Chapter 11 – Morino's Personality Shift

Morino-san's injuries were far beyond anything the school nurse could treat. So, she had to be transferred to a hospital downtown while Ohmuro-san went with her. Meanwhile, Yoshikawa-san and I decided to call it a day. Bringing up the club idea now wouldn't be the best idea for a while.

But as I was making my way home, some thoughts came to my mind. Specifically from what those girls had said before being driven off from beating up Morino-san.

"It's not like we forgive her or anything. That slutty bitch deserved everything she got. Especially when Rukia-san told her to go kill herself. Hurry up and make it happen, Morino."

Wh-Why…Wh-Why would Rukia say that? I-I mean, I know that she normally says some pretty mean stuff when she gets angry…b-but to say something like that to someone who's already feeling bad about what had happened…after experiencing something like that multiple times throughout my life, I already know that isn't right. I'm gonna talk to her about it.

…

Although…knowing my cousin, this won't be an easy thing to do.

I arrived home and went straight over to Rukia's room. I didn't even bother to knock first. For the first time in a long while, I was that angry.

"Rukia!"

"Gah! G-Geez, Kyouko! What did I tell you about knocking?!" Rukia yelled once I barged into her room. Tsu was with her, too. Though not as surprised as Rukia.

"Why, cousin?! Why'd you say those mean things?!"

"Rukia says mean things all the time, Kyouko. You gotta be specific."

"Tch. Damnit, Tsu!" Rukia yelled at her.

"You said mean stuff to Morino-san like telling her to go kill herself and then got the other players to attack her! How could you do such a thing?!"

"W-Wait, hold on! What do you mean Morino got attack?!"

"You should know! You told them to do it!"

"What?! B-But I didn't…"

"Guys, calm down!" Tsu yelled at us both. "Now, Kyouko. Just explain what happened slowly and calmly. Can you do that for me?"

"W-Well…I-I guess."

So, I then explained what I was talking about. How I found out that the Volleyball Club got disbanded, running into Morino-san, who was trying to get it back up and running…and how she was attacked by three ex-members of the team. Her injuries being so bad that she's currently at the hospital in an unconscious state.

"Oh, no. Poor Morino." Tsu said in a sorry-like tone.

Rukia, on the other hand, stayed silent. Her arms were crossed and her head was down. Also making attempts to look away from me. Which I didn't like at all.

"Why, Rukia? Why did you say those things?" I asked.

…

But I didn't get a response. Which only made me angrier.

"Rukia!"

"Look, I didn't mean to, okay?!" Rukia finally spoke. "It's just…how would you feel when your favorite pastime and the source of your future dreams were taken away from you because of a perverted girl's big mouth? Of course, I was angry. We all were. We all had goals for ourselves with the sport but those three perverts just wouldn't shut up! If they would've just kept their damn thoughts to themselves, we still would have the team and Morino wouldn't be clinging to life right about now!"

"So, then…you told her to go kill herself and allowed the other team members to go finish her off when you heard that she was still alive, didn't you? I thought I knew you, Cousin! How can you be so cruel?!"

"And I thought I knew YOU, Cousin!" Rukia then stood up in front of me and grabbed me tightly by the shoulders."You know good fucking well that I would never do that to her! I may be a total bitch to the people I don't like or piss me off, but I would NEVER go as far as having them beaten up or left for dead!"

I then saw tears in her eyes as her grip on my shoulders loosened slowly.

R-Rukia…

"*sniff* Wh-Why, Cousin? Wh-Why the fuck are you accusing me of such evil shit? You know me, don't you? S-So, why…why…Why are you the one being cruel?! Kyouko~!" Rukia finally broke down completely as she cried over my shoulder. And soon after, I followed suit. Currently hating myself for even thinking that she could do such a thing. The memories of similar past experiences when I saw Morino-san being dragged away made me blinded by rage.

But the thing is…I was mad at the wrong person.

"R-Rukia! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to accuse you of something so horrible! Please don't hate me!"

"K-Kyouko, you dummy! You're my precious little cousin! I could never hate you! I'll always love you no matter what!"

"Rukia!"

"Kyouko!"

"Waaaa!"

"Waaaa!"

"*sigh* Familiar love." Tsu said as she watched us both continue to cry on each other.

