A/N: This chapter contains the second half of the origins for this fic. Ever since I was an early NaYuri shipper, I've played with headcanons where they date in their next life and break up as soon as they remember each other. However, the "you fell out of love and I didn't" AU came along later and is unique to this fic. Here, we see what happens when we combine that with me re-watching OUAT in the summer of 2015.
Disclaimer again: Clannad and Angel Beats characters belong to Jun Maeda, the Rumpelstiltskin I used comes from Once Upon A Time, and a particular scene in this fic draws inspiration from OUAT episode 1x10 ("7:15 A.M.").
Enjoy! Or, as Yuri would say: Operation - START.
[Chapter 04]: A Magic Cure
She was having trouble adjusting to becoming Yuri Nakamura again.
The papers had been signed and sorted out, and she'd already moved in with Ryou for the time being. That girl was ridiculously nice (her sister was another story).
Because she was an uncommonly generous and understanding person herself, she'd let Naoi have the damn house, even though she'd paid for most of it when they moved in two months prior to their engagement (a lot of it had been her family's money anyway). He didn't have close work friends of his own who would take him in, and moving back in with his dad was out of the question. She didn't even make him consider that, which had surprised him.
But when it came down to it, she didn't want to see him at all. She couldn't even wait for him to finish signing. She'd packed a bag and slipped out on Sunday night after he'd gone to bed, barely lasting two seconds on Ryou's doorstep before she fell into her friend's open arms in a fit of sobs. Ryou and Sunohara went and moved the rest of her things out of the house for her, while Ryou's sister Kyou clucked her tongue at Yuri for lying in bed the whole time. Although Kyou agreed to be sympathetic of the circumstances, she wasn't pleased with Yuri for hooking her sister up with "that slimeball" (apparently the concert thing had worked out too well).
In the week that had passed since it had been finalized, Naoi had called her cell phone twice, but she'd ignored it both times. It couldn't be for divorce-related issues, anyway. Kyou assured her it was what she liked to call "Rebound Ex," the condition where a person, or in this case Naoi, doesn't know what to do with himself without her and tries stubbornly to at least get her attention.
As much as she wanted to, she didn't believe that for a second. For one thing, he only called twice. Maybe he missed her a little bit, maybe he twice briefly considered that Afterlife graduates who found each other ought to stick together. But only twice. And if this was the Ayato Naoi she knew from the Battlefront, no way would he come crawling back. He would never lower himself like that.
And that was just fine with her. If anything, he was waiting for her to come crawling back now. Hell, she was finding it hard to even crawl out of bed for work at this point. In which case, she was extremely lucky to have a hostess like Ryou.
Speak of the devil—or angel, rather. The door to the guest bedroom creaked open, and the girl in question tiptoed in with a tray of soup, tea, and chocolate.
"You're babying her, Ryou!" called Kyou from the hallway in a misleadingly dulcet tone.
"It's barely even been two weeks!" Ryou shot back, kicking the door closed behind her. Despite the tears drying on her cheeks, Yuri managed a half-smile. Ryou was just trying to take care of her. She'd expressed interest in becoming a nurse—boy, if that wasn't the understatement of the week—and had gone to school for it. Until she had the job, she was happy to practice by caring for her friends.
"Whatever I can do to help!" Or so she'd said every day since Yuri got here.
Ryou set the tray down on an end table near Yuri and sat down on the edge of the bed. She picked up another object Yuri hadn't noticed on the tray, which she drowsily recognized as a deck of cards.
"Yuri? Do you want me to read your fortune?" Ryou asked, jostling her a bit even though she was fully aware she was awake.
With a groan, Yuri hid her face in a pillow. "No thanks, I don't want to depress you."
"But what if the cards say someone new will sweep you off your feet?" the girl pressed with a hopeful look.
"She needs someone who can sweep her out of bed!" Kyou shouted in from the hallway, pounding on the wood of the door.
"SIS!"
"Kyou, I'm flattered but uninterested," Yuri said loud enough for the girl to hear, then thumped her head back down on the pillow.
Ryou ignored her sister's exasperated sigh and turned back to Yuri with the cards. It seemed she was going to get her fortune read no matter what.
Out of a sliver of curiosity if nothing else, Yuri turned her head and peeked at her hostess. A range of expressions flickered across the younger girl's face as she studied each one. "Oh my goodness," she whispered.
Yuri let a bitter chuckle go. "Let me guess, you're reading the romance part."
