Authors Notes: This is probably the quickest it's ever taken me to write a chapter (like three days) but it's only because it isn't covering anything new (but I still tried to make it my own) and I wanted it done ASAP so I can focus on my 'original' parts. Very excited to work on the next chapter. Enjoy!

…

The sun glistened through the branches in criss-cross patterns on the dew-dripped grass. A cool breeze blew in my face, green leaves swirling around me. I stopped for a moment, taking in the peaceful setting.

The park was pretty big for our small town, a few acres or something. Green-and-yellow waste bins and polished wood benches dotted along the crackless sidewalks, people young and old merrily strolling along it. I could hear the sounds of people laughing, dogs barking and just up ahead, the soft gurgling of a stream, muffled through the tree trunks.

Sayori, my best friend, wearing a frilly yellow summer dress and a small red flower band in her hair, tugged at my sleeve. "Come on, 'zuma! This wayyy!" she said, her bright voice almost pleading. She had a polka-dotted backpack hoisted on her shoulders, packed to the brim with various food and stuff we planned out together. I rolled my eyes. "Okay, okay." I replied, trying not to trip over my own feet. Sayori gave me a wide smile, and started to pick up her pace, myself bumbling along.

In a few moments, she stopped. She seemed to glance around, uncertain of where she was. For a moment, I thought I had to call Mom for help to get us out of here. She parted away a branch and motioned for me to walk ahead.

I gasped. "Oh wow."

The clearing was small, but the perfect size for a picnic mat. The sunlight shone down on one huge ray on a perfect match of grass, not too close to the river to where we might fall in but just close enough to where we could smell the rich, sweet water gushing. It was majestic.

Sayori said nothing, set her bag down on the grass. She zipped it open and pulled out a neatly-folded pink blanket, that went fwoop! as she set it down. She took a few rocks and put them on the corners.

I kneeled down next to her, pulling out our meals.

In a few minutes, we had everything laid out before us; drinks, food, cookies, napkins, and a few books to read together. We ate first, in relative silence, both of us enjoying the sun and the breezes. It had to be one of the best days of the spring.

"Kazuma?" Sayori said, looking at me. I glanced up from my book, leaning up against a boulder. It was sort of rare for her to use my full name, so this was a bit if a surprise.

"Yeah?" I said, taking a sip from my soda bottle.

"Um…" she said, trailing off.

…

I blinked.

I was back in the present, standing outside the front door of Sayori's house. In my hand I was gripping a plastic bag filled with some candies and chocolates, plus a bottle of juice.

I looked around, trying to regain my bearings.

That memory was almost 10 years old.

Where did the time go? What happened?

We still loved to hang out after that, always bugging out parents to let us go to each other's houses and to order us a pizza and rent us a cool movie to watch. Snuggled up under the cover of a dozen or more blankets in mine (or her) room. Propped up against the wall on our bed with all our snacks and goodies spread out before us, the window blinds drawn and the lights off, only the glare of the television lighting the room.

For those serene years, I didn't have a real care in the world. I had my basic schoolwork, I had my chores, and I had the basic struggles of childhood (like there not being enough milk for a bowl of cereal). But back then, I always thought Sayori would be there with me through it all, through our high school years and beyond. Things would never change.

Things did change, after a while. When we started our first year of high school, Sayori started waking up later and later in the mornings. I'd wait outside her house for a couple of minutes, she'd text me something like "ill be down in a few minutes!", which would turn into ten minutes, and then she'd text "you can go on ahead, im in the shower!" or something like that.

Once, I went a whole week without seeing her in the mornings. I'd usually walk with her back home from school, and try questioning her on why she was so late. She'd just...blow it off. Or make a joke of it.

After a while, I stopped waiting for her. I had to get to school.

Prior to her starting to walk with me to school again, we last texted maybe three weeks ago, and saw each other in the hallway a week before. When I saw her, she seemed as normal as a student could be. She smiled, said hi and kept on with her business. A part of me felt...wounded. I was glad she was doing okay (that was the jist I got, at least), but a part of me wanted to keep talking to her. To re-spark that 'flame' we had, to just start going out together and eating together and back to being the best of friends.

Despite my initial pushback, I was secretly happy that Sayori made me join the Literature Club. I was talking to her more on a daily than I had in the past month. And now, we were going to hang out again, like old times, like we used to.

