Okami: Hero's Shortcomings

Chapter 25: Hitting Reset

Earth, Nov. 19th 2016 @10:32 AM. "Stop it! Let her go! You're hurting her!" Genji shouted, desperately trying to escape his dad's hold.

"Uhm yeah? That's the point!" The Queen responded.

At this point, Amber's throat went dry but the tears kept coming. That and her violent jolts were the only thing that reminded him she was still alive.

"Leave them out of this! I'm the one you want, right?! Just take me!"

"Ohh, sweetie, that'd be too easy. And it's too late for that, you opted out, remember?"

"Opted...out?"

"I had asked you to join our forces, didn't I? You refused, and now we're here with Plan B," Sung-ho said, leaning down to get closer to his ear, "we are going to break you apart piece by piece until you submit to us or drive yourself to insanity," he straightened himself back up and looked at Amber's strained eyes, "I wouldn't spend too long thinking about which choice to make. Your disorder makes it easier to deteriorate."

He's talking about my Instability...but I've been taking meds for it, I haven't felt as bad as I did in middle school in a while.

"...Why? Why are you doing this? What would Mom think?! Does she know?!"

"Silence!" His grip intensified, nearly reshaping in Genji's skull.

"She doesn't know, does she?! Mom, Suzume, Nozomi, do they know what you're doing?!"

"I thought I told you," He picked him up from the back of his shirt, "to be quiet." Sung-ho lifted him up and slammed him back down. The road caved in from underneath, and Genji went limp.

"Inez, let's get this over with. We still have the others to bring."

"Aw man, but I wasn't done playing. Oh well," She sighed, but dug her hand deeper into Amber's chest, "time for the good part."

Genji lied there, lifeless. If he could see, it would all be black. In fact, it practically was all black. Everything but the sticky red floor beneath his shoes. He returned to this sinister spot, but had no desire to walk around or find the child inhabiting it. He just sat down, looking off into nowhere.

Maybe...this is a sign. Maybe this is my brain's way of keeping me safe from the outside world. There's nothing in here, so how could I get hurt? I'm not sure...I'm not sure if I want to keep living this life...Heh, looks like those meds didn't really help like I thought they would.

Thoughts like this made up his childhood, and they've returned at his lowest point. Though his mind began to go blank, he latched on to what was going on as the surrounding area began to change. The blood started to drain to some arbitrary point. And light was climbing from the horizon. He thought he went crazy, but there was no mistaking it, there was a moon in this realm.

It was enough to get Genji to stand up and just watch it rise, and little by little, he noticed the buildings around him fade to existence. When it was all said and done, he found himself in an alley in the dead of the night.

"A...city? Am I still in New York?" He mumbled, but found his answers after leaving the alley. The stores around him were Japanese-like, and an even bigger giveaway was the kanji used on the signs outside.

"...Am I in Japan? How did I end up here? Or maybe...is this-"

"Hell."

Startled from the detached voice, he turned to face it. In the shadows of the alley, a pair of red eyes stared at him.

"It's you...the only other person here. Just who are you?!"

"I can see into you, and it's good...You're building up your anger, your hatred. Keep going, and soon, you'll find out who I am."