70. [DREAM/DREAM/DREAM/DREAM]

[foolishwren]

[So while the rest of Johto alternately panics, cries, or rushes around trying to capture as many of the soulstealing insects as possible, there are dozens of souls floating around in that dream limbo, drifting in and out of each other's slumbering thoughts and visions. Whether it's nightmarish flashbacks or just those dreams where you're at school

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[foolishwren]

[Sure enough, between the fired cards and the fact that they seem to have the collective mental capacity of a jelly bean, Kaito will soon find himself leaving the horde behind as they crowd around the entrance to the hole, crying out and trampling each other.]

[It might be dark, smelly, and completely uncertain as to where this leads, but... at least it's safe. For now.]

[The tunnel does seem to be going upwards, at least... there's no guarantee that it goes to the surface, but hope is better than nothing. Unfortunately, he'll probably be wriggling slowly upwards for a good long while before he encounters anything... but eventually-- eventually!-- a dim light starts to filter in from somewhere ahead. Light from the surface! ... Or, well, maybe-- wherever the original source is, it still seems awfully far off-- but it's something!]

[The more IMMEDIATE source, of course, is something he'll find when he reaches a level spot in the tunnel-- and a fork in the metaphorical road. The light is coming from a grate (ANOTHER one...)-- beyond which the tunnel continues to slope upwards, towards a far-off bright opening. The OTHER path is a semi-steep drop just like the one he just climbed up-- the water coursing through the grate rushes down both the downhill inclines.]

[The grate, though still an obstacle... looks rusty as hell. He could probably kick some of it loose if he tries!]

[bakaitoukid]

[He allows his heartbeat to return to normal once he's positive those strange things aren't following him anymore... but as the tunnel stretches on and on before him with seemingly no end in sight, he begins to wonder if he had just leaped out of the frying pan and right into the fire.

His back and neck are cramped by the time that light begins to shine through the darkness, and he feels himself reflexively let out a relief sigh. Choosing a path at the fork isn't difficult-- if he just climbed up from the sewers to get here, then the downward incline probably led right back to them.

He approaches the grate, frowning as he peers at the bars, but taking note of that rust. It's cramped, but he manages to shift until he's on his back and able to aim a powerful kick at the rusted bars. Freedom looks like it's so close...]

[foolishwren]

[SUCCESS! A couple of kicks causes the old, rusty metal to crumble and patter into the water-- it'll be a tight squeeze through, and he might accumulate a few scrapes in the process, but he'll be able to get through.]

[The sound of the grate breaking is screechy and echoes up and down the three tunnels like nails on a chalkboard.... bouncing a few times before fading out.]

[... But then there's another sound... coming from the second downhill tunnel.]

... Hello? ... Is someone up there?

[... A voice. A hoarse, male voice.]

[bakaitoukid]

[Sweet, sweet freedom--

... except maybe not yet. Kaito freezes just before he crawls through the hole he made in the grate, glancing over his shoulder at the second tunnel. The voice is unfamiliar, but never being the type to leave someone behind, stranger or not...]

Ooooooi!

[He crawls back toward the downhill tunnel, but doesn't quite crawl through it just yet] I'm up here!

[foolishwren]

[It's far away, but not too far to hear-- what sounds like a sigh of relief floats up from the darkness far below.]

Thank God...

I thought I would never hear another decent human voice again. I've been trapped down here so long...

[bakaitoukid]

[Kaito lets out a sigh too, calling back down the chute but still not quite ready to go down there himself]

Geez, how long have you been stuck down there? Need someone to pull you up?

[foolishwren]

Long enough that I've lost track of the days.

[There's a pause, silent broken only by the sound of labored breathing. Sounds like he's sort of having a hard time down there...]

Will you... help me?

[bakaitoukid]

[Kaito picks up on that... he glances over his shoulder, at the light of the grate he had just broken through, and nods. He knows the strange man can't see it, but... it's more for himself.

He's not the type of guy to leave someone behind. However gross and disturbing this sewer is... he can do it]

I'll be right down!

