Day 4 of enjoying the school week with Hanako

Dismissal, 4:30 pm...

'I want you to kill me.'

She never thought she'd take back those words; never in a million years.

Who would've known it would only take five days?

And by some completely random ghost boy?

Y/N fiddled with the rim of her collar, anxiously pacing on the school's rooftop as the sun went down.

She had enjoyed these past few days too much. It was so refreshing and unbelievably touching that everything had flashed by in a blur.

She was so overwhelmed with seeing life at its greatest she forgot she'd soon be experiencing its worse:

Death.

Would it hurt to say she wanted more?

Would it hurt to take back a wish?

"Hello, Y/N!" A teasing voice called out. "Why'd you run off? I missed you!"

She stopped her anxious pacing. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Hi, Hanako-kun." She said lowly.

The grin was immediately wiped off his face. He could instantly tell something was wrong. Hanako had a gut feeling he knew what it is.

"I've been wondering..." Y/N slowly turned around to face him, eyes wide.

"...can I take back a wish?"

Hanako's body tensed.

They both stared at eachother for a long time; one hopeful and trusting, one nervous and guilty.

"Well..." Hanako started slowly, taking a deep breath in.

It was hard to say the truth, but he had to stay strong for her until tomorrow.

"...have you heard of rumors?"

Y/N perked up at the term.

"Yes! The Mokke explained them! If a Supernatural doesn't follow a rumor, even so much as a little mishap, they will vanish."

Hanako nodded, slowly drifting to her side. He settled beside Y/N, who now leaned against the rails, eyes affixed on the sky.

"What is my rumor?"

"That's a piece of cake!" Y/N laughed. "'Hanako-san grants you a wish for something in return. Once the deal is sealed..."

The laughter in her eyes suddenly disappeared. Hanako felt a terrible stab of guilt.

"...Hanako-san never goes back on a promise."

The spirit gave her a few moments to take in the ugly truth. Soon after...

"I see," Y/N said softly, eyes dropping to the floor.

Hanako took a deep breath in. What would she think? What a selfish jerk, probably.

Selfish indeed. It was selfish of him to want to keep her alive. But it was againts his role; he could not sacrifice the balance of all Supernatural kind for her.

Or could he?

"Actually..." Hanako spoke quickly.

"No, it's fine." Y/N smiled. "I understand."

Hanako couldn't believe his own ears. Had he just heard that right?

"You have a whole school of Supernaturals to protect!" Y/N said with a firm voice. She had a wide, determined smile, but Hanako could see past that. What looked like tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"The Mokke need you; the others, too. You need to keep the balance, and..."

Y/N sniffled for a moment. Hanako slowly reached out to take her hand.

"Y/N? Are you alright?"

"There's a ton of other people who have wishes as well!" Y/N continued, forcing back her tears. "Y-You need to grant their wish... after all-"

She shot him her widest grin, along with the most painful sentence he had heard in a long time.

"-I'm not worth sacrificing for! I'm just another girl with a wish, aren't I?"

Hanako stiffened. So that was how Y/N thought he viewed her as?

Y/N finally broke down into a quiet sob. She stubbornly refused to show her tears as Hanako tried to reach out to her. She pulled away, wiping her tears with a quick swipe of a sleeve.

"I-I'm sorry for crying..." Y/N sighed. "Mum says it makes me look weak."

"Weak?" Hanako bitterly bantered. "It just shows you're human."

He gently lifted her face, forcing her to look up at him. Y/N blushed through her tears. It was more of like he was squishing her face than cupping it.

"You're not just 'a girl,' alright?" Hanako quipped. "You're different. Out of all the people I've met... you had the most selfless request out of all."

Y/N held his hands in turn, tilting her still squished face.

"Killing myself? How is that selfless...?"

"You felt like you were a bother to everyone." Hanako gently put in. "You thought about how helpful you are to people rather than your own self. But killing isn't a way of deciding that, alright?"

Y/N's eyes widened. Why was it almost like Hanako could read her like an open book? Had he been in her situation before?

No. No way. Hanako could never have been suicidal. He was way too debonair; too cheery, too confident to be.

Y/N gently pulled his hands away, now lacing them in her own. The pair kept in that position, looking down at their clasped hands.

They stayed like that for a little while. Hanako decided to break the silence.

"...I won't ever forget you. You made me very happy for the first time in a long while."

Y/N sat a little taller. She had never been more proud to hear something.

"You too!" Y/N gushed. "You made me very happy for the very first time!"

Hanako felt his heart clench. He felt a little embarrassed at such an honorable title.

