Gratitude

By : PhantasiaNight

...

Summary

The act of saving a life is not one that is easily forgotten. To go so far trying to save a life repeatedly, is not an act that is readily repayable. But Shido must try. [Vol 16 Alternate Ending]

"Kurumi!"

The boy's voice, laced with concern, rang out in the in the uncomfortably cool air of the sparse room.

Shido Itsuka, brother of Ratatoskr's Commander Kotori Itsuka, Raizen High School student, and lover of Spirits, gently held a girl's body in his arms as he called to her. A year ago, this situation would have been unfathomable to Shido. Since his fateful decision to chase after his younger sister's supposed-stay at a family diner in the middle of a spacequake evacuation, Shido had been placed in more compromising situations with the beautiful Spirits than he could count. He had talked to, charmed and kissed ten Spirits. One would rightfully imagine that had it not been for his modesty, given all the situations he had been placed in, having another beautiful woman in his arms would hardly cause him to blink an eye. But this time was different.

The girl in his arms was stunning. She had sharp, aristocratic features. Her hair, as smooth as silk and as dark as midnight, contrasted sharply against her porcelain white skin. She radiated an otherworldly beauty, ensnaring and captivating all those who looked upon her. A girl of contrasts, her most distinctive features, her right eye the colour of blood, and a golden inorganic clock piece for her left, were hidden behind her eyelids as she seemingly slept.

In his arms, Shido Itsuka held none other than the Spirit Kurumi Tokisaki.

Nightmare.

The Worst Spirit.

As he held her, Shido couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong.

A few hours ago, he'd been on a date with Kurumi. Talking, laughing and eating together, it would have been by any other definition a perfect date for a couple. But it was no ordinary date. Kurumi's confident challenge still echoed through his mind.

'…the one who makes the other fall for them, wins…'

For Kurumi, winning being synonymous with winner obtaining the loser's power. Under those circumstances, one would have forgiven Shido for being cautious and suspicious of Kurumi's motives. She had stood against them before, and openly admitted her desire to devour him and the reiryoku within him. But admittedly, even with that knowledge…he found that he had been enjoying his time with her.

But then, as he intimately held her in the park where he had first witnessed her ruthlessness, her brutal capacity for violence…he had asked her. The reason for travelling back 30 years in time, the reason for wanting to kill the First Spirit, and the reason she desired the power within Shido.

Kurumi's response, as typical of her, was beyond his expectations.

Summoning the short pistol in her hand, she had shot out the autonomous cameras that had been following them the whole day, plucked the intercom that served to connect him to Kotori and Ratatoskr from his ear, and smiled. Like a predator watching their prey.

"Even now, do you still wish to know?" she had posed the question to him. Challenging him. Daring him to step into the abyss.

Isolated against her, he would have stood no chance. Even with the power of ten Spirits, Kurumi was too powerful, too smart to be overcome with sheer force. Rightfully, he should have been fearing for his life.

But another emotion played at his thumping heart.

Kurumi had eluded him since they first met. She'd been teasing, antagonistic at times and yet she still occupied his mind. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her, to understand her, because in his heart, he knew that beyond her cool façade, lay something else. And in the dark clearing, alone with beautiful Kurumi, the Worst Spirit, he took the plunge over the edge.

"Even now, I still wish to know," he confirmed.

And then, together in one of her safe houses sequestered throughout the city, he learned.

About Kurumi, about her past, her regrets, her desires, why she piled up a mountain of corpses to her name. All to right a wrong she had no way of knowing.

At that moment, he felt for her. At that moment, he felt closer to her and understanding her than any other time. More than anything else, he wanted to hold her, relieve her of the burden that she bore. To save her, from DEM, the world, from herself.

Shido didn't want Kurumi to be alone anymore.

"I…" Shido started to speak.

But before he could say anything, Kurumi had already started to speak. Why she couldn't give up on her goal. Why she desperately sought out Shido, to return to school, to go on a date with him. There was no menacing undertone, no teasing lilt to her voice. It was her. Raw, unfiltered, emotional. The girl behind the façade. It had taken a lot to reach this point, where she was willing to share herself with him. She trusted him, Shido realised as he looked at her, seeing a new part of Kurumi that he had only seen once, before it was violently ripped away.

