There are alternate endings to this story. The full story will be put up with the different endings, so you don't have to read one or the other first. Pick which ever one you want! Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you feel the emotions we want to portray.

Look for the asterisks to find where the story branches off, so if you wanted to read both, you don't have to read the part of the story that's the same.

I wrote the part of Yoshiki, and my friend wrote the parts of Ayumi and Satoshi. We do not own the idea of Corpse Party or the characters included.

Ayumi's heart was painfully lurching in her chest as she turned a corner, running past a couple classrooms. She refused to trap herself by being stupid enough to go into one, even if it was tempting. She didn't have the entire layout of Heavenly Host in her head, and with so many floorboards missing, she couldn't risk it. Her breathing was ragged, her legs beginning to burn as the terror of being chased ran through her blood. She had been too angry, she let every ounce of hatred and frustration out and now she was paying for it. She needed to find someone else! Yoshiki had lost it after she yelled at him. He had been saying such horrible things, though! She hadn't wanted to hear them anymore, she had hated him so much in that moment that cruelness just naturally exploded from her. It had become quickly apparent she had let too much anger go, as everything went to hell. She turned another corner, the chasing footsteps were no longer in ear shot. She leaned back against the wall, gasping for breath. He wasn't right, anymore. His eyes said it all, Yoshiki was gone. Her hand clutched her chest as she fought tears, the instinctual horror of being chased was exhausting her mentally and physically. She only gave herself a few moments of heavy panting and rest before she broke out into a run once again. She had to find somewhere they hadn't been before, she had to figure out how to make sure she didn't run into him.

Yoshiki's steps were a slow pace, as he was eerily confident that he'd get his hands on her soon enough. She was only tiring herself out... it was somewhat amusing, but as entertaining as it was, it didn't compare to what he had in mind, so he was a little eager to catch up. But he had to be patient. Worn out prey was easier to catch, and easier 'eat.' He paused for a moment on the bridge connecting the west and east wings of the school, looking at the scenery that taunted students with fake freedom. A grin formed on his face as he continued towards the unfamiliar half of the school, now with the recollection that Ayumi couldn't escape. She could allude him, for some time, but she couldn't get away... and this pleased him. He opened the door to the new terrain of the west wing of the school, his dark, soulless eyes glancing about the dark. For most, the air of this place was a little hard to bare, but he had no problem in the atmosphere, his body feeling no pressure from the malice and darkness most likely because he was now a part of it. "Ayumi~" he called, rocking from side to side as he walked with a certain carefree tone, "I don't bite."

Ayumi couldn't stand the air in this part of the school, it weighed on her mind and chipped away at her rationality. She found a raw terror ripple through her as his voice echoed down the unfamiliar hallways. Her breathing was hitching, her ability to take deep breaths of air left her as panic fully set into her mind. He was going to catch her and kill her, because there was only so many places to run and only so long she could continue the chase. She was running on pure fear at this point, and the panic attack hitting her was making her mind fuzzy and lungs burn. She covered her mouth tightly as she tried to muffle the sounds of gasps and coughs. She kept moving, with his voice chiming down the decaying ruins of a school, she couldn't risk sitting still. She glanced at a classroom door, remembering how she had decided to stay away... She swallowed her panic, her breathing short and unsettling as she opened the classroom door and shut it tightly behind her. She wished she could lock it or move something in the way, but she didn't have the time and strength. Plus, moving anything of any weight would be too loud. She moved into the dark room, the shadows hiding away pieces of the room. She would hide... hopefully, he'd walk past and she could slip out and return to the side of the school where her head didn't feel so horribly muddled.

Yoshiki had to hold in the urge to chuckle, as he could hear faint sounds of footsteps and heavy breathing. He followed the soft noises, pausing a moment as they disappeared after a louder noise. He couldn't quite place it, but it did sound slightly familiar... Wood scraping against wood, perhaps? "Haha, wonderful," he said under his breath, an unsettling glint in his eyes. He stepped into a hallway, the quiet thuds of his slow steps echoing down before stopping a moment. His eyes slid towards the first door he came to, jerking at it, purposefully making a loud bang with the door. He glanced around, but caught no sight of her. "Ah, miss," he said in a light tone and grew a crooked smile, treating this as a game. He walked over to the next door, pulling at it and making the same nerve-wracking bang, aiming to torture her with anxiety as he came to each door. He could listen for her, her pained gasps, but that would be no fun at all. He paused as he came to the third to last door, grabbing at the handle slowly. He stopped for a moment, letting silence drop over the school, before tugging the door open. He eased into the room with silent steps, listening for her uncontrollable wheezes. Eventually catching them, though muffled, his grin grew, his eyes trailing across the room. "I know you're in here... You can either let me find you, or you can go ahead and come out, Ayumi," he said, making sure not to move too far away from the door in case she made a run for it.

