The atmosphere felt peaceful, calm, and gentle. A sensation for any who thought they reached the peak of nirvana. It could almost feel like Heaven for those who never felt this sensation.
Eyes slowly opened, as the body sat itself upwards. The eyes noticed the hands in front of them. The scrawny malnourished hands and arms. The hands felt the rest of the body and face. They recognized the feeling of what the body was, the outline of it they thought was gone forever now. The body belonging to the hikikomori, Koutetsu's original body before he was reincarnated.
Koutetsu was back to his old self. His old look when he was so skinny nearly every bone was visible, his skin looking terrible from the bad dieting he did to himself.
The old ratty and unkempt hair was followed by the glasses that were held together with tape. He shivered as he was in disbelief he was back to his old body he never wanted to see again. As he stopped to see his old body, he looked around to see he was in a sea of clouds, everything was white and blue, the clouds taking shapes in the forms of trees and boulders like it was a landscape to a forest kingdom. He knew what happened, he died again, Megumi had killed him in his frenzy.
Koutetsu clinched his teeth, sobbing in his despair, his fists pounded on the surface below him furiously. He was in pain in his heart, he died once more, and he wanted to live this time, he didn't want to lose his new life with everyone he cherished.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, no, not again. Not again. Why? I didn't want to die this time. I wanted to live. I didn't want to throw this life away. I didn't want to leave them all behind. Damn it, damn it!"
He couldn't stop hating himself. He was broken inside, more than he was before. Koutetsu in his hate for his situation stopped hitting the surface when he heard footsteps approaching, he thought it was God handing him the final judgment. He didn't even care anymore, that empty feeling he had when he first died, came back. He was done now.
"Ho ho ho, dear boy why are you crying? You look like skin and bones. Are you hungry?"
Koutetsu raised his head. His dead eyes saw the old woman from the antique store standing there.
"Oh, hi mam. Are you God?" He spoke in a deadpan tone, his body no longer interested in the concept of emotions.
"Hmm me, God, oh ho, no my child I am not, he's much better looking than me. Besides this isn't Heaven quite yet"
"Whatever I don't care anymore, if you're sending me to Hell get on with it. I'm done."
The old woman looked concerned at Koutetsu. He was broken badly in his soul filled with no interest in trying to fight to live.
"Oh, but boy, don't you have friends back home? A lovely lady waiting for you? Don't you want to go back for them?"
"No, I'm done. I broke my promise. I died again, I lost control. I threw it all away again. I don't deserve a third chance." His emotionless voice continued, as the defeat in his words reverberated to the old woman.
"Boy, you shouldn't give up. You have your life ahead of you still. It really wasn't so bad was it? You were enjoying yourself no? Not bad like before right."
"Bad, bad?" Koutetsu's eyes even dead still had self-loathing in them. He clenched his fists tighter and he let out all the frustration and pain in his heart. The deadpan tone he had was gone, it was now filled with hate and self-loathing.
"Bad, it wasn't bad at all! I kept saying that back then but I'm a liar, it wasn't as bad as I made it out. I ruined it myself, I made my life bad with my own choices. Life didn't treat me badly, I was a stupid and selfish person. Life was ok to me, my parents weren't that bad to me, and they tried to help as much as they could. I just pushed them away when I kept failing instead of trying to understand them. I threw them out like trash when I failed university and all they wanted was for me to talk to them. I had chances to make friends or find a lover and gave it the middle finger to focus on studies that meant nothing. I treated everyone like crap because I was a pompous ass who thought I was superior to everyone because how I was good at studies. I was bullied because I wouldn't stand up for myself, I didn't have anyone help me because I burned every bridge I could have crossed. I failed university because I buckled under pressure and didn't ask for help."
Koutetsu was venting everything out, the old woman could see it. She let him continue, he needed to let the pain out to finally be free of his burdens.
