This was goodbye.

He had known that this would happen eventually. That they would find their loves and happy endings and he would be all alone. He just hadn't expected to be the only odd one out. Kido and Kano? Dating. Konoha and Ene? (Their real names were apparently Haruka and Takane but that didn't matter to him.) Dating. Shintaro and Momo? Siblings, off to go home with their parents. And...Seto and Mary. They were together too. That hurt him the most.

It was no secret that Hibiya loved Seto, loved the 'frog-like' man with all his heart. It was also no secret that Seto loved Mary. And he hated that, the fact that Seto could reject him with such pure intentions, yet still rip him to shreds with every smile that was never meant for him, every laugh at a joke he never made. Mortifying. But he would always smile too, always laugh. Just so Seto wouldn't feel bad for the pain that killed him with every breath he drew not filled with the other man's scent.

He wasn't sure why he loved Seto, so different from Hiyori, his first love. But he did. And it killed him. The only thing that allowed him to draw breath was the fact that the worst Seto did was friendzone him. That his deep kindness pulled through. It had made Hibiya almost happy (which was progress if looked at him from Hiyori's death onward.) when Seto had said that they would be friends forever.

The boy now thought that to be funny, he had only ever known Kano as a liar.

As he noticed the 'party' breaking up (They were celebrating leaving him for dead. How usual.) and Seto and Mary leaving, he ran up, asking if he could walk with them. He wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet.

While they walked, the talked. About how they were going to miss each other, how they would see each other again someday. However, if Hibiya wasn't ready, he didn't have long to prepare, as they soon reached a street where Seto said that they needed to part ways eventually, what better time then the present? 'Never', Hibiya wanted to say. 'I could never ever leave you.' But he just smiled and agreed, meeting Seto's eyes one last time.

They really were beautiful. Deep and brown, full of a life and brightness he had thought impossible before looking at them for the first time. As he reminisced on memories of those eyes, horror movies, amusement parks, and bright, cheery birthdays, he realized his companions were gone, already across the street and heading who knows where. A painful rush of desperate affection washed over him as he stared longingly at Seto and his beauty and happiness.

"Never, ever, ever."

Hibiya ran, the heat emitted by the asphalt seeping through his thin sandals. Seto and Mary (She was still there. Hibiya wanted her to leave.) turned around, and Seto made a motion as if screaming. But Hibiya couldn't here him over his tears, the pounding of leather on asphalt, or the ringing in his ears.

Or an engine smelling of death and hatred on this fine summer day.

Hibiya wanted to laugh, to cry, but there was no time. He was really going to die in this ironic way, escape hell as if it were a joke. His last moment was blurry.

Another set of footsteps, warmth somehow comforting in scorching heat, a hissed 'I'm sorry' and a passionate, gentle kiss.

This really was goodbye. He was surprisingly content with it.

In fact, he didn't want to let go.

Never ever.