I don't know how I managed to finish this, but I did. So. Yeah. Enjoy.


"Well, that is certainly a serious allegation."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Mizuki was almost startled as Shino glared viciously at Sosuke while they held on tightly to an old photograph, the contents of the box they had once been so protective over spilled across the living room floor as they-her, Mokomichi, Shino, Sosuke, Mihoko and Hatsumi-now pored over them. She hadn't really been expecting that this was how she would have been spending her evening. She had just wanted to go home, do a little bit of admin for the Teranaga Foundation and the potential candlelight vigil, and then have what would have been a quiet evening in with Mokomichi. Quite possibly, a quiet romantic evening.

A quiet romantic evening. No matter how she broke down that sentence, it was still such a strange thing to realise that she could do. A comforting thing, too-even if she had kept herself busy, it would have been so hard being alone, especially after hearing about Hana. Akira would probably find it hilarious, Mizuki thought, once she found out. Normally, she would have told her about Mokomichi straight away, but so soon on the heels of finding out about the Kamukura project, and then dealing with hiding Emiko and turning her into Hatsumi, to say nothing of poor Hana-well, it had slipped her mind. One day though, she'd be able to tell her, be embarrassed by the inevitable teasing but also bolstered by the support, all of those normal things that came along with things like this. And maybe she'd have a quiet romantic evening in as well one of these days.

Instead, however, she was back in the panic room again, discovering that there was yet another twist in the whole sorry tale of the Izuru Kamukura project.

"So, what you are saying is that they tried to carry out this experiment 10 years ago, on your brother, except that something went wrong with it?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what-this other report that they reference isn't anywhere in the papers. But that's the long and short of it."

Shino sighed.

"To be honest, I was expecting that he'd be dead. Buried in that goddamn graveyard, maybe. But then when I realised that wasn't possible, I figured maybe elsewhere on the school grounds. There was this rumour about some students' organ transplants a little while ago-I thought that might have been him, but the timings didn't line up. So. Here we are."

Mizuki watched as Hatsumi awkwardly patted Shino's shoulder, then risked a glance at Mokomichi. He caught her eye, then shifted a few inches closer to her, and she leaned, ever so slightly. It was really only a ghost-touch, but it was enough. For now.

"That raises the risk, doesn't it?" Mihoko asked.

"What do you mean?" Mizuki queried, turning her attention to the girl, who had oddly sat herself at a distance from Shino and Hatsumi.

"They have a test subject they want to re-test, plus they're very quickly gathering subjects-three that we know of. And they haven't got their hands on any of those three, for completely different reasons. They're going to want to make sure that they get someone."

"Alright, but who would actually say yes?" Shino said. "Like, Hats' parents are shits, Otsuki's were shits, mine were and are still shits, but like I'm not so salty as to not realise that not all parents are shits. "

"This is true," Hatsumi said, smirking at Shino, more than likely at the nickname 'Hats'. "Most of the Reserve Course are money-loaded, money-hungry slimeballs, not all. Big difference."

"Kaneda-sempai's parents were approached due to his 'weird brain'" Mokomichi said, making the quotation marks with his fingers. "So it was framed as something to apparently fix what they presumed his parents would see as a defect."

"Otsuki's parents could have had that reasoning too, actually." Shino pointed out. "What with her dyslexia, mild though it was. Like I said, shits."

"I think we should perhaps try and compile a list-whether a physical one or more a mental one-of the possible reasons someone's parents may have signed them up to the Izuru Kamukura project." Sosuke said decisively. "That way, it will be easy to determine who may or may not be at risk, particularly amongst our own."

Everyone stared at Sosuke for a moment, before Mizuki cleared her throat.

"That does sound like a good idea. So…"

"High expectations," Mihoko started. "Particularly those relating to perfection. Fame, power and status. Wanting their so-called 'talentless' child to have a Talent for whatever reason-usually linking back to one of the ones mentioned. Money. The need to 'fix' an aspect of their child that is negative, whether that is a medical condition, a disability or a personality trait. Punishment-"

"Money."

