#vrainsrarepairweeks2019

[merryfortune]

Day 6: Bad Timing & Disastrous Consequences

Ship: Earth/Spectre

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,231

Tags: Canon Divergent

  Spectre’s eyes widened. The blue of his irises glittered as he grasped at all their words, clinging to them. He gasped. Jaw slackened and he felt breathless as he processed them, over and over. From the moment everything was explained, he held all that information with a crystalline clarity in his heart. It meant the world to him. Not only did he have value, he possessed qualities which were life-changing; world-changing. Even when it turned bitter, the fact remained. He was something special and that specialness had been used to create something better than he ever could have imagined during those six months of captivity.

  True, it was a shame that that specialness couldn’t have worked out the way the assistants and Dr Kogami had wanted, but it didn’t change the fact that Spectre had contributed as one of the six to be experimented upon. His duelling had created an Ignis.

  But his bonds to young Kogami Ryoken outweighed that so, even younger Spectre took no issue with the new goal of the Hanoi: to exterminate the Ignis, the very creatures that they had created. Thus, Spectre swore fealty to that cause on behalf of his master. Wherever Ryoken went, Spectre would follow with all the trust in the world and more. Unquestioning loyalty which Spectre had been certain was genuinely endless.

  And yet…

  And yet, here he was. He had the damn thing in his hands, he could strangle the living daylights out of it; surely that wouldn’t be too hard and yet, Spectre stared it down, clutched in the slats of his thin fingers, and he couldn’t find the strength. Then again, he had always been weak. Incomplete.

  Spectre swallowed. It looked up back unto him. It seemed to think that he was weak too – or, at the very least, presently, it did not think that he had the strength to go through with the deed.

  It was orange with brown stripes and these startlingly blue, prismatic eyes which Spectre really shouldn’t be staring directly at and, yet, it was all he could do... It was bulky, too. Difficult to hold. Odd-looking and very square.

  Ryoken had never told him how the elements had been assigned or otherwise allotted. He didn’t know if they were preordained by chance or by the schematics of the scientists who had worked on the Hanoi Project or some combination thereof. Ryoken had never told him what element that he had produced regardless of such circumstances just beyond him but, Spectre was confident that he could guess.

  The Earth Ignis.

  It was the Earth Ignis which had come for him and him alone. His heart pounded and scowled as best he could, yet all villainy was slowly slipping away. Spectre was envious. He was envious by nature. Always wanting what he could never have and therefore coveting those who could have it. Right now, all such emotional energy that Spectre possessed was being channelled towards that heinous Soulburner. Those two had become quite the hot topic online since they were cosying up to Playmaker and then, for those privy to the information which regarded the Fire Ignis, that made them a threat. Not to mention, they got along like a house on fire.

  So, in Spectre’s malicious opinion, up until right this instant, rather unfair that his Ignis had never sought him out since two, possibly three, of the six had made contact with their Origins and now, it was here. On this godforsaken yacht with him and Spectre, unwittingly, found himself at a crosshair which he had never expected.

  The Earth Ignis was… adorable.

  All Spectre needed was one look and apparently, he was gone. He didn’t know what it was about the creature, but it was truly adorable. Its eyes were so expressive and glamourous. Its skin was smooth like a worn-down rock and warm too. It was both huge and tiny at once. Everything about it just appealed to Spectre in a way which was so deep and visceral that it had completely blown away all his defences which he had been so diligently working on for the past decade lest this very situation unfold.

  He always thought that if his Ignis even dared to seek him out, he would have no hesitation eliminating it. He would easily kill the little bastard. But no matter how hard Spectre willed himself to think such thoughts, they were disarmed so easily with just an expressive – and honestly, rather confused – look from its eyes. All he wanted to do was coo over it. It was disgusting.

  Spectre hesitated. He gave the Earth Ignis a squeeze. It squirmed in his grip, but he let it go. Spectre’s fingers dropped away slowly. The Earth Ignis sighed in relief. It looked up at him, again: confused but innocently so. Spectre then cast his glare downwards, more onto himself, really. It was mostly to avoid such a look that the Earth Ignis was giving him. It was too cute for him to bear and that just made his grimace worsen. He felt something like disappointment in himself. He was weak. Always had been; always will be. His feelings were funny and got in the way of things. Especially important things. It was important to Master Ryoken that the Ignis were exterminated.

  And yet, Spectre felt differently. It was only a slight deviation, he swears. Really, it’s coming from a place of devotion but that was soon twisting. This was purer, more childlike than that. After all, Spectre’s greatest pride and happiness came from being needed, from being wanted, and nothing had sated such cravings like the experimentation of the Lost Incident.

  He took a breath. “I’m sorry.” He was ginger in his reply; he didn’t know if it was aimed at the Earth Ignis before him or the iteration of Master Ryoken that he had in his mind.

  The Earth Ignis blinked. “Don’t be…?” he said.

  “Why are you here?” Spectre asked.

  “Something big is about to happen. My friend has gone missing. I want you to help find her. She asked me to choose: humans or Ignis. I have chosen both.”

  Spectre snickered. What a strange creature. Not that he could speak. He smiled. “Very well, then we ought to partner up then, yes?” He wondered if the slate between them was refreshed or not; he was beginning to doubt whether or not his Ignis even knew his history and for some reason, that potential obliviousness was very endearing.

  The Earth Ignis smiled. “That sounds perfect. Thank you so much.”

  The Earth Ignis raised his hand to Spectre. Spectre regarded it, this time, in confusion but he accepted it. He let the paradoxically big little creature hold onto his index finger which he offered it. Its grip was familiar, comforting it. A tear rolled down Spectre’s cheek. It flustered him: it felt hot and embarrassing in its slick wake down his face. He swallowed. He was fortunate that it was just one, little tear.

  Spectre took another breath. It was hasty and selfish. In his chest, his heart pounded, mending itself in ways that he didn’t know needed mending. Master Ryoken be damned. This Ignis was different. His Ignis was different. He was keeping it. And they were going to be partners and they were going to live happily ever after; Spectre would ensure it.

[merryfortune]

Day 3: Rebirth, New Beginnings

Compendium Game Route 2019 for @vrainsrarepairweeks

Ship: Aoi/Blue Angel

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,736

Tags: Post Canon, Canon Compliant, Selfcest, Out of Character, Fluff Tinged With Angst

  Aoi wrestled with her sheets as she came to in the morning. As she awoke, she got the feeling that she had woken up slightly earlier than usual on a Sunday morning, the one morning she could guarantee a sleep in, however, little as her brother liked to have her up well before her internal clock would have her up. But something else was off, aside from her circadian rhythms.

  The morning was warm but unusually so. It was still early spring, barely bordering on the middle of it ergo edging towards summer. Just two nights ago, it had been freezing, even in the morning and now, it was absurdly warm. Aoi rolled over and that little niggling feeling inside of her became a full-on sensation of something being certainly wrong. She tried to move but something go caught on the light pyjamas that she wore.

  It wasn’t her sheets. It wasn’t any of her pillows. It wasn’t the Evilswarm Mandragora that she still cuddled with all these years later, either. It was something else entirely. It was an arm.

  Aoi’s blood ran cold and colder still when the arm phased through her.

  She scrambled out of her bed, taking her comfy blanket and Mandragora doll with her. She held onto them, frantic, as she looked over her bed. She had company. Impossible company because not only did Aoi go to sleep last night alone, the person who had wound up in her bed was not someone who existed. Not like this anyway. All blue, wavy hair and wings on her back.

  “What... is going on?” Aoi asked, voice hoarse. “Who are you?”

  Cutely, the not quite stranger in Aoi’s bed roused herself from sleep. She yawned kittenishly and pawed at her face before looking up at Aoi with adorably offended, ultramarine eyes. They watered and her lower lip quivered; even her detached, white wings which slowly unfurled and fluttered. As meticulous as her movements were, in creating the image of someone bubble-gum pop perfect, there was a veneer to her. Creases in her night gown which glitched in and out of existence, the way her hair cut through what should have been the flesh of her body.

  With a snap of her fingers, this person, this figment, this whatever she was, she prettied herself up as though through some technological magic. Her hair was split apart and yanked back and looped until it was in perfect heart shaped buns and then pulled into twin pigtails. She traded her satiny nightgown like look for something more preppy and suitable for the daytime; a sleeveless white blouse, blue tie, and a hoop skirt which shimmered at the fluffy hems as she moved over the bed. She knelt there, looking up at Aoi, slightly rejected but rather pleadingly.

