Wrists- BokuAka and KuroKen

Hate

Keiji Akaashi sat in his designated classroom, just as all the other 21 students in his class were. Keiji sat near the back, and his vision was blurred, the simple colors on the teachers' board were overwhelmingly bright. The classroom had a few book bins, with kindergarten beginner sentences, such as, "The cat ran." A simple sentence, but Akaashi automatically thought deeper into the wording, overanalyzing every letter, the way they each twisted into lines to form characters that formed sentences, or, as he liked to call them, "repeated repetition of words."

Keiji was much different than the others in his class. He was fully aware of every little snicker, hearing each voice as a different person, each person unique, but all the same as the others. The word "hate" had been used while at recess with the other children that were older than him. Keiji wore the school uniform, a light tan suit and tie with short khakis that lingered on his legs. His black hair curled like the curly fries served at lunch, and his eyes were a beautiful sea green.

"Eww, look at Keiji-san! Those eyes are gross!"

"Haha, look at him cry! Go run to mommy!"

Keiji sat in his seat, silent, but he had a massive lump in his throat. The voices weren't real. They weren't.. real.. not real.. not..

"Keiji-san, can you answer the question, please?" The teacher asked.

"I.. apologize, ma'am.. I was not paying attention to the lesson." Keiji responded weakly.

"Please pay attention, otherwise your math grade will suffer later." The teacher gave a smile to Keiji, but he knew right away that it was fake.

---

At recess, Keiji sat alone on the swings. Why do I hear these voices? They won't stop, they won't stop.. Be quiet!.. "GO AWAY!!"

The group of nearby students stared at Keiji. Keiji quickly realized his mistake.

"I-I-" He began to stutter.

"We don't need excuses, Keiji-san. We know you're a weirdo." A girl with blonde hair glared at him.

---

He'd never reported the name calling he had recieved that day. Keiji was in middle school now, his paintbrush lightly whisking across the paper he was given by the art teacher. The classroom was empty, and the sun had already begun it's way back down to be replaced by the moon. It was at least 4:30 P.M., but Keiji didn't mind. He would walk home when he wished. For now, he had to complete his art piece.

"You sure do enjoy painting, Akaashi-san," the teacher remarked.

Keiji looked over to her before replying quietly, "Yes.. Yes I do."

The teacher smiled, admiring the sunflower Keiji had painted onto the paper. "Beautiful technique, perhaps you could show your class tomorrow?"

Keiji flinched at the idea of showing the class anything. "Uhh.. Maybe.." Was all he could muster. A maybe wasn't a yes, but it also wasn't a no, so the opportunity would still be open if he wished later.

Around an hour later, the teacher had to leave, making Keiji have to leave, as well. Keiji was hungry, and thirsty, for that matter. The school's terrible choice in paint always dried out his throat, and the art classroom was far from the drinking fountain.

Keiji thanked the teacher before walking home, his bag swung over his shoulders and his hands in his pockets. He couldn't wait to get out of this uniform and finally be free. But first, he was going to get something to eat and drink. He walked to the cafe a few blocks from the school and stepped inside. A boy with thick, spiked platinum and black hair stood behind the counter, looking bored, as the shop was empty and he didn't have much to do. The boy wore the usual barista uniform- a green apron. The boy looked up as soon as Keiji stepped inside, and his eyes brightened right away.

"Hey, hey, hey!! What can I get you today?" The boy asked brightly.

"Just a coffee," Keiji replied simply, already fetching his wallet out of his bag.

"Okay!" The boy disappeared before coming back a few minutes later with Keiji's coffee. "Here you go!" The boy smiled brightly.

"Thank you." Keiji paid for his coffee, then left to continue walking home. The trees had just begun to lose their bright green color, and were starting to fade into browns, reds, oranges, and yellows. Keiji smiled, admiring the colors of the leaves until he finally got back home.