#tetsuoverse

“…The entire world?” asked the tall one, taking a rock and throwing it at the water.

It bounced a few times.

“Would he do it? Would he do that?” asked, in turn, the small one, to then also answer “I think he would do that.”

Kaneda squinted.

“That’s some serious accusation you’re making.” replied the tall one, rather snidely “What even gives you that idea?”

The small one seemed to lower her head.

“I was… hoping you’d tell me…” she muttered “I mean, you know him, don’t you?”

The tall one scoffed.

“Nobody does. Not even his own fucking friends. He’s a bag of cats.”

Then he took another rock to throw. It bounced a few more times.

The small one seemed to tilt her head.

“But he is the most powerful, right?”

The tall one leaned back with a bit of an annoyed sigh.

“By a hair, but yeah.”

“So he’s the only one who could do it… The only suspect!”

“Could you maybe stop talking like you’re fucking five?”

“And he must have a motive too, but it must be too complex for us all to understand!”

Then he shrugged.

“Sounds smug enough for him.”

“But it’s not okay!” continued the small one “When you break something you care about, you can’t just chuck it away and start over, you have to fix it! Besides… What if it’s not true? What if he’s not making a new world and we’ll just die…!?”

Then she shrank, making the tall one look at her.

“Fix it…” he mused “That’s one of those things that are easier to say.”

“But better than dying.” jeered the small one, crossing her arms, and the tall one scoffed again.

“Kaneda’s been teaching you well, hasn’t he? Always with that tough cookie shit, always staying alive no matter how much of a hellhole that fucking city is…”

Kaneda blinked in surprise at his mention, and decided to start approaching.

“It’s almost like he actually thinks it’ll be over someday…” continued the tall one, throwing yet another rock at the water “Or maybe he just doesn’t want to be a coward.”

It didn’t bounce.

“Hmm… I don’t know, I only see one coward here.” jeered, once again, the small one.

“Two.” jeered the tall one, back at her.

“Two.” reaffirmed the small one.

She couldn’t argue with that.

“Anyway…” groaned the tall one, as the small one took a rock herself, contemplated “I get where you’re coming from and yes, it could happen. He could do that. But it’s as likely as him not doing it. You just can’t tell.”

They were starting to look more defined. More recognizable.

“So… What should we do?” inquired the small one, inevitably unnerved.

She had short, dark brown hair. She was wearing a pastel colored shirt and overalls.

“There’s nothing you can do.” replied the tall one “Just don’t worry about it, it’s none of your business. I’ll deal with it.”

He had spiky hair and a cape.

“What- Really? Will you? Is it… Is it your responsibility too?”

“It shouldn’t be, but nobody else can take it.”

“Tetsuo…”

Then Kaneda stepped on something that made a crunching sound, perhaps a twig.

And both Tetsuo and Makiko turned abruptly.

And suddenly he was frozen.

Suddenly he couldn’t react, suddenly he could only watch as they promptly faded away.

And already guessing that it was…

“Late.” confirmed Hisako, after noticing her sudden awakening, and then tilting her head “It’s still dark… What happened? What was it?”

Makiko shook hers, smiling.

“Nothing, I’m just not tired anymore.” she replied, to then blink in realization and lean forward “What about you though? Are you okay?”

Hisako seemed to ponder for a moment, but then shrugged.

“I forgot. I mean, there was something… but I forgot…” she said, placing the doll on the floor, making it walk.

But there was a hint of doubt in those words, a slight disturbance Makiko could easily sense.

“Well, whatever it was…” she replied, her smile strengthening as she got closer “Remember that it was just a dream, okay? Nothing’s gonna get you, especially with me around!”

Then she offered a hand for Hisako to hold, and Hisako accepted and welcomed it with a squeeze.

It was softer than Kaneda’s, yet almost as warm.

“This is a good time though.” she said, smiling a little herself, then turning back to the doll “A good time to think, or so I heard…”

“Was that what you were doing?” inquired Makiko, glancing at the way its tiny arms were now being moved up and down “What were you thinking about?”

Hisako seemed to ponder again.

“Something you said…”

Makiko blinked again.

“Something I said?”

Hisako kept pondering.

Pulling. Tugging.

“Something you said when you were sleeping.” she clarified “It made me wonder what it meant, but I don’t know… I don’t know if it’d be okay to ask…”

Makiko’s features shifted into a bit of an intrigued frown, but it didn’t last much.

“You’re my friend, Hisako…” she said, the smile resurfacing and still as bright “And friends talk about everything, no matter how… not okay it might be, so don’t worry! I’m not gonna get upset, I promise!”

Hisako kept tugging. Ripping. Tearing.

“Okay…”

Then looked back at Makiko, looked back at Makiko with even more intrigue on her face.

