Blaze was used to being left behind.

Everyone he knew had left him for something or had died.

Solar left first to grab the opportunity to study in a prestigious school in another country. He looked so excited about it that they were all almost happy to let him go grab his dreams.

Thunderstorm had learned about a school in Japan that offers an extensive lesson on taekwondo, and like Solar, he had left.

Quake had to migrate abroad. He didn't really want to leave them, but his parents wouldn't budge, and so he left with a hasty goodbye.

Cyclone... he had been suffering from a disease of a long time. Blaze was more than glad to see him go, if just to stop him from suffering any longer.

Thorn, he... he was a bit different. Like Thunderstorm and Solar, he also got an opportunity to study plants on a professional level, however, he didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave the only friend that he had. But Blaze could see how much he wanted to grab the opportunity, so he told him to go, that they can still stay in touch even when he's far away. Only that they slowly fell out of touch, and Blaze was alone again.

One way or another, he was being left behind. Blaze thought he was immune to the pain caused by it.

He wasn't.

Each one had hurt as much as the previous one.

But amongst all of them, Ice's hurt the most.

He just left so suddenly, without any warning.

He just found him hanging in his room.

And that was when he finally lost it. He broke down right then and there, right beside his best friend's hanging corpse. He cried for everything that he had lost.

If in the past, he was able to put up a mask to conceal his true feelings, this time, he just couldn't muster the energy to do it.

One day, the rest of them will come back home and see Blaze as a shadow of his former self.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I got this story idea a little less than a week ago, when I found out about the news that... well...

Anyway, how's life treating you, guys? Stay safe with the threat of the invisible enemy around!

Lovelots,

Glace, the Queen of Angst