Shuichi sat in his dorm. He had spent the past hour crying his eyes out over Kaede's death, feeling horrible as he was forced to watch her execution. He kept wishing that maybe he was dreaming, and that he would wake up soon from this nightmare. Shuichi picked up a photo of him and Kaede, which they took when they were getting the disposable cameras for Miu.
The photo was of him and Kaede, they were both smiling as Kaede had her arm over his shoulder. Shuichi smiled a bit at the photo, remembering the good times and memories he made with her. He had made a promise, to himself, to never forget her. He couldn't forget her, she was a true friend to him.
He wiped his tears away as he put the photo down, sighing as he looked up at the ceiling. "W.. W-Why?" He asked the ceiling. Shuichi wasn't sure who or what he was addressing, but he felt the need to vent his sadness somehow, to try to make sense of the situation. He thought about her sweet words, which echoed through his mind. He promised to keep going, for her.
"Be more confident.. for me." Kaede's words of support lingered in his mind. Shuichi was determined to do exactly that, to keep fighting for everyone, for her. It was her last wish, and he was going to upkeep it. Shuichi took his hat off, feeling his ahoge pop to life as he laid down on his bed, getting ready to go to sleep.
*Ding dong!*
The bell on his door rang. Who could that be? Shuichi thought to himself as he got up and walked to the door, disregarding all caution of a possible assailant as he opened it. Shuichi looked up to see the figure in the doorway, and he saw..
Kaede..?
He stared at her, seeing his best friend, who should be dead, standing right in front of him. "Hey Shuichi! Sorry for the late visit, I just wanted to talk to you for a moment." Kaede said, her soft voice caressing Shuichi's mind. "I.. uh.. K-Kaede?" Shuichi stared in disbelief, believing that his mind was somehow playing tricks on him. "Uhm.. yeah..? Is there something wrong, Shuichi?" She tilted her head in response.
"I-I.. no.. but.. you.. huh..?" Shuichi stuttered as he blinked rapidly, thinking that she was a hallucination. "So.. can I come in?" Kaede asked. "Oh uh, yeah, sure.." He watched as Kaede stepped into his room, walking over to his bed and sitting on it. "Are you just going to stand there and stare?" She asked playfully. "S-Sorry.." Shuichi closed the door and walked over to the bed, sitting next to her.
He was still confused, very confused, he assumed this was some sort of dream, and that he fell asleep after laying on his bed. "So.. uhm.." Shuichi said slowly, "Why.. why did you want to see me?" He asked. "Oh, I just wanted to say hi, and also spend some time with you." Kaede smiled as she moved her hand onto his, prompting Shuichi to blush slightly. "W-Well uh.. hi Kaede.." He mumbled sheepishly.
"Hey, don't act so quiet, I'm your friend." Kaede said in a calming voice as she rubbed her hand against his arm, her fingers tracing along his wrist. "Sorry.. I'm just, uh, surprised to see you here." Shuichi replied as his face became more pink. "Oh, that's my bad, I didn't mean to come over so late, but I thought you'd want to see me." She answered in a soft voice.
Shuichi intertwined his fingers with Kaede's, feeling her hand wrap around his as she squeezed their hands together. "I-I did want to see you.." He said in a somber tone. Shuichi was still thinking about the situation, there was no way Kaede would be alive, right? And even if she was, she's acting like there never was an execution in the first place. He sighed to himself, trying to decipher in his mind how exactly this was possible, it had to be some sort of dream, right?
Even with this thinking, Shuichi felt like he had to know exactly what was going on, the truth. "Kaede..? How are you.. here..?" He asked quietly and slowly. "How am I here..? I.. came to your dorm, why?" She replied in a calculating voice, as if she was choosing her words carefully. Her answer seemed a bit odd to Shuichi, but he wondered if it was worth trying to press her for more, especially since it didn't seem like the time or place for that.
Her answer only made him think even more that this was a dream or hallucination of some kind, as she seemed unsure herself on how she was in his dorm. Shuichi chose to put his thinking aside for a moment, even if this was some coping mechanism brought on by his mind, he felt that he should enjoy it while he can.
His thoughts were interrupted as Kaede leaned over, wrapping her arms around Shuichi as she held him tightly, holding his head to her shoulder. "I missed you.." She said softly as she rubbed his back. "I-I miss you too Kaede.." He replied in a quivering voice, hugging her back as he buried his face in her shoulder. Shuichi wanted to cry, but he felt the need to be strong for her.
"Hey, look at me." Kaede said as she used a hand to raise his chin up to look at her. "You're doing great, Shuichi, you've changed a lot." She said in a calming voice as she squeezed him more. "T-Thank you Kaede.. I-I.. I miss you so.. much.." Shuichi replied in a quiet voice as he looked up at her. "Aww, I'm glad you like me that much." She replied. "Well, I'm here now, so let's make the most of it, okay?" Kaede told him as she rubbed his hair softly.
