Stars in the darkest nights.
The story will have a slightly darker theme, and I dedicate this to all those who struggle with self-injury, that one day they will overcome it.
Author's note: Sorry if the plot seems a bit slow, and that you probably won't see the seigaku tennis team till a bit later! (It may seem like I've got a lot of OC's, but they're not very important, so you don't need to remember them much etc…)
Akira pushed the thin blade into her forearm, and a pleasing type of pain crawled up her arm. Letting a small nervous smile grace her face, she proceeded to draw more red marks on her skin, she was used to this. Somehow, she just couldn't stop herself, and a drop of red blood slithered to her elbow. It made her happy, calm and in control. Before she was angry but now, all the solutions came together. She had gotten a fight with her brother, who had blamed her for her mother's sickness. It was a stomach bug, but Akio had somehow come to conclusion that it was her fault. They had argued in angry whispers while trying to not wake their mother who lay sleeping. She hated the way her family members always blamed everything on her. Akio, they're parent's obedient precious baby. While Akira was born with a strong will, and a sense to stand up for what she believed in, thus leading to multiple fights with her parents. Akira breathed in and out, endorphins dancing trough her kneeled body on the cold tiles of the bathroom. Suddenly she heard her brother close the TV, and panic filled her. If her brother find out, she didn't want to face the fight that would happen. Akio was daddy and mummy's little boy, even though he was older than her by 2 years, he would persuade them to lock her up. He enjoyed the parties, and the freedom in life, just because he was a boy. Her parents were slightly biased, but that didn't mean that they didn't love her. They loved her too much, and wrapped her up in bubble wrap. Shoving her hand roughly under the tap, and turned on the shower so her brother wouldn't disturb. After removing all the evidence of what she had done, checking for no red spots on the white tiles and cleaning the knife, she turned the shower off. Akira slipped on a baggy jumper to hide the scars and stepped outside. Quickly thinking of an excuse/story-a process she was too familiar with.
"Hey, I didn't know you took a shower?" asked her brother, the previous argument forgotten.
"Huh, oh yeah, P.E was tough. 20 minutes of military style running, I tripped, and feel in something very suspiciously like a sandwich…making me smell funny…" lied Akira smoothly. Her brother laughed, and answered with a good natured "Shame…" 'All too easy to change the subject' thought Akira.
"You want me to call Dad to get something on the way home…Sushi's okay?" asked Akio, scrolling his phone contacts to find the number.
"Yeah, sure no probs, and while you're at it get a new ringtone…Justin bieber doesn't suit you. I've got homework. Call me when the food's ready, 'kay?" answered Akira in slight cold tone that went unidentified by her brother, and walked to her room.
That night Akira lay on her bed wide wake staring at the newly formed scars. A dressing that she had used to hide the scars laid on the desk. The night was pitch black and she could see the stars shining. Living away from the huge lights of Tokyo had its perks too. Rather, she lived in a modest home near seigaku. She knew that she had to stop cutting herself, it wasn't healthy. Thinking back to the words the principal had said at the beginning of the year assembly…" and we have many discreet and helpful counselling services available in this school. You can choose from either seeing a trained professional or a fellow school mate that have been trained by…" The words "A fellow schoolmate" echoed through her head. She wanted to speak to someone her own age, that wouldn't think she was loony, but understood what was happening.
Let me tell you a bit about Akira. She wasn't from a broken family, nor did she have a tragic past. She just like every one of us, struggling with the challenges life throws at us. I hope you don't stereotype her as an emo or something like that. She's not insane, she just different. Surprisingly she's the most cheerful person at school. Helpful and bubbly. But all that is a mask. At home she can be quite evil (good evil!) and sarcastic. She struggle silently though, crying to her is a form of weakness. Her friends lean on her for support, and who is she to lean onto? Yes tomorrow, she's going to see a student counsellor. Self-injury, she's been doing since she was 10. Akira is now 14, a third year at Seigaku.
THE NEXT DAY
Akira woke up very early, and creped through the house. Leaving a note on the kitchen table, she made up a lie that there was an extra early morning maths lesson she might attend. Arriving at school, she saw that the slips for counselling session were on the receptionist's desk. Luckily the office was very empty. Quietly, she filled out the form and dropped it into the blue box sitting next to it.
Walking out the door, she was immediately greeted by a few of the first year students she affectionately named mini-mes.
"Hey, Akira-senpai! You're early to school today." Greeted Emi, a girl who she'd helped on the first day of school. Emi's friends smiled and greeted her as well.
