You felt yourself being shaken awake. Groaning, you rubbed your eyes and blinked them open to see the familiar face of your fellow inmate.
"Heya, (y/n). It's almost time for breakfast. Heard it's the good stuff today."
You slowly eased yourself into a sitting position and swung your legs over the edge of the bed. You took this opportunity to stretch your back.
"Finally," you grumbled as you slid your orange uniform on and tied the jacket around your waist. "All the stuff they've been serving recently has been god-awful."
You glanced at the clock sitting above the steel bars. You had about fifteen minutes until breakfast started.
Flopping back onto your cot, you pulled out the journal from beneath your pillow and unlocked it.
"Reading over your boyfriend's journal again?" asked your roommate. You scoffed and glared at her.
"I'm on the last one right now. Shut it."
It had been about two months since you turned yourself in. As promised by Miwako, you didn't hear anything about yourself in the news. For the most part, life was pretty decent, surprisingly. You got along well with all the other inmates and you were frequently invited to sit with them during meals. You had grown to know your roommate, Hina, quite well. She was in jail for murdering her abusive stepdad that had molested her for her entire life. She was in her early 20s as well, which made it easier for you to connect because you were around the same age.
You flipped to the last entry of the journal, in which there were only a few paragraphs worth of text. You also noticed it wasn't dated.
That's weird... I remember the last entry being dated to half an hour before he died. Did he purposely write this before that at the very end?
You shook your head and began reading. You were one of the closest people to Hakuba Saguru, but you couldn't fully understand the workings of his mind all the time.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Tell me, have you ever heard of that proverb before, my dearest (y/n)? You probably have, knowing just how smart you are. But in case you didn't, it means that we return to the state we came from: dust. The Bible- Genesis 3:19, to be precise- uses it to refer to man's temporal nature and feeble composition. Everything that has life will eventually come to an end and die one day. The circle of life stops for nobody. It continues unceasingly, destroying the old and ushering in the new. Rinse, lather, and repeat.
All's well that ends well. The outcome of this situation was uncertain and was most certainly going to be unpleasant, but know that I am very proud of you. I know it is difficult, but you have done the right thing and for that, I am so proud of you; more than what words can express.
With much love,
- H. Saguru
You felt something wet rolling down your cheeks.
"Eh? (Y/n), are you crying?"
Hina scurried over and wiped at your eyes with a tissue.
"What's the matter?"
"... He said he was proud of me."
She didn't peep at your journal; she knew how important it was to you, but she patted your back and hugged you.
"I'm sure he is. After all, you're the fucking (y/n) (l/n). Now come on, we're gonna be late for breakfast!"
You wiped your eyes and got out, putting your shoes on and chasing after her.
"Yeah. You're right. I'm sure he's proud of me, even now."
***
"(Y/n), you've got a new visitor today."
You turned to see who had just spoken. It was the prison ward you were on good terms with.
"A new visitor? Who could it possibly be...?" you mused as you put your tray away and stood up.
"No idea. Why don't you find out for yourself?"
You waved goodbye to her and smiled at the guards as you jogged out of the cafeteria toward the visiting area.
You stopped dead in your tracks once you saw who was sitting on the other side of the glass. Never in a million years did you think you'd see her hear.
Koizumi Akako. Your classmate and formal rival for Hakuba's heart.
She spotted you completely frozen and smiled warmly, which was quite unlike her. She beckoned you over with a wave of her perfectly manicured fingers.
Suspiciously, you made your way over and took a seat behind the glass. Grabbing the phone, you squinted at her before speaking.
"Hello, Koizumi-san."
"It's been a while, (y/n)-san. I had a feeling I'd see you here."
"How did you know? News of me being arrested haven't been leaked to the media."
In response to that, she simply snapped her fingers. Instantly, the room was bathed in an unearthly maroon glow. Looking around you, you saw that everyone except the two of you was frozen in time. Guards stopped mid-walk, inmates frozen mid-sentence. Only the two of you were moving.
"Wh- how?!"
She yawned, covering her mouth daintily with her hand.
"I'm a witch, (y/n). That's how."
"A... what?!"
She ignored your surprise and lazily glanced around her.
"I've stopped time for now. I can keep this up for half an hour before I'm at my limit. In the meantime, let's talk."
You leaned back, still suspicious. "Talk about what?"
