Mission Report

The rain is welcome on his face.

Cold trails of water wash down his face, mingling with the tears already present.

The rooftop is lonely, vacated of all people. Border is silent, its walls saturated with loss. Reiji absentmindedly looks over the edge of the roof, wondering how long it would take to fall.

His white shirt, usually crisp and clean, gradually fills with water and sticks to his skin, hiding nothing.

The rooftop used to be a place of joy. Even now, the carefully planted chrysanthemums bob in the rain.

From the sidewalk below the building, Jin watches and sighs.

He exchanges a worried look with Konami before turning away, back to the light of Tamakoma.

Reiji howls, a heartbreaking wail of grief, falling to his knees on the cement floor. In his hands is a piece of paper, gradually disintegrating as the water does its work. Ink smudges over the mission report from the last neighborhood mission.

In a daze, he walks down the stairs. Kido shakes his head as he walks by.

Continuing down the familiar roads, he walks to the riverbank.

his place.

A lone tree arches over the water, a branch close to the ground, empty.

where he sat.

Clambering messily up the slick trunk of the old tree, he looks at the heart carved into the wood.

his writing.

He leans his back against the trunk, twirling a white chrysanthemum in his fingers, and heaves out a sob. The mission report flutters to the ground.

Neighborhood Expedition 5

Report

1 missing, 1 dead

Utagawa Ryo, MIA

Kazama Soya, KIA: Pronounced dead from blood loss 14:08

Reiji reached into his pocket for the picture.

him

Never again will he get another moment shared cuddling with a movie, never again will he be able to cook katsu-don curry with him at his shoulder, never again will Soya ever stare at the stars with that look of wonder, not knowing that Reiji is staring at him, so brilliant, so bright that no star can ever compare.

The picture falls to the grounds as well, raindrops falling on the faces like tears.

A/N:

So you thought it was fluff and slice-of-life. Have some angst. Poor Reiji, it's too fun to write him brooding. Also this is super late oops.

-WorTri