Archive of Our Own

Work Text

Trudging through the large iron door and out into the warehouse, I held onto the rifle in my right hand like it was the only thing saving me from a lethal fall. If I didn’t move, or if my focus wavered for even a second, Iris and Hitomi might die. Even with that desperation, and the adrenaline burning through my body, it must have been a minor miracle that I was conscious at that point, let alone standing. Not only did my legs feel like they were made of solid lead thanks to the drugging, but the pain in my left eye socket would be debilitating for most. Thankfully, it wasn’t my first time with that particular flavor of pain. I had been unconscious for… Well, I wasn’t sure how long. Ten minutes? Two hours? Saito said it himself, the prototype Psync machine had a ‘special function.’ During the psync, the psyncer’s body was injected with a sedative, and the subject received a stimulant after the psync. For some reason, the word ‘benzodiazepines’ rang in my head. It was strange; Saito hadn’t specified it. Perhaps it was in Shoko’s autopsy. Safe to assume, most of his victims received a massive dose, perhaps mine was smaller so I could be awake for his sick show. The hubris to present this revenge snuff show just may have been Saito’s downfall. The fact that I could even stand put his life into jeopardy, though I had Moma of all people to thank for breaking Saito’s control of this situation. Readying the rifle in both my hands, I made my way to the center of the warehouse and scanned my surroundings. Where was he?  Damn it, I couldn’t see anything in all this dark, and the rain pelting the building made it impossible to hear him if he had half a mind to stay quiet. I really took Aiba’s night vision for granted, huh?  Hurry up, I thought. Make your move, Saito! I was on a pretty nasty time limit. Not only were Iris and Hitomi in danger, but Moma already took a bullet for me, and Aiba’s ICE couldn’t hold forever. I needed to end this qu–Light flared to life above the balcony, blinding my sensitive eye for a few seconds before the vision clarified and I recognized a face. My face, or so I thought for the past six years. The cruel smile of Saito Sejima, with my evolver pressed against Iris’ temple.“Iris!” I called out, my hands tightening on the rifle. “Date,” He said with what sounded like a hideous smile, although he was too far away to make out details. “Do you like fireworks?” I tried to shake off this strange feeling of deja vu and aimed the rifle at him, although it was impossible to take Iris out of my view. She was tied to a chair and the bastard was using her as a shield. I couldn’t make out her face, but… “I love them. A brilliant, glimmering fragment of time. The flash begins as a perfectly-ordered chemical reaction that melts into chaos. Human lives are the same, are they not? As is the universe itself.”

Damn it, I can’t get him in my sights! And I can’t get any help from Aiba. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this body, and it was starting to become clear which eye was better. A shot at this distance would have been child’s play for ‘Falco’ in his prime, but the handicap put everything up to chance.“Blooming, scattering in the moment. And it’s only a single moment, isn’t it?” His voice cut through the rain, so calm, so cruel, and… Ecstatic. I’d heard him speak in other bodies before, but it was so obvious how at home he felt in this body. “A unique moment you can never revisit. That’s what makes life so beautiful. Don’t you think so?”
Should I just risk it? But if I miss, I’ll hit Iris.
“But I’ve spoken enough. It’s showtime. I will show you the most beautiful fireworks you’ve ever seen.” Even back here, I could see his face contort into sickening joy as he jammed the barrel into Iris’ temple. “The scattering of the cerebral plasma… The scattering blood… It’s art. Perfect, beautiful art of a lonely moment in time. Don’t blink. I want you to burn this into your retinas. Well… The one you have left.” I squeezed the trigger, just nearly enough pressure to fire. The only thing stopping me was fear. I couldn’t hit Iris. I couldn’t… Hurt her… My heart was pounding like a drum as Saito circled around Iris, keeping the gun trained to her head. But, he wasn’t using her as a shield. I could–“Torrrrrya!” A new voice reverberated through the warehouse as a blur of color shot toward Saito, and with a sharp crack, the shape sent him over the railing and tumbling to the ground with a hefty THUD. It was hard not to wince despite the relief that the attack brought me. Actually, I wasn’t too sure what I was seeing was real, and not a mental escape from the horror of the situation. Not until the shape landed, and came to a stop. A yellow coat…? And bright blue hair…“Mizuki!” Aiba contacted Moma. Of course she’d contact Mizuki too! I wondered how she got here so quickly, though that thought was quickly brushed aside as she completely ignored me, focusing on Saito.“You bastard!” She leapt toward him, lead pipe in hand. “What do you think you’re doing to Iris!?” As she slammed the pipe into him again and again, Saito almost seemed to cower, shrinking on the ground and bracing for each impact. How was he even still alive? Was she holding back? I circled the two, rifle still in hand, admittedly a bit worried she’d crack me with that pipe as well if I got too close. After all, I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure she knew she was hitting Saito, and not a Kaname Date who’d lost his damn mind. I wasn’t sure I could take a blow like what Saito was getting. He was on a stimulant, after all. As I moved, I noticed Ota run up to Iris in my peripheral, untying her. Turning to look at the two, I sighed with relief. If they hadn’t arrived, Iris would be dead. However, it was a mistake to allow my attention to lapse from the beating, even for a moment. Mizuki threw a final, bruising blow into Saito’s back, throwing him away and onto his stomach, right near the evolver. In this short moment, his survival instinct obviously hadn’t failed him as he grabbed the gun. I turned to see him grip the handgun right as Mizuki charged toward him.“Wait, Mizuki!” Panic rose in my voice, but it was too late. He turned in an instant and fired a nearly blind shot right at her. I heard the magnetic blast… Then the pipe hit the ground along with her body. Everything stopped for a moment before I heard her voice cry out. “It hurts!” Followed only by a breathy chuckle by Saito. I saw red. I wanted to kill the fucker, get him on the ground and smash his face, strangle him, break every god damn bone in his body. I charged, then stopped, my breath hitching. Why did I have a horrible feeling…? Hitomi… In a brief flash, like an instant daydream, I saw Saito aiming at her head much like he did with Iris. I didn’t even know how badly Mizuki was wounded, but if I was dumb… If I didn’t finish Saito off right now, he might slink away and hurt someone else. I’d closed the distance enough for my vision to clarify around the man. I could make the shot!

“Heh…” I heard Mizuki whimpering on the ground. Saito shook his head and pointed the evolver down at her. “I don’t like being interrupted, Mizuki. I guess you’ll just be a prelude to the main show!”  Fuck! I can’t wait any longer! Even a moment of hesitance meant life or death with Saito. Swallowing my rage, I brought the stock of the rifle to my shoulder, took a breath, and…

BANG. The sound of the shot was followed immediately by a sharp metal strike as the bullet flew through Saito’s hair and ricocheted off the steel support beam to his side. I pulled the bolt back as Saito turned toward me, adjusted my aim–And a magnetic blast sounded off, followed by a horrible, piercing pain in my chest. Dropping the rifle, I gasped for breath and brought a hand up to the wound, putting pressure on it. Quickly, my palm grew warm and wet as blood seeped through my fingers, and any strength I still had left me as I fell to my knees. Looking up, I saw Saito was still facing me, and Mizuki stared at me with wide eyes despite her obviously pained expression.  That’s right, bastard… I internally begged. Keep looking at me. Saito approached me, evolver pointed at my head. My eye darted around. I didn’t see Iris or Ota anywhere. I hoped Iris was okay, but Mizuki couldn’t move on her own. This wasn’t over yet. As the murderer came into proximity, I lunged forward and tried to grab the gun, but Saito adeptly sidestepped the move and slammed the handle into the back of my head, sending me face first onto the floor. “Well, well. I can’t say I’m not surprised, but maybe I underestimated how much you care about the stray runt.” I attempted to lift myself up, seeing blood drops fall to the concrete floor. Saito then threw his boot into my side, making me gasp in pain and fall onto my back. Heaving, I looked up at him, his face stoic as he pointed the gun down at me, although his eyes seemed to examine the bullet hole in my chest. I couldn’t help but notice he was turning his head slightly, seeming to only favor his right eye. Was Aiba even on? But the left eye wasn’t gray… “Got the message, Date? You’re not dead yet.” His cruel smile returned as he knelt down, grabbed my rifle, and threw it into a dark corner, opposite of the Psync room.“Ah-Ah, can’t have you getting any bright ideas. I suggest you don’t move too much, you could hurt yourself.” The stubborn bastard didn’t seem intent on killing me yet, and seemingly assumed my body could hold on for a bit longer, even as I struggled to breathe. Each breath was accompanied by a stabbing pain in my chest. “Ah, I’m impressed, Date.” He continued as he stepped away from me and toward Mizuki. I struggled, getting on my side and clutching my chest as I watched him. “I told Hitomi to bring you here, alone. Tell me, how did you manage to contact all your little friends? Or did they all tail you?” In a flash, Mizuki went to grab her pipe, but Saito was obviously anticipating that. Stomping on her hand, she yelped, and recoiled as soon as he lifted his foot, giving him enough time to snatch the lead instrument. “And you. I owe you for the bruises you just gave me, huh? You know, I always considered myself a fair man, repaying each debt with–”

“Shut the hell up!” Mizuki shouted, still cringing in pain. I could see now that there was a small pool of blood under her thigh. It wasn’t a lot… I knew a shot to the leg could go either way, but she seemed to have gotten lucky. 
This is no time to be relieved. Think of something, Date!
“C’mon, what’d I ever do to you?” Saito chuckled, a sick smile on his face.“You killed mom… Y-You hurt my best friend, and my teacher…”“Oh, Mizuki. I think it’s a little late to get angry about your mom, she killed herself a year ago. I would have thought you’d be a bit more mad about your dad.”“You… Fucking shut–”

