Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fungami Yuya rode down the bustling streets of Morioh on his way to school. It was like any other day, and Yuya very much enjoyed the peacefulness brought upon by Yoshikage Kira’s defeat. It had been quite a long while since that man’s defeat and Reimi’s ascension to heaven, so long in fact that Yuya had to do a double-take when he passed by a street lamp that had a missing person poster taped to it, with Koichi seemingly looking at it.

Missing posters and police investigations were still ongoing, but due to the nature of Kira’s attacks, he knew it was futile for them. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how the families of the missing people felt. One thing was for certain though, it was something that could never be undone unfortunately. Even though he had never met any of these people, there was some guilt within his heart. Perhaps it was due to how he was once an accomplice to Yoshihiro? He wasn’t sure.

Yuya turned around and stopped his bike close to where Koichi was. The young boy seemed to be looking at the poster with a rather pensive look on his face. Yuya walked closer and took a look at the poster, and it didn’t take long for him to figure out why.

It was a missing person poster of Enigma — now that he thought about it, they never really got his name — and judging by the condition of the paper, it looked like it had been there for quite some time now. Yesterday’s rain didn’t even deter it one bit, with the text still surprisingly legible.

“Hey Koichi, how long have you been looking at that poster?” Yuya got off his bike while Koichi turned around to face him. His expression quickly shifted to one of surprise at Yuya’s arrival.

“Oh! Didn’t see you there Yuya! Heading for school too?” Koichi’s solemn demeanour switched to his usual cheerfulness.

“Yeah, but then I saw you looking at that missing person poster,” Yuya pointed at said poster. “Is it another one of Kira’s victims?”

“Well… not exactly. The picture on the poster is faded, but the description and text on it are luckily still legible. But I suggest you take a read for yourself.” Koichi stepped aside to let the biker take a look.

Yuya wasn’t sure of what to make of it but decided to take Koichi’s word. He expected it to be about Shigechi since he recalled Josuke telling him about his death by Kira, but what he read caught him off guard.

“Wait… is this for real…?” Yuya looked at Koichi while pointing at the poster’s description text of the missing person. For some strange reason, his heart felt heavier than before.

Koichi could only nod solemnly to confirm Yuya’s thoughts. “I’m very certain the missing person’s poster is talking about that Stand user we faced.”

“Now that you mentioned it, I don’t think we ever got his name. Only his Stand name, Enigma. I didn’t think he would have someone close enough to him that would bother putting up a missing person poster…”

“Which was why I ended up staring at it until you broke me from that thought train.” Koichi carefully removed the tape sticking the piece of paper to the light pole. “Even though I had practically travelled all around for a school project a few months back, not once have I seen a poster for Terunosuke. Only now, it showed up.”

“Perhaps it could be that his family was overseas and only finally returned to put up the posters?” Yuya was still confused, trying to come up with something rational. “Seems like the most reasonable answer. Now come on, let’s just get to school before we’re tardy.”

Koichi wasn’t sure why Yuya was adamant, to say the least, but he let Yuya drag him to his bike and the two drove off to school, leaving behind the poster.

The bell rang, signalling the start of lunchtime. Students began to exit their classrooms and make their way to their favourite eating spots or the cafeteria for lunch. Yuya was one of those headed to the cafeteria, having forgotten to prepare his lunch at home before coming to school.

The hallways were bustling with life, with students chattering about mixing with the sounds of sliding doors and footsteps creating a drowning noise that was typical to Yuya’s ears. Yuya quickly picked up the pace as he really wanted to buy his favourite braised pork and fried shrimp bento box before it got sold out.

As Yuya got closer, he picked up his pace even further, knowing that his favourite was a popular seller amongst the student body. Perhaps, a little too fast. Turning the last corner, Yuya’s eyes caught onto a familiar figure with white hair.

He immediately stopped in his tracks to do a double-take, just to make sure his eyes weren’t playing pranks on him. The crowd was mostly gone by now, so he double-checked the hallway he came from just to make sure. But he didn’t see that white-haired boy there.

“Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me.” Yuya thought to himself, brushing off the encounter as his eyes played tricks on him.

Yuya hurried over to the cafeteria, where a very long queue had been formed for the bento shop. He internally groaned in frustration and decided to grab something else to eat instead. Seeing as how the curry shop had a smaller queue, he went for that instead.

Yuya sat down at a table by himself, wishing that his ladies were here, but he figured they were busy with more important things. He wasn’t sure what those important things were but decided not to dwell on it. He opened up the lunch he bought, a chicken katsu curry meal, with a side of extra potato salad. Eating it, it was honestly way better than he expected. Maybe he should eat it again tomorrow.

The young man was focused on enjoying his meal so much that he didn’t even question it when someone offered some mayo in his meal.

“You seem to be enjoying it a lot. Want some mayonnaise with it?” The voice sounded familiar to him somehow, but he paid no heed to it.

“Oh, why not?” Yuya didn’t even bother to look at the person squeezing the mayo bottle, thinking it was just Josuke, Koichi or Okuyasu doing it… Until he finished the potato salad.

That was when he noticed the hand’s skin tone and immediately turned his head up to face the person he was talking to. Except, there wasn’t anyone there and the mayo bottle was in his hand instead.

Now Yuya was even more confused. Did he talk to himself? Maybe the beer he drank yesterday during a game of dares might be messing with his brain a little. Or perhaps the lack of sleep after hearing voices from the public library messed with his brain a little. Now that he thought about it, he had been a bit more… tired ever since he left the library that day. But he just couldn’t remember why exactly.

Yuya plopped his bag onto the sofa and his butt onto the dining chair the moment he reached home. His mother was still at work and wouldn’t come home for a few good hours or so, which gave Yuya the perfect opportunity to scream his heart out about how frustrated he was.

His bike had broken down all of a sudden and he had to give it a few kicks or so just to get it working again. Unfortunately, it broke down in front of the library, which was the last place he wanted to stay for prolonged periods. Luckily for him, the chatter and buzz of the people around him helped him to drown out whatever screams tried to reach his ears. Not like that was necessary since the screams weren’t there this time.

