Final Round

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hero: brave, courageous, selfless, strong but… 

“Look at that loser! He peed himself!” The laughter hollowly rang in his head. He took deep breaths. Water leaked down his head to his pants from the bucket they’d dumped on him. They said he peed himself to embarrass him and it was working because Hayato couldn't bear the shame.

“What are you guys doing there?” A feminine voice cut in. He recognized that voice. It was Ishikawa Yuka, a quiet girl who always kept to herself. She had been around him from childhood to middle school. The problem was, they don’t know each other. They only attended class together for the past six years.  “This place is not for little girls like you, get lost.”

“Who is he?” She pointed at the bucket covering his face. 

“Oh, this?” At the prospect of humiliating him further, they felt more glee. The bullies grinned as one of them pulled the bucket off his head. “Ta-dah.”

“Oh.” Yuka stared at him as he avoided her gaze. She approached him. “It’s Hayato.”

“You know my name?” He immediately looked up, horrified and uncomfortable by the fact she knew who he was. He was a bit more popular among his classmates so if everyone knew he was secretly being bullied by a senior from another class, he wouldn't be able to live it down. He twirled his fingers around. He wished she didn’t. 

“Of course. I would be an idiot if I spent six years with you and never remembered your name.” Yuka casually shrugged as she turned back to the bullies. 

“What? You two know each ot-“ Yuka didn’t hesitate to throw in a punch, causing him to stumble backward. He held his nose as it bled. Anger started to fill him and he attacked. “This bitch!”

—————————

Hayato, all bruised up, looking at students playing soccer on the field while sitting down. Yuka sat next to him with a tissue up her nose, bleeding. “When you threw that punch, I thought ‘Wow, she is going to show us something’ but you got beaten too?” 

He handed her the ice he kept stored in his bag in a container. Yuka let out a little wince as she pulled out the tissue out of her nose, her hair disheveled, with a black eye on her left and bruises on her lips. “Shit, it’s my first time fighting anyone in a fist fight. I was putting my hope on luck that I’ll come out victorious.”

“It was your first time fighting?” He was surprised. “And you still went against three?” 

“Well, listen, I thought they looked weak, but I underestimated them a little.” 

“A little?” Hayato questioned, sitting there, letting it sink in before he burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you did that. Now look at us? We both got beaten and are real losers now.”

Yuka also laughed out loud before wincing and cursing again. “We will get them next time.” 

All of the shame and embarrassment left at once and ever since that day, Yuka had been the best of his friends. That's how it had always been: her leading him to the front, taking all of the big steps, conquering all the challenges… but it was only Yuka. She was the main character and he was her… sidekick. He always wondered when he would be the main character of his own story?

“Hayato Vs Yuka,” Ruri repeated as he floated above them, getting a little giddy at the idea of them killing each other. Now which one would pull the trigger first? He believed Yuka would, but…his eyes narrowed. A wildcard perhaps? His eyes lingered on Hayato, who started to freeze.

“Before we start this round,” Ruri was more than happy to entice and assist them. He snapped his finger and a wall of abilities started to show, as if projected by a projector.

He saw that both of them refused to run to get the gun immediately so he quickly added rules. “For this round, we will have a spinning wheel. If the arrow points at your name, you get the chance to grab the gun first. You have a 50/50 chance to be the first one and 30 seconds to decide whether to shoot before we spin the wheel again or not.”

Evan and Azrael both remained stoic that their lives depended on chance. It was pride that was stopping them from speaking out about the unfair rules. 

Ruri spun the wheel and watched as it landed on Hayato. He had the chance to grab the gun and win the game. The clock started ticking but he couldn't bring himself to kill her. He felt choked up, scared and terrified because someone would have to eventually pull the trigger, but he didn't want it to be him. Yuka always had his back from childhood to adulthood. He couldn’t. Tears started to pour out of his eyes at the mere thought of killing her. She stared at him for a moment before she blinked rapidly, looking away, looking at the slots of abilities.

“If you don't shoot her, she will kill you,” Evan warned as he curled his fist when the timer ran out, trying to control his anger at the missed opportunity.

