September 5st, 2030

(POV: Third)

It was the dead of night in Tokyo. Only the power surging through the countless buildings, homes, cars, and street lights kept the city feeling alive. Most of the streets were empty yet many houses showed signs of life. It was easy to see that something was keeping each individual awake. What happened afterward was enough to determine that everyone was up due to a strong feeling of fear.

Alone in an alley was a young, tan man. He was completely out of place from the rest of the inhabitants. Unlike most people here, the individual only spoke English. The beast could tell as such; the man's cries of agony as his innards were ripped apart, strewn aside by blunt, yet seemingly sharp edges of a heavy blade. The dragon stared at the man as he watched the innards flick and twist around as blood continued to leave the to-be corpse.

The dragon's light-brown scales barely glowed from the lights next door. Screams were heard within one of the houses. The dragon looked over to the right to check if the coast was now clear. He withdrew his intense and large blade, stashing it away in a large sheath. His dark brown armor with golden lining was tainted by the color of shredded intestines and blood. He looked over to his comrade. The dragon towered over the young, pale man. The human's black hair seemed to reach over his left eye. He wore a black hoodie two sizes too big. His legs shook his blue jeans as he attempted to walk over to his Buddy Monster.

"… Demios," the man spoke out. "I think you went overboard, like."

"Don't act surprised," the dragon returned. "He was one of Kyoya's wenches. If I learned anything from my short time with Tasuku, it's that people who still carry Kyoya's old will deserve to … expire." Suddenly, the corpse coughed, exhaling the last bit of air within his system. The pale man's eyes widened as he saw the corpse jerk around. It was trying one last time to live on. However, as the pale man saw the corpse finally accept its fate, he couldn't help but fall to his back. Demios turned to his Buddy. "Right… it's your first time seeing an actual death."

"I was angry with him. He deserved it, but…."

"You're still new to the Purgatory Knights, Liam," Demios returned. He walked close to his buddy before kneeling before him. "I told you the path I'm taking. I want vengeance, and you told me that you were fine coming with me."

"Was this guy an asshole?" Liam calmly asked as he forced himself back to his feet.

"Let me put it this way," Demios replied slowly. "When I was with Tasuku, we secretly planned on betraying Kyoya. Now I need to focus on eradicating anyone who carries his old will. That pile of guts was one of them."

"Then I'll get over it," Liam replied. He managed to regain his composure rather easily. He walked over to the corpse as he put up his hood, hiding his face. Hace knelt in front of the body and began scanning it. "… Looks like this Fella doesn't have the deck case."

Demios looked the other way. "Another unfortunate encounter," he mumbled to himself. "… If we're going to eradicate the remaining Kyoya supporters then we need that power."

"Well, unless this fella somehow tells us where people get them, we're done here."

"I already interrogated him; he doesn't know." Demios turned his back to his buddy and kneeled downward. Almost as if it was on cue, Liam rushed up to Demios and leaped onto his back. The dragon sent an intense amount of force through his legs as he leaped proudly into the air. His intense wings, with only one flap, sent the two of them hundreds of feet forward in a matter of seconds. "We will definitely find one."

(POV: First)

Without much thought, I was staring at the ceiling of my apartment. A strong, calming sensation kept my body feeling at ease. On my cheap, wooden coffee table was an empty mixing glass. Curious, I looked to the left of it to see that the Svedka and Midori were still on the table. I was glad I did not knock them down somehow. Not like I'm careless with my alcohol, but I always want to make sure that I'm careful with what I spend my money on.

It was a Friday, the end of a workweek. I was now left to enjoy the weekend and take in everything that it could give me. With that came an appreciation of alcohol, for I normally drank a good amount of vodka once a week depending on what's going on. If I don't have something to do on Saturday then I'll simply drink, lie around, and possibly talk to old friends on Skype. My apartment, fortunately, was kept well organized by my sober self. The kitchen dishes had been put away, the wooden counter was wiped down to the point that one could see their reflection and shine, my clothes were in the drying machine; I made sure every little bit of my responsibilities were taken care of before I let my mind wander through the effects of alcohol.

Going on my laptop was not an option tonight; most of my friends were busy and some just wouldn't answer at all. Not too surprising, really; ever since I got my job I had less time to chat with my old friends. Alvis and Abigail do not really like my drinking so they normally just stay out of it when they can. They keep fearing that I'm a violent drunk when, in reality, I just lay around. Sometimes I watch television and laugh hysterically at, sometimes, the worst bits of comedy ever. My mind was still the same, but my body just felt heavier and slower.

