Chapter 8: All Or Nothing At All
Amamiya jumped back, startled.
Goro uttered a strangled cry of alarm before he composed himself enough to ask, "What's going on? Why are you here? How are you here?"
He scooted to the other end of the bed and realized Amamiya was somehow sitting on the headboard. He was wearing what looked like a stage magician's outfit and a masquerade-style mask.
Amamiya made a little flourish with his hands and said, "Phantom thief! Sha-blam!"
Goro just blinked at him, eyes as round as saucers.
"Just kidding," said Amamiya. "We're in the Metaverse, aren't we? I guess you probably pulled me in through the phone."
"Is that another joke?" said Goro.
Amamiya shook his head and showed him his own phone. "Look - this app - it's the Metaverse Navigator. We use it to enter and exit the Metaverse."
"Did you install this on that phone you sent?" said Goro accusingly. He remembered the weird icon - he had deleted that app, or so he thought.
"No, no. I didn't even install it on my own phone. I'm not exactly sure where it comes from, honestly. All I know is, if you have access to it, there's got to be some reason."
Goro hesitated. This was so weird. Trying to get his balance back, he said, "I thought you were kidding about wearing a mask. I guess I should be grateful you're wearing clothes, too."
Ren looked down at his hands. "Ah. Yeah, something's definitely going on in the Metaverse." He tilted his head at Goro and added, "But you don't have your costume."
"Of course he doesn't," said a child-like voice from somewhere in the room.
Goro looked around, startled. Who else was here?
"He's been disconnected from the Metaverse somehow. He's basically a civilian," the voice continued, and Goro was finally able to track it to the door. He peeked over the end of the bed and jumped again.
Standing in the doorway was some kind of...cat?
"What's your problem?" said the cat, frowning.
"Sorry," said Goro, not sure what else to say to a bipedal talking cat with a watermelon-shaped head.
"This is Morgana. You remember. From my bag," said Amamiya.
"Oh, the talking cat from your bag. Of course," Goro agreed, feeling a little dazed. "Since you're here, I guess you should see...the other one. The other me."
Amamiya raised his eyebrows and nodded. Goro led them out into the common area of his apartment.
While they walked, Amamiya took a quick peek around. "This is Niijima-san's place, huh? Nice."
Goro felt a twinge of annoyance and realized he'd been thinking of it as his place. Home.
As they headed out and down to street level, Goro looked at the cat and mused, "Morgana. Where did you get that name?"
"Huh?" Morgana blinked his wide, cartoon-like eyes. "I don't know. I suppose it just sprang into being like the rest of me. Why do you ask?"
"I wondered if you were named after Morgan le Fay, the sorceress of Arthurian legend."
"Well, I'm not a sorceress. I'm a legendary rogue. Look what I found in your room," said Morgana, eyes glittering. He pulled out the star-shaped stone from his belt and tossed it up to Goro.
"You got one of those too, huh?" said Ren.
"What is it?" asked Goro, turning it over in his hand. He'd been using it as a paperweight on his desk. Some "legendary rogue" the cat was.
"We think it grants wishes," said Ren. "But it's not as straightforward as the genie in the lamp. We aren't exactly sure how it works."
"A wish upon a star," mused Goro. "How romantic."
At the ground floor, they found the black-masked Akechi already banging at the outside security door.
"He's been doing this every night," Goro muttered. "I haven't been able to sleep in a week."
"This one's wearing his costume," said Morgana thoughtfully.
"Hey, Crow!" called Amamiya to the black-masked figure. "What's bonkin'?"
Crow stopped banging on the door to give his full energy to glaring at Ren. When he was done with that, he turned to Goro. "You absolute cretin. What did you bring him here for?"
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," said Goro mockingly.
"Can you take off the mask?" asked Ren, ignoring their sniping for the moment.
"Why?" asked Crow suspiciously.
"So I can see your eyes."
Crow flipped up his visor and gave Ren another blast of scorn.
"They're not yellow," Ren observed.
"So?"
Morgana said, "Didn't you ever notice that the eyes of shadows are yellow? That's how you can tell them apart from real people."
"Velvet Room attendants have yellow eyes too…" Ren added, thinking of Lavenza. Could she help with this? She'd had a similar episode and might have some ideas.