But still, I felt as if something lingered.

Something...warped.

I knocked on the door. I waited a few moments. In the peephole, I could see a fragment of light show before being sealed back up (the cover opening), before I heard a jangle of locks open up. The door opened.

There she was. Wearing a light pink shirt, jean shorts and her long white uniform socks. Coral pink hair slightly ruffled, her signature red bow tilted to the side. Sayori.

She gave me a light smile. "H-hi." she squeaked out.

I returned the smile. "Hey." I lifted my bag up. "I brought a little something. Just some chocolates and a drink. It's all I had in the fridge that I knew you'd like."

Sayori blushed. "Ahehe, you know me too well, 'zuma.."

We stood in silence for a moment. A car buzzed by.

"May I come in?"

…

Sayori's house was, more or less, about the same as it was when we were kids. The living room was generously furnished, with two comfortable sofas and a reclining chair, bookcases lined with magazines and books along the walls. A massive, boxy television (looked imported) sat, several game consoles resting on top (for decoration or use, I wasn't sure). The kitchen was narrow, and very cluttered, with lots of old and new stains from cooking splattering the counters (how fun it was to bake stuff with her when we were children). Out towards the ground balcony, I could see a forest of green with splashes of red, yellow and blue plants.

I removed my shoes and set them on the mat by the door, She lingered by the staircase, waiting for me. Upstairs, I could hear a video playing.

"My, uh, parents left earlier to go out to eat, so we have the whole house to ourselves." She said with a slight smile. I followed her upstairs.

Sayori had already made a spread of blankets at the foot of her bed, bordered by her tall clothes closet. Most of the pillows and blankets are stripped from her bed and arranged onto the spread, pushed up against the closet. Sitting on her desk was a box of pizza, the cover opened and a slice missing.

"You already ordered food?", I said, putting down my bag next to the pizza. "You should've waited for me to get here, you know. I would have gladly paid for it."

She nods. "Ah, well...it's a little late for that now, huh? Aheheh."

I glanced up at the wide television set up against the wall on a short, long table. I recognized the DVD menu as Godzilla Resurgence, the latest entry in the series written by the famed Hideaki Anno, famous for creating the Neon Genesis: Evangelion series (a series I always slacked on sitting down and watching, despite the insistence of my friends as being 'god-tier'). The menu showed Godzilla, looking more sinister as he's ever been, against a blood-red backdrop. The classical 1954 theme played softly.

"Oooh, Godzilla huh? I haven't seen this one yet." I said, taking a spot down on her spread, leaving enough room for her to get cozy. She nods again. "Yeah, my parents got it for me. I hadn't opened it yet and thought, 'well, now's a better time than ever to watch it!' I heard it's really good."

Sayori joined me on the spread, folding the fuzzy blankets over her. She grabbed the juice bottle I had brought and snatched a cup, pouring herself a drink. She quickly capped it back up and took a sip. She smiled. "My favorite. Thank you, 'zuma."

I returned the smile. "I never forget. Ready?" I said, holding up the remote. She nodded.

I pressed 'play'.

…

The movie started. It was a pretty interesting movie, dripping with lots of political analogies and stuff like that. Certainly not what I was expecting when I hear the term 'monster movie', but a great film nonetheless.

As I watched the movie, I snuck glances over at Sayori, usually busy watching the movie or stuffing her face with some of the snacks spread out. In my head, Natsuki's words echoed. "Try to ask her questions about what's going on with her life, and see how she feels. And if it doesn't work, just flat out say what you think is going on."

Some time passed. The movie seemed to pick up a bit in tone, slowly introducing the main characters, with the first iteration of Hideaki Anno's Godzilla being revealed. I felt slight chills as I noticed how close it was in tone to the reaction of the Fukishima nuclear plant disaster, all those years back. How panicked my parents were when it happened, talking in hushed tones about it, talking about it at school with Sayori. Godzilla itself was an interesting take on the titular monster, but a solid and bold one (I liked it better than the one that came out in the United States a few years back).

I glanced up at Sayori. Through the darkness, I could see teardrops trickle down Sayori's cheek, glinting in the glow of the television.

I grabbed the remote and paused the movie. I looked at her. "Sayori, are you okay?"

