Title: Blind Romance Part 8 of 10
Author:
sorrowofanangel Genre: Romance, supernaturally-ish, thrillery-ish, abnormal, sex, character death etc.
Pairing/ Band: The GazettE Uruha x Aoi, Aoi x Uruha
WARNINGS: Boy x Boy relationships, sex, language, child abandonment, etc.
DISCLAIMER: Yes, I own them . . . In fact Kai's in my kitchen right now (huhuhuuu~) No, I don't own them o.e
Rating: R
Synopsis: "When there's no one to love you, you can always count on a stranger . . . But what happens once they've become someone you love?"
Chapter Summary: Well, that would be telling XD XD
Notes: A quick update? Yup *nods* I know, I did pretty good this time haha. Bear in mind, for most of my time writing this chapter I had the song "Tears of an Angel" on repeat T^T
Please commento!!! Kai will give you a hug if you do *u*
Previous Chapters ~ (
Part 1) ~ (
Part 2) ~ (
Part 3) ~ (
Part 4) ~ (
Part 5 (a) ) ~ (
Part 5 (b) ) ~ (
Part 6) ~ (
Part 7) ~
The school day ended at 4pm with a miserable aura of paranoia lingering around Aoi even still. The uneasy feeling had stayed with him all day; making him jumpy at the slightest sound, cautious of the person behind his shoulder, glances spent too long directed at the ceiling . . .
It was taking over him, Aoi knew this. But his mind could not divert onto anything else. It was instinctive, preying . . . the cause of the very chill sweeping up Aoi’s spine even now.
He examined his surroundings as he waited for his friends outside the school’s main entrance, pausing only to glance at his watch. He noted the scaffolding by a house on the other side of the street, using his knowledge of physics to determine whether or not it could crash on top of him from such a distance.
He eventually decided it couldn’t and almost gave himself a heart attack when Kai jumped on his back,
“Home time!!” he called excitedly, Aoi having no choice but to piggy back him as the smaller brunette hooked his legs around Aoi’s waist.
It wasn’t long before Reita soon came sauntering up too, and his eyes immediately widened at their position,
“Well well, Kai,” he murmured, reaching behind his head to tighten his nose strap, “I didn’t figure you were the type to drift on that side of the fence,”
To Aoi’s surprise, Kai beamed, “Yup!!” he slapped Aoi a couple of times on the back, “Me and Aoi have been at it like rabbits the past couple of days! Right, Aoi?” he winked,
“You wish . . .” Aoi grumbled with a small smile, dropping Kai’s legs and the smaller stumbled as he tried to find his feet, “Where the hell’s Ruki?” Aoi glanced at his watch before eyeing the scaffolding again, “The bus will be leaving soon -“
Reita fumbled around as something vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he flipped it open and sighed as he pressed a button on his keypad,
“Won’t be on bus, going to ‘study’ with Kazumi from Maths Class’” Reita read out, then scoffed, “Study, my ass. Aoi, you really must have made him self-conscious about the girl comment this morning,”
Kai adjusted his rucksack on his shoulders as the three slowly started to wander over to the bus stop, “Ehh -“ he waved a hand, “Ruki’s a big boy, he can handle himself,”
Aoi jumped as a car horn beeped across the street, and Reita laughed at the petrified look on his face while Kai laid a hand on his shoulder,
“Hey, relax Aoi, you almost gave yourself a heart attack,”
“Yeah no kidding!” Reita giggled from Kai’s side, as Aoi blushed and took a deep breath to compose himself.
Come on, it’s alright . . . He told himself, the day was almost over now. If something bad were to happen wouldn’t it have happened by now?
Uruha hadn’t exactly given him any clues. When he had promised Aoi he would be there at the time, it did nothing to comfort the younger. Aoi had seen him around all day; sitting on the grass picking daisies outside his classroom - of which Aoi could see through the window. Uruha had even entered the school canteen, leaning against a vending machine for the whole hour, unmoving, his eyes resting on Aoi completely as he’d sat talking amongst his friends - a look which had resulted in Aoi leaving his lunch untouched.
