Chapter 1 If Only The Hands of Time Could Rewind (1)

Shiho

Why? Why!? She watched as her blade slid through his chest...She did not want this. She had been aiming for his shoulder, but a slight mistake had impaled him through the heart.

He stood there and in all his glory, with the tattered remains of his scarred and broken body, he slowly looked up, in his dark eyes, all she could see was bitterness and acceptance, and most of all, there was a hatred that had never been directed to her now staring at her straight in the eyes.

His words left slowly at first, his former kind and caring voice carrying the hatred and loathing he had. She stared idiotically, suddenly, she heard the man speak, so slowly at first and so softly, that it was incoherent.

“I sh..ld... have e...ver... fa...en f..r some...one as ...old hear... as you...”

She didn’t know what he had said, but  she felt it, the twisting and pain in her insides. In her heart as if someone had grasped it tightly, she felt the pain of a million needles. Without knowing when, she had started crying loudly as she watched him fall, realizing he would never rise again.

It was the end, the demon king had been slain, but she did not feel the happiness that should have overcome her. Instead, she could only stare with the tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the broken form of what had been her childhood friend.

As she stood before the mangled corpse, there was only one thought in her mind. 

‘What...just what did he say...?”

———-

They were welcomed warmly as they passed the city gates. Everywhere they went, people smiled and cheered with happiness. Seeing this made Shiho wonder, 

‘....did we make the right choice after all? ‘

Losing him was painful, that she couldn’t deny. But if she was able to bring smiles to everyone else, then, she concluded, at the very least she should feel a fraction as happy as well.......right?

‘If only reality were that simple’

Instead of the satisfaction of saving people she should have felt, she clutched her chest at the feeling of emptiness. Anger, sorrow, joy, she felt nothing, still fully unable to comprehend what happened.She couldn’t shake off the look she saw in his eyes as he died. At the moment of his death, she felt a link somehow snap between them. She smiled bitterly.

‘...what exactly went wrong?’

——

She stayed holed up in her room for days, despite everyone else-even Reizo attempting to get her to respond, she remained stone-faced. She sat in her room, rewinding back to that moment, the moment a part of her life had been erased for good. With free time after fulfilling the quest to kill all the Demon Kings, she found herself with a rare chance to ponder. 

She thought back to all the times she shared with him, attempting to find some way to at least remind herself of his presence. In all her memories, they were so innocent and happy, just when had that all changed? She began to think, she had never seen him smile after their fight. She stared soullessly at the ceiling, recalling everything; the fight, the blood, the bitter pain, and soon, she thought no more. Desperate to distract herself, she decided to take a walk for the first time that week.

As she stepped outside, the cheer and joy that had not yet dissipated greeted her. 

“The Demon King? What an idiot, he should’ve just surrendered.”

“I know right? But at least that abomination is gone!”

“The mazoku had it coming, damn monsters. “

“...”

There, she was met with the sound of disdain and ridicule for her fallen friend. Shiho clenched her teeth, using all her willpower to stop the urge to cut the men down where they stood. Pausing for a moment, she found it unbearable to continue, and instead, she ran. 

Past the city gate and for what felt like an eternity, she ran and ran, no clear destination and with an urgency like her life depended on it. She ran through the forest, ignoring the cuts and bruises she received as she rushed through the environment. Eventually, the lone swords-woman froze, finding herself at the door of a dark castle. Looking up, she recognized it as his home...Kuroko’s. 

After a brief pause and a moment of contemplation, she made her choice. With a deep breath she pushed the gates open and entered. Desperate to find any trace left of his existence, she searched.

——-

Tirelessly, she searched. Ignoring the pain of her joints and the screams of her body in protest, she continued onwards, determined and desperate for answers. 

Eventually, she entered what she assumed to be his room. There, she froze once more. On the desk lay a book with the faint title “Diary” in Japanese. She gently picked up the book. In the world she had been summoned to, only her party and Kuroko came from Earth...she came to the realization that this was his diary. She looked at it for a period of time, her grip on it ironlike. Silently, she made her decision. Setting it down from her embrace, she began to read slowly.

...........

In the dark room, a faint sob could be heard. Reading the contents, she began to shake. With tears threatening to spill from her eyes, her shaky hands desperately held onto the book for dear life. There, as she read the last reminder of his existence, her dried up heart began to rekindle.

Author’s Note

Sorry for the late update, it was Final’s Week for me. I will try getting more updates in, but I don’t know if this story will be any good though, this is my first time writing and all. Also, sometimes it might take me a while to release since my laptop is kind of broken and I type it with my phone. Thank any of you who read this for taking the time to read the writing of an amateur.