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Episode: Rebirth
Fendom: Gantz "Light in the Dark"
Introduction
It just so happens that it's not the first chapter or prologue that starts my more or less large fictions, but the introduction, in which I try to explain what the reader can find in the text and what he won't find under any circumstances. I will not change this habit, and "Light in the Dark" begins with the very opening word.
For what?
In order to protect readers from possible disappointment and to save me from the same type of reproaches that I don't like people (I really don't like them very much), I offend them in every possible way (I don't have the imagination to offend them more than they do themselves) and so on down the historical list.
Well, let's go, shall we?
I'll start with the author.
Yes, yes, with myself, my beloved. In order to immediately eliminate those readers who do not read women's writings, have some stereotypes and/or biased attitudes based on gender, I confess: the author (yes, I am) a woman.
I do not write in the "quest loot" type, I do not describe the passage of games and do not retell the canon in my own words, even if at the very beginning I adhere to the canonical dialogues and / or events. Do not accuse me of quoting the canon excessively: if I keep the dialogues verbatim, then there is a reason for this. I am quite able to write in my own words, but if this has not been done, it means that it is necessary for some purpose.
I also have a completely disgusting habit of writing in detail, focusing on small things and describing what many people do not like to see in the text: everyday life, interpersonal relationships between reasonable people or groups of reasonable people (not to be confused with romance!), psychological quirks and paddocks, as well as all kinds of conflicts based on them, with taking into account the specifics of the fendom.
* * *
I'll continue as heroes
There are two main characters in this fiction: the reborn man is a woman and the fallen man is a man. The story will be described alternately from two points of view. Each character has his own range of interests, his own criteria for selecting an environment, his own personal quirks, his own goals, and so on, including his own truth and worldview.
What for? There are many reasons for this, but I will leave them unlit so as not to offend anyone. I think it will be clear why this particular choice of narrative was made and what motivated me to do it this way and not otherwise.
I will have a lot of minor characters and "extras". Don't blame me for producing them in large numbers. If I make someone, then it's necessary. Even if the hero arises spontaneously, by himself, I will still find how to use him, even if I kill him/her in two paragraphs, this death will not be in vain (whimper).
* * *
A little bit about the world in which all this will happen
The fiction is written according to the universe, which I will collect from anime and manga (if anyone has forgotten, they differ), but I will not use films at all.
As I mentioned above, I'm not retelling the canon, so the warnings specify AU, but I'm going to expand the world the way I want. For example, I will increase the time between the start of the canonical events and the events at the Rotong Temple by adding more missions to smooth out the too abrupt transition from the elementary first mission to this temple itself.
* * *
Now, actually, the most important thing: Warnings
The manga "Gantz" describes the ugliness of the modern world without my intervention, reinforcing and emphasizing them by plot means. And people without embellishments. In all its diversity, from the noble, honest and naive Kato, who tries to save everyone, to the outright scumbags and moral freaks from the Osaka gantz team.
The manga perfectly shows all possible vices of people, their advantages and disadvantages, in a somewhat grotesque form, highlighting the diseases of our society and its result in the form of people generated by this society.
I will focus on the human qualities and actions, events and episodes already described in the canon, and place accents the way I see them, taking into account the psyche and worldview of the hero on whose behalf each particular episode is described.
If someone DOES NOT LIKE to look at human society without rose-colored glasses, to see its dark side without embellishment is your right, but in this case, you should not read this story. You won't like what you see.
If someone doesn't like thinking about the reasons for actions, psychology, and the like, if you don't want to read about intelligent relationships, but only want actiOn, look for another feature, don't waste your time and nerves.
You will find descriptions of the development of romantic relationships, their destruction or formation in fiction, but they are not the main purpose of writing a story, otherwise it would be different. And it started completely differently. I will describe unrequited love, pink snot (for those couples to whom they are suitable), and calm relationships of morally grown-up people, and relationships devoid of any feelings or obligations, tied only and exclusively for the sake of sex, which can develop into something more, or they can remain at the level of the banal."we got laid and ran away."
For me, "Gantz" is not "blood-guts-meat-corpses" flavored with boobs and romantic snot, these are primarily people whom few people see behind all this.
