-Nightmare(2)-
The moment the kid from Sylph race touched his forehead, Kenshin’s vision swam. Despite his bitter resistance, he was still unable to keep himself from losing consciousness. The next time when he regained his consciousness, he found himself staring into a very familiar room with a boy sleeping on the bed at the corner. The gears in his head started to turn as he tried to remember about the room, and soon enough he remembered after seeing the wallpaper pasted opposite to the bed with the picture of a man, while many darts penetrating various parts of that picture.
“It's my room back when we are living with our parents!?” as he realized this, Kenshin recalled that kid’s last words before he lost consciousness. He said something about reliving his worst nightmare again, and again…suddenly a bad feeling rose in his heart. Just as he was about to ponder over this matter, he heard a voice that he thought he would never ever hear again in his life, ever again.
“Kenshin, wake up!! It's already 8 Am, you have to go to school in two hours…” hearing the shout of this woman, the boy who was sleeping soundly woke up abruptly, then his face contorted into a frown as he let out an annoyed ‘tch.’ Looking at the clock, he scowled while thinking, ‘It's still 8 in the morning, why is that hag raving this early?’
“It's me!? And I can hear the thoughts?” as a third party observer, Kenshin was visibly shocked when he saw the events unfold as well as the ability to hear the boy’s thoughts. Then his eyes unconsciously landed on the calendar in the desk, the date made him wide his eyes as his heart filled with untold grief.
On it showed that day’s date, 17th November, the day that will change his life forever.
“Kenshin! You wake up yet? Can you please come down and help me with something, its very urgent.” The voice of his mom warmed Kenshin’s heart very much. Despite knowing that all this was mere illusions, he still felt incomparably happy and warm just by listening to them once again after so long.
“Huh! I can’t. Ask father, and stop bothering me this early, you stupid old woman!” the boy’s snarky remark nearly made Kenshin blow in anger as well as a mixture of shame and sadness. His biggest regret, which he had buried in his heart long ago, was playing in front of him, and here he was forced to watch it as a third-party entity. Now Kenshin realized just how cruel that kid’s move was. Its only thanks to his monstrous WIL, WIS, and INT that he wasn’t freaking out or going insane, but he wasn’t sure just how long he can maintain this calmness. After all, the worst had yet to happen.
Kenshin’s vision changed, and now he found his teen-self sitting in his old dining table. On one chair, a man was sitting while browsing something on his laptop. Kenshin bore 90% resemblance to this man, only a lot more younger. He also didn’t have those scars and bags below his eyes like this man does. To his side, a woman was sitting, as she buttered a piece of bread. Near her sat a little girl around 8 to 9 years old. The little girl had her hair in pigtails as she happily drinking her chocolate milk.
“Kenshin, I had received a mail from your teacher last night. He says you aren't attending classes for the past few days. What are you doing?” his father, the man who was browsing his laptop, asked calmly. He didn’t lift his head from the computer, but one could hear the disappointment and helplessness in his voice.
“What!? he isn't attending classes? Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” the woman asked angrily. After that, she glared at the teen-Kenshin, “Tell me, you brat, why are you not going to classes?”
“Shut up, will ya? Where I go, what I do, its none of your business anyway. Why are you sticking your nose to my business?” the teen Kenshin shoved a toast into his mouth as he mumbled tactlessly. His eyes were looking down, to his new smartphone, he was fiddling with nonstop.
“Ki! Kenshin, is that any way to talk to your mother? Where is your respect for us?” the woman raged even more angrily as she shook her knife in front of him. She was very incensed at this irritating and abominable attitude her son had developed recently.
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Watching all this, despite just being an astral viewer, Kenshin felt his eyes moist. He dearly wished to just go in there and slap the hell out of his previous self, that unfeeling, selfish and ungrateful asshole. As he continued to watch the day, his memories started to return blurrily. He recalled asking something to his parents, then going away angrily after hearing rejection.
“Mommy, daddy, I have finished my milk. I am going to school. Mi-chan might be waiting for me.” The girl stood up from her chair and grabbed her bag. After giving her mom and dad a kiss each on their cheeks, she went away. She didn’t even spare a glance at the teen who was still playing with his phone. The later didn’t mind it anyway.
