Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Death, Enzan discovers, is not the end.

He had been expecting—hoping—that it would be. That he wouldn't have to feel the aching emptiness in his chest anymore, or the numbness in his head that makes it hard to do even the most basic of tasks.

But maybe those pills he took didn't do their job properly. Or they did, and he's somehow resistant to them. It's entirely possible. People that use Cross Fusion even on a semi-regular basis have reportedly gained much stronger immune systems than normal. Though he hasn't used Cross Fusion in a long time. Could be that it's a lingering trait.

Or maybe the pills are just taking longer to work because of that. 'Resistant' does not mean 'immune', after all.

He still feels everything he did before he took them. He just wants it to stop, and he can't even have that much. Figures.

"Ijuuin Enzan."

His eyes fly open.

A black space dotted with stars fills his vision. In the distance, there's what looks like a planet, but it's not Earth. The continents look wrong.

Someone walks into his line of sight, and with a jolt he recognises Barrel. The man looks older than the version he and the other Cross Fusion members knew, but not quite as old as the one who contacted them after the whole... thing, with Duo.

More time weirdness. Wonderful.

"How do you feel?" the colonel asks.

"Why am I not dead?" is the first thing out of Enzan's mouth.

"You are."

What.

"Those pills you took did work," Barrel tells him. "You're as dead as any corpse, Ijuuin Enzan."

He gets to his feet, staring up at the man. The colonel is still ridiculously tall, even slightly hunched over from age. Or maybe he's just short. He never really did get much of a growth spurt.

"The reason you're here is because Duo snatched your soul before it could pass on," Barrel says, raising his eyes to look at something far above Enzan's head.

He turns around and nearly jumps out of his skin.

Duo is there, staring down at the two of them, completely silent. There's an oppressive air about him, same as there was the first time he showed up, but it seems... muted, somehow. Like he's trying to suppress it.

"...Why?" Enzan manages, forcing himself to turn back to Barrel.

"Because you were one of his Chosen."

"That's not what I..."

"You have regrets, don't you?" Barrel asks, though the way he says it makes it seem more like a statement.

Startled, Enzan nods.

"More than most people your age, I think," the colonel goes on. "How old are you now, fifteen? Sixteen?"

"I don't know," Enzan admits. "I stopped keeping track a while ago."

"And the days all just blurred into one, didn't they?"

"...Something like that."

"What if you had a second chance, to put those regrets to rest?"

Enzan blinks. "A second..."

He remembers, quite suddenly, that Duo can bring people back to life. Like Dr Regal and Yuriko, the latter of whom is still alive and nigh unkillable, while the former only died because Duo himself killed him.

Panic grips his heart.

"No," he blurts out. Barrel raises an eyebrow. "Don't, please, just don't!"

He spins around, facing Duo, ignoring the tears in his own eyes.

"I don't wanna go back!" he cries. "I can't take it anymore, I don't want to, just— just let me die, please!"

"You misunderstand," Duo's voice rumbles, shutting him up instantly. "I do have the power to resurrect your body, but that is not what is being offered."

"Th-then what..."

"If you remember, Duo also has power over time," Barrel says, coming around to stand in Enzan's line of sight again. "Combined with his power over souls, meaning life and death, he can send you back in time."

"Back in... But... Why?"

"Everyone wishes they could go back in time and change things. There's always a 'what if'. Given what your life has been like, there's no doubt you think about it too. Am I right?"

Of course he does. Once he realised how badly he'd messed up, how much he lost because of his own stupidity, he'd often try to imagine what life would have been like if he'd just... not been stupid.

If he'd listened to others. If he'd recognised his own shortcomings sooner. If he'd been willing to accept help. If he'd known how to be kinder.

He looks away, too much of a coward to meet the colonel's or Duo's eyes. Instead he accidentally meets the eyes of a black Navi, tall with ragged hair and a long cape.

Colonel, Barrel's NetNavi.

Enzan clenches his fists, trying to hide how much they're suddenly shaking, and stares down at his feet. All he sees beyond his dress shoes is the infinite darkness of space. The tears in his eyes finally start falling, forcing him to suppress a pathetic, childish sob.

A hand on his shoulder makes him flinch back a step. The hand is carefully removed, and he looks up to see Barrel in front of him, a sad look on his face.

"No one's ever touched you out of kindness, have they?" he asks, strangely gentle. "You don't even know what it feels like."

Enzan wraps his arms around himself, looking away again. Not at Colonel this time, or Duo. Just away. Anywhere but the man in front of him.

"That's why we're offering you this," Barrel explains. "Not everyone deserves a second chance, but you do. Because you want things to be different."

"...What am I even supposed to do?" Enzan asks, hating how weak he sounds.

"That's up to you. We're only giving you the chance. You can do whatever you want with it. Let me ask you, though..."

Enzan forces himself to look up again. Barrel is... smiling at him. That's weird. No one ever smiles at him.

"What's your biggest regret?" Barrel asks softly.

He doesn't even need to think about it.

"Blues," he whispers.

