As The Fox
By: Aviantei
[Twelve Shots of Summer: Eleventh Hour 2/12]
[Parameters: "Last Breath" & "Final Destination"]
Game Two
The frantic battle comes to an end, the person turned monster turned person again vanishing in an exhale of static. There is a sense of hush lingering over them all as the Planes tween themself back into one, the strange sensation of being connected across a great distance easing away. Nepuro's Partner described it as a settling, but Nepuro has never been one to feel settled. No, all he feels is the way the adrenaline in him pumps before it starts to still, and, in the frantic aftermath of battle, he is certain of one thing:
It does not matter that Nepuro is dead, lingering in a world between worlds. He has never felt more alive.
"We…we did it." The spoken words by someone else in their small retinue are enough to make the reality of the situation sink in. Seven days of the Reaper's Game survived, the final challenge at the Shibuya River complete. Defeat the Game Master, the Mission had said, and they did. There's gotta be something poetic about winning out over the person who's been running them all around Shibuya, but Nepuro is in too wild of a manic state to care, not even as his Partner collapses to her knees beside him in relief.
What's to be relieved about when the Game is over?
And then—everything turns to white.
There are some panicked shouts, though Nepuro's excitement ratchets right back up. Is there some kind of extra challenge, some final-final boss? But the Timer on his hand is gone, and there is a man standing in the middle of them all: tall, ashen skin, dark sunglasses covering his eyes, hair past his shoulders, a suit shimmering like snake skin. Everything about him is rather monochrome, save the pop of cherry red headphones around his neck. His smile is broad, as if he's rather pleased by the situation. It's a far cry from the severity that came from the woman who recruited Nepuro into the Game in the first place.
"You're another Reaper, yeah?" Nepuro asks, which does nothing to calm the rest of the Players in the slightest. "I sure hope you brought a late-Game surprise, because I'm itching for more."
"Speak for yourself," Nepuro's Partner says, long since having grown tired of him. Once he found out they could just…fight whatever Noise they wanted, it had been a long struggle of doing nothing but what was necessary for clearing the Game and going into battle after battle to enjoy the rush. "We finished the last Mission. That means we won, right?"
"Correct. Congratulations, Players. You have won the Reaper's Game." The others all show various signs of relief, glad to have made it through. Nepuro just stares down the Reaper, wondering what it would be like to pick a fight. The Game Master was strong; would this guy be the same, or was he more of some master of ceremonies? As if noticing his gaze, the Reaper turns his head to Nepuro, his smile looking just a touch more amused. "Now, it is time for choices to be made."
"Choices? What choices?" says another Player—a college kid who's been at their wit's end most of the week. "This whole thing was so we would have the chance to come back to life, right? What the hell else would we even chose?"
"You assume all of you will be able to return to life." The atmosphere feels chilly, as if Nepuro has summoned his icicle spears from the ground, and effect of skewering the mood is just as violent. The Reaper folds his hands behind his back and continues in a calm voice, "Yes, the grand prize at the end of the Reaper's Game is returning to life. But that is if you have earned it."
The Reaper's Game isn't just some race to undo your death; it's a test to see if you're worthy of returning. The Missions have all been there to determine Points, and failing to reach the threshold means no resurrection for you. It seems just one of their number—an interior designer who helped rally their ragtag group together—is the true winner, while everyone else has choices:
Join the Reapers.
Be Erased, disappear into static.
Replay the Game for another chance.
"I'll go again," Nepuro says before the Reaper has even finished speaking. Who cares if there's some other choice; Nepuro knows what he would choose, every time. "You expect me to turn down something so exciting? Not a chance." While there's something a bit interesting about the idea of being a Reaper, that's an unknown quantity, while the Reaper's Game is guaranteed. And if he ever gets bored? Well, there's an option waiting for him, isn't there. "When do we start?"
"Patience." Nepuro has no fucking clue how he's expected to have patience with such an enticing option before him, but pissing off the guy who's gonna put him back into the Game doesn't seem like a smart move, so he doesn't argue, instead rocking on his heels, which does nothing to bleed out the excess energy still pounding through his veins. "First, let us have everyone else make their decisions. After that, we can handle Storage and introduce those who will play again into the next Game. Well, Players?"
The interior designer takes her chance at life and runs with it. Of the other four leftover, three of them become Reapers, Nepuro's Partner included, and the last chooses Erasure.
So, it's just me going on, huh? Yeah, that's fine.
After all, any of the fun of replaying a game is trying out new party members.
[Author's Notes]
Welcome back for week two, except I'm late because I decided to prioritize finishing the draft of you could have my heart (and i would break it for you) holy shit.
Thanks are going out to patamon642, Chronic Guardian, and EeveeGen9988 for the faves, follows, and reviews on this story. I would also like to roll in thanks to maximilianosmiranda and She Who Loves Pineapples for their support on Muse, which this story is derived from.
But yes! We've got some prompts, and I made this work. I swear not every chapter will have a cameo from a canon character, but we've got Megumi out and about, doing Producer things. Someone's gotta do the work. If we're being technical, this is still "game one," but it does signal Nepuro's entry into game two, so it's all fine. I'm making the rules, anyways. I just wanted a clever chapter count system
This week's T-Sauce recommendation goes to Chronic Guardian's "I - Unnatural Selection," which I had a lot of fun with reading. Go get some tasty character exploration and interactions!
Next week's prompts are "Last Dance" and "Final Fantasy," which I swear I'll post on Saturday, as intended. Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[11 June 2024]