“Mizuki!” I shouted, breaking up the exchange with my labored breath. She bit her lip, while Saito just smiled. “Saito, leave her out of this. It’s me you want. It’s just me. I stole your body, she didn’t do anything.” The man turned toward me, his expression unchanging. Mizuki’s expression softened as she stared at me as well. “Date…”

“Date.” Saito cut her off. “This was always between you and me. I certainly didn’t ask your fan club to get involved.” He strolled toward me, almost leisurely, before kneeling down and staring at me a bit closer to eye level. When he spoke again, his voice was hushed: a whisper. “Six years… What I wanted was actually fairly simple. Torment you, get my body back, destroy that little farce you… Ahem, Falco called a family, and then move on with my life. I actually planned to keep working at ABIS. Obviously my previous frequency of killings was problematic, so I wanted a fresh start. Where better to hide? But now, I have to clean up here. Not just you three, but that brat, Rohan’s failure of a brother, and the NEET need to go too.” He sighed. “Now I’ll have to run away, get plastic surgery. There’s no way I’ll be able to bullshit through all these bodies, right? So everything that’s about to happen is your fault. Don’t worry though, both of us will have fun with this, won’t we?” I nearly grinded my teeth to dust listening to him. “Well…” He smiled. “Maybe I’ll give someone a chance. If you beg.” Without even waiting, he stood back up, and stepped away so both Mizuki and I were in view. Pointing the evolver at Mizuki, I saw her eyes go wide in fear. Hell, mine did too. Looking up, Saito shouted so his voice reverberated throughout the warehouse.“Iris! I’d suggest you listen up. Your best friend here put off the show, and I gotta be honest…” He let the pipe in his left hand grind against the ground as he paced back and forth. “That really pissed me off. I wanted to start off our little show with you, but if you don’t show yourself, well…” He slammed the pipe against the floor, the sound ringing through the warehouse. “I’m gonna turn this little bitch into a red pulp! So...You have ten seconds.” I tried to speak, but another spark of pain cut my voice short. There was a pool of blood underneath me already, and it was only growing as these minutes ticked by. “Ten… Nine… Eight…” His eyes were locked onto Mizuki, and she shook her head.

“Iris, just run!”“Cute… Six…”

“Stop!” It wasn’t Mizuki’s voice that cut through this time, but Iris’. She stepped out from a corner near the exit. Ota stepped out as well. In spite of everything, Iris was wearing a very brave face. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she wasn’t even scared. Unlike Ota, who looked like a ghost. I’d think it was funny if this wasn’t so dire. “How sweet. Look, Mizuki, she didn’t even wait five seconds! Guess she really cares about you.” Tossing the pipe away, Saito raised his left hand and beckoned Iris over. She didn’t even hesitate, walking towards him.

“Tesa, w-wait! You can’t–” A magnetic blast cut him off. Everyone’s heart seemed to skip a beat, and Iris turned in an instant, but the bullet merely lodged into the floor near his foot.

“Who asked you, Ota?” He stepped forward and kept the gun pointed at Ota. “You can stand there. Or you can run and leave your precious A-Set to her fate! Honestly, you’re at the bottom of my priority list, so you can try whatever you’d like, but if you make one more step towards me, or open your mouth one more time, I won’t hesitate to blow your jaw off.” The brief explosion of anger was followed by him beckoning Iris again. “It’s okay, Ota…” She smiled, looking back at him, before stepping toward us. Thankfully, he didn’t speak again, but the look of fear on his face hardly faded. Deep down, I knew why Iris was so calm. She didn’t want anybody else to get hurt, and if her life could stop a single death here, she’d give it. After all, she knew about her tumor. She knew her time was limited. But… He’s not going to stop, I thought. He’s a lying, psychotic bastard. If I don’t do something, they’re all going to die. Iris, Mizuki, Hitomi, Ota, Moma. I need to… And a memory flashed in my head. That conversation I had in my car with Aiba. Honestly, I thought so little of it at the time, but Saito’s left eye… Aiba still had color. The taser knocked out almost all of her systems, but maybe her self-destruct was still active. Iris reached Saito. There was a certain glee shining in his eyes. He pointed the gun at her as he circled around her. Once, twice… Then he pressed the gun to the back of her head.

“Down.” Iris obliged, and her bright blue eyes looked over to me. I was to her right, and Mizuki was toward her back left. “All this trouble… Yet I’ve never had someone come to me willingly. Hey, Mizuki.” He turned his whole head toward her. “You can try running. Iris listened to reason, after all.”

“Ngh…” She seemed like she was going to pop a blood vessel, but I shook my head. It wasn’t like she could run anyway, and Saito knew that perfectly well. The look in Iris’ eyes… I had to end this. “You know, I almost pity all of you. Six years trapped in all those useless bodies, all the joy in my life sapped. This feeling, to hold someone’s life in your hands, in this brain… It’s bliss. Nothing could ever come close. Shame that Date squandered his years of killing in that pile of aging meat.” Saito turned his head again, his green eye staring at me from the side. “What? You have something to say? You’ve waited all this time, Date. We can finally start the firework show without further delay!” Saito was in heaven. I heaved in a breath. Do or die.“Uncle… It’s okay…” Iris smiled. “...” I coughed, then looked up at Saito, who’s attention was firmly on Iris now. “41205…” Saito squeezed the trigger, seemingly not waiting anymore. “I–” A lie, a lie… “I hate–”“What!?” Saito stepped back, instantly shaken by something. My voice caught in my throat as I struggled to get on my knees. Saito’s hand dropped, the gun no longer pressed against Iris’ head. Grasping his head, he looked down with, for the first time since I’d met him, something resembling fear on his face. “Who… Who is—”

CRACK! All of this happened in less than fifteen seconds, where Saito immediately went from having complete control, to bowing in a panic. And before either he or I knew it, a metal pipe came flying in out of nowhere and smashed into his head. Saito dropped like a sack of bricks, the evolver clattering against the ground. Without a single thought, I jumped at it and took hold of it again before collapsing and coughing, casting my eye up. Mizuki was sitting up, her good knee planted on the ground. My eye then fell to Saito’s form: what looked to be a small laceration on the left side of his head. There was a small trail of blood running into his hair. Iris stood up, looking as shocked as I was, whilst Ota sprinted over. Once he reached us, he seemed to slow down, eyeing me with a little suspicion as I held the gun limply in my hand. Then he turned his attention to Iris. As I looked over the scene again, I noticed Mizuki had moved, apparently having dragged herself toward the pipe that Saito had carelessly tossed away. Both of us were so focused on Iris that we didn’t even notice. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the realization, before I coughed again. This time, my mouth tasted like copper. Gross. Still, I smiled. That cocky idiot. Everyone was… Alive. Probably. He wasn’t sure how Moma was doing in all fairness, but there was no way Saito would have killed Hitomi out of view. He didn’t even have time. This relief was palpable in the air as the only sound left after Saito’s ramblings were thankfully cut off was the rain.

“Thank god…” “Excuse me!?” Mizuki’s voice yelled out with about as much frustration as that time he stole her leftovers from the fridge, which was more frightening than that comparison would typically convey. “I think you should save your thanks to him and start thanking me! I’m the one who risked my life getting that throw in!” Despite it all, I couldn’t help but smile. Actually, almost everyone seemed on the verge of laughing before Ota’s phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket.

“Oh! It’s her!” Showing me the screen, my smile grew a bit wider. “Uh, I’ll explain later, but she’s how we knew to–”

“Perhaps,” Aiba cut him off. “You should be thanking me as well. Unless, of course, you’re finally willing to accept me as the wrathful god that I am.” On the screen, this ugly fluorescent shrimp resembling a woman held this smug, gross looking grin.“In your dreams.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As the situation winded down and everyone took in this immense, weightless feeling of relief, I was able to examine a diverse collection of reactions.

Iris knelt down and hugged herself, quietly laughing as tears formed. Ota took off his hat and looked like he was biting back a cheer for Iris’ sake. Saito was out cold. Aiba began explaining that she contacted everyone and relayed a feed from Saito’s POV, along with giving everybody the address… Seriously, read the room. Mizuki chuckled, not too dissimilar to me. It was actually pretty annoying how similar our reactions were, but so be it. Hell, we were both…

“Wounded.” Right, this wasn’t over yet. The elation would have to wait until we ensure everyone is okay. “Your leg…”

“Yeah?” She looked over to me, at first angry, then worried. “You’re not looking so good yourself, old man.” I clicked my tongue and looked toward Ota.

“Kid. Help her.”

“What?” He looked surprised at the command.

“Your hoodie. Thick fabric could work as a bandage for a little while.” His expression told me he had no idea how to tie a knot. I almost tried to get to my feet, but Iris stood up and nodded to him, which quickly got him to throw off his coat and lift off his hoodie, before handing it to her. Wordlessly, she stepped over to Mizuki and began putting pressure on her leg. “Mizuki… The bullet…”

“It went right through.” She responded, almost hissing as Iris pressed the hoodie against the wound.

