It was a rather chilly, windy day. The trees were moving gracefully with the flow, causing the gentle sounds to lull Naoto into a drowsy state, as he was awaiting Gamo's arrival. He was sitting alone in Tadano's car, which the man had graciously borrowed him for this excursion. The parking spot he had managed to find was placed right beneath a rather tall, lush tree, who's dance was putting him in a trance like state. His eyes glazed over, Naoto leaned as far back as his chair allowed and sighed softly. If it weren't for the rather serious situation he and Gamo were anticipating, he could have easily fallen asleep at that moment.

It would have been a rather great kindness as well, as Naoto had been unable to sleep soundly since the night, he shattered Hana's heart. The young woman, an ever steadfast ally to him, for as long as Naoto had known her, had found herself unfortunate enough to love this broken example of a man. This was a great misfortune that he would never have wished upon his greatest foe and so he took it upon himself to quickly save her from this fate, even if his method was rough and painful. Naoto knew, Hana would be better off, now that she was no longer tied to him in such a passionate way.

While it devastated him to know that he would most likely not hear from her in a long time, he hoped that eventually the two of them would reconcile and mend their friendship into something far healthier.

However long that may take.

Naoto sighed, rubbing his temple. Why was his life so fraught with hardships? Why couldn't anything ever be simple?

As he was contemplating what crimes he must have committed in a previous life to royally piss off the gods above, a knock on his window caused his heart to thump wildly in his chest. He quickly sat upright and stared into the eyes of Maki, standing outside of his vehicle, all bundled up in a warm looking coat.

With a hand placed on his chest, Naoto opened the door.

"Are you trying to kill me!?" he barked incredulously at Gamo.

"That's your own damn fault for not paying attention," she remarked unfazed. "I called you."

Naoto furrowed his brow and went to quickly retrieved his phone from his pocket. Truly, there was a missed call on his display. He quickly checked the phone's settings and cringed as he realized it was set to silent.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he stowed the device away again.

"It's fine," she assured, placing an arm around his shoulder.

Naoto felt a blush creep onto his face. There was no easing in from Gamo's side then, it would seem.

The man had no way to know that Gamo had long since decided that, despite the reason for their meeting today, she would remain her charted course.

"How have you been?" she asked with a soft voice.

Naoto lowered his gaze, feeling conflicted inside. Should he tell her what occurred after they had solidified their plan? Was he somehow betraying Hana, by sharing the events with her?

After deciding that he could just withhold some information, without outright lying, Naoto felt it was only right to be honest with her. "I haven't been well these past few days. I miss the feeling of waking up after a good nights rest."

"How come?" Gamo asked swiftly, puzzled by this revelation.

"I-" Naoto swallowed tightly for a moment. "I told Hana that it wasn't possible."

Was it really such a travesty, to let Gamo in on what had happened to him? As long as he kept Hana's own feelings in mind? Why did it feel like each step he took caused more discomfort? He was so uncertain of himself, but perhaps it was to be expected, giving his lack of experience in the matters of the heart.

Beside him, Gamo, unintentionally, pulled him closer toward her, unaware of the way her chest was suddenly rising and falling quicker.

"So," she quietly started, her gaze fixed onto Naoto. "You finally made up your mind then?"

Naoto heard the hope in her voice and quickly lifted his head to look into her sparkling eyes. "I- I just know that Hana is not the one."

As quickly as they lit up, the orange orbs of hers lost their glint and a somber smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Of course," she said, failing horribly to hide her disappointment. "Well, it is good that you at least started taking steps."

Naoto, once again, felt like a coward, a monster, an unworthy fool, who played with the hearts of those that loved him. Why would anyone ever even bother with him!?

"Stop looking so down," Gamo suddenly said, causing him to lift a brow. "Already thinking terribly about yourself? That has to be a record."

"I can do better," he countered with a smirk.

Gamo groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That was not a challenge, you idiot. Can you take your well being serious for once?"

Naoto sighed as he realized that he genuinely upset Gamo.

"I'll try," he said sheepishly. "But I doubt it'll do much good."

Suddenly, Gamo pulled Naoto into an embrace, shocking the young man. All at once, his nose was filled with the scent of apples, seemingly coming of her smooth, silky hair. A scarlet blush flushed his face as he suddenly found himself self conscious of his own smell. Feeling Gamo's warm body against his own filled him with the rare sense of comfort and belonging. Despite his previous misgivings about himself, he couldn't help but let a wholesome smile take over his face.

