Tsukiyama x Reader

Chapter Eighteen

A dim light illuminates before you. You reach your hands towards it. You take a few steps forward. The light is still too far from your reach, so you continue on further. You feel as if you are walking for hours. You glance around the space around you. You are surrounded by nothing but darkness. You hear a feint voice to the left and you turn your head. You see yourself, but much younger standing with your mother and father.

You are smiling and pointing at a small cardboard box in front of you. A small smile traces your face as you realizes what you're seeing. It's the memory of when you first saw (d/n). Your parents had gotten you (him/her) for your seventh birthday. You approach the scene in front of you, and peer into the small box. The small animal with large eyes stares up at your former self with glee. Your happiness shines on your small face as grin at the small creature.

You hear more whispers, and another memory forms a few feet ahead. You are older, but still young. You are sitting on a bench outside next to someone. A large weeping willow tree hangs over the two of you, it's branches swaying gently in the breeze. As you approach you realize it's (F/n) that is sitting next to you. Her head is leaning against your shoulder, and you're holding hands. Your eyes trail past the two figures to see what they're looking at. A beautiful sunset is shining over the tops of beautiful trees. You walk around in front of the two children, and you smile at the contentment on your face. Your heart flutters at the memory unraveled before you. It was (F/n)'s thirteenth birthday party, and no one had showed up but you. You spent the whole evening laughing and getting to know each other. From that moment on you were inseparable.

"Promise me you'll always be my friend." (F/n) asks

"I will." You reply.

"Always and forever? Pinky promise?" She asks

"Forever and always." you reply with a smile, linking your pinky with hers.

A glimmer of light flashes out of the corner of your eye, and you turn your head, awaiting whatever comes next. You see (F/n) and yourself in a cap and gown. She has a big smile plastered across her face, and you have a small grin gracing yours. You slowly walk towards the two of you.

"Smile, (Y/n)!" You hear (F/n) say with a muffled voice. You smile as you recall the night of graduation. Your whole family was there. (F/n)'s parents didn't come, but yours stood in for them instead, and cheered for her as loud as they could when she crossed the stage. That night the two of you went out to eat at The Cheeky Panda, a restaurant loved by both of you. You were there for hours, laughing and telling stories. The owners eventually had to kick you out, and (F/n) had spent the night with you.

A flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder startle you as your jolt your body towards the next memory. A pang of sadness fills your heart as you realize what comes next in the sequence of events.

You see yourself in a long black dress, standing next to (F/n). A small coffin is laid out in front of you, ready to be buried. Tears fall down your cheeks, but (F/n) has a look of outrage on her face. Both of her parents had overdosed on drugs, and caused a terrible car accident. Her little brother was in the back seat, and was rushed to the hospital that night. He was pronounced dead the next morning.

"How could you do this do him!" (F/n) shouts to the sky with fury.

You see yourself place your hand in hers, and she collapses to the ground in tears. The funeral for her little brother was empty. The only two people who attended were you and (F/n).

"She blamed herself. She still does." You say hoarsely. Unable to watch anymore, you turn and beginning walking towards the next scene.

The next memory lights up and your heart flutters as you recall the event. It's you and Tsukiyama at the coffee shop. You're apologizing profusely for spilling coffee all over his shirt. You admire how handsome he looked that day. The way (f/n)'s face lit up when you told her about the encounter.

You proceed to the next memory, but it is dark. There isn't a spotlight over it like the others. You tilt your head and squint your eyes to try and figure out what it is. As you approach your breath stutters and you feel as if your heart has dropped into your stomach. You see you, sitting in a wooden chair. Your wrists and ankles are raw from the rope tied tightly around them. Your face is battered and your hair is matted and knotted. There's a large bruise on your forehead, and your tear stained cheeks are facing down as you slump in the chair.

As you reach forward to touch the beaten figure in front of you, you feel a stinging sensation on your wrists, and a throbbing in your forehead. You retract your arm, and try to make sense of what is going on in this memory.

"(Y/n)."

You turn behind you and see (F/n) and Ruby standing together. She looks beautiful. Her skin is glowing and she is smiling. She's smiling how she used to, when you were young. The bright light you were after before is behind her, and you can feel its warmth.

"(F/n)!' You run towards her, the pain in your wrists subsiding as you melt into her embrace.

As you part ways she smiles kindly at you. Tears spill over your cheeks as you smile back at her.

"We've been waiting for you, (Y/n). Although I had no idea it'd be so soon." She says with a nervous chuckle.

Your happy expression quickly darkens as you realize what she is saying to you.

"What do you mean waiting?" You ask.

She pauses, and looks at her hands. She glances back up at you with an unsure expression.

"Surely you know, (Y/n)." She says with a hushed tone.

Your tears of joy turn to tears of sadness, and your heart breaks in your chest.

"I didn't want to believe it." You say with a somber voice.

(F/n) embraces you once more, and Ruby nuzzles against you.

You think about the dismal situation. How you feel seeing your friend again. Seeing how happy she was warms your heart. However deep down you know that you aren't ready to join her. You have to get back to Tsukiyama, and you have to avenge her death. You hope that she knows too.

You once again separate, and you look into her eyes, your expression full of love.

"I'm sorry, (F/n), but it's not my time."

The melancholy expression she gives you begins to make you rethink, but her reply catches you by surprise.

"I thought you'd say that." She says with a sad smile.

She takes you by the hands, and her sparkling eyes look into yours.

"Don't worry. We'll wait." She says with a voice full of tenderness.

She reaches her hand out, and points her pinky towards you.

"Forever and always." She continues.

You lock your pinky with hers, and you smile, tears still steaming down your face.

"Always and forever." You reply.

With that she lets go, and backs into the light. You breathe in deeply, and let it out. You wipe the tears off of your face confidently, and you turn on your heel, marching back towards the dark vision of yourself.

"Always and forever." You mutter aloud, full of determination.

You sit down in the chair, and the pain you felt earlier returns full force.

"Forever and always." You say once more.