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A vacant abandoned bottle fell to the ground with a clunk, rolling until it halted. All that could be heard was the pitter patter of rain against the car window. Nausea took over Damon’s body mixed with a pounding headache, with no recollection of how he got here, or the origin of the bottle. Kai sat next to him, both quiet, unmoving, for they feared any noise would shatter the rare peace they established.
Within the killing game there was never a moment of peace. The air was filled with fear and paranoia the more the bodies piled up. The horror written on their faces forever ingrained into the two survivors' memories. No one could be trusted, everyone had a breaking point, it was just a matter of time until one of them snapped; a waiting game.
They were all pawns in a sick, twisted game, and they played into the hands of the gamemaster.
It never took long before another body, another betrayal, another execution. In order to survive you had to detach yourself; keep your distance from others, you never could know their ulterior motives. Don’t let anyone know your weak points or vulnerabilities, for they could take advantage of it if in the wrong hands. Except you couldn’t isolate yourself, an alibi was your strongest shield, you had to find a perfect balance. It was a matter of survival of the fittest.
Even after all of Damon’s preaching he was a hypocrite. It started with Eva, even now that name still haunts him. When he spoke out against Wolfgang she was there by his side, even if she lied. She took them for fools trying to become something she wasn’t. ‘The Ultimate Liar’ was silly, something out of a fantasy, yet ironic. Maybe that was his first warning sign, not like he paid any mind to it.
Thinking back to all their talks in the basement he still questions if it ever really did mean anything. She showed him the blackmail she received when she didn’t need to, and he did so in return. The words “I trust you.” still echoing in his head. Was that a lie too? If it wasn't, why did she never tell him about the solution to the Tozu poster? Had she already known when he asked? Was she already planning? She didn’t hesitate before throwing him under the bus.
He never knew her, the real her. He had no right or reason trusting her, it was illogical. They were strangers who just happened to end up in the same predicament. From the moment they met until her death she hid behind a facade. Who was the real Eva Tsunaka? That was a question that could never be answered. Her victim complex and self destructive behavior led her to her demise.
The aftermath of that first trial was something he could never forget. Eva’s desperate cries, the heat of the flames, and the salty taste of tears. His words from after the mock trial were only being proven right. The first person he ever trusted in this place; a killer. He swore he would never trust anyone again, yet that was another false commitment.
Damon was less than thrilled when he received his roommate assignment. Kai was everything he despised; energetic, sensitive, and dramatic. The impression Damon gave after the mock trial left him a sour reputation, so much so Kai screamed with a look of horror on his face when they figured out their room assignments. Their disdain for each other was clear, with Kai even splitting the room in half forcing Damon to sleep on the couch. Damon could only dream of having such trivial problems now.
Avoiding each other at the beginning, but, in the end, they chose to stick with each other for a means of survival. If they were always together when the inevitable happened they’d have an alibi, and if one or the other were to be killed the answer would be clear. They didn’t trust each other; it was only a strategy, at least that’s what Damon told himself time and time again. He could say whatever he wanted, but his actions betrayed him.
In the dead of night when they only had each other soft touches were exchanged. It was something they would never speak of out loud, kept hidden within the dark of night. It was their only source of comfort and warmth in a game of distrust and death . It wasn’t only that, but the way they always ran to each other's defense. Accusations of murder shot down immediately. Even when the idea of a traitor or mastermind came into light any accusations towards them were deflected.
Logically, they didn’t gain anything from defending one another, but they did so anyway. Damon doesn’t know when he started choosing emotion over reason, but he could only guess it started with Kai. They taught each other things they would have never understood without each other. Kai taught Damon that emotion over reason wasn’t always illogical, and that he was more than just the Ultimate Debater. Damon taught Kai what a real friend is, and let him grow more confident.
Being an ultimate came with a price, and that price was your sense of self. When Damon became the Ultimate Debater that was just who he was now. He was no longer Damon Maitsu, but someone different. He wasn’t the same black haired kid beaming with joy anymore. He isolated himself in order to hone his talent, to support his parents, to make sure he gave them the best life possible. He never got to connect with his peers, but he doesn’t regret a thing.
