Chapter Text
0. Across, a five-letter word for passing on.
The last thing Taichi remembers is white, and then more white. He thinks of polar bears but that’s not quite it.
He taps the rubber end of the pencil on the newspapers before shucking it aside. The crossword is giving him a headache - a sharp twist in his temples that feels like a reminder and an old friend. And in some ways, that's not wrong.
"Aren't you going to say anything," he says. He glances to the unmoving figure on the bed - eyes closed and hair a flaming sun. He breaks off a bit of eraser on Satori's table and hurls it at his upperclassman. "If you think I'm going to disappear when you wake up, I'm going to tell you now that it's not going to happen."
It works - Satori stirs in his bed and lets out a low moan. He runs his hands down his face, lips twisted in frustration.
"Hello," Taichi calls from the desk.
Satori sits up. He looks tired. Unenthusiastic. His eyes are narrowed as he lifts up his fingers, mimicking a crucifix. He closes an eye and aims it over Taichi's face.
Taichi sighs. "What are you doing?"
"An exorcism."
Taichi hurls another eraser flake at him and shoots him a dirty look. "That's not going to work."
"But you died!" Satori wails finally, voice strained and off-key. He flops back onto his bed and starts thrashing, upset. "I attended your funeral! You shouldn't be here!"
And that's the thing - that is exactly the thing. But here's another thing: he knows.
The answer is 'death'.