...05/10/2009 Monday; Dawn...
The bluish tone mixes with the black of night, slowly illuminating the alley.
Minato feels the tightness in his chest first.
It's something that comes from within, that rises up his throat, that squeezes his eyes before he can control it.
Junpei is beside him, his face motionless, his eyes fixed on Shinjiro's body as if processing what just happened.
Yukari covers her mouth with her hands.
Her eyes grow heavy, and before she can stop them, the tears begin to fall. Some drip onto the ground beside the blood.
Koromaru whines.
A confused whimper, as if he doesn't understand why Shinjiro isn't moving, why the hand that was petting his head is now lying on the ground.
He nudges Shinjiro's hand with his muzzle. Pushes it.
Nothing.
The dog lifts his head and begins to howl—a long, sad, high-pitched howl—that echoes between the buildings, saying something no words could ever say.
Ken doesn't stop crying.
The world around him is crumbling—or maybe it's him who's crumbling, he doesn't know anymore.
He begins to pound the ground relentlessly. The asphalt scrapes his knuckles, tears away skin, but he doesn't feel it.
The scream that comes out of him isn't words.
It's pain. Rage. Sorrow. Everything he held in for two years comes out at once, in a sound that tears his throat apart.
Mitsuru looks to the side.
The tightness in her chest is silent. There are no tears—there's something worse, something that constricts her throat and won't let anything escape.
She had known Shinjiro for so long. She remembers him in the school hallways, before everything, before the accident, before he shut himself off from the world.
She remembers the training sessions in S.E.E.S., when it was just him, Akihiko, and her, when they still thought they could save everyone.
Now he's there. On the ground. And he won't get up again.
She looks at Hiro and feels the tightness in her chest worsen.
Hiro is silent.
It's not a calm silence. It's something that's building up, something pressing from inside, something about to explode.
His eyes are wide, fixed on Shinjiro's face. The tears stream endlessly, but he makes no sound.
No... he can't be dead. He must be fooling everyone.
Hiro places his hands on Shinjiro's shoulders and begins to shake his body.
"Hey..." The voice comes out in a whisper. Trembling. "Shinjiro..."
The shoulders jolt, Shinjiro's head lolls back and forth.
"Wake up..."
Hiro's arms tremble, his fingers grip the fabric of the overcoat as he shakes faster, as if he could wake someone who is sleeping.
Desperation rises like a flood that breaks his mind, that invades every inch of his body, that squeezes his chest until the air can no longer enter.
"NO, NO, NO!"
Hiro's voice breaks. The words tumble out, choked by tears and despair.
"WAKE UP, SHINJIRO!"
Hiro starts pounding on Shinjiro's chest, trying to make his heart beat again.
"PLEASE..."
The crying is open now. Sobs that make his entire body tremble.
"OPEN YOUR EYES, DAMMIT!"
Everyone watches Hiro scream.
The tears stream endlessly down his face.
Each sob shakes his shoulders, each groan is a piece of him breaking loose.
And no one can think of anything else.
Everyone's hearts clench in their chests. It's not just for Hiro.
It's because it seems that finally, after the screams and the shock, the coin has dropped.
They lost someone. A member of S.E.E.S.
Even though he was quiet most of the time, he helped when it was needed.
Now he's there. Dead on the ground.
Mitsuru lowers her head, her hair falls over her face, hiding her eyes.
Her jaw clenches tight as she grips her own clothes.
She holds on with all her might not to cry, not to fall apart.
She has to hold it together, she has to do something.
Mitsuru turns her head toward Aigis, but doesn't look directly at her. Trying to hide her emotions.
"Aigis..." Her voice comes out serious, muffled.
"Yes, Kirijo-senpai?" Aigis's reply comes low, as if she were disheartened.
Mitsuru looks back at Shinjiro's body. Her eyes burn, but she doesn't blink.
"Get Hiro and Amada out of here." Her voice is serious, but restrained. "And take everyone back to the dorm."
