《Ethereal Reality》 Chapter 1: All Bad Things Must Come to a Beginning The atmosphere. It was calm and gentle. No disturbances. Just¡­ pure tranquility. The light breeze brushes up against my cheek, becoming chilly. It wasn¡¯t too rough to irritate, nor was it too soft to tickle. Vivid, green leaves rustle above me and short, fresh grass sway with the rhythm of the breeze. Those leaves felt smooth yet firm like leather, but thin and delicate like paper. Touching them gave me memories of when I was younger, climbing tall trees and resting against the branches, just to admire beautiful sunsets like the one in the distance. Leaves and grass typically move very arbitrary, but at this moment, it felt as if they were following a distinct pattern. Or rather, a schedule. As odd as that may sound, the surroundings, on the other hand, maintain its own schedule that rarely breaks cycle. Shades of many hues filled and blended together in the sky like a watercolor painting. The warm colors made me feel serene inside. Like an innocent child with no issues to worry about. With that sensation, I could feel the world shape around me. Plump, brown grey sparrows chirp their songs overhead and the small, quaint stream in front of me flows seamlessly, giving off a bright light as the sunlight reflects towards me. One sparrow flies overhead toward a small stick nest on a protruding branch. The shapeless water against the dense and compact rocks creates a mellow trickling sound that massages my ears, and the fish that splash contrasts the distinct pattern mentioned earlier. Closing my eyes, I feel the wondrous warmth from the rays that shine through the leaves. The weather was perfect. Simply put. My sore back rests against the rough surface of oak tree bark, but it feels comfortable nonetheless. The unevenness and coarseness of the bark rubs against my back, acting as a massage chair that pinpoints all my pressure spots. I don¡¯t know how I manage to feel this sore, but complaining about it yields no positive. I stretch my arms behind my head and let out a deep sigh. A sigh that contains all my worries and regrets, released into the air, never to be heard from again. Like the air that fills my lungs, the calming atmosphere fills my mind with thoughts of peace. My tired legs rest on top of each other. Relaxation is something that I take very seriously, and I plan to not let it go to waste whenever I have the time. This is the life. The life I deserve. The life that I have such an enormous passion for. Rustle, rustle... All of a sudden, my attention diverts to a small tug by my right side. A young rabbit somehow nestled itself into my jacket pocket. It rubs its silky, white fur against the cotton fabric like a cat yearning for attention from its owner. I stare at it for a good ten seconds, and finally I realize the situation. The rabbit quickly looks up at me and tilts its head, questioning my words. Its dark, glossy eyes shimmer with doubt. I pet and scratch it between the ears, and the animal begins to twitch its nose. Smiling, I hesitate and decide to let it stay. It stays still. The cute animal suddenly turns its head around and wiggles its ears, as if it has heard something in the distance. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I really that boring?¡± I ask. Even though I just met this rabbit, I feel a little lonely again. The rabbit suddenly leaps out my pocket and quickly dashes behind the oak tree. The sudden movement piques my interest. This rabbit¡¯s weird. I turn around to peek behind the tree to see what is going on. ¡°What in the world¡­¡± I question softly. ¡°It just...disappeared.¡± My eyes squint as the sun shines through the foliage. Then, my eyes suddenly widen, and my mouth lets out a small gasp. ¡°No way.¡± Two blood red eyes emerge from the thick, green cover of the forest. They intently stare deep into my soul, fueling my body with fear. I hear a consistent, aberrant growl, menacing and threatening. Pant, pant...grrr... I push my hands off the moist ground and jolt up, cautiously backing away from the tree. Layers of fallen leaves crunch and crackle underneath the soles of my sneakers as I take one step back at a time. It begins to crawl towards me. A large four-legged creature that looks like it came from the depths of the underworld. Its entire body structure emanates death and smells rotten and unearthly. I move my head down and look at its feet. The grass that it¡¯s standing on died instantaneously. Particles of dark purple and black swirl around the creature, slowly sucking away the wildlife that surrounds it. Anything it touches dies or rots. I can only assume the same goes for humans. ¡°Damn this creature, ruining everything¡­¡± I gasp. My eyes couldn¡¯t believe it. It should have been the first thing I noticed. The rabbit that nestled in my jacket pocket earlier is now crushed between the sharp, white fangs of this creature. Blood dripped down from the mouth. Its neck brutally mutilated by the canine teeth. The white fur tainted red with blood is no longer smooth. Wet, sticky fur is the only thing left. Wait. Canine teeth. This...animal has canine teeth. That¡¯s the only word I could think of. Animal. I quickly look back up. ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the d-day¡­ You ha-have to be kidding me¡­It-It¡¯s changed again?!¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. My breath starts to speed up, becoming shakier and shakier with every second that passes. It feels like minutes have gone by. But the beast would have moved by then. I can feel my whole body tense up as the fear grows inside my mind. My frail arms and weak legs began to shake intensely, and my palms are clammy and sweaty. Thump thump...thump thump... A pause. The stream and the trees are the only things creating sound. Time seems to have slowed down. In an instant, the beast lunges itself at me at an unnatural speed and roars violently. I manage to react quickly and dodge out of the way by twisting my body to the left. I stumble and fall down to the ground, but quickly get up. I could utter no words. Another pause. The beast turns its head and stares me down. Its fangs and claws look as sharp as broken glass and as vicious as demons. Demons that want to lure innocent children to their deaths. That type of demon. It prepares itself for another pounce. I can see the eternal darkness dissipate off its body like translucent mist. ¡°The hell is this thing?!¡± I scream out, hoping the beast is intelligent enough to understand my words. The leaves that overhang above turn dark purple and rotted, drifting down towards the ground in a shriveled state. ¡°Damn it. Damn it! Damn it!!¡± Another lunge. As if it was waiting for my command to continue. I dodge to the right, but it was not as elegant as the first. My face clenches, and tears start to well up in my eyes. ¡°Shit!¡± I look down and see my right leg mauled by its long claws. I see the blood rushing down onto the ground, tainting the grass with a rich, pure crimson red. Screaming in utter pain, I tightly grasp my injured leg and stumble down to my left knee. Red and purple blood start spilling out like a dam. ¡°ARGH!! My leg!!¡± So much pain. So much pain. My unsteady heartbeat matched the flashes of that pain like clockwork. It happens at such a recurring rate that I grasp my leg even tighter. My body aches and my I start to breathe unevenly. I¡¯m getting dizzier and dizzier. What do I do? Ripping a piece of fabric off my shirt, I quickly wrap my injury in hopes of stopping the bleeding. ¡°Not the best, but it¡¯ll have to do¡­¡± It¡¯s odd. I had the chance to help myself. By now, the beast would have taken the opportunity to finish me off. ¡°I¡¯m seeing...double...now¡­¡± I look to my left. I don¡¯t see the beast. Then I quickly look to my right. Nothing. My legs won¡¯t stop dripping blood like a waterfall, and the shirt is damp with crimson red liquid. Sweat runs down my forehead. I use one of my hands to wipe it away, but I end up with a smear of blood stains across my face. ¡°Where did it go?!¡± I question myself with worry in my tone. My wobbly legs and my anxious mind. I attempt to stand up. Pain flashes through my nerves. Some intuition tells me it¡¯s nearby. Not because of the scenario I¡¯m in, but because of the point of attacking me. After all, why else would this beast give up after I perform one dodge and fail another one? I¡¯m wounded. It should finish the job. It should kill me. But I¡¯m not going down without a fight. I hope I can at least put one up. Alright. Calm down. In and out...in and out. My mind blanks out. The only thing I could think about was survival. All worries except one left my mind. I¡¯m going to die. I¡¯m definitely going to die... My ears pick up a minor rustling sound. I gulped reflexively. Slowly but surely, I beam up towards the leaves resting above me. Big mistake. Very large mistake. My intuition was right. The large entity leaps down from the thick branches above. I fall to my back and wince in pain once again. The potent odor of the beast pierces my nostrils. Its devilish eyes glare at me. I don¡¯t have enough time to react, and the beast chomps down on my left shoulder blade, crushing the bone and cartilage. My teeth clench and I scream internally. The agony was unbearable. I wanted to run, but I couldn¡¯t escape. My upper body was pinned down by its large figure. I had no chance to flee, but maybe I could fight it. I use my other functioning arm and try to punch it. I deal a flurry of quick punches. The more I punched, the weaker I felt. Knuckles red from blood and constant force, I hurt my fist, but for the looming creature above me, it didn¡¯t react at all. Not even a flinch. It stops for a few seconds and roars again. As a final resort, I muster my strength into my left leg and kick the beast off. Surprised, the beast widened its hellish eyes and fell into the stream. The once-clean water slowly dissipated into a disgusting purple mess. Fish float to the surface, emanating death for their lifeless, scaly corpses. Sizzle¡­ A pungent odor filled the air once again, but this time it was much stronger. The beast began to slowly melt. The four legs started to reveal meat and bone, and the agonizing roars of the dying creature echoed the forest. Sparrows flew away. Trees began to shed leaves more quickly than before. The serenity of the landscape was gone. In an instant. My eyes couldn¡¯t believe the mess that I¡¯ve made. Looking in all directions of the carnage that this beast had created, I stood up, this time, grasping my shoulder in pain. I could feel the limb loosen from its socket, yet it feels tense and tight. Red and purple blood dripped onto my shoes, then onto the grass, now completely soaked and tainted with the destructive liquid. Looking back up, the beast literally stood dead in its tracks, pupils dilated and jaw gaped open. The pain was too much to handle. Someone had to have heard that roar. But before I could even think another thought, I found myself pinned on the ground again. I could never see it coming. It was mocking me. Another one. Another beast pinned me down, this time my entire body. But this one was different. It had a humanoid face. Disturbing and nightmare-inducing face. A combination of grotesque facial parts mixed in with animalistic parts to create a sight engraved in the back of my mind for as long as I could breathe. Which wouldn¡¯t be that much longer, in fact. I couldn¡¯t believe it. For real?!?! Another one?! It started laughing. Maniacally. Mocking my desperate attempt to survive. It mauls my chest open. The breath was forced out of me like deflating a ball. My ability to hear left my ears. Volume off. I couldn¡¯t breathe. How could I breathe? My face twitches and twists in utter pain and agony. The sensation suddenly ceased. I look up one last time and shut my eyes. That was the last thing I remember. It was painful. That¡¯s an understatement. It was agonizing. No words could describe the amount of terror I had. The immense shaking of my body couldn¡¯t even come close to represent the amount of terror in me. I want to scream¡­ I want to as loud as I can... But the beast had already ripped my lungs into pieces. Should I have cried for help? Or was there no point? Was no one around to help me? I¡¯ll never know. All of this. It happened so quickly. So fast. I really am weak. I really can¡¯t fight if my life depended on it. What better way to confirm that then with what just happened? To be honest, if this is what death feels like, then people were right. It really is something to worry about. But not now. And hopefully not soon. My story doesn¡¯t just end here. In fact, we haven¡¯t really started yet. Because¡­ I opened my eyes once again. And it was calm and gentle. No disturbances. Just tranquility. Chapter 2: Below Average A white luminescent room filled with blurred images. Blurred images everywhere. A hell for any photographer, in fact. As dreamlike as it sounds, the dreamscape appears more modernized and splattered with technology more than anyone would expect. One image appears in front of me like a large plasma television screen. A glowing border surrounds what looks like a high definition pixelated image of a person. A young child with light brown hair. ¡°It¡¯s...me?