Hi again! This one took a little while, since there was a LOT to add/edit for this one! It also somehow ended up being almost as long as the last chapter. You would think that doing a story with shorter and shorter loops would lead to shorter and shorter chapters, but that's not the case this time.

Thank you as always oddvector for joining in whenever you can while I write this story. You are the best.

Also, warnings for what are essentially suicidal thoughts and intentions later in the chapter.

Scale 4: Cut Me Down

Rindo gasped in relief as much as shock when he found himself floating in that timeless void again. He shivered as he curled up and held himself for a while, trying to control the tears that still flowed.

Okay...Okay...Okay...

Well, that plan had gone completely wrong. Fret's Reminds weren't enough to stave off Rindo's Inner Noise for long, and Fret…

Rindo had sensed so many emotions from Fret, especially in those last few minutes. Fear, sorrow, loneliness, guilt…regret. And, before everything had gone sour, sweet infatuation.

Meanwhile Rindo was still having trouble wrapping his head around the idea of Fret having a crush on him. Or…Or was that just the influence of the tainted sync? A so-called attraction caught like a cold from Rindo's own sickly Soul?

Well it hadn't been a strong enough attraction to keep Fret from fleeing for his life at the end, had it? So…So maybe it was genuine? At least a little bit?

But that wasn't the point. Amid all Fret's wild feelings, there had been no desire to consume Rindo whatsoever. Fret hadn't even wanted to fight Rindo, only striking back when he had no choice. And Fret hadn't even grown wings or a Noise form that entire time! Though Fret's eyes had shone with a strange pale light, so clearly there was something buried in there.

But if that Noise couldn't tear free of Fret in time, then…Then Fret would never win a battle against Rindo, even if everything was laid out for him. Because Fret was apparently too damn nice. Or too damn cowardly. It was hard to tell.

Or maybe that said more about Rindo's nature than Fret's. That when it came down to a matter of survival, he…

But what else could Rindo do? He had nearly drained Fret's Soul dry that last time, so who knew how much stronger his Inner Noise was now. And since jumping back in time still kept the changes to his Soul…

He had to keep Fret from syncing with him, ever. Even a second's contact with Rindo's Soul would mire Fret in its increasing frenzy. So Rindo needed to slap the anti-sync symbol on Fret as soon as possible, avoid as many fights as they could, and rely on Minamimoto's raw power when dodging a fight wasn't possible.

But…But that wouldn't stop Rindo himself from singing. He could protect Fret, but Rindo would still need to absorb someone. Otherwise he would turn into a Boss Noise.

But who else could he go after? Shoka would only rip him to shreds, and she didn't seem like she was that strong of a Reaper. Did…Did he go after a Player then? Lure away one of the DRS?

Rindo's stomach turned at his own thoughts. Viewing his fellow Players as potential prey rather than people. But if he could keep Fret from becoming prey instead, then it would be worth it, right? He'd be willing to sacrifice anyone if he got to keep Fret safe, right?

But would Fret understand that? Of course not. Even Rindo knew it was madness. So what could he tell Fret when it was all done? That Rindo didn't know what came over him? That the person he chose to rend apart had been a dangerous predator instead of prey?

A dangerous predator…Maybe Rindo should go after her? He didn't know if he stood a chance, but maybe in his half-Noise form he would have enough power to take her on. And she was the whole reason he was singing in the first place. It would be a fitting revenge, perhaps. Make sure she didn't do this to anyone else. Including Fret.

But where would she be? Hmm…Rindo had encountered her a little after 14:12 at Spain Hill on the first loop, and then Scramble Crossing just after 14:00 in the second loop, and then sometime during the 'parade' in the last loop.

Hmm…There was no way he was gonna last until 14:00. Judging by how each singing episode happened about an hour earlier, he probably wouldn't even make it past 13:00 this time…

Only a few hours to find someone else before…

No, not even that. He didn't want to jump all the way back to the beginning. They had to clear that Reaper wall before they could go anywhere, and there was no reason to risk another fight, even with the sync sealed. No reason to sit through Minamimoto's explanation again either. Rindo knew all too well what 4-2-1 was now, and why it was happening to him.

So that would leave Rindo with…less than an hour. No, that wouldn't work. He had no idea where to start looking for her, or anyone else. Hmm…Well, who said that they needed to eat at Donburi Town at all? Rindo could just turn down the meal and keep going. Let Minamimoto babble on about 4-2-1 as they kept walking. Yeah, that freed up at least an hour right there. Still not an ideal amount of time, but nothing about any of this was ideal.

So then, Rindo needed to jump back to right before they ate at Donburi Town, put the seal on Fret, and then find a different target for his Inner Noise's terrible hunger. Ideally her, or a target Rindo could actually win against.

Rindo closed his eyes, and he felt reality fade back in again.

"That's my current hypothesis," said Minamimoto, sounding strangely thoughtful for once. "It correlates to the 4-2-1, but is there causation?"

Fret side-eyed Rindo. "You getting any of this?"

Sadly, Rindo understood every word, and not just because he had heard them multiple times by this point. "Anyway, we better get going. No time to waste, right?"

"Zeptograms, converge at Donburi—"

"No, I'd rather keep going," said Rindo. "If you wanna talk about something, we can do that while we're doing other stuff."

Minamimoto pinched the visor of his hat and turned to Rindo with a suspicious scowl. Could he already tell that Rindo was different? That his Soul was bloated from feasting on Fret's?

And yet Rindo felt more empty than ever. He missed Fret. He missed Fret so much, even though Rindo was looking right at him. Even though good chunks of Rindo's Soul were now made of Fret. But Rindo's heart ached and ached and…And he needed to get it together. He did not want to consume Fret. He did not want to consume Fret.

Rindo forced himself to move forward, without looking back at either teammate.

"Wait up, Rindude!" Fret dashed after Rindo, before slowing to a stroll at his side. "Dude, that was kinda rude. Something up?"

"Sorry. I just…I don't wanna waste any time, y'know?" said Rindo. "I'm…already so behind, At the Game, I mean. We're still in last place, right?" Honestly he could barely remember anything about the Game right now, with so much else to worry about.

"I think so, yeah?" said Fret.

Minamimoto caught up with a calmer, steadier stride, almost robotic in its rhythm and precision. "Zeptogram No. 2, how many iterations?"

So Minamimoto had noticed the change already. "Including this one? 4."

"Kweh? What're you guys talking about?"

"...Math problem." It was, very very technically, not wrong. Rindo would come up with a better explanation later. "I think the solution is to…" He glanced at Fret for a second. "...Find a different variable to plug into the formula, other than the…obvious one. But where could I find another number like that? Preferably…one with as low of a value as possible?"

Minamimoto sneered. Did he have an answer? Or was he just happy to have someone else talk math to him? "4-2-1 is garbage, no matter what value is plugged into it." He studied Rindo like he could see the numbers running straight through his Soul. "But with the odd function, we could reduce that eigenvector down to size!"

Odd function? Wait wasn't that—

Minamimoto vanished before him, only to reappear a few moments later in the exact same spot, with the exact same grin. Only she was beside him.

Her. The one who started all of this. The Noise within him screeched with both fear and rage, but Rindo kept himself very, very quiet.

"H-Heavens!" she exclaimed, glasses slightly askew. "Whence have you—" Then she burst out into a near-incompresible shriek and stumbled back, scurrying behind Minamimoto, staring at Rindo with…

…Scared eyes? She…She of all people was scared? Of him?

Minamimoto darted his eyes to her without moving his head or changing his grin. "The factor are you doing, odd function?"

So they already knew each other already, huh? Was that where he had been at the very start of the day? Or had their meeting occurred the day before?

"D-D-Do you not sense the pungent hostility of the masked one, L-L-Lord Tomonami?" she asked, staying planted behind Minamimoto.

