Archive of Our Own

It was raining as she walked. Every part of her body was soaked in water: her hair, her clothes, her shoes, her skin. With every step she took, a splash of water adorned even more surfaces on her body. Still, she walked with a purpose, and with hate in her heart that dripped from her soul just as much as the water did. That hate propelled her to the front steps of the complex, which opened its doors to her without much fanfare. 

As she shook the rain off of her body, she held her head up high. Her brown hair hung low, parted in a wolf cut all the way to her neck. Her eyes glowed blood red, pulsing as she took a deep breath in and out. She unzipped her raincoat, revealing a slightly formal dress jacket. It was a bit of an abnormality for her to wear something like this, but the situation demanded it. Her face was slightly marred with a few cuts under her eyes, as well as bags that indicated a lack of rest, but other than that, she looked more like a slightly older businesswoman rather than someone conducting anything dubious. 

Yet, as she marched up to the front desk, she knew in her heart that that was far from the truth. She stared right at the guard, who typed away on a computer, numb to the world around him. She stared a little longer, waiting for him to notice. When he didn’t, she rapped her fists against the table, causing him to startle. “Ah!” Then his eyes narrowed at her. “What do you want?”

She barely flinched. “I’m here to see the prisoner.”

The guard raised an eyebrow. “Which prisoner? Is it family? Friend? Tell me your name and-”

“I want to see the prisoner.” She let out a shuddering sigh, partly because of the cold night, partly because of the magnitude of what she was saying. “Prisoner P508954TS.” 

At that, the guard paused. He took another look at the woman, a long look. “No one’s wanted to visit him in a while. Do you have the clearance for that? Because unless you’re either the sister of a prime minister candidate or sucking the SIU Director’s dick, then you need to get lost.”

The woman with the red eyes scoffed. “I don’t have a sister.” Then she grinned, enigmatically. “What I do have are friends. One such friend of mine helped out your boss a few years ago, back when both of their pasts were a bit muddier. As such, your boss owes my friend a favor. This is the favor.”

The guard guffawed. “You? You know my boss? Honey, I don’t think you even know what planet you’re on.”

The woman clenched, then unclenched her fists. “Wanna bet? How about you call your boss and tell him these words: ‘The Hanged Man wants his noose.’”

The guard sneered as he picked up the phone. “What is that, some kind of riddle? Fine, but if he yells at me, then I’m calling security on you.” He turned the rotary phone, winding the dial as he held it to his ear. Then, it began to ring. Within a few seconds, there was a click. “Hey, boss. Yeah, I know, I’m watching the entrance, but there’s this weird chick here. I’m about to call security on her, but she said something about a hanged man wanting a noose?”

A pause. Then, “Yeah, I’m sure.” His eyes went wide. “Wh-boss, you serious? You seriously gonna let this broad-” A loud noise echoed out from the phone, that even Makoto could hear. “Okay, okay. Yes, sir, I understand. She wants to see Prisoner P508954TS. Are you sure-” Another loud noise. “Okay. Yes, I’ll let the boys no. I’ll let her through, right away. Yes, I’ll tell her that too. Got it, sir. Have a good-” Click. 

The guard placed the phone back on its receptacle and took a deep inhale. Then he turned back to the woman. “My boss wants me to tell you to tell your friend that he appreciates him deeply. And for me to tell you that you can see the prisoner.” 

He picked up the phone to call the other guards, but before he could, the woman leaned close to the window separating them. “Marvelous. Though, let me just say, if we ever meet outside of these walls, I may kill you for calling me a broad.”

He looked at her eyes to see if she was joking. She wasn’t. “‘May’?” He spoke with a slight waver. 

“I haven’t decided yet.” She grinned then, revealing her teeth. “We’ll see how I’m feeling that day.” As she finished her sentence, she leaned back and stepped away from the window, grinning all the while as she walked to the door. The guard quickly finished his call and soon, the doors opened. A set of more armored guards nodded at her, and urged her to follow without uttering a single word. So, she did. 

