He shuffled past his parents in the living room without a word when he arrived at home, heading straight for his room and flopping down on his bed after closing the door shut with a loud bang. He buried his face in his pillow and it didn't take long until the first tears started to stream down his face, anger and regret about just leaving the other boy like that piling up.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair...

Eventually his sobbing was muffled by a cautious knock on the door.

"Kou, baby... May I come in?"

Taking her son's silence as a yes, his mother entered the room and sat down next to Koutarou on the bed.

"Want tell me what happened, darling?" A hand started to stroke through his messy hair and immediately managed to calm him down a bit. "Is everything alright with Akaashi-kun ...?"

At this, Koutarou's head snapped up and he looked at his mother desperately.

"No it isn't! It isn't at all!"

He shook his head and bit his lip, even more tears pilling up in his eyes.

"He's sick to death, mom! He's sick to death and yet all he cares about is how other kids deserved a heart more than him..."

A loud sob left his lips at that and when his mother chose to stay silent, he finally continued "As if he believes his own life isn't worthy enough. It's... it's like he doesn't even want to live anymore. Like he already accepted his death and only waited for it to come...."

His mother only reached out and brushed away a few tears from his cheek with the back of her hand.

"Maybe because that's just how it is..." she spoke in a calm voice. "Isn't it better he accepted it than not?"

"But I didn't accept it!" he called out desperately and clasped at his mother's hand.

At that, she reached out and hugged her son to her chest, wrapping her arms around the boy tightly.

"I don't want him to die, mom...."

"I know, baby. I know... nobody wants that."

"It's just so unfair..."

"Yes, it is."