I wanted to get this up sooner, but school has started and I got busy. Before I get even more swamped by the woes of education, though, I HAD to get this up... so here goes! The final chapter of Hostage! ENJOY!
Hostage
Chapter Eleven: Borne Back Ceaselessly, We Beat On
1:53am
He had never thought about how this would end.
But he had always known that at some point of time, it would.
And hence that was why he saw no reason to struggle or protest as the uniformed men broke easily into the supermart, aiming their guns straight at him. He remained so still when they handcuffed him that he knew it raised suspicions. He watched the men dispatch themselves to different parts of the mart, off to search for any survivors – or worse.
He knew that nobody would understand the reasons behind his actions. They might pity him, but they would still see it unreasonable – after all, he had killed. Perhaps he should be feeling guilty, remorseful, anything – but all he felt was numbness.
Was this how failure felt?
His parents stood next to a senior officer, wearing identical expressions of dismay and horror on their faces. How had they known about this so quickly? Osamu could only assume it was because whoever had contacted the police had revealed that he was the shooter. One look at his parents and Osamu had seen enough. He refused to meet their gaze for even once more, choosing to focus on Ken instead.
His little brother was standing not too far off from them. Another police officer was talking to him, and he was answering them shakily, eyes darting ever so often in Osamu's direction.
As the policemen shoved him toward the exit, toward the police car parked outside, Ken's gaze shifted toward him again and this time round, their eyes met. Ken's eyes were filled with such guilt that it startled even Osamu. The expression on his face spoke volumes, words that were left unsaid… but he knew what they were.
I'm so sorry.
He hadn't bothered to give his parents a second look because he could tell, from the first glance, that they still didn't get it. They didn't understand why he had done all this, and they probably never would. Their expressions of shock and confusion and utter disbelief told him that they were both wondering what had possessed their darling genius son to commit such a crime. He might have been aware that other people wouldn't understand… but it hurt somewhat when that included his own parents.
But –
Ken knew. Ken understood. Ken was the only person that got it, and yet Osamu had tried to kill him.
As he was pushed clumsily into the car, the strangest feeling of guilt and regret filled his heart.
Aftermath
Last night's tragedy at Odaiba Supermart was one of the worst shooting cases ever to have taken place in the peaceful town. Authorities have confirmed the number of casualties. Four unfortunate victims were killed in the incident. They are 21-year-old Kido Jyou, an all-rounded Medical Student before his untimely demise, 19-year-old Saito Ayame, a cashier at Odaiba Supermart, 17-year-old Otsuka Yukiko, part time waitress at the Supermart's Café, and 47-year-old Mori Hachiro, a security guard at the Supermart.
There were eleven other victims held hostage in the supermart, two of which suffered serious injuries from the shootout. One of them, in particular, is the up-and-rising young tennis star, Takenouchi Sora, who…
---
For weeks, the shooting at Odaiba Supermart was the talk of the town. Quite apart from the usual bargaining, fishmongers and their regulars exchanged juicy bits of gossip and news updates over platters of raw fish. During recess times in school, high-schoolers pondered over it, trying to come up with the most ridiculous reasons why Ichijouji Osamu had ended up becoming a serial killer. And in offices everywhere, fellow employees got together for a quick, whispered discussion while their bosses' backs were turned.
Newspapers covered the tragic event in great detail. There were articles about the casualties – about what had happened to the injured, and about those who were unfortunately killed. Families of the deceased were interviewed. A failed attempt to interview Osamu's family was made. The aftermath of Odaiba Supermart was also written about.
But most of all, the choice of focus was Ichijouji Osamu himself.
The 20-year-old prodigy's trial had been long and drawn-out. Osamu had been famous even before the shootings for being such a multi-talent at a young age. The public was unable to bring themselves to believe that someone as perfect as him could have committed such a horrible crime.
It was only after two months that the verdict was made. Ichijouji Osamu would be sentenced to a term of life imprisonment.
He would never see daylight again.
---
For them, it was more than just an ordinary supermart.
Tachikawa Mimi had been near the point of hysterics when the uniformed men found her, clutching onto Ayame's bloodied body. Her throat had been raw from sobbing, and her body stained everywhere with Ayame's blood. They practically had to drag her away and it took more than an hour before she calmed down – collapsing, near to the point of fainting, into an officer's arms.
