"AHHH!" Kai screamed as a knee to the stomach jolted him awake. He had no idea where he was or how he got there.
"HEHEHE! Hit him harder!" a voice echoed from the background.
Kai looked around. He was lying on cold concrete in some closed-off room, with two strong men towering above him. They held clubs in their hands and stared down at him with empty, merciless eyes.
"My turn!" one of them said before swinging his club and smashing Kai across the back.
"AHHHHHH!" Kai cried out, tears welling in his eyes as his body writhed in pain.
Only then did he realize—he was completely naked.
"Not so hard, he'll die too soon!" the other said, lifting his leg.
He stomped down on Kai's thigh and began crushing it with full force.
"AHHHHH!" Kai screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks. He was utterly helpless, left at their mercy.
While one crushed his thigh, the other crouched in front of Kai, leaning on his club.
"How pathetic you are... Your sister said you're useless, so we decided to have a little fun with you," he sneered with a smile.
Kai stared at him in disbelief.
"My sister would never say that," he thought.
The man saw the look on his face and continued, "She said she doesn't need you... That you're worthless..."
"You're lying..." Kai whimpered through his tears.
"You don't believe me?" the man asked, then smirked before adding, "But deep down, you know you've never been able to protect her."
Kai lowered his gaze to the floor.
The man noticed his reaction and pressed on. "HAHA! She told us to do whatever we want with you—because she doesn't need you!"
"That's not true..." Kai muttered, though he himself didn't believe his own words.
Ignoring him, the man stood up.
He pulled his leg back and kicked Kai square in the ribs.
"AHHH!" Kai screamed, rolling onto his back, clutching his stomach.
"Want some more?" one asked, raising his club high before smashing it into Kai's stomach.
All the air burst from Kai's lungs. The blow was so strong it forced him into a sitting position.
But the other man struck him in the forehead with his club, slamming him back to the ground with a heavy thud.
"AHHHH!" He touched his forehead and saw blood on his palm. His vision began to blur.
"AHHHHHH!!!" he screamed in agony, clutching his head. "AHHH!"
Even though his hands were focused on the unbearable pain in his skull, his mind drifted elsewhere—a place no brighter than his current reality.
"She doesn't need me anymore... My sister doesn't want me..." Those words kept echoing in his mind, followed by: "Then it'd be better if I just died. I have nothing left to live for!"
Kai glanced once more at his dire situation and made a decision. "I'll bite off my tongue."
Just as he was about to kill himself, the door to the room burst wide open and a tall man stepped inside.
SHOOT! SHOOT!
He shot both men holding clubs right in the forehead. Perfect headshot.
Kai barely managed to glimpse the man before slipping into unconsciousness.
After that, he woke up a few times, only for mere seconds. He'd see the man carrying him somewhere, hear the sound of gunfire, and then his eyes would close again.
A few hours later, he woke up with a cold, wet cloth on his forehead. He was lying on a comfortable bed in an old house.
His face showed no emotion. He was completely cold.
Then footsteps echoed nearby.
At the door stood the same man who had brought him there and laid him on the bed.
Their eyes met, but neither of them spoke a word. They just stared at each other.
"Kill me…" Kai finally whispered. His voice was quiet, but the seriousness was unmistakable.
"Kill…?" the man repeated, then stepped closer. He sat down on the bed beside him. "I won't kill you…"
"I have nothing left to live for…" Kai said, looking the man straight in the eyes.
The man smiled. "Then help me… to defeat the Japanese…"
Kai studied him carefully, searching for any trace of doubt, but found none. He didn't know if he could trust him, so he stayed silent.
"My name is Darian… What's yours?" the man asked with a smile.
Kai just remained quiet.
"Nothing, huh?" Darian stood up and walked to the door, ready to leave. "Get some rest."
Darian left him alone.
Kai took a breath, then closed his eyes and fell asleep. His body needed rest to recover.
After a few hours of sleep, Kai woke up again. His room was completely silent, the only sound being the muffled rain falling outside.
He decided to get up and stretch his legs. He removed the cloth from his forehead and placed it on the nightstand, then walked around the room a bit. That's when he noticed something on the table—a knife. A sharp, glimmering knife.
