Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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February 7, 2021

23:29

Time heals, they said.

Time licks all your wounds and gently covers each scar under a matte white skin. Bruises sooner or later fade, turn yellow, turn blue and slowly dissolve, leaving no traces, and old scratches are someday covered with a crimson dead crust. And here you are again as good as new. As if there was nothing. What a luck.

Everything will be forgotten, they said.

Today-tomorrow, maybe in a week or two, when nightmares stop to come so often and this terrible pain will be dulled replacing hysterical sobs with a soundless impetuous cry. Someday the guilt will dutifully retreat and the memories will no longer be as clear and bright as they were before.   

Everything will pass, they said.

Someday.

Certainly.

Everything goes away once, doesn't it?

Liars

Just rotten, lying bitches.

Every single one of them

Everyone, who told him this sweet comforting lie to his face without any hesitation and expected that it would somehow help.

What could they know ... What could all these people know about the loss?

What could they know about the feeling when you lose the person you've been waiting for so faithfully for the last twelve years and whom you've lost in just one fucking night?

Chifuyu has asked these questions too often.

February was not the best, to be honest. Just like January, December and probably the last three years, to be completely accurate. 963 days. 31 months. He was counting. He counted every single day and hour.

He spent all this time as in if some obscure delirium.

He did not remember what he was busy with and what he was doing, he didn’t remember whether he celebrated at least some holiday on his own will, and not because he was dragged there by Kazutora. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled at someone sincerely, not because his job at the pet store required it, and he certainly couldn't remember when pretending to be happy had become nothing more but a habit for him.

After all, his life was not over, was it?

He had job and apartment. 

He was still alive.

At the very least...

In theory.

Although Matsuno wasn't completely sure about it. But everyone around him continued to live: they got married and divorced, fell in love and quarreled, worked and traveled. They just... stepped over it to move on.

And it seemed right. At least, it's much more better than holding on to someone who will never  return.

Still, sometimes Chifuyu got mad. At these happy friends and acquaintances smiling at him from bright photos in an endless social media feed.

But alright, perhaps he got mad at them too often.

It looked like everyone suddenly forgot about everything, and threw the past away, as if it never existed… It niggled Chifuyu terribly. Sometimes he just wanted to scream - violently loudly and desperately, breaking his voice to a barely audible hoarse - dig his fingers into the throat of every former friend and ask, strangle and ask until he had no strength left: how can they just continue to live after what happened? How can they? How can they walk on the same ground and smile like that, knowing that Takemichi no longer existed?

Chifuyu didn’t understand.

He couldn’t and didn’t want to understand this.

And that was, probably, the whole problem.

He was attached to Takemichi too strongly. Stronger than anyone else. Tied with a red thread -no, probably a huge red rope wrapped around a sinewy neck—one end is here, with him, and the other is far, far away - well, you know - somewhere on the other cold dead side. Chifuyu fought the urge to sever this connection. He thought that was what he wanted, but each time he found that he was only tightening the knot harder.

Chifuyu begged Takemichi to leave. Let him go and leave him, get out and never come back. And at the same time, in desperation, he squeezed his icy hand and, kneeling, repeated "goodbye", holding him with the last of his strength. He shouted "go away!", and then whispering "don't leave me, please, just stay!".

Chifuyu was afraid to say his name. He avoided it as much as he could. Nine letters seemed like some kind of unbearable sophisticated torture. Only "Take-" could be heard, and he immediately covered his ears with his hands and desperately shook his head, helplessly backing away. Just one word tore his heart out of his chest. At once with all the vessels. Memories flew before his eyes like paper airplanes, and each of them crashed with a deafening crackle against the bitter truth

The end of June two thousand eighteen.

Bowling alley building.

Two corpses.

Takemichi and Mikey.

And Naoto's voice, so distant and cold. The voice that Matsuno almost doesn’t hear because of his own scream, and which calmly and discreetly says:

"I'm sorry, Chifuyu, but Takemichi is gone."

Afterwards… It's all kind of a blur like in a fog.

However, fog is probably something bright. Almost like something fresh in the morning. Something that will surely dissipate by noon, struck by bright sunlight. And Chifuyu fell into darkness.

And he has lived in this darkness ever since.

Completely alone.

Chifuyu didn't like cemeteries. And that's why he almost never went there. Some sad experience, you know: first it was father, then Baji-san, and now... a toy airplane from a gift set and half of ramen noodles in a plastic package left on someone else's graves. Coming to the cemetery meant admitting to himself that Takemichi had died and would never come back, and this was akin to madness for Chifuyu.

He considered himself a complete idiot. Especially at the moment when he shook hands with Naoto and Hinata and did not let go for a long time, monotonously counting to ten to himself. He was just hoping. He hoped so much that some miracle would happen and time would take him back to the past. To a place where he could be truly happy.

But this did not happen.

Dark blue and morganite eyes looked at him with compassion. Naoto silently shook his head, pursing his lips, and Hinata, sighing, only sobbed softly.

Chifuyu spent all his money, literally every last yen, on charlatans and scammers. On everyone who promised him to come up with a way to travel back in time. It was so stupid, wasn't it? In his half-empty apartment, there was only a leaky futon on which it was hardly possible to sleep properly, a lone chair with a loose leg and a pair of cutlery with a plate and a mug.

This was his life after Takemichi's death.

Worthless and pathetic

Sometimes he wondered if it was life at all. And was it worth it to continue dragging your mortal existence into a new day if its whole meaning remained in the distant 2018. Lying on the cold asphalt, squeezing someone else's hand.

Kazutora seemed to understand something. He never asked, just looked pityingly in his direction, thinking that Chifuyu didn’t notice it, and only mumbled something to himself. He definitely wasn't an idiot: he probably saw something ostentatious and fake in Matsuno's trademark smile addressed to others, but, fortunately, he didn't find the courage to ask more detailed questions. No, Kazutora tried to talk once or twice, but Chifuyu immediately let his claws out: he became angry and irritated and locked himself in the pantry for the rest of the day, sorting out some papers, just to avoid a new conversation.

And Hanemiya decided to leave him alone.

At least until Chifuyu himself wold be ready to talk to him about what had happened. They were together when Naoto informed him of Takemichi's death, and Kazutora heard with his own ears every scream and every sob, which finally subsided only by the morning of the twenty-fourth of June. He knew that it was very, very hard for Chifuyu, and time did not heal at all, but only stirred the already festering wound.

But they both pretended that everything was fine.

Knowing that it will never be good anymore.

It was easier that way.

Chifuyu turned the key twice in the keyhole and pushed the door away from him, entering a small apartment in a remote suburb that smelled of damp and cigarette smoke.

Three years ago, he had a much larger apartment. He even remembered bringing Takemichi there, and they played video games and ate crappy pizza until late at night, until finally they fell asleep in an embrace on the unfinished sofa under a cellophane bag.

But Chifuyu sold this apartment almost a year after Takemichi's death, as well as everything he had, just to pay off all the abundance of mediums and the "time travel bureau", as well as to cover part of the amount invested by the Tachibana family in Hinata and Takemichi's never-held wedding.

Staggering on wobbly legs, Chifuyu walked a little further into the room, kicking off his shoes and taking off his old coat as he went. There was no light in the house: he had stopped paying for it two months ago— so he lit a small candle near the window and lit a cigarette with the same lighter.

Smoked it.

The truth was, he didn't really like and didn't really know how to smoke. Matsuno just didn't know what to do anymore. Nicotine did not bring relief. The smoke exhaled from his lungs just made him think about something else for a moment, but after that his thoughts invariably returned back to the darkness - to where they belonged. The dark circles under his eyes were growing too fast. Chifuyu had lost a lot of weight over the past time. His collarbones and ribs bulged a little more than before, and his cheekbones were much sharper. Stubble appeared. He changed his hairstyle: the same dark hair, but now it was a little longer and looked more like Takemichi's hair. He even wore similar clothes: cheap T-shirts and sweaters with stupid inscriptions. Sometimes he remembered how loudly he was laughing with them in his youth.

“Tell me, what have I become?” He asked himself and looked at the street through the dirty window frame.

It's dark and you can't see anything.

And the sounds are also not heard at all, because he lives far from the city.

A puff.

One more.

It didn't get any easier.

Fuck it.

Chifuyu put out his cigarette in a small ashtray on the windowsill and walked towards the futon. Without even bothering to undress and take a shower, he lay down, covered with an old blanket and curled up on the very edge. His teeth chattered. It was cold. He hadn't paid for heating for a long time either.

Today, he drank almost all of his salary in the nearest bar not far away  the pet store, again giving part of the money to some local bastard cashing in on the mourners like Matsuno. Unlike the previous ones, he seemed a little crazy and kept repeating incessantly about the time machine and the theory of quantum immortality — Chifuyu, honestly, hardly listened to him — and then the man handed him some old postcard of the two thousand and sixth year from the festival in Chichibu¹.

Chifuyu had just taken it out of his pocket. What's under the blanket, what's in the dark of his room - one damn thing, you can't see anything.

Another failure.

He was fooled.

Again.

Nothing and no one could take him back in time.

He usually didn't cry—he didn't have the strength anymore. But that wasn't the case today. Today the despair was much stronger. That afternoon he met Hinata when he was picking up an order in the city center on behalf of Kazutora. They haven't seen each other for more than two years and it seemed that a lot has really changed in her life during this time. She had married a good man, some friend of Naoto's from the police station, and now they were expecting their first child. She asked why Chifuyu did not come to her wedding, although she sent him an invitation, and he did not say that he had moved out of that apartment a long time ago. And even if he had received an invitation, he still wouldn't have come.

It seemed like some kind of stupid joke. How did she even think of inviting him?

Hina also calmly asked how he was doing, whether he was married or still single, and Matsuno sullenly kept silent, because he still carried his only photo with Takemichi in his wallet. Where they were just the two of them — carefree and happy, completely unaware that their ending would never be good. Chifuyu didn’t get married and didn’t even think about the wedding. He didn't think much about anything at all.

And Hinata just shrugged her shoulders frivolously.

"Okay. You need to come to visit as soon as you have time. I will be very glad to see you again!".

Chifuyu nodded with a smile.

"Certainly! Maybe next month?"

He wasn't going to see her again.

Unlike him, Hinata was really happy. She didn't just seem happy, but she truly was. It was slightly annoying. She looked at her husband with love and tenderness -  the way she once looked at Takemichi — and gently stroked her big bulging belly with her hand.

Chifuyu didn't blame her.

Almost.

And he ran away only because he was in a hurry. Sure, that was the only reason. Not because he noticed that Hina was no longer wearing a pendant with a four-leaf clover.

She was the last one.

The last of all, except Chifuyu, who still remembered him. At least, until today, he faithfully believed in it. But now he knew for sure that he was all alone.

It wasn't something new.

It had happened before.

With Draken, Mitsuya, Hakkai. With everyone he knew.

Everyone was forgetting. In a six months, a year or three months. It doesn't matter how long — sooner or later everyone started moving on, leaving the image of a whiny hero somewhere far behind.

Everyone except Chifuyu.

So he got used to it.

He had to get used to it.

Still, it was lousy.

Tears poured from his bleached gray eyes, forgotten and bitter, and just couldn't stop. He huddled into a small helpless ball, like a child, pulling his knees up to his stomach and hugging them with one hand.

In the other, between trembling fingers, the same postcard was still clutched.

Chichibu Festival

December, 2006.

Yes, it seems he was there with Takemichi.

It was a good time.

What a pity, that it passed so quickly.

“How I wish...”  Chifuyu's voice, hoarse and rough, completely unlike the one he had before. He bites the pillow with his teeth a little, trying not to scream. How painful. Painful. Painful. — “I wish I could be like you... go back... And fix everything... Spend a little more time with you... I would give anything in the world for a second chance... everything I have! Takemichi...”

Chifuyu said it out loud.

He said that damn name.

Unconsciously, he put the postcard to his chest and sobbed impulsively.

And again repeated:

“Takemichi”

For some reason it got warmer. It was as if distant memories warmed him. It was as if Hanagaki's arms were tightly wrapped around his body and securely sheltered Chifuyu from sharp arrows. Losing someone so close must have been very cruel. And it was even crueler to live every new day, blaming yourself for every word thrown.

What was the last thing he said to him?

Chifuyu hardly remembered.

"Hold on well, Takemitchy!". 

"Drink your beer, I don't feel like it anymore anyway."

"What are your plans for tomorrow?"

Maybe something like that.

Or maybe not.

He didn't know anymore.

But surely something very stupid.

How foolish.

Matsuno should have said that he would never let him throw himself into the abyss alone. He would have reminded him that they were partners, locked their hands tightly and poured cement over this bundle. And firmly would assure him: wherever fate throws you, Takemichi, you and I will always be together. Even in hell. You know that, don't you?

But he didn't say that.

Why didn't  he?..

The head was still cracking violently. Either the reason was the amount of alcohol he drank, or because of the incessant tears. The eyelids slowly grew heavy. Chifuyu wanted to fall asleep and never wake up again.

He’d like to see Takemichi again. Just once! Even in a dream!

And maybe it will get a bit easier? A little bit better?

He knew it wouldn't. And still he wanted to hope.

Chifuyu didn't remember falling asleep. When he opened his eyes again, it was already getting light outside the window, but the rays hadn’t yet penetrated into the room because of the tightly drawn curtains.

He frowned slightly, because there had never been curtains in his apartment.

He tried to look around and was surprised to find that he was not at all where he fell asleep. It was a large and bright room, with posters and magazine clippings hanging on the walls, with a huge bookcase filled to the top with weighty volumes of shoujo manga. And at the desk, on a revolving blue armchair, a graceful black cat was peacefully dozing.

Peke...J?

But Peke-J died long ago...

He looked around again, but more carefully. He got up slightly from the bed.

It was his room in his parent's house. Exactly, that's it! But how…

“Chifuyu, I asked you to get up fifteen minutes ago” His mom appeared in the doorway, gently scolded him and quickly pointed her hand towards the kitchen. “Go and eat your breakfast, otherwise you'll be late for school”

“For school?” Matsuno asked blankly. But he graduated many years ago.

Was this a new dream? It was very different from his previous nightmares.

It didn't seem scary. Rather strange and incomprehensible. And for some reason it felt somehow different. It was too real.

Chifuyu noticed his old mobile phone on the bedside table and immediately leaned forward, picking it up and opening the flimsy lid with a rude movement.

His eyes bulged.

His heart seemed to stop.

It just can't be...

It was impossible!

February 8, 2006.

7:30

“Chifuyu, did you hear me? Takemichi’s aunt is coming to pick you up.” Mom reminded again. “Get ready soon!”

“Takemichi?”  The whole body seemed to be pierced by an electric current because of this name. Chifuyu blinked frequently, looking around in panic, and tried to find at least some clue that would indicate that everything that was happening was just a stupid prank. He must have had too much to drink the night before. Or was it all the damn antidepressants? Matsuno pinched himself and snorted at the very real pain: “Y-You... Did you say Takemichi?”

The gaze wandering around the room stopped at a strange object that had been lying on the bedside table next to the phone all this time. Chifuyu got up again and picked it up.

And immediately fell back on the bed.

"Did I..."

The postcard.

Chichibu Festival

December, 2006

“... go back in time?”

Chapter Text

Did I… go back in time?

What was he supposed to feel at that moment?

Chifuyu didn't know. He just had no fucking idea what to do. What should he have said to this? What to do and how to react? He should be happy, right? He must! He should be just immensely happy, because that's exactly what he wanted. To go back in time, right? To go back in time to see Takemichi again. Everything he could ever ask for. Now it was right in his hands!

So why was he so confused?

Why was he so scared?

He was just terrified.

What to do? What to fucking do?! Where and to whom he must go desperately to find the answers? Who should he ask for help from? Just who?

And was he really in the past? Maybe it's just a dream? Probably such a beautiful, such a wonderful dream, repeating his past almost in the every detail ... but still nothing more than just a dream? And very soon... Probably, in just a few miserable minutes, Chifuyu will wake up again in his cold bed. He will wake up, of course, alone. In a half-empty damp apartment on the fifth floor, smelling of mold and cigarette smoke. And then, in the semi-darkness of an unlit street, having eaten only a sandwich three days old in the refrigerator, he will again trail towards the nearest bus stop. And then? Then there is only a crowded bus with fogged windows, a stuffy metro, in which he will not be allowed to enter, because he forgot to extend his subway pass, and walk to work. Smile at every bell, ringing merrily over the door, and politely say "hello, how can I help you?". And pretend. Pretend everything was fine again. Pretend that he moves on. Pretend that he forgot Takemichi. Pretend that the past doesn't bother him at all. And pretend. Pretend. Pretend.

And then it only gets worse.

Millions of times worse.

From paycheck to paycheck, from one liar to another, and then drown all the bitterness of another failure in a glass of crappy booze. Not on Fridays — every two days, as scheduled, and again swallow promises that aren’t worth even a lousy yen.

"You promised me that it would work out. You... you promised that I would see him again this time! So why the hell are you telling me that it didn't work? Why didn't you succeed?! Try again! Did I pay too little? How much more do you need? How much?!"

And what if…

If he really was in the past, if there was, at least, some tiny chance that it was still true, then…

There were no fewer questions. Just the opposite. There were only more of them.

Takemichi.

Ta-ke-mi-chi.

Mom definitely said that name. She couldn't be mistaken. She definitely couldn't! Only four syllables and nine letters - they slipped from her lips so casually and simply and immediately formed into this short painful word. Responding with short-wave electrical impulses somewhere in his chest. Chifuyu felt it under each of his ribs - no, much deeper — this name quickly got into every centimeter of his body, somewhere right under the skin, where every cell, having long forgotten, got acquainted with Takemichi anew.

Chifuyu put on the first thing that came to hand — a slightly rumpled white shirt and black school trousers. He threw a jacket over his shoulders. The moment he had to face his own reflection for the first time in years seemed the most terrible.

After all, he hadn’t looked in mirrors for a very long time.

And, to be honest, he carefully avoided the tinted windows of parked cars and opaque storefronts. Seeing himself in them, more like a withering, wasting plant, was almost unbearable. He didn't care what others thought of him, and therefore he almost never kept up his appearance. Only occasionally, with an unobtrusive hint from Kazutora, he shaved in the morning and cut his overgrown dark hair a little.

Right now, Chifuyu could barely recognize himself.

From the other side, a quite handsome young man was looking at him. Neatly shaved temples and the back of his head, a careless shock of blond hair, slightly falling in several strands over sparkling green eyes. It was Chifuyu Matsuno who didn't know yet what it was like to live in a world that no longer had Takemichi Hanagaki.

He looked quite...

Happy?

Chifuyu stuffed a couple of spoonfuls of already cooled porridge into his mouth and washed it all down with cold tea that was left by his mother on the table, when suddenly a ringing car horn was heard from the street. He looked out the small kitchen window a little. A small gray TOYOTA belonging to Takemichi’s aunt stopped in front of the entrance. From the open window of the car, from the back seat, Takemichi waved to him affably.

Matsuno ran away from the window as fast as he could.

He didn't run away, no, he backed away, almost taking the dishes off the table and falling back.

The thoughts in his head exceeded the permissible limit.

Takemichi…

A real, living Takemichi...

Was waving his hand at him and smiling so bright…

Oh, God.

Oh, my God!

He wasn't delusional, right? 

The hands were shaking terribly. His whole body was literally beating in a frantic, feverish tremor. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest. So loud that he could hear each beat with a double ringing reverberate in his temples.

Chifuyu almost automatically picked up his school backpack from the floor and the keys from the hook in the hallway, before shouting a loud "bye!" to his mother and just in two minutes went down the stairs.

He was only a few quick steps away from the right car.

At that moment, he realized how strong he had been mistaken.

The mirror wasn't the hardest test.

Unlike these few meters.

Chifuyu didn't understand why all this scared him so much. He didn't know what to do, he was afraid even to breathe a little louder than now, or to step aside even a bit, because it seemed that this would bring inevitable consequences.

He held his breath before slowly closing the tiny distance between him and the car and, still lingering, with a little effort, opened the back door in front of him. Takemichi's blonde head immediately appeared from the interior. Smiling fervently, the boy shouted his deafeningly loud "boo!" towards Matsuno.

Chifuyu's eyes widened.

The air flew out of his lungs. Tears prickled in his eyes, and the ligaments in his larynx tightened so hard that his voice got lost. His whole body seemed to be completely paralyzed. He couldn't say anything. He could just stand like there, in front of an open door, almost without blinking, and just look at him.

Look and tremble.

But not because of the fear at all.

Because of the realization that his dead friend was really sitting in front of him.

“Yes!” Hanagaki laughed gleefully, clenching his hands into fists, noticing Matsuno's changed expression.  “I finally managed to scare you! I hope you remember that you owe me a melon bun for this, ha?”

All the same blond hair, gathered in this ridiculous hairstyle, drenched in tons of hairspray, the same blue eyes — bright, just like small stars — and even a voice… Still the same, sonorous and childishly joyful, as before.

Chifuyu hadn't heard him for so long.

It felt not like three years.

But whole fifteen years.

“A m-melon b-bun?..”  He asked stammering.  He only had enough strength for two short words. It seemed very ironic. Of all the abundance of words on the planet, of all the questions he could ask him, a friend he hadn't seen for so long… The first thing he asked him was about the melon bun.

What an absurd.

Takemichi's ringing laughter came to him muffled. Almost like an echo, distant and ghostly.

“Yes! You promised actually! So don't pretend you forgot! It won't work! ”

"Don't listen to him, Chifuyu," Mori-san, always a carefree and cheerful Takemichi’s aunt, replied from the front seat. Through the rearview mirror, she cast her warm gaze at the teenager and only nodded lightly. “Just sit down. And you, Takemichi, stop bothering him with your nonsense. Middle school, after all, you have to be a little more serious.”

“Whose side are you on anyway? I always knew you loved him more than me!” Takemichi exclaimed in displeasure, and his aunt only laughed at him in response. Chifuyu remembered that she had always treated him well. Even at the moment when he dragged Takemichi home, beaten half to death, covered in blood and soiled clothes, she never swore. Although, it would seem, who would be happy to a child who was in a dangerous gang, for whom the showdown was nothing more than a routine? But she only thanked Chifuyu, bowing low - he never understood why exactly - offered him tea with sugar cookies and allowed him to stay the night.

The last time he saw her was on the day of the funeral. She wasn't even at her fifties, but for some reason, it seemed to him that she looked like a profound, old woman: a haggard face with deep wrinkles and hollow cheeks and a distant look of gray-blue eyes, constantly staring at a familiar name on the family grave.

Her eyes were much brighter now.

After all, in some ways she and Chifuyu were very similar.

After waiting for the young man to get into the car and close the door behind him, Mori-san slowly taxied out of the yard onto the highway and drove towards the school.

The ride was silent and tense.

Everything that was happening seemed unreal. Every movement made with trembling hands was jerky and unnatural. Chifuyu just didn't know where to put himself. He tried not to move and hardly breathed. It was like torture. Not knowing whether he would wake up in the next second or not was painful and scary.

“I'll buy everything,” Matsuno only muttered dejectedly after almost five minutes of silence, shifting closer to the window and glaring at the slightly fogged car window. And he added a little more quietly:  “Anything you want.”

“What?” Frowning uncomprehendingly, Takemichi cheerfully nudged him with his shoulder.

Palpably.

Warmly.

Just like before.

As if…

For real.

Chifuyu shuddered.

From this touch, all the insides got tightly twisted. It seems that a little more — and he will definitely throw up right in the cabin. It was necessary to get out outside, it was necessary to get out of this car as soon as possible and just run away.

Somewhere forward.

Somewhere.

Anywhere.

Just run without looking back.

"I said... I..." Chifuyu muttered, breathing heavily. From growing fear and panic, he began nervously fingering the strap of his backpack, as if he could defend himself with it on occasion. Chifuyu shut his eyes tightly, turned his head and shouted: "I said: I'll buy everything!"

And turned away again.

"Oh, so you really said that?Takemichi still heard him the first time, but probably didn't believe his ears. His tone seemed slightly disappointed. Maybe even unhappy.: "I'll buy everything" ? Didn't I hear that?! But what about "You jerk, I'll shake the whole soul out of you if you do that again!”. Did I try in vain?! In the end, you didn't even protest! Chifuyu, I just don't deserve such disrespect!”

A Fool.

What a fool Takemichi is after all.

He's always been like that.

Chifuyu didn't answer him. He knew Takemichi was waiting for an answer, but he couldn't find anything to say.

And then they were silent.

Chifuyu had imagined so many times how he would end up in the past. How, at the first meeting, he hugs Takemichi so tightly that his chest will shrink to a minimum, and the two of them will no longer have enough oxygen to start breathing normally. How merrily he will laugh, looking into these bright blue eyes, and then he admits that he missed his stupid ass a lot all this time.

But in reality it wasn't like that.

In reality, it was scary.

It's not scary to hug and squeeze until you lose your pulse — it's scary just to touch, talk to him, breathe in his direction, thinking that at the slightest unnecessary movement he will immediately crumble into ashes in the wind.

And it didn't work out to laugh in response, even if Chifuyu really wanted to.

He cowered and hunched fearfully, clutched his school backpack to his chest and dropped his heavy head on it. It was strange, trying not to make eye contact with Takemichi and at the same time just not to lose sight of him. Just to know that he's still somewhere here - sitting somewhere nearby on the next seat and playing some stupid game on an old phone, not ceasing to swear funnily.

Pretty funny.

Chifuyu was older now.

He was almost at his thirty.

And this Takemichi?

Fifteen? Twenty-six?

Chifuyu had no idea.

When you saw me after that terrible future...

Tell me, did you feel the same way?

Were you also so scared?

※ ※ ※ ※

He didn't remember how they got to school. Mori-san briefly said goodbye and said that she would try to pick them up after the end of classes, and Takemichi only grumbled that they had not been little children for a long time and would be able to get home by themselves.

Then there was the schoolyard, filled with voices and people whose faces seemed empty and meaningless to Matsuno. Someone came up and shook his hand, someone greeted him cheerfully and even shouted his name from the other end of the corridor, but he didn't remember anyone. He didn't even know who all these people were.

Chifuyu just trailed after Takemichi until they finally reached the third floor, where Hanagaki stopped for a moment in the middle of the corridor, threw a frivolous "see you!" over his shoulder and quickly followed in the direction of the stairs.

“Wait! Where are you…” Without realizing it, Chifuyu grabbed the sleeve of Hanagaki’s black jacket with his fingers in fright. It was getting harder to breathe. An inexplicable fear was growing in his chest. What, if he loses sight of him, the dream will immediately end? It was necessary to stall for time as long as possible. At least a little bit longer... to keep Takemichi by his side. “Where are you going?”

“Uh-uh… To my classroom?”  Awkwardly scratching his temple with his finger, Hanagaki explained. He frowned, but the corners of his lips still curved into a warm and caring smile.  “Yours is here, and mine is on the floor above. What happened to you? Have you forgotten?”

“I...” - Chifuyu wanted to hit himself because of how much he was stuttering now. His anxiety was obvious. The words did not want to gather into a reasonable sentence. He would like to tell him so much, tell him about every day of these painfully, lonely three years, and hug him so tightly that the bones would broke in two. But the body did not obey. The tongue in his mouth turned into a useless piece of meat. He only muttered stupidly to himself, lowering his head and still desperately trying not to meet that piercing gaze.

If he looks— he will definitely cry. And it is unlikely that he will ever be able to stop.

He needs to control himself. “No... no, nothing. Never mind.”

“Chifuyu, are you okay?” Takemichi cocked his head to the shoulder and asked in a tense tone. His eyes, which had been joyful and cheerful before, now showed obvious concern. The smile quickly disappeared from his face. Takemichi frowned even harder than before. “Are you feeling well?”

“I’m fine.” Matsuno wasn't the best actor. Frankly speaking, quite a shitty one. “I didn't sleep well last night, read manga, you know, all that…”

"Don't lie to me" Hanagaki cut him off in mid-sentence. It's always been like this with them: lying to each other was difficult, if it worked at all. “Is something wrong? You're not yourself today”

“I'm fine.”

Chifuyu just waved it off nonchalantly. But he could feel his legs slowly weakening. How fear grows in his chest and expands like a tumor, rotting and progressing, and metastases are rapidly introduced into every organ of his body. And destroy. They destroy everything inside him, down to the very last atom.

“Chifuyu.”

“It’s okay." He repeated again. More trying to convince himself than Takemichi.  “Your class will start soon, won’t it?"

Chifuyu knew he had to let him go.

He always knew that.

And sooner or later this dream will also end. So, the more time he spends in this fabulous world, the more painful it will be to wake up later.

So Matsuno has to let him go. Just let him go, right? Nothing complicated.

But for some reason, Chifuyu squeezed the fabric of Hanagaki's jacket only harder.

“Yes, but...” - Takemichi just wanted to object to his words, as Chifuyu nervously shook his head. The smile that appeared on his face was supposed to assure his friend that he would cope on his own, but it didn't seemed to be convincing.

“Go, or you'll be late again.”

“But what about you... “ Hanagaki was hesitating. It was obvious that he was ready to drop out of school and any of his affairs if Matsuno only asked. But he wasn't going to do that. “I can stay, and we…”

"I can stay"

So why did you leave me then? Why didn't you stay, why did you go to that fucking bowling alley alone, why didn't you say anything to me? Why? Tell me why? Tell me…

He should let him go.

No matter how strong he holds, Takemichi will still leave.

It's only a matter of time.

Let him go, Chifuyu.

Let him go, damn it.

"Just go to your class, Takemichi," Chifuyu croaked. His fingers, tightly gripping the fabric of his jacket, slowly unclenched. The hand slid down limply. He nodded grimly towards the stairs. "Go and don't worry about me. I'm just a little unwell in the morning. It will pass soon.

"The pain of loss is a monstrously heavy burden, Chifuyu.

But it will pass. Everything will pass someday"

“Are you sure?”

Chifuyu abruptly raised his head and peered into the eyes opposite.

It was a bad idea.

Damn bad one.

If he wanted to lie, making eye contact would be the worst plan. Although, when did he have any good plans at all?

“See you, okay?” That's all he could say. And he smiled, baring his white teeth, smiled as wide as he could, and only waved goodbye to him.

Hanagaki stepped back uncertainly. “But if anything happens, you’ll text to me right away, okay?”

“Absolutely.”

"See ya!"

Chifuyu waited until Takemichi, looking back at him over his shoulder every now and then, climbed up the stairs to the right floor, went a small corridor and opened the door to his classroom, apologizing to the teacher for being a little late.

It only took a few seconds.

Chifuyu barely restrained himself from rushing after him. He was waiting to come back to reality. Right at the moment when the door on the other floor slammed shut, he was waiting for this to happen. He expected to wake up in a cold sweat, frozen and exhausted, and it would be the twenty-first year on the calendar again. He had already imagined how he would get drunk to unconsciousness on his return. And clearly will smoke more than a dozen cigarettes.

Several packs.

But when Takemichi left, the dream didn't end for some reason.

Only the school bell rang again, resounding with even greater volume along the empty long corridor. This was the last straw.

He never came into the classroom. Rushed in the opposite direction.

Fortunately, there was no one in the school toilet. On wobbly legs, Chifuyu barely staggered to the door and then to the sink, and all his today’s breakfast immediately poured out of him.

He didn't know how long he had been vomiting.

Probably long enough, because at some point he stopped seeing the remnants of porridge in the vomit coming out. It was just a dark yellow liquid. Just the sight of it made his stomach turn over all its contents again.

It wasn't like a dream.

It didn't look like it at all.

Could it have been possible to feel so bad in a dream? How could it? It's probably because of those pills. Definitely because of them. Chifuyu should have known that mixing them with alcohol the night before was a bad idea.

When the vomiting finally stopped, Chifuyu did not find the strength to even just wash and rinse his mouth. Clutching the rim of the sink tightly with trembling fingers, he looked at himself in the mirror. His green eyes no longer shone as brightly as they had in the morning. These were the eyes he was most afraid to see. Dead and tarnished. Only the name remained of the green shade. And even though his hair was still blond and short, even though his face was fresh and young, and he himself was encased in the body of a fourteen-year-old Chifuyu Matsuno… Those eyes were still thirty. These eyes saw not only the death of his father and Baji-san.

They had seen twelve years of waiting, which crashed with a crack on the gray asphalt.

And three more years of desperate and senseless attempts to return the one he swore to protect till the end.

Chifuyu collapsed on the green tile and leaned his head back on the rim of the washbasin, breathing abruptly and heavily. He was choking. His whole body was shaking. He couldn't even cry. He just squinted, clenching his teeth until a characteristic crunch, but not a single tear rolled down his cheek.

He moaned quietly in pain.

Everything swam before his eyes.

His head hurt so much. Only the heart hurt even more. It seemed to Chifuyu that it was ready to burst right in his chest. It was as if there was a detonator inside him, and someone had their palm on the red button.

The walls of the small room were closing in on him like huge monsters, the light of the single lamp for some reason dimmed in an instant, and the restroom plunged into terrifying darkness. From all corners, the shadows stretched out their sticky hands to the young man, trying to drag him away, and he shrank into a small, helpless ball, as he always did, covered his ears with his hands and hid his head between his knees. He wanted to call for help, to scream so loudly that the windows would burst all over the school, but his tongue seemed to turn to stone in his mouth. The only sound coming out of his throat was no more than a strangled wheeze. And hardly anyone would have heard him.

There were so many voices circling around Chifuyu, all of them were familiar and unfamiliar, and they were all addressing him. Everything piled on top of him. It came down in a huge avalanche.

“Son, when I get home from this flight, you and I will definitely go to the water park. As we agreed, remember?"”

Father.

"Chifuyu…

I'd kill for buckwheat noodles right now..."

Baji-san.

"Chifuyu, if one day I do something very stupid…

Please, promise not to be angry."

Takemichi .

Chifuyu suddenly felt that he was going to die. So clear this thought was in his head. The darkness was eating up the last remnants of oxygen in his lungs. He couldn't breathe anymore. He couldn't do anything else.

Fear consumed him.

There is no escape.

There is nothing else.

“Chifuyu?” A familiar voice suddenly broke through the darkness. It was different from what Chifuyu had heard a minute ago. It was louder and more real than the others. “Hey, can you hear me? Look at me!”

“T-tak…”

Chifuyu tried to respond, but his lips were dry, his throat was squeezed, and he managed to utter only a few incomprehensible sounds. Matsuno didn’t see his savior. He only heard the voice. He heard and reached out to meet him. Felt the touch.

And he exactly knew who those hands belonged to.

“I knew I shouldn't have left you alone. I knew…”

“It's okay... I… I'm going to... get up… on my own…”

"Don't" Takemichi cut him off again. “Sit still.”

His always soft voice sounded much rougher and harder now. He wasn't asking, he was ordering. He did not accept objections. And Chifuyu even allowed himself a slight smirk when he remembered who was actually the captain here.

After a moment, he felt something cold being applied to his forehead. Probably a handkerchief soaked in water. Probably something like that. And Takemichi's hands, also cold and wet from the water, began to gently stroke his face and hair.

“Try to listen to my voice, okay? Breathe with me.”

Chifuyu obeyed.

It became a little easier.

At least he could open his eyes.

Takemichi was still here. Real. Not a copy from a single joint photo, but a living and breathing person. He hasn't gone anywhere. He was still sitting on his knees directly opposite.

Just stretch out the hand and…

"Hey, hello?" Hanagaki called him softly. His former hairstyle seemed slightly disheveled, as did his whole appearance. He was very scared, but he still tried to smile encouragingly. “How are you?”

"Better." Matsuno replied, his voice was still hoarse.

“Better?”

“Yeah.”

"Thanks God," Takemichi drawled, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. He put his hands back and threw his head back. “Thank God…”

“What are you doing here?”

“I went back to your classroom, but they told me that you never came, so I went to look for you. I ran around the whole school.”

“Why did you come back?”

 “You know why.”

 “That's not the answer to my question.”

“I... I felt that something was wrong, okay? I know it sounds really stupid, but I... I just realized I had to find you. I don't know why.”

Chifuyu just nodded. He was more than satisfied with the answer. Takemichi's presence instantly dispelled the old darkness. Now the room was light and bright, and there were no shadows in it anymore.

It became easier to breath.

“Thank you”

“I'll take you home.”

“No need.”

"It wasn't a question, so don't argue," Takemichi also insisted. And yet, at the end, he added politely, "Please."

“You're not going to give up anyway, are you?"

“As if you don't know.”

If there were a real fourteen-year-old Chifuyu here, he probably would have had discussions and bickered for a long time, but this Chifuyu had absolutely no strength. He just let Takemichi do whatever he saw fit.

The young man helped him to rise from the floor, carefully but firmly holding him behind his back, and threw Chifuyu's arm over his shoulder. In this position, they went down the stairs, went out into the schoolyard and at the same painfully slow pace trudged back towards Matsuno's house. It was almost useless to call Hanagaki’s aunt to pick them up: she always turned off her phone when she arrived at work so as not to be distracted.

“We came.”

When they arrived, Takemichi himself took out a spare key from a flower pot and opened the front door for them, led Chifuyu all the way to the room and carefully laid him on the bed. Silently took off his shoes from his feet, took off his jacket and hung it in its usual place on a chair, and then covered Matsuno with two blankets.

“I'll get you something to eat, okay? And I'll grab some medicine too" Takemichi barely turned towards the door when something clicked in Chifuyu's head again. I won't let you go anymore. He was alarmed. He jerked out of bed and tried to get up, but got tangled in one of the thick blankets.

And even if this dream is absolutely not eternal, even if in the morning he will cry in pain, biting the pillow, you need to grab every second. Every moment.

Fuck it.

“Wait, I'm going with you! Don't leave without me! Now, give me a minute, okay? I'll get up now!”

“Hey, where to?! Return to your place!” Takemichi turned back to Chifuyu and helped him back onto the bed. He didn't seem too happy with the prospect. "You'd better lie here, and I'll be right back. Alright?”

“No, we'll go together!” Chifuyu exclaimed and suddenly realized how idiotic his behavior looked. He's like a child left in kindergarten, not wanting to let his mother go to work. “I mean…”

Takemichi only smiled knowingly.

“As your captain, I'm asking you to stay put, do you understand me?” He raised himself up again, making Chifuyu gasp with fear, bent down and gave him a friendly flick on the forehead. A new touch. “I'll be right back, dumbass. Don't worry so much.”

This "right back" was excruciatingly long. But still he came back. With a heated soup in one hand, a glass of water in the other and a plate of pills clenched in his teeth. And how with his clumsiness did he not just fall down somewhere in the corridor?

His stomach was empty. Chifuyu didn't know if he wanted to eat or not, but he tried anyway, but his hands didn't obey him at all. The spoon continued to tremble in his thin fingers.

“Give me that,” Takemichi calmly intercepted the bowl and the cutlery from his hands into his own, scooped up some soup with a spoon, blew on it and directed it towards Matsuno. Chifuyu didn’t resist. Although it looked damn pathetic.

He was able to eat only half of the plate — he couldn't swallow more — drank the offered pill without even asking about its purpose, and washed it all down with water. He lay down on the pillow and looked at Takemichi, silently asking a question they both understood. In response to this, Hanagaki only sat down on the carpet next to his bed, pulled Peek-J onto his lap and gently patted her behind the ear.

“I'll stay with you until your mom gets home."

“What about the lessons?” Matsuno asked for some reason. Although that was the last thing he'd ever cared about.

“To hell with the lessons.”

"Hina will be looking for you" he reminded again. It was a little selfish. To give Takemichi millions of chances to leave, knowing that he will not take even a single one and this will amuse his own self-esteem.

 “Don’t worry.”

And the room was filled with silence again. Fortunately, it wasn't as awkward as it was on the way to school. Chifuyu stared at the ceiling, then at Takemichi, afraid to close his eyes for more than five seconds, and Hanagaki leaned his head back on the bed and sleepily gaped. He didn't ask anything, although Matsuno was sure that there were a lot of questions in his head. But for some reason he wasn't asking anything.

Probably catching, as if subconsciously, that it's too early to ask questions.

Mental connection.

“Don't sit on the floor. Come here—" the words slipped from his lips by themselves, breaking the long silence. Chifuyu couldn't even figure out how he said it, but by the moment he had time to regret his words, Takemichi silently moved to the bed and leaned his back against the wall. Matsuno moved the blanket under him and sat down next to him, although it would have been much preferable for him to lie down because of a sore head.

"I don't know what's on your mind," Takemichi said in a barely audible voice, still without opening his eyes. “But know that I'm here.”

Following that, Naoto's stern voice prophetically repeated the same terrible words in his mind:

"I'm sorry, Chifuyu, but Takemichi is gone."

Chifuyu rested his head on Takemichi's shoulder. In response, he lowered his on top of his head. His hand slid to his shoulder and pressed Chifuyu a little closer. Hanagaki was never too tactile — Chifuyu was — but he understood more than ever how important these awkward hugs were.

“…Takemichi is gone.”

“…Takemichi is gone.”

“…Takemichi is gone.”

“I'm here, everything's fine,” Takemichi repeated again.

You are here.

You're really here.

Takemichi couldn't even imagine, but a short "I'm here"  was more important than anything Matsuno could ever ask for. The most important thing in the world. No, not like that. More important than the whole world!

The chest barely rose, Chifuyu buried his nose in the warm shoulder, trying to stop those damned tears that filled his eyes, but they burst out of themselves — without any warning — and gushed out of his throat first with a strangled sob - quite a bit, almost inaudibly, and then in a flow, all at once. He was sobbing at the top of his voice.

“Right…” He laughed nervously, gasping for air. "You're here," the tears only got stronger, and the hand on his shoulder tightened a little tighter. He repeated again, “You're here...” and in a half-whisper, just to himself. “This is not a dream…”

The native warmth enveloped him. It allowed Chifuyu to go limp in Hanagaki’s arms and finally relax.

The red thread on his neck was no longer suffocating. Just the opposite. It allowed him to breathe much deeper and easier.

Chifuyu suddenly realized something that he hadn't realized until now for some reason. Some simple and painfully obvious truth. Having lost Takemichi, he lost more than just his best friend and partner. Not just a hero and a captain, for whom he was always ready to blindly go on the attack.

He had lost a part of himself.

The exact part that has now fallen back into its place, allowing the puzzles to form into a complete mosaic.

The world seemed brighter than before.

If time travel was possible, he had snatched a second chance for himself. He doesn’t care that it was two thousand and five, he doesn’t care that it's so far from the future, he doesn't care about absolutely everything. He had no life there. Because it ended back in two thousand eighteen.

But it was here.

His life.

It was still here!

“You should get some sleep.” Takemichi advised. His whisper seemed a little rough and distant. Probably lost somewhere in the blond hair.

“I don't want to.”

“ This is the fourth time you've yawned. This is not the case.”

“ And you've already yawned sixth times. So don't teach me.”

“Ungrateful.”

“Just shut up, Takemichi.”

After a few moments, Hanagaki began to snore. He always lost in such things, although he was more proud than everyone else. Chifuyu smiled faintly. After all, something never changes.

He wasn't going to sleep.

He just couldn't.

He was afraid to even close his eyes.

And there was no strength left to think about anything at all.

Takemichi should have rested a little more. Chifuyu knew that he was tormented by nightmares, and he slept for at most four hours every night, thinking only about how to save absolutely everyone, and therefore seeing him sleeping so serenely was a true reward for Matsuno.

“Don't leave” having made sure that Takemichi was sleeping soundly enough, Chifuyu grabbed his hand with his fingers. “Don't leave me again, please.”

No matter how I ended up in the past...

I'll fix everything.

I promise you.

This time it will be different.

And while you're saving the rest of the world...

I'll be the one to save you.

Chapter Text

Chifuyu didn’t close his eyes even for a minute.

Neither during the day, when Takemichi was peacefully dozing next to him, nor that night.

To be honest, he didn't even try to fall asleep. Moreover, he did everything he could to stay conscious as long as possible. The oppressive fear of waking up not here, but somewhere in the distant bleak future, still haunted him.

Chifuyu just lay in his warm, soft bed, stroking the cat that curled up next to him with his palm, and looked at the ceiling distantly, thinking about everything that had happened to him lately.

Painfully slowly, but the realization still began to come to him.

The more time Chifuyu spent in this past, talking with his mother about school exams, fiddling with Peke-J or flipping through the gallery of an old phone for the hundredth time, the more convinced he became that time travel really took place.

It was still hard to believe.

But he seems to have succeeded.

He really did it!

Chifuyu didn't know how and why it happened, didn't know how long it would last and how to get out if everything suddenly went wrong, but... he moved back in time. He really moved back in time! He saw Takemichi with his own eyes, for the first time after three years of painfully long separation, heard his sonorous laugh, felt his smell, felt literally every tiny touch with his own skin, and even now…

Even now, lying in his bed, Chifuyu still felt the warmth of someone else's body under his cheek and a soft but firm grip on his shoulder. That velvety, lulling voice kept repeating itself in his head. It sweetly assured him: "I'm here, Chifuyu, everything is all right."

"Everything will definitely be all right"

And for some reason it gave him courage.

Courage, which he did not have before and which he would hardly have dared to ask for, but thanks to which now he was ready to roll even the top of Kilimanjaro. In that brief moment when he realized that everything was real, that Takemichi sitting next to him was not a figment of his imagination and not a hallucination, but a real living person, everything in the world suddenly seemed possible to him.

Of course, the old fear hasn’t completely gone away, but the initial confusion has gradually been replaced by a desperate thirst for action. Chifuyu felt his faded strength finally returning to him, and his body slowly filled with determination.

He can handle it.

He will definitely cope.

No matter how huge the difficulties on his way turned out to be, no matter what it cost…

"I will be the one to save you"

I promise you, Takemichi.

In the semi-darkness of his room, Chifuyu groped for the switch of a small lamp on the bedside table, quickly clicked on it, squinting a little from the harsh light, and found a postcard left in the morning among the old junk.

It was about it. This postcard.

He definitely felt it.

Chifuyu turned it over in his hands meticulously.

Almost with jeweler's care, he examined the glossy smooth surface from all sides, touched and felt each of the four sharp corners for an additional layer, but Matsuno didn’t find anything particularly strange.

There was also nothing remarkable in the huge inscription written in italics.

Chichibu Festival

December, 2006

It looked like a very usual, ordinary greeting card.

Red in color, with a pair of sky lanterns as an invariable attribute of this festival and silhouettes of two lovers launching them into the boundless starry sky.

Nothing special.

Usually they were sold in huge quantities in every second stall at a crowded fair, and people often bought them as a cheap souvenir in memory of the past event.

But this festival was supposed to take place only in December. Now it was only the beginning of February on the calendar, which meant that it was impossible to connect it with the events taking place even with a very strong desire. Too much time separated them from each other.

No leads.          

Although...

Wait a minute.

And why did Chifuyu end up in two thousand and six at all? After all, in order to save Takemichi, it was necessary to go back only three years ago, convince him to leave Mikey alone or at least not go to save him on his own, but... two thousand and six? Why was he thrown so far back?

Chifuyu couldn't understand the reason.

But still he tried to come up with some logical chain in his head.

Takemichi went back in time to save Hinata, who died in the two thousand seventeenth as a result of the showdown of the criminal "Toman". Right? And he was thrown back just in the two thousand and fourth, exactly twelve years ago, because it was the best time to cut down on the root of the alleged rotting of the gang. To prevent Mikey and Kisaki from meeting, or at least to prevent "Toman" from turning into Yakuza. It was simple enough.

But did the threads of saving Takemichi lead to February of two thousand and six? What in general happened to them and the gang during this period of time?

Matsuno strained his memory as strong as possible.

It seems that they were badly beaten at the station by the arriving members of "Tenjiku", then, because of Chifuyu’s advice, Takemichi returned back to the future for some information, and there Naoto died at the hands of Kisaki, and Hanagaki, who returned, asked Matsuno never to get involved in anything again. What happened then? Chifuyu, of course, convinced him to act together, Takemichi headed the eleventh generation of "Black Dragons", and Inui became his deputy, Emma died, then there was a battle with "Tenjiku" itself, Kisaki was hit by a truck, Izana died, Mikey disbanded Toman and ... Takemichi returned back to the future, after which they met only in the spring of two thousand eighteenth at the wedding of Pah-chin.

Fuck.

Too many things.

Chifuyu’s thoughts were confused.

It would be much more logical to cling to some significant events that could have been avoided, and try to concentrate on them.

Emma's death fit that modest description.

If he thinks about it like that, then it was she who could influence Mikey so strong that in the future he completely went off the rails. If Emma doesn't die, then Mikey will be fine, and Takemichi won't have to save him anymore.

Yes.

And everything will be all right.

He just needs to save Emma.

That's all.

Chifuyu flopped back onto the pillow and sighed heavily, closing his eyes wearily.

As if it was that simple.

How could she have been saved at all?

Does he look like some kind of a superhero?

The plan, quick and dirty, instantly seemed stupid and even absurd to him. However, there was nothing better in his head.

Besides...

Mikey.

To be honest, Chifuyu remembered him with undisguised horror. Every now and then a picture rose before his eyes, which was endlessly played on all news channels: the building of the former bowling alley, cordoned off with yellow warning tape, two corpses somewhere in the background, packed in thick black bags, and an unfamiliar journalist, casually broadcasting that the leader of the criminal "Bonten" died in an accident.

Takemichi went back for Mikey, leaving all of them behind.

Why did he do it? Why couldn't he accept Sano's leaving the same way everyone else did? Why did he follow him when he still had everyone else? He had Chifuyu! What was so special about Manjiro Sano? What had he got that Chifuyu Matsuno hadn’t?

Chifuyu tried for so many years, but couldn't understand.

And yet he knew one thing for sure.

It was Mikey.

He took Takemichi with him.

Forced him to jump without looking back into this bloody abyss, and then dragged him to the very bottom. With his terrible hands, he grabbed Hanagaki’s small, fragile shoulders and pulled him off this ill-fated roof.

If it wasn't him…

If it wasn't him, Takemichi would still be alive.

And then all of them would be happy.

Chifuyu would be happy!

But Mikey... He ruined everything. He destroyed everything. And Chifuyu fought the urge to strangle him with his own hands. And at the same time, he was well aware that the best thing he could do now, besides saving Emma — was to do everything possible to protect Takemichi from any communication with Sano and the top of Toman.

After all, they had ruined him.

Draken, Mitsuya, Hakkai, Smiley, Souya, Peh-yan and Pah-chin…

They were all alive and happy, but for some reason Takemichi was not.

And there was something damn unfair about it.

It was still prohibited to sleep, but his eyes kept trying to close. Chifuyu rolled over first on one side, then on the second, lay on his stomach and on his back, knocked down his entire blanket and shook the pillow three times, but the time on the clock did not move even by a miserable millimeter. He didn't want to read manga at all, although many shelves in his bookcase were filled to the top with it, and the idea of doing homework at half past one at night seemed a little depressing.

Next to him, Peke-J was sleeping quite peacefully.

Chifuyu smiled faintly.

Still, his silent presence always comforted him.

He wonder how Takemichi was doing there now?

After all, he was sitting with Matsuno almost till late in the evening, until his mother returned home from work, he kindly helped carry all the dirty dishes to the kitchen, not listening to any objections, and, as Chifuyu found out an hour later, he even managed to feed Peke-J, although the cat constantly tried to leave a couple of shallow scratches on his hands.

Chifuyu sighed again.

Still, Takemichi left more recently.

And why did his heart ache so much? Why was it so difficult for Matsuno to admit even to himself that he began to miss as soon as Takemichi stepped outside the door?

He didn't understand if it was due to the fact that Chifuyu from the future was here now, burdened with his loss, or if it was always so simple and with every version of Chifuyu Matsuno in any timeline, but... the fact still remained. He was missing. He missed him so much. And now that his mind was at least a little clearer, Chifuyu realized how huge the scale of his loneliness and despair had been all this time. How strongly he needed to meet Takemichi Hanagaki again all these years, it would be difficult to describe in words.

Over the past few hours, Chifuyu has already grabbed the phone six times, searched for the necessary contact and even pressed the call twice, but for some reason he invariably dropped it. He didn't want to seem too intrusive. Besides, he was behaving quite strangely today.

And yet he picked up the phone again.

And immediately put it back, scolding himself for his lack of restraint.

Chifuyu patted his cheeks briskly, sobering himself.

Must not.

Don't be an idiot.

Obviously, Takemichi had already gone to bed a long time ago and was tightly sleeping.

No need to wake him up. Chifuyu just needs to wait for the dawn, and the next morning they will see each other again. It's not a dream, right? And when the sun raises high above the earth, they will meet again. And then again and again, many, many more times. He just had to be patient a little more.

But persuasions didn't work well enough.

Or to be more precise - they did not work at all.

Chifuyu, in general, was not so interested in what Takemichi could be doing at half past one in the night. He'd been alone for more than three years, so... he'll survive until morning somehow. Nothing bad will happen to him.

It's only a few hours, right?

And he's not a stupid kid to be so nervous.

And as if in response to these thoughts, the cell phone lying on the bedside table immediately rattled loudly.

Chifuyu teared off from his place so quickly that he almost knocked everything on the bedside table to the floor, and almost dropped himself off the bed when, with one light movement, he still managed to open the flimsy lid of his old clamshell.

A silly smile immediately appeared on his face.

A liar.

For some reason, the palms tightly clutching the phone were sweating instantly.

A liar.

And for some reason, his cheeks burned so fiercely, as if he suddenly had a high fever in just a second. Probably, he was still a little unwell because of morning sickness. After all, there could be no other reason for this.

What a liar you are, Matsuno.

Takemichi: Hi, I can't sleep for some reason. Wanna talk a little?

Without thinking twice, the young man tapped his fingers on the plastic buttons with some unprecedented enthusiasm for himself.

Chifuyu: Of course! I don't feel sleepy anyway!

And then he pulled himself away.

No.

He shouldn't have answered so quickly. What if Takemichi now thinks that Chifuyu was just sitting and waiting for this stupid message from him? Which, of course, was true, but it was absolutely prohibited neither to talk about it nor to admit to himself this indisputable truth.

He also texted it with exclamation marks. Who writes such messages with exclamation marks at all?

It looked stupid.

Very, very stupid.

How could he even think of that.

After all, he promised himself that he would calmly wait for the morning, and now he’s here…

Behaved like a complete idiot.

Chifuyu: Nightmares again?

Takemichi: Yeah. Is it that obvious?

Chifuyu: Just for me. Akkun?

Takemichi: No. This time it was Hina.

Takemichi: I tried to go back to sleep, but it still doesn't really work out.

Takemichi: I'm sorry I'm texting to you again. You clearly shouldn't have let me to.

Takemichi: Well... at least not that often.

Takemichi: Am I bothering you too much?

Chifuyu: Don't be an idiot.

Chifuyu: You know you’re not.

Takemichi: I hope so.

Takemichi: But I just remind you that if you continue to indulge me so often, then texting to you in the middle of the night may accidentally turn into a habit.

Takemichi: So, don't complain later! You just signed up for it yourself!

Takemichi: (it wasn't a threat)

Takemichi: (but idk)

Takemichi: Okay, if you still didn't get it, then I'm giving you one last chance to leave!

Chifuyu, of course, wasn't going anywhere.

Not this time.

And definitely not in this life.

Text me more often.

Chifuyu is typing…

Text when you feel bad.

Chifuyu is typing…

Text when you're sad.

Chifuyu is typing…

Text when you are happy.

Chifuyu is typing…

Text, even if you want to ask me some kind of utter stupidity.

Chifuyu is typing…

And even if it's the middle of the night outside.

Even if you have absolutely nothing to text about.

Text me, please.

And then I'll ask you how your day went.

I'll ask you what you've been doing all this time and what are your plans for tomorrow.

Maybe we can even arrange to meet next week.

We'll set a time, and as always you'll be half an hour late.

And will just send me this stupid sorry emoji in response.

Takemichi: Chifuyu? Are you here?

You can't even imagine how much I've missed you.

Chifuyu looked hopelessly at the empty line, in which no letters had been printed until now, and only closed his eyes for a second. He needed to catch the breath. Convince himself that everything was fine.

Chifuyu: Yes.

Chifuyu: Sometimes you're so dramatic (⌣̀_⌣́)

Chifuyu: I don't feel sleepy anyway.

Chifuyu: So, I'm staying.

Takemichi: Cool! Then what would you like to do right now?

I'd like to hear your voice.

Heck.

I've missed you.

That's enough.

I felt so bad and lonely.

Please.

Why did you leave me?

I just can't breathe.

His fingers froze over the keyboard. Matsuno erased the message he had already written and immediately typed it again, biting his lips in excitement and berating himself for the hundredth time for his recklessness.

Perhaps he looked weird right now. Possessed. Creepy? Or maybe everything at once. After a few hours of denial, all the suppressed emotions suddenly rolled over him in such a big wave that it was almost impossible to cope with it. A huge, indefatigable flame was burning in his chest, which he simply could not extinguish. Anxiety mixed with the joy of meeting and together they turned into a nuclear cocktail.

Chifuyu just wanted to see Takemichi as soon as possible and do everything right this time. Not to be afraid and not to tremble like a leaf from every movement, but to talk to him loudly and confidently, habitually throwing an arm over his shoulder and, laughing, calling out a fervent and carefree "hey, Takemitchy!".

Although, probably, it would be too much for the first time. He would like just to have a… touch. With the tips of his fingers to grab hold of his elusive silhouette.

And this time to keep.

The head was spinning again. The exhausted body desperately needed sleep. Chifuyu leaned back on the bed, deleting and typing everything over again, and then hesitantly pressed the "send"  button.

He'll regret it.

He's already regretting it.

Chifuyu: I wanted to talk to you.

Chifuyu: Can I call?

And he immediately slammed the lid of his mobile phone in fright, hid it under the pillow and flopped down with the top of his head, repeatedly hitting his forehead against it and sighing in resignation. The phone vibrated after just a couple of seconds, and Chifuyu took it out as carefully as if he had a bomb with a ticking mechanism in his hands. He pushed the gadget away from him by a decent distance of a few centimeters and, squinting, opened the lid, trying to read the message from afar.

Takemichi: I just wanted to ask u the same thing! How did you know? Who are u? Haruka Kotoura¹?

Takemichi: Though what do I even wait from a guy who was guessing about time travel before I told him? LIKE YOU'RE REALLY DAMN SMART!

Takemichi: The dorayaki plan doesn't count. It still sucks!

Takemichi: Is it okay if we have to whisper? My aunt is at home today.

Chifuyu: We’re used to it. I'll call you myself.

He quickly found the right name in the call list and immediately put the phone to his ear. A few short rings — they felt too long — and then at the other end of the line they finally picked up.

Chifuyu shuddered, holding his breath.

His fingers, clutching the mobile, trembled again.

“H-hello?..” he breathed excitedly into the phone. For some reason, Matsuno’s own voice now seemed different to him, strange and unfamiliar, and not because of the reason that a fourteen-year-old boy was speaking for him now. One single word was given to him with great difficulty. But a one short "hello" had more than Chifuyu could admit out loud.

“Hello!” Takemichi responded cheerfully. “How are you?”

“Me?" He asked for some reason. The voice trembled treacherously. “A-a-ah... me? I'm f-fine! And how are you?”

Hearing Takemichi again was still as strange and unusual as a couple of hours ago. But this time, Chifuyu reminded himself that they just might not have had another chance to talk.

And the time before dawn passed like an instant.

They said goodbye just before morning.

Unless, of course, the fact that Takemichi started snoring into his phone right around four-thirty in the morning just a minute after the words "oh, come on, I don't want to sleep at all!" could generally be considered as "goodbye".

To be honest, Chifuyu didn't even remember what they were talking about.

It seemed about everything in the world: about important and unimportant, smart and stupid, about something completely disconnected and detached, jumping from topic to topic and trying not to laugh too loudly so as not to wake up your household. Words poured out of Chifuyu in streams, oceans, rivers, he just talked and talked without stopping, and he probably talked much more than Takemichi, and then he also listened patiently. And even though sometimes Chifuyu just wanted to burst into tears right into the phone, he stopped himself every time. He just tossed his head and blinked often, and then muttered softly, swallowing his own tears that had accumulated in a lump in his throat: "Yes, I'm here, go on."

Chifuyu remembered how much he loved their chats when he was fourteen.

And fifteen.

In fact, he still loved them a lot. He never stopped to. Because even after twelve years, even when Takemichi went back in time and they were both already twenty-six years old, their chitchats remained the same as they were now. Something has never changed. They always had something to talk about, even if it seemed that there was absolutely nothing to say.

It was so nice to remember what it was like again.

To talk to someone who has always understood you at a glance.

This morning, school preparation went much easier than last time. Chifuyu got dressed in just a couple of minutes, had a good breakfast and even managed to play a little with Pick-Jay before the familiar car signal came from the street. He rushed out of the house like a bullet and also quickly found himself in the back seat, greeting Mori-san and the yawning every minute Takemichi.

“I see, you're much better today," Hanagaki remarked with a smile, when they finally were in the school yard. He was habitually cheerful, although he looked obviously sleepy. Probably because they both stayed up half the night. Nevertheless, he boldly nudged him with his shoulder. “You remember what day it is, don't you?"

“Uh-uh...” clutching the strap of the backpack with one hand, Chifuyu rubbed his temple with the other, uncertainly answering: “The ninth of February? Isn't it?”

“Yes, but what else?”

He arched an eyebrow with perplexity, pursing his lips thoughtfully. “And what else?”

"You're scaring me," Takemichi shook his head in displeasure. “Today is a lazy Thursday!”

“Lazy... what?”

“Have you really forgotten?" With undisguised disappointment, the young man took a deep breath, looking into Matsuno's eyes with such intently, as if he had just kidnapped the president. “We have only PE and English today!”

“And... what does that mean?”

“This means that lessons are canceled for today, Chifuyu! And you and I are going to hang out right now! After all, we made a deal!”

“To hang out?” Matsuno asked him with even greater surprise. Although, to be honest, he should have paid much more attention to the words "made a deal". Because Chifuyu remembered almost nothing about himself, not to mention such details as some ordinary arrangements. “But what about…”

No, it wasn’t the time to hang out.

It was necessary to act, look for information and remember these days in as much detail as possible. Not a moment of peace and rest. Not until he figured out how to save Takemichi, it was simply impossible to relax. And to allow himself to live so carefree, as if he was really an ordinary teenager, and not a thirty-year-old drunk trapped in his body, would be a too big luxury.

But on the other hand…

He didn't even really know what to do. The memories were abrupt and hazy, he didn’t remember the places and exact dates clear enough so that he could at least think about saving Emma, and it would probably be much more correct to just go with the flow. To wait for the best moment, an opportunity or some kind of clue, but in the meantime ... was it possible to use the chance like  Chifuyu really would have wanted?

Was it possible to just... spend time with him? Talk? Walk? Hang out together?

Even if he has to live it all over again.

It would still be much better than any return to the future.

“I haven't been to a cafe for a very long time! Do you know anything nearby?” Ignoring all Chifuyu's questions, either intentionally or accidentally, Takemichi just grinned contentedly and quickly looked around, probably checking whether Mori-san's car had driven far enough from the school. “The horizon is clear, we can go!”

“Wait, Takemichi!” Chifuyu tried to stop him, but Takemichi had already run to the other side of the road, cheerfully beckoning Matsuno to follow him.

“Let's go faster, before we get caught!”

Chifuyu sighed wearily, rubbing his red and swollen from lack of sleep eyes. He was almost falling asleep on the move and could barely walk.

One day.

Just a few hours.

Nothing bad would happen if he allowed himself this little weakness, right?

After all, they haven't seen each other for more than three years, and such moments, they… They just couldn't be missed like that, could they?

Perhaps this will be the very last carefree moment before a series of hard battles and fights. Then it was even more essential to not lose it.

Chifuyu didn't ask for more.

He just needed one day.

“Chifuyu, why are you stuck there? Wanna stay there?”

One damn day.

He just shook his head, putting hands in the pockets.

And he said softly:

“I'm following you as always, partner.”

※ ※ ※ ※

On the way to the city center, where they reached on foot, Chifuyu finally remembered what "lazy Thursday" was.

In fact, the only unbreakable constant in this expression was the word "lazy", while the second word was always changing depending on the day of the week. They came up with this after sharing noodles together for the first time, and it remained as their little tradition. A simple teenage get-together, a little distraction from time travel, when they just walked and had fun, not thinking about saving the world. A day would obviously not be enough to patch up all their wounds, but when you are always in a cycle of dangerous events, showdowns and battles, and weekly fight with all sorts of bastards, every moment turns out to be worth its weight in gold for you.

Especially if it was a moment with Takemichi.

It was so rare to see him taking a break from all this heroic routine, but when he gave himself the opportunity, Chifuyu grabbed it with both hands.

And now…

He was hesitating now.

It seemed to him that he was just wasting time when he had to diligently look for solutions, and every second of delay in the future could cost him very, very expensive.

But he couldn't help himself.

Chifuyu just trailed behind, furtively watching Takemichi, who looked with interest into every second window and sometimes started some meaningless conversation with him about what he had seen.

Finally, they stood in front of the sign of a small cafe, meticulously examining the visitors sitting on the other side of the window and evaluating the interior. It didn't seem too fancy and rich, and everything was arranged enough simply and neatly, so having quickly exchanging glances and also quickly and silently making their decision, both boys immediately went inside.

“Good afternoon, young people” When they took their seats in a remote corner of a small hall, they were greeted by a pretty waitress. “What will you order?”

“A strawberry ice cream please” After looking at the proposed menu for a minute, Chifuyu immediately made his choice.

He cast a fleeting glance in the direction of Takemichi, who was intently studying the prices and assortment, and only gave a muffled chuckle. The loudest and most sociable in the circle of close people, at such moments for some reason Hanagaki was so shy that he even began to stutter, and then, for a long time and convulsively flipped through dense sheets of a multi-page menu and usually gave nervous waiters the first thing that caught his eye, instead of what he would really like.

Chifuyu turned to the waitress and confidently said:

“And another chocolate one.”

The blonde hair barely peeked out from behind the open menu. Takemichi looked up at Chifuyu with his eyes full of joy and only whispered softly to him, hiding back again:

“With chocolate chips!”

Chifuyu chuckled.

“With chocolate chips, please.”

The waitress wrote down everything he said and rechecked the correctness of the order, and then she silently left, and Takemichi exhaled with relief, putting aside the menu with trembling hands, which had been open on the page with alcoholic beverages all this time.

“You're just my savior, Chifuyu!”

“I hope this relieves me of the debt in the form of a melon bun?” closing his menu as well, Matsuno, sitting opposite him, yawned and slowly leaned back on the back of the red leather seat. A bad idea considering how much he wanted to sleep.

“I thought you did it for free!” With a long sigh, Takemichi repeated Chifuyu’s movements.

"You obviously think too well of me" He just shrugged, waiting for an answer to his question. “Well, so what?”

Hanagaki grumbled a little bit, but still nodded, uncertainly agreeing.

“Deal.”

“Your ice cream,” a couple of minutes later the waitress put two glasses on their table: one with chocolate, and the other with strawberry dessert. After making sure that everything was done correctly, she hurried to leave them alone. Fortunately, there were almost no visitors here at that time, and the secluded corner occupied by two boys turned out to be deserted at all.

Takemichi enthusiastically began to eat his delicacy, while Chifuyu delayed this moment as long as possible. He still seemed a little tense, and the concern of inaction that had been growing up in his chest for the past few minutes seemed to be only getting stronger. No matter how Matsuno tried to comfort or convince himself of the correctness of the decision he had made, the anxiety didn’t want to disappear.

There was no appetite.

“Why aren't you eating? Don’t like it?” Takemichi, of course, couldn't help but notice. He immediately looked away from his ice cream, his smile slowly faded, and the previously bright blue eyes instantly went out, giving way to concern. “Are you still unwell?"

Immersed in his thoughts, Matsuno didn’t even hear him right away, and when the question was repeated, he immediately started up and only shook his head.

“No, everything is fine” He began to sluggishly move the spoon over the ice cream, trying to at least feign an appetite, but to be honest, he didn’t want to eat at all. But he just couldn't upset Takemichi. And so, after eating a certain amount, he boldly pushed his glass in Hanagaki’s direction and handed him his silver spoon. “Do you want to try it?”

“Of course!” Takemichi carefully examined the dessert offered, scooped up the most extreme part with a spoon, put it in his mouth and chewed for a long time, trying to taste it, before a charming smile finally shone on his concentrated face. “Wow! It's just the food of the gods! I've never eaten anything better in my life! I don't understand, how you always get the tastiest food?”

“Do you like it?” Propping his cheeks with his hands and slightly tilting his head, Chifuyu asked awkwardly.

“Yes, a lot!” Takemichi exclaimed even more cheerfully, devouring spoonful after spoonful and, it seems, completely forgetting about who actually owned this ice cream.

Chifuyu just couldn't control his smile.

He looked at how happily Hanagaki was eating some stupid ice cream, as if it was the last on the whole earth, and the corners of his lips seemed to stretch themselves in different directions. Each time, wider and wider, more and more, at the same time, a forgotten trembling warmth grew and blossomed in his chest.

He would probably have sitting like this forever.

 Just sat there in silence, watching him furtively, from somewhere far away, and memorizing every detail in case if Takemichi wanted to disappear again.

Seeing him alive again was... so good. Chifuyu struggled with the desire to reach out to him with his hand and quickly tousle this ridiculous hair on his head, feel the softness of this hair under the pads of his own fingers, squeeze his shoulders and pull his cheeks. But he barely had the courage to just speak without choking through every word. Any touch seemed unfathomably far and difficult.

Noticing  a gaze on himself, Takemichi immediately stopped eating, took a spoon out of a half-empty glass and with his mouth full, clumsily asked:

“Oh, do you want it too?”

Chifuyu, previously gloomy and serious, immediately burst out laughing, realizing the absurdity of this question.

And he only nodded briefly, taking his hand away from his face and was already stretching it forward to take the glass container and drag it to his part of the table, when Takemichi took a spoon with more colored mass, carefully choosing a place with a piece of strawberry, and, holding it a little, suddenly directed it to Matsuno's mouth.

Chifuyu's hand froze in mid-motion.

He blinked in confusion.

“Well?” smiling and continuing to poke the spoon in his direction, Hanagaki said.

Chifuyu barely opened his lips to say something, as Takemichi immediately shoved a spoon of ice cream into his mouth and raised his eyebrows, waiting for some kind of reaction. Matsuno's face immediately changed as he chewed and swallowed the treat offered to him.

“God, it's really delicious!”

“I know!” Takemichi scooped another portion from the glass. “Try some more!”

“Wait, try again from this side! I think it tastes better here!” Matsuno quickly picked up the untouched spoon intended for the second dessert, grabbed some ice cream with it and held it towards Takemichi. He ate it without any objections and after a moment nodded in response. Hanagaki immediately began to examine the glass from all sides in search of the same tasty morsel, so intently that he even managed to cover up his own nose with ice cream.

Chifuyu chuckled softly to himself. At least, he sincerely believed that it was really quiet.

“What is it?” Takemichi blinked in surprise, quickly running his hands over his own face and clothes in an attempt to find the reason for such a sudden laugh.

“No, no, nothing," Matsuno just waved him off, laughing harder every second.

“Tell me!”

“Everything is fine!”

“You're lying!”

“I'm telling you, nothing happened!”

"Then why are you laughing so loudly?"

Chifuyu smeared his finger on a glass with ice cream and put it to his nose, leaving a characteristic mark on it. And only smiled stupidly, finally bowing his head to the shoulder.

“Well, now there are two of us.”

Takemichi stared at him in silence for a few seconds, as if he was the biggest idiot in the world, and then, uttering only a quiet laugh, he immediately burst out chortling loudly and uncontrollably.

“What? Why are you laughing?” Matsuno opened his eyes wide, genuinely puzzled.

“God, Chifuyu, sometimes I forget what an idiot you are!”

“Me?” Chifuyu pouted and dramatically threw a napkin in Hanagaki’s direction. “No, you're the idiot! You're even more of an idiot than I am!”

“Yeah, and together we are the "dumb and even dumber" team!

“That's right! Only I'm "dumb" and you're "even dumber"!”

“It's the exact opposite!”

“No! Everything is exactly as I say!”

"Oh, are you looking for a fight?"

"Takemichi, we both know I'm going to kick your ass in no time!"

“So you're challenging me?" Hanagaki drawled mockingly, as if Chifuyu's words were not an obvious truth for him. “How nice of you. Well, you can definitely try. But I am more than sure that everything will end with you fighting on my side.”

“Eh?” Chifuyu threw up his hands. He himself did not notice how quickly he was drawn into the argument that had begun. “Why would I suddenly fight on your side? I will fight for myself!”

“Because that's what always happens. Typical Chifuyu Matsuno, you know? To be honest, sometimes you remind me of a caring mom" Takemichi shrugged easily, causing Chifuyu to click indignantly. “So, calm down, buddy, otherwise you'll have to fight with yourself later for offending me.”

In fact, there was an absurd part of the truth in this, but all Matsuno could adequately answer it was literally:

“Pfft!”

"Let's say, I won," Takemichi grinned contentedly with a wink. Chifuyu just snorted. “But anyway, give my ice cream back!”

“Are you dumb?” He threw up his hands. “This is my ice cream!”

“But you gave it to me yourself! It's mine now!”

“I just have let you to try once, and you've already eaten half a glass! You actually have your own chocolate one!

“But yours tastes better!”

“It is your problem!"

“Oi, Ken-chin, let's sit here!”

Chifuyu recognized the voice immediately.

The spoon, which he was still holding in his hand, immediately fell to the floor with a clink.

His heart, which had been calmly beating its measured rhythm in the chest a moment ago, began pounding mercilessly and painfully, reawakening memories that Chifuyu was able to just muffle for a short time.

“Mikey-kun!” Distracting from their conversation and quickly turning around, Takemichi happily waved his hand to the short boy and his eternal lanky companion.

"Oh, Takemitchy!” Noticing him, Manjiro beamed and smiled broadly, waving his hand in response. “Are you here too? How cool!”

No.

Chifuyu's hands immediately slid off the table onto his lap and clenched into tight fists. He frowned, nervously biting the inside of his cheek.

Not now.

Not here.

“Come to us!” Takemichi called them. “You don't mind, do you, Chifuyu?"

Not Mikey.

Chapter Text

The joy had gone so quickly, as if it had never existed.

The comfortable and warm atmosphere in which Chifuyu finally allowed himself to relax and lose his vigilance was rudely destroyed by one single person.

Manjiro Sano.

Matsuno quickly looked through the previously empty hall, in which until recently they were just the two of them, and with undisguised irritation he discovered how Draken and Mikey were approaching them at full speed.

Without asking anything, Sano landed next to Takemichi with his tray, and Draken carefully sat down on the other side with Chifuyu.

They exchanged greetings.

“Takemitchy, I didn't even know that you also go to this cafe!” Mikey shared with them, smiling happily. Although, to be honest, he turned mainly to Takemichi. Chifuyu, either on purpose, or by accident, he seemed not to notice at all. “Ken-chin and I hang out here on Thursdays all the time!”

“It's just that Mikey doesn't like math,” Draken politely explained the reason for their absence from school today.

Still smiling sunnily, Manjiro playfully nudged Hanagaki with his shoulder. Not particularly accustomed to a physical contact, Takemichi faded a little and staggered back, but after a moment he completely relaxed and allowed himself a timid smile in response. It seems that such interaction was a familiar thing for them.

Mikey's eyes came across a half-empty glass standing in the middle of the table.

Chifuyu gritted his teeth.

Just try to touch it.

“Wow, a strawberry ice cream!”

Sano smiled contentedly, licking his lips and rubbing his hands in impatience, and deftly pushed the ice cream towards himself.

“Mikey, first you need to ask for permission” Like a strict parent, with his big hand, Draken took the glass away from Mikey's hands and returned it to its original place. “It's not yours.”

“I'm sure they don't mind!” He gripped the glass tightly again, turned to Takemichi and, innocently flapping his big black eyes, politely asked: "Can I take it, Takemitchy?"

Awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, Hanagaki only shrugged vaguely.

“Well, um... actually, It’s Chifuyu’s ice cream, and I…”

“You see, Ken-chin?” Mikey just waved away, not really listening to the words spoken. “Thank you very much!”

“Ah... yeah,” Hanagaki smiled a little bit. “You’re welcome.”

“Mmm, yummy!” Spoonful by spoonful, systematically eating the already almost melted ice cream, Mikey said with his mouth full. “Hey, maybe you can go with me later for another one, eh? Let's eat it together!”

“Maybe? I don't know? If you want? I'm not particularly hungry at all and…”

“Oh, wait, your nose is smeared with something” Sano raised his head to change the "maybe" to something more satisfactory to him, but he only noticed a tiny pink spot on Hanagaki's nose, which had remained unnoticed for him a second ago. Mikey immediately got closer to the young man and quickly licked the ice cream with his tongue, pulling away and giggling insidiously. This sugary laughter was already making Chifuyu's ears pop. Every sound that came out of Manjiro's mouth caused him to gag. “So sweet! You taste just like strawberries!”

One more word and his right eye would get twitched.

“Mikey-kun, what are you doing?!” Wiping the drooling tip of his nose with desperate movements, Takemichi snorted indignantly and moved away. He was frowning so funnily when he told Mikey off. “I asked you not to do that anymore!”

Really.

This is not even the first time.

"Sorry-sorry” Mikey waved his hands frantically, not stopping to laugh. “It was hard for me to resist! You're so funny!”

Chifuyu turned to the window, quickly wiping the remnants of the ice cream from his nose with the sleeve of the shirt.

The good mood left him. And the most disgusting thing about everything that was happening was that Chifuyu simply couldn't do anything about it. No, of course, theoretically, he could. But it would be too risky to publicly swear with the commander of Toman or even start a fight with him in broad daylight, without having proper grounds for that. And although the desire to beat the shit out of Mikey seemed devilishly attractive, the remnants of prudence urged Chifuyu to remain reasonable as long as possible.

So all he could do was sit and watch.

Takamichi didn't seem too burdened by his chat with Mikey. Moreover — they seemed to get along well enough to joke about topics that Matsuno didn't understand at all, or discuss things that only the two of them understood. And this realization... was a little depressing.

Chifuyu swallowed hardly.

Maybe Takemichi was just bored by him like that? Maybe Mikey was funnier? More interesting? Prettier? Did Takemichi joke with him the same way he did with Chifuyu? Did they share the same ice cream in half? Did they walk together? And if so, it turns out that Chifuyu was not so special, and…

Well, it's not like he thinks he's special to Takemichi at all, it's just…

Just…

He didn't know the answer to his own question.

Now he felt absolutely superfluous. That's all, okay? Although just a couple of minutes ago, he could have sworn - right before Mikey suddenly decided to show up here with his stupid tray - everything was just fine. Better than Matsuno could have imagined. But Sano always chose the best time for his arrival. And if it used to help them out in fights pretty well, now it just annoyed Matsuno.

It was as if a thin red thread had been stretched between Chifuyu and Takemichi all this time, and Mikey cut it off right in the middle and took the exact end of it that had never belonged to him, holding and bringing Takemichi closer and closer to himself.

Taking Takemichi with him.

Again.

“Chifuyu, are you okay?” Draken, who was sitting next to him, not so keen on the conversation between Mikey and Takemichi, turned to him with an obvious question. The serious look of his dark eyes slid over Matsuno's hands, still clenched into strong fists, and then looked over his slightly sad green eyes and distinct muscles on his cheeks, and for some reason he only softened understandingly.

“Uh-huh” Chifuyu muttered quietly, spreading his fingers and brushing off his already clean school trousers with them. Draken barely believed him, but the young man didn’t really care. He was not eager to communicate with any of the former Toman at all. He only came here because of Takemichi. Others didn't mean to him much. He didn't care about them.

Chifuyu just couldn't forgive them. Not after what happened.

He couldn't forgive them for giving up so easily without even trying to fight for the person who had been doing it for them almost every fucking day of his own life.

And they had let everything go so quickly.

So easily, as if it had never meant anything to them.

Chifuyu almost didn’t take part in the conversation and just silently looked out the window, sometimes for decency inserting a couple of lines or hardly laughing at jokes that didn’t even seem funny to him. Matsuno had been torn for several minutes between the desire to escape alone from this stupid cafe, so as not to see these annoying faces anymore, or to take Takemichi away with him, even if it meant breaking this huge window in order to get away as quickly as possible.

Or maybe, after all, he just could get up and stuff Mikey's face? No, really, he could do that! Why wouldn’t he?

And even though he had never been strong enough to fight him on equal terms, even though he might seem crazy to everyone else, the anger growing in him was almost beyond his control. Chifuyu looked just like a boiling kettle. Just a little more - and the boiling point will be reached, and steam will rush out of his ears at once.

One more move, Mikey — and you're dead.

Still, it was damn difficult to restrain himself.

All he needed to do were to get up and just hit. The surprise effect was clearly on his side today, so it could have worked quite well. Aim to the right or better to the left? In the nose, chin or closer to the eyes? Where was his weak spot? How far should he move away so as not to hit Takemichi and have time to put a block right after the blow?

“Hey, Chifuyu.”

Matsuno immediately reacted to his name being spoken by Takemichi's voice.

Sleepily extricating himself from his own thoughts, he slowly turned around, immediately encountering calm blue eyes. The blond-haired boy looked at him with warmth and care, or Chifuyu just wanted it to be so, but he just froze for a moment, absorbed in this attentive gaze. For some reason, the rage receded so quickly, as if it had never existed. Matsuno even forgot what he was thinking so intently about before.

Mikey and Draken were nowhere around.

For a moment, Chifuyu was even happy, thinking that he just missed the moment when they had finally left, but after only a couple of seconds, forcing himself to stretch his neck, he noticed them at the other end of the huge hall. The stuff was there, too. So it seems they just wanted to call the late waitress.

“Chifuyu-u-u,” Takemichi drawled again.

“Huh?”  He responded again, realizing that all this time he was just silently staring somewhere to the side, without giving the answer. His voice was uncharacteristically soft and neat when he finally responded: "What is it?"

“Let's go,” Smiling, Takemichi only glanced back in the direction of Mikey and Draken.

“Where to?” Chifuyu asked him, not quite getting what he was talking about. “I thought you wanted to buy more ice cream with Mikey. Didn’t you?”

“I've already had enough,” Hanagaki explained to him, wearily stroking his belly full of sweets. “Where do we go next?”

“Next?”

“It's our lazy Thursday,” Hanagaki just smiled, as if giving an answer to a question that Chifuyu had never asked him out loud. “A deal’s a deal, so I think Mikey-kun can wait a little. So, maybe we will go to the cinema?”

Let's go.

Let’s go!

And to the cinema, and to the cafe, wherever you say!

“Let's go...” — Matsuno immediately straightened up, grabbing the air with his lips as he walked, and turned his whole body to his friend, stretching the mouth again in a stupid and careless smile. Wide white wings seemed to spread behind his back. “Why don't we buy some yakisoba and sit on the playground?”

"Okay," Takemichi agreed easily, tilting his head to the shoulder. Of course, he didn’t see any contradictions with his recent statement. Even if he ate himself to death with the ice cream, it didn’t mean at all that there would be no place for his favorite noodles in his bottomless stomach. The boy turned back again, checking where Mikey and Draken were standing now, and only nodded quickly towards the exit. “Let's go faster before they come back.”

“Are you sure?” Matsuno didn't ask because he doubted Takemichi's words. He just wanted to hear it again. To hear that the two of them leave together, and Mikey stays here. Chifuyu was a fool who flattered his own ego. But he couldn't help himself. The feeling that he was playing chess with Manjiro and had just given him checkmate in just three moves made him exult wildly. He could barely contain his victorious joy when he said seriously: “Mikey definitely won't like this.”

“Probably, yes. But I'll figure something out later.” Hanagaki chuckled quite calmly, waving away and only shrugging his shoulders, and then slowly and carefully getting up from the seat. Chifuyu quickly got up after him, picking up his school backpack and leaving money on the table for two glasses of ice cream.

“We better get hurry” Matsuno pointed towards the other end of the cafe, where Mikey and Draken were already finishing their conversation with the waitress and seemed about to turn around and go back.

Chifuyu unconsciously grabbed Takamichi's forearm and pulled ahead, quickly running out of this ill-fated cafe.

※ ※ ※ ※

It was getting late.

By the time they returned from the city center back to their neighborhood, and then got to the store where they usually bought everything, it was almost five-thirty on the clock. Takemichi managed to call Mori-san back, convincing her that he would get home on his own, and Matsuno texted to his mother that he would stay with Takemichi for a while after school. She never objected.

Chifuyu casually sat on the swing, easily pushing off the ground and swaying almost imperceptibly.

There was a bag with a second package of yakisoba noodles on the nearest bench.

They had already split one in half, and Takemichi, of course, as always, ate way more than he was offered, but this time Chifuyu didn’t mind at all. He didn't argue and, to be honest, he was ready to boldly give him his half of yakisoba.

“Remember?” Matsuno drawled softly, looking around wistfully. Sitting on a bench nearby and probably thinking about the second package of yakisoba, Takemichi only mumbled something in response to him. Like, yes, I'm here and I heard you. “This is the place where we first met.”

“That's right,” Hanagaki distracted from his occupation and smiled gently like Chifuyu, examining a small hill and a path along which he once walked past this playground towards the school. “It was so long ago. Then we sat here and discussed Kisaki and Baji's plans. Everyone was thinking on how to get him back to Toman.”

"Yeah," Chifuyu exhaled heavily, holding on to the chains with his hands and hanging his head down. “It seems like a lifetime ago.”

There was an oppressive silence. Takemichi stopped rummaging in the bag and immediately leaned back on the bench, probably trying not to meet Chifuyu's eyes. They both knew what was going on in their minds right now, but for some reason no one dared to break the silence that had fallen.

"It's not your fault," Chifuyu finally said.

“Hm?”

