Title: Friends, Lovers and Brothers  

Authors Note: Sorry I took so long to upload this chapter, but then, here it is!!!

Chapter 8-Love?

            'Go on, mother. I wanna hear it too,' Fujima said. Everybody stared at him.

'I have a right to know my sister's past. For goodness sakes, I didn't even know she was my sister. And if I have a right, she has a much greater right to know who she is,' Fujima concluded. Aya looked at him gratefully and then turned to focus on her mother who seemed to gain confidence in his words.

'Fifteen years ago, Kenzen captured Fujima and another boy, a year younger than him. At that time Fujima was 2 years. He then forced me to sleep with the other boy's father. I then got pregnant, with you. I guess all he wanted was a child, our child to torture. He wanted to see us suffer, our lives ruined. Your father was my cousin, but cousins hardly keep contact now a days. Even at those times we hardly talked. But we shared a great secret. I can't actually tell you without his permission, nor can he actually tell anyone without mine. He then let all of us go, including me. He let everyone except you go. But I decided to stay, knowing what would happen to you if I didn't. But after you were three, my husband came to collect me. He said he didn't want to see me get hurt anymore.' She paused here for a breath. The rain had started pouring down again, really heavily. As Fujima's mother opened her mouth to continue, his father cut in…

'Come on, she had a family too. A son. And here she was being beaten by some guy who had let her go? Where's the logic in that? I wasn't going to see my wife get hurt!'

            'But I was protecting the child. If you had let me stay a little longer, probably two more years, things would have probably been much easier on Aya,' Fujima's mother said.

            'And your son? He would have been seven then. Don't you care about him?'

            'You were here. I had a daughter too. At least my son was in the care of someone who loved him. That man had no feelings. All he ever wanted Aya for was for revenge. Could you not see it?'

            'Well, then let him have it. Have his revenge. You didn't have to butt in! Do you know the troubles I had to go through taking care of Fujima? (Or should I say Kenji?) It was all her fault! She isn't wanted, so why'd you care for an unwanted child? You aren't wanted!' he directed this last sentence to Aya, raising his voice.

 Rukawa and Sendo stared at him angrily. Fujima however, was looking at Aya, discerning her thoughts. Aya stood up shakily and suddenly dashed put the door, into the rainy and sad afternoon catching all of them except Fujima by surprise. Fujima quickly ran out after her. Sendo and Rukawa too ran out in the rain. The last thing they all heard was Fujima's father shouting 'Fujima Kenji!' and his mother shouting 'Why'd you have to do that?' at him.

            Aya was running fast, very fast. She wanted to be alone, she wanted to disappear. The words of Fujima's dad were still echoing itself in her numb, empty brain. But then, Fujima was pretty fast too. He caught up with her and pulled her back. Pulled her into a hug. He felt her shaking, cold, wet and scared. Angry, hurt and shocked. Silently he cursed his father (don't do this folks.) Cursed him for saying unnecessarily and not exactly true things. He then said to Aya.

            'Aya, mother loved you very much. You must know that. Even though you were, in a way forced out of her, she loved you very much. She always talked to me about you.' Then pulling back a little, her pulled his shirt down a little, so she could see the chain hanging from his neck. The locket which had the letter A on it. The locket which Aya had given to her mother on her 36th birthday when she was three, telling her mother to never forget her.

            'She made me promise to never take it out, not that I would, but sometimes she would be the one who takes it out and she would stare at it, and then the tears would start falling. She never mentioned your name before, most probably because of my father, but I know, and you must know that she loves you very much,' Fujima continued.

* * * * * * * *

            By this time, Sendo and Rukawa had reached our side. I was shaking like crazy. Never in my life did I ever imagine myself as an unwanted child. I was scared, hurt, frustrated, wet and of course lost. The things that Mr. Fujima said pierced right through all the walls I had built around me, protecting me, and right into my heart. I never really cared about the things that people said about me, or thought about me, with the obvious exception of my father and all the people I loved, like those around me now. But what he said had really hurt me. Rukawa touched my face, lightly applying force, making me look at him.

            'How many people who knows you hate you? How many of them disliked you? How many of them can actually say that your life didn't make an impact onto theirs?' he asked.

            'The people who don't know you, who don't understand you may think that you are not important. But to those who love you and whom you love, you are one of the most precious things in our life!' Sendo said. I turned towards him, tears mingled with the rainwater, flowing down my face.

