Everything In Its Right Place
by Sean Gaffney
Dual (C) 2000 AIC/Pioneer. I don't have the rights to anything.
Note: This fanfic takes place during Episode 13 of the TV series.
I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.
I've never had a problem waking up in the morning. Kazuki is always groggy unless he's kicked, and Rara can be groggy for hours. But when I open my eyes, I immediately know where I am, and what I'd been doing.
And I knew for certain that the last thing that I'd done was sit on that stupid lever that my fath--that Sanada chose to hide, and Zinv started to explode. Then everything turned white, and here I am. Easy.
Except I was *also* absolutely sure that the last thing I'd done was turn out my light and go to bed in my normal home, right after removing Yayoi from Kazuki's arm and Rara from his other arm, and letting them both know it was time to sleep. Kazuki didn't really seem to object, possibly because he was in too much pain from my holding his shoulder.
Both memories are in my head, and both of them seem to be absolutely believable.
I sit up, looking around. It's not *quite* the same as my room. There's a dresser, but it's in a different corner, and the window is facing east. But at the same time, I'm feeling stupid, because this is where I've lived for almost my entire life.
Dammit, this must be Kazuki's fault...
***
I get dressed quickly. Luckily it's not a school day, so I thankfully leave the uniform behind. I'm getting a little sick of it, after wearing it day in and day out in the parallel world.
You'd think I'd be getting a headache, being forced to keep these two sets of memories in my head. But it hardly takes any effort at all. I was just living two lives, and now they're all in one person. Mitsuki Sanada.
The first thing I decide to do is to go check in on Kazuki, of course. But while I'm on my way there I run into my father on the landing.
At least I think it's my father. He's sporting a large shiner, which makes me wonder if this is actually--wait, of course, what am I thinking. He's both.
He grins at me, a smile familiar in any world. "So, Mitsuki, how're you doing?"
I stare, not really ready to commit myself. I don't really know how I'm doing yet. Instead I bring the conversation back to him. "Where'd you pick that up?"
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I woke up in bed this morning with Akane. We both have two sets of memories, but I have a sneaking suspicion one is stronger than the other. She apologised after. It's not like we were totally naked. Right now she's busy cooking and trying to pretend nothing happened."
I nod. "My memories of the Parallel world seem a little stronger now too. I don't know how long that will last."
"You think you have troubles. I not only have two sets of memories, but the memories that I have! Twenty years of scientific genius combined with twenty years of military command. I'm amazed I can stand up! Hahahaha!"
Well, he still seemed pretty much the same. My dad and Sanada were both weird, just in different ways. Presumably he'll decide soon which weird he wants to be. I'm not sure I could take him trying to be both.
I let him go off to take care of his eye and head into Kazuki's room. He's asleep, of course. Miraculously, there doesn't seem to be anyone else attached to him. No Yayoi gazing soulfully into his eyes, no D staring blankly at him, no...
I rip the blanket off, and breathe a sigh of relief. No Rara under the blanket, trying to snuggle up to him. Just Kazuki.
I debate letting him sleep peacefully, but there are more important things we need to discuss, and I'd really like to discuss them before the other arrive. So I gently but firmly kick him across the room, not enough to bruise but enough to get him to wake up and pay attention.
He immediately sits up, glaring at me blearily. "What's the matter with you! Are you still mad about last night?"
I kneel down next to him. "Kazuki, why did you do this? How did you do this? Was this something you made happen with Zinv?"
"...Mitsuki, what are you talking about?"
Uh oh. A sinking feeling begins to come over me. "Kazuki, what's the last thing you remember?"
"Um... well, you threw Yayoi out of the house, and the rest of us went to bed. Why, did something happen last night?"
"That's ALL you remember?"
"Did we do anything else?"
Shit. I get up. "Don't worry about it, Kazuki. Just get dressed, I'm making breakfast today."
"But it's Dee's turn..."
"I'm making it anyway." I head out of the room and down the stairs, dark thoughts clouding my mind.
"I really, really need to cook," I muttered.
***
As it turned out, once I'd revealed what I found out about Kazuki, everyone wanted to cook. Yayoi was ranting and raving about what could possibly be wrong, Rara was looking like she was going to burst into tears at any moment, and Dee...
Dee was the odd person out. She had both sets of memories, the same as the rest of us, but with her it was this world which influenced the way she was thinking, not her old world with Zinv. Maybe it was some sort of denial, considering how the two of them had bonded. (And can I just say how weird it sounds to be talking about the deep relationship between a girl and her giant robot, especially when that robot is supposed to be Kazuki?)
