I really didn't want to wake up today. Well, okay, that's not fair. I never really want to wake up when I go to bed. But today was especially strong for that. Today was kind of a sore topic for me, and I really didn't want to lash out at anyone. Can you imagine that? I doubt it. I can't either, which is why I don't want to let it happen. It's one of those things that I'd rather not find out. Besides that though, I was kind of more depressed than usual because I didn't have Asami or Moe to talk to today. But then, what else is my luck but horrible?

Asami moved away. The only damn person I had left was gone. But then, I guess Naomi was getting better. I could talk to her without hearing about the last guy she nailed or something, which was nice. Still, the last time I spoke to her was at aunt Ryoko's funeral. Ah, how death just followed me everywhere. I swear, I must be a shinigami or something. Everyone I talk to dies at some point. Asami must have realized that and moved away. I don't blame her- I'm not a good person to be around.

It took me all morning to get dressed. Ever tried dressing yourself blind? Not easy. I had to learn how to exist again after the accident, and this was just another thing. I specifically laid down some tiles that lead around my room so I could navigate it- The coldness of them in the morning told me where the right path was. I had to walk around without socks until the very moment I was ready to leave. I had also gotten into the habit of sorting every bit of clothing differently. But that was personal.

So, finding the appropriate pieces and putting them on, I made my way to the door. It was still a school day after all. My room mate was still asleep I think- Either that or she was out already. I don't really know, because how would I be able to tell besides asking the void? It was hard to manage conversation when you didn't know who was around you- And at the risk of not sounding stupid, I usually kept my mouth shut. Then again, that was nothing new- I've always kept my thoughts to myself. That's why you might be reading this and saying "oh, sweet little Kendall is so cynical!"

Yes, I am. You'd be too if the world was out to get you.

Once I opened my door, I put on my sunglasses- You know, for the sun i totally couldn't even be bothered by. It was actually so that nobody would see my pale eyes. No words can express how annoying it is to hear people whisper about that stuff. I'm thinking of asking my cousin Arceia where she got her contacts, so that I can at least color my eyes and stop the whispers.

Then I was tapped on the shoulder.

Okay, rule number one of dealing with the blind- Don't surprise them. Ever. I jumped, shrieked, and fell backwards. Thankfully whoever it was caught me, because there is nothing I'm more afraid of than falling. I can't see the drop, what's below it, how long a fall it is, or anything. It's horrifying, and I refuse to do anything that might make it happen.

"Whoa, Ken... Sorry."

That was Naomi's voice.

"Gomene, Naomi-san. I should have been more careful."

"Don't be silly. It was my fault. So, um..."

This was awkward. She sounded nothing like the Naomi I remember- She went a whole sentence without a curse or a suggestive inflection. It was her voice, but definitely not her... Naomi-ness.

"I thought we should spend the day together today." she finally said, seeing that I was silent. That was unusual to say the least. The last time I checked, Naomi had no interest in anybody who wasn't male or couldn't set her up with some dealer or something. Who was this?

"I... A-are you sure I'll be good company? I'm not very..."

"No no, Ken. Nothing like that. Just... Hang out. I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything like that."

Seriously, who was this and what had she done with Naomi?

"Gomene... I'll try being more fun."

"Come on now, I'll make sure it's nothing bad."

"Okay..."

She took my hand and started leading me around for a while. I am so glad that I don't have to describe the scenery, but I guess I can tell you Naomi's hand wasn't shaking, clammy, or otherwise showing any sign of sickness. No, really, how could I know this was actually Naomi?

"Did you get my last text, Naomi-san?"

Perfect setup. I mass texted the whole family when I got home and just said--

"Good morning to you too, Ken."

... Okay, it was her.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you. But I was in rehab. I only found out shortly after..."

"I-it's okay. I was fine."

That was a lie. I woke up almost completely alone, in a void of nothing, surrounded by beeping noises and buzzing and it felt like I was in purgatory. I could barely move, I felt dizzy and heavy, and when I finally did manage to make myself move, the first thing I was told was that I needed a paralegal at all times now. So basically I woke up from Hell to be put back in Hell, but this time with an assistant! Joy!

Why couldn't I have just stayed asleep?

Speaking of my paralegal, though, I managed to convince the doctors that Arceia was certified-- And she totally played along. I still manage on my own though. She knows how I feel sometimes. I feel like I should get to know her better.

"So..." Naomi started trying to talk more.

"When were you going to tell us about your little girlfriend, hm?"

Wait...

"W-what?" I blushed. Hard. I don't even need to be able to see to tell you how obvious I knew it was.

"The blue haired girl with the crazy eyes."

"I-i don't... What?"

Who did I know besides Naomi and Moe with blue hair? And crazy eyes? What did that mean?

"O-oh, right. Sorry. Um... The girl that I keep hearing about you spending time with- She has blue hair and her eyes are like a full rainbow."

