A DEADly Introduction {Rewrite}

The car engine rumbled, jolting me awake. My forehead was pressed against the window, my breath fogging the glass. I blinked, trying to get my bearings.

Trees blurred past outside, a smear of green against a cloudy sky. Where was I? What was going on?

This wasn't me. But as I stared at my hands, a flicker of déjà vu sparked in my brain.

A gunshot echoed in my ears. The kick of the recoil up my arm. Rough bark against my palm. The smell of pine and gunpowder.

The images flashed by, quick and jumbled. Running through trees, branches slapping my face, lungs burning. Voices shouting behind me.

Sunlight glinting off a knife blade. Twisting away, slashing upward. A thump hitting the floor.

I risked a glance over my shoulder, catching a flash of purple hair among the trees.

I gasped, the visions gone as fast as they'd come. What was that? They couldn't be my memories... right?

"Kai? You good?" A voice from the driver's seat.

Kai? Was that me? I tried to answer, but my tongue was clumsy in my mouth.

With shaky fingers, I pulled out the wallet in my pocket. A student ID stared back at me. Kai Sato, age 17. The photo matched the face I'd glimpsed in the rearview mirror. Sharp features, dark hair, unfamiliar eyes.

More flashes. Screeching tires, crunching metal, blinding pain. Then nothing, until now.

"Kai? We're almost at Fujimi Academy. Ready for your first day?" The voice was insistent now.

"Y-yeah. I'm ready." The words came out in a deep voice I didn't recognize.

But as the car pulled up to the school gates, I knew it was a lie. I wasn't ready. I didn't even know who I was.

Those strange memories - the gun, the forest, the knife - they felt like fragments of a dream. Not mine, but still real.

I stepped out into the rain, my mind reeling.

I was in someone else's body, with memories that made no sense. Kai Sato's body, Kai Sato's life. And now I had to figure out what that meant.

At the school entrance, a tall woman emerged. Dark hair in a tight bun, crisp suit, sharp glasses. "Kai Sato?" Her voice carried across the courtyard. "I'm Vice Principal Hayashi. Welcome to Fujimi Academy."

"Thank you, Vice Principal Hayashi." I bowed, then met her gaze, holding it a beat too long. "I'm honored to be here."

Something flickered in her eyes. Surprise, interest. Her stern facade cracked, just a bit.

"Follow me," she said, her tone a touch warmer. "I'll show you around before we get you to class."

As we walked, I matched her pace, listening as she described the school's history, asking questions at the right moments.

"Fujimi Academy has quite a legacy," I said during a pause. "I can see why you're so proud of it."

She glanced at me, a small smile on her lips. "We're very committed to our students' success. I think you'll find our environment... supportive."

Her eyes traced my face as she spoke. I held her gaze, a faint smile acknowledging the subtext.

Throughout the tour, I stayed close to her side. A touch on her elbow, a shared look. Small gestures, building a connection.

By the time we reached my classroom, her professional veneer had crumbled. She stood close, her body language inviting.

"If there's anything you need, Kai, anything at all..." Her voice was low, almost a purr. "My door is always open."

I smiled, my eyes flicking to her lips before meeting hers again. "I appreciate that, Vice Principal Hayashi. It's good to know I have someone I can rely on."

Color rose in her cheeks, her pulse jumping at her throat. "Of course. I'm here to make your transition as smooth as possible."

Her fingers brushed my arm, a touch too familiar. "I have a feeling you're going to fit in perfectly here," she murmured.

I held her gaze a moment longer, then inclined my head. "With your guidance, I'm sure I will."

She smiled, satisfaction gleaming in her eye. She turned to leave, an extra sway in her hips.

I watched her go, a calculating smile on my lips. I didn't know where this instinct for manipulation came from - another piece of Kai Sato's past, maybe. But it was effective.

As I turned to the classroom, I felt I'd just gained a powerful ally - and maybe something more.

It seemed Kai Sato was full of surprises. And I was just starting to uncover what he - what I - could do.

