"We made it!" Sayori cheered.

Monika looked around. No longer were they in an empty white void; now they were in a familiar hallway. The classroom the Literature Club used as a clubroom was right in front of them.

The pathway she opened soon disappeared. Monika wasn't sure if it automatic closed itself or she subconsciously willed so, but that was the least of her concerns. Taking a peek into the classroom, she realized that there was something more important to be worried about.

"Wow…" Sayori looked around the hallway in awe. "So familiar…"

"I think maybe little too familiar…" Monika nervously chuckled.

Curious to what her partner meant, Sayori joined her in observing the classroom. They watched themselves try to catch the attention of Shujinkou, but no matter how fast Sayori waved her hands, he didn't respond.

"Eh? Why are there another you and me here?" Sayori wondered aloud.

Monika remained silent, continuing to watch the situation play out.

Natsuki soon approached Shujinkou from behind and slammed a rolled-up poster down on his head, the shock waking him from his trance-like state.

"Ouch…" Sayori winced.

"This was the day Shujinkou and Yuri went to the bookstore, which means…" Monika lowered her head in shame. "This was during the earliest days of the club… We're far away from the present…"

"Don't get so down; at least you got us in," Sayori cheerfully pointed out. "All we have to do is keep moving forward 'til we reach the present."

Monika nodded her head and stepped away from the doorway. She then used her right index finger to draw a heart into the air, creating another pathway for them.

"This really is easier than I thought," she noted.

"I wonder if it's a Monika thing…" Sayori wondered aloud. "Do you think we can interact with the past?"

"We probably shouldn't try to," Monika advised.

"I know. I mean, without manipulating the medium, do you think we can right now or are we like ghosts?"

Monika carefully considered that point. "That's a good question. We should probably act like people can see us and stay out of sight just to be safe. The less we manipulate things in the past, the better."

"Right."

Nodding her head, Sayori followed Monika through the second pathway she created.

…

Emptiness, pain, self-loathing… These were just some of what Shujinkou was feeling as he walked home. At first he felt like his mental state returned to how it was a couple of days earlier, but it didn't. He tried to keep it there, but he could feel it slowly, but surely returning to the state it was in before he joined the Literature Club.

The young man stopped walking and glanced to his left. To his side was his home. But he wasn't really sure if he could call it his home. He didn't know what to call anything right now.

But even with his conflicting emotions, his body brought him closer to it. He was soon standing before the front door.

Shujinkou reached for the door knob, but couldn't bring himself to actually grab it. His hand trembled as he struggled to grip the door.

He closed his eyes. Part of him really wanted to just walk inside, but another part of him refused to do so.

Was it guilt? The knowledge of what was really going on? The fact that a friend of his was, for all intents and purposes, gone forever? He felt like the answer should be obvious, but his mind seemed to do everything in its power to hide it.

He didn't know what to do or what he could do. The loss of a friend and being forced to live a lie; and yet, this lie was what he always wanted his life to be like.

But what about Monika? I can't just ignore what happened to her… What am I supposed to do?

Lost and confused, his mind couldn't get help but refer to the only thing that still made sense to him: his memories of the past.

Shujinkou opened his eyes. Sprawled across the ground and covered in light scratches, the 11 year old was beginning to wonder whether the overhead greenery would always be out of his reach.

"You okay, Shiko?"

Lying beside him was Sayori. Like him, she had a few light scratches on her. Actually, she had more than him.

"Yeah. What about you?"

"I'm good. The throbbing's finally gone."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Sayori was probably the only person he knew that could laugh off falling head first into a tree so soon after it happened.

He then looked up. Balancing themselves on the branches above was Hiroko. She showed no signs of tipping over either side as she diligently strolled across the arms of the trees that surrounded them.

It was like watching a gymnast walking across a balance beam.

Kinda makes sense considering she took gymnastics last year.

"She makes it look so easy. Hiroko is amazing," Sayori said.

Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah…"

He knew better than anyone else that his sister was amazing. It was a fact that he had to live with for years.

Hiroko then dropped down near them and sighed. "I may be a little out of practice."

"That's out of practice?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.

"I didn't feel confident enough to hand walk across," she mumbled under her breath.

Anyone else saying that would probably be bragging, but Shujinkou knew that she was really concerned about it.

"You're still awesome," Sayori assured her. "Me and Shiko couldn't even get up to the branches."

"TV makes it look so easy," Shujinkou conceded.

Hiroko smiled and offered her hands to them. They accepted and were swiftly pulled to their feet.

"I think it's time we head home," she said.

"Already? But I haven't gotten to the top yet," Sayori complained.

Shujinkou took another look at the scratches they both shared. "Probably best we stop for the day. Besides, Hiroko has to study remember?"

"Oh yeah! You're entrance exam to, um…"

"Akuseru," Hiroko answered.

"I still think that name is on the nose…" Sayori thought aloud. "Still, I shouldn't be surprised that you got a chance to get into it."

Hiroko awkwardly scratched her right cheek.

"Alright, we'll head back right away so you study as much as you want."

Sayori eagerly ran forward, only to trip over a large tree root.

