Note:
(This is a "what if" scenario, which takes place right at the end of season 4 in the anime, or end of volume 16 in the light novel, where Kurumi asks Shido to sacrifice his powers and life for her quest of the lifetime)
...
"...And that's the truth. You've been saved by [Me] 204 times, each instance a journey to the past facilitated by the 6th bullet."
While Kurumi was just waking up, she saw one of her clones, Eyepatch Kurumi, talking to the guy that meant everything to her.
Jealousy knotted in her stomach as she listened to her clone reveal actions taken on her behalf—actions neither consented to nor known by her.
Poom!
"!?"
A gunshot echoed abruptly, her bullet embedding in the wall. The sound startled the pair like a wife catching her husband in the act of infidelity. Kurumi's face flushed crimson, her most embarrassing secrets laid bare before her crush—or so it felt.
"It sounds like you enjoyed your little chat while I was busy sleeping, [Me]."
She held her hand still in the air, the flintlock emitting smoke from firing a shot.
"I only helped you so I don't lose all the Spirit power you've sealed thus far."
Kurumi looked away while saying that, making herself look like a typical Tsundere girl.
"Yeah, I get it..."
The boy in question replied.
"Let's leave it at that for today, until next time."
Kurumi covered her naked body with the blanket, getting up from the bed and summoning a shadow beneath her.
"Wa...Wait! Kurumi!"
Shido shouted, refusing to let her leave like that.
"I'm ready."
"...Pardon?"
Shido put a hand on his chest, yelling behind her.
"You may take all of my powers!"
"What in the seven depths of hell are you saying, Shido-san."
Kurumi snapped and turned around, her eyes covered by her hair bangs.
"... .but I want to hear your TRUE feelings for me before that."
"!?"
Kurumi felt her heart skip a beat, taking a step backward. But due to the shock, she loosened the grip on her blanket, resulting in it falling down, revealing her delicate and flawless body completely to him.
Despite the accidental reveal of the girl's most precious possession, she did not try to cover her sensitive parts, simply standing there as he looked away a bit.
It wasn't the first time she showed her nude body to him. In fact, she had done it just 30 minutes ago.
"Here..." To her surprise, Shido walked toward her, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her. "...a well-mannered lady like you shouldn't expose your beautiful body like that."
"Shido-san?"
Kurumi was completely taken aback, her skin felt the warmth of his jacket, turning slightly redder as the seconds went by. It was a foreign feeling for her, as she had never worn clothes that a guy had worn before.
"Ara ara, this is so romantic~"
However, an unwelcoming voice sounded off. Apparently, Eyepatch Kurumi was admiring the scenario with both hands on her cheeks, shrieking like a little girl in love.
"S...Stop that!" Kurumi exclaimed, flustered. She then whirled to face Shido. "Do you truly understand what it means when I devour your powers?"
"I do," Shido replied, his voice steady. "I will die and cease to exist."
"Then why..." Kurumi began.
"Because I have faith in you!" Shido interrupted, his hands clasping her shoulders. "I believe you can alter history and correct everything. As you said, if you prevent the Spirit of Origin from emerging, the Eurasia Disaster won't claim any lives, and my death will be undone as well."
It's still not guaranteed,
Kurumi thought, skepticism shadowing her hope. Even she doubted the certainty of her predictions, despite their past efforts to change history. This was far more significant than any minor incident they had altered before.
Nevertheless, she had to try; after all, this was what she strived for.
"If you really made up your mind, then we shall begin ... .Huh?"
Kurumi said, but to her surprise, she found herself stuttering, and tears strolled down her cheeks unbeknownst to her.
"There, there, do you dread my death that much?" Shido asked gently, brushing the tears from her cheeks.
"What the..." Kurumi felt the warmth of his fingers, making her blush more and more.
"You need to be honest with your feelings, [Me]," Eyepatch Kurumi interjected. "If you won't, I will."
Hearing those words, Kurumi's face became crimson red. She tried to scold the mischievous clone, but found herself unable to. Sighing in defeat, she looked Shido in the eyes, her lips trembling.
"Shido-san...I...I've..."
The boy in question stood there silently, waiting for the girl to finish.
"I've always loved you!" Kurumi confessed, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions.
"Why did you protect someone as unforgivable as me?" she continued, her intensity growing with each word. "You're giving me a chance to rectify my grave mistake, fully aware that it could mean your death. Why? I even offered you my body, yet you refused. Why?"
Kurumi continued to shout, tears overflowing uncontrollably, but her words were interrupted by a loud exclamation.
"Because I love you too!" Shido declared, pulling Kurumi into his arms, his voice firm and unwavering.
"You have saved me 204 times, knowing that I am weak in combat. No girls should fall in love with someone as weak as me, yet you did. All I have in me is 'gentleness', which is a useless trait in a dog-eat-dog world, yet you appreciate me."
"Listen, I know it's cruel for Tohka, Kotori, Yoshino, Origami, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Natsumi, Miku, Nia, Mukuro, and many others that care for me, but I don't want to continue living like this! I get killed by the DEM no matter what! So why not let me, just let me, contribute my powers to you? You will rewrite the world and make everything alright, so please...let me give you my powers!"
Saying all that, Shido's embrace tightened up, almost making Kurumi's body fuse with his.
Eyepatch Kurumi simply watched these two, her own chest feeling tight as well. She wanted to cry, but she held herself back.
"I see... any last request before we get started?"
Kurumi spoke first.
"I'm ready when you are."
Shido replied softly.
"Please, at least let me kiss you in gratitude," Kurumi pleaded.
