Blue Summer

Chapter 20: Till Death Do Us Part

"Had my life given me one chance, I could have proven my worth. But now I stand here not knowing who I am, what I am doing and why I am living. It does not take long to realise that if you are living, not knowing why, then you are no less than a dead person. To try to breathe without air, that is what it is."

Stuffed with voices and screams, Ibuki could only see what he heard. Faces blurred, and it seemed he was amongst demons of some sort. He kept pushing anyone who tried to come near him, even Misao. Even her voice could not calm him down. Lisa was still standing next to him, trying to calm him down, but to no avail. He pushed her and yelled, "Don't come near me! I hate you. Don't come near me!"

Realising his mistake, Heechul tried to talk with Ibuki, but he did not let anyone speak to him. The voices were not words but sounds he could not comprehend. He finally rushed out of the house as Rui ran after him. Ibuki was dizzily running on the road, barely managing to avoid hitting obstacles. He was breathing heavily. Rui tried hard to catch up to Ibuki but, due to the business on the road, wasn't able to.

"Ibuki! Stop!" he called out.

Ibuki heard the muffled sound of his call and responded, "Stop! Please, stop!"

Ibuki dragged his body to the building, where he had made many attempts to end his life. His head was moving. The building seemed taller than it actually was, and Ibuki leaned against the wall. He then entered in and walked up. When Rui arrived, Ibuki was already on the top. He held his head, and a never-ending pain took him over. He felt tired, his head was dizzy, and all he wanted to do was to stab himself. Not once but many times until the pain would go away. Finally, he loosened the grip on his head, closed his eyes and eased himself. His body tilted towards the edge until it gave way, and gravity pulled him. Nothing stopped him. He could feel the wind thrust against him. He felt the time was long and stretched.

Rui, horrified and shocked, looked down from the edge at Ibuki, who had fallen onto the ground. A pool of blood spread around Ibuki's head. He was unconscious yet aware. Moments later, he heard voices. Time meant nothing to him. Everything was gone from his vision.

Suddenly, he felt hands picking him up. He heard sirens and cries. He then felt his body being pushed against something soft. And then the cries began diminishing, and he could now hear the sound of horns. Time passed, but it felt like it had paused for Ibuki. Then he felt it again, the hands. He heard panicked voices and felt his body moving. Finally, he lost all consciousness.

"Ibuki! Don't go there, it's dangerous! You will fall down!"

"Look at me now, Dad, I have fallen down. Not only has my body fallen down, but my soul, too. Where are you now? Why didn't you stop me from falling? Why?"

Heechul sat in disbelief and regret. Seo-Yun was comforting Misao. Lisa stood with Rui, discussing informing Ibuki's mother.

"I cannot forgive myself, Mom. Why did I have to drag him into all this?" Misao sobbed.

Seo-Yun held her head against her breasts as she calmed her, "It's okay. Everything will be okay."

Heechul got up and walked up to Rui.

"I know it feels weird to take it up now, but I am taking back my objection regarding your marriage. I feel there are some things I cannot control, and neither should I."

Rui teared up and hugged his father, "I know you love me."

Misao smiled, looking at her father and brother, who agreed. But then the smile faded.

"What does it take for Dad to accept this relationship? Ibuki's life." Misao thought.

It was late evening when Rui and Misao arrived at Ibuki's house to explain what had happened. It would be hard, they knew, but they could not afford to hide. Seo-Yun returned home with Lisa while Heechul stayed at the hospital.