Kei Aihara - H3 - With one pull of the trigger (part2) {Death Post}
A knock at the door causes Shiori to stop preparing her meal. She takes a deep breath as she speaks out. “Hold on one moment.” She opens the door to witness a man, which her memory reminded her his name, Mr. Hiranuma. Just seeing him standing there almost made her want to tackle him on the spot but she resisted the urge. His short, gray, balding hair, his crooked smile, his very expensive shoes that didn’t belong with the rest of his moderately styled suit, all things that made her bite her tongue at the mere sight.
“Well if it isn’t Mayu Iesada.” He spoke almost with humor in his voice.
“I don’t go by that name anymore.” She bitterly replies back.
“Oh yes, of course not…Shiori Aihara now, isn’t it?” He gives out a jolly laugh. “Boy you must relish in the deceased. May I come in?” Without hesitation and without reply Mr. Hiranuma starts to push against the front door.
“No.” Shiori quickly grabs the door and stops it with her foot to prevent it from being open even more.
“You know what we have to do to people who cause trouble.” Mr. Hiranuma pulls out a pistol from his belt holster. Shiori eased off the door allowing Mr. Hiranuma to makes his way in. He starts to walk around the apartment looking at a couple pictures of Kei and Shiori together. “When I found out it was your daughter chosen for the program I almost broke out in a giddy laugh. I had to make a personal appearance to see one of my favorite players. You made me so much money. If she’s anything like her mother we should have a wonderful game ahead of us. But I’m retired so I can only watch on televison like everyone else now.”
“She won’t play.” Shiori proudly says. Giving him no sign of weakness to pray upon.
Mr. Hiranuma laughs. “That’s what your mother.”
“I raised her right.”
“Out of all the programs I conducted yours was by far the most entertaining. It always makes the game much more enjoyable when betrayal is involved…especially when it’s between best friends.” He starts to mock Shiori and as he was saying the lines the images of what happened started to flood back to her, almost overwhelming her, but she remained strong. She knew he wanted to see her cry. “‘Don’t worry you’re my best friend. We’ll find a way to escape…together.’ It was a pleasant surprise when you used that battery-powered sander to kill her while she was sleeping…well maybe not so pleasant of a surprise to Shiori Nakamura…Oh, yes. That was your first kill wasn’t it.”
Shiori clenches her fist together trying to hold back her anger. She clenched her teeth as she calmly said “You told me Kei’s in the program now I suggest you leave.
“But my favorite kill of yours…” he kept on going as if Shiori didn’t say anything. “What was his name…?” He was pausing to taunt her even more and she knew it. “Ah, it was Keita Aihara. See usually couple stick together but you…no, you had different plans. I was impressed you gave him one last thrill before decapitating the poor sucker. You didn’t even shed a tear. You must have been using him all along.”
She couldn’t hold it in much longer. She was taking some pleasure in the fact their kitten, Ama, was scratching his nice shoes. This diversion didn't last long, though, and she had to scream at the top of her lungs. The one thing she knew is that Keita meant more to her than anything else. “Shut up!”
Again he ignored her and continued. “You must have…I mean why would you kill him when there were still five more players in the game.”
He was achieving whatever he was trying to do to her. She just had to explode everything now. “I won your game. I changed my name, changed my life. I even refused government pension for wining.”
“That was your decision.”
“I rather be homeless again than to ever accept money for something that I regret every day. But…how dare you take away the only good thing to come from that sadistic death sentence. Why?! I stayed under the radar for her.” She wanted to say more. She thought of this moment for a very long time with all the different confrontation scenarios but it wasn’t as elegantly worded or as strong as she once thought it would sound, but it didn’t matter she said something. She pulls a gun out and points it at him. “Now get out of my house. You should know I’m not shy about pulling the trigger.”
He laughs, “You think I came all the way here just to inform you of your daughter’s participation in the program or to reminisce about good o’ times.” A couple of soldier barge into the small room. “You’re a threat. We know all about your connections to underground resistance fighters. We always keep track of our program winners…even if they decide to go ‘off the radar’.” He brings up his fingers into air quotes.
“I see you’re smarter than you look.” She cooled down a little bit but not by much she tried to retain the calmness she once had before.
“It’s so sad it has to end this way but if you don't tell us what we need to know then I'm afraid we have to kill you.” He aims his pistol at her again.
