Chapter 1
Author Notes:
This story connects heavily with the story of Midnight Suns: Convergence. This would explain Shidou Itsuka's side of the story that may lead into or run concurrently with Midnight Suns: Convergence.
Fictions Mentioned:
Episode 1
Insert Song: Start
Steins;Gate VN Image Song (PC) - 'Star-Crossed' by Kanako Itō
His name is Shidou Itsuka.
And he awakens all of a sudden.
"...!"
His breath gasps as he lifts himself from his bed. His eyes widen in contraction. His hands felt something soft. It was the sheets of the bed that he was lying down on. He looked from every side and saw a dimly familiar sight. Looking at them closely, there were the ordinary walls, the books that lay above the shelves on top of his head, the table and computer present on the left, all of it was familiar. From the windows, he could see the early morning dawning from the horizon, whose light overlayed the room in its orange taint.
It was his bedroom, back when he was a young teenager attending high school.
But why?
This was not a dream. Shidou could tell. He, at this point in his life, can easily distinguish dreams from reality. He had walked through his own dreams and spent many times through those dreams, training and training, to master himself, in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. This was not a dream. As impossible as this may seem, this was reality.
"Black Sun."
Something familiar spoke from his mind.
"BK?" Shidou spoke, muttering inside his mind. "What's going on here?"
BK, a shortened version of the name "Black Kingstone", or "Kingstone". It is the primary source of many of his divine powers and prowess, one that he had gained in a darker past. Superhuman physiology, mystical powers, and temporal protections were but three out of many properties that defined his power. The Kingstone also allows him to harness his own natural power, a spiritual power that allows him to hone extradimensional energies and take them upon himself to use. As much as he does not want to admit, he was a practical god walking in human form. On some days, that terrified him.
"What is the last thing that you remember?" BK asked.
Shidou tried to recall. Then he remembered. He had just gotten back from a random adventure with an old friend, mentor, and former superior officer. A man called the Doctor. In their last adventure together, they were running along with a part-time professor and adventurer named Indiana Jones who along with his current companion (and future wife, Shidou dryly thought) had gotten swept up in a HYDRA conspiracy, and this happened during World War II, on an Earth whose interdimensional coordinates are referred to as DCMK Earth-Prime. This summarized gist of it was that it involved a weapon of great power that could make the Axis Powers win the War. The Ark of the Covenant. Well, one of them anyway. That incident had ended up granting him a bit of a boost in power as the Kingstone absorbed the holy energy that was contained within the Ark, making it his own.
By the end of the adventure, he and the Doctor would begin to head back to his universe, a universe formed from the elements of his and another universe, whose interdimensional coordinates are called RX Universe-789. For better or for worse, that was his new universe now. Everything that he knew was almost gone. Almost no one...
...No, he cannot think about it now. Shidou needed to find out just what was he doing here. The very last moment had him attempting to step inside the blue box - an advanced ship that most people, including himself, called the TARDIS. He was not even inside when he suddenly felt an excruciating headache that sent his mind whirling into a chaotic frenzy. It was likened to a fog. A haze where his own consciousness had tried to navigate. Memories in the form of windows kept coming from side to side.
No, they weren't just memories, they were periods in time, personal periods of his very own timeline. His mind dragged on and on up until he reached a point that finally ended up with him waking up on the bed.
...He had travelled through time. Time leap. Mental time travel. Whatever you want to call it. He was back to a point in time when...
"...Wait," Shidou muttered. softly.
To make absolutely sure of where and when he ended up, he would open up his computer nearby and do a bit of research. The first thing he noted was the date. April 10th. His breath felt like it was taken away at that moment.
This was a very significant day for him. For on this very day... he would meet a woman who would set him out on a course that would change his entire life.
"...April 10th...Tohka..." Shidou muttered, with his lips quivering.
Memories of the past came back in full swing. In the past, when he was a lot younger than he was now, he had been tasked with sealing a category of women only referred to as Spirits, officially described as extradimensional beings who caused a specific disaster that had threatened their world for over thirty years and counting. A space earthquake, or spacequake.
