I got some new ideas for our short stories!


Forward

"How, how did I lose all of my money?"

A man clutched into his short wavy green hair with both hands, he sat in front of a white table with his arms on its surface. He checked into his account to find that everything was gone and with no trace to track back to the one responsible for his loss. All of his bank accounts were frozen and shut off with no way for him to reopen.

"How can I have my revenge. Not yet, not yet." He darkly muttered to himself. "I will get him back, he was the one who did this."

"Not until I get that so-called God of Death-"

"It was because you were stupid enough to attack someone in the middle of the day and in front of the school." A voice called out to the man cladded in white.

The man shot up and looked up with his teal eyes. "You're..."

"I come back from work to find that you lost all of your funding, because you acted too fast." The voice taunted at the man cladded in white as it clicked its tongue. "Just because I gave you some materials that boost up your minion's abilities above that of the average human doesn't mean you should rush things."

"Haven't you learned? All good things come to those who are patience."

"You said that it is almost impossible, just like Korosen-"

"Have you forgotten that a certain Organisation's presence in that town has grown stronger in these past few months?" The voice said as they waved their finger around. "They will find out on what you are doing, they are smarter than you and have reasons to act now and not then. When that day comes, I have cut my ties."

"You attempted to attack a student who was a part of this End Assassination program numerous times and it brought you more suspicion. You have attracted eyes from the big fishes, the Department is involved and your times is up when you are faced against you." The voice chuckled. "And have you forgotten that Miss Jona-Zwier's fiancée was around the area, looks like you have made another terrified enemy."

"You might as well hope that maybe it was the yellow blob that stole all of your money." The person smuggly chuckled. "You have two new possibilities in your hand, and neither of them are pretty."

"What are you talking about?" The white cladded person asked.

"The son of a high-ranked general from America was around town on his usual check-ups. With his links in government, he probably made the connection of your involvement and told his very talented associate." The other playfully sang. "It shouldn't be too hard for them to find your real name, if the government knows than they will definitely as well. I mean the operation they had done after what they considered to be the most chaotic period in their lives."

"…." The man below was confused.

"Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you need some context and background information on that?"

"If this other party is not the Department, I can simply deal with it without any trouble." The man snapped back but the other smiled. Yes, he may have promised to protect this pathetic man from the Department to some extent, but this white robbed man had to deal the rest of his enemies himself.

"You do know that this other entity was the reason why America chose not to invest into your pet project. This entity concluded that the Anti-matter project was impractical and convinced the American government not to take it, thus causing a ripple effect where it caused much of the Western world to remain uninterested." The person mused and smirked as the man below and of his temper.

"It would had been interesting to see the battle between the genius who easily convinced the Western world through their opinion alone, or the so-called genius who is dressing up like a snowman."

"I wouldn't have minded, since I wondered how you would try to escape from that 'hand' until I found out that you tried to attack La Morton. And even without me seeing the reports, I already knew that you would fail." The man dropped piles of papers to the floor below. "Go ahead, pick them up. I gave you a select few. Sorry that I have to black out some of the information, they were very weird details, maybe it's a Department language thing."

The man cladded in white below slowly and warily picked up one piece from the pile, it was a profile of… Gakushu Asano. It was a bust shot with the young boy looking forward to the camera, it was before he had his haircut and he assumed it was taken at the beginning of the year. He was dressed in a black double-breasted hooded coat with its hood settled down his back. He had a dull expression, but his eyes weren't violet purple but that inhumane colour of chartreuse phosphorescent behind his black-framed glasses.

"La Morton and the Department are one of the same, it is just another base."

Gakushu Asano of the Japanese Branch, worked in the Retrieval Division. At his introduction to the Department, it only took the then 10-year-old a month to become a full-fledged 'reaper'. The man realised what he had done, when he only thought that the boy would be inexperienced when compared to Class-E when in reality, Gakushu worked for the Department for the past four years.

'Ikeda' of the Japanese Branch, worked in the Retrieval, Intel, Intelligence Divisions and in specialised dispatches. Currently he was working as a mole in the Kungigaoko Police force. It was no wonder why the men he sent to catch the boy disappeared and no news broke out to the public.

"..." The man in white robes remained silent, he couldn't dare to look up that the voice's eyes that always scared him.

"But I am still interested of what you are going to do?" The voice playfully sang and it dropped a huge briefcase down at the man's feet with a loud thud. "I will provide you with another safe-house, no need to thank me. I want to see how all of this end."

"Try not to spend it all in one place. And please do not interrupt, I have some new work to do."


"Gakushu, have a safe trip." Noct hugged his friend. It was now the early morning and the class was at the train station. Noct visited his young friend to say goodbyes, the only times he would be seeing the strawberry blonde was when he was in shift or by luck in the halls of the Department before his next visit. "I will see you again when we visit your school again soon."

"Have a nice time with Iggy, tell me some stories." Gakushu smiled as he broke away from the hug to Noct who lightly blushed.

"And tell me about An's situation with Johnny and Ikeda." Noct laughed back.

