This Is Part 16 Of The "What If Yuu Didn't Want To Go Back?" Series!

This is part 16 of the "What if Yuu didn't want to go back?" Series!

(I, the author of this work, do not consent to this work being crossposted/translated without my knowledge or used to train an AI, ever.)

Masterlist

"Korrak. Korrak, wake up. You're squirming. Hey, Korrak. Korrak? Grim, are you having any luck with Mandible?"

"Heeey! Myeh, no dice. Same with Korrak?"

I sigh. Korrak is writhing more than last night, and he's still out cold.

"P-please... let us... h-hide..."

Yeah, definitely a nightmare. Even if he weren't begging an unknown dream entity for help, the pained expression on his face and constant movement are dead giveaways.

We need to tell Vil and Rook. They're our housewarden and vice housewarden, not to mention upperclassmen- they're better equipped to deal with this. Unfortunately, it's early, and they likely aren't awake.

Grim and I only woke up to go to the bathroom, but this? This is too worrying to ignore.

Despite that, we'll have to until morning. We can't tell Vil until he wakes up.

Sigh. This sucks. Since yesterday, I've seen Korrak as a sort of older brother figure, and, just as any little sibling would be, I'm worried sick.

"Hey, Yuu... Do you think they're going to be okay?"

"I hope, Grim. I don't know enough to trust myself to accurately judge that, but I trust Rook and Vil to find out if they don't already know.

"We need to go back to sleep. You know Vil's going to be mad if we stay up too long."

"Yeah, I do. Should be easy enough, right? You're a cat, so you can probably go to sleep quickly, and we're familiars, so that should apply to me, too."

Grim shakes his head. "Iistening to you talk in the morning is a lot like listening to myself think."

I glance at the clock. It's two hours until we're supposed to wake up. Vil will be pissed about our inevitable lack of sleep, but what can we do? The answer is try anyway.

...The lack of sleep is visible. Neither Grim nor I got any sleep after we woke up. We went to the bathroom, but we did not rest. Our eyes did not want to stay closed, and it's showing now.

"Monseur Mystery."

I nearly shout in suprise, but appearing out of nowhere is kind of Rook's "thing," along with speaking French.

"Hey, Rook." He saw the several seconds of totally silence and shock as we processed his arrival. His face shows it.

"Come with me."

He takes us to Vil's room. When he knocks, and we hear the "come in," I nearly pass out with relief. Finally, we can tell Vil about what happened.

"Yuu, Grim- what happened? Did you stay up on your phones? Did you feel too sick to sleep? Did you have too much caffeine? Why do you look so exhausted?"

"Myeh... We woke up to go to the bathroom, but Korrak was having another nightmare, and we couldn't sleep after that."

"It was worse than last time," I add, "he was moving more and wouldn't wake up. He also kept begging some unknown entity for help. And we missed two hours of sleep."

"Oh, dear..." Vil is very clearly, very deeply concerned for us. It shows plainly on his face, and he soon maneuvers me into a chair in front of the vanity.

Rook tries to grab Grim, but there's a knock on the door before gloves meet fur.

"Come in."

Korrak opens the door. He looks even worse than me, and Mandible looks worse than Grim. I didn't even know an opossum could look so tired, but... Well, I'm not Wikipedia. I don't know everything.

When the door closes behind him, Korrak abandons his balance, and falls. Rook catches him, of course, and my lagging mind registers that Korrak hasn't seen me and Grim yet.

"What happened, Monseur Smoke?"

"I dunno." For once, the syllables slipping from Korrak's mouth are blending together. "Jus woke u-up like th-th-th-th... this." He yawns.

Poor Korrak. Seeing him like this is a little terrifying. I know he's stronger, and smarter in fights- I watched him beat up a guy a whole head taller than him just yesterday- but seeing someone that powerful, made so weak in just a night... plus, knowing he got eight hours of sleep and still has dark bags under his eyes just unsettles me. Brr.

During my think, Vil went and got another chair to place in front of his vanity. Looking into the mirror, Korrak finally notices me.

"...Hey. Something h-h-h-happen?"

"Woke up to pee and couldn't go back to sleep. You?"

He sighs. "Nothing much. I s-s-slept all night and I'm more t-t-t-t-t-tired than when I went t-t-t-t-to bed."

"That sucks."

"Y-you have no idea."

Vil has retrieved a hairbrush and two stools. One stool goes behind my chair, the other behind Korrak's. I see Vil's reflection in the mirror, right behind my own. Behind my roommates' sits that of Rook.

Rook starts brushing Mandible's fur. Vil begins brushing my hair. I relax into it, letting the gentle tugs of the bristles sway my head ever-so-slightly. It's almost hypnotic, the soft pulls on my scalp. Maybe I'm too tired to judge; maybe I'm just starved for the slightest scraps of affection; maybe my brain has been trying to sleep for over two hours and failing, but regardless of why, I allow Vil's careful strokes to lull me into closing my eyes.

