Purchase Complete [Saiouma]

Unbound

He never wore the locket. He kept it in the safety of his room.

The morning he came back to his room at the place he was forced to live in, he opened the locket. He made sure he was in his room when he cracked open the heart. The tiny piece of paper that fell out confused him, he picked it up and unfolded it. When reading the message...

He would be lying if he said he didn't start crying. He had already been keeping in the sorrow he felt when leaving Shuichi. It hurt to think he'd never see him again. Now that he was promised his freedom...? A mixture of sadness and happiness spilt through his tears. He held the locket close to him as he cried himself to sleep. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he'd let you decide.

Even if he never wore the locket, he kept it with him. He kept in it his bag as he went out on his nightly jobs. Every time he'd get back he would open it up again. Just to re-read the message when he felt depressed. Just to read his promised freedom again to give himself some sort of hope for tomorrow. He tried to stay strong. He really did.

Some nights were harder than others. But he pulled through.

He remembered telling Shuichi that everything would go back to normal after that week ended. But that was a lie. Nothing was ever the same. Before, he went about his life to get done with the day, sleep, get called, and do it again. He wasn't happy like he acted. If fact, he was miserable.

Now... he still wasn't happy, but only because he felt like he was cheating on Shuichi. They were not together. But it felt like it. Lying down with other people had always felt wrong, but it seemed to be in bold now. But somehow... he felt... okay. He felt like he wasn't as disgusting.

Because before, he thought that the Kokichi going out every night was who he was.

Now that he spent time with Shuichi, for one measly week. He found that who he was, was an emotional mess who loved breakfast with those he cares about. If he was honest, then he would take that over anything else.

Today was the day before the year limit came full circle. One more day.

Kokichi woke up when his wrist buzzed. He slowly slid out of the bed and found his shirt that luckily was the only thing taken off. "...Hm..? Leaving?" The girl in the bed sat up and rubbed her eyes disappointed. Kokichi smiled, "Sorry toots. You only paid for one day and one night." He shoved his clothes lazily in his bag. "Maybe you could come back on your free time..?" The girl suggested.

"That's not how it works. I have to go though, hope you and your boyfriend get back together. Like I said, you aren't a rebound, I promise! He just felt guilty and thought you would be better off. Next time you see him, be a tiiiny bit merciful. Kay?" He waved and and left her house.

It was another day full of sobbing about a break up. Then attention needing. Relationship advice was something he could give. Relief was also on his can-do. But he got into the black car waiting for him. The normal picker-uppers seemed on edge today.

He smiled, oddly in a good mood. This was going to end. He thought, He was holding the locket in his hand tightly. They got back to the building and escorted him back to his room and dropped off like usual.

He washed up and went to sit on his small bed. The clock above his room door ticked slowly. Kokichi opened his locket again. He re-read the words again, and again.

"Happy birthday Kokichi..." He muttered to himself. He didn't feel twenty years old. He felt fifteen. Maybe even younger. He hadn't grown at all. His facial features didn't change. He looked the same as he did when he was seventeen. He wished he was that young again. Even if these were his so called prime years. He wished he went back in time to do high school. Maybe so all the dumb stuff high schoolers do. Get suspended, Get a boyfriend. Sneak out, Make out behind the bleachers...