Archive of Our Own

Idia is wrist-deep, working out the best circuit board for his project, ORTHO, when his monitor blinks to life. Idia only noticed because the alert color was his Little Brother's favorite hue. Idia never bothered to change it after the Accident, and seeing the familiar pigment both irks and soothes him.

The location of the notification stemmed from outside his room, and Idia shuddered down a twitch at the thought of stepping outside.

But…It could be important. Idia looks at his hands. Hands that were far too small to be working for hours on end, bruised up and aching. He could not afford to let possible unknown factors run free on the Island of Woe. I guess a five-minute break wouldn't be too bad. Idia stood up, stalked up to the doorknob, and glanced back at the array of parts, wires, and blueprints.

"Wait for me, Ortho," Idia promised and opened the door to darkness. "I promise I'll be back."

Goosebumps on his neck, hallucinatory screams in his ears, Idia placed a hand on the wall and walked.

Idia finds the anomaly as his hand accidentally slides into it, the previous stability vanishing as gravity takes hold. Idia shrieked as he fell through a massive hole, colors whisking by his vision.

Idia did his best to cradle his head as his body hit the smooth ground of somewhere new. A whine tore from strained lips; Idia dragged his fingers closer to his stomach from the nauseating experience. Idia would've stayed there for a good five minutes too, if he didn't distantly catch the sound of worn breathing. Frozen, Idia raised his head, both frazzled and spooked.

But it wasn't anyone scary. Not really.

It was a boy close to Ortho's age, from what Idia could see. And…

"H-Hey!" Idia scrambled over to the other boy and collapsed on the floor, heart in his throat, trembling at his sneakers. "What's wrong? Why are you…?" Idia catches sight of some tacky VR set before he turns his attention back on the beyond-pale, sickly boy in front of him. Idia gently rocked the nameless boy, feeling cold. "Wake up!"

Idia can't do this again. Where did that Rabbit Hole take him?

That's what this is, right? A Rabbit Hole led me here. They can happen anywhere and I was unlucky enough to go through one! Sevens, why couldn't this happen back then too…? No. He cannot think about it. Idia will not think about it. Instead, he will focus on the boy in front of him.

Cobalt-colored hair Idia would've wanted if he wished to be normal, and a special tuff of pink the color of sakura at the front, emerald eyes blinked open warily.

Idia stared. The nameless boy stared back as if disbelieving.

Idia did his best to offer a smile, relieved.

Then the boy cried out, shuddering, and wriggling away pathetically.

Idia's stomach sank as he realized the boy who couldn't have been older than his precious brother, lacked the energy to jump up and flee to the wall as he should.

"Are, are you a demon? An Oni?" Whimpered the boy, and Idia's hair burned from a flare of irritation.

"For the last time, I'm not a demon, not some weird spirit, I'm human! I just happen to have flame hair!" Idia ranted, digging at his wispy strains.

"And shark teeth," The sickly boy murmured.

"That too! My little brother had the same teeth! It's a bloodline thing!" Idia paused, glancing around the room of white walls and small space before peering back down at the VR set. Idia sat down, picking up the VR device and tilting it in his hands. "I'm Idia. Idia Shroud," Idia doubted the other boy knew anything about the Shroud family.

Idia's fingers twitched with the need to dissect this old device. He's seen better!

"Are you…Are you real?" The boy asked tiredly.

"Yeah," Idia bluntly told him. "I'm real. You're real. This meeting shouldn't be happening but because Twisted Wonderland is a bucket of holes, here I am. Where is this place and who are you?" Idia reached into his pocket and took out a screwdriver. He searches and finds the opening of the device fairly quickly.

A slower blink was given, as if uncomprehending. "Yusaku. Yusaku Fujiki."

Idia hummed, unscrewing the nails keeping the VR plastic together.

"And I…I don't know where I am." Yusaku whispered, hoarse and exhausted.

Idia paused. He glanced back at Yusaku. Originally, Idia was keeping his distance because touch was hardly on the table for either of them. Idia was overwhelmed, and Yusaku looked frightened. With this new information, Idia felt a block of weighted ice begin to slide down his spine.

"Um. I might be lost by what you mean. Could you explain a little more?" Idia would always ask his brother to repeat things when the meaning was unclear.

"I shouldn't be here." Yusaku retorted firmly, growing a fire in his eyes. "I never wanted to be here. Everything hurts and I'm so hungry." Yusaku hiccuped once, twice, and Idia was frozen as tears began to bead and drop from the boy's eyes. "Please. If you're real-Get me out of here." Yusaku begged, with the desperation of a child who wanted to live.

