Ch.1: I'm Not Afraid
The handcuffs dug into his skin with each dip that the boat gave. He had heard from one of the people behind him - he couldn't remember which was which at the moment - that the waves had been strangely choppy since two days ago, so they had been careful to take two extra lifejackets just in case. He didn't trust either of them, of course, he'd be a complete and utter fool if he did that, but they were all that he had right now, so he had to listen. The first one was some Ainu from one of the islands off of Hokkaido - Touya, he thought the name was - and the other was just some researcher by the name of Shindou. Neither were speaking to each other, nor were they speaking to him; Touya simply stared at him, almost as if he were some simple-minded stupid (which in his own lucid mind he'd like to believe) while Shindou operated the skiff. It was cold, especially because it was already autumn in Japan, and they were so far up north that it was any day now that it'd start snowing. He didn't shiver, though. He'd learned not to submit to trivial little things like that.
Suddenly Touya spoke. He was young by comparison to most of those psycho-freaks (as he liked to call the snotty old prison counselors), but twice as serious. He swore those other old people had just been trying to figure out how to get into his head; Touya was just scary. He had stared at him from the mainland all the way to here, not doing anything else but sit and blink once a while. It made him feel discomfited, being under surveillance for so long. Shindou was different, he could tell - he was more likely to be the type to be sympathetic to his cause. Of course, he hadn't seen the young researcher again since yesterday, but already he'd started to scorn him like he had before. The researcher didn't seem twenty- two - he seemed more like a hyperactive twelve-year-old. He wondered how two desperately different people could remain in the same boat at the same time without the boat spasmodically cracking through the middle or something. From what he had seen so far, the two surprisingly got on well for two opposites.
"Take off your clothes", Touya said tonelessly. After he gaped at the native Ainu for a few moments, the dark-haired counselor just simply repeated his request. Promptly the charge got the point and took off his shirt. "Turn it inside out and then put it back on." Kaga looked at the counselor strangely, but Touya explained. "It's a sign of dishonor here. Put it on", he stressed when Kaga continued to look disbelievingly at him. After a moment of indecision, he put it back on, smirking. Certainly, it was all in the mind for this one - HE didn't believe that it was dishonorable or degrading or anything like that, he just thought it was stupid. He didn't care, even if half the little town's population where they had rented the skiff had been watching him turn his underwear inside out, then put it on.
Everyone thought he was sorry for what he'd done - quite the opposite, in fact, especially in his own opinion. He just happened to be a baby-faced teenager who was pretending to be sorry for getting in trouble for half his life. This was just another time - he'd pull the same trick again and he'd pull out of it again. They just thought that he'd go for this plan with a little more heart or whatever, and he'd spend a year there. Far from the truth, of course - the jail sentence was almost actually serious this time, if judges were ever serious about condemning him to juvenile hall - but he'd been given the choice whether to spend five years or go to an island for a year. Naturally he'd chosen the other way out. It didn't sound as serious as jail time, at least. He'd just be in for a year and then back out.
Turning around so they couldn't see him smirk, he faced the wind and made as if he meant to spit into the waves, knowing that the wind would aim behind him. It hit Touya squarely on the side of his cheek. The Ainu simply picked up a rag from the skiff bottom and dried his face with it, then continued to stare. Kaga feigned surprise, then turned towards the humorless waves again. What was that guy's problem anyway? It was as if he was completely fearless or something. That infuriated him, somehow, swelled him with anger like wind swelled galleon sails - how could anyone stand up to him like that? How could anyone DARE to stand up to him at all?
He'd robbed a store downtown at night, eleven o'clock or so, completely trashing the place after he'd looted all that needed to be looted. Someone had seen, of course, especially when the sign outside said that the store was only open until eight. He'd rubbed that kid's face into the pavement the next day at school when the unfortunate had told the police about it. He'd had to cut Art, his favorite class (because he didn't need to do anything in it to get a good grade) to escape the police that were looking for him. He had followed the kid home and then just beat him up on the street, in front of everybody. Of course, that was how the police caught him - someone had called the police station to say that someone was getting assaulted, and he was arrested. But he hadn't been able to resist that one last smirk before they dragged him off, spitting straight into the boy's face as he struggled to get up from the beating he'd received, and taunted "You're worthless". Just the tortured look on the boy's face before he'd been forced to turn away left him with a smirk of satisfaction.