Gamo's hands rested gently on his waist and the back of his head respectively, her fingers lovingly playing with the locks on his head. The woman had vowed to herself to let no other have him and that she would smother him with the loved that he rightfully deserved. Nothing would stop her from this.

"Stop being so silly," she cooed into his ear, causing the hairs on his neck to stand up. "I want you to be kinder to yourself."

She could feel Naoto melting into her, something that caused a passionate flame to flare up inside of her. She wanted to kiss him, right here, right now, but this was hardly the time. They were here for a reason, and it felt inappropriate to relish in her love for him, when the person they were trying to find was potentially in pain over the very same thing.

God, Maki wished she could just despise Hayase and move on with her life. By all accounts, she should. She most certainly didn't like being around her at this point. They had stopped talking to one another casually, as they knew that at this point, they were no longer in this together.

They never should have been.

Naoto deserved better than Hayase.

Maki allowed herself a smidge of selfishness as she shifted her face and placed a quick kiss on Naoto's cheek, before pulling away from him.

As expected, the man's face instantly flushed with a bright red color, causing Gamo to giggle. "Was that too much for you Paisen?"

"S-Shut up," Naoto huffed in indignation as he tried to regain control of his emotions.

"As much as I'd love to keep flustering you," Maki said with a smirk. "We're here for a reason. Standing around ain't gonna do anything."

Naoto nodded in agreement, turning his attention to the university building ahead of them. "Right. Let's go."

The two of them entered the main building, finding themselves more than a little lost within the facility. It seemed a little different from any schools they had ever been in, which seemed appropriate for a place more suited to the physical than mental aspects of studying.

It had to have been quite apparent, how lost the two had been, as a middle aged man with short, well groomed hair quickly approached them.

"Hello there," he greeted them, somewhat sternly. "How may I assist you?"

"Uhm," Naoto sputtered awkwardly, causing Gamo to step in.

"We're looking for a student here," the redhead calmly stated. "Are you able to help us locate her?"

The man seemed to ponder the question for a moment, his eyes shifting between Naoto and Maki, before he placed the fingertips of his hands together.

"That depends on who you two are to this student," he explained cautiously. "It would be rather callous of me to give away information on one of our students."

"We're close friends of Nagatoro Hayase," Gamo explained, motioned toward herself and Naoto. "We're here to visit her. She seemed rather down."

Maki had added the last part, in the hopes that the man would feel more enticed to part with information if a sob story could be involved.

"Hmm," was all he voiced initially. "Well, Nagatoro is not a hard woman to find. Most everyone knows that, if she's not attending one of her courses, she will be out on the track field, running laps until her body calls it quits."

Gamo furrowed her brows. That was a rather odd way to describe such an activity, especially for, what she assumed, was a faculty member. Regardless, this piece of information at least gave them a place to start. The two of them quickly thanked the stranger, before making their way past the entry hall, toward the path he had described for them. As they walked down the rather spacious hallway, Gamo peered through the windows on both sides of it, impressed with the well maintained state of the yard and equipment scattered around it.

Naoto, naturally, had no real knowledge of what a well put together outdoor gym would look like. Was that even the correct term? He felt like a gym would, by definition, be an indoor situation. Sheepishly he had to admit that the only gym's he had ever been to were the one Gamo's family owned and those to be found in Pokemon games. Then there were jungle gyms, but he doubted that those counted. Maybe, one of these days, he would ask Gamo for more information on that matter.

Afterall, both of these women were rather sporty and have shown interest in his passions. It would only be right for him to make the same effort.

As they reached a set of double doors on either side, leading out into the yard, someone came busting through one set, running headfirst into Naoto, knocking them both to the ground. Maki's eyes widened in shock, as two distinct voices huffed in pain. Instinctively, Gamo pushed the stranger's body away from Naoto and swiftly helped him up to his feet. The second, unknown voice let out a clearly feminine yelp as she landed on her back once again, this time due to Gamo's rough handling.

"Watch where you're going!" the redhead barked, inspecting the still dizzy Naoto.

"S-Sorry!' the female voice gasped.

As Gamo managed to rip her eyes off of Naoto long enough to glare at the person that rammed into him, she felt herself losing steam abruptly, taken off guard by what she saw.

On the ground below, rubbing the back of her sore head, was a young woman, with blonde hair, tied into a rather messy ponytail, wearing a somewhat revealing track suit, showing off all of her legs, which ended in two rather strange looking contraptions.

It took Gamo just a little longer to catch onto the fact that there wasn't actually a lot of leg to be shown on the woman's part, and the odd, blade like extremities were prosthetics. The blonde woman sheepishly glanced up at them through one of her green eyes.

"Is he okay?" she asked, her voice teetering between amusement and concern.

"Y-Yeah," Naoto groaned as he blinked a few times to clear his vision. "I'm alright."

The woman let out a relieved sigh as she hopped to her 'feet' and completely broke all notion of personal space, leaning extremely close to Naoto to ensure his well being. Gamo felt her eye twitch, wanting to deck her.

"Seems you're right," the blonde hummed happily. "Outwardly at least. We'll see about a concussion eventually, I guess."

"If anything is seriously off with him-" Gamo began, but the woman threw her a rather nasty glare, which managed to take her off guard.

"I'd be the first one to help him," the woman clarified genuinely.

"I am alright," Naoto assured hastily, ere a fight could break out. "Really."

Both of them focused their attention on him again, the blonde suddenly smiling again. Negativity seemed to just bounce right off of her. Naoto knew that would be something he could never achieve.

"Well, you two should be careful where you walk," the blonde quickly said, as she started walking down the hall.

Both of Gamo's eyes twitched now. "Look where you're running!"

With a wave over her shoulder and a cheerful laugh on her lips, the woman bounced quickly on her blades and soon sped out of sight.

"You sure you're alright?" Maki asked Naoto again, now that they were alone.

"Maki, please," Naoto sighed exasperated, yet happy that she cared so much. "If I was dying, I promise, I'd tell you."

Gamo groaned and punched his arm gently. "Whatever."

Naoto laughed quietly at her, which in turn caused a grin to grow on her face.

Without any further incidents, the two found their way to the track field, where a bunch of students were sprinting in circles, as if their lives depended on it. It was something that Naoto couldn't fully comprehend, but he knew that it was the same for others when it came to his ambitions. Simply from the way Maki was observing the participants, he knew that it must have been rather impressive to watch.

"Wonder if I would have been able to keep up," the redhead mumbled.

Naoto smiled up at her, adoration clearly written on his face. "I am sure you would have Maki."

"Heh, stop it," she said with a timid voice. It felt embarrassing, the way the smallest reassurance or praise of his made her heart flutter in her chest.

"Hachiouji? Gamo!?"

The two of them whipped their heads around, finding a woman jogging toward them. Naoto felt like he should have been able to instantly recognize her, but the face just didn't click in place for him.

Gamo on the other hand knew who she was looking at right away. "It's been a while Orihara."

"No kidding!" the woman said with a chuckle, giving Gamo's shoulder a hearty clap. "What brings you out here?"

Naoto was somewhat lost for words. He could not claim to have spent any thought on Orihara after the last meeting of theirs in high school. The mere fact that she had been able to recognize him from behind, while he failed to match her face to a name made him feel horrible. For a moment, he closed his eyes and let out an almost inaudible sigh.

Almost.

Gamo glanced over to him and quickly put an arm around his shoulder.

"We're here to check on Hayacchi," the redhead explained. Orihara's expression fell slightly, causing both of them to perk up in concern. "What is it?"

Orihara motion for them to follow her, which they quickly did. She led them past a handful of students performing exercises whose purpose Naoto had no clue of. After a short, yet brisk walk, during which Naoto was embarrassed to admit, he felt his lungs revolt, they arrived at another track course. Naoto couldn't tell how, if at all, it differed from the previous one. But there were only two people running on this one.

One of them was Nagatoro.

Naoto watched with wide eyes as Hayase practically flew across the track, her feet barely ever spending more than a heartbeat on the ground beneath her. Even from this distance, he could see the way her clothing was soaked in the sweat that she was working up. Her face had taken on a dark, crimson hue as she was desperately attempting to keep her breathing controlled.

Naoto realized that, regardless of what transpired between them, or even if they were bitter enemies, he would always remain wildly impressed with her physical abilities. It was something that he could never even dream of accomplishing, yet here she was, dashing across the track as if the laws of gravity had no hold on her.

Beside him, Gamo and Orihara were silently judging the display before them. They were both aware of how exhausted and ragged she looked. Gamo had no inkling as to how long the woman had already been running, but from her personal experience with trying to beat Hayase at her own game, that woman would not find herself so drained and close to exhaustion, unless she had been at this for an unhealthy amount of time.

As if to confirm her suspicion, Orihara sighed wearily, never taking her eyes off of the tanned runner. "She's been doing this all day."

"How many breaks?" Gamo asked even though she knew the answer, deep down in her heart.

"None," Orihara confirmed with a low, forlorn voice. Naoto whipped his head around in shock, staring at Orihara with his mouth agape. "It's been nonstop. I managed to hand her a water bottle at some point, but she hasn't stopped moving her legs even once."

"I-Isn't that bad?" Naoto asked weakly.

"Not inherently." Gamo replied, her gaze still trained on Nagatoro. "As long as she were to keep her limits in mind, take some slow, relaxed laps. But-"

"She hasn't," Orihara added with a sad smile. "I've been trying to talk some sense into her, but she won't listen."

The athlete seemed lost in her own worries for her friend and roommate. What was it like, Naoto wondered, to live with Nagatoro on a daily basis, being around to see her imperfection on a daily basis? To view her at her lowest, at her highest, without her having much in the way of a place to hide away? How would Nagatoro treat someone who tried to get too close for comfort, to assist her in her time of need, when she deemed such actions undesirable? Would she lash out? Tease and taunt the way she used to with him? Or would she simply and stubbornly ignore those showing concern and carry on despite it all?

It seemed the latter was the most likely, if the display before them was any indication.

Suddenly Orihara cried out, tearing Naoto out of his thoughts. With panicked eyes, the man watched as Nagatoro's legs gave out beneath her. Carrying the momentum with her, Hayase failed to properly connect her foot with the ground, causing her upper body to fling forward, colliding with the track with a loud, deafening crack. Her body rolled forward, the view of her neck bending unhealthily causing Naoto great discomfort.

With a shout, Gamo rushed forward, closely followed by Naoto and Orihara. Gamo fell to her knees beside her, quickly trying to move her into a less painful position. Only agony filled groans indicated that Nagatoro was even still alive. Her entire right leg was missing part of its skin, blood slowly seeping out. There were horrible, red imprints on points of her face as well.

"What the hell Hayase!" Gamo shouted, cradling the young woman's limp body. "How stupid can you be!?"

Nagatoro's right eye twitched involuntarily, unwilling to obey her command to open. "M-Maki? Wh-"

"Be quiet," Gamo interrupted her, the concern inside of her growing into fury. "You're such a dumbass. It looked like you were this close to snapping your own neck!"

Naoto wasn't sure what to do or say. He couldn't remember a time he had really seen Nagatoro in physical pain. She had always seemed larger than life, full of energy and power. While her mental state had quite frequently been a subject of debate in his mind, he had never considered doubting her physical prowess. Thus, seeing her in this way, felt as if the rug had been ripped out beneath him.

"What did I say last time!?" a voice shouted across the court, causing Nagatoro to groan even louder.

A young woman was stomping over toward them, a furious grimace on her face. "Cut this shit out Nagatoro! Told you, I'd leave you right here, for the birds to feed on!"

Strangely enough, Naoto remembered this voice, this particular tone that he already once witnessed taken with Nagatoro.

"A-Are you Haruka?" he asked timidly, somewhat frightened by her gruff words.

"N-Naoto!?"

Hayase was squirming slightly in Gamo's arms, managing to finally open her eyes enough to stare up at the small group surrounding them. Until he had spoken up, the tanned athlete had no clue that the man was here as well. Their eyes met and the heart broken concern in his caused her stomach to churn.

He's here.

She bit down on her lip. This was the opposite of what she wanted to have happen. Why did the world have to be so cruel?

"Sure am," Haruka, the nurse who had evidently been dealing with Nagatoro's recklessness for some time now, confirmed. "And who are you peeps?"

"Maybe we can save introductions?" Gamo suggested, an irate glint in her eyes. "Until after this idiot is taken care of."

Haruka sighed; her anger torn expression relaxing. "Whatever. Bring her to the infirmary."

Hayase looked pitiful, sitting up in the, admittedly, comfortable looing bed. Bandages had been liberally applied to her legs, torso and even parts of her face. Her left eye was fully covered up by them. Naoto wasn't sure this was truly necessary. Part of him could believe Haruka just wanted to punish Nagatoro.

The tanned woman was refusing to meet any of their gazes with her one, usable eye. Naoto and Gamo were sitting in front of her bed, with Orihara standing a bit further away, nervously chewing on her nails. Haruka hummed absentmindedly, while sitting right beside Nagatoro, using a small cotton ball to apply some medicinal mixture to one of Hayase's torn apart spots on her arm. The fact that the athlete was squirming and clearly suffering silently with each touch, didn't seem to faze the nurse.

"I like her," Gamo whispered conspiratorially to Naoto, who just huffed in return.

While most of the people in this room seemed upset with Nagatoro for her reckless actions and considered this her comeuppance for worrying them all, Naoto couldn't help but be reminded of the drastic actions he himself had taken in the past.

He found no grim satisfaction in seeing her suffer like this. If anything, it made him pity her in ways he never had before. Naoto could empathize with what he summized she was going through. But he wouldn't know if his hunch was correct, until she truly confirmed it herself.

"W-Why are you guys here?" Nagatoro suddenly asked, taking Naoto off guard.

"We came to check on you," Gamo quickly explained, somehow not wanting Naoto to engage in converation with her. "We were worried. Rightfully so, it seems."

"Oh please," Hayase chuckled, trying her best to hide the pain she was in. "This is just a regular Tuesday for me."

As retribution, Haruka pushed the cotton ball slightly harder than necessary into her arm, causing the woman to yelp in pain. Naoto felt himself grow hot with anger at the treatment, but as he seemed to be the only one, he wasn't sure if he was just crazy.

"Ya know, she's not lying either," Haruka said with a grim smirk. "Every week, I have to deal with this. I am sick of it Hayase."

"You chose the wrong profession," Nagatoro bit back.

Naoto could see a dangerous glint in Haruka's eyes, which caused him to press his lips into a thin line. Regardless of what everyone's beef was with Nagatoro, causing her more, unnecessary pain was just cruel and awful.

"Why, Hayse?" Naoto asked, trying to grab everyone's attention, before Haruka could act out again. "Why do this?"

"Just feeling like working out," Hayase said, surprisingly managing o form her lips into a big grin. "You should give it a shot sometime."

Haruka flicked her arm, causing Nagatoro to flinch, but keep her composure otherwise. "Stop being cheeky."

Naoto took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. Gamo took notice of his reaction and started chewing on her lip in thought.

"I am serious Hayase," Naoto started again, his voice soft and understanding. "We came here because we thought something might be off. Clearly, you're not doing well. Talk to us."

Nagatoro closed her eyes and furrowed her brows. "Oh, come off it. I messed up and fell. Don't read too much into it."

"You brat," Haruka scoffed as she got up and grabbed her clipboard.

Before she could do anything stupid with it, Naoto stood from his chair. "Stop."

Haruka looked at him, an eyebrow raised, the clipboard gently swaying in her hand. After a moment of contemplation, the nurse shrugged her shoulders and put the thing back down, before walking away from the bed.

"She should be fine for the time being," the nurse said dismissively as she marched toward the door. "Call me if she does anything else stupid. Or don't. Actually, yeah, just don't."

With that, the woman vanished into the hallway.

Naoto was boiling below his skin. How could she be so callous and cruel? What in the world was this sort of display?

"Don't be mad at her," Nagatoro suddenly asked in a small voice.

Naoto turned to stare at her puzzled. "She's horrible."

"It's my fault," Nagatoro said with a somber smile. "I've been driving her up a wall, for as long as I've been at this school. When we first met, she was so kind and caring toward me."

"That's no excuse," Naoto said, balling his hands to fists. "She's a bitch."

The three women in their room were momentarily speechless. It was so rare for Naoto to raise his voice, outside of incredibly intense situations that Orihara had never been a part of. Hearing him so casually admonishing the nurse in front of them seemed almost illegal.

"So," Nagatoro started, having quickly regained her composure. "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be enjoying your 'date'?"

