Kaede stood where she was quietly her red eyes filled with horror and disbelief. This wasn't real right? Kohta wasn't here at the festival with another girl right?! His supposed male cousin which he had lied about was clinging to him and sobbing. She didn't know what hurt more; the fact that he had lied or that another girl was clinging to him.
Kohta pushed his cousin away crossly; god why was she always such a clingy cry baby? She really needed to get some friends instead of bothering him. Suddenly he spotted his pink haired friend; she was standing there with a shocked and sad look on her face. Had she got lost on the way here or picked on because of her horns?
He ran up to her happily a large smile spread across his face and his blue eyes shining "Hey you made it!" he cried joyfully. He had hoped he would see her again before going home.
Kaede blushed shyly feeling awkward; perhaps she had been mistaken. Maybe that girl was just his sister or something like that; affections between siblings wasn't really uncommon.
She grabbed the hem of her skirt shyly and bowed her head "I...I said I would meet you didn't I?" she stammered nervously her tone stubborn.
Suddenly that girl who had been hugging Kohta approached anxiously. She did a double take when she saw Lucy "Hey Kohta who is this girl? Do you know her?" she asked curiously.
Who was this girl? Why was Kohta being so friendly towards her? How come she had never met her before? Since when did Kohta start keeping secrets from her?
Kohta ignored Yuka's question and moved closer to Lucy taking her hand "Come with me I want you to meet my dad". He dragged her along quickly completely ignoring Yuka as if she was invisible.
"Ah wait!" Kaede cried anxiously her blush intensifying. She hadn't known Kohta long but she truly cared about him. Hell what would his family think of him being friends with a strange girl like her?
She really didn't want a repeat of what had happened at the orphanage; it had been hard enough the first time. She had been betrayed and lost the only friend she had ever made due to their cruelty.
Eventually he stopped in front of an adult male with black hair and a small girl beside him. She slightly resembled Kohta but had purple eyes and black hair with purple highlights.
"Dad, Kanae I want you to meet someone; this is my new friend" Kohta beamed happily.
Lucy hid behind Kohta shyly; she wasn't one who liked unwanted attention. She was a very shy person and she didn't want to be made fun of again.
Kohta's dad knelt down smiling kindly "Well it's nice to meet you; I'm glad Kohta met someone new while we're here".
Lucy gasped in surprise; he didn't mind that they were friends? She thought all parents were overprotective and hated strangers.
"Hey Kohta is she your girlfriend?" Kanae blurted out curiously. This girl was really pretty and was clinging to Kohta tightly. She kinda liked her better than Yuka who always did petty things to get Kohta's attention.
"K...Kanae!" Kohta cried shyly his cheeks flushing red. He did like her very much and she was unlike any girl he had met before. But he didn't know if she felt the same way about him.
"Now; now don't tease your brother Kanae" her father scolded fondly. They did fight an awful lot but he was hopeful that Kanae was right.
Kanae rushed up to Lucy her purple eyes shining brightly "My name is Kanae; what's yours?" she asked curiously.
Lucy blushed; she had never met someone so hyperactive and friendly. I mean it was awkward but she didn't hate it. She swallowed nervously "Its Kaede" she said shyly.
"Wow! That's such a pretty name!" Kanae gushed eagerly. Her name was way prettier than hers or Yuka's.
Lucy blushed but smiled shyly; it felt nice to receive such compliments. She was so used to horrible names and bullying that she had never been treated so kindly.
Eventually Yuka came to join them feeling annoyed that she had been left behind and forgotten. She felt a sharp pain in her chest when she saw the mystery girl clinging to Kohta from behind. "So are you gonna introduce me or what?" she grumbled crossly.
"This is Kaede; she's Kohta's new friend" Kanae explained quickly. Why did stupid Yuka have to come and ruin everything?
Yuka blinked "His friend? But I've never met her before" she said thoughtfully. She hadn't seen this girl once during the entire time they were visiting.
