Chapter Text
"Destiny... I've found something, something I was not meant to see. You're not meant to see this either, little Navis, but you need to, I'm sure you'll find it as interesting as I do. It's like a whole new world."
She replayed the conversation in her mind once more, the odd, well thought, and suspicious words uttered from one side of the phone call to the other the last time she spoke with her best friend.
When she asked about it, the only answer she received was perfectly placed static (and an obviously fake one), followed by the end of the call.
Words, though, weren't the only thing she repeated endlessly. The simple action of Yoshiko not appearing to, at least sleep, at their shared apartment also bothered her greatly.
'What if something happened to her?'
Saying You was distracted by it was an understatement. She had managed to bump into every person in existence inside the building and had successfully ignored her professors' lectures throughout the entire day in favor of trying to understand what was going to happen before it even did. That task, however, was done unsuccessfully, as she still couldn't figure it out by the end of her last class. Much to the dismay of her tired mind, since she was mere minutes of more thinking away from getting a disastrous headache.
At that point, she was beginning to accept she'd have to send a search party for her missing friend.
Funnily enough, the thought made her relax a little, who would she call first out of all the girls? Riko? Chika? Hanamaru? She figured that everybody would be preoccupied, the only exception of it being the latter, who would probably give an exasperated sigh and just follow whatever instruction given by the rest after telling them a speech full of wise words.
"Why are we doing this...? She's an idiot with experience on getting in trouble, she's coming back fine and muttering something about encountering Satan on her way back- Zura."
She could practically hear her, and admittedly, Hanamaru had been right, on various occasions, to the irritation of half of their search party. She supposed this ability was gathered after knowing her for such a long time.
This situation, although similar, was vastly different, and it only made her minute of relaxation fade away, slipping through her fingers as if she was trying to catch air.
Yoshiko hadn't gone to just any place.
She had ventured somewhere, her father's old home to be precise, and had refused to give any details on the location. For all she knew, she could've been swallowed by a bear the night before, while she lied somewhat peacefully in her bed.
She didn't want to dwell too much on that thought.
Somehow, during the long walk back home, her mind managed to create more similar, horrifying scenarios, to compensate for the one she didn't want to think about.
Worst case scenario? She would have to pay for a funeral and go broke in the process.
Best case scenario? She'd find Yoshiko well and alive, playing video games in their shared bedroom. The latter meant she would probably go to prison for attempted murder, but that hardly mattered if she could at least know what had happened.
After a while, a long walk that felt like it went on for eternity finally ended, leaving her standing in front of the painfully normal apartment complex that she was used to seeing. And a figure stood there, seemingly about to collapse from sheer tiredness, yet, they also looked the most peaceful person to ever cross the earth.
'You can't be serious... All that thinking for her to be just outside?'
Yoshiko was looking down, apparently just observing thoroughly her own shadow.
"... Yoshiko-chan?" The blue-haired girl slightly looked up but didn't meet her gaze.
"Little Navis! You're finally here... Follow me." The youngest moved fast and headed inside, making You follow, discontent with the lack of information.
"Are you at least telling me what happened?"
"When we get there."
"You better! You didn't arrive yesterday and I was about to call for everyone's help..."
There wasn't more time for any other conversation, since they rapidly arrived at their destination, and Yoshiko opened the door even faster.
You had wrongly expected to see everything just as she had left it that morning, but was met with the unnerving surprise of everything being scattered around.
"... Was this you?"
"..." Yoshiko didn't dare look at her, "Yes."
You didn't know if she should have liked that answer, but at least it was better than the possibility of an intruder being inside.
She slowly walked inside the small apartment, avoiding the pieces of a broken cup, and sat on the antiquated couch, which was thankfully intact. "Are you alright? Care to tell me your findings?"
"In my defense, I had to try it myself first..."
"What. Did. You. Find." Yoshiko scrambled to their room, muttering something about impatient people, and quickly came back with a notebook in hand.
"This." Yoshiko sat next to her, "I found it yesterday," she opened the notebook, letting You see an old letter, which she grabbed, fully ready to read it once Yoshiko stopped explaining, "It's an old diary that belonged to T. Tsushima and S. Watanabe."
S. Watanabe...
"What?" Yoshiko turned the diary, letting her see both initials and last names carved on the leather of the back. "Is... Is this some kind of joke...?"
Yoshiko shook her head and motioned to the letter, "Read it." You opened the worn-out piece of paper.
"1994/02/06
Greetings, whoever you are, if you're reading this, it's probably because you searched for more than you should've had.
My friend, Shinta, and I have decided to leave this letter as a warning for you, and any other noisy person that might be reading this.
Do not write anything in the diary.
Do not write your wishes.
Do not write your life.
It can be dangerous to yourself and the ones around you, beware of what you trust.
- Tsushima Takeshi & Watanabe Shinta."
She re-read it a couple of times, trying to comprehend what was going on. "... Yoshiko, didn't you say that you had to try it earlier?"
"I... I might have...?"
"And what happened?"
She visibly hesitated, before looking up to meet her eyes for the first time that day, "It was a whole different world... I traveled and met two different versions of ourselves."
"And one of them is me."