When Ryou opened her mouth to sputter something reassuring, Yuri rolled over again and tightened the blanket around her.
"Don't bother, okay?" she mumbled from under the covers. "I know you mean well, but… I don't need to hear what a bunch of cards say about my future. I'm hurting now."
Ryou stroked her hair. "Will you at least eat something?" she asked softly, pleadingly. "Even Youhei's worried about you, and he barely ever cares about broken-hearted girls he isn't trying to date."
With a sigh, Yuri slowly sat up, which brought relief and delight to Ryou's face. She beamed even when Yuri reached for the chocolate. "There, that's it," the nurse-to-be said gently. "Are you sure you don't want me to read your cards?"
Yuri gave a soft shake of her head. "Thanks, but no thanks. Your magic tricks can't really help me right now." Looking down at the chocolate in her lap, she fiddled with the locket around her neck. "Maybe if there was actual magic that could get him out of my head…"
A tell-tale squeak escaped Ryou's lips, making Yuri look up from her chocolate in interest. Particularly when the girl tried to muffle it and furtively avert her eyes.
"Ryou, what is it?" Yuri coaxed, grabbing the hand that covered Ryou's mouth. "Is there?"
Ryou pursed her lips and shook her head frantically.
"Tell me, Ryou. I can handle it." For good measure, she sniffled a little. "All I want is to get over this. Please."
"It-it's just…" Ryou looked hesitant. "Magic always comes with a price."
"Whatever it is, it's worth it."
The girl gave her a long, appraising stare, which turned into an "okay, but only because you're my friend" look. She folded her hands over Yuri's and sighed in defeat.
"My friend Yukine, who knows all sorts of magical charms… once told me about this man," Ryou said carefully. "A man who knows more magic than Yukine and I put together. But it's dark." She squeezed Yuri's hands. "He… he grants favors. And makes deals. If you're willing to pay the price… I think Yukine and I can help you find him."
At first Yuri wondered if Ryou might be pulling her leg, but the sincerity in her big blue eyes told her otherwise. At once a chill of nervous excitement crept up her spine. She'd been to an Afterlife with demons and the ability to make weapons out of dirt, so why shouldn't she believe in this?
"Who is this guy?" she asked, in the same quiet and careful tone as Ryou's.
Ryou bit her lip. "I don't think I should speak his name. He can help you, though. He can grant any request," she said, wringing her hands. "But you've got to mean it, Yuri. And you've got to consider the risks! His magic can be tricky."
"I understand, Ryou." She sort of did, anyway. She'd at least try to understand anyone who could potentially make the pain go away. "Thank you."
Ryou patted her hand. "Then Yukine and I will take you to him tomorrow," she promised. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Taking the soup bowl in her hands, Yuri looked miserably at the dark green mug of hot tea on the end table. "Could you bring me Key coffee instead?"
Of all places to wait for this guy, Yuri couldn't believe it had to be here.
Ryou had gotten ahold of Yukine Miyazawa that very evening. The girl had arrived two hours later, and they spoke in hushed tones in the Fujibayashi study room next to the guest room. Pressing her ear against the wall hadn't done Yuri much good in terms of eavesdropping. Yukine left that night and came back the next morning with an armful of books, and then there was more hushed speaking for who knows how long.
Finally, Yukine and Ryou had let Yuri in on what they were talking about.
When it came to tracking this guy down, they said, it was tricky and also simple. Which to Yuri made no sense at all, but she passively accepted it.
Sometimes he showed up when he was called. And sometimes he showed up wherever he was unknowingly needed. The two went hand in hand sometimes, but not always. Apparently this mystery magic guy was some sort of riddle.
The best thing to do, Yukine suggested, was to go at night to the place that meant the most to her, or the first place that popped into her head when she said that, and hope for the best.
If all else failed, she was to call his name, which Ryou had written down on a piece of paper.
She hadn't peeked at it yet; she was a little too busy leaning resentfully against the bottom of the bridge while watching the water run by and trying not to bring back any old memories.
If this guy had real magic and had deliberately put this bridge in her head, he was honestly a piece of shit.
Yuri glared up at the moon embedded in the black sky. Had it really been a month since she was last here with him? Not Magic Guy, but… well, him him.
"Just so you know, I wouldn't change this night, or anything else, for the world."
"Neither would I."
A bitter growl rising up in her throat, she punted a rock into the river with a splash and a thunk. "Lying bastard!"
