Hello again! This one took a little while. Not because this was a tough chapter to edit, but because I had mocing stuff going on. Oh, and I knocked out the rest of the rough draft for this, so stuff should go a little faster in general now.
Longer chapter this time. I actually had to split the day since there was so much going on this particular day.
Thank you as always to oddvector and Darkblaw for being great betas and also great friends!
Also, here's a new quote for this new section! Well technically the new section started last chapter, but this quote wouldn't have made sense then, hehe.
"I really enjoy just existing in hotels. The long identical hallways. The soulless abstract art. The weird noises the air conditioner makes. Strange city lights in the window. Six stories off the ground. Strangers chatting in the hall. Nothing in the dresser. No past, but an infinite present." -mbrainspaz
Scale 8: One Day Closer
When Fret finally sprang up from sleep, he felt the most energized since ever. Maybe it was being able to take a solid four-hour nap in the middle of the day. Maybe it was the bed that didn't feel like a stone slab against his shoulder. Maybe it was just how excited he was to go check out all the things with Rindo. Actually, it was probably just being with Rindo period.
And somehow, despite all that had happened. and Fret's natural chatterbox nature, he couldn't think of anything to say besides…
"I love you."
Rindo smiled. "I love you too, Fret."
Man, 'I love you' were the three best words ever. Now, even when he couldn't think of anything to talk about, he would always have something to say to his Rindude, and Rindo would always have something to say back.
Rindo said that he would have fixed them breakfast if there had been any food in the room. But there was nothing but bottled water in the fridge. So breakfast out it was! Along with a proper grocery trip.
Groceries...Ha, how strangely ordinary, except for literally everything else about this situation.
And since this wasn't an ordinary situation, they'd go all out! All the yummy treats, all the videogames, all the movies! Yeah, they were gonna make this singing time a full-blown party!
The food court floor was just as garishly colorful as it should have been, Red-and-white-checkered floor tiles, burgundy walls, and lit-up signs everywhere advertising each restaurant. All those clashing yet delicious smells only made Fret's stomach rumble more.
The staff were all Reapers, which made sense since they couldn't exactly give this kind of job to someone in the RG. Most eyed Rindo and Fret strangely at first, some of them muttering something about the Game getting so stressful that it was even making the Players sing now.
And whoa, there were other singing Reapers here too! Fret didn't know why he was so surprised to see other people in a hotel. After all, this singing thing apparently happened enough that there was a whole 13-floor building for it. And really, it wasn't that many people: maybe like 4 to 6 on the whole floor?
Anyway, Fret could tell they were singing by the way most of them stayed close to each other: holding hands, or hugging, or tracing patterns over each other's hearts, or huddled together and barely moving at all. Maybe that's why almost all of them had their wings out too, even though that iguana lady had said it wasn't 'proper' in Reaper culture. But that Susukichi guy had said that having your wings out was relaxing, and this was a luxurious hotel, so maybe that was why? Like they were on vacation?
So Fret and Rindo should just relax and—Oh, Rindo already beat him to it, their hands interlocking as Rindo snuggled more into Fret's side. Cute...Sweet...Fret squeezed his hand back, smiling and leaning against Rindo a little.
But Fret was still hungry. So they should get some actual food before they cuddled for hours.
Ordering from the deli confused them: where was the cashier? When Fret asked, the Reaper said it was on the house. Part of the hotel service, she said. Well...It felt weird, but hey, free food?
Like the staff, many of the singing Reapers gave Rindo and Fret bewildered looks. But whatever, Fret would talk to them when he and Rindo weren't stuffing their faces with sandwiches. At least, for those who wanted to talk. Some just kept to themselves, ignoring or oblivious to the presence of others. One pair even hissed at them when they got too close. Probably because they were already so comfortably snuggled up to each other.
But a pair of Reapers came to say hi while Fret and Rindo were eating. Maybe just out of curiosity, since most of them wouldn't have ever seen Rindo or Fret before. Still, it was kinda nice to have some extra company. As long as they didn't bother his Rindude.
Rindo gave off an irritable warble and curled one wing around Fret.
The other two Reapers wrapped a wing around each other in turn, making their own funny little noises.
Since it was clear that they were only interested in each other, Rindo seemed to chill out and at least tolerate their presence. Though his wing stayed draped over Fret's shoulders.
Aww, Fret wished that he had his wings already. He pressed up against Rindo's side instead.
"Well lemme tell ya this, boys, you chose the perfect time to sing your hearts out," said the girl Reaper, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Turns out the Game outside is going to hell in a handbasket."
Her partner snorted, folding his arms. "You mean it hasn't been going that way for two years now?"
"Wait, this Game has been going for two years?" asked Rindo.
"Yeah, because the same team keeps winning over and over," said the first Reaper. "I mean, the Ruinbringers are a Reaper team, but Shiba says something about how a truly worthy team could 'even give a group of Reapers a hotfoot' or something. But it's been 104 games! We're gonna run out of Players at this rate!"
"And Reapers," the partner added.
"Kweh?" Fret blinked. "What, are they quitting or something?"
The partner chuckled. "Reapers can't quit if they want to survive. Can't eat if we don't get points from the Conductor. Nah, we're running out of Reapers because every singing means one less. Two become one, right? And now a whole bunch of Reapers are starting to sing, whether because they're stressed out or because it's just time for them to sing. Seriously, there's like three times as much singing as usual."
"Maybe more," the girl Reaper added. "Imagine."
Her partner laughed, but Fret didn't get what was so funny.
"But this place doesn't seem that crowded?" asked Fret. The place felt downright deserted compared to the hustle and bustle of 104 or TOKYU HANDS. "We hardly see anyone walking around, just a pair of Reapers here and there? And this place is pretty big."
"It's crowded for here," the second Reaper grumbled. "My partner and I should have had the whole place to ourselves. That's how it usually is."
The first Reaper made a sympathetic noise and stroked her partner's hand. Aw, Fret should do that too.
"Really?" asked Rindo. "Why is this place so huge then? You'd expect a big hotel like this to host a convention or something. Aren't they losing money if it's only supposed to host a few people?"
"It's not about making money. It's about keeping singing Reapers as safe and comfy as possible," said the girl Reaper. "And singing Reapers need their own space and privacy. If a bunch of singing Reapers were shoved into a small space there would be so much fighting."
Fret thought about the more cranky pairs he and Rindo had come across while getting breakfast. Yeah, that made sense actually.
"If you ask me," the guy Reaper remarked, "even the number of Reapers here is just asking for a fight to break out. I know security's jumpier than usual. You guys are Players, right? Pro-tip: don't go messing around with anyone who doesn't want to talk. Better not to mess around with anyone who doesn't come up to you first, like we did. But on the bright side, you can always wait for anything to blow over in your rooms. The doors don't let any Noise or half-Noise in or out."