"That's impossible—it would seal your powers," He responded, his tone tinged with regret.
"Is that so? How cruel, Shido-san," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"It pains me to deny you, but you are the kindest person I've ever known," he admitted, her voice cracking slightly.
The couple clung to each other, unwilling to break their embrace. They pressed closer, the intensity of their contact bordering on painful, yet neither wanted to let go.
"Actually, I do have one request, Kurumi," Shido said, releasing her from the embrace.
"What is it, Shido-san?" Kurumi asked, her voice steadying.
"May I hold your weapons for a moment?" he asked, pointing to her flintlock.
"That's all?"
Kurumi asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. Despite the gravity of the moment, she couldn't help but smile. It was just like him to find solace in something so mundane.
She conjured another flintlock, slightly smaller than the first, and handed both to Shido. He took them, adopting the stance of a soldier preparing for battle, aiming at the wall.
The gothic lolita girl couldn't help but giggle, charmed by the playful bravado he displayed. Yet, as she laughed, tears blurred her vision—emotions she hadn't anticipated welled up unexpectedly.
Swiftly, she turned away, wiping her tears discreetly. Meanwhile, Shido traced something on the handle of one flintlock with his finger. Eyepatch Kurumi, witnessing this, gasped in surprise at the message.
"I'm ready, let's do it," Shido declared, handing the flintlocks back to Kurumi, catching her off-guard as she dried her eyes.
"I'm ready, let's do it."
Shido returned the two flintlocks to Kurumi, which startled the girl that just secretly wiped her tears.
"I see. It's come to this, then," Kurumi murmured, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She stepped closer to him again.
"Please close your eyes; it will be painless if you don't see what comes next," she whispered, her voice soft but filled with an undercurrent of finality.
Kurumi summoned a shadow beneath Shido's feet, which started crawling up toward his legs.
"Yeah, that's a relief."
Shido smiled as the shadow enveloped his thighs.
Suddenly, he felt something soft against his right cheek. It was a bit moist, which gave him a tender feeling.
"Sorry I can't kiss you on the lips, so this is the best I could do."
Kurumi said apologetically.
"I will have your lips in my next life then!"
He laughed as the shadow enveloped his waist.
Seeing the shadow getting closer to his chest, Kurumi felt her own chest hurting so much that she had to gasp onto it. She tried to find words, but nothing came out.
"I guess this is it, I will see—"
—Abruptly, Shido's face was turned to the left, and before he could react, he felt soft, moist lips pressing against his.
"Hmm!?"
Shido opened his eyes, and saw that Eyepatch Kurumi was kissing him!
"[Me]!?"
Kurumi was shocked, not knowing what to do when she saw her past self stealing her man's lips right in front of her.
"Hmm, so that is what a real kiss feels like...I love it..."
Eyepatch Kurumi slowly parted her lips from Shido's, their saliva connecting with a silver string before snapping. She touched her own lips dreamily, and she showed a satisfied smile. Light particles began to glow around her body, yet her expression remained fearless.
"Thank you, Shido-san... I'm truly happy to have given you both my first and my last kiss," she said, her voice soft and full of mixed emotions.
"Kurumi!"
"[Me]!"
In a few seconds, Eyepatch Kurumi's body dissolved in particles, disappearing in the air.
But at this time, the shadow had been moving on its own, and right after Eyepatch Kurumi's disappearance, it had enveloped Shido's head as well.
"Kurumi, you really are the gentlest person ever." These were his last words to her, spoken with a gentle finality.
"Shido-san!"
But it was too late, the work of the shadow was done, and before Kurumi could react, it flew toward her body and merged within her!
—30 minutes later —
In a world where time itself was a twisted tapestry, Kurumi Tokisaki, the Spirit known for her mastery over time manipulation, had once made a fateful decision that would haunt her for eternity. It was a decision that cost her dearly, plunging her into a deep abyss of regret and despair.
The memory of that moment played like a haunting melody in Kurumi's mind, a constant reminder of her irreversible actions.
"I'm ready."
Stop...
"You may take all of my powers."
Stop...
"...but I want to hear your TRUE feelings for me before that."
STOOOOOP!
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. However, it was futile since her crystal pearl-like tears overflew, strolling down her flawless cheeks.
Crossing the fence, Kurumi sat on the outside of the railing. She examined the view of the Tengu city as she felt the cool breeze against her body.
Looking at the serene night view, Kurumi's eyes were filled with deep feelings of melancholy.
In order to travel back 30 years in time, to kill the Spirit of Origin that was responsible for all the tragedies and catastrophes, she left her parents behind, forsook her own identity, and even carried the burden of killing over 10,000 people, to the point of pouring all her time and effort into fulfilling such an impossible quest.
[It seems that...I am too late...]
Speaking of the devil, a phantom-like figure appeared out of thin air, bringing Kurumi's senses back to reality.
"What's done is done, and you can't stop me!"
Taunting the newly arrived guest with a mad smile, Kurumi held her flintlock and pressed it against her head. At the same time, a giant clock appeared behind her. It was [Zafkiel], the Angel that manipulated time itself, and now it was utilizing its powers to full scale.
"12th Bullet, Yud Bet!"
With a loud gunshot, the girl who shot herself in the head was nowhere to be seen.
...
A/N:
Greetings, everyone. Hope this story finds you well :)
I have been so busy with real life recently, dealing with midterm studies and club activities. Also, I crack my brains too hard whenever I try to update my "Shido's Escape from this Dangerous World", so now I have decided: Why not open up a new short story for a change of pace?
Hopefully I will perform better when I have multiple stories intertwined.