The Game Arena - A Sci- Fi Fanfiction

II - Chapter 9 - In Another Life - II

"Hey, over here!" Shotou loudly whispered, waving a frantic hand over. He was thin and frail, with hollow cheeks and sunken bloodshot eyes. There were signs of cuts and bruises all over the front of his arms, neck and legs. He wore old shoes and his hair was a tangled mess, but that didn't faze Suha in the slightest as he weaved through a narrow alleyway, dark and drenched from the cold pouring rain, a smile on his face at being able to meet his friend. 

Once he arrived, Shotou excitedly held up a peculiar wooden box, lined with swirls of shimmering bronze and silver, materials that would cost a huge fortune in these villages and slums. "Look what I found lying next to the pile of old stuff, it's funny how there are no thieves snatching this up yet." 

"What is it?" Suha asked, taking the box and examining it closely. "What is this thing? A jewelry box?"

"Oh, you think there's jewelry in there?" Shotou pondered thoughtfully. "Perhaps I could sell them and grant myself a small fortune. Things haven't been well lately, those scary guys came over to our house again."

 His eyes going dark, Suha snarled, almost crushing the wooden box. "What did they do again, this time? Let me guess, was it about your debt? Look, this isn't your fault, it's-"

"I know...." Shotou murmured, slowly taking the box back from Suha. "But this sickness of mine is getting worse by the day and I don't know what else to do. This is our only hope..." 

"Hey listen, I have an idea." Suha offered, both arms gently embracing the other smaller boy. "Why don't I just bring you over to where I live and have my physician take a look at you? He's a really nice person but that doesn't mean my parents have to know. I'll get you fixed up in no time, okay?" 

With a pained snort, Shotou scoffed in return. "You know it's too late for that, this corrupted air of the slums always ends up taking innocent lives away. And you also know what happened to me a few days ago, at a stupid gaming competition I wasn't supposed to attend." 

"That wasn't your fault!" Suha snapped back, "Just because you failed and others bullied you for it, doesn't mean crap! I'm here for you, got that? And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make your life better again, I promise!" 

Shotou choked, his eyes sparkling. "You seriously never change at all, huh?" 

"I mean it!" Suha pressed on, giving Shotou a light shake. "We're gonna get through this, together! Do you promise me too?" 

The other boy smiled, although that may have appeared strained. "I promise." He then glanced down at the box on his hands, "So, what do you think is in here?"

"If it isn't locked, we can open the lid up and see what's inside." Suha offered. "Something tells me it isn't necessarily jewelry but perhaps something else instead?" 

The two boys shuffled off and hid behind a huge trash bin, crouching down. Heart raced with anticipation and shivering a little, Shotou fumbled about with the lock. Thankfully it wasn't too complicated to figure out as the lock easily slid open and actually fell off, clearly too old and broken to be fixed. Suha snorted at how strangely funny it was. Shotou then decided to close his eyes and flick the cover up. 

But what was inside shocked them the most. 

Suha was almost disappointed at getting his hopes up, "Who would lock a key inside a box?" 

"Perhaps someone is trying to keep something dangerous hidden away......for good?" Suha shrugged back, just as clueless. 

Unbeknownst to either of them, there goes Pandora's Box.