Yikes.
"We'll get through it," the guy Reaper added. folding his arms in a way that kinda reminded Fret of Shoka.
"We will," the first Reaper said. "And you boys should take advantage of the opportunities. Like the free stuff. A lot of the things here can be saved for later if it isn't used, like the packaged food or the clothes."
"Oh yeah, we haven't checked out the clothes stores yet, Rindude!" said Fret. "We should do that next!"
"I mean, you can, but you're honestly probably better off waiting?" said the guy Reaper. "A big reason why that's here is so that the new you can pick out their own outfits later."
"Looking forward to picking out clothes for the new me," the first Reaper said playfully.
The second Reaper leaned his head on her shoulder. "As if. It'll be the new us."
"Not thiiiis again," she teased, but the two Reapers seemed to focus on one another, falling inwards as sure as gravity. It was like they couldn't see Fret, or Rindo, or anyone or anything else, just each other.
Did Rindo and Fret look like that, too? Fret sure hoped so.
A 'new you,' huh? Oh, right, because their Souls were gonna fuse. Huh, he hadn't even thought about that.
"Groceries first, clothes later," said Rindo.
"Aww man." But Rindo was right. They headed for the mart.
If the Reapers they'd been talking to didn't even look their way, eyes and words only for each other. Maybe they didn't even notice Fret and Rindo leaving. Or maybe they were even happy that the boys had left, so it could be just them again.
It took a couple minutes for Rindo to remember how to tuck his wings away, since they were a little big for the narrow were plenty of stocked packaged meals for takeout, as well as basic necessities like toothbrushes and shampoo. Though all the food was limited to things that could be easily eaten without utensils, so no salads for Fret. Oh well.
But there were also lots of entertainment items in stock too! Books—blergh—videogames, board games, card games, and hey, even an old Tin Pin set laying at the back of a bottom shelf. Neither Fret or Rindo knew how to play Tin Pin, but hey. No better time than now to learn how, right?
"Yo!"
Both Fret and Rindo yelped and spun around to see Susukichi and uh…what was her name? Li'l Tsu? Susukichi had his usual wide grin, with some kind of board game under his arm, while Li'l Tsu had her usual stone-faced stare. In her hands was…a video game box? Something called Brütal Legend?
"Oh hey!" said Fret. "Are you guys singing too?"
"Huh? Nah, we both swept other bros' boards a while ago." Susukichi cleaned out his ear with his pinky. "We're just hanging out here because the boss lets us."
Rindo raised an eyebrow. "Even though you guys aren't singing? Why?"
"Because we're part of the boss's inner circle," Susukichi explained. "All we gotta do is make quiet moves 'round the singing discs, and it's all good."
"And yet here you are," said Rindo dryly, squinting at him. "Bothering us singing 'discs'."
"Gwahahah! It ain't the same for you bros," said Susukichi. "You guys are Reapers fresh outta the box!" He laughed. "Actually, one bro here isn't even outta his box yet!"
"So?" asked Rindo.
"So that means I just wanted to check on ya a little, since this is all so new to you," said Susukichi. "You discs haven't even played the Game as Reapers yet, and here you are already singing your hearts out."
"Yes, the two of you have no idea what it's like to be a Reaper." Whoa, Li'l Tsu actually did talk! Though her cold smile and half-lidded eyes seemed a little…not friendly.
"Actually yeah, what do Reapers do during the Game?" asked Fret. "Besides, like, keeping an eye on things or whatever?"
"Different Reapers have different roles," said Li'l Tsu. "Some of it depends on your rank, but once you get enough points you can choose what kind of role you would like to have. Kaie likes guiding Players and making puzzles, for example."
"Yeah, me and L'il Tsu keep the Players from gettin' too comfy in their region," said Susukichi. "We're all about spicing up the Game."
"Some Reapers oversee the Players. Some Reapers set up the puzzles and block the walls. Still others are shopkeepers at the designated stores," Li'l Tsu went on. "Like the ones that work here at the hotel. It's a very easy job here since you don't have to even worry about ringing customers up, just cleaning up after them. Though I guess they have to clean up all the messes the singers leave behind."
"Kweh? Not ringing anyone up? But isn't this a store?"
"'Cuz everything's free here, bro!" said Susukichi. "Bwahah! That's part of the service! It's not like you can be out there flipping discs while you're in the middle of flipping songs."
"Seriously? Everything here is free?" Though honestly, Fret hadn't even begun to think of what all of this might have cost.
"Wait, do we have to pay it back later once we leave?" asked Rindo.
"Nah," said Susukichi. "This is all about keepin' our fam's singin' discs from flippin' anyone but their pair. Can't have anyone trying to ditch the hotel just 'cause they can't pony up the stacks. And somethin' 'bout the state of this whole Akinosuke board makes singing easier too. Don't remember 'xactly how all that works, though." He shrugged. "Anyway, point is, the only Game that matters for you bros right now is the Game of singing!"
"A game, huh?" asked Fret.
"Yeah! Winner takes all, loser gets flipped!" said Susukichi. "The most heart-stopping game you'll ever play!"
"That's certainly…one way to put it," grumbled Rindo.
"Gwahahaha! Hey, don't overthink it. You chose him, and he chose you. You know what's comin'. So go all-out on the fun, and then all-out on the battle! There won't be any spaces for regrets if neither of you hold back. Whoever's the stronger one will win and control the center, simple as that."
Fret's smile turned a bit lopsided as he glanced away. "I mean, I have a Pale Noise, right? So, uh…I think we already know how that fight is gonna go." He chuckled weakly. That final dual…Fret was not looking forward to it. At all.
"Hey, even a Pale Noise captures if it has to," said Susukichi, apparently unperturbed by Fret's discomfort. "And by the time the singin' hits its peak, you may even wanna capture the other disc. Show him how much you love him by showin' him how strong your chain is, you know?"
"Uh…" Fret didn't follow that logic at all. The idea of hurting Rindo in any way, whether out of fear or love, terrified him.
"Look, you said hi and checked on us or whatever, so can you go now?" growled Rindo.
Susukichi smirked. "Gahah. Sure thing, birdbro. You discs have fun with your little game." He left.
Li'l Tsu stayed behind for a little bit, looking almost…sad? But after an extra glare from Rindo and an extra holler from Susukichi, she ambled away as well.
Fret reached over and squeezed Rindo's hand, as much to comfort himself as to reassure Rindo. "Hey, I won't hurt you, buddy. No matter what."