She looked up at me, surprised. She gingerly touched the tears with her finger, and laughed weakly. "Oh, haha. It's just the movie. It's, um, really good…" she said, grabbing a piece of chocolate.

"Sayori, what's wrong?"

"Hm?" She said, still holding her chocolate piece.

I was looking at her directly. "I'm serious. I'm worried about you."

She paused. "Wh-what do you mean, 'zuma?"

I glanced away, sighing. "Sayori, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about you. I feel like something's going on that you aren't telling me. I say again, are you alright?"

She smiled weakly. "I...it's nothing. Really."

I shifted myself. "Sayori, I've known you since we could talk. You know you can tell me anything. Anything. That's what best friends are for. Please, tell me what's been going on with you."

She looked away, hiding her eyes. "I...I can't."

"Sayori, please." I said, almost pleading with her.

"Its..." she looks away, not wanting to look me directly.

I clutched her hand. "Sayori, whatever it is, whatever happened, nothing will change between us. I promise. You don't have to be afraid to tell me."

She was silent for a moment, tears building up in her eyes. She gently wiped them away with her finger. She laughs weakly. "That's what's wrong, 'zuma. Nothing happened to me...I've always been like this." She plays with the piece of chocolate in her hands, turning it over.

"What are you talking about?"

She's silent for a moment. "Kazuma...I've…", she painfully sucks in air through her teeth, as if she's just been cut by a dagger. "I've...had really bad depression for a while now. For at least five, ten years. Since we were kids. Since we were high schoolers. Since...now."

I'm speechless. "Sayori, I-"

She cuts me off. "Why do you think I was always late to school in the mornings? Why I always kept you waiting outside? Why I always looked for a reason to get out of you inviting me to go with you to places?" Tears rolled down her cheek.

"What's the point of even trying? What's the point of eating, of having friends, of going to school? What's the point of doing anything when you know how worthless you are?" Her voice cracks on that last sentence, tears tangling her voice. "Why punish you with having to put up with me all the time, to drag me along, to try and make me happy? It's pointless, and it does nothing."

I...I can't speak. My voice is locked in my throat, begging to be released. The TV clicks off, cloaking us in near-complete darkness. I get up and walk to the door, flicking on the light. I walk back to Sayori, and sit on the bed. I reach down and put my hand on her shoulder, and she looks up at me.

"Sit with me." I say. She slowly gets up and joins me.

I embrace her in a tight hug, arms wrapped around her. She squeaks in surprise, not sharing the hug. I can feel a teardrop drip onto my shoulder. "Kazuma...p-please…"

"Sayori." I say. I hold her closer. I can feel her warmth radiating on me, the smell of her hair conditioner wafting into my nose. I forced the tears in my eyes from escaping.

"Do you remember that time we went camping with our parents, maybe five years back? It was during the summer. We saved up our money for months and begged our parents every day to take us? We looked over that crappy brochure for months. Remember?"

She's silent for a moment. She sniffled. "Yeah."

"Do you remember when you wanted to go out exploring at night, after our parents fell asleep, even though I told you it was a bad idea, and we'd probably get lost?"

"Y-yeah…"

"And you ended up going off the trail and getting us lost, and our flashlight was about to die because you forgot to change the batteries, and you started crying, and I got scared because I thought you were gonna attract a bear or something?"

She laughed, despite herself. "Yeah...I thought you would be so mad."

"Do you remember what I said to you?"

She's silent again.

"I said, 'I'm always going to be here to help you, no matter what. It doesn't matter how big the problem or how big the foe, I was always going to be by your side, no matter what. And I would get you out of this.."

She sniffled again, wiped her nose with her sleeve. "Kazum-"

"Sayori, I can't possibly understand what it must be like to suffer through that. Having to deal with the thoughts that you are worthless, that nobody cares for you, that the world would be better off without you. I need you to know that those thoughts couldn't be farther from the truth."

I continued. "Sayori. Your parents are here for you. Natsuki is here for you. Yuri is here for you. Monika is here for you. I'm here for you. You don't have to fight this alone. You don't have to be scared. You don't have to keep this a secret."

I release the hug, and stared into her glassy blue eyes.

"You are not alone."

She stares at me for a moment, then her face turns into a frown. The tears stream down her cheeks, and she buries her face into my shirt. Ugly sobs emit from her, and I feel a wet spot growing on my shirt from her tears. I gently hold her against me, rubbing my hand down her hair, trying to soothe her.

