Challenge: LISTEN TO "KAGAYAKU SORANO SHIJIMANIWA" BY KALAFINA WHILE READING THIS CHAPTER AND NOT CRY. PUT IN YOUR REVEIW IF YOU DIDN'T (so far everyone I know can't do this)

"Alois, are you sure that going right now is a good idea?" I asked him, as he leaned against me while we walked to the carriage.

Juniper and another brown horse had been attached to it by Hannah, who was waiting outside with us. Juni neighed when she saw me, but I didn't respond. Only a little more than 5 hours until I died.

"Yes." He said. His and my free hand where on his side, which was threatening to start bleeding again. "We shall find your friends first, and then head out. Fairies can grant wishes right? We can wish to go to your home."

"But what about everything here?" I asked. I was curious.

"I don't care. I'll rename myself if I have to. As long I never have to see this bloody place again." He said, his voice quivering.

He was serious. I wanted to cry and say what I had done. I'd never live to see what he does with his life. Never see if ever marries anyone. Never know what happens to him after tonight.

"I understand. Now let Hannah and I help you in." I said, taking my hand away from his wound.

Hannah and I helped him into the carriage, which took about 10 minutes because he screamed every time we attempted to get him in.

Once we got him in, I followed him in and sat right up next to him. A maid would've had to sit across from him; but I was no longer a maid. I was his friend.

Hannah urged the horses into a gallop. The carriage bounced around, but Alois and I didn't care. We just sat there in silence with our hands on his side. The stitches had come undone, and blood was slowly starting to seep into his green vest.

"Nichole….it hurts…"

"I know Alois..." I said, beginning to tear up. "I know it does. But we are almost there. My friends said that they'd meet me in the woods around here. I'll know them when I see them."

He didn't respond, and instead looked out the window. His eyes were trying desperately not to close and focus on something.

"Alois…whatever happens….I want you to know that this week was the best of my life. I got travel to London, helped host a party, and the best part, meet you."

I wasn't lying. This week was the best ever. I didn't care that I was dying, for I had had the adventure of a lifetime. At least I would die happy.

"Really? This was my favorite week too." He said, and smiled at me through his pain.

When he said "really", I caught sight of his tongue. Claude's mark was gone. He was free.

"I almost forgot," I said, smiling back at him. "Happy 15th birthday."

Alois started laughing, but when he tried, he instead screamed and clutched his side in agony. "…..Thanks…Claude didn't even mention it."

I was tempted to tell him that Claude was no longer his demon, but mine, but I kept quiet. Not until the end. "You're welcome."

The ex-demon master stared at the ground and didn't move. "Why….why did you return? For real. Don't lie."

"As I said before, Alois, because you were my master. Or should I say friend?" I said, thinking about everything I'd never be able to do because of my incoming death.

"Yes, friend..."He paused, and took a deep breath, "Can we not talk for now? The pain…I just don't want…to."

I wanted to say no, but didn't. He didn't know about how in a few shorts hours, Claude would take my soul and use it for himself. I wanted to just talk with him for hours, until it was my time.

"Whatever you say, Alois." I said, biting my lip.

"Nichole!"

I turned to the front of the carriage where Hannah was calling me from. "What?"

"Where exactly did your friends say they would meet you?" She yelled at me.

I rolled the window down and pointed to the biggest tree outside. "That big oak tree!"

"That tree is far! It'll take some time to get to!" Was that a hint of worry in her voice?

"Just keep going at this pace and we'll be fine!" I yelled back then closed the window, shivering. It must've been 30 degrees out.

"That….that tree was where….Claude and I met." Alois said, looking at the tree's silhouette in the distance.

"Really?" How ironic I was going to die there.

"Yeah….Nichole….if I die before we arrive at the tree, please know that you….you mean something to me…" He said, and then sighed.

I felt like crying until my face was puffy, but I needed to be strong. It was me who was to die, not him.

I leaned against him and buried my face in his purple jacket. "You m-"

"HEY! I'M BACK!"

All of a sudden, a red figure leaned against me and practicality made Alois and me into dominoes. By the time I had gotten back up and helped Alois to his sitting position again, I was ready to kill something.

"GRELL!" I yelled, turning back to the Grim Reaper. "You nearly made Alois bleed even more!"

"Sorry." He said, not sounding sorry at all, "Transporting has its flaws. ANYWAY, this is JIMMY!?"