Shit, was Rindo's anger that obvious?

Fret looked at Rindo, before elbowing him hard enough to make him squawk. "Dude, chill out. It's just a…Wait, Mr. Minami, you didn't just kidnap a girl outta nowhere, did you?"

"Irrelevant chatter," said Minamimoto.

"No, very relevant chatter! You don't do that kind of thing, my Minaman!"

"Erm…I-I have come with L-L-Lord Tomonami of my own free will," she muttered, pushing up her glasses. "I merely…lacked information on where we were going and why."

"Really? Then, uh, guess it's all good then? My bad."

"Hmph. We don't have the ?-variable to waste on trash like this," said Minamimoto. He pointed at Rindo. "Odd function! Use your latent psych to reduce Zeptogram No. 2's eigenvector down to a fraction of itself!"

Rindo felt his Soul quail at the thought. Having her break into his mind again was the last thing he wanted.

…Or rather, the last thing his Inner Noise wanted. But, all the way back in the first loop, Minamimoto had claimed that this could keep the Inner Noise under control, hadn't he? So if Rindo could just swallow his fear, then this would keep Fret safe from his Inner Noise, right? Keep everyone safe from his Inner Noise, right? Never fear the fight; fight your fear instead, as an0ther had once said. "O-O-Okay."

"Uh, what's going on?" asked Fret. "This feels like a little much for just solving a math problem."

"When the odd function intersects the vector of another radian, she has direct access to the harmonic eigenvector and any garbage Noise in its vicinity. To prevent total function collapse, we need to reduce the eigenvector to an acceptable parameter."

Fret groaned. "Man, I just had to ask, huh?" He glanced at Rindo. "So, you sure you're cool with…whatever this math stuff is?"

"Y-Yeah." Man, Rindo wished he could sound more confident, even if he didn't feel confident. "This should…solve the problem, yeah. So let's do this, Mr. Minami!"

Fret frowned, but didn't say anything else.

Minamimoto meanwhile had a grin that could put a shark to shame. "Correct answer." He turned to her. "You heard him, odd function. Prepare to Laplace annihilate!"

"At once, m-m-milord!"

"So what exactly—" Fret stopped, blinking. "Kweh? Where'd they go?"

"Uh…" Where had they gone? Did this mean that she and Minamimoto were already in his Soul? "Doing the…thing, I think?" Rindo didn't feel any different though. Maybe they had just teleported off to do some kind of preparation?

Then suddenly there was a deep pain in his chest, like he had been run through with a sword, and before Rindo could even scream he found himself in a dark purple space. Had…Had he jumped back from the shock? No, this wasn't the green-and-black timeless void. This was…This was like when she had first broken into his mind. So she was here somewhere, along with Minamimoto.

Rindo's eyes darted around, and spotted…himself. Right, that had happened before too. That him who had gone on about not trusting anyone new, or even anyone he already knew. And those private thoughts were what got Rindo's Soul mauled in the first place. As if people didn't have bad thoughts all the time!

And now that innermost self was turned away from Rindo, sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest, and that already gave Rindo a bad feeling.

"I don't want this." The other Rindo turned, and yup, the eyes were all weird and black with tiny yellow lights at the centers, while dark-blue tattoo lines writhed on his skin.

Rindo felt his own skin squirm just looking at those writhing tattoos. Was this…Was this what other people saw whenever he started turning Noise? What Fret saw whenever Rindo lost control?

"And I…" The other Rindo looked so sad. "I don't want to lose Fret."

Good. Something they could both agree on. That was a start.

Shouts of terror and anger echoed. Minamimoto and her, somewhere far away? Strange, she had reached him straight away the first time. But this whole space…felt different now? No, not just that. It looked different too, with giant jagged shadows tangled around them. Like a cage? No, more like a nest. A very guarded nest, pulsing dark-blue, and veined with glistening golden strings. It was quite pretty actually, now that he studied it. Comforting, even.

The other Rindo squinted at him in annoyance. "I need Fret with me."

What was his other self getting so irritated about? They both agreed!

Distant rumbles. Some of the ragged shadows thrashed and rapidly pulsed blue. Rindo winced at the abrupt pinching feeling in his chest.

The other Rindo winced too, before emitting a low warning warble.

So all of those serpentine shapes were part of the other Rindo too, huh? Probably tattoos then, though everything was too dusky and muddled for Rindo to be sure. He shuddered at the thought. Just how far had this Noise infection spread through his Soul already?

"I need Fret. I need Fret here. With me. Always." The other Rindo squawked when everything shook more severely. Raven wings jutted out of his back, only to curl protectively around his own body. "Fret…"

Man, the other him seemed so pathetic. "Yeah, we need Fret with us, so that's why Mr. Minami is giving you a…" Rindo quietly listened to the battle cries and explosions. "...Haircut?" Okay, that didn't really work as a metaphor, but whatever. "Anyway, he's not going to destroy us." Probably. "He just wants to keep Fret safe. Just like we want to keep Fret safe too."

The other Rindo glared at him. "Fret would always be safe if he was always with us."

Rindo was starting to think that they weren't on the same page after all. "Look, we're doing this so you won't be so…hungry? That way you won't have to absorb Fret. Which means Fret gets to stay with us, and be safe and happy and not eaten."

So then why did his chest still hurt?

Another explosion, followed by a faint echo of maniacal laughter.

The other Rindo only curled into himself further. "Fret…Fret, help…"

The golden veins in the blue tattoo lines shone more brightly than ever, revealing how deeply branched and burrowed those veins were. The nest-like bramble twisted and writhed even more, weaving itself higher and higher, tighter and tighter. Becoming more like an egg than a nest.

The other Rindo giggled, something that Rindo never did. What the hell? "Yeah, it'll be alright, buddy. I know because you're here, Fret."

Uh…

"Yeah, you've always been here for me, haven't you, buddy? Even when I didn't always want you there," the other Rindo rambled on, smiling softly. "You always remind me what's fun about life, you know? That stuff doesn't always have to be scary. Not when you're around. Not even when fighting Noise. Not even when becoming Noise."

That…was true, wasn't it? Rindo was only able to face the Noise because of Fret's support and enthusiasm. He was only able to face his Inner Noise because he wanted to protect Fret from it.

"I love Fret," said the other Rindo, as his Reaper wings flared out.

Rindo froze.

"I love Fret so much."

"L-L-Love…?" How exactly did Rindo feel about Fret? He hadn't really questioned his feelings until after Fret got crushed by a falling truck at the very start of the Game. Rindo's very first time jump...And then so much occurred after that, especially this damned day, that Rindo hadn't had the time to really...

But Rindo's chest ached. Was that the singing, or...?

The glow of the golden veins flickered and faded. The other Rindo's features collapsed into something more pained, as his Reaper wings also wrapped themselves around him. "But it's not enough! I need Fret here! I need all of Fret here, as part of me! Because I love Fret more than anything!"

What…What could Rindo even say to that? Was he really that…that obsessive about Fret?

No, this was the Inner Noise talking, right? His Inner Noise that wanted to consume every bit of Fret because it…loved him? No, this couldn't be love, right? Needing to be with someone so badly that one wanted to absorb them…Just to make sure they never left…That wasn't love.

"Because without Fret…I'm not anything."

That…That wasn't true, right? Rindo had only met Fret this semester. Before that Rindo had been…Okay, maybe not fantastic, but he'd be doing alright. He had been getting by without Fret, just like he had been getting by in the Game so far. Though, Shoka had said that they needed to take things more seriously in order to actually win…So maybe Rindo needed to take his feelings for Fret more seriously too?

Rindo's heart ached and ached and ached. Where was Fret? He missed Fret.

"I miss Fret," said the other Rindo. "I miss Fret so much."

