Prologue- We Start With The End
Truly, the funeral was quite lovely. Mikan knew Kaito probably would have loved it, other than being dead and all. The sky was clear and blue, almost mockingly perfect.
Usually in the movies it would be raining by now.
There were so many that attended the service. It seemed like everyone from Hope's Peak had attended, and if she had to guess, probably so. Kaito touched so many people's lives, shining like a shooting star. He truly was one now wasn't he?
There were lots of flowers. They could probably easily cover the entire grave with them if they left them there. They were very pretty, colorful. Her heart aches looking at them.
His grandparents made some kind of speech. She wasn't really listening. Everything felt so far away. She wasn't crying, which struck herself as odd. She cried a lot, but now that she was here, that this was it, she just stood there numbly. Maybe she had cried so much ever since he died that now she didn't have any left.
She could see Shuichi a little bit ahead of her. His shoulders were hunched and shook a bit as he sobbed quietly. She almost thought about saying something to him, but Kaede put a hand on his shoulder before she could muster up any courage to do so. It looked like she was trying to murmur something to him, a sad smile on her face as he nodded along with whatever she said.
She hoped that Shuichi would be alright. Kaito was one of his biggest supporters, and she knew he would hate to see Shuichi relapse to the timid boy he had been before. Would she be ok? It was hard to tell with her entire world crumbling to the ground.
Mikan felt like she was spinning. Her head was starting to hurt, her heart was hurting, she felt sick. She took a few steps backwards, gripping her arms tightly. No one seemed to notice her, too enraptured by the service to notice one person looking particularly sick.
Kaito would notice. He'd pay her head and smile at her, telling her it would be fine. But it wasn't fine anymore. She failed she failed she failed sorry sorry sorry please forg-
Two arms rapped around her, pulling her back to the present as she was rapt in a tight hug. She yelped slightly, blinking in shock, as Hiyoko hugged her tighter.
"H-Hiyoko?"
"I'm sorry." The Ultimage Traditional Dancer whispered. Mikan froze, going stiff in the embrace. Another pair of arms hugged her back as Ibuki appeared behind her.
"Ibuki knows that you did everything you could. Kaito wouldn't want you to blame yourself."
"H-how do y-"
"It's written all over your face, pig-barf."
"Hiyoko!" Ibuki snapper, sending a glare towards Hiyoko from behind Mikan's shoulder.
"I know, I'm sorry." Hiyoko sighed. "It wasn't your fault. I can see your disgusting apology from a mile away."
Kaito's image flashed through her head. His thin frame, the blood he kept coughing out. The last morning, her hand clutching his as he faded away... The smile on his face looked so peaceful, as if his last moments weren't filled with the pain of the illness that had plagued him for so long.
She remembered the first time he smiled at her, a large grin on his face as he introduced himself. The smile that she loved so much. He had so much hope that she could help him. She failed him.
Before she knew it, more tears flowed down her cheeks. Huh, I guess she had more tears to cry after all.