Ayumi's heart jerked violently in her chest as she heard the steps, his opening doors, the noises collided in her head. She felt herself tensing more and more as the sounds grew closer, she knew it had been so stupid to hide in a room! She had trapped herself. She silently cursed her stupid thoughts, her panicked decision. But she couldn't have ran anymore, she hardly had it in her. There was silence, a pause. Everything felt hopeless, the certainty of death ringing in her ears as the door slid open. She bit the inside of her cheek hard as she held down noises. She refused to make it easier for him, though his voice so close was causing her to tremble horribly. She stopped breathing, her lungs protesting painfully, but otherwise he would follow her ragged breaths. She needed him to get away from the door, so she could at least make a sprint for it. She forced herself into utter silence, her body frozen in place as she listened for him to move.

Yoshiki glanced around, her breaths stopping, but that only made it more fun. He turned on his heel and shut the door, so he could search around without keeping constant vigilance on the doorway. "Aw, there goes your escape route... were you banking on that opening, Ayumi?" he asked, his voice obviously held fake sympathy, bordering on sarcasm, "Sorry about that..." He paced around, kicking over desks, mostly to make her jump. Even though he couldn't see her terror, it was still fun to scare her. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the classroom, so everything was becoming clearer, and it quickened the search. He gave no indication that he found her yet, aiming to give her a surprise. He stepped slowly, before lunging his hand out to grab her wrist tightly, tugging her up without regard for the pain she may feel because of the swift jerking motion. He gave her an eerie grin, his eyes narrowed with glee. "Found you, class rep," he mused, poking fun at the title she used to hold, "That was rather fun... but I have something better in mind, so let's not play tag again, okay?"

Ayumi's mind went blank as the door shut, any semblance of a plan being wiped out. She was choking back noises, her entire body shivering and occasionally jerking as he kicked the desks over. She stayed in her spot, willing something to happen that would save her. Then her entire body reeled with fear as he roughly grabbed her wrist and yanked her up. She let out a cry of protest, tears spilling hotly from her eyes as she trembled in fear. "N-no! Let go of me, you bastard!" she screamed at him, moving and jerking in an attempt to break free. Her wrist hurt from him yanking her up and her current movements. Her chest was heaving as she panted, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she desperately wished to get away from him.

Yoshiki watched her struggle, his grin back to a natural size, but it was no less unsettling. "No?" he asked, his tone displaying slight dismay, but, like the sympathy, was fake. "You want to have another go at tag? That's no good... I won, so I get to decide what we do next. Those are the rules," he said, his grip tightening on her wrist, despite her struggles. He pulled her back to the door, opening it and continuing to drag her away. "Sheesh, class rep, you're acting like I'm going to kill you," he pointed out with a small chuckle, looking over his shoulder at her with an unsettling glint in his sinister eyes, "Don't worry, I'm not... yet... that comes after." After what? He wouldn't tell her. It'd be a nice little surprise. He turned his head back, laughing in a low, dark tone.

Ayumi felt powerless as he pulled her through the door, back into the hallways. She kept fighting, even if she was exhausted and it seemed hopeless, she wouldn't stop fighting against his grip. She felt a sort of hatred for him seething against her heart as he openly mocked her. Her expression twisted in fear as he expressed her death was to come, after whatever he was planning. "No, no, NO! LET ME GO!"she screamed, begged, trying to dig her heels into the flat wooden floor in the vague hope she'd catch on a uprooted wooden plank.