"I know what you're thinking about," Matsuno looked up at him and only shook his head consolingly. “It's not your fault what happened to Baji-san.”

It was so obvious.

Takemichi was always surprised by Chifuyu's ability to read his thoughts as if he had a prepared notebook in front of him. But in fact, there really wasn't anything complicated about it. This is what has always made Chifuyu an excellent vice-captain. At some point, the connection between him and someone else became strong enough that all the thoughts and feelings of this person were projected into him in an instant. Maximum trust. He could easily anticipate every action and decision.

No.

That’s a lie.

In fact, he couldn't.

He's been mistaken twice already.

The first time, when he didn't think that Baji's plan to expose Kisaki could turn into his own suicide, and the second time… The second time was when he didn't get that Takemichi could go after Mikey as soon as he returned back to the future.

“I’m… not sure about that.” Takemichi's voice sounded quieter than before. Chifuyu knew that it was almost impossible to convince him of such things. Hanagaki has always sought to shoulder all the sins of this terrible world. Sometimes his altruism was simply infuriating. “If I'd only been a little smarter or if I'd have figured it out faster.… It would have been a lot different.”

"You did everything in you could," Chifuyu insisted. He was confident in his words and never questioned them. “I told you then and I'll tell you now. Like Baji-san, you fought alone all that time. You fought against such a huge evil and carried this burden by yourself, not asking anyone for help and without demanding gratitude, and this is what I respect. But you couldn't have foreseen what would happen to Baji-san. You're not omnipotent.”

“But…” Hanagaki started to speak, but immediately fell silent, sighing fitfully. Chifuyu couldn't see his face, but he already knew that bitter tears had already accumulated in the corners of his friend’s eyes. "Tell me, haven't you ever blamed me?"

“Blame?” Matsuno frowned uncomprehendingly. “For what?”

“For what happened to Baji. I knew, I just… I couldn't... I…”

“Don't say that” Chifuyu cut him off. “I've never blamed you for anything.”

“Maybe one day...” Takemichi didn't even seem to hear his friend. “Maybe one day I will understand how time leaps work, and I will be able to…”

“Don't,” Matsuno interrupted him more sharply.

“What?”

“There's no need to save anyone else, Takemichi. You've done enough already.”

“But I haven’t. Every time I do nothing but come back with a new failure. I don't know if I’ll be able to achieve a good future one day.”

“You will.” Chifuyu firmly assured him. “You will definitely do that.”

“You think?”

“I'm sure of it. And the moment that happens, I will certainly be there with you.”

These words were not easy for him. The“good”  future they both dreamed of turned out to be not so good at all. That future was terrible, dirty and disgusting. Matsuno remembered it only with wild screams into the emptiness of the dark street and thoughts of “not you, please, let it not be you” when he stood in front of a cold and dead body.

Sometimes Chifuyu thought that dying at the hands of Mikey or Kisaki in any other timeline would be much better and more correct. After all, that Chifuyu even at a gunpoint believed in a good outcome. He believed in Takemichi and believed that one day a happy ending would come for them.

But he, the other Chifuyu…

He no longer hoped for anything.

“I have deceived you.” Takemichi suddenly confessed to him after a long silence.

Rising from the bench and slowly approaching to him, he carefully landed on a nearby swing and, just like Matsuno, pushed off the ground a little.

“You have?” Still not raising his head, the young man was surprised. “And in what way?”

“Actually… You and I didn't agree on any lazy Thursday.”

For a moment, Chifuyu got scared. He stopped swaying and instantly braked, burying his black boots in the soft white sand. Turning to face Takemichi suddenly became incredibly terrifying.

Had he known something?

So fast?

Was Matsuno so obvious?

Or was it some kind of test that Chifuyu didn't pass?

“I just wanted to cheer you up,” Hanagaki uncertainly continued, sighing heavily. “I'm sorry if it didn't work, I'm absolutely terrible at it”. He smiled sadly and even let out a quiet, stifled laugh, in which, of course, there wasn’t even a hint of something joyful. “Yesterday you cried so hard on my shoulder… I just didn't know what to do. Deaths like Baji’s, they... they cannot be forgotten, and sometimes this despair just suddenly rolls over and...” - the first tears drew long lines on his cheeks. He immediately wiped them with his sleeve, sobbing fitfully and nodding. And smiled again.  “I understand everything. Really. And... of course, I'll never be as cool as him, but I'll always be there if you need my shoulder¹. You know that, right?”

Chifuyu was speechless. He just didn't know what to say. Suddenly, he wanted to confess everything to Takemichi, to tell him that he came to him straight from the future, but something still kept Matsuno from doing this. Besides, Hanagaki for some reason thought that yesterday's incident happened because of Baji, not even knowing that a completely different loss was already gaping in Chifuyu Matsuno's chest. Which hit him even harder and deprived him of the last strength to exist.

“I know, Takemichi” was all he said.

“Good.”

“And you... don’t need to be like Baji-san at all. You're Takemichi Hanagaki, and that's the only reason why I'm sitting here right now.”

In every way, damn it.

Takemichi gave him a slight nod in return, but his eyes didn’t show an agreement.

And Chifuyu suddenly saw something that he hadn’t noticed before for some reason.

Takemichi didn't believe him.

He didn't believe that Chifuyu valued him a lot. He treasured him not as the commander of the first division and not as the ghost of Baji Keisuke. He treasured him as the closest and dearest person in the whole world. As Takemichi Hanagaki. As a partner and best friend.

Stupid.

How stupid you are sometimes, Takemichi.

Even if it will be necessary to force every obvious truth into your silly head, Chifuyu will do just that. If you need proof, if you need not words, but actions - then so be it.

Chifuyu lightly hit him on the top of the head with his fist.

“Ay, for what?” Rubbing the bruised place and even more ruffling with his hands his hairstyle that had already strayed during the day, Takemichi exclaimed with displeasure.

"You're a fool.”

“Why is that?”

“You think about all sorts of nonsense” Chifuyu reached out to him again with his hand and this time completely destroyed what were left of the former hairstyle.

“Ah, Chifuyu! What have you done?!”

Strands of blond hair now stuck out in different directions, and some of them fell straight onto blue eyes. Takemichi moaned piteously, trying to fix the situation, but his every move only made it worse.

Chifuyu giggled, pleased with his little prank.

“Is it funny to you?” Portraying a good-natured smile through tightly clenched teeth, Hanagaki snorted. Chifuyu started to laugh even louder.  “Come here!”

“Eh? No, no, no!” Matsuno didn’t have time to get up from the swing, as Takemichi, quickly pushing off the ground, approached to him, holding the chain with one hand, and deftly ruffling his friend’s already disheveled wheat hair with the other.

Chifuyu jumped up from the swing and ran away from this bully to the hill, and Takemichi rushed after him, but, as always, driven by his clumsiness, being just a step away from Chifuyu, he caught on some stone on the road and crashed right into someone else's chest. Matsuno lost his balance and fell backwards, and together they rolled down to some dirty ditch filled with water due to recent heavy rains.

“Uh…dumn it,” Chifuyu whined, realizing how hopelessly he had soiled his clean white shirt with dirt. He barely turned around to mock the intruder of his calm, as he immediately fell silent, listening with surprise to Takemichi's slowly blossoming laughter.

He was laughing.

He really laughed so hard.

It seems that that whole situation didn’t anger him at all, but only amused him. They fell into a ditch, they ruined their uniforms, which now obviously have to be washed, they were lying on the cold ground, and there wasn't anything funny in it, but ... Takemichi was laughing so loudly, so joyfully and happily, and his blue eyes shone so amazingly bright, as if thousands of sky lanterns lit up in them at once, that Chifuyu just couldn't stand it — and immediately laughed back at him. Like crying, this laughter burst out of his chest at first with a quiet and almost inaudible giggle, and then poured into a deafeningly loud song.

He didn't even know why he was laughing.

But it suddenly felt so warm and calm. It was as if every second of that laughter was healing him like medicine, and irrevocably taking with it all the pain and sadness that had been stored in his soul for so long. Chifuyu was gasping for breath, and his stomach was already starting to hurt from laughing so long and hard, but he just couldn't stop.

“Well, we definitely fell into a ditch,” Takemichi stated an obvious fact for everyone, and, barely calming down, they suddenly laughed in sync again. “It's probably not so good.”

“It's all your fault," Chifuyu just shook his head, breaking into his widest smile.

“You were the one who started it.”

"Oh, so you want to fight after all?"

“You're going to lose, Chifuyu. Get over it already.”

“What?! Unlike the others, I won't fall for your pretty face. And don't expect me to give in to you just because we're friends. You're done, Takemichi. Be a man and accept the defeat with honor.”

“Chifuyu, I really don't want to upset you, but... you are literally one of the first who fell for my pretty face. Well, of course, not counting Draken and Mikey, who did it before you.”

“What? No way!”

“You spent two hours figuring out what to call me, and then you waited for me on this playground for the same amount of time when we first met. I'll just remind you².”

“It doesn't mean anything!”

“You fell for it, admit it already,” Takemichi turned to face him, foolishly grimacing. “Well, look at me! Who in general can leave indifferent my wonderful blonde hair, inimitable sense of style and always beaten face? And I also have blue eyes! I'm just a cutie!”

“Takemichi, you're lying in a ditch all dirty and you stink with sweat.” Chifuyu drawled tiresomely, listing everything he disagreed with point by point, and bending his thin fingers.

“Don't forget that you're lying here with me.”

“These are unrelated things,” Chifuyu objected.

“Just the opposite,” Takemichi retorted. “I'm a cutie, and you just can't resist! So you're lying here with me!”

“Oh, shut up already!” Matsuno just shushed, hitting him on the arm. Hanagaki screamed theatrically, crouching in unbearable pain.

And they laughed again.

Just like before.

How good.

“Hey, Takemichi” When the laughter subsided, and only a pleasant lingering silence remained between them, which they didn’t want to break, Chifuyu turned to Takemichi in a quiet and velvety whisper.

“Mgm?”

“You're an insufferable idiot, you know that, right?"

“Of course. You remind me of that all the time.”

“Don't act on your own.” Chifuyu turned his head to him, seriously looking into the crystal clear heavenly eyes. “No matter what happens, never act alone, do you understand me?”

“Why are you suddenly…”

“Just rely on me. Tell me and we'll figure it out together, ‘kay?” Matsuno said more insistently, holding out his tightly clenched fist to Takemichi. “Okay, Takemichi?..”

Hanagaki chuckled.

“You're definitely a caring mommy” He just shook his head with a smile, but when he saw that Chifuyu wasn’t joking at all, he sighed long and nodded seriously, hitting Matsuno's fist with his own. Sealing an unspoken contract. “Okay, Chifuyu.”

“You should have said that straight away.”

“You're worrying too much” Takemichi sat up, taking a sitting pose, turned around and lightly flicked his finger on Matsuno's forehead. “You said it yourself. You and I will see a good future together.” The smile that made Chifuyu's heart ache appeared on his face. The exact same smile that Takemichi gave him on the last day of their meeting. “Nothing bad will to happen to me.”

“Nothing bad will happen to me.”

“If you mess up, I'll go back in time and make you pay.”

Hanagaki grunted, unsuccessfully trying to brush off the dirt from his disheveled blond hair.

“Funny joke.”

You have no idea how funny it is.

“Tell me, have you already thought of it?”

“Hmm?” Chifuyu asked. “What?”

“How do we... save Mikey-kun.”

And Mikey again.

Chifuyu didn't want to think about him.

Not now.

And in general, never.

“We have already considered the option to beat him.” Hanagaki continued.  “And, obviously, we have no chance to do that because he will put us on the ground in just a couple of seconds. But I... I still can't understand why in every future he keeps killing everyone who was close to him. Why? There must be some reason. Is it Kisaki? Or someone else?”

Wait.

“I have no idea what to do next, Chifuyu. It seems to me that something is coming, but I don't understand at all what it is.”

Chifuyu examined Takemichi more closely to confirm his sudden guess.

And it turned out to be true.

How didn’t he notice it before?

His knuckles were tightly bandaged. Of course. After all, this jerk decided to fight with a tire in the middle of the night, like some madman, because for some reason he thought it was a really good idea.

“Chifuyu, are you listening to me?”

He nodded absently, rubbing his neck. “Y-yes.”

“So, you didn't come up with anything?”

“Not yet,” Matsuno shook his head. “But it's fixable. We will find a solution.”

“I hope Mikey-kun will be fine” Sighing and looking at the sky, shimmering with fading sunset colors, Takemichi sadly drawled.

Chifuyu barely refrained from snorting.

“The main thing is that you're fine”.

He smiled.

“Of course.”

At that moment, Matsuno realized exactly what timeline he had managed to get into. Previously forgotten details also appeared. In just a few days they had to face "Tenjiku" for the first time, and in a couple of weeks they had to start an unequal battle with them and defeat Kisaki there. There was almost nothing left until Emma's death.

Chifuyu knew what to do next.

Now that Takemichi was with him and they were fighting side by side again, just like in the old days, all the mountains were knee-deep to him. All the difficulties were nothing more but dust.

“Let’s go, buddy.”

Chifuyu got up first and extended his hand to Takemichi, helping him to get up and stand firmly on his feet. They both looked, to be honest, slightly shabby.

“Where to now?” Hanagaki asked, looking over his shoulder at him.

“Wherever you say,” Chifuyu replied with a shrug. It was so easy now to speak and breathe, as if he had been reborn anew.

“The second package of yakisoba is left,” Takemichi drawled mysteriously, twisting his lips into a tube and rocking from heels to toes.

“You've eaten just recently,” Chifuyu reminded him.

“And?”

“Nothing,” sighing, Matsuno waved his hand. “If you want, then let's go share it.”

“And who said that I'm offering you?”

Chifuyu arched an eyebrow questioningly. Disapproving enough to make Takemichi let out a slight chuckle.

“Just kidding. We just go to your place, we'll change, and then we'll eat normally. At the same time, show me that manga you were talking about a couple of days ago.”

Chifuyu, of course, had no idea what kind of manga it was all about. But he liked the general idea, so he just nodded.

“All right, Takemichi.”

“Just tie your shoelaces, or else you'll get buried on the way, like me,” Hanagaki shrewdly suggested, pointing to Matsuno's shoes, which had long and mud-stained laces dangling.

Chifuyu bent down and, with a practiced movement of his fingers, quickly tied a careless bow on his school shoes before straightening up again.

After waiting for this, Takemichi immediately turned around in the direction of the multi-storey building and walked away, still chattering.

“Listen, don't you want to play video games? Last time you won unfairly, and I want to take revenge!”

Chifuyu chuckled.

Today he was ready to win even harder than before. If this meant that Takemichi would come to him again - today and tomorrow, a week and a month later and many, many more times to get his desired revenge, then so be it.

The warmth grew in his chest and only multiplied, as if hundreds of small light bulbs were placed under each of his ribs and a switch was flipped at once. Chifuyu looked at Takemichi's back, smiling so widely that his cheekbones hurt, and thought only of one thing.

I want to stay in this past forever.

I want to stay and save you.

I just want to stay with you.

Chifuyu was about to follow.

“Hey, Takemichi, wait for me!” He shouted cheerfully, lifting his leg to take a single step forward. Just a few meters — and he will throw his arm over Takemichi's neck, as he always did, and this day will definitely be the best in the world.

He finally had the courage to do that.

We are together again, now everything will be fine for sure!

But Chifuyu suddenly realized that for some reason he couldn’t move.

What the hell?

His feet seemed to be firmly glued to the asphalt.

The heart skipped a beat.

The breathing slowed down for a moment and immediately became heavier and more frequent.

Something's wrong. Something's wrong. Something's wrong.

Chifuyu tried to move again, but he couldn’t.

He looked around in panic.

One second of delay — and he immediately lost sight of Takemichi.

Apparently, his friend simply didn’t hear him and therefore didn’t slow down. Probably already managed to turn the nearest corner.

“Takemichi!” Chifuyu shouted, looking around again. No one shouted back at him. “Takemichi!”

The buildings around him suddenly began to slowly crumble. Rare passers-by disappeared right before his eyes, as if they were removed with a quick click of a computer mouse.

“No…” Chifuyu realized too late what it meant. “No, please! Not now! I don't want to go back!”

The darkening sky thickened over him even more, lowered and pressed on his fragile shoulders. The nearby houses were shrinking around him, like the walls of one small cramped room.

“Chifuyu, what are you shouting about?” Takemichi appeared out of breath from around the corner, apparently having heard his name after all, and as he approached, he stared at Matsuno with some bewilderment.

“Takemichi!” Chifuyu cried out hopefully. “I'm here!”

Hanagaki held out his hand to him, softening and repeating with a grin.

“Should I take you by the hand or something? Well, let's go quickly!”

Chifuyu reached out with his fingers to his palm, as drowning people usually reach for a lifeboat. Hoping to just hold on. To gain a foothold. To stay and live.

But just a few tiny millimeters before someone else's hand, Chifuyu seemed to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck and roughly pulled back. The image of Takemichi receded and faded, the warmth instantly disappeared and was replaced by a prickly cold, and the old pain returned to him with a vengeance.

Waking up was like being pulled out of icy water, in which he had spent at least a week.

The thick darkness contrasted too much with the brightness of the street where he had spent almost the whole day. The familiar smell of damp and tobacco smoke immediately hit his nose.

Chifuyu found himself still on the same leaky futon, with his knees tucked up to his stomach, twisted in the fetal position and wrapped with his head in an old and torn blanket in places.

“No... no, please...” He helplessly rolled to the floor, untangling himself from the blanket while moving and crawling on his knees to the only chair in the room where he usually left the phone. “No... no, no, no… Why did it happen now? Why did it happen at all? What did I do wrong?”

He unlocked the screen.

His eyes widened in fright.

The smartphone fell out of his hands, pushed off the floor and flew several meters deep into the room.

February 8, 2021

16:40

“The eighth?” He whispered helplessly. “Only the eighth? But it must be the ninth… The ninth of February! Why is it just the eighth?”

And yet it was a dream.

The thought was like a bullet shot straight into his temple.

Matsuno was on his knees in the middle of an empty dark room.

The silence instantly seemed deafeningly loud to him.

So loud that he could hear his own heart systematically breaking into small, small pieces.

It was so real…

All of that…

After all, he just believed…

After all, he had just believed that all of that was true!

That he and Takemichi… That they still had a chance!

And now he was deceived again.

Only his own illusions were worse than the loss. People always told him that faith was capable of healing anyone, but it seems that it only ruined him.

The loosening leg of the chair, like the last strained nerve, made a characteristic crack before finally breaking, and after it, left with only three unstable supports, the entire piece of furniture fell to the floor with a crash.

And when it happened, Chifuyu frantically and desperately screamed.

Chapter Text

I lost my mind, and nobody believes me

Say, "I know that he don't need me

'Cause he made a little too much money

to be twenty and sad"

And I'll be fine without him

But all I do is write about him ¹

※ ※ ※ ※  

“I’m here, Chifuyu.”

“Nothing bad will happen to me”

“You and I will see a good future together”

Being in some fit of hysteria, Chifuyu began to search his apartment. Although he had no idea how it was possible to lose anything in such a small room, in which only a single leaky futon remained from the furniture, but the postcard was no longer in its former place.

Chifuyu rummaged through everything he could, crawled around every corner and looked into every fucking crack, but he never found it.

It was as if it had melted into the ground.

It just... disappeared into thin air, as if it had never existed.

It was driving him more and more crazy. At some point, despair became so strong that he began to break the already collapsed chair with his foot, and when there was nothing left to break, his own bed was also used. He rummaged through the blankets and pillows and, it seems, at the same time finally tore up the last thing he had left, but the consequences no longer mattered to him.

Chifuyu just didn't have the strength anymore.

The strength to do something, to try to fight.

The strength to just keep living.

Everything in this world instantly lost its meaning for him.

What Chifuyu was most afraid of in the world caught up with him at the very moment when he had just convinced himself otherwise. And it was excruciatingly painful. Finally to find what he loved so much and immediately lose it, forgetting about the banal caution and vigilance.

He got too carried away.

He had relaxed too early and allowed himself to surrender to the moment. It was stupid. No matter how good he felt at that exact moment, no matter how happy he felt, it was damn stupid. He even was thinking of admitting in his head this miserable, pitifully pathetic thought that everything that was happening to him here and now was really forever. That Takemichi and he would be together again, and that would never change.

And that's what it led to.

To such a sad outcome.

He knew it.

He needed to be more determined.

He should have hugged Takemichi as soon as his blond head appeared from the car, he had to run, stumbling and falling on the road, and squeeze him in his hands so tight that he would break his own arms.

He should have said a lot more. Said, that he madly missed him, that he felt so bad and lonely, that life turned into one huge endless hell when the lid of a white coffin with a small body inside finally and irrevocably slammed shut.

He should have been braver. Gather all the strength into a strong fist, cling to his crumbling silhouette with his hands and feet and drag himself after him, even if the knees are mercilessly abreaded with blood, and if necessary, crawl with him all the way to paradise.

He should have done everything differently.

He should have acted differently.

But now nothing can be returned.

The dream ended, as everything in this world ended, and it was replaced by a cruel and disgusting reality.

A reality in which Chifuyu Matsuno had no place for a very long time.

A reality in which Takemichi Hanagaki had been dead for three years.

Chifuyu picked up a candle from the windowsill and, staggering on wobbly legs, trudged into the bathroom, where he lit it and put it on the shelf by the mirror as the only light source he had.

He felt trampled.

Smeared on the wall like a worthless and pathetic stain.

He looked like he hadn't slept properly for several long days. He didn't feel like eating either. He probably wouldn't even be able to eat anything right now, and for some reason his stomach seemed strangely full. Chifuyu still imagined that there were remnants of strawberry ice cream on his tongue and teeth.

It was cruel.

Unfair.

Unjust.

He didn't deserve it.

He didn't do anything wrong.

Why was he treated like this?

After all, Chifuyu would have stayed.

He would have stayed in this dream forever, even if it had never had anything to do with reality, even if it was the same recurring day, at the end of which everything would invariably return to the beginning.

Chifuyu would have stayed anyway.

He would have stayed and cherished every minute, every second and every moment spent with Takemichi, even if he had to lie in a ditch for years and laugh for no reason or endure Mikey's annoying antics at the same time.

He would have stayed, even if the price for this was his own death.

He would have stayed…

Stayed…

He would have stayed anyway…

Chifuyu turned the faucet and turned on the cold water. Fortunately, it was the only thing he still continued to pay for in this damn apartment. With trembling hands, he washed his face and neck, trying to completely banish the obsession and at least slightly dull the relentless headache.

“Chifuyu-u-u.”

He immediately raised his head, peering fearfully into the dirty black mirror.

Water continued to flow from the tap at maximum pressure.

That voice belonged to Takemichi. Sonorous and bright, almost childlike. Only he always pronounced Matsuno’s name with such warmth and care, as if deliberately stretching the last few letters.

Just like that.

“Chifuyu-u-u”.

“Where are you, Chifuyu?”

There was no one else in the bathroom.

No one but Chifuyu.

The man scooped some water into his palm and drank a little, hoping to get rid of the nasty taste of strawberries in his own mouth. But it didn't help.

And the voice repeated itself again.

Even louder than before.

“Where did you go? Did you leave me again?”

Chifuyu immediately grabbed the rim of the rusted sink with his hands.

“No...” Panting and violently shaking his head, he objected to the voice in response. “No, I didn't leave you! I would never do that! Don't say it!”

“You will come back, right? Will you come back for me?”

Chifuyu dared to look in the mirror again.

Takemichi was standing behind him now.

Just like always: the same blond hair, disheveled and untidy, as if he had just recently woken up, the same sleepy smile and the soft comforting look of slightly clouded light blue eyes.

Chifuyu put his palm against the cold glass in the place where the image was, and gently and carefully ran his fingers down before pressing his forehead against the mirror and squeezing the eyes tightly.

 “I'll be back...” His voice was broken, weak and hoarse. Chifuyu could hardly speak. He didn't have the strength to cry either, but it seems he just couldn't stop. “I will definitely come back, I promise you! You just wait! Wait for me, okay?”

When he opened his eyes and slowly turned back, and then back to the mirror, the image had already disappeared.

And so he was left alone again.

In this eerie silence.

In this small dark room.

He should move out of this apartment.

Move the hell out.

To leave Tokyo, to leave Japan, to go somewhere far, far away, never to come back here again. Although what was he supposed to do there? The memories would have reached him even in the distant and gloomy cosmos. Abroad didn't seem like a salvation.

Nothing seemed like salvation anymore.

Chifuyu turned off the water, threw his coat over the dirty clothes he had probably spent more than three days in, put on his shoes without even checking where the right and left were, and picked up a broken phone and a carelessly thrown bunch of keys from the floor.

And just left.

With a couple of the last bills in his pocket.

Without even checking was his front door closed all that time.

※ ※ ※ ※

An elderly cashier in a supermarket looked at him with disgust.

Which was very unsurprising considering that he clearly looked like a homeless man: with overgrown and greasy dark hair, an earthy, emaciated face and sharp cheekbones, in clothes that had been there for many years and that Chifuyu could not wash for weeks. There was no washing machine in the apartment, and laundry services were not always affordable for him.

Chifuyu took a bottle of some whiskey.

Today he was going to pour everything into himself without a trace and would just try to forget himself, as Matsuno had done many times before.

There were only a couple of boys in front of him in the queue. Probably schoolchildren, they looked no older but fifteen years old, and they had been frisking through their pockets for a few minutes in search of change to buy a single package of ramen noodles for two.

The already disgruntled cashier was beginning to huff with displeasure.

“Damn, it seems we don't have enough!” Having finished the search, one of the boys replied in disappointment. A short blond boy with childishly bright and enthusiastic blue eyes. It seems he was very upset by their failed purchase.

“Yuki, what a fool you are! How could you leave the money in another jacket?” The second kid snorted in his direction. He was a little taller than the first, with hair red like fire and cat-green eyes. Noticing that the blond only slouched more, rummaging in his pockets again, he only nudged his friend with the shoulder, softening the former rude tone. “Well, well, okay, don't get upset like that! We'll buy it next time! And now let’s go play video games on the console till the parents returned!”

The blond boy's face immediately got brighter. For some reason, he was moved by his friend's words, although there was absolutely nothing special in them, and hurriedly wiped the tears that had risen to his eyes with the hand.

“Toru-u-u-u-u-u-u!” He tried to hug the red-haired boy.

“Chifuyu-u-u-u-u!”

“Let's go faster, crybaby!”

“I need revenge! This time I’ll definitely beat you!”

“Listen, don't you want to play video games? Last time you won unfairly, and I want to take revenge!”

Chifuyu undid two buttons on his coat, trying to just start breathing. The voice in his head was getting louder and louder each time.

“Young people, if you are not going to pay, do not delay the queue” Finally losing patience, the woman pointed them towards the door. The boys were about to leave when Chifuyu suddenly exclaimed:

“Wait!” Three pairs of eyes — two boys and an indignant cashier — looked at him with surprise. Matsuno once again rummaged in his pockets and counted all the available money, fleetingly making sure that they were enough to pay for both goods. “I'll pay for them.”

The woman calculated them, straightening the bills crumpled into tubes with some irritation, and Chifuyu handed two teenagers a small package of ramen noodles.

“Thank you!” they responded synchronously, bowing in gratitude. Their smiles were so happy, as if they had just won at the casino and snatched a considerable amount of money.

Chifuyu just shook his head.

How little sometimes it takes to reach the happiness.

“Yuki, now we're beginning to live!” Already at the very exit, the red-haired boy threw his arm over the blond man's neck and laughed merrily. “Think how lucky we are today! And why did this guy suddenly decide to pay for us?”

The children ran away, not ceasing to admire such a pleasant gift of fate, Chifuyu was going to leave after them, when suddenly someone's voice made him stop just a couple of meters from the right door.

“Chifuyu?” Softly heard behind him. He flinched at the sound of his name and immediately turned around, bumping into a small woman with his eyes. Clutching a basket of groceries in her hands, she narrowed her eyes and uncertainly clarified: “Chifuyu Matsuno?”

“Yes?” He confirmed uncertainly, when the stranger suddenly released the basket from her hands and attacked him with hugs. "I'm sorry, I..." He tried to pull away and remove her hands from him. “What are you…”

“I didn't even recognize you at first,” she whispered through tears, gently stroking his cheeks and overgrown dark hair. “You've become so much like him. Clothes and hair… It was like seeing Takemichi again.”

The woman pulled back slightly so that Chifuyu could take a closer look at her face. It was riddled with long and deep wrinkles. Her faded gray-blue eyes looked at him with warmth and tenderness, and her dry thin lips curved in a wide but trembling smile, which was clearly given to him with a great difficulty.

Chifuyu's eyes widened, and for a moment there was even the old sparkle in them.

“Mori-san?” He asked hopefully.

She nodded quickly.

“Mori-san!” Without realizing it, Chifuyu immediately clung to her, as if he could find salvation in thin and old hands. “I’m so glad to see you!”

Her smile widened a little more, and she hugged him tighter and more desperately, pressing her cold cheek against his temple.

“Me too, my boy!”

※ ※ ※ ※

“Make yourself at home.”

Unlocking the door, Mori-san let the man inside, and then slowly walked in herself, immediately closing it behind her. Chifuyu put the bags he helped to carry on the floor and awkwardly stamped on the spot.

He was going to just leave and drink the whiskey he bought at the supermarket alone, but on the way to the house the woman somehow convinced him to stay a little longer.

It was this house.

The house of the Hanagaki family.

Surprisingly, Chifuyu even remembered the location of the rooms.

Here it is, a long corridor in which even the old wallpaper has not changed, to the right of it was the kitchen, and to the left was the living room, and at the very end, at a small fork, was Takemichi's room and the bedroom that belonged to Mori-san. The paintings on the walls, statuettes, photographs and diplomas remained exactly the same as they were a few years ago.

It was as if a fourteen-year-old Chifuyu had run in to visit Takemichi after a hard day at school, and they were about to unload the whole pack of potato chips into a huge yellow bowl, pour cola into glasses and turn on some funny comedy on the old TV in his room.

The heart sank painfully again.

Ashamed of his appearance, Matsuno slowly pulled off the coat and shoes, followed to the kitchen and sat on the farthest edge of a small corner sofa. It seems that he smelled bad, and he looked untidy and dirty, and this meeting was the only moment in almost three years when Chifuyu did care on how he looked. He cowered and hunched over, shrinking into a single ball before folding his trembling hands into a lock and sighing fitfully.

A couple of minutes later, a cup of freshly brewed tea and a plate of sugar cookies appeared in front of him.

It smelled of lemon balm and mint.

His favorite tea.

Mori-san only drank coffee, Takemichi himself preferred just black tea, so it was nice to remember that they still kept in their house something that Chifuyu had once liked so much. He hadn't drunk this tea for several years.

Carelessly wrapping his fingers around the hot mug, Chifuyu barely burned his fingers on the ceramic and immediately pulled them away, and then carefully put the object in place and blew on its contents for a short time.

A habit from the childhood, which still couldn’t be abandoned.

The tea was too hot.

He was drinking slowly and in small sips.

The throat still hurt a lot.

“How are you doing?” Mori-san, who was sitting opposite, finally broke the long silence. Her mug was already half empty, and she was finishing her third cookie. She and Takemichi have always had a sweet tooth.

“Me?” he asked her stupidly. As if she had someone else to talk to at this table. The mug trembled in his weak hands. The chest barely rose for a deep breath, Chifuyu was going to answer “it’ okay" and "I'm fine”, but only said: “Disgusting. Everything is just terrible.”

And for some reason he immediately burst into tears.

Mori-san comfortingly covered his hand with her own, stroking and nodding her head.

“Three years have already passed, and I ... and I still...” Chifuyu pulled his hand away and covered his face with his palms, burying the fingers in his dark hair, pulling them back and sobbing impulsively. His rough voice cracked even more and descended to a barely audible whisper. He no longer thought about what he was talking about. The words just poured out of him in an endless stream. “Nothing passes! Nothing at all! It's only getting worse and worse! And everyone around just keeps telling me to forget about everything, let him go and move on! But only… How? I just don't understand how, and no one tells me! How can I? How can they  tell me this so calmly, knowing that he is buried six feet underground, and I am still alive?! How can they tell me this, I... I just can't understand, I just… I cannot… I can't take it anymore… I just have no strength left…”

"You were very close to him," Mori-san listened to him in silence, without interrupting, and only nodded in response, rubbing his trembling shoulders with soothing movements. “And there is something that others will never understand, Chifuyu. Something that was just between the two of you, you know?

He nodded vaguely.

There was something simple and painfully obvious in her words.

Everyone in Toman knew how tightly Takemichi and Chifuyu had become attached to each other in such a short time. Someone even joked that at times they looked like an elderly married couple. They understood each other from half a word, half a glance, half a breath, catching every movement and emotion at a distance, communicating somehow nonverbally and without uttering a single word or sound. They spoke as if in their own language, incomprehensible to anyone else except themselves.

Chifuyu never confessed to anyone, but he was very flattered by the prospect of being the first and only person to whom Takemichi was able to reveal his great secret. As he found out much later, Hinata revealed it by accident, Mikey and Draken had already learned it from her, but Chifuyu... Chifuyu was special to him. He realized it only now. After all, Takemichi himself told Matsuno about everything. And Chifuyu believed it. He believed every word and would do that again and again, even if it meant signing his own death warrant.

Becoming a time traveler's best friend was both the best and the worst idea in his life. But he never regretted anything.

“Something that was just between the two of you.”

Chifuyu would like there to be much more between them. More moments and more memories. So that they could just... have a little more time.

“Takemichi told me a lot about you” Mori-san smiled bitterly, looking away. Chifuyu was sure that she herself was on the verge of bursting into tears with him, but for some reason she still held back. “He admired you.”

“Me?” Matsuno asked absently. He sincerely didn’t understand why he could be admired. He didn't deserve it. He didn't do anything outstanding. He made only one promise to himself and Takemichi: to protect and support him until the very end. And even it was not fully kept by him.

“Yes.” Mori-san also firmly confirmed. “He always described you as the kindest and most sympathetic person he had ever met in his life. And I've never heard him talk about someone with the same burning eyes before. You were very important to him, Chifuyu. I know that.”

And he probably should have been happy about that, right? After all, Takemichi really treasured him. And this, of course, was very pleasant. But perhaps he treasured Mikey much more.

Kind and sympathetic. Is that what Takemichi thought about him?

What an absurd.

After all, Chifuyu has never been like this. Or rather, he was, but only for a few people. For Mom and Baji, for example. And probably for Takemichi too. He wasn't exactly sure. But even among Toman and his other friends and acquaintances, Chifuyu wasn’t so gentle and generous.

Rather, he was a brutal, rude, impulsive and largely selfish young man. The meeting with Baji-san, of course, slightly dulled the sharpened corners, but in general, the picture has not changed much.

It wasn't like that with Takemichi. All the vaunted fortitude and ostentatious greatness of Chifuyu Matsuno, developed in two years together with Badji, suddenly disappeared somewhere. It happened the first time they met. Chifuyu would hardly have ever thought that he would be able to trust someone so quickly who would not be Baji Keisuke, but at that moment he smiled so confidently and extended his hand to Takemichi, as if his own heart already knew in advance what was waiting them far ahead.

As if…

...it was fate itself, you know?

And to be honest, when Chifuyu told him "let's be partners?", for some reason he thought that they would be like that forever.

What an idiot he was.

After all, there was nothing eternal in the world.

And everyone leaves sometime.

And someone else leaves too early.

“Tell me about him” Chifuyu raised his tear-stained green eyes to Mori-san, wrapping his hands around the cooled cup again in an attempt to warm his icy hands. “Anything. Even a little. What he was like before, what he liked, what he was fond of. We'd known each other for so long, and I'm ashamed that I know almost nothing about him.”

“I think you know more than anyone, Chifuyu. But if you still want to hear...” She sighed softly and set the mug aside, wondering what it would be better to start with. “Takemichi, he... he was like that by nature. You know, almost since birth. Always and everything for others, for friends and family, and never for himself. It's from his mom. She always taught him that. I never encouraged, but...hardly anyone listened to me. And my sister, I mean, his mother... she became seriously ill when Takemichi was only eight years old. He took care of her on his own, because his father was not going to come here from the States, and I... was so busy with my work that I hardly visited them. And when she was gone, I took him to my place. I worked a lot, took extra shifts at the hospital to somehow feed us and pay the rent, buy him all the best, and that's why I missed everything. I should have just been there, but I... I didn't. And he was always on his own. Always alone, even if in a circle of acquaintances. All by himself, because there was simply no one to turn to. And many people told me that he often behaves stupidly and not seriously, but I always knew that it was just a mask that he was trying to show to the others. A cheerful, carefree, never discouraged boy. And even if he sheds floods of tears, he still smiles for some reason. He gets into fights with those who are twice as strong, just to help someone. And even if there is no chance at all, he still stands his ground.”

“A crybaby hero” Matsuno whispered the forgotten nickname in one breath.

“Yes.... A crybaby hero” Mori-san repeated after him in the same whisper. She bit her lower lip, trying to hold back the tears that were bursting out, but it didn't help at all. And just a moment later, she burst into tears too. It suddenly occurred to Chifuyu that losing the only family member must have been very hard. He knew that Mori-san didn't have any children of her own. She only had Takemichi. “I miss him so much.”

He wiped away his own tears.

“And me. I miss him a lot too…”

They just sat and talked, not noticing the time. They cried and drank the tea that had already cooled down, and when the mugs were empty, they brewed it again and continued again.

Chifuyu felt that for the first moment in a long time he had met a person who shared similar feelings with him. The one who did not judge him for the chosen path and did not say these stupid comforting words, knowing that they would never help. Mori-san was just listening. She listened to his every word. And that seemed to be more than enough. Chifuyu was grateful to her for that. And even if it was easier for him just for a moment, even if he no longer knew what would happen to him tomorrow or at least in the next week, that evening he didn’t touch the bottle of whiskey he bought. And it was already considered a good achievement.

And if everything goes downhill from there, and one day it invariably happens, Chifuyu will remember this evening as the best thing that has happened to him in recent times.

“I’m very glad that he had a person like you, Chifuyu,” Mori-san shared with him, completing another story. Her eyes were bright with tears. Although they had lost a little of their former luster over the years, they were still the as blue as Takemichi's. And even the smile through the pain that they gave to others was absolutely the same. “Thank you for everything.”

“Can I...”Chifuyu didn't even know what he was asking her, but the woman only nodded to him in response, understanding him half a word.

"Of course" she smiled, pushing dirty mugs and an empty plate of cookies towards herself. “His room will be right down the hall and to the right. I think you remember it yourself.”

Chifuyu got up from his seat, left the kitchen and slowly followed the dark corridor, opening the unlocked white door at the very end with extreme caution.

The familiar smell immediately hit the nose.

Chifuyu didn't even know how to describe it. This smell wasn’t something beautiful and refined, as it was usually described in books. There was no smell of chocolate, caramel, or apples with cinnamon. It was the most ordinary smell. Every house smells different, doesn't it? And that smell belonged to Takemichi. Inhaling it, Chifuyu felt only the warmth and calm that he felt every time he crossed the threshold of this cozy room. Pleasant memories immediately surfaced in his head.

How they played video games here, read manga, or just lay there and chatted about all sorts of nonsense.

How they dreamed about the future.

Takemichi moved out just two years after graduating from high school, when he started working in a DVD rental business. He wasn't doing well with his studies, and he didn't really want to go to college, so he took on any job that just came to hand. Chifuyu actively helped him with the move. They collected all Takemichi's possessions in huge cardboard boxes, and Hina laughed at the fact that her boyfriend still couldn’t throw away any of his old stuff, because he was too sad to part with it.

One of these boxes was just now standing by the bed. They were all moved back to this room from his new apartment almost immediately after his death, carelessly dumping everything that was in his cluttered closets.

Chifuyu bent down a little, and with a smile, found one of Hanagaki's favorite pajamas there. He often bragged about it when they had sleepovers at each other's places.

It said «Hope».

Hope, then? Quite symbolic.

Once upon a time, standing on a bridge and wearing these stupid pajamas, Takemichi told Matsuno about time travel. So it really is almost legendary. Although still very funny.

He couldn't put it back. He approached the neatly made bed and sat down right next to it, pressing his knees to the chest.

Matsuno really wanted to smoke.

But he seems to have left a lighter in the coat pocket, and he would hardly have allowed himself to smoke in this room. Takemichi couldn't stand the smell of tobacco smoke. He wonders what Hanagaki would say if he found out that Chifuyu started smoking?

He'd probably start grumbling.

After all, they have always fairly shared the role of a caring mom into two.

For some reason, Chifuyu pressed the clothes to his chest. It was done unconsciously. As if by itself. He was holding it so tightly, as if it could fill the monstrous void that had formed inside his body. Patch up every hole in the heart. It was like hugging a ghost. The feeling of the presence of someone who has not been alive for a long time. Nothing more than an illusion.

But Chifuyu still couldn't let go.

He hopelessly dropped his head on his lap, not stopping crying.

“I'll find a way” He whispered to himself. “I don’t know how, but I will definitely find it. I'll come back to you. I promise.”

“I will be waiting for you.”

Chifuyu immediately raised his head.

Takemichi was sitting right in front of him in these stupid pajamas and only smiled affectionately.

Almost like a real.

He stretched out his small hand to Matsuno's wet cheek and gently wiped away the incessant bitter tears with his thumb. Chifuyu barely opened his mouth to say something, but immediately fell silent, not making another sound and not taking his attentive gaze off Takemichi.

He hardly blinked.

He wasn't even breathing.

“I'll wait for you as long as it takes.”

“Takemichi...”  His hand slid up by itself and gently covered another palm. As warm as ever. And Chifuyu just lacked heat.

He gave up.

He just couldn't stand it.

He desperately rubbed his cheek against the hand, like a small, lost kitten, hungry for love and striving only for affection and tenderness.

“I miss you so much, Takemichi...” He finally confessed out loud, sobbing. “Don't go... don't leave me again, please…”

And he immediately leaned forward, dropping the pajamas, trying to just hug him, squeeze him tight and never let go again, but the image disappeared even before Chifuyu had time to touch it.

And he embraced only emptiness.

The old warmth dissipated in just an instant.

Chifuyu fell to his knees, resting his hands on the floor.

He must have just gone crazy.

Probably, normal people act quite differently.

Probably normal people don't chase the ghosts of the past.

Probably they just know how to let go.

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

“You look even worse than usual.” Kazutora said instead of greeting, as soon as Chifuyu crossed the threshold of the pet store.

Mori-san volunteered to give him a ride to work in the morning. And he didn't even know it was morning. It turned out that he had fallen asleep right on the floor in Takemichi's room, curled up on an old carpet with the pajamas tightly clutched in his hands.

It was a little awkward that Mori-san had to care about him as he was a little kid. But she didn't seem to mind much. Besides, her concern is literally the only one that Chifuyu was willing to accept.

After waking up and realizing what had happened, he completely forgot about time. It didn't matter to him anymore. What day was today, what hour was shown by the wall clock, or what year was now on the calendar. It didn't bother him anymore. The only thing he could think about was…

Perhaps he should leave after all.

Save enough money and go on a long journey. Maybe somewhere in India? Tibet? States? For example, last year he managed to visit Taiwan. However, he didn’t find what he was looking for there. But maybe it will work out somewhere else?

Mom will miss him if he leaves.

And the pet store.

Kazutora.

Was it possible to leave everything so easily? Leave everything behind? Was it right?

“Hello to you, too” He said dryly to Kazutora, quickly hanging up the coat on the hanger and putting on his work apron. All the movements were jerky and inept. His body didn’t obey.

“It's time to stop drinking, Chifuyu” Observing this, and then meticulously sniffing at his clothes, Kazutora stretched out with a sigh. Usually they both preferred to turn a blind eye to it and ignore it for as long as possible. But it seems that today Hanemiya finally decided to interrupt their established tradition.

“Fuck off, huh?” Chifuyu waved away irritably. Today he had neither the strength nor the desire to pretend to be cheerful or to start such intimate conversations. He was too tired. And all he wanted now was just to work in silence.

“I see you're in a bad mood today.” Kazutora persisted. Chifuyu just shrugged indifferently. “Actually, as always. Well, at least now you're not hiding it. I think this is progress.”

“You just have a stupid habit of pestering me with your idiotic questions. I'll figure it out myself, okay? Mind your own business.”

“I believed you the first time when you said that you would figure it out yourself” Kazutora stood in front of Chifuyu like an insurmountable wall, folding his arms on his chest and making it clear with just a glance that there was no way to get away from the conversation. “Don't you think this has gone too far?”

“Stop pretending to be Mother Teresa.” Chifuyu tried to get around him, but Hanemiya moved in the same direction and blocked his path. “Let's just work.”

“Work?” Kazutora only laughed at his words. “You stink of fumes from a kilometer away. And you're going to work?”

Matsuno sighed, tiredly massaging his temples. The headache that had been tormenting him since last evening (Or it wasn't an evening at all. Maybe it was night? Or early morning?) never stopped. Probably, over time, it only became stronger.

“Get out of the way, Kazutora,” Chifuyu urgently asked him

“Or what?”

“Or I'll have to move you by force.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Chifuyu looked at his colleague for a few seconds, pondering over his words, before raising his hands and obediently stepping back.

“I don't have the strength to fight,” Kazutora wanted honesty from him, and this was the only thing Chifuyu could offer him now. He just hoped it would be enough. He wasn't ready for anything more. “Please, let's just start working.”

Hanemiya sighed, also stepping aside.

Accepting his defeat.

His first attempt to help had just failed miserably, and Chifuyu didn’t want to upset him even more by the fact that a successful result was not worth waiting for at all. Chifuyu has had to have such conversations more than once. And they all ended the same way.

"It will pass with time."

"You should try to move on."

"Time will heal your wounds."

But just like Mori-san said, they just didn't understand what was going on in Chifuyu's soul. And he was not at all eager to explain anything to anyone.

“Okay.” Kazutora nervously ran his hands over his already clean and tidy apron. “But you're again in the back room, and I'm at the counter, otherwise you'll scare away all our customers.”

Chifuyu was more than happy with this outcome.

He didn't want to talk to anyone anyway.

“Okay.”

The man just nodded, picking up the boxes that were standing near the entrance.

“By the way, how was your visit to your mom?”

“What?” Matsuno, who was just about to go to the pantry, froze in the doorway. “What mom?”

“Do you have several of them?” Kazutora grinned, pedantically rechecking each compartment of the cash register machine. “Yours, of course.”

“What makes you think I went somewhere?” Chifuyu continued with the same bewilderment.

“Um, because you texted to me about it yourself? No?” Hanemiya seemed to feel strange because of Chifuyu's slurred answers. “You've been gone for two days. Don't tell me you've been on a binge all this time and don't remember anything?”

Two days?

Did he say two days?

The heart seemed to beat anew in the chest.

Louder.

Stronger.

More desperate.

The boxes fell out of his hands one by one.

“Chifuyu!”

“I've been gone for two days?” He asked aloud. It was the third time when he answered a question with a question and it probably was extremely impolite, but Chifuyu had to know the answer. It was so important.

He rummaged in the pockets of his trousers, pulling out a broken cell phone and carefully flipping through the list of incoming messages.

To: Kazutora

From: Chifuyu

Message text:

I'll be gone for a few days.

I need to visit my mom.

Don't miss ♡

Chifuyu didn't remember that.

And to be more accurate…

He never texted that. And he didn't drink so much that he would absolutely forget about this kind of thing.

Kazutora pulled himself up on his toes to look at his phone.

“Well, you see?” He carefully poked his index finger at the sent messages. “How did you manage to forget about it?”

Chifuyu continued to read the written text over and over again, trying to figure out who could send it instead of him.

“At least set up the phone, you fool,” Kazutora snorted and gave him a weightless slap on the back of the head before walking back to the counter. “Even the date is wrong.”

“What did you say?”

“On your phone,” He repeated patiently. “The date is wrong.”

“Wrong?” Chifuyu felt like with each new word of Kazutora, hope in his chest was literally reborn from the ashes. He ran up to Hanemiya and grabbed him by the shoulders, casually shaking him. “What's the date today?”

“Chifuyu, are you kidding me?” Kazutora shook his head reproachfully, maliciously poking his finger at the wall calendar. “The tenth of February..”

“The tenth? Y-you… Did you say the tenth?”

“Exactly. And do you know what that date is?”

“I have to go...”Chifuyu quickly pulled off his apron and at the same speed threw on his coat, not even bothering to fasten all the buttons. “I'm sorry, I... it's really urgent!”

“What? Chifuyu, no, today it's your turn to clean up the trays! We've made a schedule! Do I have to follow it alone?!”

“I'm sorry!” He turned around fleetingly, hastily stuffing the phone into his pocket. And already at the door he turned around, shouting: “Another time, okay? I'll clean up the whole pet store! I promise!”

“What? You... what the hell, Chifuyu?!”

And the door immediately slammed shut.

※ ※ ※ ※

“Naoto!” Almost bumping into the passing policemen, out of breath and sweaty from running, he burst into Tachibana's office. Over the past few years, Naoto had risen significantly up in the service and now held a fairly impressive position at the local police station. “Naoto! It's fucking urgent!”

“What happened?” He asked boringly, without even taking his concentrated gaze off a pile of some papers.

“I found...” Leaning on his own knees with his hands and desperately trying to catch his breath, Chifuyu tried to explain the reason for his sudden arrival in the middle of the working day. “Three years later… I've finally found a way to travel in time! I'm still… I haven't quite figured out how it works yet, but I've definitely traveled! I saw Takemichi with my own eyes, can you imagine? So we need to get together, all Toman, and study this! Well, you know, pull up all the archives for two thousand and six, and maybe I can go back there again. Just need to find this stupid postcard, and then…”

“Stop.” Naoto interrupted him, rubbing the bridge of his nose. For some reason, he didn't seem too enthusiastic about Matsuno’s story. “Please stop, Chifuyu. That's enough.”

“What?” Matsuno blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected such a reaction from him. More precisely, he didn't expect anything at all, just... “But I…”

“Three years have already passed… And now you're starting it again. It's the same thing every month. When will you finally calm down?”

“Naoto, but after all ...” He tried to explain himself, but he was so excited that it came out with great difficulty. “I found it… What we wanted…”

“How much did you drink yesterday? One bottle? Two? What have you been drinking anyway?”

“I... I didn't drink… Not yesterday! Or rather, I don't remember, because I've traveled in time, but I… I'm not lying, Naoto! I really saw Takemichi! It was real!”

“Chifuyu.”

“We ate yakisoba together! And... and an ice cream! Strawberry one! It was very tasty!”

“Chifuyu, listen to me.”

“And also ... we accidentally fell into a ditch, and then everything suddenly began to disappear, as if it was some damn dystopia, and I ...” He suddenly stopped, realizing that Tachibana was not listening to him. Or was it Chifuyu who hadn't listened to him all this time? It doesn't matter anymore. The gaze of the gray-blue eyes opposite was depressingly gloomy. Matsuno suddenly realized everything. “Wait, you... don't you believe me? I know you're angry because of those scammers I spent all my money on, but this time it was real! I swear to you! Naoto, trust me! I can finally go back in time and save Takemichi! I just need everyone’s help! Your help! And everyone will finally be happy!”

“That's enough!” Naoto slammed his fist down hard on the table, causing Matsuno to flinch in surprise. "Everyone is already happy! Why only you can’t?!”

“Eh?..” Chifuyu paused, staggering back helplessly.

“What's wrong with you, Matsuno?”

“What's wrong with me?..”

“Takemichi was very dear to all of us. And we've been grieving long enough. But it's time to move on, you know? You can't live with the past forever.”

“But I can fix everything! It's not too late!”

“It is too late! It's already three years late! You can't fix anything anymore! No one can! That's it! Come to your senses already! No more time travel! It's no longer possible!”

“But I saw it! I felt it! It was real!”

“Chifuyu, please understand that there are things in this world that just had to happen. Takemichi's fate was sealed from the very beginning, and we…”

“Was his fate sealed?” Chifuyu snapped with contempt. Elation gave way to disappointment and anger. Threatening veins immediately began to appear on his face, and his hands naturally tightened into fists. “So that's how you started talking.”

“We simply were not able to save him,” Naoto got up from his chair and slowly closed the distance between him and Matsuno. Comfortingly put the hand on his shoulder. “The fate of a hero, you know? He did what he had to and…”

“Had to? He had never had to do anything!” Chifuyu disgustedly threw his hand off his shoulder and pushed the man against the wall, grabbing him by the fabric of a brand-new sleek jacket and painfully hitting the back of the head against a nearby closet. “If it’s impossible to change everything, then why are you here, huh? Why are you here, Naoto? You're sitting in this office, filled with awards and medals for good service, riding a brand-new Mercedes, and – look – you even bought a new watch. Why are you here and not in the grave? And Hinata? Why isn't she there with you? And Draken? Mitsuya? Me? All of us? If everything is a foregone conclusion, then why are we all alive, and Takemichi is lying in the cold ground?! Tell me, Naoto!”

The man tried to push him away, but Chifuyu instantly knocked him to the ground. Naoto was stronger than him, and in much better shape, but that didn't stop Matsuno. The surprise effect had worked greatly. Naoto clearly wasn't expecting a direct hit. Chifuyu immediately slammed his fist into his jaw. On one cheek. And then on the second one. And so again in a new way. He was beating sparing none of his strength.

Everything that he hadn’t thrown out earlier on Manjiro and Kazutora, now poured out in a single rush towards Naoto.

Maybe it wasn't his fault.

But Chifuyu didn't care.

He was in pain and felt bad.

He was in agony.

He just wanted someone to pay for his suffering.

And he beat. Beat again. And again. And again. And again, until his eyes were filled with rage, and he finally stopped seeing what he was doing and exactly where he was hitting.

His hands were covered in blood, Naoto's face was covered in blood, but it wasn't enough.

It was too little to compensate for his loss.

The real Chifuyu Matsuno has never been sympathetic and kind. He was a real monster in the flesh.

It seems he hit Naoto somewhere on the nose. Something crunched. Not paying the slightest attention to this, Chifuyu tightly clung to his thin, sinewy neck with his hands.

He completely lost the control.

“Motherfucker,” Matsuno pressed harder. He was breathing heavily, hovering over Naoto. “You just used him while you needed to save Hinata, and when he asked you for help… Tell me, what did you do?! What did you tell him? Why did you leave him alone? Why did you run away? Answer me! Answer me, bitch!”

“Ch-chi…”

“What? When he was no longer needed, all your loyalty and friendship suddenly disappeared somewhere? “The fate of a hero”, huh? Who would you be without Takemichi? Who would we all be without him?”

“Let... let g... let go…”

“Why haven't you done anything in these three years?! Why haven't you found out who told Takemichi about Mikey's location yet?! Why is the entire top of “Bonten” still at large?! Why didn't you find everyone and put them all behind bars as accomplices?! Why are you such a useless piece of shit?!”

Chifuyu himself did not notice how Naoto began to lose consciousness. He took his hands away in fright only at the moment when two policemen were already pulling him away from the body.

But the anger didn’t recede.

Naoto tried to clean his throat.

“Crazy,” He croaked, straightening his strayed jacket and loosening the tight knot of his tie around his neck. His nose was pretty smashed. And the whole pretty face in general. There were characteristic marks on the sleeves of the white shirt with which he wiped the blood. “You are crazy, Matsuno. You just went head over heels, you know? It's time for you to be treated. Have you even seen yourself in the mirror? Who have you become like? You're only a year older than me, and you look like an old drunk. It's disgusting to even look at you.”

“It's still better than being such an arrogant bastard. And by the way, the sight of you makes me feel a little queasy, too. You were much nicer as a kid.”

“Think what you want. I've put up with it long enough. But that was the last straw, Chifuyu.”

“Oh, and now what? Will you lock me up? Me, and not the top of the "Bonten"?

“That's exactly what I was going to do.”

“Keep it up, Naoto! It’s a great fucking idea!”

“What's going on here?” Hinata appeared in the doorway, barely holding her big belly. “Naoto, Chifuyu...” She looked at them both with slight confusion. Naoto was sitting on the ground with his head thrown back and trying to recover, and Chifuyu was being held a couple of meters away by two strong policemen. But it seems that even their strength was not enough to fully rein in the fiendishly enraged Matsuno.  “What happened?”

“He attacked me,”  Tachibana Jr. shook his head.

“What? Chifuyu? Why?”

Chifuyu didn't answer.

He didn't want to answer.

And to be honest, he didn't know what to say.

“You'd better go, Hinata. No need to worry about trifles.”

“Oh, how long has Takemichi become a trifle to you?” Matsuno laughed insanely. “How nice! Just a delight for the eyes!”

“Chifuyu...” Ignoring Naoto's instructions, Hina tried to talk to Chifuyu again.

“Don't look at me like that, Hinata.”

“Like what?..”

“Like you care. Do you think I'm completely blind? Rich husband, a child… Do you really expect me to believe that you care about what I say?”

“Of course I care!” Hinata leaned forward, putting her hand on her chest for more persuasion. Chifuyu couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or not. “So, please, Chifuyu, you need to calm down now, and then we'll sit down and calmly talk about what happened!”

“No. We won't talk. I don't believe you! I don't believe any of you anymore! I thought you all were just afraid to try, afraid to fight for Takemichi, because it seems impossible to you, I was hoping for it so much, and I brought you a chance, but you don't want to take it! Because you don't care! You all don't care about Takemichi! You lying pieces of shit! Traitors!”

“Take him away” Naoto said a little more calmly, nodding to his subordinates. Chifuyu violently twitched, trying to escape, but immediately groaned painfully when he was twisted a little harder.

“Naoto, I'll hunt you down, you son of a bitch!” He shouted after them as the policemen led him out of the office.

“Naoto…” Hinata tried to object, but Naoto just shook his head. “You shouldn't have done that. It's already hard for him.”

“Let him spend some time in the cell and cool down a little. And then we'll sit down and talk.”

“Tachibana-san, there's another one in the cell. Is that okay?” One of the cops who came in handed him some documents.

“Is there something serious?” Not really looking and reading into what was written, Naoto quickly ran his eyes over what he considered essential.

“No. Just a misdemeanor. He's not dangerous.”

“Okay, then. Let them sit together. I'll be gone for a few hours, so just make sure he doesn't do anything.”

“Got it. Something else?”

“Yeah. Please, bring me everything we have on the case I told you about yesterday, before I arrive.”

“The Kantou incident?”

“Yes. And the dossier of all participants.”

“OK. It will be done, Tachibana-san.”

“You can go, Furukawa.”

※ ※ ※ ※

The cell was a little empty. A lonely bench, which has already been taken by a silent cellmate, and a small toilet.

That's all.

Chifuyu took a seat near the bars.

There was a better view from here.

It wasn't that he intended to run away or anything like that, it was just calmer to keep everything that was happening in plain sight. He needed to concentrate on something to at least come to his senses.

His body was desperate for nicotine.

Stronger than before.

His hands, stained with Naoto’s blood, still did not stop shaking.

“Fuck.” Chifuyu held a cigarette between his teeth, fumbled in his pockets and cursed with contempt when he realized that the cops had taken the lighter from him. Probably at the request of Naoto. “He thinks I'm going to burn down his entire police station”, - Matsuno thought irritably - “What a pussy.”

“Here, buddy” Someone's hand, clutching an open lighter, struck the right button, recreating a small flame. Chifuyu immediately lit a cigarette. The stranger who came up returned to his former place on the bench. “Actually, they don't smoke here, but I asked those nice guys very well, so now at least there will be something to do in this cell.”

“Thanks” He muttered dryly and moved a little further to the side, not wanting to continue this meaningless conversation. He was angry and, to be honest, was not at all in the mood for sincere chats with a cellmate.

Although, perhaps, he could be the only one who would not strangle him with the burning concern.

“Did you like your time travel?”

Chifuyu froze.

Did he hear that?

Is this a joke?

“What did you sa...” Chifuyu turned around to take a closer look at his cellmate. His head was lowered, his face was hidden behind a hood, and the sleeves were stretched almost to his fingers, between which the mysterious stranger tightly clutched a red greeting card with the inscription “Chichibu Festival, 2006”. The same postcard that had enigmatically disappeared from his apartment today.

The guy was mocking him.

“Maybe we will talk about the theory of quantum immortality? You didn't listen to me very carefully last time.”

“Where did you get this?” Chifuyu's eyes widened, and he leaned forward, intending to start a second fight today, when a sudden realization instantly made him to stop. “Wait, you... you... you're that stranger from the bar! The one who gave me this postcard! It's you, isn't it?”

“The stranger from the bar?” The cellmate laughed hoarsely. He seemed amused by everything that was happening. “Your friends are definitely right about something. Did you really drink all your brains that much that you couldn't even recognize me as an old friend?”

“An old friend?” Chifuyu shook his head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

The young man, laughing playfully, raised his head and pulled off the dark hood of his hoodie from the top of the head. He carefully ran one hand through his dyed hair, then the other, and stared at Matsuno expectantly.

The tattoos on the back of his palms formed the long-known Chifuyu "Crime" and "Punishment".

“We haven't seen each other for so long, Chifuyu, haven't we?” Tilting his head to the shoulder, the man intoned.

“Hanma...” Chifuyu backed away, taking up a defensive position. “What the hell…”

“Will you play a game with me?” Shuji just grinned, wearily leaning back against the wall and pointing at the postcard. “I promise you gonna like it.”

Chapter Text

The green eyes widened in fright.

“A game? What game?” Breathless, Chifuyu only managed to ask. The familiar postcard, clamped between Shuji's long fingers, only mockingly swayed from side to side, catching his attention. Chifuyu watched it without looking up, as if he was afraid to lose even sight of it for a moment. At the same time, he kept trying to pinch his hand to check everything that was happening for reality. And, it seems, he really did not sleep. “What are you talking about?”

“While you haven't had time to go crazy from all the shocking realizations, I'll say right away that I came in peace,” Without ceasing to grin cheekily, the man raised his hands in a ridiculous gesture of "surrender".

“And you expect me to believe that?” Chifuyu was not satisfied with such inarticulate answer. He grinned and stepped back again, pressing into the metal grate with his back.

His fists tightened dangerously once again.

From the side, Chifuyu resembled a cornered hungry wolf, which at any moment was ready to pounce on its victim and mercilessly tear it apart.

“It's your business, of course,” Hanma, as if anticipating such a reaction, only shrugged indifferently. And then mockingly reminded: “But it seemed to me that two days ago you needed my help quite badly. And by the way, that's still the case.”

“Don't act like you know everything about me!” Matsuno exclaimed loudly.

One of the policemen sitting nearby immediately responded to the scream. The man in uniform was distracted from an extremely fascinating conversation with his partner and threw an irritated look in the direction of the arrested, making it clear that they both better shut up immediately.

“Well, well, don't shout like that,” Shuji put his finger to his lips, also urging Matsuno to lower his tone a little. “Just look and Tachibana will come running again with his henchmen, and then you will hardly get off with a simple preventive detention. And it seems that you have already distinguished yourself enough today, Matsuno. The whole precinct is only talking about how you beat up a police officer. And I thought you were a good mama's boy.”

Chifuyu snorted.

Those creepy yellow eyes scanned him like an X-ray, picking out every imperfection and every gap inside and outside of his lean body. Penetrating right under the skin, this gaze drilled a hole right in his chest and at once pulled out his heart with blood vessels to rummage and pick at it, as if it were a damn cheesecake. Hanma systematically looked over Chifuyu's overgrown dark hair and stubble on his face, over his faded green eyes and barely noticeable wrinkles on the forehead, as if deliberately noticing and emphasizing how strongly the loss of his best friend had affected the man.

“Honestly, you look like shit.” Having finished his analysis, Hanma boringly propped his cheek with one hand, and with the other he quickly put the postcard back in his pocket, as if he hadn’t needed it anymore.

“You're no better.” Chifuyu spoke a little quieter, trying not to draw too much attention to them. He almost hissed his every word. “What the fuck are you doing here?!”

He wasn't going to comment on his appearance or why he looked like that at all. The only thing he wanted was to get answers to his questions. And preferably as soon as possible.

He was completely confused.

To meet Hanma after so many years, to meet him right here and right now, and even to hear such a thing from him…

It seemed unimaginable. Much more unimaginable than the fact of time travel, to be honest. Chifuyu would rather believe in the existence of aliens than that he would have the opportunity to meet his former enemy again, and even end up in the same stinky cell with him. Hanma literally came out of nowhere, just out of thin air, and Chifuyu couldn’t find any logical reasons for this.

Shuji himself wasn’t in a big hurry to explain anything either.

He just kept putting on his strange performance in front of Chifuyu. Like a skilled actor performing his role, he never left playing his character even for a moment and did not remove the carnival mask from his face.

Hanma clearly wasn't going to reveal all his cards to Matsuno right away. All he did was dodging, squirming, like a snake in a frying pan, while not ceasing to smile venomously. Throwing a fishing rod and deftly catching his victim on a sharp hook, he only mockingly pulled the line.

Chifuyu hated the fact that he had to take part in this.

But the truth was far more important than their mutual dislike.

“I asked: what are you doing here?” Matsuno said between his gritted teeth, repeating the same question for probably the fifth time in a row.

There were still no answers.

He wanted to start banging his head against the wall while Shuji seemed to enjoy his obvious superiority.

For him, it was nothing more than a fun game.

Although, giving him his credit, he hadn’t hided it since the very beginning.

“It's quite a long story, you know” He yawned, as if everything that was happening was excruciatingly tiring him. He got up from his seat, swaying a little, and again hid his hands in the long sleeves of his gray hoodie, casually wondering: “Do you want to hear it in details or is it better to limit myself with only the key moments? You know, I really like Polonius' statement on this matter. He spoke to the King and Queen:

“Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,

And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,

I will be brief”.

He slightly bowed, putting his hand to his heart and barely noticeably shaking the head, and for some reason mysteriously paused, as if Chifuyu had to applaud him.

Which, of course, Chifuyu himself was not going to do.

He just folded his arms on his chest, bumping the back of his head against the bars a little, and then with one hand wearily pinched the bridge of his nose.

Shuji sighed, disappointed that Chifuyu wasn't going to play along with him.

“Haven't you ever read Hamlet?” Only a quiet hiss answered him. And yet the comparison with the wolf was not very correct. Chifuyu was more like a stray cat - shabby, angry, hungry and sometimes mewing sadly somewhere in the corner. “William Shakespeare, Act II, scene 2. No? God, what a shame, how do you even live? Okay, let's try another quote then. Here…”

Patience finally ran out.

Chifuyu approached Hanma in a few seconds and jerked him against the concrete wall, as he had already done with Naoto just an hour ago. And although he was well aware that Shuji had always been stronger than him, and the difference in their height seemed to be almost ridiculously huge, Chifuyu was no longer going to stand on ceremony. He was sick of the whole circus.

“Stop acting like a fucking clown and tell me what you need from me!” Matsuno muttered through his teeth, only squeezing the fabric of someone else's gray hoodie with his fingers. He hissed again, almost incinerating him with the sharp gray eyes: “Hanma!”

But to his surprise, the man didn’t resist and didn’t even fight back. He just laughed nastily in Chifuyu's face, as if he was just waiting for that.

“Yes, yes, it's me” He confirmed for some reason, nodding stupidly. “I asked you not to shout so loudly. For your information, I'm still on the wanted list and I'm not here under my real name. So, please close your pretty mouth for a while, m’kay?”

“I repeat for the last time: how are you connected with time travel?! Stop treating me like an idiot!” Chifuyu didn't care about anything other than that. Neither Shuji's whole life after their last meeting, nor what he forgot in this police station, nor why he decided to start this whole weird conversation with him in the first place. Question-answer. Nothing more. “How the fuck did you do that? Is it about you? Or that stupid postcard? Where did you even get it from? Did you steal it from my apartment?”

“You ask too many stupid questions” He drawled wistfully. “It's getting dull.”

“You haven't answered any of them!”

“To be fair, you haven't answered mine either,” Hanma reminded politely. He grinned again, repeating the question he had asked earlier: “Did you like your time travel ?"

“Are you kidding me?!” Chifuyu cried out, rolling his eyes.

“I'm waiting,” Hanma freely brought his hand to his ear, exposing his wrist and listening attentively to the invisible clock. “Do you hear? The clock is ticking. Takemichi was left there all alone, and you and I still at deadlock.”

«Takemichi was left there all alone».

Chifuyu hated having to agree to other people's rules. The funniest thing was that Hanma didn’t voice them out loud and only continued to endlessly act, patiently waiting for Matsuno to reach his boiling point. And when that happened, he could only enjoy the performance.

Chifuyu was silent for only a few seconds before he squeezed out a pathetic and almost stuttering:

“Y-Yes” His grip loosened for a moment as images from the past reappeared before his eyes. And Matsuno immediately remembered strawberry ice cream, a playground and a creaking swing, a ditch filled with water down the hill and a strong blow of two fists against each other, sealing a small contract. Somewhere in the head, Takemichi's velvety and melodious voice flashed like a song.

“Chifuyu-u-u!”

The fingers gripping the fabric of the hoodie slowly unclenched.

Chifuyu shook his head violently in an attempt to dispel the vision. He tried not to meet Hanma's eyes, knowing full well that he most probably was grinning venomously now.

“What-what did you say there? I didn't hear it.”

Matsuno squeezed his eyes shut.

“Yes, I liked it! Are you satisfied? And now, be so kind as to answer my questions as well!”

"Nah," Hanma replied, yawning. “Not now. I'm too tired.”

“What?!” Chifuyu almost exploded, grabbing Hanma again and slamming the back of his head against the wall with a sharp movement.

The man only laughed louder.

“Don't make such an angry face, Matsuno. Instead, try to turn on your wonderful little brain and think a little. If you keep yelling at the whole precinct like that about time travel, one of those lovely cops will quickly turn you in to Naoto. And he will certainly figure out what can be done with such a drunkard and a madman like you, who every single day keeps talking about Takemi-…”

“Don't you dare!” Chifuyu cut him off abruptly. Hanma was not allowed to say that name. And, it seems, he knew about it well enough to deliberately put pressure on an open wound. “Don't even think about him! Do you understand me?! Don't even try!”

“You're so desperate when it comes to Hanagaki. I'm almost jealous...” He indirectly ignored the threat. “Okay, okay, cool down” He carefully took Chifuyu's hands away from him and with one movement sat him down on a bench, not giving him a chance to get back up and immediately landing next to him. Shuji lowered his own voice, continuing almost in a whisper: “If you want to understand what happened to you from the seventh to the ninth of February, then pull yourself together and just wait until both of us are released from here. All you need to know now is that you really have traveled in time. And it could happen again if you do what I’ll tell you. So, be a good boy, Chifuyu, and then everything will be fine with us. You want to see Takemichi again, don't you? Be patient.”

Matsuno felt like Shuji had gotten into his head and was now systematically pulling out every damn thought from there to the surface. And it couldn't help but annoy. Chifuyu hated being so vulnerable. Especially in front of someone he despised so much.

But it seems that he just had no other choice.

A heavy sigh slipped from Matsuno's lips. He covered his face with his bloody hands and held them a little lower, rubbing his eyes swollen from lack of sleep.

“You really have traveled in time.”

“And it could happen again.”

That's all he needed to hear. No matter how insidious Shuji's future plans were drawn in his imagination, and he clearly had them, Chifuyu could only think about one thing.

We'll meet again soon, Takemichi.

And this time I'm not letting you go anywhere.

He leaned back against the wall and threw his head back.

The cold of the gray concrete allowed him to finally realize how heavy and hot his head had been all this time. The body was completely weakened. There wasn’t a single spot left in it that would not ache and hurt.

Chifuyu was too tired of all this. Now he knew for sure that because of time travel, he hadn’t slept normally for at least two days. So he wouldn't be surprised at all if he suddenly fainted right in front of Hanma.

He was terribly sleepy.

But now he could finally afford to rest.

At least a little.

Sleeping in the same cell with a man who could potentially strangle him in his sleep was not his most sensible decision, but Chifuyu could no longer fight his own fatigue.

His eyes slowly closed, and after a minute he finally fell into the abyss.

“Well, finally you’ve shut up,” Hanma looked back at him over his shoulder and only chuckled quietly. He slowly took the festival postcard out of his pocket again and turned it over in his hands for a while, as if evaluating it. A quick click of the lighter — and he immediately brought it to the fire, watching with a mad look as the furious flame rapidly devours the lovers depicted on it. The corners of his lips stretched even wider and scarier than before. Yellow eyes flashed with dangerous fire. “You can't even imagine what kind of shit you've gotten yourself into, Matsuno. What a pity poor Naoto didn't believe you.”

Chifuyu didn't know, but Hanma hadn't needed his consent to take part in the game at all. After all, he started it back when he took the postcard for himself and woke up the next morning in two thousand and six.

※ ※ ※ ※

Naoto stopped his car in the parking lot. Fortunately, there were just a few vehicles there: only a couple of cars and one small truck.

It was the perfect time to visit.

But for some reason Tachibana was in no hurry to leave the car.

He had long since turned off the engine, but he still hadn’t let go of the black leather steering wheel. He squeezed it only harder, until the white knuckles and blue-green veins protruded on the back of the palm. His fingers were trembling a little today for some reason, although Naoto was always restrained, unshakable and calm. Or maybe it just seemed that way from the outside?

Most probably, the second one.

Naoto bumped his forehead against his own hand holding the steering wheel, and briefly closed his eyes, trying to recover.

He was still not feeling well after the recent incident. Of course, before his trip, he managed to visit the medical unit at the police station, where he was helped to treat his wounds and was strongly recommended to lie there for a while, but Tachibana simply couldn’t stay. He needed to take Hinata back home, and then stop by an old friend. There was no way to linger.

Punctuality has always been an integral feature of his character.

Even if for the one to whom he was in such a hurry, time had no meaning long ago.

Naoto raised his head, trying to grab as much air as possible with his lips, and looked at himself through the rearview mirror, as if making sure that he looked normal enough.

Tachibana picked up a small bag filled with sweets from the passenger seat and opened the door, finally leaving his transport. The last steps seemed surprisingly long to him today. He had to walk along a winding sandy path to the gate, go inside and follow for a long time between the same rows, and then turn right and walk a few more meters.

And he was finally in place.

“Hello, Takemichi.”

Naoto stopped in front of the gravestone.

The Hanagakis Family Grave

Mitsuko Hanagaki

1962 — 1999

Takemichi Hanagaki

1991 — 2018

And he sighed almost inaudibly.

“I'm sorry, I'm four minutes late today” He turned his hand and looked at his wristwatch, checking the time for some reason. And, of course, having received no answer from his interlocutor, he only smiled faintly, opening the package he brought and taking out some sweets from it. “This is for you”

He put them in a small plate, already filled to the brim with other types of sweets and cookies, and carefully adjusted the plastic container with tonkotsu standing next to it. It seems Souya and Nahoya have been here quite recently.

Naoto straightened up, put his palms together and closed his eyes.

A strong wind has risen. He picked up a few sakura petals lying on the ground and threw them into the air, causing them to spin and twist into small whirlwinds, and then fall down again.

This year, for some reason, the cherry blossomed earlier than usual, although March turned out to be surprisingly cold. The sky was also cold. Dark and gloomy, surrounded by large and lush clouds, ready to spill a huge stream of water on the city.

As long as her health allowed, Hinata always went to the cemetery with Naoto, but now it was quite difficult for her to carry the road, so the man did it alone.

It didn't burden him in any way.

Rather, on the contrary.

This has always been solely his initiative.

Maybe Chifuyu was right about something?

Maybe Naoto was just trying to make amends to Takemichi? Of course, technically he wasn’t guilty of anything. Like all of them. And even though Takemichi himself made the decision for to go after Mikey, Tachibana still couldn’t get rid of the thought that the joy of the long-awaited reunion with his sister at some point covered his eyes. He knew that three years ago he could have done much more for Hanagaki than he did in the end, but then for some reason he chose to just ignore it.

He wanted to finish everything related to time travel as soon as possible. Put an end to it and forget about everything that happened to them once and for all.

And just move on.

To a happy and peaceful life.

But he hadn’t taken into account at all that Takemichi Hanagaki's life could not be like this if one of his friends was not fully happy. It was as if some strange mechanism was immediately triggered in his body and forced Takemichi to recklessly rush to help, sparing neither himself nor his own strength.

Naoto only asked him to save Hinata, but Hanagaki was always too noble a person to just leave the others behind. To spend so much time in the past and not get attached to "Toman"? Naoto was obviously very stupid when he thought that.

Takemichi was sucked into a funnel from which he could not get out, and, of course, Tachibana quite often thought that he also was guilty of it.

No matter what Chifuyu said, he did care.

But he didn't know if it was a good or a very bad thing.

“You're here too,” A familiar voice was heard behind him.

“Draken.” Tachibana didn't even twitch, already knowing in advance who was approaching him with such slow and measured steps. After a moment, he opened his eyes, saying with a little excitement “I thought it was my turn today. Did I break our schedule?”

“No, that's right,” Ryuguji confidently shook his head, calming him down. “I was just passing by and decided to visit him. That's all” He stood next to Naoto and repeated his previous movements, putting his palms together in the same way. They spent several minutes in utter silence before Draken spoke up again:  “Three years have already passed.”

“Yeah…” Tachibana nodded absently, adjusting the sleeves of his tight black jacket with careless and even a little nervous movements. Lately, he’d hated to wear it. “Time runs so fast.”

“How is Hinata doing?”

“She’s fine,” Naoto replied shortly, shrugging his shoulders. “Choosing a name for the child. I don't even know if I should try to dissuade her on behalf of “Takemichi” or if I can immediately abandon this idea.”

Draken let out a slight chuckle. “Knowing Hinata and her stubbornness, I think you have no chances.”

“I thought so too,” Naoto picked up this fleeting laugh, but very quickly subsided, coughing hoarsely. He gently rubbed his throat: it still hurt a little. Naoto seemed to still feel the pressure of someone else's cold hands on him. Matsuno had lost a lot of weight and just weakened over the past few years, so he genuinely didn't understand where the man found so much strength. He quietly confessed: “Chifuyu came to me today.”

“I see,”  Ryuguji looked at him with a worried, but obviously unsurprised look, noticing a broken nose and several small abrasions on his face. “Time travel again?”

“Yeah. It usually happens much more calmly, but today he seemed to be completely out of control. He kept saying that he had found some way, that he had met Takemichi in the past… Ice cream, noodles… A postcard that he needs to find somewhere… He just repeated some meaningless set of words from time to time and said that he wanted to go back there again to save him. That this time he will definitely succeed, and everyone will definitely be happy. And I...” his voice trembled treacherously, his hands began to shake again, and Naoto abruptly wrapped his other hand around the wrist of one hand, trying to calm the feverish trembling. “I couldn't help myself and said a lot of bad things to him. No.” He corrected himself instantly. “Not even like that. These were absolutely horrible and disgusting things, Draken. I just listened to it all... listened to him talking all this nonsense and smiling so happily, as if he sincerely believes in every word, and at some point… I lost my temper, and so did he… And what happened happened.”

"You had a fight?"

“Well, if beating is considered synonymous with a fair fight” - Naoto laughed nervously – “Then yes, I think I can say that we had a fight.”

“And where is he now?”

“Sitting in a cell. I didn't want… I mean, it was an extreme measure, but there was Hinata, and Chifuyu still wouldn't let up, so I just… I no longer found any other way out, except…”

“I understand,” Ken nodded, gently touching Naoto's shoulder with his hand and slightly squeezing it in a comforting gesture. “Don't blame yourself for that. We all know that Chifuyu has become almost feral. And he's not the same person he used to be for a long time.”

“I just don't know what to do, Draken,” Tachibana's shoulders hunched a little. The man frowned and tilted his head back, blinking frequently.

He hated showing his weakness so openly, but it seemed his strength was already running out. When everything was just starting to get better, Chifuyu Matsuno would reappear on his doorstep, tightly tied to the ghost of Takemichi, and everything would break down and go down the hill. On particularly bad days, Naoto had nightmares. And then he would rummage through old cases at night, trying to find at least anything. He searched, searched, searched and searched for something again. But, like everything he has done in the last three years, it has brought absolutely no result. And for some reason, the growing list of thanks and awards in his stuffy office was even more depressing, especially when Naoto felt so acutely useless.

“I've already tried everything. But I just don't know how to help a person who doesn't want to be helped. It's almost impossible.”

Any conversations between Naoto and Chifuyu invariably came down to “no”.

It's been like this from the very beginning.

From the very first summer day spent without Takemichi Hanagaki.

And although Naoto sincerely wanted to, he did not know at all how to approach Matsuno. They were never particularly close, and Tachibana experienced the loss a little differently - silently and somewhere in himself, burying every painful thought deep inside. But Chifuyu, it seems, wanted to roar and whine in despair, cling to his hair with his fingers and scream, scream without ceasing, loudly and excruciatingly, until finally his throat becomes hoarse.

Naoto couldn't do that.

It seemed to him that it would be much easier for them to cope together than trying to do it alone. Therefore, he was ready to be by Chifuyu's side for as long as he needed, and to provide tacit, but still necessary support to him. At any time of the day or night. Not only at Takemichi's request, Naoto has always respected Chifuyu for perseverance and loyalty to his ideals. In one of the futures they even worked together and, to be honest, were very good companions.

But, unfortunately, Chifuyu needed not silence at all, but rather words that Naoto never knew how to choose correctly. Actually, today's incident was just a confirmation of this.

And although they both had lost the same person, a friend and comrade close to their hearts, there was something noticeably different in their common loss. Something that Naoto couldn't figure out even now. He never asked about it directly, not daring to overcome the monstrously strong wall between him and Chifuyu, and Matsuno himself was not particularly eager to explain something to him. So, in the end, they just... stayed on their own.

Everyone coped with the loss as best they could.

And someone (Chifuyu) did not cope at all.

Almost a year after Takemichi's death, he suddenly cut off all his ties with former friends. The only person with whom he still continued to maintain at least some communication due to their common activities was Kazutora Hanemiya. Sometimes Chifuyu also saw Naoto — steadily, once every few months, as if according to some well-established schedule, he resorted to him with eyes burning with happiness and assured him, falling to his knees and driving his head into the wooden floor, that he had finally found something.

Naoto stopped believing him for about the fifth time.

In less than a few months, Chifuyu sold all his property, took all deposits from banks and withdrew absolutely all money from each of his cards. Naoto wasn't proud of it, but when he realized that something was going wrong, he bypassed the system and picked up all the information about Chifuyu's actions since the summer of the eighteenth year and followed it until today. Every query in his search engine, every purchase or email notification — Naoto knew absolutely everything.

But probably he realized too late that Chifuyu Matsuno didn't need any support. Any words. Because he clearly wasn't going to cope with the bereavement. Instead, he was just... running. He did nothing but run away from each of his friends, as from a living reminder of what he was still not ready to accept. The fact that everyone else was trying to move on and build their own lives meant that Takemichi Hanagaki would never come back.

And Chifuyu didn't want to believe it.

For all three years he hadn’t visited his grave. Everyone was here, including even Takemichi's distant relatives and friends, with whom even “Toman” was not familiar, but Chifuyu had not come here yet. The Tachibana family has always looked after the grave. Sometimes it was also done by Mori-san, who three years ago finally moved to the States and returned to Japan only for a few days a year.

Naoto should have understood it earlier.

At that exact moment, when in the first autumn months of the two thousand and eighteenth, Matsuno's visits to their house became too frequent, when he suddenly became a big fan of handshakes, which Naoto now hated so much, and long conversations about chronofantastic. When he suddenly began to buy tons of scientific magazines with news about the latest discoveries in the field of time travel and look for mediums, psychics and similar charlatans in the vast expanses of Tokyo, that were ready to do everything that Chifuyu could only wish, for a tidy sum.

Naoto would be lying if he said they didn't try.

They tried to move the Chifuyu in time. They tried and tried it many and many times, but nothing worked. Probably, Naoto just wasn't special, although he sometimes sincerely believed in it — Takemichi was always special. And no matter how hard they tried, the miraculous ability left them with him.

But Chifuyu didn't stop trying.

He just could not leave the past far behind.

Or to be more precise, he just didn't want to.

He seemed to find some kind of insane and almost masochistic pleasure in chasing the ghost of Takemichi day after day without restraint, hoping one day to catch him by the hand.

He became obsessed with him.

He grew his hair and started wearing similar clothes, clinging to everything, literally every little detail that somehow connected him with Hanagaki.

And his friends failed to stop him in time.

The right moment was missed.

They had lost time.

A lot of time.

And when they finally looked back, the old Chifuyu Matsuno no longer existed.

It was a wild and distraught man, that was drowning the pain of loss in cheap booze and disgusting cigarettes. Naoto knew that Chifuyu was taking antidepressants, which he illegally bought from someone because they were not sold in pharmacies without a prescription. And to get a prescription, it was necessary to at least visit a doctor, from whose reception Chifuyu had already escaped at least three times. The words "you need therapy" and "post-traumatic stress disorder" made his right eye twitch. The only thing that somehow calmed Naoto - Chifuyu picked up medications for himself that could be mixed with alcohol, so intoxication was not yet dangerous for him.

Although it still didn't make the situation any better.

Any attempts to help Chifuyu were severely nipped in the bud.

He closed himself off from everyone in his little cocoon, in a fake fairy-tale world where everything is possible and Takemichi will return one day. He was continuing to revel in memories mixed with visual and auditory hallucinations.

Chifuyu was the one who had left first.

Such an uncomplicated truth.

Like the others, Hinata tried to contact him several times, tried to see him and just talk, but for her own safety, Naoto asked her never to meet Matsuno again. She had only recently started to cope, and Chifuyu would invariably drag her back to the bottom. And there was no way Naoto could let him do that. He promised his sister that he would sort everything out, and he quite successfully managed to keep Hinata in good ignorance until three days ago she accidentally ran into Chifuyu in the city center. That evening, he and Hinata had a long and loud argument. And it seems that this may continue today.

