“Go ahead and practice these problems on your own. Come up if you need help.”

A young girl, about nine years old, tapped her pencil as she looked out of the window into the small courtyard. Her long brown hair matched her hazel eyes.

“Class is so boring. I just want to go home and have my friends over.”

“Oh, Yami! What do you need? Does it have to do with the multiples of three?”

The girl, along with the rest of the class, looked towards the front of the classroom, where the teacher’s desk was at. Just as she heard, Yami, who was about ten, stood next to the teacher’s desk. He wore his hair at about two inch length, letting his bangs cover his forehead. His glasses were black and bulky.

“What does he need help with? I bet he gets it better than everyone in our class put together.”

Yami shook his head.

“It doesn’t have to do with math.”

The teacher nodded her head.

“I figured as much. What’s up?”

Yami held his hand up to the teacher’s ear and whispered. The teacher smiled and let out a giggle.

“Then go and tell her! She'll love to hear that!”

The girl sighed.

“Really? He has a crush and he tells the teacher? He really doesn’t have any friends, huh.”

Yami walked down the aisles of desks towards the girl, but was stopped by a blonde girl with blue eyes. Yami leaned over her desk and began to talk to her.

“Ah, so it’s her. I’ve seen them together a lot, so it’s not a surprise.”

Yami got up and gave her a high five, then continued to walk down the aisle.

Thump

He drew nearer.

Thump thump

“Why am I feeling so excited? Is it because of this nerd?”

Yami stopped at Rikai’s desk.

“Alright boys and girls! Time for recess!”

Children poured out of the classroom, leaving Yami and the girl behind. The girl’s hazel eyes were shimmering as she looked at Yami.

“Hey, Rikai.”

Rikai blushed and looked down to hide her face.

“What do you want?”

“Thanks!”

Rikai looked back at Yami with confusion.

“Thanks? For what?”

“In my dream, there was a tornado coming towards me, and you flew out of the sky in a ladybug costume and flew us away!”

Rikai was stunned by this remark.

“Heh, is that right?”

Yami nodded his head.

“Yeah, you were awesome! I really like you!”

Thump thump thump

The teacher poked her head back into the room.

“Hey! What’re you two still doing in here? Go outside!”

Yami turned away from Rikai and ran out of the room.

Stunned, Rikai watched his back as he ran out of the room.

Rikai stared at Yami’s back as he wielded the katana. Shinkai’s face stared at him in disgust. Yami smiled at her.

“Hey, Shinki. Confused as to how I’m even able to stand?”

Shinkai’s face began to twitch as she became angered.

“You aren’t Yami. This is a different world. Don’t you want to go back to yours?”

Yami chuckled.

“You’re right. Right now, I feel like this isn’t my world. I feel like I’m in hell. But as much as I hate to admit it, this shitty world is mine.”

Shinkai turned around. Her hands slowly made their way into her coat.

“It’s amazing, honestly. You’re the only one who has not only completely broken out of their trance, but was also able to comprehend what was happening. Tell me, Yami, how did you do it?”

“It was simple, really. All it took was one lifetime and a lot of remembering. I’ll give credit where it’s due, though. The average person would be done for.”

“Yes, well, I think we can all agree that you’re above average, you wouldn’t even fall for the slightest tricks!”

Shinkai turned herself and threw three pins, which Yami deflected with his katana. As he lowered his katana to see, Shinkai’s filled his vision. Hitting his face as hard as she could, Shinkai sent Yami flying backwards. Yami rolled over top bodies and bounced off the cold ground like concrete.

“Yami,” Rikai began to yell, “are you okay?!?!”

Yami shoved the katana into the ground and used it as a cane to pick himself up.

“Yeah, just a little bit dizzy, that’s all.”

Shinkai grinned.

“So you are still feeling some side effects, huh. That’s good to hear. You won’t last long then!”

