Chapter Text
Akito can't wait that long. He wants to move out with his sister but she's never mentioned even wanting to move out. He knows that likely she wants to, she hates their father as much as he does. He doesn't even have the courage to ask her like the absolute coward of a person he is. A sorry excuse of a brother. He can't even do shit if his life depended on it like the worthless loser he is.
She feels her body getting more and more exhausted as the night passes on. Though she only woke up at twelve this afternoon, she's only tired after just ten hours of being awake, most people are awake for much longer than that. Her eyes are heavy and even though she should sleep, she doesn't want too, not if it means risking the cost of her brother. She only needs to hold on for a little longer..
He feels guilty that he has to do this, but he doesn't really see any other option. He knows Ena set an alarm, usually she does, he knows that there's a lack of movement from her room. He waits another half hour, just to be sure. Staring at his phone is boring, not when you're abandoning your life. Throwing it away because he fucked up so badly he can't fix it, even if he's only sixteen.
The house is still and it's a quiet night outside, no rain and no wind. All of his letters are done. Theres one for a ton of people. Theres one each for each Vivid Bad Squad member, one for Tsukasa, one for Mizuki, one for all of the vocaloids in their sekai, one for Ken Shiraishi, and more. He finally gets up even though his body is weighing him down and doesn't want him to get up. In the back of his mind, there's a tiny tiny voice that tells him he's going to regret what he's about to do but he doesn't have the energy to listen. Akito is too far in his mind to even have his state of mind be rational anymore.
He saunters downstairs to grab a few things, just a few. He knows the bathroom downstairs has a few bottles but the one upstairs has more. All Akito really needs is a knife. Specifically from their father's at-home art studio. He wants precision and a low sharpness level. The lower the number, the sharper the blade. He knows his dad has a few of the world's sharpest razors despite being so expensive.
Entering his father's art studio i weird. Akito's only been inside a handful of times, enough to know where things are placed, not enough to know what the atmosphere is truly like. Akito doesn't bother looking at his art, why should he bother looking and having thoughts about his father's art when he can't even do that for his daughters? The teen opens his top left drawer carefully and slowly, he knows that it squeaks and creates ear-splitting noises that he can't stand. The slower he goes, the better. He grabs the blade, still in its clear plastic case, and shuts the drawer immediately. The bearings only squeak going one way. The teen rushes out of there, not wanting to be inside any longer than needed.
Immediately he walks on over to their kitchen, standing in between the island and the sink. He opens the drawer and a clacking of metal sounds. He reaches behind and pulls out the knife he put in the back that he specifically sharpened for this. It's cold and dry, unused, and just as sharp as he'd left it. He quietly shuts the drawer and slowly makes his way out of the kitchen, he really feels like binging and purging tonight, but if he's killing himself, then it's just another waste of food. He grabs his water bottle from his backpack and refills it with a few ice cubes. Akito only likes drinking ice-cold water for some reason that he can't quite explain. But it doesn't matter, he just needs a thin liquid to make the pills go down faster in higher quantities.
Now with his tools obtained, he creeps up the stairs, stepping in all the places on the wooden stairs that won't make a sound. He skips the ninth step and the fifth step on purpose. He knows Ena uses this tactic too and the ginger knows that he won't wake her up but he can't ever be too careful.
He stares at his wrist. the Sharpie drawing from Toya, An, and Kohane. He can't bear to mark up the cute drawings. Oh and Toya. His beloved boyfriend. he's so selfish for committing such an act, but it'll be better this way. Probably. He opens the bottles before he starts, just so he doesn't have to worry about opening them after his arms are all fucked up. He sets out his lighter and his four packs of cigarettes along with the alcohol that his dad drinks and opens those too, just in case the blood loss gets to him and he doesn't tear up the cigarettes before he can even smoke them. He needs his lungs to fill with smoke and have his lungs burn. He needs to feel so drunk that he's almost delirious and so lost in his mind. To feel so disoriented and have the drugs combined in all the wrong ways to make himself just feel alive for another second. To feel like death right before death so he doesn't feel a thing when he finally ascends.