"I.. yeah, we should." Shuichi replied. Her hand felt so warm, so real. Kaede leaned down, kissing his cheek. "Ah.. K-Kaede.." Shuichi's face lit up with a blush from her soft lips. "Hmm? Do you not like it?" Kaede chuckled lightly as she kissed his other cheek. "No.. I like it." Shuichi replied with a small smile as he hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek back while giggling.
Kaede giggled back as she kissed his forehead, both were blushing intensely as they held each other and exchanged small kisses. "Shuichi.. you are a good kisser." She chuckled as she spoke. "T-Thanks.. your kisses are also really good.." He smiled up at her. "Hmm.. how about.. I give you another kiss?" Kaede replied. "Huh? Sure, I don't mi-" Shuichi was cut off as Kaede leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.
Her lips were soft, his entire body felt warm as the feeling of pleasure and love spread throughout his body. He instinctively leaned up, kissing back as the two enjoyed each other's mouths. "K-Kaede.. I.." Shuichi breathed a bit heavily as they pulled away for a moment. "Shhhh, just enjoy this." Kaede replied as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.
She pulled him onto his bed, pressing into his lips again as they cuddled each other, their hands running up each of their bodies. Her entire body felt so warm, Shuichi hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go of her, not again. As their lips broke apart, they both stared into each other's eyes, breathing heavily.
"K-Kaede.. I.." Shuichi felt unsure about his next words, "I.. I love you." He blushed heavily as he spoke. Kaede blushed heavily, looking to the side for a moment, as if she was thinking about how to respond. "I.. I love you too, Shuichi." She replied as she turned her head back to face him. They continued to cuddle each other.
"I'm.. I'm sorry.." Shuichi said quietly as held her. "Sorry..? Sorry for what?" Kaede asked. "I.. I'm sorry for letting you go." Shuichi said slowly. The idea of apologizing and asking a fabrication for forgiveness was an odd one, but Shuichi felt that he needed to have some sort of closure, even if it was through an unusual way.
Kaede looked down for a moment, before looking back up to him. "You don't have to apologize, Shuichi." She said calmly as her hand caressed the side of his face. "You did what was right, I should be the one apologizing, really." Kaede smiled as she spoke. Her words warmed Shuichi's heart. "I.. I'll keep fighting for you." Shuichi said as he cuddled closer to her.
"I won't break the promise I made to you, I'll stop this game, I'll.. I'll find the mastermind. I promise." He exclaimed in a confident and hopeful voice. "Good, I'm glad you'll keep to your word. I believe in you Shuichi, you can do this." Kaede replied with a smile. Her hand pinched his cheek playfully as she giggled.
Shuichi smiled more, feeling motivated to continue on, even if she wasn't there anymore. "K-Kaede.. just.. stay with me please.." He held her tightly, his body pressing against hers as he rested his head on her shoulder. "I won't go anywhere Shuichi, I promise." She squeezed him tightly, softly caressing his hair.
Shuichi started to feel drowsy, the feeling of her holding him making him sleepy. "I'm.. tired.." He said quietly. "Get some sleep, I'll be with you tonight, don't worry about me going anywhere." Kaede replied. As Shuichi looked up at her with tired eyes, he noticed the weirdest thing. Her right eye had a faint "V" in it, and her left eye had a similarly transparent "3" as well.
As his eyes started to close, he passed it off as his tired mind messing with him, especially since she was a hallucination, at least. Shuichi kissed her one last time as he planted his head on her chest, using it as a pillow as he drifted off to sleep, his mind feeling content and satisfied with the time he spent with her. A quiet snore came from him as his body dozed off.
***
She watched as he slept in her arms, and after making sure he was fully asleep, she let out a relieved sigh. Her body flickered white, her neat blond hair turning to long dark blue hair instead, glasses appearing on her face as her clothes changed to a more black style. Tsumugi looked down at Shuichi, smiling at his warmth and at how close they were. She caressed his hair a bit, enjoying how her fingers ran through it.
Tsumugi slowly pulled his arms off of her, putting them to his side as she stood up off of the bed. She turned around, fixing how Shuichi was sleeping as she tucked him into bed. Tsumugi stood by his bed for a minute, watching him sleep and enjoying his state of content. She moved her hand down, caressing his cheek as she heard his soft and quiet snores.
She leaned down, kissing him on the cheek as she finished tucking him in, caressing his hair a few more times.
"Goodnight, my sweet prince."
Tsumugi turned around, quietly leaving his dorm with a blushing face and a smile.
***
Shuichi woke up the next morning, his body feeling warm. He remembered his time with Kaede, and he noticed how he was tucked in neatly, he assumed that the whole experience was just a dream, like he thought beforehand. "Ah.. I miss you Kaede." He said quietly to himself as he looked to the side of the bed that she would've been.
His eyes caught something, he reached his hand over as he picked up a small piece of hair. It was dark blue, like his hair, but it was lighter in a noticeable way. It couldn't have been his hair, right? The color was noticeably different and he didn't sleep on that part of the bed.
"Huh..?"
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