"Akashi?"
She held him close. Her hands touched something warm, something that dried up the moment she brought her hand closer to look at what it was.
Blood.
Her breath hitched. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, the same ears that were burning up.
"H-Hey, Akashi..." she said, shaking him as she brought him in her arms, knees sinking into the floor.
No, this can't be happening.
He...
He was just alright a few hours ago.
"Akashi!"
Nothing.
"Akashi!!"
She shook him to hard, his limp hand falling to the floor.
Her eyes dilated. His hands were pale.
She pressed her ears on his chest, trying to find a heartbeat all the while screaming his name.
No, no, no. He can't. He couldn't just leave her like this, please not like this.
"Somebody help me!"
...
{ 3 hours later }
She sat by the bench. She was shivering. It was cold tonight, as if the weather already knew what was going to happen before she did.
She was still distraught, eyes focused on the snow in front of her as the police officers flooded the dorms. She sat a few yards away from the main entrance, a man in a coat next to her and some investigator whom she honestly couldn't hear what he was saying.
All she could do...was mumble his name over again, like chanting it enough times would bring him back.
"Akashi—"
"—Akira!"
She snapped out of her blank stasis. Her eyes slid up slowly to see her two friends, Hinasuke; Tall, big, worried. And Yoshida; Blonde, ahead of him and wearing an expression that he normally never had.
The smothered her, Hinasuke checking her for injuries, Yoshida pacing around and the investigator beginning to question them.
But still...even as she stayed there, her mind was already somewhere else.
His smile.
His laugh.
The way he always had something funny to say.
The way he always kept his promises.
Her heart felt heavy, her fingertips were freezing. The air was cold, burning her lungs. The scarf and bloodied jersey she had on weren't doing anything to shelter her body from the bone chilling temperature.
She was drowning, sinking deeper into a spiral. Until—
"Hey, Aki..."
...That voice.
Her heart stopped before she even looked up, her breath stolen from her as she laid eyes on him, just across the street...
Akashi.
Her body bolted up on her feet before she could even process what was happening.
The others were alarmed seeing her bolt into the middle of the street:
"Where is she going!?"
"Akira?! Akira wait—!"
"—Akashi!!" She screamed with her entire being, hands stretching on to just touch even the helm of his shirt, so close, all she needed to do was—
"—AKIRA!!"
Her body suddenly sprang backwards as Hinasuke pulled her from behind, just before a car zipped right past.
She looked up and saw Hinasuke's body over hers, covering her, holding her close.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she tried to speak, "Let me go."
Her voice was so soft, barely a whisper. Hinasuke only held her closer, his voice equally as soft as hers, "I can't. You almost got yourself killed—"
"—Please! Now! Akashi's calling me, he's right there, he's calling me!!"
"He's GONE, Akira!"
...
The tears fell without permission as the realization of what was happening finally hit her as Hina tightened his grasp around her...
"Akashi's...dead."