I'm never ever going to promise updates during the semester again. I thought I was going to update 5-6 times; what a big L. Not even going to justify what happened so here's the next chapter. Fun fact: I realized that I've been doing paragraph breaks with dialogue wrong my entire life (: here's a feeble attempt to fix that in this chapter.
"UTAU!" Il shouted, as Utau leaned backward, feeling her body falling freely, the first time since her father left she could say she was freed.
"Hey! You can't give up that easily!" A familiar voice rang in her head as she fell through the sky. Why did she recognize that voice? Who did it belong to?
"What's the point?" She remembered herself saying who knew how long ago. "No one is coming. Everything I've worked for… What does it matter if no one comes to my concerts?"
"I know the numbers aren't great and stuff, but you just gotta keep working! If anyone can do it, it's you; you always get what you want!"
"Kukai's right. It's about your passion, Utau. You love to sing, and you sing for yourself, not for money. Isn't that why you left Easter?"
She remembered the girl's smile and reassurance, the way she always stood up for everyone else. "Amu?" Utau opened her eyes, only to see the whole world free falling, and yet, everything seemed to finally make sense. Her eyes widened. "Holy shit, I-"
"NOW!" Angel wings immediately appeared as Utau shot upward just before touching the ground. She landed on the roof of the origin building, panting heavily as the wings dissipated. She looked around at the world around her, her body shaking as she assessed the world around her.
"Oh my god. Oh my freaking…" Utau sank to her knees, tears immediately cascading down her cheeks. Sobs escaped her throat as she began to cry, her hands covering her mouth.
"Utau-Chan!"
Utau looked up with a tear-stricken expression as both of her charas floated toward her. "E-El… how… what…"
"I suddenly hatched from my egg out. I came as quickly as I could," El explained. "I'm glad I was able to come in time; I was so scared that I wouldn't…"
"Utau, what the hell were you thinking?!" Il screamed at her. "You were gonna die, dammit!"
"I wasn't. I mean, I wasn't thinking the way that I am now." Utau sniffled. "I remember everything. I know the truth now." She rose to her feet shakily. "This… this is what happens without Amu. The wish… holy shit I never thought…" Il's expression softened.
"Damn, everything was so different…" Il murmured. "This is seriously crazy."
"I was in my egg the whole time, but I knew… Utau-Chan, I'm so sorry…" Utau shook her head.
"There's no time for that." Utau wiped her tears away. She grabbed the fur coat she had previously tossed carelessly aside and pulled it on. "I need to find Ikuto. I need to know if I'm alone or not." She immediately entered the building again. She nearly ran through the hallways, until she heard a familiar voice coming from her stepfather's office. She paused and peered inside, seeing Ikuto standing in front of him with his usual blank expression. At least, usual in this world.
"You need to make sure that these X-Eggs are not getting crushed," Kazuomi sneered. "We need them at their maximum power."
"I understand."
"You know what will happen if you disappoint me."
Ikuto nodded, his unkept blue hair in his face.
Utau grimaced. Yoru isn't there… Damn it, he doesn't remember! She leaned against the wall, trying to slow down her breathing. She clenched her fists, letting out a dejected sigh. She could feel her heart beating in her chest rapidly, beads of sweat drenching her face. So the wish really worked. Amu collected the pieces of the shattered Embryo and really wished herself to have never existed. Utau closed her eyes. And thus, I am facing the repercussions of that. I never left Easter. I never met my friends. Tadase probably still hates me and Ikuto is back to wearing a stoic mask and… oh my god, Kukai… he doesn't even… Blinking back tears, Utau dug her nails into her fist.
If I remember the truth… does that mean Amu could still exist? Pushing against the wall, she stood up quickly before Ikuto could leave the office, and she left the Easter Headquarters.
"Aren't you going to ask Ikuto-Kun if he remembers too?" El wondered.
"He doesn't. Yoru would be there if he did." Utau frowned. "I don't understand though. I don't know how I remember and he doesn't. If Amu made the wish that she wouldn't exist… why do I remember her? Why me?" Utau glanced back behind her for a moment, before frowning.
Utau knocked frantically on the front door. A groan was heard on the other side, before she heard shuffling. The door slid open, revealing her very drunken manager. Utau sighed internally; she had not realized how much Yukari's life was bettered due to Amu's appearance as well. She knew that Yukari was prone to getting drunk fast, but ever since she had gotten back together with Yuu and married him, she had been tamer. Of course, none of that happened anymore, and Yukari was left to be a drunken mess.
