November 1969

by Wellawein

Summary:

"Stay alive. Don't get involved. Interfere as little as possible."

Those were the rules Yashiro Nene set for herself after traveling back to the past, returning to 1969.
Her goal?
Save Yugi Amane.

Chapter 1

Notes:

Hello!

I had this idea in mind for so long, but couldn't put myself to write in the proper way (especially things regarding the ending of the story). But, after some time, I finally managed to finish the outline of everything I want to happen in this fic, and I'm very happy to bring it to you. Trust me, it's so satisfying.

I apologize in advance, english is not my first language, so it may contain some writing errors. Feel free to comment if you notice some! It'll help a lot. I've never actually wrote in english before, so it's been kinda of a challenge.

Thank you so much for giving this story a try! Hope you like it!

"I need to do this."

"Do this?" Yelled a voice behind her.  "You can't be serious."

A man's silhouette stared at her with bewildered eyes. Disbelieving. Perhaps due to the arrogance of those words, claimed so coldly and directly, or perhaps due to the determined tone of her voice, almost as absurd. On the other hand, she couldn't feel the slightest hesitation on facing him back.

"Well, sorry for disappointing you, I guess?"

"How do you..." The words failed him. His large hands tousled his hair anxiously. "Kid, I have no idea where you're going with this..." He went on. "Listen... Nothing you do can bring him back, you should know that already."

The room hadn't been this quiet since the moment she stepped into the fifth mystery's boundaries. Actuallly, neither of them could remember the last time they had a conversation longer than two sentences at least, so the silence shouldn't feel so deafening. But it did, and the feeling was terrible.

The girl walked through the library without much ceremony, ignoring the taller man's call completely. The heavy bag clutched in her hand swung with each step, tapping against her leg sometimes. Her white shoes were almost noiseless against the red marble floor. The man couldn't say he knew her very well, but he certainly never seen her like this before.

She headed to the shelf of black books, reaching at first glance for the one labeled "Yugi Amane."

"Maybe I can't bring him back. But if I can stop what happened...! If I can get there in time...! If I can save him..." She said, squeezing the book tighter in her small hands. "that's enough for me."

Yashiro Nene took a deep breath, glancing back at her old teacher, the current number 5 of the seven mysteries, Tsuchigomori.

The room fell silent again.

 

(. . .)

"Ya~shiro."

 

And just like that, she felt the ground against her back.

Nene opened her eyes, startled, her vision adjusting to the orange brightness of the place. She felt sore all over from the fall, and, moments later, her throat burned terribly with the strange need to breathe.

Breathe?

She quickly got up, almost choking. Out of despair, she brought one hand to her neck and the other slightly in front of her mouth, feeling the air enter and exit unevenly but naturally.

She was alive.

Alive.

How long had she been out? Seconds? Minutes? Dear God, if it had been hours, how many people had passed by her and witnessed that totally pathetic scene?

Nene sat on the floor, leaning against the wall of that huge hallway she knew so well. She took a moment to finally look around.The classroom doors were in the same place she remembered, and didn't seem to have changed much. But the walls looked newer, and the strong smell of fresh paint spread throughout the room. Standing up, she looked through the nearest window at the surroundings of the lower floor, noticing a familiar entrance gate and, next to it, a flowerbed and a garden.

Nene sighed in relief. She was at Kamome School, no doubt about it.

It was almost comforting to realize that the place hadn't changed as much as she thought. She vaguely remembered the smell of grass filling the hallways in spring, the overwhelming heat of summer days, the way she would shrink and resist going to class upon noticing any sign of snow falling from the cloudy sky. Times that Nene kept dearly in her memory, and that helped her regain control of herself.

Nene reached into her bag, pulling out a small notepad with reminders and notes. She took a pen, crossing out the first sentence at the top of the list.

 

Check if I'm at school. Checked.

 

The air was cold inside, but the afternoon sun hitting her skin through the window somehow made the place instantly warm. The hallway remained empty, and even after looking both ways, there was no sign of students or teachers nearby. Walking a little further, she noticed a big clock on the center of the secretary's office.

6:15 PM.

"Shoot. That's too late. I think everybody already left."

And then it hit her:

"Wait... Why it's not cold?"

