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The rain had started suddenly. It was sunny when they left; it was still sunny now even, but dark gray clouds were now littering the sky and a heavy downpour of rain had taken them by surprise. He couldn't remember if it had rained during his first hundred days. Maybe. Probably. Did his time travel also effect the weather? He didn't think so, but he couldn't say for certain.
Takumi winced as Eito slipped on a patch of mud he couldn't see and fell to the ground a few feet in front of him. Takumi rushed over and crouched down next to him.
"Are you okay?"
"Nothing bruised but my pride," Eito answered with a cheer in his voice that made Takumi grimace. Eito pushed himself up into a sitting position and flinched. "And maybe my knee as well."
The rain was getting worse. He couldn't see the blue sky or the sun at all anymore.
"Let's find a place to hide out until the rain slows down," Takumi decided.
"If that's what you think is best!"
He was so energetic. Of course that couldn't be how Eito actually felt. Energetic. Cheerful. Excited. He must feel as terrible as the rest of them did. Or worse even. He wouldn’t have ripped his eyes out otherwise. Or maybe he would have. Takumi didn't understand him at all. Eito was good at lying. Pretending. That was the one thing he was sure about.
Takumi grabbed Eito's arm and helped him up from the ground before quickly letting go.
What did Eito feel when Takumi touched him? What did it feel like to be touched by the monsters Eito perceived them all as? Was it gross? Painful? Both? Would Eito answer him if he asked? Did he want an answer? Did every touch feel like torture. Takumi wasn't a super touchy person, but he couldn't imagine how lonely he would have felt if he never got to feel head pats from his parents or feel the warmth of Karua's hand.
…Not that any of that was real. But it still existed in his heart. It was real to him.
Takumi looked around and locked onto a small abandoned shop a little distance away. It looked like it was stable enough to provide coverage from the storm.
"Come on. There's a shop we can hide in."
Takumi took a step forward and was immediately stopped by Eito roughly grabbing at his arm. Takumi flinched and turned towards him. "What?"
"I can't see where you're headed Takumi."
"That…that hasn't been a problem before now."
Somehow, Eito had always been able to tell where he was and where he was going. He could even tell it was him when he entered the cafeteria in the mornings or when they ran into each other in the halls. Eito claimed that it was because he could smell him or hear him. Which had to be true unless Eito had a secret eye he didn't know about. Though at this point that may not even shock him.
"I can't smell you because of the rain," Eito explained. "It's heavily impairing my senses."
Eito still had a death grip on his arm. He looked…scared?
Scared. Takumi didn't think that was a word he would use to describe Eito Aotsuki, but that was what he was. Not just now either. Scared of being left behind in the ruins alone unsure of where he was or where he could go. Scared of the monsters that surrounded him his every moment. Which was more terrifying? Disgusting terrifying monsters he could see, smell, hear, feel and just suffer from the sensations of, or a dark lonely void. How much fear did someone have to feel for it to transform into a burning hate? How much did a person have to feel before they believed that gouging their eyes out was the only option? Was it the only option?
Eito had told him in his usual chipper voice that walking around the ruins without being able to see was starting to take a toll on him. And yet, he still came with him the next chance he got.
"Oh," Takumi responded dumbly. "Don't let go then."
Eito smiled and brought his grip down from Takumi's arm to around his hand. "So kind of you Takumi!"
The fear was gone. The smile was back. Even if it wasn't real, Takumi preferred this. It was easier to ignore what he couldn't see.
"Not really," Takumi responded before continuing his trek towards the shop. Eito hummed a melody behind him that was half lost to the pounding sound of the rain.
The door to the shop opened with a short ring of a bell and closed behind them easily. All of the aisles had been completely emptied out or destroyed, so it was difficult to tell which type of shop it used to be.
Inside, the rain's noise was muted. Eito was still humming. Eito still had a death grip on his hand.
"We're here," Takumi announced.
Eito paused his humming and turned his head as if he could look around. "What kind of shop is it?"
"I don't know. It's empty. Destroyed."
Rubble. Ruins. The remaining remnants of a shop amidst humanity's attempts at the decimation of this planet's people. A cruel complete annihilation that Takumi was doing nothing to stop.
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
Eito was still holding his hand.
"You can let go now."
Eito looked disappointed as he let go of Takumi's hand. Or maybe it was a grimace. That made more sense. He was probably thinking something like how relieved he was that he no longer had to hold disgusting Takumi's gross hand anymore. Yeah. That was probably it.