They were just fakes, all of them. The people at the anger management center, the counselors, the therapy sessions - they didn't really care at all what happened to him. He'd been tossed like a marathon baton from one to the other in a matter of months, one never staying for long. Each time he'd gotten into legal trouble, he'd always been warned "This is your last chance". He snorted at that every time he heard it - whatever happened, he would always be able to count on that "one last chance".
Like hell he was going to spend one year trapped like some animal on a remote island. The game would end once they put him on shore and left him - he'd find a way out - no way he was going to spend a year like pretty human game for bears to eat or something on a remote island off of Hokkaido.
The police had put him in a detention center until he could be tried. There were gray walls, gray sheets and blankets, and a light that was more gray than yellow. The entire room smelled like Windex. It was a jail room, of course, even though they called it a detention room - detention rooms never had locks on them. He'd gotten time at a certain part of the day to get out, stretch, watch TV, or hang out with the other detainees. To his disappointment, the other were all pimply wimps - just like Kimihiro Tsutui, the boy he'd beaten up for tattling on him. There was schoolwork, of course, he did as little as possible on that aspect and contented with wondering how long Kimihiro would have to remain in the hospital because of his injuries.
What riled him most was his parents, though. They'd always managed to come running for a lawyer, offering to pay damage fees and demanding his release from detention - they had enough money and connections, at the very least, and a reputation to protect from the rest of the world. But that was in the past, before they'd divorced, and this time he hadn't been freed because of his past record and the severity of his attack on Kimihiro - this time, he'd be moved to an adult court or something like that. If the high-starched lawyer Ogata that was hired didn't get him out of the mess, he would be sent to prison. Of course, he knew that his parents were to blame: his mom, the perfect image of a bubble-headed Barbie doll, and his dad, the drinker who probably didn't even know his own name because he was inebriated so often. Everything was always Kaga's fault in the house - why wasn't the garbage cleaned out, why wasn't the lawn mowed, why wasn't his room clean. At times, his father had even asked him, "Why are you even alive?"
He pretended to ignore them, preferring to sit on the bed and read the newspaper instead of talking to them. What was there to talk about, after all? Because of the divorce, they had even stopped visiting together; when his mom visited, she would just watch him, and when his dad visited, the bullheaded alcohol consumer would get so mad that he would turn red from not being able to touch him from all of the guards watching.
The only person he'd seen almost daily at the detention center was Shindou Hikaru, a researcher who didn't seem to have anything else to do but come and see potentially violent kids sit dully in front of a TV. On one of the visits, he had suggested the program he was in now that was sending him to Hokkaido, the Round Square. The name, from what he'd heard, was something about making squares round so they would love and feel again. Crap, in his opinion, but he went along with it - he'd protested a little when he'd heard the entire thing was sponsored by Ainu, who weren't even Japanese, by his opinion. "Round Square tries to heal, not punish you for what you've done. For example, if you killed my cat, they might ask you to help me pick out a new cat, or go to the zoo to appreciate animals and life more, or volunteer to make birdcages as payment for something you destroyed. It's about healing, not punishment, you see."
"Would it get me out of jail?", he remembered asking Shindou.
"It's not about getting out jail", the researcher had replied. "If you go to jail angry, you'll stay angry in there, you see? But if you go with love into the Round Square, then you'll come back with love. It's more self-will and self-motivation than someone else pushing you to stay in a cell for the rest of your life - even though your jail sentence is usually shortened on account of the Round Square."
That did it, of course. He'd accepted, Shindou had brought the application, and that was the end of that. Certainly, the world was full of idiots and fools - but he didn't think that there'd be anyone THAT stupid - Shindou was definitely at the top of that particular list today. The skiff had been filled with boxes crammed with stuff he'd need for survival: blankets, an ax, canned foods, bedrolls. There was even schoolwork for him to complete - fat chance he'd even touch that. Touya had built a one-room cabin on the island days before, describing it as "enough for a delinquent". His hands had grown tight in fists at THAT particular insult, and he'd twisted his cuffs against his wrists so hard they'd bled. But he wasn't afraid of the pain. He wasn't afraid or anyone or anything that he might face on his detainment on the island. It'd all be over once Shindou and Touya had left and he could escape - he'd been forced to plead guilty and ask the Round to help change his life. He hadn't relished the aspect, especially when Shindou looked at him critically when he had threatened to kill the researcher if he was lying. "You think that if I fear you, you can trust me? You have a lot to learn, Tetsuo." He'd prove to that upstart researcher that he was NOBODY'S fool!