I'm not writing about the world (I'm not writing an epic), but about the sentient beings who inhabit it. With all their feelings. Because I like it. Regardless of the fandom that affects the story.
That's about it. If I remember something else and/or it pops up along the way, I'll add it so that I don't leave any illusions =)
If you're not put off by what I wrote above, enjoy (hopefully) reading for you.
A light in the dark
At the beginning of time, there was a Word,
And the word was "life."
And Life was Light,
The Light brought to humanity,
A light shining in the darkness,
But not defeated by the darkness.
The light that was so stupidly buried in the mud...
Arc 1: They are not human: Kill without mercy
We live in an indifferent world. We are surrounded by dozens of people, acquaintances, colleagues, friends, but we are alone. We dream of loving and being loved, but we are too selfish to care about anyone but ourselves. As a child, everyone dreamed of becoming an astronaut, a great scientist, an actor, a writer, and a ballerina. Where are these dreams? They gather dust in the far corners of our memory along with unnecessary childish amusements. We became adults, serious, reasonable, correct, and began to dream not about space flights, but about the amount of our salaries and how to pay the dentist's bills.
We want to become important and important, but we don't forgive our friends and acquaintances for success. Everyone wants love, warmth, and tenderness, but we cannot overcome the barriers of our own fears, ambitions, pride, and self-love. Our lives are scheduled by the hour: we work, then we go home, we sit, stupidly staring at the comfortably mumbling TV, we eat, drink, hurriedly make love. And all in a circle...
I want to escape from such a world. You can endure for a long time, finding salvation in books, movies, anime, fantasies and hopes, but sooner or later your strength runs out. Sometimes people break down, jump from high-rise buildings, frown, swallow packs of sleeping pills, cut their veins in treacherously warm water, but most often they just accept that life turned out to be completely different from their dreams. This creates people with cold, indifferent eyes...
Beginning: The subway incident
The metro station was crowded, but there was no crowd yet: there were still a couple of hours before the end of the working day, as the hands of the large white clock hanging from the ceiling helpfully announced and showed half past six in the evening. The working day officially ends at seven o'clock, but in Japan no one leaves work with the first seconds of personal time: this is not accepted. People will work until their boss leaves the office, and someone will stay late, taking extra hours to work in order to earn a little more for their family, which they see at best on weekends. Such early passengers are mostly young people who have run out of school hours, the elderly, or those who have to travel around the city for work. There are practically no unemployed people.
The lone homeless man looked like a terrible dissonance, disturbing the correct and verified atmosphere with his mere presence. People frowned, averted their eyes, silently cursing the smelly, dirty, bloated man overgrown with black hair. The homeless man did not pay attention to others, muttering something under his breath, looking with a dull, unfocused gaze at the wall covered with nondescript gray tiles under the white brick. The only one who didn't pay any attention to the homeless man was a short-haired young guy with straight brown hair and black eyes: all his attention was absorbed by the poster in the magazine and the busty beauty Mishima Reika depicted on it, curving seductively against the background of the azure ocean.
"Sorry, you can't tell me..."
Kay shuddered all over, closed the magazine and turned around. A wizened, white-haired old woman stood behind him. A short, slightly hunched elderly woman looked questioningly at the young man, holding a bright orange bag with her hands, a long cream coat soaked by the rain that had been pouring all day and hung heavily from fragile sloping shoulders.
Is it possible to get to Hinoda station from this platform? It was impossible to get to Hinoda from this platform, but the guy was lazy to explain to the old woman exactly how to get to the station she needed, so he answered listlessly:
"Yes, yes. Sure."
The old lady bowed in the traditional bow.
"It's clear. Thank you very much."
The guy immediately lost interest in the woman and returned to staring at the sexy brunette, but he was prevented from enjoying erotic pictures by a homeless man who stomped past him and covered him with the heavy stench of a long-unwashed body, old dirt, sour food and wet, crusty clothes. Kay staggered back.
A staggering and drunken man was crossing the platform with a drunken gait. People frowned with disgust, following him with indignant glances. It was not the first time for a homeless person to receive such attention, but it did not bring joy:
"What are you looking at?" He muttered. "I'm not your showcase."
