[b][i]Samuru Amakusa[/i][/b]

Samuru let himself be ignored; he knew who the person coming towards him was, and the young man wanted to deal with the conflicting emotions that the presence of a richer kid, with much higher grades than he had scored, had sparked. 

[i]Envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, you know,[/i] a stray thought that brought guilt, especially as Samuru glanced at Katsuro Takuma's face, a face recognizable from that televised trial a few years ago. A soft exhalation, as the young man tried to calm himself. It was unfair to feel resentment at how the other boy was better than him; fate had more than balanced out the scales. So, the young man would shift an inch or so away, before turning towards the slightly younger student, saying:

"Katsuro Takuma, I presume? Happy to meet you even if you're not him, then. I never knew you liked Science Fiction." Samuru would remember that he had brought a book that was not part of that genre, all because this spot was closer to one of the windows. Takuma would see that Samuru was wearing the school uniform of Warakuma High, which fit him well. Looking out the aforementioned window, the young man would continue:

"I know who you are, and what happened, but I don't pity you; you don't want that. But," he continued, "I want to know something."

"How do you deal with pain and fear so early in life? How could you testify so clearly and cogently, against your abusive parents, and overcome the hold their authority has over you?" [i]Authority. That is why I am so afraid of punishment from God. No matter what academic arguments I can make, no matter how much I can argue that Love is and should stay the core of Faith, the fact remains, Authority says I am a living sin, and Authority must be obeyed.[/i]

"Can happiness, or at least peace, be bought only by burning bridges and casting aside one's links to others? If so, what's left?"

[@Sho Minazuki][@Takaru][@Floodtalon][@Vulkan]