In the fire, A star burns brightly

3. It Begins

"What about us?" Rui asked desperately while holding Tsukasa hands.

"There was nothing at all between us Rui. Let it go" He said quietly not even bothering to look at the troop director in the eyes.

"Tsukasa..." He let go of the 'dead' troop leaders hand.

"No one will believe you. Haha.. They all think I'm dead and I want to keep it that way. After all this time I finally had an excuse to leave that world!" He laughed while putting one of his hands on his face covering that creepy smirk, as if it didn't matter how sad the boy in front how him was. Not even how his eyes were red from the crying.

"As far as you know, I could be apart of a little delusion inside your head, 'I miss Tsukasa so much that I can even see and feel him inside a made up world he made himself that we can also somehow travel to!' I would LOVE to see who would believe you! They would all think you're crazy! Maybe even insane enough to send you to a mental hospital!" He laughed again but louder and more evil. How could Tsukasa say such a thing? But he was right. Who would ever believe that the future star was talking to him in a world that people didn't know existed besides Emu and Nene. Maybe they would believe such thing?

Right?

"Sorry Rui, But don't go on and joke around like that. Look I know you're sad, We all are, but joking about seeing Tsukasa in his own sekai is just crazy." Nene tried to reason.

"But its true! I saw him! I even touched his hands. Hes alive!" He practically begged her to believe him. The other few people on the rooftop looked at him like he was insane, giving him and Nene judging look than going on about their business.

Nene and Rui were on the rooftop eating lunch quietly until Rui brought him up. Both resting their backs on the wired fence, Nene looked at Rui surprised. She never expected such reaction from him.

"Rui... "She mumbled

"Even if you were somehow telling the truth, How would you prove it?" She was right, How was Rui suppose to prove Tsukasa was still alive. Rui stayed silent.

"Even if you did manage to prove it." She started to say, Struggling to find her next choice of word.

"Why would he fake his own death? He seemed so happy and full of joy. He had a loving family and friends. Why would he go that far to hurt the ones he loved..."She said quietly, getting sadder by each word coming out of her mouth.

Shes right again. How would he prove hes alive in a fake world while also providing a statement on why he would do that. It wasn't like Tsukasa to say all that rude stuff. Well at least he thinks so.

"The bell is about to ring, we should head to class now." She said as she stood up with her bento box in her hand. As she headed for the door among the other few people there, Rui quickly stood up and exclaimed,

"I will prove that hes still there, And I will find out why! I swear on my life!"

"No its not it...."He mumbled,

-

Now Rui was sat down at his desk looking at old pictures of Tsukasa and him. Some during the shows at the wonderstage with a great cheering audience, at school eating lunch on the rooftop, hanging out outside shopping. He looks so happy. Smiling at camera with that cute smile, So happy and filled with life. What went wrong? As he scrolled more getting into the more 'recent' pictures from 3 months ago, a picture of him and Nene taking a selfie with Tsukasa in the background moving a box filled with stuff. At the time they didnt think much of it. They just thought he was cleaning or moving stuff around to get ready for the show. Strange... What was he holding in that box? He zoomed in more to get a better look at him. He seems to be moving a box full of...

"I cant believe it..." He said stunned and dropped him phone.

Plop

He leaned back in his chair. The fire, His death, The trauma.

It was all planned.

Tsukasas eyes were filled with nothing. They were so dull and depressed. The shine in his eyes are gone. His smile is gone.

He was moving a box filled with explosives. The ones that were used during the beginning of the show that night. The cause of the fire was declared 'malfunction' of those exact explosives.

Tsukasa caused the fire.

The future star died in that fire.

A trope leader died in that fire.

An amazing brother died in that fire.

An great classmate died in that fire.

Tenma Tsukasa didn't.