Kurumi was still speaking.

"I know what I am asking," Kurumi said, her head buried in his chest, avoiding his gaze. "…no, what I am demanding. Shido-san's life. I cannot hide that fact."

Determined, she lifted her head, and met his eyes with her mismatched ones. "I cannot give Shido-san what he wants. But, I will offer what I can."

Kurumi took a step back.

"A promise," Kurumi said, before she started removing her clothes. "…that I will give you everything, except my reiryoku."

Shido couldn't help but stare.

Slowly, sensuously, Kurumi's clothes loosened and pooled around her feet. Her blouse, followed by her skirt, revealing more of her pale, smooth skin until she was only dressed in her bra, panties and stockings. Guiding his hand, even those soon followed her clothing.

To say she was beautiful would have not come anywhere near capturing her beauty. Shido's heart was thumping faster and louder than ever before. His head was swimming and unable to form a coherent thought as he took in the sight of Kurumi, nearly naked, slowly approach him, her hand raised.

And then, moments before they touched, the window exploded. Everything after was a blur.

Three girls had hurled themselves with killing intent at Kurumi and Shido. Kurumi had spun around, smoothly drawing her pistol. She fired three times. Three shots, and three bodies were consumed by her shadow. A fourth gunshot with Dalet repaired the damage. It was over in seconds.

Turning back to Shido, Kurumi had tried to smile, to reassure him.

Then she collapsed.

And then, as her clones came out to help, Shido learned the truth.

Of Kurumi's sacrifice. The innumerable times she reset the world to save him, to find a world where he could live. Seeing him killed over and over again, numbing her heart. Fighting, alone, as she always had.

And having finally, finally after much hardship and trial, Kurumi had succeeded. She had found a world where he could live. And she had extended a hand to him, pleaded with him to help her finally reach her goal.

"Kurumi…" Shido said softly as he stared at the girl in his arms.

Crouching opposite to him, Kurumi's clone, the one who had told him the truth, looked at him expectantly.

He lifted his hand and gently, stroked her cheek. Soft, smooth skin greeted his rougher one. His head was still spinning, trying to make sense of the scale of sacrifice that Kurumi had made. There were a million conflicting emotions running through Shido's heart right now as he held Kurumi and stroked her cheek gently. How could he know what to feel? It was impossible for him to even comprehend how much she had done for him. Perhaps, behind her psychotic persona, was a girl as gentle as Tohka and any of the other Spirits.

Shido recalled the names that Kurumi Tokisaki had been given. The Worst Spirit didn't suit her. Nightmare didn't suit her.

No, he couldn't ever think of her the same way again. Her actions had touched his heart in a way that evoked feelings of longing for her. To be with her, to show her gratitude for what she had done.

"Shido-san." Kurumi's clone's voice shook him out of his thoughts as she began to speak.

He looked up at her, as she opened her mouth and –

- a bullet sped past her cheek, striking the wall. Letting out a yelp of surprise, the clone fell backwards.

"Kurumi!" Shido startled.

Kurumi, the real Kurumi Shido held in his arms, had drawn her pistol without them noticing and fired. The pistol fell into her shadow as she dropped it.

Placing a hand on the floor, Kurumi pushed herself up and off Shido's lap, ignoring his cries. She gathered the sheet around her like a robe as she rose, holding it closed with one arm.

"Me," Kurumi glared at clone as she stumbled slightly, holding herself up against the wall. "That was a lot of unnecessary talking,"

Confident she had stared her clone into submission, Kurumi turned back to face Shido who had stood up.

"Please ignore this immature girl, Shido-san", she said, gesturing at the clone, "and please don't misunderstand my actions. If you had died, then it would most certainly have been troubling to my goals." Kurumi forced a thin, cold smile as she spoke.

Silence filled the room for moments as Shido tried to gather his thoughts.

"…Kurumi, I…" Shido started to speak as he took a step closer to Kurumi. He reached towards her.