The strawberry blonde said nothing as his classmates chattered amongst each other, he knew that he worried them when he didn't bother to reply back when they spoke with him. Especially Nagisa and Karma. He felt awful about it but he didn't have the strength after crying into his sleep.

He felt even more worse when he ignored Ren's words, it broke his heart to see Ren's hurtful expression. He wanted to hide away and so he did.

Gakushu didn't talked to anyone when he entered the train and went off to a carriage for an equally empty room. He ignored the worried looks from his teachers and more from his fellow classmates as they wondered they reverted back to stage one. He slides the door opened, he propped his travel bag down and he sank into his seat.

Lucia broke down after the news, that her beloved Wolfie and Tae-sik were officially branded by the Department as seceders. Otherwise known as deserters. He heard the news that Lucia later had an episode and currently resided in the Ward until further notice.

But he couldn't do anything about it, he must now act as if nothing has happened and continued on with the two. For the sake of his young heart and for his assignment in Class-E as he was told by Gretel last night.

He decided to sleep, and couldn't help but wonder why did the two left, against Gretel's advice.


Korosensei noticed but Gakushu went missing for over an hour. He, Karasuma and Irina were about to do a search party when Korosensei commented that he couldn't feel his presence inside the building. They were about to split up as they exited when they saw a lone woman sitting at the bench.

An knew of Gakushu Asano and so Korosensei thought it was a good idea to ask her if she knew where the strawberry-blonde boy was. When the octopus teacher was about asked if she had seen the strawberry blonde teacher. Karasuma was outside of the inn when he spotted a girl with bangs that covered her forehead and curled to the right, she only wore sleep wear and was bare feet; a black tank top and shorts.

An sat there alone on a wooden bench and not noticing of their presence. He somewhat panicked when he saw how blotched her brown eyes were, tears still running down her cheeks as she blankly stared on. For that moment, he felt rage against the man known as Johnny. He didn't know why but he couldn't let this assumption out from his mouth.

"Miss An! What is the matter?" Karasuma rushed by with worry as he quickly took off his jacket to cover the girl. The three stood in front of the black-haired girl, her hair wasn't typed in her usual ponytail but it was let free into the cold wind.

An felt something warm around her shoulders, she flinched when she felt the jacket wrapped around her. "Ah!" She gasped as she glanced up at the usual stoic teacher who was usually his emotions of worry and hurt on his sleeves.

"Kara-"

Karasuma couldn't help but break a little inside at that old nickname of his, it didn't help that this person in front of them looked exactly like her from 20 years ago. He knew that she was only choking in her sobs and couldn't bring to say his name fully. But the hurt was still there.

"K-" An chocked before she quickly bended over as if she wanted to curl into a ball. She bit her lip, her face contorted her visible distress but she couldn't let it down any longer, and she let out the most heart-wrenching sob he has ever heard. She cried and cried as she clutched the jacket given to her closer and tighter.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" She cried as the tears fall.

Korosensei was in full panic model as he half-hazard waved his arms around that carried chocolate and solf plushies, as if it could make her feel better. Irina had no idea what to do or how to even comfort a person in this scenario, Karasuma was clueless as well.

It didn't help his heart that this person looked just like Anna. Like it was 'Anna' crying. He also ignored the annoying voice in his heard. 'This is your chance, you have been waiting for 20 years.'

"What happened?" Karasuma attempted his best soothing voice, he kneeled down with one knee so he could meet at eye-level with her.

"He's gone." An whispered under her breathe. "Gone..."

"Who's gone?" The teachers pray that it wasn't Gakushu.

"Why did you go Tae-"

"-There you are An... I was looking for you." A voice called out. The teachers turned to find Ikeda standing in front of them. He approached them but they knew that he was only there for An.

"Come on, let's go inside." Ikeda gently whispered. He kneels down and gently gasped at her hands "Arthur set up some hot chocolate."

"Do you know where Asano-kun is?" Korosensei asked the blonde-haired man. The three teachers knew by the look on the man's face that he perfectly knew where the student was. However, the answer he gave wasn't the one they were looking for.

"Shu needs his space..." Ikeda walked between them. "Something really bad has happened to one of us, like really bad, trust me... You can't interfere, just give him some time, it's too personal."

From the cries of An and Ikeda's words, they made their conclusions. The person An cried over was gone and that someone was Gakushu's friend. Someone who was very close. It was true but not in the way they expected.

When Gakushu came back, he was more reserved than he ever was back when he was in the main building. "I'm going back to bed." He said to the worried teachers as he dragged himself in the warm confides of his bed.

No-one commented of how red his eyes were.


Gakushu was dragged into the staff-rooms and into the hallways of the Department by Gretel through the use of the Door in the late of night. Reapers passed by with a second glance, as they continued onto their work, their assignments, their shifts or usual respective routine. It was as if Wolfie or Tae-sik hadn't ever disappeared in the first place.

He wanted to lash out, crying out that Wolfie or Tae-sik was gone and nobody batted an eyelash. His heart was in a raging war, tugging through so much emotions. Despair, anguish, anger, sadness, bitterness.

