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After what felt like an eternity of pure-white vision, Sara was finally able to see again. She took a good, long look at her surroundings.
The area looked exactly like the Death Game, but something was just .. off, and she just couldn't seem to figure out what it was.
Why did it feel different? Was something changed? Was this some kind of new place disguised as the Death Game? She chose not to waste too much time studying the area, for all she knew, this could be the start of some new Main Game. Sara stood up and began to walk around, maybe she could find someone else around here.
As far as she could see, everything around her looked normal. Everything looked the exact same as it did when they were on this floor.
.. Why was Sara on this floor? This was the first floor they were left to explore when they were brought to the game, Sara was supposed to be on the fifth floor with the others.
Maybe I should look for a way back up there. She thought to herself.
However, that task is easier said than done. Sara has no recollection of how the group got to the second floor after the first main game. When she woke up after Joe's... untimely demise, she had already been transferred to the next floor. Did someone carry her there?
That thought gave Sara an idea, she could use the transceiver to ask someone how to get to the next floor! Although Naomichi had the other one, she could simply wait until someone checks on him, perhaps Keiji, and ask them. Perfect plan, right? She reached into her pocket to grab the transceiver.
.. It wasn't there. Where did it go?
She then noticed, nothing she was carrying before was still on her.
What exactly was going on here? Sara woke up on the first floor with no recollection of how to get upstairs and none of her items from before. She supposed all she could do at this point was carry out her previous plan, looking for a way back to the fifth floor. She was sure that at this point, they must've been wondering where she went.
She continued moving, walking through one of the many doors in the big, blue room she was in, and into a room with six chairs.
Oh.
This was where that awful game of Russian Roulette took place, wasn't it?
She took a look around the room. "That's where Joe sat.. and that's where Keiji sat... and that's w-" She was cut off by the sound of footsteps in the other room.
She hid near the door she came through, in case they were planning on coming in here. After spending so much time in the death game, you pick up certain habits when you hear people, or things nearby.
She heard a faint, and.. familiar, voice, coming from the same area as the footsteps. She couldn't put her finger on who exactly was speaking. Once the voice sounded far enough from her, she opened the door very slightly and peeked out to see a young girl, about Sara's age, with pink hair and an apron, and a taller, older man with grayish-whiteish hair.
.. Nao? Mishima?!
How could this be? Those two already died earlier on.
...
Was Sara dead too?
Oh.. that's right. How did she forget her own fate?
In the midst of the final Main Game, Sara was the Sacrifice. A crushing fate, quite similar— no, exactly the same as her best friend, Joe.
Why did they all end up here after death, though? Wouldn't they go to a proper 'heaven', rather than the place they were killed? Spending a whole eternity in the place that scarred you? Sara was not interested, nor pleased with her predicament.
She snaps herself out of her trance, and decided that all she could do was go and see her friends once more. She steps through the door, accidentally slamming it a little too hard, causing her friends a good scare.
"Ah! What w-" Nao cut herself off upon noticing who was standing in front of her, "Sara!!" The pink-haired artist ran towards Sara and trapped her in a tight embrace with Mishima quickly trailing behind her, leaving Sara shocked. "Hello, Miss Sara." Mishima smiled at her. He was never the type to get too energetic, but you could tell he was happy as well.
This all happened so fast, one minute she was simply exploring, and the next she was.. talking to dead people?
But of course, when you remember she's also dead, it's not as strange.
"Hi, Nao.." She spoke softly, with a relieved sigh running through her words. At least she wasn't wandering around alone now. She didn't mean to sound as unimpressed as she did, but she was too shocked to change her tone at the moment.
"Sara! I never thought I'd see you again!! How have you b-" Nao paused in the middle of her sentence, slowly backing out of the hug and looking Sara in the eyes, ".. This means you died too."
Sara slowly nodded, "Yea.. I didn't even remember until a few minutes ago.."