I wearily licked my lips, tasting the remaining bits of alcohol, when I heard knocks at my door. My body, instinctively, tensed up. I pulled out my iPhone so that I could quickly look at my reflection. As someone kept knocking on my door I made sure that my hair looked alright while also making sure that there was nothing visibly wrong with me. The last thing I wanted was my boss to see me drunk, even if I was enjoying my off time. Either way, I got myself to my feet. I was a bit wobbly before I tensed my arms and legs.

Finally, I opened the door. Even when drunk, I was still surprised to see that Arkaid was waiting outside of the doorway. She looked at me, slightly tilting her head. Her eyes showed worry as she knelt in slightly to get a closer look at my face. "Your eyes are bloodshot! Are you alright? Is this a bad time to come?"

"… No," I respond slowly. "I'm just… enjoying my day off."

She sniffed the air as I spoke. "… Alcohol. Are you drunk?"

"Possibly, or just really tipsy," I replied back. Drunken courage or not, I simply stopped worrying about being too honest at this point. Normally, I probably would've lied to make sure that no one would worry about me. However, I decided to simply keep going with it. "It's a Friday; I'm done with work for the week, so I decided to drink until I felt the hit. Anyways, how did your speech go?" Before Arkaid could even interject, my mind and mouth continued to go on. "It's been a while since I've heard from you. Last I remember, you told me that you would try talking to me soon, or after you were done making that speech. It's been almost five days. I could only assume that you were busy or something came up. Either way, it's perfectly understandable."

Arkaid blinked at me. I couldn't tell if she was blinking in shock or feeling like she discovered something astounding. "… Are you… actually even drunk?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Your speech is a little slow, that no one can dismiss. However, you're able to keep a solid conversation with me, albeit with a bit of wobbling."

"R-Really the only thing that…" My mind paused for a moment. "…. Wow, I guess I go in and out of being well off and just being flat out incoherent."

Arkaid was trying to make sense of the situation. Finally, she simply sighed and allowed herself in. "Your friend Alvis gave me your address. I told him that I wanted to talk to you for a bit and that it was important." She sat herself down on the couch that I was previously sprawled across. She looked around the room, taking note of the white wallpaper. "It looks like you didn't even bother personalizing the walls." I nodded in agreement. In all honesty, I didn't even bother with room decoration; I just wanted to have a place to call home. "Didn't really expect you to live in this corner of New York City."

"I don't… like the city, really," I replied with an annoyed sigh. "But I like the job… or, at least I think I do." I pulled over a nearby chair and turned off the television. After placing the chair across from Arkaid I sat myself down, kneeling forward and placing my palms under my chin for support. "So I moved to the less populated side of town. Still, you didn't answer my question. How'd the speech go?"

"… It went about as you expected," Arkaid sighed morosely. She slowly placed her hands on her lap as she looked away from me. As she lowered her head forward, strands of hair motioned in front of her eyes. Instinctively, she brushed some strands away with her right hand. "One theory without much tangible evidence cannot overturn another theory that also lacks tangible evidence. Even though my theory was more descriptive, it doesn't change the fact that there's no point in making in the expected theory if there is nothing concrete."

"I'm sorry that happened."

Arkaid chuckled softly. "Don't be; you warned me and I didn't listen. In fact, my comrades in the Fifth Cavalry also warned against my actions. I didn't take their word for it."

"Why's that?"

"I love them, I really do, but they are not, how can I put this… the scholarly type."

"If only I was a scholar," I smiled sarcastically.

"Alvis told me you were a teacher before you joined the DMW," Arkaid replied back to me. She motioned her body to the right side of the couch before settling herself down again. She patted the spot on the left side. "I could tell you were sitting here. I'm sorry for interrupting your night."

"Ahhh it's fine," I murmured as I wearily walked over to the couch. I plopped myself back on it, soon lying back against the frame of the couch. My eyes were fixated on the ceiling once again as I stretched my legs out. "Just don't expect too much of me in this state. Still, I'm glad you stopped by."

"How could I not? I enjoyed the conversation we had outside," she replied. "Although we didn't completely agree, I liked talking about how you approached the issue concerning the usage of Core Deck Cases."

