a/n: woohoo, another fic!! i hope everyone's excited! later updates might be a teensy bit slow bc i start college in like, a month LOL but for now, enjoy!
qotc: who do u main? (i main heizou :3)
sotc: nothing matters by the last dinner party
☆☆☆
october 29th, 1983.
if haruki knew what would happen that day, he would have never left kazuha's side.
rapid knocking comes to his door and soon a loud yell echoes through the house, "haru! open the door!"
the boy groans as he lifts the covers off his bed to make his way over to the door that was being decorated with loud consistent knocks. as he rubs his eye tiredly, opening the door to see a familiar face– kazuha. the boy was beaming from ear to ear, smiling so wide that it was almost like he was staring at the sun.
"good morning!" kazuha grins as he clasps pieces of paper in his hand.
haruki mumbles something sounding like good morning but not quite. kazuha's smile drops for a quick second as he looks down to haruki's clothing. his friend wore a baggy shirt and boxers which was surprising due to the fact that kazuha knew school was in half an hour. haruki on the other hand, did not.
"uh," kazuha chuckles nervously, "you know school's in about thirty minutes?"
haruki's heart drops from the sound of the time and he is quickly rushing kazuha to pull off his shoes at the entranceway while he is running into his room to find clothes. kazuha walks into haruki's room that is plastered in posters, leaving no sign of the original color of the wall.
as haruki is zipping up his pants quickly, he looks up to kazuha, "happy birthday, by the way."
kazuha grins, "i was waiting for you to say that!"
haruki laughs softly, "you know i'd never forget. just gotta give me some time to wake up, alright?"
kazuha nods once more as haruki is pulling on two extremely mismatched socks (i mean, they weren't even the same length or texture. what the hell was he doing?). haruki is rushing to stuff things in his bag as he looks up at kazuha who is standing right by his bedside table.
"hand me the headphones and the walkman?"
haruki asks as he looks away to stuff his bag. kazuha sighs as he picks up the headphones and the machine to hand them to the boy.
"you know some might say that you'd make more friends if you didn't always have these on, ya know?"
haruki snorts, "yeah? and what would i do instead? hear people talking shit about me? no thank you."
kazuha pouts, "they don't do that."
"they most definitely do." haruki says before he zips his bag up and rushes to the entranceway as kazuha follows like a lost puppy.
"well, i don't really hear about it then. i'm sorry." kazuha says as he slips on his shoes next to haruki.
haruki nods as he pulls his car keys off the table near the door and he pauses in his steps, "how the fuck did you get here?"
"huh?"
"you can't drive and your bike isn't here so how did you?" haruki asks and kazuha sheepishly smiles as he shows a thumbs up.
"you did not fucking hitchhike."
kazuha nods as he and haruki leave the boy's home to head for school. as kazuha watches haruki throw his bag in the backseat of his car haruki speaks once again, "don't do that shit, kazuha. you could get hurt one of these days because of that."
"sorry." kazuha mumbles and haruki swears his heart drops and breaks into a million pieces at the sound of kazuha speaking so sadly.
the car is quiet for a second before kazuha speaks again, "oh, right! you know how there was that horror movie that i'm gonna see tonight?"
"uh-huh," haruki nods as he turns into the busy parking lot of the school, "remind me what it's about again. there's way too many horror movies coming out and i do not keep track of that."
"why?" kazuha frowns for a second before he grins, "because you're scared?"
haruki snorts, "i am not scared. now tell me about it."
kazuha nods as he flaps his hands ever so slightly– haruki loved seeing how excited he got over horror movies.
"well it's about this really creepy doctor who like, kidnaps all these kids, i suppose? but then they fight back!"
haruki nods as he pulls into a parking spot, "so, how exactly is that horror? i don't find anything scary about that."
