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For a long time, Yashiro Nene longed for love. She read every sappy romance novel and manga; watched all kinds of shoujo and found herself daydreaming at a confession from a princely handsome ikemen. She longed for a connection, a deep one.
She made herself as feminine as possible to please the one guy she crushed on only to get rejected and on top of that gain a huge insecurity. When she finally did establish a connection- it was in an empty classroom and an old girl's bathroom of all places. Being the hopeless romantic she is this did not satisfy her romantic endeavors. But how can one dead short boy with big bug eyes and a knack for harassment and hiding secrets change that? Nene doesn’t even know herself honestly.
Hanako only longed for one thing, to save his assistant. However, in his past life, Yugi Amane longed for many things. He was selfish that way. Amane longed for his family to be normal again to be as happy and close-knit as they used to be, he longed for the scars to fade and the bandages to flutter away never to wrap around his arms ever again, he also longed to see that strange girl again. She held him like he was delicate as glass, calling him a strange name, she looked at him like he was a friend, but he was embarrassed by his tears and he took off leaving the thick-ankled girl behind.
Nene had a new longing, to unravel the mysteries around her friend. After realizing- during that fake confession, she really didn’t know much about this boy she was tied to. Nene slowly unraveling the messy past of Hanako san was a difficult thing. After seeing no 5’s Yorishiro memories she had a hard time looking at Hanako the same way for a while the more she found out the more questions she had. After the eventful traumatic experience of Tsukasa’s tea party, she found herself in a school classroom from 1969, of course, she was unaware at the time. She sees a familiar image of a choppy-haired boy with a bandage on his cheek and bites and rope marks. When she called out his name he looked at her like a deer in headlights, he was frozen in place with still-wet tear tracks on his face, she went to take an arm gently holding his bruised arms and when he ran he left her behind along with a key with a rocket on it. Of course, back in Hanako’s arms, he didn’t seem to react recognizing her attire as if he didn't remember.
Hanako does not remember, but Yugi Amane also had yet another longing- there was someone he met, one night at a festival. A girl he couldn't forget- well he doesn't remember her face. He cant remember her words or her actions but a wish that night-
"I wish to see Nene onee san again."
Little did he know that simple wish would ripple through time.
Nene discovered another longing, one that felt out of her mind to say aloud. After everything they've gone through and the unspoken events after leaving the far shore, Nene decides to give a surprise. The evening announcements echoed through the school. Nene was on the rooftop. With a blanket set up.
Hanako sat in the bathroom bummed because his assistant was not here today. He sits at the window playing hanafuda with the mokke cursing at yet another loss- however, the twilight began to fade and the night bleeds into the last rays of the sunset. His eyes venture towards the stained glass window, the moon is full tonight. Somehow he feels a pull to it.
His gazing is interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Hanako kun?" A familiar voice says startling him. He turns around floating to her.
"Ah- Yashiro! What are you still doing here- more importantly- where were you today?" He grabs her by the cheeks stretching them out despite the girl's protests.
She pulls away but he keeps pulling at her cheeks like they were made of dough, “Hawnko kuuun stwop iu” Finally letting go of her cheeks he lets her speak. She nurses her sore face before facing him, she had that determined look in her eyes. “Hanako kun- can you- um do you-...” she was tripping over words. Hanako teased her
“aw, Yashiro, do we have a tongue-tied radish now~” he playfully floats above her. Nene fights the urge to sock him for that comment she huffed looking him dead in the eyes taking his arm,
“Hanako kun just follow me.” she had a slight red to her face hidden by the darkness of the now dormant school. “Yashiro~ I know you were naughty but never this naughty-” the apparition teases, only to be met with his arm almost yanked out of his socket.
“Yashiro- wait! Where are we going!” he exclaims.
“You-...you’ll see!” her shadow trails below her on the floors as they pass moonlit windows. The apparition trails behind off the ground almost weightless. As they approach a stairwell- Nene turns to Hanako. “Now close your eyes.”
“At the bottom of the stairs?”, he deadpans. The girl nods immediately. The boy sighs but gives into her demands besides what is the worst that could happen, he’s already a ghost what's the worse that could happen?
As they ascend the stairs he very clearly feels stuff phase through his head but chooses not to say anything.
Nene opens a metal squeaky door alerting him they arrived, “are your eyes still closed?” Nene asks from the front.
“Nope.” he grins.
Nene whips around shoving her hands over his face, “Hanako kuuun”, she whines
He snickers at her behavior, “I'm just kidding~ but why do we have to do it like this anyway? Can’t I just float up here by myself?”
Nene sighs at his comment, this boy doesn’t realize what she is doing, she’s trying to set a sappy mood like in movies, she’s figured out that when it comes to Hanako, she’s the one that has to lead with a sweet endeavor.
“Just trust me,” she says as she guides him across the rooftop. “Alright alright, I’ll listen to you.”
When they stop she takes her hands off “and open your eyes.”
Before them is their shadow over a blanket and a black bag.
“It's a… blanket and a bag…” he says with no expression.
Nene realized she had them facing the wrong way the moon behind them instead of in front. She turns him around in front of the rising moon. Near the ledge, a telescope was mounted.
“Yashiro…” he was speechless, he turned to see her sitting on the blanket already looking aside when her face burned, patting the empty space next to her. He floats over and sits next to her“So what's the telescope for,
“well I wanted to see the stars” she shrugs.
“Well you probably should have picked a better night for star gazing” he chuckles.
“W-well that's not everything I thought a full moon was nice.” she says shyly trying to recover her dumb mistake.
“Well, you’re right about that. The moon is beautiful isn't it?” he stares up at it in a trance.
