Beginning Beyond The Horizon

As the sun began to dip over the horizon, the five sat around a small campfire, grilling, and eating crabmeat.

Michio quipped, "U-ri, how was it?" He smiled.

U-ri took a bit of the crabmeat and said, "Tastes better with seasoning."

The five of them laughed.

U-ri looked at the four young people and said, "I believe this is a big desert. I've read somewhere that the desert is hot during the day and cool at night. Most people travel at night and hide in the sun while sleeping during the day."

Yul said, "Since it will be cold, then we should sleep close to each other."

Abrafo teased with a smile, "We will sleep close here, and the two of you can also sleep close to each other over there."

Yul looked at Abrafo and said, "This is not funny." He handed Hajime a stick of grilled crab meat.

Hajime took a bite of the grilled crab meat, "Also, your jokes are stupid. Your jokes are as stupid as the chicken crossing the road... or the knock-knock joke."

The four men looked at Hajime. Michio asked, "I've never heard that kind of joke before."

Hajime smiled awkwardly and said, "Forget it... I just made it up while talking."

Abrafo said, "I'm not joking... Why do you two suddenly feel that you are going to sleep separately? We don't mind you two hugging."

Michio added, "Kissing, or even…"

The three men smiled and watched each other roll their eyes, watching Yul and Hajime offering food to each other.

Hajime said, "We don't need to hug and kiss in front of you. We can do it when and where we like."

Yul took a bite of the crab meat and continued the joke, "After all, he is my wife."

The four laughed loudly, and the crabmeat flew out of the mouths of Abrafo and Michio.

Abrafo smiled and said, "Yul, you finally recognize him as your wife."

Hajime wiped off the crabmeat that happened to land on his face. He looked at the three smiling men, "You can laugh if you want, you won't be able to laugh tomorrow."

Michio asked, "Why?"

Hajime pointed at the three laughing men and said, "Because the three of you are walking tomorrow morning."

U-ri said, "Hajime, I didn't laugh that hard. You wouldn't be so mean to the old man, would you?"

Hajime said, "You think I don't know… you are the ringleader of the three of you."

Yul shook his head with a smile. He looks at the four who are arguing, while they are building their friendship.

Yul said, "I'll keep watch first. You guys should rest."

Hajime said, "No one keeps watch. I will cast the spell." He took off the bangle and threw it into the air. The bangle turned into a huge magic circle, surrounding the five people.

U-ri asked, "Abrafo, what do you hope to get out of this journey?"

Abrafo said, "Experience and promotion."

Abrafo looked at U-ri and asked, "How about you?"

U-ri said, "Knowledge."

Abrafo said, "I hope if I succeed in this mission, I will make my father proud." He looked at Yul. "And you?"

Yul said, "Peace. I hope this mission will bring peace to the people of Tanzang."

Michio said, "I don't even know why I agreed to this mission in the first place. I didn't expect to get anything out of it."

The four men looked at Hajime.

Hajime said, "I hope to find my true love."

Abrafo said with a smile, "There are so many people in Tanzang, don't tell me that there is no one in Tanzang who meets your conditions."

Hajime said, "No Tanzanie wants to love me from the heart."

U-ri said seriously, "Hajime, you are marrying Yul. According to King Jawara, even the great general Kazan cannot refuse this marriage. Refusing the decree of loyalty is death."

Hajime replied, "That's why when we finish this mission, you can tell your king that I'm dead." He looked at the four men. "He told General Kazan that when Yul returns with the dragon tail, he will let one of his princesses marry Yul as a token of appreciation for Yul's sacrifice. Yul will become a prince. General Kazan will have his grandson, and for me... I will live together with my true love. Everyone gets what they want."

Abrafo said, "You have really thought about it, why are you rushing to read only the last chapter?"

Hajime, "All I have is time, which you guy don't have. Whether the earth is sucked into that black hole or not, I can't die anyway."

The four men opened their mouths wide.

U-ri asked, "How?"

Hajime said, "I'll fly out with my eagle."

Michio asked, "Can you just watch innocent people die without feeling guilty?"

Hajime said, "Their deaths have nothing to do with me."

U-ri said, "Hajime, you can't think like that."

Hajime asked, "Why not?"

U-ri said, "Because we're human, we have to show compassion for other people."

Hajime sneered faintly, "When I need sympathy, those people don't give me anything." He got up, walked to his bag, and lay down sullenly.