"Okay, but what does that tell us?" said Goro, tapping his chin.
Ren shrugged. "I have no idea. Except this isn't your shadow and it isn't from the Velvet Room."
"We already knew that," said Crow wearily. "We are the same person, as much as it pains me to admit it. Maruki called this dissociation."
"Dissociation," Goro murmured. "A state of disconnection from one's own memories, emotions, or even identity. If we are truly part of the same person, I suppose that's a reasonable description of our dilemma."
"Dr. Maruki's here?" said Ren. "What's he up to?"
"Spying, brainwashing, snacks. You know, the usual," said Crow.
"Huh," said Ren thoughtfully. "So, what do you need to do to...uh, reassociate?"
"Who the hell knows? What a pain in the ass," said Crow.
"It's just so hard to believe that feral creature is me," said Goro, squinting at his other self. "Is that the part of me that killed people?"
"Among other things you're too feeble to handle," said Crow contemptuously. "That must mean you're the pathetic part of me that lies to make people like you. Those people aren't your friends, you know. They're friends of the pretend Goro Akechi that you made up."
"You have no right to say that," said Goro, clenching his fist. "You're a monster. If I can't destroy you, then all I can do is try to keep you in a cage."
"Stop trying to act all high and mighty," Crow shot back. "Who do you think you're fooling? You didn't want Shido to face justice, you wanted revenge. Cheap and dirty. If I deserve to go to jail, you do too."
They looked like they were seconds away from getting into a fistfight. Ren held up his hands. "Time out! Everybody take a breath."
The two Goro Akechis looked at him grudgingly. He was tempted to ask them to make out, but he was pretty sure that wouldn't go down well.
"Can we take a step back?" asked Ren. "If you two hate each other so much, why do you even want to reassociate?"
"I'm stuck here in the Metaverse while he's running around in the real world with my face," said Crow, throwing a look at Goro. "But lest you think this is all take and no give, he also wants something from me."
"I need the memories I'm missing," said Goro. "Masayoshi Shido has denied all knowledge of me and the things I did for him. He stated under oath that he never met me. As far as the courts are concerned, nothing I did even happened."
Morgana shook his head sadly. "All those people who suffered...no one would ever know what really happened to them."
Ren was awed and - if he was honest with himself - a bit envious. "Then you really could get out of this with no charges, no jail time, no criminal record. All because Masayoshi Shido pulled his last strings for you."
"Feh. Screw him," said Crow dismissively.
"Precisely," said Goro. "I'm going to testify to every last thing I did in his service."
Ren pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let me get this straight. You've been split into two parts that hate each other, and the only thing you agree on is that you're going to confess to a bunch of crimes out of sheer spite."
"You got a problem with that?" said Crow.
Goro raised his eyebrows challengingly.
"Nah. It's actually pretty on-brand for you," said Ren. "But I think I see why you can't do it."
They looked at him expectantly. Ren took a breath. "Because you hate each other," he said, slowly and clearly. This was so obvious. Of course mortal enemies wouldn't want to be smushed into the same body. They'd only be able to do it if they could reconcile somehow.
The two Akechis narrowed their eyes with identical scorn. As if they'd planned it, they simultaneously turned their backs to him so they could talk amongst themselves.
Ren sighed and turned away, looking out into this new version of Tokyo. Aside from the lack of noise and light, it wasn't too distorted. But not too far away - in the same neighborhood, but a few blocks away - there was a strange pulsing, similar to the way heat made things look blurry.
"What's going on out there?" Morgana said thoughtfully. "You don't suppose…."
"Amamiya," said one of the Akechis. Ren turned back toward them. They sounded exactly alike, but he could tell just from the tone of voice that it was the nice-guy version that was speaking. "Amamiya, you mentioned Velvet Room attendants earlier. What is the Velvet Room?"
"You mean you never went…? Huh. That kind of makes sense, actually."
Ren considered. The first time he visited the Velvet Room, he'd been dragged there against his will. After that, he could come and go, but…. Now that he thought about it, hadn't Lavenza told him that she was the one who opened the doors for him? She'd placed them conveniently and removed them when their purpose was fulfilled. The Velvet Room came for him, not the other way around.
