Flame Dragon's Story

Chapter 11: One Needs Another

"Today's weather forecast shows that there will be rain approaching Kobe tonight, and residents in the city are advised to bring umbrellas and stay warm indoors."

I started to dream of Ayumi more often at nights, and to know the reason why, not that I know of. But this feeling, is so strong, whenever I meet her. And the puzzle continues to break into pieces, not to mention, about the kiss she gave. Does she really feel it about me?

Never have I been confessed with true feelings, and it made me fear of something that will make the ties between us break loose. I feared of breaking her down if this wouldn't work. I had to think of something to protect her heart.

It was just another day in the weekends, I sat under a tree in the park and pondered myself into nothing but puzzled feelings. Everything was coming in and scattering around in my mind. What is actually going on with me? Am I starting to feel the change in my life? But then again, I guessed that maybe this would be what Mother wanted for me, for my future. Who knows...

The sun was shining around me, trees were starting to turn orange and fall down. Time flew so fast, as I realized that fall is nearing by. Looking back at how far I had been through in this new life, maybe it wasn't as harsh as what I endured in the past. I do hope so...

The more I stared myself into nothingness in the scene, the more I felt drowsy and empty. In the end, I fell off dozing under the shades of leaves above me. The cold breeze blew into my face, as I slept off into a dream. The same dream as before, in a world where I met Ayumi once again in front of me. The two of us, exploring our own world together, looking for answers. What could possibly be the answer for the question in my life and hers?

But then, something in me felt uncanny. What kind of a world am I dreaming? It felt different than before. The world suddenly went dark, the pieces were crumbling into dust. And... Ayumi? She was... disappearing away from my view. What is going on? I started hearing my own voice, screaming and gasping. Something... painful will come to me? But what could that be?

What if it's all just a dream in a dream, that I wouldn't escape or flee off...?

It was then until I got snapped back to reality, finding myself alone in the classroom once again. I should really get a grip on myself and not to doze off again. Packing up my stuffs, I walked out to the hallway as the sun started setting down outside of the window.

I heard something, some quarreling going down few feet away. The sound of girls bickering. I snuck behind the wall, curious to myself as one of them sounded like crying. As I took a decision to take a peek, I recognized something, that crying voice belonged to...

Ayumi...? Why is she there...?

"You don't even deserve him, loser. I wonder how could a pathetic weakling even be able to talk to him."

The way one of the girls hurled at her, hurts me in an instant. What were they plotting against her? What were her sins towards them? I couldn't hold back my rage against the girls, but I knew I shouldn't make such dumb moves. They're still female, and I'm just a guy who wasn't even long enough in this school.

Ayumi was there, on the floor and surrounded by those evil as they were having their way of tormenting her. I slowly fell down on the floor, enduring her suffering from this distance. Then, something reminded me. I realized at that moment, Ayumi's situation took me back to the early days...

As the noise dimmed down, I looked up to find that the girls were gone now, and Ayumi was left alone with stuffs scattered around the floor. I slowly approached her, unable to think of anything to do something for her. Instead, I stood myself still in front of her, looking down at the mess as I felt lost to act anything.

"A-Ayumi..."

"D-Daichi-kun... I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

Ayumi started apologizing as she broke down in tears, unable to think of anything else but remorse. She took her hand to wipe here tears constantly without stopping. This alone made me feel heavier in my heart. Seeing someone in pain, someone being reduced to this low, I could only feel the regret of not stepping in. But what could I even do?

"Ayumi..."

Thinking of at least something to ease her up, I quickly cleaned up the mess on the floor, putting the scattered papers back into the folders and then into the box. Once settled, I helped getting Ayumi back up without saying anything. That was the only thing I could in my power at the moment.

"I'm sorry..." And with that, I rush myself off immediately, leaving her behind as I ran off from school.

The orange sky and the setting sun accompanied me throughout the path back home. Once arrived, I locked myself inside and unleashed my longed anger. I raged throughout the house, throwing stuffs around and breaking mirrors as the pain in my heart burst and erupt. I end myself up being in the center of a ruined environment, leaning behind a wall as I fall myself down on my knees, tears started flowing down my face as I continued to feel the pain.

I then look down on my right hand, which had been always wrapped up in bandage for so long. What's underneath the wrap was something that made me unable to forgive myself, forgive the pain I had to endure. I slowly took off the gauze, revealing a deep scar along the skin, the scar of what seemed to be a knife cut not from an accident, but an intended injury on me.

Looking at the scar reminded me of the dark past I had in my memory...

It all started back in the old school, a school full of delinquents and bullies. I never knew how I ended up there at a point, but I knew, that I would never go back and will never forgive those who almost killed me. I never got justice in the campus, and trauma being the one I receive instead. The hatred for those in the campus were really strong, so much that I swore and hoped that everyone there shall rot in hell.

I was hurdled at, tortured, and pushed away by everyone. The elder students had their way on beating me to death, those in the same year were either hiding themselves from saving me or joining together to bring more torment. As for the girls in school, they took advantage of my vulnerability to throw slanders on my head, accusing me of harassment and violence against females.

It was all up until to the point, when they took it too far. I was abducted into a room, where they all plotted up to frame me. I managed to avoid the slander, but only to end up almost killing myself from the physical torture. They held me, and one of them used his blade and scratched deeply into my right hand. I was then left there, bleeding alone as I struggled to recover myself.

Just by looking at the scar, made me think to myself: how long am I supposed to endure this pain and torture in my life?

From there onward, my school days started turning grey for me.