"Then I suggest starting there. I won't pretend it'll be easy—in fact, it'll probably be the hardest thing you've ever done in your entire life. But if something is worth doing, it's rarely easy. What do you say, kid? Do you want a second chance?"

"I... I have a choice?"

"Correct," Duo says. His toneless voice is oddly soothing. No judgement or hatred. Just facts. "Should you refuse this chance, you will simply pass on. Your soul will be at peace. There will be no more pain or suffering."

"And if I say yes..."

"It is highly likely that your suffering will continue. But as Barrel said, you will have a chance to put your regrets to rest. To... fix things, to use a human term. So perhaps your suffering will be eased, in some way."

Enzan lowers his gaze, mind racing. It's the most active his thoughts have been in a while, and it's damn near overwhelming.

If he says no, he gets what he wanted. An end to a life he doesn't want, no more pain, no more aching emptiness in his chest. If there's an afterlife, maybe he'll be happy there. Maybe he'll even meet his mother. Maybe she'll forgive him.

But if he says yes...

"When would you send me back to?" he asks, looking up again.

Barrel looks to Duo, who rumbles out a hum.

"You are unique, even among my Chosen," the digital god says. "You have died once before. It is a mark on your soul, a taint even. Even I cannot send you back to when this taint did not exist. So you will be sent back to the moment it came into being."

"You mean... when I forced Cross Fusion with Dark Blues?"

"That is correct. Though your memories of that time are fragmented, you did, in fact, perish. You have been permanently marked by the substance known as Dark Aura since then, as has your NetNavi. Should I attempt to force your soul into your untainted body, it would undoubtedly kill you."

Enzan winces. "R-right. So..."

"I will send you back to your first death. Your tainted soul will do no harm to a body that is similarly tainted, and you will be free to do as you wish."

"I can... I can fix things? With Blues?"

Barrel is the one who responds this time.

"That's right," the colonel agrees. "But only if you want to. We won't judge you for refusing. You've... been through a lot of pain and loneliness. You're well within your rights to just move on."

Loneliness, huh? Is that what this aching emptiness in his chest is?

"And... if I can fix things, what then?" he asks.

"Your life will continue until your final death," Duo answers. "You will not be given a third chance, regardless of any regrets you leave behind."

So this is, essentially, the one and only chance he'll have. It's one more chance than someone like him deserves, he knows. A lot of people would say he shouldn't be given it. That he'll just mess it all up again, because it's what he always does.

But...

Maybe, just maybe, he won't mess it up.

He takes a deep breath, wipes away his tears, and makes himself look Duo in the eyes.

"I want to fix things," he says. "I need to... Yes. Please, send me back."

He sees Barrel's look of pride and approval, something that's not usually directed at him. Colonel stands next to his operator, a slight smile on his face.

Duo nods. "Then your wish is granted, my Chosen. Take this chance as my blessing."

The digital god raises his arm in a grand gesture, and a bright ball of light shines into existence in front of Enzan. He reaches out to touch it.

And everything goes white.

Chapter Text

He wakes up in a greyscale and mildly-terrifying version of his childhood home. Vague memories of this resurface in his mind, from his... his first death, Duo had called it. He hadn't even been aware that he'd died. Did anyone else know? Did they just not tell him? Did... they not care to?

"So even you have your moments of weakness, huh?" a mocking growl of a voice sneers.

Dark Blues appears in front of him, sharp teeth bared in a smirk. One hand is on his hip while the other is transformed into his Dark Sword, held loosely by his side.

"Right before you died, you remembered the place you were born," the Darkloid goes on. "Didn't think someone like you would have any sentiments like this. But hey, that'll just make this more... Wait a second."

Dark Blues frowns, straightens, and looks Enzan up and down.

"You're different," he says, visibly confused. "And there's Dark Aura in you, but it's... old. How is that possible...?"

Enzan tries to remember what happened before. He knows this isn't the real Blues, that the Dark Aura had sealed him away, but how did he manage to get rid of this one? Not through any kindness, he's sure, and he'd rather not repeat his mistakes. Being cruel with Dark Blues never worked anyway—it only just made him more of a target for the Darkloid's twisted revenge.

What if he wakes the real Blues up, and they take on Dark Blues together? Or maybe that wouldn't work. Blues had been terrified of him back then—now?—and that fear had only morphed into hate and eventually apathy by the time they'd been separated.

But if Dark Blues can sense something is different already...

Maybe that means Blues can too.

"Hey," Dark Blues snaps, making him jump. "Don't ignore me, brat! What happened? Why do you already have Dark Aura in you?"

Enzan turns away, looking for any clues as to where Blues could be sealed. Dark Blues bristles, eyes flashing red under his shades, and he's in front of Enzan in the blink of an eye and grabbing his shirt to hoist him into the air.

He never realised how tall his Navi is compared to him. Most people are taller than him, but his own NetNavi...

"I said don't ignore me!" Dark Blues snarls, shaking him. "What have you done!? Answer me!"

