Chapter Two: Scattered/Tragic Memories
Warning: Reader Discretion is Advised as this Chapter contains graphic and extremely saddening scenes
(Serena's POV)
After three days of being stuck in the hospital, the kids and I were free to go home. My mom took us to our house in Edmonton, Alberta. Mei and Cindy said they would stay to help me out in Jaden's absence. It felt odd not having Jaden around. He usually does some of the cooking and bathing Rosa as well as training the kids on his punching bag in the workout room next to his train room but with him absent, it felt empty.
"Girl, how did a bombshell like yourself get a guy, who won't even smile, like Jaden?" Cindy asked
"I was wondering that too. Is there a reason behind him not smiling?" Mei also asked.
I sighed as I thought of the sad story of his ex-girlfriend Natsuki. "He doesn't smile often because of what happened while he was studying abroad at a college in Japan."
Mei and Cindy had set Jazmine and Charlotte in their room for a nap while Rosa napped in her swing next to Cindy, Mei and me.
"What happened?" Mei and Cindy asked.
"I'll tell you the story." I replied as they moved closer. "Before Jaden met me, he was in Japan studying abroad, like I was. He had joined a literature club and was the only boy in the club. There were four girls in the club before he joined. Their names are Monika, Natsuki, Sayori, and Yuri. Sayori was his classmate in home room and she convinced him to join. Sayori had been stressed a lot lately at the time. Skipping to the day of the festival, Monika asked Jaden to go get Sayori from her house. Jaden had known Sayori long enough that she told him to come on inside if need be. He walked in and knocked on the door and heard no answer. Fearing the worst or walking on her, Jaden opens the door and sees Sayori holding a noose. He gives her a hug and takes her to the hospital and notifies her parents. He waited outside the door when he sees a nurse helping Natsuki inside who was battered and bruised. She saw him and bolted out of the hospital. The nurse looks at Jaden and begins to question him. He informed Monika and Yuri on the situation and accompanied Sayori home to the relief of her parents." I said stopping for a brief period
"Jesus Christ." Mei said in shock.
"He went through all that?" Cindy asked
"It gets worse I'm afraid." I added. Shall I continue?
They nodded.
"Monika had told Jaden something about Natsuki's father not feeding her and abusing her. Yuri had shown him where Natsuki and her father lived. He decided to go and check on her at 11pm that night when her father left the house to do whatever it was that he does in the evenings. He went up to the door and Natsuki opened the door and led him upstairs to her room. She was extremely drunk and attempted to OD too, so Jaden decided to let Natsuki move into his apartment for a while. The two started dating the next day. He stuck back into her house and retrieved her clothing and other things she needed for her everyday use. About a month later, Natsuki's father came to get her a take her home. Jaden decided to go that night after her dad left to make sure she was alright. He arrived near the house as Natsuki's dad plowed through the closed gate."
"I don't like where this is going." Mei said quietly.
"Neither do I." Cindy added.
I took a deep breath and continued the story. "He entered the house with a key she had a locksmith make for him. Jaden went to the door of her room, knocked his usual way, and called her name. Fearing something was wrong he opened the door only to see a dead Natsuki hanging from a hangman's noose. He called the authorities and they left to go find Natsuki's dad. The paramedics told him that she was gone, and they couldn't do anything about it. He walked home to his apartment passing Sayori, who was standing outside her house, worried about him. He went inside, went to bed and stayed in there for two days sobbing. When the day of her funeral came and had gone, Jaden feltworse for not being able to be there to protect Natsuki from her father. The girls came to check on him and he went back to bed, so he'd be ready for school in the morning. The next day, after their classes, Monika found Jaden in the Literature Club room under the window where he and Natsuki would sit and read a manga book. It was evident that he had been crying again. He then sat the poem he wrote on the desk and ran off the campus and to the lake."
"What did the end of his poem say?" Cindy asked.
I go to the bookcase, chose scrapbook number three and opened it up to page 42 to find the poem.
"The nightmare continues.
Day and night, there's no respite,
I can't bear to think of a life,
Without you...
My heart begs, pleads, screams for death.
And I'm too weak to resist.
I must heed its call.
It's time to confront my fears,
And face the heights,
I'll fly free,
For the first and last time."
And maybe, just maybe,
I'll end up in a world,
Where dreams do come true,
Where hopes don't crash and burn.
Maybe, just maybe,
I'll end up in a world,
Where I can be with you.
I will see you in the next life."
