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Kagami's P.O.V.
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SIX YEARS AGO
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Ten year old Kagami Taiga panted as he ran through the maze of houses on the street of what once seemed to be a peaceful neighborhood. Now, it was nothing more than a depressing and desolate nightmare of what it had once been. The houses had gaping holes in them where those creatures must have smashed their way through to the fleshy humans inside. Windows were cracked and shattered with the glass everywhere, making it dangerous to run alongside the small buildings. Roofs looked torn and ravaged while some others had completely collapsed. Paint that had probably been bright and colorful was now peeling and grayish. Not a single soul anywhere.
Except for Kagami and the creatures but those things didn't count.
His lungs burned and his breathing was ragged, each breath taking too much energy and inflicting pain on his chest. The cut there had stopped bleeding for now but if he heaved too hard as he breathed, it hurt and would surely open up again. It was appalling, the fact that Kagami could die of blood loss and just fall where he stood. Then again, getting eaten by those things that chased him wasn't exactly his way of going down either so he didn't stop. Refused to. Refused to just die.
Their howls and screeches scared Kagami as he tried desperately to get away from them his heart beating erratically from fear. It was nearly an impossible feat to escape the creatures since they could smell his fresh blood. In turn, he could smell their decaying and wasted skin. He didn't even try nor did he care to act tough and macho. It wasn't worth it and didn't matter. All that mattered was that he didn't stop running. His father and mother didn't die for him just so he would die as well. No he had to keep running, keep living.
Slowing down, Kagami caught his breath for a moment and looked around. Curse the same old houses and same old streets! Everything looked identical with the apocalyptic look and aura about it. What's worse, while he had no clue where to go and how to keep going before he passed out from exhaustion, the creatures didn't slow down and all they had to do was follow the scent of fresh blood. It didn't matter that it was dark out. They didn't need their sight unlike Kagami and with his luck, he wouldn't see their dark forms in the night. He had to keep running until daylight came, just five hours left before morning. By then, he would be able to stop, turn around, and fight with the sunlight on his side.
If Kagami even lived to see the sunlight.
The cries of those creatures were getting louder and Kagami had to restrain himself from breaking down and giving up. He couldn't! He had to live so with nearly renewed energy, Kagami ran from the screeches of those things that continued to pursue him. His legs were burning from the exertion but the electrifying terror he felt kept him going. Dying wasn't an option.
More and more houses, and more and more streets, yet less and less energy, and less and less space between Kagami and those things. The fatigue was seeping into his bones and he was stumbling non-stop. If he didn't find someplace to hide and soon, then Kagami could not even hope to live anymore. There was the chance that he could roll under a car and slash at the gas tank. The gas would mask his smell and at how fast the creatures were coming at him they could run right past and not hear his beating heart. But that was last resort.
But Kagami was desperate now as nothing seemed to provide the cover he would need. There was no choice then.
As the creatures seemed to be nearing the intersection he turned at, Kagami quickly dropped to the ground and rolled under a small Lexus, something he barely fit under considering his larger-than-a-normal-ten-year-old size. Pulling out his pocket knife and flicking open the blade, Kagami stabbed the tank thing above him and the strong smelling gasoline instantly soaked his blood stained and bare chest. Shifting as the noises seemed to draw even closer, Kagami was able to get more of the substance so that it soaked his pants and hair as well.
Kagami's breath caught as he saw from below the first creature appear, running with its deformed legs and letting out piercing screeches. It ran in complete disorder and with a visible limp and soon, legs of the other creatures, nine in all appeared and ran. A few jumped onto cars hazardly and one did so onto the Lexus above Kagami. It thudded loudly when those deformed black limbs connected with the smooth black metal.
Kagami was scared, that was all he could say and he would say it over and over again just to make the monsters go away. He wanted so badly for them to just leave, to stop screaming, to stop chasing him. In that moment of vulnerability and the fact that the only thing keeping Kagami alive was his silence and the gasoline on him, Kagami let tears run down his face. He couldn't help it; he was suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that one of those things could just drag him out from underneath the car and eat him. Eat him as he screamed for parents that were no longer there.
He didn't want to die.
Everyone died for him.
His parents died for him.
He couldn't die now.
And he couldn't die like this. A disgrace. All alone. Not like this.
