Anonymouse: Thanks for telling me who the author was, that means a lot to me!
Mekakucity: No, you didn't make any stupid mistakes; I absolutely loved Rewind Route! And thank you so much for letting me keep my story up, it means a lot to me!
And thanks to Rye no Hibi, Lord Hydra, Multicoloured Lotus, Kisaragi Tsukiko, and KyaaILoveIt for the follows and favorites!
I apologize for any mistakes with the whole san, chan, senpai, etc. parts. If I have any wrong, please let me know! Also sorry for the long wait, I've got all honors at school and its testing season right now, so it's been a while till I got a break to write and type. Also, as the story progresses, I promise the point of view changes will be less then what it is now, but it gets kind of confusing without the changes, but don't worry, hopefully there won't be as many point of view changes in the next chapter. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!
Ch.1 Yuukie Yesterday
Shintaro's p.o.v
Little house of crimson brick, we all had fit inside of that place…
When I opened my eyes, I instantly recognized that I was in my room from when I was sixteen. I was even back to sixteen years old, which was a bit… Weird.
I sat up from my bed and looked over to my clock to see it change it to 12:00 pm on Saturday, August 15th. The day I lost Ayano…
I quickly threw off my covers and got changed into my school uniform. Ironic for going to the school on a Saturday, but it was the first thing I saw. I then ran down the stairs to get to the front door. While I made my way through the kitchen, I saw fourteen year old Momo (also before she became an idol, which added onto the weirdness of the situation, but I didn't dwell too much on that) eating lunch.
"Looks like someone is finally awake," she smirked at me, "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" I only took a moment to smile at her breathlessly and say,
"I have something important to tell someone." Before taking off once more.
"In your school uniform?" She shouted after me, but I only waved my hand dismissively and slammed shut the front door.
…
To and fro they whispered back, making plans of their own, so it seemed…
As I neared the school, I looked up to see Ayano standing on the edge of the roof. I couldn't see her eyes due to the wind wildly blowing her hair across her face, but I could see the evident frown on her lips, which urged me to go faster. Through the doors, up the stairs, and finally onto the roof, I saw her once more just as she was about to jump; her left foot already hanging off the edge.
"Ayano!" I yelled, my hand outstretched to grab her and safely pull her back as time seemed to slow down.
She turned around, her eyes filled with bewilderment as surprise caught her off guard, she almost completely fell off the roof, but my already outstretched hand was able to grab onto hers tight and pull back her to safety, but the momentum sent me barreling off of the roof in her stead.
It was when it felt like my arm was almost completely popped out of its socket that time went back to normal. I looked up to see Ayano clutching my hand in both of hers to save me from my death. "Shintaro," she yelled over the wind, "What are you doing?"
"Stopping you," I yelled back, trying to make sure my voice didn't crack, "This is a huge mistake, trust me!"
Looking deep into their eyes, so red in all three and then I see…
"No, Shintaro, you don't understand!" Oh, but she didn't know that half of it… I could see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she tried to convey to me that this was something that she had to, but I couldn't let that happen. When I heard scuffing sounds, my eyes broke from hers and looked down to see that her feet were sliding out from underneath her in desperation to keep me up. If she held onto me any longer, then both of us would fall, and all of this would have been for nothing.
I may have started this with selfish reasons to save Ayano, but my thoughts flew to the rest of the dan and my old friends, Haruka and Takane. They would all be so much happier if Ayano stayed, rather than me.
"Ayano, you have to let go." I told her sternly. It was the will of the haze to have one of us die and it wasn't going to be Ayano.
"I can't!" She cried back, both of her hand clenching tighter onto mine. Unable to look her in the eyes, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine her smiling face as I made my decision.
I let go.
Right as I neared the ground, I was met with darkness and sadly, Ayano's tearstained face would forever etched into my memory.
…
Ayano's p.o.v
Hidden just beneath are memories grownups never see…
"Shintaro!" I screamed as my grip could no longer keep up my friend's weight and as much as I wanted to, I couldn't look away as I saw him fall away.
