6 Months earlier, June 17th, Japan
The sun is blazing down onto the ground, while not a single gust of wind rustles through the leaves. You could think time was paused if it weren't for the quiet song of the forest, sung by the birds flying overhead.
Aqua is alone, standing in the middle of a deserted rooftop. The building beneath him seems to be about three, maybe four stories tall.
"Show yourself, I know you are around here somewhere."
???: "How did you know?"
A voice appears, without any footsteps to indicate that somebody approached him.
"Intuition."
Aqua replies, yet he doesn't turn around, not facing the person talking to him.
"Very well. Your recent actions have peaked my interest. Therefore I will hear you out."
Aqua finally turns around. The rooftop they're standing on is completely empty apart from a few birds sitting on the railing.
"I have always wondered… What happens to souls that aren't like Ruby's and mine. Where do they go?"
A sudden gust of wind blows over the rooftop, making Aqua stumble back a bit.
"That is… such a boring question, Aqua."
Aqua takes a step forward.
"Just answer the question, Tsukuyomi. Or are you unable to do so perhaps?"
Tsukuyomi stands unmoving for a few moments as the nearby birds fly off into the distance.
"Very sharp of you. It is correct, I can prevent souls from leaving. But where they end up if I do not is not mine to know."
Aqua turns away from Tsukuyomi and walks towards the railing, leaning over it and looking over the vast forest beneath them, once he reached it.
"I have another question. Are there others like you?"
The entire world around them falls quiet as soon as Aqua finishes his sentence. The waves stop crashing, and the birds stop singing.
"...Ahh. I see what you are trying to achieve. But be warned, Aqua. The path you want to walk will not lead to happiness, reaching its end will only birth more despair."
Aqua snaps around and takes a few steps towards Tsukuyomi, the sound of his feet hitting the ground echoing around him even though there are no walls.
"I don't care if it will lead me to happiness or not… It is only important that I walk it."
Tsukuyomi stands unmoving, yet no matter how many steps Aqua takes, he doesn't appear to get any closer to her.
"There are plenty, I know of hundreds, but it's probably thousands, most don't even know they hold any powers at all, you could be one of them for all you know… Yet all of them are barely stronger than the average human, all but three."
Aqua stops walking as he too notices that he doesn't appear to come any closer to her.
"Okay I-"
Tsukuyomi interrupts Aqua.
"Enough, I have said more than enough, any more would break it."
Her tone of voice doesn't change, yet the volume of it is almost unbearable.
"...I will not help you walk down the path of the Shura. Your true destiny lies somewhere else."
Aqua starts walking again, slowly gaining pace but still not moving away from his position.
"But-"
Tsukuyomi speaks up again.
"This is farewell Aqua. I cannot hinder you, yet I will also not help you either."
Tsukuyomi disappears as the sounds of the world around Aqua return, the birds sing, the distant cars honk, and Aqua runs headfirst, with a loud thud, into the guard railing of the rooftop.
26th of December, 9:30 pm, 80km east of Izu-Oshima and 60km south of Chiba.
Aqua stumbles back, crashing into a stack of buckets and a few fishing rods, knocking them over as he falls backwards.
Seconds later, the door to the captain's cabin swings open, and Ichigo rushes out onto a deck completely empty, apart from Aqua and the fishing equipment.
"What happened?!"
Aqua continues to sit in the midst of the pushed-over fishing equipment, intensely staring across the empty deck. He only speaks up after making sure the deck really is empty.
"I must be tired. I haven't slept in a while."
Ichigo sighs as he walks back into the cabin, leaving Aqua all alone on the deck again.
Am I going crazy now? I could swear I saw- No, it is completely impossible, I must be tired… I should really go back home and sleep.
But can I even sleep now, should I not be talking to Ruby, trying to explain-… Would that even help, though? I think I really pushed her limits this time…
And Kana, she could not even look at me after what I have done to her. She might say that it wasn't my fault, but deep down, both of us know the truth.
Aqua shakes his head while getting up from the floor and placing the fishing gear back as it was before.
Kamiki's death doesn't change the facts. All of them would still be better off without me, now more than ever.
…
The rest of the ride back to shore goes by quickly.
Ichigo pulls up to the shore a few meters away from the dock, before Aqua jumps over the railing and wades back towards solid ground.
He can see through the trees, watching Ichigo park his boat at the dock and climb over the railing.
Aqua walks back over to the van and gets in, Ichigo already waiting for him with the engine turned on.
Ichigo looks Aqua up and down before silently opening the glove compartment and pulling a towel out.
"Here, dry those pants off. I wouldn't want you catching a cold."
Aqua reluctantly grabs the towel as Ichigo starts to pull out of the small and empty parking lot back onto the road.
…
Neither says a word to the other during the entire 90-minute drive back to Aqua's home.
Ichigo turns one final corner onto another quiet suburban road before stopping in front of the same house Aqua has been in so many different times, yet it somehow feels different this time.
Aqua gets out of the car and starts walking towards the front door without saying another word. But Ichigo doesn't drive off yet.
"Hey, kid."
Aqua turns his head slightly and stops walking towards the door.
"You know… I was a bit harsh on you earlier. Don't take what I said to heart… you're holding out great, just… Stay safe. You hear me?"
Aqua stays silent for a moment before turning completely around, facing the car.
"Don't feel sorry. You were not entirely wrong with what you said. Anyways… Thanks for the help. I appreciate it."
Aqua unlocks the door and steps inside before Ichigo gets the chance to reply.
The room stays dark and silent as Aqua peeks out of the window next to the door to make sure Ichigo drives off.
Ichigo stays parked for another minute before the engine of his car starts again, and the sounds of the motor eventually disappear into the distance.
Aqua lets go of the curtain and navigates through the dark room towards the stairs up to his room, effortlessly avoiding every obstacle in his way.
He walks up the stairs and down the long hallway til he suddenly stops and turns his head left.
Right before his face is Ruby's door. He takes a step towards it and places his hand on the handle.
He just stands there, frozen in time for another long moment before slowly pulling his hand back and entering his own room.
His room is perfectly organized, like always. The few things he owns are neatly placed on the shelves, void of any dust. Everything is either gifts he got from his friends over the years or necessities.
He silently sits down on his bed, his moist pants turning it wet. He is sitting still for a moment before starting to charge his phone. And booting it up as soon as it shows 1% charge.
His home screen remains silent for just a second; the clock reads 11:52 pm, before the barrage of Kana's missed calls floods in.
He subconsciously recalls their earlier encounter.
If I could have just stopped her, it would all be different now. But I was frozen, unable to speak… No, I could have prevented it far sooner; I just should have gone to her graduation concert. That way I could have-
What's done is done.
He turns the screen of his phone off and places it on the nightstand. This only amplifies its vibrations, though, each one of them adding a new layer of guilt to Aqua's consciousness.
Maybe I should just do it.
He is holding his small plastic vial close to his face, inspecting it closely.
The amount I gave to Ruby was only a tiny bit, and it managed to knock her out in minutes.
One second, and it would all be over; I could never hurt any of them ever again.
Aqua pulls off the cap of the vial, tossing it to the other side of his room, before grabbing a half-empty water bottle from the floor next to his bed, all while his phone keeps relentlessly vibrating.
Okay, breathe Aqua. You need to do this for the sake of the others. I would just keep hurting them over and over again. This is the only way they will eventually not be hurt by me anymore.
His phone stops vibrating as he pours the white powder into his plastic bottle, half-heartedly shaking it.
Aqua places the neck of the bottle on his lips as his phone vibrates. Once, twice, more.