Archive of Our Own

Akane Kurashiki wasn’t much for searching.

She’d done her fair share, of course. Looking around for a hair tie she’d misplaced, a student attending college in California, or an electronics manufacturer who would keep her business off their books. She was far from a stranger to the concept, but abstractly, fixity of purpose had always been something with which she did not struggle. At the age of twelve her future had been etched in something immovable; a concrete labyrinth blocking her into a path that she’d already trod. Follow every step if you want to live. In her mind, that didn’t leave her with much choice.

She’d had her doubts for certain. Still, when you’re staring down the barrel of a paradoxical demise, it’s not like you need to ‘search’ for a reason to keep moving out of the way. Such was especially the case when you had a brother who’d give anything to pull you from the path of harm. And of course, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

One morning, Akane Kurashiki would wake up on a normal day. 

This wasn’t a product of some psychic connection, or a vision received of a future she was following to the letter, but she chased it all the same. To her, it was as lithic as anything else that had led her to that point. She’d often wondered if a person like herself could really have that; a moment of release where the planning, the kidnapping, and the violence would give way to something resembling a usual existence. But what point was there to wondering anymore? If she wanted something to happen, she’d make it happen. She always did. Wet hands mold clay, whether they were soaked with water or blood.

“Akane?” 

A voice rang out from the hall, halting her train of thought. She had a habit of getting lost in her own mind sometimes. The present moment can get sort of foggy when you’re used to thinking however many steps ahead. Where had she been again? Oh, right. Searching.

“In here!” she called out. “I haven’t found anything worthwhile, though.”

Through the door of Dcom’s Dormitory Unit walked Sigma, arms crossed as usual.

“Nor have we. The phones we smuggled in don’t seem to be anywhere around here. I suppose that much makes sense.”

Akane hummed in acknowledgement. “Well I say we look a while longer. Staying too long would be bad, but overlooking anything could be worse.”

“Agreed. I’ll keep the others searching for maybe another half an hour.” On that note, he turned to leave, but something caught him in the doorway. Hesitation from him took Akane by surprise. 

She couldn’t help but fill the silence. “Are you alright?”

He stammered a bit. “Oh, uh, yes. I am. It’s just… how are you…” he trailed off before reeling himself back in. “How are you?” 

That took her by surprise even more. In the few days she’d known him, whatever resembled a check-in was more of a question of preparedness than anything. Even so, she had no reason not to oblige. “As well as I can be, I guess. I’m just glad this is over.” 

“I am as well.” His eyes weren’t quite meeting hers. “I guess I just wanted to say that I…” 

Once again a moment of hesitation caught him. He stood there, apparently unsure of what to do with his arms, before deciding with swift and sudden action. In a moment they were wrapped around her, blanketing her in the warmth of a man whose size seemed twice that of her own.

“Thank you, Akane. I’m glad I could trust you. The you right now.”

Was he feeling sentimental, she wondered, or was it maybe… protective? Whatever the case, something today had clearly caused a stir. 

She sunk into him.

“Of course, Sigma. Thank you. You gave so much for me, and the project, and…” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she hastily retracted from his embrace to wipe them away. Her focus was a precious thing that she couldn’t spare too much of. “I’m glad to have you for whatever’s next.”

Sigma quirked a smile. “You as well.”

He exited, and after a few more minutes of looking, Akane followed. She couldn’t help but stare through the open door of the Gardening Unit as she passed by.

“Alright, listen up. Here’s the situation.” 

Sigma and Akane had gathered the searching group in the Home Unit. 

“It appears we’re without any method of communication to the outside world. Akane tried her hardest to use the morphogenetic field, but we’re not getting any guarantees. The way we see it, the first people to arrive here will be Dcom staff once the experiment reaches its conclusion. And as we know…”

“Dcom is run by Free the Soul. That means Delta.” Phi suddenly spoke up, finishing her father’s sentence. Behind her was an anxious looking Diana fiddling with a loose woolen thread. Akane wondered what it’d be like to stand near your parents, or your daughter for that matter. “I don’t particularly feel like waiting around to be surrounded by his cronies…” Akane couldn’t quite hear her finish, but she thought she heard something about having enough of that in one lifetime. 

“Phi’s right,” Akane chimed in. “There are too many variables to account for if we leave ourselves to their whims. That’s why we have a plan.” 

From behind a couch, she revealed their… well, handiwork might be putting it strongly.

