Gekkoukan High School, Teacher's Lounge
Iwatodai, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
A letter slips from the dainty hand of the twenty-something English teacher. Her colleagues look at her, confused, for Takeba Yukari is usually the very soul of calm, collected confidence.
Within moments, she excuses herself, leaving behind a slew of confused co-workers and unfinished work. She goes to the school's roof, still the same as it was ten years ago, and there she will make several phone-calls. She hopes she will like what she will hear.
Kirijo Tower, Engineering
Tokyo, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
The empty clatter of auto-loaders lacking machine-gun ammunition like in the good old days and a soft gasp are the the only reactions to this letter.
Dr. Yamagishi and her assistant Aigis are numb. Both the spectacular brain of the Kirijo Group's foremost electronics specialist and the prototype cybernetic brain housed in Aigis' titanium frame are unable to cope with this sudden desperate hope that this is not a hoax.
This is when Aigis' in-built phone rings. Small-scale loudspeakers carry Yukari's voice clearly.
Yukari does indeed like what she hears from them.
Kirijo Tower, CEO's office
Tokyo, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
Kirijo Mitsuru is immediately on high-alert: A letter, simply being there on her desk when there was no letter five minutes ago. Silently, she questions the efficiency of her security detail, until she reads the letter. In short order, it is crumpled up, torn to pieces and then fed into her shredder.
She does not believe in miracles or hope any more, and indeed has not done so for nine years and fifty-one weeks.
Her phone - her private phone, not her business phone - rings. The number of people who have this number are very limited in number.
She barely hears Yukari's words - she hears excitement, fear and, worst of all, hope. It sickens her, both because of the sheer idiocy of believing this to be genuine, and because of her own inability to hope.
Their argument is short, but intense: Mitsuru wonders when Yukari acquired such a commanding tone. But she agrees to come - it has been too long since she last saw her former comrades-in-arms.
Rakuten Eagles Changing Room, Miyagi Baseball Stadium
Sendai, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
Iori Junpei does not lose his cool, not for a moment. Why this letter is in his locker, how it got here, it troubles him not. Neither do the letter's contents. A colleague asks him why he stopped, and Junpei realizes he's only half out of his uniform after a long day of training. Blaming it on the letter, claiming it to be a note he left for himself and suddenly remembering something important, Junpei finishes changing before checking his calendar and leaving to talk to the team manager. He needs a day off in a week, after all, for family reasons.
In his bachelor flat, buried under a discarded shirt, his phone rings and rings and rings.
Sunny Days Orphanage, Minato Ward
Tokyo, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
The letter that somehow slipped into the considerable stack of paper - why does he still have to file things on paper in this day and age, Sanada Akihiko wonders - and is met with a frown.
Calm, collected and efficient, the grey-haired man signs the last adoption form - little Terumi, may fortune smile over you in the future - and then turns to contemplate the letter he recieved. Hmm. Possibly a hoax, possibly not. First to make sure...
As he grasps for his phone, it rings. Startled, he takes the call, and in his talk with Yukari learns that he is far from the only who got that very same letter without knowing how. Interested now, if for nothing but the chance at a long-overdue SEES reunion, he agrees to come.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police HQ, Offices
Tokyo, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
The letter is acknowledged by Jr. Officer Amada, as is the subsequent phone call. Registering a vacation day for the coming week, Ken is perhaps the most silent of the former SEES members about the whole affair. It is, of course, his duty to attend: The man who helped him off the path of vengeance, who did the impossible and saved the world deserves at least the benefit of doubt.
And, Ken thinks, showing off his uniform to the others is hardly going to be a bad thing. In his most assuredly humble opinion, he makes it look great, unlike many of the older policemen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven Days Of Life
Various places, Japan
Thursday, February 27th to Thursday, March 5th, 2020
Yukari, the only one still living in Iwatodai, spends the next week preparing for the get-together. The invitations have been sent - even Junpei has finally called back and assured her that yes, he will be there as his team's game was moved (and, to her shame, she can't remember the rest of what he said) - and to cover her growing anticipation and nervousness both, she throws herself into making sure it will be a memorable reunion party, if nothing else.
