Author's Note: Hello everyone. This is my first School Days fic. I stumbled upon the series by accident and began to watch it and I must say, I was seriously disturbed by the ending! I mean really, it is freaky! *Shudders* Anyways, I found that in the series the only one that is involved with Makoto and who really learns from their mistakes is Otome (the girl who has a crush on him from middle school.) So this fic is about her and how she finds that six months after Makoto and Sekai's deaths, a lot really hasn't changed.
Please please review! I really want to know what you guys think of this fic. Thanks a bunch :D
Six Months
"… and then the lion looks for a mate. Many lionesses try to attract his attention but in the end the lion must choose one."
Otome stared out of her classroom window as her teacher in front continued to drone on about the animal kingdom. Today was an anniversary day.
It had been six months. Six months since Makoto and Sekai had died.
Otome had known Makoto Itou from middle school. He was a handsome boy with black hair that fell in his face and brown eyes. Makoto always knew how to make someone smile and was generally charming. Slowly, Otome realized that she had a crush on him.
When they had gotten to high school, she was no longer in Makoto's class. She kept on hoping that he wouldn't get a girlfriend because she intended to make him hers at the annual school festival. However, she soon learned that he was dating another girl in Otome's class, Kotonoha Katsura. Or so the girl claimed.
Maybe that's why I hated her so much, Otome thought. Kotonoha was a beautiful girl with a good body. She was also very smart and gentle. Many boys had a crush on her but Otome only cared about who Makoto had a crush on. When she found Kotonoha spreading rumors that she was Makoto's girlfriend, Otome wanted to hit the girl.
How long had she, Otome, known Makoto? Why would he just pick a girl he knew nothing about? After that, Otome and her gang decided to bully Kotonoha even more. After all, what could one little shy girl do? Otome sighed and looked at the clouds outside. Ironically, she could do a lot.
Otome didn't know much about Sekai Saionji, the girl from their grade who had died on the same day as Makoto. Otome had first heard from Makoto's best friend, Taisuke Sawanaga, that Sekai was the girl Makoto was dating. This was more believable to Otome than Makoto dating Kotonoha. Sekai was a gorgeous girl with brown hair that came to her shoulders and navy blue eyes. She was outgoing and popular with her grade. But Otome hadn't cared if Makoto was dating someone else.
And so at the school fair, Otome put her hand out to Makoto as a sign of her confession that she liked him. Otome's lips twitched slightly at the memory. Leave it to someone like Makoto not to know what a confession looked like! She had grabbed his hand and had to drag him to the lounge area, where countless others had stepped before them to stare a bed together. It was a school tradition.
How could I be so stupid? Otome thought sadly. She should have seen the kind of guy Makoto had become in high school. He was no longer the sweet boy she had once had a crush on. If he was, he would have walked away from the lounge, telling Otome that he had a girlfriend. But she was no better. She had heard from others that Makoto was seeing another girl in their grade, Sekai, but she didn't care. Desiring nothing but to try to prove to Makoto that she could be his girlfriend, Otome betrayed another she didn't even know.
The bell rang and Otome was awakened from her reverie.
"Come on, Otome! Let's go eat lunch!" her friends grinned and waved from the classroom doorway.
Otome nodded and gathered her books quickly. "You're the worst," she whispered to no one in particular.
- - - - - -
Sunrays shined through the top of the tree that Otome and her friends were sitting under. It was lunchtime and the front lawn of the school yard was packed with students playing sports and goofing around. It was a warm spring day and everyone's eagerness for vacation was evident. Had it really already been six months?
Otome looked around her. Her friends continued to chat excitably about a new boy in the grade above them. Otome worked to keep the frown off of her face. It was only after the incident six months ago that Otome realized how brainless the other girls in her class were. How could she have been so blind to everything before?
She blocked out the incessant gossip and let her eyes roam around. Everything had gone back to normal in less than six months. Otome looked down at her sandwich. No, that was wrong. It had all gone back to normal in a week. Life was different but it had ultimately returned to the same routine.
Otome had learned that Makoto had in fact gone out with Kotonoha and that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. However, he had betrayed her with Sekai and betrayed Sekai with Otome. After that, Makoto slept with practically every girl in their grade. Otome looked around the school yard and easily counted 15 girls he had slept with. She felt disgusted.
Otome had first met Sekai in person when the senior girls had gathered them all for the girls' basketball club's closing party. That's what they all thought it was. In actuality, it was a secret video tape of the festival's lounge and all that took place in it. The seniors had put the video camera in the lounge when no one was looking and taped the entire thing.
