A/N: Ok, everyone keeps asking me "Why DOES Aya-Chan hate her father so
much?". Well, you'll find out this chapters. WARNING: There are some
references to rape and child abuse. If this stuff bothers you, PLEASE DO
NOT READ this chapter! I don't wanna offend anyone. You have been warned.
(Fic updated to PG-13 rating, just to be safe)
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"...If it's to protect someone precious to me, it's OK if this body of mine is wounded... It's OK if this heart of mine burns..."
Aya sighed and pushed her ponytail back over her shoulder. She couldn't help but notice the other girls were glaring at her almost all the time, watching her with jealous looks. "There goes the flawless beauty", one girl whispered. "She shouldn't be allowed to be so pretty. It's not fair.", said a second. "I say we break her pretty little face. She won't be so white and perfect with bruises on her face!", replied a third. This was too much for Aya. She spun around and glared at the three talking about her. "You gonna beat me up? Go ahead, please. You'll be doing me a favor!".
The three girls stared at her as though she were crazy. "Well? Go ahead, here, I'll even take my hair down. Maybe my blood'll stain it. That's what you want, isn't it? To mess up my face. Go ahead then.". The girls turned and walked away. Aya didn't care, though. Her thoughts went to her brother, and she figured it was time to pay a visit to his grave again.
As soon as she had changed out of her school uniform, Aya said goodbye to Shuu and Mitari and went to the flower shop. There she picked up a boquet of yellow roses and went to the grave yard. Crying, she set the flowers on her brother's grave. She knelt down and clasped her hands infront of her in prayer for Kido. Slowly her thoughts wandered and the beast of memories broke free. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Aya-Chan, this is your older half brother, Kido", Ryu Asato said. She was seven-years-old and stared at shock at the boy standing infront of her. He had blond hair, brown eyes, and a stunned look on his own face. "OLDER HALF BROTHER!?", she exclaimed at the same time Kido cried "YOUNGER HALF SISTER!?". He was ten at the time. Both children turned and glared at Ryu. "I'm leaving", Kido spat angrilly, practically storming to the door. Ryu struck the boy so hard he fell to the ground. "I will tell you when you can leave. Remember that, Boy!". Then he turned on her. "Aya-Chan, my pretty little doll". Aya trembled in fear.
After that meeting, Kido was moved into the house with Ryu and Hidei. Aya found she got along very well with Kido, but she couldn't understand him. Their father would often beat him, but Kido, dispite how strong he was, would never hit them back. He would quietly take the beating. He'd never give any indication that he was hurting at all, and when their father had finished using Kido as a punching bag, Kido would silently pull himself off the floor and go into his room. There, he would cry by himself, in peace. Aya knew, because she'd heard him in there crying a couple of times. Oh, sure, he acted tough, tried to pretend he wasn't hurting, but she knew. She was probably the only one who knew the depth of his pain. But there was something else that perplexed her even more.
Kido had come in a couple of times on their father "putting the moves" on Aya, and that always greatly angered him. He would strike Ryu then, to get the man off his sister, and then quietly accept the injury he'd inflict on him. For some reason, Kido really seemed to care about her, and she was both grateful and confused, not understanding how someone could love her enough to protect her to the extent of harm to his own body. Finally, when Aya was twelve and Kido was fifteen, Hidei filed for divorce from Ryu and took Aya with her. She even got her and Aya's last names changed back to Kazanaki. She'd tried to get Kido, too, but because she was not Kido's birth mother, and therefore of no relation to the boy, she was not permitted to take him.
He visted her often enough, though. Sometimes he came to take her out alone, as a big brother would take his little sister, but most of the time he came and got her with his best friend, Yanagisawa. The three of them would go mini-golfing, get ice cream, to to movies, go shopping, just about anything imaginable. Yanagisawa basically adopted her as his own little sis, and took the same protective attitute towards her that Kido did.
She couldn't help but notice the friendship her brother shared with Yanagisawa. The two were like brothers themselves, they'd tell eachother anything. If one was hurt or not feeling well, the other was there for him. If one of them was happy, the other was there to share his happiness. It made her long for friends-even just one-that she could care about, and would care about her back, the way Kido and Yanagi cared for eachother.