I hold her for a few minutes. The entire world outside seemed to just fall apart. It was just me and Sayori, together, on that bed, in that room, separated from reality.

Eventually she looks back up at me. I try to dry her tears as best as I can with my sleeve.

"Sayori...I think we should tell the club about this."

At this, she shakes her head no. The tears threaten to come back.

"Kazuma, I can't."

"Sayori…"

"Please, 'zuma. At least not yet. I need time to be comfortable to tell them about all this."

"Sayori, they'll understand."

"I know, but, it was hard enough to even tell you the stuff you know now. I don't think I can handle having to deal with the three of them finding out, after I've kept it hidden from them as well for as long as I've known them. Just...wait till after the festival. Let everyone have fun for the night, then I'll tell them at the next club meeting. You can help me too, to tell them. Just not right now, please."

I'm silent, mulling over her words. It's ridiculous. How would they respond in any other way then sympathetic and supportive. Yuri, Natsuki and Monika wouldn't dare dream to view Sayori differently if she told them she had depression. They aren't those kinds of people.

But...I understand why Sayori wants to wait. It was hard enough for her to just tell me alone about all this, after keeping it hidden for so long. I can give her time, but I'll still remind her about it. And when the club does find out, I'll be there to help her.

"Okay...I understand. But I'm going to hold you to this. You aren't going to do this alone. I will be there for you.

She sniffles again, getting a napkin to blow her nose. She tosses it in a waste-bin. "I know... " She gets off the bed and sits down on the spread, getting cozy under the mass of blankets. She makes a motion for me to join her. I get up and go under with her. I grab the remote.

"Kazuma?"

"Yes?"

She gives me another hug. A long one. We sit there, embraced in each others arms. She slowly releases me.

"Thank you."

Snuggled up, I continued the movie.

…

We finished the movie an hour later, and after that mostly lazed around. Sayori and I laid out on the spread, talking and laughing and enjoying each other's company. Soon it got late, and I started to head out. I did most of the cleaning and tidied up her room a bit. She walked me down to the door, and I hugged her again, repeating my vow to always be by her side. Reluctantly, I left.

The walk home was one of the worst I've ever had. My gut felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, drudging me down. I tried to listen to music to distract myself, but it failed. I shoved my headphones back into my pocket and walked, leaving me with just my thoughts.

I slowly reached home. I unlocked the door and pushed it open, dropping my bag on the ground. The main lights were shut off, the TV unplugged. A single, dim light glowed in the kitchen, from the oven. I smelled something brewing in a pot, but I barely noticed it. The silence of the house was so deafening, I hardly made any noise as I walked in.

My mind swirled.

The full weight of this new revelation bore down on me. All at once.

Sayori.

How could I have never noticed? It was so obvious. Her distant stares, her constant tardiness, her lack of self-upkeep, some of the comments she would make...she was fighting a vicious battle inside. Her whole persona was just a sham. Inside that bubbly, smiling, laughing girl was a broken, damaged person.

Sayori.

I'm the worst fucking friend in the world. We spent our childhoods together, and I basically abandoned her right when it was getting worse. Left her to fight this evil on her own. How could I do this? I don't deserve Sayori. She needs a real friend. Like Monika. Or Natsuki. Or Yuri. How could I be like this?

Sayori.

No...no. I...I can't be all at fault, c-can I? She kept it a secret from me. I mean, of course she would. She felt ashamed of it. But it's nothing to be ashamed of. Sure, I didn't pick up on the little hint, but she never told me or mentioned anything about it to me. How could I know what was wrong if she never told me?

Sayori.

I...I could have helped her. Back then. I could've done everything in my power to keep her happy. I would waited hours for her in the mornings if it meant she got ten minutes of happiness. I would do everything for her. She, of all the people I've ever met, deserves happiness.

Sayori.

What am I saying? I can help her. I'm going to help her. I know better now. She told me. I'm here. The Literature Club is here. We're all here. I can help her. WE can help her. We can get through this, together. I have to be there for her. Now, more than ever.

I slowly walked into my room, dead silence filling my ears. I started to slowly unbutton my shirt, dropped it nonchalantly on the ground and sat down in my chair. I set my phone down and put my face in my hands, elbows resting on my desk.

I felt the first teardrop drip into my palms.