I wasn't about to complain... Dee in this world loves Kazuki like an older brother, and if she wants it to stay that way it's fine with me. I have enough trouble with Yayoi and Rara throwing themselves at him.
At least I can admit it to myself now. I refuse to admit it to anyone else. The whole idea is utterly ludicrous. I'm one of the most popular girls at school. I could have any guy I wanted, just like that. And don't even get me started on Kazuki! It would take me hours to list all his faults, from his complete and total cluelessness to his habit of leaving the cap off the toothpaste. No, I can name at least a hundred reasons why I can't stand Kazuki.
I can't name a single one about why he's so important to me... and why I want more than anything for him to say I'm important to him. I can't think of a reason, but there it is. It just exists, inside of me.
And it exists in Yayoi and Rara too, only they don't bother to keep it hidden inside. He's got to know how they feel about him. They certainly tell him often enough.
After another incredibly large breakfast, we sit down to discuss the situation. Dad's sent Kazuki out to get some groceries, so that we can talk without totally freaking him out.
"So..." he started off. "Here we are. This is a nice universe and all, but I think we should try to figure out how it came to be. It's certainly not the one Commander Sanada remembers... but on the other hand, Sanada the Scientist doesn't seem to recall it either. It's both universes, but neither of them." He looked up, his hands covering his face. He'd learned the pose from an anime and I'd never been able to break him of the habit. "Is everyone else here finding things the same?"
Nods all around, along with a few embarrassed glances. Akane was sitting next to her husband in a state of... well, I'm not sure what it was, but she didn't look happy and content. Yayoi and Rara were sad and worried, but two guesses as to why. I have no idea how they actually felt about the worlds merging. And Dee was... well, was Dee. She sat there and said nothing, watching everybody else.
Reika decides to break the silence (she was as unflappable as ever, of course). "The question is, then, why did this happen? And how?"
"And why doesn't Kazuki remember any of it?" Rara said. She looked as if this was destroying her inside. Hey, it probably was.
I was worried about him myself. I didn't go through all that fuss on both worlds just to be faced with a Kazuki who didn't remember it. I wanted back *my* Kazuki, the one who nearly died to protect everyone.
There, I found something good to say.
In any case, I can't *show* that I care about him. He has Rara and Yayoi hanging all over him. I have to be different. So I just humph, and toss off another one-liner.
"He was always arriving one month late whenever he crossed universes. His memories are probably just lagging behind as usual." I smirk and take a sip of my tea.
That's when I notice that everyone is staring at me as if I'd just grown a third head. "What?"
Dad was getting one of his weird grins again, the one that shows his brain is spinning around again. "Of course! If Kazuki is the focal point between the universes every time, and his transition is delayed, then the same thing should happen when the universes merged! Well, either that or his memories should have come back a month early... or it was possible he wouldn't have shown up at all..."
Dad was starting to mutter to himself, and I was grateful to Reika for stopping him. "That wouldn't have happened. Remember it wasn't just this world's Kazuki who was affected... it was Zinv as well. The world was supposed to be fixed by the one destroying the other. Kazuki must have been responsible for the world merging into this... both of them."
Of course. That made sense. It was Kazuki's perfect world. He still had his harem of desirable women around him, and didn't have to abandon everyone. I could feel my eyelid twitch again. Sometimes he could be such a...
"But it wasn't the Kazukis who were responsible." Rara spoke up.
Everyone turned towards her, confused. Well, so was I.
"Don't you remember? Kazuki didn't activate it, Mitsuki did. She sat on the lever."
The gazes turned back towards me, but I wasn't even looking at them this time. There had to be some mistake. This couldn't be anything to do with me.
Could it?
***
The meeting broke up soon after that, mostly as I didn't really feel like getting the third degree from everyone. I stomped up to my room as quickly as possible, needing some time alone to think.
This couldn't be my responsibility. The last time Kazuki and I were back home in our universe, I did everything I could to convince him to stay. It was selfish of me, I know. But let's face it, I'm a selfish person. I reminded him that this was his world, pointed all the reasons why going back was stupid. I was even nice to him... all right, I was positively clingy. I should have been ashamed of myself.
Instead I just felt scared. Because I knew what I was doing was pointless. This was Kazuki, and I knew he'd be going back. Just like I knew that when he did, I'd be right there with him.
Was that why this world was the way it was, with all the love-love comedy and all? Because I knew, deep down, that any other choice would make Kazuki unhappy? For that matter, how much of it was my choice, if any, and how much was the other Kazuki? Zinv...
He was dead now. I don't know if I ever really bought into the fact that he was that world's Kazuki, but my Kazuki certainly did. D too. I wonder if she felt the way I would have if my Kazuki had died.