She resigned from her position as cashier shortly after. She needed the money, but the idea of facing the counters at Odaiba Supermart for once more made her feel so… hollow. It would be a long while before she would be able to bring herself to visit the place again. She had worked there for barely a few hours, and had known Ayame for barely less than one day, but it had felt like forever.
It was far too short.
She made regular visits to Sora, and a strong friendship gradually grew between the two girls. She took up a part time course in Sociology at a private school while waitressing at a cosy little restaurant near her apartment as often as she could. It was a difficult road, but Mimi was getting on with her life, picking up the pieces from where she had left off. She had never been the type to give up. Especially not now.
But neither would she forget. In spite of it all... Mimi wanted to remember. The incident had changed her life. She had done things she normally would never have thought she'd dare to do. She had forged strong friendships that had been broken too quickly and mercilessly. How could she bring herself to forget all these things?
She made it a point to visit Ayame's grave at least once a month.
The sight of her mother's face had never brought more relief to Yagami Hikari as they embraced, her burrowing as deep as possible into her mother's grasp for the comfort she so desperately needed. It had been such a stroke of luck, pure luck, that her brother had been able to get through on his phone and call his mother. A few minutes' delay would've probably cost all their lives.
She was calm the whole ride home and went to bed immediately - only to wake up in tears, having dreamt so vividly about the whole event. Then she did something she hadn't done since she was a little girl - she climbed gingerly up the ladder to the upper bunk, where her brother slept.
She had found Taichi huddled up among his blankets, staring blankly at the ceiling. He wasn't crying, but the despondent look on his face was enough to bring a fresh wave of tears to Hikari's eyes.
The two siblings had had such a long talk that night. That talk had helped both of them a lot. She hadn't thought she'd able to get through that night, let alone the rest of the days... but somehow, she managed. And she knew Takeru did, too. He had always been the optimist, but she knew he also had his breaking points. He never did tell her how he had managed to cope with the event... but Hikari was sure that one day, he would feel ready enough to talk about it. And when that time came, she'd be more than ready to listen, too.
Now, it was hard for both Hikari and Takeru to remember the days of fun they had at Odaiba Supermart. It seemed so long ago that this was once their weekly haunt.
The found it ridiculous when people, as an attempt at consolation, told them it was "romantic" that both of them had escaped such a terrifying ordeal together. Because what was so romantic about the deafening bangs of a gun, of being acutely aware that you could die any second, of seeing people die right in front of your eyes?
But it was true that the incident had given them a better insight of things. And despite it all, they decided to visit the Supermart two months after the incident.
It would never be their weekly haunts again, that was for sure. But they had decided to go there for closure. Hikari had told herself before the trip that she wasn't going to be the scared and weak girl she once was. Takeru told himself that he would finally let go of his facade of never-ending optimism. He would tell Hikari about the tears he had shed during the days right after the shooting, of the nightmares he had had for two weeks straight.
There was just no point in keeping things bottled up.
Strangely enough, the tragedy at Odaiba Supermart brought an emotion to Hida Iori experienced by none of the rest.
Embarrassment.
So he had thought the world of himself, thinking that now he was slightly older he was ever so much wiser. He had thought that with increased freedom and independence, he was free to do as he pleased. Raised in such a traditional family, it was ironic that he had so quickly forgotten the values that had taken years for him to learn.
The shooting had been a wakeup call to him. He knew it deep inside – for most of the time, he had been nothing more than a snivelling coward throughout the entire event, standing by the door and quaking away while the rest tried to come up with a plan to foil Osamu's tactics. He had come to his senses at the last minute. Koushirou said his shout had saved the day. But it had been a shout of fear and desperation, a coward's plea for help. It may have saved everybody's lives, but Iori wasn't entirely proud of it.
There were many things, he was beginning to realize, that he wasn't all too proud of. He had changed so much - too much.
Hopefully it wouldn't be too late to start fixing them.
When Yagami Yuuko dashed into the Supermart along with the armed officers, the first thing she saw was Taichi and Yamato pinning the shooter down, united in strength.
A split second later, the officers had taken over. Yamato had stood silently by the side and watched as she embraced her son and daughter.
Yuuko had always sort of known about Taichi and Yamato, but she had never wanted to think about it. Her husband would no doubt regard their relationship as a shame to the family, and she had to admit that she felt rather the same way. Same-sex relationships were still considered taboo in Japan. The realization that her son was in one was just… unbearable.
