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Kako was the first to see it. She’d just exited the library, when she caught a glimpse of something white passing by the other end of the corridor. Ima wasn’t sure at first, but he helped his sister chase it down and this time they both got a good look.
“It was Aotsuki, I swear it!” Kako told them during breakfast the next day. “He was hovering in the air, his eyes covered by his hair. I couldn’t see his expression at all, it was really scary!”
“I don’t want to believe it either, but…” Ima seemed uncharacteristically serious. Whatever he saw must have really unnerved him. “It’s true. He was there for a minute, then sort of just… melted into the air and disappeared. We ran to the courtyard right after to check, Aotsuki was still in his cage. He said hi to us and asked us what we were doing. There was no way he could make it down the stairs without us seeing.”
Looked like they had a mystery on their hands. Aotsuki Eito being in two places at the same time, and even having the power of flight?
“It’s a ghost!” Maruko ran to the most predictable conclusion possible, at least for him. “We refused to kill him, now his ghost is haunting us!”
“…Isn’t it usually the other way around?”
“We’ve seen more than one Commander fly.” Omokage contributed sensibly. “It’s not outside the realms of possibility that Aotsuki could do that with his hemoanima. Even Sirei had said that current science barely understands its powers.”
“Even if that’s true, how’s this dude got outta his cage?”
“And somehow got back so quickly without being caught. Perhaps like me, he’s a virulent bedbug infestation that slips under everyone’s radar until people suddenly break into hives and there’s no choice left but to burn down the entire complex?”
“I’ve always wondered, do you come up with that stuff on the fly or did a team of writer have to pitch in with their most depressing thoughts for the day?”
“A ghost that starts killing us off one by one would make this place so much more interesting…”
“Please stop looking so wistful when you say disturbing things like that.”
The team decided to make the rounds after that, just to be sure the twins didn’t miss anything due to it being late at night. They didn’t find anything in the hallways, the adjacent rooms, nor the entire courtyard. Throughout their investigation, Aotsuki asked them friendly questions, but they collectively decided to ignore him. Takumi thought if Aotsuki was trying to collect information, it meant he didn’t know what was going on, either. Somehow the thought didn’t comfort him. Perhaps he was too used to Aotsuki always being ten steps ahead of them.
***
Three days later, it happened again. This time, it was Mojiro, Omokage, Oosuzuki, and Yakushiji; who saw it outside the Rec Room after their round of cards. Mojiro gave a helpful demonstration the following day by lifting Omokage up by the waist. He gladly played along, letting his arms go lax, toes pointing down, head drooping so low it was impossible to see his eyes. The sight was genuinely unsettling, if not for the fact that Amemiya was loudly crunching on potato chips the whole time.
The team discussed it among themselves, but nobody could figure out what it all meant. It would be one thing if these appearances had coincided with some kind of destruction or mischief, but no, everything went on as normal. They even had a defensive battle the day before, which turned out fine with nobody the worse for wear. If Aotsuki had been planning to escape or sabotage them, there could have been no better opportunity. After all, the whole team had to leave school grounds, turning all their focus towards battle, then pass out in exhaustion until late afternoon the following day.
“So is this ghost just randomly popping out to scare us or what?” Yakushiji voiced his frustration, two weeks after the first sighting.
Since then, the entire team except Takumi had seen the ghost. Maruko even saw it twice, which he insisted was a sign that the universe hated him. Even Shizuhara had to admit that she could currently find no explanation for the phenomenon. Like usual, the thing melted away in front of her eyes. Her immediate investigation after turned up no clue whatsoever as to how it did that, or how Aotsuki could be back in his cage just minutes later, smiling serenely with a book in his hand.
Takumi frankly had no Earthly ideas what any of this meant. To be quite honest, the whole thing physically tired him out. Whenever he tried to think about it, he gave up after a few minutes and just went to bed. He had been sleeping in a lot lately, exhausted from the constant battles. He’d spring into action the moment something threatened the safety of the school or his friends, but this apparition had done neither.
