AN: Big thank you to justluisfine for following this story! And to youz all for 412 hits! =^D
Stone.
Mikoto held Tatara's eyes a moment, from his position on his back in the snow, prior to declaring flatly. "Thought I saw butterflies."
"Oh, I had them guide me to you." Tatara explained, while helping Mikoto to sit. "On this side, it can be tricky to find someone who hasn't crossed over to the dream."
"'Dream'?"
"'The dream', that's what we call the afterlife."
Mikoto nodded, though a frown was forming on his face. But Tatara knew him well enough to read that expression, he wasn't angry, just overwhelmed. He spoke again, his voice like Tatara's, assuming a raspy quality. "Then it really is you." He dropped a hand on Tatara's shoulder, which he promptly used as leverage to gain his feet. Almost mashing Tatara's face into the snow in the process.
Wandering over to the shrine, Mikoto stood craned over with his hands propped against his lower back.
Recognizing that Mikoto needed space, and a moment to himself. Tatara called out. "I'll meet you at the bridge?"
"Yeah." An ever abbreviated reply from Mikoto.
In a half daze, Tatara returned the way he had come. Collecting his scooter from the place he had dropped it, outside the turnstiles, in his hurry.
So Mikoto had died twelve days after he himself, things hadn't turned out alright after all. His thoughts turned to Anna again, Izumo would certainly step in and take good care of her, but she would be devastated. Not only had Tatara died the night before they were supposed to celebrate her birthday. But Mikoto, the person she adored most, was gone out of her life now too.
It had been Anna who, upon her first visit to bar Homra with her auntie. Warned Tatara that if he stayed in Mikoto's company, he wouldn't live long. He had been prepared to accept that, he had found a place in life that he had formed an attachment to. If staying meant that same life would be short, then it was worth it compared to a long one spent adrift. But he hadn't counted on the collateral, Izumo would reprimand him for being irresponsible if he were here. But Izumo was alive in the waking, the only one remaining out of the three of them.
"Thought you said by the bridge." Mikoto's low rumble of a voice, caught Tatara off guard. Casting about Mikoto next asked. "Wear are we going?"
"Were else, bar homra!" Tatara swung a leg over his scooter, and patted the back half of the seat.
Mikoto responded with an unimpressed look, and hands in pockets, wandered past Tatara in the direction of the bridge.
That was the Mikoto he knew alright.
"So should I ask how it happened?" He ventured, pushing his scooter along to join Mikoto.
"First explain what all this is, and why the Colorless King isn't here too."
"Ah, right!" Tatara ho-hummed over how to put it. "As I mentioned before, we colloquially call this side the 'dream'. And where we came from, that we call the 'waking'. When a living thing dies in the waking, they 'fall asleep' and arrive in the dream at the age they identified most strongly with. That's the basics, but things are so much more interesting than that. I went to a lecture on the topic not long after arriving here, and the lecturer described it like a loop or a circle of cause and effect, where the dream is like a blueprint of possibilities and the waking is a tool that turns some of those possibilities into lived experience. Then that lived experience is translated back into the dream, you see we all create our own afterlife, and are surrounded only by the people, places and things that we held dear to us in the waking."
Mikoto frowned. Tatara pouted, he knew Mikoto was wondering why he hadn't wound up alone. King had always been his own worst enemy, as well as most vicious critic, never able to kill the condemning judge in his head. Tatara chose not to comment on his observation though, instead letting the results speak for themselves, about the brotherhood between them.
Tatara preceded by saying. "I wonder if some people really do go to heaven, or the like." He grinned sideways at Mikoto. "Oh, but of course, that doesn't mean there aren't people we don't know here. But we sorta fade in and out of each others afterlives, unless or until a 'bond' is formed. Entropy, but there's a kind of order to it somehow."
Mikoto merely shrugged, unfussed.
"If you ask me, it's exiting this way!" Tatara went on.
Mikoto paused on their path across the bridge momentarily, to look out at the sea that stretched on towards the horizon, beneath a darkening sky. "It's like the slate." He remarked of a peculiar landmark.
That hadn't been there when Tatara had crossed the bridge earlier, on his way to the school island. Tatara examined the enormous stone structure, rising from the waves, it's surface decorated with faintly luminous maze-like patterns and lettering. "Not that big though, right?" Tatara asked, having never seen the Dresden slate.
"No."
"Structures like that sometimes appear in the dream, I'm not sure why. But there are people with unusual eyes, linked to the stone, who act as mediators for the 'web' or 'network' of possibilities."
