A.N.: It seems the reviews are back to normal. I'll now start responding via personal messages again. For anyone who commented on the first chapter and is worried that their review didn't make it through – don't worry, they all showed up (and I'm really glad that they did).

Also a big 'thank you' to everyone who reviewed on the second chapter as well – you guys are the best. :)

On with the story.

3. Unheard Whispers

Ayumi was fuming during the break. Yoshiki knew she was going to give him hell. The 'we-need-to-talk-right-now' look she was flashing in his direction made this especially clear. He sighed and jumped off his table he was sitting on for the remaining part of the lecture, just being bored to death. He didn't like to attend lectures too much in his lifetime, and that surely wasn't going to change anytime soon. He followed their fuming class rep out of the classroom to the most secluded place she could find.

"Kishinuma, would you please show some restraint?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"It's bad enough that we have four spirits in this school that need crossing over, you can't just walk around the classroom and bother Mochida-kun during the lecture!"

Yoshiki frowned.

"Oh come on, Shinozaki, he was obviously depressed!"

Ayumi rubbed her temples.

"No one knows you're here, Kishinuma. Get that through that thick skull of yours already!"

"Hey, let's be fair here! By letting everyone else cross over you probably mean you'll let them say their goodbyes at least! So everyone else but me gets to say goodbye? I just don't want him to be so depressed about me dying, that's all. Is that so bad?"

Ayumi clenched her teeth.

"That's why I told him to wait after school, you idiot!"

She sighed.

"Look, I know you want to help him. I really do. I want him to get better too, you know? But… it's just going to make it worse if you constantly fret over him during the lectures. He could tell someone was around back then when he turned around to look at you. Please, can you just… wait until the lectures are over and I'm done talking to the rest of them… and then you can have all the time you want to properly say goodbye to him. Please?"

He ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't sure he could make that promise. Satoshi was his best friend after all, and he didn't want him to do something stupid in the state he was in, but…

"Okay, okay, fine, I won't bother him anymore."

"Good."

"Hey, what are you guys arguing over again? You're like an old married couple!"

"Oh for god's sake!"

Ayumi rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Shinohara, can you please stay out of this?"

She said it without really realising what she was doing. As soon as she realised that Seiko's spirit crept up behind her she squealed and tried to hide behind Yoshiki, expecting at least some accusations, if not malice from her deceased friend. Seiko didn't do anything of the sorts.

"Well, well, Ayumi-chan… I didn't know you two were such lovebirds. Congrats, Kishinuma. So you finally got your heart's desire?"

Her eyes were skipping between Yoshiki and Ayumi. Her mischievous smile stretching all the way across her face was already foreshadowing the great amount of rumours that would surely have spread all around the school like wildfire, if she were still alive. Yoshiki just blushed again, and Ayumi started to fidget.

"I…it's not like that!"

"Don't you know, Kishinuma-kun? Denial just proves it. Besides, pretty much everyone knows you totally have a thing for our Ayumi-chan!"

Seiko just giggled in response.

"You know I'm right, Kishinuma-kun. I'm always right. Hey, hey, Ayumi-chan, you think he's handsome too, don't you?"

Ayumi just buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"Enough, just… stop it, both of you!"

"All jokes aside…"

Seiko's grin finally disappeared.

"Ayumi-chan, Naomi has been ignoring me lately. Did I do something wrong? She seems super down these days too. What's going on? Does she need some space or something?"

Ayumi sighed. She knew she had to explain it to her. Knowing how close Seiko was to Naomi, she was probably worried sick behind the strong front she was putting up.

"Shinohara… you died, remember? In Heavenly Host…"

"Eh?"

She was confused by her statement. She didn't seem to remember either.

"In truth… Kishinuma-kun and I aren't really together because… because he died too…"

Seiko didn't respond for a while. Then it all suddenly came back to her, and she started bawling her eyes out.

"Oh God… poor Naomi! Poor Yuu! What am I gonna do, I want to know if they're okay! I need to talk to Naomi, I need to…"

"Shinohara… I'm so sorry… I'm so very sorry…"

Ayumi started to sob too. She knew she promised to herself that she'll help her friends cross over, but maybe this will be more than she can handle. Seiko somehow managed to wipe her tears after seeing Ayumi break down in front of her. She cared about all of her friends. Despite the fact that she wasn't as close to Ayumi as she was to Naomi, she still didn't want to see the class rep cry. It tickled her motherly side she developed after taking care of her younger siblings for so long. She tried her hardest to put on one of her bright smiles, walked up to her, hugged her and patted her head.