Kurumi took a step back, twisting away from his hand. Shido thought that for once, she looked vulnerable - a far cry from her usual bold, flirty personality.

She glanced uncertainly, almost longingly, at Shido's hand reaching out to her before looking back up at him. "…I think it is time we went our separate ways. Goodbye, Shido-san. Thank you for taking the time to be with me today."

Kurumi turned away as her shadow expanded underneath her feet, and Shido understood instantly. She was going to disappear.

All the progress that he had made with Kurumi today, the time they had shared, their understanding. All of it was going to be for naught. That worried him, caused his heart to twist painfully. He was closer than ever to saving Kurumi, the one Spirit who had eluded him. Shido didn't want the bridges they had built to be thrown away.

But more than anything, he was scared that if she disappeared now, she would be gone to him forever.

"Kurumi, wait!" Shido shouted as he suddenly bolted for her.

He caught her upper arm holding the sheet around her, moments before she was about to sink into the darkness. Kurumi glanced back. Surprise flitted across her features before she looked down and away from him.

"Shido-san, please, let go," Kurumi quietly said.

She could've wrenched her arm out of his grip. She was a Spirit and despite her appearance, was physically stronger beyond any normal human. It wouldn't have taken any effort on her part to get him to let go. But she didn't.

"No," Shido said, shaking his head. "I can't. I won't. I won't let you go again."

Kurumi turned to look at him, her gaze questioning. His heart sped up again seeing her face and he averted his gaze again. All of the thoughts and feelings that were swirling inside of him came racing out as he hurriedly spoke to her, staring at the ground.

"Kurumi…please… I don't know how I can ever thank you for what you've done. Saving my life, preventing Tohka and the other Spirits from inversing – all of that was thanks to you." He lifted his gaze to meet hers.

"You've been fighting all by yourself since then. I can't even begin to imagine what you went through for me. But I don't want your heart to keep withering away if you keep fighting like this. I don't want you to lose who you are. Please, even if you don't want to be saved, then let us…no, let me, help you." Shido clenched his fist.

Kurumi still hadn't said anything and was still looking at him as he spoke. He had to reach out to her before she disappeared, and he knew of one way, right now, that he could get to her. It was a gamble, a hunch based on the fragmentary feelings that had been transferred to him from Kurumi's memories and his own feelings for her.

"Kurumi, the date we had today was also one of the best that I have had. If everything that we did today, everything that we shared together…" he took a deep breath, knowing he was standing on the edge of the abyss, "If our feelings for each other mean nothing to you, then I will let go."

One more thing he had to say. "Kurumi...I really do care for you. Please, don't make me let go."

Silence again. Shido held his breath as he waited for Kurumi's response.

He saw her shoulders relax, as if a tension had left her body. Finally, her lips twitched upwards in a small smile.

"Ara ara~ Shido-san, what a dangerous confession," said Kurumi.

It felt like a great weight had been taken off his shoulders. Although Kurumi's response was still elusive as ever, Shido couldn't help but smile back as Kurumi's habitual verbal tic came back. His words seemed to have attracted her attention enough to keep her from leaving.

Seeing as Shido didn't say anything yet however, Kurumi let out a soft sigh before continuing. "Assuming that Shido-san does not intend to let me partake of his reiryoku as thanks, then how do you intend to thank me?" She gracefully raised an eyebrow as she spoke. A faint pink blush appeared across her cheeks as she looked at Shido.

Seeing the way she looked at him, despite his strong words before, Shido couldn't help but blush and look away in embarrassment. It was impossible not to, seeing how beautiful (and still naked his mind helpfully reminded him) Kurumi was. As he tried to scratch his head, Shido realised he was still holding onto her arm.

"Ah! Well you see…" Shido trailed off as he let go of her arm to scratch his head.

"Hmmmm?" Kurumi was looking at him expectantly.

"I'll protect you!" Shido declared suddenly as the thought hit his mind.

Kurumi blinked in surprise. "Shido-san?"

"I'll protect you!" he forcefully re-emphasised. "Kurumi, you told me that you were exhausted from saving me. Then…let me protect you, while you rest and recover!"

