Chapter Nine

NEUTRAL POV

One of the benefits of being a talented assassin, was that Nagisa knew how to hide. Very well in fact. At this moment, he was more than relieved for this, as he bolted out of the hall with embarrassment, shame, guilt and anger weighing him down with every step.

In the background, he heard the sound of his teacher calling out to him, so he averted in to the side of his old school building, where he found a stairway with a familiar opening looking perfect for hiding. By some miracle, he was still able to slip into the shadows unseen.

When Irina entered the foreign place, she paused, taking in the dark, narrow surroundings before she called out once more. There was no reply of course, but she had faith in her abilities as an assassin. The woman slipped in, passed the stairs and the door to the rest of the building that would have likely been a distraction from his real position. But she knew her student well enough to know that he would choose hiding over running and went straight to the small section below the stairs, were a few broken lockers stood hidden.

"Nagisa?" She called again, though gentler this time, certain that he would be just past here. To her dismay, when she crouched down and peered into the shadowy darkness, there was nothing. A sigh escaped her, as she turned back and headed down the path into the rest of the building. Maybe she didn't really know her student that well after all? Or maybe he knew that she knew and that's why he did the opposite? Whatever the reason was, Nagisa wasn't here.

Or so she thought. Nagisa watched her from above the stairs, peering from a loose vent that lead to an isolated store-room turned projection room where he had spent a lot of time hiding in his past years at Kunigigaoka. The blue haired boy breathed out a shaky breath of relief, turning away to sink deeply into the stack of boxes and bury his head in his knees only after he had seen her leave.

Here he was again, hiding from bullies and his own problems. Had it really been three years since this had started? No, it must have been at least four and a half by now, yet here his was with the power to make it all stop, still cowering away as pathetically lacking in confidence as he had been back then.

It wasn't long before there was a flicker of yellow, and a tentacled monster appeared before him, speaking in a concerned voice. It wasn't long after that, that a surprisingly soft embrace curled around him, and the blunette was convinced to head back up the mountain to where the rest of his class was waiting.

Nagisa hadn't seen Karma for the whole day. He had been cheered up relentlessly by the rest of his classmates, but he felt a deep pit of concern in his stomach threatening to pull him in. He had been told about what Karma had said. Sure, he was glad he hadn't picked a fight with Gakushuu, as the boy was already injured, there wouldn't have been any question at who would be put in trouble. But what now?

Would the redhead be expelled permenantly? Would Gakushuu? Was he being interrogated right now? Maybe the Chairman, being the dark genius he was would somehow find away to pin the entire blame on him? He didn't know why he was so concerned, Karma was his friend, but somehow it was as if he was the one at threat right now, because what could cause the boy to be away for an entire school day!?

"Shiota," The blunette was so shocked he nearly pulled out his assassinating blade (not that it would have done much) when a black car stopped before him. His eyes widened, before melting down in a fiery mix of emotions at the sight of Gakushuu Asano. He dared to show his face to him after today. He dared to call out to him so casually after that betrayal.

Pale blye eyes turned down in shame, unable to answer.

"The Chairman's staying back in school, I should take you home."

Nagisa couldn't turn down that offer. Really, he couldn't. He walked around and slipped into the back seat, saying a brief greeting to the driver as he kept his head down. For once, their roles were reversed, Nagisa was the one wanting to be out of there, and Gakushuu was the one looking down at him for acknowledgement.

The car started with a little hum, sending them off into their awkward, tension filled journey. About five minutes in, Nagisa's breath hitched when he heard that voice speaking to him.

"Nagisa...You don't hate me do you?"

The smaller looked up, hearing more weakness and vulnerability than he had ever heard in this boy's voice before. His heart raced, thinking that could be it. This could be what he had been waiting for, what years of bullying and manipulation had built up to, Gakushuu would finally come to a realisation and end it all.

"What you did was bad... but no."

Asano couldn't breathe when looking at those forgiving, caring eyes. They had so much hope for him it made him feel even more helpless. Worthless.

"Good. This is why I did it Nagisa, you're such a great friend, I know I can trust you not to cause any trouble for me."

You mean, not to fight against you? Not to stand up for myself?

Noticing the hesitation in the smaller's face, Asano reached out and stroked his hand down the side of Nagisa's smooth arm, starting just where he sleeve ended and trailing down to rest over his wrist. He would come back to him. He always did.

But this time, the bluntette breathed in a heavy sigh at the feeling. Not because the shivers were pleasurable. It was because he knew emotional manipulation when he saw it. He was sick of it. All this time, Gakushuu would complete this heartless actions that made Nagisa so excited, just because it would get him what he wanted.

"It was a worthy sacrifice, Karma won't risk having you exposed again."

