It came morning much too soon, but in their situation, it was best that time just stopped. Yoshiki was jolted awake by already being undone from the pole, pulled from his comfort. "Let's see... Where did we leave off?" Yuuya asked himself, tapping the dull side of his knife against his chin as he dragged Yoshiki away. He loved the stabbing and burning combo too much to switch things up... plus, it provided adequate pain. Though, he noted that the boy had a lot less fight in him than he had yesterday, if he had any at all. If this was going where he assumed it to be, maybe today would be his last play day, and tomorrow both their lives would be cut off for good... Well, he'd enjoy it as much as possible today. Everything was as it was yesterday, as if the two had only gotten a small breather on the same day.

Ayumi jerked awake when Yoshiki was pulled away. She blinked in confusion, the light coming in from the windows unexpected. They had managed to sleep a long time, which was good. Otherwise Yoshiki would have been forced to suffer through his pain. Although, now he was going to be thrown right back into the rough of it. She just wanted release from all of this, for both of them. She was sick of watching death and pain, while the killer only seemed to be enchanted by it. She wouldn't even bring herself to scream, because her emotions only fueled him. Her energy was waning, she couldn't keep up the high level of stress and fear. She was close to shutting down but was drifting in despair and depression. She wanted to be numb... to feel nothing, but all she felt was a shaking in her bones brought by hopelessness.

Yuuya continued the torture, and Yoshiki for some time couldn't hold down his voice. But... he desperately wanted to be killed. For this to end... and he may know the way to. The man did this to get satisfaction from his pain, his reaction... But, at this point, he felt it was possible to hold back his reactions. That would take the fun out of it... Then his death could come sooner... maybe even today.

It was sunset when Yoshiki finally was able to take down his voice to just mere, held back grunts. Yuuya had been frustrated by this and attempted to hurt him worse, but had to keep in mind not to kill him. Ugh... Well, he had seen this coming by his demeanor when he first unrestrained him. He lacked the will to survive, and was trying to rain on his parade. It worked, but he had gotten enough satisfaction from it regardless. When he sealed his wounds again, which earned a bit more noise that couldn't be held back, he stepped back from his trembling body on the floor. His look was pretty dissatisfied, but he couldn't say he hadn't gotten his fill... A little extra would've been nice, but one person could only handle so much. "Well... I guess that's that... I'll give you two another night to do whatever you will. It's your last moments together, so make it count," he informed the two, but was unsure if either were giving his words the time of day. He went through the routine of chaining Yoshiki up and cleaning around, before leaving. It was turning dark, and again the moon was absent. Shortly after Yuuya left, there was a loud boom of thunder.

Ayumi felt sick, as she normally did during the tortures. The continuing extension of Yoshiki's death broke her heart. She just wanted him to get out of all of this, but he wouldn't be let go so easily. She wondered if it was the repressed reactions that made him push this one more day... After all, he was probably working towards some... grand finale? Who knew. Ayumi had a feeling her "big brother" would be done with her once Yoshiki was gone. She wondered if some poor little girl would end up taking her place... At least she knew he would probably avoid taking another Kisaragi student. Yoshiki, expectantly, looked even worse than he had yesterday. She wondered if the pain was easier to handle or even worse at this point... the body could only feel so much, but the moments of ease may allow his body enough time to rest that the pain came just as heavy the next time. 'Last moments together...' she thought with lowered eyes. It put a lot of pressure on the long time they'll be waiting. Today was... Sunday? Which meant they most likely wouldn't see him until after school. It was a lot of time, but Ayumi was sure Yoshiki would be in pain the whole way through. "Kishinuma..." she whimpered quietly, it was hard to see him in the dark, but the flash of lightning gave her a clear view of him for a second. The boom caused her to flinch, her eyes looking towards the window.

Yoshiki flinched at the lightning's unexpected glow, but at the same time, he always liked the sound of a storm. He glanced at Ayumi, trying to find his voice through pants. This was it... He couldn't waste this night wallowing in pain. He had to fight it. Knowing, without any doubt, that tomorrow was it was a lot scarier than just anticipating it. He actually wanted death to come... but he would never see Ayumi again. He had to fight through this, and at least make this last night one not wasted. "Yoshiki... if you wouldn't mind... It's a little silly... to be formal, isn't it?" he asked, trying to find in himself a light-hearted tone, though it was difficult. He wanted to talk tonight instead of hide from the pain in sleep... He didn't want to waste his time with the one he loved.

