2.txt

I blink.

I’m not sure where I am. This certainly doesn’t look like where I was before. Where was I exactly, before ? With Rae, right? The girls were there too.

I remember being so very tired.

But I’m not tired anymore. If anything I feel amazing, revitalized.

Is this a classroom? It’s not like the academy, but the atmosphere feels similar. The desks are wrong—everything looks way shinier and slick. There are many young people, books in hand, some writing notes, even a board with notes scribbled on it. The attire is odd and foreign. Am I in another country? They all seem to be caught up in their own business. Some are sitting with books open, some are in coverstations. Some hold strange flat objects in their hands with glowing surfaces. Magic? It’s hard to tell. Regardless, no one seems to be paying me any heed.

Except for one person.

I notice her looking at me from across the classroom and feel a shock of instant recognition. It’s Rae. We make eye contact and I can’t help but smile at seeing her cute, familiar face. Strangely, she blushes bright red and immediately turns away. That is… odd to say the least. Rae is normally not one to shy away, especially from me. It’s almost innocent. She is also dressed differently in this new setting, though unsurprisingly she is wearing something more masculine—pants and a big sweater. It’s handsome and a little cute, and it really suits her.

She surely knows what is going on, right? She is still so caught up in avoiding eye contact that she hardly notices me walking right up to her.

“Rae…” I can’t keep the playful tease out of my tone. Even after all these years together, her name is still a joy to say.

She jumps in her seat and fumbles. “I wasn't staring!” She is still bright red and panicking. Why?

“What’s wrong? I don’t mind if you stare. What’s going on?”

Rae blanks and just stares at me. I can see the gears spinning in her head, “What?”

“What? You act as though it is a crime to stare at your wife.” I can’t help but give a good chuckle, the way she likes it. It’s silly, but I always feel proud of how it elicits such a reaction from her.

And this time it elicits quite the reaction indeed. I did not think Rae could turn more red. Her lips flap wordless before she finally croaks, “Wife?”

“Yes. Wife . Rae, are you okay? What is going on, why are you acting like this?” I keep my voice level, though I can feel my heart thud in my chest. She looks worried. Something is off. What is going on?

She takes a survey of the surrounding area as if to ensure a secret won't be spilled. “What are you talking about? We’ve never talked before today.” Her voice is hushed and very frazzled.

“You’re Rae Taylor.” What is going on?

She looks a bit uncomfortable and her brow furrows. “My name is Oohashi, Oohashi Rei. Who is Rei Taylor?”

Oohashi. That’s…

“Rae, where are we?” I glance at our surroundings again. I should be able to at least recognize some elements, right? Even if this isn’t Bauer. Why is nothing familiar? 

“...Tokyo University?” Rae answers, confused. Tokyo? “It’s not Rei, it’s Ooh-”

“And where is that?” I feel like I already know what she is going to say.

“Where is what? We’re in Tokyo, right? In Japan? Are you okay, Francois-san?” She looks concerned.

Francois-san ? “Oh no, we are not doing this again, Rae. It took forever to beat ‘Claire-sama’ out of you. We are not regressing to Francois-san. It’s Claire, just Claire.” I snap.

She looks confused but blushes and feebly nods her head without arguing.

Japan? “Rae, this is where you grew up. This is where you’re from.” Did I…?

“Ummmm, what are you talking about?” Does she really not remember anything?

Is it just me who remembers? This is Rae’s old life, Rei Oohashi. From before she met me in Bauer. “You don’t know me…?” I’m starting to understand. It’s just me. I am the stranger here. Our history is gone. The realization constricts my heart like a vice.

Rae bounces through a rapid array of emotions, concern and confusion painting her face. “Well ummm, we’re classmates, I guess? You’re … Francios Claire. I don’t know what’s going on, but if this is a joke or something….”

“No! It’s not a joke. I would never do that to you.” I swallow. This is what Rae went through, right? She was a lost soul, reincarnated into Bauer from a previous life. I must have done the same thing and now I am in her old life. 

I didn’t notice how young she looks until now; how the years have been erased. My memory of the past feels fuzzy,  but by the end I don’t  think we were young anymore. Our girls looked older than she does here. 

