Chapter Text
The SDU falls quickly after Takumi. No one wants to believe that dear Takumi would ever hurt them, which makes them easy pickings. Eito only remembers small details from each kill — the look of dawning realization in Hiruko’s eyes as the life leaves her, the way Ima throws himself on the blade as though it’d buy Kako enough time to escape (it doesn’t), the way Shouma doesn’t even resist, and that of all of them, only Nozomi realizes what’s happening in time to attack back. He saved her for last, certain that if anything would stir Takumi back to life, it’d be this. The look of hatred in her eyes is truly beautiful, any affection she has for Takumi gone with her friends.
Eito draws it out. He doesn’t sneak attack, and he takes his time in the fight, waiting for the second his body jerks out of his control as Takumi refuses to kill his dearest friend. Any moment now. He’d said this was his entire reason for fighting, wasn’t it? It’d be pathetic to have burned himself out too soon to stop her death from coming to pass.
Any second now. Any second now, that hideous voice will come to life and squawk and screech about how horrible and evil Eito is.
It never does, and the knife finally reaches her heart with no resistance from Takumi. No crying or screaming, no attempts to wrest back control…nothing. It almost feels like she joins Takumi in death.
After that, it’s only inertia that drives him. There’s still one person left alive in the academy— the ghost boy in the defense room. Absorbing his cryptoglobin is easy with no one left to stop him. And then…the Last Defense Academy goes silent. The systems shut down before the backup power wakes up enough to keep the place livable, but there’s no one else left, no sound in the academy apart from distant systems whirring and the sound of his footsteps. Normally, this would be the kind of environment Eito would prefer, but…it feels strangely unsatisfying this time.
The days drag on with no invader attacks— there’s nothing here for them to target, after all. Eito starts to suspect he was too hasty in killing the baby so early, at least invaders attacking would give him something to do. He spends his days reading books in the library and eating canned rations from the refrigerator, which is…almost a peaceful routine.
He still visits the blue room he’d shared with Takumi, but it’s…as Takumi left it. Empty aside from him and a red splatter that’s long since dried up. It’s the last remnant of Takumi there is, a hideous stain. For once, Eito refuses to clean it up, not wanting it to seem as though Takumi were never here. Wanting a trophy of his victory over him.
The days go on, each one just like the one before, and Eito slowly comes to the conclusion that he’s made some sort of mistake. He allowed ugly Takumi to rob him of a satisfying victory. Sure, he had wanted Takumi to feel the same pain he’d inflicted on him, to truly suffer as compensation for the cruel person he was, to have no mercy just as he’d given Eito no mercy. And it was hard to say he hadn’t gotten that— Takumi’s body was his, and they had shared pain, so he knows Takumi’s self-inflicted suffering had far exceeded the amount he’d inflicted on Eito to kill him. So Eito should be happy, but…
Well, he’d sort of assumed Takumi would get back up at some point. Wasn’t that what all heroes are supposed to do? Takumi really failed at that. He’s a pathetic excuse for a hero.
…It’s not the same without Takumi around to respond or react. Any performances or insights he has feel meaningless with no audience to hear them. This is all Takumi’s fault. If he’d just been a good boy and accepted his loss, then Eito would have…
…Well, he’s not sure what he would have done first, but definitely not this. Takumi wouldn’t be let out of this so easily. This kind of unsatisfying ending is all his fault. If Eito could do it all again…
He hates it, but he’d have to be more careful. He mentally sighs at the thought— Takumi had been a vile monster of a human being, but he had been perhaps more…fragile than Eito had anticipated. It would have to be like how it would be had Takumi tortured him. No relying on the Revive-o-Matic and careful consideration to keep him only on the brink of death, never beyond. If Eito wanted to make Takumi beg for forgiveness, plead for death as he writhes in agony beneath him again and again, he’d have to be a lot more careful to keep him from finding the death he seeks.
But…that was only an if. He’d had one shot, and that was it.
The days go on and on like that until day 99. He knows by reading the schematics in the war room that today’s the final day. Tomorrow, the escape pod will emerge to be boarded, and he can go to the Artificial Satellite to massacre every human there. …The thought doesn’t excite him like it used to. Growing up, the thought of delivering righteous judgment to every awful human was his one solace during lonely, dark grey days. Now? It just feels like…pest control. Warranted, clearly - a human who’d sooner choose death than responsibility was just as vile as one that’d cheer on their suicide. But he gets no satisfaction out of the thought. It feels as boring to think about as setting up fly tape or spraying pest spray.