Rather, it had become a little mystery to keep their breakfasts lively, something everyone had in common and could freely talk about. In a group full of strong personalities, perhaps they needed an ongoing intrigue to endlessly theorize over, bridging any differences in the process. Some unlikely alliances had formed. There was the Doppelganger Bridgade, consisting of Kako, Mojiro, and Ginzaki. Breaking away from his sister, Ima sided with Shizuhara, Kawana, and Oosuzuki on the Hidden Tunnels Camp. Maruko managed to convince Yakushiji and Kyoshika to his Ghostly Faction, while Amemiya wished somebody would just die violently already. She was so mad this had gone on that long without a single mangled corpse being discovered anywhere. Takumi briefly considered suggesting she and Omokage finish each other off in a friendly mutual killing, just to take the edge off. Never mind they had entirely different “edges” and opposite definitions of “finishing someone off.”
Of course, one of the discussion points was why their Captain had not met the ghost himself. Takumi said it was because he usually headed straight to his room after dinner, but his guess was dismissed by Oosuzuki, who saw the thing right next to her trailer.
“Mayhaps this Aotsuki villain habors a deep grudge for Sumino-dono?”
“Unlikely. Aotsuki has made it clear that he despises all humans equally.”
“But it was Sumino who caught him and foiled his plan, right?”
“That should make Sumino even more likely to be haunted, you pea-brained plebeian!”
“Why, there’s a difference between regular-hate and hate-hate, Kurara-chan.”
“It’s true. The way people hate me is comparable to the way you hate a cockroach’s legs that cling to the bottom of your shoe after you stomp on it.”
“That’s so gross I’m gonna— *hurk*”
Takumi looked around the table, suddenly wishing the ghost would keep appearing. Do nothing else, just wander around here and there, giving Kako a chance to report with starry eyes the progress on her leylines map. May be Kawana’s Spooky Stuff Detection Device would get a new upgrade next time. Since its appearance in Amemiya’s shower, the girls had started to hold sleepover parties regularly at Shizuhara’s, about which she seemed secretly pleased. Ima started out pranking Maruko, but scared him so bad that he felt a bit guilty and they had been going together to the bathroom since. Omokage had roped Ginzaki into testing out his anti-ghost potion, which just made Ginzaki punch everything at the edge of his vision and turned him even more unnaturally buff.
They were all alive, all doing so well. With this sense of camaraderie helping their training, the battles had been getting easier. On the field, they coordinated effortlessly, barely needing Takumi’s input at all. Even Amemiya was playing nice, saying “If somebody drops dead now you’ll be too sad and that’s no fun at all.” Takumi was grateful, he knew it was her way of being kind. At this rate, even if something happened to him, they’d still make it to Day 100. The thought comforted him more than anything. He wanted to see Karua again, but if something came up, he’d long made peace with the fact that his survival would not be necessary.
***
A month after the ghost first appeared, the boy of Undying Flames showed up in the Cafeteria. Takumi had convinced him that the team would love to hear what he had to say. There was now the possibility of another specter inhabiting the school, and yet like Takumi, UFB had not come across it even once. He must be dying with curiosity, now was as good a time as any to introduce everyone to his theories.
For the record, calling him UFB was Maruko’s idea, as a natural follow-up to UFA — Unidentified Flying Aotsuki.
“I mean, we could call you Shion if you want.” Kawana piped up. “I found a folder with that name in the War Room computer, it was all your baby pictures. The log recorded Sirei accessing it like ten times a day. I think it was what he wanted to call you.”
Something indescribable passed through the boy’s feature. After a moment of silence, he smiled.
“I see. Then Shion is fine. I don’t mind UFB either. Whatever you want to call me, I’m just glad you allowed me to be here.”
