He could feel that at this point, his body was beginning to shut down.

  Sota let his head fall to the side so he could see the date and time.

  About one month - that's how long it had been since he'd seen done anything except take care of the most basic of necessities. He went to the bathroom and slept, but eating food and staying hydrated had become optional. At this point, he couldn't even stand up without almost passing out.

  This was the amalgamation of a lifetime of trauma - but Sota couldn't see that. He only saw the last nail in the coffin. Just one young girl had caused him this much grief?

  His self-loathing had increased drastically, to the point where the day-to-day was no longer sustainable...

  "Open up, handsome!"

  Riku's voice was faint enough that Sota initially thought he was hallucinating. The window knocking a moment later let him know it was real.

  "I know you're still alive in there," Riku called out again. "Don't make me start serenading you with love songs. You know I've got plenty!"

  The curtains swung open, revealing Sota's physical state. His skin was pale and his face was far too sunken in for a guy his size. He hadn't bothered to throw on his shirt, but Riku could make out some hastily-wrapped cloth around his forearms.

  "What do you want?"

  "Let's go grab some food," Riku replied, his tone serious. "I want to catch up."

  "Not interested."

  "But Sota..."

  He didn't wait for a reply. Sota quickly looked away and motioned to slam the window shut. Riku - while typically non-confrontational - had anticipated this. From his car he had brought a thick piece of cardboard. He figured he'd just end up throwing it out, but not doing so had proved useful in this moment.

  Riku quickly slid it in-place under the window, causing the window to bounce back up and prevent closure.

  Sota examined the cardboard, flabbergasted by Riku's brazenness. When Sota's gaze lifted to meet Riku's, it was terrifying. A maelstrom of rage sat beneath Sota's eyes - and it needed very little provocation to be aimed at someone else...

  "It's...really important," Riku noted. "I have a situation I need help with and I really don't have anyone else to turn to... I'll even pay!"

  Riku remained silent from there, watching Sota cautiously. He was poised to bolt if things went south and Sota decided to leap through the window at Riku directly. The tension was palpable for several moments before Sota broke eye contact.

  "Fine. I'll get dressed and we can go."

  Sota let go of the window, allowing it to remain open as he grabbed a shirt and pants. Riku let out one sigh of relief. He suspected that appealing to Sota's friend-helping nature would be the best call to start.

  Now, however, it was up-in-the-air how things would go.

  ***

  "Alright. Let's hear about this issue, Riku."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Sota leaned back in the booth. The two of them had just received their trays of food and found a quiet booth in the far corner. It was well after the main dinner rush, so the place was practically empty. Only the sounds and smells of fryer oil and dishwashing permeating the establishment.

  Riku took a bite out of his burger, delaying his response as best he could. The situation was tense - he could see that Sota's situation was worse than he anticipated. The whole way here, he had tried to think up a roundabout solution. In the end, he knew he just had to be direct. He had at least gotten Sota out in public, so there was a much lower likelihood of a scene breaking out.

  Don't be avoidant. That won't solve anything from here...

  "My issue," Riku began, "is that one of my closest friends appears to be spiraling out of control."

  "I knew it," Sota sighed, beginning to rise from his seat to leave. "I'm fine, Riku..."

  Before he could fully commit, Riku reached out and tightly grasped Sota's forearm to keep him seated. Even though Sota was significantly bigger than Riku, he still winced at the touch

  "How interesting..." Riku noted. "Something wrong with your arm? Maybe I should roll up your sleeve and see if there's a bruise or something."

  "What are you implying?"

  "I remember what happened that night you had to be brought home from college," Riku spoke sternly. "I remember how bad of shape you were in. We don't need to re-hash that."

  "What do you know!?" Sota questioned, beginning to raise his voice. "You've been there; you've seen what I get put through! Yet you're going to pretend to understand how I feel?!"

  "Then help me understand," Riku replied, maintaining his composure. "This is what you and I do, Sota. When one of us is on the brink, the other supports. Remember back in school when I was coming out? Those guys pestered me, and you made it your business to protect me? Well, now I'm making this my business!"

  Sota paused. It was his nature to lash out when questioned, but Riku had made a good point. Sota recalled the incident from their past, and knew exactly what was being referenced.

  He paused and pondered. Eventually, taking a deep breath before sitting back down.

  "Alright, then," Sota sighed as he sat down. "I'm not about to be a hypocrite. I'll hear you out..."

  Riku internally breathed a sigh of relief, although he worked not to show it.

  "I'm not going to pretend I can save you," Riku spoke, Ren's words echoing in his mind. "But for my own selfish reasons, I need to understand. You've been through so much... Why now? Why was this the breaking point?"

  Sota thought for a moment. Riku had done the courtesy - intentionally or not - of saying out loud what Sota wasn't comfortable admitting. He tried to return that courtesy with the most honesty he could.

  "I let my guard down," Sota admitted. "I allowed myself to feel like I was needed for something because Ren was so innocent. She had nothing to gain from using me, she simply respected me and what I had to say. Such a simple and silly thing, but for someone who could die tomorrow and the world wouldn't bat an eye? It meant the world."

  "Then why leave?"

  "You know damn well why!" Sota snapped back. "I'm nearly twenty years old. I should not be so distraught about a high school girl! It's insane - almost disgusting, and that's the most painful part of this whole thing..."

  Riku thought very carefully about his reply. The downward spiral from that thought pattern was simple enough to piece together - but what now? What could he say that would help Sota break through his own barriers?

  "You keep circling this age thing," he said carefully. "It's cleaner that way. Makes it something you can hate yourself for instead of actually looking at it."

  He met Sota's eyes.

  "But that's not what this is about. You didn't fall apart because of who needed you. You fell apart because you realized you mattered...and then got scared of what losing that would mean."

  Sota did not respond vocally, but his eyes had reddened as he held back tears. Riku gave him a few minutes to process and compose himself, while he continued to think about what he was going to say.

  "Even if I buy into that notion," Sota finally retorted. "It's a moot point. Ren has Natsu covering her now. I'm sure her training is going well. Probably how it should've been from the start."

  "Let's not start with that," Riku chimed in. "I'm not going to speak on Ren's behalf, but I don't think it's been that smooth of sailing. Don't take my word for it, though. Come back to class and find out."

  The table went silent. At this point, both had finished up their food. Not only that, but it was getting quite late and the servers were looking at them, anxiously waiting for them to get out.

  "It's all up to you, Sota," Riku repeated as he stood up. "You've come this far - what's one more day?"

  People can aid us, but only we can save ourselves.

  Thanks for reading this chapter!