I flopped myself onto my bed allowing the tears I've held back to flow freely. I was trying to forget about it, trying to have a normal life without that day haunting me forever. I wanted to try and overcome that memory, not allow it to affect me like it does, to put the past behind me and only focus on the future. To open up to people again and not be afraid that they'll just hurt me like my father. I wanted to be able to trust people again. I've only trusted Naiko because she was like me. Ever since the day we met she's always protected me.
"Go back to where you came nobody wants you here, you ugly freak," one of the girls from my class bullied, kicking me in the stomach.
"Urasai," I yelled back, clutching my stomach.
"You're a freak. Everyone here hates you," she continued, she and the others continued to hit me.
"Urasai," I yelled ending with, "bakemono baka. Ckikusho, uso!"
"What did you just say to me?" she said placing another kick, but this time hitting me in the face.
I glared and before I could answer someone from behind the small group of girls answered for me.
"She called you a monster, meaning your ugly, an idiot and said you lied which you did," the girl stated pushing through the group to look the leader of the group straight in the eye.
"You little piece of crap, you'll pay for that," the leader said taking a step towards me fist raised ready to place another hit.
The silver haired girl grabbed her fist and stepped between us.
"I wouldn't do that. She's a friend of mine; the guys wouldn't take too nicely to that. You wouldn't want to get on their bad side now would you? And if you try anything else I'll personally make sure you'll regret it," she stated glaring at the girl and tightening her grip.
The girls' eyes widened and they scampered off the leader fallowing after she said, "You'll get it for this."
"Ha, I wanna see you try," the silvered hair girl yelled after them.
I looked at her confused as I whipped my face of blood. This was the fifth school me long lost aunt had sent me to and not one person was nice to me.
"Hey, I'm Naiko Atobe. What's your name?" she asked with a smile.
"Kaida Amaterasu," I answered trying to lift my aching body from the floor.
She offered me and hand to help me up and I just gave her a look like she had three hands.
"Daijoubu, let me help you," she insisted giving me another charming smile.
I took her hand hesitantly and she pulled me up gently placing my arm over her shoulder.
"Arigoto," I whispered.
"No problem, it's nice to meet you. Don't worry if you hang with me and my friends those girls won't dare hurt you again," she stated a mischievous look passing through her eyes.
I just nodded and she smiled again before helping me out of the building where I met her friends.
That day was the beginning of our more like sisters relationship.
The memory brought a small smile, but the memory of that day outweighed it and tears still streamed down my cheeks.
A knock on the door brought me out of myself loathing. I shout upright and quickly whipped my face of proof of the tears.
"Who is it?" I asked my voice almost cracked.
Naiko poked her head through the small crack that I had left from before.
"Who do you think?" she said.
She walked over to me and sat next to me.
"Kachi didn't mean to you know? She's just worried that's all," Naiko stated.
I whipped my nose trying to keep the tears in as I said, "I know but the memory still bothers me."
Naiko wrapped her arms around me pulling me into chest. The tears pushed past my resistance and I wept into her shirt. Staining it with my tears, memories once again floating to the surface, but this time I pushed back the horrible ones and tried to remember ones of me and Naiko.
I sat outside after school tears streaming down my face, my hair hiding them from view. Everyone had left as far as I knew and I couldn't keep them in not on that day. It had been three years since the incident and it still bothered me.
"Hey, daijoubu?" Naiko's voice reached my ears.
I ducted my head down hiding my face in my arms that rested on my knees. Naiko grabbed my arm lifting them out of the way before her hand slipped under my chin lifting it to look her in the eye.
"Tell me what's wrong," she sweetly demanded, "I don't like seeing you like this."
He eyes reflected the concern and worry that her features rarely ever showed. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I threw myself into her chest wrapping my arms around her and cried into her chest.
Naiko was caught a little off guard on this and almost toppled to the floor from her crouching potion, but she caught herself at the last second and supported the both of us. She just sat there holding me until the tears stopped and I told her what happened.
After my story was finished and more tears were flowing from the memory, she wrapped her arms around me protectively.
"Shhh, don't worry. I'm here nothing like that will ever happen again. I promise, I'll protect you," she whispered rubbing my back till I calmed down.
This was almost exactly like that time; I hadn't cried since that day. I wanted to be stronger not having to lean on her that much, but yet here I am doing it again. The frustration from it making more tears to fall, tears of anger.
I was walking to meet up with Naiko and some of the guys when I heard them talking.
"Why? Why do you always support her? She fallows you around like a little lost puppy and you just let her. What's wrong with you? You never let anyone do that before," one of them stated frustration rolling off his words.
"Just cool it, will you? It's only for a little until she can stand on her own here. I'm just showing her the ropes that all. Sure it's a little annoying, but unlike you I understand why she's the way she is. It's only for a little longer then she'll have to stand on her own," Naiko stated glaring at the boy.
"Still it's not like you. She's too much of a pansy for me. I don't think she belongs in our group you know? She just doesn't fit well with us," the other guy stated.
