《The Taste of Home》 Chapter 1: The Dream TW: Blood, Mentions of Blood and De*th. I keep having that same dream again. The one where I find mother. Akihiko sat up abruptly in his bed, sweat encased him and his clothes stuck to his skin. His heart raced as he tried to shake the memory haunting him from his head, but he couldn''t. The clock read 5:44, he was up well before he should have been. He stripped his damp shirt off and fished for another, determined to bathe even if the thought terrified him. You can do this. He clutched his fresh clothes tightly and snuck into the hallway, he stopped in front of his fathers door searching for a hint that he might be awake but was met with silence. He sighed in relief and continued towards the bathroom. The door creaked open with an expected sound, and he stood there for a moment, the cold air nipping at his skin that was drenched in perspiration. He swallowed nervously and stared at the tub, his hands shook unexpectedly as he turned the water on, and deep crimson liquid splattered against the white enamel. He fell back, catching himself with his hands as a weak voice called out, "Aki" A knock jolted him back to this reality, he shot up in his bed, panting. "Aki are you up?" his sister called to him, "It''s getting late..." "I''m coming, I''m coming." He said, still catching his breath. He got out of bed and quickly changed his clothes, the thought of showering a fear he just couldn''t conquer this morning. He stared at his reflection for a while. His cheeks were looking gaunt, he had hardly been eating the last few months since the incident. Fuck. Kanada. His younger sister was only in her 7th year of school. Their father was a drunk and had a rather heavy addiction to gambling. He was hardly home, and the house likely had very little food. Especially something prepared. Akihiko ran down the stairs, his sister stood over the stove, "It''s....not very good, but it''s edible." She said, staring back at him with sadness in her eyes. I should have gotten up earlier, I should have FED her. "I''m sure it''s great, Kanada." He said, sitting down at the table. She brought him a plate with a messy omelet covering it. "You know I could have done this." "I can do it, Aki." She said with as much confidence as she could muster, sitting down next to him. They ate in silence for a few moments before they heard a loud bang emanate from the second floor. Kanada jumped. "Tch...so he did come home last night." Akihiko muttered under his breath. Their father shambled down the stairs unexpectedly and Akihiko shot him a look of disgust. "We have no food." He said, suddenly. "We have plenty of food, you''re already eating." His father said, his words dripping with venom. "And where''s mine?" Kanada stood up suddenly, her plate half-finished and went back to the stove. Akihikos face burned with anger. "Kanada sit down, I''ll do it." "It''s fine Aki..." She said, but he stood up and placed a protective hand on her shoulder. She nodded and took her seat again. "You, cooking?" His father laughed, "You know on second thought I would rather eat at work." "So, you''re working again?" Akihiko said, anger still tainting his words. "If I wasn''t would I be up?" His father responded. Akihiko clenched his fist and sat back down, eating in silence with his sister as he waited for the footsteps to retreat back up the stairs. "I miss mom." Kanada said suddenly, her words pierced through the silence and cut Akihiko, deep. "I...I miss her too." he replied as he poked at his food and sighed softly. Kanada did the same. Their family dog Kota sat under the table, begging for scraps. "You''re hungry too, aren''t you Kota." Kanada said, she picked up a piece of her omelet with her chopsticks and fed it to him under the table. Akihiko forced a smile and did the same. "Nothing tastes the same since she died." Kanada said, picking up her empty plate and rinsing it off in the sink. