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Also hA! Y'all though this was the end? Nahh,

Prepare your asses for, say it with me now

C h a r a c t e r    d e v e l o p m e n t.

His breath was light and carefree and loose; as if all of the suffocation is gone. As though it was his first time ever breathing. The dust didn't seem to burden his lungs any longer. At least since Karasuma got him to a hospital, where he was treated of his hemoptysis. 

His joins were so, so tense- itching to move and work- to be used. He'd been in that hospital for weeks- his ribs were fractured and he had major scaring and the scorches on him needed time to heal.

He was ecstatic when he'd left. Almost jumping.

And when he came out of that building, he looked at Karasuma Irina, a few of his classmates and Korosensei; and he smiled. His dull black eyes seemed to flitter- a candlelight dwelling within them. He gave a small, polite tilt of his lips as a sense of euphoria filled him.

His eyes were severely damaged though, despite the stars that flitted in them, and when the doctors asked why, the surprise that showed in their faced was so stark and unhinged he twisted his eyebrows in confusion.

"I wasn't allowed to fall asleep or they'd choke Kanashi; I didn't want her to get hurt, her lungs were weaker than mine." Atsu had taken a deep breath, as if to try and calm himself, clenching his jaw and squeezing his fists shut. "I had to poke myself in the eyes- it's actually a decent method of pain inducement. Mor and På would use it on people who wouldn't pay up."

"Pay up?" Irina asked immediately, sapphire eyes widen to saucers.

"Yeah, they work with the yakuzaーtorturing and weapon trades. They dabbled in human trafficking I think." His ramblings were cut short by Karasuma sighing.

"Well, whatever it is, they're in jail now, so you should be fine-"

"Can I see them."

"Are you sure, Atsu?" Korosensei brought in.

"Yeah, I want til kick På og punch Mor, det kvinne was e tispe." His eyes narrow into something sinister, his face remains stoic. Still dull and stone-like. He doesn't even seem to realize his slippingー

"You speak Norwegian- correct?" Irina pipes in, her painted, pink nails reaching toward the striplights that warpled in his eyes.

"Yeah- my På is from Norway- it's ironic really." He blacks out for a second, the ends of his vision become distorted into a static of red and black.

"’Cuz Mor had de sinne issues," His voice becomes slurred and his stomach sinks into his gut. His eyes haze black and his limbs are numb.

And suddenly, he's back in the immortal abyss of blue-green. Salt tickles his nose and bird calls scream at his ears, but he doesn't hear any of it. Not a single word of anything reaches through to him; his eyes flutter to sleep andー

She can't breath.

The sound of crashing waves and rain filling his ears. Birds jeer overhead, as if taunting him. Screaming at him to save her.

The sun hides behind clouds so weak they fall apart without enemy, crashing into the waves of the endless sea, it's pretty, he should spend more time looking at scenery after today. He looks foreword- to where the screaming is coming from.

It's raining, the water makes noise on the ground.

He can't get the sound out of his head, it just repeats, over and over again.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Kanashi is flailing in the water; her lungs chock full with salt. She's panicking, she's panicking, she's panickingpanickingpanicking-

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Her eyes are shutting and her lips are closed, her arms stop trying to keep her above water and-

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He's by her- she's heavy but he's got her. He's taking her to shore-

There's something he's forgetting.

Tap. Tap. Tap.ー

He wakes up to beeping sound. It's almost comforting, really. It's repetitive and dull. The tired boy groggily opens his charcoal eyes. There's no-one in the room.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound repeats in his ears. A cacophony of noise in his mind. There's screaming and crying- birds squall and chirp and their wings make a sound that itches his ears- and there's beeping. There's something he's forgetting. A little tidbit. His muscles ache and his throat is dry- which is odd considering his hours in bed.

Atsu just closes his eyes tightlyー

Bloodstains float on the water, her eyes are rolled back into her head and she's just floating and floating and floatingandfloatingandfloatingー

He sighs when he has to wake up anyway- he has to pick up his phone. There's a click on the other end.

"Yes, Asano?"

"Meet me at that alleyway, Hino."

"OK,"

Atsu yawned, water tips the end of his eyes. He wipes the tears away with his calloused palms.

