Hello, everyone, how are all of you doing?
….WAIT, BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING, CALM DOWN. THIS IS NOT A NEW STORY, OKAY? This is just a one-shot. That's right, this isn't going to be a full-fledged story nor is it a collection of multiple scenarios like "Misadventures of Marie Bellerose." This is meant to be one chapter and one chapter only. At least, that's the plan because I genuinely have only thought of this single, specific scenario and nothing else, so yeah lol.
Anyway, I think you know what this one-shot is about. This one-shot takes place during chapter 10 of LDE. An alternate version of it.
That's right, it's something a lot of you have been imagining in your own heads, fanfiction style. It's a fanfiction of a fanfiction! Fanfic-ception…
So, yes. It is indeed a "what if Marie survived in chapter 10" one-shot.
Now, this doesn't confirm or deny anything about what's happening in our canon universe of LDE, this is its own separate thing. So don't take anything away from this that could affect your perception of the original story or believe that it can predict what happens next in that story. This and that are completely separate. This is just your classic what-if scenario that shows what exactly would happen to the characters if the timeline was changed somehow. Also, if any of you have read the "CREUX" chapter of LDE (which you probably should have by this point) then you'll see a couple of parallels to that chapter in certain sections of this.
With that all being said, enjoy this one-shot. Cry a little bit, smile a lot, and have a laugh (viewer experiences may vary, Nosferatu industries cannot guarantee that you will laugh).
P.S. Keep your bits in your pants, you horny monkeys.
-I LOVE YOU-
—Hyoudou Issei, age 14. Marie Bellerose, age 16. 1 year since Marie Bellerose became a resident of the "Aikawa household." 2 and a half years since Issei and Marie's first ever meeting.
(10:30 AM.)
"Alright, next store then."
"Yaaay, next store!"
Maki cheered as she, Issei, and Marie exited yet another store for the day.
—It was a cloudy morning.
The trio were currently shopping in preparation for Satoshi's upcoming birthday. They had just finished buying all of the decorations at that last store. Now, what was next was for Issei to go into the next store alone and come out with the wrapped presents to take back home. Luckily for them, the store could gift wrap any items purchased inside, while other items that couldn't be wrapped were simply placed in a black bag filled with paper to conceal them. Why was Issei entering the store alone, you ask? Well, unfortunately, Maki has what one could call a "big mouth" and can't keep secrets very well as a result. If she saw what was purchased inside, she might end up spilling what was in the bag, even if unintentionally.
On the way to the next and final store, the trio were walking side-by-side each other through the plaza, with Maki eventually skipping ahead of Issei and Marie by just a couple steps. For whatever reason, Marie noticed that Issei was wearing a distant gaze and felt worried about him.
"Hey."
"Huh? Oh, sorry, what's up?"
"...Are you alright, Écaille?"
Although she asked sincerely, Marie already knew Issei's answer. Around this time of year, she could do nothing but worry about him.
After all, in the time frame just before both Issei and Maki's birthdays, it was the anniversary of Issei's parents' deaths. On that day, Issei had visited his parents' empty grave with his current family. Needless to say, Issei was the one who stayed behind the longest. Marie had asked him permission to give a prayer, to which, to her surprise, Issei agreed. The two then spent a few minutes there together, alone. After that, everyone returned home and prepared for Maki's birthday.
Issei looked at Maki in front of them. He smiled sweetly.
"Yeah, I'm alright... Besides, Oyaji— er, my pops always liked rainy days better anyway."
Marie nodded with a satisfied smile. The trio then reached their next store.
"Alright, here it is. Maki, wait out here with Marie. I'll be back shortly."
"Haaaaaaaai!"
Issei stepped into the store, leaving Maki and Marie to wait patiently outside for him. There was a short silence between the two girls before they suddenly became serious.
"So, tell me, Maki-chan…. What is your current progress?"
Maki smiled confidently, ready to reveal the bombshell she had saved up for her onee-san.
"Hehe... Well, you see, Onee-chan…"
Maki raised an enthusiastic and victorious thumbs-up.
"Nii-Nii has already promised to marry me when we get older~!"
"—Pfft!"
Marie covered her mouth to stifle her unexpected laughter, causing Maki to puff her cheeks angrily.
"What?! I'm serious! He did say it, ask him!"
"Oh, Maki-chan... Sweet, sweet Maki-chan~"
"Moou! Fine then! What about your progress then, Onee-chan!?"
"Fufufu~"
Marie laughed and gave Maki a confident smirk of her own. She puffed her chest up with pride.
"We have already kissed, twice!"
It was actually three times, but that's neither here nor there.
"Wha—?!"
Maki's body recoiled in shock.
"N-No, this can't be..! T-That's impossible!"
Marie smiled fiercely at Maki, causing Maki to fall dramatically to her knees in distress.
"No… This can't be... Okaa-sama... Mature girls…are just too strong!"
Marie's smile quickly faded as she felt an uncomfortable gaze lock onto her body. She scanned the plaza suspiciously.
"..What's wrong, Onee-chan?"
Marie kept looking around until her eyes scrolled over to a man across the plaza from them. It was a man in a dark coat. For some reason, he seemed familiar to Marie... But the thing around the man's neck was what really caught Marie's eye.
—A bone cross.
'A member of Genesis! And with that cloak… He's an original member too! He isn't one of the brainwashed "uninitiated," I'm sure of it!'
"Maki-chan. Go inside and find Issei. I'll be back soon."
"What? Wait, what?! Where are you going, Onee-chan?!"
"Just find Issei!"
"Wha—?! Onee-chan!"
Marie took chase.
