Old Friend.

"Huh, how lucky," Vonn thought, observing a toad breathe its last, crushed beneath the weight of a fallen branch.

"To die like that... I'm... a bit... envious..."

He sat gracelessly, his back leaned against the rocky wall, his body blending seamlessly with the rocks, appearing as an extension of the stones.

Tufts of grass sprouted around him, making him feel further become like a part of the natural surroundings.

"Eight, no—ten. It's been over ten years..." he reflected, a hollow ache echoing in his memories.

Nearly four years had passed since the incident, now known as the night of the Beginningofit, when the Mutanauts had eaten him alive.

The last thing Vonn remembered was being pulled into the monster's mouth and getting chewed alive. He had no recollection of being rescued or how he ended up here, at the foot of an unknown hill.

Though his limbs were still attached to his body, every bone in his body felt shattered. From that day, Vonn experienced an entirely new realm of pain and agony as his entire body was broken.

Naturally, when one experiences a certain amount of torment, they pray for death, which eventually comes.

However, no matter how much suffering Vonn felt, for some reason, he just wouldn't die.

He screamed, cried, and even prayed until exhaustion claimed him, hoping to acclimate to the pain or die, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the pain only grew more intense with time.

He had massive injuries and deep cuts exposed to the harsh environment, and his blood had even flooded the area back then, but nothing succeeded in claiming his life.

Not the barrage of dangerous diseases that brought about even more diseases, or the tremendous blood loss, or the constant sharp searing pain from his gravely injured body and shattered bones, or from the insatiable thirst and hunger that came about. Nothing could claim his life!

Vonn sat there experiencing, not just physical torture but also nightmares of his past memories.

His feelings of trauma torment and pain turned into resentment.

He resented every human who ever addressed him as ugly, and the ones who never reached a helping hand. Every person who's ever taken advantage of him, or wronged him.

He resented Janet and Akari for leaving him, and resented the mutanaut for taking them from him.

He resented food and water, and heaven and earth.

He resented life for the torture it wrought upon him, and resented death for abandoning him.

At times his sanity would leave him, and after some time it would return. Those so fleeting moments of insanity were the only times Vonn truly felt some semblance of peace. For him, whose one and only choice was to live in torture, madness felt like salvation.

Just like a dead body, Vonn sat there reflecting on his pitiful life, and loathing everything that aided it, watching the days endlessly swing by.

For all those years, during his stay here, Vonn had seen so many different kinds of animals. However, not once a human.

He often wondered that the afterlife might just be a place filled with all kinds of animals but devoid of humans. However, now, Vonn was sure he could hear human footsteps approaching.

Maybe it was because he had been alone in nature for so long, but something within Vonn could clearly tell any sound apart from another. Sometimes, it felt like he could somehow feel the entire atmosphere around him, to the point he feels sick of the details, and even now, Vonn could clearly hear the heartbeats and breathings of the approaching people.

At this, a sudden bitter feelings groped his gut as the image of Chris's final expression right before tossing him to the mutanaut soared his mind.

Tch, humans. Vonn's mood soured even more. Right to the bitter end, he had been forsaken by his own kind. He felt nothing but loathe and anger towards these creatures.

'Please, die for this hero of humanity.' He remembered Chris's final words before using him as human bait and his stomach churned even more.

'Hero of humanity... eat my fucking asshole, you piece of shit. You're supposed to be what? A hero? Tch, this freaking messed up world!'

'Me... why me?...'

'My existence what's the point of it!!? All those damned suffering, what's the point of it all?!! What the hell do you fucking want from me, eh!!! You damned fucking universe!!' Vonn's thought raged, filled with sudden unbearable anger.

'Do you enjoy this?! You enjoy watching me suffer, you wicked bastard?!! Is that it!!!? You won't let me live, you won't let me die, you enjoy it all, is that what it is!!??'

'Then let it be known then, you bastard!!!!'

'Why? Why have they come here now? Why!!... oh, I get it, now. I've gotten quite used to diseases, pain and hunger, and now you've sent them to show me new stuff, ain't that right? You fuckerrrr!! You think you'll get away with this?!! You think you'll fucking go free after all this?!'

'I don't know what you are, or how it will happen, but I promise you, whatever you are, I swear you'll regret this!!!!'

Suddenly, one of the approaching figures came into view, and Vonn's thoughts faltered for a moment.