As she trailed behind them, she glimpsed the sterile white hallways. She could hear the sounds of prisoners in the distance, yelling and clamoring over each other. She turned to see the guards speaking to her, “Here’s the deal: I can imagine what you want to do with him, and for you to do that, we’re going to let him out of his bonds. We’ll also be taking his mask off, so you can get any necessary information. However, be very careful when speaking to him. We’ve kept him under lock and key after he managed to organize a prison riot for the fourth time. He’s still managed to pull off some coups, so if he says or does anything out of line, knock loud on the door. We’re going to be turning the cameras off so you can conduct your business in peace, as part of your arrangement with the warden. Is that clear?”

The woman nodded. “Crystal.”

The guard stayed silent. Then he cleared his throat as they got closer to the solitary meeting room. “Why do you want to talk to the bastard anyway? Is there an update in the case? Or do you just want to get some anger out? God knows how many have come to visit him just for that.”

“That is between me…” She froze as she started to hear it. “..and the bastard.” The moment the guards ushered her to the meeting room door, the sounds of the prison completely ceased. Instead, all that could be heard was the faint sounds of an object being wheeled through the hallway. The guards gestured for her to enter the meeting room, and before she could get a word in, they closed the door on her. Even still, the sounds drew nearer. She looked around and saw the cameras were already switched off, but before she could look back to the door, it slowly opened. 

And from it, a gurney was sent through. The gurney was raised upright, and within it, restrained with a straitjacket and a muzzle, was the prisoner. His hair was unkempt, and his eyes bore into her with gray orbs. His expression flashed between annoyance, to surprise, to confusion. That expression only deepened as the guards unbuckled him from his restraints, very hesitantly. Once they finished, he stretched his limbs, and quicker than he could even blink, the guards rushed out of the room and locked the door behind them. The prisoner barely glanced back, instead continuing to stare at the woman. 

She smiled, “Do you remember me, Ren?”

A small gasp broke out of him. Then he nodded, slowly. He took a seat at the metal table, still stretching his arms. She nodded, sitting down in front of him. “That’s good. You’re still getting your voice back, which is okay. I don’t need you to respond, only a nod or a shake of your head will do just fine for now.”

For a moment, the two just sat in silence. The lights in the room were remarkably dim, and in the distance, the two could hear the sound of thunder booming. Yet, neither flinched. After a few moments, she leaned forward with a serious look in her eyes. “Do you know what day it is?”

He leaned back, as if to think it through, then he shook his head. She smiled. “It’s New Year’s day, 2026. Ten years to the day since you broke Japan.”

Ren flinched. Then he scowled as she continued. “Ten years since you found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ten years since you killed a prime minister candidate. Ten years since it caused a domino effect that sent you to jail, ruined my life, and ruined the life of hundreds, if not millions, of others. Was it worth it? Was it worth it to accidentally kill a piece of subhuman garbage and give rise to people far worse than him? Was it worth ten years of emptiness? Loneliness? Pure hatred that eats you up inside and makes you wonder how life is even worth living? Tell me something, Ren: do you even remember what your parents look like?”

Ren scowled even further. He cricked his neck and slowly linked his fingers together. “Do you, Makoto Niijima?” His voice came out hoarse, uneven, but his words dripped with venom. 

Makoto chuckled. “I guess I don’t, no. We both lost a lot that day. Things we can never get back, no matter how hard we try. But what if…” She leaned even further, her eyes gleaming with something wicked. “What if I told you that we could take something even more valuable?”

“And what might that be, Makoto?”

“Their hearts.” Her lips turned upward. “On a fucking pike.” Ren’s eyes went wide for half a second, then they narrowed once more as she continued. “I know what you think to yourself when the night is darkest: you think you’re here for a reason. You dared to do the right thing once, and now you’re paying for it. Every day you are here, every scar, that fucking bullet hole in your forehead, you think it’s penance. That you deserve this. But you don’t. There are people like you and I that are hurting just as much as we are. People that can be motivated and pushed in the right direction.”

Ren tapped his fingers on the table. “What direction is that?”