"Easy there, dearie," purred a mischievous male voice. "What did that water ever do to you?"
Yuri spun around on her heel, almost instinctively going for the place on her skirt where her holster should be. Nothing there. Excuse her if she just recently got decades of Afterlife memories back into her head!
Sitting, legs crossed, on a boulder under the bridge (a spot she knew had been empty just a minute before), was a man with crocodile skin and a Cheshire cat smile. He giggled like a child when he caught her disbelieving stare.
"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in the Afterlife anymore!" he singsonged, his grin stretching even wider across his face.
Yuri's eyes widened. "Hey, how do you know about the—"
"You'll find there aren't a lot of things I don't know."
"So then you're the magic guy," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
"How did you guess…?" the man said dryly. He hopped off the boulder and took a few steps toward her.
Although a little unnerved out by his bold movements and his glistening moonlit skin, she stood her ground. He seemed to appreciate that.
"Allow me to introduce myself," he said, and bowed with a grand flourish. "Rumpelstiltskin. And you must be Yuri Nakamura. Although last I heard, it was Yuri Naoi."
She winced, but tried not to show it. "It's back to Nakamura now."
His mouth opened in a small "o" of silent sympathy. "Well, Yuri Nakamura does still have a nice ring to it. And I should know, I've a penchant for names." Another giggle. Approaching her with a smile, he ran his crooked fingers through her purple locks. "I hardly recognized you without the green bow headband. Don't tell me that's what you're here for—"
"No," she cut him off. "I'm here for… a cure."
His smile vanished. "And what ails the fearless leader of the Afterlife Battlefront?"
Swallowing back the grief, Yuri attempted to channel the stubborn fearlessness she'd once had as leader. "A broken heart."
Damn. There was no way of saying that without feeling and sounding weak.
Rumpelstiltskin clucked his tongue in understanding. "The most painful of afflictions." He brushed past her and stood at the edge of the river. "It's not like I can make him love you again, dearie. That's out of the question."
"I never expected you to do that!" Yuri quickly rose to her own defense. She blushed then, looking around. That had been entirely too loud, and she couldn't be sure anyone else but her could see him.
"I just," she lowered her voice, "don't want to love him anymore."
Joyfully, the man snapped his fingers and turned to shoot her a playful grin. "There! That is something I can help you with."
Being so happy to help a person stop loving another… Yuri frowned to herself. Someone must have hurt this guy deeply.
Nevertheless, she watched as he made a great show of fishing something out of his coat pocket. It was a shiny glass vial, almost like diamond under the light of the moon. Giggling, he held the empty vial up for display, then bent down by the river. Uncapping the vial, he dipped it into the water until it was halfway full with the clear liquid, then stood up and held it out for her to see.
As Yuri watched, transfixed, the water glowed and then transformed into a murky silver color. Just like a cloud.
She gave him an incredulous look. "You're telling me all I have to do to stop loving him is drink river water."
"No no no, you lovesick young fool." He turned back to her fully, smirking as he took a step closer. "First of all, it's magic. Second of all, no two loves are alike. You have to make it… personal!" Like a rocket, his hand shot out and plucked a single purple hair from her head. The yelp she made sounded embarrassingly similar to Ryou's.
She couldn't help but glare at him, rubbing her head, as he giggled triumphantly and dipped the hair in the vial before capping it. As it was, her pain and dour looks only served to amuse him more.
But the vial gave another magical glow, and she felt her resentment ease up a tad. He was, after all, doing her a big favor. Something no one else could do.
"So if I drink this thing, I'll no longer love him?" Yuri asked, hope seeping into her tone.
"It's more than that, my dear. A teensy little side effect you ought to know about," said Rumpelstiltskin with a wry grin, leaning in and seemingly relishing in the suspicious glance she gave him as a result. "The next time you see the object of your grief, you'll have no idea who he is."
Yuri recoiled, backing up a few steps.
"I… what?" A lump formed in her throat. "I won't remember him?"
"It'll be like he never even existed," the man said. How could he smile while saying something like that?
A nervous voice in the back of her head chattered a warning, a reminder. "But that would-"
"Destroy him? Break his heart?" Rumpelstiltskin gave her a blank, unfeeling look, and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, he started it."
Yuri opened her mouth, then closed it. She honestly didn't know how to respond to that.
From the glimmer in his dark eyes, he could tell he'd caught her. "You know as well as I do that love is the most powerful magic. The cure must be extreme."