He grabs the cigarettes on the floor and opens the window, the window is old and it squeaks when you raise and lower it. The night isn't quite warm but not cold either. He takes his lighter in his other hand and pulls out the rolled nicotine covered in paper holding it with his left hand. He takes his right hand and clicks the lighter, he holds it far enough away from his face but close enough to watch the flame glow an eerie glow before he hovers it over the end. He holds for a minute and then inhales a long drawn-out breath. He can breathe once again despite there being smoke clogging his lungs. He waits a moment before exhaling. He watches the smoke leave his mouth and into the night sky. It dissipates up into the void of ink that paints the sky and inhales again. He taps the edge of it and watches the little burnt leaves and paper fall down into his makeshift ashtray. It's really just a shallow porcelain bowl with some water in it.
He doesn't know how long he's been smoking but it's fucking his conscious decision-making just like he wants. His lungs burn and he's almost done with his third pack out of the four he has tonight. He gets through three in the fourth pack before he finally stops. The ginger teen sets down the pack and seats himself on the floor, leaving the ashtray but spills the cigarettes all over the floor. He decides not to pick them up, he's too high to clean them up and it won't matter soon anyways, it won't be his mess to deal with. Akito reaches for the razor and knife to stare at his reflection for a moment only to set the knife down again. He opens the casing on the razor and peels off the paper covering that creates the only barrier between the blade and his bare fingertips.
He presses the razor to his skin, pushing deeper and deeper, the lactations in his skin grow longer as he painfully drags the blade through his arms. But the razor is tiny, it can only go so far into his flesh, that's why he grabbed the knife. He needs to cut as deep as possible, until its white and even then some. He repeats the process over and over, wash rinse repeat. Until Akito can no longer find any place on his body to cut himself. His shirt is off along with this long pants. The faster he loses blood the better. He can barely feel the first cut on his skin, it's only when he almost gets to his bone does it hurt. Yeah it hurts like a bitch but so does life and life can suck his dead body so it's fucking fine.
He doesn't know how long he was cutting himself for but it probably took as long as the smoking did. Even though he's no stranger to the practice of cutting up his body like it's the only thing he can cut properly, that doesn't stop how long it takes when he just wants to bleed out in a delirious state of mind. He grabs the water bottle he grabbed previously and takes all the pills, dumping them all over the bathroom floor. He doesn't care what they are for and now no one will want to sort them anyways. He grabs handfuls of them, fifteen to twenty at a time, shoving them in his mouth with a large guzzle of water. It isn't until he downs about ninety percent of them that he pauses to look at the alcohol he brought up. It's just some whiskey sure but its really fucking strong. It only takes his father a few shots of it to get him decently intoxicated. However he is a forty-eight-year-old man, so it'll take a lot less to get his almost seventeen-year-old son absolutely blackout drunk. He grabs the top of the bottle and takes a swig of it. The bottle's almost full, just barely drunk by his dad. He downs another and another until he feels fuller on water, whiskey, and pills than he ever has in his entire life, and that's saying a lot, back when he was actually happy and before he started binging and purging every goddamn thing he consumes. At least water fixes anything, water keeps the body alive and water can kill the body. Water subtracts and water adds. Water kills and water heals. Water is nothing at all and everything at once, a raging storm or a light mist. Water is a two-faced asshole that doesn't stop doing but never commits.
