Chapter 25: Memorial Polymorphism

Note: I don't not own Steins;Gate. Only this fanfiction story.

This story follows the events that happened after the following Steins;Gate titles. Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate OVA, and Steins;Gate 0. Also, there are situations from other Steins;Gate titles that inspired multiple events in this story.

Check out my profile for upcoming dates for new chapters on Steins Gate: Epsilon. That is where you can expect the release dates for new chapters to this story. I plan to commit to this story to the very end.

The day turns into late afternoon, every lab member currently not in the old lab is currently working intensely at their jobs. Daru and Maho are on their heels constantly today, since they have to manage Kurisu's Intern group while she is not there.

Okabe, Kurisu, and Kagari are in the old lab. They get currently distracted by the topic of a pink giant upa that is put away on top of a shelf.

Kurisu then suddenly speaks up. "Anyways, to help Okabe and Hashida with their clothing problem, I decided to use the giant upa to provide me with a set of generated ideas and images of clothing that are based on their interests. That upa can specifically monitor and calculate the best possible outcome of anything to meet the user's needs."

"Oh? That sounds very cool!" says Kagari. "Can I try to use it?!"

Okabe nods in disagreement. "Unfortunately, the company in charge of that device was bought by another company a couple of years ago. The technology used to run that device is no longer operational and it stopped it's production. Also, there are a few broken parts in it that need repairs."

"So, does that mean an enemy organization killed that upa?"

Okabe puts on his persona. "You are correct! The enemy has managed to destroy the upa device, which aided the Future Gadget Laboratory in our mission to plunge this world into chaos!"

"Like what?"

Okabe thinks for a moment and then responds. "Well, this upa gadget has managed to give my lovely Assistant, the idea to give me a new set of armor that has truly awakened Hououin Kyouma from his slumber! This suit unlocks the seal in my brain to achieve an IQ that is equally or greater to that of Einstein, who I remind you has an IQ of 170!"

"EH?! That is so cool Papa! I never knew you are one of the smartest people in the world."

Kurisu decides to keep Kagari happy and follows along. "Yea, yea. He is smart that he can even challenge the toughest enemies in the world in both knowledge and charisma."

Okabe blushes a bit to hear Kurisu following along, and mentioning the word charisma, but he smiles with his persona. "That's right. Even my personal Assistant sees the greatness of Hououin Kyouma. She can even tell you the tales of my legacy!"

Kagari turns to Kurisu. "Can you, Kuris-san?!"

Kurisu smiles. "Sure, but after we focus on the divergence meter, ok?"

"Yep!"

"Well then, let's continue on our project." says Okabe.

However as they were getting ready, Okabe phones began to ring. He picks it up from where he set it aside, and sees Yuki is calling him. He picks up and responds. "Hello?"

"Hello, Okabe-san."

"What's up, Yuki?"

"I am calling you to say I got information towards that book you wanted to know about from my friend. She told me she picked it up from a science event that was taking place at the Radio Building over a year ago. She bought from a selection of books they had specifically for children."

Okabe became very curious about this. "A science event at the Radio Building huh?" There is a pause. "Well, I will head over there to get more information about that book. Thank you, Yuki."

"Your welcome. Well, see ya." Yuki hangs up.

Okabe puts his phone in his pocket and prepares to leave the old lab. "Sorry, you two, Yuki has found out that the book we wanted to know more about came from the Radio Building. I'm going to head over there to get more information about it."

"Then, can I come too, Papa?"

Okabe smiles. "Sure. You can come along too, Kurisutina."

"It's ok. You two go on ahead. I will stay to look more into the divergence meter. I am curious about everything that makes it operate."

"Experiment-Loving Girl." There is a pause. "Well, If you say so. See you later." Okabe and Kagari head out of the old lab, while Kurisu heads right back to work on the divergence meter.

Over at "Mayqueen Nyanyan," Faris and Mayuri are currently on a short break from an afternoon surge of customers, and with the place being very busy today. Faris is currently drinking a beverage to feel refreshed, while Mayuri email's Luka about a new customer who wants a cosplay outfit from them.

Then, Faris decides to start a conversation. "Today has been very busy-nyan! We cannot get a break almost today-nyan."

Mayuri smiles. "Yea, but we are earning more money, so that is a bonus."

"Yea..." However, another thing has been on Faris's mind that she decides to speak about it. "But I have been more curious about Kyouma and Kaga-nyan. Who never would have thought that Kyouma would be her future daughter."

"Right?" says Mayuri. "Also, there is a future Suzuha currently with us who came along with Kagari-chan."

