Tainted (A soukoku fanfic)

Chapter 1

His big sister on more than one occasion told him that he was far too amiable and far too naive. Honestly though, it was to be expected as he was raised in the countryside of Japan. When you live on a small, but cosy house far from all the dangers of the big city for the better part of your life, there is no need to be wary of any serious threats. Still, in his happy life he was extremely lonely and longed for a change. His sister, Kouyou, home-schooled him, so Chuuya never really had the chance to meet people his age and make friends with them. The only company he had was a little Australian shepherd, Arahabaki, which he had found in their back yard when he was ten. 

In the end, it turned out that the dog had been a gift from Kouyou for his upcoming birthday. Chuuya vividly recalled that day. He had been so ecstatic to finally have a new friend that he had spend all day playing in the yard with him, and would have completely forgotten to eat unless his sister had called him. When he had finished eating and was about to go back outside to play more fun games, he got stopped by her voice. She had reprimanded him for almost ten minutes straight, and then sent him to his room for the rest of the day. 

Yet no amount of walls or scolding however could hold him back from getting what he wanted. Later that same night –after he had made sure Kouyou was fast asleep- he had sneaked outside from his window on the second floor, using a makeshift rope from his bedsheets. Luckily, Arahabaki didn't bark too loudly so they resumed what Kouyou had stopped earlier. By the time weariness kicked in, instead of going back inside like any other person would do on a chilly April night, Chuuya laid down on the grass, cradling the canine in his tiny arms, and gazed at the neon lights from the city he so loved but had never been to. 

The next day, he had woken up to his sister's angry voice and a nasty cold. A month's detention he had received, but at least he could take Arahabaki inside the house from then on. 

Chuuya always let Arahabaki sleep in his room, either beside him or by his feet. Each night, before going to sleep, they would climb up to the window to admire the lights that illuminated his room. He would then proceed to tell him stories he'd heard from Kouyou about the City and his dreams of wanting to move there when he'd grow older (even though he knew the dog didn't understand what he said). His dream was that one day he would move there and make lots of friends. It was a silly wish, but his childish mind forlorn as it was to make human connections, was fueled by the luminosities and the hopes they whispered at night. 

Growing up, the desire to move to Yokohama in high hopes of fulfilling his dreams of a novel and exhilarating life never faded. Thus, in complete secret of his big sister, he did research on scholarships and for a whole year he studied vigorously. Chuuya had even gone as far as to take an entrance exam. Every day he would wait for the mail for a letter to arrive and he would be pacing around in his room in anticipation. Luckily, all his hard work paid off greatly. He had gotten a scholarship to college in the city! A university in Yokohama; truly his dream was within arm's reach. 

Nevertheless, Kouyou was not at all elated about his moving to the city. She made numerous attempts to dishearten him. She would say how there were one too many temptations in the city, the most popular of which being drugs and alcohol. He would listen to her deliver a tirade about how young lads in the city always want to get high and party. It was rather irksome to endure, but he'd somehow managed to convince her he would stay safe. 

The first three months in Yokohama were no doubt the greatest of his life. From the moment he arrived, he had been wander-struck. Everything was just so breath-taking; the tall buildings stretching endlessly toward the sky, the sea of people that swept the crossroads, and the mouth-watering odours that emitted from restaurants. All had been so overwhelming. Even when he entered his new apartment, which was nothing more than a dilapidated hovel, he could not help but fall in love with it. It was his and he was living in the city and going to college. Oh college! Immediately he made it his mission to meet new people. He signed up for as many clubs as he could and participated in many study groups. It had been fascinating to be amongst people his age, and bond with them about ambitions. He was also introduced to fashion, popular music groups, and new movies that he would have never learned about had he still been at home. It was going so smoothly that a classmate of his had even gotten him a job on campus as a cashier in the student store.