His arm swings and the impact pierces through the walls, reverberating throughout the house, out the open window, and under the crack in the door. The glass clatters to the floor as Akito slumps against the wall, his eyes half-lidded and partially open. The top rolls out of his hand and moves to just before the door opens. He feels himself slipping away into unconsciousness and he doesn't even try to reach for the light dying out in his vision. It wasn't until images and silent video clips flash through his memory of his life like an album. It wasn't until then that he wanted to reach out to the dying light coming in from the window and wake up again. To have another chance at life. To pursue his dreams but he was too blinded by his own jealousy to even get into a clear head. He doesn't want to die but he can barely keep his eyes open for a moment longer. He feels his breathing slow down more and more and his heart beats in are deafening his head, it's the only thing he can hear. All of his mistakes and his bitchy actions are pushed aside just for the will to live again. But no matter how hard he tries to reach it, it moves further and further away. He can't feel his body anymore, he can't move at all, can't reach a handout, can't call out for Ena. He has no way to wake her. This is it. This is the end of his book, his tale, and his legacy as himself. Anything that once was is over for him. It's gone and it's over and he levitates as the rest of him sinks.
The ground shakes beneath their feet, the coffee Meiko holds spilling a bit over the edges, her hands tingling from the steaming hot liquid she holds. A yelp is let out by two younger voices and only a quick glance in required to see the Kagamines falling over on top of each other in shock from the sudden unnatural movement. She sees Luka look up at the lights in panic, hoping they wouldn't hit anything, and then, none of them can see a thing before the sound of glass shattering sounds and reverberates through Craze Cafe, They open their eyes to see the giant glass window shattered falling to the floor in thousands of pieces.
"AHhh- whatever shall we do!?" A deep voice exclaims, the group glances over to a one hundred seventy-five somehow tangled into the sea of wires used for both the sound system and his DJ setup entirely.
"Mikuu~! You always have a solution!" A young voice comes out from a blonde. Rin is still standing, legs wide, knees bent, and arms out like she's surfing or skateboarding all to keep her balance. But she's still standing and uninjured.
A voice whines, "Yeah! Miku Miku! You always know what to do!" It's Len who couldn't react quickly enough and is on his behind with both hands behind him.
Right on cue comes Miku running out from the back, her signature space bun ponytails loose and almost falling out. The need to be redone but that's the least of her worries. "Ah! Everyone okay!?" She surveys the damage and chaos and walks to the front door, the glass on the door is cracked and about to fall. She carefully pushes the door open, stepping outside to analyze the disaster from yesterday. A rumbling sound is heard and she races back in, pulling the door shut and locking it. All eyes are on the usually calm and composed Miku but not now. Miku's hair is now fully down, the curls at the end loose, and her hair down her back. "We need to get to the basement right now. Someone needs to check on An, Kohane, Akito and Toya. Something is wrong with someone but I don't know who. But we need to be in the basement first."
Luka rushes over to Kaito, who is still tangled in the wires but a little more free. Meiko gets everything of value on the ground, making sure to prevent minimal damage to anything expensive or irreplaceable. Rin and Len run to the chairs, setting the highchairs down lower to minimize impact and possible dents, then grabbing pillows and blankets, and throwing them down the stairs in a frenzy. Miku rushes to the back, grabbing as many non-perishables as she can, running up and down the stairs as fast as possible. She knows there are a few essentials already down there but she needs to grab as much food as possible.
Finally, about twenty minutes later, everything in the Craze Cafe is locked up with damage minimized as much as they can, Kaito is finally free from the wire prison. Together they huddle together in a circle with the door locked. "Rin, go to Toya, Len, to An, Kaito, you take Kohane, Meiko, go to Akito. Luka and I will stay here to hold down the fort. Do try to be as fast as possible, do not let the others enter the Sekai, it's too dangerous. Be prepared for anything." Miku states, worry in her voice though she tries not to show it. Her jacket if fully zipped and her shoes are off but she's still on high alert.
Without a word, the four disappear into other phones to hope that they're okay.
"Kohane Azusawa! Kohane Azusawa! Wake up! Azusawa Kohane!" It's older and very androgynous sounding but the desperation makes it higher pitched. Unfortunately, if he were to shout, the phone would only let him go so loud. Kohane's phone is on the charger next to her bed, in it lies a stirring sixteen-year-old. He calls her name again, as loud as his voice allows, as loud as the phone allows.
