A/N: I really hate math. however, I have also come up with an alternate take on this series, so prepare to see a cute omake at the end with what it would be like if Marisa emerged as a ten-year old Kida instead of a thirteen year old, it's more cute and fluffy than the others, though a bit nsfw due to body part mentions. Anyhow, in this chapter, we're gonna see Kida question the laws of his reality and more or less break through some of Bernkastel's rules while doing so.
Still though the cute Omake is so adorbs I might just write that part first and then go to the original.
I switched perspectives an awful lot in this chapter, so let me explain: the first part is Masaomi by himself and then later it's Marisa/Masaomi talking. Their personalities are meshing. The omake is something entirely unrelated to the main story. If you want to see more of it, let me know in the reviews! There's a lot of dialogue here, so bear with me.
Chapter 11 Challenging fate
I was dreaming, and in the dream, I was dying.
Apparently.
Hurrah.
I didn't really know where I was.
I glanced around for a few moments, but I heard sobbing that caused me to whirl around.
It was Mikado.
"Mikado!" I cried, but for some reason, my hand went right through him.
Mikado was crying, again, and again, exclaiming, "Masaomi deserted me and the Dollars hate me! What should I do?"
"Mikado!" I cried, rushing toward him, trying to hug him, but for some reason, again, my hands went right through him.
"What the hell?" I cried.
How come Mikado couldn't interact with me?
What the heck?
Then, I saw Mikado plunge a pen through someone's hand and smile.
No, no, this isn't my Mikado!
No way would Mikado ever be like this!
Then Mikado pointed a gun at me...and he...he...I suddenly heard the gun go off, and suddenly my leg hurt. I screamed, I was immobile.
"Mikado..." I whimpered.
I couldn't breathe.
Mikado stared at me. "Masaomi, I really do love you. So let's meet in the next life." He said, before cocking the gun and pointing it at his head.
"Mikado, no!" I snapped.
I screamed out loud as my best friend pointed the gun at himself and pressed the trigger.
My best friend lay at my feet, dead.
"I'm so sorry, Masaomi." He said.
I looked over in time to see Izaya holding the gun.
"I'm sorry, Masaomi-kun, but it had to be done."
"Izaya, you bastard!" I growled. "I trusted you!"
"Crazy or not, Masaomi-kun, you did prove to be an interesting pawn. Unfortunately, it's time for you to go as well." He pulled the trigger.
I awoke in time to smack my head into something. It was the book I'd been reading before I'd gone to sleep.
Some sort of comic book, I thought drowsily as I rubbed my head and it fell off my bed onto the floor with a loud crash.
I glared at the sunlight coming into my room as I wiped my forehead and noticed I'd been sweating in my sleep.
"I hate dreams," I muttered, "I swear I won't let that happen to him, ever."
Thank goodness I hadn't actually gotten shot. It had all felt so real, though, that I was still terrified enough that my hands were still shaking as I thought about it.
"Is this supposed to be some vision of the future that you passed onto me?" I asked my other self, who shook her head.
"No, it's a vision of things that could come to be." She muttered.
"Quit giving me nightmares!" I snapped. I mean, I knew my other self was still around, but I didn't want her sending me those nightmares anymore.
"Try and keep him from going down that path, then." She suggested.
"How am I supposed to? Mikado does whatever the hell he wants." I yelled, "He's not someone you can easily convince out of doing something once he does it."
"You're his friend, aren't you?" She said, before morphing into Bernkastel.
"It was just my way of having fun." She said.
"Sadistic witch." I growled.
"You should be careful who you say that to." She advised.
"What?" I said in annoyance. "It's not like anyone but the two of us knows the truth, and even I don't completely remember it."
"All right, you were previously a girl-"
"Right."
"Up until you died from cancer."
"Right." I said sarcastically.
"And you were brought here, where you have lived as Masaomi ever since."
"Sure," I snapped.
"Where do you think your sudden fear of hospitals came from?" She inquired.
I flinched.
"See, I think you do remember, even if you're trying to not make yourself remember." She pointed out.
"Just shut up." I growled.
"You are Masaomi, you are combining with him, even if the other side of you refuses."
"You're talking nonsense." I growled.
"Am I talking nonsense, or are you just being stubborn and refusing to see the truth? Is it so easy for you to be comfortable in this life and then throw away the memories of your past life like they mean nothing?"
"Last I checked, that was your fault. You're the one who took away my memories and left me a desperate mess."
"There were prices that had to be paid, right?" She said, "After all, do you really think this life is like a fantasy, where you can take over someone's life and have no repercussions? Did you seriously think the original Kida would just disappear once you took over his life? He's still here and he's not happy."
