Killer Instinct - 26 Rehabilitation

*Please read Author’s Thoughts after this chapter*

“Yawn…”

Karma yawned in exhaustion. He didn’t really get that much sleep after what happened yesterday.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t get enough sleep?” a voice said from beside him. It was Jizu.

“Yeah…yawn…,” Karma replied.

“Were you watching those mystery films you loved so much again?” Jizu said with a smirk.

“No… Yawn… A lot of things happened yesterday.” Karma said.

“From just getting a textbook? Jizu asked in confusion.

“I’ll fill you on it later,” Karma replied.

The walk to school was normal. Karma looked around to see if he could find Shirohana, but she wasn’t anywhere among the students.

After they changed into their indoor shoes, Karma and Jizu headed to their classroom. As they turned the corner, they heard a loud crash. Startled, they tried to find the source. It came from classroom 1-A. What Karma saw shocked him to the core.

Shirohana was being beaten by three girls with nasty smirks on their faces. They were laughing at Shirohana when she barfed from being kicked around. No one helped her. They just stood there, watching a fellow classmate get beaten.

Stop!” Karma shouted. Everyone turned to the door. “Stop hurting her! What is wrong with you?!”

He rushed over to Shirohana.

“Are you alright?” Karma asked with worry.

“Y-Yes…” Shirohana mumbled through her pain.

Karma turned to the girls.

“What is wrong with you people?” Karma said. “You think picking on the weak is fun? You three are fucked up to the core.”

“Wha-!” one of the girls said, taken back. “Who do you think you are? You think you can get away with insulting us like that?” She seemed to the leader of the three.

“I don’t give a shit,” Karma said, picking up Shirohana. “I am going to take her to the nurse’s office.”

“You put her down!” the same girl said, grabbing Karma’s shoulder. “We aren’t done with her yet!”

Karma glared at her. The girl pulled her hand away in fear. Karma walked out of the classroom, carrying Shirohana.

“Jizu, head to the classroom without me,” Karma said, as he ran off.

When they arrived at the nurse’s office, the school nurse was sitting in her chair, doing some paperwork. She looked up when they came in.

“Oh my god!” the nurse gasped in horror. “What happened to her?!”

“Please help her!” Karma said. “Some mean girls were beating her.”

“This is terrible!” the nurse said. “Quickly, lay her on the bed. I’ll treat her injuries.”

Both of them worked to treat Shirohana. Then, at last, they bandaged her up. Shirohana fell asleep during the process. Her face was in tranquility.

Karma sighed in relief. His heart that was beating the whole time had finally calmed down. However, his anger towards those girls still lingered.

“I’ll watch over her,” the nurse said. “You go to class.”

“Alright,” Karma replied, heading out the door.

Karma walked to his classroom. As he walked, he was thinking of the incident that occurred.

*Why are those girls bullying a sweet and caring girl like her?* Karma thought to himself. As he entered his classroom, the students turned to look at him. Even though Karma was in a different class, the word about the incident traveled fast.

“What?” Karma asked, annoyed. He sat down at his desk and laid his head down. Then class started. Karma looked out the window, wondering if Shirohana was better.

Then lunch break came. That’s when everyone exploded. People were whispering while giving quick glances toward Karma. Karma was annoyed, so he stood up and started to walk out of the classroom.

“Wait!” three voices shouted. Karma turned and saw his friends running towards him.

“We heard you stood up against those girls who were bullying that white haired girl,” Kizuna said, patting Karma’s shoulder. “I can’t believe students of this school would do this.”

“How is she?” Kiki said, worryingly.

“She’s resting in the nurse’s office,” Karma said. “I’m going to check on her now.”

And with that, he ran off.

As he neared Shirohana’s classroom, he decided to grab Shirohana’s bento. When he walked into the classroom, the students’ attention became directed at him.

Then, the three girls approached him.

“What the hell are you doing here,” one of the girls asked. It was the same girl that had tried to stop Karma from carrying Shirohana to the nurse’s office.

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Karma replied with a glare. “Fuck off.”

