Chapter 1(Prologue): Beginning And End

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If you could save anyone, but only once, who would you save?

If, after having saved them, they were to die again, what would you say?

Would you believe yourself cheated? Would you think fate an unending, eternal chain of obligations without leeway? At the end of the path laid bare by destiny, after having trudged upon cobblestones as sharp as guillotines, beneath a sky of blood and with cursed rain pouring down, would you still die content, after having saved, having been cursed, and having been cheated out of your happy ending?

Of course you wouldn't. Humans are, by their own nature, greed incarnated. They desire. They want. They wish for more and more. If one person has everything, then they naturally want for nothing. Yet, if they want for nothing, how are they different from the dead? If you do not want, then just die already. Why keep on living? To seek out new wants? To seek out new ways of greed? Is that perhaps it? Is life an eternal cycle of desires, of passions? Of not having, and thus seeking out?

Who can answer such a question truthfully? Is this a result of a willful program, or perhaps just a hole in the code that wasn't thought of? Is this the grand design of an architect, or the random happenstance of poor planning?

In the end, when life ebbs away and your eyes close though, does it truly matter? When your blood leaves your body, when hands gingerly grab hold of your chest and salty tears fall down upon your skin, does it even matter what grand design there is? When the sand roars like an hungry lion, when the moon shines brightly like a resplendent jewel, does it even matter what grand design there is behind it?

Beauty is beauty, isn't it? Though crafted by a great artificer, by a primal love, or by whatever cranky individual there can be, something beautiful is beautiful, regardless of the blood, of the pain, of the agony or the suffering. Regardless of what can be, and what cannot be, beauty is beauty, happiness is happiness, and love is love.

Bread to bread, and wine to wine, my Italian Mother would say. And Rice to rice and whilst sake to whilst sake, my Japanese Father would say.

I'm sorry Kurumi but even in my death throes, it appears I am actually quite the philosophical individual sometimes.

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[\Flashback No Jutsu - Sometime Ago/]

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I don't like leaving the house. As no one should. But when you find nothing in your fridge and cabinets, that's kind of a sign you should leave and buy some-groceries. And so I did, only by dragging my ass out of my house forcefully while having an inner battle with myself.

You know like one of those times when you see two things you love but can only buy one. Vanilla or chocolate, Vanilla or chocolate, yeah something like that. However I don't know about you, but I love me some Vanilla ice cream.

Anywho~ As of now I'm walking to the corner store about two streets down. Car? I have one, but I just felt like walking for whatever reason.

" Damn, I guess I'm the only one craving some late time munches," I muttered seeing absolutely no one on the streets except me.

Scary? No. Unusual? Yes. Unusual how? Well for starters theirs literally absolutely no one on the sidewalk or on the roads.

And if my watch timer is right, then it's only 9:42 PM, in the center of New York Manhattan!

*Ding!*

Hearing and seeing a coke can hitting my foot, I thought," Yeah I'm suddenly not hungry anymore."

With that said, I booked it and started running back to my house! Yes, running. Because? Well because I'm a paranoid bastard like most are.

*BEEP!*-*BEEP!!!*

Seeing a gray truck appear out of nowhere in front of me, I yelled out in panic," Oh, come on! You got to be fucking kidding me!"

*BOOM!!!*

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[\Flashback No Jutsu -End/]

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" *Cough!*-*Cough!*-*Cough!* I.. knew. I should... have.. tr-trusted... m-my O-Otaku..Insti-Instincts..." Coughing up a bunch of blood, I confessed feeling my consciousness slip slowly away as my eyes grow tired.

However, by some sort of miracle, I made it to my parent's house that's right next to mine and knock on it and then just fell.

" Coming!" Opening the door is a young girl with astonishing beauty. She has ivory skin and long, black hair tied in long twin tails. Her eyes are beautiful rudy red that is now showing a shocked expression looking at, well Me on the floor half-dead(?).

" Bro-Brother!!!" Without hesitation, the young girl who is my little sister Tokisaki Kurumi took me in her warm and safe embrace even though I'm covered in my blood. My sweet and caring little sister...

" Wh-wh-what happened!?!" My beautiful sister yelled out holding me while looking into my dull black eyes.

" So... Beautiful..." Those beautiful rudy red eyes that shines brighter than the likes of the space between the stars at dusk.

*Slap*

Slapping my face, my little sister yelled once again while having tears run down her face," Please don't die! Please don't die! Please! Please! I still need you! I still need my big brother to guide me and care for me! So please big brother don't leave Me!... Please... Please... Please!"

And there goes my adrenaline rush. Slowly but surely I can barely hear My little sister.

*Whoosh!*

Feeling the loving and caring embrace of Lady Death and My Kurumi. I smiled and let out with the last remaining of my strength," I love you Kurumi."

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[\Void/]

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Void. Nothingness.

That's all I can see surrounding me. And believe it or not, I'm still in my body. Well, my heart is not beating, but that's the only difference.

I seem to appear to be floating without actually having control over my body. In a sense, I'm basically just here for the ride with only my thoughts to keep me company.

And let's just say, that's not the best company I could ask for.