At that, Orihara gasped aloud, bringing her hand up to her mouth. "I-I didn't know you two were-"

"I-" Naoto found himself awkwardly scrambling to come up with a response. Saying they were not, felt like it would hurt Gamo, but he also didn't want just go with it, and give Orihara a false impression.

"We're not dating," Gamo quickly interjected, much to Naoto's surprise.

Then, with a glint in her eyes, she stared over at Nagatoro. "Not yet."

Orihara seemed to pick up on the not-so-subtle jab, glancing between the two women, before her gaze landed and remained on Naoto. The man could see the gears turning within her head and to his embarrassment, he could feel a slight blush creeping up his face.

"Oh," Orihara suddenly exclaimed, her eyes widening. "OH!"

Naoto shut his eyes, trying to avoid eye contact. This was so awkward.

"W-Wait-" Orihara sputtered. "But- then- Wa-"

"Yes, all of those," Naoto didn't know exactly what she was getting at, but he needed her to stop. "Stop. Please."

Orihara quickly closed her mouth and kept quiet, while her lips formed an eager grin.

Damn it Nagatoro.

"Stop messing around Hayase," Naoto snapped, losing his cool due to the embarrassment still running through his system. "It's always the same with you. You take one step forward and then a hundred back! Just talk to us, damn it!"

Gamo gazed up at Naoto quietly, admittedly impressed by his sudden display of confidence. Orihara was shocked by how quickly he had gone from flustered and shy to suddenly pressuring Hayase, of all people.

Nagatoro's eye widened for a moment, before she shut it quickly, trying to drown his presence out.

"You keep doing this!" he yelled, irritated by her bratty behavior. "Shit goes wrong, you shut down. You push people away. You don't talk to us. You've never talked to me. Not really. That's why all of this even happened, right!?"

Gamo flinched, and Nagatoro took a sharp breath. Orihara had no clue what caused them to react like this.

"Stop being so stupid! Stop acting like you don't need anyone! You can do better! I know you can do better! So stop hiding! Grow a spine!"

Nagatoro's lip quivered as she felt an overwhelming rush of emotion, threatening to spring a single leak that would sink the whole ship.

Tell him that you need him!

It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Every time she tried to push him out of her life, to give him the peace and quiet he deserved, far away from her, Naoto came running along regardless. This was an endless, vicious cycle that neither of them could break from. Eventually something would give.

Take him!

Hayase clutched onto the sides of her head, trying to quiet the voice. The constant commands, the constant darkness, licking at her ever eroding mind. All she wanted was to push it away from her. She wanted to drown that part of her in the depths of hell, forever smoldering into ash.

The running had helped. It had allowed her to forget, if only briefly. Her mind wasn't able to whisper unbecoming darkness, while it was forced to keep the body running on empty. Thus, she had attempted to put herself into a deadly stalemate, and pushed herself far beyond what she was usually capable off. This had now cost her dearly, with Naoto, Gamo and even Orihara, all hovering over her.

Hayase could feel a soft, gentle hand cover her own, trying to soother her mental aching, but she quickly swatted it aside.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled in defiance. She was scum. No one should touch her. "Just get away! Leave me alone!"

No, you idiot!

"Hayase," Naoto's voice rang through her head, causing her even more grief. "I am not going to leave."

"You're an idiot," she said with a manic chuckle. "Why don't you see? Why can't you stop?"

"Naoto," Gamo tried to grab the man's attention, but he evidently ignored her.

"Hayase, look at me," he asked, but Hayase just shook her head.

"Get away."

"No."

A chair was moved, followed by a pair of feet stepping toward Naoto. Most likely Gamo.

Was she trying to close the distance, to shield him, in case Nagatoro would lash out? Hayase smiled sadly. It wasn't so out of the question. There had been a precedent after all.

Let me out!

Hayase groaned in pain, slightly curling into herself. A soft hand found its way to her shoulder, warming her.

"P-Please, stop," she begged, tears breaking her voice. "I don't- You shouldn't touch me. Or be near me."

"Hayase-"

"No!" she shouted and shrugged her shoulder, throwing the hand off. "I am a monster! I am an absolutely revolting piece of garbage! And you guys are wasting your time on me! You should be happy together, you should be out there right now, not worrying about me, being- I mean-"

Hayase let out a silently sob as she threw her head into her arms, trying to muffled the pathetic sounds coming from her. It was an absolute mystery to her why anyone was still by her side after everything she had messed up in her life. Nothing and no one had been safe. Everything in her way, everyone who had ever showsn her kindness, had been consumed by the monsters in her mind. It was so exhausting, so fully draining, to slowly watch herself spiral into madness, each and every time she had the opportunity to accept happiness into her world.