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. And Akihiko felt that too, a deep pit formed in his stomach as he searched for the right words to say. "One day, things will be different, Kanada. I promise you." She sighed quietly and continued washing the dishes. Akihiko helped until it was time to walk to school together. After walking his sister to her middle school Akihiko turned the corner, he saw one of his friends standing just outside of the school gates, smoking. "Issei!" He called out, his friend waved him over while he took a deep drag off his cigarette. "Akihiko, what''s up man." He said. He just sighed, motioning for the cigarette. "That bad?" "It''s the dream again." He responded. Issei avoided his eye contact. "So, it''s still happening then." He said. "Yeah, and her death is affecting Kanada more and more, she''s just a kid and she''s being expected to do so much now. I just...I''m stressed dude." He admitted. "Yeah, I bet. I can''t imagine being in your position, especially with that dead beat dad of yours." Akihikos stomach dropped just thinking about him. "Fuck him." He responded. "I need to make some money tonight, any leads?" "Not today." Issei responded. "I have nothing to sell." Akihiko sighed, a nervous pit forming in his stomach. "Why don''t you try getting a real job?" Issei said suddenly. "Tch, you know I can''t who will get Kanada from school or make sure she''s fed at night?" Akihiko hissed at him. "Yeah well, you don''t wanna get caught up selling shit to other kids. Then who will take care of Kanada, your dad?" Akihiko folded his arms, he leaned against the school gates and groaned under his breath, "Well I have to do something..." "Here, take this it''s all I have." He held out his hand and dropped some yen into Akihiko''s palm. "Man, are you sure?" He hesitated, rattling the coins around in between his cupped fingers. "Yeah yeah, don''t get all sentimental on me." He laughed softly, "Now let''s go." The cigarette was tossed into the street and the two of them headed into school together. During lunch Akihiko grabbed his tray and scanned the room for Issei who was nowhere to be found. He sighed in annoyance and went to sit at an empty table alone. He prodded at his food for a while, managing to choke down a few bites before pushing his tray away. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling aimlessly when he heard a familiar clunk hit the table. A chair scooted out next to him and he looked up from his phone, "What, Nomi." He said. "Oh, come on, Akihiko. Let me at least sit with you." She pleaded. He looked back down at his phone, "Why aren''t you eating, are you ill?" She questioned, pointing to his barely touched plate. "I''m just not that hungry." He lied. How can I explain that everything tastes disgusting to me now? He just shook his head. The pleasant memories of his mother in the kitchen flashed before him and a sadness overcame him. Nomi sat there for a few moments in silence eating her food before interjecting, "Are you still sad about your mom?" He sat his phone down in frustration, "Are you stupid, Nomi?" She looked down at her tray and swallowed nervously, "Of course I''m still sad about it." He stood up abruptly and went to leave, "I-I''m sorry, Akihiko." She stammered. But he didn''t look back; he exited the cafeteria and entered the hallway determined to escape anymore questioning. Akihiko walked through the halls aimlessly, his arms folded while his mind raced with thoughts of his mothers tragic death. That familiar gnawing hunger nipped at his stomach, but he pushed it away. Suddenly, he smelled something emanating from one of the rooms in the hallway, something good. His stomach lurched again, but the thought of tasteless sustenance made him sigh. He walked past the classroom and saw a singular student, cooking alone in the home economics classroom. He was frail looking, and much shorter than Akihiko was, with silver locks that fell just below his jawline. He had several piercings in his left ear and was leaned over a pan in deep concentration, a pair of chopsticks nestled between his fingertips. Akihiko stood in the doorway for a few moments, watching him in silence, the familiar smell of something delicious overtaking his senses. Suddenly, the student turned around to grab another ingredient, "O-Oh." He said, softly. "I''m sorry I didn''t realize anyone was here..." Akihiko studied him curiously, "What are you making?" "I''m practicing, really..." He responded. "Well, whatever it is, it smells really good." Akihiko admitted, shamelessly. The boy blushed, quickly grabbing some sliced vegetables and putting them in the pan, he sprinkled some powders on top that intrigued Akihiko, and he stepped forward to get a better look. "So, really, what are you making?" He asked again, "I''m practicing ideal meal composition." He said astutely, flipping some of the vegetables with his chopsticks effortlessly, he picked up a bowl and placed a perfectly round scoop of rice in the center, covering it with a light brown broth before topping it with his seared vegetables. He set the bowl down and carefully arranged pickled onions on top, presenting it to Akihiko. His mouth watered profusely as he studied the bowl and without warning he picked up a spare set of chopsticks