was good.
The place seemed to be somewhat rural, no skyscraper in sight, no glass or steel, not home, and there were people walking around. He felt awfully out of place in his school uniform, so he took his jacket off, wrapping its sleeves around his waist.
What was he searching for…?
Right. He was looking for Ritsu. He was with him before this, and he felt it, deep down, that his little brother was somewhere. Maybe not in this town… but somewhere. The more he thought about his little brother somewhere out there, alone, the more he wanted to find him.
Mob spotted a bar of sorts, judging by the sign – all in Japanese, luckily – and in movies, there was information to be found in bars, right?
Would they let him in?
Once inside, there was no resistance to his presence, no one batted an eye, and it felt good to be out of the sun’s sight.
The counter was just a bit too high for him, so he sat on the stool. “Uhm… excuse me, miss?” Mob asked timidly.
The lady stopped cleaning the counter and looked at him. “Ara, I’ve never seen you around here!” She sounded kind and motherly. “I’m sorry, I can’t sell you any alcohol, boyo.” Her tone was jokey and her smile was bright, putting Mob at ease, just a little.
“I’m sorry… but can you tell me where I am?”
She blinked. “Ara? You don’t know…?”
“I don’t remember how I got here...”
Her brows rose. “Eh? Are you hurt? Did someone bring you here?” She approached him and placed a hand on his forehead, making Mob recoil from the touch on reflex.
“No, I’m looking for my little brother… I don’t remember what happened, but I need to find him.” He took the picture and showed to her. “Have you seen him?”
The lady frowned as she inspected the picture. She attempted to take the picture, if only to see it better, but tensed when noticing that Mob didn’t want her to touch it. Then she sighed. “I’m so sorry, but I haven’t seen him...”
“…It’s fine.” Mob nodded politely with a sigh. “Is there an authority I can contact…?”
Her shoulders twitched. “A-Authority…? Uhm...”
“Please, I need to find my brother, and asking around town might not be my best option.” Mob leaned a bit over the counter. He was still thirsty and tired, he wanted to rest and talking to a bunch of people sounded really straining… He needed the police, or something, to help him find Ritsu.
“W-Well, there’s the Marine Base, but...”
“Marines…?” Then he was near the coast after all. “Where are they? Maybe if I aks there-”
The bartender lady placed her hands on his. “Please, don’t… Those Marines won’t help you, they’re horrible people...” She whispered. “They’re corrupt and depraved, and I don’t want a kid to get hurt...”
Mob’s eyes widened slightly. “If they are an authority, aren’t they supposed to help everyone?”
Her grip on his hand tightened, a bitter smile was on her face. “Yes, they are… but some people just… refuse to grow up. Those damn Marines-”
“Excuse me, what?” Her eyes widened and she turned around.
Mob turned as well, seeing men in white and blue uniforms, not uniforms he recognized. He frowned at their weapons. They looked… old? Like muskets?
One of them approached the counter. “Again, what were you saying about us?” The others grinned as the people in the bar shrunk on their seats, seemingly resigned and not wishing to get involved. “Are we, the Marines, no-good for you? What will you do when pirates attack this tiny island?”
Pirates…? Island? Mob’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Maybe we’ll overlook them as they destroy your little establishment?” The man grinned with his friends, leaning over the counter as he sat on the stool. “So why don’t you apologize? Maybe with some free booze? Maybe a little dance…?”
The lady froze with wide eyes.
“Excuse me…”
They stopped, blinked, and looked at Mob, who was tiny in comparison to them.
“Eh? The hell do you want, brat?”
Lips pursed, Mob looked up as the men circled him loosely. The bartender watched him with wide eyes, mouthing ‘stop’. “Are you misters the authority here?”
The one who seemed to be the leader smirked. “Yes, we’re the authority here, kiddo.”
“Then aren’t you supposed to protect people, independently of what they say about you?”
With a scoff, the leader smirked at his friends, all whose shoulders seemed to be shaking with mirth, then turned to Mob. “No, little one, if we’re protecting them, then they’re supposed to be damn grateful, aren’t they? If they dismiss our hard work, then why should we protect them?”
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“…You’re refusing to do your job because of your ego…?” Mob asked quietly, the man’s eye twitched. “Aren’t you supposed to be grown ups…?”
With a heavy sigh, the man stood from his seat. “Looks like someone needs to teach this brat a lesson… Don’t you know how to respect your elders-?” He hissed.
“P-Please, he’s just a child-” The lady tried to intervene, but the leader turned to her.
“You shut your mouth, I swear, another peep from you-”
Mob stared blankly. “Why are you being so mean…?”
The man barked a laugh, which made his friends laugh as well. “Mean?! Ha! Children, they have no idea what ‘mean’ is.” The man kneeled in front of him, hand gripping his shoulder tightly, but not tight enough to hurt him through his shield. “‘Mean’ are the pirates who will burn this place and rape these women and kill little kids like you, so how about you apologize, eh? I don’t like hitting children.”
Mob continued to stare, feeling confused. “Apologize for what? I didn’t insult you...”
“Yes, you did, you did.”
Blinking, Mob nodded a bit. “Ah… I did…? I’m sorry if-”
“No, not if. You were a disrespectful little brat, so apologize properly! Grovel.” The man was smirking as he stood straight.
Why was he seeking revindication from a kid…? After a second, Mob decided there was no harm in doing so. He felt that they wanted an excuse to fight, and Mob didn’t want a fight. If they needed this to not fight, then so be it. So Mob kneeled and bowed down. “I’m very sorry I insulted you, mister.”
Silence.
After a second, a foot pressed against his head, making him hiss in surprise.
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The man glared at Mob, apparently disappointed. “What… I expected you to resist, what a bore… Tch.” He stepped away after a shove on his head. “Whatever, we’ll be back for that booze later.” They all walked out.
More silence. After another second, Mob stood, glancing at the doorway, pawing his hair to clean the dirt, then looked at the bartender, who stared with wide eyes. He bowed to her politely. “I’m sorry I caused you this much trouble.”
“N-No… it’s fine… I...”
Mob accepted all apologies she threw at him, even if they weren’t necessary. The people of the bar were staring as well. Apparently, it was strange to see a child being so mature, when the grown ups were so childish.