The weekend went by way too quickly. We had so much fun that I ended up forgetting about my current situation. That night, Shima and Bon had gone back to their dorm and retrieved some belongings. Some of which included a gaming console and a small television. We spent most of the night playing first person shooter games and bickering. When midnight rolled around, Bon and I hauled an extra mattress into the bedroom from a nearby room. The new bed was placed on the floor by the desk. Shima had claimed said mattress and Bon had chosen to stay on Yukio's bed. My twin and I decided to simply share my bed like we had the night before. I didn't mind, seeing as how I seemed to sleep better with his presence nearby, anyway. On Sunday, Bon had tried to talk us into watching Star Wars, but everyone voted against him. Instead, we watching a newly released comedy film. We ate popcorn and snickered at each other when a few jokes related to a few of us. However, when the evening came, we all said our goodbyes. We all had homework and other preparations to take care of before the school week started.

Even then, I had been so engrossed in my assignments that I didn't have much time to focus on my dilemma. Now, as I sat in the cafeteria, staring at my uneaten cereal, it all came crashing down. I swallowed dryly, the thought of going to my day classes seemed far more daunting than when I had to go to cram after my demon half had been exposed. I sighed and grabbed my spoon, picking up some cereal and milk before turning the utensil and letting the contents fall back into the bowl.

I haven't even seen this damn photo, but I could guarantee almost everyone on campus had. If they hadn't been sent it over the weekend, I'm sure phones would be passed during classes and the entire school would know by lunchtime. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the teachers learned of it by the end of the day, either.

I repeatedly played with my food, a gnawing feeling eating me from the inside out. I wanted my blade back, more than ever. I wanted to skip my classes and spend my day on the roof, bloodletting until I couldn't see straight. The thought made me bit my lip. I daydreamed of the possibilities of such freedom. Now that everyone knew, I had nothing to hide If I could just get my hands on that blade again, I'd maim myself far worse than I ever have. Knowing full well that I would only have that one chance to get my fix. I'd cut myself as many times as I wished. Drive the blade so deep that I severed arteries, so deep that I hit fat, maybe even muscle. Who knows? If it was going to be the last time I'd be able to, I might as well push myself to my limits.

My twin sighed, and the sound shattered my daydream. I blinked away my thoughts and glanced up at him. He was assessing me, his lips turned down into a scowl. "You've got that weird look, again. What's wrong?"

I sighed and set my spoon down, "I'm not very hungry."

He caught on quickly and hummed, "It's alright, it won't do you any good to throw up later by forcing it down. But what else is wrong?"

I gave him a pointed glare, "what else could it be?" I took a deep breath, pushing my bowl away and leaning my chin against my palm. "Everyone knows, Yukio. It's been rough with just the cram students knowing. The thought of going to school," I swallowed audibly, my dry mouth making it difficult. "It makes me so anxious that I can't calm down."

He was silent, and after several seconds passed I had to check to see if he was even listening. His eyes were guarded when I looked at him, however. "Nii-san," he started out slowly, his tone cautious. "There will be no blood today, understood? Call me if you need to, but don't make even a scratch, okay?"

I rolled my eyes, "With what phone? You lost it at the mission, or did you forget already? Also," I grabbed my spoon and swirled the bowls contents before pointing the utensil at him, milk dripping off the end. "I haven't cut myself since you took that knife away." I intended for the words to be sarcastic, but they came out more bittersweet.

Raising an eyebrow, he pressed further. "You're sly, I'll give you that, Nii-san.Don't think I didn't pick up on your choice of words, though. Sure you haven't cut yourself in a while, but when was the last time you self harmed?" I dropped my hold on the spoon, the metal clanging against the tabletop. The noise only amplified my coming thoughts.

Fuck, he wasn't going to buy my bullshit anymore. He was human, so I had the possibility of fooling him once. But he was so damn smart that he could pick me apart once he learned my methods. Teal eyes raked my features, searching for any inclination that I might try to evade him once more. My wrist burned at the thought and I slumped in my seat, mumbling my answer. "Friday night."

"Uh huh, you still haven't told me what happened then. Spill."

