Chapter Text
Akito had just finished packing for his trip to America when he heard a knock on this bedroom door, shortly followed by Ena, his older sister, saying, "Can I come in?"
"Okay."
She walked into the room and handed him a small cardboard box. "Here."
"What's this? A box?"
"Just open it." she said, crossing her arms.
He opened it slowly, considering she had a habit of pranking him, to find a leather passport case inside. "Airi and I bought it today, think of it as a farewell gift."
"A farewell gift? It's not like I'm never coming back." He said rolling his eyes, but chuckling a bit despite himself.
"You could've just said thank you." Ena replied, hands on her hips.
He tried to stay mad but simply said "Thanks, I'll use it." She looked proud of herself and walked away after a quick "Good, you better."
Akito leaned against the doorway and looked at the red case. He didn't think she'd do something like that. He tucked the passport into the case, said goodbye to his parents and left.
~~~~
This was one of the biggest accomplishments of his life. VBS had just achieved it's goal of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, now, it was time to expand farther than just Vivid street. He'd wanted to visit the U.S. for years now —and he'd heard that there's a store near their hotel that makes delicious pancakes for cheap prices.
"Helloooooo??? Akitooooo???????"
An's voice snapped him back to reality. They had arrived at the airport.
~~~~
"Attention passengers, the plane is now taking off. Please put on your seatbelts and stay in your seats."
This is it, there's no going back now. Vivid Bad Squad, the group of kids who surpassed that legendary night, was now going to take over the world. That was a promise.
"Are you excited?" His boyfriend, Toya, looked at him with those silver eyes he always knew and loved.
"More than ever." Akito said, grabbing his hand and looking out the window —Toya didn't want the window seat due to his fear of heights, which was fine for Akito since he enjoyed looking out at the view.
Not much later, the plane intercom came on and let them all know that they could take off their seatbelts and feel free to walk around now. Akito felt a tap on his head to find An leaning over his seat with the biggest grin he's ever seen.
"Can you believe it?! This is farther than I ever expected us to go! I can't wait to see the U.S!!!"
"Remember that this is for VBS, the food and attractions aren't our top priority." Akito grunted back, head tilted up to make eye contact with her.
An rolled her eyes and said, "Don't act like you don't also want to try the food! I saw you eyeing those pancakes!"
"It's alright, dear, let's try to just get along for the plane ride.." Kohane said, putting a hand on An's shoulder. They both sat back down, but An continued bouncing in her seat.
Akito looked over at Toya, who was reading a book with his earphones in, and decided that it'd be best to take a short nap for the beginning of the flight. After all, time would pass by faster if he was asleep for it all.
~~~~
Akito startled awake as Toya jostled his shoulder. The intercom was on, were they landing? Damn, had he truly slept the full 10 hours of the flight?
"Attention passengers, due to unexpected weather conditions, we'll be experiencing mild turbulence. Please sit down and put on your seatbelts to avoid injury."
Great. Now he'd never get that much needed rest.
He was about to start playing a game on his phone when the plane started shaking so hard he dropped it. He heard Kohane squeal a bit behind him. He turned around and saw that she was hugging An's arm as if her life depended on it. The mild annoyance turned into small panic as the shaking got stronger and lightning got dangerously close to the plane. Toya's grip on his hand tightened and his heart quickened, but he just kept telling himself that it'd be alright.
After a particularly loud thunder, the shaking stopped and he felt himself relax a bit, until the intercom came on.
"We're going down, please brace for impact."
Fuck.
He looked over his shoulder again at Kohane, who was now crying, and then craned his neck further to see An, who was trying her best to console her despite the obvious terror in her eyes.
To his left, Toya was pale as a ghost as he looked at Akito with what looked like defeat.
No... There's no way... This is simply a nightmare. He held Toya's hand as hard as he could and looked at the passport case Ena had given him before the flight. Tears filled his eyes as the reality began to sink in. This wasn't a dream. The plane was really crashing. He'd never see his friends or family again. He was going to die in a plane crash. What would his parents think? Ena? What about his classmates, like Kusanagi? The people he's sung with, like Arata? Hell even Tenma and Akiyama? What about the rest of VBS? What were they thinking.
Akito looked out the window again and saw a new view. The view of the ground slowly getting closer. He heard An telling Kohane she loved her before everything stopped around him.
••••
He can't feel his legs... Or anything for that matter... Looking over at his, now dead, partner one last time, Akito thought about his choices leading up to this moment. He was still clutching that red case.
"It's not like I'm never coming back." He'd said. He closed his eyes and whispered "I'm sorry..." Before exhaling to never inhale again.