Revelation
She sat alone, the glow of the candle the only source of light in the room. Her eyes were red and puffy, dried tears among her cheeks. Her lower jaw was hidden within her arms, her elbows propped up on her knees.
She wanted to be alone. Even after having to witness such horrors for a second time.
She was persistent, she was stubborn. She wouldn't give up until there was no will-power left. There was none anymore. She had tried to bring her friends back, even risking her own life by entering that god forsaken school again. But black magic was tricky, and often unforgiving.
In turn to her using it, it had almost killed her and her remaining classmates. They had barely escaped with their lives again.
She couldn't forgive herself. Especially, that now, her friends, her classmates, the ones that had fallen in that school... were vengeful spirits. The spell couldn't work... not when they, in turn, were trying to kill her.
She just wanted them back... wanted life to go back to normal...
Suddenly, the lights flickered on from above, and she looked up, completely un-phased. Footsteps could be heard as they entered the classroom.
"Shinozaki...?" She immediately recognized his voice, and looked down again, entranced by the light of the candle. He stood a few feet away from her, worried about her physical state. He ran a shaky hand through his blonde hair, not knowing how to continue now that she was unresponsive.
"Shinozaki... come on... it's late, and you really should be getting home..." He started, nervous on how she would react.
"Why?" She spoke, her voice raspy. He blinked, stepping closer to her.
"Y-Your parents are getting worried about you..." He trailed off, noticing her lift her head towards him, her brows furrowed.
"They wouldn't care for me... All I've done for this family is curse it more..." She replied, her tone getting harder.
"They do care about you! Come on, Shinozaki! Please, you can't stay here forever-"
"I'd rather do just that..." She cut him off.
"W-Wha..." He was stunned. Ever since that night... ever since everything had happened... her personality had taken a u-turn to what she used to be. She was a shell of her old self. And he missed it... a lot.
"Kishinuma... Just... leave me alone..." She spoke again, hiding her face in her arms again.
"No," He stood his ground.
"W-What? Kishinu-"
"I said no, god dammit! Shinozaki, I know yo- we've gone through a lot... but you just can't throw your life away like that! Don't you want to keep living on for them?" He replied, and she blinked at him.
"What's the point? All they wanted to do while I was there was to slaughter me... to get revenge for the one that sent them there to meet their demise..." She felt another wave of sadness start to come, her voice shaky as she spoke.
"You know damn well that none of them would do such things! It's that damn school! The curse has taken over them and turned them against us," He continued.
"I almost killed us all again... I guess we just got another stroke of luck..." She murmured, her eyes downcast. He felt another throb of pain run up his back, reminding him of the wound he received for being shoved against a brick wall.
"But we're out, aren't we?" He questioned her. She looked up at him, eye flickering.
"I wanted us all to be out, Kishinuma! I just... wanted us to be together again..." She felt herself shiver as tears started streaming down her face. Even after all the crying she had done, she thought she couldn't cry anymore.
"It seems like that isn't possible anymore..." He rubbed the back of his nervously, looking to the windows on the opposite end of the room. She sat silently, her tears streaming down her face. She didn't know what to do anymore. She had tried everything in her power to bring them back. But it was all useless in the end...
"Go Kishinuma... leave me here," She finally broke the silence, her voice shaky. He looked at her, blinking.
"I'm not leaving you, Shinozaki. Not until you're safely at home," He refused to just leave her. He could tell she was getting annoyed though, she lifted her head to glare at him with watery eyes.
"Why are you always doing this for me?" She finally questioned him.
"Friends look out for each other, don't they?" He lied through his teeth. He couldn't tell the truth. Now wasn't the right time.
"Friends don't go to these extents to simply 'look out for each other'... Especially you Kishinuma... You wouldn't do these things for other people... But you always seem to be doing it for me..." She replied, still glaring at him. He really didn't want to tell the truth... because he knew in his heart he would most likely get rejected.
"Just drop it, okay? Now come on, We need to get home..." He really wanted to change the subject. She stayed silent after that, maybe for a few minutes more. He frowned at her, before finally turning, not able to fight this with her if she wasn't going to respond. He started walking towards the doorway, hands in his jacket pockets.
"Wait... Kishinuma...!" He heard her call him, and he turned to her. She rose to her feet, the candle in her hand. Now that she was standing, he could see that she had been crying, her face a complete mess.
"I-I'll go with you..." She trailed off, walking over to him. She blew the candle out, placing it on a empty part of a bookshelf to her side. He smiled with relief, finally able to crack through her shell.
Both walked out of the school gates, both were quiet, but they appreciated the presence of each other.
"I'll go home from here," She broke their silence and looked at her.
"No, I'll take you home. I insist," He replied quickly. She rose a brow, looking him over.
"Seriously, Kishinuma... why are you like this?" She stared him down, frowning.
"W-Well, my apartment isn't far from your house, so it's not out of the way," He stuttered, mentally slapping himself. She didn't seem convinced.
"Kishinuma... are you hiding something?" She spoke.
"N-No! I'm not hiding anything!" He stuttered again, lying. He really didn't want to admit everything, especially when she was emotionally unstable and fatigue. She still wasn't convinced, but decided not to press it any further.
"O-Okay..." She went quiet again, staring at the sidewalk as they walked.
Both stopped before her house, his hands in his pockets as she turned to him.
"T-Thank you..." She managed to say, and he was caught off guard.
"Eh?" Was all he managed to get out, tilting his head.
"I guess I didn't realize how much you look out for me till now..." She murmured, and his eyes widened.
"I just wanted to thank you..." She hid her face, looking down.
"Y-You're welcome-" She suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his torso, hiding her face in his chest. He almost fell to the ground, but caught himself. His face heated up quickly as he tried to react to her embrace. Eventually, he just wrapped his arms around her, feeling her tense up a bit.
As much as both really enjoyed the warmth, they broke apart, his hands going back into his pockets. He was expecting her to turn and go into her house, but instead, she leaned up, giving a quick peck to his cheek. If he didn't blush deep before, he was definitely blushing hard now.
"Goodbye, Kishinuma," She replied quickly, before running up her steps and entering her house.
He was left to take in everything for a few seconds, but breathed deeply, smiling; he turned to the direction of his own apartment.
He knew he was going to sleep good that night...