"i don't know!" kazuha practically squeals as he grins, his tongue running over the gap in-between his front two teeth, "i guess because the kids are creepy, or something? i'm not sure."
haruki clicks his tongue as he puts the car in park and grabs his bag from the backseat that he had thrown haphazardly, "okay well have fun and if you get too scared to sleep from the movie, you know where my house is."
kazuha nods as he opens the car door to step out with his backpack hanging off his shoulder. haruki looks at him with a soft gaze as he puts the headphones over his ears, "i'll see you in a bit, okay?"
kazuha nods as the two separate, going two different directions. he frowns slightly as he walks into school, people already making their way to class. he never understood why haruki never let him walk him to class, it was a nice thing to do but haruki always refused saying something how kazuha "shouldn't be seen with someone like him". it upset kazuha how haruki thought that they were in two completely different worlds which isn't true– sure, kazuha had a different set of friends than haruki had, but they were still in the same world.
"kazuha!" a loud, feminine shout comes from behind him and soon the rapid clicking of heels comes from behind him.
he turns around and almost immediately he's met with arms around his torso and crystal blue hair over his shoulder.
"oh, ayaka." kazuha says softly and she grins widely as she pokes his cheek with one of her acrylic nails.
"missed you soo much over the weekend!" she squeals, "i called your house but whenever your dad picked up, he always said you were at a friends house? which is strange since you weren't at mine."
"oh, well you don't really know him." kazuha mumbles and she snorts. it's not like the way haruki snorts– cute and it's obvious he's being sarcastic but ayakas was almost always malicious and angering.
"i know everybody, come on kazu! just tell me!" she says ever so loudly that it echoes in the halls and makes kazuha flinch slightly from her raised tone.
as they walk together, kazuha fumbles with his fingers as he speaks, "it's haruki."
there's a silence between the two once kazuha admits their name. he's not sure what she's thinking but he knows it's not something good. haruki has never had any sort of positive reputation.
"that creepy dude? the one who like, never takes his headphones off and doesn't speak to anyone?" ayaka asks but kazuha knows that she already knows. ayaka knows everybody and haruki was not an exception.
"i guess so." kazuha mumbles.
"dude, he like, freaks me out!" ayaka scoffs, "he's like always staring at us but i've like never heard him speak or anything. i swear he's mute or something."
"oh."
the bell rings loudly and ayaka jumps up, "i'll see you later, bye-bye!"
kazuha nods as he waves her off as he walks to class. he didn't understand why people always thought of haruki as some sort of creepy person when the whole time that kazuha had known him he had always been put together and says only what's necessary.
as he sits at his desk, someone slides into the desk next to him. burgundy hair framing his vision as they look over to him, "kazu~ kazu!"
kazuha doesn't know why out of all days people have decided to bother him. it's not like he hates it– he enjoys being around many people, it's just that he was upset due to how ayaka reacted about haruki.
kazuha turns to heizou who seems to be smiling slyly at the other boy, "do you think haruki is creepy?"
heizou frowns, "who?"
kazuha frowns as his head sinks into his arms that are crossed over his desk, "he has like, dark purple hair and always wears headphones."
heizou shrugs, "don't know him. i mean i've heard his name passed around but i don't really know him. it doesn't seem like we'd get along."
kazuha nods, "right."
"why did you ask?" heizou questions as he looks at kazuha who is still slumped over on his desk.
"i was just checking. he said people talked about him negatively and i didn't really believe it."
heizou nods, with not much to say to him.
kazuha's classes pass by easily as he scribbles in his notebooks with only so few of his teacher's words being written down on his paper. even though hours had passed, he could not forget those words that ayaka had muttered. it's not that he's sensitive (even though haruki would say differently) he just cares about the way that people see haruki. sure, it's not as if the other boy even seems to care about how he's perceived but kazuha does.
he wants people to know how great of a person haruki is even if the majority of the time he seems like a huge asshole but he isn't, he just shows he cares in different ways than others would.
before he knows it, lunch rolls around and soon ayaka is walking him to the lunchroom with her arm looped around his waist as she talks about how her older brother keeps refusing her "natural born right to get mcdonalds" and only seems to cook and never eats fast food.
"um, i'm gonna go to the bathroom," kazuha says as he gestures to the bathroom nearby.
