Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11155725.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      モブサイコ100_|_Mob_Psycho_100
  Relationship:
      Kageyama_"Mob"_Shigeo/Mogami_Keiji
  Character:
      Kageyama_"Mob"_Shigeo, Mogami_Keiji, Reigen_Arataka
  Additional Tags:
      Kidnapping, Non-Consensual_Drug_Use, Captivity, Alternate_Universe_-
      Canon_Divergence, Emotional_Manipulation, Brainwashing, Betrayal, Angst,
      Age_Difference
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-06-10 Updated: 2017-06-17 Chapters: 3/? Words: 16102
****** Nemophila ******
by Laurafromaccounting
Summary
     After feeling as though Reigen has taken advantage of Mob long
     enough, Mogami kidnaps Mob and traps him in his house.
Notes
     even though there isn't anything too terrible in this first chapter,
     MIND THOSE TAGS!! i will update tags as i post new chapters, but
     there is going to be heavy content in this!! read at ur own risk
***** Chapter 1 *****
A strange feeling overcame him when he started to stir from sleep. The
overwhelming grogginess was prevalent, that much was obvious, but he'd never
remembered having such trouble getting his eyes open before. When he came to,
it was as though a fog was wrapped around his brain, and he was having trouble
thinking.

But, he finally opened his eyes, and was met with an unfamiliar ceiling. This
wasn't his bedroom ceiling. Oh, but he was so groggy. He mumbled a little from
sleep, and it felt like there was cotton in his mouth, like he hadn't had a
glass of water in days, it was so dry. He tried to swallow, but couldn't even
do that.

When he tried to sit up, the fog in his mind only worsened, and he immediately
felt a splitting pain shoot through his head when he moved, making him reach up
with one hand to clutch at his forehead. Why did it hurt so bad? Everything
felt like a bad dream, and he wasn't even sure if he was awake right now, it
was so foggy.

He was able to get a good look at the room, now that his vision was clearing.
This was definitely not his bedroom. Not his bed. Not his walls, or where his
closet was. His desk was nowhere in sight.

It hadn't settled in yet. That he wasn't even in his own bedroom, because he
was so groggy, still unsure if this was reality yet, but he managed to drag
himself from the bed, and stand. He almost stumbled back to the floor, his head
swimming when he pulled himself up, and he fell against the nearby wall as he
was struck with an overwhelming dizziness that swirled in his head.

The wall broke his fall, but made a loud noise when he banged his side into it,
as he struggled to keep himself upright. He almost tumbled to the floor again,
still so confused why he felt this way, why his mind was so foggy, and why he
wasn't in his bedroom. He was so confused.

The sound of tapping footsteps came from outside the door, and he only heard
them when they were right outside the door, whoever was outside having probably
hear the noise of him hitting the wall. The door swung open, and he heard a
familiar voice. His reaction time was so slow, he couldn't even look up in time
when they were already at his side, reaching out to help him stand.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to be awake so soon."

He knew that voice. A low deep, rhythmic voice. When he finally looked up, he
saw the familiar face as well, smiling down at him. "Mogami-san...?" His own
voice was slurred and slow, which surprised him. He couldn't understand why he
was acting this way. Why was everything so foggy? Why did he feel so sluggish?
As he struggled to stand up one more time, he only stumbled again, this time
falling into Mogami who caught him by his arms and propped him up again.

"Don't try to do so much now. You're probably thirsty, right?"

He nodded. With Mogami's hands wrapped around his arms, it was a little easier
to stand, but he still swayed somewhat. He shook his head, trying to snap out
of his confusion and lethargy and try to make sense of this. Even with a
familiar face here, he was probably even more confused than before.

"M-Mogami-san, what...happened?" Again, he stumbled, but this time, Mogami led
him by the arm back to the bed before gently pushing him back down onto the
mattress. He felt a little better sitting down, now that he wasn't having to
put so much thought into standing.

"If I explained it to you now, you'll probably just forget. Don't think about
it right now, just stay in one spot and don't move for awhile." Mogami leaned
away. "I'll go get some water."

He nodded. "Thank you. I don't understand why my mouth...my mouth feels like
cotton?" He was still slurring, and felt his face burn at the way his words
were coming out, but he couldn't help it.

Mogami nodded. "Don't stress about it, Mob, just stay put." And he walked back
out the door.

Mob still felt as though his brain was mush at that point. Nothing made sense,
and he felt now that he was sitting down that his headache was going away at
least. A small feat, but it was something nonetheless. At least Mogami was here
to explain things to him, so he didn't feel scared, or alone. He wondered if he
had a run in with a spirit and got knocked out, though he didn't remember any
such confrontation taking place, it was all he was coming up with at the
moment.

Why else would Mogami take him to his house? And why else would Mob feel this
way? He must've gotten beat up pretty bad.

Oh, but that meant--

He blinked in shock for a moment. Shishou... Was Shishou Reigen there too? If
Mob got beat up in battle, then what happened to Shishou? There was no telling,
not at this point anyway. Mob didn't even know if this feeling was the cause of
a fight or not. He tried to rack his brain and remember the last thing he was
doing.

Think.

What happened?

Closing his eyes, he tried to fight through the fog and ignore his dry mouth in
favor of what he'd done last. There were plenty of memories there, all sorts of
memories of him slacking off at school last week, and running with the Body
Improvement Club, and going out on jobs with Shishou. He even remembered coming
home last night and playing a videogame with Ritsu.

Oh, but nothing there about how he could've ended up in this situation. Mob bit
the corner of his lip. This was no good, his mind was just too foggy. He didn't
like this feeling, and could only hope Mogami's words were true and it would go
away with time. It was such a strange feeling, like his brain was full of
clouds, or something like that. He couldn't describe it only as feeling tired,
but like he wanted to stand and walk, but his body was held back a few seconds
and wouldn't cooperate.

Just as he was contemplating standing up again, Mogami appeared through the
doorway once more, holding out a glass of water to him. Mob reached out to grab
it, grateful to get the gross feeling out of his mouth now. It was so cold
going down his throat, he felt so refreshed when he drank the whole glass in
one sitting, already feeling better just from that. He smiled up at Mogami.
"Thank you."

Mogami nodded. "I apologize that it is difficult for you right now."

"Do you know what happened?" The haze was still floating in his brain, but Mob
felt the water had woken him up somewhat. If Mogami could explain something to
him, he was ready to hear it.

"You should lie down and rest, it will--"

"Did I get into a fight? Did a spirit do this?" Mob hadn't meant to interrupt
him, but his voice was coming out with no hesitation and a little desperate
because he wanted answers. "Is Shishou okay?"

Another nod from Mogami. "Yes, he's fine. And no, there wasn't a fight. No
spirits were involved."

"I didn't get knocked out by some school kids, did I?" Looking to the side, Mob
blushed a little. That would be super embarrassing if he did, but he wouldn't
be surprised either.

"No, it wasn't your classmates."

The headache was starting to creep back at the edge of his mind until Mob had
to cup his forehead and look down to make it go away. "What happened?"

There was a pause from Mogami, followed by a long sigh before he answered. "Lie
back down and rest. We can talk later."

Mob looked up then, a wave of worry washing over his stomach at that moment,
and he had to ask, "Did something bad happen? Is everyone okay?"

Mogami just smiled. "Everyone is fine, Mob, I promise. Nothing bad has
happened, now listen to me and rest for awhile. Don't worry."

The groggy feeling was leaving him somewhat, but Mob would've been lying if he
said he wasn't still tired from it. Whatever happened to him, he was still
curious and confused, but he trusted Mogami. If he told him not to worry, then
Mob needn't worry. It was a little frustrating he couldn't get his answers
straight away, but with Mogami smiling down gently at him, Mob didn't feel
alone at least, or frightened.

So, he nodded, and leaned onto his back where he rested his head on the pillow.
It would all be better once he woke up and this feeling left him completely.
He'd thank Mogami for his hospitality, then go on his way. Still, it felt
strange being in his house, even though Mob had known him for awhile, he could
form opinions on his house once he saw the rest later. He was probably in a
guest room if the lack of furniture and color was any indication, but it didn't
matter.