"Utau? What are you doing here?" Yukari wore a white tank top and boxer shorts. She could have sworn she heard a groan from someone else inside.
"If you're busy, I can leave."
"No, no, come in. You look like you need something."
Utau followed Yukari into her apartment, wincing as she immediately smelled liquor. It was much smaller than the house she and Yuu had owned together; the red walls were chipped and everything was in complete disarray.
"Oi, Roshin, get out," Yukari called to the man in her bed.
"Uh, that's not my name…"
Yukari groaned. "Ugh, whatever, just leave."
The guy immediately dressed and exited the apartment at once.
Yukari turned back to Utau. "Everything okay, Utau? You seemed kind of coarse before, though I guess you're always that way." Yukari immediately went to grab a beer, before Utau suddenly grabbed her arm.
"You've had enough."
"Wha—hey! Let go!"
"I need a place to crash for the night," Utau bluntly responded.
"What? Uh, sure, but why? What's wrong with your own house?"
"I need to take care of some things."
"Wow, that's vague. Can you let go of me now? I'm letting you stay at my place." Utau frowned.
"This isn't you, Sanjou-San. You're more than just an alcoholic; you're an amazing manager and friend and sister. You…you don't understand, but there are a lot of people who are grateful to you." Yukari gave her a weird look.
"Did you hit your head or something? You're not usually this sappy." Utau smiled lightly, laying down on Yukari's couch. Yukari immediately headed for the beer bottle and began chugging it.
"I guess you can say I've been… enlightened."
The first thing Utau heard the next morning was the sound of her manager puking into the toilet. Utau rose to her feet and stretched, having gotten no sleep. Grabbing her jacket and purse, she tiptoed to the front of the apartment. Sighing remorsefully, she turned back to the bathroom.
You need help, Yukari… I wish I could be there for you, but I need to take care of something else first. She closed the door behind her, digging her hands into her pockets.
"Where are you going, Utau?" El wondered, cocking her head to the side. Utau stepped outside, wincing as she stared up into the sun.
"I'm going to do something about the mess I've created."
Present Day
Utau stood squarely between the two boys, her arms crossed. Nagihiko watched as Tadase rose to his feet, his fists clenching around his scepter. Nagihiko quirked an eyebrow; in this world, he did not recall El being hatched. Did that mean…?!
"Utau!" Ikuto exclaimed suddenly. "Where the hell have you been?! And what are you transformed as?!"
"It doesn't matter." Utau looked at her brother. "You need to lay off him. And you," She turned to face Tadase, "you don't understand now, but what you're doing is a waste of time."
"You can't tell me what to do, Hoshina Utau!" Tadase yelled, gripping his scepter.
"You're right; I can't. But I can advise you to do the right thing and futilely fighting Ikuto is not that. After all, I'm your older sister." Tadase glared at her.
"You have no right to call yourself that after everything you've done!" Tadase roared. To Nagihiko's surprise, she looked unfazed.
"Figured you'd say something like that." She turned to face Ikuto, who looked mildly stunned. "So much for all of our progress these past few years."
"Move aside, Utau," Ikuto mumbled. "He started a fight. I need to finish him off."
Utau rolled her eyes. "Oh yes of course, you're doing some weirdass backwards way of protecting him, right? Because Easter suspects that the recent disappearance of X-Eggs is attributed to the guardians, or whatever this group is now, and if you can defeat Tadase, perhaps he won't get hurt by Kazuomi?"
"That's bullshit," Tadase spat.
Ikuto frowned. "You don't know what you're talking about. Look, just go back to Easter; Kazuomi has been looking for you. You don't want to keep him waiting."
Utau smirked. "I'll keep him waiting as long as I see fit." Utau hesitantly sidestepped, prompting both boys to immediately begin charging their attacks. "I hope you both understand one day…"
"Utau." She turned immediately, startled.
"Oh, Fujisaki, I didn't see you there." Utau frowned. "Let me guess; you're here to defend Tadase and defame me too?"
Nagihiko cast a side-glance at Ikuto and Tadase before turning back to Utau. "Actually…" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "You remember, don't you? You know… you know who Amu Hinamori is."
Utau's eyes widened. She looked at Tadase and Ikuto briefly, before turning back to Nagihiko. "This whole time, I wasn't alone…"
"Let's go." Nagihiko quickly grabbed her arm and walked off with her. Fortunately, both Tadase and Ikuto seemed far too occupied to notice that there was no malice between the two of them. They stood beside an abandoned building nearby the school.