Gretel decided for the pair to head to her bedroom for better privacy. No words were spoken to each other as they walked, no words spoken when he entered into her room.

"Gakushu, I know this is your first time. Believe me, I know it hurts so much... I felt the same way when a dear friend of mine deserted us." Gretel softly said as she closed the door behind her, Gakushu was shocked for the second time tonight, he never had even heard of this story from any of the reapers.

"You probably would had never heard of him, he vanished a month into when I became a main senior for Noct."

"Eventually, he was forgotten by the Department because of the messes we had to clean up because of the Undertaker..." Gretel weakly smiled as she dived back into the past. It was big news then but no-one seemed to care, why should they?

"Even back then he didn't have much of a presence. He mostly talked to me." She leaned her back on the door, her arms crossed over her chest and she shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I had forgotten about him, I couldn't even remember his name anymore... I remembered this particular memory because I found out you would had experienced the same as I did then."

'Liar.' Gretel's inside voice said back.

"It's the same for An, she lost a mentor and a brother, I think he was named Peter something of the American Branch. Cute guy, kind-hearted like An. It broke her heart 16 years ago when he suddenly disappeared without question." Gretel commented. Gakushu couldn't help but be even more shocked, An, Johnny, Mark nor James never talked about any of this. The girl slowly walked to her kitchen, she took out a small orange box that said T2 at the front, a plain teapot and two china cups.

"The other one, his name was Yuzu. He disappeared two years before Peter."

'So it wasn't a single person…' Gakushu grimly thought.

"Ivan knew a girl as well, Anka from the Polish Branch you ever wonder why he never picked up a junior?" Gretel asked as she filled the kettle with water.

'Not particular… it never crossed my mind…' Gakushu thought.

"She deserted from the Department, it was roughly 37 years ago that she suddenly disappeared. He was her main senior." And with that, Gakushu immediately felt guilt-ridden.

"It was the opposite for James, he lost his main senior 15 years ago."

"Is this… common? How much did I missed?" Gakushu shakily asked. He though back, how he found out about the existence of the Mental Ward when a friend of his screamed for a child that never existed. He realised of how little he really knew of some of his friends.

"That was partly our fault, we wanted to give you some resemblance of a childhood and slowly introduce to you more of our ways of the Department." Gretel poured the tea-leaves into the pot. "But eventually, it comes back, reminding us, that it will always be there, no matter how much you hide it."

"But cases like this aren't uncommon, you must remember that. You will hear a case pop up occasionally here and there. Throughout my years, I have seen well over a hundred desertions, I probably missed another hundred more." She sadly smiled as she heated up the kettle

"You just don't bother counting anymore…" She watched the small flames.

The Undertaker was the most infamous case of all in our history since the creation of the Department." The short haired blonde reaper explained, it reminded the strawberry blonde of the day when he first found out the purpose of the Ward was for. The normalcy of it all, like how everyone just accepted it as a part of life in the Department. And it will always will be.

"What are you trying to say?" Gakushu asked. He heard the tea-leaves shifting around from her spoon into the teapot.

"Strive forward." She stated, she didn't turn to face the strawberry blonde boy. "This has always been in the Department, we continued forward and continuously worked for our forgiveness."

"Don't try to understand why they became seceders. That is the job tasked to those assigned to find out and to search for them. If they come back, you can ask them then."

"Why do you think we never talked about their experiences?" She asked a question that Gakushu couldn't answer.

"Gretel, has those deserted been caught by the Department?" Gakushu asked, almost solemnly.

"For many yes, but for the Undertaker, for the very few... They were never found." Gretel paused, as if to find the correct words to say next. "They... I guess they never wanted to be human again. That is the reason why I stayed in the Department, as for everyone else. "

And the kettle hissed. Gakushu cried as emotions forced their way out.


"This has always been in the Department, we continued forward and continuously worked for our forgiveness." Gretel words echoed on as Gakushu sat alone, blankly staring by at the passing scenery. He woke up from relieving a memory from yesterday.

He felt something warm lay on him. It felt comforting, especially during this time of pain, he fluttered his eyes opened to see a familiar person over him. Hazel brown hair, brown eyes warm like the comforting rays of the sun stood over him.

"… Ren?" Gakushu whispered as he slowly drew out from his sleepiness. "Is that you?"

"H-Hey." His hazel haired friend stuttered, he reconciled a bit in panic and before he took a step back, Gakushu grabbed his wrist. It was out of mere instinct, some form of contact, anything to comfort him. One of those contacts was Ren, his mere presence had brought Gakushu smiles and warmness.

Gakushu knew that he was being selfish, that he was being clingy, but couldn't he allow this one moment before it will be taken away from him. Running away from him like Wolfie, or by going in the other path when Ren will eventually die that Gakushu couldn't walk to.

'Just this one moment…. Please…' He told himself. They told in silence, Gakushu unmoving with an unreadable expression and Ren with unsureness.

"Gakushu?"

Gakushu blinked, with a blank stare he looked up to Ren's brown eyes and took in the uncomfortable look on the other's face.