_

He's memorized every crack in the pavement at this point, he's waiting- just like when- no, he really has to stop thinking about the past; he doesn't want to ruin the delicate balance on his mental health issues. Not that he acknowledges them to begin with.

Clouds flit overhead, a group of five walk in through the mouth of the darkness. Atsu just yawns. He's not intimidated. Whatever, now that he doesn't have to bandage himself or Kanashi, he'll get back to his level in second year, he'll go back to beating Asano.

"What's with the goons? Are you too cowardly to face me alone. Gud du er ynkelig."

Gakashuu just huffs. His lungs fill with soot and grime, permitting him to cough violently into his fists. He's always had some sort of resentment to Atsu, despite only ever talking with him once. The younger Asano had seen the way his father looked at his lowerclassman- the way he wanted to be looked at.

"I'm going to beat you in finals and-"

"I know." The Hino cuts him off.

"What?"

"You've always had a nack for competition- that's why you're better than me. If I were competitive, though, I would have beat you. Sorry to say, I'm smarter than you. I'm not saying this in a condescending or patronizing way or anything-"

The black haired boy looks up to the darkening sky. He seems to be in a state of serenity. He's cold, but he cannot find himself to care.

"But I'm smarter than you. It's not to taunt, it's fact. I'm not being biased because I dislike you,"

Asano grinds his teeth and clenches his fists.

"Do you know how to disappear?"

Only moonlight glares on them, shadows creep from tilting figured and sleeplessness warps his vision. The wind brushes past his peach hair; the sky becomes camouflage to his peer

"Why?"

"I just want to leave. My parents wouldn't notice-- though I'd have to take Kanashi with me-- so do you?"

"No?" It's almost a question- because Gakashuu thinks that deep down, maybe, he does know how to disappear.

"OK then, goodbye Asano-san, tell your father his papers are due at eleven fourty three- not four- he usually gets things done last minute."

"Quite the opposite in fact,"

This spikes the strawberry-blondes attention.

"I envy you, Asano-san, truly." There's a sadness on his voice that the recipient can't place. Whatever it is though, it makes the principles sons' gut sink and his head spin. Because whatever it is, it's certainly not good.

_

The day of finals was one that spiked people's anxiety- when he was younger maybe get would have pretended, for the sake of not inconveniencing himself with bullies, but now, his face remains unwavering.

An irrelevant teacher taps his fingers on the desk- it begins to get on the classes nerves, but Atsu likes the sound. It's like rain. Despite what happened, he'd always found rain somewhat comfortable. It made him feel less lonely.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

And then it's ruined because he's remembering things he'd rather not bring back into his head. Whispers and secrets and the crashing waves on cold days, gravestones and horrible ghastly figures that haunt his vision.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The wind is in his hair. Ruffling the inky locks.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sand is in his toes, it bothers him but he won't say anything. Kanashi's smiling and Ame is laughing. He won't ruin their fun just yet.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He slaps himself lightly on his right cheek, snapping himself from his stupor. One question left. He thinks of something terribly ironic when he reads it, knowing the answer from experience.

"You wouldn't want to end up like your pathetic uncle, would you?"

How long does it take for poison to affect the human heart if it hold a PH of 6.5, the human being an average adult male?

He scribbles down the answer; flipping the paper over and looking at the pristine clock that hung above the whiteboard behind the teachers desk.

He looks at the start and end time written. There's ten minutes until this portion is over.

Tap. Tap. Tap. It rains on the sand.

_

Math was easily his best subject. He was always good at calculating and theoreticals and all that jazz. So the fact that he finished first with no hitches wasn't concerning to him.

He just put his head in his arms and closed his eyesー this time he didn't remember anything. He only drempt of crimson hair locks, sunkissed eyes, and terribly pretty smiles. Of a tingling feeling in his chest that was something akin to happiness, even though he couldn't be all that sure.

His face felt warm when he woke up.

He'll tell Karasuma- the normally apathetic boy thinks he might have a fever.

A is for Audacious;

My heart is empty,

Spacious

Perhaps something might come and fill it

Perhaps there is hope yet

Perhaps the sun will come out

Perhaps I might see another sunset

But perhaps one day the Earth will die

I won't really care,

About bidding my goodbyes