A/N: This one might hit close to home...please don't hate me but I'm into
the drama/ angst thing, so this was bound to happen. If you have trouble
hearing about abused children in detail, maybe you should conviently skip
the first section...I just don't want anyone getting mad at me. Once again,
YST, RW, and Ranma ½ are not mine but Jess-chan and Sora are. And
now...chapter 4:
Chapter 4: Hashiba part 1
A small blue-haired boy rocked back and forth in the corner of his apartment, his thin arms covering his blue head as he trembled. Several broken bottles lay within a foot of him, but only one of them had come very close. That one had only injured him in the shatter. He was lucky his father was really drunk tonight... when he was in one of his "bottle moods".
Touma slowly raised his head, unsure of himself, but no more bottles flew at him. The old man had passed out on the floor. *Good for him*. Touma slowly stood, still trembling, wondering why it still affected him like this. None of this was new. He should get used to something that happens this constantly...right? Or was this just something one *didn't* get used to? Ever.
He picked up a few large shards of green and brown glass carefully, not wanting them to go into his bare feet. He walked nonchalantly to the "kitchen" and put the large shards in a big black garbage bag hanging on the door handle. By the time he reached the bag, he was calm again. He could think clearly again. And the first thing he thought of was his sister. He was so glad she wasn't here, if only once out of the 30-day month.
*Okaa, hasn't forgotten her completely yet...which is extremely lucky...I think...*he quickly lost himself in his own thought, being very bad about this when he had no one around to show him reality. It was said to be a problem with gifted children. They analyze things to the point of getting the entirely wrong answer...if they are allowed too much time to think about it. And when no one's around to tell them what the real answer is, they start basing on the incorrect one for conclusions and...it's a big mess. Touma cried futilely into his psych trying to find his lost sibling, even though his conscious knew her exact location.
The train station down in Toyohashi. The one she always stays at, on these nights. Okaa never comes, but at least Jess-chan can say she waited...all night...after all, staying on a bench near the tracks is better than staying in the "warmth" of the Hashiba apartment, she often told him. And he understood. He had played the same game with his mother years ago. Now she didn't hardly know she had a son.
A few tears ran down Touma's cheeks, as he came back to reality. He wiped some of them with his left hand, and then stared at the moistened palm. So many scars covered the pale flesh just around his hand. He carefully pulled a small piece of glass from the back of his hand and cringed, as a fresh stream of blood sent more stains onto the terrible carpet. It made him nauseous just to look at that carpet. But he looked down at his legs: paleness beneath the old boxers. Just pale...and even more pale where the scars had formed. His legs never saw sun; he couldn't ever show much skin more than his face, because they would see the scars. The deep scars. The kinds that *don't* heal. Seiji saw them. So did Sora. But not ones on his flesh, but the ones on his very soul.
He closed his eyes and thought of his sister, and of his friends. They were the only things that kept him going each day.
***
Jess-chan sat in a bench, embracing her knees. Why wasn't she used to sleeping here? She slept here at least once a month: on this hard wooden bench with a smiling realtor behind her. Sometimes, when she was more comfortable, she would stare at him, and wonder how even a picture could smile so much. Then she'd remind herself that many people aren't as miserable as her and her brother. *Just lucky I guess*.
She looked around at the prostitutes and hobos, most of which were drunk, and hoped to god that she would never turn out like them. Sure they "lived" but only in the most superficial sense of the word. As bad as life was now, to live like that would be even worse. Then again, she didn't have to worry about living like them when she was older if she didn't live through the night--no...she had to stop thinking like that. Nothing will attack her...probably. Things rarely do; plus, she can run pretty fast, kick pretty hard and punch if necessary. And there's always the Yoroi if worst comes to worst... she slowly fingered the glowing orb in her pocket, and it seemed to give her power.
She let go of her knees (cold as she was in the rain) and walked slowly over to the payphone. She searched her pockets for change (it was an old one, luckily). She became more and more paranoid each moment she was away from the comfort of her bench. She felt so out in the open at the payphone, as if the grass had opened and the hunter was pointing the shotgun right down her nose. She quickly put the change in the phone, almost dropping some of it in her haste and fumbled with the buttons.