"I…" The words Ren managed to chock. He hoped to the heavens that he wasn't having the face of a bright red tomato.

'Please don't go…' Gakushu thought to himself but he hated seeing his friend uncomfortable at this gesture.

'You're doing this.' A voice called out to only Gakushu.

'… I'm doing this.' The strawberry blonde berated himself, cursing himself for making his friend feel so uncomfortable.

He flinched and Ren felt the hand around his wrist started to shake before it gradually loosened. "Sorry…" The boy whispered, he lowered his head down as if he was trying to hide the shame he felt. For reaching out, for some comfort, some form of help. He clung the blanket around him more tightly, and drew his arms closer to his chest.

'No, that isn't right.' Ren thought and berated himself for allowing Gakushu to misread the situation.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?" In other scenarios, Ren would had exploding and asking himself that he should had gotten his feelings in check. However, in this case Gakushu looked so small, so vulnerable and it reminded the older male in the room of his younger self.

"Okay." Gakushu softly worded.

Ren shuffled over to sit by the strawberry blonde, he helped himself with the blanket as the two were now covered by it, from just below of their heads and draped over their laps. They sat in a somewhat comfortable silence, the two waited for the other to speak first. The scenery by the window rushed by in a blur.

Ren decided that he might as well walked the plank and started the conversation first. "You're alright?"

"Yeah, maybe I just need some days to clear my head." Gakushu answered. "Can we talk about something else? Something distracting?

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?"

Gakushu pondered for a moment, for any innocent question. "Why do you like poetry? What got you started?" He had always wondered, he wanted to know how Ren received that passion in his soft and warm hazel-brown eyes that lightens whenever he spoke a passage from Brecht or from the Prussian Memoir.

"I… I always had an interest since I was young, but I only took it seriously when I was seven. After I got the second-hand book of the Prussian Memoir." Ren explained. "Maybe it's because of interest, or maybe it's some form for redemption for me."

Ren paused as he mentally trailed back on his words, he thought hard on those words and knew how much it spoke volumes about him. And he knew how deductive Gakushu was.

"… you lost someone." At Gakushu's tone, it sounded more like he was asking a question. Ren couldn't help but gently smiled at the smaller boy.

'Sharp…'

"Yeah, I have." Ren shared that one secret he had hidden away since he came to Kungigaoko town. He might as well give him this, it was only fair after Gakushu opened up to him. "She was like a mother to me. I even called her mum once when she picked me up from school."

"I'm so sorry." Gakushu felt so emotional today, it was reasonable after going through the emotional rollercoaster last night. He wanted to cry. But he also wanted to cry and apologise to the hazel haired boy, for making him remember such a horrible memory.

"I'm sorry." He felt some tears began to well up in his eyes, he drove closer to his friend and drawn by his warmth. This comfort that speaks to Gakushu's desire for this same warmth from his father.

Although Ren beat him to the punch and attempted to remove his worries. "Nah, don't worry about it. It has been eight years."

"Still, it must had hurt." Gakushu muttered.

"Not as much as before." Ren shrugged, yeah it hurt especially when you had to take anti-depressant pills to help cope with the loss. But he felt completed now, whenever he was with Gakushu, even when there was an underlining sense of guilt for using him this way.

Gakushu froze when Ren used his hand to wipe away a single stray tear, he glanced up and violet orbs were met with hazel ones. He looked to Gakushu with a kind but yet sad expression,

"You can grieve, you are allowed to do so, take from me. Call me when you want to talk."

'Sharp.' Gakushu slightly smiled and Ren felt that he had won something.

"I will try." Gakushu whispered.

Gakushu slowly moved in and leaned over Ren's shoulder, Ren froze and became rigid. He burned like a thousand suns when he felt Gakushu hand creeping into his own. "… Ren, do you know what you were my first friend… at least around my age."

"… I am?" Ren was pleasantly surprised. "But what about everyone from La Morton?"

Gakushu smiled. 'You would be surprised of how much older everyone was.' He shook his head. "You were the first."

"You were the first friend I made when I moved to Kungigaoko Town. If ever, you're the first friend I made ever, that was at least around my age." Ren laughed as he confessed, he felt his face burned for a bit.

"Actually, before I met you… I only had three friends. All older than me." Ren awkwardly laughed as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"Ren… I will be leaving soon." Gakushu said. The first will be when he heads off for Weston College, the final will be in next couple of decades. 'You deserve so much more…'

'Ren deserves so much more.' A voice rang, whispering close to only Gakushu's ears.

"Yeah, Gretel told me about it."

'What?'

"Told me that you would be suited in the Sapphire Owls, something about of the blue bring out your eyes." Ren laughed.

'Oh, that makes sense."

"Although I imagine that you would go to Russia." Ren thought out loud.

"Why?" Gakushu asked with confusion splashed on his face.

"It is a country dominating in ice-skating." Ren answered as if it was the most obvious thing.

"It's more of a hobby." Gakushu laughed, his laughter was infectious as Ren was caught along with it as well. "That likes me going to France because I like to bake."

And Gakushu grasped at Ren's hand more tightly. The train ride felt too quick in that moment. "Then do you mind waiting for me?"

