Summary: 5 times Hanako didn't kiss Yashiro and 1 time she did
Nose
Hanako was by no means an unfair apparition, if anything he would actually argue he was the most fair ghost you could ever find inside this school. He was always giving apparitions second chances even after they've caused havoc at the school, it was the whole reason he even found a human assistant, he wanted a way to help change rumours to prevent him from having to eliminate anybody.
However, this sense of fairness was greatly tested today when he spent a whole hour consoling a wailing Yashiro in his bathroom, all because one older boy had mentioned her apparent "chubby face" in passing.
"I-I thought it was just my ankles that were holding me back, but it was my face too?! Is that why no one will look at me?"
Ah yes, as soon as this day comes to a close, Hanako will definitely be sharpening his knife in preparation for war. It's one thing to cause a couple students to go missing here and there, but it was an entirely different matter to reduce his assistant to tears over a callous comment. Whoever this boy was, he clearly had a death wish that Hanako-san of the toilet was all too happy to grant.
But that wasn't the priority right now, no, his attention was entirely on the girl crying over one of the sinks as she named every flaw she could make out in the mirror. His heart ached with every sob, every wail, every drop of tear and every shaky intake of breath that emitted from her frail human body.
Yet, as he draped his figure over her back and loops his arms over her neck in a comforting hold, Hanako finds that no matter what sweet nothings he whispered in her ear to make her feel better, Yashiro would deflect them all effortlessly as though she had been doing so her entire life— which in hindsight was probably true given her low self-esteem.
However, it only served to increase his frustrations and strengthen the urge to give into the sweet temptation to commit another grave sin. If it would get her to stop crying, he would accept the punishment in full and spend the rest of eternity in hell.
"Hanako-kun, am I really nothing more than just an ugly daikon?"
The complete and utter anguish in her tone broke something inside of him; Hanako swiftly finds he's situating himself on top of the sink Yashiro was crying over, taking her soaked cheeks in his hands and squishing them together until her lips resemble a fish.
She briefly stops her weeping, only to gaze at him with a bright starry-eyed hopeful look that Hanako knew meant he couldn't mess up his next words.
Was his throat always this dry?
"Yashiro… Y-You're like strategically arranged carbon atoms!"
He doesn't need to look in the mirror behind him to know his face is burning bright red, it wouldn't even surprise him to learn that Yashiro could feel the heat emitting from his usually bitter cold touch. Despite every nerve and instinct in his body screaming at him to cover up his vulnerability with a joke, to hide away the side of him that wasn't quite Hanako— rather was the long-forgotten Amane— but regardless he was determined to push forward for the sake of the girl before him with (surprisingly) squeezable cheeks.
Besides… if he doesn't follow up soon, Hanako was sure he would receive a very painful headbutt if the way Yashiro's features were beginning to scrunch up was any indication at all. Yet when he tried, the words wouldn't leave his throat, dying before he even had a chance to breathe them, because for some reason his thoughts traitorously turned to her button nose and how kissable it was against her adorably squished face.
Truly the older boy didn't know what he was missing, none of those boys who've rejected her do. If it were at all possible, Hanako would give the world just to have been born in the same year as her— if only to give him a mere fighting chance of being with her.
He would treat her so much better than those other guys, thoughts of her being ugly wouldn't even have the time to enter her mind because he would do everything in his power to love her for all she's worth. Every inch of her was worth more than a thousand stars, from the very tips of her toes, all the way up to her nose and beyond. He would love every single part of her—
"H-Hanako-kun, w-w-what are you doing?!"
His eyes blink open (when did he close them?), only to find he's met with the porcelain skin of Yashiro's forehead, while the faintest touch of something soft brushed against his lips. It takes a moment for his brain to catch up, but it doesn't take long before Hanako becomes a stuttering mess as he all but scrambles away from her and a joke about daikons slips out.
In the end, as he's being headbutted by a no-longer crying Yashiro, Hanako realises he never did finish off what he wanted to tell her.
"You're like strategically arranged carbon atoms! Because you shine like a diamond."
