Title: Ending 1-D Status: Complete Characters: Anon, Fang, Naser, Samantha Rating: SFW Classification: One-Shot Author: AsolusKaz Summary: Anon commits one last act of pure selflessness, and gives the woman he loved, and his best friend, another chance to live a happy life. My fingers dig into the bark of the tree as I hid myself from the small gathering of people on the other side and down the hill, all of them dressed in black mourning garb, standing in front of two gravestones that are side by side, both adorned in flowers and surrounded by devastated family members and friends. From my position by the tree, I recognize nearly everyone there. I can see Reed, Trish, Moe, even Principal Spears showed up to their funeral. He... must've felt that he failed them. I'm so sorry Principal Spears. All of your effort spent trying to get me to improve myself was for nothing. It took me too long to realize... The last two figures stand out the most and nearly crumble whatever remains of my will to live. Samantha and Ripley Aaron. Naser and Fang's parents, stand there devastated. Their son and daughter taken too soon from their lives. Samantha leans against her husband as if he is the only thing keeping her standing anymore. The only thread keeping her from falling... Ripley is the same way, just staring ahead at their graves, not moving an inch... He probably blames himself for Fang and Naser's deaths... 'This is your fucking fault, you piece of shit. You drove Fang to this. All of those other students, Naomi, Naser, Fang. All dead because you're a selfish piece of skinnie trash. That should be you buried six feet under dirt. Even now you're hiding from them because you know you have no place being down there amongst them. You're no friend, and you certainly aren't god damn family.' The wave of self-hatred makes my face hot and my throat tight, and I can feel a sob trying to rip its way from my chest, but I swallow it down. I can't let them know I'm here... Heh... Running away to the very end... I shake my head and focus back onto the funeral taking place. They're all starting to leave... How long had I zoned out for? Trish and Reed are the first to step away, Trish leaning against Reed, sobbing as he helps lead her down the rows back to the entrance of the cemetery, a look of pure defeat and sadness on his face... The sight is like a sharp knife stabbed into my heart, more tears welling up, making me close my eyes and swallow heavily. Principal Spears starts to walk soon after they leave, his head cast down towards the ground as he walks away from the group, hands in the pockets of his jacket. 'Im so sorry Spears...' 20 minutes or so after Spears began walking, Samantha breaks away from her husband, walking back toward the entrance, casting her gaze over her shoulder as she frequently dabs her eyes with a cloth. 'She's still crying, and she will keep crying for years to come. Congratulations, Anon! You just made two parents bury their own children! All because you were a selfish piece of shit and didn't support the woman you claimed you loved so much. Prom was only her big chance to show those other students that she was an amazing musician, and after it all went horribly wrong, what did you tell her? "None of it matters"? What a worthless boyfriend you were. And now Ripley and Samantha are experiencing an agony beyond any comprehension. One that no loving parent should ever have to experience.' Hot tears run down my face as I clench my fingers on the tree trunk I'm leaning against, the rough bark scraping the skin, but I don't care. I deserve worse. ...Deserve worse than this bullet wound in my leg. I'm so sorry, Fang... Ripley is still there. Just standing and staring at Naser and Fang. He stayed there for at least another hour, and I was soaked to the bone from the steady rain, but I wasn't angry in the slightest. At least... Not at Ripley. The sun was beginning to go down, the glow of the evening starting to show itself from behind the grey clouds. Eventually, Ripley began to take slow, heavy steps away from his children, walking back towards his awaiting wife. Disappearing from my line of sight. Now was when I'd come out of my hole and go up to their graves... I made my way down the hill, hobbling on my crutch as I made my way between all the other graves. But all I could see were Naser's and Fang's. All of the others just faded from existence as I focused on those two. 'And once the others leave, the rat comes out! You really are pathetic, Anon. Imagine if Ripley saw you like this. Daring to show your face in front of his children. He'd tear you limb from limb!' I collapse to my knees, the crutch dropping into the grass beside me as I take in the sight before me. Naser and Fang. "In memory of Naser. Loving son and brother." "Here lies dearest Lucy. Heaven restores you in light." Lucy. I never knew her real name. It's a beautiful name... 