A/N: I'm so sorry for the hoplessly late update, you guys. It's just that I have had tons of medical issues lately, which means I have had a lot of freaking doctors visits. From my pediatrician, to a dermatologist, to an orthopedist. I've been through it all. I'm on homebound because my clumsy ass fell and tore all the ligaments in my left ankle. _ But enough of that. This is the last and final chapter of BD:A. I've been working for months on this chapter, and it's finally finished. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the finale of BD:A!

- 54

Disclaimer: I do not own Corpse Party. Only these crutches.

Satoshi's P.O.V

"Onii-chan!"

My eyes snapped open and I jolted upwards, sitting up in my bed. Yuka was standing by the bedside, smiling from ear to ear. She had all but bursted into my room, slamming the door behind her, and called me out as loud as she could in order to wake me up from the most peaceful sleep I've had in months, which had irritated me to no end.

"Yuka, what the hell?!" I questioned angrily, pulling up the covers over my white tank top cladded body. "Don't scare me like that!"

Yuka giggled. "Sorry, Onii-chan! Only doing what mom told me to do!"

I huffed. "I'm pretty sure she didn't tell you to make me go into cardiac arrest."

"Nope! Only that I should wake you up and tell you breakfast is ready!" She said, walking over to the window and drawing back the curtains.

I growled at the sunshine that she let into the room, and of course it was hitting me right in the face. I quickly lie back down and pulled the covers over my face. "I'll eat later."

"But, Onii-chan," Yuka whined. "Mom made your favorite crepes!"

"I said I'll eat later." I clarified, the pillow muffling my voice.

"Fine, but I thought you told me last night that as soon as we finished eating breakfast, we'd head over to the hospital to see how Shinozaki is doing?" Yuka said in a saddened tone.

I sighed. Yes, I promised Yuka last night before she went to bed that we'd head on over and see the class rep early this morning. What kind of big brother am I to break a promise to my little sister? And what kind of friend would I be if I didn't check up on Shinozaki in her time of need?

I threw the covers back and sat up on the edge of the bed, rubbing my eyes. "What time is it?"

Yuka shuffled over to the nightstand by my bed and picked up the digital alarm clock that was sitting there. "9:30."

"What?!" I exclaimed, ripping the clock from her hands.

She was right. The red digitalized numbers on the interface of the clock read that it was indeed nine thirty in the morning. What was wrong with me? I'm always an early bird, so why was I waking up so late?

I set the clock back down and let out a groan, running my hands down my face.

"You must've been really tired last night, Onii-chan, because I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to peek in your room to check on you, and saw that you were passed out on your bed, still wearing your school uniform. You didn't even bother to cover up with a blanket or anything." Yuka explained, sitting down beside me and crossing her arms at her chest.

I looked down, seeing that I was in my underwear and socks. "Then why do I not have clothes on?"

Yuka giggled. "I did what any little sister would do for their big brother! I took off your uniform for you and tucked you into bed!"

"Aagh!" I screamed, covering myself back up with my blanket as I just then realized that I was half-naked in front of my sister. "Why did you do that?!"

Yuka's features on her face turned sad. "I thought I was doing you a favor, Onii-chan."

"Huh?" I noticed the sad look on her face. I had to admit that I absolutely hated when she did that. It was like she had me wrapped around her finger in some way. But, oh well, she was my sister. And I didn't want to see her sad.

I sighed and put my hand on her head, petting her a few times. "It's okay, Yuka."

Her face suddenly turned happy as she let out a small giggle. "So, you're not mad?"

"How can I be mad at you? You only did it to make me more comfortable. So, I guess I should be thanking you. But, don't do it again, okay?"

Yuka smiled. "I won't! Promise!"

I smiled and stood up from the bed, taking a stretch and cracking my neck. "Let me get a shower and get dressed and I'll come down for breakfast, hm?"

"Okay! But, wait..." Yuka drifted off while looking down at the floor.

"Hm? What is it, Yuka?" I asked, my tone growing concerned.

She seemed to hesitate on what she was about to say to me. "Well...your window was opened last night when I found you asleep, and I know the roof is where you go whenever you need to think things through. So...I just want to know if you're okay, Satoshi."

That was odd. Yuka almost never calls me by my first name. It's usually "Big Brother" or "Onii-chan". Perhaps she was genuinely concerned for my well-being? I don't know. Yuka can be a bit strange sometimes, but overall she's generally a sweet young girl. I guess it wouldn't hurt to share some of my problems with her...would it?

I let out a sad sigh. "It's nothing really. Just felt like I needed some space to think about things, you know?"

"I don't like that tone in your voice, big brother. Something's bothering you, and I won't leave 'till you tell me what it is." Yuka stated firmly on her decision.

I'm pretty sure my eyes had widened listening to her speak like a full grown adult. Usually, she'd talk in the third person, which kinda annoyed me in a way, but this time...it was different. She began acting and speaking like a fourteen year old girl should do. In some sort of convoluted way, it felt like a part of her had changed.

I sighed, giving up. "Okay, I'll tell you, but at least let me grab a shower and put some clothes on. I feel awkward standing in front of you in my underwear."

"Go ahead. I'm gonna go downstairs and eat breakfast, or rather what's left of it." Yuka said, standing up.

"Huh?"

"Mom only fixed one stack of crepes. Dad chowed down on like four before leaving for work, and mom ate three. I guess I'll finish off the rest of them. If you want any, you better hurry up, huh?" She winked, making her way out of my room.

I stood there stock-still with a wide open mouth. Since when did she get that attitude?

A half an hour later...

I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. Yuka, having changed from her pj's into a pair of jeans and a peach-colored sweater, was sitting at the kitchen table. An empty plate sat in front of her. She was rubbing her stomach in circular motions, looking as if she had just eaten her last meal for the rest of her life.

She looked up at me and shrugged her shoulders. "You took too long, big brother."

The girl then proceeded to let out a huge belch that was fit for a grown man.

I cringed at the vulgar noise. "It-it's okay, Yuka. I'll just eat in the hospital's cafeteria when we visit Shinozaki this morning."

Yuka shot me a funny look. "Satoshi, I just ate every single one of these crepes and didn't save any for you, knowing that they are your favorite, and you're okay with it?"

I looked away, speaking in a quiet tone. "W-well, I don't mind, considering that you must've been really hungry..."

I looked back at her to see that she had gotten up from the kitchen table and was walking over to me.

"Satoshi?"

"Yes?"

"Lean down."

"Wh-what?"

"Just do it."

"O-okay." I whispered. Bending down to stare into my younger sister's eyes, I couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. I had known for quite some time that Yuka had thought of me as more than just her older brother. Of course, she would grow out of it as she got older. Or so I hoped.

Then, to my surprise, I loud and deliberate SMACK! was delivered to my right cheek.

"Ow!" I shouted, bringing a hand up to touch the now reddened flesh, which felt like a million bee stings. The pain itself was enough to make my eyes water just a tad. Yuka smacking me into next week came as a shock, indeed, but I could also detect a growing anger build up inside. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Man up, big brother!" Yuka had shouted back. Although, her voice didn't have an angry tone to it like mine did. More like a mix of concern and frustration. What did she mean by "man up"?

"Man up?! What's that supposed to mean?!" I questioned, still rubbing at the soreness of my face.

"Think about it! If you keep acting like a nice guy all the time then everyone who ever comes into your life will walk all over you like you're not worth anything!"

I flinched. What's gotten into her? Ever since she woke up this morning, she hasn't really acted like herself. Has she really been affected so much by that damned school that it's caused her to act like some sort of jerk? No. Yuka wasn't a jerk at all. She was just concerned for me. Her brother.

With that in mind, I thought over the things she had just said, and she was right. The more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that a bunch of people had taken me for granted in the past. People knew me. Knew I couldn't say no to anything. Knew that I was always there so they could use me to help them with one little thing and then toss me aside when they were done. If I kept this up, then I wouldn't have a future. I would have to say goodbye to the future that Sachiko had promised me. I don't want to do that. Not at all.

Yuka took notice of my silence. Her face grew soft, and she closed her eyes. With tears brimming, she spoke in a shaky voice. "Wait. I didn't mean any of that, big br-"

"No," I spoke up suddenly, causing the girl to let out a quiet gasp. "You're right, Yuka."

"I am?" She asked, fluttering her eyes open.

I nodded my head. "Mhm. I need to man up like you said. All these years, I've seen how people have taken me for granted. People that I don't talk to anymore have done it. my friends have done it, mom and dad have done it, and so have you."

Yuka looked downcast, as she realized it, too. "I h-have haven't I, big brother?"

I patted her head. "Don't worry yourself about it, Yuka. You didn't know it at the time, and, frankly, neither did I."

She sniffled a couple times, looking up at me. "I just don't like it when people do that to you. You're my brother, and I don't want to see you get hurt, you know?"

I smiled, ruffling her hair. "I know. I will try to change that, okay?"

Easier said than done.

"Promise?" Yuka asked.

"Promise." I confirmed.

Yuka giggled. "Sorry I slapped you."

I rubbed at my cheek again. "It's fine. I like to think of it as a great big reality check," I hissed at the pain again. "Damn, you have an arm, Yuka."

"Thanks, Onii-chan!" Yuka giggled again.

"Now I know how Shinohara feels whenever Naomi reprimands her for her inappropriate behavior." I mumbled, pulling up a chair at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, no kidding," Yuka replied, sitting down across from me. "So, what's the deal with you and Naomi? Are you...?"

