Chapter 17: Together

This place again… I hadn't seen it for a while, but it didn't make me surprised anymore. It'd become so familiar with me now. Every tree, every path… I'd seen them all. My white dress fluttered softly as the cold chill went by. My skin felt cold, but the feeling didn't feel real. Nothing here felt real, actually. Not even the lifeless ground under me. I'd never noticed this feeling before, maybe because deep in my mind, I knew this wasn't the real world. I've seen it multiple times now, and nothing really scared me any longer. I knew exactly what would happen, so I stood still, waiting patiently for him to come.

Just a few seconds later, I heard footsteps sounded from afar, and it kept getting louder, and louder as each second passed by. My body was frozen in place, not bothering to look behind to check. I knew who it was, and my heart beat a little faster because of it.

"Hello again." I said without turning my head back at all.

"It's been a long time." Slender said. "We met, and I confessed about my feelings. They all happened so fast, didn't they?"

"…Why?"

That was all I could mumbled out. He didn't answer, not even a word. The silence of the forest took over once again, and we just stood there, no one dared speak up. I finally turned around to face him, and I asked again in a very quiet voice.

"Why me? Why not anyone else? Just… why?"

He was silent again, and he began stepping toward me very slowly. Each step was quiet, and I waited until he was right in front of me. He looked down at me, and I looked up at him. My lips refused to move, and we just stared into each other's eyes. He then bent down and whispered.

"Wake up and find out yourself."

My eyes fluttered open as the sunshine shone on my face, waking me up from my sleep. Letting out a small groan, I slowly pushed myself up and looked out of the windows. It was morning, but I didn't want to get up. My eyelids felt tired and my eyes were sore. I slowly rubbed my eyes as I thought to myself. I had cried a lot last night. My head hurt. I didn't want to get out of bed, I didn't want a new day to come because I was afraid to face it. Last night, so many questions were in my mind, and they were still stuck in my head until now. They wouldn't leave me be until they got answered. But how was I supposed to answer them when I was afraid to face the answer myself?

Needless to say, my mind was a complete mess.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and it snapped me out of my thoughts. It was nearly eight o'clock now, but still, who could be here at this time? Yawning tiredly, I got out of bed and opened the door, not caring if I looked like a disaster with my bed head.

"Good morning, Konna." It was Smexy, which surprised me a little bit. We weren't that close to each other, so why would he need to see me so early in the morning?

"Good morning, Smexy." I tried to stay awake as much as possible and answered him properly.

He looked at me for a while before speaking up again. "… You look tired."

Well, he was Smexy after all, so it'd be strange for him to overlook it. "W- well, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You've been thinking about it last night, haven't you?"

His words made me speechless.

"W- What are you talking about-"

"I knew, Konna." He seemed serious, unlike his usual sarcastic and playful self, so I was sure he wasn't joking. He knew what he was talking about.

"… How?" I mumbled quietly.

"I heard you two talking last night. I woke up in the middle of the night because of it, especially when Slender yelled out… those three words."

I immediately caught on about what he was referring to. I looked down at the ground, not knowing what to say. If I hadn't held back my feelings, then I'd have been crying. I was genuinely confused on what I was supposed to do.

"I… I don't know, Smexy." I gripped my shirt. "I honestly don't know…"

He was quiet for a very long time, and I didn't dare say a word. But he eventually broke the silence.

"Look, Konna…" He bent down so that his face was leveling mine. "It may sound funny coming from the Sexual Offenderman himself, but… my best advice is to go along with your true feelings."

"My… true feelings?"

"Yes." He held my hand and placed at where my heart was. "Listen to your heart and do whatever you feel right. I know it'll be hard, but it'll work out, I promise."

My heart… My true feelings…

"Yes, you're right." I smiled, nodding at him. "Thank you so much for telling me. I'll try my best!"

"My pleasure." He said happily. "Now go, my dear. He's outside the house."

My heart beat rapidly as I took each step downstairs. I'd carefully prepared myself, but I couldn't help feeling afraid. I feared of facing him, but I had to. I had to see him. I had to know the answer!