"There, there, Ayumi-chan. There's no need to apologize… You didn't do anything wrong…"

"But…"

"Hey, hey, no buts. There was nothing you could do. I bet you tried your best to get everyone out. I've seen you've been trying really hard to be strong at school. I thought it was a bit weird that you didn't smile anymore. It makes a lot more sense now. I know you're the kind of person who always tries to take on all the responsibility, but there's only so much you can take, you know?"

Ayumi had to smile. Seiko always managed to lift everybody's spirits. She always managed to make everyone feel so much better, even after death. She owed her one. And she knew exactly how to do it.

"Hey, Shinohara… at about half past three… could you be somewhere around girls' bathrooms? I know you and Nakashima always met up there before going out after school, so…"

"Teehee…"

Seiko giggled.

"Are you planning something, Ayumi-chan?"

"Maybe. But I need both, you and Nakashima to be there."

Seiko flashed her a victory sign.

"If you promise me Naomi's beautiful booty to be there, I have no objections whatsoever. See you around at half past three!"

And she ran off, free spirit that she was.

"She… wasn't angry at me in the slightest…"

Yoshiki sighed.

"Of course not. We've been over this a couple of times already, Ayumi. Why would they be angry with you, when you haven't done anything wrong?"

"I thought for sure that they would be, but…"

She took a deep breath.

"I have to thank you for coming with me, Yoshiki. If I didn't get angry with you earlier I wouldn't have snapped at Shinohara without thinking… I never would've dared establishing a conversation with her if I was thinking straight."

Yoshiki rubbed the back of his head and frowned.

"You know, you make it sound like it's a good thing when you say it that way. I still feel kinda offended."

She chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have snapped at you like this either. I know you were just trying to help him, but…"

He sighed.

"You know, that's your problem. You're always overthinking everything. Just… calm down, Ayumi. You knew they were your friends. They were never angry with you in their life, if they could help it. So why would that change now?"

"You really don't get how malevolent spirits work, do you?"

"Can't you tell which ones are malevolent?"

She didn't respond to that for a while.

"Of course I can tell which ones are malevolent. But I didn't know how they'd react if I was the one to talk to them. I was afraid they'd only react with hatred towards me. Sometimes coming in contact with people they hate reminds them of their grudges, and they change. Besides, none of them even know they're dead. What am I supposed to do, walk up to them and say something like 'Hey, how are you? Oh, by the way, you died last week.' It doesn't work that way."

"No. I'm sure it doesn't, but…"

He leaned on the wall.

"So what do we do?"

"We wait, until the lectures are over. I wanted to start with Ms. Yui, right after homeroom class. Then, I thought I'd help Shinohara move on, and after that we need to wait for the drama club's practice, when Suzumoto and Morishige show up. And after that… after that you talk to Satoshi. I think that would be enough to appease all of you, and…"

She sighed.

"And then you'd all be able to move on."

She knew this will be difficult. For one thing she'll have to see her friends say their goodbyes to one another. It'll be bad enough to see them all cry and get all emotional. But knowing that Yoshiki will disappear immediately after he and Satoshi say their goodbyes was even worse. After that it'll be over forever. She'll never see his stupid smile again at school. The day before the cultural festival will forever be the last day he barged in on a lesson, being late yet again. The days of her scolding him for not doing his homework properly were gone forever.

Without even noticing she started to tear up again.

"Hey…"

He patted her head again, like he usually did when she cried in front of him.

"Can you promise me to smile until the end, Ayumi? You're the only one that can do this. They're counting on you, and I believe in you. Just be strong. There's no need to cry. You want them all to be happy, right?"

"Y…Yeah. Never mind me. I was just… I was just thinking about something."

Yoshiki chuckled in response.

"Well don't overthink it again, okay? It'll be fine. If anyone can do it, it's you."

Ayumi wiped away her tears.

"Thanks."

"Come on. The break's almost over, and I know how much you hate to be late for class."

She puffed up her cheeks.

"And I know how much you don't care about being late for class. Don't say it like it's weird if someone actually wants to attend lectures."