"She's really shy; I think meeting you guys all at once would have overwhelmed her" Kohta explained solemnly. She had been really anxious from just going out to the zoo but had eased into it eventually.
Kaede slowly took Kohta's hand; she wanted to make it clear she wasn't going to hand over Kohta. He was really nice to her and he treated her like a person; she wasn't going to let some attention seeking cry baby take him.
"Sweetie where are your parents?" Kohta's dad asked curiously. He was worried about such a young girl being on her own.
Kaede bowed her head quietly her eyes stinging with tears; she had never known her parents. She had been found in a field crying and taken to the orphanage; she didn't even know if they were alive.
Kohta saw her anxiety and decided to speak up "I met her in the woods dad; I think she's an orphan" she said honestly.
"What!? No way that's so sad!" Kanae cried sadly. How could someone hate this girl so much they didn't want her?
"Shouldn't we send her to the police?" Yuka suggested quickly? Then the police could find her somewhere to go.
Kaede's eyes widened and her heart raced; if people knew about all the people she had killed it was over. Kohta would hate her and she would be alone again; she never wanted to kill them but she had nowhere else to go.
Kohta looked at his dad solemnly "Dad can we adopt her?" he said sternly. He wasn't going to leave Kaede on her own ever again. He wanted to protect her and make sure she smiled all the time.
Kaede blinked in confusion; she half took his comment as an offensive question. I mean she had been called an animal in the past. But she wanted to believe he meant it in a much kinder way.
Kanae squealed excitedly; she had always wanted a big sister. She rushed up to Kaede pushing Yuka further away from Kohta.
She looked up at her dad with puppy dog eyes "Yes! Please can we dad?! I've always wanted a big sister!" Kanae begged eagerly.
Kohta's dad became thoughtful and rubbed his chin; while his two biological kids were rowdy at times he could handle them. He had no idea what Kaede would be like but she seemed to be well behaved.
He was against child abandonment and was disgusted that two people had simply abandoned her as an infant. He strongly believed that if you didn't have the ability to care for a new life then you shouldn't have kids till you were ready. It was only a shame that the kid had to suffer because of irresponsible parents.
Kaede looked at him her red eyes filled with fear and worry; she didn't want to say goodbye to Kohta. She knew she looked strange but it wasn't her fault; she was just born with these damn horns.
Kohta's father saw the sadness in her eyes; no child should be made to feel like that. He smiled warmly at her "Welcome to the family Kaede" he said gently.
"YAAAY!" Kanae cried happily. She grabbed Kaede's free hand "Kaede I look forward to being your little sister from now on!"
Her purple eyes were filled with joy and happiness; she had never had a sister before and she was so excited.
Kaede blushed shyly and smiled; she never thought in her life something like this would happen. Gentle warmth tingled in her chest and she felt truly at peace for the first time in her life.
Meanwhile Yuka stood in the background crossly her head bowed. All her life she had tried to make Kanae like her but she was always so distant. Upon meeting this mystery girl she had hugged her like it was no big deal.
"What's so special about her?" Yuka muttered angrily her voice filled with hate. She wished this damn girl would just disappear.
Suddenly there was a loud gurgle which came from Kaede; her face went positively beetroot. She hadn't really eaten anything since making her way here and she had no money to buy food.
Kanae wanting to get away from Yuka and learn more about this new girl turned to her dad. "Hey papa; can me, Kohta and Kaede get some food? I mean since she was an orphan she'll have no money right?" she asked hopefully.
Her father smiled kindly "Sure sweetie; just stick together and don't get lost. Listen to your brother and be nice to Kaede" he said firmly but in a kind tone.
"Great! Thanks daddy!" she cried excitedly. She then grabbed Kaede's arm and dragged her along. Kohta followed as he clung to the pink haired girl who was being led away by his sister.
