"Aoba Seragaki, see me after class!"

Those hated words were the last thing he wanted to hear right now. He felt his heart deflate as though punctured with a blade.

"But it wasn't even my fault!" he protested stubbornly, even though he knew it was futile to argue against the infamously strict Mr. Mink. The History teacher's cold blue eyes narrowed on him. "See me after class," he repeated, slowly enunciating each word in his unnervingly deep voice. His whole demeanor said there was absolutely zero room for argument on this matter. Aoba let out a sigh of frustration, and turned his anger on Noiz who sat behind him, eyeing the blond with a sharp glare. Noiz only grinned at him, his pale green eyes lighting up like the gleam of a cat's in the dark. Aoba resisted the urge to lean forward and rip the metal piercings from his smug little face. It would be interesting to see if he would keep on grinning like an idiot then. He entertained the thought before his mind began to wander, as he purposely ignored the rest of Mink's lecture, feeling a bitterness churn in his stomach.

As the school bell rang, its loud annoying chime signifying the end of the day, Aoba had been staring out of the window in a daze, his eyes just barely focusing on a flock of birds that circled around through the clear blue sky in a surge of little fluttering black specks. He slowly turned his head, watching as his classmates dashed for the door, the room alive with excitement and chatter as they escaped to freedom. While he was still trapped inside, feeling more like a prisoner about to be sentenced to a lifetime behind bars than a high school student stuck in detention. Noiz smirked at him as he walked by, and Aoba just rolled his eyes. "Immature little shit," he muttered under his breathe.

"Aoba," Mr. Mink spoke his name firmly, pulling a chair over and planting himself in front of Aoba's desk. The room suddenly felt so small, as though the walls were slowly closing in around him, and the sudden heaviness in the atmosphere around him was crushing, like a weight had sunk into his bones. He shrunk back in his seat, eyeing the teacher warily.

Having the incredibly tall man standing over him during class usually made Aoba feel really uneasy, but somehow having him sat across a small wooden desk, watching him like a hawk, was more intimidating. He was a well built, broad shouldered man with an air of severity around him and constantly wore a stern expression on his tanned face. His long dark hair was pulled back into a pony tail behind his head, a few loose strands falling over his high, sharp cheeks, and small glasses were perched on top of his large nose. He regarded Aoba thoughtfully, who just scowled back at him stubbornly, trying to hide the fact his nerves were twisting tightly inside him.

"I didn't keep you behind today as punishment," he finally began to talk, his voice softer than the usual harsh commanding tone he spoke with during class. Aoba stared at him, doubt written all over his face.

"Why am I here then?" he asked, a feeling of confused agitation rising in him.

"I'm concerned about your behaviour in class," Mink answered.

Aoba scoffed. "That little shit was pulling my hair."

Mink raised an eyebrow. Most students wouldn't dare cuss in front of a teacher. "It's not just that. You don't pay attention, you never hand in homework, you rarely ever complete the tasks you're given, if you even bother to show up to class at all," he elaborated, all the while watching Aoba from across the table with steady blue eyes.

"So?" Aoba said with a small shrug. He'd heard this lecture before a thousand times, and he really couldn't be bothered going through it all again. He just wanted to go home and sleep, or get lost in a video game for a few hours. He hated it here.

"You used to be a top scoring student," he said bluntly, his eyes narrowing. Aoba felt himself go stiff under that gaze. Mr. Mink was a relatively new teacher, so how would he know about that? And why was it of any concern to him anyway? "And?" Aoba asked, meeting that gaze with his own stubborn glare. Those cold blue eyes seemed to be searching for something, and he felt like he was trying to hold his ground against a wild animal for a moment.

"I'm just worried you're throwing away your future. You're smarter than this."

Aoba scoffed. "What future? Why do you give a shit?"

"I spoke to your Gran about it," Mink replied.

Aoba felt a sudden spark of rage boil through his blood. What right did this old bastard have, sticking his nose in where it wasn't wanted? Dragging his family in where they weren't needed? "Mind your own damn business," he spat through gritted teeth.