"Then quit fucking with him and giving him nightmares, then. It's not fair to either of us." I snarled.
"Do you even know who you are at this moment?" She said, pouring herself a cup of wine.
"Um, Masaomi?" I snarked.
"See, there's the problem. You don't remember who you are, therefore you're mixing up your identities."
"Oh, shut up," I growled, "You're just confusing me. I am Masaomi if I say I am, and that's enough."
"It saddens me that you would choose to live in fiction." She purred.
"You're the one who sent me here, so quit accusing me of running away from the past!" I snapped.
"True, you didn't pick this destiny. Remember, I can just as easily take it away from you. Therefore, you must come to terms with your identity. If you were any younger, I would've instantly suppressed your past life memories-as a younger Kida would not be able to withstand a shock like that. But I figured you'd be mature enough to handle it."
I just listened, staring at her with wide eyes.
"You must deal with it."
"So why didn't you make me forget?" I demanded.
"To allow you to settle in, but now that you are falsely believing yourself to be Masaomi-"
"Just let me live. It doesn't mean much to me anymore. I don't really care anymore. I'm happy, here. I can live without fear of cancer or any of that stuff."
"That much is true, however, have you ever thought about the consequences of you being here?" She aimed a loaded question at me.
"I have, now will you quit giving me nightmares?"
There was an amused smile on her face as she shook her head.
"Can't do everything." She said, flicking her forehead, and before I knew it, I was awake.
"Dammit...false awakening?" I growled. Clever witch.
It was quite bright outside when I looked outside the window.
I sighed as I rose out of bed and got ready to go meet Mikado somewhere.
The dream had completely faded into the back of my mind by then, that's how good I am at forgetting about things, hahahaha!
"Damn that girl, she gets so irritating with her stupid prophecies," I snarled.
I stuck my hands in my pockets and continued on walking.
"Masaomi, what's wrong?"
Oh, apparently I'd been spacing out. I jolted, looking at Mikado with wide eyes.
"What's wrong?" He asked, again.
"I had a nightmare...a disturbing one. You shot me and then killed yourself."
"I swear that won't happen! I would never do anything to hurt you!"
"Even if it came to me getting in the way of your gang?" I said pointedly, "I mean, we are both in opposite gangs. Doesn't that make us enemies, in a sense?"
"Like hell I'll let that get in the way!" He snapped.
The intensity of his eyes caught me off guard.
"Mikado...you're serious?" I stammered.
"Of course! There's no way I'd let a stupid gang get in the way of our friendship, Kida-kun! Don't you think that for a second? You know I'd never do anything to you, and if I did, you have every right to beat me up afterwards!"
"I'm not going to beat you up, Mikado!" I said.
"I'm sure your dream doesn't mean anything, Kida-kun. If I do anything stupid, you have every right to hit me for it, make me pay."
"I refuse to beat up my friend." I said.
"Masaomi, I'm saying you can-"
"I'll chew you out for it, but I'm not going to beat you up!" I snapped.
"What if you can't reason with me? What if I'm inconsolable?" He challenged.
Just for that, I grabbed his jaw.
"Masaomi, stop!"
"All right, enough serious talk, let's go look for women!" I said.
"Masaomi!" He whined.
"You have the hots for that Anri girl, right?" I said.
"Masaomi!" He shrieked.
"I'm always right! Well, not always."
"I could never imagine hurting you..."
I flicked his forehead. "Look, enough about it! Mikado, you're missing the whole world if you get all gloomy!"
"All right, I get it, Kida."
I knew Mikado was still worried about me, but I assured him that I was fine.
"I don't think you believe me, Mikado." I said.
"Well, it's just that when you told me about earlier, I can't help but be worried." He huffed.
"Mikado, you worry too much." I said, "I will be justtt fine."
He flicked my forehead in return. "You say that and then you do stupid stuff. I know you, Kida-kun."
My gaze went back to the ground, and then to him. "Would you believe me if I said...that I have...a disorder?"
"Disorder? Like what?" Mikado asked.
"Like...another personality...sometimes there are gaps in my memory where I can't remember what I did." I said.
"Oh, that kind of disorder! That explains why you acted so differently! That stuff's more common than you think!"
"Thanks, man, you're the best." I said, patting him.
"Masaomi, you're being condescending." He said.
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not.
"Are too. Should I tell everyone about the time you wet your pants in school?" Mikado challenged.
"Should I tell everyone about the time you had a wedgie in school."
"Um, that didn't happen."
"Yeah, it did."
