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Kou stepped into the bathroom, seeing Hanako just float around. He needed to talk to Mitsuba about the photography thing the ghost had wanted to talk about, and Kou was eager to spend time with Mitsuba.
"I'm gonna go talk to Mitsuba for a moment, will you be alright alone? I'll only take like a half an hour." Kou asked him. Hanako huffed with a smile.
"I'm a ghost, kid. I'll be fine for a half an hour." Hanako snorted, and Kou narrowed his eyes at him.
"Surely?"
"Surely."
"Okay, then I'll be off. Bye!" Kou said and jumped into a mirror, feeling Mitsuba pull him in.
(_)
After a while, Kou finally got released by Mitsuba, and Kou stepped out of the mirror. But he had ended up in the boys bathroom. Whatever. He walked outside, and over to the girls bathroom, opening the door.
Hanako was on the floor. What the?
"Hanako, you alright?" Kou asked Hanako, who was gasping for air on the floor of the bathroom. He looked horrified. There was a little note that usually rests on Hanako's left cheek on the ground.
Hanako's eyes flickered to Kou. He stood up shakily and stumbled over to him. Something was off about him. He twitched like crazy and his eyes gleamed weirdly.
"Kou... You need to put the seal, the one on my cheek. Put it back. You need to put it back." Hanako grabbed Kou's shoulders and gripped them tightly. Almost hurting him.
"What? Why? Hanako, what's happening?" Kou was worried now. Hanako was acting very weird.
"I'll go crazy if you don't! Please, I don't want to hurt anyone-" Hanako shouted, until his eyes became vacant and empty. Why can't Yashiro be here? She just had to get sick when Hanako goes weird.
"Hanako?" Kou asked, and Hanako suddenly stared at Kou with scary intensity. Hanako grinned and a laugh rang out. Kou stepped back, Hanako's hands falling to his sides. Hanako looked down, and then back up, looking crazed. Kou nervously took a step back again.
"Are you okay?"
Hanako burst into crazed laughter and pulled out his knife.
"Never better!" He flashed a smiled and lunged for Kou. Kou yelped and blocked Hanako with raiteijou, making a loud clang as the metal hit the heirloom. Kou stared at Hanako who looked out of his mind. What the fuck.
"Ooh! An exorcist, but a weak one at that! You couldn't exorcise me if you tried!" Hanako giggled loudly, and punched Kou so he hit his back against the wall, and gasped. Kou kicked Hanako in the knee before he could get closer, and Hanako stumbled halfway down. Kou took this opportunity to escape. He opened the bathroom door and slammed it shut. He ran out of there, until he realized. Hanako is murderous. There are students in the school. He needs to put the seal back on. Fuck.
Kou dashed, a beeline for Tsuchigomori's office. He slammed the door open, and saw Tsuchigomori look over at him with a confused expression.
"Sensei! I don't have time to explain, but you need to listen to me!" Kou yelled, and ran over to the desk.
"What's wrong?" Tsuchigomori asked with furrowed eyebrows. Kou took a deep breath.
"Okay, okay. Hanako is going crazy, and his seal is in the bathroom. When I lure him away from the bathrooms and pull the fire alarm, you go get the seal and put it back onto his left cheek! Do you understand?" Kou shouted, trying to be as clear as possible. Hanako would show up any second now. He couldn't let him attack Tsuchigomori as well. That would make everything so much worse.
"What? I can't just-"
"You have to! Don't worry about me! Don't follow me, I have to go! Find and put the seal back!" Kou shrieked and ran out of the office, seeing Hanako getting closer. Kou gasped and ran away, passing windows. He stopped as he spotted a fire alarm, and quickly pulled it. He continued running as loud alarms started and Hanako still after him. He can't keep running for long. If he runs quick enough, he can hide behind some corner for a moment. He's scared.
Kou turned the corner and grabbed a random shoe off the floor. He threw it at Hanako, hitting him in the nose. Hanako yelled in anger. He still kept on running. He ran down the halls, full of fear and desperation. He needed to get out. But he also needed to lure Hanako away from the bathroom.
He pulled out his phone and looked for Teru's contact. He turned a corner and hid behind a locker and a corner. He slid down, taking deep breaths as he almost hyperventilated. He took deep breath after deep breath, and called Teru. His brother could help.
"Oh, hey Kou!" Teru's voice rang out, and Kou finally calmed down a bit. He was so scared. His heart beat so fast and sweat ran down his forehead. His throat felt stuck and his head filled with cotton.
