A/N: Hey guys, Lickymee here. Here's a new fanfic! "The Key to My Heart" is currently on hiatus (READ MY PROFILE). So in the mean time, here's this! I noticed there isn't any time slip/loop (at least none that I've noticed) fanfic stories in Nisekoi, so this is what I came up with! Finally got a proofreader, soooooo my work should be better? Inspired by Mushoku Tensei and Higurashi When They Cry
Disclaimer: I do not own Nisekoi or any part of it.
The sun shines bright, grilling the surroundings in its heat. Ichijou Raku treads slowly on the rocky pathway that is carved into the mountainside. Panting, he stops to adjust his cap.
"Wait up, Dad!" a child voices out from behind. Turning his head, Raku sees a 7 year-old girl running towards him. However, she immediately trips over a random rock, falling face-first onto the rocky soil near him. Gladly, the little girl hadn't fallen on any rocks that would bruise or injure her.
"Be careful now. It's dangerous to run on a rock hillside like this." Raku calls out with a caring voice while helping the girl up. Ichijou Shizuko (1), a girl who behaves the complete opposite of what her name implies. A bright and loud child that moves like a bullet and speaks as loud as a rocket blast. She also has the same blond hair and a red ribbon of a certain blonde. Shizuko stands up on her own, grinning cheekily as she dusts off her own clothes. "Okay!" Shizuko, in other words "his daughter", replies to him in a blaring tone. Raku sighs and pats his daughter's head.
'"Seriously, at least check her body for any injuries." a voice rings out from where Shizuko had ran from. A female blonde enters Raku's vision while he's already checking for any injuries around Shizuko's body. The said blonde is Chitoge Kirisaki, who is Shizuko's mother and Raku's ex-wife. She walks quickly towards her daughter to check on her own that her daughter is alright. As she walks, Chitoge's long blond hair, that is tied in a ponytail by , swishes around gracefully in the wind, sparkling like the sun that is above the three. The red ribbon she had worn ages ago had been given to Shizuko when Shizuko's hair had grown long enough.
"Mom, I am fine. Look!" Shizuko grins while embracing her mother. Raku, seeing this, stops in his tracks to take in the sight. Chitoge had already taken out a wet tissue from her pack to clean Shizuko's dirtied face. The little girl closes her eyes as she giggles.
After the cleaning, both of the girls laugh a little. Thereafter, the two sit down on a nearby big rock, only begin chatting away as mother and daughter. Raku too had taken a seat on another rock away from them, taking this chance to look around. The mountain they are climbing, Kota Kinabalu, is truly a beautiful mountain.
Ever since she climbed Mount Fuji when she was 5, Shizuko had taken a liking to mountain climbing. Therefore, with Shizuko's boarding school going on a week-long holiday, Raku took the chance to bring her and her mother on this hiking trip.
Originally, Raku didn't intend on inviting Chitoge he told Shizuko about the hiking trip in Malaysia, for just the two of them, Shizuko had become really excited. But, because Shizuko didn't know about her parent's divorce, she was confused why Chitoge, her mother, was not invited.
"I thought Mommy said Daddy moved out because he had work, right? Why can't Mommy come along too if Daddy is having time off?" Having difficulties replying to her question, Raku had asked Chitoge to come along on the trip under a favour. Chitoge unwillingly gave in and joined on this tropical trip.
Once the plane touched down in the airport, Shizuko was ranting about how excited she was as she looked forward to climbing the mountains. Jumping up and down, she was unable to sleep that night. Even then, in the morning, she was still full of energy, pestering her parents to prepare the climbing equipments as soon as possible.
Thus, Raku is on this mountainside with his daughter and ex-wife. Sighing in fatigue, he takes a bottle out of his bag and drinks the contents. Wiping his mouth, he keeps the bottle and stands up. The time is still 8:00 a.m and the sun is already beaming hot. "Well then, should we proceed?" he inquires the chatting duo. They both look up to him and nod in agreement. "Sure," Chitoge replies. "Of course, Daddy!" Shizuko says enthusiastically.
Suddenly, the ground shakes beneath the three, causing them to lose balance, especially Raku who falls onto the floor. A phenomenon too familiar, as it happens often in Japan. "Earthquake!" Raku shouts instinctively while trying to stand up. Rocks start to fall down the mountainside at such a high velocity that even a fist-sized rock would gravely injure a normal person. Raku looks over to where his ex-wife and daughter are, seeing how Chitoge has ordered Shizuko to crouch on the floor and protect herself by putting her backpack over her head.