"ew!" she shouts, causing other people in the hall to glance at her with a hint of annoyance in their eyes, "but okay, kazu. you know where to meet me at lunch when you get back, 'kay?"
kazuha nods before rushing into the bathroom. he didn't need to use the bathroom, kazuha is almost always disgusted by the sight of the bathroom so he would never dream of it but unfortunately, the bathroom was the only semi-private place in school. kazuha quickly finds an empty stall and locks it before sliding down the wall of the stall to sit on the floor.
he doesn't know why ayakas words affected him so much. so what she thought haruki was weird? she thought a lot of people were weird. that's just the way she is. that also didn't mean it hurt way less when she talked about haruki like that.
kazuha sniffles as he rubs his eyes with the palm of his fist. he didn't want to cry, he really didn't but he can feel the knot in his throat coming close to bursting as he wipes his eyes. kazuha can't help but whimper as he pulls at his hair. he's so stupid– he can't just change everyone's feelings towards haru. they weren't like him. it was as if a huge wall was between him and everyone else.
tears trail down his cheeks as he cries silently, hands still tangled through his strands. footsteps echo in the bathroom as he sniffles quietly. the footsteps pause for a moment before they begin walking and end up in front of the stall he was in.
kazuha prays and hopes that it is not someone who's only here to make fun of him or even worse– ayaka's brother. he'd never met the man nor did he ever want to. he'd seen him while he passed through the halls and kazuha immediately understood why he and his sister were so popular, it was obvious. he was simply beautiful– he was a tall man who was taller than majority of the school and he was athletic and kind as well (or at least that's what kazuha had heard.) why would he not be afraid of someone as intimidating as him?
"kazuha?" oh, it was haru. "are you doing okay? i heard you crying and i just wanted to make sure–"
kazuha hiccups as he opens his mouth to speak and haruki takes that as an answer. haruki shoves his bag under the space of the stall before he crawls into the stall with kazuha.
"sorry," haru mumbles as if he wipes his hands on his jeans, "wasn't sure if you'd even open the door and i know you hate using the bathrooms here so obviously something was wrong."
kazuha nods as he stares at his own hands in his lap– there was no way he could look at haru right now, he was embarrassed, quite frankly.
"hey look at me," haru whispers and kazuha does. he looks up at him through his teary eyes and wet eyelashes. haru stares at him for a brief second and kazuha sees so many emotions going through him at once and he cannot recognize many of them but two seem very clear– anger and sympathy.
"who did this to you?" haru furrows his brows, "was it ayaka? her brother? someone else?"
"no," kazuha sniffles, wiping his nose on the edge of his sweater, "you know she doesn't make fun of me as much as you think she does and i've never even met her brother before. i mean, i've seen him like up close but that was only when he was upset with ayaka, it had nothing to do with me. he's a kind person anyway–"
"kazuha." haru says sternly and kazuha can only sigh in response.
"sorry." kazuha mumbles, "no, nobody did anything to me. it's just... people don't really like you?"
haruki freezes from kazuha's words, "i told you to drop it, didn't i?"
"i– well, not exactly." kazuha shrugs, "you told me that people spoke about you badly but that wasn't–"
"it wasn't an invitation to investigate why though, kazuha." haruki says softly, his voice nearly a whisper, "i understand that you don't get why people don't like me but there's no reason why. people just don't like me because i'm weird, okay?"
"but i'm weird too."
haruki chuckles dryly, "yeah... i suppose you are. we're different types of weird."
"am i bad weird?" kazuha frowns as he looks up at haruki through his lashes.
"no." he says simply, "you're not bad weird. i am."
"why?" kazuha asks and all haru can is furrow his brows.
"what do you mean?"
"why are you bad weird?" kazuha asks, "it's not as if you say strange things or move weirdly like i do."
"i don't..." haru trails off, sighing, "people are just uncomfortable with me. my presence is just off-putting, i suppose."
"that's not true." kazuha says, "you seem normal to me."
haruki shrugs, "all weirdos think other weird people are normal."
"oh." kazuha mumbles, "i didn't know that."
"yeah, it's fine, kazu. don't worry about it, hm?" haru says as he grabs his bag and begins standing up as kazuha stares up at him, "come on, you gotta eat, don't you? ayaka's gonna be worried, too."
kazuha stands up as haru unlocks the stall, "i don't... i don't want to sit with ayaka right now."
