My Choice

Chapter 1: Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Free! Nor do I own any of the characters found within it.

It was all over. Those were the only words Haruka could find to describe his current situation. Everything he had ever known was preparing to end; his friends, memories, hopes, and even dreams would cease to exist as soon as his consciousness was swallowed by the machine blaring before his eyes. It was an unfortunate inevitable fate, yet it was the only way he would ever have a chance of saving them.

It was a huge risk, there was a chance that he would never remember what he had set out to do. Despite this fact, Haruka knew there was truly no other way to return them to this world, the REAL world, where they belonged. In order to achieve this goal, sacrifices had to be made. If he were to give up his life for it, so be it.

Several cloaked figures around him urged him toward the machine towering in front of him. Its lights flashed spontaneously and without any set rhythm or pattern. Watching the lights dance around the grey room could easily drive a man mad. But the lights were not the only thing off about the machine, it had a queer sound too. Each time specific lights flashed a small rumble would travel through the machine, letting out a metallic buzz. If there was a room designed to prepare a man for hell this was easily it. Haruka couldn't help stifling a chuckle in spite of the current situation. This entire thing was madness! How… how could he have thought that he could be strong enough for this?

As if sensing his doubt, the people around him gave him a sharp nudge, forcing to continue forward. He couldn't turn back now even if he wanted to, he would be forced into this even if he fought and screamed against it. There was a point when the people driving him forward stopped. He had to go on to the machine alone now, they couldn't risk their own necks now could they?

As he approached the machine his footsteps echoed ominously around the dim room. "Stop!" one of his accomplices were speaking to him now. "Stay in that exact spot." Haruka came to a stop. So was this it? He briefly considered the idea of running. Maybe if he ran they wouldn't be able to catch him and he could get out of this. Maybe there was some other alternative. Maybe-

"Kid I'm no fool. I can read distress in people's eyes. You've come too damn far to turn back now. You're going to do this, no exceptions. If we need to, we will gladly drag your unconscious body into this. It doesn't make much of a difference to us whether you enter conscious or not, but I assure you that it would be a lot better if you materialized without any brain damage."

Materialized. That single word sent a chill through haruka's body, freezing him into place. As he waited, a slight change began to take place in the machine's rhythm. The lights began to speed up in their flashes, and the buzzing sound began to grow continuously louder. As the machine sped up, small holes in the machine began to open up, seemingly unscrewing themselves from the body of the mechanical artifact. Several thin appendages crept out of the new holes in the machine, quickly growing in length. The newfound "legs" of the machine towered over Haruka. The flashing lights mixed with these legs cast dancing shadows around the dim room. They slowly turned their points toward Haruka's body, aiming their gazes at him.

The tips of the legs began to glow with a pale light. Smoke curled off the edges, and a silver liquid began to drip to the floor from where the light originated. It was melting. Whatever this light was, it was coming out. It was going to hit him. Haruka realized this must be how it's done. This was undoubtable going to hurt him like hell.

Haruka shut his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. He couldn't hear the machine anymore; the sound of his heartbeat drowned out all noise. Sweat ran down his body. He was looking death in the face, and had no way to run away. All he could do was embrace this fact.

That was the moment when the light hit. It blared into his body, causing a slight sizzling sound to fill his ears. It was worse than being burned, frozen, or drowned. Haruka snapped open his eyes, only for his vision to be filled with alternating flashes of darkness and that blinding light. The pain was indescribable, unbearable, and unnatural. It was the pain of a body being torn apart and sucked away, piece by piece, molecule by molecule. He opened his mouth to try to scream, but found that he could no longer feel his tongue. It was gone.

Slowly, he felt his mind drifting away as his body was taken apart. He felt his memories slipping away from him. Faces of two people merged into one, memories of his life swirled around and disappeared in a nauseating spell. He wanted to reach out and grasp them before they slipped away into nothingness. They were leaving, and they wouldn't be coming back. Ever.

As Haruka's last strands of consciousness began to fade away, he managed to pull forth one last precious memory. The light in their eyes, their gentle smiles, the faces of the people dearest to him. As his mind faded away, Haruka was glad that his last thoughts could be of them.