Nishi watched one of his former teammates transfer into the room, the girl he worked closely with, and shared intimate moments. Yoko was Nishi's 'partner in crime.' They were one another's anchors. They shared life's burdens. Their relationship might have been built on toxicity and sadomasochism, but the two found solace when their world became full of iniquity, threatening to tear their lives apart, and they survived by any means necessary.

Nishi watched the confusion slowly appear on Yoko's face when her eyes glanced at complete strangers until they finally landed on him. It had been nearly nine months since he'd seen her, and although that didn't sound long, in the Gantz world, it felt like a lifetime. Nishi supposed he might look different to her; his hair slightly longer, he might be even an inch or so taller, possibly skinnier too, with no consistent pattern in his eating since he had left Yoko's apartment.

Yoko's eyes locked with Nishi for some time as the other players remained silent, although Nishi suspected they were curious about their reactions. Did they expect them to participate in some kind of pathetic emotional reunited embrace? The mere thought absolutely horrified Nishi. Even Yoko had boundaries; she wasn't always the clingy, sentimental type, and that was one of the traits he liked about her. Yes, Yoko was scared and anxious when they first met, but that could be justified by the danger in her life, which Nishi helped her eliminate, and with his influence, she became more robust. Yoko only let her emotional guard down when Nishi was involved; her feelings always affected her crucial judgments.

Nishi could see the sudden angry expression developing on Yoko's face and immediately knew why said anger was directed at him, but he didn't mind; it just proved how much she knew him. Before Yoko could resort to a full-on diatribe, Nishi corrected her. "I wanted a weapon," he said with a frown and looked at Kurono. "He's the idiot who revived you."

Yoko soon directed her expression at Kurono, though with less anger and more confusion, that a complete stranger would choose to revive her over freedom. Part of Yoko felt guilty for even remotely assuming it had been Nishi, but could you blame her? Yoko knew Nishi's score was 0 when she last saw him, thanks to her stupid decision, so some time had probably passed since her death, but she expected Nishi to be free by now. Something must have happened. Who are all these people? Judging by their appearances, Yoko suspected they weren't like all the ignorant players she had known in the past. Yoko looked at Nishi with a grave expression, and there was a different meaning behind her next question that only Nishi could hear. "Why?" Why are you still here?

Kurono, assuming her question was obvious, began to explain the reason behind her revival, which led to the unfortunate events of the upcoming katastrophe.

Nishi wasn't surprised by Yoko's acceptance of the reason behind her revival; she was used to the concept of using others for self-gain and had even participated herself in that regard.

The team began to introduce themselves, and Nishi wondered what kind of judgment passed through Yoko's mind for each individual, knowing she couldn't help herself, although he rolled his eyes when he caught her looking down at her form, obviously comparing breast size when noticing Kishimoto and Sei's. No matter how Yoko had changed, she was still a typical female who worried about her looks.

Nishi recalled those times when he'd compliment her beauty, when blood covered her during a mission as Yoko fought to defend herself, the way she looked holding a gun, ready to take the life of those who betrayed her. Even in her final moments, when she took the alien's attack for him, and her body lay abundant with holes from impalement. Nishi thought she was captivating.

Funny, though, the question had come from Yoko, implementing more proof of how much she understood him.

Nishi suddenly remembered her death like it happened yesterday.

"Nishi, tell me….do I look okay? You know….am I still beautiful, even in my own death?"

Nishi glanced back down at her, and he managed to huff a laugh, trying to ignore his own injuries. "Idiot…." Nishi leaned down and captured her lips in a deep kiss.

Yoko smiled happily despite her tears because, for the first time, she knew how Nishi felt about her, and she could finally confess. "Nishi, I love you…."

Nishi knew she did, somewhere deep down, he knew, but to hear those words from her now…. "You coward, didn't have the courage to tell me sooner, so you wait until your deathbed, the fuck is that?"

Yoko tried to laugh, but she coughed and groaned in pain. "Sorry…but it's….not like you're much….better, you're crying so….that tells me you care about me, and you only showed me because you know I'm going to die, so which one of us….is really the hypocrite."

Nishi gritted his teeth and grasped her by the shoulder. "Shut up…the mission is over…so don't think you're getting away with that remark…."

