Dlbn: Hey everyone! Decided to make this a three part series and post this part today so I don't have to worry about not having internet and being too busy tomorrow to go locate some and post another chapter.
Nbld: The rest of the fic is already set up so I can post Tuesday, since I'm in a class near the library and can go there briefly before or after the class and finish the post. For now, let's get onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Promocat and halbarath for reviewing! Candy for you both!
Promocat: Definitely not. At least they can't get mixed up in drunk spell battles here!
Halbarath: Hey there, long time no review reply! Yeah, I made it spell-free, so they're just regular young adults/teenagers now. Seimei's just got that kind of personality, regardless of the universe' rules. I feel like Soubi wants to tell Seimei to shut up a bit more in the manga when he's upsetting Ritsuka, so I gave him the chance here. Gah, I thought I got them all. Whoops XD Speaking of beta-reading, I need to get back to the chapters you sent me. I've been so caught up in my fic and life drama that I haven't had a chance ^^" There's only one chapter after this so it might be a little late for beta-reading it. But thank you! ^^
Disclaimer: I won NOTHING but the plot. Everything belongs to Yun Kouga. I make no money off this. Inspired by the song Invincible by Jesse McCartney, which I also do not own and make no money off mentioning.
000
Ritsuka was only a little more than annoyed when he noticed the clock read one am and his brother still wasn't home. He'd checked his room, the bathroom floor, the living room couch; everywhere Seimei and sometimes Nisei would crash after a night of partying. It had been more of a problem when their mother was living home, but now that she was in a nursing home due to her deteriorating mental state and her husband's inability and lack of desire to care for her, the only one that was bothered by it anymore was Ritsuka. Their father was almost always asleep or already out the door for work by the time the elder males stumbled back to the Aoyagi household, so he wasn't accustomed to seeing his son passed out in an alcohol induced stupor in random locations. Quite a few times, it was Ritsuka nursing the others' hangovers and kicking Nisei out after Mimuro called half a dozen times to check up on him and it was almost time for the Aoyagi patriarch to come home from work. Seimei and Nisei didn't see it as a problem, no matter how habitual it had become and how many times they'd missed school because they were too hungover to get out of bed. How neither of them had made a move on the other, he had no idea.
The light was on in his father's study, but when he checked, he was slumped on top of his desk and snoring lightly. Ritsuka went in and picked up the papers that had spilled everywhere, stacking them neatly on the corner of his dad's desk.
"Father?" He greeted. "It's time to go to bed…you're in your office…again…"
"Ritsuka?" His father stirred. "What time is it? Why are you up?"
"One thirty am. Seimei isn't here yet." Ritsuka replied.
"You never wait up for your brother like this…that bad feeling really got to you, huh?" He yawned.
"Yeah, a little…" Ritsuka paused. "He didn't text me."
"He probably went back to Nisei's house…maybe Soubi's." Another yawn. "I'm sure he'll text you in the morning. But for now, you should go to bed."
"You're one to talk…" Ritsuka muttered.
His father stood, ruffling his hair. "Stop worrying, son. You'll get wrinkles."
"Father, that's not a thing."
He chuckled. "Come on. Let's get our rest. You have school in the morning."
"Yeah…" Ritsuka paused. "I guess I can go to sleep…"
But even as he lay in bed, snuggled under covers and with a soft pillow under his head, he still couldn't fall asleep or push his worries out of his mind.
"Seimei…"
000
It was around three AM when Seimei and Nisei stumbled out of the bar together, in a miserable attempt to use one another for support. It was closing in an hour anyway, so it wasn't like they had a choice. Seimei fished his car keys out of his pocket, but Nisei grabbed his hand to stop him.
"No, Sei." He slurred. "Can't drive…too drunk…"
"I'm…" hiccup. "Fine, Nisei."
"No, you're not. S-stop that." Nisei tried to swipe the keys, but Seimei shoved him away.
"I can't afford a cab, and you used the rest of your money on vodka." Seimei pointed out. "I'm not walking home drunk."
"Aha! So, you admit you're drunk! No driving." Nisei tried to steal them again, almost falling on his face when Seimei moved away.
"Quit it, Nisei." Seimei ordered. "I don't need your help, okay?"
"No, but Ritsuka needs you, so I can't let you drive."
"Since when do you care about my brother?"
"Actually, I care about him as much as you care about my siblings." He had an older brother and a younger sister. "But you care about him, so…"
He tried to take the keys.