Satoshi was wandering the halls, the loneliness weighing on his mind. He needed to find Yuka, and Naomi, and all the others. He had been so stupid for letting Yuka out of his sights, even just for a moment! He couldn't stop berating himself for his poor decision, a constant worry buzzing in his head. He froze for a moment, hearing a scream. "Shino...zaki?" he questioned, his eyes widening. She sounded like she was in trouble, and that was enough to make him pick up the pace. His heart felt like it flat-lined and his mind went blank as he saw the source of Ayumi's screams were Yoshiki. "Shinozaki!? Yoshiki!?" he yelled, to get their attention.

Ayumi felt a wave of relief hit her as she heard Satoshi's voice, her head turning to see him standing behind them. "Mochida!" she yelled, fear hitting her because Yoshiki could kill him. Satoshi was just confused, she could see it in his eyes. He didn't realize the darkening had taken Yoshiki over, the entire scene was hard to digest.

Yoshiki felt a sort of irritation at Satoshi's voice, but he only found himself getting downright agitated by Ayumi's pleading voice. He stopped moving, going quiet as he decided what to do. "That's your favorite word, isn't it?" he asked dryly, his eyes half-lidded with irritation, growing tired of her constantly spewing that name about. Without warning, he turned and shoved her to the ground, moving his foot to rest on her side to keep her there. The force was only enough to hold her still, rather than hurt her... at the moment. "Satoshi... what do you want?" he asked as if nothing was wrong with what he was doing, his eyes dull, and his expression somewhat frustrated.

Ayumi was going to glare at him, but she hardly had a moment to register what was happening before she was thrown to the ground. She gritted her teeth as she tried to regroup from the movement. She froze as she realized his foot was on her side, keeping her in place. The pressure was uncomfortable, her mind going blank in fear as he addressed Satoshi.

Satoshi flinched as Yoshiki threw Ayumi to the floor, a sickening realization hit him. They had lost Yoshiki. He silently cursed to himself, a feeling of failure thrumming in his head as he saw his best friend taken in by the school. He looked at Ayumi on the ground, she was still okay. She was alive and sound in mind, as much as one could be. He had to get her away. "Yoshiki, please, let her go," Satoshi pleaded in as calm a tone as he could manage. He didn't want Yoshiki applying more pressure down on her. She seemed okay, not in pain, but the terror was etched into her expression and made harsh by the schools light.

Yoshiki looked unamused by the request, raising a brow at Satoshi. "Why would I do something like that?" he questioned, slipping a hand into his pocket while the other was laying at his side. A flame was starting to burn in his stomach, his train of thought going from lust to jealousy after Ayumi called out Satoshi's name. That's right... this goody-two-shoes bastard had stolen Ayumi... His eyes narrowed at someone he once considered to be his best friend. But in this state, he was only an enemy... It all depended on his answer, whether or not his fire of anger would flare or die down.

Satoshi looked uncertainly between Ayumi and Yoshiki, his mind reeling as he could only hope his words would reach him. "Because, she's your friend, you don't want to hurt her,"he said, trying to keep his focus on Yoshiki. He was dangerous at this point, Satoshi realized bitterly. Yoshiki had bad enough of a temper in his normal state of mind, but here he could easily be volatile to anything that would just irritate him normally.

Ayumi was trembling under his foot, but she remained silent out of fear. She didn't want to give him a reason to apply force to her side.

Yoshiki paused for a moment, his expression turning blank, but only for a moment. A grin spread across his face, his eyes narrowing at Satoshi with a some kind of sick amusement. "Ahahah, friends?" he echoed, shifting his weight slightly more onto Ayumi, but it was a very small amount, "We're not anymore, though! Isn't that right, Ayumi?" His eyes glanced down at her, he was still grinning but his eyes gave away an intense malice towards her. Oh yes, he wanted to hurt her... kill her, even. His lust and hatred swirled together, though now, it was all aimed at Ayumi. His thoughts were easily interchangeable, shifting whenever he was reminded of something by things they said.

Ayumi tensed as he placed more weight on her, though it still wasn't enough to hurt. She just felt the weight of everything pressing down on her. She wanted to go home. She flinched, squeezing her eyes shut as her cruel words rang in her own ears. She had gone too far, and she was paying for it. "K-Kishinuma, I'm sorry! I was angry! I didn't mean any of it, you just wouldn't stop being so cynical! I couldn't stand it!" she choked out, face stained with tears.