Rindo sighed, returning the squeeze. "I know you won't."
"So, uh…" Oh man, this was so awkward. "Oh! Once we get this stuff back to our room, where do you wanna go?"
"Uh…" He scrolled down his phone with his free hand. "I…Honestly, you can pick. Anything's good with me."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, then…" Fret borrowed Rindo's phone so he could look at all the options. No texts from Swallow? Good. "Oh, what about the aquarium? That should be pretty relaxing, I think."
"Yeah, that sounds good."
After they put away their snacks and other goodies in their room, they made a beeline for the aquarium floor. A very long beeline, because it was one of the highest floors.
During the long elevator ride, Fret noticed Rindo massaging his wings. Maybe Reaper wing muscles got tense under stress like back muscles did? Well, Fret could help with that! He reached over and rubbed the base of one of the wings, which Rindo would probably have trouble reaching. It was hot, metallic, and incredibly thin.
Rindo squawked, his wings disappearing into his back, staring at Fret with wide eyes.
Fret's hand jerked away. "S-Sorry! Should I not have done that? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No?" Rindo sounded uncertain, bringing out the wing again to check on it. "It was just...like I had a really intense spike of...nostalgia, maybe? Even though that makes no sense? I dunno, it went by so fast it was kinda hard for me to tell."
"Huh," said Fret. Why would him rubbing Rindo's wing make Rindo feel nostalgic? He literally just got these wings.
"I think it kinda made me feel better though?" Rindo added. "More relaxed I guess? But at the same time, uh…I dunno if I really want you touching them right now? I don't really know how to describe it, sorry."
"Hmm...Guess I'll just leave them alone for now," said Fret, as the elevator doors opened.
They were greeted with a glass tunnel surrounded by water. There was lots of kelp, coral, and...Noise sharks and penguins, along with Noise jellyfish?
"Wait, are we in the Noise dimension?" Fret asked.
"We have to be, right?" said Rindo. "And the whole hotel has to be in it, too. We couldn't be synced otherwise."
"Oh, uh, good point." Fret rubbed the back of his neck. "Though our sync feels…weak? Like I can't really sense your emotions like I usually can? And it's weird that we're not being constantly attacked by Noise in the freaking Noise dimension, y'know?"
Rindo's phone dinged. But he ignored it.
Heh.
Then they heard footsteps behind them, and Fret saw Kaie. He looked at Rindo expectantly.
Ah. That text had probably been Kaie trying to explain stuff. Okay, fair.
"Oh, hi Kaie." Rindo fished his phone out of his pocket, and Fret huddled in to read the text better.
"Salutations! :D" Kaie's text read. "Akinosuke Hotel connects to the Euphonic plane, a dimension just a fraction off from the regular Noise plane. It lacks the swarms of aggressive chump Noise that the regular Noise plane does. All the Noise you see here are tame Pale Noise, created and controlled by Reapers. Otherwise, the Euphonic plane shares most of the properties of the Noise dimension. This is done to make the singing process smoother."
"I see. Huh," said Fret. Just how many different planes of existence were there? "So is that why our sync only kinda-sorta works here? Because it's not quite the Noise plane?"
"Ah, no, the weakened connection is because of the damaged code in Rindo's Soul. :(," Kaie answered. "The Euphonic plane boosts both good emotions and the sync, so the sync is actually more powerful here than it would be in the Noise plane. :)"
"Oh." Yet even with the boost, Fret could just barely detect the sync between him and Rindo. He tried leaning into the sync some, and he could kinda sense Rindo's tranquil feelings, but it was hard to maintain the lean for long. Still, at least Rindo seemed to be doing good. But man, that's another thing Fret had accidentally screwed up for the both of them. "Sorry…"
"Hmm? What are you apologizing for?" asked Rindo. "The weaker connection? That…That just gives us more time to spend together, that's all." He smiled.
"Indeed, the weaker sync may slow the singing, along with the nature of Fret's Pale Noise, but the singing will eventually hit its crescendo nonetheless. :) Such is the inevitable path once singing begins. Two fated souls drawn together until there is no space between them."
"I see," said Fret, resting his cheek against Rindo's. "And once we…once this is all over, then Rindo code's will be fixed, right?"
"Yes. :D When the singer takes on their new form, their code is reformatted, and that should undo any corruption in the old code. Indeed, it seems that the Soul that Rindo has already absorbed from you is hard at work trying to repair the injuries to Rindo's Soul."
"I-It is? Even though I'm, uh, no longer in direct control of it anymore?"
"Indeed. The nature of the Soul, especially in regards to singing, is fascinating." Whoa, Kaie was really typing fast now! "The Soul by definition is a dense packet of energy, an essential part of all living and even non-living things. And yet, unlike something like blood, personality information is also encoded in the Soul, even when separated from its original host. When someone sings another, that information is reconfigured and integrated into the singer, influencing their form and even their identity. :O"
"Well yeah, that's the point of singing, right?" asked Fret. "That you merge with the other person?"
"Of course, but this shows how unusual the nature of the Soul actually is. This is not something that happens when, say, you consume an apple or a chicken. Those are merely broken down and converted into energy for you to use. You certainly don't become more apple-like or chicken-like, though that would certainly be a sight. XD"
"So much for 'you are what you eat', huh?" said Fret.
"But the Soul is different. Even though it can be broken down and repurposed, traces of its original behavior often remain. The more similar the underlying structure, the more information is retained. A Noise devouring a hapless Player won't retain much personality or preference, for example."
"Behavior, huh?" said Rindo.
"However, in the case of singing, the Souls of the singer and sung aren't so different and therefore blend together more easily. Moreover, one will often want to preserve the other, even after the final battle is waged. That is how I've personally felt, after singing. :') And that is what many freshly evolved Reapers have told me, as well, when I've asked them about the ones they've sung."
"Huh…" That was a lot for Fret to take in, and, judging by the thoughtful look on Rindo's face, he was having trouble processing it too. "So you're saying…That my Soul be taken apart and transformed according to what Rindo needs, but that I'll also still have some of my will? At least kinda?"
"That is what much of the circumstantial evidence points to, yes, although each case of singing is different. My Soul is akin to an archive, preserving a record of the phenomena of those I, or perhaps more accurately we, have sung."
"Circumstantial? You mean you don't know for sure?" asked Rindo. "But I thought you specialized in collecting Soul data."