Kay shook his head and was about to stare at the beauty again, when a familiar trembling old woman's voice came from behind him:
"I'm sorry, but I don't think this is the right station."
The guy turned around irritably.
"Listen up, lady." He said sharply. "Don't rely on other people like that! Try to do something yourself for a change!"
The old woman drooped.
"Excuse me..." She muttered and walked away.
Kay shrugged his shoulders in displeasure. He did not consider himself an exemplary citizen, justifying his own indifference by the same indifference of others. The guy's gaze involuntarily swept over the other passengers waiting for the delayed train. The same indifference...
The usual thoughts returned by themselves
"People... How I despise them." The gaze of the black eyes lingered on a neat man in a haystack business suit and a long raincoat who had turned fifty. "Although this man has lived a long life, it is unlikely that he has ever seriously thought about anything more complicated than paying taxes." His gaze moved on, stopping at a group of young girls. "Young people are even worse: complete scumbags, shit instead of brains." The black eyes slid over the swaying figure of the homeless man. "Well, nobody gives a damn about such people..."
A tall guy stopped next to Kay and interrupted his thoughts. Strong figure, broad shoulders, long black hair combed back, handsome manly face... Recognition came instantly.
"Masaru Kato! He's almost changed since we were kids!" Thoughts raced through his mind. "I heard he had a hard time after transferring to another school. He probably doesn't even remember me. We played a lot together when we were kids. He was probably my best friend."
The excitement of meeting an old friend faded abruptly, and my thoughts returned to their usual mood:
"However, time changes people. He's probably become as worthless a bastard as everyone else around him..."
A muffled groan and the sound of something heavy hitting interrupted his thoughts about the bastardism and worthlessness of others. Both guys turned at the noise. A homeless man who had recently drunk himself into a semi-conscious state turned over from the edge of the platform and lost consciousness from hitting the rails. People watched the scene with curiosity, examining the homeless man who was recovering, but not a single person even twitched to at least try to save the man who had fallen on the rails.
"Well, that's the end of the bum." Kay thought cynically, looking at the drunk man coming to his senses.
The muffled words of the passengers could be heard timidly on the platform:
"Hey, mister, are you all right?" A pretty black-haired girl bent down slightly, peering at the victim.
"Where are the station staff?"
The guy chuckled to himself:
"There is no stationmaster nearby. No one's going to get him out of there."
Excitement began to rise by itself, a killer dose of adrenaline went into the blood, the slight excitement of looking at the charms of a beauty in a bikini was intensified by the expectation of a bloody denouement.
"If no one does anything, I will see a man torn to pieces! I've only seen such scenes in movies and manga before!"
The strange behavior of Kato standing next to him cut into his heightened perception: the guy was standing with his head slightly thrown back, his eyes squeezed shut, his hands clenched into fists and trembling slightly. Kay made a disgusted face.
"Heh, Kato is shaking! Probably afraid to see someone else die. Yes, he's always been a weakling and a loser, ever since we were kids."
But Kato suddenly presented a surprise: opening his eyes, he spat out angrily:
"I will do it."
Kay was taken aback, staring blankly at his old acquaintance. And he watched in complete stupor as Kato put his bag on the platform, leaned a white umbrella against it, sat on the edge of the platform and easily jumped onto the rails.
People reacted... Mundane: words came from all sides:
"Hey, did you want to die too?"
"Kid, don't be a fool, get back out!"
Kato ignored them. Running up to the homeless man, he gently lifted the man, helping him to sit down.
"Hey, get up!"
At the guy's strained words, the homeless man whined:
"Painfully... Head..."
People were huddled at the edge of the platform.
"Damn, it's too heavy!" Kato exhaled, trying to lift the massive man. "Hey, someone, come down here and help me!"
People shyly looked away under the gaze of a brave young man full of pleas for help, pretending that they did not see all this, did not notice, and had nothing to do with it at all. Some people stared at it as if it were a show, and the balding man sitting on a bench limited himself to banal words: "Well, where is the stationmaster? Has someone called him yet?", knowing that no one had called anyone.
The longer Kato's gaze searched the indifferent, cowardly crowd, the more panic and despair appeared.
"Hey, what's the matter with you? Are you really going to leave us here to die?!!" he shouted.