Naoto just didn't know what to do.

His strength was completely exhausted.

He couldn't leave his friend to his fate, but he also couldn't help because Chifuyu didn't want help.

And sometimes Naoto thought that it would be better if Chifuyu had never known about time travel. Maybe then he would stop clinging to this ephemeral opportunity to go back and fix everything.

Maybe he could finally let Takemichi go.

“I thought that at least this year everything would be a little easier” Naoto sighed, shaking his head. Everything fell on his shoulders so immediately that it became increasingly difficult to withstand this burden alone. Fortunately,  Draken was a great listener. “But it's quite the opposite. It's like every year everything gets worse and worse.”

“Chifuyu thinks we've forgotten about Takemichi” Draken said out loud what was no secret to any of them. “He's got it in his head.”

Naoto smiled bitterly.

“As if it even possible to forget him so easily…”

“That's the thing, you can't, Naoto. But the only difference between us and Chifuyu is that we are trying to move on so as not to devalue what Takemichi has been fighting for, for so long. And he can't do that. He is stuck in the past and does not want to get out of it at all.”

“You know,” Naoto interrupted Ryuguji with a long sigh. His gray-blue eyes seemed glassy for a moment. “He asked me so many questions today. And I just didn't know what to answer. He asked why "Bonten" was at large. As if I wouldn't rather see them behind bars myself. But it was hard to catch them even when they were in full view of the whole of Japan, and now that they are lying low after Mikey's death, it is almost impossible. While The Haitanis is with them, it's almost impossible to find them. If they haven't left the country at all yet. We have involved Interpol in this in case they want to hide abroad, but the probability that it will bring at least some result is close to zero.”

“You'll catch them,” Draken assured him firmly, although Naoto knew perfectly well that no one could ever give him any guarantees. This is not a movie, at the end of which all the bad guys will definitely be punished. It wasn't like that in life. “Sooner or later. They can't hide forever. Three years is too short a time to find and punish these bastards for everything they have done. So you'll just have to get more patience.”

“I'm afraid it's almost over,” Tachibana told him honestly. “Chifuyu also asked today why I still haven't found out who told Takemichi about Mikey's location.”

“You didn't tell him?”

Draken already knew the answer to his question.

They both knew.

“That it was Kazutora? Of course not,” Naoto shook his head. “I'm afraid to even imagine what will happen if Chifuyu does find out about this. Kazutora is the last person who still doesn't let him go completely off the rails, so I... I just can't. Their relationship is already quite complicated, and any such news can lead to terrible consequences.”

Draken understood it better than anyone. Forgiveness for the "Bloody Halloween" so was given to Chifuyu very hard. He would hardly be able to repeat his previous success again. Certainly not in the unstable state he was in right now.

“The night I told them both about Takemichi's death... Kazutora came to my station a few hours later and begged me to arrest him as an accomplice to the crime. He cried and screamed, asked me for forgiveness… He even almost decided to tell Chifuyu everything, but I persuaded him not to do that.”

Ryuguji didn't even know whether to agree with this or not. He had never considered the expression "lying for the good" to be good, but he was also aware that Chifuyu's reaction would be too difficult to predict. At best, he will simply part with the last person he still holds on to, and at worst…

Draken didn't even want to think about what could have happened in the worst case.

“But, anyway, Chifuyu still needs someone to blame,” Naoto ran his eyes over the inscription on the grave again, as if trying to find support in the long-closed blue eyes. What would Takemichi say now, seeing how badly they are coping with what he left behind? Sometimes Naoto missed this stupid and slightly arrogant: "You'll see, you and I will definitely succeed! I won't let you down!" If you can hear, Takemichi, know that I will never let you down again either. - Mikey is dead, he would never have the strength to hate Takemichi, so... if he needs to blame someone for what happened... let it be me. And you find a way to get him out. I've exhausted myself.”

“I'm already working on it,” The man smiled softly.

“Yes?” Naoto turned to him hopefully.

“Yeah. I'm calling an emergency meeting of Toman next week. Hakkai is flying from Madrid, and Mitsuya is just finishing his show in Milan. Everyone else lives and works in Tokyo, so there won't be any problems with that. I have already notified them, and we agreed to meet at the Musashi Temple to decide what we should do next.”

“Good.”

“We will find a way,” Draken was talking about what he was not sure of himself, but to see Naoto who had always been eternally confident of victory in such despair was quite unbearable. The fact that he was so openly declaring his defeat in the fight against Chifuyu’s madness was obviously a wake-up call. “It's going to be okay, Naoto. We've lost a lot of time, but it's not too late to fix it. We will save Chifuyu. This is what Toman was created for. We never abandon ours.”

“I promised Takemichi that I would take care of him,” Naoto raised his head, peering into Ryuguji's impenetrable black eyes. It was strange that despite such impenetrable darkness, Draken's gaze was always bright and sobering. “I can't back down.”

“I know. And we'll do it together. You're not alone.”

“Do you think we can do it?” Tachibana asked uncertainly.

He felt a few tiny drops land on his head. Then another and another, they got bigger and bigger by the minute, until finally they rattled loudly on the gray tombstones.

“I think it's too early for us to lose hope yet,” Draken replied. Because of the beginning of the rain, even his loud voice seemed barely distinguishable. “That's what Takemichi would say right now.”

“Sometimes I think he's the only one who could help Chifuyu.”

“Our hero needs to be given a rest. So we will try to do it on our own.”

The rain increased.

The suit was already soaked.

Naoto has always been a very pedantic person, ready for any, even the most unexpected situations, and a small black umbrella has saved him from a downpour a lot of times, but lately Naoto has become too forgetful and absent-minded. He hadn't even looked at the weather forecast today.

Tachibana glanced at his wristwatch, realizing with undisguised disappointment that he needed to get back as soon as possible before the phone started ringing. A high position implied a lot of responsibility, the amount of which sometimes made the head ache.

Naoto roughly wiped the corners of his eyes.

These, of course, were no more than ordinary raindrops.

He walked slowly away.

But finally he turned around, adding almost inaudibly, in a weak half-whisper, drowning in the measured tapping of the raging downpour:

“Tell me, Draken… When did everything go wrong?”

And finally left without getting an answer.

Ryuguji stared after him for some time. He spent several minutes at Takemichi's grave, as if conducting some kind of silent dialogue with him, understandable only to him, and when Ken finished, he broke into a soft encouraging smile.

“Sleep well, Takemichi. We'll take care of everything.”

He turned on his toes and slowly followed to the left side of the cemetery, only a few large steps to find himself at another grave.

The Sano’s Family Grave

The man peered into the gray lifeless sky and caught a couple of cold drops on his palm. They rolled down his wrist, leaving only a single wet trail.

Naoto's question repeated itself in his mind.

"Tell me, Draken… When did everything go wrong?"

Draken could only guess.

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

Naoto's question repeated itself in his mind.

"Tell me, Draken... When did everything go wrong?"

Draken could only guess.

※ ※ ※ ※

3 years ago

“I'll go.” Chifuyu said firmly. His expression was almost unreadable. Former bright green eyes dimmed so much in just a day, as if somewhere behind the retina, in an instant, every last light bulb was extinguished. Cones, rods... Everything crashed.

Hinata, clinging to Naoto and now and then sobbing fitfully, only nodded weakly in response. She didn't have the courage to do it herself.

In fact, the procedure of secondary identification was officially prohibited under Japanese law. In addition, Naoto identified Takemichi even before he arrived at the crime scene. Videos from the scene filled absolutely all social networks, as if, instead of helping, literally every passerby considered it his duty to just stand and shoot as two people were hanging on the edge of the roof, preparing to fall down.

No one wanted to believe what had happened.

It seemed like an endless dream.

Just a nightmare that had to end sooner or later.

Naoto was able to get a permission for a second procedure just to make sure otherwise. In addition, his identification was almost not regarded as official, because he was on duty as a full-time employee and actually had no right to do that.

On the way here, Chifuyu called Mori-san, who was on a professional development in the States at that time, and asked her to return to Japan as soon as possible. He didn't tell her on the phone what exactly had happened to Takemichi, but no one doubted that the woman would find out about what had happened before she got to Tokyo.

The Internet is a terrible thing if people don't know how to use it.

"I'll stay with her," Naoto also nodded, hugging his sister tighter. She was trembling in his hands. She volunteered to be one of the first to go, but at the very last moment, for some reason, she got cold feet and retreated, succumbing to emotions. Always unfailingly brave, today she's weakened.

Naoto couldn't blame her.

And Chifuyu nobly extended a helping hand, if this gesture of mercy could be called such at all.

Only a few quick steps separated him from the ill-fated gray door. Five or eight, something like that. He didn't even know how slowly he had covered this short distance.

Matsuno honestly didn't even remember how he ended up where he was now. An annoying white noise had been crackling in his ears since yesterday, his head was empty, but for some reason it felt damn heavy, and an impenetrable white veil towered before his eyes.

Everything worked according to the Schrodinger principle¹.

This door is a huge cardboard box, and what is hidden behind it is either completely dead or was still alive. And while Chifuyu was somewhere outside, until  he hadn't reached out with his fingers to the door handle and opened this accursed box, a hope still glowed somewhere in his chest.

While he was here, Takemichi was still alive.

At least in theory.

To think so was the apogee of his own stupidity.

Because Chifuyu already knew that Takemichi was dead. Naoto informed them about it last night. And Chifuyu remembered how much he screamed. He remembered how Tachibana's words were already echoing, distant and unreal, and Kazutora was holding him by the shoulders so tightly that sometimes it seemed that his bones would just break in two. Someone was saying something to him, someone appeared before his eyes, trying to attract his attention. Flashes, images, sounds... Chifuyu didn’t know what happened to him next. He only remembered his own scream in a dark and cold alley a couple of meters from the ill-fated bowling alley.

His throat still hurt and he could hardly speak. And he had watched every video. Dozens, hundreds, thousands and millions of videos from the scene of the events that captured the moment of the fall.

So it was nothing more than a formality.

Stupid conventions.

Nothing more, you know.

Takemichi died.

It was surprisingly simple.

And yet, for some reason, Chifuyu was still…

...hoping for something.

He gathered his courage, pushed forward the door and greeted dryly. He didn't recognize his own voice.

The morgue was empty and cold. That's all he remembered.

A listless woman in her fifties beckoned him to her, and then to a metal cot on which a man was lying, covered with a white sheet.

“Are you ready?” She asked casually, without taking her concentrated gaze from a pile of some papers.

«No».

He wanted to answer.

He wasn't ready.

He will never be ready for this.

“Yes.” But that was all he mumbled to himself.

The woman grabbed the edge of the white cloth, and Chifuyu could have sworn that at that moment he seemed to stop breathing. He wanted to close his eyes and just not look. To see nothing. Turn around and run away without looking back. Run on foot, run until the legs get tired and will not be able to carry him, just in order to be as far away from this terrible place as possible.

But at the same time, he understood that he would only delay the inevitable.

“Well?” The woman was clearly not going to be polite due to the fact that the procedure was not official, and no one would check the correctness of its implementation.

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

No reaction.

Chifuyu didn't feel anything.

He looked at the native face so indifferently, as if the lying person meant absolutely nothing to him. Takemichi's lips were tightly compressed into a thin line, his eyes were tightly closed, and his pale, almost blue face was covered with small but deep abrasions. Chifuyu also saw several stitches on his lean body. Surely the consequences of broken bones in a fall.

He knew that if he turned Takemichi over on his back, he would also see the marks of three bullet wounds.

Right at point-blank range.

Manjiro, you did a damn good job.

Chifuyu felt that each of these wounds was invariably imprinted on himself. If he could only take away all the pain that Takemichi had to go through, he would do it without hesitation.

Everything that happened next was fast and crumpled.

The woman was clearly in a hurry somewhere.

Stupid questions.

Monosyllabic answers.

“Do you recognize this man?”

This isn’t happening.

 “Yes.”

It's not real.

“Full name: Takemichi Hanagaki. Age: 27 years old. Is that right? Do you confirm his identity?”

“Yes.”

No way…

“Your name? Who are you to the deceased?”

“Chifuyu Matsuno. I'm his best friend.”

“Great. Please sign here.”

«Great». She really did say «great».

What a bitch.

Chifuyu signed, as he was asked, turned around and just silently left.

“Chifuyu.” Naoto addressed him with a mute question, as soon as he left the door and closed the distance between them in eight slow steps.

Yes. There were eight of them. Now Chifuyu knew for sure.

Only eight steps separated him from a huge blackening abyss.

Matsuno stopped in front of the Tachibanas and just silently looked up.

“It's him after all, isn't it?”

And Naoto understood.

He understood everything just by the look. Hinata in his hands trembled even more and immediately fell to the floor, choking in hysterics.

And Chifuyu just left. He could hear Hinata screaming loudly behind him, he could hear Naoto trying unsuccessfully to calm her down.

But he just turned around and left.

He spent the rest of the day at work. Kazutora tried to talk to him and even sent him home several times, but Chifuyu constantly refused. He claimed he was fine and just silently did what he had to do.

He returned home only late at night, delaying the moment of return as long as possible. He just wandered through the noisy streets for an unbearably long time, even though autumn turned out to be damn cold, and for some reason his favorite coat didn't warm him at all today. He never drank, even on big holidays. Somehow he's never liked drinking, and he's always believed that only weaklings drown their sadness in a bottomless glass.

But on the way, for some reason, he bought himself some cognac.

He opened it right at the checkout and took several large and greedy sips, attracting the attention of all costumers of a small supermarket. He almost threw up on the spot. Disgusting taste. Bitter and painful. And how do people even drink this rubbish?

He climbed the stairs to his floor and tried to insert the key into the keyhole.

It didn't give in the first time.

Just scratched the metal surface a little.

Chifuyu tried again. And again. And again. And finally threw it aside, banging his fists and feet on the poor door, as if someone could open it from that side. As if it, an old and pathetic thing, was to blame for what happened to Takemichi.

When the little hysterics was over, Chifuyu calmly picked up the key from the floor and opened the door, going inside and silently taking off his coat.

There were several memorable photographs hanging on the mirror in the hallway. Chifuyu never wanted to hang them here and preferred to leave the pictures in photo albums and frames, where they belonged, but Takemichi once dropped that it looked great and that he would definitely do the same as soon as he and Hinata moved in together after the wedding.

Takemichi liked it, and Chifuyu... left it for some reason.

He didn't know why.

It was a bad idea after all.

Chifuyu picked up one of the few photos in which they were together, and, in fact, the only photo where they were just the two of them, and in the same sullen silence followed in the direction of the living room.

Everything was here as before: an unfinished sofa in the middle of the room, where a couple of days ago they accidentally fell asleep together, two suits brought in advance from Mitsuya's atelier, because Takemichi was going to stay here until the wedding day, while Hinata was tidying up his apartment, and even the console remained in the same place where they left it when they finished playing something.

Matsuno reached the sofa as if it was some kind of a control point, slowly sat down on it and spent several seconds in suffocating silence, glaring at the wall opposite.

Something inside him was breaking right at that exact moment.

Slowly.

Quietly and inaudibly.

Everything crumbled.

He looked at the photo in his hands with empty and dead eyes, and then began to look around helplessly, trying to at least cling to something, but there was nothing.

The funeral took place the very next day.

Matsuno looked at the sobbing people around him and only shrugged his shoulders strangely.

He didn't cry.

He just couldn't.

And he didn't understand why the others were so violently choking in tears.

Then for some reason he thought for the first time…

What did they know? What did all these people even know about Takemichi?

Where were they when he was breaking down after another failure in the future? When he was beating that stupid tire until his hands went numb? Where were they when the fights ended, the fanfare of the long-awaited victory stopped playing, and Chifuyu was dragging him at night on his back, half-dead and beaten almost to unconsciousness, and then patiently healed all his wounds until the morning and put him to bed? Where were they when Kakucho was preparing to raise his fist at him or when Kisaki was pointing a gun at him? Why didn't they stand in front of Takemichi like a huge human shield to protect him from blows and bullets?

All they did was talk. They talked endlessly, talked and cried, plaintively repeating and rolling down on their knees in front of him: "Save us, Takemichi, you are our hero."

"Save us!".

"Save us!".

But they never…

Never.

Did

Anything.

Did they have the right to cry like that, lamenting over his lifeless body? Did they have the right to mourn him and ask for forgiveness? For some reason, it seemed hypocritical and stupid to Chifuyu. Extremely unfair.

After all, how so… How is this possible…

Takemichi had fought so hard for their good future.

And everyone around him was finally alive and happy, just as he wanted.

So why did he... die?

No, Chifuyu, you can't say that.

You can't even think about it.

Takemichi will be back.

He will definitely come back, you'll see!

He always came back to you!

Hanagaki was...beautiful. Even in a white coffin. His facial features were sharper than usual, slightly more expressive. He looked like a wax figure in some way. There was some human warmth about him, but he was still hopelessly cold.

It was probably weird, but that's all Chifuyu could say about him.

For some reason, he felt empty and gutted. And he didn't know why. It was as if he had been shaken out like a rag doll, stuffed with cotton and carelessly sewn up, and then forced to go to this strange event.

And there was no room for tears at all.

Rather, it was... Fun?

It seemed to Chifuyu that everything that was happening was just some kind of a joke. He was deceived. He was obviously deceived, and also very clumsily. Everyone was crying and sobbing, falling to the floor in hysterics and choking in bitter tears, as if it was some kind of stupid marathon, saying goodbye and thanking. They thanked Takemichi for this and that, thanked him for life and salvation, wished to finally find peace somewhere high, high under the clouds.

In that case, Chifuyu should have become a pilot after all.

It seemed that a camera was about to appear from somewhere, a sleek presenter from the central channel would look out from behind the door in the right corner, who would shake Matsuno's hand and cheerfully say: "Did you like the prank?". And then a laughing Takemichi will appear, and everyone will immediately stop playing heartbroken friends.

Chifuyu felt nothing. Was it weird?

He should have cried like everyone else, but he didn't.

Why wasn’t he doing it? He didn't know.

When it was his turn to say goodbye, he lingered for a long time. The steps to the open coffin were like walking on nails. Who did he have to say goodbye to? What for? What did all these people want from him? Chifuyu didn't see any point in it. He just wanted it to be over. He wanted to get home as soon as possible. It seems that he and Takemichi had just agreed to watch a movie together on the weekend, and he really wouldn’t like to keep him waiting.

He slowly bent over the body.

Hands reached out on their own accord to Hanagaki's cropped dark hair, as always messy and a little shaggy, and gently smoothed it.

“Wake up soon, partner,” Chifuyu smiled faintly. He didn’t even notice how bitter tears suddenly poured out of his wide-open eyes. It was as if his very being was now struggling with something inescapable and terrible. He no longer had control over himself. The words were thoughtlessly escaping from his mouth, as if they did not belong to him at all. “You promised me that it was our last separation. But if you need to stay somewhere a little longer, I'll wait. It's nothing, really! It's all right! I'll always be waiting for you. You know that, right? And this time I will definitely wait for you. I promise.”

Chifuyu carefully smoothed his bangs up and for some reason put his lips to Hanagaki's cold forehead, as if confirming his little promise. He smiled again, a little wider than before.

“But you still... come back as soon as you can, okay?”

I know you're coming back, I know you're coming back, I know you're coming back.

Draken, who was standing nearby looked at him with dumbfounded eyes.

He heard every word.

And it didn't fit in his head.

Chifuyu's entire behavior, his every movement or gesture… They seemed strange and unnatural. It wasn't like him at all. He did not say goodbye to Takemichi — it could not be called a farewell — he seemed to wish him a "good night" to meet again the next morning.

Chifuyu straightened up, turned around and quickly followed in the direction of the exit. Draken tried to stop him by grabbing his sloping shoulders.

“Hey, hey, Chifuyu, where are you going?”

“Ha?”

He turned his head to Ken, but did not look at him. His eyes seemed a little creepy. Frighteningly empty. And at the same time absolutely black.

“You need to sit down,” Draken nodded to Mitsuya standing next to him, urging him to help. Together they tried to seat Chifuyu on the nearest bench. “Come with us.”

“I can't,” He protested, trying to pull his hands out of the tight grip. “I have to go.”

“You don't need to. Let's just sit down, okay? It's all good.”

“No! Let me go!” He exclaimed even louder, attracting the attention of everyone present in the small hall. “Takemichi is about to return, and I just remembered that I didn't even finish the diary for him! I need to finish!”

“Chifuyu, but...”.

“Why are you holding me?”

Mitsuya and Draken looked at each other in confusion.

Their grip loosened for a second, they didn't even have time to say anything when Chifuyu slipped away from them and staggered towards the door. Already in the doorway for some reason he reminded with a strange smile:

“Oh, right, I almost forgot! Just don't bury him too deep, okay? He's going to freeze there. This time autumn was promised to be cold.”²

And barely colliding with a man in a hood at the exit, he immediately ran out into the street.

※ ※ ※ ※

“Let them out.” One of the policemen answered from the next room, returning the receiver back to the phone.

“Already? Didn't Tachibana-san want to talk to that weirdo?” The second one asked incomprehensibly, uncertainly tossing a bunch of keys in his hands. He looked at Chifuyu, who was clinging to the bars, as if he were an angry dog, specially left behind the fence so that it would not bite passers-by.

“I don't know. He only said to let out.” The policeman shrugged his shoulders, returning to his previous work.

“Both of them?”

“Yeah.”

“Lucky for you that the boss is kind today, Matsuno” He snorted contemptuously in the direction of Chifuyu, opening the cell door and letting both prisoners out. “So know that one more time— and you will be sitting down in a cell for a long time for assaulting a policeman. How many times have you already come here and talk nonsense. God knows, Tachibana-san is so kind to you!”

“Fuck off, Shiro” Chifuyu just grinned, wearily waving away the senseless excesses of one of Naoto's loyal subordinates.

He wasn't surprised.

This is what such meetings have always ended with. Naoto always tried to talk, but invariably ran away, but after a day or two he called him in the middle of the day and conducted a short monologue on the phone, scolding Chifuyu for drunkenness and wasted money. Like a parent of a guilty schoolboy. And fuck knows where he even found out about all this.

Naoto was afraid of face-to-face meetings. It was pretty obvious.

He was even more afraid to make an eye contact.

Maybe he was ashamed or something.

Chifuyu would like to know what was going on in his head.

※ ※ ※ ※

Chifuyu turned on the returned lighter and immediately lit a cigarette while Hanma was finishing his own. They had been standing in a half-empty apartment for twenty minutes, but the conversation still didn’t  stick. The silence was unnerving, especially considering how much time Matsuno had spent waiting for answers.

“I'm listening,” Chifuyu finally broke the silence. “And I still have a lot of questions.”

“I can understand,” Hanma put out his cigarette in an ashtray, which for some reason had more cigarette butts than Chifuyu was used to seeing here, but for some reason he noticed it only now.

“What do you want from me?” Matsuno asked him instantly and directly. He wasn't going to stall any longer. “If you are connected with time travel, then obviously you are not doing it out of kindness and not out of a great love for me or Takemichi. So what are your terms?”

“I like that you're so smart,” Hanma grinned, turning his back to the window and leaning his hands on the sill. He took a brief glance at the broken chair and the rumpled bed and only cheered up more. “I have a proposition for you.”

“I've already figured that out. But what makes you think I won't say to you to fuck yourself with your proposition? You know, it's not that I'm a big fan of helping murderers, who, by the way, are also wanted..”

“Th, how vindictive you all are” Shuji shook his head, briefly rolling his eyes. “I'm not used to talking to drunks either, but what can I do?” He met Chifuyu's slightly irritated gaze and only waved it off carelessly. “As for your question… You're living an extremely shitty life, Matsuno. And if you refuse what I offer you, then I will just find someone else, and you will continue to rot and decompose at the very bottom with no hope of ever getting out.”

“And what's wrong with that?”

“To rot under the fence like the last lousy dog? You know, I'm a little surprised by your question. To be honest, I couldn’t even anticipate that you would think for so long when you literally have such a grandiose chance to see the best friend once again.”

Chifuyu sighed.

Hanma was pushing him. It was terribly annoying.

“Who are you, Hanma?”

Shuji picked up a lighted candle from the windowsill and walked deep into the room, laughing hollowly:

“You'll find out eventually.”

“And now you can’t say?” Chifuyu asked irritably.

“Villains don't reveal themselves so quickly,” Hanma replied poetically. “This is the first rule of any good story.”

“So you're the villain?”

“And you?” He deliberately taunted Chifuyu.

“And I hate villains.”

“Funny.” Shuji shook his head, as if finding such an answer ironic. “After all, you and I are much more alike than you think.”

“Really?” Matsuno clearly disagreed with this statement. “I don't remember ever being such a fucking bastard.”

“Rude, but, fortunately, I'm not offended. And that's not what I'm talking about. You and I have both lost the people we faithfully followed. This is the reason why I chose you.”

“Chose for what?”

“You and I have a chance to fix everything, you know? Both of us. We can save them. All you need is to want to.”

“What do you mean? Stop finally talking in riddles,” Chifuyu shook his head wearily. “And explain to me, if you're so fucking awesome and you know how to travel in time, then why do you need someone at all? Especially me.”

“I can't travel in time myself.”

“Great,” Matsuno snorted. “Then why are we even talking?”

Hanma hastened to correct himself.

“Or rather, I can, of course, but my actions will never lead to any significant changes. I am just...” He thought for a moment, trying to answer as smoothly and evasively as possible. Without revealing secrets right away. “Well, you know, an observer. A spectator who watches gladiators fighting in the arena. But I can still carry out my plans with someone else's hands. And if you still don't understand… With your hands, Chifuyu.”

“And what do you want?”

Hanma answered surprisingly quickly this time.

But, probably, Chifuyu wasn't ready for it.

“To return Kisaki.”

“A good joke,” Only after hearing that name, Chifuyu folded his arms on his chest and laughed hollowly. “And really?”

Shuji's habitually grinning face seemed to turn to stone in an instant. His cunning yellow eyes became sharper, like the claws of a hawk, tightly clinging to Matsuno standing in front of him. They were angrier, colder, more sinister than before.

“Don't tell me you're serious,” Chifuyu asked with fading hope.

“If you want to see Takemichi again, you'll have to do as I say. It's very simple, Matsuno. I want Kisaki back, and you want Takemichi back. Only together we can do it. Are you with me?”

Chapter Text

“Wow,” Chifuyu only smiled weakly, giving Shuji a haughty look. “Is this blackmail?”

“More like a proposal for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Hanma calmly replied, ignoring Matsuno's clear disdain. And, of course, he didn’t miss the chance to tease him again: “It seems that you have heard enough about this. If you and Takemichi save Kisaki, I will help you avoid Hanagaki's death in the future.”

“And how, I wonder, do you plan to do this?” Quite legitimately, Chifuyu asked him.

And Shuji's answer didn’t satisfy him.

“Not me, Chifuyu,” He corrected him politely. “But you and I. Or rather, you, under my strict supervision. To prevent the death of Hanagaki, we need to prevent Mikey from going crazy and becoming the head of a criminal gang. And to prevent that, you have to go back in time and do what I tell you. And, of course, what you see fit. And then, perhaps, in the future, Hanagaki will not follow Mikey, and we will all live happily ever after."

“It doesn't sound too reliable, you know,” Chifuyu narrowed his eyes, still trying to understand what his interlocutor was trying to achieve from him with such strange and inarticulate actions. His words didn’t inspire confidence at all. Hanma didn't even seem to want to look convincing. “And where are the guarantees that after saving Kisaki you will not bail with our contract? Don't get me wrong, but the last time we agreed on something, you and your boyfriend tied me up with ribbons and stuffed a gag in my mouth. I don't particularly want to repeat our previous experience. I hope you understand that.”

Judging by Hanma's reaction, he didn't expect any other answer from Chifuyu. His better awareness was starting to strain a little. No matter what Chifuyu said to him, no matter what the next step was, Hanma seemed to know everything in advance. And although he said he was surprised by the fact that Matsuno had been thinking about his proposal for so long, Chifuyu believed that Hanma expected this from him.

He was flattered that the game was not simple.

So, it was interesting.

Worth his precious attention.

Perhaps, someone might have thought that one mention of Takemichi from Shuji's mouth would be more than enough for Chifuyu to make a decision.

But it wasn't true.

Of course, Matsuno was desperate. Probably desperate enough to get his teeth into any possibility of going back to the past again.

And Hanma knew about it.

He knew it well enough.

And he also knew that the outcome of this conversation had long been a foregone conclusion. At least because Chifuyu had no other choice.

No one believed him anymore.

But at the same time, Matsuno understood perfectly well that he no longer had the right to rush so blindly into the abyss. Especially when it came to Takemichi. He had already given himself up to his feelings once and collapsed. Which was very painful, by the way. The past overwhelmed him, covered his eyes with a veil, forcing him to forget for a while about the danger that immediately overtook him.

Chifuyu just didn't want to make the same mistake again.

All risks had to be calculated and minimized.

So now he tried to be calm and restrained. At least, as far as his shattered mental health allowed. After all, the time he spent in the cell really had a sobering effect. Chifuyu had finally found what he had been looking for such a long time, and now only a few steps separated him from a new time travel.

Separated from Takemichi.

So Chifuyu had to be sure that this time the ground would not crumble right under his feet.

“And do you really think that I would just agree to return someone who was involved in the deaths of at least three people?” Chifuyu pushed off from the windowsill and took a few steps forward, passing by Hanma and turning on his toes to follow in the opposite direction. “Although even way more, if you take into account all the options of the future that I know about. And which, you seem to know about too. Is that right?”

“Let's say,” Shuji chuckled, not losing sight of him.

“The basis of any, as you put it, mutually beneficial cooperation is a minimal trust. Stop dodging my questions, otherwise we'll end this conversation quickly.”

“Well,” Hanma smiled furtively, as if Chifuyu's seriousness made him laugh a little, and only shook his head in agreement. “Okay. What exactly do you want to know?”

“We’ll make a blitz survey. I ask you a question, and you answer it. This is a fairly simple scheme. Agree?”

“Well?”

“How do you know about the existence of other timelines?”

“I've already told you. I'm an observer. This information should be quite enough for you. I can be wherever I want, follow what is happening, like a spectator in a movie theater, and enjoy the spectacle.”

“If you can be wherever you want, why don't you just go back to when Kisaki was alive or even try to save him?” Chifuyu approached a little, keeping the necessary distance between him and Shuji, and raised his head, trying to find at least something in the completely misty gaze of snake eyes.

“Matsuno, what were you listening to me with? My time travel is not the same as Hanagaki's. If they can be compared with something, they are more like a revision of the same horror movie, when you tell the characters more than ten times not to go into the dark, because a terrible and bloodthirsty monster is waiting for them there, but they still go there and - you know what? - that's right, they're dying anyway. The spectator and the character. We're on opposite sides of the screen. Figure that out finally.”

“It sounds like you've already tried to save Kisaki on your own,” Chifuyu patiently listened to the entire verbal flow that came out of Shuji's mouth, and only chuckled quietly. “What, didn't work out?”

“That's beside the point. Next question.”

Chifuyu's grin grew even wider.

It was incredibly pleasant that he also found something to tease Shuji in return.

And although Matsuno had something else to say, he still politely kept silent before returning to his questions again.

“Why was the date on my phone different? Are you changing the space-time continuum within a certain zone? Is that why the time has been reset?”

“What?” Hanma let out a laugh, as if Matsuno had just told him some funny joke, and only raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Are you really that worn out?”

“Excuse me?”

“I changed the date myself” He lifted and shook his hands, freeing his wrists from the fabric of the hoodie wrapping them, and proudly showed Matsuno his tattooed palms. “With these beautiful fingers. By the way, it wasn't that difficult.”

“Wait,” Chifuyu stared at him for a few seconds before looking away and shaking his head uncomprehendingly. “Why?”

“Why?” Shuji burst into laughter again, strained and very theatrical, as if he was about to address the audience from the stage. He leaned over to Chifuyu, trying to even out their significant height difference. The yellow eyes burned with a mischievous fire, the fire of pure and devout joy. He was amused. “Don't you really understand? After all, if I didn't do that, it would be terribly boring! Just think, Matsuno! Then, if you could see the real date right away… You would immediately have realized that time travel was real, and then so much drama would have gone down the drain! Well, is that the case?” He raised his eyes slightly, sighing dreamily. “Eh, I still needed to play with you a little longer!”

“To play?” Chifuyu exhaled indignantly. He clenched his jaw so hard that his teeth cracked. It's not that Chifuyu expected something different from Shuji - he didn't expect anything from him at all — but, damn it, are you really saying that he deliberately rearranged the date on his mobile to just make Matsuno more painful? It was just disgusting. Reluctantly, but Chifuyu began to boil again. After all, restraint had not been his strong side for a long time. “You think this is some kind of stupid performance?! And how the fuck did you even get into my flat?!”

Chifuyu was hooked again.

Hanma innocently tilted his head to the shoulder, pleased with the result, and poked his huge long finger right into Chifuyu's forehead, saying with even more fun:

“To refresh your memory a little, let me remind you that two days ago we were drinking in the same bar near the place where you work with Kazutora Hanemiya. And you were so desperate that you got drunk almost to unconsciousness. And when you're drunk, Chifuyu, I'll tell you, you're very-y-y talkative. I offered you a postcard, and you quickly agreed to accept it. It was easy to make a cast of your keys, because you didn't look around a damn thing. And then... then everything was even more easier: I walked you all the way to the entrance and returned with a duplicate in a few hours. Fortunately, because of your cocktail with pills, you slept like a log. And ta-dam! Hello, beloved Takemichi and two thousand six! Perfectly done, don't you think?”

Hanma was proud of himself, grinning nasty and slimy.

Bile was about to pour through his perfect white teeth.

Chifuyu clenched his fists, restraining with the last of his strength.

“I don't remember that.”

“No wonder,” Hanma only giggled frivolously in response to his attempt to contain his obvious anger. He wasn't going to stop there. “If you poured into yourself as much as you poured that evening, you could go to the other world pretty quickly. Although, if it was such an extraordinary way to meet Hanagaki, then I praise you for being smart.”

“Bastard,” Matsuno blurted out. A vein in his temple began to throb tensely.

“Oh, be polite,” Shuji replied, showing deep resentment on his face. “You wanted answers from me yourself, Chifuyu. What, you don't like them?”

“Why did you pull me out of the past?” Ignoring the countless antics, Chifuyu took a sharp step towards Hanma, forcing him to step back. But he didn't even bother to straighten up. “Why did it happen at that moment? What did I do wrong? Was my time up?”

“You're making things too complicated again,” Hanma drawled with a bored look. “I chose the moment when you relaxed as much as possible, and just pulled you back out. That's all.”

“You... you want to tell me that you...” said Chifuyu through his teeth. A new step closed the distance between them again, Matsuno swung to strike, but Shuji immediately intercepted his hand.

“Yep,” He just nodded nonchalantly. “I also did this on purpose. Although, to be honest, I wanted to do it even then, when you two were eating ice cream in that stupid diner, but for some reason at the last moment I decided to take pity on you a little.”

“Take pity?! Are you kidding me?!” Chifuyu tried to pull his hand out of Hanma's huge hand, but Hanma only squeezed it harder, twisting his wrist. Matsuno cried out in pain. He hissed: “You...you…”

Shuji continued quite serenely, as if nothing had happened.

“Well, you know, your pretty face lit up so bright, and you kind of just believed that everything was real, so I mercifully let you spend some more time with Takemichi. Consider this proof that I am not a sadist, as you think I am, but quite a generous person.”

The puzzle has formed.

Well, of course.

Chifuyu should have guessed earlier. He should have, should have at least thought about the fact that the time of returning back to the future was chosen too perfectly. The very moment when he just relaxed and surrendered to his feelings, allowed himself to just breathe and go with the flow, no longer looking back... It was impossible to choose a better time than just these few seconds. And together with the changed date on his phone, it gave a resounding result.

A truly skillful technique: to send Chifuyu into the past, let him be, live and feel in this past, and then wait for the moment when he finally loses his vigilance, and immediately pull him back into the terrible reality. And even this was not enough for Hanma: it was necessary to break Chifuyu even harder, crush and smear him on the wall like an unfortunate little bug. And for this, it took almost nothing: just to make Chifuyu believe that everything that happened to him was not real. Never had anything to do with reality.

An illusion.

Nothing more than that.

And then it remained only to enjoy.

Enjoy and revel in the torments of others, like an entertaining circus performance, tasting, like sweetness, every moment. Every cry into the void, full of pain and despair.

Therefore, there were more cigarette butts in the ashtray than ever.

Therefore, the chair that Chifuyu never sat on broke in the morning.

Wow.

It was bloody cruel.

“You're just a complete psycho...” Chifuyu tried to step back, but Hanma's grip seemed to turn into an iron vise. There's no way to get out. How could a human hold someone so tightly at all? “No… You're the devil! The devil! Do you think it's funny?!” Chifuyu spat bitterly in his direction.

Hanma instantly blew out the candle that he had been holding in his other hand all this time, and the only light in the room instantly went out. He immediately threw it aside as unnecessary. Chifuyu wanted to take advantage of the moment and try to hit again, but his second hand was grabbed even faster than the first, and Shuji pushed him quite hard against the wall.

Matsuno hit the back of his head painfully and rolled to the floor.

"Come on, Chifuyu," and Hanma only egged him on more. In the pitch darkness, his face was almost unreadable. But even so, Matsuno seemed to feel that nasty satisfied look on his skin. He was probably grinning now. And his dead yellow eyes glowed like a cat's. “It's so simple. All you have to do is say «yes», and everything will be as it was before. You'll see Takemichi again. Maybe it's time to stop asking me so many stupid questions?”

Chifuyu tried to catch his breath.

He was unable to answer anything.

It was too much. He hadn't expected this.

He's not a puppet.

He didn't want to be a puppet.

“I've revealed all my cards to you, isn't that enough to gain your trust?" Hanma took a step towards him. "I value my time, Chifuyu. I need an answer.”

“No…” Matsuno pressed his back even harder against the cold wall and shook his head absently. He couldn't bring himself to look up. A vague fear filled his mind. “No, shut up! I don't want to listen to you anymore!”

“Say yes,” Another new step.

“I said, enough! Stop it! Shut up!”

One more.

“Come on, is it so difficult?”

And more.

More.

Getting closer and closer.

Panic seized Chifuyu.

He covered his ears with his hands, trying not to listen or hear anymore, but Shuji's voice now seemed to resound in his head. It made its way right between the convolutions, carving strange patterns on each brain lobe.

“Takemichi is waiting for you,” Hanma was pressing him, slowly and surely. “Can you just leave him like that? Would that be fair?”

“Don't say that!” Chifuyu resisted. “You don't know anything!”

«And if I agree?» But this insignificant thought still flashed through his head.

What happens if Chifuyu does agree?

It really was so simple. Now it wasn't just a few steps—only a "yes" separated him from the long-awaited meeting with Takemichi. All Matsuno had to do was... nod his head in the affirmative. That’s all. Easy as pie.

With each passing second, this frightening offer seemed to him more and more attractive. Sweet and inviting. Fogging the mind. It shimmered and shone so beautifully in the midst of the huge blackening void that was so firmly lodged in Chifuyu's chest.

But there was one toxic "but" poisoning a whole barrel of honey.

Kisaki.

Wouldn't saving him mean betraying Takemichi himself? Wouldn't it start all over again then? Reliving the terrible future… Break everything that Hanagaki had been building for so long and hard again... wouldn't Chifuyu's actions launch a vicious chain of events that no one would ever be able to break?

Woudn’t…

Hanma squatted down in front of Matsuno and grabbed his small face with his thin hand, jerking him closer to him.

“Chifuyu-u-u-u”

And that voice was heard again.

“Takemichi...” Chifuyu whispered weakly.

His vision began to betray him. Everything blurred and lost its outlines. The terrible darkness completely engulfed the small apartment, along with everything in it. The image of Hanma sitting in front of him also faded, and only a dim silhouette remained.

Blonde hair.

Blue eyes.

That silly smile from ear to ear.

Chifuyu's head became completely empty.

“Save me, Chifuyu”

“Save?..” Matsuno asked doubtfully. He remembered the promise he had made to himself when he had moved in time. He promised to save Takemichi. Matsuno wanted to give in forward, like last time, grab those weak shoulders and cry loudly, but Chifuyu was afraid to scare away the vision. He tried not to blink. “Do you want me to save you?”

"You promised that you would be with me until the end"

“And I will,” Matsuno assured him firmly. “I will, Takemichi!”

The ghost smiled at him even brighter than before.

“Then come back to me”

“I'm so lonely without you”

"I'm coming," Chifuyu said in one breath. He felt strangely calm. It was as if the decision, which for some reason he continued to resist so strenuously, had been made by itself. With a special ease. The corners of his lips lifted in a fragile smile. “Wait a little longer, partner. Just a little bit.”

The darkness slowly receded, irrevocably dragging the ghost with it, but Chifuyu no longer chased after him. He let him go, knowing it wouldn't be for long. And when his vision finally cleared up a little, and the veil fell from his eyes, as if it had never been, he saw Hanma in front of him.

His gaze seemed softer than before.

Hanma carefully removed his palm from Matsuno's face and slowly stood up.

Held out his hand to him.

“It won't be easy, Chifuyu,” Even his habitually perky voice sounded completely different. It was not as sinister and frightening as it was a while ago. Rather, quiet and calm. Tired. “Not everyone gets a second chance. And, like everything in this mortal world, it has its price. And I'll tell you honestly… A huge price. The only question is whether you are ready to pay it. And how many circles of hell will you be willing to go through to achieve what you so desire. Think about it at your leisure.”

“You and I are enemies, not allies,” Chifuyu made his last attempts to retreat. Shaky and very insecure. Rather, to calm his own conscience.

Hanma slowly shook his head, smiling bitterly and wistfully.

“You and I are no more than lonely people, Chifuyu.”

The green eyes immediately shot up and met Shuji's dimmed eyes. And Chifuyu finally saw something in them that he hadn't noticed until now for some reason. The pain of loss in them was as deep as in his own. Usually hidden behind mannerisms and ostentatious buffoonery, now it seemed brighter than ever before. The loss was imprinted on Hanma quite clearly: the dyed hair hidden behind the hood of the hoodie was as dirty and greasy as Chifuyu's, his elongated face was thin and sharp, and there were dark lingering circles under his eyes.

"You and I are much more alike than you think."

This agreement is a deal with his own conscience.

In fact, a deal with the devil himself.

Once, back in the days of the tenth generation of "Black Dragons", Takemichi told Chifuyu that he had never wanted to agree with Kisaki in his life, but he simply had no other way to save that terrible future. And so he had to grit his teeth and make concessions. Agree to someone else's rules, even if you clearly understand that there are dirty motives behind them.

Life without Takemichi was the most terrible future for Chifuyu.

Nothing could be worse than this.

Chifuyu just wanted Takemichi to live. To live and be truly happy. Because he deserved it more than anyone. And even if Matsuno has to get his hands dirty and act contrary to his own principles, even if he has to agree with the enemy and play on his terms, Chifuyu will do it without hesitation.

He won't miss his chance.

I'm sorry, Takemichi.

Maybe I'm doing the wrong thing.

But I'm afraid it's my only option.

Uncertainly, but Chifuyu still extended his hand in response.

“I agree.”

Hanma only nodded in response.

“Then I'll tell you a few rules.”

※ ※ ※ ※

«For the third year, the search for the remaining members of the criminal "Bonten", who went on the run immediately after the death of their main leader Manjiro Sano, who died at the end of June two thousand eighteenth as a result of an accident, has been still going on. Everyone knows that for all the time of their existence they have killed a lot of civilians, so who will be responsible for all the crimes they have committed? Who will take responsibility and how long will the Japanese police remain inactive? Especially now when the crimes have resumed? Does this mean that Bonten has a new leader? We'll find out right after a quick break»

“Have you talked to Chifuyu?” When the TV show was finally interrupted by a commercial break, Hinata untied her kitchen apron and quickly hung it on a hook, sitting down at the same table with her brother, who decided to visit her for dinner that evening.

Naoto's hand, clutching the soup spoon, froze in the air and slowly descended, pouring the contents back into the plate.

He didn't answer the question.

After waiting a few more seconds and not getting a clear answer, Hinata only shook her head in disappointment.

“You can't leave it like that, Naoto.”

“I'll call him in a few days when he cools down a bit” The man said with a heavy sigh, before picking up the spoon again and trying to scoop up some soup with it. But, as luck would have it, nothing else came down the throat. Naoto did not dare to raise his head, because he knew perfectly well that if he did, he would definitely meet those bright morganite eyes on his way. “This is not the first time it has happened, Hinata. Believe me, I know what to do with it. You really have nothing to worry about.”

“There's nothing to worry about, then” The woman snorted resentfully. And then she reminded: "You lied to me" Her always soft and pleasant voice now sounded like the rasp of metal on thin glass. Hinata was mercilessly picking at the newly mended wounds. “You told me there was nothing wrong with Chifuyu. Almost two years, Naoto… You swore to me that he was fine! But it's not like that at all!”

"Hinata, please," Tachibana Jr. pleaded. He wanted to end this pointless argument as quickly as possible. “We've already talked about this.”

“And what if he's telling the truth?” But this time Hinata was not going to back down. “What if Chifuyu really found some way to travel in time?"

Naoto opened his mouth to reply sharply, but pulled himself back and said in a strangled voice, but still without raising his tone:

“There is no more time travel,” He said quietly and sternly, trying to cover his sister's small palm with his hand, but she immediately pulled it aside.

Naoto sighed wearily. He didn't want to fight again. But his deception was discovered two days ago, and if last time the conflict was stopped at its initial stage, now Hina was clearly determined to go till the end.

Sometimes he hated her stubbornness. As well as the fact that literally every third person in his precinct was ready to tell her everything that happened inside his office today. And even in the smallest details.

“We’ve tried, okay? And it's no longer possible. Please understand this. We want to get Chifuyu out, and you're encouraging his madness.”

“But there is a possibility that he is not lying!” Tachibana the elder quite fairly remarked. She raised her tone. “And you didn't even listen to him!”

“Didn't listen?” Naoto abruptly left the soup aside, clearly realizing that he would not touch it again. The veins began to swollen violently on his cheeks, and he clenched his jaw tighter, struggling to keep himself in control. He shouldn't yell at his sister. Never. And certainly not in her position.

But it turned out damn bad.

This day has robbed him of all his strength. And it still haven’t ended, as if deliberately prolonging his torment. Today, literally from every corner, a man was trumpeted about time travel. Chifuyu, Hinata, Draken… He wanted to bury his head in his own affairs and reports and never get out of them again. Forget himself at least for a couple of minutes and just don't think about anything. And even if he had not been a trigger for a long time, this burden still hung around his neck like a huge stone. Now there was no one to share it with. And it was much heavier than before.

And even if he didn't want to argue, his patience was no longer enough.

He exclaimed desperately:

“Do you know how many of these stories I've heard from him? Dozens, Hinata! Dozens and hundreds! And every time they become more delusional! Understand, this is no longer the Chifuyu you know! He is sick, and he needs high-quality psychological help, not my conversations!”

“But what if this time it's different?” Hinata tried to object to him, but he immediately pulled her away. “What if…”

“No!”

“How do you know?!”

“Because I know what time travel is, Hinata!” Naoto slammed his fist on the table loudly, reflexively rising up. Hinata shuddered in fright. But he was silent for too long to finish so easily. “And I know it's all in the past because Takemichi is dead, damn it! He died three years ago! He was my friend too, okay?! And I know it's hard! But Chifuyu needs to accept his death, whether he likes it or not!”

“But you didn't accept mine!”

“What did you say?”

Naoto suddenly fell silent, trying to quickly comprehend Hinata's words. In a voice trembling with emotions, he asked quietly:

“What do you mean?”

“When I was dying in every future, you still wouldn't give up!” Hinata squinted, trying to hold back the bitter tears bursting out. “You kept trying, over and over, even if there was no hope! How can you blame Chifuyu for not being able to let Takemichi go after that?! You're the same! You're exactly the same!”

“No..” Naoto shook his head weakly, resisting her words. “No, it's completely different!”

"No, Naoto, it's the same thing!” The woman emphasized. “And no matter how much you try to deny it, the essence of it still won't change!”

Hinata quickly snatched a half-eaten plate of soup from the table and threw its contents into a clean sink. The empty vessel landed with a deafening clang on a nearby kitchen cabinet. The woman clutched the rim of the washbasin with her hands and hunched over, lowering her head and trying to catch the breath after a long scream. She hadn't screamed like that in a long time. Moreover, on her own brother. To be honest, she didn't want to start.

The lower abdomen pulled unpleasantly.

Hinata gently stroked it with her hand.

The spacious kitchen was plunged into silence for some time.

After a few minutes, Naoto got up from the table and slowly approached his sister, tentatively hugging her from behind.

“I'm sorry,” He leaned into her ear and confessed guiltily: “Even if I listened to him, Hinata… There really is no more time travel. And maybe you're right, and I really have no right to tell him this, but Chifuyu needs to let Takemichi go. Because… No matter how much we want to… He will never come back again.” The man chastely kissed her hair, laid his chin on her pink crown and closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to recover.

His head was still pounding. On the way home, He still had to stop by for groceries, and perhaps Naoto will pass out as soon as he crosses the threshold of the apartment and finds himself in his warm and soft bed. And this terrible day will finally end.

“I'm begging you, Hina...” He sincerely asked, hoping that she would still listen to his words. "Please don't get involved in this. I'll manage on my own. I promise you that Chifuyu will be fine. Just trust me, okay?”

Hinata only sighed fitfully, turning around and hugging her brother as tightly as possible so as not to leave a drop of resentment between them from the recent quarrel.

Naoto took that as an affirmative answer.

They said goodbye rather quickly and dryly. The woman escorted him to the front door, and then spent a few more seconds at the window in the living room, watching as Naoto's black car carefully drove out of the house parking lot.

Of course, she knew that her brother wanted only the best for her. And even though he was younger than her, even if only by a year, he always did everything possible to protect her. And sometimes it just went beyond the bounds of reason. Hinata could quite stand up for herself. She had enough strength.

However, she still couldn't blame Naoto for being overprotective. If she had to experience his death several times and in different versions of the future, she would probably behave exactly the same, if not worse. It's a very traumatic experience.

And she understood everything.

She always understood everything.

And that's why she just couldn't afford to stay away any longer. Her nature - persistent and stubborn almost to the point of exhaustion - tirelessly told her only one thing.

Hinata had to do it.

She just couldn't leave Chifuyu to the fate.

He wasn't a stranger to her. Twelve years spent side by side waiting for Takemichi made them quite close friends. They often shared with each other the most intimate thoughts and secrets that were incomprehensible to people around. The people closest to Takemichi, unfortunately, they also quickly became distant strangers. Even if absolutely involuntarily.

When Hinata saw Chifuyu two days ago, after almost two years of separation, she did not even believe her eyes at first. And when she realized who was standing in front of her, she seemed to be painfully electrocuted several times. He was affectedly polite to her and, probably, it seemed to him that he was pretending well enough that everything between them was the same as it was before. But this, of course, was not true. Hina couldn't help but notice how changed his expression when he saw her stomach. With what disdain he listened to her, what was his usual warm and calm gaze. His big empty eyes literally screamed in her direction: Traitor! You're a traitor! And even if Chifuyu was telling her completely different words, much sweeter and cloying, Hinata knew what was really on his mind.

And she didn't judge.

And today they met again. This time Chifuyu was much angrier and more desperate than in their previous meeting, as if in just forty-eight hours he had managed to outlive something unimaginably terrible and horrible. He no longer sought to look polite. And he said what he thought. Even if his words were rude and completely inappropriate.

He seemed to genuinely believe in them.

So Hinata just let him talk.

"Do you think I'm completely blind? Rich husband, a child… Do you really expect me to believe that you care about what I say?"

Oh, Chifuyu.

How wrong you were.

Almost everyone at the police station kept talking about him as a madman who started a fight right in the chief's office. Everyone scolded him, everyone considered it their duty to laugh at his appearance, at his delusional stories, at his grief.

But Hinata didn't agree.

She didn't see a madman in front of her.

She saw only a man who was in very, very pain.

And Naoto was wrong.

It was still Chifuyu.

Even if he was much more wild and angry at the rest of the world, it was still Chifuyu Matsuno.

Hinata knew and noticed a lot of things that Chifuyu himself seemed to have never realized. His deep devotion to Takemichi had always fascinated her. She didn't understand its origins and its causes, but she didn't need to: it was only between Chifuyu and Takemichi.

Something special.

Something of their own.

Incomprehensible to anyone else.

Even after the death, Chifuyu never found the strength to let Takemichi go. He continued to follow his ghost like a faithful and obedient servant, pitifully clinging to any opportunity to return to a better time. And time after time he failed, fell down and mercilessly broke the already broken bones.

He was looking for the way to Takemichi.

And maybe he's already found it.

An hour of reflection led Hinata to a very obvious conclusion.

As light as a warm spring wind.

The realization of something big and important, but at the same time very, very simple, spread a soothing balm in her soul.

She’d understood everything.

Even if Chifuyu himself was still very far away from reaching this very understanding.

Hinata immediately put aside the book she had read more than once, and sleepily extricated herself from the woolen blanket. She quickly threw on her beige coat, not even bothering to change her home clothes, and picked up the car keys from the brass hook, slipping out of the apartment.

Fortunately, in the afternoon she managed to find out Chifuyu's new address from Naoto's compliant colleagues.

The blue-bound "The Song of Achilles"¹ remained lying on the windowsill, waiting for the return of its owner.

«I would know him in dark or disguise, I told myself.

I would know him even in madness»

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

“When you find yourself in the past, I won't be able to help you anymore,” Hanma lazily gesticulated, trying to explain to Chifuyu their next actions. “At least, so that it would be effective.”

“Yes, yes, you're just an observer, I already got that” Matsuno drawled, yawning and trying his best to keep his eyes open. “I do, you look and sometimes prompt. Nothing complicated.”

“You're on your own, so don't do anything stupid and try not to attract too much attention to yourself. No need to get into trouble.”

“And don't throw yourself at Manjiro Sano and Toman” He sighed wistfully. “You're repeating yourself.”

“Really?” Shuji chuckled. The conversation took place in a much more relaxed atmosphere than an hour ago. Although it still seemed strange enough. Chifuyu listened to him attentively, but still kept the distance. “Then, let's move on to the main thing. I think you already know who "triggers" are, so I won't dwell on it for a long time. In short, this is a huge web of those who initiate the leap of another person in time, but they do not necessarily move themselves.”

“Not necessarily?” Chifuyu arched an eyebrow, staring questioningly at Hanma. “It seemed to me that only one always moves, and the other remains in the future. Isn't it?”

“There are exceptional cases. The desire to change the past must be incredibly strong to move two people in time at once, so this is really a huge rarity. I've met this just once. But that was a long time ago, so it's not really relevant.”

“Anyway it's not particularly interesting,”  Chifuyu waved away unnecessary digressions. “You're my trigger, so how are you going to move me in time? Using that postcard again? Or how did you do it there?”

“No,” The guy shook his head negatively. “You can forget about it. We won't need it anymore. In general, I don't need anything for you to jump in time, but if it's more habitually to you, I can shake your palmy. Okay?”

How disgusting.

“I will definitely wash my hands when I return to the past” Chifuyu threw venomously in his direction. “With soap.”

Hanma just shrugged his shoulders cheerfully.

“Likewise, Matsuno.”

“What about the future?”

“Does it still bother you?”

“I have a job. And it will be a little problematic if I disappear for a long time.”

“If you're worried about Kazutora then leave it to me. As you can see, I'm fine with your phone. I'll come up with something.”

“How can you be both here and there at the same time?” Matsuno asked him directly, not quite understanding how Hanma was going to help him in the past and at the same time deal with Kazutora in the future.

“Chifuyu, I can be anywhere. Don't worry your head about it.”

“The hell with you,” After thinking about it for a while, the man finally let go of these thoughts. “Just no more hearts in the messages. Don't embarrass me once again.”

“You're doing a great job yourself. And the hearts are cool!” Hanma jokingly tried to insist on his own, but Chifuyu's sullen look made him give in with a sigh. “Okay, no more hearts in the messages.”

“If I need to find out something and go back to the future, will I just need to find you and shake your hand?”

“Yes. But don't worry about it ahead of time. I'll find you myself when it will be necessary. And, anticipating your next question, so be it, I will no longer pull you out of the past, as last time. You can be calm.”

“Great,” Chifuyu breathed out in relief.

Like a load off the mind

That's what worried him the most.

“Anything else?”

“Yes. Last question.”

“Go ahead.”

“So, all this time... you knew that Takemichi was moving in time?”

“Well... yes?”

“And you didn't do anything about it?”

“And what for?” Hanma asked indifferently, as if he really didn't see anything wrong with it. “It was funny to watch him try to fix everything and screw up more and more with each attempt. Well, a couple of times I tried to put a stick in his wheels to make it more interesting. However, he turned out to be a very tenacious infection. Well, more precisely, he was it... up to a certain point.”

“Did you give him this ability?” Trying not to pay attention to the barb, Matsuno asked curiously. He tried to put the whole picture together. Who Hanma really was, was still not entirely clear to him, but so far Shuji was not particularly eager to fully reveal his identity to Chifuyu. And to be honest, it bothered him less now.

“Nope,” Shuji drawled. “I don't know anything about it. Or rather, Tachibana's brother was his trigger, of course. I'm aware of that. But I have no idea why Hanagaki started to travel in time the first place. Such abilities don't open up just like that. But, believe it or not, I have absolutely nothing to do with it.”

Chifuyu nodded, quite satisfied with the answer.

“I think that's all.”

Hanma responded in kind.

“I think so. Then, forward to two thousand and six? It seems someone has been waiting for you there.”

There was a soft but insistent knock on the door several times. The bell has not worked for a long time, although a sudden visitor probably tried to press it repeatedly. Perhaps Chifuyu finally came to be evicted from the apartment for non-payment of utilities, or the next non-mediums to whom he gave his phone number decided to try their luck again.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Hanma asked in a low voice, turning his head to Chifuyu. He seemed a little confused because someone was going to disrupt their plans.

Chifuyu shook his head briskly.

Whoever it was, he wasn't going to open.

And even approach the door.

There was no need for that.

“Chifuyu, I know you're here,” Matsuno frowned, not without surprise noting that the voice seemed vaguely familiar to him. He urged Hanma to be quiet and with slow, almost weightless steps followed in the direction of the door. He put his ear to it and listened a little more attentively. “It's Hinata. Please open the door. I really need to talk to you.”

Chifuyu rolled his eyes.

That was all he needed.

"I'm not leaving anyway, you know," Tachibana continued stubbornly. “Please, it's very important!”

Her persistence was both amazing and bumming out at the same time. She could achieve anything she wanted if she just put in enough effort. If she had become a detective, like her beloved brother, Tokyo would have forgotten the word "crime" forever. She would just catch all the thieves and murderers.

“Chifuyu!”

Matsuno sighed.

Of course, it was possible to just keep quiet and wait until she got tired of breaking down his door and she finally went home, or even just shake Hanma's hand so as not to know any problems at all, but... Hinata was pregnant. Late at night in a remote semi-abandoned suburb, where it was difficult to even find a place to park properly. And she had come all this way to talk to him. Chifuyu knew her, and therefore understood perfectly well that she could sit here until the morning, if necessary.

Although, what was he talking about at all… she would get him even in the past!

Besides, no matter how much Chifuyu was angry at her, he was not a cruel person. And so he blindly hoped that it wouldn't take much time.

He hung the chain, turned the lock and opened the door a little.

Hinata stood in front of it in a barely wrapped beige coat, rocking from heels to toes in anticipation. Her pink hair was partially gathered into a careless and already rather disheveled ponytail on top of her head, and her eyes stared intently at the half-lit landing littered with mountains of foul-smelling garbage. Surely, she was now thinking about how Matsuno managed to live in such a pigsty.

“You really better leave,” Chifuyu barely stuck his head out and, trying not to meet the eyes of his unexpected guest, briefly reported: “We have nothing to talk about.”

"Please listen to me," Hinata pleaded, grabbing the door when Matsuno tried to quickly close it.

He sighed dejectedly again, upset that Tachibana wasn't going to let him go so easily. Of course. And what was he hoping for?

“I doubt that I will hear anything new, besides what Naoto keeps telling me so endlessly. And apparently, he's an even bigger coward than I thought, since he sent his pregnant sister to talk to me. This time he surpassed even himself. You can tell him so.”

Chifuyu pulled the door open for the umpteenth time.

“Naoto doesn't know I'm here,” These words made him stop for some reason. “I wanted to come myself.”

“Really?” After a moment, Chifuyu only smiled arrogantly. Not really impressed by her revelation, he snorted derisively: "So you're a malicious troublemaker here? How sweet. But I'm not particularly interested.”

He accidentally raised his head, and the pink eyes immediately clung to him with a death grip. They weren't evil — they just looked so attentively that it seemed to Chifuyu that he was completely transparent. And he didn't like that feeling.

Reluctantly, he closed the door and quickly hung the chain, opening it completely and quickly going out into the corridor so that Hinata did not have time to look inside.

“Not calling you to my place, it's not cleaned up,” He explained, hiding his hands in the pants pockets and lowering his head again. He didn't understand why he did it. “You have five minutes. What do you need, Hinata?”

She was silent for a few seconds, seemingly studying him. Chifuyu felt like a rabbit in a zoo. And why did everyone care what he looked like? It would have been better if they had asked him how he was really feeling.

The silence dragged on.

Chifuyu was literally a step away from two thousand and six, and it began to seem to him that the woman  was wasting his time. And when he was just about to open his mouth and remind her about it in a very rude manner, she immediately said:

“Chifuyu, I ...” She began and immediately fell silent, her voice was quiet and guilty. She closed her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts. What she was about to say was probably quite difficult. “This time I made Naoto tell me everything that happened this afternoon. And about what happened to you in the last two years, while we haven't seen each other.”

“Well?” Not understanding what she was leading to, Chifuyu said without interest.

“I know I shouldn't tell you this, but..." She hesitated, gathering the remnants of her resolve into four short words. “I believe you, Chifuyu.”

“Sorry, what?” He asked again, thinking he had heard her wrong.

“I believe you,” She said more confidently, as if repeating the same phrase allowed her to realize its correctness and relevance. “Yes, maybe Naoto is right, and the previous few times you really were not yourself, but... for some reason it seems to me that this time everything is a little different. And you've really found some way to travel through time.”

Chifuyu froze in place.

His face showed absolutely no emotion. He was amazed by what he heard, but it could only be read in his eyes, which he continued to keep lowered to the floor.

"Everything I say sounds crazy," Chifuyu reminded her, clearly realizing how all his stories really sounded. As if warning, giving the last chance to give up such big words and leave like everyone else. “How can you believe that?”

Hinata smiled faintly.

With her trembling fingers, she continued to nervously fiddle with the handle of her small cream bag.

“You believed Takemichi when he told you about time travel. Although, obviously, it sounded like utter nonsense" She laughed tightly, apparently trying to dilute the tense atmosphere between them a little. Not like she succeed. “And I know if he was here right now, he'd take your word for it without a second thought. And I'll do the same for you.”

“Are you serious now?” Chifuyu asked doubtfully.

It was suspicious.

Maybe this is some kind of sophisticated way to lure him to a psychologist again? The last time he heard "I believe you" from Naoto, he had to listen to an hour and a half lecture by some doctor about how dangerous PTSD is and how to deal with it.

Chifuyu still didn't understand why Tachibana had dragged him there.

Maybe Hinata had the same plans for him?

He narrowed his eyes, looking her up and down.

“Absolutely,” The woman nodded confidently, putting her hand to her heart and assuring Matsuno of her words. “I'm on your side.”

And what was that supposed to mean anyway?

“You don't know even the half of what happened to me," He snorted back at her.

She didn't take offense at the words.

“I don't need to. I just believe.”

She stepped forward and tried to hug him, but Chifuyu shrank back in fright. Because of the sudden fear, his breathing became heavy. Such touches caused him a strange reaction, rather like disgust.

He was afraid of them like fire.

Hinata tried again, and this time Chifuyu failed to move away and therefore immediately found himself in the ring of someone else's hands, squeezing him loosely and carefully. Leaving the maximum necessary space and for some reason giving Chifuyu an opportunity to leave.

If Hinata was planning to put a straitjacket on him, she was obviously trying very poorly.

His whole body trembled treacherously.

“Let…Let go of me” Matsuno gritted his teeth and protested uncertainly, trying to gently push her away from him. “Get off.”

Tachibana quickly stood on tiptoe and approached his ear, confessing in a low voice:

"Only you can save him," She closed her eyes, letting the tears flow freely down her cheeks. Chifuyu stopped moving as he felt his collar rapidly getting wet. Perhaps these hugs were not meant for him—for Hinata herself. “I know, Chifuyu. You can handle it.”

His eyes flew open.

A bright green shade colored his iris again, as if Hinata had personally painted it with a thin brush. And in the depths of this greenery, a dim ray of light was born.

For a second, the old Chifuyu Matsuno returned.

“Hina…”He whispered hoarsely. He was never able to hug her back. Didn't have the courage. Didn't have enough strength. His whole body seemed to be completely paralyzed. “Do you really believe that I can do it?”

“Do what you have to do, Chifuyu,” She said firmly instead of answering. “And know that you will never be alone on this side of time. I will always protect you.”

She slowly stepped back, hastily wiping her tears with the sleeve of her coat. There was a strange smile on her face — something between relief and unspoken pain — and Matsuno didn't know exactly how to interpret it. Without saying another word to him, Hinata followed in the direction of the stairs, but before going down to the first floor, she still turned to him again.

“And also,” She rummaged in her bag for a while and took out a small yellowed bundle from a secret pocket. It was a matter of a few seconds to deploy it. And the pendant with the four-leaf clover immediately swung back and forth like a pendulum. Chifuyu sighed in surprise. Hinata's smile became wide and happy. But for some reason her pink eyes glistened with tears. “I don't wear it anymore, but it's still with me. Takemichi always helps me when it's especially hard. Chifuyu, you...” Her voice cracked, although it had seemed serenely cheerful before. "Y-you hug him there for me, okay?"

Chifuyu smiled weakly back at her, nodding stupidly and jerkily. Whether it was "bye", "thank you" or an answer to her request, he did not understand himself. But something warm and long forgotten came to life in his chest, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes.

It was as if the bond between them, close friends, had become as strong for a moment as before.

It was as if Hinata picked up his lost red thread and tied it again, and then strengthened it with her own so that it would definitely not untie again.

Is this what Takemichi felt when Chifuyu said he believed? Believed simply and in words, without demanding absolutely no evidence in return? How much strength did it take to believe someone so easily?

Probably, this is a task for the most desperate.

Chifuyu remained standing in the hallway until the front door downstairs slammed, announcing that the woman had finally left.

He went back into the apartment, where Hanma was looking at the empty shelves of his non-working refrigerator with a deeply sad look. It seems that he found only two slightly stale red apples at the stove, which he was now eating with a crunch.

“Ready?” Shuji asked him after finishing his meal just as Chifuyu appeared on the doorstep. He didn’t specify why he was gone for so long.

Just after receiving an affirmative answer from him, he approached and extended his hand to him.

Hanma had warned in advance that from now on their handshakes would become a way of time travel.

Chifuyu took a deep breath, closing his eyes. A familiar image, like an attempt to focus on the past, reappeared before his eyes and waved cheerfully.

There's not much left.

Just a couple of seconds.

And they will meet again.

He confidently extended his palm to Hanma.

“Ready.”

And they finally shook hands.

※ ※ ※ ※

Plastic bags filled to the top with food immediately fell out of the hands. The purchased oranges rolled down the concrete stairs one by one.

Naoto stopped dead in his tracks and slowly raised the hand, peering fearfully into his own palm.

Something pierced it.

The familiar burning sensation.

His fingers trembled slightly.

The black pupils instantly widened with fear.

Before there was a catastrophic lack of air, and Naoto did not settle down on the steps, trying to quickly loosen the tie that was too pressing him for some reason, he was able to whisper almost with his lips:

“No, it's impossible… It's just impossible…”

Chapter Text

Chifuyu opened his eyes.

It was dark and quiet.

And only the wind, penetrating through the slightly open window, barely stirred the loosely drawn curtains.

Chifuyu's vision, which had long been accustomed to the semi-darkness of his old apartment, quickly discerned the outlines of familiar objects: a desk littered with school textbooks and notebooks, a bedside table on which an old lamp stood, a bookcase in the farthest corner of the room.

Chifuyu felt the space around with his hands and raised himself up a little, before realizing that he was in his bed, casually covered with a warm cotton blanket. And very close by, curled up right next to him, huddled a black cat. It seems that Chifuyu's abrupt movements disturbed its light sleep, and now he was looking at him with the big blue eyes, trying to understand the reason for the violation of its royal calm.

If he was here, then they did succeed?

“Hi,”  Chifuyu broke into a relieved smile and immediately pulled Peke-J to him, gently stroking its smooth black fur. He was his salvation. A reassurance. A quiet haven in the middle of a raging storm. In response to the touch, the cat purred contentedly. Chifuyu squeezed him a little tighter in his arms, honestly admitting: “I missed you so much, buddy.”

With one hand, he reached for the phone left on the bedside table. But before he finally opened the lid, he squeezed his eyes shut tight. He couldn’t give in to fleeting joy so quickly. Bitter experience has taught him to always double-check.

Chifuyu held his breath.

With a quick movement, he lifted the lid of his flip phone.

And finally opened his eyes.

February 10, 2006

1:37

“Yes!” His tense chest slowly sank, and Chifuyu let out a joyful exclamation. He immediately covered the mouth with his hand, afraid to wake up his mother sleeping in the next room, and added a little quieter, barely restraining the emotions growing inside: “Yes, it worked!”

I'm back, Takemichi!

I’m back!

“I did it!” He just couldn't stop repeating the same thing.

He couldn't sit still: his body was shaking, bouncing, torn apart from the flow of feelings that he was experiencing right now. It was like a huge tornado, taking him somewhere high, high up. On the waves, that were covering him from top to toe. Thousands of fireworks were booming in his ears. To call it just joy or happiness would be impossible to him. These meager human words were simply not enough to fully express what was going on in Chifuyu's soul.

It was like he won the whole universe.

No.

More.

The galaxy.

And it was as if the whole world was right in his hands.

The two days he spent in the future were a living hell for him. But if they were the price Hanma had told him about, if going through such a painful disappointment was necessary to be here again, then Chifuyu agreed. Agreed three times. Signature under each word.

It was worth it.

It was worth these emotions.

He briskly picked up the cat that had just settled down, looked into his confused eyes and cheerfully tossed it in the hands, hurrying to share his great achievement with it:

“Do you hear that, Peke-J? I say: I did it!”

The cat mewed piteously and twitched its paws, demanding that Chifuyu return it back to the bed as soon as possible. And he laughingly granted the request.

Slipping out of bed so easily, as if he had flown up on wings, Matsuno quickly pulled down the curtains fluttering in the wind and looked out of the window: his yard was completely empty and deserted, and only a few lanterns illuminated the dark street. The wind blew over his face with a cold but pleasant gust. Matsuno briefly closed his eyes, trying to cool down a little.

The sunrise was still a few hours away.

Chifuyu lazily trudged into the kitchen and with a surprise found a note from his mother hanging on the refrigerator there. It said that the woman had left yesterday to visit an old friend and would return only tomorrow evening.

Not feeling the desire to sleep because of overwhelming emotions, Matsuno aimlessly maneuvered around the apartment, wondering what he should have done. Of course, it was much more reasonable to think about a plan to save Kisaki, but Chifuyu was so excited that the gears in his head simply didn’t want to gather into something sensible. Fairly trying several times, he then decided to give it up until the morning.

And suddenly one entertaining thought hit him in the head like a blacksmith's hammer, and he gathered himself in a couple of minutes, enthusiastically picked up his bunch of keys from the hook in the hallway and, closing all the doors with locks, hurried down the stairs.

As he thought, his beloved motorcycle was parked near the entrance.

Chifuyu gently ran his hand over it, closing his eyes again for a moment.

He was never able to sell it. Not after graduation, not after Takemichi's death. Chifuyu simply did not find the strength to leave behind a long-unused transport. He considered it his relic. An inviolable shrine. A slowly fading but bright memory of the time spent side by side with Keisuke Baji.

If anyone could share this blissful euphoria with Matsuno right now, it was him.

When his mind was in such a mess like now, only Baji and Takemichi were able to find the right words to bring everything back to balance.

But Chifuyu didn't want to disturb Takemichi at such a late time. No matter how strong his desire to see the old friend was, first of all he had to put at least his own thoughts in order. He had been waiting for this for too long and therefore wanted their new meeting to go the best way. Without stuttering through every third word and the oppressive worry that everything around was about to disappear, and the vision would simply dissipate.

In addition, they will have hard days soon in the fight against the "Tenjiku" and the rescue of Kisaki, so Chifuyu reasoned that it would be very fair to leave Takemichi at least one more quiet night.

“Let’s take a ride, Baji-san? Just like in the good old days,” Matsuno sat down on the motorcycle, placing his hands on the wheel and remembering in the process on which side the ignition was located. After a couple of minutes, the key was inserted, the footrest was removed, and Chifuyu started the engine, pushing off from the ground and rushing into the night silence.

In two thousand and six, even the air seemed completely different.

Inhaling it, Chifuyu felt that all the problems burdening his thin shoulders instantly became light and almost weightless. It was as if he didn't have any problems at all.

There was nothing else.

Only boundless all-consuming freedom.

For a moment, the terrible deal with Hanma, the fight with Naoto, and those last two days that lasted painfully long were forgotten. They sucked all the strength out of him. Everything, to the very last drop. But now… The despair that Chifuyu had been used to live with for the last three years of his life finally ducked into a corner, taking with it a dull aching pain, and Chifuyu simply let the wind carry him further and further into the night darkness.

He didn't want to think about anything.

He didn't want to realize anything and make decisions.

Not now.

Certainly not now.

Maybe it wasn't even about the air? Could it be that the wind roaring in his ears was completely different, or was the starry night just creating such an illusion? Or maybe the past itself made Chifuyu feel happy and carefree?

He didn't know the answer.

And Baji wasn't in a hurry to prompt either.

Chifuyu was driving past familiar buildings as if for the first time. His impressions were so vivid. Residential buildings and extinguished signs of cafes and restaurants closed until morning flew before his eyes, the favorite store, where ramen was always sold at a discount fleshed by, and the old school, which hasn’t changed even after a long sixteen years.

Around this corner, for example, on the site of an antique shop that hasn’t closed yet, his pet store will soon appear.

Do you hear that, Baji?

Kazutora and I did a good job.

You'd probably be very proud of us.

We still remember you.

Without noticing it, Chifuyu turned off the wide highway onto a narrower road leading to a residential area. Riding a motorcycle here at night was not his best idea, at least because residents of nearby houses could simply call the police and complain about the intruder of their peace.

Chifuyu didn't want any problems for himself, but instead of driving through this place as quickly as possible and getting back on the high road, for some reason he braked sharply.

And he didn't understand why.

It was as if he was being pulled here by a magnet that still wouldn't let go.

Chifuyu couldn't bring himself to start the bike again.

It was beyond him.

At first, he didn't even realize where exactly he was. The houses around seemed vaguely familiar to him, but only one of them caught his attention way more than the others.

A sign hanging on the stone fence read: "Hanagaki".

Chifuyu sighed in amazement.

Damn Baji.

Where did you take me?

Are you inciting me to impulsive stupidity again?

It's definitely in your style.

Matsuno didn't want to come here. At least not now, and certainly not late at night. He didn't want to disturb Takemichi at least until the morning, but it seems that his very soul, longing for the half left here, led Chifuyu to the threshold of a familiar house. It was pitch-dark inside, not a single window was lit, and this, of course, was very obvious, because at such a late time normal people had already been wrapped in sleep.

And they didn't idly ride around on a motorcycle, by the way, Chifuyu.

The young man was struggling with his own selfishness for a long time. Matsuno kept assuring himself that he would just stay here for a while and quietly go home, but at the same time… He wanted so badly to run up to that stupid door and start banging on it with his fists until someone opened it from the other side or until his hands would get numb. And at the same time, he wanted to shout with joy, mercilessly tearing off his own ligaments: I'm back to you, partner, I'm back, as promised, do you hear?

"I'm really a troublemaker¹," He suddenly thought.

Didn't you tell me that, Baji-san?

Maybe something never changes.

Chifuyu left the motorcycle by the road, covered the distance to the front door with uncertain steps and climbed up three steps. He held his breath and stretched out his hand, intending to knock, when it suddenly froze just a couple of meters from the desired surface and slowly clenched into a fist.

Chifuyu scolded himself for his cowardice.

Must not.

Not now.

You have to be patient.

Or at least not to be such a pathetic coward. Do something or get the hell out of here!

With trembling fingers, Chifuyu touched the door and held them a little lower, then applying his forehead to it. His eyes were firmly staring at the floor, as if hoping to find salvation in the grayness of a cold concrete.

I hope you're doing well, Takemichi.

He didn’t expect the door to be opened to him. Honestly. He's not a fool, right? And this act is nothing more than a reckless impulse inspired by a return to the past, and he certainly didn’t justify himself. But Chifuyu had no reason to be upset. Absolutely not. It shouldn't have been. It was enough for him that Takemichi was sleeping in his warm bed right now and probably the nightmares didn't bother him, since Chifuyu's phone was sullenly silent.

For some reason, all the colors seemed dimmer than a second ago, the old joy faded a little, although it was still quite strong, but Matsuno acutely felt the need to return home as soon as possible.

He went down the stairs very slowly, tossing the motorcycle keys in his hands in a bored manner. For some reason, deliberately stretching the time.

There was a strange creaking sound behind him.

And after it, a familiar voice was heard.

“Chifuyu?”

The heart started pounding anew, like a fine-tuned clockwork.

God, thank you!

Matsuno froze in the middle of the path leading to the road and exhaled with relief.

Only now.

It seems that he lied.

No, it doesn’t just seems.

God, how terribly did he lie! Of course, he was waiting for Takemichi to open the damn door! But admitting this to himself would be the same as agreeing with each of Hanma's arguments without any debates. That is, theoretically and practically impossible in any way.

And even though Chifuyu spent a long and dreary time convincing himself that he would not want to disturb Hanagaki's peace now, his heart screamed about something absolutely different. And while he was indulging himself with doubts, it was treacherously rejoicing.

Chifuyu cautiously turned around.

Takemichi stood barefoot on the threshold in one of his stupid pajamas with the inscription «Hope» and rubbed his eyes with his hand, yawning long and sleepily. With his other hand, he held the door slightly ajar.

His face was a little bruised. There were fresh bruises, abrasions and scratches everywhere, covered with white plasters. It seems that Chifuyu missed some kind of fight. He clearly should have made up for lost time or at least tried to find out a little more details about what happened during his absence. But like everything else, he also postponed this until the morning.

“I’ve heard the sound of your bike. What are you doing here?” Takemichi asked him quite naturally.

Of course, there was nothing strange about Matsuno's presence: they often visited each other even at a later time, for various reasons, but usually it was accompanied by a phone call or at least a short SMS message. Only if it's not an emergency.

Was it considered an emergency?

“I ...” Chifuyu tried to gather his confused thoughts into a more or less reasonable sentence, but it didn’t work. He only flippantly waved away, noticing on Hanagaki's face a well-known worried expression. “I was just passing by. Nothing serious.”

"So late?" Takemichi asked doubtfully.

Chifuyu swallowed hard, trying to quickly come up with an excuse.

“I couldn't sleep.”

“I see,” The blue eyes brightened a little more. They began to study Chifuyu, probably trying to figure out whether he was lying or not. And when the silence became too long, Matsuno visibly tensed, but Takemichi already in a more relaxed manner shook his head towards the house. “Maybe you'll come in then? My aunt won't be back until noon anyway.”

“No, I ...” Chifuyu tried to refuse such a tempting offer, but he did it very, very unconvincingly. As if he didn't even try. “I'd better go home. Mom will be worried.”

"I'm already awake anyway," Hanagaki said a little more insistently. In the thoughts, Chifuyu slapped his forehead strongly, realizing that it was probably the sound of his motorcycle that woke up a light-sleeping friend. “I'm unlikely to fall asleep back, so… We could watch a movie together. If you want, of course.”

“I... well, I...” He stuttered more and more, the sentences did not gather into a coherent structure, there were no intelligible words left — only some incomprehensible sounds. Chifuyu felt like an idiot. “I really have to go home, so… I'd really rather go…”

But he didn't even budge.

"I have cookies," Hanagaki drawled mysteriously, rocking on his toes like a child.

“Sugar ones?” Chifuyu reached out to him hopefully. His emerald eyes shone even brighter than before. A smile appeared on thin lips by itself. Either from the mention of his favorite sweet, or for some other reason, which he himself hadn’t guessed yet.

Takemichi nodded, adding with an even slyer smile:

“And tea with mint and melissa.”

Chifuyu could not stand this torture. Laughter burst out of his chest, soft and light, like a breath of spring wind. And with it, it seems, his last attempts at resistance have gone. Gone are the bad thoughts and tension. Only the warmth remained.

Chifuyu meekly accepted his defeat.

He didn't say anything.

He didn't have to.

He knew that Takemichi would understand him even without words.

His friend just grinned, clearly pleased with the victory, and let go of the door handle.

“I'll leave the door open, Chifuyu.”

A few seconds after Hanagaki disappeared into the house, Chifuyu confidently followed him. The lights were already on, and work was in full swing in the kitchen: the kettle was puffing on the stove while Takemichi poured cookies from a cardboard box onto a plate so that it would be easier to take them. Besides it, Matsuno also saw the remains of the cake: concentrating as much as possible, he assumed that the treat was left over from Mori-san's recent birthday. If he remembered correctly, it was the ninth of February. What a pity that Chifuyu didn’t remember this earlier and didn’t have time to congratulate her in the future.

He tried to offer Takemichi his help, but he was forcibly seated at the table and asked to wait patiently for tea.

So he didn't argue anymore.

“What’s that?” Carefully dividing the remaining cake into equal halves, Hanagaki asked him. He didn't even turn around, but he seemed to feel the gaze on his back. Chifuyu didn't even notice that he was following his every move, almost without looking up.

“Nothing,” Winging his legs under the table in a bored manner, he hung his head shyly and only gurgled something under the nose

“Really?”

“I just...” He definitely needed to work on his speech skills. In front of the mirror. Many, many times. He just didn't understand what was going on. He always spoke normally, clearly and comprehensibly, but for some reason lately and for some reason only with Takemichi everything went completely wrong. His tongue was turning into a rotten piece of meat dangling uselessly in his mouth. Chifuyu mumbled softly, “I'm just glad to see you. That's all.”

“This is the second time this day, yeah,” Takemichi reminded him with a chuckle. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, wondering how best to respond. "Well... um, I'm glad to see you too, I guess?"

Chifuyu smiled shyly.

“How are you?”

“Hmm?”

“How are you, Takemichi? How are you doing?”

“Me?” He asked again as if he didn't quite understand the meaning of the question. But he still gave his answer to it. “Oh, well... I still have no idea what Kisaki is going to do and...”

“I'm not talking about that,” Chifuyu immediately interrupted him.

“What about then?”

“How are you feeling? Are you all right? Did you have any nightmares today?”

“Well-uh-uh… I think... no? I mean, I didn't dream anything, and I'm fine… I'm always fine, you know. Why are you even asking about that?”

“You'll tell me if something goes wrong, right?”

“Of course I will, Chifuyu,” He replied a little indignantly, as if to make it clear that the answer was quite obvious. “I have no one else to turn to but you.”

“That's good.”

“And you?”

“Me?”

“How are you doing?” The reverse question did not take long to wait. Chifuyu knew Takemichi too well and, fortunately, had already managed to come up with an answer. “You've been a little distracted lately.”

“Yes?” He smiled, tilting his head to the side. “I'm fine.”

“I'm glad to hear that.”

The last preparations were completed: Takemichi brewed tea and put all the treats he had on plates. He intended to put the cup down, as Chifuyu reached for it, trying to intercept it in the air, for which he immediately had got a slap on the hands. Hanagaki hissed in displeasure:

“Shh, you'll get burned,” Holding the mug and alternately blowing on its contents, he carefully put it on the table. “Wait until it cools down.”

Chifuyu smiled even wider than before.

Takemichi remembered.

He remembered that Chifuyu didn't drink hot tea.

“Maybe I’ll add some cold water?” Without even waiting for an answer, Takemichi picked up Chifuyu's mug again and took a small sip from it, nodding hastily. “Although, it doesn't seem to be very hot. I think you can drink.”

“Thank you,” Chifuyu nodded gratefully.

He hugged the huge mug with his icy hands, trying to keep warm. And without taking it off the table, he bent down and tasted the liquid with his tongue, as if making sure of the truth of Takemichi's words. The tea really wasn't hot. The perfect temperature. Only after that did Chifuyu allow himself to take a full sip. It became even warmer.

From the outside, he almost looked like a little kitten.

“Your hair has grown back.”

Chifuyu jerked his head up in fright.

“What?”

“You've already split tea all over your bangs,” Hanagaki, who was sitting opposite him, funnily propped his cheeks with both hands, only laughed softly. He stretched out his hand to Chifuyu, fleetingly pushing aside the strands of his hair falling over his green eyes. And suddenly he got up, as if he remembered something. “Oh, wait a minute!”

He left for a moment, leaving Chifuyu blinking in confusion and squinting miserably in the direction of the dark corridor.

Takemichi returned just a minute later, handing Matsuno a small black rubber band and a miniature mirror that probably belonged to Mori-san. “You forgot it when we went to the bath last time. Couldn't get it back.”

