Bored out of My Skull [Private, Kazuo]

Kazuo was planning to ditch school yet again—as was all-too common for his attendance, if he really did hope to get into a decent college or have good grades to show off on a resume—but for today, as with most days, he didn't particularly care to attend. All the lectures were hard enough for him to understand as they were, deafness or no, and just sitting at home and reading the material for whenever there was supposed to be a test was good enough for him. He would have to go back to school sometime in order to meet graduation requirements, but he was hardly pushed to attend even with that held over his head. Whatever the case, Kazuo was something of a failure as a Japanese teenager.

Today, this failure was relaxing back at home with his brother. Well, it was more like relaxing on his own while being at home with his brother. He knew his brother was generally a very studious kid when he was at school, so he didn't really know what he was doing when they were home alone. Probably gardening or something... he always said that he didn't know where those plants came from or what neighbors are trespassing, etc. etc., but that said, Ren was not only the worst liar alive but also came up with the flimsiest excuses to cover for himself. Kazuo knew better. Heck, anything with living awareness would know better. So it was likely that he was off taking care of his irises or azaleas or whatever the heck they were supposed to be, Kazuo wasn't a flower dude.

So when Ren came around the corner into Kazuo's room with the notebook held up, Kazuo was a little curious what he was actually doing with his time (or not... doing with his time). He thought that the flowers might have been entertaining enough, but then again, he didn't actually know how anyone could derive some absurd value of "fun" from staring at flowers and feeding them all day or something. But here was Ren, showing him the notebook with some sort of intent to go out or play or something. He snatched the notebook and pencil from him and wrote down his response, offering them back once he was finished. [Sure. Where to?]

Kazuo hung his head at the lame suggestion. Taking the notepad back, he sighed and thought for a few moments of what to write back, then slowly began dragging the pencil across the paper to illustrate his point. (A huge girl that loves gardening and a sucker for urban legends, too? This is my brother? Okay, fine, let's go. I don't even care. At least we're not going to go watch the birdies in the park this time.) It was a one-time thing, and there was no intention of even bird-watching—it just happened because they were bored and there was really nothing else to do at the park that time. Not that that would stop him from holding it over Ren's head at every possible instance.

Urban legends just reminded him of the sort of crap people would try to make up about the bathrooms in elementary school, so they just left a bad taste in his mouth. Besides, didn't it take a real moron to actually try to believe them? Whatever, he hoped it was something like forwarding a chain e-mail just to get reactions out of people rather than seriously considering that lightning might strike you and your girlfriend might leave you because you didn't send it to 10 of your most-hated contacts within the hour.

Whatever. Kazuo pushed the writing materials back to Ren and stood, stretching himself out, then going to get one of his long sweaters to go out with. "I'm gon'a let you lead," he announced, though he was sure at the time that he was controlling his volume. How the heck do you even do that, he wondered, and how does any deaf person really know if they're acting in-line with their voice? Speaking was frustrating. Maybe he should have just held on to the notebook.

It wasn't like Kazuo suddenly gained interest in the train once they finally got to the platform, but he did suddenly brighten up. There was a lot of security that were doing something or another here—Kazuo didn't care what, to be honest—but that was the important thing: this was a place they weren't supposed to be trespassing in. If it was anything to speak of Kazuo's mentality, the very idea that they might be barred from entering was all he needed to want to enter regardless of interference or lawfulness. He gave Ren a nod, then took the initiative to lead him ahead and down to the abandoned-seeming platforms with a playful grin.

As they neared the empty platforms, Kazuo began to rub his hands together in excitement. He stopped once they were far enough away from the populous trains filling up, and once he was content with his analysis of the surroundings, he turned to Ren. "If you don't mind, tell me more about the rumors. What thing do we need to get on the train?" he inquired, now a titch too quiet to be comfortably heard over the clamor at the other side of the station.

Kazuo took the notebook from Ren and read over his message. So a cell phone sort of contraption would open the train's doors? This smelled even more fishy than it had before. This was probably part of some ad campaign, not actually a real mystery or anything like that. Yes, if someone found a fake phone that looked exactly like the new brand they were hoping to advertise, then that person could get on the train and get 15% off their next purchase with one of the special tickets inside! Ugh, so annoying. In fact, Ren immediately went to pick up the glinting object that Kazuo had let fall to the back of his mind and went over to the train door to attempt opening it—and it worked.

