The Eyes Of A Killer

Natsume and Rumi had found a spot behind them and had been watching them the whole time.

“Haha see! Not picking up her call was the right decision.” Natsume said.

“She could have ended up trying to search for us,” Rumi replied.

“No no...We are all human. We always want something, expect something and if we were to get even a small reason or justification for these actions, we would do it immediately. As long as she wanted to stay alone with Aki-kun, she wouldn’t have tried searching for us.”

“Ahh yea...and it’s a nice thing that it’s not one-sided.”

"Yea..."

“Are you okay with this? What do you plan on doing now?” Natsume said as he pointed at them kissing under the fireworks.

“Right now I have no choice but to accept it. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything for now but that doesn’t mean I have given up.”

Natsume smiled at her response as he looked at the fireworks lighting up the dark sky. “Ahh, we are both flawed, aren’t we?”

----

The firework show was over and everyone was beginning to leave the park. Akihiro and Ayane still sat together, holding hands. Ayane didn’t want to let go of his hand.

“Oi oi oi, how long are you gonna hold hands like that? The firework show is over.”, Natsume said. Both Natsume and Rumi were looking at her with smug expressions glued to their faces.

Ayane immediately pulled her hand away from Akihiro. Her cheeks turned super red with embarrassment. It was so embarrassing, even Rumi began to blush.

“Geez, where were both of you the whole time?” Ayane asked as she pouted. “Humph...”

“Oh, we were sitting right there, watching both of you the whole time,” Natsume replied.

“The whole time...?” Ayane’s cheeks turned even redder. She covered her face to hide her embarrassment.

“You both really need a room, haha.” Natsume laughed.

“Natsume, don’t make too much fun of her.” Rumi said in a playful tone. “Look, she’s already red like a tomato.”

The three of them laughed while Ayane crossed her arms and pouted, “Humph!”

“Oh yea, I completely forgot. Why don't you call him Aki-kun like the rest of us? It makes you sound like a stranger when you call him Kimura-san.” Natsume said.

She couldn't handle the embarrassment anymore. She turned and looked away as she covered her face with her hands.

“Natsume, stop teasing her already. Look how red sh-” Rumi was suddenly interrupted by Ayane.

“A..A-Aki-kun!”, she shouted.

Natsume and Rumi were shocked.

“Oh wow, she actually said it…”, they both said in sync.

Even though her face couldn't be seen, Rumi could still feel the embarrassment in the air. Her cheeks turned red too.

“This is so unfair! Aki-kun, now it's your turn.”, Ayane muttered.

“Ayane.”, Akihiro said instantly without any hesitation.
“You said it so easily?!”

“Well, he always calls you that.” Natsume giggled.

“Humph!” Ayane crossed her arms and pouted again.

The three of them continued laughing as Ayane drowned herself in embarrassment.

----

After some time, the four of them began walking down the road back to the station. It was a small lane lined with street lighting that flickered. Small metal rods were lying on the side of the road.

This area was a frequent hang out place for the infamous gang, ‘Renji-kai’. The walls had been discoloured and covered by graffiti. Cigarette butts were scattered everywhere on the road. All of this added up, making the atmosphere eerie.

Most people avoided this route since it was where the members of the ‘Renji-kai’ frequently met up. But Natsume insisted on choosing this route because it was a shorter path to the train station. He assumed that on the day of a festival, the gang wouldn't be present to block the path.

But he was wrong. The gang was not only present but it also seemed like they had been specifically waiting for Natsume and Akihiro.

The four of them walked through the lane, looking at the walls filled with graffiti and the road lined with cigarette butts. The air smelled of smoke too. That’s when Akihiro suddenly stopped.

“Oi, why did you stop walking?” Natsume shouted as he bumped into Akihiro.

Akihiro pointed forward. Shinoda and fifteen other members of the ‘Renji-kai’ blocked their path. They all had metal rods and wooden baseball bats in their hands, a cigarette in their mouth and some of them also had bottles of alcohol with them.

Rumi and Ayane hid behind Natsume and Akihiro.

“What is the meaning of this?” Natsume shouted.