She had promised never to do this, but something just wasn't right tonight. She had to, or she knew she would die. Somehow she knew.
The phone rang.
***
Shin sat by Sora, still unconscious, in his room. He watched over her with worry and hope, jumbled in a mass of pained love. It always hurts when someone you love is in pain. It's a pain you feel deep in your chest, where we believe the heart resides. Right next to the soul. So close, that if it hurts too much, the soul will be burnt by it, and permanently damaged. Some people choose not to love. And, as impossible as it is, it might be a good idea...but most likely not.
Sora's eyes opened slowly, the dim light of some large candles Seiji set up still too bright for her unadjusted eyes. She squinted and Shin put a hand over her eyes, blocking the light. He looked at her, deep concern in his eyes.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly. She smiled a little at the question. He always put it in future tense because present tense was never a certain thing for her.
"Of course," she replied, siting up a little. She cringed subtly but Shin's eyes caught it, even in the melancholy light.
"Lay down..." he commanded, pushing her shoulder down softly. She sighed, hating this helpless feeling. All of them hated it, because it was powerlessness; being exposed and inept. The Yorois were supposed to prevent that feeling, but it occurred anyway. Shin leaned over and gently kissed her as she lay there. She smiled, and looked around a bit.
"I like what you've done with your room," she said in her normal cheerful voice. The blithe tone seemed to melt away the gash on her leg, or at least the knowledge of it, for a moment. Shin looked at the beautiful girl on his light blue floor and sighed, his love powerfully strong inside him. Then she cringed a little, and the thoughts all came rushing back. He was going to kill that bastard for hurting her. He couldn't stand to see her in pain so often, and the death of Genma would fix that...mostly. But then there were battles to think of, and spars and soon the thought of homicide was replaced with more concern for Sora. She might not know it, but if she kept on living like this, she wouldn't last long. The thought of that nearly scrambled Shin's mind and he had to close his eyes tightly to keep from crying out. Sora looked up at him, deep anxiety in her eyes.
"Shin...are you alright?"He opened his eyes quickly at her words, and blinked. The anxiety in her eyes mingled with shallow tears. She worried about him too.
"I'm fine! Sorry...just...thinking," he smiled his normal grin that made everything alright. And so it was.
Seiji came in with several cups of coffee, somehow balancing three cups at once, without holding them together like a bouquet. "Coffee?" he asked calmly.
As he passed out the cups to Shin and Sora (who promptly set hers on the floor next to the mat) a phone rang, and it certainly wasn't Shin's fish phone. Seiji would have flinched and reached for his bag but he knew that wasn't his ring. The tune of the hymn "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" played for the three and Sora struggled to reach into her pocket. Finally, she pulled it out, and sat up, contrary to Shin's desires. But he helped steady her anyway as she began to speak into the small piece of plastic technology.
"Hello, this is Saotome--"
"Sora...I know I said I'd never do this...b-but...Okaa never came, as usual, and I have a really bad feeling about tonight. I-I'm seriously terrified and I can't figure out why," he voice was trembling, and Sora could even hear the phone itself shaking.
"It's alright...really. I told you to call me if you ever needed me to come pick you up like this. Toyohashi, right? I'll be there as soon as I can. See if you can hide in the ticket booth or something if you don't feel safe in the open. I'll be right there," and with that she hit a button and the temporary connection between the two was lost.
***
Seven cities away Jess-chan sighed in relief, though she was not out of the water yet. Yokohama was about 150 km from Toyohashi, in a straight line. In Sora drove really fast...she'd make it in an hour. There were a few shortcuts she knew of that would cut off time...plus it was 2:30 AM, or so. Traffic would be nonexistent. Jess-chan slowly stepped away from the phone and went back to her bench.
As she sat down and embraced her knees to her chest, she waited for the feeling of safety to return. But it never did. She waited a few minutes, but her paranoia just seemed to get worse and worse. She started hyperventilating a little, unable to control her fear. She had never felt like this before. Not even when she was face to face with death. What was going on?