Nene lets out a noise of surprise, her face would be very red.
“Whats the matter?” Hanako turns her way.
“W-what did you say about the moon?....” Nene stutters.
“That its pretty? Did I say something wrong?” he smirks at her.
Nene’s heart rate goes back down. “N-no not at all” she can't believe he doesn’t know what that means…
“So what else do you like about the moon,”
“Well- it's big and beautiful and about you wanna guess how far away it is?”
“314,000,000 kilometers?” Nene tries to recall.
“Good job! at least we know you aren't flunking every class” he teases but continues his thoughts.
“Its very far away, yet,” he reaches an arm out, “ it looks so close…” he pulls it back in, “but there’s no point in trying to grab it, I'm not really going anywhere anyway because-”
‘Because I'm already dead.’ he doesn’t say aloud.
Nene turns to him, she laps over the phrase he just said with what Yugi Amane said once.
He doesn't remember anything about his past, but he doesn’t realize he’s almost the same.
There was heaviness to his words, Nene is getting a little antsy so she decides to lighten the mood. she digs into the black bag.
“Whatcha doing there Yashiro”
“Well I wanted to redo something…” she says.
“Which is?...” he sits up.
She pulls out a bag tied at the top. “Well last time it didn’t go well so…I wanted to try this again. “Sooo-” she holds them out.
“DONUTS” he exclaims excitedly, before he opens it he inspects this time.
“I checked this time- I made sure there was nothing else in there.” Nene clarifies.
He unwraps the bag taking the pastry out, finally taking a bite, before floating a bit higher of the ground. While he can only taste a ghost of flavor the texture is perfect.
“Its so good!”
-”R-really?”
“It is! I never got to taste the texture last time!” he almost does a loop in the air.
The boy floats over recomposing himself, “is this what you were planning? Are you trying to ask me on a date or something?” he asks in a coy manner.
“YES!” she blurts out. It takes him by surprise the light of the night hiding the red tint to both their faces.
“Yashiro..I- you-what do you-”
“Are we going to keep pretending it never happened?” Nene fidgets with her skirt.
“What?”
“ the far shore.” ,
“Oh right- look I know it was stupid to trick you with your friend and I'm sorry- I just wanted to-”
“NO Not that! It's the… you know..” firmly grabs the dress hems pulling at it,
“The what?”
“THE KISS!” she spins in his direction and blurts out again, immediately turning red in the face.
“ It's about the kiss…” she says more calmly.
Hanako would have choked on the donut if he were alive. His hakujoidai also froze up.
He swallows it and pulls down his hat to hide his face. He’s unable to get anything out. Deep down he wanted them both to ignore that event, but another side of him didn’t, he wanted to remember it for the rest of time, it was the selfish side of him.
“Yashiro…”
“I don't wanna pretend it happened. You stole my first kiss!” Nene came near his face.
“I um- well it's not really- I mean that's not a kiss it was more like-” the boy stumbled over his words.
“Like what? Hanako kun it was a kiss and you can't deny it!”
“Yashiro. That shouldn’t have been considered a first kiss you should forget it, I'm, sure there will be some guy you find eventually-”
“Ugh! You are such a pain,- you push others away, yet you're clingy. And sometimes your still more trouble than your worth.” Nene expresses, which immediately feels like punches to the gut again.
Can he deny it? No.
Has he made this girl cry on several occasions cause he was an idiot? Yes.
Is he planning to make her cry again? Absolutely not.
To his surprise, she continues, “but despite it all even with everything you’ve done, “ she faces him again, “I like you Hanako kun.”
He waits for the next part… but it never came.
“As a friend right?”
Nene shook her head, she had that familiar determination in her glossy eyes to get her point across. “No you dummy- did that really not mean anything to you?...”
Hanako tries to grasp for some sort of answer.
“I- well- I think… it's getting late you probably need to go home” he gets up. He feels something clasp on his hand. Nene held his hand with both of hers as she also springs up.
“No- not until you answer me this time.”
Hanako would of died if his heart was still beating, it would of been beating fast. “Well- I… I didn’t hate it…”
Nene stood there to listen to him.
“It was my first as well…”
“It was?” she really took his first kiss as well?
“Yep you stole my first kiss too- but Yashiro- Im dead.” he looks down, “I’ve been dead so I could never have a future…”
Nene knew what he meant.
“Well, I don't care! So what I've known is that. I don't care what you’ve done or who you were I dont care what's next- as long as everyone is here- as long as you are here that's all I care about!”
Hanako was speechless.
“But tonight let's forget about the future I just wanted to surprise you…so let's just sit back down.”
They sit back down on the blanket, both are now silent. They look at the sky silently for a bit.
Nene slowly ends up leaning on Hanako’s shoulder she’s getting tired.
“Aren’t your parents worried that you’re gone this late?” Hanako nudges.
“no…I told Mama I was with Ao chan tonight…” She yawns. His coldness was a comfort with the warm night.
“Well ok” he sighs.
“Say Yashiro?”
“Hm?”
“What does “the moon is beautiful isn't it” mean?”
“It's…a poetic way of saying…”
“Saying what?” he quirks a brow with a smirk.
He received no response. He looks to the side to see her asleep on his shoulder with slow breaths. His eyes soften as he takes his hat off setting it aside, then holding her face and pressing his to her cheek leaving it there for a few seconds lingering, when he backs away a 7 mark fades in then disappears. He then sets her head on his lap as he looks to the moon as he brushes through her hair.
He knows what it's poetic for.
“The moon is nice, but when you're here, it's beautiful isnt it?”
2 longing souls sit quietly under moonlight 2 different wishes from both but it remains unspoken.
Under the moon they rest, their worries are far away.