Back in Tokyo, day 1
Rai had half expected to find fire and brimstone when the PINpoint dropped him in the park. Instead, there was nothing but a very familiar neighborhood, the Tokyo Tower in the distance, and the sounds of traffic and children playing. They'd stopped it, Mio's ritual hadn't been completed.
"Thank God," Rai said softly, ducking out from the park shelter. He was almost immediately spotted by a pair of policemen.
"You! Kid!" Rai stopped and turned, blinking. "Identification!"
Rai was confused, he had no means of identification--there wasn't much need for it in the Nexus. "Can I help you, officer?"
"Where is your identification? All individuals are required to carry valid identification at all times."
Well that's new, Rai thought, backing away slightly, hands raised. "I'm a traveler, my luggage was misplaced..." he lied easily. "I'm just on my way back to visit..."
"Visit whom?" the first officer snapped, looking Rai up and down, focusing in on his right hand for a moment.
"Ah...the orphanage where I was raised. Father..."
"All orphanages were shut down after the Heaven incident."
"It was attached to a church, surely the church is still there?"
"Where were you traveling that you didn't hear of the changes in procedure?"
Rai bit his tongue to avoid returning the officer's question with his own, wondering since when people could be detained and questioned without being informed of their rights, he seemed to be on thin ice as it was. And he couldn't exactly say he'd been in another world entirely...Where was it that Edward was from..."Munich. I was living with a friend there."
"I think we're going to take you in until we can validate your story, Mister...?"
Rai wasn't about to stick around at that point. Hiromi...Hiromi could help him. Tell him what was happening. He still had the cell phone she'd given to him and Ren...all he had to do was get away. Easily said...hopefully easily done. He whirled and broke out into a run.
"Stop!" A single gunshot rang out behind him, rubber bullets most likely, it wouldn't matter either way, and Rai felt the impact vaguely on the small of his back. He kept running, and was soon out of sight. He ducked into an alley, and slipped behind a dumpster to catch his breath and get his bearings. Being in the Nexus so long had decreased his familiarity with the area, but he'd lived on these streets for more than long enough and once he knew his location, he was pretty sure he could find Hiromi's apartment building. Then it would just be a matter of getting there without being caught by the police again.
"Thank God," Rai said softly, ducking out from the park shelter. He was almost immediately spotted by a pair of policemen.
"You! Kid!" Rai stopped and turned, blinking. "Identification!"
Rai was confused, he had no means of identification--there wasn't much need for it in the Nexus. "Can I help you, officer?"
"Where is your identification? All individuals are required to carry valid identification at all times."
Well that's new, Rai thought, backing away slightly, hands raised. "I'm a traveler, my luggage was misplaced..." he lied easily. "I'm just on my way back to visit..."
"Visit whom?" the first officer snapped, looking Rai up and down, focusing in on his right hand for a moment.
"Ah...the orphanage where I was raised. Father..."
"All orphanages were shut down after the Heaven incident."
"It was attached to a church, surely the church is still there?"
"Where were you traveling that you didn't hear of the changes in procedure?"
Rai bit his tongue to avoid returning the officer's question with his own, wondering since when people could be detained and questioned without being informed of their rights, he seemed to be on thin ice as it was. And he couldn't exactly say he'd been in another world entirely...Where was it that Edward was from..."Munich. I was living with a friend there."
"I think we're going to take you in until we can validate your story, Mister...?"
Rai wasn't about to stick around at that point. Hiromi...Hiromi could help him. Tell him what was happening. He still had the cell phone she'd given to him and Ren...all he had to do was get away. Easily said...hopefully easily done. He whirled and broke out into a run.
"Stop!" A single gunshot rang out behind him, rubber bullets most likely, it wouldn't matter either way, and Rai felt the impact vaguely on the small of his back. He kept running, and was soon out of sight. He ducked into an alley, and slipped behind a dumpster to catch his breath and get his bearings. Being in the Nexus so long had decreased his familiarity with the area, but he'd lived on these streets for more than long enough and once he knew his location, he was pretty sure he could find Hiromi's apartment building. Then it would just be a matter of getting there without being caught by the police again.