Nanami, a girl on Otome's basketball team, had introduced Sekai to her. Sekai had been polite and Otome had instantly felt guilty, just like she had felt guilty when she had seen Kotonoha the day after the festival. Otome had said hello to Sekai and couldn't help but be jealous of the girl that was supposedly currently dating Makoto.
Otome's eyes had widened when the tape began to play. Nanami had sunk to the ground in anguish after the tape had revealed what had gone on between her and her boyfriend during the festival. Then the tape skipped to another couple in the lounge and Otome's heart seemed to beat louder. She zoned out everyone else's responses and it was as if she could only see Sekai's.
Sekai's eyes did a double take at the screen as she recognized the dark hair of the boy Otome had pinned to the bed. She gazed at the screen in horror and her fingers slowly clenched into a fist and began to shake. "Impossible!" she had whispered. Then she spun around on her heel. Otome was still standing there and they faced each other silently.
What could she say? That she was sorry? But she hadn't apologized. No, Otome had stood there, still as a statue as she watched a range of emotions fly through the girl she had just met. There was surprised, rage, confusion, and most of all, disbelief. Without a word to Otome, Sekai swiftly ran through the door and out of the room. Otome slowly sank to the ground and covered her face with her hands. What had she been thinking? Makoto, he… he had a girlfriend!
That night, Otome couldn't get Sekai's face out of her mind as she dreamed of a tape playing over and over again as Sekai watched.
Around her, life seemed to be taking its regular course. But it had only been six months! She wanted to scream. Everyone was acting like they had not lost three of their classmates who was with them just last term. Two had died while the third was in a mental asylum.
There were, however, some people who had been affected by the events that had unfolded six months ago. Taisuke Sawanaga, Makoto and Otome's friend from middle school, who had a huge crush on Kotonoha, was one of the few who had attended Makoto and Sekai's funerals. Otome also heard he visited Kotonoha in her asylum once a month but had stopped since it began to annoy his new girlfriend, Hikari.
Otome looked across the school yard to see Taisuke and Hikari eating lunch together. Hikari had an angry expression on her face and was yelling something at Taisuke, who seemed to be nodding absently or otherwise ignoring her. Hikari was probably nagging Taisuke again about eating properly or something menial like that. Otome smiled, serves them right.
Hikari had been one of the girls sleeping around with Makoto even though she had a crush on Taisuke. She was a nosy girl who loved to pry into everyone's business. When Otome first heard that Hikari was also sleeping with Makoto, she was quite surprised since Hikari always made it a point to Sekai that Makoto was flirting with other girls. She also used to yell at Makoto a lot as well.
Otome later heard that while Makoto and Sekai had danced to the festival folk dance for couples, Taisuke had confessed to Kotonoha that he loved her and took advantage of her while she was saddened over finding Makoto with Sekai. The two slept together.
Otome sighed. When had everything become to complicated? She gave a last glance at Hikari and Taisuke. They were still arguing it seemed but both seemed to be unaffected by the anniversary date.
The warning bell rang loud and clear and suddenly everyone began to move at once.
"Otome, let's go. Class will start soon!" one of her friends said.
"You guys go on ahead. I have something to do quickly," she murmured.
Everyone had ran back inside for class. Otome lay on her back in the bright green grass. It tickled her neck and arms.
She remembered when everything had taken a turn for the worst. If only someone had noticed it then, maybe her classmates would still be with her today.
After many weeks of being absent, probably saddened over the move of her best friend, Setsuna, and the news that Makoto was cheating on her as well, Sekai returned to school.
Since Otome wasn't in the same class as Sekai, she had heard from Nanami about what had happened. Sekai had walked into class and sat in her regular seat next to Makoto. The other girls had looked away out of embarrassment for sleeping with Makoto while Sekai was gone. But that didn't stop them from meeting him still.
Suddenly in the middle of class, Sekai had begun to yell at Makoto about how she had only slept with him and how the baby was his. Nanami had said Sekai had screamed, "It's your baby, Makoto!" before she coughed and kneeled over, throwing up on the side of the bench. Everyone was still talking about it during gym class and Otome saw how all the girls were worried for their own safety. None of them wanted to get pregnant, they were just having fun.
Otome went to see Makoto that evening. He was overexcited, thinking he was going to be able to sleep with her but Otome had her own things to find out. When he had replied that what happened to Sekai wasn't his fault, Otome understood everything. I'm such an idiot.
