(Hey guys just so you know, the first part of this chapter is in 3'rd person. But when you see the big line it switches to 1'st person, alright?

One Step Behind

Chapter 2

Drip… Drip…

"THE BLOOD! It won't STOP!"

14 year old Koru Meizan, lay temporarily immobile on the jagged floorboards, she had been attacked. Four others crowded around her making their best effort to patch her up as quickly as they could.

"What in the name of HELL is wrong with this place?" A slightly older teen yammered on the current situation. "And where in the name of this accursed School is Yakieru?"

Another shortly after spoke up. "Senki! For the last time we have no idea! We're just as much at a loss as you are! Why do you keep going on day in and day out if you know that we have no freaking IDEA?"

Although Senki was ready to speak his ground he was interrupted by none other than Koru. "Please, you two stop the rambling… We'll keep falling apart; I don't want to lose you two by the fault of an irritable rivalry… Please, just stop…." Her tears twisted down her rosy cheeks forming an "X" as they intervened with one another's paths.

"SENKI!" Yet another older teen piped up, female. "Can't you let go of Yakieru for one moment? We honestly have no idea where we are and quite frankly we're at the loss of ANOTHER friend. So pipe Down and pitch in to help! Unless you want to be the next victim!"

"Oh yeah? Quite frankly, I couldn't give a DAMN if poor old Koru dies here. I've said before I'd MUCH rather be left with Yakieru than you freaks."

"THEN LEAVE DAMMIT!"

"Hey, if you insist miss "I KNOW EVERYTHING~" I'll be glad to leave you guys to rot in this hellhole known as a school!"

"Take your choice prissy-boy! I'm reading your future just now and guess what's on the menu? Death, served with a wholesome platter of BEHEADING."

It was then when Hoshimi, whom had remained silent throughout the predicament took a stand. "Guys stop! Koru-chan is hurt and we're not tending to her wounds! If this keeps up she's going to die!"

"F*** off Hoshimi, she deserves it. She's the one who chose to enter that room with that revenant anyways." Senki snarled.

Rochi, the one whom inadvertently started this predicament with Senki had enough of his nonsense, and snapped. "SENKI! GET THE F*** OUT OF OUR SIGHTS NOW! AND DON"T YOU EVER SAY A WORD LIKE THAT TO HOSHIMI-SAMA EVER AGAIN!"

"Pleasure to do so." And with that Senki abandoned the group of troubled teens to his amusement.

"Why? Why in the name of heaven was he even born into his world? He'll get nowhere in life if that's the way he sets out to do things…" murmured the hot-headed female of the group, her name being Enke Kanoko, towards the foul-mouthed boy turning the corner. To her he just seemed so out of place and rebellious, she just wished that he'd drop his little puppet strings and become "normal" for once but there was no telling when or if for that reason he would do such a thing.

Taking her words with a grain of salt she returned to the cause at hand, Koru Meizan's injuries, and twisted her head towards Rochi and Hoshimi whom had been tending to the wounds of Koru-san. Apparently they had found a bandage in their back-pack to use to tend her specifically.

"Hey! Kanoko-san! Lookie what I found! A bandage at the bottom of my 'sack. Who knew it would come so handy one day? Glad I didn't throw it out when my grandpa gave it to me… Haha?" Rochi had called out to me.

I was relieved all the tension up and about had vanished almost instantaneously. Save for Senki, we as a group held no grudges on one-another. A handy asset for a place such as this.

"Kanoko?" I had realized I hadn't replied to him yet. "Look, I'm sorry we couldn't control him. But you know-"

"No. It's fine Rochi, really. And I'm glad you found that bandage for Meizan's sake. Not like Senki would do such a thing. Haha? Am I right?" A little laugh had always helped me stay positive in these types of situations.

"You know it~" Rochi was such a nice fellow. To put it bluntly, every girl in the class had a crush on him! I bet even me, though I couldn't find out if I did or not, I'm not much of an expert in that kind of field. "Ehehe~" I snickered a bit, who wouldn't?

"What's so funny Kanoko? Let me in on your little joke!" Hoshimi's gentle smile eased my subtle depressing thoughts even more.

"Oh, oh. My bad Hoshimi, I hadn't realized I snickered a bit. I was just thinking of an- an inside joke, you know? To relieve the tension?" What a stupid answer. It was only in heated arguments or passions that I could tell the truth, I was much too embarrassed.