I looked up at her. "Are we what?"

"Well..." Yuka grew quiet, scratching the back of her neck. "Are you guys like a thing now or...?"

I looked down at the table with a sigh, shaking my head slowly. "Nope."

"What?! Why?!" Yuka practically shouted, bracing herself by grabbing both sides of the kitchen table.

"She's in love with Shinohara." I explained, not taking my gaze off the surface of the table.

I heard her gasp, then she let out an enthusiastic squeal. "Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh." I confirmed, obviously not sharing her enthusiasm.

I closed my eyes tightly as she let out another squeal. An ear-piercing one.

"Get outta here! That is so cute!" She grinned in a fangirlish way.

I groaned as my head thudded onto the table. Now my kid sister thought they were cute. Yeah, big help. "You're not helping the situation."

Yuka quickly shut up as she heard the sadness in my voice. "I'm sorry, Satoshi."

I leaned back in the chair. "It's not your fault."

She sighed, leaning forward and crossing her arms on the table. "With all due respect, big brother, it was bound to happen sooner or later. You know that."

Of course, it was bound to happen. The signs were all there, and I never realized it. I've seen the looks they give each other. How one worries when the other isn't by her side. It. Was. All. There. Still can't believe I didn't see it coming. I mean I did, but I didn't wanna believe it.

"Yeah, I know," I managed to croak out. "It just hurts. Badly."

Yuka looked down at the table, carefully choosing her next words. "The truth hurts, big brother, but being lied to hurts worse."

I looked up at her to see she had a sad, yet grave expression on her face. She hit the nail right on the head with that one. The truth does hurt. I did know that there was always something there between Naomi and Shinohara. Everyone knew. I was the only one out of us who didn't wanna accept it.

Then there are the lies, which hurt a lot more than reality. Lies are made up fantasies that you want others to believe, and/or sometimes made up fantasies that you want yourself to believe. Yes, some lies are good, but the majority of them do more harm than good. It just occurred to me about ten seconds ago that I have been lying to myself all these years. Not just about Naomi and Shinohara, but about other things. Things that had came with opportunities that had passed me by because I was either too scared to capitalize on them or I would deny the truth and lie to myself. I didn't want that to happen anymore. I didn't wanna be afraid of anything ever again. Being scared had cost me so much.

I mentally berated myself for always thinking that Yuka should be the one to grow up and act her own age, when in actuality, I was the one that needed to grow up. It was time to stop acting like a scared little kid and start acting like a man for once. I had to do it. My future depended on it.

"That's true," I said in a hoarse voice. "Yuka, you know how I promised you earlier that I would try to stop letting people take me for granted?"

"I do."

"Well," I scratched the back of my head and let out a long, frustrated sigh. "There's no 'try' to it. You can count on it that I will stop letting people walk all over me. I'll stop being a scared little boy, too. I'm not six years old anymore. I am a fully mature seventeen year old boy, and I need to start acting like it. And this whole thing with Naomi? Yeah, I'll admit it broke my heart, but there is someone out there for me. I know for a fact that there is, and I will have a bright future ahead of me with whoever it is. But, I won't get that future unless something changes here, Yuka. In this case, it's me. I have to change my ways if I want to succeed in my life. And it starts right now."

Yuka's jaw had hit the table right in the middle of my impassioned speech, and started growing into a grin right when I finished it. She spoke. "I'm glad to hear it, Satoshi. I'm proud of you. And I'll tell you something else: I don't think we'll ever be the same since all of this has happened."

I let out a chuckle, feeling the sadness and depression beginning to leave from me as a big grin made it's way onto my face as well. "No, Yuka, we will never be the same. Seeing all of that death and destruction has changed all of us. But it's for the good."

Yuka nodded. "It's true, Satoshi. I don't wanna be a spoiled, whiny little brat anymore. I'm fourteen now, and I need to act like it. I know mom and dad have other important things to worry about, and so do you. I don't wanna come between any of that, knowing that I am able to take care of myself."

She paused, then added with a small giggle. "And maybe find a bathroom for myself next time."

I let out a hearty laugh, as did she. Then without warning, she jumped out of her chair and ran around the table to capture me in a hug.

"I love you, big brother. You're the best." She said in a shaky yet happy tone.

I felt myself begin to tear up, but I quickly blinked them away. "And I love you, little sister."

We stayed like that for what felt like hours. Neither of us saying anything the whole time. Yuka, who had gotten my black t-shirt wet with her tears, let go and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

In a teary and shaky voice, she says, "Sachiko has been so good to us."

Yuka had the happiest glint in her eyes. She had one of those dreams, too. Sachiko had meant what she said when she said she had set out to repay all of us. I wanted to know what Sachiko had promised would be in her future. Would I be part of hers and she be part of mine? I couldn't imagine a life without my only sibling there to enjoy it with me. But, I'll ask later. In the meantime, I wanted to talk with Yuka about all of this.

I smiled and nodded my head once. "Indeed, she has."

We sat there in the kitchen in silence. Yuka trying to dry up her tears before we went to visit Shinozaki this morning.

She glanced at the clock. "It's 11:00, Satoshi. We need to get going. The others are probably already there."

We exited the kitchen and the house. Locking the door and sticking the key in my jeans pocket, I joined Yuka in walking down the sidewalk.

All was silent until...

"Hey, Onii-chan?"

"Hm?"

She seemed hestitant about her next choice of words. "Did you...have one of those dreams, too?"

"About Sachiko?" I inquired.

"Yes." She confirmed in a quiet tone.

"I did."

"I did, too."

The awkward silence was coming back, so I gave up and asked. "What did she promise you, Yuka?"

Yuka looked up at me with a glint in her eyes that I had never seen before. A smile graced her features as she began to explain. "Well, to start off, I was lost in this forest..."

Morishige's P.O.V

I was jolted awake by the sound of my phone ringing. Feeling around for my glasses, I accidentally knocked my phone off the nightstand.

"Damn it." I swore, fumbling to get my glasses on my face.

As soon as my glasses were positioned on my face perfectly, I gently rolled off the bed and landed softly on my knees. Seeing that my phone had landed face down, I picked it up to see on the caller ID that it was Mayu.

I flipped it open and held it up to my ear.

"Hello?" I said through a yawn.

"Hi, Shig! What's up?" Mayu exclaimed in her cheerful demeanor.

"Well," I began, reaching a hand around to rub out a crick in my neck. "I was sleeping."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mayu's voice fell into a sad tone. "I didn't mean to wake you, Shig. I'll just go."

"No!" That sounded a lot louder than it should've. I quickly covered it up by clearing my throat. "I mean it's cool, Mayu. I needed to get up, anyway."

Mayu giggled. "Of course you did, Shig."

I stood up from the floor and sat on the edge of my bed. "Yeah, so what have you been up to this morning?"

"Well, I got up really early so I could call the hospital to make sure that the class rep got the bouquet of flowers that you and I sent her." Mayu explained over the phone.

I adjusted the phone so I could reach a hand behind to scratch my back. "What flowers?"

"Last night after you brought me home, I placed an order for a bouquet of roses to be delivered to her room really early this morning. So, that way whenever she wakes up, she'll wake up with a happy face." Mayu giggled.

I grinned through the reciever. Mayu. Being the kind and caring person that she was. Sending Shinozaki a bouquet of her favorite flowers. It was one of the few things that made me smile.

"That's very kind of you, Mayu."

"Oh, it was nothing, Shig."

I imagined the blush that lit up her face. She blushed heavily when she was being modest like that.

I let out a sigh as I just remembered that today was the day: Mayu was moving. I hated to bring it up, but I couldn't ignore it anymore. It pained my heart to see her demeanor change when I brought it up last night. But, I reassured her that we would still keep in touch.

I didn't want her to leave, but that's the way it's gotta be.

Here goes nothing: "Are you ready for the move?"

Shit. Of all the ways that I could've brought the subject up, I had to go down the road with the most ignorant question. Of course she's not ready! Hell, she doesn't even wanna go through with it!

After I mentally berated myself, I listened for her reply.

She sighed through the reciever, creating a small static-like noise. "As ready as I'll ever be, Shig."

"It'll be alright, Mayu. I know it will, and I promise that the others and I will pay a visit as soon as you have settled in." I said, trying to make the most of this depressing situation.

"Thank you," The girl replied. "I want to go see Shinozaki before I leave. Do you think you can get ready in the next hour and a half or so?"

"Of course I can."

"Okay, I'm gonna finish packing up, then I'll come over. We aren't leaving until the afternoon, anwyay. See you later."

"Bye, Mayu."

I closed my phone and sat it back on my nightstand. Standing up from the bed and popping a few bones in the process, I made my way into the bathroom.

An hour and a half later...

10:50.

Scoffing at the screen, I closed my phone and shoved it back inside my pants pocket.

Mayu was running a little late. This wasn't like her. She was always punctual, especially when it came to school. I can't count how many times I've arrived to class right after the bell signaled for all students to report to their designated class and saw Mayu sitting in her desk out of the corner of my eye with her notebook and pencil out and ready to get on with the lesson. That was one of the many things our class representative admired about Mayu.

I reached a hand up to pull my glasses off and rub my eyes. The thoughts that prevented me from getting a good night's sleep surfaced into the back of my mind again.

Ayumi Shinozaki. Our dearest class representative and certified savior. Words can't describe how grateful I am to her. I never thought I'd be able to see daylight again after all of that happened.