It was the coined generic term given to a series of explosions, quakes, vanishings, and other strange phenomena that happened for unknown reasons at random times and places. For most, it was unreasonable and unexplainable, and the entire world had lived in fear of it. About 150 million people died in the first spacequake that happened in the middle of the Eurasian continent. Shidou remembered looking at the photos of the devastation. Back then, he felt unpleasant. With further context, he felt a sense of guilt and responsibility to atone.
Some part of it felt like that was his fault. His entire existence could be classified as a sin. For he was the son of the First Spirit, born from a reincarnating cycle that had been contributed by a separated past self who had become his father, both in that time as well as the current time of now. Shinji Takamiya. His father. And Shidou, at this time, had taken on a new name. Shidou Takamiya. A freshly new start.
He wondered what his father had been doing back in his time. If he knew of his current state, he would probably be worried about him. Or anyone else back home would worry about him for that matter.
Researching further, it was the usual news. The spacequakes were suddenly gaining frequency. That meant that the Spirit - Tohka Yatogami - the first Spirit that he met was just around the corner. What concerned him more was how to proceed. One part of him may end up crying upon seeing any of the Spirits. Not to mention...
"...Kotori," Shidou muttered softly.
That's right. He was so focused on the current period that he forgot one simple fact. His adoptive sister - Kotori Itsuka - was alive and well, here in the past. Using his power, he subtly focused on a specific energy signature that he could immediately detect around the house. Right there, on the spot, there was Kotori Itsuka.
A young girl with red eyes and long, light coral-colored hair, loose without any of her ribbons. She was asleep somewhere in her room, blissfully unaware of what was happening with him and what would eventually happen in the following days to come.
"...This is concerning," BK spoke grimly. "A temporal complex phenomenon had arranged to send us back to this period of history. Whether this was deliberate or not is beyond my reasoning."
"If we're back in my past... wouldn't that mean..." Shidou slowly spoke as dread began to crawl in. No, he thought with a whisper. He'll deal with that later. He needs to think for a minute. An epiphany came. Cooking. That was the first thing that came to his mind.
To begin to investigate, he would need to cook a meal and try to cover his emotional state from his sister for now. No blatant interference. Just go through the motions. Fool people into thinking that nothing was wrong. Steel his mind. He would need to find out how and why he got here and what did this mean.
A few hours later
Kotori Itsuka woke up. With her white ribbons - showing her goody, little two-shoes attitude to her kind yet ignorant older brother, she would begin to head towards the room.
"Rise and sunshine, onii...chan?"
However, she found nobody there. She searched through every corner of the house, shouting for her dear older brother. No matter how much she looked, he was nowhere to be found. Where was he? Her mind thought with light concern. Maybe he went ahead of her on the first day of school? That annoyed her a bit, leaving the cute little sister behind. Perhaps she should think of a punishment when this is over.
In fact, her suspicions had been proven accurate when she stumbled upon a note.
Dear my beloved imouto
Sorry for heading out early, I thought of enjoying the fresh air before eventually getting stuck in the classroom for the entire day.
Kotori, changing her ribbons into black colors, would sport an amused look, looking at both the admittedly delicious food on the table and the note that had her brother's handwriting. "Hmph, I guess you're just bummed that summer vacation had just ended, huh?"
Well, she didn't mind this one bit. This was an easy opportunity for Kotori to head back to her ship - the Fraxinus - the one that was hovering in the skies of Tenguu City, invisible to the naked eye. In truth, a part of her was dreaded for the eventual day when her big brother would be sent to his predetermined mission. She - the ever so dutiful commander - would be the one who would show her big brother the ropes, what he would need to do, for it was the primary reason for her organization's founding. Ratatoskr.
To befriend, date, and seal the beings called Spirits.
That was the goal. With her and her crew aboard the advanced flagship Fraxinus who are available to assist him.
Operation Date A Live would eventually be underway.
A few hours earlier
Tenguu City.
The old hometown where Shidou Itsuka once lived.
Despite seeing it with his own eyes, it was a little surreal. Looking around as he walked in his old Raizen high school uniform and holding on to his bag, he saw people walking down the street. Men, women, and children. His amber-brown eyes were subtle yet sad.