She grins at the realization that she won’t get out alive. “I won’t give you the pleasure. You don’t get me.” Shiori pulls the gun to her chin and pulls the trigger. Her body hovers in the air before falling the floor. Blood dripped off the white ceiling.
"Damn!" He needed her information but now it was too late. He looks down at the cat still scratching his shoes. He punts it across the room in anger. "These are my nice shoes. Search the place maybe we can find something."
*************************************************************************************************************************
The room was shifting; Kei slowly lifted herself off the floor and brought her eyes to the center of the room where a man stood with an applause sign above his head. She found it slightly amusing but couldn’t bring herself to smile; there was something disturbing about it. Why was she on the floor? Who is this guy? All these thoughts that ran through her head and then she noticed the soldiers and the guns in their hands and then she heard the man say Battle Royale.
She refused to watch anything to do with the program when it was on television or on the news. She just couldn’t rap her mind around the enjoyment of it. These were normal teenagers not actors. What happens here is for real. How someone could watch it and get enjoyment disgusted her and now she was in it as well.
The man, Mr. Toriumi, preformed joke after joke while explaining the rules. Did he think he was funny? No, this has to be a dream. She has to look around the room at her classmates, her friends. On each of their faces was a different expression of disbelief or fear or anger. None of her friend was near her and she was still too much in shock to attempt to reach out to any of them.
As she looked to her left, though, she saw Hikari. She was close enough to reach out and grab her hand. So that’s what she did. Hikari clutched on tight onto her hand but she didn’t care it was understandable. The only that made her uneasy was the fact that Haruki’s hand felt so real. Its soft touch and her small hands it couldn’t have been a dream.
She sat there still in shock until her has was called.
“Girl #1 Kei Aihara! Say your goodbyes!” The man joyfully let out.
She could feel Hikari pull her back but she had to go. As she stepped into the hallway she recalled looking at Kyoko when Junpei’s name was called. She could see that she was holding back tears, holding back everything to keep her from jumping towards him. Everyone else should be feeling that way. No, I won’t play.
She continues to walk down the long hallway as she starts to unzip the bag that the soldiers handed her. She was going to throw the weapon away the second she got outside. She wanted nothing to do with it. Maybe she could even wait outside for some of her friends.
She stopped walking as soon as she felt the cold feel of metal in her bag. As she pulled it out she recognized it. It was a gun.
*************************************************************************************************************************
The autumn leaves blow past Shiori as she watches her swinging on a park swing. Each time the metal chains of the swing moved they emitted a small screech. Shiori had on a tattered, old, green, sweater that was in need a good wash. Brownish-stains covered most of the green of the sweatshirt. It was just another day on the street without the accommodations of simple things like washing machines or money.
Kei laughed as she flew down with the swing. She waves at Shiori in absolute joy. Even though they were homeless it never really fazed her. Her mother would give her everything she needed and she didn't know how she did. Of course she did have to take on the responsibility to try to get money as well. Which mostly consisted of her hold a cup and hoping people would drop money in it because of her child innocence. She didn't like doing this though because she didn't like all the strangers approaching her but she did it for her mom.
"Kei come on we have to go." Shiori shouted.
The sun was starting to set so they needed to find some place to stay before it got too cold.
She nodded and quickly stopped the swing by digging her feet into the dirt at the bottom. As she started to make her way to her mother she was quickly tugged back by her hand. A woman was pulling her back. She was clearly wealthy with all her nice jewelry hanging from her neck as well as the really nice golden coat she was wearing. She pulled again.
“Hey! Let go of my daughter.” She could her mom yelling out to the women as she hastily made her way to them.
“Get away urchin.” The older women bellowed out yanking Kei once more.
“Let go of her.” Shiori grabs onto her other arms and starts to pull.
The older women looks down at her probably noting the fact that she had on a pretty dress, blues and yellows and hardly any dirt. Compared to Shiori she was sparkling clean. Shiori tried to make Kei as comfortable as possible while in this tough situation. So it was understandable that this woman thought she didn’t belong to Shiori. “I won’t let you steal this child and sell her on some black market. Police! Police!” The woman called out. From across the yard two police men start running towards them.
The thing that happens next shocked her. Her mother pulled out a gun and pointed it at the older woman. She spoke in a calm, precise tone. “Let go of my daughter’s hand.” And the old woman did.
