[ Before, you read, please keep in mind this is my first time writing a one shot. As such it won't be the best but the reason why I wanted to publish this now was because I've had this idea in my mind for quite a while now. And seeing that today my friend Winter_Wanderer has recently published his Date a live book ( check it out, it's amazing ) I thought this was the appropriate time for me to release this too. So , with that said, hope you enjoy the story . ]

     Shido sat with his head faced towards the ground in a crouching position. Even though he had made the necessary preparations, even though he knew that what he was doing was necessary; it still did not make it any less painful. However, time wasn't something that waited for a person to be ready. It moves and a human can do nothing but follow it. As they say , ' Fate leads the willing and drags along the reluctant ' . When he found the truth, he had resolved himself to fate. He wasn't saddened in any manner, at least for himself. However, his family was another question. As such, certain actions were necessary, however painful they may be. He wryly chuckled to himself about his cruel fate. Truly, it seemed that Fate had a bad sense of humour…. 

                       ----------X---------

         The girls had all gathered at the spirits mansion . They were all in a cheerful mood as they were preparing for the party. Tohka was just revived and was thus back with everyone. As a result, all of them were happy. Even natsumi, contrary to her usual nervous and depressed self was excited for it. Miku who was making a note of all the different materials for the party had taken up a holiday especially for today. However, the thing that they were most anticipated for , was that they had decided that during the party, Tohka would be the first to propose to Shido. They had all agreed to share him. And while there was some opposition from many among them in the beginning, they had eventually gotten over it. However, all of them firmly believed that the first person to confess to Shido should be tohka. As such, they had planned everything for today. They were all grateful towards Shido for saving all of them. None of them would be here if not for Shido. As such, they truly did wish to spend the rest of their lives with him. But Fate rarely, if ever cares for the wishes of an individual now, does it ? 

-----------X---------
    

       The music blared up in the room . The various multicoloured lights that decorated the house completely damped out the darkness of the night. Shido had just arrived downstairs. He saw everyone having fun together, origami chatting with Yuzuru, kaguya engaging with mukuro, natsumi shyly chatting with yoshino while trying to avoid miku and kurumi petting her cat in her arms. A small painful smile appeared on his face as he took a moment to trap the image in front of him in his heart. Because after today, this would be the last happy memory that he would have about them. He saw that everyone soon cheerfully greeted him while he just gave them a reassuring smile. Tohka soon approached him in a shy manner. She asked him while being seemingly nervous, " Um, Shido , I wanted to talk to you about something. Can you please come with me for a while ? " Shido while slightly surprised by her request, still obliged and followed her to the balcony on the first floor. 

       With the moon shining beautifully and the stars twinkling along it, they created a beautiful picturesque sky. The others had hidden themselves behind the door and were intently paying attention to Shido and tohka. Tohka ten spoke nervously as she said, " Shido, you were the first person to talk to me, to care for me , to befriend me. If not for you , I wouldn't be here today. So I just want to thank you for all you have done, Shido. However, there was something else that I wanted to say today. Shido, I realized that I truly enjoy the time we spend together. With you , every moment that I have is a happy one. So I just wanted to say this , Shido, I love you….." While everyone was waiting for Shido's response, Shido momentarily paused, before speaking up while smiling and said, " But what gave you the impression that I actually love you tohka ?" 

      Tohka who was surprised and confused by his reply. She tried to say something but only incoherent noises came out since her mind was having a difficulty comprehending the situation. At this , everyone including kotori popped from behind the door as kotori screamed, " Shido ! What the hell are you saying ?! " Shido smirked on seeing them and said, " Oh ! That's great ! Now that all of you are here , that saves me the trouble of looking for each of you ! I wanted to say this for quite some time but see the thing is, I don't actually love any of you. " 

        Upon hearing Shido's statement, all of the girls were equally stunned. Nia , in denial at his words , asked him hesitantly, in a shaky tone, " Now….. S-Shounen , you are just messing with us…right ?  You shouldn't make such jokes you know. Please just tell us you're kidding with us, right ? Right ?" 