He missed Fret so much. He wanted nothing more than to feel Fret's emotions flow through him, have those very feelings ingrained into his Soul. Maybe then his heart would finally stop hurting all the time, because he would never have a moment to doubt if Fret cared for him or not. Not if he was always there in his mind, telling him how much he cared. Reminding him how much he cared. Because that was just what Fret did, with or without psychic power. C'mon, you got this, Rindude! Yeah, we can do this, together! Okay maybe we're not all together yet because I'm not all here yet, and the incompleteness kinda sucks, actually kinda really sucks.

And when had the other Rindo disappeared? And when had Rindo been the one sitting on the ground, with his knees curled to his chest? And when had that lone golden vein spiraled up his hand and burrowed into his wrist like an IV line? He could feel that arm grow warm and slack, falling limply to his side. And already there was another vein, squeezing his other hand as it snaked toward his other wrist. It…It almost felt like—

Rindo saw Fret before him, though he had a golden glow to him. A thousand details about his appearance were right, and a million details wrong, those details shifting every second. But the warmth of both of his hands holding Rindo's own, that stayed stable. There was no dark purple haze, no nest brambles or distant screams, only the soft orange-and-pink of a sunrise or sunset.

"I miss you." Despite the sad words Fret remained smiling. He laid his forehead against Rindo's. Despite the golden everything else, Fret's eyes were very very very blue. "And you miss me too, don't you?"

Rindo's heart burned and shuddered, and so did his back, and even his very skin. But he couldn't look away from that shining sapphire-blue gaze, nor did he want to.

Fret's hands traveled up Rindo's back and kneaded the restless wings slithering in there. Rindo's body melted under the massage, while his needy wings strained against his skin.

"Because c'mon you want all of me, right?" Fret said, still smiling, still looking straight into Rindo's eyes. "You need all of me, right?"

Fret was so warm, and he made Rindo feel so warm too. "I…I miss you too." Rindo felt his eyes starting to burn as well. "And I…I need…"

Then the world suddenly paled as it awashed with light. Rindo stumbled forward because Fret wasn't in front of him anymore, but something grabbed onto his wrist to keep him from falling.

"W-Whoa! You okay, buddy?"

Rindo blinked rapidly. He was in…Shibuya. With a very displeased-looking Minamimoto a few feet away, with her cowering behind him. Before he tackled that problem, Rindo glanced back to see Fret holding onto him, eyebrows creased in worry, his robin's-egg-blue eyes far duller in color than the super-saturated ones from within Rindo's mind.

"Rindude?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" Rindo put on a chipper tone and a lopsided smile.

Fret's expression stayed worried. Nope, not even Fret was falling for that one.

"Zeptogram No. 2." Uh oh. "If you want us to successfully crunch your eigenvector down to size, you must be a willing element in the matrix."

"I am a willing element in the matrix of whatever!" Rindo snapped. "But I can't do this by myself!" Especially with the way Rindo's mind had just…collapsed on itself when he tried to reason things out with his Noise side. Why could he still feel the warmth of the Fret-That-Was-Not-Fret on his brow and hands and back? "That's why I need your help!"

"Uh, guys?" asked Fret, looking uncertain.

"Then why are your numbers not adding up, Zeptogram No. 2?"

Rindo wasn't sure what to say to that. Why had the trip into his mind failed then? He didn't actually want to sing, right? No, that was the Inner Noise trying to gnarl his thoughts up into insanity. He didn't want to hurt Fret. At all.

"This acceleration of eigenvector growth…Is the strange attractor of emotion that strong already?" he growled, arms folded. "Did I miscalculate?"

"S-S-Surely not, L-L-Lord—"

Minamimoto barked out a laugh. "No, I simply miscalibrated! Now, with these more accurate numbers—" His sharp-fanged smile returned. "Now the Taboo would crunch this irrational eigenvector to infiiiiiiinity!"

"Taboo?" The word caught Rindo's attention for just how not-math it was. Though a name like that did not give him confidence. Taboo things tended to be taboo for a reason. "What's that?"

"An anti-Angelic function that results in masterpieces like this." Minamimoto rolled up his sleeve. A dark, fire-like tattoo was emblazoned on his skin. Not overtaking it, like the Noise tattoos did, but more like...fused evenly with the skin? Rindo swore he saw the surface swirl like oily water, but maybe that was his eyes playing tricks on him.

She squinted as she readjusted her glasses, studying Minamimoto's arm like she planned to sculpt it from memory later. Wait, was…Was she drooling? As if this girl wasn't weird and creepy enough!

Fret also stared at the strange tattoo. "Whoa, that's…W-Wait a minute, does that mean you're part Noise Mr. Minami? Is that why you're so strong?"

"Heh! That's only one variable in my flawless algorithm!" declared Minamimoto, rolling his sleeve back up. "But with the Taboo, I reformatted my Noise to the parameters I want! My Noise follows my formula, not anyone else's. And it'll never oscillate through that garbage 4-2-1!"

"Wait, so this can stop the singing entirely?" asked Rindo.

"Singing?" asked Fret.

"Correct! The Taboo will reduce the chances of 4-2-1 happening down to zero."

"Zero…" echoed Rindo in disbelief. No whatever-percents at all. "Well, why didn't we start with that then?"

"Hmph. Not just any radian can handle the Taboo," said Minamimoto. "The chances of you, zeptogram, for handling that kind of intense chronic pain, are less than a quectopercent." He grinned. "But not zero. Your chance of getting plugged into 4-2-1 at this point on the number line is 100%."

100%...Hearing such a certain percentage from Minamimoto was unnerving. "So…So then Taboo is the only chance I've got for not singing?"

"Either that or choosing the Boss Noise operator."

So either turn Taboo or turn Boss Noise, huh? "Okay, how do I take the Taboo stuff then?"

"Uh, Rindude? You sure that taking Taboo anything is a good idea?" asked Fret. "I mean, not that I don't trust Mr. Minami, but…He said something about it causing chronic pain? That could really mess you up, dude."

Admittedly, the way Minamimoto's grin almost sliced his face in half did not help Rindo's anxiety. "Pain and progress are balanced equations. First: I measure your Soul's calibrations. Second: I make a Taboo sigil to your Soul's specifications. Third: I subtract the whole of that irrational eigenvector—"

"Wait, didn't you say that getting rid of the whole eigen-whatever would kill me?"

"Irrelevant. The sigil will—"

"Whoa whoa whoa, nobody's killing anybody here, my Minaman!" Fret exclaimed, getting between Rindo and Minamimoto. He scowled at Minamimoto in particular. "I don't know what you guys are going on about, but there's gotta be a better way than just freaking murdering each other!"

"Hollow-skulled hectopascal! The ?-interval of dissolution will only be a Planck length of time!"

"I don't care. No one's dying on my watch."

"Fret—"

Fret huffed. "You know what—"

Rindo squawked as Fret tugged him along like a favorite teddy bear.

"—Let's go for a little walk while Mr. Minami just calms the hell down, my Rindude."

"Hold on, he's just—" Rindo began, stumbling just to keep up.

"Buddy, death is not an answer ever," Fret growled. "Now let's go."

Rindo glanced back at Minamimoto. His arms were folded, but he wasn't following them. "Another miscalibration? All these garbage numbers that are interfering with my calculations…What's elucidating them?"

"Hehemhrmmm…" she mumbled, her mouth a wriggly frown.

"I need more data. To new coordinates, odd function."

"C-Certainly. Whence shall we—hhwagh!" Then both he and she vanished.

Garbage numbers…Probably Rindo's time travel. But wait, no, Minamimoto had already figured out the time travel, and Rindo had even told him how many times. So, what else was there?

"Hmm, where should we go, Rindude?"