It took us a while for both of us to stop crying. Though, it did felt nice. It reminded me of how Rukia would comfort me when we were younger back when the abuse was starting to get worse. Her warmness was one of the reasons why I kept pushing on…during a time in which I wanted it all to end.

I'm so lucky to have a cousin like her.

Once we were fully calm, we went back to discussing what led to us crying in the first place. Trying to understand it more clearly.

"So, members of the team really did attack Morino. That's horrible." Tsu said.

"Wh-Why did they only attack Morino-san?" I asked. "I-It wasn't just her that did it, right?"

"They probably only went after her because Kinohata-senpai and Inose-senpai are both third-years." Rukia said. "They probably knew that Morino wouldn't put up much of a fight because of her small body."

"Kinohata-senpai? Inose-senpai?"

"Mayu Kinohata and Eri Inose. They were the only third-years on the team and were often with Morino. Saying or doing perverted things were those three's pastime." Rukia said that last part with a little anger inside her. Probably remembering all the time she had to tell them to stop doing said perverted things.

At least…I'm going by what Sugiura-san told me.

"You know…now that I think about it, Morino wasn't always so perverted."

"Sh-She wasn't?" We asked Tsu.

"Don't you remember, Rukia? She was rather anti-social and didn't want to practice with the others. She even sat out during our first game."

"She did?" Rukia thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah. She was like that. How the hell did she do such a huge 180 in personalities like that?"

"It's probably because of Kinohata-senpai and Inose-senpai."

"Yeah. Probably."

So, Morino-san wasn't always so perverted. From the sounds of it, she was like how I am now. If Kinohata-senpai and Inose-senpai really did change her…then why was she like how Rukia and Tsu described her before?

And why did she apologize to Ohmuro-san?

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it until Morino gets better." Tsu said as she stood up from the floor we were sitting on. "I'm heading home. Later, girl."

"Yeah, later." Rukia said as she stood up. Then, unexpected to me, the two shared a small kiss on each other's lips without hesitation.

W-Wait, what?!

"See you tomorrow, Kyouko."

"Uh…y-yeah. S-See you tomorrow…T-Tsu." Was all I was able to say after what I just saw. Even when Tsu was completely out of the room, I was still in a state of shock.

"*sigh* Man, I'm tired. Whatcha gonna do now, Kyouko?" Rukia asked me.

"Uh…Rukia. Wh-What was that just now?"

"What was what?"

"Y-You just…kissed Tsu."

"Well, duh. She is my girlfriend."

"Wh-What?! You two are dating?!"

"You didn't know?"

"No, I didn't know! Since when were you a lesbian?!"

"I've always been one. Tsu and I have been dating since middle school and we already took each other's virginities."

"I didn't need to know that last part…" I gained a sweatdrop. "But is the school…you know…okay with this?"

"Kyouko. Kohatsu is an elite all-girls high school. Nearly the entire student body is a lesbian. If you truly believed that there are more straight girls in an all-girls school, then you are one ignorant motherfucker."

"I…see." Was all I said. Completely shocked by what I had learned about my new school.

S-So, nearly everyone attending Kohatsu is a lesbian. I wonder…does that apply to Yoshikawa-san, as well?

As I thought of that, another thought came to mind. One that surprised me a little more than learning that my cousin has been a lesbian since middle school.

"Hey, Rukia…did I ever go to a school called Sekimachi in Harajuku?"

"Huh? You mean, you don't remember?"

"So, it's true?"

"Of course, it is. You and I were in the same class and it's where we met Tsu."

"Really? Wow…"

I met Tsu there? How come I don't remember that?

"What made you bring this up, anyway?"

"Well…a friend of Morino-san's said that I was in the same class as her. She was pretty excited to see me today."

"Really, now? Well…other than you and Tsu, I don't remember any of the classmates. So, I can't help you in that regard."

"I see. Well…thanks, anyway. And, uh…s-sorry for blaming you for what happened."

"*sigh* It's okay, Kyouko. I'm just glad you came to your senses."

"Yeah. Thinking over it, no way would you do something like that. Even though you can be rather cruel to people. Ridiculing them and sometimes smacking them in the head. But there's no way you would severely hurt or kill people. You're too snooty for that."