After the incident, though, she had given it a lot of thinking before making up her mind.
It was without hesitation that she told Taichi to invite Yamato over for dinner, and without hesitation when she gave the apprehensive blonde a genuine hug when the door opened. After dinner, as they all sat around eating cut fruit and watching television, she was the one to bring it up, much to everyone's amazement - the acknowledgement that she fully accepted their relationship. The smiles on their faces were priceless.
Life was so fragile. Anything could happen – even something as unthinkable as being held hostage in a Supermart by an idolized boy genius. Yuuko knew, now, that life was just too short for petty worries over matters like this. All it mattered for her was that her children were happy. When it came to relationship matters as such... who was she to judge what was wrong or right?
The moment Daisuke's eyes closed and his head lolled to one side had been the scariest moment of Miyako's life.
No matter how loud she screamed and shook him and begged him, he just couldn't wake up. His face was ashen pale and blood was still flowing from his stomach wound. She wanted the old, vivacious Daisuke back so badly it hurt.
She followed him in the ambulance, making anxious calls to both his and her families on the way there. And when they reached the hospital, she paced outside the operating theatre for half an hour before their anxious parents arrived, nearly in tears and frantic with worry as well.
When the doctor finally emerged, Miyako could have cried with relief upon seeing the small smile on his face. Daisuke would survive. While he had lost a large amount of blood, none of his vital organs had been hit and he would recover in two months or so.
Miyako visited him every week, updating him on the goings-on in school and bringing along with her the well wishes of their classmates. Sometimes, Ichijouji Ken visited too. They were slowly becoming friends, and Miyako was glad of that - Ken needed them. Daisuke saving him had formed a bond between them that was both rare and extremely precious.
She knew Daisuke looked forward to her visits - he told her that the hospital stays were a bore and the updates she brought with him made him feel more in touch with the outside world. He had also told her fondly that she was great company to have and one of the greatest friends he would ever have. That had thrown her off - it wasn't like Daisuke to be so open with his feelings.
But then, she had found herself changing in subtle manners in the weeks after the shooting as well.
These days, it was getting harder for Miyako to partake as ferociously as before in the duo's usual banters. She found herself giving in to him more, so much so that Daisuke would actually complain that she was being too much of a softie. And it was getting harder to keep the affectionate note out of her voice when she spoke to him.
Miyako had always cherished their friendship, but the truth was, it had taken a disaster of sorts to make her realize how much it really meant to her.
She knew that Daisuke felt the same way, too.
It felt so surreal, somehow – so out-of-a-movie as Koushirou's parents embraced him, filled with utmost delight that their beloved child had managed to escape the horrific event unscathed. Apart from their relief and delight, he knew that they also felt a sense of pride – proud of the fact that that night, their usual reticent son had been a hero.
The next day, when the house was empty and Koushirou was alone in his room, he finally allowed himself some time to think. He let the tears fall, wanting to be rid of the worst feeling of all – the gut-wrenching sense of grief he felt for those that had been killed. It was only after a while that he realized that this grief would never go away. It would always be a part of him. It was something he would have to live with.
And then he caught sight of his mahogany oak bookshelf. The middle two rows were filled to the brim with stacks after stacks of computer games, all played with so often Koushirou had memorized every single level sequence and cheat codes. Those shelves held a world of virtual reality that he had gotten so lost in that it had taken a tragedy for him to realize that he had quite forgotten what real life was like.
Mind made up, he went into the storage room and found a large paper bag.
It took him barely five minutes to clear the two shelves, and another fifteen minutes to lug the bag to the nearest Community Centre, where he donated all his games to needy kids that would surely need them more than he ever did.
It was time to start life anew.
The world felt hazy when Takenouchi Sora awoke. She blinked blearily, the memory of the past events fogging up her mind. As the images around her got sharper, she began to be aware of voices around her. "She's awake!" "Sora! Sora, are you feeling alright?" It made her dizzy.
Her mother was there, peering down at her anxiously. Next to her was her tennis coach, and on the other side was a girl that looked vaguely familiar – wasn't her name Mimi? She could feel herself being prodded at and touched… she didn't like it, and began to squirm.
"Please do stay still, Ms. Takenouchi. This will only take a short while."