“…Who’s Tetsuo?”

Then the tiny doll’s tiny arm came off.

And Makiko’s eyes widened, but it didn’t last much.

“Oh… Oh!” she replied, almost in a chuckle “Was it that? Just his name? Pffft, wow… You really scared me! I thought it’d be something weird!”

Hisako tilted her head again, but now in the opposite direction. With even more intrigue.

“It’s just…” continued Makiko, now pondering herself “It’s… a friend…”

And that seemed to shed some light, some understanding.

Hisako nodded.

“Like me.”

“Like you, yes… well, not exactly like you, because he lives…”

In my mind.

“…pretty far from here…”

Hisako looked back at the doll. There were still three limbs left.

Three limbs that could wait, because Makiko’s smile was starting to lose its brightness.

And she couldn’t allow it.

“Do you miss him?” she inquired.

Makiko was looking away.

“A little.” she replied “But we get to talk sometimes, so it’s not that bad. I just wish I could help him, because he’s always so sad… but it’s complicated…”

Hisako looked back at the doll.

“I see…”

Then put it aside.

Put it aside and offered a hand for Makiko to hold.

“You’re right, you’re very fast!” she admitted, to then smirk herself “Very fast for an old man!”

“What!?” exclaimed Kaneda, pretending to get very mad and ‘angrily’ ruffling her hair once he got close enough “How dare you! After all the things I did for you, you little scamp!”

Makiko chuckled some more, knowing it was just an act, and pretended to push him in retaliation. Kaneda barely fought back, and instead joined the chuckling.

“This is Azuma and Takeo’s fault, you’re not seeing them anymore. Bad influence.” he concluded, as both simmered down and sat on the fountain.

A passing breeze played with Makiko’s red scarf, her hands now pulling out the Kit Kat she had brought along from a pocket, and breaking off a bar.

“What about Hisako? Is Hisako okay?” she asked, seemingly waiting for an answer before giving it to Kaneda.

“Yes.” he stated, without a shadow of a doubt.

Then she gave it.

Even though that had been a bit of a lie.

“Man… this place sure hasn’t changed…” he continued, his mouth now half full “Even the mall’s still there! Guess it didn’t get as wrecked as I thought!”

“Well, they’re always rebuilding…” supposed Makiko, leaning over to take a look at said mall “I’ve never… been here before though, so I couldn’t tell…”

Kaneda glanced back at her, noticing that pause.

That hesitant pause.

“Makes sense. This city’s big and you’re young.” he replied, crossing his arms behind his head as usual, closing his eyes for a moment “But I’m an old man so I know most of it.”

“And you’re a biker! And bikers know a lot of roads, a lot of places!” added Makiko.

“Mmhm…” he muttered, somewhat absently.

Wistfully.

“I just want to know…” said his past self, resounding across his mind “I just want to know if I’m losing it…”

“We used to come here all the time with Kai…” he continued “…and Yamagata…”

Makiko blinked into a slightly intrigued expression.

“Was it fun?” she inquired, to then take a bite of the other bar she had broken off for herself.

Kaneda opened his eyes again, smiling again.

“Oh yeah, those were the days.” he replied, like the definitely old man he was “We’d have dates or just drinks, or both… and then we’d ride the night away…”

And he could almost catch glimpses of it, he could almost make out ghostly silhouettes of their bikes gliding in and out, as fleetingly as their youth.

Across his mind.

“Nothing mattered back then, nobody gave a damn.” he continued, now focusing on the sky, on the warm hues of the gradual sunset “Life’s too short and you only live once, that stuff…”

Then he turned back to her, again.

Makiko had been listening and observing attentively, resting a cheek on a hand.

Perhaps trying to visualize those memories herself.

Perhaps…

“Do you think I could have one too when I grow up?”

Kaneda blinked.

“Have what, a date? A drink?” he asked, in an obviously teasing manner.

“A bike!” she clarified, after giving him another playful push.

Kaneda laughed heartily and then rubbed his chin, as if actually considering it.

“Hmmm… I don’t know, we’d have to talk to your mother about that.” he determined, and Makiko tilted her head, wondering if he meant Kei or Kai.

Maybe Kei. Most likely Kei.

“Fair enough…” she sighed, getting up and going towards the nearby balcony.

Kaneda kept looking at her. At her suddenly pensive stare into the cityscape, at her lowly posture, at her hair and scarf resuming their dance with the wind…

“I just want to know if I’m losing it…” reiterated his past self.

“You alright…?” he asked, in a rather serious manner.

“Yeah…” replied Makiko, almost faltering but then promptly returning to the lighter mood “I just like this view.”

Kaneda kept looking at her, now while getting up himself and approaching.

“Pretty neat, isn’t it?”