Ouma's POV:

The figure was crossing their legs.

In a world made of a bright blue sky, they smiled at me, with a toothy grin. Their smile however was overdone and crossed the line into horror as they tilted their head their manic eyes searching me for any sort of expression.

I leaned back in the wooden chair, trying to be as far from them as I could. "You have quite the guts showing your face here you know?" the figure asked with clear amusement. "Yet I admit, I wanted to see you so badly, and every agonizing day waiting was SO worth it just to see that look on your face~" they teased maliciously. 

"Don't think bad of me, if the tables were turned you'd be even worse. You would sing for my own demise or existential hell. All I want is to see you as you are right now, all that misery is almost sweet...yet it irks me how you made it here at all." the voice complained as they leaned forward as far as they could in the chair, their grin stretching even farther.

"Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied with where you ended up in life? Look around! Look at where you are in the world, the entire world is still at the tips of your fingers...are you satisfied with that simple fact and all the amazing delicacies the world still offers you?" they asked, their tone serious and deadpanned.

"No" I answered honestly.

"I don't believe you" the voice rebutted, bored, as they sighed and yawned. "Someone like you would never settle for anything less than satisfactory, whether you're aware of it or not" they reasoned. "I'm not" I insisted to deaf ears, the figure glared at me. "Then prove it to me" they dared as they stood on their chair looking down on me.

My lack of response was their answer.

"Knew it," they said gleefully as they stepped forward and fell into the sky.

~-~-~-~

I didn't really wake up the first time.

It was a slow awakening of consciousness, just the mild sense of pain that grew with consciousness to searing agony. Like a blazing fire that couldn't be quelled, and a mind-shattering chill for the rest of my body. It weighed down like lead, even the idea of opening my eyes or attempting to cry out was enough to start lulling me back to sleep.

It hurts.

"You always let yourself get like this don't you? I know you're the tough cool leader, but it's ok to take a break now and again."  the voice called out to me, it was a calm and gentle voice as I tried to reach out towards it, but my fingers barely twitched as I groaned with the ache that motion brought. "Hey, rest it's ok. Alright, it's going to be ok. Think about it, the less you rest and ignore taking care of yourself the more DICE will worry about you and the longer it will take to get better. That or I'll just tie you to the bed, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal. Please don't make me do that" the voice laughed as the realization was brought before me.

That gentle voice that radiated comfort and warmth..."S-Shiro...?" I called out, my teeth chattered with the movement as I felt something cold being placed on my forehead as I groaned at the uncomfortable feeling. "Shhh...go back to sleep" a voice gently guided, as I paused. "W...Who..." I tried to ask but a chill escalated through me and forced me back under the covers as I wrapped them tighter around myself desperate to fight off the chills. 

"Dad" was the answer as I was dragged back under.

~-~-~-~

I dangled my legs kicking up against the air as I struggled to open my ramune bottle. If it had been my choice, I would've gotten the simple to open grape panta. But since I didn't buy my soda this time, I guess I didn't have the right to complain. Even if these bottles were tiny prisons made for toddlers yet still thwarted everyone regardless.

"Are you still struggling?" Shiro asked amused as they sat down next to me. I glared at them, "you know these bottles are my weakness" I accused as he laughed "guilty as charged, I didn't think you were this bad though. Hand it over and I'll open it for you, it's kind of hard to watch and you know Nao will never let this go when he sees you" he offered as I quickly forfeited the drink and began massaging my wrists.

"Nao is a drama queen" I mumbled, Shiro laughed as he finally opened the bottle and handed it back to me, it was melon. "You didn't even remove the plastic, I thought everyone knew that" Shiro teased. "I thought I made it clear that panta is my beverage of choice?" I countered, "man master at lock picking...can't even open a soda bottle." Shiro teased further.

"Those are completely different things" I insisted as I stubbornly took a sip...it was tasteless. I blinked confused as I looked at the drink and tried again, I couldn't even taste the chill despite the heavy mist on the drink. "Why doesn't it have a..." I began asking as I turned to Shiro.

