"... What?"
Momo couldn't seem to say anything other than that. Ryoma turned toward his junior classmate. The sight of Momo's pale-white, stricken face was enough to remind Ryoma of the lifeless teenagers and teachers lying around. He turned, feeling horribly uneasy.
The throbbing in his stomach didn't go away.
"Kaidoh-sempai's... dead?"
"No." Everyone, including Ryoma turned to Momo in surprise. Momo was glaring at the group with a terrified, stubborn type of determination. He was shaking his head slightly. "No, you're lying. I don't believe you."
Oishi rubbed at his wet eyes. "Momo, Kaidoh's dead. I saw him a while ago. They're taking him to the hospital morgue." Oishi looked like he was going to puke with every word he spoke.
"No, you're lying." Momo repeated blankly, slowly turning around but still facing the others. "That's not true."
But it was true. Ryoma shuddered faintly as he repressed the sudden need to release his horror and turned to his friend. He grabbed at his arm. "Momo-sempai-"
"Let me go," Momo said, frightenly calm. He yanked his arm away from Ryoma's grip and stalked off in the direction of the school, no doubt going to find Kaidoh.
"Let him go."
Ryoma didn't notice that he, along with Kawamura and Oishi, was stepping forward to follow Momo. He turned to Tezuka, knowing he didn't want to reveal the gut-wrenching pain he felt in his expression. He also knew his attempts were in vain.
Tezuka seemed to look as normal as he does, but one would really have to know him to notice the deep solemn in his features. "Leave him be. This isn't something Momoshiro is going to accept easily. In a way he was extremely close to Kaidoh, and this is going to hit him hard."
Ryoma's eyes strayed away from Tezuka to Momo again, who was walking in a quick pace past the row of people to his left, searching. It tore at something inside Ryoma.
"Echizen."
It was not Tezuka but Oishi who spoke. Ryoma obediantely looked away from Momo and glanced at his vice-captain. Oishi gave a strained smile that looked more like a grimace. "You're Momo's best friend. Tezuka's right... This is going to hit him extremely hard. You need to be there when it happens."
Ryoma blinked, silent. He glanced over to where Momo was. The teenager had reached the end of the row and was turning a corner around the building, to where more bodies lay. He swallowed and turned back to Oishi, nodding.
"Hai."
The silence that followed was almost suffocating, screaming out all the questions no one had the answer to. How could this have happened? Why did it happen?
Why would Arai feel the need to kill everyone? To kill Kaidoh?
The wind blew around them, and Ryoma almost swore he heard a soft Fshuuu as it ruffled through his hair. He hugged his torso as if that would calm the tearing pain in his stomach.
"We should go visit Eiji and see if he's alright."
Arigatou, Taka-san.
My God, I feel awful after writing that.
There will be one more chapter after this. Sorry if this one was really short.
Please review! The next chapter will be up soon!