A:N/ This is inspired by a YouTube video that the creator has allowed me to write. I do not own Ib.
Some time has passed.
The words I can read have increased, and I've also grown taller.
However, Garry's appearance hasn't changed very much. The only thing that has changed is that the coat he wears when we meet has become a bit more tattered.
But, before I knew it, we'd stopped holding hands.
"What's wrong, Ib?" He asked, for I was staring at my small hand thst felt somewhat empty without Garry's.
Apparently, it's strange for a girl of age to go out with a man (and a strange one at that) who isn't a family member. Mom and Dad said it was fine to me, but they probably said something to Garry.
"Let's get macaroons!" Garry exclaimed as he studied the menu at our favorite cafe.
Our letters to each other have decreased. The number of times we meet have also decreased. The time we have together has also decreased.
The relationship between the two of us who should have never met, I felt that the end of it was drawing near.
"Hey, Ib," Garry asked me. I took the cup of tea away from my lips, closing my eyes.
"What is it, Garry?"
"Yeah, um...I didn't want to say this, and I didn't plan to say this, but," he stammered over his own cup of tea. "I don't think Ib and I should-"
"Oh my!" Garry cried out, and I looked up at him in worry."Even though I just bought it, it has already stopped."
"What is it?"
"My watch, my watch. See?" He explains to me, bending down so I could see. I take his large hand in both of mine and stare at his watch, which has indeed stopped ticking.
"Whoa, it's true!" I note.
The large grandfather rings loudly throughout my ears.
"The clock stopped?" Garry muses in confusion.
"Perhaps it's because time itself has stopped..." I say.
The grandfather clock rings again, louder.
I smile at Garry. "Yeah. I understand, Garry. But, for one last time. There's somewhere I want to go with Garry. And this will be that last thing."
The soft murmur of the crowd is very familiar as Garry and I stand in line. "One adult ticket and one child ticket, please." Garry asks the man.
"At this time, please enjoy the Guertina exhibit." A female voice announces. The familiar threesome of black mannequins in dresses stand before me.
Soon enough, Garry and I stand in front of my favorite. "Abyss of the Deep." Garry's eyes grow wide.
"Ib," Garry asks worriedly. "Don't tell me this is-!"
Footprints streaked with blue paint lead toward the painting. A drip of blue paint lands on Garry's cheek, and he wipes it away.
"Huh? Paint?"
"Look, Garry!" I call to him with a smile on my face. "Pretty roses!" In my hands I hold a red and blue rose. Garry shifts uncomfortably.
"Eh...ah, yeah..."
I laugh softly at his expression.
We continue to walk, and I slowly but surely grasp his hand, interlacing his fingers with mine.
Millions of tiny laughs echo around us as the room becomes darker. Garry looks around, afraid now.
"Um...Ib?" He asks me, but I'm too busy holding the soft blue petals up to my cheek.
"Hey, Garry," I say, not taking my eyes off of the blue rose in my hand. Suddenly, black paint drips from the canvas of the paintings around us, and growls can be heard from a distance as the room becomes even darker.
I look up at Garry from underneath my eyelashes, the blue rose under my nose.
"Let's stay together forever."