Thirteen: Genderflipped AU

Tateyama Kenko dreamed.

She dreamed of people he hadn't seen in waking hours for years, and people she'd never even seen before. She was quite certain she'd remember having seen the scraggly-haired girl in sandals or the albino boy in Victorian-style clothing before. And then there was the white-haired girl, the one she never saw outside of dreams but associated with his former student Haruka for reasons she could never explain.

Usually, she didn't remember the dreams. Probably, she wouldn't remember this one either, whenever she woke. In a vague, drowsy, way, she wished that she would, if only to hold on to the memory of seeing her students and her children, all together, talking and arguing like old friends.

She could see them, on multiple TVs, running through an endless corridor that was vaguely familiar-looking.

"Aren't you gonna talk to her?" Kisaragi Motoki asked, blinking his large blue eyes at Enomoto Takashi. "I mean, she's the girl you fell for, isn't she?"

Takashi shook his head. "She's gotta be connected to Haruka, but she doesn't act like her at all. I don't even think she remembers me."

"But, shouldn't you at least try?" Motoki pressed. "C'mon, Eshi—Takashi-kun—what do I call you now?"

"Eshi's fine," Takashi said, rolling his eyes. "And, no."

"You're sure this is the way, right?" Kido Tsubasa asked, glaring at Kano Shuuko.

Kano held up her hands, trying to look innocent. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Kido snorted, then said, "You're still cleaning the bathroom for a month."

"Is this gonna help us find Hiro?" the unfamiliar girl asked, looking up at Kano.

"Uh, about that—" Kano said, sounding unsure.

"I'm really more worried about what the thing inside Tatemaya-sensei's trying to do," Takashi interrupted. "You did say he wanted to unite all the snakes, right?"

"Yeah," Kano said.

"And if he manages it, we're all gonna die," Kido said. "Because the snakes are what's keeping us alive."

"If that's the case—I guess it's me who's the prince you were talking about," the white-haired boy mused. He looked down at Seto Kotone.

"I wouldn't worry about that too much," Seto said reassuringly.

At that, the voice, the one that always spoke during her dreams, started talking about 'repeating' and 'tragedy' and all sorts of other things that Kenko didn't really understand. It sounded like her own voice, but it was dark and angry and she really didn't feel like it was coming from her.

But sometimes, it spoke to her. It made her promises. It swore to fulfill her one and only wish, to bring her beloved Ayumu back to her.

So, even if it sounded kind of crazy, she didn't want to interfere. Whatever it could do, whatever it did do, was fine by her, as long as she was allowed to be together with Ayumu again.

A/N: Altered names for the genderswapped AU:

Tateyama Kenjirou to Tateyama Kenko

Tatemaya Ayaka to Tateyama Ayumu

Tateyama Ayano to Tateyama Akio

Kisaragi Shintarou to Kisaragi Shinju

Kisaragi Momo to Kisaragi Motoki

Kido Tsubomi to Kido Tsubasa

Kano Shuuya to Kano Shuuko

Seto Kousuke to Seto Kotone

Enomoto Takane to Enomoto Takashi (Eshi)

Kokonose Haruka (Haruka is a unisex name)

Kozakura Mary to Kozakura Marion

Asahina Hiyori to Asahina Hiro

Amamiya Hibiya to Amamiya Hitomi

There's more info on the names over on A03; since there isn't a length limit on A/Ns over there. This is the last chapter of this fic, so thanks for hanging in there, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed reading this!