My first ever fiction for the jdrama 'Tumbling'. I'm amazed by how good it is and am a total fan :) Comment and let me know what you readers think, it would be appreciated^^
Warning: abuse, violence, language.
'Friends are the most important ingredient in the recipe of life.'
Saturday evening saw the dinner crowd dying down at Restaurant Kamome, a popular place for its Omelet rice and cute chef/owner, Natsuko Higashi. She stood in her traditional kimono, cleaning the tables while waiting on her son's friends to arrive for their habitual weekend meet. She already had their favorite; her specialty prepared and only awaited their arrival. The young men of the Karasumori High School Rhythmic Gymnastic club have all done her proud and she welcomed each and every one as if they were her own. Her son, Azuma Wataru had become a better person because of them, going from school bad boy to a level headed person; if not still ill tempered; she was even more proud of.
With a smile on her face, Natsuko reminisced how the boys overcame their obstacles to gain third place at the Kanto National Meet six months ago, a feat others deemed impossible from delinquents but something they did with pride. With the wash cloth held to her chest in a heartwarming gesture, she turned around to look at the group picture framed on the restaurant wall.
"Kaa-chan…."
The woman sighed when her son grumpily walked down the stairs from his room, an ill tempered frown on his face. She sighed before resuming her cleaning duties; he still didn't want to help around the restaurant and Shigeo had left on a short trip overseas. "What is it now, Wataru?"
Wataru pouted before walking over and throwing himself down haphazardly into one of the customer chairs. He held up his right hand and extended his pinky, which was wrapped with a layer of gauze. "I wish it'd heal already."
Her son sprained his little finger while performing a back flip in training at the school gym a few days ago.
"Are you a baby? Suck it up and wait until the finger is better," she chided. He was like a big kid wanting to be comforted.
"Tsk," Wataru mouthed in annoyance before returning his hand to the side pocket of his pants. Just then the door opened and in entered Nippori and Ryosuke.
"Konbanwa."
Both teens bowed slightly after walking into the restaurant.
Natsuko returned their evening greeting with a smile.
"Aniki!" Nippori shouted hastily before running over and sitting on the chair beside Wataru. "How's the finger?"
Wataru displayed his annoyance at the situation once again. "Getting better."
Ryosuke sat adjacent to Wataru and after seeing that his friend was alright, took out his cell phone and decided to text Mai, his umpteenth girlfriend.
Natsuko was about to finish the three omelet rice when the door opened and some of the other boys walked in, all of them in their training gear.
"Konbanwa." They stopped and greeted her with a polite bow before entering fully.
She smiled. "Good evening, everybody."
Wataru scanned the group of boys, the original members of the club, and realized somebody was missing.
"Ne Yuuta, where's Mizusawa?"
Yuuta chuckled nervously as the others watched him too for an answer. "He called, he doesn't feel too well."
"Oh. Kiyama called me too, he's going shopping with Takashi's mom and Hino is spending the night with his father," Wataru informed. He felt good that Hino and his father were at least trying to understand each other a little better now.
Everybody nodded.
"Okay, it's ready!" Natsuko shouted cheerfully and she brought out the first group of omelet rice, placing it around Yuuta's table. She could only carry three, so she had to go back for more.
"I'll help!" Kaneko shouted hastily and he got up to go to the counter, only to feel a hand grab at him right as he was to pass Wataru's table.
Nippori, with a very disgruntled look on his face and a hand squeezing Kaneko's shoulder, grunted, "Are you trying to show us up, four eyes?"
"Eh…?" Kaneko asked bewildered.
"Natsuko, I'll help!" Nippori shouted before pushing Kaneko aside and rushing to the counter.
Nippori grabbed three plates that Natsuko had laid down on the counter and Kaneko grunted in annoyance before grabbing another three.
Natsuko and the others laughed, it always felt good to be together like this.
"Ne, Wataru, did you hear that Akabane made the top goal in the soccer match yesterday?" Ryosuke asked with his spoon half way to his lips.
The red head, along with the others, all stopped eating and looked at each other. They remember Akabane, the guy that almost destroyed their gymnastic team because of his jealousy. Luckily, even he was able to change and he was currently Kara High soccer team's most valuable player.
Wataru smiled. "It's good he's putting his energy to good use."
Those words lightened the mood and they all returned to eating with a smile on their faces.
