your joelpulse thoughts. I& Require Them. What made you come up with this ship what's your genius secret...
@bookworm-2692 @poppyseed799
HI. OKAY. SO
my entire thought process for starting to ship joelpulse was literally: well, if people are gonna ship ethubs even during double life... what if...
and the rest was history.
THE THING IS. I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT IMPULSE NEEDS AN ENABLER.
he needs someone to nudge (read: PUSH) him into going apeshit . like im so serious that man is so petty he just needs someone to give him an excuse to ACT. (see: tango as the boogey and how QUICKLY impulse jumped to help)
i just think their dynamic would be so fun okay LKDSGHSDG like. imagine:
joel says lets burn shit to the ground after their house burns (do you think joel still wouldve made the relation-ship…? 👀) and impulse goes okay honey but lets get geared up first <3
there's so much potential to this ship . they could be TERRIFYING, does anyone HEAR MEEE
For those of your followers who haven’t realised yet: if Orion only has one cousin still alive, that means if it’s not Walburga, Sirius can’t exist… but if it’s not Cygnus…. Then Andromeda (and Tonks), Bellatrix, and Narcissa (and Draco) also cannot exist. So you gotta pick. (Callidora, Cedrella, and Charis are also his cousins which means that Neville and Ron etc might also not exist. Unless they don’t count as Orion’s cousins if they’ve already married out of the family). Hope this helps!
Oh and even if Walburga is alive…. I doubt their parents would let them marry each other if there are no other cousins. More chances for more Black Heirs if they marry different people, sooo……
Excellent. Either way, someone is going to be sad. Win-win :D
Here’s my gift for bookworm-2692! I was inspired by the prompt of Akane living as a paradox, and it accidentally spun away into found family fluff with some nice angst. Hope you enjoy!
(0)
The night was dark, and the moon reflected on the waves silently. Less silent, however, was the small boat pushing its way through the water. A large man rowed, and nine kids rode with him, crying and smiling and cheering as they slowly headed towards the shore. One of the kids sat quietly, contemplating with a frown on her face. She stared unseeing at their destination, the only proof they weren’t in the middle of the ocean; a bit of light pollution on the horizon.
Akane only gave everyone twenty minutes to celebrate on their dinghy before she ruined it. She pulled her brother close to her, even though she hadn’t let go of his hand since… Since.
The other kids tried to give them as much privacy as they could on the tiny boat. Nona glanced over, about to join them, but Akane shook her head with wide eyes. Nona turned away, but there was no way to know if she would hear.
“What is it Akane?” Aoi asked, hunched over to get closer to her.
She tugged on his sleeve, trying to avoid what she knew she had to say. “I’m going to die.”
“Akane…” Aoi started. He didn’t sound nearly as surprised as she expected.
“Or maybe I already died. I don’t know Aoi.”
The man who she only knew as Seven stopped rowing. He remembered himself a second later, but she now knew he was listening in. That was okay, she would need him later anyway.
Aoi stared into her eyes, unblinking. “Do you mean… The incinerator?”
Akane nodded vigorously.
Aoi pulled a hand through his snow white hair. “I want to say that you’re fine. I want to say that you’re right here. That I’m touching you right now.” He shook their held hand between them. “But… I also remember you dying. I remember holding your bracelet and the ash and- Oh god Akane, you were gone.”
She whispered to him, barely heard over the sound of the oars slipping through the water. “I remember.”
Aoi flinched, and she caught a movement from Seven and Light too. She kicked herself internally. She forgot how good Light’s hearing was, even after seeing his capabilities through both the past and future. Her brother pulled her into a hug, his face pressed into her hair. He shook a little, and Akane tried to pretend it was just from the rocking of the boat.
“I think… That there’s a way. To make sure that I survive.”
Aoi only pulled back enough to be able to see her face. “What do you mean?”
“I-” She looked over to see that sure enough, Seven, Light, and Nona were all listening in. Seven and Light were trying to hide it, but Nona was watching her carefully. “I saw the future.” Clenching and unclenching her hands, she continued. “That’s the only reason I got out. The whole time we were going through, I was seeing glimpses of… someone else going through the same puzzles. But then…”
No one was pretending to not pay attention now. Breathing slowly, she continued. “I couldn’t solve the puzzle. In the incinerator. It was so hot… I was crying, calling for help, and then suddenly, I heard his voice.”
“Who’s voice?”
She glanced at Light before shaking her head. “I can’t say his name. Trust me?” She asked her brother cautiously.
Aoi hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Okay. What did
he
say?”
“Somehow he knew I saw his puzzles. He knew I was stuck in the incinerator. He was there too. Well, not physically, but he’d be there in the future. He solved the puzzle, and I followed along so I could turn off the incinerator.”
Aoi stared at her forehead, not really seeing. “What about… The other time?”
Shrugging, Akane sighed. “I just, never heard him that time. Whatever path led him to that room didn’t happen, so I didn’t get his help.”
“That’s…”
“Crazy?” She finished for him. “Yeah. But you said it yourself. I died. But I’m also here.”
The boat was silent. Everyone was watching her now, worried brows spread across their faces.
Nona was the one to finally break the silence. “So, all we have to do is make sure that guy gets to that future, right? Shouldn’t be too hard.” She swung her legs as she sat on the bench of the boat.
She didn’t know what she was implying, Akane knew. To recreate that timeline meant… forcing eight people to play the game she just escaped, including Nona’s own mother. But the words reached Akane anyway, tightening her resolve.
“Exactly.”
Seven frowned at her. He realized what it meant. She thought she saw recognition in Aoi’s eyes as well. Light had turned away again, and she wasn’t sure how to get this right.
If Light knew what her plan was now, would he mess up the game as Snake nine years in the future? Maybe he would focus on the timeline she died in, and it would be fine. Maybe he would just decide to go along with her plans anyway. Would he forgive her? Could he?
It didn’t matter. She wanted to live, so there was really no other option.
After more somber quiet, punctuated by splashes from waves, they finally saw the shore getting closer. One of the older kids pointed it out, and suddenly the cheers were taken up yet again. A few didn’t join in however. Among them were Akane, Aoi, and Light. Seven tried to join in, but after a moment was content to let the kids shout.
