Chapter Text
Akito let out a tired sigh as he sat down on the edge of the stage.
Today's live had gone well.
Really well.
The crowd had been loud, everyone had been excited, and for a moment, it felt like all their hard work had paid off.
"Good job, everyone."
Touya handed him a bottle of water.
Akito took it.
"Yeah, yeah. You too."
Nearby, Kohane was talking with some fans who had stayed behind. She looked nervous as always, but she still managed to smile.
An laughed as she watched her.
"Kohane's getting more popular every day."
"That's because she's amazing," Touya said without hesitation.
---
Akito immediately smirked.
"Oho? Look who's talking."
Touya blinked, "What?"
"Nothing."
"You are clearly implying something."
An joined in.
"Akito's saying you're acting like a boyfriend."
Touya nearly dropped his bottle.
"I am not."
"You totally are," An said.
Kohane had finally returned and immediately looked confused.
"What are we talking about?"
"Nothing!" Touya answered a little too quickly.
Akito burst out laughing.
Kohane looked even more confused.
An laughed too.
For a few minutes, the four of them stayed together, talking about random things.
It was peaceful.
Normal.
Just another day for Vivid BAD SQUAD.
Eventually, the staff started cleaning up.
The members gathered their things.
"I should get going," Kohane said.
"Me too," Touya added.
An stretched her arms.
"I'm starving."
"You're always starving."
"Shut up, Akito."
"I'm serious." An kicked his leg.
Not very hard.
Just enough to annoy him.
"Ow!"
"You deserved that."
Kohane giggled.
Touya looked away, trying not to smile.
After saying goodbye, they started walking home.
Since An and Akito lived in similar directions, they ended up walking together.
The streets were quieter now.
Most people had already gone home.
The city lights shined softly around them.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then An suddenly stopped at a vending machine.
"Hm?"
Akito looked back.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm buying a drink."
"You just had one."
"So?"
An crouched slightly and looked through the choices.
After a moment, she pressed a button.
A can fell down.
Then she pressed another button.
Akito raised an eyebrow.
"Why'd you buy two?"
An grabbed both cans.
One was for her.
The other was pushed into his chest.
"Here."
Akito stared at it.
"...What?"
"You looked tired today."
"I'm always tired."
"Exactly."
Akito looked at the can for a few seconds.
Then he clicked his tongue.
"You didn't have to buy me one."
"I know."
"..."
"..."
"Thanks."
An smiled, "You're welcome."
For some reason, Akito felt a little embarrassed.
So he immediately changed the subject, "You're acting weird."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"I could say the same thing about you."
"I'm perfectly normal."
An stared at him.
Akito stared back.
Three seconds passed.
Then An started laughing.
"You're the least normal person I know."
"Rude."
"It's true."
They continued walking.
The conversation jumped from topic to topic.
Music, school, future events.
Whatever came to mind.
Before Akito realized it, they had already walked much farther than he expected.
The streets had become almost empty.
Only a few people remained outside.
The night air felt cooler now.
An looked up at the sky.
"Today's nice."
"Hm."
"You're not even looking."
"I don't need to."
"Look."
Akito sighed dramatically.
Then he looked up.
The stars were visible.
Not many.
But enough.
"...Okay."
"See?"
"Still just a sky."
An rolled her eyes.
"You're hopeless."
Akito smirked.
---
The two kept walking.
Then something strange happened.
At first, Akito thought it was just a reflection.
A weird light.
Nothing important.
But the light didn't disappear.
Instead, it grew.
A strange purple glow appeared at the end of the street.
An noticed it too.
"...Akito."
"Yeah."
The glow became brighter.
Neither of them moved.
The air suddenly felt heavy.
Like something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"What is that?" An asked quietly.
"No idea."
The purple light twisted.
Almost like space itself was bending.
Akito frowned.
"Okay, that's definitely not normal."
"You think?"
The glow continued growing.
The ground beneath their feet started shaking.
A few streetlights flickered.
One exploded.
The loud crack made both of them jump.
"What the hell?!"
People nearby started shouting.
Some ran away.
Others froze.
Nobody seemed to understand what was happening.
Akito grabbed An's wrist, "Let's get out of here."
For once, An didn't argue.
The two started running.
The strange light behind them grew larger.
Larger, and larger.
The shaking became worse.
Buildings rattled, windows shattered.
Akito looked back.
The moment he did, his eyes widened.
The purple glow had become a giant swirling hole.
It looked impossible.
Like it shouldn't exist.
Like reality itself had been torn open.
"What is that thing?!"
"I don't know!"
An's voice sounded scared.
Akito couldn't remember the last time he had heard her sound scared.
That alone made his heart race faster.
The hole suddenly expanded.
Fast.
Too fast.
The street disappeared beneath the purple light.
Cars.
Buildings.
Everything.
Gone.
Swallowed whole.
"RUN!" Akito shouted.
They ran as fast as they could.
But it wasn't enough.
The light reached them.
Akito felt a powerful force pulling him backward.
His grip on An tightened.
"An!"
"Akito!"
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Fear.
Confusion.
Questions.
Neither of them had answers.
The force became stronger.
The world around them started breaking apart.
The street vanished.
The buildings vanished.
Even the sky disappeared.
Everything became purple.
Everything became darkness.
Akito could barely hear anything anymore.
Only one sound remained.
A voice.
Soft.
Gentle.
Almost sad.
It sounded like a girl.
But he couldn't tell who it was.
The voice seemed far away.
Yet somehow right beside him,
"Don't leave me again..."
---
Akito's eyes widened.
What?
Who said that?
Before he could think about it, the darkness swallowed everything.
And then—
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The last thing Akito felt was the grip of An's hand.
Then even that disappeared.
And the world went silent.