Chapter 3: Episodes 38-49

"Shut up!"

Sento snapped awake at Banjou's shout.

"It was all in the name of scientific progress," his voice said, as he examined his face in the mirror, displeased at what he saw.

Such a baby face. No one will take me seriously.

That voice—! He hadn't thought that. He hadn't lifted the mirror, hadn't spoken.

"You asshole," Banjou growled, standing up and approaching him.

Before Banjou could grab his shirt, his body reached out and poked Banjou in the chest, stopping his forward motion. "What I don't understand is your presence here, Banjou Ryuuga," he said coldly. "You have Evolt's DNA, so why are you helping me? I was trying to destroy you and Evolt."

Katsuragi Takumi. This person was Katsuragi Takumi. The real one, not Sento.

Because Kiryuu Sento was a made-up person. He was a placeholder for the real owner of this body. And now, Katsuragi was back. There was no need for Kiryuu Sento anymore.

"I'm not Evolt. I don't even have his memories."

"So? You could be playing the fool," Katsuragi said dispassionately.

"He's your soulmate!" Misora snapped, and all eyes flicked to her. She held her hands tight at her sides, and her gaze was furious even while her eyes filled with tears. "How can you talk about destroying him? You're soulmates!"

Sawa clapped her hands over her mouth in shock while Banjou's gaze fell to the floor. Katsuragi let out a bitter laugh.

"We're not soulmates."

Misora took a step forward. "You have his name on your body."

Banjou's eyes snapped to him, wide in shock. "You—"

Katsuragi shook his head. "I assure you, I do not. I haven't had a name on my body since the Sky Wall Disaster, but even before then, the name was not Banjou Ryuuga."

"I've seen it," Misora insisted, taking another step. "After the poison. You showed me." She put a hand over her heart. "Right here. It was beautiful," she breathed out, even as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Sento reached out for the feeling of that mark. The one he'd taken comfort in while poisoned, the one he'd recognized even while under Evolt's possession.

It wasn't there.

Even as Katsuragi opened his mouth to protest, Banjou closed the space between them and ripped Katsuragi's shirt up. Everyone gasped. Katsuragi even used the mirror still in his hand to look himself.

Clear, blank skin. There wasn't a mark on him.

Katsuragi smirked like he'd won something. "See? No mark. You were mistaken."

If Sento could have punched him, he would have. The way he talked to Sento's friends—! Instead, he could merely watch as Banjou stumbled back.

"That's—," Banjou tried, then had to clear his throat. "That's fine." He lifted his eyes to Katsuragi's face. "I wouldn't want Katsuragi Takumi as a soulmate anyway."

For the first time, a spark of emotion shot through Katsuragi. Irritation. He was offended that someone like Banjou would reject him, who was so much better.

"You—!"

Gentoku stepped into view from the stairs, ending the conversation abruptly.

"Mr. Himuro," Katsuragi murmured in shock. The others fell the wayside as this one person who knew him as him, and not this 'Sento' person, arrived. Here was someone who would talk sense.

It was painful to watch from inside as Katsuragi Takumi lived his life.

He treated Sento's friends like idiots—which they were, but that didn't make them inferior or worthless! Sento quite liked them that way. They kept him from getting too full of himself, and helped him see simple things that he otherwise would have overlooked.

Misora cooked for him and he ignored her. He claimed the bed without caring that it didn't belong to him. And every time Banjou was near, he glared at the redhead.

Everyone looked at him like they were afraid of him, or like someone had died, and it hurt. Sento wanted to tease them, to ask what was with the long faces. He wanted to reassure them that he was still there. And when Banjou responded to a sharp remark from Katsuragi by looking like he was about to cry instead of with a punch…Sento wanted to hold him. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to fight.

But, like with Evolt, Sento might as well have not existed. He couldn't do anything. Couldn't help. Couldn't struggle. Couldn't do a single useful thing. He'd been relegated to observer, seeing how the world was supposed to work without his invading presence.

Except…He'd had a soul mark. The universe had accepted him as a living, breathing, real person. He had felt that truth. And whether or not Banjou had a matching mark—which Evolt suggested he did, somehow—Sento had loved him. Still did. He loved all of them—His family. The one they had all built.

And wasn't that enough? Didn't that mean he was real?

"It's fading."

Katsuragi paused at the fridge door, more shocked than concerned by the anguish in Banjou's voice coming from the café beyond. Silently, he edged the door open and peeked out. Banjou was standing with his back to the fridge, his shirt lifted to show his chest to Misora, who gasped in horror.

"But that's—!" she managed, her voice wavering.

Banjou shook his head, dropping his shirt. "I don't want to lose it," he said, and it was like the words were forced from him at great cost. "I don't want to lose…him. But it's fading."

