CHAPTER 1

  Clang!

  The sound of metal bars crashing into each other contrasted sharply with the serenity of the prison yard which, except for the occasional ordering of prisoners back to their cells, was absolutely silent. Life couldn’t have been more boring for 19-year-old Rensuke Takeuchi, who was being led into his prison cell, denoted number 1441 C. Locked up in his cell, Takeuchi awaits a call-up to meet with the warden officials on whether he would be facing an outright death penalty, or will have a chance to prove his innocence. “I hope Hanako was able to convince the jury to listen to me”, thought Takeuchi as he sits on his bed. He looked round and found that none of his fellow inmates were around. Probably trying to escape again, he thought with a sigh. Why won’t people just take the normal way out? Its so frustrating! He said as he flops his tired body on the bed. Probably time to sleep it off and wait to see their beat up faces in the morning, said Takeuchi with a smirk. He turned to sleep but couldn’t sleep a wink. “Awaiting a possible sentence is stressing me out so badly I can’t sleep. What am I gonna do to get some sle-”

  “Hey kid!”

  Takeuchi stood up and found one of his roommates at the door. Busted so early? Just how dumb are they? He thought as he went to meet his possibly beat up colleague. Only he wasn’t beat up. “What happened Kakerou?” He asked, mildly disappointed that he wasn’t injured in the slightest.

  “I didn’t go”, Kakerou replied, in a rather satisfied tone, which confused Takeuchi.

  “Why not?” Takeuchi asked.

  Kakerou had met Takeuchi only two weeks earlier, but he had formed a close friendship with him after learning that he was also in prison with the same circumstances surrounding his predicament, having been accused of stabbing a notable officer in the Japanese army. However, unlike Takeuchi, whose sentence had not been decided on yet, Kakerou's was simple- death by Japan’s firing squad for killing an officer.

  “Why don’t you just file a petition and prove your innocence? It would at least be easier to live your life here knowing you won’t be shot to death by a bunch of random people just because the said you did something you didn’t”.

  “Y’know it’s not that easy”

  “Damn right it’s not”, Takeuchi said, anger bubbling within him. “It’s your fault for not standing up for yourself. What the hell… maybe they should get rid of you. You can’t do anything without being told to. Just how old are you?”

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  “That doesn’t matter”, Kakerou replied with a sad look on his face. “I know I can’t do anything, but maybe you shouldn’t rub it in.”

  “Sorry about that. I guess I got carried away”, Takeuchi said with an apologetic look on his face. “Wait a minute, why don’t you come with me? Perhaps I can talk to them to release you, and-”

  “Don’t push it. You’re not even sure if they want to talk to you on this yet. If they call you, then maybe you can put in a word for me.”

  “Fine then”.

  The silence in the room became more intense as both men held their thoughts to themselves. “What do you think?

  Do you think I have a chance at this?”

  “We won’t know until we find out”, Kakerou said and pointed to the two wardens who had arrived.

  Takeuchi smiled. “I guess my luck hasn’t run out just yet”. As he stood up to go, he tuned to face Kakerou.

  “Kakerou”, he called. “Do you think I killed him?”

  “That I killed my father, Rensuke Shintaro?”, he asked. Kakerou smiled. “You really don’t give up, do you?”

  Takeuchi gave a toothy grin as he was being led out.

  ***

  Hanako Tachibana sat at the entrance of the court, waiting for Takeuchi to arrive. I just hope they didn’t hurt him pretty badly, she thought as she clasped her hands, anticipating his arrival. At five-foot-six inches, with a slender body, a tiny physique and a baby face that were accompanied by a pair of glasses, she could easily be mistaken for a grade nine student, especially as she paced around the spacious hall.

  “Uhm… miss? Aren’t you going to sit down? He’s not running away, or at least not yet. So why don’t you just calm-”

  “What was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of your insensitive whining”, Hanako retorted, visibly annoyed. “I don’t think any of your friends have been to prison for a crime they didn’t commit, have they?” They both fell silent. “I guess not”, he said.

  The doors were flung open, revealing a chained Takeuchi being flanked by two soldiers armed to the teeth, who began to unchain him as they entered the court. “Hey Hanako”, he said, waving with his free hand.

  “T-Takeuchi”, Hanako said, while gazing at him from head to toe. “What happened to you? You look like you just came out of a sewer pipe”, she said as she went closer to him. However, she retreated as quickly as she had come. “Jeez, and you smell like one too. Where did you stay?”

  Takeuchi smiled. He had known Hanako since grade school, and their parents had been very good friends, especially hid dad… his dad. Suddenly he felt very angry. Why did he disappear? What was he doing that made him leave for so long? So many unanswered questions, and Takeuchi had to find the answers to them. But how was he going to do that when he was stuck in a prison cell, possibly facing a death penalty for what he didn’t do?

  “Number 1441C! The judge is ready to see you.” A loud voice boomed through the tiny waiting room.

  “Guess that’s my cue”, Takeuchi said as the wardens began to move into the room. Hanako walked towards him, hesitated and held his hand. “It’ll be fine. And when they do release you, you’re gonna need a bath. Like, seriously.”