Space Between the Stars

When Nitsuki stirred to, the first thing she noticed was the feeling of warmth—not the fuzzy warmth of Tachibana that she'd grown to love, but rather an all-encompassing one that radiated through her entire being.

Looking around, she saw the faintly glowing orbs of potential futures twinkling in silent ambience. She was standing on nothing but darkness, and the ground beneath her feet was imperceivable save for her slight reflection.

Oh, she was back in the Crossroads.

"Pleasure seeing you again," a laid-back, familiar voice greeted her. She looked over to find the old man, Daimon, suddenly in front of her. He was wearing his usual attire once again instead of those casual volunteering clothes, and he was smiling as he leaned on his cane. "How's life been treating you?"

She stared at him for a long moment before responding, trying to remember why she was here and what had happened.

Oh, right. The sex was great. 10 out of 10, would give into her hormones and monkey brain again. She'd been in the afterglow, just cuddling in the blanket with Tachibana, any dysphoric thoughts momentarily banished by the memory of his awestruck gaze as she fell asleep in his embrace…

And now she was here…

Her muscles tensed as she quickly looked down at herself. Oh thank God—she wasn't stark naked. She was wearing her pajamas at least.

"Erm, decently, I guess," she answered after confirming her modesty. "I mean, there's the problem of a certain hag trying to dismantle our support group. But I already got a plan for that."

Daimon nodded. "Not too surprising with how often you've been using your gift recently. I've gotta say, you're one helluva masochist to use it that many times in a row."

Nitsuki rolled her eyes. "I don't want to hear that coming from a voyeuristic meddler like yourself." She tilted her head, her hair still slightly disheveled. "So what, is that why I'm back here instead of getting sleep? You going to lecture me on abusing it? Because if you are—"

"No, no, not now." He waved her off. "We'll get to that in a bit. First, we need to talk."

"…Talk?"

"Yep, this should help me illustrate my point." He pointed his cane towards a particular orb of light and flicked it in her direction. It hovered between the two of them and expanded to show an image of the support group's next meeting.

At first, she didn't see anything noteworthy. Yamaguchi was there and noticeably less nervous, Nakagawa and Sakurai were there as well bordering on PDA, and even Mr. Miyamoto had shown up, looking a tiny bit awkward as Tachibana assured him that it was perfectly fine for him to be there.

However, the vision flashed ahead, and Nitsuki's eyes widened. There had to be at least four other faces she didn't recognize, and the group's conversation was as lively as it could be.

"That's… actually pretty impressive," she admitted. "I didn't expect so many newcomers. But uh, this still doesn't really answer the question of why I'm here. This is a good thing."

"I never said it wasn't, I just said we needed to talk first," the old man clarified. "You're doing a good job, kid."

He zoomed out to showcase some of the new members.

"The girl here, she's having trouble with her parents. The boy next to her is struggling to figure out if it's okay to crush on his best friend. And that one in the back is having a hard time finding the right therapist. All these people are carrying their own burdens, yet they'll eventually find the help they need and overcome them through the group you've helped make."

Daimon sent the vision up into the air, soon rejoining the host of others that hovered around them.

"Sure, it'll take time. You'll have to put up with Inoue and her ilk as you soften the hearts of the town, but you're making a difference, and it's a damn good one." He smiled at her. "I'm proud of you for getting this far, Nia. And that's also why we're here."

Nitsuki was taken aback, especially by the use of her nickname again. "Thanks, I suppose? But why does that sound like a preface for a 'but'?"

He chuckled. "Because it is—time to segway into the lecture. You're on the right path, but you're letting yourself get lost in another danger of your gift. You can't plan for everything. You'll exhaust yourself and burn out."

She sighed, figuring she knew where he was going with it. "Look, I get what you're saying, but this isn't something I can afford to leave up to fate. What happens if I miss a detail somewhere? I've seen enough to know how the festival plays out without me—hundreds, if not thousands, of times at this point. We need to be prepared if we're going to—"

He stepped forward to interrupt her. "Hold that thought, let me show you something else."

Before she could quip, his cane impacted the ground, sending a ripple of light that pulsed throughout the Crossroads and beyond.

Suddenly, the room expanded into an infinite array of starry visions, stretching as far as the eye could see. Each was a vision of the stargazing festival. Each had their own differences, their own nuances, reflections of reflections for every single possible future that they could take.

Nitsuki watched in awe as the lights shifted and changed, showing her glimpses of paths she'd never even considered. And not just that, but how they all connected to the lives of others. Lives of people who were struggling, who were hurting, who were lost. Lives that were intertwined and interconnected, like a vast spider web across the cosmos.

It was mesmerizing. Terrifying. Beautiful.

She felt so small in the face of it all, yet she couldn't look away.