on the table, leaning over and shamelessly inhaling the meal in front of the student. "H-hey!" He protested, "What are you doing?!" Akihiko didn''t respond, he continued to guzzle down the bowl, slurping the broth up until nothing remained. He sat down the empty bowl and looked at the student who blinked at him, confusion staining his face. "Uhhhhhh?" He said. "Eh...heheheh" Akihiko chuckled nervously, putting his hand behind his head. "Forgive me." He finally said, bowing to the student apologetically. "I just...haven''t had anything that smelled or tasted that good in so long." He admitted. The student laughed. "I could tell by the way you ate it." He said. Akihiko laughed too, for the first time in a while. "I''m Shimada. Yuki Shimada." He said. "Araki. Akihiko Araki." He responded. A silence befell the classroom for a moment and the sound of the bell cut through the hallways. "It was nice to meet you, Araki." Yuki said, "Make sure you eat more, okay?" Akihiko stood there for a moment, watching him walk away in silence. That was the first thing I''ve truly tasted since her death... He washed his bowl in silence, reminiscing until finally making his way back to class. Chapter 2: Something Sweet TW: Language, drinking, mild abuse. After school Akihiko was mindlessly cleaning the classroom with his classmates. The tick of the clock was the only thing to be heard as he wiped down desks, thoughts swirling through his head. His cooking reminded me so much of her. He felt a pang of sadness in his gut, and his heart raced as his mind flashed back to his recurrent nightmare. Why did you do it, Mom? "Hellooooooo, Aki?" Nomi snapped her finger once and he looked up at her. "What?" He said, somewhat sharply. "It''s getting late, everyone already left." She pointed up at the classroom, which was empty besides the two of them. He looked up at the clock, Fuck, I''m late getting Kanada. He dropped his cleaning cloth and left the classroom in a rush. By the time he arrived his sister was already standing out front, she still gave him a smile as he ran up, out of breath and full of guilt. "I''m sorry." He said immediately. "Don''t be, I''m just glad you showed up." She said quietly, "I hate walking home alone." He sighed; his mother used to be the one to pick her up. The guilt ate at him even more as they walked home in silence, each with a unanimous hope their father wasn''t home. When they arrived, Akihiko reached into his pocket and shook his handful of coins near Amadas ear, she smiled in anticipation. "You did work today!" She said, excitedly. "Not exactly, but Issei loaned me some money." He responded, watching her fish in her own bag. He heard a familiar clink as she shook her own handful of coins in her hand. "Please buy me something sweet?" She pleaded, holding out her yen. Akihiko chuckled and swiped a few coins from her, being mindful to leave her some of her own. "Fine." She squealed excitedly and went into the house, he waited until he saw her enter and headed in his own direction, towards the closest store. When he arrived, there were plenty of people wall to wall shopping. The store by his house was rather small, after all. He grabbed a basket and walked directly to the meats, which he quickly noticed were far out of his price range. He saw a block of tofu and snatched it up, remembering how his mother used to prepare it frequently. Another pang of sadness pierced him. He shook it away and gathered a few other ingredients, meticulously calculating the cost the entire time. It''s barely enough. He sighed in annoyance, remembering Kanadas request for something sweet. Eventually, he found his way through multiple people, towards the candy aisle and stopped in front of it. He contemplated for several minutes how to manage but his conscience had other ideas. Just take it. He thought about letting her down, simply walking out without it, but a flash of her face made him reconsider. His hand found a melon candy and he quickly put it in his pocket. He looked around anxiously, locking eyes with Yuki who was standing a ways down the aisle. Oh fuck. Shimada saw me. Akihiko chuckled nervously and waved at him, gathering his things before checking out, his face was hot with embarrassment. When he arrived home the house was silent, Amada was at the table doing her homework. He quickly tossed her the melon candy, and she smiled at him gratefully before unwrapping it. "Thank you so much." She said, munching happily. "Yeah, don''t mention it." He said, a tinge of guilt coating his words. He silently put the groceries away when they heard the door open and shut. His