Chapter 12: The Awakening
Mion paces back and forth across the room. It's been about two hours since they received the call from Ooishi. Since that time, neither Ooishi nor Michael has shown up. It's clear to everyone that something is wrong.
Rika called the police station, but they told her that Ooishi hasn't checked in for a while since he left. Everyone has become a bit nervous, but they are trying to remain optimistic.
"I'm sure it's nothing. Ooishi will be here soon; same thing for Mike-kun." Shion tries to comfort her sister, who is the most nervous.
She continues to pace. Her eyes are watery; almost to the point of tears. Many scenarios are running through her head about what could have happened to him. She is so afraid that her emotional pain has begun to become physical.
"Yeah, Mion. Shion's right. Ooishi is just running late, and Mike-kun is probably on his way." Keiichi adds in.
Rika watches her friend pace the room. She is also worried about Mike. She is scared that something really did happen to him. The thought crosses her mind that she may never see her friend again.
"Hauu, Rika. What do you suppose happened to Mike?" Hanyuu asks.
"I don't know Hanyuu. I don't think that he could be captured so easily. He was only going to the clinic for a checkup. I don't think Irie is the one who is behind this either." She whispers back.
"Hauuuu!"
Everyone is trying their best to get Mion to settle down. For a while, she doesn't listen, but when Shion mentions that it's getting pretty late and that he might have just headed home, she settles down.
"D-do you think so?" She asks.
"It's a possibility." Shion replies.
Rena suggests something, "It is getting kinda late. Perhaps we should head home ourselves. We might actually see Ooishi or Mike-kun on our way, we might."
Everyone turns to Satoko and Rika to see what they think.
"That should be fine. Naturally, I've already set up some traps in the forest so if there is anyone who is coming to get us, we'll be ready for them. Right, Rika?" Satoko says.
"Uhh…yeah. I think we'll be alright. I'm glad that you all came today. Out of everything, I feel the most secure with you all." She replies.
The older friends leave the house and head back to their homes. Mion keeps an eye out for Mike as they begin their walk. Keiichi turns back to Rena who has stopped walking, and is looking into the forest.
"What's wrong, Rena?" He asks.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought that I saw something…"
When I wake up, I find myself lying on a cold cement floor. As I start to move around, I find that my hands are bound behind my back. My mind is still confused as I have just woken up. It takes me a couple of moments to remember how I got here.
…TAKANO!
My brain has begun to function normally since I have remembered the face of my enemy. I am able to get to my feet. I can see a door on the other side of the room. I walk over to it and turn around, so I can reach the knob with my bound hands. After trying it for a second, I find that it's locked.
Figures.
I put my ear up to the door to listen. I can hear the sound of muffled conversations. I know someone's there, so it shouldn't be too hard to get their attention. I step back from the door and give it a hard kick.
*CLANG!*
I wait a few seconds…nothing.
*CLANG!!!*
…This time, the lights turn on. I am forced to close my eyes since my eyes are adjusted to the darkness. I hear the door open, but I can't open my eyes to look at who it is. Before I can do anything, I am kicked to the ground.
"Hey, the prisoners awake! Go get the Commander." The man in front of me yells out.
Just as my eyes are adjusting enough for me to see, I sense a few more people enter the room. As I open my eyes, I see the smiling face of Takano.
"Ah, Mike-kun. Glad to see that you've awakened."
"What do you want Takano? Why are you doing this?" I ask.
"My, my. Right to the point, aren't you?" She teases me.
I glare back at her.
"Really, it's quite simple. I am going to become Oyashiro-sama."
"…WHAT?!?" I yell.
She chuckles. "I am going to become Oyashiro-sama by inflicting "my" curse on all of the villagers."
"You're going to kill all of the villagers?!?"
"Only as a precaution. After I kill Rika, there will be nothing that could stop the villagers from going insane. If we just let them be, they would go from city to city, destroying everything they see. It would be a complete bloodbath."
"What the hell are you talking about?!?"
She begins explaining to me about the Hinamizawa Syndrome. As she is explaining it, I feel that I already know it. It's the same kind of déjà vu I have felt earlier. She finishes by explaining that Rika is the "Queen Carrier".
"You wouldn't have to kill all the villagers if you were to just leave Rika alone. It's not like there's a great chance that she'll be killed on accident. Right now, the only danger to her life is you!" I argue.
"You are quite right, Mike-kun. If we were to leave her alone, then the effects of the syndrome may never come into effect, but there is one thing that you don't comprehend. The citizens in Hinamizawa are like a bomb. Left alone, it will do nothing, but where's the fun in that? There are some in the organization I work for that want to see this "bomb" explode. They want to see it explode violently. That is why they sent me." She explains.
"You're sick! You and the ones you work for! You're all sick, twisted, murderous bastards!!!" I yell at her.
"I'm sure you think that, Mike-kun, but that doesn't really matter because you're going to be the first to die."
She pulls a needle out from her jacket and advances on me. I scramble to get away from her, but her men grab me and hold me down. She injects the fluid into my arm and begins to leave. Her men follow her. I am left in the center of the room. The door is shut behind them, and the lights switched off. They cut my binds before they left. I don't know what's going to happen, but I am scared.
I'm not scared for myself though. I have accepted my death. I know that Takano murdered Tomitake and probably Irie. I am scared for my friends. Tears begin to fill my eyes.
I've failed.
