Chapter Text
Welcome to whitespace.
Sunny hadn’t been here since the night of the confession, since his fight with OMORI and his final duet. The white door was locked, the red hands were nowhere to be seen. Even OMORI’s artbook had faded away, leaving only blank pages. It was… empty. Emptier than usual.
‘A place to survive but not live’
Out of curiosity, Sunny tried looking through the keyhole on the door. There was nothing on the other side. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Sunny frowned. He’d had enough waiting for something to happen, that kind of complacency had only brought him pain.
A lingering regret filled Sunny, a mote of agony and self imposed betrayal. By submitting to OMORI, he regressed. OMORI had gotten them out of Hero’s ambush. OMORI had been the one piloting both the truck and his own body. OMORI, OMORI, OMORI. What was the point of revealing the truth and trying to move forward if Sunny just gave up his own agency at the slightest resistance?
But even still, something was odd with OMORI. Sunny could see it, even if OMORI was trying to hide his emotions around him, whenever his Stand was interacting with others it showed a life of its own. He’d spared Hero, he’d been genuinely afraid of failure, he’d…
Something was shifting.
The more Sunny thought about it the more his brain hurt.
Oh well. That was a mystery for once they got out of the wilderness. Sunny closed his eyes, bidding whitespace a final farewell as he prepared to wake up.
…
Basil found himself surrounded by nebulas. Stars in the night sky, blossoming, sealing away the dark. The floor of this place was a vast plane of water, the rolling waves reflecting the light of Twisted Garden above. Basil had been to this place many times, seen its beauty and terror, but it never seemed to mean anything to him. It was just a dream, a dream that his Stand had formed for him, its cosmic thorns stretching across the sky.
Behind him, splashes of water approached, the sound of footsteps wading through the ethereal sea of dreams. Turning around, Basil found himself face to face with something that was almost Sunny but not quite. His eyepatch was missing. In its place blood flowed freely down his face. Even despite that, this simulacra was still smiling at Basil warmly, his remaining eye glowing.
“Hey Basil,” Not-Sunny greeted, “How are you?”
“I-I’m fine,” Basil responded, “And you?”
Sincerely, Not-Sunny assured, “Never better.”
Crimson red tears dripped from Not-Sunny’s missing eye, and as the droplets hit the water, red plumes billowed out into the deep. The sea below flowed pink as it washed back and forth… a lullaby written in saltwater. The two stood only a foot apart from one another, their gazes even against one another.
Basil and Not-Sunny reached out to hug the other simultaneously, interlocking seamlessly with their heads over the other's shoulder. Basil wept in relief, and he could feel the soft patter of liquid droplets against his sweater vest. Tears, probably. Hopefully.
“Sunny, I’m so sorry for everything… Your eye, Something, Hero’s stand… It’s all my fault,” Basil sobbed, “Will you forgive me?”
“Of course he will,” Not-Sunny affirmed. Basil felt Not-Sunny’s hand caressing his hair, comforting him despite his condition. The two crouched down to the floor, partially submerging themselves into the sea below. Their embrace remained tight, Basil could feel Not-Sunny’s warmth through the cold of the water. This felt right. This felt…
Where was he?
Basil looked around, the warm afterglow of Not-Sunny faded away. As the cold of the water rushed in once more, Basil frantically surveyed the waterscape. As far as the horizon, in every direction, Sunny was gone. Twisted Garden’s luminance had faded… no, no, no, no no no! Basil panicked, he stood up and his head snapped around wildly in the hopes of finding Sunny again. He chose a direction and ran, making no progress against the vast infinity, all the while screaming Sunny’s name. Where could he be? Where could he be?
As Twisted Garden’s light went to black, the thing their light concealed began to peer through, watching. Titanic beings with white stars on their face, thousands of eyes in the distance, staring, watching, judging. As Basil continued sprinting, black threads strung from the depths of the ocean and thrashed high into the heavens, a spiderweb of darkness slowly encasing the world. Adrenaline pumping, all Basil could do was run. All he could do was hope to find Sunny.
