A/N: Steins;Gate and Science Adventure are owned by Chiyomaru Studio. All characters presented in this story are their own.

Spoilers for the SciADV series run rampant in this fic, so beware.

Date: ?

Divergence: ?

Time until Overwrite: ?

Okabe slowly opened his eyes. His face was poking out of a comfortably warm body of water that he wasn't keen on leaving anytime soon. His mucles weren't aching, his head wasn't pounding, and all the pain he previously felt was totally absent.

He opened his eyes to the universe before him. He, who was laying down in what seemed like an endless expanse of a calm, warm, ocean, saw all the stars laid bare to him. The night sky was sparkling with an immensity that he never thought possible: all the constellations, all the planets, everything about the universe at large was visible, not one speck of darkness present anywhere. It all captivated him. It was as if they were beckoning for him, calling out his name so that he could join the ever-expansive blanket of light.

Okabe raised his hand out of the pool he found himself in to reach for those very same stars. What his hand met was a cold that he had only ever experienced twice: once when he was trapped in the Time Leap Machine and the other when he was in Wakui's delusion. The contrast between the sensation of comfortable warmth and metallic cold was strikingly clear, making Okabe immediately have his hand retreat back into the water.

The ripples that formed as a consequence of his movements pulsated far into the horizon that he saw in front of him until they eventually were no longer visible. Everything was quiet save for the sound of the water moving along with his own breathing.

Where am I?

Everything looked so beautiful, but he couldn't help feeling on edge because of the feeling of coldness that now plagued his arm which was submerged under the water. Such beauty, locked away by the ever-expansive, cold space between it and himself.

He wondered just what was going on. One second he was celebrating Kurisu's pregnancy, the next he had to break the news of Leskinen's demise, and immediately after that, he was tortured for information on his friends by a member of the Committee of 300. Now, he found himself in such a space that could never be realistically possible. Such a pool would never be so warm nor have quite the view he saw of the universe.

"Am I dead?"

Okabe couldn't help asking aloud. His voice was clear and he didn't have any trouble working the words out of his throat like he did earlier in Wakui's presence.

"Not quite," a voice echoed all around Okabe. "But that warmth you feel is the warmth of death's embrace."

Okabe followed the sound of the gruff, familiar voice and found himself once more. His counterpart walked along the water, his feet not sinking, making a mockery of the depth that he himself was aware of. The labcoat was astral in form, rather, his entire body was astral in form. It was as if the universe grabbed whatever galaxy it could find and mashed them together into the form that was him.

The Astral Kyouma's labcoat billowed despite the absence of wind as he approached Okabe's prone body. Okabe would have sat up, but after the terrible cold that his arm was afflicted with by just raising it out of the water, he opted to remain submerged. The Astral Kyouma now stood over Okabe, peering down at him. Despite the fact that he had no facial features due to just what he seemed to be made out of, Okabe felt comfortable in his presence. The world seemed to have stopped now that he faced the Astral Kyouma. The tails of multiple galaxies spun in his form to the point that his general shape became slightly distorted each time a galaxy's tail spun past the borders that defined his body.

"I tell you such a cool phrase like: 'The rest is up to you', yet here you are on the verge of death," Kyouma said, his voice echoing within the space they found themselves in. "Are you trying to spite me?"

Okabe chuckled, "I don't think my own body would have had it any other way."

He was laughing despite the fact that his brain may have been shutting down and firing its last couple neurotransmitters before it did so. He was spending his possible last moments talking to a version of himself that he never quite understood. He didn't know if this was supposed to be the Okabe he guided to Steins Gate, or if it was just a manifestation of the guilt he felt after finding out that Leskinen was murdered.

This manifestation of himself - whether it be through voice or through body like the one that stood before him - only began appearing rather recently, but each time it did, it managed to help Okabe more than one would think it'd deter him.

"What are you supposed to be, anyway?" Okabe finally asked.

The Astral Kyouma was surprised by the question. For the longest time they had sat there looking at each other until Okabe finally broke the silence.

