[Open Dreamdive] Do You Want to Continue?

[amodelidol]

WHO: Makoto and You
WHERE: Makoto's subconscious
WHEN: August 18
WHAT: Dreamdives!
WARNINGS: There's going to be some guilt involved along with some other negative feelings associate with not feeling good enough. Anything else extreme I'll add it!



[You may be out on a run, finishing up some errands, or going home when you enter into a place that you're not familiar with. Everything looks normal on the outside. There's a nice looking, large house with a perfectly kept lawn, and flowers lining the walkway. Everything looks perfect with a hair out of place, however when you walk inside you see a flash of imperfection, but it disappears just as quickly. When you enter the foyer to the house you see a note on the table in front of you that reads:

It's a beautiful place isn't it?
However, it's not as beautiful as one may think.
If you want to find out the reason why locate the clues to solve the puzzles
Each puzzle will reveal a secret
Good luck on solving the puzzles
But remember the clock is ticking

Surely nothing bad will happen if you don't solve the puzzles, right?

[[ooc: Everything is set up pretty easy, but if you have a question let me know!]]

Comments

[amodelidol]

[Phase one complete! Congratulations Sena you managed to complete the first phase without putting Makoto in danger! You've already learned quite a bit about Makoto, but there's more to discover.

Now it's on to the main room.]

[amodelidol]

[Shinji that's very sweet, unfortunately it doesn't fit the theme of the room. You can have the two mannequins wave at each other in a friendly way. That's perfectly fine.]

[belowaverage]

[Well maybe they can change the theme of the room!! Don't limit yourself, Makoto!

...yeah he'll make them wave at each other, that's okay.]

[pronounces]

[ every one of these rooms has made nazuna's heart ache.

he's always known he and makoto have a lot in common; as the month ticks on and his own knots become unraveled, he's found his way back to his original story, one not so far away from makoto's. the room with the pictures destroyed, the mannequins--it had struck very, very close to home.

when he makes it into the master bedroom, he opens the door quietly and peers in. his eyes move from the other pictures in the room to the three biggest ones, and finally to makoto, himself. he doesn't really say anything, not at first.

nazuna shuts the door, takes the three steps forward to makoto in the center of the room, and drops down in front of him. there's sympathy in his eyes, the hurt he feels for his little chick so real there that he wastes zero time in wrapping an arm around his shoulders, running the fingers of his other hands comfortingly into his hair, and pulling him into his shoulder for a tight, familiar hug. ]

[adoringpast]

[ what. of course he's going to take the picture. put it in his pocket as he leaves the room while carrying the other items with him. ]

[adoringpast]

[ hmmm. okay, so a peace sign, another mannequin with both hands behind its back, and another one with both hands placed at its chest as if being confessed to, gross. maybe these should do it? ]

[amodelidol]

[You're jealously is showing Sena, but it works! There's a click and the empty doll case in the room opens and the picture frame is faced down. It's a picture of Makoto with his parents. It's one of the last pictures they took together before he moved.]

[amodelidol]

[Shinji is being so helpful, but it will take a little more for him to change the theme of the room.

That works! As long as the mannequins are friendly it will help! Makoto had a small stint as a model with his mom, but he managed to stay friendly throughout the whole ordeal.]

[amodelidol]

[Congratulations you've finished the second room!

You didn't put Makoto in danger the whole time either, good job!]

[adoringpast]

[ SHUT UP, WHY WON'T MAKOTO POSE AT HIM LIKE THIS

ah, so here they are. sena of course recognizes the supermodel mother of his, and his father doesn't look half bad either, but makoto...

hhh, family talk always gets to sena somehow so he'll just. retrieve this photo too. ]

[amodelidol]

[Makoto didn't expect to see Nazuna. He didn't want him to see what he kept hidden deep inside himself. He never wanted to talk about the things that sat in the back of his mind despite all the good things that happened in his life. He's not really sure what to say. What can you say to someone you look up to seeing all the things you don't want to bring up?

