Disclaimer: I do not own Kagerou Project. Just this fic.
A/N: Somewhat mixed between route 1 and route XX, I guess….
Against the Darkness
Konoha stared at his surroundings. The ground beneath his feet was stained with splashed blood. A few inches above the surface, there was some strange yellow strings ran across the dark, gloomy space. In every corner, he could hear hisses and movement of something that wasn't human. It sounded like some reptile with scales and poison.
Snakes. Black snakes with red eyes were glaring and hissing around him. Konoha could hear more and more snakes are coming, their scales scratched on the ground. When combined with the hissing, it created a noise that would send shiver down anyone's back.
The android shook his head. He tried to ignore the creepy noise and focused on another thing. The reason he came to this place.
Konoha put his finger on one of the strings. It felt so light, as if those strings could dissolve and mix with the darkness at any moment. But only a few second after they touched his skin, the lightness suddenly turned to something else, something much heavier.
Since they were used to warp another life in this room.
The white-haired boy averted his eyes from the strings and stared at the young man. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants. His hair was also in the color black. The android couldn't see his eyes since they were closed, but he knew exactly what eyes color this young man had.
Because he was his friend. He was Shintaro Kisaragi.
Konoha walked over to the dark-haired boy spot and knelt down so their head were at the same level. He observed the other's face for a few second, then started to untie the strings around his body.
"Why are you here?"
Konoha looked up, only to meet the brown eyes that were staring at him. Since Shintaro didn't show any resistance, he thought that the young man was sleeping, but it seemed he was wrong.
"I'm helping Shintaro to get out." The white-haired android said simply, then continued with what he was doing a moment ago.
"Why?" Konoha was about to answer when he heard the hisses getting louder, as something much bigger, and darker than the snakes came in. Something that didn't want him here.
Turning back to Shintaro, he bit his lips and tried to free the young man faster, but then he heard a familiar voice.
"You're wasting your time."
Konoha woke up on his bed, breathing heavily. His hands were cold and his body was shaking nervously, as if he just went through the scariest haunted house on earth.
The white-haired boy rubbed his eyes and looked at the small clock on the table. Almost 7.00. He got off the bed and went to the bathroom, wondering if the other was awaked yet.
Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door. It was strange. Usually, he was the one to get up early, so nobody ever came to his room just to wake him up.
"Hey Konoha, have you awake yet?" He realized it was Momo's voice, so he quickly walked to the door and opened it.
"Oh hi." The younger Kisaragi greeted him with a weak smile. "I was wondering if you want to come to the hospital with me. You know…to visit my brother." She looked down, tried to hide the gloomy look on her face.
The android nodded enthusiastically. He was trying to show the blonde that he worried about his friend too.
"That's great. I'll meet you at the front door." Momo smiled again, then headed to the door.
"What about the others?" Konoha asked ten minutes after they had gotten out of the base.
'Hmm?" Momo turned to look at him, a rather confused look on her face.
"Why don't they come to visit Shintaro with us?"
"Oh right, they had some business need to taken care of, so Kido and the others'll come in the afternoon" The blonde's eyes were fixed on the road.
"I still can't believe it." The idol mumbled to herself. "I can't believe he actually commit suicide by stabbing his throat with a pair of scissors" She signed. "But the most unbelievable thing may be is he didn't die. Yeah, he was in a coma now and the doctor said there's no sign of him waking up, but he did survive, didn't he?" Momo finished her sentence with a small hysterical giggles, then sank into silence.
Konoha glanced at the girl next to him, then turned his eyes back on the road. He wanted to cheer her up somehow, nut the only thing he could do is help Shintaro to get out of there quickly.
"Momo is worried about you." Was the first thing he said when he met the dark-haired boy in his dream that night.
"Haven't I dead?" The other raised an eyebrow.
The white-haired android shook his head. "You're in a come. We visited you today."
"Oh." Shintaro seemed a bit surprised, then changed the subject." You haven't answered my question, though."
"What question?" Konoha looked up. He was so focused on untying the strings just now.
"Why are you helping me?"
"Shintaro's my friend." The android said, then went back to untie the dark-haired boy. He had loosened two strings so far.
'You don't need to do it. I chose to live alone, so if I died, it's my own business." The young man let out a sign.
"Shintaro still want to live." The white-haired boy said, his eyes were fixed to the floor. "If Shintaro really wanted to die, you wouldn't be in a coma now. You would be dead already." Somehow, he had managed to untie the third string.
"Why can't I just die? I can't keep on living like this!" The dark-haired boy buried his face between his knees.