      Shido tilted his head slightly as he had a questioning look on his face and said, " Do you still not understand ? I never loved any of you. I was just fooling around . I thought it would be fun. Besides, take a look at yourselves, what makes you think that anyone much less me would love you ? " 

      All of them were shocked and tongue tied at Shido's harsh words. Shido then turned to the yamai sisters and said , " I mean for instance, take a look at you two. You both are nothing more than a nuisance. Maybe letting one of you die on the trip would have been for the best….."  Hearing Shido's response, kaguya who was already on the verge of tears began to weep bitterly. Yuzuru while still had teary eyes, glared at Shido. Shido spoke in a mocking tone as he said, " Oh please, as if glaring at me will do anything. You are no longer spirits, but normal girls. You can't do anything to me ! " Turning to origami, he said, " And then there's you , origami. I mean seriously, you and your creepy obsession with spirits ! Sometimes, I wonder how I managed to tolerate a creep like you..  " 

        He then turned to natsumi and said, " And you natsumi !  You were always right, you know. There's a reason why you have no friends. I mean, who'd even want to be associated with you , certainly not me. " Natsumi's heart broke at his words. She often thought that even if the whole world didn't believe in her , even if she herself didn't believe in her , atleast Shido would be there for her. But now her worldview had completely shattered, right in front of her eyes. Like the other girls present there, she too had begun to sob bitterly. 

          However, Shido had no intention of stopping just at natsumi. Turning to Nia , he said, " And then there's you, Miss. Honjou ! You literally are a disgusting shut in neet otaku ! How can you expect to spend your life with someone when your actions don't let you even qualify as a grown up , you drunkard !" Kurumi, seemingly had heard enough from him, shouted as she said, " How can you be so cruel ?! Toying with our emotions like that, have you no shame ?! " Shido then began to laugh hysterically, only stopping after holding his stomach, as if it was aching after a hearty laugh. He wiped a small tear from his eye and said, " Oh look ! It's the kettle calling the pot black ! You literally are a psychopathic mass murderer ! You have no right to say anything to me !" 

      
       Kurumi only kept her silence as tears flowed from her eyes. Shido had a victorious smirk on his face as he turned to Miku and said, " And then there's you, Miss .Miku izayoi ! You were quite literally a headache for me . Not counting the fact that you sent a literal mob to murder me, do pray tell me what exactly have you done that I may be in love with you ?" Miku held her head down while her tears flowed. She had no response to his question. Shido , however spoke once again and said , " Oh please, stop those crocodile tears . You really are a drama queen through and through, aren't you ? Maybe it wasn't the producer , but rather you yourself who tried seducin- " 

       Before Shido could finish his words , a loud noise echoed through the room while Shido had a bright red mark on his cheek. Kotori who was right in front of him, who had slapped him, had a rage filled expression on her face. She said in a venom filled tone , " Enough is enough, Shido. I kept listening because a part of me still thought of you as family. I thought that maybe you were just delusional and perhaps your ways could be corrected. But you've crossed a line you shouldn't have. Just leave, now !" 

      Holding his cheek, while slightly wincing in pain, Shido replied with a scowl , " Don't worry I'm planning to. I've already booked flight tickets out of Japan, so I won't have to ever see your faces again ! Next time, be a bit smarter  about giving your bank details to others, Miss. Honjou !" Saying this, he took out a travel bag from the corner of the room and stormed out, leaving everyone…..

Timeskip, One month later

         Kotori sat in the dining room. She held her head in frustration. Even after a month had passed since the debacle , none of them had truly recovered. Tohka, the yamai sisters, natsumi, Nia and mukuro had shut themselves in their rooms. They barely spoke, they barely ate anything. Miku had perhaps taken the biggest hit. She had stopped her concerts, she had stopped her contact from everyone. She shut herself in her room and cried for hours everyday until she passed out. She was disgusted at herself for ever considering that man a part of her family. Now that ratatoskr was dissolved, she hardly had anything to help her divert her attention from this mess. While she was deep in her thoughts, she heard the doorbell ringing. She went towards the door and saw her old assistant from ratatoskr , kannazuki in front of her. 

      Kannazuki stood in front of her with a pensive expression. While she was surprised to see him here , she nonetheless invited him in. Once inside, kannazuki spoke in a solemn tone as he said , " Kotori, I decided to get some information about the flights that went out of Japan a month ago with the help of Ratatoskr's connections. I think you should have a look. " Kotori, understanding the situation, scoffed at him as she said, " And why exactly should I do that ? " Kannazuki clicking his tongue replied, " I checked on all the flights. I found that while a reservation had been made under the name of Shido Itsuka, he never boarded the plane . With a little bit of further, digging I found out that he is currently admitted in a hospital in misawa city , right next to Tengu city. " 