She began discreetly following the Genesis member. The man was walking at an odd pace, as if he wasn't aware that he was being followed, but was still paranoid of the possibility. Marie followed the man as he exited the plaza. Marie hesitated on whether she should follow him further than that or not. She was currently armed. She had her sword wrapped in a white sheathe on her back. She always carried it around when she was with Maki, just in case something happened, despite the weird looks it garnered. After all, it wasn't like anyone could tell what it was anyway.
'...He's going somewhere unpopulated?'
Marie took note of the man's path and realized that fact. He was indeed heading somewhere populated.
Marie narrowed her eyes, noting that there wasn't anyone else with him. He was all alone.
'..Okay!'
She nodded her head firmly as she continued following the man. If she ended up being led somewhere too conspicuous, she'll stop following. If other people end up meeting with him, she'll stop there too. If an ambush takes place with any of his allies, she won't fight, she'll flee, even if she knows she can win. Truthfully, she'd rather not take any chances.
—She was much too happy with her life now. She didn't want to die.
Then, suddenly, the man started running.
'Wha—?! He's running!? Should I stop here? No ,wait..!'
The man was running after someone else, someone who was running away from him. It was an unfamiliar blond man.
'He's chasing someone!'
Marie didn't hesitate in chasing after the pair. The blond man that was being chased ran straight into a familiar forest while retrieving something from his pocket. The man chasing the blond followed his target without hesitation and pulled something out of his own pocket as well.
It was at this point that Marie's feet grinded to a halt.
"..."
She stopped herself just short of the treeline that she was about to enter. The world around her was silent apart from the few cars passing through the moist streets behind her.
—For whatever reason, Marie felt a shiver down her spine as she looked into the forest.
"No, this is…"
She had no idea why, but she just had a bad feeling. She felt it before when she initially began chasing after the man, but she decided to ignore it for the purpose of stopping whatever nefarious plots he might've been planning. And yet, still, now that she's come face-to-face with the edge of this forest, she can't help but hesitate.
"What's wrong with me..? I need to stop him, don't I? I need to do my job as an exorcist and stop them. And yet…"
At a time like this, the only thing she could think about...was her partner.
("What are you thinking going off on your own?! Partners are supposed to stick together! Don't be so reckless, idiot, you should know better!")
She could already imagine what he was going to say to her… Honestly, he was too predictable.
….And for some reason, thinking about him caused Marie's foot to take a step back. Then another step, and another. Until, at some point, she was in the street, one moment away from being hit by a vehicle.
BEEP-BEEP!
"MARIE!"
—Marie was forced out of her stupor just as she was pulled harshly out of the street.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
It was the very same partner that dominated her conscience, Issei.
"Are you deaf or something?! Hey, what's wrong with you?!"
It took a moment for Marie to realize what was going on. She shook her confused attitude off the best that she could, despite still not understanding what exactly was happening.
"Issei… W-What happened..?"
"What happened is that you've lost your damn mind! What the hell were you thinking, leaving Maki alone and then walking into the street!?"
"There were...members of Genesis…. I had to go after them…"
"Genesis?"
Issei glanced around before his eyes landed on the forest. He leaned in and chastised Marie with a whisper.
"Are you crazy? Why would you ever go after them by yourself? We made a promise, didn't we? Neither one of us is supposed to look for Genesis on our own. That was the deal. We're partners, aren't we? What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry, I just…. Maki was with us and I thought… I thought it was smarter to leave her with you, since I couldn't let them get away and I didn't have time to get you before we lost them... I-I wasn't going to do anything reckless, I would've ran if there was more than one, I swear…"
"That's no excuse. You know better than to run off on your own, that's reckless enough already. Even if it was only one of them, you don't go after them unless I'm with you. Don't you remember when one of them almost shot you? Anything can happen if you make one little mistake."
"I know, but…. We've gone so long without a single lead and...we're so close to finishing them off. I thought as long as I was cautious it would be alright, but…"
"It's not alright. Any way you look at it, this is reckless, even for you. I know you've been getting desperate lately because of how close we are to snuffing them out and how little clues we've had, but that doesn't mean you throw away your sensibility. When it comes to Genesis— no, it doesn't matter what it is, we stick together. That's what being partners is about, isn't it..?"
Marie fell silent. She certainly couldn't deny what Issei said. Issei grabbed her by the wrist and began pulling her in an attempt to get across the street.
"Come on. We're heading back."
"...B-But, what about them?"
"Forget 'em. We can get those bastards another day."
Despite Issei's tugging, Marie seemed to resist. She looked up at him worriedly.
"...What about their victims? If they're out right now, something is bound to happen. Someone is probably going to die…. Are we just supposed to turn a blind eye?"
Issei remained silent and turned away from Marie. His voice came out in a low tone.
"...Since you don't get it, I'll make it clear to you…. The truth is, I don't care about that. To me, what matters is that you don't get yourself in any kind of trouble. If people end up dying because I was trying to keep you safe….then so be it. I can live with that, easily. But if something were to happen to you….."
"...Issei…"
"—If it really bothers you that much, then you can just go ahead and blame it on me. All of those potential lives that would be lost as a result of losing those guys, put them on me. Place the weight of their lives on me, I can handle it. I'm used to it already…. That's why, whenever something like this happens, I'll stop you, even if it's by force…. Because no matter what, when it comes down to it, I'll choose you over them. And I'll live with that decision."
Issei finally looked back at Marie with a morbid smile. And yet, to Marie, it seemed to hide an underlying somberness.
"Do you finally get it now, partner? That's just the type of selfish scumbag that I am."
….
Marie was left speechless. Having nothing to say, she let Issei take her hand and walk her across the street, all the way back to the plaza. This must have been one of the first times Issei held her hand by his own volition and initiated it.
(7:22 AM)
The next morning, there was an earthquake. At least, that's what the residents of Nagoya who were abruptly awoken by the rumbling assumed. It was short, but rough, and there was even a loud sound that followed it. In fact, to those who were closest to the epicenter, it almost sounded like it was….