Satoshi watched the two carefully, not daring to move closer in fear of what Yoshiki may do. He glanced between the two once again while he tried to piece together what happened. Yoshiki had probably spoken without thinking, upsetting Ayumi to the point where she blew up. Still, were her words really enough to allow the school to taint his mind? Or was that just a fight they had earlier, that had nothing to do with the darkening?

Yoshiki's glare sharpened as she apologized, the pitiful words only succeeding in making the fire grow. "You're sorry?" he asked, his tone skeptical, and his grin began turning into a scowl, "You say sorry... but then imply it's my fault in the same breath? Your apology is lacking, wouldn't you say?" Hah... Oh, she was angry, so she can just take back all of her words, and expect to switch the blame? The bitch... "And am I not allowed to get angry, or frustrated, without your criticism, or extremely harsh words?" he asked sharply, his anger building, but then his grin returned... though it seemed more maddened. He also gave a low, pitiful chuckle. "Do you know how many times you started crying, and I had to baby you? Do you know how many times I was the target of your stress and anger, and I took it for you without complaints? Though, for some reason, when I get angry... frustrated... and I let it out to ease my nerves, you blow it back at me with ten times the venom," he said, his smile turning back into a grimace, as he was disgusted with her... 'apology.' With a burst of anger, he rose his foot and stomped it on her side, his visible hand shaking with agitation. "Bitch...," he spat out under his breath, peering down at her with a shadow cast over his face.

Ayumi shrank back, eyes wide with terror as he lashed out, tearing her apart. She couldn't stop herself from sobbing, emotions running high as all her mistakes were made clearly visible for her. It seemed too late to be able to make up for it though, the anger consuming him was evident in his tone. She was about to speak, beg for him to just stop, but his foot came down on her side and her ability to speak was taken away by the stunning pain. She gasped, coughing out violently as she tried to retain some focus.

"Yoshiki, stop it!" Satoshi yelled, stepping forward. His hands were clenched into tight fists by his sides, his heart twisting painfully as he brought the blow down on Ayumi. "Dammit, Yoshiki, she isn't the problem! It's the school! Just leave her alone!" he yelled, frustrated at this person who used to be his best friend.

Yoshiki smiled at her gasps of pain, but then his mood turned back sour at Satoshi's demand. He eased back the pressure on her, but was still keeping her down. "Why?!" he shouted back, his anger to the point that he was willing to throw it at anyone that happened to talk to him, whether or not it had rhyme or reason, "Exactly what do you know?! Especially about this damn school!?" The weight on Ayumi was increased, and he didn't even really pay attention to how much it was at this point. He didn't know if he was hurting her or not, and he didn't really care. He just needed her alive, it didn't matter if she was damaged. "Oh, haha... but I forgot... You know what's best for everyone, don't you?" he asked with a crooked smile, his eyes narrowed at Satoshi.

Ayumi was writhing in pain, unable to speak past gasps and whines of pain. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing this to all just go away. She just wanted to be back in the classroom cleaning up after the Cultural Festival. She didn't want this!

***
Satoshi's eyes narrowed at Yoshiki, his own temper beginning to flare as Ayumi was obviously in pain. 'Dammit! There's no use talking to him...' he thought to himself, his hands clenched so tightly his fists were white. He didn't want to have to attack Yoshiki, because he didn't want to hurt his best friend, and also, because Yoshiki was a better fighter than him. He couldn't let Ayumi continue being hurt either, though. Even if the pressure he was inflicting on her wasn't fatal, he couldn't stand to see her in pain. "Yoshiki, I know you're better than this!" he replied, flinching as Ayumi made a small whimper in pain. "Maybe I don't know much about this damn school, but I know you would have never hurt Shinozaki like this if you weren't being swayed! This isn't you!"

Yoshiki only got a moment of glee at Ayumi's whimpers of pain as Satoshi began to speak again. He noticed that he was obviously angered by the pain he brought Ayumi, so he was watching carefully for any movements he might make. But he only seemed interested in talking... He was struck silent for a few moments at his words, giving him a blank stare before his smile returned. "That may be true... But maybe that's because I'm not the same me," he said simply, seemingly accepting the fact that he had changed, and he liked this new him... Well, the new him liked the new him.

