Hanashi 05 - Old Feelings

Jun slowly becomes aware of his surroundings, his eyes gradually opening to reveal a familiar yet unsettling scene. He finds himself standing on the threshold of his home, feeling disoriented and uneasy. A sharp intake of breath escapes his lips as he places a hand over his heart, which is beating wildly in his chest. He takes in his surroundings, but everything seems different, as if he's seeing his home for the first time, even though he has lived here for years. As Jun takes a step forward, he almost doesn't notice that his front door has been left open, but he quickly realizes that something is not right. He steps outside and is confronted with a vision of a red and oppressive sky, casting an eerie glow over everything. Memories of a recent traumatic event flood back to him, and he quickly retreats back into his home. With trembling hands, Jun tries to turn on the lights, but they don't work. He calls out for Atsuko, his heart pounding in his chest, but there is no answer. He fumbles around in the darkness until he finds his phone on the coffee table and uses its light to navigate the house. He searches for Atsuko, hoping to find her safe and sound, but she is nowhere to be found.

As he makes his way up to his room, he is overcome with a sense of dread. He enters the room and is immediately struck by the sight of dozens of photos of Atsuko plastered all over the walls. Jun is taken aback, as he has no recollection of taking these photos. He loves Atsuko, but he is not the kind of person to obsess over her like this. Suddenly, he hears a familiar voice behind him, taunting him.

"Do you like your new room?" The familiar voice asks, "View it as an inner desire of your soul." Jun doesn't turn around, being indeed a bit embarrassed, "This isn't cool. It's not something I like anymore."

"Oh really? Why are you lying to yourself?"

"Shut up!" Jun yells in anger. He turns around, but all he can see is a dark shadow before it disappears completely. Jun starts to tear down the photos of Atsuko from his walls, feeling ashamed of his behavior a while back. Memories of his past come flooding back, reminding him of how he used to be obsessed with Atsuko in high school, but it only lasted for a few months.

Memory Flash: Old Feelings

At Okinawa High, the school day had just ended, and Atsuko was preparing to leave. She was standing at her locker, gathering her books and belongings, when she caught the attention of Jun, a notorious delinquent who was known for his misbehavior. Over the years, Jun had changed, but he still harbored a soft spot for Atsuko and cared deeply for her, maybe a little too much. From afar, he watched her every move, and as she closed her locker and turned to leave, he secretly followed behind her, taking a picture of her from behind with his phone camera. “Atsuko!” Jun calls out to the girl. Atsuko turns around as Jun secretly takes a photo of her front view, "Oh hello, Jun." Atsuko waves, giving Jun a smile and a blush at the same time. "Do you need something?" She asks him. While standing there, Jun realizes that he and his love interest are all alone in the hallway, and the thought of kidnapping her crosses his mind. But before he could act on it, Atsuko pulled out a neatly wrapped gift box from her bag, surprising Jun with an early birthday present. "What's this?" Jun asks. "An early birthday gift." Atsuko tries to hand it to Jun who hesitantly accepts. He opens the box. Inside the box was a beautiful silver necklace, it being the other matching half to angel wings.

Atsuko is already wearing the other half around her neck. "T-Thanks." Jun becomes beet red, not only from embarrassment but from shame too. He has come to realize that he had been selfish and foolish to think about kidnapping Atsuko just because she's too cute and unworthy of belonging to anyone else. This realization hits Jun like a harsh heat wave of air, as he recalls what his father, Caelum, was reading a few weeks back. His father, Caelum was in his study, reading what is called, a Holy Bible. When he has free time, this is all Caelum does. Walking into the study without knocking was Jun. As if it was the perfect timing, his father read aloud, a verse from 3rd John, which said, "Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God." As he snapped back to the present, Jun looked at Atsuko, who seemed puzzled by his sudden silence. “I'm sorry about getting distracted and thank you for the necklace. I will cherish it.”

****

Jun's emotions overwhelm his senses as he tears up all the rest of the photos in his room and throws them one by one into the small trash bin. He looks around the room, taking in every detail as if trying to engrave everything into his memory. It's going to be his old room soon, and he wants to make sure he remembers everything about it. With one last glance, Jun exits the room and heads downstairs. The darkness makes it difficult for him to see, but he manages to walk carefully, not wanting to trip or fall.

As he pulls out his phone and goes to his father's contact list, Jun can feel his heart racing. He's about to deliver some devastating news. After clicking on his father's contact, he makes the call. Caelum answers the phone, sounding friendly and cheerful, but that quickly changes when Jun tells him what's going on. With a hint of worry in his voice, Caelum asks, "Hello, Jun! Is everything okay?" 

"Well..... things are bad. I'm in Caspien."

"H-how did that happen?"

"To sum up my long story, it's all thanks to Kenzo and some other guy. Kenzo also took Atsuko so now she's gone."Caelum is quiet for a moment, trying to process the information. Meanwhile, Jun steps outside and is taken aback by what he sees. It suddenly dawns on him that he and Atsuko aren't the only ones in Caspien. The entire town of Okinawa is there too. "We may have a problem," Jun whispers to his father, trying to keep his voice low. "I'm afraid so. Let's talk in person. You know how to get here?"

"I think so. My memory is very fuzzy of this place, though."

"Okay, just stay put. I will come to you." Caelum says before ending the call.

As Jun heads back inside the house, he notices that the furniture is disappearing. He's curious and wonders why this is happening. His memory of Caspien is hazy, and he's struggling to make sense of everything that's going on. Suddenly, a white portal forms upstairs, and a man in his early forties emerges from it. The man has a muscular build, tanned skin, and short orange hair. He's wearing a dark blue long-sleeved tunic tee and black slacks, and his gray eyes sparkle as he sees his son. Jun grins happily, secretly missing his father. "It's been a while, Dad," he says. "Same here, son. Let's go home." Caelum replies, wearing a gentle smile.