~ Chapter 4: Horrors ~

[Michael’s point of view]

I often found myself wondering how many humans on Earth went through the same things I did. What sort of nightmares did they witnessed or experienced so far? Or was I the only one among all the souls found in this world subjected to such tormenting suffering?

However, I had yet to experience the worst of it until that moment when I stepped through the front door of my family’s apartment.

I took off my shoes and noticed there were three other unfamiliar pairs there. I blinked surprised and wondered if we had guests. My parents often brought coworkers and friends to enjoy together the sweet aroma of some freshly brewed tea and a pleasant conversation. They could afford to do so because their guests did not seem to be the type to see any wrongdoing with how I was treated. Actually, no one seemed to care about my wellbeing and even when my brother brought his friends over, they did not hesitate to pick on me.

As I walked through the hallway, I could hear the voices of three different men. Since it was the first time when I heard them, I could only wonder if they were new friends or maybe colleagues of my parents, but then, why call for me?

I approached the living room with my head bowed down and looking straight at the floor, so I could not see my esteemed parents’ guests.

“Good evening, father, mother.” I said with a kind tone of voice and made a polite bow at the door.

I entered the room and sat down in front of them in the Seiza position. My eyes never left the floor, it was to show their guests what a humble and respectful son they had.

“Kind Sirs, this is Michael Kunosagi Asakura. He is my adoptive son. As I promised, he is a healthy, young, seventeen years-old teenager!” said my father with a proud tone of voice.

I blinked surprised. He talked as though I was some sort of merchandise placed on display, still I did not dare to lift my head up. I had to be respectful towards father, otherwise, they would give me a severe beating later, after the guests left.

“Indeed! Indeed!” said one of the men.

“Heh? All I see is a skinny wimp! You sure he is healthy? Ya don’ wanna screw around with our oyabun! Tch!” warned another as he clicked his tongue.

Just from hearing the word ‘oyabun’ I understood that there was a high chance for him to be part of the yakuza, otherwise he would have used the term ‘goshujin’ or maybe ‘wakasama’ if it was the case of the son of their boss.

“Considering the present company, I believe I am the best one out of all of us to check if he is indeed in good health or not. I am a doctor, after all!” said the third one.

I gulped and clenched my hands on my knees. My body shivered from both the cold and the fear of my uncertain future.

“Oh? You don’t believe me? Just look at him! He went through that weather and not even a single sneeze out of him! He never gets sick! He is as healthy as an ox!” praised my father, but what was the point of him trying so hard to prove to these strangers that I was in good health?

“But he’s shivering like an oyaji! Nah?” pointed out the yakuza and slammed his fist on the table.

Of course, I was shivering, I was soaking wet from the cold rain outside.

“I don’t care for either of you. The JSDF acquired him first. We will handle the product!” demanded the first one.

Those initials meant Japanese Special Defense Force, but what did he mean by acquiring? Why in the name of all the known gods would the JSDF, a yakuza, and a doctor want to ‘acquire’ me? I knew I was a sold as a house slave to my family, but this wasn’t something that a prestigious organization like the JSDF was supposed to endorse!

All those questions flowed through my mind, trying to eat away at my sanity. I began to fear my uncertain future now more than ever and I even prayed that these men didn’t wish to harm me.

My instincts were telling me to run away, that this was bad, way more so than it ever was!

“Well, let’s take a moment and review the contracts shall we, my esteemed guests?” asked my father with a calculated and confident tone of voice.

“Sure, whatever.” said the yakuza as he crossed his legs and leaned back on the couch.

“Please, go ahead.” said the doctor.

The one from the JSDF didn’t say a single word about it.

My father pulled out a bunch of papers from his suitcase and placed them on the table. He looked through them in a rather noisy manner to catch everyone’s attention.

“This one states that my wife, Asuka, sold the left lung and right kidney of our adoptive son, Michael Kunosagi Asakura, to the Ninenryu oyabun for the price of 17 million yen. In this one, he is to be the guinea pig of Nanatsu Chun Li for the duration of two weeks for the price of 3 million yen. And finally, in this one, he is sold for life to the JSDF for the price of 50 million yen. Is that correct?” asked my father as he showed each party their respective contracts.

I stood there and listened in horror as my own father spoke about how he and my mother sold my organs and then my freedom and lastly my very life with the same ease as one would sell an animal to the butcher. While I sort of understood the first two, I could not even begin to understand for what sort of twisted reason the JSDF wanted to buy me for such an incredible sum of money, if it was really them who bought me in the first place and not some impersonator! Last I knew, Japan was not a country to take lightly to human trafficking, especially when it came to one of their most powerful representative organizations. If word got out of this, the backlash would have been absolutely terrible if not downright crippling.

Now, my entire body shivered not from the cold but from fear. I closed my eyes and clenched my hands into tight fists, trying desperately not to cry and run away. But even if I did, there was nowhere for me to run.