"You don't know who I am?" the Astral Kyouma whipped up his galaxy-coat and posed. "Has your brain been so heavily damaged that you don't remember the name Hououin-!"

"I know who you are."

Okabe felt a little bad for interrupting himself, but he really wanted to know before he possibly faded out of existence.

"I don't see the logic in this line of questioning then," the Astral Kyouma crossed his arms.

"No, not a line of questioning," Okabe corrected himself. "Just one question."

"If you know who I am, then why are you asking?"

"Are you being willfully dense?"

"Huh?"

Okabe sighed and closed his eyes, a smile still planted on his face. He was so used to being the excessively difficult one to converse with, but this change of pace wasn't too bad for his taste. He was at peace with himself and with the world around him. Any and all doubts he previously had about the world as he left it were removed from his head. Everything that transpired between his capture and his rescue was a blur, but he didn't doubt Valkyrie would make everything right - they always did somehow.

"So," Kyouma crossed his arms. "You're giving up?"

Okabe reopened his eyes to see the stars past Kyouma. "I've lived through more pain than you can ever hope to experience. I'd like to see you resist the temptation of this warmth once you go through even half the things I've been forced to endure."

Kyouma's form shifted, the galaxies within his body were becoming unfocused. Within seconds, what replaced the galaxies frightened Okabe as much as it made him even more curious about his past.

There, standing above him, was a battered man: one eye swollen shut, cuts all over his clothing, and bullet holes in his chest and legs. The labcoat transformed into a simple black overcoat, and Kyouma himself was now made of flesh and blood. His hair was a mess and his posture was less stoic than his astral form. Okabe just sat there, in the water, waiting for Kyouma to explain himself.

"I believe I've already told you about the world's unfortunate shift out of Steins Gate back in 2020," Kyouma had lost the astounding echo in his voice. "This was the state of my body before I was able to find a way back."

Kyouma turned his back toward Okabe and looked back at the sky. His overcoat didn't have the same tail-length as his labcoat, so there was no dramatic effect added to his subdued turn.

"The physical pain was one thing," he said. "But being attacked by the people I grew up calling my friends was another story in its entirety. To act alone in spite of SERN, the Committee, and the Future Gadget Lab takes a toll on one's mind that I'd never want anyone else to experience - not even a version of myself from another worldline."

"So that's how it is," Okabe was happy he finally got his answer to his first question. "My brain really is as eccentric as me, isn't it?"

"Hmm?" Kyouma turned around, confused that Okabe had not waited to let him finish his story for the ages.

"To think that you're actually the soul I guided to the Gate," Okabe chuckled. "All those memories rest only within you despite the fact that you're a part of my subconscious. I guess that explains how you know certain things that I don't.

"Ah," he chuckled softly. "It seems like I got too carried away in my holier-than-thou suffering."

He straightened up, changing his form into one that Okabe recognized so well. Himself with his labcoat, white t-shirt, and khaki pants. His hair wasn't slicked back and it seemed like his skin was less aged than Okabe's own skin. His smile was one of compassion, contrasting the one of arrogance that Okabe usually adopted when he was younger. The insane mad scientist was exhibiting the same traits that Okabe himself had exhibited many times before when he had to comfort those around him during the war - especially for people like Luka and Faris.

"Long story short," he said. "I know what it's like to be in the pain you're in. At least, physically and somewhat mentally. But your job isn't done yet."

Kyouma positioned himself right over Okabe.

"What are you doing?" Okabe asked, sensing something more menacing emanating from the figure above him.

Kyouma reached his hand down toward Okabe. Rather than the menacing aura he felt earlier, Kyouma had a warmness to him that went further than anything he'd shown. The hand, outstretched, was beckoning for Okabe to reach for it.

"Kurisu and Maho are in danger," he said. "You remember that, right?"

