The Big Bang

Some secrets don't begin with monsters. They begin with an ordinary morning.

Higan slid the curtain aside, pretending to admire the morning sky. In truth, he was hoping to catch another glimpse of the new neighbour who had moved in a week ago.Higan’s grandmother packs him his lunch for college as he kisses her on her forehead and leaves for college, eager to learn about the ‘Theory of Relativity’.Halfway down the street, Higan froze. The new neighbour was walking straight toward him.Did she find out I've been secretly looking out the window every morning…?She called his name.For a moment, his mind went completely blank.Higan replied with, “Uh….. can I help you?”."I'm new here," she said. "Would you mind walking with me to college? I'd like to know what it's like.”He started telling her tales about him and his friend on a random day at school. They both got along pretty well.As they reached the college gates, Higan hesitated."Would... would you like to walk home together after classes?"She smiled and nodded.That single nod was enough to keep Higan smiling for the rest of the day.

Students poured through the campus gates, chatting excitedly as the first bell echoed across the grounds. 

Higan took one last glance in her direction before making his way toward his classroom, unable to wipe the smile off his face.The moment Higan slid open the classroom door—"You're smiling way too much."The voice belonged to Shion Kagami, Higan's childhood friend and the one person who knew him better than anyone else. They had been inseparable for as long as either of them could remember.Higan looked over to see Shion waving him toward his desk with a mischievous grin."What happened?" Shion asked.Higan eagerly told him everything about the new neighbour and how they had walked to college together.Shion listened patiently before asking a single question."So... what's her name?"Higan froze."...I forgot to ask."Shion stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter."You spent the whole walk talking to her and forgot her name?"Higan buried his face in his hands. "Don't remind me."After the laughter died down, they took their seats.Shion suddenly asked, "Do you still want to become a scientist? You used to talk about it all the time when we were kids."Higan's eyes lit up with determination."More than ever."Shion smiled before speaking in a quieter voice."I've never really told anyone this... but I want to become a doctor.""A doctor?""Yeah. I want to save lives. I want to become someone people can rely on."Higan smiled."Perfect. When one of my experiments blows up, you'll be there to patch me up."Shion chuckled."That's assuming you'll survive the explosion."The two of them laughed uncontrollably …While heading back home, Higan finally dared to ask his new neighbour her name.“Aoi Mizuno,” she replied with redness on her cheeks.“Okey dokey! Ao-Chan,” Higan said with a huge smile on his face.“Awwww, that sounds cute, doesn't it, Higan?” Aoi asked.“It surely does, Ao-Chan,” Higan replied with a grin.Soon, they both were jumped on by Shion.He started by greeting Aoi, and it wasn't long until Aoi recognized who he was due to all the childhood stories that Higan had told her during the morning walk to school.“Shion?” Aoi asked, staring at Shion.“How do you know my name, miss?” Shion asked with a slight confusion on his face.“It’s your friend who told me mighty stories from your childhood. The one where you broke your leg just to steal a mango from the rude uncle's yard,” Aoi replied with a smile on her face.“You sure told her all our adventures, didn't you, Higan?” Shion asked, looking at Higan with a scary face.Higan whispered to Shion, “No, idiot, you are safe. I wouldn't let our secret out.”“Did Higan even tell you about his own mischief? Once, he nearly set the garage on fire trying to build a rocket!” Shion asked Aoi.“Oh really! Did you?” asked Aoi.“Yeah, but it almost worked, but there was some minor miscalculation to that,” replied Higan.“Yeah yeah, NERD,” Shion replied with a playful grin.That evening, as the three of them walked home together, the sky suddenly turned grey.A cold breeze swept through the streets."Looks like it's going to rain," Aoi said, looking up.Almost as if on cue, tiny raindrops began falling from the sky."Aah!" Aoi hurried beneath the shade of a nearby tree.Higan quickly took off his grey jacket and held it above her head."H-Higan? What are you doing?""Wearing it," he replied."...On my head?""It still counts."Aoi couldn't help but laugh."You're going to get soaked.""I'm fine."Shion folded his arms and sighed."I swear, scientists really do lose half their brain cells.""Jealous?" Higan asked."No.""Then why are you smiling?""I was smiling because you're an idiot."The three of them burst into laughter.After the rain slowed down, Aoi looked at the jacket in her hands."Here."Higan shook his head."You keep it until tomorrow.""What if I forget to return it?""You won't.""And how are you so sure?"Higan smiled,"Because I trust you."For a brief moment, Aoi simply looked at him."...Then I'll make sure I don't lose it."The three of them continued walking home together as the sun slowly broke through the clouds.None of them knew that this ordinary day... would become a memory they would treasure forever.