"Geez… It's been a while since we've gotten one that big."
Satoshi got out of bed after being awoken by the ferocious shake a few minutes ago. It was honestly so unexpected and short lived that it gave him a bad feeling, but he ignored it to keep his wife calm, who had also been awoken by it.
"Well, it's good timing. My alarm was about to sound off anyway."
"Are you sure you want to head into work today? I think something might have collapsed…"
"Let's hope not. But I'll check the news just in case."
Just as Satoshi was about to grab the television remote and his toothbrush, he received a call.
"Your phone is ringing.."
"Yeah. It's my kouhai from work, Kijima-kun. I wonder what he's calling about. Maybe today's work has been cancelled."
"Then something serious might have happened after all…"
Satoshi patted his wife's shoulder to comfort her, as she was progressively becoming more worried about the circumstances. Satoshi answered his co-worker's phone call.
"Hello? Yes, Kijima-kun. What's— …..Hold on, hold on. What? Terrorist attack? Slow down, Kijima-kun! What are you saying right now?..."
—Suddenly, Satoshi went silent, causing his wife to feel an overwhelming sense of dread build up in her.
"...Akane."
He called out to his wife without turning around.
"...Wake the kids up."
"...What the hell was that shake about?"
Issei lied awake in bed with both Marie and Maki beside him. All three of them appeared restless after the quake, with Maki acting especially afraid.
"...I'm scared, Nii-Nii. What if another one like that happens again?"
"It's okay, Maki. Your Nii-chan and Nee-chan are both here to protect you."
For whatever reason, Issei and Marie exchanged looks of extreme worry, as if fearful of a certain possibility.
"Kids.."
Akane entered the room with a knock. Seeing that they were all awake, Akane motioned for them to approach her in a peculiar fashion.
"Come with me, babies. Let's go to my room."
"Okaa-san? W-What's wrong?"
"Just come with me, sweety. Come on, all of you. Come with mommy."
All three of them felt a rising tension with their house mother's strange behavior, but still followed her regardless. When they all made it to the master bedroom, Satoshi was sitting on the edge of the bed with the television remote in one hand and covering his mouth with the other. For some reason, his face was pale and his voice came out in a morbid tone.
"...Unbelievable.."
Then, the sound of a news reporter spoke as the footage played over the screen, causing Issei and Marie's hearts to sink to the bottom of their stomachs.
The headline was: {BREAKING NEWS: EXPLOSION IN SOUTHERN NAGOYA.}
—The scene of a disaster.
[...Local residents felt the shaking somewhere around 7:16 this morning. The blast radius has been estimated to have been roughly 5 kilometers. Casualties have not been reported by the authorities yet, but on scene reports state that they are scrambling to rescue as many injured individuals as possible. According to official sources, due to the population density of such a highly frequented area, the current estimation of total casualties might be between at least 50 and 200 people, not including total death toll…..]
The world came to an abrupt standstill.
But most of all, for Issei and Marie, it seemed to have all crashed down on top of them.
"Mama… That's where we went yesterday for shopping… We were just there…"
Akane hugged her trembling daughter closely.
"..It's okay, Maki. Don't look at the screen, just be with mommy, okay? I'm right here.."
Satoshi glanced over at Issei and saw his hollowed out, mortified expression. He stepped in front of Issei's view of the television and knelt down.
"Issei-kun. Come on, let's go back to your room."
When Issei's body wouldn't budge from his position, Satoshi couldn't help feeling that he made a grave mistake in calling the boy here.
Thump!
Beside Issei, Marie had fallen to her knees in horror. The look on her face was unlike anything Satoshi had seen before. It almost appeared as if the girl's entire world just crumbled before her eyes.
"...Why..?"
Suddenly, as if activated by Marie's voice, Issei's body moved towards her. Without a word, Issei took Marie's body into his arms and held her tightly. Just as the news reporter said it one last time with a shaky voice, Marie came apart, releasing all of her trapped lamentations.
[...There is no information on the circumstances regarding the explosion's origin, nor a motive of any kind, but authorities have ruled out any foreign influence…. That is all the information we have so far. We will keep you all updated as we learn more... And to anyone who may have lost someone in this catastrophe, we send our most sincere condolences to you….]
—There was no denying it. Indeed, Genesis had finally been eradicated. - They, along with the souls of 182 unrelated innocents, perished in a flash…
Part 2
Marie Bellerose, age 16. Aikawa household. 2 days since the "2nd impact" incident in southern Nagoya, the "recreation" of the explosion that took place at Rouen church four years ago, but on a much wider scale. The "organization" or cult known as "Genesis" has collapsed on all fronts.
In total, the "2nd impact" committed by the "Japanese chapter" of Genesis took the lives of 182 innocent people, while also injuring 71 more outside of those actually killed. The explosion radius was estimated at 5.7 kilometers, with an abandoned church being at the epicenter of it. It was fortunate that the area in which the abandoned church remained was relatively abandoned, otherwise there might have been more casualties. However, the blast radius was large enough that it still reached populated areas outside of the abandoned church's general location.
Of course, the surrounding area in which the abandoned church formerly stood had been razed by the explosion, causing it to be nothing but a wasteland. Puzzlingly, there was a tangible "shadow image" left at the origin point of the destruction, much to the confusion of the Japanese authorities. It resembled the "nuclear shadows" left after the destruction of Hiroshima.
However, the image left behind was that of a giant cross…
"...Marie-oneechan?"
This morning, Marie lay in bed, awake, but unmoving. Her eyes appeared sunken in and her lips were dry. Unlike her usual self, the current Marie Bellerose seemed to be missing the light in her eyes. In every sense of the word, just by looking at her, you could say that she was severely depressed.