It took a couple moments for Okabe's memory of what happened after he escaped Wakui's delusion to come back to him. He remembered Luka saving him just before Wakui was about to plunge his sword into Okabe's body. Not only that, he remembered that Luka had said that Salieri and the Assistant were "still missing." Both served as the codenames for the girls.

"And what kind of mad scientist would I be if I didn't go out there and save them?" Okabe completed Kyouma's thought.

Kyouma nodded and smiled.

"Just a warning," he said. "The moment I begin to pull you out, the pain and cold you'll feel will be immensely terrible, but you have to go through it. The longer you spend laying in that water, the more susceptible you are from having your consciousness slip and become lost among the stars."

"You say that as if you've gone through it before," Okabe laughed.

"Only once," Kyouma chuckled as well. "But it's unforgettable."

"Then let that coldness and pain come," Okabe smirked. "I've gone through worse."

He reached out to grab Kyouma's hand, letting the piercing cold take root in his arm. The pain was tremendous, but he grit his teeth and suffered through it, grasping Kyouma's hand as tightly as he could. Kyouma, in return, began pulling Okabe out of the water. Okabe felt as if he were stuck to the surface, but little-by-little, more and more of his body was breaking free. As more of his body broke the surface, the cold assaulted him worse, but he shook the feeling of wanting to dive back into the water, trusting Kyouma's guiding hand.

Then came the memories. His ambling through each worldline flashed through his mind at once. Everything he had been forced to suffer was hitting him head-on, trying to break him mentally while the cold battered him physically. Whatever higher power that housed him in such a place was intent on keeping him there. He screamed worse at the memories that assaulted him than the cold.

Mayuri being shot right before his eyes, run over by a car, pushed into an oncoming train; Kurisu being stabbed by his hand, him holding her as she pleaded with no one in particular to save her as her life slipped away. He watched as the dreams of his friends were torn from their hands; he saw his trembling hand as he read the suicide letter of his best friend's daughter. He experienced the war that pointlessly took so many lives. He saw Luka die in his arms. He saw the time machine that housed Suzuha and Mayuri explode time and time again.

It was as if this plane of existence was warning him of the pain he'd be experiencing if he chose to leave. It pleaded with him to remain in the water, to give the suffering up. Kyouma's grip became tighter as Okabe's grip loosened. The call to the water was overcoming his senses. He just wanted to go back to the warmth.

"Make all of it right, Kyouma!" his other self yelled at him. "Make the pain worth it! Make the suffering worth it!"

Kyouma managed one last tug, breaking Okabe free from the water. "Make Steins Gate worth it!"

The cold enveloped him. He lost all sensation in himself. He lost all sight of everything around him. He was shrouded in black as he felt his consciousness being tugged in another direction.

From the darkness, there was a light. It was faint, only strong enough to give the pitch black a slight hint of gray. Everything felt slow and sluggish, not quite as freeing as the water he was previously in.

The light pulsated to a beat. It was rhythmitic, slow, weak - his heart. Once he realized just where the beat came from, he felt a twinge of pain in his chest, suddenly becoming aware of his body. He hurt all over. He was cold. His breathing was shallow: any bigger and it'd feel like he'd pop a lung, any smaller and it'd feel like he wouldn't be able to process what he could intake.

His eyes felt heavy. Any lightness that he felt while in that state of "purgatory" was totally lost on every part of his body. He let out a small groan, one that he could hardly hear despite it emanating from him. The light overcame the dark in one fell swoop. Now, behind the screen of pitch black, he'd feel like light would flood his vision if he tried opening his eyes. Slowly, surely, Okabe began stirring into consciousness once more. He opened his eyes as best he could. It was in this attempt that he realized that one of them was covered, leaving the other, very unfocused one, to do all the hard work of granting some sort of sight. Everything was blurry, but Okabe could at least make out some details of the room he was in.

There was an opening in the ceiling that allowed cold air to hit his body in the bed. Just next to his bed was the heavy medical equipment that seemed to be necessary just to allow him to perform unconscious functions like breathing and allowing blood to flow. It didn't totally replace his organs in performing these functions as he felt he had control over how to breathe, but he could tell they were doing a lot of work to make sure his organs got the proper assistance.