Mikoto looked confused, but voiced no questions, so Tatara explained. "As I was saying, things aren't so linear here. It's possible to visit or be visited by people in the waking, as long as the wishes of the people on both sides align, it can be done. And it's the people with the unusual eyes, who make that happen."
"Do they rule the dream?"
"Nah, they just do their own thing. I've heard one describe their people as a manifestation of the 'hearts wish', don't know what that means though."
"You mentioned a blueprint or network of possibilities."
Tatara felt himself buzz with excitement. "I'm glad you brought it up! You see, 'possibility' isn't limited to the version of the waking you and I know. Think of the dream like a capsule machine, and the waking like the capsules, each waking universe 'capsule' containing a stone like the slate. Then when a universe collapses, the stone that manifested that universe returns here, to be replaced by a different stone and a new version of the waking, as well as new generations of Kings to shape the possibilities within their universe! I've even been lucky enough to meet people from other universes here in the dream, in fact the lecturer I mentioned was one of them, Isn't that fascinating!?"
"What kind of capsule machine has the contents it spits out, returned to it?"
Tatara slumped dramatically. "Way to miss the point."
Mikoto snorted. "So where do I get some smokes around here?"
"Oh! The convenience store, or a vending machine. But don't worry about money, things operate as a cooperative in the dream."
Tatara pointed out their usual shopping street, and Mikoto turned down it without breaking stride. Then he dipped into the first convenience store they came across, leaving Tatara outside with the scooter. However he soon emerged, though didn't immediately light up. Tatara wondered if he had remembered to get a lighter, if he didn't already have one on him when he died.
"So how are the others, Kantilla and Maria too?"
"Everyone's-" Mikoto frowned. "-safe, for now." He atlas settled on. "Kantilla was harassed by some bastards related to the gun used to murder you, but Yata took care of them, and she covered for him when the jacks turned up."
Tatara sighed wistfully. Reminded once more, just how much he missed Kantilla, Maria and the Homura lot.
On arrival at bar homra, Tatara left his scooter out front. Jogging up the steps ahead, to open the door for Mikoto. Who made a disgruntled face, but stepped through without further complaint at the special treatment.
"Hey, Mizuomi. Guess who just arrived on the sleepy side!" Tatara called.
"Who died!" Appearing in the doorway that led to the private open plan lounge and kitchen, Izumo's uncle Mizuomi, was laser focused on Mikoto.
Mikoto appeared not to recognize the man at first, but that wasn't a surprise. Tatara too had been bewildered to see Mizuomi at forty-sh again, like he had been when Tatara had first met the man.
"Ah, now I remember." Mikoto simply blinked back at the man.
Grinning ruefully, Mizuomi asked. "Finally bit off more than you could chew huh? Tatara here's told me everything about how you kids got on, about Kings and all. So how'd it happen?" He poured the three of them a drink, dished them up some hot lasagna from the warmer draw, and beckoned for Tatara and Mikoto to join him at the bar. "We saw your Damocles, as well as those of the Blue, Silver and Colorless Kings from here. Whatever happened must have been big."
Taking a seat and making a start on his lasagna, Mikoto explained. "You've heard of Munakata? Then you'll know he can't keep out of my business, good thing in the end." That unusually serene expression returned to his features.
"Good thing?" Tatara prompted.
"He stopped another chunk of the map going up in smoke." Mikoto intoned.
"So he was the one who prevented your Damocles down, he killed you." Tatara hardly registered that he was voicing his thoughts. "Woah, that's-" He put the pieces together. Munakata would never kill lightly, and despite that he acted otherwise, Tatara knew he must hold some fondness for Mikoto. Yet he had had to kill Mikoto, as Mikoto had wished of him, to prevent everything being wiped out on the waking side. So what had caused Mikoto's Damocles down, what had over taxed his power, to the point where the worst case scenario had come to fruition? Tatara considered it, realizing that while he was focused on Mikoto's death, the Silver and Colorless Damocles swords had disappeared simultaneously without his notice. "You killed two Kings at once!?"
Mikoto shrugged. "Got that Colorless bastard, and the Silver one- -who knows, apparently he's invulnerable, can't die. He was holding that slimy murdering creep still for me, and I had no qualms." So saying, Mikoto pushed himself away from the bar, making for the stairs. "Hey, Mizuomi. Is my room free?"
"It's all yours. Go have a lie down, it sounds like you need it after all that."
Mikoto lifted a hand in acknowledgment, and was gone out of sight.