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 Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:06 am
~Dojima Residence~
The Dojima Residence is a relatively humble home located in the Residential District near the Samegawa Flood Plain. Owned by detective Ryotaro Dojima, it houses his small family of three that includes himself, his daughter Nanako, and his nephew, Souji Seta.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 2:05 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
He awoke to the sounds of shuffling footsteps beyond the door. They were the tiny steps of padded feet, small ones most likely, covered in ankle socks that barely made a whisper when you touched the soles to the ground. And in this place they could only belong to one person. Of course, Soji Seta wasn't a psychic by any means, and though he was self-trained to have a keen eye for observing detail, it wasn't that he had figured anything complicated out by any means in this case. No, he had simply become accustomed to the sounds of the place he now called home, at least for another year, and when you spent most of your time alone with a relative half your age and size, it was easy to recognize her in the house, even without seeing her. The sounds of her in the kitchen, the evidence she left behind when she made him breakfast, and the low rumble of noise from the morning news were all so familiar to him. Because they were the sounds of her, the sounds of her living, his 'little sister' Nanako.
Growing up, Soji had been an only child, and with his parents often out to work, he was often left to fend for himself. He became used to it after a while, hardened by his own solitude, but it had taken his new family only a short time to put a c***k in that armor. Now, the sounds she made were as comforting as the coffee mug that his Uncle Dojima had given to him as a welcome to the family. And without a doubt, they were his family. As were his friends, who were waiting for him there...at Yasogami High...for the first day of school. Soji slid out of his futon and rolled it up with a practiced sort of ease, placing it carefully into the corner of the room before going through his usual morning routine of picking out his uniform, heading to the bathroom for a quick shower, and moving down to the kitchen for breakfast. It was a routine he had become used to last year, and one he fell right back into upon his return to Inaba for this school year. Glancing around the kitchen through the faint droplets of water that trickled into his eyes from his still-moist gray hair, he was a little disappointed that his 'little sister' wasn't there to see him, even if she had left him a delicious-looking breakfast when she left.
But then, he was a little late. Students had probably already begun to arrive at the school by now, and here he was polishing off a hardy breakfast inside the comfort of his own home. He almost smirked to think what Chie and Yosuke would say to him, teasing that as the 'Head of the Class' he should set a better example for others. 'Others like themselves?' he thought, amused. It was true that neither of them were all that good in school, but he looked forward to their improvement this year, now that the mysteries had passed. He looked forward to seeing Yukiko progress in her quest to become a woman worthy to inherit the Amagi Inn, and seeing how far Kanji could progress in his sewing. He wanted to see if Naoto would open up to everyone a bit more, becoming as bright as he thought she could be if she would just let herself go, and he was more than interested in seeing how Teddie would do, now that he had practically begged him to find a way to enter him into Yasogami High as a Freshman. Soji shuddered to think of the favors he would be doing for his Uncle for a while now, in return for pulling those strings. And of course, there was Rise...perhaps he looked forward to seeing her the most of all. Together, last year, the two of them had...well, they had formed something special, he thought. And even now, he felt like as close as they were, it wasn't really close enough for his liking.
Then again, he had all year to work on that, didn't he? Standing from the table, he moved to the sink and washed the dishes with a renewed vigor, finishing the chore in record time before heading to the door and slipping on his shoes. His strong fingers laced their way through his school bag and hefted it from the floor, letting it dangle loosely at his side. Today was the beginning of a new day...a new year. And as he passed out the door and began down the street towards the Samegawa Riverbed, even he, pessimist as he was, allowed himself to daydream a little of better times ahead.
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 11:11 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
Midnight was just around the corner. Dinner had been more enjoyable than he had imagined, the joy of working together with Teddie and Nanako, two of the most innocent and lovable characters around on the meal making it more than worthwhile. The day had been long, but at the end, he was reminded of just how lucky he was to be back here in Inaba with the people who loved him. Shortly after dinner Soji had tucked Nanako in, putting her to bed before returning to the living room to find Teddie near the TV. Deciding that it was best to prepare for bed sooner, rather than later, he'd suggested they retire to his room, where he laid out the extra futon for his companion before setting out his own...though he didn't hop into it just yet. Instead, he stood near the window as had become a habit during his first stay in the rural town, the shutters just pulled back enough that he could see beyond the window. It was foggy out. An ominous sign, he thought to himself, but he dismissed it as soon as it came to him. This fog was thin, wispy, not nearly as thick as the fog produced by Ameno-sagiri that had permeated their town and the other world during his 'test for humanity's wish.' But even knowing that, he didn't feel completely comfortable with it. Old habits died hard, after all.
