Past:
With school being over for the day, I walked down the familiar streets to the bar like I had done so many days before. Since Izumo had taken ownership of the bar from our uncle, getting inside was easy. So long as I didn't try and swipe drinks without permission and supervision, then my presence was never unwanted. The bar wasn't open yet, which means there is still time to get a nap in. Dropping my satchel down on the floor by the door, it was silent in the room. No one around… I went to the across the room and collapsed on my favorite couch.
This time, my body wasn't met with the oh-so-comfy cushions that I'd grown accustomed to, but another human being. Panic set in and we both scrambled to get away, him sitting up and me falling ungracefully into the floor, screaming at the top of my lungs. My ass hurts from hitting the hard wood!
"Who are you?" He asked, covering his ears with both his hands.
Using my hands to cover my body even though my clothes still covered everything, I blushed hard. "You first! How did you get in here and why are you sleeping on my couch!"
"Your couch?" The blonde-haired boy reached for me, possibly attempting to help me up, but there's no way to be sure.
I screamed again. "Stranger danger! Izumo!" The closer he came the more panicked I became. Squeezing my eyes shut, I used all my energy to harness the flames inside me. He's going to touch me again! What if he… Tears sprung to my eyes and the flames erupted from my body. As quickly as they rose, they fell away, overpowered by someone else. I lifted my head as someone set their hand on my head.
"Easy, kid. He's harmless," Mikoto said, rubbing his hand on my head. He's one of the few people who can even touch me a little bit. His eyes moved from me to this mysterious boy. "Why are you here?"
The boy talked to Mikoto like they were old friends, but Mikoto seemed uninterested, more than usual. Peeling myself off the floor, I retreated to the bar, where my brother had mysteriously appeared. My vision still remained blurry from the water in my eyes. "I'm going to the back," I said softly, moving to go through the door.
Izumo caught my arm, raising an eyebrow at me. "What's wrong with your eye?"
How did he notice? I layered makeup over it! Moving my gaze to the floor, I kicked my foot on the floor. "I… fell." Why do I even bother to lie anymore? Of course, he wasn't going to believe me. On top of this boy groping me, the events of the school day made me stressed out. "I… um…"
Izumo sighed. "Are they threatening you again?"
"No, of course not! I'm fine, really. Let it go, big brother. It was an accident." The last thing I needed was him and Mikoto getting involved. That would only end in either my expulsion and both in prison, or it would only serve to make matters worse. As weak as I am, I can at least deal with this problem on my own.
"Wait, Kusanagi, that's Nao?" The pervert boy asked, perking up at my words. The blanket still wrapped around his body and went up over his head, making him look like a child. A child pervert. He grinned happily. "I'm Tatara Totsuka, the newest addition to HOMRA."
"I didn't realize we were letting deviants join," I said, turning my head away, disgusted.
Tatara's eyes went wide, alarmed. "No no no! I apologize for what happened a few minutes ago, but you did fall on me…" He said it like it was funny.
Sending glares at him, I covered my chest with my arms. "Yeah, well you didn't have to get so handsy!" I blushed just thinking about it. He might not have meant to, but he still grabbed one! Embarrassment rose up in me. He's just told everyone what happened! Maybe Izumo will hit him for me.
"It was a complete accident, Nao, I swear," Tatara sounded more sincere this time. He stood, discarding the blanket on the floor, approaching me and my brother. His charming grin didn't change what I knew about him. He stopped when I hid behind Izumo. "Okay, so you don't like people touching you then?"
It was my turn to be surprised. Most just wrote me off as being shy. There's no such thing not liking being touched in some way. It's affection, they say. Affection is necessary for survival. But I hate it. After that asshole hurt me, it took half a year for me to even let my own brother touch me, and even then, there are only certain spots and gestures. "Get lost, pervert. I just don't like you." Brush it off as nothing.
Tatara continued to smile despite my name calling and death glare. He bent down to be eye level with me. "Cross my heart I won't do it again."
