𝙸𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 | 𝚃𝙱𝙷𝙺

part 2

When Kou regained consciousness he was somewhere he didn't recognize. It looked like a house? No water, so it wasn't a boundary...or maybe it was? He wasn't sure what to think anymore. The pain was gone and so was the overwhelming amount of blood that had previously coded his hand and part of his arm, only one other thing was gone as well: his ability to move. He wasn't paralyzed rather tied up by something. 

Looking around the room all he could see were the decomposing bodies of various supernaturals and what looked to maybe be students. He brushed them off as former students who had unfortunately passed, it was easier to believe then what was probably true.   

"Minamoto-kun...you're awake" Mitsuba stood peeking from behind a dark doorway. He looked at Kou differently this time, almost with a sort of hunger in his eyes. 

"Mitsuba...what is this?" He tried to free himself from whatever was restraining him, but it was no use. 

"Don't hate me please. If he didn't help, you would've..."

"He? Don't tell me–" A familiar figure emerged from the darkness through one of the various entrances that seemed to spill out into the void. Tsukasa. His sinister yet infantile grin carried more weight now that Kou was utterly powerless to him. He floated over to Mitsuba and cupped his face in his chin, scanning his face for something. Every time that boy touched Mitsuba- Kou only held his tongue for fear of what might happen to his friend, but inside he was boiling with anger.

"Looks like your little boy toy is finally awake Mitsuba~" He giggled, squeezing the supernatural cheeks until he let out a whine of pain, "Should we show him all the cool new stuff we did to his body?"

"D-don't lump me in...with you..I didn't want this" Sousuke mumbled, trying to free himself from the little tyrant's grasp.

Didn't want this? What does he mean? Kou tried to look down, attempting to see for himself what this so-called 'new stuff' was, but he could hardly see a few inches in front of him. He looked back up to Mitsuba, hoping for an answer, but his friend only looked away shamefully.

"Oh but you did though! You wanted him to be with you forever and ever...you'd just never say it out loud"

Mitsuba tried once again, more aggressively this time, to push Tsukasa off of him, to which the apparition responded by kicking him to the ground. The boy's expression, which was once as joyful and sweet as a kid in a candy store, had turned sour and cold. He bent down and whispered something into Mitsuba's ear, gave Kou one last chilling stare, and ventured back into the dark pool he came through.

"Mitsuba!" Kou struggled against the mysterious restraints, "Did he hurt you?! I swear someday- someday I'll kill him! I'll get rid of that kid!" He shouted, emotions so heavy they felt like they'd rip through his skin.

The supernatural slowly stood up. He didn't hover, he walked to Kou and began to free him, avoiding eye contact the entire time. Once he was fully released, everything finally set in. Strange limbs of every kind sprang from his back and his sides, his own human arms appeared to be decomposing and it felt like other parts were falling apart too. Like all of Tsukasa's projects, his body was a mess, a mockery of its former self. In the dark there were many details he couldn't see, but frankly, he wasn't in any rush to find out.

"What...happened to me?" Kou choked out, unable to stop staring at his various and strangely shaped appendages.

"I-it's temporary, Tsukasa always rushes these things y'know! I'm sure if we can just talk to him a little later when he's not upset we can get you a more normal body-" Mitsuba awkwardly laughed, he tried to bring the boy in for a hug but was met with a slap.