Chapter 2: things brought back memories

He wet his face facing the mirror in men's rest room catching his breath. Even he spend a little time with Saki, even it is just a pure accident and coincidence he feels that she is really close to him that he is afraid that the same thing will happen again. He promised to himself that he will never make friends again but an unexpected event brought them together.

He went back to the classroom with a calm personality. He face Fuyumi to apologize to her, it is just that he thinks Saki is not as worst as everyone thinks. Fuyumi forced a smile and let him continue in his food.

The whole schools seems to be busy with lot of things because maybe the exam week is approaching. Kazumi is always the top of his class in his past schools so this time he also want to set a record in his new school. He usually stays late at the library and had Fuyumi explain things he don't understand, after all Fuyumi is the top of the class before he arrives. She already has the beauty and the brain that anyone could wish for however even she's bit popular she still remain humble and down to earth. Kazumi don't think that Fuyumi is a rival when it comes who is much intelligent but that seems not the other way around. Fuyumi just help him because she wants him to be one of those men who admired her even though that she don't know Kazumi already has an eyes for someone else.

It's been a month since he last saw Saki and after that she never showed up at school or in front of his apartment again. However, one thing is still playing on his mind. That one night when he knows that he is not so tired enough or even drunk to remember what happened, he is sure that when he got home that night Saki is sleeping soundly at his bed so he slept on the sofa near it but when he woke up he was sleeping in the bed instead and Saki was nowhere to be found. He is sure that it was feels so true to be a dream or an imagination. He tried to calm himself and thinks that the girl was just hiding somewhere having a fresh new bruises in her face, maybe she got a company this time to take care of her.

He was awake late at night to study and think then study and think then study again. He can't explain the unusual beat of his heart like drum playing on its loudest like there are pins and needles stuck on it. His minds are already full of lots of thoughts that he can't concentrate on his study so he decided to sleep so at least he can get enough of it. He was about to lie on his bed when he smells something unusual in his place and to think of it he smell something like this before that makes him more nervous. He was really tired but he still make an effort where this strange smell is coming from thinking that his doors and windows are locked so it means that the smell is coming from inside of his apartment.

After some times of searching he found where it is, as he get nearer the strange smell is getting stronger and stronger that makes him run in the bathroom as fast as he can to bring out all he ate for dinner, anyone who smell things will end up like him also as he remove the other stuffs under his bed, he touched a heavy sack that is a little wet where the strong smell is coming from. He put all the energy left on his hand to pull this heavy object out under his bed.

He can't believe what he is looking at right now, a white sack that is full of blood that it seems coming from what is inside. His hands are shaking as he opened it and there he saw the person who he is looking for all this time. He was shocked and can't move thinking that it happened again. Someone close to him was found dead again and the worst thing is in his place. He thinks that he really is a curse himself that all people got close to him will die.

Back when he in his freshmen year in his old school he has this best friend he treasure a lot. They've been friends since kids because they live next to each other and went to the same schools. He was the only friend he trust even you can tell that a kid like Kazumi is a cheerful and friendly person so he never got into fights and just people can't find ways to hate him. He was the class representative and of the candidates for school presidency that year. His friend was always beside him and cheer and support him in all ways. They are like twins that one is not complete without the other. Everyone envies the friendship they had, a friendship that money and gold can't buy.

There is one time that this friend of his liked a girl and as a supportive friend, he helps him to court the girl but unfortunately because Kazumi is a bit popular the girl fell in love with him instead of his best friend. Of course who will not get angry if you know that the girl you love is in love with your best friend. Even Kazumi tells to his best friend that he don't felt the same way as this girl but deep inside he learns also to love her. And because they are great friends and their years of friendship will not just broke because of a girl. His best friend let him dated the girl for almost a couple of months.

Those first two months was happy for the couple, they do what any other couples do, go to dates, movies and even kissing. But who would know that this happy moments will easy come to an end. After their last date, next morning the girl was found dead at her dorm. People believe that she committed suicide because they can't find any evidence that someone killed her and force to enter in her room before it happened so that case was easily closed to be a suicide but who would think to end their life if they are happy and no reason to do it. Something is wrong in this case, what happened is not a suicide but murder but who will do it? She was looking forward for the upcoming beauty contest on the cultural festival at their school representing their class. Kazumi and her friends or other people surrounds her doesn't have an argument before the accident happen. She was really happy and friendly practicing her lines and the way she walk on this said program. She was so upright that Kazumi and his best friend fall for her so there is no way that she will end her life not until the pageant is over at least but who would know that she really had a problem. She never talks to anyone about her burdens and who will know if she had one if she always wear that smile but if you will try to look at her eyes you can see her true feelings. However, she is a strong girl, a warrior so some problems will not make her dead.

After that thing happened, Kazumi is always gloomy. He fall in a trauma in his first time seeing corpse in his life and the worst think is it belongs to the person he loves the most. He can't point anyone to blame, who would think this will happen if that night before she died they are just happy having the moment of their life as a couple. He never thought that, that moment will be the last time he will saw her alive, he should've told her he love her and kissed her longer than they had. She was his first love so it was hard for him to know that she's gone, it is much better if they broke up at least she can still be happy even not for him but to someone but how can she be happy if she's not alive anymore. Her memories will the only thing remains.

