"Haha…" Isui breathed out a tired laugh. She was panting, using the wall as support whilst slowly slumping into the ground. "We actually made it out in time."

"Yeah, good thing we did." Hanako replied, letting a fainted Nene down, beside Isui, before collapsing to the ground as well.

Isui observed the atmosphere. It was quiet. The night had only barely passed as the brightest stars twinkled through the windows nearby. It was rather calming. She looked back down to Hanako, who was seated cross legged, his head covered by his hands. For once, his hat wasn't seated on top of his head, showing the messy mop of hair he had hidden underneath.

Hir dark locks reflected the night's empty sky, with the light outside falling down on it. It looked so surreal to Isui. Suddenly, it wasn't just his hair that she began to notice; the way his chest moved up and down in a rhythmic pattern, the way his hands intertwined with each other to support his head, the way his breathing could be heard throughout the silent hallways. 

Then there were the few bruises and cuts that tore through his uniform and body. It concerned Isui beyond anything else.

"Hanako?" Isui began.

"Hm?" The boy breathlessly replied. He shifted his head such that one eye was peeking at Isui, curious of what she had to say.

The sudden eye contact threw Isui off as the words got lost in her tongue. She was barely awake as her mind felt mushy still.

You look tired, you good?

She kept repeating this phrase in her head, prepared to say it out loud once Hanako noticed.

"You look good." Isui blurted out, mind still swaying within her subconscious. Her eyes were half lidded and her frown was tired  and almost silly. Clearly, not thinking properly at that point.

"Huh?" Hanako, still fully aware, raised his head in a jolt. What Isui said was so sudden and unexpected, he didn't even get the time to collectively think of a flirtatious comeback. "W-what?"

There was a short pause, both spirits staring at each other for a little bit longer than necessary. Slowly, Isui's eyes widened, coming to a shocking realization.

"Ah! I mean—!" Isui scrambled to sit up straight, waving her arms around as if that would explain everything. "It's just! I, uh, the hat! No! Your uniform! You should change it! Urk—! I mean—!"

Noticing the deep red that was starting to creep up Hanako's cheeks, Isui found it futile to give a proper explanation. Ultimately, she dug her face under her hands, ashamed to even look at him. 

"..."

"...let's change the topic, please." Isui mumbled.

"G-good idea." Hanako quickly agreed-albeit slightly disappointed,-scratching his head for any conversation starters.

"Where's the Minamoto guy?"

"Kou? Oh. He… sorta turned into a doll… "

"Oh… "

Hanako briefly showed a plush to Isui who nodded in understanding. 

"You should probably keep Kou here, for a while." She suggested. "Teru doesn't know his brother is associated with us yet, so it's best to just hide him until the curse breaks."

"Yeah."

Once again, silence fell. Discomfort lingered around the thick air. They both remained quiet, patiently waiting for something to happen.

"I should probably go check up on Yako." Isui carefully stood up, looking at Hanako for permission.

"I'll be here." 

Nodding in agreement, the girl shuffled towards the stairs, taking note to skip the 4th step so as to not risk being teleported back into the boundary. She was greeted with a white fox, patiently sitting at the top.

The volphine scoffed upon seeing the spirit. "Come to bother me again, huh? What do you want?"

Isui softly chuckled. "I'm surprised you're not attacking me yet."

"Do you want me to?" The fox threatened, showing her pearly whites.

"Please no. Being tossed around was already enough." Isui grimaced at the memory from back at the boundary.

She sat a level below the fox, the floorboard creaking as she let her weight sink. Along with the stillness of the night itching at her consciousness, Isui spoke.

"So, how are you feeling, Yako?" She asked.

"Since when did you care about my feelings?" Yako harrumphed.

"Well, from a former wonder to another, I understand the feeling of losing your boundary." The apparition sighed, bringing her knees closer to her chest. Her eyes onlooking the gentle light showing at the bottom of the stairs. 

"You're one of the longest spirits to reside here. I can only imagine how it feels like to have your seat taken away. It's like being banished from your home."

"Don't be so sentimental." Yako was quick to deny, stomping her paw. "Just because I'm no longer a mystery doesn't mean I'm going away. I'm not that easy to dispose of, unlike you."