Sigma began the sell. “We put all the water we had left over into the jug from the water cooler. And we, uh, attached some ropes to it.”

Presented to the group was something that looked like the world’s worst backpack.

“All-in-all it’s maybe a little over 2 gallons.” Akane tried to smile through the awkward delivery. 

“Wait, 2 gallons? That’s…” Phi’s nose scrunched for a moment of mental arithmetic.

“Not a lot.” Sigma cut to the point.

A new voice added to the conversation. It was Carlos. “I guess Eric’s a thirsty guy, huh?”

He was met with 4 blank stares. The man in question wasn’t in the room to defend himself.

“We are wildly off topic,” Sigma continued. “The point is that somebody’s going to have to find help. The problem is… the closest place with a phone is…” 

“Approximately fifteen miles away,” Akane lamented.

The room fell silent for a moment while everyone’s expressions tightened with contemplation.

“I figure I should go,” Akane proceeded, “to call Crash Keys and all. Still, two people would be ideal. It’s the best the math works out with a reasonable safety net, and we’ll want to- ”

The discussion had no chance to continue before the voice of someone yet-unseen echoed across the room.

“I’ll do it.” 5 pairs of eyes shot towards the hall.

“Tenmyouji?!”

It was him.

“Hey- wait!” Sigma continued. “Aren’t you supposed to be keeping an eye out outside?”

“Relax. Q-Team’s all over it.” Akane wanted to inform him that he didn’t have to keep calling them that, but she had a feeling he knew. “Besides, where else are you gonna find such a willing volunteer?”

“Well actually, I was thinking about going myself,” Sigma retorted. 

“Psht, you? Come on. Don’t you wanna stay close to the family?”

Phi scoffed, drawing Junpei’s gaze.

“What? Itching to get rid of him so soon?”

“Ass,” Phi responded.

“I didn’t think so. Besides, it’s not like you guys are gonna care much if I get fed to the buzzards out there.” Akane’s blood ran cold at what she thought might be the smallest glance in her direction.

More debate erupted from the group, making their small living quarters all the more suffocating. “Alright!” Akane put it to a decisive end. “Junpei will go with me.”

Junpei’s face turned into something unreadable, or maybe it was just unfamiliar. Akane couldn’t tell. Her chest pounded so hard she thought a bomb must’ve been planted in her heart this time.

“Good.”

His statement carried neither a note of excitement nor resentment. It simply… was. At least it had felt that way to Akane. Until last week, her only impression of him was as the kind, sweet boy who had moved heaven and earth to keep her safe. The same boy who’d awkwardly hold her as she cried in grade school, only all grown up. He was the boy who’d take on the world when he thought it was wrong. Even after she’d been kidnapped, tortured, killed, Junpei made Akane feel like justice was a real thing. 

What remained during the Decision Game was like a favorite song playing on a battered radio; comforting notes occasionally floating through violent, discordant static. Now, after everything, it was somehow harder to discern which was which.

His composure regained, Junpei walked over to Akane, who was currently trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

“I’ll take the, uh,” Junpei gestured towards Akane and Sigma’s tribute to madness, “thing.”

“Oh, right!” Akane lifted the jug off the ground and held it out towards Junpei. “Careful, it’s-”

Upon grabbing it, Junpei’s arms awkwardly lurched forward, victims of its weight. He hoisted it into a hug before awkwardly shuffling it onto his shoulder.

Sigma looked on in contemplation, and Phi pinched the bridge of her nose.

Akane prepared herself for a very interesting walk.

Back at the Dormitory Unit, Akane stood at the entrance of Junpei’s room while he tore it apart. Amongst the storm of t-shirts, socks, and bed sheets, she couldn’t help but get the impression that he was looking for something in particular. 

“What’re you looking for?”

“Jacket,” he replied dryly, hunched over and looking under his bed. Sensing Akane’s inquisitive eye, he continued. “When it gets too hot, you’ve got to protect your skin… or something.”

“Actually, it’s less to do with the heat and more to do with UV rays,” Akane corrected. “The UV index shouldn’t be too high this time of year. The heat isn’t actually so bad either. We might even get a bit chilly.” All she could manage was a nervous, suffocated giggle. 

“Ah.” Junpei pulled out a leather jacket from below the bed. “Guess I better bring this anyway then.” 

“You might want to bring something more breathable…”

Junpei looked down at the jacket. It was thick and not particularly baggy. “Whatever.” Rising to his feet, he leaned against a wall and continued. “Are you ready?”

