#maplecore

“I’m just saying. I’ll have to tell the academy, and no one wants that.” The other guy seemed friendlier than the gun wielding maniac, even though he was crossing his arms and frowning disapprovingly.

“Stay outta my way, asshole.” Red tossed me into a seat like discarded luggage. His sharp gaze never left the man in front of him.

Earrings sighed, “Chill out, Taiga. I’m not trying to steal your prey.” He glanced at me before looking back at the gun wielder. “This civilian saw you, right? I’ll take care of the cleanup.” What!? Oh my god, I’m going to get murdered. This is actually the universe deciding it hates me and wants me to die via mob hit.

“Oh, for real? I’ll go after that thing then.” Red relaxed after hearing Earrings wouldn’t interfere. He adjusted his grip on the gun, heading for the window.

“Yeah, alright.” Earrings nodded at him. “Maybe try not to destroy anything?” Red immediately punched a hole in the window, and Earrings to let out an exasperated sigh. “What did I just say...?” The gunman picked up a handful of shattered glass, grinning widely before jumping out the window and disappearing into the fog.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here for starters.” Earrings stretched before kneeling down on the floor of the train, keeping his back straight. He pulled out a long flute, pressed it to his lips, and blew several notes into the air. The smell of rain filled the car with the beautiful sound of the flute playing in the background and I closed my eyes. The smell brought me some comfort since I grew up in a rainy area. I feel like I’m back home... Maybe I should’ve stayed there. Maybe I wouldn’t be getting chased by whatever that thing was...

Before I could finish thinking about the “what-if’s”, a stream of bubbles flowed out of my mouth. I was underwater. I can’t breathe! Panic overtook me. I didn’t know how I got there and I couldn’t move my body to escape, which made it worse. Everything went dark.

“...line. We will soon be arriving at the final stop, Shimbashi Station.” A voice rang out, sounding like an intercom. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself standing in the same train car with daylight streaming through the windows. I must have fallen asleep and dreamt all that. “Phew, it was just a bad dream.”

“Sorry, but I’m still here.” I let out a loud yelp before I whipped around, panicked. I briefly saw Earrings’ face before a sharp, stabbing pain in my right leg made me collapse. “Whoa there.” He caught me before I smacked my head against the floor.

Earrings gently sat me down on the bench before he crouched down in front of me. “Oops. Looks like we got a civilian injured... I probably shouldn’t mess around with that out here.” He murmured before looking up and giving me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I’ll do something about your injury after...” He took a bottle out of his pocket. “Let me clear your head first.”

He lit a match before holding it out in front of him. The hell is he doing? Something about the light and the way he smiled was eerie. “Do you know what this is?” Before I could respond, he blew out the match... Directly into my face.

“What the hell, dude?!” I leapt away from him. “Why the fuck would you blow a match into my face!?”

Earrings frowned at my outburst. “I’m going to need you to stay still and look at the match.” I shook my head, refusing to let him blow fire into my face again. He sighed, “Look, this will help you. I promise. I’m going to need you to trust me, just for a bit.” Earrings took another match out of the bottle, lighting it up with the striker strip. He met my eyes calmly, keeping his voice even. “Can you do that for me? Just for now.”

“You’re going to blow it into my face again, aren’t you?” I glared at him, brow furrowed as I fidgeted. I couldn’t run away because of my leg, but I couldn’t help but get more agitated even though Earrings was trying to calm me down. “Don’t deny it.”

Earrings seemed taken aback by my accusation at first, before slumping slightly in defeat. “Yes, I’m going to blow it into your face.” He held up the match, letting me see the flame that was burning brightly without the slightest waver. “But I’m not going to hurt you.” He must have seen the doubt on my face because he quickly continued, “I promise. Just look into this flame, and I’ll explain everything afterwards. Don’t close your eyes. Once it’s over, I’ll make sure we get that cut checked out, yeah?” I didn’t respond, so he tried again. “It’s not hot.” He brushed his hand through the fire and held it out to me so I could touch it. I stuck a finger over it, and it was cool. It didn’t burn my skin at all; it felt cool to the touch like marble. I pulled my finger away.

We stared at each other for a long moment, and his gaze remained soothing and patient. “Deal?” Earrings spoke calmly, staying firm but not demanding.

I held his gaze for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, since I wouldn’t get out of this otherwise. “...Deal.” I fix my gaze on the bluish flame.

Earrings nodded, satisfied with my agreement. “Good.” He brought the flaming match closer to my face. I kept my eyes open as he blew the match into my face again. It felt like a breeze when it blew over my face.

“...You’re right. It didn’t hurt.” I say softly, tilting my head.

Earrings’ brow furrowed. “What?”