Mogami left the room, closing the door behind him, and Mob was left in peace.
He fell asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes, but he could only hope
that weird foggy feeling left him sooner.
===============================================================================
 
Coming here had become a habit he hadn't meant to start, an unconscious
decision at first, but once he started, he found it brought him peace in a
strange way. Mob sat down at the bench in the park, his school bag settled into
his lap, and stared at his shoes at first, not really sure why he came here in
the first place. This was unusual, for him to come to such a place, when
normally he would either be at work or back at home, but he decided--why not?
It was a warm spring day, the wind was blowing through his hair, the birds were
singing, and Mob felt at peace sitting at the bench, enjoying the sound of the
trees rustling every once in awhile, hearing the sounds of the birds chirp, and
an occasional jogger run by him. Mob wasn't much of a people watcher, unless he
counted the time Tome and he went out on a psychic hunt that one time where she
demanded he point out any psychics to her. They saw all kinds of people (some
Mob wasn't glad he saw), but he couldn't have said he was a people watcher
either.
Even sitting here at the bench, he got caught up more in the sounds around him,
the sensations, and leaned back a little as he focused on how nice the breeze
felt against his face. It was so peaceful, and yet he would also find himself
listening to the conversations people had as they passed him by. He felt bad at
first, like he was eavesdropping, but wouldn't they just refuse to speak if
something was so private in the first place? It was a weird feeling, to hear a
couple pass him by as he sat at the bench, leaning back and looking up at a
bird's nest above him, just to hear a teenager tell her boyfriend she was
excited about the movie they were going to see later.
It was weird, to say the least, to hear about the nonsensical things like that.
At some point, Mob had become aware someone sat down next to him, on the other
end of the bench. How long they'd been there exactly, he wasn't sure, as he'd
been zoning out for awhile, but they spoke to him, and it shook him from his
thoughts. "Nice to see youngsters kicking back their feet to relax once in
awhile."
He turned to see a rather well-dressed older man (much older than Shishou, he
had to note), with his arm draped over the back of the bench as he slouched. He
was much more relaxed than Mob, who, although he was leaning, still held onto
his school bag and sat with his legs side-by-side. The man sat legs spread and
feet pointed outward, taking up more room than necessary, but Mob had to assume
it was because he probably visited this place often and had developed a relaxed
state of being while here, unlike him. Judging from his business suit, Mob had
to assume he was a salary man of some sort as well, but he immediately turned
his attention away, not really wanting to look at his face for some reason. His
shy nature got the better of him and he felt himself tense a little that a
strange older man was striking up a conversation with him, when he had no idea
what to say.
But, he tried anyway, so as not to be rude. "Oh, I just--um--I don't usually
come here. I usually, um, have school activities and my job, but neither of
them needed me today." Why he was spilling this all out to a complete stranger,
he had no idea, but he felt a compulsion to let it be known he wasn't just
slacking off or being lazy and usually had things to do on the norm. Not that
this person needed to know all that, but Mob wasn't sure why he felt nervous
about it at all. It made no sense.
The man made a soft sound, one of surprise. "You've got a job? At your age?"
Then, Mob felt himself blush, as he finally turned to look at the man's face,
realizing he had shifted in his position to engage in eye contact, but he was a
little nervous still. He was still so awkward about talking to new people. "Oh
yeah." Was that a bad thing? Looking at the man's face, he couldn't help but
think how tired and worn out he looked, but he also gave Mob the impression of
someone who just looked that way naturally as well. Now that he'd shifted in
his position, the older man crossed one leg over the other to take up less
space, and Mob didn't know why the small gesture made him feel a little
relaxed, but it did. He felt his shoulders untense and he squeezed the strap of
his bag a little too hard, but he knew with time, it would go away.
"That's pretty incredible for a youngster like you. Do you mind if I ask where
you work? I don't mean to pry, forgive me." The man gave him a soft smile,
making Mob feel a little less tense. At least he was polite as well. He seemed
like a nice person who was just looking for conversation.
"Oh, um, Spirits and Such. Do you know Shishou Reigen?" And Mob blushed when he
called him that, struggling to correct himself. "I mean, uh, Reigen-san."
He was surprised when the man's eyebrows lifted before he started. "Reigen?
Arataka Reigen?"
It was Mob's turn to be surprised. "You know Shishou?"
"Not personally, but I've heard of him." A low laugh erupted from his throat,
one that Mob wasn't sure was meant to be ironic or just noise. "I'm also in
that type of business, you see."
It felt like his eyes were going to fall out as his whole face lit up. "You're
a psychic?"
And the man smiled again, a prideful smile. "Oh yes. I am in the same field as
your shishou. I exorcise spirits as well."
Mob was still sitting agape, not believe he hadn't realized the man sitting
next to him had been a psychic this whole time. "I didn't sense a thing from
you! Then again, I never sense anything from Shishou either, so you must be
very powerful like him."
The man's face soured for a split moment, but only a moment. "I assure you I'm
quite powerful. Forgive me for being direct, but that is the reason I sat down
by you today. I could sense the energy in you, and had to speak with you. I
meant no harm."
Mob shook his head, feeling a little more relaxed by the moment. He couldn't
believe he'd run into another psychic today, of all places. "No, not at all. I
am glad to meet another like me."
The man chuckled before letting out a sigh and leaning his head back. "You seem
like a good person. Tell me, why on earth do you waste your potential with
someone like Reigen?"
It was strange to hear such a calm and polite voice come from this man that Mob
had deemed polite suddenly speak out against his Shishou like this. He felt the
sting at the insult, but he wondered if it was only his way of interpreting it
like that, and the man really meant no harm. Maybe it was supposed to a
compliment for Mob? Then again, he wasn't very good at reading people, or
understanding any underlying context from conversation. He still had so much
social skills he needed to work on. "What do you mean? I like Shishou, he's
very nice. He's helped me overcome a lot and I don't think I'd be where I am
today if not for him."
The man sighed again. "I suppose not."
Mob nervously twiddled in his seat once again. He wasn't sure why, but the
conversation felt like it was going south, and he felt he'd said something he
should have for some reason. So, he tried to change the subject. "Um, I don't
mean to be rude, um. Do you mind if I got your name?"
A sound of surprise came once again from the older man, almost in a comical
sense, that Mob couldn't help but smile at. "Oh, I completely forgot to
introduce myself. That was rude of me. My name is Keiji Mogami."
He held out his hand for Mob to shake, and he couldn't help but notice how
small his own hand was in comparison. "I'm Shigeo Kageyama." He looked to the
side for a moment, before he added bashfully, "It's always nice to meet people
like me. I'm always surprised by how many of us there are out there."
"Indeed, it's a small world."
Clutching his schoolbag once again, Mob stood from his spot on the bench before
he pulled his bag around his shoulder. "It's getting late. I should go home."
Turning once more to Mogami, he gave him a small smile and a wave and said, "It
was nice meeting you," just as he turned to leave.
"Kageyama." Mogami's sudden voice stopped him in his tracks, and he'd only
walked a couple of steps before he paused, turning to face the older man who
was still seated with his arm draped over the back of the seat.
"Yes?"
"I'd like it if you came by my office sometime." He gave Mob a small,
unassuming smile.
Nervously, Mob fidgeted before stumbling over his words. "Oh-I don't know." He
struggled to find something to say, something that didn't sound rude or make
out like he was trying to blow Mogami off.
But, Mogami held his hands up as he spoke. "Forgive me, I meant nothing by it.
You said yourself you were glad to meet others like you. I thought if you saw
what kind of work I did, it would put you at ease is all. Don't feel like you
have to."
Mob swallowed before speaking. "It's just..." And he lost eye contact with
Mogami before trailing his focus to the ground. "I don't know if I'll have
time. I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for, it was merely a suggestion." Mogami let out
a soft laugh and Mob could relax a little once more. "Stay out of trouble,
youngster."
Mob nodded, waving once more before he turned to walk away and head back home.
He had a strange feeling inside of him at the moment, and he couldn't really
place what it was. He was excited, maybe, and a little nervous, because he
never knew the right things to say to people, and he always felt awkward
starting a conversation, but he was also glad he'd met another psychic like
him.
If only tomorrow could come faster, because he couldn't wait to tell Shishou
about this.
===============================================================================
 
