I do not own Mirai Nikki in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

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I'm writing this one with help from Lovesick Fangirl.

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Chapter 1: dart in the eye, knife in the back

Minene was jolted awake by the sound of nearby police sirens. She went to open her left eye and the pain made her stop and squirm. "Shit, that stings." She grumbled quietly, trying to keep the police from potentially hearing her.

She looked at her diary and saw that she had a few minutes before needing to move, to avoid capture. After a quick peek out the window, Minene dropped her dress and took out a dry shirt to put on. When she was ready to go, she looked at her diary again, noting which way the police were going. Once clear, she ran down a path toward a small foxhole she had dug as a temporary shelter earlier in the day. It took her awhile to find it, with the humidity and her eye still bothering her.

The foxhole was well hidden, even for someone who was looking. She moved the cover, laid inside and re covered herself. There was enough food and water for a couple of days, but she only planned on being there for the night. There was also ae external phone recharger to keep her diary going as long as she was there. "I'm not going anywhere right now, better get comfy." She whispered to herself.

...

Yuno and Yuki made it back to Yuno's house to bed down for the night, relieved that their ordeal was over, at least for the time being. Yuki wondered why the lights were out, Yuno lighting candles while they were there. She told him they were unable to pay the bill, which slaked his curiosity for the time being. Yuno retrieved an apple from a tree in the yard and went to the kitchen to peel it. Yuki got up to go use the restroom and heard the static from his diary on the way. 'I noticed a strange room at the end of the hallway. I probably shouldn't look inside.' was displayed.

He looked further down the hall, using the light from his diary to illuminate the path. He saw what looked like duct tape strips covering cuts and gouges all over the wall and door. He placed his hand on the door and started to open it. The Cathedral of Causality started shaking violently, visibly disturbing Muru Muru and drawing Deus's attention. Yuki slowly opened the door and saw what appeared to be two bodies, even though it was dark. He felt his heart sink and something inside him started to warp, feeling very nervous being around Yuno now. Deus chuckled when Yuki opened the door. "Heh, I guess I did right in choosing him. Or maybe not..."

"What do you mean? He changed all of the causalities by opening that door!" Muru Muru said back.

"I am aware of what he has done. I am aware of what chain of events has been set in motion. Relax and let this play out."

...

Minene was startled awake by the sound of a twig snapping near her foxhole. She grabbed her knife and readied herself for a fight. Before too long, she could hear what sounded like a dog sniffing around her hideout. Thinking it may have been a police dog, she quietly slid a flashbang grenade into one pocket and a CS gas grenade into her other pocket. "What are you doing sniffing over there? There's nothing." The dog's owner said, indicating that it may have just been an innocent passerby walking their dog.

"What kind of person walks their dog at this hour?" She asked herself.

Now on edge even more, she couldn't get back to sleep. She looked at her diary, which told her that running right then would most certainly result in her capture, also telling her that the only escape route that would be feasible would only work at a certain time. Leaving too early or late wasn't an option, neither was peeking out from her foxhole, as she could potentially alert someone to her position. She prepared by putting baking soda in her boots and pockets,as well as rubbing some in her armpits and on her neck and chest, the baking soda helping to hide her scent from the dogs who would be on her trail before too long. As a bit of a distraction, she set up a motion sensitive flashbang/tear gas bomb in her foxhole, which she would arm as she ran out.

After waiting patiently, her diary finally let her know that she could escape by running through the woods for one hundred meters, then hiding in a bush for thirty seconds, then running again until she reached the riverbank. Taking off like a shot, Minene ran until she saw the bush the diary mentioned. Taking cover quickly, she narrowly avoided a police clearing team that was working nearby to capture her. After thirty seconds had passed, she took off again for the riverbank. Her diary buzzed and she checked it, which told her that when she heard the burst of the flashbang, she needed to run once more across the shallow river. Once across, she had to run through the forest, up the mountainside to a small cabin that was very well hidden and stocked with more supplies.