********************TuMbLiNg*********************
"Kiyama-kun, if you're tired, I can carry them."
The woman indicated at him that she would carry her bags and he shook his head. "No, it's alright."
He currently had four shopping bags and they were about to enter a shoe store.
The woman smiled, "You're a good friend, Kiyama-kun, Takashi would be proud."
She turned around to enter the store and Kiyama smiled. He was about to go in behind her when he looked across the street and saw Mizusawa, causing his smile to fade because the other looked extremely bothered. He watched as the second year student walked up to a parked car with some guy he didn't know, prompting him to wonder if he'd possibly found himself a boyfriend, somebody to accept that side of him. They were coming out of a hotel together after all. Mizusawa stood on the curb, waiting on the guy to get in the driver seat and open the passenger door when he looked up, and looked right at him.
The horrified look on Mizusawa's face was not normal and he made to cross the street, but the teen quickly opened the door and jumped in the car that sped off a moment later. He decided he would ask him at training tomorrow what that was for.
********************TuMbLiNg*********************
The next day, everybody decided to meet at the clubhouse before going to the gym to practice. They had entered a dancing competition to try and get some more money to help with equipment and auxiliary items since the school funds went mostly to the girls. The people missing so far were Hino and Mizusawa.
Yuuta sat with his group tumbling book in hand, trying to formulate another unique performance. Kaneko and Satoshi were in a corner chatting and Wataru sat impatiently in the worn out couch with Nippori and Ryosuke.
Kiyama looked up as the door opened, hoping to see Mizusawa but Hino walked in instead.
"Ohayo," Hino greeted and everybody answered with a greeting of their own. "Are we ready to practice?" he asked after pulling the strap of his gym bag over his head while he stood before his opened locker.
"No, Mizusawa-senpai hasn't shown up yet," Satoshi answered.
"Is he still sick?" Kaneko asked.
That question caught Kiyama off guard, Mizusawa didn't look sick yesterday when he saw him, only a little pale after he spotted him.
"Not sure, maybe we should call and ask?" Ryosuke muttered with his eyes still glued to his phone. He was sending a text message to Akiko, right after sending one to three more girls.
Nippori, who was trying to do a few moves in the small space crashed into Kaneko, who was walking by.
"KANEKO!" Nippori shouted angrily and the shorter teen took off, running around the clubhouse with Nippori hot on his heels.
Everybody started laughing.
Amidst the noise, the clubhouse door opened and Mizusawa walked in, trying not to laugh at the two's latest antics. This was the only time he felt good, truly happy, even if everything else wasn't working out at all.
"Oi, Mizusawa!" Wataru shouted over the noise after noticing him and all activities stopped to look at the youth standing in the doorway in his pink shirt and tights.
Mizusawa looked at everybody but Kiyama, which didn't go unnoticed by the other. He walked down the flight of stairs, pulling his gym bag over his shoulder so he could put it in his locker. "Are we ready to practice?"
"First…" Satoshi started. "…are you feeling better, did you get enough rest yesterday?"
Mizusawa nodded, feeling the knot tighten in his stomach because there was one person in the room that knew he wasn't at home resting. "Let's go."
"Yosh," Wataru shouted while they all filed out of the clubhouse to head to the gym. It was a weekend and Ezaki and Kashiwaki started spending it together, so they wouldn't be seen until in the week. He vaguely remembered over hearing Kashiwagi telling the old hag something about plowing his garden and watering his plants; the mental image was disturbing.
After entering the gym, they all took their shoes off before running over to the mat. Satoshi and Yuuta stood to the side, ready to give directions on what they should do.
"Ok, take your places!" Yuuta shouted and Satoshi blew a whistle he had around his neck.
Kiyama stood behind Mizusawa, who was stretching his arms before he got on one knee. There was nothing wrong with his configuration, but something was off about Mizusawa's movements, though he couldn't put his hand on exactly what.
"Ok, ready?" Satoshi asked and Hino was the one to answer in the affirmative. "Now, Takenaka-senpai…."
Yuuta pushed the play button on the stereo and the slow tempo of the music started. Everybody started their normal routine, falling into formation flawlessly until they were to do the hand stand, for which Mizusawa fell flat on his side after just only a few seconds with both legs in the air in the stag position.
"Mizusawa!" some shouted in unison while they all ran over to help their fallen team mate.