Despite this, Maki made an effort to rise her older sister figure.
"Come on, Marie-oneechan… Let's go eat breakfast. It's quiet out there without you... We're all lonely when you're not there. I'm lonely, and….Nii-Nii is lonely too.. Won't you come down?"
Marie looked over at Maki's sullen expression, and for a moment, the shame was observable on Marie's face. Unfortunately, however, Marie turned away from Maki and lied face down into her pillow.
"...I'm so sorry, Maki-chan…. But I can't…. Please forgive me..."
Maki frowned, but she left without chastising her lovable roommate.
"It's okay, Onee-chan… I understand.."
After that, Maki left their room without another word. Indeed, it was their shared room that Marie was sleeping in. She hadn't slept in Issei's room like she usually would, nor has Maki for fear of leaving Marie alone in her depressed state. In fact, it might not have even been an exaggeration to say that Marie's practically shut herself in. She has hardly exited this room for anything in the past two days, most times only for the restroom. Everyone in the house has been worrying about her, but there's hardly anything any of them can do. Well, save for..
—Maki entered the dining room, where the rest of her family was eating breakfast. Her mother asked her.
"Any luck, Maki-chan?"
"...No. It doesn't look like she's ready to come down. I don't think she'll come down for anyone but Nii-Nii…"
Issei was also eating with his family, but he was silent. His eyes appeared tired as well, but he was in nowhere near as bad of a state as Marie was. Akane sighed.
"I see…. Even so, I'm still surprised. I knew that Marie-chan was an empathetic person, but I didn't know that it was to this extent. To think that what happened would've affected her so severely..."
"I don't think that's it, honey. I think it's related to that bombing that occurred in the church she grew up in a few years ago. Don't you remember the story she told us? Those radical anarchists who committed an act of terrorism on her church because they had hostility towards the Vatican? To her, this event must have brought back memories of what happened there and she might be having a tough time because of that, especially considering that all three of them were almost caught up in it…. Not only difficult for her either, but even…"
Satoshi looked at Issei, who was just poking at his food mindlessly. Satoshi then sighed in an ashamed manner.
"Haah… I never should have let these children watch that… Even though I should've known that it would bring back terrible memories for both of them…. How could I have made such a mistake? I'm a failure of a guardian…"
Although Issei appeared unfocused, he was still listening. What he was bothered by most of all was the false narrative sold by the church that Genesis was an anarchist group with no connection to them who simply "had problems with the establishment"; the lie that Marie had no choice but to sell to her own current caregivers.
That aside, he understood his uncle's feelings of shame after allowing Issei to watch the news that day. The tragedy did indeed remind him of the attack on Kuoh, but he buried those thoughts and the feelings associated with them for the sake of helping Marie through her time of need. Only the bastard-God knows how much harder she was having it than he was.
"..It's alright, Oji-san. Don't be so hard on yourself… What happened then was just as shocking for you as everybody else. It's easy to make a mistake like that. It's hard to think clearly in a situation like that. I know that very well…."
"The fact that you understand that so well is what hurts me, Issei-kun… I really am a bad guardian."
"..No, you're not."
Satoshi sighed again. Maki then asked something without thinking.
"...Marie-oneechan was there at the church when that thing happened, wasn't she…? Do you think she saw a lot? Or maybe she might have even lost someone…"
Issei's eyes dimmed a bit as he laid his chopsticks down.
"...She lost a lot that day.."
Akane immediately chastised her daughter for her insensitive question.
"Maki-chan, don't ever ask such things. Do you have any idea how Marie-chan would feel if she heard that?"
Maki's eyes went wide before she lowered her head in shame.
"...I'm sorry.."
However, Issei patted her on the head and smiled, although it was a bit forced.
"Don't worry. Just leave it to your Onii-chan, okay?"
With that, Issei stood up from his seat and made his way out of the dining room. He walked out into the main area and made his way up the stairs next. When he finally made it to the door of Maki and Marie's shared room, he knocked.
"..Marie?"
There was no response.
He decided not to linger at the door and entered the dark room. The curtains were drawn and the only light peering into the room came from the small space between each curtain. Although Issei didn't mind having his own room dark, if anyone wasn't the type to have them closed, it was Maki and especially his bubbly partner.
When he entered the room, he walked over to the bed where Marie was lying face down on her pillow. He sat down beside her on the bed.
"Hey, partner.."
This time, Marie did give a muffled response.
"...Écaille.."
"It's not like you to stay in bed this late. Not like you to have the curtains drawn either."
"...You said that yesterday.."
"I know. But that's just how true it is, ya know… Come on, weren't you the one who always hopped out of bed and threw the curtains open, shouting "Matin!" or somethin'?"
Issei tapped Marie lightly in a playful manner, but she didn't react. If Issei gives up here, this will have been the third day that he didn't bring her out of her room. Realizing that, Issei made a bit of a "forceful" effort in getting his partner up.
"Alright, come on. Everybody's gotta eat, let's go."
Issei tried lifting up Marie's body, which was totally limp due to her lack of energy.
"Please, Écaille… I don't want to get up. I feel very drowsy…"
"You're drowsy because you haven't gotten up in two days. Not to mention, you're depressed on top of that. Of course you're drowsy.. But I'll tell ya what, laying in bed any longer ain't gonna help at all, so get up."
"No, but.."
"Uh-uh, no "buts," come on. Up, up."
Issei continued sitting Marie's body up, but now, she had begun resisting a bit. And finally, at some point, before Issei could get her up, Marie pulled herself away harshly from him and fell back onto the bed.
"No!"
She was now lying on her side, facing away from Issei and looking at the wall against the other side of the bed. Although she hadn't literally "pushed" Issei away, this was probably the first time that he's ever felt like she has.