The room itself was just like any other hospital room he had seen. The source of light for the room came from a couple lamps set up on the walls. There was no window to the outside world, which was expected because someone in Okabe's condition definitely needed a room capable of handling his needs. The bigger the room, the less likely one would be getting a window only because it was an effort to maximize space. Everything was a stale color of white save for the flowers that were placed on the table opposite of all the machinery being used to keep him alive. They were all purple lilies that stood upright and strong, a pale opposite to Okabe's current state.

There was one more thing that broke up the monotony of the room, rather, a person. They were a couple feet away from the table with the flowers, their head leaning back against the chair they were seated in, eyes closed. If Okabe was capable of doing so, he would have let out a gasp at seeing said person. Even though his eyes were unfocused, he could very well tell just who it was that seemed to be watching over him. Despite their current non-wakefulness, they exhibited the strongest protective quality that Okabe knew was evident ever since 2010. She sat there in her long, blue dress, long-sleeved white blouse, and a pink ribbon that tied both aspects of her style together. It was a sight Okabe knew so well.

"Ma...yu...ri...?"

His voice was frail from the events that led to his hospitalization, and muffled from the mask that covered his face. However, it was just enough to get Mayuri stirring out of her sleep. She yawned, rubbing her eyes of any crust that accumulated from her seemingly long rest, before taking a good look at the hospital bed. She gasped when she saw that Okabe was facing her, awake.

"Okarin?"

Any tiredness that she would have had was immediately abandoned as she jumped out of her chair to get close to him.

"Okarin!"

If Mayuri's smile had the power to heal, Okabe would have been rejuvenated on the spot. She kneeled down next to his bed, tears in her eyes, a smile planted on her face. She held his hand with hers, showering him with the affection she was always capable of giving.

"Thank goodness you're okay," she sniffed. "I'm so glad you're awake."

All Okabe could manage was a smile.

"The... others...?" he forced out of his throat.

Mayuri straightened up from her previous position of resting her head on Okabe's hand. "Yeah, let me call them."

She pulled out her phone, another PhoneDroid. This one seemed more customized than the one that Kurisu and Okabe owned, having bright blue and green clash violently toward the middle of its back.

"Tutturu~" she singed into her phone. "Guess what? He's awake!"

She hummed an agreement to the person on the other side of the line.

"See you soon."

She put the phone back in her pocket and focused her attention back onto Okabe. She gave him one more look up and down, the smile on her face slowly breaking down the more she looked at him. Tears flowed freely once more as she planted her face right into the hand that she was still clinging to.

"You scared me so much," she sobbed. "I don't know what I would have done if you actually..."

"Hey..." Okabe called her attention. "What... kind of mad... scientist... would... I be... if... I left... my... hostage... behind?"

His voice was raspy, but he felt like Mayuri could hear him clearly. He coughed, feeling a searing hot pain erupt in his chest.

"Don't force yourself," she said. "Save your energy for when the others come around, okay?"

She flashed a tearful smile after what he had told her. Saying that brought both of them back to their childhood: before the invention of the time machine; before any of the conspiracies surrounding SERN or worldlines; before World War III; before the suffering his hubris had wrought on not only each other, but their best friends. Okabe wished the best for Mayuri on this worldline, but it seemed like he struggled to provide even that. It was as if God Himself had decided to punish him for challenging His domain. It seemed like this was the heavens' attempt to keep him from achieving the happiness he wished to bestow upon the world.

"You know," Mayuri said. "I feel really selfish right now because this is the closest we've been ever since you moved to America with Chris-chan. I shouldn't be happy right now, should I?"

"Be... selfish," Okabe was careful not to force himself too much. "It's... on...ly... hu...man..."

