Function \\ One

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

[And suddenly, there is a Haraken, wearing a set of the by-now-familiar cyberglasses. The only indication that he's alarmed by this situation is the fact that his eyebrows go up. He pauses. Looks around. Pauses again.]

[He lifts up the glasses.] Ah... So it isn't...? [Blink. He resettles his glasses and calls up a set of floating blue screens around himself. Quietly, trailing off as he starts tapping away at the screens:] But it still seems to be functioning...

Comments

[didorothy]

[sighs]

This is a dangerous place, Haraken. All I want for Fumie is to keep her from getting hurt here.

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

Me too. Why are you lying?

[didorothy]

[Sam hesitates, and then says]

Because I don't like to talk about the time-travelling bit until a few conversations in.

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

[......]

Time travel?

[didorothy]

[a beat]

I was hit by a car and woke up in 1973. I'm from 2006. That's why I know about downloading and viruses.

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

[A look--almost like physical pain--flashes across his face and vanishes.]

...

...by a car?

[didorothy]

[nods]

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

[Looking at the ground. It takes him a while to say anything.]

Oh.

[didorothy]

[gently]

Haraken?

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

[Looking at nothing in particular, now, his face still angled toward the ground. He seems tired.] Fumie... Did she talk about our research?

[didorothy]

She's mentioned it a few times, but not much.

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

Illegals. I... [He scratches his head.] You're not... just dead. Right? This isn't the other side.

[didorothy]

No, I'm definitely alive. Maybe more alive than I've ever been.

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

[No, Sam, that is not an expression of muted surprise turning to muted bitterness, what are you talking about. He looks away.] We're researching illegals. You know what those are, right? We... Last year, it wasn't Fumie and Yasako. Kanna. Me and Kanna were doing it.

[didorothy]

[Sam can see the unhappy ending coming]

You don't have to tell me if you don't want. But I'm listening.

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

Cybernavi malfunction. Oba-san said it was probably an Illegal, but the police don't think they're real. They're just urban legends. And cybernavi don't malfunction. But it did. And she... [Tired, tired face.] I was supposed to be there too. But we fought. And I wasn't.

[didorothy]

[gently]

You couldn't have known.

[he holds back on asking exactly what happened to her - Haraken is just a kid and Sam isn't going to pry]

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

But I shoud've gone with her anyway. [He rubs his head.] That crossing... [Shrugs and stares at nothing in particular again.] So Fumie and Yasako are helping me now.

[didorothy]

That's the research.

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

Illegals. Urban legends. [Nod.] The other side. [Frowning at the plane's not!floor.]

[didorothy]

And you're being careful? Yasako came here the other day panicking about her little sister. I don't want any of you kids getting hurt.

[more hurt, Sam thinks, than they are. He's known Fumie long enough to know about her difficulties facing death. Kanna's fate is even more troubling.]

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

[Not looking at Sam. Obvious Haraken is SO NOT OBVIOUS, REALLY.] Yes.

[didorothy]

[Sam frowns]

If you need any help, you can come here. I might not be able to help you, but there are people here who probably can.

[coiledheart.livejournal.com]

We're okay. And I'll be careful. Oba-san would take my glasses away again otherwise.