Takumi removed his class armor and felt a bit better not having wet clothes stuck to his skin. Not much he could do about his hair.
"You should take your class armor off too," Takumi said looking at Eito. "Nozomi said that people can get sick from the rain water."
Eito did as he said before replying. "I believe that she meant you could get a cold from the rain the same way you can from being drenched in any water. I think if I dropped a bucket of water on your head and left you outside, you would get sick from that the same way. But then again, I've heard idiots can't get sick, so maybe you don't need to worry Takumi."
Takumi huffed and walked further into the shop. He dug through the broken shelves with a lack of anything else to do to see if he could find anything useful. All he found was more debris. After digging through half the shop, the only thing of use he found was a small broken radio he figured Tsubasa could scrap parts from. He tossed it into his bag and sat down on some broken shelves.
He stared at the rain hitting the window next to him. He saw the rain a few times in the last timeline. One of those times…
He turned towards Eito who was digging through the part of the store where the cash register most likely was. Well, he doubted that Eito would hit him with a pipe and ditch him this time. Probably. He wouldn’t be able to do much without his eyes. Unless he really did have a secret third eye.
What was he thinking about? Of course Eito didn't have a secret eye. Probably.
He sighed and brought his knees to his chest.
Why hadn't Eito just killed him back then? He didn't hesitate killing Hiruko. Was Takumi such a waste of his time that he didn't even bother to finish him off? Or did he disgust him so much he didn't even want to absorb his hemoanima?
No. There was no point worrying about it. It wasn't like he could ask. The Eito from back then didn't exist anymore. All that was left of him was his power flowing through Takumi's blood. The Eito who was with him now was different.
"Oh!" Eito exclaimed holding up a can of what looked like some type of food. He put the can on the counter next to him and then reached underneath and pulled out three more identical ones.
Food. Was this place an abandoned grocery store then? That explained why it was empty. The place must have been completely ransacked by the Futurans in their struggles to survive. The survivors taking whatever they could find as their food supplies continued to deplete amidst humanity's continued attack. Meanwhile, humanity sat above them on the Artificial Satellite with undamaged grocery stores and restaurants. While the SDU ate more than they needed at their party a few days ago, were there Futurans struggling to find anything to eat because of them? Were there Futurans dying of starvation because of them? The Futurans were all going to die because of them.
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think.
"Takumi? Are you still there?"
Takumi blinked. Where was he?
Oh.
"Where else would I be?" He replied.
Eito made his way over, carefully trying to avoid tripping on the scattered debris. Takumi watched him silently. Eito eventually sat down a few feet away from Takumi on the same knocked over shelf. Shouldn't Eito prefer to sit as far away from him as possible?
"The sound of the rain is pleasant," Eito commented. "It's soothing now that we're not trapped outside."
Was it?
Takumi hummed tiredly in response.
Karua had told him about the rain. She told him about the storms and different seasons. About hurricanes and blizzards. About the weather changing throughout the year and the plants changing along with it. Did Futurum have seasons? Were there blizzards here like there were on Earth? Did the leaves change color?
Karua wouldn't get to see it. Karua didn't exist. She never did.
Did Nozomi want to see the snow like Karua did? Was that why Karua did?
Takumi came back to do it all over again so that he could see Karua again. So that he could go home. But there was no home. There never was. No Karua Kashimiya to reunite with. No parents to welcome him back. All he had was the Academy and the friends he made in it. They were all he had, so he had to protect them. That was all he could do.
Even if he had to destroy everyone on Futurum. That was the only way. This was the only way. He had to destroy everyone on Futurum. Everyone on Futurum who was just like them and was hoping for a future where things would be okay. People who wanted to see snow and the stars sparkle in the sky.
This was the only way. He had to keep his friends safe. He had had to. This was the only way. This was…
Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think.
"You’re being very quiet," Eito commented.
"Well, isn't that preferable?" Takumi snapped. "Isn't my voice some ear piercing shriek to you? The quieter I am the better, right?"
His heart was beating too fast. He was shaking. He tightened his grip on his bag.
They both sat quietly. Takumi let out a sigh as the anger left him, and he was left behind with just an aching fatigue.
"Let's play a game," Eito suddenly suggested.
"Huh?"
"Let's come up with a story together."
"A story? What?"