"Still, why are you trying to approach things scientifically when you use magic?"

"That implies I'm using your universe's laws," Arkaid smiled. "In the outside worlds, magic is also science."

"… Fuck, you got me there," I replied with a grin. I couldn't help but start laughing as I slowly slid off my couch. Arkaid grasped my right arm, stopping my descent. The sudden jerk made me turn to her instantly. "… Why are you here, exactly?"

"Hm?" Arkaid asked innocently. "Well… I wanted to confirm something. Anyways, Alvis told me that you know how to play buddyfight, correct?"

"Yeah, I do," I replied. "I have two completed decks."

"Okay, do you mind if you show me how much you know?"

"… While I'm drunk…."

Arkaid left the couch and sat herself down on the wooden chair I pulled over before. "I don't want you to feel like you have to sit here. I can tell you like the couch more anyways." She turned her face to me as she spoke. Her voice seemed to be a source of clarity while the alcohol in my system wanted to led me to a state of self-inflicted confusion and madness. However, my mind remained clear as expected. "Anyways, from what I can see, only your speech and movements are slurred. Your mind is still coherent. Besides … I don't really have anyone else to teach me."

By the time she finish her statement I was halfway across the room. Before I could even fetch the two decks my body froze. I looked to her, completely dumbfounded from what I had just heard. "How in the hell do you not know how to play?"

"I am a protector of the Fifth Omni Lord, Tenbu," she replied back to me. "I simply did not have the time. Also, whenever I did have the time, no one else was available, so I would often read."

"Bleh," I reacted drunkenly. After pulling out one of the drawers I pulled out the two buddyfight decks I owned. One was Legend World, a world that has beings that are eerily similar to the myths and legends passed around in old Folklore. It was their arrival that made us believe that the legends of the past were truly real, yet the beings must've fled back to their old world before coming back again. The next deck contained cards associated with Magic World. Beings that mostly utilize trickery, offensive, and the supportive aspects of the magical arts, whether they come from demons, wizards, witches, and many other unique species exist in this strange world. "To be honest, I was much more of a writer. When I taught literature, I mostly focused on the importance of certain key elements in storytelling."

"Interesting," Arkaid replied as I sat myself down. "Now, have you thought about teaching nonfiction?"

"I did, but it was rare. I had to find something that either supported the works I analyzed, which were often nonfiction, but the point in doing so was that the nonfiction often supported themes present in fiction. That's another thing I love about fiction; authors are able to interpret certain events happening in the past and present and apply such themes into their own stories."

"Thus, commentary is created depending on the legitimacy of the novel in question."

"Yep," I replied as I handed Arkaid the Magic World deck. "I know you're from Dragon World and all, but I figured it'd be at least more homely if you used a magic-based deck."

"I appreciate that."

"Now, follow along as I try to explain the rules," I began. "First things first, make sure that the Flag of each world is out of your deck, along with your buddy monster. Place them next to each other with your flag right in front of you. It shouldn't take too long to find your buddy monster; there should be five copies of it in your deck."

"I found them," Arkaid replied. She pulled the two cards from the deck and started shuffling it. "Dragowizard, Qinus Axia. I'm certain I've seen this card before."

I saw her hold the card to me. The dragon had a similar color of scales to Arkaid. In fact, their attire was rather similar. However, the dragon on the card had a larger horn and sported a fancy monocle. In addition to that, the outfit that the blonde-haired dragon wore looked like it carried a closer resemblance to a graduation gown as opposed to a wizard's cloak. "Yeah. Qinus is the mage class and Axia is the name of the dragon's species."

"I figured as much," Arkaid replied. "And you, from what I remember with my time with Gao Mikado, you place the flag next to the buddy monster card, essentially right in front of you."

My mind felt like it had an epiphany. "Oh yeeeeah," I instantly realized. "You and the other Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons worked with Gao, right?"

"Yes, that is indeed true."

"That's going to be helpful. Also, since you're a monster, I doubt I need to remind you that most monster cards have abilities with costs."

"Again, very true. I even know that variables such as gauge cards and life can be used up as resources to fulfill the requirements of effects."

