We Aren't Really Strangers

CHAPTER 2

*TIME SKIP*

January 18, 12 A.M. I grab my phone and dial his number. The anticipation of Touya's number ringing and ringing until "I'm sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please leave a message at the tone. *BLEEP*"

"Hi...Touya, it's me...Karma. Um, fuck...I don't know if you're dead, alive, ignoring me, switched numbers, whatever it is, but...happy birthday," I said on the phone crying like a fucking bitch. I talk a little saying how much I miss him and what my days have been without him until this comes out of my mouth. "Look, I know I say this every year but, I know you're still alive, fucking please still be alive, please still be alive Touya. If you ran away, please...come back home. Just come home Touya." I hung up the phone and sobbed on the bed for the rest of that night.

-

"Fuck!" I curse under my breath.

"What is it this time, Karma?" Shoto says and I respond with a groan. Shoto is Touya's younger brother actually and he's the only reason I'm still in UA High, the school for heroes in training. It's my fucking third year now. Now, do I want to become a hero? Hell no. Why am I doing this then? Touya always wanted to go to UA and become a hero so I want to live his dream for him because he couldn't. The problem is...UA is fucking boring as hell. "Karma, just drop out if you don't want to do UA."

"Easy for you to say. You're literally the strongest one here."

"You're literally just here because my brother who is, let me remind you, dead Karma. I've moved on a long time ago, it's time for you to as well."

"He's not fucking dead Shoto," I said sternly.

"Then where is he, Karma?"

"I don't know but-"

"I was his brother." Shoto doesn't know the relationship that Touya and I had, no one does. Because before Touya went missing, he gave me a necklace with his live blue flame encased in it along with a letter stating that I shouldn't tell anyone that we were a thing because he doesn't want anyone to know that I had contact with him before he left. I haven't even told Shoto. He's dead though so technically to the rest of the world so he has no say in what I can or can't do. What would happen if I told the whole world?

"You know what's fucked up Shoto?" I ask him in a slightly upset tone.

"What?"

"That we struggle to defeat villains but villains don't even go to school. Imagine how strong a villain would be if it went to school!"

"Yeah let's hope they never go to scho-"

"You realize us, 'heroes', have killed more people than villains Sho?"

"What?!" Shoto and I actually used to be really close, after all we grew up together. But after Touya left, we weren't the friendliest to each other. He seemed to move on rather quickly while I still held on to every single moment we had together. I can't let go of the past, I know.

"When you think about it, how many villains have we killed?" I asked. He didn't answer but instead tilted his head slightly to the side questioning my words. "We kill the same if not more people than villains do. Heroes are just justified by society's cheers and approval."

"Villains are trying to destroy the world Karma, what are you thinking?"

"And so are we technically, just think of the other perspective. The hero society is fucked you realize?" As soon as those words came out of my mouth, Shoto gave me a death glare but I kept going. "Most of them want to be heroes for the fame, the money, and the praise of others. No one actually wants to save the fucking world."