And I'm back again! XD Bet you guys are getting annoyed by me now, huh? Well, here's chapter six, as promised.
Before we continue though, I'd like to thank all my reviewers for this story (your support means a lot! =D), and I'd like to thank Lahdolphin, who has reviewed each of my chapters without fail and gave me a lot of enthusiasm; Lady-x-Exorcist, who's comments always bring a smile to my face; and , who's encouraging enthusiasm gave me inspiration to keep writing. Thanks so much!
And on with the story!
Kaidoh wrenched open the dresser's drawers, rummaging around before pulling out a shirt from one drawer and a pair of jeans and boxer shorts from another. He quickly walked back to where Momo lay on the floor and dropped down next to him. He put a hand underneath the still teenager and slowly sat him upright. He flinched whenever Momo let out a soft, painful groan. Kaidoh looked from the shirt he held in his hand to Momo, then over to the two twins.
"You two, come and help me," Kaidoh said. Takami and Tatsuki immediately came over, hovering over their brother and looking down with anxious eyes. "C'mere," he said, gesturing toward a spot behind Momo. "I want to to hold your Aniki up while I put on his shirt okay? Just make sure not to let him fall."
"Hai," they both said in unison and placed their hands behind Momo's shoulders. Kaidoh let go slowly, only completely when he knew they had a good grip on him, and then turned to the shirt. He unfolded it and aired it out, scrunching it up in his fists. Carefully, he put the opening over Momo's head and placed his fists on Momo's back, holding him up temporarily while the kids let go. He gently rolled the shirt down, telling the kids to grab a hold again.
The sleeves. Those were going to be a problem. While Kaidoh sat in silence, contemplating on the best way to do this without hurting Momo further, he heard his name being whispered and nearly jumped in shock.
"K.. Kaidoh? Wha' 'r you.." Momo murmured, his eyes opened halfway and dazed.
"Momoshiro, I need you to listen to me, alright?" Kaidoh said. Momo turned his head toward Kaidoh, his face twisting up in pain from the slow movement and nodded. "I need to to lift each of your arms, okay? When I tell you to." Momo nodded again, closing his eyes momentarily.
"Alright. Lift your right arm. Slowly," Kaidoh said. Momo obeyed, raising up his arm. Kaidoh watched as Momo's eyes shot open and then shut tight as a cry left his lips. He dropped his arm.
"Momoshiro, I need you to lift your arm," Kaidoh said.
"I.. I-It hurts," Momo whispered, his lids opening to reveal tears of agony in his eyes.
Kaidoh nodded. "I know. Just lift your arm for a short while, then your other one when I say, and it'll be over, okay? Promise."
Reluctantly, Momo agreed, and elevated his arm once more, biting his swollen lip to hold back another cry. Kaidoh carefully helped the boy out by lifting his arm just a little further, apologizing when a hiss left Momo's lips. He grabbed Momo's arm and placed it into the sleeve, pulling the shirt up onto his shoulder. Kaidoh lay Momo's arm down gently before asking Momo to do the same for the other.
Once the shirt was finally on, Kaidoh put an arm around Momo's shoulders and told the twins to let go. Once they did, he laid Momo down in the same laying position he was in. Momo's back met the ground with a grunt of pain. Now only the boxers and jeans were left. This required taking off the blanket. Taking a deep breath, Kaidoh turned to Tatsuki and Takami, who were sitting on either side of Momo.
"Do you two mind leaving the room for a short while?" Kaidoh said. Tatsuki and Takami looked up at the bandanna clad boy, then down at Momo. Momo smiled as reassuringly as he could, nodding his encouragement. The two children then stood up and quietly left the room. Kaidoh made sure the door was closed before turning back to Momo.
Kaidoh grabbed the top edge of the blanket and pulled it off the boy, making sure to avert his eyes quickly afterward. He grabbed the boxer shorts and worked on putting them up Momo's legs, which he now saw were also covered in new bruises and cuts. It seemed as though every movement caused Momo pain, for when Kaidoh asked him to lift his hips up so he could raise the boxers past his thighs, Momo did so with a stifled noise, his face screwing up again. The same went for when Kaidoh put on the pair of jeans.
And finally, Momo was dressed. Standing up, Kaidoh headed over to the door and opened it, calling Tatsuki and Takami back in.