I shook the thoughts from my head, and turned to the sidewalk to keep a lookout for Mayu. She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago...I hope nothing bad has happened.

She probably had alot to pack, though, so I'm guessing that's why she's a little late.

Paying the thought no more mind, I proceeded to absently pick at a button on my shirt.

I had pulled a lilac-colored dress shirt and some charcoal-colored dress pants from my closet. I hadn't dressed up like this since our drama club performed "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I could tell you tons of stories about that catastrophe, but I'll save those for a rainy day.

But I will say this: As long as our drama club still stands and as long as I am part of the casting committee like I was for Sleepy Hollow, I will never ever again make the mistake of placing Yoshiki Kishinuma in the leading role of Ichabod Crane or any other lead role for that matter, despite his begging pleas.

I chuckled as I thought back to the delinquent boy's plan. All of the drama club had put up posters around Kisaragi advertising our production of Sleepy Hollow, and he must've took notice of them. So, he comes to me after school all but begging to be placed in the role of Ichabod Crane.

Why? It's simple.

He wanted to impress our class representative, whom would just so happen to be sponsoring our production.

Of course I told him he couldn't be in it because, for one thing, he wasn't involved in the drama club at all, but did that stop him?

Nope.

He auditioned anyway, and even though there were other more suitable actors who had auditioned for the role, I gave it to Kishinuma.

Big mistake on my part.

I learned of the big mistake on the night of the play. Kishinuma, in the role of Ichabod, and Han Hashimoto (remember him?) who had been casted in the role of Brom Bones, had broke out into a non-staged fight in the middle of production and all hell had broken loose.

Directly after the chaos ceased, the principal ordered that the drama club be disbanded for an entire month on account of school vandalism, indecent exposure (that was all Kishinuma), and assault. Kishinuma and Hashimoto had also been escorted out by the police, and suspended for two weeks by the principal.

No, they didn't serve any time, but both boys were charged with misdemeanors and sentenced to I don't know how many months of probation, plus neither one of them were never to be around any type of production that the drama club would be doing, much to my relief.

I snapped out of the memory as I caught a glimpse of a small head of brown hair bounding up the sidewalk. Make no mistake about it, that was Mayu Suzomoto. She was clad in a white blouse with a black skirt, and her signature pink beads that held up her pony-tail were replaced with white-colored ones.

A nice, big smile was plastered on her face as she continued her run towards my house shouting my name.

"Sakutaro! Sakutaro!" She shouted.

I snapped to attention at my first name being said. It was always "Shig" or "Shige-nii". Never "Sakutaro". Paying the matter no more attention than I needed to, I quickly bounded down the steps and caught the girl in a hug, spinning her around in a circle before setting her down back on her feet.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm not moving!" Mayu giggled, bringing her arms around my neck.

I could only stare blankly down at the small girl. Only because there was a small part of my mind that refused to believe what she had just said.

My mind. My only tool of logic that had been damaged by that damned school. Being trapped inside Heavenly Host drove me to insanity. From here on out, it was gonna be hard to trust my mind again.

I felt a chill run down my spine just thinking of it.

"You're what?" I asked, trying my best to believe her words.

"I'm staying here, Shig! My dad's boss called this morning and gave him a promotion!" She repeated.

That's when I shifted my gaze from the girl to the side in thought.

I had this odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. It wasn't a bad feeling at all. No, it was good in some sense. It's been there all day, and it was like I knew something good was gonna happen soon. Was this it?

That was when I felt a sense of déjà vu. I've heard about Mayu's father's promotion before, and the move being cancelled, also. Hmm...

I felt Mayu's embrace on my neck began to loosen. She wasn't expecting my delayed reaction.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy for me?" She whimpered, bringing her hand up to turn my gaze back to her.

I looked down at the puppy dog face she was giving me. Of course I was happy for her. Hell, I was ecstatic! I'm just puzzled about the déjà vu.

That's when it hit me like a wrecking ball, and I let out a hushed gasp in realization.

The dream! The one with Sachiko! I remember it now!

I felt a huge smile creep onto my face. "That's it!"

Mayu shrunk back in surprise. "What?"

I leaned down to capture Mayu's lips in a kiss. Her arms snaked back around my neck.

"Of course I'm happy for you, Mayu!" I began once the kiss ended. "I bet your mother and father are happy, too!"

Mayu blushed. "It's crazy, Shig. They acted different than usual this morning."

"What do you mean?" I prodded.

"I mean they were...nice to each other for once. No fighting. No acting hostile towards each other. It's actually quite nice."

I chuckled. "I bet."

Mayu took this time to hug me and snuggle into my shoulder.

"Now, I can stay with you forever, Shige-nii!" She exclaimed.

My face burned hot and my grin grew. "Until the end of forever, Mayu."

We stayed like that for what seemed like hours until she let go of me.

"We should be on our way to see her. Best not keep our hero waiting." Mayu said, taking my hand and beginning to tug me along beside her.

"Wonder how long her coma will last?" I wondered out loud.

She sighed. "It's hard to say. It could be months before she wakes up."

I thought back to what had been eating at the back of my mind the night before. I remember I came home and went straight to bed after walking Mayu home. Like I said before, all hopes of getting a good night's sleep had been lost. All I could do was toss and turn to try to find the most comfortable position possible, but to no avail. It was like trying to sleep on solid rock.

So eventually I gave up and just lay there awake. It was all I could do. At first, my thoughts were of Mayu. I wondered how she'd adapt to her new surroundings. The new neighborhood she'd be living in. The new school she'd be attending. Hoping that no one would pick on her or do anything mean to her. How we'd keep in touch. Things like that.

Then the images of what had happened only mere hours before had managed to surface into my mind, clouding my thoughts of the pony-tailed girl. I could see Kishinuma carrying the out cold Shinozaki bridal style to the nearest hospital with all of us following closely behind, some of us saying a silent prayer in our minds. I could see the doctors and nurses all but yank the class rep from Kishinuma's arms, put her onto a bed, and rush her into the emergency room. I had heard Nakashima murmur a small "Dear God, let her be okay." as the doors to the E.R. had slammed shut.

Seeing the class rep in that vegetative state...it was almost scary. Heavenly Host was a frightening place, but when you see one of your dearest friends holding on for dear life...

That's the most frightening thing in the entire world.

In a way, it made me feel worthless. The blue-haired girl had used all of her strength to give us our lives back, and it probably costed her her own life. She risked everything for us. Mayu, Shinohara, Ms. Yui, and I. She was willing to do everything in her power for our safe return, even if it cost her a good deal of her life. Was it really worth it?

I let out a depressed sigh, which caused Mayu to promptly take notice.

"What's wrong, Shig?" She asked.

"It's nothing to worry about, Mayu." I lied, faking a small grin.

Even though I had put all of my acting skills into that grin, the shorter girl saw right through the façade.

"Yes, it is," Mayu countered. "Now, tell me."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I just feel bad about what's happened to Shinozaki."

"Oh," Mayu squeaked, her gaze shifting to the side. "You have that guilty feeling, too?"

I looked over at the shorter girl, not at all surprised by the fact that she, too, felt a pinch of guilt. "Yeah, I do."

It was her turn to sigh. "In all honesty, I think we all do, Shig."

I nodded my head in agreement. "I'm thinking that's why Ms. Yui has been stuck like glue to Shinozaki's side ever since we took her to the hospital."

Mayu turned her attention back to me. "You think so?"

"It's a possibility," I replied. "Ms. Yui may care for all of us like we're her own children, and I know it's tearing her apart inside to see the class rep like that, but I have a feeling there's something else there, you know what I mean?"

Mayu nodded. "I think I kinda get the gist of it. So, you mean like Ms. Yui feels guilty, like we do, about being alive again because she's seeing what it's done to Shinozaki?"

"Exactly," I confirmed. "That's why she's staying at her side all through this. It's all based around guilt. It's like survivor's guilt, only backwards."

Mayu made a small noise of realization, then our conversation drifted into silence.

We continued our walk, crossing the street a few times here and there, almost slamming into a guy on a bicycle. I was pretty sure that our conversation was over and wouldn't resume until we checked ourselves into the class rep's room.

Mayu was never this quiet around me unless she was thinking, and usually it's best not to disturb her in the middle of it. She'll talk when she's ready. She always did.

"We have no reason to be guilty, Shig." The shorter girl finally spoke up.

"Hm?" I asked, interested in what she had to say.

Mayu sniffled and rubbed at her eye. "We have no reason to be guilty. Shinozaki knew perfectly well what the consequences would be when she brought us back. She knew that a part of her soul would be drained by that book. She knew, Shig. She knew."

"But, was it worth it? Was it really worth giving up a part of her life so we could have a second one?" I asked, the guilt taking me over once again.

Mayu hesitated, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Of course it was worth it, Shig. Just think of how she and the other grieved for us when we passed away. You know it had to have been at least twenty times worse for Shinozaki."

I bit my lip, staring at the ground as we walked.

The girl was right. The grief had to have been a heavy burden on the shoulders of the class representative, not to mention her feelings of guilt. That charm was supposed to be harmless, and Shinozaki knew that. She never ment to cause us any harm.

But the ironic part is that the scraps of paper were nothing more than stepping stones to the fate of four people.

"The guilt that she felt is a whole lot worse than the guilt we're feeling," Mayu continued. "She felt that she had somehow had something to do with our deaths. That's why she and Nakashima set out to find more background on Sachiko and Heavenly Host. That's why they tried the ritual without worrying about what might happen if they messed up. Both she and Nakashima were so desperate to bring us back that they would try anything and everything. The outcome of that wasn't so good, either."

