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[tsukikoayanosuke]

Will You Be Okay in the Next Ten Years? - Ruikasa Week 2004

Day 6: Invention

(Inspired by Katekyo Hitman Reborn but no knowledge of said show is needed)

It was a sunny lunch break when Nene asked the question: “Have you ever wondered about the future?”

Emu, who was lying on her stomach, held her cheeks in her palm and elbow on the floor. Her legs swung back and forth as she asked back,  “Huee? The future?”

“Once we graduate from the academy,” Nene said again. “What do you want do you want to do?”

Tsukasa let out a chuckle. “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” He struck a pose. “I WILL BE THE WORLD GREATEST HERO!”

“That’ll be so cool!” Emu leaped into a sitting position, eyes gleaming in excitement. “You’ll go in a Gundam and whoosh whoosh BOOM! Save the world!”

Tsukasa laughed loudly. “Exactly! To be heroes and protect everyone’s smile.” He grinned widely at the group surrounding him. “Isn’t that what Wonderland x Showtime does?” Emu followed his cheer while Rui and Nene just smiled. Tsukasa knew they could change the world; he believed in them.

It had been a year since Wonderland x Showtime was formed. All of them are students at Mikudemy Institute, a military academy in this age of advanced technology with giant robots as the main weapon. Both Tsukasa and Emu are pilots while Rui and Nene are scientist/maintenance. They had a bump in their first mission which nearly cost their early disbandment. But they worked it out and became stronger than ever.

“How about we take a peak into the future?” Rui suggested. “I’m also curious about what would happen.”

“You can do that?” Tsukasa asked, already feeling excited.

Rui chuckled. “I’m sure I can manage. Huh… Maybe I can…” He went off into his usual mumble, slipping into his own unique thinking space.

Nene let out an amused sigh. “There he goes again…”

“Let’s leave it to Rui!” Emu cheered.

Tsukasa couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Rui. His brilliant scientist will no doubt impress them once again, no matter how big or small in invention is. Tsukasa couldn’t imagine a world where he and Rui would never be together again, especially after that first fight. They said a lot of hurtful things to each other, but they managed to sort them out. If anything, they became much closer than before and Tsukasa wouldn’t trade it with anything.

*****

“TA-DAA! The Ten-Year Bazooka is done!”

“The what?!”

Rui, as he promised, came back three days later with a giant purple bazooka. They might be in a military school, but Tsukasa was sure that didn’t mean Rui could carry around a weapon without a license. 

“In theory, it can allow you to swap places with your future self,” Rui explained. “Like a time machine, but without the whole ‘two versions of you at the same time’ paradox.”

“Why ten years though?” Nene asked, still in disbelief.

“Well, the world of next week probably won't change that much, so why not far into the future?” Rui said. “And if it works, then maybe we can make a proper time machine.” 

“You haven’t tested it?!” Tsukasa shouted.

“That’s so cool!” Emu cheered. “I want to go! I want to go!”

“Hold on, Emu.” Tsukasa put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from bouncing. “I’ll test it, just to make sure it’s safe.”

“Are you sure?” Rui asked. “The future is unpredictable.”

Tsukasa nodded determined. “I believe in you!” He took a deep breath and stretched his arms, “Hit me!”

Rui gave him a thankful smile and threw the bazooka at him. Almost automatically, it extended its mouth to swallow him whole. Tsukasa could hear a click and pink smoke covered his vision, causing him to cough. When the smoke subsided though, Tsukasa could finally see his surroundings.

He was in a room with white walls, ceiling, and floor. While the floor is clean, except for some trinkets here and there, the walls are covered with papers on every surface he could reach; printed articles with bold headlines, graphs and diagrams some crossed with a red marker, a pinboard with few photographs, sketches of what he could guess a human mecha armor (that Tsukasa remember is currently underdevelopment in his times). He was sitting on a bed whose sheet probably hadn’t been washed for the longest time. Beside it, there was an unrecognizable humming machine beside him and cables seemingly once stuck on something but were forcefully taken off. Beside where his head was supposed to be, there was a single worn-out platypus plushie that suspiciously looked like something Tsukasa sewed back then for Rui’s birthday.

There’s no way this is his room right? If Rui said that the bazooka was supposed to make him swap places with his version of ten years later, does that mean he’s going to be a slob?!

The metal door was suddenly opened, the light from outside hitting Tsukasa right on the eyes, making him cover his face with his hand. There was a breathy “What…” followed by the sound of shattered glass. 

There, standing by the doorway, was a man in their mid-twenties. Unkept purple hair with two cyan streaks tied in a sloppy low ponytail. His wrinkled lab coat hung on his skinny frame. Bags under his no-longer twinkling yellow eyes as if he hadn’t slept for years, but now those same eyes stared at Tsukasa with shock.

“Rui…?”

The man, ten-year-later Rui, crumbled. He sprinted to the bed and pulled Tsukasa into a hug so tight that Tsukasa could feel Rui’s ribcage.