The girl backed away and Karma went to Shirohana’s desk. Sure enough, a bento box was neatly placed inside her desk along with several books. Karma carefully took out the bentobox and walked straight out of the classroom, not bothering to see what the mean girls were up to.

Karma quickly made his way to the nurse’s office. As he neared the office, the nurse came out.

“Oh, you’re back,” the nurse said upon seeing Karma.

“Yes. I came to check on Shirohana. How is she doing?” Karma asked.

“She’s not in any serious condition, but she needs to rest,” the nurse replied. “I have to go somewhere now. Don’t make her do anything that would make her use energy.”

“I won’t,” Karma replied and proceeded to enter the office. He approached Shirohana’s bed and opened the curtains to see Shirohana awake.

You’re awake, ” Karma said.

‘Oh, Karma!” Shirohana said in surprise. ” I-I heard you carried me here. Thank you again.”

“No problem,” Karma replied, smiling. “I did what I had to do. How are you now?”

“I’m better now. My body still aches, but I think I can at least stand ,” Shirohana replied.

“That’s great,” Karma said. “I brought your lunch. Mind if I sit next to you?”

“Oh! Thank you!” Not at all, ” Shirohana replied.

Karma pulled a chair next to the bed Shirohana was on and sat down. The two ate lunch and chatted. It was a peaceful time for them both.

Then chaos struck.

After they finished their lunch and talked for a while longer, the bell rang. Both bid each other farewell and Karma left the nurse’s office.

*Glad to see that she’s fine* Karma thought as he headed back to his classroom.

Class proceeded as normal, though there was still constant gossip about that incident in the morning.

Soon, the bell ran, signaling tye end of the day. As Karma was packing up his things, his friends approached him.

“Man, people just don’t know how insensitive it is to talk behind people’s backs,” Jizu said with a sigh.

“Are you going to visit the girl again, Karma?” Kizuna asked.

“Ya…She is recovering, but I am still worried,” Karma replied.

“Well, run along now,” Kizuna said. “You don’t want to keep a girl waiting.”

“Introduce us next time, alright?” Kiki said, smiling.

“I will,” Karma replied and rushed off. When he arrived at the nurse’s office, he saw that Shirohana was no longer there.

*Did she leave? But she still hasn’t fully recovered… * Karma thought, worryingly.

Karma tried looking for the nurse, but she was nowhere to be seen. He sighed and walked out of the school. Just as he made his way out the gates, he felt a strong impact on his head. He fell forward, his vision slowly fading.

Then everything went black.

When he awoke, he saw the sky between two buildings. He was still dizzy from the impact and took a while to collect his thoughts.

“So, you are awake,” a boy said. Karma tried to sit up and see who said that, but his hands and legs were tied up.

The boy was really tall. He wore a high school uniform with a black opened coat. His hair was black and spiky. He wore a gold chain on his belt.

“Who are you?!” Karma asked. “What do you want with me?!”

“I’m sure you know the reason, ” a girl’s voice answered him. It was one of the mean girls that bullied Shirohana. She walked over to Karma, snickering.

“I heard you insulted my little sister, ” the high schooler said. “You humiliated her in front of the whole class.”

“That’s only because she was hurting someone!” Karma objected angrily.

“My sister only did that because that bitch probably deserved it,” the boy said, pointing to a girl lying unconscious.

“Shirohana!” Karma shouted. “Leave her alone! She already suffered enough!”

“So she means that much to you, huh?” the boy said, with an evil smile.

“What are you going to d- NO STOP,” Karma shouted in horror.

“She is gonna be punished, and you are going to watch, ” the boy said, ripping Shirohana’s clothes.

“No! You piece of shit! I will murder you!” Karma shouted, struggling to take off his restrains.

“AHHH!” a sudden scream sounded. It was Josh, charging at the high schooler.

“Wha-” the high schooler started but got slammed.

“Let go of her, you fucking bastard!” Josh screamed, pushing the boy down.

“You little fucker!” the boy shouted, kicking Josh in the stomach. Josh screamed in pain. He had only healed enough to walk, so the pain he had inflicted on him was crushingly painful.

