"Man, I still can't believe you're actually back…" BASIL giggled happily as he walked side by side next to his super duper very bestest friend in the whole wide world.
They continued down the road, crossing the streets as they headed towards wherever BASIL was leading them.
"How many times have you said that now?" OMORI hummed as he recounted, "Like, probably six?"
"Eight times!" BASIL happily corrected, holding up exactly that many fingers towards the stoic boy.
"Oh, so you are aware." OMORI nodded, "Just checking."
"Hehe, sorry, sorry!" BASIL kept giggling on, "But can you seriously blame me? It's been so long since you've been gone, SUNNY. I've been waiting for this day for the past six years!"
"And that's about the fourth time you said that too." OMORI nodded again, "Does a fifth time come with a free gift?"
"Alright alright alright-" BASIL relented with his hands raised in mock surrender, his ever-bright smile still stuck on his face, "I'll do my best to tone down my excitement and talk about something else for a change."
"Darn. Really wanted that free gift."
They've been doing nonstop banter like this the whole time now, ever since they left OMORI's house.
Despite how snarky his words might suggest, OMORI was actually enjoying spending time with his friend.
It was still so fascinating, seeing this other version of BASIL energetically moving around and talking so comfortably with him. Such a far cry from the anxious wreck of the previous world before.
Without the sins of MARI's death weighing over him, BASIL really did naturally grow up to become a well-functioning young adult. It was so odd to see how life would've been so different for BASIL if MARI never died. When was the last time BASIL and him ever had a casual atmosphere like this?
BASIL eventually tempered his excitement over the stoic boy's dramatic return, before turning to ask, "How have you been adjusting so far? I can't imagine how confusing and stressful it must've been for you to wake up only to realize that you've been asleep for six whole years."
KEL asked similarly yesterday when OMORI was out with him. Might as well give the same answer as before.
"It was a nice nap." OMORI shrugged.
BASIL seemed unsurprised at the indifferent response, giving a humorous eye roll, "Of course you'd say that. A whole portion of your entire life is missing, and all you have to say about it is that it was a nice nap. I get the feeling that you'd still say that even if fifty years had passed."
Probably. A fifty-year-long nap sounded like it'd be nice if he had to be honest. Maybe he shouldn't say that out loud though.
"You were thinking that a fifty-year-long nap would've been nice just now, didn't you?" BASIL suddenly accused, pointing at OMORI's face.
Oop. Busted.
OMORI silently looked away, not willing to confirm or deny the flower boy's allegations.
After a quick minute, BASIL began to giggle happily to himself, "At least you haven't changed at all since you've been gone. I can still read you like a book~ Glad to know that you're still the same old SUNNY."
…
Just the same old SUNNY, huh?
OMORI kept silent on that as well. It was probably better to let BASIL believe that.
The mood right now was light-hearted and jovial. BASIL seemed to be having the time of his life, and it hadn't even been that long ago since they left his house.
OMORI would rather keep this energy going for now, and wait for a better opportunity to question BASIL about how his relationship with MARI had changed in the last six years.
He still hasn't forgotten the way they interacted with each other earlier. The tension between them was so thick when BASIL asked MARI to join them.
MARI became so soft and frail whenever she talked to him, barely keeping eye contact. BASIL did his best to keep his smile, but OMORI could see the way he seemed to glower the longer he kept speaking to her.
What did MARI do to make BASIL so upset with her? Why didn't MARI tell him about it? How will OMORI be able to fix it?
Was any of it related to the incident?
When the opportunity comes and they find some downtime, OMORI will get to the bottom of this soon enough.
"So, mind telling me why we skipped over KEL's house?" OMORI ended up asking, "I figured you'd want to rope him along since he was right next door."
BASIL gave an embarrassed chuckle at this, before explaining, "A couple reasons, I guess. I was planning on inviting him along first, if MARI was going to be joining us. It would've been easier to manage him if we had more than two of us to keep him in check from doing something crazy."
"Two of us wouldn't have been enough?" OMORI asked curiously.
"I mean… Sure, but," BASIL gave an awkward shrug, "There was another reason. I was hoping that MARI would keep him busy while the two of us would go meet up with AUBREY. Since it's just going to be the two of us though, I thought maybe it'd be a better idea to skip him for now and grab him later after everything was done and over with."
"Why would you want to keep KEL busy while we got AUBREY?"
At this, BASIL gave a coy smile before bringing a finger up his lips to wink, "It's a seeecreeeet~"
OMORI blinked.
With another chuckle, BASIL continued, "Besides that, there was also another reason why it wouldn't be a good idea for KEL to follow us when we grab AUBREY."
Oh?
BASIL felt himself give a small sigh as he looked up at the house in front of him.
It was less of a house and more like a run-down shack, to be honest. Not that BASIL would ever say that out loud publicly. Although he was sure AUBREY wouldn't be offended even if he did.
Year after year, this place just ends up looking more decrepit as time goes by… It was so sad and sickening, knowing AUBREY was forced to live here for most of her life.
Back then, AUBREY always did her best to keep where she lived a secret from the group. All those times they played at KEL's, SUNNY's, even BASIL's, yet not once did she ever suggest playing at her place.
She never wanted anyone to know just how bad her living conditions were. It was understandable why, yet it was still so depressing when BASIL eventually found out.
To think that she had lived right across the street from him this entire time…
He wished AUBREY was willing to accept his offers to help. BASIL really wanted to at least provide her with some money so that she could afford better care for herself, or even just be able to move out of this dump to live somewhere else. She was eighteen now, so she didn't have to stay trapped there anymore.
Hardheaded as usual, that stubborn girl absolutely refused to let him give her a single cent. Straight to his face with as much conviction as she could muster, she told him that she'd do what she could to work her way out herself without relying on anyone's help.
BASIL couldn't do anything to change her mind. So he was left to helplessly watch by the sidelines.