“I think so,” Akane guessed. “I might want to double check though.”

“Then meet me outside when you’re done.” With that, he exited.

Akane didn’t know what to do with that. The statement itself was quite simple, but maybe that was the problem. With a knot in her stomach, she pressed on.

Junpei stood outside as promised, uniquely illuminated by a beam of sun peeking through the clouds. The dark circles Akane had become acquainted with were especially heavy in contrast to the glow bouncing off of his skin, and the contours of his slim face appeared particularly pronounced. He was thin, she thought, and pale too, more so than she remembered. Though it’d been a while since she’d seen him in natural daylight before today. 

Regardless, there he was, shrouded in light. She’d find it on the nose if it weren’t so fitting. She couldn’t help but think so, even now. The Junpei of before would stand there unaccompanied, but the Junpei of now seemed lonely without a vice. 

“You smoke?” She wasn’t sure it was a question, but she wanted the answer anyway.

His response came amongst a miasmic exhale. “Tie my own-” but the words caught in his throat. Reconfiguring, he continued. “Yeah.”

So her eyes didn’t deceive her. She supposed it made sense. She recalled a few childhood instances of them playing with sticks as though they were guns, and Junpei completing the look with an additional twig in his mouth that would usually fall out during what he called his “action man” voice. He was nothing if not committed, and the ensuing laughter was a surefire way to get her to reveal her position. 

“...Do you?” 

“Huh? Oh, no I don’t. Aoi does, so I’m used to the smell and everything though.”

Junpei wordlessly committed to a half nod before flicking the partially diminished cigarette to the ground and grinding it underfoot. “Let’s do this.” 

Akane lingered for a moment, eyes caught on flickering flame. Sure, Junpei hadn’t checked the still-ignited butt, but that shouldn’t become another reason to besmirch him. Maybe he’d done it properly so many times that he figured muscle memory would suffice. Maybe some external factor interfered with this instinctual good. Yes, something like that. She’d rather blame his shoe.

She put it out of its misery before catching up, watching as the jug of water bounced against Junpei’s back. The rope was already digging into his shoulder, haphazardly slung over one side as he steadied it with a white-knuckled fist. It was unpleasant just to imagine. His face matched this hypothetical feeling, but discomfort already seemed like his default expression.

“Let me know when to trade off,” she said, pointing at his back

“I’m fine,” he replied. “If you need a drink, just say something.” 

Surgical. That was the word for their recent interactions. Calculated. Akane didn’t like that. Hadn’t she done enough calculating? Could she not have one area of her life where she could afford to be a little superfluous? 

The thought sat with her for a few minutes, churning in her stomach before lurching up to her throat and begging to spill out.

“We should… Do you want to talk about what’s next?”

Junpei went a bit rigid, his body seemingly going still in place of his brain. “What’s there to talk about?”

“Well,” Akane continued, “you’ll be joining Crash Keys, if that’s still what you want. We’ll be able to set up a room for you on site, or we can help you relocate to somewhere close by if you’d rather commute.”

“On site’s fine.”

“Okay. We’ll make sure you have plenty to eat, and…”

This wasn’t working. Obviously, this wasn’t working. Why was work the first thing she decided to talk about?

Junpei’s eyes faced Akane. “...And?” 

“Maybe we should work this out later.”

“...Okay.”

Akane tried to come up with something to say, but nothing felt appropriate no matter how desperately she tried. Desperation wasn’t a good look on her, and she knew it. Silence won this bout.

Five hours. Assuming an average of three miles an hour, five hours was what it’d take to reach their destination from Dcom. Of course, this didn’t account for any breaks, or the time it’d take to call Aoi and get back to Crash Keys. Hours of dirt, sand, sparse shrubbery, and rock formations that got progressively larger and more labyrinthine the further the pair travelled. Luckily the road ahead was clear. A mostly straight shot on a path formed by off-roaders would eventually lead them to a small diner. From there they’d be in the hands of a maybe-functional payphone or a kind stranger who hopefully wouldn’t mind if Akane cleared their call history afterward. 

Yes, like many things, Akane had planned this out. The nearby desert had been thoroughly scouted in advance, with Aoi and Crash Keys stationed as close as they could be while raising no suspicion near government property. What wasn’t planned was this last fourty-five minutes, no, this hour? This however long of walking next to Junpei of all people. A word had hardly been spoken so far, which threatened to give Akane cotton mouth before the exertion. Her tongue needed a remedy.