A realisation hits—or maybe a memory—and he acts on it impulsively.

He blips away from Dark Blues, reappearing a few metres away, and the Darkloid stares at him in shock. That had felt weirdly natural, even if he's human. Like an Area Steal. Or a Step Sword. Maybe it's sort of ingrained into his mind.

"...Right, this is a mindspace, of course," Dark Blues realises, after a few moments of silence.

The same realisation Enzan just had. Anything they think of can become reality in here. It goes both ways, but Darkloids are never really that imaginative. Or the normal ones aren't, anyway.

"Alright then," Dark Blues says, grinning with all his sharp, sharp teeth. "I'll make it so you can't ignore me!"

The scenery around them turns black. Only the floor between them seems to exist, and Enzan has nothing else to look at. 'Can't ignore me' indeed.

"How's that, huh?" Dark Blues mocks, taking slow, menacing steps forward. The floor behind him vanishes as he gets closer, until there's just a foot of space between them.

Enzan cringes and looks away, into the darkness. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Dark Blues tensing and belatedly realises he probably shouldn't have done that.

"PAY ATTENTION TO ME!" Dark Blues screams, lashing out with his Dark Sword, and Enzan gasps as white-hot pain explodes across his torso.

He staggers back a few steps and Dark Blues lets him. Looking down, he sees a bleeding gash, and puts a trembling hand over it. The blood feels... oddly cold. And he swears he can see flecks of something dark in it. Or maybe he's hallucinating.

"What, got nothing to say?" Dark Blues demands sharply. "The oh-so-mighty Ijuuin Enzan has finally learned how to shut up, is that it? And it only took killing yourself for a NetNavi you hate, what a joke!"

"...What do you want from me?" Enzan whispers.

"Oh, he speaks!"

"Blues..."

"I'm not Blues!" the Darkloid snaps, Dark Sword flashing out.

He doesn't bother dodging. More pain, more blood, this time on his left side. He can't keep his weight on his left leg without almost falling over, so he has to lean mostly on his right.

"Tell me where you are, Blues," Enzan calls out. "Tell me what you want. Please."

"Shut your damn mouth!"

Another slash, and Enzan can't keep himself upright anymore. Blood splatters on the floor as he lands heavily, gasping and heaving, holding himself tight. It feels like he's trying to keep himself together. Maybe he is.

"Stop trying to talk to him!" Dark Blues shouts, eyes burning and Dark Aura flaring. "Blues is gone, you hear me!? I'm the only one here!"

Enzan raises his head and looks the Darkloid in the eyes.

"He's still here," he says. He can at least be proud of how little his voice shakes.

"HE'S GONE! I DELETED HIM, HE'S DEAD!"

"No. He's alive. And I'm not stopping until I find him."

Dark Blues lets out a wordless scream of rage and he charges. Enzan flinches, covering himself, though he knows it won't do much good.

Clang!

The pain he expects doesn't come. That on its own is puzzling enough, but then he hears a choked gasp from Dark Blues and the unmistakable sound of— two? Sets of feet scrambling around. And then a voice, almost identical to Dark Blues's but missing the mocking growl and rage.

"Leave him alone!"

Enzan's eyes fly open.

Blues is grappling with Dark Blues, both of them with their Swords out. He's never been more relieved to see his NetNavi in his entire life, not just for the rescue—despite his conviction, he had been afraid that Blues just wouldn't come.

The fight is quick and brutal. There's none of the usual exchanging of blows or swordsplay, just Dark Blues losing himself to rage and Blues doing everything in his power to stop him. The darkness surrounding them shakes, expands, until there's more room and then there's walls and a ceiling and the Navi and Darkloid are throwing each other into them.

"GO!" Blues shouts at Enzan, hauling himself out of a cracked wall, and then Dark Blues slams into him and they end up in a dark space beyond the manor.

"Blues—"

"Just go! Our body is— ow— You need to stop it from doing more damage! I-I'll hold him off, go!"

For once in his life, Enzan listens to his Navi.

A blast of Dark Aura slams into the wall, blasting it open, and Netto freezes for a split second because that had come so close to being his head. A distorted screech jolts him back into reality and he dives out of the way, just barely dodging a wild attack from Ijuuin.

Or what he assumes is Ijuuin. This... thing that he became when he used the Synchro Chip on Dark Blues barely looks or acts human.

Its mouth is a too-wide slit with sharp, jagged teeth. Red eyes burn under its shades. It has claws instead of fingers, and moves with a lurching gait that honestly looks like it's just throwing itself around randomly. Not to mention the sickly Dark Aura flaring around it, bleeding like smoke.

God. Is Ijuuin even still alive? There's no way any human can look like that and still be alive.

The thing screeches again, making the air itself tremble, and Netto claps his hands over his audio receptors with a flinch.

"Move!" Rockman snaps, and he throws himself to the side without question.

A wave of Dark malice scores a deep trench where he was just standing. The thing that might be Ijuuin launches itself into the air, claws pulled back for a strike, and Netto scrambles away with a gasp, leaving it to slam into the floor.

