Are We a Lie? (Michizou Tachihara x Reader)

Chapter 29: The End???

I jolted up out of bed, instinctively reaching for the spot on my neck that was bitten by the vampire. I found my breathing erratic as I struggled to regain composure. No pain or marks? What the hell is going on?!

"Hey, you alright?" The concerned voice to my right belonged to Michizou, his expression etched with worry.

Did I really dream that? It felt so real. Scooching closer to the red-head, I buried my face in the crook of his neck, while simultaneously grabbing onto his t-shirt. "Yeah, I guess it was a dream."

The Captain being the leader of the Decay of Angels and Michizou being the metal manipulator? Was that all in my head?

My breathing steadied, as Michizou gently stroked my (h/l) (h/c) hair. "I'm sorry, (Y/n)."

"What're you sorry for, Michi?"

"This isn't a dream, my love." He placed his hand on my cheek, pulling away from me, so that I could look at him. His expression was neither joyful nor sorrowful, but rather, it conveyed seriousness. "Once you die, your brain still works for about ten minutes."

"So, I did die." I sighed, as I slowly let go of my boyfriend's shirt. "Did I turn into a vampire?"

"That's what you are now and will be until the battle's over."

The pair of hands that were once on me disappeared. I was now alone in my own bed... Back where my story began.

"So, I can't even rest in peace, huh?" I tumbled back onto the mattress, shifting my gaze upwards to the ceiling. "Damn you, Fukuchi. I was an idiot to trust you." I lifted my hand, extending it fully. "No, that's silly. There's good in everyone. I just wasn't smart enough to notice, or strong enough to help you. Was I?"

I clenched my fist, then laid my arm across my eyes. Nine more minutes. This whole being dead thing is quite strange.

"You can open your eyes now." Michizou? Didn't he just disappear?

I lifted my hands from my eyes to a shower of cherry blossom petals drifting from the sky, settling softly on the grass. This was the same place he had brought me to watch fireworks before. There he was, my boyfriend, down on one knee with a (silver/gold) ring in hand.

I inhaled sharply, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Y'know, I was going to propose tonight, if we had survived this battle." Despite his words being tinged with sadness, his expression remained cheerful, his cheeks faintly flushed with a light blush. "I hid the ring box in one of my old coat pockets, cause I knew you'd somehow find it if I wasn't creative."

"We're both dead, Michi." The waterworks wouldn't stop, even as I tried and tried to wipe my tears away. "Why now?"

"If we can't be together in this life, then maybe we can in the next. I love you, (Y/n). So please, promise you'll marry me in our next life."

"I will. I'll never stop loving you, I promise!"

Dropping to my knees, I wrapped my arms around... nothing? I get that my sense of reality is being warped, but it hasn't been ten minutes yet, has it?

I moved my left hand onto my cheek, feeling a cold sensation. What the? Removing my hand, I saw a (silver/gold) ring on my ring finger. It was different from the one Michizou had proposed with.

"When did this get here?"

"When I put it on you." I whipped my head behind me, seeing my red head dressed up in a freshly pressed tuxedo. He outstretched his left hand, grabbing mine. His left ring finger was also decorated with a matching ring. "Well, I should've put it on you. We were so close, weren't we?" Michizou rested his forehead on mine, before letting out a sigh. "I was an idiot for bringing you on this suicide mission with me. The Boss may have had a solid plan, but..."

"In the end, it still wasn't enough." I frowned, as I looked down at my white gown. "We weren't even old enough to go drinking at bars. Didn't even make it past the teen years."

"You are such a downer," Michizou chuckled. "We have three minutes left. Wouldn't you rather die happy than regretful?"

"You're right." I closed my eyes, as I leaned in to kiss my husband. "It's just as you always told me. Live life to the fullest."

The warm feeling against my forehead disappeared, leaving me to open my eyes. So much for keeping my happy moment.

Stepping back, my foot struck an object that felt like a ball, causing me to stumble and start to fall. I shut my eyes, anticipating the fall, yet the expected impact did not occur.

I felt the embrace of strong arms, prompting me to open my eyes.

"Hi, honey." Michizou giddily smiled as he kissed me.

"Hi, Michi." I gently cupped his face, staring into his amber eyes.

"Kids, am I right?" The red head sighed as he sat me on the couch. Crouching down, he picked up a purple ball. Aren't those usually found in kid's ball pits? "They never pick up after themselves."

"We have a kid?"

"We could-"

"Enough with the 'could have'!" I snapped. "We're dead! We can't be happy! We can't get married! We can't have a family! I-" My hands tightly grabbed the roots of my hair, as more tears trickled down my cheeks. "I don't understand. Isn't my brain supposed to show me my happy memories? I don't want to see what I could've had. This isn't- I didn't want to- I just-" Not able to finish my sentences, I brought my knees to my chest, hugging them tightly.

A hand gently rubbed my back, as I continued.

"I don't think I can take any more of this. Can't my final moments be happy?"

Lifting my head, I expected to see Michizou, but instead, it was Captain Fukuchi who had placed his hand on me.

"It's just as I told you: you are no angel, you're a soldier. And do you want to know what soldiers don't get?" His kind eyes lost their shine, making him look like a hollowed-out corpse. He unsheathed his purple blade, stabbing the tip into my spine. "A happy ending."

As he pulled the sword out, I fell to the floor. A small child that resembled Michizou crawled over to me, placing its hand on my face. Its hand felt warm. Too warm.

Well, it looks like ten minutes has passed. Now, I'm doomed to roam as a vampire, serving for the man who ended my life. 

No butterflies can save me this time around.

AN: This is the current ending for this story, but it may be changed depending on the newer chapters of the Bungo Stray Dogs Manga

#Tachihara-is-still-alive