Rindo looked back to Fret. His walk had slowed to a more casual place, but his hand still remained clasped around Rindo's wrist. Why was Fret so agitated? They hadn't even synced this time, right?

Right. The sync. Rindo still had to worry about that too. So, first he had to put on the anti-sync symbol with…Oh yeah, and before he could do that…"Hey Fret, do you have a pen? Or something else I can write with?"

"Nope!" Fret cheerfully replied.

Rindo would've been mad if he hadn't already expected it. "What's the nearest place that sells pens or whatever?"

"Uh, probably TOKYU HANDS at Tipsy Tose Hall," said Fret. "They've got pretty much everything there."

Okay, not that far, but still farther than Rindo liked. "Okay, let's go there first."

"Whatcha need a pen for anyway, Rindude?" asked Fret, as they started walking back.

"I, uh, in case my phone goes dead during the Game?" Actually, what was keeping his phone charged? Was it running off of UG energy or something?

"Oh yeah, good idea. Maybe I should get a pen too. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Also, no Noise battles, got it? Not until…Until Mr. Minami comes back and is slightly less crazy." Since Rindo should probably have Minamimoto double-check the XOR sigils first before more fights anyway. It seemed simple enough to draw, but…

Rindo would come up with a non-weird reason to draw on Fret's hand later. Maybe something to do with fashion? Was it stylish to draw pictures on your hand in class? Punk-stylish, maybe?

"Got it, my Rindude!" He finally let go of Rindo's wrist and fell in pace beside him.

Rindo quietly watched Fret as he strutted alongside him, humming something to himself. Probably Twister, he loved that song. Yup, it was Twister. That was probably how he'd come up with their Wicked Twisters team name, actually. Why hadn't Rindo thought of that before?

There were lots of things Rindo hadn't thought about until now. How silky Fret's hair looked despite the hair gel holding it in place. How shiny his earrings and jewelry were. How freaking blue Fret's eyes were, though not as blue as that superreal delusion that had gently held Rindo hostage for a few minutes, or a few eternities.

Oh shit, Fret noticed Rindo staring at him. Rindo quickly turned away.

Fret smirked at him. "You like my latest look, my Rindude?" He brushed back the longer part of his hair. "This style's gonna go viral, I just know it!" He snickered.

Rindo chuckled nervously. "Y-Yeah."

…Though he couldn't help but wonder what Fret would think if he just reached over and petted him. Fret had liked the attention last time, right before the singing took over and everything went wrong…

Singing. Right. This was probably the singing getting to Rindo. His Inner Noise wanting to reach out to Fret, pull him close, and tear him apart.

Still, it was comforting to watch and listen to Fret being Fret, babbling on about fashion and dogs and how dumb the Game was, and holy shit was that the Prince? As in the Prince? Rindo smiled as Fret happily rambled on about celebrities and wanting to know what they were thinking, like look at the guy, he looked troubled, let's scan him and oh he needed a Remind, he'd just do that real quick and—

—And a Noise symbol showed up right in front of Rindo's face!

But it fled. Oh, it was one of those weird Pale Noise that always ran away. Just like Fret had done last time, even though he had gotten the perfect opportunity to attack Rindo. In fact, the light that had flickered in Fret's eyes was much like the glow of the Pale Noise.

Did…Did Fret have a Pale Inner Noise? Was that even a thing? And if so, what did that mean?

And why were they being pulled into the Noise dimension? Crap, because a non-Pale Noise symbol had closed in on Fret while Rindo was distracted with thoughts of Fret! Goddammit!

But Rindo felt at least a little more at ease now that the sync energy flowed through him, now that Fret's energy—Wait no that's—

The battle started with Fret leveling up with a flash of light, even though neither of them had touched a Noise yet. Rindo sensed a tinge of overwhelmed surprise from Fret, as he giggled almost shyly. Then a flush of happiness rushed through him, and Fret's giggles turned to giddy laughter. And then, when he turned to look at Rindo with a warm smile, a toasty glow of…

…Oh. Oh no, Rindo did not deserve that. He did not deserve any of that. This was just the corrupted sync twisting Fret's feelings into…

Fret's gentle expression suddenly morphed into panic. "Rindo, look out!"

Huh? What was–Whoa! Where'd that grizzly come from? Rindo stumbled back to avoid its long ragged claws, but—

But Fret jumped in and took the blow instead. He got swatted away, his chest a mess of static.

It hadn't been lethal, obviously, or they would both be goners. But rage filled Rindo nonetheless. How dare this Noise hurt his partner! He lunged forward, plunging his energy saber straight through the grizzly's chest. The creature roared, but did not fade, so with another burst of bloodlust Rindo tore out the arm-blade through the bear's right side.

That did it, as the grizzly dissolved into static before even hitting the pavement. But where was—

Ah, there was Fret, shooting down some ravens with one eye squeezed shut. His chest still sputtered with static from where the grizzly had raked him. He grinned and teleported over to Rindo as soon as he noticed him. "Yo, that was sick! You go, Rindude!"

"T-Thanks." Rindo glanced at Fret's torso. "You...Uh, I appreciate it, but you didn't need to—"

"'Course I did!" said Fret, apparently trying to disguise his pain with a wink. "Can't have anything happening to my Rindude!"

"Um..." Rindo slashed a raven that got too close. "W-Well, I don't want anything happening to you, either!"

"Aw, you do care!" Fret answered in an almost sing-song voice, blasting more ravens now that his pin was recharged.

And he was 100% sincere about it. About all of it. Something about that was so sweet and so scary. "Um..."

Soon enough they finished off the rest of the Noise. On one hand Rindo wanted to linger and bask in the...whatever the hell this was with Fret. But on the other hand, he didn't want to lounge in the Noise plane while Fret was so badly hurt. And Rindo wanted Fret safe above everything else. So Rindo quickly finished off the rest of the Noise, not even needing Fret's help much.

They returned to the UG, the connection was cut, and the gashes on Fret vanished instantly. He should have been fine now.

Except Rindo knew Fret wasn't okay. Because they had synced.

Fret turned toward the Prince, who seemed much more relaxed now. "Oh hey! My Remind went through after all! Nice! I wasn't sure if it went through since we got attacked by Noise near the end there. I was trying really hard to get it done before the Noise reached me, but…" He chuckled nervously.

Rindo wasn't nearly as amused. "Fret."

"Yeah?"

"If you knew the Noise were coming, then why didn't you just stop the Remind?" Rindo growled. "What was so important to the guy that you just had to Remind him of it right then?"

Fret's laughter grew even more anxious, his eyes looking away from Rindo.

Oh boy, Rindo couldn't wait to hear the answer to this one. "Well?"

Fret's words tumbled out all at once. "Okay, so he was trying to remember how to make this soup, and I know that seems dumb but he seemed really bothered by it so I—"

But Rindo had heard all he needed to hear. "Soup. You got us into a battle because some guy couldn't remember his stupid soup."

"W-Well it wasn't stupid to him—"

"Fret, that couldn't have waited two seconds?" Rindo hissed. "What part of 'we need to avoid all battles' did you not get?"

"Y-Yeah, you did say that…"

"You always make fun of me for being indecisive, but what's the point in me deciding on anything if you won't listen to me anyway?" Rindo yelled, hands balling into fists.

Fret flinched back. "D-Dude, I'm sorry…A-At least that fight wasn't too bad, right?"

"Fret, you nearly got ripped in half by a grizzly in that fight! You call that good?"

"I mean, as long as you were okay, yeah." Fret's smile slipped away as he really seemed to think about that sentence.

"Fret…" Before, Fret had fled when things had gotten rough. Rightfully so. This time, Fret had taken a massive blow for Rindo just because…because…

"Is that what you're so upset about, Rindude?" asked Fret. "Because I got hurt protecting you?"

