2017
Akira fiddled with strands of her brown hair that came loose from her braid as she stared at the sprawled out papers in front of her. Her eyes were scanning the words on the papers looking for the slightest clue that she needs. After hours of sitting at Naoto's desk, she found nothing. Frustrated, she set the folder in her hands down on the desk and rolled the chair back. Her neck was starting to ache from staring down at her computer and her back from sitting in the chair for a long period of time.
Her eyes trailed over to a picture that laid underneath the papers. Akira grabbed it and looked at it with a small smile. It was a picture of Tessa with her arms wrapped around a younger Akira, a small smile on her face. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she remembered all the fond moments her and her sister shared. After all, it was just Tessa and her after their older sister left to pursue her own life years ago. She missed Tessa dearly. She's all Akira has left.
"I know you miss her." Naoto said standing over her.
Akira rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears. "I just want to know if she's okay."
"We'll find her, I promise." Naoto knelt down and grabbed her shoulders in a comforting manner.
Akira reached over and grabbed of his hands and squeezed it. She was eternally grateful to have Naoto on her side. That is what made them great partners. They had each other's backs and would be there for each other in a time of need.
A loud scream interrupted the two causing them to look over to see Takemichi had woken up crying.
"Takemichi, so you've regained consciousness?!" Naoto ran over to him.
"So I have returned," whined Takemichi.
"Why do you say it like that?" Naoto asked him. But then he realized, "But that means you were able to go to the past?! So a handshake was the trigger! My hypothesis was right!"
Takemichi placed a hand over his eyes. "Yes, you were right."
"Everything is ready here. How about there?" Naoto asked him referring to the year 2005. "Coming back here means you've made some progress, right?"
Takemichi was silent at that. He remembered going to see fireworks with Hina and accidentally shaking young Naoto's hand. He was not prepared for the shouting to commence.
"You shook my hand on accident?!" Naoto exclaimed.
"Oh man, Hina is so cute though," Takemichi said with a love struck face, "and the fireworks were so pretty."
"What are you talking about?!"
Meanwhile, Akira was watching the two with an amused look.
~~~
"I learned something from your second time leap. When you return to the past, you stayed in a "death-like state" this whole time. It was like your soul slipped away." Naoto explained to Takemichi while pointing a marker at a dry erase board.
"Does that mean I died?!" Takemichi exclaimed.
"Your time leaping ability is to return to the same date as today, twelve years in the past. For example, if you were to return to the past today, you'd arrive at the same date twelve years ago. That means if you spend one week in the past, when you come back here to the present, or week will have passed. In other words, during the week, you're in the past. Your conciousness has gone to the past. And all that remains in the present is an empty vessel."
"So that's the death-like state?" Takemichi asked
"Yeah, so you should probably do the time leap at my apartment." Naoto answered.
"Yeah, I don't want to suddenly collapse outside."
"So, in conclusion, let's get back to the point. How did the mission to stop Sano and Kisaki from meeting go?"
"Um, I met Mikey." Takemichi answered.
Akira perked up at that nickname. 'Haven't heard that name in a while.'
"Mikey?" Naoto asked him.
"That's Sano's nickname. Listen to this, Naoto, Akira, Mikey's a delinquent but he's a good guy."
"Why didn't you kill him?" Naoto asked Takemichi.
"Huh?"
"The guy who killed my sister is a "good guy"?! Did you get tricked into believing that in the past?!"
"You're wro-" Takemichi was cut off.
"Listen up! That Mikey is now a man who has been involved in every crime imaginable. Even the police can't bring under control, you know?! If possible, I'd like to kill him myself."
Akira watched as Naoto slammed his hand against the board. She could feel the anger radiating off him and she didn't blame him.
"Naoto," said Takemichi as he sat down on the couch. "Let's go meet Mikey."
Naoto turned to him. "Doing something like that won't make a difference!"
"I'd like to meet Mikey and ask him face-to-face."