"A... girl..." he thought, his mind stuttering in surprise. "Ah, that's right. They used to look like that... She did, too..." Vonn's gaze fixed on the teenage girl emerging from the tall grass.

Her fragile form staggered towards him, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Despite his current deep-seated hatred for humans, Vonn felt a moment's surge of peace wash over him as he gazed at her expression. There was something about this girl that stirred a long-forgotten sense of calm within him, however fleeting.

The girl, in description, needed just a single word; beauty. Clad in long, tattered white sleeveless gown, her light skin was reddened from bruises and cuts, her blonde hair smeared with blood that interfered with her bruised face, however, this hid nothing from her beauty as even with all that, Vonn could admit she was the prettiest person he had ever seen with just that one glance.

With forceful gasps, the girl stumbled closer to Vonn,

'What?!.. What is it, you little bitch?! What have they sent you to do to me?!!' Irritation suddenly bubbled inside him, seeing the girl come closer and closer.

Once she reached him, she stopped.

'Tch!' He clicked his tongue in his mind as he observed her eerily reach her hands towards his head, shadow cast on her face.

'I won't budge, you bitch. Fucking do it!! I've endured more pain than you could even begin to imagine!! Fucking bring it on!—huh?' His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the girl who now grabbed on his head weakly struggled to pull it.

Seeing as it wouldn't budge, she immediately turned and stomped on a slim boulder beside him. The boulder fell over, leaning against the rocky wall, revealing a small shallow caved hole. She hurried into the hole and, with all her might, pulled up the boulder that leaned against the side to cover herself.

'Ah... that's right. She thinks I'm a rock.' Vonn thought, realizing that after being in that spot for over ten years, there was no way he would look normal. He now understood that his body had blended into nature.

The idea of the girl's situation which had began to settle in, completely became clear to Vonn when he saw the thick bearded man wearing a long, dirty brown gown suddenly emerge from the same tall grass where the had run out from, his face contorted in disgust.

At once, Vonn understood; the girl was being chased.

The hairy man burst out from the bushes and abruptly stopped, frustration clear on his face as he scanned the area.

"That damn rat!! Where'd she..." He caught himself mid-sentence, taking a moment to calm down while rubbing his forehead.

He exhaled, and after a little thought, he continued, "Where are you hiding, princess? Didn't get the chance to say this earlier since my partner, Hiro, has quite the ears, but I'm actually a spy sent by your dad to protect you from these people. I won't hurt you, I promise. " He looked around, hoping for any sign of movement.

Getting no response, he added, "Okay, okay. It's fine if you don't wanna answer. If I can't find you, that means you're safe and well hidden, and that's good. Those guys won't find you either."

He turned to leave but stopped, looking back, he added, "Before I go, I want you to know that your dad really hoped you'd come with me to see him at the hospital when this is all over. From his words, 'he'd be happier than a dead man if he could eat apples from the hands of his bright flower one last time before the illness takes him away.' But whatever, I can just tell him you misunderstood me and hid away. If you're safe, that's all that matters. I'm sure even he would say the sam—"

"—Nice try, beggar! Even an eight-year-old won't fall for that bullsh—" The girl who had interrupted suddenly clamped her hands over her mouth, shaking with fear.

'I said that out loud?!!' she thought, hidden in the shadows, her eyes wide with shock.

Vonn rolled his eyes inwardly, feeling embarrassed for the girl's slip-up.

FSHHT FSSHT

The girl recoiled at the sound of each approaching footstep, the noise growing louder and more menacing with every stride. She pressed her hand over her mouth, trembling.

As the footsteps abruptly halted, a chill ran down her spine, and her stomach twisted anxiously at the sound of the heavy stone covering her being lifted away.

With a thud, the rock crashed to the ground, revealing the towering figure of the hairy man. His silhouette loomed over her, blocking out the sun, while his grotesque face twisted into a wide, contorted grimace.

"Tsk!" The man clicked his tongue, causing her to flinch. Without uttering a word, he lunged forward, his hand grabbing her hair and yanking her up with brutal force. A scream of pain escaped her lips as she clutched his hand, desperate to ease the torment.

Dragging her along in a staggering motion, the man's expression remained one of contempt.

"P–please... l-let me g—Huh?!" The man interrupted the girl's words in anger.