…
Anyway, this was also the reason why BASIL felt it would be a better idea to skip KEL for now. AUBREY was still keeping her address a secret to anyone outside of the SCOOTER GANG, and would end up getting mad if KEL ever found out where she lived.
MARI would've been handy to keep him preoccupied if she had come along.
Oh well, nothing for it now.
Turning to his friend, BASIL gave a sad nod towards the house as he revealed, "This is where AUBREY lives."
BASIL had expected a shocked expression from him, or even just a look of disbelief once he was told.
To the flower boy's confusion though, SUNNY didn't so much as bat an eye at the reveal. He simply nodded, "Yeah…"
Well, that was a surprise. BASIL had to blink for a second as his thoughts tried to keep up with him.
Did SUNNY already know about AUBREY living here? When? How?
…
Oh, right… BASIL hummed to himself.
AUBREY and SUNNY would often spend time alone sitting on the swing set in the park after school. AUBREY had told BASIL how often they would just sit there together so that they could spend time talking about whatever they wanted.
Perhaps AUBREY trusted SUNNY with her secret at some point, back when they were still kids?
If that was the case, then this at least ended up saving BASIL the trouble of having to explain everything to his friend.
BASIL took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself, already imagining the look on AUBREY's face once he arrived with SUNNY in tow.
"Hope you're ready to surprise AUBREY together, SUNNY!" BASIL smiled at the stoic boy.
Before he could take the first step towards the front door though, his friend stopped him by the shoulder and pulled him back.
"SUNNY?"
…
OMORI gave one last look at the window to the second floor before shaking his head, "She's not here."
BASIL blinked in surprise, "What? How do you know that?"
"Bike's missing." OMORI pointed towards the side of the house. Endless supply of overfilled trash bags, but not a single parked bicycle anywhere.
She'd never want to stay here if she could help it.
BASIL looked again at the area surrounding the house, realizing that his friend was right.
"Oh… Wow, yeah. That was a good catch." BASIL mumbled, turning to stare at his friend with a stupefied frown, "Wait, how did you know AUBREY rode a bike?"
AUBREY didn't start riding a bike until after SUNNY's coma. How would he already know to look out for a missing bike over at her house?
OMORI tilted his head.
Shoot, was he not supposed to know that yet?
Well, OMORI would be hard-pressed to admit it was because he saw her riding her bike in the previous reality.
Not wanting to sound like a lunatic, OMORI told a half-truth by saying, "Came here with KEL yesterday. He told me."
"Ohh…" BASIL nodded in understanding, letting OMORI know that he was in the clear.
Meanwhile, BASIL cursed his luck.
So not only did KEL already end up knowing where AUBREY lived because of SUNNY, but AUBREY wasn't even home to begin with today. What a huge waste of effort…
BASIL even made sure to pick up SUNNY early in the morning today just in case, to make sure that they could catch her before she left.
Sigh… Guess that reunion with AUBREY and SUNNY won't happen just yet…
It wouldn't be a good idea to knock then if AUBREY wasn't home. Her mom definitely wouldn't have been of any help.
AUBREY had been staying up late last night just like BASIL did, so he really thought the girl would be sleeping in today.
Where could she even be at this hour? Why today of all days?
A certain junkyard, just a few miles away…
"A hundred… and fifty… seven! A hundred… and fifty… eight!"
In the center of a makeshift training area surrounded by an endless supply of trash, KIM loudly gave a huge groan as she descended to the ground with her arms thudding to her side in defeat.
Her arms ached from having to do so many consecutive push-ups, to the point where it felt like they were screaming at her to give up.
Not helping matters was her best friend-slash-current-worst-nightmare casually sitting on top of her back this whole time, boredly chewing on a piece of candy.
"C'mon KIM, it's not over yet." She apathetically tapped on KIM's shoulders, egging her on despite KIM's current condition.
With her face in the dirt, her anguished screams were muffled by the ground yet still loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
"She's totally not going to make it." VANCE, standing a bit further away in front of her, chuckled as he grabbed a handful of candy from his bag and shoved it all into his mouth like a chipmunk.
"Oh come on, give me a break or something!" KIM cried out, flailing helplessly under AUBREY. She gave one starved look at her brother as he dined on his sugary meal, before begging at AUBREY, "Can't I just have at least one piece? Just one single tiny bit?"
"You know you can't, KIM." AUBREY shook her head, purposely placing another chocolate in her mouth for KIM to watch, "Punishment was loud and clear. No candy for you until you do five hundred push-ups in a single day. Either you do that, or you have to go without candy for a single month."
"You should hurry, KIM!" VANCE laughed derisively with his mouth full, "If you don't finish on time, there won't be any left for us to share with you!"
To drive the point home further, VANCE grabbed another handful and somehow managed to fit that into his already occupied mouth hole. It was starting to cause KIM to feel like she might get an aneurysm.
Flailing her legs childishly, KIM groaned, "This totally isn't fair! Do I seriously deserve this crap just because I snuck a little bit of booze at our party last night?!"
With that, AUBREY gave a firm knock on KIM's head, "A little bit of booze?! KIM, you were almost as dead-ass drunk as my mom usually is! You tried to make out with both me AND BASIL at the same time, and I literally had to wrestle you away from him before anything could happen!"
Rubbing her head with a wince, KIM pouted, "Ok, yeah, I might have drunk more than I should've- But c'mon, can you blame me for flirting with you guys? You're both hot."
"Yes, I can blame you." AUBREY firmly replanted her butt on KIM's back, before commanding, "Keep doing push-ups, or no candy. Three hundred and fifty more."
KIM grumbled as she got into position again, "Three hundred and forty-two. I was on a hundred fifty-eight."
"Nope, you're back down to a hundred-fifty for trying to talk back to me." AUBREY affirmed.