Ren leaned more to Gakushu, their heads touched together. "Of course, I will! Even if we won't see each other, we will always be friends." Ren passionately declared.

"I will wait for decades to come." Ren said before he yawned.

"One poem before we go to sleep?" Gakushu asked.

"Give me a moment to process my mind-bank. What about Brecht?"

"Rin likes him." Gaksuhu offhandedly said. He like the Ren's chest went up and down as he took a moment to breathe before he spoke.

"On a certain day in the blue-moon month of September

Beneath a young plum tree, quietly

I held her there, my quiet, pale beloved

In my arms just like a graceful dream.

And over us in the beautiful summer sky

There was a cloud on which my gaze rested

It was very white and so immensely high

And when I looked up, it had disappeared…"

Gakushu chuckled, he hid his face in his friend's shoulder. "You cheat, that was exactly from the Lives of Others movie. You didn't even say it in German." He glanced up to catch the cheekiness in those brown eyes.

"A poem is a poem, still count." Ren said before he let out another yawn.

And the two peacefully slept in that position. Nagisa thought that they shouldn't be disturbed when he and Karma passed by. Of course, not without taking a photo for keepsake.

Not when Gakushu smiled as he slept.


"So, you are meaning to tell me that man wasn't always the heartless bastard we all know about." Mark repeated Antonio's words, he thought he misheard or misunderstood everything of what the Spaniard just explained.

"Yes, it is as you said." Antonio muttered with a sad sigh. "Everything he kept of Gakushu, photos and trinkets was kept was locked under his desk. In good mint condition as well too."

The tanned Spaniard showed a copy of a photo of Gakushu when he was a baby, the small babe was held so affectionately by Gakuhou who was crying tears of happiness.

Mark looked like he was slapped, Rilliane almost dropped her coffee mug, James whispered 'Jesus' under his breath and An sat by at the table quietly and looked to burst into tears once more. Gretel was uncharacteristically quiet and Arthur was as usual by her side.

"I have also interview these two, they were former students before he created his current school." Ivan placed two photos on the table, a man and a woman, with writing underneath, Nakai and Mori. Then he slowly placed down another photo that sent shock to the entire room, aside from Arthur and Gretel.

The third photo was five persons; Gakushu when he was five years old, Gakuhou back when his dark brown hair was unkempt and a face of a father as he happily carried his son in his arm, he and his father were smiled as wide as they could. The other two were the younger Nakai and Mori. And finally, the last person; pinkish eyes and dirty blonde hair, Ikeda.

The black-haired Russian, whose hair resembled a bird's nest took a pause to allow everyone in the room to process this new-found data. An slowly picked up the photo of the young Ikeda and she traced her finger where her junior was.

"From what the two had told me, Gakuhou Asano taught Ikeda to be kind back when he was only a teacher in a cram school." Ivan explained further as he flipped though his notes. "It was a more reasonable teaching, very good-hearted and almost a complete replica of that Korosensei fellow's teachings."

"Ikeda was often bullied in high-school by members of his basketball club and couldn't defend himself due to being too kind, three years into high-school he committed suicide." Ivan read out the information at the time only An knew, she only followed of what Ikeda asked when he first woke up in the Medical Ward. That he started anew with only his name, and even then he discarded his last name, Rikuto.

"From what we concluded." From what Ivan and Antonio deduced, the Russian concluded. "It led to him to believed that he raised his students the wrong way and decided to raise them to become 'strong' instead of 'good.'"

"He was too nice to his bully, he couldn't fight back therefore-"

"It was weird to think that five-year-old Gakushu is almost like reaper Gakushu. His habit of hiding under people's shirts when he was scared, his sweet-tooth, and the shyness." James whispered as he went through a copy of Ivan's findings.

"And how even after his death and losing all of his human memories, Ikeda have some walks around the school for some alone time and still retain his interest in basketball. Possibly a left-over trait?"

"Yes, now that we are talking about him. What about Ikeda?" An spoke up but she did not dare to lift her eyes up from her lap.

"Yeah, it would be a shock for him, I mean being a student to the man we thought we should be hating for the past four years when in fact he loved his son and went through a really wrong way of protecting-"

The Australian reaper gently shook her head. "No, look even deeper than that."

An was met with silence and confusion. She eyed to the quiet Gretel, she knew that the blonde reaper knew of what she was talking about. However, it seemed that the Australian reaper would had to explain it to the group.

"Okay think of it in this way, why did Gakushu Asano commit suicide?"

And with that, An's words made everything clear as crystal. As the revelations came to their heads, dread came and filled their mind. That was easily shown in their faces, especially on Rilliane. The mix of dread and despair contorted her expression as he gasped.

"Fuck." Antonio whispered to himself as he slowly sank into his chair and covered his eyes with the back of his palm. "He did so to escape for an 'unloving' father, he couldn't take it anymore so he ran away where that his father couldn't catch him. From the emptiness in his life…"

"But by going with this new narrative, Gakuhou mentally snapped when his student committed suicide and he blamed himself… As you would expect, nobody in their right mind would want to go through that experience ever again."