Try as he might, he can’t shake the thought that once he finishes and every human is dead, it’ll be like this forever. Silent. Still. Empty.
…There is an other option that comes to mind, though. Takumi went back in time. He had the power to do so because of his specialist skill, combined with the power of the baby in the defense room— both things Eito has now. If he focuses, he could probably do the same as Takumi did.
…It’d be a big decision to make. There’s nothing wrong with this timeline—it’s exactly as he had wanted when he started this. Going back would be a betrayal of everything he’s stood for— everything he’s worked so hard for. He has his victory—even if he lost his righteous eyes, he hasn’t lost his judgment, and he knows this is a victory for him and a loss for humanity. But…
He thinks back to vile, ugly Takumi. The red of his hair above the bruised tomato-like sludge that made his body. The indignant little shrieks when he was mad, the ones Eito knew exactly what buttons to press to draw out. Even that awful yet distinctive scent of his that had permeated the room he was in.
…What good story doesn’t have a villain in it? There can’t be any meaning without someone to triumph against. In order for his victory to feel real, he needed Takumi. If Eito could get this far once, he could do it again— and do it right this time. Takumi would be his sole witness, the one human spared to watch as the rest of them burned. Maybe afterwards, he’d change and earn his spared life, or maybe he wouldn’t, and Eito would lead him around in chains and a collar for the rest of his life. But either way, none of this meant anything without Takumi.
Eito closes his eyes and focuses, the ability to turn back time unintuitive to him. This wasn’t his body, after all, and he didn’t look back like Takumi does. But he has all the time in the world to get it right, and eventually, he figures it out. The world goes white around him-
Takumi wakes up in the middle of the night, shambling over to his mirror to gather his bearings. Something about this doesn’t feel real. He stares into his reflection. “I’m…Takumi Sumino, aren’t I…?” he wonders aloud, to no response.
He’s about to write this as a pointless bit of sleepwalking when his heart stops. It feels like all of his blood boils at once, like it’s all racing towards his near-exploding heart, like there’s something, someone else forcing its way into his veins. He grips onto the sink, but it doesn’t help him as every nerve bursts, consciousness slipping away from him.
When he comes to, he finds himself in a blue version of his room. This is a little odd on its own but not as all weird as the fact that he sees Eito there with a big smile on his face. “There you are, Takumi. I’m so glad to meet you again.”
“Again…?” he trails off. Huh? “How are you here?”
“Do you really not know?” Eito asks, tilting his head, playful tone in his voice. “I guess we’re starting slow this time.”
Takumi shakes his head. He…doesn’t. If Eito’s joking, it’s a joke he’s not in on. “Was it…related to what just happened?
Eito stares at him, smile slowly falling and eyes narrowing. “What just-you know what just happened, don’t you?”
Takumi shakes his head again, confused, before a thought occurs to him. “I’m…asleep, aren’t I?”
“…Of course, Takumi. Your room isn’t normally this blue, is it?”
That’s a little sharp, but he guesses he had that coming. His mind slowly works, grasping towards some, any conclusion. None of this makes any sense-
Until it hits him all at once. No-this did make a kind of sense. His mind couldn’t come up with this, so it had to be something greater at play. “Wait, I know what just happened.”
Eito raises an eyebrow, visibly anticipating. “Oh?”
There was only one explanation for it. A sudden throbbing in his heart. An Eito in his dreams that he wouldn't conjure up— because he’s not Takumi’s, he’s something far greater. He nods. “It makes sense. I’ve experienced enough romance novels secondhand through Karua not to recognize it.” He takes a deep breath, composing himself. If this IS true…it’ll sort of disrupt parts of his worldview, but…he remembers the feeling of his heart exploding as his body burns before he passed out. His world is already pretty shattered. “You’re my soulmate.”
Eito’s eyes visibly widen as he leans forward, stunned. “…Huh?”
“Not-not this you. But the real you. The real Eito has to be my soulmate. …I mean, you know something I don’t, right? That means you can’t just be a dream. Or at least, you’re not my dream. So…you’re a sign from the universe. A sign pushing me towards Eito.”
His face goes red. “Which…would mean my soulmate isn’t Karua, and is a guy. That’s…unexpected, but…” He tries to give a smile. “I’m…at least glad it’s you, then?”
