Since Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (the third game in the Zero Escape series) is coming out in June, I decided to replay the two previous games (Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Virtue's Last Reward) to refresh my memory of all the events that happened.
After finishing 999, it hit me all over again how heartbreaking the love between Junpei and Akane is ;;; at the end when Junpei emerges out of Building Q in Nevada Desert and hears Akane say his name, I just burst into tears </3
It's like...all those two ever wanted was just to live a life together! ;A; Akane even straight out said that in Virtue's Last Reward!
So, that's what I'm doing today! :3
I'm going to attempt to write a fanfiction (it'll be a fairly short one) between Junpei and Akane.
But it'll be a completely different timeline I just thought of. Like, not a single Nonary Game happens. The 18 children never went missing, Akane never made a second Nonary Game or even a third one! None of that was necessary and they were just normal people living in a normal world.
I hope I'm able to do this idea justice and I also hope, if you love and ship Junpei x Akane as much as me, you're able to enjoy this story, too :3
Also, I just want to say that this probably won't really be a fanfiction or...at least not the type of fanfiction most people are familiar with :,)
This will really just be more of a short story, but it makes more sense to call it a fanfiction as..
Akane x Junpei Short Story
doesn't really sound...right? I guess? :,)
Either way, I hope you can still enjoy it! c:
~ ~ ~
Finally.
It's summer break!
A light feeling washed over me as I flipped the lid of my suitcase shut and zipped it up.
With literally nothing else to do, I had decided to go back home for the summer and visit my parents. I thought they'd be happy to see me since I rarely visited them during term time, but of course they saw this as an opportunity to ask me to run a quick errand before I actually got home.
Figures.
Not that I really expected anything less. I guess if I was going to be using my old bedroom for a few months, they'd be expecting me to pull my weight and do stuff for them. I suppose I should be thankful that all they wanted me to do this time was a bit of shopping.
I sighed as I stepped out of my apartment and locked the door. I'd managed to save up enough money to cover the rent for my apartment while I was away, so I slipped that money into the door of the complex owner and made my way to the train station.
As I walked along the path, I realised it was a lot busier than I expected. Since summer break had started a week ago, I thought most people would be home by now but I guess I was wrong. The only reason I hadn't returned home when break started was because I had a few more assignments to finish and I figured there'd be too many distractions at home, so I'd decided to get them done before I left.
The train station, compared to the bustle of the streets, was surprisingly sparse which made it easier for me to get through the gates and onto the correct platform without accidentally bumping into an agitated salary man or two. I checked the time and according to the board, my train was five minutes ahead of schedule.
"What a stroke of luck!"
And, as the board had stated, my train arrived earlier than it's original time and I was able to board and arrive back in my home town without anything going horribly wrong.
I decided I didn't really want to carry my suitcase around the supermarket with me, so I popped by my house beforehand to drop it off there. Judging by the fact no cars were presents, my parents must have been at work.
I unlocked the door and stepped in. It was kind of weird, but whenever I came home from college, the house always felt kind of...strange. Like it wasn't mine anymore. Like I was just some sort of house guest, which...I guess maybe I was.
I stepped lazily up the stairs and opened the door to my bedroom.
"Heh... I guess my mum wouldn't stop cleaning it even when I wasn't here."
My room was not how I left it at all. The last time I left, I remember leaving clothes flung on an unmade bed and papers and books sprawled out across my desk. But what greeted me was the exact opposite. A perfectly made bed; not a single crease in the sheets and a clutter free desk with a single pen holder and a picture frame.
My heart stumbled over itself suddenly.
I dropped my suitcase listlessly in front of my wardrobe and walked over to my desk. I slowly reached down and picked up the photo frame as if I was afraid more than the lightest touch would break it.
I stared down at it.
"Akane..."
The photo was of me and my childhood friend, Akane. I remember her mother had taken this picture on the last day of elementary school. Akane's parents were sending her to a different school than me, so we were both pretty upset that we'd be separated. So we'd asked her mother to take a picture of us that we could keep.