Dust and debris fly into the air. For a split second he thinks it's stuck, because he hears a frustrated growl, but then it darts out of the cloud and comes at him with another shriek, swiping with a speed he sincerely wishes it didn't have.

It takes all of his energy to dodge everything, and even then he still gets nicked once or twice. Sharp, burning pain flares from even just the tiniest of scratches, and he knows it's from the Dark Aura, but it still terrifies him.

"Netto!" his papa's voice shouts through a voice call. "We're going to try using another Vaccine Chip, keep him still as long as you can!"

"That's kinda hard right now!" Netto yelps, ducking another wild swing, and he kicks out to make it stumble so he can at least put some distance between them.

"Searchman, is there any way you can shoot a Freeze Bullet in there?" Laika's voice asks.

"Not with how erratic Ijuuin's movements are," comes the regretful response. "I risk hitting Rockman or just missing entirely."

"Maybe some kinda homing attack?" Meiru-chan suggests.

"We don't have one. I was going to try programming one at some point, but..."

"Rock Buster!" Netto shouts, shooting several times. The blasts at least make the thing pause, but they don't do any visible damage.

Just make it more angry, it looks like. He has to throw himself out of the way again, and he charges his Buster, then lets the shot loose—though the thing simply slices through it and is on top of him in the blink of an eye.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he panics, grabbing its wrists and kicking up. "Get off, get away!"

He ends up kicking it halfway to the ceiling, which at least gives him time to get out of the way before it crashes back down. It lands in a heap, screaming in what he thinks might be pain (probably the first time he's done anything resembling damage to it), and thrashes around on the floor like it's throwing a tantrum.

Ijuuin throws a lot of tantrums himself, but never anything like this. Netto will honestly be glad if the jerk comes back, so long as it means never seeing this nightmare again.

"Download the Vaccine, now!" Papa exclaims, and he hears people scrambling to obey through the call.

The thing is on its feet before the Vaccine Chip materialises, and it screams and lashes out, smashing it to pieces. Then it turns on Netto, snarling, and he backs away with his hands up to try and defend himself.

It moves so fast he doesn't even have time to blink, and suddenly he's slamming into a wall with the thing scratching at his bodysuit and biting with its terrifying slit-mouth. He's vaguely aware of people shouting—Rockman, Papa, his friends—and he tries to shove its head away, but it's too strong.

And then, all of a sudden, it flings itself away. He gasps, chokes more like, and forces himself to his feet just in time to see it slamming its head against the floor.

"What the..." he murmurs, holding his arm close to his side.

"Ssstop... it..." the thing chokes out. Its voice is so distorted and glitchy that it barely even sounds like Ijuuin. "No... Stop, sss... s-stop..."

Netto takes a step forward and its head snaps up, eyes burning. He freezes, but it only shrieks and grabs its head, digging its claws in until its helmet actually cracks.

It yanks the helmet off, hurling it away, and it shatters into pixels. But Netto's attention is on the thing, which is rolling around on the floor and apparently doing its level best to claw apart its own head.

Another shriek and it looks at him, one eye burning red and the other flickering blue. Black tears run down its face and it thrashes wildly.

"Ijuuin," Netto breathes, realising hitting like a truck.

"He's trying to take back control!" Rockman exclaims. "Papa, use the Vaccine Chip again!"

"Meijin!" Papa snaps.

"On it!"

"Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!" the thing—or maybe Ijuuin—screams. Its claws are digging in so much that it's actually bleeding, and its slit-mouth is spitting up bits of blood as well.

Netto doesn't think. He just acts.

He uses an Area Steal—the only Battle Chip he still has left—and is at Ijuuin's side in a flash, holding him down. It's hard with the wild thrashing and the blood makes him wanna be sick, but he makes himself do it, because this might be the only chance they have.

Ijuuin's next shriek is weaker, and his legs kick out and almost hit Netto. In response, Netto climbs on top of him, pinning his legs down with his knees and keeping his hands on his wrists.

"Vaccine Chip, slot-in!" someone shouts.

This time it manages to shoot, and Netto moves just in time for it to hit the emblem on Ijuuin's chest. Unfortunately that only seems to make Ijuuin more frantic, or maybe the thing is taking back control, because its eyes are both burning red again and its scream is so loud that he has to let go and throw himself away to cover his ears.

Its emblem is shining now, sparking with light, but the Dark Aura still flares around it. It twists in ways that look like they should be impossible, ways that make Netto remember every single horror movie he promised his mama he wouldn't watch until he was old enough, and a part of him wonders if this whole thing isn't gonna kill Ijuuin even if they can turn him back to normal.

And then the thing's eyes flick blue and Ijuuin jolts to his feet, twitching and shaking and gripping his head again.

He looks up, right at Netto.

"H-help..." he whispers.

Netto has never been the kind of person who ignores a plea for help.

He cautiously steps closer, keeping his hands out in what he hopes is a soothing gesture. He feels something like fear from Rockman, or maybe it's anticipation or wariness or something, but his Navi doesn't stop him.

