Journal of an Archer

"Here I am again, I see you every night Jeffrey Irving. Every night I see the fear on your face after you realize what you've done. I know you feel it, the guilt, remorse, but that doesn't stop me from hating you. Doesn't stop me from feeling pleasure every time I fantasize shooting one of my arrows through your skull. May the souls of my mother and father haunt you forever and bring you nothing but despair as you rot in your prison cell" Akio thought as he began to wake up.

**YAAWWNNN** **STRETTCHHH**

Akio got out of bed and prepared himself for school. Being 6'1 isn't very handy in this apartment though, It's very spacious but he constantly has to duck under the doors when entering or exiting a room. After getting his clothing on Akio brushed his long brown hair and put in his green contact lenses. He isn't ashamed of his brown eyes, he just thinks green is a really nice color. After dealing with his personal hygiene he went downstairs to make breakfast. His mother was a chef at a restaurant back in America so he knows his way around the kitchen thanks to her. After breakfast he still had 30 minutes to spare before the taxi arrived so he decided to write in his journal.

"Dear mom and dad, I heard weird moans coming from downstairs late last night so I'm assuming aunt Yui came home with a male companion. She's a serious day drinker and I'm pretty sure she's a sex addict but I know she's doing her best to take care of me."

Akio gripped the pen tighter.

"It's been exactly 125 days since you guys passed away. The pain isn't going away no matter how much I tell myself and others that I'm going to be okay. I can't remember a night in the last 4 months that I didn't dream about that fateful day. How I could've easily prevented your deaths if I had just pulled that damn arrow out of the quiver and shot him with it. Hell I probably could've hit that stupid gun out of his hand. I was weak, and the thought of hurting someone scared the shit out of me. I look back now and I hate knowing that nothing has changed, because I know if I were in that situation right now I'd be as scared as I was back then. Not that I would be in a situation like that now, I haven't touched my bow and quiver since I put them in their case. When I came to Japan I stuffed the case under my bed and never looked at it again."

**BEEP BEEP**

"Oh that must be the taxi." Akio said as he closed the journal.

Akio then ran downstairs at full speed forgetting to tell his aunt that he was leaving. Not that she would hear him, that woman is probably dead asleep. He was moving quickly because the man that drives him to school is a very grumpy old man that yells at him every time Akio makes him wait outside for too long.

Akio enters the car panting as if he just ran the 100 meter dash.

"You made me wait out here for 30 seconds kid. That's 15 seconds longer than I should be waiting. You also forgot to say good morning" The old man said with a deadly gaze.

"IM SO SORRY MR. WATANABE, IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN I PROMISE!" Akio said as if he were pleading for his life.

"I'll forgive you, but only because it's your special day today" Mr. Watanabe said in a more gentle voice.

**Gasp** "You remembered?" Akio said as he began to tear up.

"OF COURSE I REMEMBERED, I MAY BE 62 BUT MY MIND IS AS SHARP AS EVER. GOT THAT?" Mr. Watanabe yelled.

"Yes sir!" Akio replied in fear.

"Anyways, your aunt said that she'd probably be asleep when you leave the house so she told me to give you this." Mr. Watanabe said as he handed Akio a gift wrapped box.

"Wait a minute, does this woman preplan getting wasted?" Akio thought as he received the package.

Akio began to smile after ripping off the gift wrap and seeing a note attached to the box saying "Happy birthday, aunty loves you!". Akio's smile turned into a frown as he opened the box and realized that it was filled with Japanese dictionaries and a ton of "Japanese for dummies" books.

Don't let his name fool you, Akio is only half Japanese from his father's side. His mother was African American so that makes him "blasian". He obviously never had plans to live in Japan so he never bothered to learn the language. He rarely sees his classmates because he has to study in the library with a special teacher.

"IS THIS SOME KINDA JOKE?!" Akio yelled angrily.

"Let me see kid." Mr Watanabe said.

Mr. Watanabe bursted into laughter as he saw all the books through the rearview mirror.

"Well that's one way to learn the language" he said as he continued laughing.

"You done?" Akio asked with an annoyed tone and look on his face.

"Lighten up kid, that just means that she cares about your education, you should be thankful to have an aunt like that." Mr. Watanabe said in a stern voice.

"I guess." Akio replied.

Akio recognized the street they were on and realized they were close to his school so he asked Mr. Watanabe if he could keep the books in his taxi until he comes to pick him up from school later. He accepted Akio's request and put the books on the passenger seat beside him when they made it to a red traffic light.

***********5 minutes later************

The car stopped in front of the school.

"Listen kid, today's your special day. I know you've been through something very traumatic but for today you should try and focus on the now." Mr. Watanabe said with a warm smile on his face.

"How dare you?" Akio said with a cold look on his face.

"What?" Mr. Watanabe said thinking that Akio misunderstood him.

"Don't you think if I could get rid of this pain, even if only for a minute, I would've done it already? This pain will live with me forever as a constant reminder of my weakness. The only way to get rid of it is too erase that weakness. Not that it's even possible because I'm always going to be too weak to kill someone." Akio said as tears ran down his cheeks.

"I-" Mr. Watanabe tried to speak.

"Next time you want to open that stupid mouth of yours how about you understand the situation first." Akio cut him off as he ran out the taxi with his arms covering his eyes.

Mr. Watanabe was shocked and got out of the car.

"Guess that brat got some backbone in him after all" Mr. Watanabe said quietly as he closed the door Akio left open.