As the day was drawing to a close, the air began gently cooling the outside. Loose, slightly reddened leaves started drifting in the chilling breeze. The sounds of the trees bending and bowing with the wind formed a gentle rhythm, soothing for all to hear. Naoto was sitting in the passenger seat of Gamo's car, his eyes shut, letting the sounds of nature wash over him. Besides him, driving with utmost caution, Gamo was chewing on her bottom lip, trying to make sense of the lives they were living.

This day seemed to never want to end, filled with turbulent ups and downs, joys and heartaches. But in the midst of it all was a man who was slowly coming to grasps with the fact that there was something truly rotten and unhealthy in his life. A cancer, which would forever claw away at his sanity. Or at least, that's how Gamo saw it. And she desperately hoped Naoto felt the same.

With somewhat glazed over eyes, Gamo turned into the road leading to Naoto's home. The moment her high beams landed on the building in question, two silhouettes could be made out against it. With a groan, the redhead turned her lights down.

"What is it?" Naoto asked, his eyes still closed.

"We're being awaited," Gamo explained with a low growl.

Naoto sat up straight, glancing out at the two outlines slowly approaching the driveway as they pulled into it. In the evening twilight, it was hard to properly read their expressions, but they definitely weren't happy. Gamo stopped the car, but didn't kill the engine yet. Instead, she subtly turned to Naoto, keeping her eyes on the steering wheel.

"I can back up right now," she said nonchalantly. "We can leave."

Naoto chuckled at that, only shaking his head. Gamo shrugged, finally turning the key to silence the car.

The artist opened his door and stepped out into the cold evening air. It wasn't the only reason why he was shivering just a little bit.

Nagatoro came running around the side of the car, stomping her feet way louder than necessary, to let him know how much she disapproved.

"Where have you two been!?" she huffed, her hands on her hips. Her face was beet red.

Naoto felt a sting in the back of his mind, as if someone was trying to jam a knife through his skull.

"Went to the doctors," he said, skirting around the rest of the explanation for now.

But before Hayase could even raise her voice, Hana took over for her, standing at the front of the car, looking between Naoto and Gamo.

"Unless Gamo-senpai had a serious injury that required surgery, there should be no reason for a simple visit to take that long."

Gamo, who had taken her time getting out of the car, now slammed her car door, making Nagatoro jump.

"We went to the doctors and then Naoto wanted to take a little detour," the redhead explained, her voice being as neutral as she was able to manage.

Naoto shot an anxious glance toward her, not sure how she was planning on pushing through the minefield she just stumbled into.

"What kind of detour?" Nagatoro asked, distrust and misgiving in every word.

The young, tanned woman leaned toward Naoto, eyeing every inch of him, as if to look for signs of any crimes committed by Maki. Being under her gaze like this only brought further discomfort to the man who, only a short time ago, was hit with a wave of awful reminders of her horrendous deeds. Naoto remembered the way he hugged her earlier today, as if he was living in a world where those events never occurred. It felt sickening now, when he considered how hard he had worked to suppress the pain, the sheer horror, to give her a chance at his love.

Disgust flared up inside his soul. Not only for her, but also himself, for thinking it would have ever been so easy. His brain had managed to trick itself for long enough that he had almost swallowed that pill.

Naoto was so thoroughly absorbed within the storm of thoughts, he failed to notice Gamo walking to his side, gently pushing Hayase away.

"Give the man some space," Maki said with a commanding tone.

Nagatoro bared her teeth for a moment, akin to a wild animal, denied the chance of gorging on its prey. It was apparent being denied access to her Senpai, by Gamo of all people, fueled a rage inside of her.

"Just checking you didn't do anything to him!" Hayase spat out, her expression livid. "Just suddenly disappearing like that, for hours. After what you did this morning? You can't be trusted!"

Gamo balled her hand into a fist. Of all the people in this world-

"Like you could be!?" the redhead shouted, forcing Naoto to get between them.

"Maki, stop," he urged her quickly. "There's no need."

The two women fiercely glared at one another, hoping to melt the skull of the other. Gamo wanted nothing more than to stomp Nagatoro's head in at this point, but she had to accept that Naoto would never approve of it. Nagatoro on the other hand was more than aware that something had shifted between Maki and Naoto, and she was furious. But there was also a different sort of pain, one she couldn't fully place or describe.

Hana stepped up to the three, her stoic facade breaking ever so slightly to show concern bubbling beneath it.

"This is not helping anyone," she declared rightfully. "Naoto-senpai doesn't owe us an explanation, if he doesn't want to give one. As long as they are alright, that's all that matters."

