Oh wow, 2015! Hope it's good so far, even if it's been two days into the new year. I was going to post this New Year's Eve so that I could cram in one more thing for 2014, but...let's just say I got distracted by a sports anime with an unlimited amount of volleyballs. I'll just...I'll just leave now before I start yelling about it.

As always, please tell me about any mistakes. Kinda rushed a little. owo

Azami perched herself near the Heat Haze's entrance, eyes narrowing at the sight of the Controlling Snake. Ah, she knew it was this powerful, but never had she seen it work inside of an actual human being.

So you knew this would happen?

"Is that not what I said earlier?" Azami looked down at the snake rather morosely, a frown accenting her features. "Of course I did. But this time…it is not me who is resetting the timeline, so I do not know what will happen."

You are a god, Azami. In the next timeline, we will meet again.

She was rather foolish to wipe the snakes' names from Shintaro's memory, for it would have been useful in finding the girl before this had happened. No, she felt extremely stupid to have wiped the timelines from his mind, because it would have been useful in preventing this tragedy.

Indeed, the snake of the Outer World grew rather sly over the timelines. He was the one with the strongest will to live, even if it meant resetting time over and over again.

But she didn't want her three – no, four – gods to remember the snakes or their names, because she had finally decided that this timeline was the last one, and she was to lock the snakes up before the fated day. But alas, she couldn't do it; the snake that had manifested itself inside Ayano had deprived Azami of the control she needed for the other snakes. Yes, she had waited too long, and this had happened.

"Am I really...that immortal?"

'Or have I only lived this long because you take me back to the start over and over again, to the point where I will never see my death?'

"I think I understand…" Ayano's fingers played with the fringes of her scarf, her appearance back to normal after her ordeal. "So...the snakes knew that the world would – "

"Cease to carry life, yes."

"And…so one day they controlled you into resetting the timeline…?"

"Rather, it was the Controlling Snake and the snake inside of Kuroha." Azami's eyes seemed to carry a dark light to them, but before Ayano could comment about it, the god continued. "That was days after August fifteen, and so when that faithful day comes again, they reset the timeline so that they may continue to live with me."

"That's…terrible!" Ayano couldn't think of the right words to say. "But…even through all of that, wouldn't that mean that you would have reset this timeline, too? So why was it – "

"I do not know the answer to that, either." The god sighed, tapping the white ground – which was an understatement on its own, because they were surrounded by white, by nothingness. Time had completely gone to the beginning. "I think…it was because they knew I was going to lock them up somewhere, and so they made a different plan so that I would not reset it."

"Wait…but what about the other gods?!" Ayano looked around in both directions, scratching her head. "W – where'd they go? What if – "

"Do not worry, will you?" The god's voice came out sharper as usual, only because she wasn't used to such a worrisome girl. "If it had been me resetting time, they would have gone along with it, carrying the false belief that they would live forever. However, since you did it – "

"Then they're fine!" Ayano interrupted, looking down (because no matter how short the two were, it was Azami who would never come to par) at the other. "Right…?"

"Yes, you spared them. I guess they live another day." If the tone was supposed to sarcastic, Azami would have made it known. But it came out monotone, and the girl beside her only tilted her head to the side. "You are taking this well, surprisingly. Not that it is a bad thing. When the three became gods, they asked me many questions."

"Well, I have a lot of questions, too!"

"And are you going to ask them?"

"Hmm…no." Ayano's smile was bittersweet, yet it wasn't forced either. "I'll just ask them as we go along! We have a world to rebuild!"

"Not even one to start with?" She was trying to be playful, promise, even with the situation at hand.

"Well…" Ah, a weakness was spotted in the red-clad girl. "There is one. You talk about locking the snakes up, and since they aren't around you at this moment…where'd they go?"

"Ah." Azami stood herself up, looking down at her pale hand right after. "I took my powers back from them and banished them in the Outer World."