He could feel the hour growing later, the ticking of his own watch counting down the seconds until the clock struck midnight. Many times before, he had stared into the TV Screen during that minute and watched the shadows of his friends reacting to the thoughts of the people outside the TV, a caricature of the desires and thoughts that they held deep inside themselves. It was a cruel picture, a show of wicked and distorted figures of good people that had become victims of their own insecurities. The whole thing had been so sick. Soji sighed as he let the curtains drop and turned around, taking a glance at the luminescent watch on his wrist and then over at the futon where Teddie lay. He guessed that he was probably asleep already, which was a good things for sure. It was best if the rest of his friends didn't know how paranoid he was acting...how paranoid he still felt, as if waiting for the next twist in the plot to fall into their laps and force them to spring back into action. Even though he knew that the mysteries were over, and that they had made it to the source of everything, he hadn't slept easy since then, and he hadn't gone a single rainy, foggy night without looking into the TV to see if someone...anyone...would appear on the distorted screen. And tonight was no different.
The Senior and former leader of the Investigation Team watched as the digital display on his own watch changed, seconds counting down to the moment he had been dreading. '3...2...1...' he counted down, and when it reached zero the television...turned on!...but the images on the screen didn't reflect the form of a single person. Instead, what he saw was a pair of people. Their bodies distorted by the 'snow' buzzing around the television, Soji felt his clouded eyes widen as he was drawn towards the TV, pausing just in front of it to get the closest view possible. The two people...one seemed to be running, and the other...following behind them. He couldn't tell who they were. He couldn't tell exactly what they were. All of the clarity, the meaning that had been behind the original Midnight Channel broadcasts were gone from this particular picture, and it was such a far cry from what he was used to that he couldn't help but wonder if he was imagining it all. His breath hitching, Soji stepped back away from the television set and blinked, and in the time it took his eyelids to flash open and shut, the image was gone. Falling back against the couch, it was only then that the silverette realized just how hard he was breathing...or that his skin had broken out into a cold sweat.
'What...was that?' he asked himself silently, sitting stoic...frozen in the dark. Had he really just seen actual people on the Midnight Channel again? Could it be some sort of mistake? Or was his paranoia finally getting the best of him, the screws in his brain loosening up a bit because he couldn't? Uncertain, his eyes flickered to Teddie in his futon, and somehow, he hoped that he little bear hadn't seen what he had seen just now. If he had, what would he think of it? Soji pulled his phone from his pocket and took a long look at it, considering who he could...or should call at this time of night about what he had just seen. If Yukiko, Yosuke, or Chie had seen it, no doubt they would call him about it, right? Or if they didn't, should he really wake them up right now to bother them with it? He'd sound like an idiot if he called them and they didn't see anything themselves, and then he'd know that he really was cracking. Sighing, he slid the phone back into his pocket and decided to forget about calling the others tonight, in lieu of talking about it in the morning. If they had seen it, they would tell him, and they could meet up again at their Headquarters in Junes. Until then, though, he needed to sleep.
Standing from the couch, he moved to the closet to prepare for bed, and tried his best to push thoughts of what he had seen...what he thought he had seen...out of mind. What did it all mean? Was Izanami back to play another game with them...and if so, did that mean that he hadn't completely defeated her before? He was hit with a strange sense of deja vu, but ignored it. Now wasn't the time...he could think about what it meant in the morning, when his sleep-deprived brain was functioning properly. Then, and only then, would he be able to process everything that happened...and figure out where to go from here with the other members of the team.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 6:44 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
Midnight was just around the corner...the walk home that evening had been uneventful, save the hushed whispers of neighbors talking about the murders and fretting as to what might yet be in store for the little town of Inaba if strange things were going to start happening again. The whole thing gave the silver-haired young man an unease tingle down his spine, and as much as he tried to shake it off, he couldn't help but think that this was only the beginning as well. Maybe it was just his paranoia getting the best of him. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to imagine, given that he had been encountering one mystery, one threat after another from the very day he had arrived in the foggy little rural town. Mind's tended to become bent to their circumstances, and with him being so deeply wrapped up in mysteries, maybe he was chasing shadows. But then again, maybe he wasn't. His fingers pulled back the curtain near his window, and sure enough, a thin fog had rolled in that night to blanket most of the town. It was still thin, much thinner than the fog that Ameno-sagiri had let loose upon them, but it was still disconcerting. The curtain fell shut with an audible 'swish', and he took one last listen by the door to make sure that Nanako was asleep and not wandering around at this time of night. She didn't need to know that her Big Bro was up right now, or what he was doing, anyway. She still had nightmares about that world inside the TV, and he didn't need to give them any reason to reawaken. Thankful that he heard nothing, he glanced at the digital clock in his room and watched as the seconds ticked down to midnight. "This is the moment of truth," he whispered under his breath, settling right in front of the powerless TV as the moment came.
