A/N: I'd probably get thrown in a psych ward if anyone i knew read this. Warning: This ia dark fic, it involves suicide and character death. Also it doesn't have anything to do with the World, it's an AU with Atoli and Haseo. oneshot.
Two parts of the same soul
Haseo was not a morning person. Regardless here he was twenty minutes before school started wandering around the third floor. Going down one hall, up a set of stairs and to the right he found the small corner he was looking for. Atoli was already there of course, reading some book with a hint of a smile on her face.
He dropped his school bag down with a second thought and sat down beside her. They were in a small corner of the school next to a few unused lockers. There wasn't a lot of room but it was their spot. They claimed it as their own as freshman and over the years it had become familiar to them.
"Hello Haseo," Atoli greeted him as she looked up from her book. She gave him a small smile as she waited for a reply. She was bound to be a bit disappointed however because all that came out of his mouth was a grunt as he rested his eyes.
A minute passed before he opened one eye to gaze at her. He did a quick scan of her body with his eyes, not because of hormones but because he was looking for something.
"What happened to your eye?" He asked.
She unconsciously covered the black eye with her fragile hand before putting it back down. "Baseball hit me when I was walking home from school, complete accident."
"Haven't you used that excuse before?"
"Umm…" She looked uncomfortable. "There aren't a lot of things I can come up with for a black eye."
"That's true," He replied and for a moment she thought he had ended his search. Then suddenly he grabbed her right arm. Atoli tried to pull away but she was a frail, petite girl.
"H-Haseo!" She whined, but he ignored her as he carefully pulled her shirt sleeve up revealing her arm underneath. Haseo's eyes momentarily grew wide before returning to normal as he gazed at the black and blue marks covering the arm.
"That bastard!" He cursed between gritted teeth. He released her hand and she quickly pulled her sleeve back down; Atoli frowned.
"Did he hurt you anywhere else? Tell me the truth Atoli."
The blonde seemed to be mulling things over in her mind as she bit her lip. "N-No, not last night at least. Its spring so I've been wearing skirts, he knows it would show if he…" Her voice got quieter and quieter until her sentence trailed off. Haseo understood, and she knew that he would.
"I can't believe he still gets away with this," The white-haired boy clenched his fist until it shook. "One of these days I'll…"
"No!" She interrupted him abruptly with her cry. "Don't Haseo; I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I don't want you to have to fight anybody."
He sighed dejectedly as his head hit the hollow metal of the locker behind him. He felt horrible for Atoli knowing there was nothing she could do. Her drunk of a father regularly beat her while her twisted mother watched, doing nothing to stop it. She worked up the courage to tell a teacher once but the police never found any proof, and afterwards her father beat her harder than ever.
She doesn't deserve this, Haseo thought to himself as he watched her go back to her book. Atoli never hurt anyone, she's an angel. I just wish there was something I could do.
"How are you?" She suddenly asked.
"…What?" He feigned ignorance.
She didn't buy it however and tried to flip his left arm over. He was stronger than her though and she couldn't budge him. Instead she looked into her eyes with such a gaze of sadness that Haseo couldn't help but flip his arm over himself. There were various cuts covering his wrists and arms, she could see a fresh one. He immediately flipped his arm back over. This time she didn't gasp.
"Do you have it with you?" He didn't ask what she meant; instead he pulled a small pocket knife out of his back pocket and tossed it to her.
She slowly and cautiously pulled the knife out and aimed it at her arm. Haseo watched her; usually he'd try to stop her but he'd seen the same thing enough times he didn't have to worry. She gripped the knife tighter and rammed the knife down to her arm but stopped it right before it hit.
"I still can't do it…" She sighed; and for a moment Haseo thought tears might be forming in her eyes.
"Don't be stupid," He grabbed the knife out of her hands and pushed the blade down. "You don't want to do that just cause I do. You're a freakin pacifist, cutting would just be stupid for you." He put the knife back in his pocket.
She let out a small giggle, "Your right, I'm sorry." Looking down at her book Atoli realized she wasn't in the mood to read anymore.
"Did you parent's come home yet?"