Six months slipped by, and ever since then, they have been best friends with each other

"I'm telling you," Higan said, "one day I'll prove my theory.""Nerd," Shion laughed.Aoi rolled her eyes. "Both of you are hopeless."They stepped onto the zebra crossing as the traffic light turned green.Halfway across, a deafening horn shattered their conversation.HOOOOONK!A truck came speeding toward Higan. They started running for their lives, but the truck was fast and their death seemed inevitable.“Thank you!”At that very moment, Higan heard a voice similar to the one he had been listening to since childhood. He felt a sudden push from the back.Moments later, Higan's eyes slowly opened.His head throbbed as he struggled to breathe. It felt as though someone had shoved him with every ounce of their strength.He pushed himself up and looked around.Aoi was lying a few metres away, clutching her arm. Apart from a small cut on her forehead, she was alive.Alive.Higan's heart skipped a beat.If Aoi was alive too...Then who had pushed them?His breathing grew heavier. A terrible answer crept into his mind."Shion...?"There was no reply.He stumbled toward the crowd gathering in the middle of the road. People stood frozen, whispering among themselves before slowly stepping aside.There he was.Shion Kagami lay motionless on the cold asphalt.Higan dropped to his knees."No..."He pulled Shion into his arms, desperately searching for any sign that he was still alive.Nothing.The first raindrop struck Higan's hand.Then another.Soon, rain poured from the sky.Higan looked upward, tears silently running down his face. The rain swallowed every sound he made, as if even the heavens refused to hear his grief.Higan tightened his grip around Shion's lifeless body."You wanted to become a doctor..."..."Who's going to save me now?”Every raindrop that landed on Shion's body carved another wound into Higan's heart—a wound that would remain for all his life.The rain had stopped.But Higan couldn't remember when.He couldn't remember who had pulled him away from the road.He couldn't remember how he had made it home.All he remembered was Shion's final smile......and the word "Thank you.”***Three days laterWhite flowers surrounded a polished wooden coffin.The smell of incense filled the quiet hall.One by one, people stepped forward to pay their final respects.Higan stood motionless in the corner.His aunt cried and mentioned, “He always wanted to save people.”Higan silently uttered, “Yes, he did!”One by one, everyone stepped backward and left.The only one left at the grave was Higan, who stayed there until his eyes dried up from crying.“Why? Why did he have to save me? He could have saved more lives by becoming a doctor rather than dying for a fool like me. Why would you do that, Shion? It's all my fault. If I had just walked home alone......Shion wouldn't have died.” Higan shouted in despair.He brought his head near the grave and whispered,“You fool, who would complete your dream now!Everyone will complete their dreams, but there's you who couldn't even give a try to complete your dream. Life's unfair, isn't it, Shion Kagami?”He turned around.The road home felt unusually long.The streets were the same.The houses were the same.Yet everything felt different.Every step reminded him that, for the first time in his life, Shion wasn't walking beside him.His grandmother opened the door before he could reach for the handle."You're home..."She gently embraced him without saying another word.Days passed. The world moved on—but Higan didn't.Every morning, Higan instinctively glanced toward the classroom door, expecting to hear,"You're smiling way too much."The voice never came.Every night, the sound of screeching tires and Shion's final "Thank you" echoed through his mind.One evening, Higan returned home later than usual after visiting Shion's grave.His grandmother welcomed him with a warm smile."Dinner's almost ready."His father was reading the newspaper.His mother complained that he had skipped lunch again.For the first time since the accident...Higan smiled.Later that night, a sharp knock echoed through the silent house.Higan frowned."...Who's here at this hour?"Before anyone could answer—Click.Every light in the house went out.Bang....Bang.The door busted open...The house fell into complete darkness.For a heartbeat, there was only silence!"Dad...?"Higan stepped out of his room.BANG!A deafening gunshot echoed through the house.Then another.BANG!Someone screamed."Run!" his mother cried.Higan's heart pounded as he stumbled through the darkness."Grandma!""Mom!""Dad!"No one answered.Only hurried footsteps echoed through the house.Suddenly, a beam of white light flashed across the hallway.Dark figures dressed in black tactical gear emerged from the shadows.Their faces were hidden behind masks.Not a single word was spoken.Higan turned to run.Something struck the back of his head.Pain exploded through his skull.His knees buckled.As his vision blurred, he felt gloved hands grab his arms.His body was dragged across the floor.Through his fading consciousness...He heard his grandmother scream his name."HIGAN!"Then...Silence.Aoi heard the gun shots and called the police... They arrived as soon as possible. Blood splashes were all over the house.They discovered three bodies, each killed by a single gunshot.One officer slowly removed his cap."There are signs of forced entry......but no sign of Higan.”One week ago...Aoi had met Higan on the road to college.Six months ago...The three of them laughed together every day.Now...One friend was buried beneath the earth.The other had vanished without a trace."Higan..."Her voice trembled.No one answered.She sank to her knees as tears streamed down her face."Please...""Don't leave me alone too…”Police declared him kidnapped for the time being, and after months of searching, he was declared dead in the newspaper.Aoi, left alone from the trio, became as lonely as ever. She had no one to talk to, as she had lost both her friends.The only thing Aoi had left of Higan was his grey jacket that she had not yet returned and the memories of the time they spent together.She held the jacket, looked up at the sky, and said,

"If you're still alive... I hope you became the scientist you always wanted to be…”