You were drifting through the sky, free as a bird, as some would call it. Soaring above the clouds, it gave you a feeling you hadn't felt before, a sense of pure freedom.
The world was at your fingertips, that was how you could best describe it. The buildings below seemed so tiny.
The air against your face, the feeling of the early morning sun lightly moving over your body. It was simply incredible.
Until it wasn't.
Suddenly, your head felt like it was being ripped open. Like your brain was attempting to free itself from the confines of your skull. You were sent crashing down, unable to continue concentration. The voices only grew louder. Loud, booming screams seemed to echo in every direction despite being impossible from the height you were at. The morning sun's light suddenly turned a dark red as the sky began to follow suit. Soon everything above the clouds was cloaked in seemingly infinite red coloring. After almost two minutes of falling, you crash into the cold, wet ground.
You cough out blood, feeling it flood your lungs, causing you to drown on land. The force of the fall injured your spine, ceasing movement. You attempted to call for help but couldn't get the air to say it.
A shadow suddenly loomed over you, more significant than any building, more terrifying than any nightmare. An entity looked down upon you from the sky. Its bright, glaring eyes piercing your soul. As your body began to give way, about to pass out from the lack of oxygen, it reached its hand out and pointed.
"Wake up."
"Wake up!" A more feminine voice yelled. You opened your eyes and saw a more comforting sight. Your childhood friend, Akane, stood above you, pushing your face around. She repeated herself, saying that you were late.
"Just five more minutes..." You stated, primarily to yourself, but also directed to her. She wasn't having any of that, so she just grabbed the blanket and tugged it, pulling you out of bed and making you flop onto the carpet floor below.
"Hmph, that's what you get for not waking up on time!" She stated as you got a better look at her.
Akane was a frankly beautiful girl; she had pale but fair skin, dark black hair that had reached her shoulders, with a braid going from the top down to a red ribbon that matched her mesmerizing red orbs for eyes. Her bangs shifted softly as they just reached her eyes, with her gold earrings weaving gently.
"How did you even get in here?" He questioned as she smiled, holding up a pair of spare keys in her hand. He sighed and put his palms on his face.
"Your mother gave them to me for situations like this one!" She said with confidence, pulling him to his feet. She was already wearing her school uniform, while he was wearing sleeping pants and underwear, but no shirt. While he wasn't exactly super muscular, he was still fit. She blushed and turned around. "Just get ready quickly!" She stated before leaving the room and closing the door.
Tokita sighed and began walking to the bathroom in his room. He brushed his teeth and got his school uniform on. He looked at the clock and noticed the time, 8:00. School started at 8:30, so as long as he walked a little faster than usual, he should make it on time. He left the room, and she was waiting, fixing her school uniform.
"Finally, you took long enough." She said with a smile, turning around and walking to the exit. He followed, saying a quick 'Sorry.'
He locked the house and started walking to school a little faster than usual.
Tokita had met Akane when the two of them were little, around six to seven years old. His father had made a business deal with Akane's mother, which had led to the two of them getting closer. Even after the whole deal had passed, they had continued to be friends, with him protecting her a few times down the road. They had their moments, but he managed to push through and remain friends to this current point in time. They both were seventeen years old, juniors in high school.
After speed-walking to school, the two of them had made it to their classes with mere minutes to spare. He said his goodbyes to her and went to his classes. One of his friends poked him on the shoulder as he entered his first class.
"So you and Akane were pretty late today, you sure you two aren't f-" He was cut off as he silenced him with a textbook to the face.
He had a light blush on his face, every day he would say something along the lines of "You sure you and Akane aren't making love on the rooftop?" or "I'd bet Akane looks great under all those P.E clothes, you would know wouldn't you?" to which he would always correct him. He put his book on his face, sighing, knowing it would be a long day.
During Lunch, he and Akane were sitting with a few of their respective friends. He was scrolling on his phone as he turned to her.
"Yo Akane, did you see the new chapter of TDAT?" He said, showing her his phone.
"I didn't! I didn't get the chance to read it this weekend." She said with a sigh. A larger boy came to their table while the two of them were talking.
