From Aoyagi to Tenma

Chapter Three (Toya): A Fearful Reunion.

The words spoke from Toya before he even knew what words popped in his head.
"We need to move. Now." Toya's heart was beating through his chest, like lava through his chest, and he was going with it. Toya always knew he was the quickest on his feet when he was with friends, but this felt like the times he needed it. Toya wondered what brought him here, hiding in this small alleyway with Akito while the other two were talking with him. He took that single moment, and reflected on his past actions.
It was a few minutes after breakfast and the promise with Tsukasa when Saki appeared. She seemed to be holding something metallic, but he could worry about that later. Tsukasa got stolen by Saki as she ran to the kitchen, pulling Tsukasa right behind him. They talked quickly and quietly before Tsukasa ushered Toya out of the house. And good thing too, because Toya just got a text message asking him to meet up at the cafe.
With a hop in his step, Toya walked over to the cafe, with the ambition to practice to the best of his ability. He walked up to the door, and opened it with joy in his heart. The small bell sung his arrival, and everyone turned to look at him. He saw An and Kohane singing karaoke on the stage to the right of him, and he saw Akito arguing with An's dad about something before everyone looked at him.
"Well well well. Look who decided to join our text invitation for once." Akito looked at Toya and smiled, before trying to get back what he wanted to get from An's dad. Toya smiled and walked over to An to see what they were planning today. An and Kohane both looked a little worn out from karaoke, but other than that, they looked the same as usual. They ordered some water while Akito was talking to Toya, so they both were trying to refresh and relax for the time being, as far as Toya assumed.
"What's going on with you, Toya?" An seemed a little worried but maybe it was just Toya.
"Well, I was just about to ask the same question for y-" but before Toya could finish, the sound of breaking glass echoes through the room. Toya spun around to see him, his father, right in front of him. He didn't notice Toya yet, it seemed the broken glass bottle saved him for now, but he didn't know what to do.
Toya noticed Akito, trying to slowly move to the door, but he knew it wouldn't be enough before he got caught. Toya couldn't think as straight as he wanted to, but before he knew it, he bolted from where he was standing, grabbed Akito by the wrist, and the words spoke from Toya before he even knew what words popped in his head.
"We need to move. Now." Toya's heart was beating through his chest, like lava through his chest, and he was going with it. Toya always knew he was the quickest on his feet when he was with friends, but this felt like the times he needed it. Toya snapped back to the small alleyway with Akito, and he needed to do something. He hushed his heavy breath, and listened. He tried to strain his ears as far as possible to try to make out anything, but what he feared the most, happened. The hushed noise of the cafe's bell seemed to echo around his head, along with the footsteps that followed. Each step felt like a step back to home, a step away from rebellion, a step away from freedom. Toya heard the steps moving closer, and closer.
Akito watched Toya listen, his eyes seemed to only swirl more in fear and dispar the closer those footsteps got closer. Akito had to do something, anything to save his closest friend. Akito pulled up his phone, and opened his music app. Akito had to find it, the song needed to enter the SEKAI, Ready Steady. He cursed himself for not organizing his songs, but after a few seconds of mad scrolling and internal cursing, Akito grabbed Toya's hand, and played the song.
Toya saw the world glow in that familiar way, the streets turn a softer red than moments ago, and a feeling of safety slowly washed over Toya as he falls to the ground, safe yet again from him.
He takes a minute to recover his posture and thanks Akito for what he did. They decide to walk over to the cafe, and Toya promises to explain everything to Akito once they get there. The walk over to the Crase Cafe felt relaxing, to walk in such a familiar place with a friend like Akito was nice, Toya thought, but his biggest question was why Akito was still his hand.
The cafe appeared after a few minutes of mindless meandering, but something felt different there than usual. A small, cute Phoenix Wonderland Plushie was sat at one of the chairs. Toya knew that he would have to say it sooner or later, but he didn't think it would change the SEKAI so quickly. Toya And Akito both walk closer to the doll, and notice that Kohane was there, staring at the doll in confusion, and wonder from the Far end of the cafe. Her smile seemed to widen ear to ear when she notices Toya and Akito appear from one of the alleyways, and ran over to talk to the two of them as soon as they take a seat at the table.
She rambles about how worried she and An was when she saw Toya run off with Akito, she talks about how An asked her to go to the SEKAI to see if they were there, and she says how An would've gone but the bottle Akito broke was still needing to be cleaned, and she needed to talk to Mr. Ayoagi. That last sentence made Toya's blood run cold, and it seemed that one of the people noticed it.
"Are you doing ok, Toya?" Len popped him head out of his cup of coffee, and walked over to the three of them, moving the doll out of the 4th seat and sitting in it, the doll sitting on the table right next to Toya. Toya decided to tell the three of them everything. Toya explained his escape and his refuge location at a "Best Friends' House" and he also explained why he ran off with Akito. After explaining himself, he realized he was mostly talking into his drink, but his voice still reached the three of them. Their reactions were far too predictable. Kohane has a sad look in her eyes and Akito looked away in anger. Len didn't move a muscle, probably because he already knew, but that didn't change the cold, hard, truth.
"Damn your father, Toya. Treating you like that. I always knew he was an evil man, but this is too far!" Toya felt like Akito was going to go back and beat his dad up. Toya didn't mind the thoughts, but Kohane, despite her fear, told off Akito for saying such mean things to Toya's dad, but Toya knew her statements weren't what they usually are. He could feel the doubts she had about Mr. Ayoagi, and he wanted her to know them, but not right now.
"Hey, before you two start arguing like you usually do, did you put that doll in this table, Azusawa-san?"
"M-me? No, I thought that it was Len that put it here."
"Why would I put that here? I'm a mature teenager, I don't play with dolls." Len seems very defensive about it, but Toya knew he couldn't but it there.
"Maybe it's because of your recent home change, does anyone there have anything to do with Phoenix Wonderland?" Akito hit the nail on the head, and Toya knew he would have to explain it.
"Well, I'm living with the Tenma's for the time being. Since Tsukasa is working at Phoenix Wonderland, it could be that." Toya looked up at the sky, and realized he should go back to see how those two are doing. "I have to go back to see how they are doing. I will meet up with you two tomorrow, or if you text me." Toya said his goodbyes, and ran off to see how the Tenma's were handling being by themselves for the afternoon. Toya knocked on the door, and Tsukasa ran out and pulled Toya inside, practically screaming at him in excitement.
"Come on, Toya! You need to see what we did for your room!" What Toya expected was a small pillow fort in one of their rooms. What he didn't expect was a room, all to himself, with a bed and a wardrobe and the chair he gave Tsukasa right next to a desk that was made for what he wanted. His bag was emptied and all his items inside was neatly laid out, his old video game console even plugged into an old CRT TV that had an inch of dust on it. He also saw three doors leading to the hallway and the other two Tenma siblings.
He wanted to cry right then and there, but Tsukasa wasn't ready for him to cry his eyes out. They needed to be at the concert Saki was doing tonight. And Tsukasa made sure tthat they'd get front row seats, to see and cheer as close as possible. Toya considered the fact that he remembered the last show they went to he was banned from entering, along with some other person named Shizuku, but that didn't stop him from sneaking in with some hair dye and keeping his voice down. Toya wondered just how long his day was going to be, but as long as his dad wasn't there, he didn't mind today just being a little longer.