Sensing a kindred spirit, the team fell over themselves welcoming Shion. They were all outcasts back home, in one way or another. They knew too well how lucky they’d been to have found this team, to be able to spend time together like this. The rest of their meal passed by in excited chatters. It was decided that from that day onwards, whenever Shion had the energy to show up, he would join at least one team member on their night time activities, to increase his chances of seeing UFA for himself. Takumi was invited of course, but he said given his track record, his tagging along would likely have the opposite effect. If the ghost was avoiding only Takumi for some reason, he wouldn’t want that to affect everybody else’s fun.
***
It didn’t take long, the UFA vs UFB show down happened four days later. Well, less of a showdown and more a match cancelled midway due to technical difficulties, as Mojiro put it. Shion was playing referee for Ginzaki and Oosuzuki’s boxing practice in the gym, when out of nowhere, Magadori’s scream drew everybody’s attention to a corner of the room. Her sword had already left the sheath, pointing at a cloud of vapor that was slowly rising up from the wooden floor. Seconds later, it had formed into the familiar silhouette of Aotsuki in his all-white getup, the tip of his shoes hovering several inches above ground. Magadori began her usual spiel, but all her threats were met with silence.
Shion spoke up.
“I can’t sense the presence of hemoanima.”
As if on cue, the lights in the gym flickered off.
Now the only source of light was Shion himself and the ghost. He “stood” rooted to the spot, staring down the apparition. Unlike his flickering purple flames, its glow was a static, sickly white. With the face hidden behind a curtain of hair, there was no hint of emotion, no sign of human warmth. It bobbed slightly in the air, as if carried by invisible currents. Then, like morning mist in a ray of sunlight, it dissipated.
The lights turned back on.
Hand still on the switch, Takumi was even paler than the ghost.
“Wh-why?” He murmured, more to himself. “Why is it wearing Class Armor?” This was nothing like what everyone had told him. They always reported the ghost dressed all in white.
“Is that how he appears to you, Sumino-dono?” Magadori asked.
That seemed to break the group present out of their spell. They checked with each other, each shaking their head.
“He looked like he was dressed in peasant clothes to me.”
“Indeed. He appeared the same as I always see him in the courtyard.”
“May be it was too dark for Sumino-san to see clearly? M-my apologies, I should not have suggested even that possibility!”
Takumi continued to stare at the spot where the ghost had disappeared. He wasn’t mistaken, he saw it, that was Aotsuki Eito. More precisely, it was the Eito of his first one hundred days, the one he’d absorbed hemoanima from. Takumi’s original class weapon, the red sword, was still lodged in his chest. There was no doubt about it, this was the Aotsuki that he had killed.
Feeling weak in the knees, Takumi had to lean on the wall a few times as he stumbled back to his room.
***
That night, Shion came to check on him. He told Takumi the same thing he’d informed the team, that he could sense no hemoanima from that apparition, in fact he couldn’t even tell what it was made of. They could all see it, but to their other senses, it might as well not be there. There was no sound, no drop in temperature, no disturbance in the air. It seemed like the atmosphere itself had become a screen, projecting to them some hologram from a different world.
My world… Takumi weakly thought to himself. Where I originally belonged. Where I abandoned my friends to come here. Where I—
“The Aotsuki you see,” Shion observed Takumi, “is he the one from your original timeline?”
Too shaken to speak, Takumi nodded.
“If I may,” Shion offered, “I have a theory.”
Takumi’s eyes seized his face like a drowning man clutching at straws. He would take any attempt at an explanation, however improbable.
“It seems to me, this phenomenon reflects each person’s personal feelings towards Aotsuki. I have been talking to everyone, and there are subtle differences in each account. Generally, the team sees Aotsuki as unpredictable and dangerous, but some perceive the ghost to be mysterious, some think it is angry, some say it seems melancholic. I have no strong feelings either way, to me it looks emotionless, almost empty. What about you?”
Takumi tried his hardest to sort out what he was feeling when he caught a glimpse of that figure through the door of the gym. Surprised, angry, frustrated, scared. A lot of hate, and…
(Thorns in his mind had covered up the idea.)
