December 25th, PRESENT DAY, PRESENT TIME.
It's an unusually cold December night for Tokyo's standard; glow sticks and bright beams of light are everywhere, lighting up the ground and the sky as B-Komachi is performing Kana's final show as a member before her graduation.
The stadium is filled with bright faces and flashing lights, yet Kana doesn't seem to care about any of this.
This is her final chance to impress him as an idol, Ruby's big brother, Aqua.
But no matter how hard she searches among the faces, she can't find him anywhere. Her dancing was turning more and more sloppy and out of rhythm.
—
The forest is quiet and cold, the only noise coming from hooting owls, the occasional passing car in the distance, low waves crashing into the nearby cliffside, and the leaves being rustled by the wind.
Amidst all of this is Aqua, hidden behind a few rows of trees, dressed in casual black clothing, silently observing what lies in front of him. An observation deck, looking over the vast ocean, it's only dimly lit, illuminated by the moonlight, barely enough to recognize the outlines.
But there's a second source of light, it's weak and small, but it is there. It's a phone screen, flashing with various colors. The light of it shows the reason why Aqua is here today. It is Hikaru Kamiki, leaning against the guard railing without a single care in the world.
He needs to die, here and now,
I have given him a chance,
One I almost came to regret deeply.
I really thought showing him the video.
That the Video of Ai would change him.
How could I have been this foolish?
This man is beyond savior; he is beyond redemption.
I should've taken care of him…
right when I had the chance,
but no…
I just had to be weak
for a single damn moment.
I risked Ruby's life,
I knew the risks that would come with keeping him alive.
And I still did it anyways…
Aqua is gripping the knife so tight his knuckles are turning white, while sweat is forming on his forehead; he is dead set on making Hikaru pay, to protect Ruby. But there is a small voice of doubt.
What if the police can tell?
What if they find out what actually went down here?
That would shatter Ruby's career.
No.
I do not want to think about this,
I just have to hope it works out.
It is my best bet
But what if she quits,
What if this is too much for her?
She is strong,
stronger than most people.
But losing me again,
after everything that already happened to her?
That could be too much even for her…
But I can't just not do anything,
If I do not kill him, then he will just try to kill Ruby,
I just have to try it,
I have to succeed…
Aqua is so focused on what lies ahead of him, he doesn't notice the quiet steps approaching him from behind.
Suddenly, Aqua feels a hand gently touching his arm. He instantly whips around, grabbing the hand in one swift motion, pinning it above the head of whoever was sneaking up on him against a tree, while holding the knife mere centimeters away from the throat of whoever was sneaking up on him.
It is dark, so Aqua can't make out any facial features. The person quietly speaks up, out of caution not to alert Hikaru, who is standing close by.
???: "Aqua… please… don't go through with it. You know you don't have to do this, not alone."
Aqua lets go of the arm and lowers his knife again.
He turns back around again, focusing on Kamiki once more, who is by now looking up from his phone in the general direction where Aqua and the other person are standing. His eyes stay locked onto the stop for a few seconds before he lowers his gaze again.
Aqua: "Leave me alone Akane, I have made up my mind, I will kill Hikaru Kamiki, I will save my sister and get revenge for my mother… Why are you even here? I told you to protect Ruby."
What if this is pointless?
What if there's another threat?
I wouldn't be able to protect Ruby.
What if Hikaru himself is not the king,
What if he is just a pawn, too?
Or what if there's someone else,
a 4th person.
Aqua continues to think in silence; he is thinking about all the different scenarios of an unthinkable present in which Ruby could still be harmed, even if he went through with his plan.
Ruby is strong.
She can do this without me.
But what if she can't?
What if I am the one breaking her?
What if my death were her final straw?
And… and once she is famous.
Who will look out for stalkers?
Who will keep her safe?
Should I really do this?
There are so many threats.
Is she really ready for all that?
Of course she is,
I have seen her eyes…
But what if I'm wrong…
He snaps back into reality when Akane places her hand on his.
He was gripping the knife so tight he didn't even notice how cold his hand turned and how much he was shaking. Akane's warm hand is giving him a strange feeling of comfort he had long forgotten.
"I'm protecting Ruby. Protecting her by stopping you from hurting her, you can trick Kana and your sister but you won't trick me, I know your plan… You plan on sacrificing yourself."
She places her other hand on Aqua's cold cheek.
"I originally thought that I was wrong, that my paranoid mind was playing tricks on me since you have every reason to live imaginable. But something just felt so wrong."
She doesn't look up at him while talking; maybe she's scared his eyes would confirm her suspicion.
"But something deep inside me tells me that there is something you are hiding from me, something that would explain this behavior, feeling the need to die, even when you clearly want to live this desperately."
Akane holds Aqua's hand tightly, her eyes fixed on the shiny knife in his hand.
Akane keeps her voice down so she doesn't alert Hikaru. Aqua can feel her gentle touch on his hand; she is also slightly shaking.
I can't let him die,
I just can't
I owe it to him.
No…
I don't owe anything,
I do this because I love him.
I don't know what I would do when he dies,
I don't even want to think about it,
I'd probably go with hi-...
No,
I can't,
I want to live,
But…
I want to live with him,
Knowing that he is alive would already be enough.
I don't care if he hates me for it,
I just have to save him.
The knife quietly falls out of Aqua's hand, snapping her out of her thoughts. She continues to talk with newfound confidence.