Very slowly, Idia took a closer look around the room.

There were cameras high above. In Idia's hands was an innocent VR set. Yusaku looked as if someone kept draining life from him. The walls were white as snow, like the flooring. It was almost as if this were a white void.

Idia was voiceless. The puzzle was slowly putting itself together, the Shroud family held experiments and cages for Phantoms.

However, Idia has heard of this type of thing.

Experiments.

Experiments on people. Experiments on children.

Of all the Rabbit Holes to end up in, why this? And where did the Rabbit Hole vanish off to? Outside this room?

Idia swallowed thickly, his hair burning at an increased rate.

"Please," Yusaku whispered, a sniffle banishing his vision to further tears. "Please."

Idia is not a hero. He's a pathetic one-off character who couldn't even protect his own little brother when the time came.

I think you'd be a cool hero, Nii-chan! Ortho's voice is still so very clear in Idia's mind. Had it really been so long since the funeral? Let's go on an adventure together! I'm sure there's a bunch of side-quests for us to do! It sounds fun, right?

Idia never wanted this type of quest. Due to the existence of Ortho's casket, Idia could never be in the heroic lead. No matter how many anime and games diminish the character's trauma with familial death, Idia could hardly leave his room due to the difficulty. It was suffocating. Existing was tiring.

Yusaku's eyes are teary with a similar despair to Ortho's on that stupid, horrendous day. At least this time, Idia can see the droplets on the floor.

There was no darkness to cover them both with lurking monsters.

Just blinding light, revealing true beasts can be hidden within Humanity.

"Okay," Idia promised, his voice, hoarse and scratchy. "I'll do my best." Even if he has no idea how to achieve it.

He stood up, legs feeling like jelly, and stumbled over to Yusaku. Idia kneeled down and made careful note of where was best to support the younger boy.

"Let's get you out of here." It's a promise. "I came here by accident—I'm sure I can take you with me, too." Idia is certain they don't have a lot of time. The fact there hadn't been anyone barging into here, meant the cameras weren't strictly watched. Humans have to sleep, and who knows how short of a timeframe it'll be until the grace period breaks? What if the Rabbit Hole had moved close by due to some unforeseen circumstance? Was there any technology here capable of detecting it?

Yusaku smiled limply and forced himself to sit up. "Okay."

Well, Idia mutely thought under all his despair. I guess the enemy tech finding it first wouldn't matter either way. Breakouts aren't meant to be quiet.

And people like this…Idia wouldn't want to show them mercy anyway.

Idia helped Yusaku to his feet and looked toward the ground-shut door. It didn't look like a door at all, some kind of automatic opening. This room was less of a space and more of a cage by this addition alone.

Idia thickly swallowed. "Yusaku?"

"What is it," Yusaku murmured, sounding pained for someone so small. He was barely awake, either lacking energy or motivation to show emotion.

Which is ridiculous. Idia is certain this behavior was the result of constant deprivation of several important factors to human life. His stomach felt like it were in knots.

"Are you hurt?" Idia scanned up and down the door embedded into the walls. A plan forms in his mind, but it is beyond reckless.

"I kept losing the game," Yusaku tells him, in a detached tone chilling enough to feel like a paperweight against Idia's arm.

Idia thought back to the VR set. He didn't say anything, waiting for further explanation.

"I get shocked when I'm not fast enough to win." Yusaku finishes and rolls up his sleeves to show the cobwebs of damaged skin marked on his arms and wrists.

Idia bit his lip so hard it bled. "Yusaku?"

There is a fireball in his stomach.

"Yes, Idia?" Yusaku doesn't harbor the same fear he had all those minutes ago. He merely sounded out of it. At least Yusaku was choosing to be docile toward him rather than rabid, considering the horrors going on in this room.

Idia wondered if it was the consequence of another person's kind touch after so long. If Idia had a chance for a better guess, he'd say Yusaku was just glad to see another person who wasn't a hostile threat to himself.

"Try not to breathe in the steam or debris." That's the best warning Idia could give at the moment.

"The what?" Yusaku shifted against his arm, curious.

Idia raised his hand, summoned a flare of magical ice to his disposal, and fired.