“Maybe a nice shower and some good sleep will do me wonders. It’s probably the thoughts of the upcoming tests that are getting me frustrated.” Yuya thought to himself.

Thus, he did that. Yet, he can’t help but feel like something or someone was watching him.

Even during his sleep, that feeling of being watched was still there. Combined with the heavy heart he began to feel after seeing that poster, he couldn’t help but feel like there was something he just didn’t want to remember at all. His dreams sometimes reminded him of it, but he managed to forget it every time he woke up.

When did it even start anyway? Maybe it was when he got his head punched by Josuke, or Okuyasu accidentally hitting him with a textbook last month. But deep down, he knew exactly when it began to… ‘start’, per se. He was just in denial for a good year or so.

But maybe it was time to shut those thoughts up now before they ate at him even further.

Yuya got out of bed and made his way to the only window in his room. With a deep breath, Yuya opened the window and poked his head outside.

The cold winds blew in his face as he tried to look for the thing that plagued his dreams and everyday life. After a minute of searching, he sighed and finally responded to the cries he’d been hearing ever since that day.

“Get your ass out of the Z-axis and show yourself!” Yuya belted out, only to get no response. He groaned in frustration and banged his head on the windowsill while hoping that none of the neighbours woke up from his yelling.

However, amidst the sounds of the trees rustling with the blowing wind, he heard the familiar sounds of paper. Slowly raising his head, he was face-to-face with the person whom he had refused to think of out of guilt. The person whom only he could see.

Miyamoto Terunosuke. Except… it wasn’t exactly the real deal either, in Yuya’s mind at least. The white-haired boy who stood in front of him was merely a 2.5D paper cutout with his likeness.

“You finally remembered.” Terunosuke gave an innocuous yet happy, relieved smile at Yuya’s invitation.

Chapter Text

Fungami Yuya slammed the window shut out of panic. But it didn’t matter when he had already invited Miyamoto Terunosuke into his room.

The white haired boy slid through the thin gap between the windows and plopped his paper shoes onto the carpeted floor without so much as a single thud. The sounds of the paper’s ‘swoosh’, ‘swish’, ‘flwop’, and ‘tat’ rang in Yuya’s ears. To him, it was weird being able to hear his movements in his ears after ignoring him for so long.

“I expected your room to be more… messy.” Terunosuke commented, much to Yuya’s hurt ego.

“Just because I’m part of a biker gang doesn’t mean I can’t keep my room clean!” Yuya shot back with clear irritation in his voice and face. “I didn’t let you come into my room just for you to talk like that!”

“I’m mostly saying the things that you think I’d say. Not wrong now, am I?” The white-haired boy gave him a cheeky grin, knowing that he was fully right.

Yuya rolled his eyes, still unsure of how to even comprehend the situation he was in right now. In fact, it felt like he was looking at a 4th-dimensional being with how… bizarre Terunosuke’s being was.

He still looked the same as he remembered, but with a white paper outline around his figure, like he had been cut out from a piece of paper. It reminded him of those cutouts of people that stood outside shops, though at least those cutouts were static compared to Terunosuke. Physics was practically defied when it came to him, and Yuya wondered if he should continue trying to understand or keep his sanity in check. He decided the latter was better.

“How long has it been since you went to the library?” Terunosuke asked out of the blue, shocking Yuya from his attempt to sleep.

“I don’t know, months probably.” Yuya admitted, but he still didn’t want to think about it.

“Then you’ve certainly heard my pleas for help, right?” He asked while spinning around the room and settling on top of a dresser across from Yuya’s bed.

“I heard nothing.”

“Then why did you sneak into the restricted section when you heard me?”

Yuya hated how his stomach twisted at the thought of the question. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with frustration and began to really regret letting him in. “It wasn’t you I was looking for! You don’t even remotely sound like the guy who was jacking it off in the library!”

“You’ve always had quite the curious mind after all. Who knows? Maybe that big brain of yours really wanted to see the book. I mean, which would you rather see? Someone masturbating, or a sentient book?” Terynosuke had his elbows on his lap and his head on his hands, frowning despite his teasing cajoling. “Especially if you knew said sentient book had someone looking for it.”

“Oh just shut up will you? Can’t a man get some sleep in Morioh?” Yuya covered his ears to drown out his voice, but it failed since Terunosuke’s voice didn’t sound muffled at all, almost like he was telepathically speaking into his mind.

“Then I’m not sure why you wanted to let me into your room in the first place. Maybe because you thought I’d do that.”

“Spoiler alert, Mr. Smartass, you are!”

“Spoiler alert, Highway Star, you probably shouldn’t have drunk that alcoholic concoction then. Guess it’s really making you want to go back to the Library.”

“Just what the hell are you anyway?”

“Yep. Brain’s definitely a little woozy.” He laughed, almost mockingly in Yuya’s eyes. “You could say I’m your own denial given form. A mix of that and my own will, if you want to get specific.”

Yuya elected to ignore him and focused on his sleep instead. Maybe if he showed no interest, that tulpa, ghost, whatever, would leave him alone.

“Why don’t you want to go back?”

And there it was. Yuya groaned in frustration and resisted the urge to throw a pillow at him.

“Humans are on borrowed time, after all. Sooner or later, I might get…” Terunosuke paused, his tone pitiful with clear pleading. “...You know.”

Yuya kept quiet, unsure of what to think of all of it. Yet, he just didn’t want to think about it at all. And now? He couldn’t sleep at all. His thoughts were racing and a heavy feeling weighed down on his heart again.

Yuya shook his head. He got what he deserved after all. But… he could feel his walls crumbling. If he kept ignoring Terunosuke, would that really happen? What if he never helped a particular someone and just went about his way? Would he still feel this heaviness in his heart?

…No. He was just overthinking things.

Yuya sat up on his bed and sighed deeply as he rubbed his eyes and opened up the dresser next to his bed. Terunosuke’s curious eyes followed his hands as the street punk pulled out a manga magazine to read.

The paper boy flew towards Yuya, still curious about his actions.