"...I'm sorry…"
Marie apologized, but she didn't hear a response from Issei and she didn't dare turn around to see his face either.
Soon, however, she felt the weight on the bed shift as Issei sat down at the edge of it.
"Well, guess I'm missing breakfast too then."
That was all he said. To Marie, the message was loud and clear. She knew him well enough at this point to know exactly what he's thinking.
Essentially, Issei wasn't going to leave her side, even if she wanted him to. Instead, he was going to sit there for as long as it took until she changed her mind.
Realizing this, Marie's body began trembling.
"..Écaille…. Issei…."
And at some point, her voice became shaky as well, prompting Issei to turn and look at her.
"...I'm...so worthless…. I'm such a failure…"
Marie felt the bed continue to shift in its weight as she began releasing whines. Without saying a word, Issei approached her from behind and lifted her body up to take her gently into his arms.
It was at this point that Marie had started crying.
"I'm so useless… The fathers were right. They were all right about me… I couldn't stop Genesis, no matter how many times I tried. I couldn't stop them when they attacked my home, I couldn't stop them when they escaped the country, I couldn't even figure my way around one foreign location without help from a boy even younger than me..! I can't do anything.. I'm a complete failure… I should've never kept my Excalibur. I deserved to have it taken from me. I'm not worthy of it, nor of my title as exorcist… I should've just given up my Excalibur and returned to being a sister-in-training. I should've gone home when they sent for me. —All of this, everything I've ever done as "the Blade of Rouen," it's all been rendered meaningless! It was all for nothing! And now, because of my failings, so many people have died..! I'm nothing but a complete failure!"
….
A great silence weighed the air, lingering for what seemed like an eternity. The only sound filling the room was the sound of Marie's soft weeping.
"...You're wrong… It wasn't for nothing…. Because to me, you're…"
Issei gently placed his forehead against Marie's own, causing her to pause her crying and look at him. But his eyes were tightly shut, and soon, he began quivering as well.
"The truth is...I'm the one who's useless here. I'm the one at fault… Didn't I tell you before? It's because of my selfishness that those people died. It's because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you that those people died. And in the end… In the end, as much as it pains me that all of those people died, do you know the first thing I thought after we learned what had happened? I was relieved. That's right. I was...glad, because to me, it felt like I had traded one thing for another..! It felt like I had traded those people in exchange for Marie, and I was perfectly fine with that! I thought it was a fair trade! Can you believe that? Can you believe that those were my feelings at that time? It's like I told you, didn't I? That's just the type of selfish scumbag that I am! I'm just a worthless piece of shit who doesn't care about anyone except the people closest to him! —That's why, you need to pin it on me! Even if you hate me for the rest of your life, just put it on me! As long as it saves you…. Because if it weren't for me, all of those people might still be alive right now! Just like with my parents..!"
For a moment, Marie was speechless, but she could hear the pain rising in Issei's voice. And soon, despite how near his face was, she noticed the tears falling freely from his cheeks, all the while his voice broke apart.
"It's just like that time… It's exactly the same… All because of me, it happened all over again…. When my parents died….realistically, I understood that there was nothing I could do… But even so, it tore me apart… No, if anything, it's what frustrated me so much. The idea of being so powerless, nothing but a useless child…. But now, I understand a greater pain than I could've ever imagined... Because now, even with all of these supposed powers…it feels as if nothing has changed! I still can't do anything! Despite being the Sekiryuutei, I can't do a single damn thing! I could never do a single damn thing all along! I couldn't save my parents, I couldn't stop Genesis, and I can't even help you now when you need me the most! If anyone's the failure, it's me! I'm the one who failed! I'm the one with all of this "power" and "potential," and yet, it all meant shit! In truth, I haven't changed one bit..! I'm still the same useless child I was back then! It's all the same! Over one hundred people— dead— all because of me! It's the exact same as what happened "that day!" Nothing has changed for me! Nothing at all!"
And so, Issei continued to sob uncontrollably. An abundance of tears the like which Marie has never seen and could never imagine Issei releasing, she witnessed them streaming down from his eyes. It was at that moment that Marie began to feel a deep regret. She regretted all of her behavior until now and softly brought Issei's head into her shoulder to embrace him fully.
"I'm so sorry, partner… Even though I should've known that this would affect you just as much as it would affect me, I just kept thinking about myself… I should've been there for you too. I'm sorry for leaving you to deal with it all on your own... Don't be so cruel towards yourself. You're an amazing person. Although it's true that you can be cold at times, I know that isn't your true nature. I know that you're a truly kind person at heart. Countless times you have proven that kindness to me… Despite how coldly you acted towards me when we first met, you still showed me empathy when I had suffered witnessing the cruelty of Genesis once again. Despite how brutal you were towards your enemies initially, you wouldn't kill a single 'uninitiated member' of Genesis after you found out they were brainwashed, even though you said you would anyway. You even lost an eye just trying to hold back from killing any of them and suffered the worst for it… Despite how irritated you always seemed by my presence, you refused to let me sleep on the streets after you learned that the church no longer supported me. You convinced your own family to take me into your home. When I had no one by my side, you were there….. And even whenever you say that you don't care about something, you always end up proving yourself wrong. You're always the one helping anyway…... You're so much greater than you think. In fact, you're wonderful. You're an inspiration to me. Écaille— no, Issei... You are my partner. You are my strength, my breath, my life. —Je t'aime, mon partenaire.— I love you, partner. My heart is yours. —As long as I have you, I don't need anything else in this world. I don't need Excalibur, I don't need the church, and...I don't even need…."
For a moment, Marie paused, causing Issei's sobbing to come to a gradual stop.
"...Don't even need what..?"
