Summary: Takemichi was never close to his step-sister, Kagome, during their teenage years. It's one of his biggest regrets, especially after her abrupt death at 25. Going back 12 years, he found himself looking into her eyes again, and he realized that saving Hinata wasn't his only purpose. He'd do anything he could to ensure he'd get to see his sister again in the future.

Pairing: Mikey/Kagome

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter One

Go figure. The thing he was stuck reliving before his death was the worst day of his life. Upon making it home, he let the door shut behind him, gaze fixed on the floor.

That fight… That fight was where everything went wrong. After that, he never tried to stand up for himself. He just apologized, and apologized, and kept apologizing right up until…-!

"Takemichi?"

The sound of his name getting called made him pick his head up. A voice he hadn't heard in years knocked him into a slight stupor. He found himself pausing just before he turned to look for the source. Once he finally did, caught himself looking into a pair of brilliant blue eyes. His chest felt tighter the longer he stood there in silence, just looking at her.

Long raven hair, bangs framing a heart-shaped face. Kind eyes looked at him, concern clear as day reflected in them. "Are you okay?"

He remembered this, as well. He knew what she was going to say next, and he tried to forget the words he initially told her back then.

"I'll go get the first-aid kit and help you clean up," Kagome offered as she turned to fetch the kit kept in the bathroom closet.

"Leave me alone. I don't want your help. Just mind your own business."

No matter how hard he tried to pretend those words never left his mouth, he found it impossible. He bit his lower lip as tears filled his eyes when the following memory added more sting.

She paused, looking back at him. Her expression had faltered, shoulders slumping as she downcasted her gaze to the floor between them. As he walked past her, she didn't say anything in response.

He didn't know why he'd ever said it in the first place. It was something he didn't think about back then. Knowing how things ended up now had him rethinking every interaction he had with her when she was alive.

He'd give anything to go back and make it better between them. Anything to have better memories with her than the few fleeting ones he'd stuck himself with because of his own ill-thought choices.

She was halfway down the hall when he took a step towards her. Choking back a sob, he nodded, finally letting himself open his mouth.

"Y-Yeah, thanks, Kagome," Takemichi said. He saw her pause in her steps, turning to look his way. Her expression was different from the one in his memories then. She looked surprised, not that he blamed her any, considering how he always acted back then. A few quick seconds went by before anything changed. A smile appeared on her face before she turned back to what she'd been doing, a faint skip in her step.

The acceptance had such an innocent reaction from her, and it made him feel guilty. Why couldn't he have just done that in the first place all those years ago? Tears fell, dripping down his cheeks, and he lifted his hands to wipe them away.

She came back to join him, and it felt like he was making a new memory instead of just replaying the ones he had in his final moments. When she told him to sit down, he did, and she sat in front of him as she popped open the lid to the kit she'd placed between them.

She was gentle as she worked, but also meticulous.

"How come you know how to do this so well?" he couldn't help but ask. Kagome looked at him, the hand that held a pair of tweezers gripping a cotton ball frozen halfway in the air. The surprise was swift to melt off her face as she schooled her expression back to her usual gentle one.

This was also the first time he'd taken a genuine interest in her and bothered to ask a question.

She set what she held to the side as she grabbed a few band-aids. She placed them over the scratches on his face as she shrugged.

"I guess it's just something I picked up," she responded. It felt like there was more to it that she didn't say. "Y'know, with Souta and all…" she added with a sigh, sitting back once she'd patched up the last of his injuries.

He nodded. It made sense when he thought about it.

As she packed the supplies away, Takemichi looked from the open kit and back to her face. His staring was noticed almost immediately as she looked up, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" she asked after a moment. He shook his head.

"N-No, everything's fine!" he exclaimed. "I just…" He looked down at his lap. "I just really want to tell you I'm really happy to have you as a sister, even if I seem like I don't appreciate you."

She paused, and he met her stare when he lifted his gaze. Though it was faint, the shimmer of tears was visible in her eyes for a few seconds before she blinked them away. She set the last thing in the kit in front of her and closed the lid.

"Don't worry, Takemichi," Kagome said, sending a warm smile his way. "After all, I'm sure one day twenty years from now we'll look back at these moments and laugh," she added as an afterthought.

It stung; hearing those words from her, because he was the only one who knew that it'd never come true. Ten years from now she'll be gone and he'll have gone almost two more before joining her.

She got up to put the first aid kit away, and he watched as she went. As she did, he found himself thinking back to the day of her funeral, and the conversation he had with Souta after the shrine was finally empty.

"Hey, Souta?"

The brunette glanced over his shoulder as he did the dishes in the sink. "Yeah? What's up?"

