Chapter Text
Amane couldn’t breathe. His chest felt heavy and he began to dream of the day he murdered his brother, how everything felt surreal, how his hand shook as the blade clattered to the floor as he soaked in what he’d done while his clothes did the same for the blood pooling at his knees. He wanted to shove whatever was on his chest off of him yet his body was paralyzed. Then he heard sniffling in the back of his mind. His own tears? Or someone else’s?
He needed to wake up.
Amane opened his eyes in an instant. Blinded by sudden light and blinking back tears, he felt something shift on top of him. He looked down.
Nene rested on top of him, arms loosely trapping him from either side. Her tears soaked his shirt and trailed down her face as she whimpered. Amane gently rolled her off of him. She whined and clutched his shirt even as she slept.
“I’m here,” he whispered to her, hoping to reach her in her dreams. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She buried her face into his chest. Amane smiled painfully. He knew what she was dreaming. He knew she would never forget when she woke up. But worst of all, he knew she wouldn’t tell him of her nightmares. Nene would dream of the days when she lost him. She would dream of times where their reality was fake. She would dream of being alone and so she clung onto him as she slept as some semblance of reassurance that he was real.
It hurt to see her like this. It hurt to know he was the reason why she ever experienced this pain in the first place.
Nene gasped in her sleep and began to tremble. Amane draped an arm over her and cooed reassurances, but still she kept suffering. If he was given a second chance then please, let him fix his wrongs. Let him amend his mistakes and do better. Let him save the one he loved most.
“I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
A voice so achingly familiar echoed in her dreams. It haunted her as much as it soothed her.
He wasn’t going anywhere. He would remain trapped on school grounds while she moved on unwillingly from him.
He wasn’t going anywhere. He would be in bed with her when she woke up, concerned and ready to wipe her tears away.
“I want you to come with me wherever I go,” she tried to say. Nothing came from her throat.
“Don’t leave me,” she tried to grab onto his arm.
But he was leaving, his back turned toward her. He was leaving as his body began to chip and shatter as he turned his head. His eyes were empty. His smile was empty.
“Bye bye.”
His words were empty.
She tried to run to him but her feet remained rooted in place. She strained and shook in effort yet nothing changed.
He was leaving.
Going.
Moving on without her.
“Wait!” She screamed until she was sure her voice grew hoarse. “Wait!”
He didn’t wait.
He faced forward again and walked away.
He was disappearing in the distance as she stood there, helpless. The world crumbled around her and suddenly she was falling.
She fell.
And fell.
And continued to fall.
Until she tripped over her own feet as the scenery solidified into a scarily familiar picture perfect world. To her left was her classmates whispering to each other as they eyed her. To her right was the window that let her see the clear sky above. Behind her was her teacher patiently waiting for her to return to her seat. And in front of her was a boy that smiled too cheekily.
“What’s wrong, Yashiro-san? I think you should save the gawking for the date after school.”
No, this wasn’t right.
She bolted out of the classroom and down the hall. She headed straight to the old school building, climbed the stairs two at a time, and barged into the third floor’s girl’s bathroom breathlessly. Nobody came to greet her. Nobody came to scare her.
Where was he?
“I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”
She opened her eyes.
He was there when she woke up, as he promised. Amane wiped her tears away as she stared at him in disbelief, as she knew he would. His eyes cried for her, filled worry and guilt, weeping apologies while he reassured her that he was here. Nene shuddered. She pushed against his chest and blinked at him cautiously, tugging his hair gently and inhaling his scent hesitantly. He let her poke around, watching her look around the room to find anything out of the ordinary, any false evidence that she was still asleep. And though she found none, she still couldn’t shake the fear festering in her away.
“You’re real?” She asked. Amane took her hand and let it cup his cheek. It was warm and soft.
“I’m real,” he nodded.
“This isn’t a dream?”
“No,” he said. “You’re not dreaming.”
“You won’t go anywhere I can’t follow?”
“Of course not,” Amane shook his head. “We changed fate so we could be together. There’s no way I’m leaving you, no way I’m letting you go.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Do you want to get up for breakfast?”
Nene shook her head. “I want to stay like this a little longer.” She looked at him, pleading. “Stay with?”
“Of course.” Amane tucked them in and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m not going any… No. I won’t go where you can’t follow.”
“Is that a wish I have to pay the price for?” Nene cracked a smile. Amane rolled his eyes affectionately as he flicked her forehead.
“No, it’s my wish. What’s the price I have to pay, my love?”
“Just stay with me.”
“I think I can do that just fine,” he said while pulling her closer. “Don't ever think that I'll leave you behind. I’ll stay with you forever.”