Wow this is the first story I've uploaded for a long time. I thought doing this story many months ago but I never got round to finishing it until now.

Anyway, I wrote this because I wanted to expand on Arakune's bad ending a little (manly tears were shed when I first saw it). Originally, it was going to be much longer but then it became a chore to write and I couldn't really figure out where I was going with it. Basically what happens here is largely the same as the regular ending with small differences in dialogue and a couple of extra scenes.

Another reason for writing was the fact that there are barely any Arakune based stories on here (there are currently 2 besides this one) and Litchi doesnt really have many more than that (one of them being my own). The two of them are my favourite characters (Arakune is my main and Litchi is my sub) so I was somewhat disappointed.

That's enough from me.

Hope you enjoy!

Dilectus

"Aggggggg! Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" Arakune cursed in his usual incoherent voice. "Kihihihi!" he laughed.

"...And now I, too..." Litchi trailed off. She had tried her best to stop him but Arakune had become far too strong. The slime-like substance that was Arakune's body was seeping along the floor surrounding her. The various beings inside of his body were already taking tendril-like shapes with other parts bearing teeth.

"And you shall become a part of me. Ihihihi!" he finished his sentence with a laugh once again, showing his eagerness to devour her. The current situation seemed somewhat odd to him. Rather than struggle to escape like most of his victims, she did nothing, accepting her fate.

"Yes, I'll now be by your side... I did promise you that. By your side, forever..." Litchi carried on. She had accepted her fate now. This way, though she would not technically exist, she would be with him, like she had promised, forever.

"Igi? Igigigigigi!" Though his second laugh was similar to the other times, the first sounded as if it had come from confusion. Litchi was quick to notice this. "Lit...chi" he said coherently. "The Azure is the place where the memory of man's remembrances are kept, the place where "records" gather. It was... you... who kept me together..."

"Huh? What... are you talking about?" she asked, confused. He suddenly had memory of her once again and could talk properly without slipping into insanity like he had done earlier.

"This is also the power of the Azure, Litchi" he continued. "I'm only going to eat to consume your memory... Only your memories..."

"You can't mean...?" she began. "Please don't... Stop..."

"Also... please find happiness" he added. "That is my choice."

"STOP!" she yelled. She had made her decision. She wanted him to devour her, not just her memories. Without him, what reason would she have for living? How could she stay by his side if she didn't remember him?

Litchi was suddenly blinded by a white light. She thought she saw a male figure a short distance away from her. The man had his back turned and then began walking away from her. The man turned his head slightly and smiled at her before turning back and fading from view. He didn't appear to have said anything yet she heard a voice just before he completely vanished.

"Goodbye, Litchi."

"No! Come back! Lotte!" she yelled. The words echoed everywhere in the vision but they weren't actually said out loud.

Litchi passed out moments after. Arakune caught her and gently set her on the ground. He had rewritten all parts of her memory that involved him other than the fact that he was listed as a bounty. Without her memories of him, she would never have to worry about him again and could live the life she should have had. "Litchi, thanks to you I can retain my memories. Kokonoe should be able to stop your erosion before it's too late."

"So you're here" a familiar voice said. Arakune looked around to see the Red Devil, Iron Tager. He just stared at him with his expressionless mask and said nothing. "I'd rather not fight you. I have a mission to complete that doesn't involve you." Tager thought that it would be unwise to fight him as there was the chance that he had become too strong even for him. That was, until something caught his eye. Amongst the mass of black slime, he could see someone who was easily recognisable. "Litchi!" he exclaimed. She didn't respond to him which led him to the conclusion that Arakune had knocked her unconscious and was about to consume her. "Get away from her!" he ordered.

"Tager, what's going on?" Kokonoe's voice said through the communicator. "Something over there can't be good."

"I've just encountered Arakune. He's about to consume Litchi!" Tager responded.

"Stupid apprentice" Kokonoe muttered. "Just do what you want. I don't really give a shit about them right now. Just hurry up and finish the mission."

"Understood" he responded. "The situation's changed" he said, turning back to Arakune. "If you insist on not moving, I'll move you out of the way myself." Arakune continued to stare at him blankly, his mask twitching and moving around slightly. When he remained where he was, Tager began charging electricity, assuming that Arakune still insisted on staying. Arakune then reformed his body into its usual state, appearing to be ready to fight. But instead, he morphed his body into a giant centipede-like creature and burrowed into the ground, escaping. "He ran away?" Tager asked himself.

"That's not important" Kokonoe said. "Get back to the mission."

"K-Kokonoe, I can't just leave Litchi here" Tager responded. "What if he comes back?"

"Ugh, fine" Kokonoe groaned. "But if she's dead, just leave her there." Tager approached Litchi, who was still unconscious. He picked her up so he could carry her to safety, not forgetting to pick up Lao Jiu too.

"She's in pretty bad shape" Tager informed her. "I'd say that she tried to stop him just before I got here."

"Anything actually worth my time?" Kokonoe asked, uninterested.