"I already said that, Yamashita." Mihoko said, somewhat irritably.

"Yes, but you were thinking of the rich, right?" Mokomichi asked.

"Who are you thinking of, Mokomichi?" Mizuki asked, though now he'd said it, she had a feeling she already knew.

"The poor."

This earned him a few puzzled frowns, until Mihoko groaned and face-palmed.

"Of course! Scholarship students!"

"There are also those who did not necessarily meet scholarship criteria but whose families had to scrape in order to afford the fees-which, in all fairness, is no mean feat." Sosuke added. "If fees were to go up further, that could cause difficulties for a lot of those families. The financial reward given from this would certainly help to offset such costs. Money could also be a consideration for those who might believe that the Project would fix their health conditions-after all, depending on the condition, specialist care and equipment can be quite dear."

"I sincerely hope you guys over in your ivory tower will be arguing against putting up fees, but yes." Shino agreed.

"What categories did Eizan fall into?" Hatsumi asked curiously.

"Oh, he was never good enough for my parents, if my knowledge of what they are like is anything to go by. He just wouldn't fit into the picture they wanted of him-look at that fucking page, after all. He still showed 'genuine affection' to me, after all. Not that I fucking remember any of it."

In picking out the offending page, Shino caused the others to fly everywhere, making Mizuki wonder why on earth they hadn't stapled it, even as they scrambled to gather them up again, along with Mokomichi and Mihoko. Once they had, they held out the page and presented it to Mizuki.

"Do you want me to read it out?"

Shino gave a one-shouldered shrug. Mizuki sighed, and looked down at the page, reading it out. A silence descended for a moment, then Sosuke spoke.

"Subject E, as he is called, could be dead."

"He could, yes." Mizuki said quickly. "But if he was, they wouldn't be able to use him as a control, which is what is suggested here."

Shino, who had tensed, visibly relaxed, though they still continued to wear a mutinous glare.

"With that being said, something went wrong."" Mokomichi added absently. "That's a significant fact. He might not be in any reasonable state if we go to rescue him."

"If?" Shino asked.

"Yeah, don't you mean when?"

"You're suggesting we go to rescue him?" Mihoko asked.

To this, Shino only gave a particularly skewering look, and Mihoko sighed.

"I suppose that's fair. "She acknowledged. "After all, that's going to be our priority now, isn't it? Trying to prevent anyone else from being taken, or rescue anyone else who has been?"

She looked straight at Mizuki as she said this. The expectation in her gaze was heavy, and Mizuki sighed heavily before nodding.

"Yes, indeed-"

Her words were cut off by the sound of her phone. Frowning, she got up and went to her bag.

"Sorry, excuse me."

She fished out her phone, and saw it was Minah's name flashing. Calling her. More curious than anything, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"He didn't turn up."

Minah didn't know how to describe it. She didn't know how to describe the chain of events that had led her from waiting for Kaneda and Isamu in the school courtyard, all the way to the school roof to try and explain it on the phone to Mizuki, while Kaneda kept a lookout.

But she had to try. Because I have already failed. With such cruel hindsight, she now knew that she had seen it happen. But she had failed to do anything, and now, and now-

"He didn't turn up." Minah said, diving straight into it without bothering to say hello. "To where we were meeting, that is. It was just Kagane-sempai…"

"Kang-san? What do you mean? Has something happened?"

"Asai-kun," Minah said, trying hard to make sure she didn't sound as frantic as she felt. "He didn't turn up."

"You were scheduled to meet, yes? Is he off sick?"

"No, no, that's what I'm trying to tell you…"

She closed her eyes, remembering. She had been surprised to see Kaneda rushing towards her as jovially as ever, but on his own. With most other meets, unless he'd had some other commitment he was rushing from, he always made a point of walking with Isamu or Manaka, if not both. Of course, now Manaka wasn't here, so it'd only be Isamu. But this time, he was on his own.

