This is a weird one which I felt a compulsion to write (mainly because I couldn't write anything good around the prompt). I'd love to know what people think of it. Is is okay, or just too odd? So reviews would be really nice, but just if you're reading this, thank you!
Thanks to those who have already reviewed!
Disclaimer: Don't own Fruits Basket. Surprised? Didn't think so.
Endings
Machi only took the novel off the shelf because it had been the first one to hand as Yuki and Kakeru entered the library. She hadn't wanted to be seen to be waiting for them, so she read the first page.
"The end of the world is coming."
The pair come and sit next to her, one on either side.
"The atmosphere is caving in."
They discuss council business, though Machi doesn't speak.
"Heaven and Hell are colliding."
Kakeru laughs raucously at his own dirty joke.
"The knowledge is universal, but nobody says a thing."
Yuki smiles slightly at a story about four year old Machi that Kakeru delights in telling.
"The streets are still bustling, yet nobody is there."
Did she really cry when she accidentally stepped on a snail?
"Televisions are flickering yet people don't try to adjust their aerials."
She blushes, and hides between the pages of the book.
"The rain doesn't fall now, yet people still resolutely carry their umbrellas."
Kakeru is called over, to the librarian's great disapproval, by a couple of loud laughing friends.
"Night and day are one the same, but alarm clocks still keep ringing."
He warns Yuki not to touch his sister while he's gone.
"Water stops flowing, taps turn off. Mothers still tell their children to wash before bed."
Yuki rolls his eyes, and apologizes for her embarrassment.
"Flames engulf the rainforests, the swamps, the seas."
She says it doesn't matter, and flicks hair from her face.
"Floorboards are cracking, the sky is splitting."
Yuki reaches out, smiling, and entwines his fingers with hers.
The end of the world is coming and he takes her hand.