"is that so?" haru hums as they walk out of the bathroom, hoping nobody notices the fact that both of them came out of the same stall, "you gonna sit with me or what?"
kazuha shrugs as haru pushes open the door to the cafeteria– it's loud and the lights are practically blaring into kazuha's eyes, stinging them. his gaze meets the floor as haru drags him by his hand before dropping his bag on a small table, another person already sat at it.
"oh, who's this?" they chuckle, almost as if they were mocking him and knew who he was already.
"oh shut the fuck up, ajax." haru groans as he lifts the headphones from his neck and into kazuha's nervous hands.
"i'm kazuha." kazuha bows slightly as he introduces himself as he looks everywhere but into his eyes.
"ajax, as you heard." ajax chuckles, showing off his wide grin full of almost perfectly straight, white teeth (except for a single chipped tooth and a tooth gap that seemed to be placed there perfectly.)
"alright, now that you two got your introductions in, i'm gonna go get your lunch," haru glances at kazuha, who places the headphones over his ears, "and i'll be back in a few minutes."
kazuha nods and haru walks away as all he can do is spare glances at ajax every other second.
"so... i'm assuming you're in the same grade as him?" ajax says as he tosses a chip in his mouth.
kazuha nods meekly, "are you... older?"
ajax nods, "i'm a junior. i'm oh so very close to getting out, thankfully."
"well, you still have one more year." kazuha shrugs, "it's not the closest you can be to getting out. i mean, you could be a senior."
ajax sighs, "i know, i know. but you know–" ajax's sentence gets cut off by the sound of heels clicking against the tile of the cafeteria and heading towards them, very angrily, might kazuha add.
ayaka stands before the small table they are sat at. her arms are crossed with her brows furrowed, kazuha has never seen her look this mad, not even when she was frustrated with her brother who she would even dare to call "her arch nemesis".
"so, what are you doing, kazuha?" she smiles with insincerity laced upon her lips, "i could've sworn that you eat with me almost every day. so why are you suddenly switching up?"
the lunchroom quieted down from the usual loud volume of everyone speaking at once to watch what was happening between them.
"i did not realize that this was such an issue." kazuha says, "i just– i needed to be somewhere more... quiet."
ayaka lifts a brow, "if you wanted quiet, you could have just eaten in the library."
a few laughs from across the lunchroom erupted from her words. kazuha shifts uncomfortably in his seat. he doesn't like the way she's speaking to him.
"ayaka, just leave him alone." ajax says from his seat, "it's not like you don't have a bunch of other friends to speak with. losing one won't affect you as horribly as you think."
"i wasn't speaking to you." she says sternly and it almost makes kazuha flinch from her voice.
"okay, and i don't give a fuck, ayaka." ajax says as he stands up from his seat, leaning over the table to stare into her eyes, "stop acting like a child. he's not going with you."
"i am not acting like a child." she grits out, "do not call me that. but i'm just saying kazuha, really? ajax and haru? that's who you're going to hang out with?"
kazuha pouts, "why are you saying it like it's bad?"
ayaka giggles and so do so many other people to the point where it's as if it's all that kazuha can hear. ayaka sighs as she tosses a strand of her cold blue hair behind her shoulders, "i mean, everyone remembers what happened between them last year. come on, kazuha, it's not like they brainwashed you."
kazuha's eyes dart away from her– "i don't... what are you saying?"
ayaka chuckles, "oh my god. wow, i mean i knew you were like, a good friend but i didn't realize it was so good that you just blocked out bad memories for them."
kazuha furrows his brows as he glances away, attempting to understand what she had meant. ajax had sat down but kazuha could see his nails puncturing his skin from how tight he had one of his fists into a ball. ajax wasn't even looking at ayaka anymore, he was looking away from her– the tips of his ears were red and his cheeks even had the same tone.