"I know that he was traumatized and saddened after seeing that Natsuki was dead, but why did he run to the lake of all places?" Mei asked as she was confused.
Cindy then spoke as she realized what the final few lines of the meant. "Girl, you mean?"
I nodded in response. "He was thinking on ending his life, so he could be with her."
"Arceus have mercy. When do you come into the story?" Mei asked.
"This is where I come into the story." I replied
"I was walking through the park beside the lake when I saw Monika sitting on the ground crying. She told me that Jaden jumped into the lake. I immediately dove in and pulled him, who was unconscious, out of the water and carried him to the hospital where I found out that it would be at least 3 days before he woke up."
"I remained there and notified our teachers of the situation and they rushed over to see if he was alright. I said I'd be staying here with him, so he'll see someone he knows whenever he wakes up. The doctor told me to talk to him even though he might not be able to hear me."
"What did you say to him while he was unconscious?" Mei asked.
I smiled. "I mainly told him about my days in school and about my family. On the third day, I told him that I wanted to be there for him whenever he needed me for support."
"That's so sweet, Serena." Cindy said smiling.
"Then came the funny part." I said to Mei and Cindy's surprise.
"Eh?" Mei asked. "What's funny about that situation at that point?"
"A couple of minutes after I said that I wanted to be there for him whenever he needed me, I walked over to the window and cried silently fearing he wouldn't wake up, I heard a deep voice say my name."
"Serena?" Jaden said laying on the hospital bed with his eyes barely open. "You really mean that?"
"Jaden, you're finally awake." I said tears forming in my eyes. "Yes. Yes, I did mean what said."
"I walked over to him and gave him a hug to the aww of the Doctor and our teachers and apartment manager who were standing in the doorway. The doctor told me to stay and watch over him that night and when they released him the next evening."
Cindy started laughing at this. "I suppose the y'all two's teachers and apartment manager suggested that you move in with him to make sure he's alright too."
"Yep. That's close to what happened." I said while giving a slight chuckle. "Apparently, the doctor told our teachers and apartment manager that he wanted me to watch over Jaden and they formed a plan where they'd move both of our possessions to a larger apartment, so we wouldn't have to worry about the two of us being in either of our small apartments."
"That was a smart idea." Mei added.
"Sure was." I added. "When they released Jaden the next day, we went to lunch and then the teachers lead us to our apartment which surprised us since we didn't go to either of our old ones."
"We were surprised definitely surprised when we stopped outside one of the fancier apartment."
"This isn't my apartment." Jaden said in confusion.
"This isn't my apartment neither." I added.
"This is your new apartment that you two will share since Dr. Jones said for Serena to keep an eye on you, Jaden." said Mr. Shackleford the apartment manager.
"What about our belongings?" Jaden asked.
"We moved everything we could find in your previous apartments. We can take you to look to make sure nothing was forgotten." our Japanese History teacher, Mr. Hamada said.
"Is it okay, if we go in the morning?" Jaden asked. "I'd like to get a bit of rest first."
"Do what you need to do, you two. You can go look in your previous apartments at the time of your choice." Ms. Shimono, our Economics teacher, said with a smile. "Oh, and Serena. Don't be too rough with him, it'll hurt at first but will soon change to pleasure." she whispered with a smirk.
"Eh!?" I exclaimed and then turned around to the sound of Jaden coughing like crazy.
Jaden, who had been drinking an iced tea and was eating an Anpan (あんパン), suddenly spit out his tea and started coughing when he heard* what Ms. Shimono had said. (*Very sensitive. hearing. He/me can hear sounds up to 16,000 hertz)
We ran over to him and gave him a few pats on his back which seemed to have helped him out.
"I'm better now. Thank you. I don't think I needed to hear that." He said with a slight smile.
Cindy looked at me in surprise. "He smiled?"
"More like a smirk but I still count it but you should have seen his reaction when he saw we only had one bed."
Serena and her two friends laugh at the thought of how flustered Jaden had gotten over the sight of the single bed.
In a run-down looking house somewhere in eastern Edmonton.
Jaden's POV
I open my eyes to find myself not in a hospital room but in an unfamiliar room and bound down to a very soft bed. I tried and thought who could have brought me to this place instead of a hospital. My mind immediately jumped, and I began to worry if Serena and the kids survived.
"Oh, you're finally awake." I heard a female voice say. I immediately knew who she was from the sound of her voice. "It has been three days since I brought you here."
"Hello Ino."
To Be Continued...