The people were silent. Kei was also silent, watching the senseless attempts of an old acquaintance to lift his limp, heavy body, while thoughts lazily circled in his head: "Kato, you have serious mental problems. Just score and go up!"
Kato, as if hearing these thoughts, turned abruptly, instantly singling Kei out from the crowd. And that look, full of recognition and hope, sent a shiver through the guy. "Shit! Not again!!!", Kay only had time to think, as Kato shouted:
"Kei-chan!"
Kay flinched, but his attempts to pretend it wasn't about him were shattered by the words:
"Hurry up!!!"
The guy looked hungrily at the passengers staring at him, seeing in their eyes the same thing he felt before his name was mentioned: excitement and anticipation of a catastrophe that would not affect them.
"Come on, you're his friend!"
The words of someone from the crowd seemed to hit him in the gut, knocking out his doubts at once. Kay swallowed, put his things on the edge of the platform and carefully descended onto the tracks. His heart was pounding convulsively in his chest, he was shaking from the excess of adrenaline, the world was swimming a little before his eyes, but he couldn't actually resist the order "Hurry up here!" Not in front of other people's eyes. No matter how much he despised them, but to be labeled a coward after his name was mentioned...
Kay approached the homeless man, involuntarily wincing at the heavy stench. Kato jerked the man up and ordered:
"Sit on your haunches."
"What?" Kay was taken aback.
"Just sit down! Hurry up!"
Kay did not argue, obediently crouching down, grunting from the weight of the homeless man on his back.
"Faster!"
Suddenly, an indifferent voice sounded in the ringing silence of the platform:
"Attention! The fast train arrives at the second track. Please step away from the edge of the platform."
The boys shuddered. Useless statements started pouring out from the people standing on the platform again:
"Hey! The train is close!"
"Hurry up, the train is already nearby!"
Kay grabbed the heavy man under his back, taking the load off his friend a little.
"Push up! The train is close!"
"Yes, I know!" Kay hissed through his teeth, struggling to stand up.
"Come on, come on!!! Go away!"
The guys barely reached the platform and pushed the homeless man over the edge. And, lo and behold, one man picked up the semi-conscious body and helped him pull it onto the platform. The first glimmer of light appeared in the darkness of the tunnel...
"Somebody give me a hand!" Kay shouted, trying to climb onto a high platform. "I can't pull myself up!"
The people were silent. Not a single hand was extended to the panicking teenagers. The passengers just stood there and watched, as if watching some kind of show...
Kato froze, staring in fascination at the approaching train.
"Kay!"
"What?" he muttered irritably.
"LET'S RUN!!!"
Surprisingly, Kay didn't argue, rushing after his friend. All he could manage was to say:
"Kato, are you running faster than a train?"
To which he received a logical answer:
"When the train approaches the station, it slows down." Kato stammered, gasping for air, but after a moment continued: "All we have to do is run to the place where the first car stops!!!"
The guys rushed with a vengeance, and a scream came from behind them:
"You assholes! It's an express train!!!"
From the realization of what was said, they stumbled, as if they had crashed into a wall, looked at each other in confusion and ... stared in fascination at the approaching train.
"We need to hide under the platform!" Kato did not give up, looking around. "Damn, it's too narrow! The opening! There must be some kind of niche!"
"Oh, shit! There's no fucking thing here!"
The words had not even had time to sound out when the crushing impact of an express train caused the world to blink and plunge into darkness for a moment... so that he could reappear in the light of the chandelier, greeted by the slippery parquet of a small rectangular room and the wary gazes of people sitting silently along the walls.
"What?" Kay gasped as he slipped and fell, breathing convulsively.
The answer was an incomprehensible statement from a man in round glasses, dressed in a cheap gray suit:
"Look, there are two more..."
People remained silent, staring at the newcomers, and the newcomers stared at them. And a large, one-and-a-half-meter-in-diameter matte ball of perfect black color, motionlessly towering against the wall.
The man's next words were like a punch in the gut, knocking the air out of his chest and coherent thoughts out of his head:
"So you guys seem to have died too?"
Kato blinked in surprise, but Kei, blinking in shock, swore angrily, staring at the black ball.
Chapter 1: The Unexpected
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