She stops talking and tries to calm herself. Her breath trembles, and she presses her own lips together, feeling her eyes well up a little.
"Akihiko and I will take care of Aragaki's body." Her voice comes out pained, as if she can't take it anymore.
Aigis nods, and carefully, she approaches Hiro.
He's still there, kneeling on the ground, his hands gripping Shinjiro's overcoat with a force that turns his knuckles white.
As if letting go would mean letting Shinjiro leave for good.
Aigis places her hand on his shoulder. The touch is light, delicate.
"Hiro-san..." Her voice is gentle. "We have to..."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hiro shouts angrily.
Hiro turns toward Aigis and shoves her hand away, and without missing a beat, he kicks Aigis to push her back.
Aigis takes a few steps back. She blinks, confused by what Hiro did.
Hiro sobs, his whole body trembling, and when Aigis looks at his face—
She sees a broken gaze.
It's not anger there. It's pain. Pure, raw pain that doesn't know where to go, that overflows in tears.
It's the look of someone who is losing something and knows they can't stop it.
Minato swallows hard. Even if it's cruel... he has to do something.
He steps forward and grabs Hiro before he can react.
His arms close around Hiro's from behind, pinning his shoulders, preventing him from fighting back.
Hiro starts to struggle.
His body writhes, his arms try to break free from the hold. But Minato doesn't let go.
"Hiro, calm down!" Minato's voice comes out nervous, but he tries to maintain a calm tone. "I know it hurts to see Aragaki dead! But we have to go!"
"GET OF ME, MINATO!" Hiro's scream is pure rage mixed with sadness.
His voice falters in the middle, choked by tears, but he keeps going.
"I HAVE TO STAY!"
Hiro throws his head back, trying to land a headbutt to break free.
At the last instant, Minato dodges; he feels Hiro's head pass close by.
Without wasting any time, Aigis rushes at Hiro.
She moves in front of Hiro, her arms closing around his body, pinning his arms against his torso, holding tight.
Everyone watches the scene in front of them.
Yukari presses her lips together. Junpei looks away for a moment.
Fuuka holds Ken's shoulder tighter.
No one says anything.
Seeing Hiro like that—thrashing like a wounded animal... it hurts.
But there's nothing to be done. You can't get blood from a stone.
Minato and Aigis begin to push.
Hiro's feet drag on the ground. He tries to dig his heels in, tries to resist, but the two of them don't stop. Every step is torture.
Shinjiro's body is left behind.
Everyone begins to leave.
Yukari stands up first, her hands still trembling. Junpei next, a shaken expression on his face.
Fuuka stands up beside Ken, whispers something softly that no one else can hear, and guides the boy away.
Koromaru goes ahead, his tail low, his head tilted.
Little by little, Shinjiro's body grows smaller.
The silhouettes of Mitsuru and Akihiko beside the body, and the alley seems darker, as if it's swallowing everything as they move away.
No. He can't leave him.
He promised.
He wasn't going to let this happen.
For a moment, Hiro manages to free one of his arms—he puts his hand on Minato's face and starts trying to push him away.
He tries to break free, tries to run back to the alley.
Minato pulls Hiro's hand off his face and, with a grunt of effort, he holds Hiro again together with Aigis.
"I PROMISED!" The voice comes out hoarse, broken, but still comes out with a surprising strength. "I PROMISED I WOULD HELP YOU! IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO END LIKE THIS!"
Hiro's legs give out.
It's as if something inside him gave up resisting, as if he can no longer stand.
Minato and Aigis hold him, keep him upright, but the weight of his body seems to have tripled.
The alley is dark now. Mitsuru and Akihiko are just two figures hunched over a body that doesn't move.
Hiro reaches his hand out toward the alley.
While he tries, against all odds, to reach something that is no longer there.
The darkness swallows Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shinjiro, like a door closing on its own.
All Hiro does... is scream... scream a despair that seems to come from his very soul.
"SHINJIROOOOOOOO!"
...THE END OF VOLUME 4...