"Come on," Kaidoh said as he dropped back down next to Momo. He took one of his arms and draped it acrosshis own shoulders, helping him up.
"W-what are you - " Momo protested.
"You're not staying in this house one more minute," Kaidoh said firmly, standing Momo up. "I'm taking you back to my place." And with that he began to walk, carefully making sure Momo didn't injure himself further. He didn't miss the stain on the rug as they left the room, Tatsuki and Takami in tow.
XXX
"For the last time, Momoshiro, no," Kaidoh said.
They were already in front of Kaidoh's house, Kaidoh's shoulders aching horribly from Momo's added weight. He made sure not to drop the injured tennis player as he tried to adjust Momo's weight on him as he began to slip. The whole time it took for them to arrive at Kaidoh's house, Momo would not stop protesting Kaidoh's decision, saying he didn't want to be a bother and that he could survive at his own home. Kaidoh would not have any of it.
"You're going to stay here whether you like it or not," Kaidoh said as they reached the front door. He turned to the twins. "Could one of you knock on the door for me, please?"
Tatsuki stepped forward and knocked. A short moment later, the door opened. And Kaidoh Hazue stood in the doorway, his expression startled at what he saw. His brother, out of practice, half-dragging a semi-conscious Momoshiro Takeshi. He didn't know who the other two were, but from the way they resembled Momoshiro he figured they were Momo's siblings.
"Hazue, would you mind stepping aside?" Kaidoh asked, grunting with the effort of carrying Momo. Hazue blinked and moved out of the way, letting Kaidoh, Momo and his brother and sister inside. He quietly closed the door before wheeling around, seeing his brother lead Momo toward the door that was his bedroom. The two young children remained standing, unsure what to do. "Nii-chan, what's going on?" he demanded.
Kaidoh only answered, "I'll explain in a second. Would you go into the bathroom and get the first-aid kit?"
Hazue scowled in confusion but did as he was told as Kaidoh disappeared with Momo inside his room.
XXX
Kaidoh collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table with a tired sigh, rubbing his eyes wearily. He had just left Momo in his room. He patched him up the best he could, but he figured maybe his mother could do it better. He left Momo sleeping on his bed, his siblings with him. It had been a long day, despite it only being a few hours. Hazue sat in the seat opposite him, staring.
"Care to explain what all that was about?" his brother asked. Kaidoh glanced up at Hazue from the gaps between his fingers and dropped his hand, thinking about the best way to start this.
"Okay. Well, you want the whole truth?" Kaidoh asked. Hazue nodded eagerly. Kaidoh smiled grimly. "Alright. But all I can tell you is what happened from yesterday spanning to today. I found out yesterday that... Momoshiro was being abused in his own home, by his own parents."
Hazue could only stare at his brother blankly. Kaidoh continued. "I was going into the tennis locker room after practice because I had forgotten some of my things. I walked in on Momoshiro, and I saw the bruises. He told me what was going on but made me promise not to tell anyone - "
"But why?" Hazue spoke up. "Why would keep something like this a secret?"
Kaidoh shook his head. "You're still probably too young to understand his reasoning." At this Hazue scowled, but didn't press further. "Today, he didn't show up in school. I was allowed to skip practice to see if I could find out if anything bad happened. That's when I went to his house and saw him lying unconscious on the floor. That's all I know." He didn't need to add the disgusting detail that Momo was most likely raped before he got there. Hazue didn't need to know that.
There was a pause as Hazue lapsed into silence. Kaidoh watched his little brother as he looked away, his fist clenched tightly on top of the table. After a moment, he gave a sharp intake of air and asked, "Is he going to be staying here?"
Kaidoh nodded. "That's what I'm planning on doing. I'm going back to his house to get his things if he's going to stay here."
"But what about kaa-san? Or tou-san?" Hazue responded, looking up again, one eyebrow raised. "Is it going to be okay with them?"
"Is what going to be okay with us?" A voice said before Kaidoh could answer.
Speaking of which...
Whoo! Two chapters in one day! I feel like I'm on a roll! XD
Well, here's chapter six. I'm going to try and update more this week, since In the Hands of Others is updated and Unknown Reality's deadline is tomorrow, so I'll be able to work on this while working on another schedule. Hope you like!
Review please! =D