"I'll start. How about, a little bunny who longed for adventure one day decided to step outside his home and go explore. Now, you decide on the next sentence Takumi."
"Huh? Oh. Ummm. He excitedly ran around and saw a lot of things he always wanted to see like a river and trees."
What was the point of this? Was Eito that bored?
"The day went by, and soon the sun had set and the night sky shined brightly with stars and the moon."
Did Futurum have a moon? Takumi could only see the Artificial Satellite and stars at night. In what ways was Futurum different from Earth? In what ways was it similar?
"The bunny decided that it had its fill of fun for the day and wanted to go home," Takumi added.
"But the bunny realized that he didn't know how to get home, and, after several minutes of walking, he couldn't tell if he was getting closer or further away from where he wanted to be."
Takumi grimaced. "The bunny decided to stop his search for the night, and, instead, find someplace to sleep so that he could continue on in the morning."
"The bunny found a small alcove underneath a hill and borrowed into it for the night."
"The bunny had a restless sleep, and, as soon as the sun started to rise in the morning, he continued his search."
"But after a long day of searching, the bunny was still lost and was no closer to figuring out where he or his home was."
"Let the bunny go home, Eito."
"But there's no conflict if the bunny goes home. The story will end."
Maybe the story didn’t need a conflict. Maybe this could be a stupid, happy story about a happy bunny who had stupid low stakes adventures and lived a mundane average happy bunny life.
"The bunny found something to eat for dinner and a place to rest and decided to continue the search in the morning," Takumi said.
"The sun rose and the bunny continued searching, and, after a few hours, he found a very familiar place."
Oh!
"The bunny excitedly made his way over and found that it really was his home, so he didn't hesitate to go inside."
"He was greeted by the relieved smiles of his family who were so happy that he was safe and had finally come back."
"He was very happy and relieved to finally be back, and he decided he would keep his adventures closer to home in the future."
"And then the bunny woke up and realized that his homecoming had just been a dream."
"What? What the hell? Why?"
Eito chuckled. "The story needs conflict."
Ugh. Stupid. This was stupid. A dream sequence? A fantasy? Really? Eito was just messing with him. He was the one who said the bunny was home in the first place!
"Yeah. Well, the story's over. I'm done," Takumi pouted.
"Huh?"
He wanted to go home, but it was fake. It was all fake.
"Come on Takumi. Don't be like that. We need to at least end the story."
"Fine. The bunny wakes up from it's dream, and feeling completely hopeless that it will ever find it's way home, the bunny gives into his despair and dies. The end."
He didn't want to be here. But then where was he supposed to go. He just…he just wanted to disappear. He wished Eito would really just kill him this time. He didn't want to think anymore. He didn't want to do anything anymore.
"Apologies. I didn't mean to upset you. We can try another story. A happy one this time. Promise. Like—"
"Shut up."
Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.
He needed to keep it together. His friends were counting on him. He needed to keep them safe. He needed to keep all his friends safe. He needed to keep Nozomi safe.
Nothing else mattered.
"Sorry," Takumi apologized.
"You don't need to apologize. I did something to upset you."
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just in a bad mood."
They both sat silently while the rain continued outside. Takumi didn't understand what part of it sounded soothing to Eito. If anything, it made Takumi feel uneasy. And it was so dark because of the storm too. What time even was it? He hoped it wasn't too late. He didn't want the others to worry.
Takumi looked over towards Eito who was doing nothing to hide the dejected look on his face. Jeez. He looked like a sad puppy. What was he even so upset about now? Did he care about that bunny story that much? Takumi really didn't understand him at all.
"Eito? Are you alright?"
Eito startled and quickly nodded his head. "I'm doing fine, yes."
He wasn't smiling anymore, but that was fine. No one smiled that much.
"That's…that's good," Takumi responded. Hmm. "Being around me isn't becoming too much, right? I can move to the other side of the store if you want."
"I would prefer if you didn't do that."
"Oh. Okay."
Really? But didn't he smell bad or sound grating? He didn't understand. Would he get an answer if he asked?
"Well, let me know if you need me to," Takumi said.
Eito hummed. "Hey Takumi?"
"Yeah?"
"The me from your first timeline, what was he like?"
"What? Where did that come from? Why do you care?"
"I'm just curious. Your first hundred days intrigue me."
Takumi frowned. "Is that so?"
"Please indulge me."
