Please, please, please hold Leaf tightly.
Not casually.
Not lightlylike someone trying to hold together something already cracking from the inside.
Leaf didn't move at first.
Then slowly—
His voice came out.
Low.
Uneven.
But heavy enough to stop everything around them.
"You're the first person… after my parents…"
A pause.
"…who actually cared about me."
White's grip tightened.
Leaf continued, quieter now.
"You saw what others ignored."
"My feelings."
"My loneliness."
"…and you didn't turn away."
Silence.
The forest felt still.
Even the wind seemed to slow down.
Leaf pulled back slightly, just enough to look into White's eyes.
"If you really care about me…"
His voice steadied.
"…then tell me the truth."
White's gaze shifted.
Just for a second.
But that second was enough.
"What happened to you?"
No answer.
White stepped back.
One step.
Then another.
As if distance could protect something.
"White."
Leaf's voice followed him.
"I know you're lying."
"…Leaf."
"You can't lie to me."
His tone didn't rise.
It dropped.
Colder.
"I've spent my whole life surrounded by lies."
A faint, bitter smile appeared.
"Smiles in front…"
"…and knives behind."
White's hand slowly clenched.
"It's better if you don't know."
"Why?"
This time—
Leaf stepped forward.
"I don't care if it hurts me."
Another step. I don't care if it breaks me."
Closer.
"I just want the truth."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
Their eyes met—
And something invisible snapped.
White felt it first.
A pressure.
A presence.
Something dark—
Not violent.
Not chaotic.
But deep.
Endless.
Like an ocean that had never seen light.
A dark aura slowly began to rise around Leaf.
Not bursting.
Not exploding.
Just…
Leaking.
Like something he had been holding in for years was finally escaping.
Leaf's eyes—
Cold.
So cold that even his tears refused to fall.
They stayed there.
Trapped.
As if even they were afraid to move.
At the same time—
Leaf saw something too.
White.
Surrounded by a soft, pure white aura.
Calm.
Gentle.
But—
Something was wrong.
From the edges—
Blackness crept in.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Like a secret eating him from the inside.
Leaf's eyes narrowed.
You're hiding something…
White's gaze trembled slightly.
Don't look deeper…
Both of them opened their mouths—
And spoke at the same moment.
"Why?!"
The word collided between them.
Sharp.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
Leaf's control broke first.
"So I was wrong?"
His voice rose—
Not loud—
But intense.
"I thought we were friends!"
A step forward.
"But maybe you were just pretending!"
Another step.
"To learn about me… about my country!"
White's eyes hardened.
Something inside him snapped too.
"Stop it, Leaf."
"No!"
Leaf's voice cut through the air.
"You stop lying!"
And then—
Movement.
No warning.
No build-up.
A punch.
White blocked it—
Barely.
Another punch.
This one landed.
White stepped back.
Then I responded.
A strike to the side.
Leaf staggered.
They moved again.
Faster.
Messier.
There was no technique.
No strategy.
No calculation.
Only emotion.
Raw.
Uncontrolled.
They weren't fighting to win.
They weren't fighting to prove anything.
They were fighting—
To protect something.
To hide something.
To stop the other from getting too close to the truth.
White's fists moved—
But inside—
His thoughts broke apart.
If I tell him…
His chest tightened.
He'll collapse.
Because he knows.
He knows what Leaf has been through.
While I had people…
He was silent.
While I slept peacefully…
He stayed awake.
Night after night.
Thinking.
Endlessly.
"Why do they hate me?"
"Why am I always alone?"
"Why can't I have even one friend…?"
Questions without answers.
Pain without release.
Tears without permission.
A scream—
Locked inside his chest.
So instead—
He smiled.
And slowly—
Destroyed himself from within.
White's punch slowed.
For just a second.
Leaf saw it.
And struck.
Not out of anger—
But out of confusion.
Why are you holding back?
Their movements grew weaker.
Heavier.
Each hit carried less strength—
But more weight.
Breathing turned uneven.
Steps became unstable.
Their fists trembled.
Still—
Neither stopped.
Because stopping meant facing the truth.
And neither of them was ready for that.
Then—
A final exchange.
A punch from Leaf.
A counter from White.
Both landed.
Both staggered.
And then—
They fell.
Backwards.
Onto the cold ground.
Silence.
Only the sound of their breathing remained.
Slowly fading.
Their vision blurred.
The sky above them—
Distant.
Unreachable.
Darkness began to close in.
And then—
Rain.
A single drop.
Then another.
Then many.
It fell softly at first.
Touching their faces.
Mixing with sweat.
With dust.
With the emotions a ththeyused to show.
Cold.
But not enough to calm them.
If anything—
It made everything sharper.
Colder.
More real.
Leaf's fingers twitched slightly.
