School Girls' Stories - New Generation

Chapter 11 – Sora Kiseki

He entered and felt like he was entering a movie set, mists swirling, darkness coming, and knowing he would be thrown out of the cemetery soon. He walked the familiar path, probably the only one who had walked it since the death. He stepped over paths that were not well tended, moving towards the back, surprised with the money in the family that the funeral, the procession, the cemetery plot, had not all been much grander. Instead it was a tiny little plot in the back of the cemetery. Why? Because Ashe Inperiaru had committed suicide and most cemeteries in this area of the state would not allow him to be buried there. He had committed an immortal sin in taking his own life, condemning himself to Hell.

Sora walked to the gravestone and looked down upon it with little emotion. He barely even knew why he walked the path to the gravestone every so often. Was it because he felt guilty for the dead boy, that after his death Sora had taken the attention of Harmony? No, that certainly was not it. This was not out of a sense of guilt, not for Sora. Sora came to this gravestone to make sure that the bastard stayed dead. It was a comfort for him every time he saw that gravestone and if Ashe had not taken his own life, Sora might have done it for him. How could he? How could Ashe have done what he had done? No one knew the truth about their beloved Ashe. In all of their eyes Ashe was the coolest, he was the top of the class, he was smart and beloved, and all of that time they knew he had this wild streak.

If Sora did not feel that someone was watching him, God, the spirits, or the man who was ready to lock the gates, he would have kicked dirt at the headstone. Ashe had never done anything great to have the whole family feuding the way they were with the Memeshii family. All of this anger, all of this hatred, because one family blamed another for the death. Whether they were blaming people indirectly, if Harmony and he had not fought earlier that day he never would have leaped, or directly, was Yuna sure she did not push him when she became jealous, the fight had begun. They had lost what they saw was a ‘hero’.

No one but Sora knew it was the Inperiaru family themselves that had caused the jump, and partly Sora. Sora had accused Ashe, he had even physically fought him that day, it had been a bad day for Ashe, but he had not pushed him. Ashe had jumped, they even found the note, that made no sense at all. Ashe had taken his own life, and for that Sora was glad.

Sora had tried to tell his mother what he had seen Ashe do. He had confronted her and begged her to do something about it. Looking horrified and disgusted Yuki Kiseki had rushed out of the house, in her pajamas no less, and driven over to the Inperiaru household. She came back hours later, shaking her head. She had looked at Sora, sighed, and said, “Maybe you thought you saw something, but you were wrong.” Whatever had happened at the Inperiaru household had convinced his mom he was either a liar or just imagining things. That was what had caused the fight, the beating of fists against softened skin, the both of them tearing at each other.

Sora turned away from the gravestone, ready to head out of the cemetery. He tried to keep his mind blank of all thoughts of anger and hatred. Why had she not admitted what happened to her? She had the perfect opportunity, Sora had seen, he had come to her rescue, and she had just denied the whole thing. Did that make her a liar as well? Did she like it when he had…? No, Rhapsody had just been scared, and luckily for her Ashe had taken care of that fear himself.

So why did Sora still feel like something was wrong? He looked back at the gravestone, almost expecting Ashe to come out of that coffin, to tear his way out of the ground and come crawling after Sora. Sora was having nightmares about a crime he did not even commit, was it only because he had wanted to so badly? No, what Sora had done was the right thing, but, even now, he could not help but wondering if someone else had known, if someone else had been behind him on that roof and done what needed to be done. Ashe did not seem the type to give up, especially when he was winning.

Sora tore his eyes away from the gravestone. No, it was over, it was just… over. And even as he repeated it, walking out of the cemetery, he could not bring himself to shake the fear that was somewhere in the pit of his stomach, and in his own imagination Ashe was somewhere in the background laughing at him still.