The life of a person is long; full of hardships and strife.
People try to live their life to the fullest, making the most of each day and pushing past the struggle that is their existence.
Most live to die of old age; most live a good life. But life isn't always so wonderful to those who experience what hell the world has to offer.
So is it truly worth it? To live your life to the end; through the nightmare? Or would you give up, hoping to end it all and die; yearning for something better...
But giving up doesn't always mean "Waking up".
"Gah, Ack... where... where the hell am I?"
Looking around I realized I was in a hospital room. I had an IV connected to blood bags pumping fresh blood into my body; there was bandages wrapped around my head as well.
I must have gotten into some kind of accident...but I don't remember what happened.
"I see your awake kid."
I turned to notice an old man sitting next to my bed; he was wearing a pricy looking black suit; but the cuffs were tattered and his collar was unbuttoned. He looked like he was in his late forties; hair shaved short, stubble beard; he had a large scar over his neck that looked deep.
He took out a cigarette and lit it; taking a long drag and letting out a plume of smoke.
"You know why I'm here?" He looked like the kind of guy who didn't take no for an answer.
"No" I replied.
He looked at the floor as he spoke. "I came for you, but I don't know why. Hey, you remember anything from last night?"
"...Fuck no. I must have gotten drunk and crashed my car."
He looked at me with a serious look on his face. "Do you remember anything about the recent attacks?"
"Attacks?"
He took another drag of his cigarette.
"Recently there have been a lot of bombing attacks in Tokyo. The Prime Minister's callin' them "terrorist strikes''. But that don't even cover half the attacks on random citizens..."
He stood up, walking over to the window.
"Thing is...one happened just last night. At Asakusa Hanayashiki amusement park."
"Asakusa…Rgh..ah.."
My head hurt, some throbbing pain coming from the core of my brain. Was I at Asakusa? Didn't I go with someone…?
"Ahh...ngh…"
He watched me silently as a pounding pain shot through my skull.
"You may not remember, but you were there kid. Last night."
He walked over sitting back down, and by then the pain had subsided.
"You were the only survivor of the attack."
"Wha…?" There were thousands of people there last night, how could I have been the only one?"
"I can tell you're confused, we can talk. But not here, follow me to the roof; Shikari Kojo."
"How the hell do you know my name?"
He looked back at me as he began to walk out the door.
"Why don't you quit bitchin and get your ass to the roof and find out." He said.
"Tch..."
Getting off the bed I noticed that there was nothing wrong with me. Nothing was broken or damaged.
But if there was nothing wrong, why the hell am I in the hospital?
As I began to make my way up to the roof a nurse tried to stop me from leaving my bed.
"Please sir, you can't leave your room!"
I walked out into the hall, ignoring the annoying woman.
Arriving at the roof I noticed the old man smoking once again; but there was some little girl with a sack over her head.
"Who...is that? What's going on!?"
He threw away his cigarette. "Shikari Kojo, fourth year of Asuka high school.
Born 2001, October 21. 1429 Sakura St."
"How do you…"
"You live with your Mom and sister Honzu Kojo. You would have graduated in five months, you were planning on getting into college on a baseball scholarship, but your delinquent tendencies and violent nature got you expelled."
"So? The hell do you want with me? And who is that girl!?" I demanded.
He took out a gun from his back pocket; tossing it to me.
"Now...I'm only going to say this once, kid.
Shoot yourself." He said.
"Wha? Why the hell would I do that?!"
He took out a second gun from his back pocket. Putting it up to the girl's head.
"What if I told you "this" is Honzu; it doesn't seem impossible for it to be her.
Seein as how I know so much about you"
"True...but I'm not an idiot. Anyone could find that out on the school roaster.
What proof do you have of that being her? Or if that's a real gun..."
"But are you willing to take that chance?" He asked.
"..."
"Sigh...fine. Have it your way…"
He took off the sack, revealing a girl with long black hair and pink glasses.
"Honzu…"
Bang! He shot a bullet into Honzu's leg.
"Angh!" She screamed.
"No!"
"I ain't gonna repeat myself kid, shoot yourself or I put a bullet in this girl's skull."
"How do I know you won't harm her?!" I yelled.
"I could just shoot you and kill the her." He said.
"Ngh..."
I slowly picked up the gun; my arms were quaking and my mouth was dry. I tried picking it up but...I just couldn't.
It was like the gun was a million miles away; I could never reach it...yet I felt it as my hand slipped around the grip.
A sinking feeling came over me as I placed the gun up to my head.
"Don't worry Honzu, Shiko's got this! Big bro will protect you!" I shouted.
I looked at the man dead in the eyes; he nodded.
"Click" I heard the sound as the bullet was loaded into the barrel, ready to be fired and kill whoever was on the receiving end.
"You better not hurt a damn hair on her head...Like hell I'm gonna die! And you better haul ass because I'm gonna beat the crap outta you!"
He smiled. "Heh, I'm lookin' forward to it."
I closed my eyes taking a deep breath.
My finger was frozen, as was my whole body. Too afraid to move, less I pulled the trigger.
"Foooo...Haaaaa...Ngh…"
My mind raced as I stood there making a final decision. I don't want to die…I don't want to do this...I have to save her! But there's no time… Can't I just shoot him!?
He'll kill her too... Why did this happen to me!?
Survive the night just to wake up to another hell!?
Honzu called out, in a soft yet frightened voice.
"Onii-chan!"
At that moment I heard her voice.
