The details of that day are blurry to him. He remembers it was cold; but that might have just been him, shaking and shivering in the burning guilt and freezing blood.

There was so much grass, and it went on forever, like a sea he couldn't reach the end of. He didn't remember anything. Just flashes of red and shouts echoing in his ears, but he doesn't remember seeing them or hearing them. He just woke up in the sea of grass, red spread around him and a path leading to a body. He couldn't answer any of his lingering questions, not now.

Instead his gaze was fixed to (his friend) Hiroomi (not his friend anymore), covered in blood. That blood was on his hands, his face, his clothes. Akihito could feel it burning a hole in his heart, destroying him like a poison. What had happened? What had he done?

Somebody screamed. It took him a while to realize that it was himself.

He didn't know what day it was. He had stopped counting a long time ago.

Akihito glanced at the ceiling, staring at the scratch marks that littered the rough stone. He never remembered scratching the walls or the ceiling or floor, but he saw every new mark and the fear in the guards' eyes when he woke up shivering on the cold floor, covered in blood and regrets of things he couldn't remember.

Today was one of those mornings.

His ears buzzed and his limbs ached and really, all he wanted to do was to sleep on a comfortable bed and maybe have an actual meal. But neither of those things looked possible in the near future, so he contented to pull himself over to his makeshift bed of pillows the Nase siblings had smuggled for him and the torn blankets and jackets he had with him. His hair splayed out onto the softest pillow and he closed his eyes, searching for sleep.

Instead, he found sniffling.

Lifting his head up, Akihito was met with a sight he wasn't sure how he missed. The cell next to his was not fully separated, but instead blocked by a row of thick metal bars. He inched forward, investigating the sound. Last he had checked, that cell was empty.

"Hello?" His hoarse voice cracked, and it came out as more of a whisper than a call. That happens when you haven't said a word in years, he supposed. He squinted in the morning light that filtered through the tiny window.

A girl, it seemed like, which was strange enough by itself. There weren't many girls to find in prison these days. And, Akihito noted, she was beautiful. Her hair was a light shade of strawberry blonde, and it fell to her chin in messy curls and tangled knots. She wore a pair of brilliant red glasses perched on her nose, and her white dress was ripped and cut, exposing the injuries on her legs.

The girl shivered but looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy and her nose was pink from tears.

"Who-who are you?" She asked cautiously.

"I'm-" His voice broke again. "-Akihito Kanbara."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I've never heard of you." She stared at his face, seeming a little more confident with this revelation, but also a lot more confused and concerned.

Akihito decided to just clear it up and get it out of the way. "You wouldn't," he started. "Know me." Shuffling into a more comfortable position, Akihito glanced at his new company. "I wasn't put on death row so it wouldn't have been announced to this kingdom, and certainly not the other three."

She shuffled away from him.

"Why are you in here, then?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you in here if you're not to be put on death row?"

"Well..." Akihito thought about it. What was he supposed to say? 'Oh yeah see, here's the thing- your new cell roomie is actually a monster! And I can't die! So how about we be friends and I can stare at your really pretty face and glasses and everything and you can stare at me turn into a creepy monster every time I don't eat.' Ah yes. The best way to make friends.

But, Akihito supposed, honesty is the best policy. Better she find out when he wasn't throwing fire everywhere.

"I'm, uh." He coughed. This was tough. He never had to actually explain his situation to anyone before. Usually they just found out. "I'm immortal."

Hazel eyes widened. "What?" The girl squeaked. "You're- you're what?"

"Immortal."

"How? Are you a wizard, or-"

"Nothing that nice," Akihito responded. "More like a monster."

The girl blinked. She didn't seem very scared, to be honest. Just overwhelmed.

"Oh...then you and I have something in common."

Akihito's eyes shot up from staring at the cracked stone floor.

"What?"

"...I'm like you. I'm a monster too."

Princess Yui's dress was completely ripped, splattered with blood and grime. Somewhere in the back of her head, Mirai was thinking about just how hard that was going to be to fix.

Her hands were shaking. Of course they were- that wasn't odd. Not now. Not when her best friend, the only person who cared for her truly and completely in this world, was covered in black splotches and advancing towards her with no love in her eyes.

Mirai whimpered and held out her blood sword, her tight grip shaking as terror filled her eyes.

"Yui-Yui, please," Mirai whispered, voice raising in pitch and hysterics. "Please-please stop, please come back, I can't do this, I can't-!"

And then her sword was in Yui's stomach and Yui was smiling.

"Thanks," Yui whispered to her, voice hoarse and tired.

Mirai was left shaking on the ground, covered in blood holding her (best friend) Yui's (not her best friend anymore) body.

hello knk fandom i am back

so i don't have like any time to even blink anymore, so of course the logical course of action is writing a multi-chapter fic like heeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy

either way though, i've been meaning to post this for ages - i got the idea for this story months ago. i don't promise how fast i'll be updating, especially since i don't write multiple chapters before i post. but i do know where the story is going, so the only issue is finding time to write. i'll do my best guys!

and yeah like. if you like this. let me know by leaving a review? it'll make me smile which is pretty cool i mean.