"It doesn't matter what you ask, it'll all be the same!"
"Mikey is a trustworthy person! I want to ask Mikey's opinion on why Toman changed. I want to ascertain the answer before I go back to the past again."
Akira pondered this for a moment. 'It'll be nearly impossible to track him down, but if we do, maybe he could tell me where Tessa is.'
"I agree with him, Naoto," she said.
"Akira!" Naoto exclaimed.
"I want to talk to him, Naoto."
"It's too dangerous!"
Akira stood up and walked over to him. "You know as well as I do Mikey won't do anything to me." She raised her brows slightly to see if Naoto got the hint. Meanwhile, Takemichi was sitting there confused.
"Please, Naoto." Takemichi pleaded.
Naoto thought for a moment and sighed.
"I don't know if something happened in the past, but you've changed, Takemichi."
Takemichi was shocked. "Really, how so?"
"Well, it's only a little. But you've become less frail."
"So, what you're saying is, I've become cool?" Takemichi grinned.
"Don't get a big head." Akira remarked.
"Mikey is so cautious that it's frightening. Even the police haven't gotten any leads on him." Naoto explained as he typed on his laptop.
"He probably has a fake cell phone account as well. His address wouldn't be in his name either." Akira added.
"Yeah, the phone number he gave me in the past isn't working either." Takemichi held up his phone looking at it.
"Obviously. It's from twelve years ago." Akira deadpanned.
Naoto turned to Takemichi. "It won't be easy to find him. Search through those documents." He pointed to a stack of papers lying in the floor.
Akira looked back at her laptop while Takemichi was shuffling different papers.
"Who is this?" Naoto spoke up.
Akira and Takemichi walked over to his desk to see a picture of a man.
"Hm? One of the managers of Toman, Sendou Atsushi. Ain't that Akkun?" Takemichi said.
"Was that one of your friends?" Akira turned to him.
"Yeah!"
"That's weird," said Naoto in thought. "If that's him, he should have been arrested for stabbing a guy named Kiyomasa when he was sixteen years old. He should have just been a small-time hoodlum after being released from prison."
Takemichi gasped. "Could it be?"
"This is because the past was changed?!" Naoto and Takemichi said together.
"Since Akkun didn't attack Kiyomasa, he didn't get arrested." Takemichi said.
"Takemichi, you were able to become friends with Mikey and so did Sendou." Naoto turned to his laptop. "Akkun is a big shot in Toman." A realization crossed his mind. "Can you contact Sendou? If the present day Sendou Atsushi is a manager in Toman, then he will be able to contact Mikey!"
It clicked for Akira. If they can get a hold of Akkun, and he can get a hold of Mikey, then all of Akira's questions will be answered.
~~~
It was decided that Naoto and Takemichi would go see Akkun and Akira would stay behind. Naoto told her if two cops showed up then things might go wrong. Right now, she was currently in her own apartment pacing back and forth, her phone in hand. To say she was worried was a big understatement. The Tokyo Manji Gang was unpredictable and dangerous. One wrong move and the two of them could be dead before they blink.
The sound of her phone ringing startled her out of her head. Seeing Naoto's name on the screen, she answered it and held it to her ear.
"Hello," she said.
"I need you to come to our location." Naoto instructed her.
"What happened?" Akira asked him, nervousness pooling in her stomach.
"Akkun is dead." Naoto said grimly.
~~~
"I can't believe it." Akira said as she stood next to Naoto. As soon as she got there, Naoto told her that Akkun jumped off of the roof when he was talking to Takemichi. Akira looked over to see Takemichi sitting on some stairs, his head hanging low. She knew he was mourning the loss of his best friend. She slowly made her ways over to him and knelt down in front of him. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Takemichi said lowly.
"Just leave him alone for now." Naoto said to the policeman standing in front of him.
"It's okay. They want to interview me, right?" Takemichi said quietly.
Akira and Naoto looked at each other. She placed a hand on Takemichi's shoulder and said, "Don't push yourself. Allow yourself to rest for a while."