The motor slowed, and Shindou pulled them into a shady outlet. The shelter was among the trees, covered with black tar paper among the green- and-black haze of trees and the eerie fog that drifted between the spirals of trees like so many ghosts. He spat into the waves again - they thought he was going to spend a year here? Surely they were joking.
When they were done unpacking, they led Kaga up the hill to the shelter where all the cardboard boxes were neatly stacked by the door. Touya turned to him and said quite plainly, "This land can provide for you or kill you. Winters are long, gather as much dry wood as you can or you'll freeze. The wet will kill you faster than the hunger."
"I'm not afraid of dying", Kaga said sagaciously, but he stopped in mid-laugh when Touya's eyes gleamed in the upcoming darkness. Somehow, a shiver of fear ran through him almost furtively, as if he wasn't meant to sense it. It knocked his confidence off balance for a moment, but then his smirk returned.
"The stream over there is the only fresh water source", Touya pointed and he could see the faint sliver of silver run through the trees.
"Why didn't you put the house right up close to it? Then I wouldn't have to walk so far."
For the first time, Touya smiled - but it was cold, almost icy. "How would you feel if a bear made its den beside the stream, right near your own house? Other animals come here for water too."
Kaga shrugged. "I'd kill it."
Touya nodded. "That's how the bear would feel too. You're not the only one who needs to survive on this island - you're part of a larger form of life here. Learn your place here."
He smirked his trademark smirk. "What do you mean, learn? What in the world could be worth learning here?"
"Honesty, for one", Touya said with a glare that pinned him. "Gentleness another. While you're at it, try your hand at patience as well." He unlocked the handcuffs, saying, "Don't eat anything you don't recognize - there's a book that shows you what's safe to eat that in one of the boxes". He retreated to the boat and sat there, a gleam of dark figure against the stark white of the boat, and watched him like he had before. Kaga dismissed everything as a fancy, especially when Touya didn't seem to blink when he saw in that position.
"For you!", Shindou happily bounced as he handed Kaga a brightly colored bundle. Vaguely, Kaga could make out that it was some sort of Ainu thing, with animal heads sewn in different colors - something handmade, which would probably sell for a whole lot back home. He stared at the twenty-two year old researcher and immediately decided that he was probably more hyper than most of the cheerleaders at his school. His mind wandered a bit when Shindou started to explain that the bundle was some kind of friendship blanket that people give to each other when they want to trust each other and whatnot. The entire charade was getting annoying - he was tempted to scream, "Get the hell of the island already!", but refrained from doing so because he'd probably have to go through the regular justice system and spend five years in jail if he did that. After a little while of touchy-feely with Shindou gingerly patting him on the shoulder (frankly, he HATED being touched), the proverbial five-year-old gave one last bounce and then jaunted to the skiff. He watched it disappear from sight, leaving a wide V in its wake. He spat into the water, as if he wanted to defile the water so that it would dump them out of the boat or something.
He stormed back to the shelter. They were glad now, weren't they? Everyone was happy now. They wouldn't have to see his baby-face for another year. The anger welled up in him like tears - how dare they give him these trashy boxes? They were just pretending to help him. Well, he wasn't going to play their game, walk their talk - he'd rather die than follow them. The rage blurred his eyes, but somehow he felt he saw all the more clearly when he was angry. He threw the whatever blanket into the doorway of the shelter and took the gas that was supposed to be for the lantern and splashed it over the boxes and the walls of the shelter. Digging again through the boxes, he found a box of matches. The smell of the gasoline made his nostrils flare. His head swam with the heady feel of anger.
He kept tight grip on the matches. This would end now. He'd escape the island and he'd never have to see their faces ever again, pretending to sympathize, pretending to be his friend - he was sick of it! He'd never follow them, not on his life. Ripping the match against the sandpaper, it burst into flame. Without hesitation, he threw it into the boxes and watched the entire shelter become hell in ten seconds. The orange hands spread quickly, reaching sky-high, and he found himself swallowing the bitter residue that was left in his mouth. It was all gone now. He was truly alone, now. And with that thought, he raised his head back and began to laugh. It grew louder and louder, until he couldn't tell which was laughing, and which was the fire or which was tears.
