[October 1st 12:00:13]

Yukiteru woke, slowly uncurling his stiff limbs. From the sun's position in the sky, he could only guess it was around noon. "Yuno?" He called out automatically, rising from the bed and attempting to balance on his unsteady feet. They didn't live like Deus did. Yuno created an island in the middle of the ocean, invisible to any human eyes. There they stayed, spending each of their days like normal people: eating, dating, and sleeping. The only difference was the fact they had to keep the world running smoothly. He found her in the kitchen, bent over a scroll and tapping furiously at a calculator. Yukiteru moved forward and wrapped his arms around Yuno's waist, peering over the girl's shoulder at the complicated mess of writing. "What is the matter?"

Yuno's eyes brightened at the sight of him. She abandoned the scroll and calculator and twisted around to give Yukiteru a kiss. "I am just tracking down some lost time, Yukki," said Yuno, offering Yukiteru the calculator and the scroll. "Somehow, our Universe is going to collapse 35 years earlier than expected."

"What the expected?" Yukiteru asked, wincing as he tried to work through the mass of numbers written in the scroll.

Yuno took it from him and pointed at a number circled with red ink. It was a date about 4 billion years from now. "4 billion years, Yuno!" That was a huge number, and as far as Yukiteru was concerned, it was as close as forever could get. "Why are you even worried?"

Hearing those words from him, the pink haired girl blinked softly a few times before bursting out laughing. He was right – it was still so far away from now! The two of them will be together for 4 billion years, so she really had no reason to stress over a meager loss of 35 years. "You are right, Yukki," Yuno nodded, sliding from her seat and shoving away the heavy scroll. "Let's stop worrying about the future for now and focus on the present!" Yuno ran towards her closet and rooted around in there, trying to select the perfect outfit. "Let's go out on a date! There's a really good cafe in Sakurami city, I always wanted to try it but never got the chance to." That's right; they should be focused on having fun as lovers, everything else can wait until later. Yuno breathed in and out evenly to calm herself, though not knowing how those 35 years went missing continued to bother her slightly. What could have possibly shortened the future? It didn't make any sense…

Yukiteru, on the other hand, was oblivious to Yuno's inner turmoil. He pointed cheerfully when he was presented with two equally lovely dress choices.

[October 1st 15:15:13]

Okay, it ended up taking Yuno a long time to get ready and Yukiteru nearly fell asleep waiting. They headed out about an hour after the dress selection and ended up watching a stereotypical romance movie before they went to the cafe Yuno suggested earlier in the day. It wasn't really Yukiteru's kind of place, to say the least. While his girlfriend, fitting right in the girly environment with her bright bubblegum pink hair, Yukiteru couldn't stand out more with his long black strands. "Do we really have to be visible to these people?" Yukiteru whispered to Yuno, who was flipping through the menu with complete ease.

"It would be a bit strange if tea cups started moving on their own," she giggled as she pointed at a pink strawberry jam tart on the menu, inquiring Yukiteru's opinion on it.

Yukiteru tried to look as comfortable in the cafe as the guy sitting at the next table, but it was honestly impossible. The walls in this cafe were pink, the decorations were pink, even the china tea cups they sipped tea from were decorated with pink hearts. It was so bloody pink here that it was almost embarrassing. With a sigh, the young god ran his eyes down the list of sweets offered, looking for anything that wasn't the color he had grown considerably less fond of since entering this cafe.

Another couple entered the place, making the little bell over the door tinkle joyfully in welcome. Yukiteru looked up, and was momentarily blinded by the light reflected off of the male's silver hair.

Wait, silver hair?

The god ducked behind his menu unconsciously, cursing his luck. Right when he finally decided to stop 'stalking' Akise Aru in hopes of receiving forgiveness, the detective showed up right in front of him. Great, just great! Yuno noticed his strange behavior right away and followed his gaze, spotting the couple at the door as well. A cute waitress was waving the two in, looking for a table in the crowded cafe.

"There's a table right here!" It was Yuno's voice. Yukiteru died a little on the spot hearing that, and died a little more when the couple actually came towards the vacant table in front of theirs that Yuno gestured to. Akise smiled to Yuno, grateful for her suggestion. The pinkette smiled back just as charmingly, though her smile was likely as fake as the actress's breasts from the movie they watched earlier. Yukiteru peeked from behind his menu to survey the girl who came with Akise, his date, probably. She was really pretty, with her long hair arranged in two springy pig tails and emerald green eyes. Yuno probably caught him staring, because she cleared her throat loudly and suggested they should order.

The waitress sauntered towards them, taking Yuno's order of lemon limoncello cupcake and Yukiteru's order of honey vanilla pudding (first thing he saw on the menu). While his lover prattled on about how delicious the desserts were, Yukiteru was trying hard to not eavesdrop on the conversation in front of them. Akise's date, the dark haired girl, was called Kireiei. They were apparently in the same school, lived in the same apartment building and worked at the same place! Fantastic coincidence, eh? In fact, it was almost… too much of a coincidence. Yukiteru looked at his pink haired lover, who was enjoying her cupcake. She only smiled sweetly in response, her eyes wide and innocent.