Alois's eyes widened. "Who the hell are you?! Wait…you're a….a…" His jaw dropped and he stared at Grell.

"Grell Sutcliff, amazing, beautiful, AND LOVER OF DEATH! Member of The Shinigami Dispatch Society!" Grell yelled happily, making his signature love sign.

"A Grim Reaper….but that means…." Alois covered his mouth, but his half digested dinner still came out all over the carriage floor regardless.

Once he was done throwing up, he laid back and stared at me. "No….I don't want to die!"

"What a brat." Grell said, rolling his eyes and looking bored. "Jim Macken, is it? I don't see what your friend sees in you. You're an absolute BORE. SHE'S the one who's GONNA DIE!"

Alois froze from wiping his mouth with his sleeve and looked at nothing. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he finally removed his bloody hand from his side and put his arm in front of me.

"No….no one else I care about is going to die! Everyone in my life has! Get away from us, you red-haired creep!" He screamed his eyes bloodshot.

"Calm down." I said, putting my hand on his outstretched arm. "It's okay…I know that I'm going to die…."

Alois slowly turned to me and shook his head. "…No…No one else…is dying. There is too much…too much death in my life. HANNAH! KILL THIS MAN!"

Within five seconds of him saying that, the carriage skidded to a dead stop. Then the roof of the carriage was ripped off by Hannah. Her eye was glowing, and her face was full of insane rage.

"Ugh. I knew that thing driving the carriage was a demon." Said Grell, crossing his arms and giving a pouty face. "I'll be back, AGAIN, my dear. I look forward to your demise!"

As the flamboyant Reaper jumped out of the ruined carriage, the whole thing shook. Hannah jumped out too, making the thing tilt.

"NICHOLE!" Alois yelled, hugging me, "BRACE YOURSELF!"

Before I could react, the entire carriage fell to one side and started rolling. All I could do was hold onto Alois as all hell broke loose around us.

Glass came shattering everywhere. Wood broke all around me. Before I blacked out, I heard Alois whisper to me.

"Goodbye…"

….

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that the nearly full moon was right above my head. Despite the pain, I looked around my sides to broken things scattered around me. The horses had disappeared into the night. Trees blew in the distance, and everything was cold.

I waited for a bit, trying to clear my thoughts. What had happened? Grell came and Alois…Alois!

I quickly bolted up, only to hold my head in pain. Everything was spinning, and it felt as though I was in water, when I was clearly on land.

"Alois…." I tried yelling, but all the came out was a pathetic whisper and a voice crack. Where was he? He couldn't have landed that far away.

"…Nic….hole…"

Despite the pain, I turned my head to the sound of his voice. There he was.

In a pool of blood was Alois Trancy. He was less than a few steps away, but for me, that seemed like miles. He was holding his side, but his eyes were dry.

Stumbling, I stood up and made my way to him. "Al…are…you okay?"

He nodded, making his eyes reflect in the moonlight. "I guess. But I can't get up…I tried to see if you were okay, but the wound just bleeds more and more…I was so afraid you'd died."

"Not yet." I said, searching for a stick or a broken wooden plank. If he was going to get to my time, he needed to get up first.

Once I found one, I broke it in half and walked back to him. "Here," I said, and placed it in his mouth. "When I lift you up, bite that stick and yell. This will hurt."

Alois fixed the brown stick in his mouth and closed his eyes. "Ready." He said through his teeth.

I placed my hands under his armpits and got ready to lift him. "1…2…3!"

As I pulled him up, Alois screamed bloody murder. By the time he was on his feet and half leaning on me, half standing, and the stick was nothing but little splinters in his mouth and my ears were ringing.

"….That…wasn't…fun." He stammered, shaking and threatening to cry.

"I know…" I said. He was heavy. "Look. The tree isn't that far. Once my friends get you, they can get some fresh bandages and fix you up."

"Yeah, I can make it." Alois said, covering his side once more. "Let's go. We were out for a few hours."

A few hours? Who knew how much time I had left. "Okay…"

"Where did you learn that trick about the stick?"

"A book." I said, starting to walk with him. "That's what the characters do when they are pain."

"Cool." He said, looking at the tree in the distance. "At this rate I'll be an hour or so until we get there."

We didn't have that kind of time. "Can we go faster than?"

"Maybe…in a little bit." Alois said, smiling at me, "I won't let that red-haired she-man take you away."

That "red-haired she-man" might not take me away, but your best friend would.