Sora blinked. A young man – doctor, to be exact, for he was wearing the signature white coat – was bent over and examining her. Was she in a hospital? What was she doing - ?
Then it hit her. All the memories flooded back to her and she looked down at her legs at once. Her left leg was wrapped in an enormous cast, thick and unmovable.
She couldn't help herself. She screamed.
It took half an hour for everyone to calm her down, and for the doctor to explain everything. Sora had been unconscious for nearly three days already. Her leg had been seriously wounded, and they had lost precious time, not being able to get her to a hospital immediately. It was already considered extremely fortunate for Sora that her leg had not been amputated, that she would eventually be able to walk, albeit with a slight limp.
But there came the crushing truth – she would never be able to play tennis again.
For weeks, she wallowed in a pool of her own misery, hating her life and everything around her. Just like that, her lovely, bright future was gone. She had been destined to be one of the best national players ever – now what was going to happen? Tennis was the one thing she had been good at. It was what kept her going and boosted her self-confidence. Now, she was nothing.
Mimi visited often and Sora's parents came everyday. While she hardly spoke, deep inside Sora appreciated that.
It was another week later when Mimi arrived with a newspaper in hand. It had been folded to the third page and without a word, she handed it over to Sora. Looking up mutinously from her plate of unappetizing hospital lunch, Sora found herself looking down at four cheerful, smiling faces.
They were the faces of the four who had died in the shootings.
It felt like a punch in the gut to see all these faces, especially Ayame's youthful, beaming one. After ten minutes of unbearable silence, Mimi took a seat next to the bed and gently pulled the newspaper away from Sora's grasp.
They had the first long conversation together since Mimi's first visit.
From that day onward, Sora decided to "take control" of her life, as she called it. Screw those pesky reporters who couldn't stop writing about her downfall! Screw tennis and being an ex-famous national player! She concentrated on getting better, spending more time with her friends and family and her tennis coach, who remained close to her despite the fact that she could no longer play. It didn't take long for Sora to decide that when she got better, she would start training to become a coach, too.
She may have lost what was once near and dear to her, but in return she had gained experiences and friendships that were so much more precious. That particular newspaper article had taught her something. She was thankful just to be alive.
For once, he was the one in the spotlight…
And he didn't enjoy it. Not a single bit.
Wherever Ichijouji Ken went, he was bombarded with awkward glances, sympathetic smiles and occasionally, even an angry remark for being related to "a heartless, cold-blooded murderer". His classmates, after a few days of offering consolations and comforting remarks, tentatively began asking him about what had happened inside the supermart. Even reporters wanted to interview him, but he turned all of them down.
Was this what it felt like to be famous? To have your every move scrutinized and every word you spoke carefully taken note of? Ken had always wondered what it felt like – it had always looked so good. But now that he was actually experiencing it…
To say that he hated it would be putting it mildly.
Ironically, things remained unchanged in the Ichijouji household. Even in his absence, Osamu remained as the one who constantly captured the attention of their parents. More than once Ken had returned home from school to find his mother sobbing into one of Osamu's baby photograph albums. His father had taken to drinking outside and coming home late almost every night, crying and talking drunkenly about his oldest son.
It felt even more stifling than before to stay at home and Ken found himself staying outside longer and longer, loitering around aimlessly after school. Occasional bouts of comfort came when he visited Daisuke and Miyako, two people from the incident that he had strangely bonded with and formed a friendship of sorts with. Ken had also wrestled with the idea of visiting Osamu in prison, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to do it. He knew his mother did, once a week. She had asked him to come along, but he had always declined. It was far too painful.
Four Fridays after the incident, Ken found himself boarding the train that would take him to Odaiba. His mind wandered as he walked, not really bothering about where he was going. The walk made him feel good. It helped to clear his thoughts, even if they would come back to haunt him when he returned home in a few hours' time.
The sound of laughter and chatter brought him back to reality and Ken blinked as the warm evening sunlight bathed his face. He gazed around and found, to his amazement and horror, that he had somehow led himself all the way to the entrance of Odaiba Supermart.
One month later, the Supermart was back to its usual hustle and bustle. It was evening and he could see harried mothers rushing to buy groceries with their children in tow, and amongst them more relaxed shoppers having just finished work and looking forward to enjoying the weekend. Through the glass doors he stared unblinkingly at every inch of the mall that was visible to him, until his gaze fell on the spot near the counters – the spot where he had lain on as his brother tried to kill him.