"Kokonoe, I'm going to bring her to you as soon as I can" he answered her. "Her corruption has progressed too far now. Any further and she might become like him."

"Well, since it's about that I can't really turn my back on her... or can I? ... Na, I can't bring myself to do that. Just bring her to her clinic in Orient Town. I'll meet you there."

Litchi slowly opened her eyes. She noticed that she was in her clinic back in Orient Town. She couldn't remember exactly what it was that she was doing before finding out that she was here. She didn't even know how she got here.

"Oh, you woke up" a voice said, earning her attention. It was Linhua. "You really had me worried" she continued. "You were really hurt when you were brought here and it didn't look like you would wake up." Litchi smiled softly. She managed to sit up after a little effort. For some reason, she was finding it hard to move.

"Linhua, what-?" she began until she was interrupted by a coughing fit though it subsided soon. She was going to ask about what had happened.

"Hang on; I'm going to get Professor Kokonoe. She can help you out better than I can" Linhua said. "Try not to move around too much" she said as she left.

"The professor's here?" Litchi asked herself. "Why would she be here?" Shortly after, Linhua returned along with Kokonoe and Tager, who was having trouble getting through the doorways.

"Nice to see you finally woke up" Kokonoe said. "That was a close call though. If we'd have gotten here any later, it would have been too late for you."

"Professor, I'm truly sorry" Litchi apologised.

"Whatever. The point is that you're fine now so we'll just leave it at that" Kokonoe replied. "Anyway, you look tired so get some rest. We got rid of some of the seithr but it's not completely out yet. Linhua, can you get her some 'really hot' tea?"

"Will do!" she replied happily. "Just hold on a second and I'll be back with some super-tasty tea."

"I look forward to it" Litchi smiled.

"Litchi, you should come back to Sector Seven when you can move again" Kokonoe said. "I'm not saying that you have to come back and work for me but I can only do so many tests here. I can probably get you back to normal again with all the tools back there."

"I understand" Litchi responded.

"Still... I can't believe the erosion stopped like that" Kokonoe continued. "It doesn't make any sense. For it to stop like that naturally would take months. "Whatever. Just leave him to Tager. Get some rest okay?"

"Him?" Litchi asked, confused. "Who are you talking about?"

"What?" Tager said.

"Uh, do you know a... ah... a guy named Arakune?" Kokonoe asked, attempting to confirm her suspicion.

"Of course I do" Litchi answered. "He's a bounty who keeps attacking the Kaka village. I heard Tao was going after him but he seems to have disappeared. Professor, you're not going to send Tager after him do you? It would cause too many problems for everyone in this town!" A brief coughing fit followed once again.

"Relax, I was just messing with you" Kokonoe faked a small laugh. "Why would I want to go after him?"

"Professor, it didn't sound like a joke when you said it" Litchi smiled a little.

"Well anyway, just get some rest like I said, alright?" Kokonoe asked her, dismissing the topic. Litchi simply nodded. "Let's go Tager. There're patients to attend to."

"Understood" Tager said as he ducked through the doorframe.

"Thank you very much for your help, professor" Litchi said. "Oh, and please don't start giving any 'improvements' to any of the patients!" she called after her.

"I know, I know" Kokonoe replied with a short laugh.

"Kokonoe..." Tager said after they had left the room.

"I know. Her memory's been rewritten" she replied.

"Do you think he did it?" he asked.

"No doubt about it" she responded. "Maybe it's for the best. She'll be better off not remembering anything about him."

Meanwhile, as Litchi was enjoying her 'really hot' tea, Arakune held himself onto a tree outside, looking through the window at her where she wouldn't be able to see him. He silently watched Litchi as she was talking to Kokonoe earlier. She wasn't disobeying Kokonoe's orders so she could try to save him. She didn't mention anything about him until she was asked about him and even then, she didn't know their true relationship. Most importantly, he could tell that she was happy without her memories of him. Arakune left without a word.

One week later

"Aggggggg!" Arakune yelled. He was currently feeling unbearable pain. His body was screaming at him to consume something but since that day, he chose not to consume anyone. He dragged himself deeper into the sewers where no one would be able to find him.

He could always hear Litchi's voice from the memories inside of him. The majority of the memories were from after she left Sector Seven. For all of them, she sounded desperate, trying to bring him back to his senses. But for all the memories before what happened to him, she always sounded cheerful, offering to help with his experiments and staying with him despite his corruption. One memory stood out from this time. A single sentence that had never been spoken.

"I love you, Lotte"

This was clear to him already. Why else would she risk her life with something so dangerous to save him? Hearing the words actually being said made him feel at peace.

"Ah... this is it" he said. The insects inside him were rapidly dying. This was where he would die. "I won't see you for a long time... Litchi... Thank you... for everything." His body collapsed in a heap on the ground. His mask lay on top. Its forever blank expression ever present

One of the many possibilities... of the Continuum Shift.

And that's all there is. Thanks for reading!