He had done surprisingly well, in all honesty. Although distracted by Uruha’s lingering presence and robbed of the ability to talk to him among the public, Aoi’s friends hadn’t noticed anything strange or distant about him. Even when he had taken a toilet break halfway through English - something he never does - they didn’t ask questions.
In fact they didn’t notice anything . . . as if everything was normal,
“Aoi? You’re breathing hard, are you alright?”
They were now standing outside their school bus, of which was still parked neatly against the pavement, waiting while overexcited kids pushed and shoved their way on board.
Aoi leant against the side of the large vehicle, feeling sweat bead on his forehead,
“I’m . . . I’m okay,” he murmured,
“You always were a shit liar,” Reita scolded from behind Kai’s shoulder, “Look at you, you look like death’s approaching,”
Aoi flinched at the word, and Kai rubbed his shoulder,
“Maybe we should get the school nurse,” he frowned, cut off by the bus engine roaring to life next to them,
“There’s no time for that,” Reita said quickly, reaching for Aoi’s arm, “Come on, man, let’s get you seated huh?”
Aoi felt the blonde push him onto the bus gently, almost shoving him into the group of girls that had jumped on board before them.
Aoi felt incredibly dizzy, and even through the blurry outlines of the bus’s interior, he made out a blonde figure stood in the road beside the bus,
“Uruha . . .” Aoi mumbled, stopping all of a sudden in the middle of the gangway, Reita’s face planting itself unwillingly into the middle of Aoi’s back,
“For the love of -!” Reita’s hand shot up to his face, “Aoi, what the hell are you doing?”
“Let’s just find our seats shall we?” Kai called from behind him, and Aoi’s legs suddenly kicked into motion, finally able to tear his gaze away and drift further down the bus to their usual seats.
Reita sighed in annoyance, and Aoi realised that the girls in front of him had taken their place,
“Man, now we can’t sit together!” he whined.
There was a spare double seat adjacent and so Aoi and Kai took it, Reita slumping next to some pretty cheerleader in the seat behind, too busy re-applying her mascara to bother making a little more room for him,
“Aoi, are you sure you’re okay?” Kai asked softly, Aoi resting his head against the window to cool his face, “Do you feel unwell? Maybe me and Rei should stay with you until your mother gets home . . .”
Aoi smiled meekly, and turned to face his friend as the bus rumbled and set off at last, “Kai, did I ever tell you how much of an amazing friend you’ve been these last few years?”
Kai’s eyes widened, though behind the shock he looked somewhat pleased, “What’s brought this on?”
“N-Nothing,” Aoi tried hard to stop his tears from showing, “I . . . Well, I’ve just been thinking a lot, you know? We’ll be leaving in a couple of years and then we’ll go to college and start our real futures and face the big wide world and -“
He couldn’t go on listing any longer - the plans he had said more relevant to Kai than himself, the pronoun of “we” no longer needed,
“There’s no need to be scared of that, Aoi,” Kai smiled, gripping his arm tight, “Even when we do grow up, I’ll always be here. Hey, come on, I only live two streets away from you, it’s not like we’re gonna be in parallel universes or anything!”
Aoi sniffed, and he fought back a sob,
“Oh, Kai . . .” he whispered, “I’m scared of losing you,”
“Losing me?” Kai blinked and he inched closer, “Aoi, what are you talking about? You’re not going to lose me! Not me, not Reita . . . God forbid, not even Ruki!”
“Somebody call my name?” Reita hopped up and folded his arms on the top of Kai’s chair, eyes glistening with curiosity,
“Look,” Kai smoothed an arm around Aoi’s shoulders, “No matter what happens, Aoi, we’re always going to be the best of friends - all four of us. Isn’t that right, Rei?”