"oh you want me to remind you?" ayaka asks but she doesn't wait for kazuha's response to her words and yet she still goes on.
she doesn't say anything but instead an obscene moan escapes her lips and kazuha is shocked. almost immediately, color rises to his cheeks from the sounds she had just made.
ayaka lifts her brow, "does that bring anything up or should i like, make more noise? i mean, i know that wasn't an issue for the both of them."
kazuha shakes his head, "it doesn't, sorry. but it's not an issue for me, i don't really care."
ayaka laughs, "oh my god! it doesn't bother you? well let me tell you what," she lowers her voice, "it's fucking disgusting and pathetic. it's only what somebody as low as they are would do and being with them makes you the exact same, kazuha."
kazuha is quiet for a moment but that is enough time for a young, slender man to come to her and grab her by her wrist, immediately earning a whine from ayaka. he looks down at the table with his soft and earnest eyes before he speaks, "i apologize for her actions. they do not represent our family's views, i really am sorry."
ajax murmurs a quiet thank you before the man takes ayaka away from the table and cafeteria. only a few seconds later does haru return back from the lunch line with a tray for kazuha.
"what happened?" haru immediately asks as he hands the tray to kazuha before sitting down, "people were staring at me more than they usually do so either something happened or i'm too pretty for people to handle."
"oh definitely the second one. trust me, haru." ajax says and all haru can do is roll his eyes as he turns to kazuha who is chewing on a tater tot.
"where did you even have sex at?" kazuha furrows his brows as he chews, as if he were in deep thought, "i mean, she acted like everyone heard."
haru pauses, "what are you–"
ajax coughs, "he's talking about the sex thing."
haru nods, "ah." haru quickly turns to kazuha, "that's because everyone did hear. we both forgot how much the bathrooms echo."
"the bathrooms?" kazuha crinkles his nose in disgust as if there was some more lavish place in a public school to do such a deed, "it's nasty. they don't even clean the bathrooms all that well! the floors are nasty and the walls are covered in so much shit, well not literal shit, fortunately but you get what i'm saying!"
ajax lifts a brow, "so you don't have an issue with us doing that, just that it was in the bathrooms?"
"yes!" kazuha whines, "it's just– it's so nasty, you could get a disease or something there!"
"okay." haruki nods, "my sincerest apologies, kazuha. next time we have sex we will do it somewhere much cleaner."
"next time?" ajax questions, his face, flushed, "i thought it was a one time thing–"
"it was." haru groans, "and it still is! it was just a really bad joke, okay?"
"you're not very funny then." kazuha says as he takes a bite of his burger and all haruki can do is stare at him in disbelief.
"i actually agree with him." ajax says as he shrugs.
"you're like, always against me so that is a shocker to nobody." haru says and all kazuha can do is stare at the two of them.
"i'm not completely against you, haru. i mean, i like you."
"i hope you mean as a friend? or is it more?" a feminine sly voice comes from behind them and all haru can do is burrow his face in his hands.
"... hello." haru hesitates as he speaks.
she frowns as she ruffles his hair, "that's no way to speak to your mother, is it?"
"hello miss miko," kazuha greets her with a friendly smile. she chuckles as she ruffles kazuha's hair for a moment before she looks back to haru.
"you don't look like his mom," ajax says as he steals a fry from kazuha's tray.
she sighs, putting her hands on her hips, "well ajax that is because one, i did not push him out and two, i was not the sperm donor."
the tips of haruki's ears are flushed as she speaks about the creation of him, "right. can i ask what you need?"
yae pouts, "can't i say hello to my son?"
"yes but preferably not during school." haru grits out.
yae sighs, "you are forgetting that both your mother and i work here as well. also, there is a very high possibility that your mother and i won't be home tonight so, go crazy. you know, drugs, parties, or those really sad movies you like."
"oh, she just called you a nerd!" ajax laughs as he chews on the singular fry he had stolen.
"yes, ajax, i know because i am right here." haru says as he looks up at yae, "so can i have ajax over?"
"yeah," she shrugs and is about to leave before she pauses, "just– use protection, okay? and don't do it on the furniture, please. your mother will throw a fit if there's a stain on her beautiful, new couch."
haru's face flushes, "mom, we're not–"
yae waves him off as she walks away, "right. have fun!"
haru sighs as he opens his mouth to speak before the shrill, ringing bell cuts him off.
kazuha grins as he hands haru his headphones back, "use protection, okay? we don't want any mini haru's running around!"
haru's face flushes an even deeper red at his friend's words, "that's not funny! and that's not even possible!"
kazuha shrugs as he then waves goodbye to ajax and a very flushed haru and walks away.
haru huffs as he looks up to ajax, who has a wide grin on his face.