"Is Asai-kun on his way, do you know?" Minah had asked, not concerned at first. "I thought you would meet him."

Kaneda had frowned, and even before he'd spoken, Minah had started to have a very, very bad feeling.

"I just swung by his classroom, but one of his classmates said he wasn't in. I assumed that you knew….but I'm guessing not, now."

"No, he didn't tell me. He always had." By always, she meant twice, three times at most. Isamu was not one to miss anything that had been arranged, not if he could help it. "Should we go to his house, check everything is alright with his family?"

"Let's go back and ask. It's possible I got the wrong end of the stick, after all."

"Mhm."

But his classroom had been empty, and when they had managed to find someone from his class, they had not been bothered by the concern-absent students were not exactly a mind-blowing phenomenon, and besides perhaps he'd just decided to leave? Never mind the small detail that he had been a Reserve Course Representative and proud of it. But then they'd found another girl who'd been able to tell them that it wasn't just that he was absent, but that his name had been left off of the register all together.

"Left off the register?" Mizuki asked Minah as she paused for breath. "Did you get a chance to see the register for yourself?"

"The girl had been on paper register duty, so she noticed it'd been struck through when she took the registers back to the office, but she assumed like the other classmate that he'd left suddenly." Minah explained.

"Alright. Alright, did you manage to find out any more as to why?"

"That's the thing." Minah said. "Nobody knew. And when we went to the offices…."

It had taken a while to get down to the offices, since various students kept wanting to say hello to her and gush about their appreciation of her. Kaneda had also accosted quite a few students with greetings and stickers, as his tendency tended to be. One girl had asked whether they were going to support the petition the American exchange student in the Main Course had been running to get a candlelight vigil up (Minah hadn't even been aware there'd been an exchange, and she had no idea how she'd missed that).

"Oh yeah, she arrived the same day as Otsuki died, so it got a bit swept under the carpet. Somehow. I'd have expected the other way around."

Minah heard Shino call-presumably, Mizuki had put the call on loudspeaker. She briefly acknowledged the explanation, quietly agreeing with Shino's surprise, before recounting how she and Kaneda had eventually made it, and upon finding the room empty and unlocked, decided to go through looking for student records. Well, Kaneda had, while Minah had hovered, not quite as daring as that.

A teacher had arrived soon after though, leaving Kaneda to smoothly come up with a story about looking for contact details to visit Isamu. Minah backed him up, emphasising her concern for his sudden absence and how she just wanted to make sure he was alright. The teacher had seemed sceptical, but then had obliged them by looking his computerised record-and not finding it.

"Well, kids, it's not there. Records are usually expunged three months after a student leaves, though we do keep contact details just in case. I can't seem to find those either though…but hey, that's computers for you. Don't you have his mobile number or something?"

"I would have liked his address, to make an in-person visit. I didn't ask for it." Minah said, her embarrassment honest.

"Well, let me see if I can find the paper backup…"

The teacher had gotten up and went to the same drawers that Kaneda had been rootling around in, and then looked himself, asking a couple of questions about the kanji in Isamu's name before looking at them with a befuddled, but not particularly concerned expression on his face.

"Not there. Can't do anything about that."

Minah had been too numb to politely thank him, but Kaneda had mercifully been, well, Kaneda, so he'd rambled something cheerful and then dragged her out. And then, they'd headed straight for the roof.

Once she had recounted all this, she took a breath and waited for a response.

"That is certainly troubling." She heard Sosuke said eventually. "That is not how a student leaving should be handled if meant to be as un-alarming as possible."

"And once again," Shino snarked. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Does he fit any of the risk factors though?" Mokomichi asked.

"Risk factors?"

"Yeah, like shitty family, fame grabbing, poor family, illness, defect, scholarship."

"He's a scholarship student, his father's unwell and he has a lot of siblings." Minah blurted out.