The blonde beamed and nodded, extending an arm to ruffle Aoi’s hair,
“Damn right,” he smirked, “Until we’re old and grey and are living in the same care home our kids have put us in,”
Kai giggled, and Aoi tried to do the same but . . . he just couldn’t.
He didn’t want to give this up. Not this . . . his friends, his family, his life . . .
Aoi frowned as he recalled what he’d told Uruha just before leaving the house this morning,
“Uruha, if there’s one thing I wanted to do before I die -“ he hesitated, only encouraged by Uruha’s gentle palm on his cheek,
“What, Aoi?” the blonde smiled,
“I wanted to find my Dad,” Aoi said sadly, “Find him and tell him how much I love him . . . that I forgive him for everything . . .”
Aoi could already feel a tear pour down his cheek, and Kai sighed next to him,
“Oh, Aoi, come here . . .”
The brunette pulled his friend into his arms, and Aoi leant against him gratefully, feeling Reita’s hand pat him on the back gently,
“Guys, promise me something -“ Aoi’s voice quivered against Kai’s shoulder, but he heard the two make noises of approval,
“Promise me that, no matter what happens, you’ll make the most of your lives? And be as happy as you can be?”
He felt Kai tense against him and Aoi closed his eyes,
“Aoi, what’s going on?” Reita asked slowly, almost warily.
Kai rubbed his back for encouragement, but Aoi couldn’t tell the truth. He couldn’t - it would sound so ridiculous,
“You guys mean the world to me,” Aoi murmured, just loud enough for both of them to hear, “You’re like my family . . . I-I don’t know where I’d be without you!”
“Oh man,” Reita put a hand to his cheek, “Don’t get all mushy on me Aoi, you know I don’t like crying in public,”
“You’re all balls and no emotion, Mr. Hard Man,” Kai giggled, probably as a side comment to cheer Aoi up too.
Eventually the brunette pulled back and looked Aoi in the eye, whose face was completely streamed with fresh tears,
“Aoi, what’s happened?” Kai asked gently, wiping the tears away lovingly - as a friend should, “You’ve been acting really strange ever since you got on the bus,”
“I . . .” Aoi bit his lip, and he felt his cheeks burn as their stares bore into him. All the more it filled him with regret that Ruki wasn’t here either, or else he would have been able to say these things to him as well; even if the other man often didn’t take kindly to serious topics, either shifting uncomfortably or cracking a joke to ease the atmosphere.
Aoi felt the sob welling up; he’d miss Ruki and that ridiculous sense of humour of his,
“I . . . I can’t tell you just now,” Aoi breathed at last, smiling gratefully when the two nodded and Reita placed a hand on his shoulder with an understanding smile, “But trust me, you’ll remember everything I’ve said today,”
“Oh yeah?” Reita raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure you’re not saying all these nice things just to grease us up for something?”
Aoi smiled, “No, no, I just -“
Kai looked up at the blonde with a grin, “Trust you to think of that - how about you start appreciating us for a change?”
Reita only grinned back, before putting a hand under his chin in mock thought,
“Alright then, let’s see,” he hummed, “Kai - I love how you always wear those specs,”
Kai blushed, tweaking them on his nose, “Really?”
“No,” Reita’s smile faded, “You look like a geek and it’s embarrassing!!”
Aoi managed to laugh as Kai whacked him on the arm with a large notepad. Reita seemed un-phased though, and rubbed his sore elbow once before turning on Aoi, “And you . . . Aoi, I’ve got to say you’re the most attractive person I’ve ever met!”
Aoi rolled his eyes, waiting for the next part of that sentence,
“. . . If you were a girl,” Reita giggled, gasping when Aoi grabbed him by the neck, hoisting himself up on his knees in his seat to meet Reita’s height,
“Oh you are so dead ugly nose!!” Aoi giggled,
“AOI GET DOWN!!!”
Something slammed into his stomach and Aoi was robbed of air for a brief moment, Kai bringing him down so hard that his head cracked the window when he fell against it.