"Gee. Thanks, Cousin." Rukia gained a disgruntled sweatdrop with how I described her personality.

"*giggle* You're welcome." I said with a smile.

Monday morning came along and I was telling Yoshikawa-san what Rukia told me. About Morino-san having a different personality than the one she has now and how the two third-years made her from a shy innocent girl into a mindless sex freak.

But the one thing she really cared about was…

"You seriously didn't know that this place is filled with lesbos?"

"I-It never came to mind." I said. "A-And why is that your main focus?"

"I don't know this Morino girl. Why should I worry about here?"

"Y-You helped carry her to the nurse, r-right?"

"It was a spur of the moment. Nothing more. Let Ohmuro deal with it. She knows her, doesn't she?"

"W-Well…yeah." I said after thinking about it. "H-Hey, by the way. I-If this school's mostly filled with lesbians, does that make you one?"

"H-Huh?!" Yoshikawa-san began to blush mildly. "W-Well…I-I've never actually felt that way towards a girl. Or anyone, really. B-But the idea does interest me. A-A little."

"I-I see…"

W-Wow…I've never seen her blush this much before. Has she never thought of it the whole time she was here?

…

Either way, she looked kinda cute when she was blushing that hard.

"Psst. Hey! Toshinio! Yoshikawa!"

After believing that we just heard our names, we both turned to the back classroom door to see Ohmuro-san peeking through. Signaling us to come to her.

"Ohmuro? What does she want?" Yoshikawa-san asked.

"Sh-She looks distressed. W-Was she with Morino-san all day yesterday?"

"Eh. Probably. She looked very close to her."

"Hey! Get over here, damnit! Hurry up!"

"*sigh* Let's just go see what she wants. From the looks of it, she ain't gonna leave until we answer her."

"O-Okay."

The two of us got up from our seats and went over to Ohmuro-san outside the classroom to see what she wants. It may be about Morino-san…but at the same time, I hope it isn't anything perverted.

I'm still a little mentally scarred from walking in on her pleasuring herself.

"Finally! I thought you two were deaf or something!"

"What do you want, Ohmuro?" Yoshikawa-san asked her. "I'm not interested in hearing about how you made your pussy feel good last night."

"I-It's not that! And I'm not that perverted, damnit!"

But masturbating at school is still really perverted…

"Then what? Why are you being so sneaky?"

"I-Is Morino-san doing alright?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah. Better, actually. She regained consciousness shortly after arriving at the hospital and she's slowly recovering."

"O-Oh. Th-That's nice."

"Y-Yeah. Sure is. I'm actually going to see her now and…you two gotta come."

"What?" We both were surprised by such a request.

"When I told her that you two helped me carry her to the nurse, she felt nothing but regret. She feels horrible for dragging you both into "her mess". Even though I have no idea what she even means by that. Point it, she wants to see you two."

"O-Ohmuro-san…" I said. "…I-I'm worried about Morino-san, too. B-But you said "now"? Wh-What about school?"

"Chéry-senpai already has it covered. She's gonna write it off as an excuse for us. So, please come along. Do it for your old grade school classmate, Toshinio."

"B-But I don't really…"

"Ah, hell. Why not? I'll go."

"S-Seriously?" I asked Yoshikawa-san. "B-But I thought you didn't care."

"At first, yeah. And I was more excited that I get to skip class for this. But hearing that this Morino chick has her own "mess" got me somewhat interested. And you said that you ain't got a clue, Ohmuro?"

"I tried asking her. But she said that she won't explain what she means unless she makes things right with everyone. You two, the Volleyball team, and apparently a lot of others."

"W-Wow." I said.

It really does sound like Morino-san's got a lot of stuff kept secret. Maybe all of it explains her personality change.

"S-So, are you two coming or not?"

"I already said I was." Yoshikawa-san said. "What about you, Toshinio?"

I gave this request some thought. Even though I'll be missing school and Rukia won't know where I'll be, the fact that Morino-san is going this far just to see me…

"O-Okay. I-I'll come, too."

"Yes! Thank God!" Ohmuro-san cheered. "I had no idea how I was gonna tell Ikumi if you refused. I thought I'd have to say that you two would rather fuck each other than to see her."

"Wh-What?!"

