It's an odd sight for Hinata to see you so out of it, especially after you seemed so cheery all through yesterday up till this morning. How could so much change in the span of one afternoon? You were sitting there, robotically spooning one mouthful of rice after the other, and she couldn't help but worry whether you were even chewing your food before swallowing. The last thing she needs is to fret about whether her newfound friend would end up being a choking hazard to themselves. And that's on top of her daily responsibility of looking after her boyfriend to make sure he doesn't go running off to yet another losing fight. Not that she could actually do anything to stop him.

She waved a hand in front of your face, but you didn't so much as blink as you scooped more rice into your mouth.

You were really out of it.

"(Y/n)-chan!"

COUGH

Cue the brunette instantly regretting calling your name, watching as you hack at food that got lodged in your throat. You grabbed your bottle of water, and chugged it, trying to wash it down. Eventually the coughing subsided and you leaned back in your seat with a sigh. Hinata didn't feel any less awful, though, knowing she ended up being the reason you inevitably choked on your food.

"I-I'm so sorry...!"

She instinctively handed you a tissue for... wait, what would you need a tissue for? There wasn't any spillage to be cleaned up, you only choked. Well, if she can use "only" when someone nearly choked. And here came the added embarrassment on top of the guilt.

"Here for the... um..."

You chuckled before taking the paper from her with a "thanks". She doesn't say it but she was grateful you decided to go with the flow, rather than point out her blunder.

But now that you were situated, she could finally ask you what was on your mind. And what a rather simple question it was.

"What's wrong?"

So she should have expected a simple reply from you.

"Oh, it's... nothing really."

But she sets you with a look that says she wasn't going to take anything less than the truth for an answer. Well, perhaps she could settle for a little less, but you weren't getting off as easily as last Friday when you brought that extra bag to school.

You averted your gaze but she stared hard, burning a hole into the side of your head.

You caved, and she can see it in the moment you met her gaze again before dropping it with a sigh. She practically glistened at your concession, but don't get her wrong, she only wants what's best for you. And it can't be healthy to bottle up your feelings.

"Well... what should you do when you've made a friend but..."

There's "but"s when it comes to making friends?

"...they turn out to be someone you've been trying to avoid any relations with?"

"Why would you avoid them in the first place?" Hinata asked, just as perplexed by your situation as you are.

"W-why...?" You sputtered, "...because I'm not supposed to be friends with them? It's... complicated."

She sees you struggling to give her a proper answer, but you bit your tongue instead and held back the truth. "It's complicated" always stood as some sort of ultimatum, where someone was about to reveal an entire life story or the exact opposite. And you looked like you were leaning towards the latter, ending your explanation at that.

But she wasn't ready to end her interrogation at that.

"Is there family issues involved? Like 'Romeo and Juliet'?"

"What- no," You snorted, and Hinata smiled at the sight of an effortless smile on your face. "My problem isn't some kinda premise for a romantic drama with a tragic ending."

"Then isn't the only reason you're conflicted because you had some misconception about them beforehand?"

"I wouldn't say misconception..." Your brows furrowed yet again, and the smile became more forced.

"But now that you've gotten to know them, and is comfortable enough to want them as a friend... Or if you're not, you can always decide after spending some more time together. I don't see what's stopping you?" She questioned you, watching you concede to her deductions with tight lips and sealed words.

"...Me neither."

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Some words were better left unsaid. That's a guideline you've been following your entire life. Although people may say they could read you like an open book, with all your emotions displayed on your face, you're sure to keep anything deeper locked in your heart. It's like the story of Pandora's box, but one where you didn't know the ending. What if you carelessly opened the lid and allowed your mess of an emotion to get out? What if, unlike the original story, there's no speck of hope at the end of it all? So you decided, rather early on, that curiosity kills the cat.

And no, satisfaction cannot bring it back.

The sole of your shoes scraped along the paved sidewalk as you walked along, still yet to learn the lesson of paying attention to where you're walking. You were all too focused on kicking a tiny pebble along as you walked. When it swerved too far to the sides, you'd dwindle from your original straight path just to kick it back to the middle. There really wasn't a point to all of this. The rock will soon be abandoned when you ultimately decide to go back to the house you call your home in this world. But for now you weren't headed on that path, and the stone remained your faithful companion on this directionless wandering of yours.