stomach sank as he realized just what that meant. His father quickly entered the kitchen, "Good, you got dinner." He said, "I won''t be paid for a while." Akihiko scoffed and pulled out his phone, searching for any method to cook the ingredients he just bought. His sister started cleaning up her books as their father opened the fridge, putting several cans of beer away. "So, you can afford beer, but not to feed us." Akihiko said, disdainfully. "You watch your mouth." His father retorted, slamming the fridge shut before the expected crack of a can could be heard throughout the kitchen. The TV turned on and Amada got up from her seat. "Let me help you cook." She said, eavesdropping on the video he was watching. "Alright but be careful." The two of them cooked together to the best of their abilities. "It''s....ummmmm." Amada said, chewing it respectfully. "Yeah, It''s disgusting. I know." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. They both laughed until they heard a bowl slam into the sink behind them. Their father stood there, rummaging through the fridge for another beer. "I can''t believe the two of you can even laugh after that meal, it was hardly edible." Silence befell the kitchen and Akihikos anger welled up inside him. "I''d like to see you do any better." He whispered under his breath. The fridge slammed shut once again, "What was that?" He said, somewhat loudly. "I said, I''d like to see you do any better." Amada shrank down into her chair, her chopsticks methodically placing food into her mouth in silence. "Don''t you ever talk to me like that, boy." He spat, "You need to do better, not me. I do enough for this family." "What do you do?" He retorted, "Because it sure seems like we''ve been doing everything since mom died." His father suddenly threw his full can of beer towards him, it whizzed past his head and smashed against the wall, spraying all over the kitchen floor. Amada jumped in her chair and moved away from the liquid pooling at her feet. Akihiko grit his teeth. "Clean this mess up." His father said lowly, "And don''t you dare disrespect me like that again." Akihiko waited for him to retreat, before getting up from his chair. Amada had tears in her eyes and got up with him, they mopped up the kitchen together in silence. Akihiko woke up the next morning like he did every morning, gasping for air. The recurrent nightmare stealing the breath from his lungs every night. He sat on the edge of his bed, steadying his breathing for a few minutes. Why was I the one that had to find you, mom. He pictured the crimson blood leaking from her arm, decorating her bath water with a lethal amount of color. His palms became sweaty with anxiety, and he wiped them on his sweatpants. An unsettling feeling filled his stomach as he got out of bed, this time, early enough to ensure Amada got fed. When he reached downstairs his father was asleep in the living room, a can of beer still placed firmly in his hand. He snored loudly, the sound filling up the downstairs. Akihiko made what little they had left for breakfast that morning, he tried experimenting with different spices his mother had in the kitchen, but he ultimately ended up ruining his own eggs. He still ate them in protest, but his stomach hurt shortly after. After dropping off his sister he caught up to Issei on the walk to school, huffing loudly. "You dick, you didn''t even wait." He said. Issei just laughed, "I knew you would catch up. You''re a track star after all." The truth was Akihiko hadn''t been to track practice in a couple weeks. A new kind of guilt to harbor settled in his chest. "Thanks for reminding me." "What are friends for?" Issei said, jokingly. "Any new leads on work?" He asked curiously. "Well, if you want to suck it up and work weekends, you could work the night shift at the convenience store. They''re hiring right by my house." "I meant quick money." He protested. "I already told you not to. It was bad enough I let you do it a few times in the past" "I need the money, Issei. Last night I had to steal." He admitted. He sighed, "Fine. If you need it so badly, there''s a concert to work this weekend where you could sell. But it won''t help you today." He said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "I''ll manage until then." He said, but a sense of uncertainty swelled in his gut. "I think you should still look for something in the meantime." Issei responded. "I''ll try, alright." He said, only speaking half the truth. "I really hope so, don''t end up like me." He joked. The two of them chatted all the way up to the gates of school and into homeroom, where