“Good,” Iris nodded. “I heard it's pretty bad for a bullet to stay in. They have to like, dig it out to prevent lead poisoning! A-And sometimes,” She looked up at Mizuki. I had to imagine the trivia was meant to lighten the mood, but clearly she thought better of continuing. “Sorry if this hurts.” As she mended Mizuki, I sat up, gripping my chest. Speaking of bullets, I was probably going to need some surgery for this wound, if I made it. If a breath wasn’t shallow enough, it hurt like hell, but I buried the pain and tried to be strong for everybody else. Besides, this was hardly the first time I’d been shot. “Ota,” Iris spoke up again. “I think my mom is at the top. Can you go get her?”

“Oh, yeah!” He nodded, but before he could get going, I lifted a hand up. He almost looked annoyed as he stopped. “What… D-Date.” It must have been hard for him to recognize me as… Well, me. I pointed at Saito and frowned.

“You forgetting someone?” My husky, strained voice cut through the silence. “He’s not dead.”

“You…” He hesitated… “Want me to…”

“No! No, I have… Er, he has some handcuffs in his coat. Just take those out and cuff his hands behind his back. Tightly.”

“Dirty old man,” I heard Mizuki mutter, but I didn’t have it in me to acknowledge her needling right now, this needed to be taken care of ASAP. It made perfect sense for me to have handcuffs, the joke didn’t even make sense.

Ota obliged, opening Saito’s coat and taking the handcuffs off the white holster, then shifting Saito onto his stomach with some effort. “You should get out more. I don’t– He doesn’t weigh that much.” This was still hard to get used to. Ota cuffed the man, and stood up. Saito made some sort of grumble, but he remained seemingly unconscious. Guy was probably concussed as hell; if Mizuki was holding back before, she certainly didn’t when the bastard had his finger on the trigger. “Leave me your phone, too. I need to talk to Aiba.”

“Gotcha. Here.” He set the phone down on the ground, then ran toward the stairs. I meanwhile redirected my attention to the phone.

“Thanks for the save back there,” I muttered.

“Well, you were dragging your feet. Did you really just then remember the self-destruct sequence?” She rolled her eyes, looking increasingly ugly by the second. I missed her. Looking over to Saito, I startled myself slightly as I saw an eye staring at me, before I recognized that it was Aiba. He was still out cold, but the left eye was open, so she could look at me.

“Had a lot on my mind. Gotta be honest, I was really scared.” Aiba didn’t respond for a moment, her avatar almost looking worried. Yeah, it was unusual for me to be so honest, and we both knew the reason why. My brow was covered in sweat, and my skin was growing slightly more pale than usual.

“Well,” She chimed in. “Guess it was lucky. If I

had

used my self-destruct, I’d be completely destroyed, though we’ll have to see if my ICE can hold before Pewter gets arrested. Speaking of which, I’ve been trying to contact HQ, but my calls are dropping. I think I’m being restricted to only immediate contacts.”

“Bastards gonna pay for this.” Forgive me for being a bit pissed at Pewter at the time, considering both Aiba and my lives were on the knife's edge.

“What was your lie going to even be, Date? ‘I hate porno mags!’ Am I wrong?”

“Dead wrong.” The response again brought forth a concerned frown from the avatar.

“Anyway, I noticed just at that moment, Mizuki had grabbed her pipe and was rearing her arm back. I was ready to self-destruct, but decided to speak to Saito, in order to distract him. By my calculations, it’d have a ninety-six percent chance of preventing him from shooting, whereas the explosion at that proximity could have hurt Iris.”

“Explosion?” Iris looked back at us.

“Indeed. Enough to pop his skull like a balloon, if you don’t mind the graphic description! However, he was within half a meter of your head. So it was possible–”

“Spare her the gory details.” I winced at the thought. I hadn’t considered it at the time, mostly because I was desperate, but yes, Iris could have been injured.

“Regardless, I didn’t give Saito vision in his left eye. I let him believe all that time that I was some ‘hideous’ fake eye with no special function, whilst I conspired behind his back! Mizuki was in his left periphery, which meant I could see her, and he could not. She had a very solid chance of hitting him, so I distracted him. ‘It’s all a dream, Rohan. Wake up.’ Eheheh!”

“Wow! Way to gaslight and girlboss that creep into a concussion, you two!” Iris said, looking between Mizuki and Aiba. Mizuki lightly laughed at that, but seemed lost in thought. I, for one, had no idea what that even meant. Must be some new lingo.

We were all silent for a moment. I nodded to Aiba, smiling at her. My partner really hatched a good plan, and almost everything worked out as well as it probably could have. I still remember that strange flash of Saito pointing his gun at Hitomi, like a memory of an alternate future. Assuming she was safe, that must have just been an overactive imagination, right? Mizuki then perked up.

“You’re saying…

You’re

Date’s left eye!?”

“What?” Aiba and I said in unison.

“I thought he just had a prosthetic that let him see, and that’s why we were seeing that footage. But you’re actually in there? Some kind of AI!? Why didn’t you ever introduce us, you idiot?” She seemed actually angry at this revelation. No, no, it wasn’t just anger. Indignation. That was more accurate.

“I thought you’d be jealous.” I said.

“Huh?” 
“For what it’s worth,” Aiba began, “I told him many times that I was ready to be introduced at any time. I have a body, although my physical functions are null and void right now.”

“Uh…” Iris looked at the phone. “Does it look like that?”

“Gummy bear.” I said, to the confusion of both girls.

“That’s ridiculous! I am actually super cute in my physical form. And yes, it’s my immense pleasure to meet you two, finally! I’ve been helping Date when it comes to you, Mizuki. I’d say you could credit any positive guardian actions to me!”

“Keep dreaming.” I muttered, before coughing lightly.

Finally, Ota called out from above, saying that Hitomi was okay and that he was working on her restraints. Again, the relief in the room was palpable. I noticed that Mizuki was staring at me, her expression being quite hard to read. Iris finished tying the most unwieldy makeshift bandage I’d ever seen, and sat beside Mizuki. After a moment, Mizuki leaned forward and stared at me.

“It’s still kind of hard to believe it's you. You’re so…” Cool? Intimidating? Strong? “Ugly.” Of course. Honestly, I didn’t even feel like retorting her. At best, I had a rugged charm. Especially with my left eye socket bleeding, even at this slow rate. Iris looked toward me, and after a few moments, she stood up, walked over, and gave me a gentle hug.

“Uncle. I can’t believe it was you all along. You should have told me, I would have believed you.” After all the Naixatloz business, I certainly believed her. She stepped away, and I was thankful I didn’t bleed on her as she embraced me.

“Didn’t know. All my memories from the body swap, and before… They were gone. Though I guess I felt a sort of connection to you and Hitomi from the moment we met again.” I couldn’t help but smile at the two.

“A connection?” Mizuki looked annoyed. “Jeez, did swapping turn you from a perv to a sap? I guess that would make sense. That ugly bastard was gross in a lot of ways.” Is. But I didn’t feel the need to correct her. Besides, it was nice being thought of in a more positive light for once.

The conversation was cut off as they all heard the sound of steps descending the rusty metal staircase. With anticipation, he looked over and saw Ota leading Hitomi down. She looked dazed, but okay. She really was okay. As our eyes met, Hitomi seemed to hesitate, unsure as she looked at me. She then glanced towards Saito’s unconscious body, and a pained expression formed on her face.

I suppose I couldn’t blame her. Six years ago, she loved a man that she only knew as Falco. The last time she saw Falco was when she was shot by Rohan. A few days ago, she became a trusted friend with an ABIS inspector by the name of Kaname Date, who seemed to want to take care of her adoptive daughter. She began to trust this man enough to confide in him about her tragic history with Iris. Then, Falco returns, and kidnaps both her and Iris.

Now, Date was cuffed, bleeding, and unconscious on the floor, and Falco was staring her down. And she hadn’t been fully briefed on the circumstances yet, either. It must have been strange, but before I could say anything, Iris ran up and hugged her as well, before bringing her to our little party.

“Mom, it’s really uncle! I don’t really understand everything yet, but apparently uncle and this guy swapped bodies years ago. Turns out this Saito guy is like, some real bad news. Total serial killer! He and Mr Date just swapped again, so now they’re back in their original bodies. So, uhm… Date is Saito, and uncle is himself again, and also Mr Date.” She wasn’t too good at painting a clear picture here, but it seemed to help Hitomi grow more comfortable.

“I overheard some of Saito’s… Taunts…” She stepped toward me and knelt down, smiling. “Mr. Falco. I missed you.”

“You…” I winced. “Shouldn’t call me that. My name is Kaname Date.” She looked down toward my chest, and bit her lip for a moment before moving her hand toward the wound.

“Deja vu,” She remarked.

“This must be getting old for you, huh?” I looked up, and paused at how glassy her eyes were. Closing my own eye, I smiled weakly. “I’ll be okay. We’ll get patched up back at HQ.”

“I’d hate to ruin the mood,” Aiba called out from the tiny speaker. Ota walked over and picked up the phone, before cringing a bit.

“Date, you bled on it. I’m going to need a new cover.” After a moment, he realized and looked back down toward me. Little had I known, my clothes down to the thighs were soaked in blood. Why had I not felt that? “Jeez, man, you look like crap.” The blood was admittedly hard to see in the dark, considering I was wearing red and black. However, now everyone seemed to take notice: that shot wasn’t easy to take.