"I could have asked for help, I could have reached out, I could have handled my depression better back then. But I gave up, I gave up on trying, and I blamed everyone but myself for my decisions. I killed myself because I was a coward who threw away his life when others who had worse living conditions than I did fought hard every day to live. Why should I go back, why should I live if I couldn't protect this life with people in it I love and love me? I'm pathetic, I'm scum, I didn't deserve this new life at all."
Koutetsu kept hitting the ground over and over again. All the pain, the guilt, it was pouring out, he was letting the restraints of his negative feelings be set free.
The old woman stood now closer to him. She gave a small smile as she pointed behind Koutetsu.
"Boy, if you truly think you don't deserve to go back. Talk to her first and see if it changes your mind."
"Her?"
Koutetsu looked behind him, his eyes widened in surprise. There standing in the clouds, looking like the moment she was before death, there standing in warm presence, with all the love that never went away even after death, was Akane. She looked at Koutetsu with a kind face, the one Koutetsu would never forget, he couldn't help but cry honestly seeing her again.
He reached out to her, the images again returned to his mind. He couldn't reach out completely because they rushed his head relentlessly. He tried and tried, but he wouldn't move, the imaginary chains he felt the day she died when he was frozen in fear were holding him down again. Akane looked at him, and then she spoke, her voice just as soft as he remembered.
"Long time no see, Koutetsu."
Koutetsu couldn't believe it, her voice was the same, it was really her standing in front of him. His mind stopped seeing the images, instead they were the images of Akane holding his hand when he was a baby, her gentle smile from how proud she was that he was born. The time they played at the arcade and when she carried him to his bed when they got home. They were overriding the bad memories, his body fought through the chains holding him down.
He was fighting through it, he refused to let those memories and pain keep him away, soon Koutetsu wasn't just reaching out from a distance anymore. His willpower broke him free from his own restraints, his legs moved freely, and he was running to Akane. He ran, and ran, till both his hands reached out, and he hugged her again.
His body wasn't his old one now, it was his child's body from the day she died.
Koutetsu still crying, hugged her tight, he didn't want to let go, he wanted to stay with her. Akane rubbed his head like she used to, he couldn't hold it in anymore, he cried and wailed like a child again, he was happy and sorrowful that she was there.
"There there Koutetsu, don't cry, your Momma's here."
"I'm sorry."
"Hmmm"
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. All of it. I took you for granted. I didn't thank you honestly for everything you did. I was a terrible son to you. You died because of me. I'm sorry I'm so sorry." He rubbed his face on her waist as he continued crying. Akane smiled and embraced, her love warmed him. He finally stopped, only a few lingering tears left in his eyes
"Koutetsu. It's not your fault. It's a parent's duty to protect their child. Even if you felt the way you did, and acted as you did, I would never change a thing. You'll always be my son. I love you. I always will."
Koutetsu looked up at Akane. She radiated warmth he never felt, the real love of a Mother to her child.
"I can't beat her. She is stronger than me, I'm too weak to win. I couldn't even beat you at a simple game."
Akane kneeled down to look Koutetsu in the eyes, she had a truth to tell him that may help his confidence.
"Koutetsu you remember when played the laser tag game? How you refused to stop unless you won. Truthfully, you did win before we left. I hit the off button many times before you caught me. I asked the clerk how to do it without ruining the game. I wanted to spend more time with you so I lied to play with you more. Koutetsu you're stronger than you know you just need to believe that yourself."
Koutetsu couldn't believe what he heard. He actually beat her, she only lied to spend more time with him, something he didn't give her properly before, that he wished he did when she was alive.
"Koutetsu, you can go home now. I'll see you again when it truly is your time. Live, my child, live. Be happy for yourself, there are people waiting for you. I'll see you soon in paradise, my miracle child." Akane closed her eyes and she gave her last smile, her body glowed, only now she was moving on, her spirit was finally at peace.
Koutetsu held on till she disappeared. His tiny hands held her light where stood in front of him.
"She waited a long time to tell you that. She wouldn't move on till she helped you. You said you wished you asked for help and that you reached out when should have. Well she did, she reached back to you. So boy how do you feel now? Still, think you don't deserve another chance."