  As much as Aoi wanted to deny what she was seeing before her eyes, it was undeniable. Blue Angel, her Blue Angel, had somehow come to life.

  “I’m you, silly.” She giggled and then put a perfectly manicured finger on her chin. “Hm, I guess not. After all, you’re you and I’m... not you? But I am you. I was you.” She hiccupped and her eyes watered.

  She looked pathetic but not in the way that Aoi remembered being pathetic when she was Blue Angel. Pathetic in a way which was real. All torn feathers and broken hearts, beaten into the dirt, screaming and ugly crying, put to sleep, and so on and so forth. This was something far more manufactured, but this Blue Angel lacked the mark of the manufactured. She lacked a cyan notch on her neck; not that Aoi, or her brother, for that matter, trusted SOLtiS bots enough after the debacle with Ai, to have one around which might somehow, miraculously, absorb the likeness and personality of her original Link VRAINS avatar.

  Aoi hesitantly returned to her bed. She placed her hand close to the one which was keeping Blue Angel propped up as she was. With a trembling heart, Aoi wiped tears from Blue Angel’s eyes. Her skin felt like cheap polyester from the sewing shops that Aoi had wandered in and out of a few times whilst at the mall. It wasn’t bad but it was a little disconcerting, but Blue Angel was comforted by the act, even if it was ultimately in vain as Aoi blankly poked at the edge of her eyes.

  “How are you real?”

  “Angel dust and other magic.”

  Aoi snickered. “That’s a drug.”

  “You know what I mean!” Blue Angel defended herself, her shoulders perking up as her cheeks turned red.

  “Magic, basically.”

  “Yeah...”

  An awkward pause lingered between them and Aoi’s lips felt dry. Blue Angel prettily, daintily, waited for something to be said; she didn’t seem to want to take the iniative, being girlishly evasive. Aoi swallowed a lump in her throat.

  “Can I ask you a question, Blue Angel?”

   “Of course.” Then, with a wink, Blue Angel added: “So long as it’s in reason, you know me. I like to keep things a secret. Identities, motivation, all my different tricks.”

  “Why are you here?” Aoi asked.

  Having met Aqua, having fought Ai, having participated in the Ignis Warfare, Aoi knew that there was a world of things so scientific that they became magic that she didn’t understand. She was modestly certain that the Blue Angel before her was some manifestation of that. Having lost to Bohman, having lost to Ai, Aoi was terrified that things would come in threes and the Blue Angel that she saw before her was an ill omen in white winged disguise.

  “Because I love you.” Blue Angel replied with a beam. “So where else would I be, of course, silly?”

  Aoi’s heart fluttered. Her ears pricked up. “You do?”

  “I do.”

  Blue Angel leaned in and their foreheads bumped together. Their noses brushed up against one another. Whatever it was which allowed Blue Angel to be in this world was soft. She placed a hand on the left side of Aoi’s face.

  “I truly, truly do. True as blue.”

  “I’m glad.” Aoi smiled a watery smile in reply.

  Blue Angel frowned. Pouted, really. “But you abandoned me.” Her voice became a high strung, high pitched whine. She flung her arms back and bear hugged Aoi, sobbing. “You abandoned me.”

  “I... did?” Aoi murmured.

  Clutching onto her, Blue Angel looked up from Aoi’s breast. “You did.”

  “I’m sorry.” Aoi murmured as she tentatively rubbed Blue Angel’s back, navigating her floating wings and emotions in general. “I didn’t mean to abandon you.”

  “I know.” Blue Angel’s fingers dug in, clutching onto fabric, pinching Aoi’s skin beneath. “I know. All girls grow up. You got what you wanted by taking new chances, getting involved with all sorts of horrid affairs, was it worth it?”

  “I think so.” Aoi mumbled.

  She wasn’t sure. She could look at parts of her life with conviction; her becoming Blue Angel, her becoming Blue Girl, her becoming Blue Maiden. But there were other parts of her life which made her feel helpless, hopeless. Not realising Playmaker and Soulburner had been sitting in the back row of her own classroom all this time; not winning when it truly counted. It was enfeebling. She couldn’t do anything when her brother had sunken into that comatose state; nothing except watch.

  Blue Angel snuggled against her. “I’m glad.” Aoi flinched. “No matter where you go or how you grow, I’ll always love you, Aoi. I have loved you most since you were a child and I will love you forevermore, my angelic promise to you.”

  Aoi blushed. Blue Angel’s words were dulcet and like much of her persona, theatrical but not insincere. Aoi’s heart pounded in her chest. Feeling emboldened by such soft touches and sweet words, she angled her head down towards Blue Angel and she understood; perhaps intuitively, perhaps because she was some entity so intimately intertwined unto Aoi as she was, but she knew. She took the silent permission and kissed Aoi’s lips.

  Blue Angel’s lips were such sweet serenity to kiss. Aoi felt all her doubts and helplessness which stirred in her chest quell as Blue Angel sighed into the kiss. It was slow and tender, making a melting moment out of the succulent fabric which Blue Angel existed beneath the veneer of; neither flesh nor silicon, like the faces of uncanny androids.

  And it was such bitterness to end that kiss. Blue Angel didn’t need to breathe but Aoi did. She had to break off such a lovely kiss after what had felt like an eternity. She reared back and there was a delightful blush in Blue Angel’s cheeks.

  “How was it?”

  “Amazing.” Aoi replied, breathless but evening out. “Its not conceited to say that, is it? You’re, like, a really good kisser.”

  Blue Angel giggled impishly and Aoi was hit from every angle regarding just what bliss that she had woken up this morning into. The sunlight from the early morning outside was gently warm. Somewhere, birds chirped to a more chipper tune than the general hustle and bustle of city life. It was nice. Contenting.

  Aoi took a small breath and continued to look over Blue Angel. She couldn’t help but drink in the sight of seeing her childish style brought to genuine life like this. It was both embarrassing and heart-warming. Though, it raised a few questions which made her stomach turn.

  Was this how she saw herself? Or was this how Blue Angel saw herself? Or, more concerningly, was this how her fans saw Blue Angel? The very one which was retired. Aoi shuddered as she overcomplicated this weirdly simple situation.

  Blue Angel was real. Real enough to be interacted with. And that seemed to be all there was too it. Well, maybe she wanted somewhere to stay. Aoi’s brow furrowed. Well, maybe she needed somewhere to stay. After all, it wouldn’t be good for someone like Blue Angel, whatever she was, to be walking around. No matter, Aoi was quite certain that she wanted Blue Angel all to herself. She was still a selfish child like that, no matter how grown up she had become since her creation.

  For now, she would merely incite a few more kisses, a few more exchanges of sweet words. Anything else, anything practical-minded could come later. All Aoi wanted was to indulge herself and, well, herself.

[merryfortune]

Day 2: New Year’s Wishes

Compendium Game Route 2019 for @vrainsrarepairweeks

Ship: Superheroshipping | Aoi/Takeru/Yusaku

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,722

Tags: Alternate Universe – Save Me! Lollipop, Polyamory, Minor or Implied Miyu/Spectre

  The past six months had gone so quick.

  From the moment that Aoi had accidentally swallowed the prized and magical Crystal Pearl required for the Magic Exam held by those of the Wizard World to assess the skills of their students, those who passed the test, therefore protecting the Pearl, became Professional Sorcerers. It was an exam which would last one hundred and eight days and Aoi thought that her escape to this absurd situation would never come but day by day, time did pass and now, Christmas was nearly here. But it was kind of scary. Since meeting Takeru and Yusaku, Aoi couldn’t wait until they were booted out of her life because of all the drama that they brought with them. From scary fellow examinees with all sorts of magical powers to other, more sinister powers above them at hand, Aoi wanted them gone. It was only in some grand twist of irony that the Crystal Pearl had fallen out of the sky and into the plate with her cake as she discussed with her friends what considered to be the ideal boyfriend.

  Someone kind, someone handsome, and above all: someone who would protect and value her above all else, someone like a prince.

