Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own this franchise or any of its characters.

Author Note: I was going to bed an hour ago but updates had to be done. However if I don't go to sleep down I think I am going to

Meltdown

Some things are not meant to be tampered with. I wish that I had paid attention when I was told that. This is all my fault. Everything. Atlus-Sama. If I could change it I would. I would do anything. I would completely turn time inside out to get Atlus-Sama back. What happened? I'm, I'm not even sure. Some woman stole the device though. And, and I don't think I can get it back.

My name is Sagiri Mikage and I did something very horrid. I, well I, I stole a device to alter time. A device to prevent Nagisaki Carly from stealing Atlus-Sama's heart. It was selfish. And it was cruel. And I did it anyway. And it didn't work. Didn't work right. It was stolen from me right after the fifth rewind actually. I just wanted him to love me. Is that a crime? But every time something horrible happened. Death or insanity or possession or mutilation. I saw Atlus-Sama in agony and death five times. And every time someone went down with him. From Bruno Borelli in the fifth one to Akiza Iyazoi from the third. Every single time something would happen because Carly was not there. Because she hadn't changed Jack. And now, now I think I hate her all the more. And now we're doomed. Aren't we? The Shining Star finally fell under the cold and rusty blade of an unchanged and deluded Jack Atlus all because I had to go back, all because I am a selfish little monster.

The device is a sword. A sword. I actually confiscated and hid a sword for five rewinds. It could cut through space and time. Apparently there were two. I took one. I thought it was an ordinary sword. You should have seen my face when I sliced to before the two of them met. I set things up so they wouldn't. Oops. Chaos happened immediately afterwards though. One thing lead to another and Atlus, Atlus-Sama ended up being killed by the leader of The Arcadia Movement as the vessel for Aslla Piscu. They call it The Butterfly Effect, one butterfly half way across the world can cause a hurricane. One change in time can cause everything to alter. This was small though in comparison to the other rewind. Every rewind was worst than the last. In one Carly and Jack did met but they didn't have a real relationship because Carly died earlier. And so she raided The Arcadia Movement earlier and we ended up with Aki dead in the third cycle. In the fourth Crow was a dark signer and he and Atlus-Sama dueled and confessed THEIR love to each other. Yes instead of Nagisaki he became attached to Crow. And became his Dark King. And that, that was horrible. Ugh. Unbearable to think that Atlus-Sama could be corrupted in that way. But I could rewind my mistakes away. This time, this time though I think a rewind happened that I wasn't aware of because Carly and Jack did met and they did fall in love. But Atlus-Sama never acted on it again and Carly never acted on it either. He simply grew more and more attached to Yuusei. And that's where this tragedy starts.

I don't know the details but I do know that because of my actions both Jack and Yuusei have died and Bruno Borelli and Kyosuke Kiryu are on trial for Jack's murder. They are bound to go but for some reason the trial keeps getting pushed back and there has been mention of the case even being dropped. Also Atlus-Sama killed Yuusei. And I have no idea why. And that is why I have to retrieve the sword form that thief and turn time back. Because I can not live in a world without hope. And because I need to set things right. It's all my fault. Everything. Could it possibly get any worse? The phone rings.

"Sagiri-San a prisoner has escaped." A deep voice mentions.

"W-who" I manage to stutter out.

"Divine."

Divine. Why wouldn't it be Divine?

"He found cards and made an escape with a female hostage."

Hostage? Knowing my luck it's someone highly important that even knows where the sword is. Or the person that took mine. Kazama. Kazama's around the area. Another call comes in. A frantic man this time.

"Some kid is threatening to level the city! WE NEED HELP!" He shrieks.

I send some of the people on hand out before bringing this to Ushio.

I run over and tap him on the shoulder. He snaps at me.

"What do you want?" He growls.

"Ushio could you go to the town center please because there is an issue and a higher ranking officer needs to go and you're high ranking enough plus you have experience in his kind of field and you know magic like things because you were there and this little boy has a bomb but we're pretty sure he isn't a little boy could you just go?" I ramble on.

"You came to ask me in person?" Ushio smiles as he raises an eyebrow.

I strike him across the face out of anxiety and anger.

"What was that for?"

"Making me so nervous."

"Mikage I think you're stressed."

"Go or I'll break you."

"You see that kind of-"

"Okay Ushio I am stressed. Divine has just escaped from prison, a little boy has run into city center with a bomb, the person that's best equipped to deal with it's dead, Yeager's skipped town."

