A/N: *youtuber voice* What's up everyone, welcome back to Heartbreak Cure! Did any of you watch Iwasawa's concert last night?
I jest, I jest. But happy mid-October! Thanks for all the new faves and follows! (Also, I can't make the link work even with spaces, but check out "Heartbreak Cure" on YouTube by Yui Hideki! Great channel, great Angel Beats AMVs.) (It's a good year to be a NaYuri shipper. Exhibit B: CharTale's "Struggle & Sorrow" on Wattpad)
Here's the thing - my Vaio laptop had a nasty fall a month ago and its hard drive got damaged. I have 98% of my chapters saved in email drafts (only most of Chapter 28, but luckily I'd printed out 29 & 30). It's just that they're versions from June 27, and I edited most chapters since then. I'll be able to upload new chapters; I just don't know if they're missing crucial revisions. Hopefully data recovery will save me and then I'll be able to fix what needs fixed.
Anyways, short chapter and crack (ex) pairing alert, so bear with me. But they do both get the story moving along. Enjoy!
[Chapter 16]: Connections
Mid-afternoon, the group that became seven with the addition of Shiina (an unintentional pun not lost on the group) had migrated back to her house at her invitation. Yui and Hinata were chatting her ear off, much to Yuri's and Otonashi's amusement and Ayato's annoyance. Kanade looked tired but amiable, just happy to sit down after a long day of activity and listen to her friends catch up.
When Shiina had woken from her trance and was showing even the slightest sign of seeing her friends anew, Yui had launched herself at her, followed swiftly by Hinata in a strong group hug that left the ninja looking overwhelmed in a good way. The hug did eventually break in favor of hugs from Otonashi and Yuri, but when Yui enthusiastically begged to know how she found them, and Shiina admitted to following a stray cat to the school, Hinata laughed and he and his wife both engulfed her in their arms again.
Needless to say, the former ninja was getting a lot of love. It made Ayato almost want to laugh to think about how she must be feeling. Living alone in an empty house for such a long time, an isolated person like her, and then going out one day and being barraged with attention and affection. It must have been like what he went through a few days ago with Hinata, Otonashi, and Kanade times a hundred.
Right now, while Hinata and Yui were jokingly calling Shiina their matchmaker, Yuri was rolling her eyes and smiling into her drink. That pure, joy-filled aura she had when he and the rest of the graduating group appeared on her doorstep came back in full force, an energy that made her glow. Ayato grinned. What an extrovert. He'd always known, even when it was mostly the two of them in high school, that there was a social butterfly in her just waiting to get out.
"Well, enough about us," said Shiina, ever the introvert. She flicked her gaze in his and Yuri's direction. "Yuri, how did you and Naoi end up together?"
Yuri blinked, caught. "I don't—how did you know about that?"
Shiina stared back at her, reading her intensely, then motioned to her hand. "The ring."
"Oh, I—" Yuri raised her left hand to eye-level, arching an eyebrow at it as if just remembering that it was there. In all fairness, Ayato had forgotten it too. She gazed at her finger for a minute, or it might've only been seconds, before twisting off the band and dropping it into his outstretched palm. Their fingers brushed. "Sorry."
He wondered if she was apologizing for holding onto the ring or for the brief, tingling skin contact. It wasn't her wearing the ring that was killing him, it was taking it back. "It's fine."
"You proposed to an amnesiac?" Hinata asked in snickering disbelief, his arm around Yui.
Otonashi looked even more surprised. "She said yes?"
"I did not!" Ayato and Yuri protested in unison. He threw a particularly offended look at Otonashi, who shrugged his innocence.
"I was just trying it on," said Yuri, rubbing absently at her bare ring finger, "because he wanted to know if it would help with my memories. I figured, what's the harm in modeling jewelry? But then Shiina showed up and he went and did his little… memory-giving hypnosis thing on her."
Frowning, Shiina tapped her puppy-covered tea mug with restless fingers.
"What about your memories?" she asked. "Why did Hinata call you an amnesiac?"
Yui's hand shot up, earning her an amused glance from her husband.
"Ooh, let me field this one!" she said excitedly. Once she had Shiina's full attention, she preened a little, looking smug to be the one with all the gossip. "Yurippe used to be married to this guy — um, God guy—"
Ayato rolled his eyes. At least someone called him God.
"—but they divorced six months ago, and during that time, she forgot everything about him!"
"Everything?" Shiina stared hard at Ayato, cold and calculating. "About just him?"
He shifted under her glare; perhaps some of her intimidation tactics did have an effect on him. She had trusted him enough in the Afterlife to stand near him once in a while, a rarity from an evasive and reclusive ninja, so the suspicion radiating from her threw him off guard.
Kanade nodded, watching their staring match. "It's a very specific amnesia," she said, quoting Hinata. "Just Naoi. He hasn't been very happy about it. He's been doing all he can to jog her memories. The ring is his latest attempt."
If Ayato didn't know any better, he'd think his former student body president was trying to defend him.
"What if that stems from guilt?" said Shiina, not taking her eyes off of him for a moment. "If it's so specific, maybe he did it himself. He has the power."