For a moment, he wondered if he should even bring it up. He thought back to the look on his face earlier, and, soon enough, curiosity got the better of him. "Who's Mikey?" he asked. Souta paused what he was doing, glancing down at the dish he held. "You said earlier something along the lines of him not coming," he added as an afterthought.

Souta nodded. "Yeah, I did," he said, almost as if he was reminding himself of his prior statement. He gripped the dish tighter before placing it down to dry. "Mikey's Nee-chan's boyfriend," he explained. "She's dead because of him." A sheen of anger flashed through his eyes as he turned to face him.

"H-Huh?!" Takemichi was taken by surprise by Souta's claim. The full scope of her death wasn't known by him, so hearing it get phrased like that was jarring.

He didn't bring it up again, but he ended up learning more about it either way. About who he was. At the thought, his mind shifted back to the beating he'd received with his friends earlier.

Those guys…

As the Tokyo Manji gang continued on into the future, not only would Kagome, but…-

"Oh, yeah!" Kagome stepped into the room again, quickly finding him in the spot she'd left him. "Hinata-chan called earlier for you," she said.

Hinata…

The name made his heart feel heavy. He looked up at Kagome before pushing himself up on his feet. He had to go. The abrupt movement took her by surprise, and she looked at him in concern.

"Takemichi?" Kagome craned her head to the side, sparing him a worried glance. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…! I just." He rushed to the door, pausing to look back at her. "I just remembered I had to do something."

He ran out the door, leaving the raven-haired girl standing alone.

"Hanagaki-kun?"

He froze upon hearing the soft-spoken voice. It was the first time he'd heard it in so long, but it was so familiar… When the door fully opened so she could step outside, he was glued to his spot as the face he'd forgotten gazed up at him.

He hadn't seen her in years, but, looking at her now, he wondered how he could've ever forgotten her face.

"Did you go off and get into another fight?" Hinata asked, a pout on her face as she looked up at him. "Didn't you do the same thing last week, too?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest as she continued to speak. He wasn't focused on the words she said, so much as the sound of her voice.

He had no control over the tears that built up, spilling down his cheeks. Hinata fell silent upon spotting them, worry shining in her eyes.

"Hanagaki-kun?"

"Sorry, it's nothing. I should get home now." He shook his head, lifting a hand to wipe the tears away as he turned. "I-I just wanted to see you," he said as he started to walk away. He didn't get far before she grabbed him by his arm and tugged him back.

"You're not acting like yourself," she stated as she lifted her hands to take him by the sides of his face, forcing him to meet her stare. "Just tell me," she said, looking up at him. "I want to know everything about you," she said. "I'm your girlfriend, you know, dummy."

"S-Sorry…" Takemichi said as she let go. She turned to face the railing they stood by, crossing her arms in front of her as she leaned against it to support her weight.

That's right, he was reminded. She was always getting mad at him. Not only that, but she was also so strong-willed. He moved to leave, and she waved as he did.

"Bye-bye!" she called to him, and he walked away, trying to hold his tears back. "See you tomorrow at school!"

Upon leaving, he didn't head home like he told her. He made his way to a park, where he then went to the unoccupied swingset and sat down in one of them. His shoulders slumped as he looked down at the ground.

As he sat there, a commotion across the park reached his ears, and he looked up. Annoyance flashed through his eyes when he spotted the cause for it- three guys picking on some kid. Already in a bad enough mood, it only added to his ire, especially with how loud they were being. He couldn't even think with them in the distance.

He stood up from the swing and approached them. When he was close enough, he pulled his arm back and aimed a punch at the one in the middle. He struck him in the face, and he fell flat to the ground while the others looked at him, startled by his interference.

"Shut up already!" Takemichi snapped at them. He picked a bottle up from the ground and struck it against the pole it'd been up against. The glass shattered, leaving the half he held with sharp edges. He pointed it at one of the other two still on their feet. "I'm in a shitty enough mood already, and you're making it worse!" he shouted. "Get lost, or I'll kill you," he said, holding the bottle out to make his point. It took a few seconds for the other two to pick their friend up from the ground before running off. Takemichi sighed and tossed the bottle aside. As he did, the boy they'd been harassing looked at him.

"U-Um…!" He was stopped as he turned to leave. Takemichi looked at the boy, spotting him pointing at the glass on the ground. "You can't leave that there," he said. "It's dangerous."

Remembering how it was a public park, he nodded. "Right," Takemichi approached the mess and went to clean it up. "My bad." He gathered it up and set it in a bag to get disposed of. Once he'd done so, he turned to leave.

"Thank you for helping me."

Takemichi paused after a few steps at hearing the kid speak again. After a minute, he turned to look at him. With a sigh, he walked back over to where he stood.

