common enemy [Ryuji Sakamoto x Reader]

chapter six: velvet prison

Home. It's about damn time I'm back.

Exhausted from such an eventful first day, you flopped onto your bare mattress; a reminder that you still had unpacking to do. The stacks of boxes surrounding your bed seemed to tower above you.

You groaned. "Better get started."

After just a few minutes of rest, you pushed yourself up and began moving your new furniture around the room. You opened up your boxes, blowing the dust off of their contents and placing items on various surfaces.

Bored out of your mind, you thought back to everything that had unfolding during the school day.

They were such a weird group, you thought, referring to the classmates who befriended you. The girl of rumor, the mysterious transfer student, the student council president, and a supposed delinquent. They said they stuck together due to being rejected by society, but their bond seemed stronger than that. You could tell your new friends weren't lying, but they weren't telling the full truth either.

Again, you weren't a fool. Although you wanted to respect their privacy, you couldn't just hide your curiosity.

Using what you knew to discover the truth of a situation was an important skill your parents had taught you. They had been working as agents for the Tokyo District Special Investigation Department before they mysteriously passed away. They never told you much about their work, but you were sure that it had something to do with their deaths.

But back to the topic at hand, you now had a mission. It wasn't completely important to you, but you wondered what Ryuji was hiding.

Ryuji... There's something about him that makes me feel a certain way. You blushed once again, glad you were sparing yourself the embarassment by being alone. You just couldn't shake the hand-holding incident from your thoughts. Why do I keep thinking about him?!

You finished folding up the empty boxes and left them near your door, looking around your room with satisfaction. Your bed sat in the corner, next to it was a nightstand with your alarm clock on it. On the opposite side of the room was your bookcase and desk. Across from the door, your room's only window illuminated the space. It was plain, but it was yours.

After practically launching yourself onto your newly-made bed, you opened your phone and typed in the chat ID Ryuji had given you.

(Y/ID)
hey, it's (y/n)
meet up tomorrow?

You sent the message and sighed. The thought of hanging out with him was strange. It's just for a project, you reminded yourself.

After a few minutes of waiting, he responded. You wondered what was keeping him so busy, since there was no way he was doing homework.

SkullMaskSakamoto
for what

(Y/ID)
the project u idiot

SkullMaskSakamoto
oh
yeah whatever

(Y/ID)
is that a yes?

SkullMaskSakamoto
yea

What an answer, you thought, putting your phone on your nightstand. Oh well, at least he's willing to actually try to do the project.

Satisfied, you felt your eyelids grow heavy and your consciousness fade.

•••

The first thing you noticed when you woke up was that the ceiling that filled your vision did not belong to your room. The damp cement bricks above you chilled the air, causing goosebumps to form on your skin.

You sat up from what used to be your bed; now a metal shelf jetting out from the wall. You went to put your head in your hands, but not before you noticed the shackles that bound your wrists.

"What the hell..." You whispered. You glanced around, standing to your feet in the apparent prison cell you were trapped inside. "Okay. This is definitely another nightmare."

Taking a step towards the metal bars, you felt a light tugging on your ankle, along with the sound of metal scraping along cement. You searched for the source of the noise, only to discover your leg was restricted by the chains from a heavy ball.

Ignoring the bindings, you continued to trudge to the bars, grabbing onto them when you got close enough.

You pushed your face against the bars to see a circular room with other cells surrounding its walls. In the center of the room was a desk with a horrifyingly creepy man sitting with his hands folded. His features were frightening; he had wide, bloodshot eyes and a long, pointed nose. Two girls with eyepatches stood in front of him. He was facing away from you, and he seemed to be talking to someone else. You squinted to see who it was.

You gasped, "Is that Akira?! What is he doing in my nightmare?"

It was true; the plain-looking boy stood in a cell on the other side of the room. You tried to gain his attention but it seemed like nobody was paying any mind to you. I wonder if he can see me, you thought.

Giving up on trying to be noticed, you strained your ears to listen to their conversation.

"... rehabilitation?" Akira finished asking.

"The gift of the persona will aid you to avoid your certain ruin." The man responded.

Akira scoffed. "Who says I have to listen to you."

One of the eyepatch girls slammed her baton against the bars with a loud crash, causing Akira to step back. "Don't be disrespectful to the master, inmate!" He sighed and moved against the bars once again.

"Don't forget about the gifts I've bestowed upon you. That is all." Their master continued with a smile, "Return to your fleeting moments of rest."

Akira suddenly looked extremely tired. His image shimmered as it turned transparent. One second he was there; the next he had disappeared.

What kind of damn nightmare is this?! Where are my parents? Why am I able to think clearly?

Questions flooded your mind as the creepy man turned and made eye contact with you. You froze in fear, letting your hands fall from the bars.

"You may call me Igor. We shall meet again at another time."

You rushed up against the bars again. "What the hell is going on?!" You pleaded for an answer. However, he turned away from you as your vision faded into black.