Keep Fighting

𓊈卍 𝟖𝟕 卍𓊉

Bzzt bzzt~
Bzzt bzzt~

Mikey's obsidian eyes open. He groggily rubs his eyes, feeling the tears that are there. Another restless night of crying had gone by.

The sunlight is seeping through the blinds, but it doesn't do enough to illuminate his dark room. He rolls over to face the side table his phone is set on. The buzzing continues, and he just stares at it. He's hesitant on picking it up, but he eventually does. He rolls over onto his back and answers.

He says nothing, but he can hear the person on the other end. It's Takemichi. He's a sobbing mess, but much worse than usual.

"M-Mikey-k-un... I-It's ti-ime..."

Mikey feels his heart stop for a moment.

Nakano and Izana's funeral...

He's been dreading this.

He hangs up the phone immediately and chucks it across the room, creating a loud crash. He can feel the inside of his chest burning, and it's as if his ribs are crushing his lungs. He curls up pressing his hands against his stinging eyes to keep the tears from spilling out. But they're relentless.

His emotions are the only opponent that can win against him.

The tears pour from his eyes, dampening his hands and soaking his pillow. He lost two people he intended to save and protect.

Izana was a brother to Shinichiro, therefore he saw him as a brother. When he learned that he was Nakano's brother, he only felt more determined to get him back for her. When Hina told him about Takemichi and how he left to fight because Nakano was going to die, that feeling came back, and he knew it was bad. He thought he could at least help Nakano after Izana died...

And now they're both...

There's a knock at the door, causing him to stifle his sobs.

"Mikey." This time, it's Draken. He sounds solemn, even upset.  "We gotta go."

He rolls over so he's on his back, staring at the ceiling. He doesn't want to go. He doesn't want to say goodbye. Not to them.

"Mikey?" Now it's Emma at the door. She sounds like she's on the verge of tears as well. "Please, you need to come. Nakano would want you there."

The mention of her name sends him into a hellstorm of emotions. He clenches his fists, hopelessly squeezing his eyes shut while curling up even more. He tries to hug himself, mimicking Nakano's warm embrace. It's just not the same. Being reminded that he won't be able to have Nakano in his arms anymore is something he doesn't think he can deal with.

But Emma's right. He will likely regret it for the rest of his life if he doesn't say goodbye properly. It would be selfish of him. He owes it to Nakano and Izana.

He rolls over and sees something reflect in the sunlight seeping into his room from his window-Nakano's broken bracelet. Just looking at it somehow gives him a surge of strength, as if Nakano is right next to him now. He sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. He takes the broken bracelet and holds it in his palm so carefully as if the already broken piece of jewelry would break even more.

'I said I wouldn't miss a day showing you I love you...' He curls his fingers overtop of it and holds it to his heart. 'If saying goodbye is a way to show it, then I'll go.'

━─━─━━─━「卍」━━─━─━─━

Mikey walks into the funeral venue, dressed in black like everyone else. Emma clings to his arm, already trembling in sadness. The number of funerals they've been to together would've made them accustomed to attending these ceremonies by now, but who could get used to something like this? The loss of a loved one will always hurt. It only hurts more and more as they keep leaving the world behind.