Title: The Next Prince
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Sight
Summary: A secret cult has emerged in Shohoku for decades. In a besieged area, many lives are taken and terrible secrets are revealed in a series of terrifying events. A group of players unexpectedly discovers nefarious events within the organization.
It was dark all around as the heavy rain poured down. No cars pass by. Only raindrops, loud thunder and lightning can be heard outside. Sakuragi quickly ran home. The scars on his body were painful, whilst he was drenched by heavy rain. He could feel some of the bumps he got from the group he bumped into. He's still wearing a school uniform. Sakuragi fell down in front of the door of their house when he saw that his father was dead. He moves hastily and trembles with fear. He looked back as he ran, turning down the street. He was startled by the sound of the alarm. He inhales deeply in relief, realizing it's just a nightmare.
Rukawa was still lying on his bed. He moved to rub his face with his hands and froze. He hears what sounds like a whisper. He quickly got up from his bed and ran towards the sound. He couldn't understand the words, though he was sure the voice was from a child. Rukawa saw the door open and close. He quickly took a shower and got dressed to leave the house. He slowed down when he noticed that there was no one in his neighborhood.
Miyagi pinched himself. He wanted to make sure he wasn't sleeping anymore. He stared at his bedroom. Seeing an image in the mirror, he started to back away. One step, then he heard heels on the concrete stairs. Tracking back, he remains focused on the mirror, eerily. But the image is gone. He immediately left the house. He hurriedly walked down the road without looking back.
When Mitsui left their house, he was still yawning from sleepiness. He accidentally turned around at the sound of the car. He saw that their neighbor was carrying a body bag from the car. His pupils dilated, and he shivered from the cold. He noticed that his neighbor saw him watching him, so he abruptly looked away. He walks straight. He stopped and went back to the house next door. He felt a cold hand on his shoulder. An old man asked him if he was alright.
Rukawa was walking towards the locker when he felt someone in the gym with him. A child is sitting on a single chair in the middle of the gym. He doesn't blink or move. His smile is scary to look at. He tried not to panic. He tried to approach the boy to get him out of the gym. He didn't move. His skin was pale. His whole body was wet. His smile gives him the creeps. Rukawa calmly walked out of the gym, but his chest was about to jump out of his body in fear.
As Sakuragi walked on the sidewalks, he heard the faint conversation of people from the balcony of the chapel he passed. They are in a sad conversation. He ignores them. All of a sudden, he remembered his father. According to the hospital, his father died of a heart attack, but he doesn't believe it. The cause of his death is still unclear. He returned his vision to the road. He was stunned to see the image of his father not far away.
Miyagi walks to their classroom. As he looked at the translucent wall of the building, he saw an image behind him. His breathing quickened. He stopped walking and closed his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes to look at his reflection again. A dark figure is now standing behind him, about a few inches away. He felt all the hair on his body stand up. Terrified, he ran out of the school gate.
Mitsui still couldn't get over what he saw in the other house. He doesn't know if he will report what he saw to the police, but he hesitates as the contents of the bag might not be a corpse. He saw a car stop in front of him. Men dressed in black came out. He couldn't move. He heard footsteps behind him again. As time went on, his heart beat faster, his knees were shaking. He did not know what to do, so he ran to the school entrance.
Miyagi was catching his breath after running towards the gate. His head never stopped turning behind him. He collided with Mitsui. They were both out of breath, like they were being chased. Their eyes blink in fear and confusion. They don't know what to say. They observed each other. Their uniforms are no longer presentable. They were sweating with fear.
They went to the gym. They are not in the mood to practice. Before they reached the entrance, they met Rukawa. There was fear on his face. Rukawa warns them about the boy he saw. They still went straight inside the gym and saw what Rukawa mentioned. They almost jumped when they saw the wide-eyed boy, sitting in the middle of the gym with a creepy smile. They shortly left the gym and accompanied Rukawa out of school.
The three Shohoku players quietly left their campus. They messaged Ayako that they would not be attending practice today. When they reached the corner, they met Sakuragi. They were surprised to see him so sad and silent, far from his personality. Sakuragi joined them. Still, no one starts a conversation. They were all surprised by what they had experienced since the morning.