“Hey, Junpei… I’m getting a little thirsty.”

He turned his head, snapping him out of his scowl. “Alright.”

With that, he gingerly removed the jug from his shoulder and planted it firmly in the sand.

“How do you, uh, wanna do this?”

Akane looked at the jug, now realizing that she’d need to tip the entire thing above her head, with water sloshing around in a container that wasn’t quite full.

Hm.

“I…” she mulled it over before looking up to meet Junpei’s eyes. “Could you help me?”

Junpei shoved his hands between the jug and the ground. “I’ll lift the bottom, you lift the top?”

Akane hummed in agreement before grabbing the top and precariously lifting it upward. She flipped up the cap, then spoke. “Do you need a drink too?”

“Nope.”

“Okay,” she continued, “how about a trade-off once I’m done?”

“I’m fine, Akane.” His words weren’t particularly venomous, but they were tinged with a faint annoyance. “If I need a drink I’ll-”

“Junpei, you’re-” tipping it too far were the words that were waterboarded out of her. She thumbed around desperately for the cap before flicking it back down, ceasing the flow in only a moment.

“Shit! Sorry!” Junpei instinctively dropped the jug thankfully after the cap had returned to its place.

The jug itself returned to the ground. Along the way, it paid a visit to Junpei’s foot.

“OOOOOOWWWCHGODDAMNIT!” he cursed. His attempts to cradle his foot transformed him into some sort of human pogo stick.

Akane could only stare. Their water supply was now rolling precariously in the sand. A portion of it had made an acquaintance with her face, shoulders, chest. And of course, Junpei was left wincing as well.

She snickered.

It wasn’t particularly complicated. A simple comedy of errors. Maybe that lack of complexity was why it was able to bring a smile to her face.

Amidst the waning displeasure of Junpei’s expression, something emerged. The corner of his mouth curled up into a smirk, and despite what seemed like a moment of resistance, a sudden snort escaped. As it became a small chuckle, Akane was overwhelmed with a rather mundane realization of fact.

There he is, she thought. That’s Junpei.

Her laughter picking up a little, she spoke. “Oh my gosh. I think that was- Wow. We deserve an award.”

“An award ceremony,” Junpei corrected, mouth now fully formed into a smile. His tired eyes glimmered with something alive.

The moment struck Akane with a million fond memories, but she picked one. “Do you remember that time when, on the day of the class photo, you tried to jump in that huge puddle and got completely soaked?”

“You laugh now, but you were sooooo worried when I slipped,” he teased. “Then at school, you completely ruined your hair under the electric fan and walked over saying” – he put on a shrill voice – “‘Jumpy! We’ll tell them we survived a hurricane!’”

Laughter was carrying both of their contributions. “I said what?”

“You said- Nope. Wait. I see. I’m not doing the voice again.”

“Oh come on! Please! It was so good!”

“One and done. Gone with the wind. Or the hurricane, I guess.”

It was almost impossible to tell what Akane was saying through her rampant giggling. “I was right! You show anyone that picture nowadays and they’d believe us!”

Their uproar continued before simmering down as Junpei slung the jug back over his shoulder, dregs of laughter still clinging to his words. “Come on. Let’s try not to die out here.”

Akane smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

This hour or so was much more pleasant than the first. Though Akane wished she had a way to actually tell the time, at that point, any wish felt greedy. Here she was. Here Junpei was. They’d still been quiet for the most part, but the air didn’t feel so heavy anymore. They were headed home. They were alive, outside, even. Who knew what came next, but as the group agreed back at Dcom, they’d make their own future.

Unfortunately, a rock had decided to make its future in Akane’s shoe. This was a decision with which she did not agree. Oxford flats were hardly the choice for this walk as it were, and Akane’s sore feet didn’t require the extra aggravation. She looked around for a place to sit while she extricated the rogue stone. Nothing. Not a larger rock in sight, save for a few tens of meters out. Akane wondered what she’d done to anger even rocks.

Looking towards Junpei, she employed a new strategy. “Hey, Junpei. I have a rock in my shoe. Can I…” she pointed towards his shoulder.

He stared blankly for a moment before it clicked. “Ah, yeah, go ahead.” He leaned down, making himself the perfect stabilizer.