What did she call that thing that happened to her? “Okay, Rae this is going to sound odd, but you told me before that you ikasaid? Is that the word? Ikusaid?”

Rae blinks, slowly. “Isekai?” The disbelief in her tone is very audible.

“Yes! That! You said you isekaid into my world before, and I think I have just done the same thing into this world.” This has to help her understand. Please believe me, Rae.

Rae blinks again, and then grimaces. “Look, I don’t know what joke you’re trying to pull on me but—”

“It is not a joke, Rae!” I reach for her hand and hold it.

Her blush lights up her entire face again. She almost looks like she wants to pull back her hand, but can’t follow through. “This isn’t funny, Francois-san.”

“I’m being serious. I can prove it!” Wait, can I? This is a big gamble. What if everything is different? The version of my world that she remembered wasn’t exactly the same as mine, and chances are it would be the same here. I know so much about her, but if it’s not the same…

Rae eyes the area around us. Are we drawing too much attention? She eyes my hand on hers and looks very uncomfortable.

I have to take a risk. “When you were in middle school, you had a friend you had a crush on, Kosaki, but she had a crush on Misaki, and he had a crush on Shiko, and she had a crush on you.”

Rae is stunned. Her eyes go wide with shock. I’m right! I can see it in her eyes. She opens her mouth twice before finally saying, “We can’t talk about this here.” Her eyes narrow. She pulls her hand out of my grasp and stands up, grabbing a bag that she slings on her shoulder. “Follow me.”

She leads me out of the room and starts traveling down long halls, weaving through many rooms. This is a university, she said, like the academy. There are so many students here. Everything is so different from Bauer. Is this my life now? What am I doing here? I don’t know anything about this world outside of what Rae told me.

“We’re almost there. The library should have some private rooms.” Rae interrupts my thoughts, leading us into a large open chamber full of shelves lined with thousands of books. There are so many that I can’t help but stare. We quickly pass several desks with glowing boxes on top, and then she opens a closed room. She says a quick hello and peeks inside. There isn’t a response. “Good, this one is empty.” She gestures me inside and then closes the door behind us.

The room is small and has a table with several chairs. There is an odd portrait on the wall, a shiny black picture. Is that supposed to be art ? I should sit down. As I do, I feel the weight of a bag I have been carrying this whole time on my shoulder. It’s somewhat similar to the one Rae is carrying. There is so much to take in; it’s overwhelming.

Rae also looks overwhelmed as well, albeit in a different way. She hasn’t deigned to sit down yet. Instead she has been pacing the small room for a bit. It’s best to let her sort her thoughts when she gets like this.

“How did you know about that?” she finally asks, stopping in place and turning to face me. She looks so fragile. I know why she looks hurt because of what she told me in our past lives. Part of me is relieved that she’s finally taking me seriously, but I know how much the memory has always hurt for her.

“You told me about it, in our past life. It has alway been very important to you. It was one of the first things you told me about your old life here, about the four of you. And the second thing you told me was about Misaki.” Please believe me, Rae.

She swallows hard. “You said…you said he. No one… only a few of us knew.” Rae struggles to say it. It was painful for her to tell me the first time, and I can tell it still feels so raw for her.

I get up and she eyes me warily. I can see the tears start to well in her eyes.

“Why do you know that?” Her voice is so small.

I move closer to her, putting her within arms reach. “It wasn’t your fault, Rae.” She pales and the tears start to flow. I can’t help but draw her into a hug. She is stiff at first, but then she chokes a sob and loosens. I hold her tightly and circle my hands across her back gently. After a short while I can easily tell when it’s time to loosen and let her go.

I take a step back and she looks at me, in a daze. “How?”

“I don’t know. I think some of my memories from later in life are less clear, but they are there. I might… have passed on…” I can only guess, but it’s what happened with Rae, so it cannot be that much of a stretch to think it could have been the same with me in my past life. I can have a second life with Rae, though. Just like we both wanted. “You did so much for me in that past life. I love you, Rae.” I can feel my eyes water. I want to use this chance to help her this time. It’s my turn .

Rae blushes again and turns away. This younger Rae is so adorable. “Please, if you are fucking with me, you have to tell me.”

