Duck x Rabbit

30 June, 2219
3 weeks after J-Day

‘Close by’ turned out to be ‘not-so close by’, as Kou and Aki zig-zag through Kakureta. A town semi-lost to time - overgrown and abandoned industrial facilities, a vacant petrol station, empty water systems and redundant service shops. 

Kou’s head is on a swivel as he constantly examines his surroundings.
Noticing this, Aki asks “You’re not from around here, are you?”
Another difficult question for Kou, but he’s determined to answer more of her questions now.
“I guess not, but I’ve visited.”

Aki let’s out a spectacular sigh, “Everything here is sooo old. We never get anything new in this place! I’d much rather live in a bustling city full of excitement.”
Kou responds, “City life may not be as great as you think it is. I like this small town, where not all strangers are strangers, and life isn’t automated by all that new tech. It reminds me of a much older world, before we could even communicate across distance.”
Aki raises her brow. “Well, that does sound kind of exciting, but, come on - how could you possibly live life like that? I want a house that responds to my commands, and a self-driving car. I want to see an over-lit metropolis out of my bedroom window... Oh! I want one of those AI chef robots that perfectly caters to your personal diet with delicious meals!”
Kou laughs, “What! They actually make those now?”
Aki joins in, “Right?! That was my reaction!” 

Aki and Kou continue comparing bright futures with great pastimes for the rest of their ten minute walk.

“We’re here. And just in time, too. They’re starting the rain at 1pm.”
Kou tilts his head “Starting the rai-” Oh, right, that’s a thing again. Satellite controlled weather systems. The thought annoys him.
Aki replies “At 1pm, until... 5 or so. I forget. Jeez, how lost are you?” 

They step into a quaint, standalone house on a quiet street. “We’re heeere.” She yells. After a brief moment, a small head pops out from the kitchen.
“We? Sis, who is that?”
Kou responds to the little head, “Hagita. I’m a friend of... Nice to meet you.”
The little head scuttles off again, Kou smiles as Aki rolls her eyes. “Natsu, where is mom?” In a bored voice the little boy yells “Shop.”

Kou is led to a family room and seated at the table, facing an open glass door that looks over Kakureta Mountain – a steep, cloud-reaching mountain that surrounds the entire town. 

He learned about this mountain in the Jump Guide. It’s protected under environmental laws with the discreet purpose of isolating the town of Kakureta - and the town itself created as a guise for the operations of the device. It’s humble population of about eight thousand are kept two steps behind the flow of the world around them. The roads in and out are tedious, the mountain inhibits air travel and there is no more room to build. 

Kou takes the photograph out of the envelope and holds it up against the backdrop. It looks a lot more familiar when everything else does.

“Here’s some iced-tea. My mother will be home soon with some ingredients for lunch. I’ll go find the photo album so long.”
As Aki disappears down the passage, a wild Natsu replaces her. His enlarged eyes are the same colour as Aki’s, but his hair is a light brown – like Yuko’s.
“Hey, Mister, are you my sister’s boyfriend?”
Kou let’s out a single laugh. Just the one. “Hah! Woah woah, hold your horses little man. I just met your sister today.”
Natsu responds monotonously, “Oh. How old are you anyway?”
Kou continues to humour him, “You first.”
Natsu scoffs and in a more confident tone replies “I’m 13. And My sister is 22. So she’s probably older than you. I guess we have nothing to worry about here.”

Natsu trots off looking rather accomplished as Kou mutters under his breath, “No way... That tiny girl really is older than me.”

Aki returns with a medium sized tablet. She sits down on the right side of the table and folds it open. “The photos are in here somewhere, just give me a second.” 

