The cherry blossoms arrived like whipped cream on the trees in triumphant colors of pink and white. The petals burst out from the lower branches, leaving the tips still yet to bud. The trees were scattered all over the park as it welcomed visitors to see all of its glory.

Truthfully, he never liked the color of the cherry blossoms or the tree itself. The tree never bothered him. It never gave him any bad memories. He just did not like the tree. He often thought that subjecting himself to a cliche was abhorring; as many of his peers were in awe of the budding foliage each spring. He wasn't. As he was lying on the ground, he could finally see the candid beauty of the cherry blossoms firsthand.

The spring's eve complimented the scenery. The pastel colors of red and orange saying farewell to the day, fulfilling the town's purpose. The clouds, meshed into the peach-like sky, gave way to the evening while the stars slowly enter into view.

It reminded Senpai of a painting that he did in his art class. Credited as an amateur painter, he enjoyed his time in art class. It gave him life, he often thought. In his world, he was God and the canvas was his garden of Eden. He had the ability to put what he fancied. He had painted meadows, ponds, mountains, anything showing natural scenery. There were times he painted classmates, especially a girl he was very fond of. Painting gave him a sense of being. He felt that he had a purpose. Along with his interest in painting, he was also fond of the outdoors. Inherited from his father, when he was younger, he often traveled with his father to the lake outside of town where his father worked as a fish farmer. He remembered being the precocious child, sitting on the boat, watching his father gather the fish with a net. The look on his father's face showed tiredness, but on the other hand, it showed dedication. Watching his father's work ethic made him admire nature and hard work; both of which were a factor on the man he became.

In school, Senpai was very successful in academics and sports. He scored above average on exams and was on the top tier of his class. He was also the school's ace on the baseball. His test scores and his success in baseball gave him noticed from schools like Keio, Fukushima, The University of Tokyo, and Kyoko. With his hopes on the University of Tokyo, he strived harder for success. Things were going well for the happy-go-lucky kid, or so he thought.

The clouds wavered further and further, ushering in the sky as it went deeper into the void. It was like the earth was opening the sky, welcoming the heavens in the forms of stars. If he could, he wanted to reach the stars. He wanted to go into the heavens. It looked so close, but so far away, he thought to himself.

It was better to be there than where he was in this particular juncture. Not too long ago, he was ambushed by a shadow of the night. He got away from his captor, but a present was left for him. He gnashed his teeth while the syringe clang to his neck. The pain was horrible, he thought, as it spread from his neck. It was like a shot in the dark. One moment, he was headed home from baseball practice. The next, he was met with his "shadow."

He cursed himself on his tardiness from baseball practice as he was running away. Baseball practice went longer than expected; causing him to miss the train. Having no other choice, he wandered the neighborhood until the next train arrived. He could have waited at the station, but prefer to venture and see the neighborhood where most of his classmates called home. That decision led to his fate.

He walked the lone road in the neighborhood that surrounded the school. The school he attended was the prestigious high school, Akademi High. It was home to the elite. The sons and daughters of businessmen, doctors, lawyers, professors, entertainers, and the like came to the school in hopes for success. These were the children who were the future leaders of Japan. They were going to be on top of the caste system; the upper echelon of Japanese society. Unlike them, Senpai was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was raised by his father in lower middle class. His father balanced his schedule working as a fish farmer and a fee collector for the Japanese television, NHK. The latter was not Senpai's favorite. When he was in elementary school, every other weekend, he begrudgingly went with his father on his rounds. Knowing he would see his friends or his classmates, he wore a hoodie to hide his face; or hid behind his father.

He had never met his mother. She left his father when he was a few months old. He was an only child. His father was the only family that he had. His father gave him no explanation of his mother or her whereabouts. If he ask, his father displayed sternness and anger. After a while, any conversation of his mother ceased.

Baseball came easily for Senpai. Since he was five years old, he became fond of the sport. His skills allowed him to become successful in little league and with his teams in elementary and middle school. At his last year of junior high, he sent his team to national championships. Although they lost to a neighborhood prefecture, they were happy that Senpai brought them that far. It was because of Senpai's sportsmanship that caught the attention of Akademi's coach. The following day after the championship, he was awarded a baseball scholarship to the high school. Upon hearing the announcement, his father was overjoyed. He was excited that Senpai was blessed with an opportunity to attend a reputable school. He saw how excited his father was on knowing he was attending school with the future leaders of Japan. Honestly, Senpai did not care about being apart of the elite. Opting the route of being a loner, he was happy to play baseball. If that school gave him an opportunity, he was going to take it.

