DGA: Akemi's Wonderful Day

Season 2 Fallout, featuring Akemi. Canon.
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“Mom? Mooooom? Now where did you go...”

Akemi searches around the mess that is her dorm room, searching under bundled up clothes, fraying wires, and more than a few badly singed blankets, before coming across a small framed picture. “Ah, there you are!” she exclaims with a smile as she pulls it from the wreckage of last night's experiments, dusting it off before placing it neatly atop her cupboard. Akemi's favourite picture of all... the tiny happy marshmallow of a child that was a young Akemi Ibushi, and the beautiful elegant woman holding her in her arms.

“You're not cracked, are you?” Akemi asks, inspecting the frame, smiling to see that it's completely fine despite the... several small explosions in her dorm room last night as she tested her latest fireworks display. In all the years she's had that picture, and through all the damage it's taken while travelling with the destructive tech wizard, not once has that frame so much as cracked. Akemi's always been proud of that... her mom was always tough. “Good... you sit tight, mom! Today's gonna be a great day!”

Akemi charges out the door, almost immediately barrelling over a young girl from Class 1 that Akemi knows very well. The special agent Akuro Yoi.

“Whoa, careful there snowflake!” Akuro laughs. “I almost thought you were a wild animal for a second!”

“Don't be silly!” Akemi giggles. “Most wild animals are bigger than me!”

“And less adorable,” Akuro jokes, giving Akemi a friendly pat on the head. “Anyway, the others were worried about the noise coming from your room last night. For a second, Green thought we were under attack. Everything okay in there?”

Akemi pumps her fist. “Yep! I think I took out most of the fires!”

“You think... most?” Akuro sighs. “Okay, I'll double check and you get a pass for now, but those adorable cheeks and button nose aren't gonna save you forever!”

“Yes they will!” Akemi laughs obliviously.

Akuro nods. “Yeah... you're right. You heading out?”

“Yep! Gonna have a great day!” Akemi laughs.

“Have... have you visited him yet today?” Akuro asks.

Akemi shakes her head. “No, but I was just gonna!”

“Well...” Akuro mutters. “Look, just don't get your hopes up on him waking up today. My brother's stable, but... he won't be opening those eyes anytime soon.”

“He might when he sees the new balloon I got him!” Akemi exclaims in excitement.

Akuro sighs. “Should have figured... have fun, cutie.”

“You too!” Akemi laughs, turning around and clicking her heels together as she runs down the hallway.

Arriving in the main school building, a nice purple balloon in hand, Akemi charges up the steps, wasting no time in getting started with her most excellent day.

“Hark!” a happily familiar voice calls out from further down the hallway. Akemi picks up her pace to meet the voice, and leaps through the air, colliding into her target with a giant hug. “If it isn't my closest ally, Akemi Ibushi!” Isamu exclaims as he returns the hug. The two pull away as Isamu sticks out his fist, and Akemi bumps hers with it. They then twist their wrists and pull away, slapping hands together in the first few steps in an elaborate handshake lasting a full fifteen seconds.

Rei Arisato, decked out in her usual track gear, raises an eyebrow at the antics of her boyfriend and the ever-cheerful Akemi.

“Since when did you guys have a secret handshake?” she asks.

“Since just now!” Akemi explains.

Rei pauses. “Wait... you're telling me you two just ad-libbed that? In perfect synch? On the spot?”

“Yes, why?” Akemi smiles innocently.

“But... how?!” Rei asks.

Isamu chuckles and waves it off. “Ah, Miss Arisato! You underestimate the powerful mental connection forged between two of the greatest allies! Why, Akemi Ibushi and I have been best friends since middle school!”

“... No you weren't!” Rei exclaims. “You met at the academy!”

Akemi pauses in thought. “Are you sure? I feel like we've been best friends from middle school...”

“I was there when you met!” Rei explains. “First day, he was caught looking up your skirt, then you both laughed about butts for twenty minutes!”

“Hmm...” Isamu pauses in thought. “That does sound like us...”

Rei sighs. “Why'd I have to fall in love with an idiot...”

Rei kisses Isamu on the cheek before turning her attention to Akemi. “We're getting lunch with Akira later, you wanna join us?”

“Sure! Anything for my best friend since middle school!” Akemi smiles as she throws a thumbs-up.

“Again, you weren't...” Rei mumbles. “Nevermind... see you later, Akemi.”

Rei makes her way down the hallway, and Isamu follows close behind. He swings around to address his best friend once more before leaving. “So... were we friends in middle school?”

“Hmm... let's just say that we were!” Akemi laughs. “It's more fun remembering it that way!”

“Indeed!” Isamu laughs. “Akemi Ibushi, you're a genius!”

“Thanks!”

Isamu pauses for a moment, before his tone turns more serious. “Umm... are you okay?”

“Hmm?”

“Well, Akemi Ibushi...” Isamu mutters, as he point to the door marked as the nurse's office. “Considering the man behind that door... I just had to wonder if you were okay.”

“I'm okay!” Akemi smiles. “Look, I even have a balloon!”

