Chapter Text
Mob rolls over in his bed. The blankets rustle gently and silence covers the house. But Mob can't sleep. He hasn't been able to since he escaped.
'I'll watch you. I want to see what choices you make.'
It had a ritual. It would wait till everyone was asleep, till the world was quiet. It would start to whisper. Start to ask questions. It would make him question what he knew.
So Mob would disappear. He would retreat to someplace quiet where he could be alone. It was the only time he was ever able to sleep.
Where differed by night. He tried not to visit the same place too frequently.
Right now his favorite was Reigen's office. It was quiet and dark, sometimes a little cold. Everything reeked of old cigarettes and cheap incense. Mob would fall asleep on the couch and wake up back in his room. He wasn't sure how but it was routine.
Except tonight was different.
Ritsu couldn't sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep since his brother came back from an overnight job. Shigeo hadn't said much. Just that he was tired. He was fine. Everything was fine.
Ritsu would catch Shigeo staring at him like he was going to disappear. Like he wasn't sure if Ritsu was real.
Something had happened but he wouldn't talk about it. Shigeo talked less and ate less. He barely left the house. When he did it was as though he took all the warmth with him. He would vanish and the entire world would feel empty.
Ritsu rolls over to face his door. He wanted to help his brother. He wanted to get Shigeo to smile again. But it was hard when-
He sits up as he feels another presence in Shigeo's room. It’s dark and thick and oily. It feels wrong. Everything feels wrong. Ritsu feels his stomach roll in his gut. He knows he should check on him. He knows something isn't right.
But Ritsu can't bring himself to get up.
Ritsu feels his brother's aura flare. Feels the panic. Feels the warmth leave.
He feels his brother vanish.
Ritsu runs. It's different. Something is different and he's scared.
The door slams open to his brother's room. It's empty. There’s a few boxes along the wall, a futon rolled in the corner. Just storage. Dust covers everything.
There’s no life here. There never was.
Ritsu stands in the doorway, feet rooted to the ground. His breathing becomes shorter, more shallow. He mutters a name and starts looking for something he knows isn’t there. Somebody who isn’t there. But he has to be here.
His parents wake up to Ritsu yelling and crying. Boxes are thrown against the wall, forming a circle around this lost and confused boy. He looks back at them. He failed. He failed him. He couldn't help him. Shigeo's gone.
The first words out of their mouth:
‘Who’s Shiegeo?'