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" Yeah, I bet you're not scared. Robots can't feel anything. Right? "
Kisaki grunts, closing one eye as the older boy shoves him harshly, stumbling to try and regain his footing while still holding tightly to the straps of his backpack. The last time Haruto had gotten his bag, it'd ended up in the yard of an older man whose dogs were very intent on keeping it and the lunch they'd found inside of it. And as excited as he'd been when Hina shared some of her bento with him, he felt awful the rest of the day when he'd found her sneaking snacks in class because she hadn't eaten enough.
He couldn't let that happen again, no matter how many times they pushed him.
" ... Ghosts aren't even real, " he mutters, reaching up to straighten his glasses. " It's stupid to be afraid of the ghosts when the real -- "
Another shove, this time from behind, and he's forced closer to the warehouse door. This time, he ends up tripping over, though. It doesn't hurt too bad; the grass is so overgrown here that it's cushion enough that he's at least sure he didn't scrape his knees ... But he stays on the ground for now because they're less likely to do anything except keep him there if he does.
" Oh yeah? And what proof you got of that, huh? One uh your dumb books? How's'at prove anything? " Planting his foot against Kisaki's ribs, Haruto stares down at him. " Anyone can put whatever they wanna in a book. Doesn't make it true. Eh, Maki? I could write about how even Kisaki's parents couldn't stand the idea of having such a weirdo for a kid that neither of them wanted custody when they got divorced. "
Three of the other boys howl with laughter while the one addressed, Maki, cracks up with a loud, " But that is true, Harukun! Yahahaha! "
Kisaki curls into himself, ignoring the pressure on his side. It's fine. If this is it, then it's better than it could be. And drawing attention to it one way or the other would only make it worse. They can say whatever they want. He just stares straight ahead, at the tangles of grass, sticks, and the fuzzy blue of the sky in the breaks of the grass blades.
When the raucous laughter dies down a little, Haruto pushes his foot down and into Kisaki a little, forcing him over onto his back and skewing the bag under him to force it out to the side. But Kisaki doesn't let go of it even still. Haruto sneers down at Kisaki, whose glasses are smudged and crooked.
" ... What a freak. Why do you even wear glasses if ya ain't gonna keep 'em clean? Whole lotta money you're makin' your aunt waste on someone she didn't even want. " He stoops down, putting his weight on Kisaki as he reaches down to grab his glasses right off his face. He ignores the groan, and then Kisaki's breathy " Hey -- ! ", holding the glasses up in front of his eyes. " Holy shit. You blind without these, or what? "
He steps off and then back, and the rest of the boys encircle around to pass the glasses around between them, each taking their chance to peer through them and try to look around.
" Everything's all, like. Warpy. The hell? "
" Eh, lemme see, Taka -- you're getting your nasty fuckin' fingers all over 'em, dumbass, I wanna see first! "
Kisaki sits himself up, pulling his bag off and into his lap, holding it tightly in case they get bored of the glasses. And he just stares, listlessly for a moment at them. ... Whatever. His eyesight isn't bad enough that he can't navigate without them. As long as it's not right in his face, he can mostly see fine anyway, so ... if that will satisfy them, he'll just sit further back in class until he gets enough allowance for new ones.
But before he can get up onto his feet again, Haruto is back in front of him, but he isn't holding the glasses.
" 'Kay. Tell ya what, pasokon. If there ain't no such thing as ghosts, and you ain't scared, then go in there. Prove it. Do that, and you can have your glasses back. We won't even bother ya anymore. "
" ... But ... " There had been dead bodies found in this place short of two weeks ago. Logically, he knows this means the killer is not going to be coming back anytime soon, if ever. Yet, for some reason, it does give him very brief pause, which Haruto latches onto rather quickly.
" Oh, so ya are scared aren't'cha? How lame can you be. You talk big shit for such a little freak. "
" I'm not afraid of something that doesn't exist, " he insists. And, though reluctant, Kisaki gets up to his feet after scooting back a ways from Haruto, lest he get any wise ideas. He brushes himself off a bit. " That's about as stupid as all five of you put together. " But despite his words, he isn't looking to get decked, so he practically bolts for the door the second he's concluded that statement.
He almost expected the wretched smell of decay, but ... it just smells musty, really. Damp. There's something lingering that reminds him of the smell of the old barbecue at the park that hasn't been cleaned in who knows how long, and he wonders if there'd been a fire in here at some point, maybe. But he doesn't have time to ponder long before suddenly he's in the dark.
With a startled noise, he turns, but he still can't see anything. He can only hear muffled giggles. ... They'd closed the door on him. He wants to run at the door and shove it back open, but considering his eyes aren't adjusted to the darkness, he can't even venture if it's safe to do so. Nonetheless, he does carefully slide one foot forward, then pulls the other to join it, until he feels something solid, and can reach out to touch what he assumes must be the door.
He pushes back on it, but it doesn't budge. His heart skips.
" ... Funny, " he says as he pushes himself against the door harder. " Absolutely hilarious. ... Open the door. "
He is again, only met with laughter, and an especially loud thump against the door on the other side so hard it feels like his brain rattles in his skull as he pulls away.
...
They're barricading the door.
He sinks down on the tired, saggy pavement floor, arms wrapped around his backpack again. ... It's fine. He has his lunch here. They'll get bored, or one of the teachers will notice he isn't in class. Hina will see he isn't there to walk home with her. His aunt will realize he didn't come back home. He'll be out of here within a few hours, if he's just patient.
It'll be okay, even if it's hard to tell the time in here.
