*HASHIBA MAEHARA*
"What are you thinking about Mitsuru?" I said to Misturu.
"I hope no one ever finds the body..." he said calmly, with no expression on his face whatsoever!
It's lunch and everyone's at this huge cafeteria. And for some reason... Mitsuru's acting weird... Because he's staring at me while he's drinking...
"Hey! Quit staring at me! You pervert!"
"SHIT!" Mitsuru looked down quickly, as he clicked his tongue. That was random...
"Sorry. I hate it, when I'm staring at nothing in particular and just now I realised that I'm staring at someone...."
I really hate that feeling.
"Well... you really need to go and get your eyes fixed... Because the way you were staring at me... seemed very sexual! I feel soo uncomfortable....! You are a pervert!" I began wiggling around, acting like a total doofus.
"Deja poo..."
"Huh?! I'm pretty sure it's pronounced; Deja vu!"
"The feeling that I've heard this shit before..."
"What the hell is wrong with you?! And stop staring at me! It's creepy!" I gasped so hard that I choked on my drink.
I'm scared D'you swing that way?! Coz I want no part of it! It can't be.... Mitsuru!..... Is gay?!
"What's wrong with you?" He asked, looking at me in utter disbelief.
"What's wrong with YOU?!"
*MITSURU FUKUYAMA*
This guy has officially gone insane.
"Seriously, we're both dudes...We can't just do that!"
What the hell is he talking about? I'll just pretend he's not here... That's what I'm trying to do at least...
"I mean... I know I'm extremely hot! I guess I won't Mind!" Maehara continued rambling about the weather...
This room is air conditioned... I don't get it...
All I'm doing is drinking this nice, cold, long glass of punch?... I actually don't know what this is... At least I know it's not alcohol...
"This glass is filled with how much I care for you..." I looked down into the full glass.
I knew I was going to trick him, so I smiled. He looked very shocked.
"That much! You actually do care for me!..... am I gay?!" He said erratically.
I swallowed the whole thing down. "Oh-its empty..."
"! How dare you?!"
"Hehe hehe!"
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*SAYURI SCHREIBER *
"Hey! Just curious... but do you actually trust the principal?" I asked out randomly, unexpecting a proper answer.
"No. Why?" Yusari answered calmly.
"That was a quick answer..."
Me and Yusari are heading outside after occupying the bathroom. It was going to be a long ride to the next part of the trip.
"Why were you asking? Did you find something about him?!" She said with enthusiasm.
"No... have you?"
"I wouldn't be asking you if I knew..." Yusari's enthusiasm died down.
"Right..."
"It's just... I wouldn't trust him if I were you..."
It felt strange coming from her... its almost like she holding a buried secret inside... or am I over exaggerating it?...
"So, what's Ao-ki-gahar?..." I asked with caution as we walked outside and met the guys, who were standing by the bus.
"Oh. That's the suicide forest." Yusari answered calmly.
"Suicide forest?! Why are we going there?!"
"So, what?... people go and commit suicide there?..." Mitsuru asked calmly, but I'm surprised for a Japanese person, he should know right?
"Yep. Exactly." Yusari answered. But I immediately cut in- "Huh?! Why are we going there?!"
"To commit suicide." We all froze and stared at Mitsuru, he sounded like he had no empathy. As though he was busy imagining it.
"What?" He said in confusion. "It's just a joke...." he said after noticing our sudden reaction to his statement.
"Oooh!~" Maehara reacted as if he just got the joke. But nobody thought that was funny...
"Don't make jokes like that!" I exclaimed in worry.
Mitsuru looked down with regret, but not the sad kinda regret just that he shouldn't have said that...
"Well, actually, Aokigahara is the sea of forests and it's a really great tourist attraction." Yusari said as if nothing happened.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Maehara sparked out excitement and ran toward the bus.
We all quickly caught up because we were the last ones to arrive. I thought Mitsuru came along with us, but I guess we left him behind. He didn't seem as excited as everyone else.
*MITSURU FUKUYAMA *
I think it's best if I don't go. After everyone sat inside the bus, "Again! Mitsuru! Hurry up!" Mr Shintaru shouted from the entrance of the bus.
"Sorry... but I'm not going..."
"What? Why?" Shintaru asked with a confused expression.
Does he really want me to say it infront of everyone? He knows exactly why!
"Because I don't think it's a good idea... For me to go..."
"Huh? Don't worry, you'll be fine!"
He pretty much dragged me on the bus and forced me to go... yeah...sure... I'll be fine....and so will everyone else... When I'm dead...
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Aokigahara forest... I didn't know what to expect... But, as I'm walking in...slowly. Everything around, feels... empty. The trees were talk and escalating. It shadowed everything below. The forest had a creepy and scary feeling to it but... not to me...