The location of the photo was in front of Akane's house. The name Kurashiki was printed onto a plaque that had been attached to the wall surrounding the front of the house. The front door was slightly ajar and the gate leading up to it had been left open as well. Akane and I were stood just underneath the plaque that showed her last name. She was wearing a long-sleeved pink shirt with a white collar poking out over the top accompanied with a black skirt and knee-length brown boots. Her brown hair had been neatly pushed out of her face with a black hair band. She looked really cute. I, on the other hand, wore a pair of scruffy jeans with a white and blue striped shirt over a long-sleeved red top. My own brown hair was equally messy as my appearance. Next to Akane, I looked terrible. But I was still showing a toothy grin while Akane smiled sweetly with her head leaning slightly towards mine.
I'd never told Akane this, but she had always been more than just a friend from my childhood. But I guess it would be weird for a child to say that...I mean, how would a child even respond to such a bold confession?
I laughed silently as I placed the photo frame back on my desk. I'd almost forgotten I needed to go to the supermarket, so I fished my wallet out from the front pocket of my suitcase and left home as quickly as I'd arrived.
When I arrived at the supermarket, I was relieved to see that it was almost as empty as the train station had been. This would mean I'd be able to get finished and get home without taking too long. I slipped my phone out of my pocket and brought up the message with the shopping list my mum had sent me:
1. Bread
2. Milk
3. Eggs
4. Noodles
5. Rice
6. Chicken
7. Onions
8. Carrots
9. Apples
10. Green Tea
I chuckled at the fact she'd numbered everything. I wonder if she knew that wasn't exactly necessary...? I mean, it's not like I couldn't count.
And this seemed simple enough.
"Why couldn't she get this on her way home from work?"
But regardless of whether or not she could, I ventured further into the supermarket to retrieve the things on her list.
Everything she had requested had been in stock, so I tossed each item (apart from the eggs which I placed) into the basket I'd picked out, paid for everything and walked out of the supermarket.
"Done and done." I thought to myself as I lifted my hand up to shield my eyes from the sun that had emerged while I was shopping.
I rolled the sleeves of my shirt up to my elbows and carried on walking home.
As I turned the corner onto my street, I stopped in my tracks.
Someone was walking towards me. Someone I had least expected to see.
Her brown hair floated gently passed her shoulders and down her back. Her face was exactly how I remembered it, but more beautiful if that was possible. And her body was framed perfectly in a long purple dress she wore over a black top along with a pair of brown boots.
. . .
W-Wait! Why was I looking at her body?! I haven't seen her since elementary school! I shouldn't be looking at her body! That's just--
"Oh my gosh! Is that you, Jumpy?"
I froze in a panicked stance as her quiet voice broke into my thoughts.
She was stood a few feet away from me; surprise plain on her face.
"Kanny-- Ah! I mean, Akane!" I shouted as I straightened myself up.
She lifted a small hand to her mouth and giggled.
"I knew it! It is you, Jumpy!" She danced towards me.
I took an involuntary step back as she stopped far too close to me. "And you can call me Kanny, you know. We're childhood friends, after all!"
"Y-Yes...but I haven't seen you in so long, it felt weird to just suddenly call you that."
She blushed. "I don't mind!"
I gulped and steadied my composure. Get a hold of yourself, Junpei!
"So how have--"
"So what are you--"
We'd both tried to speak at the same time. Akane giggled as I awkwardly laughed and scratched the side of my head.
"You first, Jumpy." She smiled.
"Oh! Err... How have you been?" I finished the sentence I had tried to begin.
"Hehe~ I've been very well, thank you! My summer break from college started last week and, even though I still live at home, I thought I'd try walking around and find something to do." She giggled.
I blinked at her. "So...you're just walking around with no purpose?"
"Yep!" She beamed at me.
Was she always like this...?
"What about you, Jumpy? What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Oh! Well, yeah... My summer break started too, so I thought I'd come home and visit my parents."
"Oh that's so sweet of you, Jumpy!" Akane looked at me, admirably.
"N-Not really..." I waved my hands dismissively. "I only came back because I really had nothing else to do..."
"Oh..." She looked down. "But still, you're here! And that's exciting!" She blushed as she smiled and looked at me expectantly.
Wait...was she waiting for something? Did she want something? What's that look for? Why is she looking at me like that?!
After a few moments, that smile turned into a pout. "You haven't changed, Jumpy." She looked away with a look of disapproval on her face.
