What Once Was (A Steins;Gate 0 Story)
Chapter 10-Good Morning
Disclaimer:I don't own Steins;Gate, just this story...
The following morning, Okabe was awake before Kurisu. He remembered having some strange dream that he had made it back to the alpha worldline and went to her apartment, then slept in her bed with her. There was no way such a thing could be possible of course, he thought in his half-awake state. Until he noticed his unfamiliar surroundings, and looked to his right, spotting a familiar girl with red hair in the bed next to him. All of the sudden, he was wide-awake, and he fought the urge to cry out and fall out of the bed. He didn't want to make any sudden movements, and wake her up. With all the evidence staring him in the face, he had no choice but to realize that the dream was real, and it had actually happened the day before.
He took this moment to enjoy the silence of the morning, and the company of the red-haired beauty beside him. She looked so peaceful, and if it was possible, even more beautiful in the morning light, illuminating her like some kind of angel. That's what Okabe thought, anyway. A few stray strands of hair framed her face, her expression looking so innocent like a young child that knows not the true nature of the world. Okabe could have stayed like this for hours, but unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. His phone vibrated, and he quickly picked it up off of the nightstand. He winced, hoping that her slumber hadn't been disturbed. After confirming that it looked like she had not heard it, he returned his attention to the phone.
It was a good thing that he had thought to set it to vibrate, because if it had made the same noise it usually did, it would have woken her up for sure. It had already stopped vibrating, so he concluded that he must have received a message, because a call would have made the vibrations last for a longer duration. He turned the screen on and tapped on his RINE messenger app. It was just like he thought. According to the notification, he had '1 new message'. There was no name listed, just the word 'Unknown' where the name would usually be. It was probably some joke or something, but in the back of his mind he felt like it may be important somehow. What if this had something to do with the mysterious man?
If it turned out to be spam, then he could just delete it, and move on. There was no subject listed either, but Okabe took a chance, selecting it with his thumb. The screen soon changed, as the program opened the message, displaying its contents.
"Dear Okabe Rintarou, you may remember hearing of a man that gave Makise Kurisu a memory card, and told her to give it to you. I'm sure you can guess who sent you this message. The memory card has a tracker embedded in it that allows me to tell where you are, and even which worldline you're in. That is how I can send you messages. It's a new technology I have developed that works across worldlines and time. Impressive, isn't it? Now before you go panicking and thinking that someone's out to get you, relax. I'm on your side, and whether you think you can or not, trust me. It wouldn't be fair if I gave you all the answers at once, but that doesn't mean I won't give you a hint. If you're as smart as I know you are, you'll be able to figure it out."
You have been given a gift, what you do with it, is up to you. Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll even allow you to go to Kurisu for help. That's all you get for now, but I will contact you at a later date. Oh! Before I go, I was supposed to give you this warning. They know you're here, and what you've done. They will be coming for you. There is no escape. If you want to know more, then I wouldn't do anything like say, destroy the memory card so I can't track you." At the bottom of the message it was signed 'FMS'. That was most likely the person's initials, Okabe was sure of it. Whoever it was knew more than Okabe did about what was happening. If he was going to find out what was really going on, then he had to trust him for now, instead of destroying the card. Who was 'they'? That was the most intriguing part of the message, other than something about a new gift that he had been given.
Sometimes, the word gift could be used to describe a talent someone had, or possibly a new power? Normally, Okabe wouldn't even consider the possibility of gaining powers like a superhero. But, the circumstances of his arrival were abnormal and the mark on his arm that glowed like it was almost magical, said otherwise. The gift could have something to do with that. It was at least a strong possibility, anyway. When Kurisu decided to wake up, he would tell her about it, and see what she thought.
Soon after that, she started to stir, blinking her eyes a few times and stretching. Seeing that Okabe was watching her, she smiled.
"Good morning, Okabe. Did you sleep well?" She said, stifling a yawn. He smiled back.
"Good morning, Kurisu. I did. Did you?"
She nodded, still half-awake. "How long have you been awake? I should get up and start making breakfast."
"Not long. You don't have to do that, it's alright." Okabe felt bad enough that she was having to take care of him, and he didn't want to be a burden.
"No, it's fine. It's not a problem. Since you left, I've been practicing my cooking, so I'm pretty confident in my abilities."
