Shoulders Apart

Saeko’s footsteps were deliberate, each consciously the same stride, power and speed, yet somehow enough grace as to not rip or tear the sheets that ran up the wall. This observation had become extremely important once she withdrew over the rooftop from view, leaving Xion to learn wallrunning and utilize the technology himself. With less than a minute to spare, he made his move.

Carrying his shoes tightly, he sped towards the trail of violet transparency ahead of himself. Upon contact, it was a distinct feeling reminiscent of aluminum foil, but also if glue was stuck both atop and beneath it. His stride completely came to a halt, momentum forward nearly causing him to fall, with only balance shifting back keeping such outcome from happening.

“No way…” he said in disbelief, attempting to remove his foot from the sticky substance beneath him, though it would not budge. He turned to the rooftop nearly 20feet above. “Saeko!”

There was no reply. By this point 10s had passed, and if what Saeko said was true, he had less than a minute remaining. Aside from obvious concerns, such as the tool’s durability, if he fell halfway up the wall, or the time it took to charge, he simply didn’t want to look like a fool, much less a deer on ice.

Xion knelt down to force extra weight onto the sheet with hope to peel his foot away from its grasp. Once his hand touched it, it slipped. A completely opposite result than his foot’s condition.

If there was no way to use his hands, then he’d commit with his feet. Sticking his left foot onto the sheets brought the same effect, glued, except he felt different. There was less friction present from his footing now with two feet readily standing together, and he was able to move, albeit marginally.

His body gradually moved forward at a snail’s pace while both feet stayed planted.

“Figured it out yet?” she called out from above, sticking her tongue out after seeing his progress. “Better huuuuuurry!”

Attempting to mimic skates on ice, Xion strutted his feet in place. While he’d finally retained free motion, he still found no forward progression. There was a trick to it, otherwise Saeko wouldn’t taunt.

He shifted his pressure into his heels, this slowly moved him backwards, which meant focusing on his toes would only progress forwards. And so they did, but also slowly.

“Thirty secoooooooonds!”

Xion adjusted his posture back onto his heels so that he moved enough to slide off the sheet. Unstuck, and on pavement, he stormed forward again, toe first onto the sheet, followed by his other foot. He naturally slid onwards, progressing, but still was horizontal on the ground and approaching the wall where the sheet slid up parallel to it. Xion braced to crash, but surprisingly he slid upwards, vertical now and defying gravity much like Saeko had.

Regaining composure, his pace followed a simple, yet elaborate method now up the side of the wall with a footstep toe-first then onto his heel while the next leg followed in pursuit.

This was easier said than done as now the transition from horizontal to vertical perspectives so quickly was immensely disorienting to the point he’d nearly forgotten which way was up. There was a definitive reduction in his flow, resulting from nearly doing the splits.

“Just keep those eyes on me Xion!” she cheered him on. Saeko was the answer here, and Xion did exactly as told, returning to his stride and determined to reach that smile.

Just as he’d closed in on the rooftop, his footing finally gave out. The roll had begun to slide down the wall with total loss of friction, resulting in Xion’s final two steps being taken against building itself instead of the gravity defying roll. It was a return to reality while he began to fall.

Both Saeko’s hands gripped around his closest arm. She was leaning over the side of the building, and with this Xion now dangled as he watched the remainder of the sheet fall down below him.

There was fear, not necessarily from the height, but the failure. However, as much fear as he may have had, Saeko was far more concerned, as the look in her eyes pleaded with him to climb up.

He rejoined her by pulling up on the side with his free arm, and with the help of Saeko, he rolled over onto his back, while she still looked over the side. Both were noticeably breathing loudly.

“Shit,” Saeko frowned while looking down at the scattered gravity roll on the parking lot. She was completely sapped of the energy from the excitement earlier.

There was no point in trying to confront her as Xion himself was crossed. Picking himself back up, he knelt over by Saeko, not knowing what he’d say. Instead of words, both of them watched silently as a red fox approached the object down below.

“Scram!” Xion threatened the creature from above, hoping to scare it.

Unfortunately, the fox was unamused, staring at them, then taking their tool by its mouth, and walking away while the sheets flailed in its grip.

“Well at least you still have the bottle of whatever's inside,” Xion attempted to cheer her up.

“Buff is going to kill me if I don’t bring back that gravity roll,” Saeko groaned.

“I’m not chasing that down. It’ll be an entire city away by the time we make it to the street, and that’s if we don’t get busted for sneaking in.”

She turned around to stand up, causing Xion to stand, and she met his face.

“Yeah, well if you’d climbed fast-”

“Don’t.”