Nagatoro glanced at her from the side, having seemingly hoped to find an unlikely ally within the rabbit. Unfortunately for her, Hana was far calmer and more collected than the rest of them. Or so, it seemed.

"Fine," Nagatoro growled as she relaxed her muscles. "Let's go inside."

The two of them turned and began walking toward the front door. As Naoto moved to do the same, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning his head, he found Gamo looking past him at the two women ahead, her body visibly shaking. It wasn't hard to tell how tense and aggravated the redhead was, how much she was silently enduring for Naoto's sake. He just wanted it to stop.

"It's alright Maki," he quietly assured. "I'll be fine."

The inside of the home was far warmer and more welcoming than Naoto had remembered it last. It would appear that they had found the thermostat. As soon as he stepped into the living room and his eyes fell on the couch he would usually sit on, the memories began to plague him again. However, this time he was able to keep the pain in, choke it down and feigned an alright mental state. With quick steps he approached the recliner in the corner of the room instead.

Gamo, of course, took note of his deliberate choices and glance to the couch as well. A glint behind her eyes betrayed her desire to burn the thing to ashes.

Naturally, Nagatoro plopped down onto it, none the wiser. Hana joined her, sitting at the furthest end, as to not get too close to her. Gamo decided that she no longer felt like sitting, so she opted to lean against the wall beside Naoto, letting the warmth of the house wash over her.

The silence was earth shattering for a moment, after each of them had settled into their place. Naoto almost wished for it to be never ending, to let the discomfort and agony fill them all until it was too much to bear. Still, that didn't feel appropriate to him. He cleared his throat instead.

"We went to the high school," he quickly explained. "I just wanted to see the art club again."

Nagatoro and Hana both perked up at that, clearly taken by surprise.

"Y-You went to the art club, Senpai?" Hana asked with huge eyes.

"And didn't invite us!?" Hayase added, upset.

Naoto lowered his gaze, not wanting to acknowledge their clearly hurt expressions. This was something he had dreaded, yet known it would come the moment the decision was made to go without them.

"It was something in the moment," he tried to explain. "I hadn't planned it out. I just felt like I needed to at that moment."

"You could have called us," Hayase countered, her voice unnaturally soft and hurt. "I would have liked to see the old place."

"You can still go," Gamo interjected, annoyed with the guilt tripping.

Nagatoro tried to shrug her off. "Was it at least nice?"

"Not really," Naoto truthfully replied.

It was anything but. Yet, he didn't have it in him to tell Hayase that digging up memories of them caused him far more distress than he had expected. It would most likely cause her to have a meltdown if he told her, and because he was absolutely idiotic, he cared too much to do that to her.

"Also, Hana," Naoto suddenly addressed the youngest. "Why in the world do the students in the art room know about me?"

Hana's eyes sparked with excitement as she hopped off the couch and lunged forward with vigor. "Why would they not!? They should know about the excellent man who took on Sana, defied fate, protect the bastion of art and is fighting on despite his own pain. It's so inspirational! You are what every artist should aspire to be!"

"I can barely be called an artist right now," Naoto countered, far too uncomfortable with the unfiltered torrent of compliments.

"Incorrect," Hana said, her expression sincere and stern. "You have always and will always be an artist at heart. Your soul screams for a vessel to hold the images in your mind. Whether it'd be drawings or music, your art will always be with you!"

Gamo chuckled as she turned her head toward Naoto. "I agree with her."

Naoto simply shook his head, unable to see what they did. To him, it felt like their love toward him distorted the truth, made it impossible to see him for the incapable fraud that he was. Honestly, at this point he lacked the patience or desire to try and correct them. It was their right to have these wrong views and opinions after all.

"So, since today ended up being a bit of a disaster," Nagatoro started, her eyes closed to avoid having to look at anyone. "I propose we make an actual plan for tomorrow. So we can all support Naoto."

Gamo felt herself tense up again immediately, her mind screaming at her to destroy Hayase. It took an intense amount of willpower to not rush her at that moment, but she somehow managed.

"Yeah, I have a plan," Naoto surprisingly said. They all stared at him, eager to hear what he had to say. "You're going back home tomorrow."

Gamo was the first one to react, pushing herself off the wall and looking at him incredulously. "Are you joking!?"

"Nope," Naoto calmly replied.

Nagatoro hopped off the couch as well, taking a couple of steps toward the sitting man. A few steps too many for Gamo's liking.

