꧁ LIFE and DEATH ꧂

DEATH

A/N: Angst with a happy ending!

A hopeless scream echoed through the school.

Even though they hadn't been told, the rest of the Seven Wonders knew what happened. Since they were all connected, they each felt it.

Akane jumped when he felt the rage. Pure and unbottled, it didn't surprise him. He already knew what happened.

Yako, despite her aloof appearance, had grown fond of the girl. She shed her own tears as she felt the wave of hopelessness.

Mitsuba didn't think that he would be affected by the event, but he was. Kou had come straight to his Boundary after hearing the news, and the two had cried together.

Shijima stared at the blank canvas, overwhelmed by the Wonder's shared tragic feelings.

Tsuchigomori looked up, surprised by the wall of fear and depression that crashed into him.

It slightly surprised him not to see Hanako rushing for his office, looking for solace. And what was also surprising was his own feelings. Tsuchigomori had no real attachment to her, so why did it matter to him?

Because she had become a staple in everyone's life. Someone to help, someone to keep the Wonders in check. But . . .

Nene Yashiro, dead at 16.

Shinigami held the girl's lifeless body. He had needed to pry Hanako's own sob-wracked body off of her.

"Y-you c-can't take her!" He'd screamed. "You c-can't! Y-Yashiro . . . is mine . . ."

Shinigami had ignored him, taking Nene back to his boundary.

Hanako sat on the roof, staring lifelessly out and over the school yard. For all he cared, a supernatural could have taken his life there and then. He no longer had the will to live.

The ghost slumped over, sobs wracking his body.

"Y-Yashiro . . ."

"Hanako-kun?"

He looked up. There stood another ghost, with platinum blonde hair and teal tips. She wore a simple black and gold yukata. And . . .

She had abnormally thick ankles.

"Yashiro . . ."

He hugged the girl, both of them crying.

"You're not going to leave me again, right?" Hanako asked.

"Now that I'm an apparition, I can stay with you at the school for as long as we please. I'm going to stay with you forever."

The two stayed in the tight embrace for another minute. Then Hanako smiled.

"Yashiro, I love you." Nene blushed and smiled.

"I love you too, Hanako-kun."

A/N:

I'm performing a musical today (Seussical the Musical). Wish me luck!

Stay safe and healthy! 

~~ Author-chan ~~