Corpse Bride || Haitani Brothers/OC

09 - home

I'm doing a lot of running today, Hikari thought as she ran.

she used to be so equipped to physical activities because survival was harsh, but the brothers had spoiled her since then. even when the distance between her and Rin wasn't so great, she stopped to catch her breath, clinging to the hope that she took unpredictable turns that they won't follow.

as for her plan—there is none to speak of. she bolted from Rin in a rush to escape him, there wasn't so much time to figure out where to escape to. she stands upright to take a look at her surroundings. it did seem somewhat familiar. then she sighs in defeat upon realizing that every inch of this place looked the same.

she started walking aimlessly, cursing whoever designed the interior of their headquarters. it was impossible to remember where the rooms were when all doors and layouts looked identical. maybe it was purposely built that way though—for intruders like her to lose themselves in a black and red maze.

for all Hikari knew, there was danger waiting for her wherever she was going, but she continued to walk. on regular days, she would've stayed put or found a room to hide in. no, on regular days, she wouldn't even be in here to begin with.

today wasn't a regular day. she had to look for Ran.

Ran.

she had heard Sanzu's laugh not so long ago. it made her freeze for a solid minute as she tried to recollect herself, but one thing she did notice is that she didn't feel so afraid. the knowledge that Ran was alive made her fear things less. maybe it was foolishness, or maybe Ran was just so reliable that she can't help thinking he'd come to save her even if the sky collapses.

maybe she should make the sky collapse. she had thought this already earlier, but Ran really would have no choice but to reveal himself if she were in trouble, right? it was a plan worth the risk considering there were no other ways she could lure him out.

she sighs as she starts knocking on doors to look for trouble. she had a sky to collapse—what a man Ran was to make her go through all this trouble just to see his face.

so far, there were no people to come across. she sighed. Hikari needed to stimulate her mind on something else lest she think about the fact that he really was alive. there's a lot to think about on that. a lot of why's, a lot of how could you's, and of course, there was also the question of 'what now?'

she felt dizzy and it left a bitter taste in her mouth—the fact that she wouldn't actually know what to do with him being alive. she pushes those thoughts aside, reminding herself that she could think of it later when she actually finds him.

but what if he really is dead?

no, not this again.

he's alive.

there's proof.

the brain sometimes makes things up so that the person could survive. was that it? did she make this all up? she couldn't live with him gone, she'd rather die, yet somehow her troublesome brain thought she should just live with false hope?

"Hikari."

she had been too careless. maybe her brain made her think this wasn't such a dangerous place so that she wouldn't go insane from the reminders of her abduction—an abduction by no one other than the man who had called her just now.

she hated it so much, how she knew his voice so well. in the aftermath of that hellish night, two voices often called out to her. one was Ran's—she wouldn't complain because she missed his voice so much that she happily settled for the makeshifts of her head. but the other was Sanzu's.