The policemen were coming closer. Shiori puts the guns in the back of her pants and lifts Kei up into her arms. She starts to run to a nearby bridge to hide from the policemen who would surely take her away. As Shiori runs she whisper in her ear, “You can’t do that, Kei. You have to speak up when it’s needed otherwise bad things will happen. I can’t lose you. I won’t. Do you understand?”
All she could do was rapidly nod her head.
*************************************************************************************************************************
Why that memory came back to her she didn’t know why. She stared down at the gun in her hand. It was almost exactly like the gun from that day. She knew her mother was right but what could she do. It took a second but it was obvious, she had to do something.
Without realizing it she was already dashing back to the classroom. She heard loud explosions behind her and the sound of the guards screaming but she continued to run. She screamed as she felt something hit her side. It started to burn as she turns the corner, entering the classroom. She was bleeding but the adrenaline just kept her going.
She didn’t consider there might be no bullets in the gun but she has to do something and she had to save her class. She shot at Mr. Toriumi, two bullets fired out of the gun each one jerked her arm back, it felt like her arm dislocated, but each one missed. With each continuing pull of the trigger it became clear that she wasn’t going to do any damage. She wasn’t used to shooting a gun, let alone hitting something with it and then she heard a click. She must have been out of bullets. She stared at him as he started to smile. She was hoping he would have ducked or flinched but he didn’t he just continued to speak in his game show host voice.
“Oh, no, no, Miss Aihara, this is a game, and on my show, we play by the rules...” He pulled out a gun and shot it at her. Her heart jumped but there was no pain except for the burning sensation in her side. She could feel the warm liquid slide down her leg. When she looked up she realized that the gun he shot wasn’t real but one of those gag guns used in the old cartoons on TV. “Hah, you’re dead! … No, you’re not, I’m just kidding! I wouldn’t shoot you. That’s so messy. Who wants that? Not me!” He laughed but it wasn’t funny. “No, no... No, I have others do the dirty work.”
The soldier next to the door went out of line and fired his automatic weapon at her. There pain everywhere, she went crashing into the wall behind her and she fell to the floor. Her bag busted open as she hit the wall. All her belongings fell upon the floor her books, her clothes. The room started to spin then it started to go black.
*************************************************************************************************************************
The sound of a basketball crashed into the floor of the gymnasium. Kei was standing on the highest bleacher looking down at the boy dribbling the ball. He swiftly enters the air and dunks the ball into the hoop. His long bangs stuck to the sweat on his as face as he went to retrieve the ball.
She looks down at one of the bleacher seats. She saw herself sitting on the bleacher flipping the pages of another book. She always thought the dreams where she was watching herself were weird. It was like she wasn’t Kei anymore. Was this a dream?
“Head’s up!” The boy cried out. Reflectively she ducked but then realized it was for the other Kei. The basketball knocked the book right out of her hand. The boy approached with apologies. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m okay. Don’t worry about it.” She quietly says keeping her head down.
“Here.” He picks up the ball and hands it to her. “Go ahead take a shot.”
“I don’t think so.” She picks up her book and places it in her bag.
“Come on one shot.” His warm smile convinced her. One shot that’s all it was. The ball was bigger than she expected in her hands but she tossed it anyway. The ball flew through the air and before it hit the ground she heard a swish. The boy looked very surprised. “Wow nice shot. Do you play?”
“Who me? No. My father did though.” She spoke quietly. She wasn’t use to people talking to her but she strangely had little problem with him.
“Well he taught you well.”
“He died before I was born.” As she said this the room got quieter. But he broke through the awkward moment with the extension of his hand.
“Let’s play a game one on one.” He smiled again and she grabbed a hold joining him on the basketball court.
Kei watched this interaction from the top of the bleachers. This was the first time she met Taro Hanazawa.
“He’s cute. Who is he?” That familiar voice came from behind her. She in fact knew it was a dream now if her dad was here. Her dad sits next to her but she doesn’t look at him, she didn’t want him to go away again.
“Taro Hanazawa.”
“You must really like him. Look at you I have never seen you so happy and outgoing.” He places his arm around her shoulder and brings her head closer to his chest. He typically hugged her in her dreams but this time it felt different, it felt a little more real.
“He reminds me of you. I think that’s why I like him so much. I thought maybe I could have what you and mom had. I’m glad I met him even though nothing ever happened.” She grabs on tighter to his shirt he was so comfortable.