"Alright, so listen up," he said, stopping in front of him. "When guys like that try to mess with you, show a little more confidence," he said. "Be prepared to get hit, but don't back down," he continued. When the kid pulled a notepad and pen out from his bag, Takemichi paused. "You don't have to take notes," he said as he stared up at him. "Anyway, just face them head-on," he stated, lifting a hand to rub the back of his head. "That'll be enough to scare off half-assed punks."

"Right!"

Takemichi looked down.

Confidence and resolve… it was all stuff he'd never had.

"So, what's your name?" Takemichi asked.

"Tachibana Naoto."

The familiar name made him perk up. "Wait, so you're Tachibana's younger brother?"

"I do have an older sister," Naoto responded.

"The hell, man, you should've said that sooner," Takemichi said. He went back to the swingset he'd been at before, Naoto following behind him. He sat down on one, the younger boy sitting down on the other.

As they sat there, Takemichi couldn't help but feel sad.

In twelve years, just like Hinata, Naoto would die, too.

"I'm Hanagaki Takemichi," he said as he looked ahead of him. "You can just call me Takemichi though."

"Um… I won't but okay," Naoto responded.

"You like your sister?"

The question made Naoto jump. He gripped the swing tighter and looked at Takemichi. "Huh?! Where'd that come from?" he asked. "No, I don't!"

"Really?" Takemichi asked. "Why not?"

"Because she's bossy," Naoto responded. "She's always telling me what to do."

It was funny, and Takemichi had to suppress his grin. "I see," he responded. He shook his head. "Still, though," he said. "Take good care of your sister. I love her," he continued. "I love her so much that I don't know what to do with myself," he admitted. "I just remembered that today." He gazed at the ground, feeling the weight of Naoto's stare on him. He erased the somber look on his face and picked his head up with a faint laugh. "I'm sure you don't understand, huh?"

Silence fell over them as Takemichi returned his stare back ahead of him. His shoulders slumped.

"This is gonna sound crazy, but on this day in 2017, I fell off the platform onto the train tracks," he admitted. Maybe he should keep his mouth shut, maybe not. Did it even matter? "I thought I was gonna die, but suddenly I was back in middle school. I was me from twelve years ago," Takemichi glanced at Naoto. "What do you call that?"

"Time travel!" he responded, and Takemichi perked up, nodding.

"Yeah, that!" He glanced down at his hands, sighing softly. "I might just be having one really long-ass dream," he said as he pushed himself up from the swing he sat on. "But you know what? I think God just let me see Tachibana one last time," he looked up at the moon. Not just her, but Kagome as well…

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naoto asked.

"On July first, twelve years from now, your sister's… she's going to die," he responded. "Not just her, but you, too." He turned back to face Naoto. "Remember this date," he said. "July first, twelve years from now. Remember this date," he repeated. "Protect your sister."

Silence fell over them, and Takemichi turned to fully face him.

"I'm sure this is all hard to believe," he said.

Saying all this might do nothing at all, he knew, but still…

If there was any way he could go about changing what happened, he'd do everything in his power to do so.

He held his hand out to Naoto to shake, to give his promise. After a second, Naoto mirrored him and held his hand out.

"Right!" he said. "I will!"

The moment their hands touched, it felt like static raced through his body. From his head, all the way down to his toes. The world went dark, and, when he opened his eyes next, he was looking up at the light just above him.

He pushed himself up from where he lay. As he did, he heard a voice from behind him.

"He's awake!"

Takemichi glanced toward the source. A man walked over to him. "Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the infirmary at the station," he replied. "You fell off the platform onto the tracks."

He glanced around the room, gaze landing on the calendar on a desk. The date was the same as it'd been earlier that day.

Had it all been a dream?

He remembered the blinding lights of the train speeding towards him, and he jumped.

"I actually survived that?!" he asked out loud, looking over himself for any cuts or bruises, only to find nothing.

"Could I have some time alone to speak with him?"

"Sure."

Takemichi looked up at hearing the new voice.

"This is the man who saved your life," he was informed.

As they were left alone in the room, Takemichi glanced at the figure.

"It's been a while."

"Who are you?" he asked. Something about them looked familiar, he realized as he asked that question.

"Tachibana Naoto," he responded. Takemichi looked up, startled. "That day, you changed my fate."

He was confused, and it showed on his face. "Huh? That day? But you… died."

"You traveled through time," Naoto responded. "That's how I survived and saved you."

It hadn't been a dream after all?

"You changed the present by traveling through time."

"No way…" He was surprised. It didn't feel real, but it was hard to deny when someone who had died a few days ago was now seated in front of him.

"Takemichi-kun, twelve years ago today, you told me to remember this date," Naoto said. "I studied hard and became a police officer so that I could protect my sister."

"T-Then Tachibana is-!"

The burst of excitement was short-lived when Naoto looked down at the floor.

