Bring him back

chapter 7

The next day

It was Saturday currently, and Tenma and Hikaru were waiting in front of the school for the others, because yesterday the team agreed on going out on Saturday, in hopes to get a little closer to the ghost boy.

While they were waiting, Hikaru tried to talk to the ghost boy, although it was quite uncomfortable to even start a conversation, since he didn't show any interest in talking. But, in the end he gave in and began talking with the mortal, Hikaru didn't know if it was because of his own will or because he also got bored of waiting, but either way he's glad that they can at least talk to eachother in a somewhat normal way. The more they talked to eachother, the lighter the once heavy mood got and Hikaru slowly noticed that a few of his black marks were getting slightly transparent, kind of like the ghost boy's current 'skin tone'

'It's getting better!' Hikaru's inner happiness was accidentally shown on his face and Tenma raised a confused eyebrow, he looked at where Hikaru was looking at and he was shocked by what he saw

'Ho-how!? How is this even possible!?' He was for sure that there was no way his scars would leave him, he was certain that they would forever remain there, as a reminder to never forgive, but now it seems pretty clear that he was wrong 'Am I really gonna forgive them and come back...?' He didn't know wether to feel sad, happy, scared... His brain and heart were like a rollercoaster of emotions, ups and downs, going around in loops... But most of all, he was feeling scared, afraid. Afraid to come back, afraid to give life a second chance, afraid to give his ex-teammates another chance - he lost count of how many chances he gave them, considering the fact that when he first joined in, his teammates have let him down several times - , he was afraid of everything. But his scary thoughts were immediately chased away by the newly presence of his ex-teammates - I'm excluding the girls -.

They walked around for a while, and Tenma mostly just hung around the player he was attached to, since neither Aoyama and Ichino were there because they weren't allowed to come. Obviously, Tenma was nowhere near happy with that decision, but he certainly understood what their intentions were, after all if either of them were to be there, he would've definitely only hung around them, and the rest would've lost the small chance to get close to him

'They're really trying hard... Wait, what am I thinking!? I can't have a soft spot for them, not anymore! Not after what they've done!' He felt himself luring towards his heart's decision, but he kept insisting that it was wrong and that he would end up hurt if he trusted his heart again. As for the teammates, some of them saw that a few more of his black marks were lightening in colouration, but very quickly turned pitch black again, and of course that saddened their hearts and souls.

~'0'~

The get-together went relatively well, so to say. They all thought that it would be really silent and awkward, but surprisingly it was nothing like they had expected, the atmosphere was definitely heavy but it wasn't up to the point to call it uncomfortable or awkward, which is what they had originally expected.

They went to all kinds of places, the arcade, the riverbank, the soccer field... Mainly places where Tenma shared wonderful memories with the team, in hopes for the ghost boy to remember them and start seeing even the smallest hint of light in his soul, and it kind of worked. As he began remembering the happy memories he shared with his ex-teammates and friends, he began feeling a warm sensation in his non-existent heart, but at the same time, he felt an excruciating pain in his non-existent chest

'It's comforting but also painful at the same time. The memories we had, the joy we shared, the union we created... They feel like a distant dream. But the pain that was caused, the scars that were left, the tears that I shed...' At this point, Tenma didn't know what to think anymore, his mind, emotions and heart were a thunderstorm of mess and clashing. The entire team were watching closely, they saw that his marks were lightening and darkening in flashes, as if they were glitching out, they assumed that Tenma was having a hard time with his emotions, probably overwhelmed and they suddenly felt bad for bringing him to all of these places, but even so, they had to bear the minor pain - compared to what Tenma went through - if they wanted to bring the ghost boy back to life.

~'0'~

They eventually all went back home after a long day of get-together, Tenma's scars had lightened the slightest bit, although it was barely noticeable.

Hikaru's parents only come back from work after midnight, so he didn't have to worry about them seeing him talking to Tenma, who is invisible to them. While he was in the shower, Tenma was sitting on the couch downstairs, consumed into his thoughts

'Today was... Pretty fun, I guess... They were obviously trying hard and I constantly felt a weird tickling, warm feeling inside.' Tenma wasn't quite sure what it was 'It's familiar... And welcoming...

... I want more.' Little by little, Tenma began to realize that he was craving that feeling, not only that, he craved for something even greater, something he considers out of his reach, out of his potential. In the middle of his thoughts , he suddenly heard footsteps coming down the steps and he turned around, not sure why, maybe natural instincts.

Hikaru on the other hand, who had finished with his shower, came down to have a glass of water. He was already expecting the ghost boy to be down here so that wasn't a surprise at all, what truly surprised him though, was the expression of the ghost boy... His face was turned to him, and he was smiling, sweetly. For the very first time since they have found him, he smiled to someone other than Aoyama and Ichino.