Koutetsu was quiet, he held Akane's light to his chest. The warmth was there, it wasn't fading. Koutetsu turned to talk to the old woman, his body was back to its new look. Koutetsu took a deep breath, his face looked ready.
"Mam, send me back, I have a fight to win."
The old woman looked at Koutetsu, all the appearances he had merged into one, he was finally at peace with himself. Koutetsu finally forgave himself, he was now complete. Free from his pain and regrets, his soul was finally free.
"Ho ho ho, well said my boy. It's time for you to go back. Be warned if you die again your Momma won't be here to help you out a second time. Are you sure you're ready?"
Koutetsu closed his eyes, he remembered all the times with Akane and Mana, Megumi, Natsume, Rina, and then Itsuki. He opened his eyes again giving off a cocky smile.
"Do you even have to ask?"
The old woman broke out in laughter, she was ecstatic for his confidence. She waved a finger and Koutetsu dispersed. She was proud, she walked away changing back to her younger self.
"Koutetsu, I think you're ready now for the next step. What do you think, Hunter Monarch?"
The woman looked over passed her shoulder, a silhouette of a beast was hidden in the clouds growling, it's eyes glistening blue were the only visible trait.
Back at the arena, Megumi stood over the lifeless body of Koutetsu, her hair covering her eyes from being seen. Everyone couldn't believe what she did, Itsuki broke down in Rina's arms in utter despair, Rina following behind with her own tears. Natsume buried her face in her hands breaking down in her emotional pain. Ren and the others had no words to say. They weren't close to Koutetsu really but they respected him all the same, they felt anger at Megumi for what she did.
"You stupid girl! What have you done? How could you do that!" Anna shrieked in utter fury. No one was supposed to die, it was an exhibition match to show off the new instructors' talents. Not a live execution.
"Shut up! I had no choice, he could have killed you all. He could never control those flames when he was emotionally unstable. How would you have stopped him? How did you think he was maimed like that? That wasn't me, he did that to himself because he couldn't control his flames or his emotions when he was triggered. He was my student. It had to be me, it had to be me to end his pain."
"You didn't have to kill him though, he was just a kid! Get the hell out of my school. I don't want you here you damn murderer!"
Megumi clenched her teeth. She didn't want to do it. She had no choice. It was her obligation as the 'big sister' to help her 'little brother'.
"Fine, I quit anyways. I'll send my resignation when I feel like it."
Megumi stormed off, no one wanted to be near her. Her disgust for herself hit. A killer hating that she killed. It was a painful feeling she never experienced.
"Where are you going? Get your ass back here Master!"
Megumi stopped, her ears couldn't believe what they heard. She slowly turned around to see Koutetsu standing up alive, the hole she made in his chest was gone. Everyone gasped in shock, he was alive. It was impossible to believe.
"Itsuki, Itsuki look!" Rina shook Itsuki to snap her out of her shock.
Itsuki struggled to lift her head, her eyes saw a still living Koutetsu, the life returned to them, she couldn't believe what she saw. Her voice broke till it started speaking right again.
"Kou, Kou, KOUTETSU!"
Koutetsu looked at Itsuki who called out to him. He smiled waving at her like nothing was wrong.
"Yo, Shirayuki-Hime, wait right there, I have a wild beast that needs to be tamed."
He looked in Megumi's direction cracking his knuckles. Megumi herself was frozen. He was alive again, she couldn't believe it. She killed him, she was sure of it.
Koutetsu took in a concentrated breath focusing on the flames engulfing his body. Megumi almost ran to him thinking he was going to go berserk again, but stopped when she saw it. The flames weren't burning him. They were healing him. The scars and burns he had were gone. His body was healed from the self-infliction he did to himself. Koutetsu unlocked the second feature of his flames.
Koutetsu got back in his stance, baring his fangs at Megumi.
"You ready Master, cause if not...I'll rip out your guts!"