"You shouldn't sleep off-schedule, but you need it. Rest, little one."

With that, I am asleep.

"Yuu. Wake up." Something soft and faint, a pressure, of sorts- oh, Vil is shaking my head. "You have to eat. Come on. I've managed your morning routine for you, okay? It's time to get up now. You need to eat."

I open my eyes. Vil's violet irises meet mine, and he smiles as softly as he speaks.

"Do you feel better now?"

I nod. I'm sleepy, still, but some things just cannot be dodged. I do feel better, though- just the slightest bit more rested. That bit will probably make all the difference today.

"Monseur Smoke. Wake up." Rook lightly taps on Korrak's head until he wakes, slowly. "There you are, Monseur Smoke. Come on, you must eat."

Korrak turns to look at me, and we make eye contact. The look is mutual; shared:

"Today is going to suck."

I mean... as a sibling, yeah. Makes sense. I don't know what happened, but it makes sense.

(The guest room is a work in progress)

This is part 8 of the "What if Yuu didn't want to go back?" Series!

(I, the author of this work, do not consent to this work being crossposted/translated without my knowledge or used to train an AI, ever.)

Masterlist

Vil stares for a moment, just a moment, and then smiles. Grim is still looking at me weird, but says nothing.

We leave to eat. Grim's strange looks halt when he sees breakfast: poppyseed bagels with cream cheese and lox. We eat instead of talking, and I take the time to admire just how clean this place is.

Everything is so shiny. There aren't any paintings or pictures, noticeably, but there is a mirror hanging over there. It was probably put there to allow people to look at the oven without having to turn around, given the location and angle.

Looking in the mirror... Hey, it's Korrak and Mandible! And...Rook? Looks like he's intercepting them, too. At least he's giving them food first. Korrak walks toward the stairs with half a poppyseed bagel in hand.

Oh, well. That's none of my business. I'm done with my bagel, though, so it's off to the Backstage Room!

Grim finishes his breakfast on the way, and I brush him until his coat is soft and even. He doesn't complain about me stopping this time, but he does set off on a quest of magically dressing himself.

When I finish my routine, we head off to put my new phone up, and then it's off to History of Magic.

Trappola isn't here yet, surprisingly. I figured he'd've learned his lesson after yesterday, but I guess not. Oh, well. His problem! We'll snitch again if he starts today with a repeat of yesterday.

By the time we sit down and start talking to Deuce, Trappola walks into the room- with a collar on?

"I see your stares. Don't ask."

With that, he sits. Deuce stares right at him for a solid 20 seconds before speaking.

"We don't even have oolong."

"Not what happened."

I sit there, contemplating why this kid is wearing a heart-shaped collar with a lock on it to class. Very much a "Heartslabyul" look, though. Half is black, half is red, and the outlines are gold.

The bells rings, and Trein starts the lesson. I take notes and help Grim do the same with his levitation magic. He picks up on it pretty fast, and his writing is easily legible within 5 minutes.

Crewel gives Trappola a funny look when he walks in, but says nothing and the way he teaches seems normal. This is only the second time I've had him, though.

More note-taking commences. I'm rather tempted to question Trappola where he got that and why he's wearing it, but class is ongoing, so I refrain from asking and make sure Grim does the same. He shoots me dirty looks whenever I close his mouth for him, but he stays quiet.

Grim and I actually manage to stay conscious all through P.E.! That's a win for us.

"What, you think you're special just 'cause you didn't take a nap when you fell?"

"Nope! We think we're special cause we aren't the ones wearing a collar, and one of us is a cat."

Trappola turns bright red. "What the hell?!"

"Mya-ha, that's what you get!"

"He has a point, Ace. How did you get that, anyway?"

"Shut up, Deuce."

"Hey, Trappola, remember that one time you were snarky with Deuce and wound up cleaning all the chairs in Trein's room? I do."

Trappola shuts his mouth, forgets his lesson, and speaks again. "Hey, you can call me 'Ace.' I don't mind. Why do you only ever call me by my last name?"

"That's what the headmage called you during the entrance ceremony. Besides, we also call you 'entrance ceremony claustrophobe.'"

"Behind my back?"

"To your face, entrance ceremony claustrophobe."

"Okay, guys, that's enough."

"Shut it, Deuce."

"Dude, what is your problem?" Evidently, Deuce has finally had enough.

"It probably has something to do with the collar." Okay, being a dick here won't help, but I'm bored and hungry, so I'll care after lunch.

"Yeah, it does!"

"Myeh... I'd just take it off."

"I. Can't."

"Why not?"

"You say that like you don't know."

"They're first years from a different dorm, Ace. Of course they don't know. You have to tell them."

