isola radiale affiliated Tetsuro Arahabaki from No Guns Life | Rank: Dwarf | Housing: Condo 410 | Abilities: Harmonie 5x per day for 20 minutes each | Item: Extend head to talk through, taser gun
Rebecca had quickly learned that skating on your own was not a lot of fun. In fact, she was quickly learning that doing a lot of thing by herself was not as much fun as she had hoped it would be.
Feeling more than a little glum, she had been returning her own skates, her attention occupied by her mind deciding to play memories of all those who were still ‘home’.
“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
Offering him a smile, she leaned down and picked up the skates for him. Was it just her, or did he seem nervous?
Luckily for him, she didn’t work here, and she seemed kind of...Easy to lie to. Especially being some poor, bedraggled, mute boy. Hey, sometimes his past had its perks in a place like that. Rather than a medley of people in the same situation, there were well-off people looking for someone to pity.
Not that he could blame them, he was particularly pitiable.
[Uh...] The disembodied mechanical voice came out of the robot head attached to his belt. [Didn’t mean to bump into you. I was just picking up my skates.]
Rumors of an abandoned city was enough to draw Link’s attention any day- but this city left a melancholic feeling in Link’s chest as he looked around, wondering just what had happened to cause all this. Was there some sort of disaster? Had someone horrible done something? He was only pulled from his thoughts when he noticed a familiar face, walking over.
‘Same for me! I was curious about this place… it seems sad.’
[Really?] The teen walked over and kicked another nondescript rock. [I guess I can kind of get that.] The place was practically a geometric maze. But more than that, what worried him was...
The teen’s mechanical hands were pressed against the glass of the skate zone, looking in at everyone else having a good time. Mermaid Cove mall was full of so many such things, like the trampoline park, that would be good for when the Boardwalk was close.
Too bad you had to have money for that kind of thing.
Unless you snuck in. Which was the next few minutes. Carefully, he slipped past the front desk, grabbed his size of skates.
And then bumped into someone as he was leaving, dropping the skates.
Kicking some rubble out of the way, Tetsuro exhaled. The deep fog escaping his mouth was a signal of it becoming cold again, and that winter didn’t seem to be ending very soon, and Yesteryear was a pretty good place to go kick rocks.
He shouldn’t be out too long, but the bite of metal against his skin wasn’t too bad yet. He could withstand it a little longer. If only because he had just spotted his friend.
[Hey Link,] he signed [What are you up to? I was just exploring here.]
He didn’t want to go back. He wished there was an option to choose. Because if he could choose, he would choose that version of himself every time. He would choose to live with Jyuzo and Marie, to get along with Dave...
He would choose being a normal kid with a dad who loved him.
He would choose to be Tetsuro Inui.
But when he woke up, he was Tetsuro Arahabaki. And the reality was, this Tetsuro had even less memories than that Tetsuro. His own memory loss became more muddled, more confusing, as he mixed with his other self’s memories. He didn’t want to bother Jyuzo, if only because he couldn’t face him or the others.
Because he’d feel nothing but guilt for wanting to be back in that world. He’d be viewed as immature, not doing what had to be done. He could hunt himself down on his own.
And there wouldn’t have to be that discussion, on whether or not that was what Jyuzo had looked like - what Jyuzo could or couldn’t remember. Because the reality was they were the same.
It wasn’t hard to track down his other self. Part of what he liked about that life was how naive he was - how he had no street-smarts, and how he would do something every fourteen year old would do.
He would go look for his parent. He would look for Jyuzo.
The door to the house they were living in, that they did not live in, in reality, was slammed open.
“Dad?! Dad! Dad where are you-”
It was likely that his dad was looking for him. Jyuzo was probably looking for Tetsuro, too.
Following him into the house, Tetsuro watched the confusion dawn on his double’s face.
“What’s...Going on? This isn’t...This isn’t our house. But the address is the same...”
[Because you don’t live here. I don’t either. We don’t live with Jyuzo.] The attempt to keep the sting out of it was ill-gotten, and his double - Twotsuro? - was shocked. Reeling back, looking at...
Looking at Tetsuro’s hands, and his legs. The bandage around his throat. The apparatus on his hip allowing him to speak... “What’s...Who are you? How are you doing that?”
[You’re naive, but you’re not stupid. You have the highest GPA in your class...And you must’ve seen what’s going on outside.]
[I’m...The you who didn’t grow up inside this city. I guess you don’t have my memories, but I have yours...I think you guys are being sent away.]
“Where’s my dad-”
[I don’t know. Probably scared of my Jyuzo.]
“Jyuzo...You don’t-”
[No. You already know your adopted. I didn’t meet Jyuzo until much later. I’m like you, I don’t know our birth parents. Unlike you, I...Don’t even know how old I am. I barely knew my own name when Jyuzo found me.]
“Your arms...A-and your legs- You don’t talk through your mouth...”
[...So you really don’t have my memories, huh? Probably better for me.]
“Wh-....why?” Twotsuro backed away slowly, reaching behind him for any other kind of weapon.
[I...You’re going away. With your dad. Believe me, if I could be you, I would be. But I’m not. And I’m not getting killed now because you’re upset.]
“No...I...I just have to find my dad. O-or Marie...Or Dave! Dave will know what to do. I’m not leaving. Especially not without my dad.”
[They’re dealing with their own situations...I don’t want them to deal with mine, too. We’re not little kids.]
“W-wait...Just...Wait...C-can’t you call him? I just want- My dad- I just-” His double was scared, the quavering voice was enough for him to tell, but it seemed as though the other teen would soon be falling into hysterics if something wasn’t done soon, one way or another. “P-please I just...I just...”