Mob awakened for the second time that day in Mogami's house. Sleep felt so
terrible for some reason, in a way he never thought possible, but at least this
time his headache was gone, and he felt groggy upon waking up, but found once
he sat up in bed, the overwhelming feeling like he'd had some strange fog
around his brain had cleared. He no longer felt strange, not like before
anyway. He became aware that it was dark outside, which made it dark in the
room, but a small amount of light was coming in through the window from some
streetlights outside, allowing him to see.
Mob felt so good, that he stood from the bed this time, and was pleased to find
he was steady on his feet and didn't stumble over like he'd done earlier. Take
a few tentative steps, he walked about the room, making absolutely sure that
strange feeling had left him from before. It was weird that he couldn't
remember how he'd come to be in this situation, but he trusted Mogami would
explain things to him once he showed him he could walk straight. Maybe it was a
good idea he stayed here to sleep this off. He probably wouldn't have wanted to
go home stumbling into the walls and such like he'd been doing. Mom and Dad
wouldn't want that to go without explanation, and Mob wouldn't be able to
provide one for them.
As he wiped the sleep from his eyes, he turned back around to the bed and
straightened out the sheets, making it look neat and tidy as though he'd never
been there. He wanted to be a good guest, after all. Looking down at himself,
he realized he was still dressed in his school uniform, and it was horribly
wrinkled from how he slept in it so much earlier. Ugh, he'd have to iron
it later when he got the chance. There didn't appear to be any damage to it,
though. It wasn't torn, or even had any dirt or dust that signified a scuffle
had taken place. How strange, but then everything about this was strange, and
Mob decided to put it in the back of his mind for now.
Looking about the room, he searched for his backpack, confused when he couldn't
find it. The memories were slowly coming back to him, and he definitely
remembered going to school the day before, and if he was still in his uniform,
then he'd either already been there, or was on his way, before whatever
happened, happened.
But, his bag wasn't placed in the room, not where he could find it anyway.
Reaching down into his pocket, he went to dig out his cellphone and see if he
had any missed calls from Shishou. For all he knew, he'd missed work completely
and Shishou was probably going to wonder where he'd been. He'd have to text him
and give him details as he was updated himself.
Mob froze as he reached into his pockets, only feeling emptiness. His phone
wasn't there. He patted the sides and dug into each side twice just to make
sure he hadn't missed it by mistake. No, there was no doubt. His phone wasn't
on him. Great. Had he dropped it perhaps? Maybe it was on the floor, or maybe
he still had it on him when he'd been sleeping, and it had wiggled out from his
pocket and was in between the blankets.
Mob grumbled as he had to unfold the blankets, right after he'd just made the
bed perfect and neat, to look for his phone. But, he couldn't find it anywhere
between the covers. Bending over on his hands and knees, he searched under and
around the bed, but came up empty-handed as well.
Where was his phone at?
Getting a little frantic at that point, hoping he hadn't been irresponsible and
dropped it outside somewhere of all places, he moved across the room to the
closet before sliding the door to the side, not sure why he checked here even
though he wanted to be thorough, but he was only met with empty space.
Whiteness stared back at him, but no phone.
This was no good, but he couldn't get worried just yet. He just felt bad
Shishou had given him that, and he probably lost it. What would he say? He'd
probably be disappointed Mob couldn't keep up with it. He'd been so
irresponsible.
Mob sighed. Well, there was nothing he could do about that now. He could only
smooth out his clothes as best he could, cross the room toward the door, and
make his way out into the hallway that met him outside.
He'd never been inside Mogami's house before, and it was a strange sight. He
always took him for a well to do business man, professional from head to toe,
probably able to talk his way out of anything (much like Shishou), and Mob had
imagined he probably made a lot of money.
But... At the sight of his house...it wasn't what he pictured. Mogami always
gave him the impression he was rich. Well, maybe rich was laying it on too
thick, but Mob pictured he had money, maybe lived in a nice apartment, and took
care of himself, since he was always dressed nicely when he met up with Mob in
the park to chat about whatever, and he always seemed well-kempt. Even
sometimes when he'd smoke on the park bench, leaned back in his seat, gave Mob
an image of someone sophisticated, well off on his way to success.
But his house, just the hallway Mob stood in, was littered with trash.
The bedroom Mob had come from was like a false first impression. The room was
bare, no furniture, no color, only a bed and a closet in the wall, but
certainly no personality. Nobody lived in that room obviously, and Mob assumed
it was a guest room. But, stepping out into the hallway, he could already see
clothes piled at his feet, a box was piled in the far corner of the wall with
random trinkets stored inside, as though Mogami had meant to unpack it long ago
but never did, and it looked like he hadn't swept the floor in ages.
Even the room was dark. Looking up from his spot, Mob saw what was a light
fixture on the ceiling, but the only thing attached to it was a broken
lightbulb that hadn't been changed out yet. The darkness encasing him left him
with a sense of dread he didn't understand, and it was unsettling to say the
least.
From down the hallway, there was an opening on the left, and he could see a
flicker of light, possibly from a television. Mob swallowed, looking down at
his feet as he stepped over the piles of clothes strewn around him, and felt
the need to tip toe for some reason. It was eerily quiet in the house, and he
heard no voices, no sounds, not even from the light source down from the hall.
When he reached the end and poked his head around the corner, his thoughts were
confirmed and he saw a television resting in the corner of the room, flickering
in and out in the dark room as a show seemed to be broadcasting a game show.
But, Mob didn't see Mogami anywhere. There was an indication that he had been
in the room, watching tv, as Mob could see pillows on the floor, some that were
flattened to the point he didn't even know why he was still using them, and
they were horribly stained from age (he hoped anyway), and some snack food that
looked half eaten was resting on top of the tea table.
Mob felt so out of place, almost like he was trespassing. Looking around, it
only dawned on him in that moment as he caught of glimpse of the night sky out
the windows that it was probably late as hell.
How long had he been here? It was starting to worry him. He didn't see a clock
anywhere, and there was no telling what time it was. His parents were probably
worried sick about him. He'd really get a lecture if he came home too late.
"M-Mogami-san?" he called out, a little too quietly, but he felt so awkward in
this place. If he could find a lamp or some source of light that wasn't coming
from the tv, he hoped Mogami wouldn't mind if he turned on some extra light.
The light coming from the tv made the shadows on the table become elongated in
a creepy way, and if Mob wasn't already on edge from being in this strange
place, he would have been unsettled by that as well.
"Oh, you're awake."
The sudden sound of Mogami's voice coming right behind him caused him to jump,
and he felt stupid when he whirled around to see him standing in the doorway,
having not even heard him approach. He relaxed somewhat when he saw him smile,
and he appeared to be holding a plate of food.
"I thought you'd be waking up soon, so I prepared dinner for you." Handing off
the plate to Mob, he held up his hands at first.
"Oh, no, no. I've--I couldn't impose like this." He felt embarrassed and put on
the spot, not expecting Mogami to hand him food like this when he'd already
taken him in from...whatever had happened. Mob really needed to be going soon.
Mogami only shoved the plate of food at him again. "You aren't imposing, so
stop worrying. Sit down and we can chat."
There was little Mob could do as he took the plate from Mogami, the older man
walking around from him and seating himself at the table on the floor
afterwards. Mob trailed his gaze from the spot where he walked and watched as
Mogami patted to the spot next to him, still smiling up at him.
"Come on. Sit."
Mob felt so awkward, but he swallowed his nerves and complied. The more time he
wasted here, the more worried he got. Why couldn't Mogami wait until tomorrow
to start pleasantries? This was killing his nerves, and he felt bad for
sleeping so long, for causing so much trouble.
But, he tried to ignore that and sit down. The least he could do was thank
Mogami for his hospitality. And Mob didn't realize how hungry he was until he
was seated, and began to eat the food. He never took Mogami as a cook, but the
blend of spice and food was mouthwatering, even the way it smelled was enough
to put him at ease, and he relaxed a little as he sat there eating.
"Did you sleep well?"
Mob nodded. "Yes, thank you." Even though he hadn't and it was awful and he
felt like death, he felt the need to lie to Mogami, so he wouldn't be rude
about his kindness. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."
"There's no need to apologize."
Mob took a small bite of rice, and looked up at Mogami, who had his gaze fixed
to the television. No sound came from it, but it was flickering away with
whatever game show was playing. "Mogami-san?" Mob asked, his words muffled as
he chewed his food. He knew it was rude to talk with his mouth full, but he
couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer.
"Mmm?"
"So, what happened? You said I didn't get into a fight, and that no spirits
were involved."
Mogami nodded. "That's right."
"I didn't embarrass myself, did I? Oh!" He jumped when he remembered, his face
burning at the loud sound he made, but he didn't mean to be so loud. "Have you
seen my phone? I must've dropped it somewhere. I couldn't find it in the room,
or in my pockets. I didn't see my bag either." He wondered briefly what
happened to that as well. "Have you seen them?"
And he was surprised when Mogami nodded, and without hesitation said, "Yes, I
took them. You won't need those anymore."
It was right when Mob was bringing another bite to his mouth that he froze,
confused now more than ever. He lowered the chopsticks from his mouth back to
the plate and looked over at Mogami who was still focused on the tv that
flickered away with light. He didn't look at him, and Mob suddenly felt as
though he was no longer hungry. He swallowed before speaking. "I'm sorry...I
don't understand?" Something felt wrong, but he didn't know why.
Mogami wasted no time in responding, his voice oddly low when he then turned to
Mob, the light of the television creating long black shadows on his face that
looked very eerie. "We need to talk, Mob."
***** Chapter 2 *****
There was something about the way Mogami looked at him--stared at him would be
more appropriate--that sent a chill down Mob's spine. Frozen in his spot at the
table, he found that before when his mouth was watering for the food in front
of him, the warm steam emitting from it only made him sick now, and he lowered
the chopsticks, placing his hands into his lap.
Something felt really wrong, and he was worried.
"Mogami-san." He hated how his voice had started shaking, but the air in the
room had stiffened, and he could feel the tension until it was almost something
tangible. He didn't break eye contact with Mogami. "Has somebody been hurt? Did
I hurt somebody?" His stomach was knotting up.
A small wave of relief, just a small relief, overcame him when Mogami shook his
head. "No, you haven't hurt anyone, Mob. You didn't do anything wrong."
"What happened?"
Mogami sighed, and he feared he wouldn't tell him, and continue stalling like
he'd been doing, but he only looked away for a brief moment, staring at the
television and the colorful lights that flickered as the program went on. "You
must try to understand that what I've done, I've done for your own good."
Mob didn't understand. He felt tense again, and the knots in his stomach only
increased as he waited impatiently for Mogami to continue.
"Mob, that man has been lying to you. You wouldn't believe me if I had said
this to you out in the open. I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but
you are naive. You always have the best in mind, and you're always saying
positive things about that man you work for, but you don't understand the
truth."
Mob couldn't comprehend what he was hearing. Did he mean Shishou? It was no
secret that Mogami wasn't fond of Shishou, Mob knew that. He admitted to him
before he felt Reigen's ethics were distasteful, but Mob didn't understand what
he meant by that. "What are you saying? Of course Shishou is--"
"That man is a fraud, and he's brainwashed you."
Mob blinked, and swallowed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It's like
he was still dreaming, and this was all some messed up reality he was in right
now. "That's nonsense. Shishou is a good person and--"
But Mogami kept interrupting him. "Mob, how many times has that man called you
in for a job, just to make you do all the work for him? How many times have you
been the one to exorcise a spirit while he watched on and took all the credit?"
Mob stiffened, feeling sweat begin to form at the base of his forehead.
"That's...because he doesn't want to waste time on smaller spirits."
"And since when did he ever handle a powerful spirit that you knew of?"
The nerves were bundling into the bottom of his stomach, until Mob could feel
them stabbing him. This was such nonsense, and he knew Mogami thought poorly of
Reigen, but he never realized just how poor. "Shishou is very successful
though. He makes people happy."
Mogami's expression hardened, until he was almost sneering, but he didn't stop
staring at Mob. "Because he's a conman. He's conned you, your clients, and he
probably even conned himself into believing he's capable when he's not."
"Mogami-san..." Mob's voice trailed off, but he let out a sigh before he spoke
again. He hated confrontation like this, never knowing what to say, but he
didn't want to sit here any longer if Mogami was just going to talk down to
Shishou like this. "I appreciate your hospitality, but I should be getting
home. It's late."
"Mob, you don't understand."
Ignoring his statement, Mob shifted in his seat, preparing to stand up from his
knees. "Can I have my cellphone back? I should call my parents and let them
know I'm heading home."
"I can't do that."
Again, Mob froze in his spot, that strange feeling curdling in his stomach once
more. "Why?"
"Because you don't need those things anymore. I took your cellphone and
disposed of it. Your schoolbag too. You won't understand this now, but try to."
The way he said it, the lack of expression and emotion in his voice threw Mob
off, and he stood from his seat, in a state of shock that inhibited his ability
to think. "You threw my things away?" This was starting to become much more
unsettling than Mob had ever expected, and he suddenly felt like a completely
different person was sitting in front of him. Not the Mogami he'd met in the
park all those months ago, but someone sinister, someone who stared up at him
from his spot on the ground, as Mob stared back, horror gripping at him.
"I disposed of them properly."
"Why would you do that? I don't understand what's going on, or what happened."
Mob tried to rack his brain, tried to make sense of this situation, but he just
couldn't.
"What's happened, is I've taken you to my home. You may recall the times we've
spoken before. I always knew you were a great psychic, Mob, the moment I first
met you, you had the best potential out of anyone I've ever met. Your power
could grow in great length if you had come to work for me instead of that fraud
Reigen. But, you always saw the best in people, and you never listened to me,
no matter how many times I would ask. You were almost  insufferably  naive,
that I had to take drastic measures."
Mob swallowed, his throat feeling so tight, it was almost as though it were
strangling him. His stomach coiled with a terrible feeling, and he felt the
sweat accumulating at his forehead turn cold, chilling him as he listened to
what exactly Mogami was saying to him. "D-Drastic measures?"
Mogami nodded. "You don't remember when it happened, but I would prefer if you
didn't. You woke up feeling strange today, because I fed you a concoction to
make you drowsy. When you had fallen asleep, I brought you to my home." He was
so nonchalant in his explanation, it made Mob dizzy with how little emotion he
was exhibiting through this. "I had to get you away from that man, Mob. If you
had just come with me before, on your own accord, I wouldn't have to do this."