I begin to weep. I have let my friends down. I promised to always be there for them, but I lied. Memories of my friends flow through my mind. Such happy time; gone forever. My love, my friends, my family; all gone. Takano has won. She is about to destroy all that I love and care about and I can't do anything about it.
I close my eyes and await my death. I count the seconds. It is too painful to think of my friends because I know that they too will be eliminated.
Minutes go by; nothing happens.
Half an hour comes and goes; still nothing.
An hour goes by, but the result is still the same.
I am surprised when the lights turn back on and the door opens. I cover my eyes with my arm and try to stand up.
"What the hell? Hey, he's still alive!!!" The man yells.
I move my arm up to my brow so I can see. It's still pretty bright, but I can see the man rushing at me with a police club. As he swings it down on me, I grab his hand. He is a little stunned, but he quickly tries to break it free from my grasp. I close my eyes so I can remove my arm from my brow. I go through the stances I was taught in training to disarm the man. He goes tumbling to the floor while I stand, holding his weapon.
My eyes have adjusted enough to see normally. I run for the door. When I get to it, I see about three men inside. They are heading in to backup the first man. I surprise them when they reach the door.
I easily make it past them and run for the second door. I come out into the hallway. I don't have time to examine my surroundings as I still have four men chasing me. I decide to run left. I reach the door at the end of the hallway and burst through it. The only way I can go is up, since I came out at a staircase. When I reach the door at the top of the stairs, I open it up to find a familiar setting.
The Irie clinic?
I can see the door to the clinic in front of me, but unfortunately I see Okonagi as well. He is blocking my exit. He has a big grin on his face. He thinks he has me trapped. I charge at him. Just as I am about to leap at him, I see a gun being drawn from his holster. I skid to a stop. I didn't have enough time to get him before he could fire. I would have wasted my life, needlessly.
Shit!
"Smart boy." He taunts.
After a moment the other men burst into the hallway from the stairs behind me. Takano also appears from inside the clinic.
"Oh my, what do we have here?" She asks.
One of her men answer, "He escaped when we went to check on him after an hour. He appears to be complete immune to the effects of the syndrome."
Takano frowns, "Hmmm…interesting."
She appears to be deep in thought. Her frown then turns into a smile.
"The operation has already started. I don't suppose that it would be too much of a hassle to let Mike-kun watch his friends' executions." She tells us.
After a little struggle, I am again bound at the wrists and then led to a van. Takano takes a seat across from me. I glare at her and will continue to glare at her until we reach our destination.
It hasn't been long since the others left to go home. Rika and Satoko have gotten their futon's out and are preparing to go to sleep.
"Let's sleep in our clothes tonight so that we will be ready if we need to escape." Satoko suggests. Rika agrees with her friend. They finish up their preparations and turn off the lights.
"Mii, do you think we should wait for Ooishi?" Rika asks.
"I don't know. It seems strange that he hasn't come already. If someone knocks at the door we can get up to see who it is though." Satoko replies.
The two girls get into their futons and begin to fall asleep.
"Rika…" Hanyuu calls to her friend.
"What's wrong, Hanyuu?"
"The time is about to come…" She says in a sad tone.
Rika becomes filled with grief and fear, but she pushes back those feelings. She has to believe.
"It'll be fine, Hanyuu. I will fight this fate. Even if it comes tonight to take me, I will fight it to see the next day!"
Hanyuu doesn't look convinced. She had hope before, but now that Mike has been removed, she has lost it.
Suddenly, a loud sound breaks out from outside. Satoko jumps up. She runs to the window and peeks out. Some men in basic work clothes are running for the door.
"Rika! We have to get out!" Satoko calls to her friend.
Satoko grabs a hang-ladder from the closet. She opens the window after the men have burst through the front door. She then attaches the ladder to the window frame and throws it outside. Rika and Satoko both climb out and down the ladder and then make a break for the forest. A loud crash can be heard a few moments later. Satoko chuckles. She had rigged the ladder to only support their small weight.
They continue to run through the forest. They can hear the sounds of pursuers.
"Who are these guys? Are they the "Tokyo" group you were telling us about?" Satoko asks.
"Yes, I think so." Rika answers.
They run and run. Both of them know the area better than the men following them, so they are able to keep a certain distance from the ones chasing them. As they are running, Rika accidentally stumbles over a rock.
"Rika!" Satoko yells.
"Run Satoko! If they catch you, you'll be killed!" Rika tells her friend.
She doesn't run though. She decides to block the way instead.
"I'll hold him here, so hurry!" Satoko says.
Rika stands up. She knows that if she is killed, the entire village will die, but she can't abandon her friend. She just can't.
Rika walks in front of her friend and confronts the men that are chasing her. There are four men. They advance slowly, careful about any tricks they might have. The closest man is holding out a stun gun.
Just as the first man is about to come into striking range of Rika, Keiichi appears out of nowhere. He smashes the man in the back of the head with a metal baseball bat. Rena also appears and strikes the second man in the stomach with the backside of a cleaver. The farthest two men appear stunned and Mion and Shion take advantage of them. Shion stuns the first man with a small tazer that she keeps on her. Mion uses the close combat skills she has learned to knock the last man on the floor. Shion then goes to each man, and knocks them all out with her tazer.
"Are you two okay?" Keiichi asks.
"Yes. We're fine, but what are you all doing here?" Rika asks.
Shion explains, "Rena said she thought she saw something. She had a bad feeling about it so we all went to get some things that could be used as weapons and came back."
Rika surveys the group, but again Michael is missing. "Did you not see Mikey?"
