Chapter 1 New Life

Waking up in a warm bed had been a foreign concept to Minene for so long. She had been used to sleeping in shoddy motels or simply out in the cold night. It was strange to get used to being safe every night and not having to worry about nightmares or someone attacking her in her sleep, but she eventually got used to it.

But today continued the trend of being cold and alone. No Nishijima to keep her warm. That man could be so smothering sometimes, with his constant kisses and baby talk. It annoyed her to no end.

Or at least it did.

He had been waking up extremely early for the past few weeks. At first, it seemed like his shifts had been changed at the police station, but they only lasted a couple of days. He should have gone back to the regular shift by now.

Minene got out of bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. The toaster was already out and a knife on the counter. An empty plate sat in the sink. Nishijima was in the living room putting his briefcase together.

"Another early morning?" Minene asked her husband.

He didn't even look up at her. "Yeah. Kurusu is really riding us on this one."

"Did the other me kill someone important this time?" She asked.

"Maybe," he said. "I've been off that case for a while. Something new has come up."

"Really?" For once, Minene was genuinely curious. "About what?"

He finally looked up at her, but his face lacked its usual glow. It was tired and sunken, like he hadn't gotten any sleep. "I can't say. Extremely confidential. Not even most of the detectives know."

Nishijima picked up his briefcase and opened the door. "Gotta go. See you tonight!"

He closed the door before he could hear his wife. "Goodbye."

That was another thing. Nishijima had been so cheery once. His smile seemed to be painted on and he spoke with such a happy voice. He used to kiss her on the cheek and profess his love for her whenever he left the house. She admitted that she rolled her eyes when he did it, but now she missed it terribly.

She set to work making breakfast for their kids. The two would be awake shortly and would be extremely hungry. The toaster was still warm and would need less time. It would be more practical to start on the eggs and bacon.

The meat had barely begun to cook before she heard footsteps running down the stairs. A little girl's voice came shortly after. "Morning mother!"

"Morning Hana," Minene said. "Can you wake your brother for me? Breakfast will be ready soon."

Arms suddenly grabbed her around the waist, causing her to drop the spatula. A boy giggled next to her ear. "Hi mom!"

Minene let out a careful breath. "Riku, you know how much I hate that."

"That's why I do it!"

She turned around to see the smiling four-year-old child flying in the air. "You are your father's son," Minene said. "Now set the table. And clean my spatula!"

The two raced to help each other with the work while Minene kept cooking. She could scarcely believe it had been four years since she came to this world. Four years since a god forced her to play a twisted game of survival where cell phones predicted future diaries. Four years since she first watched her beloved Nishijima die in her arms. Before coming to this new world where the same man lived.

Everything was the same from back home. The sights, the smells, the world itself. Everything except her past. This version of her hadn't had to watch her parents die from a bomb. And yet, this version still despised religion enough to wage a one-woman war on it and its followers. Explaining everything was a pain to Nishijima. It took several tries before she just decided to tell him that a smoking hot woman traveled all the way here to be with him and he should be grateful.

She shouldn't have lived. She lost an eye and an arm during the game. But the old god granted her a second chance. Half his powers and a new home. Two years ago, she paid back her debt by getting the new god off his lazy ass and off to creating a new world. Really, all it took was to see his girlfriend again? Love made people strange.

Then again, she was no different. Love changed her from a crazy terrorist into a wife of a cop and mother of two demigods. Her kids could hover around and spoke like they were thirteen years old already. God, their teenage years would be hell on earth.

The eggs and bacon were laid out on the plates for everyone to share. Riku swarmed his but Hana seemed hesitant. "Father isn't eating with us again?"

"No, he's not," Minene said simply, hoping she would drop it.

"He's always gone," Hana said. "He leaves so early."

"I am aware," Minene said, getting annoyed.

"Does he say why?" Hana asked.

"Special case," Minene said. "He won't say more."

"But he tells you everything," Hana said.

"Obviously not." Minene spoke through gritted teeth now.

Riku looked up from his food. "Is he trying to get away from you?"

It was true how motherhood changed someone. There was a time where Minene would have slapped the boy for saying such a thing. Instead, she looked up at him with her remaining eye and gave him a bone-chilling glare. "Finish your food."

Riku quickly went back to shoveling the eggs into his mouth while Hana finally started eating. What Riku said had been swimming through Minene's head. She knew she could be abrasive at the best of times, but she still loved her family. But she didn't say it enough, even to her kids. She was always friendly to them, but not to her husband. Did he finally have enough of it? Did he consider her abusive towards him?