That... Was admittedly cool. But I have no idea how to visualize that. Sorry, Moe, but I ended up visualizing that your eyes are one solid color that just keeps shifting gradients. It's cool but I'm probably wrong. I usually am anyway.

"W-we're not... Like that..."

We aren't. But I wish. You're just a voice in my head anyway, why would I care if I told you? Who're you going to tell, my spleen or something?

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you have such a good friend then. Sorry for prying."

"Naomi-san... What's wrong?"

Did I really just say that?

"Probably the same thing that's bothering you, little niece." she squeezed my hand a bit tighter. Then her phone went off, which really bothered me. it was out of nowhere- Then again, I keep mine in my bra and on vibrate, so... I really have no room to judge.

"Hey hun~" I heard her start. Wait-- Naomi called somebody hun. "Yeah, I'm gonna be heading to the gates soon."

"N-naomi-san?"

"Oh! You have got to meet my niece Kendall!"

The phone kind of went silent for a bit.

"No, really. It's okay!"

I'm sorry, but the rest of this walk is so boring that I'm not even going to explain it. Basically the short version is, I asked who that was, and she told me I was about to meet a rock star. So, when we reached the gate, the first thing I heard was that voice from the picnic a few days back.

"You're Kendall huh?" she said. "Ammy here told me about you."

Ammy? OH! Right! That's actually kind of clever. Okay, I'll give her props on that.

"Yo Seioni. Cheers."

"Wait... Seioni-kun? Of TFW?"

"Well, I would hope I'm still going by that title."

How did--

"How did you meet Naomi-san~?"

I was getting invasive now. Time for some playful revenge for making me blushy over Moe.

"Oh, Ammy helped me shop a bit, she came to our show a while back, and that was that."

Huh. That was kind of a short explanation. This Yo girl was pretty quick. Still, something felt off about her. I was on my guard.

"Yo-yo and I were gonna take a walk into town today. Want to join?"

As if I had a choice at this point? Well, maybe I could tag along until we reached the cemetery.

"Sure!" I said. "I-i mean, if that's okay..."

"Don't see why not." said Yo. I felt Naomi's hand again, and we were off immediately. You know, I never thought about how hard it was to explain my surroundings when I couldn't see them until I experienced it. Sorry voice in my head. I know this explanation will suck. But these next events were actually kind of... Awesome. That's the best way I can describe it. We were walking down the road, and Yo told us to hang on a minute. Right after she said that, I realized what was going on. My luck was striking again. I heard Naomi gasp and then I heard a new voice. A man.

"Hey sweetie." he said, kind of a low voice. H sounded like he was at least above 30. "You and your friends should come hang out at my house."

Naomi, for whatever reason, was having trouble responding. I really hope he didn't touch her. But then, something else happened. I heard a lot of impacts. I felt the ground thump, and then I heard the man again.

"W-who are you?"

Oh my, he sounded scared.

"Your prom date, you ugly sack of crap." said Yo. She didn't even seem worked up or anything. Like that had happened before and she was used to it. Well, i guess I signed up for this kind of strange dangerous stuff when I agreed to spend the day with Naomi. This Yo girl... She was kind of tough. I guess Naomi still had a thing for the edgy side of life after all. What weirded me out was hearing a tiny click.

"And what was this for?" she said, flicking whatever it was repeatedly. "What kind of friendly guy inviting us over would need this, hm~?"

The guy spat, I think. It sounded like something hit the ground that was wet. Then I heard some shuffling, and I assume that was him standing.

"You know what, nevermind. I was gonna give you these tickets to the game too, but You're not cool enough."

This guy... This freaking guy. he was either a really bad criminal, or a severely stupid pervert. Either way, I heard another impact, and another thud.

"Am now." said Yo. "Think I'll hang onto this little beauty too. I know a guy who'd like it." And then, Naomi finally managed a noise. Sounded more annoyed than scared. Yo interrupted though.

"Now get on out of here. I'll be nice and give you a five second head start."

"Son of a..." the man's voice faded, and I assume he was on his way to leave. I heard some other voices, and I was concerned that we drew a crowd. I mean, do you want to have that on your mind when you try meeting new people?

"If you're calling me a son of a bitch, you wouldn't be the first!" Yo shouted back.

"Y-yoyo..."

"It's okay Ammy. He's gone. You two okay?"

"Y-yeah..." I managed. I was still scared as Hell, but whatever. That was almost funny with how bad that guy was at... Whatever he was trying to do.

"C'mon. Let's finish up here and get home before we meet more idiots." Yo said, taking the lead.

Honestly, nothing else happened until Naomi told me we were at the cemetery. I suppose that should have been expected- We both had business here. Not sure why we needed Yo along-- Or maybe Naomi anticipated that kind of thing and asked her to come by to protect us. I don't know. but we were here, and things would turn a bit heavier in the mood department.