"Auu… I'm starting to think this tree doesn't like me…"

Sayori tried to stand up, but the moment she put weight-

"Ow!"

She gently rubbed her left ankle.

"It's twisted again…" she admitted with a nervous chuckle.

Shujinkou and Hiroko awkwardly scratched their right cheeks. The first times were horrifying, and though they were still greatly concerned, the initial shock was gone.

Shujinkou approached Sayori and dropped on his knees.

"Climb aboard," he said with an understanding smile.

An excited smile crossed Sayori's face as she latched onto her friend's back.

It took everything Hiroko had to keep her immediate response to herself. I can't help thinking she purposely does this sometimes just to get a ride from Shujinkou.

"Let's go, Shiko!" Sayori happily declared.

A determined grin stretched across Shujinkou's face. "On it!"

He took off as fast as he could, leaving his sister baffled by what had just transpired.

"What just happened?" Hiroko asked.

"Racing!" Sayori yelled back.

"Since when?!"

"Now!" Shujinkou yelled back.

"That's not fair! You know I'm not always on the same page as you two!"

"We know!" they yelled back.

It was only once she noticed how distant their voices were getting that she finally realized just how far ahead they were.

"Keeping me in awe is also cheating!" she complained as she ran after them.

"We know that too!"

The twins raced with all their might until they reached their front yard. Giving themselves one final push, they lunged for the front door.

Once it was within their reach, their goal suddenly opened. Nothing could prevent the three from tumbling inside, taking Hiro down with them.

"Did I interrupt a race?" she asked.

"Aw… We were so close…" Sayori lamented.

"Kinda sad since you were already half way there… half way there… half way there… half way there…" Hiroko joked.

"I feel like I just gave someone a face lift…" Shujinkou moaned.

They soon stood up. Once everything was settled, Hiro noticed the scratches her son and Sayori had.

"What happened?" she worriedly asked.

"We were trying to climb trees," Sayori briefly glanced down at her ankle. "And I hurt my ankle again…"

"I see… I'll get the ice and motrin."

An inquisitive look formed on Sayori's face as she watched Hiro walk upstairs.

"I know I get hurt a lot, but I don't get hurt that much, do I?" she asked.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as Hiroko began to whistle Queen of the Night.

"Oh…"

The three then heard footsteps behind them. A hand suddenly reached out and ruffled Hiroko's hair. The twins turned around to find their father.

"Studying hard?" Jomei asked.

"Y-Yeah," Hiroko answered.

"That's good. Tomorrow should be a piece of cake for you."

With those final parting words, Jomei made his way into the kitchen.

Sayori noticed Shujinkou's shoulders slump forward. She didn't even need to see his face to know how he felt.

"I better get to it," Hiroko solemnly said before skipping up the stairs.

Now alone, Sayori tightened her grip on her friend. "Shiko…"

"Hm? Oh yeah, your ankle. Guess, we'll wait for Mom in my room."

Later that night…

Shujinkou stared at his bedroom ceiling with vacant eyes. The shadows from the trees outside danced on its surface, but even that didn't spark a reaction from him.

He found it odd that he couldn't sleep when there was nothing important for him to do tomorrow, or rather when the sun came up later today.

Shujinkou slowly sat up, the sound of metal matching his every movement. He glanced down and realized that he was wearing his crown necklace.

An item from one of his favorite video game franchises, he remembered his mother winning it for him during a trip to Disneyland.

"When you walk away…" he quietly sung as he walked out of his bedroom.

He slowly skipped down the stairs and walked into the kitchen.

"Hiroko?"

Shujinkou didn't know what surprised him more at that moment; the fact that his sister was up so early or that he wasn't screaming his head off because of the shock.

"What are you doing down here so late… Or early?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Hiroko retorted.

"Well, I'm the second twin and I asked first so-"

"What are you getting at?"

Shujinkou shrugged. "I don't know, I was kinda hoping whatever I was saying would get me somewhere. But seriously, shouldn't you be asleep? You kinda have that big test later."

A look of defeat surfaced on his sister's face. It wasn't one she wore often. "I know… That's what's keeping me up. I'm worried that I might mess up big time and then…"

Hiroko anxiously scratched her right cheek. "I can't mess this up, Shujinkou."

"You mess it up? C'mon, you're like the smartest person I know," Shujinkou assured her.

Hiroko sighed.

"Hiroko…"

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek until his eyes were drawn to his necklace. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Here."

He took the necklace off and presented it to his sister.

"'Here', what?" she asked, perplexed.

"It's Sora's necklace. It's not Roxas's but it should still be a good enough good luck charm."

"'Good luck charm'?"

"Yeah. Whenever you're worried, just look at it and remember that you're the 'Key…' Uhm…" Shujinkou contemplatively scratched his right cheek. "Um… Key to… Queen of the Kingdom. You can do anything you set your mind to as long as you remember that."

Hiroko looked at the necklace then back at Shujinkou. A small smile formed on her lips as she reached for the necklace. "Thanks, Shujinkou."

"No problem. Now maybe you cheer me up on something; specifically regarding the death of-?"

"Still?" Hiroko marveled.

"He was my favorite Spider-Man!"