"It'll be okay," Netto says softly, quietly marvelling at how absurd it is that he's trying to comfort Ijuuin of all people. "We can help, okay? You just gotta let us. Alright?"

"N-Net... to..."

"That's right, it's me, Netto. I'll help you. Just stay—"

Ijuuin shrieks and he very nearly jumps out of his skin, flinching back. The sudden movement makes Ijuuin wail and he starts thrashing again, eyes flickering between red and blue, and then his Sword forms on his arm and Netto readies himself for an attack.

Except that doesn't happen. Not in the way he expects.

Because Ijuuin turns the Sword on himself.

Panic makes Netto move faster than he ever has before, grabbing it and forcing it down. Ijuuin screeches, lashing out with his claws, and Netto tightens his grip and yanks Ijuuin onto the floor so he can pin him down again.

"Hold still!" he tells Ijuuin, who shrieks loud enough to deafen him for a brief moment, and he grabs the shining emblem.

He did it once before. He'd almost repelled the Dark Aura from Blues. This time it's way more potent, but it's also been shot with a Vaccine Chip at least twice—before Cross Fusion and after it—so hopefully that'll help.

The Dark Aura flares wildly, and then begins to flow from Ijuuin's emblem and up Netto's arm until it reaches his own emblem. It feels sickly and horrible, making him wince, but he puts up with it because he knows Ijuuin is feeling worse right now, and they don't get along at all but he does not want anyone to hurt this much.

His PET, centred on his emblem, begins purifying the Dark Aura. Ijuuin's struggling weakens until he's just barely moving, gasping and actually sobbing.

A bright, blinding light shines. Netto keeps holding on, squeezing his eyes shut. He refuses to let go.

Slowly, the light fades. He doesn't move until the spots in his eyes have gone too, and even then he only cautiously opens his eyes, half-expecting to see the thing that'll probably haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life.

Instead he sees Ijuuin, no longer in Cross Fusion. His eyes are closed and there's blood on his face—from his own clawing and around his mouth. His PET lies nearby, screen flickering, but on it is the unmistakable form of Blues, slumped against the side with his arms wrapped around himself.

Relief floods his body and he Crosses Out, too exhausted to catch his own PET as it clatters to the floor. He practically collapses on top of Ijuuin.

"N-Netto-kun," Rockman says weakly.

"I know," he replies, with some effort. He forces himself up again, off Ijuuin so he can check him over. He pats the boy's cheek, ignoring the blood and black tears. "Hey. Ijuuin. You alright? C'mon, wake up, I gotta make sure you're okay."

Ijuuin doesn't respond. Fear gives Netto more clarity and he shakes him.

"Ijuuin, please, will you wake up already?" he begs. "Open your eyes! Please!"

"...Pulse..."

He jumps, startled, and looks at Ijuuin's PET. Blues has raised his head and he's trembling all over, but he spoke.

"There's... a pulse..." the red Navi whispers.

So Ijuuin's alive, at least. Just unconscious. Which might still be bad.

Rapid footsteps make him look up, and Netto sees everyone—Papa, Meijin, all his friends—running into the building. They must have taken down the Dimensional Area right after he Crossed Out.

"H-he's not waking up," he blurts out, sitting up. "Papa, he's not—"

"It's okay, we can take over," Papa tells him, crouching by his side. "Meijin, Laika-kun, could you—"

"Way ahead of you, Hikari-hakase," Meijin interrupts, already kneeling by Ijuuin with Laika.

Some vague, distant part of Netto's tired brain remembers they're both pretty good with First-Aid. That's good.

Meiru-chan picks up both Netto's and Ijuuin's PETs, holding them like the precious things they are. She hands Netto's PET over and he relaxes a bit, but keeps his eyes fixed on Ijuuin. Everyone else is keeping their distance, probably not wanting to crowd either of them.

Papa runs soothing circles on Netto's back. He leans against him, tucking himself into Papa's side, while Meijin and Laika do their best with what little medical supplies they brought with them. No one was expecting Ijuuin to run in and do anything like this, so there's not much beyond what they anticipated Netto himself would need. He doesn't care if they have to use all of it though—Ijuuin is more important right now.

(And isn't that a strange thing to think.)

Eventually, Ijuuin stirs. He utters a quiet groan, shuddering, and Laika helps him sit upright and then keeps hold of him once it becomes glaringly obvious that he'll only fall over again otherwise.

"Ijuuin-kun?" Papa gently prompts.

Another groan, and Ijuuin wobbles a bit before wearily opening his eyes. Netto chokes down a gasp, though he can't stop his eyes from widening.

Ijuuin's eyes... They're both red, like they were during the battle. They glow faintly in the darkness, and he fixes them on Netto, unsettlingly steady.

"Thank... you..." Ijuuin rasps, and then promptly falls unconscious again.

Laika looks startled, for more than one reason, but he still keeps a hold of him. Netto feels his papa's stillness from where he's pressed into him, and he looks up at his face.

