Seventh Fall - [Voice/Action]

[nothisbrother]

[Though he wouldn’t say it out loud, Naoi knew something was wrong.

Yuri had been gone for over a month now. Missions generally didn’t last that long—at least from what he’d seen and experienced himself. And Yuri of all people wouldn’t allow them to last that long. As much as the two of them don’t get along, daily threats in practically all of their conversations, he knows her and how she is. She’s a leader; she pushes forward and gets things done quickly, especially when she has a house of idiots (not including God and Otonashi of course) to get back to before everyone kills each other.

But today he understands why things have been so strange.

As he walks past Yuri’s bedroom, her door is slightly open. He normally wouldn’t care and think much of it but that’s not how it was left and there’s something different about the inside of the room from what he can see. He pushes open the door all the way and…

…It’s empty, with the exception of a few things.

Ah. So that explains it all.

He’s been through two similar instances like this (when Otonashi and Hinata first left) so he doesn’t even need to question what’s going on. In a way though, he’s disappointed that she’s gone. They may not have been “friends” but Yuri had been with him here the longest and he respected her and she understood him in some ways the others didn't, though it may not have shown very well at all just by looking and listening to them. It was a silent understanding and respect.

But her leaving also reminds him that he has yet to do anything with this “second chance” he’s been given and could be sent home any day himself with nothing accomplished. He’s come to realize that his lifestyle here has reflected his childhood almost perfectly, and that alone is enough to scare him. So after reading his letter and moving some of the guns she left behind to his room, he decides it’s time for him to change that.

Housemates, expect a knock at your bedroom doors. God has a letter for everyone and Yotsuba even gets an extra present from Naoi himself. Just a little something he needs to get rid of and move on.

When he’s done distributing letters and explaining things to everyone in the house, he opens up his journal to make an entry]

Yuri Nakamura has returned to the world of the miserable and the dead. She’s gone. She left behind letters for Mr. White Knight [Yes he’s referring to you Hisoka. You better understand otherwise you get no letter!!!], Sokka, Hayate, Shinji, Rin, Tsuzuki, Ange and Isamu. Come by house forty to pick them up if you want them, God doesn’t have time to personally search for you all.

[Later in the day, anyone is free to catch him at the battle dome, setting up a scenario or in his chamber practicing shooting strange blobby shadows on what looks like school grounds with the guns he took from Yuri’s room.]

Comments

[Voice]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang tries to focus on the positive side of things when people go home. After all, it's where they can belong and, even if they came from tight spots, there's usually some chance of happiness awaiting them. But it's different when regarding the deceased - and Naoi's tone isn't very helpful. Even with the playful way Yuri regarding her death... he felt hurt. And he responded very quickly.]

Yuri? No...

[Voice]

[nothisbrother]

[It's okay Aang, there is a chance of happiness for all of those in the afterlife!! Yuri just didn't get to her chance yet, unlike Naoi.]

It was bound to happen at some point. [It always does]

[Voice]

[savedtheworld]

I know. We all have to back someday, right? I still wish there was another way. No one should... I mean, that young...

[Action]

[frequent_flyer]

[Hinata responds to the knock at his door after a few moments of shuffling, apparently sitting entirely too close to his computer screen, cocooned in a blanket. The heroine of the visual novel he was reading was spilling her tragic life story, so forgive him if he's slightly misty eyed when he answers the door.]

[He was less than impressed that Naoi was the one who had knocked, perking a brow at the letter thrust at him.] Eh? What's this..?

[He unfolds the letter, holding it up and skimming it over. That, coupled with the explanation Naoi soon gives him, is just...]

[His expression crumbles, slumping his shoulder against the doorframe.] Th-thanks for... giving me this. [He forces as much of a smile as he can muster, which honestly isn't much of anything. It's painful. It's agonizing. But he can't show that. Not any more than his sunken expression already does, anyway.]

[Action]

[nothisbrother]

It's not like I could do anything else with it. [That's as good of a "you're welcome" as you're going to get.

