"Excuse me," Ryota whispered as he knocked on the wooden door before carefully opening it. He stepped into the Rain's bedroom, searched the raven with his gaze before sighing in relief at his sight.

Shuzo's eyes lifted from the book he was reading. He raised an eyebrow, swiftly closing the book and putting it aside as he ushered the teen to come closer and take a seat on the nearby sofa.

"What can I help you with?" he asked, eyes flickering to the horologe opposing him, behind the teen to check on the time. It was quite late already.

Ryota rubbed his left earlobe, silently sitting in front of the Guardian. "I— Tomorrow, whether I can go back or not, it will depend on it," he stated, his golden eyes staring straight into Shuzo's steel-grey ones.

Nijimura creased his brows, merely nodding, he hummed.

Ryota pursed his lips, lightly biting on his lower one, before brushing his hair back. "Then, could you tell me how are the Generation of Miracles, Shogocchi, Taigacchi, and Kaijo's old team doing?"

Shuzo lowered his gaze, not answering. His thoughts lingered on Kagamine's name and the mentioned Kaijou team, he frowned. If Mikaël was seventeen, judging from the date, he didn't think he'd met Kagami yet, nor did he have any reason to be close to the Kaijo basketball club.

He shrugged it off, keeping the strange fact in the corner of his mind for Mika to answer once he was back— well if they ever got the chance to speak that is.

"I don't know what your relationship with them is at your time," Nijimura started, "but I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to know," he pursed his lips. "Only, I hope it will motivate you to give it your all tomorrow," he added.

Ryota frowned, his heart constricted, and he swallowed his saliva. He felt somewhat uncomfortable under the raven's piercing gaze but maintained his composure. He sat straighter as if to show the older man he was ready for whatever he would tell him.

Nijimura's lips momentarily quirked up at the sight before his already dull irises dimmed. "I don't think you are clear on how the Millefiore came to power, after all, my notes barely had the compulsory information," he explained.

"The Millefiore is the result of the Gesso Famiglia and Giglio Nero Famiglia's fusion. But, their ascension to the top wasn't so smooth, at least not as steady as they make it seem."

Ryota rubbed his left earlobe, tilting his head to the side in slight curiosity. Though, it didn't change the fact that he didn't understand the link with the GOM and the others just yet.

"Well, it isn't as much of a controversy as it once was, but the Millefiore was led by ideology. Quite a radical one if I may add, with some serious religious belief to top it all."

Nijimura chuckled, but it wasn't the same light laugh Mika was used to hearing, it was a bitter and self deprecative cry, one full of unrestrained misery. At that moment, though he knew it already in the deepest part of himself, Ryota realized this time had stolen too much for his friend to stay in the light.

"You know, it's a bit similar to our Bratva's organization," he mocked. "But theirs spread beyond their Mafia. They seeded it in the people's mind with some grand actions, and slowly, the roots grew until it became known worldwide."

"They created a cult?" Ryota voiced without knowing it.

Nijimura nodded. "You could say that. Anyway, the fact is, small factions grew in most of the countries, all under the same banner, the White Orchid."

"Those, despite never being officially recognized by the Millefiore or Byakuran for all it mattered, were extremists groups who claimed to spread the truth. All in all, they were a group of brainless fans," he narrowed his steel-grey eyes. "Dangerous ones."

He sighed, ruffling his locks of black as he leaned in his seat. "Well, they were seen as an inoffensive sect. So people didn't see it coming," he muttered, more to himself than to Mikaël.

"They began some terrorist attack. Targetting places of influence or of symbols to show their protest in the face of authority. One of their first move which was buried the quickest is about a fire. It took place in a small kindergarten, they waited until nap time, before spreading some sleeping gas to take care of the adults. Once done, they set fire."

"Of course, the firefighters came as soon as they could, and fortunately, they managed to save the children who had woken up for most of them. As for the caretakers, it wasn't hard to find them. Some of them sustained some injuries of course, but nothing life-threatening came out of it."

Ryota bit his lower lip, rubbing his left earlobe. The foreboding feeling in his guts growing with the seconds. Kindergarten. Caretaker. Fire.

"I like to believe that it was lucky for him to have such a low presence and that they used sleeping gas. After all, he passed before everything went south," he mused.

Ryota clenched his fist. "Tetsuyacchi."