Reaching the first floor, I took a deep breath as I held the doorknob and swung it open in a swift move. I was immediately greeted by the freezing wind of December, and I hugged myself, snuggling more into my thick coat. It didn't take me anytime at all to spot the familiar tall man, standing from afar. I took each step forward slowly, leaving footprints behind on the thick layer of white snow.

He didn't seem to notice my presence. He looked like he was busy thinking of something. His back was leaning to a tree with his arms crossed. What could possibly be on his mind? Was he like me, having so many unanswered questions? He looked so deep in thoughts. His stare was far and distance as he looked at somewhere far away. He looked so… calm.

"Slender…"

Hearing my voice, he immediately turned his head to face me. His posture still looked very collected, but his expression told me otherwise. He looked troubled.

"Konna… Why are you out here so early in the morning?"

"I'm sure you already know why." My voice was so quiet that it almost sounded like a whisper. "I seek answers."

"Answers…"

He looked away for a while, mumbling that word again. His hands slightly gripped his sleeves as he turned his face back to me. "You seek answers… but to what, exactly?"

"Everything that happened last night."

My voice was firm as I said it out loud. He just looked at me without saying anything for a good few seconds. His gaze was stuck on me, and mine was stuck on him as well. He pushed himself off the tree and took a step closer so that he was standing right in front of me.

"I thought I was honest to you last night." His voice sounded so sad and deep.

"You did, but…" I trailed off. "Why me?"

Silence, again.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you choose me, of all people…?" I looked down at the ground, staring at the white snow below. I gripped my chest as I continued. "You've saved my life so many times, and you've tried so much to make me happy, but… why is it me that you're doing so much for? I have nothing special. I'm just an ordinary college student. I haven't done anything for you at all. What have I done to deserve such kindness from you, the Slenderman himself?"

I poured all my feelings out to him, my voice was still small as my eyes were still glued to the ground. I didn't dare look up at him to see what he was doing. For a few minutes, he said nothing, nothing at all. Maybe he was thinking carefully about his response, or maybe there were still questions he couldn't answer himself. Maybe he was waiting for me to answer his questions as well. We stood there in silence, letting the freezing wind passed by. I was eager and impatient to hear his words and finally calm my nervous heart down. But I told myself to stay quiet until he spoke up.

Eventually, he broke the silence.

"Who said that you had nothing special?" He asked. "Or was it you that thought so?"

I stayed quiet.

"You know, Konna… I just realized that I've never told you why I knew you in the first place…"

He bent his tall body down so that his face was the same level as mine. His long and sharp finger gently held my chin and pushed my face up. His hand felt so rough, but his touch was so soft. The weather was so cold, but the way he looked into my eyes made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

"Your house is near this wood, where I live. But to be completely honest with you, I never had any interest in you, despite how close we live… It was your best friend who I was interested in at first."

My eyes widened a little bit. "My best friend? Don't you mean… Delin?"

"Yes, it was your best friend Delin, who you hang out with the most." He nodded. "I'm sure you've already known how much she was a fan of mine. She was crazy over me so much that she caught my attention. She became my next target, and I wanted to see how she'd react when she was actually stalked by the Slenderman himself."

"Then… why didn't she feel anything, not even the static…?" I asked, getting more confused. "Why did it have to be me who had to endure everything…?"

He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry that I caused you so many troubles… But please, let me continue, and you'll know why."

I stared at him for a few seconds before nodding, letting him speak.

"Like many killers, I'll attack my victims when they're alone, so that no one would believe what they went through. But sometimes, I don't choose the time when they're the most vulnerable. I sometimes love seeing my victim in pain in the most… interesting situations, like when they're in front of a lot of people or when they're with someone they often spend time with. "

He trailed off a little before emphasizing the word.

"So I waited and waited for the perfect time to make my first move. And the time finally came. I saw Delin walking in the park near the wood, with you walking beside her. I heard her talking about me again, saying how awesome it'd be to actually meet me. I smirked, imagining how much she'd be scared when she heard the static."

I waited for him to continue. His story was surely very engaging, but I mainly wanted to know exactly how he changed his target.

"So, I came closer and closer, ready to make her scream in pain and feed on her agony… until you turned your head and looked at my direction."

He looked away for a while. He seemed like he was having a hard time talking, and he tried to collect his words.

