Chapter 8

"...That makes sense," Said Chiaki sarcastically.

Decim knew he had to hold his ground. "No, really, that's….that is what I would like to do."

"We all have jobs we would like to do," Haruko added, "and I was so happy when you got your dream job. You have a responsibility to your classes, Akise. Those children are relying on you to guide them, you cannot just abandon them. Besides, bartending doesn't pay as well."

"Money doesn't interest me at the moment. I am financially stable."

"You're being ridiculous -"

"Mother, please -"

Thud. Chiaki had stood up, her hands planted flat upon the surface of the table. Her fringe hid her eyes from view.

"Mrs Nakamori," She started softly, "it was very nice to meet you. Please excuse me; I have to go home now." She moved away, hurriedly gathering her purse and coat as she headed to the small hallway.

Akise exchanged a glance with his mother. Haruko shot him a meaningful look. Go after her.

"C-Chiaki! Wait!"

She hesitated before the door, her hand outstretched toward the handle. "You're scaring me." The words were knives to his heart. The pain of rejection, especially as a friend, was a scarring experience.

"...How?"

Chiaki sniffled. "...You're so different," She forced. "Unrecognizable personality, lack of interest in your job….Something's wrong."

Akise gulped. He was sure it was audible. "I -"

Hello, and welcome to Quindecim. I am Decim and I will be your bartender.

"Something has gone wrong," Chiaki continued to speculate effortlessly. "Something's happened in your life, and it's changed you."

Please take a seat, and I will explain the rules. There is no exit out of here. Please, sit. You must play a game.

Chiaki turned her head ever so slightly; Akise could only make out her eyelashes. "But it wasn't simply a decision you made. It was more than that. It changed everything about you, your views, your posture, your language...your feelings. It's like you have…."

For the person who loses this game, a great sacrifice will be paid. No, I am sorry, but I can tell you no more about how and why the game is conducted.

"...evolved."

Please, push the red button.

Just as Haruko poked her head around the doorframe, Akise's vision went black. He collapsed against the wall, completely unconscious.

Decim was dreaming, of that he was sure. He had never dreamt before. It was a haunting experience.

He was again in his usual bartender's uniform, in Quindecim. He was carrying a lidded bowl on a tray into the main room, which was aglow with fluorescent lights.

Someone was seated at the bar. She wore a tight, black waistcoat, along with a short, black pencil skirt and dark heels. The metal bracelets on her wrists jangled as she moved, facing him.

Decim summoned a weak smile in greeting, stepping behind the bar and setting the tray down with a gentle clink.

"Akise."

"Chiaki."

Chiaki let out a lengthy breath. "What's under the lid?" Decim wished he could answer, but he had no clue. He lifted the lid.

The remote device he often used during tribunals was settled upon the surface. It was brand new. Now, Decim understood.

This was such a sad dream.

Reforming himself once more to Arbiter-mode, Decim tucked some of his black hair behind an ear, before folding his hands. To Chiaki, he said, "Please press the button."

Because if Chiaki was here, now, that meant…

"Why?"

"Because I am asking you to."

Chiaki glanced uncertainly at the device, picked it up. "What will it do?"

Decim faltered. "It will….put everything back to normal."

She blinked. "Is everything not already normal?"

"No. No it's not." Decim gestured to the device in her hand. "You should not be here. Please, just press the button."

The lights began to dim, plunging the spacious room into a blur. Chiaki giggled, placing the tip of the remote upon her lips. "You scared, Akise?"

He was. He backed up, hands grasping the shelf behind him for support.

"Humans are simple creatures," Chiaki said, observing the contours of the remote carefully, "the smallest events can terrify them. Even a lack of light." She looked directly at Decim. "Even dreams."

The strobe lights began to flicker, as did the ones in the flooring. White lights spasmed like gunfire shots. Decim's breathing grew faster, and shallower. He began to perspire, unable to tear his eyes from the woman before him.

"Press it," He hissed. The lighting was now so bad that, were it not for the flashing lights, Decim would not have seen the cracks emerging all over the place.

"Why?" Came the harsh reply.

"Because I don't want you to die!"