He didn’t have time to react or even think about what the hell Kai was doing when Reita was turned upside down in his seat, his body soon disappearing as the bus spun over and over again.
Aoi could hear the screams now, could smell the fresh burning of tyres and the loud screech they were making as the bus overturned, all manner of debris falling over Aoi and Kai as they hung on to their seats,
“Aoi!!!” he could hear Kai shouting next to him but his voice seemed distant, and as he dared himself to look ahead, he saw the bus twisting and grinding out of control, shaking everyone violently like a twisted rollercoaster ride.
Aoi could do nothing but sob, “This is it!!!” he screamed, “Oh God, please no -“
He repeated it over and over, though he knew it would do him little good. This was the way now.
This was the end . . .
The bus rattled and shook beyond control, and Aoi soon had to close his eyes, blocking out the bodies that were twisting and turning wildly as they hit the ceiling of the bus . . . coming back down again to crash into the seats.
It was a sick cycle, and Aoi prayed that it would end soon - his head stinging already, amplified when a heavy lunchbox slammed against his cheek before spinning out of an open window,
“Kaiii!!!” Aoi screamed, reaching out next to him to grab his friend’s arm, holding on to him with what strength he had.
It seemed a lifetime before the bus finally catapulted to a halt, Aoi’s body ricocheting violently against his seat when it did.
He heard the sickening snaps of bones breaking as those who had been thrown to the ceiling fell back down again, and Aoi felt blood on his face when he ran a hand through his hair.
When Kai had slammed into him, the impact of his head against the window had cut him open, but for the minute Aoi couldn’t even feel the pain of it - the adrenaline still rushing through his body in a mad gush,
“Kai . . .” Aoi wept, looking down to see Kai’s limp body strewn across the chair, his fingers brushing the tips of the floor,
“Kai!!” Aoi cried out as he moved his ankle, a surge of pain shooting up his leg, and he guessed that it was broken, not that he could care for the minute.
A small voice in the back of his mind told him he was still alive - still alive - but that meant nothing to Aoi as he stepped over broken glass and scattered piles of school bags and ripped out strips of paper from loose notebooks; concerned only for the life lying in front of him,
“Oh God, Kai,” Aoi whispered, as he knelt down beside his friend with a grimace, trying to ignore the other bodies surrounding him - he didn’t want to think the worst, maybe most of them were just knocked out cold,
“Kai, can you hear me?” Aoi shook his shoulders gently, and he’d never felt so relieved when Kai’s head suddenly snapped up, his hand shooting out to grab Aoi’s tightly,
“Aoi?” he still looked shocked, Aoi noted, Kai’s face looking extremely pale as he lifted his head and saw the chaos around him, “Oh my . . .” he started then suddenly his gaze snapped back to Aoi, “Are you okay? Oh, Aoi! Thank god!”
Aoi embraced him tightly and the two friends began to sob, hearing other voices start to murmur and groggy students who had been knocked unconscious start to come around,
“We have to get help!” Aoi cried, and in an instant Kai took out his mobile phone - miraculously unscathed after all the carnage and dialled emergency services.
As Kai called desperately down to the operator and told them the bus route they were on, Aoi’s memory suddenly clicked into place,
“Where’s Reita?” he murmured.
Kai snapped his phone shut, hissing when he turned his shoulder to put it back in his pocket, “Aoi, they’re on their way,” he breathed,
“Reita . . .” Aoi murmured numbly, looking into Kai’s eyes with a heavy bout of dread, “Where is he?”
Kai suddenly released a gush of air and shot up immediately, screaming out in agony as soon as he did,
“My leg!!” Kai sobbed, as Aoi ran to him, taking his shoulders and pushing him gently into the seat behind him - one of the few still intact; many had been ripped from their restraints and were either strewn on the floor or had been lost on the way,
“Stay here, Kai, okay? I’m going to find Reita,” Aoi instructed, limping away and calling Reita’s name desperately.
For the minute, he didn’t quite understand how he was still alive - was this the crash that was meant to kill him? Or was this just another simple accident? An accident leading up to the real one?