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ Author's note:
That took me a LOOONG time to write. Oh well, first chapter over. Ikuzo! Onto the second chapter! *marches around like a soldier*
Andrea Weiling
The handcuffs dug into his skin with each dip that the boat gave. He had heard from one of the people behind him - he couldn't remember which was which at the moment - that the waves had been strangely choppy since two days ago, so they had been careful to take two extra lifejackets just in case. He didn't trust either of them, of course, he'd be a complete and utter fool if he did that, but they were all that he had right now, so he had to listen. The first one was some Ainu from one of the islands off of Hokkaido - Touya, he thought the name was - and the other was just some researcher by the name of Shindou. Neither were speaking to each other, nor were they speaking to him; Touya simply stared at him, almost as if he were some simple-minded stupid (which in his own lucid mind he'd like to believe) while Shindou operated the skiff. It was cold, especially because it was already autumn in Japan, and they were so far up north that it was any day now that it'd start snowing. He didn't shiver, though. He'd learned not to submit to trivial little things like that.
Suddenly Touya spoke. He was young by comparison to most of those psycho-freaks (as he liked to call the snotty old prison counselors), but twice as serious. He swore those other old people had just been trying to figure out how to get into his head; Touya was just scary. He had stared at him from the mainland all the way to here, not doing anything else but sit and blink once a while. It made him feel discomfited, being under surveillance for so long. Shindou was different, he could tell - he was more likely to be the type to be sympathetic to his cause. Of course, he hadn't seen the young researcher again since yesterday, but already he'd started to scorn him like he had before. The researcher didn't seem twenty- two - he seemed more like a hyperactive twelve-year-old. He wondered how two desperately different people could remain in the same boat at the same time without the boat spasmodically cracking through the middle or something. From what he had seen so far, the two surprisingly got on well for two opposites.
"Take off your clothes", Touya said tonelessly. After he gaped at the native Ainu for a few moments, the dark-haired counselor just simply repeated his request. Promptly the charge got the point and took off his shirt. "Turn it inside out and then put it back on." Kaga looked at the counselor strangely, but Touya explained. "It's a sign of dishonor here. Put it on", he stressed when Kaga continued to look disbelievingly at him. After a moment of indecision, he put it back on, smirking. Certainly, it was all in the mind for this one - HE didn't believe that it was dishonorable or degrading or anything like that, he just thought it was stupid. He didn't care, even if half the little town's population where they had rented the skiff had been watching him turn his underwear inside out, then put it on.
Everyone thought he was sorry for what he'd done - quite the opposite, in fact, especially in his own opinion. He just happened to be a baby-faced teenager who was pretending to be sorry for getting in trouble for half his life. This was just another time - he'd pull the same trick again and he'd pull out of it again. They just thought that he'd go for this plan with a little more heart or whatever, and he'd spend a year there. Far from the truth, of course - the jail sentence was almost actually serious this time, if judges were ever serious about condemning him to juvenile hall - but he'd been given the choice whether to spend five years or go to an island for a year. Naturally he'd chosen the other way out. It didn't sound as serious as jail time, at least. He'd just be in for a year and then back out.
Turning around so they couldn't see him smirk, he faced the wind and made as if he meant to spit into the waves, knowing that the wind would aim behind him. It hit Touya squarely on the side of his cheek. The Ainu simply picked up a rag from the skiff bottom and dried his face with it, then continued to stare. Kaga feigned surprise, then turned towards the humorless waves again. What was that guy's problem anyway? It was as if he was completely fearless or something. That infuriated him, somehow, swelled him with anger like wind swelled galleon sails - how could anyone stand up to him like that? How could anyone DARE to stand up to him at all?
He'd robbed a store downtown at night, eleven o'clock or so, completely trashing the place after he'd looted all that needed to be looted. Someone had seen, of course, especially when the sign outside said that the store was only open until eight. He'd rubbed that kid's face into the pavement the next day at school when the unfortunate had told the police about it. He'd had to cut Art, his favorite class (because he didn't need to do anything in it to get a good grade) to escape the police that were looking for him. He had followed the kid home and then just beat him up on the street, in front of everybody. Of course, that was how the police caught him - someone had called the police station to say that someone was getting assaulted, and he was arrested. But he hadn't been able to resist that one last smirk before they dragged him off, spitting straight into the boy's face as he struggled to get up from the beating he'd received, and taunted "You're worthless". Just the tortured look on the boy's face before he'd been forced to turn away left him with a smirk of satisfaction.