"it's not funny."
ajax nods, "uh-huh. whatever you say so."
the next few classes are uneventful as ever– only ever a few whispers about him and ayaka but soon the conversation turned to her brother and how cute he was, like it always was.
in his current class, it was quiet as music from the radio flowed through the classroom quietly as everyone worked on a worksheet. kazuha couldn't really pay attention to it though– doodling on the edges of his sheet as he hummed happily, excited to see the movie later today. a knock to the classroom door shakes kazuha out of the middle of his doodling.
murmurs between his teacher and whomever is behind the door passes before his teacher looks back at him, "kazuha?"
kazuha's head perks up as his teacher gestures him over, fear settling deep into his gut. behind the door, he is quickly greeted with the principal, and haru's mom but haru liked to pretend they weren't related during school but it was painfully obvious to everyone but him.
she shuts the door to the classroom as his teacher walks in, her acrylic nails tapping against the clipboard she held in her hand.
"no need for niceties, kazuha." she says bluntly, "ayaka is accusing you of bullying and wants to sue the school for "emotional distress" so, thoughts on that?"
"um, bad?" kazuha frowns.
"obviously." ei says plainly, "i'm asking if you'd like to disagree with the statement of you bullying her, apparently."
"um," kazuha hums, his brows furrowed as he thinks, "if she thinks i did then i suppose so?"
ei sighs as she tucks the clipboard under her arm, "kazuha, i like you as a student. you know, you're sweet, you do your work and you get good grades– you're a generally pleasant person to be around. however, i am asking you just this once to be an asshole and put your foot down and scream at her or whatever."
"huh?" kazuha looks up at her, "why?"
ei removes the clipboard from under her arm, "because one, you wouldn't do that. you know it and i know it. two, she's clearly lying about something you said."
"what did she think i said?"
ei pulls out a pair of thin, rectangle framed glasses from her blazer pocket as she reads, "she said you had made fun of her dead parents and the fact that her older brother is gay."
kazuha frowns, "he's gay?"
"that's irrelevant. so, did you say these words? yes or no?"
kazuha shakes his head, "no, i didn't."
"alright." ei nods as she gestures to the classroom door, "that's all for now."
kazuha nods as he re enters his class and he hears ei walk off but all he can really think about is i hope ayaka won't be mad at me.
his last class comes and goes with his teacher talking all class long. the bell rings loudly as everyone packs up their things, while the teacher reminds them about homework or an essay or... something else– whatever, kazuha could care less about it. as kazuha walks down the halls looking for an exit out between the plenty of students, a hand grabs his and suddenly he is being pulled into an empty classroom.
the door slams shut and right in front of his eyes is ayaka with a notably furious look on her face– her brows were furrowed as she stared at him with something that could only be perceived as anger.
"... ayaka," kazuha breathes out, "hi."
her eye practically twitches from the sound of his sweet, breathy voice, "don't act like that when you've practically humiliated me and embarrassed my family. i already got in trouble with my own brother, i don't want you acting like you did nothing wrong."
"well, i'm sorry." kazuha says, "but i am not at fault, no? you're the one who got upset about me not sitting with you for one day."
"i'm allowed to get upset." she huffs.
"i didn't say that you couldn't, aya." kazuha shrugs as he fumbles with his fingers, messing with a keychain on the edge of his bag, "it's just... you went so far as to embarrass my friends because i sat with them. they didn't do anything to deserve it."
"i know." ayaka pauses, "i just don't like seeing other people with you. they don't deserve you."
"people don't have to deserve me ayaka, it's not a competition. why are you acting like this?"
ayaka stares at him in disbelief, "like what? i'm acting no differently than i usually do, kazuha."
kazuha shakes his head as he eyes her, "that's not true. you're being really, really odd. are you okay? is ayato treating you well?"
"yes, i'm fine!" she huffs, "and who cares about what ayato does– it's not like you'll do anything."