And when the clock struck midnight, right on cue, the fuzzy light of the television clicked on and pierced the suffocating darkness of his bedroom.The Midnight Channel There was something on the television! The snow was too thick to tell exactly who or what it was, but this time it only seemed as if there was a single image on the screen. It was vaguely human, standing in the middle of a mishmash of haphazard images that were impossible to decipher. Whatever the blurbs were, it looked as if a bomb had hit them! The figure itself seemed to be moving towards the epicenter of the mess, however, almost as if it were running. And then, just as quickly as the screen had clicked on, it shut itself off and the night returned to normal. The Midnight Channel had appeared once again, and something had been on the screen. But what was it? Even though he was sure that he had seen it [consciously] this time, there were still inconsistencies with what they had just seen and the Midnight Channel that they had come to understand during the Izanami incident. The silverette shook his head and slipped back, sitting on his couch with a hand to his forehead. This was too much to make sense of...too strange for him to understand right now. He needed to talk to the others, but with the way thing were right now, would any of them even answer their phones for him? Something strange was definitely starting up again, putting the town of Inaba at the center of some crazy mystery once again. And all he could do now was sit back and wait until the moment something new presented itself to them. If most of his team was currently going to be unreliable, then it was up to him to figure out what was going on, and how they could go about putting an end to it once and for all. Of course, he didn't really think he was losing faith in them just yet...it was just... He shook his head and kicked off his shoes, twisting his body to lay back on the couch and soothe his growing headache. He was too tired to think right now. Rest would help him clear his mind, gather his thoughts, and when he saw everyone again in the morning, he would go from there.
Midnight came and went...and soon thereafter, Soji Seta fell into an uneasy slumber.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:58 pm
Chris decided to stop by his neighbor's house to see if he would walk to school with him. " He had arrived with two bento boxed lunches with the curry he made last night and smiled. He knocked on hsi door and awaited a response. He also would like to ask him if he saw the midnight channel. For some reason he felt drawn to Souji . He didnt dwell on the thought to much. and shifted his thoughts to the Midnight channel and who apeared. He knnew it wwas a rumor about being a soul mate but something about ti seemed fishy. Could one person have that many soul mates and how do they appear on it. Maybe his classmate might have te answers.h
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:24 pm
Teddie
Dojima Residence Teddie wandered down the road with a confident stride, humming a tune as he went. He came to the front door and knocked on it quickly, awaiting a response.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:13 pm
Nanako Dojima "H-Hello?" the sleepy voice of a young girl came from the other side of the door as she cracked it open just a tad to look outside. Teddie's arrival had caught her in the middle of a nap, but after an extended pause, she managed to wake herself and answer. And the person she saw on the other side made her sleepy face awaken with a bit of surprise, and joy, as she quickly pulled the door open for the blond little bear outside. "Teddie! Hi!" she stepped to the side and motioned for him to come in, practically beaming at the sight of one of her favorite people. The beloved mascot of the Junes Department Store, Teddie. And one of the trusted friends of her precious 'Big Bro'. If anybody was safe to open the door for and let them into her house, it was the innocent blond.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:19 pm
Teddie
Dojima residence Teddie smiled from ear to ear seeing Nanako, no matter what, whenever he saw her it always made him happy. "Nana-Chan! Sorry, did I wake you up?" The blond spoke walking through the door.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:32 pm
Nanako Dojima"It's all right! My dad just called a while ago and said that he wouldn't be home tonight," she told him excitedly, though at the mention of her father's absence she wasn't able to hide just a little bit of her own disappointment. It was a thought that faded when she looked up into Teddie's bishounen-esque face and practically saw the sparkles there. "But that's all right, 'cause Teddie is here! And Big Bro' will be home soon too, right?" Without wasting any time, Nanako took the blond boy's hand and lead him inside to the living room, before letting it drop and smiling up at him. She made sure to give him a moment to kick off his shoes at the entrance, but her excitement was practically bubbling over at the prospect of another night with both Teddie and her 'Big Bro' so soon after the last one. Could they cook together again? Or would they watch TV? Plenty of options, and all evening and night to enjoy it. Her smile practically reached her pigtails.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:31 pm
