Kami Hikouki

Len:

The stench of blood filled the air as the whip cracked, lashing and licking at the back of a friend. The rest of the prisoners were gathered as the beatings continued, long after my friend had gone limp and even after he stopped breathing. My heart clenched, and I felt bile rise painfully in my throat at the tang of blood invaded my nose. I forced it back down, telling myself I would not allow myself to get whipped just because I was disgusted by a smell I should have long gotten used to now, from myself and other prisoners.

"Get back to work, lazy pigs!" one of the soldiers in charge of hurting us roared angrily, startling many of us. I quickly got back to sweeping the ground. I stared blankly outside the fence, yearning to stand in the soft looking, green grass on the other side instead of the hard, brown, glassy dirt full of sharp rocks that threaten to cut at your feet painfully. I stare at the clean white building and compare it to the wooden, dirty, rotting building behind me, sighing at the unfairness. I looked back outside the fence, my eye caught by a young blonde girl in a cloudy blue dress with a matching sunhat. I smiled when she walked over to me.

"What's your name?" she asked me, smiling brightly. I wished she would take off the sunhat so I could see her eyes.

"Len Kagamine, what is yours?" I replied politely.

"Rin Narayuki," she tipped her hat back to reveal eyes that were a startling shade of blue, similar to mine. I knew my hair was blonde, under the thick, heavy layers of blood and dirt that were caked onto it. We could have been twins, really. "Meet here tomorrow?" she continued, snapping me out of my thoughts. I nodded a reply, making an 'I really should get back to work' expression. She understood, walking back toward that white building. Suddenly, I got an idea.

Rin:

I looked out the large window of my hospital room at the concentration camp across from it, eyes widened in horror at the occurrences inside. I could faintly hear screams and cries from one of the prisoners there as he was beaten to death in front of a large crowd. I saw a young prisoner look away in tears; the one being killed must have been his friend. Tears began to fill my eyes; what did they do to deserve all this?

My father walked in, saying "I had a rough day at the camps today, so I'll be going home early today, okay?" I nodded my reply, turning to look at him. We both noticed something off about the other.

"Your hands and uniform have blood on them!" I said at the same time he said, "You were crying?" he smiled, then whispered kindly and comfortingly, "You first."

"I was looking out the window a little bit ago and saw one of the prisoners getting whipped to death, and a young boy prisoner around my age was crying. He seemed so sad; I figured the one being killed was his friend. It was so sad..." I finished, trailing off when I saw Father's eyes widen in shock at what I said. He looked somewhat sad, as well... "What's wrong, Father?"
"I'm sorry for doing that to you..." he started, and I tipped my head to the side, confused.
"Doing what, father? What do you mean?"

"I... I was the one who killed the prisoner. I didn't know it would hurt you so much, much less that you would see it..."

It was my turn to be shocked. A fresh tear trickled down my cheek, and I smiled sadly. "It's okay, father. You couldn't have known. I'm usually sleeping at that time, so I understand, but, father, I could hear him screaming, and he was so young. What did he do?"

Father looked away from me, then, softly, said, "I really don't know, Rin," and with that he turned and left the hospital room. I waited for a while, until I saw his car drive away. I stood carefully and picked out a cloudy blue dress with a matching sunhat, along with my pink shawl, and went into the bathroom to dress myself.

I walked to the fence by the camp, brightening when I saw the young boy. "What's your name?" I asked him, to which he replied politely, "Len Kagamine, yours?"

"Hana Narayuki." his eyes were similar to mine, and beneath the dirt and blood caked on his hair, I saw that he was also blonde. We could have been twins. "Meet here again tomorrow?" I asked him, smiling. He nodded, giving me an expression saying he needed to go. I understood, walking back to the hospital and waving. Suddenly, I got an idea.

Len:

"Could I have a pencil and a stack of paper?" I asked the guard soldier who had seemed friendlier than the other guards, and, over time, I had realized he was.

"Why do you ask?" he questioned. I thought of something quickly.

"My side hurts abnormally so today, and before I was locked up here I enjoyed to draw as much as possible, and I was thinking maybe drawing would help calm me and take my mind off of my current situation," I smiled inwardly, as he seemed satisfied with my story.