“Then why didn’t you tell him?”
“I guess I was too scared to know what the response would be.” She grabs a hold of his left hand but it was strange. She could feel his smooth skin, she could feel the little hairs on his knuckles, the trimmed down nails. He is real. He had to be.
“You should tell him.” His voice became fainter.
She started to panic. She lifted herself off of his chest and turned around to look at her father, maybe finally she could see him. She cries out, “Dad?!” But he was gone.
*************************************************************************************************************************
Kei somehow slowly regain consciousness. Everything in her body felt like it was being pull down by hundreds of tiny weights. It was clear that there wasn’t much time left. Her eyes slowly fell onto a boy in the front row. Taro Tanizawa. She couldn’t help but smile but it was very faint. The corner of her mouth could barely move. If only I was brave enough to tell you. At least I get to look at your face one last time. You always made me happy. She could feel some of the weights slowly losing their grip. As Taro always did, he was giving her the strength to be more than she was. I have to tell you…dad wanted me to…it’s now or never…give me your strength…
Kei body shifts. She raises her head and looks at Taro making sure their eyes connected. “Taro…I…” The entire class seemed to look back to Kei’s body. Most of their faces were distressed with tears or fear. The all probably assumed she was dead.
“Ah looks like someone can’t stand the idea of losing.” Mr. Toriumi says.
Although Kei did want to say one last thing to Taro she knew she was running out of time. A speck of light catches her eye. She looks down at the gun still in her hand; three bullets still remained in the gun. But it clicked she thought unless the bullet backfired. She could have tried to shoot at Mr. Toriumi again but she didn’t have the energy. She still needed to tell Taro how she felt.
She then sees the same soldier pull out his gun and there was only one thing to do. She picks up the Smith & Wesson and places the barrel underneath her chin pointing it upward. The cold feel of the gun against her chin did not scare her at all. It was only a matter of seconds before she could finally meet her father. “You don’t get me!” Her words rang through the room clear and precise. It was surprising even to her how much power she put into those words but she felt if they took her life then she might never see her father. She takes one last look at Taro and smiles. I guess it will have to remain a secret. It almost overwhelmed her looking into Taro’s eyes but she pulled the trigger before the soldier could. The top of her head exploded as the bullet pierces through her skull. Fragments of her skull and portions of her brain were splattered on the blackboard above her body. She was dead but at least a smile remained on her face.
“Well if it isn’t Mayu Iesada.” He spoke almost with humor in his voice.
“I don’t go by that name anymore.” She bitterly replies back.
“Oh yes, of course not…Shiori Aihara now, isn’t it?” He gives out a jolly laugh. “Boy you must relish in the deceased. May I come in?” Without hesitation and without reply Mr. Hiranuma starts to push against the front door.
“No.” Shiori quickly grabs the door and stops it with her foot to prevent it from being open even more.
“You know what we have to do to people who cause trouble.” Mr. Hiranuma pulls out a pistol from his belt holster. Shiori eased off the door allowing Mr. Hiranuma to makes his way in. He starts to walk around the apartment looking at a couple pictures of Kei and Shiori together. “When I found out it was your daughter chosen for the program I almost broke out in a giddy laugh. I had to make a personal appearance to see one of my favorite players. You made me so much money. If she’s anything like her mother we should have a wonderful game ahead of us. But I’m retired so I can only watch on televison like everyone else now.”
“She won’t play.” Shiori proudly says. Giving him no sign of weakness to pray upon.
Mr. Hiranuma laughs. “That’s what your mother.”
“I raised her right.”
“Out of all the programs I conducted yours was by far the most entertaining. It always makes the game much more enjoyable when betrayal is involved…especially when it’s between best friends.” He starts to mock Shiori and as he was saying the lines the images of what happened started to flood back to her, almost overwhelming her, but she remained strong. She knew he wanted to see her cry. “‘Don’t worry you’re my best friend. We’ll find a way to escape…together.’ It was a pleasant surprise when you used that battery-powered sander to kill her while she was sleeping…well maybe not so pleasant of a surprise to Shiori Nakamura…Oh, yes. That was your first kill wasn’t it.”
Shiori clenches her fist together trying to hold back her anger. She clenched her teeth as she calmly said “You told me Kei’s in the program now I suggest you leave.