"I want to document all Soul phenomena, yes," said Kaie. "But that is not an easy task. :/ So it is a work in progress. Not even the Reapers fully understand the nature of the Soul, despite studying it for millenia. Why do all Souls spawn their own individual Inner Noise? Why are some naturally drawn to certain interests, to certain other Souls, while others are not? Why do Souls exhibit different latent abilities or psych affinities, despite being made of the same components? Is it only because of life experiences and knowledge, or is it something fundamental core to that Soul, predestined from birth? These are just a few of the questions I would like to answer someday. :D"
"Yeah, I guess Soul stuff is pretty complicated, huh?" said Fret.
"That it is. Singing in particular is fascinating in nature. It's a survival mechanism as much as an evolutionary one, flooding the Soul with love and loneliness. An anesthetic of sorts for the pain of the restless Inner Noise feeding directly on the Soul, you could say, while also urging the singer to find a partner."
Something squeezed Fret's heart at the mention of 'partner'. Like his Inner Noise was listening to his conversation in-between nibbling on his Soul and had bitten down especially hard. He pressed against Rindo's side, and the pressure eased, at least a little. Especially when Rindo leaned against him too.
"Hmm, though those singing emotions are at an especially high level for you, Fret. Perhaps because you have a Pale Noise? Or perhaps because the initial singing was interrupted, which is normally impossible to stop? It seems Rindo already has a lot of your Soul. :O Perhaps your remaining Soul is resonating with that, desiring to unite with the Soul already fused into Rindo's? A Soul isn't normally split between two places like this, after all."
A Soul split in two…Yeah, it did feel kinda like that, huh?
Rindo looked away, seeming…guilty? Why?
"After all, singing eventually leads to a blending of both Souls, regardless of who sings whom. :) Rather than just one using the other as a power source until it burns away, like anything else eaten."
"Wait, if our Souls are going to blend together regardless of who sings who, then does it even matter who wins the fight?" asked Rindo.
"It does! The one who sings will have the most 'dominant' traits, both physically and mentally, and will keep their memories."
Fret suddenly stopped leaning against Rindo and stood up straight. "Wait, does that mean that I won't keep my memories? I thought you said that my will would still be there or whatever!"
"Will and memories aren't the same thing. :/," said Kaie, looking slightly sad. "The sung…Well, some singers claim that they have some fragments of the sung's memory, but despite these claims we have been unable to document physical evidence of this. The sung's memory data seem to be lost in the process of singing."
"T-Then the one who becomes their song just forgets everything?" Geez, that wasn't terrifying at all.
Judging by the shocked look on Rindo's face, this was news to him too.
"But if you can't really remember who you are, isn't that just…" Fret paused. "Is that really any better than…?"
"I know this sounds terribly frightening. :(," said Kaie. "And I do wish that I had more concrete data that explained what exactly happens to the sung. But as I said before, according to the limited circumstantial data I've gathered, there is some evidence that the personality of the sung Soul does influence and blend with the singer, rather than just vanishing. How it does that while losing most or all memory…That requires more research."
"I…I see…Sure…" Fret hoped that his body wasn't trembling as much as his heart was.
"Research that you can help with! :D" Kaie continued, now smiling. "Observing any singing case I can find brings me that much closer to better understanding the mechanics of singing. And the two of you are very unusual! Two Players singing, one of whom has an Inner Noise rendered too unstable to emerge on its own, and the other with a Pale Inner Noise…I suspect that I will learn much from the two of you. :) Now I will stop making this awkward and give you both some space so you can enjoy yourselves. XD" With a small smile, he walked away.
Even by the time Kaie had strolled out of sight, however, both Fret and Rindo remained rooted to the spot.
"You good, Fret?" Rindo asked, rubbing Fret's back.
"Yeah…" That backrub helped a little, at least. Fret turned and huddled up extra close to Rindo, burying his face in the crook of Rindo's neck, so maybe Fret's heart wouldn't hurt so much. He…wasn't sure how much it was helping, though.
Rindo lightly scritched the base of Fret's skull. "I love you."
"Aww, I love you too buddy," Fret murmured into Rindo's neck. 'I love you' really were the three best words ever. The perfect way to fill those painfully silent moments. "I love you so much."
"Do you…wanna stay like this for a while? Or walk around and look at stuff?"
"Stay like this," Fret nuzzled Rindo's shoulder. "At least for a little bit."
"Okay."
Fret wasn't sure how long they remained there, whispering sweet nothings to each other when the quietness grew too heavy. A quietness weighed down by all the things they didn't want to talk about right now, no doubt.
Eventually they finally decided to walk around and actually check out the aquarium. It was impressive how it really took up the entire floor, but there wasn't much to do either. It was kinda claustrophobic honestly. Not much room to run around.
Rindo seemed to think so too, pressing closer to Fret with uncertain warbles.
"This is…kinda boring, huh?" Fret chuckled slightly. "Wanna go somewhere else?"
"Honestly, yeah." Rindo checked his phone. "Hmm, where should we go though?"
Fret rested his head on Rindo's shoulder as he scrolled through the options. "Oh hey, what about the park? That'll be a lot more open than this place. You could fly around and stuff."
"Yeah, that sounds nice, actually. Let's go."
"See, do I know you, or do I know you?"
"...Yeah…you know me, huh..."
"Hey, what's with the…sarcasm?" Though Rindo's tone didn't sound mean, exactly, more…solemn? "Oh, do you mean like…the memory thing? That I, uh…"
"...Listen, we…we don't really know how this is all going to go down in the end," said Rindo. "I mean, you have a Pale Inner Noise, but mine's freaking unstable so…So who knows if there will be a fight at all. Because mine might just be stuck. Maybe it won't be able to come out? Even during the singing? I mean, Kaie isn't saying that, but…but it might happen? So…So maybe you'll be fine after all and not have to worry about that? I don't know…"
If Rindo was trying to be comforting, it was kinda-sorta-not-really helping. "I mean, I don't want you forgetting about everything either. I don't want just…memories of you."
But it wouldn't be just memories, right? Rindo's personality or will or whatever would still be there, somewhere within him, doing…something. Being within his heart…forever…Never feeling lonely again…But maybe Fret was just being selfish. "So if it's gotta happen to one of us, then…Then I'd prefer it to be me. Just because…because I don't want to reduce you to that. Because I love you."
"I love you so much too," said Rindo. "And I don't want to do that to you either. So…" There was a long pause. "So when the time comes, no matter what happens, don't hold back, okay? Whoever wins…Wins. Just like Susukichi said."
"...Gotcha." Fret took a deep breath and then put on a grin. "Well, we'll worry about that later then! Right now let's get out of this gloomy cramped aquarium!"
"...Yeah, maybe that's a good idea…"
Next up, the park floor! And wow, it really was just an open area with short clipped grass and a few scattered trees, and a really high-up ceiling painted like a sky. It wasn't that fancy, but Fret just wanted to run and run in all that open space. Wow, they really had this whole floor to themselves? This place was great! Oh, there was one Reaper flying around somewhere high above. Just one though?