“I’ll take care of him, ” the mean girl said. “Make sure you fuck them up, big brother. Come on, Rize and Mary.” She and her two companions carried Josh away.

“You got it, Hanna, ” the high schooler said, going back to strip Shirohana.

“No…Shirohana…” Josh said weakly.

“No! You scum!” Karma shouted, tears forming. The high schooler just laughed and continued defiling Shirohana.

“Wha…” Shirohana said slowly as she opened her eyes. It took a while for her to realize what was happening.

“What are you doing?!” Shirohana shouted. “Let me go!” She tried to push the high schooler away, but her hands and legs were tied up.

“Stop struggling, bitch,” the high schooler shouted. “You are going to pay for what you have done.”

“What did I do?!” Shirohana asked, tears dripping. “Why are you doing this?

“You should know why,” the high schooler said. “Embarrassing my precious sister and trying to ruin our family name.”

“I never did that!” Shirohana screamed, still struggling.

“It doesn’t matter what you say,” the high schooler said. “I only trust my sister. Now your life will be ruined.”

“No!” Shirohana screamed. “Help!”

“Shirohana!” Karma screamed. He slammed his head on the ground.

*Can’t I do anything?!*

Then, a strange voice spoke to him.

-Do you want power?-

-Do you want to kill the bastard?-

-Do you want to hurt the ones that have committed sin?-

“Who is that? Who are you?!” Karma shouted in confusion.

-If you want…-

-If you wish…-

-You can gain great power.-

Karma thought of Shirohana, how she was a nice and caring girl, who put her loved ones in front of her.

“Yes. Give it to me! I want to murder him and that bitch sister!” Karma shouted. As soon as he said that, his body heated up. Pain went through his body.

“AHHHH,” Karma screamed in pain.

“Man, would you be quiet?” the high schooler said after taking off Shirohana’s bra. “He got up and walked over to Karma.

Then he fell over.

“Huh?” the high schooler said before slamming onto the ground. Karma had landed a fist into his face.

“AHH!” the high schooler screamed in pain, blooding dripping from his nose. “You fucker!”

“Heh,” Karma laughed. “HAHAHA.”

“How fucking dare you! Why the fuck are you laughing?!” the high schooler asked angrily. He got up and threw a punch. Karma caught it fairly easily.

“Why am I laughing?” Karma said, snickering. “I’m laughing because I am going to kill you.” And with that, hell broke loose. Karma destroyed the high schooler. Each punch was like having a hammer smash your face. The high schooler could not do anything. His sister, Hanna, just stood in horror. After beating up the high schooler into a bloody pulp, Karma smiled evilly and turned to Hanna.

“No…Don’t… STAY AWAY!” Hanna screamed, trying to run away. But Karma, in his current state, caught up to her and grabbed her hair. He pulled her down and punch her in the gut.

“Ack!” the girl screamed. That impact so strong it made her barf.

“HAHAHA!” Karma laughed. “Now who’s barfing? Huh, bitch?!”

“You piece of shit! How dare you hurt my sister!” the high schooler got up and charged at Karma. He punched Karma in the face. Karma smiled.

“You still have some fight left in you! Good! GOOD!” Karma said, laughing. Blood ran down his chin. Instead of feeling pain, Karma felt excited. He punches the high schooler back, sending him crashing into a wall. The high schooler screamed.

“Yes! Yes!” Karma said excitedly. “Scream more! That’s what I want to hear. Your suffering, your pain, let me hear all of it!” Karma then proceeded to punch the living hell out of the high schooler. By the time Karma was done, the high schooler’s face was a bloody mess.

But Karma wasn’t done.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted two girls trying to slowly carry Hanna away. They were Rise and Mary.

*It’s those bitches* Karma thought, smiling viciously. He dashes at them and grabbed them. Without a moment of hesitation, he threw them down to the ground, face first.

“AHHH! It hurts!” the girls screamed, holding their face.

“Yes! Cry more! There’s more to come!” Karma shouted.

“No…Please! We won’t hurt her anymore. We will leave Shirohana, her friend, and you alone. Please spare us!” the girls said, trembling.

