Chapter Text
“I want to meet you in every place I have loved.”
― Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone, This is How You Lose the Time War
The faint light is in the distance—so brightly close that it could possibly blind Nene if she stared into it for too long, yet so far and out of reach.
It teased her with the false hope of finding a way out of the madness she’s caught herself in—wherever in the world she is. That is if she’s still even on Earth.
When Nene awoke, she found herself in this void, walking on nothing whatsoever, but still able to find footing on some invisible, solid ground. Here, there seems to be nothing except a vast and infinite expanse of darkness.
Except for that damned light that seems to move further and further the more she walks towards it.
She doesn’t know how long she’s been walking, or how she ended up here. The last thing she remembers was crossing the road and hearing the horn of a truck she realized was quickly barreling towards her. She just had the perfect day with Rui, but now she was nowhere and somewhere, complete nothingness, but still physical.
The question ‘Am I dead?’ crossed her mind, stopping her in her tracks.
Thinking about it terrified her; to be forced to walk forever, chasing a light that never seems to be within reach, to live (if you can call it living, to begin with) an eternity that was essentially torture. Was this really the afterlife that she, and everyone else who had died before and after her, were destined to undergo?
She’d seen anime like this before, but she’d obviously never expected herself to go through such a thing. Humans can only handle what they find normal, and now that the veil of normalcy had broken, revealing what was awaiting her after death, she could barely wrap her head around it, with the possibility of insanity just right around the corner.
Or maybe the light would drive her insane first? Who knows.
But when Nene inched closer, it became clear that the light wasn’t just a light anymore.
She had finally made it, that damned light in the distance that seemed unreachable, now within mere feet of her.
Nene’s eyes refocused, now having to adjust to so much light right in front of her when all she could see moments before was the pure absence of such light.
And there, stationed before her, was an entire video game store.
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧ A FEW HOURS EARLIER ✧･ﾟ:*彡♫
A warm hand finds itself interlaced in Nene’s, while Nene holds a cold can of cola in the other. Against the prickling heat of the sun, she found a nice contrast between all the varying temperatures. A red-and-white checkered picnic blanket is sat below the couple as Nene huddled close to her boyfriend, Rui.
They had already planned to do this some time ago. A little picnic to celebrate Nene’s birthday with just the two of them alone, before the actual party began with the rest of her friends.
It was a perfect idea, seeing how the day allowed itself to be lustrous just for them, just for this moment—as if the universe was passing this to her as a personal gift. But, Nene had this curse where she had something amazing happen to her before something bad came along and ruined it all. An ultimate feeling of inevitability, like how a sunny day can quickly become rainy without any sort of warning.
Maybe the universe could let up just for her birthday? That’s what Nene hoped for, at least—not as a birthday wish, but as a silent prayer to the universe.
The picnic had come to an end, and they just finished eating the sandwiches Nene’s mom prepared for the two of them. Supported by the evidence of the crumbs around them, as well as a now-empty picnic basket that lay next to the two.
In the distance, a mother walks with a stroller carrying her baby, as a jogger walking his dog passes them by in the park. A leaf falls right into Nene’s lap, unnoticed, and is quickly swept away by the wind.
Rui turns his head to her and places a soft kiss on her temple, which is fast met with a mumble from Nene.
But, even if she tries to act indifferent, this day couldn’t get any more flawless. In fact, her life couldn’t get any better than this. After saving the Wonder Stage from the grasp of Emu’s brothers, being able to overcome her own fears of singing on a stage, and finding the love that’s been right under her nose—or, right next to her ever since she moved to Tokyo—she couldn’t ask for anything more.
Contentment filled both the skies and her heart.
“So, since it’s your birthday, I made a little something for you.” Rui smiled, beaming as if he were the sun himself. “But!” Nene groaned, of course, there was a but. There was always a ‘but’ with Rui. “You can’t open it until you get home, or else you’ll lose the suspense!”
“The suspense?” Nene sighed but smiled anyway. “Alright, I’ll open it later. But, it better be worth the surprise.”
“I promise it will.” Rui leaned in close and kissed her, the taste and the softness of his lips never leaving Nene’s even as he retracted, the feeling forever etched into her lips like second nature. “That being said, it is getting pretty late, no? Mind if I take you home, my lady?” Rui stood up, extending a hand for Nene to take as if he were some old-fashioned gentleman.
“You’re so corny…” Nene couldn’t help but fall in love with him a little more. No matter what he did, there was always something worth falling for.
“But that’s why you love me,” Rui said as she took his hand and Rui pulled her up safely. To that, she had no objections.
Nene finished the cola and threw it away in a trashcan that happened to be nearby, just as Rui was able to finish packing the entire picnic back into the basket. She joined him, hand in his yet again, as if they were two magnets, never leaving the other’s presence. Always together, constantly pulling the other back in with their force.
They walked out of the park, leaving behind the silent peace of the park. The loud busyness that surrounded the streets of Tokyo slowly crept its way in, an atmosphere that they’d both become used to by now. Sounds of cars, music coming from the advertisement screens, and the chatter of pedestrians occupying their senses.