Akihiko barely paid any attention in class. He waited, counting the ticks of the clock, until it was finally lunch time. I''m going to ask him to teach me to cook. His thoughts kept going back to his sister, and her need for guidance. Someone has to teach her to take care of herself. He rounded the corner past the cafeteria, all the way to the home economics classroom. But he didn''t smell anything. He didn''t hear anything. He sighed, defeated as his eyes scanned the room. Empty. Where could he be? He walked back to the cafeteria and plopped down next to Issei, groaning loudly. "What''s your deal?" Issei said, stuffing his mouth full of rice. "Have you seen Shimada?" Akihiko asked, curiously. "Who?" Issei said through his bites, his mouth half full. "Yuki Shimada." He repeated. "You mean that weird kid one grade below us, with the bleached hair?" Akihiko looked at him angrily, "Aren''t we all weird kids?" He said in protest. "I mean, speak for yourself." He laughed before continuing, "But no I haven''t seen him, why?" "I just...wanted to ask him something." "What, to help you study or something?" Issei said, chomping loudly. "Something like that." "Try the courtyard, I hear a lot of the second years go there for lunch now." "Thanks man" he said before getting up, navigating the halls to the courtyard outside. There were several trees decorating the landscape, stone fences trailed down each side of the walkway providing seating for the many students who were outside enjoying the good weather. Akihiko scanned the courtyard quickly, looking for Shimada in the sea of bodies. He sighed audibly when he heard his name being called out, "Aki!" He groaned, recognizing her voice, "What Nomi." He said, his eyes still searching for Shimada. "I made this for you." She held out a bento box, wrapped neatly with an elastic band. Her head was bowed somewhat, hiding her face, but he could tell her cheeks were crimson. "Why are you giving me this?" He questioned, still accepting it. "I just noticed that you haven''t been eating much lately, and I figured it could have something to do with the school food. So, I made an extra one this morning." "Well...thanks." He said, "But have you seen Shimada?" "Shimada? Why?" She asked curiously. "Just answer the question Nomi." He said, somewhat annoyed. "I saw him go to counseling today after class." She finally replied, "Will you at least tell me if you liked the bento later?" "Sure, whenever I see you next." He said, hurrying off towards the counselor''s office. When he arrived the hallway was empty, and it was eerily quiet. He took a seat down the hall and pulled out his phone, scrolling aimlessly through cooking videos again. Finally, he heard the door crack open, and Shimada came out, his eyes were tinged pink. "Shimada!" He called out. Yuki looked over, somewhat surprised. "Araki, what are you doing here?" "Looking for you." He admitted, "I wanted to ask you something." "What?" He replied, quietly. "Teach me to cook." He said, demandingly. "W-what?" Yuki stammered, "But I barely know how to cook myself." "That''s not true at all, your cooking was amazing." Yuki avoided his gaze, "That was simple practice, Araki I''m not a chef..." "Whatever it was, I need to know how to do it." He bowed a little bit and spoke under his breath, "Please." He said, in basically a whisper. Yuki sighed, "Why? You can just go join a club after school, you know they can teach you there." "It''s not the same, you don''t understand." "What does that mean?" Yuki questioned. "I haven''t had anything taste like that since my mom died." He admitted to him somewhat shocking even himself. He remained quiet for a few moments before speaking, "Why did you steal that candy yesterday?" "I-" He stopped for a moment, deciding whether or not to lie, "I stole it for my sister. I didn''t have enough money." He said lowly, avoiding his gaze. "I see...well, I guess I can teach you what little I know." Akihiko bowed immediately again, "Oh thank you, thank you thank you Shimada." He said multiple times as the bell rang out. He turned to walk away and he heard Yukis voice again, "I''m sorry about your mom, Araki." He stopped in his tracks and felt that familiar sadness grip his chest, "T-thanks." He stammered; his sudden happiness blanketed by the memories. Chapter 3: Bento of Hope TW: Language, mentions of self-harm / sui*ide, blood. Akihiko drifted through the rest of his classes, making sure to be on time picking up Amada from school. She ran up to him excitedly, "You''re here on time!" She said, "I was worried you might have work after school again, or