The taller tilted his head to watch out of the window, not meeting the eyes that begged for him to look back at him. He thought that was all he had to do to win Nagisa back? He thought he was just that easy and expendable? No. Nagisa realised that he was worth more than that. Maybe Gakushuu had always somehow attracted his attention, but after so many years, it clearly wasn't returned. It was time to end it.

Gakushuu flinched at the warmth of the boys wrist suddenly being snatched out from underneath him. Confusion morphed his face into stress when the boy politely asked for the car to be stopped.

"Wait..Nagisa where are you going?"

The door had been opened, yet Nagisa refused to leave without delivering his message.

"You're wrong."

The voice spoke with a strength it had been lacking for so long, it's own user had forgotten it's sound.

He watched as the usually strong boys face flickered, letting out an accidental expressial of weakness; confusion and even desperation. Nagisa didn't let it phase him.

"W-What?"

"I've had enough of being used. Of being abused. You should be to."

In a moment, that hope of understanding had left, Nagisa's name was yelled out angrily, but before he could even take a step out, the door had slammed shut in his face.

Nagisa's back was seen through blacked out windows, hoisting his bag up into his grip and leaving Gakushuu.

"It makes me fucking sick to know how much of a failure you are!"

Despite his hands being bound against the leg of the desk, Gakushuu still struggled. He still fought desperately against the leathery restrains and tugged hard, trying to pull away so he could run somewhere far away.

He felt broken bones being broken further, he felt internal bleeding and exerted muscles exhausted from fighting as he was beaten.

At times like this, he was glad he was facing the other way, as he was usually forced forward so his father could see him all and check for any signs of weakness or insecurity. That's because times like this were usually to teach him some kind of lesson, but no, not this time, this time his father was just truly angry with him. At times like this, he usually had the power to keep back his tears.

Today, his throat hadn't been hit a single time, yet it felt as if he had been forced to swallow a brick from how many times he had cried out in agony.

"You know what would have happened today if you didn't have me? You know you would have been done. Don't you?"

There was no response through those gritted teeth, so he repeated his question with a harsh punch. That's right. He punched him. Maybe because he was too angry to take his time in thinking of a new method. Maybe because he really was fed up with him. Maybe because he wanted to hurt him more than usual, or maybe because he had given up caring about him.

The strawberry blonde's breath cried in a frail squeak, that told him he had damaged his lungs.
"I-I-I'm s-so-"

"Shut it." The man growled harshly into his ear, yanking him by the hair and slamming his face into the desk so hard it made the trembling boy dizzy.

"After today you could have put the whole school at risk. How childish... stealing footage like that...just because you can't succeed...makes me wish I could take my family name from you...Look at you crying like that...disgusting...pathetic..."

He had blacked out long before the man was finished.

When Gakushuu woke up, he didn't feel better at all.

He didn't smell the scent of medicine and antibacterial, he didn't feel numb inside and slightly itchy from uncomfortable hospital sheets. He's in his own bed, and in enough pain to make him cry out a muffled whimper, turning to bury his face into his cushion only to regret his decision as a pang of pain forced him back to facing upwards awkwardly.

Of course. He couldn't be sent to the hospital so soon after his last attack. That would make his father look terrible, as he had only been dispatched so early only a whim since his father had made a promise to take care of him.

To take care of him...

More self-defeating thoughts weighed down on him that night. More dark, desolate, unloved memories resurfacing, bringing warm tears over his face, blurry his vision of his dark bedroom and slipping his throat into yet another invisible choking hold.

Why was this happening to him? Why did the others at school get to live their lives so much better than his? What had he done to deserve this? What would happen tomorrow? It was sure that he wouldn't be returning to school for a while, but what about at home?

The situation had never gotten this bad before. His father really, really sounded like he didn't want him anymore... Maybe he was still angry? Maybe he only stopped because it was pointless with Gakushuu asleep? Maybe he would be beaten again as soon as morning came? How badly had he messed up?

C-Children made mistakes, that's how things were, why did he have to pay so much for this? When would his mother come home and end this all, why was she always away at the worst times..?

Why was she never really there for him? Why was nobody? Why did nobody care about him, sure, he was strong, but the strong could be weak at times as well... that was right, he did have someone. He had someone that despite his low status, respected him and treated him better than anyone had, and he had messed that up too. That person was long gone. And now look at him. He was alone.

In the end, fear kept Gakushuu up until the sun rised. He kept his cries low, so the monster down the hall wouldn't be awoken. When his pale, red eyelids eventually forced themselves closed as his breath hiccuped every few seconds, what appeared in his dreams had been Nagisa Shiota. The boy who had been strong enough to turn his back on what was making him unhappy. To end the abuse. The boy who he realised he had always needed deep down.

When he woke up, it was mid afternoon the next day. As his father coldly spoon-fed him his dinner, telling him about all the lies he had been forced to tell at school because of him, one question lingered on Gakushuu's mind.

Would he be strong enough to do as Nagisa had done?