Eito tilts his head slightly, still looking shaken. “You are?”
He nods. “Out of everyone so far, I feel…most at ease? Around you. You’re like a voice of reason among the crowd.”
“I…see.” Eito looks at him for a long time, almost studying, before leaning back again. “You got me,” he says, confident edge slowly returning to his voice. “We are soulmates. I’m a projection of the real Eito Aotsuki, here to guide you towards romantic bliss together.”
Takumi can feel himself light up, but Eito keeps talking. “And the first step of that is for you to go back to bed.”
He pouts. “Wait, already? Can’t we talk about this? Like-I still have so many thoughts and so many questions, and-“
Eito shakes his head. “As a fragment of the real Eito speaking, I can tell you that you taking care of yourself is very important.” Concern spreads across his face. “I practically grew up inside a hospital, Takumi. You…wouldn't believe the bad things that can happen to you if you don’t take care of yourself. Don’t hurt either Eito.”
…He guesses that makes sense, and besides, he doesn’t like seeing Eito frown like that. “…Fine. But tomorrow, we’re talking about this!”
Eito nods, reassuring. “Of course. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be there bright and early for you to talk to. But for now…rest well, Takumi.”
He snaps his fingers, and Takumi falls into a gentle sleep.
Eito stares at Takumi for a long while after he’s fallen to rest. He had planned quite a lot of things to say to Takumi, a lot of directions he could take this, and somehow this was not on the radar as a way this could play out.
Avoiding the obvious, it…would have been better if Takumi remembered. Not necessarily their challenge - he does not want to risk Takumi doing that ever again. But at least something of that first timeline. This Takumi…knew nothing of the real him. He looked at him with rose-colored glasses, seeing someone that didn’t exist. Just like everyone else does. That connecting thread he’d felt to Takumi was snapped in half.
Or at least, to the old Takumi. He can’t avoid the elephant in the room forever. Soulmates? What foolish, thick, soft-hearted, utterly irrational drivel. He can almost imagine the saccharine, empty scene Takumi must be thinking of, imagine that blood-red string of fate tying them together, so close that they almost seem to meld into one.
…He’d retch, but as just a spirit inside someone else’s body, he can’t do that anymore, can he? Perhaps that’s for the best, having over a month of no human contact would have made the process of adjusting to it again an unpleasant one.
But regardless, the idea of him and Takumi being that compatible was absolutely revolting. Much worse is that it…almost makes the slightest bit of sense, despite how insulting it is. There’s no way he could feel anything like love for a vile beast like Takumi, but there was no way he could feel that way towards anyone. Takumi is the one person he would spare, if only so he could witness his look of despair every day, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Perhaps that’s as close to soulmates as someone like him could have.
…Besides, if Takumi is paired with him, that means he can’t be with anyone else, and that thought appeals to him greatly. It makes his life easier, at least. If he had to spend the next hundred days in a front row seat as Takumi romanced someone else, if he had to feel every vile sensations as he touched their bare hands, kissed their lips, did anything more, then he would do away with this facade and kill everyone else in the SDU right then and there.
…More importantly, it makes his life much, much easier. This soulmates thing didn’t really matter-it was made up, it was fake, it was some stupid idea Takumi got into his idiotic little head. What mattered was that he believed in it, which gives Eito power. The promise of having to feign kindness and normalcy to his archenemy again is unappealing, but…as he’s learned, Takumi’s mental state is far more fragile than it looks. Provoked with the wrong stimulus and it’ll snap, not resting until it’s torn him apart entirely. He can’t make moves too sudden around him. …Maybe he can let the mask gradually slip. Boil the frog slowly but surely.
He can do this. He won’t ruin his second chance. Takumi won’t escape from him ever again. They are one, after all. Takumi just doesn’t know it yet.
Takumi rushes to the cafeteria that day, running faster than he ever has in his life. In the cold light of day, at first, Takumi had dismissed his dream as just a figment of his imagination, but…he can’t get over Eito acting like he knew exactly what happened. The Eito he knows is inquisitive, not smug like that. His mind wouldn’t have made that Eito up, which means…it wasn’t him. It was the universe. Because they were soulmates.
He spots Eito off to the side, watching as some of the others eat breakfast. “Morning, Takumi,” he yawns as Takumi walks over to him. “Sleep well?”
