At this point, Miharu wondered if Yoite even realized he was still alive.
------
With skin so cold and eyes so far away. Movements and words that slipped out seemed to be reacting to the past. That's what Yoite was like now. With only a month left.
Rokujo Miharu, age 14, had placed himself on a brown park bench. The sky was a bright blue, cloudless and warm. His green eyes flickered up to the blue mass as a flock of white birds darted overhead. Miharu let indifference slide over him so that for the first time that week, he could think of nothing in particular. Not Yoite passed out against his shoulder, or about Kumori-sensei's disappearance or the pain he felt in his heart knowing Yoite had no time left to wait on him.
"M-miharu," strained, broken, pitiful, "Miharu."
He brought his sight back down, connecting with the world and his worries and Yoite again. He reached over to place his arm on Yoite's shoulder, concern flooded over his face and voice that it hurt to speak, "Yoite? What is it?"
Yoite didn't answer, he just made eye-contact with Miharu and kept on breathing. Miharu understood what he wanted to say. He understood, but he wish he could do something more. Yoite rose, with Miharu's tiny body as support. Together, like the gnarled limp of an old man, they struggled forward.
----
At night, they usually stayed in hotels or with Hanabusa-san. More and more often it was the hospital. Tonight, they went to Yoite's secret hideout.
Yoite collapsed on the ground and was done with being awake as soon as they arrived. Miharu stood guard, making sure he kept breathing till morning. He sat with his legs spread out before him, back against the old train seats. From there he could hear the death god struggle through his sleep. Miharu knew that Yoite had nightmares. Horrible events that haunted him, hounded him and slowly broke him. And he wanted to take them all away.
"If it wasn't for his wish... our promise," Miharu said, to no one, "would he try so hard to stay alive?"
----
It was only a month. Miharu thought he could push himself for Yoite's sake for that month. In order to fulfil Yoite's wish. But he was still so young. They had been at Hanabusa-san's home when it happened. She'd been out, but had been leaving a door open for them for the past couple of weeks. Yoite was sitting on the couch, having one of his better days: he could walk and speak almost normally. Miharu had just gone to get something to eat from the kitchen for Yoite and himself.
The hand that woke him was so cool. It cupped his cheek as someone whispered his name. He fluttered near consciousness, then fell away.
Hanabusa-san said when she came home, Yoite was bent over him, defeated, in her hallway. She smiled so sadly when she said it.
"Miharu, please take care of yourself too, okay?"
-----
Days left, Miharu had no hope. Yoite couldn't leave the hospital. He slept all the time and moaned and cried because of his dreams. What could Miharu do, but watch?
Every night, after the nurses made their last rounds and shut off the lights, Miharu creeped under the sheets with Yoite. He lay his face in the notch of Yoite's neck. Quietly, he pleaded with the fairy to save Yoite. He'd give anything for Yoite to be well and live on.
"Fairy, please. Save Yoite. I," he squeezed Yoite tightly around the shoulders, "I'll even die for him!"
-----
In the morning of January 30th, Yoite, age 17, woke up. He sat up. He looked at the window.
And felt no pain.
"Miharu...." he turned frantically to search the room. Stumbling out of bed, the death god fell out into the hall. "Miharu! Miharu!"
Miharu hadn't granted his wish at all.
-----
Hanabusa-san was there with him after that. Like Miharu had been, she stayed by his side. She took him into her home, adopted him, and loved him deeply as her own son.
Eventually, he went to a school. Together, he and Hanabusa-san set up a shrine for Miharu. Yoite prayed for him everyday. Everyday. But he never realized, not till Miharu was gone, how much he'd been entangled with the child. His heart was hollow for a long time.
----
Yoite, age 20, had left cram school and enrolled in a college. A university in Kanazawa. He still lived with Hanabusa, but the commute wasn't hard because of how close Kanazawa was to Banten.
The sky was a bright blue, cloudless and warm. His navy eyes flickered up to the blue mass as a flock of white birds darted overhead. Yoite let indifference slide over him so that for the first time that week, he could think of nothing in particular. Not the lack of sleep because of exams, or about Yukimi's plans to have dinner together with him tonight or the pain he felt in his heart knowing he'd never see someone he loved again.
Asakusa. Asakusa. Please exit to your right for Asakusa station. Thank you.
A lot of people usually got on at Asakusa, but this many was abnormal. Another boy, younger, grabbed a hold of the same ceiling grip as him as the train began moving.
"Ah, sorry." they're hands were on top of each other, but the boy was afraid to fall so he didn't let go. Truly, Yoite didn't care anyways.
By chance, he looked at the boy who was smooshed against him. Wide green eyes, black plain hair, thin frame, childish face.
Rokujo Miharu.
(to be continued)