Soul marks faded when one half of the pair died. They never fully went away, but they resembled a thin scar, rather than anything solid or bold. Sento had never seen one in person before but had looked up the phenomenon while researching his own lack. The scars honestly appeared similar to something made by a knife, and anecdotes said losing a soulmate felt comparable to such a wound.

"Banjou," Misora tried, but had to stop, whatever consoling words lost to her. "He was so happy," she breathed out, tears dripping down her cheeks. "He didn't tell me, but he always hated himself for not having a mark. He thought there was something wrong with him."

Katsuragi hadn't thought there was anything wrong with not having a mark. It was caused by the Sky Wall Disaster, after all. Perfectly logical. And he hadn't missed it. Without a soulmate, he had nothing and no one to worry about. He could do his experiments in peace.

"But then he had you," Misora continued, rubbing at her eyes. "He-He had your name. And he was—It was like a weight lifted. He loved you so much!" She was outright weeping now.

It was strange, hearing people talk about you like you had died. But Katsuragi was still there. And he didn't have Banjou Ryuuga's name anywhere on his body. How could this 'Sento' have had a mark? They were the same person. They had to have the same soulmate, didn't they? All of this was simply wishful thinking, or a case of misunderstanding.

It's not! Sento tried to tell him. It was real! He was real!

Banjou's shoulders hunched and shook. No doubt he was crying too. How strange, to see someone so evil cry.

He's not evil!

"He told me—he didn't have a mark," Banjou managed, then shook his head again. "I should've told him anyway. I should've—"

Misora stepped forward to hug Banjou as they both dissolved into tears. Katsuragi let the fridge door fall shut and retreated down the stairs.

Sento wanted to scream. Go back! Go back! But it made no difference. Katsuragi couldn't hear him nor feel him. He was a phantom.

And what made that even more unbearable was the fact that Katsuragi's heart wasn't breaking for the two upstairs. He was curious about their behavior but otherwise unmoved. He thought they were being stupid, crying over a person who had only existed for a short time, who wasn't really dead because Katsuragi was the real one and he was still there. Katsuragi didn't care, and Sento hated him for it.

"I'm going to complete this, the ultimate device, and then I will use it to defeat Evolt along with Banjou Ryuuga."

Kazumi's head jerked up. "What do you mean 'along with Banjou'?"

"Banjou Ryuuga needs to be eliminated before he becomes a threat," Katsuragi said, and then promptly turned to his computer to continue ignoring Misora and Kazumi.

Banjou isn't a threat. The DNA in him might be a threat, but Banjou wasn't. Instead of focusing on killing Banjou, Katsuragi should be finding a way to negate the threat posed by the DNA. A way to neutralize it.

If he needed proof that Banjou was as human as they came, that he wasn't a threat to humanity—he had a soul mark. Somehow, he even had two. Ogura Kasumi on his shoulder blade and, apparently, Katsuragi Takumi—or, maybe, Kiryuu Sento?—on his chest. Since Pandora's Box was from Evolt's planet, and Evolt's species was bent on world destruction, it was reasonable to assume that Evolt's species did not have soulmates. But Banjou did. Instead of focusing on killing Banjou, Katsuragi needed to focus on defeating Evolt.

None of Sento's thoughts made it through to Katsuragi though. Or, if they did, they were dismissed. The Devil's Scientist didn't hesitate in his typing or thinking. He didn't even glance up when Kazumi stomped out of the room.

"You can't do this," Misora said once they were alone. "Banjou would never hurt someone. He's a friend. He's your soulmate."

"He's not my soulmate," Katsuragi interrupted her speech. "You've seen my chest. You know he's not."

"But he is Sento's," Misora insisted, adamantly enough that it made Katsuragi turn and face her. "They've both shown me the marks. I know they're a match. And Sento…Part of you is still Sento. I have to believe that. And Sento would never forgive himself if he hurt Banjou."

For a long while, Katsuragi simply observed Isurugi Misora. She had somehow gained the ability to purify the bottles that allowed the Build System to function, through that bangle that also came from Mars, but otherwise she was an average person. Average height and weight, average face, average intelligence. In fact, since she had spent so long in a coma, she was actually naiver than the average person because she had not been awake to experience life as it really was. There was nothing wrong with her, per say, but there was also nothing fantastic.

And in this case, she was entirely wrong.

"You're wrong again," he told her. "I am only myself. And if Sento is me, then he also knew the danger posed by Banjou Ryuuga, and knew he would need to be eliminated eventually."

YOU'RE WRONG!

The shout came from both outside and inside Katsuragi's mind and he flinched back in his seat. Misora's glare was furious.

"You're wrong," she said again, much quieter. "Sento wouldn't…Sento isn't—" She cut herself off, turned, and ran away up the stairs to the café, leaving Katsuragi alone.

Or was he?

"Who's there?" he asked aloud. "I heard you. I know you're there."

No answer. Perhaps…an emotional response?