Her thoughts shifted to his funeral, as they often did when she thought about her brother. She remembered how she'd felt as she peered into her brother's casket. At his pale, beaten face. At his cut-open wrist. It looked as though it had been almost completely severed off his body. She remembered how, even though the funeral was small, everyone had nice things to say about her brother. Everyone except their father. He didn't even seem to care. "I still have you, Aya-Chan...My beautiful little doll". "LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!", Aya screamed, and ran away from him. Ran away from the torture...the pain...everything...She could hear Yanagi calling her name, but nothing mattered... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Aya-Chan!". She looked up and saw Kurama standing over her. Quickly, she jumped up. "H-how embarassing", she stammered, shakily wiping her tears away. Kurama caught one of her small, white hands in his own. "Let them flow, Aya-Chan. Let the tears flow. That's the only way you're gonna heal is by crying and getting everything out". Kurama looked at her trembling frame, at what a mess she was. He knew she needed it, though. Deep-rooted pain and hatred such as hers needed the time to heal. Aya cried for a few minutes longer, until all her tears were used up. "K-Kurama-San? D-do you think maybe we could go out for tea or something? I want to tell you...". Kurama held up his hand to stop her. "If that's what you wish, Aya-Chan. There's a coffee shop not too far from here. Is that OK?". She nodded in agreement.
Half an hour later, Aya and Kurama were sitting in the coffee shop with a cup of coffee and a slice of fruit pie apiece. Kurama watched her dump about thirty spoons of sugar into her coffee and half the container of creamer, but didn't say anything. He was waiting for her to spill to him what she wanted to tell him. Finally, in a voice just barely above a whisper, she told him about her father. About what he used to do to her. About her older half brother, and how he used to try to protect her. How her father used to beat on him. For an hour and a half, she talked.And for that hour and a half, Kurama listened in stunned silence.
"...So I ran away from him. My mother found me a while later, but all she did was take me home and told me I didn't have to visit my father if I didn't want to for a little while. Than life went back to "normal", except that Yanagisawa came by frequently to be sure I was OK. It's thanks to him and my mother that I'm still alive, they gave me reason to live. And then I met your brother, and Mitari, and you...And well...I'm just glad I didn't commit suicide". Kurama looked at his watch. "We'd better hurry up and finish here, we need to be back home soon." Quickly they finished their coffee and pie, and Kurama went to pay the bill. "There's no need for you to do that. I have money", Aya said, fishing into the pocket of her jacket. "I want to, though", Kurama said firmly.
They walked home in silence after that, Kurama chancing glimpses at her to see if she was truely "fine" as she said she was upon leaving the coffee shop. She wasn't crying anymore, but her pale eyes were fixed ahead of her, as though she were deep in contemplation. He wanted to inturupt her thoughts, to find out what she was thinking, but knew it would be best to keep his mouth shut. When they arrived back at his house, Kurama held the door open for her. "Sorry our first date together had to be like this", he whispered to her as she walked past him into the house. She stopped short, a sparkle in her eyes that he'd never seen before. "K-Kurama-San...do you mean...". Kurama smiled and nodded. "I love you, Aya-Chan, and I will never let anything happen to you.". Then he dropped his voice to a whisper and added "We have to be careful about this, though. I think it's pretty odd that those youkai attacked almost two months ago, and still haven't launched a second attack. They're plotting something...keep your guard up". She nodded and hugged him. "I will, Kurama-San. I will keep my eyes peeled at all times for anything unusual". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Well, how was it? I hope this didn't totally stink.=P I have some news for all of you. The DarkAngel's fiction days are through. All of her fiction is gonna be moved to my name where they will be completed.(Heart) I'm so excited! (Heart) So if any of you are Sensui Saga fans (WEE!!! GO SENSUI! GO ITSUKI! *Holds up a flag that says "I Love Sensui and Itsuki"*), you can look for her fiction titled "Tears of the World" (Probably under a new title name) re-vised and re-written under my name. This will be yaoi, so you have been forwarned.
