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« Wait, it’s shining ! »
« What do you mean it’s- oh! »
When she woke up and got up quickly to check on her friends, she thought she might have hit her head too hard because the floor seemed much further from her than it usually was.
« Kou-kun, Hanako-kun! »
When she ran over to Hanako, making sure he was wearing a gakuran and had a white seal on his left cheek, she shook him gently and he opened his eyes softly. She didn’t notice how her voice was deeper.
« Hmm…Natsu? »
« What ? »
« Senpai ! »
She turned her face around to a much too squeaky voice when it should sound like Kou’s.
She saw Mitsuba, his posture more confident, running towards…….her ?
« Don’t touch me you fucking idiot! »
Her….and she was swearing and pushing back Mitsuba, who’s mouvements were less delicate and feminine than usual. His face shocked.
She….or at least, what seemed to be her body, got up and looked into the one of bathroom’s mirror and "she" rolled her eyes in disgust.
« Of everyone, why should I get her and her huge legs ? »
« Hey! »
Nene got up from where she was kneeling, beside Hanako, and walked angrily towards what seemed to be Mitsuba in her body. It reminded her of the time Hanako possessed her and she had to watch her body moving around without controlling it.
Mitsuba suddenly furrowed his eyebrows and looked down, a very unfamiliar reaction when she got mad, his hands slightly trembling.
« S-sorry… »
An apology was even rarer. Actually, it never happened before and she wasn’t angry anymore but puzzled at this point.
Until she looked behind Mitsuba, in the mirror she could easily see above his head, which didn’t make any sense because he was taller than her. Normally.
What she would define as a hot guy presented himself, until he showed her his true annoying personality and her mouth was left open in shock.
She touched her face and made movements in the mirror, each reflecting what she was doing and the way she was, in fact, in Natsuhiko’s body. She was soon followed after by Kou, which seemed to be stuck in Mitsuba’s body and he was just as shaken.
Mitsuba, in the corner of the mirror, just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, walking slowly to Tsukasa’s body and ignoring the ones of Kou and Hanako, still on the floor.
Tsukasa was sitting up and seemed almost sleepy, but he knows ghosts can’t sleep and he was either coming back to himself, or he was bored.
« Tsukasa-kun, are you alright ? »
« Yashiro ? Why are you calling me… »
Hanako’s eyes widened as his long sleeves were much larger than usual, and he could feel more air between his legs. He searched for his knife in his storage and it was empty of any weapon.
« What the hell is happening?! »
Mitsuba trembled, his face much more terrified than it was when Nene, in Natsuhiko’s body, approached him angrily.
« We- the fall demon made us all exchange bodies! I’m sorry, Tsukasa-kun. »
Hanako thought about it and remembered the events ; the demon showing up, the absurd trio including his brother coming up, they disputed it and every thing went blank.
« I’m not Tsukasa, and I assume you are number three ? »
Mitsuba quickly nodded, and excused himself to the still unconscious body of Kou.
Hanako got up, dusted off his hakama and looked at the two people beside the mirror, panicking and testing their new skin, at Mitsuba, in Yashiro’s body, sitting beside Kou’s body, waiting for him to wake up probably.
He then saw his own body, crouching down in a corner beside a small box, which seemed to be the fall demon.
He floated towards it, to identify who might be in his body ; being in his brother’s was the most convenient for him, that’s for sure. Barely anything changed, and if they were alive, nothing would have changed, it would just be like he turned himself around.
« Hey, handsome, how’s it going ? »
His own body ignored him and kept playing with the unconscious and out of power demon, which pissed Hanako off.
« Hey- »
He placed his hand on his own shoulder, and Hanako’s body turned around and looked at him in the eyes and he knew instantly who it was.
« Tsu-Tsukasa… »
« Amane? Amane! You’re me! »
His eyes sparkled and he jumped on Hanako to hug him, which Amane returned hesitantly after a good ten seconds of being squeezed.
« Tsu….you’re squeezing me to death… »
« Amane! »
He didn’t move and Amane relented and put his arms completely around him to carry him around, just like a baby.
He walked to what seemed to be a tall guy Tsukasa spent time with and the third wonder’s body, hoping one of them will be Yashiro.
What an irony, for him to end in Tsukasa’s body and Tsukasa to end up in his.
« Hey, y’all okay? »
He was also happy his voice barely changed; Tsukasa and him had the same voice, the younger just tend to do a higher voice.
« Hana..ko-kun…? Is that you ? »
The tall man responded and the use of a friendly honorific made him slightly exhale of relief.
« Yashiro. Yeah, I’m good. Still in a good enough body, I guess. »
He pointed to himself, but his brother still clinging to him blocked the way and he pointed to his twin instead.
« Oh, yeah, I see….is that Tsukasa-kun..? »
« Nope! It’s me! It’s Amane! Oh, Hanako, oops! »
A drop off sweat made its way down the handsome face Yashiro was wearing for the day and Hanako decided to ignore it, and his brother.
« And ya? Who are you? »
« Can’t you see?? It’s Kou! »
Hanako rolled his eyes, a weird feeling of awkwardness of having his seal sticking to the wrong cheek, but of confort of having one at all, when it was supposed to represent a curse. For both Tsukasa and him.
They spook until Kou decided to check on his own body and a cheeky bastard answered him, which made Kou mad quickly and Yashiro tried to tone it down.
Hanako realized instantly when the weight he was carrying began to wear off and Tsukasa got into his own feet- or well, Hanako’s.
