Standard disclaimers apply.

An Ōkiku Furikabutte Fanfiction

By Synxailla

"Pulse"

Chapter 0: Prototype

The scanner he was setting up underneath the teacher's desk refused to affirm his personal setting for the fourth time since he began trying.

Takaya's scowl deepened.

Who's the blockhead that put the stupid thing on default after all the pain he went through to calibrate it to match the classroom's landscape?

He had to lay his back on the cold hard floor to recalibrate it in the dead of the night because they were given no spare. And a dull ache was starting to build in the back of his eyes from the amount of strain he's placing on his sight to see through the darkness for too long.

"Mihashi, shine some light under here." his voice was only a couple of decibels high, not that much different from a whisper. Subtlety is a key factor when sneaking around places they shouldn't be in during unholy hours of the night.

Almost instantly, a beam of yellowish light shone down from somewhere above him. He had to squint his eyes a bit to get his vision adjusted before he set back to his work... His Pitcher stayed quiet after doing as told.

It contributed a lot to keeping his flaring temper under control and the stupid scanner in one piece.

Finally, after pushing seemingly hundreds of combinations on the little blank keypad of the circular Infection scanner, a faint green light from the side LED blinked a fraction of a second signaling the new setting had been properly acknowledged by the machine. Takaya gestured with his hand and the light from the flashlight above disappeared.

Takaya got out from under the table and stood up. He reached inside one of the many pockets of his utility belt for his special issued cellular phone intent on contacting HB to report the mission progress. As he held the phone to his ear, he could feel Mihashi's sharp eyes on him, trailing his every move and searching for any sign that might've required the Pitcher to do anything.

There was no denying it, his Pitcher was reliable…Too reliable, that sometimes Takaya can't shake the feeling the shorter guy would overwork himself and expire early despite the tight monitoring he placed Mihashi under.

The sooner he reports, the sooner he and Mihashi can leave this place. Takaya hates it when they send his Pitcher on outfield duty. They act as if they don't know the Team will crumble if Mihashi became liable to any unwarranted danger and be out of commission…

But the Coach insists that work should be divided equally through the team and nobody gets to be treated special even if they Manifested any Specializations. And so the least Takaya can do was demand he'd be the one partnered with his Pitcher to make sure nothing bad happened…

Never mind that there was already an official rule set by the Agency that Catchers must be paired with their Pitchers in missions always. With the kind of luck Takaya's been cursed with, nobody can blame him for taking precautions, he doesn't want to suddenly find Mihashi incapacitated from some freak accident he wasn't there to prevent.

The phone seemed like it had been touched by bad luck as well. It was taking too damn long to connect. It was late enough and he needed to give his report so he can get the go-ahead from their Captain to pull out. They can't leave the area-parameter unless the mission had been confirmed as complete.

Protocol ranged from being a total pain to being a complete bitch, but he needed to follow it or his neck will be put on the line… The Talent Scouts don't take too well to rule-breakers.

Takaya was sure his irritation had been emanating from him through eerie vibes since Mihashi seemed to be picking it up, making the slighter boy fidget more than usual, when a click sounded as the call (finally) got through and a voice he normally doesn't hear when contacting Home from mission sites answered.

"Hey there!" greeted a way too energetic voice. There was a pause and the crinkling and shuffling of papers from the other line sounded through, "Soo… I'll need your name with your identification code. Caller id says you're Abe, but the instructions Hanai wrote down says I still have to make sure of your identity…so yeah, shoot."

"Abe, Takaya. Identification code Two-1211-C-Class3." He answered automatically out of routine-induced habit.

He wondered why the hell Hanai left Tajima in charge of taking report calls; couldn't he have asked Sakaeguchi to stand-in? He is the other Vice-Captain after all… He decided to ask later when they got back Home, and make a firm suggestion that the captain never considers doing it again…

Another pause, this time accompanied by clicking sounds of a keyboard from the other line.

"Okay, I've punched in your code… Identification confirmed!" Tajima declared triumphantly "You can state your order of business for this call now."

"I'm calling from the current mission site." Takaya began, his eyes glancing briefly to check over his standing-by mission partner, who flinched and blinked in rapid succession in reply. Takaya had difficulty deciding whether to throttle him or give a fond smile.

He picked neither. Safe. "I'm with Mihashi, we've finished setting up the Infection scanners in the classrooms. We request official acknowledgement and permission to leave site and head Home."

"Permission granted." Tajima replied, faster that Takaya thought he could. "Acknowledged by Tajima, Yuichiro; temporary stand-in for incoming mission calls."

Takaya was beginning to reconsider that maybe Tajima could actually perform tasks as serious as relaying back Players. "See you guys later! Don't get into any trouble returning Home!" the voice from the other end shouted, and Takaya promptly changed his mind back.

