Awareness.

Another morning in the city of Shahr, as usual Kaduri, is late for school, still sleeping like he does not have a care for the world, his room a complete mess , curtains broken, books scattered over the floor, sunrays invading the room through the window beside his bed, fan moving in a slow rythm, just another room of a 15 year old teenager.

As kaduri sleeps carelessly, his mom rushes to his room and bursts the door open." Kaduri! look at the clock! GET UP ALREADY! YOU HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL!!"His mom says standing in the doorway, her voice and face dripping with anger, hands clenching into a fist.upon hearing the words, Kaduri's eyes flutter open as the door bursts open, jolting him awake. He stumbles to his feet, still dizzy, only to slip on a book lying on the floor." that hurts" Kaduri mumbles to himself as he sits on the floor, helpless, adjusting his glasses with his hand.His mom comes towards him and helps him get up "oh, thanks mom" Kaduri says with a warm smile on his lips."Kaduri you really need to grow up now, look how messed up your room is, you need to fix your routine, seriously can you start taking care of yourself. one day...I-" Kaduri immediately interupts his mom"oh cmon now mom, not right now" and starts to go towards the door, his hand going to adjust his glasses as he does."oh god, this boy" Kaduri's mom says to herself with a warm smile after Kaduri leaves the room. the door suddenly opens,"i'll have a pizza for lunch" Kaduri says in a teasing tone standing in the doorway."YEAH, LIKE I EARN MONEY! ASK YOUR FATHER!" Kaduri's mom says as she watches him leave the house, Kaduri waves goodbye with a wide smile before sitting in the school bus.the bus starts to move forward as Kaduri still stands there hoping to find a free seat, the sound of gossips mixing up with bus engine, as usual.a wide smile appears on Kaduri's face as he spots an empty seat beside a girl, he adjusts his glasses with one hand as he goes ahead and stands beside the girl "can i sit there?" Kaduri says with a smile.Kaduri's eyes slightly widened and mouth open upon hearing the words "no!? go away already"."sorry to bother" Kaduri says as he turns his back towards the girl, the voices of giggling hitting his heart like a bullet as he stands there looking at the world outside the bus."hey, Kaduri, you can sit beside me, the seat's empty" a girl says, gesturing him to sit on the window seat beside her.Kaduri smiles warmly and turns toward the girl, he goes ahead and sits beside the girl "thank you, Rin" Kaduri says as he adjusts himself on the seat, "you're welcome Kaduri" Rin says with a smile, Kaduri smiles back.Kaduri sits beside Rin, Kaduri stared out the bus window at the world beyond. It felt lifeless, like a faded picture hung in a frame. "can i ask you something though, Kaduri?" Rin says, her gaze fixed on Kaduri, Kaduri's gaze still fixed on the world outside, words of Rin doesn't seem to reach him. After a moment, Rin taps Kaduri's shoulder, Waking Kaduri back to reality, he turns his gaze towards Rin, "yes? Rin?" Kaduri says, his gaze now towards Rin. " i was wondering if, i can ask you a personal question" Rin says, her head resting against the seat. A faint blush appears on Kaduri's face, "y-yeah, sure i guess" Kaduri says, his eyes locked on the floor beneath. " whenever i see you, you seem distracted towards something, and it seems like something, big and intense... what is it that keeps you distracted, huh? Kaduri?" Rin says, her words touching Kaduri's heart as a hollow ache, he moves his gaze towards Rin. " it's just...i mean..i-i...dont really know..." Kaduri says, his words distant, as if he's surprised by his own answer. "hmm...okay" Rin says, her head still resting against the seat."so you don't know either huh" Rin thought to herself as she rested on the seat."what is it i'm distracted towards? the world? my home?..or... or is it nothing? am i just pretending to be distracted towards something? damn it, i don't know" Kaduri thought to himself, his gaze fixed towards the window beside." it's here, Kaduri" Rin says sitting beside Kaduri, students getting off their seats and leaving the bus.Kaduri carry's the bag on his back and leaves the bus along with Rin.sound of laughter and chatter echoing off the walls, as they both walk through the vast and busy halls of school,"im sorry about that girl's behaviour on the bus though, Kaduri" Rin says, walking beside Kaduri."n-no you don't ha-" Kaduri's words interrupted and eyes completely widen, his hands clenching in a fist, as he suddenly gets dragged aside by another student." here you are, think tank" the student says, his eyes closed and arm wrapped around Kaduri's neck as he smiles. "hey, Ryuzo, don't call me that!" Kaduri says as he tries to set himself free. "oh cmon think tank" Ryuzo says, trying to hold Kaduri in place, Ryuzo opens his eyes, his gaze dragged towards