Kiyama stood close by, but he observed how Mizusawa would grimace at a particular touch or bite his lip as if he was in pain while the others grabbed him to help him stand. It was when Nippori started brushing his back off with his hand did he see how much pain he was actually in. He would confront him later about it, when they were alone.
Mizusawa nervously watched Kiyama as he walked away; he hoped he hadn't picked up on anything a while ago.
"Oi, Mizusawa, you alright?" Wataru asked.
Even Hino was concerned, judging by the look on his face.
"I'm fine, really," Mizusawa addressed with a small bow.
"You're still not well, we'll continue practice tomorrow after school," Satoshi offered.
Mizusawa smiled gratefully while Wataru scratched the back of his head in irritation.
"What the hell…? I really wanted to practice today," the red head pouted. If he went home his mother would try to force him to help with the restaurant again, especially since the idiot shigeo wasn't there.
"How about the arcade?" Nippori suggested while clapping his hands.
"Sounds good," Ryosuke answered.
Wataru nodded. "Fine, I'll meet you guys here after school tomorrow."
The three waved the others off before walking away to change back into regular clothes.
"Did Kiyama leave too?" Hino asked and they looked towards the door.
"Guess he did," Yuuta answered before putting their things away. A moment later they returned to the clubhouse to see Kiyama and the other three already changed and in their Gakuran.
Kiyama was sitting idly on the couch while Wataru and the others had their bags in hand, ready to leave.
"Yosh, we'll see you guys tomorrow," Wataru said with a wave of his hand and the three bowed slightly while they passed the others by the door.
"Kiyama-senpai, are you not leaving too?" Satoshi asked while they went down the flight of stairs leading to the lockers.
"Yes, in a bit," Kiyama answered idly while looking at them.
Mizusawa could feel the knot tighten unbearably in his stomach when their eyes met. It was really hard trying to get over his first crush, especially with the situation he found himself in now. He could tell, at least, by the way Kiyama suddenly averted his gaze, that it was uncomfortable for him too. He walked pass and went over to his locker, only to hear the cell phone he had in his bag started to ring. He took it out, looked at the led display and clutched the phone tightly to his chest.
"Excuse me, I'll take this outside," he informed with a small bow before running up the stairs and out the door.
The others looked at their friend as he left, finding his behavior a little strange.
A few seconds after Mizusawa left, Kiyama announced his intention to leave also because he at least wanted to be able to speak to the other alone, but now that seemed unlikely.
"Ja ne…" he waved to the others and they all waved back before turning back to each other in some conversation he wasn't able to focus on when lost in thought. He walked pass the main hall and was heading out the gates when he heard Mizusawa's voice. Looking through the thin trees that separated them, he realized the other had his back to him while he talked on the phone in a low voice; not a whisper, but not a shout either.
"I told you I left the phone in my bag and didn't hear it ring."
There was a sort of gloomy air about Mizusawa and he wondered who he was talking to.
"I have to practice, my friends expect me here to…."
Mizusawa raised his slightly bowed head and he saw when he balled his fists as if to contain his anger.
"Yes, he was here but that have nothing to do with it."
He then saw Mizusawa lower his head in a defeated gesture.
"Yes, I know only you do, I'm sorry."
Mizusawa's hand with the phone by his ear then fell to his side and it wasn't hard to piece together what was happening.
Mizusawa needed help.
He crossed the threshold and walked up behind the other, who seemed so lost in thought, he hadn't realized yet that he wasn't alone.
"How long?"
Mizusawa was so scared by the sound of the voice he gasped and dropped the phone. Spinning around quickly with wide eyes to see who was behind him, he gasped once again in relief and nervousness when he saw Kiyama.
"Don't scare me like that…" Mizusawa said when he was able to breathe normally. He quickly took up the phone and held it in his hand.
With a serious look on his face, Kiyama asked once again. "How long has he been abusing you?"
Mizusawa hung his head dejectedly before turning his back to the other. "It's none of your business, leave me alone."
Kiyama, actually feeling irritated that Mizusawa would just blow him off like that, grabbed his arm and spun him around to face him. But, the grimace on Mizusawa's face and the hand he had squeezing his own tightly told him he was hurting him, which meant his arm must have been bruised.
"Let go of me," Mizusawa grounded out after managing to wrench his arm free from Kiyama's grasp. He knew there was no way he could deny it now and that scared him. He was hoping none of them would find out.
