Cosmocall Field

Clear was so engrossed with looking around, searching for the perfect souvenir to get. Part of him told him that this was probably not the best place to get a gift; after all, who got their close ones a gift from a small junk shop? However, there was a special sentiment he felt about getting Aoba something here. The blue haired man had done so much for him, and though he wouldn’t had a first clue about gifts or what was suitable, Clear went on instinct.

"C-Clear…?"

Ears perked up at the sound of his name. A name that was given to him, not by birth, or creation in his case, but by adoption. He didn’t expect anyone to know his name here. He wondered if he’d been followed after he’d been repaired, and that he would be brought back to be reprogrammed. He at first stiffened, as if afraid of just the endless possibilities that could happen. The repeat of his name, however, shattered all those fears that he had growing in his heart, and when he turned around, everything seemed as if time had frozen.

Aoba.

This had to be a dream. A result of him glitching, or hallucinating. One of those two sounded more plausible than what the third one sounded, and that was that Aoba was indeed here. The man that he’d grown to care about all this time. His eyes widened ever so slightly with surprise, but it was really him. Aoba was really here, and he was alive and well. Allowing the shock to wear off, his lips tugged up to the happiest smile he was sure he ever had.

"Aoba-san.. it really is you." 

Lips quivered, eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall and make his out of control emotions apparent to the bright-eyed android before him—a sight he never thought he would see again. He hadn’t given up hope, no, but after over a year of trial and error, then handing the lifeless (cringe) body of Clear to his Granny with the hope she could be more useful at fixing this than he was, and then just nothing for so long, he… He just felt like sobbing tears of relief and exhilaration for Clear’s apparent perfect condition.

How many times had he fantasized about a moment near exact to this? One where, out of the blue, he would see him again and all sickening guilt for not being able to restore the life to him would disappear because he’d be here and—and alive.  

All that dreaming would have only proved to crush him more though, he knew, if he’d allowed it to continue because at a point in time, that dream really did feel just impossible. Like heaven and earth meeting—it seemed so inconceivable for a period of time that this was a scenario that would never happen because he—Clear had been so far beyond repair that nothing could have reversed the amount of damage done. It was something nauseating to admit, but there’d been a scant point in time where he’d felt that helplessness and despair that he wouldn’t ever see the crystal eyes of the boy he’d somehow fallen in love with during that time in Platinum Jail.

It was uncertain just how long he stood there immobilized and staring, shaking and trying to withhold tears that were impossible to stop for very long. Aoba wasn’t sure when his legs moved, or when he’d managed to walk out from behind the counter and cross the way until he was standing in front of Clear and within arm’s reach. His hands shook, raising slightly and then hesitating to go further for fear that once he tried to touch the pale face mere inches from his hand would disappear.

"Aoba-san.. it really is you." 

And then, he understood. This… It wasn’t fake, not a dream, not a cruel nightmare, but real. The angelic figure before him really was Clear. It was with this confirmation that he found his will again, the hands hesitating now finding confidence to make the final stretch until fingers were touching the soft skin of a porcelain cheek.

He was glad he brought his umbrella.

The winter, though the white flakes of snow were beautiful, were blowing way too hard and, happy that at he remembered to bring it, opened up his umbrella before making his adventure through Bunkyo. He’d only been here for a few days, but the town itself was captivating to him. When he’d arrived on Spica’s campus, where he was to be staying, he realized just how out of place he felt. He was usually good with people but..

It felt better if there was someone here that he knew.

Soft footsteps crunched the snow beneath his feet as he walked and, looking around with curious eyes, was about to go into a boutique when he spotted a junk shop. Huh. How peculiar. In a way, it reminded him of Aoba. The blue haired male he’d grown fond of would of loved to work there, or at least frequent the place. Remembering to make his way back to the boutique afterwards, he made his way over to the newfound place. Maybe he’d get something to take back. A souvenir of sorts.

Aoba had many dreams similar to this; suddenly, those crystalline eyes would appear with a smile on the perfect face that was damn near angelic and things would be better again—he would be better again, not broken. Oh, he could still recall the events of that day; the scent of oil so pungent he could still smell it to this day, and the gruesome sight of that angelic face showcasing what he really was—not human, but something man-made. Aoba referred to dreams which included these happenings as nightmares.

Or maybe—and most likely—he’d lost his mind. Finally, after a year of angsting over it all, he broke. That also wouldn’t come as a huge surprise, considering his mental state really had taken a pretty significant blow due to all the hours, weeks, months, he’d spent locked in his room trying to fix the person he came to care about more than he ever anticipated.

—Okay, so due to some complications with my router, I will not be able to access the internet at all until it is either replaced or (more preferably) we switch our Internet companies. This is not likely to take place for a couple weeks, so y’know. I’ve already requested a full hiatus for all of my muses and I’d like to formally let you guys know that I won’t be around for some time once my router actually dies. I’m really ticked about this myself and I am going to miss all of you dearly; however, this will not last forever and I will be back before long.