Ayumi pulled her eyes off the window to look at Yoshiki as he began to speak. She was thrown off for a moment that he was able to speak that much, even if it was still obviously difficult for him. The knowledge this was, without a doubt, their last moments together probably was pushing him. Leave nothing unsaid, and all of that. "Ah... you're right. It is silly," Ayumi agreed with a small smile. Formalities being upheld at moments like this, when confessions had been made, whether her side of it was true or not, was silly. "Alright... Yoshiki... how are you holding up?" she asked, because she felt like she needed to use his name, and also she felt it was question she should ask. Even if it was silly since he obviously wasn't doing well.

Yoshiki smiled lightly at the use of his name. It seemed like such a stupid thing to get all hyped up about... but it showed closeness, and that's what he had wanted with Ayumi more than anything. Well... maybe he had always dreamed of an even closer relationship, but that was impossible at this point, if it had ever had a sliver of possibility before. He gulped lightly to keep down an anxious feeling in his stomach, turning his head to try and look out the window. There was a nice, calming sound of rain against the metal roof of the building, and the thunder only added to it. "Pretty good... considering...," he answered with a small laugh, still trying to let their conversation not be plagued by the awful situation they were placed in.

Ayumi's smile faltered for a moment until she decided to just give up trying to concentrate on looking happy or content. It was so dark, except for the moments of flashes. "That's... good," she responded quietly. He was able to talk, so there was that. She looked out to the window, listening to the sounds of the storm. "My dad used to always tell me during thunderstorms to hide my belly button. He would joke that Raijin would come around, eat my abdomen and take me away. Such a stupid folk belief..." Ayumi recalled with dulled eyes. Her dad hadn't made that joke in years, since the folk lore only applied to children. She hadn't even thought about it until that moment. Such a little memory that had been hidden inside her mind... She wondered how her parents were holding up... how Hinoe was. It was a little nice to know they were blanketed under the same thundering clouds as her.

Yoshiki listened quietly to the small story of her childhood. He didn't really know much of those stories... Just the ones most people knew, and that was only from other kids telling him. It sort of made him wonder though... Were his parents worried about him?... "... I bet it was to keep you from getting colds... Parents only seem to tell those sort of stories so kids will obey a certain rule of thumb or something...," he commented, getting more accustomed to talking past the pain. He didn't want to voice the concerns he had about his family, because he didn't want this to be a downer. He was sure they were... After all, it's not like they thought he was the scum of the earth. It's just... he hadn't really heard of them for so long, it honestly felt like they were already used to him being gone. It almost felt like nothing would change for them after he died... He wanted to get off that train of thought, though. It was a dark place he didn't want to be in.

Ayumi looked at him thoughtfully, the explanation for some reason never crossed her mind. "You would think they'd find ways to do that without terrifying kids," she said with a light chuckle. After all, she always believed in the supernatural, so a god coming down and devouring her had never seemed weird in her young mind. Even older, she had faith in spirits and ghosts, especially because of her sister. She wondered if, since Hinoe was a medium of some sorts, she'd be able to keep contact with her family after she died.

Yoshiki smiled lightly at her laugh, shrugging lightly. "Well... I guess they know some kids need a good scare," he replied, honestly feeling better as normal conversation entered their situation for the first time. He settled against the pole to get more relaxed, letting out a small sigh. Of course, the pain was still there, but he liked this atmosphere so much better... It honestly felt like they could be like normal friends, like before all this...

Ayumi was beginning to feel herself relax into the atmosphere as well. She knew what was going to happen tomorrow, but it was nice to not let the weight crush their spirits. Even if it did take some ignoring and avoidance to keep the conversation away from the dark subject. "Well, that, and it is fun," Ayumi commented in good humor. "Especially when you're the one telling the stories," she said thoughtfully. How many times had she tried to terrify the group? The fear had been so much more innocent than what she had been put through in the last weeks. They had been genuinely fun times... Satoshi's feminine scream, watching everyone scramble and squirm at the intense bits, and the fact that in the end, it was all harmless.

Yoshiki chuckled at her own comment, a scene in his head quickly playing. Ha, of course... Ayumi would have fun with that. He could just imagine the kid in bed, and Ayumi telling one of her scary stories. He smiled fondly, accidentally entering himself into the day dream. He quickly pulled himself from it though, not wanting to disappear from the conversation or let himself indulge in a silly fantasy. "I can tell... You're always at your best when you're scaring Satoshi pantless," he mentioned with nostalgia, recalling each time Ayumi recounted one of her stories, and how a girlish scream from his best friend wasn't far behind.

