Tanaka notices two things. One, he’s in a strange and completely white room. Two, a familiar and dead friend was sitting across from him.
"E―?!" he asked incredulously. Tanaka wouldn’t have recognized the other if it was not for his white hair and yellow eyes. E’s mechanical arm, leg, and mask were gone, and he certainly seemed a lot healthier.
The other boy shrugged. “The one and only. How are you feeling, Tanaka?”
"But―?! Y-you died, and― Oh god, I’m dead, aren’t I? Where are we? Hell? Heaven? Some weird afterlife prison?"
E laughs, and Tanaka can’t remember the last time E laughed like that, so he decides that they’re in heaven.
"Am I…really dead?" Tanaka asks, but he already knows the answer.
E nods. “I’m sorry.” he says.
"How did I…?" the black haired trailed off.
E sighed. “Bullet to the head. You got shot by some government person. Guess they didn’t take your betrayal that well.” E pauses. “Why did you join the rebellion anyways?”
Tanaka shrugs. “Tsuji and the others somehow convinced me.”
And then it hits Tanaka. He won’t be able to see Yamaguchi, Tsuji, Azuma, or any of the others anymore. Tanaka looks down at his feet and chokes back tears.
E gets up from where he was sitting and comes around to Tanaka, running his fingers through his dark hair.
"Hey. It’s alright, Tanaka. It’s okay." E gently tells him as Tanaka sobs.
Tanaka cries into E’s shirt until he has no more tears to let out.
"Sorry." he looks at E and gives him a small apologetic smile.
"Don’t be."
"Is it nice? In heaven, or wherever we are anyways."
E stays quiet for a minute before replying. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice. Go through this door―” he gestures towards a door where Tanaka was sure wasn’t there five minutes ago, “and then you’ll be fine. I promise.”
"Can I….Can I stay with you?" the moment those words leave his mouth, Tanaka feels very young, like a small child. He’s afraid that E will say no.
But E smiles at his friend before replying with an “of course.”
Tanaka was still sad, of course, since he won’t be able to see Yamaguchi or the rest of his friends for a long time. But it’s not like he’s alone; E was with him right now, and for that moment, Tanaka was perfectly content.