I choked her. She was grasping desperately for breath. She was calling out to me.
Nao! Nao! Nao!
I didn't let go of her. And after a while, she gave in. She only smiled all the way till the end. In the end, this was the kind of person I actually was. To kill the one person who loved me without hesitation.
No! That can't be right!
No! That's not possible!
Kill Yuki-nee! No fucking way! What the hell is going on here?
No! No! No!
This is not right! This can't be happening!
Stop it! Spare her! Please! Spare her!
Someone! Save her! Please! Just save her!
"Isn't that what you promised yourself?"
"Huh?"
"Don't you remember?"
"What are talking about? Save her!"
"Save whom?"
"What do you mean? She's right in front of... Where did she go? She was right...Where are you? Oi! Where are you? What...what is this place?"
"You bicker about leaving them all and pushing them away for their own safety but is that how it ends? How are you sure that things will work out as you want them to? Are you god? Are you the creator of this world? Who are you? Who do you think you are? You can't even accept yourself, and yet, you ask of the impossible!"
"Where are you? Show yourself!"
I was at the center of eternal darkness. A chill ran down my spine. It was nothing like I had ever felt before. What was this place? Why was I here?
"Will you shut up? Don't show your pathetic self here. Take your sob story somewhere else. It's really pissing me off."
Emerged from the shadows...was me?
"Yo, how are you? Looks like you've seen a ghost. Ugh! What a bummer! I thought you would remember me, and yet, here we are, back at square one."
Wait a minute! I know him? Or that's how he seems to act. This place, this voice, and this eerie feeling, along with this jaded atmosphere began to feel nostalgic. Perhaps, I have been here before.
"You have been here before. This place is like your subconscious and yet it's not your subconscious. There's a finite boundary between them both. And that separates your thoughts from fantasy and reality. I could go on explaining the minute details all day long, but I'm not sure if either one has the luxury of time on our hands."
"What do you mean?"
"You're going to die!"
"Die?"
"Yes, you are going to die."
"Well, I suppose that is a fitting end."
"That being said, are you sure you want to die. Right now? Right at this very moment?"
"Yeah, why not?"
"What about your dear Yuki-nee? Weren't you just on the fringes of despair and agony? What happened? Was that all an act?"
"That was a premonition or just a nightmare. And if that was to be a reality, then I'd be the one who'd do the killing. So logically, if I'm dead, such a reality wouldn't exist. I don't see the problem here."
"That's the problem. You just think you're the source and solution to all the problems with the people around you. As if you're the center of the ongoing chaos and destruction."
"It's because I am! All of the stuff that has happened lately, I am the sole reason. If only I weren't there..."
"Even then, it wouldn't change a damn thing! People influence others, that's true. But that doesn't mean that everything you do has a domino effect on the people around you, at least intentionally. Things happen. That's how it's supposed to be. You're not the center of the universe. You're just a feeble being. Scrapping and struggling to live every day. That's the same with others. Stop being sorry for yourself."
"You're telling me to go back there?"
"It's fine if you don't go back. I can take over this body of my own free will. You're just a hindrance, to be honest."
"Then why haven't you taken over already?"
"That premonition you just had, that was one of the possible realities. A reality that could come to fruition if I were to take control of this body."
"So, you're threatening me?"
"Hmm, is that what you call? I see this as more of a way for you to keep them safe because as of now, you are the biggest threat to them all. If you were to disappear, and I were to take control, then the consequences will be severe."
"Who are you?"
"My my. What a strange question to ask this late in the game. But if you insist, I shall gladly tell you."
I AM THE DARKNESS THAT LIVES WITHIN YOU!
I FEED ON YOUR DEEPEST AND DARKEST OF SECRETS AND DESIRES!
I MAKE UP EACH AND EVERY SINGLE TIME FOR YOUR SHORTCOMINGS!
I AM YOU AND YOU ARE ME!
WE BOTH ARE ONE!
I felt as if I was talking to myself. A perfect self. A self that I wished to be. A self that was not bound by the shackles of everyone around me, just living for myself. A lot that left to be desired within me. Everything was answered in this presence standing right in front of me.
"We are one? Does that mean, I can be you?"
"Will you cut out with that can be and could be? As I said, we are one!"
"And what does that make of the current situation?"
"Everything rests on your shoulders. But all I can say right now is that you still have unfinished business. You and I both know what that is. Once all of that is said and done, we shall meet again. Until then, be wary of everyone. EVERYONE!"
NOW RETURN!
"Wai....."
I wanted to ask him a lot. But I couldn't.
I finally opened my eyes. And it was like the dream I had. I was laying down in Yuki-nee's lap again.
"Nao..."
She began to cry.
"So I had to die in order to meet you?"
IDIOT!