✿☆*To the Moon and Back*☆✿ -- Hanako-Kun x Fem!Reader --

☆.'- the Cursed Staircase (3) -'.☆

~~Chapter 7~~

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Both girls see a doll that represents their friend, Aoi. Yashiro runs over to her. Y/n hops off of Hanako's back, following the other. "Y/n! Yashiro!" Hanako calls. Yashiro takes the doll in her arms, her eyes watering.

Y/n sits next to her, also having tears brimming her eyes. Yako looks away and sighs, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Wake up, Aoi! Please! Can you hear me?" She exclaims at the doll, shaking her. The head falls into the water, causing both females to gasp.

They both stared at the headless doll with widened eyes. "It's been nothing but failure after failure. I think I'm tired of it. I suppose it's business, as usual." Yako takes scissors, pointing them at the two girls in front of her. "Time for you to be cut into tiny pieces." 

Before Yako could do anything, Kou blocked the attack with his arm. "I've got this, girls! Stay back!" He exclaimed as his arm turned into a plush. "Hey! What the hell's going on?!"

Hanako went in front of the three, holding his knife. "Be careful. Looks like those scissors turn humans into plushies when cut." "My arm!!" Kou wined, squishing his once made-of-flesh arm.

"Change it back!! Oh---I know-" He turns to the ghost. "Can you do that thing where you conjure the wind and blow stuff away? Like, with the cape and the dust?" 

Hanako shakes his head. "I... Cannot." "WhYY?!" "Because we're in number two's territory. To use haku-joudai's power, I'd need to ask her permission." He points his knife at her. "That could change if we broke her yorishiro, but at the moment, there's no sign of it anywhere."

Kou furrowed his brows. "So? Now what?" Yako moved next to the alive boy. "I think I'll start with you." She tried attacking him with his scissors, Kou just barely dodging it.

"Keep up the good work! You're doing great!" Hanako cheered, waving at him while walking over to the two other girls. "What the-" Kou was cut off by scissors. He blocked the attack, thankfully.

Nene held Aoi in her arms, letting out soft sobs. Y/n hugged her, tears strolling down her face, only making soft sniffles every now and then. Hanako frowned upon seeing them. 

"C'mon. Stand up." He softly states, putting up his hand. "Don't quit now, she's still alive, you know." Both girls looked at him, eyes puffy and red. Y/n rubbed her eyes, looking at the boy.

"This world exists in the border of life and death. Nothing can be born here, meaning nothing can die either." He smiles and held out his hand. "Keep fighting for as long as it takes. Refuse to let her beat you, and, you'll win." Nene wiped her eyes, still looking down at the doll.

Y/n gets up, and instead hugs the apparition, startling him. He ended up wrapping his arms around her frame. "I'll do anything to get her back." She whispered into his ear, voice still shaking.

Hanako smiled, pulling her closer to him. "Hmm... Anything? You mean it?" He eerily asks, making her regret saying that, and questioning what he's gonna do.

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"Ehh..." Y/n sweat drops. "What are you doing to her, Hanako?" Nene asks, watching her friend get tied up.  "Tight knot... Check! Sturdy rope... Check! Looks like you're ready to go!" The boy smiles. Y/n stares at the rope.

Hanako pats her on her shoulder. "Clearly, the yorishiro isn't here, meaning this isn't the deepest part of the boundary. Soo..."

He grabs Y/n's cheek, making her look at him, resting his forehead on hers. "I was thinking... If we've already explored the very top, that means next up is the very bottom. Right?" He asks.