"Abe, Takaya signing out." He says with just the slightest hint of annoyance before ending the call by pushing the 'end' button with a little more force than necessary.

He placed the phone back into its proper place in one of the many pockets of his utility belt and gave the floor a once over to make sure he's left nothing of his tools lying around. Another standard operating procedure that had been drilled into all Team members during the early stages of training was to perform every mission clean as a whistle and leave no trace of their presence behind any site.

Going all-out and getting messy was reserved for actual Games.

After making sure he'd left nothing out of place, Takaya turned back to Mihashi and said "We're heading back." The blond boy flinched but nodded his consent afterwards. Takaya fought hard to keep a vein in his forehead from popping.

Three whole months of working together and the Pitcher still can't seem to get over his awkward moments… Or maybe that's just how Mihashi was? Either way, it's irritating Takaya… His irritation was cut short when he saw Mihashi tensed, his olive eyes clearing into alertness.

Takaya was accustomed to distinguishing Mihashi's quirks, so the Catcher knew whenever Mihashi's tensing meant he was having an awkward moment, or if the Pitcher sensed something that spelled potential threat. This time, it was the latter, as confirmed by his slightly less sensitive hearing than their Ace's.

"Footsteps." Mihashi whispered a split-second or two later.

"Let's go." Takaya said and led the way to one of the two doors of the classroom, the one away from the sound of footsteps they heard. He stopped short when a hand caught his arm and held him back.

"I hear one coming from over there too." Mihashi explained to Takaya's raised eyebrow.

Takaya inwardly cursed his ever rotten luck. Why did security have to change their patrol routine the same night they were sent to install scanners?

"How far away?" He asked anyway, because the sound wasn't in his hearing range yet and he wanted numbers so he can calculate their chance of slipping out of the room and hopefully out of the building before the guards on patrol detected them.

"The one from that way is about twenty-five meters away." Mihashi answered, looking at the front of the dark classroom seemingly through the black board. Takaya figured the Pitcher was following in his mind's eye the figure from which he heard the second set of footsteps. "And the one from behind us is―"

"18.29 meters away." Takaya finished for the other Player. "Judging by the length of the corridor from end to end, they plan on meeting up mid-way, and the middle room of this corridor is 305."

Which also happened to be the very room they were currently inside of… Meaning they won't be able to make get-away the conventional way; through the door, without being seen… It figures.

"S-so, uhm… We wait it out?"

Takaya didn't bother to dignify Mihashi's painfully obvious question with an answer. He was far too busy walking over to the corner of the room where a large cabinet stood. He gave it a once over and then started to shift the wooden structure away from the wall.

"Abe-kun?" Mihashi called out, sounding confused.

"You heard it too," Takaya replied without looking up from his careful task of quietly moving the cabinet, "they don't just walk by when they patrol. They open each room and look inside. We need a place to hide, lest you want to jump out the window."

Well, they could easily jump out the window and land safely intact… What Takaya was worried about was that if the building patrol changed their route, there was no guarantee that the grounds security hadn't. And he's not taking chances of them being seen.

"Get in." Takaya all but commanded when he deemed the small space he created between the wall and the cabinet would be enough to hide in.

Mihashi took a slight step back. His fascinatingly colored eyes (a mash between olive green and gold) regarded the dark, tiny opening with something akin to dread. Takaya fought to keep the squeeze in his chest that persisted whenever he knew Mihashi was having difficulties controlled.

"U-uhm… M-m-maybe I could… I… how a-about I…" Mihashi stammered and stuttered on with a blush on his cheeks.

Takaya allowed him to go on for a bit, because he had an internal countdown of when the patrols would be coming and they had some more time to burn… He actually lasted four whole seconds before he snapped at his Pitcher. That broke his record of three point nineteen seconds.

"Just say it." Takaya snapped through gritted teeth, keeping in mind the patrol guards were closing in every passing second and that indoor voice is greatly encouraged.

"Why don't I just hide under the desk?" Mihashi said with surprising clarity.

"Because there's a better chance of them spotting you there." Takaya supplied, not at all deterred by the sudden change in Mihashi's talking.

Mihashi deflated, but the 'kicked puppy' look never quite left his face. Takaya sighed.

"Stop sulking. We're on a mission." Takaya reminded and watched as the magic words took effect. Mihashi stilled for a split second before all the fidgeting and uncertainty left his body language.

Takaya never really liked using those words to make his Pitcher behave, it made the shorter guy act less normal and more like… a machine. Like the blond fully lets go of what little personality he managed to gingerly piece together for himself and let the training take-over. Fear is removed, along with every other feeling.

All Pitchers have triggers like that, every Player too, since the Agency couldn't have them not functioning properly when they're needed. They'd much rather strip a person of one's humanity than have the Talent unable to perform in optimum condition because of insignificant emotions… Takaya hated that drilled-in feature.

