FOREWORD: 

Hi everyone, it's Mordred here. I have made up my mind to write another fanfic after such a long hiatus thanks to my procrastination. :) At first, I had the intention to write a freshly made work of my own but it was to no avail since I had zero inspiration. Then one beautiful and sunny day I had the chance to read, and watch the parallel series To Me, The One Who Loved You and To Every You I've Loved Before by Yomoji Otono.

I was speechless. The impression that the duo series left on me was as fierce as that from I Want To Eat Your Pancreas, yet sadly the anime was a bit poorly executed although the story plot is insanely good. Anyway, the fanfic you are going to read will be about Shiori Satou and a world in which she is still alive and basking in her long deserved love and happiness.

Because I know for sure, nothing compares to the purity and innocence of first love.

TO EVERY YOU AND ME THAT BELONGED WITH EACH OTHER

"Koyomi-kun!"

Before my very eyes, stands a maiden, her velvety hair flowing down her back like a river of silk, cascading in waves that embody her purity and innocence. Clad in a pristine, pearl-white dress, she radiates an aura of grace and elegance that captivates my senses.

"Did you come to see me?"

...

"KOYOMI-KUN!

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? WAKE UP AND GET TO WORK ALREADY."

Without waiting for my response, she hung up on the spot.

 

Huff huff huff.

"What was that dream?"

Dragged back to reality by a morning call from Kazune Takigawa, my colleague, and also my girlfriend, I wake up asking myself that question, perspiring so profusely that I accidentally wet half of my pillow. Lately I've been experiencing so many Déjà vus that I have never experienced before. I said "before" but in fact I have lived no more than 20 years' time.

I have known Kazune since I was 11 years old, we attended the same junior high school, with our entrance exam grade ranked first and second. I got higher than her, of course.

Kazune finally said yes to my confession during our final year in high school after countless futile attempts. We continued our study together abroad then traveled back to Japan to work at my father's place, the Imaginary Element Research Institute.

To make it short, our institute conducts research on parallel worlds. For example, this morning I had bread for breakfast, but in a distant parallel world, I might have eaten rice. For parallel worlds that are close, the difference might not be too remarkable. Have you ever remembered putting your phone down on the table, but the next few minutes you don't see it anywhere, that's because you yourself have traveled to that parallel world where the phone is put at another place. We scientists call that phenomenon parallel shift. It should be late by now, I should hop on a metro to my workplace.

Back to what I was saying, the fact that I've been having a lot of Déjà vus does not come as a surprise to me at all, as I am pretty sure it must have been me continuously performing subconscious parallel shifts across adjacent parallel worlds. 

But again, that poses another question. What would happen if we were to die while parallel shifting to a distant world? It hurts my brain whenever I think of it. As a matter of fact, this is also one of the questions to which even the pioneers of this field have yet to find an answer.

I finally arrived at the institute.

"My apology everyone. I had a bad dream yesterday, I couldn't even wake up this morning."

"All good Koyomi-kun. You have the most potential here as a researcher anyway."

As for Kazune, she seems mad at me. But I know for sure she ís just worried about me. Deep down, she is the most gentle, caring and loving girlfriend I could ever ask for.

Sitting down at my desk, I asked Kazune:

"Kazune, what do you think would happen if we were to die during a parallel shift?"

She gave me a stern look, but gave no answer. Probably because she knows I am always asking these kinds of questions out of nowhere.

"I want omurice tonight but I might have extra work that requires overtime, can you do me a favor my lovely boyfriend?"

I laughed it out loud.

"As expected of you huh? Alright, as you wish, my princess."

An embarrassing yet delightful smile sparkles on her lips.

"Stop calling me that!"

THREE HOURS LATER

"Aight I'm off to go, see you at home Kazune."

"See you later.", she waves bye bye at me.

On my way home, I decided to stop by the grocery store situating past the crossroads to grab a few necessities. 

"Koyomi-kun!"

A voice echoes in my mind as I walk past the zebra crossing. I turn my back around but there is nobody.

Not a single soul.

But why is my heart aching so much?

What is this feeling?

THE NEXT MORNING

"Koyomi-kun! You got a letter."

Kazune handed me the letter with a weird stamp attached on it. It was sent to me anonymously.

I opened the letter.

The first few letters read:

"Dear Koyomi Hidaka,

This is Koyomi Hidaka, from 60 years into the future. I hope this letter reaches you well. I am writing this because I want you to help me save someone. You are the only person who can do it."

I read the letter word by word.

...

I closed the letter, laying my back against the chair, directing my gaze into a blank space.

"Is this even possible...?"

I learned of a future, or a world where I discover time travel.

I learned of a world where Kazune and I does not meet until I am 20 years old.

I learned of a world where Kazune and I does not end up together.

and

I learned of a girl named Shiori.

"Shiori, Shiori, Shiori..."

I repetitively whisper that name in my mouth. Somehow I feel like this person is so important to me.

Suddenly.

Tears well up in my eyes. My hands and my whole body are shaking.

Memories from a world I have never know are pouring into my head.

A world where Shiori is my sole cause for living.

My stream of thoughts was interrupted by Kazune.

"Are you all right Koyomi? Your eyes are red. What happened?"

