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Time kept ticking, back and forth.
Each second turned into minutes, and those minutes turned into hours.
Then the hours turned to days, weeks, months..
“I am sorry, Honor Roll”..
Those words made her heart sting.. Sorry? Was that all they could say after months of nothing but these missions to help solve her curse but turn up empty handed?
“You don’t have much time left as you know.. If we did the math right, your curse will take effect in the next two days”. The Headmaster said as he gently stroked his hand over the cat’s head.
“We tried everything we could as you know, but we need to think of the safety of the other students. We don’t want you to leave without saying goodbye”.
What could she say this time? ‘Thank you for trying’?
She came up more empty handed than the amount of times she played Investigator for the school.
“Please, return to Hyde’s office this evening so we can proceed with transferring you into the confident facility”.
The Honor Roll left the Headmaster’s office with despair in her eyes. There was no way she could go to class like this now. She was just told she had the rest of the day left before they moved her?
Everyone else she knew was in class, Kaito and Lucas were in their classroom without her there.
How was she going to look them in the eyes after the news that she had received?
In times of despair, sometimes you need to drink, right? The Honor Roll started her walk in the hallways before exiting the school building before trailing into the midnight scenery forest of Obscuary. The dorm came into view but the first thing she saw was the blonde vice captain tending to the plants outside.
Rui was just finishing up, wiping his brow before his head turned as he felt a presence approaching him.
“Oh! Hey”~!
Rui waved. “Good to see you! What is”...
The closer she made her way over to him, the more he could see the despair painted on her face.
“..Wrong? What is the matter”? He stretched his hand out before stopping mid-way and retracted it.
“Can we go inside”?
Rui’s eyes widened in worry, he knew the next words that were going to come from her mouth were not going to be good news. And he hates that he assumed right. The two sat in the bar space alone together.
Rui stood behind the bar, his hands gripping the counter as he stared blankly at the surface. His breathing was shaky from breathing out of his nose.
“I thought…. There should have been”..
Words kept coming in his mind to think of a way to comfort the Honor Roll, but the words were being difficult to come out.
“... I am sorry”...
“Please do not say that.. I am tired of it”.. She spoke with bitterness. “I just wish things were different”.
Rui swallowed roughly. “I know I am.. I mean”.. His gloved hand ran into his hair. “This is so unfair, you did not ask for this”..
The Honor Roll’s eyes locked onto his hands that are covered with the black leather gloves.
She did not choose to get cursed.
Did not choose to go to Darkwick.
Did not choose to go on these house missions.
None of it was her choice.
But if there was a choice for her to make..
“Rui.. About your reaper curse.. It works with skin to skin contact does it not”?
“You are not asking me to do what I think you are asking me… Are you”?
The room fell silent..
“Please do not ask me, there is no way”! He shook his head.
“Please! Rui! I did not have a choice in any of this matter! This is the only choice I am able to make”.
Rui shook his head firmer. “Y-You are asking me to… This is so”...
“I know.. This is not fair on you.. You did not ask for your curse either, and asking you to do this is unfair to you”..
She looked at him, her eyes lost their shine to them,maybe the sparkle in her eyes dimmed a long time ago. If there was a choice that she could make in this matter it was this.
“There is still time.. Two days you said the curse will take effect, can’t we”..
“Rui we have to be realistic”--
“But! What about you? Are you giving up”?
“I don’t want to turn into a monster… And I am tired of this… I want it to end, but I want it on my own terms”...
Rui’s mouth parted before closing it.
“... I can’t just… They will punish me right after”..
“But I am going to die either way. Rui, I am begging you”..
Her forehead pressed against the bar counter top. “I want this to end.. Please”..
Rui could feel his hands tingle under his gloves. “This is something you really want isn’t it”..?
“I know.. This is something you never would have wanted to do, I would not even consider making this an option if there was another way.. I am sorry”.
Rui sighed. “I am too.. That it has to come to this”.
The two decided it would be best for them to do this in a private setting. They walked up to Rui’s bedroom, the Honor roll took a moment to hand write a letter to the staff about this was her choice in the matter.
Rui was pacing in his room while she wrote, every second felt like forever, he should not be doing this… He knew this was wrong.
“I am done”.. The letter was folded to fit in an envelope.
The clock ticked down until it hit 9PM. She should have been in Hyde’s office by now. But the plan was being carried out.
Rui shakily took off his gloves one after the other and set them at the edge of his bed. His fingers were met with the cold air in the room.
“Last chance.. Do you want to back out”?
The Honor roll shook her head. “After this is over… Please plant me in your garden”.
Rui sniffled. “ Of course”.. His hand reached out for her. “I need to confess..”
He let out a sad chuckle. “I always liked you.. Every time I told you I fell for you, I meant every word”..
The Honor Roll stared at his hand. For once today a smile came on her face. “... I felt the same, if things were done differently, we could have gone on a date”.
Rui nodded. “ On a romantic candle lit dinner, with calming classics playing in the background”.
A soft giggle came out of her, it was sad. “In the next life, we should go”. Her hand hovered over his gloveless hand.
The Honor Roll’s hands lowered down until the palm of her hand touched onto Rui. Her fingers intertwined with his fingers. The curse took effect almost immediately.
The Honor roll let out a pain groan as her mouth opened slightly. A slight trail of a rosy pink escaped from her mouth in a soul sucking manner. The soul lifted in the air, consuming the area in a sweet flowery aroma scent.
The soul transferred from the Honor Roll and was sucked into Rui’s mouth.
It burned, The Honor Roll could feel her chest tighten as it felt like her breath was being taken away (literally).
Rui’s expression became blurry as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. Her face was running pale as the warmth in her face was slowly draining by the passing seconds. Her body twitched, gripping onto his hand.
She choked on what little air.
When she gasped one last time, the final bit of pink aura exited her lips. Her body collapsed to the side, then her grip loosen, letting Rui know that she was truly gone.
Everything Rui felt before suddenly came out in a burst. A whimper cry as he wrapped his arms around The Honor Roll’s body now limped like a rag doll.
All he could do was mutter small apologies like she could still hear him.
Weeks went on, Rui had to face disciplinary actions for using his curse on a student, even with the Honor Roll’s letter he had to face punishment.
Rui stood outside in the dorm’s garden, tending to the garden he had set outside. He stood over the fresh patch of soil that was dug up. There were little sprouts coming from the ground where he recently planted his new specimen.
“...I honor your wish darling”.. He mumbled softly. “You are just as beautiful as a flower”.