Time came to a halt as the two of them stared into each other's eyes, saying nothing. For Marie, the only thing she felt right to do was stroke Issei's cheek softly. And for Issei, the only thing that felt right to do was bring his face closer to Marie's own
When Marie did the same, their lips gently pressed together.
….
Neither of them was certain of how long their kiss lasted, but it must have been quite a while. At some point, Marie noticed that she was lying back down on the bed with Issei hanging closely over her.
Although Marie wasn't aware of how long their exchange of love had gone on, she didn't care, she simply wanted it to last longer. So she waited for the moment it would happen again.
"Marie.."
"Mon amour… Issei…"
Just as the two felt the heat of each other's breath on their lips, a gentle tapping could be heard from outside of the door.
Knock, knock…
"Nii-Nii? Marie-oneechan? Is everything okay? We heard yelling from downstairs…"
What timing, they thought. For some reason, Marie giggled. She responded to Maki on the other side of the door.
"Yes, Maki-chan. We're alright… We just got a little emotional is all. But we're both alright now… We'll be down for breakfast shortly."
Even without being able to see her, both Issei and Marie could tell that there was a spark of hope in Maki's tone.
"Okay..!"
When they heard the thumping of Maki's feet reach the downstairs floor, Marie smiled sweetly at her partner.
"Come on then, my love…. Let's not keep everyone waiting. They'll be worried if we take any longer."
For whatever reason, Issei seemed hesitant and conflicted. He made an attempt to say something from the bottom of his heart.
"Marie… I—"
But Marie stopped him, placing a finger gently on his lips.
"..Tell me later, when it's just the two of us, okay? Without words, just like this.."
Issei felt his heart race and swallowed the lump in his throat. He wasn't sure if he understood exactly what Marie was implying, but he nodded nonetheless.
"..Okay.."
"Good.. Then, shall we go, partner?"
Mon Amour
Later that night, Issei was sitting up in his bed, alone. His body was jittery and his heart was pounding. He wasn't certain if he even had a reason to be this anxious, but his suspicions wouldn't let him rest.
At this point, everyone in the house was already asleep. Well, everyone except for him. Him, and…
Knock, knock..
Just as he expected, yet wasn't sure would happen, a soft knock came at the door. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Issei stood up and went over to the door. He opened the door using his sweatladden hands.
"Good evening, my love.."
There she was. Standing right in the doorway was the love of his life, wearing nothing but her usual pajamas. However, unlike the past two days when she had been depressed, her smooth appearance and sweet scent implied that she had taken a bath especially for tonight.
"May I come in?"
"Huh? O-Oh, right.."
Issei allowed Marie into his room and took another deep breath as she passed by, which only sucked the scent of her shampoo in further. That breath which was meant to calm him ended up backfiring.
Nevertheless, when Marie sat down on the bed, Issei sat down beside her, although not too closely yet.
And for a long while, they were completely silent. Despite Issei's nervous attitude, the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Actually, it was quite pleasant. With the moonlight softly illuminating Marie's figure and the sweet scent of her body filling the room, Issei couldn't have felt like there was a better environment. It was almost as if the two were lost in a moment of time together, just the two of them.
In fact, it was impossible to believe… For Issei, who had lived his life cursing the color of the crimson mane in the moonlight… It was astonishing to think that now he was witnessing the moonlight cascade atop a mound of red hair and he felt like his heart was going to explode. Come to think of it, this must have been a rare occasion, to see Marie with her hair down again. It wasn't long enough to reach her shoulders yet, but it went past her chin. Seeing it after so long gave him another avalanche of nervousness.
But soon enough, that anxiety would melt away, once he heard the sweet voice of his partner.
"Well, my love?"
Issei looked over at Marie with a flinch. She was smiling expectantly at him.
"Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?"
Unlike Issei, Marie appeared completely within her element. She didn't appear nervous at all, and she even seemed like she had no problems taking the lead. For a moment, Issei thought, was it the "romantic French side" within her? It was an amusing thought, even to him, but he honestly didn't know where this side of Marie came from otherwise. Something about her seemed so...mature. And most of all, she seemed completely ready.
Issei took a breath for the third time and mustered his courage. He looked at Marie directly.
"Marie… What I wanted to say was… That I also—"
However, just like before, Marie stopped him. She smiled, but this time, far more sensually, perhaps.
"Ah-ah-ah… Without words, remember?"
When she gave Issei that smile, it felt like his heart stopped and he felt all of the heat of his body go to his face. Although it's small, he suddenly felt the difference in their ages at that moment.
This time, Issei swallowed a lump in his throat so large that it felt like he gulped a tumor. With a great amount of hesitation, he moved towards her.
"Marie.."
"Yes, my love?"
—And so, to continue from where they left off in the morning, Issei kissed Marie passionately. Marie received him without hesitation and participated far more enthusiastically than before. When Issei felt Marie's tongue enter and explore the insides of his mouth, he was immediately reminded of that time that they attempted "practice kissing." The difference in circumstance amazed him, and he even found it funny that now it was he who flinched at her aggressive approach this time.
"...mlah…"
Marie's mouth made an odd sound as Issei pushed in further. She then began to back herself onto the bed, all the while gently pulling Issei along by the collar so as to not break the kiss. Issei followed her, inevitably leading him to be on top of her, just like in the morning. The difference this time was that the kiss was far less gentle and far more passionate. With every movement Marie made, she let out a breath, as if she was hungry for more but still running out of air. Therefore, Issei thought it was a good idea to pause the kissing for now.
"Ah.."
When their lips separated, a string of saliva connected their tongues, and for a moment, Issei saw a sense of disappointment in Marie's eyes.
"Haah.. Hah.."
With all of the rough kissing they were doing, they were both left out of breath. As a result, Issei could see Marie's large chest rising up and down with each deep breath she took.
"...Mon amour.."
