Dark. Darker. No sound or pain, only slumber.
Where I lay, it's soft, and I hear the sound of wind. I open my eyes and I'm blinded by the light of a rising sun. I do not know where I am, or how I got here. Struggling, I try my best to sit up in this grassy spot. For miles, there is nothing but fields of tall grass in all directions. I see someone in the distance, walking towards me slowly in an elegant manner. The figure reaches out their hand, calling my name. "Kaito, Kaito!"
Khan: Kaito, Kaito! Are you even listening to me?
Kaito jumps as he snaps out of his trance. He looks to his brother and smiles awkwardly.
Kaito: Oh, sorry, I must have spaced out. What were you saying?
Khan: I was asking you what you wanted for dinner.
Kaito: Oh… uh, Mom said we had some leftovers in the fridge from the other night, shouldn't be too much trouble to make.
The two brothers are sitting in a car parked in the driveway of their home. Kaito looks down between his legs at the passenger side floor, trying to make sense of what ran through his head a moment ago. He must have been talking to his brother before, but for some reason, he couldn't remember what they were talking about. He thinks to himself, "I have never spaced out THAT hard before". Kaito then looks to his left at the door handle, and pulls it, stepping outside into the cold night.
Kaito looks around, the night seems so… calm, and yet he feels nervous. He can't exactly explain why, but he has a bad feeling in his gut. He looks to the driver's side of the car to search for his brother, but Khan is no longer there. Kaito walks to the front door of his home and opens it, assuming Khan to have already gone inside. Kaito slips in to see the house bathed in shadow with only a small, single light to illuminate the kitchen. The pale full moon's light beams through the living room windows, drawing an almost abstract shape in white onto the floor. Kaito walks into the kitchen, placing his wallet and keys onto the kitchen counter.
Kaito: Have you started heating up dinner?!
Kaito calls out, waiting for a response. His brother soon answers him by talking to Kaito from across the house.
Khan: No, not yet!
Kaito walks over to the kitchen table and sits down before pulling out his phone to kill some time. He then sees a text from his mom. The text simply reads, "Hey Kaito, hope you guys get home safe tonight. Love you both". Kaito smiles and puts his phone down onto the table as his attention is drawn to Khan, who is walking into the kitchen, the older brother grabbing a pot from underneath the counter so that he can fill it half full of water. Khan puts the pot on the stove without care, which causes a loud pinging sound to ring throughout the house. Khan then turns a dial on the stove and watches as the electric eye starts to turn red and engulf the bottom of the pot.
Kaito: All you have to do is heat up what's in the fridge.
Khan: I know but I want some rice with our steak.
Kaito: Why? Then that's more dishes to clean, plus we had rice for lunch.
Khan: Well, I really like rice; you got a problem with that?
Kaito smirks and chuckles a bit. He always finds it funny when Khan tries to talk tough.
Kaito: I could get up and stop ya. I don't want Mom to get mad at us for giving her more dishes to clean.
Kaito thinks about how his mom would laugh at them right now. He imagines she would say something akin to "You two really are brothers, arguing over something as simple as food".
Khan: Mom isn't gonna get ma—
They halt their debate as they both hear a loud, sharp sound coming from the master bedroom. For a second, they stare at each other, then Kaito slowly gets up out of his chair and grabs a kitchen knife that was lying on the nearby counter.
Kaito: Hey Khan?
Khan: Yeah?
Kaito: Mom and Dad plan on having someone over tonight?
Khan takes a second to think.
Khan: I don't think so, at least Mom never told me.
Kaito motions for Khan to stay close to him. He grabs his phone and taps the flashlight icon, then holds the phone up in front of him with the kitchen knife at the ready in his other hand. They both walk slowly towards the master bedroom, checking behind themselves every few steps until they finally reach the doorway of the bedroom. They hear what seems to be a continuous soft scratching noise coming from the closet. They look at each other and nod, Khan gulping and hiding behind Kaito, whose hand slowly reaches for the closet door. With one swift motion, Kaito swings the closet door open. The two brothers sigh in relief at what seems to only be an intruder of the feline type.
Khan: A cat?
Khan says flatly, wiping his brow.