"Poor Hinoe," I whispered. "She never got revived."

Mayu shook her head. "Restoring the lives of four people almost killed her. If she were to have attempted to ressurect Hinoe as well and succeeded in doing it, I'm sure she would no longer be here with us."

"That's true. No matter what we may think, Shinozaki is not superhuman." I replied.

Mayu sniffled, trying her best to dry up her tears. I took a small handkerchief out of my back pocket and presented it to her. She took it with a small smile and dabbed at her eyes.

"Thanks." The pony-tailed girl smiled, giving the used handkerchief back to me.

"No problem." I grinned, stuffing it back inside my pocket.

She sighed. "We're not the same people we once were, are we, Shig?"

I shook my head. "No, we're not, Mayu, and we never will be. Heavenly Host has affected us to that extent."

"We're going to carry this guilt around for the rest of our lives." Mayu mused aloud.

"It seems that way, but we'll get through this, Mayu, I promise." I smiled, tightening the grip that I had on her hand.

"Together." She said, returning the smile as we rounded a corner and caught sight of the hospital.

Naomi's P.O.V

My eyes snapped open and I shot straight up in bed. Taking quick raspy breaths, I looked around my pitch dark room for any signs of light, and to my relief I found that the sunlight was seeping into my room through the cracks of the closed blinds.

I exhaled slowly and ran a hand through my hair, which was matted together by sweat. Come to think of it, I was sweating all over. I reached behind me to feel of my pillow to find that it was a little on the moist side, as well.

I brought my hands up to cup my face as I leaned down to calm myself and regulate my breathing.

As my breathing slowed to it's normal pace, I began contemplating what had shaken me up so much. Then I remembered.

"That dream," I mused aloud in a quiet tone. "What the hell was that all about?"

It was a bit hazy, but I could remember bits and pieces of it. Sachiko was there, and she was happy. Her mother was there, too. She made her peace with me, then she went off to make peace with the others. That's all I could remember.

But, something was off. Something was different about me, but I couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

I sat there in bed, racking my brain, trying to remember more about the dream, but nothing came to me.

Oh well. Best not dwell on it any longer than I have to. Point is that it's over and done with. Sachiko's made her peace, and it's over.

With that in mind, I carefully pulled back the covers as not to wake the snoring Seiko, and carefully crept my way out of my room, down the hall, and into the bathroom.

Doing my business and washing up afterwards, I looked up into the mirror at myself to catch a glimpse of my eye. What I discovered right then and there nearly gave me a heart attack.

My jaw dropped and I slowly ran a hand over my left eye down to my cheek. That was when I bolted out of the bathroom and sprinted down the hall and back into my room.

"Seiko!" I harshly whispered, rushing over to the girl and shaking her shoulder roughly. "Seiko, wake up!"

"Hm?" Seiko hummed, lazily opening one eye. "Naomi, honey, I love you, but I'd appreciate it if you'd please let me have my beauty sleep."

I rolled my eyes, as Seiko manuevered over to her side and pulled the sheets up to her chin. I just happened to notice that she was facing the drawn blinds, and an idea formed inside my mind.

I walked around the side of the bed towards my window and yanked on the cord to the blinds, drawing them upwards, watching the sunlight filter into the room directly onto the half-asleep Seiko.

Her face scrunched up, and she pulled the sheets over her head.

"Naomiiiii~" She whined.

"I'm sorry, Seiko, but you gotta look at this!" I said, crawling onto the bed and raising up Seiko by her shoulders so that she would sit halfway up in bed.

"Alright," Seiko gave up, rubbing her eyes. "What is it?"

I moved my bangs out from in front of my left eye, revealing that the bronze-colored "S" had disappeared and the white of my eye had been restored to it's original color.

Seiko squinted at me through half-lidded eyes. When her gaze focused on my newly healed eye, her jaw dropped.

"Your eye!" She exclaimed, bracing the sides of my shoulders. "Are you alright?!"

"Shhh!" I scolded, placing my hand over her mouth, keeping in mind that my mother was in the next room asleep. "I'm fine."

Seiko brought her own hand up to remove my hand from her mouth so she could continue her questioning. "Can you see out of it?"

I nodded my head as a smile made it's way onto my face.

The brunette-haired girl's shocked expression slowly grew into one of extreme happiness. Sort of like that of a child waking up on Christmas morning. That's when she leaned forward to pull me back into a bone-crushing hug, which I returned with just as much heart.

"Oh, Naomi! That's great!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, it is," I replied. "I thought I was going to have to deal with that for the rest of my life."

Seiko released the hold she had on me and manuevered herself to sit upright in the bed without my support. "Yeah, no kiddin'. I was thinking of ways to take care of you all that time, too."

"Really?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Of course, Naomi! You know what they say! 'In sickness and in health 'til death do us part'!" Seiko said with her signature cat-like grin.

I blushed at the mention of a part of a wedding vow. "But, we're not married!"

"Yet." The brunette-haired girl corrected with a wink.

I giggled, smacking the side of her shoulder. "You goofball!"

Seiko and I shared a laugh for a good five minutes or so, then Seiko's expression turned serious as she brought her knees up to her chin and clutched them.

"There's one thing I still don't understand, Naomi." She says.

"What's that, Seiko?" I asked, mimicking her actions.

She seemed to think about how to word her next few sentences. "Don't you think it's kind of odd how your eye is all better now? I mean you were supposed to deal with that forever because of how you and the class rep fooled around with that forbidden magic mumbo jumbo. I just don't see how something so damning can just heal overnight like that."

I opened my mouth to speak, but then closed it tightly. Seiko did have a point. It was my punishment for participating in a ritual that included black magic, which meant that I'd have to wear the scars of my consequences for as long as I lived. It was kind of odd.

"You're right, Seiko. It is a little odd, but at least it's behind us now. I couldn't be happier." I replied.

"Right," Seiko agreed. "But, you gotta admit that it's still puzzling."

I nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah, it is."

"Do you remember doing anything to it or something?" Seiko continued questioning me.

I thought for a few minutes before shaking my head. "I didn't do anything. The only thing I did was show it to you."

"Hm." The brunette-haired girl acknowledged. "That's right. And I'm pretty sure I don't have any magical healing powers."

I looked down and pursed my lips in thought. That was the only thing I did wasn't it? We escaped Heavenly Host, brought Shinozaki to the hospital, said our goodbyes, then Seiko and I walked home. Seiko was the only one that saw my eye that night.

Unless...

That dream.

"Seiko?"

"Hm?"

"I did have some sort of dream last night..."

The way that Seiko looked up at me with solid eyes and a slightly open mouth told me that I had piqued her curiosity.

"A dream?" She repeated.

"I don't really remember it, but Sachiko was there," I began to explain. "And so was her mother."

Seiko stayed silent, begging me to go on.

"I woke up sweating like crazy and I could barely breathe. It was just like waking up from a nightmare, but it wasn't a nightmare. Does that make sense?"

She nodded her head in understanding.

"Anyway, she made her peace with me, then she went off to see you and the others. That's all I remember. Nothing else."

I finished my explanation and looked up at Seiko, whom had taken the time to look towards the window in complete thought.

"And you're sure you don't remember anything else?" Seiko asked.

"I'm positive." I reassured.

Seiko nodded. "I had a dream, too, but I remember mine crystal clear. Why don't you?"

I thought that very question over before speaking. "I remember hearing about this from the class rep. From what she told me, you can have a dream and wake up from it and suddenly not remember it. Maybe that's why I can't remember?"

"Possibly," Seiko turned her attention form the window towards me and brought a hand up to cup her chin in the classic thinking position. "Seems a dream like that would be remembered, though."

"Maybe if I think a little harder and try to remember, it'll come to me." I reasoned, seeing Seiko nod her head in approval.

"Hopefully, so," The girl replied through a yawn, taking a stretch. "You do that, and I'll be on my way to the little girl's room."

With a poke to my nose, she got out of bed and disappeared out the door.

I closed my eyes and thought back to when I first woke up. The night sweats. The raspy breathing. Those are symptoms you have when you wake up from a nightmare, right? But, it wasn't a nightmare. It was a good dream, a peaceful one. After my breathing returned to normal, I remember having this calm feeling washing over me. Was that another side effect of my dream?

I growled in frustration, running a hand through my hair. "Why can't I remember?"

I fell back into bed, staring up at the ceiling. My fingers absentmindedly came up to touch my eye.

'Come on, Naomi. You can do it. Remember. It can't be hard. Clear your mind of all thoughts.' I mentally cheered myself on.

I inhaled a deep breath and sighed, closing my eyes tightly again. Maybe I could somehow form a mental picture of my dream.

Sachiko was there...in a white dress...so was her mother...white room...Sachiko hugged me...

I shot straight up in the bed from my reverie as the revelation hit me: Sachiko did it.

I remember it all so clearly now. After Sachiko explained everything, she made me close my eyes. I remember the small burning sensation I felt. Sort of like someone had stuck a lighter to my skin for a split second. That's it! That was the missing piece to my mental puzzle.

Hearing the sound of my door closing, I looked over to see that Seiko had sat back down in the bed.

"Seiko!" I exclaimed, practically throwing myself into her arms. "Sachiko did it!"

The brunette-haired girl was caught off guard by my sudden action, turning it into an awkward-looking hug.

"W-what?" She stammered out.