"I'm truly sorry Takemichi-kun," he said. "My sister died." He gripped his hands tight together as he continued. "I did everything I could possibly think of, but…! Nothing worked," he said. He picked his head up to meet Takemichi's stare. "Please, help me. I know you'll be able to save my sister."

For the past two days, he'd been stuck in Naoto's apartment as he filled him with as much information on the Tokyo Manji gang as he possibly could. He hadn't been able to sleep, and the exhaustion was quickly catching up.

Scrolling to the next thing, a familiar face looking back at him made him pause. It was noticed by Naoto, who stopped talking and glanced his way. "What is it?"

"This…" Takemichi felt the words dying on his tongue as he simply stared at the photo of Kagome. She didn't look all the different from when she died… "Kagome," he eventually spoke, pointing at the screen. In the photo with her was a man with blonde hair. Oddly enough, it felt like he'd seen him once before…

Naoto looked at him, waiting for clarification.

"That photo…" Takemichi paused. "When was it taken?"

"Almost a year and a half ago," Naoto responded. "How do you know who she is?"

"Because she's my sister," Takemichi responded, his shoulders slumping. No wonder it looked so familiar… It was probably taken weeks before her death. He found himself focusing on it. He didn't understand.

She looked as happy as ever in it, a bright smile on her face.

What went wrong?

"She is?" Naoto asked, and Takemichi nodded.

"Well, step-sister, but that doesn't matter."

"Do you know how she died?" he asked. Takemichi shook his head.

"Not the full story, at least."

"I'm not surprised," Naoto said. "A lot of this stuff was never made public." He paused and set his coffee mug down. "Almost three weeks after this photo was taken, Kagome was killed. Additionally it seems, following that, the inner dispute of the Tokyo Manji gang turned full throttle."

Takemichi looked up at him as he spoke, eyes wide.

"There's never been confirmation about it, but it's likely a member of the Tokyo Manji killed her," Naoto said. "Since then, their dealings have become more violent between the two halves."

Takemichi looked back at the photo, nodding slowly. "So she really did get mixed up with all that…" he whispered. "Man, I don't see how. She was always kind…" He looked at the photo a bit more, the blonde in it catching his eye again. "Who's the guy with her?" he asked.

"Sano Manjiro," Naoto responded. He nodded to the board behind them, and Takemichi stood up to walk over to it. He stopped beside Naoto, and the other man motioned to two of the photos pinned up. One was of the man in the photo with Kagome. "He, along with Kisaki Tetta, act as the two leaders of Toman."

"Huh…"

"Your time travel powers allow you to go back twelve years ago," Naoto said. "Since that's the extent of them, we have to manage with what's available to us."

Takemichi looked at him, tearing his gaze away from the filled-out board.

"You will need to go back in time and meet someone," he said. "Kisaki or Sano… You need to meet one of them twelve years in the past and prevent them from meeting. If they never met, then the current Tokyo Manji gang would've never existed. My sister wouldn't die, either," he said. "Additionally… it's highly possible that neither would your sister."

"You mean… it's possible to save both of them?" Takemichi asked, and Naoto nodded.

"Yes."

The thought of saving not only Hinata, but Kagome as well, made a wave of determination flow through him. Before now, he hadn't considered the possibility of being able to save Kagome, but… if she died because of the current Tokyo Manji gang, then, if it never existed, then she wouldn't have gotten mixed up in it all.

"I get it," Takemichi said "But how am I supposed to go back to the past again?"

"You said that you came back to the present when you shook hands with me," Naoto said, and Takemichi nodded. "That might be the trigger."

"A handshake, huh?" Takemichi muttered as he looked down at his hands.

"Takemichi-kun, you saved me back then," Naoto said. "Because of that, I may have become a part of your powers. Are you ready?" he asked.

Takemichi looked up from his hand and nodded. "Yeah."

He wanted to save Kagome and Hinata.

"Sano and Kisaki met in August twelve years ago," Naoto said. "Find one of them and stay by his side, and prevent them from meeting."

Takemichi nodded. "I'll give it a shot," he said.

"You're the only one who can do this," Naoto reminded him as he held his hand out. Those words rang in his head and Takemichi held his own hand out, gripping Naoto's with it.

The contact caused a wave of electricity to shoot through him, just like it did before. The world went dark, and, when he opened his eyes next, he was no longer in Naoto's apartment. Loud shouts slowly cut through the ringing in his ears, and he opened his eyes fully.

Across from him stood someone, posed for a fight. Not just him, but he also was ready to fight. He froze.

"W-Where am I?" he mumbled, questioning himself. A crowd was filling stone steps as if it was an audience to an arena, and they were all shouting for the fight to begin already.

Auroua-chan: A bit longer than the first chapter. I was gonna cut it off a little earlier, but I didn't like that point so much. I feel like this is better.

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~