"...I don't want you to get hurt," mumbled Rindo. "And I definitely don't want you to get hurt because of me." And this loop was probably already doomed, so he would have to try again, only with even less time to work with. And he couldn't do that until the circumstances got dire enough for him to be able to jump back, which meant he would have to go through turning Noise and attacking Fret and…

"Aw, c'mere buddy."

"Huh?"

But Fret was already trotting over to him with a grin, before he pulled Rindo into a big hug.

Rindo froze in place. "U-Uh..."

"See? My chest's fine now," said Fret. "So it's all good, Rindude." He patted Rindo's back.

The slightest twinge in Rindo's back reminded him of the Noise that he really needed to worry about. He carefully extracted himself from Fret's hold. "T-Thanks?"

Fret's smirk soon returned. "Heh, if only you could see your face right now, buddy." He winked.

"S-Shut up," Rindo muttered, knowing by the heat in his cheeks that his dignity was already a lost cause.

Fret's snicker fluttered halfway, as his own face started turning pink.

Ha! Hypocrite.

"It just...feels so right to sync with you, Rindude. T-To even be with you, doing...anything, really..." Fret shook his head like he was trying to shake off the blush. "A-Anyway…"

Rindo grinned. Even with everything happening, and everything that would happen if he didn't find a way to stop it, he wanted to just stay here with Fret until the inevitable occurred. As long as Fret was with him...As long as Fret could always be with him...And if Fret really did lo—

The gears in Rindo's brain finally unstuck, whirling faster than ever. No, this wasn't love, was it? It was because Fret had synced to his singing Soul, and now it was pulling him into Rindo's madness too. If Rindo didn't stop this, they would both succumb to it.

"S-So, uh…now what?" asked Fret.

That was the real question, wasn't it? If Rindo was probably going to have to reset this loop anyway…Well, maybe he could still salvage it if he found a way to lure someone else in for his Inner Noise to snack on. Even though Rindo didn't really want anyone but Fret, and maybe Fret would be willing this time to—

—No. No Rindo refused to follow that trail of thought any longer. He needed to protect Fret. And the first step in protecting Fret, at least if Rindo needed to jump back again, was to finally get a freaking pen. He would keep the pen if he jumped back, right? Yeah, he should, as long as he kept it physically with him. That was how he had amassed 27 Rapturous Rabbit pins. "Let's go to TOKYU HANDS."

"Oh yeah! That thing we were gonna do anyway!" Fret grinned. "C'mon Rindude, let's shop 'til we drop!"

Of course Rindo wanted to shop for 'just' a pen, but realistically he knew that he would probably buy way more than that. Though he shouldn't waste too much—

He felt dizzy. Shit, was it starting already? So much had happened back to back that Rindo hadn't even been checking the time!

"Rindude? Something up buddy?"

Wait, if they got into TOKYU HANDS, the Reaper sticker or whatever should repress the Inner Noise, right? At least for a while? He snatched Fret's wrist and dashed toward the entrance.

"Whoa! R-Rindude?"

C'mon, c'mon, he had to get inside before the sickness sank in and the wings burst out.

They shot past the doors, phasing from the UG to the RG, and it felt like something had clamped down on Rindo's Soul. Not painful exactly, more an unpleasant pressure. But the lightheaded feeling ebbed, at least for now, even if the heat building in his chest did not.

"Rindo?"

Oh, right, he was still hanging onto Fret. "S-Sorry, I…I thought I saw more Noise coming, so I wanted to get in here where it was safe."

"Ohhhhh, okay that makes sense," said Fret. "Well, good thing that we were planning on coming here anyway!"

"Yeah…" So Rindo would grab a pen and…then what? Stay here until he couldn't anymore? He didn't have much choice unless someone else from the UG happened to be here too, and he managed to get that person outside. Without Fret noticing and trying to follow them.

This loop had been such a waste of time, and Rindo did not have the time to waste.

"You know, if you keep holding my hand like this, people are gonna think we're dating," Fret teased him with a flirty wink.

Rindo gazed down to where his hand still clung to Fret's wrist.

If this loop was doomed anyway, and all Rindo could do was wait for it to end…

Rindo let his hand slip from Fret's wrist so it could awkwardly squeeze the side of Fret's hand instead.

Fret's smile slipped away as he stared down at Rindo's hand. Probably puzzled by what Rindo was doing.

…Then he wanted to make the most of his remaining time with Fret.

"Then…let's date."

Fret gaped at him. "Huh?"

Shit, maybe he should have prepared Fret more for that. "Uh, u-unless you don't want to! I-I know t-this is kinda sudden and outta nowhere and—"

Then Fret beamed at Rindo, eyes sparkling with what might have been tears. "Aww, I…I love you too, buddy!"

Love…Yeah, that was what Rindo had sensed from the sync, however unearned it was, but to actually hear Fret say it, and say it so easily…"L-L-Love…"

"I mean, it's okay if you…" Fret anxiously rambled on, looking away. "I mean I know that 'love' is maybe kinda…Uh…So if you just need a while...Or even if you, uh...Y-You get what I'm trying to say, right?" Fret broke out into nervous laughter.

But Rindo only smiled. "...Y-Y-You too. I-I-I love you t-too."

Because Rindo did love Fret. Why else would Rindo put himself through all this over and over?

Oh. Fuck.

But Fret grinned so wide, and Rindo almost forgot everything else. "Aww, love you so much!" His hand excitedly wriggled in Rindo's until it turned around and clasped back. "So let's do this dating thing, my Rindude!"

Rindo smiled a little, despite everything. "Y-Yeah."

Wandering the inside of TOKYU HANDS, perusing each store, almost felt normal. Rindo didn't come here much, so he often forgot just how massive the place was. More floors than even the 104 that stood high and proud against the Shibuya skyline. And Fret would probably take him to the very top. Not a trek Rindo looked forward to, since he already felt a little lightheaded. But he would just sit down more, that's all. Which was easy enough when Fret wanted them to try on some silly costumes at 2A. Rindo would just take a little extra time to recharge in each fitting room.

Which might've worked if Fret had had any patience whatsoever.

"Riiiiindude!" Fret called from the other side of the door in a singsong voice. "I looooooove you. And I miiiiiiiiss you."

"Miss you too," said Rindo, as he fumbled with his vampire cape. "One sec."

A second passed. "Hey. Rindude."

"Yeah?"

"Close your eyes, bro."

"How am I supposed to put on my costume faster if I can't see?"

"C'mon, just do it."

"Okay." Rindo sat down and closed his eyes, even though technically Fret wouldn't be able to tell if he had closed them or not.

"What do you see, bro?"

Oh goddammit, he knew where this was going. He smiled anyway. "Nothing, bro."

"That's my world without you, bro!"

Rindo opened one eye as he smiled more. "Bro..."

After Fret took some pictures of Rindo in the vampire costume and himself in a werewolf one, and deciding they were not worth the cost, they went to play some videogame demos instead. Rindo wished the words on the screen weren't so blurry and hard to read. One reason he preferred FanGO, with its nice big font on a screen he could hold as close to his nose as he needed to. But Fret was having a good time kicking Rindo's butt at everything, and that was all that mattered.

After that they moved through 2B, passing by the wedding section.

"So, who's wearing the dress?" asked Fret with a good-natured wink and smirk.

"You," said Rindo.

"Wow, so decisive!" said Fret. "Am I just that pretty?"

"I'm sure you'd pull off the look way more than I could."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be so down on yourself! I'm sure you could rock a dress with a little help from yours truly."

"Heh, maybe you're right. Why don't we both wear one and see who looks better?"

"Hey, man, a wedding's not supposed to be a competition. But that sounds like a lot of fun!"