"Morgana, do you have any ideas about how to get back into the Velvet Room?" Ren asked.
"I've only been there twice myself, remember," said Morgana, shaking his head.
"What about this?" suggested Goro, holding up the star. "You said it granted wishes."
"Good idea. Let me give it a try."
Ren took the star and held it, imagining the blue door that led to the Velvet Room. He closed his eyes and tried to recall every detail. When he had a solid picture in his mind's eye, he let himself wander a bit. He let go of the physical sensations that kept his mind grounded and reached out with his heart, hoping Lavenza would be able to sense his call.
He didn't know how long he drifted like that, but after a while, he felt the brush of a butterfly's wings against his cheek. The glowing blue butterfly flapped as if in greeting. Ren smiled and opened his eyes.
Returning to his senses was so disorienting it made him dizzy. He stumbled a little, almost falling over. When he recovered himself, he found Lavenza standing in front of him.
"It is good to see you," she said placidly.
"You too," said Ren. "You never met my friend, did you? This is Goro Akechi. And, uh, Crow."
"His better half," said Crow, smirking.
Lavenza looked over at the two Akechis. "Another one...how unusual."
"He's having kind of an identity crisis," said Ren. "I was wondering if you could help. Maybe break out the guillotine?"
"The what?" said both Akechis together.
"Interesting," said Lavenza. Her yellow eyes sparkled with mischief. "I've never tried it on a mortal before. Perhaps the chainsaw?"
Without any apparent effort from Lavenza, a familiar barred door appeared out of thin air. Ren went in, with Morgana and the Akechis following. They all ended up crammed into the tiny cell that Ren remembered so well. Lavenza somehow made her way to the door without seeming to push at all and opened the locked cell door.
Igor's desk, at the center of the prison, was empty. The electric chair, guillotine, and chainsaw, however, were all still lying around.
"Is this what the inside of your mind looks like?" said Crow disapprovingly, hand on his hip. "You really have no sense of style whatsoever."
"We usually adjust the Velvet Room to the visitor," said Lavenza. "But in this case there was a different architect. Now, then…."
The small, ethereal girl walked delicately over to the chainsaw and hoisted it as if testing its weight. She peered over at the Akechis appraisingly.
"Hmm," she said. "I think this isn't the right tool for the job."
The Akechis both let out the breath they'd been holding.
Lavenza tilted her head toward Ren. "May I see that?"
She was looking at the star in Ren's hand. He gave it to her. She held it up to her ear and there was a faint vroom sound, like a small engine.
"I see," said Lavenza. "You wished for this to happen. To reverse the effect, reverse your desire."
Goro sighed. "You make it sound straightforward, but it's hardly so simple."
"You can't get rid of me," growled Crow. "No matter how much you pretend, I'll always be here in your subconscious."
Lavenza blinked uncomprehendingly.
She can't help with this, thought Ren. A supernatural power had created this situation, but more importantly, Akechi's own heart - always divided - had torn itself apart. That had to be the key. Ren had one last card to play, and after that it was entirely up to Akechi.
"Listen to me," said Ren, appealing to the Akechi he'd taken to a tarot reading in the waking world. "I get that you're happy right now, but you can't just break yourself apart and expect people to be okay with that. I don't want half of you. I want all of you, no matter what you think of those other parts."
Goro blinked rapidly. Amamiya had been extra flirty lately, but this sounded like an actual confession. It didn't bother him when girls confessed - he'd never had much interest, so he brushed them off and moved on. But this? What was this? Why was his heart pounding so hard? He felt a blush creeping up his collar.
"You...you can't do this," said Goro quietly. Can't flip the script from rivals to lovers. Can't fall for a boy. Can't forgive someone who tried to kill you. Can't love someone like me….
While these thoughts were swirling in Goro's head, Amamiya took his hand and said tenderly, "I can. And I do."
Crow whistled. "Just coming right out with it, huh, Amamiya? You must really be desperate. Well, I can't blame you. I am quite a snack."
"And you," Ren went on, taking a sharper tone as he spoke to Crow. "Talk about helpless. You're never going to beat me if you can't even get ahold of yourself. I might as well give this back."
