AYUMI

The impact made my eyes flow open. I sat up, glancing around. My whole body ached, which I loathed, and I spotted my Student ID card a few feet away. I straightened, and snatched it off the ground. I was in a daze, a painful one. My whole hand quivered as I stared at my ID. I finally tucked it away into my skirt pocket, and stood up. The ground was stone, and the walls were also rock.

I felt abandoned, deserted. Naomi wasn't with me, wasn't there to accompany me. I gazed into the darkness, the unwelcoming darkness I have to go through. I couldn't go back, literally. i only recall of forcing the basement doors open, then falling through an abyss, and now this. I took a deep breath, and made small talk to myself as I wandered into the shadows. "You know, Ayumi, you can do this. I believe in you, okay? Accept it..."

I faltered as I saw a tall, pale-bluish ghost stand in my path. "Really, Shinozaki? You almost sound insane again..." he snickered. My throat felt clogged, but I coughed and gasped at the same time. I forced myself to breathe again, and stared Yoshiki down. "I never knew you could talk," I stated plainly. Really, Ayumi? I chastised myself. He smiled, and I almost died right there. He was so... Amazingly indescribable. That's all I could say.

"Yeah, we all could..." Yoshiki admitted. "Yeah, I've noticed," I whispered. He touched my face lightly, and I couldn't pull away as we stared into each other's eyes. "You still have a living soul... Flesh and bones... You do not have a single idea how lucky you are..." he murmured. "K-Kishinuma," I stammered, trying to back away but stumbling. "Ayumi, don't friend-zone me just by saying my last name! It's too formal, and love isn't formal," he pleaded.

My breath caught in my throat. God, his words... They were so true they were beautiful. They really made me think. Now that I had time to debate it, love isn't formal. Far from it. Ayumi, he's using his love for you as a weapon! Get away! my thoughts screamed, but I ignored them. Gullible me. Instead, I just closed the gap in between us, and that's when fire started to light him like a flame.