There! In the distance! A pale figure stood at world’s edge, his expression indistinguishable from this far away. Basil could see he had his hand outstretched, but as he drew closer it became clear that the boy wasn’t Sunny at all. It was OMORI. Just OMORI. Basil came to a halt, catching his breath as he sobbed.
“Why?!” Basil yelled, “Why must you stand between us?!”
A shining light appeared behind OMORI, framing him against the sunrise in the dream. Only as the darkness was driven back did Basil see OMORI’s face, his determined expression and glowing blue right eye standing stark against the rising dark tendrils. He didn’t respond to Basil’s inquiry, only standing there with his hand extended in offering.
“Answer me!” Basil screamed, “I know I’ve done terrible things, but you were made for Sunny’s forgiveness! Why won't you forgive me!”
I have.
Basil was taken aback.
It’s not about what you have done. It’s about who you are, it’s about what you are doing, and what you will continue to do if you keep on this path.
“Wh- What? I don’t understand…”
I know you don’t.
“Then explain it to me! Tell me what I need to do to get your approval!”
That’s exactly the problem.
Basil staggered back as the sun continued to rise behind OMORI, and the ocean began to shine like diamonds.
We can discuss this later. For now, you just need to wake up.
“I-I don’t understand!”
Take my hand, and WAKE. UP.
Basil nodded slowly as he reached out. As his hand clasped OMORI’s, a wave of lethargy overtook Basil, and the dream world went dark.
…
Sunny woke up to see a world still cloaked in mist, the moisture of the mountains cascading down the pass in a waterfall of ghostly essence. The sun was rising in the east, highlighting the city and marking the path onwards. Once they’d made it to the warehouses, they could call someone… anyone… to come help them.
At some point during the night, Basil’s head had ended up on Sunny’s chest. Sunny couldn’t say he minded it being there, but he gently moved his sleeping friend aside so he could get up. OMORI was nowhere to be seen, he hadn’t brought any rations for the day. The longer they stayed in the woods, the more damage they risked from malnutrition. Once Basil was awake, it would be time to get a move on.
Sunny looked eastward, watching as the radiance of dawn cloaked the world in an ephemeral golden light. It was beautiful, up here in the mountains. Far away from the chaos of his home life, far away from the dangers of Hero and his allies, far away from the consequences of his own actions. He was hungry, thirsty, dirty and bruised, but even still he wished this moment could last just a little longer. Not forever, but perhaps a minute or so.
Behind him, Basil stirred himself awake, his eyes puffy and dark around the edges. He blinked in the sunlight, his eyes shimmering in the ascendant glow as he got to his feet and walked up to Sunny. He slouched slightly as he walked, an awkward expression plastering his visage. Together, Sunny and Basil watched their upcoming destination, dread and anticipation flowing through them.
Wordlessly, they descended through the underbrush, hiking onwards. There was no other choice, they couldn’t falter. Not now that they were so close to the finish line. Down the hills, stepping over twigs and rocks and fallen logs, they drew ever closer.
…
Sunny stepped out onto the empty road. The fog hadn’t abated, and despite the sun shining high in the sky, even still the industrial edge of the city was dim and obscured by a grey wispy veil. His footsteps echoed off the solid asphalt, Basil’s close behind him.
As soon they crossed the rubicon, where urban and untamed wilderness met, Sunny got a strange feeling he couldn’t shake. The streets were empty, no activity or signs of life could be seen in the rows of stockrooms and hangars comprising the district. And yet…
“Basil,” Sunny asked, “is someone watching us?”
Basil took a moment to focus, adjusting Twisted Garden on his head. Its light was dim and flickering weakly, its state mirroring Basil’s sunken, weary features.
“N-no,” Basil replied, “I haven’t seen anyone.”