“Never knew you read manga. You always seemed like the kind to play video games instead.” The white haired boy commented, much to Yuya’s amusement.

“I would like to play video games, but I got banned from using the console downstairs for my rowdy behaviour in school last week.”

“Really? What kind of behaviour?”

“It was just playful banter, but I might have accidentally hit Okuyasu in the head a little too hard after he hit me first. Not my proudest moment, but not the worst either. Still, it could have gone worse.” Yuya recalled, feeling a little amused by that whole situation now that he thought back on it. “Did you have a game console, Terunosuke?”

“Not really.” He shrugged, almost indifferent to it. “My family wasn’t that well off to own such game consoles. The only game console I ever had was those handheld Tetris ones.”

“I mean, that’s still something.” Yuya chuckled, sneaking a few glances at Terunosuke’s 3D yet also not 3D hand that was holding the book.

Yuya suppressed his yawn and continued reading his manga until he ended up falling asleep. Tomorrow was another day. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t all that bad, apart from having to eat breakfast while a tulpa(?) just kept on staring at him because he couldn’t eat and was bored just waiting for him.

“Just curious… Do you have to eat?” Asked Yuya, who had several spoonfuls of natto and rice in his mouth.

“Not really. Not sure how you’d even expect paper to eat.” Terunosuke sounded amused. “I don’t even feel hungry either way, all I feel is this rotting feeling. It’s probably from the neighbour’s dying garden.”

“You were spying on the neighbour?”

“Not spying, just observing. It’s pretty obvious either way. By the way, you might want to hurry up before you’re late for school again.”

“I know, I know.” Yuya rolled his eyes while he placed the empty bowl into the sink and began to head out.

“Not going to wash your dishes?”

“I’ll do it when I get back home.”

“I thought you were going to let your mother do it.”

“She doesn’t come home until very late. Plus, she’d kill me if she saw any unwashed dishes in the sink.” Yuya’s voice faded as he went upstairs to fetch his schoolbag, leaving Terunosuke alone in the kitchen.

When Yuya returned, he was met with the sound of water running and the sight of Terunosuke doing the dishes. He was going to question why a paper person would even bother doing such a thing, but then remembered that he himself doesn’t even know what the hell Teru even was in the first place.

“Are you… washing the dishes?” Yuya asked, wanting confirmation. He still couldn’t believe what he was seeing with his own two eyes.

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?” Snarked Terunosuke, a little amused at the thought of Yuya not even doing his dishes. “Papa’s always busy with work, Mama’s in the hospital, and whenever they’re both home, I try to help out whenever I can to relieve their burden.”

“...That’s nice.” Yuya immediately walked away, trying not to think about it further. “I’m gonna head outside, prep the bike and ride to school.”

Terunosuke’s reply was cut off by Yuya turning around and putting his foot down on the matter.

“And before you say anything, yes I know you’re bound to a radius around me. Just, don’t freak me out at school.”

“Not even giving you mayonnaise?” He teased, not even bothering to hide his chuckle.

“...Maybe that one is fine,” Yuya admitted, cracking out a small smile. “Besides, not like anyone else can see you.”

Terunosuke held his breath, and Yuya couldn’t tell if he was worried or amused.

“Right?”

Chapter Text

He still vividly remembered that day. The day when he was heading to the library to revise for the midterms, he was met with something that flipped his life upside down. Even after months of trying not to think about it at all, he could still hear those screams. And although the sight was nothing to scoff at from a normal person’s view, for someone like him, it felt like he was in a crime scene. The very implications of how it would have looked like had he not been a book were… terrifying.

He was a coward. He ran. Ran and never came back. He swore to himself to never think about it again. Even when he began to see that white haired boy everywhere. So then, why did he decide to let him in again?

That was all Yuya thought about on the drive to school. He simply sighed and tried not to let it get to him. It’s been so long already, so why won’t it go away?

Maybe it’s because the paper boy is casually sitting at the back of the motorcycle backwards.

Admittedly, the day didn’t start off as badly as Yuya thought it would. Sure, he still had nightmares about those creepy mangrove trees that popped up in his dreams every now and again after seeing images of it in class and its roots that looked like a cage. Or the labyrinth he found himself stuck in, a labyrinth that looked familiar for some odd reason. Either way, Yuya took whatever victories he had.

The roads weren’t as packed as he expected, which usually would be a good thing for Yuya. However, due to the passenger he had, it meant less coverage blocking of the library. He could have gone for another route that didn’t involve him seeing the library at all, but according to the radio, that road was jam-packed. Something about a sudden event that got everyone’s pants up. Yuya wanted to curse at Lady Luck for that so badly, but he didn’t.

“You know, I’m just curious.” Yuya began to speak, catching Terunosuke’s attention. “Do paper boys dream?”

“No. Not really. In those decades I felt stuck in, not once did I ever dream. I could close my metaphorical eyes, but all I can only dream about is the pitch-black void that came from my shut eyes.” Answered Terunosuke, his voice dull like he didn’t even want to be talking at all. Or maybe he was tired.

“Decades?”

“That’s how I felt it. It felt like it had been decades.”

“Guess being a book has gotten your sense of time all fucked up.” Yuya paused, trying to think of a way not to make it seem that bad. “But hey, at least you’re here now. I think. I still have no idea what the fuck you are.”

“Well, what about you? Do you ever dream?”

“Sometimes, yeah. Most of them are about popularity and biker shows.” Yuya chuckled to himself. He was exaggerating a little bit, but he was still amused by it.

“Do you ever have… nightmares?”

Yuya groaned internally as he gripped the handles on his bike tightly. He should have known the subject would veer there. Just his luck again.

“If you count seeing creepy mangrove trees and confusing labyrinths nightmares, then sure.”

“Really? You’re afraid of mangrove trees?”

“I mean, have you seen those roots?! They’re literally like a bird cage right above ground, and fastened to the ground tightly with how deep it can go! It’s so unnatural!”

“That’s kind of funny,” Terunosuke chuckled. “Of all the things to be scared of, it’s mangrove trees.”

