“…..Hey! You’ve reached Kamui Arashi! Sorry I can’t pick up the phone right now, please leave a message!” The resounding beep infuriated the girl on the other end of the line. Her face turned red as she thought of what to say.
“Kamui, it’s me, Akiko, will you ever pick up your fucking phone?” grumbled the disgruntled girl into her phone’s receiver. “I swear, sometimes I don’t know what’s got him to so wrapped up that he can’t answer his phone.” She slid the phone down into her purse and brusher her light green hair out of her face, latching it behind her right ear. She waited a bit longer before her phone rang again, she flung her phone out of her purse excitedly, almost throwing it into the street. Passer-byes had to look twice at the eccentric girl as she answered her phone in a fury. “Kamui! I swear you never answer your phone, ever!” she shouted, before being interrupted by the person on the other end.
“Uhh… Kiko… this is just your brother…” said a deep, but frightened voice. “Is everything alright?”
“Oh, yeah! Everything’s alright, sorry for blowing up on your there Ichiro, I’m just a little frustrated at Kamui for not answering his phone, he promised to meet me here at 3 for some lunch.” Replied Akiko, turning a little red at the thought of her and Kamui together, alone.
“I’m sure he has a good reason, Kamui not the person to stand anyone up, especially you. You two have been friends since elementary, remember?” replied Ichiro, trying to calm his sister down.
“Yeah, I guess… thanks brother. I’ll be home by 5, I’m going to wait here for Kamui a little longer.” Said Akiko, digging into the concrete with the front of her shoe, staring at the ground.
“Alright, just be safe sis. Love you.” And with that the call went silent as Ichiro hung up, leaving Akiko by herself again. She walked over to a nearby bench, letting herself fall into the wooden support, letting out a sigh as she did.
“I hope Kamui is okay…” she whispered to herself, staring at her phone, waiting for a call from Kamui.
********
A boy with short black hair was chained to a chair in a dark, cold room. “ugh… Wh… Where am I?” he mumbled, his vision returning to him as he regained consciousness. “What the hell is going on here… and why the hell am I chained up!?” screamed the boy, struggling against the chains.
“Oh, you’re awake Mr. Kamui.” Said a short, fat, old man, wearing a General’s uniform, smoking a cigar. “Good, now I can ask you a few questions.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Why the hell am I here?” said Kamui, glaring at the old man. “What do you want?”
“Oh you know exactly what I want… that pretty little suit your father is working on, you know how to pilot it don’t you?” replied the man with a smirk.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Just let me go!” Kamui continued struggling, trying to loosen the chains.
“Oh come now you little brat!” growled the General through his teeth, pressing his cigar into Kamui’s chest, who let out a howl of pain. “Just promise me you’ll get me that suit, and I’ll let you go.”
“Go to hell.” Said Kamui, calmly, being met with a slap across the face, one so hard that it toppled his chair over, knocking him down. He kept spitting to keep the water on the floor out of his mouth. The man walked back over to his chair, using his foot to tip Kamui back up-right. He grabbed his hair, almost ripping out the roots, and leaned close.
“Listen here you little shit, one way or another I’m getting that armor, so either you get it for me, or your family dies!” snarled the old man, throwing Kamui back. “My guards are going to escort you to your house. If you do not return to them with the armor in 10 minutes, they will kill both you, and your family.” He finished with an evil grin, letting two burly guards into the room. They unchained Kamui, each grabbing an arm as he tried to struggle free, to no avail. They carried him to a van where they threw him in, slamming the door shut behind them, each taking a seat in the front and driving off. The van took its twists and turns through the city, as Kamui looked up through the back window he saw Akiko sitting on a bench.
“Is.. is she crying?” he thought. Anger boiled inside him, his body grew hot, he reached back and punched back door of the van as hard as he could, and he kept his hand there, not knowing what to do. He felt his hand moving forward pushing through the metal. “The hell?” he said to himself, as the metal gave way, breaking the back lock, swinging the doors open. The drivers slammed on the brakes, reacting to what just happened, flinging Kamui out onto the street. He slammed onto the unforgiving concrete with a thud, rolling as he did.
“Should we go back for the kid?” said one of the drivers to the other.
“No, don’t worry about him. With him out of the way, getting the suit will be that much easier.” Replied the other guard with a laugh as the van took off.
“Kamui!” screamed Akiko, seeing what just happened. She ran over to the collapsed boy laying in the road. “Are you okay!?” she knelt down beside him, tears forming in her eyes.
“Ye… Yeah… I’m okay…” he said, struggling to get up. “We have to hurry! Those guys are on their way to my house!” he shouted, turning towards the direction of the van, before coughing up blood. “Dammnit… I have to get home!” he shouted, dragging himself on the road, before Akiko helped him up.
“We need to get you to a hostpital!” she said, face flushed with anxiety. “What happened!?”
“No time! We need to get home!” he shouted, forcing himself to move, slowly breaking into a painful run. “Mom! Dad! Yuri! Hold on!” he thought to himself, still trying to run at full speed, his pain increasing with every step he took. “Broken rib.” He thought, as more blood escaped into his mouth. Akiko was trying to keep up, running was not her fortè.
“Kamui! Wait, you’re injured! You need a doctor!” she yelled, chasing after the injured boy.
“No time! My family is going to die if I can’t get home in time!” he shouted, stopping and turning back to her. “Don’t you get it? Those two are going to kill my family if I can’t get there in time!” he screamed, staring at Akiko with an anger she hadn’t seen before. She was rendered speechless, she couldn’t think of anything to say to that.
“….. alright, lets go!” she said, keeping pace with him. They ran through the city, taking a shortcut wherever they could.
“Almost there…” he thought, opening the gate to his house, “The van isn’t here, maybe we beat them!” he continued thinking, until he opened the door. He immediately wish he hadn’t. The moment the door opened, the scent of blood filled his nostrils. Blood was splattered all over his house, “Those animals!” He said walking through the house, scared of what he’d see. Akiko couldn’t enter the house, all she could do was cover her mouth, and look away. She was appalled by what happened. “Mom… “ whispered Kamui, seeing his mother on the kitched counter, throat violently gashed open, covered in blood. His legs lost strength, he backed out into the main foyer, seeing what was written in blood. “So sorry about what happened here Kamui, I guess it just couldn’t be helped.” Was scribbled in what was most likely Kamui’s mother’s blood. “Th… this can’t be…. Y… Yuri?” he called as he walked out into the back yard, seeing another gruesome sight. “Yuri!” he shouted, unable to bear what he was seeing. His little sister, impaled on the fence with an iron skew, blood still dripping onto the ground. He fell to his knees, screaming out in pain and anger. Akiko had run into the back to get him after he screamed.
“Kamui!” she screamed, holding him upright, hugging him tightly. “I’m so sorry!” she sobbed. The last noises he heard before he blacked out.
