darling, let's run

(A/N: Inspired by the scenes of the latest chapter of the manga and the song, "Run" from Red Taylor's version album. I don't own this franchise and the song. Respective rights and ownership belong to Ken Wakui for this wonderful manga and Taylor Swift for this bittersweet yet beautiful song).

One, two, three, four

Give me the keys, I'll bring the car back around

We shouldn't be in this town

And my so-called friends, they don't know

I'd drive away before I let you go

So give me a reason and don't say no, no

There's a chain 'round your throat, piece of paper where I wrote

"I'll wait for you"

There's a key on the chain, there's a picture in a frame

Take it with you

"Alright Takemichi! We'll be going soon!" One of his friends announced and bid goodbye to him.

"Take care of Takemichi well, Hina-chan!" Akkun said smilingly.

"Quit that sour face, all right?" Yamagishi commented without any heat to his words.

"Got you a porn mag! I slid it under your cover, okay?" Makoto whispered playfully at him.

Takemichi resisted the urge to snort at his remark but only smiled wistfully at them as they took their leave. Some things never changed.

"Okay. Thanks guys..." Takemichi replied with a serenely downcast expression on his face.

Hina watched him in silence, a slight frown marring her features as she noticed his facial expression. "What's wrong Takemichi?" She asked worriedly.

"Oh? It's nothing..." Takemichi forced a smile and reassured her.

"Really...?" Hina prodded gently.

Takemichi's smile remained frozen on his lips as he nodded in silence.

"I'll be going out to buy some stuff. You want anything?" Hina asked.

"Ah... Nah, it's fine." Takemichi mumbled and sent her off with a gentle yet broken smile on his face.

As soon as she left, his smile fell, and his face collapsed into a blank and vacant expression as he muttered incoherently to himself.

And run, like you'd run from the law

Darling, let's run

Run from it all

We can go where our eyes can take us

Go where no one else is, run

Oo-oo-oo, we'll run

Oo-oo-oo, we'll run

Oo-oo-oo, we'll run

"My condolences Takemitchy..." Pah-chin's desolated voice snapped Takemichi back to the present and glanced at him with a subdued expression on his face.

"We heard that you took care of Draken all this time." Hakkai added solemnly.

"Sorry that we didn't know anything." Souya's voice was tinged with regret as he looked at Takemichi's silent form sitting on the bed.