“You think you deserve mercy?” Karma said. “Laughable! Pathetic! Others might be lenient with you, but you won’t get any mercy from me!” Karma started to throw a punch but stopped when he heard Shirohana.

“That’s enough! They have learned their lesson… please stop…” Shirohana said. Karma walked over to Shirohana and smacked her. He grabbed her face.

“I don’t think you have any say in this,” Karma said smiling. “I feel really fucking good. When I’m done with them, you’re next.”

“Please stop! You were such a nice boy. You helped Josh and me. I don’t want you to ruin your life like this!” Shirohana said, weeping. “Please… ”

“You don’t know me,” Karma said. “I love this kind of stuff. It’s exhilarating!

“No! This isn’t who you are! Please, I know you are trying to help me, but please turn back!” Shirohana screamed.

“I don’t like that tone…” Karma said. “You ought to be taught a lesson…” He raised a fist, beginning to throw a full power punch.

*Stop! What am I doing?!*

Karma’s left hand stopped his punch.

*This wasn’t what I was meant to do!*

“Don’t interfere! You are mine now!” Karma shouted, struggling to free his right hand.

*No! I don’t want to hurt her!*

Then, in a swift movement, Karma’s left hand punched him in the face. He fell back, blood spurting out his nose.

“AHH!” Karma screamed in pain.

*You did your job. Now…G-Get back*

Then, the evil was gone.

Karma was breathing hard. It took all his strength to surpass the thing that had now awoken.

“Karma? Are you alright?” Shirohana asked worryingly.

“I’m sorry,” Karma said, after gathering his breath. “I wasn’t sane. All I was thinking about was getting revenge.”

“It’s alright,” Shirohana said, weeping tears of joy. “You are back now, that’s all that matters.”

Karma untied Shirohana’s ropes and she slowly got up.

“Oh no! Josh!” Shirohana said, worryingly, realizing Josh had taken a beating. She rushed over and felt his chest.

“Thank god. He’s breathing,” Shirohana said with relief. “Josh…thank you.”

She hugged Josh, crying.

“S-Shiro…” Josh said weakly, with a small smile on his face.

“Don’t talk,” Shirohana said. “We’ll get you fixed up. Just rest, alright?”

Josh nodded and dozed off. Shirohana tried to carry Josh but she was very tired. Karma swooped in and put his jacket on Shirohana.

“You will catch a cold,” Karma said. “I’ll help you. “You can hold on to me if you need to balance.” Karma put Josh on his back and stood up.

“Thank you again,” Shirohana said, smiling warmly.

Karma blushed.

“I-It’s nothing,” Karma replied. “I’m just glad this ordeal is over.”

“Let me call for help,” Shirohana said. “As bad as they were, they deserve help.”

*You’re way too kind, Shirohana.* Karma thought.

After Shirohana made the call, they walked off, looking back every few moments to make sure help arrived. When they saw some police cars, they quickly walked to be out of sight.

~Back to the present~

“So that was the first time you turned?” Katz asked. “Interesting…”

“Yeah, I just couldn’t let that high schooler do that to that girl. When that voice appeared in my head, I willingly gave in. Now it has been haunting me for many years now.” Karma replied, looking down.

“Do you remember anything after you helped the girl and her friend?” Katz asked.

“Not particularly. My memories are all very blurry and I don’t know why,” Karma replied. Then his head started hurting.

“Shit! My head!” Karma winced in pain.

“Whats wrong?” Katz said, stopping the car on the side of the road.

“M-My head…It hurts…” Karma said weakly. Then he fainted.

*Hmm… This happened with another patient I had. Once they told me how their condition came to be, they started to experience head pain. Is it his repressed memories resurfacing and affecting his consciousness? His mind seems to be unstable because of his other side, after all.* Katz thought.

He got out of the car and opened the trunk. After grabbing a blanket from the trunk, he placed it on Karma. Then he got into his car again. He picked up his phone and dialed. After a few rings, Katz gave the following command.

“Prepare for Experiment Alter-Ego,” Katz said. Then a smile appeared on his mouth.

*This will be an interesting ordeal* he thought as he drove into the distance.