𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄━━━S. Manjiro

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘆-𝗡𝗶𝗻𝗲

Nothing in this world really lasts forever.

You can be lonely but you'll eventually find joy. You'll find hope but you'll be blocked by despair.

You'll have happiness but someday that will also be taken away. Life will come to an end and darkness will surround you.

But even the darkness ends after all. A bloody sight and then darkness. After darkness, it was a place in chaos. Series of unprecedented things keeps happening one after another before you.

Even though you just regained your consciousness.

The one in front of you, Mikey, was bloodied. Not only was he bleeding from the head, the corner of his eyes were red while looking at you with total disbelief and anguish.

"[First Name]... Again, you broke your promise."

Your lips parted slightly and your eyes darkened. Your head still felt a little blank and light-headed after doing the last thing you remember in the future timeline.

'Right. I... Shot myself, didn't I?'

The Mikey in front of you is not the one from your future. You are back in the past timeline again.

There is a familiar warmth in your hand but you deliberately ignored it. Instead, you raised your other hand and wiped the blood from Mikey's forehead gently while asking in a soft tone. "Did I?"

It was you, Manjiro, who broke it though.

"But everything... Everything was really my fault." Your voice was quiet and only the two of you could hear.

The rest who was watching was confused by the sudden turn of things but they couldn't bring themselves to speak up from fear. They didn't want to make a fuss and get targeted by the angered Manjiro. So for once, the crowd that was overflowing noise since earlier quieted down as they watch the scene unfold.

Only Mikey noticed the sudden change in [First Name]'s personality and expression.

He knew that [First Name] was only acting earlier. She told lies and spewed nonsense even Kazutora couldn't help but look at her with bewilderment earlier. The lie was so obvious but it pains him more than anything that had happened today.

After all, a promise has been broken again.

He stared at you with wide eyes as you kept mumbling lifelessly, "Nobody else was at fault. Not you... Not him, not anyone. It was all my fault, Manjiro."

When you looked at him, Manjiro's heart ached unexplainably. Those eyes were the same ones that stared at him with endlessly gentleness and affection. But now, it is still the same but it was as if the light has been taken away from those eyes.

Your eyes felt hot and the face you are looking at so intently suddenly grew blurry. 'I am in the past again... For what? What can I even do?'

There were times in your life that you have thought that you were worthless, but today was much more worst. Did you get too confident with your own self?

"[Last Name]-san...?"

All your thoughts came to an end as soon as you heard the familiar voice of your accomplice to this unnatural phenomenon called time leaping.

You slowly turned your head and met the blue eyed young man. But it only took you a moment before shifting your gaze to the wounded one in Chifuyu's arms. It was only then your eyes slowly gained a bit of light. 'Right... Kei, Kazu...' You turned around briefly and made eye contact with Kazutora. He looked at you with disbelief and was speechless to all the words you and the [First Name] of this timeline said.

For a while, you held a blank look in your eyes as you stared down at him. Who knows what came into your mind at that moment but you ignored the one in front of you and the one behind you and went to Baji instead.

On one knee, you kneeled down in front of him and checked his wounds thoroughly.

All eyes were on you but your mind was still blank. Only, only the little bit of sanity left in you kept your body going. 'He'll not die. But he lost too much blood... He's also not waking up.'

"Keisuke... Will live."

Your voice reached everyone's ears. It was not loud but not also quiet. You stood up and removed the unfamiliar white coat from your body and draped it over Baji. Yours eyes narrowed slightly on him as you told the two. "Tear that coat and bandage him. Prevent him from losing even more blood."

At most, he will only not wake up for a few days or weeks. Nothing more than that...

Your hand reached out for the stinging pain in your side and indifferently touched that warm, red liquid dribbling slowly on your skin. You didn't bother wiping it off your hand as once again, you approached Mikey. Your footsteps are loud and heavy but the crowd that finally regained their senses started to make some noises yet again hid your sound of footsteps. Most of them went back to fighting while some watched as the scene unfolds with suspense.

"[First Name]..." Kazutora's weak voice reached your ears but you deliberately ignored him and focused your entire attention on Mikey.

There was a sudden peace and silence between the two of you when both of your eyes met. Dozens of emotions rampaged inside you and the words you wish to say were barely held back. The few scenes from the past flashed through your mind and a small smile formed on your lips.

It felt like your sanity is barely hanging on a single thread now.

So close to falling apart and falling into madness.

To think that your heart is so vulnerable, so weak, so...

You looked at Mikey straight in the eye and uttered his name with a tone of unsettling calmness. "Manjiro... Mikey." In return, as if he had forgotten all his past objective, Manjiro stared at you with a blank expression.

You smiled.

kinning my [first name] frfr. exams season and I'm losing my mind here. I wrote this chapter on February 13... A day before our quarter exams 💀

Published: April 1, 2023