Yoko shook her head and placed her hand on his cheek, wiping away a tear. "Nishi, please survive, you have to…if it weren't for me, we both would have been free, so please…do whatever it takes to survive. Promise me."

Nishi grinned, despite his blurred vision and stained cheeks, both from tears and blood. "You know that I will."

Yoko's hand slipped from Nishi's face and softly hit the ground. "Goodbye Nishi…. thank you for everything, I love you."

The moment Yoko's eyes closed, Nishi's hands began to disappear, and his emotions burst. "Don't you fucking die! Yoko! Don't leave me alone!"

Nishi supposed his reaction to her death back then was expected, but now he could appreciate the beauty in her death that he couldn't do before due to baffling grief.

Awkwardly, the team left the apartment and gradually went separate ways, leaving Nishi and Yoko to stand outside, alone for the first time. Nishi sighed and looked at Yoko, who was pertinently waiting for a more detailed explanation, and for a moment, he could see the same girl when they first met.

"What now?" Yoko asked softly. Usually, Nishi would tell her to figure it out by herself, but how could she possibly do that when she'd been dead for months. Nishi turned without a word to walk in the direction of the motel he stayed in, knowing Yoko would follow. "Where are we going?"

Nishi cringed at the lost tone in her voice but decided to ignore it for now; he couldn't really blame her and would be the biggest hypocrite if he did since he was the same way when he and Kurono first appeared back in the room. Coming back from the dead took the confidence out of you. "I don't live there anymore," he said bluntly.

Yoko knew of what he was referring to and assumed that was the case, although she was surprised to hear he'd given up the place and wondered where he lived now until they finally stopped outside a motel after several minutes of silence.

Nishi turned to face her, and the deja vu hit them when he handed her his room key and said, "I have to check with someone first, but go on in." Nishi left her alone to head into the reception.

Yoko looked down at the key in her hand with a smile and curled her fingers over it.

Yoko was sat on the bed when Nishi returned and gave him a quizzical look.

Nishi closed the door behind him and leaned against it, regarding her thoughtfully. "Even though he made an exception for me, the owner can't do the same for you because it's too obvious if both of us stay here, but he said there's a housekeeping job if you want it. Tsk. Personally, I think he's gotten too used to the help; he used to do that part himself. You can stay for the night."

Yoko smiled. "Thank you."

Well, Yoko had offered him a place to stay, and even though Nishi couldn't provide the same permanently, it was better than nothing. "I don't know what effects reviving the dead has on civilians, but considering our deaths are announced once we die in Gantz, I'm assuming some kind of memory erasion will likely have happened. If you go to your apartment tomorrow, it wouldn't surprise me if you could return as though nothing happened."

Yoko regarded Nishi's appearance carefully, and even though there were changes inside and out, she couldn't help the blush that heated her cheeks. "I know it's not physically possible, but I've missed you." Yoko smiled through her tears, biting her lower lip to stem them. "I've missed you so much."

Nishi scoffed. "You're right, that is impossible; the dead can't miss anyone."

Yoko tilted her head slightly, and Nishi could see a curl of her lips start to form. "What about living ones?"

Nishi walked over to her. "I wanted a weapon."

There was a spark in Yoko's eyes. "I am your weapon."

Nishi tensed and pushed Yoko down so he could lean over her, lacing their fingers and raising both hands above her head. "You have a death wish."

Yoko almost laughed at the annoyed expression on Nishi's face that was likely brought on by his involuntary movements and couldn't help but prod a little. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Nishi's hold on her hands tightened. It seemed like Yoko's confidence was coming back. That sure didn't take long.

A sudden frown appeared on Yoko's face when she started to remember their last moments. "Nishi, I know you're still angry over what I did, and I never really got the chance to apologize properly."

Nishi stared at her for a moment, wondering what she might be talking about, and then he couldn't help the tiny bit of anger that rushed through him when he realized she was referring to their loss of points. Nishi sighed, trying to calm down. "It doesn't matter anymore. Even if we both went free nine months ago, it wouldn't have mattered in the end. Gantz would have found a way to bring us back."

Yoko could see the anguish hidden in his eyes; what must he have gone through while she wasn't there? She could see the loss swimming in the dark pools but couldn't quite figure out what kind it was. Nishi stood up and walked to the wardrobe to change. Yoko sat up and watched him in silence; she could tell Nishi struggled on the inside and wanted to help him, but he never was that open, even with her. "What happened to you?" Yoko didn't expect an answer, so she continued to sit in silence.

