Their game of catch was over when Conrad insisted they head back to the castle so Yuuri could take a quick bath, before having some breakfast.

"I'll be right out." Yuuri said, slipping into the bath chambers, and out of his sweaty clothes.

The steam in the room made it hard to see, as he walked over to one of the tall mirrors on the far side of the Maoh's private bath.

Something on his chest had been hurting- like a bruise.. and he hadn't been able to see it.

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

He wiped away the fog on the glass so he could see more clearly..

... W-what..?

There was a mark? A scar? It looked like- oh, a number!

It looked kinda like the numbers he'd been seeing in the clouds during his time traveling actually.. that was really weird..

"90?" he ran his hand over the number on his chest near his sternum.. "What the..." after examining for another solid minute he walked back to the baths and slowly submerged himself.. Well.. at least it wasn't openly visible..? He would have to ask Murata about it later..

"Ahh... That feels great.. hmm.." He closed his eyes.

.. When he felt a sudden, familiar pulling sensation- "Oh..? Oh no! Not this!" he desperately tried to get out of the tub, "I don't want to go back yet, no wait! Ahhhh!"

The bath water swirled, before settling and Yuuri was sucked back to Earth- just like that.

0-0-0-0-0

"Yuu-chan! You're going to be late for school!"

GAH! Late again..!? Yuuri lept from his bed, panicked.

He'd been back on Earth for a few days now, and hadn't had any strange occurrences since he'd been back.. though the number on his chest was still there- it hurt a little less now.

"C-coming!" Hnnnn! Clothes- socks- jacket- shoes- backpack- Yuuri rushed downstairs.

"Morning Yuu-chan- oh! Where are you going! What about your breakfast!"

"Sorry mom! I gotta go!" Yuuri was out the door and on his bike in seconds flat.

To be honest, Yuuri somewhat feared time traveling.. So much so that he hadn't tried to use it for anything yet.

'I'd rather get to school on my own, thank you very much.' he thought, as he took off pedaling.

"...Hm.. You think everything's been alright in Shinmakoku?" Jennifer asked Shori, Yuuri's older brother who sat at the table, drinking coffee.

"Not sure.. he hasn't told me anything." Shori sighed.. Yuuri didn't talk to him like he use to... Where had his little Yuu-chan gone?

0-0-0-0-0-0

Huff, huff, huff.. ohh man.. he was going to be late for sure..

Yuuri pedaled hard and fast down the hill leading to the school, when the traffic light up ahead changed at a busy intersection.

"Ugh, now I'll have to wait for traffic to stop." he muttered as he went to apply his brakes and-

Apply his brakes and... his BREAKS!?

"Oh no!" Yuuri squeezed the brakes again and again but nothing happened.

"AHH MY BRAKES-!" his bike wobbled, while Yuuri panicked.

While trying to slow down using his feet- Yuuri accidentally dropped his backpack, but it did nothing to slow him down. No!

He was going way too fast.

"AHHHH EVERYONE WATCH OUTT! WAAAAHHH!"

Yuuri flew past a small crowd of people waiting at the crosswalk and flew straight into the road.

BEEP!

BEEP! BEEP!

BEBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

Yuuri didn't know he was going to die.. not today- not... like this.

It was way too soon- he had sooo much he had to do! So much time left... it couldn't all just end now.. no..!

But it did.

Yuuri's bike carried him in front of a truck going 50 miles per hour-

And all Yuuri could do was watch- eyes widening, heart stopping as his death approached him, unstoppable.

'No!' Yuuri's soul screamed, his mind racing. 'Not yet!'

"Yuuri!"

If he died.. Conrad, Wolfram, his family.. he would make them sad..

CRUNCH.

0-0-0-0-0

"Back so soon?"

Falling again.. and somewhere Yuuri heard music, it was like the world was upside down though- and it was night time here, in this strange 'time tunnel' that Shinou had called it.

"Am I dead!?" Yuuri cried, looking frantically about him, feeling the wind in his hair as he tumbled through the clouds.

"Do you feel dead?"

"I don't know!" Yuuri shut his eyes, his heart beating a mile a minute- "Please.." he was on the verge of tears.

"The ground Yuuri- you might want to go back further than this."

"What?"

Yuuri didn't have time to prepare himself to go back further though.. instead he was about to hit the ground and just like that he was going forwards.. to go back..

0-0-0-0-0

"Morning Yuu-chan- oh! Where are you going! What about your breakfast!"

Yuuri stopped mid-jog out the door.

"O-oh-" he turned around, seeing his mother in the kitchen, holding a spatula- and his older brother at the table having a cup of coffee... oh.. he felt sick- his stomach.. he was so relieved yet so terrified.. his adrenaline rushing.. w-was he really alive..? Had he just cheated death because of this new time-thing..?

"I-I'll have breakfast.." Yuuri suddenly didn't even care about school right now. He was so happy to just.. be alive.

He never realized how important things like- having breakfast with your mom and brother was.. and how unimportant rushing to school was when he was already late- minus well eat and take his time.

Time.

"Yuu-chan! Are you alright? You look a little sick."

"Am I really here-? I'm alive right?"

Shori tilted his head at his younger brother. "Excuse me? Yes you're alive- you might not be if you fail your upcoming finals though. She's right, you do look pale.. you need more sun."

"I'll be alright." Yuuri grinned sheepishly while he sat and ate his breakfast. "Is dad already at work?"

"Mmhmm! He had to meet Bob today to go golfing I think.. Yuu-chan eat slower, you'll get hiccups."