After five days of intense preparation, she takes a look at her fridge and wonders who will eat all the food she prepared. Oh well. If nothing else, Akihiko's orphans will certainly enjoy the treat.
-
Fuuka and Aigis check out for a week, accumulated vacation time spent for the first time in four years (they are, their subordinates say, two very driven women). They do a lot of soul-searching, or, as it were, soul-searching and drive-integrity checkups. Their shared apartment is quiet, both of them withdrawn as they relive memories of that terrible day ten years ago. They had seen humanity's messiah, and they had seen him die.
They get into their car, Aigis' driving skills as peerless as ever. They make it to Iwatodai in record time.
-
Mitsuru is busy beyond her ability to put it into words: For her to take a day off, much must be arranged. Meetings are rescheduled, prototype demonstrations delayed and forms signed. Six days of double-shift work go into making one day available for personal use. She knows her lifestyle is hardly healthy, but it is better than the reminiscence on her failures that always comes with laxity.
On the morning of the seventh day, she considers once more the advantages of wealth: Travel by helicopter is something she wouldn't want to miss out on ever again. Something about flying makes her feel free, and she likes that a lot.
-
Junpei, invigorated, throws himself into training and the weekend game: Lauded as the his best performance with the team, the Eagles win a crushing victory. Happy at the prospect of meeting old friends and, of course, bragging about the way they totally kicked ass, he is the only former member of the Nyx Annihilation Squad who isn't the least bit apprehensive. Some would mistake his levity for apathy, but the losses of his teenage years (his best friend and his first love) have simply given him strength enough to deal with things, no matter what happens.
On the evening of the sixth day, he boards his train: better to arrive early, he thinks, to make sure he doesn't miss out on that gathering.
-
Akihiko faces the difficult task of explaining to thirty-three faces - frightened, tear-stained and apprehensive faces - that no, he won't be leaving them forever. He's going to meet a few old friends, yes, friends just like Yoko-san that is coming to watch over them while he's gone. The mention of the nearby school's red-head teacher calms many of their worries: she is intensely popular with the children and a frequent guest in the orphanage. Fortunately, Akihiko thinks, I don't have to explain to them why Yoko-san is such a frequent guest.
Boarding the train to Iwatodai in the morning with a worried look on his face - he misses the kids as much as they miss him, even though he won't admit it - Akihiko goes leaves for a long-overdue reunion.
-
Officer Ken Amada stops two muggings and one case of vandalism in the following week. As usual, his nigh-supernatural sense for trouble (secretly, he smiles at this: If only his colleagues knew just how supernatural that sense actually is) leads the young man to mete out justice. Though he suffers three bruised ribs from a particularly nasty side-kick, he is fit to leave for Iwatodai. When questioned about it, he mentions meeting old friends, and something about him - his voice, the look in his eyes, Ken doesn't know - make his Lieutenant grin widely and wink in a most conspiratorial fashion.
He is pleasantly surprised to meet Akihiko on the train.
~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~
Iwatodai Cemetery, Groundskeeper's House
Iwatodai, Japan
Thursday, March 5th, 2020
15:30, Afternoon
An old dog feels the light brush of thoughts long-forgotten. Come. Koromaru knows this voice, doesn't he? Come. And so an old dog goes once more, led by instinct and the touch of a hand long forgotten.
~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~
They witness a miracle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~
-semifin, need to finish at later date-
AN: "What happened to them in the meantime? Where are they now?"
Yukari: Teacher in Gekkoukan High. Single, but contemplating taking up dating again to avoid getting hit on by students.
Fuuka and Aigis: Working for the Kirijo group, involved with top-secret P-level research. Claiming to be single, but shipped together by their subordinates.
Mitsuru: Head of the Kirijo group. Working herself to exhaustion every day. Single, not contemplating alternatives. Frozen heart syndrome.
Junpei: Batter for the Rakuten Eagles. Having to fend off fangirls with his bat, he has not yet settled down with anyone.
Akihiko: Running the Sunny Days orphanage. Stable relationship with local teacher, Yoko L. Both are contemplating marriage.
Ken: Member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Though very young, also incredibly successful. Tight-lipped on his romantic prospects when questioned by co-workers.