And…

"Well, as I have told you, this will end up benefitting your family, so do think about it, alright? Have a good day, Asai-kun."

She opened her mouth, ready to confess, when Mizuki spoke.

"Well, that will more than likely do it…looks like we'll need to move quicker than expected. I'll be calling a whole group meeting soon, but thanks for bringing that to our attention."

"A-ah, that's fine." Minah stuttered.

After exchanging goodbyes, Mizuki hung up, and Minah sighed, closing her eyes. What have I done? I've really made a big mistake, haven't i?

"Ah, don't look so down now my kouhai!"

Minah let out a little cry as Kaneda appeared in front of her, grinning.

"I know you cared a lot, but he would have been sworn to secrecy, you wouldn't have been able to help him."

But I could, I could. Minah let out a shaky breath, but didn't answer him, instead looking around. Hana had been up here. What had she been thinking? That she hadn't been good enough, as she'd confessed to Minah just days ago? Another person I could have saved but didn't? What use am I, if all I'm doing is just standing numbly and filing things away? I'm dishonouring everything I was bought up with. Everything.

"Thinking about her, huh?" Kaneda asked, forcing her attention back to him.

"Mhm…"

Oh, what's one more lie of omission?

"Don't blame the roof, 'kay?" he said, somewhat randomly. "It's not at fault-yes, it's dangerous, but only if you climb over or stray too close to the edge. It's her situation that's culpable."

Minah frowned at him, utterly confused. Which was better than being miserable, she supposed. But not by much.

"I'm….not."

"Good, good!"

Kaneda clapped her on the back, and she tried her best not to flinch. "Oh, good! I knew you wouldn't! "-she couldn't help but remember those words. She wanted to throw up, to curl up and cry. Instead, she gave a smile and moved away.

"Personal space, sempai." She reminded gently. "But let's…let's go down now."

She went ahead, and tried not to look as if she was running. But that was easier than she expected, simply because she didn't know who she was running from.

Him, or herself.

Kumori finished tying his hair with the new ribbon that Yuna had bought him (the one from Hoshiko really had fallen apart, and this he now kept safely in a drawer), and then regarded himself in the mirror. After frowning at his reflection, he readjusted his tie, then checked again.

Yes, that's good enough.

But that was the only thing that was good enough, really. What about him? Hadn't he promised that Riko would be the last? And yet, look what had happened. He had failed, without even really trying. All I can do now is avenge you both, and save the others. The plan was solid in his mind, as were their faces. If he closed his eyes, he was easily able to recall them. Hard-working, Isamu Asai, Minah's TEP and a school scholarship recipient. Haruya Izanagi, fiery, another Reserve Course Representative. Risato Han, known only to be quiet and 'slow', a lonely girl. Yuki Shimada, a recipient of one of Azuki's scholarships, enigmatic and cool-headed, pretty too. And then, of course, there was Eizan Hisakawa-Shino's brother. It had been a hard few days, pinning down these 'sudden departures' and 'unforeseen circumstances' that were more than likely the result of the Project. But Mizuki and Sosuke had used their weight in the Student Council to find information; Minah, Kaneda and Kumori had used the fact they were well-known to try and find out details from friends and classmates; and Shino had roped Mihoko and Mokomichi into a staffroom break-in to get information. The others backed up their efforts. Then, the plan had been put into place. Days of finalising the steps to be taken, poring over the map and working out entry and escape routes, allocating roles, getting the equipment they needed. Now, at last, it was ready.

I failed before, but I won't now.

Kumori was more than prepared to do whatever it took tonight, to save them, and to disrupt the project. But first, there was the candlelight vigil. He took a deep breath, then grabbed his bag and left.