Maybe that's why she seemed to be mostly a child of this world.
Anyway, I could sit like this forever and still not come up with anything, The only one who could help is Kazuki, and he can't do anything. All I can do is hope his memories come back soon. Maybe I'm right, maybe they are lagging a month behind.
In the meantime, I deal with it. It's not like I haven't been doing this sort of thing my entire life. I have, from the moment Kazuki arrived at Dad's house ten years ago.
It's just that the *I* I hasn't been doing it.
I'd better get up. Introspection is clearly making me lose my mind.
***
Everyone basically agreed that until Kazuki regained his memories, we'd act as if everything was fine. It wasn't hard at all, of course - in another set of memories, everything *had* been fine the day before. So I just tried to let those come to the fore.
School was school, of course. I still have all the boys flocking all over me - thank God Kazuki didn't try to change that, I'd have killed him. Granted, I'm not about to do anything with any of these cretins, but a girl has her vanity. It's nice to feel appreciated.
Of course, I have to share that appreciation with Rara now. The boys compare us constantly, especially as we share the same first name. Rara doesn't know what to do with all the attention - even in this world, she lived an incredibly sheltered life. So naturally, she's decided to cling onto me whenever possible, relying on my own considerable charms to get the clowns away from her.
Yayoi helps out as well, whenever we're in her classes. Of course, she also helps to steer lots of guys my way as well, in the hopes that maybe one of them will take my fancy and I'll give up on Kazuki. She's in for a shock. I sometimes get a little jealous when Yayoi hangs all over Kazuki (well alright, all the time), but I know that she's not a real threat. Kazuki likes her, but that's it. No, Rara is the one I worry about. She's the perfect wife, and she loves him unconditionally. I couldn't stand being that type of person, and those are my conditions. I'm not going to change who I am. Much. And if Kazuki decides that he doesn't want me...
I'll probably get angry, and sad, and let it bother me for a long time. But I wouldn't change.
In any case, the entire idea is stupid, because everyone knows that Kazuki isn't about to choose anyone. Not because he enjoys having the four of us around like some kind of harem... he's not that sort of person. And not even because he's simply too nice a guy to choose one of us and hurt the others. I wish it were only that simple. No, I suspect the reason he isn't choosing anyone is simply because he isn't even aware he should. He has feelings for all of us, but I don't think, in his heart, he's settled on anyone as his one true love.
And yes, that depresses me.
In any case, everyone else seems to be getting along fine. It was weird seeing D with friends chattering away for the first few days, but after a while I realised it had always been like that. D's quite the popular girl here. That's definitely Zinv's doing... probably his way of making it up to her for the sacrifice he made.
Dad and Akane are getting along... about as well as they did in the parallel world. They aren't exactly fighting, but I'm sure Dad's been sleeping on the couch simply because of Akane's own uncomfortableness. She's had the most trouble reconciling her memories. I'm not sure if it's some odd transition problem or simply the fact that she hasn't been allowed to fall in love with Dad properly. I mean, she and Dad -- well, Sanada -- were slowly but surely beginning to show the feelings they had for each other, and then bam, here she is in a world where they've been married and had a child -- me. She probably wonders if she can trust any feelings she has.
Luckily my feelings seem to be pretty much the same in any universe, even if I'm not admitting them yet.
***
And what about Kazuki himself? Well, he was acting fairly weird to me for a few days, but I think that was more because I was avoiding him while I decided what to do. He was eventually going to get his memories back, so did I really want to spoil everything by acting closer to him? On the other hand, he'd get both sets, so it would likely bother him if I didn't.
Eventually instincts got the better of me. It doesn't matter which universe we're in, Kazuki is just fun to tease. And while I don't think of him as a brother the way Dee does, he has been living with us for ten years. I know every single way to irritate and annoy him under the sun, and have enough experience at it to know when I'm going too far. One place where I'm grateful for the new memories.
So now he's more relaxed in front of me. I keep seeing new things about him, things he never really showed when we were in our own world - or the parallel one. I'm not sure if they're new aspects to him from this world, or if we just didn't know each other as well there as we do here.
Either way, it's the same result. I still find Kazuki fascinating.
***
Another week goes by, and I'm really starting to enjoy myself. I admit this world has its advantages. In my old life, I was popular at school with the boys, but didn't really have many friends. The girls seemed jealous of my popularity, and the boys ended up being scared off whenever I brought them home by my weird father.