  Her friends had teased her at the time, calling her unrealistic and that she had her head in the clouds and her hands on too many books on fairy tales. They sat corrected moments later when not just one but two young gentleman to Aoi’s near exact specifications literally fell out of the sky, with a beautiful, white Mustang in tow, sweeping her off her feet, and yanking her into a zany world of magic and other antics: all whilst they sped off with an humongous owl in pursuit of them.

  It had been distressing to say the least, but they did seem to tick all of Aoi’s boxes. Their primary goal in coming to Den City, the Human World in general, was to protect Aoi. Well, they wanted to protect the Crystal Pearl which now resided, all but permanently, in the pit of her stomach but to protect it, they had to protect her. Not to mention, they valued her for her.

  They were also handsome. Takeru was the glasses pretty boy type with a fit physique and Yusaku was the slovenly pretty boy type with gorgeous green eyes. Everywhere they went, they attracted all sorts of attention, some good and some bad as their good-looking faces did little to quell the fact that they had an eccentric taste in fashion, as per the custom of the Wizarding World that they hailed from.

  As an unexpected bonus, they were bonkers strong too. Magic would do that to a fella, Aoi supposed, as she watched in awe, time and time again, as Takeru blew the world around them to smithereens using his destructive Fire Magic and as she watched Yusaku minimise said damage by using his more defensive Link Magic which allowed him to conjure barriers and the like. In combination, they were easily the strongest of the Sorcerer Examinees which had been sent to Den City to hunt the Crystal Pearl.

  And best of all, they were kind too. Yusaku couldn’t stand seeing people getting hurt, so he always carried a little medical kit around with him and even if seemed like a minor stupid injury, he would take it seriously. Being the damsel in distress came with a lot of skinned knees, Aoi had discovered but Yusaku never scolded her for not doing better and he had kissed her band aids more times than either would admit.

  Though, by all those virtues, they had their vices too. Yusaku was annoyingly evasive. He never told Aoi, or even Takeru, anything. Like upon their first meeting, once they had scrambled into safety, away from the monstrous owl and the Examinees who controlled said monstrous owl, Yusaku had clammed up. He refused to divulge any information which could have potentially helped Aoi understand why exactly she had been damn near kidnapped by him and Takeru, what the Crystal Pearl was, or any other element about the situation that they had become entangled in. He only gave her said information once Takeru had blurted it all out in frustration. Even after that, Yusaku very rarely told Aoi everything that she needed to know, and again same for his partner, Takeru.

  Meanwhile, Takeru was downright brutish. He picked unnecessary fights. Where Yusaku was perhaps more level-headed, Takeru was most certainly not. He was a punch now, ask questions later type of guy.

  Yet, despite these differences, they truly did work in beautiful combination of one another. As bizarre as an afternoon as their first meeting was, from meeting them, to being separated from them, and being kidnapped by Examinees Three and Four, partners Miyu and Spectre, to being nearly killed by Miyu and Spectre to being rescued by Takeru and Yusaku, only for them to almost kill everyone via Takeru’s magic, but it all worked out eventually. It had been terrifying.

  Miyu and Spectre had taken her to the basement of some ice cream shop and had tied her up. They had gloated that Takeru and Yusaku would be unable to find her and Miyu, with some very pushy insistence unto Spectre, then rewarded herself by going to find some cake and other sweets to purchase using Spectre’s money. Something which he agonised over, especially given that Miyu did not bring back the change in favour of simply buying more than what ought to be humanly possible to eat. Though, she was kind enough to share with Aoi, and that was quite nice, all things considered, right up until she and Spectre unanimously decided that enough was enough. It was time to extract the Crystal Pearl from Aoi but any means necessary and both were a little more than ecstatic to use unsavoury and honestly rather sharp methods of extraction.

  But, fortunately, Takeru and Yusaku had made it in the nick of time. Aoi had gasped and her heart began to beat thunderously in her chest. Yusaku gathered them all around behind one of his barriers, thin as a crystal, and Takeru fought back with blasts of fire which evaporated the very moisture in the air. With Takeru’s attacks, he courageously fought off Miyu’s Summoned Beasts, her precious friends she called them, and Spectre’s Hypnosis magic whilst Yusaku gallantly defended them.

  In a smack of brilliance, Takeru had blasted off the opposing team and for that day, it seemed all good and done. Of course, that was just the first of many onslaughts that Aoi would encounter as the one who swallowed the Crystal Pearl. Some assaults, of course, coming from opposing teams of examinees; Miyu and Spectre just being one coupling. Other assaults came from within their own team. From invasions of personal privacy, such as Takeru and Yusaku joining Aoi at her own high school to them deciding the best place to live was in her closet, as modified by magic, to near kisses and compromising walk ins, as well as other spats, interpersonal bickering had proved as powerful a force as most supernatural magics around them.

  But, when it was all said and done, Aoi decided that she wouldn’t trade any of those moments in for anything else; anything normal. No matter how horrifying or humiliating the memory, Aoi cherished it. All to the point where she didn’t want Christmas to come but there wasn’t a single type of magic powerful enough to pause or reverse time, she had come to learn by spending time with Yusaku and Takeru. She had truly come to love them both but there was no place for her outside of the present.

  She had never felt more content than when she was squished between them both, and this contentment, Aoi realised, was fleeting. Another seven days and it would be all over. Christmas will have come and gone, the medicine that was required to separate the Crystal Pearl from her body would be made, and then, if things all went to plan, then Takeru and Yusaku would get their qualifications and return to their home.

  Aoi had asked Takeru about it once. About magic, about the Wizard World, about what it meant to be a professional and he loved to gush about it, unlike Yusaku. His power, magical in general, mystisfied Aoi, charmed her beyond all belief. He showed her teeny tiny tricks with his fingers and flames, showing a deft control over them which rarely reared its head in scuffles whilst he talked about how denizens of the Human World weren’t permitted in the Wizard World due to a treaty from millennia ago.

  Though, he did admit, history wasn’t his strong point. He got dates mixed up all the time and Aoi could attest to that. She, and Yusaku, have had to remind Takeru of what day it is more than a handful of times. He could be a little be doughy like that but they both found it endearing, more often than not, anyway.

  Regardless, what Takeru had said was true, as vague as it was. That was something confirmed to Aoi time and time again; by Yusaku who was coldly awkward with her, Miyu who sympathised with her, by Spectre who chastised her, by the very Magical Council which had come up with these rules all those eons ago. But Aoi wanted to have some hope that maybe things would change.

  Once Takeru and Yusaku were made to be fully fledged in their magic, maybe they could petition some changes from the inside. It seemed a little too ridiculously hopeful for Aoi, but she always seemed to have some in spades, no matter the situation. After all, she had met Takeru and Yusaku seconds after proclaiming that she wanted to fall in love with someone just like them so maybe it wasn’t all that absurd after all. She mightn’t have magic but maybe that was hers.

  Hers was to hope. To hope that by New Year’s Eve, she wouldn’t be alone after becoming so used to being one of three. To her, that sounded lovely, hand in hand, like a princess, with the two young men whom she had come to regard as her wonderful, magical knights.

[merryfortune]

Day 7: Fresh Air, Freedom, Overwhelmed

Ship: Bohman/Jin

Rating: T

Word Count: 880

Tags: Canon Compliant, Introspective Fic

  Everything that the light touched, would be his to rule over as an artificial, godlike figure. That was the promise which had been made time and time again. When perfection was achieved, that was when Bohman would fulfil his life’s purpose. Thus far, it had been short. Nipped and cut at the bud, only to bloom out of darkness and water again later and then promised to be allowed to flourish. Looking to the future, it was long. Beyond long. Forever and eternity, alone and with all which the light touched.

  Bohman sat beside the boy. He did not touch him. His hands propped him up, a finger almost outstretched to touch that boy, to claim him but that did not happen. The boy had his hands in his lap, his fingers politely curled inwards, his face up, staring blankly ahead no different to Bohman’s gaze, really, and waiting.

  They both sat on the edge. Legs over it, a slight breeze nearby, everything was made of marble. It was beautiful. Immaculate, pristine. Everything gleamed or otherwise had a shine to it, no matter the time of day but here in the digital world, time was strangely still. Forever just before dusk, before a reddening world but not quite. It was nice. Eternally so.

  But it was so quiet.

  Not necessarily lonesome, though, as Bohman had company. Kusanagi Jin or just... Jin. Given no name, no title other than Origin. Bohman thinks that he can understand Lightning’s fascination with him. After all, he had gone through so much trouble to acquire him, only to discard him.