There is a pause. "Do you think what they are saying is true-nyan?" Faris asks.

Mayuri takes a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. "I believe they are." There is a pause. "Mayushii doesn't know why, but there are dreams where Mayushii was involved with that girl from the future. The looks, voice, and purpose of existence. Seeing her now makes me believe the story Okarin said to us about worldlines is true, even though Mayushii doesn't understand a lot about science."

Faris takes a moment to gather her thoughts before responding as well. "You are correct-nyan. I had dreams where that girl was also part of the lab-nyan. She would always be loud and happy to hang around-nyan. But, I had never remembered meeting her until today-nyan. Kyouma's story is really not a lie-nyan."

"But, Mayushii doesn't understand the other part that Okarin couldn't respond. There were dreams we told Okarin, where he became so sad, depressed, and he looked like he lost his will to live on. This was because Kuris-chan was dead. But, Okarin couldn't recall those memories at all."

"That's true-nyan. I had dreams of the same thing with Kyouma. He looked like he regretted something which caused him to fall off from who he really was-nyan. But even then, he couldn't recall or explain those dreams to us-nyan."

There is a pause. "That is really strange," says Mayuri. "Okarin couldn't remember our dreams of him being depressed and sad, even with the same thing being told by Daru, Yuki-san, Ruka-san, Maho-san, and even Nae-san."

"Do you think something wrong happened with the story Kyouma mentioned-nyan?" Faris asks.

"Mayushii doesn't know, but she believes it may be the best. If the dream is something that happened from another worldline like Okarin mentioned, something terrible happened to him which destroyed the Hououin Kyouma we love."

"That's true. Faris loves seeing the way Hououin Kyouma is now-nyan."

Faris and Mayuri smile at each other as they come to an agreement on that topic. Then, something else becomes curiosity. "Say, if Kyouma is really Papa of Kaga-nyan, then does that mean that-"

Mayuri answers her questions instantly and nods in agreement. "I believe so. She has the presence of two familiar people which makes up one person. Besides, her interests and Reading Steiner is what simply gives it away."

There is a pause, as an alarm beeps on Faris's phone. "Well, we need to head back to work-nyan. No more slacking off until we are closed-nyan!"

Mayuri nods. "Ok. But Faris-chan, what are we doing to do about the party for Okarin?"

"Don't worry-nyan! I have it all planned out-nyan. We just need to have a day again to make the cake again-nyan!"

"Oh. If we do that, let's get all the female lab members to gather on the 24th!" says Mayuri.

"Then, it's settled-nyan!"

Evening soon begins to approach the city of Akihabara. Okabe and Kagari walk over to the Radio Building after getting information about the possibility of where the "Mad Scientist Adventures" book came from.

They both head inside, and check their surroundings inside the place. Nothing new seems to be there other than signs that are saying the place will be closed very soon for some renovations around the building.

They continue to walk around, until they meet a janitor who works for part of the place to prepare cleaning up for renovations. Okabe and Kagari walk up, and ask the janitor a question. "Hello, do you work here right?"

The Janitor nods in agreement. "Yes, that is correct."

"How long if I may ask?"

The Janitor becomes weirded out by his sudden persona shift, but responds. "Over 10 years now."

"Perfect! Then, do you know about the Science Event that occurred here sometime ago?"

"Yes. That occurred last year in July."

Okabe is shocked, that was around the same time the divergence meter was changing slightly which was detecting worldline shifts for a short time. "Well, I ask because I want to know if you know about this book or have seen this before." Okabe pulls out the book and shows it."

Unexpectedly, the Janitor in fact has seen the book himself. "Oh? I have. I was the one who found it first, before handing it over to the staff."

Okabe and Kagari's eyes widen. "Really?! Where have you found it?! This is very important!"

The Janitor is a bit weirded out by how close Okabe is getting to his face, but he responds. "I-I found on the rooftop of the Radio Building."

Okabe and Kagari are now on the rooftop. They sit there, thinking what the Janitor said about him finding the book may be a huge lie. How can someone just drop the book out of nowhere on the roof? Especially the book having knowledge of Hououin Kyouma, who no one but the lab members should ever know about. They haven't even written a book before in the first place.

"This must be a joke right?" ask Okabe.

"Seeing you this way means yes." says Kagari.

Okabe puts on this persona. "Then, this must be a trick of the organization!" He then pulls out his phone. "It's me! It seems the organization has secretly hidden the information we seek for! What? This wasn't the case?!"

