This story takes place between "The Angels Take Manhattan" and "The Snowmen", Doctor Who canon-wise.
Taki Tachibana stared in disbelief and shock at the large lake before him. According to the nearby library, this was the remains of the town of Itomori after a piece of a comet struck and destroyed the town three years ago, killing most of the inhabitants, including a girl that he had been switching bodies with. This girl, Mitsuha Miyamizu, was all he had on his mind. Unfortunately, she was dead and had been dead for three years. Taki sank to his knees despairingly, rubbing his spiky brown hair in a mixture of anger and sadness while tears began to stream out of his dark blue eyes.
"Tachibana-kun?" A female voice caught his attention. He turned around to see a young woman with brown, wavy mid-length hair and light brown eyes. Her name was Miki Okudera, his co-worker at his part-time job and former crush.
"O-Okudera-senpai," Taki quickly stood up and wiped his eyes, though it did little to stop the tears. "I-I…"
"I saw the list of casualties," she bowed her head solemnly. "I'm sorry you didn't know…" She gently pulled him into a hug as Taki's tears continued to flow out of his eyes. They stayed there for several minutes until a strange noise that sounded like whooshing caught both of their attention. Taki looked up and turned his head towards the nearby woods, where the sound seemed to be coming from. Releasing himself from Miki's hold, he dashed off into the trees in search of the source. His co-worker followed him, slowly moving her way through the forest.
Taki panted as he soon reached a clearing, catching his breath. He then looked up and saw the most unusual sight. A large blue phone box with two white windows on each side and above the windows were the words "Police Box. Public Call." At the very top of the box was an old lamp light.
"Okay, that's not normal," Miki stated, having caught up to Taki and caught her breath as well. A door on one side of the box opened, prompting Taki and Miki to hide behind a nearby tree. Stepping out of the police box was an oddly dressed young man. He wore a brown tweed jacket with elbow patches, black trousers, and black ankle-high boots. A bow tie was neatly settled near his neck. But the most unusual feature was his hair. It reminded Taki of the hairstyles he had seen on anime posters. He angrily kicked the box a little, causing a loud clang to be heard.
"I didn't ask for rural Japan!" He shouted apparently to the box. "I wanted Victorian London!" He spoke in a British accent, but strangely, both Taki and Miki heard it as Japanese. The man then calmed down and gently rubbed the spot where he kicked. "Look, sorry if I was a little rough, but I'm not really in the mood for side trips."
"Did he say 'Victorian London?'" Taki whispered to his friend somewhat loudly.
"I'm more concerned with the fact he's talking to an inanimate object," Miki replied.
"And you know I can hear you two, right?" The stranger called out. Their cover blown, Taki and Miki slowly stepped out from behind the tree.
"Um… hello?" Taki began, trying to speak English to the man. "My name… Taki…"
"I could understand you perfectly before," the odd man interrupted. Taki breathed a sigh of relief before switching back to Japanese.
"We apologize for intruding, mister," he bowed his head in respect. "We just heard this strange noise and were following it."
"Ah, must've been the TARDIS' engines," the unknown person mused before turning back to the box.
"'TARDIS?'" Taki asked, confused a little.
"Yes, Time And Relative Dimension In Space, or TARDIS."
"Okay, mister…" Miki began.
"Doctor," he interrupted. "Please just call me 'Doctor.'"
"Okay, Doctor, why is this thing out here?"
"Well," the Doctor turned around again to face them. "I was supposed to stop in Victorian London and stay there, but apparently, the navigation system decided to make a detour to this point in time."
"Wait…" Taki stopped him. "You're saying… you're a time traveler?"
"You catch on pretty quick, young man."
"May I… have a request?" He quickly asked.
"What is it?"
Taki and Miki explained their current situation to the Doctor, who had a look of pity and understanding on his face when they finished.
"So you wish to go back and save her?" He asked.
"Not just her," Taki looked up in surprise. "Everyone." The Doctor was now grinning at the idea.
"Well, then hop on board you two," he opened the doors to the box. Taki approached it while Miki stood her ground.
"You're not coming, Okudera-senpai?" The new time traveler asked.
"Sorry, but it's getting late and the others will be worried about me. Besides, this is your fight." She leaned in and gave Taki a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck," she whispered before heading back to the lake. Taki stood still for a moment before heading into the TARDIS. The moment he stepped inside, his jaw dropped.
"HOLY CRAP!" He shouted in disbelief. The Doctor smirked at his reaction. "IT'S… HUGE IN HERE!"
"Not exactly what I was hoping for, but oh well," the Doctor muttered to himself. Indeed, the interior of the TARDIS was much bigger than its outside suggested. There were numerous stairways leading to different areas and in the center of the room was a large computer console. Taki aimlessly wandered the TARDIS in awe while the Doctor fiddled with the console, setting in the date and time.
"October 3, 2013, correct?" He asked, catching Taki's attention.
"Oh, um, yes," the high school student replied, sitting down in the bench next to console. "…it's bigger on the inside…"
"There we go," the Doctor beamed as he flipped a lever and the TARDIS's engines turned on and the whooshing sound Taki had heard earlier filled his ears again.
"I'm coming for you, Mitsuha…"