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He knew this would happen...
Agata Katsuhira had to admit he didn't want it to end, but he knew it was inevitable.
He watched from the window of a building as the others futilely raced to save Sugomori City; they were easily identifiable with their glowing golden marks as their hearts beat as one.
The city had been overrun by Gomorins in the middle of the night two days ago, and it was clear to the citizens that they were in trouble - by who, they didn't know. While they ran to stop the multiple attacks by the Gomorin throughout the city, Katsuhira and the Kiznaivers knew the real culprit. The people who conducted the Kizna experiment, their unknowing backers - Noriko Sonozaki.
Katsuhira hoisted himself up the ladder and onto the roof where Sonozaki was waiting.
"Noriko." he stated, while the other has her back turned towards him.
She froze, slowly turning to return his stare. "Do you...?"
Sonozaki fully turned to stare in to his eyes. "You do remember." she stated as a concrete fact.
Katsuhira nodded as confirmation.
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He knew. He remembered the sweet female as his childhood friend. He remembered the girl who puzzled him with her dreams of the vast world. He remembered her... as the girl who committed suicide in order to stop a world disaster. He remembered how he thought she spoke nonsense as she screamed and yelled at how she needed to take the connection out of her blood.
"I NEED IT! GIVE THAT BACK!"
"No! Why do you need this syringe?"
She clawed at her arms franctically, "I need this out! The world needs this out! We can't have so many Kiznaivers! I need to break this chain! I need to stop their experiment! I need to...!"
He remembered pain as she clawed her arms. He then remembered darkness, and coming to realize she had knocked him out.
He was so painfully naive. He watched as she stepped off the surface and fell. He only watched.
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"You have it, don't you?" Katsuhira spoke noncommittally, "Please give the syringe to me."
Sonozaki's eyes widened and then shut as she took a evidently shuddering breath. "No..."
He spoke again, "Why? This is the only way."
"No! I can't let you do it!"
"Once I am dead and cut from the world, there will be no Kiznaivers left. The terrorism will be no more. My friends won't be harmed. No one will die." He declared, as though she didn't know it already. She clenched her hands in a rare fit of emotion and shouted,
"I know that! But I can't let you do that, Katsu!"
It was Katsuhira's turn to be surprised, and jolt of shock was shared. Unbeknownst to them, a group of people stopped in their tracks, mirroring the shock, and turned towards the source.
"You became a Kiznaiver differently, Katsu, you were born in to it! Once you're not a Kiznaiver... once this chemical wipes out that, you'll... you'll die..." She shuddered and turned back around, a few tears slipping down and leaving wet marks on the concrete.
Katsuhira stared at her as he realized what he truly was. He knew he would die, he would have jumped from the building even if he hadn't heard that. Katsuhira knew he was an essential part of the Kiznaiver equation but he didn't know why and he didn't know what, all he knew: he needed to free his friends and the world.
He finally knew.
His decision was clear.
"I'm sorry."
He lunged, grabbed and plunged the syringe in to his arm.
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Eight screams echoed in, for once, the silent city.
It was as if the city had stopped moving, and the only sounds were eight lasting screams, one louder and longer than all the rest.
Their screams faded as the marks on their wrists followed suit.
Confused, they all looked at their wrists, as the mark gradually disappeared.
The enemies they were trying to fight disappeared.
But one obstacle remained. One scream that continued, even as they struggled to get up and run towards it, still affected by the initial spike of pain.
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Sonozaki raised her head in effort as she got off the ground, pain still curling inside her.
Katsuhira's outburst of pain faded. He gave a small breath as his insides continued to burn and devour him outwards. With a small smile set on his face, he turned towards her.
He closed his eyes.