Despite it all, as time passes, he grows increasingly nervous that he'll be in trouble for not getting home on time. The courts had been very strict about his care, and if it deviates, then he might not be able to stay with Narumi-oneesan ... They don't check every day, of course, but if she panics, if she calls someone and they say something ...
He ends up kicking a chunk of concrete through a rotted piece of the wall in his frustration. It's barely big enough to do more than wiggle two fingers through, but he can see a little bit through it. Enough to tell that it's been several hours now. It's okay. It's okay! School still isn't out, Hina might still notice, and ask for him, and ...
He ends up portioning his lunch, forcing himself only to eat the rice for lunch. By the time it *feels* like dinnertime (though it's hard to be certain), he's glad he did. But it's not enough to fully satiate the hunger. ... Better than nothing, though.
And when the light stops shining through the hole, he tries digging the toe and heel of his shoe against the wood, but not much more budges, even when he kicks it hard enough that his foot hurts. ... Maybe Hina would just talk to her parents, and they'd talk to Narumi-oneesan, and she'd surely come to the school and demand information.
They'd ask Haruto, because he's always causing trouble, and he'd have no choice but to tell them where he is. Surely ...
He removes a lot of things from his backpack to block the hole when the night air starts whistling through and sending a chill up his spine. The bag, rolled up, suffices as a pillow for him, though there's not much comfort in it, or the ground. He manages to sleep after laying there, staring into the dark for what may or may not have been hours.
He doesn't feel rested at all when he wakes. He's stiff everywhere, his left arm is asleep, and his jaw hurts, probably from his teeth chattering in his sleep. He closes his eyes again and curls up tighter around himself until his brain processes what it was that even woke him up in the first place: he hears something outside, and at this point, even if it was a mountain lion, he'd be pleased with that.
But it's not. It's a person. Unless wolves could now speak Japanese. It's not all extremely clear, but he can pick out '*heavy,*' and a distinct and very loud yelp that's followed by a loud thump. While he isn't entirely sure what the hell that was about, his mind conjures up the thought of this faceless guy standing on a log, only for it to roll out from under him. ... Not really even sure why, maybe it's just because that's the sort of thing to happen in cartoons, and this warehouse *has* been devoured by the woods around it, so ... ?
He sits up, straining to hear anything else that could tell him ... if it's safe to assume he will get out of here in one piece now, or if it's one of Haruto's friends come to be even more of a nuisance. He ends up scooting back against the door and pressing his cheek to it.
... Aaaand, as if right on cue, whoever it is on the other side bangs his fist against the door mere inches over Kisaki's head and sends him abuzz all over again as he reels backward.
"Hey!"
... That voice ...
"Hey, are you okay!? There's still some stuff I gotta move, but -- um! I'm here to help you out, so don't be scared, 'kay!?"
He knows that voice. It's Hanagaki Takemichi ...
This time, when his heartbeat flutters, it's not out of fear.
It takes him a few tries to find the resolve to call back to him, as he curls himself up on the floor close to the door, but not against it, this time. " ... I'm here." His response is meek and subdued, but it isn't unheard, because he gets a determined noise on Takemichi's side, and then he's back to work with a '*hup,*' clearly pushing something that must be extremely heavy out of the way.
Hanagaki-san was here, coming to *his* aid? He's all but vibrating at this point, and he's not sure if it's the hunger, thirst, the fact it's still *very* cold in here, his excitement, or some combination of the above. But ...
He ends up with his forehead on his knees, arms under them and around his thighs as he waits. Even though this time somehow feels longer than before, at least it isn't accompanied by a feeling of dread. The reality hasn't changed, it's still incredibly possible that he won't be able to stay with Narumi, that he'll have to change schools, and he won't see Hina again ...
... But, at least he won't starve to death in here because he's too fucking weak to break down the flimsy ass wood that was still standing.
He'd get to leave this place ... because Hanagaki Takemichi is a hero.
He practically jumps out of his own skin at the eerie creak the door gives when it's ripped open. It had been so silent when closing, and it had been so unexpected, right then. He lifts his head, and only when he sees the silhouette in the doorway, blocking out the light of the early afternoon sun does he let the tears that had threatened to fall for hours overwhelm him.
With a little whimper, he forces himself to get up, all whilst Takemichi steps inside and stoops down immediately to pick up his rolled-up backpack. "Oh." He looks from it to the trembling, crying boy standing beside him, and he grins, putting one hand on his head. "...Here, I'll help you get all your stuff, 'kay? Go outside. Watch out, there's still a lotta junk in the way, but you're okay, now!"
Sniffing, Kisaki stares up at him for a few moments longer before doing as he's told, wiping his arm over his eyes as he does.
And then, he just sits in the grass in a similar position to before, next to a very worn-out, tipped-over loveseat that looks like Haruto and his cronies had gone dumpster diving to find. Just how badly had they wanted him to die in there, anyway?
A few minutes later finds Takemichi returning. He moves to sit down on Kisaki's other side, and sets the backpack, filled and zipped up, on his feet. When Kisaki looks up again, he sees his glasses held out to him, and Takemichi's beaming smile. He swallows hard to choke off the sob that threatens to leave him, and he takes the glasses, putting them back on.
"Thank you," he mumbles.
"Sure." And then he gets up, giving him a thumbs up. And then ... just like he had before with Hina, as if unable to recognize his actual impact ... or, maybe it's because he does, and he has other places to be ... Hanagaki is bolting off, calling over his shoulder, "Just what a hero does!"