A voice finally calls out, muffled from the blanket she's under but audible nonetheless. "Eh? What's happening?" She rolls over to her other side to see a frazzled Kaito almost banging on the edge of the barrier. "K-Kaito? Why are you here? It's the middle of the night." She asks, still dazed from the abrupt awakening.
"To keep it short and simple, something's wrong with someone in the group. We aren't sure who it is but since you're here, then it's not you. The Craze Cafe is a bit of a dangerous place to be in right now, there's storms up ahead and we felt something close to a tremor or an earthquake and there's a mess we have yet to clean. Please refrain from entering the sekai until you're notified by one of us again." He explains, trying to leave out the less important details. His sapphire blue eyes are locked with sandy tan ones. Kohane sits and ponders, still in the dark of night, trying to think of a reply.
Tears well in her eyes but don't spill out yet, in a shaking, stuttering, voice she finally responds. " I- uh, unfortunately, don't know. Though I fear it's A-Akito. He's been a-acting w-weird late-tely." Her words are long and drawn out in a desperate attempt to make them coherent and not just a gaspy breath of air between words or utter gibberish at all. She wipes her face with her pajama sleeve and Kaito can see the darkened area just enough to know she's wiping away her tears.
"An! An! Shiraishi An!" A small voice calls, Len recognizes the inside of An's coat but it's dark without a sliver of light.
"Len? What is it? It's one in the morning, what's so important that it had to wake me at this hour?" The teen asks, her voice tired and a bit raspy from both practice and the hour of morning. She walks slowly over to her jacket all the way across the room, carefully removing her phone from her jacket pocket, placing it on her nightstand.
A worried expression forms on Len's face, "So it's not you.." He says, worried and frantic to get back for updates.
Confusion leaves An's face and is replaced with worry, "What's wrong Len? Tell me. What's happened!?" An asks, clearly awake now though still in her pajamas. She runs over to the light, flicking it on and rushing back.
"Uh, something's wrong with one of you, and then the window exploded and I think the Sekai is going storm and that's not supposed to happen. But uh- don't come to the Sekai until another update from one of us, it's too dangerous!"
An's hands go to her face and a sound that represents something no less than agony come out. "God fucking damnit, I'll bet it's Akito again. I swear to god I keep telling him to get his shit together!" She's breathing very deeply, trying to calm herself and stay at least a bit quiet in the dead of night.
Len's face grows with more and more worry, "An, what do you mean?
She exhales again, long and drawn out. "Akito's been getting worse." An finally spits out, almost nervous to say the words in fear of what the worst is. She knows that he's tried to kill himself once before. The teen chokes back a sob, not wanting to burden her father with this at the current hour but she'll tell him later. Akito's like the son he never had, he deserves to know.
Rin recognizes Toya's room from the sliver of moonlight coming in, his phone is charging on the wireless stand, sat upright so Rin's sideways right now.
"Toya! Toya! Aouyagi Toya! Wake up!" Rin calls out, her hair sticking out from the pandemonium the Craze Cafe. Her clothes are a little more wrinkled and she's in short, a mess. She calls out again, louder this time. Toya sleeps like the dead, lifeless and unmoving. It's baffling to anyone who sees him sleeping for the first time. Even his breathing is subtle, so from an outsider's perspective, he seems dead.
The boy finally stirs, half awake and eyes half closed still but awake despite it. Seeing Rin and his phone light on wakes him up further and sits up, taking his phone off the charger to see Rin right-side up.
Bewildered by the awakening, he asks why she's here. "Rin? Why are you here so early in the morning? What happens to be so predominant that you must wake me?" He asks, Rin's expression worrying with uncertainty.
"Uhm, some stuff happened with the sekai and it's too dangerous to go in for you guys but uh we were worried because the sekai doesn't act like that usually andandandandandthenweallgotsupersuperworriedbecause-" She's cut off by Toya's voice, which is calm and steady in direct contrast to her own.
