My heart ached and my eyes pooled with tears, did I read that correctly?
Adopted…?
Suddenly I felt lost….alone…unwanted…unneeded my chest ached like it never had before.
I hadn't realized I had begun to walk, subconsciously to the place I had called my home for about four months…
"No…." I croaked and continued walking.
I didn't belong there…besides why would they want me there…all I do is cause all these conflicts.
Maybe that's why my real parents gave me up for adoption.
"Ungh!" I held my chest in pain as a sob escaped my throat.
"I wonder why my father never…" I couldn't continue speaking, my mouth felt as if it were full of sand.
Am I allowed to call him father? Did he ever even like being called that? Maybe that's why he gradually stopped seeing me through out the years.
I sighed, it all made sense.
More tears escaped my eyes, no matter how hard I fought them back.
I hugged my chest trying to keep myself warm but in the end I realized I didn't care. I didn't even care that it had begun to drizzle.
I just wanted to disappear.
I continued to walk not knowing where to go, silently sobbing into the darkness.
Juli managed to get out of Ema's room and quickly ran down the stairs yelling "Chii is missing you idiot males!" over and over again as he darted down the stairs, tripping over his own feet, evidently sending him flying across the room.
Wataru sighed and hugged a pillow to his chest, a small tear on the edge of each one of his eyes.
"She's not answering her cell phone" sighed Masaomi his eye brows raised in worry.
"You don't think something could have happened to her!?" yelled Yusuke ready to run out the door.
"Onee-san has been gone for hours…" moped Wataru rubbing away a tear. "What if she's hurt somewhere?"
Masaomi sighed and patted Wataru's head in a fatherly manner "It's possible that the battery in her phone may have died or maybe she dropped it or broke it"
Although Masaomi seemed to have convinced Wataru…he didn't succeed in convincing himself.
"I'm going to go make another run around the block" shouted Yusuke as he slipped on his shoes.
"No" sighed Masaomi "You've already looked, and everyone else is out looking too so I'd much rather you just stay here and wait with me. Not to mention you need to study as well"
Yusuke sighed defeated, he wanted to find her so badly "I just want to know that she's okay"
"Ema is a responsible girl" said Masaomi "I'm sure she's alright and has a good explanation on to why she's not here.
I continued to walk without direction, I was still pretty unfamiliar with the area so I couldn't get back to the condo even if I wanted too.
This area is pretty scary at night…I thought while hurrying my steps.
I'm a little afraid….
I sniffled and rubbed my tears away hoping to figure out where I was.
Suddenly I felt a heavy arm land around my shoulders.
I yelped and looked to see whose arm it was.
Right beside me was a man that seemed to be nearing his thirties and reeked of alcohol.
"Hey" he hiccupped putting a lot of his weight on me "Where's the nearest hotel? *hiccup* a young girl like you should be in bed *hiccup* let me take you"
I began to panic a little as I steadily backed away from the man "No-No please let me go I have to get home!"
"Nooooo" he mumbled "It's too late for a young girl like you to be out *hiccup* walking home-stay in a hotel with me *hiccup* I'll even pay you *hiccup* and tuck you in myself"
At this point he was pulling me by my wrist.
"No! Let me go!" I cried as loud as I could, using all of my strength I could to pull myself opposite him.
I was crying loudly, never had I experienced so much fear at once.
"Let me go!" I shouted once more, hitting him with my school bag
The man became angry and turned to me grabbing my other wrist and pulling me towards him
"Alright you little bitch!" he then shook me harshly "You want to just do it here!? You slut!"
He shoved me towards the brick wall and held both my wrist's with one of his hands.
He chuckled to himself as he reached for the button of my shirt.
"Hee Hee, a highschool girl in her uniform"
I was too paralyzed with fear to shout, but it was as if my eyes had become waterfalls.
"N…O…." I tried to shout but my words were barely audible.
My shirt was now on it's last button, as that last button became undone the man was suddenly tackled to the ground, landing me on my knee's.
I came back to my senses and quickly stood to look at what was happening.
"Natsume!?" I croaked
He hadn't heard me, he was busy punching the life out of the man who was holding me against my will moments ago.
"DON'T! YOU! TOUCH! MY! SISTER!" he yelled angrily at the man as he punched him
"Sister…" I mumbled as more tears fell from my face. "Sister" I said once more and my heart felt happy
My adrenaline was gone and my legs turned to jelly, my knee's hit the ground and everything that had just happened replayed in my mind, I was breathing regularly but I was still so afraid.