Teddie
Dojima Residence
Teddie's smile faded slightly as Nanako mentioned her 'Big Bro' Would he be home later? "Actually, Sensei told me to come over to make sure you weren't lonely." His expression faded even more "So I don't know if he will be home tonight." Teddies feelings were sincere, it wouldn't be quite as fun if Sensei wasn't around.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:47 pm
Nanako DojimaNanako's smile faded just a little more when Teddie had to tell her that Soji might not be home tonight either, but with a maturity beyond her years she forced a small smile that, even if she didn't mean it, meant that she understood and wouldn't hold it against him. "Oh...well I guess it's all right. Big Bro always spends time with me when he comes back from school, so I'm not really lonely, anymore, but..." her voice trailed off as it looked like she was collecting her thoughts, not sure how to say what she wanted to say. Honestly, she didn't want to be too needy, since she knew that her Big Bro needed to go out sometimes on his own, too, but it was hard to admit that even in those rare evenings he wasn't there for her, she was still a bit lonely. But then, her Big Bro had been so thoughtful, even though he might not be home, and sent Teddie over to stay with her! And when she thought about it that way, it made her smile return twofold! "No, it's all right, Teddie!" she beamed again, renewed by her own revelation that her Big Bro was still looking out for her, even if he wasn't there, "we can play until Big Bro comes back! And even if he doesn't...we can still have fun, right?" Her voice revealed that she still wasn't fully convinced, but that was only natural given her experience. She was smart enough to have understood this much on her own, though...she just needed some reassurance, more than anything.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:55 pm
Teddie
Dojima Residence Teddies smile returned seeing Nanako in high spirits still "Oh Nana-Chan, your a super-girl!" The young bear's voice once again developed a proud tone "Teddie will make it his mission, to ensure that Nana-Chan wont be bored or lonely! You can count on me Sensei!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:17 am
Nanako DojimaAt Teddie's antics, a melodious giggle escaped Nanako, her enthusiasm rejuvenated now that he was getting just as into it as she was trying to be. Reassured that the night would be fun, she calmed down her laughing fit a bit, only to break out into another fit of giggles when she looked at him again. "You're so funny, Teddie," she laughed, her cheeks growing red with her child-like energy. It took her a few more moments before she could stop her joyous outburst, but once she managed it, she folded her arms behind her back and smiled up at the blond again. "So, um...what do you want to do? I was watching the TV when I fell asleep before, but maybe we can watch it together, now?" It was just a suggestion, as she really wouldn't have minded much of anything, playing with Teddie. Cooking again sounded fun, but she wasn't really supposed to use the stove without her Big Bro to watch over her. And there wasn't a lot else to do when she was home alone, so it was really up to him if he had anything in particular he wanted to do. As long as it was with Teddie, she was sure she would have fun.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:06 pm
"You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time!" "What else is there to do out in this s**t hole?"  Yosuke smiled as he pulled up to Dojima's place on his bike, something he'd gotten a bit better at riding in the last year or so, and took a minute to chain it up to against the wall nearby before walking towards the front door. Yosuke smirked as he raised a hand to turn down his headphones, and knocked on the door of his old friend's uncle's place to see if anyone was there. "Yo Partner, are you in today?" Yosuke asked in a loud voice, waiting for a reply from both that and the knock on the door a moment before. He wasn't sure who was here today, but he finally had a day off from working at Junes for practically free, and he wanted to spend it hanging out with someone he knew well at the very least, be it Soji or Nanako. Ever since the group began to split up after the mystery was solved they'd spent less and less time with the young Dojima, and Yosuke was worried Nanako might be getting a bit lonely with the usual friends showing up less and less often. At least, he was reluctant to let the old days go by that quickly. They were a reminder of his old, mistaken self, and he didn't want to ever forget the mistakes he'd made. He owed Saki-senpai that much, at least...
"And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"
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Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:31 am
Teddie
Dojima Residence
Teddie smiled at Nanako, her giggles filling him with happiness "We can do whatever you want Nana-Chan! Teddie is yours to command!" He then heard a knock at the door "Huh? Is someone else here?"
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