Mion stares at the ground. The others frown.
"We didn't see him on the road, and he wasn't at the mansion." Shion explains.
It isn't looking good for Mike so everyone drops the conversation. The six friends take off into the forest once again. Their plan is to make it to the Sonozaki Mansion. There is an underground tool shrine that they can use to hide in.
After a while of running they notice a van. They stop running and take cover.
"What do we do?" Shion asks. "If we continue, we will likely be caught."
"I suppose we could go beat the crap out of them and take their car." Keiichi suggests.
"Sounds good to me." Mion says.
It appears she has turned her fear it anger. If something has happened to Mike, it would be these people that have done it.
"We can get a car out of it. I'll also make them tell me where Mike is!" She adds.
Keiichi takes the lead, "Okay, now that that's decided, let's do it!!!"
Takano doesn't seem to care that I've been glaring at her since we got in the van. She has been grinning the entire time. She seems amused by my gesture of hate.
"What's wrong Mike-kun? You seem angry." She taunts me.
I don't give her an answer. I only glare at her more. Words can't describe the hate I feel for this woman. I never liked her before, but now I have a completely justified reason to hate her guts.
After a while, the driver tells us that he spotted them. Fear grips my mind. If they are caught, they will be killed. The driver pulls the car over. The back doors open and the men file out. Takano reaches into her coat and pulls out a handgun. My eyes grow wide as I look at it. She begins to leave to vehicle. Just as she is about to step off, I struggle with the man holding me. I am able to break free and rush for the door. I can see it closing so I leap. I am able to squeeze through the gap before it closes and I roll onto my knees.
I take a deep breath and yell, "GET OUT OF HERE!!! RUN!!!"
The movement in the forest stops and changes directions.
"Get on the radio and tell them to go after them!!!" Takano orders.
She then walks over to me and points the gun at my head.
"That was quite brave of you Mike. It seems that you have become more of a nuisance more than anything else so I think that I am going to dispose of you now. Any last words Mike-kun?"
Just as I am about to open my mouth and make a smart remark, a terrible pain grips my back. I cry out in pain and fall over. Takano does not seem amused as she thinks I'm faking it.
"Oh come on Mike-kun. Can't you just accept your death like a man instead of putting up this charade?"
I am unable to hear her. If I had, I wouldn't be able to reply. The pain is greater than it has ever been. It's not just at the base of my neck this time. It runs all the way down. I begin spasming and coughing up blood. Takano realizes that I am not acting.
"HAHAHA! Who would have thought that your body would take the time to torture you before your death?!?"
Why?!?
Tears begin to fill my eyes.
Why am I being subjected to this pain?!?
I feel nothing but the pain that's tearing through me.
Why do I have to suffer like this before I die?!?
My eyes open to see Takano laughing. My body is still pulsing with pain. I am coughing up blood every couple of seconds. I just want to die.
Takano stops laughing. She grins widely at me. She opens her mouth and the words come out, "Goodnight, Mike-kun."
She pulls the trigger.
…time slows to a near halt.
…the flash of light from the barrel.
…the chrome bullet races for my forehead.
…the pain, still filling my body.
It has all come down to this. This is my final moment. This is the end of Mike.
I close my eyes. My world turns to darkness. Just as the bullet is about to enter my skull, I feel my entire back rip open.
How Ironic.
They had all heard him clearly. They all knew who had said it as well. They needed to get away as fast as possible. It was a trap.
Rika and her friends continue their run through the forest. Their friend had protected them by telling them of the trap that was ahead of them. It was not long afterwards that the loud bang rung out from the road. Everyone had halted. Mion dropped to the ground crying. They all knew what it meant. Their friend had given up his life so they wouldn't fall into their enemy's trap.
"We have to keep going. If we stop here, they'll catch us for sure." Keiichi advises.
"No. I don't want to go." Mion says, still crying. "Life without Mike is no life at all. I'd rather die."
"Mii-chan, you can't say that. Mike-kun gave his life so we could get away. What would he say if he heard you say that?" Rena tells her.
Mion sobs a little more before answering. "He'd tell me to keep going. He would want us to live. All he ever cared about was keeping his friends safe."
Keiichi helps her onto her feet, and they continue their flight. They run for about ten minutes without seeing or hearing any signs of their pursuers. Soon enough, they come out into a large clearing.
"Alright, we're almost out. At the end of this clearing is just a little bit more forest. After that, we'll be out in the village. They'd have to be pretty stupid to follow us that far." Keiichi explains.
After a small break to catch their breaths, they begin their run across the clearing. It looks pretty good to them until they reach the middle of the clearing. Once they got to the center, four men came out from behind the trees in front of them. Each one is holding a sub-machine gun.
"Damn it. Get out of one trap just to get caught in another." Keiichi curses.
The friends are forced to surrender. Soon they will all be killed.
My mind begins to come back to life. As I become aware of myself, I feel a bit of confusion.
Am I dead? I'm not sure, but I don't feel any different from before.
The first thing I notice is the taste of blood and metal in my mouth. There is some object that is resting on the inside of my cheek. I bring my hand to my mouth and spit it out. After examining it, I find that it is a 9mm handgun round. It's covered in saliva and blood.
I reach up to my forehead to feel the spot the bullet should have entered, but I only find smooth skin. I force myself to sit upright. My hands are no longer bound so I can move around more easily. As I survey the area, confusion starts to fill my mind.
All around me are Takano's men. I can also see Takano herself lying on the ground a few feet away from me.