They walk together. No one knows how far their feet will take them. They just look straight ahead at the road. They don't talk, but they feel they understand each other by nodding and eye contact. In their minds, they were confused by what they had experienced earlier. Why is this happening to them? How far will their apparitions and terrifying experiences take them?
xxx
A Day Ago...
After the national tournament, they partied all night. Even though they did not become champions, they were happy with their matches. It was 3:00 AM when they arrived at Shohoku. Sakuragi, Rukawa, Mitsui, and Miyagi decided to take Ayako to her house. Her father watched them carefully. They were searched one by one before being let into the house.
Ayako: My father is a hypnotherapist. He helps clients overcome destructive behaviors, stress, anxiety, phobias, addictions, and physical pain.
The four were stunned and staring at Ayako's words. They couldn't stop scratching their heads because their minds were so messed up. Miyagi was beaming and seemed to be shedding tears of admiration. There were many question marks and math equations on top of their heads, so obviously no one understood what she said.
Four Monkeys: Wow...
Rukawa: Destructive behaviors? It looks like these three need therapy.
Three Monkeys: What did you say, Rukawa?!
Ayako's fan quickly hit her four friends to prevent them from speaking bad words in front of her father.
Ayako: He built a program that he started a long time ago here in our area. It's a psychological intervention support group. Their group helps many, such as victims of abuse or trauma, or those with mental and family problems.
Miyagi: Sorry Ayako, I'm not smart at everything. I can only give you my love.
Sakuragi: What the hell, Curly? His father is with us now!
Mitsui: Good thing, I'm good at basketball.
They were offered tea before going home, but they politely declined the offer from Ayako's father. He still persisted, so they couldn't refuse. They had a small chat in the living room. They felt relieved after drinking the tea that was given to them. Ayako was very proud to see her team behave. They said goodbye and went home to their respective houses.
xxx
Present…
The four Shohoku players just walked straight. They no longer notice the people they meet. They no longer hear the call on their phones. Their Captain Gorilla will surely scold them again.
Mitsui: Guys, can I sleep at your house? Hahaha!
His three companions just shook their heads.
Mitsui: What the?! I only asked for a favor once!
Miyagi: That's what I was thinking earlier too. Hanamichi? Rukawa? Can we sleep at your house?
The two rookies still shook their heads. It is obvious that they did not agree. Their shoulders slumped after the two rookies rejected them.
Sakuragi: Why do you want to sleep in another house?! Don't you have a bed?! Nyahahaha!
Rukawa: The monkey is back to his senses.
Mitsui: I just want to try to sleep at my teammate's house. Is that bad?
Miyagi: Really? Why don't you just tell the truth?
Mitsui: What are you talking about, Miyagi?
Miyagi: It won't diminish my masculinity if I tell the truth. I have been very scared since I woke up. That's the reason why I don't want to go home.
The four players stopped walking. They looked at each other. They seemed to tremble in the gust of wind. They could no longer feel what was around them while remembering what they saw earlier.
Miyagi: I saw an image in my bedroom mirror that looked like a woman. Then, when I arrived at school, I saw her behind me on the translucent wall of the building.
They slowly turned their heads to see if there was someone behind Miyagi. They put their heads back in front and sighed.
Mitsui: Sakuragi, did something happen to you too?
Sakuragi: I had a nightmare. I saw my father again before he died in our house. Then, I saw him in the middle of the road before I went to school earlier.
His teammates' eyes widened; they knew his father was gone. They now understand why his face was so sad earlier.
Miyagi: Sorry, Hanamichi. Mitsui, what happened to you earlier? Why are you in such a hurry to enter the gate?
Mitsui: As I was walking, I saw a car stopped in front of me. There are men dressed in black. They approached me, so I ran to the gate.
Miyagi: At least you didn't see a ghost, but a living person is actually scarier than a ghost.
Mitsui: Not only that, my neighbor took a body bag from the car and put it inside their house. Who wouldn't be afraid to see something like that?!
Sakuragi: What?! Have you reported it to the police?
Mitsui: Certainly not! What if I'm thinking wrong?! But I feel like there's a real corpse inside.
They are starting to freak out about each other's stories. They all had a scary experience this morning, and they were starting to panic again.