[With that, he starts his slow and careful descent down the tunnel]

[foolishwren]

Good... good...

[The voice sounds relieved, but it falls silent once more as Kaito makes his way down. It's slippery as hell, but he should be able to keep steady without losing his balance and sliding all the way to the bottom like the world's grossest waterslide.]

[When he eventually reaches the mouth of the tunnel at the very bottom, it may take him a moment to adjust to the much-dimmer light once more... but what little is filtering down from above is enough to grant him a rough vision of the place. It's wide, and somewhat open-- there's a much-higher ceiling than the tunnel he had entered this strange, dank place in. In fact, it's not a tunnel down here at all. The water comes to about halfway up his thighs, and somewhere beyond, there's a great rushing sound of falling water and whirring machinery.]

[But there doesn't appear to be anybody in sight... it is incredibly dark, though, so maybe it's just hard to see...?]

[bakaitoukid]

[Kaito takes the descent carefully, bracing himself on the sides of the tunnel as he inches his way downward. It feels strange, moving away from the light of freedom, but hey, at least when he finally reaches the end things aren't so cramped anymore. A little bit of space goes a long way.

As soon as he slides feet-first out of the tunnel, he lifts his arms above his head and stretches. No one in sight, huh... well, he just made it down here. The person he was speaking to is probably ducked behind a piece of that machinery he can hear]

Oooooi! Where are you?

[foolishwren]

[The answer comes after a brief pause.]

There you are...

They've kept me ... stuck in this disgusting place for longer than I care to know...

I'm back here-- back where the water gets deeper.

There's something chaining me down...

[bakaitoukid]

A chain?

[Kaito immediately takes a step forward, testing the depth of the water to make sure he's heading toward the deeper end. His eyes have adjusted to the dark by now, but even so it's difficult to make out anything other than the outlines of the mechanical equipment that flanks the side of this room]

Who the hell-- do you remember who chained you down?

[foolishwren]

[Sure enough, there's a bit of the slope-- the water DOES get deeper. It starts creeping up past Kaito's knee and up to his thighs-- then, before long, his waist. It's cold... colder than the water he'd jumped into to escape the Numb Bodies...]

[But not as cold as the speaker's voice grows when he answers the question-- he sounds pissed. But really, who can blame him?]

Who? Who?

That little brat did it... She may not have put me down here to begin with, but she sealed my fate when she tricked me into believing she was my ally... only to steal what was mine and leave me for dead. Disgusting whelp...

[The voice trails into a wet cough in its anger, then trails off, appearing to calm slightly.]

But that was a long time ago...

Finally, someone must have remembered I was here... and sent-- ... ah, well... it doesn't matter.

What's your name, boy?

[bakaitoukid]

[Kaito stops short once the water reaches his waist, and he stares in the direction that the voice seems to be coming from with a contemplative expression. Something seemed... off about this entire situation, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it]

Me? Er... [His hesitation was brief] Kaito. 'M Kaito Kuroba.

Who, exactly, trapped you here?

[foolishwren]

... Kuroba?

[The voice sounds surprised.]

... A foreigner, eh? ... But why would they send...

[A pause, as though the speaker is shaking his head.]

I suppose it doesn't matter. Perhaps things have changed since I was...

[A heavy sigh follows.]

My ... delusional daughter. Somehow, somewhere, I made a grave mistake while raising her... her ego grew too great, and she thought she could speak for God and claim to know Her will. I found out about and opposed the foolish plan she was hatching, and in retaliation, she had me sent here... out of her way.

[The voice had dipped once again into a growl.]

And then, when I thought I had found an ally... my trust only resulted in being chained down here even more thoroughly than before... left to rot. Well, I hope the traitor is happy... probably joined my daughter in her foolish mission...

[bakaitoukid]

[... that honestly just makes Kaito more wary, but after another hesitation, he wades forward again, following the sound of this man's voice]

So you were betrayed by the person who was gonna help you-- uh. Keep your daughter from doing something... bad?

[His wariness is evident in his voice. This man is speaking vaguely, and he's not sure what to make of it]