Many say that when something obsesses you, you memorize it in your mind, burning memories, names, and facts into it until they are etched like scars in your memory, impossible to erase.
Sai was the living embodiment of those words. He spent so much time programming that his mind memorized codes and algorithms, filled with letters and numbers that held no meaning or ending to outsiders, algorithms that could surely cover an entire wall.
But that's hardly surprising for a genius. After all, people with great intelligence are capable of unimaginable things.
And even so, many of them go insane...
Just like code—a collection of commands and instructions—Sai knew many things about you after the first time the two of you met.
The first time, he memorized your hair color, your eyes, your lips, the color of your skin, your small smile, and the way you sobbed. Despite his young age, how could he not, after the great change you caused in his life the moment you looked at him?
As the days passed by your side, he learned your likes, what you disliked, the size of your smiles and what it meant when they rested at a different angle, the way you walked, the kind of clothes you usually wore—he even memorized your wardrobe.
And just like the data in his mind, he cherished every piece of information about you. Of course, at first he didn't realize how precious it truly was.
And, like the brilliant genius he was, he needed more—more information about you, to discover every little part of your being, no matter how insignificant it was, and give it meaning.
Meaning to that desperate need to see you again the next day after saying goodbye. To why he felt such warmth with you, and the very same feeling when he programmed.
A meaning to his lack of sleep and to his memory replaying everything he knew about you over and over again, obsessively, after a single analytical glance whenever the two of you met.
He was even capable of recreating you in his mind.
And yet, it still wasn't truly you.
The two of you met when you were children. You came from a family of a status similar to Sai's. Well, they had greater status and history, but their power had been declining, which was why they dug in their claws whenever they had the chance to get close to a family as prestigious as the Nanami conglomerates.
A family that had recently been under everyone's scrutiny because of scandals involving illegitimate children and infidelity.
And your dear, considerate family offered to help (note the sarcasm in that sentence).
First came the news of joining their businesses, collaborating together.
At one of those parties where they showed off the bonds they were weaving, you met him after sneaking away from the party on a whim of yours. Your grandmother had promised you that you would have fun, that it would be a party that wasn't boring at all, with more children... yet you were the only girl there. Your appearance drew affectionate glances, and even though you liked the attention, you were bored.
So instead, you slipped away and explored the unfamiliar house.
A bad idea, because you got lost after making a few turns. Not knowing how to get back, and with your legs tired, all you could do was dirty your dress and sit on the floor, hoping that one of the servants would find you.
Yet even after minutes—or perhaps even hours—had passed, no one found you. Terrified that you wouldn't find your grandparents and that they would end up leaving without you, you cried in fear.
That was until a boy your age found you. Well, he had just stepped out of a nearby room with one of his math tutors.
Even though he was startled to see a stranger—and by the way that stranger looked directly at him with tearful yet bright eyes, as if expecting something from him—he cautiously approached, concerned.
"Are... are you okay? Did you get lost?" he asked timidly, his voice barely above a whisper, not recognizing your face at all.
You nodded, still frightened from being lost, but hopeful that this boy would help you.
"Wait, I'll tell my teacher." Not particularly eager to stay with a girl he didn't know, and uncomfortable with your sobbing, he tried to go find his tutor. Surely he would know what to do and how to calm you down.
But you had already reached out and grabbed the fabric of his shirt, holding on tightly to stop him from leaving.
"Hey! Wh-what... are you doing?" Sai exclaimed, alarmed when he saw you clinging to his clothes, nervous at your touch.
"Don't go," you said weakly. "Don't leave me all alone."
You didn't let go, even as the boy used all his strength to try to leave.
"But I'm going to get help," he protested, still trying to pull away, growing more nervous.
But you didn't say another word. You just held on tightly, until your arms began to ache and your fingers slipped, forcing you to let go of the boy and sending him tumbling to the floor.
You watched him get back up and hurriedly try to leave. Faced with the thought of being left alone again, you started crying once more, even louder.
That made the boy stop in his tracks.
Sai knew he would get into trouble if someone found you crying with him nearby, or if you told anyone about how he had behaved.
So, even more nervous now, he came back, his hands fidgeting uncontrollably.
"Oh... don't cry... I'm here now." He sat down beside you in defeat, trying to get you to stop crying. He sighed when he could no longer hear his teacher's footsteps; he had probably already left. Now all he could do was wait for a maid to pass by.
"You're not going to leave?" you asked between sobs.
The boy, having already given up, simply shook his head.
You smiled, even with snot running down your nose and your face red from crying. You grabbed the hem of his shirt again, but this time you didn't let go.
You were a strange girl to him—for seeking out his company, for choosing him, and for talking to him for hours, listening as he said things you didn't understand, while you simply nodded foolishly.
Even when the maids finally found the two of you, you refused to move away from him. You clung to him until you were finally returned to your grandparents' arms, where they hugged you with worried expressions.
And then you insisted on visiting him every day, on having him be your friend.
A friend... Sai had never had something like that.
No one had ever approached him the way you did.
Or given him smiles like yours.
Or brought him the little gifts you always gave him.
Even though you were annoying, invaded his personal space, and held tightly onto his shirts,
you listened to him talk about his love for computers, called him a super genius, and applauded whenever he did a simple multiplication in his head.
At some point, he stopped thinking you were annoying and began to appreciate the fact that you were his friend.