"Sachiko was the one! I remember it now! In my dream, Sachiko healed my eye!"

I released the awkward hug and looked to Seiko to see that a sideways grin was plastered on her face.

"That's great, Naomi!" She began. "I made a discovery myself this morning."

"Hm?" I asked.

Seiko pulled at the collar of her pajama shirt to visibly show her skin. The scar that should've been around her neck had disappeared. Almost like it was never there in the first place.

"It's..." I began.

"Yep." Seiko smiled. "I knew it had been removed, but it couldn't hurt to double check, you know?"

I lunged forward and hugged Seiko again. This time she was able to catch me into a proper hug.

"I'm so happy, Seiko!" I exclaimed.

Seiko chuckled. "So am I, Naomi. Happier than I've ever been."

We stayed like that for a pretty good while, until I heard a few sniffles come from Seiko. I quickly let go and braced the sides of her shoulders, seeing that her face was slightly scrunched to keep herself from crying.

"Are you...crying?" I asked in disbelief, remembering the time that I had driven Seiko to tears when I had bursted out of the infirmary after being chased around inside by that ghostly figure. That was also included on the list of things that I'll never forgive myself for.

"No!" Seiko quickly denied, wiping at her eyes. "It's just my allergies!"

"Sure it is." I smirked, recognizing that these tears were joyful and not sad ones and assisting her in wiping them away.

"Anyway," The brunette-haired girl began with one last sniffle. "We need to get dressed as soon as possible. I promised Kishinuma we'd come back to visit this morning."

I nodded my head. "Mm."

A moment or two later...

I sat there on my bed, leaning over and tying my shoes. I was waiting patiently for Seiko, whom had been in the bathroom pretty much all morning. Good thing I was the first to call dibs on it, so I could get my shower and teeth brushing over and done with. Seiko, of course, would take longer because of her hair.

After I tied my shoes, I stood up and inspected my chosen clothing, which was a blue and black plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and some blue jeans. Suppose you could say it was more casual than fancy. It's just to the hospital, and it's not like the fashion police are going to arrest me, right?

I heard footsteps in the hallway and turned around to see Seiko standing at my door, once again donning her twin curls. Like me, she decided not to dress up for the hospital. She wore a dark green v-neck shirt, blue jeans, and a black jacket.

"Ready to go, m'lady?" Seiko asked with a grin, adjusting one of her curls.

"Yeah," I replied, taking Seiko's hand and walking out of my room, down the stairs.

"We should probably leave your mom a note or something, tell her we're out with our friends." The double-curled girl suggested.

I nodded my head once and scribbled mom a quick note and stuck it on the refrigerator in the kitchen, then we headed out the door with Seiko closing it behind us.

It was chilly out, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I looked over at Seiko to see that she had taken the liberty of sticking her hands in her pockets to protect them from the cold.

We walked half of the way in silence, until Seiko spoke up. "Penny for your thoughts, Naomi?"

"Hm?"

"You've been quiet this whole time. What's up?"

"It's nothing, Seiko. I was just thinking."

"About?"

I sighed, shivering a bit as I felt chill bumps begin to surface on my arms. "Stuff."

"Are you cold?" The double-curled girl next to me asked as she began to take off her jacket.

"No, I'm okay, Seiko, really." I said, putting a hand up to stop her from removing it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay," She said, adjusting her jack back onto her shoulders and zipping it up. "So, what stuff?"

"Hm?"

"What stuff were you thinking about?"

I looked down at the ground and clasped my hands. "I'm just thinking about how all this has affected us."

Seiko shoved her hands back inside her pockets, and I could feel her eyes on me.

"I mean," I elaborated. "I feel like this whole Heavenly Host situation has changed our ways maybe just a bit."

"I don't get what you're saying, Naomi." She confessed, bringing a hand out of her pocket to scratch the back of her head.

I put a hand out in front of her, bringing the both of us to a complete stop.

"Look at us, Seiko. We're not the same people we were when we first entered Heavenly Host. I think that whole experience has changed us in both good ways and bad ways. I guess it would be accurate to say that it scarred us for life, you know?"

The double-curled girl seemed to take this in consideration as she looked at the ground in thought with her lips pursed.

"Yeah, you're right." She began after a small period of silence. "It has scarred us for life on a very emotional level. I can tell it's changed you."

I blinked. "You can?"

"Sure can. You're not as tightly wound as you used to be. You're more laid back about things, like me." Seiko says.

"You always did try to get me to be more like you, Seiko." I grinned.

"Yeah," Seiko chuckled. "I did."

"It's changed you, too, you know?" I mentioned, as we began walking again.

"Oh?"

I nodded my head. "You're a lot more mature now than you were before."

Seiko shot me a hurtful look. A look that made me quickly change up the words in my previous sentence.

"I mean," I gulped. "Not saying that you were always childish. You did have your responsibilities as an older sister, and you knew that."

Seiko's hurtful look faded and her grin appeared. "Yeah, that's true. And to be honest, I think my perverted side is almost burned out."

I looked over to the double-curled girl in surprise. "R-really?"

Seiko thought it over for a minute. "Weeeelll not technically. I mean I'm still gonna grab dat ass whenever I can, buuuuut it won't be often. If that makes sense."

I giggled. "I understand."

Seiko grabbed my hand tightly. "We'll be okay, right, Naomi?"

I abruptly stopped walking and put my arm in front of Seiko to prevent her from going forward. She looked at me in the eyes, searching for the motive of why I paused our journey to the hospital.

That was when I leaned in and kissed her deeply.

"We're going to be just fine." I assured her when I pulled away from the kiss.

Seiko's face lit up with the biggest smile I'd ever seen. "I must be dreaming, Naomi."

"Want me to pinch you?" I asked, playfully, as we resumed our walking.

She giggled, slinging her arm around my shoulder. "No way!"

I giggled along with her, reaching up to grab the hand that she had placed upon my shoulder.

"Oh, and Naomi?"

"Yes?"

"Just one more thing."

"What's th- SEIKO!"

The laugh that came from the mouth of the double-curled girl could be heard from miles away.

Yoshiki's P.O.V

The light of the morning sun peeking through the curtain's of Shinozaki's hospital room was enough to get me to open my eyes. I picked my head up to see that I had fallen asleep sitting in the chair that I had pulled over to the side of her bed with my head resting on Shinozaki's bed.

I let out a silent yawn and reached behind to scratch the back of my head. Shinozaki had not awaken in the middle of the night like I was hoping she would. She still lay there as she did last night. Not moving a muscle. Different cords and wires protruded from her like she was some sort of robot.

Looking away from Shinozaki to the teacher that had agreed to stay the night with us out of her own will, I noticed that she had been sleeping on a cot that had been brought in by the nurses. The one that I was supposed to be sleeping in was next to her's. She was piled up, cozily. Sort of like a caterpillar. The food that she had bought for me last night was sitting in the seat of the other chair, untouched.

I grinned.

"Ole' teach." I said aloud to myself.

Deciding that the chips and the Coke would be my breakfast for the morning, I threw my trash away in the small garbage can next to Shinozaki's bed, and made my way out the door.

When I got in the elevator and pushed the button that would take me down to the lobby, I let out a long sigh, leaning back on the railing inside the elevator.

"Shinozaki," I say aloud to no one but myself, as I was the only one in the elevator. "Wake up soon."

As the elevator doors opened, I stepped out, bidding the lady at the desk a 'good morning', and made my way outside so I could have a cigarette.

I felt around my slacks pockets for my pack of cigarettes, and pulled one out along with the lighter.

As I lit it up, I thought of how the night before had transpired. It had all happened within the blink of an eye. After Shinozaki destroyed Heavenly Host, we all blacked out. Next thing we know, we're in the classroom of 2-9. I remember the exact order of us all waking up. I was first, then it was Nakashima, whom had taken the liberty of shaking Shinohara awake, Mochida had awaken with a tremendous headache, the youngest Mochida was next with the urgent need of a bathroom, Suzomoto and Morishige had awaken on their own at the same time across from each other. Ms. Yui was the final one to rouse, quickly asking the question if anyone was alright, to which we all replied in a positive manner.

Everyone except Shinozaki.

She had been face down on the ground with her arms sprawled out above her. I was the first to take notice, jogging over, and bending down beside her. The others had all gathered around in widespread panic, checking her over for any signs of life.

Mochida noticed that she was breathing, and I located her pulse.

After we all sighed in relief that she wasn't dead, Nakashima suggested that we take her to the nearest hospital. Of course, we all racked our brains trying to think of how to get her there. Shinohara suggested that we call an ambulance to come get her, but Morishige quickly shot that down with the mention of the authorities getting involved because the paramedics may suspect us of foul play.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me, as I hoisted her up into my arms so I could carry her there myself.

I took a long drag of my cigarette and blew the grey cloud into the air, as I drifted away from those memories that would be etched into my brain forever.

I changed the subject inside my mind, thinking of how I needed a shower and some new clothes. My apartment complex wasn't too far from the hospital. If I manage to quickly make my way over there to shower and change out of my school clothes, I'd be back in at least thirty minutes tops.

Okay. It's settled.

I took the last puff of my cigarette, and threw it to the ground, stubbing it out with my shoe.

A walk to Yoshiki's apartment complex and a bit later...

I emerged from the shower, making my way to my room with a towel wrapped around my waist. I wanted to hurry quickly and be back in time before Ms. Yui woke up.

Not giving two shits about what I wore, I pulled a red t-shirt and some khaki shorts from my dresser drawer and slid them on.