The police team found her foxhole and made the mistake of taking the cover off too fast. The quick motion set off the flashbang/tear gas bomb, temporarily blinding and stunning some of them. Since they were all wearing gas masks, none of them were affected by the tear gas, but their dogs were. Hearing the bang, Minene took off again to run through the forest for her next hiding place. Once inside, she locked and barred the door, then took off her boots and laid down on the thin mattress that was on the floor. "I suppose that couldn't have gone much better. The banger and gas stopped some of the cops and dogs, which bought me even more time. Now, maybe I can rest until morning."

...

Morning came after Yukiteru's extremely unsettling experience. He couldn't shake the image of the bodies from his mind. Yuno was her cheery self, clinging to his arm, seemingly oblivious to the previous night's events. "Yuki... what do you feel like doing today?" She chirped in her usual happy tone.

"Uh, surviv- I mean, maybe... just hanging out... with you." He answered nervously.

"Surviving sounds good, too. Maybe we could go survive at the amusement park."

"Sure, sounds nice."

On the way, Yuki could've sworn he saw Minene, noting the color of her hair and her build. His assumption was correct, as she was walking through the city dressed in attire that would never fit her profile, but would pass for an average citizen who lived nearby. She had made her hair up into a bun, and she was wearing sunglasses, a light, flowing, dandelion yellow sun dress with a tan canvas bag over her shoulder and matching sandals. She had burned all of her clothes along with the cabin she had stayed in by using thermite, ensuring not a trace of evidence was left behind. All the police would find was evidence of a rapid accelerant and possibly charred remains of boards, but nothing else.

Minene was paying very close attention to her diary, making sure she didn't bottle herself in anywhere, but she was only occasionally glancing up to see where she was going. Now having a closer look, Yuki decided to confront her. As he walked by her, he intentionally bumped into her, making her drop her diary. She went to pick it up and Yuki grabbed her sunglasses. "I guess you didn't see me coming, did you?" He said, unintentionally setting up a pun since he had bumped into her left side.

When she looked up and saw who exactly she had bumped into, her heart skipped a beat. "You. Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you both right now." Minene grumbled.

"Because we're in public, and I doubt you'd be able to make it very far like that."

"Like what? You think my eye will slow me down? You know this isn't the first time I've ever evaded the police, right?"

"No, because someone seen fleeing the area who matches the description of a known terrorist will draw a lot of attention. Besides, you know I have fourth's number on speed dial, right? He finds you, he can do what he wants."

"He wouldn't do anything to someone who has as much dirt on him as I do. I mean, you think you're the only one with his number or email?" Minene said, showing them her diary before quickly putting it away.

Yuno started reaching for her back pocket. "You know we could take you out too." She hissed, producing a butterfly knife that she skillfully opened and held at the ready.

"Neither of you have the fortitude." Minene snapped back. "Aside from that, my deadman switch is still live. That means if my heartbeat stops, the bombs in my bag here will detonate, killing both of you."

"We could also call in your position to fourth, and you can be arrested." Yuki came back with.

"You really think I don't have this planned? I have a cyanide capsule at the ready. I bite into that, I die, the bombs go off and take anyone nearby with me. I'd rather die than be taken alive by the freaking cops. Your move, first."

Seeing no easy way to take her, Yuki gave her sunglasses back. "At any rate, you're not walking away from us. You're doing what we say, when we say it, and how we say it. Lest we turn you in to the police."

"Whatever. You were dumb enough to bump into me, instead of tailing me from a distance and reporting my position to the cops. Even then, my diary would see that they were after me and tell me how to get away from them."

Yuki grabbed Minene by the arm and pulled her in close. "You listen to me, you goddamn terrorist. I saw quite a few innocent people die. If you wanted to kill any of the diary holders, fine. But not another soul at that school did anything to you."

"But they did something to you. One of the only people you would consider a 'friend' was the first person to turn you over to me. Now, unless you want to see just how fast cyanide works, I suggest you let go of my arm." Minene growled, followed by smiling to show she already had the capsule in her mouth.

"You wouldn't." Yuno spat out.

"I've already talked to Deus. If I kill at least two other diary holders at the same time, I get a restart. I get my eye back, and the game loses two more participants. I might just go ahead and do it anyway."

Yuki let her go and took a step back. Not entirely sure if she was telling the truth or bluffing, he didn't want to take the chance. He had already seen enough people die for one lifetime. "What stopped you from doing it right there?" Yuno asked.