Yuna had, of course, been to various candlelight vigils in her life. A couple were used as memorial services for members of her church community, another couple to raise awareness of social issues and medical conditions. One of these, she'd even helped set up herself. She had been honoured to be asked by the exchange student who'd bought up the idea to help with the planning, and had finally felt useful. It was hard to deny that she had not been that useful in her own little group, especially as in so many ways they were different. After all, they had wanted to use the vigil to have speeches about the various injustices that Hope's Peak were responsible for, while she had argued that now had not been the time. The vigil was meant for Hana Otsuki and for Riko Izumi, for people to come together and remember them. In that remembering, the issues surrounding their tragic deaths would be brought up for sure, and then they would dwell in people's minds. That was fine, and Yuna wanted that much. But to turn something that was meant to be peaceful and powerful, a dignified send-off into yet another argument. There was a time and place for arguments, but all this was was support. Unity.

Guests had been asked to bring their own candles, but Yuna was on hand with spares, handing them out to those who had forgotten or been unable to bring them along. She bowed respectfully, and thanked people for coming as she did, while Roxana Madison and the other exchange students who had been with her-Rika Okuyama and Maeve Gibson-lit candles and provided covers before directing people to the refreshments.

"Yorokobi-sama, I'll take over." Kumori appeared by her side all of a sudden. "You'll need to get ready for your speech."

"Oh, uh, thank you very much!"

Yuna blushed and handed over the bag of candles. She had been a little hurt when Kumori had been one of the ones who wanted more…impassioned…speeches included. But he had come around, and he'd been nothing but helpful, particularly in directing everyone to where they needed to be, and now here, taking over handing over candles so that she could get ready. I am so lucky, truly.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, truly. Besides, I can pass over to Teranaga-sama or one of the others once they are done," Kumori said easily, gesturing to the various places their comrades were.

"Very well then."

She gave Kumori a hesitant smile, and was gratified when he gave one back. If this wasn't such a public scenario, she would have dared to give a chaste kiss on the cheek. But as it was, she smiled a wider smile instead, and then set off.

She went into the school building, and straight to the nearest toilets to splash water on her face and clean up, adjusting the collar of her blouse and making sure her hair was neat. When she went back out to the courtyard, she headed straight to the podium, and climbed the stairs to stand with Roxana, Maeve and Rika.

"Thank you so much for helping us with all this," Roxana gushed. "Mog , Rika and I wouldn't have known what to do without you and all the others who've helped today. I know some of our new classmates don't really like this."

'Mog', Yuna remembered after a brief moment of confusion, was referring to Maeve. It was a nickname that was apparently used with friends of hers, since her middle name was Olivia. Maeve Olivia Gibson-Mog. Yuna smiled internally at the realisation and then focused on the conversation at hand.

"That is simply because they are fools." Yuna said primly. "This is a kind, selfless thing to do and it will benefit many. "

She knew the content of the whispers and protests that had circulated, mostly about how the three exchange students were just uncouth Americans who thought they could stomp over everything. But her group had recognised them as a fresh pair of eyes. Luckily, in the end, the school council and the principals had allowed it to happen, and Yuna couldn't be gladder.

"What's the reading you're doing?" Rika asked curiously.

"I'm doing two, a prayer and a poem. Though don't worry, I am not proselytising." Yuna answered.

"Oh no, I'm sure you're not."

It was at that moment that Nomura called for silence.

"Thank you for coming. We are all here tonight in memory of two students who tragically lost their lives while with us this year. Whether you were closely associated with them or not, we as a school are uniting as a way of honouring their legacies…"

Nomura went on to briefly describe Riko and Hana, and though he did make a point of clearly defining their roles as Main Course and Reserve Course, and seeming to talk more about Riko than Hana, there was nothing particularly inflammatory or unfair in those descriptions that Yuna could discern. Certainly, Mihoko, Minah and Kumori, standing on the other side of the stage, did not seem to be angry or particularly upset. At least, not beyond the general sadness of the circumstances. Then Minah and Mihoko came up to talk together about Hana briefly, the former taking the lead. Yuna had expected Shino to have volunteered for the speech, but they had simply called the vigil idea 'feeble' after their request using it as an opportunity for protest had been quashed. Instead, they'd hung back at their home, preparing for the mission that all of them would be undertaking once the vigil was over.

