Why? Why is this going up? I already have way too many fucking stories up, why am I putting this up? Most likely because I really want to write it... *Sigh* Fuck, I hate myself... Anyway, welcome! Hello to both my returning Lunar Knights (The amazing people who support me.) and any new Lunar Squires... I guess that that'd be people who haven't followed anything from me before, or are just new to my stuff... Seriously, though, why am I doing this now? Fuck it, we can have some fun with it... Hopefully. Anyway, I'm going to stop all of this random AN, and head over to the story. Although, fair warning, I may have used "said" far too much in this chapter... It's existed for a while, and I haven't bothered to go back and correct that... Sorry...

This is the Only Way

I stepped out of the school building, my hood up against the rain. As the black cloth of my jacket's hood compressed my ringed ears against my furry head, I went over to the large tree near me, as the other students passed by.

"Fuck off, you emo freak." A Tyranitar said.

As the green dinosaur pushed me out of the way, I stumbled and almost fell to the ground. I was able to catch myself, though, just in time to be knocked into the mud by the Tyranitar's friend, an Arcanine. As I landed on the ground, the two walked away, laughing. I was about to get up, when someone else passed, stopping for a moment to kick mud in my face. As more people began laughing, I just sighed, dropping my head back onto the ground. Yep, just another day as the school's punching bag. Fucking great. I just closed my eyes and continued lying on the ground, letting the rain slowly patter onto my face.

I was jarred from my thoughts by a female voice saying, "Want some help up?"

I opened my eyes to see a Vaporeon standing over me, her hand extended to me.

I sighed, before greeting my only friend, "Hey, Skylar."

"Hey, Hayden." She said. "So, do you want to get up?"

"Not really." I replied. "I think I'll just chill here."

"Okay then." She said, before sitting down next to me, cross legged.

"Don't you have basketball practice today?" I asked.

"Not until three thirty." She replied. "So, I might as well just sit here with you until then."

"Thanks." I said, grateful for the action.

"Don't mention it." She said. "I mean, it's not like I don't enjoy hanging out with you."

I sighed again, before saying, "Yeah, well that puts you in the minority. The extreme minority."

Skylar picked my head up and sat it in her lap, before saying, "Stop saying that. You know that I don't like to hear it."

"Yes, and you know that it's true," I said, "which is why I say it."

She let out a sigh, before knocking my hood off of my head. She began slowly stroking the top of my head and playing with my ears, something that she liked to do when I was feeling low. Which meant that she does it a lot. But, really, it's not like I try to be like this, it's just caused by my everyday life.

"Well, you really should stop it." She said.

"That's slightly hard to do when I'm reminded of it every day, multiple times a day." I replied.

"Don't pay attention to those assholes." Skylar said. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you, only what you think of you."

"Well, to be honest, I agree with them." I said. "I'm a scrawny, ugly, emo fuck, who will never amount to anything."

"Don't say that." She said, sounding fairly indignant, as she lightly bopped me on the nose. She bent her head down slightly to look at me, and said, "Do you want to know what I see when I look at you? I see a handsome Umbreon, who isn't scared to share how he truly feels. I see an Umbreon that will end up having a wonderful and happy life, one much better than those of any of the assholes who picked on him in school will ever have."

"I wish that I had your optimism." I responded.

Skylar let out a sigh, before pulling her phone from her pocket. She pressed the power button, before returning it to her pocket.

"Listen," she said, "it's almost time for practice, so I need to go." She took her backpack off of her shoulder and sat it on the ground next to her, before unzipping, saying, "But, first, I have something for you."

Curious as to why she would have something for me, I sat up, allowing her to move more freely. She dug around in her bag, before pulling out a rectangular package, wrapped in black wrapping paper, topped with a yellow bow.

"Happy birthday." She said, handing it to me.

Oh, right. That. I had honestly pretty much forgot about my birthday being today, just like I do every year, due to the fact that the only person that actually acknowledges it is Skylar.

"Thanks." I said, accepting the parcel.

"Well, open it." She said, a smile on her face.