Rindo meanwhile looked up to the painted ceiling with delight. His wings flared out, nearly hitting Fret. Then Rindo started flying up, his wings pumping to raise his elevation.
Fret grinned. He couldn't fly, but he could chase. And chase he did, running after Rindo as he glided everywhere. Fret chased and chased and chased and ow did he really just run face-first into a tree?
Rindo dove down to check on him. "You okay?" He kissed Fret's forehead where he had bonked against the tree.
Fret stared at Rindo for a moment, before dramatically slinging one arm over his eyes. "Oh no, I feel so dizzy! I need way more kisses than that to fix this terrible headache!" He peeked at Rindo from under his arm.
Rindo gave him a skeptical squint and an even more skeptical smirk. He gave Fret a flurry of little kisses, which sent Fret into a giggling fit, and then Rindo flew off again.
Awww.
Fret ran after Rindo until he plopped down on the ground panting, watching Rindo still flying. Why didn't Rindo take Fret to the sky with him, like he had before? Did he…not want Fret with him anymore? No, that was silly. Rindo had just showered him with a ton of kisses. Rindo loved him. Rindo would be back.
But, would he just fly off one day and not come back?
Then again, even though Rindo's wings were large, he was clearly struggling to rise through the air. Rindo hadn't struggled before, when Rindo had nearly drained Fret dry somewhere above 104. Losing the pin...Forcing Rindo to lose the pin had really hurt Rindo, didn't it? Fret should have just...
"Why don't you spread your wings and join him?"
Fret yelped, shooting up to a sitting position, and seeing another Reaper sitting cross-legged in the grass a few feet away. They wore a fascinating mix of Cony×Cony and Tigre Punks: a red spiked collar with lacy black gloves, belted boots and a frilly black dress, and a studded leather cap accented with a black rose. With such a slight build and mishmash of masculine and feminine clothing, Fret wasn't sure if they were a boy or girl. Nonbinary maybe?
"Uh, hi?" said Fret. "And, um, I can't. Because I don't have my wings yet."
"No wings? Ah, you must be the Player pair we've heard about," said the Tigre-Cony Reaper with a placid smile, before gazing up to the sky. "I'm waiting on my partner too."
Oh, they must have meant the other flying Reaper. "Yeah. But you've got wings though. Why not just fly around with them?"
"Oh, I'm too tired to fly around with them at this point," they answered. "They've been up there for hours."
"Hours, huh?" Meanwhile Rindo already looked tired. Fret sighed.
"Don't worry, I'm sure your wings will grow in soon enough, and then you'll be able to fly together." The Reaper gazed wistfully at their partner. "The deeper you go in singing, the harder it is to stay apart. My partner'll be back before long. It's a shorter waiting game every time they go up."
Wings...Fret felt a dull ache, and he rubbed his shoulder. "Yeah, that would be nice." Maybe Fret could even help Rindo fly higher if he needed to. "Though, by the time that happens...I mean, once Rindo grew wings, he was ready to..." But then Fret messed that up.
"But you weren't?"
"I should have been," mumbled Fret, pulling his knees to his chest. "I love Rindo. I don't know why..."
"Singing is frightening to most people that experience it," said the Reaper. "And it takes time for most people to accept it. That's what this place is for. To help you relax and give you the time you need."
They made it sound so easy. And maybe it should be? "Aren't you...I dunno, nervous or something? Isn't singing kinda a big deal?"
"Oh, it's not the first time I've sung." They pointed to their partner in the sky. "Not their first time either. So neither of us have that jittery desperation most new singers have. We know what will happen, why it's happening, and more or less how everything will unfold eventually."
"Wait, this singing stuff can happen more than once?" asked Fret. Why would Fret want anyone else if he already had Rindo? And why would Rindo want anyone else besides him?
"It can and it will, for everybody," said the Reaper. "Singing is just part of the spiritual journey of a Reaper, not the endpoint."
"Really?" asked Fret. Then...Then Fret alone wouldn't be good enough for Rindo? "But what if I just want to be with Rindo and nobody else? I-I don't want Rindo to change."
"Singing is all about change. But you will change together, and you are choosing to change together and become a new person. That's not a decision made lightly by your Souls. Then that new person will also want their own partner eventually, and so the cycle of singing continues." The Reaper paused. "Tell me, do you intend to be the singer or the sung? If you've even decided? Many don't know until the final battle has concluded."
"Sung," said Fret. "I don't want to hurt Rindo."
"You say that so resolutely. Interesting." It was almost eerie how…still they were? They had barely moved at all this whole time. Maybe they were just that relaxed, or just that tired.
Fret swallowed. "But then, what happens to us? The old us I mean? Are we just...gone? Will we even remember being us? Well, I guess Rindo will remember, but, according to that Kaie guy, I…How can I enjoy being merged with someone's Soul if I can't recall who they are, or even who I am?"
"Does knowing that you'll lose most if not all of your memory change how you feel about singing with your partner? Does it make you not want to do it?"
"It..." Fret's heart still smoldered in his chest, missing Rindo. He really missed Rindo, even as he watched him fly around above. If only Fret could... "No. No it doesn't."
"Even if you couldn't remember him, if you still felt that passion burning in your Soul, would you still love him?"
"I...Maybe?" said Fret, gripping his chest, as if that would do anything about the inferno in his torso. "But there's so much I love about Rindo because I know and remember him. I don't know what my love for him would be like if I didn't have those memories at all."
"Memories are ego," said the Reaper. "They can be wonderful or terrible, important or pointless. They're also fragile, malleable, unreliable: prizes and burdens you want to cling to forever even when their relevance has long passed. Even when you're not that person anymore."
Even when Fret wasn't…Fret anymore. Even when Rindo wasn't…
Fret's heart ached and ached and ached.
The stifling vicegrip on Fret's heart eventually loosened as he saw Rindo finally gliding back down, landing next to Fret. "Okay, I think that's enough flying for—"
"My Rindude!" Fret glomped Rindo, and Rindo was not ready for that. With a yelp and a squawk both of them fell over.
"M-Missed you too, buddy," said Rindo, voice slightly strained from how tight Fret embraced him. Rindo rubbed Fret's back, and it felt so nice that Fret's whole body slackened. "So who's your new friend?" Heh, was that a note of jealousy in Rindo's voice?
Wait, what was the Reaper's name? Fret hadn't even asked. He turned to talk to them, but they weren't there anymore. Huh, where'd they...Oh, they were flying up to where their partner was. Looks like they had enough energy to join them after all, probably because they missed them. "Uh, didn't actually catch their name. What about you and that other flying Reaper?"