I know what you're thinking. Who the hell wears shorts in the winter time? It doesn't matter to me because I'm not bothered by the cold.

After throwing my towel into the hamper next to my door, I made way into the living room and made a beeline for the door when something, or rather someone, caught my eye.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to see what jackass was dumb enough to break in here while I was home.

And what I saw nearly caused me to stop breathing.

I blinked my eyes a few times to see if I I had been hallucinating, but that thought was horribly mistaken.

It was them. The people who were supposed to love me unconditionally. The people I hadn't talked to in so long. The people who kicked me out of my own home.

How in the fuck am I supposed to react to this?!

"Hello, son."

A tear-jerking conversation and a walk back to the hospital later...

As the elevator doors opened and I began walking back to Room 354, I wondered back to the very situation that had went down back at my apartment moments ago.

My parents were back in my life.

They just waltzed into my apartment without being invited in, and practically begged me to let themselves back into my life.

Of course, I didn't know how to react to any of that. It was all so sudden. My mind had been in conflict for so long whenever the topic of my parents was brought up. I was so messed up inside that I had just began crying and lashing out at them.

I said some hurtful things to them, but that was how I felt. Like Nakashima said before, it hurts to hold emotions inside. My mother began crying on the spot, and my father shed a few tears as well.

There was one moment there that showed me that they weren't just there to spout a lot of bullshit.

I had had enough of their pleading and apologies, so I stormed over to the door and all but yanked it open, telling them to get out and never come back, with tears streaming down my face.

That's when my father rose up from his position on the couch, and slowly walked over to me. He stared into my face for what felt like hours, then he pulled me into a hug.

I tried to fight out of it, but a part of me was too tired to fight, so I just relaxed and let him hug me. More tears had poured out of my eyes in the moment.

And that was the first time that I had ever heard my father admit he was wrong.

The thoughts ended there as I spied the golden plaque that was enumered with the number '354', indicating that I had arrived at Shinozaki's room.

I opened the door to see that Ms. Yui was sitting in the chair beside Shinozaki's bed, reading the morning paper.

So much for attempting to come back before she woke up.

"Morning, Kishinuma." She greeted, not looking up from the paper.

"Morning, teach." I greeted back with a choked up sound that was my voice.

Ms. Yui seemed to notice the change in my voice, as she looked over at me from the paper. "Something wrong?"

"Hm?" N-no. No. I'm fine." I reply.

"Have you been crying?" She asked, folding up the paper and standing from her chair.

I hesitated on my answer before I sighed, allowing to let Ms. Yui in. "Y-yeah. Don't tell anyone."

"I won't, Kishinuma. I know you have a reputation to keep," Ms. Yui smiled. "Now, tell me what's the matter?"

I paused before speaking. "My mom and dad are back."

Ms. Yui's face fell. "Oh?"

"Yeah." I said, exhaling a breath that I had been holding.

"How do you feel about that?" She inquired, walking over to put a hand on my shoulder.

I kept silent on that question. In all honesty, I was feeling mixed emotions. A part of me was angry that they had walked back in without telling me they were coming back, and another part was so damn elated that they were back and that I was welcome in my own home again.

"I...don't know, Ms. Yui," I confessed. "It all happened before I could bat an eyelash."

Ms. Yui nodded in understanding. "Give it some time, Kishinuma. You just finished healing from the hurt of having been kicked out by them, and now that they're back, it's re-opened those wounds. It hurts, but you have to remain strong. I know you can, Kishinuma. Shinozaki knows you can."

I nodded my head once. "Thanks, teach."

Ms. Yui patted my shoulder. "It's no problem at all."

Time passed slowly as Ms. Yui and I sat in the room of Shinozaki. Ms. Yui had resumed sitting in the chair and reading the paper, while I kicked back in the chair that was on the other side of the room, flipping through the channels on the television.

"Kishinuma?" Ms. Yui called for me after about an hour and a half of boredom.

"Hm?" I asked, switching the TV off.

"She's stirring in her sleep."

"What?"

"Come look."

Jumping up from the chair, I walked over and bent down to peer at Shinozaki, studying her movements closely.

She was, indeed, moving. That was clear.

"Shinozaki?" I softly asked, gently prodding at her shoulder with my hand.

No answer.

"Shinozaki?" I tried again.

"Ayumi?" Ms. Yui asked, calling Shinozaki by her first name.

Still no answer.

Ms. Yui and I looked at each other, shaking our heads with disappointed expressions. She wasn't waking up. Not today, anyway.

Once again, Ms. Yui resumed reading the newspaper, while I resumed occupying the other chair. Opening my phone up for the first time this morning, I recognized that I had gotten a text at the early hours of the morning when it was still dark from Shinohara.

"Shinohara says hi, Ms. Yui." I say, doing what she told me to do in the text.

Ms. Yui hummed, acknowledging my comment. "Are they coming by today?"

"Supposed to be. Mochida said they'd all be here this morning." I reply.

That was the last thing that was spoken for a while. I had made myself comfortable in the chair and was about to drift off into sleep, but the sound of Ms. Yui's voice had stirred me awake.

"Kishinuma? She's moving around again."

I rose up from the chair and bent down towards Shinozaki again. "Shinozaki?"

No answer, even though she was still moving.

"Wake up, damn it." I whispered.

Ms. Yui spoke up. "Ayumi?"

No answer.

I exhaled slowly, trying not to get exhasperated over the fact that she possibly won't wake up, even though she's showing signs.

Running a hand through my hair, I carefully sat down on Shinozaki's bed, careful not to pull any cords or wires that protruded from her.

The doctors must have taken the oxygen mask off her early in the morning, as it was gone from her face. The IV and the EKG wires were still hooked to her, though.

I ran a hand down the side of her face, brushing the hair out of her eyes. Even in her sleep, she still looked as beautiful as ever.

Then, without thinking, I gently bent down to her face and brushed her lips with a kiss.

Raising my head to look into her face one more time, I gently stood up from the bed, and exhasperatedly ran a hand down my face.

"K-Kishunuma?" A weakly voice spoke up from outta nowhere.

My eyes widened as I listened again for that voice, silently praying that the voice I heard wasn't a figment of my imagination.

"Kishinuma! She's awake!" Ms. Yui said in surprise, throwing her newspaper back and standing up from her chair.

I quickly turned around to see a pair of familiar blue eyes fluttering open and closed. A sleepy expression was plastered upon her face.

"So you're awake?" I say, smiling.

Shinozaki slowly nodded her head, a small smile began to grace her features.

"I'm going to go notify the doctor that she's up," Ms. Yui interjected, putting a hand on my shoulder and smiling at the newly awaken blue-haired girl. "Welcome back, Shinozaki."

"Th-thank you." Shinozaki replied, as Ms. Yui exited the room.

"Hi." She said softly, smiling up at me.

"Hey." I replied. God, I felt the tears coming.

"Don't c-cry, Kishinuma," The blue-haired girl weakly pleaded, bringing a shaky hand up to wipe a tear from my cheek. "Makes you look w-weak."

I sniffled. "I c-can't help it. I never th-thought you'd wake up for a while."

She giggled weakly. "Blame S-Sachiko."

"Huh?" I asked.

"I h-had a dream...and Sachiko w-was in it." She began to explain, but I shushed her gently.

"Shh. It's okay. I had a dream, too, but we'll discuss that later when you're feeling better."

"Kishinuma?"

"Hm?"

"K-kiss me."

I stared into her face for a while, then complied to her request, bending down to kiss her deeply.

When I broke the kiss, I raised back up to see that she had a huge toothy grin on her face.

"You b-big softy." She weakly joked, raising a hand up to caress my cheek.

We stayed like that for a while, until the knob of the door turned and slowly opened. Figuring it was Ms. Yui returning with the doctor at her side, I slowly stood up from the bed.

The figure standing at the door wasn't the person I was expecting, and I don't think Shinozaki was expecting it, either.

With wide eyes and a slightly ajar mouth, Shinozaki let out a weak sound.

"H-H-Hinoe?"

Third Person P.O.V

(Quick A/N: Remember the other six do not know that Ayumi is out of her coma.)

Seiko and Naomi were the last to arrive out of the six that were expected to arrive that morning to see the class rep. Both girls had informed the nice lady at the front desk that they were there to see the patient in Room 354, to which the nurse replied that Ms. Shinozaki was currently being evaluated and that she couldn't be seen until it was over.

So, the nice lady pointed the duo towards the waiting room where they found a quiet Sakutaro Morishige playing a game on his phone and an even quieter Mayu Suzomoto who had her eyes glued to the show that was on the television.

"Hey, you guys!" Seiko greeted with a smile.

"Hi, Shinohara! Hi, Nakashima!" Mayu greeted back in a cheerful manner.

"Hey." Sakutaro greeted, looking up from the game he was playing for a split second.

"Heard anything?" Naomi asked as she and Seiko took seats across from the couple.

"Nothing," Mayu replied. "Have you?"

"Not a thing," The pixie-haired girl said, seeming to look around for something, or rather someone. "Are Satoshi and Yuka here?"

Mayu nodded her head. "They're in the cafeteria. Mochida was hungry, and Yuka followed him down there."

Throughout the conversation between Naomi and Mayu, Seiko had been eyeballing Sakutaro and his proper little getup that he had chosen to wear.

"So, Morishige?" Began the double-curled girl.

The blue-haired boy closed his phone up and put it in his back pocket. "Shinohara."

