[A/N] Okay, this information is very important, so PLEASE read it before you continue. This is part of the Rose Letters AU discussed in cherry-cheescake's book about it. However, this takes place way later in the timeline than anything he's written so far. So, use caution, because this could technically be considered spoilers. This gives a LOT of backstory information for a few of the alternate versions of these characters.

The little redhead approached him at lunch. He wasn't super happy with that— if people sought him out at mealtime, it was usually to tease him for how big his portion size was. But she was different. "Hi!"

"Hi..." They didn't have to say much else. They were aware of one key fact— both were the school's punching bags. "Your name's Kana, right?"

"Mhm. And yours is Tozen?" He nodded, drinking a large swig of soup. "Y'know, I was over there wallowing over how crappy everything is, but then I realized. We'd probably be a lot stronger together than apart. Besides. I could really go for an actual friend right now."

"I don't really know all that much about you," he reminded her. But the smile on his face told her all that she needed to know.

"Right, sorry. I know I can be kinda clingy and quick to say stuff like that. But I think, if you're okay with it, we could wind up being really good pals! And then, even if they still say nasty stuff to us, at least it won't be true when they call us friendless."

"Do you want some of my shrimp tempura? I'm not supposed to waste any food, but I'm already full." Despite saying this, he drank more soup. With those very few words, she already understood him better than anyone had in a while. She grabbed a shrimp and popped it into her mouth.

"Jesus, this is really yummy. Dude, we're already the coolest kids in school." He snickered at her declaration. "Not kidding! It's you and me, ride or dies! Fuck the rest!"

"I still barely know you," he grinned.

"Well, whatever! That's all about to change anyway!"

"I thought people said you were nervous about approaching people."

"That's when they're scary people. But you're not scary... right?" He saw her hand tremble ever so slightly.

As if to calm her down, he matched her energy. "I'm like, the least scary person in existence! And you'll find that out quickly! It's you and me, ride or dies! F-Fuck the rest!"

She giggled. "Fuck 'em!"

...

The monarchs of the school were walking the halls— well, for Tozen, it was more like a march than a walk— getting progressively more tense. Kana was frantically trying to figure out what was making Tozen so angry. They were supposed to be each other's bastions of support, but everything was getting so much harder lately.

He shoulder-checked Sei, actively swerving into her and making her scatter her stuff against the hallway floors. "Better pick that shit up, nerd, or you'll be late to your audition. How's that going, by the way? This is, what, the fourth play you've tried out for? Break a leg," he snarled. Kana couldn't help but wince, but she hid her reaction behind her hand.

"I will," she reassured him, summoning as much confidence as she could muster in the face of such unfairness.

"H-Hey!" Tadashi tried to yell. But it came out as more of a squeak.

"What? Did you say something to me?" he asked forcefully, stepping on one of Sei's papers in the process.

"Nothing..." he whimpered, losing his nerve. Tozen continued on, satisfied.

"Sorry," Kana mumbled softly, quickly returning a notebook to Sei before scurrying off after her best friend. "Toz? Toz! What's going on, man? You feeling okay?"

"Peachy," he hissed.

"C'mon, Toz. We're supposed to tell each other what's wrong! We're supposed to fix shit together!"

"Stop being different!" he scolded out of nowhere. "Stop hanging out with those fucking losers!"

"They're not losers! Monterio, Chimon, and Fujiko are good people! Dorky? Hell yeah. But... nice."

"See, this is what I'm saying! Stop treating them like they're worth your time! You said that all we needed was each other, and now you're going soft on me!"

"Well, maybe we're not soft enough! Maybe I'm tired of being such a bitch all the time! It's never actually done a lick of good for us!" she retorted.

"Are you kidding?! We're finally in control! We're finally the ones who have the power, and we're finally the ones who don't have to suffer. What they say or do can't matter if we just scream loud enough to drown it out! You've always said that! Being this way saved us!"

"You know you don't feel saved, Tozen! I sure as fuck don't! I feel just as scared and insecure as ever, and I know you do, too!" She kept trying to approach him and hold his hand, but he continued to back away from her.

"You're... wrong," he lied, feeling way more shaken than he'd tell anyone— even her. He slapped her hand out of the way, denying any warmth she could provide.

It was as though a switch flipped in her head. "Then maybe," she said, words spilling out before she could stop them, "maybe YOU'RE the one I need to stop spending so much time with! Maybe it's not them! Maybe I need to be changing and maybe I'm over this fucking cycle! My siblings always said we were bad for each other! We aren't even hurting the people who hurt us anymore, we're just hurting innocent people!"

His entire body recoiled. His expression was so stricken that it made her insides knot. He looked as though she just spat on his face and cursed his family for a thousand generations. And frankly, that was about accurate to how he was feeling. "Kana, I— FUCK YOU! You said we had each other! We were supposed to protect each other! You said I was your one safe person, and that you'd be mine! Besides! You were the one who had the fucking idea to start acting like this! I followed you! So why do you suddenly get to start being the good guy?!"

"I'm not! I know that I'm so far from actually being a decent person! But I wanna try! And if you're gonna hold me back from that, I can't spend time with you anymore. I'm... I'm sorry, Toz. I love you, but we can't keep doing this to ourselves and to each other. I've fucked you up enough."

"I know so much about you," he reminded her, "and I can make your life hell." The threat was hollow and they both knew it, but it was a terrifying notion nonetheless. They were never supposed to hurt one another. That was the rule. That was the promise.

"I really do love you, buddy. I hope we can maybe reconnect when we're older and wiser," she shuddered, trying to pry her eyes away from him. "And hey," she said with a slight smile, "I'll still gladly beat someone's face in if they spread rumors about you."

"Fucking go already. If you're gonna leave me behind, just hurry up." His throat was burning, and the demand came out unsteadily.

Older and wiser, she reassured herself as she gave him a sad wave goodbye. I'll meet you again when we're older and wiser. But little comfort came of it. "Oh, one last thing." He stopped dead in his tracks but didn't turn around to face her again. "I'm sorry to the person you could've been if things had happened differently." Her tone was full of sincerity.

She couldn't see it, but his eyebrows were drawn together in some muddled combination of fury, heartbreak, and bewilderment. "Well, unfortunately, he's not here to accept your apology." She could hear his voice crack with emotion despite the way he tried to stifle it. She wanted to reach out, to hold him and hug him and tell him she was wrong and she wanted to stay his best friend forever. But she knew she couldn't let that happen right now. And so they left.

The school was mostly empty at that time— people were either in clubs or already home— but if anyone had been around, they would have witnessed an unbelievable sight: two of the school's most infamous tormentors crying.