Eye squinted in concentration, Sunny nodded slowly. Even so, he continued to scan the environment… searching for that prescient feeling. Slowly, they walked through the area in search of someplace to stop and make a phone call. The feeling of unease had only grown stronger, and Sunny could’ve sworn he saw figures moving through the fog, distortions of movement where there should be none. Eventually, they found an alcove to stop in.
It was dingy inside, rusty old equipment scattered the edges of their temporary shelter. Dull saws, discarded hammers, machinery Sunny couldn’t make sense of their purpose… all left in this place to rot.
Basil pulled out his phone, his gaze lingering on the damaged screen as he asked, “Who s-should we call?”
“My mother,” Sunny replied, “Our new apartment is in the city. She should be able to get here quickly.”
Basil looked dejected as he responded, “O-oh, right. I… I forgot you were moving.”
Silence, the pale glow of the phone’s dialpad reflected in Basil’s eyes.
“I-I don’t know her phone number,” stated Basil.
“983-341-2…”
A deafening clang emanated from outside, the sound of something slamming against the building with immense force. Basil stowed his phone, his breathing accelerating. Sunny stepped away from the wall, shaken.
“It’s not safe here!” Basil exclaimed in a hushed tone, and Sunny agreed strongly.
Sunny yelped under his breath, “What do we do?!”
The metallic ringing of a second strike echoed throughout the chamber, a dent appearing in the nearby steel wall. Sunny and Basil scrambled to the other end of the room, hiding themselves behind a workbench and table saw. Mere moments later, the third strike hit, alongside the groans and screeches of metal being punched through and the breath of fog flowing in through the new hole in the wall.
Sunny peaked out from behind the bench, but quickly withdrew, holding his breath as his eye widened. Standing out in the mist, beyond the hole viciously torn into the room, stood a lithe figure wearing a broken white mask. Its grey cloak flowed like the fog itself, blending into the environment. Most strikingly, it held a long staff, pointed at one end and hooked at the other. It was as elegant as it was terrifying. Sunny could only listen, and pray that whatever it was would leave.
One heartbeat passed. Sunny felt Basil hold him, felt Basil’s anxiety and heard his unstable breath. Two heartbeats passed. The thing in the fog made no noise, seemingly unmoving. Three heartbeats passed. Sunny could sense an approaching feeling of giddy static.
Suddenly, a tempest. A loud slash, the whoosh of grey winds, and the screech of aluminum and rusted iron being violently ripped asunder. Basil and Sunny dived to the sides as a blade made of pure fog slashed their hiding spot in half, exposing them to the elements… and to the onlooking spectre. Sunny scrambled to his feet, watching as a second blade of fog coalesced in front of the ethereal being. The ghost didn’t move, only held its frayed mask to its face as threads of mist weaved together.
The cutting blade became material, slashing forward with immense force. Sunny wouldn’t be fast enough to dodge, the cutting edge would decapitate him in an instant. After everything, he was going to die here, out at the edge of society, where only Basil would hear him.
In the instant before the cut landed, OMORI appeared between Sunny and certain death. His knife clashed against the mist with a resonant ping, reflecting the vaporous attack directly through the enemy. The phantom in the fog simply vanished, the parried attack phasing through and sundering the wall behind it.
“What… What was that thing?” Sunny panicked.
Basil was hyperventilating, managing to reply, “I-I don’t know, but we n-need to go n-now!”
Sunny nodded frantically.
The approaching feeling was gone. With no idea where the enemy was, they picked a direction and ran, the haze blanketing the world playing tricks on their mind. Were they going the right way? Was there a right way to go? Sunny took Basil’s hand as they sprinted, ducking between cover in the hopes of evading… whoever it was that was out there.
They stopped to breathe behind a pile of wooden boxes, the damages of spending two days unaided in the forest taking their toll. Taking a deep breath, Sunny took a moment to block out the little things, focusing on the dangers at hand.
“We can’t fight that thing head on,” Sunny whispered solemnly, “Can you call anyone?”
Basil shook his head, quietly responding, “We’d risk getting its attention. Until we know what that thing is capable of, we have to assume it can hear us.”
“So hiding here is pointless?” Sunny hissed.
“We don’t know. But it hasn’t struck yet.”
It’s not nearby.
OMORI interjected, manifesting into being. He leaned against the boxes, eyes half closed. Sunny couldn’t tell if he was calculating or worried. Maybe a bit of both.
I can feel people’s emotions. Currently, I only feel you two.
Sunny recalled that approaching eagerness, right before the phantom struck. Was that what it had felt, right before it went in for the kill? That thing was presumably a Stand, but its user must be a monster.
Let me guide you out of this
“No,” Sunny stated, determined, “We can solve this ourselves. Protect us, but I’m navigating.”
Inwardly, Sunny thought to himself ‘I’ll be the one in control.’
OMORI looked over, his concern still apparent.
It’s risky…
“I don’t care,” Sunny replied, “I’m not letting you take over again.”
OMORI closed his eyes, his expression melancholy. Basil and Sunny stood up, while OMORI continued to sit in silence. Once Sunny walked out from behind the boxes, OMORI opened his eyes, his voice echoing through Sunny’s mind once more.
Fine. But I’m not letting you run into danger untrained. Can you sense Basil beside you?
Basil confusedly asked, “What do you mean ‘sense’? I’m right here.”
But Sunny understood what OMORI meant. He reached out, trying to detect Basil's emotions. He found them with ease, a mass of anxiety, loneliness, and fear. In spite of this, veins of exhilaration ran through it all. It was a strange feeling, and Sunny felt like he was intruding somewhere he shouldn’t belong, but even so those sensations were clear as day.
Sunny nodded, “I do.”
Good. Do you understand what excitement feels like through this empathic sense?
Sunny nodded once more.
Focus on that. The enemy’s thrill of the hunt will be their downfall.
Good luck.
With a half-hearted salute, OMORI vanished. Sunny’s gaze lingered where OMORI had been sitting, until Basil grabbed his shoulder.
“We should go,” Basil affirmed.
Sunny nodded.
…
They trawled through the mist for what seemed like hours, running into dead end after dead end. Sometimes Sunny would feel it, a distance hungry elation. There’d been a few close calls, but the phantom and its User hadn’t caught them yet.
It was getting closer again, the craving hunter. Sunny led Basil down a nearby alleyway, but this time their escape path turned out to be a lie. Cornered between three brick walls, the alleyway left them stranded with a monster approaching from the dark. A faint scraping could be heard, metal against concrete, and as death drew ever closer its metallic footsteps rang ever louder. The phantom made no footsteps, Sunny couldn’t tell what was approaching. The User? A second Stand? It didn’t matter, there was no way out.
Basil frantically looked around, checking for anything that could help them. Through the grey veil, he was able to see a trashcan, some old propane tanks, random metal scraps… the cogs in Basil’s head began turning.
“You’ve given me quite the run around,” a deep voice emanated from beyond their sight, “Impressive. I can see how you were able to give Henry trouble.”
“Show yourself!” Basil yelled, holding up a metal fragment from the ground as an improvised knife, “Quit hiding and face us, coward!”
“Do you think my pride can be manipulated so easily?” the voice inquired. Sunny could feel the revelry dripping off of their tormentor, an air of smugness seething in their voice. The phantom appeared in the fog, proceeding the dark figure of a man in full platemail. Now Sunny and Basil could see the source of the scraping noise, their pursuers' abyssal katana scraping against the floor as he approached them.
“Well, you’re absolutely right,” the voice continued, “I could have killed you a thousand times over by now, but where's the fun in that?”
In a swift strike, the man’s blade parted the mist that obscured him. His armor was the same dark color as his sword, his pale face and black hair blending into the greys of the environment. The only feature that stood out was his scarlet cape, its saturation contrasting with the muted foggy tones.
Basil’s grip on his metal shard was shaking, Sunny backed himself against the wall at the end of the alley.
