87 Koko's Plead: Part 1

"..." Kiyomi stopped for a moment to assess what he was seeing. Unfortunately, from where he was, he couldn't make out anything too specific, so he kept walking toward the light.

Soon enough, he finally arrived.

The area he now stood in was completely different than what he was before. It was a decently-sized area carved out in the shape of a perfect circle, precise like surgery. It extended outward in every direction about a hundred feet, and the sun poured down like water. It was as if these grounds were something like a force field, and just outside of it was only where the trees were allowed to exist. They shrouded everything else in darkness. Perhaps the trees weren't allowed to step foot within the circle.

In the middle of the open area existed a decently large water fountain. Beautiful and elegant like a princess, the water flowed throughout the fiberglass fountain. Crystal clear with seemingly an infinite source, it looked like the perfect place for all animals to drink from if there were any in this forest. Oddly enough, he saw none around. Not even a bird or a squirrel.

But, regardless of the beautiful things Kiyomi saw within this area, there was nothing that could change the impending danger he now found himself faced with.

There, sitting just at the base of that contrasting water fountain, was Keegan Vaipa.

He sat there with a smug grin on his face and his eyes had been tracking Kiyomi since he entered the area.

"Well…" Keegan hissed with venomous words. If his tongue were poison like the snake he was, then speaking would kill his next enemy.

"Looks like you made it, little thing."

A shiver was sent down Kiyomi's spine and, with Keegan's words, he felt cold even amidst the warm sun that radiated down upon the two. They were completely alone. If Kiyomi shouted for help, no one would hear him.

It was at this point that there truly was no going back.

"Koko…?"

Nakayama called Koko's name in the hopes of a response, but nothing came of the limp trap face-first on the floor. Once more, he called his name.

"..."

Nothing.

Nakayama's heart beat twice as fast, and he quickly got to his knees to flip Koko around. "Koko!! Hey!!"

He grabbed the trap's shoulders and quickly turned him on his back. He got a good look at his face, strained for some reason. If he were in any kind of mortal danger, it would be completely relaxed. Instead, it looked as though he was experiencing a terrible dream. Nakayama rested Koko's head and legs on his forearms and then sat the trap in his lap. He removed his arm from under Koko's legs and used it to rub Koko's forehead, lightly slap his cheeks, and shake his body a bit in an effort of waking him.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing on the floor!? Wake up!!" Nakayama was practically yelling out of pure fear at this point. Just what the hell was Koko doing? He thought about carrying the poor thing to the nurse or something to get him checked out. But, after about 20 whole seconds (which felt like entire months) of calling his name and using physical methods to wake him, he heard a weak groan come from Koko's mouth.

"...Hmmmgh…"

Nakayama gasped in relief and called the trap's name some more. "Open your eyes! Talk to me; are you okay!? What happened…!?"

"N…Naka…yama…?" Koko muttered, barely able to let any words escape his throat. His eyes lazily looked up at the ceiling and as many other things as possible without actually moving his head. His light blue eyes then moved onto Nakayama's desperate face checking up on him. "I-is…that…?"

"It's me," said Nakayama. "Are you alright? Do you feel sick? Are you hurt? Is your breathing okay? Why were you laying on the ground like that?"

After a moment of trying to figure out what was going on, a new dosage of life was injected into Koko's face. He gasped and his eyes immediately widened. He shook, but Nakayama didn't know why. All of a sudden, a seemingly endless source of tears fell from his beautiful eyes like a fountain.

"N-Nakayama!!!" Koko shouted. His soft voice almost overshadowed the loudness, but the overwhelming fear in his tone was a lot for Nakayama to bear. He quickly used his small hands to grab Nakayama's shirt and he pulled himself into his chest. Although muffled, he wailed.

"Woah, woah! Easy!" Nakayama said to Koko as he was caught completely by surprise. "Hey, everything's going to be alright!" In response, he wrapped his arms around Koko as if to shield him. "What's the matter!? Talk to me, I'm right here!"

Koko took his little mouth away from Nakayama's chest and began to speak through his tears. "P-please…!!"

"Ngh?"

"Y-you have to help them! Please!" Koko begged Nakayama. It was all so sudden; Nakayama didn't feel like he was able to comprehend just what Koko was trying to tell him fully.

"Wait…what the hell are you talking about?" Nakayama questioned Koko's words. "Help them? Who's 'them?' What are you talking about; who are you talking about?"

For some dreadful reason, Koko currently radiated the same energy as Chiaki did before. He was weak, but not just physically. Suddenly, he just started breaking down and begging Nakayama to help when there was no clear danger in sight. At least, not at the current moment. Nakayama looked Koko in his teary eyes.

"P-please save them! I'm too weak, I can't do anything!" Koko begged once more.

Now, if it wasn't already before, Nakayama's stomach was twisting and contorting with horror. The fear and anticipation were enough to make him feel as though he could vomit at any time. His heart beating at what seemed like a hundred thousand miles a second, he listened to Koko's petrified cries one more time.

"K-Koko! Save who!? What's happening!?"

"Kiyomi! Chiaki! Th-they're gonna…!"

--

"Oh…you have no idea just how long I've been waiting for this moment!" Keegan said as if there he was gurgling the blood of a demon in his throat. "Even for a pathetic little fuck-thing, the thought of having you to myself for the last few hours…

…has been a hell of a treat."