"Nyaa~ Everything is done. I think it’s best if I just go back and sleep for a bit", he stretched before using both his feet to help bring himself up from the quad grass. The air was smooth as marshmallows and the weather was alright for a small date in the somewhat chilly environment.

Entering the dorm building, the security guard took notice to Kirito’s entrance and fixed himself in his seat after relaxing to the calm silence.

"Kirigaya."

Hmm?

The boy walked over to the desk to talk with the guard, “Hey. What’s up?”

The guard pulled out the notice that was sent to him by the college’s administration regarding Kazuto’s dorm. “You have a new dorm mate. Just came in early today.”

Kirito took a look at the words-only, typed message carefully.

Spica College wants to inform you, in this letter, that a new dorming member has been added to Room 2000. Please give our newcomer a warm welcome and guide him/her to their new home. If there are any students currently in this room, please relay the message as soon as possible. Thank you for helping us create a friendly environment for our students!

- Spica College

"That’s quite an abrupt message. Thanks for the heads up."

The security guard nodded before the beater took off to approach his room. As soon as he opened the door, he got a chance to feast his eyes on a handsome who appeared to be his new roommate. His mind just sparked faster his ability to greet, “Please tell me I did not just get an attractive guy for a roommate…oh boy”.

“Uh, hey there. I’m kinda… Your new roommate and everything.”

Game over for Kirito. Blue hair, blue clothes, a handsome face, a well-structure body type, a voice to match everything else that was Mr. Aoba Seragaki. Kazuto Kirigaya could not have felt so contained as he is now, keeping his instant attractions to himself. Something in his blood just made his manners click into quick gear and forced words out of the boy’s vocal chords: “Oh, hello! I’m Kazuto Kirigaya. I usually go by Kirito-“.

He even has a dog. Call him a winner, for all he could know.

☓ — If this guy actually was crazy, Aoba couldn’t tell and he was doing an impeccable job at keeping it a complete secret. Aoba was confident he’d be able to defend himself easily should push comes to shove, but honestly he’d really prefer that things not go down that path. Really, he just wanted to have a fairly normal time here. Aoba had dealt with his fair share of people from all walks of life (players, criminals, gang members, etc.) that despite their background were very decent people. So even if this roommate of his was a criminal or some other type of person, he didn’t really care so long as they got along and there was a sense of harmony in the living space.

☓ — He’d never been the kind of person who judged anyone and he wouldn’t start now or any time soon. Aoba inferred that his roommate was more than likely younger than him; probably quite a bit, actually. Considering he was a little over twenty himself, he was pretty sure he was older than most of the students here, in the dorms. He could have lived on his own, but didn’t exactly… have the money for it, so he hardly had a choice here. That, and…

☓ — He really didn’t mind the company of another person at all.

☓ — Generally, Aoba could be called a ‘people person’ because he usually enjoyed talking to others, not exactly seeing himself as a recluse or anti-social. And it was just… better for him to live with someone rather than on his own, where his only source of conversation and company was his dog. Or better yet, his AllMate that looked like a dog. He’d gotten so use to living at home with Granny that he probably wouldn’t even know how to live by himself anymore. So this…

☓ — Was just better.

☓ — Ren had padded up beside him as his roommate introduced himself, Kirito he said he often went by, and looked up at this Kirito with curiosity. Aoba wondered faintly how this guy would react when Ren would speak, which inevitably he would. After all, Ren wasn't a dog. 

Almost like reflex, her hand tried to find their way to his wallet. She’d been told her hands were never felt when she robbed them silly. This said from her crew members seeing as she’d never actually talk to her victims. A simple bump gave enough time to get robbed by the woman.  An easy way to get a meal ticket. Perhaps if she had been in her right mind this would have gone smoothly instead of coming empty handed. Nami’s mouth twitched in an untimely smile, and she tried desperately to save face while she saw him apologize. The aggression melted out of her face, and she began to take a step closer to him, smiling. The guy was somewhat apologizing after she tried to steal from him, really it was just a habit done unconsciously.

There, in the split silence moment, Nami allowed herself to observed him, take him in for the sight that he was. He seem to look young enough to be a student, maybe he attended the same school she had just enrolled but let’s not get to trading ‘why I registered to this school’ talk. What would people think if she let them know she came looking for a city made out of gold. To be fair she had already seen a city made out of gold so there was a reason she believed rumors. 

