I often have to ask myself why I put myself through these things, then I realize I just like building worlds from scratch and then throwing them into woodchoppers before adding my favorite cast of characters into the mix. I'm planning to work on both this and VoF for the summer break and even though I won't have as much free time as I'd like (Next year's finals are going to be a pain and a half) I figured I'd at least start this thing up.

This cute little piece of work actually stemmed from me wanting to write Akashi as the world's overlord, so.. well, do with that what you may, haha.

Disclaimer: Um, no, still don't have the rights to this.

Prologue: Initial Meetings

It was a warm day in spring when Furihata Kouki got a call from his boss telling him that he'd been promoted.

The mousy, brown haired man led a simple life. He finished college with a doctorate in psychology and had been drafted to a few mental hospitals where he used his talents to foster more than a couple patients back to acceptable health. When he was twenty-seven, he had been recruited to work at Seirin State Penitentiary, a large multi-floored complex that held over one hundred patients in its walls and he'd loved every minute of it. The building and grounds itself were open spaces covered with flowers and plants and light colours. The workers were ever cheerful and worked their hardest to rehabilitate the patients to acceptable conditions and the results showed. Many of the patients were out before three months and rarely had relapses and Kouki loved the feeling of helping others.

It really wasn't much of a surprise then, when Kouki immediately jumped at the chance to help more and looking back, he really believed that what he had been doing was right.

Then he was introduced to his newest patient.

His only patient.

He had gotten dressed and left for work as usual. He only lived a couple blocks away and preferred walking (and not because he didn't own a car, he promises) and usually picked up a few pastries at the local bakery for the children on his way. The penitentiary always cut a stunning figure in the early morning light, the radiant beams from the barely there sun hitting the light peach walls and splattering the foliage with a calming glow and Kouki almost never resisted the urge to simply stare in amazement at the beauty.

When he entered the building, mouth still idly chewing on the remnants of the buttered puff still in his mouth, he almost choked when he saw the imposing figure of Hyuuga Junpei talking softly into his sleek black phone.

Hyuuga was a near legend in Seirin. He and his two best friends, Riko Aida and Kiyoshi Teppei were responsible for the apprehensions of what was easily the most heinous group of serial murderers in Japan's history. They were a group of six men who called themselves the 'Generation of Miracles' and who had no motivations, simply murdered for the fun of it and they had taken fifteen years to catch. Evidentially, the leader was a genius and his plans were near impeccable but Hyuuga and his cohorts managed to trick him into a trap and had apprehended them all.

When the whole debacle was cleaned up, all six of the members were executed and Hyuuga went on to become head of the national security department, so begs the question of why in the name of all that was remotely holy was Hyuuga Junpei standing in the lobby of Kouki's workplace like it was the most natural thing in the world?

Hyuuga was every bit as intimidating as the pictures made him out to be. He was of average height with rather peach skin and narrowed dark brown eyes that stared out through the open windows behind his thin silver rimmed glasses. His hair was a dark brown colour that seemed chestnut in the light with the locks just about brushing his angled jaw. His bangs were short, however and his eyebrows were furrowed into near annoyance. He wore a standard white button down shirt with dark blue suspenders and matching slacks and his pale blue tie was tucked neatly into his pocket. All in all, he cut an impressive figure in the light and Kouki couldn't even begin to fathom his reason for visiting.

"Just tell Koganei to look after it, I already told him I wouldn't be in today," his voice was smooth, Kouki noted and after standing in the doorway for a bit, Kouki decided that he might as well sign in and start working. Except, when he started walking towards the reception table, Hyuuga held out his hand and motioned for him to wait, mouthing 'hold on' all the while.

Well. That's not strange at all.

"Yes. Yeah. Fine Izuki, just don't blow up my office, okay?" Hyuuga nodded and smiled and Kouki thought that he looked nicer when his eyebrows weren't so furrowed, gentler. "Mm, tell Aida I'll be home late. Right." Then he hung up and quickly slipped his phone into his shirt pocket, eyes immediately taking on a more serious shine as he turned to address Kouki. "You, Furihata Kouki, right?"