At this, KIM nearly buckled before glaring at her supposed best friend for adding more to her torture sentence.
AUBREY only looked back while placing another candy in her mouth, as if challenging KIM to do something about it.
They glared at each other for a while before KIM felt the pressure and gave in, obediently continuing to do push-ups again.
"Man, who taught you to become such a bitch?" KIM mumbled pathetically as she started counting up from 150.
AUBREY raised an eyebrow incredulously at KIM, "You seriously asking me that?"
…
KIM widened her eyes in realization, "Oh yeah… I did."
Memories of meeting a depressed little girl by the swingset and giving her a baseball bat as an outlet to vent her anger at the world flashed in KIM's head.
AUBREY deadpanned, "Yeah."
"Damn." KIM blinked stupidly. "I created a monster."
VANCE barely paid any attention as he shoveled his seventh handful of candy into his gaping mouth.
The late morning continued on for a while as KIM continued to suffer while she counted to five hundred.
Welp, things definitely weren't going to plan today.
BASIL sat down on the edge of the sidewalk with a hand over his head as he wondered if today was just an unlucky day in general.
First his purple Hyacinth died today. Then there was MARI choosing to avoid going outside with them. Now AUBREY was off somewhere without any leads to know where she was.
What were the odds that these things would happen to him the day he finally got to reunite with his old friend?
The aforementioned old friend came up from behind and gave a comforting pat on the back, "Don't beat yourself up over it. It's not like we won't see her again later in the day, probably."
It was a small consolation, but it was enough to get BASIL to try to turn his frown around. "Yeah, you're right. We only just started the day, after all. AUBREY would show up around here eventually."
BASIL should stop focusing on the negatives and just keep trucking ahead. Even if AUBREY doesn't appear today, that doesn't mean that he couldn't still spend more time with his best friend!
"I really wanted to see her reaction to seeing you again, though…" BASIL sighed one final time before turning to the stoic boy with a smile. "Oh well, guess we'll just keep moving forward with the rest of the plan then!"
The stoic boy nodded as BASIL stood up and patted his pants clean.
They'll probably come across AUBREY later as BASIL continues to show SUNNY around the town. He'll make sure to check up on each of her and her gang's favorite places, including their old hideout spot by the lake.
"So, we going back again to grab KEL? Or…?" OMORI trailed off.
BASIL mulled over the question as he looked towards the end of the street. Just further down here was the CHURCH…
Right. There was another special someone BASIL wanted to see first, now that SUNNY was back.
"I was thinking about that, buuut… Maybe a slight change of plans." BASIL decided. Turning towards his old friend, he gave a slight nod down the street they were in, "This way."
OMORI raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless followed the flower boy.
Knowing that he was being led down to the CHURCH, he curiously asked, "You think AUBREY might be praying over there?"
BASIL shook his head with a soft smile, "No, not really. She was never the religious type, I don't think."
No, she wasn't. Not even in the previous world, if OMORI remembered correctly. AUBREY had said that she went there every week to try to find peace within herself ever since MARI died, even if she knew it was unlikely. That, and also to often visit MARI's grave as well.
Perhaps in this world, since MARI never died, she didn't have a reason to visit the CHURCH anymore. Which might mean she didn't need to go there to look for peace.
Was it because she still had BASIL's friendship in this world? Since OMORI wasn't here to scribble over the photo album, AUBREY would've never thought BASIL had done it. If he had to make an educated guess, AUBREY would've never had any reason to feel hurt or betrayed by BASIL, so their friendship would've gone on strong as they supported each other. BASIL would've been there to help her find the peace she needed, or at least helped make sure she never lost it in the first place.
Another thing in this world that was left untainted from his sins.
Interesting that she still went on to become a leader of her own gang in this world too, though. OMORI wondered if that was just something AUBREY was destined for, regardless of whether or not MARI had died.
…
You know, on the topic of AUBREY, OMORI just realized that nobody ever said anything about her changing her hair color to pink in this world. MARI never said anything. KEL never mentioned it, which was why OMORI didn't bother to ask. Doesn't seem like BASIL was going to mention it either, even though you'd expect it'd be one of the first things the flower boy would catch him up on if it was an important detail.
Maybe she kept her natural dark brown color? Who knows. OMORI will have to confirm it himself later with his own eyes, he guessed.
Eye. Just the one eye–
Whatever.
The trip to the CHURCH was quick and uneventful. BASIL opened the front doors for OMORI, giving a gentlemanly smile, "After you!"
Well-mannered as always. OMORI scoffed as he entered inside, BASIL following him in straight after with an impish giggle.
CHURCH was still as lifeless as yesterday, OMORI noted casually. Once again, there was barely anyone on the benches other than the odd elderly straggler since today wasn't a sermon day. The priest was still here though, being as dutiful as ever.
When the priest looked up to notice the two of them, there was a flash of recognition when he crossed eyes with OMORI, but that was overshadowed by the welcoming smile when he saw BASIL.
"Welcome, children." He greeted them first.
BASIL came up to the priest with a respectful bow, "Greetings, FATHER. I hope you are doing well."
"Same to you, BASIL." The priest nodded back, "It's been a while since I've last seen you here. Have you come to visit the cemetery again? Know that you're always welcome here whenever you need a place to collect your thoughts."
"Of course. Thank you as always, FATHER." BASIL bowed once again before gesturing to OMORI to stand next to him.
Oh- were they getting started on the introduction game now? Alright.
OMORI stood next to the flower boy, giving the priest a simple, "Hello."
"FATHER, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine! His name is SUNNY, and he's miraculously awakened from a six-year coma recently!" Although speaking in a subdued and respectful tone, BASIL had a proud grin plastered on his face as if he were the local lottery winner. "I'm traveling around town to reintroduce him to everything so that he gets caught up with all that he missed!"
Welp, this felt kinda awkward. OMORI felt like he was some kind of gadget toy being presented at a school Show-and-Tell period.
