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Life is about living it to the fullest. Life had always been a one time thing - there are cases where you get second chances - but it's not a common occurrence. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Well, only one exception.
Hanagaki Takemichi. There is no scientific explanation on how he continues to give the people around him second chances at life. There is no scientific explanation on why he, himself, has been given so many chances already. Everyone seems like they're just going on with their day as normal. No one sees the lives that's been put on his shoulders. No one sees the tears when he's finally alone.
Takemichi briefly remembers his father telling him that if you had committed to do something, finish your job. Since he's first heard those words, that's always how his life worked. However, just a day before September 9th, the final fight, Takemichi hesitates to continue following that ideology. No human has been stuck in multiple timelines at once - apart from him. The first time he saw his friends die, tears were swept. He screamed. Takemichi clawed at himself. The second time, he mourned. No tears were seen. The third time, Takemichi hates it. Hates the feeling of uselessness. The fourth time and all the times after - he's cold to the scene of his friend dying.
When the realization hit that he hasn't been mourning, he felt guilty. He knew he should be sad, angry, and so many more. Yet, he couldn't bring any of those emotions up. He tried to think about how he could've save Draken. He tries to be angry at himself. It doesn't work.
A sigh escapes his lips. It's useless to think about this now. If this attempt didn't worked, for the first time, Takemichi would no longer follow his father's advice.
Takemichi turns his head around to make out Chifuyu's figure from the dark. Deep inside, Takemichi knows that they're worried. Worried about the fight, of course, but it's rather obvious when they try to make him feel better. He always tries his best to keep up a smile, to be optimistic and say that they can save Mikey from everything. Yet, he can't keep the act up forever. Especially with the fact that they've all been his friends for years doesn't help either. They know when something's wrong and it bothers him.
Takemichi doesn't give me a verbal reply, just hums a tiny confirmation as Chifuyu sits next to him. It's two in the morning - everyone already went home after discussing their past - so Chifuyu and Takemichi sits alone at the dinner table with the dim light turned on. They sit in the comfortable silence for long. Takemichi doesn't know how long, perhaps a couple minutes, or a couple hours. After a moment of them not talking, Takemichi feels his fingers start to fidget.
Both of them knows the topic they've been so desperate to delay talking about.
"Our chances of winning .. isn't that high," Chifuyu hesitantly begins to speak up and the air changes quickly. Even under the darkness, Chifuyu can see Takemichi's shoulders tense up just slightly and his fingers start rubbing against each other faster than normal. After a minute of trying to figure out a reply to that statement, Takemichi stops fidgeting. "I don't think I've told you this, but since you were the first to know about the time travel, I'll tell you about this too."
That catches Chifuyu's attention. Takemichi pushes his body up and sits straight against the chair, his eyes staring at the table. "I've been getting visions - from the future - and I saw one every time was about to die. Draken.. South.. and.." Takemichi trails off, not sure if he wanted to finish his sentence. He can sense Chifuyu's gaze burning into him.
"I saw myself die. More than once, yet the visions never happened. When I saw Draken's, his death happened minutes later. When I saw South's, Mikey appeared seconds after I saw it. So why am I the only one still standing?"
Chifuyu doesn't reply. Takemichi doesn't expect a reply anyway. "You should sleep, Chifu." Takemichi says with a sigh as he pushes himself up from his chair. It's late and it's good to get at least some sleep in. He needs energy to put up a smile. "I'm gonna go to sleep."
Chifuyu doesn't protest, he and Takemichi needs the sleep. As he watches Takemichi turn off the kitchen light, Chifuyu decides not to mention the obvious eyebags forming under Takemichi's eyes. He also decides not to mention the bandages appearing out of nowhere, scattered around his body. Everyone can see them but no one mentions them, probably best to their interest. Chifuyu knows how Takemichi has been trying to get better at fighting, training in the middle of the night. Surprisingly too, he's been quicker than anyone Chifuyu has seen to learn anything.
"Just.. don't lose yourself again," Chifuyu sighs as he packs up to sleep as well. Takemichi's bedroom light turns off. "I don't want to lose another friend."
His body burns. His muscles are screaming at him to stop moving, to rest for a minute, to give up. His vision is blurry, but he can still make out the figures of Mikey, Kakucho, and some of his own members. Takemichi winces when he falls to the ground, still trying to get closer to Mikey. His leg is definitely broken - or at least his foot. Tears of frustration slips past his eyes. The concrete floor is stained with his blood and tears.
"You should've given up long ago," Mikey's voice above him says. If Takemichi could focus, he swore that he could hear a sense of remorse in the voice. But it's not time for that, he has to remind himself. "I pity the-"
"I don't need your sympathy," Takemichi whispers. Despite the numbers against them, Takemichi's team had taken down a good portion of Mikey's gang. Only the strong ones remain - Koko, Kakucho, and various people that Takemichi does recognized. "and you don't even understand things I feel or who I am."
Just for a split second, Takemichi regrets saying that when he feels Mikey's kick impact on his stomach. Yet, the force of the kick helped him stand up - ironically.
"I don't need saving," Mikey's voice says sternly. That had been the final straw. The images of Mikey's bloodied hands gripping tightly against his. The memory of Mikey's teary eyed begging him to save Mikey from going on the path of Bonten. The feeling of the bullet passing through his chest. Throughout the entirety of this fight, no one had been able to land a hit on Mikey. Mikey hadn't needed to do much work anyway. All the memories that Takemichi had witnessed in the future were all flashing back to him in a matter of seconds.