Here, though, things are different. Rara and I aren't exactly best friends, but we get along fine. And the fact that the boys' attention is divided up between us means there's less animosity towards me by the other girls in the class. I don't pretend to understand why, but I'll go along with it. And while my Dad is still weird, it's a more normal, relaxed kind of weird. Probably comes from being happily married... god knows how much of my dad's persona I could have blamed on my mom.
Ayuko, that is. Here I'm Akane's daughter. Which frankly suits me fine. Nobody's heard from the Raras lately, except seeing them in the paper occasionally travelling around. They seem to be content to just let their daughter stay here forever... in fact, just like Kazuki's parents. Let's hope that trend continues.
So there are no more robots, or armies, or world domination. Just typical boring school and home. The toughest part of my life these days is simply trying to keep Yayoi and Rara from getting too close to Kazuki.
God help me, I think I'm happy.
***
Another day of school finished, and we have a few hours to kill. Yayoi has a staff meeting, and Kazuki's working on his webpage, so it's just me and Rara.
I really don't know how to deal with Rara. I'd feel better if she was more like Yayoi, someone who's single-mindedly dedicated to her pursuit of Kazuki. Someone I can treat as a rival. But Rara is just so...
Nice. It's pathetic at times. I can't imagine that we even have the same first name, must less are alternate world counterparts. But I can't tease her, like I do Kazuki, or irritate her, like I can Yayoi. She's just so wet and pathetic and... sweet.
I sigh, and look around for anything to do. Dad and the others are having a meeting about whether they should use their military skills in this world, or simply try to adjust to the jobs they already have. I have no desire to use any of my military skills again, so I'll sit that one out.
Suddenly an arcade catches my eye. "Hey, they've got the new Dance Dance Revolution mix out! C'mon, let's go try it."
Rara, of course, doesn't want to do anything that draws attention to herself. "Oh, I couldn't..."
I'm not having any of this. Not today. I grab her hand and drag her up to the machine. "You'll like it. I promise. Besides, everyone looks stupid doing this. That's part of the fun."
We get ready, with Rara looking really nervous. Doesn't matter, I'm determined to have a good time. I choose a song at random, and am relieved that it doesn't seem to be incredibly difficult, which would likely terrify her.
"Just follow my lead," I say as we start.
The song is amusing, about a girl who can't choose just one man because she has to have them all. I'm starting to get into the beat, and even manage to work in a spin, something which has Rara shoot me a look. I'm impressed, she actually seems to be keeping up.
In fact, as we move into the second song (something by Beethoven, but all raved up), she's quickly turning out to be a natural at this. It's much harder, but she's catching up to me, and starting to look really impressive. In fact, we're beginning to attract quite an audience.
By the third song, it's taking all my concentration just to keep up. I can see out of the corner of my eye though that Rara is right there with me... in fact, we're moving almost in synch no, hitting the arrow combinations dead on as the beat carries us to the finish. People are cheering us on, and my heart is pumping...
~Turn me on, turn me on, just do it right, you can't go wrong...~
We finish, and collapse against the rails. The crowd gives out a yell, and I look over at Rara, who seems tired but is grinning like a maniac nevertheless.
"Can we do it again?" she asks.
"Sure, why not." We get another cheer as we set up for the next song.
I wonder if this is what people call bonding...
***
I think it's happened. Kazuki looked the same as always waking up (with Rara in his bed again... I've got to do something about that girl's sleepwalking. Last week she ended up in *my* bed), but when we were all eating breakfast he was looking around as if seeing all of us for the first time. I think his memories are back.
One month on the dot. Damn, I'm good.
Everyone agreed that rather than freak out Kazuki by asking him every day if he remembered anything, we'd just go on as normal and wait for him to bring it up. But I know Kazuki. He'd be more likely to think everything was a dream, and simply go on with his life. Well I'm not about to let him get away with that.
I wait till we're walking to school and drop back a pace or two, since he's busy trying to get reoriented. I then casually ask him whether this was the world he wished for when Zinv was destroyed.
Jackpot. "You mean it wasn't a dream?" I knew it.
I decide to rub his nose in it a bit, and point out how annoying his wish to have everyone together and happy was. "It's very inconvenient to me," I smirk, and go to catch up with the others.
He's not as naive as I thought, of course. "Hey! You were the one who sat on the lever! It must have been your wish too!"
I'm not about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me agree. In any case, I'm feeling wonderful. Kazuki's got his memories back, and now I really do think I can get closer to him. We've shared things that the others haven't. We've shared an entire world.
He's standing there, looking baffled. "Isn't this world... isn't this world..."
I can't stop myself from grinning as I turn back to him.
"Isn't this world *great*?"