 Mob began to shake, the realization settling in and hitting him all at once,
until he felt he was going to vomit up the food he just ate. The fact Mogami
just admitted he had drugged him made him sick to his core. "You...kidnapped
me?"

 Mogami didn't answer, but the silence was probably worse than anything he
could have said.

Mob stood shaking in his spot, feeling as though he was going to vomit. He
stared at his socked feet, at the shadows casting on it by the television by
the annoyingly bright colors. He could feel some strange dizzy sensation take
over his mind, until he felt he was going to collapse onto the floor, but he
just took a breath before he gathered the nerve to speak. "I'm going home."

 And Mogami's reply was instant this time. "I can't allow that."

 The tightening feeling in his throat returned, making him choke, but he tried
to bite it down. He couldn't believe all the things he was hearing right now--
it couldn't have been real. It was all some messed up dream he was having, and
he wanted to wake up. "This isn't funny."

 "And I'm not joking. I'm serious, Mob. I apologize the way things have turned
out, but it's for the better, I promise."

 As slowly as he could manage, Mob was backing up, his gaze focused back to
Mogami, who never broke his stare from him. "I-I don't understand. Why are you
doing this?"

 "I've already explained to you, Mob. You were being manipulated by that man
and I could stand by no longer and watch him take advantage of you. You've got
too much potential to have it wasted on a fraud like him."

 "So you drugged me and kidnapped me?" His voice was nearing hysterics at this
point, and Mob was finding it hard to keep his tone in check. He was breathing
too hard, and he could feel his heart thump harder and harder in his chest with
each passing second to the point it was becoming painful. This wasn't
happening.

 "It had to be done. You refused my offers before and this was the only way to
get you away from those people." Mogami shifted in his position on the floor,
making Mob jump back when he didn't expect the sudden move. His nerves were on
edge, and he wasn't sure what to expect. "I just want to help you realize your
power, Mob, but I can't do that if you're hanging around others who lie to you.
This was the only way. You have to understand that."

 Mob understood. He understood that Mogami, the person he once thought was a
nice psychic he would sit down with and chat at the park sometimes with, was
out of his mind. Maybe he was just so drunk he was talking nonsense to Mob,
but--

 "I'm going home." There was no more reason for Mob to stay here. If he had to
put up a fight, then so be it. Even though Shishou had told him and over and
over again not to use his powers on others, Mob knew when the situation was
dangerous enough that he was backed into a corner to defend himself. If things
had to get nasty, then so be it.

 Backing up once more until he was in the doorway, he whirled around and fled
down the hallway. There were no other exits that he could see in the tv room,
and the faster he got away from the room Mogami was in, the better. It was
difficult to run and see where he was going down the hall, both because of the
dark and the trash that littered the floor, but Mob was determined. He tried to
control his fear long enough to locate the entrance of the house.

 He could hear his voice behind him, "Mob," still so nonchalant as ever. And
that probably terrified him more than anything, to hear his voice so calm when
Mob was trying his hardest not to panic right now. He was still trying to
rationalize that the Mogami he knew wasn't like this. There had to be another
explanation, because the nice person he would sometimes meet up with at the
park would never do this to him.

 But, he found the front door, and went to tug on the handle to run away. He
would run, he would go back home, and never bother with this person again.
Shishou would chastise him about it probably, and tell him he put too much
trust in others, but Mob would take his advice to heart, as always.

 The panic returned, to the point he felt he was going to vomit, when he found
he couldn't grab onto the door handle. It was as though there was an invisible
wall around it, stopping him just enough that he couldn't reach it. It took him
way too long to recognize the energy in front of him as psychic energy, a
barrier that rivaled his own, and he reached out with his own energy to dispel
it, but he was horrified to discover he could not penetrate it.

 And then his voice behind him, "I've put a barrier around the house, Mob," and
he whirled around to see Mogami looming over him, looking intimidating and
frightening in the dark as he towered over him. Mob held up his arms out of
instinct, as though he was about to be attacked, expecting an attack, but he
was panicking.

 Mob's voice was riddled with fear when he spoke, as he began to shake. "L-Let
me out."

 "I can't do that."

 "I want t-to go home."

 "This is your home now."

 The pounding of his heart in his ears was becoming too much for Mob, and he
almost choked on the spot, as he felt so small now, so overpowered in this
instance. He couldn't break the barrier. He couldn't attack Mogami, and he knew
if he used physical strength against him, it would spell even more disaster for
him. Mob was weaker than him, in every sense. "This is insane--you can't do
this."

 "It doesn't have to be bad. You'll have your own bedroom, and you'll soon
realize what I've done is for your benefit."

 Mob felt himself clutch at the hem of his jacket and squeeze until his nails
were digging into his palms. This was insane, this was all insane, and Mogami
was insane. He shook his head as Mogami spoke. "No, no, you can't do this. This
is insane--are you looking for ransom or something?"

 And he heard Mogami laugh. He  laughed . The sound created the most unpleasant
chills up Mob's spine he'd ever experienced and he shivered at it, until he
felt sick again. "What a wild imagination. I've already explained everything to
you, but we can talk more later. It's late. I know this is a lot for you to
take in, but try to understand."