“But my favorite kill of yours…” he kept on going as if Shiori didn’t say anything. “What was his name…?” He was pausing to taunt her even more and she knew it. “Ah, it was Keita Aihara. See usually couple stick together but you…no, you had different plans. I was impressed you gave him one last thrill before decapitating the poor sucker. You didn’t even shed a tear. You must have been using him all along.”
She couldn’t hold it in much longer. She was taking some pleasure in the fact their kitten, Ama, was scratching his nice shoes. This diversion didn't last long, though, and she had to scream at the top of her lungs. The one thing she knew is that Keita meant more to her than anything else. “Shut up!”
Again he ignored her and continued. “You must have…I mean why would you kill him when there were still five more players in the game.”
He was achieving whatever he was trying to do to her. She just had to explode everything now. “I won your game. I changed my name, changed my life. I even refused government pension for wining.”
“That was your decision.”
“I rather be homeless again than to ever accept money for something that I regret every day. But…how dare you take away the only good thing to come from that sadistic death sentence. Why?! I stayed under the radar for her.” She wanted to say more. She thought of this moment for a very long time with all the different confrontation scenarios but it wasn’t as elegantly worded or as strong as she once thought it would sound, but it didn’t matter she said something. She pulls a gun out and points it at him. “Now get out of my house. You should know I’m not shy about pulling the trigger.”
He laughs, “You think I came all the way here just to inform you of your daughter’s participation in the program or to reminisce about good o’ times.” A couple of soldier barge into the small room. “You’re a threat. We know all about your connections to underground resistance fighters. We always keep track of our program winners…even if they decide to go ‘off the radar’.” He brings up his fingers into air quotes.
“I see you’re smarter than you look.” She cooled down a little bit but not by much she tried to retain the calmness she once had before.
“It’s so sad it has to end this way but if you don't tell us what we need to know then I'm afraid we have to kill you.” He aims his pistol at her again.
She grins at the realization that she won’t get out alive. “I won’t give you the pleasure. You don’t get me.” Shiori pulls the gun to her chin and pulls the trigger. Her body hovers in the air before falling the floor. Blood dripped off the white ceiling.
"Damn!" He needed her information but now it was too late. He looks down at the cat still scratching his shoes. He punts it across the room in anger. "These are my nice shoes. Search the place maybe we can find something."
*************************************************************************************************************************
The room was shifting; Kei slowly lifted herself off the floor and brought her eyes to the center of the room where a man stood with an applause sign above his head. She found it slightly amusing but couldn’t bring herself to smile; there was something disturbing about it. Why was she on the floor? Who is this guy? All these thoughts that ran through her head and then she noticed the soldiers and the guns in their hands and then she heard the man say Battle Royale.
She refused to watch anything to do with the program when it was on television or on the news. She just couldn’t rap her mind around the enjoyment of it. These were normal teenagers not actors. What happens here is for real. How someone could watch it and get enjoyment disgusted her and now she was in it as well.
The man, Mr. Toriumi, preformed joke after joke while explaining the rules. Did he think he was funny? No, this has to be a dream. She has to look around the room at her classmates, her friends. On each of their faces was a different expression of disbelief or fear or anger. None of her friend was near her and she was still too much in shock to attempt to reach out to any of them.
As she looked to her left, though, she saw Hikari. She was close enough to reach out and grab her hand. So that’s what she did. Hikari clutched on tight onto her hand but she didn’t care it was understandable. The only that made her uneasy was the fact that Haruki’s hand felt so real. Its soft touch and her small hands it couldn’t have been a dream.
She sat there still in shock until her has was called.
“Girl #1 Kei Aihara! Say your goodbyes!” The man joyfully let out.
She could feel Hikari pull her back but she had to go. As she stepped into the hallway she recalled looking at Kyoko when Junpei’s name was called. She could see that she was holding back tears, holding back everything to keep her from jumping towards him. Everyone else should be feeling that way. No, I won’t play.
She continues to walk down the long hallway as she starts to unzip the bag that the soldiers handed her. She was going to throw the weapon away the second she got outside. She wanted nothing to do with it. Maybe she could even wait outside for some of her friends.
She stopped walking as soon as she felt the cold feel of metal in her bag. As she pulled it out she recognized it. It was a gun.