Undisturbed by the horror of their transactions, the three strangers discussed the terms of the contracts and debated on who would go first. Apparently neither party decided from what date I was to belong to either of them. In all honesty, I did not care. All that went on through my mind was the fear and horror of what was to happen to me. How much did the Universe had to hate me to allow for such things to happen? It was like every human out there was bent on making my life miserable in any way possible. No matter where I turned, no matter where I looked, they behaved with me like madmen or psychopaths, while with everyone else, they were the complete opposite. I could not understand nor even dare come to terms with such things.

“Then it’s decided! The JSDF will take him after he returns from the doctor’s laboratory on the condition that he will still be fully functional then!” said the soldier.

I raised my head up, forgetting about the code of obedience I was told to follow.

The man was a young soldier no more than twenty-eight years old, wearing a standard uniform and holding a typical stern look in his eyes. The yakuza was a bit older. He had an ugly scar on his left hand and wore a striped suit. He showed me a wide smirk. Certainly, he was glad to be able to take my lung and kidney before I went through the hell of a private laboratory of human experiments and then through God knows what in the JSDF. As for the doctor, he didn’t wear a white lab coat but an elegant gray costume and a pair of reading glasses on his nose.

“I’ll get my tools then!” said the yakuza as he picked up and opened the briefcase next to him.

It was only then when I noticed the two organ transport containers next to the couch. He came prepared and certainly didn’t plan on leaving without his end of the bargain: my organs.

This isn’t a joke, is it? This is real… They really are… They really want to… I thought as my heart was racing.

“Maybe I should do it? After all, I do have the required experience.” offered the doctor, showing them a smirk.

“Be my guest!” replied the yakuza as he made room for the doctor.

This was not a joke; they were going to do it. They were going to cut me open in front of my own parents. It was strange though, none of them seemed repulsed by the idea, on the contrary, the thought of cutting open a teenager for an illegal organ harvest pleased them. I could only imagine what sort of maniacs they were.

Thus, another wave of fear rushed through my body as I kept asking myself if that was the actual worth of my meager life. I closed my eyes tight and tried to see a drop of hope, a spark of light in the darkness. Thoughts upon thoughts flowed through my mind like a rapid torrent, yet they only brought down more darkness. My life had absolutely no meaning as far as the world was concerned.

Indeed, by now, I had already gotten used with the idea that everyone and everything I came in contact with quickly found themselves enthralled by the prospect of doing some sort of harm to me. My cries and pain brought joy to their souls, and I could not even come to understand for what sort of twisted reasons they had to be like that.

To make matters weirder, I never did hate or wished them harm. Even now, upon finding out the cruelty of my own parents, I could not come to hate them but instead, I loved them. I loved my brother, my mother, my father, and unconditionally even those three strangers who planned on cutting me open. My love was a strange one. Did I enjoy the pain I was caused? Of course not, but I couldn’t stop the emotion from appearing in my heart even if so far it only brought hate as a reply. Maybe, deep down, inside, I hoped and prayed for the day when love would be answered with love.

Unfortunately, that day had yet to come.

Is this my fate? Is this what I deserve? I asked myself.

Countless memories flashed before my eyes, but with each one, hope seemed to dwindle further and further away, like the last moments of a dying star.

There’s nothing left for me... I thought and, in that moment, something triggered in my mind.

All of my thoughts went silent, and I stood up in front of them.

“Well, look at this! I think the boy cracked.” said the yakuza with a smirk.

“Kid, you have nowhere to run! So don’t do something stupid now.” warned the soldier as he got up on his feet.

He looked straight into my eyes as though he was ready to tackle me and drop me to the ground. It was exactly what he planned on doing. Even the yakuza got up on his feet, ready to do the same. As for me, I had no intention of just standing there idly and waiting for them to pin me down.

Technically speaking, I was going against my training as a slave and the orders of my parents, but did it really matter? Death and torture were the only things waiting for me at their hands. I had to flee or die trying.

“Stop him!” shouted the soldier as he saw me running for the door.

“Michael! Get back here this instant!” shouted my mother, but who would even dare listen to her in such conditions?

I ran up the stairs with the soldiers and yakuza on my tail. My heart pounded like crazy, and my lungs tried desperately to replenish the oxygen my body used. I huffed and heaved as I opened the door to the rooftop. After I stepped out, I closed it behind me and ran to the edge.

Breathing hard, I looked around trying to find a way out of there, but there was nowhere else to run. The building didn’t have an escape ladder, and the other rooftops were too far away for me to jump over. I was trapped.

“Stop right there, you runt!” shouted the yakuza after opening the door with a loud bang.

The noise startled me, and I looked back. I saw him taking a step forward and then stopping. He looked behind and waited calmly for the others. The soldier was the first to reach him, then my father, and lastly the doctor. With a sadistic smirk on their lips, they approached me. They knew I was trapped like a rat in a cage with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

“Come here, boy... We’re just gonna cut you up a bit, that’s all!” said the doctor as he showed me a wide grin.