Takemichi still remained silent until he spoke, "Naoto, while I'm being interrogated, find out anything you can about the day Ryuguji Ken died."
Akira looked up at Takemichi when he mentioned Tessa's best friend's name. She remembered the way he would always mess with her when he was around Tessa. He truly was a good person in her eyes.
"It was Kisaki Tetta that turned Toman in the evil thing it is today." Takemichi said quietly to where only Naoto and Akira could hear. "Naoto...I..." He sucked in a breath as tears fell. "Draken, Akkun, Hina, Tessa, I want to save them all!" He cried.
Akira flinched at the mention of her older sister.
~~~
Later that night, Akira and Takemichi were walking home. Akira's apartment building was not far away from Takemichi's so she decided to walk with him. Silence was surrounding the two as they didn't have the energy to carry on a conversation. There was one thing Takemichi couldn't get out of his mind. It was something Akkun said to him before he died.
"Toman changed ever since Draken's death and Tessa's disappearance."
He always wondered what happened to Tessa in this timeline. And Akkun practically confirmed it.
"Akira," he spoke up.
She turned to look at him.
"Have you heard from Tessa?"
She furrowed her brow at the sudden question. 'Why is he curious about that all of a sudden?' She sighed. "No, I haven't heard from her in years."
Takemichi had a surprised look on his face. Akira was Tessa's younger sister and Tessa hasn't even contacted her?
"I haven't heard from her in years. A few days before, she was acting a bit off but I didn't question it. Then, all of a sudden, she was gone. I tried texting and calling her but got no response. Naoto and I searched for her but..." Akira trailed off.
"But what?"
Akira looked around and tugged her jacket closer as a breeze came through. "Let me explain."
~~~
It had been six months since Tessa had disappeared. Akira and Naoto have been cooped up in his apartment for days straight trying to find any sort of hint as to where she is. It was obvious the frustration was getttng to her as she slammed her laptop shut and pushed herself away from the desk. She stood in front of the window and watched as the sun started to set over the city.
"You alright?"
She turned to see Naoto standing behind her with his arms crossed, a concerned look on his face. Rubbing a hand over her face she answered, "I'm fine."
Naoto wasn't convinced but he let it slide. He walked over to his desk and sat down.
"Well, one thing's for sure." He held up a file with information on Tessa. "She sure knows how to hide. The police have nothing on her." Naoto was hesitant before saying. "Akira, are sure she isn't-"
"She's not dead." Akira cut him off. "I know she isn't. There's got to be a way to find her. Just a little clue."
Thoughts were running through her head like lightning. She was re-evaluating everything the two had went over until one place in her mind clicked.
"Maybe there is a place where something can be found." Akira said.
"Where?" Naoto asked her.
"My old house," she smiled. "If Tessa left anything behind, it would probably be there."
Naoto pondered this for a moment. He clapped his hands together. "Okay, to your old house we go."
Akira frowned. "Actually...you won't be going."
Naoto was shocked to hear this. "Why not?"
Akira sighed and sat down beside him. "Because, since Tessa is missing, there's a high possibility Toman has a huge bounty on her head. And since this was her childhood home, they are probably guarding it 24/7 to trap her if she came back home for some reason. What I'm saying is it's dangerous."
"But if it's dangerous for me, how is it going to be for you?" Naoto retorted.
Akira reached over and grabbed his hand. "I can sneak through the back. Trust me I'll be fine."
Naoto looked down. Akira would have the ability to sneak in and out of her house easily, but there's still a chance she could get caught and killed. However, this was important to Akira. Who was he to stop her from finding her sister? He turned his eyes to her and nodded.
Akira smiled and stood up to grab her coat. Before she walked out the door, she turned back to Naoto.
"Come back safe." he said.
Akira gave him a soft smile. "I will."
