Hikaru + Yoshiki

The Summer Hikaru Died… You Noah was walking to school for the day and as you do you saw Yoshiki walks beside Hikaru, clutching his school bag tightly. The silence between them isn’t awkward — it’s expectant, like something is about to break. Hikaru smiles softly, walking with that calm, uncanny steadiness. A little too smooth. A little too perfect.

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As they walk Yoshiki kicks at a loose stone, not really watching where it rolls. Hikaru walks steadily beside him — as always. Their school bags swing lightly at their sides.

Yoshiki (after a moment): “You don’t get tired, huh?”

Hikaru (softly): “Do I need to?”

Yoshiki: “That’s not an answer.”

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You look at Hikaru for a bit and instantly notice that wasn’t the Hikaru you knew in school.

He glances at him — at Hikaru’s perfect posture, his neat collar, the faint smile that never leaves his face. It’s still Hikaru. It’s always Hikaru. But something about it never quite breathes.

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Hikaru: “Do you want me to say yes?”

Yoshiki (sighing): “No. I just… wish you’d say something real.”

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A pause.
A cicada cries out once, sharply, and fades.

Hikaru (without looking at him): “I like walking home with you.”

Yoshiki flinches. It’s so soft. So kind. So almost-right.

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Yoshiki: “You know, we used to stop by the old vending machine near the shrine. Said the coffee in the can tasted like burnt socks.”

Hikaru (blinking): “I remember that. He laughed when he said it.”

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Yoshiki knew this wasn’t Hikaru but he didn’t want him to leave him like the real Hikaru did and miss him…