A torrent of grief.
He told Shion,
“Before everything happened,” Takumi looked at the floor, “he was my friend.”
The closest one he had since he was taken to this Academy, in fact. The first face he saw in the morning, the first voice to greet him in the cafeteria. Always dependable, always had a plan. Takumi had thought the world of him, then he—
“I hate him.” Takumi didn’t like how petulant he sounded. “Why’d he have to do something like that? No, I know why, it’s just—“ His short nails pricked the skin of his palm.
“He betrayed you. It’s only natural you’d feel duped.”
“Yes. But it isn’t just that.” Takumi had no idea what else it could be. He trusted the wrong person, too bad, get over it. That should be all there was, shouldn’t it?
“How did the ghost seem to you?”
“Like it was frustrated.” Takumi gripped the edge of his hoodie. “Like it was really pleased. Like it knew something it wasn’t telling me about. I don’t know, I’m confused myself.”
“Would you like to meet it again?”
A dozen answers went through Takumi’s head. ‘Of course not.’ ‘Yes I do.’ ‘God please no.’ ‘May be?’ ‘My head hurts, please don’t ask me again.’ ‘I have no idea.’
After a while, he settled on, “If it insists.”
What a joke. Like his oblivious past self, he ceded control to Aotsuki. Takumi was better at reacting than acting, anyway. He needed to be pushed into a corner to make a decision, and nobody was better at cornering him than Aotsuki.
***
For the next week, Takumi began to see the ghost everywhere. It was like that accidental encounter in the gym had broken a dam, now the ghost was appearing to him twice, sometimes thrice a day, even in broad daylight. Just like the old Aotsuki, Takumi thought. Everywhere Takumi turned, there he was. He could clearly hear that voice calling him “Takumi-kun,” like they’d known each other since childhood. He didn’t know what to feel anymore. The phantom never said or did anything, just appeared out of nowhere, staying long enough to draw attention to itself, then disappearing again.
“Ghosts,” one book in the library commented, “serve as echoes of the past. Often tied to a specific place or person, they appear as reminders to what had once transpired. They are products of strong emotions, the most potent being loss or vengeance. A deep love torn apart or a deep injustice demanding retribution are the most common explanations given as to why a ghost appears. If these injustices are somehow addressed, the ghostly encounters will cease.”
Takumi closed the book and sighed. What could he say to that? What could he even do? In his second chance, he had spared Aotsuki’s life, but that didn’t change the fact that Takumi had murdered one version of him. There was nothing he could do to reverse that act, just as he could not unabsorb Shion or V’ehxness’ hemoanima. They had become a part of him, their blood flowed in his veins. Perhaps they had followed him not just in body, but in soul as well. Perhaps it was Takumi’s subconscious that were projecting these specters of the Aotsuki he knew. The (fake lies betrayal hate fake lies lies lies) version of Aotsuki that he
did not want to admit
that he sorely missed.
Before him, white mist coalesced again, turning into dark blood dripping from the gaping wound on armor-clad chest. Takumi reached his hand through the spot of flame visible where Aotsuki’s heart would be. He felt nothing, it was just air. If his teammates had not seen it too, Takumi would chalk it all up to his imagination.
***
Their latest encounter with V’ehxness had left Takumi restless. Her laugh still echoing in the back of his mind, Takumi got off his bed to pace the school grounds, after tossing and turning for hours without being able to get a wink of sleep. He wasn’t planning on it, but once he looked up to find he was about to enter the courtyard, Takumi felt a strange sense of resignation, perhaps even relief. Ever since this whole thing started, he’d avoided talking to this timeline’s Aotsuki. Something inside him deeply rejected the idea, he didn’t want any sort of confirmation for what could be happening, one way or the other. He put it off day after day, leaving the decision to his teammates. Of course, nobody did anything. Nobody could do anything. This was between him and Aotsuki alone.