Iwatodai, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
A letter slips from the dainty hand of the twenty-something English teacher. Her colleagues look at her, confused, for Takeba Yukari is usually the very soul of calm, collected confidence.
Within moments, she excuses herself, leaving behind a slew of confused co-workers and unfinished work. She goes to the school's roof, still the same as it was ten years ago, and there she will make several phone-calls. She hopes she will like what she will hear.
Kirijo Tower, Engineering
Tokyo, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
The empty clatter of auto-loaders lacking machine-gun ammunition like in the good old days and a soft gasp are the the only reactions to this letter.
Dr. Yamagishi and her assistant Aigis are numb. Both the spectacular brain of the Kirijo Group's foremost electronics specialist and the prototype cybernetic brain housed in Aigis' titanium frame are unable to cope with this sudden desperate hope that this is not a hoax.
This is when Aigis' in-built phone rings. Small-scale loudspeakers carry Yukari's voice clearly.
Yukari does indeed like what she hears from them.
Kirijo Tower, CEO's office
Tokyo, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
Kirijo Mitsuru is immediately on high-alert: A letter, simply being there on her desk when there was no letter five minutes ago. Silently, she questions the efficiency of her security detail, until she reads the letter. In short order, it is crumpled up, torn to pieces and then fed into her shredder.
She does not believe in miracles or hope any more, and indeed has not done so for nine years and fifty-one weeks.
Her phone - her private phone, not her business phone - rings. The number of people who have this number are very limited in number.
She barely hears Yukari's words - she hears excitement, fear and, worst of all, hope. It sickens her, both because of the sheer idiocy of believing this to be genuine, and because of her own inability to hope.
Their argument is short, but intense: Mitsuru wonders when Yukari acquired such a commanding tone. But she agrees to come - it has been too long since she last saw her former comrades-in-arms.
Rakuten Eagles Changing Room, Miyagi Baseball Stadium
Sendai, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
Iori Junpei does not lose his cool, not for a moment. Why this letter is in his locker, how it got here, it troubles him not. Neither do the letter's contents. A colleague asks him why he stopped, and Junpei realizes he's only half out of his uniform after a long day of training. Blaming it on the letter, claiming it to be a note he left for himself and suddenly remembering something important, Junpei finishes changing before checking his calendar and leaving to talk to the team manager. He needs a day off in a week, after all, for family reasons.
In his bachelor flat, buried under a discarded shirt, his phone rings and rings and rings.
Sunny Days Orphanage, Minato Ward
Tokyo, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
The letter that somehow slipped into the considerable stack of paper - why does he still have to file things on paper in this day and age, Sanada Akihiko wonders - and is met with a frown.
Calm, collected and efficient, the grey-haired man signs the last adoption form - little Terumi, may fortune smile over you in the future - and then turns to contemplate the letter he recieved. Hmm. Possibly a hoax, possibly not. First to make sure...
As he grasps for his phone, it rings. Startled, he takes the call, and in his talk with Yukari learns that he is far from the only who got that very same letter without knowing how. Interested now, if for nothing but the chance at a long-overdue SEES reunion, he agrees to come.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police HQ, Offices
Tokyo, Japan
Thursday, February 27th, 2020
15:45, Afternoon
Seven days hence, the school's roof.
Come.
Minato
The letter is acknowledged by Jr. Officer Amada, as is the subsequent phone call. Registering a vacation day for the coming week, Ken is perhaps the most silent of the former SEES members about the whole affair. It is, of course, his duty to attend: The man who helped him off the path of vengeance, who did the impossible and saved the world deserves at least the benefit of doubt.
And, Ken thinks, showing off his uniform to the others is hardly going to be a bad thing. In his most assuredly humble opinion, he makes it look great, unlike many of the older policemen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven Days Of Life
Various places, Japan
Thursday, February 27th to Thursday, March 5th, 2020
Yukari, the only one still living in Iwatodai, spends the next week preparing for the get-together. The invitations have been sent - even Junpei has finally called back and assured her that yes, he will be there as his team's game was moved (and, to her shame, she can't remember the rest of what he said) - and to cover her growing anticipation and nervousness both, she throws herself into making sure it will be a memorable reunion party, if nothing else.