Papa looks pale. "It... it worked, didn't it? It should have..."

"But his eyes..." Meijin trails off, then tries again. "Why were they... like that?"

"I don't know..."

"We should get him to a hospital," Laika suggests, sharp like the soldier he may or may not be.

"N-no," Papa says, and he shakes his head like he's trying to clear it. "No. We'll take him to the Ministry, it's closer. Where's the van?"

"I'll get it," Meijin offers, far too quick, and he's gone within moments.

"You too, Netto." Papa looks down at him, giving him a squeeze. "You were hurt too, and I need to be sure that Dark Aura you absorbed didn't harm you or Rockman."

"O-okay," Netto whispers, still unsettled by Ijuuin's red eyes.

He doesn't even bother with a token protest as Papa picks him up. Laika does the same with Ijuuin, who's too unconscious to care, and the whole group heads outside just as Meijin brings the van around.

Red eyes... He hopes they're just a lingering effect of the Dark Aura, and that they'll fade. But a small, terrified part of him wonders if somehow that thing Ijuuin became has affected him more than anyone can see.

Chapter Text

Enzan is back in Duo's comet. That infinite mass of impossible space, with stars and even a few planets dotted about.

Duo himself is nowhere to be seen, but there's Barrel and Colonel. The former sits next to Enzan while the latter stands guard nearby, as if there's anything that can hurt them in this space.

"Did I die again?" he wonders.

"Not this time, though you certainly tried," Barrel replies, half-joking. "You're just in a coma, is all. You'll wake up."

"Oh. Okay."

He brings his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them. Looking at the stars is soothing in a way. Looking at the planets is something he'll think about later, though he's not sure how much of this he'll remember.

"You'll probably find yourself back here sometimes," Barrel tells him. "Comas, dreams... Those things might trigger it. You'll go back to your body when you wake up, don't worry."

"Why hasn't this place disappeared?"

Barrel grunts questioningly.

"Duo sent me back in time," Enzan clarifies, not looking away from the stars. "Last time this kinda thing got messed with, it... erased the whole planet. So why is this place different? Hasn't the future been erased or changed?"

"Technically, no."

He frowns, finally looking up. Barrel gives him a half-smile and turns to look out at the stars too.

"Think of time like a tree," the colonel explains. "You have the trunk that sprouts from a seed, and then branches form from that trunk. Choices that people make can create new branches, but the ones they sprout from are still there."

"So when Duo erased the planet..."

"It was more like forcibly cutting off a branch. He didn't do that with you, since it was just your soul he removed, rather than absolutely everything. Your original timeline's branch is still there, while the moment you were sent back created an entirely new one."

Enzan looks back out at the stars. "Is that how Duo explained it to you?"

"More like I got multiple lifetimes' worth of information all in one, and Colonel and I spent the better part of a decade or two trying to work it out. The tree analogy took us a good six or seven years."

"You made it sound so simple."

Barrel laughs. "I'll take that as a compliment!"

Another question occurs to Enzan, then.

"What happens when Duo shows up to do his test thing in this timeline?" he asks. "Will it be the same all over again, or...?"

"Duo might have power over time, but he's definitely not a being that exists outside of it. Maybe the one you'll meet in your new timeline will have some knowledge of the original one. Or he might not. Even Duo himself can't say for certain."

Enzan's vision flickers and he squeaks, startled. Barrel looks down at him.

"Looks like you're waking up," the colonel says. "Try not to freak out too much, okay?"

"What—"

The stars vanish and Enzan opens his eyes to the off-white colour of what looks like a hospital room.

He stares for a few moments, still reeling, and then sighs. Figures.

Yuuichirou puts a hand on his chin, leaning on his elbow. The data he's looking at should be impossible, and yet here it is, right in front of him. He even checked for tampering or any glitches, just in case—but nothing is out of the ordinary, save for the data itself.

Ijuuin-kun's medical records, to be specific. The boy forced Cross Fusion with a Darkloid and had his entire body essentially drowned in Dark Aura, not to mention that nightmare creature he became. He should be out of commission for a few weeks at the very least, like Detective Misaki was. He should still be severely injured. He should still be in a coma.

And yet he isn't.

Ijuuin-kun woke up a mere two days after that battle, and only a single day later, he's fully healed. The only thing that's still off about him are those red eyes, which continue to glow faintly, though it's only really visible in the dark.

Yuuichirou himself went to check on him. He even used as much specialised equipment as he could to try and measure the levels of Dark Aura in Ijuuin-kun. There was still a bit in there, but the same is true of Detective Misaki, and the Ministry as a whole has already come to the conclusion that humans affected by the Dark Aura will always have a tiny bit of that taint left in them.

That does not explain Ijuuin-kun's miraculous recovery. Is it because of Cross Fusion, perhaps? But if that were the case, Netto would have similar capabilities, and the wounds his human son received during that battle are still on the mend. It can't be because of forcing Cross Fusion with Dark Blues—that only hurt the boy more than anything.

So how...?