Raku tries to do the same, searching for where his own backpack is. Although it was right next to him moments ago, it is now rolling away from him down the mountain. The rocky surface of the mountain makes it impossible for him to stand properly during the quake. Before he could run after his pack, rocks of all sizes start to tumble towards him as if he is being pelted by a mob for being a criminal. With no time to even react, one of the rocks hit him in the forehead.
The impact causes Raku to immediately feel blinding pain and dizziness as his body is thrown back. The world around him starts to slow down, as if he is in the Matrix. He could feel his body tumbling down the mountain slope, getting cuts and bruises all over his body. After seeing the world circle round and round for an eternity, which was actually only for a minute or two, his body finally flops onto flat ground as the earthquake also subsides.
Raku finally becomes conscious enough to notice the situation. He tries to open his eyes, only to find his right eye is unable to open. His left eyes barely opens into a squint, only allowing Raku to see a slit of blurred light. "Did a rock hit my right…?" Raku thinks to himself as he now tries to move the rest of his body. Just as he realizes how he feels no pain at all, none of his limbs give any response to his brain's impulses.
Blood flows freely down his face from his forehead as he tries to move again. Unfortunately, nothing happens again as nothing else than his left eye responds to his brain's commands. Successful in opening his left eyelid completely, Raku sees before him a blurred scenery. But he can tell at the least that he is under a blue cloudless sky, with the sun shining harshly upon him.
"Am I…going to...die…?" Raku questions the situation feebly as he starts to lose consciousness in this hopeless event.
Flashbacks start emerge before Raku, like flipping through an album full of precious memories. How he grew up in the yakuza home. How he met Chitoge and the others when he was young. How he grew up without friends due to his family background. How he met Shuu. How they enrolled together to Bonyari high school. How he reunited with Chitoge. How she became his fake girlfriend for the sake of their families. How he then reunited with everyone. How they spent the three years of high school together, whether for better or worse.
How he graduated from high school with excellent results. How he enjoyed the graduation party. How he had mustered up the courage to try and confess to Kosaki. How Chitoge had dragged him out of the party before he could find Kosaki. How he was confused about the situation when Chitoge confessed her love to him, only to proceed to kissing him. How dumbfounded he was about the whole situation. How regretful he was when Chitoge took his silence as a "yes" and kissed him again. How she was talking about graduating from a fake to a real couple with him. How scared and confused he was of the very thought, running away from the issue, leaving Chitoge hanging.
How he enrolled in one of the top universities of Japan, hoping that Chitoge's confession was all just a dream. How he cut off all of his ties to everyone so that he could focus on his studies. How he graduated as the top-one student. How he found out that his father had already prepared to leave the seat as the head of the Shuei group to him when he finally returned home. How he resisted at first but finally gave in to his father's, and also the Shuei's, pleas. How he managed the Shuei group to be one of the most influential gang in the area.
How he once again mustered up all of his courage to look for Kosaki and confess to her. How he finally found out about Kosaki's death in a traffic accident that happened 2 years prior. How he found out that he had completely missed out on this crucial information because of his ignorance while studying. How agonized he was over the news. How Chitoge found him in a bar drinking down his sadness away for the past few weeks after hearing the "news" about Kosaki. How Chitoge brought him back to her home after the bar had closed for the night. How he, in his drunken state, had made love with Chitoge during that night. How he woke up in the morning, learning what he had done to her. How he intended to take responsibility for his actions.
How he reluctantly married Chitoge. How happy both their fathers were in this joint marriage. How combining the Beehive and Shuei group into one brought upon great peace with the successful merge. How Chitoge had become pregnant. How happy everybody was with the coming baby. How the baby was full of health when born. How happy the entire family was for the new member to the great family.
How the family began to break down as both of Chitoge and Raku found themselves too busy to stay at home much. How they quarreled behind their daughters back. How their marriage finally fell apart when Shizuko was 5 years old. How he moved out, using the excuse of "work-out-of-home" in front of his daughter. How he and Chitoge met up to discuss about sending Shizuka to a boarding school to prevent their daughter from facing similar troubles both of them had faced when they were young. How Shizuko grew up to be a lovely girl during her time at the boarding school. How he finally found time to take off of his work for this trip. How happy Shizuka was to be able to go on a trip with her parents again.
The flashbacks end at that point as he feels water drip on his face. The sky has turned black with rain clouds, pouring heavy rain to make the circumstances even more depressing for him. "I hope...at least…that Shizuko…is safe…...with…...Chitoge…," is Raku's last thoughts before darkness, like the clouds in the sky, gradually overtook his sight.
"If...only…"
A/N: Derpity derp. Felt this was rushed. Relax, the time slipping starts next chapter. But please leave reviews so I can get more ideas fleshed out.
Notes: (1) Shizuko is read as 静子, which means "quiet child."