The woods are quiet. The birds have gone dead as he wanders through the forest. Nagisa asked him if he'd wanted to come before dragging him. It was strange, but he'd never had any friends. He wouldn't know.

Plant life brushes against his clothed leg and he narrows his eyes at the feeling. It's uncomfortable. He's sweating and sticky, but he doesn't say a thing.

Trees encompass them, the natural humming of the woods― something that isn't quite sound and isn't quite nothing ―flips though his ears. The ringing is long dead and his stomach has stopped aching as much as it normally does. He wonders why, nothing has changed all that much. Except he's eating every night now, and he isn't throwing it all up like he did in the beginning. Maybe that's the difference.

Green fills his sight and he swears that for a second he hears rushing water and childlike laughter. He brushes it off, he's becoming delirious, maybe. Whatever it is, he isn't quite sure.

Maybe he's still sick, when he was with Karma, his stomach twisted uncomfortably and his head was spinning. When Karma let go of his arm, it left something tingly there.

He's getting sick. (Even though he hasn't been coughing up blood recently.)

_

Insect hunting was something Atsu never did. He was usually to busy working or thinking about killing methods to do that. Kanashi was too sick of a child for him to spend his childhood indulging in frivolous activities such as bug hunting. Atsu found the idea idiotic, he wasn't scared (if he was scared of bugs he wouldn't have been able to sleep in his room before his parents got involved with the Yakuza.) it was just odd. He used to experiment on the creatures when he was younger, tearing apart their limbs and analyzing motor function.

He was a strange child.

His interests were sporadic and odd. They were above what a child his age should like, though he was never one for girls. Mor was greatful, På called him a freak, he didn't really care about their opinions, though. He didn't care for anyone, even before the incident happened. That only gave him a single fear and more baggage, but he was ready to let go.

No, he hasn't known that death could happen to humans, he knew it happened to the bugs though. It was when they stopped moving and trying to escape. Or when he crushed them.

Back then his parents had just started working for the Yakuza, as drug dealers. They moved up the ranks when Atsu turned ten, that was when the abuse really started. He didn't really care for the damage done on himself, but he knew Kanashi didn't deserve it. He felt guilty, but she was his only diversion, she was the only way he could heal. So when he had to, he put her in harms way, and when he could afford to, he protected her. They had a broken relationship, he thinks he's never had a real one. If he did it was from before Ame died, and that was so long time ago.

In any case, summer vacation was starting. He'd missed a couple of events due to doctors appointments and such, nothing excessive happened. He took the midterm and summer vacation was starting soon. In a week, to be specific.

He takes in a breath.

_

They still had to train, and it wasn't lenient by any means. Atsu didn't slack, he was brainstorming even during class.

At the moment, they were practicing aim with snipers. The target was meters away and everyone stood still in a disoriented line waiting for a spot to open up.

White chalk lines the dusted sand under them. Grime sticks under his shoes and he stares ahead, gun in hand. He closes one eye and narrows the other. Tilting his leg and bending his knee, he cocks the gun and ghists the trigger with his fingers.

He takes a deep breath in from his nose― it still smells like dust, but somehow it's bearable ―and shoots. Bullseye, it hits the mark.

There's a hand on his shoulder when he puts the gun down. "Good job, Atsu-chan. I didn't know you were good with guns."

Arsu hums with confusion, letting out a muttered response. "På had a friend who taught me. He was odd, an impressive marksman, he was blind, too. Identified his targets by sound."

Next is Isogai. He loads the gun and shoots without mercy, which is completely idiotic. It's not without purpose, he hits the target every time. Atsu does not correct any of them.

"Atsu, you can relax." Irina shouts from her chair, hand raised.

"No, my plan revolves around aim. It'd be stupid to stop."

_

Lovero is intimidating by all accounts and he's used to people fearing him by some level. Even the blue haired one― the natural born assassin, one would say ―fears him to a degree. Yet, the black haired one seems completely free of it. His student, Irina, has become lazy, she believes she can subdue the opponent within training.

She should know better, even these children have their guards up. They need to learn who is dangerous, if he wanted to kill them they would be long dead. Perception of the target is just as important as knowing how to load a shotgun.

"Stupid― fæn deg børse."

Norsk? Lovero hasn't heard Norsk in ages, not since he's met Irina. It was a pretty language, but only hotheads spoke it.

"Arbeidet allerede," The boy seethes out. His fists are loose, but his eyes are glaring with frustration. He bites his tongue.

"Beklager, Mor. Jeg mente det ikke."

Lovero aproches him. Eyes hardened and voice rough. Hands callous, with shaky fingers and slitted eyes.

"Hino Atsu." He calls out, the boy does not flinch or look away from his toy-gun.

"Lovero." The boy responds, it sounds rehearsed, fake. Maybe that's was just this boys voice. He's heard more annoying thinks, nails on a chalkboard being one of them.

"What is issue here?" Lovero knows his accent is hard to understand, but the boy does not detour from his staring. The gun has become rough in his grip.

"The firing pin is stuck." The boy has furrowed brows, tight lips, and knowledge no boy his age should posses.

↓

・∆×!𝕔𝕣𝕪 𝕞𝕖 𝕒 𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣!×∆・
↑

E is for Erratic;

My thoughts are jumbled, like static.

Maybe I'm becoming manic,

well isn't that dramatic?

✼▬♡『𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞』♡▬✼

E is for Estrangement;

No, I'm not quite there, yet.

Maybe it's not a full set,

the cost is not an asset.

₣※°|𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪

+

𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚|°※₣

E is for Eternity;

I have gone to places the eye cannot see.

Past your heart, one, two three,

to live in a place where I can be free.

≒【ᴹᵃʸᵇᵉ ᵒⁿᵉ ᵈᵃʸ, ᵗʰⁱˢ'ˡˡ ᵃˡˡ ᵇᵉ ᵒᵛᵉʳ 】≒
『【ᵀʰᵃᵗ ᵈᵃʸ ⁱˢ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵗᵒᵈᵃʸ】』