Ah, that's right. This is for Rin. She's helped me so much these past few weeks, I feel like I ought to thank her somehow. I approach Rin and hand her the gift. She doesn't take it immediately.
"What's this?" She asks me with skepticism.
"It's your present," I tell her. "From me."
She takes a while to process this. "A present to me from Riki...WHAT?"
"I wanted to thank you for all the time you spent helping me get this together," I explain. "I think, out of everyone here, you're the biggest reason I'm at this party. That's why I made this for you."
"That's...stupid, though," she groans. "Why are you giving me this if you haven't even opened the present I gave you?"
"You gave me a present?" I look at Masato. He's holding up a package wrapped in paper with festive cat patterns, pointing at it with a grin. I walk up and grab the package from him, and walk back to Rin. "Let's open ours together, then."
Rin looks at me in disbelief, before relenting. "...Alright."
"On three," I instruct her, barring my eyes. "One..."
"Two..." She shuts her eyes as well.
"THREE!" We rip apart our presents together. My hands touch upon something fluffy. I peek at the mess of wrapping paper and present. It's...a pair of beige mittens, with brown streaks in a similar pattern to Dorj's fur. I look at Rin.
"These are..." The mittens in her hands are brown, with beige cat prints on the back. Checking the two of them out together, you could see them as two sides of the same coin. I can't help but chuckle at this.
"They're so different," I muse, "But they're made of the same cloth."
"Yeah," Rin stares in awe, "Kinda like..."
KH-CHAK! A dull grind echoes in the cafeteria. The floor beneath us starts to rumble. Everyone in the room grows pale. What's going on?
"Uhhh..." Kyousuke slumps onto the table where he is sitting. No one, besides Rin and I, reacts to it.
"Kyousuke!" Rin runs up to him and attempts to shake him awake. She takes a look at his backside, and gasps. I run up to see what made her jump. His back...has a large cut. It's bleeding profusely.
"Guhhh..." Masato falls over next. I run over to him. His neck and cheek are slashed. How...why is this happening?!
"What's going on?!" I shout as, one by one, Midori, Komari, Saigusa-san, Kurugaya-san, and Kengo all slump in their seats and fall onto the ground. The ground shakes more violently, and the room's walls, columns and ceiling make ugly cracking noises. The school is falling apart!
"Rin! We have to get out of here!" I cry out to her, but she wouldn't hear any of it. She's trying to get Kyousuke on his feet, crying intermittently.
"Kyousuke...Kyousuke, get up...Please, Kyousuke..." She's not gonna get far with him tagging along.
"Rin! We don't have time for this! Let's get out of here!" I grab her hand and pull her towards the door, but Rin pulls back hard.
"NO, NO! KYOUSUKE! KYOUSUKE!" Her grip on Kyousuke is tight. Gah, we're running out of time! I let go of her hand and grab Kyousuke's waist.
"Help me lift! COME ON!" The two of us scramble to lift Kyousuke's corpse, and we make for the door with him in tow. Kyousuke's a lot heavier than I thought. I hope he doesn't slow us down!
"Rin! Run faster!" I shout at her. She doesn't respond, but she does indeed run as fast as possible. I'm finding it hard to keep up with her...
When we reach the exit, we don't stop. We wait until we reach the school gate before stopping to look back. The damage is devastating. Every building, from the school itself to the dorms, is collapsing in on itself. It's almost as if the world itself is losing its ability to live...What did it mean?
Rin and I catch our breath by the snow-covered gate. Kyousuke's body lies, still bleeding, on the snow. I couldn't believe that he and all the other Busters were dead. In one moment, my entire world fell into an inescapable abyss. The jaws of Death feasted on eight good people today, and I can't do anything but be sad about it with the only other survivor.
Rin is so shocked, she can't even cry. She nestles close to Kyousuke's fading warmth, hoping somehow to instill his life back into him. I can't bear to tell her that it's no use, so I just lie back against the cold walls of the school gate. My pair of mittens that Rin gave me, they found themselves stained in Kyousuke's blood. I try to wash it out in the snow, but it's so dark that there's no way to tell if it's completely clean or not.
"Rin," I ask her weakly. "Are you...alright?"
Rin doesn't answer. She continues to cuddle Kyousuke's corpse, her face growing less and less defined in the surrounding darkness. I can't help but feel that what she's feeling – shock, sorrow, fear of the unknown – is my fault. If I didn't give her that pair of mittens...none of this would have happened...
"Rin...I'm sorry," I whisper with a heavy load of guilt. "This was my fault...I...shouldn't have given you those..."
"Riki..." At last, she spoke. Her voice sounds horrible, as if she swallowed a piece of glass. "Kyousuke...he's gone, isn't he?"
"Yes," I reply quietly. "He's gone."
"Riki," she asks. "I don't know what to do..."
"We might...figure something out...tomorrow," I answer unsteadily. "For now...we ought to find shelter."
"Yeah," she nods. Her hand finds my own, and clasps it tightly. It feels cold and weak, but the strength of it proves her desire to live. I grip hers tightly.
"Let's go," I urge her. We stand up, leaving Kyousuke's corpse by the gate, and walk forward.
The walk to the dorm rubble is slow, dark and loud, the once still air now blustering and beating us like drying futons. The ground is unsteady and mountainous, and we can barely stand straight. Rin and I are exhausted. Any shelter we can find from this storm would be more than enough for us tonight.
"Riki," Rin groans weakly. "How much...longer?"
"Not...too much farther," I grunt as I pull her up a particularly steep hill of rubble. "We're basically at the dorms now, so...can't be too far."
"Uuu..." Rin collapses after I pull her up. I try desperately to pull her back on her feet.
"Rin! Get...up! We're...errgh, not there yet!" At that moment, the darkness surrounding us slowly dissipates as the clouds part, and the moon shines brightly above us. I finally see a good view of where we are. Amidst the hurricane of winds beating us, I can spot some intact remnants of the first floor of the girls' dorm. I pick up Rin, who compared to Kyousuke isn't as heavy, and carry her to the half-decimated hallway.
"Who's there?!" I hear someone, clearly a girl, calling out into the night. Is someone still alive?!
"Hello! We're over here!" I call back. Before long, I see a girl walking towards us, panting. From the looks of it, it's Futaki-san. Thank heaven she got out okay.
"Naoe-kun!" She shouts upon seeing me. "What happened?! Where are Haruka and the others?!"
"They're all dead," I relate to her out loud. "They didn't make it out! Rin and I were the only ones to escape!"
"You're kidding!" She screams in surprise. "Follow me! There's a couple rooms still intact!"
We brave the fierce winds another few blocks, before Futaki-san ushers us into an open room. While she shuts and locks the door, I let Rin down on one of the available beds. Futaki-san turns to me while I recover my energy on one of the beds.
"Is...Is Haruka really dead?" Futaki-san asks me again, her voice clinging to the hope that what I said earlier was wrong. "You...must have seen her..."
"I did see her," I exhale exhaustively. "Everyone in that room...just fell over...without warning..."
"Oh my..." Futaki-san covers her mouth while gasping. She seems unable to believe what she heard. I wouldn't blame her if she never trusted me once. I don't make any sort of impression on people.
"I'm sorry..." I can't say much more than that...I'm so exhausted right now...
I must have slept for five minutes before I hear something akin to a thump against the wall. I still feel a little tired and sore, but all I'm concerned about is Rin's safety. I turn towards Rin's bed, and she seems to be sleeping soundly. Therefore, I found little reason to stir out of my bed.
Wait...where is Futaki-san? Did she go to another room to sleep in? I hope that's the case. Furthermore, I hope she's safe, wherever she is. This whole night was tough on all of us. I lie on my back, and try to drift back to sleep...
"Riki," a distant, chilling voice keeps me awake. The voice it belongs to should be long dead, but knowing her, there were few things, if any, that could kill such a being.
"Kud?" I sit up and look in front of me. Standing at the far wall is the moonlit glow of the Reaper, fully robed and accompanied by one of her guardian hounds. Belka, I believe. "What are you doing here?"
"I noticed you and Rin-san were alright," she smiles, looking a little sad. "She must have really liked your present."
"I thought you were dead," I remark. "You and all the other Busters were in that building..."
"Riki," she answers with a serious face. "I've told you before, I should have died long ago."
"I don't remember you saying that," I tell her in disbelief.
"That's right," she smiles in a ghastly, distant way. "I had to erase your memory of that night for the illusion to make sense. Yes, all of the other Busters are dead, because Kyousuke is dead."
"Wh-what do you...mean?" I can't believe what she's saying. She killed everyone?! Why?!
"It's a lot to explain," Kud sighs. "Long story short, Kyousuke needed to go away, so I could take control of this world. From there, it was easy pickings for the spirits of the other Busters. Now I am the Busters, and the Busters in me. Do you understand why I did this?"