Chifuyu put his fingers in an elastic band to just tie his hair, when a sudden pain made him immediately lower his hand and emit a strangled puffing. If he was also injured because of a recent fight, then why did he feel it only now? And even at such a moment? A few more attempts and grunts, and someone else's fingers immediately grabbed his blond strands and quickly made a miniature ponytail right on the crown, pulling the elastic band from Chifuyu's hand and a little clumsily tying his short hair with it.

“Well,” Takemichi examined his creation with some doubt and handed Chifuyu a mirror so that he could evaluate the result. “Is that better?”

In fact, he tied it too hard and crooked, short strands escaped from the tail and stuck out in different directions, and in general it looked pretty bad.

Chifuyu opened his mouth and froze for a few minutes while the gears in his head systematically built up a picture of what had happened in front of him, and all the tea almost poured out of his nose like a river.

His cheeks warmed for some reason.

A strange smile appeared on his lips by itself.

“This is...” - Absolutely, absolutely terrible, where do your hands even come from? - “Nice…”

“Are you sure? It really does look like shit,” Takemichi awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, as he always did when he was worried, pursed his lips and looked at his hairstyle from all sides again. It seemed to him worse and worse with each passing minute. He asked cautiously, “Maybe it would be better to tie it up again?"

“Don't!” Chifuyu immediately recoiled as soon as Takemichi reached for his hair again. And, surprised by his own reaction, he confused and instantly quieted down. “I mean… I like it anyway.”

Takemichi sighed and just shrugged his shoulders.

Chifuyu turned around in front of the mirror once more.

The young man that was looking at him from the reflection seemed strangely happy. Even with the stupidest ponytail on the planet. Still happy. His eyes shone as brightly as they had not shone for a very long time, and his lips were stretched in a pleasant and soft smile. A healthy pinkish blush was smoldering on his cheeks.

Chifuyu didn't recognize himself.

“Do you think Akkun will take me as an assistant now?” Takemichi landed back in his original place, pushing a plate of cookies towards him and eating several pieces dry at once.

“Not on your life,” Chifuyu chuckled softly, picking up his mug again and taking another sip. He liked the cake much more than the cookies, so he hurried to snatch his piece.

“But you liked it! Maybe I have a talent, huh? What do you think?”

“Well,” Chifuyu looked at him and moved his shoulders uncertainly. “Takemichi, you know... to be honest...”

“The ponytail is a total crap, right?”

“The worst I've ever seen.”

The kitchen was filled with sonorous laughter. It took them only a couple of seconds to fully talk. And it was so easy and simple and at the same time completely usual, like having a dialogue with yourself. Understanding at its highest level. To pick up other people's thoughts even before they fall from the lips of another. That's what it meant to be partners. The topics clung to one another, even if they initially seemed completely unrelated. Friends shared jokes with each other, understandable only to the two of them, and from this the atmosphere became intimate in its own way.

Takemichi was just finishing washing the last plate when Chifuyu was pondering over his last, biggest and innermost wish.

Hugs.

He knew that for a thirty-year-old man, it was probably a huge stupidity to be so exhausted from the lack of physical contact. He was not a boy, although he was obviously a prisoner of a young body.

And yet…

He wanted it so badly.

And yet he was so afraid.

He just couldn't find a place for himself. Every now and then he fidgeted in his chair, straightened his hair or fiddled the handle of the mug with his fingers in order to occupy his hands with something. In the end, it became simply unbearable to sit, and he got up to go around the table on the other side, lean on it with his hands and look around the room, stopping every now and then longer on the image of Takemichi.

Making sure he's still here and doesn't plan on disappearing somewhere.

Chifuyu stretched out his hand to him and slowly lowered it, scolding himself for indecision.

And why did this always happen to him?

Each time he wanted to do and say much more than he eventually got, and after that he strenuously regretted the missed opportunities. Of course, the ground under his feet was much harder now than before. He had every chance now. Everything he could ask for!

But he still didn't dare.

“Chifuyu,” Turning off the water in the faucet and turning to him, Takemichi wiped his hands with a kitchen towel and habitually tilted his head to the shoulder, looking at Matsuno with a very obvious question. “Do you want hugs?”

“What? What makes you think so?” Chifuyu frowned, confused.

They always read each other like an open book, and if this mutual understanding usually helped them out of many scrapes, now Chifuyu would prefer that Takemichi stopped looking at him as if he stole all the thoughts from his head. It was a little awkward.

Very awkward.

Besides, even if their mutual understanding was almost like telepathy, how the hell did he even guess about it?!

Was everything written on Chifuyu's face?

"Chifuyu," Takemichi repeated with a quiet chuckle. This name sounded completely different from his mouth. Somehow, specially. Stupidly good. Or was Chifuyu just making it up? Although, to be honest, for some reason he really wanted it to be true. But he pushed the extra thoughts away and frowned only harder. His thick eyebrows were almost drawn down to his nose.

And he suddenly realized what was the matter. And why there were funny lights dancing in the blue eyes. Apparently, Chifuyu was thinking so hard about how much he wanted cuddles that his hands spread out by themselves, calling for an action, and he clearly was sitting so for almost five minutes. For a complete picture of his crushing fiasco, only the "free hugs" sign around his neck was missing. Or a stone would be better, so that he can immediately go and drown himself.

Matsuno didn't even have time to fully realize his failure, as the distance between them shortened, and Hanagaki clung awkwardly to him, putting one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his head.

The maximum distance, but close enough that Chifuyu stopped breathing.

The air flew out of the lungs like a bird.

“Why are you...” He protested uncertainly. He fluttered like a small swallow caught in a cage and tried to escape. Not because it was disgusting and unpleasant — they had hugged a lot of times — just Chifuyu was afraid that if he reached out to Takemichi in response, his hands would find only emptiness. That Hanagaki would disappear, as he had disappeared many times before, and it would be excruciatingly painful again. “I'm not…”

“Shut up for a minute.”

Hearing such a demanding tone from Takemichi was quite strange. Chifuyu stopped twitching and just froze like a statue, not daring to move, not even to breathe a little more evenly. Was it possible to contradict your captain?

"I hate this," He whispered almost inaudibly after almost thirty seconds of silence.

He awkwardly buried his nose in Takemichi's chest, like a guilty child, and wearily closed his eyes. He sighed softly. This smell... it's still the same as before. And it doesn't smell like anything special, but for some reason it's so familiar and native that you can't help feeling your muscles relax. The lungs opened, it becomes easier to breathe, and there is no trace of anxiety left.

“Hugs?”

“That you know me so well.”

Chifuyu heard Takemichi give a hollow laugh. The tremor that was born in his chest gave off pleasant vibrations in Matsuno's ears as well. Like the best music.

“And why are you always like this, Chifuyu?” He wouldn't stop grumbling. “You can just say it.”

“Because it's me who should support you. Not the other way around.”

“I thought it worked both ways. You know, all your partner stuff.”

“Partner stuff?” Chifuyu asked, laughing hollowly.

"You know what I mean," Takemichi told him. And Chifuyu, of course, knew. Although it was still not easy for him to accept that of the two of them, not only Takemichi needed help now, but also himself. He's used to being on the other side. But maybe if it was Takemichi, Chifuyu might think about rethinking the situation a bit. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Sobbing as quietly as possible so that it would escape the inattentive Takemichi, Matsuno tried to hug him back. The first few seconds were the most terrifying for him. When the hands were just reaching out to someone else's body, counting every inch, when there were only a few tiny millimeters left, and you just had to find the courage to touch. Take the last step.

And Chifuyu made it.

Ventured.

And didn't regret a second.

The native warmth pierced his body simultaneously with a hundred bright rays.

But it didn't hurt at all.

Good.

How good it is.

Chifuyu loosely squeezed the fabric of someone else's pajamas with his fingers and smiled with tears in his eyes, repeating a little firmer and more confident:

“Yes, everything is fine now.”

"Then finish it, or my hands will fall off now," Hanagaki moaned plaintively. Not that Chifuyu expected him to say something like "stay here as long as you need to," but it was funny to realize that Takemichi is always Takemichi. And he's always an idiot. “Of the two of us, you've always been the big spoon, and I've always been the little one ². I think you forgot about it a little bit!”

“Did we have rules?” Chifuyu protested theatrically, still holding Takemichi in his arms. Letting go was much harder than deciding to embrace. It seems that Chifuyu didn't think about it a bit. “Why am I hearing about this only now?!”

“These are unspoken rules! And you are a malicious violator!”

“You actually hugged me yourself, asshole!”

“Because you left me no choice! With all that sad look and deer eyes… What else could I do? It usually works in all of your mangas!”

“Oh, admit it, you wanted to hug me too!”

“No!”

“You just can't accept it!”

“Chifuyu, you look like a koala!” Matsuno was clearly overdoing it, but Takemichi didn't really resist hugging himself. He twitched in the vice-captain's hands weakly, one might even say lazily, and muttered incessantly. Probably before Chifuyu would have joked that Takemichi looked like an old man, but in the current situation it would be a little unfair.

“Th, you're such an asshole, Takemichi!” Chifuyu reluctantly, but still let him go, allowing Hanagaki to gain distance between them again. He didn't go too far away though, so Matsuno felt safe.

“Said the onion man!”

“An onion is better than your stupid hair!”

“Not a word more about my hair! You actually promised!”

Chifuyu had finally realized.

It probably wasn't the wind or the night at all, it wasn't even the air. It was Takemichi. That's why it was so good in two thousand and six. He is alive here, alive and real, laughing and smiling so happily, so joyfully, and his sonorous voice pleasantly caresses the ear, like the most beautiful harp melodies, and his azure eyes light up long-extinguished green light bulbs in Chifuyu’s eyes.

Diligently, one by one.

And what Chifuyu feels is like dying and being reborn anew. And everything that happened before, and everything that will happen to them after — it's all completely, completely unimportant. Chifuyu just knows that they will be fine, and this time he won't let anything terrible happen to Takemichi.

He will protect him.

Whatever it takes.

"It depends on how many circles of hell you will be willing to go through to achieve what you so desire"

One?

Three?

How much can you take, Chifuyu?

Nine.

All nine, if that means getting Takemichi in return.

Time with him is sand through the fingers — it is surprisingly fleeting, but Chifuyu is no longer afraid to lose seconds. He just revels, enjoys every moment together. Appreciates it as if it is the very last. Each of them is a new light in his eyes and a new seam on his tortured heart. And it will take a whole bunch of such seams to patch up Chifuyu’s soul to the end. Heal it completely. Leaving no scars. But Matsuno, not without a smile, wonders how much they still have to go through together.

And everything will definitely be fine this time.

Everything must be fine this time.

Maybe he rejoices too early, for someone who has been deceived more than once.

Maybe he's just an idiot.

But when he's with Takemichi, his belief in the best grows stronger than ever before. It's been like this since his youth: even if it seems that there is no chance at all, and there is only hopeless darkness around, Takemichi gets a light from somewhere and illuminates the way.

And even now.

Chifuyu had always believed that during these three years he had managed to get deeply lost in his own darkness, but now he seemed to see a way out. He saw the light, and he was ready to climb to the surface for it.

They slowly move into Takemichi's room, sit on the bed and turn on some strange comedy in the background, which they don't even watch, because they continue the unfinished conversation in the kitchen.

And only this moment, only these incoherent stories of Takemichi about how Yamagishi once jumped on a bet from the second floor and managed to break his right leg, remain the only important ones. Chifuyu listens to them only in fragments, almost not catching the meaning, because he focuses not on the words at all, but on the voice - real and sounding now not only in his head.

And it's nice.

It’s so real.

“Chifuyu, are you listening to me?” Takemichi interrupted his enthusiastic story, causing Matsuno to flinch, and turned to him with a questioning expression on his face.

Chifuyu blinked in agreement.

“What was I talking about?” Hanagaki asked him, squinting suspiciously.

“Yamagishi... have done something again?” Chifuyu hesitantly defended himself. “Yes?..”

“Actually, it was two stories ago,” Takemichi said resentfully, immediately picking up a pillow from the bed and jokingly hitting Chifuyu in the sore shoulder. He clutched at it and grunted in pain, although it was not so bad. “You idiot, you weren't even listening to me! Where are you hovering at all?”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was just thinking, I swear!” Chifuyu laughed, trying to dodge Takemichi's new weak pillow blows. He hit weakly, but quite often, so dodges were difficult to do. He almost drove Matsuno into the corner of the bed, mercilessly crushing the pillow, from which feathers were already flying in full force. Chifuyu was laughing loudly. “Ah! Ouch-ouch-ouch, how it hurts! I'm going to die, stop it, Takemichi!”

“Will you die of laughter?” Hanagaki snorted, grabbing Chifuyu by the hood of his sweater and pulling it towards him so that he no longer tried to dodge. “Who are you trying to lie to, ha, Chifuyu?”

“That's the thing, I'm not even trying!”

“But you could have tried for the sake of decency!”

Takemichi swung the pillow again, but this time Chifuyu intercepted it earlier and tried to throw it to the side, but he probably overdid it too much, because Hanagaki, who clung to it tightly, fell to the floor with it.

“Oi, Takemichi, how are you there?” Matsuno asked without ceasing to giggle fervently, but when there was no answer, he leaned his hands on the edge of the bed and stretched his neck to look down. Maybe he hit too hard? Or had Talemichi fallen on a sore spot and now couldn't get up on his own? Chifuyu was just hanging out of bed when a hand grabbed his sweater and yanked him down.

Matsuno immediately rolled off the bed.

And hit the head pretty hard.

“Well, now I feel great,” Pleased with the execution of his insidious plan, Takemichi smiled wryly.

“Bastard, come here!” Matsuno hissed. A few more pillow blows justly landed on Takemichi kicking back and forth.

Chifuyu intended to start a much bigger conflict about this, because Hanagaki completely lost all his conscience, but as soon as he turned the head in his direction again, frowning and ready for a new confrontation, his eyebrows slowly relaxed, his eyes opened wide and clear, and the lips curved in another smile. He even forgot what thoughts were huddled in his head just a minute ago.

Takemichi was right next to him, guffawing so hard that he was almost choking with laughter, and everything between them was the same as before. Like in the good old days. The feeling of joy became stronger, and Chifuyu no longer knew if there was a limit to it. But everything that was endlessly spinning in his head, ringing against the skull — was just…

“I missed you,” I missed you deeply and desperately. Inexplicably, senselessly, terribly. You have no idea how much I missed you!

It came out of his mouth so casually and crumpled that at first he didn't even realize he had said it out loud until Takemichi turned to him with a slightly confused expression on his face.

“We saw each other just today,” He said softly.

"I know," Chifuyu just breathed out.

He didn't even think there were so many words in the world to express what he felt, and he had no idea why he even knew all these words.

Unfortunately, not today, Takemichi. Two days ago. Although it feels like forever. It's like I've relived and tripled all three years without you. Tell me, do you know how much it is? This is more than 1155 days. Almost 38 months. And all of them — without you. So long, right?

Their eyes met.

Calm blue and excited green.

And for a few seconds they were just silent, looking at each other. Intently. Carefully. Trying to study every tiny detail in the other's gaze. Every little thing or speck on the painted iris.

Everything inside Chifuyu was somehow trembling strangely.

But it wasn't the time to think about it.

He needed to get it out of his head.

What a strange, strange feeling.

For some reason, he felt extremely awkward and hurried to turn away when Takemichi raised his eyes to the ceiling and smiled sleepily.

“Nice try to appease me, but you won't get the cake anymore. Last time you ate my piece without permission!³”

“For God's sake, how much longer are you going to remind me of this?”

“How can I forget it?!”

“There was only a small piece!”

“And the note said «mine»! Are you having troubles with reading?”

“You're so vindictive! I can't stand you!”

“You just recently said that you missed me!” Takemichi laughed, approached and nudged him with his shoulder, restoring the old atmosphere. Chifuyu rolled his eyes because it was that shoulder again. Was he aiming there on purpose? Hanagaki pointedly grabbed his heart: “How quickly your love has passed! I am struck right to the heart!”

“Forget it, it was once! I said it without thinking!” Matsuno picked up the fallen pillow again and this time launched it quite accurately at Takemichi. “And it won't happen again, okay?”

“Well, well!” Hanagaki immediately threw it back. “Let's see how you'll sing when we decide who gets the cake!”

It was already getting light outside the window.

It was symbolic in its own way.

It was as if the darkness was finally leaving them, leaving room for the morning sun and freshness. The shadows obediently parted before them, fearing the sharp rays, the frozen night wind was replaced by warm gusts.

This sunrise is the beginning.

Chifuyu didn't know of what exactly, but he was sure that it was something good. All this horror will end soon. They will save Kisaki, Hanma will help to save Takemichi, and everything will be great for them. They will live. Laugh in the future as loudly as now, and sometimes remember this time with a silly smile. And all the bad things will be forgotten one day, as even the most terrible nightmare in the world is forgotten.

As long as they are together, walking into the unknown is not scary at all.

As long as they are together, they are stronger than ever.

※ ※ ※ ※

“And why the hell did you call me so early?” Kisaki muttered with displeasure, hiding his frozen hands in the pockets of his jacket.

He approached the embankment, looking at the winter dawn spread over the water surface with a bored look. There was nothing remarkable about it: the dawn was like the dawn. Inflorescence of warm shades. Red and yellow lines that weave into orange and encircle the huge sun.

That's all.

Hanma stretched and shook his head in different directions, stretching his stiff neck.

He leaned on the railing with both hands, peering into the blooming sky.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?”

The most terrible stories always begin as the most beautiful fairy tales.

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

June, 2018

They were sitting on the floor in Chifuyu’s living room and just having fun playing the console and eating the most terrible pizza in the world. Matsuno had no idea how it was possible to ruin something as perfect as pizza, and why he and Takemichi decided that ordering food from such a dubious eatery would be a good idea at all, but it really tasted like shit.

In fact, the young people didn’t plan to spend their Friday evening this way. The original idea was to assemble a new sofa, delivered to Chifuyu's apartment only the day before, but the instructions for it seemed to have been written in Elvish, and after taking more than two hours, they unanimously decided that half of the sofa would be enough to start with.

And now they were here.

Sitting on the floor surrounded by a lot of plates, cardboard boxes and empty beer cans, playing some stupid game and just fooling around. They both didn’t like noisy parties and most often preferred to gather in small companies at someone's house. There was something comfortable in such gatherings in its own way. Especially if there were just the two of them, as it usually happened.

Since Takemichi came back, they've been hanging out together quite often.

Undoubtedly, his past version was also dear to Matsuno in its own way. He had walked side by side with him for almost a quarter of his adult life, and, of course, they hung out together once every couple of weeks, as good friends should, but still, meetings with this Takemichi seemed completely different.

For that reason, lately Kazutora has been looking at Chifuyu with a strange expression on his face, as if genuinely wondering why Matsuno suddenly started seeing Takemichi so often and why their communication suddenly became much warmer than before. Of course, he knew that they were close, but at one moment something definitely changed, and he couldn't find a logical reason for it.

In truth, it seemed to Matsuno that Hanagaki had his head in the clouds quite frequently. Like he is just here, nearby — alive and tangible — but his thoughts were not here at all. It was as if something was constantly bothering him, something that he didn't want to tell anyone about. Chifuyu was worried about this, but fortunately, this feeling wasn’t so  strong: their future was saved, and they were fine, so most likely Takemichi was just still trying to get used to it. Chifuyu was sure that after so many months spent in constant time leaping, it was quite problematic to adapt to normal life so quickly. Therefore, he never bothered with questions, being completely convinced that if something worries Takemichi too much, Matsuno will find out about it one of the first, if not the very first.

Chifuyu reached for Hanagaki's backpack left on the sofa to get another can of beer out of it, as something else accidentally fell to the floor along with it. The man put the beer on the table and picked up the fallen object from the floor, trying to understand what was in his hands.

“I thought you’ve done with the invitation of guests” Concluding that it was an invitation to Hinata and Takemichi's wedding, he frowned slightly. Matsuno personally helped to send and sign all the invitations, so he was a little surprised to see another one, which, moreover, was also nameless. “Who is it for?”

Takemichi was just eating the remains of their snacks when he suddenly noticed a familiar thing in the hands of his best friend. Chifuyu was just about to examine the invitation more closely, when for some reason Hanagaki became alarmed and, hastily wiping his hands on his T-shirt, quickly moved in his direction.

"This is for my old friend," He muttered indistinctly, chuckling hollowly. “I'll have to give it tomorrow.”

His alcohol-clouded gaze seemed to become a little clearer for a moment than before. He carefully took the invitation from Matsuno's fingers, fearing to tear it, raised himself, bending over the man, and a little nervously began to shove the object back into the backpack, this time checking that it definitely wouldn’t accidentally fall out.

"But I know all your friends," Chifuyu said doubtfully. His eyebrows tightened even more to his nose. The drunken gaze of the green eyes focused on Hanagaki. He had known him for a long time, and there was something strange in the way he was trying to avoid further conversation.

“Uh-uh, you don't know him”, Trying to get away from the topic as quickly as possible, Takemichi threw the backpack even further away from Chifuyu, and returned to his former place on the carpet, again pushing snacks towards him. “Never mind, Chifuyu.”

“Are you sure you're okay?” Matsuno asked, and Takemichi smiled wryly, nodding back at him.

“Of course. Better take it.”

There were only two pieces of grilled meat left on the plate, strung on skewers, and he immediately stuffed one of them into his mouth, and kindly handed the other to Matsuno. The man bent down and pulled it off with his teeth directly from the plastic structure, then licking the remnants of the sweet sauce from his lips.

Takemichi opened a new can of beer, and Chifuyu held up his own before they hit them against each other.

“To our long and happy life, partner!” Matsuno sang cheerfully, baring his snow-white teeth and smiling at him wide and bright.

Hanagaki only chuckled softly, shaking his head.

“To our long and happy life, Chifuyu.”

Chifuyu never understood how it came to this. It seems that there was too much alcohol, too little space, and words eventually stopped linking into reasonable sentences.

"I've drunk so much that now I'm almost ninety-one percent sake," Takemichi reasoned, making the most disgusting serious face possible. He put down another tin can on the coffee table. “Does that mean I'm almost sake, too?”

“No, it means that you're just an idiot,” With the same seriousness shaking his head in response to his meaningless sayings, Chifuyu leaned back on the sofa behind him and took another sip of beer.

"Only nine percent," Hanagaki said with mathematical precision, holding up his finger.

"Ninety-nine," Chifuyu corrected him, throwing his head back.

“Ten.”

"Ninety-eight."

“Eleven.”

“The hell with you,” Matsuno snorted. “It still doesn't make you any less of an idiot."

Chifuyu slowly unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt as because of how long they had already been in his living room, it became a little stuffy here. He closed his eyes briefly, feeling how heavy his eyelids were.

"Chifuyu," Takemichi suddenly called out to him. Chifuyu mumbled, making it clear that he had heard, and opened one eye. “Tell me, why are you still single?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well ...” The man immediately hesitated, probably realizing with his drunken brain that the question was not the most tactful. But alcohol loosened the tongue quite well, and the topics for conversations kept going somewhere to the side. “I mean, you're a good guy, and you're quite… Well, how should I put it…”

“Handsome?” Matsuno chuckled in response to Takemichi's stupid face as he tried to remember or find the right word. “Is that what you were going to say?”

"Yeah," Hanagaki said slowly. “To be honest, I'm a little surprised by the fact that by the time you're twenty-seven, you're still not married. I thought I'd come back and babysit naughty little kids. So, what's the matter?”

"Well," Chifuyu sighed, pondering Takemichi's words for a few seconds. He lowered his head between his own hands hanging from the knees, and only smiled sadly. “While you were gone… I've been on dates a couple of times, but let's just say they didn't go very well. I mean, I kind of behaved as usual, and a couple of times it even ended with sex, but... you know, nothing to last longer than one night or… What was the longest there? A week, I guess? Women are beautiful creatures, but sometimes it seems to me that I just don't know how to talk to them, or they are not interested in me at all. You know, it's not that everything is bad like with Hakkai for example, I don't stutter or faint when I talk to them, but I'm definitely doing something wrong. I don't know what exactly. Maybe I'm just unlucky on my own. After all, it's you, not me, who is a lady-slayer here. So, tell me, partner, what am I doing wrong?”

“What about Kazutora?” After listening attentively to Chifuyu's dreary story, Hanagaki suddenly became curious.

Chifuyu choked on his beer.

“Kazutora?" He asked again, as if he hoped he had just misheard it. “What does Kazutora have to do with it?

“Well, it seemed to me that you two were quite close, and I thought that…”

“No! God, how did you even think of that?!” Chifuyu exclaimed in a very accusing tone, shaking his head negatively. He groaned in frustration: "Takemichi, you're such a dumbass!

“Okay, okay, don't shout! In that case, I'm sure that your only one will definitely find you! In the end, your knowledge of love is just mangsi...mang…magnst… fuck, I mean…”

“If you're trying to pronounce the word «mag-ni-fi-cent», then you definitely can't,” Matsuno said with a sneer, watching the torment of his friend, that was trying his best to pronounce a single word.

“Fuck you, Chifuyu.”

Chifuyu only laughed in response to Takemichi's offended tone. He always made such a funny face when he was angry or offended, especially if it was something stupid, so it became almost cute. He looked like a child whose other children had taken away a shovel in the local sandbox, and now he was ready to cry at any moment because of it.

Of course, after a second, Takemichi had already forgotten about his offense and started sipping his beer from the can, when Chifuyu sighed again. The previous topic of their conversation had left an unpleasant residue in him, and the alcohol in his veins only aggravated the growing melancholy. Sometimes he caught himself thinking that he was jealous of some of his friends who already had relationships. Pah-chin had been married for several months and still hadn’t stopped bragging about it, Peh-yan intended to propose to Yasuda, Mitsuya got a girlfriend, and even Takemichi… Takemichi was also about to tie the knot. Chifuyu himself didn’t understand what exactly he was so surprised about, because he had known that this would happen long before the friends officially announced their engagement to everyone else, but there was something disturbing about how the usual way of their life was breaking more and more every year.

They were growing up, and it was completely normal. There was nothing wrong with moving away from each other, starting a family and sailing further and further towards the turbulent flow of life. It was just that time flew surprisingly fast — probably too fast — and sometimes Chifuyu wondered the obvious question: maybe there was something wrong with him? Maybe he was doing something wrong or doing it wrong, maybe he was too much focused on his work or was just excessively boring, since the girls kept leaving him behind. Like any other man, he dreamed of a home and a family, but for some reason it all seemed unattainable.

However, it wasn't just that. He could survive this kind of loneliness, although it was sometimes quite sad to return to an empty apartment day after day, but... more than anything, he was afraid that when Takemichi got married, nothing would be the same as it was before.

Chifuyu never showed it in any way: he didn't want to seem stupid and eager for attention, after all, he hadn't been a teenager for a long time. And he was happy - truly, very happy for Hinata and Takemichi, there was no guile in it, and, of course, he was sure that he would always be a close friend for their family. But when Matsuno inadvertently thought about what would happen to them when they were all overwhelmed by routine and adult life, when they were completely mired in these endlessly identical gray everyday life, he became a little scared.

Chifuyu wanted a little more time. Just for the two of them. Just spend time together like before, talking about all sorts of nonsense and playing games until late at night, as if tomorrow they both don't have to get up for work, even if they have to eat the crappiest pizza in the world.

Chifuyu had been waiting for him for almost twelve years.

Was that a sufficient excuse for such selfish desires?

He was waiting to thank Takemichi for everything he had done for them, to hug him as tightly as possible and tell him in great detail about what had happened to all of them during his absence. Matsuno was just finishing his "Diary of Memories", full of photographs and detailed descriptions of all the important and unimportant events of the last twelve years, and planned to give it to Takemichi on his wedding day. Just a small gift, so that the lost memories come back to him as soon as possible.

It was wrong, but Chifuyu sincerely rejoiced when Takemichi, according to his own words, was very busy preparing for the upcoming celebration, still found a little time for him. It was as if not only Matsuno himself — they both sometimes wanted to escape from this complex adult reality for a while and pretend to be the most ordinary teenagers, ready to kill for the last piece of French fries in a cardboard box.

Chifuyu wanted this time to never end.

“You know, actually… I'm very scared” A barely audible voice came in the prolonged silence. At first, Chifuyu didn't even understand who exactly it belonged to — Takemichi or himself — and only when he turned around, he noticed that Takemichi was looking at him waiting for an answer.

His misty blue eyes seemed to glaze over.

“What?” Chifuyu asked silly. “Why are you scared?”

“I'm scared, and I don't know what will happen next. You know, with me, ha-ha. Sometimes, for some reason, it seems to me that I am a complete stranger here. I understand… I know how stupid that sounds right now.… Really, really stupid… I am happy that you all are doing well, and each of you has found your own way, but I… I haven't changed at all.”

“And what's wrong with that? That you haven't changed?”

“I don't even know, Chifuyu. It's funny to say this, but changes are... terribly frightening, and I'm too used to going with the flow. And lately I've been feeling more and more like a storm is coming and my boat can't sail anymore. It's like I'm stuck at one point, you know? I just can't imagine how to live on without time travel. That's literally all I can do. Although, now I don't know how to do that either... Can I... tell me, Chifuyu, can I make Hina happy if I'm nothing of myself?”

Chifuyu was silent for a few seconds before answering:

“Do you want to marry Hina?”

“What kind of dumb question is that?” Hanagaki snorted, slightly raising his tone: "Of course I do! I made her a promise, I can't break it in any way!”

“Takemichi, that's not what I asked you,” Chifuyu explained calmly after listening to him. Takemichi blinked uncomprehendingly. “Do you want to marry her right now? Or maybe it would be better to postpone the wedding a little and get your own life in order first? To find a good job that will appeal to you, stand firmly on your feet and get a little used to the way things work twelve years later? You’ve just got back. Three months is too short period of time to adapt. I understand that. Or rather, of course, I can't put myself in your shoes and feel what it's like, but I... really understand. So, wouldn't it be better to sort yourself out before taking responsibility for someone else? I'm sure if you talk to Hina-chan about it, she'll understand you too.”

“I don't want to let anyone down.”

“I know, partner,” Matsuno nodded understandingly, slightly rising and moving closer to put his hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met. Chifuyu's calm and confident gaze and Takemichi's frightened, darting gaze. The man looked at him as if he was about to cry. “But you won't let anyone down. All the bad things are behind us, right? There's nothing wrong with finally taking care of yourself. And if you want, I will definitely help you with this. No matter what happens, I will always be by your side.”

“Chifuyu, I...” Hanagaki leaned forward and opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but also quickly changed his mind, tightly closing his lips and lowering his eyes to the floor.

“What is it?” Matsuno asked him in a soft whisper.

Takemichi just shook his head.

"No... no, forget it," He smiled and looked up at him with his sparkling gaze. “It's all right.”

Chifuyu narrowed his eyes.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. Nothing important,” Takemichi lazily waved away, pursing his lips again. “And thank you for what you said. It just remains to deal with the last thing, and then I will finally be able to think about myself. Just like you said.”

“Do you need my help?”

“Not yet. But I'll be glad if you help me when the time comes to sort myself out. You don't mind?”

“I'm only happy, partner,” Chifuyu slowly returned back to his former place, leaning the back against the seat of the sofa.

“Sounds like a deal that needs to be sealed,” Takemichi said. “Don't you think so?”

Chifuyu let out a soft chuckle.

“You're such a drunkard.”

The two of them reached for the last remaining can of beer on the table at the same time. Chifuyu snatched it out first and immediately raised it over his head when Takemichi suddenly leaned forward and for some reason tried to reach it.

“Hey, give it back!” He demanded with a laugh, crawling closer and trying his best to take away the drink. “It's mine! You've already drunk your half! I saw everything!”

“Chifuyu, I'm serious!” Hanagaki exclaimed. “Give it back!”

“Oh, serious, then?” The insidious smile grew even wider as Chifuyu lifted the can even higher, causing Hanagaki to groan in agony. “If you need it so badly, then just take it. See, it's nothing complicated.”

Takemichi clicked and approached a little closer, but it seems he did it too clumsily, caught on the boxes and cans standing nearby and immediately lost his balance, landing heavily right on Matsuno. He closed his eyes and groaned painfully when a thud hit his chest.

“I'm sorry, I…”

They simultaneously raised their heads and faced each other.

Eyes to eyes.

As close as possible.

Chifuyu's hand, which was holding the jar, slowly sank to the floor. The mesmerized gaze of the green eyes slowly slid over Takemichi's face, outlining the expressive features of his face: a rounded chin and soft cheeks flushed from the amount of alcohol he had drunk, a sharp nose and large blue eyes covered with an indistinct veil, which now also examined the face of Chifuyu himself.

Matsuno's gaze for some reason stopped at the barely parted lips.

Something clicked in the head.

He probably shouldn't have drunk that much after all.

His thoughts were so confused, and his head suddenly became completely, completely empty when he closed his eyes and unconsciously reached forward to… He didn't even understand why he did it, it was just an impulse, just a fleeting desire that turned everything inside upside down.

Takemichi suddenly burst out laughing, awkwardly nuzzling back into Matsuno's chest.

Chifuyu's eyes snapped open.

“That look on your face!” He couldn't stop chortling. His laugh was bright and almost breathless, as if he had just heard some extremely funny joke. “If we weren't best friends, I would really believe that you wanted to kiss me! No, really it was very believable! What wouldn't you do for the last can of beer, right, Chifuyu? To hell with you, if that's what you want, it's yours.”

“Ah... yeah,” Chifuyu mumbled to himself before looking away — anywhere, just away from the familiar blue eyes — and laughed nervously and unnaturally, at the same time trying to gently push Takemichi away from himself. The absence of any distance between them suddenly seemed to him as some kind of sophisticated torture, although a moment ago Chifuyu hadn’t even thought about it.

Hanagaki didn't seem to have any problems. His thin arms wrapped tightly around Chifuyu, clearly not intending to let go.

"Drink your beer, I don't feel like it anymore," Chifuyu said in a hoarse and low voice.

He tried to pull the heavy body away from him again, and this time he didn’t feel any visible resistance.

"Hey, partner," Matsuno called out once again and seemed to notice this time that Takemichi had already passed out. He had drunk a lot more, even though he clearly didn't know how to do it, so it wasn't surprising that he ended their evening that way. Sweetly snuffling on Chifuyu's chest while saliva like a river flowed from his mouth. Matsuno sighed heavily. He tried to wake him up again, but it was unsuccessfully. “Takemichi, hey.”

“Mhm,” Was the only sound. The grip only became tighter, and Chifuyu leaned his head back on the sofa behind and closed his eyes, not knowing what else to do. His hand landed on the black-haired top of Hanagaki’s head, and his fingers were fleetingly entangled in thick curly strands. The man was afraid to breathe. His head was buzzing so terribly because of how many strange and unfamiliar feelings suddenly surged like a wave over his intoxicated mind.

But it's too late to analyze anything now.

And, of course, if the memories of this night remain in his memory, maybe he will think about it at his leisure.

Maybe, tomorrow?

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

Chifuyu's sweet dream was mercilessly interrupted by someone's abrupt movement.

He opened his eyes a little and in the first seconds he got scared that he was not at home, as someone stirred right next to him and sniffled loudly and plangently. It wasn't Peke-J, as he first thought — just Takemichi, curled up just a couple of centimeters from Matsuno.

He was sleeping quite peacefully. The rays of the winter sun, filtering through the curtains that weren’t fully closed, softly outlined the features of Hanagaki’s face. It was clear and relaxed, as clean as an untouched canvas. His long black eyelashes trembled a little, his mouth was slightly open, and his lips kept closing and opening when Takemichi smacked a little in his sleep. The curly blond hair, which he so loved to gather into an idiotic comb, had fluffed up and disheveled even more since the evening and now looked like a huge piñata. It seemed so soft that Matsuno involuntarily wanted to touch it.

Chifuyu exhaled, briefly closing his eyes again.

It had been a long time since he had slept as well as he had that night.

Of course, this was clearly not enough to fully compensate for almost three years of bad sleep on anything and anywhere, but the man believed that the beginning of his new life could already be considered very, very good.

It seems that last night the friends talked so much that they didn't even bother to get up from the floor and prepare their sleeping places, so they sprawled right on the huge carpet. Surprisingly, the body hurt only a little, but otherwise Chifuyu felt quite well-rested.

He carefully removed Takemichi's hand, which had been resting peacefully on his stomach, from him, got to his feet with a grunt and trudged towards the exit of the room. He didn't know if he should have stayed until Takemichi himself woke up, or if he should have left early so as not to disturb Mori-san's peace, because judging by the bright sun outside, it was clearly not early in the morning, more like eleven o'clock, so soon she would have to return home from work after a night shift at the hospital.

Chifuyu drank water in the kitchen and got some of yesterday's sweets, wielding someone else's kitchen as skillfully as if it were his own. Surprisingly, he didn’t remember the details of the events taking place, but he could easily point out where and in which of the numerous drawers and ambries in the Hanagaki family's kitchen tea and coffee, sugar and salt, and even Takemichi’s secret stores with sweets brought from America could be found.

Still chewing, Matsuno headed to the living room, where he maneuvered from the sofa to the armchair and back for a long time, thinking about what would be best to do, until his gaze suddenly came across one of the photos that was left behind the glass of a small sideboard at the farthest wall, which he just now passed. Japanese houses usually didn't have such furniture, but because of his American origin, Takemichi had quite a lot of interesting stuff that Matsuno didn’t have, including a huge leather sofa in the middle of a spacious hall and an expensive white oak sideboard.

Chifuyu bent down and squinted to get a better look at the photo. In the future, his eyesight became much worse due to constantly being in a poorly lit apartment, and even if young Matsuno saw well enough, it was difficult to get rid of such a habit so immediately.

The photo showed a short woman in a gray winter coat. Her appearance was not Japanese at all — rather, American or maybe European — Chifuyu, frankly, saw her for the first time, and was rather poorly versed in nationalities. But what he could say for sure was that even a shot that had faded over the years could perfectly convey how piercingly bright those big blue eyes were. The woman was an adult, but she looked like a child — with some kind of sincere young spontaneity, velvety softness and kindness. Her blonde hair was barely below her shoulders and gathered into a messy hairstyle with curly strands slightly escaping on the sides, and her thin lips were curved in a faint smile. Unlike the black-haired boy, barely tall enough to reach her small purse, who smiled broadly and toothily, in all his thirty-two, clutching a lush pink watagasi¹ tight in his hands. It seems that during the shooting he accidentally closed his eyes, - Chifuyu was sure: the same bright blue – and to capture them, alas, was not possible.

“This is my mom,” a familiar voice answered from somewhere behind. After sleeping, it sounded a little lower and rougher than usual, and Chifuyu started from surprise. It seems that he was staring at the photo so hard that he didn't even hear other boy's footsteps behind him.

“You never talked about her,” he said, slowly straightening up and turning around to see Takemichi.

He was standing at the entrance to the living room, leaning his shoulder on the door jamb, in his invariably favorite pajamas, a huge disaster on his head, and confused flapping eyes that he could hardly keep open for more than five seconds. And he yawned a lot.

“You just didn't ask,” chuckling, the boy only lightly shrugged his shoulders and quickly shortened the small distance between him and Chifuyu, taking out a memorable picture from behind the glass with extreme care. "This is her last photo," he looked at the picture with melancholic calm, but for a moment the smile slipped from his lips before reappearing - the same invariably. The blue eyes faded wistfully. “The Chichibu Festival was great that year. There were so many sweets… You know, that was the first time they bought cotton candy for me, and it turned out to be so delicious that I ate everything alone! And didn't even share it with Masaru! Oh, and then he messed me up good!”

“What did you say?” Chifuyu asked warily.

“Hmm?” Hanagaki frowned, patiently repeating: “I say, there were a lot of sweets, and Masaru…”

“No, no, before that!” Matsuno said to him. “What did you call this holiday?”

“Chichibu Festival?” One of his dark eyebrows arched questioningly before Takemichi closed his eyes and let out a quiet chuckle. “Oh, you mean it! This is my favorite festival.”

After these words, Chifuyu felt strange for some reason. The familiar name, so clearly echoing the inscription on the greeting card, painfully went through his ears. And although Hanma blithely said that they would no longer need the postcard, and Chifuyu himself should forget about it forever, in the new circumstances it seemed quite... suspicious.

It was as if Hanma knew something else, but for some reason did not consider it necessary to tell Chifuyu about it. Of course, this could turn out to be nothing more than a coincidence, but during the two days spent in the future, Matsuno clearly realized that no one was going to play fair with him, and he had no doubt that Shuji could have withheld some information intentionally.

The only question is…

What for?

What was so special about this stupid festival?

“Hey, Earth to Chifuyu!” The fingers were snapping rapidly in front of his eyes, trying to bring him back to reality. Matsuno blinked in confusion, looking at Takemichi, who was swaying from side to side. He smiled shyly at him. “Where are you disappearing again?”

“I'm sorry,” Chifuyu shook his head as an apology. He broke into a warm smile in response, unconsciously also starting to sway a little, rocking from heels to toes. “Go on.”

“Come on, it's not that interesting,” Takemichi averted his eyes, waving away Matsuno's words, and his fingers, holding the photo, tightened a little tighter. He turned to return the photo to its original place, and awkwardly muttered, "I don't even know why I brought this up.”

"I'm interested," Chifuyu protested, reaching out to gently stop Hanagaki, take the photo from his hands and examine it better. “Please continue.”

“Are you sure?" Takemichi asked doubtfully, and Matsuno nodded confidently. His heart ached when he inadvertently noticed how relieved his best friend exhaled. The new smile that appeared on his lips seemed much more relaxed.

“You look a lot like your mom, Takemichi.”

Chifuyu compared the woman’s smile in the photo with the smile of his partner and found no visible differences.

“That's what Mori-san says, too.”

“Really, I thought she was Japanese and your father was American.”

“On the contrary,” Takemichi corrected him with a quiet giggle. “Although many people think so. She had Japanese roots, but she had lived most of her life in a small town in southern Rhode Island. She and father met when she and Mori-san were interning here. She worked as a literature teacher at the school, and Mori-san was an intern at a local hospital. Well, in general, they liked it here, and they decided to stay. Bought this house, settled down. And before my parents divorced, my father was offered a job in the States, so he left here pretty quickly. My mother loved Japan a lot and didn't want to go anywhere, and my father kept saying that he didn't like it. And then..” Takemichi's voice faltered, he stopped for a few seconds before finishing the sentence. “Mom got sick and... that's probably all.”

It was obvious that the story had a continuation, but Chifuyu wasn't going to insist on it. He was grateful for this revelation, even if it was very short. It seemed that for so many years of friendship with Takemichi, he should have learned almost everything about his life, but in fact all his knowledge ended on Hanagaki’s food preferences, favorite video games and music. Some very superficial things, which, of course, were not even close to the information that he got from him now. Takemichi easily found contact with people, but he didn’t open up to almost anyone in his environment. This only confirmed Mori-san's earlier words about him. Whether this distrust was due to time travel and constant losses, or whether it was just an integral part of his character, Chifuyu could only guess.

But he hoped that one day he would find out for sure.

“Thank you for sharing this with me, partner,” Matsuno patted him encouragingly on the shoulder, who was significantly hunched and sad. Takemichi, of course, was still smiling, and if Chifuyu hadn’t known him, he would have believed without hesitation that the story told hadn’t touched his friend in any way. But he knew Takemichi almost like he knew himself, and therefore understood how deceptive that trademark smile was.

The young man didn't answer anything — he just nodded gratefully, taking the photo from Matsuno's hands and returning it back behind the glass.

"How strange," he said after a short silence.

“What?” Chifuyu asked, puzzled.

“I've never told anyone about this before,” he drawled thoughtfully. “Except for Takuya, but we have known each other since childhood.”

“What's so strange about that?" This time, his hand slid along his back by itself and crossed over Takemichi's neck in a familiar gesture. It turned out so naturally that Chifuyu didn’t even realize what exactly he had done until he met up close with the surprised blue eyes. “That's what partners are for, to trust each other with such things. Isn't that right, Takemichi?”

The boy paused for a moment.

“It is, Chifuyu,” and quite calmly agreed. The corners of his lips twitched in a slight smile. His thin shoulders didn't even shake under Matsuno's weak grip, as if it didn't bother him at all. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Matsuno asked uncomprehendingly. “I didn't do anything.”

“I don't know, just… Thank you.”

※ ※ ※ ※

"It's going to be a tough evening," Takemichi replied, pulling on a red hoodie instead of pajamas. “Probably, Mikey will say that we will fight with "Tenjiku".”

“I think it cannot be avoided,” Chifuyu agreed, confirming Takemichi's guess. Judging by the fact that they were quiet beaten up, yesterday afternoon they were lucky enough to meet the arriving gang members at the train station. “What are you going to do?”

“First I'll try to talk to Mikey and find out what he's going to do.”

“I see,” Chifuyu quickly got to his feet. “Then, let's go?”

“Are you with me?” Takemichi asked, squinting suspiciously.

“Well... yes?” Matsuno answered him much more uncertainly.

“Didn't you have other plans?”

“Other plans?”

“I thought you wanted to visit Kazutora.”

“Ah…” Matsuno drawled unconvincingly. The "Ah" that people usually say when they have already asked more than three times and still haven't heard anything. “Ah-ha... exactly,” he laughed strangely and pointedly tapped his forehead, as if remembering something that he really didn't know at all. “I was just going to see him today.”

"This is the first time you'll see him after..." Takemichi faltered, not daring to say out loud «Baji’s death», and bashfully lowered his head. "Bloody Halloween".

“It turns out to be so,” Chifuyu nodded distantly, of course, now hardly remembering when exactly he had to meet Kazutora for the first time in prison.

He only remembered that their first conversation was short and stupid, and he ran away from there just a few minutes later, when the treacherous tears burst out. Attendances and letters weren’t easy for him, and it was only by the tenth visit when he was able to really talk to him.

Hesitantly marking time for a few seconds, as if carefully considering something, Takemichi stepped towards Chifuyu and wrapped him in a casual, but strong embrace. He didn't say anything—just silently held him in his hands.

The warmth of his body slowly but surely began to melt the three-year-old glacier. All the same discharges as last night went through the skin again, when Matsuno hugged Takemichi much more resolutely in response, whispering:

“Takemichi, what are you doing?”

He didn't say anything.

It took Chifuyu a few seconds to realize that in such way Hanagaki was trying to cheer him up before a difficult meeting. Of course, he knew how difficult it was to decide on such visits after all that had happened, even though it was the will of Baji, and therefore, for his part, the young man tried to give Matsuno support. Usually disapproving of frequent and close physical contact, he probably thought that the almost-always tactile Chifuyu lacked hugs at such a difficult moment. This was the second time Hanagaki had initiated their intimacy, and it was starting to be a little alarming. Not that Chifuyu is against it, but if Takemichi continues to carry on like that, it could accidentally turn into a bad habit.

And Chifuyu already had a lot of bad habits.

He was well aware that hardly anything had changed since their last conversation. Takemichi always took on the burden of the whole world. He blamed himself for the death of every person who died on the way to a good future, and this burden definitely weighed on him very much. There was a different story connected with Baji-san, and during their previous conversation Matsuno quite clearly caught that there were way more terrible thoughts in Hanagaki's wonderful head than he initially expected. He set a defiance himself in anything, didn’t value himself, and for some reason believed that he was just a fading shadow of someone else, better and brighter.

And so Chifuyu was firm in his intention to convince Takemichi otherwise. He wanted to show him that Takemichi is not a replacement at all — neither for Baji, nor for anyone else — that he is dear and valuable in himself, just as he is, although he stubbornly doesn’t want to believe it. It is he — not Mikey at all — who is the very center, the main character in this big story.

And he deserved his happy ending.

Matsuno mumbled a ridiculous "thank you" and slowly pulled away. He was about to say goodbye and follow into the corridor, to the exit, when Hanagaki called out to him again. He overtook Chifuyu, silently approached a small box table almost at the door and opened the very first drawer. He fumbled in it for a long time before finally pulling out of it a bunch of keys with a keychain in the form of a small black cat with big brown eyes.

He shook it in front of Chifuyu's eyes.

“What’s this?” Matsuno asked, blinking in confusion. He tilted his head and squinted again, rather trying to understand not what exactly was in Takemichi's hands, but why and for what purpose he was looking for it.

“Spare keys to my house,” Hanagaki replied simply. As if there was nothing special about it. “Well, you know, just in case. If with me suddenly… That is… No, not like that. I mean, if something happens —hypothetically speaking — I want you to have them. Or, if you just want my company again, at any time of the day or night, just come here, Chifuyu."

Matsuno tentatively touched the keys.

He hesitated.

“Nothing will else happen to you again,” he said finally, clutching the keys he had given tightly in his fist.

“Again?” Takemichi asked with a laugh, bringing his thick dark eyebrows to the bridge of his nose. “What does "again" mean?”

“That is...” Chifuyu hesitated, realizing with what carelessness he threw words. “I mean… Nothing will happen to you at all. Never. Even hypothetically. At least while I'm taking part in it. Keep that in mind, okay?”

"It seems someone has turned on their mommy mode again," Hanagaki chuckled.

"I'm serious, Takemichi. Don't do anything stupid while I'm not around.”

“Maybe I should put on a hat? And a warm coat?” Takemichi said back. He found it a little funny that his best friend had been bothering him with his concern lately. He was worried for absolutely nothing.

"It won't hurt.” Matsuno snorted.

“Come on, Chifuyu, get out of here,” laughing, Hanagaki began to push him out the door. Chifuyu rested his feet on the floor to the last, eventually laughing in response. “You've been taking advantage of my hospitality for too long already.”

"You're a bad host," he grumbled. “I'll report you to Mori-san.”

“Go ahead. Go ahead," with the same sonorous laugh, Takemichi was able to push Matsuno almost to the very porch, where he finally stopped resisting.

“Oh, Chifuyu!” was heard from somewhere below, and the two boys simultaneously distracted from their game to finally see Mori-san getting out of her car. She looked sleepy and obviously tired, but she smiled at them anyway, walking quickly up the stairs. “I was just wondering if it was your bike.”

“He's kicking me out!” Chifuyu pointed accusingly at Takemichi and laughed even harder.

“There was nothing like that! He's lying!”

Mori-san just laughed at them.

Taking advantage of the moment, Matsuno quickly ran down the stairs. He headed for his motorcycle, enjoying listening to the woman behind him gently chastising his best friend for not showing his guest due respect.

The voices subsided for a while, and the Hanagakis retired into the house when Chifuyu began to hum merrily:

“One... two…” he began to count down something that was understandable only to himself, when there was a stronger flurry in the kitchen window than before, and a desperate and loud scream resounded almost all over the street.

“Chifuyu, did you finish my cake?!”

“Three!” Matsuno removed the running board and quickly started the motorcycle with the keys.

The front door instantly flew open, and an enraged Takemichi shot out of the house and rushed to Matsuno, almost falling on the stone stairs.

“Chifuyu, you... Asshole, come back here!”

But Matsuno was already driving towards the high road, laughing loudly and at the top of his voice.

※ ※ ※ ※

Chifuyu had no idea what time the meeting with Kazutora was scheduled for, and it was already too late to clarify this question with Takemichi. He was about to return home and look for some notes there, when suddenly his old — sorry, quite new for this time  —  flip phone vibrated in the pocket.

He stopped at a traffic light and quickly checked it, realizing with some relief that everything had been resolved by itself.

From: Draken

To: Chifuyu

Message text: It's okay if you changed your mind to go. Don't force yourself. I'll wait for you for another ten minutes and go alone. Text to me if you’re still ready to do it today.

Chifuyu instantly typed an answer:

From: Chifuyu

To: Draken

Message text: I'm ready. I'll be there in five minutes.

Without waiting for the right signal of the traffic light, he turned the bike around and drove in the opposite direction. Fortunately or not, to save Takemichi, Chifuyu will have to maintain his usual lifestyle, even if it means getting along with other Toman members.

Chifuyu wouldn’t have wanted to meet them and, if he had his way, he would never have decided to do it, but since Matsuno was now completely rooted in the past, there was nothing else to do but play by the already established rules.

To Draken, Chifuyu was a little more... tolerant. It didn't make the overall situation any better, and Matsuno still didn't want to have anything to do with him, but still... sometimes he was ready to make small concessions. Even if Mikey's death didn't affect Chifuyu as much as Takemichi's death, Draken lost two close friends at once. And before that was Emma. And Baji.

He and Chifuyu could have played a Battleship and sunk their ships one by one, if each crossed-out check indicated the number of people they both lost.

Chifuyu parked the motorcycle and dryly greeted the deputy commander of the Toman. In response, he smiled weakly and shook his head at him.

“Ready?”

“Ready,” Matsuno reported shortly, getting off the transport and following Ryuguji.

As far as he remembered, visits by outsiders were officially prohibited, but Kazutora's parents never visited him, so they made a small exception for him in this point.

They walked in oppressive silence for several minutes. Sometimes Draken looked strangely in his direction, as if he wanted to ask something, but still didn’t dare, and Chifuyu, who didn’t particularly want to conduct unnecessary conversations, tried not to react to it.

"Listen," he said suddenly, forcing Matsuno to look up at him with a sigh. To be honest, he thought that the subject of their conversation would be more focused on Kazutora, but it seems that Ryuguji tried his best to distract him from the fear of the upcoming meeting and therefore led the conversation on more detached topics. If they can be called "detached" at all. “Then, in the cafe, when you got angry…”

“Angry?” Chifuyu chuckled. “What are you talking about?”

“Mikey can often cross the line,” as if not even paying attention to Matsuno's question, Draken continued as if nothing had happened. “Try not to take it personally.”

“I still don't know what you're talking about. Whatever you saw, I'm sure it was just your imagination,” Chifuyu only shrugged his shoulders vaguely. He wanted to punch himself for not being able to pretend to be a little friendlier to fit in with a previous version of himself, and instead did nothing but snap back.

In response, Draken only grinned and pretended to believe.

“Okay then.”

Chifuyu doubted that a man as astute as Ken Ryuguji could so easily abandon his assumptions, especially when they were so unconvincingly tried to refute. And yet he left him alone, which Chifuyu was unspeakably glad of.

They walked a few more meters, accompanied by an incessant telephone vibration. Chifuyu checked his flip phone several times until he finally got that the annoying sound wasn’t coming from him, but from Draken walking nearby. His phone rang several times, over and over again, as if someone was trying to reach him persistently, but he was clearly ignoring the caller deliberately.

“Damn,” after a minute, Draken still took out his endlessly vibrating phone from the pocket and tried to turn it off, but the technique didn’t give in, in any way.

“Who's it?” Chifuyu threw a bored look in his direction.

“This is ...” He hesitated, again and again clicking his long fingers on the worn buttons. “Well, it is… Never mind,” The attempts were still in vain, and a new message flashed on the screen. Chifuyu stood up on his toes and squinted, barely making out the name «Emma» on the small screen. “I'll call back later.”

"Better now," Matsuno suggested.

Draken's thin eyebrows arched in an obvious question.

“What?”

“Call back now,” Chifuyu repeated indifferently. “Really, I'll wait, it won't take long.”

“It's not worth it. It's not urgent and may take a little while until we finish our business. I'll call back when we meet with Kazutora.”

“Draken, call.”

“Why do you insist so much?”

“You never know what awaits us in the next second,” Matsuno drawled, looking away somewhere to the side to see off passing cars. “Therefore, you should not neglect those whom you truly love. Call her. Neither I nor Kazutora are in a hurry right now anyway.”

Perplexity was clearly visible in the coal eyes. Ryuguji clearly wanted to ask "how do you know?" and at the same time it was awkward to dismiss the simple fact known to absolutely everyone in Toman: the serious and formidable Draken liked the younger Sano, but the relationship between them was always something not completely clear. To be more precise, their feelings for each other were clear and noticeable to absolutely everyone, but the young people themselves always denied them and couldn’t officially declare themselves as a couple. Moreover: they could not admit the obvious truth not only to their family and friends, but even to themselves.

Chifuyu was close enough with Draken in the future until a terrible tragedy caused the young man to be disappointed in everyone he had known for so long. Ryuguji didn't say much about Emma. He wasn't a particularly talkative person at all, especially when it came to something as intimate as his own feelings. But on the day when they opened the time capsule and Draken found the courage to read his letter aloud to them, Chifuyu remembered one important phrase from it.

«But never forget one thing…

Emma will always be with you»

Chifuyu was well aware of what it was like to lose someone so close. But, unlike him, Draken wasn’t able to go back in time and fix everything. And even if Chifuyu was completely uninterested in helping someone from the former Toman, who had left the memory of Takemichi and himself somewhere in the past, the words seemed to drop by themselves.

He couldn’t explain even to himself why he was so insistent in his words. But if everything goes completely wrong after the Toman meeting, and Emma cannot be saved, let Draken have at least one less regret.

Meeting the firm and unwavering gaze of the green eyes on his way, Draken didn’t argue any more. He just blinked, silently agreeing, and walked a little further forward to make a call.

Only two turns and a few quick steps separated them from the prison.

Chifuyu didn't want to bother and just stayed behind waiting. He just walked back and forth, pointlessly tossing the previously given bunch of keys in his hands.

"Listen up, Takemitchy"

Chifuyu jerked in fright when he heard a familiar voice nearby. He couldn't identify who exactly it belonged to, but it was obvious that he had heard it before.

The voice repeated itself again.

"These are my last words"

“What the hell?” trying to recover his rapid breathing, Matsuno turned to Draken, but he was standing far enough away and talking quite enthusiastically on the phone, so he definitely couldn’t pronounce this strange phrase.

It was much closer.

Much louder.

As if…

Straight…

In his head?

“A lot happened over the last twelve years.

Mikey disappeared, Draken got the death penalty, Before I knew it I got involved in some real foul shit.

We’ve done...a lot of terrible things...

But deep down, we haven’t changed!”

What kind of death penalty? What does "real foul shit" mean? What did all this incoherent nonsense mean anyway?

Wait a minute.

That voice…

Of course, it seems familiar to him…

How didn’t he recognize it right away? It was…

It was his own voice!

His head suddenly buzzed so much that Chifuyu had to lean on the nearest pole to just not fall. It felt like turning on several huge generators at once, which sent an electric current into every crack of his narrow skull. Like electrodes were inserted into each brain lobe, and they all squeezed the head at once.

Everything swam before his eyes, vague visions burned the retina with bright flashes. And the moment Chifuyu blinked again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place. A large — no, even huge — room with panoramic windows, richly furnished and lined with many shelves with expensive alcohol. Although it may not have been expensive, but Matsuno seemed to know that it was so.

He didn't have a chance to look around better: something was hampering his movements. He didn't even immediately realize what it was until he tried to move again and felt a cutting pain in his wrists. And not only in them — in the whole body, as if he had been beaten diligently and for a long time for several hours.

He was tied to a chair.

And Takemichi was sitting next to him.

He looked a little different. At least, not the way Chifuyu used to see him. The details seemed blurred, his own blood was blurring his vision, but even through it Matsuno managed to recognize Hanagaki's long black hair, strangely combed back, and a pantsuit, which now had no jacket.

His leg was shot through.

He looked at him with unprecedented despair and breathed rapidly and raggedly. His big blue eyes were filled with bitter tears.

Someone was saying something again, and Chifuyu couldn’t understand until the last moment that it still was himself.

I leave Baji-san’s will…

…and Toman

To you, partner.

His lips stretched themselves into a trembling smile, and the next second he felt the cold metal on his temple, before a huge pain pierced his head again. It was much stronger than the previous one. It was very, very scary: Chifuyu literally felt his skull in the area of the temporal bone crash with a crack, the bullet passes through his head, just through his brains, and bursts right inside.

The last thing he saw was the same face of Takemichi, distorted with horror and panic, before the darkness swallowed him up again.

Chifuyu seemed to have emerged from under the water. He slowly rolled down the pole, frantically looking around to stay noticed. Fortunately, Draken was standing in his former place, with his back to him, and clearly didn’t see anything.

It's like only one second has passed here.

Chifuyu tried to catch his breath, but it came out with difficulty. The head was still pounding. Literally. The pictures were so realistic, as if he himself was there, in the epicenter of all these terrible events, which he had only heard about before. He gave himself a minute to concentrate on what was happening when he finally realized what exactly had happened in the strange vision.

He could be wrong, but it seems that the memories of his past lives...

Were returning to him.

Now they weren’t just Takemichi's words, they took shape - very natural, clear outlines, contours, as if Chifuyu had lived them for real.

Chapter Text

The meeting with Kazutora went better than one would have expected. At least, unlike his previous version, Chifuyu behaved with restraint and calmness. He didn't run away and even tried to talk to Hanemiya, but the boy still kept quite aloof.  During these entire half an hour, he almost never raised his head and didn’t dare to look Chifuyu in the eyes. He spoke mostly to Draken, sometimes incoherently nodding at some of Matsuno's remarks, so it wasn’t difficult to conclude that the conversation was obviously difficult for absolutely all sides.

To be honest, all that time Matsuno was visiting, he was thinking about something entirely different. The incident that happened on the street kept bothering him. He was only thinking about what could have triggered such a vivid flash of memories, and when a ringing signal finally notified them of the end of the visit, and he and Draken stood up from their seats at the same time to say goodbye to Kazutora, it happened again. Chifuyu barely managed to keep staying on his feet when his head began to buzz frantically again. He froze in place and turned deathly pale, his fingers firmly dug into the edge of a small table. The pictures flashed before the eyes again, one by one, like photos in a photo album. Chifuyu saw the same prison yard, similar to the one they had just recently been together with Draken, saw the gate opening with the same sound, and Hanemiya walking towards him with a small shoulder bag. Everything was happening almost alike as in the real, true future, and at the same time it was completely different. It was as if Chifuyu was himself, and Kazutora was also himself, but together they were in a completely different world and in a different time, where circumstances predetermined a different fate for them.

Unfortunately, Chifuyu knew which one.

Draken's heavy hand gently rested on his shoulder.

Such a gentle gesture brought sobering. Chifuyu returned back to reality. He slowly turned his head towards Ryuguji, but didn’t dare to look him in the eye.

“Chifuyu, are you okay?” Draken asked quietly, leaning slightly towards him.

“Y-yes, I...” Chifuyu squeezed out of himself, frantically trying to look around. “I'm good.”

“You sure?” Ken asked doubtfully. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he anxiously examined his friend from head to toe to make sure that he was definitely all right.

Chifuyu only nodded vaguely in response.

When he finally came to his senses, Kazutora wasn’t on the other side of the glass: he had probably already been taken away by the guards. So he was completely alone in the room. Draken was patiently waiting for him outside the door and for some reason tried to persuade the prison staff to give them more time.

The head was spinning from a huge stream of vague memories. It seemed to Chifuyu that a usb-device was inserted into his temple and huge terabytes of information were continuously pumped inside. Thoughts were confused, pictures were layered on top of each other, the true was mixed with the false and illusory. At some point, he even stopped distinguishing where his real memories ended and where what he had lived in other time lines began.

"You did well," Draken told him when they finally went outside. His voice was low and almost adult bass, but definitely not rude. He spoke to Chifuyu calmly and evenly, as if he sincerely wanted to help.

Not that Matsuno needed his help.

He only mumbled a soft "yeah" in response before they said a dry goodbye and went their separate ways, agreeing to meet later in the evening at a meeting of "Toman".

As soon as Chifuyu turned the corner and found himself in an almost deserted alley, he quickly descended the stairs to a nearby park and disappeared from prying eyes behind the spreading branches of a plum tree. There, in the shadows, he finally allowed himself to take a deep breath. The fresh air was his salvation. Liberation. The clouded consciousness began to slowly clear up. His mind was slowly returning to him.

Hanma somehow forgot to warn that the knowledge about all the lives he has lived will hit his head so hard at once. It has been at most half a day since Chifuyu was in the past, and during this time the number of questions has grown from one — how to save Kisaki? — up to dozens and hundreds of others blocking the solution of the first one. Chifuyu had the impression that all these hours of discussion of all the niceties and nuances had been completely in vain, because he still didn’t understand anything. And he was quite clearly aware that Shuji also didn’t plan to talk about anything: neither about the postcard, nor about the return of memories, nor about everything else, that he probably had a good idea of.

Chifuyu really tried, but couldn’t understand his motives. What did Hanma try achieve with his actions in general? At one moment he was talking so loudly and beautifully about trust, and at another he was already threatening Matsuno without any hesitation; he said that he would tell how everything worked, but then just explained the whole complex mechanism only in broad terms, leaving Matsuno to deal with all the difficulties that arose on his own. If Shuji was specifically looking for him in the future to offer to act together and eventually leave him to the fate, then Chifuyu didn’t catch the point at all. What kind of game was he playing, and what role was assigned to him in it?

There was still a lot of time left before the meeting, so Matsuno planned to spend it with maximum benefit and direct all his efforts to develop a plan for further actions. When the headache subsided a little, he went home.

Saving Kisaki seemed like a crazy idea to him from the very beginning, but if it was necessary to save Takemichi, Chifuyu had to make every effort to do it. Try his best and, if necessary, activate the full potential of his brain in order to finish all this as soon as possible and return to a normal life.

One invariably led to the other, clung like threads, and then turned into knots and whole chains.

Everything was interconnected.

There was no doubt about it.

Matsuno cleaned one of the walls from the posters that had previously hung on it and instead fixed a piece of paper with the inscription «Kisaki» on the button.

Chifuyu didn’t find out the reason of his death from Takemichi: after their last conversation in the past, Hanagaki never spoke about Tetta again, apparently because his loss hit him as hard as all the other deaths, even if Kisaki was his worst enemy. On that very day, the boy didn’t reveal any details to him, but after a while Hinata told him everything — she was still a witness to all these terrible events.

According to her, it was an accident.

A car accident.

Chifuyu wasn't particularly sympathetic — there was no reason for that — but there was something definitely frightening about being so terribly killed under the wheels of a truck at the age of thirteen.

Although, on the other hand, if he puts aside the ostentatious sentiments, Kisaki was guilty of many crimes. It was he who contributed to the death of Baji in many ways, it was he who killed Emma and who tried to ruin Takemichi and Hinata a lot of times. Kisaki never limited himself in anything, and if he wanted to, he used all the methods available to defeat Takemichi, even the dirtiest ones: whether it was bribery, murder or blackmail. He almost never got his hands dirty — for such work, he probably kept Shuji close to him, and at that time Tetta actively tried to gain people’s trust— Pah-chin, Kazutora, Mikey and Izana were an excellent example of this. He skillfully took them with his prudence, sharpness of mind and a glib tongue.

A slippery bastard.

So, maybe he got the punishment he deserved? Was it right to save such a person? Especially if you still remember that Takemichi spent so much effort to excise this ulcer?

How strange.

Chifuyu remembered that he had already asked this question to Hanma, but for some reason he didn’t remember whether he had received a clear answer. And if so, what exactly was it? What did Shuji say when Matsuno began to doubt the correctness of his own participation in such a plan?

For some reason he couldn't remember.

Chifuyu looked resignedly at the still single sheet on the wall.

He was thinking about unnecessary.

Whether Kisaki was guilty or not – it wasn’t for Matsuno to decide. Here he is not a judge at all, and certainly not an executioner who carries out the execution — he is a savior. At least he is a reluctant savior who, unfortunately, has no idea what to do.

Chifuyu just couldn't imagine how Takemichi was able to manage alone for so long. Of course, in the future he had Naoto, and this greatly facilitated the task, but only indirectly — there were certainly no problems in obtaining information — however, here, in the past, he had to fight evil one-on-one. After all, Hanagaki really is an amazing person.

Chifuyu had no one but Hinata. And then, she was still in the future and could hardly help him in any way. No, of course, Chifuyu also had Hanma, but his imaginary presence was of critical little use. Or to be more precise, it was absolutely useless. Shuji seemed to think that he had already done enough for their common cause and there was absolutely no need for his help, because Matsuno simply didn’t see any other reason why he so unceremoniously ignored all his sixteen incoming calls and twenty-four more SMS messages.

He said he would contact Chifuyu himself if necessary, but the situation seemed to be at a stalemate, and now Matsuno would really need a hint. At least a very small one.

He hung another sheet next to the first one.

This time, it had the name «Emma» on it.

The death of Manjiro's younger sister preceded the battle with “Tenjiku” and the incident with Kisaki. It seems that he and Shuji were involved in her death. Because of that incident, Chifuyu and Takemichi had to lead "Toman", and Mikey and Draken appeared only at the end of the battle. If her death is prevented, then Toman will be led by its commanders, the course of the fight may change significantly, and perhaps then Kisaki won’t escape from the battlefield and will not fall under a truck.

Wait, and why did he run away at all? Chifuyu only remembered how this bastard shot Takemichi in the leg, and then shot the head of the "Tenjiku" and hit his closest companion, Kakuche Hitto, but for some reason the memories about why Kisaki suddenly disappeared were silent.

And did he leave on his own?

Chifuyu bit his lip in to focus, peering at the names written on the paper. And, after thinking a little, he pasted another one next to it.

«Hanma»   

Right! It was Hanma who appeared literally out of nowhere and took Kisaki away when he finally was caught off guard. He wonders if Kisaki's death was like that initially, or did Shuji's attempt to save him lead to even more terrible consequences? If so, maybe that's why Hanma's not even trying to do something?

In any case, as Chifuyu decided last time, it was necessary to start with Emma. If she survives, it could affect not only Kisaki's death, but also Manjiro's. And then there would be a chance that all of them, including Takemichi, will have a happy future.

Chifuyu placed the last piece of paper on the wall.

« Mikey»

And again covered the wall with posters to hide the entire structure from prying eyes. For some reason, he didn’t feel like a brilliant detective at all — rather, like a criminal who lives a double life and does terrible things, hiding the frightening truth in the most conspicuous place.

To be honest, Chifuyu hoped that Takemichi would never find out about anything: neither about the deal with Hanma, nor about how much in the future the two of them were let down by "Toman", for which Takemichi fought so long and hard, nor about what Chifuyu himself turned into just three years after... that incident at the bowling alley. Of course, on the other hand, it was possible to tell Takemichi everything and act together, but...

The phone in the pocket vibrated. Chifuyu was distracted from his own thoughts and immediately took out the mobile, naively hoping that Hanma had finally condescended to help.

But unfortunately, it wasn't Hanma.

From: Takemichi

To: Chifuyu

Text message: Let's meet before the meeting to go together? I'll be in the center, not far from the cafe where we had ice cream last time. Come over when you're free.

Chifuyu looked at the time and was surprised to find that there were no more than two hours left before the meeting. It seems that he was pretty much lost in thought, since he didn't even notice how half a day had already gone. Matsuno didn't have anything to do right now anyway,  and he didn't want to call Hanma again either, so Chifuyu didn't hesitate too long with the answer. He got up briskly from his seat, quickly patting the head of Peke-J sitting on the bed, and headed towards the front door.

※ ※ ※ ※

It was a bad idea to meet in the center at such an hour, so they agreed to cross paths in Ueno Park, which was located in the northeast of Tokyo. When Chifuyu got to the designated place, it was a matter of a couple of minutes to find Takemichi.

They often walked in this park, and unfortunately there were quite a lot of people here today, even taking into account that the park was located quite far from the city center. But by some miracle, the young people were still lucky enough to find a place where most passers-by for some reason didn’t wander. It’s not surprising at all: a small gazebo on the very edge of a huge park area hidden in the shade of flowering trees, to which only a single overgrown path led, was quite difficult to find if you didn’t look for it intentionally.

Chifuyu was sure that Takemichi was there, and, of course, he wasn’t mistaken. But he wasn’t there alone at all: Hinata and Naoto were also sitting in the gazebo, and all three were chatting merrily about something.

“Oi, Chifuyu!” Takemichi noticed Matsuno first and immediately got up from the white bench to greet him.

Hinata just shook her head and waved at him with a slight smile. Chifuyu hesitantly returned the same gesture to her. Takemichi, who was still standing next to Matsuno, leaned even closer and desperately whispered in his ear:

“Hey, do you mind sitting here with Naoto for some time while Hinata and I go away for a little? We kind of had a date, and anyway...” He pulled away just to make the most miserable puppy eyes. Chifuyu barely opened his mouth to protest, as Takemichi again begged: “Please, Chifuyu!”

Matsuno looked over his shoulder at Hinata awkwardly swinging her legs and only sighed softly. He had hoped that they would just have lunch somewhere together before an important meeting, but it seems that today Hanagaki wanted to use him as a babysitter, and Chifuyu, frankly, wasn’t very happy about this prospect. But it was almost impossible to refuse Takemichi, especially when he asked so well, so in the end, Matsuno finally gave up.

“Okay, but not for long. We shouldn't be late for the meeting,” Chifuyu warned him with a sad sigh when Takemichi happily hugged him and turned around to signal to Hinata that their joint plan had succeeded after all.

“You're the best, partner, you know it?” Hanagaki thanked him, giving Tachibana his hand and helping her to get down from the gazebo to the path.

“Go already, sycophant,” Chifuyu just snorted, walking past them in the opposite direction and wearily plopping down on a bench.

Before leaving after Takemichi, the pink-haired girl nodded to him again, but this time in gratitude. She managed to throw one last phrase:

“I left my book so you wouldn't get bored!”

Soon Takemichi and Hinata disappeared from sight. Matsuno stared in their direction for a long time before throwing back his head and wearily closing his eyes. He just hoped that the lovebirds had escaped from them only for a while, and he wouldn't have to stay here until the end of time, besides in the unpleasant company of Naoto.

The silence in the gazebo seemed oppressive: even the wind didn’t get here, and the only audible sound was their own breathing. After a minute, Chifuyu felt quite a gaze on him. When he raised the head a little again and opened his eyes a bit, Naoto immediately looked away, pretending that he was very interested in the columns, although until now he clearly was and with all his attention looking at Matsuno sitting opposite.

Naoto has always been kind of a strange kid, so Chifuyu didn't really think about this. Just sitting was too boring, so he reluctantly took up the very book that Hinata had left for him. Not even a manga — it was some kind of strange novel based on the myths of ancient Greece. Chifuyu wasn't particularly a fan.

The description didn't seem appealing either.

«On the pages of the Song of Achilles, you will get acquainted with the story of one of the most interesting characters of the “Iliad” — Patroclus, the companion of the incomparable Achilles. A timid, nondescript prince, who accidentally killed a peer, goes into exile to the court of Peleus, where he finds a best friend and love for life. But how long can two boys resist the whims of the cruel gods, the intrigues of warlords and ominous prophecies?»

"Something about best friends," Having missed most of what was written, Chifuyu clung to only two words with his eyes — «best friend» — and considered the reading worthy of attention. He opened the page at random and read one of the lines to himself.

«What had Deidameia thought would happen, I wondered, when she had her women dance for me? Had she really thought I would not know him? I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.

  “Patroclus.” He cupped my cheek with his hand. “Do you hear me? Please, say something.”

  I could not stop imagining her skin beside his, her swelling breasts and curving hips. I remembered the long days I grieved for him, my hands empty and idle, plucking the air like birds peck at dry earth.»

“Yeah,” Chifuyu drawled out loud, pursing his lips and feeling a little cheated. The story about "best friends", it seems, was not such at all, and Matsuno was genuinely surprised that after such descriptions, someone even dared to call what was happening a friendship. Well, because, obviously, such a relationship clearly goes beyond what is allowed. Naoto's presence in the gazebo didn’t particularly bother him, so Chifuyu without hesitation continued to think negatively about the novel: «I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth.» That's bullshit. How can you recognize someone blindly, are you an idiot? Although, maybe you are blind from birth, because otherwise it is absolutely impossible!

After all, in his youth, novels didn’t seem to him as stupid as they are now.

He tore his eyes away from the meaningless lines again and was finally able to catch Naoto's gaze on him.

“What are you staring at?” Chifuyu asked a little more rudely than he had originally intended. He squinted and arched an eyebrow questioningly, and his green eyes lit up with a dangerous fire. He tried his best to maintain an image of his past self so as not to arouse suspicion, but it seems he wasn’t very successful. He didn't hide his dislike well, even if this Naoto obviously had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Under his menacing gaze, the boy cringed and lowered his head, shaking his head negatively.

“N-no, nothing,” He looked away, clutching the strap of the school bag tighter. It seems Matsuno scared him. “I'm sorry.”

Chifuyu just grunted, pleased with his superiority, and again buried himself in the book, trying to occupy himself with something. He knew that even after their brief and strange dialogue, Naoto continued to look. By the time Hinata and Takemichi returned, the novel even began to seem quite interesting, and Matsuno even asked the girl for its name to finish reading a little later, when he would have time for it. There was a tiny moment: the Tachibanas were already walking along the path to the wide road when Naoto looked at his palm and turned to the gazebo where they had left Takemichi and Chifuyu. He only sighed and shook his head before speeding up his pace.

It was almost eight in the evening, and the two friends, after a quick snack at a nearby cafe, finally went to the meeting. 

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

While the crowd was gathering at the site of the Musashi Temple, Takemichi unobtrusively asked Chifuyu about the meeting with Kazutora. There was something pleasant in its own way about how carefully he did it: he never pushed boundaries if he felt that questions went too far, and was open to listening if it was necessary.

Engrossed in their conversation, they wouldn't have noticed that Mikey had already taken his usual place if Mitsuya, standing nearby, hadn't pushed Chifuyu with his hand and pressed the finger to his lips, urging them to remain silent.

The young people immediately fell silent.

The first word, as always, was for Draken.

“Yesterday, our members were raided all over Tokyo! By Yokohama’s “Tenjiku”!” he announced loudly, and all those present immediately began to chatter with concern. “Tenjiku is a gang that was formed recently! We have no clue how the gang is like. We are looking for any information about them! Therefore first of all, report yours, first division! Please step forward!”

Chifuyu and Takemichi stepped forward. Usually, as required by the position of a vice-captain, it was Matsuno who had to report what had happened, but unfortunately, he didn’t remember any details at all. He sighed, trying to strain his own memory a little, when his captain came to rescue.

“The ones who attacked us were called the “Mochizuki unit,” Takemichi informed Draken.

He asked again absently.

“Mochizuki unit?”

“It’s a unit lead by the former "Jugemu" captain, Mochizuki Kanji. They’re probably Tenjiku’s strongest unit.” added the captain of the fourth division, Nahoya Kawata.

The crowd started talking even louder than before.

“Tenjiku’s strongest unit isn’t Michizuki," Mitsuya objected. Chifuyu only now noticed his battered appearance and remembered that Takashi didn’t participate in the battle with Izana's group because he was seriously injured the day before. It seems that Nahoya wasn’t there too. “Tenjiku also has the Haitani brothers.”

“And Madarame,” Draken said quietly. He was talking mostly to Mikey than to the members of Toman standing below.

“The leader of the ninth generation of "Black Dragons". Of course,” Sano sighed.

“He gathered people who are somehow connected with the generation «S62»,” concluded Ryuguji.

After being silent for a few seconds, Mikey put his hands behind his back and stepped forward, shouting belligerently to his subordinates:

“Anyways, I don’t give a shit if we’re getting beaten up! We are going to attack Yokohama next and avenge our guys!”

“I see!” Draken supported him with a grin.

“We declare war on "Tenjiku"!”

“War! War! War!”

“Let's show these bastards who Toman really is!”

“Toman”! “Toman”! “Toman!”

“Wait, but...” Takemichi, standing next to Chifuyu, protested quietly, but no one heard him. The crowd roared ferociously, goaded by the loud shouts of their commanders. “No way! I think Kisaki expected this fight to happen!”

And he really did.

Chifuyu only remembered that that evening his previous version advised Takemichi to return to the future and turn to Naoto for help. It seems that something went wrong there, and Tachibana was killed, but Hanagaki still managed to get back with information about the "Black Dragons" and Kurokawa Izana.

Now Matsuno didn't want to involve Naoto too much — there was no trust in him from now on — and therefore he only nudged Hanagaki with his shoulder, drawing his slightly distracted attention to himself.

“Don't worry, we'll find a solution,” Matsuno put a hand on his shoulder, firmly assuring the friend of his words. Takemichi took a shuddering breath.

“Are you sure about that?” the young man asked uncertainly. "Maybe I should go back to future and talk to Naoto? Or to the guys?”

“No!” Chifuyu answered a little sharply and then added a bit more gently: “We will cope with it ourselves. We have enough strength.”

Hanagaki's gaze darted from side to side — from the raging "Toman" to Mikey and Draken shouting from the podium — and returned to Chifuyu again, a little more calm and confident. He nodded in agreement, although his lips were still trembling.

“If you say so... then okay.”

The meeting ended much faster than it seemed to Chifuyu. He listened to the information he almost didn't need: Chifuyu already knew that they were going to oppose “Tenjiku”, and, to be honest, it didn't help much in his plan to save Kisaki. People gradually began to disperse, and Matsuno lost sight of Takemichi. Short, no more than a hundred and sixty-five centimeters tall, he easily disappeared into the crowd, and it wasn’t surprising.

Having lost hope of finding him among the huge bouncers, he decided to wait for the moment when the site was completely empty. And when it happened, he was left at the temple all alone. Takemichi was not here: he probably left with Mikey or with one of his school friends, with whom he often walked home along the same road.

For some reason, Matsuno felt sad and a little offended, but Chifuyu tried to keep his face, although there was no need for that either. Probably, mom had already returned and was waiting for him for dinner, but for some reason he didn't want to go home at all. Although the desire to pull off this annoying black uniform was just as strong. Chifuyu respected his youth and his past, but when he recalled "Tokyo Manji", it no longer brought him the same joy. He always fought for this gang and for these people, he was ready to stand up and die for them, as his first captain, Baji Keisuke, did — however, now all Matsuno felt when looking at Toman was disappointment.

Baji wanted to create a group in which everyone fought for each other, risked their lives for each other — a kind of principle of familiarity, when strangers go through hell together and gradually become a family.

And they do not forget about those who gave their lives for everyone’s happy future, they fight to the end and never lose hope.

Once Chifuyu really admired Toman.

But not now.

He reached the foot of the temple, sat down on the top step and leaned back on the stones, spreading the arms on both sides. He stared at the starry sky indifferently for a few seconds before the eyelids became heavy and he allowed himself to close his eyes.

A lot of different thoughts were spinning in the head. He promised Takemichi that they would find a solution together, but so far Matsuno had no idea of what they were going to do.

Emma died almost on the same day that Inui declared Takemichi the leader of the eleventh generation of "Black Dragons". It hadn't happened yet, and Chifuyu didn't know how much longer he would have to wait. Maybe it would be better to go back to the future himself and find out the exact date of Emma's death?

A strange rustling was heard somewhere nearby. At the first second, Chifuyu wanted to get up and open his mouth, ready to pour out all his dissatisfaction to someone who decided to break his calmness, as his body went limp by itself and slowly sank back onto the stones, and a single exhalation of relief escaped from the lips.

Chifuyu opened his eyes a little, although there was no need for that.

“What are you doing here?” With a quiet laugh, he asked, raising himself slightly on his elbows and for some reason trying to quickly put his disheveled blond hair in order.

Sitting on the stone ledges, Takemichi turned to him and only raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" his eyelashes fluttered innocently as he blinked frequently. “I came for you.”

“And why?” Chifuyu asked him again. “I thought you left with the guys. Besides, you and I are going in different directions.”

“That's right, I just...” Takemichi began to speak so confidently and for some reason immediately hesitated. With an awkward, jerky movement, he rubbed the back of his head and looked away somewhere to the side, as if before Matsuno's question he hadn’t thought at all about the reason for his return. “I just wanted to say goodbye."

“I see,” Chifuyu drawled stupidly, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes again. The Musashi temple always smelled a little damp because of the well located here, and coupled with the evening darkness, it brought back not the most pleasant memories. “Then, see you later?”

He never heard a responded "see you later". Takemichi fumbled, stuttered and groaned before falling awkwardly next to Matsuno.

“Hey, Chifuyu,” he whispered after a few minutes of mutual silence, and Matsuno slowly turned the head to him. The obvious question was clearly visible in the green eyes. “Do you have a dream?”

“A dream?” Chifuyu asked in the same tone.

A dream.

Chifuyu was raised by his mother. His father died when he was very young, but he remembered him well. A high-class pilot, a generous and benevolent man, he told many interesting and fascinating stories about the sky and planes cutting through fluffy clouds. Chifuyu wanted to be like him: he collected magazines about aircraft construction and even made some models himself, which were now gathering dust in boxes under his bed in his parent's house.

At first he wanted to be a pilot.

After Baji's death, he decided that he would follow a different path. He will fulfill the dream of Keisuke himself — the crazy guy who turned his life upside down — and thus thank him for the invaluable help. And honor his memory. It was hardly enough, but it seemed right. Fair.

He himself always liked to babysit pets, so he didn't see anything wrong with dreaming about opening his own store.

And when he fulfilled this wish, rightly sharing it with Kazutora, Chifuyu began to dream about the future. Nothing special: about eternal friendship, about family and, of course, about true and pure love, which, alas, he didn’t manage to know even by his thirties. He also wanted a huge two-storey house somewhere away from new buildings and noisy roads, a car, an opportunity to travel at least twice a year and much more. These dreams were ordinary, maybe even in many ways stupid and absurd.

Completely unremarkable.

Right now, Chifuyu didn't dream of anything. He just wanted to save Takemichi and finally live a normal life. And it wasn't a dream—dreams are ephemeral, like the fog that filled the lowlands, and eventually they dissipate—it was a promise to himself that he could not break in any way.

“I don't have any dream,” he finally breathed out. “And you? Warn you right away that «I want to save everyone» doesn’t count.”

Takemichi, who had already opened his mouth, immediately closed his lips and giggled hollowly.

“Then neither do I,” he replied just as simply.

“Let's come up with one for two?” suddenly gave out Chifuyu.

“One for two?” Takemichi turned to him, and his blue eyes sparkled with mischievous twinkles.

“Yeah.”

“Which one?”

“Let's...” Matsuno began after a little thought. His voice trembled a little for some reason, although there was nothing particularly grandiose in what he was planning. “When we get older… Let's go somewhere together?”

“And where to?” he didn't ask "why?" and "why together?", and Chifuyu smiled with satisfaction, because after all, he knew him like no one else did. “Within Japan? Or abroad?”