Both kids quickly finished their food. "Can we fly to day care today?" They asked.

Normally, Minene would've said no. It was bad enough sending them there to begin with. But Nishijima had his kids on public record and she didn't need an inspector wondering why his kids weren't in school. Someone coming to their house and meeting her would spell certain doom for them all. But today, she felt that she needed to think on some matters and would rather not do so in front of the kids while driving.

"Stay out of sight," Minene said strongly.

The two grabbed her in a tight hug. "Thank you, mother!" Before she could reply, they flew out the window into the city.

Now alone, Minene went up to her room. Nishijima was everything she needed in a person that she never thought she'd want. It seemed like he was becoming so distant. She couldn't bear to lose him. Not after everything they had been through.

But she had no one to turn to. Her children couldn't help her. Despite how smart they were, they would have no idea about what to do. And with her other self's horrid deeds, she couldn't just go out and ask for help.

There was only one person who could give her any kind of aid. It killed her inside to think about it, but it was her last option. So she did the one thing she'd never done before in her life.

She began to pray.

"Please," she whispered. "Please, if you're listening, I need you. I can't lose Nishijima. Please help me save my family."

A bright glow filled the room, nearly blinding Minene. She covered her eyes and turned away until she felt the warmth slowly vanish. When she looked back, something was beginning to materialize on her bed. A young girl with long, pink hair in two strands.

"Ask," she said in a cutesy voice, "and you shall receive."

"Oh no," Minene said. "Oh no. Not you."

"Yes, me!" Yuno Gasai said happily. "Sorry my Yuki couldn't make it. He's busy with the world we were creating. So I decided I'd fill in for him!"

"You?" Minene asked.

"Well, I AM a goddess now," she said. "So I did hear your prayers. And who better than to teach you in the ways of true love than me?"

Minene groaned. She had almost forgotten about how psycho the new god's girlfriend could be. Granted, she was from this world instead of his own, but she managed to gain the memories of the old one. Now she was completely obsessed with her boyfriend to a terrifying degree. The old version was another diary owner and had done outlandish things in the name of "love," including stalking, murder, torture, and even kidnapping him. She even committed suicide so her boyfriend could become a god, as he was another diary owner. Somehow, he still loved her to the point where he sat in silence for 10,000 of his godly years. Minene and a few others managed to get him back to normal by fetching this world's Yuno and helping them reunite. However, just because this was a different Yuno didn't mean Minene felt any safer with her.

"So," Yuno said. "I hear you've been having trouble with love."

"I don't need your help," Minene snapped. "You are psychotic! I just want to make sure Nishijima still loves me."

"And how would Yuki help?" Yuno asked, still cheery. "I love him, but he's pretty clueless about matters of the heart. I pursed him through two worlds. I've done some pretty awful things, and he still loves me. Don't you want the same assurance from your husband?"

"I just…" Minene realized she was out of options, but she refused to give ground to Yuno. "How would you know how marriage works? You're just a kid."

"True," Yuno said. "But I know how to keep track of people. How to follow them unseen. I followed Yuki every day until I knew his schedule by heart. Do you know for a fact where your husband is every day?"

"The police station," Minene said. "Where else?"

"Great! We'll start there!"

"WE?!" Minene repeated. "No! No, no, no, no, no! You are not coming with me!"

Yuno ignored her and began to bounce around. "This will be so much fun! Now we need something to keep his scent should he go off the grid. I was always partial to Yuki's underwear."

Minene felt her stomach churn. "I really didn't need to know that."

"Ah, we'll skip that part, then," Yuno said. "C'mon! We should get started!"

Minene was now out of patience. "I. Am. NOT. Stalking. My. Husband!"

Yuno held up her hands. "Fine, fine. Don't take my advice. I guess you're sure he isn't off with another woman."

She saw the attack coming a mile away. Minene reached over and threw the alarm clock at her head. Yuno ducked as the clock sailed past her and shattered against the wall. "HOW DARE YOU! He would never!"

"I thought you didn't know if he loved you anymore," Yuno said calmly. "If he doesn't love you, could he be in love with someone else?"

Minene was about to throw something else when she realized it. Despite how much she hated the idea, Yuno's words had some merit. If he didn't love her anymore, he could just go to somebody else. And what woman wouldn't fall for a sweet police detective?

Slowly, Minene turned around, seething with anger. "What is your so-called plan?"