Amore Mio || Sano Manjiro [✓ ]

⋆ ˚ 𖦹ْꓸ ⋆୨ chapter twenty-five ᵎᵎ

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪
╰┈➤ 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒊 tightened his knuckles. Feeling his hands shake with so many pent up emotions.

Anger, hatred, frustration, sadness—it was all eating away at him.

So many people have died because he failed. Baji, Emma, Izana, and now Draken. What broke Takemichi the most, was no matter what timeline he jumped back too, (Name) died in every single one. He hated to admit it, but it seemed to be because she got involved with Mikey. Similar to how Hina was a target of Kisaki. One of his dearest friends he had to watch die in front of him sometimes. Other times he would have to console Hina, as she wept through the night at the loss of her friend.

But he didn't want to cry, not this time. He had to keep it within himself.

He locked his eyes on the hospital bed, only looking up when someone made their way into the room.

Before him stepped a young girl, the girl that started him off on this perilous journey, and the girl that his heart was committed fully.

"Huh they left already?" She carried a bag of snacks that she had bought for Takemichi. "They've been visiting you even when you were unconscious for 3 days." She set the bag down and started to unpack it by his bedside. He watched her with weary eyes, taking them away so he would be able to say this to her. He knew he needed to push her away, to keep her safe. Even though his mind was away, Hina continued to talk. "They're really worried about you." She placed a vase of flowers on the small drawer. "You are blessed with such nice friends."

Takemichi finally came to his senses, breaking his silence.

"Hina.... I came back and got them involved." He tried his best not to sound shaky. "It was because of my own selfishness that got them upset. So I've decided..." He paused, actually talking about this out loud suddenly made him want to cry even more. He mustered all his strength to hold back his many tears. "I'll settle things by myself." Hina looked at him with discontent. Takemichi was convinced that this was the right way to go, and with a smile he said what he had been planning to tell her ever since she came to his bedside, "So Hina, you can go home."

Hina did not budge. Instead she spoke his name softly, looking at him with compassion. "Takemichi, you're lying." He felt her body come and wrap around his torso. "Say, why don't you cry it all out okay? You have a lot on your mind right now, but it's okay. Just cry it all out first."

Somehow, she always knew the right words to tell him. She had a way of understanding him, and always supporting him. It was like her words had effortlessly broken the wall of determination he had, and the tears wouldn't stop falling as he leaned into her warm touch.

__ __

He had found himself making a team of his own. This time, relying on others to get Mikey back. The Tokyo Manji Gang Second Generation was due to fight the Kanto Manji Gang.