“Yami!”

Rikai ran up to Yami’s body which lay on the cold, hard ground. His face was petrified.

“Yami, what’s wrong?! Get up!”

Shinkai laughed maniacally.

“This is the best part! He fell for it the moment he looked into my eyes! In about ten seconds after making eye contact, he’ll have spent 100 years in my Sirushi Inochi! I absolutely love the look on peoples’ face as they awake in this world after being dead in another!”

“What are you talking about?!”

Shinkai had an evil grin.

“You’ll see in about two seconds.”

----------------------------------------

Yami lay numbly on his back.

“Where am I? I feel just like that other time… No, this is different. I must be kept in this condition medically. Did I lose against her that easily? I don’t know what happened, I just looked into her eyes and… and now I’m…. Where am I?”

Yami felt something warm grab his left hand.

“What is that? It’s… soft.”

The darkness enveloping his vision began to become disrupted by an annoying white light.

“I’m not seeing The Creator again, am I?”

“Sei?”

“That voice…”

Yami began to blink his groggy eyes. The light pouring in from the windows made it clear that Yami had been asleep for a while. As his eyes began to adjust, he began to make out the shape of a woman.

“There’s no way…”

Yami squeezed his hand around the hand that was grasping his. Tears began to drip onto his hospital gown.

“Sei dear? Are you awake?”

With his right hand, Yami wiped his eyes. Blinking one more time, he opened his eyes to a woman, about 45 years old. She had blonde hair, glasses, and her wrinkled cheeks made visible how happy this woman had been in her life.

“M-Mom…”

The woman let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness! If something had happened to you, Sei, I don’t know what I would’ve-”

The woman’s sentence was interrupted as Yami jolted up and wrapped his arms around her.

“Mom… I’ve missed you so much…”

Yami’s mother smiled and embraced Yami back.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

After a few moments, Yami released his mother and wiped his teary eyes with his arm. As he did so, he noticed all of the wristbands with his identification and IV’s sticking out of his arms.

“How are you here right now, Mom?”

Yami’s mother looked at him with confusion.

“What do you mean, Sei? I drove here.”

Yami shook his head.

“And why do you keep calling me Sei?”

Yami’s mother chuckled.

“Stop it, you! That’s not funny!”

Yami became frustrated.

“This isn’t either! How are you here? And what happened to me?”

Yami’s mother covered her mouth in shock.

“I’ll be right back. Stay here.”

Yami watched as his mother ran into the hallway. A few minutes later, she returned to the room with a doctor, presumably the one taking care of Yami.

“Hello there, young man. How are you feeling?”

Yami clenched his left fist.

“Confused. I don’t know what’s going on. I especially don’t understand why the hell she’s here, and why she keeps calling me Sei! I need to go ba-”

A comforting hand held Yami’s left fist. His mother smiled at him.

“I want to know what happened as well, so we need to stay calm for now, alright?”

Yami’s fist loosened.

“Don’t worry, young man. I’ll try to help you fill in as many gaps as possible. Firstly, my name is Dr. Fulbeak. You are currently in the hospital. Do you remember anything prior to waking in here?”

Yami looked down at his stomach.

“I was fighting outside of the school. Oh shit, that’s right! I need to get my classmates out! How long has it been since I was admitted!?”

Dr. Fulbeak flipped through a clipboard he was holding.

“What school do you attend?”

“Shifuku High.”

Fulbeak shook his head as he went through the clipboard. Yami’s mother looked towards the ground.

“It’s as we expected. Son, what’s your name?”

“I’m your patient, and you don’t even have my name? I’m Yami. Yami Shinpai.”

His mother looked at him in shock.

“How?”

Yami looked at her with confusion.

“‘How’ what?”

“How do you know your father’s last name?”

Fulbeak held up his hand.

“Ma’am.”

She nodded in apology.

“Alright. Yami Shinpai, you say?”

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Fulbeak sat on a bed next to Yami.

“Yami, I can understand why you’re confused, so if I may, I’d like to explain what happened. Your name is Sei Kiraku. You attend Yume High. About a month ago, you were struck by a drunk driver while walking home from school. You were in a coma this whole time, and, for a period, on life support. It appears that being in a coma for this whole extent of time has caused you to develop amnesia, and you are replacing your memories with ones made of hallucinations.”

Yami shook his head.

“No. That isn’t what happened. And my name isn’t Sei. It’s Yami.”

Yami’s mother began to cry.

“I understand that it may be difficult to overcome this obstacle. Amnesia is one of the most difficult things to break out of, and truthfully, you may never be able to. If I may, I’d like to do an MRI to make sure your brain wasn’t damaged. Afterwards, if you are feeling well, I’d like you to go for a walk. Laying still for a month has likely caused your muscles to atrophy.”

Yami looked defeated.

“Fine. I’ll go along with what you want.”

----------------------------------------

Yami walked alongside his mother in the hospital’s courtyard. Yami occasionally began to stumble, and promptly, his mother caught him.

“Mom, since I obviously have no memories of me in this world, please tell me about myself.”

