HEY. I was supposed to upload this in the morning but I ended up reading a webtoon. Ahahaha? Warning you now but this chapter is extremely cheesy. T-T Am I late? Ihavenoupdateschedule, pleaseforgiveme. ^~^

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

Chapter 27

Groggily I slammed down my alarm clock blaring in my ears. Only it seemed to be louder than before and continuously rung throughout my head. A dull throb thumped inside my skull. Could you count this as a hangover?

Why do we have school today? Why can't I fast forward to Saturday already?

And I have to face Enma.

I seriously don't know how I'm going to get through this day. With that thought in mind, I dove into my blankets again where I was unable to sleep any longer.

Why can't I live in my blankets?

Urgh, my alarm's going off again. Like my sanity restraint.

URGH.

"You look pretty pale again today. Are you okay?" Enma was one of the first to comment on my 'wellbeing' as they call it.

I don't need people telling me that I look slightly pale. If you didn't notice, there are bathrooms with mirrors in our school.

No Anna, don't go for the sass remark. Just leave it be.

So instead I grumbled a response that sounded very similar to my stomach whilst laying on my table. Hopefully he gets the gist of what I'm saying.

Also if you want to ask whether or not I'm still hung over Enma killing my parents, I'm COMPLETELY fine.

Honestly.

Like seriously.

Okay maybe that was a white lie but how the hell are you meant to forgive a friend for killing your parents?

Could it be that I trusted him before? No, screw that answer. If that was the case then I'd be living in a shoujo manga. This situation is still rather odd in my eyes.

Well, fuck this shit.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Don't just ignore me Anna." He lifted up strands of my hair to get a better look at my face. Shifting my gaze away from him, I continued to mumble incoherent words.

Anyways how could he be mafia? He doesn't seem strong enough to fend off bullies at school.

I think that his 'future' self was just fucking with me. Yeah, that's it. He was just playing with me, he's not in the mafia and he didn't kill my parents. Seems like a logical explanation, doesn't it?

"At least look at me then." He repositioned my head so that his eyes were exactly opposite mine. A redness spread on my face and I immediately pulled out of his grip.

"I-I-I'm f-fine! Really, truly f-fine!" Why is this happening?

…

This can't be happening to me. Oh my goodness, this cannot be happening right now. Holy shit.

Well, I can truly prove that I am part of a shoujo manga. Definitely.

Laugh I dare you…then again you are just imaginary voices in my head.

I am utterly crazy as of now.

My legs kept twitching. My brain was working overtime. I could never keep a clear mind during the rest of the school day. It felt like I was living in a daze that I couldn't snap out of.

Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.

When I should be hating him, I fall in love with him! What the heck is with this reality?

Then again, Yamamoto's voice rings in my ears again. I remembered the brief conversation I had with him in our limited time together.

You know he's not a bad guy.

I know that. Enma's probably still carrying a burden of killing one of his friend's parents. I…just don't understand that.

No, no, that's not the way you should be thinking. You DON'T like him. Isn't that right? Your mind is just playing tricks on you again. Ha! Haha…

Fuck life.

"Anna? Class is over already. You've been looking more like a ticking time bomb each time I look at you. Hey, are you even listening to me? Hey? Did you know that you look like a donkey? There's a spaceship outside and Gokudera's getting abducted Hey, hellooo?"

Cogs in my brain had only started churning after hearing the words 'class is over'. Hip hip hooray. Finally, now there's nothing blocking me from going home.

Other than his period blood eyes (that were looking into my soul)…

Crap did I say that aloud?

"Hey! They're not period blood coloured!"

Internally I smirked and I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at his response.

"Then what about your eyes? It looks like the sky pooped on them."

"That's better than having period blood in your eyes. Just like in your hair. Is that how your hair is so red?"

It would be easy for anyone listening to the conversation to tell that Enma was mentally facepalming repeatedly from his facial expression.

"My hair is just red. I don't understand how you manage to relate everything to my hair. Does your life revolve around my hair or something?"

"It revolves around finding out why your hair is period blood coloured."

"I don't understand you sometimes. Honestly."

"Really? Maybe I was just created with a little more 'creativity' than other people."

"Actually, you're just weirder in general. Slowly slipping into insanity, also a very credible possibility. Ah that's right, you don't need to come by my place today, I actually understood today's theory lesson."

"Wow, you understood something in class. Congratulations on being one step closer to graduating."

"…"

"Why am I so rude? I don't even know."

On that note we silently walked our way home. We had been the third last to leave so the sky was already beginning its descent into darkness.