It wasn’t too long after that a coast guard ship spotted them, and soon they were picked up and pampered. Akane worked on convincing her brother to let go of her hand, to which he eventually relented. The new ship was much bigger, so she easily found her moment to pull aside Light.
“Akane? What do you need from me?” He asked in his usual smooth voice.
“Light…” She wrung her hands together. “I don’t know how to ask this.”
“This is about what you need to do, isn’t it.” He said it more like a statement.
Akane nodded before remembering he couldn’t see. “Yes.”
“Tell me what you need.” Gently, he raised his hand, drifting it down until he found her shoulder.
Akane straightened up. “I need you to tell everyone I died. Even your sister.”
His hand twitched on her shoulder. He waited a moment before saying, “you’re serious.”
“I can’t tell you why. But I promise it’s important. Ten years from now you can tell the truth but… No one outside of this group can know I’m alive.”
“You’re asking me to lie to Clover? Akane, I don’t know if-”
“It’s life or death!” Akane interjected. “Please Sn- Light.”
He scowled, his hand tightening on her shoulder a fraction. “Fine. For you. I-” He cut himself off. “I don’t want you dying to be the true timeline. So I’m trusting you. And someday… We can get ice cream and you can finally tell me why I had to keep quiet.”
Akane’s lip quirked, just a bit. “I promise.”
Nodding, he let go of her arm. She prepared to turn away, but instead she got a full body hug from him. He was so tall, even now, that Akane’s face ended up squished into his stomach. She hugged back, letting him squeeze as hard as he wanted. “Goodbye Akane.” He whispered. “See you soon.”
The hug was too long and too short all at once. He pulled away, and she let him, watching as he grabbed onto the side of the ship and turned away.
A big breath made its way out of Akane’s lungs. Next was Seven.
She found him talking with a member of the Coast Guard.
“Seven? Can I borrow you for a second?” She clasped her hands behind her back.
“You talkin’ to me kid?” Seven pointed at himself.
Akane stumbled, thrown by his words. She didn’t even know his name.
“Woah! Be careful on the waves little miss.” The coast guardsman told her.
“You can talk to me about anything, kid.” Seven told her, and together they wandered to the front of the ship. “Though Seven, huh? Why that?”
She shrugged noncommittally. “I don’t know your name. And it’s a good number.”
“It doesn’t have any… other meaning?” He prodded.
She sidestepped the question. “Tell me your name and I won’t call you that.”
Seven let out a full belly laugh. “Maybe I like Seven! But I suppose you should know. It’s Kushichi Keisuke.”
“Keisuke…” Akane frowned. It didn’t feel right on her tongue. “I like Seven better.”
Seven, Keisuke, chuckled. “What do you need from me?”
“First, don’t tell people I lived.”
“Woah! Okay. Where is this coming from?” He took a step back.
“It’s the only way.”
“For your plan.”
“Yes.”
“To save yourself.”
“Yes.”
“In the future.”
“Don’t you believe me?”
Keisuke scratched his head. “No, unfortunately I think I believe you a little too much. You think people knowing you’re alive would change the future?”
Akane nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly. I know it, in fact.”
He shook his head at her, a rueful smile on his lips. “Alright. You and Aoi weren’t on the list of missing kids anyway. It shouldn’t be too hard to avoid talking about you. What else?”
“Else?”
“Well, you said first. Figure that means there’s a second and maybe even a third in there.” Keisuke poked her forehead, making her giggle.
“The second is easy. I need you to rescue the Nevada team. The kids in building Q. And obviously, tell them that I died.”
“Obviously.” Keisuke sighed. “Well, do we have any ideas on where they might be?”
“I think the others might be able to tell you. I don’t think I was the only one who had a crazy experience tonight.” She glanced at Nona, who was staring straight across the ocean unblinkingly.
“You think those whackjobs’ experiment worked?” He scoffed.
Akane gestured down at herself. “Would I be here if it didn’t?”
He stayed silent.
“I also… I think… If there’s any way for us to gain control of that test site… please.”
Keisuke squinted at the horizon line. “Anything else?”
Akane frowned. “I don’t think so…” Someday she’d have to drug him with soporil to induce his memory loss, but that was years away. For now she could just enjoy how on board he was with the parts of the plan he understood.
He turned back to her, leaning against the railing of the ship. “Then I have just one condition.” He pushed past the wide eyes she gave him. “I get to make sure you and your brother’re living somewhere safe.”
“What?!?” Akane gasped. This was not part of the plan.
Aoi, who was watching out of earshot, jogged over. “What is it Akane?”
“Seven- he- he-”
Keisuke just sighed. “It doesn’t take a genius to see you two have been living on your own. All I’m asking is you get an adult to take care of you. Please. You can’t deny it’s a small price for what you’re asking.”
“You’re, what. Worried about us?” Aoi sounded incredulous as he stepped in front of his sister, grabbing her hand.
“Aoi…” She warned.
Keisuke put his own hands up in surrender. “I can’t leave a pair of kids to fend for themselves on the street. Sorry.”
“We were going to school… but the year ended before…” Akane tried to explain. He understood anyway.
“We’ve got some money from our parents stored away. It’s not like we’re living on the streets.” Aoi shot at Keisuke.
A shake of Keisuke’s head and Aoi’s hackles lowered slightly. “I still can’t let you go. If nothing else, you two can stay with me until you’re old enough to take care of Akane on your own.”
“I’m fifteen… I can take care of her now.” Aoi mumbled, but he was losing energy fast. Akane stayed silent. A house and a bed and an adult to take care of Aoi when she couldn’t… It sounded like a dream come true. On top of that, she was out of her depth. She had no clue if this was the future that was supposed to happen, or if accepting the deal would negate her chances of living. And… she wanted to try.
Keisuke nodded at the pair of them, accepting their silence as an answer. “I think we have a deal then.” With no protests, he smiled. “So, let’s worry about the rest of the plan in the morning, okay Akane? We will get the kids in Nevada home safe. But right now… I think it might be time for some rest.”
She wanted to protest, but Aoi’s hand was warm in hers, and really, this could wait until morning. “Okay.” Akane said finally, and Aoi led her over to the covered part of the ship, and soon the pair were sitting on a bench together, already drifting off to sleep.