END
Thanks to Lara, Miwa, Rod, and Donny for prereading.
by Sean Gaffney
Dual (C) 2000 AIC/Pioneer. I don't have the rights to anything.
Note: This fanfic takes place during Episode 13 of the TV series.
I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.
I've never had a problem waking up in the morning. Kazuki is always groggy unless he's kicked, and Rara can be groggy for hours. But when I open my eyes, I immediately know where I am, and what I'd been doing.
And I knew for certain that the last thing that I'd done was sit on that stupid lever that my fath--that Sanada chose to hide, and Zinv started to explode. Then everything turned white, and here I am. Easy.
Except I was *also* absolutely sure that the last thing I'd done was turn out my light and go to bed in my normal home, right after removing Yayoi from Kazuki's arm and Rara from his other arm, and letting them both know it was time to sleep. Kazuki didn't really seem to object, possibly because he was in too much pain from my holding his shoulder.
Both memories are in my head, and both of them seem to be absolutely believable.
I sit up, looking around. It's not *quite* the same as my room. There's a dresser, but it's in a different corner, and the window is facing east. But at the same time, I'm feeling stupid, because this is where I've lived for almost my entire life.
Dammit, this must be Kazuki's fault...
***
I get dressed quickly. Luckily it's not a school day, so I thankfully leave the uniform behind. I'm getting a little sick of it, after wearing it day in and day out in the parallel world.
You'd think I'd be getting a headache, being forced to keep these two sets of memories in my head. But it hardly takes any effort at all. I was just living two lives, and now they're all in one person. Mitsuki Sanada.
The first thing I decide to do is to go check in on Kazuki, of course. But while I'm on my way there I run into my father on the landing.
At least I think it's my father. He's sporting a large shiner, which makes me wonder if this is actually--wait, of course, what am I thinking. He's both.
He grins at me, a smile familiar in any world. "So, Mitsuki, how're you doing?"
I stare, not really ready to commit myself. I don't really know how I'm doing yet. Instead I bring the conversation back to him. "Where'd you pick that up?"
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I woke up in bed this morning with Akane. We both have two sets of memories, but I have a sneaking suspicion one is stronger than the other. She apologised after. It's not like we were totally naked. Right now she's busy cooking and trying to pretend nothing happened."
I nod. "My memories of the Parallel world seem a little stronger now too. I don't know how long that will last."
"You think you have troubles. I not only have two sets of memories, but the memories that I have! Twenty years of scientific genius combined with twenty years of military command. I'm amazed I can stand up! Hahahaha!"
Well, he still seemed pretty much the same. My dad and Sanada were both weird, just in different ways. Presumably he'll decide soon which weird he wants to be. I'm not sure I could take him trying to be both.
I let him go off to take care of his eye and head into Kazuki's room. He's asleep, of course. Miraculously, there doesn't seem to be anyone else attached to him. No Yayoi gazing soulfully into his eyes, no D staring blankly at him, no...
I rip the blanket off, and breathe a sigh of relief. No Rara under the blanket, trying to snuggle up to him. Just Kazuki.
I debate letting him sleep peacefully, but there are more important things we need to discuss, and I'd really like to discuss them before the other arrive. So I gently but firmly kick him across the room, not enough to bruise but enough to get him to wake up and pay attention.
He immediately sits up, glaring at me blearily. "What's the matter with you! Are you still mad about last night?"
I kneel down next to him. "Kazuki, why did you do this? How did you do this? Was this something you made happen with Zinv?"
"...Mitsuki, what are you talking about?"
Uh oh. A sinking feeling begins to come over me. "Kazuki, what's the last thing you remember?"
"Um... well, you threw Yayoi out of the house, and the rest of us went to bed. Why, did something happen last night?"
"That's ALL you remember?"
"Did we do anything else?"
Shit. I get up. "Don't worry about it, Kazuki. Just get dressed, I'm making breakfast today."
"But it's Dee's turn..."
"I'm making it anyway." I head out of the room and down the stairs, dark thoughts clouding my mind.
"I really, really need to cook," I muttered.
***
As it turned out, once I'd revealed what I found out about Kazuki, everyone wanted to cook. Yayoi was ranting and raving about what could possibly be wrong, Rara was looking like she was going to burst into tears at any moment, and Dee...
Dee was the odd person out. She had both sets of memories, the same as the rest of us, but with her it was this world which influenced the way she was thinking, not her old world with Zinv. Maybe it was some sort of denial, considering how the two of them had bonded. (And can I just say how weird it sounds to be talking about the deep relationship between a girl and her giant robot, especially when that robot is supposed to be Kazuki?)