“You know, it was your shoes that gave you away,” the man continued with a grin, “the dust of this abandoned place made your footsteps incredibly obvious. A child could have found you.”
Basil threw his knife, only for the phantom to deflect it with its hooked spear. Sunny grabbed a stone and threw it as well, with the hopes it would distract the phantom, that too was deflected without a single thought.
“Oh, don’t even try,” the man stated, “my stand is the fog given shape and will. Once I’ve given it a task, it will do it with perfect precision and speed. As long as its task is to deflect your pathetic attacks, I’m invulnerable.”
The man posed dramatically, arching his back and stabbing his blade into the ground. The phantom stood beside him, prepared to react. Basil looked down at the propane tanks, then over at Sunny. Sunny could see the glint in his eyes, the look of someone about to do something very desperate.
“In a moment, I’ll instruct it to cut you down with its pin,” the enemy gloated, “but for now I’m just enjoying the fear in your… what are you doing?”
The man’s tone completely shifted as Basil used Twisted Garden to grab a propane tank off the ground, and Sunny could smell the rotten egg odor of flammable gas in the air. Understanding the plan, he conjured OMORI and grabbed a rock from the ground. The distinct hissing of the tank continued as Basil threw the tank with all his strength straight towards the phantom, who instinctively stabbed it midair.
A loud whoosh emitted from the tank as compressed air spurted from the puncture, blowing back the fog and disrupting the phantom’s form. The man stared down at the canister, a shocked look on his face.
The enemy sounded almost relieved as he said, “You know, I thought that was going to…”
OMORI’s knife grinded against the stone in Sunny’s hand, sending white hot sparks flying through the air. With what little remained of his power, Basil threw out Twisted Garden’s vines in a defensive pattern, attempting to protect him and Sunny. Not a second to spare, one spark hit the expanding flammable gas… and the whole world went up in flames. Sunny and Basil were thrown back against the wall, Sunny’s vision blurred and stuttered. The shockwave from the blast vaporized the fog in an instant, leaving the alleyway clear and unobscured. Sunlight began shining in from above once more.
The knight picked himself up from the ground, leveraging his blade to hoist himself up. The blade was impaled deep into the ground, and he struggled futilely to extract it before giving up. Shrapnel shredded his armor, shallow cuts patterned his exposed flesh. Without the fog to retreat to, his phantom staggered into a kneeling position, staring high into the sky.
Basil could feel that he’d broken a rib, the impact against the brick wall left him battered and bruised. Twisted Garden didn’t have enough energy left to shield him anymore, much less heal something as extreme as a bone. Coughing up blood, Basil was able to whisper, “Sunny, finish this…” before he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The enemy stand user was fully on his feet now, leaving Sunny no time to linger on his friend’s condition. He pushed himself up from the wall, delirious but determined. The man’s armor would be a problem, even without his blade he’d be far stronger and more resilient than Sunny ever could be. Worse still, the phantom had gotten back up. Without the fog it would be far weaker, but that pin weapon it wielded was still very, very pointy.
Sunny grimaced. He’d have to do this quickly. Fog would come flowing back in soon enough, blocking out the sunlight and taking away his only advantage. OMORI was by his side, ready to assist.
For an instant, everything was still.
In an act of desperate necessity, Sunny charged the knight. He yelled as he ran, his anger channeled into his battle cry. OMORI followed quickly behind, knife drawn. The knight sidestepped them both with a razor thin smile, OMORI’s knife scraping against his platemail harmlessly. The man’s smirk only grew as he watched the golden sparks flying from where metal met metal. But the knife had never been meant to work. As they passed the knight, OMORI yanked the katana out of the ground with his offhand, quickly spinning around and slashing upwards. The blade passed directly through a gap in the man’s armor, severing his arm and giving him an impromptu haircut in the process.