Suddenly, the future Suzuha appears from the invisible time machine, which slowly loses it's invisibility. "Well, I didn't expect you to be here."

Okabe is a bit shocked. "O-Oh Suzuha. I didn't know you were here."

"I was taking a nap for a short time."

"Huh. You sure are taking your mission seriously in the past to be able to nap."

"That is because the mad scientist needs to finish the divergence meter first before I can step in."

Okabe sighs. "Well, it is being focused on, so you will have to wait a little longer."

"Well, then I will." she says. "So, did you find out about the information you need for that book?"

"We thought we did, but everything led up to here." Okabe holds the book in his hand. "All of the information we gathered led up to the book being found on the rooftop of the Radio Building."

"Huh." Suzuha is shocked to hear the conclusion. It is very unusual how the book in memory of Hououin Kyouma, is just lying on the rooftop. She thinks for a moment, wondering if she can figure out where the book can possibly come from. However, she has no recollection of seeing the book before. It is strange how her younger self originally had it too.

"Well, it seems we may never find out the origins of this book. I will head back with Kagari to continue repairing the divergence meter. See ya, Suzuha."

As they begin to turn around and head back to the old lab, Kagari suddenly remembers something. "Oh?! Wait, can I get my bag from the time machine? I want to get my stuff and show it to Papa."

"Sure." says Suzuha. "She goes inside and grabs Kagari's bag. It looks like a bag that is specialized for military usage, but it is nonetheless, a backpack. Kagari grabs it from Suzuha with a smile. "Hey Papa? I want to show you something! This is from the future…." Kagari eyes suddenly widen, as the thing she is looking for is not here. "Em, where did it go?" Kagari runs into the time machine, and looks around to see if it dropped anywhere.

"Um, Suzuha? What is she looking for?" Okabe asks.

"Well, she brought some stuff from the future, so she can remember everything from while in this long time traveling journey."

"I see."

Kagari comes out of the time machine, disappointed. "I can't find it…"

"What is it that you're looking for, Kagari?" Okabe asks.

"I'm looking for a book I brought from the future. I wanted to show you it so you can read to me tonight."

"A book? It must be that important to you."

Suzuha thinks for a moment about this book she is looking for. However, gears begin to turn, as she remembers indeed that before she time traveled back with Kagari, she would read a book to help keep the memories of her time to the past. This is so she could always feel like she was never far from home. Then she remembers Kagari asking about a mad scientist.

Everything then begins to turn to a new direction. As something becomes very unsure, it must be answered. "Kagari, don't tell me….the book you're looking for is the one Okabe is holding?"

Kagari decides to take the book and have a good look at it. She knows she has seen this book before, but where? Then, she uses it as a puzzle piece in her memories to see if it was, and miraculously, she finally recalls seeing this book. This book was hers from the future. Her eyes widen as they stare into nothing, recalling many more memories with the book, and with a scientist that gave it to her. Then, the name Kurisu suddenly starts to pop up in her memories. However, the amount of memories rushing through her brain makes her suddenly collapse to the ground, and fall unconscious.

"K-Kagari?!" says both Suzuha and Okabe.

That evening, Okabe, Kurisu, and Maho are in the old lab with Suzuha. After the news that happened about Kagari, Maho decided to stop by after work. "So, she suddenly collapsed on the roof of the Radio Building?"

"Yea." Okabe responds.

"What is more strange is what I heard, this happened after she was trying to remember the book in memory of Hououin Kyouma." says Kurisu.

"Didn't you ask Kagari about that book being from the future?" Okabe asks Suzuha.

"Well….yea." There is a pause. "Before arriving at this timeline, Kagari read a book usually to keep herself busy, while I left to go find ways to change the past from its future. She also mentions reading about a mad scientist, but nothing else. I wondered if she was mentioning that book. Maybe it was hers and she lost it up there."

"That's impossible. That book was found one year before you two came in the time machine. There is no way that can be hers."

Suzuha was never told about the book being found one year ago. "Really? Then this is really a problem….."

"Are you guys not concerned for her?! Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?!" Maho asks.

"We should rather avoid that, because if people find out Kagari does not have any sort of identification, there will be issues with the authorities. It will be worse if they found out she is from the future." There is a pause. "Don't worry though, Kagari is just unconscious due to her Reading Steiner. I have seen this multiple times. We just need to wait."

Maho sighs. "Alright. Just hope it is nothing serious." There is pause, as now no one knows what to do, but to figure out this unusual condition. "So, why has Kagari-san been like this?"

"This is due to her when she tries to remember stuff from the past."

