Chance Encounter
The boy has never felt this way before. He is sitting on the floor where they left him. He doesn't think he's bleeding, but his ribs hurt and so does his head. This isn't the first time he's been beaten this way. But Touta Matsuda has decided that it will be the last.
"I…I can't make them leave me alone," he says, almost sobbing. "But I can make sure…they can never hurt me again if I do it."
He had already planned to try. He'd come home from school so many times after being tormented by the bullies, and he'd come home to find his father screaming at him and asking where he'd been. He'd only come home to another beating.
Touta had considered running away. But his father would find him, and then…then…he didn't want to think about what his father might do to him.
No, there was nothing else for it. Touta climbed wearily to his feet, whimpering in pain. He picked up his book bag, and trudged down the hall toward the door.
He was too tired to notice anything, and too focused on what he was going to do, or he would have seen the small, dark-haired figure that followed him.
There were plenty of people outside-but no one who took the time to notice the raven-haired teenager with bruises on his face and his equally battered shadow.
Touta looked around to be sure no one was watching, then ducked into an alley. He was sure no one would follow to interrupt him. All there was in there was a dumpster, anyway. He had often hidden here when he had been too afraid to go home. Back when he had known his mother would be able to protect him from his father, no matter how late he came home.
He glanced around again, just to be sure, then dug in his book bag until he found what he was looking for. Touta stared at the shining blade of the knife he had taken from the kitchen before he had left home that morning. His gaze shifted from the knife to his wrist. The hand that held the knife was shaking. Touta choked back a whimper.
"This…this is the only way… I can't bother anybody anymore… No one can hurt me…if I just do it…"
And then, just as he was about to slash his wrist, he felt a hand touch his arm. Touta froze.
"Why right now? Don't let it be my father!"
He almost couldn't bring himself to look at the other person, but when he did, he was surprised to see that it was a boy a few years younger than himself. He had black hair that reached almost to his shoulders, brown eyes, and black glasses.
"Don't," the other boy said, "You can't."
"Why not?" Touta whispered, "Why can't I?"
The other boy's face clouded with anger.
"If you do, that means that you let evil get the best of you," he said, "Evil must not be allowed to triumph. If enough people would fight against evil, then it could be deleted once and for all. If someone would only try."
The other boy paused, and, for the first time, Touta noticed that his face was bruised as well.
"You can be anything you want to be," the boy said, "If you try. If you fight. If you never let evil get the best of you."
Touta looked from the boy to the knife, and back again. Then he sighed, and dropped the knife on the ground.
The other boy stared at the knife with contempt, and kicked it into the shadows.
"I should be going," he said, looking at his watch, "You should too. This is not a safe place."
"Wait," Touta said, as the boy turned away, "W-what's your name?"
"Mikami," the other boy said, "Teru Mikami."
"I'm Touta Matsuda," Matsuda said, "Thank you, Teru."
Teru Mikami smiled.
"You are most welcome, Touta."