"Is this…"
"The planetarium," Nagihiko explained, his voice returning to its normal octave. "Since Amakawa-San isn't the principal, he never had this planetarium, I guess. Tadase says he isn't super close with him, and he devotes his time to being a good father."
"Because there was no Amu to chase after." Utau shook her head. "And Tsukasa… he's alive?" Nagihiko nodded slowly. "At least one good thing came out of this mess." Utau looked back at him. "You don't know how glad I am that you know everything too. I thought I was alone…"
"Me too," Nagihiko admitted, leaning against the abandoned building. "When did you remember?"
"About a week or two ago," Utau explained. "I, uh… I was about to kill myself." Nagihiko's eyes widened.
"Are you okay?!"
"Well, I'm standing here, aren't I?" Utau sighed. "El hatched just in time. I always had her egg in this world, but she would never budge. She must have hatched right when my memories came back. But yeah… life was just about as crappy as I thought it would be without her…" She frowned. "How about you?"
"I can't say my life was too much better." Nagihiko chuckled lightly. "I was anorexic. I passed out from dehydration, and when I woke up in the hospital, that's when I remembered everything. That was about a week ago. Temari was an X-Chara, but she's good now. I still don't know where Rhythm is…"
"Geez, that sucks. And I take it your whole identity thing is still a problem?"
"Everyone knows me as Nadeshiko, even Tadase… That's why I starved myself; I stupidly believed that I could conform my body to be feminine." He sighed. Utau pulled off her coat, revealing her bare arms. Nagihiko's eyes widened. "Utau, you—"
"We both had it pretty rough." Nagihiko looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Is that why we remembered?" Nagihiko wondered. "We both nearly died; is it the near-death conditions that is why we know the truth?"
"How would that work?" Utau mumbled.
"I don't know… but nothing makes sense. Amu-chan made the wish so that she would be gone, so why do we remember now?"
"I've been wondering actually…" Utau sighed. "Do you think Amu is out there somewhere? She wished that she would be erased from existence, but since we both remember the truth…" Nagihiko frowned pensively.
"Where would she be then?"
Utau shrugged, putting her jacket back on. "I was starting to look for her a bit earlier. I was purifying some X-Eggs that I had created, hence why I vanished from Easter, and I thought that maybe Amu would be there, somehow…"
Nagihiko sighed. "Well, we can figure this out together at least."
Utau clenched her fists. "I know Ikuto and Tadase don't remember, but the others… are you sure?"
He frowned, glancing at the ground. "I spoke with Rima and Yaya at school, and I was on the phone with Kukai."
Utau groaned. "Damn it, Souma. Not you too."
"It's just us, Utau. It's up to us to figure out this mess."
Hokkaido (September 11th, 20xx)
"You can't actually put this into action! The other students would object strongly; this would be taking advantage of the student body!"
"You are being naïve, Hiroka-San." The boy placed his hands on the metal rim of the chair, staring straight ahead. "While this may not be to the students' satisfaction, it will yield us a generous profit. Is that not what we seek?"
"But—"
"I am the Class President; my say is final." The other members of the student council looked at the ground.
"You do know…" The class treasurer sighed. "Sanjou-Kun, this is not a business; this is just a student council."
Kairi pushed up his glasses. "Is this not precisely a business transaction? Are we not seeking to obtain funding and maximize our assets?"
"We're trying to do good for our school!" The vice president cried. Kairi turned around.
"Then you are foolish. That will be all today." Kairi immediately exited the room, his hands digging into his pockets. He grimaced slightly, placing one of his hands on his head.
"Are you alright?" Musashi wondered, floating up beside him.
"I am fine. I simply have a minor headache." Kairi bit his lip. He had been feeling lightheaded all day, but he simply disregarded it. He was far too busy to concern himself with a minor head ailment.
"Do you believe your approach to running student council is the best?" His chara wondered, sighing. Kairi continued to walk forward, not looking at his chara. "You are working for your own best interest, Kairi, not for the good of the people. As a samurai, you must value the lives of others."
"As a businessman, I hope to maximize my profits, as I stated earlier," Kairi replied. "That is the way Father expects. I am simply applying my methodology that I have utilized in my time at Easter to this feeble student council."
"But you aren't in Easter anymore."
"I still aid Easter in their pursuits. Although I no longer reside in Seiyo, I still can offer my assistance from afar."
Musashi let out a sigh.
Kairi entered his front door, pulling off his shoes and entering the house. He glanced over, mildly surprised to see both of his parents talking in the kitchen. He expected his father to still be at work; why was he home early?