“Rae, you are my wife and the love of my life. You came into my world and upended it in spectacular fashion. You saved me time and time again. You told me of your past life here, about how your friend Shiko helped you realize you were a lesbian, how your friends reconciled after your awkward crushes, and how Misaki couldn’t bear to live his life as the wrong gender. Your…” I pause, not sure if I should voice the conclusion. Rae said her life was miserable once she ventured into adulthood, empty. But it doesn’t have to be like that anymore! And telling her about the way it ended doesn’t feel right. “I want to be here for you in this life, Rae!”

“You want to be with me?” Rae is unable to look at me. An embarrassed Rae was a rare treat before but now… well it would hardly be unfair of me to enjoy it after all the teasing she put me through. Rae draws out a stressed, noteless hum. “What are you saying, Francois-san?”

“I do, romantically and physically. In body and mind.” I can’t help but enjoy being the one so sure this time. Rae makes her way to a chair and collapses, as though her legs have  turned to jelly. This is fun , but pushing too hard might be a bit cruel. She doesn’t know me here, as much as it makes my heart ache to understand that. “But only if that’s what you want. I… I know this is a lot to take in and you don’t seem to really know me here. It took me a while to come around in our last life. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.”

“Who said I didn’t want to do this! I mean…” She looks up at me as she says it, then her mouth hangs open. She blushes, again. “I mean…”

“Rae.” She swallows as I say her name again. “You don’t have to rush to a decision. It’s a lot to take in—” I’m interrupted by something shaking in my bag, playing a muffled tune. “What is that?”

“Huh?” She sounds dazed.

I open the bag and look inside.“What is doing that?” The sound is more audible now, and I can quickly find the offending object. I pull out a small flat thin slate that has a glowing picture, similar to the ones I saw some students holding in the classroom. Words are written on it. Incoming call… Catherine ? There even looks to be a small portrait of Catherine, albeit younger than the last time I saw her. What is this, Rae?

“Oh my God… you really don’t know anything from here…” The amazement in her voice is slightly worrying.

“What is this Rae? What am I supposed to do with it?” The object continues to vibrate and play its tune.

“Oh fuck, swipe the green circle with your finger—someone’s trying to talk to you right now.” Her language startles me. She jumps up and closes the distance. “Do you recognize the name of the caller? Wait do you even know—”

“Yes, she is a friend. I don’t think that has changed.” I follow Rae’s instructions and the circle moves under my finger and then disappears. The tune stops and a new image forms and Catherine’s name is now clearly displayed with several symbols below it. “Is this magic? Rae, you said there wasn’t magic here.”

“...Hello?” I nearly drop the object as Catherine’s voice emerges from it. Wind magic, maybe? Rae gestures to bring the device up to my ear.

“Hello?” Am I doing this correctly? Rae gives me a thumbs up.

“Oh good, I caught you Claire… Umm look, I know this is probably a huge pain but we’re out of ibuprofen and I would really appreciate it if you could get some on your way back. I know you probably don’t want to, but I kinda don’t want to die here.”

Die ? “Of course I can get that for you. Ah, where would I be able to obtain such a thing?”

I can hear Cathering let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, Claire, you don’t have to be sarcastic about it.”

“What? No! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.” I move the object away from my face, “Rae, how do I get…that thing she asked for?”

Catherine’s voice still comes through even though I moved the object away from my ear.  “Claire, hello? I can still hear you.”

“Errrr, um, Francois-san, let me talk to her.” She is still calling me Francois-san ?

I pass the object to Rae and she starts to speak to it. “Hi, I’m so sorry, this is Oohashi. I’m with Francois-san and she is feeling a bit off right now. We can pick up the ibuprofen for you. Uhh, is the brand important? Oh, and can you let me know how to get to you?” Thankfully Rae seems to understand what is needed, and is quite polite too.

There is a bit of silence, then Catherine’s voice starts up again, “The brand isn’t important. Is Claire-chan okay? Why can’t she get here on her own? She isn’t using you as a lackey, is she?”

I couldn’t help but overhear that troubling implication. Oh dear . But more importantly, Rae realized that I don’t know how to get home. If we are in school I suppose I might live in a dorm. Is Catherine my roommate again? “Catherine, it’s okay. Can you please let Rae know how to find  you? It’s as she said. I am frightfully dizzy and she is helping me get back. We will get that ibu—ibuprofen for you.” I hope I said it correctly.

