Tragedy

Like always, he was on his way home after a long day of school. He had traveled the same route for the last three months so many times, that time seemed to fly by whenever he made his commute to and from school. Genkei lived in a rather small town just out of the major city, but the route was rather simple. A bus ride to the station and a quick train ride. It wasn't a long trip but, the sun would have just set once he'd arrived home like it always did.

Being 15 years old now, the darkening sky didn't have any particular effect on him like it had when he was younger. In fact, he enjoyed the quiet ride now that he was braver and more mature with age. He used the time to start his homework so that he wouldn't have to do it all at home and could spare a little time for himself. He'd start on the train, got a little more done on the bus, and finished it at home. A routine fit for someone as punctual as him.

He sat on the bus quietly, scribbling down equations on his homework when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head and a boy with messy brown hair, ear piercings, and a wide grin met his gaze.

"Gecko!" The boy shouted and ruffled the blonde's hair earning a glance of disapproval from the bus driver.

"Why do you always call me that, Senpai?" Genkei said his usually formal speech slipping up a bit as he answers his friend. He'd put emphasis on the honorific and scooted over to allow the other to sit, placing the work he'd been doing back in his bag.

"Same to you with the 'Senpai' thing. Say it with me. Ma-tsu-da," Matsuda moved Genkei's bottom lip with his thumb in time with his words.

Matsuda was Genkei's best friend. He was a bit on the rowdy side and tended to get in a lot of trouble, but was dependable and always looking for something extreme to do and Genkei liked that about him. Genkei remembered the day his crazy friend got his ears pierced just for the hell of it and he stayed at Genkei's house for almost a week trying to avoid his parents.

The two had met in primary school, but Matsuda was a year older so they never had class together. That didn't stop the two from hanging out together as much as possible. They lived in the same neighborhood so although time at school was limited, they could still spend plenty of time outside of school together. Every weekend was full of playing games, running about with each other or just hanging around. They were practically inseparable. Now that they were in high school, the two boys tended to spend less time together since their academic paths seemed to be much different (with Genkei being more academic and Matsuda being more of a delinquent) than their primary school days. That being the case, moments with just the two of them tended to be the most valuable to the two.

The blonde boy pushed his hand away with a smirk. "I think 'Senpai' is better than 'old man' since you act like a grandpa who hasn't seen their grandson in a while every time we meet."

Matsuda elbowed the other lightly, "Old man? That would make me your guardian. That means it's my job to take of you… Junior," Genkei frowned at the nickname and Matsuda laughed. "Okay, okay. Don't sulk. Hey, so what's up?"

Genkei looked at his friend quizzically.

"You think I don't know when you've got something on your mind, Gecko?" Matsuda tapped his head and leaned in closer to the other as if to tell him a secret, "Same wavelength."

Genkei rolled his eyes and leaned back into his seat, "I was thinking that you're really annoying. You even annoyed the driver."

Matsuda feigned taking offense and dramatically gasped, "Why, I never." He exclaimed like an exasperated southern belle. It made his friend laugh.

Genkei definitely had something on his mind, but it wasn't anything that he thought Matsuda would be interested in. So, he just moved past it.

"Our stop is almost coming up. I'll walk with you to your house." Matsuda says pointing out of the window.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Besides my house is further down than yours." 

Before long, the bus came to a stop and the two teens got off. They continued talking for a bit until Matsuda had to turn down his own street and the two parted ways. Walking down the road Genkei whisted a random tune, breaking the silence if the darkening streets. He didn't live in a particularly nice neighborhood, and on its own was a pretty sketchy place to walk alone at night even for a guy, so the dark just made it more creepy. But today was especially eerie. He couldn't place his finger on why. Perhaps it was the dead silence that was foreign to the streets of this neighborhood. An area usually pretty active in the night suddenly seemed so lifeless. He quickened his pace, unable to shake off the feeling.