"Damn annoying cunt!" he spat, and with that,

SLAP—he struck her hard across the face with the back of his hand. She fell to the ground, a sharp scream ringing out as she hit the dirt.

In a swift motion, the man shot his leg backwards and, with brutal force, drove his foot into her gut.

"Aaargghkk!" she cried out, the impact sending her crashing against a nearby tree.

Pain surged through her as she folded in half, her hands clutching her abdomen. Dirt smeared across her gown and her face, mingling with the blood from her hair.

As he observed her writhing in agony, the man's contorted face softened into a pitiful frown. He exhaled deeply, wiping the blood from his hand.

"What's your problem, eh?" he said, closing the distance between them.

"Hey..." He said, kneeling beside her with one leg. "... once you're gone, I'm dead, y'know? Since your pops' a rich guy, you've probably gotten everything you've ever wanted without any effort. You wouldn't understand my circumstances, but I'm just tryna make a living too, y'know?"

"Why do you gotta be such a pain, eh? Want me to rape you?... Those pretty legs, want me to slice them off?"

"Hey, I honestly don't want that either!" he exclaimed, frustration creeping into his voice. "See, I already defied those people, so they'll be coming for my blood soon. You're my only lifeline right now, so I don't wanna hurt you if I don't need to. Please don't make things any more difficult, let's all support each other." Concluding this, the man stood back up.

"You're tired, right? Here," He said, reaching out an arm towards the girl, "Take my hand, I'll carry you." he added.

After a tense silence, the girl, now still and trembling, cautiously reached her hands into the man's.

Watching this, the man sighed, smiling sincerely at her. But suddenly a dead toad smashed into his forehead, sending headaches radiating through his skull.

The reptile's blood smeared across his face as he staggered, momentarily dazed.

In that instant, he caught sight of the girl fleeing, her movements weak and unsteady as she struggled toward the grassy area.

That bitch had been hiding the toad against her stomach pretending to be in pain.

But there were stones around, though.

Fury surged within the hairy man, veins bulging on his forehead as he gently walked after the girl who staggered weakly.

As though she had angered the god of luck, her legs gave out as she tumbled onto the eroded ground, eventually crashing face-first to the ground.

He reached her, his raging eyes glaring down at the girl who groaned in pain.

"You useless shit! Annoying little prick who can't understand simple logic! Logic was never meant for people like you, anyways, so why did I even bother?!! Spoilt fucking brat!" The hairy man yelled in rage, aggressively landing several stomps of his foot on the girl's stomach, causing her to retch immensely, Vomitting blood.

"Don't worry, I'll do what your father has failed to do. I'll teach you the hard way, the meaning of consequences." The hairy man uttered with a contorted expression, dipping his hand into his gown.

He pulled out his pistol.

"I'll make sure you live the rest of your life suffering the consequences of this mistake. That walk just now, hope you savored it well." The man said pointing the gun towards one of her trembling legs, But—

FSHH—The man's fingers inching towards the trigger suddenly paused.

After a heavy silence hung in the air, the hairy man's face contorted into an odd expression, his jaw clenched tightly as his brows twitched in agitation.

"Hey, is it purple...?" he asked, his tone cold as he lowered his gun back into his gown. "Your undies, it's not purple, is it?" he added.

The girl, overwhelmed by the pain coursing through her aching body and bewildered by the sudden, bizarre question, could only stare in confusion, unable to respond.

"Ah... You won't answer?..." The man frowned. he grabbed his gown and yanked it, exposing his dark, baggy trousers beneath.

He unfastened his belt and unzipped his fly. "...Guess I'll have to check for myself," he sneered, his intentions clear as he thrust his hand into the the open zipper. But just as he tried to pull something out——"Are you Uta?"

"What?" The man froze as an unknown voice interrupted.

He scanned the area, but all he could see from the direction of the sound were rocks, their shapes indistinct under the brightness of the sun.

'Strange.' He could've sworn he heard someone's voice.

"Sorry to interrupt, mister. But are you Kazami Uta?" The voice echoed again, and now he noticed a figure emerging from behind the stones.

A figure covered in hardened sand and tufts, struggling to walk—he resembled an ancient, moving statue.

'A living statue that knows my name...' The hairy man's eyes widened in a mix of curiosity and dread. Without thinking, he instinctively pulled his gun back out.