¡± The image suddenly moves into what seems to mimic a video. A small pair of hands grasp onto a larger one, facial expression in absolute awe of the unusual size. The video speaks, but it¡¯s not a child¡¯s voice saying anything. You¡¯re going to do great things in the future...I just know it. The last phrase was said with the utmost confidence that even I, a toddler at that age, could comprehend it, smiling and laughing innocently. It almost replicates me saying: Yes, Mother. I promise you. I realize who that voice was. My mother...it¡¯s been a long time- But before I could utter anything else to the inanimate human interacting with me, the screen abruptly changes. A sudden flash of an even brighter light shines around the area. The video is gone. Replaced is once again, a picture of a child. But this child was significantly older. Five years later maybe? But this time, a soothing female voice didn¡¯t greet the child. Instead, a dark, looming one decides to join the conversation. You. You did this to us. It was all your fault. I stared back in shock. I had nothing to say. My expression was blank, but it quickly became a look of regret and disbelief. I didn¡¯t mean to...you know th- No. This was something you¡¯ve wanted since the beginning of the birth of your brother, wasn¡¯t it? No, I- Shut up. I have no need to listen to your voice ever again. Please¡­ Don¡¯t please me. If that was what you wanted in the first place, then I would have been a ruthless king to you. I¡¯m sorr- And don¡¯t apologize either. You have no right to apologize. Father... It disappeared suddenly, and I could feel my face being blown back by an unnatural force of wind. The images start to blur out again. One by one, they fade away into nothingness. I couldn¡¯t focus anything. They moved across my peripheral vision insanely rapid. What do I do? What do I hear? What do I even see? I can¡¯t tell anything anymore. The real question is, after what just happened¡­ What am I supposed to feel? Ring...Ring...Ring¡­ ¡°It happened again¡­¡± I whisper. Ring...Ring...Ring¡­ ¡°Just five more minutes...¡± I groan. Ring...Ring...Ring¡­ Those images fade instantly, like at the sharp, concise snap of the fingers. RING...RING...RING... I couldn¡¯t take the repetitive sound any longer. Too much noise so soon. I widen my eyes and stare at the ceiling. A blank slate of shadowed white. Sunlight shines through the opaque curtains behind my bed. The wrinkled blanket drapes over my torso and underneath my arm, almost like a fabric snake constricting me. Parts of my entire body were sweating excessively. It appeared as if I leaped head-first into a lake and immediately went back to my bed. My arms were shaking like an earthquake within me. The feeling. No. More like insanity still hasn¡¯t left my body. That delusion I just had. It still wants me to feel uneasy and nauseous. Chills climbed up my spine, and I was panting vigorously. Have you ever had that moment when your actions within a dream correspond to your actions outside the dream? My brain is expressing that to me right now. My hand instinctively clenches my chest. I could feel residual pain from a nonexistent bite. Already knowing that I¡¯m safe, I still, out of habit, check my shoulder. No puncture wound or any signs of injury. Can¡¯t hurt to check. I couldn¡¯t tell whether I¡¯m breathing a sigh of relief, or an anticipation for something even worse in scenario. I can sense my other arm relaxing under my pillow with my head turned sideways to see an alarm clock staring back at me. It reads ¡°6:37 AM¡± in bright red, digital numbers as it continues to ring. I blatantly continue to glare at it. Not moving a single muscle. I utter the first words since I woke up. ¡°Morning already. Great.¡± I sigh. I hate mornings. I¡¯m positively sure I¡¯m not the only one who thinks that. Before grade school, my younger sister would wake me up with her excessive crying and whining. Her loud and annoying voice would keep my eyes from shutting. I tried to mask the sound by wrapping my ears with the pillow and turning to one side to cover it even more. But her frequency would pierce through the feather-like armor I created and stab my eardrums. Even shutting the door couldn¡¯t stop the sound waves from entering my room. This whole situation went down for another 2 long, painful years. Until she managed to figure out how to control herself before her bedtime. It was terrible, however. No matter how hard I tried, I would get a heaping helping of high-pitched screaming and quick footsteps of my parents rushing to her room, trying to calm her down. Remember, that was before school started. I¡¯m pretty sure that once school started, everyone was not a fan of mornings. Even on weekends. Every time I wanted to sleep in, my mind would always tell my body to wake up only 30 minutes later when I normally do. But, for some reason right now, I actually want to get up. But I can¡¯t. I turn my head back up, staring up at the ceiling fan. It rotates its dark wooden blades at a slow, consistent speed. My neck strains for a second and jolts with a quick, sharp moment of pain. My body wasn¡¯t done yet. I could still feel that beast chomping down my vitals. ¡°Could you be any more annoying than you are right now? I just want to sleep.¡± I say to the clock in an annoying tone. I slam my hand on the alarm button and jerk up. My head gets a slight blood rush. Everything seems so dizzy. I start seeing double. I stay still. Whispering to myself, I realized something. Questions race through my head. This wouldn¡¯t be the first time it happened, but what just happened definitely needed some time for thought. What was that thing? Why is it here? And why now? It¡¯s never appeared in my dreams before, but now it¡¯s consistently coming back and evolved into something more dangerous and life-threatening. I need some answers. Soon. If this beast continued to repeat whatever it¡¯s doing to me, I¡¯ll eventually be going back to sleepless nights. Nothing will have improved. No. Please no. I snap back to my senses and look at the digital clock once more. A sign that I need to go to places. Later. I¡¯ll get some answers later. ¡°Believe it, all right.¡± I say as I walk to the bathroom and wash my face with cold water. The sudden temperature change gives me a slight headache, but it feels good against my skin. The drops fall down at a consistent pace. I rest my hands on the sides of the sink and face downward. Thoughts that couldn¡¯t be described rush through the inner mechanisms of my mind. I couldn¡¯t get over it that easily. Do I need therapy? Is that it? I don¡¯t know. Maybe I do. Or maybe it¡¯s a one time thing. Then, I look up at the mirror. My reflection stares back at me like there are two of me existing in the same plane. Lavender eyes Flowing blonde hair, with pink highlights at the tips. A thin waistline with a decent sized chest. However, in the morning, things can look different than what one could expect from someone like me. The way I look when i just woke up is something I only want one person to see, and that would be my husband-to-be. My shaky fingers reach for the toothbrush, and my other hand reaches for the toothpaste. As I brush my teeth, I ask myself questions that I¡¯ve asked numerous times before. What am I going to wear? What am I going to eat? I wonder who I¡¯m going to see today. Better than the questions I have still locked in my brain in hopes of using these average questions to block the more interesting ones away. I rummage through my closet looking for something to wear. I push different shirts and pants aside, looking for a decent outfit. ¡°Maybe I should go modern casual...or maybe traditional casual? A simple dress sounds nice.¡± Underneath all the fabrics lay a picture frame sitting all alone. The faint light peeking through the curtains reflect the miniscule scratches on the frame glass. It showed a family portrait taken from about 10 years ago. A man, a woman, and a little boy with mud all over himself. I gently move my finger down the glass, smiling a bit, and sigh. ¡°It was nice to see you again.¡± I stare at the male in the photo. Suddenly, my eyes begin to wilt in emotion. Reluctance takes the stage in my mind. ¡°Even if I¡¯m your burden, it¡¯s nice to see you too.¡± I take the picture and place it on top of my nightstand. My mind shifts back to preparing clothes. ¡°Goddamn it. You know what? Modern casual it is.¡± I yell quietly. Taking a simple black tank top and light grey skinny jeans that reach the knee level, I quickly scope the room to locate the rest of my attire. I look around the room with my feet planted in place. I spot my pinkish white jacket draping over the swivel chair across the room. The wooden flooring underneath the carpet creak ever so softly as I get closer and closer towards it. Picking up the jacket, I stick my arms through both sleeves and button my shirt together. I wear a black laced choker, and a well-shined golden bracelet to accent the whole attire.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Shifting my presence over to a mirror, hanging down the closet door, I adjust the rest of my clothes until I¡¯m satisfied. ¡°And now the finishing touch¡­¡± A mahogany brown designer belt to complete it. I leave the room with my book bag slung over my shoulder and my smartphone in my other hand, making sure that I close the wooden door behind me. As I swiftly swing it shut, the hinges let out a small creaking sound, and I press the power button on my phone. A notification popped up. [6:54 March 15, 2020] [8 minutes ago] [Text Message from: Sanjiro Nakada] ¡°What?! 8 minutes ago?! Oh no, what have I done?!¡± Placing my thumb on the fingerprint scanner of my phone, I feel the minimal vibration and open up the text. It reads: Please bear with me! Gonna be late to our meeting spot! Roommate wouldn¡¯t open the bathroom door lol (£»Ò»_Ò») Awkward yet somewhat hilarious would be ideal to describe the facial expression I have. Taking time to reply after what just happened would be funny enough, but my instinctive reaction is to just leave it be. ¡°Classic Yuta, always locking him out.¡± Placing the phone in the side buttoned pocket of my jacket, I continue walking. My entire residence is like a slightly larger apartment. It has the necessities like bathrooms, a small kitchen, and a small living space. But it is not your typical college dorm room. The college that I go to is currently one of the best in Japan. It¡¯s currently ranked third, but the first two were extremely expensive in comparison to the third best. My family couldn''t afford it, so the next possible affordable option was this one. I''m definitely not complaining. The place that I stay at is fairly nice for a college dorm room. Still, academic quality-wise, I wish that I could have gone to either one of them. I stare back at the bedroom door for a split second, but quickly turn around and continue to walk down the hallway. The hallway was short yet busy, meaning that it had many rooms leading from it. The gleam of light from the sunroof above glistened the hardwood flooring as I walk. Small dust particles float in suspended space in that one ray of sun. Walking across it, my eyes instinctively squint to avoid the intense and bright light that shine from outside. To the right is a dark wooden railing that overlooks the rest of the residence. Tall and empty ceilings made me feel so small. Large glass windows, surrounded by delicate white crown molding fills all of the wall spaces. The place felt modern, yet traditional to the Japanese lifestyle. Wait, why is this building similar to my clothing choices? More light shines in, making the room brighter and livelier. I couldn¡¯t help but feel pleasant in this wondrous atmosphere. Past the window is a patio deck with a small set of lawn chairs and an umbrella table. All of which are covered with small droplets, twinkling from the morning humidity and dew. Something catches my eye. Not the patio deck. Not the large windows. Not the tall ceilings. The sun. The large and celestial fireball in the sky peeks over the horizon like a child peeking over a sturdy fence. Its honeycomb yellow color melted into the background, crafting a beautiful painting of warm colors on the sky canvas. Those warm colors mimicked the ones in my dream. Despite the deadly scenario I got myself into, I couldn¡¯t help but feel warmth inside my heart. Warmth from the sun and from the tranquility is really does bring to a person. Someone like me. I touch my chest and close my eyes. Reminders of pain and ripped limbs. Death and turmoil. Worst of all, confusion. No reason to explain why. But that all left my mind. I was joyful. I felt calm once again. My heartbeat slowed down to its regular pace. It was all right now. I let out a breath of relief. I