"Kitsuna!"

Yui ran to greet her friend, after a long week and a half of her being absent. She froze mid-run though, getting no reaction whatsoever when she called out. Daichi joined Yui, feeling a strange dread wash over him when he saw Kitsuna. Dread, where it should have been relief or joy. The girl's face was darker than usual, as if no light whatsoever reached her eyes. She wore leggings today, and there was a bandage on her arm. The bruises from her fight were faded, but still visible. Some looked more fresh than the others, but Daichi shook his head and bumped Yui forward. Only once they were within arm's reach did Kitsuna look up at them.

"Oh. Hi guys," the girl tried to smile, but her lips quivered and her voice broke. Her brow furrowed, and she looked straight down at the dirt.

"Kitsuna?," Yui reached out, hesitating when the other girl flinched, then placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"..gone," Kitsuna's voice cracked again, and the other two only heard the last word.

"What?," Yui wasn't following at all. She pulled back, trying to get a better look at Kitsuna's face.

"Yui," Daichi brushed her shoulder. Yui looked up at him, and felt a wave of panic at his dour expression.

"You walked today, didn't you?," Daichi asked gently. Kitsuna shook her head, and he made a painful connection with her affirmation. He reached out, pulling his friend into a hug. Yui reached out, not fully understanding, and yelped when a teacher called out to them.

"You there, you're late! The principal wants to see you!"

Daichi released Kitsuna, who wiped away the tears that stained her freckled cheeks. Kitsuna started toward the door, and her friends followed her to the office. The teacher tried to question them, but the looks on everyone's faces silenced her. Yui finally spoke up, tugging on Daichi's sleeve.

"What's going on? Is it that?"

"Ah. Probably. But also," he glanced at her, thinking things over.

"Also?," she raised a brow and pouted at him. He was keeping secrets again, and she hated that.

"There was an accident the week before last. Friday. I saw it on the way home, the car. There was a fire, so it was hard to tell what the car was before. But I saw a handkerchief on the ground," the boy reached into his pocket, fishing out a dirty and somewhat burned handkerchief. One that Yui recognized in an instant, and her face fell hard. She took it in her hands, tracing the burns and the stained blood she had dabbed up with it nearly two weeks she could say anything else, the door opened and their friend shuffled out into the hall.

"Kitsuna-!"

"Sorry. Um," she fidgeted with the hem of her uniform's skirt, then glanced over at them. Her eyes were less dead than before, but still a terrifying sight. She pointed down the hall, signaling the others to walk with her to class. They exchanged a glance, then stood and walked down the halls just behind her. Slowly. Stopping just around the corner from the the second year classroom Kitsuna belonged to.

"There's," her voice caught in her throat again, and she took a deep breath. "There's a service, this weekend. From 6-8. I'll be there around 7, probably."

She turned and entered the classroom, apologizing to the homeroom teacher weakly before sliding the door closed. They knew the meaning behind that, and their spirits deflated even more. Yui's disheartened expression was rough, to say the least. Daichi ruffled her short hair before she entered her classroom, and she smiled weakly at him. They spent the rest of the week watching Kitsuna, but there were no other outward signs of her mourning. Instead, the girl was fully engrossed in her studies. Nothing else. She didn't even retort back when some of her previous opponents poked at her. It stayed the same after the service, to the point that teachers were both grateful for the peace and worried almost as much as her two friends.

This behavior continued to worsen through spring. Any time there was a break in class, she put headphones on and wandered outside. Daichi wanted to have some faith in her, but he could smell traces of cigarette smoke on her clothes when she passed by. Yui noticed it, too, but wouldn't say anything. Summer was approaching fast, and with it a rising concern from Daichi's parents. For their son's state, of course. And Yui's. But more so for Kitsuna. The girl had retreated to their home quite often over the past summers, and during breaks from school. But they had hardly seen her at all since the beginning of the year. In fact, she actively avoided them in public if they crossed paths.

"Hey, Daichi!"

"Huh?"

He looked down at his younger brother and sister. They were staring at him with big wide eyes that were hard to resist, and tugging at his shirt.

"What is it? I'm gonna be late for practice," he smiled at them.

"When is Kitsu-nee gonna visit again?"

"She won't even look at us at the store anymore. Why? Did we make her mad?"

"Did you?"

"Hey now," he felt a nerve swell at that last remark. He squeezed his little brother's cheeks until he apologized.

"Really, though. How's she doing?," his mom asked. He released his siblings and looked away.

"Looks like she's lost some weight, but she's doing better at school," he answered honestly, and felt bad when his mom sighed and pulled the others back. He picked up his bag and headed out, spying his friend on the way. She was listening to music, oblivious to his staring, and sitting on a swing at the playground. Or he thought she was, but she turned and waved at him before turning back to her phone. She frowned, and put it in her pocket while pulling the headphones off a little. She walked over by the slide, kicking at something there.

"Hey, old bastard. Get up before some kids show up," she glared down at the ground. There was a grunt, then an arm swung out. She dodged with ease, snapping at the owner of said arm. Daichi's brow furrowed with recognition, and worry. Kitsuna glanced at him, flustered all of a sudden, before returning to her argument with the guy on the ground. Daichi wasn't sure how to react to that, and made his way to the school gym.

"Daichi, what's with that look?," Yui greeted him with a question when he entered the gym.

"Ah. I saw Kitsuna on the way here. Sorry, it's fine," he shook his head and greeted Yui properly.