Satoshi stared at Yoshiki as he struggled to look at the person in front of him as a completely different person. He felt sick when he realized that he would have to take Yoshiki, or whoever this was, out. Ayumi's little pained noises made him more frantic, the fear of Yoshiki stomping on her neck prominent in his mind. He had to save her, and he hated that the only option he could think of was killing Yoshiki. Words wouldn't work, they would just bounce off his insane mind or fuel the fire even further. He eyed the floor frantically, his eyes catching onto some rusted metal. 'How did...' he thought to himself as he noticed a piece of a scissors, that were halfway buried under some rubble. He gritted his teeth, every part of him not wanting to do what he was about to. Once he went for the scissors, he'd have to be quick. 'I'm sorry, Yoshiki,' he thought miserably, glaring at the impostor in front of him. 'You would want this... right? That I would do this instead of letting you continue on like this...?' he asked himself, his chest throbbing painfully. He looked at Ayumi who was shivering, crying, in pain, and very much in danger. He made his decision, moving quickly to yank the scissors out from under the debris and went forward to tackle the scissors into Yoshiki. His mind felt completely blank as he carried out the act, survival was all he could allow himself to function on.

Yoshiki seemed satisfied by Satoshi's silence, reveling in the noises of pain that came from Ayumi. He looked down at her quivering underneath his foot, his smile faltering slightly. For a reason unknown to him, he stood still, silent, just watching her, feeling no particular emotion. He was caught completely off guard by Satoshi, the scissors diving into his stomach with a sharp, hot pain. They both fell to the ground, but his anger came flaring back at the move Satoshi had pulled. "WHY... YOU!" he growled in a strained voice, making a grab for Satoshi, but then he paused again. In a swift moment, his hands retreated to clutch onto his head. He screamed at the agony piercing his mind, his back arching slightly as his muscles strained with the unbearable grief. At the same time this was happening, black fog, much like the one that had appeared when he had first turned, began seeping out from his mouth and under his hands that covered his eyes.

Satoshi hadn't really been expecting to land the hit, mixed feelings hitting him as he managed to stab the blade into Yoshiki. He let go of the scissors, falling back, surprised that Yoshiki hadn't made a grab for him. Then he noticed him clutching his head and the agony he seemed to be going through, confusion muddled Satoshi's mind as he tried to figure out what was happening. His heart sank as black fog began to pour out of Yoshiki, a disgust towards himself welling up. Was the darkness really leaving him? Then he could have been saved!? Satoshi choked, tears beginning to well in his eyes as he looked down at his bloodied hands.

Ayumi felt the weight lifted off of her, though with the flurry of motion, she wasn't able to keep up with what was happening. She sat up and moved further away from the action, her expression held raw terror as she tried to figure out what got him off. She paused, eyes widening as she saw Satoshi stumble back away from Yoshiki, who had scissors stabbed into him. She was choking too hard from sobbing to get any words out, the black fog was scarily familiar, though she didn't understand why it was leaving him. She was too scared to consider what it meant. She made no movement off the ground, her trembling and wheezing hard to control.

Yoshiki tossed onto his side, now only one hand grabbing at his head while the other carefully wrapped around the base of the scissors. The black fog had seemed to disperse, but he could tell it was still there. He opened his eyes slightly to look at his wound, disappointed at its depth. That's... not enough.., he thought, but was unable to speak as he wheezed, recovering from the darkening, the pain in his mind, and the pain in his stomach. He didn't have a lot of time, though... To say all the things he wanted to... but first, above all, he desperately needed to apologize. His eyes, which had regained their shine, drifted over to Ayumi, a horrible feeling spreading through him for what he did to her, and what he said. And he also needed to thank Satoshi... for stopping him, even though he was certain it had been difficult to do so. But that all had to wait as he caught his breath and was able to cope with the pain enough to speak.

Ayumi watched Yoshiki through blurry vision, her tears hindering her clarity of sight. She could see it in his eyes that he had regained normalcy, a degree of it at least. She shrank back as he looked over at her, unable to bring herself to come closer because of the terror of him snapping back into insanity.

Satoshi glanced over to Ayumi, she seemed okay, at least physically. With that confirmed, he moved closer over to Yoshiki, biting back tears as he fought to keep his composure. "Yoshiki? What's happening? ... Are you... you?" he asked quietly, because the life in his eyes certainly seemed more familiar. He felt a bile rising in his throat as he looked down at the scissors in Yoshiki's stomach, but tore his gaze off the injury to look Yoshiki in the eyes.