Mink sighed, lowering his gaze to the table. "I'm sorry about what happened," he said, his voice uncharacteristically low. "It's hard to lose someone you love."

Aoba felt his rage subside into a cold, sick feeling that weighed heavily in his stomach. He didn't want to be reminded of what happened last year, and he certainly didn't want any false pity from a teacher who only pretended to care. He'd had enough of this classroom, of this school and of the damn teachers who always looked down at him with their cold, disdainful eyes, like he was a delinquent. Or even worse, the ones that knew what had happened, and felt pity for him, treating him like he was broken, trying so hard to put him back together. If that's what this bullshit was about, he needed none of it. He abruptly stood up, his entire body trembling, the backs of his eyes stinging with the threat of tears. "You're not sorry about shit," he muttered sharply, staring down at the floor.

"I didn't mean-"

"If that's all, I'll be going now," he interrupted, speaking bitterly before storming out of the room. He didn't even grab his school bag or any of the belongings scattered across his desk.

Pale sunlight streamed in through the large windows that lined the corridor, illuminating the long and silent path that stretched out before him. The quiet and peaceful atmosphere was so surreal, and any other time he would have found emptiness of the hall strangely peaceful. But right now a harsh sadness tore right through him like daggers under his skin, and with no one else around to see him cry, he let out the tears he'd been trying so hard to choke back.

Walking through the vacant school had been a blur, but as he approached the exit he heard chatting voices outside and quickly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his white school shirt, soaking the hem with tears. When he got outside, he saw a small group of female students near the school gates, clustered around a familiar figure as they laughed and fawned over him. Koujaku stood there, smiling indulgently as he tried to handle the unwanted attention of giggling school girls. Aoba was a little surprised to see him, it had been a while since his best friend had waited by the gate for him to finish school. Recently he'd been busy with a new modelling career, but even before then he had been pretty popular with the ladies.

Koujaku was tall and handsome, with a lightly muscled body, and long dark hair. His face was well defined with a striking beauty and captivating eyes that were an alluring shade of red, always seeming to bloom like roses whenever he smiled. He was a kind and caring man, and the gentle warmth of his smile reflected that.

"Yo, Aoba!" he called out, his voice somehow managing to be heard over the laughter of the girls around him. He managed to step away from them and rush forward to greet his friend with a pleasant smile. Some of the abandoned girls shot daggers at Aoba, but he brushed their harsh glares off. "You okay?" Koujaku asked, slight concern rising in his voice.

"I'm fine," Aoba replied flatly, the blatant lie doing nothing to ease the sadness he felt.

Koujaku's smile turned into a frown, those deep red eyes scanning his face. "Don't lie. You've been crying," his voice was soft and low. "Did something happen?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Aoba responded, a little more harshly than he intended to.

"You don't have to tell me then. Come on, I have time off today so I'll walk you home," Koujaku said with a soothing smile.

"I wanted to stop by and...see him on the way," Aoba said quietly, his voice trembling slightly. It was a thought that suddenly occurred to him, but in his gut it felt like something he had to do today. Koujaku's eyebrows knitted together in question before it suddenly dawned on him and he dropped his gaze. "Ah, okay...Would you rather be alone?"

"No, it's fine."

Koujaku took his hand as they walked, brushing by the group of girls and ignoring their complaints as they left the school grounds. It was something they had started doing when they were children, holding hands whenever one of them was upset and in need of comfort. Even as they got older and occasionally earned the odd look from people, they continued the unbreakable habit. It was a sort of ritual, a testimony to their close friendship, proof of how much they cared for one and other.

The walk wasn't too far from the school, and they managed to grab a small bunch of colourful flowers along the way. They walked in a solemn silence, neither of them knowing how to start a conversation or what they could even talk about. With anyone else it may have been uncomfortable, but with Koujaku it was acceptable, maybe even welcome. He didn't need to hear any unnecessary words, the warmth of his best friend's fingers entwined with his own was more than enough right now.