They were just fakes, all of them. The people at the anger management center, the counselors, the therapy sessions - they didn't really care at all what happened to him. He'd been tossed like a marathon baton from one to the other in a matter of months, one never staying for long. Each time he'd gotten into legal trouble, he'd always been warned "This is your last chance". He snorted at that every time he heard it - whatever happened, he would always be able to count on that "one last chance".
Like hell he was going to spend one year trapped like some animal on a remote island. The game would end once they put him on shore and left him - he'd find a way out - no way he was going to spend a year like pretty human game for bears to eat or something on a remote island off of Hokkaido.
The police had put him in a detention center until he could be tried. There were gray walls, gray sheets and blankets, and a light that was more gray than yellow. The entire room smelled like Windex. It was a jail room, of course, even though they called it a detention room - detention rooms never had locks on them. He'd gotten time at a certain part of the day to get out, stretch, watch TV, or hang out with the other detainees. To his disappointment, the other were all pimply wimps - just like Kimihiro Tsutui, the boy he'd beaten up for tattling on him. There was schoolwork, of course, he did as little as possible on that aspect and contented with wondering how long Kimihiro would have to remain in the hospital because of his injuries.
What riled him most was his parents, though. They'd always managed to come running for a lawyer, offering to pay damage fees and demanding his release from detention - they had enough money and connections, at the very least, and a reputation to protect from the rest of the world. But that was in the past, before they'd divorced, and this time he hadn't been freed because of his past record and the severity of his attack on Kimihiro - this time, he'd be moved to an adult court or something like that. If the high-starched lawyer Ogata that was hired didn't get him out of the mess, he would be sent to prison. Of course, he knew that his parents were to blame: his mom, the perfect image of a bubble-headed Barbie doll, and his dad, the drinker who probably didn't even know his own name because he was inebriated so often. Everything was always Kaga's fault in the house - why wasn't the garbage cleaned out, why wasn't the lawn mowed, why wasn't his room clean. At times, his father had even asked him, "Why are you even alive?"
He pretended to ignore them, preferring to sit on the bed and read the newspaper instead of talking to them. What was there to talk about, after all? Because of the divorce, they had even stopped visiting together; when his mom visited, she would just watch him, and when his dad visited, the bullheaded alcohol consumer would get so mad that he would turn red from not being able to touch him from all of the guards watching.
The only person he'd seen almost daily at the detention center was Shindou Hikaru, a researcher who didn't seem to have anything else to do but come and see potentially violent kids sit dully in front of a TV. On one of the visits, he had suggested the program he was in now that was sending him to Hokkaido, the Round Square. The name, from what he'd heard, was something about making squares round so they would love and feel again. Crap, in his opinion, but he went along with it - he'd protested a little when he'd heard the entire thing was sponsored by Ainu, who weren't even Japanese, by his opinion. "Round Square tries to heal, not punish you for what you've done. For example, if you killed my cat, they might ask you to help me pick out a new cat, or go to the zoo to appreciate animals and life more, or volunteer to make birdcages as payment for something you destroyed. It's about healing, not punishment, you see."
"Would it get me out of jail?", he remembered asking Shindou.
"It's not about getting out jail", the researcher had replied. "If you go to jail angry, you'll stay angry in there, you see? But if you go with love into the Round Square, then you'll come back with love. It's more self-will and self-motivation than someone else pushing you to stay in a cell for the rest of your life - even though your jail sentence is usually shortened on account of the Round Square."
That did it, of course. He'd accepted, Shindou had brought the application, and that was the end of that. Certainly, the world was full of idiots and fools - but he didn't think that there'd be anyone THAT stupid - Shindou was definitely at the top of that particular list today. The skiff had been filled with boxes crammed with stuff he'd need for survival: blankets, an ax, canned foods, bedrolls. There was even schoolwork for him to complete - fat chance he'd even touch that. Touya had built a one-room cabin on the island days before, describing it as "enough for a delinquent". His hands had grown tight in fists at THAT particular insult, and he'd twisted his cuffs against his wrists so hard they'd bled. But he wasn't afraid of the pain. He wasn't afraid or anyone or anything that he might face on his detainment on the island. It'd all be over once Shindou and Touya had left and he could escape - he'd been forced to plead guilty and ask the Round to help change his life. He hadn't relished the aspect, especially when Shindou looked at him critically when he had threatened to kill the researcher if he was lying. "You think that if I fear you, you can trust me? You have a lot to learn, Tetsuo." He'd prove to that upstart researcher that he was NOBODY'S fool!
