How to be Happy: Futility in Choosing

Chapter 6: Familiarity

      "So.. you guys have any.. hobbies?" Akira asks, as I began to grasp my chest.
"Hearing you try to start small talk hurts my soul." I said, as Shizuka snickers.

"YOU GUYS JUST AREN'T TALKATIVE ENOUGH!"
"Jeez, you really are the mom of the group." I said, as she looks over at me.

"What did you say?"
"Eyes on the road!" I said to her, as she slaps my shoulder. 

"Anyway, where's this hospital you were talking about?" Akira asks, as Shizuka shows me her notepad.
"Where did you put my brother?"

"It's in the ruined streets of Sutareta, a secret underground hospital, often called
'The Joy Shelter'." I said, as Akira passed the town's sign.

"So how do you know Momoru?"

"Through your boyfriend, Rhed. I was assigned to protect you and all his associates, and he told me about you guys. I don't do things unless I'm told, and I complete what I'm told to do. So I protected Shizuka's brother, Momoru. I'm also protecting everyone at the hospital, but you're my main concern." I spoke briefly.

Shizuka showed me her notepad, as I leaned back to read it.
"Thank you! :)"

"Aw, no problem!"

"Hold on.. is that Kokoru?" Akira asks, as she slows down the car.

"It is! Shizuka, put Rhed's body in the back seats."
"Shouldn't we treat his body with respect?" I asked her, as she rushed us.
"As long as you don't touch his tenders, I think he'll be alright." She said, as I shrugged and put his body in the third row seats, as I sat back down in the front.

"Need a ride? You look like shit." Akira asks, as Kokoru, or the cyclops, stands over a very familiar face.

"We'd like that." The girl says, as she steps into the car.

Kokoru stares dead at the floor of the car, as Akira speaks.

"What's wrong?"
"Everything."

Wait.. 

"Wait a second.. Noa?"
"Who are you?"

"It's me, Kanashi! We were childhood friends, you and I were in the gang in Nozumu until you moved out with your parents!"

"Wait.. Killer Kanashi?!"
"Let's not say that here, because then I'd have to explain." I said, as we both chuckled and faced the front.

"Kokoru, Rhed's told me a lot about you. You don't seem like how he described, however." I said, as Noa and Kokoru both looked depressed, looking out the window.

"You don't have to ask them, Kanashi." Akira tells me, as Kokoru speaks.

"Has anyone told you that you act like a mom yet, Akira?"
"Again with this. You are so lucky we're close to the hospital, or I'd stop this car right now and turn you into the police station.

"Good luck with that. Nobody's there to take me in, let alone throw me in a cell."
"He's not lying." Noa adds, as I look to the left and see the subway entrance. 

"Stop here."

We all got out of the car, as Kokoru carried Rhed on his shoulder.
"Let me lead the way."

As we walked in, Shizuka and Noa both looked really scared, so they hid behind Akira. Kokoru managed to scare a bunch of people staring, as the guide welcomes me.

"Ah, Kanashi brings yet anoth-"

Noa steps up and slaps the man. 

"Ow.. wait.. Noa?"
"What do you call yourself now, 
Toshiro?"

"Heh, still Toshiro. Just for that, Your friend here can stay as long as he'd like. Down the hall to the left, he'll share a room with Momoru." Toshiro says, as I chuckled and began to walk.

"Nice to know you still talk to him." I said to Noa, as she scoffed.
"I thought he died when the bombs fell."
"I'm glad your alright though. Where's Tafu?"

".." Noa didn't answer, as she looked down. Kokoru looked really upset too, as I connected the dots.

"I'm sorry for your loss."
"No, it's fine."

We make it into the room and set Rhed down on a bed, as Kokoru walks out of the room. Noa sits down in front of Rhed, as Shizuka comforts Akira, holding Rhed's hand.

Who should I check up on first..?
Kokoru seems really upset, I'll check on him first.

I walked out of the room to see Kokoru outside, smoking a cigarette. 
"You alright?"

"Rhed didn't ask you to check on well-being. He just told you to protect us, so what do you want?"
"I'm not heartless, I can check on a pal, can't I?"

"Don't do that. Don't call me your friend, last guy that did that is in there, wires in his arms and a rabbit foot up his ass." Kokoru says, as I clench my fist. 

No.. No. You don't do anything without being told to do it. You are here to help.

"What's going on? If you don't tell me, it won't be solved."
"Fine."

"Noa's a victim of war, a war my father led."

"Holy shit."
"You can't tell her, though. If you tell her, I'll make sure you'll be breathing out of a tube the rest of your life." Kokoru says, as I nodded.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to tell her, but eventually she's gonna figure it out."
"You know what I suggest? Don't tell her until you find that one moment where she'd understand." I told him, as he looked over at me.

"Good idea. You're not bad, Kanashi. Not bad at all." Kokoru says, as he puts out his cigarette using his eyepatch.

As me and Kokoru walked in, Akira asks us.

"Hey, where's Noa?"
"Hm? She isn't here?" Kokoru asks, as Akira begins to panic.

"I thought she was with you!"

"It's alright, relax. I'll look for her, you just stay here." I said to them, as I left the room and began to walk around, looking for her.

I see her near the entrance, leaving the hospital. As I walk toward her, Toshiro stops me.

"Look man, I have somewhere to be."
"Leaving so soon? She doesn't want you following her, so just go back to the room, ok?"

I push Toshiro lightly, as he loses balance and trips. I began to walk to Noa, as she turns to face me.

"Hey, where're you going?"
"O-Oh, just to get some food for.. all of us! I'll be back soon."

"My old man always said I had a good nose, and he's right. I can smell bullshit a mile away."

"Look, I just don't feel like I belong here. They're all so nice and I don't feel like I deserve this, right after a death too.."

"Look, I can't stop you from leaving, but I can warn you. We're being followed by this Yaku-"

"WHERE IS HE?!" I hear ring out behind us, as Noa and I look behind us to see men in suits terrorizing Toshiro.

"I wouldn't tell you, even if you bribed me!"

They threw Toshiro to the ground, as Kokoru steps out from the room and closes the door behind him.

"You're staying to fight, there are the same guys who could've offed Tafu." I said to her, as she and I walked in front of the men in suits. Kokoru walks up to us, as we get ready.

"As if my fists weren't bloodied enough."