Stellar Evolution/credits to "orphan_account?" on ao3

part 15

"Ha-ha! Thank you, everyone!" Tsukasa shouts, standing onstage and bowing. The Virtual Singers sitting below him cheer. Emu, who stands next to him onstage, taps his shoulder.

"Can you explain everything to me now?" She whispers.

Tsukasa nods and pulls her aside once they leave the stage.

"Look, Tsukasa—I'm glad you're here. It's so great! Everyone's been quiet recently, so I'm happy to see you, at least! But...I don't understand. I thought you were...you know...dead?" Emu stutters.

"Yeah, sorry. I know it's a bit confusing. Uh...how do I put this..."

"You can be completely honest with me, Tsukasa! I can handle it!"

"Right." Tsukasa replies. "Okay—when I... decided to stop living... I thought about what I wanted my future to be like. I never knew what life after death was going to be like, so I wanted it to be something I'd enjoy. Something worth giving up my life for. And this was that thing. I want this place to be my future."

"How'd you...get here, though? You're dead in the real world and—alive here?" Emu asks.

"That's...a bit more complicated," Tsukasa says quietly, laughing awkwardly. He still remembered it vividly. The night he'd died, that was. Describing it in detail, especially in front of Emu, of all people, wasn't exactly a pleasant thought. But she said he could be honest—so he proceeded anyway.

Burning, covering every inch of his skin. He didn't want to look at his injuries. He'd already made it this far, and didn't want to go back. It was too far now. He could see red— all over the floor, filling the area around him. In his last moments, he'd clicked Untitled, and slammed his phone against the ground to destroy it completely. Immediately after, his vision became so blurry and his body became so weak he collapsed onto his bedroom floor. He could feel his eyelids slowly drifting shut, and his time was short. But he knew his future was secure—some place he'd finally feel at peace. A world of his own—it was right within his grasp, as soon as he slipped away. Tsukasa would finally get what he wanted—a carefree world where he'd never have to worry about his imperfections. They'd love him anyway.

The stinging and burning began losing feeling. The light signaling the transition to SEKAI enveloped his entire body.

This was it—the end of this world, and the start of the next.

"...And that's how I ended up in SEKAI. So my real body isn't living, but this one is." He explains.

"Wow...so you get to live here forever?"

"Yep."

Emu's smile fades slightly.

"That's—that's great for you, and everything, but...everyone really misses you, Tsukasa. It's not the same without you. I haven't seen Rui in weeks—and...and Nene's still here, but she's... different. I'm sad too, but I'm trying to get everyone back together. And, if they don't listen to me—we need you! Please...can you talk to them?" She pleads.

Tsukasa pauses for a minute, sighing.

"...I didn't expect you to understand."

"Huh?"

"I just wanted a place where I could finally feel like myself. The Tsukasa you knew has no future at all. He's never going to become a star, he's never going to get what he wants. That's why I locked myself away here. I have no meaningful future. You do. So—so stop trying to ruin it for yourself!"

"Tsukasa, you're not ruini-"

" Leave me the hell alone . "

Tsukasa begins reaching his arm towards her. She backs away, but he touches a small bit of her arm. It starts dissolving into light and triangles, engulfing the rest of her body as well.

"Tsukasa—Tsukasa-kun... wait ! "

Tsukasa stares at her as she disappeared from sight, with nothing but an empty sort of guilt.

Emu breathes in and out multiple times, trying to catch her breath. She was in the real world. It was the same sort of transition that'd happened when SEKAI fell apart the first time. Had he...kicked her out of SEKAI?

She scrambled to grab her phone, opening her messages with Nene.

<NENENENENENE TSUAKDJS'AS IJN SEKAI!!!>

<what.>

<TSUKASAS IN SEKAI>

<how????>

<I DONT KNOW BUT HES JUST SORTA THERE WE SHOULD TRY TO GET HIM TO TALK TO RUI!!!, REMEMBER HOW THE VIRTUAL SIGNERS CAN SEE OUR SHOWS THROUGH OUR PHONES?? MAYBE LIKE THAT??>

<i dont know if that's a good idea, emu.>

<why not??????>

<i'm with him right now, he's not doing all that well. he read the suicide note>

<aww i'm sorry :[ pleasepleaseplease tell him i said hi??? tell him i hope he feels better too>

<i'll try. i'll be home as soon as possible. ily>

<I LOVE YOU NENE!!!! BYE <333333>

Nene sets down her phone and sighs. How would she be able to tell Rui about something like that? She certainly couldn't right now. He wasn't crying anymore, but he was asleep and leaning against Nene's shoulder. It almost felt like they were kids again..sometimes she wished she could get something like that back. The days where it was just the two of them, when they'd only ever had each other to rely on.

Those days were far more peaceful.

Eventually, she'd gotten up and let him lay on the couch. She had to get home, talk to Emu—

And now that she knew Tsukasa was in SEKAI, she'd have to speak with him too.

It still baffled her, how Tsukasa was somehow still alive in a way. Was Emu sure it was really him? For all she knew, she could've just been dreaming. Still—she felt the need to try. Maybe there was a way to get their troupe back together.

It wouldn't be the same, of course, but it might just be possible.

hi this chapter is a tiny small bit confusing so i'm going to explain it a bit better !!!
sorta triggering content ahead so just as a warning but tbh if you've read this fic entirely you probably don't need that warning

-tsukasa stabbed himself/self harmed pretty deep and let himself bleed to death
-as he was bleeding he started playing untitled so he'd travel to sekai and then smashed his phone as a way to ensure he'd never be able to get back (at least through his phone, if sekai falls apart again then he disappears entirely, no sekai tsukasa or real tsukasa)
-tsukasa dies and travels to sekai wow !!!!