Reigen grunts as he leans forward in his chair. He massages the ache in his shoulder, grimacing as the pain suddenly races through his entire side.

"It's a curse," Dimple remarks, bored.

"Yeah, and it wouldn't be a problem if you just-ugh-just ate it already," He shoots back between sharp gasps.

Dimple turns his face from side to side, like he's trying to shake his head. "I can't do that, it's not the same curse. This one is keeping me away."

"Hnn," Reigen drops back in his chair, eyes squeezed shut. "Maybe...hhh...Serizawa can take care of it, when he gets back from lunch…"

Dimple cocks an eyebrow at him. This curse is minor, so why is he in such pain? What a pussy.

"...I'm heading out," He says after a minute. "I'll be passing by Serizawa. I'll let him know to get back."

The only response Reigen gives is a breathy "thanks" before Dimple leaves through the window.

Serizawa stumbles up the stairs and takes a brief moment to catch his breath-he's feeling oddly winded today, even accounting for the fact that he ran three blocks back to the office. When his gasps even out he grabs the knob and pushes the door wide open.

"Reige-"

The stench of blood cuts into his throat like a knife, and he chokes and gasps, his voice abruptly gone. His eyes water.

"Reigen…?"

On the other side of his office is Reigen's desk. It's missing its owner and his chair. Trembling, Serizawa creeps toward it. Now he sees that the chair isn't missing after all, it's just toppled over. The smell gets stronger the closer he gets. He notices there's an odd pattern of stains on the wall behind it. He's right in front of the desk now, leaning over to peer at the chair. His eyes trail down, and collapsed next to it-

No.

Serizawa's shaking so hard he can barely crawl over. He grabs Reigen, who slips from his hands. He screams when his body drops with a soft splat.

"Reigen…" Serizawa chokes again. He reaches out again. The knees of his suit are soaking up blood like sponges, the angry red creeping up to his thighs. His vision is blurry with tears. "Reigen...why…"

He turns him over and sobs. Reigen's face is twisted in agony. His whole left side is torn open like a popped balloon. Several pieces of organs fall out from the hole in his ribcage as Serizawa pulls him up onto his lap. He's hyperventilating now, his eyes and throat burning more and more with every second.

"Oh...god," He croaks. His voice cracks at the end. "Rei, Reigen, I, oh, o-oh god…"

Serizawa squeezes his eyes shut, the burning unbearable. His powers roar to life, waves of psychic energy rushing through him-into him. The burning turns to agony as he realizes what's happening. His tears turn to blood. He always thought his powers would hurt those around him, when he should have been worried about himself.

Dimple notices Shigeo's getting a little pale as he walks to the office from school.

"You should play hookie," He suggests. "Reigen was feeling pretty bad too, last I saw him. He probably went home."

"It's fine," Shigeo replies, even duller than usual. "Master would have texted me already if that were the case."

He opens his mouth to respond when Shigeo stops cold. His eyes go wide. He drops his bag and rushes around the corner, leaving Dimple behind. He catches up in front of the office building, surrounded by a cluster of ambulances and police cars and smothered in the miasma of death.

Oh shit.

Shigeo sees it too-or at the very least smells it. His nose crinkles at the stench; he covers his mouth in revulsion. "What the…"

An emergency responder spots him and walks over. "Do you work in this building?" He asks, his face grim.

Dimple doesn't bother sticking around for the rest of the conversation. He knows what's coming next, and if Shigeo responds the way he thinks he will then it'll spell disaster for him. He zips up and away into the sky, briefly glancing back.

Shigeo drops to the ground, screaming.

Dimple spends a few hours wandering through the streets before returning to Shigeo's house. He's surprised to only find Ritsu there, sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands.

"Dimple." He says without moving a muscle. The air is tense, thick with psychic energy. "Where were you?"

"Uh," He stammers. "I, uh...I got something to eat."

Ritsu finally lifts his head up. Instead of the expected glare, his eyes are soft and tired. He opens his mouth to say something, closes it, and stares.

"I...I didn't mean to leave him, alright?!" Dimple yells defensively. "I wasn't sure how he was gonna react...he could've exorcised me by accident!"

Ritsu keeps staring at him for a few more seconds. He finally blinks and lowers his gaze.

"Brother's in the hospital," he murmurs. "They think it was the shock. Mom and Dad told me to stay home, but…" He looks up again.

"Alright," Dimple sighs. "I get it, I'll go see him."

"Thanks, Dimple," Ritsu smiles up at him. "Tell him I said hi, and that I'll see him tomorrow."

"I'd omit that last part if I were you," He replies. "It sounds kinda ominous."

"I guess you're right," Ritsu says. "Just the first part, then."

The funeral is small. The Kageyamas don't have any relatives on either side, and aside from Teru no close friends, either. Dimple watches it all from a safe distance like he always does, never interfering, never changing, never helping. As soon as he catches Ritsu glance at him he flees, like he always does.

The guilt and the local evil spirits both take turns eating him alive. He's pulled his vanishing act too many times. Now three innocent souls took on the consequences he avoided. Dimple knows what he needs to do, but he doesn't want to. For three days he hides away, going over the lines in his head, until he finally gets it down right.

It's thunderstorming when he arrives at the graveyard. He floats over to find Shigeo's gravestone, practicing the lines one last time. Shigeo, I know it's too late, but I'm sorry-

"So you came."

Dimple jumps. He was so lost in thought he failed to notice Ritsu sitting at his brother's grave. He's drenched, his hair flopping down and covering half his face. He brushes it aside.

"I…" Dimple begins, all his words flying out the window. "I, uh, came...to, uh, to apologize."

"You left my brother at the office." Ritsu hisses. "And then...you left my brother to die."

"I know…" he chokes out, weakly. He arrived just in time to see the paramedics frantically crowding around his body, every orifice gushing blood, and fled. "I...couldn't face him...not like that…"

"You killed him-"

"No I did not!" Dimple shrieks. "He-he was dying- they all were-and I don't know wh-"

"The curse…" Ritsu mumbles. His eyes are bloodshot. "Took it from Reigen...spread it...like a…"

"I," Dimple stammers. He wants to run away, to leave this all behind, but he's left too many times already.

Ritsu lets out a choked sob. His nose bleeds. "You killed him…" he heaves. "Killed us."

Dimple stays in place, frozen in horror. Ritsu lets out a shallow laugh, then a gurgle, as his eyes and mouth bleed. Thunder cracks out in the distance, and then thunder cracks within him. Blood and bone shards spray across the ground like shrapnel. The rain dilutes it into a lovely bright pink.