"T-Teru! I'm so glad you picked up, I-I-" Kou started, when the tears begun falling. He sniffed as the tears blurred his vision, and he let out a sob.
"Kou? What's wrong?" Teru's voice became cold and concerned. Kou just couldn't help but sob at that. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Teru, I-I'm scared. Hanako is going crazy..." Kou cried into the phone.
"What did he do." Teru asked, and Kou stayed silent.
"Kou. What the fuck did he do?" Teru now half-yelled, and Kou let out a sniffle.
"He tried to kill me! Teru, I'm so fucking scared he's trying to kill me!" Kou's voice cracked at that.
"Oh my god he's coming!" He realized as he heard Hanako giggling in the distance. He stood up, fear rising and heartbeat in his ears.
"Kou-"
"I need to go!" Kou said, and hung up. He quickly put his phone in his pocket, just in time for Hanako to jump out from behind the locker and tackle Kou. He screamed, and his face hit the floor. Raiteijou fell onto the floor, and Kou grabbed it, bashing Hanako in the leg with it. Hanako shrieked and fell back, just in time for Kou to scramble up and run off. Hanako got up and followed. A liquid trickled down his face. Kou wiped at his nose and his hand was now bloody. His nose was bleeding. Fuck.
"You can't go far!" Hanako screamed at him, but Kou kept running, over to the stairs. He begun going down the stairs to the second floor. He couldn't stop. His lungs burned and his head hurt, blood still ran down his face onto his shirt and he was crying and-
Something hit his calf, hot white pain exploded in Kou's leg, and he tumbled down the stairs onto his back. Raiteijou clattered onto the floor. He gasped, seeing Hanako get closer, and he tried dragging himself away. He didn't get far, until Hanako pressed his foot onto Kou's chest and giggled. He grabbed the knife from Kou's calf, and twirled the bloody weapon around in the air. Kou gasped for air. He was so scared.
"Hanako please..." Kou tried weakly, trying to reach for anything. Anything. He only felt the wall. No mirrors. Mitsuba. He couldn't help anymore.
Hanako dropped down to pin Kou down, and Kou trashed against the hold. He tried punching and pushing the ghost, but it didn't work.
Kou is going to die. He's a goner!
Hanako lifted the knife up with a grin, and Kou gasped. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt tears fall. He heard the knife swing down, regardless of his efforts to stop the ghost. Kou let out a strangled scream as the knife was brought down.
)--(
Teru rushed out of the train, trying to hold onto his sanity. Kou. Oh god. He was with a murderous ghost, who was chasing after him. And that wasn't good. Kou was weak for a exorcist. And Hanako is a strong ghost, he couldn't possibly fight against him.
There were people gathered on the school premises. They were students and a few teachers, fire drill gathering, clearly. Someone, hopefully Kou has pulled the fire alarm to get students and teachers out of Hanako's rage path.
Teru rushed past them, and a guy yelled for him to stop. He didn't. He couldn't leave Kou, who was possibly bleeding out right now. No. Don't go there. He's fine. He's strong enough to defend himself. But he sounded hysterical on the phone.
He scoured the first floor, dashing down the halls. He tried the doors, but they were locked. There was nothing on the first floor. He ran up the stairs to the second floor, looking around it too.
He really needed to find Kou. If he got injured because of Hanako, he could bleed out very quickly, and it took Teru 10 minutes to arrive. He could easily be dead right now. No. Teru. Stop it. He still has a chance. Just go. Continue running.
He ran close to a corner and stopped. Blood. Blood up the stairs. He could see it from the corner. Teru walked closer to the stairs, now careful. Blood means Hanako is close. He looked down the hall, now seeing the whole hallway. He looked down.
His breath caught in his throat, tears forming in his eyes.
)--(
Something smelled weird. Metallic. Like, blood.
Hanako opened his eyes to find Tsuchigomori in front of him, worried, and serious.
"Sensei? What's happening?" Hanako asked, and found himself sitting on the 3rd floor girls bathroom.
"Hanako, how are you feeling?" Tsuchigomori asked, and Hanako stood up. He looked at the man carefully. He looked a little roughed up. Like he'd been wrestling with someone. What exactly happened? Why was he closing his eyes?
"I'm fine, why do you look roughed up?" Hanako confirmed.
"It's nothing. Simply, your seal fell off, and I put it back. You were without it for about 20-25 minutes." Tsuchigomori explained, crossing his arms. His seal. Oh god.
"Oh god." Hanako feared. He went crazy without his seal. He had just been- Wait. He remembers seeing Kou before he went crazy. He can't remember anything from without the seal, but he can remember before. Kou was there. Oh. Oh no. That's why Tsuchigomori looks fine. He must've had another target. Hanako looked at his clothes and gasped. He was bloody.