*************************************************************************************************************************
The autumn leaves blow past Shiori as she watches her swinging on a park swing. Each time the metal chains of the swing moved they emitted a small screech. Shiori had on a tattered, old, green, sweater that was in need a good wash. Brownish-stains covered most of the green of the sweatshirt. It was just another day on the street without the accommodations of simple things like washing machines or money.
Kei laughed as she flew down with the swing. She waves at Shiori in absolute joy. Even though they were homeless it never really fazed her. Her mother would give her everything she needed and she didn't know how she did. Of course she did have to take on the responsibility to try to get money as well. Which mostly consisted of her hold a cup and hoping people would drop money in it because of her child innocence. She didn't like doing this though because she didn't like all the strangers approaching her but she did it for her mom.
"Kei come on we have to go." Shiori shouted.
The sun was starting to set so they needed to find some place to stay before it got too cold.
She nodded and quickly stopped the swing by digging her feet into the dirt at the bottom. As she started to make her way to her mother she was quickly tugged back by her hand. A woman was pulling her back. She was clearly wealthy with all her nice jewelry hanging from her neck as well as the really nice golden coat she was wearing. She pulled again.
“Hey! Let go of my daughter.” She could her mom yelling out to the women as she hastily made her way to them.
“Get away urchin.” The older women bellowed out yanking Kei once more.
“Let go of her.” Shiori grabs onto her other arms and starts to pull.
The older women looks down at her probably noting the fact that she had on a pretty dress, blues and yellows and hardly any dirt. Compared to Shiori she was sparkling clean. Shiori tried to make Kei as comfortable as possible while in this tough situation. So it was understandable that this woman thought she didn’t belong to Shiori. “I won’t let you steal this child and sell her on some black market. Police! Police!” The woman called out. From across the yard two police men start running towards them.
The thing that happens next shocked her. Her mother pulled out a gun and pointed it at the older woman. She spoke in a calm, precise tone. “Let go of my daughter’s hand.” And the old woman did.
The policemen were coming closer. Shiori puts the guns in the back of her pants and lifts Kei up into her arms. She starts to run to a nearby bridge to hide from the policemen who would surely take her away. As Shiori runs she whisper in her ear, “You can’t do that, Kei. You have to speak up when it’s needed otherwise bad things will happen. I can’t lose you. I won’t. Do you understand?”
All she could do was rapidly nod her head.
*************************************************************************************************************************
Why that memory came back to her she didn’t know why. She stared down at the gun in her hand. It was almost exactly like the gun from that day. She knew her mother was right but what could she do. It took a second but it was obvious, she had to do something.
Without realizing it she was already dashing back to the classroom. She heard loud explosions behind her and the sound of the guards screaming but she continued to run. She screamed as she felt something hit her side. It started to burn as she turns the corner, entering the classroom. She was bleeding but the adrenaline just kept her going.
She didn’t consider there might be no bullets in the gun but she has to do something and she had to save her class. She shot at Mr. Toriumi, two bullets fired out of the gun each one jerked her arm back, it felt like her arm dislocated, but each one missed. With each continuing pull of the trigger it became clear that she wasn’t going to do any damage. She wasn’t used to shooting a gun, let alone hitting something with it and then she heard a click. She must have been out of bullets. She stared at him as he started to smile. She was hoping he would have ducked or flinched but he didn’t he just continued to speak in his game show host voice.
“Oh, no, no, Miss Aihara, this is a game, and on my show, we play by the rules...” He pulled out a gun and shot it at her. Her heart jumped but there was no pain except for the burning sensation in her side. She could feel the warm liquid slide down her leg. When she looked up she realized that the gun he shot wasn’t real but one of those gag guns used in the old cartoons on TV. “Hah, you’re dead! … No, you’re not, I’m just kidding! I wouldn’t shoot you. That’s so messy. Who wants that? Not me!” He laughed but it wasn’t funny. “No, no... No, I have others do the dirty work.”
The soldier next to the door went out of line and fired his automatic weapon at her. There pain everywhere, she went crashing into the wall behind her and she fell to the floor. Her bag busted open as she hit the wall. All her belongings fell upon the floor her books, her clothes. The room started to spin then it started to go black.
*************************************************************************************************************************
The sound of a basketball crashed into the floor of the gymnasium. Kei was standing on the highest bleacher looking down at the boy dribbling the ball. He swiftly enters the air and dunks the ball into the hoop. His long bangs stuck to the sweat on his as face as he went to retrieve the ball.