“Kinda. …Hey, did you feel anything weird last night?” he asks, nearly tripping over words in his excitement.
Eito raises an eyebrow. “…Weird how?” he asks.
That was a maybe. He could work with that. “Like…your heart stops, before all the blood in your body surges at once? Like something else suddenly gives you a huge boost? That’s what it felt like for me.”
Eito nods. “…You know, I didn’t think much about it at the time, but that did happen to me. …Do you know what that was?”
Takumi nods furiously. “I think I do. Can we…talk about it in private, though?”
Eito looks a little wary, but he agrees, and they duck into a nearby classroom to keep talking. Takumi’s a little hungry, but that’s fine. He can have breakfast later. “I wouldn’t think that much of it if it were just a bit of heart pain, but I had a weird dream last night.”
“You too?” Eito asks. “…What about?”
“You were in it, but…how to put it…you weren’t quite like you? You were a lot more smug, a lot more confident. …It wasn’t like a normal dream, but I know what that means. We’re soulmates.”
Eito looks at him, looking almost shocked. His face is pale and almost sweaty. “Really? Are you…sure about that?”
Takumi nods slowly. “I wasn’t at first, but…it feels right. I know it’s right.”
Eito looks down, deep in thought. “…Soulmates, huh” He looks back up at Takumi, eyes firm. “…I hate to do this, but you know that’s not much evidence…”
“Then I’ll prove it to you,” Takumi says firmly. “I’m ready. I’ll show you that I’ll be a good partner. I’ll protect you, I promise. I’ll sneak you food till Sirei backs down, and I’ll make sure you don’t have to fight.”
Eito doesn’t look entirely convinced, but he slowly nods. “I…may not fight for the group…ever. We don’t know why we’re here. I can’t put my life on the line for that. But…”
He offers up a small smile. “I’ll work as hard as I can to figure out what’s going on. I still don’t know about all this, but I can’t just accept you protecting me. I’ll work hard to find stuff out for you too.”
Takumi feels a warmth filling his chest. This’ll work out. He knows it. “That sounds wonderful. And I’ll make sure you have the time to.”
Eito smiles back. “I should…get on that then. If you need me, I’ll be in the library.”
Takumi watches him go, lingering for a moment in the classroom. He knows he should go to the cafeteria, but the idea of seeing the others doesn’t really appeal to him today. He’s not sure why-it’s probably just in comparison to the rush of soulmates that hanging out with the others feels almost kind of gross. He’ll go to the cafeteria for breakfast later, when everyone’s dispersed.
So the other him made roughly the same choice he did, Eito muses from the inside of Takumi’s mind that night. That would make sense - they came from the same root. The other him has to recognize it as just as much of a golden opportunity as he does. He did a good job of hiding his revulsion, too— if he could talk directly to his other self, he’d give him a pat on the head for an acting job well done.
Takumi’s asleep across from him, tired out from a night of getting almost nothing done. Had he known how much time Takumi wasted most of the time, he’d have felt almost insulted that this guy stopped him in his timeline. But that Takumi had learned from that error, at least.
…He missed that Takumi more and more with each passing day. This one just wasn’t the same. That Takumi neither saw nor knew him was bad enough—he was almost starting to miss his Takumi’s misguided drive and sense of righteousness from the lack of anything like that in this one. No wonder he’d attached so much to Eito to the point of making up some ridiculous story about them being soulmates, he really had nothing else going on, did he?
He looms over Takumi’s sleeping figure, focusing on the rise and fall of his chest. The heartbeat was the same as his own-they shared a body, after all. …He didn’t get to choose that other Takumi, did he? That even, unbroken heartbeat would be violently disrupted with his Takumi by now, over and over again in a cycle of violence. All he had left was this Takumi, the blank slate.
…No. He’d remake the Takumi he met in the gym. He didn’t know the full details of what that first Eito had done to make him so determined, but he’d replicate what he knew happened. And there’d be no chance to go back — 100 days in Takumi’s body would be more than enough to store up enough control to prevent Takumi from ever going back. He’d sabotage the mission, and then they’d have eternity together.
Maybe that’s why, when the other him disappears a few days later, Eito breaks one of his own rules-to keep up the ruse by only talking to Takumi at night. “Calm down,” he hisses to Takumi as he rushes through the school.
Takumi stops in his tracks. “Eito?” he asks, looking around wildly for the source of the noise.