"Oh, we didn't get close enough to talk or anything," said Rindo. "I don't think they were really interested in talking anyway. I sure wasn't."
"Gotcha," said Fret. "So, whatcha wanna do now?"
"Um, I'm pretty tired after all the flying, so..." Rindo brought up the map on his phone, scrolling through the locations. He had to hold it up at a slight angle to see around Fret.
Knowing Rindo, it would probably take him a while to decide, but that was fine. Rindo was toasty and comfy to lay on. Fret was almost tempted to doze off. His Rindude was right here, not going anywhere as long as Fret was his blanket…Fret snuck in a couple sleepy kisses to the cheek.
Rindo froze. Hehehe.
"...I-I dunno, what do you want to do?" Rindo finally asked.
Yup, still as indecisive as ever, and probably always would be. Wouldn't be his Rindude otherwise. And Fret wouldn't have him any other way.
"Fret?"
"Hmmm…Honestly, can we go back to our room for now?" Fret asked. "After all that running around, I kinda wanna veg out watching a movie or something."
Rindo smiled. "Yeah, let's do that."
Getting back to their room was simple. Mostly.
Ayano greeted them in the hallway to their room. Had she been waiting for them there? "How are you doing, my dears?"
"Uh, doing good, I think?" said Rindo. "Considering the whole singing thing."
"Yeah, we've been having a lot of fun together!" said Fret. "Man, there's so much stuff here! We've only been able to check out a few places so far."
"Of course. Akinosuke Hotel is designed to keep its occupants comfortable and entertained for up to a month, after all," said Ayano. "Many check in even before their singing begins, after all, and then they need time to adjust to their new existence afterward. So there's no hurry. Why, you haven't even had a whole day to explore it yet."
"Huh?" Rindo seemed dumbfounded. "Oh…R-Right…It's still…Day 4…"
Oh yeah, The start of the day had been when Rindo had grown his Reaper wings. Man, that felt like forever ago, somehow. It was already strange to think of Rindo without wings. The nap they had taken earlier—several naps, actually—just made it seem like a new day.
Fret saw Rindo pulling out his phone to check the time, and Fret was curious too. Wow, it was 20:02 already? No wonder they both were feeling tired, even with the previous snoozes.
"Do you have any questions so far?" asked Ayano. "Or anything else I can assist you with?"
"Um, I think we're good right now? Just gonna watch a movie or something and then go to bed, probably." Rindo paused. "Thanks though."
"You're welcome. Enjoy yourselves, dears. Please, don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. There should be a call button in your rooms, if I haven't mentioned it before. You're family, now. Treat us as family, as well."
"Yeah, thanks," Fret added.
"You never need to feel alone," Ayano said kindly. "Have a good night." She walked away, petting the iguana on her shoulder.
Treat each other like family, huh? For Fret, that mostly meant 'do your own thing and don't bother each other, because everyone is busy and tired', but clearly that wasn't what Ayano meant. It felt…weird, to have someone claiming to be family fussing over him like this.
Did his parents even know he was gone yet?
Would he ever see them again?
…Well, it wasn't like he'd seen them much anyway.
"Fret? Something up?"
"Nope! Coming!"
Once Fret and Rindo got settled into their room, it was movie time.
Well, sorta. It should have been simple, but it wasn't. Mostly because of their own stupidity.
First it took them forever to find the part of the AAA that actually controlled the TV, though they did find out that there were controls for the beds. They could raise the heads of the beds and drop the feet and even pretty much turn them into chairs, so that was pretty neat!
When they did find the TV controls, they had exactly 444 channels to choose from. Fret was starting to think that the Reapers just found the death number funny. And several of these channels were clearly only for Reapers: a news channel focused on the ongoing Game—yikes, some DRS Player got kidnapped? How did that even happen in a Game?—that Fret quickly flicked away from, a channel that talked about the history of the Games and Reapers, a channel dedicated to serious Noise documentaries, a more lighthearted channel all about funny Noise pets and how to raise and create Noise, and even an entire channel for Reaper Let's Plays. Right now the Reaper Commentator from the Shibuya Scrambles was playing Have a Nice Death, and dying. A lot. Hopefully the deaths were nice ones?
After Rindo scanned through the schedule of every single channel and discussed the options, they finally decided that the best choice was none of them, and figured out how to pull up their own streaming services directly onto the TV instead.
So after sifting through Rindo's long backlog and eventually picking something out, they were finally ready to watch Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure! Once they got popcorn! That they didn't have! Because that was the one food thing that they'd forgotten to get earlier! Well, time to figure out how the food delivery part of the AAA worked!
But eventually it was mission accomplished! Popcorn gotten and eaten, TV bright and blaring, lights out for that full cinematic experience.
Fret was curled up against Rindo, who had both an arm and a wing around him. Yes, this...This was everything Fret ever wanted. Attention. Affection. Love. So much love. He loved Rindo, and Rindo loved him! He still couldn't believe how much Rindo loved him, even if he could sense bits of it through their weakened connection.
The sync...Fret wanted more of it. So he closed his eyes and focused on Rindo's feelings, so he could bask in all that adoring emotion. Even if it was hard to lean into the sync as fully now.
Rindo seemed to notice and leaned into the sync himself. This serene cycle of warm feelings…Fret felt whatever worries gnawing at the edges of his mind lose their teeth, leaving him in a fluffy blissful state. He could fall asleep, just like this. He could...
...He could feel the sync, weak as it was, slowly favoring Rindo, and…
Oh shit, was...was it happening now? The singing? The real singing? Wait...W-Wait...
The connection abruptly went back down to a trickle. "Fret? You okay?"
Fret took a deep breath as discreetly as he could, trying to slow his thudding heart. "Y-Yeah. I..."
"Fret, are you scared of singing?" asked Rindo, rubbing Fret's back. His voice was gentle, no anger or disappointment at all.
But Fret was still too ashamed to look at Rindo's face. "I-I love you...I really do..."
"It's okay, Fret, I get it," said Rindo. "I was scared too, at first. Really scared. I've just had some...time to get used to it. And I...I didn't really explain anything to you when the singing started, did I? I just..." He swallowed. "B-But this is better. Because...Because I want to make sure that you want to do this. That you're ready for it. So, there's no hurry, we've still got plenty of time."
Plenty of time...That was what that Tigre-Cony Reaper had said too, wasn't it? "Right. T-Thanks...I...I just wanna spend as much time with you as I can, y'know? Because it...won't be the same, once we..."
Because Fret knew that he might not even remember Rindo, or anything, once the singing went through...