"No," He answered shortly. Talking about it wasn't something he wanted to do.
Atoli however, wanted to talk about it. "But didn't they say they'd be back a week ago? Do you even still have money left?"
"They called me two days ago, said it might be a while." He tried to look like he didn't care as he cracked his knuckles. "I still have some money left over from that job so I'll be okay."
Haseo's parents didn't physically abuse him, they just ignored him. They loved his older brother Sora; however they didn't pay him any attention at all. Sometimes as a kid they would forgot his name, or who he was entirely. Now that Sora was in college they went on long trips leaving him at home alone. If they were feeling particularly nice they'd leave him money for food, but sometimes he went without.
Atoli nodded, respecting his wishes not to continue. An awkward silence passed between them until they heard someone coming up the stairs. They watched together as a boy with dyed blue hair walked up the stairs muttering to himself.
"Yeesh Haseo, why is your spot so damn secluded? I get lost every time I come up here." Kuhn had known Haseo since middle school and would sometimes hang out with him even though he was a prep. Haseo didn't consider Kuhn his friend, but he never bothered to stop him.
"No one said you had to come up here you know, go back to your girlfriend Pai."
"Haseo, be nice." Atoli asked him.
"Hello there Atoli, and how are you today?"
She put on a fake smile, "I'm good, yourself?"
"Enough with the chitchat, what do you want Kuhn?"
The blue-haired boy looked a bit miffed at his comment. "Never one for social skills are you Haseo? I'll never know why Atoli bothers with you. Anyway I just wanted to invite you to my party on Saturday."
Before either Atoli or Haseo could respond however the bell rang. Finishing their conversation the three hurried back down the stairs to their classrooms. Haseo heard Atoli say goodbye but by the time he turned around she was already lost in the crowd.
Haseo walked into his first class, history, and sat down in the back. He knew they were just watching another movie on world war two so he wouldn't have to pay attention. Originally he was going to fall back asleep but now he couldn't get his conversation with Atoli out of his head.
I just wish I could do something for her, He thought as the movie started to play. What can I do to make her feel better? Well, what does she like? Haseo spent the rest of the class wondering this. Halfway through he actually paid attention to part of the movie until he realized he was supposed to be thinking. This went back and forth until something in the movie gave him an idea.
Unfortunately Haseo didn't have any classes with Atoli in the morning so he wouldn't usually see her until lunch. Her last class before lunch was Gym so Haseo would typically wait outside the gym until she came out; then walk her to lunch. Today should've been no different, and as usual Haseo found himself waiting for Atoli while his stomach told him to go eat.
However time passed and Atoli still hadn't come out. Haseo knew she would never keep him waiting on purpose and wondered if something was wrong. His patience ran out and his curiosity won over as he walked over to the entrance of the girls' locker room. He didn't want to look like he was peeping, but after a quick glance around he noticed no one else was around so he stuck his ear to the door listening.
"Please stop," He heard Atoli plead. "Just let me leave."
The sound of laughter permeated the door more than loud enough for Haseo to hear. The laughter sounded cruel, and it came from at least three or four girls.
"What are you wearing Atoli?" One girl asked, completely ignoring Atoli's plea.
"They look like rags Bordeaux!" Another girl answered laughing.
"Please," Atoli begged. It sounded to Haseo that she was nearly sobbing. "Just let me go, Haseo is-"
"—Stop whining!" One yelled at her. Then Haseo thought he heard them slap her. "You're such a little bitch, stop acting like a princess all the time. Haseo's probably sick of you calling on him every time you stub your toe!"
"Come on girls," The first one said. "Let's show Atoli how to have a little fun…" Haseo heard the shuffling of feet but couldn't tell what was happening.
"No, no please! Stop!" The girls just laughed until one of them heard something. It sounded like the door opening and when she looked up Haseo had run into the girls' locker room. What he saw was four girls grabbing Atoli by her arms and legs; he wasn't sure what they were going to do to her but he didn't want to find out.