~~~
Akira couldn't believe she was back here. Her old home that she and Tessa made so many memories. As she stood behind the house, she looked around cautiously for any suspicious activity before walking towards the back door. She grabbed some pins in her hair and began to pick the lock on the door. Hearing a click, the door swung open in the empty house. Her palms were sweaty, heart racing, mouth dry as she stepped inside the home.
As she walked towards the stairs towards where her old bedroom was, she took notice about how no furniture was missing. Everything was exactly where it was. She quietly went up the stairs and walked down the hallway until she opened the door to her old room. As she looked around, she had no idea what was about to go down.
~~~
A frantic man burst into the door of the office. "Sir! I have some news."
The man sitting at the desk sighed. "What is it? I'm busy."
"We have reports of someone entering the Nishikawa house."
The man sitting at the desk looked up at the man with interest. A menacing grin formed on his face. "Send some men over there. Take care of it.
The man bowed. "Yes, Kisaki."
~~~
Akira had searched through drawer after drawer rapidly. She knew she needed to find any clues as quickly as possible. So far, she had looked in the drawers, closets, even in her bed sheets. She looked back over at her closet when she noticed a torn piece of paper lying on her desk. She reached over and picked it up and sat back on her bed. Carefully opening it, she was surprised to see the familiar handwriting; Tessa's handwriting. She read the note over and over and felt her heart drop when she read the words.
Akira, if you're reading this note. Stop looking for me.
-Tessa
Akira pinched her nose and felt tears in her eyes. She was cut short when she heard an assortment of car doors shutting outside the front of the house. Standing up silently, she carefully peeled back the curtain to see quite a few black vehicles with men walking towards the house.
'Shit. It's Toman.' Akira thought.
She knew right then and there, she had to get out. If she was caught, she would definitely be accused of being an accomplice to Tessa and killed. Stuffing the note in her pocket, she stepped out into the hallway and ran down the stairs. She quietly crept through until the reached the back door and exited onto the back road. Curiously, she slowly peeked her head around to see some members in the house while some still stayed outside. One caught her eyes as he had slicked blonde hair down to his neck.
'Where have I seen him?'
The familiar man turned his head to reveal on his neck a familiar dragon tattoo that she has seen tons of times when she was little. It was Draken's tattoo, but he had his on his temple, whereas this man had it on his neck. Feeling eyes on him, the man turned to where Akira is causing her to duck behind the wall. Her eyes widened as she realized who she was.
'That wasn't an ordinary man. That was Manjiro Sano.'
Quickly, she ducked out of the alley and headed towards her home.
~~~
Takemichi soaked in every word Akira told him. When Akkun told him that Tessa had disappeared a while ago, he had no idea as to why. But now that Akira has told him this, he started to piece it together.
'Tessa wouldn't disappear for no reason. There had to have been something to make her disappear from Toman. Maybe she was a threat to Kisaki somehow, but what could she have done?' Takemichi processed.
"Anyways, after that happened, I kind of took it as a sign from Tessa to stop before I got hurt. She made me promise in that note," she turned to Takemichi and smiled, "and a sister never breaks a promise."
Takemichi's eyes widened. The amount of loyalty these two have is amazing. He watched as Akira took out the note, a lighter, and lit the note on fire setting it on the ground. Looking at the note crumpling up as it burns, she realizes that she wont forget her sister. She could never do that. She just needs to let Tessa solve her problems and maybe, just maybe, she'll come home.
From an alleyway not too far, a woman wearing a dark jacket, baseball cap and a black mask watched the two walk away. Smiling underneath her mask, she pulled on her cap a bit to cover her eyes and walked away.
A/N:
Hey guys!! I finally go this sucker done. I feel like writing the future chapters are a bit harder but these wont happen often as the story is about Tessa (obviously). Anyways hope you enjoyed!!!
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Lifeline
Fanfiction"You are what keeps us going, Tessa. You are our lifeline." Tessa didn't exactly live what people call a "normal teenage life". Living in a house alone with her younger sister and trying to prevent the house from falling apart, while also being the...