Now that he had said it, Shido couldn't help but be slightly embarrassed again as disparaging thoughts flooded his head. What was he thinking? Protecting Kurumi in her sleep? How did that even compare to what Kurumi had done for him?

But before he could take anything back…

"Ara ara.." Kurumi smiled as though amused by his words. Shido couldn't tell for certain, but he felt that her tone was more sincere than mocking. "Is that so, Shido-san?"

Shido nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else.

"Ah, my knight in shining armour. Perhaps, I will take you up on that offer. But," Kurumi raised a single finger, "on one condition."

Shido looked at her, waiting.

Kurumi's smile became mischievous as she continued. "That Shido-san stays here with me tonight."

The simple request caused Shido's brain to temporarily stop functioning. He tried to make sense of what Kurumi had just asked.

"Huh? Stay..? With you?"

"That was my request, no?" Kurumi's smile didn't waver. "Shido-san did promise to protect me…how else would Shido-san plan to keep his promise?"

Kurumi gave a slight giggle as she continued.

"Surely, I would be able to rest very well tonight, knowing that Shido-san is looking over me..."

Backed into a corner by his own declaration and hemmed in by Kurumi's expectant gaze, Shido realised he had no choice but acquiesce to her request. Somehow, Kurumi had regained control and turned the situation on its head in her favour again. Or at least, that was what he thought. It was easy to feel like he was dancing in the palm of her hand every time they talked and pitted wits against each other. This time was no different.

He had to admit to himself though, that the thought of staying with Kurumi caused his heart to beat faster…until Kurumi spoke again.

"Unless of course…Shido-san has plans to ravage poor, fragile me while I rest, defenceless and at his mercy?" Kurumi raised her free hand to her mouth as if feigning shock, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"What?! O-of course not!" he exclaimed.

"Ara, how disappointing."

Shido gaped in disbelief at Kurumi as she giggled again. "So, is that a yes, Shido-san?"

At this point, Shido's mind was in no way able to fully comprehend what was happening. Kurumi had run mental circles around him, twisting his words and dropping a few choice sentences that elicited images of a barely-clothed Kurumi, twisting and lying helpless beneath him…

Shido blushed as he furiously forced those images out of his head, trying to refocus.

"Yes…to what?" he asked carefully.

Kurumi's smirk grew wider as she left the question open for his interpretation. Seeing as she wasn't about to offer any clarification, he swallowed his nerve.

"…I'll stay with you tonight," he confirmed.

"How wonderful," Kurumi's smile softened. "I'm very grateful to you, Shido-san. Please take care of me."

Kurumi started to walk to the bed before she suddenly stumbled.

"Kurumi!" Shido rushed over to her side, alarmed. He grabbed hold of her arm, supporting her and trying not to let the sheet still covering her naked body slip. "Here."

"Ah, thank you Shido-san," Kurumi said as he began to support her back to the bed. "It looks like my anaemia has flared up again…"

Both of them smiled, remembering their first meeting back at school. How Kurumi had used that same excuse as she held onto Shido's hand.

"It's not a problem," Shido said as they reached the bed. He turned around, embarrassed, as Kurumi unwrapped the sheet from herself and slid into the bed. Hearing the covers rustle as she settled herself into the simple but comfortable bed, he turned back to face her. "Well, please rest now. I'll protect you tonight."

"Ah…it makes a girl's heart flutter, to hear words such as that. But Shido-san…" Kurumi propped herself up her elbow, her hand supporting her cheek as she titled her head to look at him. "Aren't you cold?"

"Eh?"

As if Kurumi's question had some prophetic effect on the world, Shido suddenly shivered in the cool air of the room. Their situation before had been so tense he hadn't been paying attention to the ambient temperature.

"Ah…I'll be okay. The important part is that you rest, Kurumi," Shido tried to reassure her.

Kurumi apparently, wasn't buying any of his excuses.

"It won't do at all…Shido-san is the guest in my room…" Kurumi trailed off, as she suddenly grabbed the edge of the cover and lifted it.

"Ku-Kurumi!" Shido spun around at a speed enough to impress a ballerina, blushing. He heard Kurumi laugh behind him.