3A was beauty and cosmetics, and yup, there went Fret on a long spiel about his mousse and hair gel and other brand stuff that Rindo couldn't even pronounce. And the more he went on about his hair, the more Rindo wanted to pet it, even with all the weird stiff texture from all the hair products. Until Rindo just did, without any prompting or asking.

Fret stopped mid-step and mid-sentence to just stare at Rindo, body rigid. Just like before, his face slowly turned red, and he even slightly leaned into the petting. Still watching Rindo with wide eyes like he expected it to be a trick.

Then, after several seconds, he abruptly gave Rindo a quick peck on the cheek. It was so fast that Rindo had hardly felt it, but that didn't stop Rindo's heartrate from suddenly skyrocketing.

Fret wore a cocky grin. "Heh! Anyway, good thing we're in the hair product section since somebody just decided to mess up my hair!" As if that little smooch hadn't just happened too.

Okay, Fret won that round.

Fret praised or laughed about some of the bedding they came across in 4B. He babbled on about texture and trends as he tested the sheet samples between his fingers. He even went on a rant about how most high-threadcount stuff was actually worse because companies would just use a bunch of thinner threads to boost the thread count, but the thinner threads made the fabric more fragile and prone to pilling, and they got super hot because they were woven together so tight, so really a 300 to 500 thread count was best since…

But clearly Fret wasn't that mad about it, as he gently traced small spirals on the back of Rindo's hand.

Rindo honestly was never that into fashion and fabric quality. The coat he wore, which Fret seemed to simultaneously love and hate, was an unbranded item he had picked out from a consignment store for cheap. Specifically, Rindo had picked it out just to mess with Fret. He had claimed he could find matches for any kind of clothing? Then find some matches for this Frankenstein of a trench coat with multiple animal prints on it.

Then Fret had, or at least he had helped Rindo narrow down his choices. And then Rindo had kept wearing the coat, because he had honestly kinda liked how unique it was. Now he never went anywhere without it, even on sweltering summer days.

So Rindo gladly listened to Fret ramble on about the history of Top O'Topo bedding, even though it was a brand Rindo didn't buy at all. He hadn't even known that they made comforters as well as clothes.

Yeah, Rindo could almost pretend it was normal. Better than normal, even, because they held hands between stores, and Fret's smile and words toward Rindo carried extra warmth.

Fret loved him. Fret loved him! And Rindo loved him too. And that was why Rindo really didn't want to hurt him. Even if he really wanted to be with him all the time, and wanted to bask in the growing heat in his chest until it dissolved him entirely.

But…

4C was lights and fixtures, and they had no reason to stop here whatsoever unless they wanted a blacklight or something.

Then Rindo did stop. Not because he saw something he wanted to buy, but because he saw all the clocks lined up on the wall. Their ticking resounded in his head as much as his ears. The time read 12:31.

Time. That thing Rindo had been adamantly avoiding knowledge of this whole trip.

Something squeezed his hand. "Rindude?"

Rindo floated back to reality. "Yeah?"

"Something up?" asked Fret. He glanced at the army of clocks. "Do you want one of those?"

"No," said Rindo, and winced at Fret's wincing. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. Just, uh…my grandma has one of those really loud grandfather clocks or whatever, and the stupid thing always wakes me up at night." And he really did hate now that stupid glorified timepiece activating his anxiety almost every hour. Why did old people want to be jumpscared by their own appliances? "Anyway, all these loud clocks here kinda remind me of that." As well as that other thing he didn't want to think about right now.

"Gotcha," said Fret. "Bet you hate setting your alarm too, huh?"

"I usually get up pretty early, so most of the time I don't have to," said Rindo. "And when I do need to set it, I usually end up waking two hours early just because I'm so nervous about the damn alarm."

"Aww, what if I woke you up instead?" Fret winked.

"Uh huh, because you totally get up before noon by yourself," said Rindo.

"Yeah, you got me there."

They kept walking. The ticking still echoed in Rindo's head even when the store was out of sight.

"You doing good, my Rindude?" asked Fret, when Rindo had lagged behind him a little.

"Yeah," said Rindo, putting on a smile. His body was starting to burn, but he was gonna put off the inevitable as long as he could.

The inevitable...So, Rindo might as well let himself sink into these fun times and rising warmth. If the singing was unavoidable anyway, this wouldn't be such a bad way for it to happen, right? Getting to spend this peaceful time together before the Noise took over?

He let Fret pull him along to wherever he wanted to go. Yes, Fret could have had whatever he wanted. Fret deserved everything.

Except...

Except for what was about to happen to him.

His heart ached. His back ached. Rindo wished he could just enjoy this sleepy giddy feeling forever without needing to feed on Fret's Soul, but if he didn't do that…

Minamimoto had called it the 'choosing the Boss Noise operator'. Shoka had called it a deathwish.

…Would it be better if Rindo just turned Boss Noise instead? It would certainly be better for Fret, who would be doomed to be devoured otherwise. And Rindo in turn wouldn't have Fret's blood on his hands. Or anyone else's. That awful Inner Noise wouldn't get to feast on anything besides himself. In any version of history.

But could Fret stand up to Rindo's Boss Noise, if it attacked him? Could Fret even last the rest of the Game without Rindo there?

Then again, Minamimoto was worth ten Players (and a hundred Rindos) by himself. But what would Fret do if Minamimoto turned on him? Or just left Fret for erasure once he got too annoying or stopped being useful? Or because she ended up being more useful? Was that why Minamimoto had kept trying to recruit her? So he could abandon Rindo and Fret and, or, worse, steal Fret away from Rindo when Fret belonged to Rindo and—

Rindo shook his head. Noise. That was his Noise talking. His obsessive, famished, possessive Noise that viewed Fret's Soul as a desirable object. Rindo the Noise did not care about Fret the Person.

No, Minamimoto would look after Fret. Previous loops proved that Minamimoto did care enough about Fret to protect him from Rindo, even with her also working with him. So yeah, as long as Fret was with Minamimoto, he should be fine. He could probably even deal with Rindo's Boss Noise if he had to.

But it always felt so terrible to turn half-Noise, so Rindo could only imagine how much worse it would feel to turn full Noise and feel his mind and body unravel completely. To just…stop being himself at all. Just the idea of it made his chest tighten with anxiety and his overheating heart race and he just wanted to run up and hug Fret and be hugged by Fret forever and never lose him again he only had to just and this was why Rindo had to stop this now!

But...how? Fret stuck to Rindo like a butterfly to a fly trap. He could try sneaking off while Fret was in a dressing room, but Fret knew TOKYU HANDS like…well, the back of his hand, and could probably track Rindo down pretty quick. Especially since Rindo already wasn't feeling that great. And once that happened, Fret would watch him even closer than ever.

So what Rindo really needed to do was stall. Hide his exhaustion enough so that they could stay and travel up TOKYU HANDS as much as possible. The higher they got up, the more distance there would be between Rindo and the exit. A nice safeguard against his Inner Noise hijacking his will too.

So Rindo insisted that they try out every single hobby station along the way, even things he didn't care about much like origami. It was a good excuse to sit down for a while without it looking suspicious, and all this stuff would be nice little mementos for Fret later. It was also a good way of gathering a bunch of shiny things like glitter and sequins, which the Raven in him was endlessly fascinated by. Maybe if he distracted it with shiny things, it wouldn't eat him as fast?

Rindo already burned all over as he followed Fret up TOKYU HANDS. Fret's cheerful chatter serenely slid down Rindo's ears without him registering a word of it. But his voice was enough for Rindo to maintain at least some focus as he walked.

Fret...I need to keep Fret safe... Rindo repeated to himself like a mantra over and over.