“Well, you are an only child. Actually, that’s not fair to you. You had a brother and sister, but they, along with your father, died in a car accident before you were born. To escape the bad memories, I moved up here and gave birth to you, which is why you have my maiden name.”

“I see. I understand why you were confused now.”

“What are the chances of you knowing your father’s last name after waking from a coma? Anyways, you don’t look it now because you haven’t eaten in a while, but you were slightly chubby. That didn’t matter though, because it didn’t cause you any problems. You always stopped to help people, and hated any kinds of violence.I don’t think you have a girlfriend, and I never met a lot of your friends, but I could hear you talking to them on your computer every night.”

“Heh. I guess some things never change.”

“What were my interests?”

“Hmmm…. You really enjoyed painting in your freetime.”

Yami chuckled.

“Sorry, Mom, but as it stands right now, that is one of my least favorite things.”

Yami’s mother frowned.

“That’s a shame. I always enjoyed seeing your paintings. I found it really inspirational.”

“What about my education?”

Yami’s mother laughed nervously.

“You never particularly excelled in any subjects. You worked hard, don’t misunderstand me, but you would only manage to get by. Nothing ever stuck.”

“How old am I?”

“You’re 15. You’re currently a freshman.”

“Me too.”

“Well, you are the same person, after all.”

Yami’s mother smiled at him, hoping to get the same response, yet Yami kept looking forward with a stern look on his face.

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself, Se- I mean, Yami?”

“You can call me Sei. I understand how you feel. Like I said, I’m 15 and a freshman. I excel in all subjects, yet I still enjoy online gaming. I have a brother and a sister, as well as a father. My mother… You died when I was 12. My life has been hell ever since. My father and sister constantly harasses me, and my brother rarely comes home, but I don’t blame him.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. I’d never imagine my husband would be so cruel to you.”

“Actually, I think my life is going to change again. Shortly before I awoke here, I killed my father…”

“S-Sei! You killed him?!”

Yami looked at the ground as he kept walking.

“Yes.”

----------------------------------------

A month passed, and Yami opened the door to his new house.

“Wow! You must be rich, Mom!”

For just two people living there, the house was huge. A large open living room, completely furnished with new appliances welcomed Yami immediately.

“We get by.”

Yami turned to face his mother.

“So what is it you do, Mom?”

“I’m a vet, primarily, but I also do research for animal medicines, which provides us with the majority of our income. You also sold your paintings from time to time. Some would go up to $500, you know.”

“Wow, really? That’s pretty hard to imagine myself doing.”

Yami’s mother opened a door which led to Yami’s room. It was a spacious room with a balcony, skylight, and gaming setup.

“This… this is a dream…”

Yami’s mother put her hand on his shoulder.

“Nope. This is your life.”

Yami’s mother walked out of his room.

“By the way, I’d like you to return to school as soon as possible. I don’t mean to rush you, but as soon as you feel able to, I feel it’d be best.”

“Y-Yeah.”

“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything. Get some rest.”

“Okay.”

As Yami’s mother shut his door, Yami looked at his palm. There was no Sirushi Inochi on his palm.

“Looks like this is a different world. If what they say is true, I must’ve died in this world, and I somehow slipped in to replace him.”

Yami fell back onto his bed.

“The real question is what happened. I need to to get back to my world, but I don’t have any idea how I was put in here in the first place. I just remember seeing those eyes…”

----------------------------------------

One week later…

“I’m heading out!”

“Do you remember the street names?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay! Do your best!”

As Yami shut the door behind him, he slipped his backpack over his right shoulder. As he walked down the street, he heard someone yelling towards him.

“Sei! SEI! Wait up!”

Yami stopped and turned to face the voice. It was a beautiful korean girl with short black hair with pink highlights running towards him. Finally reaching her destination next to him, she stopped to catch her breath.

“You… usually… wait for me…”

Yami rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry, I don’t know who you are.”

“Oh, right. I’m Shukumei Shin, but you always called me Alexis.”

“Nice to meet you, Alexis. I assume you’re my friend?”

“Of course we are! We’ve known each other since Elementary School! Besides, our parents are close friends, so we see each other often anyways.”

Yami turned back in the direction of the school.

“Let’s get going then.”

Alexis nodded as they continued their journey to the school.

“So, how are you feeling? I imagine this whole thing must have you shaken up.”

“To be honest, I kinda just accepted that things are what they are right now, and that I’ll live this life to its fullest.”

“What do you mean, Sei?”

“I mean this isn’t my life, Alexis. For all I know, the Sei that you know is in my body in a different world. If that’s the case, I need to reverse this as soon as possible.”

“Sei, what’re you saying? You’re so serious all the sudden…”

Yami paused and looked Alexis in the eyes.

“Alexis, you seem like a very kind girl, and I’m sure that Sei loved you. The truth is, though, that I’m not him. He died in that car accident. My soul somehow drifted from my world into yours. I am Yami Shinpai, not Sei Kiraku. My skills and aspirations are completely different from Sei, and so is my past. As it stands right now, you don’t know me. You only know this body. If you’d still like to be friends, I wouldn’t mind, but do not assume you know me so intimately.”

Alexis gulped.

“Yup. You’re different for sure. But don’t worry. As long as we live near each other, we'll be friends!”