I looked down at my feet.
'Of course they would think that,' I thought.
That was when I thought maybe I was leaning too much on Naiko and that those two guys were right. I decided I was going to change that.
I walked around the corner.
"Hey there you are, are you ready to go?" Naiko asked giving a smile.
Now that I really looked I could tell it was forced and she was just trying to be nice.
"Yeah about that my aunt just called and I need to get home family crap. I'll see you Monday, ok?" I stated giving a smile of my own closing my eyes so she wouldn't see the hurt that swirled around in them.
"That ok, see you around then," she said hesitantly and turned to walk away with the guys.
I looked back down at my feet again before turning around and grabbing my bag before heading to the empty house I was temporarily staying at.
That was when I closed out the world and took on a different attitude towards everyone. Naiko was the only one that really freaked out about the new personality I had.
"What's up with you lately?" she asked one day as she corned me in one of the hallways.
"Nothing," I said trying to push past her.
She pushed me against the wall looking me dead in the eye.
"Bull," she stated glaring at me.
"It's nothing," I sternly stated meeting her gaze with my icy one.
"What the hell you were this weak little broken girl not even a week ago and now you're not even the same person anymore?" she yelled.
"You the one that hated me leaning on you, you should like that I don't have to anymore," I yelled back.
She looked shocked that I said that.
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, I heard you talking to Chris and Greg!" I glared at her.
She didn't say anything just looked down at her feet. I broke out of her hold and walked away fuming at her.
The next day we didn't talk and I didn't sit with her at lunch I just went straight to the library to work on an essay that I didn't understand and had to somehow write it in English that I still couldn't totally understand.
I heard books being placed by me and I didn't look up from the book I was examining.
"Hey," I heard Naiko softly say.
I didn't look up still. She slid into the seat and she pushed a book in the way of my sight, I sighed in frustration and finally looked at her.
"Nani?" I asked the frustration drowning the word.
"Gomen nasai," she said looking me dead in the eye, "I should have said something to you before. I didn't mean for you to get the wrong idea of what I meant. You see me and the guys we're Yakuza basically and we don't take broken girls under our wing. I'm the only girl actually. That's what they meant by what they said, ano you see I saw something different in you and I wanted to help. We're both from the same area and I felt a connection to you, you see? I don't like people leaning on me, but with you it didn't bother me all that much and I wanted to support you till you could stand on your own because of what happened. I didn't want you to become something completely different than you already are," she said in Japanese (AN: internet not working right now or I would have put the whole thing in Japanese but because it is I'm just putting simple works in Japanese instead.)
I just gave her a blank stare for awhile.
"onegai forgive me," she asked, folding her hands in front of her and giving me this puppy dog look.
I sighed, "Hai."
"Yay," she stated doing this little happy dance thing, "now let's get this English essay done."
"Hai."
"What are you thinking about now," Naiko asked when I had stopped crying and just sat there in thought.
"Memories," I said, my voice cracking from all the tears.
"Like what?" she asked stroking my hair a little.
"When we met, fought and stuff like that," I replied.
"Could have been better memories," she stated.
"I know."
"Hey, do you play tennis?" Naiko asked one day when I was trying to work on an essay but having my stuff stolen by Chris.
"used to, why?" I asked snatching back my notebook.
"Cause I just got challenged to a doubles match and need a doubles partner," she said smiling at me.
"Why can't one of them be it?" I asked really not wanting to play tennis again anytime soon.
"Because they suck," she stated, blunt as always.
"Hey!" Chris and Greg exclaimed.
"What it's true," she explained giving then that look that said shut up and except it.
"I don't play anymore," I stated going back to working.
"Why?" Chris asked.
"I only played with my onii-sama and my friend," I said pausing from my work as the memory of my brother and Fuji popped in my head.
"Please, I don't want to have to give up this challenge or loose. You know how I am with this. They are challenging our clan," Naiko pouted.
I looked at her form the corner of my eye.
'I can't believe I'm going to say this but,' I thought.
"Fine," I sighed.
"Yes," Chris, Greg and Naiko yelled in unison.
I rolled my eyes.
"After school, k?" she asked.
"Hai," I replied.
After that day we played tennis often for challenges and stuff like that and when we got into middle school we joined the tennis club in school.
"So, are you ok now?" Naiko asked.
"Maybe," I replied.
I sat upright and whipped my checks again.
"Will you forgive Kachi?"
"Probably."
"Good, it's an improvement."
"Urasai!" I exclaimed throwing a pillow at her.
She just laughed as she dodged it.
"What? It is."
I threw another attack at her head.
"You know that won't work on me," she said dodging again.
"So?" I chucked it at her head when she was about to answer nailing her straight in the face.
"Not fair," she stated.
I stuck my tongue out at her.
"Go to sleep, we have school tomorrow, I'll pick you up in the morning," Naiko stated getting up to leave.
"Fine," I sighed.
"Night," Naiko said as she exited my room.
Naiko was defiantly like a big sister to me.