  Bohman remembered how it felt to cradle Jin in his arms. He was so skinny and wiry, and Bohman only had a tenuous grasp on him at best as an artificial existence, wrapped in electricity like some creature of rapture. Jin had kicked and screamed and writhed and there had been little Bohman could have done to soothe his agony as he was taken from that which he knew. That place in the human world, beside his brother, so sterile and forgettable.

  Bohman had plunged Jin’s consciousness through the veneer barrier between reality and digitality. He screamed and screamed until zippt. Nothing. His body stilled. Bringing him into the Link VRAINS wherein he could be reunited with the one who hated him most. To be created from such a thing as this human, Lightning found shame in it; Bohman was more ambilvaent. He was curious as to what humans were like; this one in particular, deemed so irrelevant that he would have no part in Bohman’s creation unlike the Origin of the Dark Ignis.

  When he was brought through into the Link VRAINS, Jin became much easier to carry then. Just a soul and what a soul it was like, like a dying star scattered through strands of code, both human, like DNA, and artificial, otherwise. Bohman had liked it. Liked riffling through it and he liked what he saw when it wasn’t all screeches of agony and silent moments so long, they too could last a child’s eternity. He liked those glimpses in between, where Jin found comfort in his elder brother. It was inspiring.

  Haru was so distant as of late, increasingly so as their mission drew to its finale. All the preparations were nigh complete. Bohman would miss this. These little moments where there was naught to do but nothing.

  He glanced towards Jin once more. He steadily looked out into yet another world that he was not allowed to participate in and Bohman’s heart ached. And yes, he did have one.

  His hand began to inch towards Jin.

  Bohman thought they were somewhat alike. They were alone. Not out of want nor need, just by happenstance. They were vessels for others; for Jin, he was the precipitate for his older brother’s feelings of guilt, joy, vengeance, and more and for Bohman, he would soon take in all humanity and quell the evils of the world. For better or for worse.

  They were both here in this moment, fleeting as it was slow. Bohman hadn’t touched Jin since he had brought him here. Lightning had far too many designs for them both. Further training for them both but it manifested quite differently. Lightning saw perfection in Bohman and imperfection in Jin. Both were humanlike, nonetheless, despite imperfection being the threshold of humanity, in which Bohman was made in the likeness of.

  Bohman took Jin’s hand from his lap. He felt the zap of static electricity when he did so. A tiny prick, a tiny spark, a tiny warning from Lightning not to touch that which would serve better, underhanded purposes.

  Bohman took a breath and he looked out into this world, callous and crimson, and found beauty in it. A beauty which was worn down and rugged and only half destroyed. But he liked it. He glanced at Jin. His face was stern, unmoving, sinking further and further into that collar of his. In his facelessness, Bohman chose to believe that Jin felt the same and had some lucidity as to what was happening. What was going to happen.

  Further destruction, further silence, further loneliness and best of all, he didn’t mind it. Bohman certainly did it as he held Jin’s hand.

[merryfortune]

Day 4: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Compendium Game Route 2019 for @vrainsrarepairweeks

Ship: Aqua/Earth & Ai/Aqua/Earth

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,642

Tags: Pre-Canon, Fluff, Humour, Polyamory

  It was hosted quite short notice, all things considered. Better sooner than later because then the thought would pass and someone else would come up with some other grand scheme to keep them all entertained. Thus, come one, come all, it was sure to be a show was the call which ensued from the Dark Ignis who thought it was a great jape.

  So, he, the Light Ignis, and the Wind Ignis all sat in a row with the Water Ignis and Earth Ignis on the cusp of performing out some human ritual. It was all very interesting. It gave them something to do in these nigh idyllic days that they spent together, programming the very world around them, keeping them safe and secure from the very humans who would have them destroyed despite having created them.

  Humans were such odd, illogical creatures and they displayed it in a myriad of ways, or so the Earth Ignis and Water Ignis had discovered.

  The former of which waited at an altar that the Fire Ignis had been so kind to curate. It was a nice podium made of igneous rock, smoothed down to stage both the Earth Ignis and the Water Ignis, as well as a few decorations which the Wind Ignis had been so kind as to provide. Garlands of pretty coloured flowers and a wind which whistled a most melodic tune. Overhead, the sun shone gently and their break, for something as frivolous as this, seemed almost perfect with the happy couple on the platform and two of their three onlookers present.

  That is correct. Two, not three. The Light Ignis, despite his reservations, was in attendance, sitting on rocks pushed out into this neutral, connecting meadow by the Earth Ignis and adjacent to him was the Wind Ignis who was content to sit in the grass, back against a different rock. The third Ignis who was supposed to be in attendance of this gathering, the Dark Ignis, was not present and it seemed not even the dear Water Ignis was in the mood to chase him given that this was her special day which she had spent about equivalent to fifty-seven hours thinking about, planning, and enacting.

  Still, it was nice. Not necessarily perfect but it didn’t need to be. It was just some jovial thing that she and the Earth Ignis wanted to share in. There was some virtue to sloth, occasionally. It wasn’t good to overwork oneself and it was that potential hypocrisy which may have warded off the Dark Ignis as even working to be lazy wasn’t his style, even when the fruits of such labour were about to be picked.

  “Let’s not delay any longer.” the Earth Ignis said, taking his beloved hands.

  The Water Ignis nodded, casting one last, sideways glance to her side, hoping that their other friend would soon join them. She sighed. Her fingers interlocked through the Earth Ignis’s. She agreed.

  “Without further ado then…” the Light Ignis said and with a wave of his hands, more grand shafts of light fanned down over the happy couple, through the garlands and other decorations.

   In their Ignis language, they exchanged names and vows. The Light Ignis rolled his eyes as the Earth and Water Ignises became exceptionally and extremely sappy in their nigh never ending stream of praise that they had unto one another. Despite the cacophony of their native language, with all the clicks and buzzes and whirrs and more, it was strangely sweet, the melody that they fell into. The Wind Ignis found it vaguely sweet in the uniquely prickly way that he was.

  Soon, the Earth Ignis fumbled. He began repeating himself and the tune became clunky. The Water Ignis giggled and she retracted her hand. It ached from how tightly that the Earth Ignis had clenched onto it out of love. He blushed.

  “I, um, suppose we ought to conclude the speech portion of our ceremony here.” the Earth Ignis suggested.

  “That’s quite alright.” the Water Ignis murmured. “So, have you the rings prepared?”

  “Yes! Yes, of course.” the Earth Ignis said.

  He then shuffled away from the Water Ignis slightly and picked up the rings which he had left on the podium adjacent to them. The rings that he had made for the occasion. They were lovingly crafted to the best of that ability, no matter how wonky the end product was. Something about them, from the ruddy, igneous gleam to the sapphires embedded on top, exuded love and pride.

  Not to mention the gleam in the Earth Ignis’ blue eyes. He, too, exuded such wondrous things as well as he brought the rings closer to the Water Ignis. She lifted her hand slightly before the Earth Ignis could even ask her too.

  “Would you do the honour of letting me put this on you?” he asked.

  “Only if I may do the same for you.” the Water Ignis said with an awfully in-love voice.

  “Wasn’t there supposed to be a priest or somethin’? Oh, oh, not to mention, isn’t there supposed to be a section of this whole ceremony thing where someone asks for objections because I! The great Dark Ignis! Have an objection.”

  From the rafters of the little stage set up, the Dark Ignis swung out, as though from hiding. The Wind Ignis perked up and the Dark Ignis fell down. He landed with a thud, head-first, into the stage and whined. The Earth Ignis panicked and the Water Ignis yelped. He dizzily brought himself up again, patting along the crest at the back of his head. His yellow eyes spun. He only exacerbated the pain by attempting to shake it out as he got to his head.

  “I do, I don’t, in sickness and in health, yadda, yadda, yadda: I’ve got an objection.” the Dark Ignis announced.

  He placed his hand on his breast and tilted back his head; eyes fluttered closed. Earth huffed beside him. Always the drama queen, this one. He often wished that the Dark Ignis could be a touch more studious; even the similarly carefree Wind Ignis wasn’t such a pain.

  “Is something the matter, Dark Ignis?’ asked the Water Ignis.

  “I object.” the Dark Ignis said flatly, simply.