Aoi tried not to think about it as he travelled further to the front of the bus, forcing himself to look at the bloodied bodies of many of his fellow classmates to see if Reita was anywhere to be found,
“Reita!!!” Aoi called, and they turned into more desperate screams as he searched and searched, but found no sign of him.
He almost cried in horror as he saw the bus driver slumped against the steering wheel . . . a huge shard of glass sticking out of his back.
Aoi covered his mouth with his hand, gagging twice behind it before he heard his name called from behind him,
“Aoi!!” Kai limped towards him, despite Aoi’s earlier instructions, “There are some bodies outside!”
The adrenaline was starting to fade now, and Aoi’s stomach was instead churning with complete fear and horror, what if Reita was hurt? Or worse? On top of that, Aoi wondered how on earth the bodies had ended up outside the vehicle - they would have taken a knock at such a speed.
Aoi shook his head, as though he could banish such negative thoughts, “Okay, let’s go, we need to find him,”
The bus doors were completely shattered, hanging limp from the hinges as Aoi and Kai climbed down the dented steps and onto the road. As Aoi peeked out, he realised where they were,
“Kai - we’re on the country road!” Aoi stared ahead at the winding tarmac that would lead to their hometown . . . smoke billowing from somewhere round the other side of the bus, obscuring his view,
“Aoi . . .” Kai whimpered, and Aoi turned to see him half standing, half leaning against the bus’s front bonnet - or what was left of it,
“Kai?” Aoi murmured, feeling his stomach drop when he saw the amount of blood that was leaking from Kai’s knee, running into a large puddle at his feet,
“Oh God . . .” Aoi murmured, and he racked his brains to think of any knowledge he’d gained while at first aid classes last summer . . . and after a while he was struck with an idea,
“Kai sit here,” Aoi led him to seat on the bus steps and he removed his belt from around his waist, tying it tightly around Kai’s wound, his friend screaming out in agony as he did,
“I know, Kai, I’m sorry,” Aoi said over and over, “But it’s to stop the blood flow -“
Kai was still screaming, and Aoi was suddenly reminded of the wild stinging at the back of his head, feeling something wet and slimy trickle down the back of his neck,
“I do Biology you idiot!!” Kai shouted at him, writhing in the doorway as Aoi pulled the belt a little tighter, “Of course I know what you’re doing!! AAAGHH!!”
“Okay, Kai, okay . . .” Aoi tried to soothe, though his voice was shaking beyond all recognition and his hands trembled as he took Kai’s hand and squeezed it, feeling a little bit of relief when Kai returned the gesture,
“Aoi . . . we have to get out of here,” Kai sobbed, “We need to find Reita and get everyone to hospital,”
“I know, Kai, I know,” Aoi sobbed too, increasing his hold on his friend’s hand before nodding ahead, “I’m going to look over there for him. Do you want to stay here?”
Kai tried to lift himself up but his leg couldn’t take it. With a strangled cry, he fell back against the steps,
“Aoi, I can’t . . .” he shook his head, exhausted and frustrated but Aoi merely placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed,
“Alright, that’s fine. It’s fine,” he said gently, “I’ll go take a look, okay? I’m sure the ambulance won’t be too long now,” Aoi glanced at his watch but the face was cracked, freezing time in place, and he wondered how long it had been since Kai had called emergency services.
It was the sudden eruption of cries and groans from other students that snapped Aoi into motion, and he slowly made his way round to the other side of the bus, dragging his limp and broken ankle behind him,
“Reita!” he called, over and over as he walked, soon coming to a halt when he got to the other side.
It was like a bloodbath. And Aoi fought not to recoil or throw up as he saw numbers of bodies scattered like thrown away dolls across the road - there were even some littered further down from where the bus had just travelled, and Aoi prayed that one of them wasn’t Reita,
“Reita!! Reita where are you?!!” Aoi screamed, none of the bodies showing any vital signs of life as far as Aoi could tell; although he couldn’t read whether their chests were moving or not very well - due to the water brimming his eyelids.