“Is there a country that you like?”

“I haven't been anywhere much, so no.”

“Then... What about Switzerland?”

“Switzerland?”

“Mom said that Dad flew there once, and he really liked it there. You know, the old town, vineyards, mountains and waterfalls, huge old castles, like in historical films. Do you like historical films?”

"I like it," Takemichi said dreamily after listening carefully to him. He smiled radiantly and explained: “I mean, not only historical films. Switzerland too. That sounds good.”

“Then, deal?” In their usual manner, Matsuno held out a fist to him, and Takemichi firmly hit it with his own.

“Deal, Chifuyu. Let's do it when it's over.”

Matsuno was silent for a moment before his eyes opened wide and he jumped up from his seat, pointing at the starry sky.

“Takemichi, look! A star! The star is falling! Make a wish soon!”

“Oh! Right! Here it is!” Hanagaki caught himself and looked with a burning gaze at the meteor shower entering the atmosphere. He immediately closed his eyes like a child to make a wish.

“Only the wish should be just for yourself, okay?” Chifuyu chuckled, repeating the same movement.

“It's for myself, Chifuyu.”

“You know what I'm talking about.”

“Of course, I know, we have one gyrus for two!” without opening his eyes, he randomly shoved him somewhere in the side. “And you're actually making it difficult to concentrate!”

“Hush! You're bothering me!”

They opened their eyes.

The meteorite disintegrated into pieces and slowly dissolved in the celestial space, burning to the ground and irrevocably taking with it their innermost wishes. And they were sitting at the foot of the temple and just kept silent, watching this magical phenomenon.

The little fingers of their palms, lying on the cold stone steps, touched barely. It was only for a moment —probably an accidental collision, like a star against a star, a fleeting friction of skin against skin. But suddenly it became so hot and tight in the chest, as if a huge Sun was placed right between his ribs, and through the gaps in the body the rays kept coming out. Cheeks flushed and warmed, and the whole back and neck instantly sweated.

Chifuyu turned his head for a second to say something, but for some reason froze in place, unable to utter a word. A convulsive sigh almost escaped from his mouth when, at the very last moment, the young man still managed to contain it inside. His parted lips slowly returned to their original position.

Sensing such an attentive gaze, Takemichi turned to him and shook his head with a mute question. Chifuyu recoiled in fright and immediately returned his eyes to the sky, but apart from the motionless twinkling stars, there was nothing on it anymore.

None of them moved.

It was calm and quiet. Until Chifuyu suddenly jumped down and woke up a dozing friend. He opened his eyes and blinked sleepily, trying to understand the reason for his sudden awakening.

“Let's race to the gate?” Matsuno offered him with an insidious teasing grin, and Takemichi frowned, trying to show with the saddest sigh of all available in his arsenal that the game would still end with Chifuyu's victory and there was no point even agreeing to this gamble. His friend grabbed his shoulders with even more enthusiasm.

“No, I’ll pass.”

“Come on, partner!”

“Oh, okay!” Hanagaki lazily slid off the rocks, casually slapping his hands on a slightly dusty uniform to get himself in proper shape. “You won't leave me alone anyway.”

“About three we start, understand? One, two…”

“Three!”

“I was counting, you moron! It's not fair!”

They rushed forward, and Chifuyu, even the thirty-year-old Chifuyu, was clearly running much faster than his comrade. The excitement inherent in the young Matsuno was now bubbling in his veins, his eyes shone and burned like the very stars they had been watching just a couple of minutes ago.

They raced along the almost empty street like crazy, barely knocking down rare passers-by. Up the stairs and along the pavement, they raced past shops and restaurants, past the school and the bus stop — Chifuyu could have been at the final point way earlier, but he was a good partner, so he tried to stay on the same level with the panting and already red from running Hanagaki. A couple of meters before the finish, he even slowed down a little and allowed Takemichi to arrive first, securing his victory by touching the black metal fence.

“Yes! I'm the first!” Hanagaki exclaimed happily. He bent over, trying to regain his rapid breathing.

“Today you were lucky,” trying to restrain a smile, Chifuyu only shrugged indifferently. “I'm just out of shape.”

“No, you just can't admit that I got you!” Takemichi was one of those gambling people who, when losing, got very upset, and in the case of Hanagaki, they even started to cry, and when winning, they began to proudly remind about their victory.

“Pfft, nothing like that,”Chifuyu shook his head and pointedly turned away to follow in the opposite direction alone.

“Come on, partner,” Takemichi even deliberately used the magic word to tease his friend even more. To complete his plan, he threw his arm over Chifuyu's neck, as Matsuno usually did himself, and burst out laughing loudly. “Well, maybe next time you'll be able to overtake me!”

“Oh, don't doubt it, idiot, next time I'll definitely kick your ass,” Chifuyu assured him with a grin, extricating himself from Takemichi's hands and forcefully pushing him aside with his shoulder. The friend returned the same movement, and they began to push each other further, until the force of the impact caused Hanagaki to fall on someone's flower bed next to someone's housing complex.

“Hey, you scoundrels! What are you doing?!” Someone shouted at them from the balcony, and Chifuyu quickly grabbed Takemichi by the scruff of the neck, lifting him off the ground before both of them, stumbling and laughing loudly, ran as fast as possible.

※ ※ ※ ※

“Finally, your phone stopped ringing,” Kisaki muttered, adjusting his glasses on his nose. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “You could have just turned off the sound if you didn't plan to answer anyway.”

Hanma just grinned, folding his hands into a lock on the back of his head.

“It would be uninteresting,” he drawled bassily.

“Do you like getting attention so much?”

“And who doesn't like getting attention?”

Someone swept past them like a hurricane, pushing them apart on both sides of the narrow sidewalk. Kisaki even dropped his glasses, but, fortunately, he quickly found them on the ground and pulled them back on, glaring angrily at the two fleeing boys.

“Is that Hanagaki and Matsuno?” he asked his lanky companion, in response to which he only vaguely shrugged his shoulders.

“It looks like it.”

“God, are they five years old?” Tetta narrowed his eyes and shook his head reproachfully. “How childish.”

“Come on, Kisa-a-a-ki,” Hanma tried to argue with him, giggling. He playfully nudged the boy with his hand. “After all, you're thirteen, not thirty. Don't be such a bore.”

Kisaki raised his eyebrows in perplexity, his gaze shifted from the hand on his shoulder to Shuji's sharp eyes and back before he snorted sullenly.

“You're hopeless,” Hanma chuckled with quiet disappointment, but still obediently stepped aside, allowing them to regain their previous distance. “Anyway, you seemed to want to talk about something. Have you come up with a new plan yet?”

“Yes,” Kisaki announced proudly. “Have you heard that Mikey's sister is also Izana's sister?”

“Really?”

"Well, I have an interesting thought," he drawled mysteriously. “But I need you to get something for me.”

“What exactly?”

“A metal bat.”

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

Two weeks later

Chifuyu fully enjoyed his time in the past. He did not limit himself in anything: school and lessons, entertainment and overnight stays, walks until late at night — he took everything from life that it could offer him, and maybe even a little more, probably trying to cling to every moment with Takemichi, as if it could become the very last one. Ordinary and unremarkable days passed by, but even they seemed as something special. It felt like rebirth: after so many years of searching and fighting, after so many wanderings and sufferings, Chifuyu Matsuno finally felt all the sweetness of human life again.

He decided not to interfere with the events that took place before Emma's death, so he just let them run their course. It was problematic to fight with Mucho without proper evidences, and there was nowhere to take them, so Chifuyu let him grab Takemichi, as it was last time, and then only because of the reason that it made it possible to get Seishu Inui at their side. Chifuyu wasn’t particularly close to him, but he couldn’t deny Inui’s important participation in the subsequent battle with “Tenjiku”.

In addition, it is the connection with the generation of "Black Dragons" that will allow them to be at the cemetery, which means to try to prevent the attack on Emma. Chifuyu was glad that during this short time he was able to recall some details of her death. And not only them: also part of the information about the "Black Dragons" and how the first division led by him and Baji once fought against the ninth generation - together with the words of Inui and Mikey received by Takemichi, they managed to restore a full picture even without Naoto’s participation.

Sometimes Chifuyu thought about going back to the future and finding out more precise details about the attack itself, but when it was followed by the thought that because of this he could accidentally miss the right moment or, much worse, leave Takemichi alone again, he shuddered. In the end, he came to the conclusion that the best solution would be to stay close to Hanagaki all the time and make sure that he wasn’t doing anything stupid. This will reduce all existing risks to a minimum, and Matsuno himself will be much calmer this way.

“Ha? Are you serious?!” Takemichi walked around the motorcycle from all sides and turned to Chifuyu, who was sitting on the stone ledges and swinging his legs. The blue eyes instantly narrowed, and Takemichi asked for the fifth time with undisguised doubt: “Do you want me to learn how to ride this thing?!”

“My bike,” Matsuno corrected him with a sly smile. “And... yes, I'm serious. Why not?”

“What do you mean “why not”?! Chifuyu, are you kidding me?!” Hanagaki snorted in his direction. And his eyes widened again when he threw up his hands in displeasure. “And what if I break it? Or we will get into an accident? Or die? Or all together?! No, this is a very bad idea!”

“Well, if that's the case, then at least we're going to die together, so I guess that's not so bad?” Chifuyu chuckled, but noticing that Takemichi turned even paler because of fear, and his lips trembled, as if he was about to cry, the vice-captain immediately jumped off the rocks and found himself next to his commander, laughing in a relaxed way and shaking him by the shoulders. “I'm kidding! Everything will be fine, and no one will die! Besides, I'm a very good teacher, and it's not the first time you've been driving!”

“Mikey tried to teach me, but it was only once!” pursing his lips and sobbing, Hanagaki answered him. Then he muttered softly: “And, as you can see, I still can't do it!”

“But I'm not Mikey,” Chifuyu reminded him resentfully, tossing his head. His hands on Takemichi's shoulders tightened a little as he smiled broadly and assured, "You'll be fine, partner. After all, as long as I'm here, nothing bad will definitely happen to you! I promise!”

It wasn't that hard to convince Takemichi. At least, Chifuyu was almost always able to do this, so he was extremely pleased that he had such a strong influence on his captain. When Takemichi got on the motorcycle - and their first problems began with this - Chifuyu settled down behind him and began to explain how everything was arranged.

“So, for the beginning — the ignition key,” he himself didn’t notice how he put his chin on Takemichi's shoulder to prompt him. “Insert it, then open the fuel tap, pull the throttle — here it is, right there — and turn the key,” he stretched his hand through Hanagaki and showed him how the movement is performed. “See? It's a piece of cake.”

“Like this?” the young man inserted the key, opened the faucet and pulled the throttle, and then moved the key to the right position, as was shown by Matsuno, before turning back to him and making sure that everything was done correctly.

Chifuyu nodded.

“Well done. And now you need to make sure that the gearbox is in neutral. And push the clutch all the way down, understand?”

“Yeah,” Takemichi let out a nervous laugh and smiled tightly. “Easy as pie, right?”

He began waving his arms and fidgeting on the seat, trying to find the right structure with his eyes.

“Takemichi, do you know where the clutch is?” Chifuyu chuckled. He leaned back and tightly gripped one of the rear mounts with his hands, continuing to watch the suffering of poor Hanagaki with a mocking smile.

In response to his question, Takemichi just shook his head and grumbled with displeasure:

“Of course I know! I'm not that dumb!”

After taking exactly a minute, he turned around again, and this time his already large blue eyes seemed to Chifuyu twice as big as usual. Takemichi blinked so often, as if he was trying to send a SOS signal using Morse code, and he definitely couldn’t succeed. He was probably on the verge of crying, but Chifuyu never considered himself a noble person, so he only tilted his head to the shoulder and batted his eyelashes, pretending to be holy innocent.

“Chifuyu.”

“What is it?” that's all Chifuyu asked him, although it sounded more like «ask better.»

“Partner,” Takemichi said hopefully. He used this damn trick every time they were in similar situations, and sometimes Matsuno hated to admit that it always worked. You know, especially considering how convincing Takemichi Hanagaki could be when he needed something. “Please, partner.”

The first tears glistened on his cheeks.

Chifuyu sighed.

He approached and carefully placed his hand on Takemichi's hand holding the steering wheel.

“There is only a turn signal switch and headlight control. And the clutch...”

He moved his foot to the clutch, which was not at all near the steering wheel and not even at the top of the motorcycle, and in one sharp movement, shifted the pedal all the way.

“That's it. There's also a gearshift lever nearby and...” his own voice suddenly became quieter as he turned his head and came face to face with Takemichi. The man looked at him a little confused, as if he was completely buffled, and his cheeks were slightly flushed. Chifuyu felt that hot blood suddenly rushed to his face for some reason. It took him a moment to realize that he was still holding Hanagaki’s hand, even though there was no need for that anymore.

Takemichi smiled toothily.

“It remains only to lift up this lever, lower the throttle and remove the footboard?” he calmly clarified, and it seemed to Chifuyu that he forgot how to speak in an instant, and all he had enough strength for was a short jerky nod. “I got it!” Chifuyu made a very awkward attempt to return his hand to where it belonged — to the back of his seat — when Takemichi made the last movements and pointed his foot towards the footboard. “Will you back me up, Chifuyu¹? I'm a little scared.”

His fingers tightened a little on Hanagaki's palm.

The strange feeling finally left, and Chifuyu nodded happily, moving a little closer to take control if necessary.

“Of course, partner! Let’s go?”

※ ※ ※ ※

Takemichi was a good learner. Although Chifuyu found it a little strange that he did not feel any fear at all when he was in the passenger seat with an inept driver, but it was probably a matter of unconditional trust, even if it concerned such dangerous things as driving vehicles.

“Look, this is one of my favorite places!” When they stopped at a traffic light, Takemichi nodded his head in the direction of a huge gray building. Chifuyu didn't even recognize it right away, but then a bright name on a huge sign caught his eye, and he unconsciously squeezed Hanagaki's hand harder. His fingers were trembling slightly, but he hoped Takemichi hadn't noticed. “I play well! Hakkai, by the way, too! Can you imagine, once we…”

He continued to chatter, but Chifuyu didn't hear anything anymore.

Bowling.

“Tonight, as a result of an accident, the leader of the criminal gang "Bonten" Sano Manjiro died. However, we have information about another victim. According to eyewitnesses, an unknown young man tried to keep Sano from falling, but in the end they both fell off the roof and crashed to their deaths. Whether he was a bystander or in any way connected with the leader of "Bonten" is still unclear.

His identity is now being established by the police”

“I'm sorry, Chifuyu, but Takemichi is gone.”

“Chifuyu”

“Chifuyu!”

“Chifuyu, did you fall asleep there?”

“You're going to miss the green now,” he shuddered when he came to the senses again. He swallowed hard, a sour-bitter lump formed in his throat, and dryly reminded Takemichi of the traffic light, which was about to change from yellow to green.

“Oh, right!”

Chifuyu was able to start breathing deeply only when they finally left the busy street on an almost empty road leading to the suburbs.

“Let go, I want to try myself,” Hanagaki confidently told him.

“You sure you're ready?” Chifuyu asked uncertainly.

“I am! Besides, you're behind my back, so everything will be alright.”

Matsuno smoothly removed his sweaty palms from the tension and moved them to the back of his seat. They drove a few more meters, and Takemichi was really good at it, so Chifuyu suggested increasing the speed a little. Hanagaki hesitated for a bit, but as soon as the right pedal was pressed and the bike began to go faster, he suddenly got into a panic.

“Chifuyu, isn't it too fast? Chifuyu, I think I forgot everything! Chifuyu, what should I do? Where to press, Chifuyu?!” the concentration of the word "Chifuyu" in the air almost reached the size of a black hole when Takemichi began to rush, and the motorcycle tilted to the side. “Chifuyu, I'm happy we were partners! You're my best friend, you know?!”

“Just calm down and do what you did before!”

“I don’t know what to do! Chifuyu, we're going to crash! We will definitely die!”

Chifuyu pushed off from the back of his seat.

“Look ahead and focus on the road!” because of the high speed, his ears were blocked, and Chifuyu had to shout to be heard.

“I can't! Chifuyu, I can't!”

“Trust me!”

“Chifuyu, you...” Takemichi turned his head for a moment and noticed that Matsuno was even closer than before. He threw his head back higher, and his hand shot up. “You're not holding on to anything?! Are you a fucking idiot?! You'll fall!”

“I said: trust me! The way I trust you! Come on, Takemichi! You can do it!”

Takemichi turned away, gripped the steering wheel as much as his strength and trembling hands allowed, and fixed his gaze on the road. Gradually, his shoulders stopped shaking so often, his breathing slowly leveled off, and after a few minutes he finally returned the motorcycle to its former balance. They raced somewhere far ahead, into the darkness and uncertainty of a February night, towards an empty highway - just somewhere, without an exact goal and destination — and it had absolutely no meaning for Matsuno.

“Yes! That's it, partner! Good job! You're doing great, you hear?” Chifuyu exclaimed cheerfully. The wind ruffled his blond hair in different directions, roared and thundered in his ears like the best music, drowning out both his own laughter and the blossoming laughter of Takemichi himself, who also finally gave himself up to the moment.

Adrenaline hit the head.

Chifuyu felt the love of life in himself as never before, although he had long been sure that this feeling could no longer be revived from the ashes. Now everything seemed different to him: the crescent moon that deftly hid behind passing clouds, and the starless night sky above their heads, and even an empty gray highway. Everything was dazzlingly bright, vivid and colorful, everything impossible suddenly became possible, everything around was erected and built just for the two of them.

Chifuyu, gasping for breath, suddenly screamed so loudly that he even scared Takemichi sitting in front:

“Whoo! You did it! You did it, goddamn it!”

“We did it, Chifuyu!”

Chifuyu laughed loudly and immediately clung to Hanagaki's back, wrapping his arms around his thin waist. Hanagaki didn't even raise an eyebrow: either he was too busy with the road ahead, or didn't consider it necessary to pay attention to it. His chin was back on his shoulder when Chifuyu closed his eyes and let himself catch a breath.

His whole body was shaking with emotions.

"This is my time"

"Our time"

"I finally found you, Takemichi!"

And for a second he imagined that he was not Chifuyu-from-the-future at all. That there were no losses, there was no pain, no fear, no lonely dark apartment with a leaky smelly futon. That there was just a small and happy Chifuyu Matsuno in this world, who could live a full and eventful life, share such precious moments with his best friend, and in the distant and undoubtedly good future, recall them with him with a timid smile.

Takemichi.

It would be so good.

To never lose you ever again.

Gasoline was running out, so they unanimously decided to stop somewhere so that it would be enough for the return trip. A random place turned out to be very convenient: Chifuyu brazenly declared that his choice always turns out to be successful, in response to which Takemichi hit him on the shoulder. The boys took all their belongings and climbed the crumbling steps higher up the hill, where a lonely bench was standing in a small clearing among old trees.

Sitting down comfortably, they shared the snack they had taken with them in half and just chatted about something for a few minutes. The view from here was not extremely beautiful: they had gone far enough away from the city, so the lights and bright billboards seemed as just scanty dots, as well as the roofs of the tallest buildings. It was calm and quiet here, as if they were alone in the whole vast world, and no one and nothing around existed anymore.

“Do you remember when I said that your plan with dorayaki was a total shit?" Takemichi asked him while chewing the last bun with his mouth full. “I take back my words! This stupid motorcycle plan was much worse in terms of shit gradation! Remind me to make changes to my list and put it on the first place!”

“You have a list of my shitty plans? How cute.” Chifuyu grinned back. He had been thinking for about three minutes on how to tell Takemichi that he had eaten most of what they had taken by himself, and this bun was the only thing Matsuno wanted to count on.

“I can literally publish a book about what a jerk you are!” Hanagaki growled sullenly. “No, seriously, what if something happened to you?”

“But it didn’t,” Matsuno relaxed leaned back on the bench, stretching his arms on both sides. “And by the way, don't forget to write in your book that you're also a jerk,” he cleared his throat and screamed nastily: “Oh, Chifuyu, what should I do! Chifuyu, help, please! Chifuyu, please, we're going to die, a-a-a!”

“It didn't sound like that at all!”

"Exactly like that!”

“You idiot!”

“Who’s saying!”

“Listen, is it okay that you and I always call each other jerks?”

“We're best friends, so… Yes?” Chifuyu turned his head in his direction as Takemichi took off his shoes and climbed onto the bench with his feet. He pressed the knees to his chest and put his chin on the folded hands. “You're not offended, are you?”

“Of course not. And you?” he smiled gently. Matsuno responded in kind, which meant that all the words not spoken out loud were mentally transmitted to their addressee. Chifuyu only now noticed that the wind had done irreparable things not only to his hair: Takemichi's favorite hairstyle had gone through much greater changes. Although, it would be more correct to say that his blond hair resembled a real hurricane, and curly strands stuck out in different directions here and there. Takemichi was the clumsiest person Chifuyu had ever met in his entire life, but for some obscure reason, it never annoyed him. The young man himself didn’t notice how he began to laugh softly to himself, which, of course, attracted the attention of Hanagaki. The boy, not ceasing to smile, turned to him with an understandable question. “What’s that? What are you laughing at?”

Not that Chifuyu was going to explain something to him.

“What?” Takemichi persisted. “What happened, Chifuyu? Hair again, yeah?” this time he didn't even try to fix it, knowing for sure that this would only aggravate the overall appearance, and then Chifuyu's laughter would surely be heard even in the center of Tokyo. Takemichi snorted innocuously and waved it away. “You're a fool.  Yours is no better at all.”

Matsuno closed his eyes, feeling how pleasantly the wind caressed his skin. The air here was fresh and clean: probably due to the fact that there were a lot of trees and all sorts of other plants around, which, of course, was completely incomparable with the city, where there were only infinitely huge gray buildings around.

Probably, Chifuyu would really enjoy living in some quiet place.

Is it quiet in Switzerland too?

“Takemichi,”  Chifuyu opened his eyes and peered into a stretch of dark blue sky framed by the crowns of towering trees. The voice became very quiet, and he spoke almost in a whisper: "What are you going to do when it's over?"

“I thought we agreed about Switzerland,” he breathed, shrugging his shoulders. “Or have you already changed your mind?”

“No, I mean, besides Switzerland? You know, job, family, all that. What are your plans for the future?”

“This is... a difficult question,” his lips closed in a thin line when Takemichi hid his head between his knees and muttered indistinctly: “I mean... I don't know, I've never thought about it. Neither now nor in my... real future. There I had to think only about not losing my part-time job and that my meager salary was enough for food and rent an apartment.

“You deserve more,” Chifuyu suddenly blurted out.

“Eh?” Takemichi blinked in confusion.

“I'm serious, partner,” Matsuno said a little louder and firmer. He wanted to be convincing enough, because last time his persistence was not enough. “After everything you've been through, you deserve a better life.”

“I used to think there was nothing better than being successful and rich,” he muttered wistfully, “But when I found myself in the future... the one where I was at the top of Toman, and I had money and status — probably everything I could not even dream of... I suddenly realized that this is not what I would like at all.”

“You don't have to be rich to be happy.”

“I will be happy only when all of you are happy,” he smiled innocently.

“That won't do,” Matsuno said sternly.

“Why is that?”

“I want you to be happy, because you have everything you would like, or at least most of it. And I or anyone else has absolutely nothing to do with it. It's great to be a hero, Takemichi, but... you're still just an ordinary person. Even if you know how to travel in time... You're still a human. And every human should have their own dreams and goals.”

“You know, I guess I'll never stop being surprised at how quickly the topics in our conversation change,” he chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his head. “I don't wanna be a bore, but just half an hour ago we were discussing what would happen if ants took over the world.”

A consonant laugh escaped Chifuyu's lips.

There was nothing surprising in the fact that they could be so different, because this is what their relationship has always been built on. A plate of courage and completely reckless plans, seasoned with silly jokes and talk about high things.

A truly nuclear mixture.

But Chifuyu never complained.

“Eh, actually...” Takemichi raised his head and also looked more closely at the night sky, which Chifuyu was so persistently examining. “I don’t know what I would do in the future. Maybe would have continued to work in a DVD store?”

“Do you like it there?”

“Listening every twenty minutes to reproaches from the boss that I'm the dumbest person she's ever met, and I'm deprived of a bonus because I didn't put the stupid disks in the right place again? Definitely not. But it seems to me that this is the best I can count on. Well, you know, I was very glad that they hired me there at all, because... honestly, who needs a clumsy guy with no education? I am... In the very first future... I ran away right after graduating from school... because of bullying and Kiyomasa... I was ashamed of being a coward, and I cut off all connections with Hina and my friends... even with Mori-san. So I worked in any place that could be paid. By the way, working on a construction site is a total crap.”

Chifuyu never stopped to be surprised how going back in time introduced him to Takemichi anew. He was always sure that he knew him better than anyone else, but apparently even he knew too little about Takemichi, not to mention the others.

In fact, there was a lot more inside Takemichi than could be seen at a first glance. He was more than an average schoolboy and a crappy delinquent, more than an awkward and clumsy boy, even more than a time traveler and a universal loser, as he often liked to call himself.

There was a lot of pain and suffering in Takemichi — not enough to break him completely, but enough to make him disillusioned with the significance and meaning of his own life. He had to go through a huge number of terrible events alone, and Chifuyu always admired how, after all this, Takemichi remained being the same simple and sympathetic guy.

Pain made Chifuyu harder and rougher, and Takemichi smiled at everyone only wider. And if Chifuyu would rather burn this whole world to the ground, Takemichi was ready to rebuild it, revive it from ruins and ashes and make it even more beautiful than ever before.

Chifuyu would like to know more. Know more about Takemichi. He wanted to allow him to open up to someone again, to trust and this time definitely not to miss.

Chifuyu would like to bring out of him to the surface everything, that was previously hidden at the very bottom. He wanted to reach every locked door in this adult tormented heart, enclosed in the body of a teenager, and open them all wide open.

Chifuyu would like to repay him the same for the saved life and the future, even if they did not have to be happy in it for long. But maybe that was the whole point? Maybe Matsuno can handle this task better? Maybe he is the one who has to finish the job that Takemichi started, and then they will all be happy? After all, when partners work together, it always brings good results.

“This time everything will be different,” Chifuyu said it with such unshakable confidence that surprised not only Takemichi, but even himself.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because...” he flapped his lips like a fish, trying to find the right words. “Now you have me? And... everyone else, of course. Can’t say for them, but for my part I will do everything possible so that both you and I live this life as good as possible.

“It's great, but after all... I don't really know how to do anything,” he shook his head, sighing sadly again. “Mitsuya has a vocation, and it's very cool! It seems to me that Hakkai will work somewhere in a similar field and Yuzuha with him, because she is very worried about him. And you... You'll probably want to do something that reminds you of Baji. And, of course, what you would like yourself. Maybe something with animals? And me... well, it's just me.”

“And the others?”

“Mhm?”

“What do you think others will do?”

“I bet that Peh-yan and Pah-chin will work together.”

“I think so,” Chifuyu smiled, noting how accurate Takemichi was in his assumptions. But Mathuno also had a small advantage, so he wasn't going to stay away either. “Draken dotes on motorcycles, so he will surely open his bike store!”

“Wow! I wouldn't even think about that! And Mikey?”

“Mikey?” Chifuyu hesitated. The smile disappeared from his face for a moment, and he waved his hand. “The hell knows. Maybe he will work together with Draken? Or... Will manage a restaurant? I don't know... somewhere overseas?”

“More like a store with dorayaki,” Takemichi clarified with a laugh, and Chifuyu nodded in response. “And Hinata will definitely become a teacher. I don't know, for some reason I think it would suit her very well.”

Damn it, wasn’t Takemichi definitely in that future? Because Hinata really worked at school and very successfully moved up the career ladder. Chifuyu, honestly, didn’t really remember what exactly she taught, but it seems that children loved her a lot, because Tachibana was a perfect example of how rigor and kindness perfectly harmonize in one person.

Chifuyu prepared himself for the most important question, which he could not bring up all this week.

“And Emma?”

“Emma?” Takemichi asked.

“Maybe you saw her in the future,” Chifuyu casually said. He stood up a little, watching Takemichi's expression change rapidly. “What was she like? What have she been doing?”

“She...” Hanagaki immediately frowned, probably trying to recall the details of each of his travels in order to answer the question posed. And, of course, everything worked out as Chifuyu had expected. Takemichi's voice instantly changed, and he became gloomier than a thunder cloud: “Chifuyu, I... I don't remember Emma in the future!”

“Really?” Chifuyu narrowed his eyes. “And was she there at all? In the future?”

“No...” Hanagaki shook his head absently. “That is, I don’t know, I have never met her. Draken was either dead or sentenced to death, Mikey was also out of mind, and Emma...” his pupils dilated, as if an avalanche of insight had descended on his glorious mind. “Chifuyu, what if the main reason was Emma? The reason why the future of Draken and Mikey was exactly like that!”

“Quite possibly, partner,” Matsuno agreed easily. “And maybe Kisaki wanted to influence on Toman in this way? I mean, on Mikey and Draken. Via Emma. He loves all these dirty methods, right?”

“Yes! Yes, it makes sense! Listen, maybe I should go back to the future and find out about this from Naoto?” Takemichi immediately jumped off the bench, and his eyes lit up with enthusiasm. Chifuyu knew that resolute look like no one else did. In any other situation, he would willingly support such zeal, but certainly not now. “What do you think, Chifuyu?”

No, on the one hand, it was very reasonable, but on the other...

“You know, I don't think you need to do it right now...” he tried to gently seat Takemichi back on the bench. Hanagaki raised his eyebrows in perplexity, as if he expected a slightly different reaction from the best friend, which, of course, was quite understandable, because Chifuyu did not act as usual. “Well, think about it, it's very dangerous to come back now! Tenjiku is about to set a date for the battle, so you'd better be here, right? In case you miss something important!”

“Y-yes,” Takemichi confirmed uncertainly. His shoulders barely lifted when he slowly sighed, struggling with the last doubts, and repeated more boldly: “Yes, you're probably right after all. You never know what might happen while I'm gone.”

“But we'd better be on our guard. We don't know any details, but the fact that you haven't seen Emma in the future is definitely a reason to think about whether our beloved Kisaki had a hand on it.”

Takemichi nodded, clenching his fists tighter. Chifuyu really appreciated such moments: the ones when his best friend was ready to stand up against the whole world for his own goals. And, of course, he was going to stand next to his partner, shoulder to shoulder.

When they were together, even the universe didn't seem unattainable to Chifuyu.

“You're so smart, Chifuyu,” after a couple of seconds, when the veil of determination fell from the blue eyes, and Takemichi began to breathe much calmer, he admitted with a smile: “I don't know what I would do without you.”

“Wait, I'll turn on the phone and record it,” Chifuyu began to rummage in his pockets.

“Eh? What for?”

“In case you say something against my brilliant plans again!”

The old cheerful atmosphere was restored, and they laughed synchronously. But at the very moment when Matsuno took out his mobile phone and seriously opened the lid in order to find the right app, he saw a new message on the screen.

From: Hanma

To: Chifuyu

Text of the message: Everything will happen tomorrow.

Be ready ♡

What the fuck did that mean?

And why the hell did Shuji decide to show up after almost a week of silence, and even with another incomprehensible riddle? Chifuyu hadn’t shared his plans with Hanma, so he sincerely didn’t understand what exactly was meant by these words. Emma? Or something else?

“Hey, is everything okay?” it seems that Chifuyu turned significantly pale and got lost in his own thoughts, so Takemichi, who had previously been engaged in a passionate argument with him, immediately fell silent and tried to find out what was the matter.

Matsuno abruptly got up from his seat, brushing off his hoodie and jeans. “Let's go home, Takemichi.”

It seems that the quiet time has come to an end.

After all, he was Chifuyu Matsuno from the future. Chifuyu, who painfully lost all those who were very dear to him, Chifuyu, who survived enough to be afraid of repeating the same suffering. Chifuyu, who had to fight for what was taken away from him.

He clenched his trembling hands into fists and held his breath for a while.

And only now did he fully realize that during all this time he had not come up with anything sensible to save Emma. He had no idea what he was going to do tomorrow, if, of course, it was about that at all.

“Oh, is it that late already? I didn't even notice,” Takemichi glanced at the time and also got up, collecting the garbage they had left behind. He yawned sleepily, stuffing things into his backpack. “It's really time for us to get back. Inui and I are going to visit Shinichiro's grave tomorrow, so I should get a good night's sleep. And what are you planning to do?”

Fuck.

This is exactly it.

“I'll go with you!” Chifuyu declared loudly. He really hoped that it wouldn't seem strange, especially considering that he was breathing heavily, and his eyes were darting from side to side, as if he was frantically trying to figure out what to do and what to say.

“And... why?” Takemichi stopped packing and smiled weakly. “I mean, I don't mind, but...”

“I'm your vice-captain, I have to attend too! It's logical!” Matsuno tried to justify himself, but, damn it, it was extremely unconvincing.

“Of course it is, but you are my vice-captain in "Toman", and Inui in "Black Dragons", remember? I know it's difficult, and you don't really trust Inui, but you really don't have to come with us. Assure you, he's a very nice guy! Everything will be fine.”

“So you saying this is just Black Dragon’s business?” probably, it sounded harsh and even rude, and Chifuyu immediately shook his head, trying not to lose his sanity from the surging panic.

He thanked all gods for giving Takemichi Hanagaki his obliviousness.

“No, I want to say that you worry for nothing, as always,” he walked up to him and put his hands on his tense shoulders. He patted them cheerfully, trying to somehow cheer up his partner. Chifuyu silently looked into the eyes opposite with pleading and hope. In the end, Takemichi sighed wearily. “But if you're so worried, then fine. Maybe you and Inui will find a common ground, and you will understand that he is not so bad and finally stop growling at him like that at the meetings.”

“I'm not growling at him!” Chifuyu objected, picking up his packed backpack and walking back down to the road with Takemichi. In response to his inept objections, his captain only laughed. Chifuyu tossed the bike keys in his hands. “Who's driving?”

“I'm afraid I won't survive your extreme antics a second time, so you're driving. Just don't go too fast, okay?”

Matsuno chuckled.

“Whatever you say, coward!”

“Hey, I'm not a coward!”

“Jump in now! I actually promised Mori-san to get you back at least before midnight, and I really value my reputation, you know.”

But the promise was never kept: after half an hour, Chifuyu and Takemichi, along with other members of the first division, stood in front of the Musashi temple and reported to Mikey about the recent betrayal of Mucho. Sano wanted to know when “Tenjiku" would hit, and Inui answered him decisively.

«Tomorrow.»

That's what he said.

He believed that Izana would certainly choose some significant date for the battle, and the day of the foundation of the first generation of "Black Dragons" fit for this. Therefore, the idea of visiting Shinichiro's grave with Takemichi was not spontaneous for Seishu — it was probably an excuse for a subsequent meeting with Kurokawa. Perhaps he wanted to see him in person to find out about Coco's fate, but Mikey decided to use this information in the interests of "Toman": in case if Inui is right and Izana really wants to fight them tomorrow, the whole gang will be warned and put on alert.

Following the first division, all the others were called to an emergency meeting at two o'clock in the morning.

Mikey confidently announced from the platform:

“Tomorrow, the 22^nd of February, 2006, we will fight with "Tenjiku"!”

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

Initially, the event was scheduled for the morning, then for twelve, and then for some reason it was postponed to two o'clock in the afternoon. Chifuyu stopped by Seishu early in the morning to instruct him in detail that because of Mucho's recent betrayal, they also decided to strengthen security measures, and the two of them had to protect not only their captain, but also those who could get injured due to the conflict with “Tenjiku”. He even cited Pah-chin as an example, so as not to be unfounded, and said that the gang from Yokohama looks more like yakuza than yankee, and their methods go far beyond usual teenage fights. Chifuyu hoped that if, at least, someone else besides him was aware of the possible danger, it could help in saving Emma. Not to say that Inui was pleased with the presence of the second vice-captain (rather, the first, because Chifuyu told him that he was above him in rank), but he did not argue with Hanagaki's decision, although Seishu behaved quite coldly. In response to what was said, he only nodded and said that he would do everything possible to justify the trust placed in him.

Chifuyu spent the rest of his time at home thinking about how exactly he and Takemichi were going to save Emma. Don't let her walk on the road? Tell Mikey not to take her with him? Yes, amazing idea, Matsuno, how do you imagine it?

«Hey Mikey, how about you forbid your sister from visiting your older brother's grave because some sick bastard wants to swing a bat? You believe me, right?»

Or maybe try to talk to "Toman" the way he talked to Inui today? Try to sort everything out and warn them that it’s necessary showing a little more vigilance? Especially on Emma? No, it's better not to specify anything about Emma, otherwise it will seem strange. But if he doesn't specify, how will they understand that it is she who is in danger? Chifuyu could have told them directly that he knew about the impending attack, but then how would he explain where he got such detailed information? Overheard by chance? Found an informant? Wouldn't all this look strange, especially considering how harshly he has been behaving with other members of Toman lately, despite Hanma's request?

Although...

To hell with this "Toman".

No need to attract those who have already betrayed his trust once.

Chifuyu will handle everything perfectly himself. The main thing is to just think coldly and clearly and not let panic act in his place.

Matsuno tried to call Hanma again and again. He was the only person who could also participate in the plan to save Emma, but it seems he wasn't even going to answer. Chifuyu was sure that he would just break the unfortunate flip-phone when the SMS appeared on the screen again.

From: Hanma

To: Chifuyu

Text of the message: The attack on Emma will happen at two o'clock in the afternoon at the cemetery. We need to meet in advance and discuss some details. I'll send you the address.

"Has someone finally decided to recall about our agreement?", Chifuyu snorted with resentment. He was extremely annoyed that of the two of them, it was Hanma who was in charge of the situation and allowed himself to appear when he saw fit, while completely ignoring any attempts of Matsuno to somehow contact him. However, with this scenario, Chifuyu should have been glad that Shuji showed up at all and was even going to help, so as soon as the message with the address appeared on the screen, Chifuyu immediately left the apartment.

The place was quite far away. Chifuyu rarely visited this part of Tokyo and was poorly oriented, and the lane indicated by Hanma had yet to be found. It was just getting close to twelve, so he wasn't worried about being late for the meeting with Takemichi and Inui.

Shuji asked to arrive at exactly 11:11 and to try not to be late, but when Chifuyu arrived at the place, of course, there was no one there. Hanma, actually, was not famous for his punctuality. Matsuno realized this on Christmas Day, when he and Kisaki waited for Shuji on the cold street for more than twenty minutes. Therefore, he was just aimlessly playing some game on the phone and sometimes looked out of the alley to check if the former enemy was in the crowd.

At 11:25, Chifuyu made his first call. Then another one at exactly 11:37, and then, when the first bad thoughts began to creep into his head, he began to send messages, hoping that Hanma simply preferred SMS to phone calls.

But time was passing, and the situation didn’t change in any way. At 12:03, Chifuyu began to panic. The phone was running low. The alley was narrow and dirty, and somewhere in the distance, by an overflowing garbage can, skinny rats were running around with might and main, and there was a strong smell of something rotten and dead. Some strange guys were talking at the other end of the lane and kept throwing strange looks at him.

It was very uncomfortable here.

The head was already starting to spin because of how many circles Chifuyu wound back and forth while trying to call Hanma.

The phone finally vibrated.

He took the call immediately.

“Motherfucker, where the hell are you?! Who do you think you are?!” he shouted directly into the speaker, banging his fist against the nearest wall with all his strength. He was going to curse, or even start a fight in person, even if it would be very problematic with their height difference. But for being such an asshole, Shuji deserved at the very least a strong punch, and at most — a good and long fight one on one. In general, nothing prevented Matsuno from combining both.

Just let him caught this bastard and Chifuyu...

“Uh... Matsuno?" the voice on the other side of the line asked uncertainly, and Chifuyu suddenly began to breathe more rapidly than a second ago. This voice didn’t belong to Hanma at all, and the young man slowly pulled the phone away from his ear to look at the caller's name.

“Y-yes?” he said in a trembling whisper. Of course, he stopped shouting immediately. Black circles promptly danced in front of his eyes, and he felt his legs slowly begin to give way. There was nothing strange about the call, as well as who exactly called him, but Chifuyu clearly felt that something was wrong.

He knew that damn tone.

In the summer of the two thousand eighteenth, Naoto asked him in the same tone to come to the bowling alley building as soon as possible.

“It's Inui,” Seishu replied calmly. Chifuyu rubbed the bridge of his nose and was about to exhale with relief when the guy suddenly added: “Takemichi changed his mind for some reason, and we decided to go earlier, as we had agreed at first. We're already in place, so get there as soon as you can. He has some problems with his phone, so he asked me to call and warn you.”

“How long ago?! And why are you doing this only now?!” Chifuyu leaned his back against the wall and didn’t even notice how he rolled down it to the dirty ground and grabbed his head. “Wait...” he trembled. The head was spinning even more. “Did you say that you are already "in place"? What does this mean?! Give Takemichi the phone right now!”

“He's gone somewhere, so I'll ask him to call back later,” Inui paused for a moment before answering, apparently looking around to find his captain with his eyes.

“Gone?!” Chifuyu clutched his own hair with his hands. An inexplicable fear was rapidly growing in his chest. He was starting to choke and no longer had control over how harsh and loud was his voice ans how strange were his words. “Where to?! Dammit, I asked you not to take a step away from him!”

“Matsuno, why are you so nervous? It seems Mikey asked him to stay with Emma, so the two of them are somewhere near the road. And I'm sure they're all right! Anyway, I'm already going there, so...”

«No, it can't be...», Chifuyu shook his hand, exposing the watch on his wrist. The clock showed 12:15. «It's too early,» he said to himself. And then repeated again, but not as confidently as the first time: «It's not even 13:00 yet. It's too damn early! Only if Hanma... Only if he didn’t...».

Their conversation on the eve of departure to the past suddenly surfaced in the thoughts.

“So, all this time... you knew that Takemichi was moving in time?

And you didn't do anything about it?”

“And what for? It was funny to watch him try to fix everything and screw up more and more with each attempt. Well, a couple of times I tried to put a spoke in his wheels to make it more interesting. However, he turned out to be a very tenacious infection. Well, more precisely, he was it... up to a certain point.”

“Inui, go to the road right now, do you hear me?!” Chifuyu shouted desperately into the phone. “Find Takemichi and Emma! Now!”

“The hell happened?! Stop yelling at me! I'm on my way!”

“No time to explain, just do what I say!”

Chifuyu got up and dashed towards the parking lot where his motorcycle was left. He was fussing, acting so fast that he almost fell, tripping over the rim of the sidewalk. The phone flew out of his hands and flew several meters, landing exactly in the nearest puddle.

“Fuck! Inui!” Chifuyu immediately rushed to it and fell to his knees, convulsively shaking it off from the water that flowed from the device like a river. He put the phone to his ear, repeating as loudly as possible. He didn't even know if his voice could be heard because of the water in the speaker. “Do you hear me?! What's going on there?! Inui!”

There were only strange sounds in the receiver.

“Bitch, work!” he tapped the poor clamshell several times.

Passersby were staying away from him.

“Acc...ent...” he finally heard in the stream of noise. Interference separated the speech of Seishu into separate words and unintelligible sounds. Chifuyu plugged one of his ears with the finger so that he could hear as well as possible with the other. “Ta... michi... Pushed...way... lot of... blo... od...”

“What?..” Chifuyu asked. “What did you say?”

The air was knocked out of his lungs.

He froze.

A clear picture immediately rose before his eyes: a body lying in the middle of an empty narrow street, the skull split, cracked, and bright red blood spreading everywhere. And then the identification, then the morgue, then again that white coffin with the same pure white flowers. And then again...

Again.

Going through it for the second time in life.

Inui continued to speak, but Matsuno was already rushing to his motorcycle, roughly pushing people around. At first, he just rushed somewhere on foot, somewhere in the other direction, with big crazy eyes, but, gathering all the remnants of common sense, he pulled himself together and followed to the transport left in the parking lot.

Chifuyu has probably never driven so fast before. To be honest, it was a pure luck that he himself didn’t get into an accident on the road, because he disgracefully missed traffic lights after traffic lights and several times almost crashed into cars driving nearby.

His hands on the steering wheel were shaking feverishly. His feet were twitching on the pedals, switching speeds from one to the other, as if it could help.

Fuck.

What the fuck, Takemichi?

Why the fuck don't you ever listen to me?! Why did you reschedule the damn meeting at all?

Of course! Well, of course, this idiot couldn't have come up with a better plan than just putting himself under attack instead of Emma! This damn selfless cretin, apparently, remembered about their conversation and managed to push her away, but as always he didn't think about himself!

Chifuyu is no better! He had to be there in case that could have happened! He knew... He knew that Hanagaki too often mindlessly does such shit, and he did nothing about it!

And Hanma! Made an appointment and didn't show up! He gave him the wrong time! Whose side is he on at all?! And what kind of idiot did Chifuyu look like when he confidently agreed to all Shuji’s conditions?

To trust such a bastard...How could he fuck up like that!

Chifuyu turned on the gas, and the engine began to hum desperately, already working at the limit of its capabilities. Chifuyu could hardly remember how he parked wryly in the parking lot near the hospital and flew into the building, shouting at the nurse at the reception desk in a chaotic delirium.

“Hey, Matsuno, here!” Inui shouted from afar, and Chifuyu immediately ran after him. He didn’t notice how they passed two flights of stairs and found themselves in a dimly lit, yellowing corridor, where some of his friends were already. Mikey, sitting on a chair, leaning against the wall, muttered something incoherently to himself, his hands and clothes were covered in blood, Hinata was sitting next to him, nervously crumpling the fabric of her skirt, and Draken was standing nearby, leaning a drinks machine with his back. His usual sharp black eyes seemed almost glazed and empty.

Emma was nowhere to be seen, and no matter how selfish it sounded, she was the last thing Chifuyu could think about right now.

“Where is he?! Is he even alive?!” he began to question his friends, but didn’t hear a word in response. The three of them were sullenly silent, as if they had swallowed their own tongues, and Chifuyu almost roared, banging his fist against the wall. He was shaking with fear and anger. Why doesn't anyone say anything?! “Why the fuck are you silent?! What happened at all?! How did this happen?!”

“It's all me,” a trembling female voice came from behind. Chifuyu turned around irritably and noticed the younger Sano in front of him. «Alive.» he thought quickly. Her eyebrow was cut by a deep scar, and her face, arms and neck were covered with small abrasions and bruises. Clothes and shoes were covered in dust. The girl sobbed, awkwardly wiping her eyes. “Those two... On a motorcycle... They were obviously going after me, but at the very last moment Takemichi... he... he managed to push me aside, and I...”

“What are you saying?!” Draken asked. He frowned angrily, pushing away from the vending machine and approaching the girl. Always calm, he narrowed his eyes sternly and said through his teeth: “Why would they even go after you? They made an attempt on Takemichi. Do you hear? They needed Takemichi, not you.”

“I... I don't know,” the girl trembled even more, her shoulders rose, she hunched over and covered her face with her hands, continuing to shake her head. Draken softened and fell silent, pursing his lips into a thin line. Emma continued talking incoherently: “I swear, I do not know, but I'm sure they came for me! One of them... The one who was sitting in the back and hit Takemichi... When the motorcycle stopped, it was as if he got scared that he had done something wrong! It's like everything didn't go the way he wanted, you know?! I saw it in his eyes! He could have killed us both if Mikey and Inui hadn't come!”

“Kisaki,” Matsuno hissed through his teeth. With wild eyes, he clenched his fists and was already moving away. “I will kill this bastard!”

“Hey, Chifuyu, wait!” he was almost dragged back to his former place by the scruff of the neck. Draken shook him violently by the shoulders. Chifuyu began to fight back. “Come to your senses! It certainly won't help now!”

“Get off me!” he snapped. “I'll decide what to do myself!”

"How do you know it was Kisaki?" Emma blinked absently. Her blond eyebrows drew down to the bridge of her nose. “Takemichi said that name before he passed out. Looks like, he recognized the attackers. But how did you...”

Chifuyu almost choked on air when he lowered his tone and crumpled, unconvincingly mumbled:

“I... it's obvious that...”

“Takemichi and Kisaki have always had disagreements,” Draken continued for him. “Besides, if you say that there were two of them, and the second one who was driving was much taller than the first one, we can assume that it was Hanma. He always follows Kisaki.”

“Yes... yes, maybe you're right,” Emma nodded her head. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her tangled blond hair. “I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Matsuno, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything.”

“It's okay..,” Chifuyu tried to breathe, but he couldn't do shit. “It seems that we are all a little nervous here.”

“You need to sit down, Chifuyu. We'll deal with these two a little later, now the main concern is Takemichi,” Draken gently sat Matsuno down on the seat, and, fortunately, he didn’t resist. He no longer had the strength to stand straight on his feet. Chifuyu immediately bent over, resting his elbows on his knees, and covered his face with the hands.

And again remembered that damn morgue, cold and dark, with creepy white-yellow tiles, again that white coffin filled with flowers, and Draken and Mitsuya holding him under both arms and repeating every now and then: "Come on, Chifuyu, you need to sit down."

He shook his head in an attempt to get rid off the delusion. Takemichi didn't die, Takemichi never died, it's all some kind of rubbish, rubbish, endless rubbish! It's not real memories, it's not true, it just doesn't exist!

He took his hands away from the face and looked at his fingers, trembling and wet with sweat and tears. He didn't even notice how he started crying, but there was no doubt — large drops were flowing uncontrollably down his cheeks. Or maybe it's not tears at all, maybe it's blood, bright red hot blood flowing out from under a dead body.

No, you can't think like that!

Takemichi will be fine.

He'll pull through.

He must.

He has to survive!

But it all happened so fast!

Just yesterday they were riding a motorcycle together, and now Takemichi is on the verge of death again, and Chifuyu didn't have time to do anything again! He was not there at the right moment again! How could he not make it? How did this happen? Why? Why is it like this, why is it happening to him again? What kind of bastard habit is it to dream about the future, and the next day throw yourself under a motorcycle, as if your life doesn't mean a damn thing?!

I hate you, Takemichi!

I hate your fucking heroism!

Somewhere off to the side, Emma began to cry quietly, Draken immediately grabbed her in his arms, hoping to console her a little. He was saying something to her, or maybe he was talking to Matsuno, but the young man didn't even try to listen.

The head was buzzing.

Everything swam before his eyes.

Chifuyu could focus on only one thing.

Survive.

Please, just survive.

Chapter Text

Waiting.

An excruciatingly long waiting.

It was killing him.

Chifuyu didn't know how much time had passed since he ended up in the hospital. He didn't know how long he had been sitting like this, hunched over in a terribly uncomfortable seat, just as he didn't know how much longer this damn operation would last. His limbs were already numb, he couldn’t feel his arms and legs, he didn’t even feel the aching pain in the back and neck, and his own head increasingly reminded him of a box of nails — so heavy that he had to support it with his hands so that it would not collapse with a deafening crash on the tiled floor.

The walls of the already small hospital corridor were like an iron vise: they narrowed more and more, compressed and pressed down on Chifuyu with their weight. He remembered his first leap to the past and at the same time recalled the first panic attack that overtook him right at the sinks in the school toilet. Then Takemichi came to help him on time: when the terrible darkness, sliding shadows on the ceiling, had almost swallowed him up, and there was only a few seconds of air left in his lungs, it was his voice that brought Chifuyu to his senses, it was his hands that pulled him out into the light again and protected him from the darkness, but now Takemichi was not there, and the world of Chifuyu Matsuno once again was falling apart at the seams.

“Your name? Who are you to the deceased?”

“Chifuyu Matsuno. I’m his best friend.”

Temples throbbed painfully, more thoughts appeared in his head with each new second, and one was even worse than the other. The whole back was soaked with sweat, and the Toman uniform was so tightly stuck to the body that the fabric could only be removed together with the skin. Chifuyu shivered and swayed, back and forth, not understanding at all whether he was hot or insanely cold.

At some point, he just blacked out. He didn't fall asleep or lose consciousness—he just finally stopped distinguishing what was happening around him. For some reason, the light seemed dimmer than before, the vision darkened and doubled, either from tears, or from the stress he was experiencing, and there was a long and loud buzzing in his ears: something between the terrible television noise when the broadcast time ends and the screech of metal scratching the window glass - and no matter how strongly he covered his ears with his hands, no matter how long he tried to hide, cowering fearfully in the farthest corner, there was no way to escape from this. Everything else, everything that had surrounded him before — it just disappeared. There were only distant scraps of some conversations, that sounded much more like an echo and had absolutely no meaning for Chifuyu, and the rattling sound of an old vending machine standing somewhere nearby. He wanted to get up and kick it with all his strength so that it would finally shut up.

Sometimes Chifuyu forced himself to raise his head and check if the warning red light above the operating room door was still on. It was all he could bring himself to focus on. Under its glass, illuminated by the same bright red light, only a stupid inscription was visible.

In such big bright white letters.

"Do Not Enter!"

Chifuyu wanted it to be off. And so that everything around, all this, all this horror — everything just ended. And at the same time, he was very afraid that if the light bulb suddenly turned off and someone would come out of the operating room to hastily justify to them, they would say, we did everything we could, made every effort, but unfortunately, Takemichi Hanagaki...

And then these stupid faces of doctors expressing ostentatious sympathy and understanding, then "we are very sorry", then everything is again in the same vicious circle, circulating like blood through the vessels, from the heart to the organs and back, branching into many capillaries along the way.

And then again...

Over and over again.

The same thing.

The same pain.

And there will never be an end to it.

Chifuyu was afraid that if this damn light bulb suddenly stopped being on, then everything could be over. For him. For Takemichi. For the two of them. And if it's over, then it turns out that Chifuyu failed to fix anything. And then it turns out... turns out that he again... couldn't save him?

Something in the chest responded with a lingering pain to this thought.

Chifuyu shut his eyes tightly and shook his head once again, trying to drive it as far away from him as possible.

It didn't help.

During all this time, he managed to learn from those present only a couple of details of what happened: Inui and Mikey really appeared on the road only at the moment when the accident had already occurred, and the perpetrators of the incident almost at the same moment disappeared from the scene of the crime. Mikey had to carry Takemichi on his back almost all the way to the hospital while Emma trailed behind him. Seishu stayed by the road to wait for the police and call all of Hanagaki's friends he knew, and only then, together with Draken, he also got to the hospital. But no one... None of them ever told Matsuno how badly Takemichi had been hurt. And complete ignorance suffocated no less than stupid expectation.

The red light above the door blinked furiously.

“How serious is it?” nervously shaking his leg in time with the blinking, Chifuyu asked Mikey, who was sitting next to him, when the general silence, which stretched not for minutes, but perhaps for many, many hours, became completely unbearable for him. Chifuyu didn't even understand why he was talking to Mikey — the words came out before he had time to think about them properly.

Draken, who was still holding Emma, looked up at him with a tired and worried eyes, Emma, trembling, pressed even closer to his chest, and Hinata only pursed her lips and clutched her nails into her small shoulder bag.

Manjiro didn't even flinch.

Chifuyu clenched his fists tighter and patiently repeated his question, addressed not to anyone else, but to Mikey, but the answer, or to be precise, its absence, remained exactly the same.

“You were there...” almost in a whisper, dangerously balancing on the edge between a soundless movement of the lips and a mad scream, Chifuyu asked him again. He didn't know where to put his hands, and he just started banging them feverishly on his knees. A minute passed. Maybe even two. Mikey still didn't say anything. Chifuyu clenched his jaw. “You're the last person he talked to... tell me, how bad is it?”

He still couldn't bring himself to turn to Manjiro. Not out of fear of him, of course not - Chifuyu was afraid only of himself and the fact that he wouldn’t be able restrain himself and would tell him right in his face everything that had accumulated inside him over these three fucking years. From the first to the last day. From the future to the past and back.

And Mikey, as if out of spite, continued to be silent.

And then Chifuyu howled hysterically, turning sharply to him and casually pushing Sano’s heavy, motionless body with his hand:

“Hey, I'm talking to you!” he shouted, then pushing him again, and Manjiro just swayed to the side like a stupid doll, bumping his temple lightly against the corner at the junction of two walls. But even that didn't bring him to his senses. His usually dark eyes seemed almost white to Chifuyu. Before that, he was sure that the emptiness in his gaze was still a figurative expression, rather for the colorfulness of book descriptions, but Mikey's eyes were exactly like that.

Completely empty.

Almost like glass.

Dead.

Chifuyu flared up with renewed vigor:

“Are you completely deaf?! Just say something!”

He immediately jumped up from his seat, annoyed that he was so persistently ignored, and stood directly in front of Mikey. He hung over his small and hunched figure like an impregnable rock, not giving a chance to move to the side, and gripped his thin shoulders with his fingers more painfully. And started shaking. Again and again, mercilessly and desperately, hoping either to knock every internal organ out of Manjiro, or to pull at least one intelligible word out of his pathetic mouth.

“He's taken the hit because of your sister, and you can't even talk to me!” Chifuyu shouted even louder, spluttering with saliva. Mikey didn't resist him, and that only made the anger stronger. Chifuyu wanted answers from him—maybe to those questions that this, the past Mikey, probably didn't even know about yet. Perhaps Chifuyu himself did not know what he wanted to hear from him, and any answer would have been wrong for him anyway, but he still grabbed the boy by the collar and roughly lifted him from the seat, continuing to shake violently. “Don't pretend you can't hear me! Talk to me, damn it!”

Mikey was dangling limply in his arms.

“What did Takemichi say to you before he passed out?!” it seemed to Chifuyu that he was still shouting, but he already wheezed and was shaking his head madly, trying to wipe away the unbidden tears from the face and the long blond strands falling over his eyes every now and then. His questions had lost all meaning. Everything went dark, as if someone had turned off all the lights in a huge building at once, and only he and Manjiro were left in the hospital corridor for just a tiny moment. One on one. The walls finally collapsed like the flaps of a sophisticated mousetrap. Chifuyu slapped Mikey's cheek with the palm of his hand. “Why did you decide to carry him on your back at all, and not immediately call an ambulance?!” the movements were repeated and became more frequent, and each of them, each new blow now accompanied the next phrase. “Don't you know that people with traumatic brain injuries must not be moved?! What if you made it worse?! What if it's because of you Takemichi is now...”

He raised the arm again.

This time, his palm clenched into a tight fist.

“...fuyu, stop it! Leave him alone!” someone's bass voice barely broke through the dense veil, and Draken grabbed Chifuyu by the arms and began to pull away from the unfortunate guy.

Mikey was immediately caught and sat down by Emma, because he was no longer able to stand on his own two feet. And Chifuyu kept twitching and resisting in Ryuguji's strong grip, trying to break free and reach for Mikey and already in some kind of delirium continuing to shout some ridiculous accusations in his direction. And, probably, there was still enough strength in Chifuyu, because Draken alone could barely hold him back.

“That's enough! Enough, you hear me? Calm down! Come to your senses!”

"What if Takemichi dies again because of you?!” Chifuyu didn't hear him and didn't even try to listen. “You like doing it so much, don't you, Mikey?! Does it give you pleasure?!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?! Now is not the time to look for the guilty!”

“But it's his fault!” Matsuno started poking at him as if he was a murderer who was behind bars and could no longer object anything. “It's him... It's all him! Draken, because of him, Emma could get hurt, and you're just going to leave it?! Will you let him endanger those who are dear to you?!” Ryuguji was breathing heavily, his arms were slowly weakening, but fortunately, Chifuyu himself had already lost his former confidence. “Why are you again... Mikey...” gradually the wheeze turned into a fitful cough. Matsuno tried to free himself for the last time, and he almost succeeded when his own body suddenly betrayed him, and he began to slide to the floor, at one moment deprived of any energy for further existence. The last thing he managed to whisper was a low and audible only to Draken: “Why are you... trying to take him away again?”

And he collapsed down exhausted.

The nurses from the nearest post arrived at the moment when the corridor was again plunged into tense silence. They were severely reprimanded for the noise created and even threatened to be kicked out, but, fortunately, Draken was able to solve the problem, and they were still allowed to stay in the same place. Emma squatted down in front of Mikey and took his trembling hands, still dirty with Takemichi's blood, in her small palms. She said something to him, asked him about something, but he didn't answer her.

Maybe was playing a madman, the devil knows.

Draken helped Chifuyu to stand up, and then carefully sat him on the outermost seat, as far away from Mikey as possible. He and Emma, holding Manjiro by both arms, led him somewhere to the other side of the corridor, considering that it would be the best solution for all of them to disperse for a while and calm down properly. They agreed to write to each other if there was any information about Takemichi's condition. But before leaving, Draken looked around as if intending to say something, but for some reason changed his mind at the very last moment and, in the same silence, trudged after the Sano family.

Chifuyu bent over in his chair and grabbed the hair with his fingers, pulling down the elongated strands with palpable pain. And what if Mikey was silent because everything is very bad? What if there's no chance, what if Takemichi is dying right behind this fucking wall, and Chifuyu can't do anything about it?

The young man started rocking back and forth again. He was already gasping for breath, his furious gaze was prowling around like an animal and kept looking for an object to grab onto in order to somehow stop the panic that had come up, but there was the same square tile under his feet, which only made his eyes double more.

Chifuyu tried to count the squares, because the damn light bulb no longer allowed him to concentrate.

“One, two, three... Fo... Fou...” The eyelids were filled with lead, it became stuffy and cold at the same time, and all the numbers were completely forgotten, as if Matsuno had never known them. He swallowed hard and started counting again in the same trembling voice: “One, two... One... One... One...”

Someone's hand lay on his back and drew a short line from his neck and almost to the small of his back. Chifuyu shuddered at the unexpected touch and detached his palms from his face, not even noticing when he managed to cover it with them again. He turned and, not without surprise, found shining morganite eyes in front of him.

Full of sympathy and understanding.

And at the same time not devoid of bright hope.

“Chifuyu, look at me,” Hinata said it in such a confident, convincing tone that if she had added that the Earth was actually flat, Chifuyu would have believed it without a second thought. “It's okay. It's all right, do you hear? Just keep breathing.”

“I can't,” Chifuyu turned away and violently shook his head, trying to push the girl away from him. He hardly heard anything she said to him anymore. “No, I... I can't! I just... I can't! I am now... I'm trying to...” black circles flashed before his eyes. Chifuyu began to toss and turn on the seat. He tried to close his eyes and blink to make it a little easier to focus on the tile again, but the situation did not change in any way. All the squares immediately merged into one. He stared at the hospital tile with despair. "Where the hell is the second square?.."

“Chifuyu!” Hinata forcibly turned his face to her and squeezed his cheeks tighter so that this time Chifuyu could not turn back. “You have to breathe! Try to look at me, okay?” Chifuyu obeyed with difficulty, and then the girl nodded, smiling slightly and encouraging his actions. “Yes, that's it. Well done... well done. And now you need to breathe. Breathe with me, okay?”

“What if he dies...” he croaked instead of repeating the deep breath she took. “What if... What should I do? What should I do then, Hinata? What should I do if he dies now?!”

"He's not going to die," she shook her head confidently. “He's not going to die, do you hear? No way! He'll pull through! Chifuyu, he will survive!”

“How can you know? How can you know about this?!” breathing still jerkily and quickly, Chifuyu only snapped. “He's not immortal at all! He's an ordinary person! So how do you know he's going to survive?!”

“I don't know!” suddenly she cried out. It was so abrupt that Chifuyu's pupils became twice as large from fear. He paused and clung to the girl with a death grip, and she softened her tone a little: “Really, I don’t know. And no one knows! But I believe in our Takemichi and I believe that he will come back to us again!”

How foolish!

What a stupidity!

Is that her whole answer? Does she really think it can help him? He just needs to believe, and then everything will definitely be fine? Ugh! Maybe Chifuyu should also pray in front of this operating room, and then Shinigami itself would deign to come to him from its rotten world to show the greatest mercy?

How stupid.

After all, no matter how strong their faith in Takemichi was, it still couldn’t heal him from his injuries. Because if it was possible, if everything depended only on Chifuyu and his desires, he would not only heal Takemichi — he would not allow a single scratch to appear on his body.

Although, of course, he was too loud in his words: having the opportunity, he had already personally put Takemichi in danger.

So, maybe blind faith did not bring salvation at all,

as Hinata persisted, but a complete and merciless destruction?

She asked him:

“And you, Chifuyu? Do you believe in Takemichi?”

Do I believe... in Takemichi?

Matsuno fell silent, thinking hard about her question, and after a second he raised a much more conscious, thoughtful look at Hinata and confidently answered:

“I believe in him even more than in myself.”

And Chifuyu never doubted it.

Even though his voice was nasal and sounded more like a strangled, gasping wheeze than something normal, even if he did not immediately pay attention that he started crying again, every word he said came out surprisingly firm.

Breathing slowly began to return to normal.

He released Hinata.

Her warm hand, which had been gently stroking his back until now, gradually slowed down and soon stopped completely. Hinata stretched out her palm a little higher and tightened her fingers on his shoulder.

Chifuyu didn't even notice how much he was shaking all this time.

“If I only could...” he said, sobbing softly. “I would myself... Under this damn bike... if only... If only I...”

“I know,” she leaned even closer to him, barely touching her forehead to Chifuyu's sweaty forehead, so that only he could hear her words, even though they were already alone in this small corridor. Her grip became almost painful. “I know, Chifuyu. But you have to believe in him to the end. And Takemichi will survive. He will survive, and everything will be fine again. You and I shouldn't give up hope, because he definitely wouldn't.”

The young man no longer saw her — only heard, because the wet strands of the overgrown bangs completely covered his eyes. Hinata's words were certainly not a panacea, probably they were not more than a stupid and very inept attempt to comfort him, but for some reason part of her great and deep faith still passed on to Chifuyu, no matter how much he resisted it. He just nodded, repeating the last sentence after her again, as if it gave him confidence, and tried to casually wipe his eyes with the greasy sleeve of his uniform, which, of course, didn’t really to help. After Tachibana's words, the tears seemed to only increase, and at one point Chifuyu wanted not just to burst into tears in her arms, but to howl and whine in despair — as loudly as his shrunken voice would suffice.

But he held on with the last of his strength.

“Sorry, I...” the movements became confused, and Chifuyu tried to pull away again. Perhaps today his eyes will simply flow out because of the abundance of tears shed. He looked pathetic. “I just... I can't again...”

“You won't lose him,” Hinata tilted his head to her shoulder, and Chifuyu obediently fell silent, terribly tired of the day he had lived, which, moreover, had not yet planned to end. “None of us will lose him.”

The girl closed her eyes and exhaled, allowing Matsuno to let out all the emotions accumulated during the day. She gave him time—as long as it would be necessary, and he, resisting to the last, still succumbed to his own weakness.

These two, Takemichi and Hinata, had some amazing ability, thanks to which they could influence him. And Chifuyu didn't even know whether he should be happy about this fact or afraid of its consequences.

“Just don't tell him that I cried so much,” Chifuyu asked softly, sniffling and after a decent amount of time finally lifting his head from her soaked shoulder. With a quick movement, he wiped his face and swollen eyes with his hands, and then slowly ran his fingers through his hair, removing it from the forehead.

Surprisingly, it became a little easier.

The old balance returned to his world.

Hinata gave a muffled laugh.

“What?” Chifuyu frowned uncomprehendingly. “What’s so funny?”

“You and him are so similar,” she nudged him with her shoulder much more cheerfully and smiled weakly.

Matsuno didn't know what to say to that.

He just nodded stiffly, pursing his lips in a kind of crooked smile.

Of course, he knew that he and Takemichi were similar in many ways, but he didn't want his partner to know about this stupid incident at all. Takemichi, of course, would have never judged him, but for some reason Chifuyu still didn’t want to seem even weaker in front of him than he already was. It was his turn, he had to be strong and brave, and even if he was coping with it damn badly now, he had made a promise to himself and had no intention of breaking it.

He needed to pull himself together.

Think more soberly.

Stop rushing around.

Finally remember what he really went to the past for.

Excessive panic has already aggravated the situation enough.

“We haven't eaten in hours, so I'll get you something from the cafeteria, okay? Don't go anywhere!”

Chifuyu just stupidly shook his head in response to her question. Hinata made sure that the young man was trembling much less, and only then finally released him and got up from her seat to follow along the corridor — in the direction opposite to the previously departed trio.

Chifuyu was about to lean back on the seat and continue waiting for someone to appear and tell him some information, when he suddenly noticed a small light purse on the next chair, previously occupied by Hinata. He immediately got up and rushed in the direction in which she had recently left. Her pink-haired crown loomed ahead, and Chifuyu shouted her name several times, but she probably didn't hear him.

“Hina-chan! The bag!”

It was impossible to shout even louder: doctors and nurses passing by were looking at him so menacingly, so Matsuno just shut up and accelerated his pace, hoping to still catch up with the girl. For some reason, they passed the "Cafeteria" sign, and then turned right and climbed up the stairs three flights to the roof, when Chifuyu finally realized that he should not have run after her so thoughtlessly.

As soon as the girl was on the roof, completely alone, as it seemed to her, she sat down on the cards and hugged her knees with her hands, and tears immediately gushed from her eyes, as if they had been restrained only by a shaky and rotten tree dam. She cried and cried hard and loudly, clutching in her trembling hands a pendant with a four-leaf clover hanging around her neck.

And Chifuyu was standing at the very entrance to the roof, like the last idiot, and just didn't know where to go. He wanted to approach and calm Hinata down — the way she herself had done just a few minutes ago, but for some reason he didn’t dare. What could he possibly have done? He himself was not in the most stable condition, he did not even know what to say to her, what words to choose so that she would stop crying. To hug her like she hugged him in the future? Say that they just need to wait and believe?

He's sure she knew it without him.

Chifuyu left the bag he had brought with him at the door and just quietly left. He got scared. He was ashamed, and he felt useless, ungrateful and unable to repay Hinata for her kindness, care and support, but he simply could not do otherwise.

He quickly ran down the stairs to the very first floor and through the back door, which fortunately was unlocked, went outside and immediately sat down on the concrete steps.

That's probably how Hinata felt about what happened to Takemichi in the future. From the outside, everything really seemed quite happy and even perfect, but maybe in fact everything was completely different? Yes, Chifuyu already thought about her more gently than about others, for the reason that she believed him, but perhaps he should also think about the fact that all this time he was not the only one who suffered because of the loss of Takemichi?

After all, Hinata also suffered.

Suffered, of course, differently.

In her own way.

However, she still suffered.

Chifuyu was ready to admit it.

But, unlike everyone else, Hinata never forgot about Takemichi, even if Matsuno initially had such an impression. Hinata was always on his side, on the good side, where there was no place for traitors and hypocrites. And if she believed so much in Takemichi, believed in Chifuyu and that he could really save his partner, he also believed in every word she said. At least that would be fair enough.

“Only you can save him.

I know it, Chifuyu.

You can do it!”

It remains only to wait for the end of the operation.

Chifuyu has long lost track of time.

It was dark and cold outside, and the backyard was absolutely clean and deserted. The evening wind sharply pierced the heated skin, and the young man unbuttoned two more top buttons to make it easier to breathe. He took a deep breath and exhaled and put his hands back, peering into the starless sky.

To be honest, when they looked at it with Takemichi and childishly made wishes while watching a shooting star, Chifuyu wished something very stupid. So stupid that when he thought about it for the next week in those very few minutes before going to bed, he just wanted to hit his head against the wall several times.

"I want us to always be together"

And what’s that? Who makes such stupid wishes at all?

Is he fifteen years old?

Although...

Yes, he's definitely fifteen.

Because otherwise, Chifuyu simply could not explain to himself why he was thinking even worse than the dumbest teenager. The consequences of time travel, or is he just not very smart? That's definitely a mystery. And in his youth, he boasted imagining himself travelling in time and space with Takemichi, as if they were two gray Jedi² ...It's awful even to remember! What a pity that in fact everything turned out to be completely different from what Chifuyu imagined for himself.

After all, going back to the old days did not mean becoming young again, no matter how much he wanted to. What he has experienced will never leave him again. It will remain there forever, right inside him, even if it is buried deep under layers of skin and muscles.

Chifuyu suddenly remembered about Mori-san. He didn't know if she was working at the hospital today or not, or if any of her colleagues had informed her about what had happened to Takemichi, but he sincerely hoped that the woman wasn't in the dark right now. He could have called her himself if the phone was still working, but it already died on the way to the hospital, so in this matter Chifuyu could only rely on someone else.

If he was in the future now, he would probably smoke a whole pack of cigarettes at a time.

In contrast, a bottle of water suddenly appeared in front of his face.

Chifuyu jerked and was about to raise his head when Draken clumsily sat next to him, drinking from his own bottle. Chifuyu took his own from his hands and was about to ask how Draken found him here and why the hell he decided to sit next to him at all, but his head was already buzzing so much, so he just waved his hand tiringly.

Besides, Ryuguji was sitting in silence, and it pleased. At least for the next few minutes, Chifuyu could enjoy, if not solitude, then at least sweet silence. Or so it seemed to him.

“You know, I wanted to do it too,” Draken said, closing the already empty bottle and swinging it aimlessly from side to side.

Chifuyu didn't even bother to turn around. He took a few sips from his bottle and threw a distant and not too interested "hm?" in Ken's direction.

“I wanted to hit Mikey too,” Matsuno almost choked. Ryuguji turned his head towards him and added quietly, “I mean... because of Emma. I'd like to do that too.”

“I see,” Chifuyu just grinned. The desire to smoke suddenly became twice as strong. “And why didn't you do it then?”

“You've done a lot without me. I think he's had enough for today,” Draken answered him without any mockery, then exhaling noisily. “But I'll be honest with you,” the guy put the bottle aside and cupped his fist with his palm, lowering his eyes to the floor, as if he could be shamed for what he said, “if Emma had died, maybe I would have killed him with my own hands.”

“And why are you telling me this?”

“I do not know,” he let out a slightly nervous laugh and shook his head, repeating the Chifuyu’s pose and also putting his hands back as a support. “As the deputy head, I have to reprimand you and suspend you from meetings for at least a week for attacking the commander. Do you get that?”

 “Let's say,” Matsuno closed the empty bottle with a lid and began to crumple it in his hands in order to occupy his hands with something. He sighed wearily.  “But?”

Draken chuckled.

“But I won't do it. Otherwise, I will have to suspend not only you from the meetings, but also myself, because in your place I would do the same. I'm not proud of it, Chifuyu, and I don't advise you, but I think we both understand that Mikey is not guilty at all for what Kisaki and Hanma did today.”

Chifuyu wasn’t agree with this, but he did not argue and simply shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

“People tend to look for the guilty and take out their pain and resentment on them,” Draken continued in the same tone.

Matsuno rolled his eyes, not even worrying about whether his interlocutor would notice it. He wasn't looking for the guilty — he was just doing justice. As a benefactor. He was not going to philosophize senselessly on this topic, and, frankly, he was already fed up with all these stupid sayings. They were of no use anyway, so Draken was just wasting his time. The only thing Chifuyu wanted right now was peace and quiet.

With the talk about Mikey, it was impossible.

“Don't think I'm going to apologize for what I did, Draken,” Matsuno told him firmly. “Mikey put Takemichi in danger when it could have been avoided, and he got what he deserved. I don't regret anything.”

“I understand,” Ryuguji just sighed.

Chifuyu barely restrained himself from snorting in response.

Draken didn't understand a damn thing and would never have been able to understand, because most probably he didn't even imagine what kind of monster he was hanging out with on a regular basis. Draken himself may not have been a bad guy, but his eternal need to take care of Manjiro didn’t inspire Matsuno with confidence at all, so he let his claws out, although still didn’t scratch. Probably because of the remnants of a former respect for a former friend. Although Chifuyu also assumed that Draken could talk about some kind of understanding between them only because he tried to postpone lecturing on good behavior until better times.

“You're angry, Chifuyu, and that's perfectly normal. There's not a person in Toman who doesn't know how close you are to Takemichi, so... I can understand how you feel," Chifuyu visibly tensed after hearing these words, and did not even realize what exactly hurt him so much: that people around him were aware of his close relationship with Takemichi, or that they could use this knowledge against him. “The way you reacted, it's terrible, but not so inexplicable. Losing those you value that much is scary as hell, and sometimes brute force is the only way to release this fear. Protect yourself from pain. Hide. Call it whatever you want. But I want you to understand that this is not always the best way to say how you feel.”

“Then what do you think is the «best way»?” Chifuyu turned to him and raised his eyebrows with an obvious question. It came out a little irritated. Only now Chifuyu got the opportunity to examine Draken a little more closely, and it was surprising to find the same eyes as his own, swollen with tears, which the guy tried his best to keep open. He looked decently tired. Inadvertently, Chifuyu thought about his previous words about Emma and immediately threw them away. It didn't concern him. “Don't get me wrong, Draken, but just a few minutes ago you told me you would have done exactly the same. And, you know, it's pretty funny to hear from a member of a biker gang that you shouldn't use force the way I do. We fight more often than we breathe, so this way of expressing emotions is what we live with. Am I wrong?”

Draken fixed his penetrating gaze on him, and Chifuyu steadfastly withstood these unfortunate few seconds. He felt like he was being held at gunpoint, even though he obviously hadn't done anything wrong yet.

“I used to think so too.”

“And what has changed?”

He was silent again, this time for much longer than the last one, and Chifuyu was already thinking that the conversation was finally over when Ryuguji deigned to answer:

“We've been facing death so often lately that it's starting to become a habit,” he said with difficulty, tossing his head and peering with his smoldering eyes into the serene evening sky. His longing suddenly seemed so palpable that Chifuyu suddenly felt uncomfortable. “And it's scary. It used to be much simpler, right?” he chuckled, but he was clearly not amused. “You could just ride bikes until the morning, skip school, have fun together... And then everything suddenly went awry. First, Pah-chin's best friend got into trouble, then he stabbed Osanai himself and ended up in prison for it, Peh-yan and that damn Moebius... I myself almost died then if it wasn't for Takemichi,” Draken gasped, straightening up and wrapping his knees with his hands. Always tall, lanky, he suddenly seemed to Chifuyu as a tiny little boy. “And then you know yourself. Baji, now here's Emma and Takemichi,” the grin smoothly flowed into a strange, alarmed laugh. “This asshole better fight for his life with all his might, because I don't like to stay in debt.”

Chifuyu listened in silence, sometimes nodding randomly.

“I just... don't want the force to be used to kill. You understand? This is not why we created Toman. We created it to protect,” Draken finally concluded. He turned to Matsuno again, as if trying to check how seriously he was taking his words. Did Chifuyu understand him? Definitely. Of course. How could he not understand when Mikey personally killed Takemichi, and after that “Toman” destroyed and trampled on any attempts of Chifuyu to return to the past for him and fix everything. They forgot about Takemichi, they destroyed Baji's ideals, and Chifuyu didn't believe a single word. Meanwhile, Draken only clasped his hands in a lock, continuing sullenly: “The path Takemichi chooses, when he gets into a fight... is the best and the most correct. The safest of all.”

“And look where it got him,” Chifuyu just shook his head, making it clear that he completely disagreed with Ken's words. He always admired Takemichi and how he could find the right words and lead people. Bring them to reason, if you want, without getting into a fierce fight. But for some reason, everyone forgot what each such choice cost him. Sleepless nights. Nightmares. Sufferings. He was condemning himself to death by throwing a lifeline to others. Was that fair? It would have been better if he had killed them all. Chifuyu fumbled with his fingers. “You said you don't always have to use force, but what if there's just no other way? What if fighting is the only chance to win?”

“You can always find a solution without resorting to violence.”

“And if there is no such solution?”

“Then you need to ask someone who will find one,” Draken came up with an answer almost immediately. Whether he was referring to himself or someone else, Matsuno had no idea. “Chifuyu, do you know which battle is the most successful?”

“The one you are well prepared for?” Chifuyu suggested.

“The one that didn’t happen,” Ryuguji corrected him with a soft smile. His big, heavy hand fit on Chifuyu's shoulder and squeezed it loosely. The boy shrank and reared up under the weight of other’s touch, like a lynx patiently waiting for the moment to attack. “If the case can be solved peacefully and without losses, then everyone will only benefit. It's a simple math. But whatever it is, Chifuyu, even if there is no way to avoid a fight, you will never have to fight anyone alone. As long as you believe in Toman, you believe in us, your comrades, and in your commander, while Mikey is standing behind you... You won't lose to anyone.”

Chifuyu smiled tightly.

Draken seemed to believe it.

He repeated:

“You're not alone.”

Empty, meaningless words.

That's all “Toman” was standing on. The solemn speeches about the power of eternal friendship that Mikey and Draken tirelessly pushed at the Musashi shrine immediately evaporated when it came to real problems. In front of Ryuguji, Chifuyu could pretend to be the same: a younger boy, standby with Baji, that he was ready to slit Kisaki's throat just for not showing Mikey the proper respect. But Chifuyu couldn't pretend to his own self.

"Toman" was disgusting to him.

Or he really wanted to convince himself of it.

“Izana has rescheduled the battle.”

“What?” Chifuyu was thinking so hard that he missed part of the sentence said by Draken, and only heard the end. And then, extremely vaguely.

“Inui told me. There, at the cemetery… He had scheduled it for eight o'clock in the evening, but half an hour ago a man sent by "Tenjiku" said that today they would not fight with Toman.”

“What do you mean, "they won't fight"? What does it mean?”

Draken just shrugged his shoulders.

For the first time in so long, Chifuyu remembered the impending battle with the Kurokawa’s fraction. He couldn't think about it before: his whole head was boiling and seething with other thoughts. So it was at this moment, but now new thoughts have settled in between thinking about Takemichi and Toman.

Chifuyu didn't understand what was going on.

Today, all the chances of victory were in the hands of “Tenjiku”. The main force of “Toman” — the soul, the living and beating heart of the gang in the person of Takemichi Hanagaki — was almost eliminated. Together with him, the work of the entire first division was paralyzed: Chifuyu had Inui, Takuya, Akkun, Yamagishi and Makoto at his disposal, but he would never have dared to command them alone. From the second and fourth division, there were only Hakkai, Souya and a few strong guys: Smiley and Mitsuya were seriously injured the day before and, of course, could not fight. The fifth division was led by Mucho, who had already betrayed them, and the third division under the temporary management of Peh-yan was actually not under his control. Mikey and Draken were probably not in the best shape either: the attempt on Emma had pretty much knocked them down, and they both clearly had no intention of fighting without Takemichi.

Toman was in ruins.

For Kisaki, all the cards turned out just perfectly. So why? Why did Izana suddenly change his mind, even though it obviously didn't play in his favor at all? Did he make this decision on his own, or did someone put him up to it? Kisaki? Hanma? Was someone from “Tenjiku” on the side of “Toman”?

No matter how much Chifuyu replayed it in his head, there was simply no logical explanation. Whoever helped Kurokawa to make this choice, Chifuyu was very grateful to him. After all, if the battle had not been postponed, there would have been simply no one to go to it. In that case, how would it end? A truce of the parties? By merging two gangs? Maybe someone just didn't want an easy victory?

Chifuyu didn't find anything to say, and just nodded, making it clear that he had heard everything. They were silent for a long time. Chifuyu was thinking drearily about something, as if trying to figure out whether it was worth voicing his thoughts out loud or better to leave them in the care of his own consciousness, when, in the end, he finally decided.

He said it dryly and without unnecessary emotions:

“You better confess.”

“Eh?” Draken frowned slightly. His eyebrows drew a little closer to his nose and a shallow wrinkle appeared between them. “What to confess?”

“Emma,” was all Chifuyu muttered. The devil knows why he brought it up at all. “About how you feel about her. Especially after today,” Ken's face immediately changed. Bewilderment and at the same time a huge fear shone in the previously calm black eyes. “Don't make that face. Everyone in Toman knows about it,” the left corner of his lips lifted a little. These words so clearly echoed those that Draken said about him and Takemichi that for some reason Chifuyu smiled, and, noticing this, immediately took a serious look. “You... didn't want to drag her into this, did you? Well, showdowns, fights... all that. You know, it could have worked if she wasn't the sister of "Invincible Mikey." You can keep a distance from her until the end of time, but, as for me, this will not reduce the danger in any way. Maybe even the opposite. So, wouldn't it be better to be close and be able to protect her without hiding it?”

Draken stared at him, barely blinking.

“Doesn’t...” he swallowed, probably digesting what he had heard. Hardly anyone other than Mikey or Mitsuya could dare to talk to him so brazenly on such a personal topic. But since they decided to have an evening of revelations, Chifuyu could not miss the opportunity. “Doesn't what happened to her today, on the contrary, prove that I'm doing the right thing by keeping a distance between us? Do you think this is wrong?”

“I don't think I'm the one who can tell you what to do. I've never had a relationship, and I've never loved anyone, but if I had such a choice in front of me, I would fight to the point of losing my pulse for what is dear to me. Ask the question differently, Draken. If you lost her today, would you be able to move on without any regrets?”

Draken lowered his eyes.

Chifuyu would like to show him the future Ken Ryuguji now. The one with the sad, deer's eyes, under which deep and almost black bags were stuck, who was reading his letter from two thousand and six.

“Emma will always be with you”

And that stupid smile on his face as he carelessly crumpled the edges of the paper sheet with trembling fingers.

Don't make me regret it in the future, Draken.

I'm doing you a favor right now.

“I'll remember what you said,” the guy just nodded, pursing his lips. “Thank you... Chifuyu.”

“There you are! We've been looking for you!” The door swung open abruptly, forcing them to turn around synchronously, and the blonde top of Emma's head appeared from the corridor. Matsuno turned to her with a mute question. She was trying to catch her breath. “The operation is already over.”

Chifuyu got up from his seat a little, ready to run regardless of what he hears in the next sentence. He crossed his fingers behind his back.

Please.

Be okay.

Emma broke into a slight smile:

“The doctors said that if everything is fine, Takemichi should wake up in a few hours.”