The room was still. Nothing moved, aside from Decim's chest. Everything was frozen. The lights stuttered, then came back on. They both were once more bathed in soft, blue light.

As Decim's mind cleared, he found himself curled over the bar, shoulders hunched. There was something in his hand. He had clutched it so tightly that it had cracked, like cheap plastic.

The remote.

Looking up through his dark fringe, Decim saw that Chiaki's hand was static, her hand in the same position as when he had ripped the device out of her fingers.

Slowly, she moved again. Her head bowed. "You don't want me to live, either."

Decim uncurled the fingers of his hand, and the remote dropped, surrounded by its own shrapnel.

"Is it that unbearable to live without me?" Chiaki asked, standing and moving around the bar to approach him. "Are you in love with me then?"

"...I am not. But you...you taught me so much. All I wanted was to understand and you helped me to do that. I want to stay with you...because you taught be how to be alive."

Chiaki tilted her head. "Your eyes are different. They have a pattern in them." Somehow, that comment brought forth disappointment to Decim. He had never been born as a normal human. He had been manufactured, manipulated, programmed.

Decim was so sick of being an agent.

Without warning, he picked Chiaki up, one arm supporting her back, and another under her knees. She gasped in shock, but then settled as he walked, gently resting her arms over his shoulders. "You don't understand the rules of being platonic, do you."

"I did not know there were rules in such a relationship."

He waited before two elevators. When one of them opened, he stepped inside.

Decim didn't know which one he had gotten into and he didn't want to know. This way, even in a dream, he could be with his friend no matter the consequence. Until the end.

The elevator sped downwards, jolting him, but he never broke eye contact with his friend. He could not afford to.

Chiaki's skin began to peel off, delicately floating away in the air as gravity was lost. Decim felt his own skin shedding as he lifted off the ground, now in mid-air next to her.

Chiaki gripped his hand. His hollow, sculpted hand. "So this is the fate you intend for us."

As his hair was being swept about, Akise noticed the strands turning grey, then white. "It is but one fate for us," He whispered as their bodies fragmented, "and there are so many to choose from."

Nona leaned on Castra's chair. "So, will it be possible?"

Lifting the animal skull from her face, the Arbitress pulled the lollipop from her mouth. "I don't know, Nona."

"Please? I've already started a revolution, I kind of need to see things through."

"I'm not doubting your valiant determination," Castra replied, turning her fuschia eyes to meet Nona's. "I'm doubting whether it can be done at all. Plus, I sort of wanna keep my head down. Anything to avoid the blade Oculus will be swinging your way."

Nona scoffed. "This is for the best. I don't particularly care what happens to me. Castra, you're one of the most powerful Arbiters in this Tower. The morticians are a superior brand of Arbiters even in comparison to the magistrates." She leaned in closer. "You can dissect memories, can't you?"

"Only minimally. The memory sets we receive are already pretty cut-up."

"But you could, in theory, amputate the human emotions from the memory sets, so that they're ready for transfer, right?

"In theory." Castra bit her thumbnail. "The trickiest part would be implanting the emotions into Arbiters."

Nona frowned. "But we...did it before, didn't we? With Decim?"

"Decim was an experiment; you said that yourself. This would be a universal change so we have to ensure it can work at least a second time."

Silent in thought, Nona folded her arms. After a few minutes of watching Castra work the controls, her purple eyes began to glow with a plan.

"Ok, Castra, we'll have another experiment. A runthrough, if you will." Castra nodded, already becoming engrossed in her job, and Nona retreated back to the elevator.

"I'll bring the guinea pig here tomorrow evening."

Castra swiveled to face her, looking surprised, but it soon faded. "Alright."

"Thank you for your help." And she was gone.

Castra continued to tap the screens in front of her. "It hasn't worked yet," She mumbled, before sticking the lollipop back into her mouth.

Decim awoke with a start, a small yelp jumping from his mouth. He was in his bedroom, wearing his shirt and trousers. The covers, presumably, had been covering him, but in his fevered state he had kicked them off.

Someone was standing outside his closed bedroom door. Sitting up, Akise could see the shadow of their feet.

"...Hello?" His throat was sore, and dehydrated.

