What Once Was (A Steins;Gate 0 Story)

Chapter 29-Reversal of Fate

Disclaimer:I don't own Steins;Gate, only this story...

"I'll be waiting, Okabe. As long as it takes." Her voice floated gently into his mind, as if she had simply whispered it in his ear. This filled him with hope, knowing that she was still alive, and that he had gotten through to her.

"Are you all right? What's wrong?" Kyouma wondered, in concern. He was fine a moment ago, but now he appeared to be in a lot of pain.

"I-It's nothing." Okabe forced out through gritted teeth, willing his body to move into a standing position. "We need to hurry! If you're certain that you want to do this, then I accept your offer."

Kyouma was surprised that Okabe accepted it as easily as he did, but he wanted to help, so there was no time to worry about what his reason for doing so was. "All right, let's do it then."

"There's one thing I forgot to ask you, before we do this. How exactly is this going to work?" Okabe had no idea where to begin.

"It's basically, the same as last time. We make contact, and then we become one. The power surge that you feel afterwards, should rouse you from your slumber, and then you will have all the power you need, to use in whatever way you see fit." Kyouma explained, as he slowly approached his host.

"There is no more time, so let's do this!" Okabe paused for a moment, taking the time to slip back into the shoes of his 'Hoouin Kyouma' persona. In true 'Kyouma' fashion, he had to come up with a name for this mission. No, this was now an operation. "Commence Operation: Rise from the Ashes! Code name: Phoenix Revival!" He announced, with a devilish grin on his face.

"Let us begin! I doubt you will need it, but I wish you good luck." Kyouma said, stretching his hand out to Okabe.

"You would be correct. One as magnificent as I, has no use for Lady Luck to shower him with good fortune! With all the skills I have at my disposal, my victory is all but guaranteed! The only things I require are my dashing good looks, and my razor-sharp wit to get through any situation. It would be unwise, for anyone to underestimate me." Okabe was surprised at how easy it was, for him to revert back to his old personality. It had been a while since he had acted this way, but it felt like he had never stopped. "All the same, I shall accept your good wishes. You will always have my gratitude, for what you've done for us."

"It is no problem, at all. Well then, it looks like this is my cue to exit stage left."

With a smile, both of their hands connected, accompanied by a flash of light that engulfed them, leaving the space they were in just as empty as it was, before they had ever been there.

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In a pitch black space much the same as the one he was just in, Okabe's eyes snapped open. The man standing there still looked like Okabe, but he wasn't the same person that he was before. Other than the fact that his body was now glowing in the darkness like a lantern, which came from the hourglass marks on each arm, the changes were mostly internal.

If one were to get close enough to look into his eyes, they would notice the strength and determination that resided within those hazel orbs. It was a common saying that the eyes are like a window to the soul, and it certainly rang true in this case. His eyes were telling a story of hope, strength, and most of all, determination. It was being broadcast straight from his soul, and radiating throughout the rest of his body.

There was so much energy, that his body could scarcely contain it all. It surged out from his pores, creating an orange aura outline that surrounded his very being. Anyone unfortunate enough to cross paths with him in this state, would suddenly find themselves paralyzed in fear. Their knees would buckle, and it would be all that they could do, to avoid falling face down onto the ground. Although it was a powerful asset to have in battle, it had other uses as well. Okabe didn't participate in combat, but what mattered, was that he had this power in the first place. By simply possessing it, he could do what was previously impossible for one such as him.

In this moment, he surpassed the limits of a mere mortal, and ascended to that of a god. He couldn't help but cackle like the mad man that he was, when he thought of all the possibilities of what he could do with his newly gained power. The laws of time and space meant little, in the face of such strength. He could bend them to his will, and do whatever he wanted!

Before he got too carried away with his delusional fantasies, he took a moment to remind himself of the only reason that he had made it this far. The only reason, all of this was happening right now was because he had an important operation to carry out. The love of his life and the only assistant that he would ever accept by his side, was about to starve to death all alone because of his actions. This situation was all his fault, especially since she had warned him about the outcome before he went through with it, but he was too selfish to listen to her plea. She was only where she was currently, because he had wanted her to be there. Regardless of the reason, that was the truth. It was his responsibility to make this right, no matter what it took to do so.