"I'm fine Kazune, it's just dust flying into my eyes.", I laughed it off.

"Good to hear so. And by the way Koyomi-kun, have you checked our Imaginary Element radar? Looks like we detected a turbulence, or more precisely a floating Imaginary Element in the shape of a young girl standing at the crossroads."

"What did you just say?"

"And, to add more to your surprise, that so-called object has the same Imaginary "scent" as you, Koyomi. But as it does not pose any threats to us at the moment so we haven't taken any action."

I am speechless.

I am at a loss to say anything.

It must be her.

The letter pops up again in my head. I hastily pick up the letter and read again.

After a brief silence,

"Kazune."

"Hmm?"

"That "object" you just said is a human being. And she has been waiting for me to come for 60 years."

"I don't understand, Koyomi. What are you talking about?"

"I know how to deal with that Imaginary Element Kazune.

But before that

I want to tell you one thing first, Kazune.

I'm sorry.

I can't walk with you on the path to the future anymore."

Kazune does not response, tears have already welled up her eyes.

I told her about everything. About how I used to discover time traveling in my previous "life", about how Kazune and I were good colleagues

and

About a Koyomi who once loved Shiori so much with all his heart that his Imaginary Element has traveled back into the past and merged with mine.

Kazune keeps standing there crying for 1 hour straight. I know I'm in no position to console her.

"I received a letter the same day you did, it was from the future Kazune. She told me about your future self's life and his effort to save his first love, a girl named Shiori. She also entrusted me with the knowledge of her findings so that we can save Shiori. It is only possible in our world.

At first I could not believe what she said but now that you said it yourself, I can't help but believe it's true.

...

She even mentioned how much she loved Koyomi." 

I stood up and gave her a tight hug.

"I'm sincerely sorry, Kazune. I know that I can never compensate you back for this betrayal. But you are the only one I could ask for help.

In life, we are often faced with painful decisions. We can't ever evade it. It's just that we finally choose the one that hurts us less."

She raised her head, gave me a warm smile.

"It's okay Koyomi-kun. I know it's my duty. You don't have to apologize."

TWO YEARS LATER

Thanks to the fund from the government budget to assist scientists in researching, what we are doing behind the scenes has been going smoothly.

I've been staying overnight at my lab to keep track of Shiori's situation. One early morning, while I am still sleeping on my chair, worn out and fatigued by all those experiments that we conducted, Kazune barges in my room and shouts "Koyomi, have you checked the radar again? People are saying a girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere at the crossroads."

I turned on the radar. And it's true.

The Imaginary Element is no longer there.

I look at Kazune.

"Come on, don't look at me like that. Now go, Koyomi.

I wish you happiness in this world."

"I'm sorry. And thank you, Kazune."

I put on my clothes and rushed to the crossroads. There, near the traffic light stands a maiden, her velvety hair flowing down her back like a river of silk, cascading in waves that embody her purity and innocence. Clad in a pristine, pearl-white dress, she radiates an aura of grace and elegance that captivates my senses.

"SHIORI!"

As the young girl's eyes locked with mine, her smile unfolded, radiant and dazzling like the expanse of a sunlit sky.

"Koyomi-kun!"

...

"Did you come to see me?"

My emotions bursted out.

I rushed towards her, my heart overflowing with longing, and hugged her.

As I enveloped her in a tight embrace, tears cascaded from our eyes, descending to the ground like torrents. 

"Welcome home, Shiori. You don't have to be lonely anymore."

Shiori is crying as well, I can feel her shaking in my arms.

"Shiori."

"Yes?", said Shiori in an accent filled with tears.

"I know you have been waiting for me for more than 70 years. And I have finally found you.

I want to embrace you in my arms forever.

I want to share your melancholy you have been suffering all these times.

I want to walk with you on the same path to the future, to wherever this cruel twist of fate takes us.

I'm here now Shiori.

I love you."

"I should be the one to apologize for making you waste your whole precious life for a person like me.

I love you too Koyomi.

I will forever love you."

Standing at the crossroads, Shiori and I are two wandering souls that have found their ways back to each other after countless painful decisions that we had to make. 

Because I have promised I will come to her again.

Because even if the mind forgets, the heart remembers.

Because our hearts will reunite, defying all odds.

Because we are meant to be.

To my parallel selves, if any of you, happens to love Kazune, or anyone that is not Shiori, please let me express my deepest gratitudes to you all. Thanks to you, the decisions that I made were not as painful and forlorn as it could have been.

THE END

By Mordred#7244

AFTERWORDS

And that's the end everyone, thank you for reading. It was really hard to think of a reasonable plot for this because the timeline in the series was very strict but I'm glad somehow I was able to make it.

Shiori is my second Sakura.

I can't imagine a world where Koyomi and her do not end up together.

It hurts me so much whenever I think of it, seriously, from the bottom of my heart.

This fanfic is also a way to deliver my feelings and deep affections to the two girls that I love the most in my life. I wish that, maybe in some parallel worlds out there, I would have been a better man for you two. But for this world, I pray with all my well-wishes for your happiness.

Finally, I am genuinely grateful for the song Shion produced by Saucy Dog. It's such a meaningful song that truly conveys all of Koyomi's feelings towards Shiori, which profoundly inspires me to write this fanfic.