Tetsuro’s mouth pressed into a thin line as he took out his phone - their phone. Giving it to the other, he plopped down on the floor.
“It’s ringing- Oh...Voicemail. I’ll just...” Part of him wanted to take the phone away from Twotsuro, but he just crossed his arms, holding himself tightly. The feeling in his chest sucked - he wanted the other to disappear. He didn’t want his alternate self to leave a message.
“Dad- It’s me. Um, I don’t even know if you’ll get this. Or if you’re okay. I really hope you’re okay.” A pause. “I’m scared. I don’t want to be sent away, but...If you’re already where we’re going, then I want to go there, too.There’s another me here. And he said that himself and the other you...Um, something happened to them. But it’s okay, because they’re together, too. I guess it’s something like...” Twotsuro smiled, offering a slight laugh. “Maybe it’s something like fate. Like even if we aren’t related by blood, we’re supposed to be a family. It seems silly and childish, but...” Tetsuro turned away when his double’s eyes glistened over with tears, and his voice became shaky. “A-anyway...I love you, dad. I’ll see you there, okay? ‘Bye.”
The phone was nudged back at him, his double wiping his eyes and smiling. “Thank you.” In a moment of spite, Tetsuro wanted to send his double right now, his hand was hovering over the button, and-
[...We could eat something.]
“Huh?”
[You don’t know your living situation over there. So...If you wanted to eat something before you go, and we could...Talk. Maybe Jyuzo- Maybe your dad will come home before then.]
“...Okay. Just...Don’t want too long.” It was a good thing his double seemed to be aware of what was happening. Nodding, he went into the other room, talking about his super secret food fridge that he hid, the time a criminal lived in his house, about Anda and their weird psychic friend, and the detective agency, and their respective Daves. Everything and anything.
And the vague satisfaction that maybe his double was right. Maybe it was fate.
he answered too late, evidently. jyuzo sticks his head around the kitchen door, his brow furrowing at the sight of the homework left abandoned on the table. sighing and wiping his hands dry with a dishrag, he tosses it into the sink and makes his way over.
“hey, you.” leaning over the back of the couch, he snatches a cookie out of tetsuro’s hand and stuffs it into his own mouth. “if you do your homework, i’ll take you to the boardwalk. how’s that for a deal?”
He jumped at his dad’s voice, sinking into the couch and busying himself with the TV. If he didn’t look him in the eyes, maybe Tetsuro could pretend he didn’t hear. No such luck when the weight on the couch was felt, and he looked up.
“Nice try, dad,” the teen sighed, “But the Boardwalk’s closed after Christmas.” He had the schedule memorized since he was a little kid. They went all summer, every summer season.
“But, hm,” he smirked back up, “Ma-aybe...A movie? With Dave?”
to say that reptilise isn’t open at all times would be nothing short of a lie. the place isn'y always brimming with people, but that doesn’t mean the vibe is any less entertaining, just a little more calm- being one of the slow hours, dave isn’t quite as attentive to the bar as he should be, usually his attention stays at helping with orders and making sure the costumers are happy.
when he does return, there’s a familiar face taking a spot at the other side of the counter, smugly asking to be attended. “aren’t you a bit small to be asking for that?” he plays along, smiling at the kid.
“My dad would ask if I did my homework.” A broad grin crossed his features as his feet swung at the bar. Clearly those around are relieved to see that Dave knows him, and go back to their business. A - barely - high schooler was probably a rare sight around here.
“I want a Pina Colada - they sing about it in songs, and give it to people on TV. On fancy islands and stuff.”
“I’m sure you know how to make it - I bet you know how to make anything.” Dave was the coolest, really. Tetsuro dug around in his pocket, pulling out his phone. “Oh, and I think I have enough dust for some potato skins. The cheesy kind with bacon. None of the green things, though. Can I get that?”
“Dad, you home?” The teenager dropped off his bag at the entryway, shivering as he took off his winter coat and hung it. This apartment was a little smaller than their last - but he was fine with it. No answer - if his dad wasn’t home, he wasn’t gonna get started on his homework right away. Taking out his notebook and agenda, he placed them on the dining room table.
And then promptly walked away.
Shoving his cell phone in his pocket, Tetsuro walked into the kitchen, grabbing a package of cookies and flopping onto the couch.
Was what is said. Gnawing at his lower lip, Tetsuro sat alone in his room and stared at the box. As though staring would open it up, or reveal the contents to him. After a while of pressing his ear to the box, and listening to the others in his apartment open their boxes, he finally opened it.
And nothing was there.
Dejected, tricked, he rolled into bed for the night, disappointment coloring his features. Looking out at the snow falling down from his position on the bed, his limbs felt all the more heavy for it.
When he woke up in the morning, something was off.
He yawned, sitting up, and he felt...Lighter.
It took his eyes a moment to adjust, and he saw bare hands. Blinking, he pinched his cheek, and then pinched his arm. The skin on his arm. No longer mottled by scar tissue and bolts, unscathed. He could move them, his arms and legs, not a modification to be seen. Ripping off his covers, Tetsuro stared in awe at scrawny, bare, legs looking back at him. Tentatively, he moved them, bending each knee before sliding over and placing them on the ground.
Moment of truth, he stood gingerly, careful to test for any muscle atrophy.
There was none.
“What the he-”
He stopped, hand at his throat. That was his voice. No modification. No extend. No using Harmonie. That was...His own voice. Reaching back, he felt nothing at the back of his neck. Nothing.