"Where are you off to lookin' snazzy like that? Tryin' to impress your woman?" She teased with a devilish smirk.

Sakutaro grunted, his face turning red as a garden tomato. "That's n-none of your business."

Seiko put her hands up in mock defense. "Alright, Morishige. I know when to back off from someone. Just wanted to get a rise out of ya, that's all."

Sakutaro mumbled. "Well, it worked."

At the sound of that, Seiko smiled proudly.

"Hey, Nakashima? I see your eye is well?" Sakutaro noticed, trying to avoid the conversation he just had with the eldest Shinohara.

"Oh!" Mayu squeaked. "I feel stupid for not recognizing earlier! I'm sorry, Nakashima!"

Naomi chuckled. "It's fine, Suzomoto."

"What happened?" Inquired the pony-tailed girl.

Naomi rubbed the back of her head, nervously. "Heh, long story."

The door to the waiting room opened, bringing it to everyone's attention to see who was coming in. The Mochida siblings entered. The eldest carried a bottle of water in his hand, while the youngest was thrilled to see the duo known as Seiko and Naomi.

"Nakashima! Shinohara!" Yuka exclaimed, running over to greet the two with a hug.

"Hey, kiddo!" Seiko greeted.

"Hi, Yuka!" Naomi greeted as well.

"Heard anything, Mochida?" Mayu inquired the brunette-haired boy.

"Nobody's told me anything. Kishinuma said he'd come by whenever they finished the evaluation, and we'd all go down to see her together." Satoshi says, taking a swig from his bottle.

"But do you think it'll be okay for a total of eight people to be in her room? Space issued for the doctors and nurses and all that." Sakutaro pointed out.

Satoshi shrugged his shoulders. "Kishinuma says her room is pretty huge. I guess we'll see."

Seiko cut in. "I don't see why they're evaluating her, you know? They can't do much because of her coma, and they told us there wasn't much else they could do for her."

Naomi, who's dream was to be a nurse, explained. "They still have to check her vital signs. Temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate. I don't know what else they'll do."

Seiko nodded her head, putting her arm around the pixie-haired girl.

"Isn't she a smart cookie?" Seiko says with a proud smirk on her face.

"Seiko!" Naomi playfully scolded.

Seiko giggled, then abruptly stopped when she remembered that Satoshi was in the room. The double-curled girl had known that his heart was probably broken because of Naomi's rejection, so she removed her arm from around the shoulders of her love and kept silent.

Suddenly, a familiar blonde-headed delinquent appeared in the doorway.

"They're done evaluating if you wanna come see her," Kishinuma explained. "Her room is big enough to squeeze all of us inside."

The six in the room were surprised with his sudden appearance, but followed the delinquent boy out of the room and down the hall, nontheless.

The walk to Room 354 was silent, until Yoshiki decided to speak up.

Putting his hand on the doorknob, he turned to the others and spoke in a soft whisper. "Be very quiet."

The others nodded their heads in unison, and Yoshiki ushered them into the room. What they saw nearly caused all of their hearts to stop. It must've been some kind of messed up mirage or a figment of their imaginations.

The class representative was sitting up, fully awake, with her sister, Hinoe, at her side, as well as their loving teacher, Ms. Yui. Her eyes were barely open in her weak state, and when she saw her fellow classmates come into the door, she flashed them a weakly smile.

"Hey, guys." She choked out in a weak whisper.

No one spoke a word. Shock and tension filled the room, as the visiting six turned with accusatory glares at the blonde-headed boy who led them there.

"What's the big idea, Kishinuma?!" Seiko was the first to exclaim, smacking the surprised Yoshiki in the back of his head.

"Ow!" He says, rubbing the spot where Seiko had hit him. "What the hell, Shinohara?!"

"Why didn't you tell us she was awake?!" Naomi was the next to speak, emphasizing every word in her sentence with harsh pokes to Yoshiki's chest.

Satoshi followed up with harsh pokes to his shoulder. "We could've been more prepared if you had said something about it!"

"QUIT POKING ME!" Exclaimed Yoshiki, rubbing at his chest and shoulder areas where he had been poked.

Naomi and Satoshi quickly complied, but still glared towards the boy.

"I wanted to surprise all of you," Yoshiki says. "Shinozaki wanted to surprise you all, too, so I decided to keep my mouth shut about it."

At the mention of this, both Satoshi and Naomi's faces softened.

"Sorry, Kishinuma." Naomi apologized, her eyes cast downward to the floor.

"Yeah," Satoshi agreed with a soft blush, scratching the back of his head nervously. "We just overreacted because we didn't know, that's all."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Yoshiki grinned, playfully punching the side of Satoshi's shoulder and ruffling Naomi's hair. "She's excited to see you guys, so why don't you go talk to her?"

Naomi and Satoshi both nodded and made their way over to the weak Ayumi, who was chatting happily with an overjoyed Mayu and a somewhat happy Sakutaro.

"I'm so happy for you both!" Ayumi exclaimed weakly, moving to hug both Mayu and Sakutaro who both complied, happily.

"Thanks, class rep!" Mayu smiled.

"Yeah, thanks." Sakutaro pushed his glasses up with a smile.

"Thanks for the flowers, too." The blue-haired girl mentioned, thinking of the small vase of roses that was sitting on the table beside her bed.

"No problem!" Mayu says.

Ayumi grimaced in pain and weakness as she tried to situate herself back into her sitting position in the bed.

"Be careful," Hinoe warned. "You're still weak from the coma."

"Yeah, I know." Ayumi smiled, glad to have her older sister back.

Satoshi and Yuka walked over to the other side of the class rep's bed, so they could exchange a few words with the brave girl.

"You doing okay, Shinozaki?" Satoshi asked, putting his hand on Yuka's head.

"I'm doing just fine, Mochida," Ayumi says in her weak stupor. "That's what the doctors say at least."

"Are you gonna get to go home later today?" Yuka joined in, looking at the class rep with sad eyes.

Ayumi took that question under thought before she spoke. "I don't think so, Yuka. I'll probably be here for a few days because of my weak state. It all depends on when I begin to build my strength back up."

Yuka smiled in sympathy, feeling a tear run down her face.

"If I ever get any of it back." Ayumi mumbled under her breath.

Seiko and Naomi took their turn, stepping up to the foot of the bed.

"Hi, class rep." Seiko says with a sympathetic smile.

"Hey, Shinohara." Ayumi greeted with a small smile and a weak wave.

"You look like shit." The double-curled girl joked, hoping to add humor to this depressing situation.

Ayumi chuckled, catching onto her dry humor. "Thanks."

The blue-haired girl then turns her attention to Seiko's companion. The one who she had asked to investigate the Shinozaki estate with her. The one she had helped comfort when the double-curled girl had passed. The one that stuck by her through everything even when they argued over the silliest things: Naomi Nakashima.

The pixie-haired girl in question looked like she was beginning to cry.

"Nakashima?" Ayumi inquired, looking towards the girl.

"You did it." Naomi smiled through her tears, wiping at her nose with her arm.

Seeing her former rival like this almost brought the pig-tailed hero herself to tears, but she kept them from falling with the small amount of strength that she had.

A weak smile formed on Ayumi's face. "I'd do it again if I had to."

That very sentence that tumbled out of the weak girl's mouth struck everyone in that room in the heart as tears began to form in their eyes. Even Sakutaro was a little teary-eyed.

The brave hero had a lot on her heart, and she figured she'd take the time now to say it. She breathed in weakly and exhaled softly.

"It's true," She began, licking her dry lips. "I would go back and do it all again. Because you guys are my best friends. I'd cut out my own heart if that meant saving all of you."

Ayumi gritted her teeth, bearing the small twinge of pain that surged throughout her body before she continued.

"Throughout this whole ordeal, I've learned something. In life, you have to make sacrifices. Whether it be for a loved one or a complete stranger. I kept nailing that into my own head during that whole second trip to that damned school. I knew that I would have to sacrifice something in order to restore all of you. But when I found out that I'd have to sacrifice a piece of my soul..."

She paused as tears began filling her blue eyes.

"I honestly didn't know if it was the right thing to do. My head was filled with doubt that it may have been the Book of Shadows just trying to trick me into giving up my soul for the sake of it's own amusement. But, it wasn't a sick joke on the book's part. Someone helped me to see that."

Ayumi looked around Naomi and Seiko to the blonde-haired boy that had been leaning against the door with his hands in his pockets.

"Kishinuma and I spent hours studying the Book of Shadows looking for alternative solutions, but failed to find any. That's when we figured out that sacrificing myself was the only solution to it. I'll admit I was terrified to do it. Black magic is a dangerous thing. Nakashima will tell you that. Right, Nakashima?"

Ayumi grinned at the pixie-haired girl, who in turn nodded her head vigorously.

"I see that your eye is well." The blue-haired girl pointed out.

"Yeah." Naomi said, touching at her eye with her hand.

Ayumi sighed. "But, like I said before, I was terrified to do those resurrection spells. Black magic almost killed Nakashima and I, but my sister stopped it from happening."

Hinoe smiled, grabbing Ayumi's hand.

"She didn't have to do it, but she did. Her death added on to the grief that I had felt when you all passed. The memories of all of you helped remind me of why I had stepped foot inside that godforsaken place for a second time. After all, it was my fault that you all died there in the first place."

Tears began falling down her face.