What the heck happened?
I don't really have any time to figure out what events occurred here because I can see one of Takano's men regaining consciousness. The moment he notices me, I stand up and start to run.
"Hey…" He yells out, but his voice trails off in less than a second.
I am not able to make it very far though. I completely stumble and fall after my second step. I go tumbling forward for a few feet. I can't comprehend what happened. When I put my foot down to take my second step, the ground wasn't there. After a split second though, it came, but I wasn't ready for it and I couldn't put much power into the step.
As I am lying on the ground, I notice something soft has fallen on top of me. I lift my hand to push it off. Just as I touch it, a strange sensation sends a zap of electricity down my spine. As I am holding the soft…thing in my hand, I feel the sensation of touch. Not just in my hand, but also in the object I'm holding. A second sensation alerts me that I am lying on top of another one of these things. Before I can examine these new things attached to me, I remember my situation. I stand up and look back at the man that's chasing me. I am surprised to see that he's nearly twenty feet away.
How did I cover forty feet in two steps?
I easily come to the realization that my strength has somehow been increased. When I run, I am able to cover more distance than I was previously able too. That's why I fell. I wasn't used to my new speed and I was still in the air when I tried to put my foot down.
I stand up again and start running. This time, I measure my steps as to not repeat my previous mistake. I am easily able to escape my pursuer. Soon he is completely out of sight. I take the time, to get some cover in the forest. I grab one of the extra "limbs" that are attached to me.
As I examine it, I find that it is very long and soft. It's about as tall as I am. The top and the side seem to be heavily muscled. The inner part is composed of some lightweight material. The only word that comes to mind is "feathers". It is then that I realize what I have grown out of my back.
I have friggen angel wings!
My joy is overflowing in my mind. Every person dreams of growing wings and flying like an eagle. Somehow, my dream has come true.
Ah man! I've got to show Mion!
Suddenly I remember. My friends are still in danger.
I chastise myself for being so selfish and stupid to forget my friends. I start running through the forest in the direction my friends ran. My wings are still new to me so I can barely use them. As I run, I am experimenting with moving them. It is awkward and difficult. The whole experience is like learning how to walk again.
After a while, I am able to flap them slightly. They create a small gust every time I do. If needed, I think I could use them to gain some lift. One thing I know is that they are both extremely powerful. I may be able to use them to bash an enemy.
After a few minutes of running, I come to a small clearing. I hide behind a tree and look into the clearing. Four men are standing around. One appears to be talking on the radio.
"This is Big Bird 5. Come in Command. We have the target and her friends. Please respond with orders."
Nothing but static.
"Come in, come in. This is Big Bird 5. Requesting orders. We have the target."
Again nothing.
Looks like Takano is still out cold.
I can see my friends huddled up in a circle in the middle of the men. I can see tears falling from some of their faces. I feel compassion for them.
They probably think I'm dead. Its okay guys hold on. This won't take long.
I head over to the forest nearest the men so they can hear me. When I am in position, I start trampling the underbrush around me.
"What was that?" One man asks.
"I don't know. I'm going to go check it out." A second man replies.
I look up at the shortest branch. It's a little high, but I think I can get to it. I prepare for my leap. Right as I jump, I pump my wings. The extra boost sends me a bit higher than I expected. I actually make it to the third branch.
Not what I was going for, but this works too.
The man proceeds cautiously through the woods. He is looking around every corner. Unfortunately for him, he isn't expecting an attack from above.
*Wham!*
The man falls to the ground with me on top of him. I place my hand on his mouth, and the other on his back. At first I don't know what I'm doing with my second hand on his back, but my mind begins to run on auto-pilot. I feel energy flow to my hand. I can hear the small crackle of electricity. After a second of charging, *Bzzzt!*, the man goes unconscious. A small amount of extra electricity discharges from my hand as I pull it off his body.
It seems I have a built-in stun gun.
I wait a few minutes for a second man to venture into the forest in search of his partner. This time, I let him call out to his friends when he finds the unconscious body of their friend. The three of them begin looking around for me. Using my wings to grip the tree trunk, I climb down a bit to get in striking position.
I have to time this right. I could be shot and captured if I do it wrong. I have to get all three at once. Luckily, they are staying close. I stalk my prey. They are being extremely conscious of their surroundings. One man looks away from my direction, and I see my opportunity. I leap.
I am able to grab two of them men and bring them to the ground. I myself landed on my feet so I am ready for the fight. The third man turns around, but he is too late. He is the first to receive the shock to the gut. He falls down unconscious. I turn to the two men who are scrambling to stand up. I leap at the second one. He starts screaming as I force him to the ground with my hand.
Jesus, settle down. I'm not going to kill you.
The shock doesn't come as fast as the first did. I realize that it takes a little bit of time to cool down and recharge. *Bzzzzt!* the second man goes unconscious. I turn to the last man, but he has his gun ready for me.
Shit!
He begins spraying me with bullets. By pure reflex, my wing comes out in front of me and the muscles in it flex. The feathers become stiff and the whole wing becomes a large barrier. The bullets ricochet off the wing. As I look at it, I can see my assailant clearly. The feathers have become transparent somehow. When the gun stops firing, I am ready to finish him. He scrambles to reload, but he is nearly fast enough to stop me. *Bkatzz!!!* He falls to the ground.
I become a little worried. The last zap seemed a bit too much. I reach down and check the man's pulse. Thankfully, I feel the beating in his neck. Though these men are out to kill me and my friends, I will not kill. I have sworn to never kill a human unless it is completely necessary.
