A repost of a story. I made several major 
modifications, and I'm considering whether or 
not I should continue it. Tell me what you think.

Yes, it's going to be a crossover.

SeventhOne

***
The Country of Twilight
A Night of the Puppeteer fanfic
By SeventhOne

***
"My father once read me a story. The name of 
the story was 'The Country of Twilight.'
There was a little boy, who took a trip by train. 
On the train, he met a kind-eyed old couple . . ."

***
Akko woke to the loud clacking of the subway's 
wheels rolling over the dividers in the track. It 
wasn't unpleasant, though, more like a heartbeat 
than anything else, even if it was slightly 
metallic. 

She liked it. Normally she would let herself feel 
the shaking of the cart with each clack, waiting 
for her heartbeat to match the noise. And then 
she could feel. She could feel what the cart was 
feeling, if it could feel. She could see what it 
could see, hear what it could hear.

Today it was different though. She couldn't feel 
the shaking, only hearing the sound. It felt 
strange, and so she opened her eyes. 

She wasn't in the subway anymore. 

The seats were in rows instead of just against the 
walls; large, soft seats facing each other past the 
views of the windows. The entire compartment 
appeared to be furnished in wood, but with very 
simple design, making it look at once elegant 
and plain, as well as somewhat old fashioned.

"This is . . . a train," she said to no one in 
particular. "Strange. I fell asleep on a subway."

Smoothing the wrinkles in her school uniform, 
she turned and put her face against the window, 
attempting to look out. Utter black.

"Is this a dream?"

Footsteps. She turned, her short hair swinging a 
bit as she did.

***
" . . . he met a kind-eyed . . ."

***
A boy, about her age, came down the aisle and 
sat down across from her. She looked at him, 
unsure what to do. He looked kind enough.

He smiled at her.

"Where are you going?"

"Me?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Um . . ." She held her schoolbag slightly closer 
to her. "I think, um, I took the wrong train . . ."

***
" 'Where does this train go?' "
 
***
"Where does this train go?"

***
" . . . the boy asked.
The old couple answered him."

***
"The country of Twilight," he answered.
Akko stopped. The clacking of the wheels 
continued.

I must've hit my head somewhere. This has got to 
be a dream.

"What's the country like?" 

The country of Twilight

"You don't know?"

"Um . . ." 

This has got to be a dream.

"Is there something wrong?"
"No . . . what's the country like?"

***
" 'It's the place where the those with nowhere 
else to go end up.' "

***
"It's where the homeless go," he said.

This has got to be a dream, for the country of 
Twilight is only a place . . .

"The home of the abandoned. The country of the 
lost."

. . . in a storybook I read when I was a child.

"Really?" she asked.

And as in this dream, I cannot return home. . . . 
No. I don't want to return home.

"There's nobody on this train," she said.

"Hmm? It's all full."

"I can't see them."

"You can't see them because you don't need to."

"Then how come . . ." 

. . . I can see you?

. . . but I feel that . . . I can trust this person. I 
think I can. He's like the old couple in the 
story . . . his eyes. His eyes are warm.

"Why don't you return home?"

***
" . . . the couple asked the boy.
And the boy answered . . ."

***
"Someone I loved . . . died."

***
"The boy had begun traveling in order to search 
for his parent, both of which were dead."

***
Akko smiled a bit.

"Actually he died ten years ago."

There was a small laugh from her as she said 
this, somewhat sad; it was the laugh of someone 
who could not cry.

"He fell sick when I was four, and he died a 
month later."

". . . but your mother . . ."

"She's well. She's regained the will to live, and 
she's working again."

There was a moment of silence while the train's 
wheels continued their clacking.

". . . Then . . . you can still return home . . . can't 
you?"

Silence. Akko's expression strickened, she 
clenched her fist, and stood up.

"I . . . No! Who says I'm going home?!" 

So called . . . family! 

"I hate my mother! No, not just mother. I hate 
my new father, and I hate my brother for being 
nice to him! I hate them! I hate every one of 
them!"

She stopped for a moment to let it sink in.