"And imagine this." An softly said and yet she tightly cupped around her mug. "Your son, your only son who was barely five at the time of Ikeda's suicide."

She choked for a moment before she forced herself to finish her sentence. "Little Gakushu who was described to be a ball of sunshine, so innocent and so happy. You can see how much the man loved him with how Gakuhou cried when he first held him."

"If I did this to Ikeda, this could happen to Gakushu as well. Dear god, this could happen to Gakushu…" Ivan continued with her trail of thought.

"So he change his ideas for his son… his meaning behind being strong, was to be able to face that harsh reality because Ikeda suffered and eventually snapped from the bullying." Rilliane gasped. "If I treat my son the same way I did with Ikeda, he'll end up like Ikeda."

"Oh my god, from a loving kind-hearted man to the emotionless rock of today. He only wanted to prevent another Ikeda incident." James whispered as he leaned behind the wall, his knees felt like they were turned to jelly.

"Losing him would had paralysed him." Mark added. "I wouldn't know what I would had done in his shoes."

"But instead of saving him, he had Gakushu turned to the Department's doors." Gretel finally spoke out and reminded what Gakuhou accomplished in the end. "Gakushu Asano committed suicide because of his father. A father who only wanted to protect and save his son, he only pushed Gakushu to his unforgiveable sin that fateful day four years ago under the brilliant orange as the sun-set."

"In the end, he just ended up repeating the past."

"This is fucked up." Mark fists on his of his sides clenched. He felt the bile in his throat that threatened to spill over, he quickly and urgently covered his mouth. "This is so screwed up."

Arthur remained silent in this entire conversation, his face however told a different story of how it was contorted with despair.

"And imagine if Ikeda or Gakushu finds out about this?" An asked to no-one in particular.

"Ikeda in some ways…" An didn't stopped the tears from falling down, she didn't bother to wipe them, as she lost her strength since yesterday.

"Became the catalyst to Gakushu's suicide."


Dressed in black double-breasted hooded coat with its hood up, buttoned to the waist down, underneath was some military-styled white cargo pants. Matching this were some black boots tucked in and black leather gloves. As Gakushu was doing his rounds as he surveyed his hometown for souls, he stopped to look up at the house he once lived in for the past 15 years.

He stood there in silence, unmoving as he stared to the house. He didn't know what to think of it, he had almost forgotten that this house existed for a split second.

"Hey Shu!" Ikeda came from nowhere as he dug his gloved hand to that strawberry blonde mop of hair and he definitely heard Gakushu yelped. His smirk deepened. "Finished your work as per usual?"

"Goddamn it Ikeda! It's Shu!" Gakushu yelled as he tried to pull away from the man's hand. Ikeda couldn't help but smile as he helped to distract the strawberry blonde from what happened earlier.

"He must be working late again…" Gakushu muttered to himself as he looked up to where the Chairman's office was, it was still lit even in this time of the night.

"Want to go egg his house?" Ikeda chirped with hands on his hips. "I'm sure Hoshino can give me a discount on eggs. She might give them for free since this is that man's house." Gakushu shook his head.

"Ikeda, I need to get onto my shift." He whispered, Ikeda hoped that Gakuhou better gave his thanks to his son after the strawberry blonde save the house from being covered in eggs.

"Well alright." Ikeda mused and sighed, he leaned a bit back as he combed through his own hair. "I thought you would have already finished, you usually finish around this time."

"I have a double shift." Gakushu muttered as he walked around from the once he called home on a technical sense. "I need to do some catch-up work."

Gakushu didn't like the look on the man's face, that infamous cheeky shit-eating grin. And then there was a small black booklet in his hand. Ikeda was skimming over the pages, Gakushu checked his pockets. "You got to stop doing that!"

"Hey, you didn't kick me in the ribs." Ikeda laughed as he chucked back the collection booklet. "That's an improvement."

"You didn't steal my sweets. Consider that as your get-out-ticket to a one-way stop to the Medical Ward with broken ribs."

"Gretel is having a meeting over at the Lyrics place, so she asked if I could come over to your house." Gakushu grumbled. He wasn't happy that he had to stay over with Ikeda for the night, he would go to his room in the Department but after two certain desertions from two close friends, An, Rilliane and Gretel collectively agreed for Gakushu to be looked after by Ikeda for a time-being.

"Pfff, that's not a problem for my little Shu." Ikeda waved him.

"I'm not little!" The strawberry blonde yelled into the man's ear. "And my name is Gakushu!"

"Remember that time in the train back in the Department, you used my arm as support when there weren't any seats left and you couldn't reach up for the straps?"

"I was 10 that time!"

"So, what's the meeting about? I got kicked out too." Ikeda asked as he swung his police baton that was his reaper weapon over his shoulder.

"Honestly, I don't know too, maybe it's about Wolfie? If it was about Tae-sik, maybe you could had been in there." Gakushu shrugged his shoulders before he wall-jumped to the roof of a building. Ikeda effortlessly performed the same. "Or maybe it is one of Gretel's matchmaking sessions."

