Hikari opened her eyes and gasped. She looked down at her wound but there wasn't one. "What happened? Was that just a dream?"
"No, we're dead." Takeru's voice echoed in the dark empty place. He looked down at his own missing wound. "Just like everyone."
"Takeru!" Hikari scolded and looked at him- seeing the changes that she never saw before. He seemed much older. Too old. He wasn't the same as any of the times before. Not the same little boy she met and who promised never to leave her when they were alone. Not the same boy who grew up yet still was the same little boy. Not the same as when he went to the Other World, for the first time, for the second time, or for the last time. She has no idea what had happened after he left the Other World, "Where have you been?"
"Pretty much dead." Takeru answered and looked away from the girl. "After seeing all those people die, all those innocent people die just for being different, I guess I couldn't handle life. I have been in a hospital ever since I left the Other World."
"A hospital?" Hikari regretted asking as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She knew what kind of hospital. She knew because every day she was in the Other World, she felt like she was going crazy. As Kurumi had said once, 'It's hard to be sorrounded by thousands and somehow see everyone you meet die. It's hard and it makes you wonder if this is just a horrible nightmare.' "I'm sorry, Takeru."
"The man in black had me on that cross for a couple of days and he kept saying how all of my friends died and I should give up on a rescue," Takeru paused and looked towards Hikari but not at her. "I think I did. Until I saw you."
Hikari looked away and glanced at the dark place. She could make out skeletons, some human, some not, all around her. "I understand. After being in the Other World for so long and watching children die for playing and husbands killed for protecting their families and watching Kurumi died because of me, I thought the whole world was just a dark place of death."
Takeru let out a surprising, but welcomed, laugh, "We both try to run from life because we thought it was death. And look at where we are now."
Hikari smiled at hearing Takeru's laugh and even at the morbid anecdote. She laid down on the cold ground and closed her eyes. "What are we going to do, Takeru?"
Takeru sat behind Hikari and put his hand on Hikari's shoulder with an embarressed jerky motion, "I don't know, Hikari, I've never been dead before."
Hikari smiled faintly at Takeru. He had always been able to cheer her up and make her feel sake. She felt herself falling to sleep and the darkness felt closer than ever before.
A/N: Let me explain.. I had planned to have Hikari and Takeru live and be together at the end of the story but somehow, without my planning, I had killed them off. I'm sorry.
"No, we're dead." Takeru's voice echoed in the dark empty place. He looked down at his own missing wound. "Just like everyone."
"Takeru!" Hikari scolded and looked at him- seeing the changes that she never saw before. He seemed much older. Too old. He wasn't the same as any of the times before. Not the same little boy she met and who promised never to leave her when they were alone. Not the same boy who grew up yet still was the same little boy. Not the same as when he went to the Other World, for the first time, for the second time, or for the last time. She has no idea what had happened after he left the Other World, "Where have you been?"
"Pretty much dead." Takeru answered and looked away from the girl. "After seeing all those people die, all those innocent people die just for being different, I guess I couldn't handle life. I have been in a hospital ever since I left the Other World."
"A hospital?" Hikari regretted asking as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She knew what kind of hospital. She knew because every day she was in the Other World, she felt like she was going crazy. As Kurumi had said once, 'It's hard to be sorrounded by thousands and somehow see everyone you meet die. It's hard and it makes you wonder if this is just a horrible nightmare.' "I'm sorry, Takeru."
"The man in black had me on that cross for a couple of days and he kept saying how all of my friends died and I should give up on a rescue," Takeru paused and looked towards Hikari but not at her. "I think I did. Until I saw you."
Hikari looked away and glanced at the dark place. She could make out skeletons, some human, some not, all around her. "I understand. After being in the Other World for so long and watching children die for playing and husbands killed for protecting their families and watching Kurumi died because of me, I thought the whole world was just a dark place of death."
Takeru let out a surprising, but welcomed, laugh, "We both try to run from life because we thought it was death. And look at where we are now."
Hikari smiled at hearing Takeru's laugh and even at the morbid anecdote. She laid down on the cold ground and closed her eyes. "What are we going to do, Takeru?"
Takeru sat behind Hikari and put his hand on Hikari's shoulder with an embarressed jerky motion, "I don't know, Hikari, I've never been dead before."
Hikari smiled faintly at Takeru. He had always been able to cheer her up and make her feel sake. She felt herself falling to sleep and the darkness felt closer than ever before.
A/N: Let me explain.. I had planned to have Hikari and Takeru live and be together at the end of the story but somehow, without my planning, I had killed them off. I'm sorry.