By then, he already knew many things about you. What had started as curiosity about a girl his own age who refused to let go of him the moment they met had become something much deeper.
And so, the two of you grew together, from children to teenagers, until you finally reached adulthood.
But then came the pressure from his father to put him in charge of the family business, denying him the chance to study programming. His brother also took an interest in his abilities and began getting closer to him.
And now, an arranged marriage to his only friend, suddenly decided, made him run away.
He cared about you—a lot, truly—but he barely knew how to be your friend. He still wondered if he was even a good one, or if one day you would leave him.
And what if you hated him because of the arranged marriage their parents had decided?
Surely you didn't agree with it...
Was he enough for you?
What if all he felt was friendship and ended up hurting you? Even if that seemed unlikely, you were the only person he had ever felt affection for.
So, frightened, he boarded a plane far away from Japan.
Leaving you behind, convinced that you would surely be happier without him.
Too bad that his time alone in India made him realize just how much he needed you.
How desperately he longed to see you again.
But he couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't come back and bother you after leaving without saying goodbye or offering any explanation. Surely you hated him.
As much as he needed you, his fear—his terror of seeing you hurt because of him—held him back.
So he found comfort in your image preserved in his memory.
And in the photographs of you that appeared in the news.
Your family declared bankruptcy after the arranged marriage fell through, giving you one more reason to blame him, to stop giving him your smiles, and to look at him with disgust instead.
Even so, he would have accepted them with open arms if they came from you, if that were the only way to return to your life...
"I'm so happy to see you again!" you ran over and threw your arms around him excitedly. The boy, still trembling from his younger brother's presence, could barely process the fact that you were standing before him.
You practically threw yourself onto him, hugging him tightly, nearly knocking the both of you to the ground.
"___," he whispered your name in disbelief, the one engraved into his memory.
"See? I told you I had a surprise," Rysusui snapped his fingers excitedly and, almost childishly, wrapped his arms around the two of you, eager to join the hug, happy to reunite his brother with his beloved fiancée.
For the boy who coveted everything in the world, this time was no different. He even coveted a family—and what better family than his dear brother and his sister-in-law, the two of them together and present in his life.
"..." Sai began trembling again, frightened by his brother.
"Darling, how about you bring your brother a little snack? He must be hungry after so many centuries," you smiled at the boy affectionately, treating him like a little child.
The boy cheerfully walked away.
Just like a child, they both thought at the same time.
And that was another thing he loved about you—how easily you could keep his brother in check.
"Now..." you gently pulled the boy to a more secluded place with your warm hands.
"___, I... I'm sorry..." Sai grew nervous once again, not knowing what to say. No, he did know, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not after leaving you without a word. How could he possibly excuse himself...?
"Shhh." You silenced him while continuing to study his face with affection.
"But..."
"You don't need to say anything, Sai." You shook your head, still smiling. "I know the announcement of our marriage scared you." You looked at him, admiring every one of his features.
"I..."
"You needed your time." You caressed his cheeks. "You needed to think it through." Your expression never changed; every word you spoke was filled with certainty.
"And I waited patiently." You squished his cheeks firmly without even realizing it...
And the only thing that idiot could think about was how much he loved your touch, your gentle voice, your eyes fixed on him, your lips as they moved.
"So you can't leave anymore, my love. You've been away from me for far too long." You closed your eyes, still smiling, before pressing a kiss to the lips of the blushing, nervous boy.
Haha, they're all crazy in their own way.
One is obsessed with his fiancée and only friend, another with his beloved brother and the sister-in-law who always took care of him, and the Reader with her beloved Sai...
Maybe because he was the first boy who didn't simply play along with her.
The first to see her for who she truly was—a little girl with dreams of her own—and to tell her about his own dreams.
Maybe because she was the only person the boy ever truly opened up to.
The feeling of being the only one, of being someone truly special to another person, was overwhelming.
Maybe that was what created an unhealthy need within the Reader.
This started cause I was thinking about the Desmonds and was like omg Damian is just like Ryusui.. and Jeeves is like Francois… the butlers that stepped up
So then my thought process was like ok who doesn’t like Ryusui, boom Minami gets the role of Anya. But then I have a dilemma because who would be Loid and Yor??? I welcome suggestions here cause I am at a loss
However the role of Becky is filled by Nikki ofc ❤️ as well as Sai being Demetrius
The character dynamics in this AU wouldn’t be similar just because I’m more so filling plot roles rather than by personality. I had one idea that maybe Chrome and Ukyo could fill the spots of Ewen and Emile, but they wouldn’t really act like henchmen lolll. And with Nikki, maybe Brody could be her Martha. Then Chalk could be Bond, and then aside from that, everyone else kinda depends on who is Loid and Yor.. RIP
So, surprise. I have been tripping on psychedelics the entire day so far, and I had a wonderful Idea. I have never seen someone getting (Dr.Stone)Ryusui's scar inked before so, I guess now there is.
Yes the fingers do hurt like hell around the joints, it feels as if someone shoveled your skin off with a dull razor. But I think it looks cool so that alone outweighs that entirely.
This is only the first session and it is still looking very much unfinished. At a later date it will get better filling, shadows, and a smoother linework. Yes it WILL cover the entirety of the fingers eventually.
By the way, the green, red and yellowish colors in my fingers are just sharpie my friend used as a guide.