"Please, someone, anyone. I just don't want to die." Kagami begged quietly as he cowered underneath the small car. The tears were making his sight blurry and he bit his lip to refrain from crying out loud. It was too terrifying. He was alone and the creatures had slowed down somewhere just ahead of the Lexus. Tilting his head up in their direction, his vision cleared enough for him to see those things that now crawled about making low guttural sounds that sent shivers of fright down Kagami's spine.
No, they couldn't have smelt his blood! They couldn't have! He wanted to live.
They were stumbling and growling, searching for none other than Kagami. And he knew this but no matter how much he wanted to scream at them to go away and to cry at his inevitable end, Kagami kept his mouth shut. His fists were clenched by his sides, the jagged nails digging into his skin. He relaxed them, though, realizing he might accidentally draw more fresh blood.
It was the unbearable tension that squeezed at Kagami's lungs that was the worst. His throat was dry but swollen, making it impossible to breathe steadily and his bottom lip trembled. The torturing apprehension eating at him as he waited for the creatures to move on… or to eat him like his terror was eating his sanity.
One creature jumped onto the car above Kagami again and he almost screamed as the vehicle dipped. He hurriedly raised a hand and bit it to muffle any noise that might escape him. They were so close, so close and they wanted to kill him. He wasn't going to live. He wanted to live. He had to live. They were hungry. To live. Being eaten. Terror was making Kagami shake and the tears came more quickly.
It was right on top of him. Kagami tilted his head to the side and saw the other eight creatures nearing his car. They could smell him. They were going to get him. Eat him. He looked as they continued to approach with those sick noises. Dread and panic settled in Kagami's stomach. He didn't want to die. But they were coming closer, tantalizingly slow, horrifically hungry.
And something grabbed Kagami's ankle.
Kagami didn't hold back as he screamed in terror. It tried to drag him but he grabbed onto the metal pieces above him and pulled back, trying to break free from its grip. Sobs racked his entire being as the things were screaming again and they attacked the car, trying to tip it over. It was a game of deadly tug of war between him and the leathery, deformed hand that had a hold of Kagami. It pulled but he pulled back. It snarled and screamed while Kagami sobbed and screamed back.
"Get off! Get off! No!" The thing was strong as it tugged at Kagami's leg. He had to be stronger. "Stop!" It was scratching at Kagami's leg, creating fresh cuts and the blood spilled, making the creature's grip slick. He pulled free but now another grabbed at his thigh.
"No! Please, just stop!" More started to dismiss the car and were now reaching for Kagami underneath, their gaping and snarling faces disgusting with the black skin and rotting flesh. White moonlight washed upon their black skin, shadowing and making them seem even more horrifying. Kagami screamed as they latched onto different parts of him, pulling in all directions. He was going to break. They were going to eat him. But he couldn't die.
"NO! PLEASE, SOMEONE," his voice broke as one of the creatures grabbed his throat. Kagami choked and struggled. It was useless. He was going to die.
"Over here,"
Everything seemed to freeze, even Kagami as blood thrummed in his ears and his heart pounded. Those horrid howling of the creatures was gone, replaced with their rasping breathing. There had been a voice. Was that a voice? He didn't know and his sobs became slightly louder. Those things were still gripping him so he stayed absolutely still, tears running down his face as he waited for the inevitable horror of death.
"I am right here, demons of the Hell. Come and meet your fate,"
Kagami's eyes widened. A human! It was a human! He was going to be saved, he wasn't going to die. He couldn't die.
Kagami grabbed his fallen knife with his free hand and started stabbing wildly at each limb clinging to him. "Help! Help, please!" he screamed.
The creatures screamed and their hands retreated, even the ones at his feet. Kagami looked around frantically as he saw them moving away. What? What were they doing? Looking upward, Kagami now saw the black boots of a human. They were walking to the car slowly, towards Kagami and the creatures surrounding him.
He couldn't help it, even as the cold aura of the human drew closer, Kagami felt bright, naive hope fill his entire being. But he couldn't move yet, the things were still near the car. Even with the thought and feeling of freedom and victory so near, Kagami couldn't risk his and the stranger's life by acting too quickly. His heart still beat wildly but the immediate threat was receding.
