As a lion’s mask formed over Haruto’s face, his blank eyes quickly becoming the color of gold, the limp body of Haruto forced itself up using only its back and legs, almost as if his upper body muscles were no longer working. It turned its head to the side, and the sounds of Haruto’s neck cracking could be heard. With a deep sigh, the possessed Haruto spoke with a cackling voice.
“Well then, I’ve got nothing to hide from you all. No, really, I could care less what you saw – but there’s an overflowing amount of hate burning in me, and I don’t really have anywhere else to direct it to…! It’s unfortunate that you just happen to be here, so call it a poor twist of fate.”
Jumping on the spot a couple of times, Haruto dashed forward with surprising speed, appearing right in front of Dai.
“IT BEGINS!”
With a roar of battle, Haruto twisted his body mid-motion so that he began to spin in the air, and he raised one of his legs upwards, intent on bringing down both the weight of his kick and the unforgiving power of centrifugal motion straight towards Dai’s head.
__________
“This is unbecoming of you.”
The lion sat comfortably on the reading couch that Haruto used to watch television on when he was still in the orphanage. Licking its paws, it opened its mouth in a rather grotesque grin, looking forward as if it was measuring its next meal. Haruto could see the glee in its eyes, as the shadows that had previously tortured Haruto seemingly dissipated, the cackling disappearing with them.
“Don’t you remember the last time you talked to either of your parents? The bitch asked you to be brave. The coward asked you to be brave, as well. So what are you if you’re not brave?”
The lion stood up, and began walking towards Haruto – the boy, in response, began to back away, towards the small television set that he used to watch so much in his younger childhood. The lion began to chuckle, as if amused.
“Why do you fear the virtue of courage, boy? Is it because you’re not truly brave? Or rather, you completely discarded the emotion of fear, haven’t you? Instead of fear, the immense amount of hatred that is brewing within you rages out – I suppose that’s why you ended up being so violent.”
The lion pushed Haruto in the abdomen, causing him to topple backwards, but instead of crashing into the television set, Haruto began to sink into it, with the sound of surprise barely leaving Haruto’s mouth before he was completely submerged into the screen. Falling backwards, Haruto quickly landed on tough concrete ground, although the pain he felt was minimal.
Sitting up, Haruto looked around – the area appeared to be an intersection that was currently burning, but despite all the smoke, it seemed to be familiar to Haruto. He took a few steps forward, covering his face and eyes as he walked through the fire, and he found himself face-to-face with a glass door that he knew all too well.
This was the gym Dad used to go to…
Pushing the door inside, Haruto could see all the equipment inside, all meant to train a boxer; it brought a wave of nostalgia back to Haruto. However, on the top of the boxing ring, was something Haruto did not want to see – a big man dressed in dark clothing, beating his bleeding and dying father.
NO!
Haruto wanted to say something, scream something, but nothing left his mouth as the man raised a carpenter’s hammer over his head before bringing it down on top of Haruto’s father’s head, causing it to crack open. As the spurt of blood flew into the air, Haruto stood paralyzed at the door, reaching forward as if to stop the memory from happening, from repeating all over again.
“Are you reminded? Do you remember what it means to fear, Haruto Okada?”
The lion’s voice could be heard cackling behind Haruto, but the boy could barely hear the beast, as his father’s murderer turned to face him, the shadow of a man whose face Haruto did not know. Yet, across the darkness was the blood of his father, and Haruto couldn’t even let out cries of pain as his demon turned away from Haruto and walked deeper inside the boxing gym, where the coach’s office once was.
“Why don’t you follow him? Why don’t you end it here and now? Vengeance is not unbecoming of you – it might just be the cure,” the lion purred. Haruto had nothing to say in response.