"If you're upset that I plan to kill Banjou Ryuuga, don't be. His DNA precipitates this outcome. Evolt cannot be truly defeated until both he and Banjou are dead."

Pain in his chest made Katsuragi clench at the shirt over his heart and gasp. Was it possible that extended use of the Build System could lead to heart problems? None of his research suggested so, and yet—

Gulping, Katsuragi tried a different tact. "Kiryuu Sento agrees with me."

His chest burned. With a cry of pain, Katsuragi ripped his shirt off to find the source and stop it. Instead, he froze, watching the silver tendrils carving themselves into his skin just over his heart. By the time they stopped, he was shaking in his seat. The characters were so faded that Katsuragi might have missed them at a cursory glance—if he hadn't just felt them scar themselves into his body. The words looked like examples of soul marks after a soulmate had died, except that the silver caught the light and sparkled when he shifted just right.

"Ban…jou…Ryuu…ga," Katsuragi read, slowly, voice breathy from pain and disbelief.

As if startled, the characters immediately began to fade away. Luckily, they didn't burn as they disappeared. Within moments, his chest was as bare as it had been for the past ten years.

It wasn't possible. Katsuragi's soulmate had not been Banjou Ryuuga. His soulmate had been a platonic bond with a classmate who died during the Sky Wall Disaster. So why? Why was Banjou's name a phantom on his skin?

After the Genius Bottle was finished, Misora accosted him again. What was it with this 'Sento' that he had such naïve and yet stubborn friends? They all thought love and peace would win the day. How childish. Science would defeat Evolt, and Banjou, and save the world.

And yet, when the time came to use the Genius Bottle…nothing happened. Instead, Mad Rogue beat him and threw him across the courtyard.

"Why?" he groaned, body aching. "Theoretically, I should be able to transform…"

Mad Rogue aimed his weapon and Katsuragi's heart sped up to a dizzying speed. If science was failing him, what else did he have? If he couldn't use the Build System, he was a sitting duck! Why didn't it work!?

Just before the attack launched, Great Cross-Z jumped in the way, stopping it. Katsuragi gasped—partly in shock and partly at the warm leap in his chest that he knew was not his own emotion.

"You're not feeling it enough!" Banjou snapped as he held Mad Rogue off.

The Build transformation fizzled away, as if the suit itself didn't want to be there. Feeling? What did feelings have to do with science?

"Wanting to help and protect someone…that's what he fought for!" Banjou threw Mad Rogue away and turned to Katsuragi. Even with the mask on, his glare was obvious. "But you don't have those feelings, do you?!"

Is that what he lacked? Why Build wouldn't cooperate with him? Why the Genius Bottle didn't react? It didn't sound possible, and yet…

"Kiryuu Sento was a damn superhero, and the best person I've ever known," Banjou choked out, the thick emotion in his voice shocking Katsuragi all over again, before rushing back into the fight with Mad Rogue.

Watching Banjou fight—the desperation in his motions—it was like Katsuragi was seeing him for the first time. He was an abomination—an amalgam of human and Evolt DNA—destined to destroy humanity. The fact that he fought on the side of humanity didn't matter because one day, probably soon, his DNA would override his mind and he would become the enemy. And yet, he fought like someone…who had lost everything. And the way he talked about Kiryuu Sento…

Mad Rogue landed a blow that had the Great Cross-Z transformation shattering, Banjou writhing on the ground. The sound of his pain, the sight of his wounded face, sent a shock not unlike electricity through Katsuragi's body.

"What is this babble about superheroes?" Mad Rogue sneered. "Look around! No one is coming to save you!"

He punched Banjou again and Banjou choked. Probably a rib had been bruised or broken.

Suddenly, Katsuragi couldn't breathe, held aloft while Evolt strangled him. Across the room, struggling to move, to stand up, Banjou cried. "He believed in me, dammit! He gave me a future!" Banjou yelled into the floor. "He's my rabbit…"

Katsuragi laid in a hospital bed, body in excruciating pain, the only solace coming from Banjou's hand holding his own. "You gotta fight it," Banjou said, his voice thick with tears as he cried. "You can't—Sento, you can't—I can't lose you, stupid rabbit."

"They've both shown me the marks. I know they're a match. And Sento…Part of you is still Sento. I have to believe that. And Sento would never forgive himself if he hurt Banjou."

Hundreds of memories flashed through Katsuragi's mind, accompanied by hundreds of feelings so deep that he could only imagine being able to feel them himself. Not only for Banjou Ryuuga, but for all of them. Isurugi Misora. Sawatari Kazumi. Takigawa Sawa. Even Himuro Gentoku, the Hokuto Trio, the Prime Minister, and the Hell's Bros. Kiryuu Sento cared about people, all of humanity, and trusted in his friends above all else. Even science. Science was a way to assist people. Love of people sat at the core of him.

Kiryuu Sento smiled at him, honestly, understanding even as Katsuragi struggled.