I gave him a puzzled look, my brow furrowing more as he seemed confused at the interaction that just transpired. “Um, the match you just blew into my face? It didn’t hurt. It felt more like a slight breeze.”

Earrings looked taken aback by my comment before standing up and taking a step backwards. “The matches... They don’t work on you?”

“I’m assuming you’re talking about the ones in the bottle?” I gestured to the bottle in his hand. His shoulders slumped.

“Bingo. You’re putting me in a tough spot though...” He sighed. “And you’re injured. Guess we should go back to the academy.” The doors buzzed before sliding open. “Can you stand?”

“Um... yes?” Earrings gingerly tugged on my sleeve, and I stood, slowly placing weight on my right leg. I leaned against his shoulder for balance, and we stepped through the door. Like the train, the platform was deserted, yet the sun blazed in the sky. It was a beautiful day, but a silent one. It felt like I was in the Quiet Place. If I didn’t actually fall asleep... How long was I on that creepy train for? Why did it only feel like a few minutes? I wasn’t the best with time, but I wasn’t bad enough to not notice hours slipping by. What was that thing? And what was that place...?

“I had a bad feeling when I heard Taiga was on this one. Glad I cordoned everything off.” Earrings pulled out his phone, mumbling that to himself as he supported my weight. Considering what just happened, he was calm. I stood next to him, unsure of what to say, but my position was getting uncomfortable so I shifted against him. “That probably hurts, huh?” His gaze drifted from his phone to my leg. No shit, Sherlock. I stared at him, deadpan, and he chuckled. “Wait one sec and I’ll get it fixed up for you.”

“You are?” I asked, full of doubt and starting to get hungry.

“Yeah, I am.” He smiled. “You can trust me.” I did not believe him, but he was tall and handsome so I let him continue. He turned his attention back to his phone. “Hello? Yeah... slight emergency. No, not Taiga... Well, kinda him, I suppose. We’ve got an injured civilian, but the matches aren’t working.” Earrings looked at me as he continued the call, “About the same age as me? Female. Uh-huh. Right, one sec.” He lowered his phone away from his ear, covering it and asked, “What’s your name?”

“My name?” I parroted.

“Yeah, they need it for the paperwork.”

Paperwork? Like the ones in hospitals? He’s calling a clinic! He was telling the truth when he said he was going to get my leg fixed! All of those thoughts were thought all at once and I blurted out my name eagerly, “Maple Campbell.”

He smiled and made an okay sign before repeating my name to the phone, and when he was done speaking to the receptionist, he turned back to me. “Thanks for being patient. Sorry about all that.” He smiled warmly, “I’m Haku Kusanagi. Campbell, yeah?” He slipped his phone back into his pocket and stuck out his hand for a handshake.

I nodded and shook his hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Kusanagi.” I gave an awkward smile but I was still pretty shaken due to what just happened. He gave me a sympathetic one back.

“Likewise.” He glanced around the empty station. “I’m really sorry, but I’m going to need you to come with me.”

“To the clinic, right?”

He looked sheepish before shaking his head, “No, I’m not taking you to a clinic.”

“Huh?!” I side-eyed him. Who else would he be calling if it wasn’t a clinic? Who did I just give my personal information to? “You’re lucky I can’t run away right now.”

He chuckled. “Relax, there’s just a few things we need to sort out first. Bear with me, okay? There’s a special clinic not too far from here that’ll help with your injury.”

“Special clinic? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I know it sounds weird, but it’ll make sense once we get there. I’m sure you’re freaked out, and I wish I could explain everything now, but we’ll have to get to the academy so things start making sense. You’ll be okay though, don’t worry.”

“Academy? What academy?” My head spun with confusion, and none of what Haku said made sense to me. The pain was increasing and my brain wasn’t working (a rather normal thing for it, I’m afraid).

“Darkwick Academy.” The words came out of Haku’s mouth casually, in the same tone you’d use to explain what you were eating for lunch.

“Isn’t that the ultra elite school near Tokyo Bay? On that artificial island that doesn’t allow visitors and has been nationally ranked #1 for decades since it produces a bunch of important people? I heard everything about it is a mystery, including how many people pass the entrance exam.” Haku nodded in confirmation. “Why are you taking me there? Pretty sure I’d get shot on sight without a student ID.”

“It doesn’t make much sense, huh? I swear I’m not shady.”

“Let’s not be hasty.”

He pulled a card out of his jacket and placed it in my palm with an amused smile. “Look.” The front of the card blazed with gold lettering and a photo of the man who stood in front of me.

Haku Kusanagi, Hotarubi house, third year... “You’re a student at Darkwick?” It sounded more accusatory than I meant it to, but Haku didn’t give me elite private school vibes with how weird he’d been so far.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Was that redheaded gunman a student too? You two seemed to know each other.”

