Chapter Text
“That’s enough!”
“Huh?”
This was a mistake. Why did he think that was a good idea?
Why would it ever be a good idea to try and use Shoko’s voice?
But...was stopping his own order a worse mistake?
In the back of his mind, he knew seeing Iris’…body was messing with his brain but…
“I said that’s enough! We need to find another way!”
“Date…” his partner mumbled, “We don’t have much time left. This might be our only chance at reaching Mizuki’s heart! That’s what YOU decided!”
She had a point, of course she did, he hadn’t used the time they had there the best. Pewter had added a “timie” function and it did make him more…lax on his options.
Talking the horse was totally necessary for the investigation. So was wearing the panda head, how were they meant to know it’d make Aiba spin too?
But hearing Aiba use Shoko’s voice over the intercom, saying words he knew in his heart she would never say. It started to make him sick in his stomach. She was gone, and so even if Mizuki believed Shoko was still alive, that she loved her, wouldn’t that make it worse?
He sighed, “Yes. I know I told you that, but we’re going to waste more time trying to go through with this.”
Aiba moved away from the speaker, Date could see annoyance in her face, “Very well. I had my doubts on the positive effects of that outcome myself.”
“And you didn’t question me before?”
“My job is to support you within reason.”
She was like that, questioning some of his choices but still going through with them. Then sometimes she’d have equally stupid ideas that she’d get angry at if he questioned them.
Well, that’s what it’s like to have a partner.
“Date, we only have a minute left in Somnium.”
A minute?
His mind started to race, thinking of what they could do in the short timespan. Aiba talking didn’t work, it was an unrecognizable voice and no way within logic that the voice of that abusive piece of…
“Date. Think clearly.”
Right, she can read his mind. Not that it’s easy to forget when almost every thought gets commentary.
“Well…” he trailed off, trying to shift his thoughts, “We should attempt to break our way in. It’s what we did in the real world.”
“With the Evolver, which we don’t have.”
“Then try punching it.”
“Very well.”
With the command, Aiba warned Mizuki to stand back…and when she didn’t, Aiba punched the column anyways.
Nothing happened. Not even a scratch.
“No good.” She mumbled.
“Damn…” there went 10 seconds.
“I do not believe we will be able to break this Date.”
“But…”
“Should I return to the speaker?”
A chill ran down his spine. Anything but that.
“Date, why are you so against this idea?”
That was an answer he did not know. Something had just happened. As Aiba started using Shoko’s voice, a race of memories of Shoko did, what she told him, it swarmed his head. Those memories, he didn’t want Mizuki to live through any of that again, dream or not.
Well, that was an answer, but what exactly sparked that realization when he was so willing to do it before, he wasn’t sure. Was it her voice? Was it the words? He didn’t want to think too hard about it, all that was important now was that he made up his mind.
Without a single word spoken, Aiba seemed to understand, she crossed her arms and nodded, “Very well. What should I do now?”
Date thought for about 5 seconds before suggesting a gift.
“A gift? She’s still behind the column, curled up in a fetal position. I do not believe she would be able to see the gift to begin with.”
“Well maybe she’ll feel safer because of your kindness and open it from her end so she could take the gift?”
“But what would I…” Aiba gave a look towards one of the horses. Oh. She grinned, “Oh, that might work!”
Aiba can be quite strong depending on what the Somnium needed, that was something Date understood quite well.
Still didn’t make it any less freaky when she yanked the horse out of the merry-go-round and approached Somnium Mizuki with a wide smile.
“Mizuki!” she cheerfully spoke out, like nothing was wrong, “Now you can have a taste of the merry-go-round every day of your life!”
“Aiba.”
“Oh yeah! It will also improve your health!”
“That’s your gift?”
Nothing again. Mizuki didn’t even look up to see what Aiba had done. And there goes another 12 seconds. That left 35 seconds to do anything. At this point, impulse had to be the one in control.
“Hit the column with the horse.”