About 10 minutes later he reached his own home. A small, run-down building with a gate that would squeal every time you'd open it. He walked in and was welcomed by a shout from his mother who was busy in the kitchen. A woman with long brown hair, a calm personality, and amber eyes that matched Genkei's. 

"Genkei? Is that you? Welcome home." 

"Hello, Mom," he waved taking a seat at the table and grabbed a banana out if the fruit bowl that sat nearby. 

"Don't eat that, you'll ruin your appetite," She warned without turning from her cooking, "how was your day?" 

"Normal. I don't recall anything out of the ordinary that occurred today." That wasn't necessarily true. What Genkei had wanted to tell Matsuda earlier was that he had overheard the outcast kids in class talking about some deranged robot wandering the city and killing people. It sounded like something straight out of a science fiction movie. He'd found the story interesting at the time, but didn't think his mother would find the subject too entertaining since it was just a story and decided (again) not to tell her either. He put a hand on his chin, leaning forward and taking a bite of the fruit absent-minded. His mother nodded to his words and smiled, trying to hide her concern for her son's seemingly lack of interest in his school life.

"You don't have to show so much restraint, Genkei. You're still just a kid, you don't have to take everything so seriously." She smiled to herself again, being reminded of how she would say the same thing to her husband when they were in school.

Genkei watched the back of his mother for a moment, unable to understand what she meant. Against her word, he started eating the banana and pulled out the homework he'd been trying to finish.

A little while later Genkei's father, a man who would have looked almost identical to his son except for age, his blue eyes and glasses, emerged from his study.

"Oh, Genkei. Returning a little late I see…" the messy looking man stretched then patted his son's head.

"You say that every day."

Genkei's father is an editor of the local newspaper and the reason why he's personally obsessed with writing and stories. If anyone in the house is willing to listen to the crazy robot story that he'd heard today it would be his father.

"Father, I actually have something to tell yo-"

B O O M

The sound was loud and haunting as it resonated through the house, silencing the three. The father was the first to move after a moment. He moved to open the front door, but an explosion louder and stronger than the last shook the house and the man's nerves. Gathering his composure, he swung the door open and stuck his head out to see what was going on. The sun had gone down a while ago, but the blackened sky was colored brightly as flames burned in the distance.

"There's a fire!" Genkei and his mother joined the man outside, curiosity getting the best of the both of them. The ominous feeling returned and sat the pit of Genkei's stomach. His mother clung to his arm and for the first time in his life, he felt his mother tremble.

"Perhaps we should go back inside. I don't like this..." the woman's voice sounded small and far away as she tried to pull the two back into the house.

Blood-curdling screams followed another blast and made the family flinch in unison. Within seconds the streets were filled with people coming out of their houses to investigate. The flames grew more intense, and the distance of where the fire was burning seemed to be getting smaller too quickly to be a normal fire. The neighbors were starting to panic and people rushed to gather what they could and try to make a break for it.

Genkei's parents had retreated back into the house to do the same, leaving the boy in the front doorway. More screams followed by abrupt silence.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

A sickening sound that echoed through the night sent chills down the spins of the people who could hear it.

Then Genkei's eyes widened as he realized that the flames originated in the direction of Matsuda's house. The smell that followed his realization made him gag. A burnt smell. But unlike any of the times Genkei had burnt popcorn or toast, this smell gave him goosebumps. It was thick and metallic. Full of musk and charcoal. In no way could this smell be mistaken for anything other than burning flesh. He covered his nose, unable to handle the strong stench. His mind was going blank, surely Matsuda was safe. He was always safe. Matsuda had escaped trouble plenty times before. Surely...

"We have to get to the city's disaster shelter." Genkei's mother said, shaking him out of his daze. The small family barely started out of the house before Genkei pulled away from his parents and was running down the street before he even knew he was running.