Nijimura hummed, giving a low nod as he leaned forward to take a sip of his drink. "Right, Kuroko-kun was one of their victims. It happened three years ago. At the time, I wasn't clear on his relationship with Mikaël, but realizing the state he went it, I guessed they were pretty close."

Ryota numbly nodded, his golden eyes wide open as he stared at the wooden table in front of him. He knew, he had anticipated it, but hearing it was like a punch to his face.

Nijimura sat his drink on the table, sparing a glance at the teen he frowned, a flash of guilt through his eyes, before resuming. "Anyway, because of these attacks, the White Orchid gained momentum, and many uprisings occurred all around the world. You could compare it to the Arab Spring, but on a worldwide scale."

"As such, those on the frontlines were the civilians of course, but mostly the police force—"

Daiki—

"As such Aomine-kun who was part of the police, was part of them."

—cchi? 

"I think, from the moment Kuroko-kun died, he had lost part of his will to live, he became much bolder. In the end, a guy held some civilians hostages, and he exchanged himself for them. He didn't make it."

Ryota blinked his golden pupils, his lips somewhat curling up as his hands began to tremble.

"As for Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun, and Haizaki-kun, last time I checked on them, they were still alive," he reported, his eyes clearly tired. "They are under the бриз's radar, so we are careful to keep them safe," he paused, a small smile blooming on his face. "After all, it was Mika's order to keep his weaknesses at bay."

"As for the Kaijo team, I don't know about all of them, but I don't think anything has dawned on them. I do not know them well, after all, but last I checked Kise-kun was doing good," the raven minutely paused. Well, of course, the blond head was doing good, a powerhouse was keeping him. For a moment, he wondered whether he should tell the green head, he shook his head, it was better for Mikaël to know everything now, lest he gets caught off guard later.

Ryota nodded in understanding, his brain still overheating from the load of information. He repeated each word the raven had said, engraving them in his mind until he was sure never to forget them—

"Wait," he whispered, wiping his head up to stare into the older's pools of grey. "What about Seijurocchi?" He inquired aggrieved.

Hearing the red head's name, Nijimura's saddened features contorted into a deep frown, thoughts of the blond momentarily forgotten. He scoffed, surprising Ryota who jumped in his seat at the unexpected sound. "Akashi?" He drawled, seemingly disgusted by the way the name rolled of his tongue.

"I honestly can't understand why Mika provided him so much when the boy obviously was different from out old Vice-Captain," he confessed, visibly annoyed.

"Different?" Ryota repeated, not really understanding what the man meant. Why would he be different? Sure, he was during his first year of Senior High School, but after his match with Seirin, he opened his eyes, he—

"Maybe you've yet to notice it, but Akashi, since his last year at Teiko changed," the raven elaborated, a stern look on his face as he thought back on those faraway years of peace.

"He's turned colder, only focusing on victory, victory, and victory. Nothing else matters. What teamwork? So long as he wins, he wouldn't care if he had to sacrifice all of his pawns. What ethics? If it means seizing what he wants, he'll scratch them all!" He raved, suddenly in a bad mood.

"Wait!" Ryota shouted, abruptly standing up from his seat and slamming his hands on the desk. "What about—" he knew he was digging himself a pit. "What about the Winter Cup—" he understood from Nijimura's words that it hadn't proceeded the same way. "Didn't, didn't Seirin win?" but he had to grasp this tiny thread of hope. "Didn't Seijurocchi change after it?" He asked, almost begging the man to tell him what he wanted to hear oh-so-desperately.

Shuzo frowned, pursing his lips. "I do not understand how you can have so much faith in him and Kuroko-kun's ability to beat him," he admitted, a confused look on his face. "But I can assure you that Rakuzan won that year. Much like every other year after that one."

"No, wait, that's impossible," Ryota mumbles, tottering backward before falling on his seat. "It shouldn't have gone that way," he muttered to himself, what seemed to be a crazed look on his face. "He should have lost, he should have—"

"I think," Nijimura cut, preventing the teen from going into a panic attack. "I believe the reasons he didn't lose were his skills, undeniably, but maybe also you," Ryota's eyes widened as he snapped his head to look up at the raven head. "From my understanding, you went to Rakuzan at some point, and after that, the team's tactic took a change for the best, I suppose."

"It was my fault?"

"Anyway, the Akashi Conglomerate throughout the years has flourished becoming even more prosperous. Theis stocks went up, they grew, implementing lots of firms all over the world. They are one of the first groups who joined the Box-Weapon business," he indicated, and Ryota unconsciously reached for the two boxes strapped to his belt.