Through the tangle of black legs, Kagami saw the black boots and the ends of a black cloak of the human. By the strange and ensnaring voice, it was definitely male. The things around Kagami were still for a single moment.
Two.
Three.
Until they screamed and ran at the man. The one on the car did so as well and jumped, landing with a thud next to its own. In their sick and disordered way, they attacked, wanting to eat the newcomer and all Kagami could do was watch in newfound horror. His rescuer was going to be eaten! For him, nonetheless. He needed to help so he started to move from under the Lexus.
"No," Kagami stilled, feeling that the voice was directed to him. It was weird, he shouldn't have been able to hear the voice over the screeching things but he did, he heard it perfectly. It was almost like it spoke in his head. An echo that filtered through the terror of those creatures. "Stay where you are. Do not move and I will take care of these things." Kagami looked up and saw the man running forward to the creatures as well.
When Kagami screamed, he wasn't sure what he said. All he could feel was the foreboding blackness as it was his single rescuer against nine misshapen creatures. There was no way he was going to survive. Kagami didn't want him to die but his own body felt heavy with exhaustion and pain. So, with his hoarse throat, Kagami watched. The new tears weren't for himself this time.
There was a hiss of metal and the cloak seemed to have been pushed to the side. With shock, Kagami watched as the human seemed to disappear for a moment before reappearing next to a running creature. He couldn't see what happened but he did see the black head that fell to the ground and heard one of the screeching voices come to a sudden halt. The man moved silently, swiftly as the creatures seemed to run around in confusion, as if they couldn't see the man that danced and killed among them.
Kagami cringed as more and more limbs fell to the ground so he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the horrific scene and so he couldn't think about all the sizzling blood. Even the blood around him and on his blade that steamed and nearly burned his skin. The screeching was lessening as more creatures fell, their body parts falling to the ground with splats and thumps. It was disturbing to listen to but Kagami didn't hear the man utter a single thing, not in pain nor in exertion so Kagami assumed he was alright.
Silence. Kagami frowned as he realized that he couldn't hear anything more. The fear inducing howls were gone, along with the splashing of blood. The sizzling was still present and even the gasoline on his face, hair and whole body couldn't mask the revolting smell of the deteriorated flesh of the creatures. Even though he didn't want to, Kagami opened his eyes and saw all the things that were going to eat him only a moment ago now sprawled everywhere on the ground, at least, the pieces or them.
Kagami looked up and down in worry until he saw the boots of the man. The toes were facing away from him so he wasn't facing Kagami's direction but instead towards the fallen monsters. A long moment passed as Kagami tried to scoot out from under the car to greet his savior but his skin touched the still sweltering blood of the creatures and he hissed in pain, more tears prickling his eyes.
The boots seemed to jump a little and Kagami realized it was in surprise. Then they pivoted on their heels and the man made his way to the Lexus, his steps swift but smooth with definite stride. Kagami waited silently and watched as the man put down some kind of broadsword and kneeled, placing hands onto the concrete and bending over to see under the low riding car.
The only thing Kagami saw was the cowl of the cloak the man the man whore, pulled over his head so that his face was hidden in the shadows. Slightly uneasy at not being able to see his savior, Kagami looked away. He could feel the gaze as eyes in the darkness watched him and to say he was uncomfortable was an understatement. It was a little nerve wracking. Not only that but now, moonlight seemed to illuminate the man's cloak but darken the shadow under the hood.
Another moment passed until Kagami saw from the corner of his eye the man pulling back his cloak. The ten year old couldn't help but gasp as an angel appeared before him.
Kagami was not exaggerating. He swore that pretty face was an angel despite being a guy.
Blank but soft and deep black eyes stared at Kagami. They were accentuated by the pale and nearly milk white skin of his face, smooth looking and unblemished. His face was overall blank as well but not mean looking, just beautiful in a masculine way. His hair was black but the smallest of tints of bright blue could be seen at the roots. There was also a tattoo on his neck stretching from the left side of the jaw but Kagami couldn't really see it from his angle. The man's ears were pierced and small, silver hoops hung from his earlobes. Kagami was really thinking the man wasn't a man but a teen, and for all he knew, a female teen at that.
"Are you able to come out?" Kagami, startled from his gazing, tried to process what the teen had said. He tried to wriggle his way to the pale teen but the blood burned him. He tried the other direction but he was completely surrounded by the monster's' blood. He couldn't get out without touching some of the red, burning liquid and panic started to grab ahold of him.