"Wh-Why the fuck was THAT your excuse?!" Yoshikawa-san and I yelled with mild blushes on our faces.

"Ah, never you mind that. Come on, the next train's coming in 15 minutes." Ohmuro-san then ran ahead of us while we were still recovering from what she had just said.

"Y-You know…I-I can kinda see how this school is mostly filled with lesbians." I said.

"That made it click for you?" Yoshikawa-san gained a sweatdrop. "Anyway…let's just see what this Morino girl wants. I'm sure it'll be a hell of a lot more interesting than whatever these old hags are teaching."

"Uh…r-right." I said with a sweatdrop of my own.

She keeps saying that she's not a delinquent…but her desire to skip class keeps proving otherwise.

…

Though…I'm not gonna tell her that.

After an averagely long train ride, we arrived at the hospital where Morino-san was resting at. It was rather small…then again, Takaoka is a small town, to begin with. So, I guess the size of it matches the size of the town itself.

"So, Morino's resting here?" Yoshikawa-san asked. "It's a freaking dump."

"Yeah, well this "dump" was the closest hospital from the school." Ohmuro-san said. "So, we had no choice in the matter. That's what we get when we live in such a small-ass town."

"Hmph. Makes sense."

Ohmuro-san guided us straight to Morino-san's room. There, she was fast asleep. Dressed in nothing but a hospital gown and bandage wraps on her arms and legs.

"She was going into surgery when I last spoke to her." Ohmuro-san said. "She had some severe internal bruises from those kicks she received. Thank God it was a success. But it looks like it knocked her out completely."

"She looks peaceful. Despite her being in total pain only a day ago." Yoshikawa-san said.

"H-Hey, Ohmuro-san." I said. "Wh-What's your relationship with Morino-san?"

"Yeah, come to think of it, you were shouting her name as if you were her lover or something."

"Sh-She's not…*sigh* Ikumi and I are childhood friends. We've known each other since even before we went to that grade school together in Harajuku."

"H-Harajuku? W-Was it…th-the same class you told me before?" I asked.

"Yeah. The very same. You may not remember, Toshinio…but you, Ikumi, and I were the greatest of friends. We pretty much did everything together. So, I was bummed as hell when you said that you don't remember me."

Ohmuro-san then did a big sigh before saying something that blew my fragile mind to the core.

"I guess all those years of abuse really screwed up your memories, huh?"

"Wh-What?!"

"The hell? How do you know about Toshinio's past?" Yoshikawa-san asked.

"Hmph. You thought you were the only one who took a look at that file?" Ohmuro-san said with a stern look. "When I found out that Toshinio was coming here, something about the name sounded familiar. And so, once I took a look at it…all the memories of her and I came rushing back to me. And damn, did I hate it all."

"S-So, you were…a-aware of it?" I asked.

"Of course, I was. How the hell could anyone NOT be aware of it? Every day, you came to school with bruises all over your body and the smallest things would make you cry out of fear. It always scared the hell out of my little kid mind. Not knowing what was truly going on.

…

But then…on that day…when the teacher explained what was going on with you…and that you were never coming back because of it…I felt nothing but rage."

"R-Rage?"

"I mean…how could I not be? Finding out that one of my best friends was being abused…to the point where her mind was destroyed and was near the brink of death…I was so fucking angry! At you, that bastard, and most importantly myself! Why the fuck didn't I notice the damn signs?! Why didn't I fucking do or say anything?! What the fuck was wrong with me then?! I didn't do a damn thing to prevent your pain! And now, because of me, another one of my friends is suffering the exact same fucking fate! SUCH FUCKING BULLSHIT!" Ohmuro-san then slammed her fist hard on the small table in front of her. The pain clearly obvious due to the tears in her eyes.

Now, I'll admit…her sudden anger did scare me. But I wasn't shaking in my shoes like I normally do. Mainly because I had this same experience with Yoshikawa-san just days ago. Both were angry that I went through such things when I was younger. Though, in Ohmuro-san's case, she was angry at me for not saying anything about it.

But even if I did, I wouldn't remember it. I think my memory of being in that class was wiped clean because of what the abuse did to my mind. I can't even feel bad for not telling her.

…

But…I gotta at least make this right. S-Somehow.