He gestures to Yuri's room after a slight awkward pause.] I took a few of the weapons she left behind. You're free to take the rest.

[Action]

[frequent_flyer]

[He was doing a pretty good job of not losing himself, all things considered. But he can't veil that look of dread and pain and loss that overcomes him when he turns his head to look at Yuri's bedroom door, standing stalwart and indifferent, as it had been for a month. The physical presence and appearance of the door remained unchanged.]

[So then why did his stomach twist into a knot just thinking about it?]

Right... I'll do that. Thanks.

[And then Naoi was walking away. Despite their differences, a crippling sense of loneliness was seeping into him, and not immediately seeing anyone else... he quickly spoke up.] H-hey, are you going out somewhere? [He moved closer to Naoi's departing back, his sock-clad feet shuffling across the floor.] I could... grab my coat, and...

action; please correct me if anything is off since i'm making some assumptions here...

[trainwrecking]

[Of course Otonashi has noticed Yuri's absence, despite never getting to speak with her himself. When he finds Naoi at his door with a letter from Yuri, a cold dread settles in his stomach.

Writing letters just isn't Yuri's style. After reading it over, he glances off to the side, his feelings mixed. It meant some level of freedom from this, did it not? People spoke of Luceti as such a dreaded, unforgiving land that the afterlife seems like child's play in comparison.

Still, death is death. Otonashi takes a deep breath and folds the letter. He will have time to sort out how he feels on the matter. Right now, he has an entire house full of people connected to Yuri ― each of them close to her. Even Naoi, surely. Come hell or high water, he wants to make sure everyone acknowledges the pain he knows they must feel. The first step to moving forward is mourning.

And Naoi? You won't get out of this acknowledgment. The first words out of his mouth aren't words of shock or anger, no, not an expression of the ice in his chest or the twist of his stomach. They're understanding, worried.]

Ah... thank you. [Then, more softly:] Are you― no, will you be okay with this?

action; youre good bb <3

[nothisbrother]

[Naoi merely blinks at his question then nods.]

Why wouldn't I be? One less noisy person to raise their voice in this house. [His words aren't filled with bitterness, just... very simply spoken. It'd take a lot for him to admit that he is disappointed that she's gone and aside from that he can't say he's actually sad.

The only one in this house that he'd cry over would be Otonashi.]

[trainwrecking]

Noise level aside...

You did spend at least an entire year with her... [A year or more, wasn't it? Maybe Naoi won't feel the devastation that, say, Hinata and Noda feel, but it never hurts to check in. With Yuri gone, Otonashi has to take of all of these boys (and Yotsuba, of course).]

[Action]

[de_bel_survivor]

[At the battle dome, Kouki notice a boy setting up a scenario at the consoles.

► Leave him be.
► [Check him out.]

...Platonically. And of course Kouki's curious about what kind of scenario this boy is doing and how he fights.

So he walks over and take a peek.]

[Action]

[nothisbrother]

[Eyes off the ass of God Kouki. It's glory will burn your eyes.

It's been a while since Naoi has gone to the battle dome, so he's been standing there for a few minutes trying to figure everything out again. There's a beretta .92 strapped to a holster that's around his hips and a CQB-R sitting at his side with the strap around his shoulder.

As he's typing, he notices someone out of the corner of his eye and turns to look] Can God help you with something?

[Action]

[de_bel_survivor]

[Yeah, no. Kouki have seen far more glorious asses than this puny lil guy's.]

God?

[A blink, before his smile quirk into an amused grin. Out of all things, he wasn't expecting to hear that word from him. Especially a boy who, from what his senses are telling him, doesn't have any powers that befit such a title.

And yet, this boy speak as if that's the truth. That he is God.

It's almost enough to make the King of Bel laugh.]