"How long?" Kiyama repeated in an aggravated voice and Mizusawa flinched. The other could be really scary when angry and his eyes were so intense and deep he wouldn't chance lying. He turned his back and leaned on the railing overlooking the body of water below while twirling the phone idly in his hands. "Three months."
Kiyama said nothing and Mizusawa took it as a sign to continue.
"It wasn't easy…."
Kiyama looked at the other while waiting on him to go on.
"…getting over you."
Somehow, hearing that made Kiyama feel a pang of guilt. Mizusawa was his friend; he cared for him deeply, just not the way he wanted him to.
"I met him at the park, where he worked, one day. He was willing to accept that part of me I was so afraid of acknowledging and I was willing to chance it, because I really needed something to take my mind off you. He made me feel better about being…." It was still hard to say and he swallowed the lump in his throat before uttering that word. "….gay."
Kiyama knew where this was going; he'd seen others do it to girls he knew. Mizusawa was being used, his feelings being mocked and the anger flared inside him like a tidal wave, threatening to take over. He really wanted know who this guy was, but he wouldn't force Mizusawa if he didn't want to say. He'd find out though. The worst thing he could do to that guy would be to set Wataru on him, which will be done once he finds out who it is.
Mizusawa took a deep breath while his shoulders remained slumped, reminiscing about how good the beginning was before his relationship started to take turn for the worst. "It started out so good, I even opened up to him about you, now he uses it against me, as if I only come to practice to catch guys."
Kiyama felt like hurting somebody very badly, because what Mizusawa was telling him, he knew wasn't true, his friend was nothing like that; would never do such a thing. He'd never hit on him either, even though he was his first crush. He had boundaries, he was a good person.
But one thing he knew for certain, was that Mizusawa had to give up on his destructive relationship.
"You know what you have to do, right?" Kiyama asked in a serious voice, making his intentions clear.
Mizusawa lowered his head as the tears threatened to fall. Even though he was being hurt, at least he didn't have to hide, he could be himself with this guy without being told he was gross, an oni or something bad like that. Besides, so much can happen in the future, things can change; people can change.
"Not yet."
"What?" Kiyama asked.
"H…he can change; I can get him to change."
The desperation was so clear in Mizusawa's voice, but Kiyama knew this had to end and it had to end now. "He won't change, you and I know…"
"But Wataru changed!" Mizusawa interrupted, desperately trying to convince himself that things would get better. "And Ryosuke and Nippori. Even Akabane….you changed."
Kiyama sighed before looking away for a moment. It ate at him how Mizusawa was willing to destroy himself in such a way for the sake of acceptance; if only he could accept him the way he wanted, then none of this would be happening. "He's not the same as us."
Mizusawa put his chin on his hands as the tears silently rolled down his cheeks. He knew his friends were different, that none of them would ever purposely abuse anybody. Even Wataru, as much as he loved to fight, did it to protect himself and others; there was a difference.
"Leave him."
The conviction was clear in Kiyama's voice and Mizusawa knew he had to do it, for his sake and his soon-to-be ex if not dead boyfriend's. Kiyama didn't have to say it, but he knew he would get the others involved and he didn't want that. With a shake of his head in acquiesce, he allowed himself to cry out his frustration.
Kiyama wasn't use to dealing with such emotions, but he knew what it was like to lose somebody and he wanted to offer Mizusawa some comfort, no matter how small. He walked closer to the second year student, dropped his bag on the ground and pulled him into a tight hug, allowing Mizusawa to hold him while he cried. He didn't say anything, but he slowly brought one hand up and ran it through the other's hair in a soothing gesture, letting him know he wasn't alone.
Mizusawa pulled away after a moment and dried his eyes, not wanting to seem too weak before Kiyama. "I'm sorry, I have to go."
Mizusawa suddenly walked away and Kiyama said to him, "Call me when you do it, I need to know you're ok."
Mizusawa stopped, turned around and then nodded. Sometimes, a good friend is all one needs. After thinking about it, really thinking about it, he realized he needed to let go, he didn't need any unnecessary problems in his life right now because that meant problem for his friends along with himself. If he couldn't do what he could to protect himself, he would do it to protect them; they meant the world to him.
Kiyama watched Mizusawa walk away before leaving himself, he promised Takashi's mother that he would help her with some chores before he went home.