Aoba knelt down in the grass, carefully placing the flowers in front of the headstone. It cast a shadow upon them, dulling the vivid colours of the petals. The graveyard was a quiet and peaceful place, he could hear nothing but the distant chirping of song birds and the occasional rustle of leaves as wind blew through the tree tops. There was no one else around right now save for Koujaku. He had already paid his respects beforehand, and now stood a fair distance away in the corner, leaning against a tall, imposing oak. It's large shadow seemed to loom across the yard, and sunlight shone through the swaying leaves, dappling the ground with moving patches of glowing gold. Koujaku watched over Aoba from a distance, his attentive gaze also filled with a worried sadness.

Aoba didn't really know what to say, but words began pouring from his trembling lips anyway. "Hey..." he spoke so softly that the air seemed to swallow his words. "It's been a while. I know I should have visited more...but it still doesn't seem real. I don't think it ever will. It's been almost a year, and sometimes I still expect to see you when I come home from school. It's just so hard to believe you're gone. I was reminded of you today. So I thought maybe I should come by and visit, you know?" he could feel tears burn the corners of his eyes, but he didn't stop, just took a deep breathe and continued.

"I miss you. It's like when you died, you took some part of me with you. I can feel it all the time, even now. Like a hole in my chest. I know you would just smile, and tell me to be strong and cheer up, but...I can't. I'm not strong. I never was and never will be." At this point he wasn't really sure of what he was saying, perhaps he was just venting all the pent up feelings inside of him, the things he usually kept hidden away. He wondered if his voice would reach out, or if his words were just disappearing into the sky like smoke.

"This world can be so cruel and unfair sometimes. I don't know why it had to take you from me. You were the strong one, Sei," he finished talking, barely able to speak the last few lines. As his brother's name left his mouth, he felt as though all the air had left his lungs with it. There was nothing else to say now, and in silence he just stared up at the sky for a while. It was so clear and pure, like a painted canvas of blue had enveloped the world above him. He wondered if his big brother was looking down on him, if he could see him crying by his grave and rambling on like an idiot. Would be be happy that he'd come to talk to him or be sad that he wasn't able to get over his death yet? Or maybe he wasn't there at all, death truly was the end, and he no longer existed in this world or any other. It didn't matter anyway, because either way he would never see his brother again. He would never hear his gentle voice, or look into those large dark eyes that always seemed so soft and kind, or feel the comforting warmth of his embrace. They would never laugh together again over some stupid joke, or argue about something that was probably meaningless. So it didn't really matter. Nothing really mattered any more.

He suddenly felt so small, like the sky was about to fall on him and he'd suffocate beneath the weight. In the distance, a dark cloud had began to crawl its way onto the horizon like a horrid grey bruise. By the time he finally pushed himself to his feet, his legs had become so numb from kneeling that he could barely feel them anymore, and he would have stumbled over had Koujaku not been there to catch him by the elbow. "Woah, easy," he said. "Better get you home now. It's getting kind of late." He hadn't even noticed Koujaku's presence until he spoke.

Aoba nodded stiffly, letting his friend lead him away. As soon as he got back home, he thanked Koujaku and explained that he wanted to be alone for a while. His best friend only nodded sympathetically, and after a quick hug, left. "Call me if you need anything, Aoba," were his departing words as he hurried down the pathway. "We'll hang out soon, I promise!" As soon as Koujaku was gone, he ran up to his room, avoiding his grandmother and older brother, Ren. They would probably try and talk to him and he really didn't want to talk.

He shut the door behind him and threw himself onto his bed, burying his head into the soft pillows. For a long time, even after his death, Sei's bed had sat empty and cold on the opposite side of the room from Aoba's, and he had always found some comfort in facing it as he slept and envisioning his brother lying across from him. But a few months ago, Ren had come and taken it away while he was at school, and when Aoba got home the room had been so unbearably empty, and he'd never felt so alone. He had sat in his bed and cried for the rest of the day, as the reality of his brother's death had crashed upon him and the little dreamy world of denial he'd been living in had shattered to pieces around him.

