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Why am I alive? Do I really deserve to be breathing right now? What does the world owe me that I need to continue living? Mitsuba did not have the answers to this. But he did know that thing could, and most likely would, get much worse.
Mitsuba's day had been bad. That Friday involved the first time he had to get away from the media. Word had caught on that he had risen from the dead. Teru's trial, which had been big in the media due to how strange of a case it was and its proof of supernaturals existing, had only made things worse. He had gone through the media circus that day, the school newspaper, 3 separate tabloids, and the main local newspaper, several national news agencies had all wanted interviews with "the risen boy". There had been conspiracies developing about him. That he was some sort-of god. Or that it was a government operation to get the public's minds off of other topics. People who had found photos of him from before and after him being revived tried to reason that they were different people. He was even added to a group chat of what appeared to be a cult worshiping him. That wasn't even mentioning the treatment at school. He went from the average kid who just sort-of appeared one day, to a myth-like figure, that you could actually touch and talk to. He knew he would be a legend, and he didn't exactly like that. Standing out was fun at times to Mitsuba, but wanted friends, not people who worshiped him. This had led him down some dark paths. He didn't want to die, he couldn't imagine going to what Kou called "The Far Shore", but he didn't exactly want to be alive. There were certainly people deserving of being brought back to life more than he was. Some kid who people mistook for a girl wasn't No.1 on most people's list to bring back to life. Was this destiny for him to learn some cosmic lesson? Was he really a god and was just being tested on a mortal plane? Now he figured that he might be going crazy. He got up, and decided to go to bed.
Mitsuba sat alone on his bed. It was late at night, and he felt like crying, but had practically no strength left to do so. He sat at the head of his bed, curled up into a ball under his blankets. Thinking about Teru and what he had done to Kou and him was a surefire way to bring him down. Feeling made it worse. Him breathing in and out air brought back all the questions. What brought him back? Who made the decision? Was it even made or was it an accident? These were all questions even the author couldn't answer. Mitsuba pondered the meaning of his existence. He assumed that coming back to life would mean his luck would be up, but it seemed to be the opposite. He had been attacked, had his boyfriend kidnapped, and had to avoid the questions of others hundreds of times at this point. Wait. His boyfriend. He still had them. And he still had his music. So he picked up his phone and called Kou.
"Can you come over, I know this is almost 100% a bad time, but I really need someone". Mitsuba worried that Kou wouldn't be able to come over, but his worries were put to rest when Kou responded simply,
"I'm on my way, don't worry,". Mitsuba decided to do everything in his power to make himself feel better. At least everything he could without waking up his mother. He poured himself and Kou some tea, and put a record on the player and turned the volume down. Kou was there in a few minutes, and they sat down and drank tea. They were both happy to see each other, especially since Mitsuba's limp had gone away. At one time they just looked out the window, and talked about the day they had. They talked for hours, and then they ran out of tea, so they went out and got some. The night was beautiful, the city was empty enough to make it feel special for the two, but not empty enough to make it feel abandoned. They stopped by a convenience store, only to see Tsuchigomori working there. They both looked at each other for awhile before Mitsuba asked,
"You work here as well? Do they pay you that little?"
"That's about it. Hey aren't you that kid who came back to life awhile ago?"
"Yep, that's me", Mitsuba responded. He was expecting him to ask how it felt to be dead, but instead he said,
"Do you know of the 4 o' clock library?"
"I think I've heard of it. It's that place where everyone's pasts and futures are written out right?"
"Yep, that’s the place. Well, at the same time that you say you were revived, your book caught fire"
"H-how do you know that," Kou said, mildly afraid who his teacher could actually be.
"Well, you two have a lot you don't know about the school," Tsuchigomori raised one of his non-human legs, and the two quickly hurried over to a different store for their tea. Walking back, Someone passed them and said,
"Teenage love at its finest," Mistaking Mitsuba for a girl in the process. The two of them laughed at that. They saw on a billboard that Teru's trial was coming to a close, and that the next day the jury would have a verdict. Neither of them knew why it would take so long, since they had recordings of him confessing to what he did from 2 weeks ago, but they knew that he was going to be put away for awhile. This brought Kou down, and Mitsuba knew this, but he couldn't help but be happy that he was going to see some justice. In some other time, or even another place, he couldn't imagine this happening, but being there with Kou felt right.
They came back to Mitsuba's place, and took their tea back to his room. Mitsuba put on a record, and they finished their tea before cuddling. Mitsuba put his head on Kou's shoulder, and they listened to the record. When that was over. Mitsuba turned off the speaker and they sat there listening to each other's hearts beating. They looked into each other for a bit, and generally basked in each other's company as if it were the fountain of youth. They could have told each other that they were going to be okay, and that everything would work out, but they didn't need to. The feeling of being there was like living a thousand glorious lifetimes with a thousand more to come. The rose, as it always seems to do in these types of stories, and they stayed awake throughout the day, them being together brought them all the energy in the world. No matter how bad Mitsuba's luck got, and no matter what happened to the people Kou cared about next, they would always have each other.
And what more could they need?