But if it can be used to ensure Mihashi's cooperation for his safety, then he'll make an exception this once.

"Understood." Mihashi said and he walked over to Takaya and the cabinet.

Takaya stepped aside and let his Pitcher inside the crack between the wall and the cabinet first. When that was done, he walked over to stand in front of the door to see if the angle of the cabinet looked suspicious in any way. Once he was satisfied that it looked normal, he walked back over and squeezed himself in with Mihashi.

Then they played the waiting game.

The footsteps got louder to Takaya's ears as his mental countdown neared zero. And as his ever correct calculations would have it, the door of room 305 opened just as the numbers inside the Catcher's head ran out… Two beams of light flashed, much brighter than the penlight Mihashi used to help Takaya with the sensor calibrating earlier. The two guards stepped inside.

"Well Nakamura, this is the last room in our third floor rounds." A masculine voice said. Takaya saw the lights being swept around the room. "It's kind of a pain huh? The boss changing the routines abruptly like that. He suddenly told us to take a different route, and I had trouble memorizing it minutes before patrol."

Takaya couldn't help digesting that tidbit of information… So that was why he and Mihashi weren't informed about the changes in security's routes, because it was done minutes before the patrol. Why would the school administration suddenly decide that?

"Quit complaining Wataru." A female voice answered. It was uncommon for lady-guards to be assigned night patrols, but Takaya knew better than to underestimate women. Coach was female, but she can run each and everyone of her Players in the ground if she so wanted. "It's not as if this is the first time the boss changed decisions on a whim. Let's just inspect this room and get this floor over with."

Takaya almost snorted. If this school was indeed harboring an Infected, then the Catcher seriously doubted the routes change was on a whim.

"Yeah, yeah." The male guard answered in a bored manner. Takaya then heard their footsteps roaming around the classroom in what he assumed was a routine inspection.

A second later, Takaya felt Mihashi start beside him. The Catcher's eye automatically snapped to regard his Pitcher. Mihashi looked tense, more so than usual. Takaya's mouth formed another scowl and he shifted to face the shorter guy, of course this made Mihashi tense further. A peek at the blond's face made Takaya see the desperate way Mihashi was clenching his eyes shut, and the unhealthy amount of red staining the other's face. Takaya could hear Mihashi's heartbeat racing a mile a minute.

Just great, the Pitcher was having another bout of panic attack.

His mission partner was having an internal panic attack while there were two guards in the room inspecting the place and the only thing concealing them from view is a large, albeit old and not so sturdy wooden cabinet. The situation was not ideal. Not ideal at all… It was a good thing Takaya was more than capable of handling less than ideal situations.

First things first. Calm Mihashi down.

In the small space between the cabinet and the wall, Takaya somehow managed to grab hold of Mihashi's thin shoulders and proceeded to crush the other teen to his chest in a not-hug. Takaya felt the shorter boy release a soft, relieved breath on his collar-bone a split-second later.

The tense shoulders sagged marginally as hands latched themselves on his shirt in a death grip, but Takaya could still feel his Pitcher shaking. He inwardly cursed the other boy's previous trainers as he moved his hands from the blond's shoulders to wrap his arms behind Mihashi. The smaller hands clutching Takaya's shirt eventually stopped trembling.

There was a click, and the faint hum of static made its way to the black-haired boy's ears. He managed to keep his breathing shallow as he rubbed faint circles on his Pitcher's back.

"This is Nakamura, Chisa. Third floor secure." The female guard relayed to her radio. "Wataru and I will proceed on to the fourth floor. Over and out."

Takaya wanted to smile. And he would've, if he was anybody else… They managed to stay hidden in such close proximity, no alarm had been raised, and there had been no need to shed blood or render any guards catatonic. They seemed to be improving in the stealth department. Coach would be so proud. She won't have to box his ears for "accidentally" incapacitating non-Infected people.

The guards made their way to the door and proceeded on to exit and close it behind them. Takaya heard the male guard say "So Nakamura, have any plans on your night-off this Friday?" It was answered with a grunt and footsteps speeding off. "Hey, I was just asking!"

Takaya listened intently as the footsteps of the guards disappeared to the direction of the western staircase. He counted to five in his head before he looked down to the blond head still buried on his chest.

"Can you still hear them?"

The blond head nodded without unburying itself from the front of Takaya's shirt. "They're climbing up." Was the muffled reply of Mihashi.

"Hmm." Takaya hummed. His hands were still on Mihasi's back, but they've stopped rubbing in soothing circles. He waited again.

The smaller hands on his shirt tightened impossibly before slowly unclenching and letting go. "…sorry." Mihashi mumbled, with his head off Takaya's chest but still bowed.

"Don't apologize." Takaya responded. He took his arms off from around Mihashi and stepped backwards, out from behind the cabinet.