"You two know the way right?" asked Yo. Naomi took lead this time, and while she did, I was left to contemplate Yo. Maybe I should ask about what happened, I thought.

"S-seioni-kun... What did that man want?"

"He was groping Ammy, so I punched him in the face. When he fell, I caught sight of a knife in his sleeve and grabbed it, then hit him back down. I took the knife, and those "tickets" he had were fakes, so I ripped them up."

... That was blunt. But I suppose if anybody could recover from something that physical so quickly, it would be my aunt. Wait, since when did I call her that?

"Over here!" we heard Naomi shout. Yo took my hand and lead me over to the site.

"When's the last time you were here?"

"Uh... the funeral." said Naomi. "Sorry."

"I-it's okay." I said, sighing. "I wasn't able to get here either."

"Tell me about her." said Yo. She kind of didn't sound the same anymore though. She sounded a lot sweeter- Less like some hardened street rat.

Naomi started talking.

"She was great." she began, her voice cracking a bit. "When she left home, it just wasn't the same. She was always so smart and so much fun to talk to. It's because of her that I knew so much about the body. And... Well, I guess I misused that info, but it did make me a bit safer during that phase."

I had always wondered why Naomi got sick over that stuff.

"Ken, anything to add?"

Yes, actually.

"I... She was pretty and smart, the smartest person I've ever met. I miss her every day. I..." I started shaking. "I wish I could tell her that every day. I love her."

"She sounds cool." said Yo again. Still, every time I heard Yo speak, something felt wrong to me.

"She was." Naomi continued. "She paid for a lot of stuff that even her distant family needed. And she saved lots of lives. I mean, literally! She was a doctor, and stuff. I always admired her."

"Y-yeah..." My shaking had began affecting my voice. I'm assuming I was going to start crying.

"Well, don't just talk about her. Say something to her." said Yo.

That was an interesting concept. I have often heard that sometimes, people will talk to gravestones as a way of coping with loss. Some people actually made regular visits for just such a thing. I never thought I'd be doing it though.

"H-hey there, um..." Naomi started in. "I'm sorry I haven't been by in a long time. I've been bad... Very bad. But I got better! All that stuff you taught me about veins and bones and stuff really helped me out, but I misused your teachings. I'm sorry..." there was a long pause, and I heard some shuffling on the ground.

"... Sis."

"Ammy, good job." Yo chipped in. "Your turn, Pinky."

I assumed she meant me.

"I..."

This wouldn't be easy by any stretch of the word.

"Gomene for my absence. I have been having bad luck. but... You know all about that stuff. I... Fell asleep again. And Ryoko-sama is with you now, but... you probably knew that."

I absolutely started crying here. But, somehow, I was still able to form words pretty well. I guess it was her influence.

"I miss you every day. I promise... I'll try my best for you. I want you to be proud of me, even from up there. Even if I can't see you anymore, I know you're watching me. I love you..."

"... Mom."

Naomi hugged me, and I could feel her cheeks were wet. She probably had trouble holding this all in as well- But Yo was remarkably silent. Then again what else should I have expected? She didn't know the family.

"You two go on ahead. I just got a lot of inspiration, and I want to honor Dr. Amaterasu with a song." she finally said. There was a good ten minutes of silence before she did that.

Naomi grabbed my hand, and hurried me off. We spent some time talking about mom, and how Naomi had many stories about her. That was all I remember about that day.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~POV SHIFT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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When they were at a safe distance, I took a long, deep breath. Here I was, staring my sister's gravestone down. I had no idea how to say anything.

"Hey sis." I started, keeping myself together. Thanks for teaching me how to do that, Az.

"I messed up." I moved a bit closer, turning my attention to the sky.

"Sorry. But I won't be doing any more family banquets, and I won't be singing at the next Amaterasu funeral. I'm glad I got to sing at yours, though."

I guess that's all I had to say, because I sort of ghosted next to that stone and on to another. This one was a bit creepy. It was surreal, and downright chilling.

It was mine.

I kneeled down next to it, on one knee, and just stared at it a solid amount of time. Here I was, staring my own gravestone down. On the date of my sister's funeral anniversary, I was staring down my own death site. I don't know what they buried here, if anything, but it was not me. Maybe they just buried some of my old possessions? Not like I had a use for them anyway. Still, it was making my heart skip, and my spine tingle. I was dead. I knew this for a while now, but seeing the mark... I can't put this into words.

I stood slowly, realizing the sun was setting, and clenched my fists- one of which hurt a bit from earlier. I let my eyes fall behind my bangs, much the same way as I used to when I was nervous or scared. I tried to imagine myself- the old me- doing the same and facing me. I closed my eyes and visualized it for as long as it took, until I took a step to turn.

"Goodbye... Ryoko."