"Ah, I could say the same," she stated, fighting to keep that smile upon her face, it was the only thing she could do for now. "I got a bit distracted with some people yelling over there bu—" Oh.A black Pomeranian. "It’s adorable!" There was no telling if it was female or male. Absentmindedly, and still somewhat too distracted by her own thoughts, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m new here so how about showing me around!” Those words left her lips sooner than she was able to restrain them. It could be a thank you from his part for letting him keep his wallet then again he probably had no clue and there was no way she could possibly tell him that. She found herself somewhat struggling against a smile that so insistently tried to push its way onto her pale features.  

It wasn’t exactly one he would like to remember either, if he were to be totally honest.

Ren at his side (or rather, Ren in the bag at his side) seemed to be more aware of something Aoba was not, a brief glance downward at his AllMate informed him. Speech wasn’t entirely necessary for him to discern what Ren was thinking, as they were practically one in the same and knew each other quite well—that and he was going to go on a limb and say maybe she’d never heard of AllMates before and seeing a dog suddenly talking might be a little strange. He could just explain what Ren was, naturally, but it was a little confusing to people who’d never heard of such things as AllMates before. It was like a Midorijima was its own little planet or something, considering they had things… No one else really seemed to have or even know about.

“Kinda distracted by my thoughts, I guess,” he offered, a slight shrug in his shoulders and an apologetic smile appearing on his face as brown eyes met the woman’s own. She looked young enough to be a student as well, he thought briefly in his head after a quick once over with his gaze a moment prior; nothing gave him the impression of an untrustworthy person. He listened to her own reasoning, a little startled when she broke off and seemed to sort of… gush? over Ren. “Yeah, that’s Ren. He’s my…”

“Thank you.”

Answering himself instead, Ren extended his a bit of gratitude. Suppose there was no way around it now, huh? “Uh… He’s my AllMate. You probably don’t know what that is, but he’s not really a dog. He’s a machine in the appearance of a dog.” Was it just him, or did that just really sound like some kind of jumbled up mess?

“I’m new here so how about showing me around!”

 The navigator had been wandering around Bunkyo, sticking to the shade, as she made her way away from the buildings. Her pace was calm and collected. For a moment, she relied on her senses; specifically, her sense of hearing. As watchful and observant as she was, Nami wasn’t able to predict what kind of place this was. Perhaps, it was due to how little she really knew about it, or maybe it was something else. But above all, it intrigued her. It seem like a peaceful place to live, there wasn’t many places she’d been to that didn’t have at least one thing wrong with it. People always needing their help just as her own people needed help at one point.

Bellemere… Nojiko..

'Things would have probably been different if we lived in a place like this.'

There were hardly times she got in this certain mood. It can’t be define as depressed or upset rather it can’t be labeled. Occasionally she had nightmares of her times with Arlong. Despite herself, she laughed, a sweet laughter striking a peculiar chord in the open sky they now laid on.

Sighing, she raked her fingers through her hair, remembering words Bellemere once said and murmured to herself, “I was grateful for every minute I spent with you both. Had we lived here or anywhere in the world.. it’s all the same while I had both of you.” 

“Ahh, Ren, I miss home already.” Aoba complained quietly to the AllMate, forgetting completely that no one in this city owned or knew what AllMates were and more than likely were quite stunned to hear a voice responding back to the man, “You are not the only one.” Ren agreed in that deep, mechanical voice of his and Aoba exhaled a soft sigh. He wasn’t quite sure how he would manage to stay sane here—or at all, really—without his most valued friend and partner with him. Ren was the only thing that made coming here at all possible; otherwise, he would have flat-out refused his Granny’s insisting that Aoba go to some city called ‘Bunkyo’ and continue his schooling.

Really, he couldn’t see why this was so necessary; after all, Aoba did have a decent-paying job so that should have been more than enough to please his Granny—or so he thought. She told him that she wanted him to have a good education so that he wouldn’t have to work as a part-timer at some junk shop, making less than what he probably could make if he went to school and got a more ‘professional’ job or whatever. Initially, Aoba had refused, but he could really never win when it came to his Granny and… Well… Here he was.

And man, he’d rather be back in the Old Residential District than this place. He didn’t know where anything was, and that was exactly the reason for his undying gratitude towards Ren who acted as a personal GPS and navigated Aoba throughout the city. This was also why he felt so uneasy about being here—Ren. What if technical issues arose in his precious AllMate and Aoba didn’t have the appropriate materials to fix it with? What if…

What if he lost Ren? He’d never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Ren, not ever.

A breath of exasperation was released from his lips as he mulled over such thoughts, never really watching where he was walking and apparently tuning Ren out too, because if he’d been paying attention he might have noticed the woman he just pretty much walked right into. Light brown eyes immediately shot up from where they were trained on the ground to the woman, apologetic and a little flustered that he’d just zoned out like that.

DMMd ships that ruined my life || Clearao

Clarity in time

Sing the song for me

Take my hand in yours

We take our step

Our love crystalline freeze this frame for me

Even if fate shall wait in the way