"Leave her alone!" He shouted as he punched Bordeaux right in the jaw. The red-head Bordeaux lost her grip on Atoli's left leg and dropped it. The other girls also dropped Atoli at the surprise of seeing Haseo. The white-haired teen however didn't miss a beat and grabbed the blonde in his arms before she hit the cold floor.
"You little shit!" Bordeaux yelled at him as she held the red side of her face. "How dare you—"
"Want to get punched again you stupid dike?" Haseo threatened. These girls might be evil but they couldn't put up a fight. Realizing this they decided to run out instead.
"This isn't over!" The red-head yelled at him. "Notice where we are? How stupid are you?" At this she ran out with the other girls and started yelling about a 'pervert' in the locker room.
Shit, Haseo thought. He turned his attention to Atoli instead, "Are you okay Atoli?" She didn't answer him; she just looked up at him with those big eyes for a minute before the dam broke. Before Haseo knew what happened she was crying into his chest, apologizing to him and other words he couldn't make out. Her sobs were quiet, raspy and filled with pain.
A few minutes passed and Haseo could hear the vice-principal outside the door telling him to come out. Haseo realized he was in trouble but hadn't gotten to tell Atoli his message. So right before he left he whispered it into her ear, and hoped she got it.
Early next morning Haseo stood outside the bus station waiting. He had been suspended yesterday for going into the girls' bathroom and assaulting a student, the vice-principal hadn't even listened to his side of the story. He was too busy staring at Bordeaux's boobs. This didn't surprise Haseo at all.
Haseo was glad it was getting warmer so he wasn't so cold in the morning however he was feeling rather anxious. When a person is anxious time seems to go a lot slower. Finally He caught a glimpse of Atoli walking toward him. She looked beautiful to him. He hoped he could give her something she desperately needed today.
"Hello Haseo," She greeted him; looking around confused. "Why did you want me to meet you here? We usually don't see each other till school."
"We're not going to school."
"What?" She seemed shocked. "Why not?"
"Because we're going to have fun instead. You need some after yesterday."
"Really?" She blushed crimson, "Like…a date?"
At this he turned his head to look at something else. "No! Well…kinda I guess, if you want it to be." She slowly nodded.
"Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Right then the bus pulled up. "Now get on the bus." Stepping onto the bus Haseo paid for both of them and they found somewhere to sit. Neither of them had a car because of their situations so this was normal for them.
Atoli questioned Haseo about where they were going but he refused to give her any hints. She tried guessing based on the direction but Haseo just told her to stop being so impatient. The blonde pretended to pout for a moment but was secretly happy just to be with Haseo outside school, she didn't care where they were going.
Suddenly and without warning Haseo pushed the button for the bus to stop. The two teens got off the bus and Atoli looked around excitedly. She didn't see anywhere interesting however, just a few houses.
"It's down the next block," Haseo told her. She felt relieved, and a bit silly. They walked down the street and the next block to find themselves in front of the zoo.
"You're taking me to the zoo?" Atoli asked excitedly. "Thank you so much Haseo!" She said as she gave him a hug. He felt awkward for a second before returning the hug. Realizing what was happening Atoli reluctantly let go of Haseo and dragged him over to the zoo entrance.
"So umm," Atoli stopped licking her ice cream for a moment. "Why did you take me to the zoo, Haseo?"
Haseo leaned back on the bench they were sitting on. The two were taking a break after Atoli dragged Haseo back and forth between all her favorite animals. In other words: Haseo was exhausted. "I don't know, I just thought you liked animals so it seemed like a good choice."
"Your right, I do like animals." She smiled brightly, "Thank you Haseo."
He blushed, "Yeah whatever," A glance at his watch alerted him. "We should get back now; school would be just about over." Atoli nodded sadly, a bit bummed that her time with Haseo had come to an end.
One bus ride and a walk home later and Atoli was lying on her bed safe in her room. Her house wasn't very big so she was given the attic as her room. She didn't mind too much though, as long as her dad wasn't home. She shuddered at the thought and instead went over how wonderful her day was in her mind. Before she knew it Atoli had fallen asleep.
Hours later Atoli was awoken by the sound of her phone ringing. Groggily she answered it. "Hello?"