That feeling of loneliness had always lingered inside him since, like a pit of darkness had settled into his gut or a part of his soul had been torn away. He hadn't really spoken much to Ren afterwards. Somewhere deep down, he still held a grudge toward him for taking away the one thing of Sei's left behind, even though he knew it was for his own good.

For a moment he felt as though everything from inside him had been hollowed out, that he was just an empty shell. And then an intense sadness suddenly surged through him, cold and brutal and unbearable, like an ocean of icy water had flooded into his veins. "Sei," he said quietly, unable to stop his voice from trembling.

Aoba cried himself to sleep, facing the empty space on the other side of the room where his brother used to dream, and when his Grandmother came to wake him up for the school in the morning, he refused to get out of bed. He didn't want to move for the rest of the day. It was only when his Gran came bursting into his room, yelling that someone had called up and asked for him and demanding that he talk to them over the phone, that he finally sat up in bed, the warm sheets still tangled around his body. He was still in a sleepy daze, and didn't really have a clue what was happening. She forced the phone into his hand, her blue eyes glaring down at him before she stormed out of the room.

Lazily he put it up to his ear. "Uh...hello?"

"Aoba," a familiar and deep voice from the other end.

"Mr. Mink?" he asked tiredly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The memories of what had happened yesterday hadn't quite caught up to him, and he forgot that he was upset and angry with his History teacher.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. If you are avoiding school because of it, you should come back in as soon as possible."

"Eh?"

A deep sigh from the other end. "Have you just woken up?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"It's lunchtime," Mink's voice did not sound amused.

"So?" he asked. His memories of the brief conversation with his teacher slowly swam back into his mind. At the time he'd been upset, feeling like his personal space was being invaded and the man was bringing up things he had no right to talk about. But right now he was too worn out to care, and he just wanted this call to end quickly so he could curl back up in bed and sleep for a few more hours.

"Come back to school tomorrow," Mink said. It didn't sound like he was asking, it sounded like he was demanding. That frustrated Aoba.

"Why should I?" he demanded, anger flaring up in him.

"It's your life you're going to waste," he warned.

"Exactly, it's nothing to do with you, so leave me alone," Aoba retorted, agitation rising in his voice before he hung up the phone, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. His Gran would not be pleased in the slightest if he did that. He took a deep breathe, trying to calm himself. That damn teacher was really getting on his nerves. First butting in on his life and bringing up things he didn't want to talk about, now calling him and trying to force him to return to school even though he was one of the reasons he didn't want to go. How stupid and ignorant could someone be, Aoba thought bitterly, slipping out of bed to take the phone back to his downstairs. "Stupid damn teacher," he muttered quietly as he left his room.

"What was that?" Ren's voice made him jump. He hadn't noticed his older brother standing outside in the hallway.

"None of your business," Aoba responded.

Ren frowned, looking a little hurt for a moment, before he spoke again. "I'm just worried about you. Why aren't you at school today, Aoba?" he regarded him with soft amber eyes that almost seemed to glow in the light. Ren's hair was short and dark like Sei's had been, only a little more messy, and he ran a hand through it, patiently awaiting an answer from Aoba who just glared at him in return.

"None of your damn business," he spat. He knew he was being harsh toward his older brother, but he didn't really care at the moment. Ren was a couple of years older, and although he bore some resemblance to Aoba in the shape of his light eyes, he had Sei's soft features and wider jawline. And his kind nature too. He had once been close to Ren, but now he found it hard just to be near him. "Aoba, I'm your brother," Ren said, a sadness filling his eyes.

"So was Sei," he replied coldly, before running down the stairs to set the phone back on its stand, contemplating grabbing a snack from the kitchen before deciding that he felt too sick to eat. Once he made his way back to his bedroom, he slumped down onto his bed and just sat there for a while. He wasn't particularly tired anymore, but he didn't really feel like doing anything either. It was boring at home all day like this. Maybe he should just go back to school tomorrow.