Kouki had to resist the urge to flinch at the steel in his tone and nodded as he mentally flicked through his memories to think of any federal offences he had committed over the past few weeks. Hyuuga crossed the room and was in front of him quickly, narrow eyes appraising him before slipping toward the elevator, idly remembering to present his badge. "I'm Hyuuga Junpei, Head of National Security and you have been assigned to a very important job. Come with me."

Now Kouki was very confused. Actually, no, he was confused a couple minutes ago, now he was just this side of unnerved. Hyuuga strolled into the elevator and Kouki followed him after the man sent him a sharp look. His fingers immediately clicked the B-11 button and Kouki gasped, "Um, Hyuuga-san, we aren't allowed to go to that floor. It's locked."

Hyuuga simply snorted, "Don't worry, I have clearance, and after today, so will you."

The ride down was short and awkward, Hyuuga was flicking through a notebook he had pulled from his pocket and Kouki was simply trying to comprehend exactly what was going on. When the door dinged cheerfully signaling their arrival to the floor, Kouki suddenly felt his stomach drop.

"Before we continue, I need you to swear an oath that you will never speak a word of what you see here to anyone, under no circumstances."

Okay, now he was officially wary. And maybe just a bit worried.

"I-Is that really necessary? I don't even know what this is about."

"This is about your new job. Now, the oath."

"Can I have more information than just that—"

"Swear it."

"Okay."

Hyuuga cast one more look in his direction before opening the steel doors and letting the freezing air swirl into the waiting room. "Welcome to B Floor 11 of the Seirin State Penitentiary where we hold only one patient."

The first thing Kouki noticed was how… shiny everything was. The walls were stainless steel and impeccably polished, the floor was lined with tiles so white that Kouki could see his reflection perfectly and the florescent lighting was harsh. There were no windows and Kouki couldn't even discern any visible vents but it was cold. So very cold that he hadn't been in the room for even five minutes and he could already feel his fingers tingling.

Hyuuga was already walking through a door and Kouki nearly squeaked when he realized that he was being left behind. "Please stay close to me, this floor in a labyrinth, so ensure that you don't become lost. "

As soon as Kouki entered the new room, he knew exactly what Hyuuga was talking about. This room was identical to the one before it. Same walls, same floor, same harsh light, same biting cold. There was only one difference and that was the small red two that sat innocuously on the left wall.

"As the new keeper of B Floor 11 and its patient, I need you to be aware of the rules and regulations of this floor."

Kouki started at that. Hyuuga was still briskly walking through the halls as though it was second nature and he was struggling to take everything in. "Wait, aren't the rules the sam-"

"Rule number one, never talk about B Floor 11. For all intents and purposes, this floor does not exist."

Another door, an identical hallway, this time the temperature was slightly chillier than the last. A small three marked this room. "How am I going to explain this-"

"Rule number two; if it has a shadow, do not, under any circumstances, bring it to this floor. This includes aluminum, dark clothing, translucent objects and any opaque object that would hinder the light."

Another door, number five was splattered on the wall in black this time and it was positively freezing. Kouki was getting sick just looking at the walls now," How does that even work—"

Hyuuga came to an abrupt stop in front of a door with a huge crimson six painted onto it. He turned around and Kouki very nearly collided with him. His eyes were serious and his furrow had returned, he looked harsh, agitated. "The final rule of this floor that you as the keeper must uphold," Hyuuga placed his hand on the door and twisted the knob open and Kouki was assaulted by a gust of air so frigid that his nose and lips immediately turned blue. His legs were frozen and his fingers were numbed out and he could feel the chill settling into his bones but Hyuuga looked so damn unbothered.

"Never, and I do mean never listen to the voice in the box."

Oh hey, look, prologue chapters!

Mm, This is gonna be fun to write and I apologise if it seems confusing, but I'll explain everything in the next chapter so stay tuned for that, I guess. In other news, how'd you like the chapter? Is Furihata okay? I've actually never written the dweeb before, so I'd like feedback on that.

Ehh, that's really all I have to say, tell me what you thought and maybe we can chat~

See ya