He stood up abruptly, slamming his hands on the table. "How DARE you—"
"Hey," Otonashi cut in, putting up a hand for peace. "It's okay, Naoi. None of us think you would do that to her."
Shiina made a small considering noise as Ayato reluctantly sat back down. "It wouldn't be the first time he manipulated her memories."
If he had felt any better when Otonashi defended him, his stomach dropped in an instant at the look of bewilderment and outrage that flashed across Yuri's face.
"Excuse me?!" Her mouth tightened as she sent him a sideways glower. "You didn't tell me about that!"
"It never came up!" he said, sweating. Yuri just gave an angry, indignant snort. "Honestly! What was I supposed to say in the midst of all this? 'Hello Yuri, nice to see you again, while we're trying to round up all our friends, would you please help me return your memories so I can remind you of the time I was the Battlefront's worst enemy—'"
"Actually—" Hinata started.
"'—and tried to obliterate you with false memories so I could take over the Afterlife as God?'"
"That does sound clunky," Yui reasoned.
Yuri continued to frown at him, looking him up and down. "I'm just wondering what else happened between us that you haven't told me," she said, taking a slow sip of her coffee.
Ayato raised an eyebrow, watching her. "You know, I can help you figure that out."
She blinked at him slowly, catlike, but kept drinking.
"Anyways, Shiina, we really don't think it was him," said Hinata, and Ayato glanced over at him in interest. "He was genuinely shocked when she didn't know who he was. Plus he only developed his hypnotism again recently."
"Something like that takes time," Kanade agreed, looking far away. "In the Afterlife, I saw him poring over books for months before NPCs started mindlessly following him around. In this world, he would've had to do it again. Long after Naoi and Yuri last saw each other."
"That's fair." Shiina poured Yui more coffee before Yuri could call dibs on the last of it. When Yuri frowned at her, betrayed, Shiina squinted back. "What else do you know about this?"
Yuri shrugged. "It's what I don't know that's the problem. Apparently my brain hole-punched him out of the Battlefront, and from seven years of my life."
"Her slate got wiped clean of him!" Yui chimed in, small and jittery from caffeine. "Something hacked her brain and rewrote her life God guy free."
Shiina paused. Her brow furrowed, she gave both Yui and Yuri a curious look. "You mean… like a spell?" she asked slowly.
A spell? Ayato's forehead creased, thinking back. Ryou had called it that…
"Sorry for the intrusion!"
Shiina, who had whirled around in her seat at the sound of the front door opening, relaxed suddenly at the person's voice but still looked surprised. Everyone present peered at her in confusion, then followed her gaze to the front hallway.
"Shiina, are you home? I was wondering if you knew whether or not I left my—"
The woman, petite with mousy brown hair tumbling down her shoulders, widened her dark blue eyes once she stepped foot into the hall and saw everyone gathered in the kitchen. Her book bag strap fell slack a little ways down her shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you had guests." She laughed shyly, rubbing her arm and taking in her audience. "I suppose I should have known by the mysterious cars…"
As she scanned the table, her eyes fell on someone in particular.
"Oh, Yuri! Fancy meeting you here!" she said, beaming with recognition. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes it has," Yuri said thoughtfully, knitting her brows as if trying to piece together a memory. Then it dawned on her. "You're Ryou's friend, aren't you? Yukine Miyazawa. The one who knows magical charms and stuff."
"I have quite a few books on them, yes." Yukine glanced Shiina's way. "Speaking of which, I think I left one here. The one on trust and affection in various species?"
Shiina was unconsciously knotting her finger in a lock of long hair. "It's upstairs on my dresser."
"Thanks, I'll go—"
"Wait!" Ayato said, just as Yukine was about to turn on her heel towards the staircase. She stopped and looked at him, all doe-eyed and innocent. Just like Ryou when she was hiding something. He frowned suspiciously. "Magical charms? You mean like ones involving memory?"
Just as he suspected, a knowing look crossed her face.
"You're the ex-husband, aren't you?"
He nodded. The subsequent sympathy in her eyes made him clench his jaw. Oh, was she sorry for erasing his entire existence from Yuri's brain?
She seemed to sense his bristling. "Well, I haven't dabbled with anyone's memories," she told him, folding her arms but looking at him gently. "Ryou told me what happened to Yuri, but that wasn't my magic. That magic comes from a man much more powerful and meddlesome than I am."
He deflated, believing her. Another mention of that magic man! Why was there a man out there erasing people's memories? Why him? Why Yuri?
She didn't deserve this mental crisis, and neither did he. They both deserved answers.
"Who the hell is this magic m—?"
"What kind of magical charms do you know?" Yui interrupted, scowling. Her fingers drummed against the wood of the table impatiently.
Yukine blinked, suddenly noticing Yui was there.
"Well," she said, sending her a smile that she didn't return, "I have quite a library at home, but the charms I'm most knowledgeable in have to do with love, luck, and location."
"Location charms?" Hinata looked curious. "What do those do?"