What a weird phone... that definitely wasn't the kind that any sane person would use, in public or  otherwise. Why was a company trying to sell such a clunky piece of crap? He blinked, a little unsure of his conjecture. It couldn't be anything but a cell phone. This campaign would be way too expensive for anything else.

Okay, you know what, whatever. Kazuo wasn't about his brains, so if he tried to figure it out, he wouldn't get it anyway. Fine. This stupid thing that Ren found was a cell phone, for all he cared. And go buy our new model, it's only half as clunky and useless as this one! Whatever. He stepped on the train after Ren, huffing. "So, now that we're in th' twain..." he grumbled (too) loudly. He assumed it would be very loud in the train since there were so many people crowded around the other platform nearby, but that said, it was so frustrating trying to guess how loud any place was just based on the surrounding people that he didn't always hit the mark.

Okay, you know what Ren? Whatever. Go and try to be a cool kid, but Kazuo knows exactly what an idiot you are anyway. He took the notebook back, using the other hand to slap his forehead. He didn't need to use words to insult his dumb older brother this time. Everyone understands a facepalm, right?

And the immediate second later he's on his ass and has no idea what's going on, but he's pretty sure the train just jerked forward and threw him backwards and the notepad went flying to who knows where, he was too busy falling at the speed of can't stop to notice. Kazuo scrambled for a rail or something that could stabilize him, grasping a nearby seat and clinging with all his body against it. He quickly rushed through a million things to shout for—"What the hell's going on? Why'd the train start? Where are we going?"—but the rush of just trying to keep himself from getting thrown out a window or into a seat was too much to let him multitask this. Although the temptation to start swearing up a storm was pretty tempting.

Kazuo didn't believe his senses once he felt the train grind to a total halt. The entire past five minutes had been... well, not traumatizing, but certainly difficult, and the idea that something this wild and monstrous could just come to a gentle stop was a little absurd after five minutes cut completely off from sanity. In fact, the instant Ren set down the notebook and began to go outside (in spite of his terrified expression clearly stating his innocence), Kazuo ran up to him and tried to grab his collar with a peeved glare on. "I SWEAR if you knew this was gonna happen and I find out, I'm going to fuckin' do you in," he growled, "and they won't find out until they're all surpwised that you cut class on finals day, cuz you know they ain't looking for you othewwise."

Well. On the plus side, he was threatening him at a considerate volume. Probably indicative that Kazuo wasn't actually intending to hurt Ren. Well, probably. He wasn't always the most predictable kid, especially when he was angry. And guesses say that he's probably angry.

Kazuo unenthusiastically let him drop, giving him a scolding glare, then stormed over to where he left the notebook and thrust it at Ren, knowing that his first reaction would be to quickly grab it and keep it from falling. "Yeah, explain yourself or else. And you know what the consequences are. Make it good, punk." Frustrated, he ruffled up his own bangs and began to preen through them in order to distract himself from whomping the life out of his brain-dead brother. But at least while Ren was making up whatever wee excuses he could to avoid having a world of hurt inflicted on him, Kazuo could look around and see what sort of place this train landed them in. This was definitely no advertisement ploy, and he doubted it was anything like a ride for fun: it started up too quickly, it went way too fast, and it could have seriously broken something in one of them if they didn't react quickly enough to the train suddenly rocketing into motion. This sounded seriously ripe for a lawsuit, and Kazuo had every thought in him to actually file for one as soon as he could find the name of the company that had sponsored this ride to hell.

The doors politely slid open with a little puff of steam emitting from the base. He didn't care to wonder why the doors were steaming, even if that really could have been another danger to him. Outside the doors, he observed, there were no other trains docked and rather no one at all that he could see. This was interesting. Not a single train in Japan would have only two people there in the transit station unless the station had been closed. That was not the case: the lights were on and everything. "Actually, I'll fogget about it for now. Can you heaw anyone?" Wait, no, he said that wrong. R's aren't supposed to be that forward in the mouth. "Can you hear anyone, I meant."