'She probably never felt comfortable enough around you to tell you, dipshit. Yet another failure on your part.' "Naser... Lucy... I'm so sorry... I failed both of you..." My hands find their way onto the ground in front of me as I hunch over the grass, tears dripping onto the dirt and sobs spilling out from deep within as I let down my guard. I didn't feel the need to keep it inside anymore, nobody from their family was around to hear me after all. A stabbing pain was going through my leg, likely due to the pressure I was putting on the still recent wound. I didn't care. The pain of losing the only two people who cared about me hurt more than anything else could've. My surroundings started to bleed into a bright white, like I was surrounded by a white void. I must be losing consciousness... "Hey kid. Listen to me. Get up off the floor already." I flinch at the sound of the sudden voice, looking all around me into the white void, standing up in a panic. "W-Who's there?" I ask, still trying to find the source of the voice. "Don't worry about who I am, kid. Take a deep breath and calm down. I've been watching you for a long time now." I take a few deep breaths, calming my nerves as I stare into nothing, just listening to the voice. "The fuck do you mean you've been watching me? For how long?" I ask, slightly disturbed. A snicker sounds out, coming from nowhere in particular. "Ever since you arrived in Volcaldera Bluffs, kid. I was there watching you when you met Lucy and Naser, y'know." My mood takes a drop at the mention of Naser and Lucy, reminding me of my current situation in reality. "Oh... Right... This is just some dumb dream my brain conjured up after I passed out at their graves..." My throat tightens again, more tears welling in my eyes as my sadness starts to overwhelm me again. But... these emotions feel too real for this to just be some dream. I can feel the tears run down my face. "You're still conscious, kid. You're just in a space where I can actually communicate with you. Now I recommend you listen to what I have to say." I'm... still conscious? What the fuck is going on...? My thoughts are immediately interrupted by two individuals appearing in front of me, laying on the floor of the void. Lucy and Naser. Except, there's no injuries. Naser has no bullet wound, and Lucy's body is pristine and untwisted. "W-What...?" My eyes are wide with shock and I raise a hand to my mouth to stop myself from screaming. I can't look away from them. It's the first time I've seen them in person since... Since that day. The voice begins speaking to me again while I'm in a state of shock. "I know you've been tearing yourself apart over these two dying. I've seen you in agony ever since that day." So he's seen me at my lowest point this whole time huh? ...Whatever. Naser and Lucy being in front of me on the ground is more important right now. "I can save them, kid. Both of them." I felt a flash of anger. "Y-You... You what!? You better not be fucking with me, asshole!" He cuts me off immediately. "Shut up and listen, Anon. I have two options for you, and you need to decide right here and now." The voice sounded serious, immediately putting out my anger as I listened. "Now, if you want to save your precious Lucy, and your friend Naser, there are two ways to do it." "One, is to completely move on from their deaths, allowing them to pass on. That's what they want, after all. Freedom from their burdens, freedom from their lives." "...What's the other way?" I ask in a shaky voice and clenching my fist, afraid of the answer I could receive. "The other way... is to have them come back to life. But to make that happen, you gotta trade your own existence, for theirs." "...Well, there you go! Good luck with that!" The voice replied flippantly. I... I have the power to bring them back? I really have that choice? They can get a second chance at life? "Why are you trying to help Lucy? To help Naser?" I ask to the voice, hoping for it to give me a reason why. "Probably for the same reason you are. Enough talk, make your choice." I steadily walked up to Lucy and Naser, the pain in my leg completely non-existent, looking at the both of them. Truth be told, the choice was an easy one to make. My memories of both Naser and Lucy flooded into my mind as I looked at both of them. Naser and I meeting in front of that old bench, welcoming me to Volcano High. Lucy and I having that first conversation in science class, where it all started. Two promising young adults, one with an incredible talent in music, who can play such beautiful, heart moving music... Music that made me fall ever more in love with her... And the other, a model student who wanted to do everything in his power to just help his sister and reconnect with her. "What happens if I agree to let them come back to life?" I ask the voice, my eyes not leaving Naser and Lucy's bodies. "You'll disappear from this world." "Your girlfriend? Your parents? Reed? Rosa? Stella? Naser? Naomi? Samantha and Ripley? Everyone in your life will forget you." "You, and any sign that you ever existed, will be erased." "But in exchange, Lucy and Naser will return to their mortal lives. Back to a few days before you showed up to Volcano High." I take a deep breath and nigh instantly feel resolute in the decision I've come to. It isn't even a question as to what I've chosen. Naser and Lucy are worth so much, and have so many people who miss them dearly. Samantha and Ripley come to mind immediately. My life is but a matchstick to Lucy's and Naser's flames. If I could use that match to reignite their flames, nothing would make me happier than to do right by them one last time. But despite how resolute I felt in my decision, something still tries to warn me. Tries to... test my resolve. 