"This just in, Tokyo Manji Gang member, Mitsuya Takashi, Found dead. The cause of death was strangulation. The man's neck showed visible signs of-"
You turned the TV off. This is my fault...
"He's still going..." Naoto says frustratedly. You stand up from your seat, "We need to stop him. I can't keep waiting for Takemichi to come back."
"Are you serious? Sano is probably still furious with you, if you meet with him now, you'll get yourself killed!" Naoto scolds.
You've had enough. These past few years were a torment. Ever since you broke up with Mikey, all you've been doing was hiding from him. You rented a suite at the same apartment complex Takemichi resides in. So it would be faster to locate him once Naoto's memory is rewritten.
You felt bad that Naoto had to lie about his health to be granted permission to work from home. But it's the only way Mikey wouldn't find him. You wouldn't be surprised if he's trashed Naoto's old office by now.
You were tired. Hina died. Everyone in Toman gradually dropped dead, at the hands of Mikey's wrath. You felt sad, thinking about how Takemichi would feel coming back to this. All his efforts were wasted.
Envelopes slip through from underneath the door. You walk over to pick them up. There were bills and advertisements, as usual. You threw out the flyers and sorted through the mail at the dinner table, where Naoto was sitting.
"What's this?" Naoto asks, looking at a letter.
"Bills? Nothing out of the ordinary."
Naoto turned the envelope around, reaching his arm out for you to look at it, "This is definitively new." The letter had a postmark from the Philippines. You swipe it out of the man's hands and open it. It contained the photos you took with Mikey at the arcade, almost 12 years ago. You turned it around and it had a message.
"Find me."
You look up at Naoto, "This is a sign..." He takes the photo and examines it himself. "Not all signs are good, you know," he says, "This sounds like a trap."
You yank it out of his hands, "I don't care. I don't wanna sit here and wait anymore. We need answers." Naoto gets up off his seat, "You really think he'd answer you?" You nod.
-
"I still have a bad feeling about this," Naoto says anxiously. His body was tense, sitting in his plane seat. "All you have to do is listen in and stay alive," You say, "In terms of time-leaping, I'm not important. As long as you and Takemichi are alive, you two will be able to change this."
Naoto was always disturbed by how self-aware you've become. You hadn't cared about the possibility of you dying. You hid with Naoto to protect him from Mikey. After Takemichi left Toman, you've tried extra hard in keeping Mikey in line. But you had no idea what you were doing. You realized too late that you've been enabling his behaviour. Feeding into his dependency. All you ever did was distract him, giving him anything he wanted. Clinginess turned into possessiveness in a flash. With that, the darkness in him built up more than diminish. Slowly, he began to choose the path of violence, leading Toman to be corrupt. You knew you were useless at that point. Mitsuya warned you about Mikey's state. That's when it finally clicked and you broke up with him.
You felt guilty. Believing you failed Mikey. You thought you'd just wait for Takemichi to deal with him, but you couldn't wait any longer. Who knew how many people he's killed other than Toman members.
Whatever Mikey has planned must be important. After zero contact and killing everyone off. A confession was the last thing you needed since you already knew.
You finally land in Manila. You locate Mikey's current whereabouts with the photo provided. You planned to meet with Mikey and have Naoto on a secret call.
You and Naoto arrive. It was an abandoned structure outside of the city. Everything was rubbish. Most of the building was torn apart, still with its pieces scattered around. It was dusty and there were piles of junk lying around.
Naoto puts on his earpiece. You adjust yours too and attach your microphone to the strap of your bra, so it wouldn't be visible. You start the call and continue to walk. Gradually, the piles of car and motorbike pieces grew larger. You gesture for Naoto to hide.
Walking over the piles of junk and through some crevices of the broken building, you spot him. Mikey raises his head from his slouched posture and smiles at you. A warm and welcoming smile. You walked closer to him.
"I missed you," he says, his voice slightly echoing in the cramped area.
"Cut the bullshit. Why'd you send me that letter?" You ask harshly.
"I wanted to see you again," you couldn't tell what his intentions were. Though he smiled, his eyes looked dark. His voice was monotonous. He was hard to read. "I'm surprised you showed up. Alone too. Did you want to see me as well?" He asks. His tone sounded hopeful.
"I came here for answers," you respond. Mikey rests his hand on his palm, "You're a smart girl, you've already figured out who killed them all."
You clench your fist, "Why... Why did you do it?!" You shouted. "They were in my way," Mikey said with no remorse. You took a step closer, "You're so selfish! They devoted their lives to you and you just take theirs like it's nothing??"