She looked him in the eyes and found that she didn't love this person. "During middle school, you were a much nicer person," she had murmured to him. He looked at her in confusion and she left. It was the only thing she could do now. She threw away the picture of Makoto she carried with her. Everyone else was worried about who they would now have casual sex with.
Everything else that followed, Otome had heard from the news, articles, and even Kotonoha when Otome had visited her in the asylum.
A week had passed since Sekai had announced she was pregnant with Makoto's baby. When Makoto came back to school after the weekend, Sekai wasn't in school and it was revealed that Makoto was back with Kotonoha.
About a week later, everyone learned that Makoto and Sekai were dead while Kotonoha had gone missing.
That's when Otome began to investigate. They learned from the principal and news articles that Sekai's body was found on the roof of the school by a janitor. It was said her body had been mutilated, and that someone had ripped through her stomach. Everyone had been shocked. Sekai was very well-liked and popular in their school and everyone had known she was pregnant. There were two bloody knives left there; one with Sekai's blood on it, the other with Makoto's.
Soon after, Makoto's body was discovered at his apartment. The body had been stabbed multiple times. The truly gruesome part about it was that Makoto's body was found, but his head was not there.
The authorities were now looking for Kotonoha, who they heard had been Makoto's girlfriend. Her fingerprints had also been found on the knife with Sekai's blood on it.
Kotonoha was found when her yacht docked later in the week. There was a bag with her that had Makoto's head in it. She was arrested on the spot.
After interrogating her, the whole story was discovered. Otome shuddered delicately. She hated thinking about it.
Kotonoha gave the full story and didn't even try to deny that she had killed Sekai.
The investigators looked at the high school girl. She hadn't tried to resist and had admitted to killing Sekai Saionji. The girl sat calmly in the interrogating booth and spoke with a sweet voice.
"Makoto-kun and I met by the large Christmas tree in the shopping plaza. There we got together as a couple, again. We made our way back to his apartment and Saionji-san was very angry. Of course she would be. I know she tried to seduce Makoto-kun, so I told her this and promised to Makoto-kun that I would stay by his side. We kissed and got back together and Saionji-san ran out. She was very upset so to ease her burden, I gave Makoto-kun a name of a hospital and doctor I knew who could help her get rid of the baby.
"Makoto-kun and I were to go on a trip the following day. My yacht was finally repaired and ready to go out again. It really is a very beautiful yacht. We were both excited to prepare for our trip. I was going to cook dinner for Makoto-kun at his apartment that night but he said that Saionji-san wanted to speak with him. Since I forgave and trusted Makoto-kun, I told him I would come later for dinner and he agreed.
"I guess Saionji-san really hated that her plan to get Makoto-kun failed because when I went to Makoto-kun's apartment later, I found his body stabbed. His carpet was all red from his blood and his walls were a mess. I knew he wouldn't want it like that so I first cleaned his room and then I looked at his body. Saionji-san really was very jealous to do such a thing, she really did try everything to keep Makoto-kun and myself away from each other. Even coming up with that lie about being pregnant."
The police officer interrupted her. "Lie? Are you saying that Sekai Saionji was not pregnant?"
Kotonoha looked at the officer with surprised. "Yes, she was not pregnant. She lied."
Kotonoha continued. "So then I was really depressed since I knew how much Makoto-kun wanted to go with me on my yacht. Then I came up with an amazing idea. We could still go and be alone, just Makoto-kun and me. I carefully took off Makoto-kun's head, I didn't cause him pain and I put it in my duffle bag. Then I decided I should talk to Saionji-san, since she did hurt my Makoto. I texted her from Makoto-kun's phone because I knew he was the only one she would listen to. You see, she was very much in love with him. From his phone I wrote 'I'm waiting on the rooftop.' I knew that was where Makoto-kun and Saionji-san would often go together.
"She came of course. I met her on the roof and we talked. She didn't go to the doctor. She said it was because I had recommended it but I knew it was because I was Makoto-kun's girlfriend so there was no way she could give birth to his baby. Of course she denied this. I'm afraid Saionji-san was delusional when she wished she was carrying Makoto-kun's baby. She cried out saying she also wanted to be Makoto-kun's girlfriend so she let him do all kinds of things. That's when I realized she wanted to talk to Makoto-kun. I told her if she wanted to talk to him, he was right there on the bench. She looked inside my duffle bag and fell to the ground and threw up.
