It's the damn forest again.

Kumo grumbled curses as he floated into the infamous Taka's nightmare. He spotted a younger version of the adult sprinting past trees, glancing back with wide eyes. Kumo followed his gaze only to spot a group of Yuus chasing after him. The baku sprouted wings, then dove close enough to be in earshot.

"Hey, Taka! How'd it feel when you stepped all over my body?" one yelled in between giggles.

"Did you like it? Was it fun? Tell me, Taka," another begged, skipping all the while.

Yet Taka continued to stay silent. He couldn't afford to let them catch him. Just the idea of what they'd do sent a bolt of adrenaline through his veins, pushing him to move faster. Faster, faster, faster! he thought while twisting past trees and hopping over bushes.

"Did it hurt when you broke my bones?" Yuu chimed in, an arm's reach away from squeezing Taka's throat.

"Made me bleed?" the other one muttered, blood dripping from his eyes as a startling smile creeped on his face. He slid his hand down the middle of the boy's back before pulling him into their clutches.

"Saw me cry?" the last Yuu said while gripping onto Taka's arm. He then brushed his lips against Taka's ear to whisper, "No, no, that's not right! You loved it, didn't you? Watching me squirm beneath your foot like an insect. How naughty―"

"Stop, Yuu!" a voice warned from above. All three of them looked up to see Kumo floating downwards, black wings fluttering. "Didn't I tell you to leave the dreams to me?"

"Aw, but he can't help it. Everytime I come here he gets all hot and bothered. Right, Taka-kun?" after squishing the boy's cheeks with his hand, one Yuu cooed.

"Get away from me, you idiot!" Taka attempted to push them off, but to no avail. They continued to hold him down.

While his counterparts kept prodding and poking Taka's body like a trio of starved snakes, Kumo's fists tightened. His gut twisted at the scene, flabbergasted how different they were despite being the same. "I'm serious, Yuu! Stop this right now or... or I won't fuse with you."

Everyone except Taka shifted their gazes to Kumo. He could already see their eyes brimming with tears. Cheeks flushed rosemary pink, one sputtered, "Wh-What?"

When Kumo landed on the moist soil, he scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Listen, I'm getting tired of your shit. You can't keep bothering these people because of what they did in the past."

The middle Yuu stood, biting his lip. He didn't dare look Kumo in the eye, so he opted to gaze at his toes instead. "...You only say that because you don't know what they did. What's wrong with picking on them a bit in return?" As he spoke, the ghost's voice rose until it made the gossiping trees shudder in silence.

Once a few heavy breaths escaped him, Yuu crossed his arms while baring a smirk. "Karma's a bitch, and so am I."

That was it. The last straw, so to speak, for the little baku. He clenched his teeth tight, then said, "Get out, now."

"What? No, I―"

Kumo saw the step he took back, eyebrows creased in confusion, and sighed once more. "Maybe if you were stronger, you wouldn't have needed to kill yourself."

Shit.

He covered his mouth, as if that would take back the words he said in spite. However, it was too late. Yuu allowed one tear to slip off his chin before disappearing.

When the ghost left, Kumo settled on the ground, folding his legs. He glanced at Taka, who watched their argument in a mix of confusion and terror. "Sorry 'bout that. You okay?"

Taka crawled back when Kumo reached out to him. Dirt clenched between his fingers, he spoke in hurried gasps, "I'm sorry, Yuu! I know I should've stopped, but―"

Kumo held his hands up in a defensive position as sweat beaded his porcelain skin. "Whoa, whoa, hold your balls, buddy. I'm not Yuu. At least, not yet."

"I... I don't get it. What do you mean?" Now it was Taka's turn to tilt his head. First the demons from his past come back to haunt him, then some vulgar angel takes their place. "Great. You want to question me too?"

Kumo rose an eyebrow, resting his chin in his palm. "Hm, something like that. Unlike him, I don't rush things. But if I took the time to explain everything, you'd wake up before I could get to the juicy parts."