Aki is still tapping away at the tablet, when the house resonates with a click and whine as the front door opens.
“I’m home- oh, we have a guest?”
Kou stands up to greet Aki’s mother. The daughter of Yuko. He struggles to say a word as he comes to this realization. Once they make eye contact, they both freeze in place. A shared shock. She looks more like Aki than Yuko - a relief for Kou - but that relief was momentary as she finally breaks the silence.
“I knew it. I knew it! You’re Kou, right?”
His eyes widen as his breath is now fully spent.
“The rest of the family thought she was crazy. I knew it!”
This is bad, what does she know? He thinks.
“Wait, oh my god. You’re real. She wasn’t crazy after all.” Her demeanour now noticeably riled.
“And you’re here.” 

She knows.

Now sat down at the left side of the table.
“I’m Naoki, and Yuko is my mother.” She smiles excitedly.
“When we were kids, she used to tell us all about you! As she got older she started saying that you’d be back some day. She gave us so many instructions- I... I can’t remember them all. She wanted us to find you. We... They thought she was losing her mind.”

Aki, now with a clinically diagnosable case of ‘feeling-left-out’ enters the fray. “When you were kids? What are you saying, mom?” 

It’s soon apparent that Naoki takes after her mother in at least one way, and that is the lack of filter between her brain and her voice.
“This man is a time-traveller, Aki!” 

Oh god, she knows.

“Don’t be ridiculous, mom. That’s impossible. Right? Maybe you’re crazy too.”
Refuting, Naoki tries to make her case. “Let’s see... Kou. 21 years old. From Tokyo. No family, moved to Kakureta on a secret mission.”
A juvenile way of putting it, Kou thinks to himself, but nods lightly.
“Uhm, he likes old things...”
Aki drops her shoulders
“Like grandmas?”
“Don’t be silly! Like old motorcycles, and, those contraptions they used to put discs into and it played music.” 

Aki is getting agitated. “Is this some kind of prank? He’ll just say yes to anything.”
Ignoring her, Naoki gestures towards Kou,
“The envelope, did you get it? You have no idea how difficult it’s been to refrain from opening it through all these years. What was in it? A letter?”
Kou hands over the photograph. Naoki holds it up, redemption in her eyes. 

“Huh?” Chirps Aki “There’s something written on the back.”
Noaki turns it around. “Oh, you’re right. It says... ‘Duck x Rabbit’… Was she ordering take-outs on this?”
Kou stands up in a rut. “That’s a place. I know where it is.” Panicky, he excuses himself and heads for the door. 

Aki is still juggling this circus of a revelation in her mind, but haphazardly calls out to Kou.
“Hey, wait. You’re still quite disorientated, aren’t you? It’s raining. Let me get an umbrella.”
Kou doesn’t hear much of it as he replies, “I don’t need one, but thank you.”
Naoki giggles, then consoles him, “The umbrella is not for you, kid.”

After a pacey walk, they arrive at a bench next to a small river. The area is vacant of any industrialization. Larger than life trees hang over the bank and the grass is cut perfectly for family picnics. 

Kou takes in the view for a bit, and Aki moves closer, taking him under her umbrella. He starts talking.
“There used to be some wildlife here. Ducks, rabbits, birds, squirrels. The ducks and the rabbits never did get along. We used to laugh as we watched them jump out of their skin and scatter off when they wandered too close to each other.”
He pauses with a reminiscent smile.
”But, there was one time... When a small, adventurous duck made it’s way over there.”
He points.
“And from behind that tree, a lonely rabbit crept out. They saw each other, but instead of running away, they inched closer to each other until eventually coming nose-to-nose. They spent some time smelling and observing each other. That is, until Yuko’s loud mouth spooked them.”
Kou lets out a defeated laugh.

They walk over to the spot, a bed of spotty grass between two old oaks. Looking down at the ground, they notice that the vegetation had been interrupted – in the shape of a small rectangle. Kou falls to his knees and frantically starts digging. The rain makes it easier, and eventually, his nails slip upon a smooth surface. From the dirt, he pulls a plain white plastic briefcase. 

Etched into it in black is a short message. ‘To Kou, from Yuko’

In a softer, more sympathetic voice, Aki makes her final enquiry for the day.
“Was that you in the photograph? Is it actually true, what my mother said earlier?”