"Oh?" The priest gave a surprised look towards him, "Isn't this the boy you often speak about? What a surprise to hear!" The priest leaned in to take a closer look, noting, "I remember seeing you here yesterday with another boy. You came in with flowers, didn't you?"
At the mention of this, BASIL turned to him with a confused look, "SUNNY? You visited the church with KEL yesterday?"
OMORI gave a half-hearted shrug, unsure what to say. Not like he expected to return here again so soon.
Leaning back, the priest straightened himself up with a warm smile, "In any case, my dear child, I congratulate you on awakening from your long slumber. BASIL was right to describe it as miraculous that you've returned after such a long period of time. It must've been a grueling journey requiring lots of perseverance and immense strength."
Yeah, no, not really. It just took a hospital trip and a front flip nose dive off the roof just to get here, to be honest.
"...thanks…" OMORI nodded awkwardly, keeping his thoughts to himself.
Almost as if he could sense how uncomfortable OMORI was feeling, the priest relaxed, "Hopefully the long gap in time hasn't disoriented you. I pray that you'll adapt well to your circumstances and live a long healthy life to make up for the time you've lost."
"...sure." OMORI nodded again.
Hopefully not, though.
With another gentle nod, he smiled at BASIL, "Well, I'll leave you boys to it."
"Thank you, FATHER!" BASIL smiled.
With that out of the way, the priest gave a small wave before returning to his podium.
BASIL gestured OMORI over to follow him again, heading to the back towards the cemetery.
OMORI gave one last glance at the priest before following after the flower boy.
Hopefully, it wouldn't be this awkward for every other person that BASIL planned to introduce him to. OMORI didn't really have that much knowledge of the priest from the other world other than that he was a nice guy who was patient and understanding, especially towards AUBREY.
So BASIL became friends with the priest in this world instead, for some reason. OMORI wondered if he hadn't been exaggerating when he said that he made tons of new friends in this reality.
As OMORI caught up with BASIL outside in the cemetery, the flower boy gave a heavy sigh as he stared at the scenery.
The stoic boy stood right next to him, patiently giving BASIL the chance to collect his thoughts.
For BASIL, he was mostly just taking in the air of the atmosphere here. He didn't really like staying here too much. The reminder that death was constant wasn't exactly a fun fact to think about.
Still, he was determined to make the effort to visit someone near and dear to his heart at least somewhat regularly.
Speaking of visits… SUNNY came in yesterday to visit someone? He even brought along flowers? It perked the flower boy's interest.
BASIL turned to his old friend, curiously asking, "I didn't know you and KEL already came here yesterday. Who were you visiting, SUNNY?"
With a nonchalant tone, the stoic boy answered, "Secret dead relative from an alternate parallel universe."
…
PFFFFFFT–
BASIL had to make an effort to cover his mouth as he began to smirk.
The answer came so out of left field, that BASIL couldn't help but laugh at the audacity and randomness of it as it clashed with the current melancholic atmosphere.
"Seriously, SUNNY? What kind of crazy answer is that?" BASIL giggled behind his hand.
The boy only gave a stoic shrug in response.
Sigh, but that was definitely on par with his weird brand of humor. BASIL had to wonder what goes through his friend's mind to come up with this stuff.
The best part has got to be the fact that the stoic boy could easily say such a strange sci-fi fantasy answer with such a serious face.
Ah, whatever~ BASIL figured he'd figure it out sooner or later just by checking around. First things first, though…
Without another word, BASIL happily trotted over toward the back row of graves, heading directly to the headstone that he was most familiar with.
His grandmother's grave.
"Hi, Grandma…" BASIL gently waved, "It's been a while. Guess who I brought along today? You'll never believe who it–"
Upon closer inspection, he noticed in front of her headstone was a brand new bouquet of flowers that BASIL knew for sure didn't come from the flower boy himself.
Actually, they were sort of familiar… Were those lilies of the valley?
BASIL blinked to himself as he bent down to grab the bouquet in his hand. It even had the same plastic wrap with a beautiful design that FIX-IT used.
A slow realization began to dawn on him as he remembered working at FIX-IT yesterday, giving the manager a bouquet of lilies of the valley at the request of a customer.
"SUNNY, was this you?" BASIL turned around to ask in shock.
In the meanwhile, OMORI could only stare at the flowers sitting in front of what was apparently his best friend's grandmother's grave instead of sitting on the empty patch next to her.
He had meant to place that in the same spot where MARI had been buried in the other world. Did somebody like the priest or the gravekeeper move it to the nearest headstone, thinking it got pushed away by the wind?
What were the chances that BASIL's grandma would be sitting right next to it? OMORI never even noticed. Then again, OMORI hadn't even known that she had died yet in this world until KEL told him straight after that back at his house.
Unsure of what to say, OMORI could only awkwardly glance away.
It'd be really hard to explain how much of a coincidence this all was, especially when the truth was already even weirder. Might as well just roll with the cards that were dealt to him from pure chance.
OMORI sat next to his flower friend, hugging his legs close to his body as he chose to answer with an open-ended, "KEL told me she passed away a few years ago."
BASIL gave a small smile as he nodded, "Yeah… Two years after you fell into that coma." Looking down at the bouquet again, he chuckled, "So you ended up buying these from FIX-IT after you found out?"
OMORI shrugged. Better to let BASIL come to his own conclusions here.
The flower boy gave a humorous sigh as he set the bouquet down. Taking a moment to properly sit down next to his best friend, BASIL fidgeted around with his flower hair-clip as he explained, "I was actually working at FIX-IT the whole day yesterday. I even remembered wrapping up the lilies of the valley myself while I was in the back since it stood out to me at the time… You and I were probably just a few seconds away from seeing each other that entire time without us ever even realizing it."