Akane: "There are other ways, Aqua. Stop being such a dummy and let me help you finally. Just think of how devastated Ruby would be. I don't know what you said to her, but I noticed the shift in her behavior. What I'm saying is, she loves you Aqua, the possibility of your death pushing her back into the hole, destroying everything beyond repair is just too high."
She stays silent for a few moments, thinking about her next words while the cold breeze coming from the ocean blows her hair in every direction.
"Or Kana, you are the most important person for her too, she doesn't show it often but your death would affect her, it would change her, maybe forever. Think about Miyako, she treated you like her own child and you want to abandon her just like that? Did you even ever call her mom? I bet you didn't, it wouldn't fit you, but it would also fit you that you desperately want to call her mom, you are just scared that you'd feel like you betrayed Ai if you would do it."
Akane hesitates for a second, unsure if her next sentence would destroy everything she had built up this carefully again.
"Lastly, think about me, I know this is selfish of me but I need you. Even if you continue to reject my feelings, I will be forever grateful for what you've done for me… no… I will forever love you, I couldn't live with myself if you would die, I couldn't live without you."
Aqua is just standing there listening to Akane pouring her heart out while she is gently holding his cold hand. His mind is racing with various thoughts.
She is right,
Ruby…
Miyako…
Kana…
Aqua's thoughts spiral for a while, before eventually calming down a bit again. Akane looks at Aqua, gripping his hand even tighter.
Akane can barely make out Aqua's expression, but for a single second, a ray of moonlight exposes his expression. He tries to hide it again, but Akane already saw it, his eyes, his mouth, his nose, the way they looked back at her sends a shock down her spine.
"I am just not able to do it, I can not take any risk of the people I love being hur-"
Akane is doing her best to stay quiet; she is doing her best not to scream, shout, or cry. Her old self would've broken down here, but the stakes are just too high.
She just can't alert Kamiki, who is still standing not far away from them. He is growing more impatient by the second. The B-Komachi stream he is watching is almost over by now, and Aqua still hasn't approached him.
Kamiki, who had planned to taunt and break Aqua while staying calm and collected, is slowly starting to shift around, his eyes now scanning the forest, completely ignoring the stream on his phone.
Is this a trap from Aqua?
No. That is not it, Aqua can not do anything.
I looked at every possibility.
He can't harm me without risking Ruby's career.
But what is it then? Why is he not here?
All my calculations were perfect.
Unless…
He is not alone.
He planned on showing up, but someone stopped him.
How could I have overlooked this?
I truly underestimated the extent to which his friends would go.
Well played, but this is not over. You are probably still close, am I right?
Kamiki looks back down, trying to keep up the act of watching the stream.
Akane has, by now, both hands placed on Aqua's cheeks, cupping them while staring up at him where his eyes would be.
"We don't want to lose you either, stop being such an egoist. Death is easy, it's the living that will have to carry the burden… I'm not telling you to let him go, you'll just have to come up with a different plan, a plan that doesn't involve you dying… Why are you so obsessed with dying anyways?"
Akane stays quiet for a moment while she hopes that she isn't crossing a certain line.
"You don't deserve death, and all of us that like you don't deserve the pain of losing you, so please, listen to me. We will come up with another way together."
Aqua's knife falls onto the ground with a damp sound, and a moment later, he follows, falling onto his knees.
The waves are suddenly eerily quiet, the B-Komachi stream that was clearly hearable feels distant and unreachable, and his surroundings feel darker than just a moment ago.
She is right,
I would cause pain,
But it's for the greater good.
I'm doing this for the others,
Kana,
Ruby…
I'm doing this for them,
I'm not an egoist…
Akane is kneeling in front of Aqua, pulling him into a tight hug. She can feel Aqua's whole body being completely limp, drained of energy.
Aqua and Akane stay in that position, just kneeling there, the surrounding forest not talking.
Aqua's mind is racing with thoughts; possibilities and probabilities shooting through his head while his body is completely limp, the only reason why his body is not lying on the ground is because of Akane still holding him. He doesn't even notice what's going on around him.
NO, I can't, I can't drag Akane or anyone for that matter into this, sure I would hurt them if I died.
Their pain will be temporary; once I'm gone, they will move on eventually.
They will occasionally think back in melancholy, but they will make it…
…
…But what if I'm wrong?
The sound of waves crashing against the rocks is louder than ever as Akane notices that Hikaru has started searching the area for any sign of him being spied on.
Akane pulls away from Aqua and swiftly hurries onto her feet, her eyes illuminated by the moonlight.
They are filled with fear, maybe the fear of Hikaru finding them, maybe the fear of Aqua confronting him anyway, or maybe something completely else.
She is pulling Aqua's limp body up, using all her strength while staying as quiet as possible so as not to alert Kamiki of their presence.
Kamiki is walking along the first layer of trees, carefully peeking behind each one of them. He is still way off, but slowly closing in.
Akane whispers into Aqua's ear, snapping him out of his trance-like state, back into reality.
"You never trusted anyone other than yourself, Aqua. What I mean is, please try it, try trusting me and the others too, just this once."
She starts to gently pull on Aqua's hand, leading him away from the cliffs, away from the searching Kamiki.
Aqua is not resisting at all. Could it be that he finally tries putting his trust in others? At least I hope that it's that. I was just in time to save his body. But was I fast enough to save his psyche, too?