*
‘What have we gotten ourselves into Kioshi?’ Kouji folded his arms. ‘I can’t help but feel like we’ve opened a Pandora’s Box of trouble. I mean, before all this we were just innocent kids and now look, people are dying.’
‘It hurts... Hido... It hurts’
‘You have to hang in there! PLEASE!’
‘People are dying...’ Kioshi repeated.
‘Hido. I can’t see...’
‘I shouldn’t have done this. Ayumi was right, I was selfish. In my heart, I had ulterior motives.’
The two stood at the gate as ambulance workers passed them, carrying an unconscious Miyako into the back of an ambulance where an anxious Hido was waiting.
‘I think you’re starting to lose sight of what you want. Is all this worth it?’
All the bodies Kioshi saw in pain, the blood painting the walls and floor. It was coming back to haunt him. ‘All this pain... All because... I couldn’t take it.’ He began to cry. ‘I couldn’t take my place in society! I had to fight and now people are dying! I didn’t want this to happen either, Kouji!’ His eyes didn’t leave the ambulance as it drove off. ‘But, I can’t give up now. Otherwise, what was all this suffering for!? For Miyako’s sake, for Seiya’s sake. For yours and my sake! I have to go on!’
Kouji stood awestruck by Kioshi’s passion. ‘I don’t have your strength, Kioshi. I don’t know if I can go on.’
‘Ayumi says I lack strength, you say that I have strength. I don’t have anything. I just have...’ Kioshi placed a hand over his heart. ‘All I have is my desire. All I want is to restore Japan to how it used to be. I saw what Shibuya was like, Kouji. It filled me with life. I want to see those smiles!’ He looked up at Kouji who was taller than him by a few inches.
‘I respect that.’
‘Kouji...’
Kouji smiled. ‘I’ve had my own share of questions and doubts but there’s one thing I’m sure of and that’s that I want to make a world where everyone can live happily in. No-one should suffer needlessly. Let’s do this together.’ He held his hand out.
Kioshi took it while smiling with exposed teeth. ‘Yes, let’s.’
‘So, what now?’
‘I think... We need to hold a meeting with, whoever is left in our group.’
‘Myself, you, Aki, and Hido.’
‘Right.’
‘What about Ayumi? I don’t like her Kioshi, I don’t like her at all.’
‘It wasn’t completely her fault. But the fact is that if we want to start a revolution, we need her; she’s the daughter of Akira after all.’
‘Yeah... I suppose we do since you put it that way. I can’t forgive her though Kioshi. Just hearing the screams, seeing all the blood and bodies of the students who hurt themselves or others... How can one person do that?’ Kouji was close to reconsidering his feeling of co-operation.
‘For now we need to set aside our differences.’
‘It’s a pretty big “difference” don’t you think?’ Kouji held up his hands, forcing himself to stop. ‘Anyway, it’s going to be hard to get everyone together. And I don’t know how many people want to go through with this. Not after what they’re seen and felt. They may be wanting to give up.’
Kioshi then looked at Kouji. ‘Do your best to gather them Kouji. I need to talk to my father.’ He took out his phone and began to press numbers. ‘He was at the heart of it all when Akira was taking over Japan.’ After a short moment he spoke into it. ‘Father? Yeah, I need you to pick me up.’