She was so scared...so alone.
"Ah, Honzu..Rgh..Raaah!" Like hell I'm gonna kill myself!
I aimed the gun at the man and fired two shots; but he sidestepped them.
"What the hell?"
I tried to fire again, but the gun jammed, so I threw it at him.
"Argh..." He flinched.
In the split second he was distracted, I ran towards him; I just needed to get to him before he could kill Honzu… My legs were moving on their own; my mind was racing a hundred miles an hour.
But I knew one thing was for certain; this guy just pisses me off!
"Sigh...you failed." He said.
I came within an inch of nailing the guy.
He raised the gun; not at Honzu, but at me.
"Wha...!"
Bang!
I felt nothing… No word could describe what I felt in that moment. It was hot, then cold...like the sun shot through my mind only to be encompassed by a chilling frost as it slithered into me in a fraction of a second.
I hit the ground like a bag of bricks...
As I lay there; it seemed like a billion years had passed; so short is the time until death; it feels like an eternity for those waiting.
My life was just one big joke; I never did anything for anyone but myself; constantly skipping classes just to go fight some punk at the back of the school. Stealing the money from Mom that she had worked so hard to earn...just so I could go buy a bottle of booze. I wasn't even certain I should survive...No one would miss me; except maybe Honzu.
But she could get by, she's tough; at least we both had to be, after Dad left with most of the money. I should have stepped up, I should have grown up; took care of both of them.
But I didn't... I grew up, but more like Dad, and less like myself.
In my last conscious moments nothing was certain, whether I'd live or die. What was ahead of me "if" I'd ever open my eyes again.
There were so many things I wanted to do...yet I'd never get to. All because of those who wish to take that away from me...life isn't fair to those unfortunate. That was the only rule that mattered; so as I breathed my last dying gasp, as my lungs wailed in agony for more air. The only thing I knew was true, were my own thoughts; deep down at the back of my mind. And they were screaming to come out;
"Fuck that guy, fuck everything. It all just pisses me off."
Shikari's body lay on the ground, lifeless; a remnant of the once hotblooded teen.
A pool of blood poured out among other things. A disgusting hole in his skull; it was caved in from being shot at point blank. Like smashing a pumpkin, pulp and muk spewing everywhere.
The man lit another cigarette.
"Sigh...I guess he wasn't up to it...Let's clean...Hm?"
He watched as the blood around Shikari's body began to gather; circulating around his head, staining part of his black and blond hair crimson. His eyes changed, turning black as his pupils became red. Parts of his body began to splinter off, combining with the mass of blood.
"Hmf, little bastard…he actually did it."
Shikari stood up, he wasn't breathing; he didn't say anything. Parts of his body were gone; he was like a corpse.
"...I...Death...no?...I'm...dead...yes?..no...I..I'm...Wrath."
He lunged forward with incredible speed; swinging with his right.
"Sigh...Sorrow, your up."
Honzu took off her glasses, as her hair began to shrink and change color, revealing a short, blond haired highschooler with a white and red eye.
"On it." She replied.
The girl grabbed a small knife, slitting her wrists. (Jisatsu Release)
She lunged forward as her blood flowed, turning blue, forming into five katanas.
Her eyes turned black with dark blue pupils. The girl and Shikari clashed; rocking the hospital. Shikari tried to strike her face but she blocked his fist with a blade. She spun around elegantly, practically carving open Shikari. He was thrown back against the edge of the roof.
"Oy, leave him alive!" The man shouted.
She nodded. "...!?"
Shikari held out his hand; the mass of flesh and blood gathered around his arm, transforming.
(Jisatsu Release)
"Rgh…!" The mass transformed into an anti-tank rifle.
The man took a puff of his cigarette "Can you handle that?"
She ran at Shikari preparing to strike; Shikari created a shockwave as the gun was fired.
A shell of bone and blood rocketed towards her at ridiculous speed.
"Tch…" (Kodokuna kanashimi)
The blades merged into one; using it she sliced the shell in two, the pieces smashed into the sides of the building; destroying both sides of the roof.
The gun changed again; moving to both hands, changing into Semi-automatics.
He began firing at Sorrow; she dodged around the bullet hell, jumping off of a water tank, and fences surrounding the generators.
He gripped his hand and the blood changed again, transforming into a tactical missile launcher. At this point Shikari's body was beginning to fall apart.
The man looked to Sorrow; "He's not going to hold out much longer…"
"Yes, sir." She said.
She immediately appeared behind Shikari, knocking him out.
"Gah!..."
The man walked up taking another smoke. "Kid's got spunk...what do ya think?"
The blood around the girl sweeped back into the slits as they healed. "Hah...he's a pain…"
"Be ready when he wakes up." The man said.
--------
Waking up Shikari felt another throbbing pain in his head.
"Ah...ouch…"
The man stood a few feet away, with the girl standing next to him. Her leg wound had healed; but her hair color had changed to brown and she was now wearing a purple hoodie.
"Sleep well?" He asked.
I blinked, rubbing my head. "Ugh...what…!?"
I immediately got to my feet.
"Hey, calm down...no need to rush. Wouldn't want that head wound to re-open" He said.
"Who are you? And why am I still alive…!?" I asked.
He took a long drag. "Haaah… Names Cid and this is No.3 "Sorrow".
We work for S.I.N: Suicide. Investigation. Network."
"What's that got to do with me?" I asked.
"I'm gonna give it to ya straight, kid… Last night, you blew your brains out."