Be Responsible
Maki lifted Shina off the bike.
"What happened to your face?" He asked.
"Oh, uhh, it's nothing,"
Sakuragi looked from Maki to Shina, and from Shina to Maki.
"You two know each other?"
"Well, I should. She's my sister." Maki told him.
Sakuragi formed a huge "O" with his mouth.
"No, you're Maki, and she's Tatsuya – "
"Long story," Maki said hastily. "Anyway, what happened?"
Sakuragi related the whole incident to Maki, taking great delight in making Rukawa out to be the bad guy (and totally omitting his own name).
"Rukawa Kaede…!!"
"Make sure you punish him duly!"
Maki insisted on taking a taxi to the hospital. "A cut on the face is no laughing matter," he said.
"So doctor, how's her face?" Maki asked anxiously.
"Will there be a scar?" Sakuragi followed.
"The cut's rather deep, so there'll most probably be a scar…"
Maki slumped back in the chair. Sakuragi remained silent. Shina's heart sank – she was going to have a scar on her face.
(( Sakuragi: Shit. Why did I have to dodge? Why? ))
Maki accompanied Shina home.
"This is your house, Shina?"
"Yes, rather shabby isn't it."
"Now why don't you move back – "
"I won't. If there's one thing I have, it's dignity. Why move back when I've been chased out?" She replied coldly.
"But think about your mother. Having to live in such conditions in her old age…"
"She died last year, with nobody but her filial daughter by her side."
Fire in her eyes, ice in her voice.
"She passed away? Why didn't you inform us? How did you pay for the funeral expenses?"
"I sold the piano."
"Shina… you loved piano."
"It became a luxury I could no longer afford,"
"Well, do consider returning home… dad's getting old, and he really hopes you'll go back." Maki said, and that was that.
*** the next day at training ***
Both Sakuragi and Ryota avoided Rukawa like plague. They couldn't believe that Rukawa didn't even bother to ask about Shina. That scum! Did he know the poor girl was going to be scarred?
Well actually, Rukawa had overheard them telling Ayako, and he wasn't sure how to react. On one hand, he was relieved that it wasn't anything serious, but on the other… the girl was going to be disfigured. But what could he do about it? It wasn't his fault she wore those huge glasses. And anyway, he didn't think she'd mind…
--------Imagined Shina's Reaction
It's just a scar. No big deal. A scar won't hinder me from topping the school in all future exams. No big deal. I'll just get myself another pair of glasses – larger than the previous one, so the frame will cover the scar. Also, I'll get myself some new Physics reference books, and maybe some on Chemistry too, to celebrate my new spectacles!
--------Yes. That was it. She wouldn't mind…
"Rukawa, Rukawa!" Ayako called.
Rukawa turned and frowned. "Maki, from Kainan…? What business had he here?"
"I'd like to have a world, Rukawa." Maki said coolly.
"…"
"First of all, d'you have a conscience? Kaede Rukawa."
(( Rukawa: Conscience? What was he talking about? Had the MVP gone nuts overnight? ))
"Get straight to the point, don't waste my time." Rukawa replied.
"You disfigured my sister, what do you intend to do?"
(( Rukawa: … since when was Shina his sister … ))
"It's just a small scar,"
Maki grabbed the neck of his jersey.
"A man has to be responsible for his own actions." He said menacingly.
Rukawa pushed him away and snorted. "I never said I was going to shirk responsibility."
(( Rukawa: Shit, what did he want? Money? An Apology? What? ))
Author's note: In case you're confused, Maki and Shina share the same father. Shina's mom was the "mistress", and Maki's mom (being insanely jealous), finally succeeded in throwing the two out of the house 3 years ago.
It's ironic that Maki would lecture Rukawa on being responsible, when his own father was anything but -_-
And no, Rukawa isn't going to be forced to marry Shina, or anything like that :P