After five days of intense preparation, she takes a look at her fridge and wonders who will eat all the food she prepared. Oh well. If nothing else, Akihiko's orphans will certainly enjoy the treat.
-
Fuuka and Aigis check out for a week, accumulated vacation time spent for the first time in four years (they are, their subordinates say, two very driven women). They do a lot of soul-searching, or, as it were, soul-searching and drive-integrity checkups. Their shared apartment is quiet, both of them withdrawn as they relive memories of that terrible day ten years ago. They had seen humanity's messiah, and they had seen him die.
They get into their car, Aigis' driving skills as peerless as ever. They make it to Iwatodai in record time.
-
Mitsuru is busy beyond her ability to put it into words: For her to take a day off, much must be arranged. Meetings are rescheduled, prototype demonstrations delayed and forms signed. Six days of double-shift work go into making one day available for personal use. She knows her lifestyle is hardly healthy, but it is better than the reminiscence on her failures that always comes with laxity.
On the morning of the seventh day, she considers once more the advantages of wealth: Travel by helicopter is something she wouldn't want to miss out on ever again. Something about flying makes her feel free, and she likes that a lot.
-
Junpei, invigorated, throws himself into training and the weekend game: Lauded as the his best performance with the team, the Eagles win a crushing victory. Happy at the prospect of meeting old friends and, of course, bragging about the way they totally kicked ass, he is the only former member of the Nyx Annihilation Squad who isn't the least bit apprehensive. Some would mistake his levity for apathy, but the losses of his teenage years (his best friend and his first love) have simply given him strength enough to deal with things, no matter what happens.
On the evening of the sixth day, he boards his train: better to arrive early, he thinks, to make sure he doesn't miss out on that gathering.
-
Akihiko faces the difficult task of explaining to thirty-three faces - frightened, tear-stained and apprehensive faces - that no, he won't be leaving them forever. He's going to meet a few old friends, yes, friends just like Yoko-san that is coming to watch over them while he's gone. The mention of the nearby school's red-head teacher calms many of their worries: she is intensely popular with the children and a frequent guest in the orphanage. Fortunately, Akihiko thinks, I don't have to explain to them why Yoko-san is such a frequent guest.
Boarding the train to Iwatodai in the morning with a worried look on his face - he misses the kids as much as they miss him, even though he won't admit it - Akihiko goes leaves for a long-overdue reunion.
-
Officer Ken Amada stops two muggings and one case of vandalism in the following week. As usual, his nigh-supernatural sense for trouble (secretly, he smiles at this: If only his colleagues knew just how supernatural that sense actually is) leads the young man to mete out justice. Though he suffers three bruised ribs from a particularly nasty side-kick, he is fit to leave for Iwatodai. When questioned about it, he mentions meeting old friends, and something about him - his voice, the look in his eyes, Ken doesn't know - make his Lieutenant grin widely and wink in a most conspiratorial fashion.
He is pleasantly surprised to meet Akihiko on the train.
~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~
Iwatodai Cemetery, Groundskeeper's House
Iwatodai, Japan
Thursday, March 5th, 2020
15:30, Afternoon
An old dog feels the light brush of thoughts long-forgotten. Come. Koromaru knows this voice, doesn't he? Come. And so an old dog goes once more, led by instinct and the touch of a hand long forgotten.
~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~
They witness a miracle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~
-semifin, need to finish at later date-
AN: "What happened to them in the meantime? Where are they now?"
Yukari: Teacher in Gekkoukan High. Single, but contemplating taking up dating again to avoid getting hit on by students.
Fuuka and Aigis: Working for the Kirijo group, involved with top-secret P-level research. Claiming to be single, but shipped together by their subordinates.
Mitsuru: Head of the Kirijo group. Working herself to exhaustion every day. Single, not contemplating alternatives. Frozen heart syndrome.
Junpei: Batter for the Rakuten Eagles. Having to fend off fangirls with his bat, he has not yet settled down with anyone.
Akihiko: Running the Sunny Days orphanage. Stable relationship with local teacher, Yoko L. Both are contemplating marriage.
Ken: Member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Though very young, also incredibly successful. Tight-lipped on his romantic prospects when questioned by co-workers.