"Understood," I replied in understanding. "Now, draw six cards and place the top two cards of your deck to the very left side of your board. Your cards should be placed horizontally and face down. This is your gauge zone. It acts as a resource of yours so that you can pay for ability costs." Arkaid nodded in understanding. Instantly, I remembered that I forgot to tell her that you need to shuffle your deck before doing anything like charging the gauge. However, I was sure that I saw her shuffle the deck after she searched for her buddy. "Also, before I forget, the buddy of my deck is Cait Sith in Boots." I revealed a card with the picture of gray cat sporting a red cap and cape. In his sword sheath was a rapier of some sort.

"Even though the kitten looks small and adorable, I cannot put my guard down."

"Before we start the game, I want you to pay attention to analyzing the stats of the monsters. The size is…. Is… oh crap, it's hitting me again…."

"Do not worry, Chase. I already know the different dynamics of it," she replied. However, even though she told me that she knew, I wanted her to restate everything she knew so that I could tell that she wasn't dismissing me to make me feel better. To be honest, the alcohol hitting me and numbing my mind only made me feel like I wasn't doing a good job instructing her. "The number on the upper left is the monster's size. On each player's field, which is composed of their own left, middle, and right circles, the normal size limit is three. You can put any number of monsters on the field as long as it doesn't exceed the size limit. In addition, the three numbers on the middle-left side of the card indicates the monster's attack power, critical, and defense power respectively, with the critical number determining how much damage is dealt to the player when the monster attacks them which, under normal circumstances, can only be done if the attacked player has their center open unless specified otherwise."

"… Why do I feel like you don't need me to teach you anything?"

"Oh no, you most certainly do, Chase Hallows," Arkaid hastily replied. "My short tangent contained about all I knew about buddyfighting. Those details are something that I inferred from being a part of Gao's buddyfights, that is all."

Based on the hastiness in her voice, I couldn't tell if she was being honest with me or she just didn't want to hurt my feelings. Why does she want me to teach the game? Does she just want to know how much I know? Regardless, I continued on. "Anyways, spells lacking such numbers are spell cards, which leave the field as soon as they are activated. Item cards have offensive and critical numbers, and very rarely defensive numbers too. You can personally equip them as an item so that you can actually fight alongside your allies."

"Oh, there's one last thing I remembered," Arkaid quickly spoke up. "Impact cards; they activate during the final phase, which is right before the end phase, or when one's turn is over."

"Right, and you can activate them as long as you fulfill the stated cost," I replied. "That should be everything you need to know in terms of the cards. Other than the fact that each player starts off with 10 life, the rest of the knowledge is gained through actually playing the game. So, are you ready?"

Arkaid held her hand cards closer to her face. After one, swift glance over them, she nodded. "Certainly."

"Alright. On three."

"1…. 2…. 3…."

In unison, we exclaimed, "Raise the flag!"

I took the initiative. "I fight for Legend World."

Arkaid eagerly replied. "And I fight for Magic World."

"Since I know the rules, I'll go first," I stated. "Each turn, normally a player can draw a card at the beginning of each turn. However, whoever takes the first turn cannot draw on the very first turn. However, you can still do a 'charge and draw,' which is when you take a card from your hand, place it face-down in the gauge zone, and draw a card to replace it. It is recommended that you do this every turn. In addition to this restriction, the person who takes the very first turn also can only attack once for that specific turn. So, I'm forced to do a quick Buddy Call." I placed a copy of Cait Sith in Boots on the center circle, protecting me in the process. The grey cat was a size 0 with 2000 attack power, 1 critical, and 2000 defense. "A Buddy Call can only be activated once per game. Because you called your buddy, upon tapping the copy of it in your buddy zone, you gain 1 life, bringing my life up to 11."

"Understood."

I appreciated the fact that she was learning the rules rather quickly. To be honest, I shouldn't expect any less from such an intellectual. "I just did that call to quickly show you how a buddy gift works. I'm not going to attack with a monster with only 1 critical. Instead, I call Carved Stallion of Dreams, Dalahast!" To the right circle, I called forth a creature resembling a red, wooden horse. The creature had 4000 attack power, 2 critical, 3000 defense and was a size 1.

"He has more defensive power," Arkaid pointed out. "Why would you put him on the right and the weaker monster in the center?"

"You'll see," I replied. "Also, upon calling Dalahast, I mill the top three cards from my deck, thus placing them in the drop zone, which is the discard pile for used-up cards. Now, I'll tap Dalahast to have him attack you directly."

"I'm now down to 8 life."

