ᴇɴᴛʀʏ ᴏɴᴇ

[deusexyandere]

Characters: Yukiteru and YOU
Setting: Room 2-20 & Cafeteria
Format: Prose initially, but I'll match!
Summary: Yukki arrives the morning after the 'happy end.' He's not taking it well.
Warnings: A kid dangerously close to going into shock after all he's been through;; also spoilers for Mirai Nikki.

Room 2-20:

The poor kid is obviously freezing. It's quite a jump from a moderate climate like Japan in mid-summer to the frigid temperatures like this; combine that with the fact that he's here at all, and everything that had happened just before arriving here, and it's a miracle he hasn't completely gone into shock yet. Operative word here: yet.

He's seated on his bed, the blankets wrapped tightly around himself, including a bright blue blanket that looked as if it had seen a lot of wear and tear over the years. There's an open cellphone on his lap, plugged into a nearby wall, and he's been staring at it intently since he arrived here.

UNKNOWN DATE, 12:19 PM :: A NEW LIFE BEGINS IN THE TOWER.

There is no entry after this. He's never had that problem before, and it really doesn't help his state of mind right now. And 'unknown date?'

... Yes. Of course. They failed. He and Yuno both did. It's the only conclusion, and it perfectly explains what he read in those letters. The world was destroyed, time and space torn asunder by what Deus warned them about. The Survival Game was over, and nobody won. It was true, then... Yuno did love him, despite her attempts to persuade both of them otherwise. She couldn't kill him any more than he could kill her. And he couldn't have thought of a worse way to confirm what he already knew than this.

Yukiteru falls sideway onto his bed, wrapping the blankets tigher around himself. It's hard to tell if the shaking is caused by stress, or just shivering.

Cafeteria

Yukki has been sitting there for a while, staring at the oatmeal. He's tried to make it a bit better; but he can't eat it. He hasn't touched it, and it isn't from the fact that he knows it's going to taste bad. He just has no appetite right now, and he hasn't for 24 hours now, from the time he woke up in his own world, to when he woke up here, knowing what was going to happen that day. This could have been a five-star steak and he still wouldn't have wanted to eat it. Especially not in this temperature.

It's clear to anyone who sees him he's upset, and hasn't taken to the Tower well at all. Especially since he hasn't seen hide nor hair of Yuno since arriving here, and if he's here for the reason he thinks he is, then surely she has to be, as well. After all, isn't it both of their faults their universe was destroyed? Through their inaction?

He doesn't want to think about it, but he can't help it. The Survival Game has now officially taken everything from him, including, as it would appear, Yuno. He had nothing left to lose. And as it would appear, nothing to gain, either.

He closes his eyes, and looks down, fighting back tears.

Comments

[prayed]

Her kindness truly knows no limits. She raised an eyebrow at his statement, head tilting slightly to one side as she considered that statement. She didn't really sympathize, but it was at least curious enough to pursue.

"What else is there?"

[deusexyandere]

"How much time do you have?" He choked out. Someone here had to know. He had to tell someone his story, since his diary barely worked anymore. If anything happened to him here, and Yuno was too late in arriving... well. Someone had to know that the inevitable manic rampage she'd fly into wasn't for no reason.

Somewhere underneath that awful black robe was the person he was still very much in love with, no matter how hard Yuno tried to deny it. He knew she was good, he had seen her compassion, even if it was laser-targeted only on him. He had hoped nothing more than to see her truly happy, only for her to throw it all away only because out of his love, he absolutely refused to kill her to win the Survival Game.

It was the most agonizing pain he'd ever felt in his entire life.

[prayed]

"These days I got nothing but time. Well, as long as your story's not too boring, anyway." A shrug followed Kyoko's second statement, almost an afterthought. Not like anything was keeping her from leaving if it turned out to be a typical sob story. That thought in mind, she polished off her nutrition bar before folding her arms on the table. She leaned forward slightly, watching him, waiting. For the moment, at least, he had her undivided attention.

[deusexyandere]

That's a start, he guessed. Well... might as well skip the beginning, with him blaming himself for his parents' divorce (whether or not he deserved the blame is another story). He began by telling her about Deus Ex Machine and Murumuru, with him thinking they were his imagine friends.

He then told her about how he received his Future Diary, and how at first he used it simply to cheat in school. It quickly shifted, however, to the 'serial killer,' and how shortly after learning about it, Yuno cornered him on an elevator and forcibly kissed him, revealing her own Future Diary and how it was laser-focused entirely on him, the exact opposite of his own. He then told her how they killed the serial killer together (mostly in self defense) by him throwing a dart through his cell phone, which caused him to literally disappear into thin air. It even turned out that the killer was his and Yuno's own teacher in school. He then told her about the Survival Game and how the Future Diaries were tied into it, and how killing the serial killer, revealed to be the 'Third' of the Survival Game, made him into the frontrunner of sorts, causing the other contestants to focus their efforts on him, and how he and Yuno were the First and Second respectively.