They not scary... In fact, they're lonely. I can feel the sadness inside it. The trees seemed conjested together, but take a closer look and you will see, they are very distant....
It feels lonely in here...
The whisper of the spirits, the forest sees... To escape it...leaves.
The trees look dead but they have not died...
The day has come...where I realise... That you are alive...
*SAYURI SCHREIBER *
I constantly have to keep an eye on him. But everytime I do... he seems even more sad... I hate to see him like that. He's not interested intern the class, but he's there, behind us, touching the trees and deep in thought...
He seems lonely...but peaceful...
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"Come on, everyone! Keep up!" Mr Shintaru yelled and waving at them from the front of the line.
"Ah! Why do we have to walk so much?!" Maehara complained as he tried to catch up with his classmates.
This is such a lovely trip inside a beautiful forest. However, Mitsuru hasn't said a word since. The more we explore ahead, the more further he's left behind.
"Hey. Is everything OK?" Yusari called out, but I didn't expect that I was far away from the rest of the crowd.
"Yeah. I'm just worried. I'll catch up with you guys later!"
"Ok."
I dashed towards Mitsuru, who is placing his palm on a tree and looking up at the leaves.
"You seemed stunned by its beauty don't you?..." I asked as I reached by him.
"Yeah..." He responded but failed to make any eye contact with me. His eyes only looked up, trying to reach the sky but the trees were strangling him down. Like, he was looking for an escape but resisted to the trees.
"But not only that..." he spoke in a delicate tone.
"...Its sadness... It feels...very lonely.."
"I love it..." I said as I looked up at the sky where the trees cover the light, leaving us in darkness.
"Who knew... darkness would be this beautiful..." I said.
"Hmm..." it sounded like he agreed while looking at me.
"If darkness was this beautiful... I would stay in it... forever..." I continued as I tried to break out from sun's presence.
*MITSURU FUKUYAMA *
I looked into her eyes and saw darkness... it frightened me. She's been through hell and back... yet she still stands strong.
"Come on. We're getting left behind". She suggested we go back.
"Oh. Yeah...." I followed her through the forest.
However, I couldn't help it, I was captivated by everything around me. My head couldn't stay still... Until,...I froze..
Opposite me...in the distance... was a girl standing behind a tree...
She was hiding a few miles away, it would be hard to see her clearly in this forest. But there was no time at just staring at her, as soon as she saw me she ran. It almost looked like she had disappeared.
My heart pounded.
"Hey! Wait!" I began running after her.
"Mitsuru! Where are you going?!"
Flashbacks of my sisters death haunted me as I ran. I didn't know who I was chasing. What if this girl commits suicide?!
That very thought frienghted me.
I sprinted as fast as I could, tripped over a few ropes, which were strung by one tree to another. But, I grabbed myself up and continued running, no matter what the signs were. I found myself ducking under these strings and ropes just to get to her.
Before I realised it... I was already deep into the forest. I... I was lost.... lost... just like the trees in this forest...
All of these emotions I was feeling from this forest, came crashing down at me.
Sadness. Fear. Sorrow. Pain.
I felt it all, as my heart was racing. As my lungs were panting.
The trees look dead... but they have not died...
The day has come... where I realise...
That I am Alive!
All these emotions running through me... made me feel alive!
I stopped and listened to the sound of this silent forest. I never realised this before... everything I've been through until now...
The suicide, the tragedy and the pain...
It all proved to me that I'm still alive.
I've never felt so grateful in my whole life... and this is the great lesson that I've learned... from the suicide forest...
"Mitsuru! What are you doing?!" I turned around calmly as I saw Sayuri in distress.
She ran after me. But I was disappointed that I couldn't save the girl. I would've taught the lesson I learnt and maybe she could've lived.
"What are you two doing?!" Mr Shintaru came running towards with alot of adults following behind him.
"Mitsuru started running off into the forest! I only went after him-!" Sayuri exclaimed.
"Didn't I tell you not to?!" Shintaru interrupted with a rhetorical question.
"But! What if something bad happen-?!" She objected.
"Then I would've takin care of it! Got it?" Shintaru yelled angrily.
"Yes sir..." Sayuri looked down and placed herself in this mess. She took the blame... but why?
The teacher looked at me, awaiting my explanation.
"Didn't you see her? There was a girl, just right here! I thought she came to kill herself. So I went after her..." I said lowering my gaze when I'd realise that it was no use trying to explain to them about someone who isn't here as a witness.
"There was nobody here..." Shintaru looked strangely confused. I don't understand... I swear I saw her here!
I looked at Sayuri... judging by her expression, she had no idea what I was talking about.
"Ok. Both of you go back to the bus... I'll apologise to the workers, who have allowed us to come here for a field trip... your behievour is unacceptable."
"...what about the girl?..." he asked softly.
"I'll ask them if they've seen anyone..."
To be continued...