***
Sora struggled to right herself, leaning heavily on the dresser. Shin was trying to console her into laying back down, but she ignored him. "If Jess- chan says something is wrong, something is seriously wrong and I need to be there now," she said defiantly, moving towards the door. She wanted to sob. She was so worried right now that even tears would not express it. Suddenly, two strong arms lifted her and carried her quickly down the stair and out to the garage. Shin set her in the car and ran back to the door to tell Seiji they were leaving. Sora smiled a little to herself at her small victory. Shin jumped in the car and looked at her.
"Where to?" Sora's smile converted back to seriousness instantly.
"Toyohashi, and take all the short cuts you know. I know a few, too." Shin nodded and took off into the rain again. Sora leaned against the door for support to keep from capsizing, and Shin gave her worried glances from time to time. Love and the friendship with a best friend can be very similar, but at the same time, on opposite ends of the scale. Shin thought briefly of how he would feel if Seiji were in Hashiba's predicament, and it was almost painful just thinking. He nearly cringed to think how Sora felt.
***
Touma sat in a corner or the apartment lobby. He didn't want to go back upstairs tonight. He had his seifuku on, and his book bag over his shoulder. He sat incased in the shadow of the unlit lobby, and something about it was comforting. He like the dismal moonlight that came through the old, clouded windows in strange beams and shapes. He wished that his apartment had this safe feeling, but it was far from that. He remembered back, right after he had moved in with his father, at school. They told the students how safe the shoubousho was; that is was as safe as when you're at home (if you ever need to go there). He had looked up at the sensei, with his large blue-gray eyes, and started sobbing. The counselor was badly paid, so they didn't figure anything out. Which was good, because Otou would have beaten him mercilessly.
The moon slipped quietly behind a cloud, darkening the room, as Touma drifted off to fairly peaceful sleep. His divorced parents had ruined the conscious of his mind, but he still had the subconscious to escape to...for now.
A/N: What you have just read was my midnight ramblings one sleepless night in which I edited the other chapters and wrote this one. I'd make the Hashiba chapter one part, but you might lose interest if it's too long^_^. Prepare for part 2 of this heart-rending chapter!!! Please feel free to review too, as I will love you till the ends of the earth^_^. Translations:
Toyohashi: Not a definition, but a city south of Yokohama, on the main Japanese isalnd.
Yokohama: A large city, practically on the Atlantic Ocean
Seifuku: School uniform
Shoubousho: Fire station
Sensei: Teacher
That's all for this chapter!
Chapter 4: Hashiba part 1
A small blue-haired boy rocked back and forth in the corner of his apartment, his thin arms covering his blue head as he trembled. Several broken bottles lay within a foot of him, but only one of them had come very close. That one had only injured him in the shatter. He was lucky his father was really drunk tonight... when he was in one of his "bottle moods".
Touma slowly raised his head, unsure of himself, but no more bottles flew at him. The old man had passed out on the floor. *Good for him*. Touma slowly stood, still trembling, wondering why it still affected him like this. None of this was new. He should get used to something that happens this constantly...right? Or was this just something one *didn't* get used to? Ever.
He picked up a few large shards of green and brown glass carefully, not wanting them to go into his bare feet. He walked nonchalantly to the "kitchen" and put the large shards in a big black garbage bag hanging on the door handle. By the time he reached the bag, he was calm again. He could think clearly again. And the first thing he thought of was his sister. He was so glad she wasn't here, if only once out of the 30-day month.
*Okaa, hasn't forgotten her completely yet...which is extremely lucky...I think...*he quickly lost himself in his own thought, being very bad about this when he had no one around to show him reality. It was said to be a problem with gifted children. They analyze things to the point of getting the entirely wrong answer...if they are allowed too much time to think about it. And when no one's around to tell them what the real answer is, they start basing on the incorrect one for conclusions and...it's a big mess. Touma cried futilely into his psych trying to find his lost sibling, even though his conscious knew her exact location.
The train station down in Toyohashi. The one she always stays at, on these nights. Okaa never comes, but at least Jess-chan can say she waited...all night...after all, staying on a bench near the tracks is better than staying in the "warmth" of the Hashiba apartment, she often told him. And he understood. He had played the same game with his mother years ago. Now she didn't hardly know she had a son.