"It's okay Shido-san…you can turn around."

He gingerly turned around, and almost sighed in relief when he saw that Kurumi had lifted the covers, but not enough to expose her body underneath. She had an expectant look on her face again, the covers clearly open in invitation.

"I wouldn't want Shido-san to catch a cold in this weather…please?" Kurumi suddenly gave him her cutest, most pleading look.

It worked.

It was as if the elements had conspired together. The cold air in the room, plus Kurumi's devastatingly effective pleading expression, persuaded him of the decision.

"Al…alright…" Shido muttered.

Kurumi's beaming expression was the same of a child seeing their presents under the tree at Christmas.

Closing the distance to the bed, Shido very carefully slid inside, Kurumi blushing and turning to face the wall as he entered the bed. Shido saw a flash of unblemished, porcelain skin before he pulled the covers over them.

The bed was small, and not intended to accommodate two people comfortably. Not-quite-touching, Shido was very aware of Kurumi's presence in the bed. He had left his pants on, if only for his state of mind, and to prevent Kurumi from having another angle of attack. But after standing in the cold February air for so long, even if it was less pronounced in the room, the atmosphere beneath the cover, warmed by Kurumi's body, was like heaven. With the comforting presence of another body close by, it became Nirvana. He wouldn't have traded places with a king at this point.

"Are you comfortable, Shido-san?" Kurumi asked, interrupting his thoughts as she twisted around slightly to look at him with her scarlet eye.

"Ah, very comfortable Kurumi. Thank you."

Kurumi smiled while facing him. A genuine, happy smile. The sight, combined with her pale, exposed shoulder, caused Shido's heart to jump into his throat.

"I'm glad," she said, turning back.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence. Shido was close to drifting off into sleep, lulled into a sleepy state by the combination of the cold air outside, the warmth inside the covers, and the presence of Kurumi, which, as odd as it sounded given that she had professed to still wanting to consume him, was oddly comforting.

This was suddenly disturbed as he felt and heard the sheets rustle, and a warm body press against his chest.

"Eh?!" Shido raised his head in alarm.

There was no mistaking it. Kurumi had nestled up against him, her back against his chest. Shido's head spun. Again. The gravity of the situation weighed down on him.

He was currently cuddling with Kurumi. The most dangerous Spirit, the worst Spirit. Perhaps the most gentle Spirit. She was snuggled comfortably against him. He had no idea what to do in this situation – apart from secretly enjoy the sensation.

Tohka and the others would be upset with him.

Kotori would kill him.

Feeling guilty (But to who? The other Spirits? Kurumi?), Shido was about to do something, say something, anything when –

"– Shido-san…" Kurumi murmured softly. So quietly, that he almost didn't catch it.

He heard her exhale, her shoulders rising and falling rhythmically. She was fast asleep. But she was still thinking about him.

Shido couldn't help but smile. As dangerous as she was, right now, Kurumi seemed so far removed from the Spirit that had been given the moniker Nightmare.

He was closer than ever to her.

It wasn't such a bad thing, he decided.

"…sweet dreams, Kurumi," Shido whispered, before settling down into the pillow and letting sleep take him.

"Shido-san. Shido-san."

The voice was gentle, seductive and as clear as a bell.

Still half-asleep, Shido grumbled as he lazily opened his eyes. His bed was so comfortable in the cold mornings, his chest oddly warm, a sense of fulfilment flowing through him as he hugged something warm and soft against him…

He blinked. Sunlight filtered through the room. The sounds of a city coming to life faintly came through the walls.

But more pressingly, his vision was filled with someone else's silky black hair. A pleasant, feminine scent pervaded his sense of smell. And the voice breathed close to his ear, sending pleasurable shivers that had nothing to do with the cold running down his spine.

"Ah…" He remembered. He had fallen asleep with Kurumi.

"Good morning, Shido-san." Kurumi's faced appeared suddenly in his vision as he turned his head.

"Kuru – mph!" His shock was suddenly muffled when Kurumi leaned down on him, preventing him from moving as her hand muffled his mouth.