something." "I made sure to make it on time today", he responded, "And I may have found a job for this weekend." "Will you be gone the entire time?" She said sadly as they walked home. "Not the entire time, but...most of it." He admitted. She sighed, "I understand, I just hope dad isn''t home. Do you think I could go with you? I won''t make any trouble." She promised. "I''m sorry, but not this time." Her face dropped, "I understand..." She said, trying not to argue. "Will we make dinner again tonight?" She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Actually, look what I have." He pulled out the bento Nomi made for him and her face lit up. "Who made you this bento!" She grabbed it from his hands and quickly removed the elastic. "It''s so pretty." The rice balls were made into various fancy shapes, decorated neatly to look like they have faces. The vegetables were cut precisely into flowers and the meat was nestled in between the two, stacked neatly. "I mean, I guess it is." He said, just as surprised as she was. They went inside together, and he grabbed two pairs of chopsticks, they sat at the table and enjoyed the bento between them. "Seriously, who made this for you, it''s soooooo good!" Amada said, stuffing another piece of the meat in her mouth. It had been a while since they had any good food made for dinnertime, the best they were getting was whatever was served at school. Not that it wasn''t up to standards, it just lacked flavor. "It''s alright." Akihiko said, thinking of the other day with Yuki and his dish. "Nomi made it." "It''s not as good as moms, but this is definitely better than you or I could have done." She admitted, popping one of the smaller vegetables in her mouth. "Nomi was always so nice to you." "Tch..." He scoffed, "I guess that''s true." He felt a newfound guilt forming for always blowing her off. He''d known Nomi since middle school, they were closer until she dated Issei last year, throwing a wrench into the relationship they all shared. Amada finished the last piece of the bento and smiled, "Make sure you tell Nomi thank you from me too." She said, "Will you help me with my homework?" Akihiko sighed but reluctantly agreed, he sat at the table for several hours, helping her study all manner of things. That night, while getting ready for bed he heard a loud crash and Kota started to bark. He ran down the stairs to see his father, lying in the middle of the floor, a bottle of sake clutched tightly between his fingers. He groaned, pushing his foot into his fathers side, "Wake up." He said, "I said wake the FUCK up." He yelled and Amada made her way down the stairs, "What''s happening?" She said sleepily. "Just go back to bed." Akihiko said, attempting to roll their father over. "He makes me sick." Amada said under her breath as she headed back upstairs. Suddenly Akihiko heard his father whispering under his breath, he leaned in closer, "A-Ayana...." His stomach dropped, Don''t you dare say her name. He got up, filling a cup up with cold water and throwing it down on his body, he jolted awake. "Ayana!" He yelled. "Oh...it''s you." he mumbled. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Don''t say her name." Akihiko said under his breath. "You have no right after what you did." His father sat up but was unable to stand, "After w-what I did." He stammered, drunkenly, "Yes, after you BEAT her, after you gambled all our money away, after you drove her to-" "To WHAT?!" His father said, standing with a slight sway. "To kill herself?!" He shouted. Akihiko felt tears well up in the corner of his eyes but he swallowed hard, keeping his composure. "She killed herself." He said, slightly wobbling, "No one forced her." "Keep telling yourself that." Akihiko said, "Get back here, I wasn''t done talking to you." His father protested, but he went up to Amadas door, locking her inside, and them himself. His father never came up the stairs, whether he couldn''t or chose not to Akihiko wasn''t sure. But it took him hours to finally fall asleep, only to drift off into the same nightmare he had every night. "Aki." His mothers weak voice called out to him. He cracked open the door slightly, the expected creak he''d grown to detest haunting him. The bathroom was empty, he walked up to the tub and ran it, the familiar crimson liquid filled it up. He watched, terrified as his mothers body apparated in the tub as it filled. Her arm, slit vertically hung over the edge and it spilled the metallic smelling liquid onto the tile, she whispered his name indistinctly as he frantically searched for anything to stop the bleeding. Hot tears streamed