She stormed off, seemingly still angry with him. But when he wasn't looking she allowed herself to smile.

He was so stupid, that Kishinuma-kun. But she loved him anyway.

Yoshiki rolled his eyes, supporting his head with his hand. The lectures just kept going on and on. It was so boring. Well, at least this was the last break before their homeroom class. He wouldn't be paying much attention to it anyway, since Ms. Yui wasn't the one running it anymore.

He looked over to Ayumi, who was talking to Nakashima. She was probably trying to convince her that she needed to be in front of girls' bathrooms at half past three. She'd be pretty angry with him if he bothered her now.

He stretched his legs, more out of habit. It's not like he had muscles to stretch now. He threw a quick glance Satoshi's way. He seemed to be doing better than he was during the first period. He still didn't talk much to anyone, but at least he didn't seem that sad anymore.

He noticed Ayumi returning to her seat. She sent a short but meaningful glance his way. He sighed, got up and followed her to her desk. She sat down and opened her notebook.

"What's up?"

She pulled out her pencil and quickly wrote something down.

'During homeroom, I need you to act like you normally would. Ms. Yui doesn't know that she's dead, but since she's a spirit she can still see you unlike the rest of them. At least pretend you're paying attention, and don't walk around the classroom like it's nobody's business this time.'

"Okay, okay I won't, I promise."

He noticed that she was biting her lip. For a second she didn't respond. Then she started scribbling again.

'I'm nervous.'

"There's no need to be. I'm sure you'll do great. Just stay calm. I'll be with you, I promise."

She took a deep breath, then scribbled something down again. When she moved away so he could read it, he was surprised to see a single word.

'Thanks.'

He laughed.

"You're welcome. So I guess it's best if I get back? Homeroom's about to start."

She gave a slight nod in response. Before he left her to her own thoughts he gently patted her head again.

"Just remember what we talked about before. Don't panic, and you'll be fine. And besides, I'm sure you'll be more confident in what you can do after you do it for the first time."

She gave a slight nod again, but Yoshiki wasn't convinced. Her hands were shaking. She better keep it together, or this might turn against her. He didn't know a thing about exorcism. But he had a bad feeling that things may go wrong, if she doesn't have faith in herself. He couldn't do a thing about it, though. He couldn't suddenly change the way Ayumi felt about her abilities. She had to fight her inner demons and win on her own.

He walked back to his desk, sighed and sat down. This lesson is going to be such a bore. He'll have to spend full forty-five minutes pretending that he actually cares about what the homeroom teacher is talking about. He leaned his head on the desk's surface. If he could only sleep through all of this, like he usually would.

As soon as the door opened he raised his head again. Matsudo-sensei walked in. Yoshiki never really liked him. Then someone else entered the classroom. Ms. Yui followed Matsudo-sensei through the door. Yoshiki had to smile. She was the only one who ever gave him a chance, and was pretty much the only teacher he could get along with in this damn school, when he was still alive. She deserved better than to be stuck here. She noticed he was looking at her. She smiled and waved her hand. He shyly raised his hand in response as well. It's been a while since he last saw her.

Homeroom started, and just like he predicted it was boring as hell. Clock ticked away slowly. Thirty more minutes. It felt like eternity. He missed 's light-hearted jokes that made homeroom bearable, if not even fun.

Twenty minutes. He had to try really hard not to yawn. Keeping his eyes open proved more difficult than he ever thought it could be. Matsudo-sensei was really putting him to sleep with his monotone voice.

Fifteen minutes left. How much slower can the damn clock move?

"Kishinuma!"

He jumped up.

"Yes?"

Didn't Ayumi say no one else could see him? What just happened?

Then it suddenly all became crystal clear. Ms. Yui was standing in front of his desk, giving him as stern a look as she was capable of, being one of the kindest teachers in school.

"Just what exactly do you think you're doing sleeping during homeroom, Kishinuma?"

"I... um… I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

He sat down, wide awake. His eyes glanced to Ayumi. She seemed to be supporting her head with her hand placed on her forehead. But Yoshiki knew full well that she wasn't doing it because she was tired.

She was face-palming.