He tried his best to think, though it was hard to focus with the haze of power that was now permeating his mind. It wasn't like a person could have experience, with tearing a hole in space and time. If he could figure out how to do it, that would be one thing, but pulling it off without seriously damaging the Universe, would be another. He would have to do this just right, for it to work. This was the moment where everything either came together, or fell apart.

Using his heart as a guide, he focused with all of his might on Kurisu. Failure was not an option. If she died again, it would be no one else's fault but his own. Once that happened, SERN might as well come and take him away, because as far as he was concerned, his life would be over. He had to make sure that he opened a portal to the right place, so he controlled the flow of his thoughts, hoping that he could accomplish what he needed to.

Okabe made the logical assumption that as long as one had sufficient energy for such a task, it mattered not how they chose to do it, so he got creative, using his imagination to visualize his desired outcome. He closed his eyes, and reached out in front of him with both hands, feeling for the barrier that he imagined would be there. Almost immediately, as soon as he stepped forward, his hands encountered some form of resistance, pressing up against an invisible wall.

He pushing against it with all of his strength, feeling it give way by a tiny margin. It seemed to have a quality to it that could only be described as elasticity, stretching outward once pressure was applied, but not breaking. He was almost certain, that if he were to let up in his assault for even a moment, it would snap back into its original position, as if he had never touched it. It had to have been several minutes by now, but Okabe's progress was almost non-existent. He had barely moved from his spot, and no matter how hard he pushed, the wall wouldn't budge any more than it already had.

With a sigh, he released his hold on the wall, allowing it to snap back into position just like he had suspected it would. This was going nowhere fast, and there wasn't any more time to waste on this method. The boost in power had allowed him to temporarily ignore the fact that death that awaited him, if he didn't finish this in a timely manner, but the effects were starting to return. Even his newfound energy, couldn't postpone the inevitable.

He fought through the pain, using nothing but the sheer force of his will to remain standing. He could only hold out for a little longer, but it would have to be enough. It was time for a new approach, but Okabe wasn't sure what else to do. In his mounting feelings of frustration, he found a new desire. He was beginning, to get the urge to punch something.

Suddenly, he got an idea. It was just crazy enough that it might work, and even if it didn't, he wouldn't be alive to face the consequences. Perhaps, he had been thinking too hard about this whole situation. It was in his nature to do so, and when the stakes were THIS high, it was natural to worry about all the ways something could go wrong. The solution that he had just come up with was simple. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been physically strong enough to break through the wall with brute force, but these circumstances were anything but.

If he focused the energy into his right arm, he should theoretically, and quite literally, be able to punch a hole in space and time. Once that was done, all he would have to do was hop into the portal that appeared. He wasn't accustomed to physical violence, but he was confident that when it came down to it, he could do what he needed to. The orange energy outline that was currently surrounding his body shrunk down, condensing itself until it only surrounded his right arm. The energy swirled around it, spiraling down into his closed fist, as the brightness of the light intensified. Okabe stared straight ahead, focused on the target in front of him, while he was waiting for his power to finish building up.

He smirked, "All it will take is one. With one punch, I shall break free of this prison, and save my beloved!" Now that he had succeeded in awakening the 'denizen of chaos' that slept in the darkest corners of his mind, it was time to come up with another name for the operation. The Phoenix had been revived, and that name was no longer fitting for this part of the plan. He could feel it, the moment that his power was fully charged. It was time.

"Commence Operation: Reversal of Fate! Codename: Destiny Rewritten!" Okabe debated for a minute, ultimately deciding that an event as important as this, deserved one of his infamous speeches. It was time for the 'Cosmos' to know just who they were messing with.

"Here I stand, at the edge of reality, staring down into the Abyss through the bars of my prison. Caught in a trap crafted by the Universe itself in an attempt to punish me for my transgressions, I plot my escape. I shall shatter the bars of my cage, and take a leap of faith into the unknown. It was a valiant effort, but this is not where I am meant to be, so I must be going!"