Then, he will wait on Mizusawa to tell him everything would be alright, because in the end, they all depended on each other to endure.
********************TuMbLiNg*********************
The next morning, Kiyama reached class a little early. When he arrived, the other third years were there and all of them had a book before them because entrance exams would be coming up soon, among other school activities.
"Oi, Kiyama…." Wataru shouted in greeting and the others nodded.
He nodded.
Yuuta shoved his book before Wataru and pointed at something. "If you look at the quadratic formula, each letter is complimented by a number which should be multiplied by the number beside it."
Wataru scratched the back of his head. "Huh?"
Ryosuke lowered his phone for a second, poked his head into the book and then said, "Wataru, just replace the letters with the numbers in the problem and you're good."
Wataru then looked irately at Yuuta. "Why didn't you just say so?"
Yuuta chuckled nervously before turning back around, "But that is what I said."
"Kaneko, you're gonna ace this test, right?" Kiyama asked.
Kaneko didn't look up from his notes. "Of course, I haven't failed a test yet."
Kiyama chuckled. Everybody was really trying to get some studying done and he took out his own notebook, ready to look over himself when Nippori ran in to their class, all breathless and he shouted;
"Mizusawa…is in…the hospital."
"What…?" Wataru bellowed, kicking his chair over when he stood abruptly.
The others all looked worried, wondering what was going on and they all tried to bombard Nippori with questions.
"I don't know what happened, but we should go see him, now," Nippori said and they all rushed out of the classroom together.
The Muira City Hospital wasn't very far from the school and they all ran until they reached the entrance, all out of breath and panting.
Kiyama rushed up to the reception at the front desk and with his breath coming in short pants and the others behind him, he asked the frightened lady, "Taku Mizusawa, which room is he in?"
With her nervousness permeating the air, the woman quickly typed something on the computer before looking back at them. "Third floor, room seventy."
With a bewildered look on her face, the woman watched as the group ran towards the elevator. She exchanged a look with the security on duty before sitting back down and resuming her work.
********************TuMbLiNg*********************
"Mizusawa!" Wataru shouted after throwing the door to room seventy open. What he saw had him seeing red and he stumbled into the room, not taking his eyes off his friend, who was lying silently on the bed with his eyes closed, one of them swollen. There were bruises and some cuts all over Mizusawa's exposed skin, bandages and gauze around his head and one of his hands and it took all his will power not to kill somebody.
The only reason they knew he was still alive was because of the slow rise and fall of his chest, indicating he was breathing. There was a small tube pushed inside the side of his mouth, which was tape down at the corner and an oxygen mask on his face.
"Mizusawa….." Satoshi whispered in a soft fearful voice, which reverberated around the room from the suffocating silence. Everybody was stunned speechless, even Kiyama, who hadn't seen this coming.
"Who did this to him?" Ryosuke asked, hoping somebody would know. Somebody would die for this, he was certain.
Everybody wondered the same thing and they looked at each other, except for Wataru, who was so blinded by rage he started to shake slightly.
Kiyama realized this was affecting the others as much as it was him so he decided to speak up, to tell them what he knew.
"He found himself a boyfriend some months ago, some guy that didn't start abusing him until recently."
"Who the hell is it?" Wataru asked in an angry voice and he looked at the redhead who was glaring back at him.
"I don't know."
Wataru took a deep, shaky breath. "Tell me everything you know about the guy."
Kiyama then related everything Mizusawa told him the night before about his boyfriend and his intention to finally leave, which he presumed was the reason he was now in the hospital.
"He works at the park….?" Kaneko muttered rhetorically. If memory served him right, he should know who it was, because even though Mizusawa never saw him that day, he remembered him walking away with some guy at the park. He didn't pay it much attention because he thought they were friends, they seemed really close.
The others watched Kaneko because they could practically see the wheels turning in his head. They were getting impatient though and wanted to know what he knew right now.
"Hey, megane, what the hell's taking you so long?" Nippori asked in an irritated voice.
Kaneko then fell out of his thoughts and addressed the others. "I saw the guy that day…..he was wearing…um…."
"Will you recognize him if you see him again?" Satoshi asked.
Kaneko looked at the others as they all watched him intently. "I…I think so."
"Good, then let's go to the park and bash somebody's head in," Wataru said before walking towards the door.