Okabe held out hope that Kurisu and Maho were possibly recovered by Luka while he was comatose. While the chances felt slim considering everything fate had thrown at him, it was all he could do to remain in high spirits. This was the first time he had seen Mayuri in Steins Gate and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. His hands were heavily bandaged, meaning he couldn't exactly squeeze Mayuri's hand in reassurance. The best he could do was with his words, but even that was a struggle because of how everything involved in producing said voice was injured in some way.

A beep was heard by the door. It slid open, allowing a large group to enter at once. For the briefest second, Okabe felt like he was launched back into 2010. It had been so long since he had seen everyone together all at once, but they were there: Yuki, Suzuha, Kagari, Daru, Faris, Luka, Moeka, and Nae were all present. Aside from those he considered his closest friends, he also saw people he never even recognized. He could only guess that they were the other members of Valkyrie. A pink-haired woman; two identical girls with their bluish-black hair up in ponytails, one wearing a labcoat and the other wearing a simple button-up (who also happened to be sucking on a popsicle); one man with dark hair, holding the hand of the pink-haired woman; a much older man with black hair, split by a gray patch running up the middle of his head; and a young couple, both of them with brown-hair, the girl wearing glasses while the boy's (they were adults, but they were visibly younger than the rest) eyes were strongly planted on his Pokecom in his hand.

With all these people in the room, the absence of the two he desired to see most only became more glaring. There was no stubborn girl with shoulder-length chestnut hair. There was no long-haired woman who was as tall as everyone's stomach. The pain in his chest only grew in intensity as his heart beat faster at their absence. The heart monitor picked up the spike, alerting everyone towards Okabe's ailing condition.

"Okarin!" Mayuri tried getting his attention. "Everything's okay. Look at me."

Okabe's eyes darted in Mayuri's direction.

"Breathe," she whispered. "It's okay. Just breathe."

Okabe followed Mayuri's instructions as the group behind her watched with worry. Mayuri passed her hand over his hair, petting him in an attempt to calm him down. Slowly, steadily, his heartrate stabilized.

"Okarin-san," a voice called out from behind Mayuri.

Mayuri cleared out of the way for someone else to take their place next to him. It was the woman with pink hair. Her skin seemed more wrinkled than it should for someone with such a light voice like hers. However, she still showed that motherly worry that Mayuri exhibited earlier, maybe exacerbating such a feeling by looking older than him.

"I'm so sorry for not being able to find you sooner," she apologized, rubbing the same hand that Mayuri had. "If I did my job and kept my eye on Wakui, none of this would have happened."

Okabe could only guess her position in Valkyrie based off of what she had just said. It seemed like her one and only job was to keep watch over dangerous individuals such as Wakui.

"No... one's... fault..." he breathed. "Don't... worry."

"You're just too nice to be a self-proclaimed mad scientist," she laughed a tired laugh that had a hint of regret to it. "If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate on letting me know. It's the least I can do for letting this happen."

Okabe slightly nodded, feeling pain course through his neck as he did so. When she got the acknowledgement she needed, the woman made way for the youngest of the bunch. Kagari and Suzuha both approached Okabe with smiles on their faces.

"We're so glad you're okay, Uncle Okarin," Suzuha said, squeezing a worried Kagari's hand.

Suzuha's voice was not as commanding as Okabe was used to in the Beta worldline. She retained that air of innocence and giddiness that she had on the Alpha worldline. Her hair mirrored her attitude, opting to go with the two classic pigtails from way back before Okabe considered reaching the age of 40. Seeing her, Mayuri, and Kagari together brought a warmth to his chest that helped fill the hole left behind by the absence of Maho and Kurisu. Operation Altair was not a waste; all of the planning and the actual rescue had led them to this moment. Only he will remember, but that was perfectly fine with him. He didn't need to be regarded as a hero.

Okabe smiled at the pair. "I'll... always... be... here..."

"We're counting on it," Suzuha winked at him before going back to the crowd.

The next people up were Faris, Luka, and Moeka together.

"Kyouma," Faris put her hands on his hand. "I feel so terrible for what happened, nya."