Noticing Issei's gaze, Marie brought her hands up to her pajamas and began undoing the buttons all the way down her shirt. When she was finished, she pulled the ends apart, exposing her bosom and letting her hands fall to her sides. Her bare breasts were now fully in view for Issei's consumption. Of course, this caused his heart to race more than ever before.
"...C...Can I touch them?"
"Yes, my love.. They are yours."
It took more courage for Issei to lift his trembling hand and touch Marie's breasts than it did for him to face "Zealous" when he was a child. This must have been the first time in his life that he truly felt like a kid; a teenager.
"Ah.."
Marie let out a moan when Issei started caressing her breasts.
"S-Sorry, did that hurt?"
"No, my love.. It's just your warmth. I love your touch.."
Issei's brain felt like it was on the verge of exploding. For the first time in his life, he really was just a teenager.
As a result, the excitement of the situation got the better of him and he buried his face in between Marie's breasts while caressing them with both hands.
"Ah… Oh, Issei…"
Issei tried his best to ignore Marie's moans as, at this point, it was practically causing him physical distress. He continued smothering himself in the flesh between Marie's bosom and even kissed it at one point. Marie giggled, as if it tickled her.
"Hehe, you're just like a big baby, mon amour."
"...Y-You're still treating me like a kid even right now… You're not that much older than me, you know.."
"Oh? Are you offended, my love? I'm sorry… In that case, if you're a man, then why not show it to me?"
Issei froze. When he looked up at Marie, she had an expression that he couldn't quite describe. On the surface, it just looked like her signature "gentle" smile, but there was something more underneath it. —It was lust.
That was it. That was the look that made Issei's brain finally erupt. Never in his life did he think he would hear such an erotic line, least of all from Marie. At this point, he couldn't even think anymore, he could only act.
And so, he did what he felt right and kissed her passionately again. Issei maintained the kiss and took the lead as much as possible, feeling Marie's breasts as he did. Marie's moans kept coming out again and again, causing Issei more discomfort from lack of relief.
More importantly than that, Issei could feel Marie begin to unbutton his pajamas and remove his clothes, piece by piece. Despite his reservations, he followed along without breaking the kiss and tried removing Marie's pajamas as well. At some point, Issei was in his boxers, but unlike him, Marie didn't have anything underneath her pajama pants. That was something Issei knew was uncommon, since he could always see her panties from under them. This only left him with the conclusion that she took them off before coming here.
While they were kissing, Issei felt Marie's palm brush up against his boxers, causing him to jolt and break away from the kiss.
"Ah..!"
Even when Issei realized it, she still continued to rub it along the outside of the fabric. Issei couldn't help but twitch and moan uncharacteristically. Seeing it made Marie feel excited, but she didn't admit that to him.
"..Don't worry, my love.. I'll make it feel better right now. Just leave it to me, partner."
With that, Marie gently removed Issei's boxers.
Finally, all of their clothes were eventually left hanging off the side of the bed, and the two were nude.
Marie pleaded to Issei earnestly, her face looking more beautiful tonight than ever before.
"Issei… Make love to me…"
With one last breath of confidence, Issei steadied himself.
"...I will.."
—And so, they poured the love in their hearts out at each other, not through words but through actions. It wasn't until it was nearly over that the words themselves had escaped from their lips.
"I love you, Issei.."
"..I love you too, Marie.."
….
….
Around an hour or two must have passed since Issei and Marie made love for the first time. Now, the two were lying in bed, with Marie laying on Issei's chest and Issei staring at the starlit sky outside of the window.
"Say, uh, Marie..?"
"Yes, my love?"
"How did you, uh…you know, get that condom?"
"What do you mean? You saw me bring it out of my shirt pocket, didn't you? Don't tell me you were distracted by my womanhood while I was turned around."
"What? N-No, no, not that. I'm asking you where you got it from. As in: who?"
"Oh, that? Well, I got it from Auntie Akane, of course! Where else would I get it from?"
"Wait, she gave that to you?"
"Oui! Don't you remember when I turned sixteen back in december? She gave it to me then, on my birthday. She said that because I was finally at that age, I needed to be careful whenever I was with a boy. She also said that it might "come in handy" while I was living here, but I was far too cowardly to think about that back then so I just hid it away. She actually handed me a few.."
"I can't believe it… Geez, Baa-san…. Well, it certainly was useful, I guess."
"Indeed! Thank you, Auntie!"
"Shhh! Keep your voice down, idiot! Are you trying to get us caught? We'd be lucky enough that they didn't hear us already with how damn creaky this bed is.."
"S-Sorry, my love."
"It's fine… Geez, I knew I should've just let Oji-san buy me a new bed when he offered. Having the three of us sleep on it for a year has really worn it down more than I thought."
"Oui, oui, it's just as you say, my love. We're going to need a new one soon. Otherwise,it'll be too late once you've started getting bigger; the sound will go around the entire house."
"For the last time, stop treating me like some "growing boy," we've already done it, what more do you want me to prove?!"
"But you are a growing boy! It's true that you're big enough already, but I don't expect you to stop growing any time soon! Eventually, this bed will give out! Although I should probably be more worried about my body…"
"H-Hey, don't phrase it like that! You make it sound like I hurt you or somethin'..! I didn't...hurt you, did I?"
"Ufufu, no, mon amour. You didn't. I enjoyed every moment of it. But thank you for worrying."
"R-Right, well, anyway… Um… How many, uh… How many of those did Baa-san give you anyway exactly?"
"Oh… Would you like me to go get the rest of them?"
"What? N-No, no, no, that's not what I meant! —Hey, wipe that stupid grin off your face! It's just a simple question, isn't it?! I was just curious is all!"
"I'll be back."