"Well, I can't believe I've missed out on so many beautiful mornings just by sleeping in!" answered Akira.
"Maybe you're still sleeping right now, senpai!" commented one of Emi's friends.
"Whoa, it's like that movie inception…a dream with in a dream…" replied Akira thoughtfully, imitating a philosopher. A few chuckles ran around the group.
"Crap, I'm in fucking deep shit!" a scream ran out across the school ground, and Akira immediately felt herself being dragged towards the classroom. She and her kidnaper meeted the classroom with a bang.
"Ow, what is your problem Kouta-san" Akira chuckled as he pulled her up. She was on pretty good terms with about everyone she knew. Practically, if you had problem, run straight to Akira.
"The Japanese homework is due in today, not tomorrow. I'm screwed." Kouta said all in one breath.
"Hah, coincidence much, I'm screwed too," sighed Akira, but her mood changed back to her usual carefreeness "Detention buddies, high five!" Akira lifted up her hand, causing Kouta to look at Akira as if she had just announced that she wanted read an algebra book in her spare time.
"NO, not high five, we need to finish this homework! I'm not a genius like you!" Kouta shook Akira as he said this.
"Don't worry, everything will turn out fine, it always does!" smiled Akira as she said this. Getting out her Japanese book, she hurriedly started writing for five minutes straight.
"Okey dokey, I'm done what about you?" declared Akira, lifting up her arms up to stretch. Kouta froze, he had just experienced the top student in writing essays and stories finish something of such good quality on the morning it was due in.
"What's wrong? This is how I do all of my homework, and guess what? In class, for the first half of Japanese literature class I'm actually sleeping! Then I rush it all in the last few minutes! I work well under pressure" commented Akira, like as if she was talking about the weather.
"Leaving things to the last minute again kiki?" Her friend walked in through the door.
"Yep!" Akira did a cheesy thumb up sign. Sumiko sighed, it was too typical of her good friend. She walked near Kouta and poked him. "Umm, kiki, I'm gonna kill you if you hurt my boyfriend. He seems dead." Kouta soul came back to him and looked at his girlfriend blankly. Akira knelt on the ground and said in a dramatic voice
"Oh how your painful words seared into the love of your life. Now, you relationship is doomed.." Sumiko glared at her. "hmm, maybe you need to attend marriage counselling, cause…" Akira trailed nervously off; maybe she crossed the line this time. "you know I was only joking…a genius's mind must always be exercised…DON'T KILL ME"
At that moment Fuji walked in through the class room door and the scene confused him. Well the reason didn't. Once again Akira had teased Sumiko about her relationship with Kouta. He had to congratulate Akira sometimes; she knew exactly how to tease someone about a relationship. But this was the first time he saw Sumiko hold a pair of scissors above the kneeling Akira. Interesting…for a sadist that he is. But the fun stopped when Sumiko lowered the scissors slowly.
"hmm, Akira I forgive you for now, but please note that I will tease you mercilessly when you find a boyfriend."
"There a higher chance of…uh…" Akira scanned the room quickly to find an unsuspecting person, and landed on Tezuka who walked through the door just then "of Tezuka ditching tennis practise to spend the day with his girlfriend ,if he has one, than me being in a relationship…cause I'm going to remain single throughout high school, yeah!" The said captain looked at her blankly and walked over to tell Fuji that they were having a tennis practise in the weekend. After he left for his own class, Fuji chuckled, well, tennis this afternoon for Tezuka is about to turn even more hellish with plenty of help from him.
"All the single ladies, all the single ladies…" Akira started singing, making her way to where she sat. But actually, she was nervous about the counselling session. Would the person laugh at her, or call her a freak? She turned her attention to the teacher who stood at the front of the room.
"mizumura could you come here for a moment?" Tanaka sensei called out to Akira over the noisy class( the bell hadn't rung yet)
"Am I in trouble sensei cause you don't like Beyoncé's Single ladies song?" asked Akira
"no, come here got a notice for you." Replied Tanka sensei, who didn't have a really good sense of humour.
Akira walked over it and recognized it as maki sensei's handwriting. (Her public speaking teacher who was also in charge of counselling for the school) Opening it she read the neat writing
"Your counselling session is with a student at 11 P.M"
"So what is it about?" asked Tanaka sensei, who was shuffling her papers to prepare for the class.