“Tsukasa… Tsakasa…” Rui’s voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it for a very long time (but why? Rui is always the lovable rambly one), yet filled with heavy emotions. He cradled his head, pressing kisses on his neck that made Tsukasa blush.

“R-Rui…?” Tsukasa tried to shift his position but Rui tightened his hug.

“Please…” he whispered tearfully. He was trembling. “Give me a moment…”

Tsukasa hummed, unable to deny Rui’s request. He brought his hand onto Rui’s hair, caressing him. Rui let out a whimper. Tsukasa didn’t have the heart to pull away.

It took a while but Rui finally let go of his hug. He cupped Tsukasa’s cheeks and Tsukasa could finally see how weary the man in front of him was. Has ten years really taken a toll on him?

“You look so young…” Rui whispered, his thumb caressing his cheeks. “How?”

Tsukasa gulped. “I’m not… I’m not your Tsukasa.”

Rui paused. “Not mine?”

“I’m from ten years ago. You- I mean, my Rui, made a Ten-Year Bazooka just for fun. So, we can, you know, take a glimpse for a few minutes.”

Rui’s eyes widened slightly before they softened. “Are you… Are you close with your Rui?”

“Aren’t we?” Tsukasa asked back, not really grasping between the words. “You’re still in Wonderland x Showtime, aren’t you?” 

Rui didn’t answer but Tsukasa could see a flicker in his eyes. A brief glimpse of melancholy. “What happened?”

Rui let out a huff, the closest thing Tsukasa took as a laugh. “Stuff happened. Your Rui accepted your apology, didn’t he?”

“Yeah… Didn’t you?”

Rui sighed through his nose. He leaned down, pressing his forehead onto Tsukasa’s in the gentlest cradle as if he would shatter. “You can make a different future. A future where everything will be okay. Where you can be safe.”

“But I have you. Why wouldn’t I be safe?”

“I made a stupid mistake.”

“Don’t blame yourself.” Tsukasa reached for Rui’s hand and leaned against his touch. “I’m sure my future self wouldn’t want that either.”

Rui’s eyes teared up from that and he gave a small nod. “He wouldn’t… He never would…” He pulled Tsukasa into another hug and Tsukasa could feel his shoulder getting wet. “I miss you… I promise I will fix this.”

“What happened?” He had to ask the same question, but like before, Rui never answered him instead he shook his head.

“The future is not set in stone. This timeline is nothing you need to worry about. You’re gonna be fine. You have to…”

Tsukasa didn’t have time to question again for his five minutes was almost up. His skin started to turn smokey as he stared at Rui in panic. “What’s happening?”

Rui must’ve felt it too because he pulled back, his eyes tearing up again. “Looks like it’s time for you to go home.”

“What will happen to you?”

Rui quickly grasped his shoulder, grounding him for the last few seconds. “I’ll stay here. I have so much work to do.” He shook him slightly. “Please promise me something.”

Tsukasa nodded. “Anything.”

“I know I can’t stop you from being a hero, but please, stay safe. Trust in others. Let them help you. Despite what you believe, you are not alone. If my feelings stay the same in your time, then come to me, I’ll do anything to help you.”

That was a big request but Tsukasa was never one to deny a promise. “Okay.”

Rui smiled. He leaned down for the last time to kiss him on the forehead. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry for everything… I love you… You’ll always going to be a star…”

Tsukasa puffed into the same pink smoke. When it slowly disappeared, he was back in the past, and the first thing he was the devastated faces of his comrades.

“Guys-”

“TSUKASA!” Emu immediately hugged him so tight that he thought his ribs cracked. She was sobbing loudly. “YOU’RE BACK!”

“Tsukasa, are you alright?!” Nene was never the one to lose his emotions, but Tsukasa could hear the desperate relief in her voice. She went down on her knees and clutched his shoulders.

“I-I’m fine.” Tsukasa returned Emu’s hug gently, causing her to cry even more. “Did you meet my future self?”

Nene froze. “We did…”

“How was he like?” None of them answered. “Guys?”

“You don’t have to worry about it.” Rui crouched down beside him as well and pulled the both of them close and Nene followed in. “I’m glad you’re back…”

They hugged him tight as if they were worried that he would switch places with his future self again. 

Tsukasa would never know about what the rest of Wonderland x Showtime had seen. Rui never told him about the state of his body ten years later: broken beyond repair but someone has been desperate to put him back with machinery. But ever since then, Rui had become more protective of him. Something changed in him.

He might’ve used the bazooka a couple of times after that, trying to look for clues of that bleak future from the news headlines: ‘Five years commemoration of the death of Emu Otori…’, ‘The peace treaty has been broken between Japan…’, ‘The Otori Cooperation will never be the same!’, ‘Scientists suggest of an approaching meteor…’, ‘The search for Pegasus’ body continues...’

Tsukasa could see it in Rui’s eyes: fearful yet determined. The future is not set in stone, so Rui swore they would never get to that future where the scientist Rui cradled what is left of hero Tsukasa in the crater that was his grave.