“This is revenge, Natsume. Revenge for humiliating me that day. As the leader of the ‘Renji-kai’, I cannot allow that to slide!” Shinoda yelled. He was completely lost in jealousy and rage.

“Rumi is right here! You are going to do this in front of Rumi?”

“I don’t care anymore, Natsume. I’ll do anything to break all the bones in your body.”

Natsume remained silent. He looked around, assessing the situation. Running wasn’t an option, especially because Rumi and Ayane couldn’t run in their attire. Negotiations wouldn't work either.

“Desperation...ahh yes, it’s the same.” Natsume muttered under his breath.

‘You, me, Rumi, looks like we are all the same. Desperate fools…Your ego will never be satisfied.’

Natsume grinned and began to chuckle. “Fine then. I shall put an end to this deadly cycle, once and for all. If Rumi and me could change, then Shinoda, you must change too.”

“Talk as much as you want now. You might not be able to speak after today.” Shinoda whacked his metal rod on the ground, making a sharp eerie noise.

“You do realise that if you lose now, you can no longer maintain your position as the leader. I suggest you back down now itself and retreat.” Natsume pulled up his sleeves.

“You seem to be very confident, huh? Don’t you realise where you are?” Shinoda asked as he took a step forward.

“It’s not confidence. It’s me reading out the future. I shall completely crush you. Your fate is sealed. The end is already set in stone.”, Natsume said as he grabbed a metal rod from the side.

“We’ll see about that. GO GET THEM!”, Shinoda shouted.

All the fifteen members of the ‘Renji-kai’ gang, ran towards them with metal rods and baseball bats in their hands.

Akihiro stood in front of Natsume.

“I’ll leave them to you, Aki-kun. You had fun with Shinoda-san last time. Now it’s my turn to handle Shinoda while you take care of the rest first.” Natsume whispered to Akihiro.

One of Shinoda’s men screamed as he swung the metal rod at them. Akihiro dodged the blow and immediately grabbed his neck, lifting the teenage gangster above the ground. The guy dropped the metal rod and began to suffocate.

Another gangster swooped in and struck Akihiro’s hand with the baseball bat.

It broke. The baseball bat split in two and fell to the ground. Akihiro didn’t flinch at all. Natsume was just watching in awe as Akihiro moved forward to deal with the remaining gangsters.

Akihiro jumped and kicked the other thug in the stomach, sending him flying to the wall.

He let go of the gangster’s neck and threw him to the side.

That’s when Ayane suddenly screamed. Two of Shinoda’s gangsters had cornered Ayane and Rumi. One of them had an alcohol bottle in his hand while the other had a metal rod. Rumi was hiding behind Ayane who had just grabbed a metal rod to fight back.

She was shivering as she swung around desperately, trying to fend them off.

Akihiro felt something swell up his body. He couldn’t stand to see the sight of Ayane being attacked. One of them whacked Ayane’s hand with the metal rod.

Ayane screamed in pain as she dropped the only weapon in her hand. The other gangster grabbed Rumi’s hand and pushed her to the ground.

Natsume was cornered by four other thugs. He grabbed a metal rod from the ground and was about to break through their formation and protect the girls, when he suddenly noticed Akihiro.

An expression he had never before seen Akihiro wear, now filled his face. Akihiro seemed to be the physical embodiment of pure rage. Natsume could feel his instincts screaming that a rampage was about to occur.

A massacre

Natsume could feel it coming.

Akihiro’s heart rate spiked up as his breathing increased rapidly. Blood coursed its way through his veins and into his limbs. Right now, the only thing he could feel was pure rage. He clenched his fists. His eyes looked determined to destroy even the world at this point. It was indeed going to end up in a bloodbath.

-Stage IV-

A voice played inside Akihiro’s head. It was the same voice that he heard when he saved Ayane from drowning. But he didn’t think much about it. All he could feel was an urge to save Ayane, accompanied by a sudden surge of adrenaline in his body.

The gangster grabbed Ayane’s hand. “Look how fair her skin is. I’m going to have a lot of fun tonight!”

Ayane screamed as she struggled to break out of his grip. Her right arm was bruised and swollen, leaving her solely at the mercy of the gangster.