"What did she want?" Seto mumbled.
"It's always hard to understand her when she's drinking, but she said something about her singer missing," Kishara replied. "She showed up for a second and left? I couldn't discern exactly what she was saying." Seto hummed.
"Yukari wasted her life away. She could have been much more successful, but instead, her work ethic has declined sharply. Kazuomi says that her work has been very minimal for Easter." Upon hearing Kairi's footsteps, both parents glanced up.
"Kairi, you're home from school!" Kishara walked over to him and kissed his cheek. Kairi did not smile. "How was your day?"
"It was fine," Kairi bluntly responded, placing his backpack on the couch and immediately pulling out his books. Upon grabbing his books and laptop case, he hung up his backpack on the outside hook.
"Kazuomi wanted a report," Seto told him, without looking in his direction. "He questions why some X-Eggs have been vanishing, and he wants you to run a data analysis right away." Kairi nodded affirmatively.
"I will attend to that immediately."
"Don't you have homework to do?" Kishara wondered.
"This work is more pressing," Seto insisted.
"As Father says, I will devote myself to my role in Easter foremost, and then I will get to my schoolwork," Kairi told her, heading up to his room. He could hear his mother sigh dramatically. Kairi bit his lip, ignoring her distress.
"When will you get sleep tonight?" Musashi mumbled, as Kairi immediately sat in front of his laptop, loading up the software. He grimaced slightly, his headache bothering him. He contemplated taking some Advil, but he knew he wanted to immediately begin his duties.
"I have a lot to accomplish, Musashi," Kairi muttered. "I need to run the diagnosis for Easter, finalize reports and budgets for the school fundraiser, study for my Chemistry exam tomorrow, and then complete my homework. Sleep will come afterward."
"Do you even enjoy what you're doing?" Kairi sighed in exasperation. "Are you happy, Kairi? You just give yourself these headaches from everything."
"Joy is a futile emotion," Kairi mumbled. "I've told you this, Musashi. Everything I do is a necessity; feeling 'happy' is unimportant. I am simply completing my necessary tasks so that I attend a good university and follow in my father's footsteps to become a successful businessman."
"But do you want that?"
Kairi hesitated. "Of course. Desire is a foolish emotion anyway."
"I am ashamed to call you my son." He froze, his hand directly above the keyboard. Subconsciously, he moved his hand to his right cheek, recalling the feeling of being hit. By his father? Kairi shook his head; his father may never have shown compassion or love like his mother, but he had never physically harmed him. But then why did the sound of shattering glass ring so familiarly in his ears, breaking like his resolve?
"Kairi? Are you alright? You look awfully pale."
"Y-Yes…" Kairi looked at his computer again, watching the screen. He watched as the program booted up, an eyebrow quirked.
This seems wrong somehow. I do not understand.
He winced in pain as his head seared in pain once more. Gripping his head tightly, he could see more visions at once. He saw figures—his friends—standing next to him, smiling at him. But he didn't have friends. Moreover, he recognized those faces; they had been the guardians he joined for a day when he was in fourth grade. He recognized Tadase Hotori, wearing a gold outfit and fighting for something. Rima Mashiro, the other guardian who joined for a split second, was there beside him, holding him as he cried on her shoulder. But why? Why was he crying?
He remembered the last guardian at the time, looking much more youthful than him despite being older. Why did he remember the softness of her auburn hair on his fingers when he never laid a finger on her? Why did he remember her loud voice so clearly, when he hadn't heard her speak in nearly six years? Why did he remember the way their lips touched for just a few moments and—
"Y-Yaya?"
"Kairi!" Musashi yelled. He saw a few more faces, before he suddenly saw a girl with pink hair standing tall, clutching shards of a broken Embryo. Suddenly, the world turned black.
A few moments later, Kairi opened his eyes, only to find himself lying on the ground. He stared up at the ceiling, his vision blurry, as his glasses had slid off his face. His door suddenly swung open.
"Kairi, what happened?!" Kishara cried, kneeling beside him. Kairi gripped the side of the bed, allowing him to sit up. He felt extremely disoriented, his heart racing. After a few moments, he remembered that his mother had asked a question.
Pushing up his glasses into place, Kairi stammered, "I, uh, fell."
"Are you okay, honey?" Kishara placed her hand on his forehead. "You feel okay, but…"
"I-I'm alright, I promise." Kairi's head hurt slightly upon hitting it, but that was the least of his worries. "I was being careless. I-I'm going to go back to work." She gave him an uncertain glance before nodding hesitantly.