". . . Your new father. He doesn't treat you well?"

Her features softened again, and she sat back 
down and sighed.

"They . . . They pick on me for the smallest 
things, all because I didn't want them to 
marry . . . and my brother . . . He's just an 
idiot . . . He doesn't even remember my father."

She stopped again, looking at her folded hands, 
not noticing the sadness on the boy's face.

"Everyone just thinks for themselves . . . and 
only I bother to remember . . ."

She raised her face.

"And perhaps my father remembers me."

The boy smiled.

"Do you remember what your father looks like?"

". . . Maybe . . . I don't know."

"Why?"

"He changed a lot while he was sick, and we 
don't have any photos."

"I see . . ."

There was an especially loud clack.

"All I remember is that no matter how fragile his 
body was, he was as strong as he used to be 
inside. Just as strong as before, just as kind. 
Never once did he tell us how painful he was. 
Never once did he complain."

***
Tearfully, the little girl hugged her father's hand 
to her face.

"Daddy. You'll get better soon, won't you? 
Daddy!"

"Yes, Akko. I will. I'll get well real soon, and 
we'll go to a play together, okay?"

***
"Never once."

***
"We'll go to your favorite play. The Country of 
Twilight."

He was the one who first read that story to me.
Ironic that I should be like that child was then 
now. Ironic that I should feel the same feelings 
as he did.

***
*Clack*Clack*Clack*Clack*Clack*Clack*
Clack*Clack*Clack*

"I want . . . to see him again." 

That's why I took this train.

"You can meet him . . . if you never leave this 
train."

***
"And the old man said . . ."

***
"But you'll never meet your family again . . ."

Akko's eyes widened in shock.

***
". . . never return home."

***
The clacking sound appeared to become louder.

"Of course, it doesn't matter. You hate your 
family anyway."

***
"Do you know . . ."

***
She crouched over, trembling, her face down, 
eyes shut. She clenched her fists together again.

". . . good . . . good . . ."

***
" . . . what the child said then?"

***
". . . happiness . . ."

***
"I can't remember."

***
". . . Don't have to see their faces again . . ."

***
"Why?"

***
". . . happiness . . ."

***
"Why can't I remember?! Why can't I remember 
something so simple?!"

***
She lifted her head, tears streaking the sides of 
her face.

The boy closed his eyes.

"I've told you before . . ."

***
"It's only been ten years!"

***
"Only the abandoned and the lost can go to the 
country of Twilight. You can't go ~"

"No . . . No! . . . Please-Please! . . . Bring me . . . 
Bring me with you! Please! Because . . . if you 
don't . . . I'll live a 'happy life,' and forget . . . 
forget about my father! . . . Everything! 
Everything I've said are lies. My mother and my 
stepfather are nice to me, way too nice. I'm the 
one at fault! Not them! I'm the one who scolds 
her every day for forgetting father! I'm the one 
who can't forgive her for remarrying. I'm the
one! I'm the one . . ."

She held her face in her hands.

"I can't remember my father's face . . . It's only 
been ten years, and the memories are already 
gone. It's as if I were forgetting a sketch in the 
storybook . . ."

***
"What did the boy say? What did the old couple 
say to the boy?
What?"

***
The boy turned to the window, from which a 
bright light now entered the compartment.

"Look outside."

And she did.

***
"Outside was a field of grass in the twilight sun.
'Only we can get off at the last stop,' said the old 
man.
'You have a life to live. Your happiness isn't lost. 
You have yet to find it.' "

***
"Leave this train," said the boy. "Your world is 
outside."

He was smiling, but there were tears in his eyes, 
almost as if he didn't want to say goodbye.

***
"The train stopped, and the old couple watched 
as the child stepped off. 

The place where he was was his home, and when 
he turned to bid farewell, the train was already 
gone
.
The child couldn't help but look in the direction 
the train had left, and when he did, he heard the 
last words of the old couple.
'Find your happiness,' they said.
And if he could have seen, there was a young 
couple looking back at him, his father and 
mother. They smiled."

***
In the embrace of her mother, Akko replied.
"I will, father."