The god returned his eyes to his pudding, stabbing it apart and tried forking the pieces into his mouth only to fail miserably. Yuno helpfully donated her spoon, seeing this. Yukiteru didn't know why this bothered him. It was clear Yuno did something and rearranged Akise's life a bit, but so far, it didn't seem to be harming him. It actually seemed to make him happy. So really, there shouldn't be a problem, right? He looked towards the window, letting his azure eyes be distracted by the sight of a young girl in a tattered yellow dress. She was crying…Perhaps she was lost? Yukiteru rose from his seat, concerned. Maybe he could help this girl somehow.

With that thought in mind, the god made his way out of the cafe after pointing out the girl for Yuno so she knew where he was going. When he was about a meter from the blonde girl, she stepped from the curb and ran towards the opposite end of the street. "Wait, stop!" The traffic light flashed green, the cars waiting on the other side all came back to life. One of the fastest ones was heading right for the girl, the driver too distracted by his cell phone to notice her small frame. "Stop!" Yukiteru shouted, as if the driver could possibly hear him. The child's head turned, eyes widening with fear, panic as well as something else Yukiteru couldn't identify. She would be crushed in the matter of a few seconds if he didn't do something.

Yukiteru parted his lips to scream again, but this time, the weight of his godhood entered his voice, forming one solid word of command, "freeze!"

[October 1st 15:36:29]

"Freeze!"

At his command, everything stopped; even the clouds stopped drifting lazily across the sky. Yukiteru lunged forward to snatch the little blonde girl out of harm's way, his hand was a few inches from her shoulder when someone grabbed his wrist and pulled it to a stop. Yukiteru's head snapped around, his blue eyes blazing with shock and fury as he stared into the violet eyes of his lover Yuno, the only one besides Murmur who wasn't affected by his command. "Why are you stopping me, Yuno?" Yukiteru demanded, gesturing at the car which, within a few seconds of him unfreezing the time, would crush the girl.

"Yukki, are you sure you want to save this little girl?" The pinkette asked, loosening her grip on Yukiteru's wrist and stepped back. She pulled a scroll from the folds of her god robe and shook it out, pointing out one of the entries at the very bottom.

[October 1st 15:36:35] Chiyo Maki was crushed by a car, instant death.

"That's her future, if you don't intervene." Then Yuno pulled the young girl out of the way, just as Yukiteru intended. The scroll inside her hand lengthened immediately, making the last entry of this girl's life three years down the road. The young god made to grab the scroll and read it, but Yuno blocked his hand gently. "See that man there, Yukki?" She pointed to a corner, and sure enough, there was a guy, peering from behind a wall at the little blonde girl. He was smiling, but not in a friendly way, it was a smile that gave Yukiteru chills. "If you save this little girl, he will get her. And she will suffer for three years before he kill her and leave her body to rot in a ditch, never to be found by the police."

Three years of suffering…That's what Yukiteru would have given this little girl by saving her. The god slipped silently to the ground, tears gathering at the edge of his eyes. "N-no, I can protect her! I can-" Refusing to believe that there was nothing he could offer this little girl other than death or three years of suffering, Yukiteru thought of other ways around the situation, other ways he could save her.

Yuno was silent for a few moments, letting Yukiteru ramble on the different things he could do to help little Chiyo Maki here. Slowly, her eyes filled with love and pity. Her Yukki still didn't understand how godhood worked and a part of Yuno didn't want to tell him, but she had promised Yukki she'd never lie to or with hold truth from him again. "Yukki," her voice was soft when she spoke and knelt beside her teary lover. Yuno had another scroll in her hand now, it was thick.

Yukiteru reached out his shaking hands and took it, gasping in surprise when the scroll unrolled itself, travelling in a circle around the god and coiled like a snake. "Yuno!" He called out, reaching towards his lover for help, only to find his finger tips touching cold paper. The scroll had unrolled around him and piled up so high it was beginning to cut off his sunlight supply. "Yuno!" Yukiteru called out again, shoving his arm through the walls of paper in an attempt to find her.

"Yukki…Read it." Came Yuno's voice, slightly muffled to Yukiteru's ears. Obediently, the god took part of the scroll and brought it to his eyes. There were names, many names, but why? Yuno's voice reached him again, explaining. "That's the death list, Yukki. I've only given you the minute list. These are all the people dying around this world during this minute only."

So many people would die in just a minute.

So many people would never see the sun or breathe in fresh air again.

So many people…

SO MANY PEOPLE!

Yukiteru felt sick reading the list, so he pushed it aside and buried his face in his hands. Soon, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, Yuno's, no doubt. "You can save this little girl now, but you can't protect her forever. You can't just worry about every human you see, Yukki, because you can't stop everyone from dying. That would be going against the nature." The scroll unraveled from around Yukiteru and rolled back into Yuno's hand. The pinkette placed the young girl back to her original place, ready to be crushed by the car again. Yuno ran her fingers over Yukiteru's head as he sobbed into his hands, mourning all the lives taken this minute. "Just stop caring, Yukki and let's go back to our date! Besides, as well as fear, don't you see a hint of relief in her eyes? Her family is gone; she's suffering loneliness every day. And now, she won't have to." Yuno waved her hand, starting the time again.