“In my defence, seeing the pictures of mangrove trees at night can be creepy y’know?”

Yuya let out a very loud “mhm”, hoping to distract Terunosuke from the fact that he was driving past the library right about now. When he made a turn and the library was no longer in view, Yuya breathed a sigh of relief.

“You can’t keep running away.”

[“Just ignore him, Yuya.”]

“Please go back.”

[“Ignore him.”]

“Please let me out.”

[“...”]

Yuya ignored the pleas for the rest of the ride.

He parked his bike at the school’s parking lot upon arrival and sighed. Not because he was tired, but because he had to deal with the incessant pleas for him to go back to the library when they passed by it. The nightmares he has about the library made him really tired of it.

Luckily for Yuya, it didn’t drive him insane to where he wanted to crash into the traffic. By the time he got to the last turn to school, Terunosuke had long since remained silent. He seemed to be more interested in observing the school grounds, even though he’d seen the area about a hundred times now.

Yuya elected to ignore him as he dismounted from the bike, taking some time to enjoy the cool morning breeze hitting his face. The air around the area felt cold, in part thanks to the soon-to-be winter. The thought of winter break made Yuya excited for the fun adrenaline activities to do. Perhaps he could try going skiing. Something to make up for the… horrible summer break he had.

The man turned to look at Terunosuke, who had vanished into thin air.

He should probably shouldn’t think about that at all right now.

The classroom was empty, save for Koichi and Yuya. The two decided to eat in class instead, seeing the lunch queue that seemed to stretch all the way to the entrance of the cafeteria. Koichi usually ate with Josuke, Okuyasu and Yukako, but all of their class schedules were conflicting.

It was quiet, save for the soft clinks of utensils and Yuya’s potato salad stirring. Yuya half-disliked the silence, but he further disliked how he didn’t know when Terunosuke would next appear.

“Hey Yuya, are you okay?” Koichi's words of concern were enough to rouse Yuya from his stupor, where he had been absentmindedly stirring his potato salad. “You’ve been stirring those potatoes for a solid minute now.”

Yuya blinked his eyes, settling back into the real world. “Me? Of course, I’m fine.” His voice lacked conviction.

“Yeah, no one is going to believe that, Yuya.” Koichi replied, shaking his head in disapproval as he crossed his arms. “You seem to have almost no energy these days. It’s like you’re here physically, but mentally, you’re miles away.”

Yuya raised an eyebrow, as though Koichi had delivered an insult to him.

“Okay, maybe I chose the wrong words. But it’s just that your usual spark and pride are dimmed. You feel… different. Like you’re shouldering something heavy, something you’re not sharing.”

A weary sigh escaped Yuya as he shifted his gaze to the table, avoiding Koichi’s penetrating but worried stare. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Actually… I think I may have a hunch as to what’s bothering you.” Said Koichi, catching Yuya off guard.

“What is it?” The shock in Yuya’s voice was evident, though part of him secretly wondered if Koichi might actually be correct in his guess.

“Is this about Terunosuke?” Koichi asked cautiously. “Because I couldn’t help but think he might be the root cause of whatever you’re dealing with. You did seem adamant when we checked out that poster after all.”

“As if that jerk would even bother me anymore,” Yuya snapped, a burst of frustration escaping him. “It’s been ages since I last saw him. It would be absurd to suggest that someone like him -- someone who had no qualms about using people’s loved ones as hostages -- could leave such a persistent weight on my heart-- Oh shit …”

“There it is,” Koichi observed, his voice softer now as he noted Yuya’s sudden realisation and him trying to find words for an appropriate response. “How long… how long have you been carrying that burden for?”

Yuya frowned, running a hand through his hair in a gesture of defeat. “I don’t know. It feels like forever. Ever since that day I stepped into the library, everything changed. I saw something I could never unsee, something that haunted me. Something that might literally be underneath this very table we are sitting at.”

He let out a twisted laugh, one filled with pain. “It’s ironic really. Typically, a sight like that wouldn’t mean much, but the damn knowledge of the truth-- well, that’s what hurts the most, isn’t it?”

“What happened?” Koichi prompted gently, sensing the heavy weight of Yuya's words.

Yuya fell into silence, his expression troubled yet hardened. Slowly, he pulled a brown notebook from his bag and began tearing a page into small pieces, each rip echoing his unresolved anguish and his imagination of how things might have played out.

“Oh. That would be… disturbing to know about,” Koichi remarked, his discomfort palpable. He couldn’t fathom who would commit such an act to a regular book, let alone what it symbolised.

“Mhm.” Yuya threw the book on the table before letting out a long and very frustrated groan, and slamming his face onto the table. But… for the first time in what felt like an eternity, the heaviness in his chest started to lift a little.

“Then what happened afterwards?” Koichi asked after a moment's pause, encouraging him to continue.

“Ran away. Even now, I think those cries for help still echo in my dreams. Sometimes, I wonder how that sight would translate to seeing an actual human instead.” Yuya laughed it off, feeling slightly dizzy from slamming his head on the desk. He didn’t notice the glass of water that had suddenly appeared in his right hand, which was below the table. “Sometimes I can't help but wonder how things could have gone differently. Or maybe if he had just decided to fucking talk.”

“...If it makes you feel better, I’ve been carrying something similar too,” Koichi spoke, his admission surprising Yuya and causing him to almost spill his drink.

Chapter Text

Koichi and Yukako walked past the various shops near the station, having just returned from a short trip to S City for a quick summer holiday fun.

The warm air was a contrast from the cooling train they were on, but there was plenty of ventilation that allowed the atmosphere to not be stuffy. Despite the crowds due to the tourism peak season, it was not as crowded to the point where it became too overbearing to handle.

As they entered the marketplace, the crowds thinned out, giving the duo a nice view of the shops that still had ongoing businesses. For the most part, it was about the same as before, but with a fresher look thanks to the renovations underway in this area.

“Koichi, I heard the cafe has a new selection of cooling drinks just for the summer heat! Do you want to try it out?” Asked Yukako with excitement in her voice. “I think you’ll really enjoy the melon soda float!”