I slid open the door to Class 2-A and stepped inside. Two dozen pairs of eyes snapped to me, a mix of curiosity and indifference.

At the front, a scruffy, slightly rumpled teacher gestured me forward. "Ah, our new student. Class, this is Kai Sato. He'll be joining us."

I walked to the front, feeling the weight of their stares. But I didn't feel nervous. Instead, a strange calm settled over me, a confidence that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside.

"Nice to meet you all," I said, a slight smile on my lips. "I'm Kai Sato, just transferred from Osaka."

A lie, but a necessary one. The truth was, I had no idea where I'd come from or who I really was. But I knew I couldn't show any doubt.

I scanned the room, taking in the faces. And then, I saw her.

Long purple hair framing a regal face. High cheekbones, full lips. A quiet intensity in her posture, like a coiled spring.

Something about her drew me in. Like a moth to a flame, or a warrior to a finely crafted blade.

As I stared, a flash of memory hit me. The press of a warm body against mine. Soft lips brushing my skin. The scent of lavender in silken hair. A tender embrace, filled with longing.

I blinked, the images fading as quickly as they'd come. What was that? A memory? A fantasy? Whatever it was, it left me breathless.

Realizing I'd been staring too long, I tore my gaze away and continued. "I like motorcycles. The wind, the road, the freedom. And I've got a weakness for chocolate."

"As for dislikes? Liars and fakes. I'd rather have the ugly truth than a pretty lie."

My eyes drifted back to the purple-haired girl as I spoke. For a brief, charged moment, our gazes locked. Something flashed in her eyes - interest, challenge, recognition? - before she looked away.

"Looking forward to getting to know you all," I said, turning back to the class. "Let's have a good year."

With a nod, I headed to an empty seat, acutely aware of the girl's presence a few rows back.

As the teacher droned on, my mind wandered. The confidence, the half-truths, the easy way I'd slipped into this new persona... it was like putting on a favorite jacket, even though I couldn't remember ever owning it.

And the girl... there was something there, a connection I couldn't explain. Like we shared a secret, though we'd never spoken.

I tried to focus on the lesson, but my thoughts kept circling back. Who was Kai Sato? What secrets lay buried in my past?

The day blurred by, a stream of new faces and strange lessons. Through it all, I felt like an actor playing a role, going through the motions of someone else's life.

And always, my eyes kept finding their way back to the purple-haired girl. She seemed to exist in her own world, separate from the noise and chaos around her. A stillness, a contained strength.

What thoughts hid behind those inscrutable eyes? What secrets did she hold?

When the final bell rang, I took my time packing up, hoping for a chance to talk to her. But when I looked up, she was gone, vanished into the crowd.

With a sigh, I headed out, nodding to classmates' goodbyes. Outside, the air was crisp, the sky a washed-out blue. I breathed deep, trying to clear my head.

At the gates, I watched the normal, peaceful scene. Students chatting and laughing, teachers heading to cars, the hum of traffic.

It was all so... ordinary. Like the flashes of memory - the gun, the knife, the frantic run through the forest - belonged to a different world entirely.

Had I stumbled into a second chance here? A fresh start, free from the horrors of my past?

The car crash played in my mind again - the screech of tires, the crunch of metal, the blinding pain. Had I died then? Was this some kind of afterlife?

Or was it something else, some twist of fate that had plucked me from one life and dropped me in another?

I didn't know. Part of me was scared to find out, scared that digging into my past would shatter this fragile peace.

But another part burned with the need to know. To understand who I was and why I was here.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. An unknown number. Mr. Tonaka. The name stirred something in my mind, there and gone.

I hesitated, then answered. "Hello?"

"Kai!" Relief and irritation warred in the man's voice. "Where are you? I've been waiting for half an hour!"

Waiting? For me? Had I forgotten some arrangement?

"Oh, hey, Mr. Tonaka. Sorry, I... forgot. First day, new school. It's been a lot."

A heavy sigh on the other end. "I understand, Kai. I know it's been tough, moving to a new country, new school. But your father trusted me to look after you, to make sure you're settling in."