"Ema" Natsume approached me with a gentle voice lending his hand to me.
I felt my face redden in humiliation; there I went again causing conflicts.
"I'm sorry" I mumbled avoiding eye, the guilt evident in my voice….
I accepted his hand and stood up
He sighed and gave me a small smile "I'm just glad I wasn't too late"
In a matter of seconds he turned completely around from me and began coughing. "Please…." He said in an uncomfortable voice
"Fix your shirt"
I looked down at my now, completely undone shirt, and my exposed stomach, I yelped and turned my back to Natsume fixing re buttoning it at the speed of late.
Once I finished I spun on my heel and bowed low to my step brother. "I am so…so sorry for the trouble I've caused you!"
When I didn't hear him reply I snuck a peek at him and stood up. He looked…sad.
Trying to change the subject I asked the first thing that came to my mind "What were you doing here Natsume?"
His expression went from sadness to frustration
"I could ask you the same thing!" he shouted catching me off guard.
"I was looking for you!"
My eyes widened…it hadn't crossed my mind that…that he was worried about me.
I didn't bother saying `I'm sorry` since it wouldn't have been enough, so all I did was stare at my feet.
I heard Natsume sigh.
"Come on" he began "Let me take you home"
At the word "home" I shuddered noticeably and took a step back from Natsume.
At this he raised an eye brow "What's the matter?"
I couldn't answer; I just looked away from him with glazed eyes.
I don't belong there…
Natsume sighed once more, and spoke…this time more nervously.
"Will my apartment be okay then?" he asked.
My head snapped back to his direction in utter surprise.
"This is no place to talk" he said "It's late and everyone is worried about you. If you refuse to go home then you should spend the night in my apartment, and we can discuss what happened more calmly"
I was only able to nod and followed close behind him, slightly gazing at the man who had attacked me earlier.
"What about him?" I asked thinking we should call someone for him.
Natsume scoffed and said "Let him rot there, he's lucky I didn't kill him" he mumbled that last part.
Natsume's apartment was cold and I couldn't help but immediately sneeze as I entered.
"Sorry" he said handing me a towel "I haven't been home all day so there was no point in having the heater on. Go take a shower; I'll lend you some of my clothes."
I felt guilty for troubling him so much "Thank you" I croaked
Even when I try not to cause trouble…I still end up inconveniencing everyone, I had half a mind to just walk out of Natsume's apartment when he wasn't looking but since he had probably taken time out of his day to look for me, I didn't want his hard work to go to waste.
So after my shower I decided to tell him what happened, I was feeling much calmer.
"I guess I can't blame you" said Natsume staring off into the balcony "That is something difficult to learn, especially the way you did"
One of Natsume's cats came up to me and nudged my hand with his head, I instinctively smiled and caressed his head.
"A smile suits you best, Ema"
I sighed getting back to the topic "It's difficult to smile…when…you just feel like a mistake…."
I couldn't really explain it to him "I was happy when I moved in to the condo, I though `woah! Thirteen brothers! I will finally have that big family I've always wanted`…but I still felt like an outsider and now I feel like I really don't belong there."
Natsume looked at me with pity "what makes you think you don't belong? You're not an outsider, you're our sister"
"But I just cause all these conflicts…I act like I don't notice but I know it's me who causes it"
I didn't want Natsume to see me cry again so I immediately stood up and made my way to the door
"I'll go home now. Sorry for the trouble" I said quickly keeping my face low so he wouldn't see my tears.
Then I felt his hand get a hold of my wrist, and he pulled me to his chest, where I could hear his steady heart beat. His arms circled around me giving me a gentle hug.
"My brothers and I care a lot about you" he said.
With the small amount of room I had I looked up to meet his eyes with a curious expression.
"If there is any conflict between us, it's because of how much we all care about you…"
His arms loosened around my waist
"…I too am crazy about you"
He tilted his head and pressed his lips towards mine.
That kiss was like a button that filled me with so much confusion it ended up relaxing me.
"I'll sleep on the floor" he said you take my bed he said walking towards the bedroom.
I bumped onto his back when I tried to follow him. "Sorry "
"Are you mad?" he asked without turning around "about the kiss?"
I shook my head as I said "no"
"I'm sure this just confuses you more, and for that I'm sorry…but I refuse to lose to my brothers"
He turned around and held my chin with his thumb, and his face approached mine.
Then he stopped and said "No…you've been through enough today, get some rest"
A/N
Sooooo I saw brothers conflict...and this happened...