Restarting

The Beginning Of Many Ends

???: Amai! AMAI! Where are you! Mori! Nao! Rey! Where are you?!

Bloody walls and dead bodies riddled with holes from deep stab wounds made a mess of the red and white hallway he found himself stumbling down. His right arm had 3 broken fingers and a dislocated shoulder. The other arm had been covered with cuts and slashes along with the rest of his blood soaked body. The boy's face had blood gushing from the head injury placed just above his left eye and another cut that had gone across his left cheek. The blood leaked into his eye, he was seeing red when he didn't wince in pain.

Every few steps, he would trip over a body that was near unrecognizable, every lifeless body looked like some disgusting pile of matter. Akai Kenshi could barely hold onto his fading consciousness, his hands and legs felt cold and his face felt warmth from the blood that covered it now.

His voice cracked as he screamed out to his missing friends. "Amai! Nao! Please answer me-". He tripped over a body and smashed his broken fingers in a closed fist through some weird, mushy substance. "Ah god, what is that sme-". When Akai brought his almost lifeless gaze to his broken hand, he saw a crushed skull and his hand inside of it. "guh huha haaa"! Akai let out a shriek of terror and agony as he threw himself backwards onto another pile of bodies. His hand was covered in a thick and fleshy material. He tried to fling the brain matter off but it had infected his bright green shirt sleeve.

Akai: W-what the hell is this? Why is this happening again? I thought we fixed it. Why?

Akai continued to stare at his hand, desperately trying to keep his eyes so his imagination wouldn't haunt him with the images of Mori and Nao's mutilated bodies. The scent of scorched flesh and opened carcasses assaulted his damaged nose, he felt like throwing up every time he thought about his own blood. "I have to get up". Akai tried to move but he felt almost anemic and fell over as he vomited onto the middle of the hallway. "It hurts. My legs won't move and my eyes burn". Akai winced every time he tried to move his legs.

Akai: Dammit. Everything's going dark again.

The ground beneath suddenly felt like it had disappeared and the air around him felt stale once again. His vision began to fade and he felt the dreadful presence of the priestess's shadows approaching him. Just before the darkness covered him in it's lifeless embrace, a flash of bright white light exploded from the end of the hallway. In the center of this burst of blank light stood the silhouette of a young girl with long hair and a torn shirt. her eyes and mouth formed a sadistic red smile splattered with insanity and complimented by a large hunting knife.

Akai began crying tears that he couldn't feel when he realized who it was that stood before him, he attempted to mutter her name but his body gave up before his mouth could speak.

???: Heyooo! Akai! Buddy, you got to wake up bud. Amai's waiting for you at the station.

Akai opened his eyes and lifted his head off of his desk to find Tsuyoi standing next to and Sanae behind him with an especially annoyed look. She also had a rolled up newspaper equipped and ready to strike at a moments notice.

Akai: Huh?

Thwack!

Akai: Aooow! What why did you hit me Sanae!

Sanae: Hmpf, because you're being an i***t and making Amai wait for you which means my little Nao is waiting for YOU to get to the station.

Akai: What! What time is it?!

Sanae: Noon. Dumbass.

Akai: HUHH! Noon! Your Nao?! She's my little-

Thwack!

Sanae: Shut up and get out there or I'll hit you with a chair. Move it old man!

Akai: Yaa, ok ok ok. I'm going alright. Calm dow-

Sanae: Hurry it up or I'll have to stand in for you. . .hey, that wouldn't be too bad.

Akai: Sanae? Your face is scaring me.

Tsuyoi: Yeah, I second that.

A disturbing grin formed on Sanae's face while she fell into a daydream. "I'll step in for you Akai if you really don't wanna go. I mean, shouldn't it be an all girls trip anyway instead of 3 girls and 1 boy".

Akai/Tsuyoi: Gah, I never thought of that!

Tsuyoi: Hey Akai, try not to get carried away in that hotel alright. Amai's pretty and all but you really shouldn't at this age.

Akai: Don't worry about me Tsuyoi, I think we should be more concerned about Sanae stalking my little sister.

Sanae: Haa, my little Nao is so amazing.