Oh god, don't think about that.

Yuna felt herself shake, and by her side Rika placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine." Maeve said behind her.

Knowing that they were assuming she was just getting stage fright, she did her best to smile at them.

"Thank you. Just nerves, you know?"

"Oh, yes, totally!" Roxana whispered back.

Kumori came on, and Yuna made a point of listening fully to him. As he talked, she remembered the pang of jealousy, and hated herself for it once again. Looking back now, it had been such a stupid thing to be jealous about. Kumori respected her wishes about not being inflammatory, and instead his speech urged others to err towards kindness and supporting each other so that others weren't driven to such tragic ends. All the same, she could not help but feel stirred.

"Now, I think I will end with a short poem by a poet called Emily Dickinson, called Not In Vain, simply because it best encapsulates my feelings. If this helps others, then at least my grief and efforts will not have been for nothing. And hopefully, you will feel the same:

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain:

If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain."

When Kumori finished the poem, he thanked the audience for listening, and then retreated back to the side. Then, Nomura announced her name, and beckoned her forward. She smoothed down her skirt, swallowed, and came to take the stage. She looked out at the sea of candles-most real, but a few pink-and-purple electric ones dotted around as well. Either way, the entire space was illuminated.

"Thank you all for coming today. I have two readings to share with you today to commemorate our lost friends. One of them is a Christian prayer, and while I recognise that not everyone here will share my faith or even have any, I am hoping that the comfort intended in the words will nonetheless reach all. The other, however, is a poem, whose author remains anonymous. I shall start with the prayer…"

Yuna took a deep breath, then said the prayer:

"Heavenly Father,

you have not made us for darkness and death,

but for life with you for ever.

Without you we have nothing to hope for;

with you we have nothing to fear.

Speak to us now your words of eternal life.

Lift us from anxiety and guilt

to the light and peace of your presence,

and set the glory of your love before us;

through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Once the prayer was done, she allowed herself a brief moment to collect herself before she then launched into the poem, which Roxana had shared with her:

"I give you this one thought to keep.

I am with you still. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on the snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not think of me as gone.

I am with you still in each new dawn."

Once done, she bowed and quickly retreated to the side. She listened to Nomura directing everyone to gathering the paper lanterns to release, and then followed everyone off of the stage to do just that. Acquiring a pink blossom shaped lantern for herself, she felt a swell of emotion. She closed her eyes and pictured both their faces. I am doing something. Look, I am making a difference.

"Alright, on the count of three….one, two…..three!"

On three, the lanterns were released. Yuna looked up at them, beautiful and ethereal against the dark sky. I hope that you both can see that, from Heaven. Because despite how you died, I believe you are both there. I need to believe that, and that you are both at peace.

When the lanterns were little more than spots in the clear sky, the crowd dispersed. Many went to put their candles on the table that had been set aside for this purpose, along with a condolences book. Some left immediately, while others lingered to talk and get refreshments. Yuna, for her part, decided to get herself a nice cup of tea once her candle had been put down. Her throat was feeling somewhat parched.

In the queue, she looked around at the people around her. The mood was sombre, but at the same time there was a positive feeling. Hope, closure. Knowing what she knew about Hana's death in particular, she couldn't give into the feeling fully. Yet, it was still there. The vigil had achieved its purpose in the here and now, and she just had to hope that the feeling would last and have longer lasting effects. She picked out members of her group talking to other classmates, members of the public who had joined them, and in Kumori's case, the staff that had turned up for the event. But it was Mihoko talking to an unfamiliar boy. Curious, she kept an eye on them, and once she had received her cup of tea, she walked straight up to them.

"Hello there." She said. "I hope you're both doing well?"

"Thank you, for your readings." The boy said softly. "I think Hana would have liked that poem, in particular."