Carelessness led to kicking it just a tad too hard, and it tumbled off course. It wasn't a smooth rock, but it was round enough to let it roll down the grassy banks that slopes down to a canal. The water carved out a long strip of blue, bordered by green, as a little break away from the city. You had half a mind to go after it, because why not? But the reasonable side of you won, telling you there was no point chasing after a rock. It held no sentimental value and there's plenty of them to go around. Rocks without a worth.

So you watched it continue rolling, picking up speed, before plopping straight into the water. There wasn't a splash, not from something as small as that, but you could see the surface of the water ripple a bit. A final reminder that it existed; Hey, I was here! before it sank under, no different than all the rocks that already rest beneath the water.

And it briefly crossed your mind that even the rock belonged more to this world than you did. But you shook your head of the thought, teetering terribly close towards a spiral down existentialism. And it wasn't hard to forget what you were thinking about just seconds ago. Not when your eyes landed on a familiar figure who you aren't sure if you want to avoid or not.

A mop of blond hair was all you could see from behind and atop the higher ground you were standing on. Blond hair tied in a familiar style, that is. If you wanted further confirmation, you just had to take a glance at the jacket hanging off his shoulders and baggy pants.

Mikey was sitting there, undisturbed and seemingly detached from his environment, staring rather blankly at the water. Or that's what you're assuming, since you could only see his backside. This was the opportune moment for you to make a silent retreat, with no evidence that you were there in the first place.

You could leave. So why were you hesitating?

You didn't felt like just retreating after this coincidence, but that didn't meant you felt any more eager to announce your presence to him. If you were even a bit like those rabid fans of anime characters, you figure you would have jumped at the opportunity, or at least remember what that motorcycle of his was called. And maybe these little things would have helped you settle in better in this whole new world.

The longer you stood, the more awkward you felt. Knowing Mikey, he might already have guessed that someone was staring so blatantly at him, and you didn't know if walking off now was even an option. But you could try.

You turned in place, eyes already seeking out the path back where you came from. A foot or two away was as far as you got before you heard your name.

"(Y/n)-chan!"

You tried. Better luck next time.

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.

.

If a stranger pass by and looked down on the artificial riverbank, they'd see two figures sitting in the grass lazing their sunny afternoon away. Now if they looked closer, they'd see the weird tension surrounding the two almost as if the girl was being held there at gunpoint. Except she wasn't, and the boy was just skipping rocks on the clear blue waters.

You really weren't sure of why he wanted you here. He had called your name, called you over and you complied. He asked you whether you had plans for the afternoon, and you answered, honestly, that you didn't. Then he basically told you to spend some time with him. There was no question or room to say no, just "You should sit here with me for a while!" followed by a closed eyes smile.

You really should have lied and said you were plenty busy today.

So here you were, sitting stiffly on your knees as the grass tickled the bare skin where your skirt doesn't meet your socks. Thankfully it hadn't rained anytime earlier; you can't imagine it being comfortable to sit on wet grass dampened by a mid summer shower. Yet it was only the slightest relief allowed to you, the silence between you and Mikey was already uncomfortable enough as it is. To the point where you're considering making a run for it, however stupid that may sound. But the logical side of you dragged you back down to earth, knowing you likely wouldn't even get to stand before he catches you.

So you settled for yet another stupid idea. Keeping up the awkwardness in hopes that he'd be the first to call off this hangout. You know he has a penchant for people he find interesting and vice versa, and you can't really be classified as "interesting" if all you did was sit there like a nervous wreck, now can you? Your eyes wandered everywhere but in his direction, trying to make as if you're preoccupied with your thoughts.

"It's getting late, so we should head back now."

It was? One glance at the creeping orange that was slowly overtaking the blue sky told you that it was later than you had thought. And you had sat there in perfect silence for much longer than you'd imagine. And your plan had worked better than you expected.

You got up to your feet and pasted on a smile, "It was nice seeing you, I'll be going now."

He smiled back in, what you believe, a silent goodbye.

"I'll walk you home."

Or not.

"That's alright, I'll be fine on my own." You declined. You're only fourteen, what could happen?

