The Boy With The Blank Stare: The Promise

Chapter Fifty Seven: Goodbye

Ouma's POV:

I stared up at the starry night sky of blue, they seemed to twinkle up there in thousands of colors of violet, pink, and orange. The planets were even visible as I stared up at the sight.

The soft grass whistled in the cool wind blowing throughout the flowery meadow, the slow sinking feeling of needing to sleep ran through me as I sighed.

I didn't know why, but I was so tired...as I started to drift off I could hear a burst of soft laughter as the grass crunched and I saw the school shoes of a young kid approach me.

"Hey, no napping! That's boring" they scolded as I felt a bolt of energy run through me, I quickly sat up to see...this....this isn't possible...

Her red hair blew slightly in the breeze, her greenish amber eyes holding that same joy and optimism she had till that moment she died and her smile carried the promise of mischief yet so much unconditional love...

"Hey Kichi" she greeted.

"Chi...Chiasa..." I fumbled with my words as I reached for her, but she took a step back, "sorry..." she apologized.

"How...how are you....how can I see you...you're...." I stumbled unsure of how to take this, she was here. She's right in front of me, she's alive.

"I don't know" she admitted as she held her hand out catching some of the nearby cherry blossom tree petals and holding them in her hand, she smiled with content.

"Maybe I'm just a figment your imagination came up with to deal with your trauma...maybe I'm just a compilation of your memories...or maybe I really am here to finally let you go," she said quietly.

"Let...let me go?" I asked confused before she finally turned her eyes to me, full of dedication and remorse.

Out of the valley, I could hear the sounds of laughter approaching, as the breeze picked up and I turned around to see the rest of DICE.

"Hey Leader" Riko greeted with a bright smile as she waved. I could barely believe my eyes as my mind and body fought on what to do.

Cry? Maybe I already was, I wanted to run and hug them but my legs refused to move only shaking beneath me as I could only stare at them.

They hadn't changed at all.

"It's rude to stare you know" Kazue scolded, "take a picture it lasts longer" Nao added laughing as I noticed Chiasa heading over to join their ranks.

"Let you go...well it's just that really..." Chiasa began answering as I noticed some small tears in her eyes. "Saying goodbye, we didn't get to do it properly last time did we?" She asked.

"G-Goodbye...?" I muttered in disbelief, "NO! I just got you all back, you just came back to me! For years I prayed and begged just to see you all again, now you're going to leave me just like that?! Please..." I begged tears flooding out as I reached towards them my legs collapsing beneath me, "don't leave me again..."

"Sorry Kokichi...that's just the thing...we never left you at all" Genkei said as he looked at me with pity.

"Cheesy as it sounds as if we could leave our beloved friend behind" Mirai responded avoiding eye contact.

"But that's just the thing...because we never left your mind, we stole your future," Tsuki said regretfully.

"You don't need to regret what happened anymore, or feel guilty, you gave us an out Kokichi. You gave us a chance to change our fate whether we knew it at the time or not..." Takura pointed out.

"We didn't take it" Eiji concluded. "So stop whatever self-destruction you're doing, you're not responsible. You never were the reason why we died. So stop destroying the person who made our lives something worth living no matter what ending it might have had." Takashiro said with a goofy smile.