It's Bittersweet (OHSHC Fanfic)

A Terrifying Love

A/N: Thank you to everyone who left me comments last chapter, those comments are what really keep me writing!  For some reason I feel like this chapter is short, even though it is over 2,000 words and took up five pages it somehow still feels short to me! Hopefully the next chapter will feel longer.

Enjoy and as always, feedback is appreciated!

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"Ami!" Hanna screamed out into the darkness.

"Ami! Where are you?" Hibiki yelled after his sister. The two siblings had been searching for their master for half an hour with no luck.

"AMI! WE'RE SORRY!" Hanna continued. The twinge of desperation in her voice only grew more noticeable with every minute that passed.

"AMI! COME OUT! PLEASE, LET'S GO HOME!" Hibiki's own voice had started to waver. The air around them was tense and quiet, only the sounds of their screams and their footsteps could be heard. The pair shared a glance, the worry they felt reflected in each other's eyes.

"Hibiki...why won't she come out? Do you think she's okay?" Hanna voiced these worries aloud to her brother. His lips pursed at the question, afraid to voice his own thoughts to the universe. Hibiki parted his lips, prepared to offer Hanna some cheap reassurance when her gasp interrupted him before he could even begin. His eyes followed hers until he caught sight of what Hanna already had. In the distance, standing under a lone street lamp sat a small figure with white hair.

"Ami!" Hibiki called as he broke into a jog towards the figure, his sister trailing right behind him. As they approached, they realized that although Ami was small, the figure was definitely smaller. At the sound of their approaching footsteps, the head of white hair turned and the siblings froze as a pair of green orbs met their grey ones.

"Kota?" Hanna started. "Why are you here?" Kota remained silent, his usual blank expression did little to calm the Ito siblings' nerves. Slowly, the boy stood before taking the five steps to close the distance between himself and them. His breathing was shallow but, in the silence, it was louder than anything else around them. The tension was as thick as the fog surrounding the three and Hanna felt it beginning to collect in her throat, choking her. Kota stared at the floor, his eyes hidden under his bangs. Before anyone could break the silence, little fists belonging to the boy reached up and desperately clutched at the sibling's shirts. The sudden action caught them off guard and two pairs of gray eyes widened identically.

"...Ami" Kota spoke so lowly that it was impossible to make out what he had said.

"Kota, what's wrong- "Hibiki started, placing a hand over Kota's fist on his shirt. Kota, not letting Hibiki finish his thought snapped his head up to look at the pair and this time they audibly gasped. The usual blank expression Kota wore was gone. His eyes glowed with unshed tears and his teeth clenched as he fought back the sobs that had begun to wrack his small body.

"You have to save Ami!" He cried. "You have to save her!"

"What are you talking about?" Hanna managed to whisper as her mind raced a mile a minute, failing to completely process Kota's words due to the shock. Kota's grip tightened as he pulled them even closer.

"THEY TOOK MY SISTER! WE HAVE TO SAVE HER BEFORE..." His yelling trailed off. Somehow in the back of his mind, Hibiki noticed how this was the first time Kota had ever acknowledged Ami as his sister and knew that if she had heard it herself, she would have cried tears of joy right then.

"Before what...Kota?" Hibiki spoke before his brain could catch up with what he was saying. It was like his body was on auto-pilot. The tears in Kota's eyes fell, creating salty rivers down his cheeks. He hiccupped between his sobs now, his fists clenched at their clothes even tighter now, as if he were trying to hold on to the last bit of calm he had.