Remembering the original timeline, it consisted of happy memories of all of the places in Tenguu where he brought each of the Spirits. The simple activities of dating which would help save the world. A simple yet effective premise. But it was a lot more than just that. He had gained something more precious. A family that consisted of women who were, one way or the other, dealt with a bad hand in their lives due to either what they were as Spirits or even before that. He remembered walking with them side by side as they solved each other's problems despite the conflicts.
Even with all of the sufferings, he would never take back these meetings between the Spirits that he knew.
"Partner," BK spoke from his mind. "Are you alright?"
"...No," Shidou spoke from his mind. "This is... This is just too good to be true... and even then, if my fear is right and we are really in the past, then..."
He left it unsaid. He didn't want to talk about what was about to happen if Shidou was in the past. A part of him wanted to stay, but he knew that he couldn't. This world is doomed. The future in store for everyone would be something unexpected and unwelcome. A tragedy spread out across the vast universe beyond.
...He needed to leave. He has no place here.
But how can he leave?
Well...
He already knew the answer. He was just deliberating on what to do with that choice. He has a choice to call the Doctor with his cellphone. No matter what phone he uses, so long as he types the numbers, the TARDIS would respond to that call. The only dilemmas would be whether he'd meet the Doctor he's known or meet a past version of the Doctor. That tends to happen at times all things considered, but even then, it was a non-issue, just so long as he could call him to get himself out of this world before the inevitable chaos that was to follow. Another issue that could be fixed at least would be his current state, being trapped in his younger self's body.
A part of him wanted to stay in the past. He wanted to go through all of the suffering just to see all of the Spirits again. And his heart cracked a bit. Among those Spirits were... his wife and his daughter. As he remembered the chronology, after Tohka Yatogami and two other Spirits, he would meet his wife, born from the overall stress of taking care of the Spirits, created by his mother, to protect him from his death at the hands of the Spirits who went berserk with their power.
He thought of the woman he loved. While his face was subtle and indecipherable, his heart cried a little softly. It was taking every bit of his mental fortitude to not cry outright. He didn't want to draw too much attention.
"Partner..." BK muttered softly, concerned and empathetic as he could see the memories that his user was recalling.
Shidou remembered the woman who gave him everything. Everything. Including giving him a daughter that he loved more than anything. Would he be able to leave knowing of the inevitable fate that awaits everyone, including the woman and daughter that he both loved? This was the hardest choice that he was about to make. A part of him doesn't want to run. Yet another part of him beckons him to leave because...
"...I still have a wife and daughter waiting for me," Shidou muttered in his thoughts.
Yes, he had another wife and another daughter back in the time he was supposed to be. He can't stay, as much as he wanted too. The people of the past are dead and he cannot do anything about it. He had to get back to his time, for his family's sake. Even his father (reincarnated past self) was awaiting him. Everyone else was waiting for him.
"...I can't stay, BK," Shidou muttered in his thoughts. "I can't... I can't abandon the family that I have in the future."
That's right. No matter how much this hurts, he would need to let go. He had already done it long ago. He had moved on. He finally found some bit of respite from the suffering. He gained a family again and he cannot take it for granted. His wife - Rinne Sonogami - taught him to cherish what he currently had. He cannot be selfish, otherwise, he would not be the man that Rinne loved.
"...Rinne," Shidou thought. "...Rio, I'm sorry. Papa can't stay."
And somewhere around a private corner just near Raizen High School, he would attempt to dial the first number.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"...!"
However, much to his surprise, eyes blinking, he noticed his phone ringing. The screen showed the name "Doctor" in the screen. He picked up the call immediately and raised it to his ear. He could not speak a word because there was a foreign Japanese accent speaking on the phone who had beaten him to the punch.
"Shidou, listen to me, I don't have much time, so listen carefully. Stay where you are, and I do mean stay where you are, and don't call me back. Yes, you're currently stuck in the past of your world, but don't worry, your body in the present day is safe in the TARDIS along with a certain other Rider who got hit by the Leap Frog Effect. And you don't need to worry about the Time War coming down on your side any time soon. For some reason, the entirety of your multiverse is getting dragged out of the time before the War and would merge with DCMK. We're talking about an entire cosmology here, and your main world happens to be the epicenter of this convergence."