"Now it's your turn," I replied. "Don't forget that you can draw normally."

"Understood," Arkaid replied. "First, I draw, then … I charge and draw." She now has 7 cards in hand while also having the same amount of gauge as me at three. "Now I will do a buddy call of my own. I buddy call Dragowizard, Qinus Axia to the center." In order to summon out the monster, she removed one gauge card from her gauge zone in placed it into the discard pile. She placed the dragowizard in the center circle. The card had 2000 attack power, 2 critical, and 2000 defense power while also being a size 1. "My life is now 9. Upon calling it, I activate Axia's ability; I'm able to deal 1 point of direct damage to you."

"So my life goes down to 10."

"Next, I activate the spell card called 'Nice One!' After paying one gauge, I am able to draw two cards from my deck. Next, I will call another Dragowizard, Qinus Axia."

"So you used two gauge to bring out the two Dragowizards, and you used one gauge for a copy of 'Nice One.'"

"If you're worried about me using up too much gauge, there is no need. First, I activate the second Axia's on-call effect, bringing your life down to 9. Next, I activate the spell card 'Key of Solomon: First Volume.'"

"Ugh!" I groaned. "Such a good card!"

"It allows me to put two cards from the top of my deck to the gauge, bringing that back to two." She was piloting the cards given to her very well. Each of her moves were calculated and precise. I was about to call her out for using up too much gauge, but I had completely forgotten that she is able to fill up her gauge with cards such as First Volume. Needless to say, it was making me rather cheerful seeing Arkaid piloting the deck so easily after reading over her initial hand cards. "Now, I will attack your Cait Sith with the Axia on the left circle."

"He is defeated, but his skill activates," I replied. "I wanted him to be defeated so I could activate his milling skill. I put the top two cards of my deck into the drop zone."

"Why are you milling your own deck?" Arkaid asked. "Doesn't that make you lose cards?"

"This deck of mine is a combo deck that holds cards that activate certain effects depending on the amount of cards in my drop zone. For example, Cait Sith gives my weapon a boost in power depending on the amount of Fairy creatures in my drop zone."

"Hmm… so you're preparing for one great attack."

"Yep."

"Well, that's all I wanted to know." Before I could think of something to say in response, I noticed that she was starting to put the cards on her side of the field, including her gauge, back into her deck. I started rubbing my eyes so that I could see if it was the alcohol playing tricks on me for once. However, it was not the case at all; the scholarly blue dragon was placing the cards back into the deck, essentially ending the game. "You look bewildered."

"You just… we didn't play until one of our life points reached 0. I didn't even talk about the defensive spell cards that can be used to block stuff!"

"It's fine, I don't need to learn about that."

"But you said you wanted to learn how to play."

"Yes, and now I do, thanks to you," Arkaid replied. "You went over the important aspects of the game, which was kind of you. In addition to that, everything else is able to be inferred; defensive spell cards are spell cards that can be activated at certain times when being attacked. Everything else that I was unable to learn before was taught to me from you. By being able to teach me the basics, I was able to teach myself everything else that, like roots from a tree, sprouted from them, just like the defensive spell example I previously mentioned."

"… To be honest, I have nothing else to say to that," I replied with an easygoing shrug.

"Besides, I already knew how to play."

"… What?" My body just lobbed itself to the side as I let off such an annoyed groan. I heard Arkaid chuckling at the embarrassing display. Drunk me has no sense of dignity; I turned into a whining kid as I rolled off the couch and onto the floor. "UGH! Whyyyyyyy?!"

"I wanted to know how much of the game you understood," Arkaid replied back to me. She was having a hard time controlling her small fit of giggling as I groggily forced myself back to my feet. "I'm a little short on time so I couldn't necessarily wait for you to be sober. Knowing that you can think logically during a period of intoxication, I figure that you should be able to do much more."

"Ugh," I groaned in return. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"You can go relax; it's my fault that your period of relaxation was interrupted by me wishing to see you again."

"It's no problem at ….. all." The wave of alcohol had hit me once again. However, this hit was much different; it introduced me to a wave of drowsiness. Such a thing only made me want to sleep. Still, I didn't want to sleep while company was over. Call it something that I got from my father, but I did not think it was respectful to leave company hanging. "Just annoys me that you wanted to test me for something. Was there even a point to testing my… knowledge of-...?" I stopped myself; I noticed that Arkaid was looking at a rectangular object on top of the desk in the corner of the room. She slowly walked over up, soon grasping the object in her right hand.