"Whatever." Takumi paused to think. "Well, he was a really energetic and positive guy. He rambled on about the power of friendship and how with teamwork anything could be accomplished. He checked in on everyone to see how they were doing and out of everyone on the team he was probably the person who I trusted the most." Takumi grimaced. "Not that any of that was real. That was all an act. He was a liar who pretended to care so that it would be easier to stab us in the back. He killed Hiruko. He killed Eva. He killed Shion. It was his fault that Ima died. And that Nozomi died. Everything that went wrong was his fault."
Eito hummed looking deep in thought. "I see."
Takumi looked away. "He used to talk about how nice it was to clean and how much he enjoyed the fresh air. He was always reading something, and he enjoyed talking about it. I don't care much for reading, but hearing him excitedly talk made me want try."
Why was he still talking? What was he even talking about? Useless. None of it was real.
"What day did he betray you?" Eito asked.
"Oh. Uhh…day 95 I think."
"Ah. We haven't even reached 95 yet."
He sounded…dejected.
"Is something wrong?" Takumi asked.
Eito sighed. "I'm just thinking about how unfortunate it is that because of an alternate me, the Takumi I know will never like me."
"Huh?"
"You hate me. The me from your first timeline betrayed you, so I never had a chance to be your friend. You already made your decision on how you feel about me."
"I don't hate you."
But he wasn't entirely wrong, was he? All of the distrust Takumi had for Eito was born from the first timeline. Takumi barely talked to Eito after locking him in that cage, and since the truth was revealed, Eito hadn't really done anything to hurt them. He had escaped and ran away, and he had sided with the Futurans, but those things alone wouldn’t have made Takumi distrust him so much when paired with everything else.
"But even after all that," Eito continued, "you still chose to allow me back on the team, and I will always be grateful that Takumi is so so kind. Even though we can never be friends."
"That's not true."
"Oh well, I suppose you're right. I can't fully blame the me from your first hundred days. Even if you didn't hate me so much because of him, that doesn't mean you would want to be friends. That's conceited of me to think."
"That's not what I meant. We are friends now, aren't we?"
"Don't lie to spare my feelings. How stupid do you think I am?"
"I don't think you're stupid."
Eito huffed.
Why did Eito always have to make everything so difficult? What did he want from him? Takumi really didn't understand him at all. He didn't understand why he did what he did or why he said the things he said. He couldn't even begin to properly guess what went on in his head.
But then again, it's not like he ever tried to ask. As if Eito would answer him honestly. And if he did, did Takumi even want to know?
"Do you actually like reading?" Takumi asked slowly.
Eito didn't respond for a second. "Yes. I love books. They made me who I am."
"The other you, he said that a nurse suggested you start reading, and that's when you started reading books about how awful humanity is."
"That's true. Though I suppose none of those memories are true."
Right.
"Are you reading anything now?"
Eito sighed. "I can't read without my vision."
Takumi winced. Right. He gave that up too when he took out his eyes.
"I did learn some braille in my fake memories, but none of the books in the library are in braille. I suppose the humans didn't think there would be a blind weapon who wants to read."
Takumi clenched his fists. "Then…I can read a book to you. If you want."
"That's very kind of you to offer, but I don't think I would be able to tolerate your screeching voice for that long, so it would take a long time to get through one book."
Takumi rolled his eyes. "Then what if I used a voice modulator. I think Tsubasa mentioned having one. Would that help?"
"I…I have no idea."
"Then we can try it out. See if we can find something that works."
Eito stayed quiet for a moment. "You would spend all that time trying to help me?"
"Of course." Takumi sighed. "You're right. I don't understand you, and I don't trust you. But you're my teammate. An ally. And I want to be friends with the real Eito Aotsuki."
Takumi winced at the sound of Eito sobbing.
"Wha…? Did I say something wrong?"
Eito shook his head. "No. Not at all. You're just such a kind person!"
Takumi laughed awkwardly. "I…uhh…don't think I really did anything special."
"And so humble too!"
Takumi sighed. "Uh huh."
Such a strange guy.
Takumi looked out the window. "The rain slowed down. We should head back while we have the chance."
Eito stood up quickly, the tears suddenly gone. "Yes. Let's go home."
Home? Was the Academy really home? Well, it was the only real place they had. And it was where all his friends were. All of his friends who he loved so much. Yeah. That was home. Wherever his friends were, that was home.
"Yeah. Let's go home."