Seimei shoved him away. "I'll be fine. I know how to drive."
Nisei rolled his eyes, leaning on a guardrail by the parking lot. "Fine, be that way. If you get hurt, you're dead, understand?"
"Yeah." Seimei waved him off. "I've got this; don't worry. You sound like my brother."
"Don't insult me…" Nisei muttered, watching Seimei stumble drunkenly towards his car.
His eyes closed before he could stop them, and when they opened, Seimei's car was slowly backing out the space he'd parked in. Nisei watched his friend back out completely and struggle with putting the car in gear.
"Seimei!" Nisei called, waving to get his attention.
The neko didn't seem to hear him and got into gear, rushing off down the road. Nisei saw him swerving as he started to leave. The raven stood, rushing after the car.
"Seimei!" He called. "Seimei, stop! You can't drive like that!"
It all happened so fast. Headlights came around the bend, Seimei swerved in the wrong direction. Nisei could only watch in horror as the car coming around the corner clipped the back of Seimei's car, spinning it off the side of the road. He rushed over, hoping Seimei could stop the car. The screeching of brakes and tires skidding on the pavement didn't sound comforting as the vehicle sped out of control. Panic rose in Seimei's chest, himself barely able to keep it back. He spun the wheel this way and that, eventually sending the car sideways into a tree, where it stopped, and Seimei's head hit the emergency handle as he bounced in his seat from the impact. The world around him shut down as unconsciousness crept into his mind.
"Rit…su…ka…" He muttered as he passed out.
Nisei rushed over, calling his friend's name as he ran. "Seimei! Oh god, Seimei!"
The engine started smoking as other bar patrons started to rush over as well to check on both the inebriated neko and the people in the other car.
"Seimei! Get out!" Nisei ordered, grabbing the passenger door handle and trying to pull, but it was locked.
"Stand back." A bar patron ordered, taking a large rock and smashing it against the window.
It took a few smacks, but eventually the window gave way and shattered, spraying the inside of the car with glass fragments. Nisei unlocked the door through the broken window and yanked it open.
"He's unconscious." He informed the others, pulling a knife out and starting to saw at the seatbelt.
"Kid, we don't have much time." A man stated. "You'll have to leave him. The car could blow any minute."
"Then let it take me with him." Nisei growled, slicing back and forth across the seatbelt faster. Once he got it cut, he yanked it over his unconscious friend's head. "Come on, help me!"
A few other people climbed in the back seat, helping the drunken man yank his unconscious friend out of the vehicle. Nisei hooked his arms under Seimei's and dragged him out of the car and across the street. He struggled until people grabbed his legs, carrying him across the road to an empty field. The other car's driver rushed over.
"My god, is he okay?" She wondered. "I-I was texting my mom…I…I didn't see him…I…"
Nisei ignored her, checking his friend for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there; his breathing shallow. "Someone call an ambulance!"
Someone did so as Nisei pushed on Seimei's chest in a rhythm, trying to jump start his heart with CPR. He paused and listened to his friend's breathing again, beginning mouth to mouth as the person calling 911 hung up.
"They're on their way." The woman said. "Are you okay?" She asked the other driver.
"I…I think so. Oh god, this is all my fault…"
And half his for being drunk and behind the damn wheel! Nisei thought angrily.
Sirens wailed in the distance, slowly drawing ever closer.
000
Ritsuka was woken up around four in the morning by knocking on the door. His father came down the stairs.
"Who the hell could be coming here at this time of the day?" He complained.
Ritsuka paled. "I hope it's just Seimei forgetting his key…"
"Isn't he upstairs? I thought he came home."
"I'll check."
Ritsuka raced upstairs as his father went to answer the door. He pushed open the door to Seimei's room.
"Seimei? Are you home?" He wondered.
No response. He flicked on the light and saw nothing. He checked his own room and the upstairs bathroom, but no sign of his brother.
"Dad?" He asked, going down the stairs. "Seimei's not…here…?"
He froze at the sight of two police officers, one woman with her hat off and clutched to her chest and the other a male with no hat anywhere to be found.
"W-What's going…on…?" He looked at his father.
The look on his face was unreadable.
"It's Seimei…isn't it?" Ritsuka asked. "What happened? Where is he? Is he okay?"
No one spoke.
"Dad?" Ritsuka asked, getting no reply. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" He almost tugged at his hair.
"There's…been an accident…son…" His father informed slowly.