"So we have to go find Kou, and right now-"
"Kou was with me! Where is he?" Hanako panicked. Tsuchigomori's eyebrows furrowed.
"That's exactly why we need to go find him. I don't know where he is. And he might be injured." He said, and went for the door. Hanako followed. He followed, floating as Tsuchigomori jogged down the halls, looking for Kou.
But all Hanako could think of was Kou, laying on the floor, bleeding. He was terrified. He didn't want to hurt Kou. He can't. He wouldn't forgive himself. He'd already killed one person. That was bad enough.
They turned a corner, seeing the stairs. They slowed down, as Hanako spotted bloodstains. On the floor, and splattered onto the walls and stairs. Oh no. Hanako knows this is very bad. Tsuchigomori ran down the stairs, and stopped at the last two. Hanako followed and froze, right next to Tsuchigomori.
There, he saw a figure. Teru Minamoto, Kou's terrifying older brother. He saw sobbing, holding the bloody body of Kou. There was blood everywhere. Floor, walls, and Kou. He had stab wounds in his torso, and his face was bloody.
Tsuchigomori inhaled sharply at the sight. Teru finally noticed them, and his head snapped towards them. His eyes were tearful, and he looked devastated. But when he locked eyes with Hanako, his eyes became cold. They became sharp, hateful. Angry.
"You." He said, and Tsuchigomori walked over hesitantly, crouched down and put two fingers onto Kou's neck. He was trying to find a pulse. Teru kept his angry stare at Hanako. He shuddered. The older exorcist was horrifying.
"He's gone." Tsuchigomori stated with horror in his voice, and Hanako was officially scared, and distraught. His friend was dead. He just killed his own friend. Hanako was a monster.
"I killed him..." Hanako muttered, and Teru glared at him.
"How dare you. How fucking dare you!" Teru screamed, springing up, and unseathing his sword. He pointed the thing at Hanako, and it started sparkling.
"Halt it, Minamoto. We'll handle this after we've called the authorities." Tsuchigomori ordered, pulling out his phone and turning into his human form.
But Teru didn't seem to care.
"I don't give a fuck. My brother just died, because of this piece of shit I warned him about! He's dead! Kou was only 14! And Hanako just killed him!" Teru yelled, tears streaming down his face, and electricity crackled around him. He lunged at Hanako, and Hanako screamed in horror. The sword hit through his arm.
"Stop!" Tsuchigomori shouted in the background, but Hanako stared Teru in his cold and angry eyes.
(_)
Hanako watched as Kou's corpse was taken away. Tsuchigomori called the police, and it was quite a mess. Before that, Teru managed to forever scar Hanako of the Minamoto clan. It was terrifying. Tsuchigomori had to literally drag Teru off of Hanako, right after the exorcist put his sword through his stomach. Hanako is purely suprised he didn't get exorcised right there and then. But Teru kept screaming curses and other stuff at him, even before Tsuchigomori stopped his attacks. Which honestly, Hanako can't blame him. He had just seen the corpse of his brother, and he was killed in such a cruel way.
After the police arrived, Teru started sobbing again his back against the wall, until he was questioned.
"I understand you feel guilty, Hanako. But this is all just an accident. You can't control yourself when the seal is off." Tsuchigomori said to Hanako, as Hanako left to go back to the bathroom. But Hanako didn't believe him. He just killed Kou. Oh god. Hanako curled up into a ball and cried. Cried and cried.
)--(
The next day, when Yashiro arrived to school, it was strange. Everyone was whispering about something. But she had no idea why. She had been sick yesterday, so she didn't know what could've happened. Well, Aoi probably knows.
Yashiro made her way over to Aoi, who was watching Akane call someone, annoyed.
"Hi Aoi!" Yashiro greeted, and Aoi turned to her. She smiled.
"Hello Nene, I'm glad you're well now." Aoi greeted, and Yashiro looked at Akane, who looked angry and calling someone, but the someone didn't seem to answer yet.
"What is he doing?" Yashiro asked.
"He's trying to call Minamoto senpai. He hasn't showed up to school, and they have some sort of meeting. Important one." Aoi explained, and Akane finally managed to get a hold of Teru, seemingly.
"Teru, where are you? You know we have a meeting today." Akane asked.
"By the way, why are everyone whispering today? Did something happen yesterday?" Yashiro turned to Aoi, who's expression changed.