And it didn't take a lot of thinking to remind you how horribly things can go wrong no matter how young or old you were. The world was a scary, scary place and this world was not any less dangerous, where violence is amped up for the sake of the anime. There were fourteen year olds shedding blood and winding up dead. What makes you an exception?

"I'll walk you home." He repeated, as if he hadn't heard your previous response.

And this time you agreed.

"...Okay."

With that, he got up from his sitting position too, and you noticed he wasn't carrying a school bag with him. He brushed off the imaginary dust before letting you lead the way, walking alongside you back up the slope and onto the path.

"Just recently," He broke the silence, "A friend of mine got another friend who ended up in a bit of trouble. They ganged up on him and raped his girl right in front of his eyes."

You couldn't tell if he stopped there simply because that's all there was to the story or whether he was waiting for his words to sink in. If it was the latter, he wouldn't need to wait long; you heard him loud and clear. And perhaps next time, you'll be less reluctant about letting someone walk you home.

He didn't say a word more, and you didn't bother prying at what he was trying to do by bringing up something so horrendous suddenly. It was a legitimate warning and, for all you know, might have been necessary to keep your stubbornness in check, but it leaves an unpleasant taste in the air.

CRINKLE

Sounds of plastic ripping drew your hesitant eyes back over to the boy who's just an inch or two short of your height. In his hands was a familiar snack you recognized as a dorayaki, encased in clear plastic wrapping. Noticing your gaze at the dorayaki, he lifted it slightly in your direction.

"Want some?"

You looked him in the eyes. He was "smiling". That's your cue to refuse.

"No thank you, I'm not very hungry yet."

He reminded you of Baji in a way, if you only looked at their fascination towards that one favorite food of theirs. But Baji was always eager to share his interests with those even the least bit close to him, and Mikey was... well... let's just say that accepting to share his favorite snack with him is equivalent to knocking on death's door and asking for a refund on life. Or at least that's what you're getting from that look on his face. And safe to say, you much prefer your lifelong supply of O2 compared to a nibble of that sweet treat.

"Oh well, suit yourself." His smile only got brighter as he took a large bite and hummed in delight at the sweet bean paste.

You shuffled along, eyes flickering to the boy savoring his snack and back before he could catch you looking. It was still silent save for the barely audible sounds of him munching away, and you let yourself think about Mikey, the character. You aren't quite sure but you do vaguely remember him being rather popular amongst the fans, if for nothing else than his supremacy in fighting. And what you wouldn't give to trade your place with one of those fans right now. From the few bits you gathered from actually interacting with him, you could not see yourself enjoy his presence. He's an enigma, to be sure, and you can't quite comprehend his every moves. Maybe others would find that fascinating, and long to dig deeper and see what's beneath, but you weren't one of them. You could only foresee unnecessary turbulence in your future if you decide to get any further involved. You don't need that, not when you're going home.

And you're definitely going home.

SPLAT

"Watch where you're going."

You blinked out of your subconsciousness at the sound of something hitting the ground and Mikey's impassive remark. A small kid, who couldn't be older than seven stared at a scoop of ice cream that lies on the concrete walkway. The bright pink scoop of icy treat quickly began to melt under the hot summer sun, and was reduced to a mere puddle of sugary goodness within seconds. The boy's head was lowered, his expression hidden, and he still clutched the empty ice cream cone in his hand.

You're not quite sure if you're up to the task of comforting a crying kid, never having much experiences with them. While you internally panicked, Mikey stood there with the same stony expression, taking occasional nibbles at his dorayaki as if he was waiting for the situation to just be resolved.

"M-Mikey..."

"Hm?"

"You should," You repeatedly looked between the two boys, a subtle hint towards the older one to give a simple apology, "You know...?"

He didn't seem to get the hint. And you doubt he ever would, but it's not as if you could get the chance to prove that.

The next few seconds happened in a chain of events. The boy walked up to Mikey and, in a single fluid motion, raised his arm... and smacked the dorayaki out of the blond's hand.

PLOP

It was a sight to behold. Three people staring down at the ruined dorayaki and strawberry scented ice cream puddle.

Surely it's still salvageable...? The three second rule- ...Oh, it's been over three seconds.

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In a world so unfamiliar, I found you.