Yoshiki took his eyes away from Ayumi to Satoshi, as he could easily she the fear in her eyes, and he didn't want to make her feel anymore uneasy than she probably already was. He let the hand that was clutching his head fall back to the ground, using it to prop himself up slightly while the other kept a firm grip on the scissor blades. "For... a minute... or so," he managed to get out, wanting to give him an answer quicker than he was able to recover his breathing. He gave painful glance to Ayumi, then tore away his gaze to look at the ground. He wanted her to know he was talking specifically to her. "I'm... so sorry... I was... too weak, when it really mattered...," he said in a shaky voice, referring to both his own outburst and how easily he let her words affect him. His eyes then looked up at Satoshi, a small smile forming, "And... thanks... for stopping me... It means a lot..."

Satoshi had a weird relief hit him that the shadows weren't forever gone, mostly for selfish reasons. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if the darkness had a way of being taken care of, and he acted so recklessly by stabbing Yoshiki. Still, he was obviously in a great amount of pain, and he was the cause for that. Yoshiki continued speaking, towards Ayumi first and then him. He was fighting back tears, because he didn't want Yoshiki to have to see that. He hated this school so much. Yoshiki wasn't supposed to die, he was too strong for that. He didn't know how to respond to his gratefulness, since he felt like a retched person for acting so quickly and willingly. He glanced back at Ayumi who was sobbing too hard to speak, he could see it in her eyes that she was torn on coming closer. He gave her a quick look of comfort, a small, weak smile to let her know she could come over, if she wanted. His attention was quickly back on Yoshiki, though. "I... wish there had been another way... any other way," he said with a tight throat. He felt like he had failed Yoshiki, in so many ways.

Yoshiki looked down in their moment of silence, his hand becoming shaky. He felt incredibly nervous about what he was thinking about doing... but he had to be strong this time. If he turned into a coward now too, then the darkness would come back and try to kill them. He didn't want that... The thought of being the cause of Satoshi and Ayumi's death made him terribly sick, even more so than the idea of finishing himself off. He was indeed grateful for Satoshi gathering the courage and initiative to stop him, but the depth of the scissors was nowhere near enough to kill him. And to make sure he didn't harm anyone else, especially his closest friends, he had to seal the deal. Satoshi had done enough. He wouldn't tell them of his plans, though, of course. Heh... they probably wouldn't approve of it too much... At least, not Satoshi... He was certain he had terrorized Ayumi... and felt absolutely disgusted with himself. He lifted his eyes back to Satoshi, giving a faint smile. "But... there wasn't... It's okay, I'm really glad you thought on your feet... for once," he joked, but held back any sort of laugh, since he didn't want to spike the pain. Though, sparing himself extra pain seemed unnecessary... given the choice he had left for himself.

Satoshi let out a small choking laugh, the sound came out more depressed than anything. He wasn't sure what was going to happen the moment the darkening took control of Yoshiki again... he didn't really want to think about it. He just wanted everything to stop, just for a moment. His attention was snapped away from Yoshiki when he heard Ayumi shuffle nervously closer.

Ayumi was terrified about moving closer, the images and fear of the earlier chase still horribly vivid in her mind. But he had apologized to her, and by Satoshi's reaction and reassuring glance, she guessed it was okay to approach. She kept a certain distance, not just because of fear, but because seeing the scissors inside of him sent a horribly nauseousness through her system. She had to talk to him, before he was gone. Because he was apologizing for her failure. "I-I'm sorry, Kishinuma," she choked out, trying to fight tears back but it was a losing battle. "T-this is all m-my fault... I didn't m-mean any of it. I'm g-glad we're f-friends, I wouldn't g-give it away for a-anything. I-I don't regret a-any of it at all," she said, trembling and choking out the words. If only... she had kept her panic and anger contained, if only she hadn't yelled at him as she had. None of them would be in this situation.