"Dinner is just about ready, so come down soon," She told him before exiting the room. Kairi leaned against his bed, staring straight ahead. His mind was jumbled, and unlike normal, he found it very difficult to think straight.
"Kairi…"
"Everything… has been a lie."
"Yes, I remember now too." Kairi could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, his mind racing. He could feel his eyes beginning to water. Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet shakily, ignoring the wincing pain from his head. He walked to his desk and lifted his phone, unlocking it quickly and scrolling through his contacts.
"What are you doing, Kairi?" Musashi wondered, floating next to him.
"I need to…" Kairi scrolled through his contacts, his eyes widening. "Damn it, I don't have their numbers." He frowned. "Of course not; I have not spoken to my friends supposedly in nearly six years." He sighed, slumping into his desk chair. He buried his face into his hands.
"This should not have happened," He mumbled. "Rima destroyed the Embryo; it should have been impossible to use it. How did Amu-San use it? Why did she do this?" He froze. "Does that mean… does Amu-San really not exist?" Kairi uncovered his face. "If she granted this wish such that she never existed, then how is it possible that we remember now?" He looked over at Musashi. "Would the other guardians remember as well?" He suddenly knew what he needed to do. Gulping, he stood up. "I guess I should head down for dinner for now."
He exited his room and made his way to the dining room table. His parents immediately glanced up upon seeing him. His mother still wore a worried expression. Kairi stared at his father, his eyes widening. As per usual, his expression was empty; he was eating the food in front of him, paying no mind to his son. Not too long ago, Kairi had stood up to his father; he had finally gained his autonomy and became his own person. But now, that was a different world; everything was different now, and Kairi was supposedly the weak boy who did not know who he was. In the back of his mind, he wondered how Musashi could have possible stayed with him in this world while he had disappeared in what he considered to be a better life.
"Is something the matter?" His mother wondered. Kairi shook his head, taking his seat at the table.
"I… I was giving it some thought. I want to go back to Seiyo." Seto finally looked up.
"But you're involved with so much work here," His mother pointed out. "You have your involvement in the student council and your school work; how could you just abandon everything?"
"I can attend Seiyo High School. But…" Kairi thought quickly. "I believe I would be a more valuable resource to Easter if I worked closer to their headquarters. Based on the data I have been analyzing, it appears that Hoshina-San could use more aid powering the X-Eggs closer to him." Kairi had no idea if what he was saying made sense, but he watched as Seto pondered for a moment, his eyes casting downward.
"Where would you even stay?" Kishara wondered.
"With my sister." Kairi gritted his teeth. He knew Yukari was an alcoholic; she always did tend to drink in excess and before she got back together with Yuu and married him, she did drink frequently. But he had never thought about the prospect of his sister being an alcoholic. He frowned inwardly. He never realized how making this wish would affect her too.
"Absolutely not." Kairi looked up in alarm at his mother. "She's a terrible influence, and I wouldn't trust her with you."
"Yukari cares for me," He insisted. "She may have a preoccupation, but she is a caring older sister. Besides, I am nearly sixteen; I can take care of myself."
"Your mother is right." Kairi didn't look up at Seto. "As of now, Hoshina-San can handle the affairs of the company. You are not needed to assist Easter from Seiyo." He frowned. He knew he needed to return to Seiyo.
For the rest of the meal, Kairi did not speak. After putting away his dish, he excused himself from the table and headed to his bedroom. He did not suspect that his parents would notice anything awry; after all, the teenager was very devoted to his work and shortened meals were commonplace for him. But instead of opening his Chemistry textbook or working on the student council fundraiser, he reached for his phone once more, dialing a number he seldom called.
"…Kairi?!" Yukari's voice was loud on the other line, prompting the green-haired boy to wince. "W-Why are you calling?!" Why am I calling, exactly? Does this even make sense?
"Hello, Yukari." His voice sounded dry. He inhaled; this wasn't the same sister he secretly looked up to and admired. But deep down, he knew it was her and to some degree, he knew it was partially his fault she was so changed.
"Is everything okay?" Her voice sounded persistent, and for once, Kairi actually smiled at her genuine concern. "You haven't called me in so long. I figured our asshole parents fed you some bullshit about me, but…" He looked at Musashi.
"I want to stay with you for a little while." Musashi gasped.
"You…what?!" Kairi detected panic in her voice.
"It has been quite a long time, Yukari, and I would like to visit." He bit his lip. "I was actually considering flying out tomorrow, if that would be alright with you."
"What on earth—" Musashi started.