"All right, but keep this our little secret," he said, leaving to get the papers and the pencil. I waited, and thanked him a few minutes later when he came back with them in hand. He nodded in acknowledgement, then left, shaking his head and muttering, "Poor kid. I never wanted to work here anyway."

I turned to my papers, pencil in hand, and began to write my letter to the girl I had met earlier. I folded it up into a paper plane and tucked it under my sorry excuse for a mattress. I fell asleep smiling. Tomorrow the plan begins.

I walk back to the fence, paper airplane tucked in the waist of my dirty, worn-out, tan- once white, but now tan- pants and hidden behind my oversized, torn, and bloodied black shirt. Seeing the girl from before, I smiled and threw the paper plane to her, letting it fly over the fence. 'Go fly, little plane. Go where I never can.' I willed the plane silently. It brushed the girl's- Hana's- arm lightly, and I saw her holding another one in her hand. She picked up mine and threw hers skillfully over the fence that divided us in one swift, fluid motion before coughing lightly. I made a concerned expression and was about to say something when the plane hit me right in the nose. Hana giggled at this. She turned to leave. I read her letter.

Dear Len,

How old do you think you might be? Its okay if you don't know, I won't laugh. I'm 14, and I know what happened to your friend. I'm so sorry! My father works at your camp, and he was so sad when I told him. Maybe I could ask him to free you. It's your choice. I know you'll be free someday, Len.

- Your friend, Hana.

I smiled warmly, her letter breaking through the stone I had surrounded my heart with. This would work out fine- at least, as long as nobody found out our little secret.

Rin:

I read your letter to me and blushed lightly.

Dear Hana

I know Hana is not your real name, but I don't know yours. If you're wondering how I know, you hesitated before answering me. If you want to make up a fake name, plan it practice it before using it. I don't like this prison, they killed my best friend. Please, try to get me out of here!

-Len.

My father quietly walked in then, and tore the letter out of my hands, reading it. His eyes widened, and he crumpled it up. "I understand you feel sorry for this boy, but he is a prisoner. You are a noble. You are never to speak to this boy again, understand me?" he screamed furiously. I felt tears come to my eyes again, and shook my head.

"But I don't understand! He's just as human as I am!" the tears fell.

"We will not speak of this again." he walked out and slammed the door. I wrote a response letter, though- I would keep seeing Len.

It had been a few months since we started sending letters, and I continued getting sicker and sicker. I could barely walk now- I knew it was time to say goodbye. I pulled out the IVs, heart monitors, etc. and stood to get dressed. I put on the same thing I had the first time we met, except this dress had longer sleeves. I stumbled through the hall and walked out the door to the fence, holding the final plane. I threw it weakly over the fence, and it wobbled before flying into the prison, where Len caught it and read it, eyes widening in despair as he did so. I promised I wouldn't cry, but when I heard him yell after me when I turned, I couldn't help it. Tears rushed down my face at his words.

"Don't go, please! If I keep and cherish your letters forever, then can we meet again?" I started to turn, but I didn't want him to see me cry. I simply nodded, not trusting my own voice to work. I walked back to the hospital, coughing a bit on the way, and stumbled into bed, getting my hospital robes back on and putting all the wires back where they belonged before laying down. Suddenly, a sharp pain coursed through my body, and I screamed in agony, sweat rolling down my face as I clenched my teeth and the heart and breathing monitors went wild. Nurses and doctors came rushing in, putting on an oxygen mask to control my breathing. My dad ran in only seconds later, where nurses pushed him out, insisting he leave, telling him he would get in the way. He finally did leave, and I clutched Len's first plane to me. My teeth clenched and I felt tears run down my face, tears of pain and sadness. The plane slipped out of my hand as my body went limp.

"Len, please... If you die, I'll... Please, continue living... For me..." my eyes fluttered closed and I lost consciousness.