  “You… object?” the Water Ignis echoed, nonplussed.

  “I object.” the Dark Ignis repeated to little prevailing clarification.

  “You object?” The Earth Ignis took the next turn to echo.

  The Dark Ignis huffed and growled, stomped his foot. “Yes, yes, I object.” he selfishly exclaimed.

  “Okay, why, or in what way, do you object?” the Water Ignis asked cautiously.

  “I object on the grounds that I’m in love.”

  “In love with…. Who?” the Earth Ignis asked, a dark grimace coming across his face as he leered over the much tinier Dark Ignis.

  The Dark Ignis spun around as he had been facing the Water Ignis, but he then came down on one knee the opposite way, now in front of the Earth Ignis, with an arm unfurling.

  “With you, of course!” the Dark Ignis declared.

  The Earth Ignis didn’t know how to react, though the Water Ignis demurely giggled from behind the Dark Ignis.

  The Light Ignis sighed. “I’ve had enough of this farce. I will be taking my leave now.” he said.

  “Are you serious?” asked, cackled, really, the Wind Ignis. “It’s finally getting good!”

  “Oh hush. It’s always been good; don’t be rude to the bridal party anymore than the Dark Ignis has been.” the Fire said, more or less under his breath, to the Wind Ignis.

  Upon hearing that, the Dark Ignis was further emboldened in his shenanigans: “I mean, I love the Water Ignis too but mhm, big guy, you are just as scrumptious.” he said.

  “You are just saying that to get under my skin.” the Earth Ignis said, folding his arms.

  “Oh, I’ll do more than just that.” the Dark Ignis purred.

  The Water Ignis giggled into her hand whilst the Earth Ignis’s eyes widened in horror as a blush spread through his orangey cheeks.

  “Oh, get up.” the Earth Ignis yelled, and he pulled the Dark Ignis to his feet by the scruff of his neck. “Enough of these games, you are interrupting the Water Ignis and I’s perfect wedding.”

  “Yes, well, now it’s even more perfect, not to mention fun. Someone needs to ensure that you two sticks in the muds have fun.” the Dark Ignis said.

  He brought the Water Ignis closer into the conversation. He took her right hand and he took the Earth Ignis left hand. He grinned an Ignis grin, no teeth and no lips but all smiles nonetheless somehow and looked up at both of them. The Earth Ignis softened. He couldn’t stay mad at someone like the Dark Ignis despite his more bad qualities. The Water Ignis giggled again. She extended a hand, in the meanwhile, to the Earth Ignis who accepted it; making them a rather odd trinity.

  “Now, let’s continue on our merry way but this time, let’s take it from the top and as a threesome.” the Dark Ignis decided.

  “Stop saying such vulgar things in front of the Water Ignis.” the Earth Ignis scolded him.

  “Aw, it’s fine. That’s just how he is.” the Water Ignis cooed.

  She wriggled her hand away from both of the male Ignis whom she had been connected to. She twisted around and adjacent to her was another podium. Placed atop it, two cups of water. She brought them into the circle.

  “There are more ways than just exchanging rings to officiate relationships. We could all share a drink, if you both like.” the Water Ignis said.

  “That sounds wonderful.” the Earth Ignis agreed.

  “And thank you very much.” the Dark Ignis added, feeling proud as punch, as he was further involved in the Water and Earth Ignis’s ceremony.

[merryfortune]

Day 5: Snowfall, Snowmelt

Compendium Game Route 2019 for @vrainsrarepairweeks

Ship: Kiku/Miyu

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,546

Tags: Alternate Universe – PreCure Inspired

  Ash fell around them like snow. It was grey and granular; flecked with flames and embers. It all fell, almost prettily, over the park but beneath the darker coloured clouds which swirled and rumbled, threatening to rain but there was this heat. This heat. It was deathly and agonising. To think, moments early, it had been so pleasantly cold. It sent a shiver down Miyu’s spine as she held onto her precious trinket, the Crystal Heart, in her hand and began to walk towards the epicentre of it all. An inferno burned before their eyes; where their friend once stood.

  “Aqua, Aoi... This is my responsibility. I... I’ll deal with this.” Miyu said.

  Aoi and Aqua both simpered behind her but Aoi accepted it. Miyu had grown up somewhat from when she was child, she realised. That’s why she was the leader. Unofficially appointed, anyway.

  Miyu strode forth and in a burst of colour, so different to the grey and black and red around them, pure and shining and bright, Miyu transformed. Ribbons unfurled around her, only to tightly wrap her up in swimming suit like lyrcra and a tutu and mismatched socks and high heeled boots. All that eye cloyingly bright cyan and she was protected by it all, as scantily clad as it may seem.

  She was no longer just Sugisaki Miyu, silly schoolgirl and sports extraordinaire; she was Cure Raindrop, the energetic and refreshing Cure of Water, one of the Emissaries of the Elements.

  And she was the only person who could put out this fire because she had started it.

  With a flick of her wrist, Miyu generated a barrier of water which protected her as she fazed through the inferno which burned and all the smoke and ash and embers which it produced. Her demeanour was calm but determined as she found her dear friend in the middle of it all; on her knees, clutching her head, bawling.

  “Kiku.” Miyu called out.

  “Leave me alone.” Kiku spat.

  “D’aw, you know me, I can’t do that.” Miyu murmured.

  She knelt in front of this girl. And a girl that she didn’t know.

  She saw half of Kiku, her friend. White schoolgirl blouse, blue-black hair in a plait which wound around her neck, but she also saw someone else; her foe. Her hands had turned to claws, her arms now looked as though they were clad with lava and her eyes, once a cooled amber were now molten, colouring the whole of her eye, not just her pupil. She didn’t look human, but she still looked like Miyu.

  “Get away from me, Raindrop.” Kiku snapped. “I was sent here to kill you. To kill you and Cure Maiden, to kill the Fairy, Aqua, and to rob humanity of ever knowing a peaceful nature ever again.”

  “But is such destruction what you want?” Miyu asked.

  Kiku looked up at her. For a moment, the golden colour of her eyes turned to white. Tears dribbled down her cheeks, only to turn to steam because her body was so hot. Miyu smiled an almost despairing smile.

  “Well? Is it?” she prompted Kiku.

  “I am p-proud to be a henchperson of the all glorious Fire.” Kiku spat out a reply but it was obvious that she was lying.

  “Were you... No, are you proud to be my friend?” Miyu asked.

  Kiku whimpered. She looked up slightly, to meet Miyu’s eyes briefly, only to evade not only Miyu’s kind gaze, but her own feelings as well.

  “I was never your friend.” Kiku murmured. “I was sent here on behalf of the Empire of Fire to gain your trust... to betray you...”

  Miyu shook her head. She didn’t see it that way. She didn’t feel it that way. Miyu had always been the friendly sort of girl, playing with as many children as she could in parks as a child and even now, a decade on, she was the number one peacekeeper in her high school class. She had earned the title of Class President because of her cheerful and friendly demeanour over someone more practical or book smart. Kiku was not exempt from this warmth that Miyu felt unto those around her.

  She had been confused at first, yes, by this girl who had suddenly appeared before her. No information to her aside from her name on the whiteboard behind her and who politely refused to wear the same uniform as every other student in the class and ergo, the whole school. Miyu had been even more confused when this girl began to tail her and found a place to stay with her.

  But Miyu had welcomed Kiku into her heart. She had taken her on many adventures, to the mall and to the park and to many more, sometimes skirting secret identities and whatnot because that was just the life of a magical girl. They had spent so many nights together studying or watching movies. There were a few different extremes in their relationship, but it had become a friendship, nonetheless. A very dear and important friendship to Miyu’s heart.

  Even Kiku was who she said she was: Kuki of the Fire Empire. The very Kuki who had driven back the combined forces of Cure Raindrop and Cure Maiden to the brink, only to fumble at the last minute and then, mysteriously, disappear whilst her brethren from the Empire continued to wage their war against humanity, as defended by the Pretty Cure duo of Miyu and Aoi.

  Although, Miyu was quite certain that her and Aoi’s duo was about to change.

  It wasn’t about to become a solo act afforded by Aqua, no, it was going to become a trio. Miyu still had that spare Crystal Heart. The very one that Aqua had been afraid to give her. Miyu’s Crystal Heart was the one which represented Water and it transformed her into Cure Raindrop. Aoi’s Crystal Heart was the one of Wind and transformed her into Cure Maiden. And now, Miyu was certain, that the third Crystal Heart would be accepted by Kiku.

