Gingka gasped and scooped Yu up out of the pool, laying him on the grass and pressing his fingertips to the boy's wrist and neck. No pulse beat beneath his pale white skin, no heartbeat or breath thundered beneath his jacket. "Oh no...ooooh no..."
"Kevin, get me my phone." Kevin already had it in his hand. Ryuga grabbed it and punched in the Emergency Service number.
Tsubasa burst through the door a few minutes later. Once Ryuga had called him he'd gotten in the car, not bothering to put on shoes or a jacket.
The city's humming buzz was broken by the sirens of the ambulance as it rages along the streets of Kevin's neighbourhood. Gingka led Kevin inside as Tsubasa collapsed on the grass beside Yu, brokenhearted.
Brrrrring...brrrrrrrrrrrrring...
Kyouya realised just how annoying his ringtone was and picked up the phone.
"Yes?"
"Kyouya, you need to come pick up Tsubasa. There's been an accident...I don't think he can drive himself home."
"An...an accident? Is he ok?"
"It's not him. It's Yu."
Kyouya staggered, suddenly feeling faint.
"You know what, now I can't drive either. Let me call Zhou Xing."
Zhou Xing drove Tsubasa home, wondering what was up with all these crazy Japanese people. Fainting and dying all over the place.
Maya stood back, brushing the earth from her hands.
A little evergreen tree stood now beside the oak, small but significant. It showed spirit in that it would never go brown, youth in its small stature, and heart in its fervour to grow stronger. Someday it might even tower above Benkei's oak.
Around the top of it, she hung a small wooden bat, inlaid with ruby. A flaming fire in the night.
Once the world's future
Now you're just the past
You came around through heartache
now you're laid to rest at last
You couldn't save lives. Only lengthen them.
Tsubasa didn't come to the funeral. He didn't come to the little tree. He didn't come much of anywhere anymore. Just another forever-scarred friend that Maya knew she might eventually have to look after.
You were so young
You should have lived to see many other days
But perhaps it's for the better,
the world works in its own ways
Maya rested back on her heels in the warm earth and looked up at the sun. As far as she knew, Tsubasa hadn't even touched any of Yu's things yet. Just erased him from his life without moving on.
You'll never be forgotten
though time may leave you behind
You're always in our hearts
And you're always on our minds
But this tree would always stand to show that Yu had been here, that he had left his mark on the world. Somebody would come along and see it one day, and they'd know.
Your mark of love and hearty smile
imprinted on time forevermore
It's hard to believe that you won't just
come walking back through that door
He'd left like a sunbeam on a rainy day, but the sun always comes back. Even in the night you can see its reflection in the moon.
You made an impression on our lives
with heart and soul and more
you always knew how to laugh and smile
and for that
we miss you more
Maya stood and stretched her feet out, walking back home as the sun set over Metal City. How many more deaths would she have to see before she even turned 16?