"When it's that easy to kill... it almost feels like it was nothing," Mikey darkly confesses.
Mikey walks down from the pile of junk he was sitting on. As he got closer to you, you couldn't help but feel the need to step back.
"Everyone I love ends up leaving me. Big bro, Baji, Takemitchy, you..." You attempt to regulate your breathing as he makes direct eye contact with you. His eyes were lifeless and cold, "Why'd you leave me?"
You still couldn't tell what he was up to. You couldn't tell if he was genuine or provoking you. "You changed, Mikey. I tried to keep you happy. I tried to stop you from being like this but-"
Mikey interrupts you, chucking quietly, "You still care about me..." His smile quickly disappears, "I'm not who I used to be. This darkness... is irreversible. You can't fix me. You can't go back in time."
He walks even closer to you, "Kill me."
Mikey tosses a gun from one of his pockets. You look down as it lands right at your feet. "What?!" You blurt out in shock at his request. "It's the only way you can stop me from being like this."
Mikey smiles at you once again, "Please, end my agony."
You step back even further, "I..." You stammer, "I can't kill you."
"You get to avenge your friends and I get to see you one last time. Fair, isn't it?"
"No, it's not!" You shout, "It's not fair! I didn't come here for revenge, I came here to save you."
"Save me?"
Though his expression was blank, there was agitation in his voice. Before you could even comprehend, Mikey took you by the collar, throwing you onto the concrete. He moves his hand, grasping your neck.
"Does this position feel familiar to you?" Mikey smirks.
You look at him enraged. This was the first time Mikey has ever attacked you. "Are you gonna give me the same fate as Mitsuya?"
"He was the one who made you leave me, right? He told me that himself, before he died," he tilted his head, "The gun is in arm's reach. Unlike him, I'm giving you a chance.
Mikey's grip tightens, "I can't be saved and you can't save me in the position you're in. You better make a decision."
"Are you really gonna choke me to death or are you bluffing?" You watch as his brows daggered at your question. A part of you was glad there was still some emotion in him. Real emotion.
He tightens his clasp around your neck, causing you to start choking, "Does it feel like I'm bluffing?" Mikey loosens his grip, letting you gasp for air.
You chuckle, coughing a bit, "You've always been such a tease, Mikey." Mikey glares at you, as if he was trying to read you. Not expecting you to laugh.
"Whether you're trying to kill me or fuck me, get it over with."
Mikey scoffs but grins at your comment. You see him reach somewhere behind him with his free hand. He takes out a gun and points it right at your forehead.
"You like playing around? Let's see which one of us shoots the other first."
"Shoot then," You taunt, "I've already lost you, there's nothing else to live for."
Mikey became silent.
"Maybe in another timeline... We'd be together. Happily. Maybe we'd even be here. On vacation. Maybe even our honeymoon," you can feel the gun slowly soften, pressing down at your skin.
"Manjiro, no matter how many timelines I live through, I will always love you."
You watch as Mikey's eyes become conflicted. They begin to twitch, attempting to stop himself from shedding a tear. As his eyes water up, you couldn't help but feel that maybe there was still some light in him. Maybe the Mikey you once knew was still in there.
Your heart stops at the sound of the gunshot. Mikey drops, his head landing right next to yours.
"[Y/N]! Get out of there!"
Naoto runs over, pointing his gun down. You turn to face the man. His eyes were empty and dead. Dark red liquid poured out of the side of his head. You look at him in horror. Not a single thought ran into your mind as you looked at him. You couldn't help but cry. Though Naoto was yelling, urging you to get up, it sounded like complete silence to you.
As you finally lifted yourself up, you carried Mikey with you. His cold, lifeless body slumped over you. You reach for the gun Mikey offered earlier. You cock it before raising it, placing it on the side of your head.
"What are you doing?!" Naoto fearfully asks.
"Find Takemichi and tell him this. His departure from Toman left a big impact on Mikey," you order Naoto, "Whatever mission he needs to do, tell him to warn me to not be soft. Tell him I need to be blunt with Mikey, no matter what." You hiccup between your sobs. "It's my fault he turned out like this..."
"Or... you can put the gun down and we can tell him together..." Naoto tries to calm down the situation but you shake your head.
"All this... all this was too much to bear. Losing Hina. My friends. Mikey. I can't stand to live here anymore... I'm sorry, Naoto."
You smile at your long-time friend.
"I'll see you in the next one."
Chapter twenty-four, end.