Yukine tapped her chin, musing for a moment. "There was this one charm I used back in high school," she said. "I told my friends to make a heart with their fingers, say 'she loves me, she loves me not' three times, and walk around the school campus one time. The person who cared for them would be the first one to come up and talk to them."
Yui made a small acknowledging sound. "Is that how you and Shiina got together?"
Both Shiina and Yukine went a sizzling red. The former turned sharply and threw Yui a piercing glare, which only made Yui wither for a second before meeting it defiantly.
"Come on, Yui," Hinata said tersely, resting his hand over hers. "That's none of our business."
"Oh goodness, are we that obvious?" said Yukine, putting a hand to her cheek. She managed a sheepish smile. "Shiina and I aren't together though. We broke up over a month ago. I only came over to pick up that book. I… I really should go get it."
"Wait!"
This time, it was Kanade who stopped her. The urgency in her tone caught the rest of the room by surprise.
"About that location charm you used," she said, rosy-cheeked at the attention, "do you have anything similar to that, but with long lost friends?"
Otonashi perked up. Even Ayato had to admit to himself, that wasn't a bad idea.
Yukine looked pensive, glancing instinctively at the clock above Shiina's stove. "I think I have a few spells like that, but they're in the books I'm bringing with me to Ryou's, and I'm in a hurry. Ryou's having a bit of a crisis."
"Crisis?" Yuri echoed. Her eyebrows rose a notch. "Why didn't she tell me?"
Ayato frowned. Last time he saw Ryou was only a day and a half ago, and she appeared to be fine. Except perhaps that was because she was too busy taking care of him after the incident with his attacker. And telling him about that stupid spell.
"I'm sure she just thought you might be busy," Yukine said soothingly. "I'm going because I've got a few spells that should make her feel much better!"
"Magic isn't the solution to everything," Ayato grumbled.
"Says the guy with actual hypnotism," Hinata said with a snort.
Yuri's attention was still fixated on Yukine. "So you're headed to Mizuzaka now?"
"Yes. Ryou sounded very upset, and her sister didn't seem to be of any help. I'd love to let you borrow the books when I get back tomorrow, maybe tonight if all goes well-"
"Or," Yuri broke in, "we could follow you there."
Her words took a minute to settle in with the rest of the group. Then Hinata blinked at her. "We're going back to Mizuzaka?"
"Yep." She sensed Ayato's gaze on her, and looked him straight in the eye. "I've already told Naoi, I miss it there. And I want to see Ryou, AND we need a main base. I've checked the maps and it's the best meeting point for most of us."
"That sounds fine," said Yukine. "You all can discuss this amongst yourselves while I go get my book."
Ayato, who'd been distracted by the excited buzz of his thoughts, watched Yukine go. He'd been thinking – establishing a main base in Mizuzaka could be extremely helpful to him. It had plenty of places, things, and people who could jog Yuri's memory. But he was still stuck on why it was impaired in the first place. The pictures hadn't succeeded. The ring had only backfired on him. He had hope for Mizuzaka, but what if this was a "hair of the dog that bit you" situation? If all else failed, he wanted to at least know what or who cursed her.
Ignoring the prattle going on between his friends, he trailed Yukine to the bottom of the stairs.
"Miyazawa!" She paused on the steps and turned around a third time. He would admire her patience if he weren't so exasperated himself. "I'll let you go, but first tell me – who the hell is this magic man you and Ryou keep talking about?"
She considered him for a moment, then shook her head.
"It's not a name I like to speak," she replied. "Calling his name is sometimes how he finds you."
"And what if I want to find him?" Ayato pressed, forcing her eyes to meet his. He wasn't going to hypnotize her, but she needed to know he was serious. "He stole Yuri's memories. I want to get them back for her."
"I understand that." Yukine chewed her mouth restlessly. "If you really want answers, one effective way is to go to the place that means the most to you. That's where you'll find him."
Ayato frowned, then nodded. They both took that as their cue to leave. While she hurried up the steps, he returned to the kitchen where everyone was waiting.
"Naoi," Otonashi greeted him. "Your vote?"
All eyes were on him. He realized he'd missed an entire discussion, and now they were waiting on him for a decision.
"I agree with Yuri," Ayato said. "We should go to Mizuzaka."
After all, he had a walking bridge to get to.
A/N: I considered making Yukine just a neighbor - but you know how exes are, always coming over to fetch their stuff! (Unless, of course, they're Yuri.) It's kinda funny to think that when Ryou called her over, she might've heard Shiina in the background and was blissfully unaware. Yukine could've mentioned her in passing and Yuri had no clue she was talking about her former Battlefront friend. (You know what? I'm the author. This is canon now.)
Well, I just hope I'm getting these chapters as accurate as possible. I'll let you all know if I get my Vaio documents back and revise the chapters.
In the meantime, welcome to Season 1B!
Preview:
"We're taking a break?"
"I need time alone with my thoughts."
"You protected her."
"Hinakins, their faces were this close!"
"Of course she wouldn't trust me."
"Did you or did you not try to kiss her?"
[Chapter 17]: Our Strange Quartet.