"Woah, Rin, please chill and talk slower. I can't understand you if you're talking that fast. Take a breath and start again." He says, worried from the first part he understood, and perplexed the minute she sped up. Worried about the sekai and vocaloids but he knows there's something deeper here.
"The sekai has been acting up lately and it's not safe to enter but the sekai is directly linked to the group's feelings, both individual and as a collective. Since it's been malfunctioning, we know something's wrong so we went to check on you all." She states, finally having recollected herself from her initial panic. "But since you're here, something's wrong but not with you." I haven't gone back to figure it out who it is, so I don't know who it is. Do you have any idea?"
Toya shrinks into himself, he knows that Akito's been off lately but doesn't have the courage to confront him. An and Kohane have always been more open with how they feel. Akito's always the one who seals his emotions off, only letting the good ones come out at the right time. Toya doesn't even know what to say, he can only assume the worst and here he is, finally figuring it out and he's not there to help him. The guilt has already started eating away at him and he knows that soon he'll be in shambles.
Rin can practically hear his overthinking, she doesn't even need a verbal answer to confirm the worst of it. She opens her mouth but no sound exits, Rin isn't always sure what to say when comforting but she knows Miku sent everyone to the respective people all for good reason. With that in mind, she speaks once again.
Meiko opens her eyes to be greeted by a closed door, she can't move the phone closer to the crack underneath so she tilts her head to try and get the proper view inside. It's really a futile attempt because she can't see anything in the dark. She knows Akito has a laptop in his room, perhaps if she tries hard enough, she can access his room. The older vocaloid shuts her eyes and squeezes her fists, exiting the phone.
She wakes sideways, her entire body ajar but in his room in spite of the slightly unusual angle. She looks around his room and there's nothing out of the ordinary. There's nothing new here, but again, there's nobody in his bed. In fact, his bed is perfectly made, differing from the usual organized chaos in his room is usually. There aren't any clothes on the floor or empty chip bags. The trash can is full of trash for once along with his hamper. Finally a cloud shifts and there lies out in the open a stack of folded papers. She's not sure how many there are but if she were to guess, there are at least twelve or so.
Squinting her eyes she can barely make out the words 'Ena Shino-' The light doesn't cast on all of the writing but Meiko knows that the letter is going to his older sister. He's mentioned her once or twice but nothing seems too out of the ordinary with her. She glazes over the room again, scanning the abnormally clear desk. There's a pen and some empty paper but despite that and the laptop open, everything has been cleared and put in its place.
Crap, she's not stupid, she's one of the most perceptive out of the vocaloids but even more so to Akito. She knows he sees her as a mother figure. He's joked about his mom often being away on long business trips but he doesn't really think that's what she's doing. If she recalls correctly, she can make out a few instances where he's called her mom after practice, too exhausted to think properly. Awake Akito wouldn't ever say that to her, but he loses the filter he has on during the day so he lets a little more out than he'd like to know.
Meiko's pretty sure she know what the teen had done, enough to know to go back to the cafe, smart enough to know she wouldn't reach him no matter how many times she could call out his name. Outside the door, she knows he won't ever hear her again. With a heavy heart and a long drawn-out sigh, she transports herself back into the basement of the Craze Cafe.
gay4koham: did any1 just get woken up by their phone but smths wrong w the sekai and smths wrong w 1of you guys? r u all okay!?
akitosbf: Yes, Rin just woke me not long ago.
koham: yea, kaito just woke me and oh no, akito's not online :(
gay4koham: SHIT
akitosbf: Oh fuck.
koham: oh crap don't tell me he-
gay4koham: DAMNIT AKITO DONT DO THIS AGAIN
gay4koham: WHY DO WE ALL LIVE ACROSS TOWN FROM HIM FUCK
gay4koham: ILL BRB I NEED TO GO WAKE MY DAD
*gay4koham is offline*
akitosbf: I am getting the unnerving feeling that we're missing something.
koham: an has mentioned once or twice that she's known akito since she was very young, how long have you known akito?
akitosbf: Just a little over two years I think. When I first met him he was a disaster in short. He straightened out eventually but the first few months of knowing him were a whirlwind.
koham: concerning but it's still not enough info :(
koham: akito's been worrying recently
akitosbf: Yes, he has been.
koham: do you mind if we call? you don't have to speak or anything but it'll make me feel better.
akitosbf: No problem, that's fine with me.
