"Aaah!!" I spluttered, coughing up quite a bit of water, 'Wait... water?!' I rapidly cast my eyes around and saw that I was in a bathroom or more specifically, in the froth-filled bathtub of a bathroom.

'I survived... How??' at this point, I realized that I wasn't in just any random bathroom 'And how did I get here???' everything from cracked tiles to the old wooden door was familiar, a little too familiar.

'Just what in hell?!' I unconsciously rubbed my eyes in utter confusion (which didn't exactly help, owing to the fact that my palms were quite soapy)

But it did tell me that I was indeed, in the process of taking a bath, and also brought to light another factor I'd failed to notice earlier.

'Did my hands get smaller??' I squinted, as I brought them up above my head 'Yup... Definitely smaller than before' I reasoned.

Why don't I just look in a mirror to make sure?? You may ask.

Well, there wasn't one, or rather wouldn't be one here in this particular bathroom. I checked just in case and sure enough, no mirrors 'Okay... Then how about this??' I brought my hands to my face and tentatively rubbed my chin and cheeks, no stubble nor any traces of my usual beard.

My face was smooth, rather it hadn't gotten to the phase where one starts growing facial hair 'No... Way' I seriously began doubting if this was just another of my vivid dreams (I'd had a few)

The other alternative was a little too good to be true 'It can't be that I...' the sudden rattling of the door caused me to jump and quite a bit of water, splashed out the tub.

"Oi John!! Hurry up!!" I heard someone complain, "Breakfast's almost ready!! It's your first day, so best you left earlier than usual!!" one could easily tell at this point, that the speaker was a female.

"Johnathan?!" She called again when I hadn't replied, hammering the door with greater intensity.

"I... I'm almost done!!" I replied, though keeping my voice steady was quite the challenge 'How long has it been??...' it was all I could do to keep from crying at this point. The voice belonged to my elder sister, she sounded so young and so... carefree.

'... I've really returned?!' I was still in disbelief but the clear change in our voices, both in my sister's and my own, squarely pointed to the fact 'Only one way to find out for sure...' I reasoned while calming, or rather repressing, my surging emotions. I stepped out of the bath and grabbed a towel, thoroughly drying myself before pulling on my boxers 'Well, here goes nothing... ' and taking in a deep breath, I hesitantly stepped out of the bathroom.

What greeted me was a somewhat cluttered room with a bookcase, an old looking wardrobe by the side and a single bed by the wall. Light entered through, via means of a window atop the bed.

On the wall directly opposite me was a door which, if my memory served true, would open up to a flight of stairs that eventually ended at the dining room, a floor below.

All in all the room looked quite messy, the walls had a lot of old posters of anime and movies, 'Well... old by my standards anyway' I surmised as my eyes came to rest upon a set of clothes, hanging on a hook behind the said door.

White shirt, black pants, grey blazer and a tie to go along with it. A school Uniform, and furthermore it seemed to be brand new 'Everything's just like I remember... Anyway, I'd better hurry up' I reasoned, upon recalling what my sister had said about breakfast.

I donned the Uniform with practiced ease, and steeled myself as I grabbed the doorknob "Breakfast!! here I come!!" And muttering the savage war cry, I turned the knob and briskly stepped out of my room...

I was on the ground before I knew what hit me.

"Sorry!! Forgot something" I heard my sister apologize, the door to her room was almost bursting open in her haste "Mom's already laid the table!! I'll catch up, so start breakfast without me!!" She called and slammed the door shut behind her.

I gingerly got back to my feet and dusted myself off, checking for any major injuries as I did so 'Man... This sure takes me back, she was such a clumsy one' I couldn't help but grin as I made my way down the stairs, knowing better than to interfere at this point, plus my thoughts were more than a little preoccupied at the moment 'I have to make sure' and I my pace quickened.

'If she's back to being like that... then!?' my heartbeat quickened at the thought, while my anxiousness increased tenfold with each passing step, all further attempts at calming myself were in vain 'Please, let it not be a dream!!' I silently pleaded, upon reaching the foot of the stairs and cast my eyes towards the table in front of me 'They're really here...' and all I could do was stare blankly at the pair.

They were both exceedingly familiar, but equally unfamiliar at the same time, for I hadn't seen them in over ten years, I noted the slightly amused expression on my Mother as she placed a plate of toast on the table, no doubt in reaction to my somewhat loose fitting Uniform (I was assured that I would later grow into it) while my Father simply gave me a nod, and resumed reading his newspaper, coffee in hand.

'I'm back!!' I inwardly yelled, the sheer happiness threatening to overwhelm me, as I barely restrained myself from yelling out loud 'I've really come back!!' I wanted to give them both a hug, but I knew how odd and out of place that would be (I wasn't one for being so expressive) so I gave my father a thump on the back and settled for eating an extra large portion of my Mother's cooking.