Takumi walked over to the cage and plopped himself down in front of the bars. Aotsuki had pulled the blanket all the way up to his chin; his chest was moving up and down, slowly, rhythmically, accompanied by the sound of gentle snoring. Aotsuki hadn’t gone anywhere, he was enjoying his bedtime like a model prisoner. Takumi didn’t know what he was expecting. As much as Aotsuki abhorred humans, he was human himself. Of course he needed to sleep some time. He couldn’t be chipper 24/7, with a harmless smile on his face and a dangerous glint in his eyes.
Pulling his knees close to his chest, Takumi rested his weary head on them. He focused on the sound of Aotsuki’s breathing, separating it from the trickling of the fountain, amplifying it in his mind until it was the only thing he could hear. At least this Aotsuki was alive. Eyes prickling for some reason, the day’s stress finally got to him. Takumi was out like a light.
***
Two months in, the ghost had been seen pretty much everywhere on school grounds, except for the courtyard. In short, the two Aotsukis would never be in the same place at the same time. The Doppelganger Bridgade scored a solid victory, after Yakushiji met the phantom in the corridor right after he brought Aotsuki his lunch. Shizuhara, who happened to be walking by, confirmed it. This put an end to the Hidden Tunnels Camp. Reluctantly, they broke off and redistributed themselves between the remaining groups. Maruko’s Ghostly Faction had always been in the minority, but now he’d secured Kawana and Oosuzuki to his side.
“But it doesn’t make sense for it to be a ghost! Ghosts don’t have legs!”
“That’s just one legend though. I worked at this haunted restaurant once, customers said they saw extra pairs of legs under the table all the time!”
“You have one of those too? People in my host club used to see a leg in stockings and high heel waving at them from behind the door. Of course when they came over, there was no girl to be found.”
“Darumi has played at least nine eroges where the protag sees a pair of disembodied legs walking along the railroad track.”
“I assume they committed suicide by lying on the track? Then the train would cut them in two. Having to crawl around with half your body mangled, your guts spilling out, blood dripping from your mouth… Ah, the idea is positively—“
“Quit it Omokage! I can see your dagger leaving its sheath all the way from here! Boys are so disgusting!!”
“D-dagger leaving its sheath? That’s a scandalous image!”
“Not you too! How many times have that ghost been subjected to the sight of you humping your sword?”
“Only once, I assure you!”
“That’s not information you need to confirm!!”
Takumi sat off to the side, too busy shoving food in his mouth to join the spirited discussion. He was ravenous, true, but he also had no idea what to say. He had no idea how to deal with this lump of emotions that weighed him down every time he was reminded of the existence of the ghost, and by extension, his mortal sin. He understood even less why only the sound of Aotsuki sleeping could calm him down. He knew he wasn’t doing so hot, the stress was beginning to take a toll on his body. Only the constant threat of enemy attacks and his position as Leader kept him from falling apart.
“Tired from your nightly excursions?”
Shizuhara had brought her tray over to sit on his left. This way, they could talk without the whole group — several seats over to his right — being the wiser. Takumi stopped chewing. She knew, right, like anything could escape her eyes. He took a drink of cola to wash down his food.
“Do you think I’m compromised?”
He had no idea why he asked that question. Cold as she might appear, he knew Shizuhara wasn’t asking only out of strategic concerns. He had been looking like death warmed over, of course she’d be worried. Because she cared, because she was considerate and kind. Everyone on the team were, really, in their own ways. Nobody could replace Karua, but he was grateful to have these new friends, so he didn’t have to go through these 100 days alone. Why then, was he so hung up on a traitor who wanted nothing more than to kill them all? Takumi couldn’t make heads or tails of his own mind.
“In the sense of colluding with the enemy, not really. You know Aotsuki better than any of us, I believe you will not be easily swayed by his words. Not to mention, you only visit when he’s fast asleep. But in the sense of your ability to lead, I am concerned. Whatever it is about him that’s bothering you, I suggest you figure it out within three days. I will not allow this to affect your capacity as our Captain any longer. If anything happens, I will not hesitate to deal with it myself. Is that understood?”
