✪ Boundaries || HanaNene ✪

C H A P T E R E I G H T E E N

Everyone had to force fake smiles, laughs, and happiness for the girl.

Even if she had to live oblivious to the knowledge of the far shore or her best friend Amane, it was all fine for him.

As long as she's happy, Amane's happy.

"Do everything to keep Nene happy, no matter what."

And Hanako did, she was finally smiling wholeheartedly with no worries. The shadow of death was no longer looming above her, eying her with the deep, ruby eyes that it had. She wasn't going to die anymore.

So why wasn't he happy?

Why did his non-existent heart ache so bad?

He finally got his wishes; for his brother to finally rest peacefully and for Nene to finally live a normal life.

So why?

Why did it feel as though it was unfair?

Why was it that it had to be this way? For him to be the one facing the most pain?

Why?

Hanako couldn't think anymore. All that was in his thoughts were questions that had yet to be answered by any being higher than him, or by himself. His eyes were sore and puffy from all the tears that he had been letting out for one whole week. His gakuran was crumpled and dirty, torn from the last battle that costed his heart. Putting his legs close to his chest, he leaned his chin on the curve in between his knees and let out a shaky breath.

He hadn't realized how cold the third-floor girl's bathroom could get.

Splat, Splat, Splat...

A few raindrops hit the windowpane of the bathroom as the strong winds directed them to it. Hanako heard a boom of thunder from a distance, muffled from within the walls that shielded him. Once again, he let out a shaky breath as he buried his head into his legs.

Squeak...

The door to the bathroom opened, but Hanako didn't mind. Thinking it was Aoi, he dug his head deeper into his body. He heard footsteps coming inside the room, then leading to the front of his stall.

"Hanako," A male voice called out, "It's me, Kou." 

Hanako stayed silent, not wanting to utter a single word. Kou sighed, turning back and leaning against the door of the stall. The rain continued to pour as the two sat there, silent in the cold, bathroom floor.

"Senpai's been really happy. Today, she managed to sow a lot of lettuce seedlings in mini seedling boxes," Kou reported to Hanako with a small smile on his face, "I didn't say anything about you or the far shore, and everyone's also been refraining from doing so."

Silence, Hanako didn't speak.

Kou let out a shaky breath as tears began to form at the brim of his eyes, "You don't have to suffer alone in this cold, bathroom stall, you know? Everyone's been hurting too."

Tears began to fall from the boy's eyes as he continued to tell Hanako his thoughts in a shaky voice. 

"Spider Face locked himself inside his library as soon as he finishes classes, he's been smoking a ton too. Yako-neesan also isolated herself in her boundary. Aoi-senpai and Akane-senpai too, they've been struggling too," Kou's voice cracked as more tears fell down from his face.