"Ah ah ah, please Shido-san, don't make any sudden movements…me is still asleep, after all," Kurumi winked at him. Confused, he glanced over at the Kurumi sharing the bed with him.

Her shoulders were still rising and falling softly. But more than that…

One of his arms was numb after resting his head on it, but the other was draped over Kurumi's stomach. He could feel her soft skin against his arm and her shapely rear was pressed against him, wreaking all sorts of havoc with the teenage boy's head. If he wasn't already being held down, he probably would have leapt out of the bed in shock. Kurumi, or at least her clone, certainly wasn't helping the situation, and more than anything else, appeared to be enjoying his panic.

"Ara ara, did Shido-san enjoy the feeling of my body last night?"

"Mmph!" Kurumi's hand muffled his half-hearted protests of his innocence.

She giggled softly. Not loud enough to wake Kurumi, the real Kurumi, but enough for Shido to hear. His face flushed a bright red as all sorts of thoughts and feelings went through his head.

"It's okay…me doesn't mind either…" Kurumi's face flushed slightly pink as she played the role of the innocent maiden perfectly.

The panic and being forced to breathe through his nose was probably not helping his situation. Noticing, Kurumi lifted her hand from his mouth as she cautioned him against sudden movements with a smile.

As he calmed down, he suddenly remembered something.

"Kurumi, Ratatoskr, Kotori…they'll be looking for me. They must be so worried – I have to talk to them!" Since he was on a date last night with Kurumi, and he hadn't made any contact, they must've assumed the worst…

Kurumi's clone still didn't move however. "Please don't fret, Shido-san. While you were sleeping last night, we took the liberty of informing Kotori-san about the situation. You don't have to worry at all."

"Situation?!"

"Nothing that would ruin Shido-san's reputation, I assure you." A hint of mischief sparkled through the clone's eyes. "…at least, any more so than it already is."

He sighed as the clone lifted herself off him. No matter how Shido looked at it, it was undeniably Kurumi.

Seeing as there was nothing else he could do, Shido's mind began to wander, and quickly settled on the other aspect of his situation. Namely, the fact that Kurumi was still cuddled into him, and their relationship.

He had meant what he said last night to her. There were some particularly strong feelings for Kurumi that he couldn't put a name on. Did he love her? Did she love him? How did it feel, to love someone?

All of these questions went through Shido's mind. Love was everywhere, on TV shows that Yoshino loved to watch, the movies he had seen, books and magazines…but for him, what really was love? He had dated ten Spirits. Without a doubt, he cared for all of them. He loved them like he would his family. There were some obvious differences from that though. He dated them, to show them the world, to get them to open their hearts. But Kotori herself had said so. It wasn't necessarily to make them love him, but at least, to reach the point where they would accept him and a kiss from him.

But Kurumi had always been different. He'd been terrified by her at first. But his failure to save her the first time they met had been plaguing his thoughts and regrets ever since. Her face came up all the time, even in his dreams. If love was judged on the number of times he thought of someone, he would undoubtedly have been in love with Kurumi.

No matter the case, now that he knew what Kurumi had done for him, even if it was with suspicious intentions, he would definitely have to re-evaluate their relationship…

A yawn suddenly brought Shido out of his thoughts as the figure in his arms began to stretch. Slender arms poked out of the covers, accompanied by another yawn. A scarlet eye lazily stared at him.

Kurumi was awake.

"Good morning, Shido-san." She didn't seem bothered at all by the situation. Then again, she was the one who had all but dragged him into bed with her.

He really should let go. They were holding each other more like lovers than a boy and a Spirit who had challenged each other to fall for them first. His natural inclination was towards modesty, which currently was as far from accurate a description as it could be for their current situation. But for some reason, he didn't, or couldn't, feel like letting go of her. Kurumi also didn't seem to want to change their situation, turning around to face him properly.

"Ah- good morning to you too, Kurumi."

Kurumi let out a soft laugh as she tucked her head against his chest. "It really is a good morning when I get to see Shido-san's face when I wake up."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, Kurumi enjoying the sound of his heart beating as the city continued to wake up around them.

Shido was the first to break the silence. "Hey, Kurumi…"

"Mmm." Kurumi nodded in response, which he felt more than he saw.