But he limped on through the massacre, calling Reita’s name over and over again until his voice had almost broken with the strain,
“Rei!!” Aoi pleaded, sobbing as he passed another body . . . moving on to the next to find the same circumstances. No breathing, no life. Just a pale face and a puddle of blood,
“Rei, come on talk to me!!” Aoi screamed, hearing the sobs of others break loose inside the bus, as even more people became conscious again; probably finding their friends dead . . .
He froze as a pair of legs,with shoes that looked strangely familiar, came into view behind the sunken rear of the bus,
“Reita!!” Aoi screamed so hard that his voice broke, moving so fast that his ankle collapsed underneath him and he fell just as he reached his friend’s side,
“Rei? Rei! Can you hear me, Rei?!” Aoi took hold of his shoulders, ignoring his own pain of the fall to look into his friend’s eyes.
They were open, unmoving . . . and Aoi’s heart clutched, bending his head to listen to Reita’s heart,
“Aoi!!”
Kai’s voice was distant, and although Aoi could see the brunette approach him slowly from the corner of his eye, he couldn’t take his eyes off of Reita.
Aoi took hold of his cheeks, urgency washing over him as he pressed his lips to Reita’s - ones that felt cold and lifeless.
Aoi took a deep breath and blew as hard as he could, though his chest was shaking and Kai stopped calling Aoi’s name as soon as he was next to them,
“Oh God . . .” he whispered, “Reita . . . no . . .”
Aoi started chest compressions soon after, the heavy feeling in his chest so great that he could no longer breathe so smoothly,
“Reita, come on!!” Aoi sobbed, linking his fingers and pushing down on Reita’s chest; once . . . twice . . . again.
He wasn’t sure if he was doing this right, and after ten compressions he stopped and breathed into Reita’s mouth again.
Aoi didn’t know how long he’d carried on - time seemed to have frozen the longer he and Kai stood over Reita’s body, refusing to come to life again.
After a while, Kai finally found his voice, Aoi having heard him sob against the side of the bus for the past few minutes,
“Aoi, stop . . . he’s not going to come back,” he cried but Aoi ignored him, pressing down on Reita’s chest harder,
“Aoi . . .” Kai warned, his voice choked as he dragged himself even closer, peering into Reita’s eyes,
“His pupils are dilated . . .” he noted, his voice solemn as Aoi shook his head with a cry, counting each push he made against Reita’s heart out loud,
“Aoi, stop already!” Kai screamed, and Aoi fell against Reita’s body with a wail, “He’s gone . . . there’s nothing we can do!”
Aoi heard Kai grunt in pain; no doubt his leg would be hurting like hell after dragging it such a way and Aoi lifted his head up, his face cold with tears as he glanced over to Reita’s eyes; his expression so peaceful . . . no pain at all.
With a trembly hand, Aoi cried silently as he closed Reita’s eyes with his fingertips, before taking his friend in his arms and cradling him.
Kai let himself fall to the floor, sliding down the frame of the school bus but it seemed he ignored his broken leg and the pain it must have given him as he extended a hand, holding Reita’s own,
“Goodbye Rei,” he sobbed, breaking down completely as Aoi lifted his head and screamed.
That was it. Reita was gone . . . dead. When Uruha had told Aoi it was to be him, only it wasn’t.
Aoi sobbed harder, his mind only thinking of how Reita would never smile again, never laugh again. No longer would Aoi see him or talk to him. He was gone.
Gone . . .
Grief channelled through his veins and Aoi screamed again,
“It should have been me!!” Aoi pressed his forehead against Reita’s, feeling how he was still warm, “Reita didn’t deserve this . . .”
Kai crawled forward, and the two held onto each other, weeping over Reita’s body as though they’d lost a child.