“What do you mean don’t? I could’ve grabbed it, rolled it up, and stuffed it in my bag with time to spare if you were any quicker.”

“Saeko-” he placed his hands onto her shoulders, “you’re crazy.”

“Huh?”

“Maybe it’s my fault for agreeing to go with you, but I’m just as confused now as I was leaving my house today.”

“Tell me one thing you’re confused about then.”

“Okay,” he said with a sarcastic smile. “Of all the places to go in Kyoto, or Kansai for that matter, you picked Daydream, a place we had to get into by climbing the side of a building. And so we did this by getting some crazy equipment from the cluttered basement of some guy that lives in an alleyway, whose real name you don’t even know, and you expected me to learn how to use that equipment on the fly in one try, without falling and hurting myself or even dy-”

A swift hand planted against his cheek. Her hand dropped to her side, revealing a red marking where she struck, and she looked down.

“You were supposed to stop my hand,” she said quietly.

“Maybe you should’ve told me,” he looked down onto her forehead.
“I just didn’t want you to finish saying that. I can’t stand the thought of me being the cause of someone’s harm..”

Xion awkwardly hugged her.

“Me either.”

After a moment of brief respite, Saeko apologized and wiggled out of his hug. Her cheeks were flushed.

“I don’t really hang out with many people, like, I do lots of errands and running around, but it’s just work and stuff. So I was just really excited and ignorant about how crazy things were, and I should’ve realized that back when you met Buff. I’m sorry,” she then bowed once.

“You don’t have to be so formal. Accidents happen,” Xioned rubbed the back of his head. “I ought to get better at speaking up myself. I’ve just been so used to having Kazue around.”

“Where is he anyways? Figured he would’ve been with you. I meant to ask you earlier at the shrine..”

“He..left. For Chūbu.”

“What?!” she covered her mouth realizing her volume. “Why?”

“His mother passed away. He’s got an admiration for Chūbu’s Daimyo, Tsunami, so I think he’s trying to become his heir, but I’m sure it’s to just get his mind cleared on things. I got his message the next morning, though I don’t think he’d have listened if I tried to tell him not to” Xion reluctantly told her.

“That’s terrible…” she said worryingly, remembering the night they met, she kept to herself in thought.

“It’s nobody's fault. At the end of the day Kazue has both our numbers, so if he ever needs help he knows how to find us.”

“Right..”

“If there’s anybody who will succeed on ambition alone, it’s him,” Xion half smiled. “Now, I think we should get inside and check out this club for ourselves. I’ve been thinking about it, and I haven’t heard any music at all since we got here, and you’d think on the roof we could at least hear something.”

“You’re right. It’s awfully quiet for a night spot with so many people outside of it.”

Still clutching the container with the brush inside the soles of her shoes, Saeko approached the roof door that would lead them further down into the club. She pulled the door open just a sliver of the way, revealing only a dimly lit interior.

“Still no noise. It’s so weird..” she peeked around, though with no light source aside from something far down below it was impossible to see.

“Let’s be careful then,” Xion proceeded barefoot in front of her, shoes in hand. They shut the door behind, and followed what appeared to be a catwalk, resorting to slow steps along the bridge of sorts. At the end was a ladder, still impossible to see where it led, so Xion climbed down first, with each step revealing slightly more of what was beneath them until they reached the bottom and could stand on the floor of the dark room.

Taking a step forward, Xion collided into something. He braced his hands and felt what appeared to be another person, and he leapt back.

“Saeko?” he whispered.

“Yeah?” she repeated the tone from behind him.

He reached back and found one of her hands, taking it and holding it in his.

“So we don’t get lost.”

“Oh-uh, okay. Smart.”

Going forward again was met with the same result, only this time Xion kicked some kind of container near the floor, spilling its contents.

Instantaneously the room lit up in a blinding bright purple. When the suddenness settled, the next moment Xion could see he found there was a figure in front of him dressed in all white, wearing what appeared to be an astronaut’s suit, only inside the mask was also concealed. There they stood amongst the scenery of at least a hundred chairs with people strapped on them. Each person had head-mounted devices pressed against their eyes, along with restraints pinning their arms and legs, and their feet were sitting in silver buckets of iced water. Figures identically dressed to the white suit began to move in from different directions, one specifically going towards the toppled container of ice. They each carried hoses that were sucking the air around them..

A mixture of fear and confusion flooded the duo, unable to determine whether this was dangerous territory, or a cult they’d stumbled upon.

The suit next to Xion pressed a button on their neck, which opened their visor. Beneath it revealed a woman’s face, which was entirely normal.

“Excuse me, you two do know that you are to remain seated until after the dream is over, right?”

“Y-yes,” Xion promptly answered.