He backed up, to give himself enough room to gain the momentum that he would need. Okabe reared back, preparing to throw the hardest punch that he had ever thrown. Suddenly, his body was flung forward on its own, setting the plan into motion. His legs were moving before he even had time to think, being pulled forward by his shining fist, almost as if the energy coursing through his arm had a mind of its own. His fist hit the wall before his body did, stretching it to its limits with the aid of the energy within.

However, it still wasn't enough, and after progressing farther than he had before, he was once again stuck in place. The material that made up the wall was pressed tightly against his skin, having become a texture similar to that of shrink-wrap, as a result of being forced to its limit. He could feel it, knowing that if he were able to go just a little bit farther, then he would succeed.

"Raaaaaaa-ah!" Okabe yelled, focusing his thoughts on Kurisu, and increasing his power through will alone. The energy surrounding his fist increased in brightness and density, giving him the last push that he needed to make it through the barrier.

This last bit of defiance and determination was all that the wall could handle, and a chain reaction began to occur. Before, the wall was something that he could only see in his mind, but now, the result of his hard work could be seen with the naked eye. White lines appeared in the air directly in front of him, rapidly crisscrossing across the room until they formed a circle big enough for a person to fit through. The sound of glass shattering filled the space, as the image collapsed inward, and the shards of the barrier were sucked into the hole that was revealed to be on the other side. This hole was the polar opposite of the black hole that had sucked them into this mess, being a bright white instead.

With a grin, he knew that he had created the exit that he needed. Laughing in his trademark mad scientist manner, he approached his creation. Without giving it a second thought, he took a leap of faith into it, laughing all the way. On the other side, he was met with a nasty surprise. His laughter was cut short by a decidedly unmanly scream, as he entered free-fall. Admittedly, he may have had TOO much faith in his abilities.

It was the first time that he had ever attempted this, so his aim was a little off. Instead of being on the ground, he was above it. Luckily, it wasn't high enough for him to be killed, but there was always the possibility of serious injury if he didn't do something. Unfortunately, his rate of descent was too fast for him to do anything about it, and before he could even find out if he had opened a portal to the right place, he collided with some sort of surface.

Oddly enough, the ground was softer than he remembered, and he could have sworn that he heard it make a rather cute squeak of surprise, upon making contact with it. He blacked out before he could make sense of it all, leaving him both metaphorically and mentally in the dark.

When he regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was that the soft surface he had felt before was still there, except it was only supporting his head, and not his body. There was a strange warmth emanating from it too, along with a familiar scent that reminded him of fresh strawberries. He opened his eyes, a blurry shape that was hovering over him slowly coming into focus. It was a woman, and she was staring down at him with concern. He would recognize THAT face anywhere. Who else could it be, but the one he had come to save?

"Okabe! Are you okay?" It was clear that she had been waiting for a while to see if he was hurt, from the urgency in her voice.

"K-Kurisu! What are you doing here?" He stuttered, not believing his eyes. That turned out to be a stupid question, since right after he said it, he realized where this place was. Okabe was lying on the ground with his head in Kurisu's lap, and it was easy to see that this was the void that she had been trapped in. She also appeared, to be wearing his lab coat. It should have been an obvious observation, but nothing was, when you had only just woken up a short time ago.

That meant…so the soft surface was…well, that would explain the squeak he had heard. He realized to his utter embarrassment, that he had not only made the portal too high up, but he had also fallen right onto his girlfriend. On the bright side of things, he could have been hurt if she hadn't been there to break his fall.

She would take that as a yes. It was a relief to know that neither of them had gotten injured. "I'm the one who should be asking YOU that! Where else would I be, but in this prison that you put me in? The only reason I'm even here, is because of you!"