Chifuyu felt a huge stone fall from his shoulders directly onto the stairs. He stood up, and his eyes lit up with a lively and bright green fire. He convinced himself that it was unspeakably stupid to call on any of gods. But that was a lie. He prayed, although he never believed, prayed all this time and to every deity he could remember for such a long time. And even if Shinigami itself had asked for his soul instead of Takemichi's soul, Chifuyu wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.

He was about to walk around the girl when he suddenly stopped at the very threshold and turned to her over his shoulder, barely nodding in the direction of the stairs leading up. It was a little awkward to talk to her after the public scene with Manjiro, and he tried not to look her in the eyes.

“Hinata...” he hesitated. “She's there... Well, that is... On the roof. Can you also tell her that...”

“Of course,” Sano nodded calmly and held the door open so Chifuyu could get out. “Don't worry about it.”

Chifuyu immediately rushed forward down the corridor, boiling with joy. It was probably too early to be happy, because Takemichi still hadn't regained consciousness, but Chifuyu couldn't help himself. To hear such good news after so many hours of waiting was unimaginably great.

Having almost reached the right place, Chifuyu suddenly stopped, watching the scene unfolding in the corridor with surprise.

Manjiro, with his head bowed low, stood dejectedly in front of Mori-san, while she herself was obviously trying to explain to him that there was no need to bow. Chifuyu, of course, was not agree with this. After a few seconds, Mikey finally straightened up, and his eyes now seemed almost the same as before. Probably, a small walk with Emma and Draken helped him to recover a little. Mikey nodded to Mori-san again and tried not to make eye contact with her, and probably for this reason he accidentally looked at Chifuyu standing behind him.

And it was a strange look.

Chifuyu was always scared by those big black eyes.

Noticing that Sano was looking somewhere, Mori-san herself turned in the same direction, not without a smile finding Matsuno standing not far from them.

“Chifuyu! I knew you were somewhere nearby!” She called him to her with a smile, and the young man, glancing at Mikey every now and then, reluctantly obeyed her request. He slowly approached them and only then noticed that the woman was wearing work clothes: it seems that today was her shift after all.

She casually patted Chifuyu on the head.

“Mori-san, I'm sorry... Do you know how Takemichi is?” Matsuno asked awkwardly, always embarrassed by her reverent attitude towards himself. He deliberately ignored Mikey's presence next to her.

“I was told that he is still unconscious, but the doctors give good predictions,” she took her attentive gaze away from Chifuyu and turned back to Manjiro. “The only thing that saved him was that the help was provided on time, so...” the previous smile disappeared from her face, as if it had never existed, the gray-blue eyes faded, and the woman hunched her back in an absurd bow. Why would she bow to Manjiro? “Thank you very much, Mikey. If you hadn't made the decision to take him to the hospital yourself, maybe things would have turned out differently. The ambulance could simply not have time, and then...” she hesitated in a mid-sentence, unable to finish, and exhaled heavily. “You saved my nephew. I'll never forget it.”

What?!

Chifuyu almost choked on his own saliva.

Mikey?! Saved?! But after all...

How this…

How is this fucking possible?!

Chifuyu wanted to grab Mori-san by the hand and tell her that everything was completely wrong, that she was being brazenly deceived, and she was now facing not a savior at all, but a real killer, murderer — the one who would ruin her beloved nephew in the distant future. And Mikey couldn't be trusted so blindly! Just couldn't!

But Chifuyu could only stand and watch, like a fish, silently flapping its lips, unable to insert a single word into their dialogue.

“I should have kept a better eye on him, so I'm sorry,” Manjiro muttered softly in response.

His tone seemed to Chifuyu so disgusting and sickly-sweet that he twisted his face. After all, Mikey never apologized to anyone—it was Draken who forced him to apologize to other people or more often did it for him. So what was the reason that this Invincible Bastard was now so apologetic in front of Mori-san? Because it was Takemichi’s aunt and not someone else? Was he trying to ingratiate himself with her like that?

“Well, you've done enough without that,” the woman wiped away the tears that had risen from the corners of her eyes and broke into a friendly smile again. Mikey returned it. “I will be very happy if you come to visit us as soon as Takemichi recovers, so that I can thank you again. We have a very delicious tea with lemon balm and mint. And sugar cookies! Chifuyu will tell you!”

"I'll be very happy to come," Sano agreed easily.

Chifuyu had no doubt that he would answer that way, but it didn’t make his irritation any less.

“Chifuyu, you can come too, if you want,” the woman turned for a moment to Matsuno himself. “The three of you will have a lot of fun.”

“I will definitely come,” he said through tightly clenched teeth, squinting dangerously and not taking his contemptuous gaze off Manjiro. Sano seemed to be just laughing in his face. “Just let Takemichi get well as soon as possible.”

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief when the doctor reported that Takemichi had regained consciousness. A lot of people wanted to see him and ask him about the details of what happened, but the always reasonable Draken correctly noticed that the best solution would be to give Takemichi a proper rest — noisy companies after such a serious traumatic brain injury were absolutely useless to him.

Chifuyu was completely agreed with this. He also was going to return to home and get a good night's sleep, so that tomorrow, as soon as the time strikes eight in the morning, he could visit Takemichi one of the first. If his phone was still working, it would already be bursting with calls: surely mom was very worried about the fact that he didn't pick up the phone all day.

Chifuyu left the hospital. There wouldn’t be enough gasoline in the bike for the way home: he, of course, had refueled it, but he could not foresee long trips around the city in search of a meeting place with Hanma, and then a trip to the hospital. He trudged on foot. It was a long way, but, deeply immersed in his own thoughts, he didn’t even notice how he was already walking past the playground. He didn't think about anything serious — there was no strength left for that—he thought only about his mother, about dinner, about a warm bed. Matsuno was also thinking about how he would visit Takemichi tomorrow. What would he like? Ramen noodles? Yakisoba? And was that acceptable? He should ask Mori-san.

There was a whistle.

Chifuyu immediately turned around.

His main tormentor was sitting on a swing, swinging serenely and now and then crashing into the ground with his long legs. He was surprisingly cheerful: as soon as he saw Matsuno's changed face, he immediately smiled, got up from his seat and walked forward to meet him.

He spread his arms on both sides, as if waiting for a hug.

“Chifuyu-u-u!” he laughed, stretching out his name, and did it as easily as if they were old friends. “Long time no see, partner!”

One look at him was enough to fill the heart with the old anger. Chifuyu closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds, and the punch immediately landed in the gut.

Hanma doubled over and coughed violently.

The body was tired, clumsy, and Chifuyu knew perfectly well that he had hit him weakly enough, but Shuji liked to show off once again.

“Ah! What’s this for?” he asked, completely surprised. Sitting down on the swing again, he began to rub his bruised stomach.

Chifuyu was ready to explode on the spot.

It was like some kind of circus.

“For what?” he asked, as if he couldn't believe his own ears. There was no limit to the indignation. “Are you still fucking asking?! What the fuck did you do today?! You said yourself that we work together! If you were going to betray me from the very beginning, then what was the point of wasting time on all these speeches?!”

“What are you talking about, Matsuno?” Hanma threw in his direction much more indifferently. His stomach, apparently, no longer bothered him. He took a bright red apple from somewhere in his pocket and brought it to his lips. “I didn't do anything.”

“Takemichi almost died because of you!” throwing up his hands, accused him Chifuyu. His voice was still weak: after all, he had shouted enough today.

“Because of me?” Hanma was dramatically indignant. He didn't give any answers again. A question to a question, and nothing else, is his favorite tactic. Either he wanted to look like an idiot, or he really was one — Matsuno was already tired of guessing over the correct answer. “Chifuyu, I did the same thing I did last time. Didn't you warn Hanagaki about the assassination attempt on Sano?” He bit into the apple loudly and grinned, pointing his hand with the core in the direction of Chifuyu. “You changed the past. I have nothing to do with it.”

“Tch! Are you kidding me?! Don't put everything on me! You promised to help, but you didn't do anything! You could have prevented an attempt on Emma, but you didn't even try! What was the purpose of pouring into my ears about how lonely and unhappy we are, and then acting behind my back?! You haven't answered any of my calls! I called you almost every day!”

“The fact that you didn't listen to me properly is solely your problem. I told you I'd contact you myself when it’s necessary.”

“Really?” Chifuyu laughed hoarsely. For some reason, it seemed to him more and more that he had fallen into some kind of psychedelic game, where he was desperately tried to be proved that he was the only madman here. “Contact? You did it on purpose! Made this damn appointment so I couldn't help Takemichi! Sent me to the outskirts of Tokyo! You even set up different time! Why?! What are you trying to achieve?!”

“Just a remark: what would you do? Well, if you had been near the road,” Hanma pursed his lips thoughtfully, tapping his chin with the index finger of his free hand in blissful calm. “Takemichi would throw himself under a motorcycle, and you would follow him like a faithful dog? And what's the result? Two crippled idiots at once instead of one on a one-time action and Sano's rescued sister? Was that your plan, Matsuno?”

Chifuyu ground his teeth.

“Did you even have any plan?”

“Maybe it was you who should have tried to dissuade Kisaki from attacking Emma?” Matsuno growled in his direction.

“An attack is the best defense? You're so predictable,” Shuji chuckled at his clumsy attempt to make a retaliatory lunge. “I have already told you that I do not influence serious events. What did you expect from me?”

“That you will at least pretend to be involved, and not leave me to the mercy of fate, so that I deal with everything alone! No?! Do you want to save Kisaki at all, or have you just found a new entertainment for yourself?!”

“You know, it seems to me that Hanagaki should keep you on a leash,” the apple was finished, and Hanma bored threw it somewhere to the side over his left shoulder. Chifuyu only heard the sound of a hit when the stub bounced off something metallic and rolled back to the bushes. “When you are far from the owner, you become a mad dog. To be honest, I don't quite understand what all the fuss is about. Your captain is fine right now, isn't he?” Hanma wrapped his arms around the chains of the swing and pushed off a little from the ground. He swayed merrily, back and forth. He didn't need to hear Chifuyu's answer: he already knew it. He knew about everything. “I told you: he's a tenacious infection.”

“You're lucky,” Matsuno grumbled. “Otherwise, I would have gutted you long ago.”

Hanma just grinned. No matter what Chifuyu said to him, no matter how threatened, any words seemed ridiculous to Shuji. Chifuyu should have gotten used to being an open book for him long ago, but only Takemichi Hanagaki could be allowed to have such liberty.

“Listen, if it's so difficult for you, you can still refuse our deal,” Hanma swayed again, but this time stronger. Chifuyu felt dizzy. “No, really. I don't usually offer this, but out of our old friendship I can make an exception for you. Just imagine: you will return to your wonderful apartment in the suburbs again, you will work in a pet store together with Kazutora! And you won't have to see “Toman”, Mikey, even me anymore! Well, since you don't trust me so much. What do you think, Matsuno? I can see in your eyes the desire to return to two thousand twenty-first as soon as possible!”

Chifuyu hated this game.

Even if Shuji was not completely honest, which was very obvious, one thing remained unchanged: he was still the only person capable of moving Matsuno in time. He could to argue with Hanma for days, he could swear and blame him, but they both understood perfectly well that Chifuyu had no other choice, or rather, of course, he had one, but Chifuyu didn’t even consider it as a possible option. If he wanted to stay and save Takemichi, he had to shut up and do what he was told.

Even if it meant turning a blind eye to Hanma's idiotic antics.

“There's no way I'm going back,” Chifuyu snapped. His hands clenched into fists. “Not without Takemichi.”

“I didn't doubt you, partner!” Hanma sang cheerfully.

He gradually stopped swinging and finally got up from the swing.

“Since when did you start calling me that?” not too happy with this prospect, Chifuyu exhaled.

“I thought you liked to brand people with all sorts of stupid nicknames, didn't you?”

“Don't change the subject. Even if I didn't have a specific plan to save Emma, it didn't give you any right to send me to the fuck knows where, so that I definitely wouldn't be able to help Takemichi.”

“Did you really want to see your friend with a broken skull? It seemed to me that the scene in the future was enough for you for the rest of your life.”

“Do you want me to believe that you are a benefactor who decided to save me from a bloody mess? “ Chifuyu shrugged his shoulders, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers in frustration. “Really? Have you come up with anything more convincing during this time?”

“I wasn't going to kill Hanagaki, if that's what you're so worried about.”

“Can you say this about Kisaki with the same confidence?”

Hanma grinned.

“He wouldn't have killed him. Not now.”

“And what about later? Anyway, why should I even believe you?”

“You don't have to believe me if you don't want to,” he just shrugged carelessly, as he did almost all the time when Chifuyu asked such questions. “It's your business. Actually, as always.”

“So, why all this? If you assumed how everything would happen, then why did you deprive me of the opportunity to be near Takemichi today? What would I interfere with?”

“Chifuyu, what have you been doing for the last two weeks?”

And again.

Hanma didn’t answer the question, but instead asked his own, in his opinion, perhaps, more important and meaningful one, which, of course, was not the case for Chifuyu.

“Ha? Why do you need to know?”

“Because this will be the answer to your question. Do you remember what I told you when you returned to the future for the first time?”

“About how you played with me like the last bastard and pulled me out of the past at the moment when I just relaxed? Is that what you mean?”

“Exactly. Now come back to my question and try to answer it. I let you go back in time so that you would find a way to save Kisaki, and then, together, we would figure out how to protect Hanagaki.”

“And? What's the problem?”

“You're taking the time you spend here too lightly and carelessly. I promised that I wouldn't pull you back again without warning, but I never said that you could relax and become fifteen-year-old Chifuyu Matsuno again. Not pretend, mind you. But to become.”

“I still don't know what you're talking about.”

“You're thirty, Chifuyu. You still remember this, right?”

“Of course I remember!” he answered too sharply. “But so what? What do you wanna say?”

“It's not your time. You came here with a specific purpose, but for some reason you don't focus on it at all. Do you want to correct the mistakes of youth? I won't stop you. But if you forget even for a moment why you're here, I'll find a way to remind you.”

“Oh... well, of course,” Chifuyu opened his eyes in a dumbfounded way, and a short caustic laugh slipped from his lips. “So that's why there was all this trick with the meeting. Did you decide to teach me a lesson like that? After you dumped me yourself? Do you happen to find any contradictions?”

“None,” Shuji calmly shook his head. “Consider the past two weeks your probation period. You didn't do it in the best way, but you got the result, so you can stay.”

“Isn't it me who decides whether I stay or not?” Chifuyu asked, frowning.

“I want you to be ready to act boldly and resolutely when the time comes,” ignoring the question, Hanma only smiled. “And from now on, when you start making decisions, think about the consequences that they will bring later.”

“Is that a threat?” raising his eyebrows, Chifuyu inquired.

“So far, a friendly warning. We were lucky today, but who knows what will happen next time you stumble.”

“You're not helping.”

“And you're looking for enemies in the wrong place, Matsuno.”

“I'm not looking for enemies,” Chifuyu objected. “They find me themselves. Usually they are under two meters tall and hang out in bars, so that on occasion they can slip some kind of idiotic postcard and tell a sad story about a lost friend. Speaking of that postcard...”

“You are sure that I left you, but it's not quite true.”

“Really?” Chifuyu tried to feign surprise, but it looked more like a tired mockery. “Surprise me!”

“I changed the bat.”

“What?”

“Kisaki instructed me to get a metal bat to attack Mikey's sister. I couldn’t persuade him to abandon this plan completely, but to replace the weapon he would use with a lighter one—yes, it was definitely in my power.”

 “Why couldn't you persuade him? Wouldn't he listen to his best friend?”

“Firstly, it would be at least strange: Kisaki always makes such decisions himself, and here I am not his adviser. An accomplice to the crime, but nothing more. Secondly: there was no benefit to me asking him not to kill the girl. This is their joint plan with Kurokawa. I don't and shouldn't care about her.”

“Let's say. You said you replaced the bat. So what?”

“Oh, have you started listening to me? Commendable, Matsuno,” Chifuyu, rolling his eyes, walked past Shuji and wearily plopped down on the vacated swing. He continued to enthusiastically talk: “So that's it. The previous one was quite heavy, wooden, but it lay well in the hand, so it was enough convenient to strike, which is especially important at a high speed. I advised him to take it, because it guarantees the result, although initially he planned to use another one.”

“And this time you got exactly the one he asked for?”

“Exactly! Despite the fact that it is metal, it is still lighter. I had to tinker, but I found what I needed. An old hollow bat! The metal was already worn out and began to crumble, it was uncomfortable even to hold it in the hands, and the tube bent almost immediately after Kisaki hit Hanagaki. I've never tried this before, but considering that you warned Hanagaki and he pushed Sano aside, the blow fell on him. And, to your good luck, it came out light and greased. After all, Kisaki has rather weak hands. Although, I admit, there was still a lot of blood.”

“Heartwarming, but there's no way to verify your words. And if you're not lying, you couldn't be sure that replacing the bat would change something. How significant is this change? After all, your actions have no serious impact, right? And the head is a vulnerable place. Sometimes it's enough to hit the corner of the table to die, not to mention a direct hit at a high speed.”

“I would remark: a slower speed,” Hanma corrected him. “However, you are absolutely right: it was a pure lottery, but thanks to our tandem, even if we acted separately, everything turned out just perfect!”

“Takemichi hasn't recovered yet. If something happens…”

“Yes, yes, I get it, you're gonna gut me. But I am more than sure that in a few days he will look even better than you.”

“You better pray for that.”

“That's not all. Kisaki was in despair when he decided to kill the younger Sano with his own hands, but you and I prevented this plan. I think you've heard that  "Tenjiku" refused to fight with Toman today.”

“Yes, but I still don't understand the reason. It's stupid, isn't it? They could have taken control of Toman, but they didn't. Why?”

“Izana consults Kisaki in making any decisions. He was quite mad when Kisaki suggested postponing the fight because he clearly wanted to end Mikey on the day of the founding of the "Black Dragons".”

“That is, today?”

“Today.”

“I still don't understand. Let's assume that it was Kisaki who insisted on rescheduling the battle with "Tenjiku". But, why? Option one: in this way, he is trying to buy himself some time to come up with a new plan to destroy Takemichi, since the plan with Emma failed. Option two: he has already conceived something and is now waiting for the right moment to release his claws.”

“It sounds quite logical.”

“Among "Tenjiku" no one knows about the new date yet?”

“No one knows. I think that Izana himself hasn’t yet decided. The date will probably be chosen taking into account Kisaki's new plan, but so far everything is deaf with this.”

“Damn,” Chifuyu massaged his temples. This day has been too long. Too much has happened. He just wanted to go home. “While we don't know anything concrete, it's too early to talk about something. I can't think of anything right now. Your ideas?”

“The same as yours, ”Shuji landed heavily on a nearby swing and rummaged in the pockets of his hoodie. “You know, you're not the only one who had a hard day today.”

He looked a little different at this timeline: his hair was much shorter and gathered into a ridiculous style. Although Hanma's sarcasm and impudence hadn’t gone away at all, there was a strange liveliness in his sharp amber eyes, a blazing bright fire that Matsuno had not seen in them before. Chifuyu suddenly wondered if his own eyes had changed as much when he returned here from a terrible future.

Finally, Hanma fished out a lighter from somewhere and a slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes. Chifuyu himself didn’t notice how closely he was following Shuji’s every movement until the guy turned to him and handed him cigarettes with an understandable question:

“Wanna one?”

He wanted.

Really.

“I don't smoke anymore,” but Chifuyu shook his head and pushed the pack back towards Hanma, in response to which he only laughed immodestly.

“Presumptuous.”

“Ha?”

“What are you planning to do? Now that your formal probation period is over and you're not going to back down, I'm ready to participate a little more actively. Of course, to the best of my abilities, but I hope you've learned my lesson. So,” Hanma aimlessly twirled a cigarette in his hands, for some reason not lighting it, and clamped it between his teeth only when he paused and stretched out his right hand. “Are we officially working as a team now?”

Matsuno narrowed his eyes.

His gaze went down and up with undisguised irritation, drawing a small line from the palm of his outstretched hand to Shuji's insidiously sparkling eyes.

“Fuck you,” Chifuyu rolled his eyes, hitting Hanma on the shoulder. He burst out laughing and clenched his outstretched hand into a fist, later wrapping it around the chain of the swing. The gloomy Chifuyu didn’t share the fun. “Do you think I'm stupid enough to shake your hand knowing it will send me back to the future?”

“Come on, that would be fun! I'm actually trying to be friends with you!” Shuji argued with him without stopping laughing hoarsely. “How about we call ourselves "The Hanmas", eh, partner?”

“Stop calling me that,” Chifuyu sighed for the fifth time. His eyes were closing, and he was afraid that if he closed them for one more second, he would pass out right on the swing. He was just about to fall asleep when a strange rustle came from somewhere. The briar bushes rustled noisily, and the branches moved. Chifuyu, who had dozed off, opened his eyes. “Quiet!” he commanded, interrupting Shuji's meaningless chatter.

Fortunately, he immediately fell silent.

“What's the matter?” he asked.

Chifuyu put his finger to his lips, urging him to remain silent, quietly got up and approached the source of the sound with careful, slow steps. He didn't really like the prospect of anyone knowing about their meetings with Hanma.

“Who's here?”

Someone immediately ducked into the nearby trees and disappeared into complete darkness. The sound of rapid footsteps receded and slowly faded away. Chifuyu was about to rush after the spy when he suddenly noticed a small piece of black cloth on a broken and sharp branch.

“Have you brought any of your friends here, Matsuno?” Hanma's loud voice was heard behind him. He was still sitting on the swing, waiting for Chifuyu, and didn't look too scared. He just shouted a little louder: “I'm not a fan of any rats, by the way!”

“It's not in my interest,” Chifuyu told him. He was not so much scared as alerted by what had happened. Could it be just a coincidence, or was someone really following them? And if so, who did it and for what purpose? “Whoever it was, we need to be more careful next time. We shouldn't be seen together in crowded places.”

“Are you afraid that your beautiful Hanagaki will find out that you are making insidious plans with his worst enemies?”

“Tomorrow early in the morning at my house," Matsuno said without going into unnecessary explanations and no longer responding to stupid taunts. He turned his find over in his hands once more, but there was nothing special about it. Despite this, Chifuyu was still going to keep it for himself. Just in case. “Don't be late.”

He put it in his pocket and turned to Hanma to say goodbye. He was not surprised that this time Chifuyu himself decided to set the rules for their next meeting, although, most likely, he just let it happen.

“Will you send me the address?”

“You'll find it yourself. It's not far from here, and I don't think there will be any problems considering your awareness. If anything, you have the number, but my phone may not be available.”

“Well, I'll figure it out somehow.”

“See ya.”

“Bye, partner!”

“I told you not to call me that.”

Chifuyu almost crawled to the apartment. He opened the door with his key and quietly walked into the corridor, trying not to make too much noise. Mom was already asleep, so he tiptoed to his room so as not to wake her up.

Peke-J was dozing peacefully on the bed.

Chifuyu was tired.

He needed to sleep, but instead he tore down the posters from the walls and exposed the scheme he had previously drawn up: there was still nothing special there - just a few names on white sheets.

Hanma was right: Chifuyu acted at random too often. He could change the future, but if something happened to Takemichi in the past, it would be irreparable.

He tore out sheet after sheet and pasted it on the wall. Matsuno divided them into two groups: «Toman» and «Tenjiku». Kisaki and Hanma were placed separately. He circled the two of them, as well as Manjiro, three times in red.

Shouldn't be trusted.

It probably meant exactly that.

He wrote down the future of everyone he knew about, so that it would be easier to track the changes. All that remains is to understand what date Kisaki can choose for the battle with “Tenjiku” so that tomorrow, right before Chifuyu goes to visit Takemichi in the hospital, he and Hanma can discuss it. Maybe during the night he will have some new thoughts? Although, it was Hanma, so it wasn't even worth hoping for.

Should the date be significant? Or is it optional?

At some point, the sheets at hand ran out, and Chifuyu reached for the first notebook on the table. It had been lying there since he returned, and he had never touched it before: there was no need for that.

Without looking, he was about to tear out the paper when he noticed that the notebook was not empty. The first thought was quite obvious: probably the note for school. And it's strange that it didn't come in handy earlier — maybe the old one? But when Chifuyu ran his gaze over the writing a little more carefully, his eyes immediately flew open.

He dropped the notebook and backed away, pressing his back against the plastered wall.

«Hello, Chifuyu from the future!»

This day couldn't get any better...

Chapter Text

A few minutes later, when the initial panic subsided a little, Matsuno still found the strength to look at the contents of the notebook. Not that it could be called curiosity—he was terrified of what he might find there, but probably even more afraid of what he might miss.

Holding his breath and taking a few steps towards the ill-fated object, Chifuyu bent down and slowly, with extreme care, as if there was no less than a whole bomb in front of him, picked up the notebook from the floor. In the same tension, he pulled a chair towards him and casually sat down on the seat, and pointedly placed the find on the desk right in front of him, as if it could disappear without a trace if he only looked away for a moment.

And, probably, he would have sat like this until the morning, expecting that the text would suddenly melt by itself, leaving only empty pages, and then he would not have to take responsibility for what was written there. But something revoltingly stirred somewhere inside: he knew that he was just delaying the inevitable.

And Chifuyu finally opened the notebook.

Alas, he didn’t imagine it: the text was found in the same place. The handwriting seemed slightly careless and blurred, as if someone was in a hurry to leave him a message, and therefore not all the words could be correctly deciphered the first time.

Matsuno sighed.

It was getting harder to keep the eyes open.

Fatigue was making itself felt.

But it seems that this day was simply not destined to end without adventures.

«Hello, Chifuyu from the future!», — Chifuyu read the same sentence several times and, barely overcoming himself, timidly glanced further along the text.

«You're probably surprised or, rather, scared by what you're reading right now. To be honest, I feel the same way. You know, I've spent quite a lot of time with Takemichi from the past, and I myself have heard from him more than once or even twice about memory lapses. And I was the one who had to convince him that everything was fine, that he was normal and not crazy at all, so that it sounded plausible enough and could satisfy his incessant questions. I don't know if he believed me or only pretended that it was so, I don't know if it was possible to find a tolerable excuse for everything that was happening or if the only way out was just to accept it, but...

The fact is that recently this... happened to me. I mean... Memory lapses? I only remember falling asleep quite late as I was finishing reading the manga, and when I woke up again, I was no longer in my bed or even in my room, but on the street near the house and... It was already evening. Takemichi was holding my hand tightly. You know, he's got some shitty jokes, so at first I thought it was just one of his stupid pranks, but he looked no less scared.

«You shouted my name.» That's what he told me. My face was wet, but there was no hint of any rain. The asphalt was also completely dry. So I was crying? Did I call for help? But why? I couldn't find a logical reason. My body was shaking so much, as if I had run several thousand kilometers without stopping and at any moment was ready to drop dead to the ground from impotence. I was exhausted. All my clothes were dirty. It turned out that Takemichi and I fell into some kind of ditch not far from the playground. When I asked how we got here in the first place, he absentmindedly replied that we had run away from school today. We hung out at one of the new cafes in the center with Mikey and Draken. It seems like something like that. Takemichi dragged me there because I was unwell the day before: either I was sick, or I had a high fever, and he really wanted to cheer me up. I didn't remember any of that.

And then I realized that the date on the calendar was also different!

And it dawned on me.

Perhaps that's what past Takemichi felt? Fear and helplessness? The inability to control your own body and mind? When I first thought about it, it became much scarier for me. Even now, when I write to you about this, I want to believe that I am nothing more than paranoid, but if my guess is really correct, if the future me,I mean... if you really travel in time, then there is a serious reason, right? This means that I have critically little time to contact you, because I do not know when you will return. And will you return at all?

2006. Something happened this year, right? Is it something with Takemichi? With me? With «Toman»? After all, you wouldn't have showed up for no reason. Please, Chifuyu from the future, if you find yourself here again and stumble upon this notebook, let me know about it. I'll try to leave it in a prominent place: where you could find it. Draken said I  you were acting a little weird, so maybe we're different from each other? How strongly? How old are you now? Already more than 20? I guess you've already graduated from school and even got a job? And where? Perhaps a pilot? Do you already have a family? And a wife? Maybe children? I'm sorry to ask you so many questions, but if you shared information with me, it would be much easier for us to replace each other! I would... understand what kind of person you are, after all. And then I promise to write in this notebook about everything that happens in your absence, so that you do not arouse any suspicion. How do you like the plan?

And speaking of suspicions... Takemichi doesn't know anything about your movements? If you really are from the future, then why didn't you tell him anything? Is it about him? Can it hurt him in any way? Then who is your trigger? Is this Hinata? Naoto? Someone else? Please answer me as soon as you can!»

Chifuyu silently closed the notebook.

He tipped his head over the back of the chair.

And exhaled loudly.

He had already forgotten how, just a couple of minutes ago, he was frantically rushing around the room, pasting sheet after sheet on the wall, in an attempt to quickly figure out what to do next. There was no longer a mess in the head — a tsunami was raging, and all the dams in the path of the violent elements had long been destroyed. The waves took him by the head. It's all too confusing. Matsuno could not even imagine that his past alter ego would suddenly decide to declare himself, and even in such an extravagant way. Although this was definitely to be expected: Chifuyu Matsuno from the past knew perfectly well that time travel was possible, and the time spent with two versions of Takemichi at once gave him enough knowledge and experience in this matter. And he quickly realized what was what. Probably too quickly. And this didn’t fit into the established plan in any way. Although Chifuyu didn't really have any plan. But he didn’t know whether he was pleased with such awareness of his predecessor or rather strained.

What was it like for a fourteen-year-old boy to wake up in the middle of the street with tear-stained eyes without the slightest understanding of how he got here and what was going on around him in general? Two days of his life had been literally cut out of his memory, and he was clearly too scared to ask Takemichi or anyone else for help, so his only option was to rely on his own guess and turn to himself from the future.

Pretty bold.

But just what could Chifuyu say to that?

Still, the proposed offer sounded quite tempting. Information for information. An equivalent exchange. How could he let himself down?

Matsuno hesitantly moved closer to the desk and rummaged through the drawers for a long time in search of a writing pen. When everything was finally ready, he opened the notebook to a blank page and began to write:

«Hello, Chifuyu from the past.

You're right, I got really scared when I saw your letter. I know you're just as scared. To be honest, I don't even know where to start, but you should immediately understand that what I'm going to tell you is incredibly important, and you should take it seriously. This is the first. Secondly, I have no idea how you figured it out so quickly, but my return is really related to Takemichi. In fifteen years, something very bad will happen to him. And, as you understand, now I am trying very hard to prevent this. All you can do for me is to report information on time. And that will be enough. At least for the first time.

And also...»

Chifuyu hesitated.

The hand over the paper trembled.

How much could he tell? After all, they were separated by many years, and Chifuyu from the past could not only doubt his motives, but also treat them very critically. He treasured everything connected with Toman, and once he almost slit Kisaki's throat with just a shard of glass, for not showing Mikey due respect. So it would be quite difficult to explain to Matsuno how those whom he once admired so much treated him and Takemichi in the future. And cooperation with Hanma… How can he tell himself from the past that this is just a necessary measure to save Takemichi? Is it worth writing about the terms of the deal at all? And what is the probability that this Chifuyu will understand him, let alone keep his secret? What if he immediately blabbs Takemichi about everything once everything he was told about arouses his suspicions or, even worse, scares him? Then everything will definitely go in the most terrible way.

No.

Chifuyu couldn't take that risk.

And yet...

«Unfortunately, I can't tell you much for security reasons, but I can give you a little advice: please don't trust Toman, Chifuyu. None of them. By no means. Whatever they tell you, whatever they do, whatever they promise, treat everything with special vigilance. This will help you. And please keep an eye on Takemichi and Hinata in my absence. It would be better if they both stay as far away from Manjiro Sano as possible, but if nothing comes of this venture, than be ready to protect them at all costs. Please believe me: he is very dangerous.

That's it.

I'm sorry I can't tell you more details, but I hope that one day you will be able to understand me. Be careful on your way, Chifuyu Matsuno. Good luck!

P.S. Many years later, you will still find the strength to forgive Kazutora. He's a good man. Please take care of him too.»

Chifuyu reread what he had written several times. The text began to seem more and more stupid, incoherent and confusing. No details — just general information. He tried to be concise and speak exclusively to the point, but it turned out to be too crumpled. Secretly. It was as if he was doing something bad, something criminal, and it was completely wrong. Chifuyu also wrote about Mikey and "Toman"... won't this self-will bring bad consequences?

Chifuyu did not answer the question about the trigger, did not tell anything about the exact reason for his arrival in the past, exactly as well as about what exactly happened to Takemichi in June two thousand and eighteen. All this was quite difficult even for him, a grown thirty-year-old man, what could he say about a wayward teenage guy. Of course, Chifuyu from the past was not a fool, but in order to fully understand his version from the near future, he had to follow him the same way: to survive twelve years of waiting and three more years of fighting alone — day after day. And even that would be too little. And the adult Matsuno didn’t want to repeat the same fate for his past self. Therefore, for the beginning of their little deal, and what was said was quite enough.

He closed the notebook and returned it to its original place.

It was a long day.

※ ※ ※ ※

Chifuyu froze in front of the door leading to the ward. He ruffled his hair for the third time, adjusted the hood of his blue hoodie and nervously shook the bag of fresh fruit in his hands.

He felt like an idiot for rushing to the hospital much earlier than he was supposed to. Visiting hours started here only at nine, and now the hands of the wall clock showed only 8:15. From the anger of local nurses and reprimand for violating the internal regulations of the hospital, Matsuno was saved only by the timely arrival of Mori-san: probably, the young man had never been so grateful to his connections in local healthcare as he is now, because the woman not only did not scold him for coming so early, but even kindly allowed him to go to the ward.

To be honest, Chifuyu was a little ashamed that he had so often enjoyed her favor. He genuinely didn't understand how he deserved her good attitude, but there was definitely something comforting about having a person like her in the past. If necessary, Matsuno could even rely on her. Perhaps not to the full extent, perhaps he could not tell her everything he knew, but still faith grew stronger in his heart: if he asked her for help, the woman would give her hand to him without hesitation. And he appreciated it very much.

Chifuyu could not explain to himself why he arrived so early at all, having completed a meeting with a newly-found companion in just half an hour, just as he could not explain why he kept looking back all the way to the hospital, looking for the bulky CB-250T plowing on the same roads.

He certainly wasn't trying to get here before Mikey.

He didn't plan to compete with him at all, especially in things that touched Takemichi, because... It didn't make any sense, right? It was too childish to compete, and Chifuyu was definitely not a child, and there was nothing for them to compete for. It just so happened that he was here before him (and this, believe him, is no more than a coincidence), but this is by no means — he would emphasize twice: by no means! — was not an attempt to somehow beat Mikey, who at that moment, as Chifuyu was sure, was already hurrying in the direction of the hospital.

But he himself had already been stuck in front of this stupid door for thirty seconds, not daring to enter in any way. Chifuyu would like Hinata Tachibana to suddenly grow out of the ground in some miraculous way, and her gentle voice would assured him that everything was fine: that there is nothing to be afraid of anymore, and all the worst has already been left far behind. And that the walls in this building are absolutely not yellow — creamy-white, no other way, and they will not crush him on both sides, and in front of him is not a dim corridor with an ill-fated creaking door, behind which there is a dead frost - behind this door is only Takemichi.

Living, real Takemichi.

And this shaky realization gave a little strength.

Chifuyu pulled the handle and cautiously looked inside the ward.

“Hey, can I come in?” he asked awkwardly, first of all examining the room for someone else's presence and, fortunately, not finding one. He tried to speak in a whisper, so as not to wake Takemichi up on occasion — it was still early enough — but he seemed to have been awake for a long time.

“Chifuyu, it's you!” The blue eyes immediately flashed with a familiar light, and Takemichi nodded briskly in response, indicating that Matsuno could enter.

And a single phrase was enough for the fear to finally disappear.

Chifuyu smiled much more confidently than he had expected.

For a miserable moment, it even seemed to him that Takemichi was expecting his arrival — he looked so unsurprised right now. As soon as Chifuyu crossed the threshold of a small room, Takemichi immediately fussed and tried to get out of bed to greet him, but immediately groaned painfully and sank back onto the pillow again.

“Oh... this was not the best idea,” still grimacing with pain, he shifted on the bed in search of his former position. “It's good that you came. This hospital is boring to death!”

“How are you?” Matsuno asked him gently. He left the bag next to the bed and looked doubtfully at the bandage wrapped tightly around Takemichi's head. There were several small shallow abrasions on his face and hands, plasters stuck here and there, but in general, Hanagaki looked quite healthy. Especially for someone whose skull was fractured just yesterday. “How are you feeling?”

The boy showed his usual toothy smile.

It seems that the smile of Chifuyu himself has become a little wider.

“Great!” he exclaimed with big enthusiasm, giving a thumbs up in confirmation of his own words. If Chifuyu was the last idiot in the world, he probably would even believe it. “Mori-san said that I have to lie here for at least another week, but I feel good enough. A week! No, can you imagine? I'm just gonna die here, Chifuyu!”

“Should I remind you that yesterday someone really almost...” ignoring his plaintive remarks, Matsuno shook his head reproachfully and picked up a nearby stool to move a little closer to Takemichi's cot on it.

“Oh, well, it was yesterday!” Takemichi cut him off in mid-sentence and waved him off so casually, as if yesterday he just fell off his bike and slightly tore his knee. “And today I'm fine! I'll show you now!” summoning all his clumsiness and ability to get into trouble at the slightest opportunity, he tried to get out of the bed again. This time everything went a little more successfully than a couple of minutes ago: he touched the floor with his feet and even managed to stand up for a while, but immediately swayed from side to side, unable to keep his balance for a long time. Chifuyu briskly got up from his chair. “Ah! Have you seen it? Can you tell Mori-san that I can already be discharged?”

“For God's sake, just lie still,” Chifuyu shushed him irritably. To the sounds of relentless grumbling and grunting from Takemichi, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders and gently sat him back on the bed, having previously put a pillow under his back. And before returning to his former place, he said sternly: “You will stay here until you fully recover, understand? And no objections.  Or I'll tell Mori-san to hold you here for a couple more days.”

“And since when have you been in charge here?” Hanagaki snorted in his direction, clearly dissatisfied with his words.

“Since you've started acting like an idiot,” Chifuyu replied without hesitation. “Well, that is, almost always,” and after a moment he added thoughtfully, putting his finger to the chin: “Although, why "almost"?”

Other boy’s palm lightly hit him on the knee — the only thing Takemichi could reach — and, in order not to remain in debt, Matsuno grimaced and at the same second loudly yelled.

“Hey, it hurts actually!”

Although he didn't really feel the blow.

“You're lying, I didn't even touch it!”

“It's a mental wound!”

Takemichi rolled his eyes as if he was going to keep a deep grudge against his vice-captain, but the corners of his thin lips, on the contrary, lifted a little — not too noticeably for a simple man in the street, but still clearly enough for Chifuyu to see it — and gave him a slight smile. A different one, not the same, ostentatious and bright, as it was at first — his real smile.

“A mental wound, you say?”

After a moment, the friends laughed in unison.

“You know, Takemichi,” but when the laughter slowly began to subside, Chifuyu sighed and looked at the bandage again, now hiding Hanagaki's messy hairstyle. Fun could only briefly make him forget about everything that happened yesterday, but every new look at Takemichi, every new scar or bruise noticed on his pale skin, invariably brought Chifuyu back to reality.

So, it also brought him back to his most terrible realization.

Why wasn't he there when it all happened?

Why, knowing everything in advance, did he still let Takemichi get hurt?

It was always the same questions. It's like damn time is cyclical, and Matsuno is unable to break the vicious circle. In the future, or in the past, in this life or in any other, he does nothing but stumbles, makes wrong decisions, does the wrong thing, and loses him again... and again.

Chifuyu couldn't forgive himself for that. He couldn’t accept the fact that it was not he, but Manjiro, who saved Takemichi from death, to which Chifuyu doomed him. He had been asking himself for a long time why then, in the hospital, he so stupidly had snapped at him, but the answer to this question was found only now. And it wasn't about Manjiro Sano at all—it was about Chifuyu. That it was he who did not keep the promise that he had previously made to himself. Not now, not twelve years later. It was his fault, too. And admitting it—no, even just thinking about it—was so disgusting.

Even more disgusting was the fact that Takemichi himself had left Matsuno behind for the umpteenth time.

“And yet you have a damn solid skull,” he blurted out the stupidest thing he could have said right now.

“And you have rather strange compliments... Chifuyu,” Takemichi answered him, frowning slightly, out of place. He hesitated on the simplest — on the name — and awkwardly twitched his hands, as if not knowing where to put them.

“And that wasn't a compliment,” Matsuno smiled bitterly and fingered his fingers, and his tone, previously friendly and joking, sounded much more serious.

He looked up.

Takemichi, on the other hand, noticing a sudden change in his mood, on the contrary, shyly lowered his head. And he muttered softly, guiltily averting his eyes:

“You're mad, aren't you?”

Chifuyu didn't say anything.

He wanted to, but...

Still couldn't.

“I knew it,” Takemichi pursed his lips, sitting down on the bed more comfortably and pulling the blanket closer to his chest. “It's written on your face,” he sniffed the air deeper, trying to gather the strength to explain everything. Although, was it possible? “But, Chifuyu...” and he stumbled again, again on the same place, followed by a noisy, jerky exhalation. “Please understand that there was no time to think whether to throw yourself under a motorcycle or not. It was literally a split second and I had to make a quick decision, so I... I didn't find anything better than...”

“I understand,” Matsuno tried to lie. But his voice faltered treacherously, betraying his obvious lie. “Simply I...

He didn't understand.

He never understood it.

He didn't even know what he wanted to say with this "simply", because in fact it wasn't like that at all. There was always something more complicated and confusing behind a short word than Chifuyu could even put into words.

«It's just that you almost died yesterday.»

«Again»

«I almost lost you.»

«Again»

«And that's why I'm scared.»

«Again»

Although there were so many things that he would like to say now, that he would like to shout right in his face, clinging to his shoulders until it hurt, but each new word seemed stupider than the other. He even managed to scold himself for even starting this conversation in the early morning, and even on the first day after such a serious operation. It was neither the time nor the place for this, but he realized it too lately.

Chifuyu silently lowered his head to the hospital bed, as if the strength to search for the necessary words and explanations had finally run out. But after just a couple of seconds of silence, Takemichi's fist landed on the top of his head in almost weightless blows, if they could be called such at all.

“I told you: you don't need to worry so much about me,” Chifuyu didn't see him, but even so perfectly heard how the familiar voice trembled in the semblance of a slight smile. The words were so quiet and weightless, as if they were swaying in the wind. Matsuno mumbled again in displeasure, trying to show that he was not a child and did not need consolation at all, but someone else's fist, gently tapping on the head, was replaced by an outstretched palm and this time successfully silenced him. Chifuyu shuddered when Hanagaki's thin fingers absentmindedly ruffled his tousled blond hair and froze right on top of his head. “Come on, stop grumbling already, and... I know everything myself.”

Chifuyu wasn't sure if he even heard the last sentence. The weight of someone else's hand on his head seemed so natural. It was so weird. Such a simple movement — and so surprisingly much warmth. How could there be so much warmth from such a simple touch? He had never thought of such a thing. And where did it just come from, this warmth? But still, here it is, right here — not ephemeral, not illusory, not ghostly — the most real thing. And if Chifuyu had been at least a little bolder, maybe he could have warmed up in it?

“You...” he tried to protest.

“The most terrible and reckless jerk in the world,” Takemichi continued for him.

“And I...”

“Really want to teach me a lesson for being the most terrible and reckless jerk in the world,” Chifuyu heard the smile again. Didn't see, but heard it. And he was sure that he would have recognized it even by the mere glint of azure eyes or a fleeting tremor in a familiar voice. The words turned into a whisper as he leaned almost close, barely touching Matsuno's forehead with his forehead wrapped in bandages: “I know, Chifuyu. And I'm really sorry.”

Chifuyu sighed, making his last attempt to fight for justice, but to no avail. All thoughts suddenly just disappeared. All their endless stream, arranging bloody feuds in his head, working like a serviceable huge conveyor, finally stopped, and all the voices, all the sounds — everything just fell silent, as if someone had lowered the switch.

And it became completely, completely quiet.

The only remaining sound was his own heart, no longer breaking into an unrestrained run, but beating calmly and steadily. Everything else instantly became completely unimportant, everything dark slowly brightened, and all the previously locked doors opened right in front of him, letting fresh air into the lungs. It's as if yesterday someone stole all the oxygen from Chifuyu, and now he has returned it back and even in double volume. For the first time in hours, he could breathe it in full again. For the first time in several hours, Chifuyu Matsuno could not think about anything at all.

His shoulders trembled against his will.

“Why would I worry about such an idiot,” he snapped, followed by a sonorous sniffling. Or maybe he just thought he snapped back, which turned out to be audacious and maybe even quite convincing, because Takemichi hardly took it that way. Chifuyu raised his head, raised his eyes sparkling with tears, which he did not ask for, and said in a weak, trembling voice: “And anyway, I’ll still beat you for not taking me with you!”

“Of course,” His hand slid forward, and Takemichi gently wiped Chifuyu's wet eyes with his thumb. His voice at the same time was so calm, so lulling, and he carefully listened to every word. “I even allow you to hit me once for prevention. But only when I’ll be discharged, okay?”

“I don't need your permission,” Matsuno persisted. “I'm just going to shake the life out of you so you don't do something like that next time.”

“Whatever you say,” Takemichi just nodded, agreeing to everything without hesitation.

“And you'll explain everything,” he insisted. “When you get better. You're going to tell me everything, okay? All about what happened that day.”

“Okay, Chifuyu.”

It was said so indistinctly, absent-mindedly, almost with just his lips. And even Takemichi's gaze seemed dispersed.

And Chifuyu only now realized: Hanagaki's finger was still senselessly running over the wet skin under his eyes, although the tears had long since stopped. He caught his eye. Just for a moment. For a fraction of a second. And Matsuno’s own thoughts suddenly seemed completely alien: he suddenly wanted to reach out the hand, grab other boy’s wrist and feel the throbbing blood right under the fingertips. He wanted to get up and clumsily, as if for the first time, squeeze the body of another in a careless embrace to make sure again: Takemichi is alive, alive.

But Chifuyu couldn't move.

He couldn't even look away.

He could only watch.

And those eyes always disarmed him. No matter how many times Matsuno tried to fight them, to resist them, for some reason he always lost. He was not caught in a cage — he climbed into it himself, of his own will, and locked himself in with a key. As much as he hated being vulnerable and helpless in front of someone, it all made no sense when he was in Takemichi's company.

And he couldn't get out of this strange feeling.

Or maybe he just didn't want to.

“You know, in this bandage, you look like Peh-yan in some way,” Chifuyu grinned more cheerfully.

“Are you serious now?” Hanagaki howled in frustration, removing his hand and deliberately shaking his head.

“No, really, there is something!” Chifuyu stubbornly assured him, pointing to the bandage on Takemichi's head.

“One more word and I'll kick you out! You actually showed up here ahead of time! And now you're mocking me!”

And they became themselves again. Just Chifuyu and just Takemichi, ready to laugh at every stupid thing they heard, and there was not a single trace of the previous awkwardness. Almost. Except for a fleeting sensation, the fluttering of thin wings under layers of skin and muscles — almost imperceptible, very weak — you will not pay attention to this if you do not intentionally try.

“Knock, knock!” The door swung open, and Mikey and Emma came into the room with a shout of joy. Behind him, politely holding the door for his commander and his dear sister, the lanky Draken also appeared.

“We met someone on the way,” he smiled casually and stepped aside a little when Hinata looked out from behind his shoulder, happily waving her hand.

Chifuyu glanced at his watch.

Exactly nine in the morning.

«I knew I'd get here before you, asshole.»

“I'll probably go,” Chifuyu said in a whisper.

“Already?” Takemichi asked in the same tone, and Matsuno blinked absentmindedly. Did Takemichi really expect him to stay here? No, rather, there was nothing strange about it, of course, but he had already arrived here ahead of time, and he didn't really want to stay in the company of Mikey and Draken. Within the walls of the hospital, they would hardly have harmed Takemichi in any way, and Hinata and Emma were still here. So, Chifuyu could be calm.

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he got up from his chair.

“Listen, I...”

Noticing the doubt in his partner's eyes, Hanagaki smiled uncertainly and also hurried to correct himself:

“I mean... That is, if you have other things to do, then, of course, you can go. You're coming tomorrow, right?”

“Yes,” Chifuyu confidently shook his head. “Yes, I will definitely come!”

“Good, then,” Takemichi smiled. “See you later?”

“I'll call you again tonight.”

Draken cleared his throat, seemingly trying to gently remind them that they were not alone in the ward, and, to be honest, in those split seconds Chifuyu really managed to forget about it. He slowly trudged to the door, bypassing the girls, the commander and the deputy commander of Toman.

“Chifuyu,”  Draken stopped him, putting his strong hand on his shoulder. Matsuno jerked in surprise. For a second, he got afraid that Ryuguji had changed his mind over the past night and now intended to give him an official reprimand for yesterday's fight. But Draken nodded in the direction of the front door. “Inui asked me to tell you that he is waiting for you outside.”

“Inui?” Matsuno frowned uncomprehendingly. “Why?”

“How should I know?” Draken shrugged. “I didn't ask him.”

“Besides, while Takemichi is recovering, someone needs to lead the first division instead of him,” Mikey put in his word.

He already fit into the chair left by Chifuyu and even put his hand into the bag that Matsuno brought to pull out one orange without a twinge of conscience. Matsuno almost growled in his direction, but fortunately managed to pull himself away in time. He should have been more restrained.

Sano winked playfully at Hanagaki and turned to Chifuyu over his shoulder to stretch out his nasty sugary smile as if nothing had happened.

“Can you handle it, Chifuyu?”

«Can you handle it, Chifuyu?», Matsuno mentally mimicked him.

“Sure.”Gritting his teeth, he only nodded obediently.

And, looking back for the last time, went out the door.

It was a little restless. Tete-a-tete conversations with any member of Toman were not easy for him, and in the absence of Takemichi next to him, this feeling was especially acute. But before talking to Seishu, he should have properly said goodbye to Mori-san. Still, he didn't want to be ignorant.

“Mori-san,” Chifuyu found her in one of the staff rooms. She immediately looked away from the papers to give him a warm smile, very similar to the smile of Takemichi himself. “I have to go now, but there are others with Takemichi, so they will look after him. Just wanted to tell you.”

“Yes, I've already seen Hinata and Mikey,” she nodded. “But thanks anyway for stopping by to say goodbye.”

Chifuyu had already decided to leave when, after a pause, he bent in a deep apologetic bow.

“Mori-san,” he repeated again. “Once again, I'm sorry for today. I know I shouldn't have arrived ahead of time, and you could have had problems because of me...”

“It's okay, Chifuyu,” she stopped him, shaking her head and making it clear that everything was really fine, and she wasn't going to scold him. Chifuyu slowly straightened up. “But it will be better if you arrive not so early next time. Alright?”

“Of course,” he nodded confidently, pursing his lips in a semblance of an awkward smile. “This time I was just lucky that he was already awake.”

“Oh, I know,” Mori-san replied a little confused. “Takemichi has been asking about you all morning. I thought he was the one who called you so early,” she squinted, peering into Matsuno's expression, which was as clonfused as her own. “Wasn't he?”

“Uh-uh...” Chifuyu hesitated, and the already prepared answer had to quickly look for an alternative. The palms were sweating with excitement. He nodded frantically for some reason. “That is... Y-yes, yes, of course, you're right! I just forgot about it! He called, so I... well, you know... Anyway, yes! I'll probably go now! Goodbye, Mori-san!”

And once again curtly bowing, this time in farewell, he quickly ran towards the exit. Yes, didn't walk — he ran. And he probably looked very stupid right now. Matsuno himself didn’t have time to understand why he began to justify himself to the woman and why the very fact that he came here ahead of time for no good reason suddenly made him so nervous, but... Really, Mori-san was sure all this time that he arrived so early at Takemichi's request? At least, it would explain why Takemichi wasn't surprised by his arrival, but after all, Hanagaki didn't call Chifuyu, which means he couldn't have known that his partner would suddenly decide to come an hour before the official time of the visit. Sometimes their thoughts coincided so much that it was almost frightening. Maybe they really had shared only one cerebral gyrus?

Chifuyu went on the street.

Seishu was really waiting outside. Already dressed in the signature uniform of the "Toman", he seemed to have been prepared in advance for the evening meeting at the Musashi temple.

As soon as he saw Chifuyu, he nodded briefly in greeting and offered to walk a little. This alarmed even more. Chifuyu couldn’t even guess what their conversation would be about, and therefore the anxiety only grew. However, it was impossible to show this, especially with Inui.

“So, what did you want?” when they finally found themselves in a deserted place, Matsuno leaned his back against the trunk of a tree and folded his arms on his chest, watching Seishu dissect the paving stones with an extremely disinterested look. He hoped to finish their dialogue as soon as possible.

“I'll get right to the point.”

“Be kind.”

“Mikey and Draken didn't give any orders to protect Takemichi on the 22^nd of February,” he said sullenly.

“And?” Chifuyu raised his eyebrows indifferently.

“It means you lied to me,” Seishu stated the obvious. Chifuyu tensed, and the veins appeared on his cheeks. “You obviously knew about the upcoming assassination attempt. On Takemichi or on Emma, I don’t know, but you definitely knew about it. Although that's not what bothers me the most. If you knew, then why didn't you tell anyone?”

Chifuyu bristled.

Well, of course. He couldn't have been more obvious in his unwillingness to stay away from Toman, much less involve them in the plan to save Takemichi, but now that Inui said it out loud, vague doubts crept into his head for some reason. If Chifuyu told at least something to his former friends, could he have saved Takemichi from what happened to him at all? Maybe now he wouldn't has been lying in a hospital bed with his head wrapped up, maybe he would have been fine? Maybe Chifuyu's choice to act alone was the wrong choice?

“You've been acting weird lately,” Inupi stopped to narrow his eyes and look at Chifuyu with his gaze. What was special about Seishu was that his face always had the same strange expression. Not that it's made of stone — it's just completely unreadable. It was never possible to tell exactly what was on his mind. But the only time this expression changed in any way was only when it came to Koko.

After all, each of them had their own weaknesses.

“I don't sleep well, you know,” Matsuno shrugged his shoulders distantly.

“You're being impertinent,” Seishu grinned in a way that was more like a snort. “I know, Matsuno, you don't like me too much, but I'm not trying to be your friend either.”

 “Then why all this talk? Even if I knew about a possible attack, as you can see, it didn't help much.”

“Don't you find any gaps in your logical chain? It didn't help because no one knew about the attack except you. This is the question I asked at the very beginning. Why didn't you say anything?”

Matsuno stepped forward, intending to reply, when Seishu suddenly added:

“What?” he looked down at him, approaching almost closely. “Does someone have trust issues in Toman?”

Chifuyu felt cornered. He stopped abruptly and clenched his fists, baring his teeth almost like a wolf.

“There's no problem,” he said, trying to look directly into Inui's eyes so as not to show his obvious confusion. “I don't know what you're trying to achieve, but judging by the fact that you came to me personally, you decided not to share your valuable thoughts with Mikey and Draken yet.”

“I'm not going to rat on you if that's what you mean,” Seishu replied calmly. “I'm in Toman only because of Takemichi and I don't have much sympathy for others. I don't care what you're doing, and I'll safely turn a blind eye to it, as long as it doesn't harm Takemichi. And that's my second question, Matsuno. Is what you're doing going to hurt Takemichi in any way?”

Chifuyu answered without hesitation:

“I would never hurt Takemichi in my life.”

Seishu nodded after a while.

“I would like to believe it,” he walked around Matsuno and sat down more relaxed on the nearest bench, crossing his legs. Chifuyu saw him off with some bewilderment. Is that all? Was that enough to convince him? Is it that simple? Any fool could answer the same! “It seems that you two are really very close.”

“What do you mean by that?” Chifuyu asked sharply, squinting. He was already getting used to the fact that his loyalty to Takemichi was very obvious to others, but he didn't like when it was poked right in his face. This meant that people were well aware of his weaknesses, and this did not bode well at all.

“I saw you yesterday, Matsuno. When all this happened. A very desperate view, I can say,” he smiled sadly, but more with understanding than with mockery, although Chifuyu was not convinced. Seishu clearly suspected something, and this was already a huge problem. “You shouted at me so loudly on the phone that for a second I even thought that you would kill me as soon as you got the chance. You may have known about the attack, but to me, you're definitely not involved in it. Although, if we were in "Black Dragons", I would have reported on you long ago.”

“And what prevents you from doing so now?”

“Takemichi trusts you,” Inui ran a hand through his blond hair. Chifuyu silently watched his every move, expecting a trick from everything. “The way he doesn't trust anyone else in his environment. I think it's for a reason. And if he has a reason to trust you, then why shouldn't I follow his example?”

“To be honest, it sounds very doubtful.”

“To be honest, you're not in a position to choose,” Inui retorted lightly. Chifuyu rolled his eyes, which, of course, did not escape the attention of others. “And you are not too patient for your position, but even with this I am ready to accept. Besides...” Seishu lowered his head and was silent for a while, as if considering whether he should share his thoughts with Chifuyu. “You kind of tried to rely on me. Asked me to keep an eye on Takemichi and not move a step away from him, and I couldn't even handle it. I failed you. And I would really like to improve. That doesn't mean I don't care what kind of game you're up to, but if you're really trying to help Takemichi, then I wouldn't mind helping you a little.”

“That is, you propose to act together? Did I understand correctly?” Chifuyu asked uncertainly, sniffing the air. He hesitated. He already had enough unreliable associates, and so far he had not planned to add Seishu Inui to this list.

“Let's put it this way: our captain wouldn't mind if you and I improved our relationship a little,” the guy looked at his wristwatch and deftly got up from his seat before walking a little further along the trail. He seemed to be in a hurry somewhere. “I don't expect you to show me all your cards right away, Matsuno, but if you don't have anyone else to rely on at Toman,” he paused before turning to Chifuyu over his shoulder. “Why don't you rely on me?”

Chifuyu looked at him from under his brows.

The more he replayed the sentence in his head, the more attractive it seemed. But his whole being resisted it. Chifuyu tried to cope with everything alone, apart from, of course, the shaky help of Shuji, who acted solely in his own interests, and he had already failed once. But relying on someone else, especially a former Toman member... he and Seishu had never been particularly close, and Matsuno wasn't sure if he should have changed that.

His gaze clung to the torn edge of Inui's black uniform.

Until now, Inui had managed to stay in the position so that this detail escaped Chifuyu's attention, but now he saw it clearly.

“What’s this?” Chifuyu didn't even realize that he said it out loud.

“Eh? What are you talking about?” Seishu followed the direction of his gaze and, finding the reason, only waved his hand. “Oh, that's. Just tore it somewhere yesterday during all this mess. I wouldn't even have noticed if Draken hadn't told me off. Is he always so meticulous?”

Chifuyu immediately remembered the mysterious man in black who had been eavesdropping on their conversation with Hanma on the playground. And today, for no reason at all, Seishu decided to talk to him about something.

What a strange coincidence.

“Sometimes it happens,” Matsuno just grinned. If Inui knew so much, then it was worth keeping him under control in order to avoid unpleasant consequences. As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Therefore, he boldly extended his hand to the other. “I don't mind working together, Inui.”

It was worth finding out how much he knew.

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

※ ※ ※ ※

A few days later

“Damn it, it's been so long! Are they gonna fight Toman at all?” Chifuyu howled before falling flat on the bed and spreading his arms wide on the blanket.

“And you're not the most patient guy,” Shuji grinned, squatting down and unsuccessfully trying to get the attention of Peke-J, who had long since huddled in a corner and was now hissing maliciously at the tall man.

“The more we wait, the less I understand what Kisaki wants to achieve.”

“I told you, he's desperate. He needs time to recover from the previous failure and come up with a new plan. Izana managed to hush up the problem with the police, so at least we are not being pursued now,” Hanma replied abstractly.

“Oh, so should I congratulate ya?”

“With the fact that I'm no longer wanted? Yep, it would be nice.”

It seemed that Shuji considered a much more pressing problem that Matsuno’s cat didn’t like him from their very first meeting, which now, by the way, happened quite often. In between, Chifuyu visited Takemichi at the hospital, attended meetings, and supervised the work of their first division. From time to time, serious skirmishes occurred between individual members of Toman and Tenjiku, but the official date of the new battle was never announced by either side. The waiting seemed oppressive.

“I don't know,” Chifuyu breathed out. “Support him somehow, hug him, amuse his bastard ego, and let him give out what’s on his mind!”

“Is this what you usually do with Hanagaki? How cute,” Hanma let out an unpleasant laugh, for which Matsuno threw a pillow at him, which he deftly caught and immediately threw back. What was definitely impossible to argue with was the fact that Hanma really had a very good reaction.

“Do you have any good options?” Matsuno asked and, rising from the bed on his elbows, wearily grumbled: “And, for God's sake, get off my cat already!”

Taking advantage of a momentary hitch, the black cat darted past Hanma and with quick steps headed towards the kitchen. It seems that he was the only one who was not affected by his manipulations.

Shuji sighed in frustration and straightened up to answer:

“I have options, but you definitely not gonna like them.”

“Will you tell me again that I'm not coping and I should go back to the future?”

“Almost,” Hanma landed heavily on a spinning chair and made a bored turn around himself. Chifuyu cursed inarticulately, not expecting any meaningful suggestions from Shuji. “I really suggest you go back to the future, but not forever, but only for a while.”

“For a while?” Chifuyu gave Hanma an uncomprehending look. “What do you mean?”

“If you can't find the answers here, then you can definitely find them there. In the future. Where the battle with Tenjiku has already happened. Do you understand what I'm getting at?”

“It seems...” Chifuyu swung his legs off the bed and folded his arms hanging down. He hunched over, pursing his lips thoughtfully. “Yeah, I understand. Go back to the future to learn more about the battle with Tenjiku, and then come back here and already know exactly how to act.”

“That's right, partner.”

“But what if I miss something important here?” Chifuyu raised his head.

“That's why I'm staying here. I'll gain the time as much as possible. And besides, I doubt very much that Kisaki will do anything while your dear Takemichi is lying in the hospital.”

“But isn't this the best time for him? To act right now, while Toman doesn’t have its main force?”

“There is no pleasure in winning if the main opponent is not in the arena. Winning without Takemichi will be easy. It's too boring and lame.”

“Is that your opinion or Kisaki's?”

“More mine, of course,” Shuji honestly confirmed. “But, think about it, Chifuyu: if he really wanted the fight to go without Takemichi, he wouldn't have rescheduled it at all, right? Mikey, Draken and you were already out of action, Toman simply couldn’t fight, and Izana would easily take control of it. But no one needs a victory on a platter. That's the whole point.”

“Don’t wanna admit it, but there is some logic in your words.”

“I'm glad we're on the same wavelength,” Hanma made another circle before slowing down, clutching the armrests with his fingers, and saying with all seriousness. “But I have to warn you: the future could change.”

“The only thing we've changed is the attempt on Emma,” Chifuyu frowned, thoughtfully looking at the posters hanging on the opposite wall. “Since she is alive, she will be in a new future. Probably married to Draken or not, but it doesn't really matter. She will be alive—that's all the changes,” he suddenly stopped, struck by his new awareness. “Wait. No! If she's alive, there's a chance Mikey won't fall into the dark and Takemichi won't follow him, right?” he suddenly fidgeted on the spot, and his eyes, previously tired, suddenly shone with joy and delight. “And then… Then, our mission can be completed now! You understand that? Well, not counting Kisaki, of course, but this is also quite fixable!”

Hanma, surprisingly, did not share the same enthusiasm.

“You forget that from the moment of your departure into the future to the moment of your return, it will take fifteen whole years,” he reminded sharply. His face was as black and unreadable again as it had been during their last conversation in the future. “You can't predict exactly what will happen during your absence. Kisaki may be alive, or he may be dead. Mikey can be on the bad side, or he can babysit Emma and Draken's kids in warmth and tranquility. You may be dead yourself in the future, not to mention Takemichi or Kisaki. This is how time travel works. It's always a survival game. And these are the consequences of your choice.”

“Nevertheless, you are still suggesting that I take a chance?” After patiently listening to all the instructions, Chifuyu arched an eyebrow with an obvious question. “In the way… If we continue to sit idly by, as we are doing now, we may not learn anything about the battle with Tenjiku until it comes. And then what? We will definitely waste all chances to save someone, but the probability of losing someone in such a turmoil will be many times higher.”

“It's up to you to make a decision. But in the complete absence of any information, this seems to me the best option.”

“Takemichi had a place to go back to,” Chifuyu imagined his return for just a moment and almost immediately shook his head, rejecting any thoughts about it. He associated the future only with loneliness and endless, impenetrable darkness, from which there was no way to get out. Even just thinking about it was creepy in its own way. “He could have gone to Naoto there, but I... where should I go?” Hinata may not know the details of the battle.

“Then why don't you find someone from the former "Toman"?” Shuji suggested and, noticing Chifuyu's sharply disapproving look on himself, hurried to add: “I know, I know, you don't like them, but you're doing all this for Takemichi, right? You have to sacrifice something, after all! Well, or you can shake the soul out of that cop. Naoto, isn't it? Rob the police station, I don't know, Chifuyu, anything! Do you want information? You have to find a way to get it.”

Chifuyu weighed all the pros and cons in his head.

And the more he thought about it, the sooner he realized how much less effective their continued inaction in the past would have been compared to Hanma's plan. Matsuno could learn a lot more in the future. Without any doubt. Maybe he could even see Takemichi there?

Chifuyu staggered out of bed and took a few weak steps towards Hanma.

Stretched out the hand to him.

Shuji hesitated.

“Chifuyu, if you aren’t sure, then…”

“What if I don't do anything, something bad will happen to Takemichi again?” Matsuno asked more of himself than the guy sitting across from him. He lowered his eyes. “I can't let that happen. You said I was taking my time here too carelessly. And it seems to me that now it’s time to play seriously and use all the opportunities that we have. It's... for Takemichi's sake, right?”

Hanma smiled triumphantly.

“I like your attitude, Chifuyu,” he slowly took his hand away from the armrest. “But what am I going to do with the other you when you're gone?”

Matsuno didn't think about that at all.

“Give him that notebook that lies on the table, and I hope he will understand everything,” after a little brainstorming, Chifuyu pointed to the right thing on the countertop. “If he gets too panicked, you can knock him out for a while, but not too much. I don't really wanna walk with a black eye on half my face afterwards.”

“Gotcha,” Shuji just nodded. “I'll do everything in the best possible way. And, Chifuyu,” he drew his attention to himself to dispel the last doubts. “If something goes wrong in this future, together we will be able to fix everything. I will come to your aid,” and only the last step remains.

Chifuyu took a deep breath into his lungs and exhaled loudly, gathering his thoughts.

He closed his eyes.

“Are you ready?”

The thought that everything would change again at that second made his legs cramp.

“Born ready.”

And they shook hands.

※ ※ ※ ※

When he opened his eyes again, it was very dark. Fortunately, the experience gave his eyes the ability to quickly get used to the darkness, and after a few seconds Chifuyu was able to make out the outlines of the room in which he was. It was large and spacious enough, with the same huge panoramic windows through which the light from bright neon signs and billboards penetrated. Matsuno could see them right from here, which meant he was no lower than the thirtieth floor. He had something to compare with: Hakkai lived in an apartment that was located on the twenty-third floor, and it felt much higher now.

Chifuyu found himself sitting on a chair and holding a cigarette in his hands.

The heart became restless again: if he started smoking again in the future, it meant that he hadn’t found another way to vent negative emotions. And first they had to come up from somewhere. But it was still too early to be disappointed in this future, and Matsuno decided not to rush to conclusions yet.

In front of him, on a small coffee table, was a pile of some documents in folders of different colors.

He was afraid to touch them.

Not far from them was a glass with yellow-brown contents. Chifuyu picked it up and carefully brought it to his nose to recognize the smell, and immediately winced, casually returning it to its place.

Cognac.

He was beginning to dislike it.

Matsuno got up from his seat and walked slowly to the window. As soon as he looked down, he backed away. The height made him dizzy. Chifuyu was right: there are definitely at least thirty floors from here. If someone suddenly decides to attack him from behind, it will be pretty painful to fall. And undoubtedly to his death.

Excellent.

The previously closed door swung open, letting in light from a brightly lit corridor, and a short blonde girl appeared on the threshold. Chifuyu took a couple of steps forward and squinted, trying to get a better look at her.

He had never seen her before.

“Matsuno-san,” she smiled flirty at him and sweetly stretched out: “The boss is already waiting for you at his place. Are you ready to go?”

Boss?

What the hell kind of boss?

“Y-yes, I'm on my way,” in order not to arouse unnecessary suspicions, he put out his cigarette in an ashtray on the table and obediently followed the girl. She wagged her hips right in front of him with an obvious hint and kept looking over her shoulder, as if trying to understand his reaction.

Chifuyu was only annoyed by this.

Only ridiculous flirtations were not enough for him here.

He tried his best to ignore her and instead take a closer look around to memorize the way. They walked down a long corridor all the way to the elevator and went down just one floor, where they were met by several more broad-shouldered men in suits. They looked like guards or someone from the bottom of the subordination ladder, because as soon as Chifuyu and the woman got out of the elevator, they all unanimously bowed their heads in a bow and loudly, as if trying to put all the power of their respect into their voice, shouted out:

“Welcome, Matsuno-san!”

Chifuyu almost bowed to them in return, but, fortunately, he came to his senses in time and in the same proud silence walked past them to the very end of the corridor.

 “Please,” finally, the blonde stopped and pointed to an unnamed black door. She bit her lip and looked at him with a flirty, languid look, as if she was still waiting for something from him.

Chifuyu just pushed the door forward and went inside without saying a single word.

“Asshole,” she said finally.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, boss,” Chifuyu closed the door behind him and almost immediately bent in a bow. The memories of that very bad future, fortunately, were very useful to him here: at least now he knew how to behave with seniors in rank.

Be a good boy and bow your head if you don't want to get shot.

Simple rules.

“Fuyu, I already told you,” something inside jumped and went down with a deafening roar. Chifuyu could have sworn that he had only imagined it. This voice was familiar to him, but he simply refused to believe it. No, it couldn't be Takemichi. What was he doing here anyway? No. What were they both doing here? “When we're not in public, talk to me in a simple way, okay? I'm already sick of this officiality.”

His hair was much longer. Not as long as Baji's, they reached about to his shoulders, but they were not laid at all as it was in the version of the bad future that Chifuyu remembered. He doubted that they were somehow styled at all. Something was always the same: curly black strands stuck out in different directions here and there. Takemichi was dressed in a gray suit with a small, barely noticeable white check and looked much richer than the suit he had at Pah-chin's wedding.

The man turned to him with an awkward smile.

“I'm having trouble with my tie again. Will you help me?”

Chifuyu widely opened his eyes.

What the fuck is going on here?

Chapter Text

Chifuyu hesitated before silently approaching Takemichi. He could not say anything, and he could not answer him, because the throat was squeezed so hard that even just swallowing suddenly became physically painful. Each new step was taken with such difficulty, as if he was walking on glass, and each fragment cut deep into the bare feet.

A centimeter and then another — Takemichi invitingly threw his head back, freeing up a little more space, and Matsuno grabbed his black silk tie on the move. He tried to align it to its length, but his hands, as luck would have it, did not obey him at all. Chifuyu barely managed to pick up the thin fabric with trembling fingers, not to mention throwing one part of it over the other and threading the remaining edge into the already formed loop. Movements, honed over the years suddenly seemed completely unfamiliar.

Only one question kept repeating itself in his head.

Why?

Why are you here?

Chifuyu didn't know what to think. He couldn't even hope to meet Takemichi here in the future—in this future! — but here he was, already grown up, standing in front of him as a living proof of that. Does this mean that Chifuyu did the right thing? Did he really fix everything? The future had changed, right?

Then why were all these strange people around them? Who were they themselves? What were they doing? After all, judging by what Chifuyu had already seen and heard, he and Takemichi were definitely involved in something bad. The only question was what exactly is "bad", and how "bad" on a scale of one to ten it could be called.

“Today is an important day,” Takemichi breathed, continuing to stare at the mirrored ceiling above his head. He probably said something before that, but Chifuyu was so deep in his own thoughts that he might not have heard him. He couldn't hear him well even now—his thoughts were still in some kind of terrible mess. But even so, there was an obvious nervousness in Hanagaki's always calm voice. The man was clearly worried about something: Matsuno recognized it by how often he swallowed and licked his already moist lips, how his lowered hands swayed back and forth, and thin fingers clenched and unclenched every now and then. He tried to calm himself down, but it seems that no actions brought the proper result.

Takemichi said as if with hope:

“Everything is finally going to change, you know? We've been coming to this for so long, and here it is… Finally… Right in our hands. Can you believe it?”

Chifuyu realized that he had been approached with a question only when he came face to face with Takemichi himself. He didn't even notice when he managed to lower his head and now he was looking into his eyes with all his attention, it seems, still waiting for an answer to his question. It's not a look — it's like a weapon that deftly cuts off any escape routes for the enemy. After all, there was no other way to explain how vulnerable Matsuno suddenly felt under the blue of such familiar eyes.

“Chifuyu?” Takemichi repeated.

Matsuno was confused.

He hurriedly moved his lips in an attempt to answer something, to utter at least a pathetic word, but the tongue in his mouth simply refused to turn. His eyes frantically darted around the office, hoping to find at least some answer in the thickening shadows and outlines of expensive furniture, but all to no avail.

“Chifuyu,” Hanagaki tried to attract Matsuno's attention to himself and reached out to his face to take his long black bangs away from his eyes with trembling care. “Are you with me?”

“I...” Matsuno faltered, caught in someone else's gaze, like a pitiful fish in a fishing net, and only weakly shook his head in response. For some reason, hot blood rushed to his face, and he was even glad that there was no natural light in the room, which, fortunately, managed to hide his godlessly flushed cheeks from Takemichi's eyes. “Y-yes, yes, I'm with you,” finally gathering his thoughts, he exhaled heavily. “I'm sorry, I lost your train of thought a little. What were you talking about there?”

“About the fact that an important mission has been entrusted to our shoulders today. And if everything works out,” Takemichi hesitated, as if he himself did not know what awaited them after the mysterious "something" happens. “Chifuyu, if everything works out, then we finally have a happy future. I mean… A truly happy future! Can you even imagine it?”

“Perhaps,” Matsuno confirmed uncertainly, although, of course, he had not believed in any «happy future» for a long time.

“But I still doubt it,” Takemichi averted his eyes, and his lips compressed into a thin, tight line. He often did this when it came to what Chifuyu might not like. “After all, it won't be entirely fair… You know, in relation to Mikey.”

Mikey.

Chifuyu gritted his teeth.

So, he's here too.

“I know...” Takemichi continued. “I know you'll tell me that we’ve done everything we could, that we went through all the options that were possible, and there is simply no other way, but ... I can't get rid of the feeling that we are doing the wrong with him. Unfair. And why does everything have to be so difficult?”

“Do you want me to dissuade you or help you decide?” Chifuyu raised his eyebrows doubtfully.

“Just tell me that we will succeed,” Takemichi asked after a moment of silence. Quietly, in a low voice, although they were already completely alone in the room. “I have already made my choice. It is always difficult to make such decisions, especially when they concern someone close. But when I do it with you, everything becomes... a little easier. I hope you understand.”

“Everything will work out,” Chifuyu assured him, although, of course, he had no idea what he was talking about. He understood everything, and the request already voiced did not need any unnecessary explanations at all. Matsuno stared intently into the eyes opposite. “Whatever it is, we'll handle it. That's what we always do, right? We are coping.”

“Yes,” Takemichi nodded in agreement, repeating: “We’re coping” His lips curved in a faint but grateful smile. He briefly closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled several times, as if struggling with the last doubts, and finally looked at Chifuyu with all confidence. “Thank you, Fuyu. You always know how to calm me down.”

And here it is again.

Goosebumps all over the skin, and something warm stirred in his stomach.

Chifuyu heard that nickname again. And if last time he could have thrown it off on a frivolous "it just seemed", now he heard it quite clearly. But even so, he still couldn't remember Takemichi having a habit of calling him that. It's not that it was unpleasant — it's just that only mom used this abbreviation before, and then quite rarely. In special cases. In order to count their number, the fingers of one hand would be enough for Chifuyu. So it was unclear why Takemichi used this form of the name to refer to him.

“Have you finished yet?” Hanagaki asked timidly.

“With what?” Chifuyu frowned.

“The tie,” he chuckled casually, drawing Matsuno's attention to his black tie, which he was still holding in his hands.

“I'm sorry,” the hands immediately slipped down, and Chifuyu hurriedly stepped back, as if he was caught on something nasty and ashamed of it, which caused a quiet chuckle from Hanagaki.

“It’s alrigh’,” he just waved his hand.

Strange.

Matsuno felt strange. He was used to Takemichi being loud, joking a lot, and often being very silly. He always had so much energy, so much inexplicable childlike spontaneity, and at the same time he was a completely unimaginable idiot, which probably attracted many and many people to him. But the Takemichi who was standing in front of him now was completely different. No, of course, he was still Takemichi, but something about him was definitely different from what Chifuyu was used to seeing in him. He seemed to be more mature and serious, more reserved than ever, and this could not but be alarming. Such changes had to have some kind of foundation. Chifuyu was firmly convinced of that. However, he still had to figure it out.

Takemichi walked around him and approached his desk to take some papers from it.

“But try to be a little more collected, okay? I need my deputy to be extremely vigilant. Especially on such an important evening,” he turned to him over the shoulder to make sure that Chifuyu heard him and took note of what he said. At the same time, he smiled gently. “Agreed?”

“Of course,” Chifuyu agreed easily.

“Just in case, I'll tell Seishu to keep an eye on you.”

“It's unnecessary,” Matsuno immediately protested.

Seishu.

Chifuyu did not know what kind of relationship he was in with Inui in this time line, but even taking into account the deal concluded between them, he definitely did not count on a strong friendship.

“You always say that,” Takemichi just laughed. He picked up a briefcase on the floor and put into it everything he had previously selected from the documents lying on the table. Hanagaki checked everything carefully three times. Chifuyu, without looking up, followed his every move. “So many years have passed, you two could already get along.”

“Well, in my opinion, we get along quite good,” Matsuno just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

Takemichi's smile widened a little.

“Is that what it's called now?”

Chifuyu folded his hands behind his back and silently walked a little forward, to the same large window as he had seen in the room on the floor above. Outside, despite the rather late hour, the nightlife was in full swing: cars passing by were buzzing loudly, music was heard from somewhere. From such a height, everything seemed negligibly small, and only billboards and alternating advertising projections on neighboring skyscrapers Chifuyu could see clearly. Opposite, the Midtown Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the Minato district¹, rose elegantly.

Exactly.

Akasaka district.

Just north of the epicenter of Tokyo's nightlife — the neighboring Roppongi district. Of course, where else would the Yakuza be if not here?

There was no light in the office, or rather it was muted — a lamp was burning dimly on the desktop, and for the first time Chifuyu noticed his own reflection in the window: black hair, his usual hairstyle, a gray suit with a white check and black patent leather shoes. There was a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, and it just showed half past six. He and Takemichi were probably dressed in the same style, but what surprised Chifuyu much more was the tattoo that flowed down the right side of his neck almost to his collarbones.

The black dragon.

Almost identical to the one on Draken's neck, but it seems to be slightly modified. Why would Chifuyu even get such a tattoo? He wasn't even close to being a "Black Dragon"! Although, who knows how much could have changed in fifteen years.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement behind him, but before he could turn around, Takemichi's arms were already wrapped around his torso, and he himself firmly pressed his cheek to Chifuyu’s back.

“What are you doing?” Matsuno asked warily.

"There's a little less than an hour left before the auction starts," Takemichi reminded him, not even paying attention to his question. And he said even more quietly, as if he hoped that he would still remain unheard: “Soon all this horror will end.”

The man buried his nose right between his shoulder blades and was silent for a while, as if trying to find comfort in such a strange closeness with Chifuyu. Matsuno has never been against physical contact, and he and Takemichi have hugged more than once, but something about this form of hug seemed somehow wrong. Too much. That's the right word. It was just too... close. Chifuyu softly cleared his throat, trying to dispel the awkwardness, and carefully turned to face Hanagaki, but even after that, the man's hands remained in the same place. Chifuyu wanted to say something to him, push him away and recoil, but instead he was forced to be silent again.

Takemichi looked at him with a relaxed smile. With his big stupid blue eyes, which always deprived Matsuno of the opportunity to coherently formulate his own thoughts. Someone else's palm came close to his face and for the second time took away long black strands from his green eyes. A warm, barely perceptible touch, when his calloused fingers inadvertently brushed the skin on the cheek, and Matsuno wanted only one thing: to grab his wrist and just hold him next to him for a little longer.

“Cut your hair already,” Takemichi whispered. In such a gentle tone, with a slight smile, as if today they were not going to do anything dangerous, and everything in their life was completely normal. “I can't see your eyes at all.”

“If that's what you want,” Chifuyu himself did not understand why he answered exactly that way and why the answer was found in just a fraction of a second.

For a moment it seemed like this. Deceptively sweet, happy, ordinary, but somehow bringing him comfort. He wished they would stay like this forever. That's what Chifuyu thought. Just like that, in the middle of a dark room unfamiliar to him, lined with mahogany furniture and white leather sofas, in a huge building, most likely belonging to the Japanese mafia, just standing there without saying a word to each other. So that no one would ever be able to find them here.

For some reason, his back and the back of his head were sweating, and Matsuno desperately wanted to go in search of the remote control from the air conditioner. The old warmth in his stomach was now much more like a sack, which was getting tighter and tighter with every second. Meanwhile, the attentive gaze of blue eyes unceremoniously slid over his face, outlining his nose and sharp cheekbones, before lingering briefly on his lips.

Takemichi took a tiny step towards him and pressed close to Chifuyu.

“Fuyu,” he breathed excitedly.

“Yes?” Matsuno replied deliriously.

“If something goes wrong today,” the voice is convulsive, abrupt, hoarse. “If we die tonight… I want you to know that I…”

And the door suddenly swung open with a bang.

Takemichi immediately pulled away, hurriedly returning to his desk and pretending that he had been concentrating on something before, while Matsuno remained standing like the last fool, almost without blinking and only senselessly flapping his lips.

“Seishu, I asked you not to break into my office like that,” Takemichi said, clenching his jaw. Not that with anger — rather, upset, with a share of deplorable disappointment, hoping to shame the violator of their peace of mind a little.

“I'm sorry, boss,” Seishu Inui appeared on the threshold, still in the same gray suit with a white check, with his hands behind his back and politely bowing his head as an apology. Pale as death, with his usual impartial expression and firmly compressed lips. He raised his eyes and boringly pointed them towards the corridor, from where his subordinates were already staring at them with might and main. Someone in the crowd whispered excitedly. “But the car is already waiting for us downstairs. I think we'd better come early,” he shifted his gaze to Chifuyu, obviously waiting for his support. “Matsuno?”

“I...” Chifuyu had no choice but to agree uncertainly. “I think he's right. The sooner we get there, the better.”

Takemichi looked at him, and then turned to Seishu, after which he sighed heavily and picked up the already assembled work briefcase from the table. He put black leather gloves on his hands. For a few seconds, he still remained in place, as if he was preparing his strength for something, or maybe hoping to delay the moment of leaving at least a little longer before the decisive step towards the exit was finally made.

Takemichi put his hand under his jacket, and a black M1911 flashed in the semi-darkness of the barely lit room.

Chifuyu exhaled in shock.

A gun!

Takemichi's palm, gripping the hilt, tightened tightly, exposing blue-green veins, and there was no trace of the old tenderness in his gaze. Now his eyes were as sharp as a vulture's, and the warm azure suddenly turned into the cold of metal.

He reloaded the pistol loudly.

Chifuyu shuddered.

“Then let's do what we have to do.”

Seishu pressed himself against the door, letting him pass ahead and waited until Matsuno left the office after him. This seemed to be their hierarchy, although Chifuyu still couldn't say for sure that he understood how everything was arranged here.

“Welcome!” everyone standing outside immediately bowed to their boss, allowing him to proceed with all honors to the elevator itself.

“I see you're not worried about your reputation at all,” Inui nudged Chifuyu as he drew level with him. His tone seemed strange: something between reproach, discontent and friendly mockery, although of course Chifuyu did not like either of them.

“What do you mean?” Matsuno proudly raised his head, trying to seem more confident, although in fact he was constantly tormented by doubts. This future initially seemed strange to him and even slightly creepy in its pomposity, but now it has become even three times more dangerous.

They had firearms.

This did not bode well at all.

And only once again confirmed Chifuyu's thoughts about who they were.

Yakuza.

This would explain their location almost in the very center of Tokyo, the mania for tattoos and the presence of such a large number of subordinates. The Japanese mafia could control the streets and entire neighborhoods, and if there was enough influence, no police mattered to them.

Seishu imperceptibly nodded to him in the direction of the girl who accompanied him to the office. Now she was patiently waiting for them at the elevator.

“The whole floor is talking about you and Takemichi.”

“And what do they say?” Chifuyu asked as calmly as possible.

“Like you don't know yourself,” Inui snorted. “Chifuyu, I asked you: don't get caught in anyone's eyes until the end of the operation. Is it really that difficult?”

“What do you mean, don't get caught?” Matsuno frowned. “We were just talking. That's all.”

“I have covered up your "conversations" more than once. It's too dangerous right now, you know? No one should suspect anything. There's too much at stake.”

“Then maybe you'll stop whispering to me when there are so many people around?” Matsuno chuckled, rolling his eyes, then went into the elevator and stood on Takemichi's right side. Seishu also fit on the left, folding his hands with a lock. The last to enter were six of the guards in black suits and the person with whom Chifuyu had already been lucky enough to communicate for a short time.