"Wait…" Yuuta interrupted. "…I don't think we should be getting into a fight right now."
"You're worried about the competition when Mizusawa is like that?" Ryosuke asked irately. "What if he never wakes up? Don't you want some kind of revenge for what was done to him?"
Yuuta hung his head before muttering, "Of course I do, but I'm sure Mizusawa wouldn't want us all to get banned just for him. As much as we've made great progress in our shintaiso, we're still seen as delinquents and the school board might not hesitate to disban us this time around."
Kiyama tsked in annoyance.
"Then what do you suggest we do then?" Nippori asked. He wanted revenge too, but Yuuta was right and judging by the way Wataru stood while scratching the back of his head, he was hesitating to do anything rash.
"Son of a bitch…." Wataru cursed under his breath. "Kaneko, come with me," he announced.
"Eh?" Kaneko muttered when Wataru held him by the collar and started to pull him outside. "Kiyama, follow me…"
"Wait…..Wataru!" Hino shouted. He was fearful for the poor guy if Wataru managed to find him.
Kiyama walked out the door behind Wataru and the others only sighed in disappointment.
Something bad was about to happen.
********************TuMbLiNg*********************
Later on in the evening, Yuuta and the others met back up with Wataru, Kiyama and Kaneko. Kashiwagi had heard about Mizusawa and had gone to spend some time with him after class. They ran up to each other in the school yard and the others wanted to know what the three had done.
"What happened?" Hino asked.
Wataru scratched the back of his head while the others watched him. "I got Kaneko to point out the guy….."
"Eh?" Yuuta muttered disappointedly. He could already see the foreclosing of their club now and he could imagine different pieces of the guy's body being scattered all over Japan. Holy crap, they were all accomplices to a murder!
"….and we made a report to the police," Kiyama finished. The thing was, Miusawa lived alone after being abandoned by his parents at an early age so he had no one else to look after him. What they chose to not mention though, was that they scared the guy so bad he wet his pants before turning him over to the police.
Yuuto sighed in relief before chuckling.
"You really scared us there, Aniki," Nippori smiled before giving Wataru a hug.
"Well, I'm sure he'll get what's due to him, and we can keep practicing," Wataru nodded with a small smiled. "Any word on….?"
Wataru's question was interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone, Satoshi's cell phone and after the appointed manager took the call, they all waited for him to finish his conversation.
"Eh, he is?" Satoshi asked excitedly and the others wondered what was going on.
Satoshi clutched the phone to his chest and informed excitedly, "Guys, Kashiwagi-sensei says Mizusawa is awake, and he'll be fine."
"He is? Let's go, everybody!" Wataru shouted and they all took off on foot for the hospital once again with hope in their hearts instead of fear.
A few minutes later, they all filed impatiently into room seventy once again.
"Minna…." Kashiwagi said when he saw the others walk quickly into the room.
"Guys…" Mizusawa muttered nervously when he saw everybody's worried gaze on him. His voice sounded raspy and he averted everyone's stare because he didn't want to look them in the eyes. He couldn't even see them properly from the way his eye was swollen and he felt bad about it all.
Wataru was the one to walk right up to Mizusawa and he knelt so he was almost on eye level with the other teen.
"Don't scare any of us like that ever again, Mizusawa."
Mizusawa looked at the red head with tears forming in his eyes. "I'm sorry…."
"We'll always accept you no matter what, don't ever doubt that," Yuuta added confidently and the others agreed.
Mizusawa nodded his head with a small smile on his bruised lips.
Kiyama walked up to the bed, prompting Wataru to take a step back and he held Mizusawa's chin before pulling his face upward so their eyes met evenly. He used his thumb to wipe away the remnant of tears on Mizusawa's cheek before adding, "I'll always be here for you."
The contented look that came over Mizusawa's face said it all. Ryosuke touched Hino and when he looked at him, mouthed that they should leave. Once the two filed out of the room, the others followed suit, even Kashiwagi, who sat watching them with a proud look on his face.
When they were outside, the group breathed a sigh of relief before exchanging a few heart felt words about the importance of friendship, being able to rely on each other and trust. They all then left for their respective homes, leaving the other two alone.
One thing they agreed upon was that in the morning, they would come back to look after their friend, to make sure that he, along with as much as possible in life, would be alright.
'A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.'
So, good/bad? Let me know and tnx for reading if you made it to the end. Ja ne :D