"Do we really have to do this right now?" I argued with him, crossing my arms over my chest in irritation. He remained silent, waiting patiently for me to answer him properly. I grunted and shoved myself up in my seat, yanking up my jacket sleeve and showing him the scar. "I used my teeth, okay?"

His eyes traced the healed puncture wounds, an unreadable expression on his face. Eventually, he lifted his gaze, giving me a level look. "I understand that it's difficult to talk about it, but at some point, we need to discuss this." I knew that conversation wouldn't just be about the events that transpired Friday night. No, he wanted to talk about all of it. I shivered and the thought. He pushed himself up, grabbing his dirty dishes in the process. "We haven't talked about it at all, and as your brother, I want a deeper understanding of how to help you." He began to walk away and I pulled my sleeve down to cover my scars. I chewed on my lip, unsure how I felt about his demand. I wanted to keep him in the dark as much as possible, not wanting to burden him with my issues. However, the opportunity to possibly have him bear some of this crushing weight could be a huge relief. I was still gnawing on my bottom lip when he returned. He set my bento box down in front of me, and I knew its contents held pre-packaged items from the convenience store. His thumb brushed over my chin, moving up to pull my wounded lip from between my teeth. "Rin?" I shifted my gaze to meet his eyes, concern swirling amongst the teal hue. "No blood, okay?"

I took a deep breath and nodded.

.oOo.

I grunted as I threw myself down next to the barren tree in the courtyard. I was thankful that the weather was finally warming up, however, it wasn't by much. It was late Feburary, and while there wasn't any more snow, the night was still frigid. I'd bask in the sunshine while I could. Seeing as how my death sentence was marked on the calendar before spring would end, I wouldn't be able to experience the joys of summer vacation. If I had known this time last year that my time was limited, I wouldn't have taken said time for granted. However, with how the day has been, I highly doubted I'd be able to find any sort of happiness with what little days I had left.

I pried open my bento box and pulled out a plastic wrapped sandwich. I ripped open the packaging and began eating. Today was only halfway over, yet I was absolutely drained. My classmates have been whispering about me all morning. Occasionally, I'd catch their eyes on me and their reactions were mixed. Some had the decency to be embarrassed, averting their gazes. Yet, some of them took my stares as a challenge. Several of them had maintained eye contact, gesturing to their wrists as they made slicing motions.

"Hey, dipshit." The voice came from nearby, and I vaguely remembered it. I cast my eyes upwards, spotting the asshat from the library. He had a few minions standing behind him, but it was clear he was the one who orchestrated this encounter. His lip had a cut in the corner, and he had the shadow of bruises under his eyes. Maybe I really did break his nose? "You're in my spot."

I blinked several times, confused. I'd been sitting under this tree during lunchtime for several months now. Sure, when it was colder I had taken to eating inside, but so did everyone else. Unless I was missing something, I was sure he was just fucking with me. My eyes narrowed and I bit back the urge to scoff. "I didn't realize you etched your name into the bark. Luckily, there are other trees you can piss on." I turned back to my lunch, fully intending on ignoring the group. I didn't have the energy to deal with them today. In a flash, his foot shot out, kicking my bento box from my grip. I snarled, my eyes flashing up to him. "What the fuck is your problem, dude? Leave me alone."

He laughed, but the action held no humor. "Isn't it obvious? You're my problem, or are you so dense that you didn't realize it?" He knelt down, resting an elbow on his knee. "You fucked me up good, I'll give you that. But I'm here to settle the score."

I rolled my eyes, shoving myself away from him and getting up from my seat. "I have no intentions on placating your ego. If you want the tree so damn bad, you can have it. Apparently, I'm done eating, since my lunch is currently fertilizing the lawn." He stood up after me, grabbing my elbow and pulling my back. I yanked away from him, though. "Don't touch me! Take a fucking hint, I'm not going to fight you. Just leave me alone."

My classmates started to take notice of our heated exchange, and I glossed over them. Some of them had their phones out, ready to record. I had to be careful with my actions, unless I wanted yet another media file spread across campus. I ground my teeth together and turned on my heels. I stomped over and collected my discarded bento box. When I turned toward the door, the asshole was blocking my way. "What the fuck, man?"