"N-no," Kagami stuttered. "I-I can't. The blood, it's everywhere and it burns," More tears spilled from his eyes as the searing heat touched his bare shoulder. His skin was tainted red and Kagami saw white stars burst into his vision because of the pain. He whimpered pitifully, too tired to keep it down in front of the teen present.
"Don't move," the teen said and Kagami saw the blank facade falter when Kagami made his sounds of pain. "I'll get you out. Please wait for a moment." The pale teen stood and Kagami followed the black boots as the walked to the front of the car, above Kagami's head. Pale hands slipped under the bumper and suddenly, the whole vehicle was creaking in protest.
Kagami stared in wide eyes, his jaw dropping in disbelief. Was the guy trying to push the car? No. Was he… was he trying to pick up the car?! What was he thinking?! That would be impossible! Why not push it? Looking down, Kagami saw why pushing it would be too hard. There were several other cars parked along the curb, going both ways. But still, there was no way someone could lift the car, especially the smallish teen.
Until the car started going up, that's what Kagami believed.
Giving a shout of surprise, Kagami looked up at the vehicle and watched as it went up, inch by inch. He was gaping at the sight before him and it was not long before the car was a full two and a half feet above him. Thoughts of the creatures circling him and eating him left his mind tried to grasp the new and unreal event happening just above him.
"Impossible," he whispered. Then he heard a grunt from the teen at the front of the car, the bumper still in the other boy's hand.
"Hurry," Kagami heard him say. His voice seemed strained but Kagami couldn't see his face. "Crawl over the blood. I think I am about to drop the car." That was far from encouraging.
Still with wide eyes, Kagami scrambled up and now with the space to move freely, he crawled over the monster blood and from under the Lexus. He stood and spun around to watched in amazement as the teen looked at him with a scrunched up face and then promptly dropped the car, stepping back to avoid losing a foot. It came down with a crash and Kagami flinched as one or the tires popped and air hissed out of it.
His mind was literally reeling as Kagami looked at the tired looking teen and watched as the other noticed his staring before his face turned back to that of his blank facade. The teen made his way to the other side of the car where Kagami remembered the sword was then picked it up as he walked to Kagami next.
"Are you alright?" Now that Kagami could properly think and process things clearly, he thought that the teen sounded rather strange. His voice was clear and strong like crystal, but at the same time, smooth and soft. Almost like it was the only thing worth hearing in the apocalyptic world. Not only that but it was also toneless in a way, giving no hint as to what he felt at the moment. It was the same kind of voice that absently urged on people, one that held now regard for the speaker but all attention on the one spoken to.
Maybe Kagami was tired since his thoughts seemed a little strange even to him.
"It seems you are not. No worries, I will take you to my place. There, I can attend to your wounds and you will be able to recover properly," the teen said, loosening the string that held his cloak around his neck and then sheathing his broadsword onto his back before tightening the knot again.
Kagami blinked as the teen spoke and he caught himself staring once again. He watched quietly, waiting to see what the other will do since he did not catch what he said.
The stranger just stared at Kagami for a few more seconds before moving to the Lexus Kagami had hid under. As Kagami stared on confused, the teen opened the door and bent down to look at something at the feet of the driver's side. Kagami looked up and saw the two dents where both the previous creatures had jumped on the hood and almost caved in the vehicle's top.
There was a spark from below and Kagami's attention was again pulled to the stranger. He saw the other crouched over and seeming to be fiddling with something at the floor of the driver's seat. There was another spark and Kagami realized what the other was really doing; he was hotwiring the car to get it to start. As if to prove his point, the car's engine revved up with a coughing roar and the headlights lit up.
All Kagami could do was stare incomprehensibly. Really, first he meets a stranger who saved him from impending death, then he lifts a car and now he knows how to hotwire one. Even though Kagami has lived in the apocalypse his entire life, he knows picking up a car, even a little, isn't exactly human.
As the car started up, the stranger turned back to Kagami with that same blank face. If it hadn't been so pure-looking, the younger would have taken the look as unsettling. Ironically though, despite the lack of expression and apparent feelings, the aura of the teen was discernable. No, not just discernable but it was so easy to read and feel that it was like the feelings were actually yours. The aura was obvious and nearly engulfing Kagami once he noticed it. It was like light. You weren't aware of it until you actually thought about it.