"Oh, Maki sensei probably just wants to talk to me about the upcoming speech competition. I'm going at 11 o'clock, is that okay?" half-lied Akira, which Tanka sensei completely brought, and nodded her head in response. Akira walked back cheerfully, but really in her mind it was filled with anxiety. She was quite scared. What if they tell the school? No, they probably had 'patient' confidentiality laws…but…
At 10:30, akira watched the second hand on the clock tick slowly well you guessed it, clock wise. Tick, tock, tick, tock. She couldn't seem to focus, and nothing came running out from her pencil. What lay below the pencil was a bunch of crossed out of maths equations, and a few stick people along the borders. Maths wasn't her thing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fuji stand up and nod at the teacher. Tanaka-sensei dismissed him with a wave of her hand, and quietly disappeared through the door. He would be gone every Monday at 10:30, but Akira had never dwelled much on the fact. He never talked about it, and she respected his privacy.
Akira closed her eyes gently, her thoughts all over the place. A voice in her head chanted the same question over and over again. "Are you sure?". Deep in her thoughts she thought about her life. She was famous for being the most happiest and carefree person in the school. A bit on the nerdy side, but every one accepted her for who she was (Or who they thought she was). Her parents were head librarians, hence her being a prodigy in literature. Akira's childhood was spent amongst books, books, and more books. Another one of her talents was public speaking. Her speeches were famous all around the school. Akira had an ability to captivate the audience with her words. According to her classmates, when they heard her speak, they felt as if they were speaking one on one with her. She had a gift.
Akira was not Miss Popularity. She was more of the all-round good friend. The guys in her school generally don't see her more than a friend. Akira was glad of this, because she wasn't really interested in relationships. Yes she's a girl and a human being, she feels love. But always, there is voice that tells her that relationships never last long when your fourteen…suddenly her pencil dropped to the ground, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Picking up the fallen pencil, she glanced at the clock. 10:45. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tanaka Sensei marking some tests. Thinking that she probably won't even realise, Akira stood up quietly and headed for the door. Someone whispered "Hey, Akira, can I ditch class with you?". Recognizing the voice as the class clown Hisakawa, Akira whispered back mysteriously "What if I'm not ditching?"
Scoffing Hisakawa replied "What, you need to go take a piss in the middle of maths class?"
"Actually, I'm gonna go to your house and blow it up. I know where you live 'cause I've been watching you…" joked Akira smiling.
Grining back Hisakawa muttered "Stalker…"
HIsakawa loved to tease people and joked around. He had the honourable title of the class clown. At the beginning of the year, he and Akira hated each other. Probably because he felt threatened that she was going to take the position of the class clown off him. But they each respect each now as Partners in crime (well, teasing people anyways) All it took was one small argument…
(Flash back) beginning of the year
Laughter roared around Akira, as she recounted the time she stood on the side of the road, pointing a hairdryer at the cars.
"Yo, Akira, you suck" shouted Hisakawa, with a challenging smile on his face. He wanted to see how good the girl really was.
Smiling back she shouted "Your Mum sucks." Silence filled the room, as the students waited in anticipation as to Kisakawa's come back. He was pretty fast on jokes and insults. Fuji watched in amusement while Eiji was nervously looking from Akira to Hisakawa.
"Your face sucks" stated HIsakawa, all trace of joking gone from his face. But actually inside, he was still testing Akira. You see, he didn't like hard out bullys; he preferred a friend who could protect themselves. They needed to know when the line of teasing someone turns nasty. Akira on the other hand realised how good of an actor Hisakawa was. She almost fell for his seriousness for a moment. "Your mum's face sucks more…" said Akira uncertainly. A smile broke across Hisakawa's face, and he punched Akira lightly on the arm as he walked over to her. Draping his arm across the confused Girl's shoulder he declared to the waiting class "Meet my new partner in crime. You guys are gonna experience hell this year!" He ruffled Akira's olive green hair.
"hmm. But also a lot of laughter! You can choose to laugh with us, or to be laughed at. Scratch that, were not giving you a choice." Akira added, her dark gold eyes scanned the room, grinning. The class smiled, they hated and love the class clown at the same time.
Flash back ends.
Akira walked numbly to the room where the counselling was held. Her legs carried her forward but her mind was in full panic mode. "Turn back now! This is a secret you've kept for four years, You're disgusting, hurting yourself." She was ashamed of what she did, but was it enough for her to reach out for help? Looking at her watch it said 11:05. Putting her sweaty hands on the handle of the door she opened it nervously. Her heart leaped when she saw who it was. Time stopped. "No way" came the empty voice in her head.
Author's note:
So, how do like it? I'm not abandoning my other stories just stuck on Writer's block. I'll be looking at re-writing when the Matchmakers fell in love, as my OC has a serious case of Mary-sueism. Hope you review Stars in the Darkest nights.