天国の日没 Tengoku No Nichibotsu (Heaven's Sunset) - Volume 2

Chapter 24 - The burden you can't get rid of

The foggy city is dyed in darkness. There is not a living soul out on the streets and all the apartment windows are pitch black. The air is cold, freezing. The emptiness and depression of the big, colorless city indicates to nothing but the end.

Through the cold, soulless city, Shuichi is running for his life. He's cold, he's hurting, he's tired, he doesn't want to die. He doesn't even bother calling for help, because he knows very well nobody will run out to aid him. He only keeps running, without slowing down.

However, no matter how fast he runs, the young man he fears so much is not falling behind. In fact, he seems to not be tired at all, running with a knife in his hand, not getting a smirk off his face.

Shuichi is not even thinking of giving up. He'd never give up on life, that's the last thing he'd do. Yet why is the other so determined on taking his life away? If only he could persuade him to stop.

And then, Shuichi ran into a dead end. He was cornered. He turned around, but Yuuji was standing before him. There was nowhere to run. Walls were surrounding Shuichi, and Yuuji started walking forward. Shuichi knew he didn't stay a chance in a fight against Yuuji. So what should he do?

Shuichi: You won't accomplish anything by murdering me.

Yuuji: Hoooooh, what do you take me for, Nanaba? I will take your life away and bring a corpse before your father. Too bad you won't be there to see his reaction. I can't wait to see what kind od face he'll make when he sees his the corpse of his precious son.

Shuichi: Precious...? Again, if you're trying to take a revenge on my father, you're not going to accomplish anything.

The frightened boy was trying his best to not look scared, but it was too obvious he was dying from fear. Yuuji could see that and he started getting closer. Shuichi pressed himself against a wall, with nowhere to run to. How exactly was he supposed to fight for his precious life?

"Believe me, Nanaba, the devastated look of your papa after seeing his son butchered is a sight to die for!" The taller male now approached Shuichi and placed a knife under his throat, as he typically does. "You have no idea how badly I want to give you a slow, painful death. Yes, let's switch the scene to the underground, where I can torture you for days and days. What should I do to you? Insert needless in your gyms? Or perhaps break your finger nails one by one? Or maybe burn your palms with hot iron? Wait, how about forcing you to eat your own hair? What do you think of duct taping both of your eyes wide open, so you can't blink? No, I have an idea! How about we go through all of that? What do you say?"

The helpless orange haired boy stared up at Yuuji, pale as a ghost, even completely forgetting about the knife that was being held against his neck. Was he really about to suffer all that? He couldn't breath. He couldn't move a muscle. He felt like this every single time he was alone with Yuuji.

Not knowing what else to do, Shuichi dropped on his knees. "I beg you, don't hurt me!" Every bit of Shuichi's pride vanished. "I know I deserve the worst only and that it should have been better if I never existed, but I beg you, have mercy on a despicable failure that is me! Please, Sanae, don't kill me! I-"

"Too late, I already did..." Yuuji casually replied and started walking away.

Shuichi raised his head and saw his own corpse being carried by Yuuji.

"Nooooooooooo!!!! Nooooooooo!!!!!"

And that's when Shuichi woke up from his nightmare.

While he was fighting for air, he was met with an endless blue sky. He shifted to the sitting position, to see Toadette sleeping next to him, with a food basket between them. Both of them were under the only tree the tiny island they were on had. Except the tree and few flowers, all stuffed within a fluffy grass, the very small island had nothing else.