White's chest rose slowly.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
But something had changed.
Not broken.
Not fixed.
Just—
Shifted.
Like a crack forming in something that could no longer stay whole.
Rain fell steadily.
Cold drops struck the ground, the leaves, their faces—
Washing nothing away.
Leaf and Whia te lay on the wet earth, barely conscious.
Their breathing was uneven.
Heavy.
Fragile.
For a moment—
Neither of them moved.
Then—
White's fingers twitched.
His eyes opened slightly, blurred by rain and exhaustion.
"…Leaf…"
His voice was weak.
Almost lost in the sound of rainfall.
Leaf didn't respond.
But somewhere inside—
He was listening.
White forced himself to speak.
"…Tomorrow…"
A pause.
"…I have to go back… to my country…"
The words fell apart between breaths.
"I… wanted to tell you…"
His vision dimmed.
"…properly…"
Footsteps.
Sharp.
Interrupting.
Multiple.
Approaching.
Through the rain—
Figures emerged.
Neon Jr.
And six… maybe seven others.
Their presence didn't match the quiet of the forest.
It broke.
Two of them moved forward immediately—
Grabbing White by his arms and forcing him up.
White gasped in pain.
"Look at this," Neon Jr said, stepping closer with a crooked smile.
"The 'perfect boy' doesn't look so perfect now."
Leaf's eyes opened slightly.
Blurry.
Unstable.
But be aware.
He saw—
White.
Being held.
Something inside him reacted instantly.
His body moved before his strength returned.
He pushed himself up.
Staggered.
I tried to stand.
"W…White…"
Neon Jr noticed.
His eyes shifted.
"Oh?"
A smirk appeared.
"You're still conscious?"
Leaf took a step forward—
And that was enough.
A sudden kick struck his stomach.
Air left his lungs instantly.
Before he could recover—
Another hit.
Then another.
His body lost balance—
And he collapsed to the side.
The rain hit harder.
Or maybe it just felt that way.
Neon Jr turned back.
Uninterested now.
His focus returned to White.
He stepped closer.
And without warning—
Drove his fist into White's stomach.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Again.
Each hit forced a broken sound out of White.
A cry he couldn't hold back anymore.
Neon Jr laughed.
Cold.
Enjoying it.
"You know, White…"
Another punch.
"I always wanted to beat you like this."
A grin spread across his face.
"I hated your pride."
A strike.
"Your calm face."
Another.
"Your silence."
He leaned closer.
"…It felt like you were always above everyone."
His companions laughed behind him.
Loud.
Careless.
Neon Jr straightened slightly.
"Drop him."
The boys holding White released him.
He fell to his knees—
Barely able to hold himself up.
Neon Jr crouched in front of him.
Smiling.
Mocking.
"Go ahead."
A small laugh.
"Complaint to your father."
White's breathing shook.
"…What…?"
Neon Jr's smile widened.
"Or better—"
He tilted his head.
"Let him complain to Chief Minzhu D. Delta."
A pause.
Then—
"Oh wait."
t chuckle.
"He's dead."
Silence.
The rain felt heavier.
White's eyes widened slightly.
"…What did you say…?"
Neon Jr stood up slowly.
Satisfied.
"Yeah."
"Dead."
"And now—"
His voice carried pride.
"My father… Neon the First…"
A slight grin.
"…is the new Chief of C-Delta."
The words landed like weight.
"So whatever I do…"
He spread his arms slightly.
"…isn't illegal anymore."
White's breathing became unstable.
Leaf, lying on the side, forced his voice out—
"…No…"
Barely audible.
But real.
Neon Jr looked back at White.
Almost amused.
"I also heard something interesting."
He leaned closer again.
"Your parents…"
A pause.
"…might be next."
He smiled.
"Maybe in thirty minutes."
Then—
He stepped back.
And shouted—
"Run."
The word cut through the rain.
Sharp.
Commanding.
White didn't move at first.
His body trembled.
His mind refused to accept it.
"RUN!!"
This time—
Louder.
Cruel.
Leaf's voice cracked from the ground no…"
White slowly stood.
Every movement is filled with pain.
His legs shook.
But he didn't fall.
Not this time.
He looked once—
At Leaf.
Just once.
Then—
He ran.
Not fast.
Not strong.
But desperate.
Through the rain.
Through the pain.
Toward something he might already be too late to reach.
Leaf watched.
Helpless.
As his first friend—
Ran away from him.
For the last time.
Neon Jr and his group laughed again.
Then turned.
And left.
Like nothing had happened.
Only rain remained.
And silence.
Leaf didn't move.
Minutes passed.
Or hours.
He didn't know.
He stayed there—
Under the tree.
Soaked.
Broken.
Alone again.
The rain kept falling.
As if the sky itself refused to stop.