“He does.” Aiba spoke again. “I’ve been examining Date’s injury for the past several minutes. Using X-Ray vision, I have observed that the bullet is lodged into one of his ribs, and the broken bone is at risk of stabbing his left lung. If it collapses, he will find it much harder to breathe.” Aiba spoke clinically, painting a picture of just how dire my injury was. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see everyone's faces as they realized why she was explaining this.

“Furthermore, his rate of blood loss is problematic. If this persists, Kaname Date will die of exsanguination within the next eighteen minutes. The nearest hospital, assuming we traveled above the speed limit, is over twenty minutes away.”

“B-But,” Ota was the only one to speak. “That’s close! We can–”

“Not close enough when you factor in getting to the car, and then getting him into the hospital. Date does not have enough time, even if we bandage his wound right now. He will die before he can be given proper medical assistance.” There was an urgency in her voice that I so rarely heard from her. “I did not want it to come to this, but I still can not get a hold of HQ or any emergency service.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier!?” Mizuki yelled, shifting toward the phone.

“I needed some time to examine his wounds, body temperature, and general condition. I only just calculated his condition a couple minutes ago!”

“Then maybe you’re miscalculating!”

“Mizuki,” I struggled to speak. “She’s right. I’m not doing too well right now.” A silence fell over the room as everyone took in the situation. Saito was apprehended, and I was dying. It was almost poetic. Too bad poetry wasn’t helping with this overwhelming fear of death I was starting to come to terms with. “Go easy on my partner, she didn’t want to panic me and exasperate this…”

A silence fell over the room. I opened my eyes and looked at Hitomi, seeing that she was crying now. Shit, that hurt. I lifted a hand and took hold of her working hand. It was so warm, which meant mine were probably uncomfortably cold.

“...Date isn’t dead yet.” Aiba chimed in again, bringing everybody to look at the phone. “There’s one way to save him with some degree of certainty, and it’d only take about six minutes.” Iris and Hitomi especially seemed confused, seeing as how they weren’t voyeurs into Saito’s POV like everybody else. Aiba wasted no time to clarify. “The psync machine has an unintended function. If you stay in somnium for more than six minutes, your consciousness begins to take over the subject's body, and vice versa. It’s how Saito swapped with Date in the first place. It’s how he’s performed his murders over the past few days. In fact, he swapped bodies with Rohan for this exact reason.” She smartly omitted naming Renju, even if Mizuki knew.

No way.

I thought.

No way I could ever face Hitomi again in that body.

It just wasn’t right after all this. Saito killed Manaka. Hell, he killed Mizuki’s parents. Back when I was ignorant, I felt fine in his body, but now I was considering it’d probably be better to go out here than be shunned by everyone.

Though, maybe my mind was addled. Maybe I wasn’t trusting everyone enough. The overwhelming reaction by everyone wasn’t that same disgust toward the solution, but rather, agreement.

“Do it!” Mizuki yelled. “I… I-I can’t lose Date too.” She bit back tears and tried to stand up, though she almost fell before Iris went to support her.

“B-But… I–” I began, before Iris cut off.

“Uncle, don’t be an idiot!” Iris spoke up next, clearly noticing my apprehension. “Your body doesn’t matter, it’s your mind. You’re still Date no matter what body you’re in!” He had to hand it to her, she seemed remarkably emotionally intelligent.

“Yeah.” Ota chimed in, looking over to Saito. “This guy killed a bunch of people. Almost killed Tesa and her mom. Why should he get to live while you bleed out here, that’s just a super unsatisfying ending.”

I bit my lip. It still seemed taboo, with the whole truth revealed.

“His brain… Isn’t normal. He… He’s…”

“Are you implying I’ve been doing a bad job with your medicine?” Aiba spoke, looking angry in Ota’s hand. “I’ve been artificially supplementing your brain with oxytocin for the last six years. Have you gone on any murder sprees behind my back? I find it unlikely, considering I can read your thoughts.” I fell silent. “...Date, I know it’s frightening, but this is your only chance, and you need to choose soon. But yes, it is your choice. We’re not going to force you. I won’t allow the psync to proceed without your consent.”

I closed my eyes. I wished I had more time. It seemed like there was only one answer if everyone was so insistent, but one thing pushed me over the edge: the tightening of Hitomi’s grip on my hand. I opened my eyes again, and was greeted with a bittersweet smile on her face. I knew what she wanted, what they all wanted, but nobody objected to the fact that it was very much my choice.

…

…

…

“Alright,” I said, punctuated with a cough. “Well, it was nice being back here while it lasted.” I chuckled, struggling to sit up.

“Alright.” Aiba remarked. “We better get moving. Date needs help walking. Hitomi, are you able to offer him a shoulder?”

“The one I have left.” She joked, but her face grew deadly serious as the task was laid at hand. I struggled to my feet, grunting in pain, and stopping when getting to my knees to catch my breath. Bleeding out on the floor was so much easier, maybe that was the true cause for my hesitance. As I finally reached my feet, I leaned into Hitomi.

“Sorry about that…” I forgot that Hitomi may have not known it was me in Rohan’s body back then. Though, looking at her, her face seemed to change almost imperceptibly, as though she fully understood and just didn’t care at the moment.

“Iris, Ota…” Aiba continued. “It may be difficult, but if you two work together, you should be able to move Saito’s body.”

“Uh,” Iris looked down toward Mizuki, who was using her as a crutch. The younger girl nodded.

“It’s fine, just get him.” Mizuki took herself off of Iris, and limped toward her pipe. Taking a few moments, she leaned down and grabbed it, before standing and using it like a makeshift cane. It wasn’t hard for her to catch up to us, considering we were going at a snail’s pace all on our own. And hell, if we were leaving a nice little trail of blood for her to follow in case she got lost. When I noticed her by my side, each step accompanied by a metal clang, I shook my head.

“Mizuki, don’t… Renju is…” She didn’t look at me, simply keeping pace.

“Well, I didn’t think he was already given last rites.” Despite the joking remark, she sounded clearly pained, and didn’t meet my gaze. “It’s… Fine. I mean, I already saw daddy in the video Aiba was playing for us. I don’t want to leave your side though.” She paused, taking a moment to catch her breath. Hitomi and I did as well, now having made it most of the way there. “B-Besides… He was… Already gone.” She sniffled. We both knew that wouldn’t make seeing his body any easier, but I supposed that was a silver lining.

I looked back and saw Iris and Ota struggling to carry Saito over. Ota took the legs, and I could only guess he offered to in case that son of a bitch woke up and started kicking. Say what you will about Ota, but… Well, he’s willing to take a kick to the face for Iris. I guess.

“Almost there,” Hitomi spoke, nudging me to keep walking. I obliged.

“Sorry… For–”

“Shush.” She cut me off with a stern smile. “I’d bridal carry you if I could.”

“I’d like to… See that.” I leaned into her and smelled her sweater. It had just occurred to me how nostalgic it was when I met her as Date, and got close enough to smell the shampoo she likely used that morning. The same smell. She was still the same woman I fell in love with all those years ago. I tried to ignore the fact that Mizuki looked like she was changing her mind about this whole bodyswap business. As we reached the door, she let me rest on the left side while she approached the right, and pulled it open.

I was never going to get used to this room. The ominous red light of the prototype Psync Machine, the racks of chemicals and books, the lockers, the surgical table. Six years ago, I’d been tortured here, drugged here, nearly died here. Before that, Saito murdered four women in this very room. You could still see the stains… A splatter against the far wall, with a bullet hole in the center. Another on the floor several feet away.

In the far corner was Renju’s body, still in the same position as when Saito tossed it aside to make room for us. It was still upsetting to look at… Renju wasn’t a perfect person, and that went doubly so for Shoko, but it still hurt to look at both their bodies. I heard Mizuki gasp at my side, before she shifted into the room and leaned against the wall. Tough kid. It was probably harder to see in person than she anticipated.

I peeked into the room, and for a moment, I almost reached for the gun I’d stuck into my belt, before relaxing. Right, how could I forget? Moma! He was standing now, his hand pressed against the wall. Earlier I had been worried he was gravely wounded, but there really wasn’t much blood on the ground. I sneered.

“Could have used you back there.” There was a certain degree of shame on Moma’s face as he straightened his back.

“H-Hey, look man. I told ya, we’re a clean gang now. I’ve never been shot before, so–”

“Didn’t you say he just grazed you?”

“Well… I think he broke a rib after all.”

“Tch.” So did I. Well, I wasn’t too mad at him, and Hitomi’s gaze told me to back off a little. Positive thoughts, right. Stepping into the room, I grunted in pain, and doubled over again, prompting Hitomi to run to my side and rub my back.

“Holy shit man!” Moma exclaimed, stepping over. “You look fucked up! Uh, you need some help?”

“We’re working on it,” Hitomi responded softly. “But thank you, sir.”

Behind me, Iris and Ota finally managed to catch up, shuffling in the room. Ota looked at me with sweat on his face, strain giving way to more worry as he seemed to wait for direction. I pointed toward the right chair, and then Aiba’s voice chimed in, this time from Saito’s left eye socket. Creepy. She never spoke while inside me. Er… Damn it, Date.

“Place Saito in the right chair. There are restraints built into the chair, so make sure to uncuff him and get his wrists into position.”

“U-Uh, what if he’s faking being unconscious by now?” Ota responded, ever the worrier.

“He’s not. But still, since Moma’s here, Date should give him the evolver so he could keep his sights trained on Saito.”

“W-Whoa, the hell we doing here?” Moma looked between me and Ota, but it was Mizuki to speak up this time, her voice cracking slightly.