“What?” Aiba looked dejected, “But this is my gift for Mizuki…”
“It might impress her if it’s a weapon! You know how much she likes that pipe of hers.”
“You are correct…”
“So give it a good whack. Hard as you can.”
“Fine.”
Holding the horse like a baseball bat, Aiba once again warned Mizuki to stand back (and once again, Somnium Mizuki didn’t do a thing) then swung the horse.
This time, the sound of shattering emitted throughout the Somnium.
The horse was in pieces, but a phone was oddly completely intact. The covering stopping them from entering the inside of the column disappeared as Somnium Mizuki slowly crawled towards the phone and looked at it.
She looked stressed.
“Mizuki’s out!” Date shouted, relieved.
Then he noticed the time.
6 seconds.
Oh shit.
“Aiba!” he spat out quickly, there was no way he was failing to reach her now, not when they were so close, “Hug her!”
“Understood!”
She leaned towards Mizuki and gently (as fast as she could) wrapped her arms around Mizuki.
Right as she did, a recognizable voice came through the Somnium.
“Time’s up!”
Boss’ voice was loud. Obviously, it was meant to alert three people at once.
What was meant to happen afterwards was a forced ejection. He’d wake up right then and there.
But that wasn’t happening.
After being quiet for some time, Aiba awkwardly looked back at the Somnium Mizuki and tried similar calming words she had tried before this whole mess started.
“We’ll protect you Mizuki. We will always be here for you. We’ll never give up on you.” Date could tell, despite her attempts at being calm, whatever error was going on at the moment was worrying her.
He could only imagine the shitstorm going on in the Psync Room.
Instead of thinking too hard about that, he chose to focus back on Aiba and Somnium Mizuki. It was just a dream version, but seeing her sob as much as she did…
No, she needed to do this.
As she sobbed, the distorted Bloom Park transformed into a form like the real world, except for blue glowing footprints. Trying to shift his vision towards them, he felt like he was just about to see where they lead to when…
Suddenly all his senses came back to him.
But in front of him was not the visor of the Psync Machine. It was the Somnium Mizuki.
“Aiba?” he asked, but there was no response. He held onto the Somnium Mizuki tightly as he looked around, the outer reaches of the dream were breaking apart.
Right after it was fixing itself…
Why was this happening?
Why wasn’t he rejected when time was up?
Why is he the avatar now rather than Aiba?
“Hey!” Date shouted, “What’s going on?”
A panicked voice emitted from the reaches of Somnium, “I don’t know why the eject button isn’t working! It possibly is because Aiba started an action right when time was up.” Pewter was silent for what was probably just a few seconds but felt like an eternity, “Or perhaps I need to work on those timies more…”
“I don’t think that is going to matter when I’m dead!” he snarled back, and he heard some sort of awkward noise emit from the technician in response.
“You’re not going to die.”
“You said my consciousness transfers to the host if I go over 6 minutes! I might as well!”
More silence.
That, or the noise of the Somnium tearing itself apart was deafening.
He tried to focus back on Somnium Mizuki, one of the only things keeping itself together, crying into his chest with that strange phone in one of her hands.
It reminded him.
“Boss? Can you still hear me?”
Finally, noise came back from outside the Somnium, “Yes, we can still hear you Date. I…”
“Can I request something?”
“What? A will? We’ll explain when you come to but…”
“No, call Iris. It’s urgent, you saw that body right?”
“Date. You know…”
“It’s just a dream? Yes, but I got this gut feeling.”
A sigh emitted from the Somnium, “Very well. I’ll give her a call.”
It was probably some sort of “I owe you” acceptance, but at least someone would be able to call her.
Even if he wouldn’t die, he’d just be stuck in Mizuki forever, just a voice in her head at best and a constant observer of her, unable to move or speak, only watch at worst.
He didn’t want to think about that.
As Date looked back at the Somnium Mizuki, he saw she was finally starting to break apart. It was over then. Just like that. He couldn’t do anything else, so he closed his eyes.
This was not supposed to happen.