trigger warnings: death, graphic descriptions (bruises, cuts, blood), etc.

―

Tokyo, Japan
June 12th, 2064
4:24 AM (GMT+9)

"Is this the place?" asked Natsuki.

Haruka, Natsuki, and Fuyumi are currently standing in front of an apartment building.

A half hour ago, they received a call from Kenta. He told them that he was held captive in Tanaka Subaru's house in Osaka, which is the reason he was absent for the past few days. He also explained about Tanaka and his gang's plans. One of them is kidnapping Akira, hold her captive and torture her. Kenta also revealed the location of Tanaka's apartment. Akira might be there.

The siblings have called the police to back them up and pick up Kenta. They have also informed their family in Hasetsu, but it's just the three of them for now.

"Apartment 20, fifth floor." Haruka looked down at a piece of paper in his hand.

"The question is," Fuyumi raised her head and stared at the building. "how do we get in?"

"You're right. This is a luxurious apartment unit with tight security." Haruka responded.

Natsuki stared at the building, then looked around. "There's gotta be away to break in."

Haruka shook his head. "No. I don't think so. We can only wait for the police to come here."

Natsuki sighed. He turned and took a few steps.

"Where are you going?" Fuyumi asked.

"How about we just circle around this building?" Natsuki suggested. "Maybe we'll find the apartment."

Haruka approached Natsuki and held his wrist before he could go any further. "What for? Are you sure we can tell which one is his apartment? And if we did find the apartment, what should we do next?"

"The Aki I know won't just sit down and wait for someone to save her. She must have thought of a way to escape and one of the ways to escape is through the window! So, come on, let's―"

CRASH!

The eyes of the three siblings widened when they heard the sound of glass shattering.

They were sure that something is wrong.

Natsuki didn't hesitate at all and quickly ran to the source of the voice. Haruka and Fuyumi followed behind him.

The three continued to run until they saw many pieces of glass on the ground, a few meters in front of them. Three of them were afraid to step any closer.

BAM!

A gunshot was heard from above, causing Fuyumi to scream.

The three were trembling hard, but they forced themselves to look up. There, they witnessed a person falling from the fifth floor.

All of the sudden, the vision of Hitomi falling from the third floor back in the year 2061 flashed in their minds.

They snapped back to reality after the person finally fell on top of the pile of shattered glass.

None of them were brave enough to approach the person's body and find out if they are still alive.

No, there is no way that person is still alive. No one could survive falling from the fifth floor into a pile of shattered glass.

The three siblings couldn't move at all. They were still shaking. Cold sweat ran down their skin. Their breath hitched. Their hearts thumping. Fuyumi was already crying in Haruka's arms, while her brothers were still holding back their tears.

Finally, Haruka decided to pluck up the courage and approach the body. He gave Fuyumi to Natsuki before stepping towards the person lying in front of them.

He was in panic. He was afraid to get even near to the body. He was afraid of the possibility of the person being her.

His heart was beating louder than before and he tried so hard to breathe normally. He also tried to avoid stepping on any fragments of the glass.

At last, Haruka could finally see the person clearly. That person was a girl. She was only wearing an oversized white shirt―now red because of her blood―and shorts. Her head was nearly bald. Her hair was cut recklessly and blood were coming out of her head as she just hit her head on pieces of shattered glass. Her face was filled with bruises and cuts. Not just her face, but also her arms and stomach. For sure, she had been beaten up several times and cut with either a knife or scissors. On her wrists, there were burn marks―presumably caused by cigarettes. She was shot in between her chest and stomach. Hickeys were all over her neck and shoulders. On her thighs, inappropriate words such as "I'm a slut", "a filthy whore", "Subaru's little bitch", etc. were carved there. Her legs were broken, which Haruka assumed were intentionally broken by someone so that she couldn't escape.

Haruka covered his mouth. Although her face had been damaged, he could still recognize her. He didn't want to believe it but the girl lying dead in front of him was indeed Akira.

Haruka noticed that Natsuki had guided Fuyumi to him and the corpse. Natsuki gasped at the sight. Fuyumi couldn't handle looking at the body and burst into tears.

Natsuki turned his head to Haruka. His eyes were pleading to Haruka to tell him that the girl wasn't Akira and all of these were just a part of his dream. Haruka looked down. He said nothing until he nodded and mumbled, "It is her."

Natsuki's legs went numb and his knees came in contact with the ground. He couldn't bear it anymore.

That place was filled with screaming and wailing before the police and the rest of the family members arrived.