One-shot, written because of the frustration I felt watching certain characters in episode 55-56. (Also, I know I'm not the only one who thought about another Homura when Homura Takeru first appeared in Vrains…)

-o-o-o-o-o-

The Knights of Hanoi had been defeated. The Tower of Hanoi had fallen. Yusaku's revenge was over. And yet−

There was something, something not quite right. Yusaku couldn't quite put his finger on it though, and it hardly mattered, so long as it was not in any way related to Hanoi. And Jin's condition had finally begun to improve, so Yusaku would rather not worry Kusanagi if it wasn't unnecessary; the man should focus on his brother and let Yusaku deal with everything else.

Had Kusanagi known about the train of Yusaku's thoughts, then he would probably have disagreed; according to him, Yusaku should focus on school, on the future, and on one hand, Yusaku agreed, but on the other?

Yusaku had never really planned for this.

After the fall of Hanoi, Yusaku was supposed to move on. And yet, while the world seemed to be moving all around him, he alone seemed to be standing still, no clear obstacles in his path yet unable to keep up with the flow of everything else.

Maybe it was the fact that while the Tower of Hanoi had fallen, the Knights of Hanoi were still at large. And Revolver. Ryouken.

Of course, there was also being completely alone again; no nosy AI to make unnecessary commentary or cause trouble, and peace and quiet at last. And yet−

Yusaku would not say that he felt lonely. No, it simply felt strange to be alone again, after having suffered the company of such a talkative AI for so long. Humans were creatures of habit after all, easily conditioned into−

"Hey! Look out where you−!"

Yusaku gave a slight nod and a muttered apology before stepping past. Or attempting to at any rate.

A firm hand caught him by the wrist, and Yusaku finally looked up and immediately noticed three things:

One: White. For a moment, some feeble part of him thought it was Revolver, Ryouken, before realising otherwise; the voice was not the same.

Two: The guy, some type of delinquent from the looks of it, had sounded annoyed at first, but now, when he had gotten a good look at Yusaku's face, his angry expression had gone through a rapid transformation.

Three− "Fujiki?!"

To say that Yusaku was shocked by the recognition would have been an exaggeration; he had never quite bothered to pay much attention to his classmates, but fact remained that a few of them recognised him, even calling out to him on occasion, but Yusaku thought he would definitely have noticed this guy if he had ever−

Yusaku was momentarily stunned as arms wrapped around him, squeezing him tight, and even more so by the quiet "I finally found you" close to his ear. He was let go of fairly quickly though, and the guy held up his hands, looking a bit sheepish. "Right, sorry, I got a bit too excited there for a sec," the guy laughed good-naturedly before extending a hand. "Homura, Homura Takeru."

Yusaku just stared at the hand and at the guy, just long enough to make it awkward.

"Right," the guy said at last, withdrawing the hand but still with a smile on his face. "I guess you don't recognise me, but… I just wanted to say thank you in person and−"

Something pained entered the guy's expression, and Yusaku felt something then, something akin to recognition, but not quite. Whatever it was, it made Yusaku extend his hand, and the guy, Homura, immediately reached out to grasp it, his joy and relief so tangible Yusaku could almost taste them.

"I'm Fujiki, Fujiki Yusaku."

The introduction was probably unnecessary, but−

"Nice to see you again, Fujiki." Homura smiled and there was something about that 'again' that caused Yusaku to frown. "Are you free right now? I need to show you something."

-o-o-o-o-o-

'Something' turned out to be the city skyline from on top of the Ferris wheel, and Yusaku could not for the life of him figure out why he had decided to follow this Homura guy all the way here, barely any questions asked, and without informing Kusanagi at that. But then−

"I'm also a victim of the Lost Incident."

Homura Takeru, a fellow survivor, Soulburner.

"Hanoi is gone, but… the Cyberse−"

The Cyberse destroyed, ignises scattered, a new unknown enemy and−

"−This is my third time telling you this, Playmaker."

-o-o-o-o-o-

To think that the day would come when Takeru would grow to resent people that he once regarded as his heroes. On one hand, he knew that they would come around eventually. On the other, he realised that he must deal with them now and harshly at that. Because 'eventually' was not soon enough.

He might have admired Go and Blue Angel once (and might admire them still), but now, their flaws stood out to him a whole lot more than any of that.

Zaizen Aoi, claiming that she was fighting for everyone that had saved and supported her, refusing to back down even after Playmaker had revealed their objective to retrieve consciousness data. "Those ignises were originally the property of SOL Technology. Give them back."

To think that she, who was once victim of something so similar, would hardly even react to the issue of stolen consciousness; even the bounty hunter, Ghost Girl, looked a bit taken aback.

And Takeru, Soulburner, was angry, even if he had heard it all before.

Playmaker turned his gaze towards him, no doubt picking up on Takeru's change in mood. Takeru felt tempted to tell him to go ahead, if only to spare him from what was about to unfold. But Bowman and the rest waited ahead, and Takeru was not about to let Playmaker face that alone. Not again. Never again. Not if he could help it.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" he snarled, yes, outright snarled, and this time, the girl showed some kind of reaction; a flinch. "The property of SOL Technology?! Give them back?! They were born from us! They belong to no one but themselves! And if we're talking about giving things back, then SOL Technology are the ones that need to step the fuck up, because I – we – did not get kidnapped, locked up and tortured for six months because we liked it! They fucking used us, taking what they wanted, not caring about what happened to us, and now they want to take from us again?!"

The girl, Blue Girl or whatever she might be calling herself, looked shocked, but attempted to recover. "But that was Hanoi−"

Takeru did not give her the chance to go on. "The Knights of Hanoi were originally a part of SOL Technology and they didn't exactly mind the shit that went down there until someone grew a conscience and decided to alert the authorities, generating bad publicity! And guess what?"

Takeru could sense Playmaker looking at him; he was probably a bit startled by Takeru's outburst, but Takeru did not look back, not yet. "That was Revolver," he said, startling both of the girls. "Revolver, who was but a child himself at the time, saw what they – what SOL Technology – were doing to us, and realised it was wrong! It was Revolver, not SOL Technology, who put a stop to it all! And what did SOL Technology do? They took his father away from him, driving him to create the Knights of Hanoi, and−"

"Soulburner."

Takeru should stop, but− "You're only doing this for selfish reasons, and to seek the approval of your brother. You've got no right to stand here and talk about fighting for everyone, like you're some selfless heroine and not an unemphatic, self-absorbed−"

"Soulburner."

He had really said too much, but− "Playmaker put his life on the line to save you and this is how you repay him? To think that I once looked up to you; I'm disappointed in myself."

For a brief moment, there was silence, nothing but the sound of the winds. But then− "Well said, Soulburner. As expected of my chosen partner."

Flame sounded proud, and Takeru warmed inwardly at his praise.

"Finally! A guy who says it like it is!" Ai piped up, giving Playmaker a playful punch on the arm. "You should take notes, Playmaker!"

Takeru locked eyes with Playmaker, with Yusaku. It was only for a second, but it was enough, and Takeru turned back to face the challenge at hand with renewed vigour.

Maybe he had said too much, but in the end, that did not really matter.

Because Takeru, Soulburner, would not let anything – or anyone – stand in the way.

Because this wasn't a second chance; it was his third, and Takeru would make it count, no matter what.

-o-o-o-o-o-