"In the Next Life" [TBHK - HanaNene] (Short Story)

Prologue

"I don't want to do this, Hanako..."

Hanako smiles sadly, knowing what has to be done. He couldn't back out of it, he was the one who put Yashiro up the task of dismantling the yorishiros of the school wonders anyways.

"It's okay, Yashiro."

He kisses her cheek, and whispers into her ear as he places his yorishiro into her hands. It was a tiny yorishiro. Not much to it, but it was something that he held dearly when he was still alive; a small, faded out picture of him and Tsukasa on their fourth birthday, right before Tsukasa had disappeared for a month and then returned as the Tsukasa they all knew and hated.

"Don't cry. We will see each other again. I promise."

As he pulls away he wipes the tears falling down her cheeks with his hands as he cups her face, smiling softly before kissing her forehead.

"H-how do you know that...?"

He lowers his head just a little to where he is at eye level with her, staring into her rose colored gaze.

"We ate that mermaid scale, remember? We are bound to each other from this life and to the next. Nothing will sever that bond."

She nods softly before backing away a little but to look at the yorishiro. Yashiro gulps nervously as she plucks the seal from the picture, the world breaking into jigsaw pieces when the seal is completely removed. Hanako smiles sadly, fading away from her sight as it blurred into the memory of the yorishiro.

---

She wakes up to a mansion, a mansion she remembers when she and Kou went to look for something of Mitsuba's to open up a boundary. She walks around a corner to see four figures. Three in a room, and another outside of that room.

'Wait... is that Tsukasa standing outside that room?'

She walks up and stands right behind him to see what he is watching with a tearful gaze. Her breath hitches at the sight.

'Hanako!'

"He isn't going to live for more than a month... I'm sorry..."

A three year old Hanako was suffering right before her eyes.

'No, this is a memory... this is the past... I need to remember that... no matter how hard it is...'

Her nails dig into her palms, slightly scarring into them as the scene fades into a new one.

"Alright you two, it's time to sit down and blow out the candles!"

The woman smiles happily as the two boys scurry to their seats at the table and the man places the decorated cake with lit candles in front of them.

"Look at it, Amane!"

"I'm looking at it, Tsukasa!"

'He looks so much healthier now.'

The woman claps her hands as the man grabs an antique camera.

"Smile!"

Both boys smile widely as they said "CHEESE!"

A flash went off and then the twins blew the candles out together.

"Happy fourth birthday, Amane and Tsukasa!"

The scene blurrs before her as a voice whispers into her ear.

"I love you, Yashiro."

Her tears fall unbidden, as she collapses to the ground; her legs suddenly becoming to weak to hold her weight. Her heart beating slower as the seconds pass.

'So, it's my turn now... I guess this is it for this life..."

Her lips turn to a smile.

'I hope to see you soon... Hanako...'