August tenth came and I was still healing. I didn't have any cuts, but I had a number of bruises from tanking a handful of hits. Take on the other hand... got even lamer. He let the rumors go to his head and started wearing ridiculous clothes. And I was alone with my suffering because Sayu went on her yearly trip to Hokkaido to visit family. She was lucky that she didn't have to deal with this.
"Hey, Kenny," I said as I entered his hospital room. "Take's gone off the deep end," I sighed.
"What now?" he sighed as I pulled up a chair and sat.
"You'll see," I chuckled. "He said he was gonna visit later."
"That's gonna be fun."
"Yep," I chuckled as I stretched my arms.
"What you said... was it true?" he asked after a moment.
"I've said a lot of things, you gotta be more specific," I replied lowering my arms.
"About you being a girl."
"Oh, yeah, that one... Yup. I always get mistaken as a boy cause of my flat chest though, so I just go with it," I shrugged.
"Well, you're one strong chick."
"Aw, Kenny, you know just what to say to a woman," I sarcastically said with a sly smirk.
"Uh-huh." He rolled his eyes.
"Oh, and I brought some books," I said as I dug into my bag. "I didn't know what you liked, so I brought a variety, even some manga."
"Thanks," he said as I laid out the assortment.
"Also..." I started after a few moments. "I'd appreciate it if you could keep the whole gender thing on the down low."
"Sure, I can do that," he replied as he picked a book out. "Can I ask why though?"
"I like to be treated as an equal," I replied as I rubbed the back of my neck. "A lot of guys see us as the weaker gender, so I'm afraid that some of the guys would treat me differently because of it." I put my hand back on my lap as a small forced smile made its way to my face. "The boys I was friends with back in elementary found out and... Let's just say, we lost contact. I've only had Sayu since, so Toman is the first group of friends I've had. I don't think you or Mikey would do anything like that, but I want to avoid the worst-case scenario."
"Alright," he nodded. "I can respect that." He handed me the rest of my books back.
"Thanks. I mean it," I said as I put them back in my bag. "Oh, on a different note, I got those bloodstains out of your clothes. You can just pick them up or text me when you get discharged."
"Thanks," he nodded.
We talked for a while longer with me mostly updating him on some of the rumors circulating about some of the gangs. Eventually, I left. As I exited the hospital, my phone rang. As per usual, I answered it without looking at the number. "Yello?"
"Hey, Danny, it's Mitsuya."
"What's up?" I asked as I began walking.
"Your uniform's done if you can come to pick it up."
"Yeah, sure, I just left the hospital, so I'm free."
He told me the school and room he was at, so I began heading there. I had nothing else to do today, after all. After a little while of walking, I made it to his school and navigated the halls till I found the room.
"Mitsuya?" I asked as I opened the door. The room was empty. I stepped in and closed the door behind me, figuring he'd be right back and I noticed some sewing machines sitting on the tables. Huh.
The door slid open. "Oh, hey, Danny, sorry about that," Mitsuya said as I turned around.
"No problem, I just got here," I waved off as he closed the door again. "So..." I looked around the room a bit.
"Surprised?" he chuckled.
"Yes, but it suits you, now that I think about it."
"Yeah, I'm actually the president of the sewing club," he said as he walked to one of the tables at the front and picked up a stack of black clothes. "You looked about Mikey's size, so I just tweaked the measurements a bit," he said as he handed them to me. "The bathroom's around the corner."
"'Kay, be right back then," I said before leaving. It didn't take me long to find the bathrooms. Wait... I thought as I was about to go into the girls' restroom. If Mitsuya comes, it'll be weird if I come out of the girls' room... Boys' room it is. I shrugged as I entered the other restrooms. It was empty, thank God. I quickly got changed and it was a perfect fit. It was even loose enough to where it didn't constrict any of my movements. Holy shit, this is more suited to fighting than anything I've had before, I thought to myself before leaving the restrooms. I got back and slid open the door. "Absolute perfection."
"Oh, come on," he chuckled with a hint of a blush. "It's not that great. I still have a long way to go."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short, this is way better than anything I've fought in."
~
The hours went by and Take, surprisingly, messaged me about going back to the future. We accomplished what we set out to do, so I gave him the go-ahead. Things should've changed, so it's safe to go back. Honestly, I was getting used to being 14 again, but I definitely want to work on my manga.
After everything went black, I found myself at my desk with the familiar sight of a hodge-podge pile of papers spread all over. From the looks of it, the story was just a little bit ahead of where I left off before I time-lept. I had the concept of the story made up before I was even a teen. I tweaked it over the years, obviously, but the heart of it stayed. The main character was like Take in some ways, even more so now that we're time-traveling and trying to save the love of his life. I sighed with a bit of a smile before my phone began ringing.