She smiled and thanked him, placing a hand on his shoulder as she banished her earthen foe. Junpei groaned quite noticeably. Akane looked over, identifying a wince of pain a moment before identifying its cause. She’d been pressing her weight into the same shoulder the jug was hanging off of.

She slipped her shoe back on as quickly as possible, relieving him of the pressure. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Junpei responded, quickly returning to his usual posture. “Just kinda sore, if anything.”

“Well then here,” Akane said, untangling the rope and visibly relieving tension, despite Junpei’s light protests. She slung it over her back, feeling the additional weight quite substantially. “You don’t have to shoulder this whole thing yourself, you know.”

Junpei exhaled. “That’s rich.”

Akane cocked her head, pursing her lips into an intentionally awkward smile. If the people around her were to be believed, perhaps she was being a bit hypocritical. That didn’t make it any less true!

“I’m serious, Junpei. If you need anything, please tell me, alright?”

Junpei looked towards the ground.

“And here,” she pointed to her back, “if you put it over both shoulders, it’ll divide the weight more evenly.”

“Got it,” Junpei replied without much fanfare.

The two continued their march, while Junpei stared beyond the earth. 

“Do you think he was telling the truth?”

The jug bounced against Junpei’s back once again, this time suspended on both shoulders. The pair had been walking for several hours now. Exhaustion clawed at Akane, and no doubt Junpei, too. They were caked in sweat and dirt from the very air. In an attempt to optimize their exhaustion, they’d decided to pass over a horizontal ridge that threatened to extend their journey if they were to keep on the path. Unfortunately, this also meant climbing uphill, which didn’t help with the sore feet, or the sore anything.

“I don’t think there’s any telling with that guy,” Junpei answered, his words laced with spite. “Thanks to him I know what it feels like to be murdered about 10 times over.” 

Akane hummed in melancholic acknowledgement. The experience wasn’t unfamiliar to her, as much as she’d wished to never feel it again. Seared into her mind forever were a number of instances of Junpei’s untimely demise, felt as if they were her own. She wished she could have taken the blow this time too.

“Anyway, I don’t think there’s any point in guessing,” Junpei continued. “We’re just gonna have to go with our gut.”

“I’m just worried we’re walking right into another plan of his,” Akane confessed. “Who’s to say his scheme even ends with the Decision Game?”

Junpei fell silent at that. Something about his demeanor seemed to retreat, and Akane was not met with an answer. 

Uh oh.

Akane wasn’t good at this. That was part of the reason Junpei was her friend to begin with, and she certainly hadn’t had the time to get better at it since then. Even so, the threat of Junpei once again folding in on himself pulled an attempt out of her. 

The moment lingered, and she began. “You know, if you ever want to talk… about the last year again… I’m here for you.”

Junpei’s breath wavered. Try as he might, he clearly wasn’t good at holding back powerful emotion. Another moment passed. “How do I know you won’t leave again?”

Akane couldn’t exactly be surprised. “I won’t.”

“But what if it’s needed?” he continued. “What if the next plan hinges on it? How do I know you’ll keep letting me help?”

Akane’s mind churned. Of course she didn’t want to leave Junpei. Didn’t he know by now that she’d done all this so she could be with him? At the same time, she understood the hesitation. Somewhere out there, an older, sadder version of herself had put everything aside so this version of her and Junpei could exist. It was a fact she didn’t want to think about.

“I’m– I don’t–  That’s a very complicated question, Junpei.” It was a lame answer, and she knew it.

Junpei was especially unsatisfied. “Oh, so now you’re an open book,” he grumbled.

“I’m trying to keep you in the loop,” Akane retorted, desperation strangling her into increasing intensity. “Isn’t that what you want?” 

“Then answer the question!” Junpei fired back without hesitation. “Yes or no! Are you going to stay no matter what!?”

“Why are you being like this again!? Do you think I wanted to leave you!?”

Silence fell over the both of them, and the sound of their footsteps seemed deafeningly loud by comparison. There was a sickening musicality to it. Crunch, crunch, crunch. A march in the shadow of doom. Not the death Akane was used to facing, but something just as dire.

“Where’s Clover, Akane?”

“...What?”

Junpei’s head was now craned to the side, staring straight at Akane. “Clover! Clover Field! Where is she!?”

Akane could only squint in bewilderment.

“Jesus Christ, you think I wouldn’t have heard? Light’s been flipping his shit about it. Called just about anyone he could think of, I imagine. That includes me.”