When his body smashed against the earth and red painted the black top, both my tears and screams stopped. I was shocked. All I could was replay that scene over and over in my head from the time I saw him on the roof till his body became broken beyond repair.
"Nee-chan!" a new voice yelled behind me before I felt a small pair of arms wrap around me and pull me away from the edge. Right as Shintaro's mangled body was gone from my view, that's when my screams and hysteric tears started up again.
"No," I yelled, trying to get out of the surprisingly strong grip that enchained me, "I have to save Shintaro!" It wasn't supposed to happen like this!
"Nee-chan, there isn't anything we can do." The person tried to soothe me. I finally turned around to see the person holding me was Shuuya, the only one who knew what was going on. He was too young to be involved with this.
"Shuuya," I tried to calm my breathing, "You have to go down there. He'll disappear and no one can see that." He looked conflicted at what I was saying.
"I don't think I should leave you alone…"
How could I put him through this?
"Please!" I begged before crying once more. He sent me a worried look before running off to the stairs.
I stayed in the same spot, wishing that Shintaro would reappear, that all of this was just a mad hallucination, but I knew that wouldn't happen unless someone died with him and unless I did, no one would, but I couldn't jump off with Shuuya down there. No, I have to be the strong, big sister.
What was Takane and Haruka going to say about him dying?
Takane!
She was still her at the school for remedial classes… with my dad! She couldn't see Shintaro and what if my dad did something to her? I had to stop him before Takane got hurt too!
Going to the same stairs as Shuuya did, I ran as fast as my shaky legs could carry me. I knew exactly where Takane was and could only hope I could get there in time. The golden light of the sun shined through the large windows of the school, giving a different scenery for the loud, desperate echoes of my footsteps down the empty hallways.
When I finally reached the hallway where her classroom was located, I saw her, but not in the state that I had hoped for. She was at the other end of the hall, face down and not a single thing moving.
"Takane!"
Terror in his face he said…
This is all my fault.
…
Takane's p.o.v
What happened? The last thing I could remember was leaving my class in anger when Mr. Tateyama didn't show up for my remedial lesson (that bastard…) and when I entered the hallway, that awful smell came and I passed out. Where was I? It looked like I was surround by the clogs you'd find inside of a clock and they even ticked like I was actually in one, but that was absurd.
Sitting up and looking around from the cold metal, I saw a familiar person clad in a school uniform and his back towards me.
"Shintaro?" I questioned while standing up. He turned around with confusion clouding his eyes.
"Takane," he also questioned, "What are you doing here?"
"I don't even know how I got here," I said while slapping him upside the head, "Don't ask stupid questions." Usually when I did something like this, he would just wave my hand off, but instead, this time; he grasped it and said,
"Takane, you have to get out of here." He then pointed to a staircase that led to a large set of doors.
"N-not unless you come with me. But, only because Ayano would be upset if I left you in an unknown place!"
He gave me a sad smile and said, "Sure, I'll go with you."
"Are you ok? You sure are acting weird." I told him as I yanked my hand away, but rather than replying he just started pushing me towards to stairs and up.
Yeah, definitely acting weird.
When he started opening the door, with his hand still pushing on my back, I sent him a quizzical look and asked, "Shintaro, what the hell is go-" but I had no time to finish my question when he pushed me out the door and I was met with darkness once more.
…
When I opened my eyes once more, I saw that I was back in the school hallway, but this time I was standing at the far end and where I originally passed out now sat Ayano bawling her eyes out.
"Okay, what the hell is going on?!" I demanded loudly. All I wanted was to get remedial class over with, but my stupid teacher never ended up showing, I pass out in the hallway, see Shintaro in a strange place, and now I'm back where I first was! Like what the hell?!
At the sound of my loud voice, Ayano gasped and quickly turned her head to face me.
"Takane! You're alright!" She then ran up and hugged my tightly, making the air rush out of my lungs.
"Of course I'm alright," I choked out while trying to push her away. Now, Ayano was acting strange, I had to be dreaming or something, "I just want to know what's going on. First I pass out, then see Shintaro in a strange world, now I'm back here! Was that a hallucination or what?" This finally got her to let go of me and gave me a funny look. She kept looking at me like that until she finally whispered out,
"The heat-haze."