"Oh, uh, yeah! I can pick you up, no problem. But don't you have school or something?"
"I will be attending Seiyo High School. But thank you, Yukari. I will text you the details of my flight information." He hung up the phone, his heart pulsating.
"Kairi, what are you even talking about?!" Musashi exclaimed. "I believe we had the same conversation with your parents, no? And attending Seiyo High? How would you manage that?" To the small samurai's bemusement, a small smile crossed Kairi's face.
"I do not intend to enroll in school; school is currently irrelevant." Musashi gawked at him. Kairi's expression hardened. "I believe my purpose is to be back at Seiyo. Based upon the wish Amu-San made, I should never have remembered everything. Something must be awry back at home, and as a guardian, I need to be there to counter it. Moreover, I cannot be the only one who remembers everything. It is absolutely imperative that I find my friends. I believe discerning what is occurring that could theoretically impact the entire world holds a far larger priority than maintaining a fictitious life." Musashi nodded.
"It is a duty of the samurai to protect the people. I suppose I am just surprised to see you acting so… impulsively." Kairi had already opened flight information and was well on his way to booking a flight immediately to Seiyo.
"Yaya-Chan always says I think too much." Still, a part of Kairi was extremely stressed; he only had the inklings of a plan. Suppose he was all alone? Suppose there was some crazy fluke and he happened to remember, but everything else was the same? He was basing his entire plan on some extremely unsubstantiated hypothesis, if he could even call it that.
"You've lost your mind if you are following Yaya's logic in life."
Kairi couldn't help but to crack a small smile at that. He exhaled before pressing book on his computer screen. "I suppose this is really happening…"
September 12th, 20xx
"Ready?"
"Let's do this!" Nagihiko inhaled as he clutched his fan close to his chest, his eyes closed. "Ballet Blitz!" Sakura flowers danced around him as he performed a mini dance routine, the X-Eggs immediately reverting to their normal state. Nagihiko watched, amazed as the eggs floated away, returning to their respective owners. Relief surged through him; in this world, Tadase and he had been working tirelessly to reach this solution, and yet, he knew the answer in another life.
As his purification ended, he ended his transformation and turned around, watching as Utau sang her quiet melody, a similar effect ensuing. She landed back on the ground, her transformation with El completing. Her eyes met his and he nodded.
"It feels good doing this," Nagihiko pointed out. A part of him felt guilty about ditching Tadase after school, but he knew that working with Utau was more important in the long run. She was the only one who understood everything; she was the only one who understood what was really happening.
"I've worked for Easter for so long in this world; I'm glad to be myself again." Utau almost smiled, her hands in her pockets. "Even before the wish, we struggled to purify the X-Eggs that Easter made impenetrable."
Nagihiko sighed. He remembered as Ikuto crushed those X-Eggs, the first time that had been necessary in years. Tadase's visible distraught had, especially, been jarring; it was almost identical to how the king acted in this world post-wish. Nagihiko also recalled that being the day he finally let his barriers down and got back together with Rima; of course, that seemed to no longer matter.
"Easter will surely notice," Nagihiko murmured. "Utau, where are you going to go now? You said that you don't want to return home. If you want to come to my place, I could definitely sneak you in and—"
"Don't worry about it." Utau shrugged. "Maybe I'll go back to Yukari's. I was trying to avoid confrontation with Easter, but truthfully, she'll probably be too drunk to notice." Upon since Nagihiko's quirked eyebrow, Utau let out a disgruntled sigh. "Yeah, that's a thing now. Seems like everyone's been affected by this wish."
"Nikaidou-Sensei must work for Easter still too, right?" Utau nodded in affirmation. "He showed up as a substitute teacher back when I was at Seiyo Academy, but unlike the real memories I have, he didn't do anything. I guess when there was no Amu to look out for and with the guardians powerless, he didn't really need to do much…"
Utau sighed. "So, what's the game plan?" She wondered suddenly, prompting Nagihiko to glance at her. "I know Easter will likely make more X-Eggs and we can keep purifying those, but in terms of this world, what should we do?"
Nagihiko ran his fingers through his hair. "I… I don't know. You may be right about Amu-Chan, and if she's really out there, we need to find her." He bit his lip. "Have you… have you gone to her house?"
"Not yet. Do you think…"
"It's worth a shot, right? I can head there before going home."
"We should keep meeting," Utau persisted. "Even if we don't know what the hell we're doing, it's still better than being alone." Nagihiko smiled.
