Connections || UNDER CONSTRUCTION DUE TO MARY SUES

Sixth Piece: Side Effects

An apology in advance to my friend Vladimira121 if I portray her incorrectly.

--

Maybe it will waver a bit.

The day Yuichi gave us the news, we were quiet. Awfully quiet. We didn't speak of it, but we were scared. Tetsurou was handling the news the best of all of us. Because, in fact, he claimed he knew how he was going to die. He said it would be long enough into the future that he'd be able to do whatever he wanted beforehand. But he wouldn't be able to prevent it, nor was he sure we'd be the same afterwards.

Kei, on the other hand, was looking more and more paranoid as the days wore on, more jumpy and afraid of everything around him. He had a reason, I suppose, since Yuichi wasn't able to tell him how or when he'd die. For all Kei knew, he'd die from a car crash this afternoon.

Yuichi and I were neutral, Yuichi because he had already accepted the fact that he'd die, and me because I'd be happy to see Shirou in whatever afterlife there was. (Naïve little me didn't know there wasn't any afterlife - at least, not like I imagined it to be.) Shirou's Voice assured me that we'd meet again either way, but I was still content with the thought that I'd see him.

Maybe what brought my spirits up the best was the girl I'd met a few weeks prior.

"Amy-chan?" I peeked around the corner when I heard a soft humming. 

That was her name, as I'd discovered. Amy Rosario. Roses, was my first thought when she had told me what she called herself. 

I heard a soft meow of a kitten and Amy looked up at me from the small stray she was petting. "Oh hi Sukecchan," she greeted with a gentle smile.

"Another one?" I questioned, crouching down beside her and watched the kitten as it stared right back at me.

"M-hm," she nodded, rubbing its head. "It must be lonely..."

"Yeah," I nodded. Amy withdrew her hand and gave me an expectant look. "What?" She nodded her head towards the small black cat and I hesitated. "Pet it?"

"What else would I mean!" She gave me a scorning look and I giggled, murmuring apologies. I turned to the kitten and hesitantly reached my hand out. 

Scared scared don't hurt me scared scared

I paused and slowly took my hand back. "He's scared," I relayed, whispering. The kitten seemed so sad.

"Scared...?" Amy questioned, blinking.

"It doesn't want us here. He thinks we want to hurt him." I slowly stood up.

She doesn't know you can Hear

She'll be confused

"Oh, okay." Amy stood up as well and smiled. "Let's leave Mister Kitty alone then!"

"Uh-huh," I held her hand and marched down the street to her house.

"Sukecchan?" "Uh-huh?" "Why don't your mommy and daddy pick you up from school?" That made me think for a moment.

"Mommy and Daddy are busy, and my big brother's got school and work," I said slowly, not totally sure whether or not this was true. Ishamet's doing experiments again and Khie and Daihar are in their offices.

"Oh," she nodded in understanding. "Your parents must be busy people!"

"They've always been busy," I smiled half-heartedly before waving in farewell before she entered her home, and I jogged off to meet Yuichi at the corner. "Yuicchan!"

"Yo!" He grinned, waving. "Let's go!" He grabbed onto my hand and I smiled. Yuichi's hand was cold - as if he were dead; not human. Like a doll.

Despite this, it was a comforting gesture when he held my hands and I felt safe - as if nothing in the world could harm us. Like I wouldn't be killed someday. "We're going to the New Year's Festival tomorrow, you're coming right?" He asked, looking at me eagerly and I nodded.

"Big Brother's coming too," I added and his expression brightened further.

"Let's pray to a god!" Yuichi chirped and I frowned. Was he going to pray to...? "Yato or Tet?"

"Um..." I looked up at the sky, thinking. "Let's pray to Tet!" I smiled. "You really like Tet don't you?" There was a spark of something in his eyes before it disappeared and his smile widened.

"Uh-huh!" Yuichi began to run and I stumbled after him, trying not to trip as he held my hand.

The two people who made my life a better place, were and are, without a doubt, Amy and Yuichi. The days I'd spent with them as a child and to the end of my life made me happier, they made the world not as bad as it seemed.

I didn't care much for my life when I was with them - their happiness was more important than mine. I would live second to shortest after all (I don't know how I knew that either - I just did.)

"Suke-tan..." Yuichi trailed off as he stood across from me at the street curb.

"Was someone mean to you again?" I frowned, but he shook his head. A flash of guilt was on his dead eyes. There was fear in there too - how could I not see fear in someone's eyes after Shirou's death?

I'm not Shirou anymore

"Takashi..." I murmured. Right, that was Shirou's cover up name here. I couldn't call him Shirou.

"Isamu's going to do something that may cost him his life."

My breath hitched and my jaw slackened a bit, as if I was trying to say something to retort or say he was wrong.

"That's what my Side Effect tells me."

Unfortunately, like in most friendships (now that I think of it are any of my friends remotely normal?), there were moments we made each other feel horrible.

Whether or not it was intentional is something I never bothered to look into since I was afraid I would be horrified with what I would find, but that's for another time.

"Isa-kun!" I ran into the house,  dreading what I may find.

Hurry! Hurry!

"I know!" I shouted back, unlocking the front door and throwing off my shoes. Khie and Daihar were out at the moment so they wouldn't know what might happen to Ishamet. I didn't know either, but whenever Yuichi gave me a prediction it was always right.

Dashing up the stairs I went to his room and slammed the door open.

Ishamet faced away from me, shaking. "Isa-kun?" I wanted to say, I couldn't find my voice. He looked over his shoulder and I froze.

Tears streaked down his face as he whimpered, trying not to break down. In his trembling hands was an old knife pointed towards his own throat, a little blood trickling down from a small puncture in his skin.

"Sukecchan..." Ishamet's voice didn't tremble - not at all. It was quiet, ashamed. He didn't want anyone to see his death, his cowardly death.

He knew that upon killing himself, he would feel no relief from the guilt and sadness. It would never be lifted from his shoulders, yes, he knew this. So I asked him.

"Why are you doing this?" It came out hoarse and quiet, my lips refusing to stay still as I spoke. It came out stuttered and chopped up, hard to comprehend.

But Ishamet understood, he always understood.

"I can't handle a world without him..."

What is this life I was born into?