one ☆ ore... confused!

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

[Yuuto alternates between loud and not-so-loud, so pardon him while he gapes a bit as he strolls into the starry-covered Plane. It's the stuff of dreams and nightmares, and considering Yuuto's obsession with stars, it's an exciting dream indeed.] What... what is all of this? Another part of Time?

[He wanders over to the bar, but not to drink anything... only to assert that the barstools and counter are real. Then he realizes something.] There's no doors. How am I supposed to get back? [a pause] Then again, why would I want to? At least for now...

[He turns around, faces the rest of the plane, and calls out.] Anybody there?! ... Momotaros... everyone. I can't feel them...? What the hell is going on?!

Comments

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

... Well, according to him, I never do anything good, either.

[contract_star]

Really? Well...huh.

Oh, um. I'm Li Shengshun.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

[Yeeeah, don't ask.]

Nice to meet you, Li.

[contract_star]

[:3]

You too, Sakurai.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

So... how long have you been coming here?

[contract_star]

Six months? Maybe longer. Some people have been here even longer than that.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

Huh... [Hello, star-ADD.]

[contract_star]

[Don't worry, Hei has that too! He smiles.]

You like stars?

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

Er... yeah, actually. [Have a genuine smile.] I was going to study astronomy at university.

[contract_star]

I liked the stars too. Well, I still do. It's complicated. [Have a rather fake one back, though good luck being able to tell.] That's what I'm doing, actually. I'm an exchange student in Tokyo.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

[Nope, Yuuto doesn't notice.]

Ah, good for you. Getting into a university in Tokyo is a pain. I wish I could've gone... [Hello, subject change!] I have a really old telescope. I ought to bring it here sometime.

[contract_star]

It's tough, but it's worth it.

[More genuine smile this time.] Ah, I have one too! I tend to keep it here, actually. This place is excellent for stargazing, but you have to get used to everything being out of place.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

Some other time, I guess.

Hm. I noticed things were... off. I can't even recognize some of them.

[contract_star]

The constellations are displaced, and some of the Messier objects are missing. And then there's dozens of things I can't recognize at all. It must be the skies gathered from all sorts of places.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Maybe when someone comes here, they bring a bit of their own sky with them.

[contract_star]

[Frowns a little.] It's possible, but...I don't really think so.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

... Oh. It was worth a shot.

[contract_star]

Well, I only say so because--well, I think I'd know if any of the stars from my world were here.

All of the stars in my world are fake, you see.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

[... Talk about kicking the dog. Yuuto frowns.]

What?! What happened to the real ones?

[contract_star]

Ah...it happened ten years ago, when the Gates appeared. They're chaos realms--one is in Tokyo, the other was in Brazil.

But...yes. When they appeared, all of the stars disappeared, along with the moon.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

[Yuuto is quiet for a moment, wearing a look that is profoundly sad. And not just because the stars disappeared. Just... the implications of something like that...]

They have to be out there, somewhere.

[contract_star]

Probably. But no one's been able to see them since. The rockets we try to send into space disappear.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

Just keep believing.

[contract_star]

[Plasters on a smile.] You're probably right.

[hasarrived.livejournal.com]

[Yuuto falls for it... this time, and smiles back.]