"No, she's right Naoto!" the tanned woman cried out. "This is so sudden. Are you going to be alright?"

"Naoto-Senpai.."

Hana had walked up to him, her eyes staring intently into his. The concern in her voice was mirrored in her eyes, as was the feeling of sincere love and appreciation.

"What are you planning?" she asked quietly, Nagatoro barely hearing her.

"Nothing lethal," he quickly responded. "If that's what you're worrying about. I just need time with myself, to clear my head."

The three women remained silent for a moment. Gamo was furious. Just a while ago, she had told him that this would be a sign of him running away. She thought that her words had gotten through to him and there would be a decision made. Yet here he was, doing the exact thing she had asked him not to do. It felt maddening. She wanted out. But her heart was never more in.

"Sorry Maki."

Naoto's words ripped her out of her thoughts. Those blazing orange orbs pinned him to the chair, making him feel as if he was about to burn up in flames. He knew he was disappointing her, but he felt like this was a step he needed to take. After his mother's funeral and now the resurgence of all these conflicting emotions, he required a stimulus free environment.

Gamo said nothing, but returned to her position against the wall. Still clearly unhappy with the decision, but unable to make him change his mind.

Naoto took note of the fact that Hayase seemed surprisingly the most affected by the decision, her head hanging low, her arms limp at her side. The hair falling into her face made it impossible to make out her expression, but just the idea of her being devastated was enough to cause immediate regret to fill his mind. It was such a nightmare. How could he feel such intense emotions for the person that essentially ruined his life? This wasn't right. Why couldn't he just hate her!?

Hana sighed; her face having returned to its stoic nature. "If that is what you want."

Without another word, the woman walked off toward the bathroom, most likely getting ready to go to bed. Naoto had to smile at how Hana was always able to just carry on, no matter the situation. Ironically, while he highly respected that about her, he was unable to see how he was doing largely the same thing.

Gamo cracked her knuckles. She wanted to get out of the place, take a walk outside and push all these tumultuous thoughts out of her mind, but there was no way she was leaving Hayase alone with Naoto. Gamo was actually surprised by herself. She was always protective of those around her, but she could feel herself incredibly possessive at this point. That was a trait she hadn't considered she'd ever find within herself. There this disgusting lingering feeling in the back of her mind, the knowledge that Hayase had gotten to Naoto first, making her want to scream and claw the shorter womans face off. Even when she reminded herself of how it went against the mans own wishes, she still felt this unbecoming jealousy.

Eventually, Nagatoro, still looking rather downcast, moved toward the place she had chosen as her own bedding for the night and laid on the ground. It didn't seem as if she was planning to sleep at all. More as if she just needed to turn off her brain.

Naoto rose from his chair and walked past Gamo, toward the stairs leading up to his room. Gamo wanted to stop him, talk to him a little more, but she knew that it would only cause more issues at this time.

After she heard the door to Naoto's room fall shut, Gamo moved away from the wall and decided it was time for a jog.

Rays of sunlight forced their way through Naoto's eyelids, rousing him from his uncomfortable slumber. The sounds of a single bird chirping into the cold, wide world greeted him to another morning. With a huff, he pushed his blanket off of him and let his feet dangle of the side of the bed. The cold was nibbling at his extremities. It was too early in the year for it to become this cold. He hated it. Quickly jumping up, he reached for a pair of comfortable trousers and socks. Feeling adequately prepared for the cold, he swung open the door and made his way downstairs.

To his surprise, at the bottom of the stairs was Gamo, a small bag slung around her shoulder. Evidently, she was ready to leave.

"H-Hey," Naoto weakly greeted her, a little floored by her already packed up. "Morning."

"Good morning," Gamo said without looking at him, staring at the door ahead. "I'm heading out.

"Maki?" Naoto stood by her side; his brows furrowed in concern. "I know that- I know this isn't what you wanted, but-"

"But what?" she interrupted him sharply.

He was right. This was quite literally the opposite of the outcome she had hoped for. She felt stupid, angry, as well as just lost in this madness. There was a moment in all of the chaos of the previous day where she felt like Naoto and her had a connection that surpassed what had been established previously. For just a handful of wonderful moments, she thought that the two of them were one and the same. Two hearts as one. Now she felt like she was being pushed away again, and Hayase was somehow still in his life despite everything. It was almost laughable.

"I am sorry..."

Gamo finally turned to glance at Naoto, whose face was a distorted mess of tears and snot. Instinctively, without a second thought, Gamo threw her arms around him. The color completely drained from her face as she felt the man sob uncontrollably into her chest. Part of her wanted to tell him that is what he gets for the choices he's made, but she refused to pay that side any mind at this moment.