Kaduri after taking in the sight of Rin, his smile unhinged " Perhaps i disturbed sum important, so, sorry for that" Ryuzo says while dragging Kaduri away with him."sorry Rin, see you later" Kaduri calls out as he walks along with Ryuzo, Rin still standing there, smiling nervously. sound of whisper and ticking of clock, an empty look in teacher's eyes, as usual, those familiar faces filling the classroom, behind all this, sits Kaduri. Ryuzo leans back in his chair, glancing at Kaduri with a half-smile. " C'mon, thinktank, everyone wears them. They're just... part of life, you know? ....and this is how it all works, So stop overthinking it." Ryuzo says, still leanning back in his chair. " yeah, you're right, it was a stupid topic to bring" Kaduri says, his eyes locked on the page opened infront of him."okay Kaduri, now you read" the teacher said, catching Kaduri vulnerable, he immediately starts to wander his finger on the page, adjusting his glasses with the other hand, he slowly stands up, just when he's about to stand up, Ryuzo's finger taps beneath a specific phrase written on the page."....so surely it is his majesty's unpayable favor upon us to give us these divinely comfortable glasses" As Kaduri read the words aloud, a chill ran down his spine. His heart raced.the sight of students dutifully scribbing the words into their notebooks and noding at the phrase he just read slowly faded away into something stirring in the back of his mind—a memory he couldn't place, blurred and fragmented, surged forward without warning. a six-year-old child, standing in a dimly lit room. Shadows of unfamiliar figures surrounded him, something felt unusual and haunting, their voices a murmur of indistinguishable sounds. "surely it is his majesty's unpayable favor upon us to give us this free..eee...ee..e..." The last word, corrupted and fragmented, echoed in his mind like a broken record. His small form trembled with confusion and fear, with trembling hands poor six year old went to adjust his glasses, only to realize nothing like that existed. The vision dissolved as quickly as it had come, leaving him in a state of shock, his heart pounding in his chest.Kaduri blinked, his gaze finally tearing from the words, the room felt heavier, whispers grew louder, blending with the lazy ticking of clock, now felt like an unexplainable ache to hear."wh-what was that!" Kaduri thought, his breath uneven. He gripped the edge of the desk with trembling hands, trying to steady himself. a memory—if it was a memory—felt distant and unreal.A sudden scrape of the chair against the floor jolted Kaduri from his trance. "you can sit now, bell's about to ring" Ryuzo said, his words pulling Kaduri back to reality completely. "or are you gonna be thinking about the end of world a little more?" Kaduri glanced up at Ryuzo, his hands still trembling, drops of sweat racing on his face.The buzz of movement around the classroom signaled the end of the lesson—students packing their bags, chairs squeaking against the floor. With a sigh, Kaduri closed the book and slipped it into his bag.the bell rang.Even as the lesson ended and the classroom emptied, the memory lingered. Kaduri couldn't shake the feeling that the shadowy figures weren't just part of a dream—they were part of something he had forgotten, something he wasn't supposed to remember.smell of dust, sound of nearby traffic and sunlight blending together in a usual and familiar enviornment, as always both Kaduri and Ryuzo walk through the empty streets, sound of their laughter and chatter heard by noone but them,"seriously though, Kaduri, what is it you keep thinking all the time, like your life depends on it....it's not your girl friend is it?" Ryuzo says with a wide smile while walking beside Kaduri, Kaduri lets out a faint laugh. " Nah, you know it's nothing like that""you know what, Ryuzo, i don't really know myself" Kaduri said adjusting his glasses as they continued to walk alongside eachother.Ryuzo looks at Kaduri, his expression serious and unhinged. after a while of silence, Ryuzo bursts out laughing, his hand playfully hitting Kaduri's shoulder as he laughs. " oh cmon Kaduri, i thought it would be an intresting question to ask someone like you" Ryuzo says, his voice loud and joking, his arms wrapped around still stood Kaduri's shoulders, Kaduri also lets out a faint laugh, but it felt hollow, as if the weight of Ryuzo's words holding him down."you know, Kaduri, you ask too many questions, even if you don't ask them, i hear them. See you tomorrow" Ryuzo says before going towards the house in a distance, his hands waving goodbye at Kaduri, and a wide smile playing on his lips.Kaduri waved back, but his steps felt heavy. Ryuzo's words clung to him, echoing in his mind like a riddle he didn't know how to solve. The wind whipped through the empty street, and for a moment, Kaduri felt as though the world itself was waiting for an answer he didn't have.