Shinichi Shindos dream

Later that night, Himeno and Shinichi sat side-by-side at the counter of a ramen shop, big steaming bowls before them.

“This is amazing!” Himeno spoke with a mouth half full. “Where did you find this place?”

“A special person showed me. We used to come here all the time.” He spoke solemnly.

“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“They aren’t dead.” He chuckled, “We broke apart. I sacrificed our relationship for what I believed to be a better cause.”

“Oh.”

There was a moment of silence as the two continued to eat.

“You know, when you first told me about your goal a couple of years ago, a part of me hoped that that dream would come true. That somehow you could single-handedly take down the Takeba group. I guess that’s why I didn’t turn you in when I had the chance. I was such a coward, relying on a young woman like you to pull me from the depths of my own despair.” He laughed, holding his face before dragging his hand downward.

Himeno didn’t know how to respond.

“I’m sorry for dropping this all on you. I just have a lot to get off my chest.”

“Don’t apologize, I get it.”

“So, regardless of your reasoning, I’ll help you all take down the Takeba group as best I can.”

Himeno perked up a bit, “We’re having some sort of celebration thing tomorrow. Why don’t you swing by? Maybe you could properly apologize for almost killing NN.” She smiled.

“I’m not entirely sure that’ll be possible.” His tone turned cold.

“Why not?”

“I’m not sure how to put this, and I don’t wanna worry you either.”

“Just tell me.”

“I might not be in Japan after tonight.” He answered.

“But you just said you would help us-”

“I know, and I am going to help. You might not ever understand how, but just know that tonight I’ll do everything in my power to help.” He patted Himeno on the shoulder.

“Well, now I’m definitely worried. You’re making it sound like you’re about to do something crazy.” She tried to force a laugh, though the feeling clamping down around her heart made it impossible.

“It’s nothing too crazy.” He stated, grinning from ear to ear. “Don’t worry that little head of yours.”

“I’ll try not to.”

They finished their ramen in silence, and the two left side-by-side right after.

“Hey.” Shinichi called to Himeno, “If it so happens that this is goodbye, I want you to do something for me.” His tone became serious all of a sudden.

“What is it?” She turned back, watching as he approached. He fished something from his pocket, a piece of paper with something etched onto it.

“It’s an address. If you don’t see me again, I want you to go there. There’ll be something waiting for you.” He suddenly pulled her into a hug, “Stay safe.”

Himeno was off not much later, leaving Shinichi standing in front of the ramen shop alone. He pulled a cigar and a lighter from his pocket, stuffing the cigarette into his mouth and cupping his hands around it. He sparked the cigar, taking a long drag from it. He sighed, small droplets of water smacking the floor around him.

“How fitting.” He spoke, tossing the cigar on the floor and stomping it out.

A car shrouded in all black pulled up before him, the tinted windows rolling down, a familiar face greeting him from the other side.

“Get in.” Sasha coldly demanded.

“Right.” Shinichi entered the car with zero protest, looking between Teru and Sasha before slamming the door closed. “Let’s go.” He stated, leaning back into his seat.

The car ride wasn’t too long; however, the rain intensified during that time.

They stepped out, staring down a tall building.

“This place once belonged to the Kanji group; now it belongs to my father.”

The walk toward the building felt longer than it really was. The inside was reminiscent of the Takeba group's lobby. The floor was polished tile, chairs and tables spread throughout, a golden elevator door awaiting them at the end.

They walked past the receptionist, who didn’t even glance their way. The three stepped into the elevator, Teru leaning forward and clicking on a button that read “negative one.”

The elevator climbed downward, the silence between the three palpable. Despite his situation, Shinichi felt oddly calm, as though he wasn’t approaching what was surely his resting place.

The elevator came to a whining halt, the doors sliding open, a strange room greeting them on the other side.

It was mostly empty, the floor tiled stone, a strange-looking console in the middle, facing a long glass.

“Your betrayal deeply saddened me, Shinichi. Though I would be lying to say it wasn’t expected at some point.”

He followed silently behind Sasha, with Teru just behind him.

“What I am about to give you is something much better than a simple death.” They stopped before the window, staring into the all black wall on the other side. “You get to be a part of something greater.” She smiled, and for some reason, this one felt sincere. The gesture took Shinichi aback.

“I apologize for the rant, but I wish to ask you a quick question. Do you know what happens when a human turns into a monster?”

He shook his head no.

“A person's being is split into two: the shadow, and the version of you that once existed by itself. The shadow version of yourself takes control of the body, living in the real world, while the ‘real’ you sinks into a dream-like state, existing in a world in which all your wildest dreams come true.” She smiled at the glass, placing a longing hand onto it. “I always wondered what my dream world would look like, don’t you?”

“Ixtab!” Shinichi shouted, a wakizashi appearing between his gut, water pooling around it.

Teru swiped at his neck from behind, watching as his body collapsed to the floor.