*a call has been started by koham*
Slowly but surely the four return, worry defined on their expressions. All but one. Meiko returns first, drained and her body heavy after the sights she saw in his house. She's uncharacteristically silent and both Luka and Miku realize that it's Akito who unknowingly caused the chaos in the cafe but don't say a word as they wait for the others. Kaito returned next, dazed after helping Kohane calm her anxiety. He's really better at physical comfort than verbal comfort but it's fine, she's okay right now. Len returns shortly after Kaito, worried and nervous. It's rare for Len to not be his happy-go-lucky self so he must know something. Rin returns last after easing down Toya.
They sit in utter silence, not a mutter or cough. The only noise that escapes is the ruffling of blankets and adjusting of positions.
The silence breaks by Meiko, the voice in need of water, cracked and lips chapped but finally addresses the elephant in the room. "I think Akito killed himself."
No words are spoken that night though tears are shed. They couldn't help him no matter what they did and yet it still ended in a premature death, a boy too young, not even an adult. A boy with hopes and dreams who wished to see the world with his best friends and boyfriend. That dream is now impossible when twenty-five percent of the group is gone. Never again will Rin and Len be the younger cheerful siblings Akito never got to be and drag him on an adventure in the sekai. Never again will Kaito sit and listen to Akito or give him a blanket after he falls asleep at the cafe. Never again will Luka give him a hot drink and comfort him after a long day at school or a fight with one of his parents. Never again will Miku sit in a chair and listen to Akito's issues and give him a possible solution. Never again will Meiko embrace Akito into a tight hug like the ones he hasn't gotten from his sister in years. Never again.
Ena is awoken by a loud thundering roaring shout. She glances at her clock frantically, hoping it's a dream, hoping she didn't do what she usually has trouble doing on a daily basis. Praying that she'll wake up in time. The clock reads ten twenty two. She pinches her skin on her hand. Nothing. She squeezes her wrist. Blank. She slaps her face with both hands. Nil. She runs to the bathroom, only to be stopped by her father who blocks her view of the bathroom. Not a sound emerges from the man, and Ena fears the sight in the bathroom. She almost doesn't want to see, she knows that she'll regret looking and she knows that she won't ever forget that image once she sees it. Shinei collapses to her knees and her eyes watch her father put his hands to his face. She fears looking up but she does nonetheless.
It's a horrifying sight, to say the least. There are dried blood stains all over the floor and Akito is almost bare as he lays on his favorite sweatshirt which is now also stained, and in the shortest pair of boxers he owns. Littering his bare skin are cuts. She doesn't even want to know how many are on his pretty pale skin, but she knows it's a number she won't like. His binder is off too, cuts on his small breasts that barely had time to grow before he decided to start taking hormone blockers and testosterone. His arms are covered in dried ichor along with his legs. There are ugly purple and green and brown discolored bruises over his body where there aren't cuts. His eyes are slightly open but there's nothing behind them, there isn't any light at all. Underneath him lays hundreds of tiny shards of glass and a puddle of water. His complexion is whiter than it ever has been and the bags under his eyes are dark. He looks sickly and gross but there's no saving him this time. There are pills surrounding him and Ena can recognize at least three different prescriptions just from a glance. Her Prozac, his Adderall, and a generic over-the-counter pain reliever. the bottles are almost empty and Ena got her medication refilled just the week prior. She also knows that Akito hasn't been taking his Adderall. Ena was sent out to the drugstore three weeks ago to get pain relievers after her dad got a particularly bad migraine. There's another pill that she doesn't quite recognize, but she doesn't even want to try and figure out what it is. Nearly all of the pills have been downed, and only about seven remain on the floor. The broken glass on the floor is wet from the alcohol on the ground making it even harder than it already is to see. The alcohol bottle is broken, and the opening at the top is the largest piece, clearly, that's where he was holding it when he smashed it. They can't even enter because none of them have their shoes on. Ena fears how cold Akito will be, his chest isn't rising and falling so there's no rush to call the ambulance. There is no saving him, he's long gone and has been for at least eight hours. Never had Ena seen her baby brother this lifeless, sure she caught him trying to hang himself two and a half years ago, though then he was still conscious.