Yuka watched quietly as the three left them behind. She looked up at her uncle quietly "Why did you let them go?" she asked crossly.
Kohta's dad sighed "You've had this entire trip with him Yuka; he should be allowed to spend time with other girls. Just because you're cousin's doesn't mean you can monopolize him" he explained firmly.
He wasn't naive to the fact that Yuka was crushing on Kohta; he wasn't happy about it either. She was his cousin via her mother and so it was incest and unacceptable. She needed to get it out of her head now.
"But I love Kohta! We've always been together!" Yuka snapped bitterly her eyes welling with tears.
Kohta's dad knelt down and grabbed her shoulders tightly "ENOUGH YUKA!" He snapped fiercely. She would never learn unless he made it clear about the way she was acting.
Yuka went quiet her eyes widened and her body stiffening; uncle had never acted this way before. She didn't understand what was going on.
"Kohta is your cousin; get whatever sick fantasy this is out of your damn head. If Kohta likes her then so be it. Because you two will never be together" he snapped firmly.
Yuka stood there in awe; all she wanted was to stand by Kohta but it was wrong? So even Uncle supported his new love interest. Why was this happening? She stood there and cried unhappily wishing this was all a dream.
Meanwhile
Kanae, Kohta and Kaede were wondering around stalls quietly together looking at everything.
"Here you go" Kohta said suddenly. He handed her a yakitori chicken stick and soba noodles; these were his favourite and he knew she would like them.
"You bought this for me?" she said shyly. He had already bought her shaved ice and now he was buying her dinner? Kohta was officially the nicest person she had ever met.
"Of course; I don't want you to pass out. You must be really hungry" Kohta said kindly. He guessed the people at the orphanage abused her because of her horns. No wonder she hated them so much.
Kaede took the food quietly and smiled. Kohta was so kind it made her want to cry; she felt herself falling in love with them all over again.
Kanae suddenly gasped "Kohta isn't out train due soon?" she cried in anxiety. If they missed the train they would be stuck here with lame ass Yuka.
"Oh yeah; we best get back to dad" Kohta said quickly. They couldn't run or Kaede would drop her food. He turned back to her smiling "Kaede we need to catch our train soon; so we need to head back to my dad" he explained.
Kaede nodded "Ok" she said smiling. She took a mouthful of chicken and sighed happily; it tasted so good.
At train station
"I can't believe I have to wait till next summer to see you" Yuka whined unhappily. She hated the idea of Kohta being alone with this girl.
"It's not that long geez" Kohta mumbled crossly. He often hated how much Yuka clung to him; she needed to stop being such a baby.
Kanae saw what she was up to and stamped on Yuka's foot crossly; she would never let her come between Kaede and Kohta. She then clung to Kohta and stuck her tongue out.
Kaede said nothing but smiled quietly; she was glad that Kohta's sister wanted her and Kohta together. She knew his cousin's game; use the teary cry-baby card to get his attention.
Yuka whined in pain and held up a hand at them in a wave "Bye Kanae; be a good girl ok" she said her voice hinting pain.
With that Kohta and the others boarded their train quietly while Yuka watched with dismay. She didn't want him to leave; let alone with another girl "Don't go" she said quietly.
On train
Kanae was knelt on her seat watching the view outside her window; her eyes widened as they passed forests and lakes. It was so beautiful and went on for miles; it was amazing.
Their father was sat in his seat reading the newspaper about the news; his eyes were also on Kanae making sure she didn't hurt herself. She was quite rambunctious for her age after all.
Kohta was sat on the opposite side with Kaede; she had fallen asleep and her head was leaning against his shoulder. The empty food cartons were in a nearby bin as she had practically wolfed the whole thing down.
Kaede's pink hair was brushed over her face slightly like a pink waterfall. Her face had a small smile on it; peaceful yet cute.
He smiled at her fondly; she looked much cuter when she was happy rather than sad. He never wanted her to lose her smile EVER.