"Extreme sounds like an understatement," she muttered, unconsciously fingering her anniversary locket.
"If your heart could be fixed with anything else, you wouldn't have come to me," he purred. "It hurts you even now just to be here. Doesn't it, dearie? Love makes us sick. Haunts our dreams. Destroys our days. Love…" he paused, arching forward with a sneer that showed all his yellowed teeth, "has killed more than any disease."
He took her hand and folded it over the glowing vial that he'd placed in her palm.
"This cure… is a gift."
Yuri stared down at the so-called "gift." Though it held the pulsing white light of magic, the glass felt cold, where she'd always imagined magic held warmth. Then again, the cure for love would be cold as ice.
If she drank this, he'd be out of her head. And her heart. Thinking of him wouldn't hurt anymore—because she just wouldn't. Her heart wouldn't feel like it was eroding piece by piece whenever she heard his name—because it wouldn't mean anything to her.
She heaved a sigh and closed her eyes for a minute, then opened them.
"What's your price?"
He arched an eyebrow at her, curiosity flickering across his face. "Hmm?"
"My friend told me that with you, magic always comes with a price," Yuri said firmly, putting the vial in her purse and crossing her arms.
"Your friend has been doing her research," Rumple said, looking rather pleased. "I do love to say that. All magic comes with a price!" He did another little dramatic flourish of his hands.
Yuri blinked. "So what's yours?"
"Mmm… Let's see, let's see, let's see…" He moved closer to her, too close for comfort actually, but Yuri didn't flinch until his finger hooked the chain around her neck. His eyes glowed with interest. "My, my, my. What a lovely locket. Who may I ask gave it to you, dearie?"
Her brow furrowed at the question. "I have a feeling that's one of the many things you do know."
His trademark smirk stretched the corners of his lips. "Then you won't mind if I take it off your hands. That is my price."
"What do you want with a locket?" Yuri asked, an edge of suspicion in her voice.
He stared at her as if he didn't understand the question. "It's pretty," he said coolly. "Now, do we have a deal?"
Another defeated sigh escaped her. She reached up and unhooked the clasp of the locket chain, wincing slightly when it caught on her hair. As the jewelry dangled from her fingers, she hesitated, admiring the combination of emerald and amethyst.
But like the engagement ring it was based on, it was a symbol of his love for her.
"This… means nothing, now that we have our memories back. It's a lie."
His love had been a lie. Therefore, so was this locket.
Yuri placed the trinket gingerly in Rumpelstiltskin's open, wrinkled palm, which he closed over it immediately. "I thought so," he said with that mysterious purr of his. Smiling, he drew away from her and pocketed the jewelry.
Some price. She'd had a slight suspicion when she first heard of him that his services might literally cost an arm and a leg.
Rumpelstiltskin laughed suddenly, as if reading her mind.
"Drink it in good health… Yuri Nakamura."
With that final farewell, he turned on his heel and tromped down the riverbank, throwing a careless wave behind him.
And then he quite literally disappeared into the night.
Yuri had a decision to make.
The vial was in her hands, still capped, and pulsing with an inviting glow. She had literal magic in her hands, magic that could make the pain go away. That would stop her from shedding any more tears over Naoi.
But it could only do that by making her forget.
A knock sounded at her bedroom door. "Yuri, it's me!" Ryou called from the hallway. "Can I come in?"
"Sure, go ahead." It was her guest room, after all. That girl was too polite for her own good.
The door creaked open and in seconds Ryou was at her side, plopping down next to her on the bed. She gasped at the sight of the glass vial with the shimmering silver water inside. "Is that what he gave you? What kind of magical properties does it have?" Despite her curiosity, she was careful not to touch it without permission.
"It's going to obliterate all of my feelings for him." Yuri stroked the vial with her thumb, her nerves chewing her up inside. "If I drink this, I'll forget him completely."
"You'll lose all your memories of him?" Ryou asked, gazing at the bottle incredulously. Rumpelstiltskin's type of magic seemed to stun her. "That's amazing!"
The corner of Yuri's mouth twitched into a wry half-smile. "It won't be amazing if I bump into him one day and act like an amnesiac. If he tries to talk to me and I don't know who he is, not only will that confuse the hell out of both of us, but…" She trailed off, frowning.
"…it would hurt him," Ryou finished for her. She smiled at her sadly, sympathetic, and patted her free hand on the bedspread. "If you drink it, it would save your heart, but inevitably affect him."