"It was always so easy," Ayumi recalled fondly. Of course, Satoshi never noticed she picked on him so much because of her feelings for him. She didn't want to think too much about that, though. The feelings could never be met at this point, but Yoshiki wasn't a bad alternative to at least test how it may have felt. "I could never manage to freak you out, though," she said with a faint smile. He seemed entertained enough from them, probably in part to Satoshi's reaction, but she never saw him react like the others.

Yoshiki glanced at Ayumi, starting to feel a bit worn, but he was determined to remain attentive. Mm... he had never reacted like anyone else. He was just a little more impervious to things like scary stories or movies. "Yeah.. I don't scare easily... I probably wasn't very fun to tell stories to," he mentioned with a small sigh. He guessed... reactions were everything. He didn't want to say that out loud though, for fear that it was too much of a resemblance to their ordeal. As he sat, he thought back on the relationships he had built over his second year... The friends he had managed to make, and he had developed a strong affection... And now that he was thinking about that, he noticed telling Ayumi about his love hadn't really changed much. He knew she had only told him the same to give him some peace of mind, but it just seemed like a detail that was put to the back of their minds. He guessed the situation contributed a little... but he'd like to think that in their normal lives, if he had told her and she didn't feel the same way, that they could still continue on like normal just like this.

Ayumi looked at him, a flash of lightning illuminating his features for a moment. She knew they couldn't keep up this talking forever, although she found herself becoming afraid of the silence that would eventually fall over them. "I wouldn't say that. I always like a challenge," she noted lightly, a weak smile on her face. Heh... her and Ms. Yui had been planning a great way to scare the group at the cultural festival, depending on who stuck around to clean or not. It was a shame she would miss it. "Hey... uh... I'm curious," she suddenly began. She paused, debating if she should change the topic to a more depressing place. There was burning curiosity that made it impossible not to, though. "Did they pick a new class rep?" she asked quietly. They would have to at some point... and since the cultural festival was coming up, someone would have to take the position, if not the name.

Yoshiki made a small hum, guessing that was true... If everyone was as easy as Satoshi, it would get old. Too bad she'd never get the chance to best him, though... Ugh, no! Get away from those thoughts... He looked at her expectantly as she started to ask something. He blinked, thinking on it for a short moment. "Nn... I don't really know... I've sort of... been in a daze for the last week or so... But I think someone said they're discussing it, so I guess not yet. I guess it was a way to keep up hope, since replacing you is sort of a way of giving up, I guess...," he told her truthfully, also noticing it was the first time he mentioned how zoned out he had been. He wondered... would she really be disappointed in him after his poor performance this week?... He didn't guess so, and it was a silly question, but he always wanted to prove to her that he could do it, so it became somewhat of a habit to fear her disapproval.

Ayumi wasn't so sure why she asked the question when she could have assumed the answer. Of course someone would have to take the position at some point, but they were probably trying to wait until... well, until there was a body. There was something that made her feel horribly bitter that she would be replaced... that her existence was ultimately going to fade from mattering. Which, may be what everyone's death ultimately leads to. Living is about the living, not the dead. She wouldn't feel so awful about everything if she had gotten a chance to live her life, though. Becoming an illustrator, having kids, traveling, and everything else she ever wanted was being pulled away by a killer's cruel hand. "Ah- that makes... sense...," she got out between weird raspy breaths. She couldn't cry. It was all she ever did anymore. Plus, it would just be selfish considering Yoshiki was the one closer to death at that moment.

Yoshiki noted her strange breathing, alerted that maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. His eyes went to the floor. His hand moved hesitantly in the dark, using memory from the lightning strikes to take hers. It was more of a comfort than anything... It was the best, and only, thing they could do for each other. "Sorry... I didn't mean...," he started to say, but was fumbling his words a little. -to upset you... He didn't have the voice to finish what he wanted to say though, because he was starting to break down. After all... the reality of this hit them hard, when they thought about it so simply. Tomorrow, they would die.

Ayumi's attempt to hide her near-tears state turned out to have been poorly done when she felt Yoshiki's hand take her's. The action was sweet, and the gesture was appreciated. Still, it made the tears feel that much harder to fight off. Her hand clutched against his tightly. She had the small urge to huddle up against him as she did the first night, but she was too weary of his wounds to try it. "N-no, it's nothing you..." she choked, shaking her head lightly. Her eyes were welling with tears, causing the darkness around her to become even more obscured. "It's j-just-this... this shouldn't be happening...," she said with a wavering voice. It was so unfair! They did nothing to have this evilness be brought upon them. They had been living their normal high school lives! It wasn't fair that one person could destroy so many lives on a whim.