I quickly head to the clearing and to my friends.
"Mike!" They all cry out.
I smile.
"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late."
Mion begins to cry again. This time, I can tell they are tears of joy. When I go to cut their binds, my hand instinctively goes to my sword. I remember though that my sword and my gun were taken away when I was captured, but I hand touches something. Suddenly I feel a weight at my hip and on my back. I pull the object from my hip and find that it's the white sword I was given by the old man. I reach up to feel the weight on my back, and find that it's the large blade that I bought by trading my paycheck.
After I have finished cutting everyone free, Mion hugs me tightly. So tightly that I don't think she'll ever let go.
"I'm so glad you're alright. I was so worried about you Mike."
I can tell that she doesn't even care that I have wings or anything now. She's just too happy to see me alive.
"I know. I'm sorry. I was worried about you guys as well." I tell her. "I thought Takano was going to kill all of you for sure."
"Takano's the one behind this?" Keiichi asks.
"Yeah. She killed Tomitake and Irie. She tried to kill me twice, but it seems that I'm really lucky or something." I reply.
At the mention of Irie being dead, everyone begins to look depressed.
"I'm sorry. When Takano came into the exam room, I leapt for my weapons, but Okonagi karate chopped me in the back of my neck." I explain.
"It's not your fault Michael-kun. You did what you could." Satoko says.
"How come you have angel wings now Mike-kun, how come?" Rena asks.
"I guess that's what has been growing in my back for a while. They just came out right as Takano shot me back in the forest." I tell her.
"She shot you?!?" Mion asks.
"I think so. When I woke up, the bullet was in my mouth, and it had some blood on it. I can only assume that it was my blood."
The others still have questions to ask me, but I remind them that we need to get moving.
"We can talk more when we know that we're safe." I say.
We start running towards the edge of the clearing. We aren't that far off from Mion's place so we shouldn't have much more trouble. If we do run into anyone, I can take care of them.
A great amount of relief fills me as we run. For the first time in the last few hours, I feel like I've succeeded. I no longer feel like I've let everyone down. Once everyone is safe, I go and get Takano myself and bring her in to justice.
We are about to reach the end of the forest when I spot some movement up ahead. I motion everyone to stop. We all take cover as I survey the area. It appears that Takano has sent her entire force to the end of the forest. I can detect more than thirty men, walking about.
Shit! This isn't good. She really doesn't want us to escape.
I would be able to take out few the men, but I could easily be overwhelmed. We have to go around. I motion for everyone to follow me. We move slowing and quietly. We keep low and measure our steps. If we are spotted, it could be all over. Once again, I sense some movement in the direction we're heading. I watch and see that it is a very large group of men, again. I am reluctant to do so, but I feel that we need to head for the road side. We turn around and head back the other direction.
When we reach the road, we find it deserted.
You couldn't make a more obvious trap.
It's obvious. The moment we step foot out of the forest, they will be on top of us. I need to find a way to catch them by surprise. I look around. When I look up to the sky, I see that the trees from this side of the road are close to the trees on the opposite side of the road near the tops of the trees. I could probably jump to them and get a good view of their trap, but just as I am about to explain my plan to my friends a man comes out from behind us and points a gun at my friends.
"Freeze!!!" He yells.
Damn it! The trap wasn't coming out to the road. Just coming near it was the trap.
A second man moves out into the open. "Get moving you all! Out to the road with you!"
We are forced to follow their commands. I hate myself for being so stupid. The men lead us to the center of the road and have us wait. A moment later, a van pulls up. The first one to step out is Takano.
"Ah, Mike-kun. I'm so glad to see you again. You gave us quite the surprise with that blast back there. I actually thought that you might get away with your friends. Guess I'm just a bit better than you though." She mocks.
"Shut up, Takano! This isn't over! I will not let you kill any of my friends!" I declare.
"Oh? How are you going to do that, I wonder?"
"Like this!"
She is suddenly on guard. She seems to know that I have some new tricks up my sleeve. She seems to relax though after the only thing I do is draw my large sword.
"Ahahahaha. What are you going to do with that Mike-kun? All my men are armed to the teeth. Do you think you can defeat us with that little blade of yours?" She mocks again.
Her words mean nothing to me.
I have to defeat you!
Power fills my body as I hold my blade at the ready. The entire scenario runs through my head. There is no chance for her men. I cannot be defeated when it's my friend's lives at stake.
My body disappears. Takano's eyes are wide with amazement. She can only watch as each of her men fall to the ground. Blood squirts from their legs and arms. The phantom that sliced their bodies is only a blur to them. He is back in the spot that he had been standing in, not a split second ago, again. I sheath the sword just as the men hit the ground.
Each man is screaming in pain. They can neither stand nor use their weapons for their limbs have been cut deep. They will all live to see tomorrow though. I made sure of that.
"What have you now, Takano?" I mock as I point the tip of my sword at her.
She stares in blank amazement. "That's…not…"
"Not what, Takano? Not possible?" I taunt.
She is visibly shaken. I was able to take all of her men down in the blink of an eye. Literally, if you had blinked during that moment, it would have appeared that I had done nothing. Still shaking she raises her gun and pulls the trigger.
Time slows down for me. I see the bullet as it travels through the air. I watch as it gets closer and closer. Just as it comes within a foot of my body, I unsheathe my sword and swat it away with the flat of my blade.
