Sixth Buddy [Drabble]

Sixth Buddy

Stars shone brightly in the night sky. The Neon lights of the city made her feel some sort of comfort as she walked down the streets by herself. The cold wind hit her face softly, brushing through her hair and the smoke of her cigarette left a bitter yet comforting taste in her mouth before she puffed it out.

She didn't know what to do, or how to feel. She didn't know if she could keep living like this. She lost the love of her life, her sixth buddy. She failed to protect him, the one person she wished never left her side.

The one person who would cry for her when she died... He was gone... 

Aki Hayakawa... Was gone....

She sighed as she took the cigarette out of her mouth and puffed out a cloud of smoke. She took a deep breath, holding Herself back from crying, though it was hard. She gripped onto the burning cigarette, crushing it in her palm, seemingly unaffected by the burning sensation of the lit cigarette burning her skin before she angrily threw the cigarette onto the ground.

She stood silent, looking at the ground as tears left her eye and flowed down her cheek.

"Aki..." She whimpered as she fell to her knees, gripping her chest as she cried in the middle of the sidewalk. The people seemingly not caring about her actions.

Click!

Creak!

The door to her apartment opened up, revealing himeno with a nearly expressionless face, her eye red from crying and her tie loose with the top  button unbuttoned.

She entered the apartment and closed the door behind her. She didn't utter a word, nor did she do much other than taking off her shoes lethargically before she walked towards the living room.

Entering the living room, she turned on the light. The room was messy, a new yet common sight for her ever since aki died. There were empty packets, empty packaging of Take out, Snacks and beers on the kotatsu, Aki sitting at the kotatsu with a smile-

Wait-

"Aki...?" Her eye widened as she saw him sitting at the kotatsu, a smile on his face with a beer can in his hand.

"Hey, welcome home." He answers, he gaze and smile growing softer as he looked at her.

Himeno's mind went blank. She was shocked. Didn't aki die? He did... But what was he doing here? Did they lie? Did he survive? What is going on?

She asked herself multiple questions, trying to make sense of what she was looking at. But one thing was certain, she was crying again.

She didn't waste another second as she ran at him and jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his back as she hugged him.

She didn't say anything else, she didn't have to. The strength with which she was holding him close, her loud sobs into his shoulder, they said it all.

She pulled away from the hug, but held his arms as she looked at him happy yet suprised, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"A-aki... How are you alive? H-how...? I thought you d-died...! How is this possible?" She asks between sobs as she waited for him to answer.

Aki only chuckled before winking at her.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Is all he says, which makes himeno giggle softly.

She was ecstatic, she felt giddy. She couldn't believe her eyes, nor her ears. She hugged him again, shoving her face into his shoulder as she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

At that moment, she didn't care how he was alive, or what happened with him. All she cared about was the fact that he was here, with her, Alive. And that's all that mattered to her.