The man screamed out in agony, blood rushing out his wound and painting the ground red. His phantom screamed out with him, an otherworldly choir echoing throughout the alleyway. For the first time, Sunny could sense something other than smug glee within the man… Fear. Fear which OMORI quickly latched onto, his eyes shining red as he drew upon the man’s terror.
“You! YOU!” The man shouted, the glow of OMORI’s eyes infiltrating his own, “W-what are you!”
Sunny walked over to the man casually, grabbing the katana from OMORI as he approached. Without a word, he slammed the sword’s pommel into the knight’s forehead. A sharp crack, and the man was out cold. Sunny’s determination faded, it was done.
He stood there for a moment, hunched forwards. The phantom had vanished, leaving only trace moisture in its wake. Residual flames burned throughout, shining bright against the slowly encroaching haze. Sunny took a deep breath, then walked over to Basil. Extracting Basil’s phone from his pocket, Sunny typed in three numbers into the dialpad.
9-1-1
…
…
Muffled voices, the rhythmic sounds of beeping machinery and the smell of sterilizers. Basil’s vision was blurry as he came to, the white light of the room hurt his eyes. As his senses were slowly regained, he realized who the voices were. Sunny, Sunny’s mom, and… Aubrey?
Besides himself, four figures were in the room. Sunny sat in a nearby armchair, barely speaking. Standing next to him was Ms. Suzuki, who was in a heated debate with a police officer over something Basil couldn’t quite make out. Aubrey was beside Basil, her attention caught by Basil’s awakening.
“Well this is a familiar scene,” Aubrey commented curtly.
Basil didn’t say anything in response. He could only lay there anxiously.
Aubrey continued regardless, a bitter look in her pink eyes, “Got any dark secrets for us this time?”
“Is now really the time for jokes?” Basil murmured softly.
“I wasn’t joking,” she replied.
“Oh,” Basil choked, “W-well, no. N-not this time.”
Aubrey considered this for a moment, falling silent once more.
“W-what are you doing here?” Basil asked, an edge of surprise in his voice.
Aubrey gave an inquisitive look, “What, should I not be?”
“No! N-no, I’m just surprised, is all,” Basil said with an awkward laugh, “It’s nice s-seeing you again.”
Aubrey was solemn, hesitating a moment before replying, “...It’s good to see you too.”
“So, y-you’re not mad at us?” Basil asked.
“Oh I definitely am,” Aubrey barked, “but Kel was right. You’re still my friends. And if I hadn’t been a coward, if I’d just warned you myself, maybe you two wouldn’t be hospitalized… again.”
“W-warned us?” Basil asked, “W-what happened?”
“A few days before you and Sunny disappeared, Henry attacked me at the plaza,” Aubrey responded, “I told Kel to message you… I guess it didn’t go through.”
“He uh… he did say something,” Basil replied, “Sunny was able to use the warning. I just kept trodding down the rose laden path.”
A moment of silence passed between them, interrupted only by the adult’s debate. Sunny’s mom was livid that her son was in the condition he was. The officer was trying his best to calm her down.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Basil pointed out.
“Right, Officer Maris brought me here,” Aubrey replied, looking over at the policeman.
Basil blinked twice, “Officer Maris… Be honest with me, Aubrey, are we in trouble?”
Aubrey shook her head, “I’ve got you covered. The other guy though…”
Dread set in, Basil’s heart sank as he asked, “Did Sunny kill him?”
“No,” Aubrey replied, “I did.”
“WHAT?!”
“It had to be done. He was too dangerous to contain, and I didn’t see any way he’d be redeeming himself,” Aubrey replied, “I’m not happy about it either, but given the choice between hurting him or letting him hurt someone else, I chose accordingly.”
“A-and the police officer was just… Okay with this?!” Basil yelped in disbelief.
“I mean…” Aubrey forced a smile, pointedly revealing her fangs, “Yeah.”
Basil put the pieces together immediately. Stand Users and vampires often come into contact with one another, almost like destiny. Even still Basil was taken aback. He never thought he’d meet one himself, much less for it to be his childhood friend.