“I’ve grown detached from my father's dream of turning Japan into the strongest country. Using the shadow beast like a weapon seems so simplistic when you consider its true capabilities.” She slid her hand down the glass, turning to Shinichi and crouching down at his side. “I want to make everyone in the world a monster, I want to plunge them into the utopia that exists beyond our consciousness, the utopia that only it can bring to us.” She stood back up, gesturing for Teru to open the door into the other room.

“Monsters don’t need to eat; the only need they have is to fulfill the suppressed dreams of humanity. But what if every human turned into a monster? Then monsters would no longer have a purpose, dungeons would no longer be created, and every human being on this earth would live out their ideal lives until the day we all eventually die.”

Teru scooped Shinichi from the floor, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and wobbling into the room. Sasha followed close behind, arms held tightly behind her back.

“In this world, dreams conflict. The dreams of one man may harm the dreams of another. In the ideal world, even the worst of people can fulfill their dreams without harming others. There would be no sadness, there would be no despair, there would be no anger or grief. I want to fulfill the wishes of every human on this earth. Wouldn’t that be amazing, Shinichi? To never feel pain again? To only know love and joy?” She began to laugh. “I could only imagine what my dream world would look like. As it stands, I have no dreams. But the shadow beast can tell me, no, he can show me my dreams, hidden desires in which not even I was aware of.”

Shinihi suddenly stiffened up, headbutting Teru and shouting once more, “Ixtab!” This time, the sword manifested in his hand, a wave of water gathering around his blade as he slashed outward.

“You sound like a child! You want to plunge the world into chaos just so you can exist in a dream world? Get real!”

Sasha held a hand out, golden light calmly dancing around her palm, and the wave of water approaching her was swallowed up by her light.

Teru stood behind him, rubbing his bloodied nose.

“Hold it, Teru.” She held a calm hand up. “I’m not asking you to agree with me, Shinichi. You will see for yourself the type of world I can create.”

He charged forward, Wakizashi held in the sky.

A sudden, sharp pain swelled at his side, a small blue light zipping through his body. He fell to one knee and dug his blade into the ground, looking up at Sasha with soft eyes.

“How much?” He asked. Everything, a voice rang. Shinichi held his hand outward, then clenched it closed.

Sasha felt a sudden throb in her chest, her body growing weak. She clutched the area around her heart, taking a few surprised steps back.

“Sasha!” Teru rushed to her side, holding her up.

“It’s alright, focus on Shinichi!” She diverted his attention to the dying Shinichi, the light in his eyes dimming. “Quickly, before he passes!”

Teru dropped her, grabbing Shinichi from the floor a second time and approaching the all black void in front of them. He grunted, tossing him into the void, his body being consumed by the darkness.

When Shinichi closed his eyes, he was met with that same whiteness, the white in which Ixtab resided.

He heard Amato's voice ring toward him, Ixtab appearing in front of him with a weak smile.

“We aren’t cowards anymore.” Shinichi smiled back.

“We aren’t.” His other self responded.

“Himeno, Amato, everyone I’ve wronged, I’m paying for my mistakes.” He watched Ixtab slowly disappear before him, fading into nothing. “You uphold your end of the bargain, Ixtab, after all, I upheld mine.” He could see a smile spread across his face as he continued to fade away.

“Amato would be so proud of you.” Then he was gone, leaving Shinichi alone in the all white void.

He turned away, starting to walk off.

“Hold it!” He heard a familiar voice shout.

The white surrounding him faded to black, and standing before him was himself, shrouded in a shadowy aura.

“You must be the shadow.” He remarked.

“Yeah, the true you.” He spoke with confidence. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m not sure,” Shinichi answered.

“Then why not join me? We can both exist in that dream world Sasha spoke of. Everyone we know will be there, waiting for you.” He held his hand out.

“Why would I do that?”

“Why? Why not? You could lead a life without regrets, you could see Amato again, have a happy life with Himeno at your side.” His other self's voice echoed with endless desperation.

“Nah, I’ll pass.”

“You’ll pass? Don’t be a moron! If you pass up on this, you will die.”

“I know, and maybe that’s for the best.” Shinichi smiled.

“You know what you’re saying isn’t true, otherwise I wouldn’t be here! Truth is, you’re scared, you don’t know what’s waiting for you on the other side of existence, but if we become a monster-”

“Stop it right there.” He cut the shadow off, “I have regrets, I have fears, but ultimately, I’m happy with where I am. Because if it weren’t for my mistakes, for my cowardice, for my sadness, I’d have never met Himeno, I’d have never gotten a chance to change her fate. I know that you’re me, I know that we’re scared, I know that our life was full of sadness and regret, but it’s time to put that all behind us. Let go of your fear, that way we won't have to cling to a fake existence for the sake of happiness.” He stepped toward the shadow, placing a firm hand on its shoulder, “We made lots of mistakes, hurt a lot of people, denying ourselves fate would be like spitting in their faces.” He gently pushed his other self out of the way, stepping through the black void, until finally, it came to an end.