"Mhm.. That's how it went for all of us too.." Nao paused, looking back at her professor, then back towards Sara and sending a smile her way.
The three of them spent some time catching up with each other. It hadn't been too long since Nao and Sara last spoke, but there were definitely some topics to catch Mishima up on.
"Sara.." Nao paused for a moment, "You should.. go find Joe! He's been waiting for you!" The artist placed her hands behind her back with a smile, as Mishima nodded in agreement.
Sara's eyes lit up. Joe was... waiting for her?
Considering Joe and his loyalty, it's not too surprising that he's been waiting here for Sara all this time. But, it's always surprising to hear that your dead best friend has been waiting for you!
Sara nodded, and quickly ran out of the room to begin the hunt for Joe.
As she approached the kitchen, she heard some faint banging of pots and pans, as if someone was cooking a meal.
Kai?
Of course, Kai! How could she forget about him? She quickly enters the kitchen, pausing in the middle of the room and glancing from side to side, trying to find the long-haired homemaker. "Hello..? Kai?" Sara called out, hoping to either hear him approach or receive a response.
She walked further into the kitchen, still unable to find him, until she heard a steady, relaxed voice behind her.
"Miss Sara..?" Kai tilted his head to the side as Sara, slowly but surely, turned around to face him.
"Kai!" She gave him a nervous, yet genuine smile.
"Hello, Miss Sara..!" He grinned, which was a rather rare occurrence for the Kai that Sara knew, however, it was only momentary, as a few seconds later his bright smile melted into a frown, with regret and guilt painted all over it. He turned his head to the side, breaking the eye-contact he had made with Sara.
"I-Is something bothering you..?" Sara was taken aback by his regretful expression. Although she rarely ever saw him smile, it was also quite rare to see him upset.
She received no response. It appears Kai became lost in a world of his own. ".. Kai?" She leaned in slightly, trying to get his attention, to which she still received no response.
"KAI!"
"A-Ah.. sorry..." He was finally snapped out of his sudden, prolonged trance. "Miss Sara.. I would like to sincerely apologize."
"H-Huh? For what?"
What could Kai have done to warrant an apology to Sara?
"I.. failed to protect you." His gaze dropped down to the floor. "And now.. you're suffering the same fate as I.. It's my fault."
"K-Kai.." Sara had never seen Kai this upset before, not even upset in general. "You did a good job. You protected me as much as you could, this was just.. bound to happen."
Kai met Sara's eyes once more. "Thank you, Sara. If you don't mind me asking.. How exactly did you end up here?" His face returned to it's natural relaxed, inquisitive state.
Chidouin raised her eyebrows slightly. She barely remembered much of the situation herself, her explanation may not be the most trustworthy.. But at the same time, perhaps explaining to Kai would jog her memory a bit as well.
The girl explained her fate as vividly as she was able to, and managed to get the story, or what she remembered of it, across to him pretty well.
"Ah, just like Joe's demise." He chuckled softly, not at Joe's death, but at what he was about to say, "I could always tell you two were meant to be together."
Sara blushed upon hearing his remark. "H-Hey! We were not..!"
In all honesty, Sara did not agree with what she was saying herself.
"My apologies, my apologies.. Speaking of your friend Joe, I believe he's been waiting here for you."
Right, Sara remembered she couldn't waste much time talking to everyone she comes across. She's finally going to see Joe again!
She parted ways with the homemaker and continued searching for her best friend. Where else could he be?
Oh! Wasn't there a spa room around here somewhere? Sara went up the stairs in the middle of the spacious, blue room and was met with four doors.
Now, which one of these is the spa?
Sara decided it was most likely one of the doors with "Sp" written over it, so she entered the red room. As soon as she opened the door, she was met with yet another familiar face.
"Sara!"
This time, the familiar face was Reko, punk musician and a good friend of Sara's during the Death Game.
Before she knew it, Reko had her arms wrapped tightly around Sara. So tightly that Sara could just barely return the hug. "H-Hi, Reko..!"