(0)
Aoi and Akane weren’t allowed on the expedition to Nevada with the other kids. For one, Akane was supposed to be dead, but neither of them had a connection to pinpoint building Q anyway. Instead they were staying in Keisuke’s apartment back in Tokyo. He would be gone for a few days, so he asked a work friend to check in on them periodically. Miss Ritsuko had just dropped by with takeout, and would be back again in a few hours for bed, so they wouldn’t be alone overnight.
The two picked at their food, neither looking at the other.
Aoi’s moo shu pork landed on the coffee table with a thud. “Okay.” He said finally. “It’s just us. Nobody else who might mess things up for the future timeline. Tell me everything.”
Akane closed her eyes, knowing it was coming. “I don’t know. Telling you things might change it too.”
“Akane.” Aoi cupped her hands in his, supporting the bowl of egg drop soup she held. “No matter what happens, if you tell me that I have to do something for this to be the right timeline, I’ll do it.” He stared intently into her gaze, though she stared at their hands instead.
“Really?” Her voice cracked.
“Absolutely. I don’t want-” He cut himself off, looking past her. “Akane. I remember what happens. Not just what did happen. Even now it’s like… there’s two timelines in my head. You haven’t left my side, but I still remember Keisuke taking me home alone. I remember crying in his arms because I lost you. But that didn’t happen. Or it did. I don’t know.”
Akane’s eyes grew as she stared at her brother. “I didn’t know you were feeling that. Is it bad?”
The question startled a laugh out of him. “Yeah. It’s bad. It’s like I’m mourning you, but getting to spend all my time with you too.”
“I feel it too.” She admitted. “It’s different, but sometimes I just feel like ash. It’s always on my tongue now. Wouldn’t it be better if I just left-”
“NO!” Aoi clung more tightly to her hands. “Don’t even think about leaving me Akane. Please.”
“Okay.”
They were quiet again. Akane pulled one hand away to have some more soup.
Aoi shook his head. “This isn’t how this conversation was supposed to go. I wanted to know what’s up with you.”
Akane slowly set down the bowl, Aoi’s hands moving with her. The pair held each other’s hands and stared. After a moment, she nodded, tightening her resolve. “His name was Junpei.”
Aoi jumped. “Like the kid from your school?”
She nodded. “It was him. The second the game started, we were connected…”
Akane described what she saw while their nonary game happened. She told him about the other eight participants, and how she had been there with him again. She told him how old he looked, but also how mature and capable he was. She described Keisuke and his memory loss, and how he decided to be called Seven. She touched on Light, and how he and his sister had seemed to be oblivious until the end. Then she described how the scientist Kubota exploded.
“Serves him right.” Aoi grumbled, but he also held her hand a little tighter.
She told him how the future started to diverge then, and she saw Junpei making different decisions, as well as what the result of those decisions had been. Eventually she described the incinerator, and how Junpei talked her through the puzzle.
“After that, he went dark, and I was completely back in the present. Well, the two presents.”
Aoi let out a long breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, shaking his head. Pulling her into a hug, he said, “I’m so sorry that happened to you Akane.”
“It’s okay,” she said into his shoulder.
“No, it’s not. You had to see so many people die and all the while continue to work through an escape of your own. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Akane sighed. “I don’t know. It didn’t quite feel real. It was like I was only half there, half paying attention to the present. I tried to tune back in when something was important, but what if admitting it was happening broke it?”
“Okay.” He said finally. “So what happens now?”
Akane pulled away enough to look at Aoi. “Now? We spend nine years preparing to get those seven people on a replica of the ship we just saw sink.”
He nodded, but he was staring towards the kitchen. “I think you should tell Seven- I mean Keisuke. If he ends up getting memory loss, then there’s no worries of him messing it up. Plus he seemed pretty willing to go with your plan, generally speaking.”
“You think so?”
“I do.”
“Okay. We’ll tell him as soon as he gets back.”
(0)
“Huh.” Keisuke said when Akane finished her story. “I guess you’re kinda like Schrödinger’s cat then.”
“What?”
“Oh, I guess you guys are a little young to know the concept.” So he explained, “it’s a thought experiment. Uh, that means it’s a thing that’s interesting to think about, even though it probably isn’t right to actually do. Schrödinger’s cat goes like this. There’s a cat, and uh, I don’t remember how exactly, but there’s a 50/50 chance that he’ll die in the next hour.”
Akane gasped. “Poor kitty.”
Aoi rolled his eyes. “It’s not a real cat Akane.”
“Right.” Keisuke nodded to Aoi. “So what these hypothetical scientists do is they put the cat in a box. They can’t look inside, and no sounds can get through the box. After an hour passes, the question becomes this; is the cat alive or dead?”
“But how would they know? They can’t hear if the cat is moving in the box.” Aoi frowns.
“Exactly. Until the box is opened, that cat is both alive and dead. That’s how it works.”
“My brain hurts.” Akane complained.
Keisuke smiled at her. “Yeah. I don’t entirely get it myself. But I think it ends something like this; The scientists finally open the box, and find out if the cat lived. This time, he did! The cat survived his ordeal just fine and he’s going to walk away safe.”
“I hope he scratches those scientists for all they put him through.”
Aoi rolled his eyes at his sister, nudging her with his leg.
“I think you see why I brought it up, right?” Keisuke asks them.
Aoi turned to him, nodding. “Akane is the cat.” Keisuke grinned at him. “Does that make us the scientists?”
“I dunno kid. I mean, you and I are kind of in our own dual state ourselves, wouldn’t you say?”
A sigh escaped Aoi. “I guess so. If we were the scientists, Akane would’ve just been alive when we opened the incinerator. Us seeing that she’s alive didn’t change anything. So I guess we’re more like… fleas Akane carried with her into the box.”
“Hey! I don’t have fleas.” She protested. “Right Seven? I mean, Keisuke.”
“You can call me Seven if you want.” Keisuke’s eyes twinkled before moving on. “Maybe we can be Akane’s mice friends who went into the box with her.”
“Sure, whatever.” Aoi waved his hand. “The point is, who’s the scientist? If we know that, we can just show them Akane’s alive, and then she’ll be fine!”
“I don’t think it’s a person.” Akane told him bluntly. “Or if it is, it’s also a particular time and place. It won’t be solved until we create the future where Junpei ends up in the incinerator with all the knowledge he needs. Or, I suppose it’s solved if we fail too…”
“Don’t say that Akane. I’m already seeing our life without you, and I don’t want to even think about it being the only timeline.” Aoi grabs her hand.