"You…love…Banjou? Even knowing what he is?"

Sento's eyes sparkled with warmth. He pressed a hand over his heart, where Katsuragi could feel the phantom burn of those silver characters even now, and nodded.

"You still trust in people? After everything?"

Without hesitation, Sento nodded, his smile growing fonder.

Katsuragi didn't understand. Science had been everything to him, and the data said people were selfish and manipulative. But this Kiryuu Sento—He was a completely different person from him.

"Show me," Katsuragi said, his own form of desperation in the demand. "Show me the future you will build."

He wanted to save humanity from his and his father's mistakes, but his way wasn't working. If Sento could do what he couldn't…

He held up his hand. Sento lifted his own to meet it and—

Sento blinked his eyes open once more. The world came into focus in a way it hadn't for days, since Evolt took his body. He stayed on the ground just long enough to reach for that feeling, the presence of the characters marking his soulmate on his chest. Then, assured, he stood to join the fight.

First up, save Banjou. Second, defeat Mad Rogue. Then, go after Evolt.

"What's wrong, Banjou?" he teased. When Banjou managed to lift his eyes to see Sento standing above him, Sento smirked. "I suppose your rabbit hero has to save his dragon sidekick, huh?"

"Sento?" Banjou breathed out.

Hearing his name—not Katsuragi's—from those lips, and feeling the hope thrum through their bond, had Sento's chest expanding with warmth. He beamed and faced Mad Rogue. "The egotistic superhero has returned!" he declared happily.

Banjou huffed out a wet laugh. "Took you long enough," he said, trying for his usual bluster, though it came out too emotional.

Smiling, Sento said, "Shall we begin the experiment?"

And then he became Genius Build. Time to save the day!

"So, you're really Sento again?" Misora asked, as she and Sawa crowded around him.

"I already told you I was," he groused, trying to enjoy his coffee. Katsuragi hadn't known had to make coffee and subsisted on the powdered instant stuff. Ech. "I'm the brilliant physicist, Kiryuu Sento!"

They talked about his memories as Katsuragi. He had everything up to high school, lost the previous ten years, and then had everything after he became Sento. That seemed to make everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

It wasn't until later, while Sento was re-organizing his lab from what Katsuragi had done to it, that he had a moment alone with Banjou. He heard the fridge door shut, and even the tiny clink of the latch being thrown to keep everyone else out. Then Banjou's usually heavy feet on the stairs, but hesitantly.

"If you're there, just hurry up and come here already," Sento told him, making one last neat little stack of papers. They weren't organized yet, but at least they were clean.

When no answer came, Sento turned around. Banjou was standing in the open archway, arms crossed over his chest defensively. And though he was staring directly at Sento, his face was screwed up with nerves.

"You—Misora said we're soulmates," he managed at length.

Sento inhaled sharply but quietly. "And?"

He was prepared for his mark to be one-sided. He was created from the erasure of another human being, after all. And Banjou had Kasumi's name on his back. Sento hadn't imagined that.

"And I asked you but you said you didn't have a mark!" The accusation burst out of Banjou like the magma that transformed him. "And we checked that asshole and he didn't either, but Misora said you showed her—"

Sento reached up and began to unbutton the shirt Katsuragi had put on that morning, effectively cutting off Banjou's rant. The red head watched with bated breath while Sento undid one button, two, three, all the way down. With one final, steadying breath, Sento slid the shirt from his shoulders, leaving his chest bare. The fabric fell to the floor but neither man noticed.

There, over Sento's heart, were the black characters sewn through with silver and gold. Banjou Ryuuga. Banjou stared at them with wide eyes, and Sento stared back at him as evenly as he could.

"At first, it only read 'Ryuu,'" he explained. "It wasn't until later that the rest of your name came in."

Banjou took one stumbling step forward, then another, steadier step. And then he crossed the room in a heartbeat, his fingers shaking as he reached out to hover over his name on Sento's skin. His eyes kept jumping from Sento's chest to his face, over and over, disbelief clear on his own face.

"I understand Kasumi was your soulmate," Sento continued, proud that his voice didn't waver. "I know this is likely one sided."

Like what Sento had done, Banjou pulled his shirt off, cutting Sento's speech short. Banjou balled his shirt up and tossed it aside, then, breathing like he'd just run a mile, he gave Sento a stare that dared him to say another word.

Because there, over Banjou's heart, like a perfect mirror to Sento's, was a soul mark. Black characters sewn through with silver and gold. Kiryuu Sento.

Sento could only stare. That was his name. His name. Not Katsuragi Takumi. Kiryuu Sento. But how?

"It faded," Banjou snapped. "You fucking died on me!" And his eyes began to shimmer with tears, but he plowed on. "With all the awful shit I've been through…That hurt the worst. So don't you dare say it's one-sided or I'll—I'll punch you with the dragon bottle again."

