As The Rain Starts To Fall || Oboro/Aizawa

Field Day Blues.

2. Shirakumo
Purple hyacinth, Blue Hydrangea
Regret and Apology.

-Sitting cross-legged in a field, my vision is filled with nothing but the sky and the many flowers around me. My thoughts were swirling, dizzying me to the point where I had to shut my eyes. Three months, two spent in a hospital, one spent recovering and roaming freely. Throughout the two months spent in a kitchen-sink-like confined white room with nurses and doctors flooding in and draining out, a small feeling of emptiness lingered. The feeling grew stronger with the passing month that followed. No matter how calming the fields were, how distracting the parents trying to keep their children busy were, or how funny a daily meme or Bitmoji story was, the feeling continued to linger, haunting me like a ghost. I should've done better than this. I left Shouta alone, I left Yamada and Kayama to cry, I left everyone. Some in despair and grief, some in curiosity, and some...aren't here anymore. I wish I could tell them I had survived. I have so many things I want to do and should've done, but what did I do? I let them suffer.

I watched them. I turned a blind eye, I was so damn mean.

I allowed them to wither away into heaps of depressed animals, let them weep, let them feel pained. I hope they know I'll never rest easy again knowing what I've done. I hope they want me to suffer now because I want the same thing. The worst person award goes to me. I swear, my parents raised me better than this. A reliable young man, everyone's bundle of sunshine, an idol, a fearless hero. That huge chunk of debris did not damage my brain, me passing out of fear was such an overreaction. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

My thoughts came to a halt as a busy bee had decided to buzz rather near my ear. I was startled but kept myself still. Bees usually did this around me due to the light color of my hair. The baby blue seemed to be attracting bees and wasps everywhere I went, I didn't mind, though I'd really appreciate if they'd stop getting near my ears. It landed, realized I wasn't a flower and flew off. A lighthearted moment in my opinion as I began to snicker, ah man, bees are such funny little dudes. I stood up, stretching backward. I heard a pop. I was now cringing at my body's reaction to a simple stretch. Shaking the event off my shoulders, I quietly made my way out of the field. The grass under my feet flattened as I stepped on it, making a clear path of where I had been previously. This was a bit unnerving to me, but I focused on getting to the other side of the road before I started to criticize myself once more. The grass switched to the pavement as a shoe met the sidewalk, the lines separating each segment triggered my childish side. Without realizing, I was skipping into each rectangle, acting as if the lines were burning hot lasers. Laughing at my own antics, I noticed how lonely it sounded when my laugh was by itself. Yamada's wasn't there to follow, Shouta's snide remarks weren't there. My laughter died down as my skipping slowly came to a stop, all I could do was walk as I, once again, had ruined the mood for myself. I didn't know life held such a strong grudge.

As I walked, familiar houses, shops, and apartment buildings came into view. I was currently living in an apartment and working a full-time job where no one knew the news about a seemingly deceased boy named Shirakumo Oboro. I worked mornings to afternoons, the check wasn't bad at all. In fact, it had just enough for me to pay the bills on time, you could call it high-paying. A waiter who was advertising her restaurant recognized me as the small town's sunshine (not a dead boy), smiling at me fondly as she waved. "Hello, Shirakumo-sama! Coming around for dinner? I heard it was your day off!" Ah, this lady was Tanoshi Yōkina, she was a very nice young lady who always invited me to this restaurant for a discounted dinner. A good friend she is. "Ah, yes! You b-" But shortly after replying, the craziest idea suddenly popped into my head. I cut my self off. " -actually, I just had the most insane idea, I'll come over if this is still open late at night! That's if I make it out alive- I mean, see you later, Tan-tan-chan!" I hurriedly scrambled toward my apartment building. I could tell that she had a very concerned and curious look on her face, but I had no time to explain. My idea was the craziest I've had to do far. Unlocking the door to the place I owned, I was greeted with the meow from my cat, Sushi. She was the sweetest, most affectionate cat that I've ever met. She reminded me of who Shouta was inside. Smiling at the thought, I scooped her up and started to pet her, shutting the door behind me with my foot. But I didn't bother locking it, I was about to go on an adventure that would probably cost me my dignity and my confidence, but for now, I was confident that this would work. Gently putting my precious feline down, I started throwing food, clothes, water, my phone, headphones, a dozen charged power packs, and chargers into a backpack. Sushi let out a meow, the tone rising at the end to signal a question. She must be questioning my actions. How dare she-
I gently pet her tail base, her rear end raising in approval. I let out a childish giggle, scooping her up once more. "C'mere, you Lil' skamp, we're going on an adventure, okay? We're going to see Shouta...after three months..." I grumbled the last part. Sushi perked up at the name, she seemed to remember our favorite killjoy. Well, duh, three months isn't as much as a year. I threw the backpack over my shoulder and whipped out a pen, quickly scribbling on a sticky note. The words ' I'll be out of town, be back, everyone!' were written on the yellow slip of paper. I shut off all the lights before opening the door, a feline in tow as I slapped the note on the door and closed it, locking it.

  What a mess I had set myself in.