"Oh." OMORI blinked at that, "That's unlucky timing. If I knew you were there, I would've asked the clerk about you."
BASIL's job was over at FIX-IT?
Yeah, that checks out. Having a whole giant section in the back of the store dedicated to gardening would've definitely drawn in a plant-maniac like BASIL.
With a laugh, BASIL smoothed out his hair, "Yeah, really unlucky… Knowing KEL, he probably didn't even realize I worked there either. Probably the whole reason why he chose to break into my house to leave that note instead of just reaching out to me. Funny how that all played out."
"Yep. I was there for that part." OMORI gave a stoic hum, before adding, "Sorry for not stopping him in time, by the way. Hope it wasn't too much of a mess to clean up in there."
"Haha! Nah, you're good!" BASIL reassured, "If he hadn't done that, who knows how long it would've taken for me to realize you were already awake? I probably would've ended up with a heart attack if they had told me you were gone the next time I visited the hospital!"
Hm.
…
…
…
There was a comfortable silence between the two boys as they sat in front of the gravestone together.
OMORI closed his eyes, enjoying the serene tranquility they had going on. BASIL kept smiling to himself, staring up at the clouds.
When BASIL's eyes trailed down at the bouquet again, he couldn't help but give himself a carefree sigh.
Of course SUNNY would choose these flowers. He probably still remembered all the times BASIL would go on and on about his flower language trivia. He's always been a good listener like that.
It took a long while before BASIL finally interrupted the silence with a sincere, "Nice choice to pick the lilies of the valley, SUNNY. Thanks for bringing them to my grandma."
OMORI uncomfortably glanced away, feeling kinda guilty at being thanked for something he didn't actually mean to do.
Instead, the stoic boy changed the topic back to the grandmother, as he had always been meaning to ask, "How did she pass away? Did something happen to her?"
OMORI remembered how the grandmother had passed on during his final day in FARAWAY, back in the previous reality. Even though he wasn't there to see it, hearing the news from POLLY that she was rushed to intensive care the night before didn't inspire much confidence in him.
When the group heard that BASIL came back home that afternoon, locking himself away in his room without even speaking to POLLY… OMORI had guessed that something must've gone wrong.
The poor boy went through so much. Losing his grandmother must've been the final straw to break his sanity on top of everything else.
BASIL would've definitely killed himself if OMOR–… if SUNNY hadn't woken up and checked on him in time.
So what changed in this reality? What could cause BASIL's grandmother to die two years earlier than she should've?
BASIL gave the incredibly simple answer, "No, it was just old age. It was her time to go, that's all."
…?
OMORI turned to stare at the flower boy in confusion, "...That's all?"
So it wasn't some kind of butterfly effect caused by MARI's death being prevented? Did BASIL's grandmother just simply die out of pure random chance?
Mistaking his confusion for concern, BASIL reassured, "She was getting up there in age. It was bound to happen eventually. Don't worry though, she passed on peacefully."
He gave a small pause as he looked at the gravestone in front of him.
OMORI noticed the change in the flower boy's eyes.
"I was…" BASIL breathed out solemnly, "I was with her when it happened."
BASIL was fourteen years old by now.
He came into his grandmother's room with a small smile, carrying a dinner tray of her favorite stew.
"Grandma, dinner's ready." He called out gently.
Laying in her bed, the elderly figure slowly opened her eyes to see her grandson. Seeing his wonderful bright face, she smiled in return.
"BASIL… Good morning…" She spoke faintly, far too tired to work up the energy to speak a decibel beyond that.
"It's evening, Grandma." BASIL corrected, already placing her dinner tray onto the movable bed-table and pushing it in.
"Oh… Is it now…?" She hummed back.
The small clatters of the dish filled the quiet room, along with the fragrant smell of the vegetable stew wafting through the air.
It took considerable effort on her part, but she managed to sit up in her bed with a tired smile, "Is that… my favorite…?"
"Mhm. Peas, potato, and bell pepper." BASIL nodded while setting up the utensils for her, "I had help from the nice caretaker lady. I chopped up all the veggies while she did all the cooking."
"Thank you, sweetie… Such a good boy…" Grandma said appreciatively, reaching out to pat his head.
Although it was clumsy and weaker than how she usually did them, BASIL smiled and accepted it all the same.
"Where is… Miss… Erm… What was her name again?" She asked, somewhat mindlessly.
"Don't worry, she's just on the phone right now." BASIL reassured her, "If you need anything, you can rely on me. I'll help out until she's done!"
"Mm… Yes… I can always rely on you, BASIL…" Grandma nodded gratefully, slowly beginning to eat her dinner.
BASIL sat next to her on a chair, patiently watching to make sure she was eating properly. Grandma has been getting kinda clumsy lately, so it was important for someone to be in the room with her to make sure she doesn't accidentally choke or drop anything.
She had been eating far less these past few weeks, and sleeping far more frequently than she ever used to. Yet tonight, Grandma made the effort to eat more than usual this time around. Maybe it was because it was her favorite stew, or maybe it was because BASIL was keeping her company this time instead of her caretaker.
Regardless, he was happy when she had almost nearly finished her entire plate.
Placing her spoon down, her weak smile seemed to shine more than ever, "So tasty… The best I've had in years…"
BASIL giggled, "I'll give the chef your warm regards."
"And the little helper who cut the ingredients too… if you please…" She wheezed out, giving a teasing smirk.
BASIL rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed grin, "Jeez, Grandma, it was only cutting. I didn't do much."
Their gentle laughter slowly subsided into a comfortable silence, the cool evening settling between them like a comfortable pillow.
Moments like these were what BASIL always cherished between the two of them. They helped comfort him from the feelings of loneliness seeping in ever since SUNNY's incident that led to his coma. Things had been so depressing for him lately, with his friend group becoming more withdrawn each passing day.