Yoshiki was a little glad he had gotten a laugh out of Satoshi, even if it had sounded a little less than joyful. He looked over at the noise of shuffling, genuinely surprised Ayumi had chosen to come closer. He looked at the ground, taking in what she was saying with a thoughtful pause. "Don't apologize... it's not your fault," he said honestly, his eyes moving to meet her's, his heart giving a painful jolt at her tears. "I'm supposed... to be the strong half... or so it seems to me... I faltered... and got too angry... and was too weak to protect myself from the school... So don't... apologize... I deserve the blame for this one...," he told her, his own words beginning to flare up his determination. I can't mess up again... I have to take responsibility for my own mistakes.., he urged himself, but he wasn't quite ready. His nerves were built up to where his hand stopped shaking with fear of the pain, but he still had things he needed to get done. He didn't know how much time he did have left... but it was easy to tell when he could no longer fight, and that's when he needed to act.

Ayumi's grim expression did not shift at his words, because she felt like the one who inflicted the wound to his psyche that allowed the school a way in. If she had just managed to be the strong half as he vented, he would be fine. But she couldn't even do that for him, she had lashed out at him with the cruelest things she could think to say. The darkened part of Yoshiki had been right when he was angered by her apology. "You d-don't deserve the blame," she argued, shaking her head at the thought. "I should h-have been a better friend,"she said as she kept trying to wipe the tears off her face, only to have them quickly replaced.

Satoshi was frowning, eyes downcast. He chose to remain quiet because this talk did not need his interception at the moment. He had no clue what was said, but he wouldn't force either of them to fill him in on such details. They were both blaming themselves, unwilling to pass it to the other person.

Yoshiki gave a sad sigh, wishing she would just let him take the blame for this. It'd probably make him feel better, knowing she didn't blame herself... But he couldn't convince her otherwise, it seemed... "Well... I guess we'll just have to agree... to disagree," he said to her, giving a small laugh, though it sent a pain rippling through him. He spent a small moment looking at her, but then quickly averted his gaze to the ground. Ah... I'm guessing I'm taking that to my grave... huh? he asked himself, his heart sinking. He couldn't tell her... He didn't want to have the possibility of dragging her down. She had to escape this place... her and Satoshi, and whoever else was still surviving here. Though... her never knowing rubbed him the wrong way... he knew he would always regret it, and the last thing he needed was more regrets. He moved himself to lean against the wall so he could use his other hand, since the one around the scissors was stained with blood. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his phone and flipping it open, typing out a message on it. He saved it as a simple draft after finishing, turning the phone off and shutting it, slipping it back into the pocket. He took his other hand off the base of the scissors and ducked it into his shirt, so the blood wouldn't get on his jacket as he pulled it off. He motioned it towards Ayumi, hoping against odds that she wouldn't have any argument towards taking it. "This place... can get pretty damn cold... and... it's really all I have... so you don't forget about me," he told her with a small smile.

Ayumi wished he'd just let the blame fall on her, but that wasn't who he was. He was stubborn, and he wouldn't let her accept her mistakes as hers. She rubbed her eyes, sniffling and choking for air as she tried to calm herself down. It was hard when one of her best friends was slowly dying in front of her. She blinked through blurry, tear-filled vision at Yoshiki as he held his jacket out for her. She hesitated, but she couldn't refuse his last kind gesture. "I'd never forget you, Kishinuma," she said sincerely. She moved forward, taking the jacket from him and clutching it tightly to her chest. "But thank you," she said, fighting past her tears to softly smile at him.

Yoshiki was glad she had taken it. He retracted his hand back to his side, giving himself more support. That was about it... That's all he needed to get off his chest... "You should probably get out of here, now... Just in case," he told them, not really wanting them to be around for the action he was about to carry out, "You two have to find a way out, alright?... And anyone else you find..." He knew they could escape. If anyone could get out, it was them. Satoshi was a very determined person, and Ayumi was smart. With them together, they could pull it off... It would be even better if they could find Naomi, Sakutaro, Yuka, and Ms. Yui too... Of course it was hard to lose any friends, but they had to keep going, to live out his and Mayu's lives for them. That should be the real drive. To escape, and live life to the fullest. His time was up, but if he could give Satoshi and, especially, Ayumi another shot at getting out of here alive, and go on happily, he'd do it without anymore hesitation.