“That sounds really great! Maybe we can stop by later this… evening…?” Koichi’s words trailed off, his eyes locked onto a woman that had brushed past the two in a rush.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” Chastised Yukako, causing the older white-haired and dark-skinned woman to pause and turn around before quickly apologising. Afterwards, she immediately rushed back on route, leaving Koichi and Yukako behind in the dust.

“You know Yukako, I can’t help but get a sense of deja vu when I look at that woman. I feel like I’ve seen her, or at least someone looking like her before, but I don’t recall where.” Commented Koichi, wanting to break the awkward silence that had befallen them.

Yukako looked at the woman, then to Koichi.

“She’s probably just another one of the tourists that’s visiting Morioh. Sometimes you end up blurring them all together since your brain only ever catches glimpses.” Yukako theorised, eyebrows furrowed as her arms crossed. “She’s probably angry because she might have lost something important and the police aren’t interested in helping her.”

Despite that, Koichi couldn’t help but continue to wonder. He knew he had seen someone similar to that before… but where? Thus, he decided to follow the route the woman had taken, with Yukako following suit.

The walk took both of them to a nearby payphone, where they sneakily eavesdropped on the conversation she was having.

“They haven’t found him. They say it’s highly unlikely that he’ll ever be found since the timing of his disappearance seems to coincide with the others that happened around the same time.” The woman sighed in exasperation. Her body leaning against the payphone while her face struggled to keep her emotions locked behind the wall that was her face.

“I don’t think our boy could have just… ran off. Sorry, that was a rash judgement, but I’m really worried for him! He hasn’t been home for a whole year!” The woman paused. Koichi and Yukako began to grow more concerned, slightly in Yukako’s case.

“I know he does part-time work sometimes, but…” She paused again, seemingly listening to the other person’s words. “Kidnapped? If he had been kidnapped, a ransom should have been sent already. I can’t help but fear that something much worse had happened to him.”

“Maybe you’re right dear. I’ll head back home after I visit the other stations and we’ll continue this talk further. Love you, dear.” And she hung up the phone and left the booth in a hurry, not noticing how there were two high school students conspicuously acting like they hadn’t eavesdropped on her conversation.

“I didn’t piece the pieces until now, but I’m certain the woman I saw was Terunosuke’s mother.” Koichi’s dropped shoulders slowly lifted themselves up, and Yuya could feel the internal sigh of relief that Koichi had.

“Ah.” Unfortunately, Yuya couldn’t think of any other words to say. All he could do now is ponder even further and subconsciously bite his lip.

“Mhm. Ever since I saw that poster, I can’t help but wonder… why did he choose to go along with those plans? Was it something that he got to gain from it?” Koichi rested his head against his left palm, deep in thought as he tried to rationalise things. “But, I never really thought too deep about it, you know? I guess… the same can’t be said for you.”

Yuya sighed pensively. “I could ask him right now, but I doubt he’d want to show his face.”

Koichi grew even more confused, and more importantly, concerned. “What do you mean?”

“To put it bluntly, I’m being haunted by a paper cutout of him.” Yuya revealed after some hesitation, and he immediately continued before Koichi could even say a word, “Sounds really fuckin’ stupid, I know. But it’s true.”

“I mean, I’ve seen much more absurd things so I can believe that. Like how Reimi likes to keep a miniature of the entire Morioh area within the confines of her Stand.”

“Reimi… haven’t heard that name in a while.” Yuya downed his glass of water before throwing it behind him. “Didn’t know she had a Stand now.”

“Well, you did miss the last meeting that she had planned. But, she didn’t really drop specifics on her Stand. Said it just manifests as a room that exists in some sort of ghostly void.”

“I see.”

“Eh, no one really faulted you for being so busy. But she is coming for a visit soon! Maybe you can ask her for help regarding your cutout situation.”

“I’ll take note of that, thanks.”

“I wonder then, would you still be able to get an answer without him showing his face?”

“Even if I could, there’s a chance that it may not be truthful.”

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently, that cutout holds my guilt and his own… whatever you call it, soul? Sometimes, he acts the way I think he would act. A bit… uncanny.”

“He could just be messing with you.” Koichi’s head tilted to the side slightly.

“I guess.” Yuya sighed as he down the glass of water. “But it feels too… perfect to be a prank. Besides, is there anyone that would even know about him? I mean, sure we could ask his parents, but how the heck would we even go about it?”

“Did Kira’s father ever tell you about anyone else that he shot?”

“I didn’t even know he was shooting people with the arrow until Mr. Jotaro told me about it.”

“Hm… that we might have a difficult time then. We could try asking Josuke, but I doubt he’d be happy about all of this.”

“Right.” Yuya looked away from Koichi’s gaze, preferring to stare at a window instead. He knew Koichi wouldn’t be able to see Terunosuke casually sitting at the edge of the window sill, swirling around a cracked glass cup in his hand.

Koichi wondered why Yuya was staring at the gray clouds. {“Maybe he’s afraid of the rain ruining his hair.”}

As expected, heavy rain poured down on Morioh with no end in sight. The usually bright town was now dull and gloom, creating quite the somber mood.

Yuya stared at the endless rain and the noises it made; from the sways of the trees shaking due to the impact of the raindrops to the final landing destination of the concrete, it felt… quiet strangely. He didn’t know why it felt so quiet.

Maybe it was due to the lack of students around, or he just didn’t see them since all his eyes could do was focus on the rain. So now all he could do was wait out the storm, which judging from its intensity, doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

“The rain is beautiful, don’t you think?” An all too familiar voice popped behind him.

“What the fuck?!” Yuya jumped from his spot and almost hit his spine against a pillar. “Don’t scare me like that, Terunosuke!”

“Sorry.” The white-haired man flashed a cheeky grin before helping Yuya back up on two feet. “I’m surprised you’re still here after all this time.”

“Can’t exactly go back home with this much rain, can I?”

“With an umbrella, maybe. Is one too good for Mr. Fancy over here?”

“I had an umbrella, but I lent it to Koichi since he forgot his.”