KEL was starting to grow more distant as he started spending more time in clubs and activities after school nowadays. It was almost as if he was finding more excuses just to not be around the old group anymore.
AUBREY and HERO did their best to make the group still as lively as possible for him… But even then, the energy wasn't really there anymore. AUBREY still kept him company during lunches and after school, though the different class periods were starting to drive a wedge between their possible time spent together.
HERO was just a month away before finally graduating and heading to college. He had less time than ever to hang out with friends anymore as he prepared for the transition. Any time he did have left was spent comforting… MARI.
…
Sigh…
BASIL still hasn't gotten over that yet, huh?
The anger he had towards the older girl was starting to wane as time passed on, though he still avoided MARI like the plague ever since that day he confronted her about the–… well…
…
BASIL didn't really have much free time either, now that he thought about it. He had been getting more busy taking care of Grandma these days.
Maybe the group slowly falling apart was inevitable at this point… The thought of that broke his heart though, as he wished something could come to stop this change from happening. He missed the old days, back before SUNNY was gone.
He wished they could go back to the old days again…
He missed everyone.
He missed SUNNY.
…
When BASIL saw his grandma lay back down as she became sleepy again, he snapped out of his thoughts and went ahead to clean up her nearly empty plate.
Grandma ended up gently reaching out to grab his hand, holding it steady in her weak grip.
When did she become so frail? Where did all the energy she used to have go?
BASIL couldn't help but wonder to himself as he curled his fingers around hers to call out, "Yes, Grandma?"
She turned to look him in the eyes. For the first time in a long while, BASIL felt like he could see a youthful energy behind her eyes.
"You've grown up to become so handsome, BASIL…" She told him with a proud grin, "You used to be such a cute little button back when you were a baby… It won't be long now until you grow up to become a strapping young lad who'll be chased by all the girls in town... Maybe even a couple of boys too..."
BASIL's face flushed from embarrassment at the sudden compliment, whining out, "Grandma, stop iiiit! Come on, where did that even come from?"
"Soon you'll end up settling down with one and get married… Maybe even have a kid or two…" Grandma continued on with a chuckle, "You'll be too busy to spend time with your old grandma anymore."
At that, he frowned, "Grandma?"
She smiled sadly, "Don't worry though… When you get that old, I'll make sure you won't need to worry about an old burden like me holding you back from living your own life…"
"Grandma, don't say something like that." BASIL reprimanded, holding tightly onto her fingers. "You're not a burden at all. I can take care of you for a long time, even when I grow that old. You don't have to worry about stuff like that."
"I don't…?" Grandma asked quietly.
BASIL shook his head, "I'm old enough to know how to take care of myself and you at the same time. I'm not the same fragile little boy I used to be anymore."
She stared deeply into his eyes. Almost as if she had been searching for something, deep within his soul.
BASIL looked back with as much conviction as he could, hoping that it would reassure her.
Whatever she ended up seeing, she gave a relieved smile in return.
She looked so pale these days.
"You're not anymore, are you…?" She chuckled warmly, "I'm so glad… I'm so proud of you, my precious young man… I'm so happy I raised you right… I'm so happy that nothing went wrong while I took care of you…"
BASIL softly sighed as he told her, "Of course nothing went wrong. You're the best grandma in the world."
Grandma softly released his hand so that she could reach out to caress his cheeks. BASIL could feel her strangely cool touch spreading all across his face.
"I see… a delicate bud within you, BASIL," Her voice had gained some strength, as if she had finally found the energy to speak up, "It's not fully bloomed yet, but it's there. Faint, yet unmistakable. When you grow up, I know it'll blossom into a glorious sunflower. A bright, fiery, passionate sunflower. One that can take on any harsh storm, no matter how terrible, and come out still facing the sun."
Where was all of this coming from?
BASIL gently smiled at the kind vote of confidence, though he didn't truly believe in it himself. In some ways, he was still that socially anxious kid who preferred to hide and avoid trouble if he could help it. Still, he stayed quiet so as to not hurt Grandma's feelings.
Grandma continued to pet his cheeks, looking at him with loving motherly eyes.
"BASIL, can you promise me something?" She asked.
BASIL perked up, "Sure. What is it?"
"Promise me that…" Her voice became weaker again, though her smile was still as bright as ever, "Promise that you'll remember me as I was before… Not as I am now..."
"...Grandma?"
"Not as this old bag of bones who can barely walk anymore… I want you to think back on me when I was still full of life… Bouncing and energetic and happy… That's all I ask…"
BASIL began to get a bit worried, as he said, "Grandma, don't talk like that…"
"Promise me… Please…"
…
"I promise, Grandma. I will." BASIL ended up nodding along, hoping that it would put her mind at ease.
"Thank you…" Like a spell suddenly lifting from her, the energy she had in her eyes was slowly dying down. She looked so sleepy again all of a sudden.
"G-Grandma, wait–" BASIL called out, "A-Are you gonna be okay? Should I call the caretaker to check on you?"
"BASIL…" She spoke so warmly, but so quietly now. "You will… always be… my…"
Her eyes became so foggy as they slowly closed.
"Grandma? What's the matter?!" BASIL felt his heart spiking, a terrible feeling overwhelming his entire body. "Grandma?!"
"...my precious… little… SUNFLOWER PRINCE…"
Her hand loosened, slowly dropping down from his cheek.
The feeling of her cold touch was slowly replaced by warm tears as BASIL silently stared at his grandmother in shock.
…
…
…
"G-... Grandma?" BASIL could barely croak out.
…
…
…
…
…
Grandma did not respond.
BASIL sat still for a while, staring at his grandma's headstone.
OMORI sat nearby, still hugging his legs as he quietly digested everything he heard.
The quiet serenity of the cemetery was the only thing to keep them company.
OMORI was beginning to see why BASIL's grandmother died earlier, in this reality…
…
Eventually, OMORI found the words to say, "I'm sorry, BASIL."
