So, this is going to be my last chapter of Last Avenger. Though, this is going to get rather elaborate, and as I promised, Rahul will live a life to be proud of. But first… he has to deal with school. Luckily, that won't be too hard for him.

Ryan POV

Rahul and peace weren't usually said in the same sentence.

And yet, here he was.

I sat down at my table, next to Rahul, and all I saw was… sorrow.

His eyes looked like they were tainted with blood, with how red they were.

However, most didn't notice as they walked past him, so I just pretended not to.

He continued to go on his phone, for some reason. Instead of playing a game, or trying to watch random youtube videos, he was texting other people. I was shocked.

'Who did he make friends within the months that he was gone?

He looked to be texting back and forth with someone, maybe in a group chat.

He chuckled slightly, reading through it.

'Damn it. He's not even your friend. Why are you so concerned about him?'

I couldn't answer that question, but I could turn away.

Eventually, the bell rang, and the students who were always late ran in after the bell.

Rahul usually would be the one to reprimand them about "Being on time" and all that, but again, nothing but silence.

I looked over at him, and he had put his phone away, with a… content yet focused look on his face. It was like he wasn't seeing the people around him, but at the same time, was ever aware of everything happening around him. Like… omnipotence.

'What the hell happened with Rahul?'

Before I could answer that, our teacher came in.

"Alright, everyone. Today we are going to be starting out with Significant digits. Now, can anyone raise their hand and tell me what significant digits are?"

Rahul was… infamous, to say the least.

He was, usually, the first to raise his hand, said a bunch of crap that made no sense, and could have been described in less than 10 words or less if he actually thought about what he said.

But… nothing happened.

I looked over at Rahul, and he wasn't asleep, certainly, but he didn't raise his hand.

Our teacher eventually picked someone else to describe sig figs and then moved on with the lesson.

Rahul didn't raise his hand a single time throughout the class, the one he was the most passionate about.

Almost everyone was waiting for him to do it, and for them to get extra laps, or have an extra homework assignment or whatever… but nothing happened.

While other teachers might have been annoyed, our teacher, who had us 2 years in a row, was relieved.

I was just confused.

'What happened in the year he was gone? I heard he was arrested for some reason, but that couldn't be right, could it? He's annoying, sure, but not a criminal.'

He was always strange, being himself… but now, he was a mystery.

"Uh, Ryan, what are you doing?"

He shook me out of my thoughts.

I focused back on Rahul's face.

I noticed… something I hadn't before.

Multiple scars and cuts were lined across his face.

His beard and mustache covered some of it, but not all of them, and the few I could see… were deep into his face.

'Was… he really arrested? Was that really why he was gone for a whole year?'

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

He touched alongside his face as if he were trying to find something that wasn't there.

"No, it's nothing."

He looked at me strangely, before he shrugged it off and just went back to the lesson.

Then, the assignment was given to us.

Like normal, he finished it alone, with no one pairing with him to help him.

He handed it in… like normal.

He sat down… like normal.

Then, while turning it in, he said something unexpected.

"Uh, Mr. Torrick… I'm sorry for my behavior last year."

I overheard him speak from his desk.

"Rahul, what do you mean?"

Mr. Torrick tried to act confused, but he failed to. He knew exactly what Rahul meant.

Rahul sighed, surprisingly.

"I… wasn't a good student last year. But… I'll at least make sure to make up for it."

Mr. Torrick smiled, patting Rahul on the back. Our teacher had an all knowing look in his eyes, as if he was in on something.

"It's alright, Rahul. Just go back to your seat."

He was handed something… and then a few minutes later, the loudspeaker called him down to the office.

He groaned at the mispronunciation, but packed his things and went.

He quietly left for most of the day… and I didn't see him in any other class.

I didn't know whether it was because I didn't share any other classes with him, or because he was gone for most of the day.

Most of the school didn't beat an eye.

Hell, if I hadn't known him for years, I probably wouldn't bat an eye either.

But everything about him was different.

He always slouched, now looking tall. He always was outspoken, being now more reserved. He always looked bored, and confused about everything. But now… he looked focused, like everything clicked for him. Despite all that, he held such a bleak look in his eyes, as if he was stuck in a constant hell, but wasn't able to share it with anyone.

That… wasn't Rahul.

'Why am I worrying so much about it? He's Rahul. I haven't even called him my friend in years.'

But still… I couldn't help but think about it in the hallways.

I walked around the long way to the buses, thinking up what it could be.

Why Rahul would be so different.

The only thing that happened when he disappeared was the blip. I thought he had disappeared as well, but he didn't.

Then, I passed by the rows of unlocked lockers.

Less than half our school was left, so all of the lockers were being opened.

It was for the families that had lost loved ones to the blip.

'Like any county or School project. Good intentions, horrible execution, and with little security, so things get easily stolen.'

While passing his open locker, I saw a picture of 4 people. I recognized their faces, and I saw another picture of unfamiliar faces. In the center, was a picture of him, his mom, his dad, and his sister.

Before I knew it, I was looking into his locker, looking at the few things he had inside. The only thing inside the locker was a matte picture within a tiny frame, and a note under it.

Curiosity made the best of me, and I quickly started reading it.

'Dear Family, I will make sure to become someone you will be proud of. Sorry for being such a bitch sometimes, but I want to make it up to you. Thanks for raising me Mom, Dad, and Mohini. I hope you guys are happy in heaven…'

By the end of the note… I felt my heart tightening with guilt. I shouldn't have gone through it.

'He's… lost his family? Of course he has.'

I was mentally kicking myself for not realizing that sooner. It was all in plain sight, and I couldn't even put the pieces together.

The picture of my own family... became heavy in my pocket.

I closed the locker quickly, just as he was about to come to his locker.

I walked away, calmly.

But I looked back at him opening up his locker.

Opening it he looked inside. Either he noticed that it was previously opened, and didn't mind, or didn't know.

He smiled, before closing it. He didn't take a single item out of his locker.

He speedwalked to the buses, like… a soldier.

'Soldier. That perfectly describes him.'

He was confident in himself, despite his loss. He had passion, but more focused. He knew what to do, and he knew what he had done wrong… and was trying to fix it.

As I looked at him, walking out at the last bell, I knew something.

The guy who was a literal stick in the mud, reporting everything from chewing gum to jokes, who'd always lag behind everyone, in basically everything, who, despite that, always acted self-righteously, and didn't care for anyone else's opinions.

He was pushing forward, even when his family was dead, and even when he clearly saw some shit that no one else had.

He… changed.

'If this stick in the mud weakling can push forward, and change… hell, I can too.'

I looked at the sky, as I left for the bus.

'Mom… Anthony… I won't let you down either. I'll keep moving forward.'

On the bus, that was the only thought that I had.

He probably shared that thought, Rahul.

Keep moving forward.

For what reason?

We would find that out.

And that's the last chapter I'll make for the Last Avenger. I've decided to split the main series into three, one for the prologue, which is the Last Avenger, the meaty stuff being Memories, and the final part still being given a name. Let's just say, this story is going to be very complicated, and is going to be the truly biggest crossover of all time.