I didn't scream.

His red bouncy curls had been crudely shaven, and his eyes were gone leaving empty sockets. His skin hung on his skull as they seemed to have lost all the moisture, and yet he still had that pure white smile as he continued to face me. Despite all the decomposition, he was still Takashiro as he patted me on the back.

"Why would it have a taste?" he asked gently, his voice full of sympathy. I paused holding the drink tighter to my chest begging for even a single sense to be awakened, for just the chill of the glass bottle or even the feeling of having it in my hands. It was as if I was holding air and tears threatened the corner of my eyes, a slight burning sensation as I kept trying to blink them away from me.

"Because I want this to be real" I answered, Shiro, frowned at that answer before giving me a sad smile despite the fact I could now see gaps where his teeth and upper jaw were exposed. Only Shiro in a state like that could still exude kindness, "I know...I want that too" he admitted to me.

"Sometimes...sometimes it feels like you never left. When Momota or Saihara fussed over my health and wellbeing...I just kept hearing your voice...it's strange. Sometimes that was enough to make me want to cry because I knew it wasn't you yet I wanted it to be you so badly...or smile because it made me feel like you were still with me" I told him. "I don't want to wake up..." I mumbled, "you have to. You know you have to, Kichi" he advised as I blinked confused.

"Since when did you call me Kichi?" I asked concerned, as I turned to a space. "Since when were you convinced this was real?" he answered. My eyes widened as I turned to find the woods surrounding me. "SHIRO?" I screamed as I looked around frantically as my legs collapsed underneath me...no I couldn't feel one of them. I hit my unmoving leg as voices cried out around me.

"TAKASHIRO!" I screamed frantically as my vision started escaping me as the yellow eyes stared back at me, smiling twistedly. "Please...please come back" I begged to the empty air, as the vines traversed the woodland floor and sucked me in.

~-~-~-~

"You said he would be fine, it's been days and his fever still hasn't broken!"  my father screamed, "I told you! I told you that the location and procedure were risky! I can't even guarantee he can even walk once he's better! I'm sorry but the conditions you put your son in is what made him sick likely even BEFORE the operation." a voice pleaded.

"What do you mean you can't guarantee? After all the money I've given you, you can't even guarantee that it'll work? My son might die tomorrow and all you can tell me is that he MIGHT walk?" my father accused, anger radiated from his voice. 

"Don't you DARE accuse me! After all these years of me sticking my neck out for you-you have no right to treat me like this Asahi! I'm sorry about your son, truly I am but you have to understand that I'm not a miracle worker. I'll keep doing my best to keep your son alive, but I can't guarantee you his life" the voice spoke, he had slight twinges of sympathy though.

"Then why did I bring you here at all?" my father asked, his voice deadpanned and monotone. "Why did I bring you here if you aren't going to do the bare minimum of what I asked you...what's the point of keeping you around?" he added his voice getting twisted.

"What do you...STOP! WAIT! I TRUSTED YOU! ASA-"

...

...

...

"Even after all the work I've done, all the work we've done...the world is still populated by useless rubbish..."

~-~-~-~-~

The sun was beaming down in gentle rays as the wind rustled the leaves. I blinked confused as the blurred images of the scene melted into place around me, as I realized I was laying down. I tried to rub my eyes to see better when I heard it. Soft humming, a pop song that she had loved and had flooded our house with when I was still young. During the first months after being sober for so long, she had treated each day as a celebration...until she found herself struggling again.

She played that music and sang it with such a bad voice, yet because she sounded so happy I loved it anyway. She didn't need to have the voice of an angel, I didn't know what was better back then. I just liked hearing it, and she liked an audience I guess. 

"Mom?" I asked as I finally saw her face. 