"The what?"
Although, rather than answering my question just like Shintaro, she dragging me out of the hallway.
"Come on, we have to get out of here!"
"Wait, why? Why won't anybody tell me anything!?"
"I'll tell along the way!"
I Just would never thing what she would tell me would be so traumatizing.
…
Kano's p.o.v
I'm a monster deep inside, filled with fear…
I looked down at the bloody mess in disdain. There was no way I wanted to lay down in that, no matter how much I knew Ayano cared for the stupid boy. He may have saved Nee-chan by falling off the roof himself, but that didn't mean I liked him anymore. He still caused my big sister pain.
"You better get to it." A low and threatening voice said behind me. I whirled around to see my "father" half hidden behind the shadows of the school, so I could only see his harsh, red eyes and wicked smile. "The paramedics will be here soon and if they don't see a body, they're going to get a bit suspicious, don't you agree?"
"And if I don't?" I asked between clenched teeth.
"Well I suppose that big sister of yours will be no more, just like she originally planned." And I swear to god, his large Cheshire cat smile only got larger. The silence between was almost deafening as I tried to debate on what to do until police sirens filled the air.
"Ah, and here they come now. I'd hurry if I were you."
Rather than fighting like every fiber of my being told me to do, I proceeded to lie down in the bright red substance.
Just like my eyes…
I had only seen the boy once when Ayano brought him home to work on a school project. My siblings and I were too afraid to introduce ourselves, so we just watched from the crack in the doorway. I could only hope my memory didn't prove me wrong. My bones contorted into what they would look like after he fell off the building and blood poured out of "my" body, soaking "my" school uniform.
As the paramedics picked me up, I could see "dad" smirking in the shadows before turning around and disappearing.
Why did we have to have these eyes?
…
Ayano's p.o.v
But they're wrong and so I said that's not true at all, just look here…
I could only hope that Shuuya was okay while I paced back and forth, biting my fingernail. He had sent me a message saying he was "filling in" for Shintaro with the paramedics. I told him to meet me at the outskirts of town when he was done; not really wanting to dwell on the fact that he was using his eye power to be Shintaro because I asked him to. It was getting dark, and worry gnawed at my stomach. What if he got lost? What if he got caught? I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if someone else I loved got hurt.
"Nee-chan!" I turned around to see Shuuya running towards me, relieving the worry that was eating me up inside, but I still felt heavy with hurt.
"Thank goodness you're okay." I sighed as I rushed up to hug him tightly close to me.
"What happened," he questioned as he let go of me, "Why are we meeting all the way out here?"
"We can't go home." I whispered to him while looking down. Unlike Tsubomi and Kousuke, Shuuya knew about everything that was going on. It wouldn't be fair to him to have sugar coated it like I did with the others.
His face seemed to go pale as he asked, "Where are we going to stay?"
This was so unfair for a boy his age.
"Takane-senpai's guest house." I replied as I took his hand and started leading him the way.
"Does she know what's going on?" At his question, I felt tears prick the corner of my eyes.
"I explained to her about the heat-haze and why she saw Shintaro there. She took it a lot harder then I imagined. She tried calling another friend of ours to tell him that Shintaro is… gone, but we ended up finding out that he… he passed away yesterday."
"Nee-chan…" He shot me a worried look.
"But, it's okay," I put a smile on my face, "We'll figure out how to fix everything!" I knew this was a lie and Shuuya probably did too, but I didn't want to accept the fact that I was no longer the hero I once was
…
Momo's p.o.v
That red you hate so much, a hero wears it proud, no really…
I could easily tell you that more than half of those people there didn't even know who Shintaro was. Most of them were talent scouts looking for me. Dirty people. Didn't they understand to leave my family alone in mourning? They didn't deserve to be there.