"Nia," Daimon spoke, his voice echoing softly in her ears. "You've done more than enough preparation. You can't control all of these, no matter how hard you try, even if you do have a supernatural power on your side. What you can do is accept that there's always going to be things that slip by, and that's okay."

"B-but…"

"No." He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let yourself breathe. Let yourself live a little. You don't need to keep torturing yourself to get results."

He twirled his cane in the air like a baton, and once again, the scenery changed. Familiar faces popped up, each one living through life in an ocean of near infinite possibilities. And they all seemed… genuinely content.

"Your actions have already altered the destinies of people for the better and will continue to do so," the old man said, gesturing to some. "Tachibana has the love of his life, Yamaguchi gained the courage to be herself, Mr. Miyamoto will find the strength to live beyond his sister's memory, and the two girls you saw at the store will find happiness together. Countless others are also finding their paths. The ripples are already there, and the waves they create will continue to expand into infinity."

He turned to her, illuminated in the dazzling array of light. "You're making a difference. You've already made a difference. So, please. Let yourself rest and enjoy that fact."

"…" Her throat constricted as she tried to respond.

She wanted to believe him—to believe that everything would be okay.

But what about the bad futures? The ones where Inoue won and destroyed the support group? Wasn't that worth worrying about?

Daimon sighed, reading her like a book.

"Stop doubting yourself, please. Believe in the hearts of those you've helped. Because while a perfect ending never exists, amazing ones can."

The Crossroads suddenly began to shake and shudder, and Nitsuki stumbled.

"Hm, looks like our time is up. You'll have to wake up soon," Daimon commented as he looked around at the fading stars. "This is a tiny bit different from usual since I pulled you here in your sleep, but you should be back to reality soon."

Nitsuki's heart raced as she struggled to keep her footing. She didn't want to leave—not yet. She still had questions to ask, things to say…

She grabbed him by the collar. "Wait, hold up! Before you kick me out, I need to know: what's the deal with all this? Why are you so invested in my future? It can't all be down to boredom, right? There has to be a reason why you're meddling in it so much."

A nostalgic, almost somber smile crossed Daimon's face, and she felt his grip on his cane loosen. He placed a hand on her shoulder as everything began to fade, save for that feeling of warmth.

"You're a persistent one, aren't you?" His voice was softer than usual. It was warm and comforting. "I guess there's no harm in telling you. You'll forget about this part once you wake anyways."

Her eyes grew wider as the world around them became increasingly blurry. "Wait, what!? Forget!? What do you mean I'll forget!?"

The old man's voice echoed through the Crossroads.

"Aside from me just liking the cut of your jib?"

"…A certain girl wants her big sister to live happily. And who am I to refuse a request like that?"

***

Her eyes flew open to see a familiar, wooden ceiling. A pair of strong arms were wrapped around her, and soft breaths tickled the back of her neck. The smell of his scent and the gentle, rhythmic beating of his heart lulled her back to reality.

Tachibana was spooning her, fast asleep.

She blinked, taking in the moment. The light of dawn dimly shone through the window, and the sounds of birds chirping outside filled the air. She was lying in her bed, tucked away in the warm embrace of her lover.

And yet, her mind was still racing.

She couldn't shake off her dream—or was it vision?—with the old man. It was hazy. Blurry. But it was definitely real. The spectacle of his damn lesson on ripples was too vivid, and the points he made were too poignant.

But what exactly had happened at the end?

No matter how hard she tried to remember, it felt like grasping at a cloud. The more she chased it, the further it slipped from her fingers.

Her head started to hurt, and she groaned.

"Damn it, D*gimon," Nitsuki whispered under her breath.

"Mm… Nia…"

She tensed, hearing the murmur from behind. She glanced over to see Tachibana's sleeping face and let out a resigned breath. He was still fast asleep. Her whisper hadn't been loud enough to rouse him.

"…" She gazed at him, watching the way his lips twitched slightly, and the way his eyelids fluttered in his dreams.

Then her eyes shifted to the notebook on her nightstand, and she frowned. The thought of leaving the warmth of Tachibana's arms and opening it to continue her work sickened her.

Daimon had been right. She was letting herself get lost in the weeds, drowning in an ocean of endless possibilities and scenarios.

She'd probably keep using her future sight in the upcoming month as they continued to prepare, but she had to let go of the idea that she could plan for everything. It'd drive her insane otherwise.

She had to trust in herself—and the others.

"…"

Slowly, Nitsuki shifted to her other side to face her boyfriend.

She snuggled closer to him, burying her face into his chest. Unlike her transient visions, he was warm, solid, and so reassuringly real.

It'd likely be a little while longer until he woke up to start their day together, and Nitsuki had a feeling it'd be a good one.

She didn't need her gift to know that.