Vermilion Blur

(Pt. 22) Fruit

~Ryuu~

Ryuu stood there, staring at the white door. Crashing sounds and echoed cries of insanity leaked through the wood. The chilled air swirled around his body as if it said not to go inside. He ignored it and grabbed the handle to push the door open.

He regretted it instantly when a chair flew too close to his face. It crashed against the wall, chipping away at the fresh paint. Saki heaved, staring at the male in the doorway.

Black eyes fluttered shut, running a hand through her messy hair. "Say, Ryuu?"

The way his name fell from her lips churned his stomach. His hands shoved into his jacket's pockets. They turned cold and clammy when her gaze met his. At this point, everything inside was churning uncomfortably towards Saki.

"What is the point of taking this so far?" It took far more self-control than he was willing to admit to keeping his voice from cracking. She sauntered forward, cold hands trailing over his forearms. A set of black eyes stared back at him. There wasn't a thought behind those eyes.

"Do you still love me?" She whispered. Ryuu pushed her off. He wasn't going to get taken advantage of again. Not by her, ever again. His tone lowered. "You're not answering the question."

Saki crossed her arms, propping up her chest for the whole show. Long hair delicately traced over those soulless eyes. He wanted to never see his sad reflection in them ever again.

"What of it is your business? You owe it to me, so shut your trap and do as I say." His head shot around, glaring daggers at the woman.

"Do that again; I fucking dare you."

Her boot slammed against the ground, her eyes narrowing at him. "You'll do as I say after saving your ass from getting gang raped!" His foot connected loudly with the wall, pinning her there. Those black eyes stared longingly back. It made his entire body retch.

"Mention that again, and I'll have your heart in the palm of my hand. Literally." It took more effort not to lay a hand on the female. Ryuu was done, always had been. No more games.

Ryuu's foot slid down the wall. His gaze followed. Saki sat there, her mouth open in shock. Leaving her alone in the darkness was in his best interest. He was no one's puppet. Most of his memories were still fogged. Shattered. Yet, he felt free. A weight on his chest yet still laced with long forced guilt of leaving her.

He was out of the dark room before Saki had a chance to recover. Not a second later than when the door clicked shut, loud, angry shouts boomed from the other side. With that, the little bit of weight was lifted. He didn't feel guilty for leaving her anymore. He wasn't going to be used.

Maybe he could do something to help those she's so destined to destroy? Ryuu slowly walked down the dark halls. A little bit of daylight leaked through the limited windows carved a path in his darkness.

Echoes of voices arguing floated through the halls. Deciding to be good for once in this meaningless fight, he made his way toward the voices. (y/n) was arguing with two males on which direction to go. Yet, Hawks gazed at them with worry.

Ryuu barely found the courage to speak up. "Hello, Zaki, Hawks, and Dabi."

All three turned to glare. In all honesty, he didn't expect any less. Dabi rose a hand, blue flames licking his fingers. "Look who came out to play."

His hands rose in surrender. "I'm not the one you're looking for."

Hawks held a hand in front of them, stirring something in his chest. Those amber eyes narrowed on him, making him feel small. "So? Doesn't she have you by the chain around your neck?"

"I'm not here to pick a fight with some useless boys."

They lowered Hawks' arm. "Then, why are you here?"

His hands shoved nervously into his pockets. He only wanted to take his abusive past to the grave. Never would he be normal again; he'd only see that girl whose taken advantage of him so many times.

"Look, you're not the only ones to be used by that girl. I haven't... I haven't seen my family in years. They probably think I'm dead because I'm powerless in our cruel reality." His throat tightened, yet the words kept spilling out with nothing to stop them.

"Whenever I get close enough to figure out who I am or what happened, she reminds me why her side sticks to me. She saved me when I was young from something unpleasant, then proceeded to wipe my memories each time I found out why I was there in the first place."

Their expression melted into fear and remorse, and a glimmer of hope sat behind their (e/c) eyes. "She's been-been using you?" The tone of their voice sounded sincere yet fake. Ryuu couldn't make sense of it.

"So, not to have a sap story, I'm leaving here whether she wants me to or not." He turned to leave. This hospital is one place he'll never come to again. He just wanted a way out of his never-ending darkness.

So desperate to stray away from comfort to find out why he's here in the first place. Yet, the only source of comfort is holding a knife to his back.

"W-wait!" A hand latched onto his jacket. He turned to see them staring at him with far too much hope in their eyes. "What do you want? I don't have anything to give you."

They took his wrist, placing a crumpled piece of paper in it. He could barely see the letters spelling 'MISSING' at the top.

"No, just... Take this. I know they miss you. Wierd as our world is, the family still wants you in it, no matter the race. Even after all this time, they're still searching."

That one piece of paper was his ticket home. Yet, he didn't know they would point him in the right direction.