"And they are also one of the Millefiore's allied company," he finished.

Ryota gaped at the older male for a second before recomposing himself. He unconsciously reached for his glass of water, absentmindedly sipping on it.

Nijimura let the silence settle for a few seconds, also composing his nerves and relaxing his tense shoulders. Why should he get angry at people who weren't here?

"Although it is true the Millefiore and бриз aren't enemies, we aren't allies either. And truth be told, both sides know the peace between us is only a short breather before the battle. Therefore, it isn't much of a secret that the бриз holds some animosity toward the Millefiore," he confessed.

"Our agendas do not align."

Ryota nodded, still processing the information, he slowly stood up. "Than you for your time, Nijimura," he absentmindedly bade with a bow as he made his way to the door.

"Wait," Shuzo called out, halting the green's movement. "About Kise-kun," Ryota stilled, what of him? "Although his situation isn't the same as Ahashi's, his circumstance is a bit different from the others," Mikaël raised a contemplative eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Someone is keeping him," the green's eyes widened in surprise. Someone was keeping him? Who? "Therefore, my data on him may be a bit outdated," Nijimura carded a hand through his black locks. "It's another conglomerate president, they are on par with the Akashi Conglomerate, though they emerged later on you shouldn't underestimate them," he paused. "I don't think they existed ten years ago, or at least they weren't so important."

"Have you heard of Ella?"

Ryota blinked, "Ella," he tested, the name bringing waves of painful memories before he shook his head in denial, his feelings easily hidden behind a veil of loss. "No, never heard of them," though he would look into it once back to his time— if he ever made it.

Shuzo nodded. "That's what I thought," his steel-grey eyes flickered upward to rest on the teen who stood by the door. "If you're curious I put some information on the Ella Conglomerate inside the notebook, of the Akashi Conglomerate too, look through it if you have the time."

Ryota gave an absentminded nod, every word the male said endlessly repeating in his mind.

Shuzo stared at the retreating back, his eyes holding deep sorrow. "Don't dwell on it," he finally called out as the teen put his hand on the doorknob. "Those events, they are in the past, and for you, it's a faraway future. When you go back to your time, you'll be able to change it."

Ryota lifted his gaze from the two shining rings on his hand, flickering it to the raven head behind him. "Yeah," he said, a superficial smile on his face, one that sent waves of pain through Nijimura's heart. "I changed it," he whispered, more to himself than to Nijimura.

The Rain frowned, not totally understanding the teen's words.

What did he change?

::

Ryota laid in his bed, the fluffy feeling of the blanket against his skin. It felt oddly peaceful, but he knew tomorrow this time would end. After all, it was war.

He rolled in the bed, the words of the Rain Guardian replaying in his head endlessly, like a broken cassette.

It was so, so different from his first life. From when he lived as Kise Ryota, with nothing to worry about. That is how he remembers this life. A peaceful one, where everything was safe, everyone happy, all so perfect.

Maybe, they gave him a taste of how sweet life could be in his first try, while the second one served to show him the bitter side of it.

This second life, no matter how one looked at it, it was a curse. Not a blessing, not a chance or anything. It was a trick, played by some unknown entity who relished in seeing his torment. He gripped the sheets under him, easily wrinkling them as he tightened his fist. How horrible, making him hope before crushing his dreams.

But the worst, it would be the butterfly effect his presence had caused. He couldn't say anything about the Millefiore, after all, he wasn't confident enough to claim that he was the reason behind them. He knew his worth. But he hadn't expected his being to change Seijurocchi's destiny. And without a doubt, part of the GOM's too.

He laid on his back, his half-lidded eyes dazedly staring at the ceiling. Maybe, meddling in their affair wasn't right? Perhaps, wanting to take back his former life was a sin? But was it really so wrong to want to find his happiness again?

He didn't know, he wasn't sure anymore. His head turned to look at the bedside table where rested rings and box-weapons. He didn't know why, but he felt a glimmer of hope whenever he saw them.

Right, if he went back to his time, maybe he could change it all?

Make it so that everything went right?

He smiled. How great it would be.

As he closed his eyes, he thought. Perhaps, this "trip" to the future was only a long dream. A warning about how he should act once he woke up.

Thank you for reading, until next time ^^