“W-We’re swapping Date into that creep's body so he doesn’t die, so if he wakes up, like, shoot him in the knee instead of the face!” Moma didn’t look particularly elucidated by that response, but he still accepted the evolver from my hand as I pulled it out for him. Ota uncuffed Saito, then Iris secured his wrists into the chair. It was all a little macabre and ironic how we were doing the same thing to him as he did to Shoko, Renju, and Rohan. As the two made sure he was secure, Iris looked toward Moma with a nervous expression.

“Uh, you can stop pointing that thing. He’s not going anywhere, and we want his body to be intact for Date.”

“R-Right! Uh, right. Are you okay, Tesa?”

“Hm.” She touched her index to her chin in mock-thought before shrugging. “Aside from being kidnapped and nearly executed by a deranged serial killer in front of my long lost father figure, who’s currently bleeding to death, I’m actually doing remarkably well!”

“That’s great Tesa! Great!” How was he a fucking Yakuza boss?

Knowing what came next, I motioned Hitomi to help me up. The two of us moved over to the left Psync chair, and I fell into it like it was my couch after a long day. I hadn’t noticed before that there were already blood stains in the chair from when Saito switched with Rohan. Hitomi and Mizuki made their way to my side, and it was only now I could tell Mizuki started crying a bit at the sight of her father.

“Alright.” Aiba began. “This next part is important, so I need you to pay attention. Saito modified this Psync machine to inject a sedative in the psyncers body before the psync, and a stimulant to the subjects after. Since both already have these drugs in their system, we might risk an overdose if they get the same doses again. Iris, would you please remove the syringes and replace them with the standard sleep agent? During our captivity, I examined several bottles on the rack directly across from this chair.

“Next, Date needs to remain in somnium for over six minutes for the transfer to occur. There are risks involved in this. Six years ago, the Psync machine ran into an error that caused them to immediately swap, and memories didn’t make the cut. It’s possible that Date may have amnesia after this, so please be prepared for that, as unlikely as it may be. It’s also…” She paused, before delivering this next bit. “Date’s condition is worsening rapidly, so please… Be prepared for the worst in the case that he can’t complete the Psync before his vitals fail.” A dower tone fell over the room, with Mizuki and Iris both biting back tears, and Hitomi taking a sharp breath. Kind of flattering, all things considered.

“Finally,” Aiba continued, “Know that the monitors at the center of this machine will be displaying Saito’s somnium. Considering he’s the cyclops serial killer, I’d advise caution to everyone present–”

“Yeah yeah!” Mizuki spoke up. “Let’s hurry up so Date has a better chance!”

“Gladly,” Aiba said. “Pull me out of Saito’s left eye socket. I promise, it’s easy. One of you will need to operate the Psync machine, but I will give instructions for this too.” Hitomi walked over, and deftly plucked Aiba out of Saito, before looking to Iris. I couldn’t see her face now, but I could hear the anxiety rising in her voice.

“Iris, I don’t… Want you to see Saito’s dreams. You’ve been through enough today.”

“Mom…” Iris sounded dejected, her voice growing quiet. “I don’t want to leave him.”

“I know.” She responded. “I know. But please, please… Listen to me, and trust me. All of you. I can take care of him.”

A long silence followed, before Iris seemed to silently acknowledge her. I strained my neck and saw them hugging. I knew the real reason why Hitomi wanted Iris out of the room; Saito murdered her real mother. Iris didn’t even know Manaka ever existed, let alone the fact that she was killed by Saito too. Maybe someday she’d be ready for this talk, but Hitomi clearly wasn’t ready for it. Iris walked over to me after leaving her mother, and pressed her forehead into my chest, letting out a long, protracted sigh.

“Don’t leave me again, Uncle. Please.”

“...I’ll try my best.” I reached up a hand and stroked the back of her head, before she backed away and smiled at me, her eyes so glassy you could use them for mirrors.

Ota approached next. Instead of some snide remark from the little brat, he patted my shoulder.

“Date, you better pull through. F-For Tesa’s sake! If you die, she’s going to cry her eyes out, and I’ll never forgive you for that! So you better live, or I’ll kick your ass!”

You couldn’t kick a ferns ass,

I thought. Still, I nodded to him. Moma approached, and awkwardly crossed his arms.

“Uh, good luck. I owe you for saving Tesa, and I always repay my debts, so dying would suck for both of us.”

“Yep.” I laughed quietly, holding back another cough.

The three of them gathered by the door, and Iris looked toward the youngest of the group, who I now noticed was just sitting on the surgical table. “Uh, Mizuki, are you going to say something to Date?”

“Don’t need to.”

“B-But–”

“He’s going to survive.” Mizuki spoke, her tone flat. “I know he will, Iris. And I’m not leaving his side, because if I notice for even a second that he’s about to die, I’m going to pull his ass right back from the jaws of death and slap him so hard he just might lose a tooth.” I couldn’t help but chuckle, although Hitomi showed some concern, stepping up to her and rubbing her arm. She didn’t recoil.

“Mizuki… Sweetie, you’re still a child. I don’t want you to see–”

“I’ve seen a lot. What’s a little more.” She looked up, toward Iris, and swallowed heavily before whispering to Hitomi. I could only barely hear her, even being this close. “I can’t… Lose him too. Not without being there. I want to be here, no matter what I see. Please… Please…” She looked like she’d bawl if Hitomi put her foot down, but she was too soft for that. After a moment, Hitomi nodded. Iris seemed to understand too.

“We’ll be outside,” She spoke up. “If you need to come out, don’t hesitate. We– We’ll all have each other's backs!”

Mizuki nodded her head. My vision started to blur, and darken. After a moment, I heard the huge steel door close, then saw Hitomi’s face come into my sight. I smiled at her. I felt so weak, so horrible. I hated doing this to her, always making her worry about me. Honestly, I was doubting that I was going to make it, and the thought of how everyone would take that was more painful than this wound. But Hitomi especially… After all her waiting…

She leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. I returned the kiss, leaning up and closing my eye. Our first kiss also had me bleeding out, but I’d been the one to initiate. Now… This might be our last. And I didn’t want it to end. I was scared of it ending. But it was inevitable. She broke away, then walked over to the console with Aiba in her hand. After a few moments, the machine whirred to life. Hitomi walked over and put the headset on my face.

“Date,” I heard Aiba speak up. “We’re going to start. All three of us will be able to communicate with you during the Psync, as usual. Remember, you just need to stay in somnium for more than six minutes, and then we can put this whole case behind us.” I nodded, taking in a small breath. Stay calm. “And… I wasn’t going to say anything since I’m fairly confident this will work, but… I know what your lie was going to be. And I feel the same.” Shit. Maybe it was having the headset on that made me finally comfortable, but my right eye began to sting with a tear.

“Good.” I smiled. “Don’t think I can take rejection right now.” I heard Hitomi chuckle, and maybe even a breathy laugh from Mizuki. “Let’s start.”

A few moments passed, before I felt a needle jam into the side of my neck. I gasped, and then felt my mind rapidly dull. It wasn’t as aggressive as with the benzo’s, instead feeling as comfortable as any other Pysnc. The machine roared to life, followed by the ticking as cables entered my eye socket. And like usual, I felt myself falling, as if being pulled down into the depths of the ocean.

This was it. The end.

The last dance of Saito Sejima and Kaname Date.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I found myself in a dark, traditional Japanese living room. Red light flowed in through the shoji, illuminating a coffee table at the center. Outside of the light, there was a strange kaleidoscope of color shifting and changing on the floor, walls, and ceiling. I recognized this, strangely enough, as the structure of Saito’s dream. It was similar to the psync earlier, even though technically that was my dream. The more natural appearance of the table in the light seemed familiar as well… Right, my own dreams. Aiba described my dreams once as being light and color based.

It seemed our minds were meeting right down the middle. This wasn’t going to be easy.

After a few moments, I felt my body form, the psync machine producing an avatar for me to interact with this Somnium. Naturally, I took shape as my own body. Hayato Yagyu… Except now, I felt in my prime: my eye was restored, and I was no longer bleeding out. If only I’d faced Saito in this condition, he wouldn’t have made it ten feet.

On the table, there was only a photo frame, with no picture inside. I stepped forward and tried to grab it, but as soon as I touched it, the room immediately shifted in a blink of an eye to what appeared to be a restaurant. I was now facing a table set by a window, on the second floor. It was a private little booth, far away from other patrons. After the shift, I heard a voice rumble through the room, distorted and broken.

“You—- ath—Fau” I couldn’t make out the voice, not even the sex. It sounded completely robotic.

“What are you doing here?” I heard another voice come in, right next to me. Turning to my left, I saw nothing but those same shifting colors in the shadows. Well, I knew who that one was at least. Saito certainly didn’t want me peering into his head.

“Urgh,” I rubbed the back of my head. “Guess I could just sit and stay put, but I imagine this dream will go a bit faster if I explore it. Besides, this is my job. Still, what a troublesome dream…”

“Then I’ll activate the Somnium Scan.” Aiba replied, in the same way I’d heard Pewter and Boss before. She wasn’t here, like usual… Just an observer. The scan began, blinding light pulsing through the room, each wave in perfect sync with my artificial heartbeat. My vision leaves my body, and focuses on the table.

Mental Lock #1

My vision dove into a cup of coffee and sank down until the room formed as the abandoned warehouse, with the psync machine in the center.