"Doctor, wait, slow down," Shidou finally spoke with a particular focus, sporting a grim and concerned expression. "Convergence? What do you mean by that?"
"Paradox visited. He recently informed me about HYDRA's latest scheme for their oh-so-called world domination master plan. Their first step is planning on merging your reality and seven other realities into the prime reality of DCMK. Once that happens, well, things are about to get a little jumpy across the interdimensional borders of a spacequaking variety. I'm doing what I can from my end, but I need you to do things on your end. Find all of the Spirits, meet up with them, and use Michael to unlock the memories of the Spirits' original timeline. The rest would work itself out."
"Elaborate, Doctor, by unlocking their memories, do you mean to say what I think you're saying?" Shidou asks.
"Yep," the Doctor said. "Due to the nature of this convergence, you're world got hit with the reset button, essentially turning the clock back to how everything started. That means that the Spirits would have a chance to gain memories of the original timeline that they've experienced with you. Though I wouldn't say that it would be easy all things considered."
He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. Shidou couldn't help but leak a few tears, but he tried to keep himself steady. He needed to focus.
"...You said one other Rider suffered the same thing as me, who would that be?" Shidou asks.
"That would be Jacob," the Doctor said. "He's currently on the other side of your world right now and he's a little grouchy about it. I've already told him the gist of the situation so he should be heading to your side of the world once he gets a few things done on his end."
Shidou couldn't help but smile.
"In any case, best of luck to you, hanging up now in the meantime," the Doctor smiled a little, with a tone of excitement, as he said. "Allons-y, Solid Snake."
After that, the Doctor hangs up the call, with Shidou mulling over what was said.
He didn't need to leave. He can stay. Sure, he's on a mission, but still, he can stay, and he can...
...He can be with the Spirits again. He can see Tohka and the others. He can see his mother, the woman who started everything. And he can see...
"...Rinne, Rio," Shidou muttered softly, with a sense of renewed joy even amidst his tears, forming a happy smile.
A resolve burns within his heart. He breathes a few breathes in and out. He needed to remain calm and think. First things first, he should probably head towards the school and plan his next move.
"...Solid Snake is on the move, Master, what should I do?"
There was a young woman with brown hair and ordinary clothing of dark green and blue. Something was wrong with her. Her eyes were... strange, black as night. Her aura was cloaked to prevent detection, though it was very limited the more she was to risk drawing near Shidou. Due to the latter's power, he can see right through her in a heartbeat, hence maintaining an appropriate distance.
A voice from afar - a tall man with glowing pale yellow eyes, grey hair, middle-aged Caucasian face, with a dark trenchcoat, dark formal gat, black tie, and business suit - responded. "Keep your distance for now and watch over him. He is the pawn that would set everything into motion. Without it, there would be no promotion pieces for me to draw from."
"As you command, Master," the woman spoke respectfully.
Class 2-4.
The same old classroom. Just as he remembered. Though there's nobody there. Then again, Shidou is admittedly rather early. He would sit down on the back, somewhere near the window, just where he remembered.
He was currently thinking of what he would plan to do. Thinking about what the Doctor had said, there seems to be a crisis that's bringing his world away from the past era. His mission right now was to find all of the Spirits and get them to unlock their memories again. Though, as the Doctor said and he agreed, it was easier said than done. It took a lot of painstaking effort to bring all of the Spirits to open up last time. This time would probably not be that different.
Though... even then... he's prepared to accept it all.
Then suddenly...
"...!"
Something shook him. He could not help but slowly stand up as he felt a very familiar presence. No, two of them.
"BK, do you..." Shidou spoke in his thoughts.
"Ah, I can sense it too, Black Sun," BK spoke in his thoughts.
His legs could not run. His eyes slowly turned towards the door, only to find...
"...Papa!"