"Hey Atoli, it's me, Haseo. I was wondering if you understood what the crap we were supposed to do for Mr. Nejely's essay. I just don't get it."
Atoli's heart skipped a beat as she realized Haseo was calling her. Then however she realized she hadn't done any homework. Turning around she looked for her backpack and wondered why it was so dark. Turning to her clock on the wall it told her it was already 8:15. She had slept past dinner! Then she realized Haseo was probably waiting for a reply.
"Well umm, I actually haven't done it yet Haseo but I think I can help you with it." She said as she pulled her folder out of her backpack and flipped through it. "Ah here it is, yes I think I understand it."
"Good because I suck at this kind of stuff. Mind explaining it?" He asked and she had no problem helping him. She was actually enjoying herself discussing the essay with him while she had no idea what was going on downstairs.
On the main floor of her house Atoli's mother Mia was flipping through the TV channels bored when the door opened. Her husband Sakaki stumbled through the door and into the kitchen with a half empty bottle of liquor. The smell and look in his eyes alerted Mia how intoxicated her husband was without having to notice the bottle.
Sakaki took one look at his wife sitting in the kitchen doing nothing and his temper flared. "God dammit Mia!" He screamed as he threw the bottle to the ground; watching as it shattered and the liquid poured out onto the floor.
"You don't do shit! You just lie around MY house while I work my ass off!" He pulled back his right arm and swung it at Mia's face. His punch was a bit off and he hit her in the forehead, yet the impact still knocked her down onto the floor.
"And now!" He continued, "I've lost my job! Who the fuck is going to pay the bills now, huh bitch?" He screamed at her as he pulled back his hand again. However Mia thought fast to divert the attention away from her.
"Wait Sakaki you don't want to hurt me! I'm your loving wife, I'm not the reason you got fired."
"Your not?" Sakaki asked confused.
"No," She said shaking her head. "It's our useless daughter's fault. I got a phone call earlier from her school saying she was skipping! Off with some boy they think."
Sakaki's already red face just turned a shade darker. "What? I put food on this table and give her a good education and that stupid slut doesn't even go to school?" At this Atoli's father swaggered over to the stairs and started climbing. Mia sighed in relief and went back to watching television.
Upstairs Atoli was quite enjoying herself talking to Haseo. She was giggling at something he had said when she heard a pounding on her door. Knowing exactly what it meant she whispered into the phone, "Sorry Haseo, I'll be right back." Without waiting for a reply she put the phone face-down on her table.
Before she could go over and open the door her father broke it down with his fists. The alcohol apparently had no impeded his strength. "D-Dad?" She pushed out of her throat, scared to death at what he might do. Her eyes darted down to his grizzly sized hands and realized he was holding the bat he kept in the closet.
"You worthless whore! How dare you!" He shouted at her before swinging down with the bat as hard as he could on his daughter.
"Wait dad, I'm sorry!" Atoli managed to choke out but her father wasn't in the mood for apologies and didn't stop. He continued hitting her.
On the other end of the phone Haseo had been confused when Atoli suddenly stopped talking but then he heard he listened and realized he could hear Atoli's father hurting her. "Atoli? Atoli!?" He yelled into the phone. However he didn't get a reply and then a minute later the phone suddenly went dead.
Without a moment's hesitation Haseo ran to his parent's room and pulled out a large case underneath his father's side of the bed. Unlocking it with the key he pulled out a handgun and some bullets. He loaded the gun then ran out the door. Grabbing the old bike in his backyard he started pedaling as fast as he could towards Atoli's house.
He arrived ten minutes later. The whole street was dark so he knew he wouldn't be seen. Going over to the big tree in her yard he started climbing up. He had done this a few times before so he knew what he was doing. Reaching the top he climbed onto the branch closest to Atoli's window and put his hand out to knock.
His hand touched thin air however as he realized the window had been broken. Not wanting to waste anymore time Haseo climbed carefully into the window and landed on the floor below. The room was dark however there was a slight light coming in from the moon outside.
Her room was a mess; no that was an understatement. Haseo realized her room had been completely destroyed. Just like the window, everything in Atoli's room had been broken. Her bed was on the other side of the room and as he looked over he could see her looming figure laying on it.