 Mob shook his head. "I don't understand."

 "You will eventually." With that said, Mogami backed away from him before
turning his back on him and started to make his way down the hallway, toward
the tv room again. "You should finish your dinner before it gets too cold."

 Mob shook his head, even though Mogami couldn't see him. For all he knew, it
was laced with poison, or something like that. He sank to the floor once Mogami
disappeared around the corner, and he could see his shadow stretch on the floor
from the other room. Mob bunched his knees up into himself as he curled into a
ball.

 This wasn't happening. It was not happening.

 He rocked back and forth a few times, trying to rationalize to himself what
this meant. What were his parents going to say when he never came home? What
was Ritsu going to think when he never showed up? And what about Shishou? He
would be calling his cellphone over and over, just to never get an answer.

 Mob felt his stomach churn as knots bunched up inside, because this was so
insane. He was still in denial it was actually happening and not just a dream.
Things like this didn't happen to people, and certainly not to people like him.
He started shaking when he thought about school. He couldn't be here, because
he had a test at the end of the week he had to study for. He couldn't be here,
because he had club activities he had to commit to.

 Turning around in his spot, Mob faced the door once again. There had to be a
way he could break the barrier. He couldn't give up after one failure, even
though that would be predictable for him, but he focused his energy as he
concentrated on the barrier in front of him. It was already difficult to break
another psychic's barrier, and he knew Mogami was powerful after all the times
he'd met up with him, even though they'd never had a fight and he couldn't
really judge for himself based on that, but that didn't matter right now. He
focused, and tried to push against the barrier with all the power he could
muster.
It did no good. Mogami's barrier was too stable and too powerful for Mob to
penetrate or push away. He knew he wouldn't be able to break it using physical
force--there was no way to physically attack a psychic's barrier unless it was
by psychic force. And Mob was finding, as he tried to push, as he mustered all
his energy into trying to take down the invisible wall in front of him--it did
no good. He wasn't strong enough.
It hit him in a terrible way, that caused a feeling of nausea to well into his
stomach, just how trapped he was in that moment. When he tried over and over to
push the barrier, to break it, when he started feeling weak from all the power
he'd used against it, just to gain no results, he sat back, breathing labored
and sweat dripping down his face, it was slowly dawning on him the situation he
was in.
He'd been kidnapped. Mogami drugged him at some point, though he couldn't
remember how or when, and took him to his house, and Mob was trapped. The
feeling alone was making his heart race, and he felt that unpleasant feeling
that his chest was being constricted as he thought of what exactly this meant.
This couldn't be happening to him, because he had a life to get back to. Mob
had a family to go home to tonight. He had to go home and see Mom, see Dad, and
watch television with Ritsu. He couldn't stay here because he had to wake up
early tomorrow and go to class, go to Body Improvement Club, and then work at
Shishou's office for awhile. Those were things he needed to do, and what was
everyone going to say when he didn't show up?
The thought of his parents sitting at home, probably worrying about where he
was, his brother was probably starting to get worried, and then what about
tomorrow? When he never showed up. When his desk at school would be the empty
one, when people who realized he existed started to wonder what happened to
him.
Mob couldn't imagine anything like that, because this couldn't be real. He
tried again to dispel Mogami's barrier, but only tired himself out again. He
was using all the energy he had to focus and push out, or penetrate, but
nothing he did worked and it was frustrating him. He never realized Mogami had
such power, and the fact he'd had malicious intent after all those times Mob
had spoken to him before, when he seemed so nice, was making him feel ill.
Shishou always did tell him he trusted others too much, but he never thought
that talking to a random older man in the park who was a psychic like him, and
told him stories, and seemed interested in his well-being, would turn out to be
a bad person. Mob was never good at reading people, at saying the right things,
or even having that much tact, but he felt so betrayed by what was happening,
and embarrassed that he'd allowed himself to get caught in this situation.
Because, surely this was an elaborate prank. Mogami couldn't seriously think he
was going to keep Mob in the house, make him live here, and keep him away from
the rest of the world...did he?
The thought made Mob ill again, as he sat on the floor, sweating and exhausted
from all the energy he'd used. He couldn't break the barrier. It was too much
for him.
Thoughts ran through his mind that ranged from Mogami taking him out here as an
out of the way scheme to murder him, for whatever reason, to thoughts that
somehow this was still a nightmare he was having, and this wasn't real life. He
never took Mogami as a person capable of something to this degree, so Mob
didn't know what to think. Maybe this was part of some evil plan to hold him
for ransom and get money out of Shishou, since Mob was aware Mogami hated his
guts. He never spoke kindly about him when he was around Mob, even as Mob
defended him each time, he could see the way Mogami's nose crinkled up as he
spoke of all the good things Shishou did.
Maybe this was just some strange way of getting revenge on Shishou. Mob didn't
want to be caught in the crossfires of that rivalry though. Why would Mogami
use him for that, though? He couldn't figure it out, and he sat on the floor,
feeling as though he were about to black out from exhaustion as these thoughts
ran through his mind all at once. He wasn't very smart, and he wouldn't be able
to think through this unless Mogami told him straight out what his plan was,
other than just to get him away from everyone.
But why?
Despite his exhaustion, Mob knew he was at his limit, but he was stubborn, and
held out his hands as he tried one last time to break the barrier in front of
him. He had to break through the door and run. He had to get back home.
He had to.
The energy he used was too much, as he felt exhaustion the moment it happened,
and saw black in his vision. Before he could continue any further, Mob lost
consciousness and fell limp like a ragdoll in the hallway.
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter Notes
     ahh this was getting wordy and i didn't want to write a super long
     chapter either lsdkjfl terrible things are coming, i promise!!
The muggy weather made Mob inhale harder than he'd meant to as he trudged his
way through the park. His schoolbag was weighing down one side of his shoulder
with all his undone homework inside, as he balanced a small sack on the same
side, causing him to lean uncomfortably as he walked.
He was hoping that Mogami was going to be there today. It wasn't often Mob got
the chance after school when Reigen didn't need him at the office, and he had
the afternoon to himself, and usually when he did, he found himself always
gravitating back to the park. Sometimes he'd find the older man seated at the
bench like before, either people watching, or even reading a book, but Mob
liked the chances he got to come here and chat with him.
As the bench came into view, he was pleased to see Mogami indeed seated to one
side, his head dipped down as he appeared to be reading a book. Mob didn't want
to be rude and bother him, but he was also excited at the same time. When he
approached, he cleared his throat a little to make some noise, hoping Mogami
would notice him so that he wouldn't have to say something loud and jar him
from his reading.
Mogami looked up, smiling at Mob as he did. "Well, hello there."
Mob's shy nature was getting the better of him, and he found himself looking
away out of instinct. Even after the few times he's been here to see him, he
still found it hard to look Mogami in the eye and smile back at him--though, he
wasn't sure why. Instead, he awkwardly held up the sack he'd been holding. "I
brought some rice balls. Um--I wasn't sure which kind to get."
"You didn't have to buy me food."
Mob nodded. "Um, I was a little hungry honestly." He blushed as he admitted the
truth, and felt his face gush red. He should've felt ashamed part of the reason
he only bought this was so he could eat too, but he wanted to share with Mogami
as well.
The laugh Mogami made put him at ease somewhat. "Your honesty is admirable."
Then, he patted to the seat next to him. "Come and sit."
Clutching at the sack until he was sure his knuckles had turned white, Mob
complied, still red in the face. He wasn't sure why he'd blurted out the truth
like that, but Mogami was the type of person he felt he would feel guilty lying
too, even if the lie didn't mean anything.
Now that he was seated and eating, Mob felt much more relaxed. A small breeze
was coming through the air, and it gave him a tranquil feeling as he reveled in
the food he was eating while also enjoying the warm spring air.
"Did you not have to work today?" Mogami grabbed for another rice ball as he
spoke.
Mob nodded. "Yeah, Shishou texted me before I left school and told me not to
come, so I thought I'd come here."
Mogami chuckled before he took a small bite of the food. "It's strange you'd
want to come here and not go straight home."
"It's nice here." Mob turned suddenly, realizing too late some rice had gotten
caught at the corner of his mouth, and went to wipe it away with his hands. "Oh
sorry... Um, I wanted to tell you about the job me and Shishou did yesterday."
"Oh?"
Mob smiled. "A client came in and said their house was haunted."
Mogami nodded. "Quite a standard complaint, I must say."
"So Shishou wanted to investigate. Sometimes people will think it's a haunting
when it isn't, but he talked with the client for awhile and said it sounded
legitimate, so we left to go look." Mob paused for a moment to take a small
bite of his food. "When we got to their house, their kitchen was destroyed and
stuff was piled everywhere. Like pans and stuff were stacked on top of each
other and the client said that wasn't like that before she left."
Mogami had turned and leaned over slightly as he listened to Mob, biting at his
food occasionally and nodding. "Right. Sounds like a typical haunting,
honestly, but I can see the desire to get rid of it."
"Shishou started the salt purification and--"
Mogami interrupted him suddenly. "Salt?"
And Mob nodded. "To weaken the spirit. Anyway, we--"
But Mogami interrupted him again. "Let me ask you, did you end up exorcising
the spirit, or did your boss do it?"
As he chewed his food, Mob looked back up at him, unsure what his hard stare
was trying to convey. "I did."
The silence that followed was uncomfortable to say the least. Mob chewed as he
awkwardly stared back at Mogami, waiting for a response, but not sure if he was
going to receive one. He started feeling as though he'd been put on the spot,
and went to break eye contact as he looked at the rice ball in his hands
instead.
He tried to think of something to say, unsettled by the long string of silence
that had suddenly taken over. "Um...Shishou doesn't bother with low level
spirits."
And he was surprised by the sarcastic laugh Mogami made. "Right."
Mob felt awkward again as he fiddled with the rice on his food, pushing one
grain between his fingers and squeezing it just to be doing something with his
hands. "Um..." He tried to think of something else to say to break the awkward
tension in the air, but thankfully Mogami finally asked him something.
"Do you ever question your shishou's ethics?"
Mob looked back up, confused by the question. "What do you mean?"
Mogami shrugged as he looked to the side, as though thinking of the right way
to phrase his question. "Did you ever consider the idea that maybe he isn't who
he says he is?"
Mob blanked, not sure what he meant or how to respond to that. He froze for a
few moments before finally answering. "Then...who is he?"
Mogami laughed, not unlike the sarcastic one he'd made earlier, but this time
he threw his head back, and let out a sigh afterward as though exasperated Mob
hadn't understood what he meant. "You're too funny. Yet, it's sad."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand."
"No, no, don't be sorry." Finally, he lowered his head back, but he wasn't
looking at Mob this time. The look on his face wasn't one Mob could place as
he'd never been great at reading people, but it looked as though Mogami was
lost in thought for a moment, as he let out another long sigh before leaning
his head back up and giving Mob a soft smile. "If only you had come to work for
me, Kageyama. I suppose there's no point in dwelling on 'what ifs' though."
Mob stiffened in his seat for another moment, not sure what to say. The awkward
conversation suddenly felt strange, and he felt embarrassed that he'd said
something wrong, or he'd done something stupid, but he wasn't sure what. His
face burned from it despite not understanding why he was embarrassed in the
first place, but he squeezed the grain of rice between his fingers one more
time before finally finding his voice. "You can...I mean--people call me Mob."
His face flushed even more as he said it. It sounded better in his head when he
was thinking of it, but now that he'd said it out loud, it just sounded
embarrassing.
Mogami didn't laugh at him, but he did shift in his seat somewhat. "Mob? Isn't
that a little cruel?"
Still blushing, Mob shook his head, still staring at the grain in his fingers.
"No."
The small laugh that came from Mogami could have been described as soft, or
akin to something of that nature, before he responded. "Alright then. I will
call you Mob."
===============================================================================
 
