Aki sat in Math class a few months later drawing again. They had a teacher studying to take over when Kai Sensei left. He was teaching today and he wasn't interested. The teacher kept glancing at him and calling on him finally Ara had had enough. She slapped her desk standing up. Both teachers and the whole class stared at her.
"Aki-Kun doesn't talk!" she snapped. "Leave him alone! He's still paying attention!"
"I can see how it doesn't look like he is." Kai Sensei tapped Aki's head with his planner. "Aki-chan, we've talked about this." he took the sketchbook and closed it without looking. "We will discuss this later. Now go to the board and do problems 4-20."
Aki stood bowed and went to the board. He'd been having trouble in this class but every night he'd go over to Kai-Sensei's and do extra workbooks so he could try and get ahead. He stared at the problems and blinked he was ahead of the class. He'd done these exact same problems over a month ago. He quickly and expertly showed he knew what he was doing. Then returned to his seat .
It was true that he didn't talk in school. He only talked to Kai Sensei and his brothers. Ara hadn't even heard his voice in years.
"Nakahara-san is paying attention." the new sensei said amazed.
"Don't call him that!" Ara screamed , "Don't call him that! He hates it!"
"Shi-san." Kai Sensei put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into her seat. "I will handle this. " she clenched her teeth glaring. "We refer to Aki-chan by his nick name only. Everyone does and you will extend the same courtesy. "
"Er...yes." the Sensei bowed then turned to the board. " Now can anyone tell me how N...Aki-san solved this first problem?"
Hands went up and Ara glanced at Aki who seemed red in the face as he stared at his sketch book under Kai-Sensei's planner. She knew that that sketch book only came out at certain times and always here in Math the most.
"Aki-chan, stay after." Kai called when the bell rang. Aki sat down again. When the room emptied he walked to Aki. The other Sensei watching. "We have talked about this several times. You promised you would stop." Aki didn't respond or make eye contact just stared at his desk. "I'm not giving it back, Aki-chan." Aki's face bypassed crimson if Kai opened that sketch book. "Not yet. You'll have to earn it back. I hear an art contest is coming up and Naji-Sensei has been trying to get you to enter as your club representative. " Aki nodded. "Your brothers have repeatedly told you to more active in your club activities as well as school activities. If you want this back you will have to enter the contest and see how you do."
Aki nodded and stood grabbing his bag. He bowed and left the room to find Ara.
"That's blackmail, Aki-kun!" she said startling her friends. "Come on lets go tell the Headmaster! You shouldn't have to enter unless you want!"
"I'm only trying to help Aki-chan, Shi-san." Kai said making her jump and give a yelp. "Come, Aki-chan I will walk you to Art Club so I can speak with Naji-Sensei." AKi nodded and they walked away leaving the group of girls behind. "This is for your own good. "
"Don't look." Aki begged, "Please, I'll do what you want just please don't look, Sensei."
Kai instantly knew he was going to look at some point. He wouldn't be able to resist. Aki always loved showing off his art to him so why was he asking him not to look? He sighed as his brain offered up a solution. He hoped he was wrong.
"The new Sensei." Kai glanced over at the boy. "He looks at me like the others did. "
"I will have the Headmaster speak to him." they entered a room. Ara came bursting in behind them arriving just on time. "Naji-Sensei." A woman smiled and walked up to the two of them. " I have gotten Aki-chan to agree to entering the contest just as you asked. "
Naji squealed and rushed to hug Aki who instantly moved away and behind Kai. She stopped and froze no one moved for a moment. Then she cleared her throat recovering
"Thank you, Kai-Sensei." Naji smiled. "Thank you, Aki-kun. I know you'll win for sure. The deadline is tomorrow though. I kept your spot open but you need the art by noon. " Aki came back into view and shrugged. "Okay, the topic is family. You need to include your whole family even if they are dead. Mother , Father, brothers, and sisters and whoever lives with you. Can you do that?" Aki gave her a death glare and she backed up. "It is how you see yourself with your family. ... did I say something ?"
Aki walked over to an easel and pulled out his art kit. He sat and got to work. He'd never even told his older brothers about his mother's side of the family. no they'd found out about his brothers from that side the hard way.
Kai sighed and once again looked at the sketch book on his desk. It was eleven the next day. Naji had happily rushed off to enter the art in the contest. He was holding off giving the book back until he knew the results but it was driving him mad. He'd have this book for a week and he kept wanting to look. The door burst open startling from his work an hour later. They were all in the staff room.
"Kai-sensei!" Naji ran over. "I looked at Aki-kun's drawing!" she was crying. "I took a picture you need to see this! " she set down the photo. "You can do something can't you? Talk to his brothers? You're their neighbor right?"
Kai picked it up and paled on Aki's left was a woman whose face was in shadow she was dressed like a geisha on her left were two boys. One looking rough and ragged. One looked to be 20. He had shaved hair dark eyes and wore bikers clothes. Both his ears were pierced all the way up and he was smoking. The other one wore a High School uniform for a public school that was worst in the standings. He had a charming smile that would melt any girls heart. His hair was slicked back and he had blue eyes.
On Aki's face was his father whose face was also in shadow. Then the four brothers. What caught Kai's attention was that Aki was standing in the middle with ropes around him. Severus was holding one end of the rope and the Biker brother the other. They were standing in front of two large buildings. One on the mothers side was a famous Hotel the other behind the father was the Nakahara family business.
"This is how he sees himself with his full family?" Kai mumbled to himself all the sensei's were gathered and looking. "I'll see what I can get out of them. "
He stood and gathered his things making sure he grabbed the sketch book. He had to catch Aki before he left. He found Aki climbing the rope in gym. It was almost time for class to let out. Then Saturday classes would be over. He watched Aki ring the bell then the rope snap and Aki falling. He ran but knew he'd never make it in time. Aki hit the mat on his left arm. His classmates began laughing and the gym sensei just wrote something down. He knelt on the mat . Aki wasn't moving. He rolled the boy he wasn't even awake. He had a gnash on his forehead that was bleeding and his arm was at a weird angel.
"Call an ambulance!" he yelled , "GO! NOW ! "