“Right...” Isamu pauses in thought. “It's just... if there's one thing I, Isamu Iori, have learned from my time with Miss Arisato... it's that sometimes it's okay for even to bravest of heroes to... not be okay.”

“I know...” Akemi pauses. “But I really am okay! Promise!”

“Okay,” Isamu smiles. “Well... I'll see you later!”

Akemi smiles as Isamu catches up with Rei, before turning to the nurses office. Akemi pauses for a moment, thinking over Isamu's words, before making her way inside.

“Ah, Akemi!” Tekina yells, as she rushes around the office, chasing after a fast black blob. “Do you mind helping!”

“No problem!” Akemi exclaims, as she leaps at the blob, catching it as it leaps in mid-air, tackling it to the ground. Akemi holds the creature in her hands, the small Darkworld test subject belonging to Tekina.

“Thanks, Akemi...” Tekina catches her breath. “The little guy broke loose, and he was running around all scared and panicked!”

“Wasn't the only one,” Hikaru notes from her hospital bed, casually flicking through the pages of a fantasy novel. “Nurse was running around like a headless chicken.”

“You've had this little guy for a long time now,” Akemi notes, petting the harmless monster's head. “Does he have a name yet? Because I'm thinking... Flimber!”

“Well, I've been calling him Parker...” Tekina notes. “B-but he's not a pet! He's a scientific specimen, young lady! Although... he might make a nice mascot for the company now that we're all famous...”

“Well, that's ridiculous,” Hikaru notes. “This place already has a perfectly good mascot right there.”

Akemi raises an eyebrow as she holds up the creature. “Who, Flimber?”

“Parker.”

“Akemi,” Hikaru corrects the both of them.”I mean, you've got that squeaky clean innocent thing going on perfectly for you. Might deflect from the more... negative parts of the Dark Gate experience.”

“Hmm, does being a mascot involve wearing a big costume?” Akemi asks.

“It involves being yourself,” Hikaru explains.

“Oh, so a HUGE costume!” Akemi giggles. “I like that too!”

“Was there any answer you wouldn't like?” Hikaru asks.

“Nope!” Akemi smiles. “Now, to Raiden!”

Remembering the reason she came to the nurse's office, Akemi grabs her purple balloon and marches over to the bed housing a scarred, burned and comatose young man.

“Good morning, Raiden!” Akemi smiles. “I've got another balloon today! This one is called Shazbot!”

Akemi places the purple balloon alongside five others, one for every day her friend has been in this condition. Akemi brushes some hair out of his eyes before sitting alongside him. “Still not awake? Well, I'm not going to play any loud sax music after Miss Tekina asked me not to, but... I really hope you wake up soon.”

Raiden's face remains as stony and lifeless as the moment he was brought to this hospital bed. Akemi shrugs as she continues to speak. “Let's see... what's the news... oh, Nanami started a treasure hunt around the school! I hope she finds lots of gold! Also, the news has been talking about you now! Lots of people are calling you a hero for what you did to that bad guy... oh, and I've been learning trumpet too!”

Still silence. Raiden was never the most talkative guy in the world... but he was never a brick wall like this. He always had something to add, no matter how little or how grumpy or annoyed his comment was.

Akemi lets out a sigh. “I miss talking with you. It's always fun making you smile... and watching you laugh and try to hide it... it always made me feel really good when you'd do that.”

Akemi pauses, before reaching out and clasping his hand with hers. “Thank you, Raiden... you taught me a lot. You helped me realise that... that knowing the bad stuff doesn't take away the good. You were sad all the time... but every now and then... you'd smile. You'd laugh, you'd hug me! Even though you were sad about so many things, it... it didn't stop you from finding something that could make you happy. You didn't make yourself only think about the happy times... you just didn't let the sad times beat you. And that was very cool! And you know what? I'm sad that you're like this... but I know I'm gonna be happy when those eyes open, and I get to spend time with you again! And when that happens, it's only going to be even sweeter for it! And the second you open your eyes... I'm gonna smooch you right on the lips-”

A squeeze. A faint squeeze, but a squeeze nonetheless. Movement.

“Hey, I think he heard me!” Akemi yells in excitement. “He's squeezing my hand! Yay!”

“He did?” Tekina exclaims. “That's excellent! Do you mind if I run some tests on his mental functions right now?”

“No problemo!” Akemi gives a small salute as she pulls away from Raiden. Before Tekina gets to work, though, she leans in and gives her friend a quick peck on the cheek. “Get well soon, sleepyhead!” Akemi laughs as she skips out of the nurse's office.

The time has just hit noon, and this is already shaping up to be a wonderful day for Akemi Ibushi. About time for her to grab lunch with her best friend since middle school too. Of course, Akemi always figured this would be a wonderful day, and not just because every day is. No, this was an especially special occasion for the young Ibushi, one that she's happy to commemorate with a massive fireworks display later.

“Happy birthday, mom...” Akemi smiles as she looks up to the ceiling. “Thanks for watching over me.”

END