HANDS OF TIME | rantaro kiyama

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 20 - 𝟸𝟿ᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀʀᴋ .༄

APRIL 12, 2013
7:35 AM
Gloomy.

       'I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM FUTURE IN A WHILE.'

       My hand gripped onto the plastic handle of the clear umbrella.  The small roof I held above me was fogged up from the humidity whisking around in the morning air.

       The sky was dark and cold as hell, even with gloves my fingers were about to fall off. The muddy brown puddles I stepped into didn't help either, the sides of my rain boots too omega to stand up to the alpha puddles.

       What the fuck did I just conjure up—

       "Y/N!"

       My body grew stiff. I know that voice. I recognize the person.  I want to run into their arms, but—

       There was an instinct to run.

       My feet were no faster than my thoughts, legs like a track star. Honcho was behind me, his athleticism and grippy sneakers favoring him on the soaked, concrete grounds of the sidewalk.

       Why am I running?  I can talk it out with him.  We can be together again—screw whatever Future's saying.  They must delusional.  First, they tell me to get with him...

       The memory then struck me;  Honcho will die if I don't sever my connection with him.

       That's what I'm doing this for.

       When did I become so lovestruck?

       Everything in front of me was a blur.  The raindrops crackled down like shards of glass colliding with tiled floors.  I could still hear Honcho behind me, shouting my name—it sounded like a cry almost.

       My legs were near their limit.  I was burning up even in this chilled weather.

       "Fuck—" I heard him mutter underneath his breath. How fast is he?! "Talk to me, Y/N! We can solve this, screw whatever Future said!"

       I tripped on thin air.  I was free-falling through the air.  But—

       He knows about Future?

       Hands gripped on my shoulders.  I did not collide with the concrete, thankfully.

       I was met with a concerned expression. Rantaro's hair was soaked from the rain, sticking to his forehead and mixing his sweat. I probably appeared messed up too.

       "You...you know about Future?" I whisper.  Rantaro held my cheek in his hand.

       "Y/N, can you close your eyes for me?"

       "Why?"

       "Please do it..."

       Something bad was going to happen.  My eyelids squeezed shut.  "Rantaro, don't go."  I felt his lips on mine one last time.

       "Goodbye."

      

       Rantaro's dead.

       No...not yet.

       I sat in the cushioned chair provided in a hospital room.  Rantaro was the one laid in bed, wrapped in bandages all over.

       I know he's not going to make it.

       But...

       "God, if you're out there, please help me..." I held his hand in mine, they were still warm, but barely.  I pressed my forehead to his palm.  "You can't let him die.  It's way too early.  I swear, take me instead.  Not him.  He's too good of a person to die this quick."

       The heartbeat in the monitor kept pulsing a steady rhythm.  Beep, beep, beep.  It soothed me a little to know that his heart was still beating, but it wasn't enough.

       Tears leaked from my eye sockets.  Everywhere hurt, my throat was being torn out by the invisible claws of grief.  Honcho's hand was still in mine and I gripped it tightly.

       Suddenly a loud ring rang through the air.

       It was horrific to hear, but why?

       It was his heart monitor—there was no heartbeat. It was a dead line.

       "DOCTOR!" I yelled, bolting up from my seat. Several nurses clamored into the room along with residents. I was ushered out of the room to get out of their way.

       That's okay, I didn't want to see his corpse—yet I wanted to stay. Was it because it resembled him? Despite the ghastly skin and body bloodied from the accident?

       Honcho's gone now. Honcho's gone along with his laugh, his voice, the way he looks at me, the things he does, his way do affection.

       Everything is gone. The traces of him, gone.

       "Ma'am, do you know his parents, guardians? Anyone we can call?"

       I stuck around for the questions because I know it's for Rantaro, but I wanted to die. He told me to close my eyes—why didn't I stop him? I knew something was going to happen. Why didn't I move?

       I called an uber.

       I unlocked my apartment door.

       I didn't sleep a wink that night.

———