Yami lifted up his katana in a defensive manner as Shinkai seemingly vanished in thin air, blocking her karambit, which hit the katana so hard that sparks flew. Using the curvature of the karambit to her advantage, Shinkai pulled Yami’s katana away from him, sending it flying away from the battle. Yami glanced to see it land, then looked back as Shinkai lunged at him with a bayonet. Using his left arm, Yami blocked the incoming attack by diverting Shinkai’s arm towards the ground next to him. Yami fell onto the ground and curled up as Shinkai began to fall onto him. Yami caught her by the stomach with his right foot, then kicked her away from him. Shinkai flew away from Yami, landing on her feet. Yami grabbed his left forearm.

“You never cared about anyone in your life, did you? You only cared about your own, from what I understand.”

“You could never understand me, Yami Shinpai!”

“So be it.”

Yami’s sphere began to form.

“Your ‘Father’ helped me, despite you killing him before I could meet the real man.”

Shinkai continued to stare down Yami.

“Oh yeah? And how’s that?”

Yami’s sphere turned from its light blue color to a bright orange, and began to glow brightly.

“He gave me inspiration.”

“It’s as Alexis thought. My training in the helmet could be transferred to my world.”

Shinkai began to charge at Yami again.Yami drove the sphere into her stomach. The sphere began to burrow into her, but also sent flames shooting out in a cone from the site of impact. Shinkai began to scream as she and her surroundings caught fire. Yami watched as she dropped her knives and began to paw at her face in an attempt to put out the fire, but to no avail. She tumbled backwards and began to roll in agony.

Yami stood and watched.

“Yami! Put her out!”

Yami turned to face Rikai, who was shaking in fear.

“Put her out, Yami! No one deserves this!”

Yami turned back to Shinkai, who was still rolling around. Yami took a deep breath. As he exhaled, the fires went out. Shinkai's skin was now a mixture of pink and black. Yami walked up to her as she laid still on the ground.

“Shinki, why’d you do all of this? We could’ve lived a happy life.”

Shinkai looked into the cloudy sky.

“I want to live forever, Yami. I don’t want to die.”

Yami closed his eyes.

“I know how you feel, Shinki.”

Yami opened his right eye, which had received the carving earlier. Shinkai’s eyes became widened, as if she were in shock, then relaxed.

“Yami, you truly are a merciful god. I’m sorry for everything.”

Yami shut his eyes and rubbed them.

“Shinki… I had no idea…”

Shinkai smiled and closed her eyes.

“Goodbye, Yami.”

A tear ran down Shinkai’s face.

“Goodbye, Shinki.”

A single beam of light hit Yami as he stared down at Shinkai. Rikai stood and watched.

“Yami… Is it over?”

Yami nodded.

“Yeah, it’s over.”

Yami clenched his fists, then began to walk away from the school.

“Yami, where are you going?”

Yami broke into a run.

“Hey! Wait up! You’re injured!”

“Please…. Please…”

Yami ran down roads, passing houses one after another. Hardly having enough strength to walk, let alone run, Yami began panting. Yami knew that he was at his destination as he felt the immense heat piling onto him, as well as the ever-growing smell of smoke. Turning around the corner of another house, Yami saw where his house should’ve been, but where his house once stood was now a pile of charred wood, which was still ablaze, and red-hot ashes. Yami fell to his knees. Placing his hands on the ground in front of him to prevent him from falling, Yami screamed at the top of his lungs. His tears hit the ground like rain. Opening his eyes, he saw a lit cigarette with smoke still flowing out of it.

“Dad… I’m so sorry… I could’ve been stronger, but…”

Yami picked himself up off the ground.

“I have to get everyone out of the evacuation area…”

Yami began to walk down the sidewalk, exhausted and supporting his body with fences near him.

“Dad… Shinkai… Alexis…”

Yami’s breathing slowed.

“Posche… Shippai… Shitto… Rikai…”

Yami’s hand slipped off of the fence, allowing his body to tumble onto the ground. His glossy eyes watched parallel to the ground as a single snowflake hit the ground in front of him. Blood trickled onto the sidewalk, forming a small river and flowing. Yami laid still, losing consciousness.

The sky became white with the snow fall.