"Seimei…no…no…it can't be…" Ritsuka clutched at his chest.
"You may want to get to the hospital. They're working on him now, but it doesn't look good." The male officer informed. "I'd get ready to say your goodbyes."
"No…no, no, no, no, no…" Ritsuka repeated, sinking to the couch. "I knew it…I had a feeling something bad…he thought I was paranoid…and now…Seimei…!"
He put his head in his hands and the female cop rushed over to sit with him, a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay, it's okay." She informed him. "We'll take you both ourselves; get there quicker. Right, Akito?"
"Yeah, sure, we can do that." The other officer nodded. "Quickly."
"I'll grab my keys." His father stated. "Ritsuka, shoes and coat."
He didn't move.
"Ritsuka." His father spoke again. "Let's go. Now, come on."
Ritsuka felt numb as he stood, doing what his father asked while the elder Aoyagi got ready himself. Within minutes, they were in the back of a squad car, sirens wailing as they raced towards the hospital. Ritsuka burst into tears halfway there and curled into his father, knowing that this ride might be the one that lead to the worst moment of his young life.
000
Nisei was pacing in the hospital waiting room, phone to his ear. He'd tried both Kio and Soubi, but on one had picked up. Chouma wasn't going to be any help, but he tried her anyway and got nothing from it. Mimuro was the last one he could call, since he knew the police were on their way to inform his father and brother of the circumstances.
"Nisei?" Mimuro asked. "Why are you calling me now?"
"Mimuro…?" He hated how his voice broke.
"Nisei?" The elder seemed more alert now. "What's wrong?"
"S-S-Seimei…"
"What? He turn you down again?"
"Accident…I tried to stop him…sempai…"
"Where are you?"
"The hospital…Tokyo Memorial…ER…they're not hopeful, Mimuro…"
"I'm still upstairs. I'll be right down." Nisei heard hm shout something back to family that he needed to go. "Hold on, Nisei, I'm coming."
"H-Hurry…please…"
The doors to the ER whooshed open and Ritsuka and his father burst in.
"Nisei!" Ritsuka greeted, screeching to a halt at the elder raven's side. "Seimei! Where is he? How is he?"
Nisei shook his head. "They won't t-tell me…I'm not family…"
Mr. Aoyagi ignored the two younger males and went to the reception desk.
"What happened?" Ritsuka asked. "He promised he'd be home hours ago…"
"We left when they closed…" Nisei paused, looking away. "I should have tried harder…he wouldn't give me the keys…I was drunk, too, I…"
"He d-drove…drunk…?"
Nisei nodded and looked away.
"What happened…?"
"I had to do CPR…the other driver was texting…hadn't seen him…and…" Nisei recounted what happened.
When he looked back at the neko, his eyes were tearing.
"Where…where is everyone…?"
"Chouma's in Gora, Kio and Soubi aren't answering, and Mimuro's on his way down. His aunt is upstairs somewhere."
"I'll try the others." Ritsuka pulled out his cell and dialed, hands shaking.
"Ritsuka?" Soubi's voice wondered. "It must be my lucky day. You calling me in the middle of the night?"
"Soubi…Soubi…it's Seimei…he…accident…"
"What?" Soubi yelled at someone in the background. "What's wrong? Where are you?"
"Tokyo Memorial. Nisei tried to call you and Kio, but neither of you answered…"
"Kio went home with a guy. I passed out." Soubi informed. "I'll be right over. Hang on, wait for me, okay?"
"Hurry…I don't…I don't know…"
"He'll be fine." Soubi assured. "He's Seimei…"
That thought brought no comfort as Ritsuka hung up and their father joined him.
"He's stable, but they don't think it's going to last long." His father informed. "Is anyone else on the way?"
"Mimuro's coming down." Nisei pointed up.
"Soubi's on his way. He'll probably call Kio and bring the people they're with."
His father nodded. "We should go in and see him. We can't wait on them forever. It might be too late by then."
"Don't say that…" Nisei hissed. "Anything…Anything but that, Aoyagi-sama…"
He pat the raven on the shoulder as the door to the ER rooms opened.
"You may come in." The woman stated.
"We're waiting on three others." His father stated. "Let them in when they get here. They're close."
"Make that two!" Mimuro called, rushing into the room. "I came as quick as I could." His eyes shot open when Nisei latched onto him, but he soon relaxed into the touch of the younger.
"Come in. We'll send them down when they arrive." The nurse stated.