The knife seemed strangely alluring to Kai. He wanted to hold it.
He approached the table, grabbed the wooden handle, and brought it to his throat. The tip touched his Adam's apple. A few drops of blood dripped to the floor.
"It's time…" Kai muttered, preparing to drive the blade in, but before he could do it.
"Stop!" a woman's voice rang out from behind him.
Kai turned toward the doorway and saw a girl. Short blue hair gently framed her face, while her ocean-blue eyes shone with warmth and concern.
Her pink pajamas clung to her figure, molding to every curve of her slender frame. The soft fabric accentuated the swell of her chest, pushing up slightly as she shifted her weight, drawing the eye to the generous roundness and subtle bounce with each small movement. Her waist tapered delicately before flowing into her hips, making her figure almost hypnotically graceful. Her hands rested firmly on her hips, brows slightly furrowed, giving her both a worried and authoritative look.
She was clearly concerned.
"Put that knife down!" she said, louder this time.
Kai glanced at the knife in his hand, then slowly moved it away from his neck and gently placed it back on the table.
"Good… Now get back to bed…" she ordered, though her voice sounded more worried than strict.
Kai sighed and returned to the bed. He lay down and pulled the blanket over himself, without a word.
The girl approached and sat beside him. "I'm Lina. Nice to meet you!"
Kai stayed silent.
"You don't like talking? That's okay…" Lina said, then gently shifted him to the side. "You know, sometimes all you need is company…" She lifted the blanket and climbed onto the bed, lying beside him.
Kai lay on his back, not reacting to her presence, while Lina faced him, resting her hand on his chest.
"Don't let my looks fool you… I'm 25, and I have two kids, though I have no idea where they are…" Lina said with a weary sigh.
Kai remained silent, avoiding her gaze.
"You know… I'm scared. What if something happened to them?" Lina's voice trembled with sadness.
Kai ignored her and turned to the other side.
"Sorry… It must be hard for you too…" Lina whispered, looking at his back.
Kai fell asleep again.
A few hours later, he stirred awake. Lina was still beside him, one leg draped over his, her soft chest pressed gently against his back. Her warmth seeped into him, subtle and irresistible, making it impossible to shift without feeling her even closer. For a moment, he froze, heart racing at the quiet, unspoken tension between them, caught in the gentle weight of her presence and the intimate brush of her body.
He decided not to disturb her and tried to fall back asleep, but then he felt something on his forehead. When he checked with his hand, there was a wet cloth.
"Didn't I take it off?" he wondered.
"Yes, sweetheart, I washed your uniform…" Lina mumbled in her sleep.
"What is she even doing here…?" Kai whispered to himself.
Days passed in quiet rest. Kai's wounds began to heal, and Lina stayed by his side. Every few hours she changed his cloth, fed him, helped him dress. And slowly, a bond began to grow between them.
Kai was sitting on the bed, staring blankly into space, when Lina suddenly broke the silence.
"So…" she began.
Kai twitched slightly and looked at her.
"So…?" he asked.
"You still haven't told me your name…" Lina replied, averting her gaze.
Kai thought for a moment, then finally decided to answer. "Kai… My name is Kai…"
"Kai, Kai, Kai… Kai!" she repeated out loud.
Kai blushed a little at her playful repetition. He liked the way she said his name.
Lina noticed his reaction, then moved closer and sat beside him. "How do I look today?"
"How am I supposed to answer that…? If I say too much, she'll think I'm weird. If I say too little, she'll be mad…" Kai thought.
"You're beautiful," Kai said with a smile.
Lina turned her head away, blushing.
"Did I say too little…? I really don't understand women…" Kai thought.
Lina took a moment to compose herself, then turned back to Kai, who had returned to staring into nothingness.
"You know… I… lost my husband in the war…" Lina said softly, still blushing. She placed her hand on Kai's thigh. "So… would you maybe—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Darian walked into the room.
"Hey, you two!" he said cheerfully.
Kai and Lina looked at him, then quickly stood up, both of them blushing furiously.
"Did I interrupt something?" Darian asked, scratching the back of his head, completely clueless about what he had walked in on.
"I'll get you back for this, Darian!" Lina thought angrily.