The hurt in Nazuna's eyes made Makoto looked away. He didn't want Nazuna to see this. He's already done so much for him that he doesn't want to worry him. Makoto tried to think of something to say, but his words fall short when Nazuna pulls him into a hug. It's not the first time Nazuna hugged him like this, except this time he can feel Nazuna's comfort.

Makoto closed his eyes and leaned against him. He hated that Nazuna had to see this, but he's not going to ask him to leave.]

[adoringpast]

[ sena had seen more than enough - the aching loneliness that pervaded every room he'd explored in, the lopsided mannequins, the family photos... it's simply too much, because it'd hit too close to home that he's this close to losing it himself.

which is why when the master bedroom had opened and his gaze lands on makoto looking even more lifeless than he'd seen him, sena wastes no time in dropping everything he's been lugging along to run to makoto's side, holding him by the shoulders and gently shaking him. ]

Yuuki? Yuuki, speak up-- What happened here...

[ his voice trails off as he spots another photo - this time of himself. ]

Wh-What... What's that photo doing here...?

[amodelidol]

[Makoto doesn't look at him at first, his gaze is turned towards the items Sena dropped on the way in, especially his Trickstar outfit. He turns back to Sena and gives a shrug of his shoulders.]

I don't know. Everything started happening so I stayed here.

[Makoto looked over at the photo of Sena before he turned back to him.]

...Cause you're there...in my memories of my other life you're there.

[adoringpast]

[ oh

oh no

oh nononononononononononono

his face falters, blood running cold in his veins as he stares at makoto with wide eyes. makoto actually remembered something about him? but he was trying so hard not to trigger anything! were all his attempts in vain? ]

Wh-- Even if you did remember, they don't matter anymore, right? Memories like that shouldn't matter anymore. I'm different now, see?

[ his desperation is showing in his voice, practically pleading for makoto to not think about them anymore. right, he's not told about this to anyone besides mao and tsukasa... no one in here has remembered the sins he'd done, and for the life of him, it should really just stay that way for good. ]

[pronounces]

[ nothing in this room matters any more than makoto does himself. not the pictures in the frames, not the ones on the wall. nazuna doesn't need to look at them to know what they are, to feel the dark things pulling on every little corner of this dream. he cares what worries one of his underclassmen, but nazuna had seen the slightly far away look in his eyes from the first day he stepped foot on recolle's campus and nazuna had welcomed him in for freshman orientation. ]

Makochin... [ he says, quietly, his small fingers knitting just a little tighter into his hair, grip as reassuring as it can be, ] Makochin, you have to wake up.

[ because if nazuna can be anything, he can be a big brother. he can be someone to rely on when someone feels weak, can take his own sadness and wrap it around someone else like a blanket, turning into something warm and comforting--something reliable. it's all he's ever wanted to be for the people closest to him, and makoto is no exception. ] I know you don't want to, I know it's scary.

[belowaverage]

[Friendly mannequins reconstructed, check. Next is the picture frames.

...unless there's broken glass everywhere, then he's getting gloves before doing anything with that. Sorry Makoto, he's got priorities.]

[amodelidol]

[Nazuna's voice gets through his haze, feeling his fingers through his hair pulls him out of his listless state. He slowly wraps his arms around Nazuna and buries his face against his chest. He knows he's suppose to wake up, there's a lot of good in his life right now. He's doing good in school, he's getting better at taking care of himself, he's even dating now! Still he's worried about all of that either blowing up in his face or he somehow fails the people who are so important to him.

Makoto peaks up from Nazuna's chest.]

What...what if I...disappoint you?

[amodelidol]

[Makoto wants to forget, he really does, but it's strong enough to stand out in his mind that Izumi's picture is over there. He feels the urge to reassure Sena, it's something he's good at after all, then again that takes effort something Makoto doesn't have a lot of right now.]

Then why were you so mean to me when I first moved here? Why did you tell me to go back to modeling in my other memories? Why?

[adoringpast]

[ oh... so he remembered that one. sena's hold on him tightens, looking utterly remorseful as he looks aside as if he's been slapped. mao is right, he really should have told makoto in advance-- ]

I... I didn't want you to remember it too... It's why I didn't say anything till now. That guy, Izumi-- he said that you'd have to stay beautiful at all costs, right? He'd wanted you to stay as a doll forever...