"If you're sure."
Kurisu got up to get ready for the day, while Okabe got out of bed, waiting his turn. He was surprised to find that it didn't hurt as much to move as it did the day before. It still hurt, but he could move without as much difficulty. He should be able to push his own wheelchair now, which would be better than having Kurisu do everything for him. Okabe would have to tell her what he had learned after breakfast. When Kurisu left the bathroom to start cooking their food, Okabe went inside to get ready for the day. Kurisu had decided to make some eggs and toast. Okabe sat down in his wheelchair, and looked at his phone while he waited. He just kept reading the message over and over, trying to figure out all the mysteries it held.
"It's done!" Kurisu called, sitting a few plates on the table.
Okabe rolled himself over to the table, ready to eat.
"This looks really delicious! I was just getting hungry." Kurisu smiled, glad to see that he was feeling better than the other day. She watched as he began to use a fork to dig into his eggs.
"Good. I'm glad you've been looking forward to it. If you want some, I have a jar of strawberry jam in the fridge." Okabe looked up from his plate to acknowledge what she said.
"Sure, I'll take some, if you don't mind." Kurisu nodded, going over to the fridge, and coming back with the jar.
"I wouldn't have offered, if it wasn't okay with me. It's fine, you don't have to get my permission for every little thing." Placing it in front of him, she sat across from him at the table, beginning to eat her breakfast as well. While his recovery was certainly a good thing, the rate at which he seemed to be recovering was not normal. Yesterday, he could barely even move, yet today he was already feeding himself and rolling his wheelchair. The doctor's diagnosis of 3-4 weeks was looking like a little more than he would actually need. Okabe had also noticed this detail, but neither one said anything about it, deciding to wait and see what would happen.
Okabe spread the jam on his toast, then Kurisu did the same, and they continued on with their meal. The whole meal she noticed that he had a frown on his face, despite the fact that he had been happy about the food before. He looked like he was thinking hard about something, but she couldn't guess what it was. Since they were a couple now, it wasn't good to keep secrets from each other. She hoped that he would tell her what was bothering him soon. She could probably just ask him, but that didn't mean he would tell her right away. It was still worth a shot, though. She was the first one to say something, both of them having eaten in silence.
"What's on your mind, Okabe? I can tell when something's bothering you, and I know you weren't like this yesterday. Did something happen?" Kurisu pressed, hoping that he would give in and tell her. It turns out that he was just trying to figure out how to bring it up to her, and was already planning to say something after they ate. There was no reason for her to worry about him in the first place, but even so it was in her nature to be concerned about people she cared about.
Okabe hoped that what he was about to say wouldn't freak her out, since it had bothered him ever since he had found out about it. In his mind, he imagined a scenario that could happen when he told her. "Oh, Okabe! What are we going to do?" She would cry, starting to panic. "I'm so scared! Who's coming for us? Protect me!" She would jump into his arms, and he would wrap them around her in a tight embrace.
"Don't worry, my love. I'll protect you. As long as I'm around, no harm shall come to you. I swear it!" He would say in a far more smooth and manly voice than he currently possessed.
"Oh, Okabe, you're so manly and smooth! I never want to leave your side!" She would confess, and all would be well.
"Yeah, right. I wish something like that would happen. She'll probably just chastise me for not telling her sooner, and brooding about it instead."
"You have a sharp eye when it comes to me, don't you? You've always been able to see right through me. It would be impossible to hide anything from you." Okabe knew he had to tell her, and he would really benefit from any input she gave him about what to do. Just by being associated with him, she was probably already involved. She smiled warmly, a bit of nostalgia in her eyes.
"That's because I've known you for so long. Much longer than we've actually lived."
"Yes, I am fully aware of that." He sighed. Showing her would be much easier than telling her. "Kurisu, I received a message from the mysterious man I told you about, this morning. It was before you were awake, and I just didn't know how to tell you about it."
Kurisu huffed, just like Okabe had predicted, crossing her arms. "What do you mean, 'I just didn't know how to tell you'? It's not that complicated, you just tell me! It would have been much better if you didn't sit there brooding about it, and make me worried about you! Just show me already! Geez…" She trailed off, looking a little annoyed.