"Probably." Ikeda worded as he stood beside Gakushu, the strawberry blonde sat by at the ledge of the building with his legs casually kicking into the hair. The boy took out his collection booklet, skimming through the profiles with complete stamps and finally to one yet collected. On his right hand was a black smartphone that which acted as the boy's light source.

"Wouldn't that mean that they are talking about one of us?" Ikeda asked, "Or worse the two of us."

"Yeah, because your advances to Ana are very subtle." Gakushu sarcastically droned. He smirked at the man and Ikeda looked as if he knew what to say next to wipe off that smirk.

"Yeah, like your crushing on the Poet kid." Gakushu chocked on some air at Ikead's words. No, it couldn't be… "His name is Ren right? Nice guy, I can see why you have the hots for him."

'He knows, dear god he knows!' Gakushu internally screamed. "I have no idea what you are watching about. Have you forgotten that we are just friends" He huffed and went to pretended to focus on his booklet… Why did his right hand feel so empty? He gasped at it and there was nothing…

"Explain to me why you have a picture of him sleeping as your phone background?" Ikeda hummed and whistled as he went through the boy's phone. "I got to admit, it is a good photo."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! You got to stop doing that!" Gakushu yelled in a madding blush as he leaped up and tried to reach out for his phone. The strawberry blonde cursed his height and Ikeda's towering height, the other man laughed into the night as he put the boy's phone just high enough from his reach.

He would had kicked the man ribs, but there was a chance that Ikeda could go and tell Gretel. "I beg of you! Don't tell Gretel!"

"What! Of course, I'm not going to tell Gretel! I'm not that evil!" Ikeda yelled. Gakushu sighed in relief, one for getting his phone back and the other was for Ikeda's good deed of the day.

"So, tell me the story of about the picture?" Ikeda loomed over. "I definitely know that the other side doesn't know about the existence of this photo. Shu you can tell me."

Gakushu puffed up his cheeks as he turned around. Everyone around him had been saying that it wasn't healthy to bottle up his emotions and he should go talk about whatever he was feeling about. And as much as he hated to admit, he did trust Ikeda when he shared his secrets. The man had been his direct line whenever he wanted to talk about something personal. He didn't know why, but something about Ikeda felt comforting.

"Near the beginning of the year. After a few weeks since school began." The strawberry blonde started. "Ren was overworking, he was drinking a black in the morning and his coffee intake reminded me a bit of Rilliane's."

"Shu, nothing can be of the likes of Rilliane." Ikeda shuddered at that time when he was suffering through a 'meeting'. "One time when I was struck in one of those meetings, she drank 40 Cuban coffes… 40… do you know how strong those little kickers are?"

"Gakushu, that's why I said it reminded me, not 'it was like Rilliane.' Gakushu corrected. "Then when I found him napping the library, I couldn't help but… poke at his cheeks." He felt his face going red but Ikeda listened intently, as if urging him to continue on.

"Makes sense, a lot of people come to pinch your cheeks so you decided what it feels like under their shoes."

"Something was on my finger, like make-up, so I gently rubbed a bit under his eyes and there he had the dark circles. Turns out he had only two to four eyes of sleep." And Ikeda whistled in awe.

"And I thought he was cute- wait, handsome. Um, he was handsome. But! -The way he was napping was c-cute." Gakushu started to shyly stutter. His face quickly became hot as he erupted.

"Like cute-handsome? Handsome in general, but adorable when he does something considered 'cute'?" Ikeda tried to explain Gakushu's words. He was so tempted to pinch those het cheeks.

"I guess that works. I thought it was adorable when he was usually up with his flirting persona, so I took a photo." Gakushu explained, he scratched at the back of his neck and diverted his eye away from the older man. "Then I waited for him to wake up so I could give him a lecture of how he should look after himself.

"So, since when did you liked him?" Ikeda went straight for the kill.

"Since I first met him, but the feelings had grown much, ten-fold since I joined Class-E." Gakushu admitted in a nanosecond. Silence rained down to the pair, Ikeda watched as Gakushu's face slowly morphed into embarrassment and shock of what he just confessed. To his surprise however, Ikeda didn't take this as a chance for some light-hearted blackmail.

"Shu, you have to be very careful. As much as I want to encourage because you don't have much friends your age nor the strength of a friendship as you have with Ren." Ikeda looked to Gakushu's eyes, Ikeda's chartreuse phosphorescent eyes looking deep into his eyes.

"You have to be extremely careful." Ikeda softly spoken. "I would had been happy for you at the start of the year, but now… my head has cleared up."

"I know." Gakushu knew, the two were very different beings, each with completely different lifespans. "That's why… I will be content on seeing him be happy, that will just be enough for me."

"Good, although I was looking forward of having the big brother talk."

"… What?"

"You know, the 'how do you know that he won't betray you?' talk." Ikeda explained and Gakushu laughed.

"I trust him Ikeda, he has always been by my side."

"Well, to me it seems like he's a lady-killer. In just a few moments he can seduce anyone, and soon enough he'll run off." Ikeda worded his worries. "And it is you said, he has a flirting persona."

