Chapter Text
Sumaru City, Japan, August 13th 1989
Araya Shrine
“Hey, Tatsuya!” A small hand rose up in the air, presenting a thick gear that seems like it would be from a karakuri puppet. “Look at this! It was right next to that pillar of the shrine!”
The other boy blinked and approached his friend. “Hey, maybe it’s that gear thing tou-san said went missing from this shrine some time ago. He said some lady took the puppet that once stayed here to get it fixed, but it’s been like, I dunno… something like twenty years? He said something about before nii-kun was born, so yeah, it’s been a long time.”
“Hmm…” The first boy stared at the gear. “You should have it, Tatsuya.”
“Huh?! W-wait, Takkun…”
“That lady met your papa, right? If you’re the one who has it, it would be easier for her to get it back, since all she needs to do is find your house!”
Tatsuya rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, if you think so, Takuya…” He then nodded, with a grin on his face. “Alright, let’s get this back to that lady!”
With a grin himself, Takuya presented him the gear. “Here you go, then! Make sure you keep it safe until that lady comes back, alright?”
A slight chuckle came out of the other boy as he took it. “Of course- it’s a promise.”
August 13th 1999
“Takuya… can you hear me?”
Only the cicadas answered the youth’s question. He bowed his head, staring at the green mask in his hands.
“I’m still hanging on to that promise, but…” He took a shaky breath, gripping the mask tighter. “It’s not the same without you.” He stroked the gear he had made a pendant of with his fingers, the coolness of the metal passing through his dress shirt. “You’d think, after ten years, I’d…”
He dropped to his knees, dropping the mask, and pounded his fists against the ground as sobs and tears overwhelmed him. “It’s not fair!” he wailed, his voice cracking into a higher pitch. “It’s not fair… why…”
“I’m sorry I made you wait for so long.”
He jerked his head up at the sound and looked around the area, but saw nothing but a monarch butterfly fluttering by.
Monarch butterflies don’t live in Japan.
He took a deep breath, grabbing the gear once more. “I know your voice… but from where?”
Sumaru City, Japan, September 10th, 1999
Seven Sisters High School, Bike Racks
“Son of a-” Curse cut short with a frustrated grunt, a young man of 18 years smacked the motorcycle in front of him, before standing up and grabbing his cellphone to dial a mechanic. “Hey, it’s Suou, thinking one of my spark plugs’ broken. I can’t start my bike at all.” He bit his lower lip before speaking again. “Nah, don’t worry about it, just bring it to my place. I’ve got spares at home.” He listened again to the mechanic. “Thanks, you’re a life saver. Bye, Akiyama.”
“Oh, Tatsuya-sempai!” The young man turned around, ending the call, spotting a fellow student approaching him. “Got a problem with your bike today?”
“Got the mechanic to come and get it, yeah,” he admitted. He brought his hand into his pocket, feeling the cool metal of a Zippo lighter against his fingers. He sighed a breath of relief. “You need anything, Lisa-kun?”
“Not really, I was about to head to work. I just noticed that you weren’t gone yet.” She was obviously trying not to bounce on her feet. “So, uh, do you mind if we both go take the train together? I mean, if that’s okay with you, of course!”
He looked over to his bike for a moment, then back to her. “I guess we could go to the station. I don’t think we’re gonna have the same route.”
“Oh, right, your home’s in Hirasaka, I forgot about that.” Lisa perked up again. “Going to the station’s fine with me, sempai! It’s just, it’s been such a long time since we’ve talked to each other, and I thought maybe we could catch up!”
He sighed as he brought his book bag over his shoulder. “There isn’t much to catch up about, Lisa-kun- nothing really changed since the Masked Circle split up, just that I got older and got a job at the music shop, that’s all.”
She nodded as they began to walk out of the area. “I guess that’s true…”
Rengedai District
“…So long story short, my bike’s a legal Yamaha and Honda hybrid,” Tatsuya explained as they approached the station. “The former owner’s known for making them out of junk bikes- in fact, that’s why the shop’s called Frankenbikes.”
“Does the owner like English literature? Fan of Frankenstein?” Lisa asked, looking over to him.
“Oh yeah, he’s a big fan of the classic, black and white horror movies,” he replied, adjusting his book bag. “But funny enough, he prefers the novels over the movies if they exist- said something about movies missing important information the books have.”
Lisa nodded. “Well, it’s kinda expected, you can’t put all the information found in a book into a movie. A TV show would work instead.” She winked at him. “Penguins with guns.”
Tatsuya groaned, rolling his eyes, and yet his lips twitched to form a smile. “I guess it’s not a Suou family joke anymore. Cyborg 009, how much I-”
He was interrupted by walking straight into another person, stumbling onto the ground as their belongings fell down to the same area.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” he told the other person after shaking his head clear from the accident. “I wasn’t paying-” The rest of the sentence got caught in his throat as he recognized, among a dozen or so sheets of loose paper, a stuffed toy bunny in front of him. A nostalgic object that surely couldn’t…
“Mr. BunBun?” He gently picked up the toy before looking at the person he had stumbled into. She had changed so much, she would’ve be unrecognizable if it weren’t for her eyes; eyes that smiled alongside her lips. “…Maya-nee…?” he asked, a tremble in his voice.
Her smile grew bigger. “Hello, Tatsuya-kun.”
His face went beet red, and slowly he realized they weren’t alone. Lisa was still around, yes, but so were a few old friends. Jun and Eikichi must’ve taken the station from Hirasaka to come here- Jun, to come find his father at Sevens, and Eikichi to meet up with his girlfriend, Miyabi. With Maya was another lady, who was shaking her head and came over to help sort out Maya’s papers.
No one saw the Monarch butterfly perched on a nearby light.
“Ma-Maya-nee,” Tatsuya repeated, his hand twitching around Mr. BunBun. “I… You… Since when did you…”
“It’s been a while,” she admitted. “It slipped my mind to contact you guys, but hey, we’re all here again!”
Tatsuya looked down, looking at the toy in his hand, hearing the others greeting Maya gleefully. “Not all,” he mumbled to himself, before returning his gaze to his old friend. “Hey… sorry to cut this short, Maya-nee, but my bike’s gonna be towed back to my place, and I don’t wanna keep Akiyama late for his payment.” He carefully placed the old toy into Maya’s arms. “Here’s Mr. BunBun back… it was nice to see you again. I just…” He stood up, fixing his book bag. “I’m busy right now. I’ll catch up some other time…” He stared at the assembled group, but his eyes wouldn’t meet anybody else’s. “I’ll catch up with all of you. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a train to catch. See you around.”
He shoved his hand into the pocket that held the lighter, rubbing his fingers against the cool metal as he walked into the station. He got his ticket at the automatic kiosk and went to find where his train would arrive. The blaring music was some sort of saccharine idol song from a one-hit wonder.
The train stopped in front of him and opened its doors. The song faded, and taking its place was the haunting voice of Freddie Mercury, singing one of his favorite Queen songs.
I’ve paid my dues
Time after time
He entered the train.
I’ve done my sentence
But committed no crime
The door to the train closed, silencing ‘We Are The Champions.’