During our brief conversation, all worries about him were thrown out the window and left there. But now, when we're both quiet, they seem to be returning one by one.

Is he really part of the mafia?

Did he kill both of my parents?

Is Enma lying to me?

Do I actually know the true Enma?

My memories have returned, yet I can't seem to believe a single vivid memory. It's real, very real. There's no denying that even if these memories of mine turned out to be fake. I-I just don't know what to make of it.

Yes I'm happy that I got my memories. Trying to understand what is happening and what happened previously is proving a bit of a bother though.

"Hey E-Enma, what do you think of the mafia?"

"It's…bad? I'm not too sure. Why do you ask?"

That smile is not enough compensation for a shit answer especially with the look of confusion hidden in his eyes. Giving such a half assed answer is annoying. Why won't he just give me a straight answer?

"I learnt something the other day. You're in the mafia, you told me yourself and I regained all my lost memories. So, answer me honestly, what do you think of the mafia?"

"It's a bad place."

"Are you seriously not going to tell me? I know who you are!" A distinct crack was heard near the end of my sentence. We had already stopped our dawdling back home.

In that moment, he smiled a little and blankly stared into my eyes.

"Do you really know me though? I'm a bad person, that's why I'm in the mafia. If you knew the true me, you wouldn't be able to stand here like you do now. So, tell me, do you really know me?"

And when his voice faded off into silence, it was like an arrow to the heart.

Continuously staring back into his eyes, I would not back down from a fight.

"Do I know you? Do I fucking know you? Yeah, I ask myself that too. And I came up with an answer. I don't know you. I don't know a THING about you."

"That's why you should stay away from me. I'm not-"

"But I'm willing to get to know you! I want to get to know that person that hides under mountains of bruises and bandages!"

"You don't want to!"

Now we stood face to face in the middle of the pavement, firmly standing our ground, neither backing down. Why was he so resolved to get me out of his life?

"WHY NOT!? What the fuck is wrong with getting to know you?"

"I'm dangerous, you'd die the second people learn about you! Why do you care so much about me? I don't have the best looks, grades or sense of humour! I'm a no one at school. You shouldn't even know me!"

Maybe it had been the slight glare in my eyes that caused for him to wait for the impact on his cheek. Maybe it had been my body language that gave me away. Maybe he knew I would be hurt by his words.

Even though I wanted to slap him to make him realise that he was special, my hand halted. He reminded me so much of his future version when I had slapped him. Pained eyes filled with regret that I could not bear to see again. A type of grief that he shouldered for a very long time.

As I engulfed him in my arms, he obviously flinched from the contact but settled cosily as if we fit like puzzle pieces.

"Because…I love you…"

…What kind of confession was that?

For an odd reason, it slipped out of my mouth. No idea on what my embarrassed self was supposed to do next, I tried pulling out of the hug.

With no success.

This pounding felt like someone was continuously stomping on my heart. Which translates to: I'm about to die from this.

"H-hey, l-let me go."

"Thank you for making me feel better."

Then he did the most bizarre thing that I didn't really believe could ever happen. He nuzzled my head.

…

Did he just-?

He did.

What has this world come to?

Whilst my brain worked in overdrive, my heart pumped in overtime. Blank spaces began popping into my head when I was still trying to understand him.

Then he finally released his firm hold.

"You should probably be going home now. It's going to get dark real soon. And-"He leaned in, close to my ear and whispered, "I love you too."

Basically the only thing going through my head was holy shit.

Chuckling at my response, he decided to take it one step further by pecking me on my cheek.

Without waiting any longer he started going back home too. Throwing a wave at me, I saw his figure moving further and further away. My arm unconsciously said goodbye for me and I watched his retreating figure stumbling every few steps.

Deciding that it was time to go home, my smile would not falter as I leisurely sauntered back to my house.

Going up the stairs to my room, Nana called out to me.

"You look happy, did something happen?"

"No, well, yes maybe?"

The relief in her eyes was surprising. Had she been waiting for me to become happy again? To become happy after I had lost everything?

She truly amazed me in how well she understood others. Like Enma. I had seen the relief in his eyes when he left as well.

So I guess I forgave him in the end? His older version had told me to forgive him for my parent's deaths, at least I can tick that box off.

I felt as though I had washed off the blood on his hands.

Gah! Stop thinking about this! Shower, yes I have to go and get a shower!

Upstairs, it became painfully obvious that a certain brunette would not stand a chance against his red haired friend in a game of love. Quietly, he told himself that he would get over it…with time (and his lingering love for Kyoko).

I hope you enjoyed that, hopefully you didn't cringe. :3 Reviews are welcome!