Almost immediately, Yuna picked up upon his easy, comfortable usage of Hana's first name. And not even that, but the was her name had become laced with emotion when he spoke. Mihoko studied her for a moment, then spoke up.

"This is Riku Matsushita, he is-"

"You were her boyfriend." Yuna blurted out, realising.

Riku blinked and then blushed slightly, running a hand through his dark brown hair. Yuna noted that he was sweet-featured, with a bewildered look to him, though that in particular could have been a product of the situation. Yuna didn't know much about him, but knew enough that he had been a good person and that he and Hana had been devoted to each other. Such a tragedy, truly.

"Yes, that's right. "He said. "You must be…Yuna Yorokobi? She talked a bit about you. She, well…liked you all really. I would have liked to meet you all, particularly Sakurai-san and her other closest friends, in nicer circumstances. But nonetheless."

Yuna nodded.

"Anyway," Riku said. "I wasn't sure if I should come…I know this was a public event, but it seemed mostly geared at Hope's Peak students…."

"Oh no, no, there was no question of you not being welcome. " Yuna assured him hurriedly.

Riku gave a strained smile.

"Thanks. For all of this, actually….I…I didn't get to attend her funeral." Riku gulped, clearly trying not to cry. "So I didn't really have a chance to say goodbye."

"You didn't?" Yuna asked.

"Her parents." Mihoko said acidly. "They did not let us go either. Claimed it to be a 'family only' service. They were also shifty about me visiting the grave, so I cannot imagine they'd let him visit, either."

"Well now, that's just wrong." Yuna said. "I apologise for that."

"It isn't your fault. " Riku replied. "I just…I feel so helpless. I wasn't able to help her, and now I can't even talk to her. This helped, this really did."

"No, no, I fully understand." Yuna agreed. "That is a tragic state of affairs. Loved ones should be able to have a place to go to in order to remember and communicate with their loved ones. It is a vital part of the grieving process."

"Yes it is. Not that her parents care."

There must surely be something that I could do about that…not talk to her parents, for all their faults they have still lost a child, but….

"Oh!"

"What is it?" Mihoko asked as Riku looked on in concern.

"Sakurai-san, there is something we could do, to help Matsushita-kun mourn."

"You what?"

Mihoko frowned, but before Yuna could clarify as carefully as possible, realisation seemed to dawn.

"You cannot be serious."

"I am."

"But it's a secret."

"One that I think, under the circumstances, he can be trusted with." Yuna argued. "Besides, how can you deny him this? Do you think it is fair?"

"Well, no, but…"

Mihoko sighed, and shook her head.

"Fine, whatever. You're taking responsibility though, alright?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Mihoko shook her head, and walked away. Riku watched her go with bewilderment, then looked over at Yuna.

"Um…I'm not sure I understand."

"We have knowledge of a place you can go to mourn your girlfriend. It won't be the same as her proper grave, and you won't be able to get there without myself, Sakurai-san, or another member of our group, but it will be something. However, it is a secret to others outside of our group and…I am taking a risk in showing it to you. I believe it is one well worth taking, though. Would you like me to show you?"

"I…" Riku blinked, struggling to take in the information. "Yes. Yes please."

Yuna swallowed, suddenly aware of the gravity of what she had decided. But she wasn't going to take it back. Not now. Not when this was the right thing to do.

"Very well, come with me."

It would have been improper to grab his hand to take him through the crowds, so she simply ordered him to keep close and not say anything. However, on the way they encountered Kaneda, who eagerly insisted on coming along (he seemed to have no reservations about showing an outsider the graveyard) and ended up grabbing both of their hands to manoeuvre them there. This, too, was also improper, but Yuna was sure it'd probably be fine since, well, it was Kaneda. Convention didn't quite apply to him in the same way it did other males.

As they got further away from people, Yuna and Kaneda gave Riku a brief explanation of the graveyard, though only the bare-bone details. Riku absorbed these quietly, clearly the type to need to process information in his own head before really reacting to it, meekly following alone. But when the copse the graveyard was in was pointed out to him, he surged ahead and went straight to the large collective Reserve Course stone.