The temperature was pleasant, neither too hot nor too cold. It wasn't cold. Why wasn't it cold?

What season period was she in, and why wasn't it winter?

Walking a little further, confirming the differences between the past and the present inside the building, she passed by a bulletin board hanging on the wall. It contained only information about exams, club notices, and cleaning schedules, nothing more. But something caught her attention at the top of the list.

A date: 04/29/1969.

End of April. Right after spring break. That explained why the weather was the way it was and the absence of snow above the bare branches of the trees. The students probably had just returned from their 2-week vacation. Her thoughts were so scrambled that she almost couldn't process her real situation at that moment. Apparently, she arrived almost 7 months before the end of November 1969.

7 months...

Nene reviewed her notes in desperation.

 

1969! End of November!

 

Nene's original plan was to go to the past, specifically at the end of November 1969. Maybe a little earlier... It could be better to refine her strategy that still seemed somewhat improvised.

"This can't be..." Nene thought, running her fingers through her hair.

 

1969! End of November! 

 

1969! End of April! (It got a bit messed up, but stay focused!!) Checked.

 

Taking a deep breath, Nene tried to retrace her steps. She was in the past in 1969, at Kamome School, before the incident. But something went wrong, and for some reason, the boundary sent her 7 months earlier than planned, in April of that same year.

Anxiety resurfaced, flooding all the nervous signals of her body, but Nene couldn't give up. Not now that she had come this far after making that decision.

Reading and rereading the list she made, she knew very well what her next step would be.

Without looking back, Yashiro Nene ran to the school's exit.

 

"Save Yugi Amane"

 

Notes:

Aaaaand, this is the end of the first chapter!

I actually have some chapters complete already, so I'll try my best to mantain a regular posting schedule.

Thank you so much for reading! Comments are all aprecciated <3

Chapter 2

Notes:

Helloooo!

Here am I with another chapter. Our favorite heroine has some settle of scores to do!

I'm so excited to deliver this chapter, hope you guys like it!

Standing in front of the wooden door, Nene was still gathering the courage to ring the doorbell. She didn't quite understand why she hesitated, though. Indeed, she knew perfectly well that her plan up to that exact moment hadn't had any flaws. At least not in theory, but she actually did had a hard time on finding the address that was given to her.

To be honest, Nene didn't even know how she managed to get there so quickly.

 

(. . .)

 

"Excuse me... Do you know which street this is?"

"Excuse me... Can you help me find this address?"

"Um... I'm sorry, but could you—"

Nene lost count of how many people ignored her that day. Every time she approached someone, she received a brief nod accompanied by silence. Even those who tried to help seemed to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Obviously, this shouldn't be a surprise, as it made complete sense for japanese people from the 60s to be more reclusive compared to modern days.

However, the more she walked through the bustling streets of the city, the worse her assumption seemed to be. She didn't know if it was just her, but she noticed that the vast majority of the people who passed by looked at her in a... strange kinda of way? Nene was used to receive certain "looks" that made her uncomfortable, especially because of the shape of her legs, but she never felt so humiliated in her entire life.

 

Daikon

Daikon!

Daikon!!

 

If the ground weren't paved, maybe she wouldn't have any trouble burying herself right now and there.

"How shameful!" Nene heard whispers behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two girls muttering to each other while staring at her in judgment.

In a matter of seconds, she felt a strong blush on her cheeks, while she tightly clutched the skirt of her dress against her legs, trying to hide them.

"Well, I'm sorry, but Mother Nature didn't give me much of a choice when she brought me into the world, thank you very much" she thought. "And... And I'm already over it. You can talk about my legs as much as you want, I don't care!"

Yes, she did care.

"My dear. Do you need clothes to wear?"

What?

Slowly tilting her head, she found herself facing an old lady who had a concerned and welcoming expression behind her wrinkled eyes. The lady extended her hand and pulled her closer.

"Poor thing. They must have mistaken your number with another classmate's, didn't they?" the woman said, as she touched the fabric of her skirt, trying to pull it down. "Oh, my, what type of school makes their students wear something so obscene? For God's sake, young lady, is that a skull?"

Oh.

Oh.