"I have my reasons. It was partially a bluff. I would have done it as a last resort, but the threat you face is still very real."

"So, you still might do it?" Yuki asked, his fears being confirmed.

"If you grab me or force me into anything again, I certainly will. Now, I suppose there isn't any reason we can't be civil about this. I'll be meeting someone here shortly, and being seen with you might help me blend in a little bit."

"You're asking us to do something for you?" Yuno asked.

"No, I'm telling you. If you want to stand here, fine. Just don't draw any unnecessary attention over here. If you do, I bite down and we'll all be dead. You for much longer, though."

Everyone walked over to a snack vendor and all bought something to munch on while they waited for Minene to meet her contact. All three of them occasionally peeked at their diaries, Minene paying particular attention to hers, in case something came up. Wanting to break up the tension, Yuki asked her something. "Why do you do the stuff you do?"

"What do you mean, what I do?" Minene grumbled back.

"Like blow things and people up. What do you get from it?"

"Have either of your parents been killed right in front of your eyes? Have you had your entire city blown apart and set ablaze? Have you?"

Yuki and Yuno both stopped and looked her in the eye. "That happened to you?" Yuki asked, stunned.

"Like I would make up something like that. I used to believe in God, back before that happened. I cried so long my eyes felt like they were going to fall out. I prayed and prayed and prayed for something good to happen, something to turn it all around. Nothing happened. I lost everything and everyone I loved, for no fault of my own. I wanted to destroy this world, so maybe enough people would start praying and maybe if there was a god, he'd do something. If he didn't, there wouldn't be anyone left to pray."

Now, they had a bit of a profile on her. They started to understand her a little more, even starting to feel bad for her. "I can see how that could set you off, but why keep doing the same to others? You're perpetuating the cycle. You're just making more people like you, hurting and killing people who did nothing to you." Yuno said.

"I'm so sorry if my life doesn't fit your preconceived idea of a perfect life. Your parents divorced. Your parents abused you, at least you had them."

Both of them were shocked by her words, almost as if she knew everything about both of them. "I can't turn back time. If I could, many things would be different. But your reason seems greedy, especially since killing innocent people won't bring them back." Yuno told her.

"Wait, you said you used to believe in God, but what about Deus? He's proof of God. He is God." Yuki told her.

"That doesn't mean I have to worship him. When he gives me enough of a reason to change, I might consider it."

Minene's contact came up and gave her a card with an address scribbled on it. She stood up and put her things away. "I'm going to see a doctor about this." Minene said, oddly calm as she forced her damaged eye open for them to see. "I can't go to a hospital for the obvious reasons. Don't send anyone after me. I know where both of your parents live, Amano."

...

Yuno laid awake in her bed that night, mulling over what Minene had told both of them earlier in the day. She received a message from an unknown number. 'This is Minene. I'm messaging you to maybe have another woman to talk to.' "How the hell did she get my number?" Yuno asked the empty house.

'I can understand that. What's up' Yuno replied.

'I wanted to ask why you're in the survival game. I'm in it so I can reform the world if I win, and so I can make everything better.'

'It was kinda thrust upon me. I didn't have much of a choice. But if I become God, I can do the same, make things better.'

'What about Amano? Why's he in it?'

Yuno thought about it for a moment. 'He was kinda pushed into it as well. I think he's just in it to survive now.'

'So he's not going to change anything.' Minene responded, starting to make Yuno think even more.

'I hope he would turn back time and change things.'

'So there's no guarantee that he'd bring you back.'

Yuno stopped cold after reading Minene's response. She knew that if she became God, she could bring him back. She also wondered if Yuki would do the same. 'I'm sure he would do good with his powers.'

'If you say so. I'm kind of biased, since he put a freaking dart in my eye.'

'You were trying to kill us.'

'Did I succeed? No. Did he succeed in blinding me in my left eye? Yes. If it's a game of survival, he could've tried to just kill me instead.'

'But then the bombs would've gone off.'

'So they didn't when you ran past the motion sensor bombs?'

Yuno again stopped and thought about it. 'I could've handled that better. You're right.'

'Well, I've got to lay down. The pain meds the doc gave me are starting to kick in. I'll be out of it here in a moment.'

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