I scurried around the large groups of people talking in hushed voices that had congregated in my house; my face buried in Shintaro's old, red, jersey. I was hoping to find a place to be alone, but then I heard a sound that I surprisingly (but then again not surprisingly, considering who was there) hadn't heard all day; crying.
I looked up from the safety of the jersey to see two girls around the same age Onii-chan was. Both wore black, but the first was the one who was crying. She had long, brown hair and eyes to match, and had a bright red scarf wrapped around her neck. The second was trying to console the first, but I could see the tears threatening to spill over her hazel eyes. She had headphones dangling around her neck and her black hair was oddly cut and pulled up into two pigtails.
"Um," I started while cautiously making my way towards them, "You're Ayano-san and Takane-san, right? You were friends with Onii-chan." I had recognized them from pictures Shintaro thought he had cleverly hid on his computer and from the few times he had brought them over, but usually they had another black haired boy with them. I wonder where he was… I never actually met the three, but I would always peek in to watch them study or play videogames.
The two girls snapped their heads towards me. The girl with the red scarf, who I believe was Ayano, dried her tears and put a smile on her face.
"You must be Momo," she said, "How are you doing?"
I looked out the window we were by, not wanting to meet her sad gaze. Despite the smile on her face; it didn't quite reach her eyes. I honestly didn't know how to feel. I was sad because my moronic brother was gone, but also angry. Angry because they wouldn't let me see my brother one last time, claiming that he was too disfigured to see. Angry because no one there actually cared. Angry because most of those people had the audacity to come into my home looking for me, not even respecting the death of my brother. Mostly, though, I felt empty.
"I'm okay, I guess," I lied while shrugging my shoulders, "It's just really unfair."
The corners of Ayano's smile dipped down for just a split of a second, almost so fast that I didn't see it, before pulling back up and she said, "Well, Takane and I are always here if you ever need anything." The two then walked off.
I stared out the window for just a few more moments before I felt a large hand clamp down on my shoulder.
"Momo ! Listen, I'm a huge fan…"
It was too unfair.
…
Shintaro's p.o.v
"So, what's your name anyway?" The flaming red head asked me. Apparently, every time someone new showed up, everyone else in the heat-haze would all come to "greet" the newbie. Meaning, they would listen to the new guy's story and introduce themselves before going back to their respectful places and never seeing each other again until someone new showed up again. At least the red head was honest when she explained that. Blunt, but still honest. So far, there was my father, who was glaring at me for leaving Momo behind, Mary's family, Azami and Shion, Ayano's mother, Ayaka, who was still in tears when I told them that I died to save Ayano, Kano's mother, who was too busy with a dog who I was guessing was Seto's, and Kido's sister, who was the red head that was explaining everything to me.
"Kisaragi." I answered her.
"Ah, so you're the old man's kid," She laughed while punching my dad on the shoulder, "Well, Kisaragi-kun, it was lovely meeting you, but I've got a feeling we should go our own respective ways now. See you around." She turned around and disappeared.
Azami and Shion came up to pet my head, Kano's mother left with no words along with the dog (I have a feeling she wasn't very social), Ayaka pulled me into a crushing hug while still crying and thanking me for saving her daughter.
"You're a hero, Shintaro." She smiled while wiping her tears before also disappearing and leaving me in amazement that she remembered my first name from the one time that I met her years ago. I wanted to thank her before she left, but I was unable to as Ayano's words echoed through my mind.
"That red jersey looks good on you, Shintaro! Red is the color of hero, you know!"
I shook my head, clearing the memory from mind and I saw that it finally was just my father and I.
"I don't know if I should be disappointed in you or proud of you." He said while running a hand through his also black hair. Although, I didn't respond; I didn't know how to. I went so long without a father, it was a bit disorienting seeing him stand in front of me.
"Silent as always," he half smiled at my blank stare, "But they're right, I should get going. The heat-haze doesn't like others being together for so long."
Once again, I was alone in that never ending world.
Its ok, no need to be afraid anymore…
…
I in no way own Kagerou Project/Mekakucity Actors that belongs to Jin. This story is made for purely enjoyment. English lyrics from Ayano's Theory of Happiness by Jubyphonic.