"There was a dead student found here after school. We don't know the details yet, but some clubs saw the police take away a corpse. That all happened during a fire alarm." Aoi explained, and Yashiro's eyes widened in shock. A dead body. A student? That's awful!
"What do you mean you're not coming today? This is important!" Akane yelled in the background.
"Who?" Yashiro asked.
"Nobody knows, it's still not published information." Aoi said, and Yashiro looked back at Akane.
"You know- Wait. What?" Akane suddenly paled. He stayed silent for a moment, and his eyes widened.
"Oh my god. I'm so sorry Teru, I didn't know. I'm sorry for your loss. You can miss this meeting." Had someone of Teru's family died? The phone clicked, indicating Teru hanging up, and Akane turned to Aoi and Yashiro, pale as a ghost.
"Um."
"What's wrong with Minamoto senpai?" Aoi asked, and Akane looked shocked.
"Teru told me that Kou is dead. He was the one to get murdered yesterday." Akane said and the words hit Yashiro like a knife. She felt like she had been just stabbed multiple times in the heart.
"What?" Yashiro gasped. No, Kou can't be dead. He's a strong exorcist that can't be defeated that easily. No. No. Please not Kou.
(_)
And before Yashiro realized, she was sobbing her eyes out in the 3rd floor girls bathroom.
"Huh? Yashiro, it's not after school yet- Oh." Hanako's voice rang throughout the bathroom, and the ghost landed next to Yashiro.
"Hanako, Kou is dead!" Yashiro cried out. She's sick for one day and her friend gets murdered.
"I know Yashiro. I'm so sorry."
He's sorry? Wait, Kou was at school yesterday. He was doing Yashiro's shift for her. He was there with Hanako.
"Hanako, you were there, why didn't you stop his death?" Yashiro knew it was mean, but Kou was dead. Hanako loves clinging onto them. Why would he leave Kou alone?
Hanako made a pained expression.
"Yashiro, you see my seal?" He asked, pointing at the small note on his left cheek. Yashiro nodded.
"It keeps my powers in check. And if it gets taken off, I go insane." Hanako explained, and it clicked. No.
"You didn't."
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to."
"You- you killed Kou..." Yashiro gasped, and Hanako looked guilty.
Yashiro stared at Hanako with blank eyes. She had just been told that her friend had killed her other friend. So, Yashiro did the logical thing. She bawled and let the tears out. Hanako sat there silently. Kou...
)--(
Where was he? Mitsuba had waited ages for Kou, who had promised to help with his pictures that day. He can't seem to spot him through the mirrors.
So, he'll go ask the toilet boy. Hanako.
Mistuba appeared through the mirrors of the 3rd floor girls bathroom, and instantly saw Hanako sulking. What the hell?
"Yo, toilet boy, where's lame earring?" Mitsuba asked him, and Hanako's head snapped up to look at him. He looked suprised.
"Mitsuba?"
"Yeah, it's me, dipshit. Where's lame earring? He promised to help me but is a no-show." Mitsuba complained, but something seemed off. Hanako looked sad at the mention of Kou.
"Haven't you heard? Kou was murdered yesterday." Hanako said, and Mitsuba dashed over to him, grabbing his shirt collar.
"Are you joking?"
"No! I wish I was!" Hanako shouted, and Mitsuba let go of him.
"This is a joke. A joke." He muttered to himself and left through the mirror. Kou wasn't coming back. Mitsuba is sure that exorcists can't become supernaturals, especially one of the Minamoto clan. Kou had been murdered. Why? Why would someone do this? Kou was a sweet guy, he wouldn't hurt a fly, and someone murdered him!
)--(
The funeral was miserable. Teru stood there, holding Tiara as she sobbed. It was a stupidly sunny day, and sun shined into Teru's eyes. He cried. Almost the whole funeral. So did Tiara, who was inconsolable after she found out. It was truly awful.
Teru searched for Kou at the school, if he possibly happened to be a supernatural now. Nothing. He suspects that Kou didn't get stuck. That happens with exorcists.
But he misses Kou. He misses his little brother. Teru forced himself to learn to cook, like Kou did.
He's never going to see his little brother again, and it's all because of a stupid ghost. His little sister cried herself to sleep because of a stupid ghost.
Teru hates Hanako the bathroom ghost. With all his heart.
)--(
The guilt ate him alive. Kou was full of life. He was happy, and cheerful. He had a family. He had a life. He had a future. But Hanako took that from him.
He'll never forgive himself for it. No matter how many years and decades pass, he'll always remember what he did. He's killed two people, and he'll never be forgiven.
He swore he'd never hurt either of them, but here he was. And god, it hurt.