Archive of Our Own ^beta

Time travel was a tricky, delicate thing. Yayoi knew this. So when Ucchi came in yelling about how the timeline had changed again and that Amy-dono had made a terrible mistake, she realized that she had a lot of power in her hands.

And she was going to use it.

“Yayoi-dono? Do you require any assistance?”

“I’m okay for now, how about you go help Ian with his dig?” Yayoi replied, going over her notes and drafting a rough timeline for what needed to be done.

“Ian-dono said I wasn’t allowed on the premises anymore, remember? Not after…”

“Then...help Souji with the dojo.”

Ucchi brightened. “I shall do that, Yayoi-dono! You will let me know when I am required?”

“Mm.”

Ucchi bowed and left, leaving Yayoi alone, which was what she wanted. Unfortunately for Ucchi, she had no plans of letting him be there when she changed the timeline.

She spread out her notes, which she had started keeping after Prince showed up and changed her original timeline. It looked like everything hinged on one specific event: Nossan and Candelira’s wedding.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be quite as tricky as she feared.

*~+-+~*

Yayoi snuck into the church, taking in the sight of Nossan in a dark blue suit, his sister in a light blue dress next to him, Candelira in her kaijin form and the most exquisite dress, with Luckyuro in human form next to her. Just like she remembered, the Kyoryugers were all in the front row, Amy passing a handkerchief to Ucchi as Ian said some unnecessary remark about how Souji had to be prepared to deal with all that with Rin.

“Do you, Udo Nobuharu, take Joyful Knight Candelira to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

“Absolutely!”

“And do you, Joyful Knight Candelira, take Udo Nobuharu to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

“I do! I do!”

“You may exchange the rings.”

Yayoi remembered this part. There was a really bad pun that nevertheless made Candelira laugh, a dropping of the rings that the officiant would do literal actual flips about to find them, a lot of crying, and a kiss that went on just a tiny bit too long, but it was extremely deserved.

(In fact, she could have shown up a little later. Everything with Candelira and Nossan was something she was trying to preserve, after all, but she couldn’t resist seeing this again. It had taken them this long to get married, and Yayoi wasn’t trying to get in the way of their happiness whatsoever.)

She made sure to keep out of sight as best as she could, knowing that “people come back from the past to fix something” was something many of the people here at this wedding were used to and not needing the questions that came with it. It was going to be a bit of a wait, with her coming early, but she was going to fix the timeline, whether Ucchi approved or not.

(If she was being honest, she was...fairly sure he was the only one who even thought Amy ever belonged with King. Yayoi knew for a fact Ian thought it was extremely weird.)

As everyone moved towards the reception area, Yayoi made sure to keep an eye on King, despite wanting to keep an eye on Amy. He had to take her home when they both got too drunk, or else...well she wasn’t going to think about what Ucchi had told her for any longer than she had to. This was the night Prince would be conceived, and for the Kingohgers, (and not to mention about ninety years from this point), she did have to let him be born, and to Amy and King, not Amy and anyone else.

(Seriously, what had HAPPENED?)

The other part of her plan, though, involved getting her past self up to speed. The reason Amy stayed with King despite not having much interest in him was because Yayoi had decided to be mad with Amy instead of picking her up the morning after. So that had to change.

She watched the slideshow, keeping half an eye on King, who was laughing with the Spirit Kyoryugers, who of course had shown up.

“Yayoi. What are you doing here? When I can also see you with Amy and Yuuko?”

She whipped around and found her grandfather staring at her curiously.

“Grandfather! Shhh, I have to make sure the timeline is corrected. Please, the future of our allies depends on it.”

He studied her and nodded. “Alright. Is there anything you need me to do?”

“Make sure that Amy and King go home together.”

“Did I hear you correctly?? My granddaughter, asking to make sure Amy and King go home together?”

Yayoi grit her teeth. “Yes, for the timeline.” She knew she’d be fine once Prince was born, as he was a very likable kid, but thinking about King with her Amy… well she didn’t claim to be a perfect person.“Well, if it’s for the timeline…”

“Please.”

“Anything else?”

Yayoi thought about it. Souji had to get with Rin, but that wasn’t something that involved this night at all. Nossan and Candelira would be fine, although ultimately tragic. Ian and Ucchi were on their own, as far as Yayoi was concerned.

“If you can get me to talk to...me, that’d also help. Send...her? Outside after the food is served. But be subtle!”

“Hey, subtle is my middle name!”

She stared at her grandfather, crossing her arms. He sighed dramatically.

“Fine, fine.”

“Go back now before others notice.”

He gave a wink and went back to the main reception area, reassuring the group of scientists he had been with that nothing was wrong.

Yayoi could only hope that was the truth.

She waited outside, making sure no guests who came out to make out (more than she had wished to know) saw her, counting the minutes until her past self came out.

“Future me?”

Yayoi nodded. “I have something you’re going to hate hearing, but if you want Amy to stay in your life, you’re going to need to listen.”

Her past self grimaced, knocking back the flute of champagne she had in her hand.

“What is it?”

“Amy and King must go home tonight, and you have to pick Amy up when she calls. I’d advise you to stop drinking now, because that hangover was really bad. Bad enough to make the stupidest decision possible.”

“I haven’t been drinking that much, though.”

“Yes, well, once you see Amy and King go home together…”

“What happens if they don’t go home together?”

Yayoi took a deep breath and told her.

“EW?!?! But what about me?”

“Prince has to be born, and he has to be Amy’s! It happens this night, I checked and double checked and rechecked!”

A huffed out sigh. “Fine. If my future self is telling me this, it must be true.”

“I think as long as Prince gets a good childhood, everything will be fine. He’s a good kid.”

“Alright. Pick Amy up tomorrow. Anything else?”

“...I don’t think so, other than ‘don’t let Ucchi into the time machine.’”

“They don’t get married?”

“King gets added to the family register, they never got officially married that I could ever find. I think Ucchi is the main reason it keeps getting told that Amy and King have a romance, actually.”

Her past self nodded, accepting that answer. “Well, if that’s how it is, that’s how it is. Thanks.”

“Yeah. See you when you become me.”

They nodded at each other, and her past self went back to the reception, while Yayoi went back to her time machine and punched in the date for when she had left.

*~+-+~*

She opened the door to what she was hoping was her and Amy’s place, heart hammering, and nearly ran into Prince, who was trying to get a shoe on while holding a piece of toast in his mouth.

“Oh, shorry, Mom, wash jusht abou o go shee Shouji-san fo practiche!” He removed the toast from his mouth. “Mom is at Tiger Boy, if you were looking for her, bye!”

“Bye, stay safe!”

Prince put up a hand as he ran off.

Yayoi stepped inside, finding a note about Amy seeing King about Prince going overseas over summer break, and if they wanted to go somewhere while that was happening.

She held on to the doorway, letting the memories catch up and settle, a grin appearing on her face as she realized that she had done it.

Who said time travel was all that bad?