Long purple hair that had been gently placed into a side braid, she never would've had her hair like that so neat and maintained. It was always no matter what style, getting pulled out and frazzled by the end of the day but here it was calm and manicured to perfection. She was wearing not a uniform or the one outfit she put together whenever she was forced to some meeting because of me but a white fluffy sweater and a long brown skirt that treaded near the floor. She looked young, she was young I knew that, but for once her true age was on full display.

She twirled strands of my hair absent-mindedly, lost in her own world as I quickly sat up, only now realizing my head had been resting on her lap. "Mom?" I repeated, but she didn't turn to me, she still mumbled the same song the only difference I could notice was now she rested her hands on the bench. Her eyes kept staring forward, as I finally registered them. 

Dark.

Her eyes were dull and lifeless, far off in a world of her own design and one she never wanted to leave as I moved in front of her trying to get her attention. "Mother? Are you...are you here? Can you hear me?" I pleaded. "Please. p-please answer me!" I begged my voice breaking as I tried to hold her hand, anything to make her just glance in my direction.

She didn't.

"She never will" a voice prodded, as I paused before turning around. 

Tall with dark purple hair, spiked up as if it defied the laws of gravity with a long purple jacket with the galaxy exposed within it. He had a disappointed face as he looked at me, as he sighed closing his eyes.

"M-Momota...? How? You...where..." I rambled as I tried to find any sort of logic as I turned back towards...as if she was made of thin air my mother was gone. I quickly stood up and began looking around panicked, "you won't find her" Momota stated quietly. "Why? Why where is she?" I demanded quickly racing towards him stopping short as...

"Where...where am I?" I asked concerned, "because...wherever I am, you shouldn't be here" I quickly added. Momota looked at me with a sad expression, "you wanted me here, so I came to say goodbye. You wanted your mother here, but she couldn't even look at you. I don't even know where I am, but you do. You always have. Where are we Ouma?" Momota asked, yet it sounded more like a riddle than any real question.

..."am...am I dead?" I asked hesitantly.

Momota paused considering his words before shaking his head, "no...no you're not dead. You won't die, not today. Not ever" he told me once again ominous, "but what about you then...how are you here?" I asked. Momota smiled slightly before turning around and walked away from me. On shaky legs I ran after him, "WAIT! Don't leave me!" I screamed after him but he didn't hesitate as he took one last glance at me.

"But I have to" was his stern reply as in the short blink of an eye I was alone.

I was alone?

Alone?

Why?

Why am I always alone?

Why is it always like this?

Why are you always abandoned?

You're nothing. 

Always has been nothing, don't you get it now?

You had your chance, now go.

Move forward or rot, because the world won't give you a choice.

~-~-~-~

"Just one more bite" my father bargained as I groaned shaking my head in response. "You're being a child right now, the food will help you in the long run even if you feel a little sick afterwards. So just cooperate for now, I'll get you your medicine and you can sleep it off again" my father offered and I could tell by his annoyed tone this was the last one I was getting.

I nodded quickly, as I forced down another bite of the soup. It was light, yet it still seemed to make my stomach want to die at the mere thought.

"It's still bad..." my father commented as I found myself being offered a spoonful of medicine. It was strawberry flavored, and just as I expected disguising as always. Maybe I am a child.

"How....how long...?" I asked tiredly, "how long till what?" My father asked. "It stops..." I clarified. My whole body felt like it was in flames, and was burried in a thick layer of blankets. "Your fever? Well you're conscious again for most of the day, so it's only a matter of time. The medicine is doing better now, so maybe another few days. It's a gamble" my father proposed unsure.

"When this is over however, what do you want? Unfortunately the doctor won't be here in case you want to go forward with any potential eye surgeries, though those have a much lower success rate and much higher side effects" my father admitted.

I shook my head as I felt drowsiness returning almost instantly, "I just...want the pain to stop...that's all" I complained. If I had known about what I was signing up for I never would have accepted.

"I can arrange that" my father promised and before I could ponder if he misunderstood me, darkness seized my body.