Lips
There weren't many things in this world that phased Hanako much anymore, being the ghost of a murderer for 50 years and being the leader of the 7 wonders tends to have that sort of effect. He's seen (and has even been) the demise of many, many, apparitions over the years; he's even seen some of the humans in this school meet their grave.
After a certain point it all starts to blend together and he's learned to not dwell on it anymore than what was necessary, otherwise his poor heart wouldn't be able to cope.
Yet, when he was forced to face the truth he was already aware of from the beginning, he hadn't been prepared for how much it would destroy him. He knew he had gotten too attached to Yashiro, but it only became painfully obvious after he was clutching her dead body to him like a lifeline, trying to fool everyone around him that he didn't care was the hardest thing he's had to do in the longest time.
After all was said and done, when time was reset and Yashiro was alive again while not remembering a single thing, Hanako wanted nothing more than just to be left to his own thoughts as he gazed up at the sky on the school rooftop.
He thinks that perhaps it was time he started to distance himself before he became even more attached to her. It would be for the best for the both of them, Yashiro should be spending her final days with her human loved ones and he doesn't think he could handle watching her die with a smile on his face.
"Ha~na~ko-kun!"
As though sensing his thoughts, Yashiro appears before him on the school rooftop, making her way towards him with a skip in her step and sits herself beside him comfortably.
Her mouth was moving animatedly but he couldn't focus on her words, instead he numbly accepts the letter she was proudly pushing into his open palms. Lazily skimming over the words, he quickly pieces together he was looking at a love letter that Yashiro has seemingly received…
Oh, but it's addressed to Aoi.
The thought of telling her crosses his mind, but when his gaze lands on her all he can see is her dull magenta hues and pasty pale skin from before. He doesn't even have the energy to grimace, has his image of her been forever tainted with that sinful sight? Hanako doesn't want to look at her if all he'll see is her death, he wants to remember her for how full of life she had been, at how she had made him feel human again for the briefest of time—
Look at him, he's already thinking about her as though she's dead.
She asks him if they should go destroy No. 1's yorishiro, and Hanako considers it for a moment before ultimately deciding against it.
"There are a lot of reasons… but most of all, No. 1's power could come in handy."
He still needs her— his kannagi— to destroy the other yorishiros, so he may have to manipulate her time a bit to accomplish that. But, as much as he almost desperately repeated that in his head like a broken record, he knew that wasn't the real reason he didn't want to destroy the yorishiro yet.
Hanako wasn't ready to let go of Yashiro just yet.
And again, as though she had been sensing his thoughts, Yashiro surprises him by clutching the front of his black uniform out of nowhere; pulling him so she could plant a tender kiss on his cheek. Even going as far as to repeat his own words back at him, telling him that she was casting a spell to help him feel better.
It sent his mind into a wild frenzy and Hanako didn't know what to do with himself. All he could do was look away as he willed himself to calm down, to allow the frantic beating in his chest to slow, for the clamminess building up in his palms to dry and to squash down the urge to turn around, reach out for her and— and do something! Something he definitely would regret as a school mystery, but savour as Amane Yugi.
God he really wants to touch her right now.
"Don't do that."
With his cheeks still burning hot, Hanako turns and softly cups the back of Yashiro's head as he pulls her to him. Her own cheeks were just as equally red and it encourages him to instinctively caress his thumb alongside her bottom lip. He gulps at the softness of the pink flesh and the intense desire to meet it with his own mouth becomes overwhelming.
All he had to do was close the distance and—
"You're a girl. You have to be more careful, okay?"
Because if she's not, Hanako isn't sure he would be able to stop himself from claiming her lips right there and then. And he definitely wouldn't be able to stop himself once he's had a taste, he would gladly drown himself in everything that was Yashiro until all could think was her. He wanted to both consume and be consumed by the very girl in front of him, and he dared to think that it almost looked like she felt the same way.
It takes all of Hanako's willpower to not close the miniscule distance between them, and instead switch his focus to her ear as he whispers the overlooked detail about her so called "love letter."
He takes Kou's unexpected intrusion as an excuse to leave, his cheerful whistling was drowned by the phantom pounding of his decayed heart, drumming in time with the new realisation and resolve building up inside of him. There was no denying it at this point, he was completely and hopelessly in love with Yashiro.