I'm just curious about which scenario you're going for.

voice;

[entreats]

[ .. Geez. She figured this might happen after seeing Hinata's post before, but.. it's still so stupid. People returning from this place to go back home, she's almost turning numb to it by now. It's happened too many times before, so much that she mostly only still clings to Keiichi. Anyone else could just disappear whenever, she knows it. ]

Sounds like you're out of someone to yell at.

voice;

[nothisbrother]

You'd be wrong about that. God lives with a bunch of idiots--except for Otonashi.

[Not a day goes by when all hell breaks loose at some point]

[entreats]

Sounds like you have one perfectly sane person in the house then. [ Since she's not counting you, Naoi. ]

How are the others supposed to be idiots then? You and Yuri's level is pretty hard to beat, as far as I know.

[Action]

[rollypolyclover]

Yotsuba is coming! Who's there?!

[She throws open the door to her room and stares right at Naoi... Oh, well she wasn't expecting Naoi of all people to come and knock on her door. Normally he just barges in anyway. The disappointment is clear on her face as she goes to shut the door, keeping it open far enough so there's a crack she can see Naoi from.]

I've been good today, very good. Yotsuba's hair is in top form.

[Action]

[nothisbrother]

[Pls Yotsuba like he cares about your hair gosh!!!!

He pushes open the door (not that hard but enough so he can get it open more than just a crack), foot in front of it so she can't close it again and hands her a piece of paper with her name on it]

Take it, it's from Yuri. She's gone now.

[Action]

[rollypolyclover]

[She cares about it though!!! And how good it is. It's very good, so don't go and pull on it or anything like that. Jerk.

Before she has a chance to start pushing the door closed again Naoi is handing her a piece of paper. It has her name on, must be for her. Wonderful deductive powers are go. But wait, Yuri is gone?]

Yurippe's gone. [...] It's a shopping list.

[Yeah, she must have gone out and she wants Yotsuba to do the shopping! All the other boys in the house are stupid, so of course she was left to do such a hard job.]

action;

[contaeoro]

[This is the first time Maiza has done more than peek into the Battle Dome. He doesn't understand the weird technology here or how to use them or what actually happens when they're in use, but it's never too late to check them out right? He wanders in, looking around, and spots Naoi at one of the machines.

He doesn't know the kid, but he seems to be the only one around and Maiza, alchemist senses tingling, has answers he wants to get.]

'Scuse me. I was wondering how these machines work.

action;

[nothisbrother]

[Unfortunately for you Maiza, Naoi isn't the most... helpful person. He may be able to remember how to work these things himself, despite not having come here in a long time, but that doesn't mean he has the patience to explain it.

So when the man comes over, Naoi gives him a slight glance then looks back at the panel, pressing a few buttons and says:]

God doesn't have time to explain it to you.

action;

[contaeoro]

[... He wonders if the kid just called himself "God" or he was referring to someone else. Did he just call himself God? In two hundred years this might be one of the first times Maiza has heard anyone call himself God. (He does know about Firo's, er, eccentric friend but as far as he knows that guy probably hasn't told Firo or the Gandors to call him God.)]

... Er. Could you tell me where I could possibly find out about it, then?

[action]

[shinesbrightest]

[Yuri was gone now, too? Just the fact that she's gone stings more than he expected it to, but knowing what she was going back to... That only made it hurt more. He doesn't want to deal with this. It would be better to just ignore it.

...but he can't. She was his friend. It takes a lot to convince himself to go, but eventually, he makes his way to house forty and knocks on the door. This feels so awkward and he doesn't want to be here, but maybe if he gets it over with quick...]

[action]

[nothisbrother]

[It's okay Shinji. Naoi doesn't want to be the one waiting for these people and giving out letters any more than you want to be here.

It takes only but a moment after he knocks before Naoi opens the door and gives him a quick look. He can't say he recognizes this kid as one of the ones who contacted him over the journals to say they were coming to get their letter. But it's possible some of them are just coming since he knows he didn't hear from them all.]

Are you here for your letter from Yuri?

[voice]

[rashness]

Uh, do you mean me?

[voice]

[nothisbrother]

God doesn't know who you are so I don't know if I mean you. If your name was on that list and you knew Yuri then I probably was referring to you.