He thought about joining in the heated conversation between everyone but Tsukasa ran off by the door, and Amane caught himself surprised and worried at the sudden change of attitude, no matter how used to it he should have been so long ago.
« Tsukasa! »
He screamed but wasn’t heard by any of them, caught into their own thing and he hesitated before running after his twin. They probably remember the summer demon accident, so they know it won’t last long before everyone go back to normal.
« Tsu! »
He ran through the corridors until he passed a corner, and there was Tsukasa, standing against the wall.
He didn’t huff and puff, because no oxygen was needed for him and he could run forever, he would just get bored. But he did sigh in relief, unnecessary but a habit he never quite let go of, especially around Tsukasa.
« Hey… »
He calmly walked towards him and Tsukasa didn’t budge.
« Why did you run off ? We should all stay together, it’ll be more suitable when we switch back. »
« We are together. »
Amane suddenly felt awkward, his lips pursing.
« We should switch back with each other, so it doesn’t matter. »
Tsuaksa was now fully looking at him, keeping one hand on the wall. He was serious.
Amane doesn’t know how to deal with a serious Tsukasa. He knows how to deal with every kind of Tsukasa, no matter how fragile or intense they are.
But he never knew how to deal with a serious one, still doesn’t know and it’s what costed them to be here.
« Yeah, I guess it doesn’t matter…but it doesn’t answer the question. »
His confidence sprung back, or at least his fake version of it. He shouldn’t be worried of anything.
They had nothing left to lose.
Tsukasa’s sharp eyes were slightly lighter and moon shaped, if Amane paid more attention. Which made senses, because it wasn’t Tsukasa. It was him, or the ghost of him, with Tsukasa inside. Or the supernatural version of Amane who once existed but doesn’t exist anymore, and Tsukasa in its body.
He tightened his fist against his hakama, the silence heavy.
« The black seal. You’re wearing it, instead of me. What would happen if your assistant tear it apart ?
Would you still be there and I’ll disappear and you’ll go back instantly in your body, or will you disappear instead of me ? »
He bit his tongue. It didn’t matter, because his assistant won’t rip it off, even if he wasn’t the one inside it. He won’t let that happen.
« What if I take it off. »
« You can’t. »
« You can. And I’m you. So I can, can’t I ? »
Tsukasa took out the knife, the same one that killed and ripped his insides apart, twisted him until he became what he is now. He was proving his point. Only Hanako can use it. But Tsukasa wasn’t using it, so it was a proven point that let place to the question : did he hold the powers of Hanako, or was he still his own entity ?
« It won’t be enough to rip it off. You won’t disappear just like that. »
« But this will be enough ? »
He showed off the knife, shiny and sharp.
« Maybe. »
And silence was there again. They stayed like that for a few more minutes, Amane looking down at his red socks. Tsukasa’s.
The younger put back the knife from where it was coming from and Amane unconsciously relaxed.
Perhaps he had one more thing left to lose.
« So? What do you think ? »
« I think you think too much. »
« You’re one to talk. »
Amane didn’t know if Tsukasa was being amused or if he was still serious, either way, he couldn’t look at his face because it would distract him from counting the dust on the floor.
« It doesn’t matter. »
« What if it does ? »
« It doesn’t work like that. »
« How would you know ? »
« It wouldn’t be enough, I told you. »
« Have you tried ? »
Amane remained silent, once again.
No, he didn’t. No, he won’t.
« Do you want to try ? »
« What if I say yes ? »
This time, it was Tsukasa’s turn to stay silent and Amane gathered the courage to stare at his own shoes, that Tsukasa was wearing, theoretically.
« I wouldn’t be here if you wanted to try, because you wouldn’t have tried . »
« …. »
The shoes got closer and he went back to look at Tsukasa’s soft ankles, that he was borrowing for the day.
« Amane. »
A hand touched his cheek and he was now realizing the tears gathered in his eyes, threatening to fall and how tense he was.
« Amane, look at me, please. »
He didn’t budge.
His own hands, directed by his own brother, forced his face to look up and it was easy because Amane let himself be made.
« There. »
He was staring back at his own eyes, distorted by Tsukasa’s emotions and emptiness.
The soft hand caressed his right cheek, and scratched lightly the seal.
Amane didn’t know if he should pull away harshly or push into the touch.
« It’s not ripping off. »
« I told you it won’t. »
« That’s right. You told me it won’t. »
Amane didn’t know why, but suddenly, he took Tsukasa in his arms and squeezed him tightly. Was it a promise everything was going to be okay ? An apology ? A warning ?
Tsukasa didn’t hug back, for once. Perhaps because Amane hugged him, for once.
It seemed like they didn’t only switch bodies and clothes.
And just like that, Amane tried to cheer up Tsukasa suddenly, and Tsukasa was staying neutral but listening attentively to Amane.
They switched again, for the first time in so much years and just as soon, they would switch back and Tsukasa would cheer him up, pointing at the moon outside and Amane would force a small smile, hoping it would become real sooner than later.
Amane caressed lightly, carefully the seal on his right cheek and when they switched back, he did the same while looking Tsukasa straight in the eyes.
And when they went their own way, Hanako to check on his friends and if they switched back and Tsukasa to any short of mischief, Amane wondered if he should have cut the skin around the seal instead of caressing it.
Because he knew he would, one day, the same way he knew he would when he stared at the knife for too long when they were still alive.
But now, he also knew that Tsukasa knew all along that, too.
And this, was scaring him the most.
Perhaps Tsukasa had always been the one that had nothing left to lose.