That event was also hard for his best friend, before and after he was there for Kazumi. He witnessed everything of his mourns, cries and sadness. He was there. He was there not until one night Kazumi was drunk and he went to bring him home but Kazumi refused, he still want another bottle. He want to drink like there is no tomorrow, he wants to be drunk until he died so that his first love and him can be reunited in hell. However, his best friend disagreed on uniting them two in another world. He forced Kazumi to get on his two feet and walk before the police caught them for it is illegal for the minors to drink. Kazumi vomits on his best friend's shirt when he is trying to carry him but even so he still carries him. On their way back home, Kazumi keeps on mentioning the girl's name and crying.

His best friend let him sit on the waiting area while waiting for a cab. While he was busy looking for cab he didn't notice that Kazumi walks slowly near him and as he turned around Kazumi punched his face that makes him fall to the ground. A little bruise from the side of his mouth was marked because of that unexpected punch. He was wiping a little blood from his bruise as he stand and saw Kazumi fall while shouting at him, blaming him that he was the one who killed his girl. His best friend understand his situation and still understanding in the past months when the girl is dead. He decided that he already had full of himself about this. He pull Kazumi's collar and punch him also in the face real hard and whispers to him to get over it. He will not get the girl back alive if he keeps on destroying himself. Kazumi answered that his best friend doesn't know the pain he feels. His best friend got pissed and told him that he knows, he was once in love with that girl so he knows. He saw everything that brakes Kazumi so he knows, he saw the corpse the same day they found her so he knows. He knows the pain Kazumi feels, the only difference is he handled it better than he was. He knows that Kazumi is strong and intelligent person that this will not make him fall. After his best friend told those thing Kazumi burst into tears at the side of the road that catches the attention of some passerby.

That morning Kazumi woke up in his bed while his head is still in pain. He drunk four bottles of liquor last night so he will really having a hard time dealing in his hangover. The last thing he remembers is he was crying like a child whose lollipop got stolen beside the road. And after that he don't remember what happened next. Even he is a little bit dizzy he get out of his bed and the first thing he saw when he got out his room is his mother's sad face. Seeing those face especially those eyes that was about to cry hurts him more. He was worried what happened as he approaches his mother sitting at the sofa in the living room and kneels in front of her and asked what is wrong.

His mother hesitated whether to tell him or not but she still did anyways. His best friend was found dead in front of their house just this morning with the same marks on his body found in his girlfriend a few months ago. Kazumi was left speechless on what he hears, he was left sitting at the floor in their living room as tears slowly flows in his right eye.

That was the moment he thinks that he is cursed, first is his girlfriend and now his best friend. All the people that was close to him, died. And that is when he decides to transfer schools living her parents at that place. He thinks that as he transfer the cursed will be gone but unfortunately he was wrong for the same thing happened again. The same things will happen that will keep him bringing back his memories of those days in his old school.

He was still in shock as he stares Saki's dead body. He was so nervous to move and make a noise. After half an hour sitting there he comes up in a decision. Past one that night when he got out of his apartment carrying a heavy bag. But before that he cleaned his place making sure that no trace will be left. He don't know what he is doing, he was in so much panic so he is not in his right mind right now. All he thinks that time is he needs to get rid of her before anyone finds out. He was not sure who did this to her and hide her under his bed knowing that he and Saki are the only one knows about his passcode.

The river is a little bit far from his apartment so it took him a while to throw the corpse away. If he will surrender it to the police and says that he found it in his apartment he can be accused and pointed as the murderer he thinks, after all he don't have an idea who did it. Out of his advanced thinking, he thought that throwing her in the river is the best option and let the people find her and her killer, whoever it is.

He went to school the same day as if nothing happened and as usual he didn't get enough sleep. Fuyumi was used in seeing him in his large eye bugs for if he is not staying late at night in study maybe he was gaming.

After what happened to Saki that he decides that he will keep it as a secret until he dies. He became like a crazy person. He thinks that someone is watching his every move, wherever he is, whatever he do. Someone is right behind him that can attack him any moment. He feels that someone is keep on whispering in his ears, 'you'll be next'.

It was hard carrying a heavy weight alone in his age. He should be enjoying his time at school with his friends, going out with them and partying. But he guessed that he will never do that as long as the killer is still out there and remembers all those things had happened to him.

Kazumi has done a business borrowing books from the public library seven at night, a few days before the exam. He was getting down the stairs in front of the building when he sighted a familiar person not from afar. Even the books are little bit heavy he still went after that person shouting her name. But as he follows her she was vanishing slowly in his sight until he was the only one left there.

Then he continue to walk home but as he turns around he saw a figure of a man slowly walking near him. As he moves closer he feels the chill running out of his spine, he tries to shout for help but no voice is coming out from his mouth and his feet are nailed on the ground. The man was a few meters away from him and yet he can't still move. The man like was in his age has those reddish eyes and yellow big teeth as he grin while walking. He looks like Jason the thirteenth or any serial killers from the movies. He can't believe that he is facing one right now. In a blink of an eye, the man was already in front of him. It marked in Kazumi's face that he is scared at the moment as the man try to throttle him.

Kazumi woke up in the library falling asleep while studying. He wiped his sweats as he let out a deep breath. He was relieved that it was just a dream but it seems so real like he still feels the murderer's cold hands in his neck. He holds his neck as he realized that it was already late at night so he immediately pack his things up and went out of the place.

The face of the man keeps haunting him. It gives him real nightmares that sometimes he was afraid to fall asleep because he might come to get him. Yes, it was childish to act that way but he is facing a trauma right now, who will not after sawing the corpses of the people close to you right up close and thinking that someday it can kill you also.