Did he miss class today? He could have sworn he overslept and scrambled out the
door, while his hair was a mess and he struggled to put his clothes on. Then
again, that could have been a dream too.
"Mob..."
He had a test to study for, he remembered. That terrible math test he'd known
about for a whole week, and it was impending and looming over his head, but
he'd also procrastinated studying for it at the same time. And Ritsu had even
offered to help him.
"Mob."
If Ritsu wasn't too busy tonight, maybe he could...
The long hallway came into his vision as he opened his eyes. It was dim, but
not dark, and he knew he'd been hearing someone's voice calling out his name.
He was so confused at first, his brain going a million miles a minute as he
tried to think of asking Ritsu to help him with his homework, and that he
needed to wake up and get to class on time.
"Mob."
Oh, there it was again. A familiar voice, and as his vision cleared, he became
aware that someone was leaning down next to him, and there were fingers in his
hair. Whoever it was was combing their hand through his hair, gently, and Mob
slowly came to when he realized what was happening.
"I didn't realize you'd fallen asleep out here or I would've carried you back
to your room."
Mob froze. It took him way too long to realize what was happening, but once it
hit him, it hit him hard. Shooting up from his spot, despite being groggy, he
scrambled to his knees, and then to his feet, as he stood away from Mogami who
had been knelt down next to him. He looked surprised at Mob's reaction for a
moment, but only a moment, before giving him a small smile.
"Good morning."
With his back pressed against the barrier behind him, Mob backed himself up as
far against it as he could, desperate to put as much distance between himself
and Mogami as he could. It settled into his stomach in a sickening way when he
realized Mogami had been touching his hair. Not just touching, but petting him
almost. He wanted to shake his head from the thoughts, immediately trying to
get them out of his head and push it to the furthest part of his mind. Now
wasn't the time to get caught up thinking about that.
What time was it? From the light streaming in the windows, Mob could only
assume it was morning, and he was starting to panic again. He was still here.
He was still in this place, in Mogami's house, and he started shaking with
every second he realized this was reality and he hadn't been dreaming. He'd
woken up, but he was still here.
His voice was shaking as he spoke. "I-I have t-to go to school."
Mogami shook his head. "Mob, I've already told you, I can't allow--"
"I have to go to school." There was little hesitation in his voice when he
snapped his response, feeling he'd said it with more force than he'd meant it,
but the feeling was still there. The panic was riding up inside him, making his
heart race as he pressed his back to the barrier. "I have to go to school, and
I have to go to my activities, and I have to go to Shishou's after school, and
then I have to go home." He'd spat it out in such quick session, he was
surprised any of it made sense. It was all he could do to control his shaking,
to keep himself calm and collected.
"Mob, you can't."
His voice felt strained when he spoke again, his vision focused to the floor,
and not at the man staring at him from his crouched position. "You have to let
me out."
"I can't do that."
"I have to go back."
"You can't."
The manner in which he responded, so devoid of emotion, so unlike Mob who was
trying to focus on breathing, on remembering to breathe, on ignoring the
pounding of his heart and the way he was shaking, as he tried to calm down.
Calm down. "Why." He couldn't even muster any energy to ask it as a question.
Finally, Mogami stood from his position, and Mob wished he hadn't. Now that he
had straightened up and stood tall, he was looming over Mob, and he felt so
small as he did so. He didn't know why, but he was so on edge, he kept thinking
that Mogami was going to reach out and attack him. But, he spoke, and Mob tried
to control his shaking as he listened. "You will understand."
"I don't understand."
"That's fine." Mogami then reached up, and Mob flinched, not understanding why
he was so jumpy, but all Mogami did was straighten his tie. It only occurred to
Mob then that he was dressed in a business suit and looked like he was about to
go out somewhere. "I hate to do this, but I have to go to work, so you'll have
to stay by yourself for awhile."
Mob froze. His brain was doing all it could to catch up with what was
happening, still unsure that any of it was real, even though it had to be real,
but he shook his head. "You're just...going to leave me here?"
Mogami nodded. "I don't want to, but I must. There's food in the kitchen. Help
yourself. You can do whatever you like around the house, watch tv if you like,
just don't cause a mess."
Mob had half a mind to respond with a sarcastic remark. How could he possibly
trash Mogami's place if it was already a mess? But, he held his tongue, the
fear still there, and controlling him. He frozen in the spot, not believing
Mogami was just going to leave him here all day by himself. His voice was still
riddled with fear when he spoke. "You can't do this."
"I don't have time to argue with you right now. We can chat later when I return
home." When he moved suddenly, Mob moved too. Mogami started toward him and Mob
flinched away, holding his hands up, still expecting to be attacked for some
reason, and not knowing why. But, it was when Mogami gripped onto his shoulders
and squeezed, that Mob started to really panic. He thrashed in his grip, not
expecting to be touched, and the feeling of his hands in his hair came back all
of a sudden, and Mob pushed against him.
"Don't touch me!" Despite pushing against Mogami, he didn't budge, and it only
made Mob panic even more that he couldn't get his hands off him. Mogami pulled
him away from the wall, almost causing Mob to trip over his feet, and be
dragged down to the floor once again, but he caught himself. When he lost his
footing as Mogami pulled him a second time, Mob didn't catch himself again, and
fell forward, until he fell into Mogami's front, and he scrambled to pull
himself back up. He didn't want to touch this person anymore than he could
help, and he was desperately trying to pull away from him and get away.
It was when Mogami wrapped an arm around his back that Mob froze.
Now pressed against him, he was trapped in some sort of strange hug with him,
and his entire mind froze in that moment he was pressed so far against Mogami
when he pulled him close, that he was sure he blacked out. He could smell the
faint hint of cigarettes on him, and the material of his suit, that smelled
faintly of fresh paper for some reason, and he hated it. He tried to push
against him, but he was firmly squashed against him, and could not budge.
Mob was frozen in fear, unable to move if he wanted, and each second he stayed
like this, felt like his heart was going to thump straight from his chest. He
felt like Mogami was constricting him, holding him so tight, he was going to
suffocate underneath him, but he couldn't move.
He was so sure in that moment that Mogami was going to squeeze him to death,
squeeze him so hard, he couldn't breathe, and Mob wasn't sure if he couldn't
catch his breath because he was scared, or because Mogami was squeezing him,
but he didn't move. His mind screamed at him to push, to get away, but he froze
and shut down.
The way Mogami sounded when he finally spoke to him, when enough silence had
passed and Mob hadn't moved, he wasn't sure what to think. His voice sounded
far away, even though he was right there above Mob, even though he was being
suffocated underneath him, his voice sounded muffled. "I'll be back soon."
And he let go.
Mob was frozen, not understanding what just happened, and not sure he believed
what just happened either, but he froze. He stood in shock, as Mogami moved
from around him, and passed through the barrier, through the front door, and he
could hear him shut the door behind him, and Mob was overly aware of the energy
behind him, of the barrier that still stood strong.
But, he couldn't move. He stood staring at the same spot on the floor, the
feeling of Mogami wrapped around him as though it were still there. It felt
like he hadn't actually left, and Mob was in a perpetual state of being
suffocated, and it was as though he forgot how to breathe even though he was
free from it now, but he struggled to suck in air. It hurt for some reason,
some reason he couldn't explain, and he couldn't move enough from the spot
where he stood staring off into space.
What exactly had happened? He wanted to rationalize and say that Mogami had
hugged him, but that felt as though he were being consumed by something
terrible, and he wasn't even sure if 'hug' was the right word for it. When
reality came back slowly, and Mob could think long enough to breathe where he
stood, he had to deny it. There was no way Mogami had hugged him, because there
was no way that was intended to be a hug.
He was trying to suffocate him. That was the only rational explanation there
could be.
Mob sucked in more air, trying to remember to breathe as he stood in the same
spot. All he could do was breathe for now, and try to focus on that--breathing.
He breathed in, and out, in, and out. It was a slow process, but he eventually
found the nerve to take a step forward, and move a little.
Turning around, he faced the door once again, and reached out with one hand to
press against the barrier. He wasn't sure the length of Mogami's power, but by
the looks of it, the barrier was just as strong as it had been the night
before, and even though he knew it was hopeless, he tried once again to push it
