In a small town lies Kaijo High School, but our story no longer takes place there. In the city of Tokuko, five hours from Kaijo, 4 old friends, who were a part of their high school culture club, alongside some new faces, embark on the next stages of their lives, and this is their story...
Kaijo High School. March 2016
Lizzy: You're looking very happy today
Kieran: Yeah, Ash and I are off somewhere after school
Lizzy: Ok, I didn't need that information
Kieran: You asked
Lizzy: No I didn't
Kieran: You just-
Lizzy: I made an observation. I stated that you were looking happy, I didn't ask why
Kieran: I....
Lizzy: I'll have my apology now thank you
Kieran looks at her
Lizzy: I mean it. If you don't apologise, you won't be going anywhere after school
Kieran continues to stare
Lizzy: I'm serious
Kieran: .....Sorry
Lizzy: That's better
Kieran: Wish the damn bell would go
Lizzy: Why? You can't leave until I say you can
Yazzy enters the classroom
Yazzy: Hey
Lizzy: Hey
The school bell goes signalling the end of the day. Kieran immediately gets up and runs out the classroom
Lizzy: Hey! Get your ass back here
Yazzy: What's up with him?
Lizzy: He's got something, I don't really care in all honestly
Yazzy: I just saw Ash run off as well
Lizzy: Yeah, he said they both had something
Yazzy: What could it be?
Lizzy: He's probably being sterilised or something hopefully
Yazzy: What if she's pregnant?
Lizzy starts laughing
Lizzy: I forgot how funny you can be. That was a good one
Yazzy: Yeah I guess that is unlikely
Lizzy: Unlikely? More like impossible
Kaijo Hospital. October 20th
Lizzy: Is he ok?
Doctor: We need to run some tests to be sure but we think that the injuries he's sustained over the last few weeks have caused significant internal damage. We're taking him into surgery to deal with the injuries and we'll have a clearer update for you afterwards
Lizzy takes a seat in the waiting room. and waits. Exhausted, Lizzy doesn't have the strength to move. She shuts her eyes for a little while, exhausted after a long few days. When she wakes she's not sure how many hours have passed but she knows it's been a long time. The sun, which had been slowly rising before she closed her eyes, was now making the long descent back towards the ground. She's watched the sun pass through the waiting room, and now it's beginning to lower. She realises her cell is off, having turned it off before she found Kieran. She turns it off and gets a flurry of messages begin to come through. She's too tired to answer them right now, she doesn't have the strength, mentally or physically, so she puts the cell back in her pocket, and continues waiting
March 2016. Kaijo
Kieran: I know the nurse described it all but I still can't work it out
Ash: Look, that's the head, and then this down here is the body
Kieran: I still can't work it out
Ash: You're not gonna be like this when they baby's born are you?
Kieran: I hope not
They both laugh
Ash: I'm glad that I'm doing this with you
Kieran blushes
Kieran: Y-y-you are?
Ash: I just think this is something that would normally scare people, and yeah it is scary, but I feel like it's ok because I'm with you, you make me feel safe and that everything that's about to happen, will be ok. Everything's stacked against us, people will judge us, Lizzy will probably kill you
Kieran: No probably about it
Ash: But no matter what, I know I can deal with it all, we can deal with it all because we have each other
Ash grabs Kieran's hand
Ash: I love you
Kieran: I love you too
They walk off hand in hand towards Ash's house
Kaijo. October 20th 2024
Doctor: Lizzy?
Lizzy: How is he?
Doctor: He's out of surgery and he's now resting. We've put him into a medical coma for a little while to allow his body the chance to rest
Lizzy: Can I see him?
Doctor: He's currently in recovery and we don't allow visitors there I'm afraid, but he will be moved to the ICU shortly and you will be able to see him. Would you like us to make you up a bed?
Lizzy: Huh?
Doctor: If you want to stay here overnight, it's not a problem, we can make a bed up for you in his room
Lizzy: Uh, yeah, I guess
Doctor: I'm sure he'll really appreciate the fact that his girlfriend was there with him
Lizzy: I'm not his girlfriend!
Doctor: Oh sorry, you just seemed so worried about him
Lizzy: Well we've been through a lot together over the years
Doctor: Ah I see. Well take a seat and we will let you know when you can visit him
Lizzy: Thanks
Lizzy takes a seat back in the waiting room. Girlfriend? She can't believe the doctors words, she decides that she's going to hurt Kieran when he wakes up for putting her in a situation where someone would think that, but first she did genuinely hope that he would wake up, and soon. She decides it's time to turn back on her cell, after waiting a few seconds for it to fully load, she's attacked by a series of messages. Katie, Yazzy, Tori, Delia, Michi. All messaging for updates, all wanting to know if everything is ok. She decides to reply only to Katie
Lizzy: Found him. Wanted to kill him but he flopped on me. Now in hospital. Rescue me
She puts her cell away and tucks herself back into the chair
Kaijo. March 2016
Ash: I wish we could stay like this forever
Kieran: Me too. You and me against the world
Ash: Don't forget this one
Ash puts her hand on her stomach
Kieran: How could I forget
Ash: Promise me
Kieran: Promise you what?
Ash: Promise me that you'll never leave me
Kieran: Ash come on, that's a given
Ash: I mean it. I love you so much, I can't imagine my life without you
Kieran: As if I would leave. For starters, I live in your house
Ash: You're the best thing that ever happened to me
Kieran: You know that I can never thank you enough for everything, you pulled me out of a hole that I thought I was lost in forever
Ash: I would do it all again, ten times over
Kieran: I just can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you
Ash: We should make it official
Kieran: Huh?!