down his face as he ripped a small hand towel from the rack and desperately held it against her wrist. No sound could be heard, only silence, even as he screamed for help. He watched the light slip from her eyes, her last words echoed in the silence, "I''m sorry." He sat up, gasping for breath. Akihiko clutched his chest, his heartbeat rapidly as he was forced to relive that horrible memory every night. After a few moments he finally found the strength to stand up and he walked over to his mirror, examining himself. Dark spots decorated his under eyes, his hair was a mess and he was once again drenched in sweat. When will it stop. He changed into a fresh uniform, preparing for school. Unable to face the bathroom, he doused his face in the kitchen sink before preparing what little breakfast he could. After dropping Amada off at school he caught up with Issei in their normal spot, panting. "Man you look like shit." He said suddenly and Akihiko shot him a look of daggers. "Thanks, I slept like shit." He admitted. Issei laughed and pulled out his smokes, soon the familiar smell filled the air. They sat near the edge of the gates, passing the cigarette between one another until they were suddenly interrupted, "Akari." Yuki said, waving him down, "O-oh, Shimada." He said, waving the smoke away. "What is it?" "Are you free for a lesson today?" He said and Issei looked over at him curiously, "Yes, umm...I have to pick up my sister after school can I meet you after?" "Well...the school may be closed." He said, "Could I come over?" Akihiko swallowed nervously, thoughts of his father coming home early made him second guess his answer, but he finally replied, "Uhhh...sure, yeah that''s fine." "Great, I''ll see you then. Bye." He waved, nervously and left. "What the hell was that about?" Issei said, taking another drag. "It''s nothing he''s teaching me how to cook." "How to COOK?" He exclaimed, "Can''t you just buy pre-made food until you get into college, that''s what most of us do." "Yeah well, most of us can work for ourselves and don''t have a 12-year-old to look after." "Fair enough." Issei said, tossing the cigarette out. "Let''s go, we''re probably late. They walked to homeroom together and Nomi excitedly ran up to him, another bento in her hand. "Aki!" She said, "how did you like the bento?" "It was fine, Nomi." He said, "Amada says thank you by the way." "Oh, you didn''t have any?" She said, somewhat sadly. "No, we shared it." "Well, I made you another one. If I knew you were going to share I would have packed more..." This time he smiled at her and her face immediately went pink, she handed it to him with her head bowed again. "Thank you, Nomi." He said, sitting at his desk. She hurried to her own class, with the other 2nd years. Issei shot him a look of confusion; he just shrugged his shoulders. At lunch he confronted him about it. "So what''s going on with Nomi." "Nothing." Akihiko said sharply. "She made me a bento." "Yeah I can see that, you''re not even going to eat it?" "I''m going to share it with Amada." He admitted. Issei scoffed, "I get it, but where does she get off. We just broke up before this semester and now she wants you?" Akihiko shrugged again, "Who knows what she wants." He picked at his school food as usual, "I''m so tired, I seriously might go take a nap." "I wouldn''t blame you, you look like you need it." Issei said, slurping up his noodles. He got up from the table and walked in the direction of his homeroom, he saw Shimada coming out of the counseling office again, he looked just as tired as he did. He waved him down, but it''s as if he didn''t notice. "Shimada?" He said, but he just kept walking. "Hello, are you okay?" He tapped him on the shoulder, and he finally turned around, tears streaming down his face. "U-u-uhmm I''m sorry I didn''t know what was happening." He stammered, nervously. Suddenly he fell into his arms, Akihiko froze for a moment confused as he sobbed into his chest. "Shi...mada?" He gently patted his back a few times, swallowing hard. Without saying a word he broke away, hiding his embarrassment. He finally responded, "I''m sorry..." "Are you okay?" Akihiko said, leaning against the locker next to him. "No..." He admitted. "What''s wrong?" And he froze, just as he once had, standing there in silence. His arms crossed uncomfortably when suddenly the bell cut through the tension again. "I''ll...tell you later." He said, walking towards his own class. He stopped, keeping his back turned to Akihiko and said, "Thank you..." Before disappearing down the hallway, leaving him standing there confused, and concerned.