'All I am is just trouble! Trouble to my loved ones. I just ruined people's life! Fujima's my mother, both of yours too. You can't deny that. He's right! I'm not wanted. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have went to Fujima's house. I shouldn't have brought all these troubles onto you all. I shouldn't…

'Do'aho! If you really only brought trouble into my life, why would I be here? Why would I chase you in the pouring rain? If you don't mean anything to me, if all you were to me was just hurt and pain, I wouldn't be here, trying to talk sense into your mind. Don't you get it? You were the one who changed my whole perspective on relationships, hurt and pain. You showed me the meaning of love. You are the one that I love!' Rukawa said, nearly shouting, yet at the same time looking tenderly at me.

'I have been with you for fifteen years, well not actually fifteen, thirteen years to be exact. All the times I had with you I treasured. Be it hurt, be it happiness, I was happy. I was happy because I could do something for you. It made me happy to relieve all your pain and trouble, and even happier to see you smile. If I didn't love you, if all you were to me was just pain and trouble, it would mean nothing to me if you were happy. Yet, I yearned to see you smile,' Sendo said. He too was looking at me tenderly. I felt and knew that they meant what they said.

            'I haven't known you for fifteen years, in fact I just knew you this year, yet you made an impact in my life. There was something about you that just attracted my attention. Especially when you were with these two. And it wasn't only my attention. Hanagata, Hasenegawa… all of them. You are different from the rest of the girls and I… I sorta just felt differently for you. It was in your innocence. Your laughter, your tears. Everything. I just felt… love for you, not in a boy girl relationship way, but more like an elder brother. I just wanted to … protect you. And I was surprised but very happy when I found out that you were my sister, half- sister though it is, I still have a right to love you, to protect you and you have a right to live your life. Stop being so selfless. Just because you have suffered, doesn't mean that you have to continue suffering. Just because you were the cause of some bad things doesn't mean you are the cause of all. Just because you mean little to others, doesn't mean you mean little to everyone. Do you know how many people would be different and sad if you weren't born?' Fujima asked me. His voice was gentle and yet at the same time commanding, like a brother's.

            'We love you. And we also know that you love us. Love goes beyond. It goes beyond just being there for fun. Love also means sufferings... sacrifice. You can just say I love you and hate the person inside. But you can't mean I love you by just standing at the sideline watching the person you love suffer. We love you, undeniable. You love us too. Can you deny that?' he paused for me to say something.

When I didn't, he continued, 'I could see it straight away when you started talking, I mean really talking to Rukawa few weeks ago. I could see that your relationship meant love. Even with Fujima, when you whispered his name, when you ran out of the house, I could see it. I always knew that my relationship with you goes beyond normal relationship I have with my other friends. Here you are giving and receiving three different kinds of love and you can ask us to go away? Ask us to leave you alone? Tell us that all the while you were just trouble? Come on, don't you know the meaning of the word love? If you really love us, you'll accept what we are giving you! If you know what it mans to love, you would not say no!' Sendo said. Rain was still lasing down on us, and we were all soaking wet. And yet, yet they were still standing there, watching me, waiting, willing me to believe. Sacrificing…

'Help is help. Sacrifice, hurt and trouble is a totally different thing. Are you saying that love is a synonym to sacrifice?' I looked at them, my voice lowering every second, knowing that I lost. And as they nodded they head, I knew that they knew it too. I could see it in their eyes, just as they could see that very fact in mine.

'That is exactly what love is,' Rukawa said smiling. My heart gave a great leap. I loved to see him smiling, see them smiling. Then putting his hands around my waist, he said,

            'Let's go.' I rested my head on his chest feeling so accepted. Fujima nodded, smiling as well. His smile wasn't fake. I could see that he was really happy that I accepted him as my brother.

            'Okay, okay. Let's go.' I turned towards Sendo who said it. His eyes were twinkling merrily matching his smile perfectly, warming me up from head to toe. And as we walked off, I was thinking about these three most important people in my life. These three people who made my life so happy. My friend, who knew me the longest and have gone through the most with me. My boyfriend, who filled in the gap that my friend couldn't fill, especially in school. He brought another whole and different meaning to the word love. My brother, who even though haven't known me for long, has also changed my concept on love. Yet, no matter what, even if what I am saying is absurd, I know that it is true. I know it in my heart that he seemed to have been in me and with me even though he was not. (I'm not making any sense am I?) He seemed to have been there, all the times I was alone, especially in New Zealand. He seemed to be in my heart. Akira Sendo, Kaede Rukawa, and Kenji Fujima. As I walked back in the pouring rain, flanked by the three most important people in my life, I learned the meaning of true love which can only be learned through hardship and pain. There was where you learned the real true meaning of love.

Boring? Or do I repeat myself too much? Well anyway, thanks to all the reviewers.