Kurisu hadn't meant to raise her voice at him, but she was more than a little cranky after being put into a hopeless situation, then nearly dying. Luckily, now that the two had been reunited, her strength and energy had returned. The pain was gone, but that did nothing to get her out of the bad mood that she was in. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands, eyes widened at what she didn't mean to say. She regretted it as soon as the words left her lips, and it was clear from the expression on Okabe's face that he was hurt.

He had already been feeling guilty for getting them into this situation, and her saying it right to his face made him feel even worse. He didn't say anything, but he sat up, turning his back on her.

"Okabe…I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." Kurisu said, quietly.

Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, not trusting her voice to keep from breaking at a higher volume. She had never wanted him to feel like she blamed him for this whole situation, but that's exactly what she had done. She had deeply upset him, and she wasn't sure how she could make it right. Kurisu reached her hand out and placed it on his shoulder, in an attempt to comfort him.

"I honestly, didn't mean for it to come out that way, Okabe. You have to believe me!"

There was still no answer, and she was getting desperate to know what he was thinking. Even if he had gotten angry and yelled at her, it would be better than nothing at all. She couldn't tell what was going on in that head of his, and it made her assume the worst. Was it possible that he hated her now? It was beginning to seem like a possibility, but then again, she would have no idea, since he wasn't giving her anything to work with.

"Darling, please! I want to know, what you're thinking. I can't make it right, if I don't even know how you feel about it!"

With a sigh, Okabe stood to his feet, brushing her hand off of his shoulder. The truth hurt, and with it came the loss of most of the motivation he had. He no longer felt like he had the desire or energy to maintain his 'Hoouin Kyouma' persona. Which was fine, since he had only needed it to help him get out of that dark place, anyway. That wasn't to say that it would be gone entirely, just that he would dial it back a bit, and only use it in smaller doses. He could sense that his powered up state wouldn't last much longer, so it was important to get out of here before it wore off. If he let that happen, then there would be no way for them to escape.

"I'm not mad, really. It's the truth, anyway. It's not your fault, if I'm having a hard time dealing with it. To be honest, I was already feeling guilty, but after you said that, I couldn't hide it anymore." Okabe shook his head. "Anyway, it's not important right now. I need to get us out of here, before my new power wears off."

It was then that Kurisu noticed the second hourglass on his arm, and stared at it for a moment in amazement. She wasn't done talking about this, but he made a good point. As much as she didn't want to let it go, it would have to wait until they were back home. She wanted to know about this new power of his, but that could also be saved for later.

"All right, but don't think I've let you off the hook." Kurisu let it go, taking hold of his hand. She would have to be in contact with him or she couldn't go through the portal.

"That's probably, not a good idea." Okabe said, slipping his hand out of her grip.

"Why not?"

"The last time I did this, I was pulled forward at a fast rate, and if I did that while holding your hand, then it would probably dislocate your shoulder. Hmmm…" Okabe tried to come up with some other way, for them to stay connected without hurting her.

There was only one way that Kurisu could think of. "You could give me a piggyback ride. As long as I hold onto you tightly, then I should be fine." She blushed faintly, thinking that it was a little childish, but it seemed like the best option.

Okabe also blushed a bit, but he nodded. "Sure. I suppose, we could try that."

"Oh! I just realized that I forgot to give you your coat back." Kurisu exclaimed, having forgotten until this moment that she still had it on. She had been reminded by seeing his back, and noticing that he was only wearing his gray undershirt.

"I don't mind, if you hold onto it for now. Don't worry about it." Okabe waved it off, not considering it to be a big deal.

With everything taken care of, Kurisu grabbed onto his shoulders and jumped up, wrapping her legs around his body. He grabbed her legs to help support her, and in the end, it was basically like she was giving him a full body hug. Even though he had made the decision to stop acting as crazy as before, he felt like this moment was too important, to let it pass by without giving one more speech. They were about to accomplish the impossible, after all.

He smirked, knowing that he had won this round, and there would be nothing the Universe could do to stop him from leaving.