"I'm really glad you're here, Utau. I don't know what I would have done if no one else had remembered…" Nagihiko sighed. "I think it's best we maintain some normalcy, at least, normalcy in this world. We don't, I mean…" Utau watched him curiously. He exhaled. "Until we have some sort of plan or figuring out what's going on, it's best to keep things at bay. Obviously we should continue purifying X-Eggs and trying to find Amu, but to everyone else, we should act 'normal'."
"Well, I already fled Easter and went completely against their back; how can I maintain normalcy? I could go back, but…"
"No, I wouldn't ask that of you."
"It doesn't matter anyway. None of this matters anyway, right? These aren't our lives; we know the truth. Nothing Kazuomi could possibly say or do will affect me anymore." Utau smiled wearily. "I would have better access to where X-Eggs are."
"But wouldn't they make you create X-Eggs?" Nagihiko wondered.
Utau shrugged. "Then you can purify them, or I can later. Like you said, we don't know what the hell is happening, so we better keep acting normal."
Nagihiko nodded hesitantly. "I'll see you tomorrow then. I'll let you know if I get anything from Amu's place."
Nagihiko turned around and headed down the street. He let out a soft sigh, his hands dug into his pockets. He remembered walking down this street on numerous occasions. Whenever he and Rima would hang out with Amu, they would always choose her place; Rima never wanted anyone to meet her parents and Nagihiko's mother was too strict to allow friends over frequently.
Nagihiko smiled forlornly. Ami had always taken interest in Rhythm particularly. Even though Ami was much older than when she had been when they were still guardians, she still, as a late elementary school kid, demanded that Rhythm helped her get athletic. Rhythm was a good sport, but the crazy games Ami had him partake in were demanding, especially when Rima and Kusu-Kusu encouraged Ami to be rougher on him than normal.
"It's been a while since we've been to Amu-Chan's house," Temari mused.
Nagihiko nodded in agreement. "When Ikuto and Utau left to find their father, Rima and I went over a lot," Nagihiko recalled. "She was pretty sad then and obviously Tadase was going through a lot with his grandmother, so as Amu's best friends, we tried to come over and cheer her up. It became just me after a while when Rima was busy with Easter, not that we knew that at the time of course. When we did find out about her betrayal, I stopped going over; I was not in a good place at all…" He sighed. "And then the Arisa dreams happened and, well eventually, this…" He hesitated, stopping in front of the familiar house. Even from outside, there was almost always noise, whether it was Ami's singing or her parents being dramatic. But now, the normally vibrant house was dead silent. Grass was growing around the house and the paint was chipped; it was clear that the house was abandoned. Hesitating, Nagihiko stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a few moments of no response, he turned away.
Utau stood outside of Yukari's door hesitantly, a sigh escaping her lips. She knew Yukari would have a lot of questions; she had shown up at her place with no explanation and left as mysteriously. If she knocked on that door and revealed herself to Yukari, she would have to emulate her role as a singer; she would have to go back to making X-Eggs for Kazuomi. Seeing El and Il's concerned expressions, Utau let out a sigh.
"Whatever. It's not like any of this matters anyway." She knocked on the door and waited, her arms crossed. She wasn't sure Yukari would answer the door; maybe it would be another random guy she was hooking up with or perhaps she was too drunk to respond. When the door did finally open however, Utau was extremely shocked to see a familiar forest green-haired boy standing on the other side, blinking in surprise upon seeing Utau.
"Kairi?" Utau inquired, not bothering to hide her surprise. "I thought you lived in Hokkaido or wherever now?"
"It is complicated. I do not suppose you happen to—"
"What the hell?!" Both turned, facing Kairi's older sister. Yukari was staring at Utau, her expression distraught. Her eyes had dark bags underneath, but Utau could tell she was coherent. "Utau, holy shit, you had me so worried!" Yukari pulled Utau into an embrace.
"Well, that was unexpected," Il muttered as Utau hesitantly patted her back. Kairi's eyes darted to the devil chara.
"So, it appears you are both here as well," Musashi mused. "Perhaps Kairi's hypothesis was correct; you must remember the truth as well?"
"You guys know too?!" El exclaimed. Utau quickly separated from Yukari, her eyes widening as she looked at Kairi.
"Ugh, I'm going to get a headache from all of your stupid fairies talking," Yukari mumbled. "But seriously Utau, where have you been? Everyone in Easter has been so worried!" Utau gritted her teeth. I doubt that.
"It's complicated. I've been going to—"
"You can stay here for however long you need," Yukari suddenly interjected. "Just don't worry about a thing, 'kay? I'm here for you." Utau looked at Yukari confusedly.
