Chapter 1

The struggle

"So you tie the knot… No, its more like this… Are you even paying attention…"

Satoshi felt the heaviness in his eyelids as he desperately tried to pry them open with by sheer will power alone. It was a rather futile attempt, like trying to get up the morning after a long week of trying to explain a new money laundering method to drug dealers. The physical exhaustion is one thing, but it's the mental fatigue that will make your eyes feel like they are carrying wheights.

He could hear voices, a conversation maybe??? The language was a bit odd, but also an odd familiarity that made it feel even odder that it was familiar. Did he know any other languages apart from Japanese, English and Mandarin??? He didn't think so, though he could understand a bit of Russian, but the tone and accent being used by the conversationalists sounded a bit more eccentric and relaxed. He decided to find out who the strangers were.

"Peter, are you paying attention. Youre the one who asked for this remember? Hey…"

This time, the voice reffered to him directly. Atleast he could make up the words now, so he was definitely winning the battle against his own subconsiousness. True enough, it felt like he was fighting against himself and slowly, instead of blurry black figures, his eyes began to open wide enough such that he could see the figures albeit barely.

"Huh???"

Satoshi decided to answer the voice in front of him, as if it were the natural thing to do. It was definitely his mouth that spoke, and he definitely forced out the response, but it was more like he didn't mean to respond??? He wasn't quite sure himself. And what in whatever god that exists is a Peter, he asked himself. Maybe it was a name, his name???

"I said wake the hell up. Seriously, in some instances being able to tie a perfect knot could mean life and death for a hunter. Wake up Peter…"

The voice sounded more frustrated this time. Satoshi could make out the vague outline of a figure approaching him. This figure was taller than the other one, he could tell that much. He felt his entire body get lifted up by a nigh powerful grip. His entire arm felt small in the figure's large hand. Was he sitting on the ground? Strangely, the sensation of him having being seated on the ground had never been registered in his head. Though, he felt like he was standing now. The grip on his right arm left him, and so did the balance and stability it was providing. He felt his entire world fall back with him.

Or rather, was it he who fell instead. He felt the motion cease instantly. He was sure that he was now lie with his back on the ground. No pain, or even the shock from the impact, was registered by his body. It was like being high on drugs. However, Satoshi dealt with drug dealers, he never handled those sorts of products not with narcotic detectors floating everywhere around town. So he decided, or atleast he concluded that it was instead the world which was on drugs. And what was with that man?? He kept calling him Peter, what was that. It was definitely not his name, so he decided to correct him.

"Sa… to… shi."

"Huh?? Rick, your little brother is acting weird. Rick??"

The male voice began to call out to the other figure. Satoshi was sure of that since they were the only figures he had seen, or atleast concluded. However, the current problem was with his body and mind. He felt like an invader in his own body, like someone was desperately wrestling control from him. It was like trying to fight off the effects of a strong alcohol so that you didn't try to make a move on your business partners daughter. What a failure that was, who knew drug dealers could be so brutal. Wait, but he also remembered that the certain incident taught him to hold his alcohol better. If it was just that much then…

"Haaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

Satoshi shouted outloud. No, he wasn't shouting, but he thought he was shouting. He immediately surmised that the voice was inaudible to the pair of figures that were now looking down at him. He could feel the bewilderment written on their faces even though he could not see their faces. He had to win, but it was not that easy. The other guy, whoever he was, refused to yield. He was definitely stronger than a Domperidone. He could hear his voice, the voice of a small child.

"Peter!!!"

The voice shouted. But he could not lose to a child. What would Miyazaki say. That brat would probably make him never hear the end of it. The young voice kept shouting the word…

"Peter!! Peter!!!"

With each shout, he felt his consciousness weaken. His eyelids became heavier again, and the blurry figures turned shadowy until even his vision began blacking out. From instinct alone, he felt as if he had to win. He felt like failure led to a punishment worse than death. He felt like his name, and the very semblance of what was left from his existence would vanish with him. Into oblivion. In that case…

"I don't know who you are, little boy but ill tell you this now. Youe no match for me. Youre no match for Satoshiiiiiiiiii!!!!"

Satoshi shouted his name with all of his might. The young voice shouted back. It was a tug of war. A life or death showdown.

"Satoshi. Satoshi Hiroaki. That is my name, a name that carries more weight, more purpose, than that of a mere boy who knows nothing of the world. Now, begone."

Satoshi mustered the little mental energy that he had left, but this time, he channeled it to his mouth.

"Satoshi Hiroaki."

It was the signal ending the short, but deadly duel. He felt the other voice fade deep into his mind, and with it he felt himself regain control of his own senses. His vision returned to him. His hearing returned to him. His feeling, even the feeling of breathing which he never seemed to have had, the sign of being alive, returned to him. He heaved a long breath of fresh cool air into his lungs, and he let it out. Like how you would savor the sweet taste of a fine brandy. It was truly euphoric. But then again, a cup of brandy with ice cubes would have been fine.

"What the hell, have you gone mad boy?? What the hell is a Satoshi?"

Satoshi forced his upper body from the ground and was now sitting calmly on the grassy surface. He could feel the wet fresh grass carrass his hands and body. It smelled, grassy. He looked at the person who had asked him that question. It was still in a language that he was not familiar with. However, he calmed his head and decided to speak how he would normally would. The words came flowing out naturally from his mouth.

"That, in fact would be my name. and who exactly are you?"

Satoshi spoke while getting up from the ground to face the owner of the male voice. He looked at him, and he looked back at him. Now that he was standing up, the man looked taller than him. In fact, he was about twice his height. He was a giant. And more than that, he was not more a man than maybe a young man in his mid twenties. He had a pale blonde hair on his head, a lean build with a nice layed out shoulder length. He was a handsome young man if he could say so himself. His emerald green eyes pierced into his, and from the height at which he was looking at Satoshi, the man in question felt intimidated if ever so slightly.

"Peter, what are you…"

The young man was shocked. Satoshi did not know why and he had no reason to care. He directed his vision from the confused blonde haired young man to the shorter one. He was a raven black haired young man, probably in his mid teens, a lean build and dark reddish brown eyes. This young man was also a giant, even if he was comparably shorter than the blonde. This particular one looked suspiciously at him, and then he approached him. He placed both his hands on Satoshi's shoulders.

"You said your name was Satoshi. You are not Peter??"

"Yes, that is indeed what I said. Are you deaf, boy?"

The blonde haired young man looked even more surprised at Satoshi. It was then that he felt like he was acting unnaturally, as if there was a way in which these two gigantic young men expected him to act in. he felt his nerves contract for obvious reasons as the dark haired boy kept staring into his eyes intently.

"Dale!"

The dark haired boy called out to the blonde haired young man behind him, who was watching them with extreme puzzlement. Dale answered him by raising his eye brows, much to the chagrin of Satoshi. He was quite the stoic young man, wasn't he. 

"Peter and I are going for a long walk to the river, well be back shortly. I cant imagine what he is going through especially regarding what happened yesterday."

At the mention of yesterday, Satoshi felt his own heart beat rapidly before he managed to calm it down. It was an odd sensation. Was he supposed to know what happened yesterday. Try as he might however, that certain memory never managed to surface in his mind. However, Dale seemed to understand what the dark haired boy was getting at, so it was only him who didn't. he was used to being in the dark about something, usually he was the man with all the answers.

"Lets go, Peter."

The dark haired boy pulled Satoshi's arm with quite the grip and force. Satoshi found that he was unable to resist this tall young man's strength, and decided to go along with him. However, in order to sate his humiliation of being treated like a child he managed to pry his hand from the young man's grip. He was following behind the dark haired boy to gods know where.