001 ♊ [video]
[The last thing Akihiko Sanada recalled was slamming his fists furiously into that punching bag, teeth grit in frustration as he focused his attention on that piece of equipment. Although Mitsuru had requested his appearance for the dorm's closing, Akihiko couldn't bring himself to go back
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...Again?
He can't help but wonder--was the fourth time the charm, then? He'd lost a lot of people this past month...
But he didn't exactly have much time to ponder this before he is suddenly staring at a screen full of eel.
...ah.]
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...Akihiko-senpai...?
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It's enough to make Akihiko freeze up and his breath come shallow. He turns his head quickly, looking side to side for the source. The eel is quickly forgotten - and as though it knows its being ignored, seems to withdraw and wriggle down Akihiko's leg, coming out the bottom of his pants. Akihiko runs a few feet in one direction and then again in the other, seeing nothing around him in this completely unfamiliar location.
This is dream. It has to be - if that incident with the eel wasn't enough of an indication, that voice is all he needed to confirm it. He over-exerted himself at the gym, he didn't sleep enough the night before, he forgot to eat this morning... Sure, any of those reasons were good. He's passed out, he's asleep and this is just a dream.
A dream that keeps haunting him.
He shakes his head and steps back, evening out his breathing and calming himself. This isn't the time to lose himself, he can't lose control inside of his own mind.]
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He knows his mind is playing tricks on him and he will respond in kind.]
Hey... Who's there? Show yourself.
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Either Akihiko is from Haruka's timeline, as he was when Minato first arrived, or...he was from after his death. Minato has found this to...never grow easier, no matter how often it has happened, but.
Perhaps he simply doesn't recognize his voice.
Even though that's a ridiculous thought and Minato knows it's likely not true.
At the very least, he recognizes the way that Akihiko is looking around--and while this could be easier in person, he doesn't exactly know where the other is. And so all he can do is talk again and hope that he'll figure out what's going on in the meantime.]
Down here, senpai. The starfish shaped object.
[...it might be easier to take it a step at a time, huh? At least, he certainly hopes so.]
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His eyes immediately lock with those that belong to the person on the other end of the communicator, meeting them with a pause. In the short time since Minato has been gone, Akihiko has had two types of dreams. Ones where he sees Minato and ones where he hears him. Never have both been together, at least until now. How does he react? What does he say? What can he say?]
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I've heard of people talking to stars but never a starfish... Where have you been?
[Denial. Not just a river in Egypt.]
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But they locked eyes and they're speaking, and that's good enough for Minato, though...
The question is a little difficult to answer. Where has he been...?]
Well...I've been here for awhile.
[It doesn't quite answer the question while at the same time entirely answering the question--if only because it's honest and he doesn't know what else to say.]
Would you like me to bring you a towel?
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He doesn't press that any further, not right now.]
Yeah... I'd like that, if you can find me.
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Do you see anything around you that stands out? I know the city pretty well, so I should be able to find a landmark.
[Eight months will do that to anyone. Besides, he'd always adapted quickly. But he'll at least wait for some direction before wandering Vatheon.]
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[Akihiko turns his gaze from the communicator, now taking a proper look at his surroundings. They had been confusing and unfamiliar at first but now that he's truly here, the reality of just how foreign everything is begins to sink in.]
Looks like a plaza of some sort...
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I'll be there in a few minutes, senpai.
[Lucky for the both of them, he really will be. He's been putting a lot of time into making sure the Welcoming Committee is running properly with its original founder suffering from, well, amnesia. The Committee is much closer to the plaza than their makeshift dorms and so he is there in under two minutes, hands tucked into his pockets and towel under one arm.
He hasn't changed much at all during his time in Vatheon, that's for sure--the mp3 player is different, the original one having been soaked with his trip there, but the headphones are the same. So too is his attitude, and so though he is entirely unsure what to expect, he approaches the familiar face without any apprehension. Because no matter when Akihiko was from...there was no denying Minato was happy to see his senpai again.]
Akihiko-senpai.
[And he offers the towel quietly, tilting his head. Hadn't there been an eel ( ... )
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This was supposed to be the part of the dream he woke up, wasn't it? Always before meeting face to face with his dorm mate. As Minato approaches, Akihiko turns his head to regard him, remaining still as he draws nearer.
This is it. This was really happening. All Akihiko can do is smile and swallow those feelings that rise up in the pit of his stomach. If only he'd been just a little stronger, if he'd acted just a little sooner... He could have protected him. He could have saved him - he knows he could have. There were so many lives he could've saved if only he'd been stronger...]
Hey-
[He begins to approach Minato, bracing himself. This is where everything will stop. This is where Minato will disappear and he'll wake up. Maybe he's at the police station, maybe he's at the dorms - Hell, maybe he's passed out in the locker room at the gym. Wherever he is, he's going to wake up and this will be gone ( ... )
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This is almost a little surreal, really, and Minato is firmly getting the sense that something's wrong here. Akihiko is taking it a little too well, right? But he clearly doesn't remember being here before. Minato has been here so long that considering it a dream hasn't even crossed his mind yet, but all he can do is go with it for now, even if he is somewhat curious.
His senpai is smiling, but the atmosphere is strange.]
Yes. It's a little difficult to explain, but the best way to put it is that it's a city in a different world.
[A momentary glance up at the ocean above them--]
Under the ocean.
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W-what the... How did-?!
[He looks back to Minato, and if he hadn't appeared confused enough before, he certainly was now. This dream kept finding a way to become even more bizarre.]
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