"Ha! I laugh in the face of those who say, that destiny is something that cannot be changed! As someone who has done so more than once, I can say with absolute certainty, that it CAN be changed. All it takes is someone brave enough to stand tall, and refuse to accept that their future is set in stone. As long as you hold onto the hope that things will get better, the despair that permeates the world will not be able to touch you! My assistant and I, are living proof of that. We stand now, on the precipice of yet another cliff that overlooks the Abyss. Although the Universe says otherwise, it is not our fate to rot in this cell until we meet our end! We will break free from this place, and shape our own fate!"

Kurisu nodded, agreeing with his words, while fighting the urge to roll her eyes. His performance was a little over the top, but she would let him have this moment. It was the least she could do, after how she had treated him earlier. Now that his piece had been said, Okabe began to charge up his power again. This time was a little bit different, though. He couldn't power up his arm, since he was carrying Kurisu, forcing him to come up with another solution. He wasn't confident that it would work, but he had to try.

The light spiraled down the length of his legs, coalescing in the soles of his feet. If he couldn't punch it, then a kick would have to do. While he was doing this, since Kurisu was attached to him, some of the energy transferred to her. He didn't notice since he was focused on channeling the energy into his feet, but she could tell that something had changed.

"Uh, Okabe? What's happening? I just saw some of your energy transfer into me, and now I feel strange!" Kurisu wasn't sure what was going on, but she felt like she was more powerful than before. There was also a green outline of light surrounding her body, but it wasn't as bright as Okabe's was.

"I'm not sure. Do you feel more powerful?" Okabe hadn't been paying attention to what was going on behind him, so he wasn't 100% sure, but he had a vague idea.

"I think so, why do you ask?" Kurisu wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"I believe, that I know what happened. I must have unintentionally, given you the power to help me open the portal. As long as we use our powers together, there shouldn't be any problems." Okabe explained.

Kurisu grinned, glad that she could be of some use to him. It seemed like he was the one who solved all of their problems lately, while she stood on the sidelines helplessly, so this was a welcome change and an opportunity to prove her worth.

"All right! Let's do this! I'll help you in any way I can."

She wasn't sure what to do, so she thrust both arms out in front of her, taking care not to lose her balance without the extra support that they provided her with. The green light from her outline, traveled down her arm and into the palms of her hands. She brought them together so that her palms were touching, with her fingers pointing straight in front of her. The energy condensed at the place where her hands were connected, ready to be used at her command.

It was around that time that Okabe finished his charging as well, and he suddenly took off with no warning, running at breakneck speed. As they traveled toward a destination that she couldn't see, the light swirled around her fingertips, a cone of light forming around the outer edge of her combined appendages. It was as sharp as the point on an arrow, or the tip of a spear. She didn't know how she had managed to get this to happen, but she was confident that this would work. With this power, she could pierce even the strongest of inter-dimensional barriers.

Utilizing the energy stored in his legs, Okabe was able to jump off of the ground, boosting himself to a far greater height than he could achieve normally. Without this power, he could have never left the ground with the added weight of another person on his back. The momentum was stronger than he had expected, resulting in them spinning around a full 360 degrees. This did nothing to hinder the plan though, and he recovered mid-air, straightening their course, so that the point of the shoe on his outstretched foot, would hit the barrier at the same moment that Kurisu's spear of light would. The barrier of time and space was no match for the combined might of their assault, and it shattered instantly on contact, offering no resistance at all.

It shattered just like the last wall had, providing a hole that they could fit through. They had done it, the way to Steins;Gate was open, and they could return to their normal lives. Most of all, this meant that Okabe could finish what he started, before he was interrupted by this whole ordeal. This time, there would be nothing to stop him from proposing to her. They kept their momentum even after shattering the barrier, as they soared through the shards of glass unharmed, ending their flight by sailing straight into the portal.

It wasn't exactly the happy reunion that they had hoped for, but everything would be all right, now that they were together again. As long as Okabe could finish the proposal, the Universe wouldn't be able to bother them again. All that should be left to do now was to make a new memory, which would allow them to stay in that perfect worldline.

That wasn't to say that their adventures would be over, only that they would be of a different sort than they were used to. What Okabe had planned, and what was coming next, was something that he would never see coming.