They reached 5A, and Rindo finally got a goddamn pen. Fret got him a whole set in fact, the most glittery ones he could find, as well as some FanGO stationary to go with it. Chocobo edition, of course. Rindo declined, however, the Chocobo sunglasses. Rindo had hated wearing glasses as a kid, and he wasn't about to start again now. Not even for Fret. Well maybe for Fret, if he really wanted…Okay, he didn't. Good.

Hot pins and needles stung Rindo's Soul, weaving in and out like worms. A spiky sphere of anxiety where his heart should be. He wished he could see the sky.

...No, that was the Noise in him. He needed to stay here. He needed to keep Fret safe. He could fly in the sky as much as he wished once he knew Fret would be safe. And, Rindo reminded himself again and again, devouring Fret's Soul would not keep Fret safe, even if it seemed like it would.

"You good, buddy?"

"Yeah..."

They stopped by the cafe to get a bite to eat. And a bite was about all Rindo could manage. His stomach didn't hurt exactly, and he didn't feel nauseous. But after a few sips and mouthfuls he just didn't want to eat anymore? No, no, the food was delicious, Fret! Rindo just wasn't as hungry as he thought he was! He'd just take it to go for later!

Rindo went to the bathroom, only to puke out his latest meal. Huh, maybe he'd been nauseous after all? Yet he also felt ravenous…The Noise? The singing?

While Rindo cleaned himself up, his phone dinged. He checked it after drying his hands.

"hey rindragon, whatcha up to? :)"

Swallow…He had almost forgotten about them. And this…would probably be the last chance Rindo got to talk to them. "hi swallow. just want u to know that youve been a great friend. thanks."

"aww thanks. and we'll keep being great friends too. :D"

He gazed at his phone for a long while. "i wish i couldve met u irl."

"rindragon are you okay?"

Rindo sighed. How should he word this? "im moving. to a really rural area. with really bad internet. sorry i didnt say anything before. didn't know how to tell you. but i might not be able to talk to you much. or ever. im sorry. but youre the best and if i can somehow get internet working, then ill text and stuff! i just dunno if ill be able to. sorry. so just in case we cant talk again ever thanks for being my friend"

He pressed Send. There. That should work, probably. A decent reason for Rindo to suddenly drop off the face of the planet. A decent reason for Swallow to move on and forget about him soon enough.

Rindo's phone softly dinged again after a few moments.

"RINDRAGON WHATS WRONG?"

That was not the response Rindo had expected. At all.

"WHERE ARE YOU!"

How…How should Rindo reply to this?

"Rindude?"

Rindo hastily silenced his phone and stuffed it into his pocket. "H-Hey! Sorry I'm taking so long! One sec!" After a final wash-up, ignoring the constant rumblings in his coat, he headed out to meet Fret. "So, uh, where to now?"

Fret studied Rindo with a seemingly thoughtful expression. "So, be honest with me, Rindo."

Oh no. Was his growing exhaustion that obvious?

"Did that…whatever it was Mr. Minami did to you earlier…Did it hurt you?"

"Huh?" asked Rindo. "No, it…it didn't help like I thought it would, but it didn't hurt me either. Why?"

"I was just asking since you've seemed kinda tired and spacey ever since then," said Fret, slightly frowning. "And you seemed really upset while it was happening."

"While it was happening? What do you mean?" Rindo had been entirely cooped up in his head that whole time.

"Um, do you not remember, like, holding my hand and talking to me and stuff?" asked Fret.

"N-No." Oh crap. "W-What'd I say?"

"Huh. Guess you were pretty out of it though," said Fret. "But yeah, you were mumbling things like 'I miss you' and um, just my name in general? It would've been really cute if I wasn't so, uh, confused and concerned." He chuckled feebly.

So some fragments of the conversations in his head had slipped out to the real world. "S-Sorry."

Fret smiled brightly. "Nothing to apologize for, my Rindude! But if you ever need to, like, take a break or something, don't be afraid to ask! We can always sit down on a bench and rate everyone's fashion as they walk by."

"Heh. Sounds good."

The pin-and-needles morphed into deep stabbing pains in his torso as Rindo went on. He loved Fret and hated these walls caging them in. But he needed to be quiet. He needed to keep Fret safe.

"You sure you're okay, Rindude?"

"Uh huh..."

After browsing through all the miniature figures and art booths in 7B, and laughing about this one gacha character that really looked like Minamimoto, they finally reached the lookout near the building's roof. While Fret happily pointed out the locations of all his favorite spots in Shibuya, Rindo gazed up at the clear sky. If only he could just spread his wings and fly…

The stabs started to leave behind a frothing sensation. His Soul was...boiling? He certainly felt hot enough to boil. A sharp, rapid popping, like he kept getting electrified...Static?

One foot...One foot in front of the other...Stay with Fret...Keep Fret safe...

Rindo thudded into Fret, who had stopped walking. Shit, he looked so worried.

"M'fine..." Rindo mumbled, even as he leaned against Fret a little.

"...No, buddy, you're not," said Fret. "You feel way too warm. Uh, let's find you a bench and…Uh, maybe I can find a doc online that'll do house calls? Or mall calls, in this case?"

"M'kay." That sounded good, actually. Rindo could just cuddle and nap against Fret until his time was up. "Love you."

"Aww, love you too buddy." Fret wrapped his arms around Rindo, planting a soft kiss on his forehead. "But please let me know next time you're feeling this sick, okay?"

"I…I just wanted to spend as much time with you as I could…"

Fret's muscles grew tense. "...Rindo?"

Rindo needed to tell Fret, didn't he? Or at least Rindo needed to tell him something. So Fret wouldn't blame himself for what was about to happen. And he needed to tell him before his mind sizzled as much as his Soul. Already he could feel that static-like sensation start to spread out from his chest to his upper arms.

"You!"

Both Rindo and Fret turned to see Shoka panting nearby, her eyes full of rage. What was she doing here?

"I have been looking for your idiot asses everywhere!" Shoka spat, stomping over and yanking on the back of Rindo's coat. "Now you! Outside! Now!"

"Hey!" Fret barked, swatting away Shoka's hand while using his free arm to pull Rindo closer to him. "Don't treat my Rindude like that!"

Shoka gaped at him, probably because she hadn't expected such aggression out of him. But her anger soon flared up again. "Look, if we don't get him outside so he can sing, he's gonna turn into a Boss Noise instead!"

"What? Turn into a Noise? How?" Fret asked. "I-Is that what's making Rindo sick?"

"How do you know I'm singing?" grumbled Rindo.

Fret glanced back down to Rindo. "Wait, Rindo, you know what's going on? Hold on, you and Mr. Minami said something about singing earlier, right? When you guys were trying to do the whatever?"

Ah goddammit.

"I saw your numbers when I was trying to track you down through the RNS," said Shoka, ignoring Fret entirely. "I don't know what you did to make yourself sing somehow, but we'll worry about that later! Now unless you completely want to lose it and turn into a literal monster, let's go. You too, Fret, if…if you really want to save him."

"Of course I do! C'mon Rindo, let's—"

Rindo glared at Shoka. "But what if I don't want to be saved?"

Fret froze, his fingers digging into Rindo's shoulders. "Rindo...Rindo, p-please don't talk like that..."

"Fret, you don't—"

"Rindo, I love you!" His declaration and tightened embrace seemed almost angry.

"Fret..." Rindo murmured, as Fret buried his face in Rindo's hair. "Fret, she's leaving out something very important. Singing means that I have to absorb someone. As in kill them. And I…I don't wanna do that. And I especially don't want to do that to you. Because I love you. So much.

Fret stared down at Rindo, like he couldn't believe Rindo of all people would need to kill someone.

Shoka sighed. Not a sound of irritation, more like…resignation? "You could always fight me instead, if you really don't wanna hurt him. Which...I get. Now I'm not gonna just roll over for you. You're gonna hafta earn it if you wanna win. But it's supposed to be more like us fusing or whatever so…Maybe it doesn't even matter that much, in the long run."

