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Some descriptions of blood. Hanako's powers may be inaccurate and I apologize if so. Accidental HanaKou (Hanako x Kou) at the end, skip if you don't like. You can imagine them in the cover art if you'd like.
Kou's POV:
"Wow Kou! Your new hairstyle looks really cool!" Nene cheers as she twists the ends of my curls. "Thanks, Nene," I chuckle "my sister thinks so, too." Nene sweeps up dust from the bathroom floor into the dustpan with a confirming grunt, "Then she has great judgment." I smile as I turn to the mirror and start cleaning it. As I do so, an annoyingly familiar chilly breeze floats over my shoulder.
"I think it makes you look like a punk."
"Oh yeah? Well I don't remember asking for your opinion, toilet breath."
"I don't recall you asking for Yashiro's opinion either." Hanako rebuttals.
"Well my hair still looks better than your's its time for a haircut, dude."
Hanako scoffs as he floats back over to his spot on the window sill. "Is it normal for your hair to grow?" Nene asks "I mean with you being dead in all, how would it grow?" I look over my right shoulder, curious about this answer, too. "I'm not entirely sure. It might have something to do with my link with Yashiro." he thinks aloud.
I go back to cleaning when I feel a tingling sensation in my arm. What's happening? Did Hanako curse me or something? In a matter of seconds my arm starts transforming into felt right before my eyes. "Hanako!-", I yell falling to my knees under the weight of my surprisingly heavy arm- "What did you do to me?!" Hanako and Nene both rush over, inspecting me.
"Hanako, what the heck? Did you do this?" Nene scolds him.
"No, no, I promise this wasn't me! But, I might know what's happening to our friend here." He states turning to think.
"Well what is it? How ca we help Kou?" Nene begs Hanako grabbing onto his arms.
Hanako turns to the window as he stops floating and stands on the floor. He looks back with a serious expression. "It's Yako's boundary." He starts, blankly. Nene and I both glance at each other in confusion. We fixed her boundary, and changed the rumors. How is this still affecting me?
After seeing the confused looks on our faces, Hanako elaborates, "You're still bound to her boundary. When we went, you were turned into a doll. Dolls are her henchmen. When you completed doll form you became bound with it." Nene gasps and asks, "Wait do you mean like me and the mermaid lady?" Hanako only looks to the floor with a nod.
Suddenly, the mirror I was cleaning a few minutes ago breaks open. Thousands of dolls start flowing out of it, filling up Hanako's bathroom. Hanako and Nene are slammed against one of the closed stalls. Hanako protected Nene by hitting the bare stall but that knocks he wind out o him. As that happens some of the dolls grab me and start trying to drag me through the mirror. "Kou!" Nene cries. I can clearly see her on the verge of tears. Hanako looks up with pained but angered expression. I try to fight back but these dolls are too strong. Is this is it? I'm about half way through the mirror when I see the dark looming boundary, waiting to add me to its body count. I'm scared, hell, I'm terrified. I don't wanna die, not yet. I don't wanna die without living up to my family legacy. Hanako please save me. I know he can't hear me but please. Even if he could, would he? After I tried to exorcize him awhile ago we aren't on the best terms. I just hope him and Nene will be okay. I'm happy I'm her friend, and Hanako's, I guess. Teru please take care of little sis.
Hanako's POV:
Me and Kou have never been friends. We never clicked as people would say. He tried to exorcize me when we first met, of course we wouldn't be friends. But watching him get dragged through the broken mirror. Listening to Yashiro cry out to him, sobbing. His face, scared for his life. Something in that moment broke my grudge. I want nothing but to protect him. I need to protect him. He's me and Nene's friend. He's my friend. He's mine.
I quickly thrust my knife into the closing mirror. Yashiro gasps in shock at my action while I pull her to her feet. "Go home, Yashiro, but don't worry about Kou. I'll get him back, I promise." I reassure her. She crashes into my chest crying thank yous and be safes. I turn back to the mirror clashing with my knife to close. I glance back once to make sure Yashiro is gone before I remove the knife and jump through.
When I land, I'm exactly where I thought I would, in front of the Misaki stairs. This is going to take a long time and that's what I don't have. The horrible things that could be happening to Kou right now. What if I'm too late? Tears burn the back of my eyes as I clench my knife handle at the horrible thought. Who knew I would care so much about this Minamoto kid.
After what felt like hours of climbing stairs I see some spikes of curly blonde hair. I quickly run over and find Kou, tied up but safe. When he sees me his glow with looks like relief and also confusion. "We need to hurry, the Misaki dolls will go ballistic if they find you're gone." I whisper as I tear the cloth around his mouth. "Thank you, Hanako." Is all he says while I untie the thread around the rest of his body. Once I do so, he starts sobbing, gasping for air in between sobs. I freeze in surprise at his sudden emotional action, its abnormal for him.
"Please keep them away, I'll do anything." Kou begs.
"I can but it'll cost you, like Yashiro." I inform him.
"I don't care what the price is, Hanako, just free me."
"Okay, give me your arm."
He holds out his arm and I turn it to his open forearm. I grab my knife as I warn him, "This is gonna hurt, sorry," as I slice a deep and jagged cut on his arm. He recoils in pain, clutching the fresh wound. "What the hell, man?-" He pauses his retaliation when he watches me cut a similar wound on my own arm. I hiss from the pain as blood drips from it. He gives me a confused and concerned look when I grab his. I push the cuts together causing a grunt of pain from both of us. Then he is able to grab hold of my hand. "How am I- how- what?" He stutters in confusion. "We are bound by blood now. I am able to protect you like I can protect Yashiro."
I swear I see a light blush settle on his cheeks but before I can confirm it the ground beneath us shakes. Cracks start erupting from beneath us. I pull him up as I start to float, so we don't fall to our, more his, deaths. Then a wave of voices all start talking in hushed voices. I feel the protective urge from earlier triple when a tsunami of dolls start appearing in front of us. Their faceless forms add a creepiness their height eliminates. They start climbing on top of each other to intimidate us with their height but I see through their little trick. "Give us back our new toy!" They demand with a roar thats half of a plead. I hold Kou close as I ready my knife for battle.
"I'm gonna need you to back away from my assistant. Now."
I lurch forward and slice the doll stack right through the middle before dragging the knife back through the same cut, chopping the pile clean in half. I grab Kou's hand before soaring down the stairs. We run all the way down. Down back to where we started. "Hakujodai," I command, "please open up the portal." Soon enough the portal opens and we fall through it.
I rub my head as I sit up on the bathroom floor. Kou seems to have landed alright. "Hanako, thank you." He mumbles before engulfing me in a hug. Its over in a second but he looks into my eyes with a grateful look on his face. Before I process what happens he kisses me, jamming his lips against mine. A moment later he pulls away and looks to the side, face red with embarrassment. I can't help but feel that I don't look much better than him.
"This stays between us, got it?" He demands. I simply nod, not able to form words just yet. Did that really just happen? It couldn't have been a mistake. He stands and offers his hand to me to help me up. I grab it and he pulls me up. "I guess I work for you now, I'll be here tomorrow after school don't worry, g'night." Kou smiles as he walks out. I stand there in the moonlight, flustered for the first time in a long while. "Good night" I mumble to no one in particular. Wow, and we used to hate each other before. Oh, how do feelings change.