"I- I don't- I didn't want to make you mad," Naoto pitifully wept, causing Gamo to squeeze him even tighter.

The redhead gently rubbed Naoto's back and swayed him back and forth, feeling somewhat silly, yet fully focused on comforting him. What the hell were they going to do!?

Gamo looked up, past Naoto's head, where she spotted Hana silently standing in the living room, watching the two of them. No words were spoken, with Hana simply flashing a rather somber smile before turning to walk toward the kitchen, disappearing out of sight.

Gamo sighed softly as she pressed her face into Naoto's hair.

"Yeah, I am mad at you," she admitted, her voice as calm as she could force it to be. "But- Nah, there's not much else I can say. I am mad."
Gamo could feel Naoto clutching tightly onto the back of her shirt. "I am s-sorry."

"Being sorry isn't going to change anything Naoto," Gamo countered, deciding she needed to be stern with him. "You need to do something. This way, we're all going to suffer. And I-"

Gamo cut herself off, biting her tongue a little too late.

"W-what Maki?" Naoto asked, lifting his head just enough to look up at her. God, she wanted to never see him cry again. She needed to protect him.

"I-" she tried to speak again, but her voice broke. "I thought you and I- I was being hopeful."

"Maki.."

Gamo gently, yet firmly, pushed him away.

"Whatever is it you got to say, I don't want to hear it right now," she explained, once again slinging her bag around her shoulder. "You wanted to take your time to think, so do just that."

As she turned to leave, she could feel every bone in her body, every fiber of her being, screaming at her to turn around and kiss him, hold him tight and never leave his side. She chose to ignore them all. This was his decision, this is what he chose, and she would abide by it.

Halfway through the door, Gamo turned one last time, looking back and almost breaking at the sight of Naoto looking so lost and confused with himself.

"Hayase already left," Gamo told him, which caused his eyes to widen further. "Sometime during the night, we don't know when. She didn't say a word to any of us."

The redhead dropped her gaze for a moment, before looking back up into Naoto's eyes and waving her hand.

"See ya."

Naoto remained frozen in the hallway for a few minutes. Obviously, this is what he had asked for: All of them to leave, so he could have time to himself. However, seeing Maki take off so suddenly, clearly upset with his choices, made his blood run cold. Naoto had never been in a healthy relationship. Hell, even the unhealthy things in his past could hardly be called relationships. So, having these sudden, intense feelings of the shame and pain that came with disappointing someone who you truly loved and who believed in you, was rather foreign to him. It felt like someone drove a blade through his heart. How did people last in relationships? What was the secret behind staying sane and fully capable of making sound decisions, while also avoiding this cruel sensation running down his spine?

As Naoto considered what else he could have done, Hana cleared her throat to get his attention. With a quick spin, Naoto was staring at her with wide eyes.

"I should leave as well," Hana said quietly, struggling with her own emotions. "Thank you for having me here."

One step forward had her throwing herself against Naoto, giving him a quick, tight hug, before pushing away and swiftly walking past him.

"Please, call me if you need anything," she urged as she opened the door. "You'll be fine Naoto-senpai. Take your time."

With that, she stepped through the door and shut it behind herself.

Naoto stood there, absolutely baffled by how much colder the house suddenly felt.

The rest of the day felt like an excruciating torture to Naoto. Alone with his thoughts, sitting by himself, truly considering his next move, left him absolutely exhausted. Nothing would give, no solution he could conjure up satisfied his mind and heart in equal measure. Considering that it might be too soon for him, still reeling from the events of the last few weeks, he decided to postpone his attempts at fixing all of his life's problems in one night, and pulled out a notepad and pen. Sitting at his desk, upstairs in the old room, Naoto began feeble attempts to utilize the pain he was experiencing to further his band's ambition.

Trying tonight

Tomorrow in flight

What I say, what I do

It's never good enough for you

No. He didn't like that one. He quickly scrunched the paper and tossed it into the bin beside his desk. The rhythmic sound of his foot tapping relentlessly against the wooden floor function as the perfect backdrop for the lyrics he was trying to find, but the words weren't coming to him. It felt stale, far too safe and predictable. Once again, Naoto considered himself a fraud as he stared at the pen in his hand, the ink shining in the light thrown onto it by the desk lamp. The tapping continued to sufficiently drown out the voices screaming at him from inside. Why did they carry so far? Why were their messages so crystal clear? Why could his heart soften for everyone but himself?