Time resumes to normal speed. I can hear a small ring from the bullet striking the metal of my blade. Takano hears it to and knows exactly what happened. Desperate, she begins emptying her magazine of its bullets. I easily swat each one away as it comes near. Soon the gun only clicks when she pulls the trigger.
She begins trying to place a new magazine into the gun. I scoff and walk towards her. She scrambles furiously to reload her weapon before I reach her, but it's futile. I grab her by the throat and lift her into the air.
"It's over, Takano. You lose." I tell her.
"N-no! I-it can't be!" She mumbles.
Her eyes are full of fear. She knows that I will stop at nothing to protect my friends. I won this battle and there's nothing that she can do about it.
*Bang.*
The sound is not loud, for its origin is far away. It comes from behind me. I drop the woman in my hand and turn to see what has happened. I see Mion falling to the ground, face first. My heart stops. Using my inhuman speed, I rush to her and catch her in my arms. I flip her body around so she is facing up at me. Her head falls back over my arm.
"No." I say.
I rest her body on my knee so I can lift her head. As I do, I can feel the wetness of her blood. I don't even need to lift her head up to know what happened, but I do anyways. I see the red hole in her forehead. The exit wound of a bullet.
"No!"
I hold her head in my hand. Tears begin to fill my eyes. I look into the deep green depths of her eyes to see the life that should be there. I see nothing.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
My heart rips in two. We were just about to win, but she is taken from me. Her life snuffed out like a match. She's gone and there's nothing I can do about it. Even with my newfound strength I was unable to save her. Deep pain and sorrow fill my body and soul as I hold the dead body of my love. I feel like a black hole. There is no light inside of me anymore. It too has been snuffed out.
I can hear the others. They too are morning the loss of Mion. We all cry for the one we loved so much. No one cries more than I am though. I am the one who is hurt the most.
I am unable to morn for her for very long though. I am brought back to reality at Rika's call.
"Mike! Look out!"
I turn my head to see the barrel of a gun. I watch the hammer fall. Time doesn't slow for me this time. It can't. My strength was destroyed along with Mion. My world once again turns to black. This time it seems fitting.
I wake up in front of my friends. My entire body is bond with strong chains. Had Mion not been killed, I might have had the strength to break free from my bonds, but the pain is still too near. Each one of my friends is lined up in front of me. All their eyes are red from crying.
"Ah, Mike-kun. You're awake. Looks like it's time to begin." Takano tells me.
She has taken on her cocky tone of voice again. There isn't any reason for her not to now. I no longer have the power to stop her.
She walks up behind Keiichi and places the gun on his head.
"No! Wait!" I yell.
"Hmmm? What's wrong Mike-kun?" She asks sarcastically.
"Please, don't kill him! He hasn't done anything wrong! He just-"
*Bang*
"Nooo!!!" I yell, but it's too late. Keiichi's dead body falls to the ground.
Again tears begin to fill my eyes. Another friend has been taken from me. He was perhaps the strongest one among us. He was the one with the plan, and the mouth to make that plan a reality. I would trust Keiichi with my life.
Takano walks over to Rena.
"Stop!!! Please! Don't kill her!" I plead, but she doesn't listen.
*Bang*
Rena falls. More tears come. Memories of Rena begin to flow through my mind. It seemed that no matter the situation she could make us all laugh with her silly antics.
She moves to Shion next.
"Takano please! Don't do this! I'm begging you! I'll do anything, so please stop!!!"
She chuckles at my attempt to save my friend's life.
*Bang*
Shion falls to the ground, alongside Rena. She didn't deserve to die. Like everything else in her life, she didn't deserve it. She just wanted to live a happy life with her friends and to see Satoshi come back to her. She just wanted to be loved and wanted. I tried my best to do that for her.
My insides churn at the sight of my friends. I begin to vomit. I cry some more. The pain inside my heart grows with the death of each of my friends. I can barely stand it anymore. I feel like my life is being trampled upon right in front of me. All that I know and love is being destroyed as I watch, helpless.
She moves on to Satoko. I look into her eyes. It's all I can do now. She is brave. She doesn't cry or beg for her life. She is prepared like the rest of my friends were.
*Bang*
Satoko was the fun girl. She was always trying to pull a prank on me, and later Keiichi. She was probably the most competitive out of us all. All she ever wanted was to get her "Ni-ni" back home. She even put up with abuse to prove her strength. Though it was the wrong way to do it, I still admire her. She was truly a brave and strong little girl.
"Ah, Rika-chan. We finally come to you. It's almost time for me to become Oyashiro-sama. Are you ready?"
Rika confronts her. "You will never be Oyashiro-sama! "
"Oh? I beg to differ." Takano replies smugly.
A man walks over to her with a rag.
"No, wait! I want to be conscious so I will remember that you did this to me, in the next life." Rika tells him.
"Hmmm? Don't you want to be drugged before I kill you? It will probably be very painful to have your innards removed while you are awake."
"What?!?" I yell. "You can't do that! How can you be so cruel as to cut her insides out?!? Are you even human?!?"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" She laughs loudly. "You're questioning whether or not I'm human?!? Why don't you get a look at yourself before you ask such a stupid question?"
"He is more human than you are Takano." Rika vouches for me.
"Fine. Believe what you wish. It doesn't really matter to me. Anyways, I grow tired of this useless chatter. Let's begin, shall we?"
