"Great job, Hero!"
"You're going ahead!"
"Good luck, Great Hero!"
Tatsu sighed, wiping some of the blood from his chin. Today was the last day. The final day of the tournament. That bloody tournament, that they freaking kidnapped him for. They kidnapped him to slaughter innocent people for entertainment. He says he's thankful for the new aggressive life he leads - But that was all a lie.
He missed the days when he was simply Tatsu Necro. That kid who was best friends with Noko Harigami. The one who had a scar that went from the tip of his face to his waist. The one who survived that cutlass, that was sure to kill everyone else. The boy who wasn't afraid of anything, and would try to make jokes that no one thought were funny.
"Next up is the final match! The Mystery Man against The Great Hero!"
When he'd try to impress a girl, only to come home crying minutes later with a face as red as a cherry. When he and Noko used to be on the swings, counting the cars that would pass by, and the chain would be broken by a motorcycle. He knew those days well.
Now they were gone. He was a murderer - Slaughtering people. Known only as The Great Hero, and just wanting to hear that shout of "Tatsu!" followed by him receiving a slap right at the back of his head. He made millions a day, and lived in a mansion the size of Mount Rushmore. So, you might be thinking : Who cares about slaughtering people? You can do it without getting in trouble with the law, and you're flipping rich!
But the worse thing that came out of this...
He lost his best friend.
When he was finally allowed to go back to Earth for a day, he was as excited as a child on Christmas morning. To feel the warmth of the sun - To feel the chill of the dew on the morning grass. He went over to the first place he could think of - Noko's house.
When he saw Noko, he wished he had never even bothered to go.
He was already replaced by someone. It hadn't even been a month yet. He was replaced. And most of all, Noko hated him. He wished he could yell "It wasn't my fault!" like a child, and just run away and cry. Like he could have some comfort, but his comfort was the exact thing that gave him discomfort. He was already humiliated enough, so he simply walked away. Walked away like the man he was, yet he wished he wasn't.
Today, he wanted to forget all that. To simply start over. To just...forget it all ever happened. To forget about Noko, to forget about the pain and the hurt. To forget what he had to go through. To have nothing to look back on and say "I regret." Alas, that will never happen. His memories are there, and are there forever.
So, here he was. Simply a cape with a purple claw, metal gloves with spikes for weapons, and tattered jeans. Here to fight for the last time of his life. After this, he could return for life. Forever. Not have to worry about slaughtering anyone again. To go home.
Or.
He could go. He could die. He wouldn't have the memories again. He'd live a spirit. He wouldn't have anything to say "I regret" to. He could simply say "I'm not sure of my past; but I hope it's good."
So, walking into the arena, Tatsu looked at his opponent. He sighed, and took a fighting stance.
He just wanted to say. Noko, I'm sorry. Sorry that I couldn't come back. Sorry that I couldn't come and say "I'm fine!" or be there for your when you needed me. To be friends again. I'm obviously just a stupid kid, who can't keep to his friends. I'm sorry, and I hope you'll never have to experience what I have. And if you do, I pray that you end up taking a better path.
And, looked again at his opponent. He wasn't very tough, but he wasn't weak, either. And, looking at his options, he charged at his opponent. He had nothing to lose. All the glory he got here wasn't what he wanted. He just wanted the friendship that he had before - The life he had before. Taking a final blow to his face, his body flinging to the wall of the arena, his ribs crushed...
He went with the latter. |