The walk through the ER med bay to the room Seimei was in was a surreal one. Ritsuka hugged himself, though Mimuro had an arm around both him and Nisei, as he walked behind his father down towards Seimei's room. The screams of injured patients, crying children, and coughing from sick people were an assault on the senses. Seimei would have had a field day if he knew the kinds of germs he'd been brought through when he came in. The nurse led them to a room.
"I must warn you." She stated, grabbing the handle. "It's not going to be easy to see."
She opened the door and Ritsuka pushed past both her and his father. Machines beeped in the corner, cables attached to his brother and monitors to check if he was dead or not. There was nothing obstructing his face, but his head was wrapped tightly in a bandage, and his lip was split. Ritsuka could have fallen to his knees if it wasn't for Akame doing so first, taking Mimuro down with him.
"Nisei!" He complained, grabbing him.
The nurse helped him assist the earless male into a chair. Ritsuka ignored them and went to Seimei's side.
"Seimei…" He lay his head on the bed sitting in a chair next to him. "Oh, Seimei…"
His father stood at his side, staring down at the son he butted heads with more often than not. If he survived, he decided, he'd be a better, more attentive and understanding father than he had been. He was a coward when he was younger, a coward when they were growing up. He couldn't be one anymore. His sons needed him. Especially Ritsuka. Seimei might be fine on his own, but if he were to be lost forever, there was no telling how Ritsuka would survive.
Mimuro sat next to Nisei, the younger's head buried into his shoulder as he sobbed. They all stayed in those positions for what felt like hours before the door opened again.
"Dear god…" Kio greeted.
All eyes shifted to the doors, where red-eyed Soubi was leaning against Kio for support. Another girl was with them, someone from Soubi's class, and she covered her mouth with her hands. The yellow-orange haired man with his arm around Kio's middle looked away.
"I feel like I'm intruding." He informed. "H-Hanabi, let's go to the cafeteria."
She nodded, unable to say anything as she left with him. Kio didn't seem to notice as he shut the door behind himself and Soubi. Soubi knelt at Ritsuka's side, laying his head on his arms on top of the bed. He didn't say anything, just focused on the floor. From the jerks of his body, it appeared he was crying. Ritsuka gently put a hand on his head as they sat there, Kio kneeling next to Soubi and wrapping his arms around him, muttering silent prayers that Ritsuka thought were useless for the moment. The only thing getting Seimei out of this was Seimei.
"What's the damage…"? Soubi asked at last.
"Concussion, three broken ribs on the left, two broken on the right, internal bleeding…" Mr. Aoyagi cleared his throat. "Nisei's CPR did what it could, but the doctors aren't very optimistic."
No one spoke after that. Minutes felt like hours, hours like months. Morning came and the school buses started running. Ritsuka refused to leave for something as trivial as school while his brother was holding on by a thread. He had his friends at school take care of his homework, not bothering them with details and claiming he was sick. Seimei's friends were skipping class as well, but Ritsuka had a feeling it didn't matter since they knew what they were doing anyway. His father cancelled all his appointments for the day, citing a family tragedy as the reason and passing cases off to colleagues. The nurses came in and out through the day, offering food and drinks for everyone in the room, but no one said yes. Doctors offered them to go home and be called if anything changed, but no one took it up. Hanabi and the guy that came with Kio, who he'd introduced as his boyfriend Akira after a few hours of being there, left for classes to gather work and make excuses for sensei.
It was around dinner time that day that something changed. Seimei coughed in his unconscious state. Everyone who'd been sitting or kneeling rushed to their feet.
"Seimei?" Ritsuka asked. "Seimei? Its Ritsuka…we're all here…father, too…please…open your eyes for me…please…?"
"Who?" A cough. "Died?"
Ritsuka almost cried out in relief at the sound of his brother's raspy voice.
"He's awake!" Nisei shouted into the hallway for the nurses.
Medical staff rushed in with tools and equipment and ran tests. The looks on their faces didn't bring any good news to the group. One of the doctors took his father out into the hallway to talk so the youngers could talk as well.
"What…happened…?" Seimei wheezed.
"You were in an accident…" Nisei informed. "You tried to drive home…"
Seimei raised an eyebrow, grimacing as he shifted in bed. "How…bad…? Other…s?"
"She's fine…was texting and driving…"
Seimei groaned.
"You're not one to talk, Seimei." Ritsuka informed, voice breaking. "Drunk driving? What were you thinking?"