A few tears ran down Touma's cheeks, as he came back to reality. He wiped some of them with his left hand, and then stared at the moistened palm. So many scars covered the pale flesh just around his hand. He carefully pulled a small piece of glass from the back of his hand and cringed, as a fresh stream of blood sent more stains onto the terrible carpet. It made him nauseous just to look at that carpet. But he looked down at his legs: paleness beneath the old boxers. Just pale...and even more pale where the scars had formed. His legs never saw sun; he couldn't ever show much skin more than his face, because they would see the scars. The deep scars. The kinds that *don't* heal. Seiji saw them. So did Sora. But not ones on his flesh, but the ones on his very soul.
He closed his eyes and thought of his sister, and of his friends. They were the only things that kept him going each day.
***
Jess-chan sat in a bench, embracing her knees. Why wasn't she used to sleeping here? She slept here at least once a month: on this hard wooden bench with a smiling realtor behind her. Sometimes, when she was more comfortable, she would stare at him, and wonder how even a picture could smile so much. Then she'd remind herself that many people aren't as miserable as her and her brother. *Just lucky I guess*.
She looked around at the prostitutes and hobos, most of which were drunk, and hoped to god that she would never turn out like them. Sure they "lived" but only in the most superficial sense of the word. As bad as life was now, to live like that would be even worse. Then again, she didn't have to worry about living like them when she was older if she didn't live through the night--no...she had to stop thinking like that. Nothing will attack her...probably. Things rarely do; plus, she can run pretty fast, kick pretty hard and punch if necessary. And there's always the Yoroi if worst comes to worst... she slowly fingered the glowing orb in her pocket, and it seemed to give her power.
She let go of her knees (cold as she was in the rain) and walked slowly over to the payphone. She searched her pockets for change (it was an old one, luckily). She became more and more paranoid each moment she was away from the comfort of her bench. She felt so out in the open at the payphone, as if the grass had opened and the hunter was pointing the shotgun right down her nose. She quickly put the change in the phone, almost dropping some of it in her haste and fumbled with the buttons.
She had promised never to do this, but something just wasn't right tonight. She had to, or she knew she would die. Somehow she knew.
The phone rang.
***
Shin sat by Sora, still unconscious, in his room. He watched over her with worry and hope, jumbled in a mass of pained love. It always hurts when someone you love is in pain. It's a pain you feel deep in your chest, where we believe the heart resides. Right next to the soul. So close, that if it hurts too much, the soul will be burnt by it, and permanently damaged. Some people choose not to love. And, as impossible as it is, it might be a good idea...but most likely not.
Sora's eyes opened slowly, the dim light of some large candles Seiji set up still too bright for her unadjusted eyes. She squinted and Shin put a hand over her eyes, blocking the light. He looked at her, deep concern in his eyes.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly. She smiled a little at the question. He always put it in future tense because present tense was never a certain thing for her.
"Of course," she replied, siting up a little. She cringed subtly but Shin's eyes caught it, even in the melancholy light.
"Lay down..." he commanded, pushing her shoulder down softly. She sighed, hating this helpless feeling. All of them hated it, because it was powerlessness; being exposed and inept. The Yorois were supposed to prevent that feeling, but it occurred anyway. Shin leaned over and gently kissed her as she lay there. She smiled, and looked around a bit.
"I like what you've done with your room," she said in her normal cheerful voice. The blithe tone seemed to melt away the gash on her leg, or at least the knowledge of it, for a moment. Shin looked at the beautiful girl on his light blue floor and sighed, his love powerfully strong inside him. Then she cringed a little, and the thoughts all came rushing back. He was going to kill that bastard for hurting her. He couldn't stand to see her in pain so often, and the death of Genma would fix that...mostly. But then there were battles to think of, and spars and soon the thought of homicide was replaced with more concern for Sora. She might not know it, but if she kept on living like this, she wouldn't last long. The thought of that nearly scrambled Shin's mind and he had to close his eyes tightly to keep from crying out. Sora looked up at him, deep anxiety in her eyes.
"Shin...are you alright?"He opened his eyes quickly at her words, and blinked. The anxiety in her eyes mingled with shallow tears. She worried about him too.
"I'm fine! Sorry...just...thinking," he smiled his normal grin that made everything alright. And so it was.