"Akise? Can I come in?" It was Chiaki's voice. After his reply, she opened the door slowly. Artificial light spilled into Akise's dark room, causing him to squint. She was holding a glass of water.

Akise stretched, heard his spine crack, and glanced at his alarm clock. 11:30 PM. He looked to Chiaki. "It's so late."

"You were out a while." She passed the water to him, and he drank greedily. When he had finished, she perched on the end of the bed, hands folded in her lap. Composed. "You gave me and your mother quite a scare."

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Chiaki shook her head dismissively. "Haruko said I could go if I wanted, but I...wanted to make sure you were alright. Actually, I ended up telling Haruko to get some rest. She looked drained. I promised I'd wake her if something happened. She's sleeping now."

Akise licked his lips nervously. "...Thank you. Did you...does that mean that you intended to stay awake all night?" His gaze met hers. "For me?"

Chiaki faltered. "I - if that's what it took, then...yes. I mean, you've been fainting a lot recently. Maybe we should get you to a neurologist - it could be serious."

Akise felt the warmth and comfort of happiness seeping into his veins; it was truly a wonderful experience to know that someone was doing so much on his behalf. He smiled softly, lowering his eyes. His voice contained a note of sadness. "I appreciate the concern, but...I am certain it is not a medical condition."

"You know what it is, then?"

"I...might do." Akise was expecting Chiaki to interrogate him further, but she didn't. Instead, she wiped her forehead with a palm. She, too, seemed in need of a good rest.

Chiaki faced him again. "...I'm sorry I ran off earlier. It just...got too much. But I've made my decision." Akise frowned; she continued. "If you want to give up everything you've got and become a bartender, I won't try to stop you. In fact, I'll support you."

"Why would you do that?"

Chiaki scoffed. "Because I know what it's like to need to escape something. I know what it's like to need a change, a different environment. Plus, you're my friend: I want you to be happy."

Again, that amazing feeling of being cared for, of being supported. Decim briefly wondered that, out of all the hundreds of souls he'd judged in his years as an Arbiter, maybe if all of them had experienced this feeling in their lifetimes, then perhaps there would be no reason for the void to exist. Maybe a little support, a little help, is all anyone would need to keep them from committing crimes or hurting others.

But some people just weren't lucky enough to have had that kind of attention. Right now, Akise felt privileged. "I want you to be happy, too, Chiaki."

She gave him a bright smile. "Oh, I am. I have my dream job, a good social circle, and I don't have any wrinkles yet. At least I think I don't. If I do, don't tell me," She laughed. "And there's the ice-skating."

Thud. Akise felt like he'd walked into a glass door. His eyes followed the sound, and he noticed that he had knocked over the empty glass onto the carpet. "I-ice-skating?"

Chiaki seemed confused. "Uh, yeah...It's not a professional interest or anything." Embarrassed, she combed the fingers of one hand through her hair, undoing the style slightly. "It's just a hobby. I've been skating ever since I was little."

"Have you told me of this before?"

"I don't think so. You never asked."

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Akise sat next to Chiaki, trying to calm his pulse. She's so much like her, even though she's not exactly her. Chiyuki… "Where do you go skating?" He asked quietly.

"Makomanai Ice Arena. It's only like an hour from my house. I think my mother knows I moved there because it was so close," Chiaki chuckled again. "I always hated the three-hour long car trips it took us to get there."

"Do you enter competitions?"

"A few. I've even won a couple. Whenever I go to practice, people always ask me if I'm a professional figure skater, or they tell me I should enter the winter Olympics. But I don't skate for fame, or for money. I just -"

"- love to skate." Akise finished. She looked at him, blinked. "Y-yeah."

You loved to skate, didn't you? It had been so long since he had asked that question. The reality of the situation weighed heavily upon Akise. But he savoured the weight, because as tragic as it was that Chiyuki had taken her life due to her dream being taken from her, it was so inspiring to see her reincarnation, healthy, able to enjoy the sport she had lived for.

The realisation almost brought tears to his eyes. You're still skating, Chiyuki.

You never stopped.

A/N: How do you think the story is progressing? Any theories about what might happen? Reviews are welcome.