“Huh. Never thought I’d see the day where he forgets to bring his umbrella.” Commented Terunosuke, skeptical at the thought of it all. “Wouldn’t his girlfriend have one? What was her name again… Yukako? She seems to be the type to have contingencies, or in this case, her own umbrella.”

“She forgot to bring it today as well.”

“That’s… quite the coincidence.”

“Did you steal it?”

Terunosuke’s eyes squinted in unamusement.

“Right! I forgot I had a spare umbrella in my locker!” Yuya immediately backpedalled and switched the subject, before running away to his locker.

Terunosuke could make a ‘hmpf’ sound and crossed his arms, only for those arms to be immediately uncrossed thanks to Yuya backpedalling again and dragging him away to his locker.

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, it was easy enough for Yuya to rush down the hallways and up several flights of stairs thanks to how lightweight Terunosuke was. Not that Yuya was complaining, since he really didn’t want to actually carry Terunosuke’s actual weight.

The two of them finally made it to Yuya’s locker. With absolutely zero fanfare, Yuya cracked open the door to reveal… nothing in place of an umbrella.

“Nice locker.” Terunosuke commented with amused sarcasm in his voice, all while Yuya looked more pissed with each passing second.

Though he snapped out of it when he heard Terunosuke snickering at his fuming rage.

Yuya and Terunosuke proceeded to sit at the stairs of the entrance of the school afterwards, contemplating on a lot of things as they watched the rain.

The air around them was cold, due to the rain dropping down temperatures lower than usual, making it feel almost like a pseudo-winter. The silence was deafening as well, fitting how lonely the two were in an almost empty school.

Despite it all, it felt… familiar somehow. Like this wasn’t the first time that it had happened. But perhaps, it was just a fluke deja vu. That’s what Yuya pondered as he stared at the raindrops, his eyes tricking him into thinking that it was hailstones. A painful rain, one could say. How fitting considering what he’s been through ever since that library visit.

Yuya sneaked a glance at the white haired boy next to him, who seemed to be deep in thought with his eyes closed, presumably listening to the white noise the rain made. Yuya didn’t understand why, but one thing did come to his mind.

“I have to ask, does your body get wet from water?” He asked, trying to pass off as casual talk as he leaned back and continued to watch the rain.

“Not really. My body is stuck in a stasis, so it can’t be affected by things such as water.” Answered Terunosuke, finding the question amusing. “You can’t even begin to imagine the countless days and nights I’ve spent in the rain.”

“At least you won’t get a cold.” Yuya snickered, much to Terunosuke’s amused chagrin.

“Do you believe in ghosts?” Yuya asked, much to Terunosuke’s surprise.

“That’s certainly an odd question coming from you.” His eyebrow was raised in suspicion, but he didn’t seem to think too much of it. “But to answer, maybe. I’m not that superstitious.”

Yuya seemed taken aback by the answer, before recomposing himself. “Do you believe in yokai then? Or just elements of supernaturals in general?”

“I guess…? I mean, our Stands are supernatural, are they not?” The white haired boy chuckled at the silly question. “What about you then? Anything you believe in?”

“Believe it or not,” Yuya paused for a moment, unsure if he should even say it. “There’s something I believe in.”

“Really? What’s that?” Terunosuke’s curiosity was piqued, with him inching slightly closer to listen.

“It’s hard to describe it, but it’s something along the lines of a repeating world. You don’t realise it, but I feel like sometimes… you are doing the same thing as last time without even realising it until it’s too late.”

“...Pretty sure that’s just how the cycle of life goes. You end up doing the same things out of a routine.” 

Yuya looked away for a moment, before looking back. “But sometimes, some of these actions are often foretold beforehand somehow, always random. I feel like most of mine come from the dreams I have.”

“I don’t get it. So you’re saying that you feel like it happened in dreams before?”

”Yeah! Like this one time I dreamt about accidentally hitting Josuke in the shins. Obviously, I forgot about it, but guess what? I ended up accidentally kicking him in the shins a few days after that dream!”

“So… precognitive dreams? I think that’s what it’s called.”

“There’s a term for it?” Yuya’s eyes widened and his mouth hung agape at that revelation.

“Yeah. Surprised you didn’t know about it.” Terunosuke chuckled, amused at it all.

“In my defence, it’s hard to remember about those dreams until it happens.” The delinquent rolled his eyes, but he had to admit, it was nice to know that it was a prevalent thing for it to be named.

“So, any dreams that you remember right now?”

“Not really. Usually the precognitive ones are those that I don’t remember right off the bat until it happens.”

“What about regular dreams then?”

“Hm… not really.” Yuya lied, he did recall some regular dreams, but those were less dreams and more of a surreal trip that boggled his mind. It would have been hard to describe it anyways. “We should probably leave before the security guards shoo us out.”

“I can easily leave. But I’m not so sure about you.” Terunosuke stood up and entered the rain, remaining dry even long after he stepped back into the shelter. “I doubt you’d want that precious look of yours to be drenched in rainwater.”

“That’s true, I wouldn’t want my hair to be ruined by such things.” Yuya stood up and looked at his bike that was parked at the sheltered parking lot. “Guess I’ll have to wait out in the rain then.”

“I could try finding one of those ‘Umbrella Borrowing Stands’ that the community centre recently put up. But…” His voice trailed off and his eyes looked away.

“Right. You’re bound to me. Damn this hallucinatory tulpa— whatever bullshit.” Yuya mumbled to himself, arms crossed and just annoyed about the whole situation he was stuck in. “At this point, you might as well turn me and my bike into paper. I wonder, do you still have your Stand ability?”

Terunosuke simply stared at him blankly.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“I can actually. But you don’t seem scared right now.” Ternosuke finally spoke up, much to Yuya’s inner exasperation.

“Goddamn it!” Yuya slammed his shoes onto the hard concrete floor.

“There is one way though. But it’s a bit… esoteric.”

“At this point, I’m willing to do anything to get home.”

“You’ll only have to worry about people wondering how you aren’t wet then.” Said Terunosuke as he began to remove his coat, much to Yuya’s confusion.