Mental Lock #2

My vision shifted yet again, now flying through the window and the formless city until a location clarified: Golden Yokocho.

Mental Lock #3

Again, the prototype psync room.

Mental Lock #4

And again, to the warehouse district.

Mental Lock #5

And one last time, back to that very living room that this all began.

Mental Lock #6

My vision focused on the empty frame, and I could swear I could see Saito’s face in the reflection. The goal was set.

Take over the body of Saito Sejima.

A timer started. Six minutes. Outside, it began to drizzle.

“If you need any help, we’ll be right here, Date.” I heard Hitomi’s smooth, caring voice come down from on high, and let out a soft breath as I returned to my avatar in the restaurant.

First, I stepped toward the table, where the light touched. On the table, there was an empty sushi dish, a cup of coffee on the left side, and a glass of water on the right. Who had sushi with coffee anyway? Reaching my hand out, I grabbed the cup and looked into it. Black. I immediately considered this may be a case of recreating memories. If I wanted to proceed down this rabbit hole, repeating Saito’s actions might make sense. So, I drank the coffee…

And nothing. Strange, that usually works. Okay, I poured the drink over the sushi… No? Well, he probably didn’t do that. This was already frustrating.

Alright, I thought. Maybe I’ll just sit down. Plopping down on the seat with the water, I immediately felt the room shift, and before my eyes, Saito sat across from me, two green eyes boring into me.

“Targets? Eyes? What’s your angle?” He said. I immediately wanted to get up, but instead, felt my mouth move.

“It’s simple. I can tell you’re itching to kill. Your father told me about that little incident twelve years ago. He told me you looked ecstatic.” It was Rohan’s voice. Rohan’s mouth. I knew this feeling.

“So it was a shock to him?”

“No. At least, he didn’t give that impression. He seemed disgusted.” Saito smiled at this. “Anyway, if it wasn’t a vendetta, I’m guessing you enjoy it. Have you done it at all since then?”

“Twice.”

“Did you like it?” Saito didn’t respond, nor did his smile disappear. “I can give you targets. This way, we can work together, satisfy our needs more consistently. Hell, you’ll be the one having all the fun, I’ll just provide them. I have the perfect place for it, and we can bury all the bodies in the mountains, just like her.” Saito was silent for a long time, simply staring at Rohan. If I didn’t know any better, I might have almost thought he’d turn it down, but after a moment, he extended his hand. Rohan took it, and shook it.

“Tell me when you have your first target.”

“That’s the best part.” To my disgust, I felt cheeks rise in a smile. “Do you have time tonight?”

Unlock.

We made a deal.

“You dis— le— ath, it’s— ault that sh—” The robotic voice returned, though now it seemed to have some personality. I think it was masculine, but it was still so warped that nothing could be clear.

The scene melted away, and I found myself in the warehouse. For a second, I almost felt as though I’d been woken up, the sensation was so vile. But no, I noticed that the mental lock had been opened. “Shit…”

“Date? Are you okay?” Hitomi spoke.

“Y-Yeah. You?”

“I’m fine.”

“Urgh,” Mizuki chimed in. Jeez, I still couldn’t believe she was watching this too. It wasn’t appropriate. “Absolute creep. Alright, well, you have just about five minutes left, hang in there!”

“Gotcha.” Standing up, I looked around the room. I couldn’t tell when this memory took place, but the psync machine was present, which meant it was probably after the original murders. Outside, the rain had increased, pattering against the window from which red light poured in. That was on the south side of the room, as usual. There were multiple items of interest… A hammer, a phone, a gun, car keys, a meter of rope, a hefty stone, a knife, a syringe, and an icepick… All strewn across the floor. “One of these has to be notable.” I began investigating, first with the pick. It was the same one we’d found in Shoko, though it was clean right now. Come to think of it, if sitting down in Rohan's place spawned a memory, then maybe I needed to reenact the actions and circumstances of the people Saito interacted with. A strange rule.

Well, it was just a dream, so I worked up some nerve and attempted to stab myself with the icepick. But, the blade just retracted into the handle.

“A toy?” Well. That was… Disappointing. Dropping it, I moved over to the keys next, picking them up. On the chain, there was the key, the fob, and an infinity symbol. “Lemnicate,” I remarked. These were Renju’s car keys. I hit the panic button, and immediately, the room began to flash red as what sounded like a fire alarm blared right next to my ears. It was unbearable, and I immediately hit the button again to deactivate it.

“Get out, voyeur.” I heard Saito say, somewhere in the distance. Sighing, I threw the keys down and looked at the objects again. Okay, what next?

“Date, four minutes left.” Aiba spoke. “If you insist on continuing to interact with this somnium, might I recommend you take a closer look at the objects?”

“Very helpful, Aiba.”

“Don’t you get cheeky with me! Look again, and consider the rules I’ve explained about your dreams.”

“But this is Saito’s dream…” I said, almost exasperated.

“And even you have noted that your dreams seem to meld in this machine. When he Psynced into you, the dream structure was not your own, but rather his. Now try applying the rules of your own dream structure to this one, and the answer should become obvious.” Alright, alright… I took another look at each object, and began to recognize what she was telling me. Only one object was in the light. Each and every one of them sat in the shifting colors that represented shadow, except for one: The syringe.

“This is so strange.” Walking over to the needle, I picked it up. Two rules: you can only interact with what was in the light, and you had to reenact the circumstances of who Saito was with. What made the latter difficult was not being able to know who he was with. But, a syringe, and that psychopath? Safe bet. I put it in my neck, and pushed the plunger down. It stung for sure, but this was dream pain. It can only be so bad.

“Oh jeez! I can’t watch that.” Mizuki said in disgust.

Pulling the needle out, I waited… And then a scene formed. I was walking through the room, and took a breath, internally remarking at how nostalgic I felt.

“It is good to be back!” I recognized the voice. Hell, it felt right at home; I was in my own body. My original body. “I can head out and get us a couple new bodies, and then we can track down that dog. Hope you don’t mind if I want a few minutes with that treacherous little– Agh!” I, or rather, #89 felt a sharp jab in his neck. Falling over, he looked up to see Renju standing over him.

At this time, Renju’s body was inhabited by Saito, and this was many hours after his car accident. It was visible on his face, with sweat sticking to him like a greasy layer of utter exhaustion, dark bags under his eyes, skin ghostly at this point. He looked like a corpse already, and that was coming from the guy who just saw this corpse a few minutes ago.

I gripped my neck, and felt my mind dull. My gray eyes darted down and saw the syringe in Saito’s left hand, before he tossed it away. “What the hell are you thinking?”

“You fucking degenerate.” Saito took a gun out and pointed it at me, causing my muscles to tense. “You idiot! You want to know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking you are the easiest quarry I’ve ever brought in here, walking around like we’re buddies.”

“S-Saito,” I felt my lips move. “We’re back, don’t you get it? It’ll take me a couple hours at most to get a couple of new bodies, then we’ll swap. Just like you told me. Then getting Date will be easy: you can have your body back, and we can kill him.”

“I need

that

body to get them here.”

“And did I say you can’t fucking have it!? But first, we need to–”

“I don’t care what happens to you.” He sounded incredibly strange, holding his gut now. “The only reason I ever teamed up with you is because you were handing me victims on a silver platter. But you know what? It was too easy. If we team up again, I’ll get bored of doing it your way. I’ll get bored of being careful and preserving the eyes. I’ll get bored of your sorry excuse of a partnership, you ingrate. I don’t need you. I never needed you! Except now. Because you just so happen to be in the perfect body for me to exact my plan.”

“...Saito, please…” Fear began to spark in my brain. I tried to shift back, but my limbs felt numb. The sedative, of course! Shit, I can’t move! Saito set the gun on a table, clearly not needing the threat anymore.

“Ahah, what? You never thought you’d be on the other side of this? Gh,” He gripped his chest, nearly doubling over, before shaking his head. “You doubted me. But don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I’ll let you die, peacefully, in this worthless body.”

“We…” I could barely speak as Saito began to pick me up and set me on the right chair.

“You know, Rohan…” Saito began. “Did you ever wonder how the police even found the bodies? Oh, simple. So tipped them off.”

“...What? He…”

“Wouldn’t? Well, he didn’t name names. One day, I brought him into the mountains and showed him where we were burying him. Guess he started to feel sympathetic, and sent in an anonymous tip.” The face of Renju began to twist into a sickening smile now. “Why did I do that? Hm, I wonder… Could it be that I was bored of how easy you made things? That I knew father would never risk his career with me getting caught, and would pull any strings to keep me out of court? Mm… How about this?” He leaned in, and whispered in my ear. “I just wanted to see that old bastard squirm.”

“In…grate…” My last word, before I went unconscious…

Unlock.

He was just a tool.

I gasped to life, now in a dark alley where rain was now pouring from above. Clutching my neck, I was relieved to feel my body was back to normal.

“Fuck!” I leaned against the wall and tried to reassure myself: that was not me, that was Rohan. I’m safe. I’m fine. Well, no, I wasn’t fine, I was bleeding out! Damn it! Why was Saito’s dream like this? As far as he explained it, he wasn’t capable of empathy under normal circumstances, yet this dream had me reliving the experiences… Well, a victim in that case. Was it just his desire to feel that release from killing that drove him to get his original body back? Or did inhabiting the brains of others force him to feel empathy? Knowing Saito, that must have been unacceptable.

