{Focusing on the events with "Diabolic Esper" Add and Kofuku Ebisu after the events of Civil War.}
Your skin like dawn
Mine like musk
One paints the beginning
of a certain end.
The other, the end of a
sure beginning.
---
"... alright, I should try again."
In the dimension void from existing time, a lone esper stood there by a holographic console. Add had no other things swirling in his head other than the fact that he must try this experiment again. Ever since the events that transpired with the Coalition and all of that, he felt that he had become a different person. His allegiance towards the Blood Institute had gone astray, he caused the death of an old friend, he corrupted himself with the Dark El's power... He regretted all of this. Unlike what you would think of an unstable man like Add, the overwhelming power had been the wake-up call that he needed. He didn't drown in his insane tendencies, and rather realized his wrongs.
Surely his mother wouldn't agree with what he had done in recent times, and his newfound power that drained anyone near him out of their lives... Add felt at a loss due to this. He knew that it wasn't virtually possible to have a normal life once he had figured out how to traverse back to his original time era. It was like all of the work and effort he was putting into this was only to be good enough to speak with his mother one last time. He couldn't afford to stay in the past for too long, for he didn't want to bring down death upon to her another time... just like how it went down before.
"So if you're going to try this again, guess I have to keep the Dark El from swarming out."
A voice echoed in his head. He recognized the presence that lingered with the Dark El within him. The phantom that coexisted with Elesis. He remembered on how his Dark El had practically stripped Elesis of her Dark El... resulting with her death and her phantom becoming a part of him. Something about this partnership felt complicated, seeing that they weren't on the best of terms, but due to the circumstances, Add and this phantom were nothing more than partners trying to make a decent living without having the corrupt Dark El create ruin and devastation wherever they go.
"Yes. Do that. This may be the time that my experiment will succeed."
Taking a deep breath, Add inputted the commands to start the opening of a specific time rift. He was sure to get the numbers right for his calculations, and that it should be the right parameters in order to return to his original time. Many times that he's done this, and Add felt so sure that he would be able to return with ease. However, it wasn't the case with his past attempts, and that was what caused him to lose his sanity... At least now, Add was aware that it was hard to pinpoint the right time, and knew better than to let the frustration take him over.
A spark of purple light appeared in front of him, and in no time, a rift was made into reality. Opening up, the imagery shown through the gap was immediately recognizable to the esper. No doubt it was what resembled his old bedroom as a child, before he had been whisked away into another timeline...
"... this has to be it. It has to be."
Add mumbled to himself as he crept towards the rift, stepping through to get a better examination of the room. It had to be the right time, everything felt similar to the fateful night where his village fell to ruin. The esper eyed his past self sleeping at a candlelit desk, a journal wrapped into the arms of the sleeping child. The memories seared into Add's mind, there was no doubt that he finally uncovered his past timeline.
Tempted by his genuine curiosity, he slowly stepped over to get a closer look at his past self, wanting to ensure this past self of his that everything will be fine. The poor child had no idea on what was up for him in the future, and that it would eventually lead him to the path that this esper has taken if nothing was done about the upcoming tragedy...
Before he could get any closer to his past self, the surroundings that was this room began to fall apart like a dissolving reality. This wasn't accounted for, and surely this wasn't a programmed part of his time travel devices and powers.
N... No!! I have to stay here, I need to keep myself here to prevent it from happening! I... I can't allow it to happen!
Feeling himself being pulled away as if his point of gravity had changed, Add lightly managed to wrap his arms around his past self in a gentle hug.
"Stay safe... you and your mother..."
The esper managed to whisper this into the ears of his past self, hoping that this would be enough to ensure a happy outcome for himself and his mother. After this, he felt like he were being whisked away into another timeline.
That feeling was correct. The abruptness of the transition into another timeline was enough to knock Add out completely. Unaware of the circumstances for this, his thoughts lingered on a single other person, someone other than his mother. Something about this was enough to accidentally override his time rift control, and send him to this other person.
Out like a light, Add muttered out a name he hasn't said in a long time...
"K... Kofuku-chan..."
---
It was a cool and quiet day, in Ikebukuro; Kofuku's new place of residence, following the seeming destruction of her own world. Or, well, 'new' wasn't quite the right term for it. She had been living there quite a while, now, even possessing her own home- though the latter fact was namely due to a matter to be explained shortly. For, you see, Kofuku had a bit of a peculiar 'ability'. That ability being the reason that she was where she was, now. Which just so happened to be on the furthermost outskirts of the rebuilt city, a thoughtful expression on her face as she peered down at the ground from where she remained crouched.
"Hmm..." she mumbled, continuing to stare intently down at a patch of ground, looking rather barren compared to the multitude of greenery, trees, and vegetables. She wasn't entirely sure just why, but it seemed that this particular patch of ground, with only one lonely bit of green desperately attempting to poke it's head further out from under the earth. Scratching the back of her head, she studied the thing closer, as though if she were to stare intensely enough the plant would continue to sprout. When it didn't, she could only pout, plopping down on her knees before it instead. "Aww, c'mon, sprout for meeeee," she pleaded. Yet, instead, well, the opposite happened. The small bit of the plant that was poking out withered, slowly turning brown and falling limp.
Something that made Kofuku's lip quiver, as though on the verge of tears.
Pout aside, she let out a sigh, shaking her head as she sat there with a solemn expression. As nice as it was, living near Shizuo-chan, things just kept on taking worse and worse turns. She knew that it wasn't the male's fault. In fact, the opposite was true: it was all on her. The goddess was a walking bad luck charm, bringing misfortune along with her everywhere she went. Including to unfortunate plants now, it seemed. It was a mere fact that had led to requests being made that she stay further away from the city, now rebuilt and doing a bit better, which Kofuku understood. It made sense, keeping the walking disaster magnet away from where she could do harm. That didn't make it any less lonely or difficult for her, though.
So it was in a daze that she fiddled with the grass before her, propping her head up with one hand and still wearing a pout. Her gardening here had mainly kept her spirits up, but now she was apparently even killing plants. And that, mixed with a matter she hadn't dared discuss with Shizuo- or anyone else -, led her to be in a rather solemn mood. She was growing weaker every minute in this world, with no wishes to fulfill and no worshipers giving praise or donations. She didn't even have a single shrine or follower remaining, should Shizuo not raise the count of the latter to a big, bold 'one'. If things remained how they were, it would undoubtedly mean her demise, in time that continued to sift through her fingers like sand. After all, a god without wishes was bound for nothing more than death.
While she may have had time to contemplate this and try to devise a solution, under her normal circumstances, something happened to pull the god of misfortune from her daze. An odd sound, followed by a thud not too far off. It caused her head to perk up, features filling with alertness and curiosity mixed with caution. Soon enough, she was on her feet, hand making a reach for her Regalia as she called out. "Hellooooo..? Shizuo-kun, is that you....?" she called, carefully approaching the source of the sound. Only to gasp at what she saw, a look of pure horror on her face.
"Addy-chan!"
In an instant, her woes and garden were forgotten, the female immediately rushing to the time traveler's side with obvious concern. Gently, frail hands found their way to the male's body, gently shaking him in attempt to wake him up. "A-Addy-channnnn, are you alright?"
Please... Please wake up.....
@Gummi Bunnies
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