Commenting and marveling at the different stores and areas as they walked, with words of ‘We should go there soon’ and ‘Oh, I’ve been there before’, Nene’s smile never seemed to falter as she held the birthday present in her hand, a little gift-wrapped box finished with a bow, perfectly fitting into her palm, just like how Rui’s did in her other. Never before has the future looked bright—for both of them and for everything else, like their little theater troupe and the Wonder Stage.
They finally arrived at the intersection where they sadly were to part ways. Usually, they would walk together since they lived right next to each other, but Rui told Nene that he had to go prepare something extra for her party. The need to always be extra, even though he already gave her a present, was a fault of Rui that Nene gladly accepted; just like every other little fault of his, the same way he appreciated every little fault of hers.
Perfectly fitting into each other—two pieces to a puzzle.
Unfailingly, the light turned red, and with strong reluctance, Nene let go of his hand yet kept a tight grip on the little present in her hand. Her fist balled up and wrapped around the box, feeling the sharp texture of its edges poking her skin. She turned to Rui and gave him one final smile and goodbye before she ultimately had to cross the street back home.
“See you later? My party’s gonna be at night, and, you know…” Nene sighed and shook her head to stop herself. “Ugh, whatever. You know this already. Just make sure to remind Tsukasa and Emu for me. They’re probably goofing off right now… they didn’t even see my messages…” She grumbled at the last part, which was met with a light chuckle from Rui.
“Of course. I’ll see you later,” Rui said, leaving one last peck on her cheek.
As Nene turned and stepped onto the crosswalk, a truck began to barrel down the street. Thinking it’d stop before it reached her, she kept walking anyway.
People always stopped at red lights, that was the law.
But, with one frightening honk, Nene froze in her tracks, gripping onto the present as if it held inside a button to stop all time—some kind of saving grace, some deus ex machina that would safely stop the truck and allow her to walk away freely.
As the truck continued without end, Nene realized that “later” didn’t exist anymore. No longer was that an option for her to pick—all options were off the table, blocked from her. There was no time to run out of the way, to run back into the safety of Rui’s arms—the truck was too wide.
With a scream that rivaled the truck’s horn, Rui tried to run to her, push her out of the way like some love interest in a drama Nene had watched somewhere.
But this wasn’t fiction, and not everybody got their happy ending.
That became a lesson Nene would never forget as she was met face-to-face with blinding headlights, clouding her vision, before her body became weightless, meeting her fate.
Her body became as light as air for a good few seconds after the collision. It was like she was floating. Maybe she had already become a spirit by now. At the very least, she didn’t feel the truck crash into her body.
However, when Nene’s eyes finally adjusted, the weight in her body came back, once again becoming physical. Dazed, she thought that her eyes were closed until she realized.
She was in a pitch-black void.
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧ NOW ✧･ﾟ:*彡♫
Initially, Nene couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to.
Why would there be a video game store in the middle of… well, inexistence?
It was a bright contrast of light in a sea of darkness. It seemed wrong.
With a store, though, maybe there was a staff member inside who could help her? Nene tried to think brighter thoughts, but it was hard to do that when she felt like she was standing inside a black hole—something that consumed all light. What can a simple overworked and underpaid cashier do to help her? Give her a discount? Why would there even be a worker here in the first place???
But… it’s not like she has anywhere else to go. Left with no other choice, except for the one flickering and buzzing right in front of her, she enters through the glass doors that automatically open for her, as if expecting her presence.
The moment she steps into the store, she’s instantly greeted with a plastic smell and the dim, buzzing lights she’s starting to become all too familiar with. With the memory of visiting a million other video game stores, she doesn’t seem to recognize this place. It was strangely familiar as if this place were a distant memory she couldn’t access, locked behind an invisible wall. Yet, she was sure she’d never been in this specific store before. She doesn’t remember there being any sort of sign or indicator as to the name of this store.
There had only been a gigantic blue pentagon symbol without any name or branding.
As she explored the store, with the soles of her shoes tapping against the white tiles that shined under the dim, fluorescent lights above, she didn’t seem to recognize any of the names of the countless video game cases stocked on the shelves. Actually, they weren’t even intelligible names, just practically gibberish pasted in front of a background. Posted on the walls was the same blue pentagon she saw outside.
Was this their logo?
And yet… it all looked so well-maintained.
It was somewhat eerie as if there was somebody here. Nowhere to be seen, but able to see her.
She hated the silence, how desolate the store perceived itself to be. Liminal, some people would describe it. A place that would normally feel lively, filled with people of all ages browsing the shelves to purchase a new game, reduced to an overpowering emptiness, with shelves stocked full of games, but with nobody to buy them. It was as if she was in-between time itself, existing and not existing at the same time.
She eyed a cashier counter. It didn’t seem like anybody was working. An old analog TV sat on top of the counter, a DVD player connected right next to it. Next to the TV was a clock hung on the wall. The time was exactly 00:00, and the hands were unmoving.
Reality began to set in. She was in the afterlife, she was dead, and never going back to her life. How else would any of this be happening? Unless this was some incredibly messed-up prank show, there existed no other explanation.
Looking around the store, she felt a gaze piercing into her like a blade, like a ray of the sun burning a hole into her.
She felt, until it was no longer a feeling but a fact.
As she turned around, she was met with blond hair and equally yellow eyes. A presence that she had acquainted with the word “loud” and all of its synonyms.
“Tsukasa?”