...A young ten-year-old little girl with a beautiful reddish dress would head towards him with a cheerful and pure smile. Her pinkish deep eyes that were leaking tears of happiness. Her plum hair waved as she raced to her papa. Was it an illusion? No, it can't be! He could sense her. Even more so, he could feel her warmth as she hugged him with her little hands.
Instinctively, he grabs the young girl, carries her gently, and embraces her. Tears slowly fall down his bewildered yet happy face that was full of tears.
"...Rio," Shidou muttered his daughter's name.
"Hmm~!" Rio nodded, putting her hands on his chest. "Sonogami Rio~! You're one and only daughter, papa~!"
Shidou couldn't take it. His tears continued to flow and broke down. His heart felt lighter.
"...Ah."
Shidou turned straight ahead and saw... the most beautiful woman that he ever loved.
Short, light pink hair, with a part of her hair tied up in a braid that was likened to the crown of a princess. Light brown eyes that shed a few tears of joy as she covered her mouth with a gasp. Her skin was soft, one that carried a natural white complexion reminding one of alabaster, not too obstructive, and just perfectly balanced just as her figure was. Wearing the summer uniform of Raizen High School.
"...Ri...Rinne," Shidou muttered softly.
"...Shi...Shidou," Rinne quivered as she drew her hand away from her mouth, her tears leaking.
Rinne, not taking it anymore, draws close to Shidou in a light dash as she embraces him from the other side, with Shidou raising his other arm as they both sob uncontrollably. Shidou didn't think he'd reunite with his family so soon. A part of him was concerned about how this was possible, but right now, the only thing he cared about was that they were here with him.
Rinne raises her face towards Shidou. Both of them would softly make a loving, pure kiss, holding their deepest feelings. Shidou could feel Rinne's hand touching his cheek as they kissed. Her caressing touch which he missed so dearly. Rio smiled as she cried in tears, happy to be in the arms of her beloved papa and watch her parents' love unfold. Shidou and Rinne would let go of their kiss softly as they looked each other in the eye.
"...I," Shidou muttered. "But... how..."
"...I don't know," Rinne honestly admitted, with tears streaming down her face. "But..." She would embrace her dear husband once more. "...I'm glad. I'm glad that we get to embrace each other again."
"...Sa...Same," Shidou muttered, crying with happy tears. "B...But," Shidou reminded. "This is... This is the classroom. People... may notice."
"That's alright," Rinne spoke with a caressing smile and touching his cheek. "I... I can make use of my power... in a limited capacity for people to at least ignore entering the classroom. But... you're right, we should... we should probably not stay like this while we're in here."
"Does... Does the rooftop sound good?" Shidou asks with a smile.
"Eh?" Rinne spoke with a concerned tone. "But..."
"School can wait," Shidou spoke firmly, like the father of the family that he always was, holding on to Rinne's waist with his hand. "It's... It's April 10th," Shidou pointed out, making Rinne sporting a surprised expression. "...Ah, you guess it, that's why..." He looks at both Rinne and Rio. "I want to spend more time with you two. It's... It's been too long for me."
Rinne quivered her lips and trembled. Her happy smile was coming out as tears streamed down her face. "Hmm... anything for you."
And so, the reunited Itsuka Family were whole as they ended up going to the rooftop.
And the heart of Solid Snake healed.
"...Where the heck is Itsuka-kun? Itsuka-kun? Itsuka-kun?"
A couple of moments later, there was a bewildered Hiroto Tonomachi, the comedically forgotten friend of Shidou Itsuka who was looking for him throughout the classroom but found nobody there.
In another life, he was supposed to be given Shidou a magnificent slap for supposedly "flirting" with the cold-hearted short white-haired Origami Tobiichi, who in her current state, was subtly a little suspicious and concerned that Shidou wasn't here. But he was nowhere to be found.
The light brown middle-length hair and brown-eyed homeroom teacher, Tamae Okamine, was sporting crocodile tears because one of her students seemed absent on their first day.
"...Mmmh, one of my students had decided to cut classes on his first day... what did I do wrong...?"
Insert Song: End
OP Song:
MGS3 Snake Eater - Cynthia Harrell [With Lyrics] MGS3 Snake Eater OST