"But," Sento started haltingly. He waved his hand toward Banjou's left shoulder. "You have her name."

There were still tears tracking down Banjou's cheeks, but his voice was as callous as ever. "It's a tattoo, asshole." He shook his head. "Kasumi's soulmate was her sister. She knew I loved her, but she always worried, so I got it tattooed. Her name. Proof anyone could see while I fought my matches." He glared. "But you're my—"

When his voice failed him, Sento finished. "Your rabbit." It was like all the puzzle pieces clicked into place. "My mark originally read only 'dragon.' Yours said 'rabbit,' didn't it? Before it said my name."

Banjou nodded.

A snort. "You thought your soulmate was going to be a pet rabbit or something, didn't you?"

Banjou's cheeks colored. "Shut up!"

Ah, he was right.

Sento couldn't stop smiling. He hadn't felt this happy since—well, since ever. He had a soul mark, and it matched Banjou's. They were soulmates. He was a real person, with a real soulmate. He ruffled his hair.

"This is fantastic," he said, practically giggling. Then he hopped forward, like the bunny his name suggested, grabbed Banjou by the cheeks, and planted a quick, chaste kiss on his lips.

He immediately released Banjou's face, but Banjou caught his wrists before he'd gone too far. For a moment, Sento worried he'd done something wrong because Banjou's expression went dark. But then—

"I was terrified my name would be on Katsuragi's chest," he admitted.

Sento blinked owlishly. "It would have made sense, though," he said. "We do share a body."

Except, Banjou's name only existed as a soul mark on Sento's body. It had not been there before the Sky Wall Disaster, and it had not been there when Katsuragi had regained his memories. How odd. An anomaly.

Banjou shook his head. "My only soulmate is Kiryuu Sento." And he leaned in to kiss Sento again.

The world wasn't suddenly saved because Banjou and Sento realized they were soulmates. If it were that easy, any couple could have defeated Evolt in the past ten years.

No, Sento still had to go to Hokuto with Kazumi to research the Lost Bottles. He still had to save the Hokuto Prime Minister. He still had to deal with the fact that his father was alive and possibly working for the enemy. And the existence of the black Pandora panel that would break the laws of physics as they knew it. Meeting, defeating, and watching the death of Shimizu Koichi. Not to mention realizing Katsuragi Takumi was still in his head.

Then his father appeared in battle—fighting against him! Sento couldn't transform. He couldn't fight his own father, not now that he had memories of growing up with him, of how much he loved Katsuragi and Katsuragi loved him!

Banjou fought for him. He stopped Sento's father from hurting anyone. But then he kept punching, and punching, and punching—Like a berserker, unable to stop.

"Banjou, stop," Sento begged. Another punch. "Stop, Banjou, please." Another punch. "Ryuuga!"

His cry made Banjou pause, his fists shaking in the air. Whatever had him in a blind rampage momentarily lifted. "S-Sento," he ground out, with what sounded like all his effort.

And then the moment ended. Ryuuga shouted, filled with rage, and continued beating on Sento's father. So Sento did what he had to. He transformed into Genius Build and attacked his soulmate.

Everyone raged against him after that, in their own ways. Kazumi physically assaulted him, and both he and Gentoku said they could not trust him anymore. And throughout, Sento couldn't take his eyes off Banjou in the bed—bandages around his head and face, and hidden under his clothes.

"If you'll side against your damn soulmate, what else will you do?" Kazumi snapped before he left, followed shortly after by Gentoku.

He'd hurt his soulmate. Badly.

Sawa would hardly look at him, and when she did it was with a glare or disapproving sniff. She didn't offer him any food when she announced she was going to make lunch. Misora left without a word. Sento tried to find proof that he'd done the right thing, saving his father from Banjou. But he couldn't. If the evidence existed, it was somewhere Sento could not reach.

He had hurt his soulmate…to save the enemy.

"What am I doing?" he muttered to himself. He clenched his hand in his shirt over his heart and shoved the computer from the desk with the other hand. His heart ached in every way possible.

"Fighting for love and peace," Misora told him. She tried to make him feel better, to knock him out of his funk—but this time was different.

Banjou was unconscious and injured because of him. His father had betrayed them. The entire Build system was made as a weapon. Sento didn't know what he could stand for anymore, didn't know if he could trust his own judgement anymore.

He had hurt his soulmate, because of his own misconceptions.

Sento knelt by Banjou's bedside but didn't dare touch him. He didn't have the right. "I thought I was helping. I thought I had to beat you, to stop you. You were not in control, and you felt—panicked," Sento said, referencing the feeling he'd gotten through their bond. "But now…I may have been wrong. I hurt you for nothing. I'm sorry."

Sawa raced down the stairs. "Misora is missing," she blurted. "And something is wrong."

"How do you know?" Sento asked, already standing and ready to go look for his pseudo-sister.

