Inside
By Youknowisuck
Hiro's breath came out in short, steady breaths. He had that nightmare, the one he could never remember. The one that always made him wake up in a cold, clammy sweat. Just forget it, he told himself. Funny, I already forgot it.
He gently laid his head against the pillow, and closed his eyes. No one is here to hurt you. You're safe and sound, right here. He slowly lost consciousness, and he began to dream. Dream of… he could never remember. Funny, he thought.
…
The alarm clock spewed its hellish noise into his ears, and he awoke with a start. He looked at the alarm clock, and was relieved to see that he woke up on time. 8:00 AM, right on time. He went through his usual morning routine, and was pleased to see that he might actually leave on time today. His suit was a little tight, but that was overshadowed by the fact that he left on time. Usually, he would leave around 15 minutes later than when he should. But, he thought, this is no usual day. Today, he may actually get a job. Unemployed, no more!
He got into his small, "clown" car, which was tight to fit in, but got him from point A to point B. He drove around the town of Kyoto, and finally got to point B. The Kiro Magazine building. He was finally fulfilling his lifelong dream, and his hair was filled with sweat. His pale skin began to chill, and he began to doubt whether or not he should walk toward his destination.
He hesitantly began to walk toward the door, and each step filled him with more self doubt. I can't do this, he told himself. I cannot do this!
However, almost unconsciously, he opened the building door, went to his appointment, and was waiting in the waiting room. Oh, crap.
However much self doubt he had in himself, he still went through with it. He heard his name called, and he still went through with it. He met the owner of the magazine company, who was plump, old (around mid 50's), and with black hair. He smiled constantly when asking questions about Hiro, but when it came to his portfolio, the man was stone faced, and was so focused in what he was doing, that he completely ignored Hiro when he asked questions.
When he was finally done, he looked up, smiled, and said, "We'll call you."
I'm definitely still unemployed, thought Hiro. Hiro sullenly walked out of the company doors, and realized he needed to get realistic. I need to get an actual job right now.
I can't live off of welfare forever.
As he walked out, he heard screams. He looked to the source of the noise, and was shocked to see a murder. He ran towards it, and tried his best to help. But, it did not help. In the end, he couldn't help. Just like always, he was too weak. Don't beat yourself up. It's fine. Almost silently above him, a blue glowing butterfly fluttered.
He looked up, and his eyes widened. Oh, crap, he thought.
…
Akira was fired from his job that day. You're too unstable, they said. He was angry, and he needed to hurt someone. He didn't know why, but he just needed to. He picked out his target, a young man, around age 18, walking out of a building. He unsheathed his knife, and began to walk faster, and his breaths hurt his lungs, but he did not care.
He looked behind the boy, and saw another young man, around the same age, with brown hair, and bangs that nearly reached his eyes. The boy was glaring at him, and Akira was having second thoughts about the first boy. He wanted to kill the other one. He walked towards the boy, and began to swing his knife toward the boy's shoulders. But the boy deflected it perfectly, as though he had done it a thousand times before. He felt a strong punch to his face, and black met his eyes.
…
The boy in front of Hiro looked back in horror, and saw the knife fall out of the man's hands. He relaxed a little bit, and began to walk to his car. Nice job, he thought.
Hiro was breathing hard, and contemplated what had happened. He knew what to expect and he had successfully dodged it. All in all, I did fine.
He reached for his phone and dialed the police. "Hello, police? Yeah, I'd like to report attempted homicide. Address? Um, 1313 west Toriyama Street. Yes, thank you."
Hiro let out a sigh of relief. He had kept his promise to not let anyone get hurt a long time ago, and he had successfully kept that promise. He looked at the man who attempted murder, and recognized him: Akira, the man who worked at the music store. He always was a weird guy, Hiro thought.
The police came, questioned Hiro, and had left with Akira in the back of their car. Hiro began to walk back to his car, and he realized the day's events. I was basically denied my dream, and now I must begin to be realistic.
He drove back to his house, and got a phone call. "Hiro? Oh, thank God, listen: your dad has died. You have to come home, right now."
He agreed to come and hung up. He looked straight outside his window, and it finally hit him: his dad was dead. He ran to his car, and drove off furiously. No tears came, just sadness. He really couldn't truly grasp it, but he would do whatever he could to help. My promise, did I just break it? Rang through his head, repeatedly. The question eventually dissipated, and he began to look for his childhood home.
It wasn't very hard to find it, because it stood out almost like a black line in a background of white. It was very large, with a blue door. It was in a small neighborhood, a quiet neighborhood. At least… now it is.
He hesitantly knocked on the blue door. Here we go.