I complied, pulling the bow off of the package before neatly removing the paper. When the paper was entirely gone, it revealed three books, bound together with a yellow ribbon tied around them neatly. Looking at the cover of the top book, I saw that it was mostly blue, with a guy with spiked brown hear in the center. The kid appeared to be floating down, his eyes closed and his white and blue jacket floating up, revealing more of his red undershirt.

"Well, do you like it?" Skylar asked me.

"It's wonderful." I said. "But, not to be rude, what exactly is it?"

Skylar laughed lightly, before replying, "It's this manga that I just started reading recently. It's apparently based off of a video game, and it's really fucking awesome."

I looked up from the books, a few small tears of happiness forming in my eyes, allowing a small smile to cross my lips. I leaned over and wrapped my arms around the Vaporeon, bringing her into a hug. She tensed up slightly at the action, most likely because any action that has resembles happiness was an odd occurrence from me, but she warmed up almost immediately, sinking into the hug and returning it.

"Thank you." I said, my head next to her ear.

"You're welcome." She said, and I could feel her nuzzle her head against mine lightly.

After a few seconds, I released her. As I leaned back, I wiped the few tears from my eyes. Looking at Skylar, I saw that the normal smile that was on her face had been replaced with one that seemed to cover most of her face.

"Well, I guess I should get going." She said, standing up and grabbing her bag. "See you tomorrow, Hayden. Hope you have a good birthday."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." I replied, as she started walking away. "Thanks for the gift."

"You're welcome." She replied, over her shoulder, before disappearing down the sidewalk.

I let out a small sigh of happiness. I brought my backpack off of my shoulder and sat it in front of me. I unzipped it and carefully placed the bundle of books into the bag, before zipping it back up. I threw my bag back on my shoulder, before standing up and starting home. As I went through the large city, passing office buildings and skyscrapers, I flipped my hood up again. Arceus, Skylar's awesome. I really don't deserve a friend like her. She's always so caring and attentive, and she always finds some way to cheer me up. I finally reached my apartment building, and by now I was soaked, as the steady rainfall had become a downpour. I glanced over at the elevator to see that it was labeled as broken. I sighed, before heading to the stairs. I started up them, headed for the thirtieth floor of the forty story building. I eventually reached my floor, panting lightly. I went to the correct apartment and pulled out my key, before unlocking the door. I entered the room, closing the door behind me.

"Hey, kid!" My father's slurred voice came from the living room/kitchen portion of the apartment, signaling that he was, in fact, already drunk.

Granted, he was probably drunk all day today. Yep, that's good ol' daddy.

"Kid, is that you?" He yelled out to me.

I sighed quietly, before responding, "Yes."

I entered the living room to see that the disgusting Faraligtr was laying in his recliner, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, completely exposing his large beer gut. I looked at the floor and saw the usual sea of empty beer cans.

"That's 'yes, sir', you ungrateful little fucker." He slurred out. "Now, go and get me another damn beer."

"Yes, sir." I replied, before going into the kitchen.

I opened up the fridge and grabbed a beer from one of the multiple six packs in there, before closing the door. I brought him the beer and handed it to him. He cracked it open and took a drink of it.

He suddenly threw it at me, covering me with beer, while he yelled, "It's warm, you little cunt. Get me another one, this time one that's cold."

I sighed, my ears and clothes dripping alcohol, and went back into the kitchen. I opened the fridge again and pulled out another beer, before making sure that it was cold. I was about to close the fridge, when I turned back to the cans in the fridge. I doubt that he'll notice if one's missing. He never does. I then took another beer from the fridge, before slipping it into my jacket pocket. I went back to the living room and handed my father the beer. He cracked it open and took a drink of it.

"Good." He said, pulling the can away from his lips. He suddenly lashed out at me, his fist connecting with my right eye, as he said, "Now, don't let me ever catch you getting me a warm beer ever again. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir." I answered, holding my eye in my hand. "May I go now?"

The Feraligatr grumbled something out, before waving his hand and saying, "Get the hell out of my sight, you little fuck."