Hesitating only a moment, Sawa pulled off her watch, revealing the soul mark underneath. Isurugi Misora.

Sento had been right. Their marks matched. Why had Sawa not said anything sooner?

Her expression was pained. "Please, Sento. Find her and help her."

There was no time for questions. Once Misora was safe, then he could speak to Sawa about her mark and her silence.

He couldn't save Misora. And his father had no regrets about lying and hurting people for his ends. Sento had been manipulated into being a hero to further those ends. He had made the wrong choice, and attacked Banjou for nothing.

Not for the first time, Sento felt like giving up. For the first time, he simply laid down, giving in to the feeling.

"What are you crying for? That's so lame."

Against all odds, Banjou was there. Still covered in bandages, still limping, but still there. Still doing what he always did: reminding Sento of who he was and why they fought. Knocking Sento out of his funk in a way no one else could, because he understood Sento better than anyone else ever would.

And Sento knew Banjou better than anyone else ever would, too. So he knew that the berserker fighter that took control during the following battle was not Banjou. It was Evolt's DNA. And he knew that Banjou trusted him to stop him from going too far, the way that Sento had trusted Banjou with the Hazard Trigger.

To save both Misora and Banjou, Sento did the improbable. He transferred the powers of the Martian queen Vernage from Misora—allowing her to be purified by the Genius Bottle without threat of death—into Banjou, where it neutralized Evolt's killing desire. Then, together, he and Banjou defeated his father and retrieved—and purified—the Rabbit bottle Evolt had made from Sento's essence.

Once they had dropped their transformations, Sento's eyes were drawn to the bandages on Banjou's head again.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Banjou blinked rapidly, confused. "For what?" When Sento only stared at the bandages some more, Banjou reached up and touched them, then scoffed. "If you hadn't, I would've killed someone. A little head wound is worth not being a murderer." He winced at the same time Sento did, remembering that Sento had, in fact, killed someone. "Sorry."

Sento shook his head to dispel the memory. He was doing his best to atone for that sin. "We've both apologized, and we're both forgiven." He gave a smile. "Let's go home."

With a little, relieved laugh, Banjou threw his arms around Sento and nodded. "Home."

After that, it was a race against time. A race to defeat Evolt. A race to create the White panel and, with it and the Black panel, create a new world. A world without Evolt. A world without the Sky Wall Disaster.

A world without Kiryuu Sento.

Throughout all the calculations and theories Sento thought up, that one fact kept returning. If they succeeded in creating a world in which Evolt never existed…neither would he. Kiryuu Sento had only ever existed because Evolt erased Katsuragi's memories and subjected him to the Nebula Gas. So if their plan worked…

Would Banjou get a new soulmate? It was a new world, after all. Theirs mixed with another. Perhaps there would be no such thing as soulmates at all in that world. Or maybe everyone's soulmates would change, accounting for the people killed or altered in the Sky Wall Disaster.

Though Sento told no one of his thoughts, or how the thought of ceasing to exist terrified him, one person picked up on it. Banjou. Because of course he did. No doubt Sento's emotions were transmitting at least partially to him through their marks.

That night, before they would give their all against Evolt and create the new world, once all the plans were in place and no more preparation could be made, Banjou finally cornered him about it. Well, there were no corners involved.

Everyone was laying on their mats—or, for Sawa and Misora, in the bed. As usual, Banjou and Sento shared one while Kazumi and Gentoku had their own separate ones. Sento had been pretending to sleep, hoping for a miracle even though his mind and heart wouldn't shut up long enough for him to drift off.

"I know you're still awake," Banjou whispered.

Sento didn't bother to keep up the ruse. He turned his head and opened his eyes to see Banjou already on his side, staring back at him. The same fears in Sento's head were mirrored in Banjou's eyes.

"I'm scared too," Banjou continued, his hands clenching into fists.

Sento gave a weak smile. "Only a true idiot wouldn't be scared," he whispered back. He reached his hand up to interlock his fingers with Banjou's, making him unclench one fist. "Remember what I said, though?"

Narrowing his eyes, Banjou repeated, "No matter what, stay alive."

Sento nodded. "Good. Everything will be alright as long as you stay alive."

Banjou shook his head. "No," he said, and his eyes were shining with emotion. He squeezed Sento's hand. "I meant you."

No matter what, stay alive.

With effort, Sento managed another smile. "Of course. I'm the hero."

Banjou pressed his lips together, discontent. Finally, after several long seconds of searching Sento's face, he asked, "Can I—for tonight? Can we?" And he tugged on Sento's hand.

Almost without speaking, they resituated themselves. Banjou curled around Sento from behind, the big spoon to Sento's small, arms holding Sento close, their hands still clasped. For one night, Banjou could pretend that he could protect Sento from everything dangerous and evil and sad, and Sento could pretend the same.