My father. The words sent a jolt through me. A void where love or grief should be. His face, his voice... locked away, inaccessible.

Questions surged up, but I pushed them down. I couldn't ask, not without revealing the hole in my memory, the chasm between who Mr. Tonaka thought I was and the blank slate I'd become.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," I said instead, forcing a sheepish note into my voice. "Won't happen again. I'll head back to the gate now."

"No need," Mr. Tonaka said, softer now. "Stay there. I'll pick you up. We can talk on the way home."

Home. The word sent a shiver through me. What would 'home' be like, in this strange new life? Would it hold clues to the man I'd been?

"Okay," I said, my voice sounding small. "I'll wait. And... thanks, Mr. Tonaka."

"Of course, Kai. See you soon."

The call ended. I stared at the phone, as if it held the answers I needed.

A car. A driver. A guardian to fill the space left by my missing father.

The pieces of Kai Sato's life were assembling around me, but the picture they formed was still hazy, indistinct.

Minutes later, a sleek black car glided to the curb. The window whirred down. A man with salt-and-pepper hair and a sharp suit. Mr. Tonaka.

"Hop in, Kai." His voice was warm, but something lurked beneath. Something I couldn't pin down.

I slid into the leather seat. The door thudded shut. The car pulled out, joining the traffic flow.

"Sorry about the confusion," Mr. Tonaka said, catching my eye in the rearview. "It's been... challenging."

I nodded, not sure what to say. The city blurred past, a jumble of unfamiliar shapes.

Mr. Tonaka cleared his throat. Tapped his fingers on the wheel. "I know it's a lot to take in. But I made a promise. And I keep my promises."

A promise. The words hung heavy, hinting at things left unsaid. I looked at my hands, traced the strange creases and calluses. Questions burned in my throat. But I swallowed them. The answers weren't something Mr. Tonaka was ready to give. I could feel it.

The car slowed. Turned down a quiet street. Pulled up to a modest apartment building. "Here we are," Mr. Tonaka said, his voice a little too light. "Your new home."

The door opened. I stepped into a small, barely furnished apartment. Dim light struggled through the curtains.

The place was clean but generic. A couch, a table, a kitchenette. The basics, but nothing personal. Nothing that said "Kai Sato lives here."

My footsteps echoed in the silence as I explored. In the bedroom, a perfectly made bed. A lonely desk with a single lamp.

It felt like the apartment was holding its breath, waiting for a life to fill it.

I turned to Mr. Tonaka, hovering in the doorway. His expression gave nothing away.

"Is this all my stuff?" I asked, looking at the sparse furnishings.

He nodded, not quite meeting my eyes. "We had to pack light. Fresh start, remember?"

Fresh start. The words felt like a riddle I couldn't solve.

I looked at the closet door. Slowly, I opened it, half-hoping for some clue to who I'd been.

But it was nearly empty. A few plain shirts, a single jacket. No answers.

I shut the door, torn between disappointment and relief. Part of me had wanted some link to my past. But part of me was glad for the blank slate, the chance to write my own story.

I turned back to Mr. Tonaka, forcing a smile. "It's great. Thank you."

He nodded, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "I'll let you settle in. If you need anything, call."

Then he was gone. The door clicked shut. I was alone, in an apartment that should have been mine but felt like a stranger's.

I sank onto the bed, staring at the bare walls and empty shelves. The day's weight settled on me - waking up in a new body, navigating a new school, constantly wondering who I really was.

But as I sat there, a new thought took shape. Maybe not knowing wasn't so bad. Maybe it was a chance to define myself, to choose who I wanted to be.

I didn't have to be tied to a past I couldn't remember. I could decide what kind of life I wanted.

The idea was scary. And exciting. The possibilities stretched out like an uncharted map.

Tomorrow, I decided, would be the start of my journey. The first step in figuring out what to do with this unexpected gift I'd been given.

But today was for rest. For letting my mind and body recover from the day's shocks.