"That was from a movie, Masaomi."
"Oh, yeah it was, now that I think about it. The kid in there did look like you." I teased.
Mikado couldn't even imagine his friend having had such a disorder. It didn't make him hate his friend, instead it made him worry all the more about his friend. Another personality would certainly explain how Kida changed in personality and didn't remember things, but...he was still so worried.
"Are you sure that's the truth?"
Kida looked back at him. "Um, maybe it's the truth. It's more like what I said before, memories from a past life."
"I'm not one to believe in reincarnation, but that's kinda...cool, actually." Mikado said, now even more confused.
This sounded more like Kida-kun did have some kind of personality disorder or something. Stuff like reincarnation couldn't just happen-or could it?
If things like the Black Rider were possible, then was this an entirely feasible phenomenon?
Deciding that he would have to do more research on the subject, Mikado filed that away in his head and spoke again, "Is that possible?"
"Is what possible?"
"Reincarnation." He asked excitedly.
Kida shrugged. "I don't know, and the kids at school don't need to know, otherwise I'll be labeled as a crazy person. It's beyond me. I don't think I'll ever quite understand that stuff."
"It's quite interesting, though, supernatural stuff! I'd be happy if that happened to me."
Kida looked at him in disbelief. "It's not really cool to think you're losing your mind, Mikado. It sucks."
He flicked my forehead again.
"Masaomi, you're not taking me seriously!" He whined.
"I am!" He teased.
Past life or not, Kida-kun was still Kida-kun.
He was still the same, even if he was still a bit different.
He still cared for him.
'I just don't want to mess up and ruin our friendship. I don't want to wind up like that person in the dream.' He thought.
"Let's go watch a movie!" Kida suggested, suddenly.
Kida's POV
When Mikado came out of the theater with tears dripping out of his eyes, I sighed.
"I didn't know...it was so sad! A Dog's Life was so sad!" He whined.
"I'm too old to cry." I lied.
I'd shed a few tears myself.
I was lying if I said I wouldn't have shed a few tears, after all.
"I'm sorry I doubted you," Mikado muttered, still sobbing.
"Here, take this tissue and wipe the crybaby out of you." I taunted.
"KIDA-KUN!" He howled, causing passersby to look at us funny.
"Once a crybaby, always a crybaby." I said placidly.
This is the way life was supposed to be.
But I knew hardships were coming ahead.
Omake: What it would have been like for Kida if the OC had woken up as a ten-year old Kida with no memories of his life before (unwritten thing I'm not going to continue)
This was the end for me.
I was going to die, of cancer.
Just like this.
I could feel my vision fading as I slowly died, my family by my side, crying out my name as I died.
I knew I was going to die, and I was okay with that.
My eyes were slowly closing, and then I died.
Just like that, I was dead.
I was dead, right? Right?
Then, I dreamed I was being chased by something...something very big and very scary.
I was running, as fast as I could, running from the monster that was taking over my body.
It was a giant monster that was chasing me, threatening to ensnare me with its huge tentacles. I felt like I was being wrapped up, suffocating in its huge tentacles as they wrapped around me.
"Leave me alone!" I hissed, but it did not let go.
I could do nothing but watch as the monster lifted me up into the air, about to eat me, its jaws opening wide in time to show a pair of sharp teeth.
Then, suddenly, a miracle happened: I awoke.
The fuck?
I was...dead, right?
And yet, I was...awake.
I realized several things then, as my body adjusted to being awake: first, I was very sweaty all over. It felt like I'd been working out for a long time to be this sweaty, second my vision was really blurry for some strange reason, third, I was obviously on a bed, and fourth, I didn't know where I was.
I saw nothing but a plain ceiling.
However, I was also shaking and I couldn't stop myself from doing so. I must have been afraid of the bad dream that I'd had.
A single hand went up to my face, where I felt some wetness under my eyes-an indication that I'd been crying in my sleep. Well, that was nothing new. I'd cried before because of the pain from my cancer-
"Are you all right?"
I nearly jumped, immediately burying myself back inside my covers, pulling them back over me, even though it seemed it take half my normal effort to do so.
"I know you're awake." The same voice said, "Are you all right?"
I wanted to say no, but I didn't know who the person was, so I didn't answer, cowering under the sheets, trembling and shaking, terrified of the dream I'd had where I'd died. It had to have been nothing but a mere dream, right?
I knew that it had been a dream.
If so, then what was this? The opening acts of hell?
Much to my surprise, my covers were gently pulled away from me, and then I was moved by someone, my body easily desisting, coming back to rest on a pillow. Leave me alone!