“Date…” Hitomi spoke, her voice somehow even more gentle and caring. “You don’t need to keep going. Three minutes left, maybe you can just run around.”

“...No. Thank you, but no…”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I just… Need to see this through, I think.”

“There must be something wrong with you,” I heard her speak again. “Do you enjoy being at his mercy? You must enjoy being hurt, again and again. Or maybe you’re just enjoying your last brush with empathy before you become a psychopath!”

“Hitomi…” I gripped my head. No, this wasn’t right.

“It wasn’t her!” Mizuki yelled. “It’s a nightmare, Date! Saito’s toying with you!”

“But I’m the one Psyncing with him!”

“Don’t underestimate this mind, Date.” Aiba warned me, which helped calm me down finally. “This is the third time you two have met in a psync machine, you’ve been in each other's heads so much that there may be some level of lucidity. Honestly, I’m worried we may encounter a reverse Psync, considering he has experience Psyncing. At this point, staying put may actually be detrimental.”

“Okay. Okay…” I nodded and stepped back into the alley. There was merely a small sliver of light here, the rest blocked by the shadows of the unnaturally tall buildings around me.

“You disgu—ttle— ath, it’s— ault that sh— lf!” The voice returned. It had to be a memory, not anything Saito was conjuring himself. I couldn’t help but think it was So. It had to be.

There was only one thing notable in this alley: a tape outline of a corpse, and a bloodstain near the head. I stared at it for a long time, knowing exactly what was wanted of me next, but not a muscle would advance toward it. I stayed in the dim. This was already a veritable nightmare. But after some time, I felt a breath on the back of my neck, and it spurred me forward.

A reverse Psync was a real threat. Not only would Saito be able to peer into my mind, but he might even be able to abort the Psync. This would naturally be a death sentence for me. My body was failing, and every single minute counted. Saito wasn’t a Psyncer by trade, but his experience still posed a threat. This was a duel, and hesitation meant death. So I lied down in the outline.

Immediately, my breath left me. I felt my throat close, my skin bruise, and my eyes tear up as Rohan sat on top of me, strangling me. He looked older. His hair was longer, and his eyes were virtually manic. My legs kicked up at him, but there was no breaking his grip. Even after five years at that hospital, he still had the build of an ox. The man shook his head as he extinguished the life from his victim, a young man.

“Why… WHY!?” He seemed to panic as he began applying enough pressure to break my neck. “It’s not working. I thought it’d stay with me… Fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuck FUCK!”

Snap.

The scene shifted. I was facing a man, one I recognized. His name was Eiko Go, a lieutenant of the Kumakura’s. Age? Mid 60s. Grey head of hair, blue eyes. About six months ago, he died due to illness. I could guess that this was about one year ago. The man coughed, then heard a noise. He put away his hand mirror and stared out into the darkness, until the imposing figure of Rohan came into the red light. He was wearing a hoodie that was maybe one size too small.

“What have you found out?” Rohan asked.

“Alright, Boss. Pretty simple. The MPD has several staff members listed on their payroll with classified job titles according to my informant. Must be this special team you discussed. Shizue Kuranushi, listed for seven years. Futa Amanoma, same. Mariko Otsuka, six years. Ryota Taguchi, five years.”

“Age?”

“Ryota?” Go clarified. “45.”

“Continue.”

“Kaname Date, five years.”

“Age?”

“29.” This gave Rohan pause. “That your guy? He’s blonde, has a green eye. Tall bastard.”

“Yes.” Life seemed to return to Rohan’s eyes as he heard the description.

“Okay, okay. Nice. Well, don’t have too much on this guy. He has a muscle car registered, really vintage, though it may have been modified with some modern tech. Also think he’s gay or bi, he’s frequently at Golden Yokocho. Marble. I dunno, I know the owner is an informant but, hoo boy he’s there all the time. Known associates, that freak in the mask at Brahman, Mama, Renju Okiura, Shoko Nadami… We have some extra info on her if you need.”

“Yes.”

“...Alright, I’ll get what we have. You sure you don’t wanna come back, Boss? I haven’t told him anything, I promise, but Moma might need you to set him straight. He’s trying to run a clean gang. Ridiculous, right?”

“I can’t. The info.”

“Alright. Be back here in two hours.”

The scene shifted again, and to my shock, it was an event that I actually remembered. A rainy night, about a year ago. I stepped out of the bar with Shoko by my side. Neither of us had gotten particularly drunk, she mostly mouthed off about work for a while. My POV was Shoko, and I looked up at Saito… Or rather, myself. It was incredibly disorienting. Shoko, after a long night considering it, was about to ask about her daughter.

“Is Mizuki treating you well?” She asked. I raised a brow.

“Yeah. What, she been on your mind?”

“Yeah.”

“You gonna visit her sometime soon? It’s been a while.”

“...Honestly it’s hard to look at her. She’s getting so big, and yet all I can think of when I look at her is all those years off my life I lost trying to raise her. Trying to do her that kindness.”

“It’s not kindness, it’s a responsibility.” Shoko blew air from her lips, and I sighed. It was always the same. She was a terrible mother, and yet, Mizuki still missed her. Of course she did, she was eleven. “Look, we’ve talked about it time and again. I’m the one taking care of her. All you need to do is put in some quality time. Sometime. It’d make her happy. You’d like that, right?”

“Of course I would. I’m not heartless. I just…”

“Need to get over yourself, if you don’t mind my saying.” She huffed, and walked off. “Shit. Shoko!” The woman stopped, and turned to face me. I watched my own face fall from anger, to neutrality. “Just… Get some rest.”

“Sure.” She turned and walked. I knew I headed in the opposite direction. After a few minutes of walking, a hand covered her mouth, and a needle jammed into her neck.

Unlock.

A tool.

The scene shifted, I was now sitting in the right chair of the Prototype Psync Machine. My body instantly felt familiar again, now being the shape of Rohan. Standing over me was Shoko Nadami, a delighted expression on her face. Not even for a moment did I leave the memories, the dream felt like it was on autopilot.

“Da– Hear–” I heard a voice in the distance, but it was muffled.

“Mm…” Shoko, or rather, Saito, shook his head and clicked his tongue in pity. “I didn’t think you’d wake up so soon. But with a body like that, maybe I underestimated the dosage. At least you’re probably not in too much pain.”

Despite that, I was in pain. My eye felt like it was on fire, and I couldn’t bear to open it.

“I’m sorry, Shoko. You really should pick your friends better. You let a body thieving serial killer take care of your one and only daughter?”

“Mi–” She began, before stopping, completely shocked by the sound of her voice. She looked left, then right, and caught a glance of herself in the mirror. A mountain of meat, a one eyed monster. A cyclops. Adrenaline burned through her veins, and the low dose of sedatives was immediately nullified by raw, primal panic. She jumped up, and ran.

“Hey!” Saito called out, to no avail. Shoko ran. Up. Up. Up. Up… Through a window. Death was instant.

Unlock.

All tools. All pieces of meat.

“You disgu— little— chopath, it’s— ault that sh— lf”

I sank again. This feeling, like I was being siphoned through a tube, was the very same as beginning any Psync. I was now in the body of a man. I didn’t know his name, but he cowered against the wall. Standing before him was the infamous assassin, Falco. I knew him better as Kaname Date. This was before he stole my body, back when he was working for Rohan. This poor fool must have stepped on the wrong toes, because Falco had his gun right in the son of a bitch’s face.

“Wait!” My vessel begged. “I’ll leave! You’ll never see me again, you don’t have to do this!”

“Not my choice.” The man said coldly as he pulled the trigger, creating his own firework show–

“FUCK!” I grabbed my face, feeling that it was indeed my own. I’m Date. I’m Date.

“Date!” I heard Mizuki cry out. “You’re okay, right!? Please say you’re okay!”

“Did that just happen?” I asked, almost deliriously. Aiba was the next to speak.

“You’ve just been reverse Psynced. It was over rather quickly and cut some of your time off.”

“Is it almost over?”

“Less than two minutes left. You just need to hold on a little bit longer.” Easy for her to say, this was the longest six minutes of my life. I can’t believe I was about to live in this sickos head. Would I even… “Date, remember. When you swap, you’ll still be you. Saito will die. We’ll take care of you. It’ll be just like before.”

“Right. R-Right.” I straightened my back and looked out toward the new area. It was the warehouse district. By now, the rain was torrential, yet I didn’t feel any of it make contact. The waves rushed up against the pier, splashing the pavements. It seemed like I was in the middle of a tsunami. Standing near the center was… “Manaka.” I knew what this memory was then. It was Iris’ mother, still pregnant with her by appearance. I knew better. Well, Mizuki was about to learn the truth.

I stepped toward Manaka, who was illuminated in red, and crossed my arms. What am I supposed to do? Stabbing her is what Saito did, and he was the only other person present. That meant I was So.

“Hello?” Nothing, she was like a statue. “I love you?” No, of course not. “Leave.”

“I don’t want to leave, So.” The shift was subtle, but I knew I was now in So’s body.

“Please, if it gets out that…”

“I know, it can get you into a lot of trouble, but… So, please. I don’t want to raise my daughter in some far off land, I want to stay here. With friends to support me. The money is a nonissue, I just want to know I’ll be okay here. I want to know you’ll be okay.” So remained silent, seeming dejected. “You… Don’t have to be a part of her life. I understand you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that.” So spoke, with remorse.

“...You can meet her. If you want… In time.”

“...Do you remember what I told you?”