'If you choose to do this, all of the impact you have had on this world will disappear. Are you sure about this?' "Yes... I have never been more sure of anything in my life. I want nothing more than for Lucy and Naser to continue living happily. If I can make a positive change for them... If even my pathetic existence can save these bright, shining stars... No price is too high. I'll give everything for them both." My mind wandered over to thinking about Samantha and Ripley, how devastated they looked in front of Lucy's and Naser's graves... Like their whole world had shattered and there was no hope left. I thought about seeing them smile again, Lucy and Naser still being alive, being able to hug their parents, to talk to them, to say they love them... 'This is your last chance to change your mind. Are you really, really, sure about this?' "Yes. I've made up my mind." '...' 'Speak the name of the person to be erased.' "My name is Anon... Anon Y. Mous." I kneel down, gently taking Lucy into my arms as I cradled her. Tears welling in my eyes as I smiled down at her. She looked like she was only sleeping... Like every single cursed day since prom had only been one long dream... I let out a shuddering sigh and looked over to Naser. He looked much the same as Lucy, like he was sleeping through a dream. Both of their expressions seemed... peaceful. Some pathetic-sounding mix of a chuckle and a sob tore out of my throat as I looked over the resting forms of the two most important people in my life by far... "Naser... This is my last gift to you, man. I hope without me to be there, you and Lucy will get your chances to live happy lives." I take a deep breath. "You've always been a bro, Naser. Thank you for everything." I look back down towards the beautiful Ptero in my arms, sniffling as I bring her close to my chest, hugging her one last time. "Lucy... There are no words to describe how much I love you. You gave me a chance and hung around despite how much of an asshole I was... And despite all that, we fell in love with each other, but I was never good to you... A good boyfriend would've supported you after that disaster of a prom night... A-and I just..." A sob forced its way from my throat, hot tears running down my face. "...I'm sorry it took me until you were gone to realize just how much I really loved you... That it took until you were gone to realize just how awful I was being... I never deserved you, and you deserve the world... Deserved so much more than some worthless skinnie trash who never properly supported and loved you..." The white void around me seemed to get brighter and brighter, the light slowly engulfing my body. I place my left hand on Naser's arm, using my right to hold Lucy up. I was going to be beside them until the end... My end... But also their second chance. The thought brings a smile to my face. The faces of everyone I've come to know in the past year flash through my mind like a slideshow. Lucy's beautiful smile when we were on the rooftops. Naser's cocky, but good-natured grin after he tossed that can into the trash when we were all at the park. Reed's dopey grin as we talked about whatever came to mind. Trish's smarmy grin whenever she thought of something to take a jab at me with. Rosa's always bright smile when I was helping tend to her flowers. Stella's excited expression when she learned that I watched anime. Samantha with her motherly smile that promised infinite love. Even Ripley with his predatory grin when he knew I was scared of him. All of these mental images brought a happy smile to my face, knowing they won't experience that crushing despair this time around. ... The light is getting unbearably bright now. "Thank you, Naser. Thank you, Lucy... You two have given me more than I can ever repay... But I hope this makes up for it. It's... It's been fun. Take care of yourselves, please." I smile as the light overtakes my senses, the last thing I see being Naser on the ground, and Lucy in my arms as I give the brightest smile at them both. ...And then I knew no more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a quiet suburban neighborhood, the morning sunlight streams through an uncovered window, illuminating a figure underneath blue bedsheets, shifting as they awaken from their slumber. Sitting up in their bed as they give their wings a flap, staring at the wall. Lucy reaches over to her phone and checks the date. "...Hm. School starts again the day after tomorrow. What a pain in the ass..." Lucy's thoughts drift over to the strange dream she had last night. In it, she was talking to someone. Someone who felt... really important to her? It made her feel