We Have Survived the Ocean to Come Here
By: Aviantei
[Twelve Shots of Summer: Go/五 9/12]
A Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors One Shot
Unlike the other second Nonary Game participants inside the Nevada testing center, Kurashiki Aoi doesn't awake to the sound of an explosion, but instead to the beeping of an alarm. His body begs to ignore it, to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep—exhaustion has been plaguing him for the past weeks as the time for the game has approached, all the final preparations and kidnapping the others. It's been enough to make him sick off adrenaline, and he just wanted to ride that energy, so he didn't get the chance to think too hard about it. The only reason he even took a nap was because Akane insisted.
Akane…
Aoi still remembers the ocean, remembers the fleck of sea water as they watched the Gigantic sink, remembers clinging to his sister, crying in relief that she was safe, and they were all alive. He remembers his sense of optimism that things would be okay, that they could go back to how they were before.
Their life had never been easy, but it was better than then staying trapped in that game. And then, later, she would tell him the only reason she made it through the incinerator was because she'd connected to her friend nine years in the future, and he was playing the same game—
Ignoring his aching muscles, Aoi pushed himself off the bed. He didn't have time to think about it. This was what the past nine years had been for, and he needed to make sure everything was alright. There was only an hour left until the rest of the participants woke up and the game started again. Everything had to be ready.
So he went through his final checks, insuring that the other seven were asleep, checking in again on the other captives who wouldn't be participating but still had a critical role to play. Aoi had been testing the entire facility constantly, so he knew everything was fine, but he had to be sure.
Because this was all he could do to make sure Akane was safe.
Because after this point, everything would be up to—
"Aoi."
Trudging down one of the hallways on A Deck, his sister's voice reached him. Akane, with her brown hair fluttering behind her, approached him. She wore a smile on her face, but there was a sad look in her eyes she couldn't hide from him. Aoi stopped and let her approach him, trying to make himself appear much more confident than the anxiety in his gut was trying to convince him he felt.
"You're checking everything again," she said, an amused lilt to her voice. "Did you actually get some sleep in, or have you just been doing your usual rounds?"
Aoi chuckled. "I slept at least a few hours. Don't you worry." It had been fitful at best, and riddled with the same nightmares he'd always had over the past nine years, but it was sleep. "What about you? If you're up here, then you were looking stuff over yourself, weren't you?" Even to him, his own voice felt too soft, too quiet, though he was trying to keep up the joke.
"Not quite. I finished up making sure everyone has the notes they need a while ago. I was actually looking for you." Akane shifted, holding up the bracelets. Aoi had prepared them himself, but the rush of memories that came with seeing one was as powerful as ever. "It's almost time. We need to make sure we're ready to head down to D Deck, so…"
As the ones in charge of the game this time, they didn't need to start out separated. Even so, they ha decided it would be for the best to at least come out of the same areas as they would have otherwise. It was better than having someone else notice them and becoming suspicious from the start. Besides, they'd always have to go through the same doors anyways.
Aoi sighed, holding out his left wrist. "Alright, let's get this over with." Akane jumped a bit, her eyes going wide. "Come on, just hook it on. I'll do yours, too."
"Right, okay…" Sucking in a breath, Akane went to hook the bracelet around her brother's wrist. Though part of his mind protested about putting the thing on, it helped that Akane was the one doing it. Even so, he had to remind himself that the bracelet wasn't a danger, not this time. When it had clicked into place, Akane held out the [6] bracelet. "A-alright, your turn." Her earlier smile was gone, and she looked like she was about to be sick.
"Don't worry about it," Aoi whispered "You're going to be okay. We've done everything we need to. This is just part of it." Akane nodded and offered her wrist, but still squeezed her eyes shut. As gentle as possible, Aoi hooked his sister's bracelet into place.
They both had a moment where they stared at it in silence. The bulkiness contributed to the weight, but it still felt much heavier against Aoi's wrist. The number three glowed back at him in simple blue, looking the same as it had last time.
But this time it's different.
Despite what it said, Aoi's bracelet wasn't actually three, just like Akane's wasn't actually six. They were different this time, their true value hidden. And while it was a gamble, it was still a necessity to handle this game right.
"The explosion's going to go off soon," Akane said, forcing energy back into her voice. "We should get into place."
"Yeah, let's go." Trying to ignore the rest of his hesitation, Aoi shoved his hands into his pockets. He and Akane took the stairs all the way down to D Deck, where they split off into their respective hallways, where their rooms awaited. And even without the full array of active puzzles in the room, the layout of the bunks still summoned up a twisted from of nostalgia.
But this game would be different. Because that was what Aoi had worked so hard for the past nine years.
Because when you added three and six together, they made nine. And in the Nonary Game, that nine had just as much as an advantage as zero.
[Author's Notes]
For my birthday, I decided to buy the entire Zero Escape trilogy on PS4. After replaying 999, it's no surprise what was on my mine. Aoi still remains my favorite character, and doing a complete new playthrough with all the information in hand made for an interesting experience. It's no surprise that I decided to write about the Kurashiki siblings (again).
This one shot came about due to the [Twelve Shots of Summer] prompts, "Experimental" and "Ocean," which, let's face it, were begging for a 999 one shot. Especially since this is the ninth week of the challenge! Seek a prompt that carries a [9], anyone?
In any event, I wanted to think a little bit about the preparations that go one before the Nonary Game, so here we are. 999 is another series I'd love to write a multi-chap fic for some day, but that'll have to wait. At least I should get through VLR and ZTD first...
I definitely encourage you to check out the whole [Twelve Shots of Summer] forum and C2 as we head into the final third of the summer! There's still lots of great content to come, so keep your eyes peeled! I may just write VLR next week, if I can manage it...
Thanks for reading!
-Avi
[07.23.2018]