17th October 1973
I was waiting for Kouru to meet up with us on 8.00pm that night. She was ten minutes late and reached us with her body drenched with sweat.
“Quick!” she said. “There’s no time to talk. We’re in danger!”
She dragged me and Shinta to the university’s clock tower. “It’s like this,” she started explaining. “There is a gang of bad guys searching for you and this boy of yours. I bet they might be among the men you had let down and I think that they are jealous about your relationship. They told me that they wanted to kill the both of you!”
“You’ve got to be serious, Kouru,” said Shinta. “This is no fun.”
“Why the heck should I lie to the two of you?” she cried. “By the way, it was you who took Kaoru from me. So, YOU are the evil villain here.”
“Why you…!”
Then, suddenly the gangsters entered the clock tower and without any warning, Kouru attacked them. I gasped in horror, seeing the violence happening in front of me. It was too unbearable to be watched, especially when your own best friend is the victim.
Kouru had defeated almost all of them except one. She seemed to have a little problem fighting with him, maybe because she’s already tired. Shinta and I weren’t able to do anything as she had threat us. But, when she almost falls of the tower, Shinta started to get into action. He hit the gangster at the neck and made him faint but, it was too late for him to grab Kouru’s clinging hand as she had slipped because of the pouring rain. We gasped in horror and rushed down to inspect her condition.
We reached the last flight of stairs and rushed outside into the rain. Then, there I saw her, lying down, lifeless. There was blood everywhere.
“KOURU!!!!” I shout out of grief. I ran to her side and clutched her. “KOURU! KOURU!!!!!”
I looked into her face and saw her eyes slowly opening.
“Kouru!?” I called out to her. She smiled and touched my face.
“Quite a terrible way to commit suicide, huh?” she said, weakly.
“Commit suicide!?” I asked, demandingly. “What do you mean by that!?”
“Hmph… I’m just kidding,” she answered weakly. “Don’t be too naive.”
I felt my eyes watering. “Kouru,” I said. “Both Shinta and I wanted to apologize for our feeling less act. He’s sorry for bringing the alienation between the two of us and I… I’m sorry… for ignoring you. I’m so sorry. We’re so sorry. Please forgive us.”
She smiled again pulled my face slowly to hers. She, then kissed my forehead and said, “It’s okay. I had long forgiven you both. It’s just that…” she reached for Shinta’s hand and attached it to mine’s. She then, continued. “It’s just that I want the both of you to be together… Forever… Shinta, look after her properly, please.”
“Mark my words, Kouru,” Shinta answered. “I’ll never leave her side.”
“I’m glad to hear that…” she said. She looked into the sky and smiled.
“I finally get to meet with you guys again,” she said in a low, almost unheard voice.It seemed like she is not talking to us, but she’s talking to the ‘thing’ she’s seeing in the sky. She held out her hand to the sky and her breath sounded like it’s getting out of her body. She then, died in my clutches, peacefully, smiling.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
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