The ice cracked and splattered against the door like crystals. The door creaked heavily as ice invaded every tiny crack, any opening, but Idia wasn't done. He threw a shot of fire where the newest damage in the door lay exposed. With a loud pop and crack, the door shrieked from the pressure and broke off onto the floor.

Idia grinned, the exhilaration running through his veins. He could feel any hint of blot build-up burned away by the intensity of his hair. Idia panted but once the door fell down and revealed a hallway, there was no time left to lose.

Idia began hurriedly guiding Yusaku out of there. He did his best to ignore the younger child's visible awe in dim emerald eyes.

"Your hair turned orange." Yusaku breathed.

"That's because I'm angry," Idia grumbled as he glanced up and down the hall suspiciously. The building seemed empty but there were also other shut doors. Idia cocked his head back to squint at the room the two just left.

Not a hint of alarm sirens to be found. It's clear the monsters in charge didn't believe any of the children would be able to stage a breakout. Fury burned in the form of amber flames.

"Because of me?" Yusaku murmured.

"Not because of you. For you." Idia firmly said.

"Oh." Yusaku squirmed out of stress, and Idia continued to lead Yusaku down the hall. "What's your home like? Can everyone do what you're doing now?" There was no need to continue the conversation, but it was clear the younger boy didn't want to sit in uneasy silence.

Idia understood. He was busy trying not to implode himself. From wrath. From outrage. All of his negative feelings for the past year were wrapped into a fireball threatening to fly like the first door of this world.

So you guys don't have magic. Idia warily eyed the shut doors as the two went by. "Many can. Some can't. It doesn't matter. I'll teach you on the way."

"Will you?" Yusaku's voice was meek and hopeful.

He sounded so much like Ortho it hurt.

Idia's eyes burned as he blinked away possible tears. "Yeah, why not? I…I could use an assistant anyway. I'm going to become a powerful programmer. Hacker. All of that. I'm going to be strong," Idia glanced down the lifeless hall of white and hints of gray. "We just need to find the Rabbit Hole again. They move sometimes, but not far from where they originally opened up. We'll leave going through it."

A sharp rumble broke Idia's concentration.

"Sorry," Yusaku mumbled. "I haven't eaten in a while."

Idia reached into his pocket and whipped out a protein bar. This snack was mostly on the sweeter side, as Ortho liked sweet things, and Idia enjoyed surprising his little brother with gifts. By this point, carrying this brand was a habit Idia couldn't seem to break. Even in Idia's room, there were toys left out by his brother, never to be moved unless worn down to dust.

Yusaku eyed the bar with the stern curiosity of a child seeing a bumble bee for the first time.

"It's not gonna bite you, it's food." Idia opened the bar, the smell of chocolate better than the sterile smell in this terrible facility. "Here." He even broke off a piece to eat for himself, guessing Yusaku wouldn't trust him fully. It was the younger boy's right. Idia did his best not to make a fast at the overly sweet taste.

"I haven't had food in a while," Yusaku replied, curt and bitter enough to grapple Idia's heart with thorns. "I only get yucky chalky jello. And sometimes it tastes like that pink thing you get at the dentist." The resentment in his voice burned faster than Idia's slowly bluing hair.

Idia couldn't help the grimace on his face. "I don't think they're giving you actual fluoride," Then remembered he was talking to a young boy who was likely not studying various minerals and uses. "Never mind, it sounds gross. But this is sweet. Try it?" Yusaku would have to get his strength up!

There was a moment of quiet, Idia kept his eyes ahead for any cameras and heard a small crunch.

"...It's better than anything I got here at least," Yusaku mumbled.

With a crinkle of wrapper, Yusaku finished the rest in moments.

Idia couldn't help the soft giggle breaking through his previously calm exterior. When he managed to sneak a glance at Yusaku, the younger boy was also smiling, no matter how little.

Idia flinched as the lights abruptly dimmed.

It felt like a repeat of a waking nightmare. For a brief second, Idia couldn't think or breathe.

"Huh? What?" Idia sputtered as Yusaku's little fingers gripped harder on his arm. The jolt of pain brought him back to reality. "Oh, I get it," Idia hissed as Yusaku didn't need to say a word under all his trembling. "So they finally noticed." Idia's eye twitched. "That's fine with me. We had a long grace period."

Idia hurried them along, he ignored the uncomfortable pit of fear in his heart. Idia isn't sure how many monster adults would be charging them. If they were to be caught, Yusaku would be back at square one, and Idia would be the second victim. Who knows if the two would even meet again after this?