happy, and yet, sad... Naser had been in the dream as well, for some reason, and it felt like something horrible happened to him... '...Whatever. Better just head downstairs and snag a bite to eat before hanging out with Reed and Trish in Lil' Troodon.' Still in her pajamas, Lucy opens the door to her room and steps out into the hallway, nearly bumping into Naser on her way out. An insult nearly rips its way out from within, but Lucy holds herself back for some reason. Naser looks surprised, but quickly gathers himself. "H-Hey there Fang, sorry about that... Wasn't watching where I was going..." Lucy doesn't respond immediately, feeling a strange sadness and... regret... from deep within. "It's... alright Naser. Don't worry about it." Naser looks shocked at the unexpectedly kind response from his sister. He shakes his head and gives a soft smile before turning around to head back to his room. But a scaled hand catches him before he can leave. "Hey." Naser turns back around to look at his sister, confusion written on his face. Lucy looks down at the ground, slightly embarrassed. "I'm... glad you're okay." Lucy makes eye contact with Naser and nods her head gently before letting go and turning back around to head downstairs, Naser looking after her with a confused but happy expression. 'I had that nightmare last night where something horrible happened to me... Did Fang experience something similar...?' Naser shakes his head and goes back into his room to get a few things, then head downstairs for breakfast. Lucy enters the kitchen where her mom was already setting up breakfast for everyone. "Oh! Good morning sweetheart! I made some omelets for everyone, feel free to help yourself!" Samantha says cheerfully to her daughter. "O-Oh. Thanks, mom..." Lucy stammers as she eyes today's breakfast. What was wrong with her today? All of her usual fire was gone. She didn't even make fun of Naser. "You're welcome dear! Eat as much as you like!" Samantha hums a happy tune as she starts cleaning dishes. And soon after, Naser comes into the kitchen. Samantha is the first to notice. "Good morning sweetie!" Samantha says with all the love of a mother who adores her children. "Hey mom, good morning. Omelets for breakfast?" "Indeed! Help yourself!" "I'll do just that, thanks mom." Lucy grabs her plate and takes a seat at the dining table, and Naser sits across from her. Lucy takes notice of her dad's absence. 'Must've been called into the office or something.' Lucy picks at her food absent-mindedly, deep in thought as she stared at nothing in particular. The dream she had last night was still bothering her, feeling like she forgot about something she shouldn't have. Samantha takes notice of her daughter's mood as she stops cleaning the dishes and focuses her attention to Lucy. "Is everything alright, Lucy?" Lucy couldn't even be mad at her mom for not calling her 'Fang'. Her usual rebellious attitude nowhere to be found at the moment. "Oh, u-um... I just feel like I'm forgetting something important is all. It's really bothering me." Lucy's eyes flick towards the other two people in the room, her mom casting her a concerned gaze, and Naser... Naser looked contemplative. "You too, huh...?" Naser says with a sigh. "Huh?" Lucy asks, confused that Naser seems to be feeling the same way she does. "Ever since I woke up, I felt like I was supposed to be remembering something... Or someone... It's frustrating me to no end but I just can't put my finger on it..." 'Someone?' Lucy thought, wondering about that specific remark. She hadn't thought it was- But then it hit her. A brief flash of someone enters her thoughts. Sneakers, blue jeans, a green jacket... a human. As fast as the image popped into her head, it just as quickly faded away, leaving Lucy to stare at the wall in a stunned silence. She was brought out of her stupor by her mom's embrace. "Sweetheart? You're crying!" 'Huh?' Lucy brings her hand up to her face and wipes at her eye, her finger coming back with a wetness on it. "Um... Y-Yeah... I guess I am..." Lucy gently hugs her mom back, wrapping her arms around her as tears run down her face. Lucy hears Naser get up and walk toward both of them, joining the hug as he sniffles, his own tears slowly running down his face. Samantha adjusts her hold, wrapping both of her children in her wings as they cry silently, Samantha comforting them both as they steadily pull themselves together. " Are you both alright?" Samantha asks, worried about her children. Naser and Lucy both nod at her. "Yeah mom, I think we're both good now." Lucy responds, looking toward Naser. Naser smiles and nods his head. "Yeah, I'm all good now." Samantha gives them both a loving smile and turns back to the sink, resuming her work with the dishes. "I'm always here to listen to whatever troubles you both have, don't forget!" Samantha lets out a happy giggle. Lucy and Naser both smile back at her, the food forgotten, and get up from the table to head back to their rooms to get ready for today's plans. Lucy puts on her favorite Halter top and black ripped pants, and applies her makeup, heading out of her room to go back downstairs. Naser is waiting for her at the end of the hallway. "Hey... Fang? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Lucy shakes her head, holding up a hand. "Look, Naser... Just... Call me Lucy again, okay? For some reason, it just feels weird when you call me that." Naser's eyes widen in surprise at the sudden request, but his expression shifts into a genuine, happy smile. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind that at all. It's... good to talk to you again, Lucy." Lucy is quick to add a bit more to her request. "But only when we're with family! I don't want Trish ripping you a new one because you called me 'Lucy' in front of her." Naser lets out a laugh, smiling at the mental image of the trike wailing on him. "Yeah, I wouldn't want that either." Lucy lets out a sigh and gives a slight smile towards her little brother. "So, you wanted to talk about something?" Naser's smile drops slightly at the thought of the nightmare he had. "Er, yeah. Did you have a nightmare last night where something bad happened to us? I don't know what happened exactly... but when I woke up, I could tell it wasn't anything good." Lucy brings a hand up underneath her snout, casting her eyes down as she thinks about the dream she had last night. "...Yeah, I think I had a nightmare like that. I only really remember that something bad happened to you, then my dream ended with me falling down..." Lucy brings up her left hand and rubs her right elbow with it, the emotions the dream brought back were mostly negative... Although... Naser sighs wearily and nods his head, rubbing his eyes with his index finger and thumb. "Well, I'm glad it was just a dream all things considered... Strange we both had a similar one though..." Lucy sighs and brings up another detail about her dream. "It... wasn't all bad though. There were some parts where I was... talking to someone. And I really enjoyed it. Kind of like... I loved them." Naser nods his head, recalling something from his own memory of the dream. "Yeah, I felt like I had a friend in there that I talked to on occasion... But I can't remember if it was someone I actually know... And at breakfast, it might sound crazy, but I kinda had this... I dunno, vision or something." Naser says as he rests a hand on the back of his neck, giving a sidelong glance at the floor with a hurt expression. "He... I think it was a 'he' anyway... Had some sneakers on, blue jeans, and some green jacket. Wasn't a dino either, he was a human." Lucy's eyes widen at this revelation. It was the same thing she had seen at breakfast as well... "You too Naser!? I saw the same thing! It was definitely a human guy. But... seeing him made me... extremely sad, for some reason..." Lucy grips her forearm, squeezing it as she tries her hardest to recall just who it was... but it was all in vain, she couldn't recall anyone like that. That hurt the most. The tears were coming back again. Naser, looked to his sister with a worried glance and decided to make a risky move. Naser stepped forward and wrapped Lucy in a hug. Lucy, shocked that Naser would comfort her like this even now after everything she's done and said to him, wrapped her arms around her little brother and cried softly, Naser patting her back as she cried about someone she didn't even think existed. After a few minutes, Lucy begins to calm down, letting out a sigh and stepping away from Naser. "Thanks, Naser..." Naser gives his sister a smile. "Don't even mention it, Lucy. I'll always have your back, and you know it." Lucy gives Naser a small giggle and shoots him a knowing smirk. "Heh. Thanks, you dork." Something crosses Lucy's mind as she says that. Looking toward Naser with an apologetic expression. "Hey, Naser?" Naser looks at his sister in confusion. "What's up Lucy?" Lucy takes a deep breath. "I... owe you an explanation for why I've treated you like shit all these years. Can we talk about it sometime?" Naser gives a reassuring smile and nods his head. "How about we grab a bite at Dino Moe's tomorrow? We can talk while we fill ourselves with some Meateor pizzas. I know you have plans to hang out with Trish and Reed today." Lucy smiles, nodding her head in agreement. "That sounds amazing, honestly. Could go for some of those Meateor slices right about now..." Naser chuckles and grins, turning to start heading down the stairs. "Sounds good! I'll see ya later, yeah? Don't wanna keep ya from Trish and Reed any longer. Lucy nods her head. "Yeah, I'll see ya later today, Naser." Lucy smiles to herself as she heads downstairs with Naser and opens the front door to the house, stepping outside into the clear winter day, the sun shining bright. Lucy hums a tune to herself as she walks towards the meeting spot her friends arranged. Lucy smiles to herself, thinking of all the positive things that happened this morning. That hug from her mom and Naser, having made up with Naser after so many years of abuse from herself... Maybe the future wasn't as bleak as she thought it was. [NOTES] This entire story was based on Nier: Replicant's own ending D. Thanks Yoko Taro!