“I feel the same.” Keisuke tells her, his calloused hand slipping into her free one. “I know I haven’t known you nearly as long but…”
“Okay. Well, we do have nine years. I guess that’s plenty of time to make sure it all goes smoothly.” She squeezes their hands.
“You think we can pull this off?” Aoi asks, turning to Keisuke, but it’s Akane who answers.
“I know we will.”
(0)
Seven pulled every favor he could to keep the Nevada test site a police secret. He and Aoi worked on stock trading, using the information Akane knew about Cradle Pharmaceuticals, and the drug they would soon release called soporil. But after that… the plan became a waiting game.
The trio worked on their actual lives, and how to navigate them. Nine years was a long time to be trapped in a box. Seven got through the mounds of paperwork to become their legal guardian. Akane and Aoi went to school, and tried to act like normal kids. Aoi started getting interested in Seven’s cases, while Akane researched anything even remotely like the thought experiment she was living through. She took to information like a sponge, though her classmates were never as interested as she was. She became very good at hiding the winces when she ate yet another meal that tasted like it had been dunked in a hearth.
Some days she’d come home and see vacant stares on Aoi and Seven’s faces. They were being pulled into the other timeline then, she knew, and if she didn’t go over to them they might forget about her entirely. Seeing her always took away the haunted look in Seven’s eyes, or Aoi’s clenched fists, but it didn’t take away the fact that they were grieving a person who still lived with them. A few times, she just watched. If it was both of them, they might sit together, even exchange a few words about Seven’s cases or Aoi’s homework. It was so unlike the way she knew living with them was like; the loud teasing and roughhousing they were usually up to. If it was just Seven, he’d have his head down in a case file without reading a word. Seeing him cry had been too much for her, and she ran to have Aoi with her when she snapped him out of it.
Aoi, on the other hand, would be loud. He would yell and cry and kick the table and then curl up on the couch and weep. He was always clutching her bracelet when he did, remembering his loss. For him, she’d just kneel down in front of him, sliding the bracelet out of his hands. She wasn’t even sure how he had it, she hadn’t seen him grab it when they escaped, and she always threw it out when he got like this. But it was from the other timeline, so she didn’t have any power to keep it gone.
One time, she walked in on Aoi crying into Seven’s shoulder, and after that she refused to ever watch them suffer.
They grew up, slowly. Akane learned she loved smoked foods, the ashy taste in her mouth mingling well with the other flavors. Once a month the three of them would sit down at the dinner table and talk about it. Seven called it Feelings and Missions day, or FAM day for short. Aoi had rolled his eyes at that, but eventually even he called it that. FAM days always started with a hearty breakfast, as well as a meeting. They’d talk about any progress they’d made, or any thoughts about the other time. Akane would complain about how ashy she felt, and Seven and Aoi would talk about any episodes they had. Afterwards, the rest of the day was set aside for games and relaxation. They had planned a trip to the zoo together once, but when Akane took too long picking out clothes in her room, the boys had forgotten and left her. She called them about halfway there, and they learned that even hearing her voice was enough for a reset.
When Akane was 14 and Aoi had just turned 17, Seven changed their lives with a single question.
“Do you want me to officially adopt you?”
It surprised Akane so much that she was out of commission for almost ten minutes. Aoi however, had an answer already. “Took you long enough old man. Akane?”
“It’s not part of the plan…” She told them worriedly.
“Akane.” Seven put a hand on her shoulder, steading her nerves. “Not everything has to be part of the plan. You just don’t know if doing this is part of that timeline or not. That means you’re allowed to choose for yourself. Would being my daughter make you happy?”
Akane’s eyes spilled over with tears. “Yes.” She cried.
Not much changed. Aoi refused to call him dad, confiding with Akane one day that he felt awkward about it. “Someday I’ll have to be used to calling him Seven, right? One thing at a time.”
Akane, on the other hand, had no such worries. She loved bragging to anyone who’d listen about how great her dad was. She loved the way he’d turn red whenever she said it. She loved how he’d kiss her on the forehead before he dropped her off for school, or how Aoi would protest when Seven tried it with him.
The episodes got less extreme too, though not any less frequent. It was odd, watching her family move past her death. Aoi never got over it, and Seven never forgot, but they did move on. They didn’t cry over her any more, though Seven talked about how guilty he feels when it happens. Aoi found other outlets, learning that killing zombies in a video game hurts a lot less than ramming his toe on the table. She hid the bracelet in her room, and her brother never looked for it again.
Akane started learning robotics, while Aoi learned more about the software side of things. Seven would just shake his head, saying something about how they were too smart for him.
(0)
When Akane graduated high school, they moved to Nevada.
The weather was dry all the time, exacerbating the feeling of ashy skin she always carried with her. And the summers were scorching. But it was only a 45 minute drive to building Q, and that made it all worth it.
The building was abandoned. Technically it was owned by the government, seized when the kids were rescued, but no one checked on it. There was no reason to. Why would anyone who knew about this place want to go back here? Besides, the dangerous parts had been dismantled.
All three of them groaned when they saw it. Not a single door locked. The REDs and DEADs destroyed. Worst of all, it had never been designed to flood. Luckily the puzzles were mostly intact, though they were covered in dust. Akane nodded as she wandered through the kitchen, dusting off plates.
“This is good. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to remember all of these anymore.” She frowned at the grill. “I don’t even remember what they said anymore.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”Aoi asked, pulling her into a side hug. “It means you don’t have to worry about creating a paradox whenever either of us open our mouths.”
“He’s right.” Seven promises her, resting his chin on her head while he hugs them. “As long as we prepare as much as we can, and follow anything you remember, the rest will fall into place. It has to, because otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
She leaned into the touch. “Okay. Okay! We got this.”
(0)
Akane stared at the pieces of a DEAD scattered out before her. She put her head in her hands, resting her elbows on the desk, groaning. She was alone in her study, the mess already beginning to resemble the chaos she had seen through Junpei’s eyes. She pushed the machinery to the side, pressing her forehead down on the table. Aoi was down on D Deck, patching up holes and making sure it was all water tight. Seven was back in town, searching for the others that would participate in this game. This part was all on her.