Right then, Kagami felt a protectiveness and determined feeling radiating from the teen in front of him even though his face gave away nothing. The other took a few steps forward and gestured to Kagami's chest. "Will you need any attention to your cut on your chest or do you want to go straight to the hideout? I should say though, the faster we leave, the better."
Realization dawned on Kagami as he processed the stranger's words. They were still out in the middle of the night nearly surrounded by dead creatures with Kagami's blood still dripping onto the concrete below him. His ankle was bleeding from where the creature had been gripping onto him too hard and various other areas on his body suffered similar wounds for the same reason. He felt horrible as his body burned and throbbed and stung with all types and cuts, bruises and stabs. What more, he knew that he must have looked as horrible as he felt. "A-ah, yeah, sorry. We can go now. I don't want to stay." he mumbled.
Kagami looked at the other boy, Kuroko, as he nodded in understanding and moved again to the vehicle. "Let's go then," the teen said as he opened the passenger door for Kagami. "I do not want to stay here much longer either.
As Kagami climbed into the car, he didn't care that he was going to ride with a stranger, nor did he care that he didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that from here on out, he was going to have to trust his instincts and gut feeling that told him his savior was a good person and was going to take him to shelter.
With these thoughts in mind, Kagami waited for the stranger to get into the driver's seat and pull out of the parking space. Dimly, he thought there was a chance that the other might not know how to drive but the ride was smooth going so he let himself relax.
The low thrum of the car and the calm atmosphere around him lulled Kagami into a deep sleep, the quiet of the car and the salm presence of the stranger was strangely calming. The very thought made him smile. He was really sleepy.
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Kagami dreamed, a dream of fields of long grass that swayed in the cool wind, birds flying and chirping as they flew, low and overhead, butterflies delicately fluttering about and bunnies hopping and playing with one another. The sun shining down and accentuating the colors of the world and the sky a beautiful blue with white, wispy clouds floating across it. He stood in the middle of the calm and peaceful world that existed before his own.
It was the world that Kagami sometimes tried to imagine after recalling all the pictures that his father showed him. All the videos that he was shown when his father was able to from his phone that he had never let go and the tablet that his mother used to carry around as well. When ever they could, they would try to power them up somehow with cables and other things. All Kagami knew was that once they were working again, they would show him a world of perfect lives, breathtaking sights and sceneries, impossible events, great festival and other things that no longer existed in the apocalypse. Kagami's parents had told him that the world they had been showing him was the one they grew up in and the one they now fought for.
At least, that was the one they did fight for. When they were still alive. When they were dying, they had told him one thing before telling him to run. They told him to trust his gut to help him survive, trust his guts to help him change their world back to the one they grew up in. They told him that he had to believe in himself to help him get to the top and cleanse the sickened and dying world.
Then, he didn't understand and now, he still doesn't. He already believed in himself to survive, he was strong enough, wasn't he? He trusted his guts and instincts to guide him, right? So what more did his parents want from him? And what good could a single person do for humanity. Kagami wasn't against his parents at all, he supported them and worked to keep their memory alive and lasting but he still thought that sometimes, just maybe, they had been too hopeful, too expectant of him to bring their dream of the world they grew up into a reality. What could they possibly think that a ten year old kid could do for the world that was pretty much heading to its grave after sending itself there.
Kagami woke up after the field exploded.
The peaceful clearing, destroyed with everything in it.
He dimly remembered the crushed black roses at his feet.
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Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
I Found a Flower
As Black as You
Among Innocent Flowers
Among Red and Blue
A Single Black Rose
Something Untrue
Roses are Red
Red in the Light
But This Flower I held
Was Black as Night
The Black of Shadows
The Black We Fear
Tonight I'll Make Sure
This Flower is Real
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
I Found a Flower
As Black as You
It Meant Pain
As Well as Death
But Mine or Yours
Who's last Breath?
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
I Found a Flower
As Black as You
My Mother Died
My Father Too
When This is Over
So Will You
For In The Night
A Black Rose was Crushed
Whether Real or Not
You Will be Hushed
~by MHB + MHR