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Yuusuke is on his own, which doesn’t happen all the time. But Tsukasa’s fidgety, clearly uncomfortable whenever he tries to leave the Studio, and Yuusuke’s bored, and to his knowledge, World of Heroes is… normal?
Well, mostly.
For a given definition of normal.
No weird rules to learn, at least. So here he is, wandering on his own.
The feeling that sirs in his gut is instant.
(Some things should not exist in duplicate. Some powers will destroy each other on impact.)
Onodera Yuusuke meets eyes with Godai Yusuke by chance, in a crowd, and it’s an instant feeling in his gut before his soul. Yuusuke waves, smiling.
(Godai freezes.)
(Some things should not exist in duplicate. Some powers will destroy each other on impact.
Sometimes, those same powers call to each other.)
Yuusuke looks at the man. He must be a Rider too, of some sort. Not someone he recognizes from the Rider War, but there were a lot of Riders.
He walks towards the other Rider, who doesn’t move,
“Hi,” he says. “This is weird. Never felt something like this before.”
“Yeah,” the other replies. “Neither have I.”
(This is a lie. Godai Yusuke has met an equal once before, and it nearly killed him, broke him forever, even though he survived.)
A second later, an easy smile.
“And who might you be?”
“Onodera Yuusuke,” Yuusuke replies, and the other’s eyes widen. “I was just on a walk, and I wanted to say hi.”
“Well then, Hi,” the other responds, fishing out a card. “I’m… Godai Yusuke.”
“Oh, cool,” Yuusuke says. “We have the same name!” He takes the card. “2771 skills? That’s a lot!”
“Y-Yeah,” Godai says. “You must be… Decade’s friend.”
“Partner,” Yuusuke says. “All of us who travel with him. I don’t think I met you before. Did Tsukasa…”
“Oh, no,” Godai says. “I refused to fight in that. Kadoya is a good kid. What they did…”
Yuusuke looks down. There’s still guilt in there, when Tsukasa seems a bit too surprised at warm food or gentle touch.
It’s been a month now. Tsukasa is doing better. Tsukasa is alive , and he isn’t alone anymore, and he’s never really been evil.
…But .
There’s still guilt in there.
“If you did, I understand,” Godai says. “There wasn’t really a better option, it just—”
“It hurt Tsukasa,” Yuusuke says. “I know. I… I think it should have hurt me. That dark form… but all I can think about is Tsukasa. Hurting him, and thinking I was right, when I wasn’t. Kuuga will never be about me.”
(Confirmation, and Godai Yusuke cannot suppress a shudder .
Dark form. He knows those. They are supposed to fill you with fear. They are supposed to make you feel a l o n e . . . )
“So you a-are Kuuga,” Godai says, and Yuusuke can hear the tremor in his voice.
“Yes,” he says, and then he thinks of AR Riders, and coincidences, and… “I guess you are, too.”
“Yeah,” Godai replies, voice a little shaking. As though the name is connected to a curse. Yuusuke thinks about the power of the forms ripped from himself by the outside. He thinks they might have ripped at the soul if it hadn’t always been Tsukasa, there for him when he came back to awareness.
The way the odd Decade that killed Yuusuke had been wrong. A devil versus a darkness, and the devil won.
“I’m sorry,” Yuusuke offers. “It’s… a difficult power to carry.”
“I’ve been Kuuga for a long time,” Godai assures. “About a decade. It’s alright—”
“No, it’s not,” Yuusuke says. “I know no one can really understand, so I’m going to say it. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about Kuuga, and whatever you lost inside.”
Godai blinks.
(Some forces are meant to combust when they touch, but some people are used to playing with fire.)
“How long have you been Kuuga?”
“About half a year,” Yuusuke says. “I don’t say this out of ignorance. I just have someone who can protect me the way I protect him. Something tells me you didn’t.”
“Ah,” Godai says. “Would you like to go somewhere nicer? There’s a nice cafe near here…”
Yuusuke smiles.
“I’d love to.”
Things Godai Yusuke has learned in what turns into roughly an hour long conversation with his counterpart from another world:
Onodera Yuusuke has no right being this bright. Yusuke supposes he’s the same, but Onodera is not afraid . There is nothing bloodthirsty or bad in this man, there is care, and very conscious effort to be good. And yet, Onodera Yuusuke is Kuuga, and it does not scare him.
Onodera Yuusuke loves Kadoya Tsukasa. He fought fate to bring a monster back because he loved the man. Even when just moments before he believed Kadoya to be evil. Even when Kadoya killed him. Onodera Yuusuke would tear himself apart to help others .