"I'm not a child! I'm sixteen!" I said angrily. My stature did nothing to help that I could pass as a middle school student. Izumo had taken all the height from our parents and left me with barely five feet to claim.
This boy laughed and nodded his head. "Yes, I know. I didn't mean to offend you."
Izumo shook his head, lighting a cigarette. "Don't take it personally, Tatara. Nao is known to dislike all newcomers." He glanced back at me, giving me a reassuring smile. He kept the peace between me and the other members, though there weren't very many of us. "Why don't you go on upstairs? We're about to open."
Open means adults with way too much PDA and creepy men trying to approach a teenager. I hated being down here when we were open. Good thing we lived right upstairs above the bar. Since my parents couldn't care less what happens to me, I got to live with Izumo. Sometimes I think that he might get annoyed with me, but he has yet to say anything.
Spending the remainder of my night upstairs, I did my homework and fell asleep on the couch. It might have been a dream, but I vaguely remember that pervert coming up here with Izumo. He even covered me with a blanket. It was confirmed when I awoke to a soft blanket covering my body. Gross! He watched me while I slept! Even creepier! My skin crawled at the prospect of him even looking at me. My cheeks grew hot again. What if he looked down my shirt or something?!
"It's too early in the morning for you to be so red, Nao," Mikoto commented from the chair adjacent to the couch. He crashed at our place a lot. He blew out a puff of smoke from the cigarette he had balanced between his teeth. "What's your issues with Tatara?"
I sat up, adjusting my tank top to cover my chest up better. Even though I trusted Mikoto, it made me uncomfortable to be so exposed. Slowly pulling the blanket up to cover my whole body, I shrugged my shoulders. "He's been trying to… every time he gets near me…" My words seemed to jumble as I spoke, but Mikoto waited patiently. "He's just like him." My voice lessened to a whisper.
"Oh? Feel like telling me about him?" He asked.
This again. Izumo and Mikoto would ask me every day about the incident that occurred last year. The boy still tormented me at school. Pretending that it never happened. Spreading lies about me. But I can't have my big brother fight all my battles for me, and… part of me still wishes him well. If it gets out what happened, I'll forever be a victim. Shaking my head, I gave him a big grin. "No, it's over with."
He nodded his head, unconvinced but tired of questioning me about it. If he ever found out who did it, there was no doubt he would do something extreme. Mikoto might be the strong silent type, but he was loyal and protected his own. Ever since he and Izumo met, Mikoto has treated me like his own sister.
Rubbing my eyes, I sighed. "I have to get ready for school."
Changing into my school uniform, I picked up my satchel for school. The door opened and in comes the pervert, camera in hand. "Good morning, King. I found a camera and thought I'd try my hand at photography." He slowly turned, panning around the room until he landed on me. "Hello, gorgeous Nao! Off to school?"
"Don't film me! I'm… I'm not some model for your debauchery films," I said, blushing hard and feeling very self-conscious in my uniform. Is he one of those guys who likes girls in a school uniform? Gross! My hands shook as I stood frozen.
Tatara lowered the camera, still smiling softly. "I'm sorry, Nao. I should have asked you before doing that. Please forgive me." He bowed slightly, as a respectful apology. He's being… weird.
I kept my eyes on him as I moved around him to leave. His eyes followed me, warm and inviting. But his kind can't be trusted. First, he grabs my boob, then he watches me while I sleep, and now he's filming me. Things can only get worse. That's how it went last time. The nice boys… they always end up having an ulterior motive. I mulled over this new boy all the way to school. Should we have allowed him into the group? It's not my place to question Mikoto… but…
As I reached the back entrance of the school, familiar figures stood, waiting. The boys didn't grin today. Today, they looked mad. Wonder what I did now? "Hey, Nao. I heard that HOMRA has been poking around my brother's gang. He asked me to send a message for them." He cracked his knuckles, his signature smile returning. "Ready to deliver it?"