“How do I keep them all alive?” Akane asked her desk, frowning at it when it gave no response. Nona might forgive kidnapping her mother, but even if she understood the sacrifice her mother would have to make, Akane didn’t think she could stand it.
There had to be a way. Her life wasn’t worth Lotus’s. If she had done it, there had to have been a trick she was missing. She wracked her brain, trying to remember what happened there. What would happen there? She hadn’t even been paying much attention to Junpei at the time, too busy with the prospect of escaping with Seven, and then with the fear of losing her doll. And then with her incoming death.
She strained, going dizzy. Junpei, Clover, Seven, and Snake. They took their nine door. They solved the puzzles in the library, then within this very room, before catching up with Ace, Lotus, and Aoi’s group.
She froze, slowly pulling her head up from the desk.
Junpei and the others had caught up to Ace. Why? There was no reason for him to stay after wrestling the gun from Aoi. Ace could have just taken Lotus and left through the second nine door. Why didn’t he?
“He couldn’t.” She said aloud, the words foreign on her tongue. “Of course he couldn’t. I wouldn’t let him get away. Which means… It’s not a nine.”
She reached over, pulling her notebook out from under the pile of loose screws. Flipping to a random page, she scribbled “9” in the corner. Then she wrote it a few more times. She tried changing the handwriting. She filled the corner with nines. Then she stopped.
“That almost looks like…”
She went to a different corner, this time writing out lowercase “q”s. At first, they looked nothing alike. Her q’s were too fancy, with long tails behind them. But after a few tries, she saw it.
9.
q.
They looked the same, or at least close enough to understand.
She found an empty space on the page, doing the math. She needed the q to equal an 8. Recalling the kitchen plate puzzle, she started writing it out.
123456789
ABCDEFGH
IJKLMNOP
Q.
Twenty-Six in Base-27
It would have to be enough.
If there was a way out, Junpei would find it.
Otherwise it just wouldn’t be worth it.
(0)
Akane was 19 now, and her birthday was coming up soon, her brother having turned 22 a while back. Seven stopped her one morning as she walked towards the exit of their quaint apartment. He put a hand to her shoulder while Aoi slinked into the room to join them.
Akane locked eyes with Seven, frowning.
“Akane…” He started, looking to Aoi for help.
“We think you should take a break.” Aoi threw him a lifeline.
Her eyebrows raised, folding her arms at the two of them. “What? Why?”
“Akane. When was the last time you didn’t drive to Building Q?” Seven asked her.
She opened her mouth, but closed it again without a rebuttal. Finally she said, “What does it matter? This is important.”
“‘Course it is. But Kane…” Aoi drawled, his hands rigid at his sides. “We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
Her face turned red as she squinted at them. She gritted out, “If I don’t get everything perfect; I’m going to die.” Her anger made Aoi take a step back.
Seven let go of her to clap his hands. “That’s it. Mandatory FAM day starting now. You can worry about it tomorrow, but today you are not driving over there, alright?”
“If you don’t think I can handle this, just say so.” Akane growled.
“That’s not it, you idiot.” Aoi told her. “We know you can. The point is if we succeed, we want to make sure I still have a sister at the end of it. If you overwork yourself it’ll be for nothing.”
Seven leaned towards her. “If you don’t have a life after this is over, what was the point? I treasure every minute with you, but if we succeed only to lose you… I’d rather prevent a future like that now.”
Akane’s shoulders lowered slightly, pouting a little. “I guess I still have more than a year left. But don’t think this means you can slack off tomorrow!”
Seven laughed, clapping her roughly on the back. He steered her over to the dining room table, where they’d spend another hour talking through the stress they’ve been under. Later they’d pull out a deck of cards and order pizza, but at that moment, remembering to care in the present was enough.
(0)
The nonary game was approaching. Everyone else was gathered over the past few days. The three stood in room number 7, in the third class cabin. Aoi and Akane stared at Seven, biting their lips and fidgeting.
“It’s time.” Seven told them, a large figure as unmoving as stone.
Akane nodded slowly. Aoi looked away, his arms folded close to his chest.
“Hey. Look at me you two.” Seven set a hand on each of their shoulders. “It’s gonna be fine. We’ve set it all up. Every contingency is accounted for. We’re going to save you Akane.”
“That’s not…” Akane started, but Aoi cut her off.
“We’re worried about you, moron.” He glared at Seven. “We’re purposely drugging you enough to get you to lose your memories! That’s a big deal!”
“Oh.” Seven said quietly. “Yeah I guess it is. But you know I get my memories back by the end of it. No need to worry!” Seven flexed, but the bravado had a tint of nerves to it.
Akane looked down at his feet. “I didn’t see anything about… Us… Back then. What if… What if you forget us forever?”
“Akane…” Seven put a hand to her cheek. “Even if I did forget, it would be worth it because you got to live. We got nine amazing years together. And after this, you’ll have many more. Even if I forget, just knowing now that this is our chance to save you, it’s all worth it.” Akane leaned into his touch. “Plus, we can always make new memories. Even without remembering, I’m still your dad. There’s no way any version of me wouldn’t understand that, as soon as I found out.”
Aoi’s eyes rolled, but he was smiling. Soon the three of them were squished into the biggest hug of their lives. They stayed as long as they could, ignoring any tears that appeared. Finally, Aoi sighed, pulling away to grab the soporil. The other two released, but stayed close.
“Just remember to only talk about the other time’s memories, especially around Junpei.” Akane fretted, adjusting Seven’s sleeves before standing on her tiptoes to resettle his beanie.
“I know.”
“And don’t tell him anything about knowing us after the game.”
“I know.”
“And don’t forget the confinement room-”
“He knows, Akane.” Aoi told her, filling up the needle.
Seven sat down on one of the beds, rolling up his sleeve for Aoi.
Aoi gripped his arm a little tighter than necessary. “See you on the other side?”
“See you soon.” Seven promised, and with that, the soporil poured into his veins, knocking him out.
(0)
The others would be waking up any moment. This was Akane and Aoi’s last moments together as siblings. They stood in the Third-Class cabin hallway, but neither of them could find a thing to say. Akane looked at the 6 on her bracelet. Aoi stood stiffly, looking at the low ceiling.
“You ready?” She asked, making him jump.
“Akane. I’ve been ready for years.”
“Wow really? I didn’t know you were so excited for round two.” She tried to make a joke, but Aoi just stared at her.