“Yeah, he is. You catch on quick.” Red definitely didn’t give elite private school vibes. Haku cleared his throat, “Anyway, about that special clinic I mentioned. It’s located inside Darkwick. We should get going before that cut gets any worse.” He placed a gentle hand on my back to support me and hurried me along as we walked.

“Uh... Kusanagi? The train is leaving.”

“Sure is.”

I glanced at him, and then the train. Haku stopped in front of an ice cream machine, placing his hands on his hips. There was a beat of silence before I continued, “Shouldn’t we have gotten on if we were going to Tokyo Bay? Unless I’m really shitty at reading Japanese maps.” A strong possibility, maps weren’t my specialty.

“This way’s faster, actually.” Haku took out his phone and placed it against the card scanner. Is he buying ice cream right now? I watched him, wondering why I was in this situation when the vending machine meowed and the front slid open, revealing a portal behind it. Is that fucking space? “Don’t let go of my hand.” Haku took my hand in his and stepped off the platform into the spatial portal. I shrieked in alarm and squeezed my eyes shut so I didn’t have to see us plummeting to our deaths. At least I wasn’t alone.

The impact never came. I opened one eye, and we were suspended within space. “We’re floating?”

Haku looked back with a grin, “I like your energy. Strictly speaking, we’re falling slowly. That’s all lost property” He nodded towards the middle of the swirling vortex, where items floated around, lost in time. “Oh, we’re about to speed up. Hang tight.”

“We’re about to what?” The suspended feeling stopped, and we dropped into the unknown. I started screaming the second we plummeted and Haku squeezed my hand reassuringly. Our feet gently landed on solid ground, and my legs felt like jello. Haku grabbed my arm to stabilize me before my legs gave out. I realized we were standing at another train station platform. “Is this another train station?”

He nodded and flashed a playful smirk. “Don’t worry. Unlike the last one, this train comes with a safety guarantee.” I rolled my eyes but a smile tugged at my lips despite myself. Haku’s playful attitude kept the mood light and held my nerves at bay. I heard the sound of a train approaching. “That’s our ride.”

“Is that a steam train?”

“That’s the Galaxy Express. You’ve never seen one before?”

“You make it sound like a magical train is a common occurrence you can see anywhere. What is this, Harry Potter?”

“We’re in the realm of non-fiction.” Sure we are. Everything that happened today is real and definitely not some mass hallucination. Haku gestured towards the door, “Go on, climb aboard.” I hesitated, my newfound train trauma making me reluctant to get on this one. He held out his hand, an offer of comfort and encouragement. “Safety guaranteed, remember?” He gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, if anything happens, I’ll protect you.”

Unfortunately, Haku looked really pretty in the doorframe illuminated in spatial light, and he’d been so patient with me that I felt bad declining. Plus, I didn’t want my cut to get infected and have to be amputated or something. “Whatever you say, handsome.” I took his hand, and he helped me climb onboard and didn’t let go of my hand until I was in one of the seats. My ankle still throbbed with pain, but focusing on the soft velvet of the seat and the warmth of Haku’s hand was easier than acknowledging the feeling. When he let go, the warmth lingered a little, and I missed the comfort. Haku sat down beside me though, so I felt better knowing he was still here.

The levers, switches, and dials peppered throughout the train were all reminiscent of an age long gone. The warm wooden walls were lit by antique lamps hung from the ceiling. The beautiful starry sky outside was visible through the windows. “It’s gorgeous here.” I murmured, taking in my surroundings.

“Meow!” A cat wearing a conductor’s hat gracefully leapt from a seat I hadn’t noticed when I first entered.

“Kitty!” I squealed.

Haku leaned closer to the cat, unphased. “Sorry to spring this one on you. Could you take us to the academy?” He asked as the cat sashayed past us. The cat turned back, meowed in acknowledgement, and disappeared into the driver’s compartment. The steam whistle blew and the train resumed its chugging along the tracks. “That’s the conductor. Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite.” Haku teasingly nudged me.

“Pfft.” I lightly nudged him back. “So, the conductor is a cat?” Haku nodded as the train picked up speed. After a while, the train entered a tunnel, the darkness seemingly swallowing us whole.

“Most people never get the chance to ride this train, y’know. Why not make the most of it?” Haku gestured toward the window, “Look at that, we’re almost there.” I shifted my gaze to the window as the train emerged from the tunnel, replacing the darkness with warm sunlight. An enormous building loomed outside the window, the gothic exterior standing solemn and elegant against the blue sky. I felt like I’d stumbled into a fantasy world.

“We will soon stop at Darkwick Academy.” The automated announcement rang throughout the train.