Ash: Make it official. Marry me
Kieran starts blushing
Kieran: You're joking right?
Ash: I'm dead serious. Marry me Kieran
Kieran: O-o-o-ok
Ash takes his hand and he follows it up with a kiss
Ash: I don't want to leave this moment
Kieran: Then let's just stay here for now. You and me, my fiancée
Kaijo Hospital. October 2024
Kieran: Ughhhh....where am I?
Lizzy: The hospital you dolt
Kieran: Why am I here?
Lizzy: Because you so inconveniently collapsed on me at the school. I had to call the freaking ambulance and everything
Kieran: I'm sorry
Lizzy: Yeah you better be, because the damn doctor thought I was your girlfriend
Kieran laughs and then winces in pain
Kieran: Ow, it hurts to laugh
Lizzy: Good, no laughing for you. Do you know how embarrassed I was?
Kieran: I bet you loved it
Lizzy hits him
Kieran: Ok...you didn't...I take it back
Lizzy grabs ahold of his hand
Lizzy: I'm glad you're ok
Kieran looks up at her and smiles, she then realises what she has done and immediately pulls her hand back, before slapping him around the face
Lizzy: Don't get the wrong idea you hentai pervert
Kieran: Hentai? I'm not the one that has hanime saved on their freaking computer
Lizzy: It's for my research. Just because you're too vanilla to deal with a bit of pixelated dick
Kieran: Why? Just why?
Lizzy: I'm just gonna quickly go and call the hotel, I need to extend my stay, since clearly you won't let me go home yet. I also need to call Michi and say that I won't be back to work for a few more days
Kieran: I appreciate it
Lizzy: I'm not doing it for you, you dolt
Lizzy charges off out of the room, leaving Kieran behind. He's tired, so he closes his eyes, but he's not at the point of sleeping yet. He hears the door to his room open and assumes it's Lizzy back after her phone call, but the room stays silent, unusual for Lizzy. He opens his eyes slightly to see a figure in the room, he recognises the shape but he can't believe that it could be
Kieran: Am I dreaming?
Ash: Yes, yes you are
It's her voice. There's no doubt about it. The voice he hasn't heard in over 8 years. He decides that he's definitely dreaming but he realises he doesn't want to wake up from this dream
Kieran: Ash? I've missed you so much
Ash: I've missed you too
Kieran: It's so good to hear your voice, even if I am dreaming it all
Ash: I told you I'd never leave you
Kieran: I know
Ash: It's a shame that you left me though
Kieran: What do you mean?
Ash: You left me all alone
Kieran: You died. I saw you
Ash: You promised me you would stay by my side forever, and you left me, all alone, I had to rebuild my life, without you
Kieran: Your death, I never recovered
Ash: Are you sure about that? Yazzy? Kaylin? You seemed to be doing just fine without me
Kieran: Ash you have to understand, it'd had been four years, everyone told me I had to move on
Ash: So much for you and me and no one else
Kieran: Ash I'm sorry
Ash: It's ok, because I'm going to make sure that we're going to be together again, just like it should be
Kieran: I don't understand
Ash moves over to the bed and inserts a strange liquid into his bloodstream
Ash: You go back to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up, as I always am. It won't be long now
Ash sneaks out of the room, as Kieran lays there, still believing it was all a dream, unaware that Ash was actually in the room. Out in the corridor, Ash attempts to sneak away but she sees Lizzy turn the end of the corridor. She immediately darts out of sight but she's unsure if she was actually seen
Lizzy: GOD DAMN IT. WHO THE FUCK SHUT THE DOOR. I CAN'T OPEN IT WITH ALL THIS CRAP IN MY HANDS
Lizzy has picked up snacks, for her, not Kieran, and now she can't open the door that Ash shut behind her. Realising she hasn't been seen. Ash slips away
Kaijo. March 2016
Doctor: We're very sorry to tell you that she didn't make it through the surgery, she died.
Kieran: NO! NO! NO! Please! NO!
Kieran breaks down in front of the doctor, Lizzy does her best to support him as she battles the tears herself
Lizzy: I don't understand. How could this have happened?
Doctor: The impact from the truck left some serious internal injuries, even if she had survived the surgery, it's unlikely she would have survived the week
Lizzy: I need- I- I need to call her parents
Kieran: Let me
Lizzy: No, you're in no state. I'll be back soon
Lizzy walks off
Kieran: Umm, Ash was pregnant, about 3 months
Doctor: I'm sorry but there's no way a baby would have survived
Kieran: I don't know what to do, how to go forward
Doctor: I'll get one of our counsellors to come and talk to you, once again, I'm very sorry for your loss
2 Days Later. March 2016. Kaijo High School
Nurse: Hey, you said that the girl who died a couple of days ago was pregnant?
Doctor: That was what her boyfriend told me, he said she was three months
Nurse: The blood tests are back and there's no sign of any elevated hormones associated with pregnancy, and the doctor who performed the autopsy said there was no sign of a foetus being present at all
Doctor: She was never pregnant?
Nurse: Apparently so
Doctor: He seemed so certain
Nurse: Maybe she was lying?
Doctor: Seems a bit extreme
Nurse: Well the evidence is all there, the girl that died, the body on the table, she wasn't pregnant
Kaijo Train Station. October 21st 2024
Yazzy: Well, we made it
Tori: Finally
Delia: Took long enough
Katie: I miss my figures
Michi: Wait, why am I here?