Then, a hand-a gentle touch, came to rest on my forehead, brushing away locks of hair to do so, caressing my forehead, almost tickling it.
I realized that my forehead felt like it was on fire then. But I liked the stranger's touch, oddly enough. I hoped the person (I was thinking it was a male as the voice sounded masculine, but I wasn't entirely sure) wasn't some sort of creep.
The hand suddenly left my forehead.
I opened my eyes the entire way, blinking back tears. My vision was still fuzzy like it had been earlier.
When I looked at my covers, my eyes widened. When were they so huge?
They seemed bigger than they had been before.
I turned my head, weakly. Even trying to do that seemed to take me a lot of effort.
"Okay, good, you are awake." The voice said.
"Who-" I muttered, but even speaking seemed to take a lot of effort.
"Shh, it's okay." The voice said.
"But-but..." I whimpered, wait, whimpered? I'm not some pathetic dog.
"I'm just glad you're all right." The soothing male voice said, "You were having a nightmare. I'm glad that you're awake now, though. You were worrying me."
The tone was almost...paternal? Reassuring? Either way, I liked the tone the person was giving me. But at the same time, I was weirded out.
I extended my hand out, and then I felt myself touching something fluffy, like fabric.
"Yes, I'm right here. Is your vision bad from your fever?"
"F-Fever?" I muttered weakly, trying to sit up, but I felt too dizzy to do so.
"I'm glad you're able to sit up."
I found myself looking at a fur jacket, and there was a teenager sitting in a chair, the one who was wearing said jacket. He was quite handsome, Asian, perhaps? His hair was black and his eyes were a brownish-red. I thought I knew him from somewhere, but I wasn't quite sure.
Still, why was someone my age so huge?
I nearly freaked out upon realizing there was a stranger in my room.
"W-Who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking. Why was my voice so high?
"You know who I am, don't you?" He said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I-Izaya...?" I muttered. I didn't like my voice sounding so high.
"Yup, that's me. I stopped by to make sure you were doing well. You'll be fine, kiddo. I called your teacher to make sure you would have the day off today, and your homework has been brought to you by a classmate."
That was generous. But still, kiddo?
"I'm not a kid!" I snapped.
For some reason, I found myself tearing up, because my muscles hurt so much.
Fuck, it hurt.
"F-Fuck!" I snapped.
"No cursing, Kida-kun! I know it hurts, but just bear with me!" Izaya said.
Wait, did he just call me...Kida?
What the heck is he saying?
The second his hand met mine, I shot up in wide-eyed panic.
"Calm down, Kida-kun." He said reassuringly. "I knew you were going to be a little delirious, but you don't need to freak out like this."
That didn't sate me, if anything, it freaked me out more.
"W-What about the...the...c-cancer?" I stammered.
He looked at me. "What are you saying? Is this your fever talking?"
I was utterly confused.
"I should be dead," I moaned.
"Who put such words in your head? It's not true. You're supposed to be here. This is just a little fever that you can overcome."
I was getting more confused by the second. Part of me felt satisfied by his reassuring words, the other was utterly confused as to why there was an anime character standing near me, talking to me.
Izaya isn't exactly the kind of person I want to see when sick.
"Where are we?"
"I moved you to my house, my apartment."
But why had he called me that name?
That name...was not my name.
"How do I know you're not trying to..." At that second, I suddenly fell into a state of uncontrollable coughing, coughing violently.
"Masaomi-kun!" Izaya cried, coming over to me, "Are you all right?" He sounded genuinely concerned, which alarmed me further.
My eyes widened.
"That's...not my name," I gasped out.
"Look, Masaomi-kun, we really don't have time to discuss this right now." He said, "Your fever is still burning up. You should get some more rest." He assured.
"But...but..." I muttered, trying to sit up, only to gasp at how much my limbs were hurting. Even trying to stand up hurt.
I tried to take one ginger step out of bed and almost collapsed. My legs were shorter than I remembered. It felt like the world had become larger overnight.
"Masaomi-kun!"
Then the next thing I knew, the teen had effortlessly caught me, (a sixteen-year old girl,) in his arms. "It's all right. Do you need water? I'll get it for you, just don't do that again. You scared me."
I stared up at him, utterly baffled, feeling terrified at how on earth someone my own age could catch me like this.
I literally didn't understand anything that was going on at that point. "What happened?"
"You wouldn't remember, but you passed out from a fever you caught at school, Masaomi-kun."
"What...?"
My voice sounded like a prepubescent child's. Impossible.
"How...old am I?" I stammered.
"You're ten, Masaomi."
