Everchanging

Escape and Abandonment

!!TW!! Child abuse, brief mention on SA (it's about Hinatsuru), self-hatred, dark internal thoughts

This chronologically takes place four years ago, when Sanemi moved out.

Sanemi couldn't shake the nerves shooting through his limbs. Usually his uniform didn't bother him, but currently it sent needles through his skin. It was the day he was waiting for, the day he worked so hard to get to. He saved up, worked his ass off, and kept his mouth shut just to get to this moment.

The day he would become free.

His eyes caught the empty seats in the crowd that were supposed to be for his parents, but he wasn't surprised that they weren't there. His mother had just given birth to Koto a week ago so Sanemi had insisted that the woman stayed home. He didn't expect his father to come in the first place so he wasn't upset about his absence.

He tuned out the sound of other class' names being called as he tried to swallow the bile rising in his throat, stress getting the better of him. He still didn't know how he was going to tell the others. He didn't want to know how his father would react.

He had gotten an apartment about thirty minutes out, closer to the university he would be attending and most importantly, away from Kyogo. It was cheap and the landlord seemed nice so Sanemi could only describe it as a 'dream come true'. But he couldn't stop thinking about the one glaring fact.

He would have to leave the others behind.

Sure, Genya was getting older. He was more than capable of helping Shizu take care of the others but that didn't make up for the fact that that meant they would all be left to Kyogo's devices, without Sanemi there to protect them.

He hadn't had the guts to tell them yet, he intended to tell them weeks ago but a part of him still thought this was all a dream. That one day he would wake up and there would be no escape from that house.

Because, really, that's what this was. An escape. Sanemi was escaping and leaving the others to burn. Kyogo had gotten rougher the older Sanemi got, using harder hits and uglier words. And honestly, Sanemi didn't want to see what else he was capable of.

So he worked his ass off to get perfect grades, a scholarship, and a sure-fire way into university. He was lucky enough to be skilled at what he wanted to do, math coming easy to him. But he was also blessed to be surrounded by such nice people, helping him every step of the way.

Kyojuro and Tengen were also planning on moving out immediately, so they both helped Sanemi find the perfect apartment. Obanai hooked him up with a job at a family-friend's restaurant and Sanemi was good to go.

"Sanemi~" A muscular arm hooked around the teen's neck, pulling him close. Tengen yanked his friend around like a doll, laughing wildly. "Why the frown? Today's the day! Freedom!"

A few heads turned at the man's cheer but it was so loud in the auditorium that it didn't echo. Sanemi just huffed, shoving his friend off playfully.

"Oh hush. Just thinking." He checked the time, it still wasn't time for his class yet. "How's things going with Hinatsuru? Everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh." Suddenly, Tengen's mood dropped slightly, looking at his phone. "Apparently, she has to go to court for the sentence. But things are looking good. The bastard's definitely gonna be locked up."

"Thank god." Sanemi sighed. Glad to see his friend so confident. "If I found out someone did that to someone I loved, I would be sent away for murder. I'm not even joking."

Tengen laughed, typing something on his phone before turning to wave at Kyojuro, who was walking over to them. It took a few long seconds but the boy managed to weave through the crowd with minor collisions. The light bruise on his cheek was highlighted by the afternoon sun.