"And I'm working with a bunch of monkeys. And Jack, Jack's not with us anymore. So yes Ushio I am stressed. We don't even have anyone to take up the slack. They don't have anyone but me willing to take up Directorship. Everyone else qualified is either dead or missing. What's happening? I don't even know. Just go. I need to tell Kaz what's going on, maybe he can catch Divine. He's good at what he does."

He turns away from me and I run off to speak to Kazama. I turn on the console in my office and are those jellybeans? If only he knew what he had to do. He wouldn't be relaxing.

"Divine has escaped. You are the only one near him. I'm sorry Kaz." I manage to choke out.

He looks terrified before putting on a calm composure.

"It'll be alright!" He winks with a smile that doesn't reassure either of us for a second.

"So where is he?" Kazama questions.

"We don't quite know." I mutter.

"Well what do you know?"

"We know that he's around you and that he's driving a prison truck. And he has a hostage."

"Who's the hostage?"

"We don't know."

"What does the hostage look like?"

"A young albino woman with spikey hair."

"Alright. She won't be hard to miss. Anything else?"

"No."

"Alright."

I motion to shut it off.

"Kaz?"

"Yeah Sagiri-San?"

"Don't die."

I can not deal with anymore death. I can not dela with my actions causing harm to another person. If he dies-

"Psst, I'll be alright."

"Okay."

I can not deal with any more death. That boy in the city with those threats. What does that boy want? A sudden idea strikes, slim but I am desperate. I call up the man again.

"Does the boy have a sword?" I ask.

"Yes but what does that have to with anything?!" The man howls.

I hang up. A lucky day for me? Thank you. I will simply go and get that sword from the boy. And then everything will be well. And then I can go back and make sure none of this happens. And then and then I don't know what. But it will be happy. It will be a happy ending. Just get the sword, protect the city and fix everything. Like a hero would. Just like Jack would.

Now this is where things get difficult. A back up plan. If, if the boy somehow loses the sword or it is not the same sword or something even worse happens then I will use the forensics laboratory to find the woman that stole mine and then I go back. After all that woman must have a selfish and terrible reason for doing this. Just like I did. Just like I do. Because that's what stupid people do. They tamper with things that are not to be touched. But sometimes stupid people like I am can actually save the day, get a happy ending. And I will. This time. This time I will get it right. I will allow all selfishness to vanish. I will allow all forms of self to vanish. And I, and I will make sure that everyone, from that boy even to Jack himself, will live happily and freely without consequence. Because I am sick of death. And I am sick of blood. And I sick of the crying and the screaming. This time I vow that I'll fix everything. Because I love Atlus-Sama that much. And that's why I am a fool.

The phone rings again. I ignore it for a little while before picking it up.

"He did it. The van crashed and so he kid did it. He blew up the city center. It was a small explosion but someone's bound to be dead. Lucky day isn't it? Just so damn lucky." A woman chokes into the phone.

I flip it shut quickly. That boy, that boy destroyed the only chance I had at making things right, at saving the only person I have every killed. What am I going to do now? Find that woman. Can I? I don't think so but I have to try. I have to. So if I have hope then why am I crying? If I have faith then why am I sobbing?I pull up Kazama on the console and I choke on my breath.

"K-Kaz, he did it." I whimper."He did it. He heard about the crash. He did it. All the emergency services have been diverted there. Do crowd control. I don't care if Divine leaves the country! Just don't let anyone die! I don't think I could handle that!"

No more death. No more. Never again. I can't bear it. I can't handle it! Just let me drown myself in a pillow and blankets! Just let me suffocate myself in yesterdays nightmares! Let me wake up please! Please!

"Everything will be alright. I promise." Kazama lies.

I smash the console by dropping it. I can't even wake up from this nightmare. Please show me a happy dream just once. I'm so sorry for my selfishness. I'm sorry but I didn't think it could be helped. But please, oh please, please, please, show me a happy dream. For once in this forsaken city with these forsaken people and this lonely little life of mine show me mercy and let me just hope, not have, just hope that I could save my friends, my, my family. Even if I'm an outsider to them, let me look in. I am, I am sorry. Just let me be Atlus-Sama's shining star. Even if I'm dreaming. Just let me. I'm sorry for being so selfish. I just wanted a happy ending.