Usually when he got caught sleeping in class when he was alive, she'd pound her little fists on his chest after the class was over. She'd yell at him that he's such a delinquent, and that he was constantly making her look bad as a class representative, and that he's doing it on purpose. It wasn't that her punches hurt. His pride hurt a little, but it wasn't like he wasn't willing to swallow his pride for Ayumi's sake. What hurt the most was the fact that she thought he was intentionally slandering her name after she tried so hard to change him. So right now, he was actually glad he was dead for once.

His eyes glanced to the clock.

Five minutes were left.

Damn it all to hell. And he tried so hard too.

The last five minutes dragged all the same, but in the end he finally got saved by the bell. He sighed and got up with the rest of the students. He waited for the crowd to disappear through the door. Ayumi fiddled with the buckles on her bag, pretending that she had a hard time closing it. She wanted to stay behind unnoticed. Fortunately Matsudo-sensei didn't care if she had anything to ask of him and disappeared through the door. Ayumi sighed. People were neglecting their clean-up duties again. Not that it mattered. She'll take care of it. But only after she helps Ms. Yui pass on.

She sensed Yoshiki standing by her side again.

"I'm sorry…"

"We'll talk about it later."

She coldly shut him down. She wasn't in the mood right now. After everyone disappeared, she picked up her bag and walked over to Ms. Yui, who stared at the scribble-covered blackboard. She silently sighed.

"Jeez, no one even cleans the blackboard anymore…"

"Ms. Yui?"

She turned around and gave a soft smile.

"Well, if it isn't Shinozaki. You haven't talked to me for a while. Is something wrong?"

"N…no. It's nothing like that. I'm doing fine."

Yoshiki stayed back while Ayumi was talking to Ms. Yui. He really didn't want to bother her. Ms. Yui looked up and smiled at him, however.

"It's rare to see you stay behind, Kishinuma. Usually you're the first to leave the classroom when the bell rings."

"I… um… I'm just waiting for Shinozaki."

Crap. That was close.

"You've been absent from school for a week, too… no one told me what happened. Were you sick?"

Ayumi gave him a frightened look. What is he to do now? For a week he's been stuck haunting her room, so naturally it'd be suspicious if he suddenly shows up at school.

"Y…Yeah, something like that."

"You really have to let your teachers know when you're sick, Kishinuma. You made me worry about you quite a bit. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Morishige around either… I sometimes see Shinohara running around the hallways, but she never comes to homeroom anymore… I hope she didn't suddenly take to skipping classes…"

Ms. Yui sighed again and then looked up at Ayumi, who was obviously averting her eyes.

"You… you know something, don't you, Shinozaki? I can tell you're bothered by something."

Ayumi sobbed, dropped her bag and buried her face in her hands. Ms. Yui offered her one of her gentle encouraging smiles and gently led her to her desk.

"It's okay, Shinozaki. There's no need to cry. Come on, just… sit down, calm yourself a little and tell me what's bothering you."

Yoshiki clenched his fists.

'Come on, Ayumi, get your game together.'

"I… um…"

He sighed. This wasn't working. Ms. Yui looked up at him.

"Kishinuma, do you know something about this per chance?"

"Well… you see… something bad happened."

Ms. Yui gently hugged Ayumi and rubbed her back. Ayumi silently sniffled. She seemed to be calming down.

"Just how bad is it, Kishinuma?"

"Pretty bad."

"Does it have anything to do with me?"

Yoshiki and Ayumi shared a meaningful look. Ms. Yui sighed.

"You know… I can tell when you two are hiding things. You may not be my children, but I love you all the same and I can see when you're plotting something."

Ayumi got up and made a step back. She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. Yoshiki was relieved to see that her eyes were calm and collected when she moved her hand aside.

"Ms. Yui… I need to tell you something really important."

"I'm listening."

"You aren't supposed to be here. You died a week ago."

She didn't react with anger, or defiance, or even surprise. She just calmly turned her head to look through the window.

"I somehow knew that."

"Y… you did?"

"Well no… not really."

She turned back to look at Ayumi.

"I had my suspicions. No one was paying attention to me in class. It was as if I didn't exist. So I figured something must be wrong with me."

She slowly stood up.

"I… understand in a way why Shinozaki can see me. Her sister is a renowned psychic, after all. It's no surprise that she has the ability to see spirits as well. But that doesn't explain why is it that you can see me too, Kishinuma. Could it be that…"

"Yeah. I'm the same. I… I died too."