Trappola says nothing. Apparently, that thought didn't occur to him. I'm guessing most of them don't, though.

Trappola sighs, but still doesn't say anything. Deuce, clearly fed up, turns to us. "Our housewarden's signature spell is called 'Off With Your Head,' and he uses it on Heartslabyuls who break the rules. The spell places a collar around the target's neck," Deuce motions to Trappola, "and seals away their magic. I'm not sure what Ace did to get collared, but only Riddle can remove it."

I remember one of the Pomefiore sophomores explained all of the housewardens and dorms to the freshmen, me and Grim included. That's how I know Riddle Rosehearts is the Heartslabyul housewarden, a sophomore in the dorm based on strictness. No wonder, huh?

"Myaah... hey, Redhead, did you complain about yesterday in front of Rosehearts?"

Trappola looks stunned. "Yeah... How'd you know?"

"You swear when you're mad. That's probably banned."

"...You're right."

Grim appears prideful of his accomplishment, chest out and everything. Trappola looks lost. Deuce looks hungry.

"Let's go to lunch. Come on, Ace."

Grim and I wave. "Bye, Deuce! Bye, Trappola!"

The walk back to the dorm is tiring, but it's nice knowing we're just a little step closer to whatever it is we're reaching for.

The lack of development Riddle got. We see him as a tyrant up until the aftermath, with little to no good foreshadowing of his backstory.

Azul's octopus form. We only ever see it when he overblots, and that's not the most accurate description of him, since we've seen that overblots change someone's physical appearance.

Censorship. In the JP version, Jamil freely admits he's a servant of Kalim's. Also in the JP version, Vil has no problem with Epel's accent, his problem is with Epel's sailor mouth. In the English version, Vil hates Epel's accent, Epel doesn't swear, ever, and Jamil being a servant is censored. I hate that.

Sprites. Specifically, the chibis of asymmetrical characters (Floyd, Jade, Jamil, Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, etc.) Just flip to turn them around (like when you're fighting them in a crafter's gauntlet battle, or when they're not your study buddy but are still in the alchemy lesson), and it results in things like Floyd's right eye being yellow instead of his left, or the heart on Ace's face being on the wrong side, or Jamil's hair suddenly being braided on his right instead of on his left. It drives me insane.

FEM!READER FICS BEING TAGGED AS GN!READER. X READER ON POSTS IRRELEVANT TO SHIPPING. VARIOUS CHARACTERS BEING ABSURDLY OOC IN FICS WHERE THEY'RE YUU'S BF. (AC; DR people mischaracterizing/mistagging everything)

People saying characters are [adjective w/ negative meaning/connotation] and refusing to look a little deeper into the character in cannon, which would prove them wrong (i.e. people saying Vil is "just cruel" even though examining chapter 5 further would prove he's really just a "tough love" sort of person with Epel and the others)

Mickey's presence in-game. He feels unnecessary, like a clothing tag in the armpit of your new shirt. Like he's just there to remind you you're playing a Disney game. I get it, he's probably going to be important to the plot, but I'd like the game more without him.

Tell me something you don't like in Twisted wonderland or on its Fandom in general (only actual opinions not free hate, except if it's Crowley)

I'll start:

Crowley. Seriously, he's the literal meaning of useless and stupid

Shipping. Not everything is about romance, the fact that a character will or not be together in the end of the game doesn't influence on anything and you don't need to be rude to someone just because they don't like your ship (I personally dislike Jamil x Azul, Ace x Deuce and Malleus x Cater)

The game not actually giving proper screen time to NCR staff. The most we see is Trein being there on Glorious Mascarade

Grim. The reason why is because I just see him as the annoying sidekick and it's there just to send merch and be the mascot of the game

Yuu/MC not having more lines to define better their personality and even not having basic options of how to define your basic personality to have a character that is at least a bit similar to the player

What about you?

My writings: Masterlist

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What if Yuu Didn't Want to Go Back? (Ongoing)

Trigger warnings: pet death, suicidality, swearing, mentions of being forgotten, homelessness, neglect

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

Part 16

Part 17

Part 18

Part 19

Part 20

Part 21

Part 22

Part 23

Part 24

Everyday Freak of Science (Ongoing)

Trigger warnings: experimentation, eating disorder, flashbacks, vomiting

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Oneshots

Noodling Around

I have something to say about the What If Yuu Didn't Want to Go Back series.

Recently, I have come to realize that I cannot upload one part a day and still post long, quality updates. I need some time to figure out how to get the plot to go where I want it to, among other things.

For that reason, the series will be put on hiatus- but fear not! I will return to it when I know what I'm doing. Also:

I am starting a new series, which will be uploaded while I plan out WiYDWtGB. Part one will be uploaded later today.

I hope I can continue to post content that entertains you all!