She completely forgot about the accepted standards of school uniforms from the 20th century. She was still wearing the Kamome’s modern female uniform since she arrived that afternoon.

Mental note: don't walk on the streets until getting new clothes.

Now feeling more relieved, Nene took a deep breath and reached into the pocket of her clothes, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you know where this address is?"

 

(. . .)

 

And there she was, in front of the door of a kitnet belonging to a newly inaugurated apartment complex. It didn't take her long to recognize the place, though. Nene was absolutely sure that it was the convenience store she always visited with Aoi to buy ice creams and the best strawberry cakes she had ever had. The girl remembered her mother telling that the old building was demolished due to overdue tax evasion, which soon led to bankruptcy.

"Oh, thank god... It's not dark yet," she muttered, looking into the distance at the last minutes of sunlight. She was exhausted.

And then, Nene looked back at the door in front of her.

Number 55.

Nene knew what awaited her, but she didn't quite know how it would end.

How would he react?

But, well, at least she still vividly remembered the last conversation she had with his future "self" before arriving in 1969. She had a plan, and it would definitely work. It had to work.

Raising her fist, Nene rang the doorbell.

Stay alive. One of the three rules she established for herself before going back in time. Perhaps the most important for her own well-being at that moment. Tsuchigomori had made it clear that death outside the present time shore would be a one-way street with no return.

In other words, she would never be able to go back.

Her hands trembled as she heard heavy footsteps coming from inside the room.

Nene didn't have many options other than trusting her intuitions and, obviously, the level of bad mood the owner of that apartment would be in, late in the afternoon.

The door opened slowly, creaking.

"Well, well... What do we have here?"

And at that moment, skeletal arms enveloped her body, pulling her inside just as quick as a blink. The door closed with a snap, and darkness consumed the dusty space completely. Nene felt something grabbing her legs, soon realizing she was upside down in a massive jolt, being immobilized by two more hands holding her above ground level. Nene opened her eyes somewhat disoriented, finally gazing at the humanoid form of a tall, slender man, that had a grim smile on his face containing the longest and sharpest teeth. In turn, eight more arms were at his disposal. Just like a spider.

"I don't know what you heard around the neighborhood," he said, pulling her closer. "But I'm not a big fan of intrusive brats."

"Tsuchigomori-sensei..." murmured Nene, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. "You haven't changed at all."

Tsuchigomori's smile wilted for just a few seconds, but it didn't take long for it to return together with his sarcastic facade. He looked at the small girl in his hands with curiosity, without losing the threatening tone of his raspy voice.

"Oh?" he said, letting out a harsh laugh. "The little intruder knows how to speak." He opened his mouth even wider, stretching out his tongue and displaying his teeth even more. "Tell me, how do you plan to compensate me for invading my domains?"

Nene widened her eyes, realizing her teacher's mouth was extending more and more, getting bigger with each passing second. She felt fear wash over her but tried to contain it as much as possible. She couldn't show weakness, not at that moment.

Shifting her arms a bit, she reached into the bag she brought with her, unzipping it and pulling out the only letter residing in the compartment. Tsuchigomori watched the movements carefully as he pushed her back a bit to have a clear view of the piece of paper that strange girl was holding up to him.

"For you, from the Tsuchigomori 50 years in the future."

 

(. . .)

"Oh. The stars? Yeah, well... There was a time that I couldn't stop thinking about them."

 

Nene fidgeted with the hem of her skirt nervously. Silence filled the small, dark apartment where she found herself, interrupted only by the sound of Tsuchigomori's fingers flipping through the paper she’d given him earlier. His steps were moving hurriedly across the wooden floor, firm and unsynchronized, sometimes heavier, sometimes lighter like a feather. The girl didn't bother to lift her gaze, though. She knew too well the signs of anxiety from her former teacher surfacing, or at least most of them. They had spent a lot of time together in the past, perhaps even more than she would’ve liked, so she could easily identify when the esteemed Number 5 was on the blink of a collapse, even if he tried to disguise it with a sarcastic smile.

Finally, Nene allowed her eyes to trace the path to the man’s silhouette standing before her. Even in the position she was in, she noticed how different his form from the past was. He didn't have white hair, his features didn't seem so tired, and despite the current stress of the situation, his eyes didn't emit the sadness she got used to seeing at her daily days at Kamome School.