Alexis smiled at Yami, and Yami turned to smile back.

“Okay, Alexis!”

“So, what classes do you have?”

“Looks like I have… Algebra 1? Regular Biology, Regular English 9… Was I really THAT bad at school?”

Alexis chuckled.

“Yeah…”

“HEY! YOU TWO!”

Yami turned to see a group of five boys, his age, walking towards them. Alexis grabbed his arm.

“C’mon, Yami,” she whispered.

Before Yami could follow her, one of the boys grabbed Yami’s arm and pulled him to the ground.

“Hey there, Sei! We haven’t seen you in a while! You got skinnier, too! Don’t tell me you became bulimic?”

“Who are you?”

The boys snickered.

“Wow, so you really did lose your memory! Well, let me help you remember who we are. We’re your friends! You see, we all have fun together. We go to the arcade, the movies, restaurants, wherever! Plus, you’re always such a good friend, you always pick up the bill for us, even if you don’t come!”

“Really? What if I don’t?”

“Then we show you the new shoes you bought us. That usually changes your mind, but you ALWAYS cover the bill, so we only do that if we want to. In fact, you’ve been in the hospital for a while, haven’t you? Why don’t we help you remember our shoes?”

Yami’s stern eyes peered into the boy’s soul.

“If you want to try, go for it. I might even teach you a lesson you won’t forget.”

The staring contest was abruptly interrupted by the bell signaling class would start soon.

“Maybe later, Sei.”

The boys walked into the school laughing. Alexis walked up to Yami and picked up his backpack for him.

“Sorry, Yami. They always harass us, but if we just do what they want, then they’ll beat us up less.”

Yami picked himself off of the ground and dusted off his pants.

“Are you telling me they beat you, too?”

Alexis nodded.

“You would try to protect me, but you’d just get it worse.”

Handing him his backpack, Alexis waved.

“I’m going to class, then. See you after school, Yami!”

Yami waved.

----------------------------------------

Yami looked down at a piece of paper. It was his schedule.

“I’m glad that the counselor understood my circumstances. By dropping painting and switching it with gym, I should be able to regain some of my muscle mass.”

Walking into the locker room, Yami began to change. All of the boys in the room left, leaving Yami alone in the locker room.

“Simply put, I’m in no physical condition to keep fighting. When I blacked out, I was so exhausted, I don't know if I could even form two more spheres from my Sirushi Inochi.”

The door to the locker room opened, and Yami heard the footsteps.

“Five people.. Don’t tell me…”

Yami set his wallet and phone in his gym locker and shut it, placing the combination lock on it to lock it. From around the corner, the same group of boys from earlier in the morning walked up to Yami, making a circle around him.

“Hey, Sei. I figured we could cut class just this once to help our friend. We were thinking that all of us could go to laser tag, but only five are allowed on a team, so if you could cover us again, we’d appreciate it.”

“The only thing I should cover you guys with is a bedsheet to hide your ugly mugs.”

The boys laughed.

“OOOoooo, he’s gotten more feisty after the accident. Well, Sei, to give you a little encouragement, we brought our toy that you bought us before you got hit.”

The boy flipped open a switchblade.

“So, Sei, what’ll it be?”

Yami looked disappointed in the boys.

“Seriously? You’d go to prison for the rest of your life over some laser tag money?”

“Do you want us to show you how serious we are?”

The boys inched closer to Yami. Yami threw up his hands.

“Alright, you win. One second, my wallet is in my locker.”

“That’s more like it, Sei!”

Yami began to undo the combination lock.

“You know, I really like knives. I’ve practiced with a lot of them before. I just wanted to say that yours doesn’t look too good. If you want, I can give you some more money to buy a better one?”

The boys smirked.

“Well, how can you say that? You haven’t even held it.”

Yami undid the lock. Slipping it out of the locker loop, he opened his locker door quickly. Simultaneously, he locked the combination lock around his pointer finger on his right hand, then while the boys were watching the locker being swung open, Yami swung something else: his fist. Thee lock made contact with the fingers wrapped around the switchblade. Hearing a crunch and feeling extreme pain, the boy dropped the knife. Yami scooped it out of the air with his left hand. Swinging towards the ceiling, Yami hit the boy in the jaw, sending him on his back. Turning to face the other four, Yami clutched the knife in his hand. Seeing blades be opened in front of him, Yami deflected the incoming attacks, parrying and countering with his lock. Many swings later, all five boys were on the floor.

“Like I said, this knife is terrible. I wouldn’t have spent a nickle on this.”

Yami dropped the knife onto the belly of the boy who once held it.

“Thanks for the fun guys. But now for the lesson I was going to teach you. I am not the same person anymore. Also, if I hear that you worthless sacks of shit walked within 50 feet of Shukumei Shin, we’ll just have to have more fun. Got that?”

Blood flowed into the drain in the floor. The boys were covered in bruises.

“Sounds like you got the message. Bye, friends!”

Yami shut and locked his locker, then left the room. The boy with the switchblade had an angry expression on his face as he shed a tear.

“You’ll regret this, Sei. You AND this shithole of a school!”