Okay, maybe I should back things up a little before being labeled a sappy stooge…

---

I woke up one night during my Junior Year, to find a policeman waiting outside the house door, who told me that my Dad's car had veered off a curb, resulting in my parent's untimely demise.

'Brake failure' was the reason we'd been given, but I knew for a fact that it was a lie, the entire thing had been staged.

My Dad worked on that car himself, and I knew how particular he was about its maintenance, especially so when my Mom traveled with him. But seeing as I couldn't provide any conclusive evidence, the case as brought to a close. They classified it as an 'unfortunate' accident, any further protests on our part fell on deaf ears.

The years that followed were the darkest times of our lives. My sister who was just out of High school, had to forego all her dreams and aspirations in favor of work, single-handedly shouldering the burden of earning our livelihood. I cycled through several part-time jobs to lighten her burden as much as I could, seeing as she'd forbidden from leaving school.

It wasn't until much later that I, with the help from one of my father's old acquaintance, was able to secure an entry into the army. It had always been my father's wish and additionally, would also give my hardworking sister a chance to pursue her own aspirations.

Things had finally taken a turn for the better, my first tour ended in success and my sister managed to secure a full scholarship at a deemed University. It wasn't that long before a suitable suitor turned up and very soon, wedding bells chimed loud and clear.

Even I had the good fortune of meeting a 'special someone' and the days that followed were some of the best in my life, but unfortunately, these good times didn't last.

My sister's body had always been a little weak, given how she'd overworked herself and come childbirth, her body could endure no more and I was suddenly left all alone.

Her husband's family immediately cut all ties with me, stating that the child was better off growing up without the knowledge of my existence.

It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact, but my suffering hadn't ended just yet.

I'd been nearing my mid-thirties at the time and had just returned from my last tour... Only to find that the wine I'd been drinking was poisoned and that I couldn't even talk, much less move, anymore.

The poison seemed to also have a numbing effect and given the copious amount I'd taken in, my body was akin to a rag doll. All I could do was watch on powerlessly, as the bastard responsible forced himself on my girlfriend while I lay dying on the floor.

"You see this bitch here??" He goaded as he held her body over me "She was the one who suggested we use the poison!! I was all for beating you to a pulp!!" He laughed "It's much easier this way!! He's made a lot of enemies, no one would suspect you in the slightest!!" He said in a mock imitation of her voice while she shuddered in his grasp "But you know what?? I could tell that she was lying" he continued on with his actions, even though she was clearly exhausted.

"I tried everything!! Power, jewelry, money, anything she desired... but she wasn't swayed" His voice went on, as the poison killed me slowly "She ignored me, even threatened to kill herself if I tried approaching her again!!" His voice got angrier with each passing word "Know how I earned her cooperation?? I told her that I'd have you framed, and killed as a traitor!!" He yelled "I chased her with all my heart, I've yearned for her for so long!! Yet she only agreed because of you!!" but then he let out a mirthless grin "It doesn't matter anyway, it all played out well in the end..."

He shoved while she buckled in his hands, "She agreed to this, to be mine, in return that I let her poison you..." He seemed oblivious to my reaction, hardly able to contain the triumph in his eyes "Her love for you, despite our differences I have to commend you on winning her heart, not that it matters now!!" And he thrust into her all the more, earning an agonized moan that shattered my very being.

'She'd been suffering all this time, she even agreed to commit murder, just to ease my pain!! Why didn't I notice!! Why!?' I could feel the wetness leaking out of my eyes 'Why am I so useless?! I couldn't get justice for my parents, I couldn't take care of my sister and now...'

"You've been a thorn in my side for far too long, Johnathan Stone!! I think it's high time you were reunited with the rest of your family!!" His smile was positively fiendish now, "Oh… I almost forgot!!" He paused in his actions, only to bend down and plucked the box that lay hidden in my pocket.

Grabbing what was inside, he casually tossed the box away "Well ain't she a beauty!! Good taste!! I thank you for saving me the trouble!!" he commented and I watched as he forced the ring onto her finger, almost breaking it in the process, "I’ll have the ceremony scheduled first thing tomorrow!!"

'No!!....' I yelled with all my might, I'd had enough 'Why me?? What wrong had I done?? What wrong had my family done?! Why?! Was this all fate's doing??' and something within me shattered 'Well then screw fate!!' I glared at the scumbag with venom filled eyes 'You won't get away!! I won't let you… Even if my spirit has to tear through reality’s very fabric!! I swear I will…' but everything turned black, my consciousness was rapidly fading.

I felt a weight dropped on top of me, and I knew that it was her, "I..m... S..o..r...y" and those were the last words I heard...

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