There Shoka went again, volunteering for the singing. Why? Because she knew that she would probably win? But she wasn't really trying to hide that either?

Fret glanced from Shoka to Rindo, his gaze lingering there. "No, I'll do it. I…I won't force that kind of choice on anyone else. And I…I love you, Rindo. And I wanna make sure you're gonna be okay."

Not again. Except of course it happened again, because Fret's feelings for Rindo were more inflamed than ever. Though, judging by the cautious looks he kept giving Shoka, maybe he just didn't trust her to not maul Rindo. And he was right, because Rindo had lost his previous fight against her.

Fret smiled gently at him. "So let's go back outside, my Rindude. Together."

Panic flared in Rindo among all the painful heat. "W-Wait, I..."

"You'll turn into a Boss Noise if you stay here too long, right?" It was weird for Fret to sound so calm. "So let's go."

"But I don't want to..." No, Rindo very much wanted to go outside and spread his wings and carry Fret up to the sky with him. "But I need to keep you safe..."

So Rindo should just accept Shoka's offer, regardless of what Fret wanted. Yet he couldn't bring the words to his lips, because Rindo's heart ached, and it ached for Fret.

"Safe? Dude, you're not gonna be safe if you don't do this," said Fret. "What part of 'turning into a Boss Noise' do you not get?" His voice cracked, along with his calm façade. "What part of 'I love you and I don't want you to die' do you not get?"

Rindo felt himself melting into the trembling hug. Or maybe his whole body was just melting. "Fret, this isn't love. It's the sync messing with your head." A sudden, deep pain in his heart. "And if you don't...snap out of it..." His legs buckled as a wave of vertigo crashed over him.

"Rindo!" He felt Fret catch him.

"Rindo!" Shoka too, huh?

Despite the Soul pain and panic, Rindo observed his condition with almost curious detachment. If he was this weak already, all the way up these floors, then...

"Rindo, can you hear me?"

Then Fret should be safe.

The hot static fizzling in his head made it hard to concentrate on anything else. His senses blended together, Fret's and Shoka's frightened voices mixed somewhere in there.

"...C'mon, buddy..."

Rindo's own fear shrieked in the chaos of sensations and feelings, but he had to stay here. Fret was here. Fret was safe here.

And then Rindo felt himself rising up. Flying? No, that wasn't it. Rindo finally opened his eyes. Fret held Rindo to his chest, teeth gritted in determination as he grunted with strain.

What the hell? Fret was built like a twig. Rindo hadn't thought that Fret was even capable of lifting him. "Fret, what..."

"Hang on Rindo, just hang on," Fret hissed between breaths, gaze set ahead as he headed down the stairs.

No...No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go! He squirmed in Fret's grip. "Fret, don't..."

"Hey, don't move around so—"

But Rindo's feeble struggles were enough to throw him off balance, and he tripped on the last couple of steps. They both yelled as Fret crashed down on the floor below and on top of Rindo.

Fret groaned as he sat up. "Y-You okay, buddy?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"A-Anyway, maybe going down stairs isn't so safe..." He scooped Rindo back up into his arms. "Not l-like I could—" He hissed in pain when he tried to get back on his feet. A flash of panic in Fret's eyes, quickly covered up by a strained smile. "Okay…Elevator. Just need to get you to the elevator. T-That's faster anyway, and easier. So…win-win?" He tried to get up again. "C-C'mon…"

"Aw geez, really?" Shoka's footsteps hurried down the stairs. "Alright you moron, let me help." Despite being considerably smaller and shorter than both of them, Shoka helped to support Fret enough so he could slowly hobble to the elevator.

"T-Thanks Shokie…" Fret mumbled out.

Rindo meanwhile was just confused. Why was Shoka going so out of the way to help them? She…She had been like this on the second loop too, when Rindo had been in danger of going Boss Noise out of ignorance rather than intention. What was her deal?

Shoka hit the lobby button for Fret, since his hands were full, and helped them inside.

But Fret didn't seem to notice her as he gazed down at Rindo. "Don't worry, Rindo, we'll be outta here soon. Just hang in there a bit longer..."

"...Thanks..." murmured Rindo, even though he knew what would happen if they did manage to make it outside. Especially if Fret was already injured. "...But why..."

Fret's chest rose and fell with a sigh. "I…Well, I don't know what you meant about my feelings being 'fake' or whatever. But...But it doesn't really matter whether these feelings are 'real' or not. I'm not just gonna let you die. Especially...especially not like this. So I-I'd do this anyway, whether you were my boyfriend or just my friend!"

...Yeah, maybe Fret had a point. Maybe it wasn't fair to just expect him to let Rindo pass on in his arms while his Soul turned into a monster, regardless of whether Fret was infected by the tainted sync or not.

But in all those previous loops, Fret had run when the actual singing started. But maybe he wouldn't in this one. Maybe Rindo wouldn't be abandoned in this one.

"B-But I wanna save you, n-no matter what! I wanna be with you, no matter what!" Fret hid his face in Rindo's hair again. "I know I joked about it earlier with the bro stuff, but if you just...stopped existing..." A longer silence.

A sigh from Shoka. "Just look at this guy just throwing himself at you. Most Reapers would kill for such an eager singing partner. You should consider yourself lucky."

Maybe Shoka had a point, though Rindo didn't know enough about Reaper culture to be sure.

But that wasn't the real issue, was it? The issue was that the real Fret didn't want to sing with him. Even under the influence of Rindo's singing Soul in previous loops, Fret didn't want to sing. Even if that changed this time, it wouldn't be because of Fret's own choice, even if he thought it was. No, it would be because of Rindo's singing Soul had injected a love drug directly into Fret upon just a moment of syncing.

"If I can save you..." A weak laugh from Fret. "Well, maybe that'll make me a worthy friend after all. That's all I really want, y'know? To be a good friend."

Funny how Fret went on about being such a good friend when he had openly declared his romantic feelings multiple times already...Rindo supposed the two weren't mutually exclusive, but it was still kinda amusing.

"So just please hang on...I love you so much..." He kissed the top of Rindo's head.

...And this was why Rindo loved him too. Never change, Fret.

Fret's words gave way to soft whines, as he subtly rocked Rindo. The sound was strangely soothing. Rindo's Soul popped and ached just a little less, a sleepy warble rumbling out of his throat. Yes, he felt safe and warm with Fret. Fret was safe.

The elevator door finally creaked open,

"Alright you two lovebirds, outside," said Shoka.

"Yeah," said Fret. "Don't worry, we're almost there buddy."

With Shoka's help Fret hobbled toward the light shining through the glass doors. Everything was so bright that the whole area looked bleached.

Wait...Wait, Rindo shouldn't go outside...But his body was just dead weight in Fret's arms, with his Soul frothing in his chest. All that pent-up static infesting his limbs, making his whole body go numb. Despite him getting closer to the doorway, everything was growing dimmer.

"..indo? Can you…"

Rindo could…just let it end here.

"...please, you gotta…"

Stop the madness now.

"...can't be…"

But…

No words. Just the sound of sobbing.

Fret…Was this…what he really wanted? For Fret?

Fret's voice was slowly being drowned out by a rising static.

Maybe Rindo wanted this. Maybe he even deserved this.

The noise all over was deafening.

But this wasn't what Fret deserved.

Next couple of chapter shouldn't take quite as long, since they shouldn't need any big changes like chapters 3 and 4 did. (Could you imagine having the Kaie talk AND the TOKYU HANDS stuff all crammed into the same chapter? Because that was what the original version of this chapter was haha). However, I'll be finishing up some Secret Santa stuff I'm working on, so those will probably pop up first! Merry Xmas in advance!