I nodded, and left the room. I went through the kitchen and into the hall. I passed the door to his bedroom, along with the one to the bathroom, before going into my room. My room was honestly fairly shitty, containing nothing more than my bed and a small bookshelf, with the only things on the wall being a window and the door to my closet. I took the beer out of my pocket and sat it on my bed, along with my backpack. I went over to my closet and opened it, before pulling out another set of clothing. It consisted of a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt, which was pretty much all that was in my closet. I took the clothes and went into the bathroom to change. I locked the door behind me, before taking off my black combat boots and stripping down. I threw my dirty clothes, along with the jacket, into the hamper by the door, before quickly getting dressed. I was about to return to my room, when I glanced into the mirror. Due to my black fur, I couldn't quite see the bruise that was inevitably forming around my right eye, one that would just join the other ones coating my body, but there was a small amount of swelling occurring.

I sighed, before saying, "Fuck, that'll look like shit in the morning."

That is honestly one of the good parts about being an Umbreon. My black fur easily hid any bruises that I got, causing my injuries to go unnoticed. While this may not be good to other people, I preferred it this way, as it kept others from knowing about what my father did to me. The only other person who knows is Skylar, but she promised to keep it quiet. Granted, after she found out, though, she did continuously try to convince me to leave and move in with her, but after I had declined the offer at least one hundred times, she finally dropped it. It's not like I didn't want to, nor was it anything to do with her or her parents, as they were actually fairly nice to me; it's just that I didn't want to impose on her, and I could never ask her to do something of that caliber for me. I mean, I always felt guilty every time she did anything for me, especially when it involves money. I had offered to pay her back for things multiple times, but she always turned it down, saying that I work hard enough to get the money, and that I should keep it for myself.

I gasped in pain as I prodded the swelling, before saying, "Shit, that hurt."

Deciding that there was nothing I could do about it, I left the bathroom and returned to my bedroom. I sat down on my bed and picked up the beer. I began rolling it in between my hands, staring at it. I know that I honestly shouldn't be drinking, one of the reasons that I possess this knowledge being because it was pounded into my head constantly by Skylar, but we eventually came to the agreement that as long as I don't drink more than two a week, then she won't bring it up. It just really seemed to help me forget about my problems, and it's much better then what I used previously. I shuddered lightly as I looked down at the light scarring on my wrists, visible only due to the partings in my fur. Sighing, I cracked open the beer and took a drink of it. I removed the can from my lips, grimacing lightly at the horrid taste of cheap alcohol. My father only ever bought the cheap shit, as that's all that he could afford from his unemployment check. I took another drink from the can, trying to ignore the taste. Remembering what I had in my bag, I unzipped it and pulled out the books. I eagerly, but neatly, removed the ribbon and took the first book from the stack. I sat the beer down next to me on my bed, careful not to knock it over, and opened up the book. On the inside of the cover, I saw a message written in black sharpie. It read, 'For Hayden. I wanted to write you this message to tell you how much you mean to me. I probably already say it too much, but I love every second that we spend together, and I wanted you to know that. I hope that you enjoy this series; I know I did. –Skylar.' At the end, next to her name, I saw that she had drawn a small heart, stylized like the one on the cover of the book. As I saw this, a small smile crept across my lips. Wanting to let her know that I felt the same, I took my phone from my pocket. I pulled up her contact and sent her a message, containing only a text heart, before hitting send. As the message was sent, my attention returned to the book in my hands, and I started reading, taking periodic small sips from my beer. I ended up losing track of time, and the next thing that I knew, I had finished all three books, and it was almost nine in the afternoon. I sat the third book down and picked up the drink next to me, to find that it was still about half full. I stacked the books up in their proper order, before retying the ribbon around them. Seeing nothing better to do, I opened the window all the way, before climbing into it. I sat in the window, my back on the side of the sill, with one leg propped up in the sill, as well, while the other was dangling out of the window. I pulled my phone from my pocket and put some earbuds in, before beginning to listen to music. I sat there, just watching the moon, taking small sips from the drink in my hand. I eventually emptied the can, which I crushed in my hand, before throwing it down into the ally below. I pulled out my phone and checked the time, to see that it was about nine thirty. I should probably go ahead and make dinner. I pulled my earbuds from my ears and left my room. I went into the kitchen, from which I could hear my father talking. I quickly glanced in the living room to see that he had a few of his friends over, and they were all drunk, as well. Rolling my eyes, I went over to the pantry. I opened it to find the food that I had bought recently, only to see that it wasn't there. Confused, I closed the pantry and began searching the cabinets, but came up with the same results.