But Reita was like family to them, like a brother; the pain was almost too comprehensive,
“I’m sorry,” Aoi whispered, feeling Kai hold onto him completely now, pressing his face hard into Aoi’s shoulder, “I’m so sorry . . . I’m sorry . . .”
It was a while that they sat there, holding Reita safely in their arms while they heard the other surviving students look for their friends too. Some cried, some screamed . . . some didn’t say anything at all. Many vomited as they stepped out of the bus, laying eyes on the horrific scene before them; the stench of blood too great to ignore now.
It was when sirens could be heard faintly in the background that Aoi and Kai suddenly snapped their heads up,
“The ambulance is here . . .” Kai murmured numbly, “They’re finally here,”
He got up, hissing as he used the bus for support, raising his head to look down the road,
“Aoi, come on,” Kai tapped his shoulder, but Aoi stayed put, “Come on, Aoi, they can treat us,”
“I’m not leaving Reita here alone,” Aoi shook his head and squeezed the blonde to him tighter, his body warmth significantly lowered in temperature.
He heard Kai remove his hand from his shoulder, moving away with a small sigh and Aoi raised his head, a figure amongst the bodies catching his eye.
A surge of anger filled him, and he took care to place Reita down gently before jumping to his feet, ignoring his throbbing ankle to press on,
“YOU!!” he screamed, hearing Kai call his name behind him, as he approached Uruha swiftly, the blonde having the nerve to stand there with his hands in his pockets, overlooking the scene as though it was a painting on display,
“WHY REITA?!” Aoi screamed, shoving Uruha as hard as he could, forcing him back a few steps although it did little to make him answer, “You told me it was to be me!!! Not Reita but me!! What the fuck are you playing at? What the hell is happening?!?!”
Kai was still calling his name, and Aoi didn’t care if he thought he was insane; he was talking to no one as far as Kai was concerned.
Uruha just stared back, no flicker of guilt or remorse to give Aoi a clue,
“Answer me you bastard!!” Aoi burst out, and before he knew what he was doing, his fist had connected with Uruha’s face, the impact throwing the blonde to the tarmac,
“Aoi!!” Kai screamed behind him, grabbing his arm as he reached him, pulling his fist back, “Have you lost your mind?!”
Aoi shoved him off, and limped closer to Uruha once the blonde had stood up again, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose,
“Did Reita have one too?!” he sobbed, “Did Reita have one? Like I have you? Did he know?!”
Uruha stared back, his eyes flickering to the floor,
“Uruha, tell me!!” Aoi’s fists pummelled against his shoulders, his withheld rage and anguish pouring out within each punch he threw at the other man,
“Aoi . . .” he heard Kai shout again, taking hold of his shoulders, “Come on, leave the guy alone huh? He doesn’t know what’s happened,”
It should have shocked Aoi that Kai could see him; but it was at the back of his mind right now, as he tried to find some meaning and explanation as to why Reita was lying cold on the ground, dead, when instead it should have been Aoi himself,
“Yes, he does,” Aoi retorted, fighting against Kai’s grip as the brunette attempted to pull him back, “He knows exactly what’s going on! Fucking tell me Uruha, or I swear to God I’ll -!! “
“- Hit me?” the blonde murmured at last, his eyes challenging as Aoi fell silent, “Kill me?” he sighed, “Aoi, I know that you’re upset -“
“- Bollocks you do!!” Aoi wept, “You . . . all you are is a lie!! You stand there and watch while people get everything taken from them - and you do nothing to stop it!!”
“Aoi . . .” Uruha said gently, almost sympathetically, “That’s not what it’s like . . .”
“But it was meant to be me!” Aoi sobbed, Kai’s hold loosening on him, “You told me it was me that was supposed to die, not Reita -“
“Aoi, what’s going on?” Kai whispered next to him, “What are you talking about?”