Kaito: Yeah, just a cat. The same stray cat that somehow keeps getting into the house.
Khan: How the hell did it get in Mom and Dad's closet?
Kaito: Hell if I know. Maybe Mom felt sorry for it and forgot she let it in?
Kaito lays the kitchen knife on his parents' dresser and puts his phone in his front pocket, then bends down to pick up the cat. The animal doesn't react to Kaito picking it up, the cat most likely familiar with being handled by humans. Kaito carries it outside to the front porch and sets it down. The cat turns around and meows at him, then rubs its head on the side of the front porch post. Kaito smiles and scratches the animal on its head, then goes back inside and shuts the door while holding a hand to his heart, rubbing his chest in an attempt to make the dim pain stop. "Odd," he thinks to himself. He has never felt this pain before until today. "Why won't it go away?"
Kaito: Well, crisis averted, now all we gotta do is make sure it didn't leave any surprises for us.
Kaito goes back into the kitchen, but does not see any sign of his brother, who he thought was following him out onto the porch. If Khan had not followed him, then he would surely be in the kitchen, right? His pot of water was already boiling. Kaito walks over to the stove and turns off the burner, the last thing they need is for the house to catch on fire while their parents are away. The lack of any sight or sound from his brother starts to worry Kaito, causing him to call out his name.
Kaito: Khan? Khan!
Kaito calls out to his brother but hears nothing in return. He walks to the living room and calls out for Khan again, but is only met with silence.
Kaito: Khan, if this is a joke it isn't funny, you know what I'll do if you jump out at me again!
Kaito looks around and listens patiently. Strangely enough, he hears another noise coming from the master bedroom. This time it sounds like someone patting the bed. As he walks down the hallway, he notices that the moonlight streaming through the windows has gotten brighter. It's already late into the night. Kaito's mind is now filled with the thought of going to sleep in order to get his full eight hours of rest. His mind now swims with not only thoughts of worry over his brother, but worry over his own sleeping schedule as well. Kaito finds himself walking into the middle of the master bedroom, looking around for his brother.
Kaito: Khan, are you still in here…?
Kaito looks down to see Khan on the floor, tied up and trying to scream at him, but his cries are muffled. Kaito then feels an abrupt smack to the back of his head, causing his body to hit the floor.
Dark. Darker. No sound or pain, only slumber.
Kaito comes to and sees his brother, Khan, lying on the floor next to him. Khan is shaking and sweating bullets, his eyes darting around the room. The older brother is still tied up, with his mouth covered by a rag to keep him from making any loud noises. Khan can only scream the word "help" to his brother with the look in his eyes now. Seeing the state his brother is in, Kaito stirs, but can't move his hands. He is tied and gagged just like his brother. Kaito looks around the room and sees two figures, both wearing black hoodies and worn jeans.
Robber #1: Ahh, he's awake, well how about that?
Robber #2: Hey, remember what he said? No talking to the hostages, they are for ransom, the less we know about them the better.
Robber #1: What, I can't have a little fun with the host and his brother? We're their guests, we need to get to talking a little, don't we?
The first robber laughs in a sharp and irritating way. The only thing Kaito can see on his face is a scar under his left eye because the rest of his face from the bridge of his nose down is covered by a black face wrap, with the hood of his jacket covering the rest of his head. Kaito could also catch some key features of the second robber; something immediately standing out was his bright blue eyes. Their gaze is calm and observant. One thing Kaito noticed about the second robber was his voice, which boomed in a much deeper and foreign tone compared to the first robber.
Robber #2: All we gotta do is wait for the getaway, so hold your tongue.
Robber #1: And what, you expect these two to do anything? Look at the big guy over there, he's about to pee himself.
The robbers turn their attention to Khan, who lays completely still on the floor. Khan's eyes still scream for help, the boy now sniffling and whimpering at the two robbers. Kaito tries to think about their situation. In his mind he thinks to himself, going over what exactly is wrong, and what he can do to get out of it alive. "I need to find an opening," he thinks to himself. Kaito then looks towards the dresser for the kitchen knife he had placed there, but the knife is now gone.
Robber #1: What, looking for this?
The first robber holds up the kitchen knife.