"Yeah…" Rindo didn't say anything for a while. "So let's have as much fun as we can. Uh, should I rewind the movie, or..."
"Sure! But, uh, before that..." Fret tried to think of the best way to explain it. "I like the sync, which, uh, you probably know already. I like just being able to...blend with you, y'know. But uh, if you're gonna start draining me, can you at least warn me first? I-I might not freak out as much then."
"Gotcha. Yeah, I can do that," said Rindo. "Anything else?"
"Uh, I think that's it?" said Fret. "I'll let you know if there's anything else. Anyway, I'm ready for the movie now!"
"Okay."
But it turned out that neither of them were ready, because they both fell asleep before they even reached the new part of the movie. By the time they woke up again, the movie was almost over, so they decided that it was time to go to bed proper. They could watch the movie in full tomorrow.
They could, right? They'd have tomorrow...wouldn't they?
After Rindo got ready for bed, Fret went into the bathroom, removed all his accessories and his colored contacts, took a shower, and changed into the white nightwear provided in the closet. The robe crossed from right to left because of course it did. Well, if they were already dead, then it was only proper to dress themselves like corpses, he supposed.
Fret glanced at himself in the mirror. He saw his limp unstyled hair, the dark eyes normally concealed by blue-colored contacts, and the bruised bags under those eyes from his perpetually poor sleep. And Rindo was about to see him like this. Without the layers upon layers of preparation Fret put on everyday just to look presentable to the world. To Rindo.
He was almost too nervous to come out of the bathroom. But he also…missed Rindo. Even though they had spent almost the entire day together. That was stupid though. Fret hadn't been in the bathroom for that long.
But Fret still missed Rindo.
So it was his hurting heart as much as bravery that finally drove Fret to open the door. There was Rindo, waiting for him right by the door. Before Fret could stammer an apology about how he looked, Rindo pulled him into a snug hug.
Awww, did his Rindude miss him too? Fret returned the embrace, though he hid his less-than-ideal face in Rindo's shoulder before Rindo got too good a look at it.
Rindo chuckled, petting Fret's hair, and Fret almost dissolved under the touch. Especially when Rindo started running his fingers through Fret's hair.
"You know, your hair is so much softer and nicer to pet when you don't have all that gel gunk in it."
"Mmm, it stays nice and soft because I put that 'gel gunk' in it." But these gentle caresses to Fret's scalp felt so heavenly. Maybe Fret didn't even need a bed. Maybe he could just nap against Rindo just like this.
And then Rindo's stupid phone dinged on the nightstand, and the petting stopped.
Fret let out a grunt of annoyance. Who the hell was texting Rindo now? Was it that Swallow person? Fret bet it was that Swallow person.
Rindo tussled Fret's hair, and that helped a little bit. "Hold on buddy, let me just make sure that's not something important." Rindo walked over to the nightstand.
"Aww, but what's more important than me?" Fret whined playfully, trailing close behind.
"Well, Kaie might have some important info on your Inner Noise, or mine," said Rindo, as he clicked the phone on. "Oh, it's just Swallow." Fret knew it. It had been that Swallow person, and now his Rindude would—"Okay." Rindo clicked the phone back off. Kweh? Without a second glance, he put the phone back on the nightstand. "Anyway, you ready for bed?"
Ha! Swallow wasn't stealing any of Rindo's attention today! "Well, cuddling in bed is certainly more comfy than standing up, if that's what you mean." Fret winked at him.
Rindo smiled. "That works too."
At last they turned off the lights and burrowed under the covers. Fret rested his head on Rindo's chest, while Rindo finally resumed stroking his hair. The sensation was so relaxing that Fret soon drifted off to sleep.
And he and Rindo drifted and drifted and drifted to the edge of the world, which was just another world, which led to another world, which led to another and another. So many worlds, each more incomprehensible than the last. Where were they? And where was Fret's body? And where was Rindo? Where was Rindo? Where where where—
When Fret abruptly woke up, heart hammering, Rindo was no longer cuddling him. His eyes frantically darted until he spotted Rindo sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at his phone.
Was he talking to Swallow after all? How rude that he had stopped snuggling Fret just for that! Fret got up, put his head on Rindo's shoulder, and saw…
Nothing. Just the time displayed on the phone lockscreen. 23:55.
"Whatcha looking at, buddy?" asked Fret, keeping his head on Rindo's shoulder.
"Oh, um…" Rindo's gaze still stayed on the screen. "The day…The day's almost over…"
"Sure is," said Fret. "Planning something special for midnight, my Rindude?"
"I…I don't know?" Rindo's body felt weirdly tense.
Fret hugged Rindo from behind. "Then whatcha staring at the time for? When we could just be cuddling instead?" He kissed Rindo's cheek.
Rindo chuckled a little, but his smile soon faded. "It just…doesn't feel real. That this day is finally ending."
"Because so much happened?"
"Well, yes, but…" Rindo took a deep breath. "Fret, I've lived this one day over and over for…I don't even know how long at this point." The time ticked to 23:56.
"Kweh? Oh, you mean the time travel thing, right?"
"Yeah…" said Rindo. "It lets...No, I guess it let me repeat the day as much as I wanted." He stayed quiet for a little bit. "And I did that…trying to save you. From the singing, I mean."
"From the singing?" asked Fret. "What do you mean?"
"Like…You heard what Kaie and the others said, right? About how singing works?" No touches or eye contact from Rindo, as his body stayed rigid. "That once the…fighting starts…" He kept looking at his phone. 23:57. "And once the day ends, I…I can't change things anymore. I can't…I can't save you anymore…"
Oh, that was what this was about. He embraced Rindo tighter. "Aww, Rindude…Knowing you, I'm sure that you did absolutely everything that you could've done. So don't worry, buddy, it's—"
"No, it's not okay!" Rindo almost shouted.
Yelping, Fret pulled away from Rindo. "B-Buddy?"
"That last loop…I really could have done it in that last loop!"
Fret tilted his head to the side. "Done it? Kweh?"
"Saved you! If I had just left the stupid seal on and kept my desires in check, I…I could have kept you safe. Instead I just jumped back to make sure you would sing with me, because you didn't want to sing with me at all in the last loop—" Even now, Rindo was still focused on the time. 23:58. "—because you never want to sing with me unless we've synced and it's messed with your head and heart and—"
"Whoa, whoa, hold on buddy," said Fret. "First of all, I love you."
"...You wouldn't love me if I hadn't…You only love me now, because of what I did..."
Fret tugged Rindo close. "No, buddy, I've always loved you. That started way before yesterday. Just, uh, something about having feelings for someone makes it a hundred times harder to actually tell that person about those feelings? Man, emotions sure are dumb sometimes, huh?" Fret chuckled a little.
