Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mondo Owada is dead. Left to drown in the despair is Ishimaru Kiyotaka. By now, he gave up trying to stay afloat, letting the depression clog his throat and slowly suffocate him. Mondo Owada is dead. He's deceased. Gone. Not alive anymore. His eyes no longer sparkle, and his laugh doesn't echo in the halls, instead in Ishimaru's heart only. 

They say you only realize you love them after they leave; the heart grows fonder with absence. Kiyotaka knows this all too well for comfort. He remembers his best friend, the only person who truly made him happy in this school, and his smile, his eyes, everything. He was in love with Mondo. He has been since they became closer. All those days suppressing the urge to hold the boy's hand, to kiss him. He doesn't have any more chances. 

If only he could have convinced Mondo to stay in his room that night, not to go out, instead of meeting up with Chihiro. Maybe Chihiro wouldn't be murdered, and Mondo would be with him. 

Everyone else seemed to go on like Mondo never even existed. Some smiled because the 3rd floor opened up, some didn't even care. Meanwhile, Taka couldn't even speak. He could only stare off into space and cry. No sleeping or eating. He wanted to die. 

He wanted to see Mondo and Chihiro again. He was never a religious person, but he needed to know if he could see them again. He was willing to take that chance. 

Makoto, Aoi, and Sakura came into his room once to check on him. They seemed to be the few who cared. Or maybe they were pretending. He couldn't tell. They brought him some tea and fruit and told him to sleep like it was that easy. Like he could do it.  He was too weak. Dying was his only option at this point. Nobody could talk him out of it at this point. 

If only he weren't so selfish. He wouldn't have to put the remaining students in another death situation. They didn't deserve it. It's not their fault Mondo is gone. But the fact that they can carry on hurts him badly. Why don't they care? Do they care? They don't seem to act like it. He's not going to wait around for someone to kill him. He's going to do it himself, and that's the only way he'll peacefully get out of this situation. Not by being murdered, or being executed, or graduating. He's going to die on his own accord. 

To see Mondo again. 

And that's precisely what he did.

Chapter Text

af·ter·life

noun

a later part in someone's life.

Taka appeared near a roaring ocean, sand littering his shoe-less feet. Palm tree leaves waved with the hot wind. Looking down at his outfit, he realized his school uniform vanished, leaving him with a tank top and simple shorts. He missed wearing loose-fit clothes. He hasn't in a while.

Scratching his head, Taka realized his hair wasn't gelled and spiked; instead, it's fluffy and soft. Shimmering blue water stood in front of him. It sounded beautiful, relaxing. He hasn't relaxed in a while, either. 

"Where am I?" 

"I don't know, but we're definitely dead." Dirty blonde hair fell on Taka's hair. Chihiro.

"Oh, gosh. I'm dead! I'm dead. Oh no. Oh gosh," he breathed out, loosing his dominating tone. His eyes were on the verge of tears, his breathing got short. 

"Hey. It's not bad here. Uh, it's okay. I think. We're safe here, okay?" Chihiro grabbed his hand and stood the raven-haired boy up. "If you don't mind me asking, who killed you? Mondo won't be happy." 

Oh god. Mondo. He's here. He'll have to explain how he died. And why. 

Chihiro must have noticed Taka staring out into space, fiddling with his thumb, because he put his hand on the taller boy's shoulder, cleared his throat, and smiled warmly.

"Mondo misses you so much," he said in a whisper, causing Taka to blush lightly. Mondo thought of him in the afterlife. If that's not love, what is?

"You two made up?" Taka questioned. 

"Yeah. I'm sorry, by the way. For your death."

"You shouldn't be sorry. It's not your fault."

"Oh. Okay." Chihiro looked down with a little bit of embarrassment. "So, who did kill you?"

Oh. Yeah.

"Doesn't matter."

"It does!"

"I'll tell you later. I just need to figure this out."

"I think I figured this place out, actually. If you aren't evil, I guess you live in a paradise with your favorite people, I guess. Mondo's brother and his old dog live with us in a house close to here, actually. Leon is here, too. Anyway, the house is pretty big, so do you want to live with us?"

Taka grinned from ear to ear, no exaggerations. Finally, happiness.

"Of course, I will."

Chihiro kept explaining what happened to him after he died. Taka, meanwhile, was drowning once again, this time in guilt. What if Mondo didn't  want  him there. I mean, they are dead. Is that good or bad? If Mondo wanted him here, would that be bad? Death and love are really, really confusing. 

They finally stopped at a large, aegean colored ranch-style mansion. The windows had bold, white outlines. Barking and muffled victory yelling can be heard from inside. Stone paths interrupt a grassy field.

"Mondo probably beat Leon at cards again," Chihiro laughed, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a key. They walked up to the front and entered it in until they heard a click. Open. 

A white Maltese immediately greeted the duo, licking Chihiro's legs and barking loudly. "I'm home, Mondo!" 

Footsteps came running down the stairs. Bracing himself, Taka closed his eyes, unwilling to see Mondo's face. It didn't work. He had to see Mondo. Eyes stayed open. 

"Taka?"

He wished he kept his eyes shut. Mondo's face was full of grief and worry. He ran down, tears filling up his eyes. Oh no. Despair. It wasn't supposed to happen. He always makes everyone sad, and he should have just stayed miserable in the real world-

A tight hug pulled Taka back into reality, sobs coming out from Mondo. He hugged back, letting the moment happen. Chihiro backed away into the kitchen to get them cups of tea (and to give them some privacy).

"Who the hell did this to 'ya?" Mondo quietly cried, pulling away from the hug. Taka didn't know how to tell him, how to explain. It had to happen eventually, though. It's time to rip off the band-aid.

"Me."

"What?"

"Me. I did. I- I couldn't handle the fact you were gone. I locked myself in my room without food or sleep, and I- I-," more sobs broke out of Mondo.

Taka stayed quiet.

"Why? Why the fuck did you fucking kill yourself? Idiot! You should have lived your life and fell in love and did all that shit 'ya told me 'ya wanted to do! Why did you do it? For me? Bullshit! Bull fucking shit!"

"I did fall in love. With you."

"What?" 

Taka broke. Sobs released from his eyes, like they were caged in for years. Chihiro walked out of the kitchen, green tea in hand. He handed them to Mondo and Taka, which they gladly accepted. Taking sips, they each calmed down enough to talk.

"You're in love with me?" Mondo looked at his feet in disbelief, tears slowly decreasing.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I ruined everything, I know. I should have just stayed in the real world instead of forcing my despair onto everyone else. This is my fault. I'll go now."

"Wait. Don't. I swear if 'ya leave, I'll never forgive 'ya."

Taka turned back around, wiping dried tears off his cheeks. 

"What?" he said, coming off more rudely than he wanted. 

"Don't go, okay? Shit, I love 'ya, too, okay? Just don't leave." 

Taka sighed deeply. "Promise." 

One promise he will never break. 

par·a·dise

noun

an ideal or idyllic place or state.