[A short fuse was practically the trademark of the Zeppeli family--out of the three of them, only Kakyoin's mother ever seemed to have it well under control. Right now her son was making his best attempt to do the same, pushing back the initial desire to simply punch Diarmuid right in his overdramatic face.]

[It was because he took a few extra seconds to hold himself back that Kakyoin realized they were both right, in a sense. He was being unfair because of everything The World had done to him...and everything it had taken. They were both assuming too much about the other; Kakyoin firmly set in the idea that even one more person killed in stopped time would be too many, and disgusted with the perception that Diarmuid didn't seem to understand that. On the other side, the current owner of that power he hated so much couldn't possibly have grasped Kakyoin's reasoning or the root of his fear and hatred.]

I have a teacher.

[Kakyoin took a single step back; not out of fear or hesitation, but conceding a little more space rather than continue antagonizing him. The teenager's voice was steady and quiet, but still carried a tone of force and authority.]

And I watched him nearly die from a knife that just appeared in midair and stabbed him in the throat. I had a best friend once, and I'll never know how the hell he died because he did it alone, fighting that power for my own sake.

I have been through shit you can't even comprehend because of the power over time and someone who decided to use it the wrong way. I'm probably being cruel or unfair to you--I'll acknowledge that. And I'll also tell you that I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to fight anyone anymore.

But I would rather die than see that power hurt even one more person.