“In here,” he clarifies. “…It takes a lot of energy, but I can communicate to you like this if I need to,” he lies.
“Thank goodness…You have to know where the other you is, right? I mean-we can’t be together forever if you just die this early, right?” Takumi asks, near hyperventilating.
“Breathe, Takumi,” Eito says. Takumi’s heart rate is his heart rate— he can feel his tension from here, and it’s too much. “You’re not going to be of much help to me if you’re running around with your head cut off.”
Takumi stops and takes some deep breaths, heart rate slowly approaching a more normal level of elevated. “I…guess you’re right. But seriously, do you know where he is?”
Eito doesn’t, but he can make an educated guess. The other him successfully killed Sirei, and that means he has a body he needs to get rid of. The little intergroup squabbles had given him the perfect excuse to run off and do something with the body. That’s as much as he knew, though—where the other him went to dispose of Sirei was just as much of a mystery to him as it was to Takumi.
But he did know, regardless of where the other him was, he could use a head start. “I’m afraid I don’t— the details aren’t much more clear to me than they are to you…but I can guess he’s far away. If you’re going to save him, you need to make sure you’re prepared first.”
Takumi nods. “That’s…a good idea. Thank you.”
He’s sure Takumi will regret that thanks-he’s able to micromanage him, make sure that by the time Takumi leaves, he’s spent over an hour getting everything ready, but the resentment never comes. All he feels from Takumi is worry and determination. There’s something…pure about him that just sends disgust through Eito’s core. It’s like he’s never even heard of hatred.
No worries there. Eito will teach him, in time.
It turns out that Takumi never needed Eito’s directional help at all—he just focused hard on Eito, then followed his homing instinct. Like a dog. And somehow, it worked.
They found the other him collapsed, surrounded by invaders. Eito hears the others talk about how lucky it is that they found him in time, and internally laughs. There’s no way his other self’s predicament is genuine-it’s such a perfect, pitiful scene that he has to admire his other self for setting it up. The wounded gazelle gambit— a classic. Anything he could ask Takumi for, Takumi would agree to out of sheer relief that he’s alright.
Takumi doesn’t see it that way, though, and if there was ever any doubt that he knew hate, it’s dispelled through watching him fight. He doesn’t give the invaders clean kills— he rips them apart, slashing their broken bodies into smaller and smaller pieces. It’s almost horrific, Takemaru giving him a visibly wider berth in battle, and Darumi watching in awe.
She’s right to. It’s beautiful.
After the fight, though, Takumi insists on carrying Eito back, and from his vantage point in Takumi’s mind, Eito’s heart sinks. This…this would be horrific. To wake up tossed over some vile ogre’s back would be a nightmare for him. He doesn’t want to feel this, doesn’t want to be a part of his own torment. “Takumi,” he whispers.
Takumi tilts his head, careful not to dislodge Eito. “Hm?”
“…Once I wake up, put me down and let me walk.”
Takumi visibly hesitates. “…Are you sure? You look pretty injured…”
He’s dead certain. The other him…does look a little worse for the wear, but that’s just committing to a plan. Spending more time around Takumi will hurt him much more than the invaders ever could. “I’m sure. …Let me keep a little dignity.”
“If you insist…” Takumi says, before stopping in his tracks as Eito wakes up. He gingerly tries to put him down, keeping an offending arm on his shoulder as Eito sways. Huh. That part is weird. Eito’s just acting, right? He doesn’t need to commit this hard.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Takumi says warmly, and Eito internally cringes a little. Takumi’s trying to be dashing, but that’s harder to pull off when he’s a too close hideous pile of flesh. There’s no way it’s going to work on him.
“Hmgh? Where am I?” other Eito asks dazedly.
“You’re outside the school,” Takumi explains. “…Are you feeling alright?”
Eito nods. “I’m still feeling a little woozy, but I’ll be okay.”
Takumi nods, warmth flooding his chest. “Do you need me to carry you?” he asks.
Eito shakes his head, movements more firm. “I’m not that far gone. …Just give me some time, and I’ll be fine.”
Takumi nods, and slowly begins to walk, arm still slung around Eito’s shoulder. “So, uh…why did you have to leave alone?”
Eito looks down firmly as he walks. “Does it matter?”
“It does to me,” Takumi says, passion building. “…You could have died out there. I know you’re trying to help, but…it means nothing if we lose you along the way. …Please don’t make me go through that.”