"What happens now?

There was another moment of silence, before Kurumi sighed wistfully.

"I suppose there is no point hiding it now. Not after me told you everything," she said, looking up at him. "There is the matter of DEM. They are still seeking to kill Shido-san. That cannot be allowed. I still need to secure a future where Shido-san continues to survive."

Kurumi sat up and slid past him off the bed, pulling the covers around her even as Shido turned around in embarrassment. Taking a few steps towards the middle of the room, Kurumi dropped the sheet even as her shadow suddenly rose up and engulfed her. Shido couldn't really look away. The Spirits had always looked spectacular whenever they summoned their Astral Dress. The shadows slid away, leaving Kurumi clad in her characteristic vermillion and black Astral Dress.

"Given how they attacked us last night, it is a surety that DEM is still searching for Shido-san," Kurumi said as she spun around to look at him. "Kotori-san has already been notified of your absence last night. It is best if you go to her now."

"And what about you?" Shido stood up. "DEM wants to capture and kill or cause the Spirits to inverse. They'll be looking for you too!"

Kurumi smiled. "Ara, ara. How sweet of you Shido-san, to be so concerned for my safety." She waved him off as he started to say something. "I'll be fine. You should go now Shido-san. It is no longer safe here." She started to turn, likely to disappear into her shadow again.

It was all too reminiscent of last night. If he wanted any chance of doing anything, he would have to stop her again.

"Kurumi, wait!" His shout caused her to raise an eyebrow.

"Don't go. Come with me instead," Shido hurriedly said, extending his hand out to her. Kurumi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Kurumi, I mean what I said last night. I want to save you. I want to protect you. I want to be with you, even if that means I have to face DEM head on. But with you, we can take on DEM together. Me, you, Kotori, the other Spirits, Ratatoskr…all of us. It's not just your fight Kurumi. We'll fight with you."

He knew there was one other thing which had to be addressed. Kurumi's goal.

"When we resolve the problem with DEM neatly, then there's one more thing. No wait, sorry, two more things that I have to finish with you, Kurumi. I will take you on the date again. Not to make you fall for me, but to celebrate. And then Kurumi, let's work together. To help you achieve your goal, of creating the better world. I promise."

It was as if they were standing on the school rooftop again. Only this time, Shido was looking at the real Kurumi. For once, he seemed to have caught her off-guard enough to cause her usually-aloof composure to drop – she was biting the corner of her lip as she looked between his hand and his eyes.

So close.

"It'll be okay, Kurumi," Shido encouraged her to take that tiny last step, smiling warmly at her.

Kurumi had wondered what her clone thought when Shido had extended his hand to her on that fateful day. What kind of words which must have touched her heart, enough for her to forget her goal. What kind of words which caused her to choose a handful of memories over her life. But now, looking into Shido's earnest expression, hearing his conviction to protect her, to save her, to help her, and as silly a notion as it was, she couldn't help but feel her own heart flutter and speed up.

How nice it would be, Kurumi thought. To be accepted. To not be alone anymore.

Shido would keep his promise. She knew that.

After seeing him die more than two hundred times, after resetting the world more than two hundred times, Kurumi looked into the eyes of the boy who had captured her heart.

All she wanted was to be held by that hand again, to be carried into that warm future.

In their game where the loser would forfeit their everything, she had lost. But maybe, she had gained something much more than she could have imagined.

Kurumi rarely hesitated, having plans upon plans. But everything that had happened since last night had thrown her off, placed her in the rare situation where she was on the defensive. Yet despite this, this time there was no hesitation. Perhaps she already knew what she wanted to do.

She lifted her own hand, and gently placed it in his. His fingers wrapped around hers.

"Then show me, Shido-san. Show me how we can create a better world."

Shido's smile was genuine, brilliant. She would follow him, Kurumi decided.

They left together, out of the room and the building, leaving behind a past, and walked into a future.

The sun was shining, warm and bright. Shido squeezed Kurumi's hand reassuringly, and then looked at her, meeting her gaze.

"Then let's go. Together, Kurumi."

THE END