"That doesn't explain anything. What are you talking about?"

Look who's asking questons now. "Well, I wanted to know about Yuu, and how he relates to you. All of you."

"I-I don't know what―"

"Cut the shit. He already told me that he committed suicide because of you and his... parents." He cursed inwardly when Taka flinched at the last part. Ah, I've said too much. "Anyways, I want to get the whole picture, and I can't rely on him to tell me what the hell you were thinking when you tortured him."

Taka didn't respond; his eyes were focused on the hourglass held in Kumo's arm.

"So, are you gonna spill? I don't have all night." The baku tapped his foot on the ground, growing impatient with every second wasted.

Taka flinched, looking away. "Basically we... treated him horrible. Sachiko was the one who started it, but I wanted her to like me so I... I cast the first stone, so to speak."

"Oh?" Trees exchanged whispers of shock and disappointment aimed at the boy as Kumo's face darkened. "Shut up!" he ordered to keep them at bay.

Once they grew silent, Taka continued while his body grew with haste. With every word, his voice fell a note deeper. "She liked watching him in pain because she knew he wouldn't fight back, so I joined in out of... I know I fucked up, so why haven't you killed me yet?"

By then Taka was back to his full size. His clothes grew with him as the scenery changed. No more were they in the forest, but inside of a desolate classroom. He stared at Kumo expectantly, only to receive a head shake and a wisk of his hand. "I don't want to. Go on," Kumo said, as if the boy―now man―hadn't just admitted to encouraging Sachiko's reign of terror.

Fists trembling, Taka spoke unaware of his surroundings. "We bullied him all throughout the school year, and eventually others joined in."

Nanase and Souta, huh. As Kumo thought this, four silhouettes appeared behind them. They gathered around a worn-down desk, one girl carving curses into its wooden surface. Nanase hovered over her as she wrote, giggling all the while.

That day, the sunset colored their faces crimson as its rays penetrated through the curtains. When Sachiko gestured for Taka to come over, the classroom faded. In its place was a steep staircase, and Yuu rolled down it.

The adult Taka glanced back, then shut his eyes tight. "W-When a teacher caught us, most of us stopped. Hell, we even apologized."

On cue, a gym teacher sprinted to Yuu's aid after spotting him bruised and bloodied. He picked him up, then yelled at the frozen culprits.

Kumo smiled at the short scene of them bowing to Yuu in a hospital room. "Were you sincere?"

"...No. Neither were Sachiko or Nanase. We abused him whenever we could even after Souta quit. You never told on us, so I thought you didn't care. But..."

The 'movie' switched to Yuu's small face, paler than before. He glanced downwards like a terrified rabbit. The fight had been beaten out of him, after all. "I noticed that he barely ate during lunch and always had baggy eyes."

Taka stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. Young Yuu's face disappeared. Taka's dream was pitch black for a moment before returning to the rotten house Kumo had recently visited. "Then, he stopped coming to school altogether. I eventually volunteered to give him printouts as an excuse to visit his house."

"I felt guilty, so I convinced the others to come with me to apologize. But when we got there, his parents didn't know where he was. They... didn't care, either."

Kumo licked his lips as the scene unfolded. The old, fat pig from Yuu's illusion opened the door, along with his manicure-loving wife. Their faces swirled in disgust at the mention of their son, promptly slamming the door in the teens' faces. Despite their voices being muted, Kumo could tell they were scum.

In a way, so was he.

Yet Taka kept talking. He chose to ignore the silent film playing behind him; they were bitter memories. Rain poured on them that evening, and Taka remembered hoping it would wash away their sins. "Sachiko thought it was strange, so she had us search for you. I guess she felt pretty bad, too."

Kumo felt his breath hitch. His mind drifted to Yuu, who was trapped in his past. Their past.

They were back in the forest now, in front of the tree where Kumo met Yuu. He gulped before asking, "Did you find me?"

Taka gave a nod. Lips pursed and back hunched, he pointed his thumb to the tree. "Yeah. This is... where we found your corpse."