The younger one stared at him carefully, noticing the beginning of a likely panic attack. Broad and tense shoulders contrasted with the fragile way he supported his head on one of his robust hands, while the other nervously held the tobacco between his lips. It was as if he couldn't believe what he was reading, but at the same time, had no doubt whatsoever about the content of that paper.

Nene considered saying something. Maybe clearing her throat to alert him that she was still there, that he hadn't killed her a few minutes ago, or that, yes, she had come from the future on an impossible mission to try to save his favorite student from becoming the leader of the seven mysteries, 50 years in the future.

It shouldn't be so hard to believe. Should it?

No, it shouldn't!

But before she could make any sound, she noticed Tsuchigomori throwing himself onto the sofa, keeping both hands over his eyes.

"This..." He pointed to the paper. "How did you get this?"

Nene looked at the ground, suddenly feeling nervous.

"I already told you. The Tsuchigomori from the future—"

"Ah, of course. What a joke." Tsuchigomori interrupted her, gruffly, rubbing his temple as if the conversation was giving him a headache. He sighed, returning his eyes to the paper. "I recognize my handwriting, kid. I just... I can't believe this is happening."

The taller man averted his gaze to a corner of the living room, hoping to organize his thoughts. Indeed, that letter contained his handwriting, simply a perfect signature. At first, he felt like laughing at believing in such a mediocre prank from a teenager, but as he read on, the more the humor was wiped from his face. There was no doubt: that letter exhaled the supernatural trace of his boundary, the 4pm bookstacks. Even as he continued to read, the letters magically emerged from the blank paper, providing very specific details of his function as a library spirit and his work as guardian of the boockstack domains. As if wasn't enough, that letter blatantly described certain confidential information about students, both about the past and present, and even some from the future, taken from their own books stored in the library's boundary, some of which he didn't even know yet.

All of that was almost a reminder to make him believe that, yes, his future self was sending him correspondence.

...

And yet, even with all those evidences, his mind refused to believe. Not out of doubt, but out of pure selfishness

Yugi Amane would change his fate and die within a year.

Tsuchigomori took a drag of his tobacco, inhaling deeply and letting the smoke out through his nostrils. He never cared about humans, much less the brats he had to put up with in his school domains. Partly because he knew the past, present, and especially the future of all those children, and this future in particular wouldn't change, no matter what they did or didn't do. Perhaps that's why he didn't worry. It wasn't his responsibility, much less his devotion.

But Yugi Amane was supposed to grow up. He would study science, become a teacher, and spend his remaining days teaching at Kamome. Both would be very close colleagues, in fact. He would live a normal life, with not many expectations for the future, but still satisfied with everything he would’ve achieved. In the end, at his old age, he would have a simple death from natural causes.

However, Yugi Amane would change his fate and die within a year.

Tsuchigomori didn't know how to react to this information.

"Sensei..." Nene murmured, uncomfortable with the silence. "I talked a lot with your future self before coming here." She said, now looking at the ground. "He told me... that it's impossible to change a pre-existing past."

"Without causing a typhoon or the imminent end of the world? Yes, it's basically impossible." He replied, getting up from the sofa and heading towards the desk in his office. "And yet, you came here?"

"It's just that..." She swallowed hard, squeezing her hands. "The past. It didn't change yet, right? Hana—Amane still didn't change his own destiny. He didn't change his future yet, did he?"

Tsuchigomori exhaled the smoke between his lips once again, opening the dusty drawer of the desk he was leaning on. From there, he pulled out a small red book labeled “Yugi Amane."

"I kept it close, just to be safe," he said, flipping through the pages of the future. "It's still the same as the last time I saw it."

Nene nodded, a bit more confident and even somewhat relieved.

"Yes. He didn't change the future yet," she replied, more to herself.

Tsuchigomori raised his gaze, contemplative. He tapped the table with his fingers while leaning back to his chair again. In a simple movement, he pushed the book towards Nene, who almost didn't notice the object as she was lost in her thoughts.