"Shit, Sara, I never thought I'd see you again!" The musician let Sara out of the tight embrace and stepped back. "How have you been?! I mean, clearly not too well since you're dead, but.." Sara got a good laugh out of Reko's excitement.
"I've been alright, Reko.. It's not really possible to be 'good' in the midst of a Death Game, though." She joked. "How have you been?"
"I've been great! I never knew what comes after death could be so fun!" She was visibly eager to catch up with Sara, and to tell her everything they've been up to. "I've been spending a lotta time with Nao too.. I-I really like her, Sara!"
"So sweet, Reko.."
"Right?! D-Don't tell her I'm saying any a' this though!"
The two of them spent some time together, relaxing in the spa's hot tub, before Reko gave her the same tip Nao and Kai did, "Joe's been waiting for you!" and all that, and Sara set out once again.
This time, Sara has the perfect idea of where Joe would be! She rushed down to the hallway, specifically the one with the vending machine! Joe always loved vending machines and different snacks, she was sure he'd be there.
.. Oh, Q-Taro was there.
Not that she was disappointed to see him! She was just.. expecting Joe. Where could he even be? She must be getting a bit closer to him at least, right? She's looked almost everywhere!
Nonetheless, no matter who she was expecting, she's up to talk to anyone she finds. She quietly approaches Q-Taro. He seems to be quite angry, what could be bothering him?
"Is everything alright, Q-Taro..?" She spoke softly and carefully, making sure she didn't anger him any more.
"'Ey, Sara.. I'm tryna getta damn drink outta this thing but it w—" He paused upon finally processing why Sara was in front of him. "Sara?!"
Wordlessly, Sara nodded in return. "But ya.. how could..." Q-Taro stumbled with his words for a good few seconds before, once again, exclaiming Sara's name in confusion, which led Sara to believe an explanation was warranted.
"So yer.. really dead huh..?" the red-headed man took off his hat. "I never expected ya' to be the one to die.. I had no doubt you'd make it outta there in one piece!"
"Did I let you down, Q-Taro?" Sara inquired, that was really all she got from what he had said.
"No, no! That ain't what I meant, I.." Q-Taro let out a deep sigh. "I'm just pretty damn shocked ya didn't make it out.. how did it even happen?!" Sara began to tell the same story she told Nao, then Kai, then Reko.
"Huh.. You and Joe really wer—"
"Don't." She raised a finger and placed it over his mouth. Sure, she could barely reach, but it was still effective nonetheless.
"Speakin' a' Joe, I swear I've seen 'im somewhere 'round here..." Q-Taro takes a long glance around the room, appearing to be figuring out where Joe could be. "Oh, I remember!"
"Really? Where?!" Sara's words were almost slurred due to how excited she was, she was finally going to see Joe once again. She was going to reunite with her best friend after all this time they've spent apart.
"He's right in 'ere!" Q-Taro pointed to the door in the hallway, which led into the bar.
Of course! Why didn't Sara expect that? Obviously Joe would be in the bar, that's where they had their last conversation before the main game. That room must've held some sentimental value to Joe. "Thank you, Q-Ta—" She was cut off and grabbed gently by the arm before she could enter.
"Wait..!" Sara gazed up at him, wondering what he might be stopping her for. Was something else bothering him? ".. Can you help me get my drink outta' this damn machine? I've been 'ere trying for ages.."
Sara chuckled. She couldn't believe Q-Taro, 6'4 and as buff as ever, needed her help to simply get a drink out of the vending machine. Disregarding that, she knew Q-Taro wouldn't let her go and see Joe until he had his drink, so she chose to help him.
She grabbed both sides of the machine and shook it as hard as she could. It took a good minute or two, but surely enough, Q-Taro's soda fell to the bottom and he was able to grab it. "Thanks, Sara!" He exclaimed, almost yelling. "Have fun with J—"
"Not so loud!"