"Hit me, bitch. Find out what happens."

No way would I take him up on his offer, but that didn't mean I couldn't threaten him. "The last time you said that, your face got caved in. You really want to do this, again?" I quirked an eyebrow at him, doubting his bravery. "Out in public was one thing. But there are cameras everywhere, and it'll be clear who the antagonist is here."

He scoffed, "you think I care? Unlike some people, I don't need a scholarship to attend this school. My parents are loaded, I can go to whatever school I want. I don't care if I get expelled." His brown eyes flashed with pride. And I don't think he realized just how much of a exploitive asshole he appeared as. My eyes raked his appearance and I smirked.

"Your parents are so loaded that they can't afford the uniform? How'd you get the Headmaster to approve your skinny jeans? Did you steal them from your little sister or something?" I laughed, "you look like an emo bitch."

He sneered at me, lunging forward and grabbing my arms, knocking my bento box out of my grip for a second time. A warning growl ripped through my throat, but he didn't seem phased. "Me? The emo bitch? Look who is talking." He made his voice intentionally louder, mocking me in front of our classmates. He yanked me toward him, "let's do a wrist check, eh?"

My eyes widened and I tried to free myself. However, my back slammed into another body. I cast a shocked look over my shoulder, seeing one of the minions behind me. Swiftly, he wrapped his arms around my torso, pinning me to him and lifting me up slightly until only my toes touched the ground. Shit! I didn't expect him to use them as barriers. My eyes shot forward, just as the asshole started unbuttoning my cuffs. I struggled, yanking my arm away from him, but finding resistance with the body behind me. "Fuck off! Let me go!"

"Aww, what are you afraid of? Didn't your little boyfriend deny that you did it? What do you have to hide? Just show us so we can stop talking about it."

Panic shot through me as he unbuttoned the righthand cuff. My fingernails dug into his hands, but he wasn't faltering. I begged him to stop, but he was hellbent on making me suffer. I kicked at the shins of my restrainer, his pained grunts his only response. "Goddammit, let me go!" My eyes shot over to my motionless peers, seeing the cameras. "Stop!" I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling nausea creep up my throat.

There was a tearing sound and my arm jolted forward. My eyes snapped open and I stared, mouth falling open, at my exposed arm. He'd ripped the fabric all the way up and past my elbow. The bottom of my shirt sleeve peeking out from underneath the rip. The jacket sleeve fell from my arm, hanging limp toward the ground.

My mind went blank, unable to process anything past what just happened. "Holy shit, you actually did it? You're fucked up, you know that?" He poked at my arm, his fingers tracing some particularly deep blemishes. "I didn't think you actually did it," he breathed. Murmurs started to spread across the crowds around us, growing in volume. He pushed up the sleeve of my dress shirt, exposing a few more inches of marred flesh. "Dude, you fucking cut yourself?" His eyes flashed upward and mine slowly followed afterward. There was not a single trace of the pissed look he previously harbored. In it's place was distress, his jaw hanging open and mirroring my own. Processing my dazed expression, he seemed to realize exactly what he had done. Blinking a few times, he stumbled backward. "You need serious help, dude."

Suddenly, I was no longer restrained. I wasn't expecting the change and I stumbled as my heels met the ground, my foot catching on something. Just as abruptly, I crashed into the water fountain. I shifted onto my hands and knees, staring at my submerged fingers in awe. My mind was still reeling, and it was as if my brain had shut down completely. I pushed myself up into a kneeling position, my eyes gradually scanning my surroundings. Wide eyes were everywhere. Phones were pointing in my direction. Hands covered mouths.

Like a light switch, everything came crashing into me at once. My breathing hitched and I shot up. The doors to the courtyard slammed open and a teacher came rushing out. She assessed her surroundings, her eyes settling on the person who had caused it all. She marched forward and grabbed him by the shoulder. My body reacted, both instinctively and also due to the adrenaline. Water splattered everywhere as I darted out of the fountain. My eyes were targeted at the door and I sprinted in it's direction. The teacher noticed my attempt at escape, calling after me, but I didn't stop. Throwing open the door, I entered the main building. I wasn't sure where I planned on going, but it didn't matter.

I just ran.