Akane’s breath was shaky. The upward climb of the ridge proved to be a challenge, and the conversation was no less precarious. “I didn’t know you two kept in touch.”

“Three. Us three.” Junpei’s eyes narrowed. “So where’s Clover?”

Akane was smart enough to know she owed him honesty. It’s not like she’d ever wanted to lie to Junpei at all, and with the AB project shoveled off to another, miserable timeline, there was no reason to. She explained that Clover was asleep, frozen in ice, and that she thankfully wouldn’t be needed going forward.

“...Jesus. What the fuck? You did all that without so much as a warning to me or Light!?”

“The only reason we’re here right now is because I did it how I did! You know that!” Akane was shouting in return now. Tears welled in her eyes. “What reason do you have for being so… so infectiously miserable!?” 

It wasn’t a fair question, and she knew it, but Junpei struck first in that regard. During all their arguments in the Decision Game, they’d never had the time or focus for things to stay escalated like this. Here, on this desert hill, with nothing – was this what awaited them? Could they survive for more than a blink if death’s gaze weren’t so piercing? Fear rattled in Akane’s mind, and it brought no epiphany; only a blanket of uncertainty that threatened to smother whatever force of life she’d leeched from her imagined future. She knew she couldn’t move without it.

At the peak of the ridge, Junpei’s anger reached its crescendo. He was fully yelling, sweat pouring down his face and chest heaving to carry the weight of his body and his words. He was flailing and gesticulating as he whipped around to face Akane. “What reason!? Are you seriously asking me WHAT REASON!?”

Junpei stumbled. The anger that had been building like a tremendous wave came crashing down in a moment, and with it, his body. It was as though the earth itself had given out beneath him. Junpei crumpled, and vanished behind the crest of the ridge.

“Junpei!” Akane cried out. 

She threw herself after him with reckless abandon, arms flailing and legs nearly giving out as she hurtled downhill. The jug of water was cracked open, its guts spilled into the dirt. Junpei’s body had nested amongst some smaller rocks. The sight of it compelled a gasp from Akane, and a hand flew over her mouth. Muttering pleas to herself and to the world, she dropped to her knees, inspecting his head.

No wound. No bleeding.

Next was his jacket. She peeled it off, his whole torso sticky with sweat, now congealing together with scant spatters of thick blood. His breathing was thin and thready.

“Oh God, Junpei! Junpei, please!”

Her soft pleas grew louder. She tied his jacket around her waist before moving her hands quickly to prop him up. In doing so, bits of her hands were stained red.

Blood. That’s Junpei’s blood.

The realization hit her no less forcefully than a freight train. So too did the sight of something slipping from the jacket pocket as she jostled it around. It was a ring.

Her breathing picked up and grew shallow. The tears that had been building streamed hot down her face, threatening to burn her alive. This was wrong. This was so, so wrong. 

If Junpei Tenmyouji died, Akane Kurashiki would never wake up on a normal day again.

“No… No, no! No! No! No!” Her cries rang out through increasingly gritted teeth. The ring in hand, she stuffed it back into the jacket pocket. She clenched her entire jaw, dug her hands underneath Junpei, and lifted with all the strength she had left in her tired, tired body. This was wrong. This was wrong! She wouldn’t let this happen! She couldn’t! The world could fall to ruin right now, but this one man would live!

He had to.

“Akane…” The name oozed out of Junpei’s mouth, barely escaping. 

“Junpei! Are you okay? Please!” she sputtered through tears, but she was met with no reply. One foot stomped in front of the other, hitting the earth with all the determination in Akane’s soul. Flecks of deep, rusted red began compiling on her woolen sleeves. Tonight, the moon would be the same color. Junpei would be there to see it. All she had to do was carry him home.

She could hardly see the main road through her tears, but she marched all the same. Through an ugly, heaving sob, she pleaded with the universe once more.

“Please, someone! Please! Help him! Save Junpei! Help!” Her cry split the heavens themselves. “Help me! PLEASE!”

She inhaled a quivering, harrowed breath.

“I’M RIGHT HERE!”

Akane had no idea how long she was out there. She’d made it back to the main road, and that was all that mattered. From there all she had to do was continue. She would beg, plead, steal, kill, or march miles in the desert. One thing was certain; Junpei Tenmyouji would live. 

She carried him with impossible strength. No more could be said or done. Junpei would live. Junpei would live. 