When Kenshin saw this, he couldn’t help but smile wryly. He could remember, in those days Akari wasn’t on good terms with him due to some fighting. This escalated to the point that the two siblings entirely stopped talking with each other. This continued until a few months after their parent’s death, before one day she had caught him crying in the balcony of their new house.
As the memories played out, Kenshin wasn’t idle either. He tried to get rid of this bind, but try as he might, he couldn’t do anything. He even couldn’t feel any of his organs or limbs, let alone do something. As it stands, he couldn’t even close his eyes. He was forced to watch the events unfold, even though he didn't like it even for a single second.
“Look at your little sister. See how sensible she is? Why can’t you learn something from her?” Kenshin’s mom lamented as she continued to spread butter on the bread, she was holding. It was for his father. To her snarky remark, the teen chose to ignore it and remain silent. After dealing with his mother for many years, the teen had realized when to speak and when to remain silent.
The teen then looked at his father and said: “Dad, you said you will bring me a PlayTonics Set. When will you bring me one?”
“Soon!” the man just gave a curt reply before continuing to browse his computer.
Bam!!
“You are telling me, ‘soon! Soon!’ since last month. When will be soon according to you? All my friends own one, when can I have one of my own?” the teen angrily slammed his hand on the table, and stood up. Then he angrily bellowed out before gnashing his teeth at the man.
“Ken, sit down!! Is this a way to talk with your father? Where is your respect? Besides, didn’t your father said he will bring you one soon, why are you impatient? Besides, did you know how much one of those costs?” Kenshin’s mom angrily retorted, unable to stomach the teen’s disrespect to his father.
“Shut up, you!! Don’t butt in when we are having a conversation…and you always give me this same excuse. Aren’t you both hunters? How can’t you afford just a small gaming console? Arrgh!! I am ashamed to be your son right now!!” after shouting this, the youth grabbed his bag and stormed off the house in a huff.
“Kenshin! Come back here and apologize to your father! Kenshin!! Muto Kenshin!!” the woman angrily shouted and just about to run off after the youth but was pulled back by the man.
“Don’t. Please don’t be hard on him. He is currently going through his rebellious phase, I am sure he will come around sooner or later, don’t be hard on him.” the man smiled as he assured the woman to not be angry with the teen. Seeing this, Kenshin, who was just a third party observer, couldn’t help but feel his eyes moistening. Before long, his cheeks felt warm as they became moist.
Looking at that wry smile of his dad, Kenshin wanted to shamefully lower his head but was unable to do so. He could only look at them while mumbling out, “I am sorry, dad! I am sorry, Mom!!” but even he knew his apology won’t correct the mistake that already happened. He dearly wished he could punch and beat that past self of his.
After seeing them like that, Kenshin felt a heart-wrenching pain. He felt his mental calmness gradually eroding as the day passed. He saw himself going to school, have fun and ditch classes. And finally, that time came when he knew his life would change forever.
While sitting in the park with his friends, Kenshin was having fun with. Just then, suddenly, his phone vibrated. Rummaging it out of his pocket, he saw it belonged to an unknown number.
“Hello?” he picked up, thinking that someone called him by mistake.
“Is this Mr. Muto Kenshin?” the voice of other party was clearly that of a woman’s. Kenshin suddenly found himself interested with the caller.
“Yes, I am. Can I know who is this?” teen-Kenshin asked courteously. Seeing him talk like that, his friends stared at him weirdly.
“I am calling from DCB office, we have news that your parents, Mr. Shingo and Mrs. Mieko have gone missing due to a mishap in the dungeon they entered at 2 PM of today. We suspect they have been passed away, so please come to DCB office nearest to you and report for further news. I am sorry for your loss, please don’t give up!” after that the call cut off.
“WHAT!!!!????” although the call was already cut off, the teen still shouted angrily at the phone.
Seeing this from a third-party point of view, Kenshin felt his heart could no longer take it as he started to struggle to end this. He struggled and struggled, but still, he was forced to see what happened next.