For one last night, Sento could pretend that he got to have this—have Banjou—have a soulmate—have a life. Because tomorrow, it would all end.

Long after Banjou's breathing had evened out, Sento let a single tear loose and pulled Banjou's hands closer to his chest.

"I love you, Ryuuga."

They gave everything in that fight. Kazumi. Gentoku. Banjou and Sento. Misora and Sawa. Their hearts broke, and their friends died, and the world shattered bit by bit.

But they did it. They combined the black and white panels. They brought forth another Earth. But when Sento went to drag Evolt into the rift, to sacrifice himself to create the new world—

"What are you doing, Ryuuga?" Sento gasped, his transformation taken from him by his soulmate.

"I have Evolt's DNA," Banjou said. "It makes more sense for me to do this."

Sento scrambled to his knees, his muscles locking up at the continuous transformations and de-transformations. "You can't—" he wheezed. "Ryuuga—!"

Banjou grabbed Evolt's paralyzed body. He was about to leave. He would die doing this! If he were anywhere near the distortion, he might not survive the shift in realities at all!

"Ryuuga, stop!" Sento begged. "Let me do it!"

"Sento," Banjou said, and his voice was so tender that Sento stopped struggling. "Thank you. You're the best soulmate I could've wished for, Rabbit."

And then he shot off into the sky, dragging Evolt with him into the distortion between worlds. Leaving Sento behind.

Banjou was supposed to live, dammit! Sento was the anomaly. Sento was the one without a place in the new world. It was meant to be Sento!

"I'm going after him," he said. He put his hand over his heart. "It's not fading. It's not too late."

Misora tried to stop him, but only for a moment. She understood. She didn't want to, but she did. He had to go after Banjou. The fate of two worlds depended on it, and so did his soul.

"I've already absorbed Banjou," Evolt told him once they were both in the distortion. "He's gone."

Sento shook his head. "He's not. I can still feel him."

Evolt sighed. "Pesky things, soulmates. Why not just die already?"

They fought, but without the Genius Bottle, Evolt's power far outranked Sento's. And unless Sento could defeat Evolt, the worlds wouldn't merge, and all of their sacrifices would be for nothing. And Banjou would be gone forever.

Lying in the dirt, his transformation broken yet again and his whole body protesting the simple act of breathing, Sento struggled to get his bearings while Evolt waxed on and on about how the world's destruction was a direct result of Sento's creations.

"Just admit it," Evolt said. "The world would've been better off without Kiryuu Sento!"

"Shut up!" Sento shouted, finally finding his feet.

His weak, human punch—even a human at level seven—was easily caught, and Sento was thrown a dozen feet with the barest flick of a wrist.

Just as Sento began to despair, Evolt froze. Then, Banjou's voice, "What are you doing? Run, Sento!"

Sento gasped with relief. The mark on his chest was still there, but hearing Banjou's voice was like a balm to his scraped skin. "Like hell I'm leaving you here, Muscled Fool," he puffed into the dirt.

"I'll handle him somehow," Banjou assured him with false bravado. "But you need to survive." A small laugh. "You know what kind of expression I'm making right now?" His voice broke as he said, "I'm smiling. Because I'm saving you, and you're going to live."

"What nonsense!" Evolt shouted, and his power pulsed.

Sento gasped again, this time in pain, as the mark on his chest faded in a single painful instant. He could feel that it wasn't fully gone, but clearly Evolt had done something worse to Banjou than simply absorbing him. And then a bottle landed in the dirt in front of his face.

The purified silver dragon bottle. Banjou's essence, like the purified golden rabbit was Sento's.

"This is terrible," Sento breathed out, his chest protesting as he reached out for the bottle. "I want to see exactly what kind of face you were making." His fingers closed around the dragon and the mark on his chest grew warm. "Idiot," he said, but it came out fond.

He lifted his gaze to Evolt, his resolve rebuilt. Then he stood up, despite every ache and pain. He transformed again, built up again and again and again, using everything he had. For Banjou. For Misora and Sawa and Kazumi and Gentoku. For everyone who had built Kiryuu Sento.

For a world of love and peace.

And together, Sento and Banjou, Rabbit and Dragon, the Perfect Match—they put an end to Evolt's reign of terror.

In the ensuing crash of realities, Sento reached for Banjou.

The sky was blue and clear. No Sky Wall marred the horizon. Prime Minister Himuro was alive. The plan to create a new reality was a success.

Your calculations were correct, Katsuragi said. Salvation beyond the laws of physics.

But if the worlds had been merged, how was Sento still around?

You did not have a counterpart in the new world. You're an anomaly.

An anomaly. Instead of disappearing when his body merged with the Katsuragi Takumi of the second world, he had been given his own life.

While wandering about, marveling in the new world, Sento saw ads referencing soul marks, and recognized a few on people he passed. They weren't names, but symbols. Swirls or checks or Rorschach blots. There were makeup ads and clothing ads for covering them until you met your match, commercials for a tv show where someone's mark was damaged supernaturally and how that affected them.