Azrael observed. Yuka wasn't his pick originally but someone else but when she refused to let Hayato go, he gambled with his own life to change his pick. He wondered if this change would cost him his life?

“Spin wheel.” Yuka requested and Hayato looked at her stunned. Was she not fazed by the fact she might kill him? Was he the only one who cared? 

Ruri’s nail spun the wheel and once again, it landed on Hayato. Hayato started to hyperventilate. He can win the game now.

“Can't you see she is trying to kill you?” Evan sliver tongue pushed again.

Hayato swallowed, wrung his fingers in anxiety. He covered his ears when Evan started to taunt him to kill her. Was Yuka trying to kill him? Why would she look so calm and confident? Should he shoot her? Should he just… kill her? 

Hayato clutched his head, breathing unevenly. No! No! NO! Yuka always had his back. She would never harm him. She loved him as much as he loved her.

“15 seconds remaining,” Ruri taunted.

NO! NO! NO! His eyes glanced at the gun and he felt tempted to hold it but… but…. But…

A young, teenage Yuka ran ahead of him, pulling him along with her, almost dragging him to participate in the Olympics. “Come on, you can do it. Don't think you can't.” 

He can shoot her.

“10 seconds.”

He can shoot her

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”

He fell on his knees, hands dropped to his sides with hair stands between his fingers. “I can't do it…” he cried. “Yuka has always been there for me.” His eyes glossed pitifully at Ruri. 

“Time’s up.”

“What a loser.” Yuka let out a sigh, arms crossed, not caring that he was crying like this. That seemed to snap him out of it. “You think I would thank you for sparing me? This is kill or be killed. The truth is, I kept you around for nostalgia sake. You don't know how many times I’ve wanted to get rid of you but I couldn't because I needed your family support. You have family while I DIDN'T!”

Hayato blinked, shocked by what he heard. He knew she loved his family but that can't be it. She had to be lying. “You are just trying to piss me off to pull the trigger, right? We have been through hell together, remember?”

“No, you were always the one dragging me down.” Yuka hissed. “A dead weight I was too stupid to drop because you got everything I wanted!” 

Hayato's breath hitched in his throat. Yuka then glared at Ruri, barking. “SPIN THE WHEEL!” 

Ruri hurriedly spun it, startled by her command. “Hayato, I liked you at first but I quickly got tired of you. You are weak, annoying, whiny, and worst of all… useless. But you know what you are good at? Making me look good. Everytime I'm next to you, I shine like a star. The more people compared me to you, the more I thrived.”

While the more he was next to her, the more he withered…that wasn't a coincidence? 

“I thought I should string an idiot along so I can always be preferred, favoured.” 

The wheel landed on Yuka and she didn't hesitate to walk to the gun. Hayato shook his head. That couldn’t be true. He crawled on the floor trying to stop her but Ruri pushed him backwards with his abilities, trying to keep him in check.

“You are lying! We had some much fun together.” The memories of them laughing and enjoying time together flashed through his head. 

Yuka grabbed the gun slowly, as if hoping he would savor it. The gaze she had as she looked down on him on the ground was as if he was an insect she should stomp and crush.

“Sorry, Hayato-” she pointed the gun at him. “I prefer I survive over you; you don't have what it takes to beat this and… mother, father and Jun might be here, so it just makes sense that I get to live!” 

And without another word, she pulled the trigger. Blood flew in the air as Hayato fell down in slow motion, recalling everything that happened. 

That’s right. Yuka was always the main character in his life. She was always there, shining bright, while he? He remained invisible, like an irrelevant side character who can be thrown away at any time. He always wanted to have bravery, courage and strength… but he never had what it takes to be a hero.

Hayato lay emotionlessly as blood seeped onto the floor from the hole in his head. 

Yuka then pointed her gun at Ruri and shot multiple times. Ruri simply stood there as each shot went through. The clicking sound of an empty magazine resounded in the air. She let out a scoff as she threw the gun to the side, hands on her hips as she looked up at Ruri, challengingly. He felt intimidated, a feeling he wasn't used to having.

He remained calm. She was just a weak little human. Yuka held her menacing gaze.

“Who is it?” Yuka asked.

“Huh?” he was confused by her sudden question.

“Who among the humans sold us out?”