Miyagi: Rukawa, do you know that scary kid at the gym earlier?
Rukawa: I don't know him, but when I woke up earlier, I heard a child's voice in my apartment.
They stared intently at each other until they looked behind them at the same time. They sighed with relief when the boy they thought was following Rukawa was not there. They almost jumped in shock when suddenly a boy appeared in front of them.
Four Monkeys: AAAHHH!
They quickly ran to see a boy standing in front of them, dirty, drenched in sweat, and smiling.
Boy: Why are they afraid of me? I don't have bad breath. Oh right, I haven't taken a bath yet. My bad.
xxx
They stopped running. They became so soft that they leaned against the fence of a chapel.
Sakuragi: Bloody hell! I'm scared of kids now too!
Mitsui: It happened to us at the same time. Is it just a coincidence?
Miyagi: I hope it happened by chance. We haven't fought a witch or set foot in an elf's house.
Mitsui: We had so much fun the other day. Then this?!
Miyagi: I remember what my grandmother said. Happiness is sometimes replaced by sadness.
Sakuragi: Are you saying there is a price for our victory?
They feel cold again. They worry that all the fun they've had for the past few months might come back to haunt them.
Rukawa: I'm just going to answer a call. Excuse me.
While Rukawa is talking to someone, the three monkeys are wondering whose house they will sleep in temporarily.
Mitsui: If we sleep at Kogure's house, we will definitely disturb his grandmother. We still can't stop making noise, even when we sleep.
Sakuragi: Let's go to Gori's house!
Miyagi: We absolutely won't be able to sleep on the lump he's going to give us, especially now that we are absent.
Rukawa just sighed at the person he was talking to on his phone, though he was really worried about him, so he swiftly preached to him.
Rukawa: Pay attention, idiot! I'm not at school. Don't come to my apartment from now on.
Sendoh: Did I do something wrong that I am no longer welcome in your house?
Rukawa: I'll explain, when we meet again.
Sendoh: Aren't you angry?
Rukawa: No. Just take care. I will ask a favor.
Sendoh: What are you saying? You know, I can't say no to you.
xxx
Mitsui: I'll just sleep at Aota's house.
Sakuragi: I have already texted Mito. I will stay at their house now.
Mitsui: Miyagi, come with me. You and Aota know each other.
Miyagi: Thanks man. Rukawa? Do you want to come with us?
Rukawa: I'll have a place to stay later.
They breathed easily; they had a place to stay. They looked at the chapel. Someone was dead inside. They started walking again but turned around when they heard the conversation of two men behind them.
Man 1: The wife can't accept what happened to her husband. She said he never got sick, then had a heart attack.
Man 2: Doctors continue to give strange conclusions. Every month, someone dies here in our area. Most of them are heart attacks.
Man 1: Maybe they thought there was a virus targeting the heart. But according to the medical report, a substance was found in the corpse's urine.
Man 2: The news is also spreading here that there are vehicles roaming around at night abducting people.
They started walking away from the chapel, their feet taking a big step. Their panic returned again. They had walked a long way when they heard a loud car horn. Mitsui froze in his tracks when he remembered the car that stopped in front of him this morning. Because of so much annoyance, Sakuragi hit the front of the car.
Sakuragi: Son of?! Get out of there, you pinhead!
Miyagi: Stop Hanamichi! Let's go! It might be a kidnapper!
Miyagi and Rukawa grabbed Sakuragi to stop hitting the car. They were surprised to see Rukawa open the car door.
Rukawa: They will not bite. You can come down.
They were relieved when they saw Sendoh. He just covered his ears when Rukawa's teammates threw curse words at him.
Mitsui, Miyagi, Sakuragi: **** ***!
Sendoh: Sorry. I didn't know you were so scared when you were surprised. Hehehe! How many curse words do you know, seriously?
Rukawa: Our language is unparalleled. Science and religion cannot measure our knowledge in that field.
Sendoh: You're so cute. Your language is forbidden inside the car. Let's go.
The three monkeys rode on the back. Rukawa sat next to Sendoh in the front. He had already offered to drive the three of them before heading straight to Ryonan with Rukawa.
xxx