  She felt it beyond her heart and beyond her soul, she could feel how right this decision was in the heat around her and in the ground beneath her, in the tears that Kiku cried, and in the gusts which dangled around them in this hidden, ashy place.

  Miyu was certain. Her lips tingled. Just like that time when she and Kiku had slept next to one another on different futons but had inched together in the course of night, only to wake and find each other so perfectly irresistible in the dark and in the post dream haze of exhaustions. They hadn’t kissed but Miyu’s heart had pounded so hard and she felt a sensation in her lips which made her wish that they had, rather than breathe so quietly, awkwardly exchanging glances.

  “I really like you, Kiku, you’re my friend and I know you think of me as one also. So please, accept me into your heart.” Miyu said and she then drew forth the third Crystal Heart. “Accept this.”

  “Oh, Miyu...” Kiku warbled. “I couldn’t. I can’t.”

  “You can. I know you can.” Miyu said.

  Kiku wiped her eyes and the flames on her skin simpered. She regained control of the illusion which was her body. Save for her ears, now pointed and elfin. Miyu smiled. Kiku took a big breath and hesitantly accepted the Crystal Heart from Miyu.

  “You’re like... a living truth detector. I can’t lie to you.” Kiku mumbled. “I like you too. I want, no, I am your friend and I would much rather see the world in peace than in flames.”

  “Thank you, Kiku.” Miyu said.

  On their knees, both girls hugged. Hugged tight. Miyu all but didn’t want to let go as her very aura cooled Kiku who singed the ground beneath her. But their arms did slip away eventually and Miyu helped Kiku to her feet.

  “You can do it. You can use it.” Miyu told her, as self-assured as telling someone that the sun would rise the next morning.

  Kiku held tightly onto the Crystal Heart. She felt its power flow through her as she accepted it and all of Miyu’s love in tow. With a breath, she found her own power inside of her. She transformed. Not into a human, not into an Efreeti, nor an abomination of them both but something else.

  Ribbons and frills trailed around her, she smiled brilliantly, and she became the person that she had always wanted to be. All in gloves and socks and a lovely dress with a kindly, fiery motif woven through it all.

  “I now dub you... Cure Blaze.” Miyu decided as she took Kiku’s hands.

  Kiku tugged on Miyu’s hands and then brought her into a dear and tight embrace. Nuzzling into the crook of Miyu’s neck, thinking about how they had all the time in the world, unlike before, these surprisingly cherished past six months or so which were crooked and borrowed due to being a pretence for a failed betrayal. Kiku decided that wanted to not only see the spring and summer with this precious person of hers, but the other seasons too, autumn and winter.

  “Thank you.” Kiku mumbled.

[merryfortune]

Day 1: Time and Limits

Compendium Game Route 2019 for @vrainsrarepairweeks

Ship: Aso/Genome/Kyoko

Rating: T

Word Count: 4,930

Tags: Minor Aso/Original Female Character, Minor Taki Kyoko/Original Male Character, Pre-Canon, Canon Compliant, Polyamory, Sexual References, Alcohol, Smoking, Character Death

  When they met, they were strangers. When they were willing to part, they were the most important people to each other that they had ever had.

  Aso was in the middle of life a crisis. That made him easy prey. He was in his late twenties to early thirties and his wife of three years had just passed away from cancer. He would never forget kissing her for the last time as she succumbed: her paper soft lips, parted and dried, gasping for air she couldn’t truly breathe. It was a heavy moment that Aso found life changing. World breaking. So, wanting to reinvigorate himself, he decided that he wanted to go back to university, complete some new degrees and try to enjoy life again. In his depression, Dr Kogami saw someone who would be easy to mould for what he required and so, he was invited to the Hanoi Project. Despite his misery, he was hard working and soft spoken, a gentle voice of reason among what many people would call bizarre colleagues. But, in that project, Aso grappled with his own, ulterior motives. He yearned, so spinelessly, for a second chance, for immortality but whether or not it was a lust as grotesque as the one Dr Kogami possessed was not yet revealed.

  Genome ‒ Doctor Genome ‒ was a freak, the other assistants were certain that he was plucked out of the circus. He didn’t seem to have any skill or knowledge which would help; he liked to irritate everyone around him. He didn’t even tell anyone his name; an acceptably real one, anyway ‒ and, it was always Doctor Genome, he was very proud of the supposed PhD that he had. He seemed to have no code of conduct which reflected anything hale which was likely why he was chosen. But the truth of the matter was that he was perfect for the project outside of that amorality as well, but others only realised that until about week into the first phase, when later ideas were but a dream (a nightmare) and he rolled out all sorts of ideas and theories on how they would create a creature both organic and inorganic; all whilst slurping on a pineapple slushie that he had gotten from the nearest convenience store. He revelled in the sudden opinion shift up.

  And finally, there was Taki Kyoko; she was twenty years old and not quite fresh out of high school but nor was she as wizened to the ways of the world as Aso nor as at least mildly experienced as Genome. It was obvious that she was chosen for her youth; where Aso was easy to manipulate in his grief, she was going to be easy to manipulate in her youth. Still, she wasn’t necessarily as precocious or putty‒like as was expected of her.  She had a good head on her shoulders, as whimsical as it was; she was always toeing the line when it came to dress code violations. She was strong willed with idealistic eyes. Though, when her larger than life canter did falter, she took it in stride and it later became her power. She was not supposed to be close to the top of the hierarchy, and yet that was exactly where she could be found and where she proudly made her perch.

 Together, they made an odd team. They were difficult and uncomfortable in difficult and uncomfortable times, but they made it through together. From Phase One, planning, to Phase Two, preparation, to Phase Three, enaction: up until they were raided, and everything got shut down.

  It began slowly. It seemed like something like a joke. A hypothetical. They wanted to create a new species: artificial intelligences with free will. They wanted to create something which could exist between two different planes of existence: the digital realm at their fingertips and the realm they were already apart of. And when they got thinking about how they should do it, they were naturally attracted to the one “fad” which had changed the courses of history time and time again: Duelling. With it, there was an expression of sense of self for everyone. And then they got thinking. The younger the duellist the better; their sense of right and wrong were just beginning to bloom and more and that was exactly the model suited to their own little organisms they were seeking to create.

  Suddenly the hypotheticals weren’t so hypothetical. They set up those rooms, lit them blindingly white and prepared meagre meals which were wolfed down and decadent meals which usually went to spoil. They set up the headsets and then they found children who could wear such headsets. After all, they had the perfect little lure available to them: the very son of Dr Kogami. He was so adorably eager to help, he wanted to make new friends as well, it all seemed so perfect. He was never told a thing, even when he put roofies in their food on their behalf.

  They watched. They waited. They recorded. They did everything that was asked of them, even when it was too grim to bear, they refused to look away from the agony that they had created, no matter how gruesome. And then it all came crashing down around them. They were probably lucky that six months was as far as they had gotten. Their preparations had been thorough. The Ignis were successfully created and in the chaos of it all, they escaped.

  Dr Kogami was crucified for his crimes. He took the brunt of it; SOL Tech, their generous funders, made sure the story never went public and Dr Kogami was all but outright killed for the secret. They kept it all tightly wrapped and for those who were not Dr Kogami, it was as though they had gotten off scot free.

  Not quite. There were loose ends. This Ignis couldn’t roam free and then there was the matter of young Kogami Ryoken: all alone in the world, save for his comatose father and the screams of the six children. So, something had to be done.

  There had been other assistants, some were cut loose before Phase Two, and others had just squeezed in, but now it was just them. Aso, Genome, and Kyoko. They had undoubtedly been the spearheads of the project, underneath Dr Kogami’s wing and now, they would do their best to atone, they supposed. So, they moved in with Ryoken. The Kogami residence was better than any apartment the three of them could afford and they tried to look after him.

  Between the three of them, none were exactly a chef or overly emotionally adept. The past six months had been hard on them as well. They hated it: the sound of screaming, crying children but they were hardened to it. Even to Ryoken’s cries but, that gave them a new project to work on. Not just at bettering themselves; going back to how they were before, whole, but something else as well.