I wasn't about to complain... Dee in this world loves Kazuki like an older brother, and if she wants it to stay that way it's fine with me. I have enough trouble with Yayoi and Rara throwing themselves at him.
At least I can admit it to myself now. I refuse to admit it to anyone else. The whole idea is utterly ludicrous. I'm one of the most popular girls at school. I could have any guy I wanted, just like that. And don't even get me started on Kazuki! It would take me hours to list all his faults, from his complete and total cluelessness to his habit of leaving the cap off the toothpaste. No, I can name at least a hundred reasons why I can't stand Kazuki.
I can't name a single one about why he's so important to me... and why I want more than anything for him to say I'm important to him. I can't think of a reason, but there it is. It just exists, inside of me.
And it exists in Yayoi and Rara too, only they don't bother to keep it hidden inside. He's got to know how they feel about him. They certainly tell him often enough.
After another incredibly large breakfast, we sit down to discuss the situation. Dad's sent Kazuki out to get some groceries, so that we can talk without totally freaking him out.
"So..." he started off. "Here we are. This is a nice universe and all, but I think we should try to figure out how it came to be. It's certainly not the one Commander Sanada remembers... but on the other hand, Sanada the Scientist doesn't seem to recall it either. It's both universes, but neither of them." He looked up, his hands covering his face. He'd learned the pose from an anime and I'd never been able to break him of the habit. "Is everyone else here finding things the same?"
Nods all around, along with a few embarrassed glances. Akane was sitting next to her husband in a state of... well, I'm not sure what it was, but she didn't look happy and content. Yayoi and Rara were sad and worried, but two guesses as to why. I have no idea how they actually felt about the worlds merging. And Dee was... well, was Dee. She sat there and said nothing, watching everybody else.
Reika decides to break the silence (she was as unflappable as ever, of course). "The question is, then, why did this happen? And how?"
"And why doesn't Kazuki remember any of it?" Rara said. She looked as if this was destroying her inside. Hey, it probably was.
I was worried about him myself. I didn't go through all that fuss on both worlds just to be faced with a Kazuki who didn't remember it. I wanted back *my* Kazuki, the one who nearly died to protect everyone.
There, I found something good to say.
In any case, I can't *show* that I care about him. He has Rara and Yayoi hanging all over him. I have to be different. So I just humph, and toss off another one-liner.
"He was always arriving one month late whenever he crossed universes. His memories are probably just lagging behind as usual." I smirk and take a sip of my tea.
That's when I notice that everyone is staring at me as if I'd just grown a third head. "What?"
Dad was getting one of his weird grins again, the one that shows his brain is spinning around again. "Of course! If Kazuki is the focal point between the universes every time, and his transition is delayed, then the same thing should happen when the universes merged! Well, either that or his memories should have come back a month early... or it was possible he wouldn't have shown up at all..."
Dad was starting to mutter to himself, and I was grateful to Reika for stopping him. "That wouldn't have happened. Remember it wasn't just this world's Kazuki who was affected... it was Zinv as well. The world was supposed to be fixed by the one destroying the other. Kazuki must have been responsible for the world merging into this... both of them."
Of course. That made sense. It was Kazuki's perfect world. He still had his harem of desirable women around him, and didn't have to abandon everyone. I could feel my eyelid twitch again. Sometimes he could be such a...
"But it wasn't the Kazukis who were responsible." Rara spoke up.
Everyone turned towards her, confused. Well, so was I.
"Don't you remember? Kazuki didn't activate it, Mitsuki did. She sat on the lever."
The gazes turned back towards me, but I wasn't even looking at them this time. There had to be some mistake. This couldn't be anything to do with me.
Could it?
***
The meeting broke up soon after that, mostly as I didn't really feel like getting the third degree from everyone. I stomped up to my room as quickly as possible, needing some time alone to think.
This couldn't be my responsibility. The last time Kazuki and I were back home in our universe, I did everything I could to convince him to stay. It was selfish of me, I know. But let's face it, I'm a selfish person. I reminded him that this was his world, pointed all the reasons why going back was stupid. I was even nice to him... all right, I was positively clingy. I should have been ashamed of myself.
Instead I just felt scared. Because I knew what I was doing was pointless. This was Kazuki, and I knew he'd be going back. Just like I knew that when he did, I'd be right there with him.
Was that why this world was the way it was, with all the love-love comedy and all? Because I knew, deep down, that any other choice would make Kazuki unhappy? For that matter, how much of it was my choice, if any, and how much was the other Kazuki? Zinv...
He was dead now. I don't know if I ever really bought into the fact that he was that world's Kazuki, but my Kazuki certainly did. D too. I wonder if she felt the way I would have if my Kazuki had died.