"Unless I make absolutely certain I never bump into him."
Confusion creased Ryou's features. "Huh? How would you do that?" she asked, tilting her head at Yuri. Then she took out her cell phone and scanned the screen. "I guess maybe Yukine might have a charm for that kind of thing. I could ask her—"
"That's not what I meant," Yuri said, closing the flip phone in Ryou's hands. The girl glanced back up at her, a look of understanding crossing her face. "Ryou, you've been a wonderful hostess, but you know I can't stay here. Not just in your house, but in this town. Not if I'm going to forget him, and make a fresh start."
"But…!" Ryou squeaked, tears springing to her eyes. Yuri kept one eye on the door, inwardly worrying that Kyou's sister tenses might be tingling. "But you only stayed here because you divorced him! If you drink the potion-"
"I'll simply remember that you took me in when I needed a place to stay." Dropping the potion on the bedspread, Yuri took both her friend's hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "I won't forget you, Ryou."
With another loud squeak, the girl threw herself into Yuri's arms and engulfed her in a tight hug, dampening Yuri's top with her tears. "I won't forget you either, Yuri!"
Yuri laughed. "Of course you won't. You're not drinking any potion." She straightened up, putting her hands on Ryou's shoulders and pushing her back gently to give her a teasing look of concern. "Or are you? Sunohara hasn't broken your heart yet, has he?"
The very suggestion startled Ryou. "Of course not! He's been a perfect gentleman to me!"
Good, so Sunohara had taken her advice on behaving himself. Yuri beamed, feeling mildly proud of herself. Even if her own love life had crashed and burned, at least she'd helped another couple find happiness.
Ryou hugged her again, with impressive strength for someone of her stature. "Thank you for everything," she mumbled. Maybe the girl had mind-reading skills as well as fortune-telling.
Smiling faintly, Yuri put her arms around her friend and returned the embrace. "Isn't that my line?"
Kyou was extraordinarily helpful once she realized Yuri's primary goal was to move out of her sister's guest room. She even granted her access to her fancy laptop and helped her search for affordable houses in other areas. After making some calls, Ryou and Kyou found her a place in a city that was a two hour's drive away from here. It was cozy, cheap, and just as nice as the one she'd shared with Naoi (only smaller).
They'd even gotten ahold of Yuri's parents, who had made time out of their busy schedules to pull some strings and make the whole new house process go quicker.
Kyou's colleague could also contact her brother to get Yuri a decent job there at a small business. Apparently Kyou sensed a take-charge attitude in her when she actually crawled out of bed.
It was a start. A fresh start, in a little less than a month. She was grateful to them.
After promising to keep in touch, Yuri took off. Ready to leave behind her the town she'd known and loved for three years. Over three years ago, she came here with Ayato because he needed a fresh start, and now she was leaving because she needed hers.
Funny, they both left to get away from a Naoi.
Passing the walking bridge was unavoidable if she wanted to get out of here. She swallowed the quiver of emotion in her throat and coasted down the road, swearing to herself she would not sneak a glance at it.
Not even a goodbye glance. She would not be sentimental about this.
It was drifting closer into view. Closer. Closer. She gripped the steering wheel and kept her eyes firmly on the road in front of her.
Closer. Closer.
A flash of dark green on the bridge appeared in her peripheral vision. And damn her, she snapped her head over and looked.
Nothing.
No one there.
It'd just been her stupid imagination. She snarled at herself in exasperation, turned her eyes back to the road, and put the pedal to the metal until she passed that godforsaken bridge.
Her heart was pounding against her rib cage. Even if it wasn't him, even a pine tree or a shadow of him in her imagination made her feel like this.
That was why she had to get out of this town. That was why she couldn't ever see him again.
That was why, in the safety of her new TV room, she uncapped the potion.
And she drank it all down until when the vial clattered to the floor, not a drop was left to be spilled.
A/N: Yuri, what have you done?
Also, can I have some? I watched PotC 5 last Sunday and I don't deserve this.
Will accept reviews instead - the best kind of heartbreak cure.
Preview:
"This is the idiot I was telling you about."
"I thought I made it perfectly clear that I don't love Yuri."
"I've been through 'complicated!'"
"Geez, you haven't changed a bit!"
"Just wondering, do you have any Key coffee?"
"Where's the bathroom?"
"Things are a bit tense between us."
"So… you have seen her then."
[Chapter 05]: Crossing Paths.
