Tao stared in shock at his hand. Waves of panic hit him over and over again as he stood there trembling, too horrified to move. All blood drained from his face, his shirt suddenly wet with cold sweat.

Suddenly, he felt weak in the knees.

Kris immediately yanked Tao’s hand away from the door, taking it into his and covering it with his own larger ones. Muttering a stream of profanities, he rubbed Tao’s hand, even though it didn’t feel any different to him. It didn’t feel particularly transparent, or warm, for that matter.

Tao’s hand was dead cold.

“I- I can’t feel it.” Tao gasped as he pulled his hand from Kris. It still shimmered translucently, allowing Kris to see right through it.

“It feels- dead.” Tao let out a dry sob and bent over in half, clutching his affected arm close to him. His shoulders shuddered violently as Kris draped his arms around him and pulled him closer. He felt a little awkward, since they had literally met two days ago. But he felt a certain connection with Tao, like he was meant to do all this.

Kris rubbed Tao’s back soothingly. “You gotta let me help you, Tao. You’re not gonna succeed otherwise. I know it.” He edged back a little so that he could properly see Tao’s answer.

They boy shook his head violently.

Almost instantly, a cold, dark feeling of nothingness swiped at his leg, leaving it unmoving and unfeeling.

Tao choked on his sharp intake of air and his hands immediately went to grab his ankle, which refused to move at all.

“Why is this happening?” He half-screamed at Kris, tears running down his face.

“I don’t know, but Tao, please let me help you! You’re gonna disappear otherwise!” Kris grabbed Tao’s shoulders.

Tao was incoherent, stuttering and thrashing around weakly as the feeling of death started to creep up his limbs.

“Oh God.” He blubbered, clutching at Kris’s arms. “Oh God, I don’t want to die.” Tao inhaled sharply when tendrils of black curled into his vision. His fingers scrabbled uselessly at Kris’s sides, getting weaker by the passing second. Almost every inch of his body felt like deadweight, something he couldn’t feel, or move. The more he struggled to sit up, the more his body weighed him down.

He was choking for air. His lungs wouldn’t work anymore. His body was failing him, everything was failing him. Only his brain and heart seemed to work, and even so, he could feel the death starting to close in on them too. Every pull, every gasp he forced down his airway caused him to buck his upper half of his body off the floor, then made him slam down with a painful thud.

Kris was going hysterical. He just wanted Tao to let him help. He didn’t want this to happen.

Everything felt wrong.

If he didn’t do something, Tao would die. He wouldn’t go back to his own time, that he was sure of. He would just…disappear. He wouldn’t exist anymore, not in this time or the time before.

Kris yanked Tao’s hands away from his curled body and pulled the teen towards him. Both their hands were shivering so much that it took Kris a second longer to wrap his own hands around Tao’s.

“Please.” His voice quivering. “Let me help you.”

Tao was visibly flickering now, sometimes going nearly-transparent. His eyes were half-lidded, only the whites showing.

Kris wondered if Tao could hear him.

Maybe he’s already gone.

Kris tightened his grip.

“Please! I know we’re strangers, but you can’t just disappear like this! Not without a fight! I know I can help you, I can help you return to your time. Please, let me.”

Tao had stopped shimmering, and instead, began to grow steadily more transparent.

“Oh God, no! Tao, come on! Remember your family, your friends, your- your dog! You can’t give up on them like this.”

Tao was just a faint gleam now.

“You can’t.” Kris’s voice broke on the last word. He bent his head down and pressed his forehead to Tao’s hands. A lump formed in his throat, a physical representation of all the words he wanted to say, but would be useless anyway. Tao was gone, after all. Nothing he did had stopped him.

Through his squeezed-shut eyelids, he saw a bright burst of light, and felt Tao’s hand disappear in his.

He’s…gone.

*:･ﾟ✧ﾟ･: *

Oh this just keeps getting better and better ¬‿¬ Don't worry though, this isn't the end ^__^ Stay tuned~