"I..." I don't know. I can't imagine why she would do such a thing. It doesn't seem like her at all to give in to the temptation of killing, even if it was her job as a supernatural being. In my sorrow, exhaustion and confusion, I couldn't think. I was beyond words. Kud smiles at me, looking almost like a villain.
"I did it for you, Riki," she answers for me, walking up to my bedside. "I did it so we could live like we used to, eternally in love, forever and ever. I promise never to kill you, unless you absolutely wish for it. My love for you is eternal, and with the souls of the Little Busters, it has grown greater than all of them combined!" The glow of her cloak fades as she climbs onto my bed. Her humanity shows itself in full form as she caresses the skin of my cheek. Her touch is cold and seductive, but it made me feel so warm. "Riki, I love you. Be with me, and me alone...forever."
I have no strength to resist. I want to forget this pain in my heart. I want to forget everything that happened tonight, this trauma is too great. I want to leave everything to her, and we can live in the same passionate love forever...and ever...
"Mm..." Rin tosses about painfully in her sleep. I...almost forgot about her. Where will she be, in my eternal union with Kud? She, the last of the Little Busters, would be all alone. She would die soon. There's no one out there to help her. I'm all she's got...I'm all she's got left!
"NO!" I push Kud away. In her surprise, she stares at me with those same innocent eyes I saw in her long before I knew her as a Reaper. They were silently asking, 'Why? Why do you reject me?' I answer by climbing off the bed, walking up to Rin and kissing her cheek. She's my responsibility, and as her loyal friend, I'll protect her to the end!
"Your eternal love means nothing, if Rin isn't safe and happy," I tell her with a newfound conviction. "If Kyousuke is truly in you, he would have agreed that this isn't right. Maybe you're right; I have no obligation to the Little Busters now that they are dead. But I still have an obligation to Kyousuke to look after his precious little sister! That's right, the mission he gave me...is far from over!"
Kud looks at me in astonishment. What I said sounded pretty embarrassing, but maybe it sounds cool to her. Whatever the case, I hope this is enough to convince her to leave us alone. She ponders what I've said for a moment, Belka also wondering in the corner what her mistress' next command will be. Her pondering...turns into a wicked smile.
"Then...all I have to do is kill Rin...right?" Those are the last words I want to hear from her. Belka starts growling, and he crawls toward me. I hastily put up a defense around Rin, watching Belka's every move. I don't have the strength to actually kill this massive dog, but I can stall him long enough to prevent him from killing Rin.
"That's right, fight Belka," Kud jeers at me. "I'll get to work on Rin-san."
Crap, I can't take Kud on and face Belka at the same time. I need an ally. What can I do to get Futaki-san's attention? Hm...what would Saigusa-san do?
"YAHAHA," I scream crazily into the night in my best Saigusa-san voice. "EVERYONE IS NO FUN, THE LITTLE BUSTERS ARE THE BEST! FUTAKI-SAN IS AN IDIOT!"
This is enough to at least distract Kud and confuse Belka long enough for me to grab Belka's snout. He snarls and tries to open his jaw the best he can, but I manage to use all my strength to pin him against the wall and kick him. I kick his legs, his male pride and his stomach as hard as I can. Belka drools and whimpers in pain with each successive kick. I drop him at this point and focus the rest of my energy on stopping Kud.
"Kud," I cry out to her. "Stop this now!"
She simply laughs, pulling out her scythe. I run up and grab the upper part of her scythe. There isn't much of a struggle, as she's strong enough to flail me around like a kite. As her scythe nears its trajectory, I manage to connect my feet onto Rin's arm. This instills enough of a reaction to wake her up!
"Ow! What on-" She sees me struggling with Kud, and gasps. "Uwah!"
At that point, Belka regains his strength and leaps onto Rin. Rin reacts just in time to return a kick to his male pride. Belka whimpers and falls onto the floor.
"That's enough!" Kud manages to throw me off her scythe and try another blow. Rin dodges just in time, the blade embedding itself in the mattress. She runs along the length of the pole and gives Kud a fierce kick in her face. WHAP!
"Wafuu!" Kud stumbles backward onto my bed. Rin doesn't stop there; she jumps down, minding the scythe's pole, and kicks her in several places, screaming, "DON'T! EVER! HURT! RIKI! AGAIN!"
Rin eventually gets too tired to kick Kud, who is thoroughly bruised and bloodied at this point, looking too exhausted to move. I get up myself, and catch Rin just in time. All of us are looking worse for wear, especially poor Belka, who may never be able to make little Strelkas or Belkas again. Thankfully, Futaki-san steps into the room soon after that.