"Anything. But I'm most interested in learning how you managed to get away with murder."
"Well, about that..."
***
"I see. So that's how you technically got away with it."
You nodded and stared into her claret-hued eyes. For the past twenty-five minutes, you had explained how you had murdered Hakuba Saguru in great detail, from beginning to end. She had been silent the entire time, nodding occasionally to indicate she had understood.
You did find it a bit strange how two former rivals could be enjoying a friendly conversation, free of all judgment.
"That Spider sure is a piece of scum," you muttered. "Forcing someone else to do the dirty work without their consent or knowledge."
She chuckled and stood up.
"I agree with that. It's been a pleasant half an hour talking with you, but I'm at my limit now."
You noticed beads of sweat dripping down the sides of her face. She looked like she was in pain as well.
Akako snapped her fingers, and the reddish glow dissipated. People began moving as if someone had hit the "play" button.
You glanced down at your watch and gaped in amazement. The hands of your watch slowed down, then spun backward quickly to adjust itself to real-world time.
"I'll be back soon. Wait for me," was all Akako said before she walked off.
***
True to her word, the red witch did come back. A few more times.
You sat before the glass barrier, waving to her as she walked in. Your eyes immediately darted to the vial around her neck.
What's that?
It didn't attract just your eye; it caught everyone else's as well. It was also red like her cashmere sweater, but it glowed as if it had a life of its own.
She took a seat on the other side and snapped her fingers, stopping time like she did every visit. The barrier disappeared and you were now able to talk freely.
"This will be the last time you'll see me."
You blinked at her abruptness, jaw hanging open.
"Pardon?"
"I said, this will be the last time you will ever see me. Or anybody else for the matter."
She took off the vial hanging around her neck and placed it in front of you. The magical, glowing liquid inside sloshed side to side.
"You've been suffering, haven't you?"
Your face fell at her words and your gaze dropped into your lap.
It was true. You had been suffering. You felt as if you had been living the same day, every day. Life had been drained of all meaning and purpose and you were simply just going through the motions of living.
There was no point anymore.
"I take that as a yes," she interpreted. Akako pushed the vial into your hands.
"Drink it."
You glanced down at it. There was a cork stopper at the top, preventing the liquid from spilling out. You pulled it out and sniffed it cautiously. It smelled of cranberries and cherries.
"What does it do?" you asked.
"It'll give you a quick and painless death. You'll feel yourself getting drowsy and you'll fall asleep. You'll pass away soon after."
You stared at the vial in your hands, the liquid oscillating side to side.
Should you do this?
You thought about everything in your life that you loved and had worked hard for. Your family, your friends, your future.
But now that you were in jail, they were out of your reach. Your family and friends, save for Akako and Kaito, never paid you a visit and no good college would accept you once they found out you had committed first-degree murder. You had ruined your own life and there was nobody to blame except yourself.
Yes, this was the only decision that you could make which was good for you.
You quickly downed the concoction. It burned your throat on its way down like alcohol.
Wincing, you set the vial down and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand. As Akako promised, you immediately began to feel sleepy and you rested your head on your forearms.
"Man... I'm tired," you yawned. Akako checked her watch.
"You've got about five minutes left until you die. Any last words?"
Gazing up at her, the edges of her figure began to blur and darken. You closed your eyes blissfully and relaxed.
"I've had a good life... tell my parents that I love them. Also, tell Kaito I said thanks. I couldn't have done it without his advice.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Now I understand what you mean, Hakuba."
You felt yourself beginning to slip away from the world and into the afterlife. You picked up the familiar smell of tea and caramel, which made you scrunch your nose up in confusion.
Hah? Isn't that...?
Your eyes widened just a fraction at the soft touch of warm arms wrapping around your neck. Hot, stinging tears burned the back of your eyes once you realized what- or who- it was.
"Rest easy now, (y/n). You've done well. I'm so proud of you."
At this point, you weren't sure who said that, but you no longer cared. All you wanted to do was sleep.
Please, just end it all now.
As if the gods had heard your wish, you felt a light tap against your forehead, and the world went black.
I'll be there soon, Haku-chan.
Wait for me.
And that's a wrap! The end of "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust"!
This is my very first multi-chapter fanfic, so I'll probably come back to this later in the future and revise it when I have time.
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this!