smile and strut down the wooden staircase, humming a song and sliding my fingers gently against the sturdy metal railing. As my foot touches the last step, I swing around the railing and propel myself towards the kitchen. Seeing that there was a lot of natural light entering from the glass, I found it unnecessary to flip the light switch. Time is slowly running out, so I extend my arm towards the bag of sliced bread on the island and take out one slice of wheat bread.. The bag crinkles and creates that annoying sound no one wants to hear. Taking that slice of bread and holding it in my mouth by the corner, I stride towards the door and put on my leather black dress shoes. After my feet are satisfied with the comfort of my footwear, I stuff the entire piece of regular bread into my mouth, cheeks like a chipmunk¡¯s. Non-famished feeling and dry throat are all that I¡¯m left with. No water to quench the latter. I head out, making sure to lock the door behind me. Sticking the house keys into my pocket, I pull out my phone and plug in my headphones. As the morning air brushes my face, I move my semi-long hair aside and rest my headphones snug around my ears. My thumb presses the volume button until my ears are satisfied with the loudness of the music. I look up. Birds soar above and move around in unpredictable fashions. They are like dancers performing a routine made to impress and entertain the audience underneath them. Thin trunked trees lined the light tan-colored stone steps that lead to the main sidewalk. The many species of flowers surrounding the trees fill my nostrils with a soothing aroma, sweet and passionate. My hands slip into my pockets with ease. As I walk down the steps, I peer to my left and see a large body of water in the distance. I look into the ocean that glimmers with small lines of white and light yellow. The water was crystal clear, and I could see little blips of aquatic wildlife maneuvering gracefully around the moss-covered rocks and multicolored corals. It¡¯s astonishingly beautiful here. ¡°What time is it?¡± I mutter to myself. I reach inside my pocket, looking for my phone nestled inside. Taking it out, I lightly press the power button located on the side. The screen gives off a glare that makes it hard to read, but I could still point out the numbers and words. March 15th, 2020. 7:04 AM. Only 26 minutes until I¡¯m late. Wonder how Sanjiro¡¯s doing? My hand puts the phone back inside my pocket, and I continue walking with my other hand inside my opposing pocket. The pace I¡¯m moving at slightly quickens, but not to the point where I¡¯m running. However, it¡¯s obvious that I have somewhere important that I need to be. As I walk, I typically like to look down at the ground to see the contraction joints that make up squares of the sidewalk. I don¡¯t know the reason why, but I prefer to stare down instead of looking straight ahead of me. It¡¯s just something I do. Something that doesn¡¯t need an answer. Around me are houses that were built to have the same structure and design, but painted differently and composed of different shades of bricks and sidings. It¡¯s as if each house has its own personality corresponding to the personality of the ones who live there. Dark, dull, and boring colors would represent older and more mature people, while light, bright, and exuberant colors would be newlyweds or families starting out. It was a connection I made when I was entering grade school, and it is one that sticks with me to this day. As I ponder about these colors, something catches my eye in the distance. Something small and nimble. ¡°Eh? What...is that?¡± Today I just feel like asking that question more than once. It¡¯s honestly getting boring and repetitive. A little animal that roams the front yard of one of the houses on the left. There¡¯s not a single person within sight. It¡¯s running in circles, but suddenly disappears, only to reappear with its head peering behind a fence, looking at me intently. It was a dog. A tiny white furred puppy. The small hairs on its body flutter gently as it runs around. It had eyes the shade of pitch-black and the appearance of two small marbles that glitter in the light. It didn¡¯t have a collar. It was a stray. Conveniently, the puppy was located in the same direction I was walking in, so I could approach it casually. I continued walking down my side of the road. Its body starts to slowly appear as I walk along the sidewalk. I could see its head facing me and turning gradually like a sprinkler system. As I think that, I could see a sprinkler going off behind the puppy. Small droplets of water land on the back of the puppy, making the fur seem even more glittery and white. Those tiny droplets start to condense into larger ones, so the puppy shakes it off, still staring at me. I stop walking and find this very peculiar. Turning my body 90 degrees, I look at the little creature in curiosity and inquisitiveness. The instant second I stop to confront the puppy, it decides to run off into a thick, dark green bush covered in stray twigs and red berries nearby. ¡°So adorable omg. I want to adopt it.¡± is all could say. I had a saddened yet hopeful expression. Not because of the fact that the dog was staring at me strangely. It was the fact that it decides to turn around and scurry off as soon as I notice it. But then again, the rabbit from my dreams did the same thing, and that didn¡¯t turn out well in the end at all... My feet start moving again, and I continue walking. Nothing to really worry about. But, for some odd reason, my intuition suddenly switched to turn my head around and look back at the yard. There it was. Once again. The dog came back and is staring at me constantly. I couldn¡¯t believe it. Either I¡¯m wearing dog perfume, or it thinks of me as food. ¡°Please be the first one. Please be the first one.¡± Through the sounds of the trees and birds surrounding me, I barely pick up a growling sound. Considering the situation I am currently in, I quickly assume it¡¯s the puppy. The sound was menacing in an adorable and petite manner. I reach the point where I can¡¯t see the yard anymore. Or the tiny dog. In front of me is an intersection. One of the busiest ones of the neighborhood. But the vast number of cars and their idiotic drivers are not the only reason contributing to that fact. Stoplight malfunctions. Large groups of students that flock together like crane migrating. After all, with this generation in this day and age, I couldn¡¯t help think that our species is thriving while the intelligence is slowly dying. Unfortunate. I know. As I push the pedestrian-crossing button, I hear a masculine voice echo from up the hill to my left. ¡°Suzume!¡± My ears pick up my name being called through the music blasting through them. In a curious manner, I take my headphones off and leave them resting around my neck. While doing so, I take my phone out once again and pause the current song playing, not wanting to miss it entirely. ¡°Suzume!¡± The voice gets louder. It sounds innocent and high-spirited. I¡¯ve gotten used to this. ¡°Suzume! Wait for me! Don¡¯t cross the street yet!¡± I close my eyes and smile, snickering in the process. Instantly, I know who bears that tone of voice. Turning my head up, and looking in the general direction of the voice, I yell back. ¡°The light isn¡¯t even green yet, you idiot!¡± A girl starts to appear from the top of the peak. Pinkish blonde hair flows in the wind and shakes at every footstep she takes. It¡¯s incredibly smooth just from the way it looks. I don¡¯t even need to get in proximity of her to realize it. The worried expression on her face lights up the street like lamp posts late at night. Cherry blossom leaves planted at the top of the hill cascade down the street like magenta snowflakes. Her footsteps echo through the pavement. Clicks and clacks of her shoes resonate. Putting my phone back into my pocket, I rest my hand against the groove of my hip bone. ¡°Hey Suzume!¡± I show off my smile. He¡¯s so cool. The way he sprints down the hill is attractive enough, but the clothes he¡¯s wearing screams male model. A simple white v-neck shirt inside with a faded black jacket with light blue rims. Gentle colored slim fit jeans and stylish white, blue and grey shoes to tie it all up together. I notice a small glimmer around his neck, and see the gift I got him the other day. A rose gold necklace with silver lining around a simple circular design grasping around a red gem that was as scarlet as the letter. Of course he would wear this after spring vacation... ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be running so early in the morning. You know that. Last time this happened, you tripped and sprained your ankle.¡± I utter. He grasps my jacket sleeve even tighter. Sweat was already coming down his forehead, but it was trivial, so I didn¡¯t say a word. However, I do laugh. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get moving. The light¡¯s green now.¡± I turn to walk across the street, but Sanjiro is still latched onto me. I look down at her and ask a question. ¡°Are you ok? Do you want me to carry you?¡± I ask in a childlike voice. A pause. ¡°Ha! Not that I can even lift you up! Am I weak or what?¡± A chuckle within the question itself. He trembles a little more. His legs start to shake more and more as time passes. This time I¡¯m much more worried. I regret my playful behavior. Then I see a few sweat drops drip down his cheek. A small dot of water lands on the tan pavement and slightly evaporated on impact. ¡°Hey. Hey! Are you actually ok? I¡¯m sorry for making fun of you! Are you hurt, for real?¡±¡± I bend my knees down about 4 inches to match his hunched over height. Despite being 5¡¯6¡±, Sanjiro was at least 5 inches taller than me. Maybe even 6 feet tall. Maybe he did sprain his ankle again. Maybe he just wanted to play it off, but couldn¡¯t handle the sharp pains that come after. He suddenly looks up at me with a bright smile. His hazelnut eyes are as majestic as they could be. Then he speaks. ¡°Thank you for waiting for me!¡± He replies with a compassionate look on his face, sweat slowly going away. I couldn¡¯t help but act surprised and blush. My cheeks turned crimson red. You couldn¡¯t blame me. Everything about him just makes me feel so warm inside. I want to hide away from the cuteness right now, but there was no nearby structure for me to express my internal feelings at the moment. I sigh and let in a deep breath of air, exhaling as I talk. ¡°What is with you? You don¡¯t have to scare me like that. I was really worried about you. Now come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± She replies while doing a sailor¡¯s salute. I snicker. ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡± He snickers as well. ¡°I know. But that¡¯s why you love me.¡± ¡°Of course, darling.¡± He finally lets go of my shirt and reaches for my hand. I already know what he wants. Getting the message, I reach my hand toward his. We meet at the halfway point. Our steps slowly synchronize, as if we rehearsed this many times prior to now. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for my roommate, I wouldn¡¯t be so disgustingly sweaty right now.¡± he pants while wiping his face with a cloth. ¡°Believe me. If it¡¯s one thing that really gets on my nerves, it¡¯s an inconvenient person.¡± I say, lightly clenching my fist. ¡°Yuta...of course it had to be Yuta¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± she giggles. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Don¡¯t care about him alright? He¡¯s someone...how should I put this?¡± I snap my fingers and a figurative light bulb blinks over my head. ¡°Shameless." I giggle again. ¡°Of course you would say that. It¡¯s what you¡¯re most familiar being.¡± He delicately punches my shoulder in response. ¡°Ow...that hurt. Quite a bit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not apologizing. I can hear the sarcasm in your voice.¡± ¡°Yeah sure. Go with it.¡± he responds with her free hand scratching the back of his head. If you¡¯re just a regular person standing with us in front of you, all you could see was this normal couple walking across the street on their way to school, holding hands. Maybe it was assumed from the start, but that¡¯s all right. Sanjiro and I are really close. We spend so much time together, whenever we can. We can joke around with each other because we know each other so well. It¡¯s as simply put as that. Whether it be out in public and in places like the park or the city, or even at each other¡¯s houses, playing video games and watching anime, we have a simplistic relationship, but that¡¯s all we need. That¡¯s enough to satisfy us. I couldn¡¯t be happier with where we are right now. I love him, and he loves me. We could do so much more, but we choose not to. I don¡¯t want to stand out from the crowd, and I¡¯m positive Suzume doesn¡¯t want to either. It¡¯s a secret not worth hiding, nor worth exposing unnecessarily to anyone that doesn¡¯t understand. It can stay within our hearts. But that¡¯s just average behavior for an average boyfriend and girlfriend. Or at least to us. Chapter 3: Even Until the Day We Die ¡°Suzume.