Demise Game

21.salty

  "You're really worried about them," Hanami murmured as the two of you walked down the hall, heading towards the first-floor biology lab.  You weren't really happy with how the match up was, your trust in Isora diminishing with every interaction you had with him, so it was only natural that you would worry about Isora and Jinsei.

        Hanami placed a gentle hand on your arm.  "Shiki's with them, so everything should be fine.  Although maybe I would've felt better if Shiki was with us..."  It was endearing to see how Shiki and Hanami had warmed up to each other, and while you also wished Shiki was with you two, you felt a bit better knowing he was tagging along with the guys instead.  Shiki himself hadn't been too keen on tagging along with Isora and Jinsei, but after you had quietly voiced your own concerns, the cat begrudgingly went along.

        In a way, maybe this was for the best — you could ask Hanami now what had happened between her and Isora, curiosity eating at her.

        "They'll be fine," you agreed.  "I'm actually a bit more worried about us now.  Hopefully we can get to the lab without encountering Kokkuri-san..."

        Hanami visibly shuddered.  "Ugh.  Don't give me that thought..."

        She looked a bit better than before, although it was clear that she was still thinking about whatever had transpired between her and Isora, so you figured now was the time to ask.

        "Say, Hanami," you started slowly.  The blonde looked over at you, tilting her head slightly.  "You were with Isora before meeting up with us, right?  Did something happen between you two?"

        Your friend frowned, her gaze dimming for a moment.  She looked away, twiddling with her fingers.  "I...  goaded him."  Her voice was so small you could have almost missed it.

        "You... what?"  That didn't really sound like the easygoing Hanami you grew up with.  "What do you mean?"

        Hanami sighed.  "It's kind of personal, but we got into a, erm, small disagreement..."

        Why would a small disagreement make her so nervous?  You were not at all convinced by her vague explanation, and you weren't just going to drop it.

        "Seems more than a 'small disagreement'," you blandly intoned, giving her an unamused look.

        She sighed again.  "Well..."

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        "Isora...?"

        Hanami peered up at him, and Isora face dropped into an unreadable expression, taking a step towards her.  She couldn't quite decipher what exactly he was thinking, but the expression on his face was unsettling, causing her to step back.

        He didn't answer her right away, and instead took another step towards her.  Her back hit the wall, and she felt a chill jolt down her spine.  The air around them seemed colder, and she opened her mouth to call out to him again only for him to start to reach out to her.  He almost seemed mindless, in a trance, as if he wasn't aware of what he himself was doing.

        "Isora...!"

        He never made contact.  Just inches away, he was stopped as a blood-curling scream rang throughout the air.  It seemed to snap him out of his trance, dark-blue eyes widening as him and Hanami exchanged bewildered, alarmed looks.

        "Jinsei," Hanami breathed, and Isora took a step back.  "Was that from the third floor?  It sounded like it was far away..."

        Isora frowned.  "It...  It might be.  Let's go."