Okabe had known that she would react this way, because he had known her just as long. Not many people know this, but when you're forced into a life or death situation because you made a microwave time machine and you created your own time loop to fix it, you learn a lot about the person who stuck with you through it all. It seemed like he was always messing things up or being misunderstood. He hadn't meant to make her worry. He should have known better.
"Wait a minute, did my ears deceive me, or did you just say you were worried about me? It really wasn't my intention to cause you any undue stress. It's not that I didn't know how to tell you, I just didn't know how to bring it up in conversation." Okabe looked a little remorseful.
"Yes, I DID say I was worried about you. Don't be a jerk about it."
"Sorry, I couldn't resist teasing you. I'll show you the message now." Okabe took his phone out of his pocket and pulled it up on the screen, placing it into her outstretched hand.
Navy blue eyes roamed back and forth, scanning the message over the course of a few minutes. Okabe sat there, anxiously awaiting her reaction. When she had finished reading it, she calmly handed the phone back to him without saying a word. He put the phone back where he got it from, looking at her in anticipation. "Well, surely you must have something to say about all of this." He prodded, trying to rush her response.
"Don't rush me! It's just a lot to take in, is all." She took a deep breath, then exhaled, letting it all out. "Alright. I'm ready. The gift that he mentioned is obvious. The only thing it could be is that mark on your arm. I'm not sure what its purpose is yet, but it has to be important in some way. That's all we can say about that at the moment. It's a little worrying that this person knows so much about you, and by extension, me. He seems to be the only one who really knows what's going on, though, so we should trust him for now, I think. Now, let's move on to the biggest issue that was mentioned. Someone else knows at least some of what's happening, and 'They' as he put it, are after us. According to the message, 'They' are coming soon. He wouldn't have warned us if they were friendly, so it's safe to assume that we don't want them here. Until we find out more information, we can't really do anything about it. For now, we should just be careful."
Okabe nodded in agreement. Her logic was sound, not that there had ever been a time when it wasn't so far. "Yes, that makes sense. You're always right on the mark when it comes to figuring out these sorts of things. You're always so confident and you know what to do."
Kurisu was a little embarrassed by the compliment, but she shook it off. "Okabe, if I'm being honest with you, that isn't how I feel on the inside. Honestly, I'm scared. After the incident with Mayuri, I thought that this kind of thing would never happen again. I don't know what's coming, but I sense that something bad will happen. I just don't see this having a happy ending for us." Okabe could see it in her eyes, they were full of fear.
"Believe me, Kurisu. I felt the same way when I found out. Come over here, it's alright." He waved her over, knowing what she needed in this moment. He wanted to provide whatever comfort he could for her. She walked over and sat in his lap, hugging him close to her.
"I just got you back! I don't want to lose you again." She confessed, her head on his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her, returning the hug.
"Imagine how I feel. I was worried for your safety even before I got this message. I am aware that I seem to attract trouble wherever I go. I'm not sure if I am EVER meant to get a happy ending." Okabe confessed, gloomily.
"Don't worry so much, Okabe. I know that between you and me, we can figure something out. We'll make it through this, just like all the other times. This is a two way relationship you know, we help each other." This made him feel better, even though he already knew that she would always stay by his side.
"You know, this is why every good scientist needs an assistant. In time like these, they are most useful. I have also found that this setup works the best when they have red hair and blue eyes."
Kurisu huffed, pulling away a bit. "So what you're saying is that any assistant would do as long as they have red hair and blue eyes? That it could have been anyone, not just me?"
"Don't get so hot and bothered, my dear assistant! You should know that although you are lab member #004, you are number one in my heart! No one could ever replace you." Okabe assured, sincerely. "Believe me, I tried. Not even your computer duplicate was good enough. It really ruins a relationship when your lover doesn't have arms or any other appendages, for that matter…" He muttered, under his breath. If she had heard anything, she showed no sign that she did.
Kurisu sighed, he always knew just how to get under her skin. "I know, but it makes me feel good, hearing you say it." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and stood up. She began cleaning up the remains of their breakfast, which should have been done sooner. She tried to put it out of her mind, but something that big was impossible to ignore, staying ever present in the back of her mind. It haunted her thoughts, like a mental ghost. After she was done, there was still plenty of time left in the day, so she thought that it would be good to get out and do something. "Hey Okabe, do you feel like getting out and doing something together?" Kurisu asked, hopefully. She needed something to get her mind off of the coming threat, and he probably did too. This would be a chance to go on their first official date.
