He walked out the door without saying a word, silently brooding as he walked the concrete pavement. Normal 17 year olds didn't wake up at 5 AM just to leave for school at 6 AM. Then again, Paul Rebolledo was no normal boy.

He led a double life, forced into it at the mere age of 12. While other boys got drunk at parties and flirted with the opposite sex, Paul silently observed the world at day.

At night? Why, he simply leaped across buildings covered in black from head to toe, stalking the night as a shadow in the mist. He had the revolver tucked away neatly in one belt loop, others being filled up with various pieces of equipment such as small wire cutters. Every piece of equipment a spy and assassin would need. Of course, he was excellent at his job, silently preying and waiting for his moment to strike.

They say you don't even know you're dead when he kills.

Of course, he went back to being a teenage boy when the sun came up.

He always looked out for the ones with horror on their face at school. The ones who had people surrounding them, asking them what was wrong. Eyes that were so jubilant, now shattered beyond repair. After all, their loved one was killed.

However, Paul simply smiled. No, not an evil or proud smile. A tired smile that matched his disposition. One more person, broken to the core, just like him. Eventually, he started falling. When? Even he is not sure. But now, he is a silent boy, only talking small words when necessary. Completely locking away his emotions, he became the stone cold, stoic boy, who just played music to bring a little bit of color. Alas, it never worked.

Of course, was he alone? Ha! Why would he be? The mauve-haired teenager had two others from his school, occupying the same job as him, working with him. The playboy, Gary Oak, and the valedictorian, Leaf Green. The two of them were inseparable, best friends since they were little. Unlike Paul however, their eyes radiated with color.

Color that was now unknown to the onyx-eyed boy.

At day, they ignored each other. At night, they became one unit, taking out their prey before leaving to attend their school.

Even then, they were weary. Tired of life. But Leaf and Gary kept on. They had each other to turn to. But Paul? No one. Not even his older brother. Reggie? Yeah, he's dead. Parents? Out of the question. They were the leaders. So the boy silently and slowly tortured himself, not able to let his emotions go. He had the key, but he didn't use it. Unlocking the cage was too much.

Interesting how he often drew with silver, yet red always came out.

There used to be a girl. He didn't remember her name, but she had porcelain skin with cobalt hair and matching eyes. That's all he remembered of her before she left, left for good.

He was just a boy, yet his eyes perceived like no other. His eyes perceived no color. Black and white.

This is the story of obsidian.

XXXX

He reached his school by 6:15 AM and just sat and waited. He had a specific spot where he waited, longing for the drone of the bell that sent him and his peers to their monotone classes. The bell that sent him through a blur of events. After all, he'd be an assassin for his whole life.

Curse his thoughts.

He looked up at the sky. Grey and gloomy, no blue peeking out of the large clouds that loomed over the school. Threats of rain and possibly hail coming down onto them, drenching or pelting students and teachers alike until they went home. He groaned. Wet roofs aren't easy to climb and run across.

He learned that the hard way.

Ironically enough, Paul also loved the rain. He could drown out any lingering emotions as the rain soaked him to the bone. It was dark, just like him.

He noticed a shadow come up in front of him, and glanced up to see a pair of grass green eyes staring back at him. Along with it came chestnut brown hair and a long green hoodie. "Hey."

He didn't say a word. His eyes said it for him. 'Why are you here, Green?'

She simply smiled in response, before saying, "I'm just here. Got kicked out of my own house by mom and dad pretty early. Just taking a stroll around school and spotted you." She took a puff of a cigarette she was holding and let out a gray cloud of smoke that blended in with the dreary surroundings. Paul noted that whenever she was pissed, not even upset, but pissed, Leaf Green used a cigarette. It wasn't a habit, just an occasional thing. Paul smirked in response. The perfect valedictorian? Not so much.

Leaf looked annoyed. "Oh, am I not supposed to smoke in front of the stoic boy?" Paul met her gaze again. 'I don't care.'

Leaf ranted on, like how she normally did before missions. "Turns out, getting 99% on the hardest math test of the year isn't good enough for precious mommy and daddy!" She laughed bitterly and looked straight into Paul's eyes, expecting some kind of reaction. But she met an endless abyss. She took another puff, and that's when Paul noticed the puffy, bloodshot eyes.

Did Leaf Green cry?

"It's fine though, don't expect you to understand." Immediately she realized she had said the wrong thing as Paul glanced up with angry eyes before turning back into a stoic expression. Her eyes softened. "Oh Paul, I'm sorry….."

And he knew she was. Sighing, he reluctantly let it go, knowing that to stay angry with her would only cause more problems in the future. "It's fine."

Leaf gasped. "Whoa! Did you speak? I haven't heard you speak in a while!"

He looked irritated. "Leaf, you heard me yesterday."

She smiled cheekily. "I know. When we killed." Leaf sat down next to him and lay her head on his shoulder. It wasn't love, no, it was just a friendship so to speak. Just a small friendship that came from working together. Nothing more, nothing less. They were also emotional trashcans, so to speak.

She then checked her watch. "Oh, it's already 7 AM. Gotta meet my friends as the perfect valedictorian. Can't be smoking in the halls. It would ruin our oh-so-perfect reputation!" She exclaimed sarcastically before getting up and walking away. She dropped the smoldering cigarette butt into the trash can and dusted her hands from the ash.

Paul ripped her state away from the girl. Leaf Green was not like that before she went into the business. She was a bright girl who tried her hardest and was accepted. She was….colorful. Then all her color was ripped out of her.

Well, except for the vibrant hue of emerald green. But he saw her cracked eyes, her tight smile. The way she walked, slouching over like she was carrying the weight of the world. How her hair fell limp and scraggly, as opposed to her voluminous waves before.

Gary Oak was no better. Shining only in a faint cobalt blue, the player was weary everyday. Same condition.

However, they had yet to be truly broken, Paul thought. After all, they still had color left.

He grabbed his phone from his bag and checked the time. 7:23 AM. Paul looked puzzled. Had that much time passed already? He shrugged it off and got up begrudgingly before walking to the now-packed building.

Yet, it felt just as empty as he truly was.