And he decided that he was going to save her, no matter the cost.
Neck
It wasn't very often Hanako saw Yashiro without her long signature ombre hair spilling over her back. A few times he's seen her hair out into braids, but he was always quick to unravel them at the first given opportunity. He was always fond of running his fingers through the delicate cream locks, relishing in their silky feeling against his translucent skin and breathing Yashiro's strawberry scented shampoo (not that he ever told her that last bit).
So when he decided to take her and Kou to the star festival to prevent a date-like setting between the two of them, the last thing Hanako expected was for his long-dead heart to skip a non-existent beat.
"What do you think of my yukata?"
Something deep inside himself screamed at him and the faintest memory of a festival from so long ago reared its head, but it was too hazy for him to make any sense of it or even see any clear figures. Right now all he could see was Yashiro, in her yukata that hugged her curves in the right places, with her hair pulled into a bun at the side, leaving her delicate quaint neck exposed for all to see.
Out of everything he's seen in his 50-year-sentence within the girl's bathroom, somehow Yashiro's neck became the most erotic thing he's ever had the pleasure of stumbling upon, and what was left of his rational brain couldn't quite figure out why that was.
Throughout their time at the festival, Hanako found he simply couldn't keep his eyes off her. Every chance he got, he drank in the sight of her slender neck no longer hidden behind her hair. He's sure that if Kou hadn't been so focused on trying to collect all the coloured tags then he would have been exorcised to the farshore by now, but even so he couldn't pull his gaze away for more than a moment. There was just something about the soft flesh that he wanted to do with, something that would keep others like Kou away and mark her as his—
He shook his head of the lecherous thoughts threatening to plague his mind and focused on consoling his human companions as they whined over the tags they couldn't collect.
When night was beginning to come to an end, Hanako thought he had managed to safely traverse the situation without arousing any suspicion. He even managed to have fun alongside the other two as they played the stall games and ate their food together, for a brief moment he allowed himself to pretend that their situations didn't exist and that they were just human friends at a human festival.
Of course, all that was promptly shattered when Yashiro went flying into a nearby building after being collided into by a cow of all things.
Kou, and even Yako to a certain extent, fretted with worry as Hanako carried her on his back over to a quieter area, which was understandable given that the secret of Yashiro's short lifespan was only recently revealed. Yet despite that he, for some unfathomable reason, wasn't worried at all. Somehow he just knew this was meant to happen and that she would wake up on her own in due time.
How he knew this he couldn't say, but Hanako was sure there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
Unfortunately, Yashiro was still out cold as the fireworks display started, but thankfully it distracted Kou from his worrying and sobbing as he watched the colourful display in the clear night sky. Hanako had every intention of joining him, but with every bang there was a flash of light that seemed to precariously illuminate the exposed flesh he's been so careful to avoid all this time.
He swallowed. Another flash of colour lit the sky, momentarily bathing Yashiro in an enticing red that was just begging him to ravish her. He swallowed again. And before he knew it his body had drifted itself over to her side, like a moth to flame, his molten gaze zoning intensely on the minuscule beating of her pulse under the slender skin of her neck.
As his finger trails down her jaw, tilting her chin up to make the perfect gap, Hanako wonders if her flesh tasted as nice as it looked, if it would still be as captivating if he left a mark, if he would even be able to stop once he started.
And the more he wondered, the more he wanted to lean down and find out.
Another bang echoed and a flash of innocuous white briefly douses Yashiro's sleeping form, snapping Hanako out of his sinful thoughts and giving him the burst of energy needed to rip himself away. With a swift tug to the brim of his cap, the suspicious red staining Hanako's cheeks was hidden under the safety of his school hat as he internally scolds himself— this was not how a school mystery should be acting.
After that, Hanako makes a point to keep a respectable distance away and avoids looking at his assistant's delectable skin for the rest of the night.
Forehead
"Why? Why are you just doing whatever you want like this? I don't know what you're thinking at all…"
The betrayal in her tone, the look of utter despair in her eyes and the tears rolling down her cheeks were all almost enough to shatter his resolve. This was exactly what Hanako had been trying to avoid when he put her inside the cell, all he wanted was for her to live on in a happy daydream without ever learning of her cruel fate. He never wanted to see her drown in the hopelessness that was currently consuming her, but rather he only ever wanted her to soar with the radiating happiness she was always filled with.
But perhaps in the end, that had simply been too selfish of a wish. After all he knows better than anybody, every wish comes with a price.
And this right here, was the price of his.
As much as he wanted to though, he can't go back. Not now. He'll accept her tears if it means he never has to see her magenta eyes dull as he holds her cold lifeless body again. Nothing could ever compare to that moment when Mirai had touched Yashiro— the moment his closely guarded secret was ripped from the closet he had hidden so well until that point.
But… this was almost just as painful.
His body moves on its own, silently making his way over to her to cheer her up like he always does. His arms reach out to hold her one last time, to burn the memory of her warm body against his for all of eternity.
"Why, you ask? Why would I be doing this?"
The urge to laugh tickles his throat at his own question, why else would he possibly be doing all of this? Why else would he allow the existence of this fake world which represents everything he hates? And why else would he betray Yashiro and Kou like this after everything they've been through? To him the answer is so obvious that a blind person could see.
It's because he loves her.
And it's because he loves her that it hurts all the more to see Yashiro flinch away from his touch, like she was afraid of him. It had almost been enough for him to abandon everything and break the cell that confined her himself, but instead he simply cups her wet cheeks, not at all caring about how her tears trailed down his hand and merely takes in her appearance one last time.
Underneath the red and puffiness of her eyes, the heart-breaking whimpers slipping past her downturned lips and her tightly knitted brows; Hanako couldn't help but think she was still the most beautiful girl he has ever laid eyes upon. He wanted nothing more than to bring her back to the real world with him like he doesn't doubt she wants, but this was all for her own good, she just doesn't know it yet.
Or at least if he keeps telling himself that, then maybe one day he'll believe it.
He leans forward, the grip on her cheeks tilts her head to just the right angle, and for the briefest moment Hanako's lips almost caresses Yashiro's forehead before he diverts at the last second to resting his chin on her shoulder, pulling her as physically close as the bars between them would let him.
It doesn't escape his attention that her arms stay limp at her side, that for the first time she doesn't return his embrace like she always would before. Whatever misguided trust she had in him had long been shattered by his betrayal, and he won't ever have the chance to gain it back. He's never coming back after this and perhaps deep-down Yashiro knew that.
In the end though, it doesn't matter because…
"I'm going to save you, Yashiro."
Cheek
There was once a time where Hanako would've had absolutely no trouble casting the protection charm on Yashiro. It was as simple as summoning his knife from the depths of his gut, and as easy as him deflecting anything that was becoming too personal for him. A mere kiss on the cheek had been nothing to him back then.
Hanako sometimes finds he almost misses those days.
Now the mere thought of his lips even ghosting over the curve of Yashiro's cheek was enough to send his heart into a frenzy. His palms tremble as they become hot and clammy with sticky sweat; his ears pound frantically with the sound of a heartbeat he no longer had and it suddenly becomes difficult to think of anything other than how soft her warm porcelain skin looks— at how much he wants to tenderly run his fingers all over to relish in the feeling and never let go.
So when they became trapped inside No. 6's boundary with danger lurking around every corner; being detained by one of his puppets— that Sumire girl— until further notice, Hanako knew he really should of casted that charm that would have offered Yashiro that little bit of extra protection. The one he's been holding off bestowing ever since he realised just how precious and beautiful she was, after all what right did his translucent dead lips have to touch any part of her?
"You're being perverted, saying you want to come with us while taking a bath. Or Gon, could it be you want to see Nene naked?"
It dawned on him how effortlessly Yashiro had been ripped away from him, at how easily Sumire had manipulated him to not follow as they went into the bath. What if she had more malicious intentions than simply bathing and he wasn't there to protect Yashiro from it? The thought terrified him more than he was ever comfortable sharing, but yet he still couldn't find himself to do anything because he was even more terrified of Yashiro hating him.
