MAD HATTER. haitani rindou

O26 - ending

‍ ‍ ‍i could feel bile burning my throat from hearing the news of him waking up, of him being alive. i couldn't believe it. i was so happy, yet so devastated at the same time. i wanted to cry, yet found myself unable to shed a single tear. the purple-haired male slowly blinked, his eyelids fluttering open for a mere second before his eyes moved slowly along the walls of his hospital room, taking in every detail of the room that surrounded him. soft smile spread across my face, his gaze locking with mine.

‍ ‍ ‍he opened his mouth, trying to speak, yet failed miserably, struggling to keep his eyes open, which had become progressively heavier by the minute. "where... y/n..?" it came out like a weak whisper, a hint of concern lacing his expression. he was clearly exhausted beyond comprehension, yet managed to maintain a small semblance of composure. i leaned over the bed towards the man, placing my palm gently on his hands.

‍ ‍ ‍"s-she's no longer with us. i'm sorry for having to say that." the warmth emanating from his body seemed to bring some relief to the cold sensation invading my own body, the warmth causing me to relax somewhat. the pain was beginning to recede somewhat, but not completely. i didn't know what to say. "she was found in a pool of blood, just meters away from your body. sanzu was found dead too." his expression contorted into a look of shock and sorrow for a split second before a determined gaze replaced that look. there was no point in denying it anymore.

‍ ‍ ‍my words must have struck a chord within him, as he shut his eyes tightly, tears threatening to escape the corners. i noticed a faint tremor ripple through his frame as tears streamed relentlessly down his cheeks. he looked like an utter wreck; a sight that made me feel both sad and angry at the same time. his expression turned solemn as he raised his head and met my gaze. "the... weight of everything is finally getting heavy... i can't move my whole body." rindou cried. he tried to lift his right arm upwards, only to let out a pained cry when he attempted to lift his arm up so far, only to drop it limply to the side. he then began crying even harder, as tears continued flowing down his reddened cheeks. my gaze trailed from his face, down to his chest.

‍ ‍ ‍"hey, don't force it." i spoke.

‍ ‍ ‍"brother..."

‍ ‍ ‍"yes?"

‍ ‍ ‍"the dream i experienced was fun... it felt so real. maybe that's why i enjoyed it so much... because the dreams that i have in the past were always pretty dull... everyone in my dreams were happy, no problems to worry... you know, i dreamt of me and y/n walking through the aisle while you were standing beside me holding a bouquet of blue hyacinths and wearing a bright smile. she looked absolutely beautiful... it was like our life in another universe." the male smiled, reminiscing his dream. his eyes sparkled with happiness, but something in his eyes seemed different... he seemed different than he did the last time i had seen him. a slight change in his demeanor made me notice the difference. a tiny bit of hope flickered inside of my heart, and i tried to ignore it.

‍ ‍ ‍"that sounds wonderful, rindou."

‍ ‍ ‍"brother, i never got to say this before but, i love you. please take care of yourself... ." rindou's eyes filled with tears as he reached out to grab onto the hand that rested atop of his own.

‍ ‍ ‍"i love you too, rindou. i'll be fine. we'll all be okay. you just focus on getting better."

‍ ‍ ‍"but, i'm going on a date with y/n... she's waiting for me..."

‍ ‍ ‍with that, a loud sound of beeping echoed throughout the whole room.

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‍ ‍ ‍"may the two of you rest in peace together." a gentle voice rang out through the silent void, followed by two sets of footsteps retreating into silence once more. my hand shook slightly as i clutched onto the bouquet, feeling a lump form in my throat, choking me with emotions i tried to suppress. i couldn't stop the onslaught of thoughts swirling around my mind, and the images of your faces together resurfaced before my eyes.

‍ ‍ ‍it had been exactly a year when your death was announced, along with rindou. a lot of character development dawned upon me during last year; a drastic change in the way we saw things changed drastically and irreversibly, as if we were reborn anew. our lives weren't supposed to be like this. now, it seems that life was changing too fast for anyone's liking. the changes were overwhelming and sudden, and it would have taken someone like me, a normal human being, a long time to fully assimilate and accept them. i didn't know how to act like i normally do after experiencing such an extreme event that should have been impossible to come by.

‍ ‍ ‍"y/n never got to know that rindou's still alive after her death. do you think she took her own life after assuming that he's already dead? in a span of a week, we've lost three lives." the female next to me dressed in a black outfit inquired as we stood in front of the grave of my brother, and his almost lover, y/n. she was staring at me intensely with those wide brown orbs.

‍ ‍ ‍i chuckled, "knowing her, she probably had to finish her goal before doing it."

‍ ‍ ‍"what a tragic end." she pouted, placing a bouquet in front of y/n's grave.

‍ ‍ ‍"come to think of it, i've known you for a year, yet, you didn't bothered to tell me your name." i pointed out, looking up at the girl next to me. i still couldn't help but wonder if she liked women too, although she hadn't expressed any interest to me in the first place. she looked quite mature, though; her facial features were pleasing enough, her hair a beautiful shade of black and wavy, her skin clear with light freckles scattered across it. she seemed kind too, unlike most people who i knew.

‍ ‍ ‍"you never bothered to ask me, though." she countered, flashing me a warm smile.
"seriously, i've been with you for a whole year and you still didn't notice? wake up from the nightmare, ran haitani. you've been hallucinating, and i, am one of it."

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