Yukiteru gasped at the sound of life returning and pushed Yuno aside. He fled from the scene, not ready to witness a death yet. Yuno frowned, feeling bad that he had to know everything so early on. She didn't want to see him in pain. "It's part of the nature, Yukki…"

The car lurched forward, and young Chiyo Maki screamed. A flash of silver past her towards the little girl in yellow dress made Yuno turn her head. The scroll containing the little girl's future changed abruptly as the pinkette grinded her teeth. "…And sometimes, there are idiots who'd just go against the nature at every chance they get!"

The car zoomed past the spot where the girl used to be and screeched to a halt several meters past. The driver came out and ran back, frantic with apologies towards the young girl and the one who knocked her out of the way just in time. Yuno rolled her eyes at the silver haired detective who seriously needed to stop butting in her business. Apparently, Akise had followed Yukiteru out of the cafe, seeing the girl as well. His decision to save Chiyo Maki was made very quickly, and it was a risky one. People crowded around the two, shoving between one another to get a better look at the 'hero'. Kireiei shoved particularly hard to get to Akise, tears streaming from her pretty eyes when she saw the blood on the detective's arm. He got scrapes and bruises all over, likely, which served him right. Yuno slipped from the crowd silently, slightly irked. She'd deal with Akise Aru later, but now, she must figure out where Yukki went.

[October 1st 17:18:11]

Yukiteru could be good at hiding, especially if he really didn't want to be found. With her diary gone, Yuno couldn't even locate him if he stayed invisible like this. Truth to be told, even the god himself had no idea where he was. He more or less went at random paths and kept running until he was exhausted. Now, he was sitting against a strangely familiar wall and attempting to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. Quiet chatters disrupted his peace, and what's more irritating was the fact he recognized the voices. The sweet girlish voice belonged to Kireiei, pitched high with worry as she fussed over a child's injuries. The child was blonde, wearing a tattered yellow dress. Yukiteru's breath was caught at the sight of her. It was Chiyo Maki, the girl who was to be crushed by the car.

Ah, that's why the wall felt familiar; it was the one where he saw Akise adopt Yuki the kitty. Somehow, he'd ended up outside of the detective's apartment building without knowing.

"Don't worry, Akise, my dad is a police officer, he will take care of Chiyo-chan." Kireiei ruffled the young girl's hair as she spoke, emerald eyes shifting to investigate the cut over her date's right cheek. "What you did was right, but…Do be careful next time?" The girl continued, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Yukiteru finally understood. Akise saved the young girl, didn't he? Somehow, he was able to do what Yukiteru couldn't even though he was a god. Tears of joy and anger at himself gathered in the young god's eyes, trailing down his cheeks slowly. The detective walked right past him, holding one of little Chiyo Maki's hand with his own.

[October 1st 17:18:30]

There it was again, that strange feeling. Akise stopped in his path suddenly, his head turning around to face the wall where he had picked up Yuki his kitty a while ago. Just like last time, he felt something. "Take Chiyo-chan to your father, Kireiei, I have something to take care of." The detective instructed before turning back.

What exact he felt, Akise couldn't be sure, but he definitely felt a strong emotion. Sadness, perhaps? A part of him thought this whole idea of him being able to feel something normally people couldn't was ridiculous –He didn't even believe in ghosts that much. "Hello?" Akise moved towards the wall where he had felt something earlier. Obviously, there appeared to be nothing there. A passenger gave him a weird look, seeing that he was talking to a wall, but Akise didn't pay him any attention.

"You are here," the detective said gently, even though he had no idea who he was talking to. "I know you are here. You were here last time too, that time when it was pouring rain?" He knelt down, trying not to wince when the new bruise on his knee brushed against the ground. Akise reached a hand out carefully, even though he was uncertain. "Please, won't you talk to me?"

Yukiteru jolted at the voice and moved back at the advance of Akise's hand. He didn't know what to do at this point. A part of him knew he could remain transparent and after a while, the other would surely give up and leave. But the other part, the selfish part, wanted something else. It was a tough decision, and Yukiteru didn't have a lot of time to make it.

The detective's hand brushed against something warm – Yukiteru's soft left cheek as it slowly formed after the barrier keeping his invisible disintegrated. The god's appearance made the usually calm detective jolt with shock. "Who are…You?" Akise asked, his heart picking up in speed unconsciously as he raised his head to meet those hesitant blue eyes.

[Meanwhile…]

Unable to find Yukiteru, Yuno had no choice but to return home and wait. She changed into a night gown and yawned, walking into the kitchen to make herself some tea. The scroll containing the Universe's future was still on the breakfast table and she gave it an absent glance. The number she saw at the end of the scroll made Yuno spill hot tea all over the carpet. It was no longer 4 billion years like she saw this morning before the universe collapsed…It was 3.2 billion. Where did the other years go? What was happening? Yuno's heart raced as she flipped the scroll open, frantically searching for the source of error. No, this couldn't be happening! Why was her time with Yukki getting shorter and shorter? Someone was to be blame, surely. Who? Who did Yuno have to kill to make things right again?