"Yello?" I answered, getting up from my chair.
"Hey, Daju," Sayu replied from the other end. "You still up for going out to get drinks? To celebrate the hundredth chapter, and all."
Holy shit, I'm fifteen chapters ahead! I'm gonna have to re-read everything... "Yeah, definitely," I replied, wandering toward my room now.
"Aight, be there in five."
"Yep, see ya," I said before ending the call. Quickly, I slipped a random pair of shorts along with a shirt on before receiving a second call.
"Yeah?"
"Daju! We did it! Hina's still alive and Akkun too!" Take exclaimed.
"Holy shit! We did it!" I laughed a bit with a grin plastered on my face. "You had better go see her, or I will personally shove two raccoons up your ass, got it?"
"Yeah," he awkwardly laughed. "Naoto's gonna be taking me to see her."
"That's great." I nodded. "Well, let me know how it goes later, I apparently reached my hundredth chapter, so me and Sayu are going out."
"Have fun."
"You too, later." Then the call hung up. "Yes!" I exclaimed as I jumped from the giddiness. We did it! We freaking did it! They're alive! ... But- A knock interrupted my thoughts. I shook my head, deciding to save them for later.
"Daju! You ready?!" Sayu shouted after opening the door.
"Just about!" I shouted back as I put my hair back and heard the door shut.
"You up for actual drinks or just coffee?" she asked as she poked her head through the doorway.
"Hm... Coffee. Still not much of a fan of alcohol." I shrugged. I'm the type of person that goes off taste, and I still haven't found anything I like.
"Figures," she chuckled.
After making sure I had what I needed, we went out to her car. As she drove, we chatted about some of the new games that came out, which I hadn't played yet, but she has. It was refreshing, being able to talk like this. 12 years ago, she was busy studying and helping her two younger siblings, so she wasn't able to hang out as much as we'd like. And recently, as in 12 years ago, I've been busy trying to help Take with saving Hinata and Kenny. Soon enough, we pulled up to our usual coffee shop. Despite it being late, it was relatively busy.
"Ah, shit," Sayu cursed as her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and sighed. "It's my ex, can you grab the coffee and we'll go to the shrine after?"
"Yeah, of course." I nodded. "Be back in a minute," I said as I got out of the car. Wasn't it Mr. Aspiring Entrepaneaur that's been bothering her? The dude's ideas are shit, and his money managing worse, I thought as I shook my head.
It took a few minutes, but I got the coffee. Around this time of year, Sayu likes her iced mint lattes and I usually get whatever she does. I exited the building, using my back to open the door in place of my full hands. Once Sayu looked up at me, I lifted hers in the air with a smile. Then... she disappeared. I slowed as I registered another car in the exact place she had just been as a horn started blaring. Slowly, I looked to the right. The front of that black car was crushed, the metal sticking out, and the engine was smoking. Beyond that was more crushed metal. Metal the same purple as Sayu's car. My eyes widened as they locked onto Sayu. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe, as if there was something blocking the air. I felt my arms give out like what I was carrying was too much. Then, the sounds around me faded, the only thing present being a scream. A scream that could hardly be considered human. A bloodcurdling, horrific scream. I felt myself lurch forward, stumbling as I tried to run to her. Every time I tried to move, I fell. Once the ground finally felt solid again, I made it to the door.
"Daju..." she breathed out. She was stunned. Her eyes were wide, her hair a mess, and crimson colored her forehead, slowly tracing lines down her face. My eyes drifted down and I felt my breath hitch. Warmth trailed down my cheeks. Her legs were... gone. In their place were bloodied mechanical parts, turning more and more crimson as the seconds passed. "Shit... feels like my legs are burning..." she muttered as her brows furrowed, her eyes squinting shut.
"Sayu..." I managed to croak out.
"It'll all... be fine, Daju..." She slowly lifted her hand and let it rest on my head as she forced a smile. "My little... softie..."
"Sayu...?" Her hand fell. My body began to feel hot as her head dropped. "Sayu, Sayu, come on..." I sobbed. "Sayu. Sayu, please!" I shouted, beginning to shake. "SAYU!!"
I felt numb. As if I didn't have anything left in me. Everything was a blur. Everything buzzed. Sayu... was dead. My best friend, my rock... Nothing felt real anymore. It was like I was in a nightmare. It didn't feel real. It shouldn't be real.
But it was.