       Kotori gritted her teeth and spoke in an angry tone , " And what do I do about that ? And being admitted in a hospital, did that bastard get into an accident or something ? Heh, serves him right ." Kannazuki on listening this slammed his hand on the table angrily. This greatly surprised kotori. Kannazuki wasn't the sort of man who got angry easily. Throughout her entire time as commander, not once had she seen him angry. He then took a moment to compose himself. Kannazuki took a deep breath and then said, " Kotori Itsuka. Just this once I ask this of you , please, for once, you and the other girls to visit Shido Itsuka. I know that you may not be in best mindset as of now, but please, I beg of you, please visit him , before it's too late…." While kotori didn't understand the reason for Kannazuki's behaviour, she could atleast understand that she wouldn't get any more information out of him . As such, the only option she had was to act as he said….

Location : Daiyukai Hospital, Misawa City

        Kotori and the other girls made their way towards the hospital. She had given a brief rundown of the situation to everyone. While it was difficult at first, she somehow managed to convince them to come here. She kept telling herself that she was only here to see that bastard in pain and to mock him . However, she would be lying if she said that a tiny voice in her heart was concerned about him. The group made their way towards the reception in complete silence, without uttering a single word. While there were certainly a few patients there, there wasn't exactly a hustle bustle that one typically expects in a hospital. 

        Reaching the reception desk, kotori politely asked the woman at the desk, " Excuse me, is there a patient named Itsuka Shido admitted here ? " The receptionist immediately got up with wide eyes as she asked kotori hurriedly, " Wait,are you his family ?! " Kotori, slightly caught off guard by her behaviour, replied unsurely, " Erm, Yes." The receptionist hurriedly left the desk and went towards one of the cabins. The door had the name,' Dr Yoshinaka ' written on it . The doctor himself steeped into the reception area and hurriedly asked them ,
" Is it true ?! Are you really the family of Shido Itsuka ?! " Kotori only nodded her head in confirmation, even though she was confused. 

      The doctor let out a sigh of relief as he said, " Thank god. Now please can you give us the contact information of your parents or guardians ?" Tohka was the first to speak as she said, " Can't we first see him ourselves ?" The doctor sighed and said,
" I'm sorry, but I don't think I can allow that. I don't think anyone, much less a bunch of kids deserve to look at and experience these sort of things …." Kotori asked him angrily, " I don't understand what you are saying, but calling a legal guardian here is impossible for us right now. And no matter what, I have a right to meet my brother right now !" 

       The doctor was slightly taken aback by kotori's outburst . However, considering how little time the patient had and the condition he was in , he decided that it was best to let them meet . He then asked them to follow him to the special section. As he was walking, he asked them , " Tell me kid, have you heard of the AST ? " Kotori had a shocked look on her face after hearing this. The doctor on seeing her reaction spoke once again and said, " Judging from your reaction, I assume you know about your brother's job ." Kotori had a confused look on her face. However before she could say anything, the doctor said, " If you're wondering how I know about the AST, the thing is used to be a doctor that worked with them for nearly a decade. I only left them five years ago to have a normal life." 

     Origami asked the doctor with a worried face, " What does that have to do with Shido's condition ?! " The doctor only responded by saying, " Everything, as a matter of fact. Mr. Itsuka is affected by a specific condition only found in AST Wizards. It's known as
' Reirokyu Morior '. You see , the human body was never meant to handle Reirokyu. Humans, especially human males have very low compatibility with it. As such, after prolonged use of realizers, it can result in adverse effects on the body. " 

       Origami was shocked to hear this. As an ex- AST member, she was well aware of this condition. She wondered how Shido could suffer from this inspite of not being a wizard, but she them realized. Shido's body was specifically modified by reine to absorb Reirokyu. However, at his core , Shido was still partly human . It was foolish to think that there would be no negative effects on his body after absorbing it from eleven spirits. 

         Natsumi hurriedly asked the doctor,
" But he'll be fine right ?" The doctor only replied wryly as he said, " I've seen quite a number of wizards suffering through this condition in my career. However, this case is nothing like anything I've ever seen. Even among wizards who have used realizers for decades the worst that happens is for the person to lose an organ or two or loss of some motor functions like walking, talking etc. However, with Mr. Itsuka, he's body isn't experiencing the loss of one organ or even multiple organs. No , he's currently experiencing multiple organ systems failure. He's body is falling apart on a cellular level. I myself stumbled upon him by pure chance when I met him during my visit at my friend's hospital in Tengu city. When I explained the whole situation to him, he asked me for a few days of time. He then showed up at the hospital a month ago. We asked him repeatedly for his family information, but due to his refusal and lack of documents on hand, we got nothing. We couldn't exactly contact the police, since we can't reveal information about the AST to the public, even though it has been disbanded now. " 