Robber #1: Expensive knife. I bet this would fetch a good price along with the rest of the set. I think I'll keep it if you don't mind.
The robber dangles the kitchen knife in front of Kaito's face, before setting it back onto the dresser. The first robber then walks over to Kaito and Khan and sets them upright against the footboard of the bed. The second robber watches as his partner moves them, then lands his calm eyes onto Kaito. The second robber looks down at Kaito's feet, before looking over to his partner, who finishes setting Khan against the footboard next to Kaito.
Robber #2: Hey, why isn't this one's feet tied?
Robber #1: We ran out of rope, the big one over there took up more than I thought.
Robber #2: Hmm… Alright, well watch them closely, I'm gonna go see if the van is here yet.
The second robber then picks up some duffle bags off the floor. Kaito notices something hanging out of the side pocket of one of the bags, a necklace belonging to his mother. He imagines there are probably other belongings in the bags as well. Kaito huffs in anger, knowing he needs to do something but feels helpless. The first robber watches as his friend picks up the bags, then stands in the doorway before pulling out a handgun and pointing it at the two boys. Khan sees the gun and starts moving around frantically, his muffled screams louder than before. The first robber then looks at Khan, before shaking his head.
Robber #1: Hey, can you tell your man-baby of a brother to shut the hell up? His screaming annoys me…
Kaito looks at the first robber, then back at Khan, who had now shaken his cloth muzzle off and was screaming for help at the top of his lungs. The first robber walks over to the edge of the bed and bends down to grab Khan.
Robber #1: Maybe if I knock your teeth in, you'll shut your mouth!
The robber goes for a swing at Khan, but in doing so he forgets about Kaito. Kaito sees his moment and takes it, standing up and charging shoulder first into the robber, knocking him back against the wall. The robber's body shatters a full-length mirror to pieces, which causes the gun to be thrown away from his hand. Kaito then kicks the robber in the chest before he can get up, causing the robber to scream out and lose his breath. Kaito notices the gun the robber had dropped on the floor and kicks it away from them. Kaito then picks up a piece of the shattered mirror and tries to cut his wrists free from the rope, cutting his own hands as well in the process. The rope breaks from his wrist and he is now able to pull the cloth muzzle away from his mouth. Kaito tries to make it to where the gun is lying but is then grabbed and slammed into the dresser by the second robber, who had just entered the room again. This knocks all the items on top of the dresser off onto the floor and puts Kaito back onto the ground. The second robber attacks again, but Kaito manages to land a good kick to his head, hitting him even harder than the robber with the gun. Kaito goes for the gun next to him and grabs it.
There was no second thought about it. Kaito aims the gun at the first robber, who was about to attack him and pulls the trigger twice. Two loud shots come from the barrel of the handgun. The first robber screams out in pain, before falling against the wall, holding his chest as blood starts to pour from his wound. Kaito pauses for what seems like minutes but in reality, are only seconds. He has never shot anyone before, he has never killed anyone before. Kaito stares at the gasping robber, who tries to breathe as blood spills out of his mouth and chest, the life starting to drain from his eyes. The only thing to shake Kaito out of his stare is his brother, who calls out his name.
Khan: Kaito!
Kaito looks over at Khan, then hurries over to him and sets the gun down to his right side. He unties Khan, the older brother then hugging Kaito once he is free.
Kaito: You alright?
Khan: Yeah, I am, you?
Kaito: I uh… yeah, I'm fine…
Khan: Good… come on, we gotta get out of here!
Khan starts to stand up, but then his gaze shoots behind Kaito's shoulder.
Khan: Kaito, watch out!
Kaito turns and looks over his shoulder to see the second robber charging at him with the kitchen knife. Kaito only has time to put his hands up to brace the attack. The robber slams into Kaito, with the knife stabbing straight through Kaito's left hand. The robber's force now presses against Kaito's neck, the young man yelling out in pain at his now damaged body and bleeding cuts. The knife had only dug roughly a centimeter into his neck, but the pain was excruciating. Kaito punches and screams out at the robber, kicking him down to the floor, causing the blade of the knife to slide out of Kaito's wounded hand. The robber looks at Kaito and threatens him again with the knife. Kaito takes his stance against this enemy. His hands are held out in front of him, his body is coiled, like a snake ready to strike. Blood drips from his hands and neck as he bravely faces his attacker. Kaito's chest starts to hurt again, but he ignores it, his focus is now completely on the threat in front of him. The second robber looks at his partner, who bleeds out against the wall of the bedroom, then looks back at Kaito. The robber then yells out as he rushes at Kaito with the knife. Kaito responds quickly, grabbing the robber by the hand which holds the knife, then hyperextends the robber's arm, causing him to drop the weapon onto the floor next to Kaito.