"Hikari-hakase?" Meijin pokes his head in through the door. "Are you still going over that data?"

"I need to figure out how this happened," Yuuichirou replies, not looking up.

"How about we try and work it out later? Let's just be glad the kid actually woke up. Our doctors said his heart stopped for so long that they're surprised he survived."

"...We have one other case of someone coming back to life like this, don't we?"

Meijin steps into the office properly, frowning. "Are you talking about Oozono Yuriko?"

"Exactly. Both she and Dr Regal were resurrected by a being known as Duo, according to the report we received from Commissioner Kifune. She possesses an uncanny healing factor, which allowed her to recover even from being hit head-on by a truck. Presumably, Dr Regal also has this healing factor. And now Ijuuin-kun came back to life, and he's healed remarkably fast..."

"You think this Duo thing resurrected him too?" Meijin asks.

"I don't know. Maybe. The circumstances are too similar to discount the possibility, certainly."

"So... Ijuuin-kun might have the same healing factor that Yuriko and Regal have?"

"Which essentially means he may or may not be functionally immortal," Yuichirou murmurs.

"That poor kid..."

He looks up, surprised. "You're the last person I expected to express any sympathy for him, Meijin."

"What? I may not like the kid and I definitely regret hiring him, but he's ten. He just went through absolute hell and we still don't know what effects that might have on him."

"True..."

Meijin takes a seat on the other side of Yuuichirou's desk. "So what do we do?"

"...I'm not sure. The best we can manage right now is to just keep an eye on him."

"We could move him to a proper hospital," Meijin suggests.

"How would we explain a patient who can seemingly heal from grievous wounds within hours?"

"Yeah, that would be awkward, wouldn't it..."

Yuuichirou heaves a sigh, resisting the urge to rub his temples. Haruka sometimes jokes he'll rub the skin off them one day, and even though he knows it's not something that can happen from simply rubbing them like this, he still worries. The irrationality of the human mind can be a powerful thing at times.

A distraction is in order, maybe. So he minimises Ijuuin-kun's data and brings up Blues's, giving it a quick scan.

"At least Blues's repairs are coming along smoothly," he muses. "Or as smoothly as you can get from having to rebuild a Navi from scratch."

"Dark Aura is terrifying," Meijin says, shuddering. "But he'll be all right?"

"Given time, yes. And there's no strangeness like there is with Ijuuin-kun."

"That we know of."

Yuuichirou gives him a pained look and he holds his hands up placatingly.

The office is quiet for a minute or two. Yuuichirou switches back to scanning through Ijuuin-kun's data, trying to work out just what happened to give the poor boy functional immortality and those unnerving red eyes, and Meijin seems to be undecided as to whether he should look at the screen or watch Yuuichirou.

Finally, the quiet is broken.

"Ijuuin-kun was asking about Blues," Meijin says.

Yuuichirou looks up, blinking.

"I was surprised too." Meijin shrugs helplessly. "His actual words were, and I quote, 'is Blues okay?'"

"He's never been concerned over anyone's wellbeing before, let alone a NetNavi's. His own most of all."

"I know. It's... weird. Forcing that Cross Fusion has changed him, physically of course, but also..."

Yuuichirou hums. "In terms of mentality, it seems. Do you think... Will he stay changed, or is this a temporary thing?"

Meijin shrugs again. "No clue. Personally I hope his attitude gets better, but we all know what he's like. Once he recovers, there's every chance he'll just go back to how he usually is."

Spending time at the Ministry isn't a new thing for Netto. But his reason for hanging around now is completely different to what it usually is, and some of his friends think he's kinda crazy for it. To be fair, he'd think the same thing if he hadn't been up close and personal to that nightmare creature.

It's been four days since they got Blues back, the real Blues, and Papa's told him about the weirdness going on with Ijuuin.

The first two days, when Ijuuin was in that coma, he'd sat by his bedside and just watched him breathing. It had been... unsettling. Ijuuin had looked so small and helpless, a stark contrast to his usual self. Netto's used to him being a complete jerk, snapping at the smallest of things and getting into arguments and just being a general pain to deal with.

He hasn't been to see Ijuuin since he apparently woke up, mostly wary that he's still the same as ever, despite everything that's happened. But Papa said he's different, at least for now, and Netto's worried, so here he is.

The medical wing of the Ministry has been through a few changes since he started working as a Cross Fusion-capable Net Saver. The facilities are way better than before, so it's basically a mini version of a whole hospital—or that's how he understands it, anyway. He's no good with that complicated stuff. But he knows enough, and therefore he knows Ijuuin is getting the best care the Ministry can provide.

Heck, there's even a room where long-term patients can stay.

He finds the right door, then knocks. There's no response from inside, but Papa had said that Ijuuin has been unusually quiet, so he just opens the door and heads inside.

It's a small room, with just enough space for a bed and all the medical machines and stuff. Ijuuin is sitting up with his back against a small pillow, staring down at his hands in his lap. Tubes and stuff are attached to his arms and there's bandages around his head, kinda like a headband.