"I was curious now. I asked her if she minded if I saw for myself whether or not she was lying about the baby and unwrapped my knife that I brought with me. I was going to use it to make dinner for Makoto-kun and myself. I guess Saionji-san didn't want me to find out because she became defensive and pulled out a knife from her pocket. I was faster than her and knocked her knife out of her hand. With a clean swipe, I cut open her stomach. Saionji-san died then. She really shouldn't have tried so hard to come in between Makoto-kun and me.
"Well, I then put my hands inside her stomach and felt around. There was nothing in there. There was no one inside of her because she was lying. It was as I thought. There was no one in her."
The authorities didn't need to hear the rest of Kotonoha's story. They had her put on trial and it was determined that she was insane. She was sent to a mental asylum. That's when Otome decided to visit her.
It had been about a month after the incident came to light and Otome had suffered many nightmares of what had happened. She needed to know the rest of the story from Kotonoha.
Although she always bullied the girl, the truth was that she was afraid of her. Kotonoha was everything she was not and had won Makoto over when she could not.
She skipped school that day and took the train out of town to where the asylum was. There she walked through the strange fenced building and put her belongings in a small box that was checked in when she first entered. It was a strange feeling there. It was almost like she was checking herself in.
The guard lead her to Kotonoha's room. He assured her that Kotonoha had no weapons and that a guard was outside of the door and watching through the secret window that allowed one to look in but not out.
Otome felt strange not knocking. She walked in and saw the dim area. A little bit of sunlight poured in from a small window. The walls were a plain dull pink and peeling. There were few things in the room, only some furnishings like a television set, a small coffee table, some chairs, a bed, and a couch.
Kotonoha was sitting on the couch, sipping from a cup. There was a football in her lap. She looked up when the door opened.
Otome stared at the girl. Her eyes were now a blank black color. Her long black hair had been chopped to her shoulders and was stringy against her face. Her face was paler and skinnier.
"Hello, Kotonoha," she said softly as she looked at the girl.
Then Kotonoha surprised her and smiled. "Otome-san, hello! It has been a very long time since I have seen you. How is school?"
The two began to talk and Otome was surprised at how Kotonoha was still the same at times yet completely different. Despite murdering another, she was still shy and afraid of Otome but she answered her questions with honesty.
Otome looked at the cup and saw that Kotonoha was sipping at nothing. She looked down guilty. It was strange seeing her classmate in here, even though they had never gotten along.
She started slowly. "Umm, Kotonoha, I was just wondering if you would… tell me some more about what happened between you and Makoto after you left on your yacht."
Kotonoha looked at her carefully. "Oh, sure. I didn't know you were interested in Makoto-kun and my relationship but I guess you would be. You always loved him, didn't you, Otome-san?"
Otome turned her face away. "I did. I stopped though when I realized he was yours." It was a lie; she had stopped when she realized what kind of guy Makoto was, not because of Kotonoha.
But Kotonoha bought it. She smiled at Otome. "Thank you, Otome-san. Makoto-kun and I have always been in love. So after we said our goodbyes to Saionji-san on the rooftop- you know, that's where we all first met and ate lunch together- then Makoto-kun and I went on board my yacht for a couple of days. We lay in the sun and ate together. We were finally alone and happy. When we came back, the police wanted to speak to me and Makoto-kun and I had to say goodbye for a while."
Kotonoha stopped and looked around the room as if she was making sure they were alone. Otome frowned. Kotonoha gestured for Otome to come closer as she leaned across the table to whisper in her ear. Otome was nervous but she remembered what the guard had said about watching from the door and she put her face closer.
Kotonoha whispered in her ear, "But he came to visit me and is with me now. Don't tell those other men though, they're jealous I think. If you want to say hello to Makoto-kun, he's right here. She pointed to the football that was on the couch.
Otome felt sick. She stood up abruptly. Kotonoha looked up at her in surprise. "Sorry, Kotonoha, I have to leave. It was nice seeing you and…" she paused and fought back the nausea that surfaced, "and Makoto. I hope you two are happy with each other." Then she stood up and walked out of the room. Otome threw up outside of the fenced building.
Otome looked around her. It was already the next period but she didn't feel like going. She heard a noise behind her and turned. There was a girl and a boy in each other's embrace. The boy's hand dipped lower on the girl's back and the girl protested weakly before giving in and kissing the boy back. Otome recognized the boy, he was known to be going out with a different girl. Otome walked away. It seemed that no one had learned from what had happened.
Life had changed in six months but it had ultimately gone back to the same routine.
Otome grabbed her discarded bag from the floor and walked off campus to the train station. She had one last place to stop to on this day.
