"Now breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth." The nurse said, surveying Budo's breathing in her office after the two boys explained what had happened, leaving out the part of it being a potential killers doing.
"Hmm...your breathing seems to be fine..." she said, Taro spaced out.
Who was that girl? Taro felt like he recognised her voice but he couldn't place his finger on the identity, he knew it was the voice he heard constantly, the voice he heard in his nightmares.
What did she want with Budo? What had he done that made her want to harm him?
It hit him at that moment.
Was it...because Budo was hanging around him?...
He remembered how Raibaru had nearly been killed by that broken drinking fountain, was that girl the perpetrator too?
Of course this would happen, Taro should've seen it sooner; it didn't matter that Budo and Raibaru weren't in love with Taro, just him being around them put the two in danger.
It was like the person was trying to keep him isolated, perhaps force him to be so lonely that he'd be desperate for a human interaction when they came along?
He quickly shook his head, dispelling the thought. That sort of stuff only happened in horror films, not only that but there wasn't really anything special about Taro from his own perspective that would warrant the killer to make everyone in his life disappear.
"Taro?" A voice called out but he didn't hear.
Why was this happening to him? It was a question he asked himself frequently ever since all of this started, why him?
He just wanted it all to be over, he didn't want to be scared anymore, he didn't want his friends to get hurt or even killed anymore.
Maybe it would be better if he...
"Taro!"
The loud voice quickly snapped him out of his spiral, causing him to jump.
"H-Huh!?" He asked, looking around to see Budo in front of his face with a worried look on his own.
Taro blushed slightly as he took a step back hesitantly.
"I said, the nurse says I'm fine so should we go now?" Budo asked, staring at Taro with a confused look on his face.
"Yeah! Of-Of course.." Taro replied quietly, the two walking out of the nurse's office together and down the corridor.
"Do you want to join me with club activities?" Budo asked once they got to the bottom of the stairs.
Yes. That's what Taro wanted to say, he wasn't sure why but he just felt so safe with Budo, it was almost like he was falling...no.
He shouldn't be thinking of that, after everything that's happened over the past few weeks, falling in love would be one of the worst things Taro could do.
"No...I think I'm gonna head home and do some work, see you tomorrow?" He replied with a sorry smile.
"Oh, yeah sure! I'll see you tomorrow." Budo smiled back and began walking up the stairs to his club room.
"See you!"
Budo yelled behind him.
"Bye!" Taro whispered back to the retreating Budo.
Taro walked to the lockers, changed his shoes and walked out of the school.
—————
Someone was following him.
He heard the footsteps but he didn't have the courage to look behind him, hoping at some point the footsteps would stop.
He quickened his pace as he was nearing his house, the footsteps behind him quickening as well.
"Leave me alone, leave me alone" he whispered quietly to himself, he was getting closer and closer to his house until something grabbed him.
"Senpai...stop running."
He screamed and turned around, a girl with black hair- tied in a neat ponytail and eyes as black as the abyss stared at him, holding the sleeve of his shirt.
"S-Sorry...I shouldn't have...startled you like that..." she whispered, a soft blush on her face.
"It's...it's fine...just uhm, please let go of me" he whispered back, trying to pull his arm away from her grip but she only gripped tighter.
"Hey! I-I said let go of-"
"Do you know how long I've waited for you? How many lives I've had to steal just to have you all to myself?"
Taro felt like the air had been punched out of him, he was shaking.
"Wh-What..?"
The girl scoffed and she moved her hand down to grip Taro's hand harshly.
"You're so cute, Senpai, but so, so naive. My sweet darling...I've been so nervous to even speak to you..." she blushed, gripping his hand tighter, digging her nails into his pale skin.
"Hey...you're hurting me...stop it you creep!"
He cried softly, losing his voice as hundreds of emotions and thoughts rushed through his head.
Fear. Sadness. Anger. Pain.
"No...do you know how long I've waited to feel this way? To feel how other people do,  a chance to give you all the love I feel for you? Are you selfish enough to deny that, how dare you? Silly Taro..." she murmured, a crazy, obsessed smile on her creepy face.
Out of nowhere, Taro suddenly felt a sharp needle dig into his neck, a stinging fluid going through his body and he felt woozy and tired all of a sudden.
"What's...happening to me?" Taro's vision blurred, the only thing he saw was the monster before him and the last thing he heard shook him to his core.
"Don't worry, Senpai, we'll be together forever..."
—————
Taro woke up with a blood-curdling scream.
He was...okay?
It was all just another nightmare, except more extreme, a face was finally given to the girl who haunted him- but why?
Suddenly, his door swung open to reveal a middle-aged woman with long black hair, it was his mother.
"Taro?! Is everything okay?"  She screamed, knife in hand which she had quickly swiped from the kitchen when she heard Taro's screams.
She looked around the room seeing nobody else but her crying son, she slowly put the knife down and rushed to him, cradling him in her arms.
"What's wrong, sweetie? Did you have a bad dream again?" She murmured as she rubbed his back soothingly.
He nodded, but all he could think of was that girls face, and then it hit him.
He began hyperventilating in his mothers arms, his eyes going cloudy with tears as he cried into her shoulder.
He'd seen that girl before.

*Author's Note: Sorry this chapter isn't as good as it could've been! I wanted to try and speed the story up as I felt it was going too slowly and this was originally only meant to be a short story!
I've also been thinking of another story/fanfic I could start once this was over, featuring Ryan Erzahler and Dylan Lenivy from The Quarry if you know who they are! Anyways, I'll try make the next chapter have more BuTaro fluff in it. Until next time! <3*