"What's going...Holy crap!" She observes the damage taken to this room, and to us. She runs up to us and asks, "Are you guys okay?! What happened here?!"
I tell her everything in a whisper, as that's the best I can manage. She looks at Kud, then at the embedded scythe on the bed, as I recount to her what happened. From the look on her face, she seems to believe everything. Thank heaven, I'm glad she's here.
"This room is tarnished," she observes. "Go take another room. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do about Noumi-san and Belka."
"Thank you..." I feel as though I can leave everything to her. I walk out of the room, taking one last look at Kud before I do.
The remainder of the night, thankfully, is uneventful. Rin and I wake up about the same time the following morning, warmer than we could ever hope to be. Futaki-san steps in shortly after, wishing us a good morning with an added yawn. I haven't seen her so messy and sleep-deprived before. I feel a little warmer inside knowing how human she can be.
She told us that Kud and Belka left somewhere shortly before we woke up. She did not know where they went; only that it was probably somewhere they wouldn't be able to bother anyone. That sounds like the Kud I know. I'm glad she came back to her senses.
We found the bodies of the Busters underneath the rubble of the school, and we retrieved Kyousuke's from the school gate. It took some time, but we gave them all proper burials. Futaki-san was the most devastated by Saigusa-san's disfigured body, and couldn't bear to look at it until we sufficiently buried it. As we look at our finished work, I began to wonder just what was next for us. Rin and Haruka...they had families to go back to...but I didn't. Where would I go?
As I was thinking this, Rin turns to me and asks, "Riki...what's gonna happen to you? Where will you be going...after this?"
"I don't know," I answer simply. "I might go home to my distant relatives' place, tell them about the situation. They'll probably put me in a different school."
"Away from me?" She asks, her eyes looking low to the ground.
"More than likely," I nod. "We may never see each other again after this, so..."
She sniffs, and clasps my mitten-clad hand with her own. "Riki...I don't want you to go!"
She sobs profusely in front of me. I can't help but tear up myself, looking at her cry like that. I...don't want her to go either. Unfortunately, I can't do much about it. That's just how this world is. It's cold and uncaring, and the only warmth we have is what we make of ourselves. I promised Kyousuke I would take care of her. Thus, I feel like it's only right to stay close to her for the rest of my life.
"Rin," I offer to her, wiping away my tears. "How would you like to come with me?"
She sniffs. "But...my family..."
"It's up to you," I tell her. "If you want, I can let you go to your parents' place, and ask them to take me in. It's the best we can do right now. I'll tell my folks in kind. But that's only if you really want to stay with me."
"I..." She sniffs again. "I want to be with you...forever."
"Are you sure?" I ask her one last time. I have to know how much she means it. This...could be the moment she's been looking for.
"Yes..." She answers almost immediately. "Yes, Yes! I want this! I really want to be with you! I really want to be with you forever!" She embraces me quickly, catching me a little off-guard. I return her embrace, at which point she asks, "Riki...Is this...love?"
"I...I think it is," I tell her truthfully. "If you love me that much, Rin...I'll stay with you forever."
"Forever..." She chuckles while trying not to cry again. "It sounds like a really long time."
"I don't think it'll feel all that long," I answer, deeply embracing her in the last white remnants of our dying world. "As long as we're together."
Mission Complete!
Hey everyone, EisenKoubu here for the usual author's comments. Surprised I waited until now? I felt it was appropriate. ^^
This whole story took a week to write, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how big it got since I made the initial outline. The whole first act was made up on the spot, and the second act evolved tremendously from the initial notes. It's quite honestly my favorite part of the whole story, next to the epilogue that you just read. The third act was a little rushed since I had to meet a deadline, but I thought it turned out quite good as well. It's the closest to how I originally envisioned it, at least.
As for the endings, it's not hard to figure out that I consider Rin's the true end. However, I loved writing the other two endings as well. They help close up some plot threads rather nicely. I almost didn't finish Rin's, because I was really exhausted writing this by the time I got to her. I realized the next morning that her ending as I left it was too dark, so I wrote the rest to make it a little happier, but still filled with the pain of loss. In fact, this isn't a very humorous Little Busters fic at all. Humor isn't really my strong suit; high-stakes drama is. I'm still learning about writing, and after changing my major recently, I'm learning at a much faster pace, so hopefully I can make up for my current weaknesses in the near future. :3
To everyone that enjoyed this story to the end, thank you so much for reading! I'm glad that I was able to write a story this long after finishing an equally large original story fairly recently. Please look forward to my next fic whenever I come up with one, and have a joyful and merry Christmas! ^o^/