Seiji came in with several cups of coffee, somehow balancing three cups at once, without holding them together like a bouquet. "Coffee?" he asked calmly.
As he passed out the cups to Shin and Sora (who promptly set hers on the floor next to the mat) a phone rang, and it certainly wasn't Shin's fish phone. Seiji would have flinched and reached for his bag but he knew that wasn't his ring. The tune of the hymn "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" played for the three and Sora struggled to reach into her pocket. Finally, she pulled it out, and sat up, contrary to Shin's desires. But he helped steady her anyway as she began to speak into the small piece of plastic technology.
"Hello, this is Saotome--"
"Sora...I know I said I'd never do this...b-but...Okaa never came, as usual, and I have a really bad feeling about tonight. I-I'm seriously terrified and I can't figure out why," he voice was trembling, and Sora could even hear the phone itself shaking.
"It's alright...really. I told you to call me if you ever needed me to come pick you up like this. Toyohashi, right? I'll be there as soon as I can. See if you can hide in the ticket booth or something if you don't feel safe in the open. I'll be right there," and with that she hit a button and the temporary connection between the two was lost.
***
Seven cities away Jess-chan sighed in relief, though she was not out of the water yet. Yokohama was about 150 km from Toyohashi, in a straight line. In Sora drove really fast...she'd make it in an hour. There were a few shortcuts she knew of that would cut off time...plus it was 2:30 AM, or so. Traffic would be nonexistent. Jess-chan slowly stepped away from the phone and went back to her bench.
As she sat down and embraced her knees to her chest, she waited for the feeling of safety to return. But it never did. She waited a few minutes, but her paranoia just seemed to get worse and worse. She started hyperventilating a little, unable to control her fear. She had never felt like this before. Not even when she was face to face with death. What was going on?
***
Sora struggled to right herself, leaning heavily on the dresser. Shin was trying to console her into laying back down, but she ignored him. "If Jess- chan says something is wrong, something is seriously wrong and I need to be there now," she said defiantly, moving towards the door. She wanted to sob. She was so worried right now that even tears would not express it. Suddenly, two strong arms lifted her and carried her quickly down the stair and out to the garage. Shin set her in the car and ran back to the door to tell Seiji they were leaving. Sora smiled a little to herself at her small victory. Shin jumped in the car and looked at her.
"Where to?" Sora's smile converted back to seriousness instantly.
"Toyohashi, and take all the short cuts you know. I know a few, too." Shin nodded and took off into the rain again. Sora leaned against the door for support to keep from capsizing, and Shin gave her worried glances from time to time. Love and the friendship with a best friend can be very similar, but at the same time, on opposite ends of the scale. Shin thought briefly of how he would feel if Seiji were in Hashiba's predicament, and it was almost painful just thinking. He nearly cringed to think how Sora felt.
***
Touma sat in a corner or the apartment lobby. He didn't want to go back upstairs tonight. He had his seifuku on, and his book bag over his shoulder. He sat incased in the shadow of the unlit lobby, and something about it was comforting. He like the dismal moonlight that came through the old, clouded windows in strange beams and shapes. He wished that his apartment had this safe feeling, but it was far from that. He remembered back, right after he had moved in with his father, at school. They told the students how safe the shoubousho was; that is was as safe as when you're at home (if you ever need to go there). He had looked up at the sensei, with his large blue-gray eyes, and started sobbing. The counselor was badly paid, so they didn't figure anything out. Which was good, because Otou would have beaten him mercilessly.
The moon slipped quietly behind a cloud, darkening the room, as Touma drifted off to fairly peaceful sleep. His divorced parents had ruined the conscious of his mind, but he still had the subconscious to escape to...for now.
A/N: What you have just read was my midnight ramblings one sleepless night in which I edited the other chapters and wrote this one. I'd make the Hashiba chapter one part, but you might lose interest if it's too long^_^. Prepare for part 2 of this heart-rending chapter!!! Please feel free to review too, as I will love you till the ends of the earth^_^. Translations:
Toyohashi: Not a definition, but a city south of Yokohama, on the main Japanese isalnd.
Yokohama: A large city, practically on the Atlantic Ocean
Seifuku: School uniform
Shoubousho: Fire station
Sensei: Teacher
That's all for this chapter!