- - - - - -
The sun was high in the sky and setting in about an hour's time when Otome arrived in the graveyard. It had been six months but she still visited the area every so often when she got to thinking about Makoto's smile, Sekai's eyes, or Kotonoha's voice.
A light breeze went around her, pulling and moving her light brown hair in the wind. She looked ahead of her and was surprised for a moment to see another tall figure by the grave markers where she was heading. She recognized the figure and walked towards the graves.
The trees were just blossoming in the spring season and birds chirped around in peaceful harmony. It had been only six months.
She stopped at the now-familiar graves. The figure next to her did not move and they both stared down at the graves in silence.
Nanami softly acknowledged her. "Otome."
"So you are also aware that it has been six months." Otome wasn't asking. She was stating something. Out of all of their friends, Nanami was the only one who didn't sleep with Makoto and was not attracted to him in that way. She had also been Sekai's friend and had introduced Otome to Sekai. Nanami was the only one who seemed different after the incident besides Otome, but the two had not bonded over this.
"Mmm," Nanami affirmed quietly. "Six months and it's as if nothing has changed to everyone else."
"Six months. It's been six months, Makoto and Sekai," Otome looked towards the sky as a tear slowly fell from her face.
Nanami nodded her head calmly and continued to look at the graves blankly. "We miss you."
- - - - - -
They were both sitting in the grass in front of the graves, talking softly of memories of Makoto and Sekai and discussing how everything had quickly spun out of control. It was the first time either of them had spoke to someone else about the incident.
"Six months, huh? It sure doesn't feel like it," Nanami softly whispered again as they stopped laughing about a memory of middle school.
Otome nodded.
The sun was setting now and the two both got up in unison as they began to brush off grass from their school uniforms. They both turned towards the graves again.
The graves were plain. Both of them had been placed side by side because both Makoto and Sekai's families had left before the burial. After Makoto and Sekai were found to be dead, both families had moved away from the city. Therefore the authorities were in charge of the funeral and had placed both next to each other since it was the same investigation. The grave markers were blank. Both just listed the birth and death dates with the name.
"I wish I bought something to put here," Otome murmured softly, "but it was sort of a impulsive visit."
"Yeah, me too," Nanami agreed. She then stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. There was a charm attached to it. Her fingers carefully untied the knot and pulled off the charm from the phone. She placed in between the graves. Otome smiled and did the same with her cell phone.
"They always loved to text," Nanami smiled sadly.
Otome and Nanami stared at the graves for a couple of minutes more in silence. "You know, Nanami. In the end, Sekai is the one together with Makoto."
Nanami's eyes widened slightly before she closed her eyes and a sad smile came to her face as her bangs covered her eyes. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She looked towards the graves. "Sekai, in the end, nothing could come between you and Makoto."
Then Nanami turned and she put her hands in her pockets. "I'm going to France during the school break. I'm visiting Setsuna. I hear she isn't doing well after hearing about Sekai's death."
Otome nodded. Setsuna and Sekai were best friends. It was understandable that Setsuna would be devastated since Otome heard that Setsuna had also loved Makoto but for Sekai's sake, entrusted Sekai to Makoto.
Nanami put her hand on Otome's shoulder. She then walked away without another word.
Otome looked at the graves as a breeze swept past her again, uplifting her hair and gently pushing it across her face. Then she remembered something and pulled out her wallet from her bag. In it was a clipping of a news paper article about the incident. There was a picture someone had given to the newspapers of Makoto and Sekai dancing during the school festival.
Otome remembered watching the two dance together. Makoto and Sekai were both laughing and smiling. Makoto was holding Sekai's hands and she had her back towards him as they glided through the complicated steps. The bonfire behind them illuminated their faces brightly.
Otome felt her eyesbrows furrow in sadness as she carefully tore the picture from the article. Her tears fell on the photograph and blurred her vision so she couldn't see the smiles on their faces.
After a few minutes of kneeling on the ground with the picture, Otome wiped her tears and looked clearly at the picture. She wanted to confirm that they were smiling in the picture even though she had seen it numerous times. She had been carrying it around with her for the past six months. They were truly smiling in it. Otome looked at it one last time and she carefully placed it underneath the cell phone charms Nanami and she had placed in between the graves.
Then she straightened up and smiled. "Good bye," she murmured softly as she turned and walked away.
A breeze fluttered across the graveyard again as Otome left, but she did not turn around because she was sure that Makoto and Sekai were smiling.
Seriously the ending of School Days needed some uplifting, it was way dark! Anyways, make sure to review!!!!