Determined, Naoto pressed the tip of the pen back onto the paper.

Watching you is too obscene

My heart is growing apple green

I drown

Each time

Don't forget you promised me

The world would be just like a dream

I wept

Tonight

When the silence coddles me

I'm becoming honestly

The worst mistake you've ever seen

Nothing that I do

Elicits love in you

Wonder why you stayed

Every night I prayed

For light to shine on me

So all that I might be

Is what you saw in me

With a sigh he crumpled this paper up as well. All he did was lacking, insufficient. It was a nightmare. The others relied on him to write something outstanding that they could perform. Unnerved by his lack of progress, Naoto rose from his seat and stomped over to the window, looking out into the dark sky. How late was it? Time had slipped his grasp. It was quite strange, this feeling of living in a vacuum, devoid of the rules and laws that one would be accustomed to.

Or at least that's what he felt like right now. Naoto had to laugh at the absurdity of his mind falling to pieces. Was this really what he was like alone, by himself? This is not who he wanted to be, not the person he wished for anyone to have to contend with. If he was so incapable to exist by himself, so in need of codependence, then no one should ever approach him.

Feeling drained mentally, Naoto pulled out his phone and navigated to his photo album. There, he found the pictures of Nagatoro and Gamo, both smiling at him, both waiting for a chance to be let in completely.

With a heavy sigh, Naoto tossed the phone aside and flung himself onto his bed. There was so much to be done, so much to be considered, so much to reevaluate in his life. Tonight was not the night for all of that. He needed rest.

However, that's not what he got. No sooner had he closed his eyes than he found himself in a living room, not completely unfamiliar to him. It wasn't perfect, but it definitely looked like the one he lived in. Things just seemed off about it. There was a TV where it shouldn't be, a chair he had never seen before, and the entirety of the kitchen seemed to be frozen in ice.

Naoto tried to take a step forward, but his legs were suddenly sinking into the floor. Panicking, the young man called out for help, but none came. Eventually, he was entirely swallowed up by the ground below.

A hand reached out, clutching onto his shirt and yanking him back from the abyss. Soon enough, light enveloped Naoto again, outlining the figure of Tadano. Naoto's best friend quickly looked him over, to ensure there were no injuries to speak of. Relieved by the realization that he was okay, Tadano pulled Naoto into a tight hug. Naoto was a little confused, but otherwise grateful and reciprocated the embrace.

With a sudden crash, Tony stormed out of his room, pointing accusingly at Tadano and Naoto, arm in arm, in the center of the room. Tadano pushed Naoto behind him, standing ready to guard his friend. Confused, Naoto found himself able to scream for them to stop.

Tony leapt forward, wrestling Tadano to the floor. Naoto tried to intervene, but as he stepped up to them, a strange, heavy energy seemed to pull him down, keeping him separated from them. Flinging himself backwards, to escape the strange gravitational pull, Naoto scrambled to his feet to find help. Busting through the door directly ahead of him, a silent scream escaped him as he stared into a pitch black void. Debris crumbled from the edge of the door frame, where once a floor remained. In the center of the dark, yet ever moving darkness, at the bottom of it all, was a massive yellow eye, with thick, pulsing veins. Its gaze fixated upon Naoto, burning him inside and out. The man lost footing and stumbled backwards, falling onto his behind.

Turning his head, Tadano was once again reaching to help him up. However, as Naoto took his hand and stood, he spotted Tony, laying in a pool of his own blood, still as the corpse that he was. Naoto's eyes widened in horror as he found Tadano to be drenched in blood not his own. Stranger yet was the way his best friend gently placed his hand on his cheek, warming it with the thick, sticky blood. Tadano's lips curled up into a tender smile as he leaned toward Naoto, pursing his lips slightly.

Before he could proceed any further, the two were separated, flung into opposite directions of the room. Landing rather uncomfortably on top of the foreign TV, destroying it in the process, Naoto quickly rolled onto his side glace at their assailant.

Staring at him from the center of the room, eyes dull and filled with a murderess intent, knife in hand, was Komi. There was this air of inevitability about what Naoto saw before him, as if he knew that there was nowhere he could run or hide. Dread wasn't enough to describe what Naoto was experiencing. In this moment, Komi felt like an angel of death, ready to tear him to pieces.

Silently, Tadano stood beside her, begging her to stop, but the scorned woman would not hear it. Her beautiful face distorted into a grimace of hatred and agony as she rushed toward Naoto, a blur of madness, plunging her knife deep into his neck.