Satoshi instantly wanted to refuse to leave, but he knew Yoshiki was right. It was kind of selfish, but this is also how he wanted to remember Yoshiki in his last moments, rather than see his darkened self again. He nodded, determination flaring inside his chest despite his grief. "We will," he told him firmly. He wouldn't let anymore friends die... or lose themselves. He looked at Ayumi who was straining to keep her sobs silent. He didn't know what else to say. Probably because there was nothing that could be said. This was all so wrong, but they had to go on, because Yoshiki couldn't. He rose to his feet, helping Ayumi to her's. Walking away from Yoshiki had to have been the hardest thing Satoshi had ever done. He kept his eyes focused ahead, refusing to look back as the shadows of the school swallowed him. All he could hear was Ayumi's choked down sobs, until they were far enough away that her legs completely gave up on her and her sobs completely enveloped her. He just knelt beside her, rubbing her back in a circular, comforting motion. He had nothing to say, though. There were no words, only a goal. They had to get out.

It was two in the morning when she got home. There had been such joy when Satoshi, Yuka, Naomi, and her had escaped, but it quickly left her as she made the lonely trek back home. Her mind was too bogged down by those they lost to appreciate the escape. Sakutaro's mind snapped when Satoshi explained to him what happened to Mayu. His mind had snapped, though the darkening didn't grab him. He ran from them, screaming and crying as the pressure snapped his mind in half. He threw himself down the stairs, with enough force that when he hit the ground, his neck had snapped. Naomi was discovered trying to hang herself in the girl's bathroom, but Satoshi managed to get her down. Ms. Yui died protecting Ayumi from falling into the pit of decaying room whose floor had given way. It was a miracle they got to Yuka before she died, but luckily they managed to find her. It felt like an eternity. It felt like forever they struggled in that school, but it had only been a handful of hours.

She collapsed onto her bed, an unspeakable sadness drifting over her as her mind went back to Yoshiki. He would have been fine. He could have survived. If only she had been better towards him. She pulled the top edge of his jacket towards her face, burying herself into it. She had been fiercely protective over his last gift to her all through Heavenly Host. It still smelled vaguely like him, and the thought caused her insides to crumble. She shifted lightly as she realized something was digging into her side. She sat up, searching the pockets until she pulled out his cell phone. She blinked slowly, wondering how she never noticed it. She flipped it open, curious if it would even work. She pressed the on button, the phone lit up brightly, indicating it wasn't broken.

The phone came to it's main screen with a small chime, indicating there was an unsent draft. When opened, it revealed the time it was saved, the date and time indicated it was written some time in Heavenly Host. The words that followed confirming as much.

'-Ayumi
-only read this if you're ready-

I'm sorry for not being able to make it out with you and the others... and not being able to tell you this in person. I kept it from you because I didn't want you to be dragged down anymore so you could escape, but that's thinking a little highly of myself, huh? Well... anyways... I guess I'll get right to the point. I love you, have since we first really met, and always will. And I told myself, when we first got stuck in Heavenly Host, I'd protect you no matter what. I'm not really so sure I did a good job at that... but I'm glad I chose that as my drive. I'm really glad I got to meet you, and be your friend, along with Satoshi and the others. I'd still be a sad, waste of space if you hadn't stumbled across me, and I consider myself pretty lucky that day. So... thank you, for being there for me when really no one else was. It means a lot. I don't regret anything, other than not being able to go back with you. Live happily, for the both of us, okay?'

Ayumi's eyes scanned over the words of the text over and over again, memorizing each pixel and etching it into her brain. She had thought herself to be empty of tears, but they silently began to spill as her mind slowly took in every word and sentence he had written. She held the phone against her chest, her heart aching to the point she really felt like she might just die. "Yoshiki," she whispered in the dark room, his name rolling off her tongue. "I'm sorry, Yoshiki. I'm so sorry," she said as she fell to her side, curling into a fetal position, keeping the phone clutched to her chest. She kept whispering his name over and over again as the news of his love flooded her mind. She wanted to see him, talk to him, touch him, hear his voice. Her emotions were muddled, her head bogged down in horrible grief that twisted her stomach. She felt like she had failed him in every sense of the word, her survival felt like a burden. But... Live happily, for the both of us, okay? She couldn't give up, because that would be truly selfish. She couldn't give him anything, now. Nor could she say anything to him. So she'd fulfill the last request he had given her, as hard as it may be, because it was really the least she could do for him.