away, but only ended up expelling his own energy for no reason.
This was no good. He was just exhausting himself the more he did that, and the
more desperate he got, the more he was just going to waste energy doing a task
that was pointless. He had to think rationally about this, and not spend all
his energy trying to break the barrier he knew he couldn't break at this point.
There had to be another way. Standing straight, Mob turned to look behind him,
at the dim hallway with the random boxes piled in the corner and the clothes
littering the floor. Maybe there was another exit, and hell, he'd climb out the
window if he had to.
Taking another breath while still trying to calm himself down and rationalize
the situation, Mob made his way down the hallway and into the tv room. Now that
there was light streaming in through the windows, he could see a lot better. It
was indeed early morning, from what he could see, and he had to grimace when he
noticed the plate of food he'd been munching on still there from last night.
Mogami hadn't bothered to clean up after him, and he could see the food had
hardened from being left out for so long. It was disgusting to say the least,
but Mob could worry about that later.
For now, he crossed the room and made his way over to the window that looked as
though he could bust the latch open. It was big enough for him to climb
through, and he reached out to yank it open, but found the same problem as
before--the barrier stopping him just mere centimeters from actually being able
to grab onto anything. An invisible wall, yet he could feel the energy once he
was within a certain closeness of it. It was the same amount that was stopping
him from reaching out and grabbing hold of the front door, and he knew--he knew
that if he used any power, he would just waste it on a failed attempt at
breaking the wall, but he did it anyway.
It wouldn't hurt to try, after all.
And it did no good. No matter how much energy he spent, how hard he tried to
push against it, crack it open, penetrate through, he could not. Mob took a
step back, breathing already labored from just the tiny amount of energy he'd
been using, or maybe he had used more than he realized, after all. He was
getting desperate, and running out of options.
There had to be more exits. Mob left the window, moving out into the hallway
and found the kitchen. What he saw was even more disgusting than the plate of
food left out in the tv room as he was met with a pile of dirty dishes that
looked as though Mogami hadn't touched them in weeks, not just taking up space
in the sink, but some plates had even fallen to the floor and shattered, but he
hadn't bothered to pick up the pieces.
Food was left out on the counter, and Mob could see flies buzzing around, could
hear the small sound they made as they flew in unison around the food, some
landing on it and eating what they could. The smell was horrid, causing Mob to
gag and reach up to cover his mouth so he didn't retch all over the place and
cause even more mess. How in the hell could someone live like this?
The trash next to him was full, piled so high, it was almost unbelievable how
much trash Mogami had managed to stuff into it before it had started
overflowing. Mob didn't want to fathom what was shoved into the bottom, only
venturing a guess when he walked past and caught the scent of something sour
and disgusting. He had to hold his arm over his face to breathe and not gag
again. If he vomited, then it would only add more mess, and he would feel
gross. Just by being in this room, Mob felt the need to take a shower, feeling
disgusting as he moved over to a nearby window, trying not to touch the counter
in front of him as he reached out to grab hold of the latch.
Again, he was stopped by the barrier.
No good, but at least he knew better than to waste his energy trying to break
it this time. And he didn't want to stay in the kitchen any longer than he had
to. Quickly, while he was still standing around, he tried to see if there was a
phone anywhere. Maybe a landline hung up on the wall he could use to call for
help. A quick search, from what he could see that wasn't covered by piles of
trash, told him he was out of luck.
But, maybe there was a phone in another room. Or, maybe Mogami had a computer
somewhere. Anything, anything at all that Mob could use to contact someone and
come rescue him, he would take it.
Making his way out of the kitchen and uncovering his mouth and nose, he sucked
in a little air that wasn't drowned in filth for a moment before he started
searching every room in the house. There were no windows in the bathroom, but
at least it wasn't as filthy as the kitchen, which was a small relief, even
though Mob couldn't figure out why that would relieve him. He walked back to
the tv room, searching around for a phone. Newspapers littered the couch and a
pile of clothes were thrown carelessly over the cushions, some taking up space
on the floor as well.
Mogami told him not to make a mess, but really, what more could Mob do to wreck
this place than it already was? He picked up the newspapers from the couch,
looking underneath for any signs of a phone. When he found nothing that helped
him, he started going through the clothes.
Maybe, just maybe, Mogami kept a cellphone on him, and maybe he left it in a
pocket of his pants, or one of his suits. That was the most awful slim chance
in hell if there was even a chance to begin with, but Mob dug through the
pockets nonetheless. He would take whatever he could get. Any information, any
signs of technology, anything he felt he could use to call for help.
It took him longer than he thought to go through the clothes, and he felt so
strange touching this person's clothes like this, but he was also desperate to
find something that would help him. All he'd managed to find in the pockets
were scraps of yen, balled up pieces of newspaper, and a pack of cigarettes.
But, no phone. Nothing that could help him.
Tossing the last pair of pants back on the floor, Mob sat back on his knees and
let out a sigh.
This was discouraging, but he couldn't give up. He had to sit and think. What
could he do? All the exits of the house were blocked off by Mogami's barrier,
and despite him not being at the house, he appeared to be able to hold it
strong no matter where he was, leaving Mob trapped even if he was alone. There
was no phone from where he could see, and if Mogami had a cellphone, probably
carried it on him. There was no landline. And there was no computer. Mob had
searched all the rooms, only to come up empty-handed.
There was nothing in this house he could use to contact anyone, and there was
no way for him to break the barrier and run. He was coming up low on options,
and sat on the floor, panic starting to well up again as he struggled to remain
calm and rational.
Think, think, what could he do? He tried to think logically about this. What
could he do? The only option he could think now was to wait for Mogami to come
home. If he indeed carried a cellphone on him, then Mob would have to be
careful and try to steal it from him.
He gripped a handful of his pants and squeezed so hard his knuckles turned
white. If...if Mogami went to bed, then Mob could steal it then. He would have
to be sneaky about it, because he didn't know if the barrier would drop while
Mogami slept either. It probably wouldn't, if he was that powerful, then he
could keep it up even in his sleep.
Mob was going to have to take a chance and steal his phone--if he even carried
one. He might not carry one, then Mob would have to think of another plan. It
probably wouldn't be very wise to attack him, but if it had to come to that,
then Mob was willing to put up a fight. Though, he was positive he wouldn't be
able to win either.
But, he squeezed his pants again and swallowed, he had to try. There was no
point if he didn't exhaust all his options and try.
He wasn't certain how long he'd been searching the house, but it felt like
hours had passed as he sat on the floor of the tv room, settled down onto one
spot. He still couldn't believe this was real, this was actually happening. And
every time he thought about it, Mob could feel his face get hot when he
realized how stupid he'd been this whole time. This whole time he thought of
Mogami as a nice person, as someone he would meet up with on occasion to chat
with and have meaningful conversations.
Someone he thought he trusted.
Mob felt the hotness come back, as though it were all over him now. Shishou
always did tell him he put too much faith in others, and it wasn't a good idea
to be so trusting. Mob never saw the harm in giving people the benefit of the
doubt, but he never dreamed it would lead him to such a mess as this.
It was all his fault. He shouldn't have trusted Mogami. He shouldn't have ever
told him he worked for Shishou, or what he did. He shouldn't have opened up to
him so much, and spoken to him about so many things. Mob was at fault for this,
it was his fault he was in this situation, it was his fault he put trust in
that person, and it was his fault he had been kidnapped and trapped in this
house like this.
He felt so stupid, as he pulled his knees out from under him, until he hugged
them close, and buried his face into his knees. This was so stupid. He was so
stupid. Why had he let this happen? Why didn't he listen to Shishou?
Now look what had happened. Because Mob didn't listen. It was all his fault. He
rocked in place, back and forth, because there was no more rationalizing when
he was running out of options.
What was he going to do? Surely his parents had realized he was missing by now
when he didn't come home last night. Surely they had contacted Shishou asking
questions if he knew anything about it. Surely everyone was getting worried
about him.
Surely...