BASIL glanced back at his friend, returning a soft smile, "It's okay. Thank you though."
So…
If OMORI was going to go out on a limb here… He would probably guess that maybe BASIL's grandmother was supposed to die around the time when BASIL was just fourteen.
In the previous world, MARI's death loomed over BASIL just as much as it did over OMORI. BASIL had to live with the guilt over what they both did, the trauma messing up the course of his life in the worst way possible.
Their friend group had disbanded. KEL left to move on with new friends. HERO would leave for college. AUBREY would begin to bully him because of the misunderstanding with the photo album.
His only friend left would be locked away inside his house, stuck in HEADSPACE.
BASIL would've had nobody left to support him. No other friends. Not even his own parents.
His grandma would be the only person he had left.
Maybe that was why things were different with the timeline of her death. BASIL's grandmother must've seen something so dark and terrible in BASIL's eyes that day. Or maybe BASIL begged and pleaded for her not to leave him alone when she was about to go.
Either way, she must've found the willpower to eke out a few last bits of time left out of her life, just to watch over her own grandson and make sure he was okay. Two extra years.
...
OMORI had to admit to himself that this was all just a theory, of course. Not like he could just pop back to the old world and double-check to make sure. Still, for a rough guesstimate, it was something he felt made the most sense to him.
He had to wonder whether this reality's version of her death was better or not. Would it have been better if she stuck to life for at least two more years? Or was it better for her to pass on, as peacefully as BASIL described it to be?
Hm… Well, BASIL seemed to have turned out alright in this world, so maybe this one was a better situation after all. Morbid as that might sound.
OMORI's analytical thoughts had to pause when he saw his friend readjusting himself to take a knee in front of his grandmother's grave.
BASIL gave a deep sigh, even as he smiled warmly at the headstone.
"Can you believe it, Grandma? SUNNY finally woke up after six long years. I wish you were still around so that you two could have caught up together again. You would've been so happy and thrilled to have him back. It would've been so much fun."
BASIL gently touched the headstone, taking the time to caress the stone features.
"I miss you, Grandma. I hope you're resting peacefully, wherever you are. Thank you again for raising me and giving me the strength I need to look forward to tomorrow every day. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to the sunflower you saw inside of me."
A soft breeze passed by, making BASIL's hair and clothes rustle with the wind.
BASIL gave a sniff, eyes getting slightly wet, "Now that SUNNY's back, I feel like things are gonna be looking up for me. Things are finally going to get even better from now on. So cheer for me, okay? I hope I'll see you again someday. I'll be collecting lots and lots of stories to tell you later."
OMORI respectfully kept silent, letting BASIL have his moment to cry.
…
After a while, BASIL eventually wiped his tears away before standing up straight.
With a warm smile, he turned to OMORI and apologized, "Sorry for getting sidetracked. You ready to go get KEL and head somewhere else?"
OMORI stood up as well, giving a silent thumbs up.
Side by side, the two of them left the cemetery together to continue their plans for the rest of the day.
OMORI did linger a bit though, just to give one last glance at motherly grandma's gravestone.
Then one last guilty glance over to the empty spot right next to her.
…
Sorry for stealing the flowers back, MARI. He'll try to get you new ones later, hopefully.
…
He left the cemetery after that.
After careful planning and methodical movements, KEL managed to sneak past his mom in order to escape the house.
He crouched himself down by the front of the door, carefully shutting it close without making any noise.
He nearly jumped when he heard his mom calling out for him from inside.
"Helloooo? KEL, sweetie? Where are you? I need you to come with me to the grocery store!"
KEL was so glad he managed to leave before his mom could come wake him up.
"KEL? Did you seriously already leave the house?" He could hear a few Spanish curse words here and there before a final, "That little troublemaker, I swear. I am going to give him an earful when he gets back."
Eugh. That didn't sound good for KEL. He could already imagine the headache he was gonna be in for later when he came back home.
Still, sneaking out away from his mom today was going to be worth it. He'd really rather not have a whole day wasted on grocery shopping with his mom. She only ever liked to visit one of those Hispanic community places that were always like an hour away from home, and then take forever shopping for stuff. It would always end up taking a bajillion years before they could finally come back home.
I mean, come on! SUNNY was back after six long years! KEL really wanted to at least spend one more day hanging out with him before being cruelly whisked away by familial responsibilities.
"Sorry Mom, I'll try to make it up to you later!" KEL whispered to himself with a guilty smile.
With that out of the way, KEL began crawling on all fours as he stealthily made his way out beyond the vicinity of his house.
Once he felt safe from any imminent danger, KEL bounced right back up on his feet to immediately sprint over to SUNNY's house!
WOOO, FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOM!
Making his way up to the front door, he was about to do the typical signature ultimate KEL move where he would repeatedly knock on a door until someone answered.
Right as he raised his fist to do that though, a sudden lightning of clarity and forethought came to his mind as he just remembered a seriously life-saving detail.
If he started knocking on the door… What if, instead of SUNNY answering, it would be MARI again? And since MARI was still upset with him, what if she just chose to slam the door shut in his face just like last time?
…
"Oh man… Good thinking Brain, I almost did something stupid there." He shook his head, trying to calm his excitement down.
You're welcome. A deep-sounding intellectual and studious voice responded back in his mind.
Alright, but for real though. After everything he and SUNNY talked about yesterday, it was important for him to be just a little bit more tactful when it came to interacting with MARI. Especially considering how she still felt about him.
Last time he talked to her, she basically shouted in his face and kicked him out of the house after all.
Let's form a play-by-play in his head, shall we?
First, KEL was going to walk up to the front door and politely knock this time around. No funny business here, just strict super serious serial KEL.
Second, if SUNNY opened the door, ask him to be invited inside! Skip to step three if MARI.