“H-how long have you been like this?” Basil asked, panic seeping into his voice, “Why?”
“Since I was six,” Aubrey replied casually, “And because I wanted to be. Or because I was raised to be one. Honestly, I’m pretty surprised you hadn’t noticed.”
In hindsight, this did make some amount of sense. Weird details from their childhood resurfaced, memories Basil wouldn’t have deemed significant otherwise. The way she kept her back to the sun or kept to the shadows, the amount of sunblock she wore, the way she never really seemed to enjoy the food she was offered, Basil had always figured that had just been Aubrey being Aubrey. He supposed it still was Aubrey being Aubrey, just now with more context.
“Huh,” Basil enunciated.
“Why else would the police have brought me to the scene?” Aubrey continued, “The moment Sunny told dispatch his name, I was notified immediately.”
So, Aubrey was a vampire working alongside the police. Basil took a moment to consider this, unsure what to make of it all.
“What now?” he asked.
Aubrey stared at Basil in a concerned/contemptuous manner, stating simply, “You eat something, and recover. I don’t know how you two ended up battered, malnourished and bruised at the edge of the city, but I won’t let you run around and endanger yourselves further.”
Basil fell back into the hospital bed’s mattress with a sigh. Aubrey was right. Recovering sounded good right about now.
…
Sunny sat in abject silence, listening to his mother’s shouting match with the police officer. He was slouched over and staring at the floor, and even though he could hear the words they were saying, he couldn’t register anything beyond a general gist of things. The officer wanted him to go back to Faraway. His mom wanted him to stay with her, in the city. Sunny himself wanted nothing more than a decent meal, and for everyone to stop yelling. Hearing his mother’s heated screams was more painful than any of his wounds.
OMORI’s hand waving in Sunny’s face snapped him out of his funk.
Hey, are you doing alright?
Sunny didn’t respond, just gave OMORI a look that said ‘what do you think?’ OMORI frowned slightly. Unsure what to say or do, he faded away once more. Sunny sighed, letting his vision blur and unfocus as he waited for everything to quiet down. Aubrey and Basil were talking. A thought crossed his mind that he should join them, but with everything happening… no, it was better just to sit here.
What was he thinking? Sunny steeled himself, reminding himself to make an effort to reclaim his agency. This was his life, he wasn’t going to sit by and just watch it happen. Sunny stood up, and walked over to Basil’s bedside.
Basil glanced over at Sunny as he approached, and Aubrey gave a simple hand wave as greetings. It’d only been a few weeks since Sunny had seen Aubrey last, but at this point the confession felt like years ago. So much had happened. Sunny put his hand on the rim of Basil’s hospital bed, and Basil reached out and clasped his own hand over it. Aubrey gave the two of them a knowing look.
“Hey Aubrey,” Sunny greeted somberly.
Aubrey gave a thin smile, replying, “Hey, Sunny.”
After a moment’s pause, Sunny inquired “How are you doing?”
“Not great,” Aubrey answered, “Aircraft guns hurt.”
Sunny grimaced as Aubrey explained her vampirism, her begrudging relationship with the police, and recapped him on everything going down. At this point, Sunny didn’t even have it in him to be surprised.
The loud stomp of Ms. Suzuki’s shoes against the hospital floor interrupted any further catching up Sunny could do. Her frustration was deep and inset within her tone as she stated through gritted teeth, “Sunny, we’re leaving.”
All eyes were trained on Sunny’s mother as she offered her outstretched hand to her only remaining child. Sunny looked around, his gaze ultimately meeting his mother’s. The fire in her eyes burned like coal briquettes, and looking past her Sunny could see the officer had resigned himself. He’d had this argument. He knew it wouldn’t be going anywhere.
Sunny took his mother’s hand, and followed her out of the room without a word.
The drive back to the apartment was tense and awkward, the city’s evening traffic only dragging out an already miserable experience. Sunny wanted to speak up, wanted to object over being taken from his friends without any input from himself, but he didn’t have any right to speak up. Not to her.