Surely someone would eventually come looking for him.
Mob tensed at the thought. It made an unpleasant feeling well inside his
stomach, until he felt sick again. The thought of someone finding him, if he
couldn't save himself, and he pictured Shishou coming to save him. If anyone
could do it, it was Shishou.
He wrapped his arms tighter around his knees. This was so stupid. That he
couldn't even save himself from this situation, even though he had been given
the opportunity. Mogami had left him alone in his house, and it gave Mob all
the opportunity to leave, but if only he could get past the barrier.
Lifting his head, he brought his gaze up to the window in front of him and
could see the streams of light the sun was casting down upon him. Just how long
had he been sitting in this spot? How long had it taken him to go through
Mogami's house trying to find a phone, or find something to help him? It had to
be hours, but Mob couldn't be sure. There was no clock (none that he could
find), and no computer. From his position, he could see the trees from outside
rustling in the wind, and it only occurred to him then that he hadn't taken the
time to study his surroundings from the inside.
He stood up, walking over to the window, and he reached out once more, only to
be stopped by the barrier once again. But, he could see from his position, the
expanse of trees that littered the outside. He wasn't in the city, or didn't
appear to be anywhere near the city at least. If he escaped, he was going to
have to run.
Leaving the tv room, Mob made his way back down the hallway and into the
bedroom where he'd first woken up. It was strange that it was the only clean
bedroom, but maybe it only seemed that way because it was so empty. There was
so little furniture placed about that it had no time to get dirty. He peeked
out the window, taking the moment to place his hand against the barrier just to
make sure he had absolutely checked every exit. From this point, he saw some
garden bushes outside, and what appeared the be an old shed, or perhaps it had
been some other building at one point, but looked abandoned now. From his
position, he could faintly make out what appeared to be a dirt road leading
around the corner to somewhere, but to where, he couldn't see.
For all Mob knew, he was in the city, but it was blocked from his view. He had
no idea where Mogami lived, having never been here before, but it couldn't have
been far from his office, if he worked in the same city as Shishou, and Mob met
up with him in the park. He couldn't be that far from home.
If he could just escape, then he could worry about finding his way home later,
but the priority was to get out of the house first. Or at least see if Mogami
had a cellphone he could steal. He hated thinking that he was going to have to
sneak his way around, because he wasn't the quietest person, nor the
stealthiest.
But, he swallowed, sweat forming at the base of his forehead. He had to try.
It was a shitty plan, but it was all Mob could think of. He wondered if he
should go back through the house again and see if there was something he
missed. Maybe there was a phone, but he didn't search hard enough, but the
noise he heard of the front door opening and closing made him freeze.
He heard the unmistakable sound of Mogami's voice as he sighed once he entered
the house. He was home. Mob hadn't realized he'd spent literally all day going
through his house, or maybe he'd just spent so long staring off into space when
he'd seated himself on the floor. Maybe it really had taken him hours like he
thought, or maybe Mogami hadn't actually been gone that long. He wasn't sure.
But, he stood frozen, his back to the window as he faced the doorway of the
bedroom. The front door was right around the corner, and his heart thumped at
the inevitable thought that Mogami would pass the doorway and see him any
second now.
He felt as though he'd done something wrong by going through the house like he
had, even though he had all the right when he was just looking for a phone, but
he feared Mogami would notice, and get angry at him for 'messing' the house up.
A few seconds passed, and then he watched as Mogami passed the door, and he
noticed him immediately. He paused, seeming surprised Mob was standing in the
empty bedroom, before smiling at him. "Don't tell me you stayed in your room
all day?"
Mob cringed. 'Your room'. It wasn't his room. He had absolutely nothing to do
with this place, and subconsciously took a step back when Mogami spoke to him.
It wasn't his room. This wasn't his room. His room was back at home, down the
hallway from Ritsu's room. This wasn't his room. He had no part in this place,
and wanted nothing to do with this house, or Mogami.
Apparently waiting for his answer, but Mob didn't want to talk to him, Mogami
crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the doorframe. "Have you
eaten?"
Mob remained silent. Looking to the floor, he broke eye contact with Mogami and
looked away, not wanting to speak with him, but he focused once again when he
remembered his plan. He had to look for a phone, for a cellphone, if Mogami
carried one. There was no telling if he actually had one on him or not, and Mob
had a suspicion that if he did carry one, he probably kept it at his office.
But, maybe he'd get lucky and Mogami would have it on him. Mob would have to
find an opportunity to check his clothes, although he wasn't sure how he was
going to do that. It was easy to check the pockets of the clothes on the floor,
but he wasn't about to shove his hands in Mogami's pockets while he was wearing
them.
Mob swallowed, freezing again when he realized Mogami was staring at him and
waiting for an answer. He didn't want to talk though, and kept his mouth shut
despite the intimidating stare. He didn't have to talk to this person if he
didn't want to, and right now, he didn't want to. So, he focused his gaze back
to the floor and said nothing.
A few moments of awkward silence passed again, and he wasn't sure if Mogami
would pressure him to speak, not that he would give in and talk if he didn't
want to, but he was surprised to hear a sigh from his end before he pushed
himself off the doorframe and backed out into the hallway. "If you don't want
to answer, that's fine."
Good, because Mob didn't want to. He felt like a child that the only way he
could have some semblance of control in this situation was not answering, but
he also felt it made him seem immature, even though he had every right to be
angry about this. He had every right to be upset, to feel betrayed, angry, and
fight if he wanted. But, he couldn't. Even still, he felt a little guilty that
he was choosing to handle it this way, wishing as he watched Mogami leave the
room and disappear down the hallway, that he could think more rationally and
handle this a different way.
Because, he didn't know what to do. That was the truth, if he had to be
completely honest, he was at a loss for how to handle himself and this
situation, only knowing that he felt stupid for being here, and stupid when he
couldn't find a way out, stupid when he couldn't find a phone earlier. And
maybe there was a phone here, he was just too dumb to find it.
When Mogami's footsteps echoed down the hall, he brought himself from his
frozen position, and moved. He quietly crossed the room, not daring to make a
sound, and peeked from around the door into the hall. He could only assume
Mogami had made his way into the tv room, or perhaps the kitchen, but he was a
little nervous he would notice that Mob had been snooping through his house all
day (although what did he expect honestly), and he feared for a moment he would
get angry at him.
Mob waited for a few minutes, on edge and hating this feeling that his stomach
was caving in on itself. It was almost agony, the wait for if something would
actually happen, if Mogami would notice he'd gone through all the clothes on
the floor, looking for anything that would help him.
But, as the minutes passed by, Mob was met with only silence. He had to
remember to breathe again, focusing on his slow, quiet breaths as he stood
against the doorway. He didn't want to do this, but he had to. He had to figure
out a way to get Mogami's phone, if he indeed carried one on him. If he did,
there was no doubt it would be in his pockets somewhere, but Mob wasn't about
to just up and grab it from him. That would be stupid.
But, he had to be careful. He had to be sneaky, and most importantly, he had to
make sure Mogami didn't notice what he was up to. He had to face him and study
him, see if he could catch any signs of what he carried in his pocket, see
where he dropped his clothes so that Mob could go through them when he wasn't
looking. Mob couldn't think of a way to ask him if he had a phone, that would
be too suspicious and he'd be caught immediately.
No, he had to think rationally about this, and be smart. If Mogami carried a
phone in his clothes, then Mob would have to wait when he wasn't looking, or
when he was asleep, to search him. He was going to have to wait for an
opportunity, study Mogami, see if he pulled out a phone at any moment he was in
front of Mob, and he would have to pay attention where he kept it hidden.
There was always the possibility this was pointless and he didn't have a
cellphone at all, or perhaps he kept it at his office, and Mob would be out of
a plan. He shook his head as he thought of how slim a chance this was, but he
couldn't give up.
He took a breath and let it out slowly before stepping out into the hallway. If
Mogami had a cellphone on him, then Mob was going to find it, and he would take
it. It would all be over once he called Shishou and told him what happened. It
would all be okay.
Mob wasn't going to give up.
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