He then told her about Minene and how he stabbed her in the eye with a dart, and about Tsubaki - who herself was in the Tower, sort of - and how he at first felt bad for her, until she turned out to be crazy. And then there was Yomotsu, and how Yuno turned out to be an absolute nutjob who saved Yukiteru from a horde of hypnotized cultists by hacking a good number of them to pieces with an axe. He told her about how he saw Yuno's dead, shriveled parents in her room, along with a third corpse.

It all went from there. How he and Yuno fought in the Survival Game, how he began to slowly return her feelings for him, and all of the crazy things Yuno did both for his protection and to show her love for him. He even mentioned how Minene and he became friends, in something he would almost consider a sort of brother-older sister relationship. After a while...

"... and then she said, after all that, that I didn't really love her, that I was just using her for protection. And how she would have loved anyone if she could have used them for emotional support." He felt tears coming back into his eyes at that. "It hurt more than anything I've ever felt in my life."

[prayed]

Kyoko was surprisingly attentive throughout his explanation, one hand occasionally moving to grab another nutrition bar. Some of it was frustrating enough that she would start to open her mouth to interject before quickly closing it, while other things were discomforting in . In the end, she doesn't immediately respond outside of a noise of dissent. She chewed over the story. She couldn't understand the viewpoint of somebody who'd did nothing but hide behind their partner, but that last statement...

"What were ya expecting out of all that? Things like selfless love don't exist. Even ya only fell in love 'cause ya found somebody who ya could use. She just figured it out sooner." Kyoko offered a shrug. "Something like that's not worth regretting."

[deusexyandere]

He shook his head, furiously. No, he loved Yuno. He knew that for a fact. He wouldn't, couldn't believe Yuno was right about what she accused him of. It was wrong, it hurt too much. "But it's not true... I do love her."

Maybe there really is no such thing as selfless love, but it was love none the less. He knew what it was he felt, and even if Yuno had done things that would haunt him with nightmares for the rest of his life, she had been there for him when nobody else was. What she showed for him was genuine, and he would never be willing to believe that how he felt for her was anything less.

"Selfish or not... I'd do anything for one last chance to show her she's wrong."

[prayed]

"If that's all ya want, then ya should try and ascertain whether or not she's really here. This tower's a big place, so it's easy to miss people, but...even if there's just a slight chance, shouldn't that be enough of a reason to keep searching?" It was, perhaps, a kinder answer than she might normally have given. Something about his story and the feelings that he'd left unsaid were resonating with Kyoko, who had chosen to try and reach out to Sayaka until the very end.

[deusexyandere]

He knows she's right. Which is why, before he even realizes it, he's already searching through the most recent entries in his Diary, looking for any mention of Yuno. Nothing. A few of Tsubaki, a few about Tohko, even a mention of Taiki here and there. No Yuno. Which reminds him...

"What's your name?" he asked, finally looking up from his phone, his hand still shaking. It's hard for him to tell if it's just because he's cold, or if he's having an anxiety attack.

[prayed]

"Kyoko Sakura." She didn't bother to ask for his name in turn, instead watching him. She crumpled the wrapper of the nutrition bar, dropped it on the side of the table, then started on another.

[deusexyandere]

"... Yukiteru Amano." She may not have asked, but she's getting his name anyway. He's never seen anyone enjoy nutrition bars this much... he could eat a granola bar sometime, but definitely not to this degree. He watches her crumple up the wrapper and toss it, before looking back down at his phone, still looking for any mention of Yuno.

Still nothing.

"I, uh..." What to say? "... thanks for listening, I guess."

[prayed]

"Sure." The nutrition bars were bland and tasteless, nothing like the rich, fatty foods that she was used to, but food was food. She felt better when she ate. He was still staring at that phone. Telling the future, huh...

"Don't depend on that thing too much. Even if it helped ya back home, it might not work the same way here, y'know. Besides, it only records what you're gonna see, right?"

[deusexyandere]

She really didn't mince words, did she? In a way, she was somewhat like Minene in that sense. She was right, but she definitely didn't put it gently. In fact, the Diary had been behaving weirdly all day. Ever since he got here.

"Y-Yeah... I'll try to keep that in mind."

[prayed]

Kyoko pushed her chair back and began to collect the remaining nutrition bars. Despite bringing several with her, there were only a few left now. She wondered if leaving this guy alone was a bad idea, but she didn't like to sit around for too long.

"I'm heading out now. If I see that girl, I'll let her know ya were looking for her, 'kay?"

[deusexyandere]

"... okay." She didn't pull any punches, but she was right. He needed to get a grip on himself. If Yuno did show up, even if she was trying to convince herself that they didn't really love each other, and saw him like this... well. He knew somewhere in there, his Yuno was still there. Which means everyone here might in danger if she thinks for even a minute that someone other than her hurt him.

"And, uh... thanks. I think."