My body feels very stiff right now. Just from moving my hand, it was painful enough to wake me up.

“Ngh…”

I feel something wet and rough against my cheek. Opening my eyes, I found a black figure sitting next to me. Is that a cat? It looks like a cat, a black cat, to be specific. I open my eyes more to observe the cat. The stray seemed to notice my movements, since it stopped and is now looking at me with its large amber eyes. I ignore the sharp pain that surrounds my body to sit up on the floor. The stray is still staring up at me, as if it’s trying to figure out why I’m here or who I am. I get curious as well, moving my hand  near its head. It started to sniff my palm to see if I’m its enemy or something. After a few seconds passed, it nuzzled its head into my hand. I always  seemed  to be a cat person. I don’t know the reason why, but maybe it’s because I find them really cute and soft. It sounds ridiculous, I know. It’s not every day that you hear about a tall, somewhat big guy who loves cats a lot, so I understand. But cats seem to like me too, maybe they like how my big hands pet their slim body. Like how it is right now, the stray is rubbing its head against my hand while I move my hand along its coal colored fur.

“Hm?”

Time must’ve flown by, since the sun started to rise above the junk piles. The cat seemed to notice the rays as well, since it scampered off. As I watch it disappear behind a broken down car, I hear a sound coming from my coil. My coil is the only expensive thing I own but I didn’t buy it myself. An ex-member gave it to me before she left, the same goes for my clothes. Even though it’s expensive, it’s still quite an old model, old enough to possibly be the first model. When I took it out of my pocket from my cloak, it looks bigger than the other small and newer models. I opened it up, realizing that I have a message. It’s from my closest friend, Markus.

“Hey there, Kou. There was a recent sighting of that blonde you met the other day. He’s apparently staying at the hospital now, so it’s possible that you won’t see him anymore”

That blonde? Oh, he must be talking about that guy with the cubes and strange get up. It wasn’t much of a meeting, it was more like a fight. So…he’s at the hospital now. It must’ve been a day or two since he was admitted. The fight wasn’t’ really deadly or dangerous, but it did involve a knife and another sharp object. But, I don’t want to talk about that right now, I just want to go back to my only home right now. With that thought in mind, I pull up my mask that was hanging on my neck. After I put on my eye patch, I slowly get up on my feet. My body still hurts, but it’s not bad enough for me to not walk. As I walk out of the junkyard, with my hands in my pockets, I remember something. That dream I had last night…what was that about? Why would I dream about the infamous Sly Blue? I don’t know him or anything, I haven’t even met him personally, so why would I dream of him? I guess I’ll find out sooner or later, maybe. I don’t know…maybe the dream was a sign or something. A sign that me and him will cross paths one day and who knows the outcome. Why am I even thinking about this? It’s just a dream, nothing special about it…right?

“Hey there, Kou’

I know that usual greeting, and turning around to see who it is has proved me correct. It was Markus. I must’ve been in deep though, since I didn’t notice I was close to my team building already.

“Hey”

“Where’d you go yesterday? We got the blood test results in right after you left”

“I didn’t go anywhere…”

“…You went to the junkyard again, didn’t you?”

I always wondered how he found out that I go there sometimes. But Markus does seem like the type to snoop around in everyone’s business, including mine, so it doesn’t bother me. What does bother me, is that his knowledge could get him in trouble one day.

“Kou”

He looked around to see if anyone was listening, motioning me to lean in closer and when I did, he whispered.

“Kou, you know how bad it’ll be for you if you end up like ‘that’. You need to stop doing this to yourself”

“I know..but it’s one of the only ways to keep myself calm. Tiring myself out can also keep me from becoming ‘that’”

“But it can also strengthen it…also the risk of the Factory Incident to happen again”

The Factory Incident…I remember it as clear as day and the memory itself haunts me.