Takano begins working on Rika. I watch as Rika is stripped naked and cut open. Tears flow yet again at the pain of my friend. I am glad though. Takano can't see them, but Rika and I can. Our friends are there, around her. They are all lending their strength to her. She doesn't have to die alone. None of us had to. We were all there with each other till the very end.
The presence of Rika appears next to our friends. I know that that is the sign that she is gone. All the strength in my body leaves me at that moment and I pass out.
The next few weeks are painful for me. Every moment that passes by feels like an eternity. I have become a living shell of the person who once was. Michael no longer exists. He died along with his friends and his village.
I have been transported to a secret facility. I have no idea where I am, nor do I really care. I don't care about anything anymore. I no longer laugh, smile, or make any facial expression at all really.
Many experiments are done on me every day. Blood samples are taken daily as well. Many of the tests vary. Most of them consist of piercing my body in some way. The concept of physical pain is no longer known to me. The only thing that I know is the pain of losing my friends and family. When I am left alone in my cell, I cry. That is all I can do.
Today is special though. Today I meet someone from my past.
Takano.
A man enters my prison.
"It's time to go. The commander is here to watch your experiments. Be on your best behavior okay?" He taunts.
I make no attempt to rebut. His words don't hurt me. The only thing I can think of is Takano. The man grabs the chains around me and forces me to my feet. He pushes me out the door and into the hallway. There awaits seven more men. They surround me and we begin our march to the test chamber.
"I wonder what they're going to do to him today. Swords? Knives? Guns? It never gets old!" One of the men laughs with another.
These men enjoy my suffering. They think it's funny. Not like I care though.
We continue our march until we reach Takano.
"Long time no see Mike-kun. How are you doing?"
I remain silent. The men fan out and bow to the woman in front of me.
"That's not very kind, Mike-kun. You could at least say hello to me."
I ignore her words. I have no need to concentrate on them. They are meaningless. All I know is that the woman that destroyed everything is standing right in front of me. My rage grows. I pour all my pain and suffering into it. I feel the strength growing inside my body. The love for my friends can no longer fuel my body, so I am dependant on my rage. For the first time in weeks, my face shows an emotion other than my blank stare.
My face shows a heavy glare. Takano isn't phased by it yet again. She will be though. Her time is up. I release the power in my body. It begins flowing through me; giving me strength to fight one last time. I pull at the chains that bind me, and push out with my wings. They don't even hold me for a second. The links shatter from the immense power pushing against them.
The moment I'm free, I lunge at Takano. I grab her by the neck and run with her in my hand to the wall in front of me. I smash her against the wall, causing her to cry out in pain. Her eyes are wide with fear.
To think she thought she was safe from me.
The men rush up behind me. Not wanting them to interfere, I smash both wings into the ground and flex the muscles. They become solid; as hard as steel. Actually they are harder than steel. They are the strongest and hardest material there can be. If anything were to be fire at me, they would block it, no matter what it was. There is no way these men could get past them. It is just me and Takano now.
Takano is struggling in my grip. I notice her reaching for her gun. Right as she has pulled it from its holster, I pull her away from the wall and smash her back into it again. The shock makes her drop the gun. I notice a shadow on the wall. The men are trying to fire over my wings at me. I smirk.
Bullets fly out and away from me. The stray bullets nearly hit the men who fired them. It didn't take them long to find out that there is another barrier, the same strength as my wings, above wing level. I am completely protected. They are stupid to keep trying.
Takano is beginning to realize the situation she's in and begins to plead with me.
"Please, stop. What do you want with me?"
"Isn't it obvious? You destroyed everything I knew and loved. I want you dead." I reply.
"Please, have mercy on me."
"Ha, mercy? Did you have mercy on my friends?"
"I-I'm sorry. Please don't kill me. I'll do anything."
I smile. "Anything?"
I see hope fill her eyes.
"Y-yes. I'll do anything, so please don't kill me."
I let her down to her feet and slacken my grip on her throat. "Alright, Takano. There is one thing you can do for me."
Her eyes show that she's eager to hear my request.
"I want you to bring my friends and all the villagers back to life."
The hope disappears.
"I-I can't do that. I'm not a-"
"A what, Takano?!? You're not a god?!? Oh, but I thought you were a god! If I remember right, you call yourself Oyashiro-sama! If you're so almighty then surely you do something so simple as to bring my friends back to life!" I yell at her.
Tears begin to fill her eyes. She knows that I won't have mercy on her. I am going to kill her like she killed my friends. She is going to die and she knows it.
"P-p-please!" She pleads once more, but my expression stops her.
"I'm tired of your shit, Takano. It's time to die!"
I reach up and draw my blade from it's sheathe. I pull my arm back and prepare to impale my victim. I thrust.
"NOOOO!!!!!" She screams.
The blade stops, inches from her chest. My breathing is ragged. Tears begin to fall down my face. The only thing that stopped me was the small girl standing there with a sad expression on her face. I let the tip of the sword drop to the ground. The weight of it becomes too heavy. The moment I drop it, it disappears. I lose the strength to stand and I am now being propped up by my wings, which are still embedded in the ground.
The girl walks over to me and stands in front of me. I look into her eyes.
"Hanyuu…I'm sorry."
She smiles. I feel a sensation that I haven't feel in what seems like an eternity. I feel happiness.
"Come Mike. It's time to go. Everyone is waiting for you."
She reaches her hand out to me. I take it in my own. She gives a small tug, and I feel as my spirit is pulled from my body. It immediately collapses. Takano steps away from the body and her men surround her. They point their guns at it like it will get up and attack her once more. I turn to Hanyuu.