Rin's father:

I was shut out of my daughter's room abruptly. 'Rin...' I clench my fist and get into my soldier's uniform at home, driving to the camp. I walked to the boy's room, wanting him to be with my daughter. I knew she would die soon. I also knew he didn't know her real name. I knew I had to act angry though. I looked down at the small boy, who was reading one of Rin's letters. He looked up at me when I snatched the letter, having two of my other soldiers hold him down as I ripped his letter in half, smirking evilly despite my great sadness. He shoved back the guards and ran toward me, punching me in the face, hard. I fell to the ground, my cheek bruised and the corner of my lip bleeding. He was strong for such a small-and seemingly weak, from injury and lack of food- boy.
"Take him to the gas chambers." I commanded as I was standing up, and before he could hit me again. The other soldiers complied and dragged him to the chambers, putting on gas masks before opening the door and throwing the boy in. 'Now you can be together...' I left to see my daughter.

Len:

The soldiers grabbed my arms and threw my into a small, dark, metal room, closing the door. A small light at the top was just bright enough to see other people in the room, and it was painful to breathe. I knew where I was, and I knew I would die here. I was in the poison gas chambers, where they filled the air with poisonous gases which resulted in a slow, painful death. My life began to flash before my eyes. Many painful, happy, sad, frustrating, and funny memories pass me by; my grandfather's death, games with my sisters, stories before bed, scraping my knee on the sidewalk for the first time, by birthdays, singing songs, laughing at my sister when she fell down the stairs…

I snapped out of my memories when a sharp pain seared my lungs, leaving me clutching at my chest and throat and gasping for air that wasn't killing me. In the room I was in, I could barely see, but I found a piece of paper lying next to me, with Hana's handwriting on it. I reached for it, but collapsed just as I had brushed my fingers against it. My heart and breath were in pain, and the poison stung my eyes and throat. I could hear my voice echoing emptily off the metal walls of the chambers, so weak and fragile.

"Please, God, if you're there," I stopped to cough, unfazed by the large amount of blood that I had coughed up, "I just wanted to live a bit longer, and I have no hard feelings, but now, in my last moment, I miss you..." now I was addressing the girl, "want to see you, and... I want to know your name..." I went limp, never to move again, and my vision blurred to a dizzying darkness. A light that I had missed so much shone above me…

Rin:

I stared into the darkness, trying to find a way to wake up. The sound of water dripping could be heard.
Plink, plink, plink...

I smiled into the dark, slowly fading, wilting. After all, a flower in the dark is destined to die, right? I closed my eyes, drifting slowly, slowly...

I awoke in my hospital bed, my father gripping my hand. I could feel something else there, something so familiar... I smiled at the realization that it was a paper plane. It felt so smooth in my hand... I looked up at my father. He had slipped it into my weak hand, and was holding that hand tightly.

"Could I please...? See him... One last... Time?" I said, losing the fight against the tears that threatened my eyes. I was still smiling, but the smile was full of sadness and apology. He nodded, smiling that kind smile he always has when he had given me a gift.

"Don't worry, you will." I wondered what he meant by that…

I clenched my teeth in pain and sorrow. "I... Miss him... So much that... I-it... Hurts..." that last syllable hung in the air, echoing. I couldn't speak now, it was too painful. I still tried, though. During my final moment, though I managed to whisper in a choked voice, "Goodbye... Fa... Ther..." before slipping away forever into the abyss called death. But a light shone above me, and I reached toward it…

Epilogue:

Two figures stand on opposite sides of a long, black, barbed wire fence, longing to be able to hold hands and speak to each other. A song filled the air, a duet by the two...

Because I always had you in my memories,
I could live without forgetting to have a smile on my face
The deep darkness tears the two of us apart,
The deep darkness brings us together again...
I'll see you again...
You know where...

As they finished the song, the fence faded, and the boy and girl looked at each other.

The boy smiled kindly, "We can finally be together..."

The girl covered her mouth, crying tears of joy, "We can be together forever here, beyond the pain...

"The burdens of life..."

"No more sickness."

"No more prisons."

And the two, a former prison boy and a once sick girl, run toward each other, embracing each other, free from the boundaries that only two things could cross. Their love...

And the one thing that connected their two different worlds.

It was a paper airplane.