“Rae? Seriously? Okay fine, whatever . We are in Dormitory Sendagi, room six-seven-two. Please don’t take too long. Bye.” The sound cuts out and the object then dims and goes black. Rae hands it back to me.

“What is this? You specifically told me magic didn’t exist here.” I can’t help but turn the object over in my hand. The front side is glass, and the back side is some sort of metal?

Rea lets out a long breath. “Ooooooh boy, oh wow, you don’t know technology. You don’t know technology. Fuuuuck.”

“Rae! Language.” I can’t help but chide her.

She just quirks an eyebrow but doesn’t argue with me. “Okay so, this isn’t magic, it’s technology. It’s a phone. It’s a device that does a lot of things, but its primary function is to do what it just did. Phone other people.”

“A phone phones?” That doesn’t explain anything.

“Uh yeah. Oh God, there are going to be so many words and terms that you don’t know. Umm, how much technology did you have before?” Rae’s anxiety is starting to be worrying.

“Nothing remotely like this. Let’s see, the printing press was a recent invention but judging from your library something tells me that is trivial now…” I think I might be starting to see the problem. but it can’t be that bad… right ?

“Fuck, okay, okay, you just need a crash course about… everything. We can do that. No problem.” She pauses and takes a breath. Her eyes widen as the thought sinks in fully. “Um, Francois-san we might need to tell your friend. She’s your roommate, right? I don’t think we can do this on our own.” Rae is trying to be calm but I can hear how anxious this is making her.

It’s probably not wise to tell too many people, but I can’t keep it from everyone, right? Outside of Rae, there have to be at least a few others. “I think Catherine…chan would help, if she’s the same as she was before. So… are you saying you believe me?”

Rae pauses and a light blush dusts her cheeks. She casts her eyes to the side. “I don’t have a better explanation, and for some reason I don’t think you’re trying to lie or mess with me. Maybe you have a weird amnesia, but even then I can’t explain how you would know all those things about me.”

“Thank you, Rae.” I can’t help but smile. Relief floods through me. I wanted to be the one to help her, but even now she is helping me. I should be doing a better job of this.

“Sure, sure, any time. Um, about all that other stuff. The, ummm, wife stuff.” She is struggling and blushing bright red, but I just nod and let her go at her own pace. She gulps. “You are like, reeeeeally attractive and I would be—” her voice drops until it’s close to a whisper , “— lying if I said you weren’t my type.. But I… if we’re actually going to…can we take it slow? A lot is happening right now, and I’m not exactly out of the closet, publicly, I mean. I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“Closet? Oh, closet, yes you used that metaphor before. No I understand, at times in Bauer things could also be cruel for… well, ‘non-heteronormative’ people as you put it. I want to be with you again, but I don’t want to rush you either. Just don’t leave me waiting too long, okay?” It’s a concession I am willing to make, but it doesn’t make it easier on my heart. She is right there. It would be so easy to just reach out… but alas.

Rae chuckles nervously. “Okay, well, let's start by finding your friend. Can I look through your bag? You should have a wallet in there. I hate to say it, but I’m kinda broke and I can’t cover your friend’s medicine.”

“Oh, it’s medicine? What is it for?  It’s not serious is it?” I feel a surge of concern. Catherine did mention that she didn’t want to die.

“What? Oh, no, probably not, at least I don’t think so. Ibuprofen is a type of painkiller, one of many. It’s used to help manage minor aches and pains. I use it when period cramps get bad.”

“Wait, you have something to help with those?” Is medicine so freely available here?

“Oh,” Rae smirks. “Yeah I guess we do. Welcome to the twenty-first century.” Her grin sends an arrow straight to my heart.

“Oh, don’t get too cheeky now Rae—we always had you and your healing magic before.” I shoot back.

“Wait, I had magic?” The idea seems to be a very tantalizing one for her.

“We both did. We were quite amazing at it, if I do say so myself.” I fix my gaze on her and give her my best classic villainess chortle. At least in our old life, it was her favorite.

Judging from her silly smile and blush, it’s still her favorite in this life too.