"Well. Apparently, my future self made it clear why you're here," Tsuchigomori took the letter again, rereading the part where the teenager is mentioned. "Just to be clear: do you know what it means to leave your present time'?" He continued. "If he didn't explain that to you, then—"

"I know." Nene said, cutting him off. "I know, sensei. We've had this conversation many times, you don't need to remind me."

"Then you probably know that I have no control over your book here." Tsuchigomori crossed his arms. "Technically, you haven't been born yet, and your book doesn't exist either. If you need me to guarantee that your plan will succeed, I'm sorry, but I can't look into the future for you." He continued. "In this universe, it's as if you're a ghost. Your actions aren't recorded in the books of the living, much less your interaction with them."

She nodded.

"Yes, I already knew that." Nene confirmed. "That's why I need your help to keep me informed about his book." She got up from the chair where she had been sitting, delicately touching Amane's book on top of the table. "If anything changes, no matter what it is, or how small that change is... Please, tell me."

"’If’ it changes?" Tsuchigomori replied. "Do you really think you can change that kid's fate? Do you at least know the catalyst for this change in his future?"

And all she replied was silence. She opened her mouth a few times, but no sound came out no matter how hard she tried. The man knew it wasn't the time for pressure, but couldn't help but let out a grunt of displeasure. That brat had simply traveled through time, with no forecast of return, without even having a functional plan in mind. How could his future self even consider that this would be a good idea? How absurd.

And then, Nene slammed both hands firmly on the table.

"Tsuchigomori-sensei told me that when I needed it, you would help me!" She replied, a little louder than usual. "He assured me that you would help me. So please..."

Tsuchigomori looked at her eyes for the first time since she entered his house. It had been a long time since he’d seen such intense determination to the point a simple look burned like fire. He wondered about the motivations of that strange girl from the future, and how exactly she knew Yugi Amane. His future self made it clear that his student would become a powerful school mystery, trapped at school by his own sins. But he barely mentioned Yashiro Nene in the letter.

He didn't mention why she wanted to save the boy, much less the kind of relationship they had, just asked him to help her with whatever was necessary.

Who was that girl, after all? And how did she know the supernatural's world so well? Was she a person with high spiritual powers like the Minamotos? Someone cursed? Maybe a mortal with a life very close to the far shore? His curiosity was insatiable.

But he refrained from asking. At least, for now.

With a long sigh, he finally extended his hand, waiting for Nene to shake it. She looked at him confused, but shook his hand regardless.

"Well, my future self said I can trust you." He said, somewhat with a disinterested air. "I'm quite busy, but I'll try to help as needed. Yashiro Nene, right?" She nodded, this time smiling. "I believe you know that already, but it's going to be tricky to have contact with Yugi if you're not at school." He continued, bringing his index finger to his lips.

Tsuchigomori snapped his fingers.

"I can get a special permission to enroll you in the middle of the school year." He said, with paper and pen in hand. "I think you can pass for a 13-year-old girl, so it won't be hard to convince the administration team to put you in class 2-2." Tsuchigomori wrote the information, pausing for a second. "Oh, I got it! I'll say you're a transferred student, and my niece!"

Nene's eyes widened.

"You... can enroll me at school? And put me at Hanako-kun's class?"

Tsuchigomori stopped writing, staring at the girl again.

"Learn, brat." He said, smiling. "If you want to do something, do it right."

Nene let out a cry, relief coursing through every nerve in her body. She jumped out of the chair and ran towards her past teacher, surprising him with a tight hug. She felt the taller man's body tense up, and seconds later came the complaints. But she didn't care much.

Everything was going well, after all.

...

Or at least, until she remembered she would be homeless for, theoretically, a year.

Nene slowly lifted her face, giving Tsuchigomori a nervous smile without releasing the hug. The older man, in turn, looked at her with concerned eyes, internally wondering if he really wanted to know the reason behind that manipulative expression.

 

(. . .)

In the end, Tsuchigomori ended up gaining a new roommate.

 

Find past Tsuchigomori-Sensei and convince him (force him) to help me out. Checked.

Notes:

AAAAND this is the end of the chapter! Tsuchigomori and Yashiro are officialy working together.

The next chapters will probably be more interesting and exciting, so I hope you can stick with me in this journey! Kudos and comments are all aprecciated!

Thanks for reading!