Ren pulled the black glove out of his pocket and held it up in front of the Akechis. Both of them stared at it. Crow glared at it with open hostility, furious at the challenge to his pride. Goro's mouth fell open a little, stunned that Ren had kept it so long. The blush spread to his cheeks. Ren's words rang in his ears: I don't want half of you. I want all of you.
Crow thought, I can't let him win.
At the same time, Goro thought, I can't let him go.
And the decision was made.
Lavenza held up the star. Crow took it and reached out to Goro. They held the star together, their hearts beating in unison.
There was a warm glow that brightened to a glare, forcing Ren and Morgana to shield their eyes. When they looked back, there was only one Goro Akechi holding the star. He put it in his pocket, his face blank, then walked over to Ren, getting almost uncomfortably close.
"You said you were going to steal my heart," he said. Then he smirked. "It seems I stole yours instead."
He leaned in a little and kissed Ren lightly on the lips. Ren's dark eyes fluttered closed. He put his arms around Goro's shoulders and returned the kiss with interest. After a few moments, Goro slipped his arms around Ren's waist and held him close, taking in his scent and the feel of his clothes. He knew he'd have to wake up from this dream eventually, but not yet. Not yet.
After a little while, Goro moved his head to rest on Ren's shoulder. Ren mirrored the motion, resting his chin on Goro's shoulder, thinking of all the times they'd each cheated death to come together at this moment. He hoped Goro felt as contented as he did right now.
Then Goro started to slump. Ren's eyes flew open in surprise and he quickly kneeled to let him down to the ground gently. His pulse was strong, but his eyes were closed and his muscles were relaxed.
What the hell? Ren looked up in confusion. Morgana was watching the two of them with literal cartoon hearts in his eyes. Ren blushed a little. Usually Morgana knew when to give Ren some privacy. But of course, in the Velvet Room there was no place else to go.
"He is asleep," said Lavenza, in answer to Ren's unasked question.
"Nyahaha! Doesn't say much for your kissing skills," Morgana laughed.
Ren frowned and poked Morgana at the top of his oversized head, sending him reeling backwards, arms pinwheeling - though, true to his cat nature, he caught himself before he fell over.
"He requires a deeper level of unconsciousness," said Lavenza. "His mind will be quite safe here, but you may wish to take his body back where it belongs rather than leaving it in the Metaverse unattended. The shadows are restless tonight."
She pointed, and Ren looked to see that there was a door where he was sure there had been no door before.
"Guess I'd better go back home then," said Ren, scratching his head.
"Let's hope we end up back in your bedroom and not Akechi's," Morgana added. "Unless you want to explain that to Niijima-san."
"And my folks," added Ren, shuddering. You idiot, he scolded himself. You have one year to go until you're an adult. Try to stay out of trouble!
But he already knew he wasn't going to take the easy way. Not when the hard way had adventure, romance, heroics and fun. What did his hometown have to compare to all that?
Sae was watching the evening news when she got a call from the prosecutor's office. Triumphantly, the man on the phone announced that he had caught Goro in the act of disappearing - the GPS signal was, this very second, completely lost. Vanished. Gone.
"That's ridiculous," said Sae impatiently. "I saw him go into his bedroom just an hour ago. Let me check."
She went over to Goro's bedroom door and knocked, calling his name. There was no response. She knocked louder; still nothing.
"I'm going to have to call you back," she said into the phone. Then, without waiting for a response, she hung up and tried the doorknob. The door was locked from the inside. Reminding herself she was only checking out of concern, Sae fished the key out of the junk drawer and opened the door a crack.
The room was dark inside. It was unclear whether Goro was there or not. She took a step inside. "Goro-kun?" she called. She switched on the light and saw that the room was empty. The bedclothes were rumpled as if they'd been used recently, so he had been here. But the windows were closed and latched; he couldn't have gone out that way. Nor could he have slipped out the front door without going past Sae.
A light on the headboard of the bed caught her attention - his phone? She started toward it, hoping it would give some clue to his whereabouts, assuming she could even unlock it….
In the next instant, three things happened: Sae picked up the phone, the room went dark, and her night got very weird.