Sunny thought back to his confession. He’d barely given his parents a whole sentence during the whole thing. His sister, their daughter, was dead because of him. Sunny could beg forgiveness all he wanted with his friends, who had just now learned the truth. His family, on the other hand… He’d seen their ‘forgiveness’ for years. Silence, apathy, toleration. Nothing more. And he’d only given back in kind.
You'll never be able to regain their trust. No matter what you do, it will be hopeless. All you'll do is make things worse.
OMORI’s words echoed through his mind again. Would the OMORI that stood by his side now still say something like that? Either way, it was disturbing how on point he’d been.
The car came to a halt outside the apartment complex, and Sunny stepped into his new home for the first time. The sounds of the city were muffled inside, the walls painted a dull orange. Even though his mom had lovingly decorated every inch of the apartment, the furniture was just the same as his old home in Faraway. Different place, same memories.
Sunny sighed. This would be his place for a long time. No point fighting it, for now.
…
Basil picked up his home’s landline and dialed the Suzuki residence number, questions filling his mind. He thought back to his dream the previous night, and he just wasn’t able to shake it. It haunted him. It watched him. And there was only one person who could tell him what it meant. With a click, the line picked up.
“Hey Basil,” Sunny stated quietly, “I can’t call long, Mom will get mad if she finds out.”
“That’s ok,” Basil responded, “Could… could you get OMORI on the line?”
Basil could hear Sunny’s surprise through the phone as he replied, “Why?”
“I just… just need to talk to him,” Basil said, unsure how to justify himself.
Static came through the phone, a voiceless nothing. Then OMORI’s voice rang out, muffled by the speaker.
I’m here.
Basil hesitated. Now was his chance to speak to OMORI directly, but his nerves were getting to him.
“So, OMORI, in my dream earlier…” Basil asked quietly, “What did you mean?”
No idea.
“No idea?!” Basil exclaimed in disbelief, “So all that philosophical stuff about my behaviour… it was all just nonsense!?”
Whoever it was you spoke to in your dreams, that wasn’t me. You heard what your own mind needed you to… Or, so I assume. I wasn’t there.
“You- You’re a dream guardian!” Basil replied, “Y-You were there in my dreams! Why are you denying this?”
I’m not a dream guardian anymore. I’m a Stand.
Basil leaned against the wall, head tilted towards the ceiling. He took a deep breath in, stating solemnly, “You- The other you, said that I was on the wrong path. What do you think it meant?”
A pause, nothing but static from the other end of the phone. Once OMORI finally spoke, Basil could hear a melancholy energy to his words.
I’ve had enough of imposing myself onto others. Whatever your mind was trying to tell you, that’s up for you to decide.
“Oh. Uh… t-thanks?”
Do you really want my honest opinion?
“Yes.”
Every time you’re around Sunny, I can feel your giddy energy blossoming. It feels… nice. Like spring. But… whenever you’re alone, everything fades. It seems like you can barely function without him. And that, that’s not healthy.
“I see…” Basil despondently. He heard OMORI’s words. He didn’t want to think about them.
Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?
“N-no, that’ll be all.”
Understood. I’ll be handing the phone back to Sunny now.
The quiet after OMORI left was uncomfortable, Basil could only wait until Sunny was back on the line. His dreams were his to make, Basil thought to himself. The wait felt like years, but it only lasted a minute before he heard Sunny’s voice.
“I’m back,” Sunny stated, even more tired than before.
“Hey,” Basil affirmed, “I won’t keep you long. I just… I have something to say…”
Another pause, another rush of silence. Basil thought he could hear Sunny holding his breath in anticipation, but maybe he was just imagining things. In this little moment, Basil worked up the courage to speak what he’d wanted to say the whole time.
“S-Sunny, I love you.”
There it was. That silence again. This time it felt crushing, oppressive, while Basil waited for a response. The silence abated when Sunny’s voice came back;
“I love you too.”
To be continued…