“Please take care of yourself,” Takemichi addressed his charges for the last time, who remained in the corridor, before the doors were firmly closed.

The elevator started moving.

The woman, whose name Chifuyu did not know, turned to him over her shoulder only to shake her hair significantly and turn away again. If this was how she was trying to make him feel guilty for ignoring her, then she was definitely not doing well.

Everyone present watched in tense silence as the numbers slowly replaced each other: from thirty-two up to zero.

Ground floor.

They were heading to the parking lot.

Only now did Chifuyu feel how much they were all worried, and even the seemingly indifferent Seishu kept fingering and exhaling inaudibly through slightly parted lips. These emotions were transmitted to Matsuno himself: as the numbers decreased, he felt how disgustingly his throat was drying up and how thoughts that he had no idea what they were all preparing so hard for were rapidly filling his head.

But right before the panic hit him, someone gently touched his fingers and drew a short line along the edge of his palm in a soft, soothing gesture. Chifuyu held his breath. Takemichi, standing next to him, smiled faintly. Unconsciously, as if out of old habit, Chifuyu stretched his fingers towards the others, and they loosely clenched. Just for a few seconds, but even that was enough to make breathing much easier.

A beep finally notified them of their arrival.

Takemichi jerked his hand away.

The guards were the first to come out, probably checking whether anyone was hiding behind the cars, trying to interfere with their mysterious plan, then the girl left the elevator, who followed along with one of the men towards the silver Aston Martin Vantage, and finally, they were the last — Seishu, Chifuyu and Takemichi.

Everything is in the same strict order.

Every movement was a proven mechanism. Matsuno was afraid to make a mistake, do something wrong or do something that would be out of the general plan, but so far he was good at pretending to be himself.

There were a lot of cars in the parking lot, and mostly they were sports cars. Chifuyu could not understand how he knew their names, because he had never been interested in cars before — as he remembered, this was Takemichi's lot.

The four remaining bodyguards got into the black Jeeps. The last, the fifth, politely opened the door of the prepared car for them. Chifuyu and Seishu fit near the windows, and Takemichi was between them. The guard got into the passenger seat next to the driver who was already sitting in the car, who immediately turned the key, bringing the engine into working condition. All cars consistently left the parking lot on the high road — two in front of them and three behind. Such caution was almost terrifying.

“Are we going separately from everyone?” Takemichi asked.

“Yes,” Seishu confirmed. “The former subordinates of Nahoya and Mitsuya are now under the control of Mucho and the Haitani brothers. They'll take a different road. Sanzu and Kakucho should come along with Mikey. And Koko...” Inui hesitated before replying, "He's coming with him, too."

All the way, Chifuyu kept an eye on where they were going. He was not mistaken: they were really moving north, which means they were heading to the Roppongi quarter. Casinos, clubs, underground brothels — in terms of crime, this place was definitely in the top five, if not at all leading in the list. It was only at this moment that Matsuno guessed to grope himself. Under his jacket, a holster was attached to strong straps. And there was a gun in it, too. Chifuyu was sure that this would scare him, but instead, for some reason, he felt strangely relieved. After all, if he had a weapon, they had twice the chance of success. Right? Right. Although, to tell the truth, Chifuyu did not really want to use it.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence.

The car stopped at another high-rise building, and they all went out into the street, only to disappear again after a couple of minutes behind heavy doors. Inside, everything was even richer than Matsuno could have imagined at all: a shiny marble floor in which one could easily see one's own reflection, weighty drop chandeliers, bright and iridescent from sparkling white light, and many, many people. Men and women in gorgeous dresses and suits, ready to bite each other's throats for some worthless antique trinket. At least, that was his assumption.

As soon as they were in sight, all eyes were instantly turned in their direction. Whether there was fear in the eyes of these terrible people or it was nothing more than just blind admiration, worship — it was quite difficult to read. The guards had already dispersed around the hall, and now only the three of them were descending a wide staircase with carved gilded railings to the center of the huge hall. Takemichi walked in front—like a king, like a leader—and the black cloak casually draped over his shoulders upon exiting the car, still with the same cursed dragon symbol, trailed behind him like a sinister shadow. Behind him, on the right and on the left side, in the same black cloaks, walked Seishu and Chifuyu.

When they finally reached the bottom, one of the men standing nearby bowed several times abruptly and broke into a rotten, sugary smile.

“Hanagaki-san,” he drawled, grabbing his palm in a ridiculous handshake. “I am very glad that the "Black Dragons" honored us with their presence! You have no idea, it's such an honor for me to be one of the first to meet you here!” He looked around dangerously and leaned slightly towards him, lowering his tone, as if continuing to speak out loud was akin to suicide. “Your president… Will he be arriving soon too?”

“Of course,” Takemichi nodded, smiling furtively. It was the first time Chifuyu saw such a strained, strained smile on his best friend's face. “Mikey never misses this event, you know. He should be here any minute.”

Mikey.

He's the president.

Chifuyu thought about it. But wasn't Toman supposed to break up? And what does "Black Dragons" have to do with it then? Had Mikey really decided to continue the brainchild of his own brother?

“I'll provide him the best reception! You can rest assured, Hanagaki-san!” The old man babbled in front of him, bowing again and again. Takemichi gave him a contemptuous look and only pulled his hand away as if he didn't care. He pulled off his gloves and, leaving them in one hand, waved them as if giving a sign, after which the three of them casually walked around the man, as if he were completely useless garbage lying in the middle of the road.

“Hanagaki-san, wait! Hanagaki-san, maybe I can do something for you? And for your deputies? You know, in my brothel, we will all be very happy to see you, Hanagaki-san!”

Takemichi nonchalantly picked up three glasses of wine from a passing waiter's tray—two in one hand, and one in the other.

“Inui?” that's all he said.

"We have half an hour," Inui answered him without further questions, glancing briefly at his wristwatch.

Chifuyu looked at his watch.

So the auction will start at half past seven.

Takemichi approached them, so as not to be heard by everyone else, and handed them two filled glasses in their hands.

“Tonight we will say goodbye to Toman forever,” he frowned so hard that a deep wrinkle lay between his eyebrows, and exhaled abruptly, noisily. His shoulders tensed again. “Seishu,” he looked hopefully at Inui, “Chifuyu,” and then shifted his gaze to Matsuno. He stopped a little longer than he should have. “We're going to kill Manjiro Sano today.”

“Amen,” With a grin, Inupi raised his glass and smashed it against the other two before emptying it in one gulp.

Takemichi followed suit.

Chifuyu, holding the glass with trembling fingers, doubtfully swung it in his hand. The red liquid hit both sides of the glass vessel before returning to balance again. He hesitantly brought it to his lips and, without thinking twice, also tipped its contents. Everything, without a trace.

To kill Manjiro Sano.

So that's what they're up to.

But why ? Why? How exactly were they going to do it? No, of course, Sano was an absolute bastard, and he deserved every bullet in his damn skull, and probably Chifuyu would even do it personally if he got the chance.… At least, that's what he thought, he was sure of it, but until now, for some reason, he didn't realize that simple angry words could so easily turn into reality. And that's exactly what was happening now. "Be afraid of your desires," was the postulate.

Fate has thrown up a new riddle to Chifuyu.

Did they really plan to get rid of Mikey? And this was suggested by Takemichi? What could have happened that a blind believer in Manjiro Hanagaki could even say such a thing for real? Or maybe it's nothing more than a stupid prank? Maybe he was joking like that, and everything around is a production with cardboard decorations. But Chifuyu only flattered himself with ridiculous excuses.

What the hell kind of future had he created?

“Now get lost in the crowd,” Takemichi ordered sternly, and they both agreed with him implicitly. “And, please, be careful.”

Seishu turned around and walked in one direction, Chifuyu looked over his shoulder to head in the opposite direction, but Takemichi stopped him by putting his strong hand on his shoulder.

Matsuno blinked absently.

“Find Kakucho and find out when Manjiro is going to arrive. And when you find out, get a place for yourself and carefully watch all three exits that are in this building. Usually, Manjiro is led through that door—see, the one that leads to the utility rooms — so as not to attract attention. Report to me as soon as he shows up. I'll be in the farthest part of the hall,” he said softly, but clearly enough, before putting a micro-earpiece into his palm. “And now go, Chifuyu.”

He really was a good boss. Strict, but not cruel. His tone was calm, restrained, gentle — they wanted to listen to him, they wanted to obey, so Chifuyu was not even surprised why so many people gathered in their state. People have always been drawn to Takemichi. But he flattered himself when he reminded himself that he was the closest to him. Although, admittedly, it was slightly amusing. Matsuno couldn't get used to the new image of his best friend. All that was spinning in his head was a noisy blond boy reading aloud another stupid manga in the walls of his small room and now and then distorting names.

Chifuyu inserted an earpiece into his ear.

He clenched his palm into a fist and held it out to Takemichi, who immediately looked up at him uncomprehendingly.

“Everything will be fine, partner,” Chifuyu assured him.

“I rely on you,” he smiled much more relaxed than a couple of minutes ago. A barely noticeable dimple appeared on his cheek, and a spark of familiar warm light suddenly flashed in his eyes, clouded by the cold. Takemichi gently hit his fist on Chifuyu's fist and responded almost inaudibly: “Partner.”

There was something intimate in this little ritual in its own way. He was special because it was just for the two of them. It would seem to be an ordinary movement, a fleeting touch of hands, a blow of knuckles on knuckles, but in this gesture, you won't believe it, there were so many words and so many emotions that they hardly ever dared to speak out loud. And even that was enough: just exchanging brief glances, assuring that they would be fine.

Because it couldn't be otherwise.

Of course, Chifuyu didn't want to leave Takemichi alone, but he was well aware that there was simply no other way out. He had to follow the established plan, whether he wanted to or not, and Hanagaki's current tone obviously did not imply any objections. So he just nodded and hurriedly looked around to find Kakucho in the crowd, and when he finally found him, Chifuyu took one last look at Takemichi and headed in the right direction.

To be honest, he didn't really know Kakucho. They weren’t officially acquainted — they saw each other several times: when he fought with Nahoya at some warehouse and directly during the battle with the "Tenjiku". He was really strong, and besides, he was a long-time friend of Takemichi, but after the battle Matsuno hardly heard anything about him. Except that he saw him somewhere in the news, briefly, already in the distant future, when the announcer was talking steadily about the newly appeared "Bonten". Chifuyu was not completely sure of his belonging to this group, because the names of the participants, of course, were not disclosed in the evening editions. However, there was no doubt that Kakucho was one of Mikey's confidants.

“Has Mikey shown up yet?” Matsuno stealthily crept up to a man nonchalantly choosing snacks on one of the many tables. “The auction will start soon.”

“He said that he would be late,” without really paying attention to his presence, Kakucho picked up several tartlets from the plate. “Urgent matters have appeared. And why do you need it?”

“Takemichi wanted to talk to him about something,” Chifuyu also took one of the snacks and began to chew demonstratively. “And what, will he stay for a long time?”

“He didn't tell me,” Kakuche replied irritably. “But he never misses this auction, so he will definitely be here at the beginning of it .”

“Thanks," Matsuno thanked him. He turned towards the stairs, along which other guests were descending to the middle of the hall, and then found two other doors with his eyes, because Mikey could not necessarily come here through the main entrance. Actually, Takemichi himself said this.

Chifuyu went a little deeper into the crowd, hoping to get the best possible view of the stairs and each of the entrances, and stopped at another table with snacks to leave his empty glass at the waiter and take a new one. He wasn't going to drink any more—what he had drunk before was quite enough—but with a full glass of red semi-sweet, walking around among the pretentious rich without attracting attention to himself was much more reasonable.

He looked at his watch again.

Twenty minutes before the start.

The hall was more and more filled with people, but Sano was not noticed among them. Besides, Chifuyu couldn't know for sure which way he would appear. It wasn't even a matter of where, from which door he would decide to crawl out into the light, it was a matter of how exactly he would do it. Will he be alone or surrounded by a dozen security guards, hide among the others, pretending to be the owner of a rundown casino or show up with fanfare and applause. Chifuyu was more inclined to the former, but it was much more difficult to find Manjiro this way.

“Don't stare so intensely, it's strange,” the waiter handed him a new glass. Chifuyu recoiled in amazement. He didn't immediately recognize him: blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, light brown eyes, and the same seriousness in his voice that always distinguished him from many of Takemichi's friends.

“Takuya?!” Matsuno almost screamed.

“You Idiot?” Takuya shushed and gagged him with grapes from a nearby plate. “Don't yell like that, they might hear you!”

Chapter Text

Chifuyu looked around the whole room again, but this time he focused all attention on the waiters scurrying everywhere. How had he not noticed before? In the direction Seishu had slipped away, Makoto was courteously offering whiskey to elderly gentlemen.

“Yamagishi and Akkun… Are they involved in this too?”

If these two were here, then surely there must have been others. At least it sounded logical. Chifuyu chewed the grapes and turned to Takuya with a question, in response to which he frowned in bewilderment, as if Matsuno himself should have known the answer to his question. And he, of course, had no idea.

“Don't talk to me. Just do your job, and I'll do mine. Agreed?” Several other guests walked past them to the table, and Takuya smiled theatrically. “Matsuno-san, would you like some wine? Or would you like some champagne?”

“Mikey's late. Is it bad?” Chifuyu took him by the elbow and pulled him closer to him, saying in a low voice: “Please tell me.”

Takuya nodded understandably.

“It puts our plan in jeopardy," he replied in the same strangled whisper. "Now, for God's sake, go and try not to miss him!”

Fifteen minutes.

Ten.

Eight and a half.

Chifuyu once again looked at his watch and nervously tapped his finger on the dial, as if hoping that this would help Manjiro appear a little faster. As time passed, Matsuno moved towards the door indicated by Takemichi — there really were a little less people there than in the rest of the hall, which meant that the probability that Mikey would enter from this entrance grew almost exponentially. In addition to this, people gradually began to accumulate at the door, very similar to the guards. While they were just wandering somewhere in the distance, but, like Matsuno himself, they kept checking their watches, as if they were waiting for someone. After another two minutes, they hurriedly began to concentrate at the door.

And Chifuyu understood.

It's time.

He took the most advantageous position and pressed his finger to the earphone, not fully understanding how to use it correctly.

“Manjiro will be here any minute,” he announced. “Entrance number two. This is the best place if he wants to avoid attention. You were right, Takemichi.”

“Good job, Fuyu,” Takemichi replied. “Now come back to me. And if you can, please find Seishu. It seems he forgot to turn on his earphone.”

“Got you. I'll bring him in.”

Everything still seemed like some kind of creepy spy series.

Chifuyu began to make his way through the crowd to the farthest exit, looking for Inui who had disappeared somewhere along the way. There was no sign of him in the hall, so he switched to the remaining entrances. He had already checked one of them and went out to the backyard, watched the second one while waiting for Mikey. Finally, under a small staircase leading to the second floor, there were two more doors, but, as Matsuno had noticed before, Takuya and Makoto were already watching one of them — it seems that the room hiding behind it was a kitchen or something like a distribution point, where waiters returned every now and then for new snacks and drinks.

Only the second one remained.

And Chifuyu hoped that he would be lucky.

The earpiece in the ear rattled disgustingly.

It seemed to start working badly if Matsuno went too far away from Takemichi, but even as much as he could, he tried to ignore the interference that arose. He had to find Seishu or find out what was going on before returning to Takemichi with the news.

The clock showed 19:23. (7:23 PM)

Chifuyu carefully closed the door behind him and hid behind the nearest wall when screams were heard around the corner.

“Are you crazy, Inupi?! Do you even understand what this threatens you with?!” Matsuno recognized the voice immediately. He looked out slightly to make sure, and realized that he was not mistaken. Kokonoi hit the wall with his fist. He did not regret expensive shoes either, when he hit with his foot after that. “And if your plan fails? Have you thought about it?! What will you do then?! Damn it, you're all going to be hanged! And then me at the same time, when they find out that I helped you!”

“So what?! Will you go and tell Mikey everything? When we are literally one step away from the long-awaited freedom?!” Inui shouted back desperately. “Maybe it's time to stop shaking so much for your damn ass and do at least something useful?!”

“Idiot, they're going to kill you!” there was a thud. When Matsuno peeked around the corner, he saw Koko pinning Seishu against the wall, holding him by the neck. He seemed not just mad—an enraged beast, ready to mercilessly tear Inui to pieces at any moment. Chifuyu wasn't exactly worried about him, but maybe he should have intervened after all? After all, he had a gun. And he and Seishu were on the same side. He was not sure about Koko, although his words also led him into a slight perplexity. Maybe he was helping them after all? “Don't you understand?! And you, and Matsuno, and Hanagaki! They won't spare anyone! Abandon this plan before it's too late!”

“It is too late,” Seishu spat in his face. “It's getting late. And it will all end today, whether you want it or not. So choose, Koko: whose side do you want to be on? On our… Or on Mikey's side.”

The interference in the earphone intensified, and Chifuyu immediately pressed it to his ear, cursing softly.

“Matsuno!” Koko immediately shouted. His breathing quickened, and his heart beat so hard that it would have easily pierced his chest. Chifuyu groped for his gun. "For someone who sleeps with their boss, you're not really hideous. Come out!”

He hesitated.

What was the chance that Koko could be armed?

“I won't repeat it twice! I said come out!”

Chifuyu slowly raised his hands as he came around the corner.

“Chifuyu, what the fuck are you doing here?!” Inui threw angrily at him. "You were supposed to be watching Takemichi and Mikey!”

“I've already done my part of the plan, dumbass," Matsuno snapped. "Takemichi ordered me to find you. But what do you do, huh? Why the hell have you even told your boyfriend everything? Isn't he in league with Mikey?”

"I'm not his boyfriend," Hajime rolled his eyes with a sigh. “And I won't cover for you!”

“Bad answer,” Chifuyu shook his head. He himself was surprised at his confident, almost mocking tone. The fear immediately went away, as if it had never existed, and he put his hands in his pockets, looking at the Kokonoi standing in front of him with a haughty look. He glanced briefly at Seishu, hoping that he would join the discussion and even play along with him. “And now think about a new one.”

“I told you, I won't! If you want to be suicidal, for God's sake! Just don't drag me into this!”

“I'm afraid now that you know, you're in the same boat with us! What do you want for your silence? Money? Just tell me the amount.”

“No way, Matsuno!” Koko laughed nervously, shaking his head. “I didn't make this mess, so it's not for me to sort it out! Immediately stop everything you were planning to do, otherwise I…"

“Otherwise "what"? Will you give up us to Manjiro?” Chifuyu chuckled, arching an eyebrow at the obvious question. “Try it. Come on, let's go! Go on! But I wanna remind you that there are two of us here, and you are all alone. What’s that for us, right, Inui? To leave you to rot right here.”

Chifuyu snatched the pistol from his holster and pointed it at Hajime.

He raised his hands in fright.

“I'm afraid you don't fully understand what's going on here,” Inupi finally exhaled, coughing hoarsely and rubbing his thin neck with his hand. On it, but only on the left side, there was also a Black Dragon tattoo.

“So explain it to me, damn it!” Koko did not give up. “You decided to organize a riot on the ship and hang the local captain! I quite understood that, you know! As well as the fact that you decided to threaten me!”

“It's not just Mikey who's going to be affected,” Seishu told him rudely. “The whole Toman. This whole rotten bloody machine is finally going to fall today. As soon as we give the signal, the police will immediately begin storming the building,” Seishu also took out his pistol. So Koko was in the crosshairs of two at once. Must be said, not in the best position for himself. “You don't have much time, Koko. So either you come with us, or we'll bury you with everyone else.”

“The choice is yours alone,” Chifuyu supported him.

“But I doubt that if you stay with them, you will not be removed as our accomplice. Or they won't torture you to exhaustion. After all, you've been helping us get information for the last six months. Isn't that right, Koko?”

There was a tense silence.

“All right,” he said finally, gritting his teeth. Hajime closed his eyes and took a step back. “The hell with you. Just put that shit down already, okay?”

Chifuyu and Seishu obediently lowered their weapons. Neither of them said a word to each other about the fact that they never took it off the safety. Probably for this reason, Chifuyu felt no fear of using a gun. Now and at this second, as long as he controlled everything, even firearms were not dangerous.

“And what is your plan? What are you going to do anyway?”

“You'll find out when the show starts,” Inui grinned mysteriously. "And you'd better stay close to me or Chifuyu, otherwise you might get hurt accidentally."

There was a lively applause outside the door.

“It seems to be starting,” Chifuyu looked back at the door, and then at his companions.

“Damn it”! Inui checked the time on his watch. “Run! Come on, hurry up!”

“What? Where to?” Koko exclaimed.

They threw open the door and rushed into the central hall. Fortunately, there was no one here, and the way was clear: all the guests had already gathered at the stage on the floor above, waiting for the bidding to begin. Here they split up: Seishu and Koko ran in one direction, while Matsuno, jumping over the steps, headed for the second floor.

Mikey appeared on the dark stage, under the light of bright spotlights.

The crowd screamed loudly and clapped again.

In the dark, and even among so many people, it was difficult to find Takemichi, but Chifuyu was sure of one thing: the man was at the very foot of the stage. Meanwhile, Manjiro went to the podium and checked the microphone.

And finally he spoke:

“You know, every year I attend this auction to honor the memory of my beloved sister, Emma Sano,” Chifuyu froze in place, not having reached the stage just a few meters. But he had saved Emma! Takemichi saved Emma! What did it all mean?! “She is its direct organizer, and it is my duty, as her brother, not to let her brainchild die out irrevocably.”

Chifuyu barely managed to take the last steps when he finally saw a familiar cloak ahead.

“Takemichi!” He touched him on the shoulder.

“Chifuyu, where the hell have you been?” Takemichi shushed him, and Matsuno, still trying to catch his breath, only shook his head instead of a clear answer. “Is everything ready? Is Seishu already in place?”

“Yes,” Chifuyu answered him simply. “Yes, and Koko with him.”

“Okay,” Takemichi exhaled abruptly. The mention of Koko didn't bother him a bit, as if he was already aware of his full participation in the mission. Chifuyu noticed that Hanagaki's hands were shaking violently. Of course, it wasn't every day that they planned to kill the head of a criminal gang. “That's good.”

Manjiro picked up the glass that he had brought with him from behind the scenes.

“I would like to raise this toast to all of you, to all those involved and not indifferent, who took the time to come here today on this special evening. Takemitchy,” the impenetrable gaze of the black eyes slid through the crowd to grab, as if with claws, at a single silhouette. The spotlight fell on Takemichi. “I trust you in a way I don't even trust myself. Thank you for being here to support me, even though I know you'd much rather watch sports cars.”

A muffled chuckle went around the room.

Mikey grinned.

“Please share this wonderful moment with me. I want us to open an auction together. Do you agree?”

“I would be honored,” Hanagaki broke into a kind of grateful smile. The corners of his lips trembled a little. He took one last look at Chifuyu before heading towards the stairs leading straight to the stage.

The audience applauded. Matsuno couldn't figure out if this was part of their plan, or if Takemichi was now acting as the situation demanded, but Chifuyu felt his legs and arms slowly stop obeying him, and fear systematically shackles his body. It made his way inside, into every organ, filling every empty gap with hopeless darkness.

Only five steps and a couple of meters separated Takemichi from Manjiro Sano.

Hanagaki stopped onto the first step.

Chifuyu looked around frantically. If there was anywhere to run, it would be back to the very door that led to the backyard. Probably for this reason, Seishu and Koko stayed on the ground floor.

Takemichi stepped onto the second.

The clock showed 19:29.

Then the third.

They need to run fast, otherwise they will simply die in the resulting crush. But where….where to run?

Where to?

The fourth.

Chifuyu checked his gun.

The fifth.

Mikey obligingly gave Takemichi his hand and led him to the very center of the court.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the third annual Emma Sano Auction," he turned to Takemichi, smiling warmly, and then addressed the audience as well. “I declare it open! And may luck be in your hands today!”

19:30.

Something clicked, and the lights in the building went out instantly.

From the side of the stage, the sound of broken glass and a shot was heard, followed by several more in the crowd. Someone screamed and rushed back to the stairs leading to the first floor, someone fell off the railing, trying to get to the exit first, and someone climbed onto the stage out of fear. And he screamed hysterically:

“Killed! Killed! Killed!”

“Takemichi!” Chifuyu shouted. Even the fact that he was well-oriented in the dark could not help him find him when everyone around was in such a panicked state. “Takemichi, where are you? Takemichi!”

Downstairs, the door was knocked down with a bang.

“Police! Everyone get down on the ground immediately!”

Chifuyu did not have time to orient himself, did not even have time to make a pathetic squeak when someone grabbed his arm and just dragged him along.

Chapter Text

Hello to everyone! I'm sorry for disturbing you but this is not a chapter. I've got not a very good news.

Ao3 has got blocked in Russia.

Apparently, someone was very unhappy with the fact that there are a lot of russian writers and readers on Ao3. So this lady (i found out about her in Twitter) asked Russian Authorities to block the website in Russia. I, honestly, have no idea how this is going to help to stop this terrible war, and when I asked her about that I got the answer in the style like " all people from Russia should die"

Ok.

I don't support this war at all. It's bloody, it's terrible and I hope everything will gonna end soon.

But the thing is that now I have to find a good proper VPN app that won't get blocked and won't be slow as hell. So, yeah, I won't stop the translation of course. I love the fic (and the author, such an amazing girl, just the best).

So, see you soon (I hope)

Have a great day y'all! And again I'm sorry for disturbing you!

Chapter Text

Chifuyu could barely keep up with his companion. He couldn't see his face, but the feeling of a palm tightly gripping his fingers somehow seemed familiar. "Takemichi," flashed through Matsuno’s head. Of course, Chifuyu couldn't be sure of that. It could not be him at all, not his Takemichi, it could also be someone else - the one who was leading him to certain death right now. But events were developing rapidly, and he had no more than a minute to make a decision.

So Chifuyu could only trust.

And he ran. Not knowing where and why, not knowing who he was running after, he just silently followed towards the unknown. The screams and gunshots behind him all merged into a single monotonous noise. And Matsuno would hardly have remembered the way back: the adrenaline hit his head so hard that every movement became automatic, and every step taken was aimed only at the only correct installation — to run and escape. They were pushing someone, trying to get to the exit, and the floor under their feet seemed like burning lava, on which in no case it was possible to stay longer than one second.

“Don't let them get away!” Someone in the crowd roared.

Chifuyu's companion seemed to know the way and could navigate the building even in complete darkness. They ran up the stairs to the stage, and then turned backstage, from where they followed a straight line for a short time before going down somewhere again. "Fire exit," Chifuyu quickly guessed.

So they found themselves in an empty corridor.

Matsuno realized what route they had taken only at the moment when Seishu's excited voice sounded behind him:

“This way! Faster!” leaning on the open door with his shoulder, he told them to hurry up, and both men obediently quickened their pace. It seemed to Chifuyu that someone was breathing down their backs and was about to overtake them, and then he ran faster, ran as fast as he could, without realizing it, until they finally found themselves on the street, and Koko and Inui immediately slammed the heavy door behind them.

“Is everyone alive? Is anyone hurt?” still trying to catch his breath, Takemichi (and it really was Takemichi) leaned back against the concrete wall and looked at everyone present with a careful look. His jacket was now unbuttoned, and the bottom of his white shirt, carelessly straightened out, was red with blood, as were the hands with which he loosely gripped the gun. He was pale as bloody death, his fingers were visibly shaking, and his eyes, hastily checking others for damage, seemed slightly insane. As befits a good leader, Hanagaki was primarily concerned about the well-being of his subordinates, which could not be said about Chifuyu, who, at the moment, was focused exclusively on Takemichi himself.

“We’re good, Commander,” Inupi breathed heavily. He put his hands on his hips and only nodded briefly in the direction of Hajime. “And even brought home our prodigal son.”

"Welcome to the Black Dragons, Koko," Takemichi also greeted him with a quick nod. “It's a pity that under such circumstances.”

“Yeah,” Kokonoi chuckled. He was well aware that they didn't have time for the initiation ceremony right now: all they had to think about was how to get out of here as soon as possible, preferably without casualties and unnecessary noise. "Where to next, boss?"

Chifuyu hastily looked around. The alley they were in was completely empty and deserted, and the only source of light here was a dim lantern, located alone above a metal door. On the left there was a trash can filled to the top, which could easily be climbed to jump over the fence into a neighboring alley, and on the right there was an exit to the highway. It was there that the car appeared: a bulky black Jeep with thick tinted windows. He braked sharply, leaving a characteristic tire mark on the road.

Matsuno instinctively pulled Takemichi behind him.

But when the driver rolled down the windows, Chifuyu recognized Akkun, who ordered them to get into the car immediately. No one thought to argue with him: Koko jumped into the front seat, carefully buckling himself in, and the remaining three fit in the back. Seishu only had time to slam the door behind him when the car pulled away and quickly taxied onto a busy road.

Matsuno turned around to make sure that no one was chasing them, but, to his surprise, he found that the truck was already following them backwards, every now and then trying to catch up and push the jeep to the curb. Chifuyu didn't even have time to figure out where it came from, but the other passengers didn't look as surprised.

"You better hold on tight," Atsushi warned when the needle on the speedometer shifted sharply to the right, and he pressed the gas pedal almost to the stop to get away from pursuit. The sudden movement jolted Chifuyu, and he hit his head on the back of the driver's seat.

A moment later, two more cars were added to the truck — this time, the police. Sirens blared, and then one of the policemen addressed them through a loudspeaker:

“Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department! Pull over to the curb immediately! I repeat: immediately pull over to the side of the road!”

“Are you sure everything is under control?” Koko asked doubtfully, glancing in the side mirror every now and then to monitor the distance separating their jeep from the other three cars.”

Seishu kept his pistol at the ready, probably intending to shoot back in case one of their pursuers wanted to open fire on the car. Chifuyu thought about following his example, and only then noticed that his hands were still not free. He didn't even pay attention to the fact that after leaving the building, he never let go of Hanagaki's palm and kept holding it in his all the time.

They only met Takemichi's eyes for a second: during this time he became even paler than before, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his gaze seemed to glaze over, and Chifuyu did not need to guess for a long time to understand that Takemichi was insanely scared right now.

They were all scared.

It couldn't have been any other way.

No matter how important and pretentious they looked at the auction, no matter how proud they were of their status, position, money and expensive cars, no matter who they pretended to be in this ridiculous game, deep down they were still the same — scared children who had to fight with bad guys every now and then. Or be the bad guys to snatch your chance at survival.

However, Chifuyu did not have to choose.

“Oh, yes, everything is according to plan,” Akkun smiled wryly and tightened his grip on the leather steering wheel to turn sharply into a narrow tunnel. Because of its height, it had restrictions for trucks, and their sudden pursuer had no choice but to leave them alone for a while and find a detour. Actually, that's what happened: the truck stopped, and then turned onto another road to meet them later at the opposite end of the tunnel, and the police roared off after him.

Apparently, it was their target all this time.

The tunnel was long. The poisonous yellow lighting accompanied them all the way, the lamps alternately replaced each other every few meters, and Chifuyu counted them to himself, trying to figure out how far they had traveled. Everyone in the car was tense: Koko, holding his breath, watched the road with Akkun, Seishu kept looking back to make sure there was no "tail", and only Hanagaki remained relatively indifferent. Probably, each of them understood that today could be their last day, but they still consciously took risks. Chifuyu didn't even know what was at stake right now, but it seems that everyone present was ready to lay down their lives for this plan.

In the middle of the tunnel, blocking their way, there was another car.

Chifuyu was wary, but it seems in vain: everything that was happening was also part of a pre-arranged plan.

Makoto and Takuya got out of the car. Now they were dressed differently: instead of the waiters' uniforms, they were wearing gray suits with the light stripes already familiar to Matsuno, and an elongated black wig was placed on Takuya's head. They came up and opened the back door of the jeep, and Seishu, who got out, replaced them at this post so that Chifuyu and Takemichi could leave the vehicle after him. Everything happened in complete silence, and up to a certain point Matsuno didn't even really understand what was going on, until Takuya finally settled in Takemichi's place, and Makoto settled down by the window — where Chifuyu had been sitting before.

It was like...

Exchange?

"They need you," Seishu explained, seeing the confusion on the other vice-captain's face. “You and Takemichi. First of all, they will hunt for your heads, but they are not so easy to get.”

Chifuyu frowned.

"We want to make them think you're still in this car," Inui chuckled, pleased that the cards were still stacked in the best way for them.

“And, in your opinion, will it work?” Chifuyu asked uncertainly. Would the enraged Yakuza, and even with the police on their tail, be so easily led to this ridiculous game of dressing up? What idiot came up with this stupid plan at all?

“You tell me," he said with a mysterious smile, putting his hand on Chifuyu's shoulder and squeezing it loosely. Matsuno met this gesture with an uncomprehending look. "After all, it's your plan. So if it suddenly fails, I'm gonna mock you for a few more years after that," he winked playfully, although, of course, now was not the time and not the place for such jokes. "It's in ya best interest not to let that happen, right?"

Probably, there was nothing more stupid — to ask about the details of your own plan. Chifuyu barely restrained from chastising himself for such imprudence, but it seems that Inui did not care about it at all.

"Hey, Chifuyu," he called out to him again before getting back into the car. Not by last name, as they usually addressed each other, but by first name — as if they were really close. His lips tightened into a thin line, and for some reason the always sharp gaze of his green eyes softened for a moment. The previously joking tone suddenly became completely serious. Inui hesitated, as if pondering something, and then stepped forward and awkwardly hugged Chifuyu. He was taken aback by surprise and held his breath when Seishu, patting him on the back in a friendly way, added in a low voice, as if he did not want to be heard at all: “Take care of yourself, idiot.”

Chifuyu felt out of place and would rather push Inui away than make a reciprocal gesture, but the situation required him to pretend, so he could only submit to the circumstances.

He awkwardly hugged him back.

And exhaled softly:

“You too.”

After that, Inui hastily hugged Takemichi, and he, with the words "get rid of him," convulsively thrust his M911 into him. Having previously pulled out a white handkerchief from his jacket pocket, Seishu nodded intelligently and took the weapon for himself with extreme caution. Chifuyu paid attention to this in time: this meant that of the two of them, he was the only armed man. Of course, if Hanagaki didn't have an extra pistol or rifle in his other pockets.

Seishu returned to his original seat, allowing Matsuno to close the door behind him, and Chifuyu and Takemichi got into another car — a less noticeable blue Ford Focus, in which Makoto and Takuya used to sit. And they finally parted in different directions: a black jeep drove to the exit of the tunnel to distract the pursuers, and a blue Ford — in the opposite direction from him. When leaving the tunnel, the driver asked Chifuyu and Takemichi to lower their heads in case the chase resumed, but after a few minutes, when they drove far enough away from Roppongi and busy streets, and the danger finally passed, he allowed them to straighten up again. The sounds of shooting could already be heard in the distance: it seems that the trick really succeeded, and now those who remained in the black jeep had to deal with its consequences. Well, Chifuyu hoped that there would be no casualties.

The radio, constantly interrupted by interference, briefly reported: "According to our information, at 19:30, a shootout occurred in one of the largest auction houses in Roppongi. The police report that the auction was held by the criminal group "Tokyo Manji", also known as "Toman". A number of high-ranking Yakuza were found murdered. The fate of the head of the Tokyo Manji, Sano Manjiro, is still unknown."

Hearing Mikey's name, Takemichi, who was sitting next to him, started. His eyes flew open, he turned his head first to the right and then to the left, cautiously peering into both windows, as if somewhere out there, among the infinitely identical passers-by, Manjiro himself could appear. But by this time he had been dead for thirty minutes and therefore obviously posed no danger to them. At least, Chifuyu was firmly convinced of this.

However, Takemichi behaved very strangely. Or rather, of course, there was nothing particularly strange in his fear, and even more so something reprehensible, but as far as Chifuyu could judge, they had been part of the Japanese mafia for quite a long time, and the murders should not have bothered them so much. But maybe the problem was that it was Mikey. Not someone faceless and nameless, but someone familiar and close enough.

Someone like Mikey.

The heart sank treacherously. Matsuno couldn't understand why the mere thought of Takemichi still worrying about the dead Manjiro when Chifuyu was sitting quite alive next to him caused him such pain.

He shook his head, trying to get it out of his mind. Until now, it seemed to him that Mikey's death should have brought him relief or at least some imaginary satisfaction - after all, this asshole finally got what he deserved — but Chifuyu did not feel anything. No matter how hard he tried to evoke at least some emotions about it, it was still completely empty inside.

Takemichi wearily leaned back in his seat and tightened his grip on Chifuyu's hand. Ever since they leave Inui, he hasn't stopped kicking his leg. Whether it was a gesture of excitement, impatience, or Hanagaki was just waiting for something, Matsuno couldn’t understand.

The whole of Tokyo seemed to be awake today: many areas were completely cordoned off due to the shooting, and police patrols with dogs were darting through the streets. They meticulously questioned passers-by and showed them some photos, probably trying to find someone. Sirens could be heard everywhere — either the police, or the rescue service — by this time Chifuyu had already stopped distinguishing any sounds.

The road still did not end.

They kept driving and driving somewhere ahead, and at some point Matsuno even doubted whether they were driving in a circle through the same streets and blocks, meeting the same people. But soon the lights along the highway began to occur less often. Chifuyu realized that they were heading out of town, and the small squat houses that caught his eye every few meters only reinforced his guess. The car stopped at the most inconspicuous house, and Takemichi, holding Matsuno's hand, silently left the salon, after which the blue Ford disappeared forever into the darkness of the night.

Without stopping to look around, Hanagaki pushed the creaking gate leading to the courtyard in front of him. It seemed that it was hard for him to walk, he could barely drag his feet, and Chifuyu, who was walking behind him, was tensely watching his back, fearing that his partner might not be able to stand on his own two feet at any moment and lose his balance. Matsuno was afraid to ask anything before entering the house, and therefore kept silent until they finally found themselves behind a closed door. The key in the lock turned twice, Chifuyu flipped the switch, but there was no light in the house — probably for security reasons.

A chill ran down his spine.

But he didn't even have time to really think about how uncomfortable he was in the pitch darkness, as Takemichi finally lost patience: at one point he jerked off his jacket and, staggering on wobbly legs and leaning on the walls and furniture along the way, trudged into the farthest room — as it turned out, to the toilet. Apparently, she was the only place in this house where the light still worked - a small dim lamp sadly illuminated an old stained mirror.

“Need to take this off ...”Takemichi muttered thoughtlessly to himself, not getting his fingers on the buttons and only crumpling the shirt more with his feverish movements. His eyes darted from side to side, not finding an object on which to hold his gaze, his hands completely refused to obey. He kept meaninglessly repeating the same words, not paying attention to Matsuno: “We need to clean all this… so much blood… so much blood…”

There was no shower cabin at this place — a rusty grate in the floor for running water and a shower fixed in the wall without a hose. With his hands dirty with blood, Takemichi walked across the tile in an attempt to find the valve, and he succeeded, although not the first time — icy water immediately gushed on him from the shower, and he collapsed limply to the floor, exposing his face and hands to the scalding cold drops. The water flowing into the drain instantly turned scarlet. Takemichi tried so desperately to wash himself off, to erase the consequences of his terrible deeds from himself, that he could easily tear off his skin. Yet the blood still did not disappear: it seemed to have eaten into the very bones, and Takemichi rubbed harder, rubbed rougher and angrier, while bitter tears streamed down his cheeks.

Chifuyu was at his side in the blink of an eye: without asking anything, he sat down next to Hanagaki on the cold and wet tile and gently pulled his weak body towards him, wrapping two arms around him and squeezing as tightly as possible. He could feel his own clothes getting wet as well, how it stuck to his body, and his hair, wet from the water, lost its shape and fell over his eyes, but he didn't care. Takemichi's back, pressed tightly against his chest, was the only thing that could be important right now.

“Hush...”Chifuyu soothed, nuzzling the top of other’s head. Uncomprehensible, the words were now and then muffled and lost between the black strands when he spoke. Takemichi was suffocating in his arms, desperately clinging with his fingers to the shoulders and the sleeves of the white shirt sticking out casually from under his gray jacket. It was as if he couldn’t find Chifuyu in this semi-darkness, couldn’t find him, so necessary, and with him his consolation. He pronounced his name like a prayer known only to him: "Fuyu...". And Matsuno would close his eyes and squeeze him even harder, as if responding to this words: "I'm here... I am here... right here with you…”

One of them reached out to finally turn on the faucet, and they were left in complete silence — only a few small drops were still dripping on the floor from the shower head. Both men shivered continuously from the cold of the water, and this only made them huddle closer to each other in search of the necessary warmth. Chifuyu didn't know how much time they spent sitting in each other's arms: it was only a minute or it was already dawn— while he was holding Takemichi in his arms, time didn't bother him at all.

“I couldn't kill him...” Hanagaki finally confessed to him.  Matsuno wouldn't have heard it in a whisper if he hadn't deliberately listened. The words stuttering, gasping escaped Takemichi's lips, clothed in a ridiculous confession: “M-manjiro… I couldn't shoot him, Chifuyu. Forgive me…”

“What?..” Chifuyu slowly pulled away from Takemichi to look into his eyes and find confirmation of the words he had just heard. It seemed like some kind of ridiculous joke. Until now, Matsuno was sure that Takemichi's reaction was related to the state of shock after killing Manjiro. But if there was no murder… Then... “How is it… What do you mean with "couldn't"?.. But the shot... and the blood...”

“It..." Takemichi said with difficulty, guilt was filling his eyes. "It isn’t M-manjiro’s…”

Chifuyu's pupils widened in fright.

His grip loosened for a moment.

Takemichi lifted his shirt, hissing.

“Shit...” was all Matsuno could say when he saw a fresh bleeding wound slightly to the left of his navel. Suddenly there was nothing to breathe with: the air was taken away, his lungs were compressed almost to the limit, not allowing him to breathe normally. “No...Not that...”

Until that moment, Chifuyu had paid little attention to the blood, although it was on himself — on his hands and clothes, on Takemichi, on the tiled floor on which they were sitting — but now it suddenly caught his eye, like a blot on a white sheet, and it was everywhere, it was absolutely everywhere, it flooded everything around! It seemed as if Chifuyu was drowning in it, as in a deep swamp, and it was rapidly filling his airways, blocking his access to oxygen. There is nothing to grab on to, there is nothing left to hold on to - there is no way to save himself?

The memories that he had been pushing away with all his might from the moment he entered the house caught up with him at the most inopportune moment. Frightened, he crawled away from Takemichi to the opposite wall and shivered even more than before: left without someone else's warmth, he suddenly clearly felt the cold, penetrating his skin through the soaked jacket and shirt and covering every organ with an icy crust. "This isn’t happening..." he assured himself, covering his eyes and ears with the hands, hoping to hide, shrink into something small and insignificant and disappear forever. See nothing and hear no one. Feel nothing.

It was foolish to hope for a good outcome in the future, which initially doomed them all to perdition. But how Chifuyu was sick of all this: it was like an endless run to nowhere — no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, it was as if he never moved from a dead point. He always stayed here—on the floor, helpless and pathetic, forced to watch as someone who is very dear to him fades away right in front of his eyes.

Takemichi was calling him, but Matsuno could hardly hear him through a veil, or maybe he didn't hear him at all.

“You have to... contact Seishu...” using his palms as a support, Takemichi crawled to the nearest wall and leaned his back against it. It was difficult for him to speak, and he did it through the pain, every now and then squinting and tearing up the words. “say that... our plan failed. I couldn't do it before... there in the car… I didn't know if it was safe…”

Thoughts were confused, mixed into something unclear and illegible, which is why Matsuno was unable to adequately assess the situation.

“Chifuyu...” noticing Matsuno's dispersed gaze, Takemichi called out to him again, but a little more insistently. However, this did not help. All that Chifuyu heard were only short fragments of phrases that had no meaning. “Chifuyu, listen... right now you don't need to think about me… First Seishu and everyone else… need to warn them... and... can only entrust it to you... only you can...”

Matsuno shook his head, closing his eyes tiredly and trying to just breathe. He could not answer questions, nor could he listen to what was asked of him. Chifuyu wanted to grab Takemichi by the breasts and tell him to shut up, so that he wouldn't talk to him anymore, didn't try to call him — just finally fell silent. The mind was empty and full at the same time, and Chifuyu wanted one thing — silence. And when he finally got it, something sane and sober began to seep through the continuous stream of reflections, as if he was gradually coming to his senses. He understood well: Hinata was not here, Takemichi needed help himself, Hanma was too far away to help him, and now only Chifuyu could pull himself out of the darkness. Only he could light a candle on the windowsill. Only he could break through this endless darkness.

No one else.

He squeezed his eyes shut so hard that white spots flashed under his eyelids, clenched his teeth tightly and ordered himself:

«Breathe, Chifuyu.»

Breathe.

You have to breathe.

Gathering all his strength, Chifuyu slowly got to his feet. He had to hold on to the wall with his hand: the voices were still ringing in the head, his eyes were twofold - one tile turned into two, two into four, and four into eight — but Chifuyu didn’t even try to count them and instead focused on something else: getting to the locker next to the mirror. It turned out with varying success. There were scissors and a small pair of tweezers inside, but otherwise there was nothing to take, and then Matsuno began to explore the rest of the house — a small, half-empty living room and kitchen with a dusty table and two old chairs. It was difficult to search in the dark, but Chifuyu continued, no matter what, rattling drawers, examining shelves — and finally, a dusty first aid kit was found above the stove in one of the cabinets.

With it, he returned back to Takemichi.

Chifuyu helped him to get up from the floor and walk to the mirror to better examine the wound under the light of a single lamp. Hanagaki casually grabbed the edge of the sink with his blood—red hand, which he used to hold onto his stomach, and his hand kept slipping off the smooth ceramic surface, leaving a trace of his palm on it. Breathing heavily, he threw his torso back — it was difficult to stand straight and unbearably painful. His legs did not hold him at all, and Chifuyu had to insure him so that he wouldn’t fall.

“W-wait,” Hanagaki protested weakly. “Wait, Chifuyu... if Manjiro is alive, he will find us soon. You still have a chance to leave and contact Seishu. So please…”

Without even trying to listen to him, Matsuno opened the first aid kit and quickly examined its contents: alcohol, bandages, cotton wool, several plasters, a blister pack with pills, lidocaine in ampoules, two syringes — not much, but it wasn’t necessary to count on more. Especially when you consider that he had no idea what to do with what he had at his disposal.

“Chifuyu...” Takemichi tried to attract his attention again and reached for his shoulders, but the pain did not allow him to do this, and he slowly returned to his starting position, hissing. Chifuyu ignored this as well, continuing to fiddle with the first aid kit as well. “Chifuyu, listen to me!” Takemichi shouted, unable to stand his silence. The scream finally made Matsuno stop and look up, and then Takemichi took his hand away from the sink and tightly clung to his wrist. “It’s an order, you hear?! Find a walkie-talkie and leave now!”

"I don't give a damn ‘bout your order," Chifuyu snapped, carefully removing Hanagaki's palm from his hand. He did not raise his tone — on the contrary, his voice remained as cold and calm. He didn't like being rude to Takemichi, but he disliked such words even more: even if they didn't have a single chance of survival left, Chifuyu would rather die next to him than leave him and go alone. Really, Takemichi couldn't understand that? “I’m sure Seishu'll be able to navigate even in case of unforeseen circumstances. After all, he's far from a stupid guy. And I have to take care of you now. Do you understand me? So shut up and let me do it.”

Takemichi looked at Matsuno as if he was still waiting for him to change his mind and still follow his request, but there was not a shadow of doubt in his green eyes, as always. As always, Chifuyu was stubborn and adamant in his decisions. And Hanagaki had no choice but to obediently nod in response to his words.

“Okay...” he conceded, yielding. “Okay, fine. Do what you think is right.”

After making sure that Takemichi was holding onto the sink tightly, Chifuyu stepped back to throw off his jacket and removed the holster, which had sufficient weight due to the pistol in it. Then he approached Takemichi again, rolled up his sleeves and, with fingers trembling with excitement, unbuttoned his shirt to the end, already stuck to his body in places because of the water. Under the white cloth was found sarashi — a relic of the past, which they used in their youth. And if then it was necessary more in order to amuse his ego, now sarashi performed its immediate function, namely, to protect. Several layers of dense elastic fabric slowed down the bullet's progress: and although it was still inside, its impact force decreased slightly, as did the damage it caused.

That's probably why Takemichi was still alive.

Carefully, layer by layer, Chifuyu cut off the bloody pieces of cloth.

“The wound's blind,” he concluded with truly medical doom, having finished his short examination. And after some reflection, he voiced aloud a disappointing verdict: “The bullet has no exit hole. I'm afraid it's gonna have to be pulled out, but it's gonna hurt like hell.”

“'ll be patient,” Hanagaki muttered. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes before returning to his original position and looking at Chifuyu again from under his long black eyelashes. "We've done this before, haven't we? So just get it out and be done with it.”

Much easier said than done.

Perhaps his predecessor had managed to learn all the subtleties of field medicine during this time, but the current Matsuno had no idea about it. He didn't have a corresponding reference book at hand, or even a phone with instructions on some seedy forum - there was only himself, Takemichi and their not particularly capable single brain gyrus.

Not the most successful set.

“Chifuyu?” Takemichi called him in a weak voice.

“Y-yes..” stammered Chifuyu. “Now, gimme a minute.”

Matsuno hesitated: such an operation, and even carried out by an amateur like him, could not only not save Hanagaki, but also cause him even more harm. He could accidentally touch a blood vessel with tweezers, bring an infection or even worse. But it was at least an hour's drive to the nearest hospital, and something told Chifuyu that it would be extremely problematic to get Takemichi there in such a state. Besides, they didn't even have proper transportation at their disposal, and on their own two feet they could barely hobble to the outskirts of the city, let alone get to some hospital without bumping into the police or Manjiro's followers. Or, even worse, Manjiro himself.

Leaving a bullet inside wasn’t a good idea either. Like any other foreign body, with a probability of two hundred percent, the bullet will simply oxidize in the abdominal cavity and thereby disrupt the work of the body, cause internal bleeding or injure nearby organs. There are a lot of options, and none of them promised absolutely nothing good for Takemichi.

“Start with injection of the painkillers,” not ignoring the prolonged silence of his best friend, Takemichi himself reached for the first aid kit and pulled out a package of lidocaine from it. Matsuno blinked in confusion, looking at the proffered thing, then at Takemichi's face. He smiled encouragingly. “Don't be scared, I’ll help you.”

Chifuyu swallowed the sour-bitter viscous saliva that had accumulated in his mouth with difficulty and nodded uncertainly. Following Takemichi's advice, he carefully opened the ampoule with lidocaine, and, continuing to hold it in one hand, removed the cap from the syringe with his teeth, and then filled it with a certain amount of anesthetic. With a jerk, as if he were removing a Band-Aid, he injected Takemichi with painkillers. From surprise, he did not even have time to squeak — barely catching the air with his mouth, he also quickly closed his lips. The instruction stated that the effect of lidocaine develops three minutes after the injection, and its effect persists for half an hour or an hour. Matsuno hoped that this time would be enough for them to deal with the injury. However, it couldn’t be called hope either — right now Chifuyu relied only on chance and luck.

“Okay, now take cotton wool and alcohol and treat the edges of the wound,” Takemichi instructed briefly. His breathing was heavy and rapid, his voice was hoarse, and he was probably making superhuman efforts to keep his eyes open. Chifuyu was afraid that Takemichi might lose consciousness at any moment, and he hadn't even started work yet! “And prepare a container for the bullet.”

“Will the lid be OK`?” Chifuyu asked worriedly, showing Hanagaki the slightly yellowed lid from the plastic box he found.

Takemichi nodded.

“Anythin' you find will.”

Chifuyu walked with cotton soaked in alcohol around the edges of the wound. It was a small matter — to pull out the damn bullet. And that was the hardest part. Matsuno quickly poured alcohol over his hands and tools.

Inhaled.

Exhaled.

And inhaled again.

Well, the decisive moment has come.

Chifuyu understood that even with painkillers, the pain could be just hellish. After hesitating, he touched the metal buckle on his trousers with his fingers and pulled off the leather belt under Hanagaki's uncomprehending gaze. After folding it several times, he awkwardly handed it to Takemichi.

“In case it hurts,” "if" was definitely superfluous here, but Chifuyu did not escalate. “Sorry, there's nothing else.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll help,” Takemichi opened his mouth without any objections and clamped the belt with his teeth, nodding to Chifuyu and giving a sign that he could start.

Matsuno's hands were shaking feverishly, his pulse was so loud that it was thundering in his ears. As soon as he took up the tweezers and timidly reached for the wound, he immediately withdrew his hand.

“No, I... I can't! I can't!”

Scary. How much he was scared! What if he messes it up? What if his actions only make it worse? After all, the last thing in the world Chifuyu would want was to hurt Takemichi!

And Hanagaki was already nodding off. He could no longer look at Chifuyu and keep his head straight, and it was slowly leaning towards his left shoulder. If it didn't bend down, it fell, and his eyes gradually closed. As a call to action, the mind reminded Chifuyu in time about Hinata's words just before leaving for the future:

«Only you can save him»

«I know, Chifuyu,»

«You can handle it»

Chifuyu looked at the instruments in his trembling hands, at Takemichi fainting, at his own reflection in the mirror — disheveled, agitated, eyes wide open, and pure horror froze on his face.

He shook his head, mentally gave himself a ringing slap in the face.

The voice repeated:

"You can handle it"

"Takemichi," Chifuyu called out to him, forcing him to wake up again. Hanagaki moved his lips listlessly, but said nothing — just gave a sign that he was still conscious. And then Chifuyu sternly warned him:  “Now.”

He repeated the previous action, but this time he was able to separate the edges of the wound and slide the tweezers inside the wound canal. He thought it would be much easier to detect a metal object among soft tissues, but in a mess of blood and intertwining vessels, it was not so easy.

Takemichi clung to his shoulder and howled hollowly, tightening his grip on the black belt clenched in his teeth.

"Where the fuck is it?!", Matsuno kept getting angry. His patience quickly exhausted itself, and after several unsuccessful attempts, he decided to change tactics. He pulled out the tweezers and casually threw it away, and he climbed into the wound canal with his thumb and index finger. Takemichi kicked and squeezed him even tighter — so hard that Chifuyu himself had to bite his tongue right there to not hiss in pain.

“I'm sorry… I'm sorry,” he immediately apologized, trying to find the bullet as soon as possible. Sweat broke out on his forehead from exertion: there was no one to wipe it off, and it rolled down in huge salt-filled drops, leaving long wet traces on the skin.

And finally Chifuyu felt something. He stopped and tried to feel the object better to make sure that he was not mistaken. By this time, his hands were already numb, he couldn’t feel his own fingers. The brain was barely able to think, but still Matsuno gathered his strength and tried to put together all his meager knowledge of anatomy: this is the abdominal cavity, which means there shouldn't be any bones here — the spine from behind, the ribs from above, the nearby organs should be soft to the touch. What was in his hands, if not a damn bullet?

Chifuyu knew that Takemichi was going to get even sicker right now.

He tightened his grip on the bullet, fearing that due to the abundance of blood, he simply would not be able to hold it, and slowly pulled it back to the hole. Takemichi screamed at the top of his voice in pain. The belt that he was clenching with his teeth immediately fell out of his mouth, and he dug his nails firmly into Matsuno's shoulders. The screams interfered with the work, as well as the fact that Takemichi could not help twitching, but Chifuyu understood that he had to finish, no matter what. Trying to abstract himself as much as possible under the circumstances, he held his breath and pulled the bullet out with almost jewel-like care.

“Got it… I got it, Takemichi!” Matsuno stammered in disbelief, throwing the extracted bullet into the lid of the first—aid kit that had been se t aside in advance.

The bullet suddenly seemed to him like an unexploded shell: touch it again and it will immediately explode. Chifuyu quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. A tired smile finally appeared on his face.

Takemichi gathered all his strength to take his already aching arm away from Chifuyu's shoulder and show him a thumbs-up, proudly raised in a sign of their joint victory.

“You're good,” he mumbled. And then he added even more quietly: “You are my savior, Chifuyu.”

You are my savior.

My savior.

Chifuyu shuddered.

Such praise was truly priceless: his heart felt so warm, as if the sun itself had settled in his chest, and for a second he even thought that everything in the world had suddenly become his shoulder. All the other manipulations after removing the bullet were given to him easier than ever: it was worth sewing up the wound in a good way, but there were no needles and threads at hand, but there was a large and wide patch. After processing everything that could be processed, Matsuno sealed the remaining hole and took up the bandage to wrap it tighter around Takemichi's stomach. So at least they had a chance to get to the nearest hospital.

"You won't even ask me why I couldn’t do it?" Takemichi said as they settled down on the floor next to the sink, and Chifuyu made the last turn of the bandage around his torso. At the same time, his voice remained low and hoarse, and he tried very hard not to look Chifuyu in the eyes, probably still feeling guilty about what happened at the auction. “After all, it's because of me our plan is now on the verge of failure. So why… Why aren't you mad at me?”

“Why am I not mad?” Matsuno repeated after him with a grin. “And why? It doesn't matter anyway,” he answered him quite calmly. Probably, he really should have been angry about the consequences of such a failure, but he did not. To be honest, he didn't think about the others at all— all his thoughts were focused exclusively on Takemichi's condition. Still, he was quick to share his thoughts with him: “Besides, I don't think our plan failed just because you couldn't shoot Mikey.”

"Do you think he knew what we were goin' to do?"

"I'm pretty sure someone warned him. However, with our precautions, I don't quite understand how he could have found out about it at all. So the only option that I admit is that among us there was…”

“—A traitor," Takemichi concluded resignedly. It was not a question, but a statement. Chifuyu was amazed that Hanagaki allowed himself so easily, not just a word, but the very idea that among his people there could be someone who reported to Manjiro about the attack being prepared for him. But he really didn't look surprised, and half an hour ago he himself told Chifuyu that it might not be safe in the car. Did this mean that he suspected someone from close friends of betrayal? Akkun? Makoto and Takuya? Inui and Koko? Was Matsuno himself on this list? Maybe he thought there were several traitors? How much? The band?

"And who do you think they are?"

"I don't know... I've no idea if he exists at all," he forced a smile. Chifuyu understood the pain it caused him, as he also understood that Takemichi always and unconditionally believed everyone he took under his wing. Matsuno did not understand only one thing: what motives did it take to betray the trust of such a bright person as Takemichi? “It's easier for me to think that we just made a mistake, or someone laid out everything under torture, but... I'm afraid then it will be self-deception. I don't wanna decide anything right now. So let's just save all the people we've dragged into this stupid plan and finally get it over with.”

"And if one of them turns out to be the one who betrayed us? What will you do then?”

Takemichi answered without hesitation:

“We'll save them too.”

Chifuyu sighed wistfully.

What else did he expect from him?

And yet something has never changed. Chifuyu didn't need to ask why Hanagaki gave him that answer: he always sought the best outcome — including for those who absolutely did not deserve it. He would have sacrificed his life even for the sinner Judas, if he had only asked him about it. Therefore, Chifuyu simply could not understand how a man like Hanagaki could even decide on a plan that included killing Manjiro. After all, he would have forgiven him absolutely everything— at least, that's how it used to be. And what was the ultimate goal of their crazy plan? Destroy Toman to the ground? Inui was clearly not unfounded when he called it a "bloody machine". After all, in order to deserve such a name, you probably need a good reason. And if Toman has really become so dangerous in these fifteen years, then why have they decided to destroy it just now? And even in such a bloodthirsty way — a shootout at a large auction, a planned murder of the head? And what to do next? Surrender to the police? Flee the country? And why did Toman become like this at all? Where are Kisaki, Izana, Mitsuya, Nahoya and Draken? What happened to Emma? Why did Mikey fall into darkness again? Was it really his sister's death?

When it came to the future, Chifuyu always had a lot of questions.

And on top of that — of course, not a single answer.

He should have gotten used to uncertainty a long time ago, but he was always eager to get to the truth. Although he did not voice his main question even to himself: what kind of Takemichi was in front of him now? But it was all utter nonsense—indeed, he knew the answer. He just couldn't help but know!

The one.

If someone had asked him from the outside how Chifuyu even managed to determine this, and he would have only vaguely shrugged his shoulders. By the eyes, by the voice, by the smell — there were so many criteria that Matsuno wouldn’t have had enough fingers of both hands to list everything.

He just knew.

That would be all Chifuyu’s lousy explanation. Stupid, unintelligible, sometimes unbearably strained, but truthful — the way he was himself. He wonder if Takemichi knew that Chifuyu also travels through time, could he distinguish his «future» from his «past»?

Probably not after all.

"We've been here long enough," Chifuyu finally looked at his watch. A barely noticeable crack appeared on the glass covering the dial. It seemed to him that an eternity had passed, and it was already past noon on the street, but in fact, only two and a half hours had passed since the auction began. “Let's find your stupid walkie-talkie and get in touch with Inui. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Yes, of course," Takemichi nodded in agreement, carefully buttoning his shirt. “It should be in the living room.”

"Are you sure we should do this at all?" Matsuno asked doubtfully, straightening back the sleeves of his own shirt and looking behind him for the jacket that had been thrown aside before. “I mean, we still don't know who could have turned us in to Manjiro, and Seishu is quite suitable for this role. Don't you think so?”

Chifuyu was completely serious. Of all the others, it was Inui who aroused his suspicions the most. He was always hanging around with him and Takemichi, he brought with him Koko, who had been under Manjiro's direct control for a long time, and he could also have heard about Hanma and time travel. By the way, Chifuyu believed that the riddle with the traitor was completely solved by him.

However, Takemichi only laughed at his words as a stupid joke:

“Huh, you can't stop making fun of him even now?”

“I'm serious!” Matsuno tried to convince him.

“Yeah, yeah, you kind of pretend to hate each other. But not to the same extent!” Takemichi shook his head, still smiling. "I know deep down you're as worried about him as I am.”

Chifuyu almost snorted in response: he and Inui couldn't stand each other! Why would he care about him?! And Takemichi behaved so nonchalantly, as if they were only playing these roles in public, and in fact they were not bad friends. But it wasn't true! So why did Takemichi so easily cross Inui off the list of potential traitors? Was the trust in him as undeniable as in Chifuyu?

Still, Takemichi Hanagaki was an extraordinary man: his life was still hanging by a thread due to the loss of a large amount of blood, but he smiled so widely, as if it meant absolutely nothing. By God, Chifuyu would have killed him with his own hands for such frivolity!

Chifuyu opened his mouth to say something when a strange sound was suddenly heard outside the bathroom door.

“Who else knows about this place?” lowering his voice to a whisper, he asked.

“You and me, Seishu... and our secretary,” Takemichi quickly listed, counting off his fingers as he walked. “Do you think they somehow found out the address?”

“Stay here, I'll check,” ignoring the question, Matsuno commanded sternly. His relaxed face immediately changed to a wary one, thick eyebrows were reduced almost to the nose. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he got up from the floor, reached for the holster left on the floor and pulled out a gun from it. He didn't even really know how to use it and, frankly, hoped he wouldn't have to. "Lock the door just in case until I get back."

“Wait, I'll go with you!” Grunting, Takemichi tried to get up from his seat, but Chifuyu stopped him.

“No!” He immediately objected and, meeting Takemichi's pleading gaze, only shook his head sullenly. The tone subsided, he turned to him in an excited voice: “Be here, okay? I'll be right back.”

Actually, he didn't know for sure. If the traitor really existed, then the probability that he knew about this place increased significantly. At the same time, the search circle was reduced, but everything again rested on the Seishu. "I swear, if this son of a bitch really turned us over to Manjiro, I'll get him out of the ground!", Matsuno thought to himself with undisguised irritation.

Leaving the bathroom, he found himself in a dark corridor. All the same rooms, long drowned in the thick night darkness, barely familiar outlines of old furniture, timeworn wallpaper on the walls. The floorboards creaked loudly under his heavy footsteps, and although Chifuyu tried to walk as carefully as possible, it turned out quite badly.

The living room was empty, and there was nothing in the cramped little corridor.

Chifuyu walked slowly into the kitchen. Everything remained in its place—the cabinet, which he forgot to close when he was looking for a first aid kit, two sadly lonely chairs pushed up to the table, on which a thick layer of dust still rested. Matsuno took another step and immediately realized the reason for the noise. The window frame was slightly ajar, and because of the night wind, it swayed and hit the window opening several times loudly.

Chifuyu approached and turned the handle, closing the window tightly.

"False alarm," he breathed with relief. "I need to get back to Takemichi as soon as possible."

Wait.

And who opened the damn window anyway?

Chifuyu was just thinking about it when a startled cry came from the bathroom. He turned around at the sound just as Sanzu had already raised a heavy metal pipe over his head. Chifuyu didn't even have time to say anything when he felt a strong blow, and immediately lost consciousness.

※ ※ ※ ※

Chapter Text

His head was buzzing. Chifuyu felt something nasty and sticky trickling down his temple. Blood. It seemed that he was badly attached. Before the blow, he only managed to see the attacker, but his former skill was no longer enough to block his blow. The body was heavy and clumsy, the eyelids seemed to be filled with lead — Matsuno could hardly open his eyes, let alone get to his feet. And let's be honest: with all his desire, it would hardly have worked out for him — his hands were tightly tied with a rope behind his back, and every movement brought unbearable pain.

And yet, Chifuyu tried to look around: the viewing angle was small, but even so he was able to determine that the place was different. It was no longer a country house —it looked more like some kind of abandoned factory, a run-down dump or a cemetery of old cars. It was dirty and damp everywhere, and according to the law of the genre, nasty rats were probably swarming in some of the dark corners.

But there was no time to worry about it — the first thing was to find Takemichi. Fortunately, he didn't have to look for him for a long time — Hanagaki was lying on the floor right in front of Chifuyu with his eyes closed. Chifuyu tried to call out to him, to crawl closer, but the plan was unsuccessful — the distance of several meters between them did not decrease at all, he did not attract Takemichi's attention, but he was immediately noticed by Sanzu.

When he saw Chifuyu's half-open eyes, he grinned merrily.

“Wow, have you woken up yet?” the right corner of his lips pulled up, Haruchiyo proudly tossed his head, watching Matsuno helplessly writhing on the floor with undisguised contempt. His whole profile: narrowed eyes, chiseled nose and sharp cheekbones like the blade of a real samurai katana — everything about him was so perfect and plastic that nausea involuntarily rose to his throat. And even his hair was styled almost like jewelry — there was not even a small strand sticking out of the tightly tied tail. “You know, Matsuno, you are incredibly lucky! It turns out that you’ll still have time to see our performance. It seems that yours has failed a bit.”

Chifuyu wanted to answer something, to object to him, but did not have time — someone nearby screamed heart-rendingly, and this forced him to switch his attention to it. Hissing, Matsuno stretched his neck a little more to see the source of such a loud sound, and immediately regretted it: behind Sanzu, a short guy was sitting on a leather-covered bar stool. He was sitting waddling, and his wrists were carelessly tied to the metal armrests, and his legs were tied to a metal leg. A bunch of people crowded around him, and even when Sanzu ordered them all to make way, it took Chifuyu a few more seconds to recognize the stranger as an old friend: his long blond hair was now cut in places, his face was swollen from numerous blows, his nose was broken, and his upper lip and left eyebrow, where the piercing probably used to be, fresh scratches now crossed. Piercing, of course, was no longer available — Chifuyu assumed that it was deliberately torn out, and not removed as it was supposed to be done.

He lowered his eyes a little lower and almost screamed — Takuya's left hand, hanging limply from the chair, was now missing two fingers — the little finger and the ring finger.

Chifuyu was horrified.

The yubitsume¹ ritual was a favorite tradition of the Japanese mafia.

"You have eight more attempts left to give up your beloved friends," Sanzu warned him with a mock—peaceful smile, probably meaning by this the number of fingers Takuya has left.

He approached the chair where Yamamoto was sitting, roughly grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head and forced him to raise his lowered head, and with it his distracted, clouded gaze. The man could hardly keep his eyes open, but still stubbornly looked at Sanzu and even grinned pointedly. His mouth was filled with blood like a cup of red wine, and that blood had stained his teeth and was now trickling down his lips and chin. It must have been a strong act: ridicule in response to violence — here it was, an example of indomitable fortitude.

Or was it stupidity?

Haruchiyo reminded, still in the same disgustingly sweet voice, stretching the syllables:

“My patience is running out. You can hear the clock ticking, right?” he brought his wrist with an expensive watch close to Takuya's ear, and then bent down himself, licking his lips like an animal that has finally cornered its victim: “Tick-tock, tick-tock, Takuya. Don't you understand? You're going to die from pain shock if you keep this up. Poor Makoto didn't last long. You don't want to end up like him, do you? You want to live. So just tell me where you and your friends hid the documents, and I swear I can stop your pain.”

He stood directly opposite and leaned his white-gloved hands on the bound Yamamoto. He approached his face almost closely and raised his chin, peering into the wild eyes:

"Just tell me the place, Takuya. That's all.”

Instead of answering, Yamamoto spat in his face.

Not a single muscle on Haruchiyo's face twitched. And only in his gaze, the mockery only for a moment was replaced by euphoria, as if such an attitude amused him, and then turned into pure contempt.

"Cut two more," he casually ordered one of his subordinates, taking a handkerchief out of his pants pocket and wiping the remnants of bloody saliva from his blissful face as if nothing had happened.

Takuya, apparently already resigned to his fate, only nodded obediently. A man approached him. Already red with tanto's blood, he began methodically sawing his fingers. Deliberately — not quickly, but slowly, so that the pain grows as the blade penetrates deeper into the tissue, as it cuts through muscles, ligaments and tendons, as it touches bone. And finally, losing patience, the executioner swung and struck at once — Takuya roared, and two more of his fingers, middle and index, were carelessly thrown at Sanzu's feet like a ridiculous trophy.

He grimaced in disgust and stepped back.

The sight was terrifying, but Chifuyu couldn't help but watch. He wanted to close his eyes and turn away, just not to hear or see anything, but the whole body was completely paralyzed. Chifuyu couldn't move, couldn't look away, and all he saw in front of him was blood, blood, just endless blood. Takuya was screaming at the top of his voice, and Chifuyu could only watch this pain, unable to stop it.

Helplessness was what he hated most in the world.

But the scariest thing wasn't even that—the scariest thing was the look. Shouting, Takuya looked at him — his animal eyes, maddened by pain, seemed to be firmly fixed on Chifuyu, clung to him with their invisible claws, leaving an indelible imprint. It seemed that even if he closed his eyes, Chifuyu would still see these two unblinking, bloodshot eyeballs in front of him, in which there was no hope of salvation anymore — only tragic doom.

Waiting for the inevitable.

"Enough!".

Matsuno tried to stop the torture, but instead of ringing words, only a dull mumbling was heard. Only now did he realize that his mouth had already been carefully taped shut.

“Ha? Is there something you want to tell me, Matsuno?” Haruchiyo turned to him and pursed his thin lips expectantly. He frowned and shook his head, pointing at the one screaming in the chair, and then at his ears. “I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Could you repeat that?”

Chifuyu mumbled even louder and kicked. From such efforts, a continuously pulsating wreath appeared on his forehead, and his jet-black hair, still wet from the water, stuck disgustingly to his sweaty skin. Sanzu watched his pathetic attempts like a boring performance — emotionlessly, sometimes yawning and glancing at his watch. And while he and his charges were briefly distracted by Matsuno, Takuya took advantage of the moment: having managed to free one hand, he tore the tanto from the hands of his tormentor and quickly stuck it into his own neck. He clearly knew where to hit: the blade hit straight into the artery, bright red blood immediately gushed out of it in a fountain, but he repeated the blow anyway. To die for sure.

He bled out literally in a matter of minutes.

Chifuyu had not seen death so close for a long time. Suddenly he remembered Baji sticking the blade of his favorite knife into his stomach, he remembered Izana from the first future, who died at the hands of Kisaki. He also remembered Takemichi in the battle with Tanjiku and his shot through foot. Now Chifuyu was face to face with death again, and it was as bloodthirsty as ever before. He and Takuya had never been close friends, rather they sometimes met in a common company at Takemichi's initiative, but Matsuno thought he was really sorry.

After all, no one deserved such a terrible death, even by their own hand. But what prompted him to do this? Fear of being tortured to exhaustion? Threats of Sanzu? After all, Takuya could easily have turned the situation in the other direction, but nevertheless made just such a decision, perhaps realizing that because of his deplorable condition he would not be able to free himself or the others and would instead be subjected to even more sophisticated sufferings. Chifuyu couldn't blame him: he wasn't in his place and could only watch the sides.

Sanzu walked up to Yamamoto and abruptly pulled the bloody blade out of his neck. He casually wiped it on the dead guy's white shirt and winced again, as if this action made him uncomfortable.

He immediately threw it away from him.

“Take it away, it's no use anyway," Haruchiyo ordered without any interest, waving his hand. So ordinary, as if death was a completely ordinary phenomenon. Maybe it was for him, but definitely not for Chifuyu. It seemed to him that everything that was happening was nothing more than a terribly realistic Yakuza movie that he had watched on TV in his old apartment a long time ago. After all, it could not be true: torture, murder, corpses and blood! Severed fingers, after all! He didn't sign up for this shit!

Sanzu returned to Chifuyu, sat down next to him and jerked the tape off his mouth. It hurt, but obviously not as much as Takuya had suffered, and Matsuno winced, but kept silent.

"Now it's your turn," Sanzu informed him with a crazy smile.

"I don't know anything," Matsuno answered him honestly, without waiting for him to start asking him his idiotic questions.

Sanzu sighed, obviously disappointed by such a banal answer.

“What a bore,” he sadly propped his cheek with his hand. “But I'll repeat the question,” he slowly straightened up and began to pace impressively back and forth, rubbing his hands impatiently. “Where did you put all the documents that you stole from us?”

“I told you: I don't know...” before Chifuyu finished, a blow from a heavy pipe instantly hit his stomach. He didn't even notice where Sanzu got it from again. Probably didn't want to get his hands dirty. He did not expect a blow, and therefore the relaxed muscles caught fire, as if they were doused with gasoline and immediately set on fire. Chifuyu clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tightly, trying to endure this pain, but after this blow, several more fell on him — on the head, on the back, on the stomach and knees. No matter how hard he tried to group, he couldn't avoid the blows. He soon began to lose consciousness from the pain.

And suddenly, a faint voice filtered through the dream, forcing him to return back to reality.

“Chifuyu...” apparently, Takemichi had just woken up and immediately found a scene of a brutal beating in front of him. He tried to move, but immediately failed. His hands were also tied behind his back, although for some reason his mouth was not sealed, so he was able to speak freely.

Sanzu managed to catch a movement behind him, and his smile widened as he turned around, arrogantly raised his head and gave Takemichi a look full of mute glee.

And took a single step towards him.

Matsuno grinned like an animal protecting its territory.

"Don't even think about it, you dirty bastard! Just touch him with your finger, and I..." he shouted in an attempt to stop Haruchyo, but again received a blow to the face and was forced to shut up.

The scotch was on his lips again.

Not paying any attention to the furious Matsuno, as if his presence was completely indifferent to him, Sanzu took two more steps towards Takemichi and squatted down in front of him, pushing the rounded end of the pipe away the overgrown dark hair that had fallen over his eyes.

“Well, well,” inspired by such lively emotions, sang out Sanzu. He addressed all those present, like a herald to the people on the square: “Just look at him: fighting for his captain to the last. I'll tell you honestly, Matsuno, I admire your dedication, and believe me, I understand you perfectly, but business is business, and money is money. It can't be helped," he shrugged nonchalantly. Sanzu looked at Takemichi, and then shifted his gaze to the angry Chifuyu and asked again: “So can you tell me where the fucking documents are?”

Chifuyu would have told him the whole truth if he only knew it. But all his knowledge of their plan ended in a failed attempt to kill Manjiro and destroy Toman. Matsuno did not know about any documents and therefore could not even lie crookedly, because such a lie would be instantly revealed.

Sanzu sighed sadly again.

"Then maybe we should ask your boss? What do you think?" Sanzu kindly asked, although, of course, the question was purely rhetorical.

Hanagaki raised his head to look Haruchiyo in the eyes, and wheezed heavily:

“I'll tell you everything…”

“Will you?” Sanzu asked incredulously, and his eyes lit up with joy. It was impossible to say for sure whether it was fake or truthful — it was as if he had never stepped out of the role of a decorated clown. “And you won't deceive me?”

Takemichi shook his head weakly, trying to convince him. “I'll tell you everything, I promise... just let Chifuyu and everyone else go… It's not their fault, it's me… It's just me, I swear!.. I came up with this whole plan, I am the traitor, they have absolutely nothing to do with it!”

“Are you damn serious?” Sanzu even allowed himself to burst out laughing. Takemichi wasn't amused at all, but he could only watch Haruchiyo make fun of him. “Do you want to tell me that such a large—scale operation is your doing? Bullshit! You're too dumb for that! You haven't even learned to tie your own tie yourself, let alone implement such a plan!” he stopped, cast a quick glance in the direction of the enraged Chifuyu and continued again: “And do you really think that I will believe that such a loyal dog as Matsuno did not help you plan the murder of the head? He'll lick the whole floor with his tongue if you tell him to! Oh, will he lick it?! Answer me, when I ask!”

With his free hand, he grabbed Takemichi by the hair and slammed his head on the floor.

Chifuyu instantly closed his eyes, as if the pain Hanagaki was experiencing now belonged to him too.

“Do you take me for an idiot?!” Sanzu was clearly not satisfied with the conditions proposed by Takemichi, and it seems that until the last moment he did not let go of the feeling that he was being cheekily led by the nose.

He got angry and wanted to repeat the blow.

"Didn't Mikey say he'd handle Hanagaki himself?" someone from the crowd asked.

The voice was hardly familiar, and Chifuyu did not even immediately understand who exactly it belonged to.

Kakucho, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest, seemed slightly dejected. Apparently, he wanted to abstract himself from everything that was happening and pretend that he did not exist in this room at all, but something seemed to make him give a voice out of the darkness.

Probably the behavior of Haruchiyo.

Kakucho's gaze was significantly different from Sanzu's, and for a moment Matsuno even thought that he noticed regret in them. But he immediately dismissed this thought: he doubted that any of these people were even capable of experiencing this feeling.

Sanzu seemed annoyed at being so rudely interrupted, but before he could object, Kakuche added politely:

"He ordered us not to touch Hanagaki until he arrives, otherwise we will be in his place ourselves. Have you forgotten about it? Get your hands off him.”

“Or what?” Sanzu asked him with an impudent grin.

"Mikey won't be happy," Kakucho replied glumly. It was as if he wanted to say something completely different, but for some reason he kept the words to himself.

“Then we'll just tell him that we found him like this already. And no problem! Isn't that right, Kakuchp?” Sanzu slowly tilted his head to the shoulder, the grin slipped from his lips, and his eyes narrowed like a cat. "Or have you also forgotten which side you're on?"

"I didn't forget anything,” Hitto said roughly.

"Then shut your mouth and let me interrogate the traitor."

Kakucho clenched his hands into fists, as if he intended to respond to this, but at the very last moment he retreated. Maybe he got scared, or maybe he saved his strength.

Sanzu moved the edge of the tube onto Takemichi's stomach and pressed lightly — he immediately grimaced in pain. Obsessed with Manjiro almost to the core, Haruchiyo behaved rather strangely towards Hanagaki. As if jealous, or something, with obvious and even emphasized disdain, as if Takemichi was always one step closer to Mikey than he was. And it infuriated him beyond measure.

Kakucho clenched his teeth tightly, watching them.

“You're alive only because of me, Hanagaki," Sanzu hissed. "But don't worry, it won't be for too long. I won't miss a second time, and the bullet will hit you right between the eyes.”

Footsteps sounded from somewhere outside. Kakucho instantly straightened up. Sanzu also started up and recoiled from Takemichi, throwing the pipe aside as if he had never touched it. Then he got to his feet and straightened his back in a Spartan manner. Chifuyu did not immediately understand the reason for such a change until the steps got closer, and their culprit finally appeared before everyone's eyes.

Manjiro looked at all his subordinates with a cold gaze. His gait was rolling and stiff — he walked very slowly surrounded by his personal guards, swaying from side to side every now and then. Not as stately as Haruchiyo, without circus pomposity — rather tired, as if he was being led to hard labor at gunpoint. Everyone immediately bent in front of him in a deep bow: hands behind their backs, heads hidden, buried like ostriches deep in the sand, eyes firmly imprinted in the dirty floor. How striking was the difference between the bows: Takemichi's wards bowed to him with respect, not afraid to accidentally meet his eyes or accidentally stumble, and Mikey's wards bowed to him more out of fear, afraid of not just look at him — even to breathe while he was somewhere in the reach zone.

Mikey didn't even look at Chifuyu and Takemichi, nor did he bother to look at Sanzu, who was watching him faithfully, who looked a little like a starved stray dog from the outside. He only stayed with Kakucho for a short time: for some reason, he hesitated, adjusting his shoes. Mikey looked at him, and then walked up to the other man and said a single word in a demanding tone:

“The gun.”

He stretched out his hand, and the weapon was carefully placed in his small palm.

“Mikey, you don't need to dirty your hands, I can deal with traitors myself!”Haruchiyo reminded about himself again. Now his tone seemed a little offended. Not a stray dog — a naturally capricious child who demands attention to himself. It was amazing how much his voice changed when he spoke to Manjiro: quietly, as if from under a stick, he was very afraid of disturbing his precious personal space.

And yet he timidly stepped forward and tried to take the gun for himself, gently intercept it with his left hand without part of the little finger, but Mikey looked up at him, thereby forcing him to step back.

“I said: the gun,” Sano replied sullenly.

Off stage and in the glare of the bright spotlights, he was exactly what Chifuyu was in nightmares: out of this world, with an empty, detached look and a completely impenetrable expression on his face. He didn't care about anyone in this room. He didn't care. That's how Matsuno saw it.

After trying on how the gun lay in his palm, Mikey looked somewhere to the side and only then turned his attention to Chifuyu and Takemichi lying on the floor.

Briefly ordered:

“Let them watch.”

Matsuno breathed heavily.

What did they need to look at?

Four men, one of whom was Kakucho, grabbed them by the arms and roughly lifted them off the ground. Next to Chifuyu was Kakucho and another yakudza, next to Takemichi was Mikey's personal guard. It was difficult to stand, but Matsuno was held tightly on both sides, and Takemichi had to be held even tighter — his legs weakened, and he constantly tried to go limp in someone else's hands.

Only now, having the best view, Chifuyu realized that his conclusion was hasty: it was not a factory, not a landfill, and certainly not a cemetery of old cars. He remembered this building completely different: bright and shining, filled with cheerful laughter and voices. He recognized it by the long paths and the stands installed next to it, which were designed to store heavy disequilibrium balls. The hall was large and spacious, and in some places there were even old skittles.

Bowling.

Time led him to where everything happened on that ill-fated day.

Before, Chifuyu couldn't see the building completely, but now it opened up in front of him like a damn Pandora's box. He realized who Manjiro's gaze was directed at. Three rows of people, nine people each, were sitting on their knees all this time, their hands were tied behind their backs and tied. Chifuyu had seen them before—at the headquarters of the Black Dragons, when they lined up in a living corridor and escorted them to the elevator. All of them, including Takemichi and Matsuno himself, were part of one system, one web, one very unsuccessful plan.

Seishu and Koko were not seen among them.

Did that mean they were the ones who betrayed Takemichi?

And although the weapon was in Manjiro's hands, it was Chifuyu who felt like an executioner. After all, it was he and Takemichi and the whole stupid plan to sabotage Toman that caused these people to be here at all. This is exactly what Kokonoi was trying to warn Inui about.

About the consequences of what was done.

And could there be anything more terrible than this for such a responsible leader as Hanagaki? To see how the bloody machine he was so desperately trying to stop was mercilessly killing his people, forcing him to be only a silent witness to it?

Mikey walked along the front row, visually assessing each person sitting. After all, it wasn't just one person or even two — everything was organized and planned by a whole group of people, and it seems that the attempt on his life was only a small part of what they really wanted to do. There has definitely been a split in Tosva, and the splits need to be eliminated.

“One, two...” he counted aloud indifferently. After passing the first two, he stopped at the third person. He desperately shook his head, with tears in his eyes, begging Mikey not to do this. But he didn't try to listen. “Three.”

And shoot the third man in the forehead.

Chifuyu was startled by the sound of a gunshot. This scene seemed vaguely familiar to him, as if he had seen something similar before. In Manjiro's hands, the weapon was really a weapon, and it really killed people. People who definitely did not want to die, but who were forced to pay with their lives because of a failed operation. Once, in the same way, at the same place, without pity and ceremony, Manjiro shot Takemichi.

Chifuyu managed to turn his head briefly: Hanagaki, standing a little further away, tried very hard not to look at what was happening, and then Manjiro's subordinates roughly grabbed him by the hair and cheeks and forced him to do it, because this was the head's whim, and, as you know, it was always carried out implicitly. His eyes were aloof, lifeless, his appearance was lost, and his blue lips were constantly trembling. His face was as white as the first snow, he looked like a dead man. No wonder: he had lost a lot of blood during this time, and right now his life was in serious danger. But Chifuyu couldn't help. Not here. Not now. He himself could barely stand on his feet.

He thought Takemichi would beg Mikey to stop, but he didn't even try—it seemed that his strength was slowly leaving him. He couldn't fight anymore. What was going on in his head anyway? Was he thinking about himself? Hardly. Did he think that all these people were under threat because he couldn't shoot Mikey? Did he blame himself for that? Of course, he did.

“One, two,” Sano repeated again. “Three.”

And he fired the last shot.