"i–" kazuha drops it, "i can't do much, i know i can't. but i can try to help you through as much as i can."
ayaka snorts, "that's nice but ayato really doesn't do anything to me. i mean, he's busy with work, student council, applying to college and like, trying to date people still."
"oh." kazuha nods, "okay then. i have to go but i still hope you're okay, aya."
as he turns to exit, ayaka taps him on the shoulder quickly and as if he had blinked, a soft kiss is pressed to his cheek and then he is immediately shoved out of the classroom by ayaka.
kazuha pauses for a second before he continues walking once again. he's not quite sure what ayaka even meant by the soft kiss to his cheek but he wasn't opposed to it. kazuha shrugs as he walks out of the school doors, practically bouncing with excitement as he walks along the sidewalk– it was only a fifteen minute walk, he'd be fine.
kazuha hums as he bounces on the back of his heels as he walks. the wind blows softly, tussling his hair with the flow of it. it's quiet as he walks away from the commotion that is his school, he can hear the crunch of leaves and gravel underneath his shoes as he watches stray animals pass by him, not sparing the boy a single glance.
the soft hum of an engine passes by until it stops by kazuha. kazuha pauses in confusion but that is before haru sticks his head out of the driver's seat window.
"kazuha, you want a ride?" haru asks as he nods his head towards the back seat of his car. kazuha hums as he shakes his head, he had nothing against haru, he just wanted to take a more scenic route.
"okay," haru nods, "are you gonna come over after the movie?"
kazuha nods, "probably. the movie ends at like, six."
haru nods, "alright. i'll see you then."
kazuha watches as haru drives off, the quiet noises of nature flowing back to him as he walks. the sidewalk soon ends and trails into an area of mostly trees, and nothing else. you could hardly see between the amount of tall trees and the leaves that shadowed the ground beneath them. kazuha is almost tempted to just turn around and go home but he knew his father would yell at him for spending money on a ticket and not even going.
a crunch of leaves behind him makes him pause his tracks as he looks behind him carefully but all he can see is the dark shadow of trees. kazuha shakily inhales before nodding, continuing on, the feeling of fear not leaving him and feeling as if it's crawling up behind him, slowly enveloping him inch by inch.
he feels like he can't breathe, fuck. kazuha tries to slowly breathe but he can't fucking do it when he feels like he's running for his life. kazuha hiccups as he throws his bag beside the trunk of a tree, sitting beside it as he calms his breathing. he grips the fabric of his jeans tightly as he leans forward to rest his forehead on his knees.
kazuha's breathing slows and he begins to calm down until he hears another crunch of leaves so close by that it feels like it's almost behind him.
"why are you crying? i haven't even done anything yet."
kazuha's whole body freezes and as he turns to look at the person, his body is flipped on his front as their hand covers kazuha's mouth easily and their knee is pressing into his back so easily. they've done this before, kazuha can tell– they did it so easily in just one step, they could do anything to him if they really wanted to.
"oh there you go," they coo as kazuha can hear himself sobbing in his ears, "that's exactly what i wanted, it's my favorite part."
they pause, "well, my second favorite. my favorite part is actually this," as soon as the words leave their mouth, a knife is plunged into the back of kazuha's knee, a muffled scream escaping his mouth. it's plunged so deep that kazuha can hear the squelch of his own flesh as they twist the knife inside of him.
the knife is removed from him but only for a second before the knife enters him again, this time into his abdomen. this has him screaming in agonizing pain– he can feel every ridge of the blade into his skin as he vomits into their hand.
they remove their hand for a second as they wipe it on their shirt presumably from the sound of fabric rustling before a piece of fabric is being shoved around his mouth, gagging him.
"don't be too embarrassed, okay?" they chuckle with their fake pity in a sickeningly sweet voice, "you're not the first one to do that."
so they've done this before, kazuha confirms as he feels his vision swimming, he doesn't know how much blood he's lost but he can hardly keep his eyes open.
the knife is removed from his body and kazuha is flipped back over but he can hardly see what the person doing this to him looks like, all he can see is pale skin and dark clothing but that hardly helps him.
a soft yet polite laugh escapes their mouth, "go to sleep. i'll have fun with you later."