Aoi couldn’t find the strength to answer; Kai was a logical person so it would do no good telling him all about the supernatural side of things right now,
“Yes, alright?” Uruha finally answered, somewhat frustratedly, and he perched his hands on his hips, “One of my kind had been assigned to Reita but it seems that he never paid attention to it,”
Aoi blinked, feeling Kai staring at Uruha as well,
“He mustn’t have known it was his time,” Uruha shrugged, “That’s it. He was just too ignorant to believe it -“
Aoi lunged for him, bringing Uruha to the floor,
“Don’t you dare say that about him!!” he screamed, holding Uruha’s jacket by the scruff of his neck,
“Aoi!!” Kai wrestled with his arms, trying to pull him away, “Stop it! This isn’t helping anyone!!”
Eventually Aoi was shoved off, Kai yelping and clutching his leg at the action,
“You stay away from me,” Aoi breathed, pointing a shaky finger in Uruha’s direction, as Kai tried to get him to turn around; to walk back to a destroyed bus, a dead Reita and a scene of horror that would no doubt haunt his memory for years to come,
“You know I can’t, Aoi,” Uruha said calmly, adjusting his jacket as he stood up straight again, “I can’t leave your side, you know that,”
Aoi bit down on his lip in frustration, both the wounds to his head and ankle throbbing dully and he let Kai turn him around completely, walking back to the bus.
How did Uruha even have the nerve to show his face here? People were dead, dying even.
Had he come to check up on me? Aoi swallowed, and he felt so faint he had to stop, his hand shooting out to grip Kai’s shoulder for support, He’d come to see if I was dead . . .
Aoi felt sick, and his stomach even heaved, Kai supporting him upright as he coughed towards the floor, but nothing came out,
“Easy Aoi, easy . . .” he heard Kai assure him - the calmest he’d seemed ever since the crash.
Aoi shot a dark glance back in Uruha’s direction, conveying an internal message he knew Uruha would understand.
If showing up was bad enough, then controlling the emotions of everyone present was downright wrong,
“Aoi, are you okay?” he heard Kai sniff next to him, and when Aoi looked up again, it seemed Kai’s eyes had filled with tears like before.
Aoi felt anger run through him at Uruha’s meddling; toying with Kai’s emotions like an on/off switch,
“I’m fine,” Aoi whispered, half hissed through clenched teeth, “Come on, let’s get back to Rei,”
Aoi’s heart clutched; Reita . . .
Did Uruha know he was going to die too?
Aoi’s head spun, Reita really was going to die after all. Uruha had said so himself; one of his kind had been assigned to watch over Reita, knowing full well that he was going to die soon.
They were watching him until the day he -
“Aoi, who was that guy?” Kai asked by his side, cautiously looking over his shoulder as they neared the wreckage, two ambulances now parked at the side of the road, a large group of paramedics tending to those who were hurt,
“No one,” Aoi murmured, “Just someone I know,”
Kai seemed to understand Aoi’s reluctance to share his relationship with Uruha because he said nothing, leaving the two to cry again as they reunited with Reita’s body once more, his skin now paler than it was before,
“Oh Reita . . .” Aoi whispered, slowly dropping to his knees and stroking Reita’s hair, “I’m so sorry you didn’t know -“
A loud horn cut him off, and Aoi heard Kai screaming behind him, a sound which made Aoi’s head twist quickly to see what was wrong,
“Oh my God . . .” Aoi murmured, frozen in place.
The truck was moving way too fast to be able to stop in time, the headlights facing directly in the path of Aoi and Kai.
Aoi couldn’t move, and he watched as the large vehicle propelled towards him at such a blinding speed, but it was as though Aoi was watching it in slow motion,
“AOIIIIII!!”
He felt Kai’s hand try to push him out of the way, but he knew it was already too late.
The headlights came closer, and Aoi watched further in shock as the truck mowed down the already dead bodies lying in its path, dragging down one of the paramedics as well.
Aoi heard the brakes screech and he was soon covered in smoke, even more terrified now that he couldn’t see where the hell the truck was.
Aoi gasped as a silhouette of black flashed before his eyes,
“KAIIIIII!!!”
*