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Afterwards, do you have time to meet up? I have some important things to show you.¡± ¡°For recording your new song? Or something else?¡± That last phrase had a seductive tone. He felt slightly uncomfortable. I can tell since his ears turned hot and he¡¯s blushed like crazy. ¡°N-No! Not that at all!¡± He cover his face with the palms of his hands and let out muffled words. ¡°Please don¡¯t look at me¡­¡± He manage to utter out one sentence, but he¡¯s still not pleased with my actions. My innocent laugh fills the surrounding area. Students also walking to the main campus building stop and look at us. Some look at us with confused looks, while others laugh at our playfulness. But despite all that, all eyes are on us. ¡°Oh come on! You¡¯ve dealt with me saying worse things! Look. If it makes you feel any better, I can apologize, but I don¡¯t see what I did wrong here.¡± I say while still laughing. My arms make a clueless gesture. I know I¡¯m not actually clueless. I¡¯m being sarcastic right now, and he doesn¡¯t like it. Not one bit. He puts his hands back down to his sides and takes a deep breath in. Ok. Calm down. He breathes in and out and start to speak normally again. ¡°It¡¯s for the new track. I finally have the instrumental done. Took way too long, but I¡¯m pleased with the end result.¡± He pulls out his phone and find the instrumental recording, taking the headphones and placing them over my ears for me like the gracious person he is. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± I whisper. We continue walking with me holding my phone and her wearing my headphones. If someone were to come in between both of us, they could easily snatch the headphones as well as my phone from my hand. My head moves rhythmically to the beat, and I can tell she reached the emotional chorus based on her bittersweet smile. After 4 minutes, when the song ended, I softly removes the headphones, swiftly wipes my eyes with my delicate fingers. ¡°How is it?¡± he asks, hoping that I wouldn¡¯t reject it. I mean, after a reaction like that, it shouldn¡¯t be any surprise what my response would be. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s really nice.¡± I softly answer. ¡°Really? Oh thank goodness!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too nice.¡± I continue. A small huh escapes his lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to tear up actually¡­¡± ¡°But you still like it, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± I nervously reconfirm, thinking that he was not satisfied with my response. ¡°I¡¯m glad. Now all I need is your beautiful and angelic voice to accompany it.¡± He purposely added a praising tone to that last sentence in hopes to make me feel embarrassed. As payback. Because payback is a wonderful thing. And it worked. In reaction, my cheeks turn as red as a ripe tomato. He can tell that I¡¯m feeling uncomfortable now and that he succeeded with his first attempt. My hands are coupled onto my face, and I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small yelp of embarrassment. Hell, he couldn¡¯t even help but laugh. ¡°How does it feel?¡± he asks me. ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t look at me...¡± ¡°That line sounds oddly familiar. I wonders where I¡¯d heard it before.¡± he say sarcastically, leaning my face closer towards hers. ¡°You meanie.¡± I whisper, puckering my lips, glaring at him. I immediately bumps my head onto his in hopes of pushing him away. ¡°Gah! What was that for?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± He let out a sigh. Maybe I should surprise her¡­I have an idea that I¡¯m willing to try out. I immediately grab her waist and pull her closer to me. Our eyes locked together for what seemed like forever. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I deeply apologize for my actions.¡± he says in the most chivalric and elegant way possible. I start to stutter. ¡°W-What are you do-¡± Before I could finish my sentence. he start to move closer to my face. I couldn¡¯t utter any words after this. Swiftly yet calmly, he takes the opportunity to kiss me right then and there. The warmth of his mouth threw me off, sending a current through my body. I could feel the shivers that ran through his body run through me. My soft lips caressed his and we stood still for as long as we wanted. My heart was fluttering with nervousness. It definitely didn¡¯t help the situation hearing the wooings in the background, but he still continued. To be honest, he has never been so open about this before. What caused him to be like this? Why this change of heart? No. It doesn¡¯t matter. This just shows how much he truly feel about cares for me. For the Suzume he knows. My heart is racing, and only then does he decide to step back. He smiles at me, suddenly realizing his surroundings and stares at me in awe. ¡°Suzume. I love you. And despite everything that I say, everything that I do, I hope that you will still love me.¡± His eyes looked down at the ground. A bright light shone through the translucent clouds down onto us, like we were the lead roles in a play, deserving the spotlight. ¡°Really? Do you truly love me? I mean you seem like such a sweet talker, it wouldn¡¯t be any surprise if you seduce another girl and she falls for you, huh?¡± I asks, staring into his eyes. I don¡¯t even need to think about it. I already know his answer. In fact, I¡¯ve known his answer since the first day I saw him. ¡°Yes. Definitely. I¡¯ve always admired you. You have a personality that no other girl I¡¯ve met could even compare to. You love anime. You love gaming. You love music. And your soprano voice is the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± Out of nowhere, he holds my hand tighter and raises it up to eye level. ¡°See this? Our hands held together? This is who we are. Connected. Our fingers interlocked just like our lives. We¡¯ve dated for almost 3 years, and I feel like I want to do so much more with you. Go to more places. Do more things. Even...be together for the rest of our lives. Until the day we die.¡± I finally say something. ¡°You really are the charmer. You really are. You know...you have this energy that I¡¯m so attracted to. Like I¡¯m inclined to help you with your life.¡± All of a sudden, I don¡¯t know what came over me. The emotions and feelings I had inside were bottled up, ready to explode. I lean in and whisper into his ear. ¡°And even then, we can-¡± ¡°Are you two lovebirds done with your little love fest?! I brought my own popcorn!¡± a voice says from in between us. We suddenly turn around and see a student behind us, grinning and giggling. If Sanjiro hadn¡¯t recognized him, he would have knocked him out cold. ¡°Whoa there! Calm down Sanjiro! No need to get so sensitive on the first day!¡± he chuckles. ¡°Can I kick you right now?¡± I threaten, rolling up my sleeves, expression as deadly as a predator stalking its prey. ¡°I think YOU are the one who needs to calm down.¡± Sanjiro reassures, holding my shoulders like armrests. But nonetheless, I keep flailing my arms around in frustration and annoyance. As a way to calm me down, Sanjiro pats the top of my head. ¡°There. There. You don¡¯t need to act up again.¡± I could only pucker my lips and look into his eyes, blushing at the same time. He sees the adorableness reflect from my glimmering pupils. I quickly looks back at the person standing before us. His smirk as annoying as his personality. The adorableness that Sanjiro saw in me in that split second rapidly fades away, and a face of annoyance emerges to face Yuta. ¡°Just because you know Sanjiro so well doesn¡¯t give you an excuse to creep up behind us and interrupt us like that!¡± I say, slowly walking in front of him. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I didn¡¯t expect you react like that. After all, you two really did...you know¡­have a moment.¡± ¡°Ok. Now I REALLY want to punch you.¡± I swiftly looks at Sanjiro again. ¡°Can I punch him? I can punch him right?¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Yuta says while backing away slowly, hands postured in a defensive position. ¡°He¡¯s not worth it Suzume. Just let it be.¡± ¡°Yeah Suzume, I¡¯m not worth...wait! What¡¯s that supposed to mean, Sanjiro?!¡± ¡°Exactly what I said. Honestly, if you can¡¯t read the situation, I worry for your future.¡± ¡°You smartass. I swear...¡± Yuta chokeholds me with one arm, swinging him around while I¡¯m kicking him, hoping that he¡¯d let go of him. ¡°This isn¡¯t fair! You guys are a tag-team!¡± ¡°By the way, Yuta. This is perfect timing.¡± He stops shaking him, but continues to put him into a chokehold. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he questions. I stop kicking and enter the conversation. ¡°Sanjiro¡¯s synthesizer is finally fixed. We can meet after school today to work on the new song.¡± Yuta releases Sanjiro from his surprisingly effective grip and exclaims his satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s fixed now?! Honestly. I feel that the repair company has been slacking off recently. Wonder what took them this long. I mean, it¡¯s been at least two weeks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it was just that there were too many orders before us.¡± ¡°Maybe! Just maybe... it¡¯s because they are in a conspiracy. They WANT us to wait so long so that they can plant a camera in it.¡± Yuta subtly starts gesturing like a secret agent. ¡°What did I even see in you as a friend? You¡¯re so weird. And so paranoid.¡± ¡°We have the same taste in music, obviously. Having the same taste in music automatically makes us friends.¡± ¡°Oh really, does it now?¡± I monotonously question with an unimpressed look on my face. ¡°But of course! Why, what else would make other people friends?!¡± ¡°Personality. Intelligence. Popularity. Other common interests. People that know how to socialize with others.¡± I list, extending a finger each time I name a new non-existant quality of Yuta. ¡°Wait a minute. Are you saying I don¡¯t any of those qualities?¡± ¡°Wow! Little Yuta has comprehension skills! He¡¯s grown up so much!¡± Sanjiro sarcastically replies, imitating a small child, clueless of his surroundings. Sanjiro tugs my shirt sleeve. ¡°Can you believe it? Yuta can understand basic conversation!¡± ¡°Stop referring to me like I¡¯m a child.¡± ¡°But you are.¡± I monotonously reply instead. A look of distraught and despair covers his entire face, and the body language he gives off became depressing, slumped like loose, baggy clothing. ¡°Sanjiro, I also got a new microphone. I really want to test it out.¡± ¡°But you sounded fine on the older one. Why do you need another new mic?¡± ¡°See, that¡¯s the thing.¡± I twiddle my fingers. An obvious action for someone who is nervous. Well, because I obviously am, and can¡¯t control the feeling otherwise. ¡°Suzume.¡± I jump a little. Another obvious action. ¡°Yeah¡­?¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± I couldn¡¯t lie to him any longer. ¡°I broke it.¡± I utter haphazardly. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°But it was an accident! I didn¡¯t mean to!¡± ¡°I highly doubt that.¡± At that moment, he swings forth his book bag to his chest and unzips it. The book bag leaned forward due to the momentum of the weight within. As he reaches in, he pull out a bright, colorful magazine with large text bubbled all over it. " ¡°Of all the things that you could have accidently dropped at my place, it had to be the one that you didn¡¯t want me to see the most.¡± ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t the first time.¡± Sanjiro says, rolling the magazine up, hitting her head with it. A slight crinkle sound as well as a small yelp from me comes as an effect. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again.¡± Sanjiro sternly assures. ¡°Who knows? Maybe I will...Maybe with something even more expensive next time. Another bong to my head, but this time it was a little harder. ¡°Ok¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t stay mad at him, especially after all that he said about me earlier. He unravels the magazine and hands it back to me. ¡°Just ask me if you need anything. I¡¯ll see what I can do, ok?¡± I look at the magazine in his hand, and glance back at him. ¡°If you say so...prepare to have your wallet ravaged then.¡± Yuta interjects the conversation. ¡°See I told you Sanjiro!¡± Yuta yells, then quickly whispers the next second, ¡°Women are only in it for the money. She¡¯s a gold digger. Better watch out at night, Sanjiro. You never know when her slutty act-¡± Without thought, I grab the magazine out of Sanjiro¡¯s hand, firmly roll it back up again, and whack Yuta as hard as I can with it, whilst maintaining a straight face. The sound of the paper slap on Yuta¡¯s cheek resonated in the surrounding area, turning a couple heads that were decently farther away. I then unravels it once more and places it back into Sanjiro¡¯s hands, despite it being mine. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sanjiro. Don¡¯t worry about this single loner of a person.¡± I start to walk faster and faster with a sadistic smile. ¡°And that¡¯s why I love you so much.¡± Sanjiro confidently says. ¡°Okay, all the other names you call me were dull, but that one actually hurt in more ways than one!¡± Yuta exclaims, offended. ¡°What can I say, gotta listen to the woman. Never an excuse not to.¡± Sanjiro states, shrugging his shoulders in an act of innocence. We reach a large tree that is growing in the middle of the main campus. It looms over the area as if it belongs inside a fantasy world. Light tan colored wooden benches surround the gargantuan tree in a ring shape. A black and gold plaque is attached to the arms of each bench, reading ¡°In respect to the Angel of Unmei.¡± Its mint green lace of leaves protect the antler-like branches like a mother shielding its newborn child. Birds of all shapes and sizes leave and enter the tiny gaps between the branches like airplanes exiting and entering the airport. History books state that the tree has been planted for at least 200 years, since the Taisho era dawned in the country of Japan. It has been rumored that an innocent, small angel was sent from the heavens to monitor the technological and environmental achievements us humans made. She was unhappy with how we lay waste to our home planet. So, she took a seed out of her pocket and planted it at this exact spot, insulting the human race at its oblivion towards nature. With the first sprout, it gave new life to our minds and our hearts. But as fantastical as this may have happened, the odds are extremely slim of its occurrence. But, nonetheless, to this day, we highly respect the Unmei tree as a reminder to not take our beautiful land for granted. ¡°Alright then. See you at the auditorium!¡± Yuta yells while walking away from us. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just don¡¯t let any girls ask you out while you¡¯re there.¡± Sanjiro jests. I don¡¯t say anything else, but I wave my hand at him. He gets the message. We¡¯ve done this exchange many times before. Yuta is not the average person. He has an athletic build, yet he doesn¡¯t do any sports. He constantly gets invited to parties, but always denies instantly. His long dirty blonde hair that reaches the top of his shoulders and his crimson eyes that gleam back at everyone are definitely something are part of his charm. Hell, if I hadn¡¯t met Sanjiro before, and he was nicer and less idiotic, I would have actually considered dating him. Sanjiro, however, has known him much longer than me. Yuta was originally his next door neighbor, but unfortunately moved far away for a couple years. They were pretty close as their fathers knew each other personally. He never really got a chance to say goodbye to him, and Yuta never said goodbye to him either. Sanjiro could only assume his parents were busy, and they found new work in a different city. That was in elementary school. A couple years had passed, and he found out from his father that Yuta was originally from Australia. I heard that he moved there to spend a few years learning about his country and culture. Frankly, his blonde hair kind of gave it away. I knew it seemed odd for a child in Japan to have blonde hair, let alone dirty blonde, but I never paid too much attention to that type of speculation. Then, in the last year of middle school, midway through the semester, Sanjiro¡¯s class, Class 3B, got a transfer student. They had transfer students before, so no one took the effort and thought deeply about it. The door opened. A guy walked in. His hair was relatively long. But that wasn¡¯t the detail that stood out to Sanjiro the most. The hair was dirty blonde. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Yuta¡¯s silhouette shrinks as he moves farther and farther away from us. As we enter a gate dressed up in silver metal and luminescent turquoise lights flickering from every angle, buildings laced with brick and light grey stone stretch down the paved road. All of which appear to converge at one point. A large fountain structured itself right in the middle of the plaza, blocking the path on the other side. Other students walk alongside the front of every building, holding a phone in hand or talking to nearby friends. The road in front inclines at a slight angle with stairs at the very end of it. Past that is where true beauty lies. Sanjiro and I absolutely love the view that lies ahead, especially him, but considering the time it took to even see the campus in the first place, we run at moderately quickly in order to get to our classes.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Your first class is to the left?¡± Sanjiro says to me, panting his breath between every other syllable. ¡°Yep. And yours is down the middle. Just like you said two days ago.¡± I reply. ¡°Wow, look at you paying attention to the small details.¡± ¡°Oh come on. It¡¯s not that small. I remember every little detail about you.¡± he shrugs off. ¡°Stalker.¡± I jests at him. We both stop running as soon as the incline ends. Past that point is another set of wide stairs. But these stairs lead downward instead of upward. It curves down to the right, leading to another set of brick buildings that also make up the gigantic campus. Behind those buildings is the ocean I saw as I left my house. ¡°I guess we part ways here. Well,¡± a slight pause. ¡°I wish you the best of luck on your first day back!¡± ¡°You say that like you''re one of my parents after a child leaves for elementary school.¡± He chuckles and swiftly grabs my arm which forces my face closer to his. ¡°That¡¯s right. I own you now.¡± he innocently remarks, but then lightens up. ¡°I''ll see you around. Hopefully we can eat lunch together.¡± We converse so casually that it¡¯s like our minds are constantly being read by each other, which ends up with snarky remarks and sudden personality twists. But in the end, the close relationship we have always shows up to say one last goodbye. ¡°Oh? You own me now? Well, we¡¯ll see about that later...I¡¯m definitely looking forward to it!¡± I playfully respond. He quickly kisses me on the cheek, with a faintest tickle of his nose on my shining hair fluttering in the wind. I pushes down on his lips with my cheek softly in response. I could feel him close his eyes and smile before he turns away from me. It¡¯s a smile that I must protect forever. I say no words. But my facial expression says it all. The cheerful and playful look she has tells me that she is content. That she is determined and ready to tackle anything that stands in her way. Her legs do a little twist to face the other direction. She starts to walk away. Then she starts to move quicker. And then she starts to jog. That jog becomes a run. And in the midst of that run, she turns back this way. Her arm raised up at the sky waves back at me. That wave is wonderful. That wave is amazing. She doesn¡¯t want to part ways. Not even after all the time we spent together over spring break. Passionate, yet familiar. Curse my descriptive fantasies...Taking over my mind and thoughts... As she runs around a brick building corner approximately 50 meters away, I then take my time to breathe and prepare myself for the long hard journey ahead of me. I know they are just stairs, but it spans approximately 90 meters in length and 10 meters in width. It¡¯s definitely a staircase force to be reckoned with. I¡¯ve already seen 3 people trip and fall all the way down, and I don¡¯t feel like increasing that number. Then, in a flash of time, I start my trek down. I keep a steady rhythm with one foot in front of the other. A tempo that mustn¡¯t be rushed nor slowed down. A concentration that mustn¡¯t break focus or dedication. I have my elbows bent at 90 degree angles as if I was running in track and field back in high school. My breathing is also at a steady, concise tempo. Two quick breaths in through the nose, and two quick exhales out the mouth. If anyone happens to listen in, all they would hear is odd pattern-like inhaling with unusual noises that sound like blowing out candles. I know that I must keep my breathing at a minimal volume. Otherwise, people will start to judge me. And just like that, I reach the bottom. I break from my breathing pattern, and let out deep breaths of air, letting deeper ones back into my lungs. My social self takes on an awkward victory pose, swiftly looking in opposing directions as if cameras were snapping pics and recording videos of my useless triumph. I stare back up at the manmade summit of stone and concrete for one final pose, admiring the quest that I have just completed. But something catches my eye at the top. A girl. Her long and straight hair blocks a segment of the scenery behind her as the wind blows. I see something else too. Her attire. It¡¯s peculiar. She¡¯s wearing a jacket and a scarf, but has shorts on at the same time. I don¡¯t typically look at other girls this way, but something about her attire really throws me off in a bad and worried way. She suddenly grasps her scarf and takes it off, letting one end fall the pavement. Using her other hand, she forms a pointing gesture with her fingers. Her eyes and mouth look serious. I turn around to see who she¡¯s pointing at. Not a single person was standing behind me. She is pointing at me. [...Your turn. The dice is yours. Go ahead and roll your fate¡­] What is she talking about? Is anyone else seeing this? I look to my left and my right two times each, hoping to see someone that could be a potential candidate for her staredown. No one is here. It¡¯s just me and her. Glaring back up, I see her staring down at me with negative vibes coming from every direction all around her. Especially from her pointing index finger. That gesture is the most intimidating. Was it a look to kill? Was it a look of disappointment? I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never met this person before. Maybe I HAVE met her before. But if that¡¯s the case, then from where? After what felt like 30 minutes of this staredown, she lowers her arm, while still maintaining the pointing gesture. What¡¯s with her? Then she walks away. No sign of disparity. Her scarf, fluttering behind her, was the last thing I saw. Mixed feelings fill my head. Honestly, the dog encounter earlier is nothing compared to what just happened. It¡¯s not just unusual because of what I saw. It¡¯s also unusual because I¡¯ve never really noticed things that seemed out of place so easily. Is it my head imagining things? Is it my restless mind? First came the dog, now this. What¡¯s going on today? It¡¯s all odd, but I feel that this could be normal at the same time. I¡¯m overthinking things... Once again, I have no time to ponder too much about this. I have the first day of my second year in college to think about now. The time has come. For me to tackle on another year of work that I will most likely end up hating in the future whilst knowing this will help me in the long run. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I enter through large, looming sets of doors, decorated with a classy, traditional golden trim. My hand gently grasped around the glossy, wooden handle, pulls towards my body with a reasonable amount of force. ¡°Absolutely amazing¡­¡± I whisper. My eyes couldn¡¯t believe it. The auditorium hall stands gigantic. Despite the main reason for being here, I could respect the marvelous architecture and design that withstood itself before me. Countless rows of velvet chairs fill the space as they all face towards the shiny, black stage like soldiers saluting the commander. Arrays and groups of students, both sitting and standing, are scattered throughout. Scanning the room, I spotted Sanjiro chatting with several of his friends. He swiftly turns his head towards me, unintentionally. Our eyes meet once again, and we both smile. His friends also look over at me, then back at Sanjiro, lightly elbowing his arm. Obviously they¡¯re making fun of him. We stand around for another 15 minutes before a man walks on stage. The sharp clacks of the heels of his dress shoes echo throughout the hall. Dark grey hair, and subtle moustache accompanied with a beard. He¡¯s wearing a sleek suit topped off with a bright crimson red tie. Not one of those cheap clip-on ties. The real deal. Sophisticated and rich is what resonates off this person. He means serious business. ¡°Take your seats, everyone.¡± The whole crowd settles down. Every person scurrying to find the nearest seat. Including me. I feel uneasy. This guy is scary. Intimidating almost. He starts his introductory speech. ¡°Good morning everyone. Welcome to the prestigious and graceful Fuyu International University of Kyoto. As you most of you may recall, in the letters I sent out a few weeks ago, I am Professor Wilcoin. Also known as the president of the college.