Debating was his life, but now, after the trials he had to endure, he doesn’t think he can ever debate again. Debating would just be another reminder of the trials. The trials where death loomed over his head. One wrong conclusion would be the end for him and his peers. The weight of the remaining students lives on his shoulders. Luckily, the odds were in his favor.
Kai, before getting put into the killing game, was social media obsessed. Being an influencer was his life. He threw away his mental and physical health, even isolating himself from friends and family, to dedicate his time to posting online. He put on a facade of confidence and happiness for his fans; hiding behind a fake smile. Appearing in bad condition could ruin his reputation more than ever. His fans wanted to see well looking photos, not some desperate cry for help. His fans never actually cared for him; they only cared about his posts, but they were his only “friends” for a long time.
It took Kai a long time to realize how negatively social media was affecting him. He never understood how sick he was, nor how alone he had been. Being the Ultimate influencer put more pressure on him than one could imagine. After the killing game he didn’t think he could ever return to that lifestyle; quitting social media for good.
Except that led the two to an even bigger question; who are they now? They were known as their ultimate titles, and seen as such. But when they give that all up, who are they?
Kai slightly shifted in his seat to lay back, turning his head to look at Damon, Damon looked back. They were both disheveled; messy hair with grown out roots and wrinkled clothes. The world around them spun, warm in an otherwise cold car. Kai gave him a weak smile, almost melancholy, no real sense of warmth behind it.
“Damon?” Kai proposed.
“Hm?” Damon acknowledged.
“What should we do now?” It was a simple question, one usually asked when out having fun with friends, at least Damon assumed. Except that simple question had a complicated and unknown answer.
“I don’t know.” A beat of silence. Before everything Damon always had an answer, never at a loss for words, full of rebuttals and knowledge. Now, he didn’t have an answer to anything.
Kai’s frown faltered with glassy eyes, “You should return to your parents, you know? They’d want to see you, they miss you, I’m sure.” said through slurred speech.
Damon didn’t hesitate before reaching out his hand to interlock his fingers with Kai’s trembling ones. It was grounding, a gesture to try and comfort them both.
“No, Kai, I won’t leave you. We’ve been over this.” Kai could only look down at their intertwined hands. Kai truly didn’t have anyone besides Damon, his parents too busy and friends long abandoning him.
“But they’re your family. They’ll take care of you and be there for you if you just return home.”
Damon let out a small sigh, “It’s nice to see you’re still your stubborn self.” Kai let out a dry laugh with no real humor to it.
“Kai, we understand each other better than anyone else, and I don’t want to be somewhere where you’re not.”
“So sappy,” he let out another dry giggle “the old you would have died at the thought of saying something so vulnerable.”
“Well I’m changed, we’re changed. We’re no longer the same people we were a few months ago.”
Kai weakly nodded scooting closer to Damon, resting his head onto his shoulder, despite being the taller one of the two.
More silence compassed them, until Damon broke it with a question of his own.
“Who are we now?” It was said in a whisper as if he was deeply contemplating it.
Kai squeezed his hand and Damon continued, “I mean we were Ultimates, something great, but when it’s all said and done who are we at the end of the day?”
Kai seemed to contemplate that same thing, luring them into more silence as they thought over the same question. The rain was a calming presence, finally being able to see the beauty of nature and not a fake sky. They were safe in each other's presence.
“Maybe we’re just Damon and Kai now.”
“Damon and Kai..” Damon repeated to himself in a whisper.
“Mhm, we don’t have to be anybody, we can just be ourselves now.” Kai added.
It sounded a lot nicer than he would’ve thought. He didn’t have to be that cold, sharp, and witty Damon anymore, he could be that compassionate person hidden within. The person that was happy. And Kai no longer had to hide behind a facade, he was free to express himself. They were no longer bounded by the suffocating title of being an ultimate.
“Where do we go now?” Kai asked.
Damon looked down at Kai then out the window.
“Maybe we should forget the future, just for tonight, let's live now. Just bask in the peace for a little while..”
“Okay.” Kai agreed.
Nothing was okay. Blood stained their memories, their old classmates haunting them forever. People they never really knew, yet still cared about all the same. They’re kids who are lost with no idea where to go.
But tonight they could pretend, find solace in each other's presence. Free from the shackles of the killing game, they were safe in each other's arms. The rain will soothe them to sleep, washing away their nightmares leaving them with sweet dreams.