Nishi dressed in a loose pair of pants and refused to look at Yoko, annoyed by the shift in his emotional barrier. Nishi was struggling on the inside and didn't know how to deal with it. "Remember when you asked me how I died when we first came to Gantz?" Nishi gave a short laugh, though there was no amusement. "I jumped."

Yoko's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Yoko didn't know why Nishi told her now after all this time, but she suspected he wanted her to understand what was wrong with him.

"I died," he said bluntly. "I was killed by an alien." Nishi's eyes narrowed. "And ever since then, ever since I came back, I've – changed and I don't understand it. What the hell am I even doing…." Nishi's hands curled into fists, and he dropped to his knees, slamming his fists on the floor. "Fuck you! Gantz! I would have been happier dead! I hate what I've become, I don't understand!" It was true; Nishi was confused by his selfless acts and odd behavior that led to them. Nishi was having an identity crisis and didn't want to acknowledge all these thoughts and emotions because it had always been easier to stay detached from things like friendship and never allowing the fear of becoming abandoned by those around him to overcome him.

'It's a weakness.'

'Society grips you and takes everything so you should stay cold.'

After Yoko's death, there was no support to latch onto when Nishi felt abandoned for the first time, so he sought emancipation from that by messing with the new players and enjoying the pleasure their deaths created. He – was – fine.

When Kurono came along, Nishi became sidetracked by the thought that someone else shared the same views as him, and for a moment, he didn't feel so alone. But when Nishi saw the friends Kurono had gained, it angered him, and eventually, his hatred for everything got him killed.

The changes happened when Gantz brought him and Kurono back, and Nishi had struggled every day since because it angered him to think that he had friends, that people cared about him, and when he protected Kurono from the Reaper alien, a part of him broke, and now he was stuck feeling constantly confused at the idea that he cared even the slightest bit. Nishi protected him because Kurono was the only one that could save them all. If Izumi got his wish, it would never end, and nothing could return to normal, and even his mother could be in danger. Nishi struggled because if he gave into the changes, he might lose everything and become abandoned once more, but if he didn't – the outcome was exactly the same, except the abandonment would be due to giving up on him and not because they died.

Everything he had taught himself was slowly falling apart, and nothing made sense anymore. Nishi thought he could handle it just until they were free, but he had been gravely mistaken, and even though she was doing fine now, it destroyed him inside when his own mother tried to take her life. She was all he had left, and the thought of losing his only reason to return from the Gantz world left him empty.

What angered Nishi the most was how easy it was for Kurono to embrace his own epiphany. Nishi wanted to run away from this better version of himself and abandon everyone to the aliens while he watched with fixation – just like he used to. Nishi wanted it to stop, reconnect with his distant, cold comfort zone to convince himself none of it was worth trying for in the end.

Yoko stood there now, tears threatening to fall as she listened to Nishi's broken-off sentences as he mumbled to himself. She couldn't bear to see him lose himself this way; he was clearly trying so hard to hold himself together, more than he ever had before, and there was no way she would allow Nishi to slip so far that he didn't care if he returned or not and left this world more broken and less of the person he was when he first came to Gantz.

I should abandon them… so even if Izumi gets his wish, at least then I'll only have myself to worry about. A slight grin began to form on Nishi's face. Maybe it won't be so bad.

Suddenly, Nishi was forced to face Yoko, and her lips pressed against his in a crushing, desperate kiss to bring him back from whatever darkness he was slipping into. "I won't let you slip," she told him. "You can have it all, Nishi, you can have friends and you can stay exactly as you are. No one will abandon you. I won't abandon you, ever. If someone dies, it doesn't mean they've abandoned you, it means they cared enough to die fighting by your side to make sure you live. That's why – that's why I died because I couldn't bear the thought of watching you do the same. Just don't abandon us."

Nishi's grip on Yoko's arms tightened, and he didn't know what to do, so he kissed her hard and said, "Don't die for me again, just keep me grounded."

A/N: I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter, just trying to shed a bit of light as to what kind of relationship the two had, and I missed my OC hehe.

More action to come soon, I swear! lol