"Hehe, all right. I get it, Kanoko-san doesn't want to reveal her little "seeecret"

"I think that's quite enough you two. We do have a friend to help after all…"

I noticed Koru turn her head a bit and gently open her mouth aswell. "N-no, you guys, keep going, i-if it makes you happy to chat some. It m-makes me happy too. After all I'm not of much help in es-escaping anym-more…"

I couldn't help but whimper a bit. Koru reduced to a state like this. It just wasn't right.

"We won't leave you Meizan-chan! We will get out of here, and alive. We won't leave you behind!" I couldn't help it, I wasn't just going to let her die like this! I had to do something. Apparently I had started a chain of promises too as Hoshimi and Rochi joined in soon after.

"You can bet on it!" "Yeah!" "Count on us!"

The words touched dear to her heart and she began to weep in joy and agony. Hoshimi leant in to hold her hand , tightening a bit to assure her safety. We spread hope.

"Such fickle humans. Holding such unrealistic promises as to keep your hopes up. Do you really believe you can save her? She's a fish cast out of water with not a glimpse of heaven. Yet you insist to hold her dear? Pathetic. I should spit on your unkempt promises. Perhaps it could brighten your dull insight as to the future. Which as it seems is as putrid as your unconditional love. You'll all die by the hands of your fellow classmates! And it shall be the most realistic exhilaration you've ever experienced!"

A hazy voice cast out onto our merry group, It's disrespectful words leaving a mark on our spirits as we frantically searched the room for its presence.

Rochi was the first to speak out. "Who the hell are you? Sh-show yourself revenant!"

"Revenant? Such a barbarian word. I much prefer the term match-maker as to match you with the perfect path to destiny. Or perhaps an even more barbaric name. DEATH."

This time, it was I who spoke my mind. "Is this some trick of yours, Senki? If so you sure are a pathetic excuse for a living being!"

The voice replied back. "Senki? You mean that weak-willed boy travelling the halls alone in affliction? He really was a pathetic rebel wasn't he? Don't worry though, Mrs. Kanoko. I made sure his path was set in stone. You made the wrong choice in letting him go. I hope you pay the ultimate price. Such a pity really, to think that he believed you were the only one that understood him."

How, how does he know my name?

The voice was worse than that of Senki, it was almost as if she suffered double-time for that foul mouth's loss. But what-what was he going on about Senki's empathy of her? She couldn't sort through the madness of info this stranger lent her, he gave such cryptic messages in such a sophisticated way, yet made it seem utterly important.

"But I have no time to worry about YOUR problems, especially in such… how should I put it gently?- Demanding consequences…"

"Enough! Tell us why you're here revenant! We don't have time to squabble with you!" I could feel the muscle in my face tightening; I was of course, angry.I demanded to know the truth, right away, we did after all have no time for this person's nonsense. Someone was in bad condition, and we had to tend to her.

"My my my, quite a hot-head are we?-"

I had no time to figure out this voice's antics anymore at this rate, and continued to search the room for any significance as to the voices whereabouts. I could find that Hoshimi and Rochi had nothing to say themselves, they were speechless as to any agreement.

"Are you even listening to me, human? You should pay for your disobedience."

I felt a pain swipe across my left cheek, the apparition had slapped me as punishment, my two classmates looked towards me, a bruise forming on my skin. It was nothing like a regular slap, it was incredibly painful, and it almost felt like my face was ripped off from my body. My head was forced to the direction opposite of the spirit.

But it was then, then that I realized- the ulterior motive of this spector. A piece of splintered floorboard rose from the ground aiming towards Hoshimi-san's skull. A scream rived from my mouth "HOSHIMI! NOOOO!" She turned to me as I rushed up in a split-second and pushed her into the wall. The edged weapon flew under me saving Hoshimi, and myself. I was relieved as I fell to the ground. A few nails digging into my dusty skin. With my quick panther-like reflexes, I had saved Hoshimi's life, but yet…

"EYAAAAUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHH!"

… the ammunition…

… impaled… Koru's skull instead. The blood sled down from the impact and pooled around her.

That ghost was right, we couldn't even keep our promises to protect her. We were useless… a lost cause. We had….in all essence… lost.

Koru Meizan was dead.