Akai and Tsuyoi looked to each other and then looked back at Sanae with disappointed expressions until. . .

Sanae: Haaa, anyway, if you're going with them then hurry it up old hag. My little Nao is waiting for you!

Akai jumped into action with terror and adrenaline rushing through his veins, he was facing a truly formidable threat that he stood no chance of defeating.

Akai: Y-yes ma'am, right away. 2 minutes.

Sanae: Make it 1 and I might be satisfied. Get!

Tsuyoi/Akai: Right!

Both of them ran out the door immediately without ever considering what they may have forgotten or in one case, why.

Akai: What station did they say they'd be waiting at Tsuyoi?!

Tsuyoi: I'm pretty sure Nao said JR Kyoto Station.

Akai stopped in his tracks and rolled his eyes. "That's the other way Tsuyoi"!

Tsuyoi: Really?

Akai: Let's not play trivia and just get moving.

The two friends turned around and took off towards the train station with the thought of Sanae chasing them down with a rolled up newspaper gripped in each of her hands. A truly horrifying situation to find yourself in.

7 Minutes Later. . .

Mori: Ughhh, what's taking him so long? The train'll be here in a few minutes.

Amai: You were late to Mori, I see no difference.

Mori: There's a difference between 10 minutes and a half-hour.

Amai: I can't argue with you there can I?

Nao: At least we don't have to see you drooling over my brother Amai.

Amai: I-I what! I don't drool over him Nao, just because I'm always with him doesn't mean I'm that bad.

Nao: Whatever you say future in-law, just don't take things too far at the hotel alright. I don't need a niece yet.

Mori recoiled at Nao's statement and recoiled once again at Amai's lack of recoiling. Her sister stood there with a red face and a sick smile on her face.

Mori: Hey! I don't want a niece yet either Amai!

Nao: At least she isn't hiding how she feels from the world.

Mori: Wha-! You're like 12, why do you know this stuff!

The snarky little girl turned away and brought her hands up as she let out a "Heh" and closed her eyes.

Mori: What are you? A demon?

Amai: Why can't he be here already.

She let out a sad sigh.

Mori/Nao: What are you dreaming about!?

Almost like he heard them, Akai arrived at the train station sprinting at full speed with Tsuyoi hot on his tail. The image of psycho Sanae never left their minds and the thought of an angry Nao, it sent chills down their spines.

Akai/Tsuyoi: Guh hugh huh huh, jeez.

Nao: Oh look who's here. It's baka one and baka two showing exhausted and stinky for all of us to enjoy, lovely.

Akai: What! What's gotten into you today Nao? You seem, more tsunderish than usual.

Nao: What!

Mori: Pfft, hahahaha!

Amai: Tehehaha!

"Attention, Kanku Limited Express will be arriving momentarily".

Tsuyoi: Looks like we got here just in time. Good job Akai, you got a na-. gmm, hey!

Akai: Shut up! Nao's already in bad mood, I don't need her to kill me!

Nao: Huh? Say something?

Akai: Ignore that.

Nao: Ignore what? What did you say?

Amai: The truth and only the truth.

Nao: I didn't ask you Nakayama!

Amai: Huh? Who's-

Akai: My god, you actually read that? A true eye for talent I see, young Nao.

Nao: Hm hm, indeed I do my incredibly talentless older brother.

Akai and Nao stood back to back and put on a cocky expression with crossed arms. The sun reflected perfectly off of Nao's silver hair tie and Akai's shades that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Akai/Nao: HMM!

Tsuyoi/Mori: Huh?

The two of them c****d their heads sideways like confused dogs.

Amai: Wooow, Nao's so cuuute and Akai's so cooool!

Literally everyone: Huh? Seriously?

The train arrived right after Akai and Nao had their weird sibling moment and the group got onboard. Tsuyoi stayed back to make sure Yuna recovered properly from her infection.

Meanwhile, Amai was up to her usual overly protective attitude towards her lovely Akai. Mori was trying to keep Nao entertained and got a few one liners in on her sister. And Nao was just being Nao, not much to talk about.

Akai: Wait, did you call me talentless back there?

Nao: I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about.