After no clear amount of time, she saw something on the horizon. A speck of black grew larger and more recognizable by the moment. With the vestiges of her rational mind, she carefully propped Junpei in the dirt and ran towards it, waving her arms. It was an SUV.

Its engine still growling, the vehicle screeched to a halt as the driver flung himself from the front seat.

“Akane! What happened!? Are you okay!?”

It was Aoi Kurashiki.

Akane collapsed into his arms and sobbed into the crook of his neck.

Looking at the arms perched on his shoulders, Aoi reacted with palpable surprise. “Are you bleeding? Do you need a doctor!?”

Through choked sobs, Akane managed a couple of concrete words. “Not me…”

“What happened? Come on, let’s get you out of here!” His words were frantic.

Akane remained in a daze, her thoughts buzzing. It all seemed quite unreal. “How are you… why…?”

Aoi caught onto the sentiment and launched into the best explanation he could. “I dunno, I just… I felt like you needed my help. …Somewhere around here, I guess.” He waved his hands around dismissively, “I dunno, doesn’t matter, let’s get you-”

“Wait…” Akane croaked.

“What is it? Are you okay?”

“Aoi…”

Akane’s voice was a trembling whisper. She pointed behind herself, arm weak and unsteady.

“Help.”

Aoi’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

A loud noise startled Junpei awake, and his eyes snapped open. As they adjusted to the light, he realized that he didn’t recognize his surroundings.

The sound of a passing engine had jolted him from his rest. With sleep clinging to his words, he spoke. “What the hell? Where am I?”

“Junpei!” 

Akane’s hand, which had apparently been clasped over his, squeezed. If this was the afterlife, it looked all too much like the inside of a sardine can. 

As if spurred on by Akane springing to life, the wall opened to blinding light. Junpei’s eyes once again struggled to adjust, but coming into focus was…

Oh my God. Santa?

“Well, well! Welcome to the land of the living!”

Not dead. Good to know.

“You scraped yourself up pretty bad when you passed out. Dehydration. Try a cup of water next time, for all of us.”

Junpei scoffed. So what if he’d hardly had a drop for the several hours he trudged. Maybe water was stupid, anyway.

“Anyway, we administered fluids the best we could with what we had. I say ‘we’ but I mainly mean the guys. You should thank them when you get a chance.”

Junpei’s eyes fluttered over to the IV drip attached to his arm. Great. 

“You’re actually up faster than we thought. Guess you were semi-conscious. I digress.” Santa stuffed his hands in his pockets. 

Junpei writhed a bit. He seemed to be suspended on some sort of cot, with Akane by his side on what he figured to be built-in seating. It was coming together now; this was a van. 

“I’m sorry, could I get some space?” Perhaps the apology was unnecessary, but Junpei felt compelled nonetheless. Akane jolted up, nodded quickly, then spoke.

“Okay. I’ll be inside.”

Her hand stayed latched to Junpei’s for every second it could before being pulled away by the rest of her. The door remained open, but Santa was gone from view. Junpei couldn’t help but laugh. What a way for things to go, he thought. His hand made its way to his forehead, jostled slightly by his exhausted chuckling. 

After a few minutes, Junpei removed himself – and his IV – from the back of the van. At the sight of this, Santa closed one of the doors, leaning against it with a cigarette in his mouth.

A few puffs later, he began. “You know you really had us going there for a second.”

Junpei closed the other door and began to lean himself. One arm wrapped itself around his ribcage while the one being administered fluids gripped the IV. “I just pushed it a bit, that’s all.”

“You scared the shit out of her is what you did.” Santa was polite enough to exhale away from Junpei. “You’re lucky, too. If you’d been alone…”

“I thought you didn’t do ‘lucky.’” 

Santa paused, seeming honestly caught off guard, before letting out an exhale. “Guess I’m full of surprises, huh?” His words cut with a dulled sardonic edge. “Look, I’m sure as hell not your mom, but if you aren’t gonna take care of yourself-”

“I’m not a child, Santa. Aoi. Whatever.”

“I don’t care. Just keep yourself alive, man. Bare minimum here.”

Junpei smirked and mumbled a bit. “What do you care?”

Santa’s eyes looked at Junpei, then past him. “You’re joking, right?”

Following his eyeline, Junpei was met with a lonely diner. It seemed stupid for him to have missed it, considering they were parked right outside, though he’d only just left the van. The thing was surrounded by desert. Through the window he could see Akane, anxiously picking at her sleeves in a booth. 

