red string || sano manjiro/ mikey

chapter i: go home

"i won't....let you die here! not like this!"

his eyes were flooded with tears, but one thing is clear through his nearly blurred out vision.

those eyes.

so gentle and kind, yet it held years of pain and suffering.

it was shining, but was as dull as rust at the same time.

eyes that were once so full of life are now lifeless.

how draining it must have been.

sano manjiro is a man who suffered more than he deserved to.

takemichi will not allow for him to end this way, not when he hasn't gotten his happy ending. everyone else did, so why shouldn't he? why should he continue to suffer when everything can go well?

when there's still hope in his eyes, someone inside who's screaming to be saved from the darkness that ate him away.

"quick! grab onto my hand!"

takemichi was shot.

more than once.

yet, he gathered enough strength to catch manjiro when he jumped down the building, holding on to his hand in desperate hopes to save him from death.

"this is stupid..." was what manjiro said in return. his lifeless eyes never left takemichi's glossy ones, and though the latter can't see it, manjiro is crumbling. there are so many things running in his mind that he can't voice out, but wants to so badly.

he needed help.

he knew that.

"i tried to kill you, y'know?" he said. "yet...."

"mikey-kun, there's not much time left. i'm losing consciousness."

takemichi's tears plucked down mikey's wrist, where a long red shoestring was tightly wrapped around.

"let go of my hand." mikey said, not a hint of malice visible in them. his voice was still so gentle, so calm like the first wind of spring. "i want to end everything here and now."

"come on...you'll regret doing that."

"you'll regret doing this."

there it was again.

"mikey-kun, i will definitely save you..." takemichi's eyelids were slowly closing. he's fighting against the fatigue, against the pain that he was conditioned in. "i will definitely...save you. no matter what, i'll go back to the past as many times, as much as i can."

"what are you talking about? you can't go back anymore, right?" mikey knew that holding onto him means the pain becomes greater by the second for takemichi. he wishes that he'd let go soon, so that he won't have to bear with the pain anymore.

he hates seeing his friends in pain. he doesn't want any of that.

that is why...he chose this path.

"this is why i never wanted to meet you. i didn't want this to happen." he muttered. "i literally just shot you, takemitchy. please,"

he looks up at him. "put me in peace."

"SHUT UP!"

"shut up!"

"why are you always like this?"

"bearing the pain all by yourself like this...it's too cruel."

"always and always! you always put all the burden on yourself!"

"oi, sano manjiro!"

"just say it once." takemichi heaved. "just say please help me, damn it!"

"i'm here to catch you."

"and i'll definitely come to save you!"

"when you need saving from yourself."

those words brought aching to his heart.

she was there, her voice was clear.

she has always been there.

she, along with draken and takemichi.

it was clear to them that he was hurting.

how long have they felt so heartbroken just seeing him push them away?

"you don't have to carry all this by yourself!"

it brought him to tears, to be reminded that he always had a chance to have a better life in the beginning.

"so, come home, please."

"manjiro!"

"come home to me."

it takes a leap of faith to change everything, to make up for all the pain he caused them.

and this time, he won't push it away. he won't allow his darkness to bring him any more pain.

he'll take that leap.

"please, help me." he cried. "takemitchy."

the latter's tears halted at the sound of his pleads.

finally.

"i want...to come home." manjiro manages to smile, but it was so apologetic. "i want to come home to her."

and as takemitchy falls unconscious, mikey tightly hugs him through their free fall. his tears flew out of his eyes as his smile widened, finding comfort in takemitchy's warmth.

it's been twelve long years since he felt the love of a dear friend of his. he didn't wish for such a thing to happen at this moment, just when he was trying to end his own suffering.

but, this isn't so bad.

"you really are our crybaby hero."