Faris looked exactly like she did in 2010. Okabe swore she never aged. Luka was the same as he looked in 2036 of the hellish worldline. His ponytail was clipped by his skull pin. His features were much lighter, very likely due to the fact that he didn't have to devote his life entirely to fighting like he did during World War III. He wore a simple black button down with slim-fitting red pants. Over that shirt, he wore a light leather jacket - something that was very different from how he looked when Okabe first encountered him on the worldline.

The one who seemed to have changed the most was Moeka. She seemed to exude more confidence in herself than her Alpha and Beta counterparts. Her hair was parted to the side even more than before. She no longer had any bangs, exposing her forehead. To Okabe, she had a sexy sort of confidence, but thanks to what she'd put him through and what he knew about her, that sexiness never went past her looks. She dressed conservatively, having a black suit jacket over a white top and black dress.

"I should have mobilized the Rounders as soon as news got out about Wakui," Moeka said in the most conversation-like voice Okabe's ever witnessed. "Please, forgive me for being too late."

She bowed deeply, not moving an inch from her spot. She sounded like she was sobbing. There were so many things that went wrong that led to Okabe's capture, but he couldn't blame any one of his friends for the issues he had to face. Everything started because he decided to drug Leskinen, and he was going to keep the other from shouldering the blame. Regardless, he was surprised how much of a grasp he had on people to make them cry in regret for things that weren't their fault.

"Worry... not... Shining... Finger," he smiled. "It... takes... more... than... that... to..."

Okabe started coughing, bringing the pain in his chest to the forefront. Unlike the dry cough from earlier, blood spurted right onto his mask. It felt like he could stop breathing at any moment. He held on to consciousness as best he could, but the pain was absolutely unbearable.

"Get the doctor in here!" Okabe could hear Daru order as he began fading out.

He stopped coughing, but the damage was already done. His heartrate had spiked and it seemed like he wasn't going to be able to get it down with a couple deep breaths. He felt a comfortable warmth spreading across his chest, beckoning him to sleep, but he stubbornly tried staying awake just as he did in Wakui's presence.

"Okarin!" Mayuri yelled for his name, running toward his spot. "Hang in there! I know you can do it!"

Okabe looked up at Mayuri, bruised and bloodied, and could feel himself calm down more and more. He didn't know whether that was good or bad because the calmness he attained only worsened his desire to close his eyes to the world.

He looked up. He saw a familiar sight, but it was too blurry for him to make out properly.

There. In the corner. Just between Yuki and Daru. He saw the unmistakable chestnut-colored hair. He wanted to reach out, but he was too weak to lift his arms up at all. She was right there, but she wasn't facing him. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Why wasn't she by his side?

"Ku...ri...su..." he called out toward the silhouette.

Before he could say anything else, his body had reached its breaking point. The door beeped, letting more people in that Okabe could no longer see. His vision was invaded with black, just as it was when he first woke up. His breathing slowed down, becoming more ragged and weak as time went on. He felt a presence rush to his side, touching him more than anyone else had, as if they were checking for something.

All the voices began meshing together.

"Clear the room!"

"Is he going to be okay?!"

"Please ma'am, we need you all to leave. We don't know yet."

"Okarin-san, stay with us!"

"Get out, now! One of you two, grab me the crash cart."

"Get a hold of yourself, Okabe Rintaro!"

The voice of the woman he loved was the last voice he heard. Whether it was his mind playing tricks on him or not, he was glad he got to hear Kurisu at least once before he went back into the deepest slumber he'd ever faced.

A/N: Hey all, sorry for the wait. College has made me busy, and I'm currently dealing with some personal issues. However, I wasn't keen on leaving you guys hanging for too long. I'm happy that I was finally able to reintroduce the rest of the Future Gadget Lab in one go and they, for sure, are not gonna be relegated to just this chapter.

It makes me so happy to see that many of you enjoy my writing. You guys bring out the best in me and I can't be any more appreciative for that, so thank you.

Happy Late Thanksgiving. I hope you all enjoyed.

~Quil