Takumi understood perfectly. Secretly, he was glad Shizuhara had put a deadline on his head. Shion was too accommodating, he would never push Takumi to do anything, even if he had been growing more worried himself. Takumi was the type to laze about until he absolutely had to move, it drove Karua crazy to the point she hung out with him every day to make sure he did his homework on time. Not that he needed her to breathe down his neck or anything, he’d still do the work — the night before they were due when he had absolutely no other option. As long as it got done, why did it matter that he finished it early? That trait was suppressed by the Academy’s sense of urgency, but only when it came to survival. With emotional matters, he was as much a procrastinator as ever. Perhaps that was why he and Karua had not so much as held hands, despite her coming to his house everyday.
Well, look where that got him. He assumed Karua would always be there, he assumed he’d have his whole life to figure things out with her. What if an enemy attack took out the courtyard tomorrow? He’d never get the chance to speak to Aotsuki again, it would add another phantom to his list and he’d hate himself forever. He knew he needed to do something, he just needed one last push.
***
That night, Takumi had a light dinner and went to bed soon after. He woke up around four in the morning, feeling more refreshed than he had in ages. When he got to the courtyard, he sat down in front of the cage, holding his knees to his chest like usual. The position put a sort of barrier between him and Aotsuki. Even when he had made up his mind, he still wanted something to hide behind. Aotsuki’s existence just had that kind of effect on him. In hindsight, may be he didn’t hate the guy, he was just really, really, really scared of him. Why Aotsuki freaked him out so much, he had no idea. Aotsuki’s actions, however unpredictable to the rest of them, always made perfect sense for the kind of person he’d revealed himself to be. The only one acting illogically here was Takumi. Sparing Aotsuki’s life the first time was one thing, but twice? If Aotsuki betrayed them a third time, would Takumi make the same choice?
No, turn that around.
Could he bring himself
to kill
Aotsuki Eito
again?
As if on cue, the boy on the other side of the bars stirred. Slowly pushing himself up, he went through his morning routine — washing his face, brushing his teeth, combing his hair, even standing with his back to Takumi as he urinated into the duck-shaped toilet bowl. After washing his hands with soap and drying it with a towel, Aotsuki reached for the eyeglasses box laying by the foot of the pipe bed. Using a small piece of cloth, he wiped the lenses clean, then finally put it on, completing the process of transforming into the image of Aotsuki Eito that Takumi always had in his head.
“Good morning, Takumi-kun. Are you here to bring me breakfast?”
He smiled, looking not the least bit surprised to find Takumi curled up beside his cage. He probably knew about Takumi visiting him during nighttime too, he just treated it as a none issue. Come to think of it, neither Shion nor Shizuhara seemed surprised that Takumi was doing this, either. “It was a truth universally acknowledged, that a rabbit like Sumino-kun would be drawn to the wolf that was Aotsuki-kun.” That was what Omokage had told him in jest one day, and Takumi had no idea what he had meant until this moment.
Without a word, Takumi took out a bag of anko bread, a boiled egg and a carton of milk. He wasn’t thinking when he passed by the cafeteria, just grabbed whatever was in the pantry that could fit into his hoodie’s pockets. Aotsuki didn’t complain, he sat down opposite Takumi, cracked his egg on the floor and peeled the shell onto a piece of paper. He ate at a casual pace, neither too fast nor too slow. He wasn’t putting on a show, he was acting like Takumi didn’t exist at all. This was probably how he consumed his meals normally, after whoever brought him the food had left. The sight made something inside Takumi twist. He’d had almost 100 days of seeing Aotsuki right next to their group of friends, even now, Takumi could still hear his commentary after everyone else had said their piece. The picture just wasn’t complete without him. Now that Shion had joined their revelry, he couldn’t leave Aotsuki to chew on cold bread here all by himself.