"Sure, I don't see why not. Let's go on a date, then!" Okabe smiled warmly.
"My thoughts exactly!" Kurisu grinned back.
They were both excited to do something they had never really had a chance to do yet. Okabe and Kurisu agreed that they should meet with Daru at the Lab later to tell him what was going on, but that could wait until after their date. He would be a big help when the time came, surely. Okabe decided to take Kurisu to a nearby movie theater. He didn't know what movie they should see, but that was quickly answered by his girlfriend, who wanted to see the re-showing of 'Returning to the Future'. It was one of her favorite movies, though it was pretty old now. Okabe had never seen it, having never been interested in it previously. When she begged him with puppy eyes, he couldn't resist giving in. His resistance wasn't strong when it came to her in the first place.
Now that he had experienced time travel himself, he was curious to see where the facts diverged between the movie and reality. They bought a big bag of popcorn to share, and after getting their tickets, they went in to see the movie. A few hours later, they were walking out of the theater, and Okabe felt the need to criticize the movie's idea of time travel.
"The very idea of traveling through time in a flying car is absurd! The fuel is all wrong, too! My point is that it doesn't make any sense in the real world!" He ranted, as they walked down the sidewalk.
Kurisu shook her head, not able to believe how he was reacting to a fictional film. "Slow down there, genius. I think you missed the point of the movie. It's not supposed to be realistic! It's a fictional movie, so it doesn't have to be accurate. You're just supposed to watch it and enjoy it for what it is, instead of nitpicking every detail."
Okabe sighed, realizing the truth behind her words. "You're right. I'm sorry if I ruined it for you."
Kurisu shook her head, her auburn locks swishing back and forth. "No, you didn't ruin it. I'm used to how you are by now. Let's just go and meet with Daru. He still comes to the Lab on certain days of the week, and he should be there today." She grabbed his hand, and they walked the rest of the way to their destination, holding hands the whole way.
Upon entering the Lab, Daru was sitting in his usual seat at the computer, just like old times. "Oh, hey Makise, how's it going?" He casually replied, before noticing the person who entered behind her. "O-Okarin! I can't believe it's you, after all this time! I haven't seen you in ages!" Okabe stood up from his wheelchair at the same time as Daru did, and the hacker walked over to his best friend, hugging him tightly. Okabe returned the hug in surprise. Daru had never given him a hug before, but he must have been overcome with emotion after not seeing him for so long. Daru did wonder what had happened to him, since he was in a wheelchair, but there would be time for that later.
"It's good to see you too, Daru." Okabe replied, sitting back down.
"Hey, Daru." Kurisu greeted, taking a seat on the couch. After that, Okabe began explaining all that had happened so far to him, including his and Kurisu's relationship upgrade. He even showed the mark to him and Daru could see it, doing the same tests Kurisu had done before. When she got up to use the bathroom, Daru pulled Okabe aside to discuss something in private.
"So, did you finally get some?" Daru asked quietly with a somewhat perverted grin.
Okabe raised an eyebrow in confusion, not understanding where he was coming from. "Did I get some of what? Were you expecting me to give you something?"
Daru rolled his eyes at his friend's naïve response. He thought he had taught him his ways, but apparently he hadn't taught him enough. "No, man. Did you and Kurisu, you know, get it on? You were staying at her place, weren't you?"
It finally dawned on Okabe what his pervert of a friend was suggesting. "What the…no! What is wrong with you, man!" He exclaimed in disgust and surprise. Although he shouldn't have been surprised, since this sort of thing happened on a daily basis with Daru.
Daru was disappointed, "Oh well, maybe someday."
Okabe moved back over towards the couch, deciding to get out of his wheelchair and sit on the more comfortable furniture.
Suddenly, his cell phone started ringing. When he checked to see who it was, his breath caught in his throat, and he froze in shock. Kurisu walked into the room at that moment, looking over at Okabe curiously.
There was NO way. NO possible way. This couldn't be happening. It simply wasn't within the realm of possibility, and yet here it was staring him right in the face.
The call was from…Amadeus.