He had broad shoulders and almost cartoonish bulging muscles. He stood a bit taller than Tokita, at 194 cm. (6.4 Feet.) While Tokita stood at 155 cm. (5.11 Feet.) He looked down and winked at Akane, to which she looked disgusted.
"Hey now, little bird, why not come over to our table and have fun with some real men?" This was Grant, the biggest kid on the sports team. He was always a significant asshole...
Akane got up, her red eyes glaring into Grant's.
"Why don't you go fuck off, Grant? I've never been interested in you!" Akane stated as Grant got closer to her. She balled her fist, ready to throw a punch, but...
He stood up, getting in front of Akane.
"She isn't interested, Grant; why don't you go harass someone else?" He stated as Grant puffs his chest out.
"Oh, is your boyfriend getting protective? What a JOKE!" He yelled as he threw a punch that Tokita barely avoided. Akane was pulled back from her friends as the rest of the cafeteria noticed the fight going down. He continued to duck and dodge before he grabbed one of the metal food trays and slammed it straight into Grant's face. It stunned Grant for a second before he punched Tokita straight in the jaw.
"Eat shit, bean boy!" Grant said as he pulled back his hand for another punch, but he kicked him in the chest. He could feel his brain slamming against his skull, but he got back up.
"What's all that muscle for Grant? I didn't feel shit!" He screamed back at him, to which Grant got angry. He threw another right-straight at his face, hitting him just under his left eye. He swung another time and missed, and Tokita got another shot in on his side. Before he could continue his brawl, the Principal came into the cafeteria.
"Oziro, WINCHESTER, MY OFFICE, NOW!" The Principal yelled at the top of his lungs. The two of them glared at each other before walking to the office.
"Now, what made you two think a fight in the middle of the Cafeteria was acceptable in any way!?" The Principal screamed at the top of his lungs.
"You might want to watch out; you might end up losing all of the hair you have left if you keep screaming like that," He said with a chuckle, making the balding Principal even angrier.
"That's it! Two Week Suspension on both of you! I'm tired of dealing with your shit!" The Principal screamed; he was beginning to lose his patience.
"But Coach said if I'm suspended one more time, He'll take me off the team!" Grant sat up in his chair. " His eyes changed from being aggressive to pleading with the Principal. "Besides, Tokita started it!"
"Bullshit, you threw the first punch!" He stated as he also sat up in his chair.
"Enough! I've made my decision." The Principal said as he walked to his office door, opening it. "Both of you, pack your bags and leave the school immediately."
The two of them grumbled to each other before they walked out of school. As they left the school, Grant raised his hands to fight again.
"This is all your fucking fault! Now I'm going to be removed from the team!" Grant screamed in rage as he charged at Tokita like a bull, but he just moved out of the way.
"Maybe if you didn't hit on every girl who enters your line of sight, you wouldn't be!" Tokita stated as Grant grunted and threw a punch which Tokita dodged. "This is all you can do, Grant!? No wonder you're just a stupid brute!" Tokita screamed as he punched Grant squarely in the face, bursting the blood vessels in his nose. The pain made Grant's eyes go blurry from the tears, and Tokita continued, launching his foot directly into Grant's Gates of Narnia.
Grant tumbled to the floor, holding his lower region, face first in the dirt. Tokita caught his breath as he heard the school bell ring. Students came rushing out of the gate only to see Tokita standing over a quivering Grant in a few seconds.
"Yooo! Tokita kicked Grant's ass!" One of the students called out. They began to take pictures of Grant in such a sorry state. Tokita noticed and threw on his hood, quickly running to the far side of the school, while the students just kept making fun of Grant.
Tokita waited around the corner of the school for around thirty minutes until he saw Akane's face peek around the wall.
"So this is where you were." She said as she walked closer to him. Her expression was hard to read, in between disappointment and caring. "What happened with the Principal?" She asked calmly.
"Two Week Suspension, not too bad," Tokita said, seemingly uncaring of his punishment. Akane got closer, slapping Tokita across the face. The sting was sudden, and it hurt a hell of a lot more than all the punches Grant threw at him. He covered that side of his face as he turned to look at Akane.