  It couldn’t be that hard, right? Bringing someone back from the dead. They managed to make the Ignis; surely, they could restore life to Dr Kogami. Not to mention, there was a property of SOL Tech’s which was freely available to everyone which caught their attention: The Link VRAINS.

  Of course, nothing is ever as easy as thought. It took a lot of terrible nights and awful days but they managed to transfer Dr Kogami’s consciousness to the Link VRAINS but there were some other things which happened first.

  Ryoken found a playmate.

  He decided that he wanted to call himself Spectre and that’s when Dr Genome knew that he’d like this kid and he was a member of the Lost Incident; one of the children who was experimented upon. It was unprecedented but one of the six had returned to them. And that made the assistants rather uncomfortable but in this child’s case, they couldn’t exactly say that they were surprised.

  He was the oddball of the group. The lone child of the experiment who enjoyed it – and this wasn’t even some sort of skewed recollection. They remembered his smile. It was chilling and unsettling and therefore undisputable. So, he was welcomed into the family – and yes, it was a family, they supposed – that rainy night when Ryoken had had enough and needed to run away and sort his own feelings out and in it, he had come back with Spectre in tow after their little adventure to and from the Facility.

  The second most pressing thing which happened was that it was decided that both boys should go to school. So, Spectre was given the alias Aso Hideki and sent to elementary school again with fingers crossed that no one from his so-called past life recognised him. That was a thought which hung over them like a shadow, like a spectre, but nothing wrong ever happened in that regard; it was exactly as the little six-year-old said. No one from that orphanage liked him enough to ever check up on him and, when records were ferreted through by Genome out of curiosity, there was indeed a little death certificate made up for him, his old name, by the people whose care he had once been in. That amused Genome greatly and horrified Aso and Kyoko.

  Still, with Spectres return to school, it gave everyone something to do. Granted, he hated it, but he clung to Ryoken’s side which made it better. Still, it gave Aso and Genome, mainly as Kyoko had the final legs of her university schooling to contend with, some sort of normality that they could play around with.

  Being responsible for one kid had been bad enough – and in its own way, good for them, too – but two was even stranger. Running errands, buying extra groceries, getting them ready for school: it all gave them a domestic routine. Before they knew it, the Lost Incident had almost grown faint as time passed: a whole six months in all the new havoc of their lives to micromanage. It was fun, pretending to be their aunt and uncles. Ryoken really looked up to them but Spectre was a little more reserved around them but each day, he came out of his shell a bit more. In its own way, it was rewarding.

  For the first time in the forever, they would exhaust feeling good rather than bad. At the end of each day, after Ryoken and Spectre were put to bed, the three of them would settle in for the night, watch some television and eat some ice-cream and drink some booze. It felt like that they had something solid and real with each other, no matter how ditsy the day or how dark the night, no matter what circumstances had brought them together like this.

 Even though the Incident hung over them all like a fog, they were finding peace again. Their fears only realised in proximity to their old boss; they had to micromanage Dr Kogami, as well, despite his coma but they found some reclamation of normalcy; even if it was fantasy. Ultimately culminating in a rather bizarre blip in their intertwined lives: Kyoko tried to enter (re-enter?) the dating pool. She had managed to charm some young fellow from down the street; he worked as a courier who exclusively worked with soft drinks and vending machines. He seemed sweet enough; he had a nice smile and a job.

  Kyoko had been hesitant at first. After what she had done, had helped with, she didn’t think that she deserved to try dating and being a normal twenty-year-old but Aso convinced her otherwise. Genome had agreed with her but not out of a place of pity, somewhere harsher and unamused in his point of view but Kyoko followed through. She tried to have a fling with this bloke, but she couldn’t sink her teeth in – and she did try. She lost her virginity to this young man and ghosted him thereafter. The sex had been that bland, apparently.

  It was weird. Kyoko couldn’t stand the thought of being with a man who wasn’t either Aso or Genome. Not even romantically, just in general. Even platonically. Hell, she was closing herself off to other women too. It was almost hermit-like, she found. In Kyoko’s divulging on the topic, Aso found some semblance of agreement but neglected to mention his late wife. Genome just laughed. He thought it was hilarious that they were all trauma bonded like that.

  After all these things had happened, hodgepodge and spread out of the course of another few months, Kyoko graduated university. She got her qualifications and posthumously, she was quite certain that she would have made Dr Kogami proud. For now, she was more than overwhelmed with the congratulations that she got from her dearest living ones. The kids made her a card; Genome toasted her the strangest champagne she had ever had; Aso gave her a kiss. It was nice. She even started looking into getting a job but there were more pressing things at hand; they still had plenty of Dr Kogami’s money, after all.

  They had to resurrect him, after all. And the knowledge that Kyoko had picked up during her university years certainly helped contribute but it was a group effort. Between her, Genome, and Aso, they finally succeeded in returning Dr Kogami to the land of living. Well, as living as it got in the digitality of the Link VRAINS.

  He was happy to see his son again. Though, his brown was stern, unimpressed, when he learned that his son was now eleven. Dr Kogami thought that his finest would have worked quicker to restore his life to his body. The assistants were hotly ashamed as they had been foolishly naïve in their expected praise; Ryoken whimpered because a drift had formed between himself and his father; and Spectre merely scowled at this strange man who mistreated his best friend.

  And Dr Kogami was most certainly unnerved to see the reappearance of one of his test subjects. Fate was scary but it seems, it had the potential to be kind, as well. At least one of those infants understood why their suffering – their joy, in this child’s apparent case – was necessary.

  It was a shame that it was all for naught. Now, that Dr Kogami was alive once more, it seemed like their next goal was simple: recapture the Ignis and work once more towards their goal.

  They began to unpack that which was left in the dark for so long; almost a little less than two years and started once more. It was another round of late nights and agonising days with little sleep and more caffeine than what was healthy. Still, they tried to keep those idyllic days close. Nights ending slightly drunk with an emptied tub of ice-cream nearby and sending the boys to the morning with embarrassingly red cheeks.

  Regardless, it was quicker work than they thought it would be. They used to be a bigger team, once upon a time; now it was just them three. But they worked well together. They had naturalised. They couldn’t imagine themselves without the others anymore; they were a unit, a group. They were important together. It was a mutually requited strand of thought, often made ode to over half washed dishes, erroneous code programs, or glasses of red wine.

  They were starting to talk about things that they hadn’t before. It had been a while since any of them had gotten a taste of having a conventional family. Aso started. He finally brought up his lost love and Kyoko cried. She understood why he had tried to spur her onto the delivery guy now. She had a bleeding heart. It had scarred during the Incident but there were certain things she was sensitive to; illness was one of them. She had lost her own mother to unexpected illness so she could relate to Aso’s heartache. She couldn’t help but feel that her mother would be disappointed in her. She hadn’t even graduated high school, so she had always encouraged her daughter academically.

  Genome listened as obediently as he could. Unlike those two, he didn’t suffer from guilt or from the normal range of human emotion in general. But, for once, he found it in himself to be respectful as he had their moment – even if he did, personally, feel cut off from it.

  That earned him a kiss from her, red lipstick and all, but only on the corner of his mouth, in reward for his display of aptitude. Kyoko gave him a kiss on the corner of his mouth. He smiled into it. It was only small, but he thought that it was fantastic that the the books little girl had a thing for older men, if her seeming attraction to him and Aso were anything to go by. He was certain that her late mother would have a pink kitten over it and that made him giddy. Though, he should know better than to read into tokens.

  He voiced that and was immediately met with Aso’s disapproval and Kyoko’s laughter. She was noncommittal regarding it; flirtatious, playful. But they all agreed that they were all growing closer to one another. They liked to be with one another, liked touching one, they couldn’t imagine not living together and so on and so forth. In turn, feelings muddied.

  Aso took particular issue to this revelation; lipstick laden and airy with cackling smiles. He didn’t think that his heart could heal after his late wife’s passing. It felt like an insult to her memory – and all the memories of their love, particularly those of their wedding day which was the epitome of monogamy – to move on with not just another woman, and a younger one at that, but a man too.

 All he could do was concede that Kyoko was a young woman of twenty-three and she was therefore entitled to do as she liked. So, she gave him a kiss on the other side of his face. It was scratchy, bristly, but she liked it. He liked it too. Genome disliked it but out of fairness, Kyoko bestowed him with a kiss first, so he took some pride in that. Internally, both men had the same thought, funnily enough, regarding being kissed by this young woman: Kyoko had rather nice lips so that nice courier guy, with his broken heart somewhere, was missing out.