        Mukuro asked the doctor in a worried manner, " But you can still save him right ?!" 
The doctor only maintained his silence while walking. Soon they reached a room which had the words , '  Restricted entry for non-staff personnel ' written on in bold letters. The doctor turned to the group and said, " Before going in, I must warn you, it won't exactly be a pretty sight inside. His body has lost many of its systems. His digestive system is almost completely degraded. His circulatory and respiratory system is only able to function with external support. He lost a large portion of his senses long ago. At times the poor child would scream and cry in the night in pain, begging us to put him down. However, as a doctor, my hands are tied. I cannot subject him to euthanasia due to our laws. Still , I can't help but feel pity for him…." 

      The doctor then opened the door and let the group inside. He decided to not enter himself since he believed that they atleast deserved some privacy. As they entered the room, they saw Shido laying on a bed . On his face rested an oxygen mask. However, since his respiratory system was failing, his torso was enclosed in a large cylinder like structure, which was a modified version of the iron lung, a device originally used for helping polio patients to breath. His arms still protruded out of the cylinder. His arms showed exposed bones as his skin was flaking and nearly falling off his flesh. Everyone placed their hands over their mouths after witnessing the horrific sight in front of them. 

                   ( Play the above music )

       Shido's eyes slowly fluttered open. While his eyes were only partially opened, he flashed a gentle smile as he spoke in an extremely slow and tired tone and said, " I see you have finally accepted my request doctor. Still, of all the ways you could kill me, a hallucinogenic drug is the method you use ? But I guess seeing my family for the last time isn't so bad..." 

      With trembling hands , tohka approached Shido and placed her Hand on his forehead and said in a shaky voice , " S-Shido ?"  Soon tears began to flow from Shido's eyes as he furiously shaked his head and said, " No , it can't be. None of you should be here ! I made sure of it . You should hate me . You should all hate me. I ensured that. Why won't you hate me….." 

       He wished to scream , but his body no longer held the strength to cooperate with his will. Soon tears began to flow out of everyone's eyes as they understood the whole situation. Shido never truly did meant any of those words. Perhaps he had already found about his condition and did so that he could distance themselves from him. Kurumi asked him with tears in her eyes, " You idiot. Why did you do something like this …." Shido only smiled with tears as he said, " I didn't want you to be saddened by my death. If you hated me , then even though you would be sad for a while, eventually you would have moved on from me. Maybe I really am a fool…." 

        He turned to Miku and said, " I'm sorry for all the horrible things I said to all of you, especially you , miku. I really didn't mean any of that. I couldn't even make you hate me. What a failure I am…." Mukuro interrupted him as she said, " Don't say stupid things like that ! We won't let anything happen to you ! So please... don't ….don't say such things…."

 Shido only smiled gently while he said,
" Whatever the case may be, I want you all to make a promise to me. No matter what happens, you guys won't do anything stupid to yourself. You have an entire life in front of you. Don't waste it. Don't waste it….."  Nia nearly screamed as she said, " Stop it ! We'll… We'll figure something out ! Like we always have !" Shido let out a dry chuckle as he said , " Real life is quite different from a manga….Nia…."

       Shido then looked up as he said in a somber tone, " You know , I had a dream a few days ago. In it , all of us were having a picnic on the hillside overlooking Tengu city under the cherry blossoms. It truly was a beautiful dream. I really wanted to see the cherry blossoms…." 

         Before any of them could say anything, Shido's breathing became erratic and heavy. Kotori worriedly rushed out of the room to call the doctor. Shido spoke in a fearful tone as he said, " I - I can't…. see…. It's…. getting cold…" Tohka with tears in her eyes held his hands as she said, "  D-Don't worry ! I'm here for you ! " Shido's breath began to slow down as a smile began to form on his face. He replied with teary eyes, " It's so.. warm…. I can feel it… Ah, you know… I always did love all of you….." 

      After that , his arms fell limp. The only sound that accompanied the beeping noise of the machines was the wailing sobs of the girls…..

                     ----------X---------

“Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey, one is always aware that it lies in wait.
Though life is merely a journey to the grave, it must not be undertaken without hope. Only then will a traveler’s story live on, treasured by those who bid him farewell. But alas, now my guest’s life has ended, his tale left unwritten…”