Upon arriving to the high school, he was met with the eyes of the students that despised those who were not apart of their circle. A commoner, or someone that did not come from money, was the nickname he was given. The students were aware of his status and why he was there. They reminded him every single day.

For the first few months, he had become a victim of hazing. The students wrote expletives on his desk; his locker was vandalized; his clothes went missing; anonymous hate mail; and constant physical attacks by his classmates. No matter what agony they gave him, no matter the bruises they inflict upon him, he remained strong. His father always consoled him through his storm. Show me a man that resorts to violence. I'll show you a man that runs out of good ideas. Taking his father's philosophy to heart, he overcame the struggles at school by taking charges of his ordeals. Despite the cards he was given, he never once fought back. Whenever he got into fights with his classmates, he always responded with a smile, "Is that the best you can do?"

In time, he adjusted to the school. The hazing eventually stopped and the harassment ended. He eventually became friends with a few of his classmates. His baseball team accepted him when they qualified for the championship. Because of Senpai, their baseball team were always in the playoffs. They have yet to win, but the name of Akademi rang through the ears of many high schools in Japan.

The rest of high school was a peaceful solace, so to speak. It was not until his senior year where he faced a new form of danger. No words of defense could not stop this new force. The individual wanted one thing and one thing alone-Senpai.

As he staggered around the corner, his brother was becoming ragged. It was become difficult to breathe. He clutched his arm around his chest. He felt that his heartbeat was slowing down. His eyelids were drooping, getting heavier, and blinding him. He was noticing his body was getting heavier. Whatever it was in the syringe was taking effect. He feared that it won't be long until he was going to lose conscious, or worst. Troubled thoughts ran in his mind. Am I going to die? Why did they do this? Please help me. I don't want to die. Will I am able to go home? Will I make it home? Will I see my dad again?

He was walking toward an open space that appeared to be a park. The venom surged into his chest, causing him to feel hotness. It burned, making him sweat and making him panicked. No, I can't die, he thought, I am going to fight this. Resilient and determined, Senpai ventured into the open area to finding shelter. He needed to be somewhere that he won't catch the eye of his captor. However, his eyes were becoming blurry, inhibiting him of sight. Damn it! Don't you quit on me, he thought. Please God, I got to do this!

A laughter came from a distance.

"Senpai," said the voice. "Senpai, please stop! I don't want to hurt you," The sound was melodic. It was like a very twisted sing-song. The voice was gentle and feminine. "Senpai, darling. Why are you running away? Are you playing hard to get? That's okay! It's gonna be so much fun before I catch you, Senpai darling!"

His stomach churned as he heard the familiar voice. "Oh no! That voice!" He spat from his voice when knowing who was his captor, or his shadow of the night. "It can't be. Not her, not her. Anybody but her. No, no, NO!" His face tensed. His hands wrapped in a fist as he cursed himself for making his fatal mistake. A tremendous headache throbbed from his head. It pounded like a nail and hammer. Especially when hearing the haughty, gruesome, murderous, yet heavenly voice of his kouhai.

"Darling, don't you run from me," said the voice. "You are making things worse for yourself. Yet again, if this your crooked attempt of being a tease, then I love it!"

Her laugh was maniacal, something that a killer would do in a midst of rage when the killer murders their victims. He had seen it in movies he had purchased or in the manga books he read. The only difference was that this killer was a female and was occurring in real life.

Then, the sound of the night went silent. It became eerie. Like a vacuum sucked all of the sound from all around him, he knew that something was wrong. He realized that that he was feeling the effect from the syringe.

He tried to scream, but he was unable. His voice faded. It wasn't long until he landed on the ground. The impact nearly made him breathless. As he lied on the ground, he saw a beautiful night. The stars showed a lovely display. On any given night, he would have enjoyed it. The cherry blossoms waved gently into view.

They are not so bad, he thought.

His eyes widened when he saw the familiar kouhai standing above him. Her grey hair flowing into the wind like wool. Her eyes were grey and pale. She stood over him and displayed a huge smile on her face.

"I caught you, darling," she said in a sing-song.

His eyes shut and silence followed thereafter.