Fifteen minutes later, Aotsuki had polished off his meal, not leaving even a crumb. Belatedly, Takumi realized this much food was nowhere near enough for a boy a head taller than him. The team couldn’t be expected to bring their prisoner a steak three times a day just to keep him from wasting away, could they? They would have more time to train if Aotsuki could go to the kitchen himself.
“Let me guess,” Aotsuki said after he’d gargled with mouthwash, the clean freak. “You’re here to ask me to rejoin the team.”
Takumi was stunned. How did he know?
“It makes tactical sense, I’m sure Shizuhara and Omokage would back you up if you brought the matter in front of everyone. Kawana could match the signal of my bomb to small detonators to be distributed, that way anyone could execute me if I ever got out of line. You can remove my name from the Revive-O-Matic for good measure. The team knows how much I long to the witness the end of humanity. I can’t do that if I get blown up trying to set something on fire behind your backs.”
It sounded reasonable… as if it could be anything but. Aotsuki could make shooting yourself in the head sound reasonable. Takumi knew it all too well, and yet he kept being caught off guard like an idiot.
“But you never thought about any of that until I mentioned them, did you? You’re a creature of impulses, Takumi-kun. You came today for the same reason you came every other day — because you wanted to see me.”
That frankness, like a gunshot next to his ears, made Takumi want to cover his head. He realized now just how much he had been coddled, by Shion, by Shizuhara, by Omokage, and likely the rest of the team. They couldn’t have failed to notice the way he was acting, yet they chose to discuss the UFA incident like a zany curious case when he was around. Nobody ever suggested he should talk to Aotsuki, despite it being the most glaringly obvious course of action. He wondered what his face looked like anytime they tried to bring up the subject. Probably how he was looking now to Aotsuki, except he didn’t have the courage to look Aotsuki in the eye to find out. He must be wheezing, he couldn’t tell. Black and white spots were blooming in his vision. He felt nauseous, like he could pass out any second. His scalp hurt like someone was tearing his hair out.
“Here,” someone said, taking his hand and pushing into his palm a handkerchief.
Takumi lifted his head, catching a glimpse of himself reflected in Aotsuki’s eyes before everything went blurry again. God, he was a mess. He blew his nose into the handkerchief, which smelled faintly of hand sanitizer. He should probably make Aotsuki a brand new one in the Gift-O-Matic, this one had better luck being set on fire.
Takumi had no idea how long he spent bawling his eyes out. Aotsuki observed him closely from start to finish, like he was the scientist and Takumi was the specimen in a cage. May be it was how it had always been between them. Aotsuki was an avid learner of manmade atrocities, while Takumi knew himself to be a walking disaster.
When he next spoke, Takumi had doubts Aotsuki could make out what he was saying at all. His throat was so hoarse, it kept dropping every other syllable. His eyes hurt, he had a killer headache. Cutting out a lot of pauses and sniffles, this was what he said.
“I want you to want it. It’s not for the war. I want you to want to spent time with everyone. I want you to have fun. I want us to be friends.”
Despite his best effort, his voice wobbled at the word “friend”, drawing one word to the length of three. Aotsuki seemed to comprehend him just fine. After putting his hand under his chin for a while, he told Takumi.
“Then open the cage.”
Show me that trust. Give me the choice. Real friends didn’t lock friends behind bars. It crystalized to Takumi, right then, that this meant he was going to die. Being friends with the Grim Reaper meant dying, that was what he’d always been afraid of. Fumbling the key from his pocket, Takumi got on his knees to reach for the lock.
It fell down before the key even reached the hole.
The door swung open, and Aotsuki stepped out, towering over Takumi like a giant. His shadow covered Takumi completely.
He felt a warm hand gently cradle his head.
“Let’s kill this ghost, Takumi-kun.” Aotsuki’s thumb, wrapped in leather, wiped the corner of his eye. “I can’t leave my rabbit alone after all.”
End.