The sight of him makes Ena nauseous, she's seen a lot after being on the internet for over a decade, but never has she seen so much as to this sight right in front of her. She's seen so much from porn gifs to open fresh cuts, sent to a young Ena before she barely understood what the word consent even meant. She puts her hands to her mouth only to feel a light veil of water covering her face. Sure, she learned to cry silently as a young kid, but she always knew when she was crying and when the tears were almost going to spill out. A warning sign for her to run to the bathroom to dab her eyes with the hem of her jacket sleeve to absorb the liquid before it spilled out. So she wouldn't ruin her makeup. So she wouldn't have the puffy-eyed, red-nosed look that you get from crying. Ena swears in her dream last night she heard glass breaking but it was a dream, not once did she ever think to try and wake herself up, not once did she think she was dreaming. This world is not her delusion. This is real.
A voice comes out, one that she doesn't recognize. "What do we do?" Her mother is standing behind her, eyes fixed on the sight in front of her. Ena looks over to her mother, she's home three days later than she said she'd be after five days in Italy, eleven in the states, and four in Russia. Where she was during the extra days, Ena doesn't even want to know. It's not her problem yet. She's vaguely aware of what she does though. She currently smells like the airport, weed, alcohol and there's a faint hint of another man's cologne on her as well.
Ena gags from the scent of her mother, the scent of drugs is the most prominent on her, so much so that her nose-blind father can probably smell it. Shinei's hands are still on his face, failing to catch the tears that are streaming down his face, just as he failed to protect his child, failed to be a parent to shield him from the world's problems, and failed to pick up the aftermath of bad decisions. There's nothing but a dead body, glass, and a few pills to clean up. Someone's going to have to scrub this floor for hours, the dried red blood has seeped into the cracks of the grout. Ena doesn't know if she'll ever be able to use this bathroom again in her life. Never again does she want to be reminded of this moment in time when her world crumbles and the ledge she stands on breaks a little more. Little does she know that in two different places, the lights are dimming, one already gray, bleak, and cold and one colorful, the good taste of chaos, a shop smelling of caramel full of teenage rebellion and passion. Some of the lights fizz out and it gets just a little darker despite everyone there feeling like another home.
Never again will Toya be welcomed into the Shinonome household, greeted by a hug from his boyfriend. Never again will An and Akito have dinner together with Ken as they waste the night away talking. Never again will Kohane drag Akito to a Wonderlands x Showtime show and know how much he enjoyed it despite his best efforts. Never again will they sit in silence together after a long or rough rehearsal. Never again will they be able to discuss their next course of action to go after Rad Weekend. Never again will their love be reciprocated by Akito. Never again.
Never again will Ena embrace her baby brother in a hug. Never again will she cook dinner for the two of them. Never again will they sit and have dinner in peace and light-hearted conversation. Never again will she go to a festival with Akito. Never again will she have to share her cheesecake or make extra pancakes on a Sunday morning. Never again will she get to call Akito her baby brother without her eyes tearing up and sobbing the most gut-wrenching sobs. Never again will she have the other half to her. Never again.