I leaned forward so I could peek at her. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Nope! That's the problem, you didn't do anything!" She said with the pout still firmly set on her face.
"Then why are you angry?" I asked.
"I'm not angry!" She retorted.
"Liar. You clearly are." I nudged her arm with my finger.
"Ugh! Forget it, Jumpy!" She spun around to face me, still pouting.
"You haven't changed much, either." I laughed at her expression.
She looked at me for a while and her face softened again.
"So how long are you here for?" She asked.
"A few months, I think. I probably won't go back until I need to, not like there's anything for me to do there..."
"So..." She blushed and looked down while awkwardly fidgeting with her hands. "Does that mean...you don't have a girlfriend?"
"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Where the hell did that come from?!" I felt my face redden.
"I can't be curious?" She asked as she raised her face up to look at me.
Her eyes were soft and looked...watery. As if she might start crying.
What the hell?! That look is going to kill me...
I sighed in defeat and let my head fall. "No, I don't have a girlfriend."
Akane giggled. "Me either."
I raised an eyebrow at her response. "You mean you don't have a boyfriend?" I corrected her.
"Oh no!" She smiled. "I don't have a girlfriend...but I have eighteen boyfriends!"
?!
"...times zero..."
...?
"Yeah, I guess I just haven't met Mr. Right yet..." She blushed.
Yep. She really is trying to kill me...
She giggled again. "You should see your face, Jumpy!"
I looked away, embarrassed. "Can you...quit teasing me already?"
She just smiled in response.
Damn. Why does she have to be so cute?
She cocked her head at me. Was my expression giving away too much?
I took a deep breath, raised my shoulders and faced her straight on.
"Jumpy?"
"Aka--I mean, Kanny."
Her face turned bright red.
"Since I have nothing much to do here and since it also looks like you don't either...why don't we...hang out...together...sometime..." I started off confidently, but trailed off.
Akane had always been more than just a friend from my childhood.
I knew that, though I'm pretty sure she didn't.
If I wanted to see her again, I needed to do something about it. And I sure as hell wasn't about to let her ask. I needed to be the man here. I'm not the cheeky kid she knew from elementary school...or at least I hoped I wasn't. According to her I hadn't changed much.
I scratched the side of my nose trying my best to act nonchalant.
"No thank you, Jumpy. I don't want to." She said blankly.
My head snapped up at her response and at the same time, my heart sank into my stomach.
Wh-WHAT?!
Then she smiled again. "I was only kidding."
"Seriously, Akane..." I let my head fall into my hands. "What the hell?"
"Aw, you stopped calling me Kanny..."
"Yeah, well after you just did that, I don't really feel like it anymore!" I made to walk by her, but she reached out and grabbed my arm.
"Really, Jumpy! I promise! I was only kidding! I've wanted to see you again ever since the last day of elementary school! I'll go anywhere you want with you, I promise!"
She was looking at me with pleading eyes and I was at sort of a loss.
"Then...good." I pulled my arm free and rest my hand on her shoulder.
. . .
Wait, what do I say now? I've never asked a girl out before...
I glanced at Akane who was just smiling at me again. Clearly her brain wasn't trying to figure this out, so I guess it was down to me. Come on, Junpei! Be the man here!
"I can...come and get you in the afternoon and we could...go somewhere to eat...or something..." Again, I trailed off but Akane didn't seem to notice.
"That sounds great, Jumpy! I really, really can't wait!"
Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she turned around and ran away but not before waving at me before she turned the corner.
I stood there for a moment after she left.
"Geez..." I rubbed the back of my head. "Was she always such a handful?"
I honestly couldn't remember. But I'll probably find out.
In fact, I hope I get to find out a lot more things about Akane.
I hope I get to learn many new things about Akane.
I also...hope I get to see her many more times after tomorrow.
~ ~ ~
I hope you enjoyed my short story/fanfiction about Junpei and Akane <3
Right now, my greatest HOPE is that Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma has at least one ending when everything ends happily and everyone gets to live happy lives and Junpei and Akane can live happily together ;;;
If there is no such ending...my heart will forever be broken </3
Anyway!
Thank you for reading and have a great day! ^O^
BYESIES~! c:
xoxo~
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| A cute edit I made of Junpei and Akane <3 |
