Ch.1

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Takemichi leaned his back against the bathroom wall, his chest heaving with exhaustion and his mind overwhelmed by the weight of his failures.

The constant time-leaping had taken its toll on him, witnessing the deaths of his loved ones in each timeline, feeling the pain of defeat over and over again.

Hina, Baji, Draken, Izana, Emma, Mikey-the list of those he couldn't protect grew longer with each leap.

The voices in his head echoed his self-doubt, taunting him with his weaknesses. "Pathetic," they whispered. "Useless." "You can't even save your friends." They were a cruel reminder of his failures , and he couldn't help but believe them.

As he sat on the cold tile floor, memories of each timeline flooded his mind. His most recent leap had been particularly devastating-Mikey succumbing to the darkness, consumed by his own dark impulses.

In that timeline, Takemichi was set to marry Hina, and the thought filled him with both joy and uncertainty. but Did his heart truly belong to her? These questions plagued him, clouding his thoughts as he tried to make sense of his feelings amidst the chaos.

He had desperately tried to reach Mikey, to bring his best friend back from the path of darkness. Others warned him against it, believing Mikey to be too far gone, but Takemichi's stubbornness and love pushed him forward. He couldn't bear to see Mikey suffer, couldn't bear the thought of his friend losing himself completely again So he went out alone, against all odds, to invite Mikey to his and Hina's wedding

But his actions had consequences. Mikey, consumed by his own pain and despair, shot Takemichi ,

he fucking shot him three times.

The pain seared through his body as he crumpled to the ground, blood staining his teeth and the floor. Through hazy vision, he caught a glimpse of Mikey walking up the stairs of the bowling alley, retreating further into the darkness. "M-Mikey-kun..." he managed to whisper as black spots tingled in his vision before his world got completely consumed in darkness

Moments later, Takemichi awoke, gasping for air, his body wracked with pain. Determination surged within him, overriding the despair that threatened to consume him. He refused to let the cycle of tragedy continue. Pushing himself up, he staggered up the stairs, his body protesting with each step, until he reached the door leading to the rooftop.

And there he found Mikey, standing on the edge with one foot already hanging off, ready to leap into oblivion. Panic coursed through Takemichi's veins as he sprinted forward, desperate to save his friend. He reached out, clutching onto Mikey's hand, refusing to let go. "Let me go, Takemichi!" Mikey shouted, his voice laced with anger

But Takemichi's grip tightened, his eyes filled with a mix of determination and pain. "Dammit! I won't let you die, Manjiro! I'll save you, no matter what!" he yelled, his voice raw with emotion.

Mikey's gaze met Takemichi's, his eyes flickering with surprise. He had never seen Takemichi so angry, In that moment, a spark of hope ignited within him. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way out of the darkness.

Takemichi held on, his grip growing weaker along his body

he can't hold on for much longer.

his heart pounding. "Please, Mikey... Let me save you," he pleaded one more time, his voice filled with fragile hope.

And then, something shifted. Mikey's eyes softened, his resolve wavered. With a trembling voice, he spoke the words Takemichi had longed to hear for so long.

"Save me, Takemichi."

Takemichi's grip loosened and his body seemed to slowly go limp , the feeling odd but familiar. But managing to choke out a few words.

"I promise, Mikey. I'll save you. I'll save all of us."

They both fell into their doom that day.

----

He awoke with a start, his body drenched in a clammy cold sweat, as a profound sense of numbness washed over him.

"No... not again," he murmured, his voice devoid of any real emotion. Weariness and apathy consumed him; he was tired of this endless cycle.

Deep down, he longed for it to be nothing more than a twisted nightmare, a fleeting illusion he could dismiss and return to his monotonous life of working at the CD rental store and surviving on instant ramen.

But it wasn't a dream; it was his reality.

He could no longer keep evading his problems, abandoning the past that haunted him. This time, he knew he had to confront it head-on.

With a hollow resolve, he made the solemn promise to save everyone.

As he collected his thoughts, he cast a vacant gaze around the room, searching for a calendar or his phone to comfirm the current date. Spotting his phone lying on the floor, he reached for it.

Opening the black flip phone, he glanced at the date with a detached sense of unease.

2005.

He had been transported back to the very beginning, to the day before he met Draken and... 𝙈𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙮.

A surge of emptiness washed over him, leaving him feeling hollow and detached.

Without a word, he stumbled towards the bathroom, his hand pressed limply against his mouth, attempting to contain the rising nausea.

The bathroom, just a few steps away, greeted him with its cold familiarity.

Opening the door, he sank to the floor, his body folding into a lifeless heap on his knees.

He retched, his actions mechanical, as if he were a mere puppet going through the motions, expelling the contents of his stomach into the toilet bowl.

And there he remained, sprawled on the bathroom floor, his mind consumed by a dull fog, contemplating the uncertain path that lay ahead.

the weight of his past and the burden of his failures bore down upon him. Though his body longed for rest, his mind remained restless, caught in an unyielding loop of thoughts.

Slowly, he rose from the floor, his movements devoid of their usual vigor. Fatigue clung to his every step, yet he persisted, determined to find solace in his room.

He crawled into bed, slipping under the covers with a heaviness that belied the chaos in The room, shrouded in darkness, cocooned him in an illusion of calmnes

Time slipped away, the minutes blending into hours, but sleep eluded him. His eyes flickered open and closed, a subtle dance between wakefulness and drowsiness. The restlessness remained hidden, disguised beneath a veil of stillness.

In the silence of the room, his thoughts unraveled, weaving a tapestry of what-ifs and regrets. The weight of his unspoken pain pressed upon his chest, a silent burden he carried alone.

Outside, the world continued its steady rhythm, oblivious to his internal struggle. The soft glow of the moon cast gentle shadows upon his face, painting a portrait of quiet desperation.

And so, he lay there in the darkness, his body motionless, while the storm within raged on. The absence of sleep concealed the chaos that consumed him, hidden beneath a facade of calmnes.

In the morning, he would rise, weariness etched into the lines of his face, a silent testament to the battles fought during the night. But for now, he remained still, an enigma of unrest, locked in an unnoticeable struggle that only he could know about.

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆
Back with the story being completely different 😃

I didn't like how it was before so i changed......everything.

Hope u liked it!♡


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