"Huh? W-Wait, wait, where're you going? H-Hey, Marie, get back here! Come on, let's just go to sleep, forget I said anything!"
"Shh, no shouting, my love.. They might hear us."
-LIFE-
—Hyoudou Issei, age 14. Marie Bellerose, age 16. 1 year since Marie Bellerose became a resident of the "Aikawa household." 2 and a half years since Issei and Marie's first ever meeting. Four weeks since the "2nd impact" incident.
(10:30 AM)
The residents of the Aikawa household were having breakfast together, just like any other day. And just like any other day, Issei and Marie sat side-by-side as they ate.
Little did anyone else at the table know that, as they all ate silently, Marie's foot was rubbing up and down Issei's shin. Issei observed Marie using his peripheral vision, noticing the very subtle "mischievous" expression that she was wearing. He smiled under his breath and poked at her side using the other end of his chopsticks, causing her to yelp involuntarily.
"Eep!"
"Are you alright, Marie-chan?"
"Y-Yes, Auntie, I'm fine..!"
Issei smirked, and he could tell that Marie was glaring at him playfully, hoping patiently for the opportunity to get him back. Of course, as time passed during the meal, the duo's playfulness wordlessly shifted into a different tone. From the corners of their eyes, they continued to glance at each other and look away, as if they didn't want to keep their eyes off of each other. It was practically like this everyday now.
All the while this was happening, Akane tugged the end of her husband's shirt and gestured towards the two with her eyes. Satoshi smiled and nodded.
'Yep, you're right... They're just like us when we were younger.'
Unfortunately for the couple, however, this atmosphere was a bit short lived this morning.
"MMM! That's it, I've had enough!"
Maki jumped up from her seat in rage and protested.
"Mou! What's with this lovey-dovey atmosphere again?! Every morning it's the same thing! I can practically hear them smooching in my head right now! It's ridiculous! —No, it's unfair! For whatever reason, Marie-oneechan gets to sleep in Nii-Nii's room with him all alone, whenever she wants, and yet I can no longer go in there with them?! Plus, they spend all of their free time together too, just cuddling, taking romantic walks, and messing with each other's patience! And on the weekends, they've started going on dates even though Nii-Nii was always annoyed by them at first! It's so frustrating! What in the world did Marie-oneechan do to get such an advantage over me?! I've still never even kissed Nii-Nii on the lips before! And whenever I ask my friends at school what Marie-oneechan has done to bewitch him, all of my friends just laugh at me and call me "innocent!" Yet they still refuse to tell me anything about it! I'm sooooo angry!"
"Maki-chan, sit down and eat your breakfast."
Usually, Maki would listen to her mother's instructions, lest she incur her mother's wrath, but this time was different. She was far too enraged to listen.
"No, I've had enough of it! I'm tired of it! I WILL catch up to Marie-oneechan— NO, I will surpass her! I MUST surpass her! That's why, I'll do something even beyond whatever Onee-chan has done! Oh, I know! I've got it! Nii-Nii!"
Issei responded to his cousin with a sigh even though he was still chewing food in his mouth.
"Haah.. What is it, Maki?"
"Let's make a baby!"
"—URK!"
And just like that, Issei and Satoshi began choking to death on their food, with each of their lovers crying out in worry.
"Darling?!"
"Mon amour?!"
As the two men died a slow, agonizingly painful death, Maki puffed her still growing chest up with pride.
"Yes, I'm a genius! Once Nii-Nii and I have had a baby, Marie-oneechan will be way behind me in progress!"
Maki then rubbed her chin with intrigue.
"Hmm... But I wonder how girls and boys make babies anyway."
—Issei and Satoshi both died right there, their bodies slumped over on the dining room table. This happened despite the fact that both of their lovers performed successful heimlichs on them and removed any food blocking their airway passages.
END
AND THERE IT IS! What a beautiful ending, am I right? Although for some of you (or maybe most of you), this was only pain lol. Hey, it's okay. Look, they had a happy ending. It might've been in another world, but… at least it's there? Sorry…
Anyway, that's the one-shot. A "what if Marie survived chapter 10" scenario. This is what would've happened. Marie would survive, Issei would not unlock Balance Breaker, the leader of Genesis would have gotten everything he needed for his ritual AND kept his Ophis snake, making his intended blast radius even larger than Ddraig predicted in the original story, and Genesis would have been eradicated in the worst way possible. Also, almost 200 people would die. But on the bright side, Issei wouldn't suffer as much and he would finally return Marie's love! In more ways than one, lol…
I'm sure some of you would be interested in what would've happened in those other scenarios where Marie survived and was present during the future events, but that's probably not going to happen. I don't have the time to dedicate to that sort of thing, I haven't even finished the main story yet.
Speaking of the main story, as I said above, THIS ONE-SHOT DOES NOT CONFIRM OR DENY ANYTHING ABOUT LONE DRAGON EMPEROR NOR ABOUT ANYTHING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN IT. THIS ISN'T "SPOILERS", THIS ISN'T NOT SPOILERS, IT'S ITS OWN COMPLETELY SEPARATE THING. Unrelated. Got it? So keep your theories in your pants, along with your dicks. Don't wanna hear about how you might've used this chapter as fap material, keep it to yourself. Although, if you used it as "weep material" I'm perfectly fine with knowing that, lmao!
You know, fun fact, but when I originally thought up this idea, I thought that I might end it with Issei waking up from a dream or something, but then the rational side of myself known as my conscience said: "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE, KNOCK IT OFF. BAD. BAD. NO. NOT HAPPENING." And so, I didn't do that. Let's just say that this is canon to another universe instead, for the sake of everybody.
Anyway, let me know what you guys thought! Tell me all your feelings about it. It's okay to cry in the reviews, nobody here will judge you.
Read, Rate, Review, go crazy!
Stay Frosty.