"This…this is…"

"That's the one, yes. " Kaneda said. "You have your time, we won't disturb you."

Almost immediately, Riku dropped to his knees, scanning the stone and then letting out a little sob when he found her name, tracing it over and over with his fingers. His head bowed, and though he remained quiet his shoulders shook hard. Yuna and Kaneda simply stood as sentinels to his grief, either side of him, saying nothing. They both knew that he just needed this moment. So, as Riku traced her name and sobbed, Yuna closed her eyes, praying and wishing fervently.

Then, her phone vibrated.

Putting her hand over the pocket her phone was in, she looked over Riku's head at Kaneda, who had taken out his own phone and nodded soberly at the screen. He looked up, caught her eye. It's time, he mouthed. Then, he crouched down and tapped Riku on the shoulder.

"Hey there bud, I think we should get going."

Riku glanced up, blinking. He rubbed his eyes roughly, then nodded slowly.

"Alright."

He pressed his fingers to Hana's name on the stone one more time, and then got up. He didn't say a word as Yuna and Kaneda led him back the way they came. As they approached the dwindling crowds, Yuna studied the slumped curve of Riku's back, the way his footsteps dragged. He seemed to be trying so badly to hold himself together, but she didn't think he was succeeding. Not when it was about someone he loved, for crying out loud. Not when it was that.

They continued until they were near the school gates, and then they paused. Riku turned to them, and gave a small, weary smile.

"Thank you for that. It is…something."

"No problem man, none at all!" Kaneda exclaimed, clapping Riku on the shoulder and make him startle. "Anything for a beloved kouhai, even one at a different school."

"Um, I thought we were in the same year…" Riku murmured.

"You won't tell another soul of the existence of the graveyard, will you?" Yuna asked.

His soft gaze met her own, and he nodded.

"No. I know. I know."

Riku sighed, seeming to fold into himself just that little bit further. The look of him stabbed into Yuna's heart. How could she, in all conscience, let him go like this?

"Wait."

Riku stared at her, and Yuna goldfish gawped for a moment while her brain took a moment to catch up. Then, she looked in her purse until she found a small notebook and a pen. She scribbled Mizuki's number and address, and then ripped it out.

"We are…trying to change things. "She said, slowly. "So that her death wasn't in vain. I don't know if that will end up bringing comfort to you, but-"

"Who?" Riku asked, almost-whispering.

"Woah, kouhai…"

Yuna ignored Kaneda. She wasn't sure if this would be a good idea, but she'd started now. She was not going to back down. Instead, she held out the ripped page.

"Just a few of us. But we're doing big things, and I guess you could say we're fighting. If you want to join us, in her name. Then….that's the person you'll need to see, really. I'm just a small player. But if it were my boyfriend, and I was given this opportunity….I think that even if I did not understand, I would, because it is true love, and it was the same for you, am I right?"

Riku nodded slowly, biting his lip. Then slowly, he took it. He glanced at it for a moment, then tucked it into his pocket and bowed as though it was a buisness card.

"I'll also need to contact you to…go back, right?" Riku asked.

"That's right."

"Well then….thank you. I'll see you around, I suppose."

Yuna and Kaneda watched Riku leave. Once he had completely disappeared out of view, Yuna let out a breath.

"That was an interesting decision. Are you sure it was right?" Kaneda asked conversationally.

"Yes!" Yuna snapped. "Of course it was."

At least, I hope it was.


The prayer was found via a website called 'fitting farewell ' while the two poems were in a Stylist article about non-religious funeral readings.

The American exchange students Jasmine 'Rika' Okuyama, SHSL lexicographer, Maeve 'Mog' Gibson, SHSL Diamantaire and Roxana Madison, SHSL Book Cover Designer (well, I should be saying 'Ultimate' for all of them really) are all my OCs. They will have a few more short appearances in the story.