“About your previous mistress. Of course. But… I promise I won’t end up like her. I have support. I have friends. That’s something money just can’t buy. I’m better off here than anywhere else.” Manaka seemed increasingly depressed at the trajectory of this conversation. “You’re… A far kinder man than anyone gives you credit for.” So stepped back, but Manaka returned the gesture with a step forward. “It’s not about your career. Not entirely. You want what’s best for me. Even if that’s guilt, it still means something.” This felt incredibly wrong. Manaka was so much younger than him, and he just wanted her out of the way. Even if what she said was true, it came from the mind of someone who clearly should have never met the man. I felt horrible for her. So couldn’t bear to look at her any longer.

“We should go.” The old man spoke, then turned around to head back to his car.

“W-Wait…” So stopped. “I’m… Sorry. About Ryoko.” After an agonizingly long, quiet moment, So turned to look at her again.

“It’s not your fault. It’s his.”

“Ngh…” She whimpered, holding her hands close to her chest. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem right to blame a twelve year old boy for–”

“He’s–”

“I got involved. She saw us. I can’t account for your son, but if you’re going to blame someone, blame me. He’s a young boy. He needs love. He needs a father.” So turned, seeming completely fed up with this conversation. I couldn’t see her now, I could only hear a mousy, regretful apology. And then footsteps. Frantic. Sneakers against asphalt. So turned, just in time to see Saito run Manaka through.

She fell, and the blonde boy got on top of her, and stabbed her. Again. And again. And again. Over and over and over again, both screaming and laughing as his brain overflowed in endorphins. As blood pooled under the woman, So stepped toward the boy and grabbed him by the shoulder. He looked up, and reality seemed to return to him.

Unlock.

I want it back. I want to stop feeling this way.

And I returned to the living room where this all started. Outside, the rain was apocalyptic, yet it somehow didn’t break through the shoji. I was tired. So, so exhausted at looking at these dreams, but it was so close to ending. It had to end.

“D-Date…” Hitomi spoke, obviously choked up. “One minute. You’re almost done.”

“I’m sorry Hitomi.”

“It’s okay. What’s d-done is done…”

“That doesn’t make it easy, though.” There was no response. What else was there to say? Stepping into the light, I sat down at the table. There was a single cup of coffee sitting next to a framed photograph, and this time, I could see it. I reached out and grabbed it.

The photo depicted a woman with dark hair tied in a ponytail. She looked middle aged, but very happy. She sat next to a young boy with an open book in her hand. It looked like she was trying to teach him how to read. Her eyes, a deep red, looked at the camera. Knowing the frame was empty at the beginning of this nightmare, I opened the back  and pulled the photo out. Nothing. Okay… I ripped it in half.

The photo tore perfectly, so that the boy was on one side, and the woman on the other. The shoji opened, and stepping through was…

“Saito,” So’s voice remarked. Saito looked very similar to how he did in the Manaka memory. His hair was just a bit longer. This must have been weeks after that murder. The boy silently walked up and sat across from So, leering at him for a long moment. So tucked away the photo, before taking a sip of his coffee and reading the newspaper. The moment lasted an uncomfortably long time, before Saito finally spoke up.

“You hate me.” So did not respond. After a few moments, Saito spoke again, venom dripping from his voice. It was remarkable how threatening he sounded for a twelve year old. “You despise me. I didn’t do anything wrong. She deserved it.” So still stayed silent, though deep down, anger began to boil. “You think I’m wrong? You think there’s something wrong with me… What did those doctors tell you anyway? …You don’t need to answer. Ryoko told me. She told me everything.

“I liked it. I never felt so happy. I killed another cat yesterday, it didn’t feel nearly as good… You won’t even look at me. I killed your whore and you don’t even care? Why don’t you hit me?” So wanted to, but he knew Saito wanted that. He didn’t want to give him what he wanted. “Fuck, strangle me even. Do something. Do something! You take everything away, you hide every single sign that she ever existed. Just like mom. You can’t stand it, your regrets make you sick. You regret mom dying giving birth to your broken son, you regret Ryoko killing herself, you regret letting me kill that woman.

“But I don’t have any regrets. I’ll keep living, free. And you’ll be a slave to yourself. And you won’t even look at me… Because you blame me. But the real reason Ryoko killed herself was because she saw you and that woman having sex, and she couldn’t–”

“Shut up!” So blurted out, standing up. He looked down at the filthy little creature before him, his awful son. Why did he bring this thing into this world? And why did he still try to love it! “You want me to speak? You want to know what I think? I think you’re a vile little monster. How dare you blame her!”

Saito smiled, gleeful at the acknowledgement.

“You disgusting little psychopath, it’s your fault that she killed herself!”

“You finally said it.” He stood up, facing his father. “Do you think I can be fixed?”

“Not at all.” The revulsion in his voice was palpable.

“And will you ever stop treating me as your son?” So remained silent. “You’re spineless. Fine, dad. I’m just so, so glad we finally understand each other!” Saito’s smile was shining. On any other kid, it’d look wholly innocent, but deep in Saito’s eyes was that sprout of evil that would eventually bloom into what we faced that day.

Unlock.

It’s not my fault. It was that woman. She stole all the happiness from my home.

The room did not shift, I did not travel through this dream again. Instead, Saito disappeared, and my body was no longer So. However, it didn’t feel like my original body either. Looking down at my hand, I saw the same long fingers and slender wrist that I’d grown accustomed to for years. Raising my hand up, I brushed the back of my head and felt long, messy hair going down to my shoulders.

“Date!” Mizuki yelled into the machine, enough to hurt my ears a little. “Ten seconds! Aiba said your vitals are good, so we’re just gonna keep you in for a tiny bit longer to make sure the transfer goes well.”

“That being said,” Aiba continued off of Mizuki. “It seems like this dream is winding down. You’re probably out of the woods.”

“There’s still one mental lock,” I mentioned. There was no response. If I was staying in for a tiny bit longer, there was no reason to not go a tiny bit further. I’d grown curious, admittedly. Saito’s last dream was nothing like what I expected. I suppose it’s partly my dream too.

The shogi opened on its own. I stepped out into the monsoon, and noticed water had flooded into So’s garden, up to my knees, yet I walked through the water like it was air. In the distance, by the wall, I saw a small figure, huddled on the ground, looking at something. Narrowing my eyes, I stepped forward, gliding through the water and toward the figure.
Ten seconds.

Twenty.

Half a minute to reach him. Once again, it was Saito, but he was younger. Maybe ten. He had a bowl cut, and was dressed in loose clothes. In his hand was a box cutter covered in blood. After a moment, he lowered it to… A plush doll of a rabbit. Using the blade, he tore into the toy’s neck, but instead of stuffing coming out, it was blood. I suppose I wasn’t surprised. It was a representation of his early kills, back when he probably didn’t think much of it. I was relieved, at least. Could never stand seeing animals hurt.

Seeing as how Saito was the only point of interest left, I tried to reach out and grab him, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pull him off. I tried speaking to him, and he ignored me. I punched him, but he just laughed. Giggling like a child who just heard a bad word. What else would So have done? Try to take the rabbit? No. The knife? Nope. Dammit. None of these even took much time, I couldn’t understand it.

Then it hit me. Whoever this Ryoko was, Saito must have cared about her in his own twisted way. So and Saito each blame each other for why she committed suicide. Saito killed Manaka, partly because he wanted to know what it was like, and because that woman ‘stole the happiness from his home.’

Whatever. Fuck it. I knelt down, and wrapped my arms around him, taking him into a hug. This finally made him stop. Here we were… The same body, twenty years apart. Despite all he did, all those he hurt, I embraced this young version before any of it. Back when he didn’t understand himself, back when he was just now discovering ways to experience happiness. After a few moments, I felt my body change into the shape it needed to take. The hands around him were that of a woman, likely the same in the photograph.

“Why… Are you touching me?” Saito asked, to no response. A minute passed. Then two. She never let go. “Do you think I’m a monster?”

“Of course not,” the woman remarked, looking down at the boy whose face was completely devoid of emotion.

“I liked it.”

“That doesn’t make you a monster, Saito. It’s wrong, but you’re… Different. Your brain must just be different. It doesn’t need to be like this forever.” She spoke, with not a hint of malice in her voice. She seemed incredibly caring, even if Saito didn’t reciprocate.

“Do you cry because of me, Ryoko?” The woman shook her head.

“Never because of you, Saito. Maybe for you, but… I love you. And I always will. And someday, I hope you can learn to love too.” In a way, what Saito was doing… This was his version of love. Did she know that? I wasn’t sure. In a way, I’m not sure it mattered to her. She was the only person in Saito’s life who tried to understand him, humanize him. Maybe the person I was psyncing into now was an inhuman monster, but that wasn’t all nature. Hell, for six years, I lived in his brain just fine. No…

A flash. A noose. A memory.

Poison. All hope that he could be anything else wilted. Next he killed Manaka, and from there, the poison spread. For years, all the way to this very event. This psync.

Unlock.

Thief.

I stood on the surface of the water now. Looking down, I saw Saito, trapped at the bottom, drowning. I knew the feeling, the same had happened in my Somnium. He tried clawing to the surface, but the water held him down. After a few moments, I felt myself grow weightless. The dream darkened, and after a moment, I heard the Psync machine again as I fell. Down. Down. This feeling, I’d never felt it from this side.

I went to sleep in one body. And now I was about to wake up in another.