So out of twenty seven, only eighteen remained - every third turned out to have a hole in their forehead. The survivors looked at each other excitedly, and then hesitantly looked at Manjiro. Did this act mean that the head randomly chose those whom he decided to punish, and the rest could now breathe a sigh of relief? Maybe in this way he showed mercy and forgave them for their deed? Maybe they won't have to say goodbye to life after all?

But this is all a farce.

A ridiculous game for the public.

“I'll leave the rest to you,” Mikey nodded to Haruchiyo, and he nodded briskly, clearly pleased with this state of affairs. But the survivors did not share his enthusiasm — everyone in Toman knew that it was better to get a bullet in the forehead than to fall into the hands of such a terrible executioner as Sanzu. Before turning around and leaving, Sano added, "Except for these two," he pointed to Takemichi and Chifuyu, which greatly saddened Sanzu, who clearly had his own plans for this duo. "I'll deal with them after when you're done."

And he quickly disappeared through the door leading to the stairs. All alone, like a shadow without a master, like a soul without a body, he limply wandered up the stairs.

Chifuyu suddenly felt that the ropes on his hands were no longer as tight as a couple of minutes ago. He definitely could not untie them without noticing it, a tightened knot would not allow the fastening to loosen on its own. So what's the catch? Matsuno suddenly realized: the rope was cut with a knife!

But who?!

"Be ready," Kakucho said quickly, approaching his ear.

Such a request, or to be more precise — no less than a whole order, sounded serious and clearly did not imply unnecessary questions and clarifications. Chifuyu only nodded understandingly in response, giving a sign that he had heard him. Although doubts did not let him go. Was Kakucho really on their side? Wasn't he under Mikey's direct command all this time? And was he part of their plan initially, or did he decide to join them only now? Was it worth to trust him?

"I'll count to three, okay?" Chifuyu held his breath, ready to follow Hitto's instructions. “Two ...” Kakucho looked back at Sanzu, as if trying on which position it would be more convenient to attack him. And finally exhaled: “Three!”

Without even turning around, he abruptly cut the neck of the man standing next to him with a knife, who was also holding Matsuno. Taking advantage of his vulnerability at this moment, Chifuyu immediately freed his hands and pulled the tape from his lips.

Kakuche wounded two more with a knife, but they managed to touch him too — they slashed him right on the shoulder with a sharp blade. He threw his knife at Matsuno's feet, and armed himself with a pistol — two aimed shots allowed him to quickly eliminate Takemichi's guards.

“Save who you can, and get out of here! Stop it!" he shouted.

Chifuyu nodded, picked up the knife and began to untie Takemichi. The ropes left marks on his wrists and ankles. The man was extremely weak, and Matsuno even had to throw his arm over his neck, and place his own on his waist so that Takemichi could somehow stay on his own two feet. But it was not so easy to get to the other prisoners — the way was immediately blocked by other Yakuza.

“You bitch," Sanzu hissed, picking up his pipe from the floor and pointing it at Kakucho. By this time he was already unarmed: the pistol was knocked out of his hands, and he gave his knife to Chifuyu. “I suspected from the very beginning that you were on the side with them.”

"I'm not with them," Kakucho grinned. And he didn't lie at all. “I'm on my own. So drop this shit already and fight like a man. Or are you scared?”

Sanzu rolled his eyes, but only tightened his grip on the pipe.

"You'll die," he warned.

But it didn't scare Kakucho at all

“Well, we'll see,” he challenged.

Chapter Text

“Chifuyu...” Takemichi muttered indistinctly. He couldn’t even lift his head, let alone fight anyone.

The situation had worsened to absolute crisis. Even Matsuno himself could barely stand. The pain throughout his entire body was almost unbearable, but he had no time to worry about that. With Takemichi in his grasp, the only thought that crossed his mind was to get both of them out of there as quickly as possible. None of their attackers dared to take the lead. Without a significant advantage in the form of their superior, who was busy fighting Kakucho, they looked at each other in confusion, waiting for one of them to make the first move.

But that did not happen.

After all, in front of them were not just ordinary gang members, not petty criminals or even cowardly debt collectors, whom they had previously used to intimidate. Instead, in front of them stood "The Black Dragons", people from the upper class, people who everyone worshipped, and who were allowed to do whatever they wanted, even after betraying their country. They remained impossibly high, no matter what. That was how any hierarchical system worked, especially in the case of a criminal organization, where the young always respected the older.

And Matsuno could not help taking advantage of this.

"Get lost," he rasped in a deep, heavy voice. He had never imagined that he could sound so cold, metallic, and sharp, that his voice brooked no argument. Chifuyu gathered all his strength and lifted his hand, which had all along been holding a knife, pointing it at his rivals. He yelled even louder, "I said. Get. Lost!"

They retreated in fear, allowing him to pass.

“Hey! What the fuck are you doing?!” Haruchiyo's voice echoed from somewhere distant. He had just dodged a punch from Kakucho and bright red blood was pouring down his chin from a split lip. "I ordered you to kill them!"

“But Mikey…” they tried to argue.

Sanzu insisted:

"I don't care what Mikey said, kill them all, damn it!"

Yet, by then Chifuyu managed to free some of his men. Although not as quickly as they'd like, they were moving fast enough so that a few of the prisoners managed to escape.

Chifuyu hurriedly checked around. The only way out was through the door, where Manjiro had just disappeared.

"Follow me!" Chifuyu ordered, knowing perfectly well that Takemichi would never leave his men behind. If they needed to escape, they would do so together.

“No, Matsuno-san!” But one of his subordinates interrupted him. "Our job is to protect you and our leader! You need to leave!"

"Save yourself, we'll take care of the rest," the other one encouraged him.

"We're already lost anyway," a third one said wistfully. "If I'm going to die, I want to take one of those bastards out with me."

Chifuyu hesitated, knowing that if he was in better shape and Takemichi was in a better condition,….he would have refused. He would stood shoulder to shoulder with his friends, ready to fight to the death and do everything in his power to help. However, at that moment, Matsuno knew that his body was simply not strong enough. Chifuyu could not fight, nor could he do anything else. As for Hanagaki, he could barely keep his eyes open.

In the end, Chifuyu stopped arguing.

Takemichi tried to talk, to resist, and to put his feet on the ground, but Chifuyu held him firmly and pulled him towards the door forcibly. After a few steps, he stopped. In a pile of construction rubble, the bodies of Makoto and Akkun were lying in unnaturally terrible poses. Several fingers were missing from their hands, and they were so badly beaten that Matsuno could hardly see their faces. Their eyes, which no one bothered to cover, were looking at Chifuyu, deformed by death.

Takemichi also reached out to look, but Matsuno didn’t let him. He took another few steps forward and opened the door with his sore shoulder, groaning and stumbling and trying to keep his balance. Stepping onto the first step, then the second and the third, each step counted as ten, or even twice that, if you considered the effort he put into it. The second floor became the unconquerable peak of Atlantis and the pitiful two flights became an impassible forest.

"We left them there... We need to go back, Chifuyu... We must... We have to go back," Hanagaki murmured, barely moving his lips.

Chifuyu didn't answer him. There was no time for him to think about it – or rather, he really tried not to think. Don't think, he told himself. After all, if he let himself think for just one moment, about those he had left behind, about Takuya and Makoto and Akkun and Kakucho, he would surely go crazy.

And he needed to keep going.

To keep going not for himself — for Hanagaki.

"Be patient just a little longer, Takemichi," Chifuyu begged. "We're almost there."

The second floor had been conquered. Chifuyu went through another door and quickly scanned the old, faded fire evacuation plan, looking for the location of the emergency exit. He was working at full speed. Matsuno muttered to himself, confusedly: straight ahead, then to the right, then again to the right, follow the corridor, the third door on the left side.

It seemed that something had started.

Matsuno heard hurried footsteps coming from the direction of the stairs. Someone was running down the stairs from the upper floors—it must have been Sanzu, who had called for help. Gunfire, screaming, a siren... The ship called “Toman” was falling apart, splitting into two and sinking rapidly, and Chifuyu had only one thought—not to stumble onto its captain.

“Chifuyu…” Takemichi's voice cut through the relentless noise again. This time, it was even quieter and weaker than before. Matsuno could hardly hear him at all. Takemichi no longer walked on his own — he hung limply against his shoulder, letting himself be dragged across the ground. "I can't walk anymore... everything hurts," he muttered. "Chifuyu... do you hear? Chifuyu stop.”

"We're almost there," he lied. "There's not much left," he added.

He had no idea how many more meters they had to go until the ill-fated door. He was afraid to think that they might have turned the wrong way in their hurry. At the same time, his heart broke: Takemichi asked for help and moaned in pain, begged to leave him behind, but Chifuyu could do nothing. He was forced to be cruel, to pull Takemichi onto his back, despite his protests and pleas, because they had to survive.

To survive together.

Takemichi stumbled and fell, but Chifuyu kept picking him up over and over, even though his own legs were growing weaker and his body felt like it was fading away. Hanagaki's hand had been gone for a while, but he kept going, pushing through the pain and fear and perhaps even himself.

And so they ended up in a dead-end, in a dark and narrow corridor with three identical gray doors on one side. That's when Matsuno realized he had no idea which door led to the exit. The information he'd managed to salvage from the evacuation plan had disappeared without a trace in the most inconvenient moment. He tried to remember, right, left, or maybe it was the other way around? Follow the hallway and...

But he couldn't remember.

He really didn't know which door was which.

Second or third from the end?

Third or second?

First one?

Or maybe he had gotten lost earlier because he had turned in the wrong direction?

There wasn't even a single pointer or clue to help him!

Before Chifuyu could even say a word, he felt the cold metal pressed tightly against the back of his head.

"Go ahead," Manjiro ordered in a cold voice.

Chifuyu felt a shiver run down his spine.

Sano always appeared at the most inconvenient time, it seemed to be a habit of his. Chifuyu should not have listened to him, should not have, but he had no other choice – he couldn’t fight back now, not when he had almost fallen a few meters behind and only miraculously remained standing.

But even that was not significant – any, even the smallest movement, any unnecessary sound or breath could throw Mikey out of balance. Could push him to fire at Takemichi, and all Chifuyu needed was a little more time for Hanma to arrive and solve the situation. He was already unable to rely on himself, or rather, it was no longer possible for him to do so.

Annoyed with the lack of action, Manjiro cocked his gun and slowly repeated:

“I said, go ahead.”

Chifuyu, reluctantly, gave in. He stumbled in the indicated direction, dragging Takemichi with him. Manjiro forced him to open the third door from the end - and Matsuno realized that his hesitance cost them their salvation: only one floor separated them from the precious escape. Or maybe it would be worth trying to escape? Seize the moment, push Manjiro away and...

Sano pressed the gun harder against his head and, without allowing him to hesitate, pushed Matsuno towards the top steps.

Chifuyu never counted on Shuji this much. If the trigger and the traveler have some kind of connection, then he hoped that Hanma has finally heard his pleas for help.

Because if not...

They'll all have a hard time here.

Third floor, fifth, seventh...

And finally...

Tenth.¹

The stairs led them up to the roof. To that very ill-fated roof, which Chifuyu had never seen before, but which he had imagined many times in his dreams – the same as it was in reality, large, covered in broken glass, with a rough roof covering. The only thing that raged here was a cold wind blowing off your feet in a matter of seconds.

Chifuyu broke out in cold sweat. He had never been so close to his nightmares before. All of a sudden, everything came rushing back to him: Naoto's voice, the pale-yellow walls of the morgue, even the funeral hall filled with fake tears and fake people. He also remembered the hospital – a long, dim corridor, a clanging vending machine by the nearest wall, a flashing light over the door, and a tile floor.

Mikey gave a new order:

“Now let him go.”

Chifuyu gritted his teeth even harder. If he wanted to still try his luck, then the best time to escape would be right now. But as soon as Chifuyu moved, Takemichi lifted his head and stared at him with half-open eyes, giving him an empty and lifeless look. Slowly, Takemichi took Matsuno's hand off him and took one single step towards Manjiro.

As he had always done and would continue to do in any future.

As he did that very day.

“Takemichi…” Chifuyu said in disbelief. The realization of what he was about to do had not fully formed in the mind, but in his heart, Chifuyu seemed to already know what was coming.

“Mikey...Listen to me,” Takemichi groaned painfully, ignoring Matsuno’s words. Holding his lightly bandaged stomach, he extended his trembling hand towards Mikey, offering a deal. A deal that he couldn’t possibly accept. “It’s my fault… do you hear? Everything that has happened today… it’s only mine. Chifuyu is innocent! But I will fix it… I promised, I will fix everything, get it all back, Mikey. Just let go…

He wanted to say more, but didn’t have time – without even waiting for him to finish, Manjiro pulled him by the collar and pushed him away like a petulant child. And when Matsuno instinctively moved to help him, he was shot in the shoulder.

“Chifuyu!” Takemichi cried out in fear.

A sharp pain shot through his arm, although it felt like a thousand bullets had passed through his body in one moment. Matsuno fell to his knees, clutching his shoulder and screaming so loudly that his ears were blocked for a few seconds. He removed feverishly trembling fingers from the torn fabric of his jacket and barely restrained another terrified scream inside.

His palm was bright red.

It hurts.

It hurts.

It hurts!

“You're not gonna set any conditions to me anymore.” Sano stepped over Matsuno, who was writhing on the ground, and approached Takemichi as if nothing had happened. He grabbed him by the hair, pulling him closer to the edge of the roof.

"Get up," he ordered. "Get up, I said! Now!"

Takemichi, groaning in pain, managed to take only a shaky stance, and then Mikey roughly wrapped his arm around his neck and climbed up with him on the edge.

He casually tossed his pistol at Matsuno's feet.

As a piece of meat, it was often thrown to a starving predator, intended to release it from its cage.

"Finish what you started," he said with complete indifference, as if his life meant nothing to him for a long time.

Chifuyu cowered back in fear.

The gun next to him suddenly felt like a real bomb. The timer was counting down, and it seemed to Matsuno that any movement he made, even breathing in or out too much, could set off the detonator.

Mikey took another step closer to the edge of the roof.

“Chifuyu, get away!” Hanagaki begged. “Don't listen to him! Leave now!”

“No! I'm not leaving without you!” Matsuno shouted desperately.

“Please... please, just leave!” Takemichi insisted.

“I won't leave you! I can't!”

And something dark seemed to awaken within him.

A voice with an enticing drawl came from behind:

There it is...

An Opportunity.

The opportunity that Chifuyu had been waiting for and devoting himself to. An opportunity to finally confront someone who had brought him so much pain and suffering. Mikey had put him through hell, even though he had not done it himself. He was the one who had turned Chifuyu into who he was now. It was his fault, and this circle had finally come to an end – everything would return to where it started.

On this very rooftop...

Matsuno will be the one to put an end to this.

He placed his hands on the ground, grasped the handle of the gun that had been thrown to him, and, balancing on his wobbly legs, slowly stood up.

With a quick movement of his good hand, he raised the weapon and aimed it at Sano.

Everything was swimming in front of his eyes.

Mikey's figure doubled and tripled in size, and the gun in Matsuno's hand also trembled. The thoughts were in disarray. Well, where had that brave Chifuyu gone, who had thrown threats left and right like chips from a board game? Where had all his courage disappeared? It seemed as if here he was – here he was, Manjiro – standing right in front of him like an easy target, and the barrel of the gun was aimed right at his face so that the bullet could pass right between his eyes! But Chifuyu lacked the moral strength to make the decisive move.

Something inside him resisted to the very end.

He gripped the gun harder and squeezed his eyes tightly, turning his head away.

“Oh, fuck it!” he exclaimed.

"Kill him," his heart screamed back at him, and his entire body ached with that desire.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill!

He had imagined this scene so many times, on sleepless nights in the cold empty apartment. He thought only about how he would kill Mikey, how he would punish him for taking away Chifuyu's future, for taking away the most precious thing he had.

He saw himself standing on the roof of the bowling alley, pointing a gun at Mikey's head. He saw the bullet flying through the air and through Mikey's skull, and then he fell to the ground, and his brain would splattered on the pavement.

Now he was there, ready to carry out his plan. Everything was in his hands. But for some reason, he couldn't decide.

“Chifuyu…” Takemichi's pleading voice brought him back to reality. It was like a ray of light breaking through the darkness, like a hope that would save him from himself. “You don't have to… You're not like that…”

Chifuyu closed his eyes tightly.

The darkness seemed to penetrate his very being, and its bony fingers painfully dug into his chest, leaving scratches behind. It repeated these words, assuring him that he was just like that.

You are, Chifuyu.

You are exactly like that!

Manjiro closed Takemichi's mouth and retreated to the very edge. Now the edge of his foot was right where the roof ended. One more step, a few more inches, and he would surely fall down.

He'll collapse with Takemichi.

Chifuyu lowered his gun.

"Pathetic," Manjiro spat with undisguised scorn. "You've always been like this. A coward, a pathetic Baji’s mutt. You’re not good for anything."

Matsuno looked sheepishly at the ground. The gun was still in his hand, held so tightly that his knuckles protruded like sharp claws, but Chifuyu knew that he would not lift his hand again. He would just not be able to. Sano had tried to hurt him, to make him emotional, but at this point everything had already become meaningless. Fatigue was insurmountable, his eyelids were quickly becoming heavier, fear consumed his feigned determination and didn’t choke.

Coward.

What a coward he is!

Manjiro was right: Chifuyu is useless. All this time, he thought that if he ended up on this roof with Takemichi and Mikey, he would surely be able to fix everything. He would be able to save them!

But now Chifuyu has finally realized.

He can't do it.

He's just too pathetic.

"I gave you a chance and you missed it," Mikey said. His empty, lifeless eyes expressed absolutely no emotion, and his lips curled up into a crooked smile. "Then I'll do it myself,"

But in Matsuno's mind, it sounded different:

"I'm taking him with me again,"

Manjiro closed his eyes.

And he took a step back.

At the very last second, Takemichi pushed him away, managing to slow his own fall slightly, but the lack of balance in his condition made things worse – a little later, he began to fall as well after Manjiro.

Terrified and following some unknown instinct, Chifuyu rushed towards the edge of the roof, managing to grab Hanagaki's wrist as he was about to fall.

"I'm here..." he said, his voice trembling, not fully believing that he had actually managed to cover that distance to catch Takemichi.  "I got you, you hear me? Don't let go!"

He realized that he had grabbed Takemichi with his injured hand. His palm, wet with his own dripping blood, was already starting to slide off Takemichi's wrist. If Chifuyu had grabbed him differently, it would have been easier to hold onto him. But in their current position, the chances of staying up for a long time seemed extremely low. Even the second hand Matsuno used to try and pull Takemichi back up could not help the situation.

Takemichi smiled as he always smiled, trying to comfort the other person.

"You know you can't hold on to me that long," he reminded softly. "Otherwise, you'll be falling with me."

“I don’t care!” Matsuno roared angrily, the vein on his forehead swelled. He lowered his head, and the scream gradually faded to a strangled whisper. Chifuyu sniffed the air and said, "Don't die... Please don't die! Someone will come here. Seishu, anyone... Please... Please hold on just a little longer!"

“Chifuyu” Takemichi called to him softly, it wasn't the bright and loud, "Chifuyu!" he usually used in meetings - it was "face it, Chifuyu", and "it's all over, Chifuyu".

That was the most terrifying thing that Matsuno could hear right now.

Hanagaki looked down quickly, as if calculating mentally how many meters he would have to fall to the ground.

"Don't you dare! Takemichi, do you hear me?!"

"You better close your eyes," Takemichi warned, realizing that the longer Matsuno held him, the less likely they were to be safe.

"Takemichi, I said no!"

“Fuyu,” Takemichi whispered. His voice was barely audible due to the freezing wind. “You have to let me go.”

It seemed to Matsuno that this was not true. That it wasn’t Takemichi — Naoto spoke for him. He pulled on his sleeve and said in his vile and stupid voice: "You have to let him go." But how could Chifuyu let go? How could he?..

"Please,” Takemichi begged. And when he asked for it himself—not Naoto, not Draken, not Kazutora—something inside Chifuyu fell apart. He repeated, thrusting an invisible knife deeper into Matsuno: "Let me go."

“I can’t… I'll never be able to…”

 “I'm sorry,” Takemichi said reluctantly. "I hope at least you… can fix this."

“Ha?...”Matsuno blinked in confusion.

“Silly,” Takemichi smiled bitterly. "I know who you are", his eyes immediately filled with tears when he finally confessed, "I've always known".

How did he… know?

How long ago? How did he figure it out? Why was he silent? Chifuyu had so many questions, but he didn’t dare to ask any of them. Because all of them suddenly seemed completely insignificant after Hanagaki’s next words.

"I wanted to tell you... back when Seishu interrupted us", Takemichi breathed, preparing to say something very important. "Chifuyu I..."

And Matsuno suddenly lost hearing. Takemichi shouted to drown out the howling wind, but Chifuyu still couldn't make out what he was saying. His lips moved and gathered into words, but Chifuyu couldn't understand them. What did he wanted to say? Chifuyu was intently following every movement of Takemichi’s mouth, breaking the words into syllables in an attempt to understand what he was trying to say.

Ai

愛

Shi

し

Te

て

Ru

る

愛してる

«I love you»

Chifuyu's eyes shot open.

"Please," Takamichi finally said. "Don't lose yourself in this."

And his hand eventually fell off.

The scream froze in his throat, but Chifuyu could not scream. Silently, he continued looking down: at his own hand still hanging from the edge, at the body falling, which had become an almost indiscernible black dot on the pavement, at the cars with their bright red headlights honking, and at the crowd, senselessly taking pictures of the incident with their phones.

Chapter Text

Chifuyu should have felt something, anything, but it didn't happen. There was only emptiness — one so endless that for a moment, it seemed to him that if he reached his hand to his chest and tried to tear out his heart as proof of his own life, there would be nothing inside.

      He didn't know how long he’d been in this state. It was dark all around, but it wasn’t from the extinguished lanterns — it was just the darkness inside him had finally broken out. It swallowed him up, sucked him in, and sank him into the abyss, wrapping nasty black algae around his neck.

     “Chifuyu!” Seishu suddenly appeared behind him, like something unreal, ghostly, invented by Matsuno himself. His voice was distant and quiet. Chifuyu hardly heard him. He couldn't answer anything. He couldn't even breathe. “We need to leave! The cops will be here soon! Do you hear me? Can you walk? Chifuyu!”

      Having received no response from him, Inui began to pull Matsuno's body off the edge of the roof. Somehow picking him up from the ground, he shouldered him and dragged him laboriously back to the exit. Chifuyu didn’t have it in him to resist, so he just let Inui drag him along like a silly child's doll down the same route: stairs, corridor, stairs, then the ground floor, past the dead bodies of Akkun, Makoto, Takuya and the others. Kakucho was also dead: he was lying on the ground without a single movement, and blood was flowing out from under his head.

      On the street, mourning over Manjiro's stupidly sprawled body on the ground, was Sanzu. He clung to the dead man so tightly that he didn't even pay attention to the traitors. He didn't seem to care about them at all.

      Not anymore.

     “Where is Hanagaki?” Koko asked uncomprehendingly, half-turning in his seat to watch as Seishu shoved Matsuno into the backseat before walking around the car, sitting in the driver's seat in complete silence and starting the car. “Where the hell is Hanagaki? Hey, Matsuno? Why the fuck aren't you saying anything? Where is everyone else?!”

      “Don't touch him,” Seishu interjected, pressing down on the gas pedal. “He won't tell you anything anyway.”

      Hajime looked at Matsuno's completely dead expression and only nodded his head. Clearly, Chifuyu was in no condition to answer questions.

      “They're dead, Koko,” Inui exhaled heavily only after a few minutes of driving in deathly silence, as if he too needed time to process and accept what had happened. “They're all dead.”

      “Why can't we just go to the cops?” Kokonoi asked him quietly, lowering his tone as much as possible. “You said you made a deal with them, didn't you? You've gotten the damn immunity, so why are we running away again?!”

      “They're looking for Chifuyu,” Inui replied shortly, trying not to distract himself from the road.

     “Chifuyu? But why?”

      “You think I know?!” Seishu exclaimed irritably, clearly tired of answering idiotic questions. “This captain... Tachibana's brother, I think… I saw him outside the bowling alley. He ordered to find Matsuno.”

      “Do you think the police were in an alliance with Manjiro?” Hajime suggested, still looking for an answer in Seishu's eyes.

      “I think each of them is playing their own game.”

      “And where are we going now?” Koko pressed on. “Do you have any plan B at all?!”

      “Koko, fuck it, no!” Seishu swung the steering wheel so hard that the car slid to the side, and Matsuno, who was lying in the back seat, almost fell to the floor. “There is no plan! Everything has failed! Hanagaki is dead, the Black Dragons are gone, Toman is destroyed, but at what cost?! Chifuyu is the only one who survived this hell, he’s injured, and he needs help! I don't even know what to do, and you're asking if we have a damn backup plan?! No, fucking hell, I don’t!”

     “You're the one who got me into this shit!” Hajime yelled, pointing accusingly at both the scowling Inui and Matsuno, who was rolling in the seats senselessly behind him. “I told you it wouldn't end well! I warned you! I didn't want to be a part of this from the very beginning!”

     “But you came with us anyway!” Inui reminded him angrily. “It was your choice, so shut your mouth and help me think about how to get out of the city!”

     “You said the cops are only looking for Matsuno, not us… They don't need us! We can still go back and…”

     “We can't!” Seishu cut him off. “I'm not leaving Chifuyu!”

      He braked sharply, which caused Hajime to suddenly swing forward and almost slam his face into the glove compartment.

     “What the fuck are you doing?!” He flared up, glaring at Seishu, looking confused.

     “If you want to leave like you always do, you'd better do it right now,” Inui threatened him. “Come on, let’s go! Get out of the car.”

      The car was briefly plunged into a tense silence. Koko, who confidently reached for the handle and almost opened the door, for some reason, pulled his hand away at the very last second. Instead of escaping, he wearily leaned back into his seat.

     “Let's go,” he sighed, closing his eyes.

     “Is this your final decision?” Inui asked.

     “I'm following you, Inupi.” Koko shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if he was stating the obvious. “And even if you do something that I don't like, I’ll still follow you. So... start the car.”

      Seishu gave Koko a long, unreadable look before he started driving again.

  “We can't take Chifuyu to the hospital. The police will find him there quickly,” Inui began to reason out loud. “But there's a first aid kit at the Black Dragons headquarters. It's not the best option, but that's all there is.”

     “Isn't it dangerous to go back to the headquarters now?”  Hajime asked him.

     “The cops had plenty of time to search. If they wanted to find something there, they would’ve already turned everything upside down.”

     “And if they left some men there on patrol? Or will someone from Toman be there?”

     “I'll figure that out somehow.”

He eventually stopped the car near a high-rise building. It seemed familiar to Chifuyu, but he couldn’t remember if he had ever seen it in person. Inui and Koko dragged him out of the car, grabbed him by the arms and led him to the entrance, looking around the whole time to avoid being noticed or accidentally becoming someone's target. They reached the door and soon, the elevator.

Seishu pressed the button with the number 33, and the elevator doors closed.

Chifuyu's condition was so dire that during their short trip, he’d actually lost consciousness several times. He didn’t remember the journey and how they’d ended up on the upper floors at all — he only remembered that after he’d been left painfully half-seated on the sofa, Inui had sent Kokonoi to watch the main entrance in case of any unexpected guests while he rummaged through the drawers in search of a first-aid kit.

      Someone had obviously been here before them. Everything was scattered, folders were gutted and torn, safes were hacked, and bedside drawers were wide open. Whether it was the cops or the yakuza is a secondary question, and, frankly, Chifuyu didn't care at all.

      His mind began to clear up a little. A sudden strength surged through him, and his weakened body became stronger until he could even manage to get up from the sofa. Inui looked up from his search and looked at him questioningly.

     “It's you... you betrayed us,” he wheezed breathlessly, slowly approaching Seishu.

     “What?” Inui frowned. Without any hesitation, he took a step towards Chifuyu to try to sit him down on the sofa again. “You're clearly not yourself right now. We'll talk later when you feel better, okay?”

      But Matsuno ignored his words. Feeling an incomprehensible surge of strength, perhaps since the shock had dulled a little and aggression had now taken its place, he briskly grabbed the unsuspecting Inui by the shirt and slammed him onto the glass coffee table, shattering it into pieces.

     “You… You're the damn rat!” Matsuno hissed, looming menacingly over the body of the second vice-captain. “You thought I wouldn't guess…? Did you think I wouldn't catch you…? You knew that, didn't you… All this time you knew about me, you knew about Hanma and time travel! You did it on purpose, didn't you?! You turned us in to Mikey?! Answer me!”

     “What are you talking about?!” Inui cried out.

      Chifuyu bared his teeth.

      Seishu's face darkened, and his voice transformed, morphing into a voice that didn’t belong to him at all — a voice that belonged to Mikey. It seemed to Chifuyu that he could see his huge white eyes in front of him again, and that mocking smile with which he had fallen off the roof with Hanagaki.

«Pathetic.»

«You've always been like this.»

«A Coward, pathetic mutt of Baji.»

«You're not good for anything.»

     “I'm not pathetic… I’m not a coward!”

      The pain in his arm disappeared as if it had never existed, or so it seemed to Chifuyu. He hit Seishu on the floor several times, and then began to beat with his fists, cutting his lower lip and nose, but even that wasn't enough. He just couldn't stop. He didn't even see where he was hitting, he didn't know if Inui was still conscious, and he didn't care.

      His mind was bursting at the seams. Matsuno stopped distinguishing where his visions ended and where reality began; he disappeared into his nightmares, into this darkness that gaped like an open wound, endless like a black hole.

Why did Inui allow himself to be beaten? Naoto just couldn't fight back, but Seishu? Seishu, with whom they always fought on equal terms, Seishu, who would definitely be strong enough to strike back. So why didn't he do anything? Why didn't he hit back?

     “Where have you been?! Where were you when Sanzu tortured everyone else?! Why weren't you there?! Why did you leave us?!”

     “We had to split up!” Inui screamed, choking on blood. “When we found out that they had been caught, we immediately went to help! I swear to you, I don't understand what you're talking about! I would never betray you! I wouldn't betray Takemichi!”

     “Bullshit!” Matsuno grabbed a shard of glass and held it against Inui's neck, right against the throbbing carotid artery. The sharpened edge of the glass left a small cut on his skin. “I'm going to kill you... I'm going to kill you!”

     “If you're so sure of what you're saying, then why don't you actually do it?” Inui looked him straight in the eye, honestly and sincerely, as if Matsuno's uncontrollable rage didn't scare him at all.

      Chifuyu pressed the shard even harder against Inui's neck, deepening the cut. A small drop of blood trickled down to his left collarbone, staining the red collar of his white shirt.

     “You...” But Chifuyu suddenly stopped, not finishing what he had started. His breathing was heavy and his voice was hoarse, he could hardly speak. His eyebrows, drawn down to his nose, slowly straightened, his face relaxed, and his gaze brightened, as if his human form had finally returned to him. He said almost incredulously, “Are you really not a traitor?”

     “Of course not, asshole,” Seishu answered him, breathing fast.

     “And you… You don’t know anything about time travel?”

     “I've watched all the parts of Back to the Future starring Michael Fox and Christopher Lloyd, but I'm afraid that's where my knowledge on this subject ends. Um...” Inui lifted his chin slightly, discreetly reminding him, “Listen, maybe take this thing off my neck already? It's pretty sharp.”

      Chifuyu thought for just a second, but then obediently threw the shard aside.

     “I'm sorry, I... I don't know what happened to me,” he apologized clumsily. He hadn’t apologized to anyone for a long time, it seemed unusual and alien to him, but this time the apologies seemed to slip from his lips, and for the first time in a long time, they sounded so right. Matsuno himself looked scared by his own uncontrollable behavior, but Inui seemed to understand what led them to this situation. It was hard to keep your sanity when so many deaths were happening in front of your eyes. He didn't even think to take Chifuyu's words about time travel seriously, chalking it up to the consequences of what happened today.

      He got out from under Chifuyu and stood up from the floor, then reached out to help Matsuno up as well. Chifuyu hesitated until the end, then cautiously grabbed his palm and got to his feet. And nothing terrible happened. After this gesture, the world did not collapse, although Matsuno thought it would. It was as if the brand of ‘traitor’ left by Chifuyu had finally been erased from Inui's skin, and no matter how hard Matsuno tried now, he no longer saw anything nauseating, annoying and hateful in Seishu. It was as if his mask had disappeared, revealing his real self.

      Inui dusted off his clothes and approached the drawer, taking out some peroxide and cotton wool from the first-aid kit he had already found to finally treat the wounds.

     “Things started going to hell after Draken died, didn't they?” He smiled sadly, talking more to himself than to Matsuno. Chifuyu blinked in surprise. Is Draken dead? But how? When did this happen? “Who would have thought that the battle with Tenjiku would turn into such a tragedy. Even then, we should’ve realized that Toman couldn’t be saved. Maybe then you and I wouldn't be here.”

      There it is: a small piece of information for which he went through so much trouble to obtain! But was it worth it? Really? After all, Matsuno still didn’t know the exact date of the battle, nor the scale of it. And the news of Draken's death only told him one thing — that one way or another, Mikey would still find a way to fall into darkness.

     “Still, I don't understand...” Matsuno looked confused. “Inui, if it wasn't you... then who turned us in to Mikey?”

     “I think you already know the answer. I don't know what's happening with your time travel, but there's only one person who hated both you and Takemichi enough to defect to Manjiro's side.”

     “And who is this?”

      Inui had just opened his mouth to reply when his pupils widened, and he immediately rushed towards Chifuyu to push him aside.

      But he didn't have time.

      A shot rang out.

     “Inui!”

      Matsuno didn’t immediately realize what had happened. Blood splattered on his face. Inui collapsed like a stone to the floor. There was now a hole in the centre of his forehead. Chifuyu wanted to turn around when the gun was pointed at the back of his head again.

“I thought you were smart. But to suspect your faithful comrade of betrayal? You're even dumber than Hanagaki.”

      For the first few seconds, the voice seemed unfamiliar to him, but then a terrible realization struck Chifuyu. He'd heard it before! The gunslinger approached his ear and hissed like a snake, barely touching the lobe with his lips:

     “You know, Matsuno, there's nothing scarier in this world than a woman who decides to take revenge on you.”

      The girl he saw in their office just a couple of hours ago, the one who gave him obvious glances on the way to Takemichi's office, the one who went with them to the auction!

      She.

      She was the one who handed them over to Manjiro.

     “Admit it: Hanagaki was always spoiling everything. He's too naive to run such a large part of the crime syndicate. Faded and gray, he didn’t have a drop of charisma in him. But Mikey had it. And he was with me. The Black Dragons needed a strong leader. You and me... Chifuyu, we would have turned the world upside down!”

“So that's what you wanted,” Matsuno finally said. His face twisted. The pain in his shoulder suddenly appeared again, and now it was even stronger than before —the fight with Inui had probably left its mark. “Power…”

     “And who doesn't want it?” She chuckled. “Humans are lowly creatures who have been striving for greatness throughout history. And they reached it. But power wasn't the only thing that made me team up with Mikey. You know what else?”

      Chifuyu shook his head.

      Honestly, he wasn't interested.

      She’d just shot Inui right in front of his eyes, and he didn't even have the strength to react to it in any way. He was devastated, and his emotional battery had almost run out. It's too much to take for one day spent in the future.

     “You.”

     “Me?” He raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. “And why do you need me?”

     “Don't act like an idiot, Matsuno. You're a handsome man. All the girls would be at your feet if you only wanted to. But instead...” She grimaced as if she was disgusted, and nausea immediately rose in her throat. “You chose Takemichi. So answer me: what’s wrong with him? What is it about him that I don't have? He's completely worthless!”

      Muscles twitched under Matsuno's skin.

      People could say whatever they wanted about him, but when it came to Takemichi, he was ruthless.

     “You're mad,” she chuckled, as if she'd expected such a reaction from him. “You slept with me for so long that you could trade me for Hanagaki, and now you're mad? At me, or at yourself? Huh, Chifuyu? Or maybe at Takemichi? Maybe you're angry that he was like that?”

     “Like what?” He said through his teeth.

     “Abnormal,” she replied quickly. And then she added disgustedly, “Or do you think it's okay to be attracted to men?”

      The blood rushed to his cheeks. He had no idea what she was talking about, but it was obviously reflected in him anyway. It was as if something he was afraid to even think about had finally come out. He wasn't an idiot, and of course he noticed his best friend's strange behavior, and unfortunately remembered his last words. But now wasn’t the time to figure it out.

     “But we can still fix it. We can revive Toman, and then the whole world will be at our feet again. Think about it, Chifuyu! How can this compare to Hanagaki's stupid plan? Destroy Toman and escape to Switzerland with fake passports? It's just ridiculous!”

      Matsuno was silent.

      He didn't even know her name.

      Why would he talk to her?

     “Don't you agree with that?” Offended by his silence, she reloaded the gun and returned it to the back of his head. “Your loyalty to Hanagaki has always amazed me. But if you're ready to chase him even after death, then we're definitely not on the same path. You can send him my regards on the other side. Although, I sincerely hope that even there you’ll never be together.”

      Chifuyu closed his eyes.

      He felt no fear of death — he was so exhausted that it seemed to him a release, not a punishment. He was ready to accept his fate here and now.

      If only everything would finally end.

      But that didn't happen.

      There was a thud. The gun fell to the floor and she flew out the window. When Chifuyu turned around, he saw Koko standing in the doorway with some kind of statuette. He was breathing heavily, as if he had to run, or he was just so scared that he didn't realize it anymore. The girl probably got here through another entrance, since she managed to get past him.

     “Inupi...” was the only thing Hajime could say. The statuette slipped out of his hands as he pushed Chifuyu away and fell to the floor, dragging Seishu's dead body towards him. Carefully smoothing the blond hair on his temples, he pressed his forehead against Inui's, feeling it still warm. “It's all because of you… I warned him, I told him not to mess with you... if you hadn't dragged him into all this, he would still be alive…”

      Matsuno didn’t know how to respond to his accusations, so he remained silent. Deep down, he knew that Koko was right when he said that, and Inui's death was on his conscience too, as were the deaths of his other comrades.

      Everything that happened…

      Everything that happened in this future…

      Was a natural outcome of his decisions.

      His choice.

      Chifuyu wanted to believe that the main characters always do the right thing. They always succeed, they always make the right decisions, and their choices inevitably lead to success. However, in reality, everything turned out to be completely different. Chifuyu turned out to be a hero who didn't know where the line between good and evil lay, a hero who always stumbled, made mistakes, and thus ruined the lives of innocent people.

      Was he really a hero?

      Did he choose the right path for himself?

      Matsuno didn't know anymore.

     “The police… They're already here, Chifuyu,” Koko announced sullenly. “They came for you. You'd better leave through the secret passage. The one behind the closet, in the first room from the elevator, if you remember.”

     “What about you?”

     “I'll stay here.” He waved his hand indifferently. “I have nothing to lose anyway.”

      Matsuno limped to the exit, but stopped at the threshold to squeeze out a useless “I'm sorry...”

      He clenched his fists. The words came to him with great difficulty. And the fact that he’d spent most of his time blaming Inui — the man who eventually shut him down — made him feel even more disgusting. He was sick of himself. He was really protecting me.

     “I know,»”Koko replied quietly. He didn't need his apologies, he didn't need them now that Inui was lying in his arms with a bullet through his head. “Now go away.”

      Chifuyu nodded obediently. He went into the corridor, but instead of taking the elevator found at the very end, he turned into one of the indicated rooms and approached a small bookcase. He didn't know why he had this information at all, perhaps his previous version was aware of it, but he easily found the lever — it turned out to be one of the books on the shelf. The closet slid aside, revealing a narrow passage in front of Matsuno. He paused, looking around, as if he still wasn't sure if he should be leaving alone.

      But he went ahead anyway.

      He was hoping for a freight elevator, but it wasn't there. He ran through the first seven floors quite easily, but every three subsequent floors he had to stop to recuperate. At about the twenty-third floor, he heard a shot from somewhere above. It obviously wasn’t a battle — it was just one shot, and then the building fell silent again.

      Koko…

      For some reason, that was the first thing Matsuno thought of.

      By the tenth floor, he was completely exhausted. He’d spent much more time on it than on all the others. His legs were no longer walking; Chifuyu was sliding down the stairs, literally forcing himself to walk. His injured arm was now dangling limply, and he had to hold it clumsily with his other hand.

      And there it was.

      The long-awaited exit.

      Chifuyu turned the lock, and what a miracle! The door had finally opened. Before that, his main goal was just to get to the exit, but now he realized that he had nowhere to go. The most logical solution seemed to be finding Hanma, but he, true to tradition, promised only to appear himself.

      Well, now would be the best time to go back to the past.

      There was definitely someone waiting for Chifuyu on the street: at the other end of the alley, a man who looked quite like Hanma in height and build was standing completely motionless. Chifuyu, who had been hobbling towards him, instantly stopped when he could see the silhouette better.

     “Kazutora?”  Chifuyu squinted, thinking he was imagining things. He must be out of his mind. He's just gone crazy! But it seems that Hanemiya was really in front of him, in a green jacket. With his hands deep in his pockets, he looked at Matsuno with a look full of vague longing. “W-what… What are you doing here?”

      He slowly approached Matsuno.

      Chifuyu thought that he was finally safe. Maybe it wasn't Hanma, maybe Kazutora's presence here was eerily strange, maybe it wasn't even real, and he was delirious, probably lying somewhere on the tenth floor and dying from blood loss. But from now on, Chifuyu no longer had the strength to figure it out.

      It was Kazutora.

      Kazutora was his friend.

      Kazutora could be trusted.

      That's all that was left in his head.

      Chifuyu trustingly, guided by blind hope, allowed Kazutora to take his hands, to loosely grasp his wrists.

Matsuno started muttering guiltily, as if he had to answer to someone. But he was exhausted, he wanted to eat, drink and sleep. He clutched at Hanemiya like a drowning man with a lifeline. “I didn't want this to happen… I swear... It all happened so fast, I didn't even have time to figure it out…”

     “I see,” Hanemiya breathed softly, closing his eyes. “I'm sorry, Chifuyu.”

      Before Matsuno could ask what he was sorry for, there was a dull click of a lock. Chifuyu jerked his hand, but to no avail — Kazutora had already handcuffed him.

     “What…?” His breathing quickened, and he blinked in fright. Security turned out to be nothing more than an illusion. “Kazutora… But why…?”

      Footsteps sounded behind him. Chifuyu shuddered; he had been snuck up on so many times from behind that night that it was beginning to annoy him. But these steps were familiar to him. He’d heard the soles of those black shoes hitting the ground many times.

      And then a voice rang out, confirming Matsuno's guess.

     “You don't have to answer him, Kazutora.”

      They cornered him.

     “It's been a long time, Chifuyu,” Naoto said gravely. “It seems that we have something to talk about.”

Chapter Text

A Few Weeks Earlier

The time of Chifuyu’s second leap into the past

The rain just wouldn’t let up. The sky, once wrapped in heavy, slate-gray clouds, had now turned utterly black—as if darkness itself had swallowed the city whole, sealing it under an immense, impenetrable dome. Fat drops hammered the windowpanes one after another, sliding down in endless streams, while thunder growled somewhere close by, giving way to flashes of lightning. It was as though an invisible pianist were playing on the lower keys, his hands crashing down with brutal force, the sustain pedal jammed to the floor.

The room was sunk in darkness. Only now and then did a car passing outside send a pale gleam through the blinds. Midnight had long since passed; the clock on the wall ticked away in slow, merciless strokes.

“When was the last time you saw Chifuyu?” Naoto’s voice cut the silence. Normally composed, he was pacing the office in frantic circles. His face gave away nothing, yet his eyes betrayed him—fear, anger, and desperation tangled there into something beyond repair.

Kazutora, sitting opposite him at the desk, kept rubbing the armrest of his chair, restless.

“This morning. When he came in for work,” he said curtly.

“Did you notice anything unusual? Did he mention leaving town?”

“He was jittery,” Kazutora shrugged, as if that were nothing out of the ordinary. “He often seems wound up, but this time it was worse. I asked about his trip to see his mother, and he looked at me like I’d made it up. Said he never sent me any messages and didn’t even know what day it was. Then he glanced at the calendar, shot up from his chair, and bolted. Haven’t seen him since.”

“No call? No message afterwards?” Naoto pressed, refusing to give up.

“No.” Kazutora shook his head with weary finality. “I left him a few voicemails, but he never called back. He rarely does anyway…” His voice dropped, almost as if he were talking to himself. His eyes clouded with sudden sadness; leaning on the armrest, he propped his cheek in his hand. “Naoto, what’s the meaning of this ridiculous interrogation? Did Chifuyu get himself into something dangerous?”

“This isn’t an interrogation,” Tachibana snapped back. Then, catching Kazutora’s startled look, he faltered—because it wasn’t Kazutora, it was Chifuyu who kept him on edge tonight. “At least, it wasn’t meant to be,” he muttered, lowering himself into the chair across the desk. Fingers interlaced, he continued more calmly: “You’re the only one he still keeps in touch with. I was hoping you might know something.”

“Know what, exactly?” Kazutora’s brow arched.

Naoto hesitated. Saying it out loud felt absurd.

“About time travel,” he finally breathed.

“What?” Kazutora frowned, expecting some sort of explanation, some denial—but none came.

“Listen, I—” Naoto began, then stopped short, unable to untangle his thoughts. He sighed quietly. “I know how it sounds, but you’ll just have to take my word for now, alright? I’ll explain later.” He waited for Kazutora’s reluctant nod, then pressed on: “I think Chifuyu has started traveling through time. He came to me today and said so. I thought he was insane. But now I’m not so sure. He never went to see his mother, and he didn’t remember the date… because all this time, he was in another timeline.”

“In another… timeline?” Kazutora repeated, baffled.

Naoto shut his eyes, speaking in a whisper, as though not even he believed his own words:

“A time where Takemichi is still alive.”

Kazutora went pale. His eyes widened in horror; his lips parted, moved—but no sound came out.

Lightning split the sky; thunder rolled seconds later. Kazutora flinched and shrank into his chair. Naoto’s words had chilled him to the core. For three long years he’d felt Takemichi’s ghost trailing him everywhere he went. No matter how far he ran, how deep he hid—Hanagaki’s breath was always on his neck. His once-cheerful voice, warped by memory, had become the shriek of metal on glass. Now it hissed into his ear, sepulchral, unrelenting:

“This is your fault.”

No matter how many prayers he whispered, no matter how many times he begged forgiveness at someone else’s grave, the past caught him every time—in Hinata’s gentle eyes, in Chifuyu’s steady gaze. Always the same silhouette. A silhouette standing behind him now, hands tightening around his throat, choking out his breath.

Naoto had said it again and again: Kazutora had done everything possible to stop Takemichi that cursed day. But he knew the truth—it wasn’t enough. Never enough. Not enough to face Chifuyu without shame for stealing yet another friend from him. Not enough to meet Hinata’s eyes without drowning in guilt. He could have stopped it. He could have saved Takemichi. So why hadn’t he? Why had he dragged him into that reckless chase for Manjiro in the first place? Why had he just stood by and let him act so carelessly on the eve of his own wedding? Why had he been such a damn fool?

Kazutora hoped that, with time, the feeling of guilt would dull at least a little. That maybe, one day, he would gather the strength to tell Matsuno the whole truth, and that Matsuno would be able to forgive him. Forgive him for the second time in his life—surely Kazutora was asking too much. People lied when they said time heals: every day Kazutora was forced to face the consequences of his actions, and wounds that had only just begun to close would start bleeding again with renewed force.

Chifuyu.

He had changed.

Changed completely.

Perhaps there was nothing more painful in this world than witnessing how he was rapidly losing his mind. How he was sinking to the very bottom of his own free will, how he was cutting ties with old friends, trying to escape a reality he was sick of, how he began to drink uncontrollably just to forget for a while. Chifuyu was aging before him—every day, every hour: his once bright and lively eyes suddenly lost all light, and his handsome face with its sharp, expressive features grew dry and distorted. He could no longer take care of himself; he wanted nothing. He barely ate or slept, and in time he even stopped shaving. At times he smelled bad, because he had no strength even for something as simple as taking a shower. Clothes, hair, appearance… none of it mattered to him anymore.

The first months after Takemichi’s death were like real hell. Not that painfully blazing kind, burning everything to ashes, with huge boiling cauldrons—but pitch-black and silent, like a shadow gliding far behind, like a dementor sucking out the soul.

This must have been what people called depression.

When Chifuyu pushed everyone else away, Kazutora stayed. And no matter how hard Chifuyu tried to drive him off, no matter what hurtful words he threw when the pain of loss became unbearable, Kazutora refused to leave him. He refused to give up. He fought for Chifuyu to the very last, he fought for him without sparing himself, trying to pull him back to the surface. He wanted to breathe new life into him—to press his lips to his and fill him with oxygen—and if Chifuyu could not breathe on his own, Kazutora was ready to become his artificial respirator. He did not need to be asked for this, he did not need to be thanked—it was enough to see a faint smile on Chifuyu’s face to understand: it was worth it. Chifuyu was worth it. Despite the hardships, despite the pain Kazutora felt every time Matsuno rejected his help, he was determined to go on until the end.

He had grown used to helping Chifuyu while remaining in the shadows. A simple plan of action: not letting him work too much, taking the main part of the work on himself, not letting him drink every day, leaving some food in the pantry so that he would not forget to eat properly.

It was as if Kazutora was teaching Chifuyu to walk all over again.

To live all over again.

And over time he even began to believe he was succeeding. Really succeeding. Chifuyu stopped showing up to work drunk and agreed, at least sometimes, to leave the house. He began to smile more—a fragile, unsteady thing, but to Kazutora it was worth more than gold. More than anything in the world. It felt like a small victory. He was certain he’d started the healing. Takemichi’s image seemed to fade; the grip around Hanagaki’s neck slackened.

But Naoto’s words shattered those fragile illusions.

Suddenly Kazutora realized: Chifuyu had never wanted to swim toward the shore. On the contrary, he clung to the seaweed with ferocious hands, hoping to stay under that thick blanket of water, while Kazutora bled from his palms trying to save someone who never wanted saving.

Everything he had done for him, everything he had wasted three years of his life on… in truth, it had only ever mattered to himself. Because Chifuyu had never asked him for help, had never asked to be saved—he had only asked to be left alone. He had never wanted to forget Takemichi, had never even tried. But Kazutora hadn’t listened. He just kept shaking him by the collar, desperate for a scrap of attention—and all of it was for nothing.

And the stupidest part was—he had known it from the very start.

Known that in Chifuyu’s heart there was never any room for anyone else but Takemichi Hanagaki.

And still he had hoped.

In truth, Takemichi’s ghost had never left him—he had always been there, right behind Kazutora’s back. And now he laughed. Laughed loud and cruel, mocking his helplessness, his foolishness, the feelings Kazutora had let consume him.

Feelings that had never been returned.

※ ※ ※ ※

Two years earlier

It was Mitsuya’s birthday.

The first—and, most likely, the last—celebration Kazutora had managed to drag Chifuyu to. He had refused until the very end: making up absurd excuses, looking for reasons to leave early. Kazutora handed Takashi their joint gift, since Chifuyu had brought nothing with him. He only gave the birthday boy a curt nod, muttered a dry, almost indifferent “congratulations,” and vanished almost immediately into the far corner of the hall, where the bar stood. He spent most of the evening there, alone, ignoring anyone who tried to speak to him.

Everyone else tried to have fun, to play, to talk—but it never really worked. The moment their eyes strayed to Matsuno sitting apart, the mood drained away.

The party felt bleak and heavy.

By then, a whole year had passed since Takemichi’s death.

A whole year they had given over to grief, to honoring the memory of their dear friend. Each of them dealt with the loss in his own way: some buried themselves in work to keep from thinking, some drowned in family matters, some sought comfort in drink. They hardly saw each other—only now and then meeting at Hanagaki’s grave, exchanging a quiet hello and a weak handshake before parting again for long stretches. Meeting was unbearable, as if each of them served as a living reminder to the others of what had happened. One chair was always left empty—and no one dared move it or take that seat.

Everything had changed.

They had changed.

And everyone knew things would never be the same again.

Nothing would ever come back, life would never be as it once was. Time was merciless, always running forward. Time offered only the chance, the strength, to keep moving on. And all that was left for them was to wait—wait for the pain to dull, even just a little.

The family they had built was starting to fall apart. Cracks in their bond had appeared long ago: after Baji’s death, after Kazutora and Pa-chin ended up in prison. When Mikey left, the crack widened into a rift, and after Takemichi’s death, it became a gaping black chasm.

And now they might lose Chifuyu too.

Or rather—they already had. Their attempts to put their lives back together he saw as nothing but blasphemy, every celebration as dancing on the bones of the dead. He had been so utterly devoted to Hanagaki that now he no longer knew what to do with himself. That loyalty had nowhere left to go, those feelings no one left to receive them—and he was left with them alone, like a faithful dog on his master’s grave, like a ronin who had failed to protect his lord.

And yet Kazutora still clung to hope.

He thought: perhaps a little more time, another month or two, and the grief would ease its grip. These wounds would heal (they must heal!), would close without a trace, and everything between them would be as before. Chifuyu would come back—come back to him with that tender smile Kazutora loved so much—and Kazutora would be waiting. Waiting as long as it took—weeks, months, years—until the moment came. Then he would open his arms, let Matsuno collapse into his embrace like into a warm bed, and he would cover him, shield him from a world full of pain and endless loss.

And they would start over.

Start from a clean slate.

Just the two of them.

He and Chifuyu.

“Hey, Chifuyu!” Kazutora called out with a cheerful smile, which instantly faded when Chifuyu didn’t even bother to turn his head.

Chifuyu was slumped over the bar counter, his head resting hopelessly on his outstretched arm. With the other, free hand, he kept idly turning an empty brandy glass. His gaze was unfocused, as though his mind, unlike his body, was somewhere far away.

Beside him stood an untouched bottle of beer.

“Chifuyu, come with me,” Kazutora took a hesitant step closer and gently shook his shoulder. He glanced quickly toward the group laughing at the far end of the hall. “The guys… they’re playing darts. Want to join?”

Chifuyu gave no reply.

Kazutora was about to repeat the question when Chifuyu’s eyes suddenly cleared, and he lifted his head at once.

“Did Takemichi get here yet?” he asked with a glimmer of hope.

“Huh…?” Kazutora froze. His grip on the glass in his hand tightened so hard it nearly split in two. Just hearing that name—especially from Chifuyu’s lips—was more than enough to drag him brutally back to reality. Stammering, he faltered: “What… what are you talking about?”

“I left him a bottle of beer,” Chifuyu gave a bitter smile, picking up the unopened bottle and shaking it lightly before setting it back down. Then he looked around, as if expecting to spot someone in the crowd. Kazutora knew all too well who he was searching for. And knowing it hurt. “You’re sure you didn’t see him? I can’t find him anywhere.”

“No, I…” Kazutora glanced back at the others—Draken, Hakkai, and the rest—who were now staring at them in confusion. Chifuyu rose from his seat, brushing past Hanemiya, and strode toward his friends. Startled, Kazutora rushed after him. “Chifuyu! Chifuyu, wait!”

But it was too late.

“Sorry to interrupt the game, but… has anyone seen Takemichi?” With a friendly smile, Chifuyu slid in between the Kawata twins, clapping his hands down heavily on their shoulders. They exchanged bewildered looks.

“No?” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Damn, he’d better turn up!”

The room went silent. Even the music in the bar stopped—technical trouble with the equipment. The DJ fumbled with cables in a panic, trying to fix it quickly, while the guests began to murmur in irritation.

The former Toman looked at each other, waiting for someone to speak, to do something about it—but no one dared. Chifuyu, like a madman, darted across the hall, peering under every table and chair in his desperate search for Takemichi.

“Takemichi!” he called again and again. “Where are you? Takemichi!” Swaying, he turned back to his friends and barked, voice sharp and threatening: “Why are you just standing there like idiots? Help me find him! Do you not care at all?!”

“This has to stop,” Mitsuya said firmly, noting how Matsuno’s erratic behavior was already making the bar’s other patrons uneasy.

“And how do you plan to do that?” Draken asked doubtfully.

Gathering their courage, Hakkai and Souta were about to step in when Kazutora got there first.

“Chifuyu!” He spread his arms wide, blocking his path. His breathing was heavy; he was as frightened by his friend’s outburst as everyone else, but he also understood perfectly: if he didn’t stop him himself, it would never end. “You need to stop.”

Chifuyu saw nothing before his eyes—not even Kazutora. He went on with his senseless search, and the failure to find anything only wound him tighter. His movements turned jerky, abrupt, clumsy from all the alcohol; he stumbled at turns, his face twisted with strain. Who knew how much longer he would have gone on like that, if Kazutora hadn’t grabbed his shoulders and forced him around.

“Chifuyu! Listen to me! He’s not here!” Kazutora shouted, shaking him like a stuffed doll. “He’s not here, do you hear me?!”

It took a moment for the words to pierce the fog of his drunken mind. When they did, Chifuyu looked at him with such genuine bewilderment it was as if he truly didn’t understand why anyone would yell at him. What do you mean… not here? — the question was written plain in his green eyes. His lips trembled, parting as if to object, but Kazutora cut him off, almost gently.

“Let’s…” He’d meant to answer more harshly, but his voice wavered and softened. He had never been able to raise his voice at Chifuyu, even in moments when there was no other way to reach him. Closing his eyes, he exhaled quietly. “Let’s look for him outside instead. Outside, alright? Come with me.”

Chifuyu hesitated, then nodded. He let Kazutora take him by the arms and lead him out of the bar. Hanemiya didn’t look back. He knew the others were watching until the door slammed shut, but he couldn’t meet their eyes. By indulging Chifuyu’s madness, he wasn’t doing anyone any good—not himself, not Matsuno, not any of the former Swastons. Yet he couldn’t shout aloud, couldn’t force the truth into the open: that Takemichi was dead and would never return. That would have been too cruel.

Everyone’s nerves were already fraying.

Mitsuya had hesitated from the start when he learned Kazutora was bringing Matsuno to the party—and now he finally understood why. Chifuyu was a thorn in their side, a raw wound. He didn’t let his friends move on—or even try. His very presence, that joyless figure hunched in the farthest corner, talking to an empty chair, was crushing. Chifuyu made them feel guilty simply for wanting to go on living, though there was nothing wrong in it.

Because the will to live is the most natural of human desires. Even in the darkest times, people reach for the light, struggling upward. But Chifuyu couldn’t understand that. He couldn’t understand why life still went on. Why, after Takemichi’s death, time hadn’t slowed its course, why the Earth hadn’t stopped its orbit around the Sun, why the world hadn’t collapsed.

He must have preferred another outcome. One where everyone—including himself—was drowning in endless grief, their lives devoted solely to mourning Takemichi Hanagaki. But that was impossible. The world was black only for Chifuyu, while everyone else had long since painted theirs in bright colors. Kazutora had both the brush and the palette—but Chifuyu simply refused to paint.

Once they were out on the street, he seemed a little calmer. Still restless, glancing back over his shoulder, itching to return, but Kazutora stubbornly led him homeward. In the rush he’d forgotten his wallet at the bar, so the long walk to Matsuno’s neighborhood had to be done on foot.

“Come on, keep moving. Lift your feet, Chifuyu,” Hanemiya grunted, struggling to drag his heavy frame up the stairs. Harder still was prying the keys from Chifuyu’s hand and forcing him through the front door.

Kazutora flicked the switch, but the light didn’t come on. He tried again—nothing. Neither in the hallway nor in the bare living room. The bulbs had been unscrewed—apparently, not needed anymore.

On his way to another room, Kazutora stumbled twice—once over stinking black trash bags stuffed to the brim, another time over glass bottles scattered across the floor. Yet even that was nothing compared to the state of the place overall. To call it an apartment was generous; it looked more like a dump, a cave where a primitive man might have squatted. No light, no gas, no heat—only water from a rusted tap in the bathroom, and even that was cold.

Kazutora tugged off Chifuyu’s coat and shoes, dragged him to the futon, and laid him down, pulling a blanket gently over him. Then he sat on the floor beside Matsuno’s bedding, arms wrapped around his knees, staring into the surrounding darkness with dread.

He shivered.

Cold, and frightening.

How could Chifuyu live like this?

Did he really not have the money for rent on a normal place? Why hadn’t he asked Kazutora to put him up for a while? There would have been no problem with that. After all, when Hanemiya got out of prison, he’d lived with Matsuno for quite a while before saving up for his own apartment. He would have gladly repaid the favor. But maybe that wasn’t the point. Maybe the real question was whether Chifuyu was willing to accept it.

“He’s not here,” Hanemiya murmured, not even sure if he wanted Chifuyu to hear him. “But you know that already.”

“I know,” came a hoarse whisper. Kazutora flinched. He had been almost certain Chifuyu was asleep—but when he turned his head, Matsuno was lying with eyes open, staring blankly at the ceiling. “But I still can’t stop looking for him.”

His voice trembled.

Matsuno clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back tears.

Kazutora looked at him with regret.

“You know,” he began abruptly, then faltered, pausing in hesitation. No one had asked him anything; Chifuyu hadn’t posed a single question. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe there was something Chifuyu simply couldn’t keep bottled up anymore. “I keep looking for him in the crowd. Trying to find his back, his eyes, just to hear his voice… It feels like any moment now he’ll call out to me. And I wait—” he gave a faint sob, almost inaudible, his voice breaking with desperation—“I wait and wait, even though deep down I know… I know he’ll never come.”

“That must be hard,” Hanemiya blurted awkwardly, wringing his hands in agitation. Comfort was never easy for him; words failed him. He didn’t know what Chifuyu wanted to hear, didn’t know what would be right to say. “But one thing I don’t understand… Why do you pretend to be insane in front of the others? You’re hurt, you’re in pain—but you’re not sick. You’re not crazy, Chifuyu. So why make them believe otherwise?”

“I want them to remember,” he answered simply. “Even if they think I’m crazy, even if I ruin their party—I want them to remember the price they paid for all this. The reason they can stand on their own two feet, the reason they can laugh and play that damn darts—it’s Takemichi. The reason they’re still alive… is Takemichi.”

Kazutora frowned, puzzled.

Of course, he had never denied Takemichi’s role in holding the Toman together, in all the battles they had faced. But he wasn’t so sure that the boy’s very existence was what kept them all alive.

“I just don’t understand how they can treat him like that,” Chifuyu pressed a hand to his chest, clutching the fabric of his hoodie tight. “How can they laugh, Kazutora, how can they go on living when I don’t even have the strength to breathe? How can they forget so easily?”

“Everyone grieves in their own way, Chifuyu. I’m sure they never forgot Takemichi and never will. But you can’t live in grief forever. You have to move forward, even if it’s hard.”

“Why?” he asked flatly, almost as if he didn’t want an answer. “What’s the point?”

“There’s always a point. And you don’t have to carry this alone, Chifuyu. Maybe you don’t want to see Toman anymore, but you still have me.”

“Yeah, sure…” Chifuyu agreed uncertainly. “And I’m grateful for everything you do, really, it’s just… just that it’s… it’s not enough, Tora.”

“Me…?” Kazutora forced the words out, voice quiet and strained. “…I’m not enough for you?”

“If only I could turn back time…” Chifuyu seemed not to hear him. His mind was elsewhere—caught in different desires, different thoughts, a different person. “I’d never have let Takemichi go. I’d have done everything differently, Kazutora. I’d have made it right.”

“Chifuyu…”

“I’d have stopped him. I’d have saved him.”

“And what about me?”

Kazutora probably shouldn’t have said it—not like that. Those weren’t words of comfort. They were the words of the boy he had once been, still terrified of being left alone.

“Why did he do that to me? Tell me. I never even got to say goodbye, never got to tell him all the things I wanted…”

It was like talking to a wall. Punching bare fists against bricks, hoping to break through, only to find another barrier behind it. Chifuyu built those walls in corridors, one after another, and the harder Kazutora tried to reach him, the farther away he seemed.

“Did he really mean that much to you?” Hanemiya’s voice was heavy, drained of life. It came out sounding resentful, maybe even bitter—he himself didn’t understand why he felt that way whenever the name Takemichi was spoken.

I wish I’d met you first. Maybe that’s what it meant.

“Mean much?” Chifuyu repeated, astonished, as if the question itself was absurd. A strange smile crossed his face, but it was anything but joyful. “I would’ve given my life for him.”

“I understand.” Kazutora nodded distantly, lips pressed tight. He wondered—would Chifuyu say the same of him, if the roles were reversed? He wanted to believe the answer was yes. “You were best friends.”

“We weren’t friends,” Chifuyu corrected sharply. Then, after a pause, softer: “At least not like the others. We were partners.” His voice shifted when he said that word. Partners. Strange, at least to Kazutora—who even called their best friend that? But he knew that tone well, that soft velvet voice Chifuyu only used when speaking of what mattered most to him: his family, Baji, Peke J. And, of course, Takemichi. “I don’t think you can understand me. I don’t think anyone can.”

“I can,” Kazutora whispered timidly. His voice had shrunk to a coward’s murmur. Following an impulse he didn’t fully grasp, he reached for Matsuno’s hand, dangling from the futon, and tried to cover it with his own. Chifuyu jerked away instantly, but Hanemiya’s cold fingers still managed to catch his. “I really can. You just won’t let me.”

Chifuyu slowly pushed himself upright into a half-sitting position. Warmth and tenderness had long been foreign to him; he looked more like a stray, battered alley cat, one that flinched from every passerby. He glanced at Kazutora, then at his hand clasping his own fingers, his expression caught somewhere between despair and hope—as if even he wasn’t sure what he wanted.

“To be honest… I’m so tired, Kazutora,” he murmured plaintively, relaxing his grip and letting Hanemiya’s fingers slide between his own. In the dark, Kazutora could barely make out his face: eyes deep and black, cheekbones and jaw sharp as blades. His voice was broken by muffled sobs. “He hardly comes to me in dreams anymore. I think I’m starting to forget what he looked like, and I can’t… I don’t want to forget him, Kazutora. I’m afraid I won’t survive it… My memories of him are all I have left. Every day I walk past the store where he worked. I keep hoping I’ll see him there again…”

“Easy…” Kazutora edged a little closer. Chifuyu clutched his shoulders like a drowning man clings to a lifeline, his grip painful, and Hanemiya only held him tighter. He felt the dampness of Chifuyu’s tears soaking through his sweater. And as he whispered to comfort him, his voice grew softer still, lower than before:

“You’ll get through this, Chifuyu. We’ll get through it together. I promise…”

“Maybe he’ll come back?” Chifuyu’s sobs swelled, louder now, rolling like approaching thunder. Even in Kazutora’s arms he kept trembling, his shoulders jerking up and down. “Please, let him come back, Tora… Please… I want him to come back… I just want to go home…”

Home.

The word clenched around Kazutora’s heart.

Did Chifuyu mean a real, physical home? Or was “home” a person he had lost? Perhaps it was a time, a life before grief consumed him. But whatever that home had been, it was gone. And Chifuyu lay in its ruins—abandoned, endlessly alone.

“Take this pain away, Kazutora…” he whimpered between ragged breaths. “I’m begging you, take it away, I can’t… I can’t do this anymore…”

He was even more desperate than anyone realized. The pain was eating him alive, spreading like a slow disease with metastases in every organ. Kazutora ached that he couldn’t take it from him, not truly, not as Chifuyu wished—and ached even more because he knew he was part of that pain.

He was its cause.

Kazutora had no idea how to mend such a torn soul, how to stitch its wounds closed. All he could do was stroke his back clumsily, repeating over and over that he was there, that he wasn’t leaving, while Chifuyu begged him to end his suffering. If he could, he would’ve pressed a gun into Hanemiya’s own hand and asked him to shoot straight through his skull. Not the heart—no, that had long since died.

Kazutora slowly drew back, though the space between them was still barely there. Closing his eyes, he leaned his forehead to Chifuyu’s. Matsuno’s skin was damp and clammy with sweat, black hair plastered to his brow. Gently, as if afraid to break him, Kazutora cupped his cheeks, wiping away his burning tears with his thumbs.

The dull green of Chifuyu’s eyes flickered with sudden life, his lips parting for a faint sigh. He never liked being touched without permission—but now, strangely, he didn’t resist. On the contrary, he leaned ever so slightly into Kazutora’s hand. Starved for touch, lonely and exhausted, he wanted only one thing: release. If only for a moment, if only for a breath, he wanted to feel alive again.

And he allowed it.

Without waiting for Hanemiya’s next move, Matsuno clutched his face roughly in both hands, shut his eyes, and pressed his lips against Kazutora’s. His fingers slid from his cheeks up to his temples and into his dark hair, tugging hard. It lasted only an instant—but in that instant Kazutora felt absolutely happy. His heart pounded as if someone had yanked an emergency switch, his stomach clenched with heat. Even if Chifuyu reeked of alcohol and cigarettes, Kazutora could ignore it. He would endure anything, if it was for him. His whole body trembled with impatience, with desire, with the tidal wave of feelings this single touch had awakened.

Kazutora wanted that kiss. He wanted it with every fiber of his soul and body. But not like this. Not under these circumstances.

Chifuyu wasn’t gentle—he was rough, careless. He kissed with his eyes screwed shut, crushing Kazutora’s lips painfully, like he wasn’t himself at all, but someone else—someone unknown, driven only by despair. And now he let that despair speak for him.

“W-wait,” Kazutora tried to pull away, but Chifuyu only held him tighter. “Chifuyu, stop.”

Ignoring him, Chifuyu pushed harder, deepening the kiss, his tongue forcing its way into Kazutora’s mouth, cold fingers slipping under his sweater.

“Chifuyu, enough!” Kazutora shoved him away sharply.

Matsuno didn’t look surprised, or hurt, or even confused. He looked empty, detached, as if he weren’t there at all. Was he?

“It didn’t work,” he exhaled, defeated, pressing a fist to his lips.

His breathing was still harsh, still ragged, but the light in his eyes had gone out for good. Kazutora laughed—hysterical, broken. Did he really say that? Didn’t work? Didn’t work to run from reality? Didn’t work to turn pain into blind obsession? Didn’t work to forget? What exactly hadn’t worked?

Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie, Chifuyu mumbled something impossibly foolish:

“Forgive me. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Somewhere deep inside, Kazutora already knew: that kiss had never belonged to him. It wasn’t a real kiss at all—just a painful grasping for something gone, an attempt to make up for what had been missed. It was not genuine. It was play. And with his own hands he’d handed his heart over to be torn apart.

But Matsuno was not content with merely breaking it.

He wanted to rip it to pieces.

“If I’d done it that time… would he have stayed?”

Oh.

That

time…?

It was a strange mix—disappointment, bitterness, hurt—and, painfully, the simple realization that Chifuyu’s words weren’t surprising to Kazutora. Maybe because he saw Matsuno all the time it was easy to read him. Maybe it was his own feelings—those he couldn’t tell anyone. He genuinely didn’t understand why others didn’t notice. Why hadn’t he noticed himself? Chifuyu could easily have been the tragic hero of some Shakespeare play.

Special friends.

Of course.

He couldn’t have been more obvious.

“You’d better rest, Chifuyu,” Kazutora said, flattened. He gathered every scrap of strength he had to hide his true emotions, which were ready to surge forth like tsunami waters, to crash down with destructive force on his fragile shoulders. “It’s been a hard day.”

Everything inside him suddenly chilled.

Collapsed.

A revolting—utterly revolting—day.

His ribs clenched, frozen in dread, waiting for the inevitable end; his heart pinched painfully. All his hopes and dreams crumbled as swiftly as Pompeii’s columns under a rain of lava.

He tried to stand, but Chifuyu seized the hem of his jacket, not letting him simply run.

“Tell me, Kazutora,” he asked again, “would he have stayed?”

Hanemiya eyed him, lips trembling with anger. What the hell are you asking me that for? he wanted to snap. Didn’t Chifuyu really understand? Didn’t he see the feelings Kazutora had for him? Still, he said none of it aloud. He simply looked at the ceiling, feeling his jaw muscles twitch under the skin.

It was hard.

Unbearably hard.

To realize he knew far more about that night than he could ever tell Matsuno.

“I don’t know, Chifuyu,” he said, distant, keeping control. “I really don’t know.”

Chifuyu unclenched his fingers and finally let him go.

“I hope he would have left anyway,” he mouthed stupidly. “Otherwise I couldn’t forgive myself.”

Kazutora rose from the floor quickly. Everything around him seemed suddenly black and lifeless; he no longer had the strength to stay even a little longer. He wanted to get away as fast as possible—hide from the shame, the guilt lodged like a stone in his throat; to disappear forever, to sink through the earth so no one would find him, to close his eyes for good. Anything to avoid Takemichi’s mocking gaze watching him from the dark.

Takemichi’s grip on Hanemiya’s neck tightened again.

“Thanks, Kazutora,” Chifuyu mumbled by way of farewell, faint and indistinct—as if drifting off to sleep. “For still being here, even when I cause trouble.”

“Of course,” Kazutora only managed, nodding vaguely.

I’m here.

He gave a bitter smile as he tucked the blanket around him.

Only you’ve been gone for a long time.

“Good night, Chifuyu.”

Without turning back, he left the apartment in long, firm strides. Only when he hit the street—face flushed, furious—did he double over and let himself release the emotions.

“Fuck!” he swore, savagely kicking a nearby trash bin. Never in recent years had he wanted to douse someone’s car with petrol and strike a match as much as he did now. He had told himself so many times not to hope, had begged himself not to expect anything from someone forever out of reach—yet human nature is a hypocrite. Kazutora was ready to curse himself for every thought of Chifuyu Matsuno, especially for those in which he had let himself dream of the two of them together.

“What, Kazutora — betrayed again?” a voice suddenly taunted from behind him. Mocking. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Hanemiya couldn’t place it. “Maybe you should’ve shoved a knife in his back first, before he did it to you?”

His heart missed a beat.

“Huh?” Kazutora stopped kicking the poor trash bin and spun around.

But there was no one there.

From that moment on Chifuyu never spoke of it again. Either he truly couldn’t remember the details of that night, or he only pretended not to—just as Kazutora sometimes pretended—but they never discussed Takemichi Hanagaki after that. Hanemiya watched Chifuyu from afar, doing the little he could to keep him afloat, and for a long time that created the illusion of a stable life for both of them.

That lasted until this very day.

※ ※ ※ ※

The phone on the desk vibrated, drawing attention from the two men.

“Excuse me,” Naoto said quickly to Hanemiya, apologizing for interrupting their conversation. He picked up the receiver and introduced himself: “Captain Tachibana, I’m listening.”

Someone spoke on the other end. Naoto’s face went instantly pale; with glassy eyes he stared at the silhouette sitting across from him. Yet Hanemiya had the strange impression that Naoto wasn’t really looking at him at all—rather, staring through him, seeing nothing but emptiness.

“What? How— How did this happen? Are you sure?” he repeated in a trembling voice to the caller. The fingers holding the phone clenched tighter. “Where is she?”

“What’s going on?” Kazutora, sensing trouble, edged forward in his chair toward the table. “What happened?”

Without taking the phone from his ear, Naoto sprang to his feet, grabbed his coat, and without further explanation headed for the door.

“Naoto! Hey, Naoto, what the hell?!” Kazutora also jumped up, slung his jacket over his shoulder, and ran from the office after the policeman.

※ ※ ※ ※

Pushing through department staff, onlookers, and journalists, ignoring the mud and the chequered puddles, Naoto ran toward the area cordoned off with yellow tape. Terror had erased all sense in him; he saw nothing, heard nothing of the voices calling to him. Kazutora barely kept up. Tachibana flashed his badge at someone, and without waiting for clear permission dove under the yellow tape himself, while Hanemiya remained behind the barrier.

Only then did he understand what had shaken Naoto so badly.

“Hina!” Naoto shoved past everyone clustered near the car, forgetting entirely the rule about not touching a crime scene. He dropped to his knees at the open driver’s door and rested his head on the dead girl’s lap. His throat constricted painfully; he wanted to scream, to sob out loud, but only managed a strangled cry: “Hinaaa!”

A dark band marked her slender neck. Her eyes were still open, staring blankly upward like doll’s—pale pink plastic orbs without a trace of life. The body had stiffened; the muscles were taut and immobile, and Naoto had to strain to pry her small hand open.

He was barely breathing.

A pendant with a four-leaf clover.

What the hell?

What the hell?!

“Tachibana-san, you shouldn’t be here,” one of the senior detectives stepped up and tried to pull him from the ground, but Naoto didn’t want to let go of the girl. He knew he’d already butchered the crime scene, left a trail of his prints around the car and on his sister’s body—and right now that seemed the least of his concerns.

“Who did this…” Naoto rasped in a heavy voice. “Did you find who did it?”

“Unfortunately, not yet,” the man said, looking at him with regret and slowly shaking his head. “This district is top of the list for crime; there are hardly any cameras, and of the residential buildings there are only those four you passed.”

He looked around.

Deserted streets, old half-ruined buildings, damp and mold everywhere.

Naoto knew the area well—and he knew only one person who would live in such a filthy hole. Only one person angry enough at the whole world to commit murder.

“Search for a man named Chifuyu Matsuno,” he barked without quite realizing it. His subordinates—used to his usual restraint—exchanged frightened glances. Then Naoto shouted even louder: “Search every corner, pull him out from under the ground if you have to—find him, damn it!”

They immediately bustled about. The crowd buzzed, the name passed quickly from mouth to mouth, journalists rushed to take notes for their news reports. It was no wonder that an ordinary murder caused such a stir: Naoto held a high post, and in the near future he was even to be awarded for solving a major case, so right now there was extraordinary noise around his name.

“Naoto,” Kazutora managed to push through the curious cops and appeared right beside him, gently taking his shoulder, even though Tachibana actively resisted. Leaning down, he whispered quietly: “We have to go. Come on, do you hear me? They’re right, you shouldn’t be here.”

Naoto resisted, but Hanemiya only gripped his shoulders tighter, and he no longer tried to break free. It seemed his strength had finally run out. He allowed himself to be lifted from the ground and dragged away from that cursed place.

“Tachibana-san! How do you comment on what happened? Is this your sister? Did you just name the killer? You hold a high position in the department—is your sister’s murder connected to the case you are working on? Tachibana-san!” From all sides, dozens of questions crashed down on him. Out of the corner of his eye, Naoto saw the flashes of cameras, every second person trying to shove a microphone at him. But he could not answer anything: he only moved his lips soundlessly and blinked belatedly, barely moving his legs to keep up with Hanemiya.

“Out of the way! Out of the way, I said! Let me through!” Kazutora mercilessly shoved everyone in his path until they finally managed to turn the corner and shake off the most persistent reporters.

Kazutora managed to get Naoto only as far as the nearest alley—he wouldn’t go any further. By then he could barely stand and had to lean against the wall and on Kazutora to keep himself upright. But even that wasn’t enough. After a few steps Naoto slipped and collapsed into a puddle, then, without even trying to get up, pressed his back to the cold, filthy concrete.

“Why didn’t she listen to me?” he asked in a completely dead voice, addressing Kazutora and maybe himself at once. His lips trembled as he spoke, tears frozen in his eyes, but Naoto couldn’t allow himself to cry until the very last moment. And perhaps that was the worst part. “I asked her… I asked her not to get involved, I asked her to leave Chifuyu alone… Why did she do it? Why, Kazutora… Tell me, why?”

Kazutora watched him silently, not knowing what words might comfort him. A nauseating sense of déjà vu twisted his stomach. Three years ago, in almost the same alley, he had supported Chifuyu, who screamed with pain over Takemichi’s death—and now he had to calm Naoto. Kazutora suddenly realized with horror that death touched everything he was connected to. Maybe it was his fault. Maybe he didn’t deserve a normal life. Maybe his very existence poisoned everything around him.

Everyone but him dies.

And he remains alive.

As punishment.

Punishment for all his sins.

Though he would rather be the one to die.

“It’s all for nothing…” Naoto muttered hopelessly, clutching at his hair and pulling. “Everything we achieved with Takemichi, everything we did… It all means nothing now! My sister… My Hinata… She—she’s innocent! She just wanted to help him!”

“Are you sure it was Chifuyu’s doing?” Kazutora squinted skeptically. He didn’t deny that lately Chifuyu had been not himself, but he was also sure Matsuno would never have touched Hinata. Even angry at her, even if things were serious, he wouldn’t have gone that far.

“Whose else’s?!” Naoto shouted at him in desperation. He lifted his head and tears poured from his eyes, his voice cracking. Something in his look—fierce and not to be argued with—made Kazutora hesitate. “Whose else, Kazutora?! It’s his turf, you know that! He’s the only one of us who lives in that neighborhood! She definitely came there to see him! I told her not to! But Chifuyu… he’s not the same person anymore, understand that already! He’s different! After Takemichi’s death he’s gone mad! He attacked me yesterday, he shouted we’re traitors, said he trusts no one—and now Hinata is dead! What am I supposed to think?! How am I supposed to defend him?! How—” His voice trailed off; the words that had broken through fell away as quickly as they’d come. Naoto whispered on his last breath: “How can I defend him, Kazutora? How can I?”

Kazutora fell to his knees beside him, powerless.

He didn’t know what to do. In the last few hours he’d tried to call Chifuyu countless times, but by the sixteenth call his phone showed no signal. Chifuyu hadn’t answered a single text. Then again, he hadn’t been answering for a long time. None of the Toman members in Tokyo had the slightest clue where Matsuno was.

Kazutora didn’t understand what was happening, but it increasingly felt like the world around him was collapsing. Truly collapsing. Had they really been living happily all this time, or merely pretending? Now that Hinata was dead, the illusion began to crumble like the set of some silly Truman Show. Maybe Chifuyu was right. Maybe they had missed something.

“There was a pendant in her hand… the one Takemichi gave her. I didn’t even know she’d kept it,” Naoto allowed himself a short, bitter smile, then folded his hands and pressed them to his chin as if to pray. He looked up at the sky—pitch-black and gloomy—and spoke even more quietly: “Maybe it’s his way of taking revenge on us. Maybe that’s how he wanted to remind us of the price we paid to live.”

Kazutora flinched, remembering words he had heard from Chifuyu before:

“I want them to remember the price they paid.”

“The reason they’re still alive…”

“Takemichi.”

It was beginning to make sense.

But Kazutora tried not to jump to conclusions.

That had already backfired once.

“Naoto,” Kazutora said, looking at the policeman with all the gravity he could muster. He felt unbearably tired. The speed of events had drained him. Everything was chaos, and he couldn’t even grasp how quickly things had changed. “I know you can barely hear me now, but we can’t accuse him without solid proof. What we’re saying now are just conjectures, nothing more. Besides, you yourself said Chifuyu might be in another time. And although I still don’t understand how that works or how it ties to Takemichi, we shouldn’t be rushing to blame him. This district is full of trouble, so there’s a good chance Chifuyu had nothing to do with this. Before you accuse him of your sister’s murder, we need to find out what actually happened to him.”

Naoto snorted in disappointment.

“You’re defending him because he’s your friend, Kazutora.”

“You’re his friend too,” Hanemiya reminded him softly. For a fraction of a second Naoto’s expression cleared, as if he’d remembered something important. “And perhaps our friend got himself mixed up in something damn bad. Right now he needs our help more than ever, Naoto. We can’t keep turning a blind eye, we can’t run from the truth even if it hurts. We wasted time trying to build our happy lives, but I’m sure it’s not too late to fix our mistakes. We can still save Chifuyu. And we will do it together. You and me.”

“I feel like I’m going insane,” Naoto sighed, exhausted. Kazutora had never seen him so utterly desperate. “Yesterday everything was fine, but today… today it’s over. I could be sure about Takemichi. I knew what time he was in, and though I couldn’t be sure his decisions were right, I trusted he wouldn’t do harm. But Chifuyu… if he really moved through time, I can’t vouch for him. I don’t know what he’s going to do, Kazutora… Bring Takemichi back? But how? How, damn it?”

“I don’t know how, Naoto, but I know he won’t stop until he finds a way,” Kazutora said with unshakable certainty. “And if it really concerns Takemichi—he’ll go all the way. And we have to follow him, to keep him from making bad choices.”

“That’s impossible, Kazutora,” Naoto resisted to the last. The bitterness of past losses was a shackle around his hands; it wouldn’t let him believe. Believe that they could actually fix anything. Because fate had begun to put things back in their places. “You can’t just open a portal to another time; we can’t follow him. We don’t even know whether he really moved through time, and if so—where exactly? Probably, when he decides to change something, my memory will just be overwritten and I’ll be the only one left remembering this nightmare. And the cycle will start again. Again… God… I’m so tired…”

Kazutora put a hand on his shoulder.

“Then find me when it happens again. Together we can make Chifuyu see reason. Or at least—figure out what he’s going to do. But you don’t have to handle this alone. No one should.”

Naoto flinched and looked at him with utterly lost, tormented eyes from beneath wet lashes. He’d always tried to appear stronger, taller, older than he was—but now he was in a situation he couldn’t simply control. He looked at Kazutora like the most miserable child in the world.

“You don’t understand,” he said. A tiny spark of hope lived in his eyes, but he kept shaking his head, trying to snuff it out. Resisting, hiding, letting fear rather than reason steer him. It was too great a responsibility—one he didn’t want to take on again. “We might be strangers in another future. Maybe you’ll be dead or I will be… And even if I tell you about time travel again, the chance you’ll believe me is almost nil. It’s pointless, Kazutora. It’s the end.”

“And yet?” Kazutora pressed. He had already let Chifuyu go once, and he couldn’t lose Naoto too. So he reached out his hand decisively and, in the same bold, steady tone, said: “Will you fight with me?”

Naoto hesitated, then timidly took Hanemiya’s fingers—thin, cold, a little damp. For some reason right then they felt the warmest thing in the world.

After a moment, he gave a tentative nod.

“Let’s find him, Kazutora.”

Hanemiya squeezed his hand.

“Together.”