A beat passed as Junpei placed his gaze back at the ground. Tempted by the smell in the air, Junpei grabbed his jacket from the van and took out a cigarette.

Santa’s brow lowered. “Christ, you’re dehydrated! Didn’t I just-” his words caught, and his eyes squinted even more. “You smoke?”

“Tie my own shoelaces too.”

“Funny. She won’t love that you know.”

“And I live and die based on her approval,” Junpei said half sarcastically, half scornfully. Not even he could pretend it wasn’t true.

“Uh, yeah, you kinda do? Who the hell do you think carried you out there?”

“What?” That part was unfamiliar. 

“...Did you seriously not put that together? Jesus, I found her hauling you through the desert like a corpse.” Santa paused. “Which you would be. If not for her,” he added in an incredibly obnoxious tone. 

Junpei stayed lost in thought. The context surrounding his episode was merely a flicker in his mind, no memory drug required. He must’ve figured he collapsed close enough to the diner, but apparently…

“Look, you saved her life. I can’t… I can’t begin to tell you what that means to me.” Apparently, Santa was the type to choke on sincerity. “Just… keep it together, man. For her. That’s all we can do.” 

Aoi ground his cigarette into the dirt, and shortly after, Junpei followed. He let out a deep breath. He knew what he wanted to do.

“She’s waiting for you, you know,” Aoi said.

“I know.”

The diner was a cozy affair. The red leather seating. The checkerboard flooring. It was the kind of place you could imagine someone on a date, or a family on a road trip simply wanting the novelty. It was quite retro. Very ‘’50s americana,’ with the features having aged enough to conceivably be from that era. The seating was cracked, the tiles in pieces, and the sleek metallic surfaces caked with rust. It was romance in decay. 

With the sound of a jingling bell, in he walked. Junpei.

He gingerly worked his way towards Akane’s booth, sliding down in front of her and the ice water she’d ordered on his behalf. The two only sat for a while, their eyelines wandering outside the window, towards other patrons, really anywhere except one another. After a minute that seemed to stretch on forever, Junpei made the first move.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” Akane replied, simply enough.

She took a sip of her ice water, prompting Junpei to follow. Good, she thought.

His glass met the table again. “Do you want to… talk about it?”

Akane ran her thumb over her glass, catching bits of condensation. “Why did you come with me today, Junpei?”

Junpei didn’t waste time. “You know why.”

“I’m not sure I do,” she confessed. “I would’ve been just fine with Sigma.”

“Probably,” Junpei said. He swirled his glass gently, watching the ice clink against the edges, before taking another drink. “But I couldn’t be sure, could I?” 

“Junpei…” Akane almost blushed, and yet her heart still had some horrible feeling like it was tightening into a knot. “You know I… I care about you a lot,” she said, embarrassingly honest. She wasn’t sure what she had to be embarrassed about. She wanted him to know this more than anything, but something about him always caused Akane to go off balance. “I’ve liked you… for a long time, Junpei… A really long time.”

“I care about you too, Akane,” Junpei returned. “More than anything, probably.”

Akane’s shoulders tensed, threatening to fold her in on herself. She didn’t know what more to say. The Junpei of now was a confounding man.

“I just…” he continued, “I guess it’s…” he sighed, trying to find the words. “I keep getting the feeling that I didn’t know you very well.”

Akane was going to respond quickly, however she didn’t get the chance.

“But I want to.” His demeanor was serious, square and facing her. “Please… Let me learn about you, Akane. Let’s learn about each other.”

Akane was stunned by an obvious truth. One she’d known during the Decision Game, but which had been obfuscated by the cloud of shared pain and confusion. The Junpei of now smoked, and he got upset more easily. The Junpei of now hurt. But he was Junpei. Akane didn’t want to ignore any part of him. She wanted to know him, wholly and completely, in beautiful resonance. She wanted him to know her as well, to the same end. It wouldn’t be easy to let Junpei in, but if she ever needed a guiding light, their moments of synchronicity would carry her. Regardless of morphic connection, they were linked, and what a beautiful thing that was. Akane wanted to try.

Her expression softened. “I’d like that a lot. I’d like that so much, Junpei. Please.”

Junpei’s eyes grew kind, still weighed by dark exhaustion, but radiating fondness. “I’m really glad. I guess, let’s start now?”

Akane nodded, and Junpei put his arms on the table, leaning towards her. A delicate sort of smile found its way to his face. “So… how are you?”