"That's harsh." Isui chuckled, looking over to the white fox. 

The two shared a moment together. Reciprocating an unspoken feeling. A tremendous aching somewhere within that the two were all too familiar with.

For just a moment, Yako's eyes softened. "I suppose we're on even ground now."

Isui hummed in agreement, resting her head on her arms. In truth, every part of her being still ached from the fight earlier. It was only another, far greater, pain that kept her from collapsing in fatigue.

From down below, she could see shadows moving. It seemed that Nene was finally awake. She wanted to go down there, and possibly hug her friend for a job well done, but something inside her refused. She wanted to say that she didn't know why, but the answer was clear. It was made clear the exact moment Isui was left alone to carry herself back out the boundary earlier.

"Aren't you going to greet your friend?" The fox beside her asked. It appears that she wasn't the only one to notice.

"I'm too tired to move right now." It wasn't technically a lie, she really was drained of energy.

"Just admit it, Isui. I know there's more to it than that."

"Let's not talk about it." Isui persisted, her shoulders tense. She couldn't even meet Yako's eyes; possibly guilty that what the fox was implying was true.

"Suit yourself." The wooden planks creaked beside Isui as Yako started to descend the stairs. 

"And where are you going?" Isui asked, troubled by the fact that she'll be left alone.

"Getting out of this pity party." The fox hummed. "It's already enough that I lost my seat number. I don't want you bumming me out more.

"And just so you know, hiding isn't going to do anything good to you."

Isui bit her lips, struggling to say anything else as she watched Yako disappear to the hallway below. 

Hiding, huh? Isui could only let out a chuckle. She's right. I'm not only weak, I'm a coward.

Swallowing the persistent lump in her throat, Isui hugged herself tighter. The only reason she's here was because she wanted to escape the awkward tension. She really shouldn't hide. It happens. People slip up and let their emotions get the better of them. It's not new. It's not like he knew that she still caught feelings for him. Friends always want to be with friends. That's normal.

So why am I hiding?

You're jealous. 

…

Not like the revelation she just uncovered was anything new, it still did unsettled her. Isui forced herself up. She walked down the stairs, mindful of the sinking feeling in her stomach.

I'm not. Isui denied, trying to drown the small voice inside her. That's not true.

Liar.

Her footsteps were harsh, stomping on the floor boards as if a heavy weight was on her. Her mind was so preoccupied she nearly stepped on the 4th step. She stopped herself, staring at the ground for a little longer than normal. 

"(Y/n)?" A voice called out. 

Isui looked up, noticing Nene looking at her. Isui could have felt a wave of relief, probably happy that Nene was alright. Well, of course she would, had she not seen her friend pressed against a wall with Hanako only a few inches from Nene's face.

"Oh…"

Isui swallowed a lump in her throat, forcing herself to play a facade.

"Was I… i-interrupting something?"

The female spirit watched as her two friends faced each other. The two deliberately flushed red, with Nene quickly pushing Hanako away from her. Honestly, Isui would have laughed. Honestly, she should be laughing. Right? This was a silly moment since she got to see both her friends do silly things. That's right.

But why can't she bring herself to laugh?

Was it too much for her to do?

"—!" Suddenly, her head started throbbing. For a moment her vision distorted, causing her to lean on the wall for support. 

"Isui?" She could hear the shell of a voice. Close but distant. Familiar and foreign.

Her head felt like popping again. Isui hissed from the jolt of pain, her nails digging into the wooden planks of the wall. 

"(Y/n)...?"

Again, an echo.

It looked like the tiredness from earlier had finally reached her. Little by little, Isui's body gave into the stress. First her knees unbuckled, causing Isui to fall past the rest of the steps and tumble down into the floor. Second, her arms weakened, sticking her firmly to the ground. Third, her vision blurred in and out, in sync with the pain seething through her everything. 

Next thing she knew it, everything began fading into white, blurring out her friends' worried faces, erasing the image of the nightly halls, removing the rich dark colors of the sky from the window. Bells were ringing, again and again. Once faint but now a clear tune.

Of everything Isui had seen and experienced, this was what she feared the most.

"Wait…!"

              "No…"

                                Not yet… 

 … I…

… I don't want to fade away.