"I…wasn't…" Seimei coughed. "How…injuries…?"
"Broken ribs, internal bleeding…" Mimuro muttered.
"The doctors…they told us to come say goodbye, Seimei…" Ritsuka informed, watching Seimei's face contort in annoyance as he saw an arm wrap around Ritsuka's shoulders, courtesy of Soubi.
"I'm not…gonna…die…easy…" Seimei coughed. "Not this…easy…"
His eyes closed as he just lay there breathing, trying to fight back whatever he was feeling at the moment.
"You were right…Ritsuka…" Seimei stated. "I should have…stayed home…tonight…"
Ritsuka's eyes teared as he bit his lip. "D-Don't think about that…now…" He kissed his brother's temple, watching him grimace and feeling bad for it. "You're…you're going to be okay…going to come home…right…?"
The door opened and their father came in. he and his eldest son stared at one another.
"0.20 percent…" His father greeted. "Your BAC…"
Seimei blinked. "There's no way…" He laughed. "I couldn't have been…that…"
"That's alcohol poisoning level, Seimei…" Kio informed slowly. "My uncle died from 0.21 percent…"
He didn't talk about his family much, so to bring that up was a big step for the greenette.
"What were you…?" The question died off his father's tongue. "That's not important…I'm not going to yell at you…you have us worried…sick…"
"What did the doctor tell you…?" Ritsuka wondered slowly.
"Your pulse…is weak…your blood pressure…even weaker…the internal bleeding has spread…" His father paused. "You're losing too much blood for them to stop it…you'll be in a coma…eventually…they're surprised you're not now…" He cleared his throat. "They said it you make it through the rest of the day, it will be a miracle…"
There was silence for only a couple seconds.
"No…no way…No!" Ritsuka countered. "I won't believe it!"
Mr. Aoyagi shook his head, something in him already resigning himself to deal with his son's fate. Clamor rose from the rest of the persons in the room, each of them refusing to accept the doctors' words as fact. Mr. Aoyagi and Seimei stayed silent, just watching one another. Seimei let out a shaky breath.
"E-Enough…" He announced.
One by one, the others stopped arguing to look at him.
"If I'm going to die…it's not going to be to the sound of you idiots fighting…you can fight over my stuff…when I'm dead and gone…" he coughed. "Not now…"
"That's morbid, Seimei!" Ritsuka complained, crying. "You're not going to die…once you accept that to be what's going to happen, that's what makes it happen…don't make jokes like that!"
Seimei laughed, eyes closing. "I'm sorry…Ritsuka…I should have…listened…to both…you…" The monitor's beeping began to slow down. "Goodbye…I'm s…sorry…"
The beeping faded to a gentle, constant hum. Doctors and nurses rushed into the room and everything was a blur. Ritsuka fought to stay with his brother and had to be dragged from the room kicking and screaming by Soubi and his father.
"Seimei!" He cried. "No!" He saw the doctor pull a white sheet over his brother's head. "Seimei, don't you dare die on me! Seimei!"
"Call it…" The doctor ordered.
"No! Don't! Seimei!" Ritsuka complained. "Don't call it! You can't! Seimei, come back! Seimei!"
Soubi tightly wrapped his arms around the struggling neko, whispering an attempt to soothe him into his flattened neko ears. Ritsuka wouldn't hear it, just repeatedly begging the nurse to stop. If she voiced it, it would make everything all that more real. He could no longer pretend that it was a dream. He'd have to accept that his brother just succumbed to both his internal injuries and the amount of alcohol in his system in front of his very eyes.
"5:56 PM, Monday, September 18th…2017…" The nurse wrote down on paper.
Ritsuka sobbed as he collapsed on the floor, no longer held by his friend and his father.
"Seimei!"
000
Ritsuka tried not to think about the weekend's events as he sat in his seat at school three days later. They were doing an autopsy, which he found a bit redundant, but it prevented them from planning the funeral, let alone having it. His father started going back to work for a consultation here and there, but he was reluctant to take a case. At night, they'd eat dinner together, share a snack in silence. Ritsuka would retreat to his room to cry into his pillow, ignoring all attempts at communication from both Seimei's friends and his own. And when he went to the bathroom to use it or to wash his face or shower, he pretended he didn't hear his father sobbing loudly from behind a closed door. No one came to visit, just tried to call and text again and again. He'd played sick when people asked that morning where he'd been, but he had a feeling his closest friends could see that there was more to it than he was letting on. From what he knew, the others were starting to attend classes again, though Nisei was skipping every class he'd had with Seimei and was doing his best to drop out of it so late in the semester. Soubi kept his distance. If the teen wanted to admit to it in the state of mind he was in, that was who he wanted to see more than anyone else from Seimei's group. Nisei sent apologetic texts at least once a day, growing so annoying that Ritsuka pretended he changed his phone number. He knew the elder saw through that lie, but he didn't call him out on it or send more messages. Kio tried to offer him a shoulder to cry on, citing his uncle's passing as how he knew how to cope with the loss of a loved one from alcohol.