"You're an Idiot, always picking fights and then not caring about the consequences." Akane placed her hands on her hips, using her left hand to point at him.
"I wasn't going to let him talk to you like that," Tokita said calmly. He hated being scolded by Akane since she started to act like his mother. He didn't care for his future; he had no plans. As long as Akane got past all of this without being hurt, he would accept that.
She took a deep breath in before going back to a more relaxed expression. "Thank you," she said while smiling. Tokita looked deep into her beautiful, red eyes. She was always hard to read, making it difficult for him to figure out her true feelings.
"Anyway, I'm craving some Gyro," Tokita stated as he kicked himself off the wall. She hummed in agreement as the two began to walk off to a local food court. As they got to the food court and ordered their food, they sat down and waited for it to be served.
Akane looked up to meet Tokita's eyes as she began to speak. "Are you excited for the eclipse?" She asked while balancing her head on her hands. Tokita met her eyes as she lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
"An eclipse? When?" Tokita asked as the server came over with his Gyro Sandwich and her salad. They placed it on their table and left. Tokita took a bite of his food as Akane continued.
"Right, you were in the Principal's office while our teachers informed us about it." Akane took a bite out of her salad, making sure to get a piece of chicken. "An eclipse is going to happen later today. That's why we got out of school early." She finished as she took another bite.
"They only happen every four years, right? I guess we are lucky it's happening in our area." Tokita said as he devoured his sandwich, eating it in two or three bites. Akane deadpanned when she saw that.
"Yup, so we should hurry if we want to catch it." She said while standing up, finishing the last bits of chicken and croutons in her salad.
Tokita got up as well, grabbing their trash and throwing it away. Akane had her hands behind her back as she walked out of the food court, with Tokita following.
.
..
...
The two were on top of Tokita's apartment building. They watched as the moon slowly moved to the point close to covering the sun. The light began to dissipate, being replaced with a mixed orange gradually.
This Eclipse felt different; a stream of light came down from it, almost as if it were pouring into the earth.
"Do normal eclipses...look like that?" Tokita asked while turning to Akane, who watched in amazement. She seemed to ignore his question, responding with her thoughts.
"It's beautiful..." Her rose orbs widened before the two heard the doors to the rooftop they were on be forced open. There stood Grant, multiple bruises on his face, and in his right hand, a pistol.
Instinctively, Tokita stood in front of Akane as his eyes widened when he spotted the gun.
"Grant...put down the gun..." Tokita started, but Grant just laughed.
"I-I was humiliated by the entire school! My teammates laughed at me! I lost everything today because of you!" Grant choked out, tears running down his bruised face. His appearance almost made Tokita feel bad. He raised the gun, finger on the trigger. "Now, I'll take everything from you!" He screamed as he pulled the trigger.
The bullet flew through the air, going straight through Tokita's shoulder and into Akane's chest. Tokita cursed in pain before he heard Akane struggling. He turned around and saw the blood staining her uniform. She fell to the ground as Tokita could feel the tears pouring from his eyes.
"A-Akane! I-I'll get help! Just stay awake!" Tokita screamed; the pain from his shoulder didn't matter to him right now. He needed to get her help. His thoughts were cut off when Grant fired another shot into the air.
"We're finishing this, Now!" Grant said, aiming the gun at Tokita once again. Grant began to circle Tokita, stepping away from the broken-down door.
Time seemed to slow down for Tokita as he rushed at Grant, adrenaline pouring through his body. Grant fired another shot and hit Tokita in his lung. Tokita removed his shoe, chucking it straight at Grant's face, making him drop the gun. Using his uninjured arm, he punched Grant in the chin, making him go limp as Tokita cut off his thought process for a second.
Tokita screamed as he used all of his remaining breath to throw Grant through the flimsy fence surrounding the rooftop. Grant screamed as he plummeted down below, fifteen stories down.
Tokita couldn't breathe, and he could feel the blood filling up his lungs. He limped over to Akane, and she slowly turned her head to him. The pool of blood began to surround them both.
Tokita mouthed a "Sorry" before both of their hearts stopped.
The Eclipse continued, pouring into the earth. Tokita thought it was the end, but it indeed was only the beginning.