Euphoria

Chapter 6

(Y/N)'s voice quivered and she struggled to keep tears from spilling out again as she sat next to Tsukasa. Vulnerability was something she rarely showed to her friends, it burned in her gut and she kept her hands clutched against her sides. Her nerves were still shocked from the ordeal and warm sticky blood dripped from the wounds on her wrists, she spoke quietly but couldn't meet his eye as she hesitantly explained bits and pieces of her home life. She left out a few things, things she had blocked in her mind and quietly continued. "My parents aren't exactly the greatest, they fight a lot nowadays and... sometimes take out their anger on me when an argument doesn't go their way.." She fiddled with her fingers nervously and frowned sadly at the ground. She was to uncomfortable to elaborate any further even though she was grateful to him for saving her, that didn't mean she hadn't believed what it had told her, she heard it in the back of her mind, "Your useless, you know nobody needs you, you pathetic wretch!" She hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms as tears crept up again, her cheeks burned with shame as she tried not to completely break down. No matter what she simply couldn't completely trust anybody, even though she wanted to she was tired of silently crying in her room alone. Her resolve began to crack as she thought back to all the incidents she had endured, especially now. Tsukasa had been silently listening to her this whole time, she was somewhat grateful for the silence, not like she could form coherent sentences in her current state anyway. He moved so he was sitting behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders hugging her tightly, her tears slowed a little and she somewhat calmed down. She leaned into him a little and muttered a thanks before yawning a little, the day had drained her and she gazed at the mutilated corpse across the rooftop, limbs bent and stretched into sharp angles and she could see cracks in the tile from Tsukasa shattering it's head, pools of blood flowed around it and shivered. Her words seemed burned in (Y/N)'s brain as she realized how late it had gotten, the sun was shining bright rays over the rooftop and she clenched her teeth in apprehension, going back home was the last thing she needed right now, she knew it'd be another night of quiet tears if she did. She raised her hands and gazed at the nail marks strained into her skin, she needed to find some bandages to hide these for school tomorrow, she didn't want Yashiro or anyone else asking questions. They sat together until she had almost completely calmed down before turning her head to look at him, "Could I stay at the broadcasting room again tonight?" She thought she glimpsed something dark in his eyes before he smiled and nodded, "Sure!" (Y/N) untangled herself from his grip and stood up before making her way to the stairs with Tsukasa trailing behind her. 

They made it to the broadcasting room and (Y/N) sat down on the couch, she glanced at the marks before glancing at Tsukasa who had sat beside her. "What was that apparition that attacked me.." He stared at her before responding, "Those are called parasites, they seek out humans who are vulnerable, change to look like the victim, and feed on their insecurities before eventually killing them." A look of disgust and hatred crossed his face as he got up and rummaged around in Sakura's desk before coming back with some bandages. He handed it to her and she wrapped it around the cuts, covering up the blood before feeling arms wrap around her waist from behind again. He rested his chin on her shoulder as she set the bandages down next to her, "Are you feeling better?" She silently nodded and he smiled, "Great!" He let go and drifted to stand in front of her, grabbing her hands and dragging her to her feet. "Let's play another game (Y/N)." She was exhausted from the day, however a new game might be just the distraction that she needed, he probably wouldn't listen if she said no anyway. "Alright I suppose, what did you have in mind?" Excitement sparkled in his eyes as he pulled her outside of the broadcasting room, "It'll be fun~ that's all you need to know." That made her slightly nervous, Tsukasa was.. unpredictable to say the least, she wasn't slightly apprehensive as to what he defined as "fun". She scratched the back of her neck as she hesitantly nodded in agreement before he dragged her down the empty hall, quiet laughter bouncing off the walls. 

(Y/N) yawned, it was a few hours after their game, he wanted to play hide and seek again, she had won much to Tsukasa's dismay. After they were done she realized she had left her bag up on the rooftop and had went to the roof of the old building to get it, she didn't want her parents version of "scolding" again. Tsukasa had gone back to the broadcasting room, sulking after he lost their little game, the night air was crisp and frosty as she pushed open the door to the roof, the rusty hinges screeching as they were bent. She spotted the blue fabric of her bag, where she had tossed it aside the day before during her meltdown. She grabbed the rough handle and glanced around the roof to centre on the red stain where the parasite had been, only to see it's remains had dissapeared. Shock pulsed through her body and her mind scrambled to try and find an explanation, "What happened.." She stepped closer to the puddle, before hearing a familiar voice echo from behind her, "(Y/N)!" She jumped and her heart pounded before she turned around to see Hanako standing there, confusion raced through her mind as she stared at his translucent form. "Hanako? What are you doing here?" His gaze was questioning as he gestured to where the parasite had been resting a few hours before, "I could ask you the same thing." Something about his tone made her uncomfortable as she struggled to find an answer, "I came up here to get my bag.." She met his gaze as she saw him shift his gaze to the bandages on her hands, before he rushed over to her and turned her wrist over as she saw alarm flash in his eyes. "(Y/N), what happened?!" She roughly yanked her wrist out of his grip, becoming defensive and irritated as she took a few steps back, "Nothing! it's not a big deal." He seemed concerned as he persisted and stepped closer to her, "Did he hurt you?" Confusion and alarm raced through her head as she stared back at him, "What are you talking about?" He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest, "Don't lie to me (Y/N), I heard you and him playing your little game." She stayed silent as he continued, "Do you know how dangerous he is?! Your going to get yourself killed (Y/N)!" Anger burned in her gut and she gritted her teeth as she spat back at him, "Why are you bothering to warn me now! You lied straight to my face when I asked you about it before!" Guilt flashed across his face as she stared daggers at him, "And sure, maybe he doesn't really care about me.. but he saved my life Hanako!" His eyes were sympathetic as he met her cold gaze, "I was trying to protect you (Y/N)." His eyes darkened and fear flashed across his gaze as plumes of black smoke flodded the rooftop, sadistic laughter danced through the air and she coughed before hands wrapped around her waist. She jumped a little at sudden contact, her limbs tensing before hearing his voice next to her ear, "So this is where you ran off to." She relaxed a little before Tsukasa spotted Hanako and let out an excited yell, running over and wrapping him in a hug, "Amane Amaneee!!" She silently stared at the pairing for a few seconds before Hanako pried Tsukasa off of him, "Tsukasa.. what are you doing with (Y/N)." His tone was somewhat apprehensive as Tsukasa drifted back to her side and hugged her again, "Nothing~" His voice was suggestive and she let out an exasperated sigh before fixing him with a dead-eye stare, slightly irritated. "Nice to see you again Amane, see you later~" The last thing she saw was Hanako's anxious face before black smoke enveloped her vision and both of them vanished from the roof. Dense silence fell on the roof and Hanako whispered to himself, fear lacing his tone, "Be careful (Y/N), you don't know what he's capable of.."