"GENKEI!" His father screamed his name, terror coloring the word, and the boy stopped in his tracks. He'd never heard his father sound so terrified. Slowly he turned towards his parents, his face pained and on the brink of panic. The sky was filled with embers now, the wind blew them violently through the air and if they didn't leave now, there wouldn't be another chance. Suddenly, a petrifying noise filled the air. Loud, mechanical and piercing came a screech of a beast no one knew could exist. Genkei couldn't turn around or move, frozen with fear. He could only stare wide-eyed at his father's ghosting face.

Metal thumping against cement was all Genkei could hear for a few seconds, the ground vibrating with each giant step until it came to a halt. The teen slowly turned around, body trembling as he stood facing a giant metal man. It was probably two or three stories tall and its body was made of black metal. It's red eyes illuminated its way through the town and it's body radiated heat. The thing twitched violently, uncontrolled in its movements. It was equipped with various assortments of guns, rockets, and flamethrowers of various sizes and shapes. Steam lingered around its entire body; clearly, it had been using its ammunition around the town to slaughter the people that lived there. 

"HEAT SIGNATURE DETECTED. PROCEEDING TO ELIMINATE," The monotonous voice announced then quickly after the statement followed, "I'm HuMaN "

There was no power left in the boy to make any moves. The fear that consumed Genkei kept him in his place as he watched the giant robot lift an arm high above its head. Suddenly, Genkei was being thrown to the side and he rolled limply as he ended up on his back. His eyes struggled to adjust and at the last second, he locked eyes with his father. The man had rushed over and pushed his son out of the way. Genkei's father moved to join his son, but he wasn't fast enough. Genkei had a clear view of his father as his body was smashed underneath a giant hand. Blood spewed everywhere, from painting the metal appendage to Genkei's face. 

More screams came after that. His mother mortified at the display. She screamed for her son to get up and in a weak attempt, tried to run to his side. Genkei had gone numb, he saw his mother running his direction and for a second felt like he could get up and run to her. Next came a click then a loud explosion sound and Genkei saw his mother engulfed in flames. He could hear her screams and moans of agony telling him to run as her skin and bones are burned into nothing more than a brown crisp.

"i'M hUMaN! i'M hUMaN! i'M hUMaN! "

Nausea overcame the boy. His head spun and his body hurt even though he isn't physically hurt too much. He wanted to close his eyes and wake up from this nightmare but, his eyes were unwilling to close. The giant pointed a gun directly at him. It slowly starts to glow, charging up with extreme heat. 

"INCINERATE." 

Genkei squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for impact and wishes with all his being that he is somewhere far away, "I can't die here," he whispered and a heavy force comes down on him. 

A few moments pass and then there was nothing. 

All he could feel was his body drifting. 

He opened his eyes and all he saw was darkness. He blinked his eyes. Once. Twice. Nothing. Just his body floating in an endless sea of pitch black. He was dead, he was sure of it.

Another second passed and now he could see a dim light. The more he drifted the brighter it got. 

Brighter. 

And brighter. 

And brighter, until… 

CRASH! 

The teen went flying through some glass, his already partly ripped school uniform obtaining more tiny tears. His body rolled a bit until his back hit a solid surface and he lay there upside down. His eyes shoot around frantically, struggling to understand his surroundings. He had somehow ended up in a small apartment. It hadn't been destroyed by the cyborg, so there was still hope- 

He was suddenly face to face with a bald man in a red and white hoodie. His face was scrunched into a scowl and he was saying something that the boy couldn't understand. Genkei realized his ears were ringing then the nausea returned and he developed a headache. His tired eyes left the man and drifted straight ahead through a square opening in the wall his legs were resting against. His amber eyes locked on to yellow and black ones. It took him a moment to focus his eyes enough to see that the other set of eyes in the room didn't belong to a human, but a... Robot? A cyborg? Whatever it was, those eyes were too similar to the ones he'd seen moments before. A blonde cyborg just stood there, eyes wide, mouth slightly open and hand raised as if about to fire. 

'I'll kill you' was all Genkei could say before he passed out.