“You gonna strip naked and make a makeshift raincoat out of your clothes?” Joked Yuya. In hindsight, it sounded funnier in his head.

“… Do you really think that I have no dignity and standards?” His face was scrunched in disgust and appalled at the words directed at him.

“It was a joke!” The delinquent immediately backtracked and apologised while his arm movements were kicked up a notch. “Sorry.”

“Hm.” Terunosuke said nothing else as he carefully wrapped the jacket around Yuya’s head and shoulders. He made sure that the head was properly covered first and foremost. The rest of the body can get wet for all he cared about.

“Are you sure this will work?” Yuya’s eyebrow raised in disbelief at the whole idea, yet there was also a part inside him that thought it was good.

“Better than nothing, I suppose. Besides, you can just wash your clothes anyway. Can’t say the same for the cold you might get if your head ends up soaked like a wet sponge.”

“I’d be more angry about my hair getting ruined than a cold that’s only temporary.”

“Isn’t wet hair also temporary though?”

“But the rainwater would ruin the texture! It’s gonna cost me a whole fortune to get it properly made again!” Yuya exaggerated. Though it was technically half-true, as he’d be furious about his hair getting ruined.

Terunosuke looked really unamused at Yuya, mostly with his screwed priorities right on display, before cracking out a laugh at how ridiculous Yuya sounded.

The ride home was calm. Well, by Morioh’s definition of calm at least.

Yuya rode down the street like any other day. Except because today was a rainy day, he had to drive slower than usual lest he want to get into another accident. But having Josuke to heal him from his injuries might make it worth it just to get home faster.

He could feel his pants getting wet from the rain already. But, his head and face remained dry, which was perfect. Though, that was because of Terunosuke’s waterproof coat. He didn’t understand the physics of it, but he stopped trying to understand what was clearly a being beyond his comprehension long ago.

Speaking of Terunosuke, he was right above Yuya, flying in the winds with his arms in a position that prevented the rain from hitting Yuya. It looked ridiculous, but at least both of them were glad that no one else could see Terunosuke. Morioh was already weird enough as it is.

As they got closer and closer to their final destination, Yuya couldn’t help but wonder about something.

Something… Something slowly began to flood back into his mind. Was this a memory? A dream? A nightmare? He couldn’t tell. 

The person he could see was shrouded in darkness, becoming a silhouette in the darkness that stood behind it. And his point-of-view? Standing in the light, a hand reached out while the other held an umbrella in the rain.

For some reason, it felt like he had experienced it before. Yet, he never did. Perhaps it really was a dream that he was remembering again. Not all dreams are precognitive, after all. Though… it was weird that it seemed to be popping up now. Most of the time, he barely remembered the dreams that he had, or only vaguely recalled certain details.

What a strange memory.

Chapter Text

Fungami Yuya sat in the bathtub, water up to his mouth as he stared at the ceiling. The sounds of running tap water -- it was just the open window and the rain outside -- filled the bathroom as Yuya contemplated everything in his life.

There were a lot of things that he didn’t understand, but he never really questioned them. He just took it as the natural progression of life. He was always preferred to live in the present, rather than worry about the past or the future. Yet here he was, wondering if he was slowly going insane, worrying about things that had already happened and for his future.

He simply sighed and properly sat up in the bathtub, letting the water from the showerhead cover his face. How suffocating… yet… fitting. At this point, he wished the pain would just… wash away like that.

[“How would Josuke feel about it? Would he even care? Probably not. Was I at the wrong place at the wrong time? I still remember… that… guilt. Why did you do it?”]

Questions filled his mind as he stared at Terunosuke's hanging coat at the door. Despite it being in the rain, it was strangely dry. But, something caught his keen little eye. A deep tear at the end.. He wasn’t sure how it got torn, but the damage didn’t seem too bad. For now at least.

A knock on the door broke Yuya’s train of thought. With a sigh and a twist of the shower knob, he put on his usual look before answering the door while still sitting in the bathtub.

“What is it?” He exclaimed out, but not that loudly. He knew Terunosuke had ears almost everywhere at this point, so there wasn’t any need to scream like a banshee.

“Koichi’s calling. Want me to come in or…?”

“Just slide the phone underneath!” Yuya grabbed a nearby towel and dried his hands as a small piece of paper flew towards him.

He caught the paper in his hands and unfolded it, revealing the ringing phone. With a click of a button, he answered the call.

“Koichi? How did it go?” Yuya’s voice faltered a bit, but he didn’t really care when he wanted answers.

“Toyohiro said that not even he knows much details about the whole thing. All he said was that money was involved somehow, and something about desperation.” Koichi’s voice sounded a bit defeated over the phone.

“I see.”

Koichi sighed, and Yuya could feel his disappointment very clearly. “Sorry, I know you really wanted answers without asking Terunosuke directly. But, I feel like you’re better getting a more accurate answer from him. Kira’s dad really didn’t drop much details. But, Toyohiro did mention something important.”

“Really? What is it?!” Yuya perked up and stood up, not caring that he had made a wet mess on the floor.

“Remember the last Reimi meeting you had missed? Apparently, before she went back home, or the afterlife, whatever it is, she actually visited the man, alongside Mikitaka. Not sure why though, maybe she wanted to visit all of Morioh again is my theory. But back to the point, she told both of them about how she wished she could talk to you.”

“Let me guess, she wanted to see my charming face?” Joked Yuya, much to Koichi’s confusion.

“Probably not. She said that she hopes to meet you personally on the day of her next meeting, which will be on 13 November. Which coincidentally will happen on the same day as the lunar eclipse. The last part’s not important, Mikitaka’s really excited about it and I guess it got ingrained into my brain!” Koichi’s chuckle rang through the phone line when he said the last part.

“But, why me though?”