The motor slowed, and Shindou pulled them into a shady outlet. The shelter was among the trees, covered with black tar paper among the green- and-black haze of trees and the eerie fog that drifted between the spirals of trees like so many ghosts. He spat into the waves again - they thought he was going to spend a year here? Surely they were joking.
When they were done unpacking, they led Kaga up the hill to the shelter where all the cardboard boxes were neatly stacked by the door. Touya turned to him and said quite plainly, "This land can provide for you or kill you. Winters are long, gather as much dry wood as you can or you'll freeze. The wet will kill you faster than the hunger."
"I'm not afraid of dying", Kaga said sagaciously, but he stopped in mid-laugh when Touya's eyes gleamed in the upcoming darkness. Somehow, a shiver of fear ran through him almost furtively, as if he wasn't meant to sense it. It knocked his confidence off balance for a moment, but then his smirk returned.
"The stream over there is the only fresh water source", Touya pointed and he could see the faint sliver of silver run through the trees.
"Why didn't you put the house right up close to it? Then I wouldn't have to walk so far."
For the first time, Touya smiled - but it was cold, almost icy. "How would you feel if a bear made its den beside the stream, right near your own house? Other animals come here for water too."
Kaga shrugged. "I'd kill it."
Touya nodded. "That's how the bear would feel too. You're not the only one who needs to survive on this island - you're part of a larger form of life here. Learn your place here."
He smirked his trademark smirk. "What do you mean, learn? What in the world could be worth learning here?"
"Honesty, for one", Touya said with a glare that pinned him. "Gentleness another. While you're at it, try your hand at patience as well." He unlocked the handcuffs, saying, "Don't eat anything you don't recognize - there's a book that shows you what's safe to eat that in one of the boxes". He retreated to the boat and sat there, a gleam of dark figure against the stark white of the boat, and watched him like he had before. Kaga dismissed everything as a fancy, especially when Touya didn't seem to blink when he saw in that position.
"For you!", Shindou happily bounced as he handed Kaga a brightly colored bundle. Vaguely, Kaga could make out that it was some sort of Ainu thing, with animal heads sewn in different colors - something handmade, which would probably sell for a whole lot back home. He stared at the twenty-two year old researcher and immediately decided that he was probably more hyper than most of the cheerleaders at his school. His mind wandered a bit when Shindou started to explain that the bundle was some kind of friendship blanket that people give to each other when they want to trust each other and whatnot. The entire charade was getting annoying - he was tempted to scream, "Get the hell of the island already!", but refrained from doing so because he'd probably have to go through the regular justice system and spend five years in jail if he did that. After a little while of touchy-feely with Shindou gingerly patting him on the shoulder (frankly, he HATED being touched), the proverbial five-year-old gave one last bounce and then jaunted to the skiff. He watched it disappear from sight, leaving a wide V in its wake. He spat into the water, as if he wanted to defile the water so that it would dump them out of the boat or something.
He stormed back to the shelter. They were glad now, weren't they? Everyone was happy now. They wouldn't have to see his baby-face for another year. The anger welled up in him like tears - how dare they give him these trashy boxes? They were just pretending to help him. Well, he wasn't going to play their game, walk their talk - he'd rather die than follow them. The rage blurred his eyes, but somehow he felt he saw all the more clearly when he was angry. He threw the whatever blanket into the doorway of the shelter and took the gas that was supposed to be for the lantern and splashed it over the boxes and the walls of the shelter. Digging again through the boxes, he found a box of matches. The smell of the gasoline made his nostrils flare. His head swam with the heady feel of anger.
He kept tight grip on the matches. This would end now. He'd escape the island and he'd never have to see their faces ever again, pretending to sympathize, pretending to be his friend - he was sick of it! He'd never follow them, not on his life. Ripping the match against the sandpaper, it burst into flame. Without hesitation, he threw it into the boxes and watched the entire shelter become hell in ten seconds. The orange hands spread quickly, reaching sky-high, and he found himself swallowing the bitter residue that was left in his mouth. It was all gone now. He was truly alone, now. And with that thought, he raised his head back and began to laugh. It grew louder and louder, until he couldn't tell which was laughing, and which was the fire or which was tears.
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ Author's note:
That took me a LOOONG time to write. Oh well, first chapter over. Ikuzo! Onto the second chapter! *marches around like a soldier*
Andrea Weiling