Eito looks away from Takumi-likely disgusted by his emotions. “…I’m sorry,” he gets out, likely as a courtesy. “I had…just thought, if I could find anything of home, any clues on how to get back to the complex, or anything of Earth…” he trails off. “I thought I could find a way out of here, but I just…failed. There really is no early escape for us.”
Takumi squeezes his shoulder gently. “That…sucks. I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t. But…please. Lean on me a bit. We can face this together. Just…let me help you. Please don’t make me worry about you like that again.” He’s one to talk, some bitter part of Eito speaks up.
But even so, other Eito nods, before he keels forward. Takumi just barely catches him before he’d collapse onto the ground, unconscious. That’s…bizarre. That’s very bizarre. He was already pitiful enough—he didn’t need to add to it. There’s no way-he wouldn’t get actually lost and injured like that, would he?
Takumi, oblivious to his mounting disbelief, just picks Eito up again in his arms and continues walking home.
At the very least, the other him knows how to capitalize on that little incident. The commander on the next day is strangely strong, able to capture all four of the soldiers despite their boosted hemoanima. Eito wouldn’t admit it, but the feeling of Murvrum’s tight grip around Takumi is…uncomfortable. The pain on its own isn’t enough to give him pause, but…
The feeling of dying with Takumi is familiar. Too familiar. Uncomfortably so. Enough pain like this could turn even this one into a demon. He was planning on not letting Takumi know he could still control his body, but he would if he needs to, anything keeping Takumi away from forming that deadly addiction again-
Luckily for him, the other Eito has that covered-swooping in at the right moment to save Takumi, carving off four arms at once.
(Not exactly looking as delicate as his cover story would suggest, but his Takumi had…been lost without figuring that part out, so it was a moot point. Besides…Takumi was alive and still himself. He could overlook a little shoddiness in the act for that.)
The rest of the battle is mostly a blur, though for just a second, he could swear he saw Eito’s scythe flash blue.
Everything afterwards doesn’t matter-Takumi’s tired, which means he’s tired. He needs some time to think through what to do next-he knows he needs to coordinate with the other him, which is harder than it seems, given that there’s no way to communicate with him directly. He can guess most of what he’s doing, but every now and then, he makes a move Eito wouldn’t, and he needs to tell if it’s a mistake to be corrected or new plan to help with.
And speak of the devil-he comes by to visit Takumi late at night. Eito reclines in his couch as they talk, content to let them do so without him. Eito’s here to express gratitude for saving his life, which is a clever move. It’s a good way to reinforce that bond and keep Takumi even more susceptible to him. He tunes some of his words out, until Eito goes off script.
“Takumi, I…have something to confess to you.” Eito says quietly.
Both inner Eito and Takumi’s ears prick up. “Oh? What is it? …You can tell me anything,” Takumi reassures, stomach aflutter.
Eito looks down at him nervously. “When you first said we were soulmates, I…didn’t believe you. It just…it felt too outlandish. For someone like me to be with someone like you. I mean, we don’t…have much in common. But…well…I had a weird dream like you on the second day, too.”
….Huh. That…shouldn't have happened. Takumi only had this “dream” because he inherited Eito’s hemoanima. Eito continues on, despite the other him’s confusion. “A dream about you, where you said some things that, well…you wouldn’t. At first I dismissed it-sure, he knew some things that I had never told anyone, but…well, I knew them. Of course a figment of my imagination would know anything I’d know.”
This sounds…familiar. That was at least one experience the two Eitos share-the Takumi who knows everything about them already. But…hmm.
Takumi, oblivious, just nods. “That makes sense.”
“I was ready to write it off, but…he said some other stuff too. About this war, and about the future.” Eito looks nervous, and it’s hard to tell if it’s an act. “Truth be told, part of why I went exploring was to check if what he said was true. If it wasn’t, then I’d know it was just a dream, but…”
He trails off, the meaning clear. Takumi hangs on his every word, but from inside his mind, Eito can feel himself growing more and more agitated. Eito was…experiencing something just like Takumi. It wasn’t just a weird dream he thought was similar, it was the same. There’s no way…
The other Eito looks Takumi in the eyes. “I don’t know how, but there’s another you stuck in my mind. A...worse off you, one that wants to die but can't. I can't tell if his state is a warning of things to come, or a sign about you, but either way, I can't keep watching it. I'd appreciate nothing more than if we could figure this out together—as soulmates.”