(August 22, 1997)

The cafe wasn't too crowded, despite it being a weekday. Fridays were usually the day a lot of cafes and restaurants would be filled with people, so it was unusual for a cafe being a bit empty. It was the perfect opportunity for two people to have a heart to heart talk. A heart to heart talk that was long overdue.

Wakasa was staring at his cup of coffee as the silence was starting to get to him. Shinichiro wasn't helping with the situation either, playing with his food with a fork as he probably had no intention of eating it any time soon. A sigh escapes Wakasa's lips, then he stares at Shinichiro with a stern expression. "Shin, I'm worried about you." He admitted, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "First, I find out my childhood friend found you in the dumpster all bruised. Then, I find out about you and Omi are not on speaking terms because of some petty argument. Is there anything else you want to keep from me?" "Sorry. I'm just a little... out of it." Shinichiro answered with a sigh. Wakasa puts a hand on his head, letting out a sigh. "Look, you're a friend to me. More than that, actually." He hesitates a little on the last bit, but he shakes his head. "You're like... I dunno, someone I've bonded with unexpextedly. A... a fidus Achates, if you will." He added.

"Waka..." Shinichiro's expression... some what softens at that, and Wakasa notices. Was there a twinge of guilt in his voice? Or was that just his imagination? He didn't know, but the expression on Shinichiro's face.

Even he was hurt.

"Waka... you'd believe me if I said what was going on, right?" Shinichiro asks, though his tone was somewhat hesitant.

This was new. Since when Sano Shinichiro, the Weak King that never hesitated in the line of battle, was sounding hesitant? Wakasa knew him long enough to know that Shinichiro wasn't like this before, and it was starting to worry him. "Do you really have to ask that? Of course I'd believe you."

"Okay... brace yourself on this one. You might... you might not believe me." Shinichiro takes a deep breath, the hesitance in his voice again as he was looking at Wakasa with that expression. That expression that showed authority yet also a small hint of... well, Wakasa couldn't really place what that hint was. Shinichiro always used that tone when talking one on one with the members of the Black Dragons during their meetings. It always sounded... soft? He always heard it but he couldn't pinpoint the exact tone. "Alright, lay it on me, Shin."

Wakasa listened intently as Shinichiro was starting to tell what the hell was going on. He almost couldn't believe it. It was like he was telling something that came out of a science fiction manga, and Wakasa was the proof-reader for it: A shinigami. A witch that held the power of dimensions. The discovery of multiple realities. How Manjiro was supposed to be dead but because of desperation, he was given a chance to revive by turning back time. How everyone in that timeline was in different paths, how they were missing, how they were gone. Wakasa felt his heart drop when Shinichiro finished the story. His black eyes was staring at Wakasa's own lilac ones.

It was as if his eyes were saying, "Please believe me."

Wakasa was silent.

"...so, you're saying that you killed yourself. And because of that shinigami and... dimension witch, you're alive now?" Wakasa asks, his tone careful. He didn't want Shinichiro to assume that he didn't believe him, but at the same time he was in disbelief. How was he supposed to take this? Was he supposed to just... let everything sink in? Shinichiro just only nods as a response, his hands clasped together. Wakasa saw his hands trembling, and he puts a hand on top of them. "It's hard to imagine what you've been through, Shin. But... before I tell you what I think of it, answer me this question."

Shinichiro's breath hitched, but he nods. "Ask away."

"Did I try to stop you from killing that guy?"

Shinichiro was taken aback, and Wakasa noticed. "Did I try and stop you, Shin?" He asks again.

"...you did, twice. But I was an idiot and continued anyway." Shinichiro answered, looking down. It was the look of shame that hit Wakasa like a truck. And to think that he gave up on stopping him twice. Wakasa knew better than that. "...what the hell was wrong with me in that timeline..." He muttered angrily. "Shin, I'm sorry. So fucking sorry."

"What... no. No, Waka—" Shinichiro shakes his head. "This was my fault to begin with, you don't have to blame yourself for what happened to me. I was too desperate, too desperate that I looked for a stupid solution for the impossible." His hands were shaking, and Wakasa noticed. His lilac eyes were showing concern rather than being serious and stern. "Shinichiro, now isn't the fucking time to blame yourself. What matters is that you're alive... alive and here. With us." His expression softens, holding both of his hands. "You're okay. You don't have to keep this to yourself, Shinichiro. You can cry, dammit. Just cry."

Wakasa felt a tear drop down on his hand. Shinichiro's lip quivered, before the tears start to flow from his eyes. "Waka... dammit, Waka..."

"Hey, it's fine. You can cry." Wakasa was gently patting his back as Shinichiro was pouring out his emotions. More tears started falling down, and Wakasa was right there to help him control it.

"What's a fidus Achates, Waka?" Shinichiro asks while looking at him with a raised brow. Nights were always crowded, especially when there was a festival. "You've mentioned it when Benkei asked what we were to each other."

Wakasa takes another bite of his lollipop before looking at Shinichiro. His expression was monotone, but he smiles a little. "I consider you as someone outside of my family bonds. You're more... well, I guess of a very special person to me." He added with a small chuckle. "Maybe even mutual affection~?" He teases with a grin, and Shinichiro's face immediately flushes. "Waka, if my girlfriend were to find out you were hitting on me--"

"Keep dreaming, Shin." Wakasa shrugs, but he was still smiling. "I'd rather steal your girl."

"Hey! Miko-chan chose me!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sock it up, Weak King."

Wakasa would remember this day.

The day that Sano Shinichiro, the Weak King of the Black Dragons, told the story about how he defied time just to come back alive.

(August 23, 1997)

It was midnight. For others, it would be too late to stay up. But to some, it was the dawning of a new day.

The bright lights illuminated the cloudy night sky of Tokyo, despite the rain pouring down heavily. A young man was staring down at the people that walked along. The wind was flowing, and despite hearing the muffled sounds of the cars passing by, the only thing that the young man could hear were the chimes of keys and the ticking of a pocket watch.

He takes out his pocket watch and one of the keys dangling on his side.

The curse that only appears every one hundred years. The curse that would cause the dimensions to break. The curse that would cause alternate realities to shift into place. The curse that the Deities of Fate can't control, but can manage only so little to keep the dimensions in balance.

The curse that will cause the universe to change as they know it.

The young man smirks. He presses the crown of the pocket watch, letting it open. At the center, were six small keyholes. He had two out of six, but that was alright. He'll be able to get the other four as the dimensions would lead him right to them.

As the long hand reaches twelve, he inserts the key into the hole.

"A dimension folds..."

The rain starts to slow down. The sounds of the cars start to become more and more muted.

"A world breaks..."

The environment turns into a greyscale.

"As time moves on..."

The world freezes entirely. The rain drops stop in mid air, as if seeing his reflection.

"The curse starts to manipulate."

And with that, he twists the key.