  It was strange but despite that little incident, their relationships didn’t really go anywhere new or further. They liked what they had; whatever it was: trauma bonding, genuine love, or something else. It was theirs, real and solid, and that’s what mattered.

  Not too long later, perhaps around two weeks but no more, they finished their coding and made what was their holy grail. They created a program which infinitely reeled off the possibilities and potentials of the Ignis: with it, they could deduce the location of where they hid, their precious Cyberse World, and then they discovered they could use it to understand what exactly the creatures were capable of.

  And the culmination of that discovery was nothing good. The Ignis, destined to be the inheritors of humanity, were not the saviours that they were intended as being. Perhaps it made sense. No good could come from such heinous origins. So, it was quickly decreed by Dr Kogami that his beloved creations were to be destroyed.

  The news weighed low on their shoulders.

  Aso finally found his answer. He had joined this bizarre and inhumane mission because he wanted to see her face again: that gentle smile, her blonde curls, her darling eyes. He didn’t want to remember her wrinkled skin and her rotted teeth. After all, he had been the one to oversee the vulnerabilities of these creatures and he had helped create monsters impervious to conventional means of harm. He wanted to resurrect her and protect her from that which had killed her. So, he sought to find a means of invincibility, invulnerability, immortality. That had been his greatest contribution to this accursed project because he was a soulful man, afraid of how things end. Now, it became his duty to create weaponry which could bring harm to the Ignis.

  Still, he took this new duty with great seriousness. That helped to ease the burden. The guilt. The despair.

  And so, their little family unit changed once more. They were not a family. They were a cell. They were a young prince, his retainer, and his lieutenants. They were ready to take arms against the threat that no one but they knew of. They took new names, new identities, well most of them, save Genome and Spectre, and one day, two years later, their research and their plans all came to fruition.

  Master Revolver began his father’s crusade. Pointless, violent…

  He was just thirteen, but this was the destiny he was imprisoned to and he took it all in stride.

  The assault blasted through the Ignis’ haven. It tore through them all, trapped by an enacted plan but one of them had evaded it. How annoying. And in that, it – and ergo, the rest of its kin – were able to escape. The green crumbled around Revolver and he continued his pursuit as supported by his lieutenants and his second-in-command.

  This pursuit continued for five years.

  Those five years felt like forever. They doggedly chased down the lone Ignis who had survived the onslaught, protecting his brethren as he went. They followed through with other orders. They became to cultivate a presence online which was supposed to give them supremacy and a mask for their other activities. They obeyed Dr Kogami stringently, doing as he said, following through his bidding both on and offline.

  And somewhere between it all, they realised that things change, and some things stay the same.

  The things which stayed the same were the sweet moments after twilight when they could resemble some sort of functioning family unit, but it was true that there was a different dynamic pulling through. It was unsettling. Ryoken had been made the head of their project and that meant that adults whom he was upwards of a decade junior to, bow to him. He didn’t like it, but he took upon the responsibility with good grace. He knew when to play the kid – when they were eating ice-cream and talking about the day – and when he needed to play the adult.

  Other changes came later. Some more dramatic than others. Small ones were such as how Spectre dropped out of school first. He was about twelve or thirteen when they decided that he couldn’t keep going as he was; not to mention they were always scared that someone, someday, might recognise their little ghost and that was becoming a risk. Moreover, he kept getting into fights. Fights that he couldn’t win because he didn’t know to brawl; he only knew polite spars between himself and Ryoken. He didn’t – couldn’t – get along with the others in his class, so it was decided that he would be home-schooled. At least that way, he could refine his intellect in ways he saw fit; he was a good student, no matter how misanthropic his personality. He had a keen mind when it came to biology and psychology.

  Bigger changes were like how Kyoko left the nest first. She got a job. She was accepted into Den City Hospital with flying colours; they were grovelling at her feet, wanting her that bad. She couldn’t say no to that. At first, it was fine but then they decided that it was best if she were to live alone for a bit. They needed to build up an acceptable persona for the untrue Taki Kyoko. They didn’t want people prying, snooping, coming too close to their base of operations, so she went out and go an apartment to themselves.

  But even though that was a change, and a rather big one, with moving furniture and more, it split some of their redundant routine too. She, Aso, and Genome all had plenty of nights, wasted and having fun despite all which hung over them. Jobs, money, insecurity, anxiety, guilt, shame, responsibilities and more.

  It was a nice little flat. It was where they had all had sex for the first time. It felt only right to, once the last of Kyoko’s things had moved in, they all figured it needed christening since none of them were game to do more than a rather chaste quickie at the Kogami residence. It felt wrong on the account of all sorts of factors, but it was a taboo that they had certainly flirted with countless times without ever going too far. They had fooled around together in all sorts of contexts and combinations, but this was the first time that all clothes were off – and so were all the bets.

  In the morning after, they all shared cigarettes among themselves. It was cliché and none of them were heavy smokers, but there was something cheeky about the feeling of nicotine after sex-induced sleep. Kyoko was happy with herself. That had certainly been more fun than the night she had lost her virginity. Aso was humiliated. He hadn’t been properly laid since his wife and he had to admit, between the two of them, Kyoko and Genome, they were pretty good. Genome was blasé. He had been apart of better orgies, but this was the first threesome that he could imagine getting sentimental over.

  Moments, nights and days, like that one almost lulled them into a false sense of security. Aso and Genome returned to the house later, having all but abandoned their little charges, fourteen and sixteen respectively at this point, and they had news. Whilst the adults in their lives had out been cavorting, they had been communing with the dead and the dead decided that he wanted company.

  Two years. It was decided that in two years, if the Ignis was not recaptured and destroyed, then it was time for their most drastic plan. They would simply eradicate the whole of the Link VRAINS to snuff out those damnable creatures and they would take all the collateral damage as it happened. If gone through with, it would be a historic and abominable crime.

  And it was decided unanimously that the Tower of Hanoi was to be their trump card; their last resort; and it was looking likelier by the day that it would come to completion. With the appearance of the one called Playmaker, it seemed that all their worst fears were to be realised; doubly so when he managed to do in one night what they had spent years try to do: he captured the Ignis.

  Furthermore, with each clash Playmaker had against Revolver, it brought them both closer and nowhere to their goal. In the end, there was only one certainty: death. All or nothing. Preparations were being made. Monsters slinked in the sewers and worse ones manifested inside their heads as they came to terms with it.

  After ten years, it seemed like it would never come. Time was finicky like that. But, at least they still a few days before time trumped them for good. It was hard to look beyond that. It just seemed like nothingness, like a cold blackness, or worse: maybe a fiery pit of hell. Regardless, Aso took them to that riverbank hill one last time. It was his favourite place to have some quiet time; feel the wind in his hair and the smell of water, no matter how polluted, in the air.

  Genome liked that hill. He would never tell his partners this but when he was a kid, he used to do all sorts of things on that hill. Everything from flying kites to playing Duel Monsters; he would study, smoke, and more down in that grass, under the bridge, and even in the shallows of the water, where there were pebbles and sometimes fish. And he liked this hill even better with his two, most favourite people. Especially since, he recalled that ten years ago, they came here without him but had brought Ryoken in tow; presumably to give him one last taste of childhood before all that could happen. Not that Genome could relate. He was playfully – and unironically – cruel.

  The night was young by the time they arrived. They couldn’t see stars; too early, too smoggy, but it was still nice to be out. There was a pleasant breeze, uncharacteristic to the time of year but they appreciated it. Especially since it didn’t play with their lighters and cigarettes. They were sharing two cigarettes between the three of them. Indirect kisses for adults, too old for pocky and the like. The echo of Kyoko’s lipstick on the orange-brown filter made the gentlemen smile as they passed it amongst themselves until they didn’t have anything left to smoke. Snuffed out in the grass.

  They watched the city skyline move with their breaths, between slats of neon lights and shadows. There was nothing to talk about, or maybe there was too much to talk about, so they sat in companionable silence, perhaps coveting a drink or something else but it all just seemed so far away.

  Just like ten years ago, when they were strangers. Now look at them: prepared to die as the most important people that they had ever had.