"You're fucking kidding, Mikey." Perhaps the change of tone shocked Mikey, but the other paused in his way. Reluctantly, Takemichi's gaze met Mikey's.
"The future you was the person who begged me to save you!" Takemichi's anger exploded. Maybe it was the fact that Mikey had never seen this version of him that he was actually able to connect his fist with Mikey's face. If it was in a less dangerous situation, Takemichi would've been beaming of pride. He could hear everyone else stop fighting and focus on him. "You weren't fucking happy in the future, and you're not right now! So why don't you stop pretending that your life is a-okay because it's not!"
Ragged breaths continue to escape his throat. Mikey's mouth moves to reply, but Takemichi continues to cut him off. "Do you think I want to continue doing this? It's the fifth time I've had to go back in the past! Every. Single. Fucking. Time. I thought the future was going to be happy - something is wrong. I'm tired! I want to give up!"
In his mind, he makes a mental note to curse at himself later for exposing his time travel to everyone present at the fight. However, that is for later. Now is not the correct time. Mikey's face is unreadable. The hostile intention seemed to have left the boy - but he doesn't drop his defensive position. After a minute, Mikey whispers a question, "so why do you keep trying to save me?"
Takemichi's expression softens. Finally, his body relaxes. He knees on the floor, his arms finally being able to rest. Looking around, he sees the faces all staring at him and Mikey. Sanzu, Senju, Chifuyu, Mitsuya, and so many more. "You asked me to. Even if it's not the you of this present time, you asked me to. I don't ignore friends who clearly need help."
Mikey's eyes widened a little and he was about to ask why even after everything that has happened, Takemichi still considers him a friend. It seemed like Takemichi knew what was going to come out of his mouth. A habit, perhaps. "All of you listening to this right now. Even if I've just met you a couple weeks ago, even if you hurt me in some way or another, you're all people I want to save. Friendship is not something that's fragile, but it's not unbreakable either."
"If you were gonna ask why I still consider you as a friend, it's simply because that's who I am. Chifuyu, Mitsuya, Pah, and even Senju, Benkei, everyone that I've just met.. all of you rely on each other. If one person fucks up, your future won't turn out good either way. So why would I simply let one person destroy the future of everyone else? I know that you and Sanzu might not be on the best of terms. I'm not going to dig into your family past."
Takemichi finally is able to stand up with the help of Chifuyu on his side. Once again, Takemichi's eyes meet Mikey's. Only this time, it's not one out of anger and frustration. The gaze is warm - understanding. "I'm not asking you to make up with all of your siblings, Mikey, but please.. just let us shoulder your burdens together with you. You don't have to be the one holding all of these events. We're all here."
"Hypocrite," Chifuyu whispers under his breath. That earned him a pinch on the back of his neck.
"I'm not gonna give you a lecture any longer. Remember what we said before I returned to the future? If the era of the Tokyo Manji Gang after Tenjiku was my era, then what happened to the promise of making your own era? This isn't the way you want your era to be, Mikey."
"Let's consider this battle a tie, yeah? Unless you want to fight. I'm all up for it."
Without a single word, Mikey nodded. This action earned Sanzu's angry rambling - but Mikey paid no mind to that. Takemichi watched as the remaining members of Mikey's gang disappear into the distance. He turned back to look at his own friends. "We didn't win. Sorry. I got carried away."
None of them replied.
"You fucking idiot," Mitsuya finally says as he wipes a single tear away with the back of his sleeve. "If you were tired, just say that. What happened to the advice you gave Mikey? We can't help you fix the timelines, but at least let us shoulder some of the weight you've been holding for so long." All the other members nodded simultaneously. Takemichi let out a chuckle.
"Yeah, I think being able to rely on other people would be pretty nice."
"It's September 9th." Mikey says as all the original members of Toman sat on the stairs below him. Only this time, the addition of all of Mikey's siblings as well. "Seems so long ago that the fight happened," Takemichi replies.
"Must've been exciting, huh? I could've went if I just died a little later," Draken says with a sarcastic tone. This earns a chuckle from Chifuyu.
"Ready?! It's set for ten seconds!" Senju says as she runs back to the group and forces herself in-between Benkei and Sanzu. Takemichi stares at the camera in front of them. He thinks about all the past failures, he thinks about all the times his friends had died.
"Hey, we're all here, don't think about the past anymore. You can't change the past." Mitsuya says as everyone agrees under their breath. Chifuyu knocks Takemichi on the head to snap him out of it.
"Well, technically, I can-"
"Shh, shut up! It's at two seconds!"
Click!
As everyone runs to check on the photo, Takemichi stays behind on the stairstep. He looks at all of their faces - smiles plastered all over. The way they're all teasing each other. Takemichi pushes his body up to walk over to where everyone was standing. Everyone is safe and sound.
"What are you thinking about now?" Chifuyu breaks everyone away from the picture after he finishes handing all of them out. Takemichi takes his own copy of the picture. He turns to the back of the picture and stares at the date. September 9th, 20XX. Exactly twelve years from before the timeline of Bonten.
He really did it.
"I'd say it was pretty worth it."