Ritsuka felt numb. His arms hurt, his chest ached. He got headaches, he refused to do anything but sleep and eat to not only solve that problem, but so he wouldn't have to deal with the painful reality that his beloved elder brother was gone. He saw the accident on the news, but they'd respectfully kept his brother's name out of the media so the family could grieve. The girl involved was cited for reckless driving and given a fine, but that brought no solace. He knew it wasn't entirely her fault, but being mad at her gave him something to do other than mourn and feel sorry for himself.
"Aoyagi-kun?" His sensei asked. "Can you answer question forty-three on page sixty?"
"I…forgot my book…sorry…" He replied softly.
"Be more prepared." She scolded.
"Borrow mine, Ritsuka-kun." Yuiko, his best friend, offered him the book.
He looked at it and tried to do the calculations in his head, but his fuzzy, grief-stricken mind couldn't grasp the concept.
"Four?" He asked.
"No."
"Stoner…" Someone muttered.
Ritsuka ignored them and handed the book back to the pinkette.
"Try again." Sensei stated, scolding the other boy.
"Fifteen?"
"No. Try again."
"I'm sorry, ma'am…I can't…" He replied softly.
"You should apply yourself a little more, Aoyagi. I know you're just getting over being sick, but I'm not accepting that as an excuse for not paying attention. You're practically falling asleep over there."
"G-Gomen…sensei…" Ritsuka swallowed hard. "That's all I do now…sleep…"
"If you still don't feel good, go to the nurse!"
"She can't help me…" Ritsuka looked down at the floor.
"Ritsuka-kun?" Yuiko asked. "Do you want me to walk you to the nurse?"
He shook his head.
"One more try, Aoyagi."
He looked at the book Yuiko shoved in his face and tried again.
"Um…t-twenty…"
"Correct."
Twenty. Zero point twenty. His brother's BAC during the accident.
"See?" She asked. "It won't kill you to pay attention in class a little more."
As his classmates laughed at him, save for his friend's and their annoying looks of sympathy, Ritsuka felt a lump in his throat and heard tears hit the desk before he felt them fall.
"Ritsuka-kun?" Yayoi asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are…are you okay…?"
Ritsuka let out a sob, burying his head in his arms on top of the desk. "Seimei…"
No one spoke for a moment or two, the class frozen at the sight of the normally unshaken teenager becoming a sobbing pile of goo on his desk.
"Yuiko-chan, please go get the counselor." Their teacher ordered after a few moments.
"Y-Yes, ma'am." She stood and bowed, quickly rushing out to the sound of her friend's tortured cries.
"Ritsuka-kun? What's wrong?" The teacher knelt next to him. "What's wrong?"
"S-Seimei…point twenty…accident…d-dead…" He muttered.
"What's wrong, Aoyagi?" Yoji asked, leaning over him.
He and his twin Natsuo were Soubi's cousins that sat behind him and Yuiko.
"Seimei's dead." Ritsuka sobbed, burying his face deeper into his arms.
"Oh, Ritsuka…" Sensei pat his arm as his body shook, sobs ripping from his throat.
"Was…was he in that accident…Ritsuka-kun…?" Yayoi asked.
He nodded the best he could. "I told him not to go out…I had a bad feeling…I told him…and now he's…" He sobbed.
Yuiko rushed in with the school counselor.
"Ritsuka-kun?" She greeted. "Come on, hon, let's go to my office."
Ritsuka shook his head the best he could. "Seimei…"
"Come on, Aoyagi." Yoji and Natsuo hauled him to his feet. "Let's go. It's okay…"
He leaned on them as they walked him down to the counselor's office, offering promises to get Soubi or his father for him. Ritsuka let them lead him into her office, where he collapsed on the couch. The twins shut the door as he curled on himself and sobbed.