Daffodils

Chapter 7

A/N: This was so rushed, I'm sorry-

          They found themselves outside, Kokichi wearing Kaito's iconic galaxy-patterned jacket and Kaito wearing a warm turtleneck to keep the cold night air from chattering his teeth. Kokichi hugged the jacket around himself. "This sure brings back memories..." he muttered.

          Kaito looked away shamefully. "Sorry, that was the only other one I had... maybe you should've worn the turtleneck." He muttered.

          "Yeah." Kokichi responded, following him down a dimly lit road. "Is this place safe right now?"

          "Of course. It's just darker right now. The sun's supposed to come up soon, so some of the lights are turned off." He said. "I just want to show you something." He stopped when he could see the McDonalds from their date far up ahead.

          He pointed up at the stars. "Look. Do you remember when we looked up at the stars?"

          Kokichi shook his head. "I don't remember, no."

          Kaito sat down on the ground. "Well, we sat down in the grass. Not right here, but you can see the stars anywhere." He said, pointing. "Look, that's... crux, I think?" He said, pointing at the shape in the sky.

          Kokichi followed his hand, inching close to him. As he pointed, Kokichi rested his head on his shoulder and adjusted it. "Crux is over there, Kaito." He said, pointing Kaito's hand towards it.

          "WHAT?! No, it's... wait..."

          He sighed, facepalming. "Right- yeah it's right there."

          Kokichi smiled, dropping his hands to his lap and resting his head on Kaito's shoulder. "Do you know any others?"

          Kaito looked down at Kokichi in awe, overjoyed to see him smiling. "Nope. Not at all." He said.

          Kokichi poked his finger out at the sky once more. "That one's Hercules." He said. "It looks kind of... awkward like this- imagine he's flexing his muscles... but he looks upside down..." He said, losing his smile as he focused. "And right there is hydra. The big snake-looking one."

          Kaito chortled. "Does that mean..." he said, pointing to one nearby.

          Kokichi rolled his eyes, knowing exactly which one Kaito was talking about. "Yes, Kaito, that's Sextants."

          He tried hard to hold back his laugh. Kokichi sighed. "You know a sextant is actually just an instrument used to determine the angle of a celestial body-"

          "BHAH-" Kaito cackled as he slipped, covering his mouth.

          "CELESTIAL BODY AS IN THE SUN, KAITO!" He yelled, smacking the back of his head. "Clean your dirty mind!"

          Kaito laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his head. Kokichi grinned and scoffed as he rose. "It's late. Sorry for dragging you out in the middle of the night." He said, holding his hand out.

          Kaito took his hand in his, Kokichi helping to pull him up. "No, it's fine! I had fun." He said, double checking that the keys to Kokichi's apartment were there. "Though, do you mind if I stayed over? I just don't want to get yelled at by my grandparents for being out so late." He said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

          "Sure. My place seems kinda messy though. How'd I even manage to punch through the wall..." he muttered, beginning to walk.

          Kaito followed as the sun began to come up. The apartment was just down the road, past the few small antique stores and cafes. As they walked past a coffee shop, Kaito could hear a song playing from the same English artist they had listened to the night of their first date. A Glimpse of Us by Joji. Kaito felt horrible. "You mind if we stop by here? I just need to use the bathroom."

          "Hm? Uh, sure." Kokichi said, opening the door. "Want anything?"

          "I dunno- surprise me." He said, his voice breaking as he ran.

          Not long after he turned the corner to the bathrooms, Kokichi heard a loud thud and a scream. Kokichi ran, turning the corner quickly. "KAITO?!"
          Kaito lay on his back on the floor, head tilted to the side as a mother tried desperately to calm her panicked child. From out of his mouth poured a large amount of water and in its puddle... was a full daffodil. "No... NO, NO, NO! KAITO!!" 
          A million memories flooded his head and poured out his eyes in the form of tears. His best friend Maki, lying dead in the hallways of his own apartment and covered in blood. Kokichi pressed two fingers to his neck. Nothing. He checked his pulse through his arm.

Thump thump. Thump thump.

          It was slow but it was there. He could see Kaito's eyes flutter slightly, but everything was a blur to Kaito in the dim light of the coffee shop. All he could hear were muffled sounds as Kokichi, the Ultimate supreme leader, threw orders around and people were forced to follow. Kaito felt himself be picked up by the smaller boy as they met eyes. He said something... something he couldn't hear very well. One of the last things he saw as he was carried away was a full daffodil laid on the floor.