The other thug let go of Rumi and grabbed Ayane too. “She’s not only yours. Share her with me to-”

“KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER, BASTARDS!!” Akihiro screamed as extreme rage overflowed from his body.

In a flash, Akihiro smashed the metal rod on the gangster’s arm. He kicked the other gangster in the gut, sending him flying. The gangster crashed into a wall and fell unconscious.

Ayane slowly stumbled and leaned her back on the wall. Akihiro was in front of her, his shadow covering her as he looked back. His eyes were red, and she could feel it too; the sheer intensity of his rage.

“Are you okay?”, Akihiro asked.

“Yea I’m fine.”, Ayane knew she was being protected but every single cell in her body wanted to run. Akihiro had the eyes of a killer.

“Behind you!!” Natsume screamed but it was too late. A gangster had smashed Akihiro’s head with an empty alcohol glass bottle. The bottle shattered into pieces as Akihiro remained standing, facing Ayane.

His forehead was completely covered in blood. It began flowing down his cheeks and dripped to the ground. He didn’t show any signs of pain, he couldn’t feel pain due to the adrenaline.

For a moment, Akihiro’s face relaxed. He smiled as blood continued to gush from his head and drop to the floor. Ayane knew it. That was the moment Akihiro completely lost control of himself.

The massacre had begun.

Akihiro turned around and in one smooth swing, he smashed the gangster’s face to the floor. The thugs covering Natsume, left him and charged towards Akihiro. He dodged a blow and kicked one of the thugs. The man flew across the road, hitting the wall so hard that he fell unconscious.

Akihiro grabbed another thug’s face and kneed him. Blood sprayed everywhere. He turned around and landed an intense blow on another gangster’s stomach so hard, he fell to the ground too, struggling to breathe.

Akihiro grabbed the metal rod and swung it at them, shattering their bones into pieces.

The metal rod was now red with their blood, as it painted Akihiro’s palm red. Their screams were the only thing proving that they were alive at this point.

Natsume just watched completely awestruck, as Akihiro completely annihilated all the gangsters one by one, single-handedly.

Akihiro stood there, standing over a mound of unconscious bodies, as blood dripped from his metal rod.

This wasn’t supposed to be physically possible. Akihiro’s combat skills made the whole atmosphere seem like a fairytale. Mesmerizing, powerful and mysterious; Natsume remembered how Akihiro wasn’t like any other normal person.

‘What the hell are you, Akihiro…?’

Natsume watched in awe as Akihiro charged at the remaining gangsters. He blocked the blow with his palms and punched the gangster in the face. Another gangster appeared from behind and lifted his weapon in the air, trying to swing it at him. Akihiro dodged and kicked the gangster’s face. The man stumbled and fell back as Akihiro towered over him. Akihiro grabbed his legs and flung him in the air, towards the other gangsters.

He dragged his metal rod on the ground, covered in blood, as he walked towards the bodies of the gangsters who fell unconscious. Natsume instantly felt it. Pure bloodlust.

Akihiro was going to deal the final blow to all of them.

Natsume had to stop him. This was taking things too far. Natsume opened his mouth, but no words came out. His legs trembled. Akihiro had the eyes of a cold-blooded murderer, determined to take away life.

Natsume tried moving, but his legs were stuck to the ground, resisting him. Every cell in his body wanted to flee. It was really going to become a massacre.

“Calm yourself dow-”, Natsume froze. He couldn’t finish his sentence. He was too scared. His best friend had just become a monster.

Akihiro couldn’t hear anything. He raised the metal rod, aiming to strike their heads in one swift blow.

Natsume looked away. He didn’t want to witness his best friend commit a crime.

“STOP IT!” Ayane shouted as she jumped at him from behind. Her arms wrapped tightly around Akihiro.“This is enough...please stop.”

The blood-covered metal rod fell to the floor. She continued to hold onto him tightly. Her legs were shivering but she still grabbed on.

He could feel her heartbeat on his back. Her heartbeat felt different from his. Her’s felt more calm and warm. It relieved him and his rage subsided. He slowly came back to his senses. He turned around and looked at her with a gentle smile on his face.

“This time, you saved me.”