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A cold gust of wind struck me as soon as I set foot on the sky scraper's rooftop. Aside from the howling of the wind and the sound of my footsteps, it was quiet - unlike the bustling city below, the mocking voices of the crowd, the malicious words hurled at me day by day.
As I looked around, I immediately spotted her.
"Miku", she spoke, without turning around. Her voice was soft as ever, yet unusually monotone.
Instead of replying, I merely walked over to her, taking her hand into mine. For a brief moment she looked at me, slightly taken aback, before returning her gaze to the city below.
"What a lovely view."
I knew what she was looking at, even though it shouldn't be visible from this high up; the cheerful students on the courtyard chatting about trivial things, the couples walking along the street, the parents watching their children on the playground. She wordlessly hooked her fingers into the chain-link fence that separated us from the city; it was reminiscent of a cage, trapping us and keeping us from reaching such happiness.
Behind us, however, there was a tear in the fence, large enough for a person to slip through.
Tightening my grip around her hand, I pulled her away from the fence and closer to myself as I stumbled backwards. Gradually, my steps became more coordinated, my feet tapping on the ground to the rhythm of a non-existent melody.
A step. A spin. One-two, in the corner of the world, free from prying eyes.
Her lips curled up into a smile, a genuine smile, as she swayed back and forth with me in smooth motions.
A rock turn. A dip. A pleasant sense of dizziness pervaded my mind.
We both smiled, a feeling of nostalgia and longing washing over us. Our gaze shifted towards the tear in the fence.
"You know why I've come here", she said matter-of-factly. I merely hummed affirmatively.
Her soft smile became strained. I was all too familiar with that pained smile, mostly accompanied by an unconvincing "I'm fine".
The shrill voices were still ringing in my ear, the twisted grins were etched into my mind. To me, their insults were nothing but infuriating, but to her, they were like venom seeping into her already open wounds.
And yet, she would always react the same way.
Smiling shyly, despite being angry.
Laughing, despite wanting to cry.
Dancing, despite being sad.
But eventually, it became unbearable for her, and I would find her standing at the edge of this roof.
To tell the truth, I was sick of it all, too.
"Why don't we just end it all, together?", I blurted, my eyes never moving away from the tear in the fence.
She did not answer, nor did she smile anymore.
"One last dance?"
"One last dance."
Strangely enough, a grin spread on her face once more as she placed her hand into mine, despite our impending end. I knew what she was thinking: 'to hell with this world!'.
And she was right; there truly was nothing good left in this world.
We continued dancing, inching closer towards the tear in the fence with each step. And the moment I saw the only person I held dear slip from my grasp and fall into the city below, the world had already ended for me.
I immediately jumped after her, reaching for her hand and embracing her for the final time.
Between her long strands of pink hair that whipped through the air, I spotted a lone poppy blooming through the cracks between the floor tiles, its petals red as blood.
It was the last thing I saw before I closed my eyes and everything went black.