"Y – you didn't destroy the Outer World?!" Of course, Ayano's bewilderment was reasonable, but she practically jumped from her seat. "B – but why? Won't bad things happen there? Isn't Kuroha's snake…?"

"You see, his snake relies on a bad intention, a calamitous wish." When Ayano didn't seem to pick up on the words or reason, Azami sighed. Ah, so there was the confusion that should have come earlier. "You do know that Kuroha only wishes to bring tragedies, right?"

"Right…"

"Well, since there is no one on Earth, he cannot make that, and has thus disappeared."

"B – but what about in the other timelines…?"

"I thought you said you would ask questions as we go along." That's when Azami broke a smile, uncharacteristically. Oh well, no one was around to look. "I had always been the human that started his wish-granting spree, for I did not know I was a god. But since it was you and not me, the Heat Haze has remained intact, and I am able to live as a god, not a human."

"I wouldn't go as far as saying you're a hero…" Shintaro deadpanned, his eyes brimming with crimson light. "But I have to admit that you did save us."

"I think what he's trying to say is thank you." Takane rolled her eyes at the boy, although in a teasing sort of way. "We'd be gone again. I mean, sure the Earth's pretty much bare, but hey, it's better than living through that sort of thing again."

"That sure was a story…!" Haruka commented, rocking back and forth in his seat. "You and Azami figured all of that out…?"

"Well, it was mostly Azami!" Ayano was too kind – or maybe even unsure of herself – to ever let her take credit for anything, and so she relayed the god's name with ease. "But yeah, it's sort of complicated…!"

"So we just sit here and wait?" The sudden statement from Takane jolted the other three, and all eyes were on her. "I mean, not that we've got a choice."

"I think we should use this time to get to know each other a bit more!" Haruka chipped in, clapping his hands together. "I mean, we kind of didn't talk to you for very long, Ayano, and I'd love to know you more, as a friend!"

"Wait, before the formalities…" Shintaro placed his face in his chin, eyeing Ayano. N – not in that way! More like suspiciously, even if the girl was innocent in his own eyes. "If we're here, that means we still have our snakes and powers. And if you're here – "

"I – if you're asking about the Combining Snake, I don't have it anymore!" Ayano exclaimed, holding on to her scarf once more. The action wasn't to sway Shintaro's thoughts; rather, it was to keep her from panicking a little inside, because while she knew he'd question it, she still didn't feel like she was worthy enough to just answer. They were gods, after all, and they've done their job much longer than she has!"Um, before Azami locked the snakes up, she switched it with the Favoring Snake so that the timelines won't reset ever again…!"

"Speaking of timelines, I guess I still have the memories from this last one intact." Shintaro scratched his head, as if awakening the aforementioned memoirs. "So I guess we won't have trouble – "

"Oh come on, guys!" Takane crossed her arms, red dusting her cheeks at the fact that she had unconsciously seated herself next to Haruka. "We'll figure this out as we get along!"

That's when Haruka placed a smile on his face, saying, "So shall we get to knowing each other better?"

"Ah, there you are…"

Red eyes looked down to where the Tateyama family belonged, three children running around in a small brick house. The god felt her tears well up, and her smile grew wider. So they were still adopted – and she was glad, of course, even if she wasn't there anymore.

"I'm glad you're all happy down there." She closed her eyes, focusing on the three children she once called her siblings. "I'm happy for you, too. Remember the word 'happiness', because I swear I will bring that feeling to you until the very end."

Have I become your big sister by now?

Kousuke stopped in his tracks, looking down at the floor as if it held some mysterious property. "Do you feel that?"

"Eh, what…?" Shuuya stopped beside him, the hallway's hardwood floors creaking as he did. He looked down at the floor like his brother, but upon seeing nothing, he shrugged. "Hmm, not...well, sort of...? Hold on..."

"You guys." Tsubomi seemingly appeared out of thin air, wearing a wide grin in the process. That in itself was quite rare, and it brought both of her brothers' attention to her. "Don't you guys feel happy?"