She turned her head over to me. "You have a Core Deck Case?"

"Yeah, I do," I replied. "I…erm… I used to have a buddy, but she left because of some urgent matters in her own world. In fact, she was the Dragowizard, Qinus Axia buddy that you used in our game. I wonder how her brother's doing."

Her voice began to carry sorrow. "Oh…. I'm so sorry," she said woefully. "I didn't know."

"No-no-no-no, don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong," I quickly replied. I tried to rush over, but my sluggishness caused me to trip forward. Arkaid quickly reached out for me to try and stop my fall. Fortunately, I was able to stabilize my positioning rather quickly. Arkaid sighed with relief as I playfully chuckled in response to this foolish moment. I gestured for the Core Deck Case, which she was content in returning to me. "I remember the day I first got this thing, too. Someone from the Buddy Police gave me it upon getting my first buddy…. It shifted its appearance to fit my desire, so it became a sharp walking stick."

"A walking stick?" Arkaid asked. "But that doesn't sound like something you would need. You walk perfectly fine."

"The way I see it, I think it fits me perfectly," I replied. "But, to be honest, I don't think I'll get into that; I'm keeping you here long enough already."

"Actually, there's another thing I wanted to talk to you about. It involves why I tested you the way I did." These sudden announcements made me, instinctively, face Arkaid. I gave her my full attention as she continued to speak. "It's actually quite convenient for us since the Core Deck Case is already present. I have some … business here."

"Business?"

"Back when we first met, I told you that I was on Earth for a month. The truth is, the Cavalry Dragons are looking into finding buddies on Earth to enlist."

"E-Englist?" I pronounced incorrectly. Both the shock from such proclamations, as well as my drunken state, was making it difficult for my body to process things correctly.

"The incident involving Gao Mikado has made us learn that we should become more open. Gao Mikado didn't win against Yamigedo alone; he had our support as well as his buddy's. That was enough for us to truly recognize that the union between two buddies gives birth to new strength, and I was wondering if you would like to…, um…," she looked away from me. It was odd, seeing her this nervous all of a sudden. She seemed to be so proud, regal, and confident just before, but now she seems to be completely timid.

Regardless, I was able to put two and two together. "Yes."

"Really?!"

"Yes, I don't mind," I replied back. "I can help you find a buddy."

Arkaid blankly stared back at me, dumbfounded. "…."

"…."

"… Oh. OH!" I exclaimed. "You want ME to be the- okay. Blame the alcohol. Hell yeah, that's a yes."

Arkaid shook her head at me. One would think that she was disappointed, especially since one would imagine an adult to be more mature. I doubt she was expecting someone who liked getting drunk most Fridays. However, I could tell from her giggling, as well as her smile, that she found the situation just as comically ridiculous as I did. "Back to the discussion, this isn't just a buddy contract; buddying up with me means that you are allying yourself with the Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons. Since this is incredibly important, I believe I should tell you the more important details when you're sober."

"W-wait," I replied in a state of being antsy. "Y-you're already leaving?"

"I need to return to Dragon World so that I can inform Tenbu, then I'll come back. The process should take a day or two," Arkaid replied before exiting the apartment. Before closing the door she turned her head back to me. "I'll be back, I promise."

The sound of the door shutting shook my senses. Too many thoughts begin to race through my head all at once. My body was shaking. The alcohol tore open my exterior and revealed myself faults.

She became my buddy, and she's already gone?

She said she'll come back.

But what if she doesn't?

Unlike the others, she said she'll come back.

But why would she, though?

But she was so kind? We got along so easily?

That didn't stop the others from leaving.

Stop it.

"They had urgent matters to attend to."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Don't make me laugh!

You can't hide the truth forever.

Three buddies for life, gone, just like that.

They didn't even leave a note.

You can't hide the truth forever.

When will you tell them they just left?

Are you afraid?

Are you afraid of how they'd look at you?

"I wonder what CJ did to make them leave?"

"He probably abused them."

"I mean, one leaving is bad enough…."

"Three left him! Three! There's no doubt about it. He did something wrong."

What did I do?

WHAT did I do?

WHAT DID I DO?!

WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!

Before I knew it, I found myself balled up on the floor, crying, continuing to hope for her return.