“I might… Forget. You know? You being here, but not being allowed to call you you might trigger an episode.”
She sighed, rubbing her arms to stave off a chill. “Maybe. I don’t really know what’s going to happen inside your head. Should I…”
“Yes.” Aoi answered immediately. “If you can find a discreet way, snap me out of it. If you even know it’s happening.”
“I’ll know.” She told him confidently. “I always know. The other you isn’t nearly as subtle as he thinks he is.” She didn’t tell him how she knew. She didn’t tell him about the slump of his shoulders or the way he’d stare at her like a stranger. They both already knew.
A beep on her bracelet informed her that another passenger was beginning to wake up and move around. “This is it. You sure this is the right choice?”
Aoi just smiled at her, with pain in his eyes. “Any future’s better than nine years without you.” He turned and headed for his room. “See you soon!” He called, waving without looking back at her.
“See you soon.” Akane said quietly, before turning and striding off to her own room.
(0)
Watching Junpei in the nonary game turned out to be much harder than Akane, June, anticipated. Seeing him move, hearing him speak, but without him knowing her the way she knew him… It was almost too much to bear. Seven wasn’t much better. Every time he let out a laugh she jumped, trying to remind herself not to quip back. She saw Aoi, Santa, stiffen when Seven patted his back like always.
Worse than that, though, was that she had to act friendly with Hongou and Kubota. Not that Kubota stayed around much longer, but she still asked him if he was okay, and got the expected jumpy response. Hongou, Ace, was a different story. She stood there, ash in her mouth, pretending like he wasn’t the cause. She hoped this time wouldn’t be one where Junpei chose door 5, so she didn’t have to go through the door 4 puzzles with him.
After Kubota exploded came June’s first fever. She knew the feeling well, remembered it from nine years ago when she died. She felt like she was burning up from the inside. A scream escaped her lips, the combination of pain and fear and knowing that she planted that bomb in his gut. It had to be done, and she had hoped she’d be over it by now, knowing it would happen. Of course not.
(Safe)
Junpei argued for door 5, and June and Santa refused to look at one another. Going through door 4 with so many people was interesting. Lotus, Clover, Ace, and Santa separated to look through the second class cabins. June enjoyed talking with Lotus about morphogenetic field theory, and Akane laughed when Lotus backed off with a “psych!” It was what she expected, and she liked the conversation anyway. She was going to die soon anyway, might as well enjoy her final moments.
After rejoining with Junpei, Seven, and Snake, they soon split up again to search the long hallway rooms for the pieces of the deactivated REDs. Once everyone was hard at work, she and Aoi slipped out. It didn’t take long to find Snake, and though he heard them coming the white smoke knocked him out all the same. Akane took a secret passage she built, dragging Snake, who had once been Light, along with her. She changed his clothes, swapping him out for the knocked out Nijisaki. Then she dragged Nijisaki back to the large hospital room, now wearing Snake’s clothes.
When she arrived, Aoi had just finished fixing the REDs. He smiled at her, and she dropped Nijisaki on the ground. “Hopefully he’ll wake up soon.” Akane said.
Aoi sighed. “Guess it’s back to playing our parts, huh?”
When everyone got back, Snake was missing and the REDs were lit up as normal, with no one the wiser to any trickery. Ace “sacrificed” himself with a soporil injection, and June put on the performance of her life pretending to be worried about him. She tried to think it was Seven instead, and that helped a little.
Junpei picked door 8, and he was one step closer to learning all he needed and Akane was one step closer to dying nine years ago. Yet again they split off, this time it was June, Santa, and Seven in the same room. It was enough to make her heart break.
Seven joked with them while they solved the room, but without nine years of context, it just felt… wrong. Santa and she exchanged pained expressions constantly, but they tried to interact anyway. It became easier, and suddenly Akane was so comfortable she almost mentioned the fiasco at Aoi’s 21st birthday party. Seven squinted at her as she withdrew, but was polite enough to stay silent.
When they finally reconvened in the large hospital room, Akane enjoyed the few quiet moments before they found “Snake’s” body. She tried not to look at the gore, made easier by Junpei’s gentle nudges. Less easy was the memory of Nijisaki, of how she dragged him to his death herself. He was responsible for her half-dead state, just as Kubota and Hongou were. Still, the regret stayed with her.
Eventually Junpei picked door 6, and she couldn’t help but grin. Not only did this mean that they were on the path to give Junpei the knowledge he needs, it also meant she would get a little bit of time with him before the end. Unfortunately, stepping into the engine room immediately activated another fever, and so she was stuck watching Ace hang out with her brother and her friend.
When Junpei checked on her after solving the puzzle, her heart melted. He was still as she remembered him, and that relief carried her forward. Unfortunately, that was when they met Santa on the stairs.
As he talked about his little sister, who died, Akane couldn’t tell if he was in the other time or not. It didn’t matter. He still felt the pain of her loss all the same. His story of getting her gifts as a kid strengthened her resolve. Aoi didn’t deserve the hurt he carried. These men had hurt her, hurt her brother, and there was nowhere safe for them.
The cargo hold puzzle took a while. Between Ace failing to do the face matching puzzle and Junpei struggling through the pushmaster boxes, by the end June just wanted out. She checked on Santa a few times, and while she hadn’t been sure when they entered the room, by the end there was no chance he didn’t remember that she lived. Finally, the groups met back up, and she dreaded what came next.
Clover was missing.
Clover was dead.
It wasn’t long before Seven found her in the bathroom of the first class cabin. Akane couldn’t look at her. Couldn’t even think about Snake and what he’d do when he found out. His little sister. She glanced at Santa, and when he met her eyes she knew he was thinking the same thing.
Junpei investigated Clover’s body, giving him the final clue he needed. He called everyone back to the large hospital room, and began his reveal of “Snake” and Clover’s killer.
Akane kept her expression neutral, but internally she just felt smug. Junpei was clever, tricking Ace into revealing his face blindness, his connection to the previous nonary game, even which pocket held the number 9 bracelet. When she glanced at Santa, he was faking a confused face, but his eyes glittered.
“I have lost, completely and utterly.” Ace told them. “Don’t misunderstand, Junpei. I didn’t lose to you. I lost to Zero.”