The protection charm nagged at the back of his mind since that moment, continued to bug him when Yashiro came back and harassed him all the way up until she fell asleep while he kept watch.
If there was ever a time to cast it, then it would have been at that very moment. Nobody was watching him, Yashiro would never know unless something happened and it shielded her from an attack— but nothing would happen because he would be right there to protect her. It was such a simple action that would have given both him and her some peace of mind, Hanako could breathe a little easier knowing she was safe even if he was just a second too slow…
With shaky hands he lightly brushes away the strands of her silky ombre hair that clung to her skin, his eyes gazed intensely at the spot he was going to aim for, the softest part of her cheek just under the cheekbone.
Just a quick peck, he'd be so quick that it was like he never even touched her.
He swallowed, then dived, lips puckering for the impact, his ghostly muscles already prepared for the hasty retreat he would be making. Thoughts on why this was necessary filled his mind, like they were desperately trying to drown out the other thoughts of how he was going to kiss the girl he's in love with—
Hanako froze, trembling lips mere inches away from Yashiro's skin.
He couldn't do it. It was too much for his undead heart to take. He grew angry and frustrated at himself, trying to will himself to close the miniscule gap between them and get it over with. This was more than just about his feelings, this could potentially save Yashiro's life and he was being pathetic over a stupid kiss. It's not like it meant anything, it didn't mean anything the first time he bestowed her the charm and it doesn't have to mean anything now.
With that in mind, he forces himself to lean forward, squeezing his eyes tightly in anticipation and fiercely ignoring the warmth radiating from the body before him…
"Are you still up, Gon?"
In the end, Hanako never managed to cast that protection charm, and the next day he never forgave himself for it as he raced to stop the wedding.
+1
The signs were all there well before this point, but she couldn't deny it anymore, not after everything they've been through and certainly not after he romantically saves her from her own sacrificial wedding. Yashiro was in love with the ghostly apparition who she was bound to by the mermaid scales— she was in love with Hanako.
But Sumire had told her it was a taboo subject, even the brief memories Yashiro witnessed seemed to imply that supernaturals weren't capable of reciprocating such emotions, everything was pointing to the idea that perhaps Hanako didn't care for her on the same level that she did for him. The mere thought of that was enough for her heart to shrivel up on itself and for the corners of her eyes to sting with hot tears.
It couldn't be true, there was no way Hanako didn't at least like her. She didn't want to believe that all the near-kisses they've experienced was just all fun and games to him—
But then he did confess to her that one time to just lure out an apparition…
No, she wasn't going to spend another pointless amount of time worrying over something so trivial. If her senpai from middle school had taught her anything, it was that she needs to be proactive in making her feelings across, there was no point worrying silently for an indefinite amount of time then being rejected anyway. And Yashiro doesn't have time to be worrying about whether Hanako likes her back or not.
She just has to go for it.
And that's exactly what she does, the minute the two of them are out of harm's way after nearly falling off the cliff and being teleported to where they had originally started inside No. 6's boundary, Yashiro doesn't waste anymore time. She marches right up to Hanako, all the while trying to not trip in her strange new clothes she was nearly sacrificed in, and grabs a tight fistful of the front of his black gakuran; plunging her lips against his in a kiss she hopes conveys everything she was feeling in that moment.
She expected Hanako to fluster, to back away confused, yet instead he responds so quickly, so fiercely, that it was her who almost backs away in confusion. An arm snakes around her waist, tugging her closer and deepening the kiss, Yashiro couldn't help but melt as she happily responds by looping her arms round his neck.
For a brief moment, time became a meaningless number as the two became lost in each other. The line between what was Hanako and what was Yashiro blurred, the two continued to pull themselves closer and closer but they still weren't close enough—
"Oh I didn't realise I was interrupting! Sorry about that ~❤ "
Hanako was the first to pull away and as quick as lightning he was in front of Yashiro, guarding her with his knife from the girl who had very nearly caused her demise. Whatever their relationship was, whatever that kiss just meant, it was going to have to wait.
But there was no way Yashiro was going to let Hanako sweep this under the rug, and there was no way Hanako was going to let her go after all of this.