"What do we do?" Yusaku mumbled, and despite his exhaustion, the boy trembled.

"We keep going!" Idia grinned, wild and unrestrained. "Don't worry. This time…This time I'll protect you." He promised Yusaku, as well as a vow to another brother long gone. Idia's hair glowed in the dark like a night light. It was a dead giveaway for their location but at least there was no bumping into dead ends.

Idia has an immense paranoia of the dark. Idia's senses felt heightened by any possible perceived movement unrelated to his or Yusaku's steps.

This is precisely why Idia detected the tall shadow turning the corner no matter how dim-dark the halls were.

"Back off!" Idia snarled and threw a wall of wind with a raised hand of force.

A man yelled, frantic and frightened. Yusaku flinches from the sound of whistling magic, but the target slams against the nearest surface with a loud thud.

"Is he dead?" Yusaku shuddered.

"Who cares? Let's go!" Let the captors face worse than a powered-down wind spell. If Idia were older, he would've blasted the bad guy to pieces! "We have to think of our own safety," Idia bit his own tongue. "These adults deserve every last thing coming to them! We're just trying to get back home,"

Idia's smile only sharpened when Yusaku nodded into his arm.

The two boys ran down the halls. There had been more than one man after all, but Idia didn't hesitate to protect himself and Yusaku. Idia let loose shots of water, fire, and even more wind when needed. The screams and shouts from the ensuing adults rushed adrenaline into Idia's ears.

These people couldn't defend themselves from him at all.

This is how it should've been. An easier game. Less supernatural ambushers and more one-sidedness on Idia's part.

"Hold it!" The voice of a woman cut through the dark, along with the vibrating tase of tamed electricity. "Boy, how did you even get in here?!" She gasped right after as if finally catching the blaze of heat-red fire of Idia's rage.

"Fuck off!" Idia snapped.

"That's a bad word," Yusaku mumbled but his grip on Idia tightened considerably, he must've heard the threat.

Idia gripped his control and fired a threat of cosmic-void magic. It was easier to aim with the faint light of electricity crackling to life in a reckless attempt to frighten two children with nothing left to lose but themselves.

The woman shrieked, the taser breaking into pieces due to the concentrated magic.

Idia threw a wave of wind just to hear the satisfying thud of their assailant hitting the opposite wall.

"Alright, let's go!" Idia rushed out, and Yusaku nodded into his arm.

They were close to the Rabbit Hole-Idia can feel it in his gut. The Gamer Instinct he had in gaming.

A door up ahead flew open in the dark.

Idia knew that was the one.

"Come on, Yusaku," Idia murmured. "It's going to be a lot, but at least you don't get to stay here anymore. Are you scared?" He wouldn't blame the younger boy if so. Idia would've been freaking out if some random kid showed up and started blasting. At the very least, this reckless action was for the greater good.

"A little," Yusaku exhaled. "But I'm okay…But…"

But? The two begin to cross into the new room, and Idia's breath stuttered the second he saw the glimmer of the rabbit hole in the new room.

The end goal! Idia breezed in relief, shoulders lowering.

"I wonder about the other boy." Yusaku murmured, distant and hollow.

Idia froze mid-step from the absurdity. "There's another—?"

Yusaku screamed as he was abruptly torn away from Idia's side by large hands.

The sound downright gave Idia's heart frostbite, and he whirled to face a large man in a lab coat holding Yusaku by the throat and waist. Yusaku thrashes regardless, kicks weak, and bites non-effective.

How did I not notice him?! Idia snapped to reactive awareness.

"No!" Idia snarled and raised his fingers but a harsh kick to the stomach sent him off the ground and into the wall. He landed next to the portal with a loud clap of karma. The world spun, his stomach painfully twisted, and Idia choked on spit as he shuddered from the agony rippling through him. "Yu…Yusaku…Put him down," Idia wheezed, crawling to sit up while drool fell down his lips. "Let him…Go. You have no right…To do this!"

To Yusaku. To anybody.

"We don't know what you are," The man hissed back. "Or where you came from, Oni, but go back to the Spirit realm of once you've came! You won't be taking this one!" The delusional lab coat yelled as if he were in the right.

As if the scientist wasn't a kidnapper weaponizing electricity against children.

"I'm not a fucking Oni!" Idia shouted. "I'm human! Unlike monsters like you!"

Yusaku hiccuped a sob. Idia wanted to burn the man's face off.

