Once the Shadow was defeated and the monorail stopped, Yoro and Youhei found themselves outside the station. Yoro, ready to rip Tak a new one for not providing support during combat, was more than a little surprised when Takahiro wasn't there. It was clear he HAD been there. His favorite energy drink was tipped over and spilled out over the pavement and a half eaten sandwich was on the ground, still in plastic wrap. It looked like it had been stepped on.

---------------------------------

[i]Drip drip drip...[/i]

The dripping woke Takahiro up. He sat up and looked around. The room he was in was dark and stuffy. The only light came from above. It illuminated Takahiro and an area about a foot around him. "What the hell...? Where am I...?" Just then, a voice came through the darkness. 

"Fuck this bullshit. I never asked for that son of a bitch to come back into my life."

"Who's there?" Takahiro reached for his knife, but wasn't surprised to find it missing.

"I preferred to believe he was dead. A car accident, just like mom said." The voice seemed to come from everywhere. It was as if whoever was talking was talking right in Takahiro's ear. Tak no longer responded, but just listened to what the voice said. "After thirteen years, that bastard has the balls to show his face around me? Fuck him!" The voice was growing visibly angry. "And this power... this power is useless! I want the power to destroy! To annihilate anyone who gets in my way! How ironic that my power is only useful to help others when no one ever helps me!" Takahiro could barely see a silhouette of a person in the darkness. The person was getting closer. Finally, many lights from above came on, lighting up the room. It looked like he was in a night club. A... twisted night club. The chairs were all at least six feet tall. The legs were twisted around, making chairs sit upside down or slanted or in other weird positions. The tables were covered in blood and knives were stuck in them. That was when he saw the bodies; rotting forms of people who looked like they had been dead for a few days. Among this unsettling scene was a boy about Takahiro's height and weight... in fact, he looked exactly like Takahiro, albeit with yellow eyes. He wore a twisted smile and carried a kitchen knife in his hand.

"Who.. who are you?" Takahiro mumbled. The copy laughed a maniacal laugh. 

"Who am I?" The grin on the copy's face grew. "I am a Shadow. The true self."