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"Shuichi," The boy across from Shuichi attempted to get his attention, a bored look in his eyes.
"Hm?" Shuichi acknowledged him without looking up from his book, it's not that he was ignoring the boy, he was just busy.
"Shuichi." The other's voice shifted into one that commanded his attention, and Shuichi complied, finally looking up from the book.
"What is it?" The boy had a slight frown as he caught Shuichi's eye contact. Kokichi's skin was pale, almost to an unhealthy degree but that was normal for him. The complection fit the Supreme Leader well, drawing more attention to his soft, purple irises and the wispy purple hair that sat around chin length.
"You know I'm not real, right?" The words hurt. A cold reminder that his imagination had gone overboard since they- no, he escaped. Shuichi knew the truth, Kokichi hadn't been able to wake up after all that they had been through...
"..." It wasn't that Shuichi didn't want to respond. He just couldn't, greif causing his throat to close on itself and keep the words trapped inside.
"Once you realize I'm not real, I'll disappear." The small boy hummed, a sorrowful smile gracing his pale lips.
"..." Shuichi already knew this Kokichi wasn't real, after all, Shuichi fabricated him in his mind to cope with the guilt. The guilt of not being able to do enough to keep the boy alive, if he hadn't said those words...
"But you know that, don't you?" Kokichi spoke again, snapping Shuichi out of his internal conflict. Kokichi tilted his head, a bittersweet smile appearing on his face.
"I do," The sorrow lacing his voice made the fake Kokichi frown again.
"Then why do you keep me around?" If Shuichi focused enough, he could imagine the hug this fabricated form of Kokichi got up to give him, shivering at the cold feeling that washed over him.
"..." Because it wasn't fair. Everyone else had woken up. Everyone but Kokichi... The thought brought tears to Shuichi's eyes, he never wanted this to happen...
"Ah, I see. You've grown attached to me, haven't you?" Freezing fingers wiped the tears from Shuichi's face, in reality however, they had fallen.
"What if I say yes..." Shuichi wasn't sure either, after all, this Kokichi lived only in his mind and followed whatever Shuichi imagined he would do.
Silence filled the room, the only noise coming from Shuichi's sniffles.
"Why... Why did everyone else live..." Shuichi had rarely felt resentment for his past 'classmates' but, since they had woken up, just knowing that he was one of the few to care if Kokichi woke up or not had made him spiteful. Kokichi was more deserving of life than someone like Tsumugi, who had only caused them pain, so why...
Shuichi no longer held any care for his past classmates, hell, he could barely bring himself to care about himself. And right now, Shuichi couldn't even find the ability to care if he had lived or not. At this point, he'd honestly rather be dead...
"Shuichi, you shouldn't think like that..." This false Kokichi had become his voice of reason, a way to convince himself to keep going.
"What's the point of thinking at all anymore, Kokichi..." Tears gathered in Shuichi's eyes again as he asked the question aloud despite knowing he wouldn't get a genuine answer. "What's the point of me living when you didn't?!" Shuichi sobbed to himself, wishing that the semi-transparent figure across from him would offer him the embrace he needed despite it not even being a real possibility.
The room remained silent besides his pathetic sobs. The noise only being broken when there was a knock at his door.
"Sidekick?" A feint voice called from beyond the locked door. "Are you ok?"
The question made him scoff. After all, why should Kaito care about him? Why should anyone care for him? It's not like they ever cared for Kokichi. Why was he more special than their classmate who never made it?!
"Shuichi?" Kaito asked again, seemingly unsure about himself as he knocked at the door again. Stifling his cries with a sniffle, Shuichi responded, wishing for him to just go away.
"I'm fine, Kaito! I just fell out of bed..." Shuichi steadied his breathing, a scowl on his face as he replied. Calming down as he remained watching the fake Kokichi out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, ok, sidekick... If you need something, let me know, ok?" When Shuichi lashed out at Kaito the last time he mentioned Kokichi, their friendship changed. Kaito finally realized how attached Shuichi was to the troublemaker, but his pride wouldn't let him apologize for being so inconsiderate.
"Go away, Kaito, I'll be fine," Shuichi replied, feeling no guilt when he heard the other boy's footsteps get further from his door.
"You shouldn't have done that, Shuichi..." Kokichi sighed, walking up to the detective's desk to sit on the table top.
"I don't care anymore," The taller boy sighed, watching with a melancholic smile as he remembered the real Kokichi, wishing he had still been with him instead of this embellished caricature he had created.
"Well maybe you should," Kokichi scoffed,
"It doesn't matter Kokichi, you're the only person I need," Shuichi smiled, feeding into his delusions.
"For the hundredth time Shuichi, I'm not real!" Kokichi scolded him, "You need to let go! I'm not alive anymore, get over it!" Kokichi continued to berate him, leaving a sick feeling in Shuichi's chest as he wished for him to just stop reminding him.
"Stop it! I know you're dead! I know! I know..." Shuichi broke down, sobbing again as his knees gave out from the greif.
"I'm sorry Shuichi, but its time to let go..." Shuichi glanced up at him one last time, catching a glimpse of the sad smile on Kokichi's face before he disappeared. Within the blink of an eye, Shuichi was left alone. There was no more Kokichi, there was no Kaito for him to talk this through with, he hadn't even spoken to Kaede since they got out... There was nothing left for him.
"Heh, now I'm the one who's alone... Aren't I Kokichi?"