The Rabbit Hole next to him sang a wind's whistle. It would've been loud to Idia's ears if his head wasn't already ringing. Idia's core ached with desperation and his teeth itched with the need to defend, to do something for Yusaku.

To save someone because a hero should be helping, not standing around!

"Oh, whatever!" Idia's fingers crackled with void magic as he forced down the discomfort remaining from the shot to the stomach. "I'm not leaving without him!" Idia won't let another monster in the dark steal an innocent boy away. Not in front of him! He refused!

"Quit struggling," The man snapped at Yusaku, shaking the younger boy roughly after another harsh child bite. "I'm trying to save you from this Thing, Number Six!"

Idia was confident in his ability to aim and slaughter the man in front of him without harming Yusaku.

Ever since the funeral, he's been shooting at practice targets in his own room to blow off steam. Whenever Idia was stuck on Ortho's programming, he would blast those moving targets and picture them to be whatever took his brother away in the first place. Fire to incinerate, wind to cut into pieces, and void to tear into nothingness.

This man is no different from those phantoms. This monster deserved the same fate.

Think about the consequences later. Think about how this will further twist Idia's morals as an adult, later.

Die, Idia vowed, full of venom.

He focused on the output of void magic placed into the air and threw it at the man's legs.

Before it could contact flesh, a bright flash of light flared to life.

The sunbeam of blinding luminosity smacked against the voided dark, sparking fireworks of pain in the eyes.

Idia has never seen light magic before but he now knows it's the worst counterpart to something as empty as void.

The split second of quiet explodes with a shockwave.

There was no fighting the amount of winded recoil slamming into him.

Idia screamed as he was forced in a random direction, but his ears caught a desperate shout.

"I-Idia! Idia!" Yusaku yelled for him, voice shrill and likely still trapped in the arms of that Monster. "No! Don't leave me here, Idia!"

Idia forced his eyes open, just to realize the direction he was thrown was not random, but in the path of the Rabbit Hole still spinning away. He tried to grab onto something but it was impossible. Idia fell through, out of the world of white and into the darkness of his home station. Idia did his best to scramble to his feet.

"Yusa-" The portal collapsed shut as if the disturbance was too great for space and time.

Idia dumbly stared at where the Rabbit Hole used to be.

The hall was still dark as if not much time passed here. Idia wasn't sure, but his mind was elsewhere, like the fact he returned alone, despite promising to bring Yusaku out of that terrible place.

But no, the portal went and vanished! Just like that!

Straight bullshit! It's…It's…

It's over.

"Yusaku," Idia exhaled, quivering as his fingers flexed with nothing to hold. "No. I was just…No…No!" He kicked the wall, hair lit with fiery white rage. "I was right there! And I couldn't do anything for him! Not again! Not again…! Why am I so useless?" Idia dissolved into frustrated wails. He screamed until his voice went hoarse, and even then, Idia kept crying until his throat ached to do more than croak. His nails scratched at the walls until they broke and bled.

Heroes didn't exist.

But dead children did.

Another year, another pointless ceremony.

Thankfully, Idia didn't have to attend any of that! He remained in his own bubble, using his tablet to communicate and direct his new freshmen to the dorm. There was also a little dinner but no one at Ignihyde cared about conversing. And so, Idia showed up for two seconds, introduced himself and how all questions went to Ortho unless urgent, then made his killer escape.

He felt eyes on him, but that wasn't anything new. Idia just had to wait out the curiosity of the newbies. Night Raven College students can be freaky, look at Rook Hunt for example.

Now, it was the depths of the night. Everyone should be locked up in their room by choice, either swarming the net or sleeping.

Idia stepped into the dorm kitchen because Ortho alerted him to his new edition drink arriving, placed in the fridge.

With a gleeful whistle, Idia threw the door open, fingers fiddling together as he reached in and pulled out the pink fizzy drink with the accompanying glass. Idia's hair simmered at a slow burn as he opened the sugar-drink can. Idia tensed up when the corner of his vision noticed a shadow, someone standing by the kitchen doorway.

"It looks like you safely made it to adulthood after all." The voice is unfamiliar, but the words are chilly and coy. "Ortho is a good assistant. I hope you continue to take care of him."

Idia turned his head warily.

Sakura and ocean blue. Emerald eyes, the same shape that had haunted Idia's dreams for years.

The glass shattered against the floor.

"Good night, Housewarden," Yusaku hummed. "Or should I address you, as Idia Shroud?"