Maybe that's why she seemed to be mostly a child of this world.
Anyway, I could sit like this forever and still not come up with anything, The only one who could help is Kazuki, and he can't do anything. All I can do is hope his memories come back soon. Maybe I'm right, maybe they are lagging a month behind.
In the meantime, I deal with it. It's not like I haven't been doing this sort of thing my entire life. I have, from the moment Kazuki arrived at Dad's house ten years ago.
It's just that the *I* I hasn't been doing it.
I'd better get up. Introspection is clearly making me lose my mind.
***
Everyone basically agreed that until Kazuki regained his memories, we'd act as if everything was fine. It wasn't hard at all, of course - in another set of memories, everything *had* been fine the day before. So I just tried to let those come to the fore.
School was school, of course. I still have all the boys flocking all over me - thank God Kazuki didn't try to change that, I'd have killed him. Granted, I'm not about to do anything with any of these cretins, but a girl has her vanity. It's nice to feel appreciated.
Of course, I have to share that appreciation with Rara now. The boys compare us constantly, especially as we share the same first name. Rara doesn't know what to do with all the attention - even in this world, she lived an incredibly sheltered life. So naturally, she's decided to cling onto me whenever possible, relying on my own considerable charms to get the clowns away from her.
Yayoi helps out as well, whenever we're in her classes. Of course, she also helps to steer lots of guys my way as well, in the hopes that maybe one of them will take my fancy and I'll give up on Kazuki. She's in for a shock. I sometimes get a little jealous when Yayoi hangs all over Kazuki (well alright, all the time), but I know that she's not a real threat. Kazuki likes her, but that's it. No, Rara is the one I worry about. She's the perfect wife, and she loves him unconditionally. I couldn't stand being that type of person, and those are my conditions. I'm not going to change who I am. Much. And if Kazuki decides that he doesn't want me...
I'll probably get angry, and sad, and let it bother me for a long time. But I wouldn't change.
In any case, the entire idea is stupid, because everyone knows that Kazuki isn't about to choose anyone. Not because he enjoys having the four of us around like some kind of harem... he's not that sort of person. And not even because he's simply too nice a guy to choose one of us and hurt the others. I wish it were only that simple. No, I suspect the reason he isn't choosing anyone is simply because he isn't even aware he should. He has feelings for all of us, but I don't think, in his heart, he's settled on anyone as his one true love.
And yes, that depresses me.
In any case, everyone else seems to be getting along fine. It was weird seeing D with friends chattering away for the first few days, but after a while I realised it had always been like that. D's quite the popular girl here. That's definitely Zinv's doing... probably his way of making it up to her for the sacrifice he made.
Dad and Akane are getting along... about as well as they did in the parallel world. They aren't exactly fighting, but I'm sure Dad's been sleeping on the couch simply because of Akane's own uncomfortableness. She's had the most trouble reconciling her memories. I'm not sure if it's some odd transition problem or simply the fact that she hasn't been allowed to fall in love with Dad properly. I mean, she and Dad -- well, Sanada -- were slowly but surely beginning to show the feelings they had for each other, and then bam, here she is in a world where they've been married and had a child -- me. She probably wonders if she can trust any feelings she has.
Luckily my feelings seem to be pretty much the same in any universe, even if I'm not admitting them yet.
***
And what about Kazuki himself? Well, he was acting fairly weird to me for a few days, but I think that was more because I was avoiding him while I decided what to do. He was eventually going to get his memories back, so did I really want to spoil everything by acting closer to him? On the other hand, he'd get both sets, so it would likely bother him if I didn't.
Eventually instincts got the better of me. It doesn't matter which universe we're in, Kazuki is just fun to tease. And while I don't think of him as a brother the way Dee does, he has been living with us for ten years. I know every single way to irritate and annoy him under the sun, and have enough experience at it to know when I'm going too far. One place where I'm grateful for the new memories.
So now he's more relaxed in front of me. I keep seeing new things about him, things he never really showed when we were in our own world - or the parallel one. I'm not sure if they're new aspects to him from this world, or if we just didn't know each other as well there as we do here.
Either way, it's the same result. I still find Kazuki fascinating.
***
Another week goes by, and I'm really starting to enjoy myself. I admit this world has its advantages. In my old life, I was popular at school with the boys, but didn't really have many friends. The girls seemed jealous of my popularity, and the boys ended up being scared off whenever I brought them home by my weird father.