Even the sweetest, most adorable guy she had ever laid her eyes on, ended up unable to escape her clutches. She had ruined him, horrible scarred him and forever tainted him beyond recognition. The self hatred within her boiled over, flaring up into an unstoppable force. Hayase scrapped her finger nails against her flesh, ripping up her already sore skin, drawing up blood.

Before she could get far, two hands grasped onto her own, struggling to keep her still.

"Stop," Naoto's voice urged her.

"P-Please," she pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Just leave me be."

As if in response, Naoto sat down on the spot besides Hayase, where Haruka had been before. "No chance."

"I am the worst sort of scum Naoto," Hayase whispered wearily. "We can't keep doing this. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"Don't worry about that right now," Naoto replied calmly, which just irked her more.

"What do you mean!? I hurt you! I belittled you! I made fun of you, I hounded you, I bullied you, I made you cry. Again and again. I was the cruelest, most horrendous piece of filth- I- I raped you!"

There was a sudden loud gasp, causing Hayase to shiver. Wrapped up in the whole situation, she had truly forgotten about Orihara for a moment. The tanned woman bit her lip hard, trying to stay calm, to not break down into further tears. She could taste the copper like flavor of blood on her tongue.

"Cut it out Hayase," Naoto remained firm. "I have told you, multiple times now. I have moved past that. I- I have forgiven you. Now it's time to for-"

"Have you?"

Hayase finally opened her eye, staring directly into Naoto's hazel colored ones. There was a sense of longing in her own, that much she knew, but damn it all if she would let that dissuade her from doing what she knew she had to. With a solemn, exhausted sigh, Hayase shook her head.

"Or did you just tell me you've forgiven me, so you'd be able to stop worrying about it? Are you just pretending for my benefit? There is no way you could have forgiven me. You may forget, you may push past it, but-"

Hayse fell silent. She clenched her jaw, trying to maintain the momentum, but it was so difficult, when her potential happiness was on the line.

No.

Her chance at a content and wholesome future had long been dashed by herself and the heinous voice she carried inside of herself. The best she could do now is prove her love and adoration, by shielding Naoto from further harm caused by her.

You filthy coward! He is yours by right!

Hayase shook her head, fighting against the oncoming storm that only she could perceive.

"Hayase," Naoto began meekly, his stern facade now slipping. "I-"

The injured athlete lowered her head, resting her chin on her chest.

"You don't have to lie to me anymore," she assured deflated. "I've made peace with it."

An unbearable inferno raged within her mind. The sensations of sharp knives clawing at her insides made her want to scream, but she kept the pain inside. If she were to show weakness now, Naoto may falter once more, and let himself be deluded into believing that what they had could be mended. If only for her sake.

Naoto was too kind, too open, too inviting to others, once he let them into his life. The mere fact that she and Gamo were currently in the same room with him was proof of that.

Hayase refused to burden him any further.

A sudden raspy sound broke the silence.

Gamo had cleared her throat, grabbing everyone's attention.

"If you want to ease the guilt," Maki said with a low voice. "Make things right, ya know? Might be impossible. But regardless, there are obvious places to start."

Hayase lifted her eyebrow. "Which would be?"

"Tell Yoshi and Sakurai," Gamo flatly stated.

A cold chill ran down Hayase's spine. That suggestion was beyond cruel. Here she was, already at her lowest, yet Maki felt the need to drown her further in the dark.

That being said, her long time friend was correct.

Both, Yoshi and Sakura, had been with them for so long. Even though in recent years, they had been forced apart by their lives leading them in different directions, they had still done their utmost to remain loyal to each other.

Despite this, Hayase had never told them what happened between her and Naoto. Why their Senpai deigned it necessary to leave them all behind, without so much as a word.

Naoto said nothing, most likely silently contemplating just how much worse of a human being that made Hayase.

They don't have to know. They aren't involved. Forget them.

Hayase winced as the voice bellowed at her. For years, she had been out of control, forced to abide by the words of this horrible voice. There was no way she'd let it take control again.

"Alright," Hayase simply said in a flat voice.