"Hey, kid." I heard my father yell. I stuck my head out of the kitchen, as he asked, "You looking for all of your food?"

"Yes." I replied.

He began laughing, before saying, "Well, you won't find it, so you might as well stop looking. But, just so you know, it tasted fucking delicious."

With that, he let out aloud belch, causing his friends to burst out laughing. He pointed to a stack of plates on the table, all of them cleaned of whatever food was previously on them.

"But, that was mine." I complained. "I bought it with my fucking money."

"Yeah, well you live under my fucking roof, so if I want it, I get it." My father replied, once again causing his inebriated friends to laugh.

"Maybe you could buy your own damn food if you didn't waste all of you money on cheap beer and even cheaper hookers." I replied, my rage growing.

At this, the room grew silent. My father turned around to glare at me. He rose from his chair and lumbered over to me, until he stood in front of me. I returned his glare, staring down at him, as he was almost a foot shorter than me.

"What the hell did you just say, kid?" He growled at me.

"You fucking heard me." I said, not backing down. "Maybe if you weren't such a useless sack of shit, then you could by your own Arceus damned food. And, for the record, I don't live under your roof, I live under Ms. Johnson's floor, because, once again, you're a useless sack of shit."

He suddenly lashed out at me, his fist connecting with my nose. I recoiled upon impact, my hand covering my nose. As I heard the living room explode in laughter, I felt a warm and sticky substance begin to cover my hand. I pulled my hand away to confirm that my nose was currently gushing blood.

"Now, don't you ever speak to me like that again, you little fucker." My father said.

With that, he stormed back into the living room. I quickly rushed to the bathroom, crimson blood beginning to seep between my fingers. I turned on the sink and grabbed a washcloth, which I held under the cool water for a few seconds, before bringing it to my nose. As I held the damp cloth to my nose, I took this opportunity to shut the door and lock it. I sunk to the floor, both of my hands now clutching my nose. I can't fucking live like this. I just fucking can't. I sat there for at least ten minutes, my hands to my face, and my mind wandering, browsing ideas as to how I could handle my situation. I finally came to a conclusion. I didn't like it, and I knew that I would harm someone very close to me, but it was all that I could do. I removed the cloth from my nose and, seeing that my nose was no longer gushing blood, I threw it into the hamper. I stood up and went over to the sink, and began washing the blood from my muzzle. As I finished up, I stared at myself in the mirror, water dripping from my face.

"Alright." I said, as tears started to form in my eyes and roll down my cheeks. "I'll do it. It's the only way."

I stepped out onto the roof of my apartment building, a light wind blowing around me, and rain pattering down. It was later that night, time for me to go through with my plan. My father was passed out in a drunken stupor, with his friends under the same spell, all of them still in the living room. Perfect conditions, really. Wonderful pathetic fallacy there, world. I chuckled lightly, as I walked across the roof. I came to the edge of the building and looked down, causing my head to start to spin. I quickly looked up, not wanting to be sick. As I steeled myself for what was to come, I took a deep breath, already feeling tears begin to roll down my face.

"I'm sorry, Skylar." I said, softly. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, but I have to. This is the only way. Just know that I'll miss you."

I took another deep breath, before looking around. Fuck it, no one's here.

I sighed, before saying, "Skylar, I know that you aren't even here, but just know that I love you. I love everything about you. I love your smile, I love your personality, and I love how you can always cheer me up whenever I'm sad." I took one final breath, before saying, "Goodbye."

With that, I stepped off of the building.

Well, that was... interesting... Right? Anyway, stick around if you want to... If not, then I obviously won't, and can't, force you. But, if you are intrigued and excited to see where this story goes, then follow, favorite, and all of that good bullshit. Should be fun, though...

... Also, obviously, I don't own shit...