"It's getting late, don't you think we should be getting home?" The girl said, resting her head on her crossed arms, which in turn sat on her knees. The boy smiled a distant, detached smile, and gazed out at the horizon, its pink light illuminating the dark sea, and casting a warm glow over the sand.
"No. Not yet." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and smiled faintly, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Haruo?" she spoke, puttig her arm around his waist and looking up at him.
"Yeah?" he said, still gazing out across the water. He looked over at her.
"W̧HY̨͜ ̡̕͠A̷̛Ŕ̸́E ̨̕Y̷̧̢O̕U ́͢S̕U̢C͏́H͟͝ ̢A̵ ͞͡G̡ƠD ͜D̸̵̸A͝M͏̷N҉ ͘҉C͟͢͏OWA̧R͞D?͠"
Haruo jutted awake, gasping for air as he released the pillow he had been clutching in his sleep. He breathed deeply and shut his eyes. This is what he had been told to do, what would calm down his panicking mind whenever he awoke with such fervor. He opened his eyes, still breathing heavily and looked around the room.
4:18
"Two and a half hours of sleep. Must be a new record." He thought, rising from his bed. He opened his dresser door and grabbed a towel, wiping the sweat off of his chest and forehead. He heard the soft moaning of a cute brunette in the corner of the room, and couldn't help but smile.
"Come here boy!" Jorah, his Rhodesian Ridgeback, stood up and trotted over to him. he reached over and stoked the dog's head. "Alright big guy, lets go for a run."
He returned through the front door, being careful not to wake his parents, or even worse, his sister. He poured Jorah a bowl of water, and removed his sweat-stained t-shirt, tossing it in the laundry basket. He had been going for early morning runs regularly for two years now, always the same route, the same pace, the same time, and with same person. That is, until recently. He sat down in front of the television and ate a quick breakfast, then prepared himself from school, grabbing his backpack and taking out his cellphone. He figured it would be a good idea to remind everyone of the meeting they had scheduled this morning before class, in the
7:22 - Hey losers, don't forget about the meeting this morning, up and at em'!
He backed out to his contacts, tapping Arisu's name. Out of all the JSO members, he felt like he was closest with her and Chiharu, and now that Chiharu was gone, Arisu had stepped up to fill his previous position as second-in-command, which served to deepen their relationship even further.
7:23 - Hey, you awake? Lets walk to school, I'll meet you halfway.
And with that, he walked out the door, making his way towards Kinomoto Academy.