Ms. Yui made a step back.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Kishinuma. I can remember a little bit now… we were… in that school, weren't we? I promised I'd protect you all, and yet…"

"There was nothing you could've done, Ms. Yui."

She took a deep breath.

"How many made it back?"

"Four. Shinozaki, Satoshi, Yuka and Nakashima."

"I see…"

She let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad at least some of you made it. I'd be much happier if all of you did though."

She turned her head to look through the window again.

"I wish I could change it, and bring you all out safely… but I guess that's why it's called the past, after all. It can't be changed, no matter how hard we wish for it…"

She looked back at them.

"That means Shinohara is a spirit as well, and she's stuck here just like I am…"

Ayumi lowered her head.

"Y…yes… and so are Morishige and Suzumoto… They appear in the drama club's classroom during club activities…"

"You've been thinking about this, Shinozaki…"

"Yeah. I… I want to help them all pass on. It's not fair for them to be stuck here. Kishinuma-kun too…"

"I see."

Ms. Yui smiled.

"You've always been a very kind girl, Shinozaki. Very gifted too, in more ways than one. If you can promise me to help them all, that's good enough for me. If I couldn't save them, I'd at least like to see them put to rest. But even that's beyond my abilities. I put my faith in you, Shinozaki. If anyone can do it, you can."

Ayumi started to tear up again. Ms. Yui was starting to disappear. She felt like sobbing and crying out for her not to go, but she knew it was for the best. So she kept up a strong front the best way she could. Ms. Yui only had a short while, before she disappeared forever. In the end, Yoshiki was right. They all just wanted to see her smile until the end.

"Stay strong, Shinozaki. You have a gift. Don't let it waste away. Put it to good use to help them. I trust you'll do perfectly, just like you excelled in everything you put your mind to, right in front of my eyes before. Oh, and Kishinuma…"

Yoshiki looked up as well.

"Yeah?"

Ms. Yui gave him a gentle encouraging smile.

"Take care of her, Kishinuma. She may look strong, but she needs you."

"Always."

He felt familiar stinging in the corners of his eyes. Was he about to cry too? Damn it, and he kept telling Ayumi to be strong. But then again, this was Ms. Yui, disappearing in front of him.

Ms. Yui gave them one last smile, before she walked through the door.

"I'll leave it in your hands, you two. Stay strong, and don't ever forget – I love you all."

As soon as her feet crossed the sill she was gone. Ayumi buried her face in her hands and quietly sobbed for a couple of minutes. Yoshiki gently placed his hand on top of her head. He had a small idea of how tough this'll be. He thought he'd be ready. But he wasn't prepared for it at all. And it must be twice as hard on her. He couldn't demand of her not to grieve. That'd be just beyond cruel.

After a while she calmed down and wiped her tears away. Her eyes were still red and cheeks still puffy. She sniffled and picked up her bag.

"That's one down."

"You were amazing, Ayumi."

She didn't respond for a while. She took a couple of minutes to clean up the mess left behind by her careless classmates. Then she slowly walked out the door.

"Let's go. It's twenty past three. I don't want to be late for Shinohara and Nakashima."

"Right."

He followed her out of the classroom. Just before she continued down the hallway she frowned a little.

"I still haven't forgotten about you falling asleep during homeroom, you know?"

Crap.

"I'm sorry, really. I didn't mean to, but Matsudo-sensei was just so boring and…"

She just chuckled at his nervous apologies.

"I'll forgive you, if you hold my hand. You are my boyfriend today after all. I have to let you off the hook once in a while."

A.N.: This chapter is a little bit longer, but I enjoyed writing it very much, so I hope you enjoyed reading as well. I made sure to put in some Seiko light-heartedness, and Yoshiki's classroom shenanigans to distance a little bit from the sad tone of it all – I'm told this makes a lot of people tear up or even cry. In a way, I'm glad it did because that means I managed to properly convey the feeling of this story to you guys. But I can't make you all constantly cry, so a little bit more light-heartedness in this one, but hopefully I didn't cross the line with it and it still fits in with the rest of the story nicely. Sadly, I'm not very good with easy-going happy-go-lucky scenes, but I hope it at least makes you guys smile a little. Since they still have three more spirits plus Yoshiki left to appease, and since this one is longer compared to the rest, I decided to split this chapter into two, so now I predict this will be about five chapters long. See you all next time, and hope you enjoy reading.

Jody14