Sara approached the bar's entrance once again. Before opening it, she took a moment to prepare herself. She hadn't seen him in so long, and never thought she would again. But, thankfully, she didn't make it out of the Death Game!
Well, not thankfully, but you get the point.
She gently, slowly pushed open the door, to see Joe seated at the bar, on that same stool he sat on when they last talked. Joe hadn't seemed to notice her arrival yet. She came a little closer to him, and finally spoke,
"Joe..?" To which she received no response, yet it was crystal clear why the brunette male sitting in front of her hadn't responded. He hadn't heard Sara's voice in so long, it was clearly rather shocking to him. It took him a moment, but he finally turned around, and he couldn't believe Sara was actually here, standing in front of him once again.
"SARA!" He lunged onto her, tackling her onto the ground, hugging her as hard as he could. However, Sara was used to this type of behavior coming from Joe. He was always rather excitable, especially upon seeing his best friend!
"Hi, Joe!!" Sara genuinely smiled for the first time in a while.
"Sara, you've got no clue how much I've missed ya! It's been sooo borin' without havin' you around! I've just been sittin' around thinkin' about ya this whole time! I mean, I've been playing games with the others too and other stuff.. but mosta my time's been spent waitin' for ya, thank god you showed up!" Joe rambled, grinning ear-to-ear with excitement.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long, Joe!" Sara returned his smile. "But now we can spend the rest of time together."
"Awesome, we've got so much to catch up on, man!" He seemed to already have a mental note of every question he wanted to ask Sara, struggling to choose which to ask first. "How has everyone been?! How have you been?!— How did you end up here? Whoever killed ya', gimme a name and I'll haunt them for the rest of their life, ya hear me?!"
"Joe, Joe, one thing at a time!" Sara giggled. Seems everyone was pretty excited to see her, especially Joe. Who wouldn't be excited to see their best friend for the first time in months?
"Heh, sorry.. Just really excited to see ya' again, yknow!" He climbed off of Sara and stood up, reaching his hand out to help her up, which she gladly took.
Sara briefly reminisced about the time the two of them walked home together, when Joe spontaneously offered to hold hands. Although she said yes, with absolutely zero hesitation, the gaudy guy didn't seem to catch on that she liked him. Wouldn't that make it pretty obvious?
"I am too, Joe.. I really am."
He sat back down, patting the stool next to him, implying that Sara should sit next to him, which she did, quickly turning to face him as he did the same.
"Soo.. How'd ya die?!" He was pretty blunt with this one, Sara explained her death, once again, just to be met with surprised Joe. Sara always thought his shocked expression was rather cute, though she'd never told him. His mouth formed an O shape and he froze for about 30 seconds without a word, like he was just told the most shocking news in the world. Perhaps to him, Sara's story was the most shocking news in the world.
"You.. You died just like me! D-Doesn't that make us soulmates or some sappy shit like that?!" Sara's face burnt up at his statement.
"S-Shut it! Why does everyone keep saying that..?"
It's not like she was against it or anything, just too embarrassed to admit that she agreed. Was it really that obvious that the two were "meant to be"?
If this really did make them soulmates, Sara wouldn't mind a bit.
Little did she know, Joe felt the exact same way. In fact, while he'd been waiting for her, Nao and Reko would never shut up about how they thought the two were "star-crossed lovers", or "soulmates" or "friends to lovers", whatever that meant. Nonetheless, the two of them have all the time in the world to confess now. No time limits, no dying beforehand, all that was left for them was an eternity to spend together.
"C'mon, let's go for a walk, I need ya' to catch me up on everythin'!" He sprung out of his stool and reached out for her hand. Maybe those confessions would be coming a little sooner than expected. Sara intertwined her fingers with his and they set off, talking about everything Sara had experienced while Joe was gone, and everything Joe had done while waiting for Sara to show up.
Although they never had time to confess their feelings in the real world, they had all the time they needed now.
And that time wasn't going to go to waste.