"Why is t-" Before the android could finish his sentence, he felt someone presence right behind his back, and the familiar voice spoke again, but this time, it sounded more intense, and of course, scarier.
"It's rude to mess with other's toy."
Konoha opened his eyes, then got up and looked around to make sure that he was in his room, not the place in his dream. He shivered, as if that someone would tear him apart if he stayed there a little longer.
But he was so close, the android let out a disappointed sign. He was so close to save his friend. However, he couldn't do anything when "someone" was around.
"The doctor said they'll remove the life-support machine tomorrow." Momo said with an emotionless voice. "Since he hadn't show any sign of recovering." She then stared at the floor, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"B-But…If they do that, then Shintaro will—" Mary covered her mouth, unable to finish her sentence.
"There's nothing we can do if he doesn't want to wake up. Then I guess...we'll never see my brother again." The blonde said, still in that heartless tone.
"Momo." The leader of the Mekakushi Dan suddenly spoke. "When will they remove the machine?"
"T-Tomorrow night, at 8.00" The idol answered, there was a bit surprised in her voice.
"Then tomorrow, we're gonna be in the hospital all day. May be if we stay by his side and hope for the best, he'll wake up." Kido said confidently. She wasn't sure if she was comforting Momo or just comforting herself.
"Y…Yeah, that's right!" The blonde wiped away her tears. "If my brother knows his friends were praying for him, they he'll definitely wake up!" She said cheerfully, then smiled when saw the rest of the Mekakushi Dan nodded.
Konoha thought that too, so he told the dark-haired boy that he needed to get out quickly, since his friends were worried about him, and if he didn't get out soon, he'll die.
Shintaro didn't move a muscle. He looked at the white-haired boy blankly.
"Her smile keeps haunting me."
The android paused a little. "Who?" He asked confusingly.
"Ayano. She was the closest friend of mine, but died two years ago. I kept telling myself not to forget her, but I couldn't stand it when her death keeps haunting me." The NEET placed a hand on his throat." I'd rather be death than keep on living like that."
"I don't think Ayano wants to see Shintaro die." Konoha titled his head.
The young man stared at the ground, remained silent.
"I untied Shintaro. So you can get out of her at anytime." The white-haired boy made a remark." Everyone's at the hospital, waiting for Shintaro to wake up."
"And you weren't coming with them?" The dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow.
The android shook his head. "I'm helping Shintaro to wake up." He paused a little, then added. " But I left a note saying that I'll come when I've finished my work."
Shintaro laughed a little at the thought Konoha was sleeping safe and sound while the others were at the hospital. Suddenly, he wondered how naïve Konoha would be if he wasn't around to teach him stuffs.
Then he thought about his sister, about the prank Ene always pulled on him, about the rest of the Mekakushi Dan.
He didn't remember when Konoha held out his hand, but when he returned from his thoughts, the android was standing there with his hand in front of him and said softly.
"Will Shintaro come back?"
He thought he saw Ayano's smile when he took that hand.
Konoha walked past the black snakes, ignoring the gaze they were giving him. He glanced at the NEET sleeping on his back, then turned back to face a figure just appeared out of nowhere, standing right in front of him.
That person looked exactly like the white-haired android, except he seemed much darker. His hair and clothes were black, and unlike Konoha, he had yellow eyes and a yellow scarf.
'Didn't I tell you not to mess with other's toy?" The darker him chuckled.
"Shintaro's not your toy." The android said firmly.
"Is that so?" The other smirked. "You know that I'll come to get him again, don't you?"
"I won't let that happened." Konoha said, a look of determination in his eyes.
'I'm more powerful than you thought, Konoha. Just remember to keep your little precious Shintaro in the light, okay?" And with that, the dark Konoha disappeared.
The white-haired boy stared at the empty space , then looked at Shintaro's sleeping face and continued walking.
Momo stared at the machine, sobbing hopelessly. There's nothing she could do to help her brother. The doctor'd arrive in any minutes now and unplug the only thing that kept her brother alive. If Ene was here, she could do something, but… she had disappeared after Shintaro suicide.
She looked at her brother for one final time. His neck was covered with white bandage. Usually, nobody could breathe when their throat had been badly damaged and had a pair of scissors stuck through it, but somehow he had managed to survive and breathe normally, since his chest was rise and fall like a normal person.
… Wait, wasn't he couldn't breathe on his own and had to use a life-support machine?
Momo rubbed her eyes, thinking it was just an illusion from crying too much. But her expression changed after she blinked several times, and the blonde turned her attention to the screen next to her brother 's bed.
Fifteen second later, she dashed out of Shintaro's room and smiled at the shocked face of the rest of the Mekakushi Dan.
Shintaro was awaked.