Title: Leviathan
Author: Miru
Rating: PG+, I think. A mention of violence near the end, but nothing graphic. As tame as you can get, BR-wise.
Warning: Some small spoilers for the general BR plot.
Notes: I'd like to think that Mitsuko and Sugimura had this sort of relationship. Novel-based, mostly, though I guess it wouldn't be too off-context based on the manga. Movie-wise, it would seem a little out of the blue.
-----
"I like you, Hiroki."
Usually, just the fact that she regularly called him by his first name – something that no one but Takako did – was enough to make him wary, but, in this case, the three words preceding his name made him start.
They were in the classroom, warmed by the rays of the slowly setting sun as they organized papers. Male student number 11 and female student number 11 were supposed to be on duty to help the teacher's work that week; Sugimura hadn't been at all surprised when Mitsuko failed to show up to school all week. He didn't mind doing the work on his own, anyway. What had surprised him was that she'd shown up on the last day of their designation as class representatives, and was now sitting opposite him, a neat stack of papers held between slender fingers.
In any case, he managed to answer without stammering, keeping his eyes on the stapler in his hands to help steady his voice. "You should say that to someone you really like."
She tittered, the epitome of innocence. "You don't believe me?"
Her only answer was the cold ka-chunk of the stapler as Sugimura set aside the one of the packets of handouts they'd been told to organize.
"You're so cold, Hiroki. I thought you'd be nicer."
For a few moments, the classroom was silence except for the quiet shuffling of papers. Sugimura basked in the silence, and hoped that it would last for the rest of the task, because when Mitsuko talked, he never knew how to respond. The girl was like a charmer's snake – entrancing and confusing and entirely too twisty.
"Hiroki."
There she was again, with the honey-sweet voice. Only half-listening, and occupying himself by counting papers, he gave a small grunt in reply.
"Have you proposed to Kotohiki yet?"
The question startled him, and the paper he'd been handling went sliding across his fingertips, a round bubble of blood squeezing out of the cut. He was still glaring at the wound in mixed disbelief and shock when she continued, tittering.
"Oh, Hiroki. You haven't yet, have you?"
He carefully wiped off the blood on his handkerchief before returning to the task at hand, shuffling the papers in a neat pile. The blush on his fairly burned, but he somehow managed to keep his voice level as he reached for the stapler.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, of course you do." She snatched the stapler up first, and when she clamped it across the top of her handful of papers, it gave a sharp click. "You like her, don't you, Hiroki?" The smile on her face as she held out the stapler for him could only be described angelic.
Taking it silently, he avoided looking at her, instead concentrating on his papers, stapling together his own bunch. "I really don't know what you're—"
"You're the type to love her till you die, I know."
There was a soft shuffling sound as she straightened out the pile of packets on the side desk, patting the top of it with the tips of her fingers when she was satisfied, before giving him a beaming smile. Something about it seemed subtly wrong, but that was why the following words were even more gloriously twisted.
"I wish you'd like me like that too, Hiroki."
Sugimura realized that he was staring at her, his eyes wide, and quickly looked at the pile of packets, instead, placing the one he'd just stapled together on top. How could one answer to a statement like that?
"We're done now. See you later, Hiroki." She gave him a wave and was out the door before he could respond. It was only out of his sight and hearing that she smiled to herself, drawing a finger across her lips.
"I never had anyone like that. Kotohiki's so lucky."
-----
The rain poured down mercilessly, like someone in the sky was having a tempter tantrum, but Mitsuko was quite calm as she approached the two dead bodies, the limbs overlapping as if in some sort of deathly embrace.
"Long time no see, Hiroki."
Some song lyrics from a popular song a while ago wailed in her head, the singer's voice a melancholy whine. Is that rain, or are you crying? I can't tell, baby, I can't tell.
"Are you glad you got to die with your beloved?"
A moment before the machine-gun bullets pierced her body and sent her blood splattering across the already-crimson-stained ground, a single thought crossed her mind, briefly, fleetingly, like the paper-cut that had streaked across his finger so many weeks ago.
I'm jealous of you.