A/N: Hello, readers! Another chapter is here! Enjoy!

unedited

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

╔═══════════════╗

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑,
𝖢𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝖽.

╚═══════════════╝

"HERE IT GOES!" Takemichi charged towards Mikey with his fist raised.

"Come on, Takemitchy!" Chifuyu screamed out.

Takemichi lands a punch on Mikey's face, shocking everyone while doing so.

"He finally beat Mikey to a pulp!" Hakkai exclaimed.

Everyone started cheering 'Toman!' over and over once more.

"You've got some big back." Chifuyu teared up. "Don't make me cry!"

Mikey soon stood up. "... All this fuss over a single punch?" He questioned.

"Come on, come on. Hey, Mikey." Takemichi said.

Mikey soon landed a kick towards Takemichi. "Why did you come back again, Takemitchy? Didn't you see the video message?!" He asked in anger, sending a punch to Takemichi's face.

"Didn't I promise you that I'd protect everyone in Toman and Hina-chan! 'So please leave me alone.' But if you come back... Everything I've done will have been for nothing."

Takemichi sends a punch towards Mikey. "Because I know what I'm doing!" He shouted. "At the end of the day. The darkness inside you is so deep that you can only ask for help at the moment of death... I knew you were suffering from it. That's why I came back."

"I came back to save you."

"What the hell... What is it that makes you suffer so much?" Takemichi then questioned.

"I know that I can't do anything about it." Mikey replied.

"Damn... is he getting faster?" Takemichi wondered.

"What the fuck!? Two years ago, when I went back in time. You weren't like this! What the hell happened? Why won't you tell me anything?" Takemichi asked as he tried to punch Mikey, who dodged.

"I've been trying to figure this out for a long time. I never knew what this dark urge was. I only found out the other day... A few days after the battle of the Three Deities." Mikey spoke.

"Huh!?"

Mikey kicks Takemichi's face, knocking him down. "... I was informed by Wakasa." Mikey continued.

"Huh?"

"'If we were still in the first timeline...' Then... Takemitchy... You wouldn't have gone through all this trouble." Mikey said.

"'The timeline'... What are you talking about?" Takemichi questioned.

"The dark impulse. Born out of love. He was trying to save me. He went back in time to save me." Mikey replied.

"Back in time... What?" Takemichi asked in pure confusion.

"Sano Shinichiro is... a time leaper."

Takemichi could only look at Mikey in shock. "Mikey, your— your brother is the one who... !?" He said in surprise.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

"That's about as much as Shin told me. He protected an unknown boy with the power of time." Wakasa finished.

"I guess it's just cause and effect." Mikey said.

"We're connected. Me, too, a long time ago. And Hina. And Kisaki. We met Shinichiro-kun." Takemichi thinks to himself. "That day was the beginning of my story."

"A couple of days after you gained that ability. Shinichiro died." Mikey said as his words left everyone in shock.

"The 'curse' Shinichiro created by killing the time leaper... that is what my 'dark impulses' are. It affected everyone around him. The same was probably true for Kazutora back then." Mikey continued on.

"The karma that I've carried. This 'dark impulse'... it's eating away at me. Thump, thump, thump. Stronger and stronger. I can't seem to control it anymore. That's why I pushed my friends away. I had no choice but to leave." Mikey finished.

"Mikey-kun..." Chifuyu muttered.

"Jiro-chan..." Keiji mumbled, frowning.

"I feel like... I'm about to go berserk." Mikey said, clenching his shirt.

"You don't have to hold back anymore." Takemichi informed, confusing Mikey.

"Huh?"

"The Second Generation Tokyo Manji Gang... was formed just to save you. So please release your dark impulses with all you've got." Takemichi declared. "I can see the future, so I'll be able to do something about it."

"So! I'm the only one who can crush your dark impulses!" Takemichi continued. "You can let go, Mikey."

"I don't care what happens to you." Mikey said as he was suddenly surrounded by darkness.

"Let's finish all of this!" Takemichi shouted.

Keiji suddenly gets an eerie feeling. "To-chan... The feeling has returned." He spoke quietly, causing his best friend to look at him.

"Jiro-chan and Michi... I have a feeling one of them is not going to make it out alive."

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

"I don't have to worry anymore. I'm done. No more. I'm giving in to these dark impulses." Mikey thinks to himself with a crazed look in his eyes.

Keiji could only watch as Mikey grabbed Sanzu's katana. "Aha!" Mikey shouted.

"My katana!" Sanzu shouted out.

"Takemitchy!" Chifuyu yelled.

"If what he said is true... then what's the point of this fight?" Pah-chin asked.

"Huh?" Mitsuya replied.

"You know... it's a curse, right? How can you beat a curse?" Pah-chin questioned.

"Pah makes a good point." Miyasato spoke up as Keiji hummed next to him. "If we can't save Mikey, then why are we even fighting in the first place?"

Mikey uses the katana and swipes at Takemichi's arm, causing his uniform to rip.

"Hanagaki! I know! You can't erase the curse! Mikey and his dark impulses are inseparable... They are one and the same! I've been following Mikey... as if I were in a trance, how stupid!" Sanzu ranted.

"Shinichiro died because of the curse. And Baji. And Emma. And Draken, too. Everyone that tries to save Mikey from those dark impulses will just end up dying! That's what this curse is! You'll die too, Hanagaki!"

"Shut up!" Takemichi exclaimed.

Both Keiji and Miyasato's eyes widened as they saw the katana striking Takemichi's chest. Takemichi grabbed onto Mikey.

"I won't lose, Manjiro. I'll carry your dark impulses on my back. And if you do something stupid, I'll kick your ass. You are my friend for life." Takemichi spoke.

A drop of blood spilled on the ground. "Friend?" Mikey repeated as his eyes turned back to normal. "Takemitchy?"

"Give me your hand. Mikey-kun. You're the trigger. That's why..." Takemichi said. "I can do it all over again... over and over... I'll... I'll save you."

"Over again? What are you... What are you talking about?" Mikey asked.

"He's back..." Keiji thinks to himself. 

"Over and over again. I will..."

"Hang in there, Takemichi!" Mikey said.

Takemichi drops to the ground. "I'll..." He trailed off.

"Hey! Takemichi!" Mikey shouted as Senju, Kokonoi, and Inui stood in shock.

"Over and over again... back to the past..."

"Enough, Takemichi!" Mikey exclaimed, grabbing onto his hand.

"You and... everyone... will smile..."

"... Takemichi? Hey! Takemichi! Oi!"

"Takemichi!"

Keiji closes his eyes and looks away as he heard Mikey scream out painfully.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long! Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 1101 words.