"Really? Me?" He shook his head. He shamefully recalled all the times he had teased her... but he couldn't help it. She was cute when she was embarrassed.

"Yep!" Y/N nodded determinedly.

"Some perverted ghost?"

"Okay, minus the perverted part." Y/N huffed. "But I owe a lot to you, Hanako-kun! You made me see the world for the better... and I don't mind if you're a murderer or anything Kou says!"

Hanako stiffened, shuffling awkwardly.

"But it is true."

"What is true?"

"I am a murderer."

Y/N went deadly silent.

An uncomfortable tension was in the air. Hanako's grip on her hands grew tight. It was something like a solace through the harrowing conversation.

"I don't want to keep anything from you," Hanako quietly mumbled. "Not from the person I've learned to trust the most."

Y/N gently rubbed a thumb on his hand. In a strange way, Hanako found it very soothing.

"Who did you kill?" She said gently.

Hanako bit his lip. By the way he was suddenly quiet, Y/N could tell he wasn't quite ready to open up.

"It was a long time ago..." Hanako said uneasily, not willing to give a full answer.

"Well, then!" Y/N nodded. "I'm sure whoever you killed would forgive you."

Hanako looked up with a start.

"That quick?"

"A long time ago, didn't you say?"

Hanako didn't quite understand what she was trying to insinuate.

"How could you say that so easily...?"

"Simple." Y/N shrugged. "Rather than wallow away in guilt and wasting away your time in regret, you decided to make up for it... and it shows! For a single life slayed, you've helped a thousand."

Hanako never looked at things that way... but it was true he did truly regret killing that person.

"Heck, you even save them!" Y/N continued determinedly. "All the Supernaturals and humans you protect by being the borders' defender!"

Hanako felt overwhelmed by the amount of wonder and pride in her eyes. What she said was no lie, but she talked as if he were an almighty savior.

"Still, all those years of saving won't erase the fact I killed someone." Hanako looked away to the sky sullenly. "He'd never forgive me-"

This time, Y/N was the one who squished his cheeks, forcing him to face her.

"Im sure he would!" Y/N looked at him solemnly. "You just can't seem to forgive yourself!"

Hanako was not one for staring into someone's eyes for a long time. He began to get very flustered in her hands.

"I-I'll do my best...."

"You better!"

"But I can't forgive myself for one thing." Hanako pulled away, putting her hands down. He looked up at her warily.

"I would never forgive myself for killing you."

Y/N took a sharp breath in. She looked away hastily.

"Lets forget about that." Y/N murmured.

Hanako tipped his hat, hiding his queer look.

"I want to live my last day just as happy as the rest, alright?" Y/N smiled brightly. Hanako slowly looked up at her, nodding in understanding.

"I'll leave you to it."

Another long silence; the pair looked up at the darkening sky. Even though their hands weren't entwined, the presence of the other was just as warm and comforting.

"Hanako?" Y/N piped up quietly.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for this week. Thank you for granting my wish. I thought it was silly and all, but... I see what you did there. I'm grateful the last days of my life will be the happiest."

Hanako's eyes softened.

"You're welcome."

Another long silence.

"Hanako?"

"Yes?"

"Take care of Yashiro when I'm gone. Kou, Sabiro, Aborochi, and the rest, too. The Mokke."

Hanako's throat was dry from the pain he was trying to hold back.

"Of course."

Another long silence. This time, the sun had completely crossed the horizon. It was getting dark, and Hanako knew Y/N's worse fear was exactly that...

...yet, she hadn't moved. Not an inch.

"Y/N?" Hanako weakly asked, this time breaking the quiet.

"Yes?" Y/N pulled her eyes away from the passing clouds.

"Aren't you afraid of the dark?"

Y/N looked up at the sky once more; this time, her eyes glimmered with determination.

"I'd like to conquer a fear."

Hanako was amazed. She really had changed so much. She could quell one of her greatest fears. She could accept even death.

"How can you be so brave?" Hanako couldn't help but blurt. "How can you face all of this so quickly?"

"Same reason as always!" Y/N shyly directed her eyes to the sky. "You're here by my side, Hanako-kun."

Hanako was glad her eyes were on the stars. He didn't want her to see how much of a blushing mess he had become.

Looking at how much Y/N had changed; looking at her just beginning to enjoy life. Hanako didn't want to take that away. This girl still had so much to live for.

It was at that moment he decided he couldn't let Y/N die.

But how? Could he go against the rules? Could he perhaps not fulfill a wish?

But what would happen to the border? Humanity and Supernaturals?

Y/N had already accepted her fate. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do the same.

Hanako couldn't help but spiral down deeper into despair.

'What should I do?'