"But, you mentioned that this has happened multiple times before. So what is up with that?"

Suzuha takes a moment before responding. "This isn't the only time she has amnesia."

Everyone in the room is shocked to hear such a response. "She had amnesia multiple times in the past. This is because, her Reading Steiner activating will have the chance to disrupt her brain, causing her memories to temporarily be disabled."

"So, the concept of her Reading Steiner and her amnesia is like a machine that gets disrupted by a virus. In her case, it is a virus that has already come naturally since birth. It can trigger at a certain chance." implies Kurisu.

"You can put it that way."

"But, why does this happen?"

There is a pause, before Okabe responds. "This is only an idea, but what if her amnesia is triggered by another factor?"

"Like what?" Kurisu asks.

"Her D.I.D. mental condition."

Everyone questions what drew Okabe to that conclusion, so he explains while using a marker board on the right side from the couch. "From what I learned of her Reading Steiner, it is triggered when trying to remember something, or when she tries to remember anything from other possible worldlines. Now, since my Reading Steiner hasn't activated since Kagari's first appearance, we can assume a worldline shift hasn't occurred."

"So then, that leaves the theory that Kagari-san remembers trying to remember the past."

Okabe puts on his persona. "That is correct, Hiyajo-Safina."

Maho gets annoyed, but she moves on. "Then, why is remembering the past causing her amnesia?"

Kurisu steps in as she has an idea. "Would it be because it has to do with how much memories are being projected at once in her brain?"

"That is an interesting answer, Assistant. Please explain."

Kurisu becomes annoyed a bit by Okabe's persona, but moves on. She grabs a marker and explains while drawing out another small layout. "A human brain is like storage. It stores everything you have seen, heard, and much more. However the brain tends to mainly remember the most important things you know based on how strong of an emotion you felt, or how much you care to keep in mind. Normally, remembering a lot of things at once should not make a human go unconscious."

Maho steps in. "Oh?! I see where you're going with this. With Kagari-san's Reading Steiner in play, she remembers things that aren't part of this worldline, so originally, this will pull out her Beta Version without trying to."

"That is how her Reading Steiner works." says Suzuha.

"However, when she remembers a lot at once while under amnesia, her Reading Steiner always being a part of her, and with trying to pull out her Beta Version, this then makes her go unconscious, since her brain becomes overloaded with information that she cannot recognize and that she cannot control."

"That is the thought," says Kurisu. "Everything is caused by her D.I.D. and Reading Steiner is the most simplest way to put it. It's sort of like she has a superhuman power that in general, the human body cannot withstand without consequences."

Okabe is shocked to hear them come to a conclusion such as what was mentioned. If that is really the case, then this would mean Kagari's mental condition and Reading Steiner are very severe. It would explain why she would suddenly just collapse. "Her mental condition and her Reading Steiner are so severe…." Okabe begins to feel bad for her as he sheds a small tear. A very young girl who is her daughter in the future, suffering from such conditions like this. This then brings up the idea for him that Kagari may be in fact his biological daughter. However, he can only think until there is more valid information.

Kurisu notices his tear. "Okabe…...are you crying?"

Okabe puts on his persona. "N-No I'm not! I'm just…...concerned! My future daughter, suffering from these conditions. Hououin Kyouma can even show worry to the allies he cares for most!"

"In other words, you are crying for her."

"Well, I would say after what happened between them, it is only natural." says Maho as there is a pause. "Well, now that we may have solved this, all we have to do is wait."

"That's true," says Kurisu.

Okabe decides to get Kagari's blanket she would normally use, and put it on top of her so she can hope to be more at ease. He then lifts Kagari's head, and puts a pillow below so her head can feel more comfortable. He then turns to the others. "Well, then you all should head home for tonight. I will stay up to see if anything strange occurs while she is unconscious."

"Alright. Well, I will see you later." says Suzuha, as she waves goodbye, and exits the old lab.

"Then, I will head back upstairs to do a couple of things, and then I want to talk to you about work, Okabe-san."

Okabe puts on his Persona. "Sure, Hiyajo-Safina."

She then gets angry. That is not my name at all! Why do you keep calling me that?!"

"Because everyone who is a part of the original group of the Future Gadget Laboratory must have a nickname given by the greatest mad scientist that has ever stepped foot onto this world! Be glad you have a nickname of your own!"

"I don't care about a nickname for even a moment! My name is Hiyajo Maho! Get it right!"

Okabe thinks. "Hmmmm, I will maybe consider it, Hiyajo-Safina."