"I'm ready. Let's get out of this horrible place."
She nods her head and we begin to float towards the roof of the building. Just as we are about to move through it we hear a commotion behind us.
We look back to see a horrible sight. Blood covers the walls. The men are spraying bullets into the mess in front of them. I can see the mutilated parts of a man on the ground. No, that's wrong. There are multiple men lying on the ground in pieces. I black blur is moving from man to man, ripping each one into pieces and then throwing him in any direction it wishes. If I had a stomach, I would be throwing up my guts. I reach around Hanyuu and pull her close. Soon, all the men have been thoroughly dismantled and scattered around the hallway. The only one left standing is Takano. She screams and turns to run. The only thing she finds in front of her is the black shadow. She falls down backwards. She crawls backwards as it advances on her. As it reaches down to grab her, she puts her arms out. It's no use though. It has her by the face and has lifted her up into the air. With it facing upwards I can see what it is.
"Its…me." I say.
The thing holding Takano in the air is me, or at least my body. It is different though. It is wearing black armor. Its wings aren't white like an angel's and it isn't made out of feathers. They look more like bat wings than anything else. It also has large fangs coming down from its upper jaw.
Takano again tries to plead for her life. "Mike-kun, please forgive me. I'm so sorry. If I can do anything to make it up, I will."
"Mike-kun? I'm not Mike-kun. Mike-kun is gone, and he left me this wonderful body. You wouldn't understand my real name if I told you so you can just call me Rage."
The thing possessing my body is clearly a demon. It makes me sick to think that it's using my body to do such evil.
"I'm surprised, Takano. Don't you recognize me? You're the one who created me after all."
"W-what are you talking about?"
The monster chuckles.
"You know. When you went and killed all of Mike's friends. I was born from all the pain and hate. That's why I'm called Rage. If it weren't for you, I would have never come to life." The demon explains to Takano. "It's ironic. By fulfilling your dream, you have sealed your own death."
"What do you mean? If I was the one who created you, then shouldn't you be grateful?"
Rage drops Takano to the ground. He lets out a sinister laugh. "You forget, Takano. I was created out of the pain and hate that you caused. Naturally I will feel that same hate for you. Do you understand now?"
Takano is backed up against the wall. She understands him completely. She is too afraid to answer.
"Hmm. I'm tired of you now. I think it's time to begin the fun."
Takano tries to make a break for it, but Rage is right on top of her. He lifts her up, draws his sword, and stabs her in the stomach. The stab is precise. He is careful not to damage anything vital. He wants her to suffer through her death. He begins stabbing her in multiple places; each one won't be a place that will kill her. After stabbing her a bit, he digs his fangs into her neck, like a vampire.
"Mmmm. It tastes so good, Takano."
She can no longer scream. She is too weak from the stabbings. She is in too much pain. Her life is fading fast. The monster sucks on her until she is about to pass out. Just when she is about to faint he grabs her skull and begins to squeeze.
"Goodnight, Takano."
*Crack*
Her skull caves in. Her life is ended. As I look at the sight, I realize what kind of monster I almost became. The creature laughs. His laughter is full of evil. Both me and Hanyuu shudder.
"Come on, Hanyuu. Let's get out of here." I tell her.
She nods in agreement.
"What's wrong Mike? Didn't like the show?" Rage calls to me.
I turn back around. "What you did was wrong. I'm glad Hanyuu came when she did."
"Oh? That little girl?" He asks.
Instinctively, I reach around her and push her behind me.
The demon laughs again.
"Don't worry Mike. I'm not going to do anything to you two. You make sure to win in the next world though, Mike. I'll be waiting to see your success."
Again he begins his demented laugh. I feel fear as I look at him. I don't understand what he's trying to say, but I just want to get out of there as fast as possible. I turn and together, Hanyuu and I leave that evil place. We travel upwards. The world begins to shift into another dimension. Soon I can see my friends. Hanyuu and I take our places in the circle.
"Mike, glad you could come." Mion greets me.
I smile at her. Happiness returns to me as I once again see my love's face.
"I'm glad to be here." I reply. I feel a bit of pain for not being to save my friends. "I'm sorry you guys. I failed, but I promise that I will do better next time."
The others laugh.
"You didn't do anything wrong Mike. You did everything you could." Mion tells me.
"Yep, Mike-kun did well, he did. Rena adds in."
My friends take turns comforting me.
"If it wasn't for you, none of us would have made it as far as we did." Shion says.
"Yeah, you're the one who looks after all of us. You're our guardian angel." Satoko adds.
"No one would have been able to rescue us from the clearing like you did." Keiichi points out.
"There is no one stronger than Mikey. He is our older brother and he will fight any bully that tries to hurt his family. Nipah!!!" Rika says.
The last person is Hanyuu.
"Auu, they're right Mike-kun. This wasn't your fault. It was mine."
"How do you mean, Hanyuu?" I ask her.
Her reply is simple. "I lost hope. When you didn't show up for a while, I lost hope that we could make it. That's what caused us to fail."
I want to object, but I feel that she's speaking the truth.
"It'll be different this time though! I will have faith. I know that if everyone works together, we can break fate!"
Everyone nods their heads.
"Alright, let's go break it then. Let's defeat Takano and live to see a world beyond this endless June."
With that, the world begins the spin around us, and a new adventure begins.
*Author's Notes*
I'm going to start the next Chapter as a new story.
If you aren't too weirded out by my story so far, feel free to look for the sequel.