Third, if MARI opened the door, calmly apologize for the inconvenience and ask to come inside like a gentleman. Act charming and polite, maybe like HERO!
MARI then proceeds to rip the door off its hinges and beats him to death for reminding her of her ex-boyfriend. GAME OVER. Do you want to retry?
Okay- scratch that- Don't do anything that would remind her of HERO.
Third, if MARI opened the door, calmly apologize for bothering her and tell her that he just wants to talk things out. Convince her that he was here to make amends and wants to start over again. Act as genuine as possible so that she knew that he was serious.
Fourth, win her over and become best friends forever again! Everyone becomes happy, and they all go out to get some ice cream! :D
KEL WINS!
Aaaand that was about as far as KEL's thought process went. He was having a tough time visualizing what else could go wrong if any other situation happened beyond what was already laid down in his step-by-step game plan.
Sigh… KEL really hoped he knew what he was doing.
You do not. His brain callously remarked.
Shut up Brain, who asked you?
…
Okay… Here goes nothing.
Clearing his throat to prepare himself, KEL nervously but politely knocked on the front door. Just three casual knocks. No more than that.
Felt so weird and unnatural to do it like that, for some reason. It was like it went against his nature.
The response seemed to be instant though, surprisingly enough. He was already hearing someone sprinting on the other side to reach the door.
"SUNNY? You're back already?" MARI practically blew the door open, coming out with an excited smile on her face.
"Uh… Uhhhh…" KEL mumbled dumbfoundedly.
Her smile immediately disappeared when she realized that it wasn't who she thought it was.
KEL and MARI were left frozen in place, staring in shock as they reacted to each other's sudden appearance.
…
…
…
After an uncomfortable amount of time had passed between them, KEL realized that they were stuck at a standstill and decided to make the first move.
"Hey, MA-"
MARI immediately slammed the door in his face.
…
Welp, that could've gone better.
"Wait, MARI!" KEL's natural instinct kicked in, already running up against the door to knock and shout, "Hold on, please! Let's just talk!"
Dang it, he always was pretty terrible when it came to situations like this…
It wasn't like he even knew what to say to her right now, he didn't give that much thought to preparing a speech or anything.
Gah, he was horrible at this!
"MARI, don't shut me out again! Please… Please just hear me out!"
KEL scrambled to think of what to even say. How was he gonna apologize to her? What was the best way to convince her to change her mind?
…What if MARI didn't even want to change her mind?
…
When all else fails… It was better to speak from the heart. He might be an idiot more often than not, but…
"MARI, I'm so sorry." He began, closing his eyes as he let the words come out naturally, "I don't want you to hate me anymore. I know what I did was stupid and mean and wrong and you must think I'm a horrible person for giving up on SUNNY for all these years. But please, believe me when I say that I'm so absolutely sorry for everything! I just… I don't even have any good excuse for why I gave up on him. I was just so tired of being stuck in the same place, over and over, that I thought that I would go crazy if I didn't try to move on. But I didn't mean to abandon SUNNY though. I never meant to abandon you either… I never meant to hurt you…"
All the words he wanted to tell SUNNY yesterday, yet never got the chance since the stoic boy forgave him before he could. Even though it felt like a huge load off his mind at the time, KEL didn't realize just how unfulfilled he felt to be forgiven so easily.
Maybe it was good that MARI hated KEL on SUNNY's behalf. Just so that at least someone could hold him accountable for his actions.
He could only hope that his apology ended up reaching out to MARI instead.
KEL had his head against the door. He waited to see if MARI would say something. React with anything at all.
When all he got was the silent treatment, he sighed depressingly.
"I should've told you the truth back then. I shouldn't have ran off and left you in the dark about how I was feeling at the time. Maybe if I did, it would've ended up hurting you less. Or maybe you would've understood where I was coming from. Or maybe–... I don't know… I just wish I could've said something to anyone at all instead of trying to push you all away. I was so desperate for things to change, I didn't even consider what would happen if I left you all behind… I'm so sorry…"
KEL seriously regretted ever avoiding his old friend group back then. He felt so much happier now, reuniting with them and seeing SUNNY again.
Maybe if he had just tried sticking it out with them for a little bit longer… All of this could've been avoided in the first place…
…
…
…
He felt the door in front of him click.
To his surprise, the door started to open again. He leaned back just to stop himself from falling forward and landing on his face.
In front of him, MARI was staring at him with a frown. She looked kinda lost and confused. Almost as if she didn't even know what she was doing right now, herself.
"MARI… Hey." KEL breathed out with an awkward smile, "I didn't think you'd actually open the door again."
MARI kept silent, continuing to stare into his eyes.
Whatever she was searching for, KEL didn't know. But he still kept up his smile, hoping that he appeared genuine.
After what seemed like forever, MARI admitted, "SUNNY's not here right now. He's out spending time with BASIL."
"Oh, really?" KEL perked up at that, "That's great! BASIL must've figured out the puzzles in my note then!"
What a smart guy. KEL would have to come up with even more complicated puzzles later in the future if he ever had to pull off something like that again. Hopefully BASIL didn't mind the broken window!
"If you hurry, you can still catch up with them." MARI simply said, ready to close the door again.
Seeing him almost losing his opportunity, he called out, "MARI! Wait just a second!"
Something he said earlier must've struck something inside the girl, because she actually did end up pausing for him.
…
Taking a deep breath, he calmly asked, "Can I come in? So that we can talk? I promise I won't take long."
…
MARI didn't say yes. She didn't exactly say no, either. She actually just kept silent, continuing to stare at him like he was some kind of alien species who landed in her front yard.
KEL didn't know what that meant for him yet.
It wasn't until she backed away from the door and went inside that he got his answer.
The door was left open for him.
That had to be a good sign, right? Heh…
KEL gave a huge sigh of relief, smiling as he welcomed himself inside.
Maybe he had a chance to fix things after all.