He had told nobody about this incident, not even his parents. There was no point… and a part of him wanted to protect Osamu's reputation from being even more tarnished than it already was.
Ken stood there for nearly an hour until people started to realize who he was. Having sympathetic looks and pointed whispers coming toward him in all directions became, once more, too much for him to bear. He rushed off to the train station at once, suddenly eager to rush back home and hide in his room.
It was nearly past dinner time when he reached home. The house was deafeningly quiet. His mother was sitting on the sofa, flipping through another album. This time, however, Ken recognized it as one of his.
She looked up and gestured for him to come over. This came as a surprise - usually Ken would be the one going over and trying to comfort her as she sobbed, before finally giving up and slinking back into his room.
"Your father is sleeping," she said softly, and Ken knew that meant he had been out drinking again. She smiled sadly and patted the seat next to her. Half-reluctant and half-curious, Ken sat down.
"You were always such an adorable baby," Mrs. Ichijouji said, her voice now slightly choked up. She closed the book with a sharp snapand turned to face him. He saw the tears swimming in her eyes.
"You've been so quiet since the incident," she whispered in a trembling voice. "And I know your father and I have neglected you. We never asked you how you felt about it… and you were there, too. You saw it all."
The memories of that fateful night four weeks ago made Ken feel suddenly light-headed. It was beginning to feel hard to breath properly, in fact. Ken swallowed and tried to calm himself down.
"I don't feel like talking about it much," he managed.
His mother nodded tenderly. "I understand."
She stood up, placing the album down gently on the coffee table. Unsure of what to do, Ken stood up too.
"I've been waiting for you to come back," she told him. "Shall we go and have dinner?"
He nodded wordlessly, a strange jumble of emotions dancing about in the pit of his stomach. It had been so long since he had talked properly to his mother like this, let alone eat dinner together. It just felt so… strange, but it wasn't unpleasant.
He had the feeling that his mother knew what he was thinking. Her smile was sad, concerned and understanding all at the same time. Was she trying to make amends? Ken had the feeling she was.
He could sense her fear. The fear that what she was doing now was far too late.
They walked into the brightly-lit kitchen together, talking softly. They hadn't had a conversation like this for so long. Was it possible that this would soon become a familiar occurrence?
For the eleven of them who had survived, Odaiba Supermart and that fateful Friday's events would forever be etched in their minds. Most of them would probably never want to return to the Supermart again. Ken didn't doubt that they were all still grieving over their fellow peers' deaths.
But for the rest of the world, life still went on. What he had seen this evening had been evidence of that. It would only be a matter of years, or even months, that the shootout at the Supermart become part of history, forgotten by most and remembered only by a few. It would be up to them to decide whether they would allow themselves to be swallowed up by the dark memories of that day, or to move on with the crowd and get on with their lives.
Daisuke, Miyako and the others were all doing fine. Even Sora, who had lost her career because of this, was coping better than before. Eleven bleak and ordinary lives had been transformed that very night, and ten of them had managed to regain their footing in this bustling passageway called life. Was Ken going to be the odd one out?
His mother's soft voice seemed to bring warmth into the large kitchen. Ken took his usual seat and picked up the bowl of rice, gazing at the familiar dishes that his mother cooked so often.
I don't think so.
:FIN:
Got the names for the dead OCs from my Japanese teachers. (Sorry teachers!)
Chapter title adapted from a quote from The Great Gatsby - "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
And so there we have it. The End. Geez, I feel kind of sad now. I started Hostage with only a vague idea of what was going to happen. I didn't draw up a proper plotline or timeline, which was what I probably should have done before I started writing it. I've had writer blocks and also bouts of lovely writing storms when it comes to this story. This was the fic that started my enjoyment for writing mystery fics! And now it's over... and I'm feeling both happy and a little sad - happy 'cos it's over, and sad because I no longer have this story to write for.
A BIG thank you to AAAALL my reviewers, especially those who stuck to every chapter and reviewed every single one of them! Even though your names are not listed here, I'm gonna say... to EVERY SINGLE ONE of you - this chapter is for you! Without you guys, I would probably never have completed this.
I hope you guys have enjoyed the ride as much as I have!