"I'll prove it to you then. That he won't betray me." Gakushu couldn't help but laugh as he played along with Ikeda's antics.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

The two watched as another woman got dragged into the back alley before being strangled to death by the Kungigaoko serial killer with bored expressions. At best, Gakushu popped a pink candy into mouth as he went back to his sitting spot and Ikeda looked over to his watch.

"Should be over soon."

As she struggled to breath, the hands around her neck gasped tightly as she fought for breath. Ikeda and Gakushu had a conversation about what they should do for the Christmas holidays and how they should help Gakushu on hiding his crush from Gretel.

"It's a cloudy night." Gakushu commented as he looked up to the dark skies.

"Yeah." Ikeda worded as he looked up to the night sky blanketed by the grey clouds.

It was another night for those in the Department.


Gakuhou stared down at his phone, Korosensei send him some photos of Gakushu, who wasn't smiling towards the camera but at Ren. A photo of the pair laughing together, a photo of the two ice-skating together and performing a well-made routine. He could easily see how much the pair care for each other, the blush on Ren's face as he sat close with Gakushu as they ate at a café. The passion and also a hint of shyness in his son's violet eyes as he glanced to Ren when the other wasn't looking.

Gakushu was a shy boy in the past, he could see that Gakushu still had a great liken to his sweets, just as when a young child. He still carried the habit of his eyes sparkling whenever he dove into his sweets, or whenever he was excited or extremely happy. Before that fateful that changed everything.

A picture of Gakushu in awe and waiting in anticipation as he stared down at a package of fireworks and firecrackers. A picture of Gakushu chasing after the man that bore a striking resemblance to a past and long deceased student.

He didn't miss the hate in that man's eyes the day when La Morton visited his school, the hatred in their students when he came into their view. The young lady in fashionable clothing and short bouncy blonde hair death glared him before Gakushu had to stopped her from attacking his father. He could easier see that the young lady had no qualms from doing so.

He remembered the policeman's words that day and he remembered the students of the visiting school snickered. "I recommend changing your education system a bit. I don't want any more dead kids being filed in."

They just don't understand, they don't understand why his system was necessary. Although he should feel anger, instead he felt more tired than ever as he lay on top of his office desk and blankly stared at photos of his son he saved over the years. When Gakushu won a tournament, or scored full marks for every subject, he took photos when the other wasn't looking.

'It was all worth it.' The man told himself. Even after Gakushu left his home, even after Gakushu was trying to cut ties with him and even through the hateful looks of his peers when they listened through his experiences.

'Even if nobody understands, even if you don't understand, it doesn't matter.'

'Even if you don't see me as a father, even if you had forgotten those days when I held in in my arms and how I wanted to cry tears of happiness for this gift.' His eyes felt heavy as the clock ticked by.

'Even if you will hate me… I don't care, as long as you are safe.'

He slept over on that desk. He has been doing that a lot since Gakushu unofficially left home for another, of how his friends from La Morton sneered and jeered at him on behalf of him or how Ren berated him over his teachings. He didn't care, Gakushu had other people to turn to and he needed to make sure that he was strong so that he… he won't be… so that wouldn't ever happen again.

That night, he dreamt of a field of daisies. He was back before the days of Ikeda's suicide, dressed in more casual clothes and his arm spread wide. He embraced a much younger Gakushu, one when he was three as he leaped into his father's embrace. On top of his soft strawberry blonde hair back when he described it as a bird's nest was a flower crown made up entirely of daisies.

"Daddy!" The three-year-old Gakushu cheered as he gave his father the most heart-warming smile as he offered up an offering of daisies. The man had always loved daises, they meant of innocence and purity, how fitting for his adorable son.

When he first held him when he was only a babe, he cried tears of happiness. Gakushu was the most beautiful being he had ever held in his arms. After his mother left for a younger and richer man, she didn't even try to fight for custody of their child, he didn't care as long Gakushu was happy as he danced when Gakuhou gave him his favourite slice of strawberry shortcake.

After Ikeda's death, it hurt him when the household was Gakushu crying out for his father only to learn to regress all his past memories when he realised his father wasn't the same man as before. How it broke his heart when Gakushu forgot how to smile truthfully. As his child got rid of the kind and adored father imagine he built in those precious five years, so instead he would be his teacher than a paternal figure.

He knew in that first year. He didn't comment as he stood outside of Gakushu's room as he was enclosed by the four walls and surrounded by textbooks and exercise-books. He did nothing as Gakushu silently cried as he went through his work. And the lifeful and innocent in his violet eyes diminished and replaced with the sullenness of grey. Replaced in his son's eyes was hatred, but also longing to him.

How he missed those days when Gakushu followed him to work without him noticing, it was a surprise to him one day and his three students when he suddenly appeared sitting beside of the young Ikeda during cram school.

"Daddy!"

Gakuhou embraced his son tighter in his arms, as if he was going to disappear if he let go.

A single tear escaped as he slept and yet there was a smile on this man's face.

A distant but loving memory of the past.