"Ten?" I muttered.
"I'll bring you some food, so just relax and get some more sleep. You can fight it off. There's a pitcher of water there if you need a drink." Izaya said, handing me a tiny cup of water that I drank out of.
I felt more strength rising into my limbs, but I still felt exhausted.
He put me back into bed, despite my resistance.
I didn't like how my limbs just weren't responding like they should be.
So I was...sick?
Was this a dream?
Holy shit, that was Izaya Orihara!
Like an alarm going off, I sat up again as much as it hurt, and glanced at my hands. My hands were smaller than I remembered, like those of a child's, but with tanner skin and more muscle on them. Not the dainty, slender hands I remembered.
"W-What the hell?" I stammered.
I gasped upon realizing that my voice sounded like a boy's.
As I touched my throat, I realized something was there that hadn't been there before. The name for it escaped me.
I glanced down at my shirt. It was not mine (and it was so bloody small!) I couldn't help but place my tinier hands on my chest, which was devoid of any female organs.
"What the...hell?" I admitted.
I didn't like having such a high voice.
I noticed that my feet were tinier as well, and thinner.
Izaya came back in later with more food, before I sputtered out, "Can I use the bathroom?"
He nearly dropped the food but caught it, before looking at me in concern. "Are you sure?"
He caught me again, "Don't go out of bed on your own right now, kid. You need to be more careful. If you need to puke, use the toilet."
I realized then how awful my stomach felt as I let him guide me out the door, my hand in his, feeling utterly humiliated at such a notion.
The idea of me having to be guided by someone!
"Thank you...Izaya..." I muttered.
"Niisan-"
"Right..." I muttered, "I don't feel so good."
"You're a brave boy, you can handle it." He patted my head.
Boy? Why was he calling me that?
I was a sixteen-year old girl.
Those hopes of mine were completely shattered when I sat as usual and then-
"Masaomi-kun, why the hell are you sitting? You should be standing."
"Oh..." I muttered.
"You're not a girl, after all."
My mouth dropped open.
"What's with that face, Kida-kun? You really are sick, aren't you? Poor kid." He muttered, "I'll wait outside the door for you."
He was already outside.
As I turned back to continue my business, my eyes widened.
I stared in disbelief, my eyes wide.
I had a...a...peni-
But how?
I was definitely shorter, too, probably by a good six inches.
I glanced at the mirror and my eyes widened, because instead of the sixteen-year old I should be seeing staring back at me, a tiny blond-haired boy stared back. The face was that of Kida Masaomi, same golden eyes, same blond hair.
My hair was blond now.
As I took that in, I had a most interesting reaction. I started to retch, instantly aiming for the porcelain throne. Nice first day.
"Masaomi-kun, are you-" He said.
"Uh-huh, I'm sorry." I muttered, not exactly in a talking mood.
For some reason, I was giving in to childish instincts, even though I didn't want to.
I know I'd died of cancer, but I couldn't seem to think of how I'd gotten here. Every time I thought about it, my head started hurting even more.
"Are you done now?"
"I'm fine..." I whined, wiping my face off with a tissue.
"You're not fine, you're a child, you need your rest." He said.
I held back the tears, but they poured down my face anyway.
Fuck these child-like emotions.
"Why are you crying?" He said in confusion.
"I'm...I'm sorry...I'm being so useless, I should be of more use to you. I'm sorry I'm so weak right now! I just want to help you..."
Emotions that were not mine swept through me.
"It's all right, Masaomi-kun. I know how you feel because of your parents abandoning you. But now that I'm looking after you, I swear nothing like that will ever happen to you again."
What?
Masaomi was literally being looked after by Izaya?
I couldn't help but sink into this as I was put back into bed.
"I'll let you have some food." He said, handing me a piece of toast and some soup. "Be careful with how much you eat."
I nodded and took small bites and sips.
My metabolism probably wasn't as demanding as it used to be.
I let out a loud cough, though.
"I'm bringing Shinra over here so he can examine you."
Oh, goody.
I just nodded weakly before falling into a dreamless sleep.
Only to be woken by the loudmouth, Shinra.
"Masaomi, show me your vital signs."
"Not fun," I whined as I had my tonsils looked at.
"He has a sore throat, a sinus infection, and definitely some kind of stomach bug. It should pass in a couple of days."
"So that's what caused his hallucinations about being dead?" Izaya asked.
I bristled. "It wasn't-" I began, but shook my head.
Nobody would believe me if I were to talk about it.
So now I was a ten-year old again, now I was a male, now I was in anime land and now I was Kida Masaomi. Shit.
