Back to normal timeline:
"You look good in red." Baji said in a old memory of Maria's as the two were out shopping and Maria was trying out new clothes.
"And you look good in blue. Perhaps in the future festivals we can wear matching kimonos together." Maria says as Baji smiles back at her.
"Yeah!"
Maria was wearing a red kimono as she recounts the old memory. She had thought that she saved Baji once, he would never be killed again.
Seems like she was wrong.
It was December 31st, 2005.
Maria tied her obi to herself as it reminded her of the moment where Baji would tie her sash onto her uniform. Well, he's no longer here to do it.
Emma had colored her nails red and done her hair earlier and left for the festival with Draken and Mikey. She wanted to be left alone.
Maria bends down to pick up her red umbrella as she leaves to step out of the house. There was still some light snow.
"Stay safe, Maria." Her grandfather tells her as Maria nods her head. She wanders through the streets as it was night with her umbrella up as she looks to the ground without knowing where she was going.
Before she knew it, she had reached the graveyard as she realizes where she was.
She knows that someone has been following her for some time as she turns into the direction of the person, closing her umbrella and she walks there.
She prepares herself as she rounds the corner only to see a blonde there.
It was Sanzu.
"Maria." He greets as she looks away and takes out her notebook.
Why aren't you with Mucho?
Sanzu reads the paper as he looks back to her awkwardly. "I was making sure you're safe." He said as Maria turns with her back facing him as she shrugs her shoulders to visit Shinichiro's grave.
She cleans the grave with a pail of water from a well as Sanzu stands behind her mutely.
She writes in her book as she stands.
You rather not spend your last day of this year enjoying yourself than to spend time stalking such a boring person like me? Maria wrote as Sanzu shakes his head.
"I don't have parents to enjoy time with and I don't like crowded areas like the festivals." He says as Maria closed her book and wanders about as Sanzu follows her till he he realizes the time.
"It's going to be the new year soon." He says as they both looked to the sky just as fireworks exploded in a distance away, illuminating the dark sky with colorful lights as Maria's blank eyes reflected the lights.
It resembled that time where she and Baji were on a date. His head in her lap as they stared at the sky and she thought of their future that won't be happening anymore.
Sanzu looks at the fireworks then back at her as she takes off two bell charms hanging off her obi and passes them to him.
If anything happens to me, please pass the golden one to Mikey and the silver one to the Roppongi Haitani brothers. Protect Mikey please.
She wrote on her paper,leaving as Sanzu was left confused.
Weeks later,
Maria stares at Takemichi as Chifuyu sits beside her as Takemichi stands before a lake.
"You don't have a mission here anymore. So you're going back right? To the future." Chifuyu says, lying down on the grass as Maria writes in her notebook.
"What do you mean by I'll still fail?" Takemichi ask exasperated as Maria's eyes went blank again. She can vaguely remember what this future is about. It's the one where Mikey kills all the Captains and Vice Captains of Toman.
And when Takemichi returns to the future, Mikey will get him to go to the Philippines to kill him, but Naoto, Hina's younger brother will shoot Mikey to protect Takemichi.
Mikey will die in Takemichi's arms.
"All my life I've been suffering." Maria remembers Mikey's words from the manga as she signs.
Mikey will not be sane, and you'll need to return back at least from what I remember another 2 or more times.
Takemichi signs as he thanks Maria.
His eyes go serious as he looks to the ground.
"I'm sorry Baji still died though." He said as Chifuyu tensed.
That's the last thing you want to say to her! Chifuyu thinks panicked as he makes signs to Takemichi that it was a bad idea.
Maria just nods her head as she writes in her book.
It'll be a sad future, so you'll be coming back crying again. I wish you the best of luck dealing with my brother.
Maria wrote as she left leaving Takemichi insulted about the crying part.
The next day, as Maria steps into class, Fuyuka greets her again as Aōda watches exasperated.
"Maria , I made food today, will you eat it?" Fuyuka ask her friend as Maria shakes her head.
Please don't bother me for now.
Fuyuka just smiles as she sits beside her club President as she doesn't say anything while Maria reads her manga.
Fuyuka has been rather happy and clingy to Maria after Baji's death which Aōda finds weird.
Yes, Fuyuka likes females especially Maria but Maria doesn't know this yet.
Aōda also suspects Fuyuka of something else because her father is part of the mafia, but she has no evidence. Besides, would she really want to ruin their friendship without any evidence?
Aōda stretches her black mask as she sketches in her sketchbook.
TBC