"I can still remember that moment so clearly that it almost looks like it's happening right now…" He gripped his chest. "I completely forgot about Delin, and all my attention was on you. For a long while, I questioned myself… why didn't I realize such a beautiful woman was so close to me? You skin looked so soft and smooth, your hair was so silky and in such a rich color. And y- your eyes…"

His voice was shaking as he brought his hand up to my cheek and caressed it. His thumb gently touched my eyelashes, and his hand seemed to shiver a little. He stared into my eyes so deeply and passionately that it seemed like his gaze was stuck on me.

"Your eyes… were the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. They were so bright and sparkly, it was like you had the most beautiful stars in them. They reminded me the clearest river, the pretties droplets of rains, the beautiful blue sky of the early morning, the deep sea sparkling under the bright sunshine, and even an entire garden full of blue hydrangea."

I felt like my cheeks were on fire. To be honest, my friends would sometimes compliment me and tell me that I was beautiful. But I'd never actually thought I was that beautiful in his mind. I couldn't stop myself from blushing so much, and my heart beat rapidly again.

"I was very surprised when you said you had nothing special in you. Even with the most attractive women in this entire world, I took no interest in them, not even a slightest bit. But you… you had something unique in you that made me unable to resist staring at you. And at some point, it was too much that I ran away, completely abandoning my plan."

"So…" I spoke up. "That was when you started… stalking me?"

"Well, not really." He shook his head. "I started to question myself why I felt that way. I've stalked so many women in my life, and all of they were mentally hurt. But after realizing your beauty, it was me who got mentally hurt by a woman. For such a very long time, possibly a month, I stayed at home most of the time, questioning why I was feeling that way. I swore I'd never in a state like that. It hurt my head. It was so strange and frustrating that... I started to hate it. It irritated me so much that I wanted it to disappear. I… I wanted you to get hurt, I wanted to make you disappear from my life forever."

I got scared a little bit by his sudden angry tone.

"I started following you, stalking you, giving you the Slender sickness so that you'd slowly go crazy, you'd lost your mind, you'd ruined your beauty yourself, and that'd be when I'd completely be able to get rid of those weird feelings. But the more I hurt you, the more I was hurting myself as well. I cursed myself because the plan was going so well, but then I started to slowly realize something. Instead of hurting you, I wanted to protect you by all mean, even if it cost my own life. And I'd never been willing to sacrifice my life for anyone. That was when I finally accepted the fact that I'd fallen for you. I'd fallen for the first woman ever in my entire life."

After that, he completely went silent and straightened himself up, removing his hand from my face. His entire body was shaking, despite how much he tried to hide it. His face seemed stressed, and his hand was gripping tightly. Unconsciously, I stepped forward and wrapped my arm around him, making him jump in surprise. I rested my forehead on his chest as I whispered.

"Slender…"

"Konna, don't you ever dare say that you haven't done anything to repay me." He held my shoulders tightly, and I looked up at him as he looked back down at me. "You might not notice it, but what've done for me is so much that I can't possibly repay you that easily. You came into my life and you listened to every word of mine. You made me feel loved. You taught me how to… love."

"Slender, I…" I didn't know what to say. I was speechless.

"Konna, please…" He pleaded. "We don't need to be in a romantic relationship, I just want you to understand my feelings and accept me as a friend, like you've done…"

I stayed silent for a short while before chuckling.

"… What are you talking about, Slender?"

I smiled at him. He looked rather surprised by my question.

"Do I look like I'm going to reject you?" I held his hand tightly. "I've finally received my answer, and I've made my final decision. I love you, Slender, and I'll forever be. So please, don't be afraid anymore."

"K- Konna…"

His voice was shaking again, and I could feel it as I was holding his hand. I smiled gently at him to ease his mind. But, unexpectedly, he held my waist and twirled me in the air.

"Thank you, Konna! Thank you!"

He shouted happily, his voice echoed all across the wood. I let out a surprise yelp, wanting to tell him to put me down. But hearing his cheerful shout made me giggle. He looked so happy, it looked like all of his worries were all gone. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel relieved. I no longer feel nervous, and all I was feeling right now was pure happiness.

We finally did it.

It was a long and rough journey. It wasn't easy. It was rocky and filled with obstacles. But with our strong love, we'd finally made it.

Our heart had become one.