[ or a mannequin, judging from all of the motionless dolls that sena kept seeing in this dream. that's exactly what he'd done to anya too, right? ]

I wanted to avoid you at first because it'd be for our own good if we don't remember all of that anymore. But the more I'm with you, it's getting harder for me to keep denying it. That you're just as important to me in this life. I don't ever want to hurt you or for you to get hurt by everyone else, so...

[ don't mind if he just... wraps his arms around you in an embrace, makoto. ]

I'm sorry... Yuu-kun. Let me protect you again, as I always have.

[pronounces]

[ oh. oh, that face, it reminds nazuna of his little siblings. the way they looked when his mom passed away, when his dad followed not long after, terrified by the future, of being taken away from their big brother, too.

his heart breaks in his chest, and nazuna lets go of him only to put his hands on his cheeks, holding his face up, away from nazuna a little so he can look at him properly. ]

As long as you're trying your best, you're never going to disappoint me. If you keep stumbling forwards, even if you trip, I'll always be here to help you get back up. That's my job as your nii~chan, okay?

[amodelidol]

[It's hard to look at Nazuna, someone who's always been in his corner since the first day he stumbled into the freshman orientation room. He's been helping him whenever he needed something, a comforting force in his life when he needed someone to help him get out of his head. He's always been grateful for Nazuna even if he feels bad that he's always asking him for help. He worried that he was bothering Nazuna too much cause the worst thing would be to show Nazuna that he couldn't make it. Nazuna is one of the first person in his life to support his own dreams. He's always in his corner, which he appreciates, yet those high expectations makes him nervous.

However, seeing the look on Nazuna's face does settle him.

Maybe it's okay for him to mess up when he has someone to help pick him back up.

Makoto nods as a few tears prick his eyes.]

O-Okay, okay, I'm still scared, but I'll try. I'll try to do my best.

[amodelidol]

[It had been something on his mind since the first time he ran into Sena in Recolle. He didn't know what he did to make him so upset, he has a good idea about it now. He's glad that he finally explained himself now. Makoto moved to pat his back or do something comforting when he stops.

Wait...he heard those words before. He wasn't here in his mind, he was somewhere else, a room in the school. He was tied up and locked in a room for days cause...cause Sena had the key. Sena locked him away like some caged bird! Quite a nice way to protect somebody. Sena said he wanted to put that behind him, but Makoto can't let this go, not yet.

Makoto rested a hand on Sena's back before he looked up at him.]

You're going to protect me again. Are you going to tie me up and lock me away this time too?

[amodelidol]

[Makoto appreciates your priorities. Don't worry there's no broken glass! The first picture is one of a model with their face scratched out. Many of the pictures have their faces scratched out, until Shinji finds one that has the word 'doll' written on the bottom of it. ]

[belowaverage]

[Shinji usually keeps a pen in his pocket. What if he scratches out 'doll' and writes 'person' instead?]

[adoringpast]

[ at first sena raised a brow at makoto's words, not yet registering what he meant...

until it did. from encountering that one orange-haired brat; to hearing makoto's muffled voice from one of those soundproof rooms ("That's no good, Yuu-kun. Yuu-kun, I absolutely won't let you get out of there until you've become honest."); to standing there, utterly dumbstruck and helpless, as makoto bashes his own face against the door, the one thing izumi had treasured above all else -- ]

Y-Yuu-kun...

[ he kidnapped him. that was knights' downfall.

it's all sena's fault again. ]

That was-- I didn't... [ he didn't know? that it's going to turn out like that?! no one would expect kidnapping to crop up in idol school of all places, but maybe he should've anticipated it what with that cenotaph outside the school... ] Yuukun, I didn't know... I just...

I'm serious. About protecting you this time, in this life. So please... I'm sorry. I know that a stupid apology's not going to make up for what had happened, but...

[ god, he's close to crying again. this is too much. ]