“I’m not sure, sadly. You’ll know only from her. But, based on Toyohiro’s words, I have a feeling that she might have a hunch with your paper problem. To quote Toyohiro…”

“I don’t know why she told me and not you guys, but her expression made it seem like she was hiding something that she didn’t feel… safe telling you all about. When Mikitaka mentioned that her meeting coincided with the eclipse, I noticed her cheery expression falter a little, the light in her eyes fading a bit-- almost like she was recalling a bad memory. Her eyes looked exhausted too, but that was brief as she immediately regained her cheerful demeanour.”

“...So yeah. That’s what he said.”

“Huh. That’s… interesting. Is she worried about the eclipse or something?”

“I don’t think so? Maybe it has something to do with the date? I’m not sure.”

“Maybe the eclipse causes her Stand power to shut down. Not that I even know how her Stand even works.”

“Toyohiro thinks it’s a Pandora’s Box of sorts, that it might have already been opened which would explain her Freudian slip, but it’s just a joking theory. I remember how he laughed as he talked about it.”

“Ah. Had me worried there for a second.” Yuya mumbled, much to Koichi’s confusion.

“So yeah, that’s about it. Like I mentioned before, you can try talking to Terunosuke about it. I think if you two just have a heart-to-heart chat about it, you’ll learn the truth better. If that makes sense.”

“I see. I’ll think about it.” And by that, Yuya didn’t want to think about it. But he was grateful for Koichi’s help regardless. “Though I don’t get why she can’t just visit earlier.”

“Beats me. Maybe she wishes to enjoy her afterlife to the fullest?”

“That’s a good possibility.”

“Guess I’ll just have a talk with Terunosuke until that date then.”

“Even though I can’t see him, I wish you good luck, Yuya!”

Yuya let out a chuckle. “Thanks, Koichi.”

“No problem, Yuya-- Josuke?! How long have you been in the room?!” The call ended, leaving Yuya dumbfounded as to what was happening on the other end.

He could only pray that Josuke didn’t listen to the parts where Terunosuke’s name was mentioned. He knew too well that it wouldn’t bode well with him. The last thing he wanted was to try and explain to Josuke the predicament he was in.

Yuya laid on the couch, legs on the other end as he stared at the calendar with a marker in his hand. The calendar had been flipped to the current month of November, and while there were some circled dates, 13th was left blank. Questions rang through his mind as he contemplated circling the date.

[“Why 13th November? Could it be Reimi’s birthday, which is why she was returning on that date? That would make sense. There’s also the matter of the eclipse, which I don’t really care about, but it’s a neat coincidence. It really makes me wonder… what does she have to say?”]

Yuya was stuck in a cycle of thoughts, until a familiar face broke the silence.

“Checking your schedule?” Terunosuke asked with a curious grin on his face, all while casually walking on the ceiling.

“Yeah. I keep track of important dates.” Yuya turned his body around to face Terunosuke. He didn’t seem too freaked out at the sight of talking to an upside down person. “For example, Koichi’s birthday is on the 28th of March. Or the school bake charity later this month.”

“So then, is there a date that you’re contemplating on circling? Because that certainly seems like it.”

“Yeah, there is. 13th. Mikitaka’s really excited for the lunar eclipse on that date.” Yuya let out a chuckle. “I’m not really interested in stars, or space for that matter. But pretty sure Morioh would be able to see the eclipse regardless.” 

“What a strange coincidence.” Terunosuke dropped down from the ceiling and landed on the carpeted floor with barely any noise.

“Hm, what is?” Yuya sat up, cracking his arms and back as he did so.

“That’s my birthday.”

“Oh! That’s nice.”

“Yeah. But, it’s not really a day I would consider happy, I guess. Especially in this state.” Terunosuke sat on the coffee table, careful to not accidentally knock over the vase of flowers. “Honestly, I stopped keeping track of my birthday last year.”

“Because you were in a book.” Yuya continued, with Terunosuke nodding his head. “But, back when you were human, how did you celebrate it?”

“Usually with my parents. It wasn’t anything too fancy, but…” Terunosuke trailed off, a small glimmer in his eyes as memories of those birthdays rushed back to him. “...It was warm. Just the 3 of us, celebrating my birthday with a nice cake. We even played games! Mom and dad always made sure their schedules were free during this time in order to spend it with me.”

Yuya chose to ignore the sudden heaviness in his heart, preferring to enjoy the reminisce instead. He wasn’t sure if Terunosuke was doing it to guilt trip him even further, but it didn’t seem like it. 

“Sorry, did I get too sentimental?” Terunosuke asked, almost like he could feel his words causing Yuya to feel uncertain.

“No, you didn’t. Just… reminded me of something else too.” Yuya carefully grabbed the vase of flowers and looked deeply into the blue petals. “I haven’t really had a family birthday party in a long while. But, my mother did gift me these flowers. Something to remember her by when she’s busy, she said.”

“Forget-me-nots, how poetic and pretty. The symbol of remembrance. How sweet!” The white haired boy let out a soft smile as he carefully touched the delicate pale purple petals.

“Guess it was her way of telling me that she’ll always remember me.” Yuya giggled and placed the vase back on the coffee table. “Usually she sticks to lilies, and I did wonder why she decided to switch to these for my last birthday.”

“I suppose it’s nice to have some variety now and then.” 

“Hah! I guess. Though, I could have sworn they were blue the last time I checked.”

“Well, according to studies, flowers change colours depending on the season or as they mature. So, don’t get too surprised when it starts changing colours.”

“Huh. I see, you seem to know a lot about these things!” Complimented Yuya with a sincere grin on his face, his heart suddenly feeling much more light, much to Terunosuke’s surprise.

“I guess reading random books ever since I was young paid off.” Terunosuke let out a small laugh, even if he looked slightly flustered. “Thanks!”

The atmosphere was pleasant, with the accompanying muffled rain and strong winds creating a sort of melodic peaceful harmony that was soothing to the ears.

While Yuya took the time to circle out the date of 13th, he subtly took notice of the light dancing that Terunosuke had begun to do. He certainly didn’t expect him to know how to ballet dance of all things, but what surprised him was how the tear in his coat had been repaired.

Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by a ringing telephone noise. Yuya picked it up, and he was immediately blasted with Yukako’s stern voice.

“Yuya! Josuke’s coming over to your place!”