"O-Ohmuro-san. I-I…"

"S…Sakurako-chan…"

"I-Ikumi!" Ohmuro-san panicked once we all heard and saw that Morino-san had woken up. "S-Sorry, for…w-waking you up. My damn yelling was too loud, huh?"

"N-No, it's fine. I wasn't in deep sleep, anyway." Morino-san then looked over our way and gave a small weak smile. "Oh. Yoshikawa-san. Kyouko-chan."

"K-Kyouko…chan?" I asked.

"Don't bother, Ikumi. She doesn't remember us or back then. After all…after what had happened and all…"

"Y-Yes. I'm aware. Despite that…I'm so happy to see you again, Kyouko-chan. It's been so long…"

"So, I'm gonna go on a limb and say that you knew about what happened with Toshinio, right?" Yoshikawa-san asked.

"Yes. I knew. It was a horrible day for all of us…the day we found out about her abuse. Sakurako-chan blew out in a fit of rage and I was crying beyond compare. Never in my life at the time did I ever believe that…that one of my closest friends was experiencing such torment similar to mine."

"Similar to yours? You were abused, too?"

"Ikumi! Why didn't you say anything?!" Ohmuro-san yelled in anger.

"I'm sorry, Sakurako-chan. But with how angry you were about Kyouko-chan's abuse, I didn't want to hurt you any more than you already were. Keeping it inside was the only thing I could do…but now I know that such a thing was a mistake from the start. Knowing what that led to."

"Y-You mean…y-your personality change?" I asked.

"Y-You know about that…Kyouko-chan?"

"R-Rukia told me yesterday. Sh-She said that you were more anti-social before. Then Kinohata-senpai and Inose-senpai changed you somehow."

"Yes…that is the case." Morino-san then took a sigh of depression. Or maybe it was a breath of exhaustion. The surgery did make her voice sound tired. Either way, she was not in a happy mood.

Who would be, at this point?

"Ikumi…enough secrets. Tell me what happened to you." Ohmuro-san said.

"S-Sakurako-chan…if I do that…you'll just be angry at me."

"No shit, I would be angry. But I wanna know because I want to help you. I already failed at being a good friend for Toshi…K-Kyouko. I don't want the same damn thing to happen to another one of my friends. I want to know, Ikumi."

"B-But…"

"M-Morino-san…" I said. "…I may not remember our time together. B-But if we truly are friends, then I wish to help you in any way that I can. Fr-From one abuse victim to another."

"K-Kyouko-chan…"

"I ain't gonna say much, Morino. Especially since we don't know each other." Yoshikawa-san added. "But take it from me. Keeping dark secrets to yourself will only fuck up your life even more. I'm learning that the hard way."

"Yoshikawa-san…"

"See? Even Yoshikawa thinks you should tell us." Ohmuro-san said. "Come on, Ikumi. Please. For your best friends."

Morino-san went silent for a bit. Either thinking about this rather hard or taking another break from talking due to the surgery.

But after a while…

"O…O-Okay. I'll tell."

"Hell yeah! Thanks a bunch, Ikumi!"

"You're doing the right thing, Morino-san." I said.

"This "mess" of yours better be go for what you're dragging us into." Yoshikawa-san added.

"I'm not entirely sure how a mess can be good, but…" As Morino-san prepared to confess her secrets, tears started forming in her eyes. No doubt feeling the emotional and mental pain that her own abuse brought her over the years. I surely don't blame her.

But what we were about to hear…was something that not even Yoshikawa-san's tough-girl side could gloss over so easily. What Morino-san went through…it could go up against my physical and mental abuse for the title of "Worst Childhood Ever"…

…And she would easily win.

"But…I'll tell you. I shall tell you all…of how I was sexually abused."

Author's Note: After believing that Rukia had something to do with the attack, Kyouko confronts her and finds out that Ikumi…wasn't always a sex-addicted pervert. And now…as she wonders how she changed as she goes to see her in the hospital, some unholy secrets are about to be set free from this once anti-social girl.

This was going to be uploaded yesterday and be a two-parter. But right when I was going to post it, I felt like it was missing something. So, I decided to work on it some more. Glad I did so, in the end.

Also…Mayu Kinohata and Eri Inose. Remember those names well. They are a huge part into why Ikumi ended up as the way she is now.

Thanks for reading, Later.