For a second, Mihashi just stood still in there. His blond head bowed and shoulders hunched in self-loathing. If there was a sight Takaya hated more, it probably came from his previous life.

"Come here." he said.

Mihashi started, and then hesitated. But eventually he gave in and followed Takaya's words… He always does in the end.

Tentative steps took his Pitcher out from behind that stupid cabinet. He stopped a foot in front of Takaya, fiddling with his hands like a four-year-old about to be scolded. His head was still bowed.

"Look at me." he said.

It looked like Mihashi was waging an epic internal war against himself as he slowly lifted his head up and forced his eyes to meet Takaya's steely stare.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Takaya said, as clearly as he could, so that even Mihashi stupid head can understand. "Stop berating yourself."

Mihashi looked about to cry.

"B-b-but, I w-was—."

"You're not a burden." Takaya snapped. "And trust me, if you ever became one, I would be the first to tell you." Mihashi whimpered. "So until you hear it from me, don't act all cynical and blame yourself. Understand?"

Mihashi wiped his unshed tears away and scrunched his face. He nodded multiple times.

"Good." Takaya answered with a slight upturn of his mouth. "Come on, let's go home."

They didn't encounter any trouble getting out of campus. Which Takaya was greatly thankful for. The night has been dramatic enough for his tastes. He and Mihashi were currently walking on the way back Home through the woods. It was dark, but the stars and moon provided enough light for their eyes to see where they were going.

Mihashi seemed to be in a better mood as he walked beside Takaya, matching him step for step. They were near halfway Home when Takaya decided to ask.

"How come you didn't tell me you're claustrophobic?"

There wasn't an immediate answer. But Takaya expected that. He stopped in his tracks and Mihashi followed his lead.

"I-I'm not." Mihashi answered eventually, looking to the side and rubbing his arm with his other hand. Takaya force-fed himself patience. "At least… not until- the Operation."

Takaya's eyes glared daggers, but they weren't intended for Mihashi.

"You weren't supposed to be awake during the quarantine period." Takaya gritted out. "None of us were."

Mihashi flinched again. "Th-they said so too." He answered. "A-and I think… They wiped it off my head. Because I don't r-remember being a-afraid of tiny spaces w-when I woke up. But lately I've been…" Mihashi let the sentence drop off.

Takaya's eyebrow furrowed. "Lately you've been what?" he asked.

Mihashi looked at him, then at the ground, and then back to him. When he saw Takaya wasn't backing down, the Pitcher took a deep breath before continuing.

"I've been… seeing t-things." Mihashi said softly. "In dreams mostly… I think… They're memories."

"Memories?" Takaya whispered with dread lacing his voice.

Mihashi nodded tentatively. He looked meekly up at Takaya before saying "Memories from before I've woken up."

Oh this was bad.

"Have you told anyone else of this?" He asked in all seriousness.

Mihashi shook his head. "J-just you, Abe-kun."

Takaya felt like an anvil was taken off his chest.

"Good." Takaya breathed. He grabbed the Pitcher's hand and looked Mihashi in the eye. "Keep it that way. Promise me."

Mihashi looked startled, and he kept blinking. But Takaya didn't let up on his stare and his hand curled tighter around Mihashi's smaller hand.

"I promise." Mihashi finally agreed.

Takaya then hauled the shorter guy's hand and started walking again back to Home Base.

"You're skipping school tomorrow." Takaya announced. The hand in his clenched.

"Eh?! B-but the mission." Mihashi protested.

"Leave your class to Izumi and Tajima." Takaya said "We're going to work on getting you over your fear of tiny spaces. We can't have other people finding out about it."

"But Abe-kun, won't Coach be m-mad?" Mihashi sounded genuinely scared. Which was understandable.

"We're entitled to special training sessions if it concerns teamwork performance." Takaya said. "And as Catcher, it's my responsibility to make sure you're always in top form."

"O-okay." Mihashi reluctantly agreed.

"Now, do you have any other phobias I'm not aware of?" Takaya asked. It would be best if he got all the suspicious fears out of Mihashi as soon as possible. He must not let the Agency find out about his Pitcher's weaknesses. He won't let them take Mihashi away. His grip on the other's hand tightened.

"I-I think… I'm afraid of d-dogs."

.

End of Prototype

Author's note: Hi there. This fandom doesn't get enough love… So yeah, if there's anyone out here reading this, please let me know what you think. This was inspired by a fanfic I've read years ago. It's about the boys being part of an organization that cleaned up flesh-eating monsters. But there'll be no flesh-eating monsters in my version… probably.

There's not much action in this chapter, since it's an experimental one. I just wanted to see if anyone would be interested enough. Depending on that, I'll leave this as a one-shot, or try my hand at continuing it. So if you found it was worth your time reading, please drop a review and let me know. Thanks for reading! :)