"The way soulmates are identified is different," Sento murmured, bringing his hand up to his chest.

His mark was still there. He could feel it. But it was so faint, almost like a memory of what it once was. If he pulled his shirt up, would it still be bold and black with silver and gold inlay, or would it be scarred over? Had Banjou made it to this new world? Did Sento still have a soulmate? Or was he once again the odd one out?

It's time I left, Katsuragi told him. I hope you find him.

Almost as soon as Katsuragi disappeared from Sento's mind, he heard it.

"There's an ice cream stand over there," a familiar, happy voice said. "Do you want some?"

Sento flipped around to see Banjou walking up the hill, Ogura Kasumi at his side, their hands entwined. He had shaggy black hair, not a bandage in sight, and a wide smile on his face.

"Ryuuga!" Sento shouted before he could stop himself, running over to the couple. "You made it!"

There wasn't a hint of recognition in Banjou's eyes. "Do I know you?"

Getting hit by Evolt's Finisher hurt less.

Kasumi leaned into Banjou to whisper, "Maybe he's involved in martial arts?"

Banjou blinked rapidly, processing, and then beamed. "Oh! Are you a fan?" He rubbed his hand on his pants before holding it out. "Is a handshake okay?"

There was a small mark reminiscent of a dragon's head on the back of Banjou's thumb. Sento's eyes sought out Kasumi's hands like a person watching a car crash unfold. The same small dragon marked the back of her right thumb as well.

Even as he shook Banjou's hand, Sento said, "Your soul marks look like dragons."

In the old world, Banjou had tattooed Kasumi's name on his back. It was possible these were tattoos too. Except both of them lit up at the comment, crushing any hope Sento had.

"Right?" Banjou said, wrapping his left arm around Kasumi's shoulders and punching the air with his right. "Dragon partners!"

Kasumi giggled. "You're being silly again."

They really were soulmates in this world. Banjou Ryuuga and Ogura Kasumi, with no room for Kiryuu Sento.

"I'm—" Sento started, haltingly, catching the couple's attention once more. He forced a smile. "I'm glad you're alive."

Then, before tears could gather in his eyes, Sento walked away, leaving Banjou to his happy life. He deserved it, after all. With what he'd been through as a child, and as an adult, Banjou deserved everything. And regardless of the fact that Sento's heart and soul mark still reached for him, Sento wasn't going to ruin Banjou's life by butting in.

He would simply have to learn to live without. He'd lived a whole year with no soul mark at all. He could live without a soulmate. People did it all the time.

The sob broke out of him, harsh enough that Sento stumbled and had to sit down. Heedless of the crowds walking by, Sento let himself weep for the life he'd lost. He'd been prepared to cease to exist. He just hadn't expected he would still be around to experience the aftereffects. He hadn't been prepared for the pain of being rejected by his soulmate. And if Banjou, of all people, didn't remember him…who would?

An hour later, Sento found his way home. It was practically muscle memory to return to Nascita. Except it wasn't his home anymore.

The Isurugis still owned it, though Owner's coffee was actually good in this world and they had actual customers. But neither of them knew him. They actually mistook him for Satou Taro, who had become famous in this world. And then Kazumi came in, with his three friends, to flirt with Misora—as badly as he'd tried in the old world.

It was fun to watch, except that he felt apart from it. These were not his friends anymore. This wasn't his family. He was happy, though, knowing that they were living good lives.

From Nascita, Sento returned to the park where he'd woken up. It was still a beautiful day, after all, and he was desperate for a happy feeling.

What would he do in this world? It didn't need Kamen Rider Build. And he had no paperwork, no proof that he was a real person. Could he get a job? He would need to find a way to make money, a place to live. His shoulders felt as if they weighed a hundred pounds, far too much to be bothered to move.

The mark on his chest tingled and Sento slowly reached up to touch it. Banjou. Sento closed his eyes. Banjou was—

"Sento!"

Eyes snapping open, Sento stood from the fountain and turned to see the figure standing on the steps behind him. Banjou Ryuuga, auburn hair braided as usual, cautiously hopeful look on his anxiety-lined face.

"Ryuuga," Sento breathed out. His Ryuuga! Was it possible?

Exhaling heavily in relief, Banjou closed the space between them and grabbed Sento up in a tight hug. At the physical contact, Sento's mark flared back to life. He gasped and snapped his arms around Banjou in return.

"No one knows who I am," Banjou said roughly, without letting go. "And you weren't there. I thought—" His breath was shaky. "You lived."

Sento nodded into Banjou's shoulder. "And so did you."

They had created a world without Evolt and the Sky Wall Disaster. They had created a world where their friends could live carefree lives. And, against all the odds, they were both there. Together.

Sento laughed, bright and happy. "This is terrific!"

fin