She looks down at one of the bleacher seats. She saw herself sitting on the bleacher flipping the pages of another book. She always thought the dreams where she was watching herself were weird. It was like she wasn’t Kei anymore. Was this a dream?
“Head’s up!” The boy cried out. Reflectively she ducked but then realized it was for the other Kei. The basketball knocked the book right out of her hand. The boy approached with apologies. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m okay. Don’t worry about it.” She quietly says keeping her head down.
“Here.” He picks up the ball and hands it to her. “Go ahead take a shot.”
“I don’t think so.” She picks up her book and places it in her bag.
“Come on one shot.” His warm smile convinced her. One shot that’s all it was. The ball was bigger than she expected in her hands but she tossed it anyway. The ball flew through the air and before it hit the ground she heard a swish. The boy looked very surprised. “Wow nice shot. Do you play?”
“Who me? No. My father did though.” She spoke quietly. She wasn’t use to people talking to her but she strangely had little problem with him.
“Well he taught you well.”
“He died before I was born.” As she said this the room got quieter. But he broke through the awkward moment with the extension of his hand.
“Let’s play a game one on one.” He smiled again and she grabbed a hold joining him on the basketball court.
Kei watched this interaction from the top of the bleachers. This was the first time she met Taro Hanazawa.
“He’s cute. Who is he?” That familiar voice came from behind her. She in fact knew it was a dream now if her dad was here. Her dad sits next to her but she doesn’t look at him, she didn’t want him to go away again.
“Taro Hanazawa.”
“You must really like him. Look at you I have never seen you so happy and outgoing.” He places his arm around her shoulder and brings her head closer to his chest. He typically hugged her in her dreams but this time it felt different, it felt a little more real.
“He reminds me of you. I think that’s why I like him so much. I thought maybe I could have what you and mom had. I’m glad I met him even though nothing ever happened.” She grabs on tighter to his shirt he was so comfortable.
“Then why didn’t you tell him?”
“I guess I was too scared to know what the response would be.” She grabs a hold of his left hand but it was strange. She could feel his smooth skin, she could feel the little hairs on his knuckles, the trimmed down nails. He is real. He had to be.
“You should tell him.” His voice became fainter.
She started to panic. She lifted herself off of his chest and turned around to look at her father, maybe finally she could see him. She cries out, “Dad?!” But he was gone.
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Kei somehow slowly regain consciousness. Everything in her body felt like it was being pull down by hundreds of tiny weights. It was clear that there wasn’t much time left. Her eyes slowly fell onto a boy in the front row. Taro Tanizawa. She couldn’t help but smile but it was very faint. The corner of her mouth could barely move. If only I was brave enough to tell you. At least I get to look at your face one last time. You always made me happy. She could feel some of the weights slowly losing their grip. As Taro always did, he was giving her the strength to be more than she was. I have to tell you…dad wanted me to…it’s now or never…give me your strength…
Kei body shifts. She raises her head and looks at Taro making sure their eyes connected. “Taro…I…” The entire class seemed to look back to Kei’s body. Most of their faces were distressed with tears or fear. The all probably assumed she was dead.
“Ah looks like someone can’t stand the idea of losing.” Mr. Toriumi says.
Although Kei did want to say one last thing to Taro she knew she was running out of time. A speck of light catches her eye. She looks down at the gun still in her hand; three bullets still remained in the gun. But it clicked she thought unless the bullet backfired. She could have tried to shoot at Mr. Toriumi again but she didn’t have the energy. She still needed to tell Taro how she felt.
She then sees the same soldier pull out his gun and there was only one thing to do. She picks up the Smith & Wesson and places the barrel underneath her chin pointing it upward. The cold feel of the gun against her chin did not scare her at all. It was only a matter of seconds before she could finally meet her father. “You don’t get me!” Her words rang through the room clear and precise. It was surprising even to her how much power she put into those words but she felt if they took her life then she might never see her father. She takes one last look at Taro and smiles. I guess it will have to remain a secret. It almost overwhelmed her looking into Taro’s eyes but she pulled the trigger before the soldier could. The top of her head exploded as the bullet pierces through her skull. Fragments of her skull and portions of her brain were splattered on the blackboard above her body. She was dead but at least a smile remained on her face.