Kaito then kicks his attacker's kneecap. A loud snap can be heard once his attack lands. The kick causes the robber to scream and fall against the dresser behind him. Kaito keeps his focus on his opponent, but soon has it broken as a loud bang causes his ears to ring. The young man then feels a rush of pain at his side, and faintly hears his brother scream his name.
Khan: Kaito!!!
Kaito looks down at his left side and sees blood start to pour from a hole where the middle of his ribs was. He puts his hand over the wound as blood continues to pour out, trying his best to stop the bleeding as he grows weaker. Kaito looks to where Khan is. His brother is frozen in fear with tears in his eyes. Kaito then falls against the bed's footboard. He looks over to where he heard the gunshot come from and sees the robber he had shot earlier with the gun in his hand; a blood trail was now painted from the far wall to the middle of the room. Khan was so scared he didn't even notice the wounded robber crawling towards them to pick up the gun. Khan rushes over to his brother's side, his breathing now staggered and quick.
Khan: Kaito! You're gonna be OK, bud, I'm here for ya, just keep the pressure on it!
In Kaito's mind, a million thoughts race through. He looks down at his bullet wound, then to the wound in his hand. His eyes then finally look back up to his brother, who sobs while frantically trying to stop the bleeding from Kaito's gunshot wound. The two brothers are then interrupted when the second robber stands up. The robber places a hand onto his messed-up leg to support it, his face and nose now dripping blood. His blonde hair and full beard are now out for display, a rugged look to his face with those same blue eyes staring at the two brothers. The second robber struggles to breathe and starts to limp towards them. Just then, sirens could be heard approaching. The robber's eyes dart around the room, like he had forgotten where the exit was. With no time left, he does his best to hurry out of the bedroom and towards the backdoor of Kaito's house, the blue flashing lights now getting closer. Once more Kaito looks up at his brother. Khan's auburn eyes were now wet and bloodshot. Kaito tries to breathe, but each passing second makes it harder to do so. He feels as if he is going to drown.
Finally, the blue flashing lights have arrived, and the sound of sirens start to die down. Kaito can see the electric blue flashes bouncing off the bedroom walls. He feels as if time itself has slowed down and a wisp of guilt hits him. He tries to keep breathing but each breath is harder than the last. He wants to get up and tries his best to do so. He doesn't want to die, not now at least. He doesn't want to leave his family and friends behind. He struggles for another breath, this time it is slow and drawn out, painful. Kaito feels his eyes grow heavy. The only thing Kaito hears before he fully passes into darkness is his name being called out to him. "Kaito, Kaito!"
Dark. Darker. No sound or pain, only slumber.
Then a light, the sound of the wind, and a warm breeze to accompany the sweet sensation. The smell of grass, the feeling of something soft and cool under him. Kaito slowly opens his eyes, the morning light full of colors and blurring his vision for a moment, before he lies still and stares up at a cloudless blue sky. The blue expanse is covered with what seems to be something akin to the Aurora Borealis. This dancing light in the sky has traces of gold and white instead of green and purple, and shimmers with a quiet and calming noise. Kaito sits up quickly. His hand reaches for the wound where he was shot, but it isn't there anymore. Kaito looks at his hands, and even they are clean of any blood or cuts. He then sees someone walking towards him through the tall grass around him. He looks up to see that the figure, who was now bathed in light, had stopped in front of him. The figure then reaches a hand towards Kaito as it comes closer. He can see her now. A neatly dressed girl with blonde hair and blue eyes stands in front of him, reaching out for his hand and his spirit. With a gentle and soothing voice, she calls out his name.
Girl: Kaito?