Rindo stayed quiet in his arms. Still gaping at that stupid clock on his stupid phone. 23:59.
Fret reached over and covered the phone with one of his hands."Look, I don't know what that other me was thinking. Maybe he was scared of dying. Maybe he was scared of showing his true feelings. Maybe he was scared of hurting you. But I know that other me wouldn't have refused just because he was a jerk, or just because he just didn't like you."
Rindo still looked down as though he could still see the screen through Fret's hand. "You…really think so?"
"Hey, nobody knows me better than me! At least I would hope so," said Fret. "If he did have to run or whatever, I'm sure it tore him up inside. Because I've always valued my friends over anything else." He glanced down at Rindo. "And this kind of singing thing happening to you...It isn't fair."
"Maybe it is," said Rindo, looking to the side. Still not attempting eye contact, but at least he wasn't gazing in the direction of his phone anymore. "Maybe this is the price I pay for jumping around in time…"
"That doesn't make it fair!" said Fret. "Now you gotta absorb somebody or turn into a Noise? What kind of sick joke is that?" He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Buddy, you didn't ask for this. You didn't deserve to sing. It just happened because your Soul got hurt somehow, right?"
"...Yeah…" said Rindo. "And going back in time didn't heal that wound either. It only made my Inner Noise stronger, because I kept backing out of singing you all the way."
"Huh? Like you didn't finish singing with me?"
"Yeah. Like, jumping back in time before our singing was done and I'd completely absorbed your Soul," Rindo explained. "That's why I have so much of your Soul already. Because it's not just from you. It's from other yous too. But it seems like no matter how much Soul I took, it was never enough for me to stop singing. I need the whole Soul in order to…"
"Pieces of Soul from multiple mes huh?" said Fret. "But they're all trying to repair your Soul. right?"
"I mean—"
"So all those Frets cared about you, no matter what was happening in their timelines or whatever," said Fret. "Because, like I said, we all loved you way before all that timey-wimey stuff started happening. And if my feelings are so strong because all those past Frets are calling out to me to join with them, to join with you…We love you so much, Rindo."
"I…I…That's why I…But I kept turning half-Noise sooner and sooner and…"
"So that means that you could have only put it off for so long anyway," said Fret. "And since you turned right at the start of the day already, if you…jumped back…" Oh, he did not like where that train of thought was going. Time to derail it now. "And I mean, it doesn't even matter at this point." He removed his hand from the screen. 00:02. "See?"
It was a little while before Rindo answered, as he stared at the time. "...Right." His voice came out as a hoarse croak.
Did Rindo…regret it? Being with Fret? "Rindude…Rindo. C'mere."
"Come wher—" Rindo squawked as Fret tugged him down to the bed with him.
Fret pulled Rindo chest to chest, nuzzling his cheek. "Love you so much, my Rindude. I'm so glad that you're here with me, y'know? Because if you just…instantly turned Boss Noise or something, I would've been…It would've really hurt. Having my best buddy just turn into a mindless Noise outta nowhere."
"I know," murmured Rindo.
"Then why would you do that?" Fret almost snapped, anger suddenly lancing through him as he squeezed Rindo tight. "Why would you even think about doing that? I'm right here and I love you!"
"Fret…"
"I love you, I love you, I love you…" And Fret would keep murmuring it into Rindo's ear until Rindo finally believed him. Hold him close until Rindo eventually hugged him back. Embrace Rindo's very Soul with his own if he had to until they had no space left in-between. He leaned into the sync as strongly as he could.
Fret could feel Rindo's sadness, exasperation, and guilt as tangibly as Rindo's heat and weight against him, even with the weakened connection. But Fret was also trying really hard to lure away all those bad feelings from his Rindude. His Rindude only deserved love and happiness. Fret's love and happiness.
So why was Rindo quietly sobbing into Fret's shoulder, even as Fret was draining the pain away?
"Don't cry, buddy," whispered Fret, while reminding himself not to burst into tears either. Not right now. Not when Rindo needed him to be calm. He stuffed those bad feelings down into a tight ball in his heart to deal with later. "I'm right here, right now, and I love you. I love you so much and I want to sing with you, even if it scares me."
Rindo still bawled into Fret's shoulder. But amid all that emotional agony, Fret could sense a cozy warmth trying to curl around his Soul.
Rindo…Rindo loved him too. Even if he was weeping too much to say it right now.
"I love you, I love you, I love you…" It was as much of a mantra to Fret as it was a comfort to Rindo. Something to keep him focused on drawing away the feelings. Something to keep Fret from collapsing into a blubbering mess himself. Something that was already losing meaning to Fret's ears. How long until it lost all meaning to Rindo too?
Fret needed something more than this. Rindo needed something more than this.
Maybe a kiss. A real kiss, not the dainty little smooches to the face Fret had been doing before. So he locked lips with Rindo and—
And that did absolutely nothing to help. Fret's senses could barely detect anything about the kiss when his heart hurt and hurt and howled for Rindo's Soul rather than just his lips. He needed…He needed…
Maybe if Fret just…let his Soul envelope Rindo's like a toasty blanket. Let the good feelings from his own Soul seep into Rindo's. Let it blend with Rindo's a little at the seams. Would…Would that be enough? To make both Rindo and himself happy?
Or maybe just let his Soul flow and form however it wanted to. Stop overthinking things. Yeah, thinking was so overrated anyway. Just feel, and allow his heart to do the thinking instead.
And Fret could feel his Soul unfurl from whatever shape it had been before, feel it spin and swirl outward so that it could weave and mix into Rindo's. Spirals upon spirals upon spirals, like those fractal things Rindo had told him about once. Each one smaller and smaller, and yet neverending…The perfect way to spread through and nestle into every bit of Rindo's Soul and never have to worry about Rindo leaving again.
Somewhere in Fret's zen-like state he heard Rindo giggling. Yes, this was working! This was making Rindo happy. And it made Fret happy too, which was a nice bonus. Wonderful bonus even. Yes, this was so good. Yeah, they could just…
…His Rindo…All his…
…Head hurt…Sleepy…Wait, no, he didn't wanna…If Fret fell asleep, would Rindo stop being…
Or maybe…maybe they would mix perfectly overnight and be one Soul by the start of tomorrow…If Fret just let go and let himself…Then neither of them could have bad dreams or bad feelings ever again…
…Right?...
"Dressing like a corpse" - in Japanese culture, the dead have their yutaka folded in reverse of the normal way.
Hey oddvector, remember when I thought Fret's section would only take a chapter or two? Hehe