“Towards revolution.” Her eyes were wild as she slowly started to lean forward. “The world has changed in the years you’ve rotted here. The government has used Shido’s death to round up any dissenters, any political opponents, anyone they find mildly displeasing. The people that could’ve once been counted on to be friends have either disappeared or lost themselves to the corruption they’ve festered. But I found something that can destroy the rules that the bastards that did this created, something to change up the ground war. Something that can make things right. Something that can burn down everything they’ve created.”

Ren took a deep breath. He looked towards the walls, praying that this time, he would see a window to the outside world. There was none. He closed his eyes, imagining it was there, imagining the last time he saw the sky, as he replied: “Why me?”

Makoto leaned back, her voice shifting from a harsh hiss to a slow coo. “Because you’re angrier than any of us. I have friends in this prison, and they tell me about you. They tell me about the hours where you think that no one’s watching, where you’ve pulled off the meek mask meant to placate the guards, or the charming mask to please your fellow inmates. The hours where you sit and stare at the wall, bouncing a ball off of it over and over again, with perfect accuracy, up until the moment that cracks start to form in it. How many times have you been in solitary confinement? Do you even remember? How about the interrogation room—?”

“What’s your point?!” Ren snapped, his eyes blowing wide open.

“-and how many times have you almost broken out of here? You’ve corralled members of the Mafia, the Yakuza, the foreign mobs, even the people who’ve never been in a fight before, and managed to encourage them to start riots without moving a muscle fifteen times,” Makoto shot right back. “Why you? Ren, there is no one else but you. No one else with the skill, the charm, and the hate. Besides,” she paused, “my hands are too dirty. They’re not capable of sculpting anything good. Not anymore, at least.”

Ren took a deep breath. “And…what if I say no?”

Makoto immediately scowled and clenched her fists. “Don’t be a fool.” She stood up, her chair scraping against the floor. “The guards talked to me on the way in here. They expect me to beat you bloody and bruised, and will ask questions if you’re not. They do it to you often, don’t they? How many scars are beneath that hideous shirt that no one can see except you? Have the concussions started to take a toll on your brain? Do you hallucinate-”

Ren pleaded. “Stop. I don’t want this. I don’t want to be part of your crusade, I just want to live my life here-”

“AND WHAT?! DIE IN HERE?!” She chucked the table to the side, stepping closer to him. Ren’s hands started to shake in fear, as she continued. “ALONE AND SCARED AND WONDERING, ‘WHERE, OH WHERE DID MY LIFE GO SO WRONG?’ Who was it that broke your spirit? Was it me, five years ago? Was it my sister, when she told you that you were going to spend the rest of your life here? …or was it him?” Ren’s heart sank, and he suddenly went deathly still. “The one that killed your parents. The one that no one can touch. The one that you and I can ruin and put in the same cell you’ve spent ten years rotting in.”

Makoto stopped and knelt down to look at Ren in the eyes, whose expression conveyed an inner war. “Don’t lie. Not to me. Not after everything we’ve suffered. You don’t want to die in here; you want to see the moon one last time, and spend the rest of your life as freely as you wished you spent the last ten. You can never repair your past...” She slowly placed her hand on her shoulder. “…But you can destroy their futures.” 

She removed her hand as Ren stared downward, looking everywhere but at her. “I don’t want to hurt you, Ren. If you really don’t want this, I can walk out here without laying a hand on you. I’ll be arrested, you’ll spend time in solitary, and that’ll be it. I can live with that, because if you won’t help me with this, then there is nothing worth continuing for. But if I’m right…and you want this, just as much as I do…then I’m going to have to hurt you first.”

The following silence seemed to stretch for minutes, but in reality, it only took a few seconds for Ren to make his decision. “Makoto…” A feral smirk spread across his face. “…I made my decision the moment you walked in. There is nothing on this god-forsaken Earth more than to take my pound of flesh from the ones who did this.” He stood up and stretched his arms once again. “So, do whatever you have to do, Makoto. Then let’s get to work.”

Makoto laughed. It was short, but manic in its cadence. “Alright. Listen up, because I’m only going to say this once.”

And as she threw the first punch, a new bond was formed.