Rushing over he immediately gasped in horror at what he saw. Lying on her bed was Atoli; however she resembled her room: broken. Her arms and legs were twisted in impossible positions and the bruises made her body almost look a different color. She lay upon a pool of her own blood which was not only under her, but covering her as well.
"A-Atoli?" The word came out far too high to be Haseo's voice. He looked for some sign that she was alive, that she could possibly be saved. Suddenly he saw a bit of movement.
"Haseo…"
"Atoli! Don't talk, I'll get help."
"Haseo…you came." She didn't seem to be listening to him. "Listen…" She tried to tell him but then started coughing up blood.
"Stop Atoli, don't cause yourself anymore pain!" He begged as tears flowed down his face openly.
"I love you…"
"W-Wha?" But then he saw her eyes go blank and her harsh breaths stop. "Wait, Atoli. I love you too! No please, don't leave me!" He started sobbing uncontrollably as he held her broken body close to himself. Some amount of time passed, maybe hours or maybe minutes. It mattered little to Haseo since his world had already ended.
He stood as slowly and noticed he was taking deep breaths repeatedly. He tried to swallow but he just couldn't get it down. Feeling woozy he turned around and walked over to the door before throwing up all over the floor. He was once again down.
And he probably would've stayed down, never gotten up again if it wasn't for one small thought in his mind: Atoli's dad did this. He killed his own daughter. To Haseo there was only one thing he had to do, kill this man.
Pulling himself to his feet on pure will alone he opened the door. He could hear the man below screaming to himself as more alcohol found its way down his throat. Haseo pulled the gun out of his pocket and held it in his two hands; one finger on the trigger.
Slowly he walked down the stairs until he could see the evil monster that was Atoli's father. His name was Sakaki, if Haseo remembered right. Haseo had been breathing too loud however as Sakaki heard him and turned his way.
"Who the fuck are you?" He cursed at the teenager. Grabbing the nearby bat he headed to where Haseo was standing frozen. Haseo saw the bat and noticed it was covered in blood. Atoli's blood. His purpose remembered Haseo pointed the gun at the man and pulled the trigger.
In an explosion of gore Sakaki's left kneecap exploded. Blood shot out of it and bone was visible as the man fell to his knees. "Shit!" He yelled in anguish.
"You monster!" Haseo yelled as he ran over to the murderer and kicked him in the balls. "You killed Atoli! You killed her!" He yelled as he punched him in the face.
Sakaki however was not out and punched Haseo back. "What do you care? That slut wasn't helping anyone; I did the world a favor!"
"Slut? How dare you!" Haseo stood back up from where he had fallen and pointed the gun at Sakaki's head. "Atoli was an angel, she was pure and innocent. She never hurt anyone in her entire life!"
"Wait," Sakaki said sounding scared. "Okay, fine. What I did was bad, so I give up. Turn me into the police. Show me mercy Mr. hero!" At this the man actually had the nerve to laugh.
"Mercy? Like the mercy you showed Atoli as she cried out for her father to stop beating her to death? Fuck you!" He screamed as his finger pulled the trigger. The gun went off and slipped out of Haseo's hands. The bullet had gone straight through Sakaki's skull and out the other side. His body fell to the floor with barely a sound.
Haseo's whole body was shaking with grief and fear and rage. He heard a sound and noticed Atoli's mom sitting in a corner scared to death. Haseo knew she had never tried to stop Sakaki from beating Atoli, sometimes it was even her fault. But he couldn't bring himself to just kill her when she was like that.
He walked over to her. She started screaming something at him but he was too out of it to tell what. Instead he grabbed one of her hands and wrapped it around Sakaki's bat. The blood covered her hands and her fingerprints covered the bat.
The white-haired boy didn't even say a word; he just walked back upstairs to where Atoli's corpse lay. She was still lying there, exactly like before. With the gun still in his hand he got onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Atoli's dead body. As he held her his right hand held the gun pointed straight at his skull.
"Don't worry Atoli, I'm coming. You don't have to be alone anymore."
And then he pulled the trigger.