"I'll never forgive myself for suggesting we do that damned charm. If I knew it was going to kill you all, I would've left it alone. The guilt that I felt plus the grief of losing you stayed on my mind for days. I didn't go to school for two weeks after that. In the midst of my grief, I began researching the Shinozaki estate to learn more about it. The more I studied it, the more I saw that things didn't click. I went to Nakashima with this information, and she agreed to go with me. There we discovered the Book of Shadows, and tried learning from it."

During this, Naomi reached down to grab Seiko's hand.

"We attempted to try the spell to resurrect Suzomoto, but that ended badly. I lost my sister, and Nakashima lost her eye. We both ended up in the hospital after that happened, and when we got cleared, we went back to looking into more info on the Book of Shadows. We were up for two nights in a row studying that damned book."

The blue-haired girl let out a weak cough, prompting both Ms. Yui and Hinoe to touch her shoulders in sympathy.

"To make a long story short, the only alternative for saving all of you was to go back inside Heavenly Host and attempt the spells in there. It was very difficult, especially Shinohara's, but we managed to do it. And, yes, I wish I could've saved everyone that had died a horrible death in there, but I couldn't risk it. If I had, then I wouldn't be here alive."

The class rep had a far away look in her teary eyes.

"The guilt of having you all killed, and the guilt of not being able to save everyone will haunt me forever. That I know. But, like Kishinuma said, you can't save everyone. Now, I'm not a hero, no matter what you all think. I'm just an ordinary girl who cares about her friends and will do anything in her power to help them. We are all one family. We all may not be blood, but we're here. And that's all that counts."

By the time Ayumi finished her first tender, heart-felt speech, everyone was crying. Sakutaro had tears running down his face and held Mayu while she wept. Satoshi shed a few tears as well, while Yuka had her teary face buried in his black shirt. Naomi had an arm around the front of Seiko's neck and shoulder, crying into the double-curled girl's neck. Yoshiki shed a few manly tears behind everyone else, so no one could see. Ms. Yui sniffled a few times, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. And Hinoe's tears slowly fell, but her face still had it's composure.

"Sachiko is at peace, now," Ayumi began. "She granted all of us something special in our dreams last night. She fulfilled the deepest desires in our hearts to show her gratitude. I don't know about the rest of you, but I believe she is truly sorry for everything that she has done to all of us. The girl in the white dress can finally rest in peace knowing that we have all forgiven her. We all know what she promised us, and we all look forward to having our dreams come true. That is for sure. But that doesn't mean we all won't grow apart from each other. Our bond as one is too strong. Sachiko said that herself. Our prescence inside Heavenly Host alerted her. She knew that our bond as friends was too strong for her to overpower, so she devised a way to make it fade away by severing that bond into different parts. She took away the four of you that were the nearest and dearest to our hearts. And by doing that, the bonds with the remaining five of us grew stronger. The love that we all share is strong and can overcome the evilest of things. That much is true. We'll all carry the scars and images that the school planted into our minds and hearts, but we'll all make it through. Together. Remember that."

As the class rep finished up her impassioned speech, she let out a few dry coughs. All the while, a certain blonde-haired delinquent walked up behind Seiko and Naomi.

"That's something we will all teach our future children. Love is strong no matter what." He says, looking into the eyes of his bed-ridden love.

Everyone nodded their head once.

"And that no matter how small that love is, it'll still make all the difference in the world." Naomi added.

"Love is also letting go of something that you once loved," Satoshi chimed in, walking over to Seiko and Naomi. "So you can see them be happy with someone that's not you."

The brunette-haired boy gently grabbed the hands of both Seiko and Naomi and intertwined one with the other, showing that he approved of their relationship.

"This is so cheesy, you guys." Sakutaro interrupts, taking off his glasses to wipe a few tears from his eyes.

"If it's so cheesy, then why are you crying?" Yoshiki shot towards the blue-haired boy with a smirk.

"I'm not." He denied, crossing his arms. Everyone, in turn, shot him a 'you're full of shit' look.

He huffed, uncrossing his arms to wipe away another tear that escaped his eye. "Alright, I am."

Mayu snuggled into his arm. "Don't be embarrassed, Shig. It's sweet to see you cry like that."

Seiko sniffled loudly, wiping at her nose. Naomi saw this and rolled her eyes playfully, motioning for Satoshi to grab the box of tissues from Ms. Yui.

"Here," Naomi said, grabbing the box from Satoshi. "You're 'allergies' are acting up again."

Seiko saw this through her tear-filled eyes, taking two of them from the flower-patterned box. "Thanks, Naomi."

The double-haired girl then proceeded to blow her nose, comically. Naomi looked on, shaking her head with a playful smile etched on her face.

"Does this mean that we have to go back to school tomorrow?" Yuka asked her older brother, who along with everyone else in the room let out a hearty laugh.

Ayumi let out another rough-sounding cough, proceeding with an exhasperated sigh.

"You should rest for a little while, Shinozaki." Ms. Yui suggested, adjusting the pig-tailed girl's blankets.

"I will once everyone has gone home." She replied, adjusting herself so she could lay down for a bit.

"Yuka and I need to get going, anyway." Satoshi said, patting Yuka on the head. "Mom and dad will be home in a bit, and they'll be wondering where we are."

"I need to go home and finish unpacking the rest of my things." Mayu pointed out.

"So, you're not moving?" Ayumi questioned, looking up at the ponytailed-girl.

Mayu smiled, shaking her head. "Nope. My dad's boss gave him a promotion."

"That's great, Suzume!" Seiko exclaimed.

"Thanks!" Mayu giggled, a slight blush appearing on her face.

"You need some help with that unpacking?" Sakutaro asked.

"I need all the help I can get, Shig." Mayu replied.

"I'll walk you home and help you unpack." The blue-haired boy suggested.

"Yuka and I will help, too, if you want, Suzomoto." Satoshi also suggested with a smile.

"Thanks, Mochida!" Mayu smiled.

"No problem." Satoshi replied with a grin.

"We'll see you guys later," Mayu says, taking Sakutaro by the hand and leading him to the door. "Shig and I will be back tomorrow afternoon to see you, class rep!"

Sakutaro, Satoshi, and Yuka also said their goodbyes, and left out the door with Mayu.

"Her cheerful demeanor is almost infectious." Naomi pointed out.

"Yeah," Seiko agreed. "Can't see how she manages to stay positive all the time."

The conversation between both girls was interrupted by Ayumi's weak hacking. Each cough sounding worse than the other.

"Geez, class rep! Why don't you smoke another one?" Seiko joked with her cat-like grin.

Ayumi responded by shooting the double-curled girl a one-fingered salute, much to the surprise of Ms. Yui. The other adult in the room, Ayumi's sister, Hinoe, was not phased by her younger sister's action. It only served to her amusement as she let out a small chuckle.

Seiko laughed at the reaction she got from the weak girl. "I see Kishinuma is beginning to rub off on ya, eh?"

The blue-haired girl let out a weak guffaw. "Whatever you say, Shinohara."

"Anyway," Seiko began, fixing the collar on her jacket. "This has been fun, but I gotta go get Naomi in bed-I MEAN I gotta go take her home."

"Nice save." Yoshiki whispered, elbowing the double-curled girl in her side gently.

"Cork it, Kishinuma." Seiko bit back harshly, seeing a smirk play on the boy's face.

Witnessing the whole exchange between her love and Yoshiki, Naomi quickly cleared her throat. "Yeah, I really need to get home. Mom's gonna be home soon, and I need to go fix something for her."

Ayumi spoke. "Nakashima?"

"Yes, class rep?"

"Thanks...for everything."

Naomi smiled, nodding her head once.

She, then, turned to the girl standing beside her. "Let's go home, Seiko."

"Lead the way, my love." Seiko replied with a small bow.

Naomi giggled. "You're so silly."

The two girls then moved to leave with Seiko all but pushing Naomi out the door.

"Rest easy, Shinozaki! Me and the Mrs. are coming back tomorrow to see ya!" Seiko said, poking her head into the door one last time before shutting it.

"Mrs.?!" Naomi was heard exclaiming.

Ayumi chuckled as she pictured the bright red blush on the pixie-haired girl's face.

The blue-haired girl then sighed. Naomi wasn't that bad of a girl. She hated herself for thinking that all of these years. It was just now that she realized her former rival for Satoshi Mochida's affection was now her closest friend. Small world, huh?

"So," Yoshiki interrupted the silence. "What do we do now?"

"I need to go home and check up on Monet. I think you and Hinoe can hold down the fort here for the rest of the day, don't you?"

Yoshiki nodded. "Yeah, we can. Go home and rest, teach."

Ms. Yui gathered up her things and exited the room, shutting the door behind her.

Yoshiki looked from the door to his bed-ridden love, whom had fallen asleep sometime during the conversation between him and their teacher.

The blonde-haired boy smiled. He walked over to tuck in the sheets under the blue-haired girl and bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Shinozaki."

A/N" Annnnd it's gone! This has been the FINAL chapter of BD:A. I thank all of you who have stuck with me and this story through thick and thin. And for those of you who don't agree with my choice of shipping (Seiko x Naomi), then I am truly sorry. I ship them so much, it's addicting. If you don't like Seiko x Naomi, then I suggest that you please not read my fanfics from now on. I respect Satoshi x Naomi to the fullest, but I just don't ship it. And you should also respect Seiko x Naomi even if you think it's a stupid ship. Sorry if this offends anyone in any way, but that's just how I feel. Anyway, enough of that. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this story or post a question in the reviews and I'll PM you the answer. Once again, thank you all and until next time.

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