He lifted his scalpel up, letting it shine in the rays of the sun. I didn’t even notice it wasn’t raining anymore. I looked back over the edge of the building and then back at him. I took another step back, and my heel hit the edge.

“Let’s just grab him and... Hey! What are you doing?” asked the yakuza when he saw me climbing on top of the edge.

My mind was set. I wasn’t going to hand over myself to them. Besides, thinking about it for a moment, dying was the best option out of all of them. A quick death would have ended my suffering in my accursed life. Thus, despite their calls and last attempts to get a hold of me, I jumped.

That was it. Out of my own free will, after so many years of struggling, after stubbornly clinging on every single thread of life, I finally… I finally gave up on living, or so I wished to believe. It was strange, but it didn’t feel like I was about to die at all. It was a very strange sensation, it was no different than taking another step on the sidewalk.

I closed my eyes, and waited for the end to come...

In the past, I heard many people talk about how in such moments, they saw their very lives flashing before their eyes. Such a thing did not happen to me, though. I already could remember everything I went through in my life, all the suffering, all the pain, all the hate I had to live through.

What crossed my mind, however, was a single thought: Is this going to hurt?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question was going to be revealed in just a bit.

When I hit the presumed ground, I felt the air leaving my lungs, and my muscles contracting to dampen the shock, but contrary to my initial belief there was no pain.

My ears rang for a moment, and my heart pounded like crazy from all the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I opened my eyes, but instead of gazing upon my dead body as a spirit, I saw the sky clearing up of dark clouds. There was no pain, and the ground didn’t feel hard at all but rather soft. For a moment, I felt a bit of relief rushing through my body.

It was then when I realized that I had been lying to myself, I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t feel as though my life was about to end either. What I wanted was just the chance at a normal life like everyone else around me. Although, because of all that suffering I went through, deep down, I still hoped that this sensation I was going through was indeed death, but then... this shallow hope was shattered when I heard them.

“He’s not dead! Let’s get down there!” shouted the yakuza.

“I’ll call for backup!” the soldier sounded angry.

“What luck!” the doctor sounded excited.

I blinked surprised and then looked around confused. I wasn’t on the ground but in a truck. I had landed in a truck filled with fluffy feather-filled cushions. Looking up again, I saw the ripped hole in the waterproof fabric, which covered the truck.

“You have got to be kidding me!” I said and quickly struggled to get out.

I didn’t die and that could only mean one thing, the yakuza and the soldier could still come after me, grab me and then drag me back to harvest my organs. I couldn’t wait around, I had to run!

“Hey! You ruined my truck! You gotta pay!” shouted the driver at me as he stepped out of the vehicle just as I jumped off.

“I’m sorry!” I apologized.

The driver, annoyed and angered by my deed, picked up a couple of rocks and threw them at me. None of them even hit me. He was such a bad shot even my extreme bad luck could not work in his favor.

Still, I had to wonder just how much did the Universe, did God hate me?

I was not allowed to die and all that awaited me was a life of torture. I found even my useless running away was nothing more than a pathetic attempt at avoiding a fate already set in stone. I cried, shedding buckets of tears, but my cries were muted by my body’s starving need for oxygen. I huffed and puffed, breathing hard and fast.

At the first intersection, I took a turn. A few passersby cursed me as I almost bumped into them, and a few cars honked at me when I crossed the street even though it was a red light for them. But that wasn’t all, a pigeon dove in and smeared my right shoulder with its droppings. When I stepped onto the sidewalk on the other side, a child no older than five picked up a rock and threw it at me. I blocked it with my left hand and flinched from the pain.

“There he is!” I heard the shout of a soldier.

My racing heart and frightened mind pushed me to head towards a nearby dark alley.

“Ugh!” I groaned.

“Owie!” a woman said.

In my hurry, I did not see her and accidentally bumped into her. No doubt she was sure to hit me or even curse me, so I quickly got up and apologized.

“I’m sorry. P-please forgive me!” I begged with tears in my eyes and a trembling voice.

If she was some random stranger or a friend of my pursuers, I had no idea. Thanks to my foggy vision and the darkness in the alley, it made it hard for me to get a proper look at her. Nonetheless, I extended my hand to help her up. I believed it was the polite thing to do after such an unfortunate event, but the moment our hands touched, a strange yellow light surrounded us both and my heart skipped a beat. It startled me, but once she was up, I heard the soldiers closing in on me, and afraid of being captured, I let go of her hand.

“Sorry!” I said as I ran away as fast as I could from there.

I had no idea how far behind me the yakuza and the soldiers were, but I had to try my best to get away from them. There was no time for me to stay around and chat about such a strange event, then again, there was the more probable situation of her starting to scream rape and even start dragging me off to the police station by herself.

Thus, I ran... I fled in horror and fear from those who wished me harm and death.