Akane couldn’t help the way she leaned back slightly, the way she stood up a little taller, at his admittance of defeat. It didn’t entirely matter. This timeline wasn’t the one where she’d live. But as such, she enjoyed the feeling of triumph anyway.
Ace didn’t take being cornered well, turning his gun on Lotus after she punched him. With Lotus under his arm, he left the rest of them behind. The fever came back, stronger than ever, and Akane knew she was getting close. Santa caught her, but Junpei wasn’t ready to leave her behind. She pushed through the pain enough to tell him to go. Lotus was more important. There was still a chance the others could live in this timeline, and she wasn’t about to let him throw it away. Santa promised to look after her, and Junpei and Seven dashed after Ace and Lotus.
The second they were gone, Aoi held her close. She was panting hard, shivering and steaming. He moved her to one of the hospital beds, letting her cling to his hand.
“Hey. Kane.” Aoi said finally. “I’m sorry.”
“For… What?” Akane asked between breaths.
“For forgetting you.”
“You haven’t… forgotten me yet… idiot.”
Aoi shook his head. “But I will soon. I don’t want to, but I will.” His eyes were tearing up. “You… you grew up so well. I’m so sorry I’m going to forget it.”
“Live.” Akane ordered him. “This time… is only a wash… for me.”
“I will. I’ll take care of… I’ll take care of dad too. We won’t be alone. Hell, once I forget this, I’ll have had nine years to grieve.”
Akane let out a small laugh, before turning serious. “You have to…”
“I know, time to get you in front of the altar for your boyfriend.”
“Shut up…” If she hadn’t already been burning up, her face would’ve gotten even redder. “Keep him safe.”
“I’ll do my best” was all Aoi promised. He let go of her hand in order to scoop her up, and she clung to his neck as he walked.
Too soon, they would arrive. Junpei would run to her, and they would talk through her final moments. Aoi would wait for the right moment before playing her pre-recorded message as Zero. It was one of the few pieces she had written down, years ago, but it turned out it didn’t matter. She still remembered it, remembered exactly what she would want to say to him. The second he looks away, she’ll turn to ash.
Afterwards, Aoi would gas him with soporil, and take him to Seven and Lotus. The four of them would escape together, and live the rest of their lives as best they could.
But right now her brother’s grip was solid, and together they cried. When he finally set her down on the floor of the chapel, his eyes were red and puffy.
“See you soon…” Akane told him.
“See you.” Aoi lifted a hand, and then she was alone.
She sat there, writhing and burning, waiting for Junpei.
You haven’t lost. Akane thought. I have lost.
(Truth)
Junpei didn’t fight against going through door 4. June tried not to get her hopes up. Santa and Lotus searched the left room while June and Junpei went to the right room. When searching, the two of them got to talking. Junpei was suspicious of her, for good reason, but she deflected by talking about romance instead. It flew over Junpei’s head, and she resisted the eye roll that bubbled up inside her.
She told Junpei about all the research she had done about the titanic. It was easy to just keep talking to him, and they ended up discussing longer than she intended. He was a little skeptical, but she didn’t mind. Junpei listened dutifully, clearly someone who loved learning like she did, before they continued their search. It wasn’t until he left for the other room that she remembered herself, and how she had a job to do. Still, she had a sneaking sense of deja vu, and she hoped that meant she had done the right thing. As they went to leave, Santa met her eye, nodding. He had been able to pass on the clover bookmark to Junpei then.
The four of them moved on to the kitchen, and June jumped at the chance to talk about Futility. He needed to know the types of things that were humanly possible, even if he didn’t quite get why yet. Santa, June, and Junpei got locked in the freezer soon after, which felt great for her high body heat. She rambled about ice-9 while Junpei found a way out, and the questions Santa asked her felt nostalgic.
It wasn’t too long after that they joined back up with the others in the large hospital room, but with the RED pieces missing, they had to split up and look. Akane and Aoi slipped away, reactivating the REDs and switching Snake out for Nijisaki. They stared at him on the ground, one of the men that had brought them into this mess.
“It’s going well so far.” Aoi noted, not taking his eyes off the unconscious man.
“Don’t get your hopes up yet. He still has two more choices to make. Plus he might not even get all the information he needs.” Akane scolded him.
“Whatever.” He bumped her shoulder with his before walking back to his place.
After the hour passed, Ace “sacrificed” himself, and June ignored the anger at the real reason behind his actions. He was hiding his crime, just like always.
Junpei picked door 7, and she hid her relief in a breath. With Lotus and Santa, she explored the lab, discussing monitors with Lotus, while Santa just rolled his eyes. Lotus liked software more than hardware, but the two women had a lot of common ground to cover. June felt closer to Lotus than she ever had as they left to rejoin the other group.
They found Nijisaki’s body, identifying the corpse as Snake. She winced, but Junpei led her away before she could fully take in the sight. Nijisaki had helped create the game that killed her, but she still wasn’t sure anyone deserved a death like that. Santa stared at it with fury, and she was forced to tap his arm. It took him a second, but he came back to himself, nodding.
Finally, Junpei picked door 1, leaving Lotus, Seven, Santa and June to door 6. Lotus and Seven butted heads a bit, but by the end it felt much less like hatred and much more like friendship.
The first thing June did after they met back up with the other group was look at Clover. Luckily, there was no axe hidden in her bulky clothes. She knows Snake is alive. Everyone filed into the chapel, and stared at the nine doors. Slowly, they began to realize not everyone would get out. It was okay though, with the right groups, the rest of them could get out when Snake woke up. Seven volunteered to stay behind, and June’s heart ached. Santa was on top of it though, and soon he was holding her close with a gun to her head. She had known it was coming.
She put on her best scared face, played the best hostage she could, and soon Lotus and Ace were going through the nine door with them. Santa slowly led them through to the incinerator. Junpei’s group would need enough time to solve the puzzles in their path.
Ace was growing suspicious, June could tell. Or maybe just angry. They were taking too long.
An eternity later, they reached the incinerator. Ace switched the lever without being told, and soon they were all inside.
That was when things went wrong. Well, maybe it was going right. Junpei had never seen this, so maybe they were all still on track. Unsure what was next, June’s fever spiked again, and she lost her balance. Santa wrestled to keep her upright, but he couldn’t avoid the look of concern. Ace saw his chance, punching Santa in the stomach, while June stumbled back and leaned against a wall. Santa curled up on the floor, Ace took the gun easily, and June slid to her knees.