Here, though, things are different. Rara and I aren't exactly best friends, but we get along fine. And the fact that the boys' attention is divided up between us means there's less animosity towards me by the other girls in the class. I don't pretend to understand why, but I'll go along with it. And while my Dad is still weird, it's a more normal, relaxed kind of weird. Probably comes from being happily married... god knows how much of my dad's persona I could have blamed on my mom.
Ayuko, that is. Here I'm Akane's daughter. Which frankly suits me fine. Nobody's heard from the Raras lately, except seeing them in the paper occasionally travelling around. They seem to be content to just let their daughter stay here forever... in fact, just like Kazuki's parents. Let's hope that trend continues.
So there are no more robots, or armies, or world domination. Just typical boring school and home. The toughest part of my life these days is simply trying to keep Yayoi and Rara from getting too close to Kazuki.
God help me, I think I'm happy.
***
Another day of school finished, and we have a few hours to kill. Yayoi has a staff meeting, and Kazuki's working on his webpage, so it's just me and Rara.
I really don't know how to deal with Rara. I'd feel better if she was more like Yayoi, someone who's single-mindedly dedicated to her pursuit of Kazuki. Someone I can treat as a rival. But Rara is just so...
Nice. It's pathetic at times. I can't imagine that we even have the same first name, must less are alternate world counterparts. But I can't tease her, like I do Kazuki, or irritate her, like I can Yayoi. She's just so wet and pathetic and... sweet.
I sigh, and look around for anything to do. Dad and the others are having a meeting about whether they should use their military skills in this world, or simply try to adjust to the jobs they already have. I have no desire to use any of my military skills again, so I'll sit that one out.
Suddenly an arcade catches my eye. "Hey, they've got the new Dance Dance Revolution mix out! C'mon, let's go try it."
Rara, of course, doesn't want to do anything that draws attention to herself. "Oh, I couldn't..."
I'm not having any of this. Not today. I grab her hand and drag her up to the machine. "You'll like it. I promise. Besides, everyone looks stupid doing this. That's part of the fun."
We get ready, with Rara looking really nervous. Doesn't matter, I'm determined to have a good time. I choose a song at random, and am relieved that it doesn't seem to be incredibly difficult, which would likely terrify her.
"Just follow my lead," I say as we start.
The song is amusing, about a girl who can't choose just one man because she has to have them all. I'm starting to get into the beat, and even manage to work in a spin, something which has Rara shoot me a look. I'm impressed, she actually seems to be keeping up.
In fact, as we move into the second song (something by Beethoven, but all raved up), she's quickly turning out to be a natural at this. It's much harder, but she's catching up to me, and starting to look really impressive. In fact, we're beginning to attract quite an audience.
By the third song, it's taking all my concentration just to keep up. I can see out of the corner of my eye though that Rara is right there with me... in fact, we're moving almost in synch no, hitting the arrow combinations dead on as the beat carries us to the finish. People are cheering us on, and my heart is pumping...
~Turn me on, turn me on, just do it right, you can't go wrong...~
We finish, and collapse against the rails. The crowd gives out a yell, and I look over at Rara, who seems tired but is grinning like a maniac nevertheless.
"Can we do it again?" she asks.
"Sure, why not." We get another cheer as we set up for the next song.
I wonder if this is what people call bonding...
***
I think it's happened. Kazuki looked the same as always waking up (with Rara in his bed again... I've got to do something about that girl's sleepwalking. Last week she ended up in *my* bed), but when we were all eating breakfast he was looking around as if seeing all of us for the first time. I think his memories are back.
One month on the dot. Damn, I'm good.
Everyone agreed that rather than freak out Kazuki by asking him every day if he remembered anything, we'd just go on as normal and wait for him to bring it up. But I know Kazuki. He'd be more likely to think everything was a dream, and simply go on with his life. Well I'm not about to let him get away with that.
I wait till we're walking to school and drop back a pace or two, since he's busy trying to get reoriented. I then casually ask him whether this was the world he wished for when Zinv was destroyed.
Jackpot. "You mean it wasn't a dream?" I knew it.
I decide to rub his nose in it a bit, and point out how annoying his wish to have everyone together and happy was. "It's very inconvenient to me," I smirk, and go to catch up with the others.
He's not as naive as I thought, of course. "Hey! You were the one who sat on the lever! It must have been your wish too!"
I'm not about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me agree. In any case, I'm feeling wonderful. Kazuki's got his memories back, and now I really do think I can get closer to him. We've shared things that the others haven't. We've shared an entire world.
He's standing there, looking baffled. "Isn't this world... isn't this world..."
I can't stop myself from grinning as I turn back to him.
"Isn't this world *great*?"
END
Thanks to Lara, Miwa, Rod, and Donny for prereading.