Maho clenches her right fist, as she gets more annoyed than ever. However, she lets out a rough sigh and lets it go, because she remembers it is pointless to argue with him. "Whatever. I will see you tomorrow, Kurisu." Maho waves goodbye as she leaves the old lab.

Kurisu is all that is left to head home. Before she does, she feels concerned. "Okabe, will Kagari be alright in your care?"

"Don't worry, Assistant. I will make sure she is safe until she hopefully wakes up. If anything bad happens, I will call you."

"I trust you to do so." There is a pause, as Kurisu then thinks to herself. "Even though Senpai allowed me to stay at her place to a few days, for tonight, I will head back to my place. I need to do some self thinking and a bit of research alone on Kagari's mental condition. However...why am I concerned for them? I can't feel at ease thinking what can happen to Okabe and Kagari. It's like...my gut is telling me that something bad is going to happen….."

Okabe notices her standing there for no reason. "Kurisutina? Are you ok?"

She gets startled from Okabe's words as she refocuses again. "O-Oh yea, I'm ok." There is a pause. "W-Well, I will see you tomorrow, Okabe. See ya." However, as she gets ready to leave, she remembers something important she wanted to do again, since they have never done so in a few days already. She walks up to Okabe, and hugs him as she gives a nice kiss on the lips.

Okabe is shocked by her current actions, but he realizes he does already miss her kisses. He hugs her back, and he enjoys the kiss on the lips, as this makes both of them remember, they are boyfriend and girlfriend.

Midnight sets over Akihabara. The sky is clear from winter clouds, and the stars shine bright through the dark sky. Over at the rooftop of the radio building, we zoom in on the time machine that is currently invisible, and nothing out of ordinary.

However, inside the machine, is the future Suzuka, currently resting in a space to have room to sleep, but she is still awake. She thinks currently about everything she has learned and about everything that occurred so far while she stays in this timeline. She never could have imagined Kagari reaching this point, and having learned new things about her from the past version of the Future Gadget Laboratory.

Then, she thinks about the book that is in memory of Hououin Kyouma. That book is still a mystery, as to who wrote it, and where it came from. But, she still had her curiosity if that book belonged to Kagari. The problem would be, how was it found one year prior, and how did her past self have it. She doesn't remember seeing or reading the book at all.

However, a memory resurfaces. She recalls a part, where she was still time traveling with Kagari, before arriving at the current timeline they are in. There was a point where they both traveled back one year before the current one, trying to initiate the plan to try and save the world from its future. She told Kagari to stay out in the time machine, and she refused at first, but then, Kagari agreed to. She then mentions she could keep herself busy, by reading a book she brought along that is about a mad scientist.

This thought begins to shock Suzuha, as she then realizes a possible reason for the book's appearance. She speaks to herself. "Wait, did Kagari leave the book behind on accident before leaving that specific timeline? That would definitely explain why the book was found on the rooftop of this building. She left behind!"

Suzuha is shocked to the core, as she may have found the real reason for the mysterious book.

December 22nd, 2021

Another day rises in Akihabara. The sun shines today over the city, and it is busy as usual even in the early morning. The scene changes to the luxurious apartment building. Inside one of the rooms is Kurisu's home. She is currently sleeping while hugging her Okabe plushie.

However, she gets an unexpected surprise. She begins to wake up, yawning and stretching her arms. She then turns to the left, where Okabe would sleep when he is in her home. However, that spot is not empty. Kurisu rubs her eyes to get better focus, and who is there is shocking. It is Faris Nyanyan. "Hello, Kunnyan!"

Kurisu's eyes widen and get scared by Faris suddenly next to her bed, and she falls off. "F-Faris?! What are you doing in my room?!"

"You weren't responding to my emails and calls, so I broke into your room-nyan!" she says with a smile.

"That is creepy, you know that?!"

"Sorry, but this is important-nyan! You will be joining Faris and the other lab members to decide on gifts for Kyouma today!"

"Huh?!" says Kurisu, as this is rather sudden.

Over at the old lab, Kagari and Okabe sleep quietly in their spots, as the light comes through the closed blinds to signal a new day. However, the alarm to wake up triggers, and in shock, Okabe does not react at all. He is still asleep, for some unknown reason.

Author's Notes: From here on to the next four upcoming chapters, the events that take hold, will unveil one of the most important things in this entire story. The titles for these upcoming chapters are on my profile page for those who are up to date when this chapter was released. I advise to think about the titles for these upcoming chapters. They have much more importance than you may think.

I hope you all will enjoy what is to come.