Another door to the incinerator opened, and Junpei walked in with Seven, Snake, and Clover. Junpei rushed to her side, and she finally allowed herself a little hope. They would make it out of this. She was going to see tomorrow.
Of course, the path towards the next day was a winding one, and thus Ace chose that moment to take Lotus against him, the revolver at her temple. Ace tried to justify himself, but Junpei already knew about his prosopagnosia. Ace took Lotus and the number 9 bracelet up to the final door. He scanned them, and pulled the lever.
Nothing.
He tried again.
He howled, but in his anger he forgot about his hostage.
Seven struck, knocking him to the ground.
With his leverage lost, it was easy for Junpei to get him to confess. Unfortunately, Akane didn’t have time to sit around and listen. With everyone’s attention on Ace, she slipped back through the door she entered from. Once out, she made her way out of building Q. She walked up to the two getaway cars, pulling out a tablet that streamed the events still going on inside the incinerator from the glove box. She leaned against the Jeep and watched.
Seven revealed her brother to be Aoi Kurashiki. So Seven had his memories back, or at least some of them. He was playing his part well though, not revealing any connection beyond that. Aoi confirmed it, but denied that he was Zero. Akane rolled her eyes. He was serious, but she could tell he was having a good time with his speech. It was the penultimate moment. After nine years of pain. And he was going to make the most of it.
“Revenge isn’t the only purpose.” Aoi told them. “There’s another reason you guys are playing the nonary game. To save someone.”
Junpei didn’t get it yet. “Save someone?”
“Right. You were brought here to help my sister. To save Akane.”
Seven spoke up. “What the hell are you talkin’ about? Akane Kurashiki died nine years ago in this room. I was there, I saw-” He stopped himself, turning towards the spot Akane had left behind. She saw it, the moment he went from the other time to this one. He remembered her, sort of, but he didn’t have all the pieces. He grabbed his head, and in the corner of the screen she saw Aoi and Snake wince as well. A side effect of being so close to the end? Aoi pushed through it.
He recited the goal of the nonary project, and Akane hoped it would be enough for Junpei to understand.
“I’m pretty sure you know where this is going Junpei.” Aoi told him.
“Where what is going?” Junpei asked.
“Don’t play dumb.” Aoi’s voice was cold through the speaker. “You know things you shouldn’t. Things you couldn’t. How did you know Ace had prosopagnosia?” He kept the list going, reminding him of how easily he revealed Ace’s kills. “And what about the coffin Snake was trapped in? How the hell did you open it?”
Junpei couldn’t answer. But he was starting to get it. Time for Aoi to make his leave.
“Freeze.” He held the gun to Ace’s head. He made his final goodbye, and left the incinerator with Ace in tow. He closed the doors behind him. She couldn’t see Aoi anymore, but she knew he was gift-wrapping Ace for Seven and the others. Inside, they worried, and soon the incinerator turned on.
Here they were, at the worst part. If Junpei couldn’t solve this…
But he already did.
Otherwise she wouldn’t be here.
So she waited. Soon Aoi arrived, and with Akane’s help they stuffed him into the trunk of the car.
“Ready?” Aoi asked her.
“Just get in already.”
Aoi climbed into the driver’s seat of the other car, just in case the worst happened. They didn’t want him to be riding along the desert without a driver. Soon they were off, barreling along at top speed. Akane watched Junpei call out to her, then struggle to solve the puzzle. The video cut out eventually, as they drove too far away from the camera projecting it.
“Now we wait?” Aoi asked her.
“Now we wait.”
Time ticked on. Aoi’s headache was clearly getting worse, but she didn’t mention it. There was nothing to be done. She got warmer and warmer and soon she felt Junpei must’ve failed and she was burning alive. Then suddenly,
It stopped.
The car jerked, Aoi staring off into space a moment before focusing back on the desert.
“Woah.” Was all he could say.
Akane took stock of herself. She felt… Whole. There was no ashy feeling when she moved. Her tongue had a taste, an odd flavor the ash used to cover. She let out a laugh. Then another. Aoi joined her soon after. They couldn’t stop. Seven wasn’t with them yet, he would meet up with them within the next week.
I, too, would love you to do a 999 replay stream!!! I love reading your analyses and meta so this would be great. But bc of different timezones - if you do it could you also record it for later viewing??
tbh i have no idea how twitch or anything works but assuming i did end up doing this and assuming that that’s possible without a whole lot of work, of course :-) i am in EST for reference though
so is the dogfather au finished now, or can we expect more works in the future? i absolutely adore the idea of them going to muggle uni - of seeing draco trying to properly interact with muggles beyond two telephone calls. thank you for this sweet story!
I’m not sure -- maybe, but probably not for a while. I don’t have any specific story ideas right now, and I want to finish ‘ben solo vs. the darkest timeline’ before episode IX drops. After that, I’ll probably at least do prompt fills once in a while, and I’m still happy to answer questions.
And of course, if anyone else has a story in this AU that they want to write, they should, and be sure to let me know about it!
Have you read the gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue and the lady’s guide to petticoats and piracy? Bc I just finished them (first books I’ve actually finished in a while) and they were sooooo good!!! I loved the endings so much (and the middles and everything), and then I discover there’s a third book to come out this year and it’s super exciting!!!
Yes, I read it in 2017! I liked it, and I expect to like The Lady’s Guide even more but I haven’t gotten around to it yet!
I’m scrolling through your tumblr looking at eurovision things instead of paying attention to the “reactions” during the song celebration ugh. You’re so right I have no idea who these people are and they’re so annoying let’s just get back to the songs!
I wish it was another segment with the artists instead, or maybe something else with the fans (but not fan reactions, most are not much more interesting than the ones they showed)
I know my family in Sweden isn’t taking coronavirus seriously because there hasn’t been institutional shutdown yet, so I hope everything’s all right for you, given the circumstances
thank you <3 yeah i’ve seen that a lot here too... though on one hand i think it’s good that we’re a society where the government doesn’t have that much power to make such radical changes too quickly (imagine how that could be abused you know), i still wish people wouldn’t be that relaxed about it and hang out close to one another in parks & outdoor cafés and whatnot. i was probably infected by someone at work though, most likely. but let’s hope for a quick recovery!