But aside from his red eyes, he seems... more or less healthy. Pale and skinny, sure, but he's always like that anyway, something Netto always found mildly hilarious given how prone to picking fights he is. Yaito-chan sometimes compares him to an angry kitten, or maybe one of those chihuahua dogs. Something small and full of rage.

"...Hey," Netto says, a bit lamely. "You're... you're awake, then."

He can practically hear Rockman face-palming.

Ijuuin's eyes flick up to meet his, but he goes back to staring at his hands almost immediately. Netto shuffles his feet awkwardly, then takes a few steps toward the chair near Ijuuin's bed. When he receives no response—either positive or negative—he sits down.

"So, um... how're you doing?" he asks.

Ijuuin shrugs.

This is weird. Ijuuin's never been quiet for this long before. Not while conscious, at least.

"Papa says you've got the same healing thingy that Yuriko does," he says, desperate to fill the silence.

"...Yeah. Apparently."

Two words is better than nothing.

"What's it like?" he asks.

Ijuuin doesn't respond, and for a few seconds Netto thinks he didn't hear him, but then he raises a hand to his mouth and—

Bites it. Hard.

Netto jumps, startled, and Ijuuin's teeth sink right in, breaking the skin and making it bleed. He stares in shock at the open wound and it's only when Rockman loudly calls his name that he jolts into action.

"Oh god— uh— oh no—" he babbles, jumping up from his chair. "What do I— R-Rockman, what do I do!?"

"Get something to wipe the blood, first," Rockman instructs. "There's some sterile wipes on that table there, use them."

"O-okay!" he agrees, grabbing them.

"Now take a couple out and gently wipe Ijuuin's hand," Rockman goes on, as soon as he's sat back down again.

He does as his Navi says, and is a bit surprised when Ijuuin just lets him take his hand. Normally he protests—often violently—if someone tries to touch him. But however weird it is, it gives Netto the opportunity to carefully wipe away the blood, though there's not much he can do about the bits that dripped onto the bed. He'll have to tell Papa about this later.

"What were you thinking?" he demands, starting to calm down now that Ijuuin's hand looks cleaner. "Why did you... Why'd you bite yourself like that?"

Ijuuin lets him finish, then lifts his hand so it's more visible.

"Yeah, that's your hand, but why did—" Netto pauses. He stares at the wound. Or where the wound was. "It's... gone?"

"What do you mean?" Rockman asks, so he takes out his PET to show him. The Navi looks shocked. "It really is gone! But how... Is this the healing factor?"

"You bit yourself to show us how it works?" Netto asks Ijuuin, who lets his hand flop back onto the bed before nodding. "Why!? You could've just told us! D-didn't it hurt?"

"Yeah," Ijuuin quietly replies. "Still does."

"...How much?"

"A lot."

Netto stares. Ijuuin lowers his gaze, going back to looking at his hands. There's still a bit of red on the one he bit, but no trace of the wound save for a thin line that's gradually fading far quicker than it should be.

"Functional immortality," Rockman says thoughtfully.

"What?" Netto asks, glancing at his PET.

"That's the term Papa used. If this really is like Yuriko's healing factor, then... Ijuuin can still grow, but he'll heal from practically anything, even... even if he gets killed."

Ijuuin clenches his fists. Netto glances at him, wary in case he starts throwing a tantrum or something, but he doesn't move beyond that.

"If he can still grow, what about when he gets all old and wrinkly?" Netto wonders.

"I dunno. Papa isn't really sure how it works, and the only other people who have the same or similar abilities are... well, unavailable or—"

"—totally evil and insane?"

Rockman winces. "Yeah, pretty much. Speaking of which, we should probably be on guard in case Dr Regal tries anything. He's lost the only Darkloid he had left, but... Bad guys are always at their most dangerous when they've got nothing left to lose."

Netto's pretty sure he heard that in a movie or a cartoon somewhere. It's probably accurate, though.

A slight movement makes him glance at Ijuuin again. It looks like Ijuuin wants to say something, but he apparently decides against it and just watches the two of them. Mostly Netto, which isn't surprising—Ijuuin doesn't care much for Navis, not even poor Blues.

Still...

"What?" Netto asks him.

"...Nothing," Ijuuin mumbles, looking away.

"It's gotta be something. You don't just stare at people for no reason."

Ijuuin goes back to staring at his hands. He lifts the no-longer-injured one up and for a second Netto panics because oh god what if he bites himself again, but he just starts licking off the remaining blood instead. Weird, but... whatever. As long as he's not tearing open his own skin.

Where the heck did this sudden willingness to hurt himself come from, anyway? First he was trying to claw his head apart, then he tried to stab himself, and now he's bitten himself. Sure, Ijuuin's gotten hurt a lot during Cross Fusion missions—or he used to when he had a Navi to Cross Fuse with—but he never actively tried to get himself hurt. Not that Netto noticed, at least.

There's a saying about this, he thinks. Once is by chance, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern.

...Yeah, he definitely needs to tell Papa about this.