¡± He has a stern voice that sends shivers down those who are unprepared. Like me. His voice pierces the hall like a knife. Everyone in the audience hasn¡¯t said a single word since we sat down, but I¡¯m pretty sure that no one wants to say anything at all anyway. As the president continues his long and boring speech, I look down a couple rows and spot Sanjiro, sitting with her hands gently resting in her lap. His composure and posture are casual yet attentive. I ponder for a while. I¡¯m so lucky. To have a wonderful person like Sanjiro as my boyfriend. ¡°¡­I hope to see the reputation and honor still withheld at this school. Many of you are destined to do great things. Others are¡­on their way. Hopefully.¡± Scattered laughter comes from every direction. Even Sanjiro is slightly chuckling. I can¡¯t hear it, but I can see it. I start to ponder much more deeply. About something else. It¡¯s worrying me. I¡¯m thinking about life. No matter how clich¨¦ or overused that sounds, I really am thinking about life. My future. My fate. What great things am I going to do? Am I one of those people that are ¡°on their way?¡± Maybe? I don¡¯t know. When I first attended this college, I wanted to major in something that sounded professional. Something that would impress my friends and other people. I aspired to be a biochemist. I like math and science; the pay is six figures. So what¡¯s stopping me? Interest. That¡¯s what is bothering me. Don¡¯t get me wrong, math and science are both fun. But I have this inkling that I will get bored with doing it every day. I can¡¯t just be happy about it for a month and then give up on it. After all, my whole life depends on my career choice. That¡¯s when I discovered my passion for music. Especially electronic music. I absolutely loved it. 95% of my songs on my phone are electronic based. It was nonstop fun for me. Not one week, not one month, not even one year. Nonstop fun. I had an advantage though. I¡¯ve learned the piano for almost 10 years, and I¡¯m very well versed in music theory and structure. I recognize chords and I could come up with melodies that would paint a vivid picture in my mind. That¡¯s when I thought to myself. It¡¯s time to stop being an admirer. Time to become a creator. Time to let others admire me. And let them become a creator themselves. And so on and so on. The cycle never ends. It¡¯s just I want to be a part of that circle. So does Sanjiro and Yuta. They eventually found out about my ambitions and decided to follow our dream together. Call it a collaborative effort. Then we formed the group known as Icesolate. Taking isolated relaxing music and bringing it to an ethereal level. The beginning of a new revolution of music that we hoped to be the founders of. But so far, nothing has really turned out well for us... ¡°See, I told you. Suzume can¡¯t last more than 10 minutes listening to a speech.¡± a faint voice whispers within my deep thoughts. I shake myself back to reality and notice that half the people in the room had already left. Some students were down at the stage talking with the professor. I rub my eyes, leaving my arms still resting at my sides. Did I actually fall asleep again? ¡°Did you really think the speech was THAT boring?¡± The faint voice becomes slightly more masculine, but still unclear. I look next to me and see Yuta with Sanjiro standing behind him. My eyes try to focus, so I wipe them quickly with my sleeve. ¡°Suzume isn¡¯t the type of person to stay awake through long things. Last time we went to a classical concert he fell asleep after 15 minutes and rested his head on my shoulder.¡± ¡°Hey! I was super tired that day and you know it! I didn¡¯t get my daily coffee fix! Yawnnnn¡­¡± ¡°Sounds about right.¡± Sanjiro says with his right hand leveled underneath his left. His head resting on the knuckles. ¡°Speaking of which, I should probably go get some right now. You guys want anything?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, coffee would be fine. What about you, Yuta? Want some tea instead.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good for today. After all, I did sleep in much longer than usual.¡± He grabs my shoulder. ¡°You know what, you guys know me so well, it almost makes me wanna cry. I¡¯m already tearing up!¡± ¡°If you wanna cry, do it on Sanjiro. He¡¯s a walking tissue box for you, Yuta.¡± I say, sternly pushing his hand away. Sanjiro¡¯s ears perk up. ¡°Yuta. I swear. If anything liquid from you ends up on me, I¡¯m gonna go berserk.¡± ¡°Going back to coffee, I can get some for you. Of course, if you want it, obviously.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I can get it myself.¡± Yuta says with a smile. ¡°...¡± He spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all later.¡± His tone sounded a little depressing. I could hear it in that last sentence. Yuta swiftly turned around and walked away with a blank expression across his face. ¡°Alright. Alright. Take your time.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± He quickly turns around and runs back into the building. ¡°Never changes, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah. Definitely. Well at least, recently..¡± ¡°What do ya mean?¡± I ask. ¡°Just normal, but from what I can tell, he¡¯s hiding something.¡± ¡°A person like Yuta? Hiding something? He¡¯s an open book with us! There¡¯s no possibility of him ever hiding something, let alone not want to talk to us about it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know...he HAS been a little odd lately. Just a couple days ago did he start avoiding me because of personal reasons.¡± ¡°Then that answers your question! What are you even rambling on about then?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing. It¡¯s just odd, that¡¯s all. Don¡¯t worry about what I said. Anyway, so you wanna get some coffee before we record?¡± ¡°You know it!¡± But I couldn¡¯t help worrying about the abrupt conversation we just had. Not only Yuta is hiding something, but Sanjiro as well. I felt a little uneasy, but shrugged it off as friends having secrets to keep. Maybe Yuta has something embarrassing and wants to keep it from the public ear. Yeah. That seems reasonable. Walking out of the large auditorium, we realize there was no need to bring anything at all. The bags we brought were not relevant today and were totally useless. We start walking to the nearby shopping center for lunch and the occasional window shopping before we head back to Fuyu. Hands held together like always. ¡°Sanjiro?¡± ¡°Yeah Suzume?¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°Believe what?¡± ¡°Just everything that¡¯s been going on lately.¡± ¡°You mean about our music? Or our relationship?¡± I ponder for a small period of time. ¡°I-It¡¯s actually a bit of both.¡± I chuckle and swing our arms highly forward and backward in a pendulum motion. ¡°Ever since we started doing music together a few months ago, I¡¯ve always had this optimism about becoming someone that others could recognize just by a simple word.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about Icesolate, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, also us as a couple.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but look down at the ground. All of a sudden, Sanjiro exhales a larger sigh than normal, for the sake of getting my attention. I was actually a little worried about him and the fact that he might have been actually more tired than me. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s insane! Over a million plays in just over two weeks. That¡¯s awesome for our first track...¡± Sanjiro says in an attempt to change the conversation topic. His expression quickly fades into seriousness. ¡°...But I still don¡¯t feel too good about it.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I question. ¡°I mean, a lot of people were commenting that it sounds good, but generic.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Generic can still be good.¡± Generic. A word that I absolutely hate. All forms of media want to jump on a bandwagon that leads them to fame. That¡¯s the easy way. I have morals. Morals that want me to succeed the right way. Just like the legends before me. Not the legends living right now. After all, they¡¯ll be forgotten in a couple years. But it''s hard to come up with something innovative and new while appealing to the simple-minded public. It¡¯s saddening, but realistic nonetheless, and I¡¯ve learned to embrace that unfortunate mindset. ¡°Yeah I know that. But don¡¯t you wanna be something greater? Something bigger and better? Personally, if you ask me, I think we¡¯re much better than that. Like LOADS better than that.¡± Sanjiro states. ¡°So, are you saying that we need to be unique?¡± I question. My voice had a hint of satisfaction, but I don¡¯t know why. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then that could be highly subjective!¡± ¡°I want people to know our names. Yours, mine, and Yuta¡¯s. I want people to know our sound. They hear one of our songs and immediately think, ¡®Those guys are Icesolate! That¡¯s their style!¡¯ I want to have people recognize us as artists who stand out from the crowd.¡± ¡°You¡¯re expecting great things from us even after a couple of months. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little out of reach at the moment?¡± ¡°What are you even talking about? It¡¯s the fact that it¡¯s out of reach that gives me motivation to be the best. Having a drive to be the greatest is something everyone wishes for. Even if you don¡¯t succeed, at least your mind was already there, seeing the greener side. Honestly, with all the TV dramas you watch with me, I thought you learned SOMETHING out of it.¡± ¡°Well, I think the whole optimism deal with this leads only to false hope. I¡¯d like to think in the present where things can be controlled by me. I can choose my own decisions when I want it. And anything that happens, well, happens.¡± ¡°Whatever you¡¯re cool with, babe.¡± he casually shrugs again, swinging our arms at an even higher momentum. I chuckle and run out front of him, lightly shifting my hand away from his and grasps my other one behind my back. ¡°Well, if you REALLY think we can do it, I think that we are on our way to fame already!¡± I smile. He looks at me with a surprised facial expression. The face that glows up when something special happens. Yeah. That face. The sun shines down between us and the horizon in the distance, leaving only silhouettes of our bodies on the sidewalk underneath us. ¡°It¡¯s pretty isn¡¯t it?¡± I ask him. He turns his head away from the beautiful scenery and looks at me, smile as bright as the sun. ¡°It sure is.¡± As subtle as he may have tried to be, I could obviously determine a double meaning behind those words. All I could do was look joyful and feel loved for the emotion behind his answer. ¡°Let¡¯s keep walking. Don¡¯t wanna waste too much time before we go back to the college for the rest of orientation stuff.¡± I advise Sanjiro. ¡°Yeah-yeah-yeah.¡± I rush back to his side and continue to hold his hand. ¡°Your palms are sweaty.¡± he says. Taking my hand, I curl it into a fist and slug him in the shoulder firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t say that to a girl." ¡°Sorry, sorry. I just felt like saying a famous lyric. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°What are you even talking about?¡± I laugh. We end up walking through a park, where little children are running and playing, the elderly are walking and doing non-extraneous exercise, and the typical middle-aged person is freaking about a job interview. Tall, skinny trees populate the area like mythical nature creatures in still motion. In the distance, leaves of green and flower buds of pink and red splatter the ground with vibrant color. ¡°...and that¡¯s why we are the way we are today.¡± Sanjiro ends a conversation with. I couldn¡¯t help but look bored and tired. ¡°So...what do you think? Of my amazing speech?¡± ¡°It was a speech, alright.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°No! No! It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it. I mean, I just wasn¡¯t expecting something so boring to come out of your mouth. I also never thought it was possible to fall asleep while you walk.¡± ¡°Right, right. You don¡¯t take speeches that well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just people talking over and over again. Just be blunt about it. Don¡¯t dress it up with random words and witty phrases. Just, ya know, say it?¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s who I am. You gotta admit, even with my boring conversations, I¡¯m still an all-around interesting guy to date though, right?¡± Sighh... ¡°That¡¯s why I fell in love with you.¡± A long pause burrows its way into our conversation. ¡°Hey Sanjiro.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°The sun reminds me of you, ya know?¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°It¡¯s warm and inviting. It¡¯s bright and lovely.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty standard to say.¡± he playfully scoffs. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± I question in a provoking manner. ¡°You can do so much better than that! So generic.¡± he face lights up with a mischievous persona surrounding him. There¡¯s that word again. This kid, I swear. I could feel the anger rise up within me. He knows what he¡¯s doing. He¡¯s doing it on purpose on top of that! ¡°Alright, you got me. Lemme think about it some more.¡± I say, gesturing as if I had to deeply wonder a more convincing compliment for him. ¡°The sun is the biggest celestial body in our solar system. Yet, it doesn¡¯t amount to the size of love I have for you. How about that?¡± ¡°Ok, now you¡¯re starting to become cheesy with your compliments.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than what you can come up with!¡± ¡°Is that a challenge? I DO write the lyrics cause yours are, how should I say, subpar.¡± A twitch of anger manifests into my head. ¡°Go ahead, see if you could do any better!¡± ¡°Alrighty then. Let¡¯s see¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re like the moon. See what I did there? You have thi-¡± And then. Just like that. Something out of the ordinary occurs. Still frames. Lifeless images. Flickering. Dancing in the inner mechanisms of my complex mind. What are these images? Memories? Visions? Like flash photography? I asked myself these questions with no answers in the proximity of my mind to grasp. Then, the wind that was blowing around me stopped. Not a single sound can be heard anymore. That light breeze suddenly paused. What peculiar weather. I stand still and take a closer look at my surroundings. The birds are still flying above me, and the leaves on the trees are still swaying consistently in one direction. No. That¡¯s not it. I try to say a phrase. In fact, any word will do. Just something to make sure I¡¯m not crazy. Something to make sure I¡¯m not completely insane right now. Hopefully Sanjiro understands what¡¯s going on. ¡°Hey Sanjir-¡± I pause and look down at the ground in shock. I couldn¡¯t believe it. I can¡¯t hear myself anymore. ¡°What the-¡± I push down on my ear like pushing on a headset. Am I deaf? Is this something that happens often? I can¡¯t hear him anymore. He is inaudible to me. No sound enters my ears, yet his mouth is still enunciating words, carrying on the conversation. He is still paying attention and looking at me, smiling at me as he talks. However, I don¡¯t know if I can do the same back to him. I stare back with looks of remorse and panic. My heart pounds more than normal, and I start to breathe quickly and at an uneven rate. ¡°This-This feeling...exactly like this morning... What the hell¡¯s going o-¡± I clench my chest intensely and fall to my knees. I couldn¡¯t hear my body against the pavement either. Sharp pains resonate from the upper left side of my chest. My entire arm shaking violently. I can¡¯t stop. If I try to stay still, my brain will automatically force my arm to continue jerking around in an unstable manner. Despite all that¡¯s happening to my feeble body right now, I somehow muster the strength to look up at Sanjiro. He¡¯s still paying attention and looking at me. But the smile he had painted on his face was gone. It disappeared. It was replaced by a harsh, worrisome look. He asks something with a shaky voice. He quickly runs over to my side and touches my forehead, thinking that I have a cold. Her hands feel soft and smooth as they press against the surface. ¡°I¡¯m not sick...The pain is coming from here¡­¡± I stutter, hoping that the words could reach his ear. He starts to point at my chest while yelling something. I can only see him point at my chest. Something about my chest, huh? I take my hand over my chest and look at it. The sight is unnerving. Purple and red liquid drip down from my palm and fingers to the concrete. ¡°What is this stu-¡± I cough up dark red blood unevenly mixed in with multiple shades of purple. Gross, unnerving shades that make me spit even more out. I couldn¡¯t stop. I had only short break intervals in which I could breathe, but that still doesn¡¯t help the situation. My breath was shaky. The odor that lingered in my mouth was absolutely unbearable. Just as unbearable as the liquid that flows on the ground. The red and purple eventually mixed at a certain point on the concrete. A dark maroon color appeared as if two different cans of paint splattered into each other. ¡°Please...call...an ambulance.¡± I muster the strength to say those four yearning words. I look up and see him with a phone already in hand, worriedly talking into it. The face of sadness and fear fills his pupils and body. This sensation. Could only make me stay perfectly still. I didn¡¯t want to move. And then, with that thought, My own mind betrayed me. Like a traitor. I stood up. I walked. And walked. Sanjiro pulling on me trying to bring me back and sit me back down. Even if I couldn¡¯t hear him, I could sense the urgency in his silent voice. I wanted to. But I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t understand why. What¡¯s going on? Then I reach an intersection. A four way intersection with stoplights and zooming cars. I couldn¡¯t control anything. What even is control? Mindlessly, I kept reaching for something in the distance. It looked like a young woman. In her early thirties. Maybe late twenties? Mom?...Help me¡­ I had no idea why I uttered those words. Nightmarish and confused. A bright light shined down onto my face once more. But it wasn¡¯t inviting like before. It was scorching and burning. Like a sunburn. The sun, it burns... And then at that moment, limping like a mindless, undead creature, I saw an even brighter light coming in from my left side. Two of them actually. These lights, much better¡­ And even with deaf ears and minimal understanding of what¡¯s going on, I could hear a humming sound, slowly getting louder and louder. Am I getting my hearing back? It was like a convertible, driving by with the top down, music blasting out the sound system. It¡¯s funny how the last thing I could hear was music. But it¡¯s even funnier realizing something. I was right. It was a convertible with the top down. And this time, I didn¡¯t opened my eyes again. And it wasn¡¯t calm and gentle. Full of disturbances. No tranquility. Chapter 3.5 Heartbreak Bump bump¡­ Bump bump¡­ Bump bump, bump bump, bump¡­ *beep* ...eee ooo eee ooo eee ooo eee ooo... Sound after sound fills the air. It¡¯s a symphony that no one would ever want to hear. Police sirens wail like screaming children desperately looking for their parents. Flashing lights and petrified looks are the only thing that could be seen even from the next block down. Something this violent or terrible hasn¡¯t happened since the imaginary cat got stuck in the nonexistent tree. No one could ever see it coming. Not even two poor souls. Which is what makes this the more intimidating. ¡°From what I saw, she just walked out in front of the road, with no idea of a car whatsoever.¡± one pedestrian described. He didn¡¯t look scared or shook up, but just nervous at the fact that he had to see something like this. A policeman scribbled notes vigorously onto a notepad with an average look, much different than the contrasting faces of everyone else around. He¡¯s seen this type of thing before, it¡¯s almost disturbing how much he¡¯s gotten used to it. But the worst part of it all is the astonishing number of people who held their children a little tighter, their mouths opened a little larger in shock. The tears from strangers who feel for the ones who just lost their lives. Even worse than strangers are friends who knew them. The female victim had two close friends walking by in the opposite direction. Screaming and yelling, bawling and sobbing, no one could do a thing to bring the dead back to life, or bring the life back into dead eyes that will forever be scarred. And the saddest event from this whole tragedy came from one lone person who dropped his bag in disbelief. The facial expression he had was as ugly as the mutilated face of the two victims. Dirty blonde hair. Male. College student. After all, who else could fit that description better than Yuta. Yuta was thinking about the future in that moment. Not his. But Sanjiro and Suzume. What could he do to move on from this? What will he do? The simple thought passed across his mind. What would become of Icesolate, the group that was his savior, the group that became his home sweet home?If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He could only fall to his knees and punch the ground. Vibrating pupils like anger punching the prison wall to escape and commit its wrath. ¡°It¡¯s not fair...it¡¯s not fair...it¡¯s not fair!!! What the fuck is this?!?! What the fuck am I looking at here?!?!¡± A sadistic smile of regret, fear and countless other deadly emotions rose from cheek to cheek. ¡°Sanjiro...Suzume...you lied to me!! You promised me, we would change the industry together, and you pull something stupid like this?! I gave you my life, and you pulled it away from me with you to your graves?! That¡¯s bullshit!!¡± he yelled into the distance. Those bystanding stood back a couple feet, not wanting to be caught in the midst of his justified rage. His attention directed from the accident scene to the ambulance where a middle-aged male was resting, still shaken up about the whole situation. ¡°You...it was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± The middle-aged man looked up in despair and intense terror. ¡°You did this...huh¡­¡± The middle-aged man glanced down at the corpses then back at the screaming student. A dark, non-comforting smile arose from Yuta. ¡°Why did you do it¡­¡± he whispered to the man. The man could only shake as his response. Almost like his excessive shaking was morse code. Yuta reached for the man¡¯s collar, and grabbed it like his whole being was put at judgment at this very moment. ¡°Tell me!! Tell me right now!! Was it an accident, or was it on purpose?!¡± Yuta screamed into the man¡¯s ear. No answer. ¡°Answer me now, or I¡¯ll kill you! Let you join them and let you confront the rage they must feel for you right now!!¡± The paramedics entered the fray. ¡°Hey, you. Step away from hi-¡± The paramedic duo stopped and looked at the boy who let go and pushed back on the crinkled collar of Sanjiro and Suzume¡¯s grim reaper. No longer a student, but a defenseless boy¡­ ¡°I-I don¡¯t wanna ever see y-your face ag-again¡­¡± Yuta uttered with tears welling up and overflowing down his cheeks. His knees sunk to the ground once again, and he could only cry his heart out. Deep down, past all that anger and all those hateful words. Past all the mixed feelings and troubled mind, there was sadness. The rawest emotion that a human could ever give in a moment like this. Yuta looked back one final time as he slowly walked back to his bag, papers blown away in the deadly sunset that holds more story than the world could ever read to him. ¡°Coffee, my ass.¡± were his final words to the couple, never looking back, leaving behind the disgrace that would hold his reins for the rest of his life if he let it. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ It¡¯s sad¡­ It really is¡­ Cause underneath that police and ambulance body tarp, was not just the purple and red mixed blood that was invisible to the medics. Underneath that tarp are, in fact, two causes of death. One: By whatever mysterious circumstance that happened to the young, hopeful girl. And two: By car crash that protected the girl from an even more gruesome death. The male victim¡¯s arms wrapped around the girl in one final embrace. One embrace that would break hearts, physically and mentally. It was a vow that had been fulfilled to the end. Even until the day they died. Chapter 4: Altering Influence Here I am again¡­ A place that leaves only the simplest of thoughts¡­ The world that stands around me is white and blank. Like a freshly-unwrapped canvas ready to be splattered and stroked with by technique and color. I could see nothing, yet I could see everything. Everything was silent brightness, yet that brightness is just as frightening as the dark that consumes my hope. I...I was hit, wasn¡¯t I?... No doubt about that¡­ Ringing sounds echoed in my head, and the dizziness from the sudden change in environment left me incapable of thinking about anything. Anything at all. The sudden realization hit me. I can hear again. Well, it seems kinda useless now. Is this what death is? Feels like nothing¡­ Typical... Regrets and everything that held my future in its grasp suddenly left free. I could never think about anything ever again. My body was too numb to move a single muscle. Or maybe I could move my muscles, but I felt no sensation anymore. My nerves shot? Possibly. Sanjiro...I¡¯m so sorry. I...I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. It¡¯s all my fault. Just...don¡¯t hold it against me. Live on without me. So many questions flooded the inner mechanisms of my mind. Just like my dream, huh?... I could only think of Sanjiro, Yuta, and everyone close to me, living my life. The thought of them moving on started to hurt more and more. I could envision Sanjiro finding someone new and Yuta finally getting a girlfriend. Sanjiro would get married, have children, and eventually grow old and die happy. While I¡¯m here growing young and dying young. Is this jealousy? It feels horrible. I just wished that he could have come along with me, so that I could always be with him. I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m selfish. I¡¯m human. I can wish for things. A sense of self doubt and realization hits me. Well, I guess not anymore. These thoughts are painful. It¡¯s excruciatingly painful. I can feel the agony clenched up in my chest. Yet no feeling wants to come out all by itself. It remains trapped like an innocent bird in a metal cage, wishing to show itself to the outside world. And with that thought, the cage door burst open. I felt a surge of energy pulse through my body. Not the supernatural kind. Just the type that had always filled my body prior. I moved my arms and legs, my fingers and my toes, and any other body part to reassure that nothing was paralyzed. It¡¯s just like swimming¡­ I stroke my arms and propel myself around this seemingly infinite space. Just to gather my surroundings. The longer I ¡°swim¡± around, the more I doubt my being. What the hell is this? Am I even dead?.. Only one way to find out. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± I say clearly. ¡°Wait, I can speak? On top of that, my voice is completely clear¡­¡± Instantly, the amorphous ambiance that filled the room began to change. The clear, surprisingly breathable liquid began to ripple and wave. An invisible substance that decides by itself when to become visible? ¡°What the hell is this stuff?¡± I mutter. Looking around, I search for an answer to this question when I spot a figure in the distance. My brain scatters around too much to help myself with anything. It looks like a person. Who is that over there?.. I can¡¯t stop thinking of questions I don¡¯t know the answer too. In my attempt to figure things out, or at least make things easier, I wave my arms and legs, hoping to catch his or her attention. Maybe it¡¯s not a person?.. I guess it could be something else. Or maybe my eyes playing tricks on me. The water (or so I¡¯ll call it for now) obscures my vision with its rippling effect, creating confusion with my eyesight. ¡°Hey! Over there! Hello?! Can you hear me? Oh come on! I don¡¯t like being ignored! Who are you?! Hellooooo?!¡± I yell in desperation. No response. In fact, it looked like the ¡°thing¡± was also in the same situation as me. Asking the same questions, looking the same direction. A mirror. It looks like a mirror. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I rhetorically ask. Reflective substance. Clear ripples. This liquid is a mirror. EXACTLY like a mirror. I spin in a circle as I think of the possibilities that set itself before me. Floating in a zero-gravity atmosphere and environment that keeps me feeling like a fetus. Then I notice my reflection start to flicker. The faded, translucent figure dissipates into another shape. Another reflection. Another person. It¡¯s floating in its own space, yet the space feels like it¡¯s combined with mine. Like it¡¯s one with me. I swim over to the figure, hoping to catch a better glimpse from a closer distance. ¡°Almost there.¡± I never realized the water was less resistant until I started swimming in it. The waves and troughs created with my aerodynamic current became it¡¯s own wind trails like a fighter jet zipping past the white masses of air. Despite how clear this liquid is, I feel like no matter how much closer and closer I get to the figure, it ends up being more and more blurry. I¡¯d expect something entirely different, but that just may be my assumption of physics in this afterlife. Is this even the afterlife?Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! It was confusing enough, but I continue swimming. I need to stop multitasking with my thoughts. But a simple indication of where I am would be helpful. Just a small hint. Come on...I¡¯m almost there... ¡°Just a couple more feet¡­¡± I struggle. My legs were tired of kicking. However, my glide across the water was abruptly halted by a thud sound. I impacted against another invisible force. It was like a wall separated my question from my answer. Banging and hitting the wall, I yell in the slight chance that whoever would be able to hear it. No response. Once again. I get no response. Excessively punching it, I start to worry and lose hope. This figure seems like it was unconscious. There¡¯s no point. Maybe this is where I stay when I die. Just nothingness. After all, what am I? A small speck in the whole grand scheme of life. If all it takes is one unfortunate car crash, I don¡¯t deserve a second chance. I turn around and place my back flat against the wall. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°What do I...do?..¡± I cry, letting my walls come down entirely. I couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore. The facade of my emotions drifted down into the nonexistent depths below me. I could only let it all out like water overflowing the peak of my patience. ¡°What did I do to deserve this?..¡± I wept. ¡°Sanjiro¡­¡± The mention of his name in my voice and the thought of his smile in my head made me sob even harder. The tears drip down my face and float up to a nonexistent surface. A place where I am alone, never to join anyone in any human interaction ever again. Or so I thought. My clouded, teary eyes sense a bright pinging light in the distance. I wipe my tears away and stare in shock at the marvel before me. Small droplets of tears rise up slowly, but as they drift up into nothingness, they emit a luminescent blink of white light like a signal. Autonomous in intensity, and consistent in beat. It was like a visualizer for music. It made me feel happy when they flicker every time. It became my flash of inspiration with every one that slowly disappeared. ¡°Maybe in the afterlife...I¡¯ll be fine.¡± This fellow feeling I have in my heart feels bittersweet. ¡°Suzume¡­¡± I could hear the voices in my head. The memories of good times flash by again. ¡°Yes Sanjiro...I¡¯m okay. Everything will be fine.¡± I whisper to myself. ¡°Suzume...Suzume...Suzume?..Suzume?!¡± The voice gets louder in my head. And with every time I hear my name echo in my eardrums, a new memory appears. ¡°Turn around!¡± the voice yells. I suddenly open my eyes wide. And realize that this isn¡¯t just a thought nor a memory. Not even a hallucination. It was real. The voice was real. ¡°Turn around!¡± the voice screams louder. With that final grasp at my attention, I turn around with hope in my heart again. The hope that I thought drifted away had floated its way back up to me, expelling my doubts and fears. The rotation felt like an eternity like I was seeing my life for the first time. I see another person. The person who I had been trying to get the attention of finally woke up. And that was all I needed to stay sane. But that wasn¡¯t all. There was more. Not only am I relieved, but I am also angrily confused. Cause the person who I was screaming for, and the person who was screaming for me was none other than the only one who could possibly know who I am from the back. ¡°S-Sanjiro?!?!¡± I had no other words. I had so many mixed emotions running through my veins. ¡°What are you doing here? You aren¡¯t supposed to be here!¡± My selflessness vanished. ¡°I should have been the only one to die! I deserved it! I¡¯m the one that should be here! You don¡¯t need me anymore!¡± I rant. I said things I would have never said one year ago. But now, my train of thought could only focus on putting myself down. ¡°Sanjiro. I don¡¯t want to see your face anymore...I-I can¡¯t see anything happy with you anymore. If you¡¯re here, then that means I killed you too. It¡¯s hard, even in a million miles and hours later to see any way of me coming to terms with you.¡± I sulk. My heart sank and I feel nothing but self-pity as the only answer to the situation I¡¯m in. I stared back at the missing bottom again. ¡°Suzume.¡± he says gently. I look up and see no malice in his eyes, despite what I just said. All that I see is an innocent smile, the most important asset of his whole personality. ¡°I want you to hear me, okay. So don¡¯t be scared.¡± he yearns. Out of confusion, all I could say was huh? With that request, the smile that shone on his face disappeared, and his true colors and feelings at that moment appeared. ¡°What the hell are you saying?!?! I can¡¯t believe the words coming out of your mouth!! I-I don¡¯t even know where to begin!!¡± Despite his words to not be scared, I couldn¡¯t help but jolt back and stare back with a terrified look on my face. ¡°Do you think I wanted to die too?! Don¡¯t answer that question. No, I don¡¯t. You gave me light in my darkest moment. I could have chosen so many other girls to date. Yet, you were my first pick. You wanna know why?! Don¡¯t answer that question. Because you were the cutest.¡± My scared expression is gone, but I¡¯m still on edge. ¡°Yeah, it seems like the most shallow reason to like someone. For looks, I know. But the more I got to know you, the more I realized that I made the luckiest decision of my life.¡± He bangs the wall between us. The sound reverbs. ¡°And I would...¡± *Bang* ¡°...never¡­¡± *Bang* ¡°...change¡­¡± *Bang* ¡°...a single thing.¡± He stops his fist from hitting the wall one last time and takes one long pause to catch his breath. ¡°I¡¯m not good at speeches or meaningful stuff, but I don¡¯t want to ever hear you say that again¡­It hurts me so much.¡± I stare down back at my floating feet. Shame overcame me this time instead of self-pity. That feeling left just like all the other ones. ¡°Hey. Look up.¡± he sternly says. Depressed, I slowly glare up at his face. His face is serious, yet relaxed. Then he opens his mouth. I clench for more scolding. ¡°I love you. Suzume.¡± I widen my eyes in surprise, breathless at the four words that spilled out his mouth. ¡°I really love you, Suzume.¡± he smiles with warmth in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to let you go. I wanted to protect you from whatever that weird red and purple stuff was, but for now¡­¡± He puts his hand against the invisible surface. ¡°I want to be with you right now.¡± he says with sadness yet satisfaction in his heart. My world instantly lit up with those words. Ever since he said he loved me, my heart has been aching with the pain of regret. Regret that I said those terrible things about myself. About Sanjiro. Droplets of tears begin to well up in Sanjiro¡¯s eyes, his hand still plastered against the clear wall between us. ¡°I-I-I¡­¡± I stutter, reaching the palm of my hand to the mirror that is his hand as well. ¡°Let it all out...I know what you¡¯re feeling right now.¡± he says with a calm expression painted on his face. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± I sob. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean anything that I said¡­¡± I could only cry in front of him. No one else. Ironically, I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯ll be able to touch him one more time. All I can do is put my hand against his and weep. Fear, anger, regret, despair, happiness, all of that is useless right now. All I want to do is cry. And that¡¯s all I could do. After he poured his entire heart out for me to see, I poured my heart out for him through my obnoxious crying sounds. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I forgive you.¡± he caringly says to me. The faint echo from his words could stick forever in my mind. I would keep it on repeat for the rest of my death. With the anguished sounds that uttered my mouth, I slowly felt the wall dissipate and a large torrent of water swept me and Sanjiro and forced our bodies together with great force. ¡°Gah!¡± Sanjiro jerks. In a large whirlpool of unknown substance, we spin around in circles that leave us disoriented. It was like the two chambers that separated the both of us suddenly joined forces to create one large chamber. In that instant, the invisible wall shattered into a colorful array of light that mimicked broken stained glass. Like it finally accepted the both of us and our love. With that, we drift away with our arms reaching for each other. The force pulls and pushes us away from each other like a ballroom dance that is only as elegant as the water wants us to be. The torrent raging tosses and turns us like the midst of an extreme typhoon. But as unnatural and hypnotic that this whole ¡°hydro-dance¡± was, we parted as quickly as we met. And that was it. That was last we saw each other. The flurry of water blinded the vision of my surroundings. Reaching my hand in any direction, hoping for a another one of a different kind to grasp it in a last attempt. But it was hopeless. Our meeting was only the gilded gateway to another world. Another timeline. And most importantly,.. Another body.