Onodera Yuusuke is a wonder that Yusuke genuinely does not understand and just as much genuinely wants to .
“So I guess that’s my story,” Onodera says.
“What… what happened to your World?” Yusuke asks. Onodera shrugs.
“The threat is past,” he says. “It seemed fine when I appeared there. But there’s nothing left for me, there. Everyone I knew died, either to the Grongi—”
“The what?”
“The ULFs,” Onodera explains. “Tsukasa can speak fluent Grongi. We learned some things.”
“Ah.”
(A thought, one Yusuke doesn’t like because, always, he’s seen Kadoya as the young man he is and not the monster he was forced to become: of course Decade speaks their language. )
Onodera’s face falls.
“I lost my family long before that,” he says softly. “My parents, when I was a kid, and then Pops and Minori died in a fire. I saw it happen. I just… ran.” A small laugh. “So yes, I’ll always protect my World, but I have a new one now, too.”
And oh, Yusuke thinks.
Onodera Yuusuke had already broken .
And then repaired himself, thanks to Decade.
“So what about you?” Onodera asks, with an awkward laugh. “No pressure to talk about any of it.”
“I’m… doing much better, now,” Yusuke says. “If you’re worried.”
(Honesty deserves honesty.)
“I figured,” Onodera says. “Kuuga… it’s not a power you survive easily.”
“No, it’s not,” Yusuke says. “But you’re handling it rather well.”
Onodera shrugs.
“There are a lot of powers that can terrify the user,” he says. “And for good reasons. I just know I can do more good than harm.”
We can blow up city blocks by accident.
(Onodera Yuusuke knows. Onodera Yuusuke will not speak of what things he did in the Rider War, his relief that the Word was contained. He will not speak of it because the thought hurts, and the knowledge that it was Tsukasa who did so, Tsukasa who did it just to save the souls of those wanting him dead , will stay with him forever.)
“…And I’m not alone,” Onodera says. “It was just me on my World, so I suspect it was just you, too.”
“It was,” Yusuke says. “I stopped the Grongi.”
(He doesn’t say “I won.”
He did not win.)
“Well then, you’re not alone anymore,” Onodera says. “I’m here. Whenever you need me, I can help.”
“…What?”
“I’m sorry,” Onodera says. “That came out awkward. If you need help, or even if you just don’t want to fight, I’ll be there.”
“Oh.”
Onodera digs up a piece of paper from his loose jacket, a pen from somewhere else, and writes a number down.
“Tsukasa made our phones work across Worlds,” he says. “Though I think it was on accident… but now I have a phone, and you can call me.”
Yusuke takes it. Something in him cracks with relief.
“And we should probably move to lighter topics,” Onodera says. “Do you have a partner?”
Yusuke nods.
“Good idea,” he says. “And a husband, actually…”
“You know, counterpart is weird. Let’s be brothers.”
“That’s a great idea!”
Onodera Yuusuke wanders home, a little shaken and a little giddy. Tsukasa turns.
“Did something happen?” He asks. Yuusuke grins.
“I think I met my brother,” he says. “Do you mind if we stay here a few more days?”
“Never, for you,” Tsukasa says.
Yuusuke takes Tsukasa’s hand and leans up to kiss him. They’re both doing better, now.
“I’ll leave just as quickly if you start feeling too uncomfortable,” he says. Tsukasa hmms.
“I know.”
Godai Yusuke wanders home, still thrown by the whole thing, but in a good way?
Ichijou Kaoru comes home later.
“Did… something happen?” Kaoru asks.
“Kadoya is dating my brother.”
“What brother?”
“Me, from another World,” Yusuke explains. “His name is Onodera Yuusuke. He’s a good kid.”
Kaoru sits down next to him, and Yusuke leans against his husband.
“And he’s… safe?” Kaoru asks. “With Decade?”
“He seems much better than that,” Yuusuke replies. “Kuuga… doesn’t scare him. I think it’s because of Kadoya.”
“Oh,” Kaoru says. His voice a little sad, guilty, as though Yusuke could ever blame anything about him for what happened.
“I’m glad I have you,” Yusuke says, kissing Kaoru on the cheek. “That’s enough for this Kuuga. But I’m also… I’m also glad he can be whole.”
Kaoru nods.
“Also I’m meeting him again tomorrow. Want to come?”
“…Will Decade be there?”
“Not sure.”
“Then yes, of course I’m going with you.”