After the Rain
By the time Leaf reached home—
His steps were unsteady.
His clothes were still wet.
His eyes… empty.
The door opened before he could knock.
His mother stood there.
For a second—
She just looked at him.
Then—
She pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Leaf…"
Her voice broke.
She held him as if he might disappear.
Tears fell freely from her eyes.
"was sorry…"
Leaf didn't respond.
He didn't hug her back.
But he didn't push her away either.
He just stood there—
Silent.
✦ The Next Day
Morning came.
But it didn't feel like a new beginning.
It felt like something unfinished.
Leaf stood quietly, getting ready.
Today was his birthday.
But there was no excitement.
No anticipation.
Just… routine.
The door opened.
His father stepped in.
A smile on his face.
Gifts in his hands.
"Happy birthday, son."
Leaf looked at him.
"…Thank you, Dad."
No smile.
His father paused.
That small detail—
It didn't escape him.
Later—
He turned to Leaf's mother.
"What happened to him?"
A quiet voice.
"The boy who always smiles…"
She hesitated.
ThenThen Id him everything.
About yesterday.
About the rain.
About White.
About how something inside Leaf had changed.
His father listened.
Without interrupting.
Without reacting.
When she finished—
He walked toward Leaf.
Slowly.
Calmly.
"Hi, son."
Leaf looked up slightly.
"…Yes, Dad?"
His father sat beside him.
"I heard what happened."
A pause.
Leaf's fingers tightened slightly.
"…Is it my fault?"
The question came out quietly.
But it carried weight.
His father shook his head.
"No."
Then he spoke—
Not as a soldier.
But as a man.
"I've spent my life fighting for this country."
"In wars… I met many people."
"Friends."
A faint smile.
"…Good ones."
His gaze drifted slightly.
"And I lost them."
Silence.
"One by one."
Leaf didn't speak.
But he listened.
"I used to think like you."
"That it was my fault."
"That if I had done something differently… maybe they would still be alive."
A pause.
Then—
"One day…"
"A new soldier came to me."
"He saw me like this."
"…Broken."
Leaf's eyes lifted slightly.
"He told me something I didn't expect."
His father's voice steadied.
"He said—"
'Maybe it is your fault.'
Leaf's eyes widened slightly.
"But then he said—"
"If you feel guilty… that means your heart is still alive."
"That means you care."
"That means you're honest."
A pause.
"And people like that…"
"…are not weak."
"They're human."
His father placed a hand gently on Leaf's head.
"So even if it was your fault…"
"…or not…"
"If you feel this pain…"
"…then you're becoming stronger."
Another pause.
His tone softened.
"And one more thing."
"I like your smile."
A faint smile appeared on his own face.
"…Not this face."
Silence.
Then—
For the first time—
Leaf smiled.
Small.
Weak.
But real.
✦ Later
The door opened again.
Moon stepped inside.
"…Am I late?"
Leaf looked at her.
For a moment—
Everything from yesterday passed between them.
Unspoken.
Then—
"No."
A small smile.
"You're just in time."
The day continued.
Cake.
Voices.
Small laughter.
From the outside—
It looked like a normal birthday.
Leaf smiled.
Talked.
Acted like everything was fine.
But inside—
Something remained heavy.
Sadness.
Guilt.
A quiet emptiness.
Because even in celebration—
He knew—
Someone was missing.
✦ Present Time
The fire crackled softly.
Night wrapped around the forest.
Leaf and Python sat beside the flames.
Silence lingered for a moment—
Before Leaf spoke.
"That's my story."
A small pause.
"…And that boy…"
"…was White."
"…My first friend."
Python stared at the fire.
Thinking.
Processing.
Then—
He spoke.
"…That girl…"
He smirked slightly.
"Moon… she's beautiful."
Leaf turned slowly.
His exprexpression wast.
"That's Moon."
A pause.
"How old are you, Python?"
"Twenty-one."
Leaf stared at him for a second longer.
Then—
"Stay away from her."
Python blinked.
"What?"
"She's sixteen."
A pause.
"…You're like an older brother."
Inside Leaf's mind—
Darkness spoke.
"…Interesting."
"What kind of team have I joined?"
"A boy with trauma…"
"And a suspicious adult."
Leaf's eye twitched slightly.
"Darkness."
"…Shut up."
Python looked confused.
"Who are you talking to?"
"Nothing."
A pause.
"Forget it."
Python leaned back slightly.
"…Alright."
"…So what's the plan now?"
Leaf looked at the fire.
The flames reflected in his eyes.
"Darkness has one."
A small pause.
"But for now…"
He leaned back.
"…we rest."
Python nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
"I'm tired too."
The fire burned quietly.
The night deepened.
And for the first time in a while—
They allowed themselves to sleep.