“We were just late coming back from the restrooms, and it’s impossible to see in here,” Saeko laughed.

“Hmm…this means someone didn’t do their job as told. Ah well, sorry about the trouble. If you two could follow me to the back here, we can get you into the dream once we start the next session.” The woman continued to the back as instructed, followed by Xion and Saeko around the aisles of seated people. Two empty chairs sat awaiting them.

“Is this your first time here?” she asked them as she’d begun to fiddle around with the many buttons and wires.

“Yes!” Saeko enthusiastically said. “My friends said I just haaaad to come here, but never told me why.”

“Hehe, you’ve got good friends. Daydream offers an experience no one else can give. Not only is the experience truly revitalizing for your body and soul, but you’re given an opportunity to possess an avatar, and spectate any time, place or person in the world!”

Xion’s eyes widened.

“Your friend here looks like he can’t believe it, but soon he’ll be awakened to the dream. We can’t wait to hear your feedback! Now, the machines should be ready for usage. Take a seat and get comfortable. We will be resetting everyone’s machines as any unexpected sounds or ice displacement may ruin the experience for all present.”

“Is this dangerous?” Xion asked before falling back into a surprisingly comfortable chair.

“Of course not! Please be sure to dip your feet into the containers below to enhance your senses to the fullest potential. The personal dream-containers will automatically lock once we are ready, minimizing your movement during your dream, and the headsets will cover your eyes and allow the environment to commence. If there are any more questions please ask before the reset begins!”

Then the woman left. Saeko quickly hopped into hers, staring over at Xion.

“We made it,” she laughed.

“This is so wild,” Xion could only say in reply.

The lights adjusted to a soft yellow vibe. Around them people had begun to shift around as their goggles and restraints had come off automatically. An announcement overhead alerted them all:

“Attention Dreamers! We will be commencing a total reset on your Daydream. Please take this chance to stretch your legs, approach the restrooms if needed, and ask for new ice if it feels too warm. In approximately five minutes we shall return to your scheduled lucid engagements. Thank you for your patronage!”

Commotion broke out now that everyone had returned to reality, and people began to move around.

The staff member from earlier had returned, along with a girl, a brunette whose hair was noticeably in a bohemian hairstyle, complimented by her messy braided bun. She wore all black from head to toe. The staff pointed her towards the furthest chair in the corner next to Xion’s left side, while Saeko was seated on his right.
The girl then came along without so much as looking at them, and sat up into her reclining chair.

“Two minutes!” came over the speakers.

“Have you done this before?” Saeko then brought up to the new girl seated near them.

No response.

The atmosphere in the room returned to a moody purple color.

“Okay..not a big talker I see,” Saeko grumbled.

“You two shouldn’t be here,” the girl then said plainly.

“One minute!” came over the speaker, followed by the rapid movement of restrainers throughout the room clamping over the arms and legs of everyone seated.

Both Saeko and Xion looked at the girl, wondering how she could have known that.

“What, are these spots reserved?” Saeko asked with distaste.

“No.”

“Then why-”
“Thirty seconds!” the speakers blared once more.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me,” Xion said.

“Fifteen seconds!” Water began to bubble and shake the containers and ice cubes where feet resided, water pumped in from tubes beneath each container.

“Say something,” he spoke up.

She actually turned to look at Xion, instead of ignoring him like she did Saeko, but said nothing. Her eyes were white.

“Ten seconds!” These words were shouted along with headsets beginning to slowly lower over the eyes of everyone one at a time from left to right. The sound of released pressurized air flooded the structure, and as Xion turned to watch Saeko, her hands went limp in an instant.

“Five seconds!”

He turned back to his left just as the headset began to cover him.

“Who are you?” He asked politely as he felt his body begin to fade away into a calling, hungry void, but he tried to stay conscious for as long as possible.

“Sayonara, Xion Mizuno.”

He could no longer concentrate on her calming demeanor, and was recalled away into a deep sleep.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xion’s eyes flung wide open. He could not breathe, but then realized he didn't need to. He felt nothing aside from the faintest cold breeze, but this enveloped his presence. His soul. Xion had no body.

There was no color aside from black wherever he looked. A world devoid of inspiration. Arching his head down plunged him through endless space and time towards the familiar earth. There, with controlled speed, he flew towards Kansai, and more specifically, his home.

Looking down above the capsule complex uncovered the roofing, and dissected the building before his very eyes. He could see through walls, following pipelines up and down the structure, and throughout the ground. Anything he saw could be moved in an instant.

Floor 32 contained his mother. She was safely tucked in bed, browsing through the contents of a hardcover book.