U-ri looked at Hajime and the men were sitting beside him. He sighed and said, "Hajime, I hope from the bottom of my heart that you will find your true love during this journey."

Hajime closed his eyes and listened to the conversation of the four people. He thought of his mother. How much she hated him. She'd be on someone's side before she even looked at him. She wished him a tragic end with every beat of her heart, and he could feel it.

Hajime saw himself as a very simple person. If someone loves him a little, he will love that person ten times without complaint or regret. He just wants someone who loves him. He felt tears in the corners of his eyes.

Yul lay down next to Hajime. He saw that Hajime had fallen asleep. After learning about Hajime's history, he felt a little sorry for Hajime. He reached out and pulled Hajime's blanket over Hajime's body.

Yul whispered, "I hope you found your true love and got rid of that curse."

Hajime grabbed Yul's hand and murmured in his sleep, "Kenji-san... please don't leave me." He held Yul's hand tightly.

Yul put his left arm under Hajime's head and hugged him. Not long after, Yul falls asleep. When Yul held Hajime in his arms, Hajime had already woken up from the endless nightmare. He stares at Yul for a moment.

Hajime murmured, "I hope I can find my true love too. Someone who will love me from the bottom of their heart. I hope we can all get what we want at the end of this journey." Hajime closed his eyes.

Hajime wasn't sure if it was a dream or reality, because sometimes it felt like a dream, but sometimes it felt so real. As Hajime was walking in the dark, Hajime was pushed so hard that his back hit a trash can. Then he saw another trash can flying towards him. He blocked the trash can with his arm. The three men and a woman with a cell phone began documenting the incident, and the three men began beating Hajime.

June kicked Hajime hard in the left abdomen. He yelled angrily, "Fag… do you really think I really asked you out?"

Shi laughed and said, "June...you are so handsome, this guy wants to ask you out." He kicked Hajime twice in the left rib.

Akako said forcefully, "Shi, move aside, I can't get a good recording of this fag's face."

In Hajime's memory, he knew they were wrong. Tonight, he didn't go out to hook up with anyone. He just wants someone to talk with. Hajime he's gay, but what he's looking for tonight isn't love, but he was looking for friendship.

Hajime could barely see out of his left eye, which was blinded by blood. He hears two more people coming and talking to June, Shi and Akako. And before he knew it. The trio started attacking him again from all directions. After being beaten by three men for ten minutes, Hajime could no longer feel his body. In the dark alley, he fell on the cold ground, lying motionless in a pool of blood. Hajime could only make grunting sounds.

When blood started pouring from Hajime's head to the ground, the five of them panicked and left, leaving Hajime lying in the back alley. Hajime heard their footsteps fleeing the scene of the crime.

Hajime stared up on a starless night when suddenly he saw snowflakes falling on him. He smiled slightly because he still remembered that it was midsummer.

"So, am I dying?" Hajime giggled, then coughed.

Hajime thought that the person who took him out tonight was someone he could trust, but he was wrong. Sometimes he wishes someone would end his life for him. So, his wish finally came true. The light in his eyes began to dim, the night sky also became darker, his vision slowly disappeared and became blurred, and then there was nothing but darkness. He wondered how he became like this. He knows now that what people say is true. When you are dying, your life literally flashes before your eyes. Hajime closed his eyes, and his life flashed before his eyes like a black and white photo from a projector. Hajime wants to see good pictures of him from when his father was around, but all the projected pictures shown to him are those of pain, suffering and humiliation.

In the distance, Hajime heard Kenji's voice. "Hajime-kun…Hajime-kun…"

Hajime felt his head lifted. He couldn't see the man. He muttered to himself, "Kenji-san..." He really wanted to see Kenji's face, maybe this was the last time he would get to see Kenji's face, but then his breathing suddenly became rapid, faster, and faster, and then He gasped.

Hajime gasped and sat up abruptly. Panting, he turned around and found that the people around him were still sleeping. He lay back slowly. He murmured, "When will this nightmare end...?" He lay down with his hands behind his head, looked at the dark night, heard the loud clanging sound from a distance, and he suddenly got up again.

The sound of jingling soon woke up the other four. The men looked at each other.

"It sounds like shrine bells," Michio said.

U-ri looked at Michio and said, "That means we're very close to civilization."

Yul said, "Sleep well tonight and we leave early tomorrow morning."