"But I—"
"Get some rest, okay? Kairi's staying here too. One of you can take the couch and, well, I have an air mattress somewhere." Utau cast a look in Kairi's direction.
"We'll talk tomorrow," Kairi mouthed, gesturing to Yukari. Utau nodded slowly.
It was almost ten o'clock, and yet, the gymnasium was filled with booming upbeat music. The room practically shook from the vibrations, but the girls in the gym were unaffected. Each girl wore her respective golden yellow crop top, emblazoned with silver jewels dazzling under the bright overhead lights. They had the same matching yellow ruffled mini-skirt, ending just at the top of their thighs. Each girl wrapped their arms around their backs and began kicking in harmony. Standing near the middle of the group of girls was Yaya Yuiki, the rising star of the kickline team. Like the other girls, she had a wide grin on her face, yellow eyeshadow and mascara bringing out her hazel eyes. Her dyed blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail that reached the top of her back. Despite maintaining her smile, Yaya felt slightly sick. Her stomach had been hurting her all day, and she felt slightly lightheaded. However, she shrugged it off; she attributed it to the long practices she had been having daily. She stifled a yawn as she kicked her leg up higher. She watched as the team captain suddenly trailed off from the girls and turned off the music abruptly. She spun around to face the group of them.
"What the hell was that?!" She glared at the girls. "The football game is in two days, and everything is still sloppy." She put her hands on her hips. "Amara, your kicks are far too low. Pretend you're kicking your ex in the balls or something." A few girls stifled laughter.
"Ayashi, you almost fell over when we got into formation. And all of you," She shook her head. "Don't make me regret selecting who is at the top of the formation. You all look like you're super uncomfortable with each other. Honestly, only Ezima and Yaya were good." Yaya beamed. "Let's take it from the top."
"Seriously Luca?" A girl complained. "It's getting so late; we have homework to do." Luca frowned.
"You signed up for the kickline team, April. This should be your top commitment. We'll stay here all night if we have to." Yaya sighed, straightening her skirt. She knew her parents weren't thrilled about her late night kickline trainings, but to Yaya, kickline was everything. Besides, they had Tsubasa; they didn't need her.
"Yaya, did you hear me? From the top."
"Yes, Luca-Chan. Sorry." Yaya scurried to the back of the gym, waiting for her cue inside.
"Ugh, she's totally PMS-ing, isn't she?" A girl grumbled. Yaya laughed.
"She's just making sure everything's in order for the game." The girl rolled her eyes.
"You don't need to be such a kiss-ass, Yuiki. We all know you're already going to get the captain position next year." Yaya grinned sheepishly.
"It beats doing homework anyway. I don't want to deal with Mikuto-Sensei's stupid physics assignment. What is it, something about relativity? How things seem different depending on how you look at it or something like that?" Yaya rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for that nerdy bullshit." Her friend giggled.
As the music began playing and Luca joined the others, they all began sashaying into the gym again as they began their routine. They moved their hips back and forth, sensualizing the imaginary audience. Yaya felt queasy suddenly, but she quickly dispelled it. She and the other girls had only taken a brief break for dinner. Perhaps eating only a salad was not the smartest idea for maintaining energy throughout practice. Or maybe she began practicing too quickly after eating. Either way, Yaya shrugged it off, focusing on the routine and maintaining her smile. She made her way with her group, standing in the middle of four girls. She climbed on two of their shoulders like other girls did in other groups and danced briefly, before stepping in the middle of their hands. They catapulted her into the air, never once her grin fading. As she rose into the air, she could hear a voice in her head.
"You always need to stay true to yourself, Yaya." Who was that? Yaya couldn't discern the voice, and yet, she knew it was so familiar.
"Amu-Chi's right, you know! Babies don't worry about what others think; they worry about what they want!"
"…Pepe?" It had been so long since Yaya thought about her baby chara. But why now? And who was the other person Yaya remembered? Pepe had called her…
"H—Oh my god!" As Yaya hit the arms of the other kickliners, she forgot to balance herself, and she immediately fell downward, landing directly on the ground on her arm. The music abruptly came to a stop.
"Yaya!" A few of the girls shouted, running over to her. Her arm was in excruciating pain, but none of that mattered, and she could barely feel the pain of her arm through her rapidly beating heart.
I hope this extra long chapter made up for my lack of updates I promised! I will be starting my internship for the summer soon, but rest assured that there will in fact be updates this summer. I highly doubt as previously promised that I'll complete this story this year, but I'll probably (maybe) get through Part II?