“Any time…place…person…” the words echoed around him.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just to the east of Japan’s Kansai region is Chūbu region, and more specifically the city Nagoya. With a simple thought, he telepathically found a familiar face, and placed himself inside the body of his friend Kazue Kinoskue.

He was standing in a gigantic room that stretched for at least a mile. This was easily distinguished by the lack of objects within the room, instead replaced with people forming an unending line that swirled around. Xion found himself behind five people, yet in front of those people was a behemoth of a man. With an indistinguishable face, and body that was a blur that towered at least 8ft (or roughly 2.43m), there was no mistaking who this was. This man sat on a small stool at an ironically small table, with his arm placed across it, ready to arm wrestle the next opponent.
The crowd that had formed was savagely loud, it was even hard to think in his own state of mind. Chants of victory towards the man many worshiped.

“TSU-NA-MI! TSU-NA-MI! TSU-NA-MI!”

Finally it was Kazue Kinoskue’s time to challenge the Daimyo. His body was unsteady, visibly sweating, and pale, yet he stepped towards the empty stool…

“Any time…place…person…” the words echoed once more around him.

There was an omnipresent fleeting presence occurring the entire time that had been growing noticeability, now more so than ever. At any moment Xion felt he would be sucked away. He could hear the sounds of the ice cubes floating around his nonexistent feet, and feel the numbing tingles his soulless body gave in response. But there was still one more thing he wanted to see, or perhaps, witness was the right word.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The year is now 2085.

As the incident reported, it was the middle of winter three years ago in the city of Kanazawa, found only in the Hokuriku region, north of Kansai region. Hokuriku was the region where Xion's father was crushed to death by falling debris.

A business trip had taken him out of Kyoto, but as Xion had learned over the years, the regions did not openly trade. Smugglers, much like Saeko, found chances to bring much desired supplies and political intrigue across borders under secrecy, whether with good or devious intent.

For years Xion had speculated his father had been involved in something more than a humble business opportunity. Afterall, why else would he leave?

Snow had piled up all around the sidewalks, and a fresh coat of flakes had begun to surface on the streets. Soon the plows would fly by, whether through land or air vehicles, deploying salts to melt the snow.

A car sped down the street, screeching as it made several sharp turns difficult for Xion to follow from overhead. In pursuit was another vehicle with tinted windows, firing an assault rifle outside the open driver’s window at the car ahead in chase. These bullets flew wildly around hitting anything but the target.

Xion continuously warped to see his father, and yet he was unable to.

Suddenly a rocket flew out from an adjoining helicopter above, striking a skyscraper ahead, and causing pieces of rubble to fall down.

Both smoke and tons of debris crashed in front of the car, now too late for it to come to a complete halt, it smashed into the blockade, compressing and killing anything inside.

The car and helicopter came to a stop nearby. The air transportation hovering above, while 3 cloaked figures inside the car got out, and stepped forward towards the crash site.

Shortly after, a 4th member joined them.

3 of the 4 carried firearms, while the latest 4th member trailed behind with their arms completely concealed.

These figures cautiously approached, watching as the trunk then flung open as two blankets were tossed out. They fired upon each, littering the blankets with bullets that bounced off.

The helicopter from above suddenly exploded. The flames fell down to the ground, now where all 3 figures were all sliced, killing them instantly. Their blood trailed around in the snow.

Two remaining figures stood facing each other, about 10 feet apart, with fiery debris landing around. One was the figure dressed in robes, the other wore a suit, had white hair, a bandit mask that didn’t cover his white eyes, and the symbol of a fox dangling down from his drawn bloodied sword.

Now with a closer look, Xion examined Kitsune, but he didn’t recognize him beneath the mask. The man’s facials were aged, his eyes weren’t blue, his hair was no longer black, nothing was remotely close to his father. If this wasn't him, then where was he?

“You cannot win. I am unbeatable, and your only viable choice is submission. Surrender, Kitsune.” The robed man’s voice was deeply low, noxious, and clearly aided by some fabrication.

“The days today are beginning to feel less like yesterday, and more like tomorrow, Shinobi.” Kitsune’s raspy voice was calm and confident as he held out his sword towards the robed man.

Just like two samurai dueling centuries ago, both men were encircled and ready to fight. 

However, just as it seemed the battle would commence, Xion’s trance had finally broken.

The high pitched alarms, screams of fear, sounds of water running, fire burning, and his body being shaken rapidly flooded back into him at once, bringing him to shocking reality once more.

In his blurry vision he could see Saeko standing over him, pulling at the restraints around his arms, mouthing words he was in no condition to read.

He gingerly glanced to his left, spotting an empty seat devoid of the girl from earlier, instead now burst into flames above the flooding floor.