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Yusuke can’t sleep. He’s been having strange dreams ever since they got to Tatsumi Port Island. He looks at the clock and sees it’s a few minutes to midnight. For a second he’s tempted to go find Sensei, but he knows Sensei will simply scold him and say he’s too old for this sort of behavior, so instead he tries and slips into the kitchen to make some warm milk to help him sleep.
He leaves his room and sees a sliver of light from the conference room. The suite they’re in is large, paid for by one of Sensei’s friends, and he must still be up talking.
Yusuke doesn’t know what possesses him to head closer to the open door, but he can smell alcohol and hear Sensei laughing.
He should go, he’ll be in trouble for being up so late.
“I can’t believe you did it, you old coot,” Sensei’s friend says. “After all these years, you really found the perfect business plan.”
“It’s all thanks to The Sayuri,” Sensei says, clearly drunk.
The Sayuri? What was–
“If the woman who painted it hadn’t dropped dead in front of me, I wouldn’t have anything.”
“You’re still stuck with her kid though, right?”
“Who? Yusuke? Sure kids can be annoying but he knows how to behave.”
Yusuke backs away from the door, his entire body shaking. Sensei stole The Sayuri from Mama? Sensei had been there when Mama died? He’d said that she was alone, that there was nothing anyone could do.
He barely registers as he crashes to the floor and curls up into a ball.
And then everything stops.
Yusuke doesn’t notice at first, too wrapped up in his sobs to notice that the laughter in the other room has gone silent, or that the moon has gotten impossibly large, or the sickly green hues lighting the apartment.
All he knows is that everything he knew was a lie.
Finally he’s run out of tears and notices how everything’s wrong, and he tiptoes back towards the door. Instead of Sensei and his friend though, there are coffins.
Yusuke’s always been told to not make too much noise, especially late at night, so he doesn’t let the scream that’s crawling out of his chest escape his throat, but he feels sick.
Is this all some sort of weird nightmare? Is there anyone else even here?
Footsteps from the outside hall answer his question. Yusuke is quick to curl up behind the couch and hide, and someone breaks open the door.
Yusuke’s pretty sure she’s the angel of death. That has to be the only explanation, with her porcelain skin, pristine dress, and axe.
The angel of death looks around and heads into the conference room. Sure enough Yusuke hears Sensei’s friend let out a scream that’s quickly cut short. The angel of death walks out, her dress still perfectly white. Yusuke tries to get a better look at her, but accidentally knocks over the lamp.
Her head snaps over to him and she stares at him impassively.
“Well, that’s odd.”
“U-um are you going to kill me?” Yusuke asks.
She tilts her head. “I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s a good thing you saw me. Takaya would probably consider you a loose end.”
Yusuke looks down. “Can you at least take me to see Mama after you kill me?” He asks quietly.
“You’re not scared of dying?”
“I-I dunno. I just–” Yusuke’s not a stranger to death. He always knew Mama’s health was bad. That was something she wanted him to know. Mama didn’t want him to be unprepared when she died, so she spent a lot of time talking about it with him. It had helped soften the blow when Sensei had told him. He hadn’t even cried at the quick funeral.
But now that wound’s been ripped right open. Sensei had lied about Mama’s death. Sensei had lied about everything. If nothing he knew was real then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to die?
“I want to see Mama,” Yusuke says.
“What happened to your mother?” The angel of death asks.
Yusuke’s eyes turn toward the door. “Sensei… he said she died when she had a seizure and he couldn’t do anything because he was in the other room, but he lied.”
“Oh, so he killed her?”
“I don’t... I don’t know that. I know he lied. I don’t know why.”
“Why don’t we ask him?” The angel of death walks over and offers out her hand, and Yusuke takes it. Then they head back into the conference room. The dead body of Sensei’s friend is there, along with a massive coffin.
The angel of death opens it up, and Sensei comes out.
“What? Who are you? Yusuke, what’s going on here?”
Yusuke grips the angel of death’s hand tighter, and she looks at him.
“I’m not going to do this for you.”
Yusuke swallows. “What did you do to Mama?”
“What?” Madarame laughs, “Yusuke what are you talking about?”
“You said she dropped dead in front of you, did you do something to her?”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to insinuate, but you’re being very ungrateful after everything I’ve done for you.”
“You stole The Sayuri from Mama. You said it was lucky she died! What happened?”
Sensei makes his scary face, and Yusuke instinctively opens his mouth to apologize when the angel of death squeezes his hand.
“I didn’t do anything,” Sensei says. “She had a seizure in front of me and let it happen.”
“You killed her,” Yusuke says, barely above a whisper.
“What was that?”
“You killed her! If Mama has a seizure you’re s’posed to get her the medicine in the green bottle and call the ambulance! You didn’t even try!” Tears are streaming down his cheeks.
“You can think whatever you want, but you won’t be able to prove it,” Sensei says. “I don’t know who your friend is, but she’s trespassing. My private security will–”
Faster than anyone can react, the angel of death pulls out a gun and holds it to Sensei’s head.
“N-now, let’s all be calm,” Sensei says. “Yusuke, what happened to your mother was an unfortunate accident. I couldn’t have done anything! Besides, I’ve been good to you haven’t I? I raised you as my own!”
The angel of death looks at Yusuke, silently asking a question. He thinks it over for an eternity.
“Did Mama beg you for help too?” Yusuke asks.
The anger on Madarame’s face is answer enough.
Yusuke nods at the angel, and she points the gun at her own head.
“Come, Medea.”
With the pull of a trigger, something…. terrifying and beautiful comes out of her and starts glowing.
Madarame starts screaming and Yusuke closes his eyes and turns away. He doesn’t look back when the screaming stops.
“So, now can you take me to see Mama?” Yusuke asks the angel of death.
“I can’t take you to see her now,” she says, “but you can see her soon. If you’d like to come with me.”
Yusuke nods. There’s nothing left for him here now.