"Thank you," Julius said for the third time that night, but this time to the taxi driver as the car slowed to a stop outside his house.

  "Mhmmm," he mumbled while shooting him a look he was all but used to by now: confusion mixed with a little disgust.

  Averting his eyes from the man's face, he stepped out of the car; the cool night breeze hit his hairless legs, and feeling a shiver from the cool air, he fully got out of the car before shutting the door behind him.

  "Wear longer shorts, kid," the man said in a gruff voice. "No one wants to see all that," he commented before speeding off.

  Sighing, Julius looked down at his shorts that were supposed to stop at his upper thigh but were now more at mid-thigh length.

  "Maybe if you kept your eyes on the road instead of—” he started, only to cut himself off, realizing there was no point in arguing with someone who was long gone.

  Pulling up his shorts slightly to cover a little more of his legs, he walked across the all but empty street to his home. Taking off the key that was around his neck, he went for the door, but as his hand instinctively twisted the knob, it just opened.

  "Of course," he muttered, pushing the door open. "How did you even get in here?" he asked as the door opened. "Don't tell me you broke a window," he asked.

  "No, of course not," Jake said, walking from the kitchen with a soda in hand, his body covered from head to toe in soot. "I went through the chimney," he said while pointing up.

  "Of course you did," he said, not even seeming surprised by the action. "So how is "the handsy one"?" he asked.

  "He's fine; he's sleeping soundly on your bed." Jake answered while taking a sip of soda.

  Eyes widening almost immediately, he shouted. YOU PUT A HALF-NAKED GUY WHO CHOKED ME IN MY BED!!

  Tilting his head, he proceeded to take another sip of his soda. "Merry early Christmas!"

  "You—" but before he could say another word, an audible thud came from his bedroom.

  "What?" They both said simultaneously as they made a beeline for the room, pushing the cracked door fully open. They were met with a sight that made their blood run cold.

  The gray-haired boy who was motionless on the bed only moments ago was now standing with a knife in his hands, but that's not what made them freeze like statues; it was the fact that it was turned on himself, the knife aimed where his heart was.

  "Wait!" Julius shouted, being the first to say something, but it was too late; he pulled the blade close like he was bringing it in for some twisted embrace, but before it could make contact, he stopped the blade inches from his skin.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  But before they could let out a breath of relief, he started to shout as tears fell from his eyes. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!!!" He said through gritted teeth as he tried with all his might to pull the blade to his heart, but it wouldn't budge, like an invisible force was stopping him. But in actuality, it was his own body.

  "Damn you, you stupid spirit, why won't you let me just die?" he said as the tears fell like waterfalls.

  "You killed them..." he started. "Just let me die too," he begged.

  "I don't want to be here anymore," he continued as he pulled the knife away before aiming for his throat, but before he could pull it in, Jake grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and, with one swift motion, pulled the knife from his hands.

  "That's enough of that," he said, trying to sound calm even though his pulse was racing.

  Anger turning to Jake, he said, "Don't you dare—" But before he could finish his words, he felt a heavy impact on his cheek, and his head snapped to the other side.

  Vision clearing for half a second from the impact, he caught a glimpse of Julius as his head turned back. "You—" he started, only to be cut off again.

  "How dare you? How dare you? How dare you? HOW DARE YOU?!"

  "Jules, I—" Jake, tried to say, only to be silenced by next words that came out his mouth

  "How dare you try to kill yourself, you selfish bastard?!" he said before grabbing the taller boy by what remained of the collar of his shirt and bringing him to his height.

  "You selfish gray-haired piece of shit," he spat out, both literally and figuratively. "I don't care what's happened to you or what you've done; you have no right to kill yourself, much less in front of me!" he proclaimed as fury-filled tears welled up in his eyes.

  "You have no right!" he said slowly. "No right!" he repeated. "If you want to die so bad, you should let that fucking royal kill you, but you didn't, so you don't just get to clock out, you coward," he continued as he stared into the taller boy's gray eyes, which stared at him with a look only he could recognize.

  "Do you hear me?" he asked, only to get no response. "DO YOU HEAR ME?" he shouted while shaking him, as every fiber of his being wanted to hit the man.

  But before he could do anything further, a firm hand was placed on his shoulder. Whipping his head around, he saw Jake standing behind him, his expression serious for once.

  "Julius," he said, his tone matching his face. "He's out cold."

  Confusion spreading across his face, he turned back to look at the guy, and his body was limp as his eyes were now half-lidded.

  Letting go of him, he began to fall, only for Jake to catch him before he could face-plant on the floor.

  "Yeah, out like a light," he said as he picked him up and put him back on the bed.

  "What...what was that outburst?" Julius started stuttering as he tried to regain control of his nerves.

  "He was saying something about a spirit and them all being dead or something. I don't know, but what I do know is that had nothing to do with anima drain; it may blind you, take away your hearing, and make you tired to the point you feel like your life could slip away, but it doesn't make you suicidal," he explained.

  "Yeah," Julius said slowly, grateful Jake wasn't bringing up what just happened between him and the mystery guy.

  "Well, we're not going to get any answers from him until morning," he stated.

  "We should keep watch on him to make sure he doesn't try to off himself again," he said before turning the desk chair around and facing it toward the bed before taking a seat.

  "I'll take the first watch; you can take a shower or sleep or whatever," he said while waving him off.

  Eyes widening slightly from surprise, he was at a loss for words; he wasn't used to Jake getting serious about anything—he was always aloof and airheaded, usually—but right now he reminded him a lot of Ryuji.

  "Yeah, right," he replied, finally finding the words to speak as he went to the dresser, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed out of the room, clicking it shut behind him.