"...If it's to protect someone precious to me, it's OK if this body of mine is wounded... It's OK if this heart of mine burns..."
Aya sighed and pushed her ponytail back over her shoulder. She couldn't help but notice the other girls were glaring at her almost all the time, watching her with jealous looks. "There goes the flawless beauty", one girl whispered. "She shouldn't be allowed to be so pretty. It's not fair.", said a second. "I say we break her pretty little face. She won't be so white and perfect with bruises on her face!", replied a third. This was too much for Aya. She spun around and glared at the three talking about her. "You gonna beat me up? Go ahead, please. You'll be doing me a favor!".
The three girls stared at her as though she were crazy. "Well? Go ahead, here, I'll even take my hair down. Maybe my blood'll stain it. That's what you want, isn't it? To mess up my face. Go ahead then.". The girls turned and walked away. Aya didn't care, though. Her thoughts went to her brother, and she figured it was time to pay a visit to his grave again.
As soon as she had changed out of her school uniform, Aya said goodbye to Shuu and Mitari and went to the flower shop. There she picked up a boquet of yellow roses and went to the grave yard. Crying, she set the flowers on her brother's grave. She knelt down and clasped her hands infront of her in prayer for Kido. Slowly her thoughts wandered and the beast of memories broke free. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Aya-Chan, this is your older half brother, Kido", Ryu Asato said. She was seven-years-old and stared at shock at the boy standing infront of her. He had blond hair, brown eyes, and a stunned look on his own face. "OLDER HALF BROTHER!?", she exclaimed at the same time Kido cried "YOUNGER HALF SISTER!?". He was ten at the time. Both children turned and glared at Ryu. "I'm leaving", Kido spat angrilly, practically storming to the door. Ryu struck the boy so hard he fell to the ground. "I will tell you when you can leave. Remember that, Boy!". Then he turned on her. "Aya-Chan, my pretty little doll". Aya trembled in fear.
After that meeting, Kido was moved into the house with Ryu and Hidei. Aya found she got along very well with Kido, but she couldn't understand him. Their father would often beat him, but Kido, dispite how strong he was, would never hit them back. He would quietly take the beating. He'd never give any indication that he was hurting at all, and when their father had finished using Kido as a punching bag, Kido would silently pull himself off the floor and go into his room. There, he would cry by himself, in peace. Aya knew, because she'd heard him in there crying a couple of times. Oh, sure, he acted tough, tried to pretend he wasn't hurting, but she knew. She was probably the only one who knew the depth of his pain. But there was something else that perplexed her even more.
Kido had come in a couple of times on their father "putting the moves" on Aya, and that always greatly angered him. He would strike Ryu then, to get the man off his sister, and then quietly accept the injury he'd inflict on him. For some reason, Kido really seemed to care about her, and she was both grateful and confused, not understanding how someone could love her enough to protect her to the extent of harm to his own body. Finally, when Aya was twelve and Kido was fifteen, Hidei filed for divorce from Ryu and took Aya with her. She even got her and Aya's last names changed back to Kazanaki. She'd tried to get Kido, too, but because she was not Kido's birth mother, and therefore of no relation to the boy, she was not permitted to take him.
He visted her often enough, though. Sometimes he came to take her out alone, as a big brother would take his little sister, but most of the time he came and got her with his best friend, Yanagisawa. The three of them would go mini-golfing, get ice cream, to to movies, go shopping, just about anything imaginable. Yanagisawa basically adopted her as his own little sis, and took the same protective attitute towards her that Kido did.
She couldn't help but notice the friendship her brother shared with Yanagisawa. The two were like brothers themselves, they'd tell eachother anything. If one was hurt or not feeling well, the other was there for him. If one of them was happy, the other was there to share his happiness. It made her long for friends-even just one-that she could care about, and would care about her back, the way Kido and Yanagi cared for eachother.
Her thoughts shifted to his funeral, as they often did when she thought about her brother. She remembered how she'd felt as she peered into her brother's casket. At his pale, beaten face. At his cut-open wrist. It looked as though it had been almost completely severed off his body. She remembered how, even though the funeral was small, everyone had nice things to say about her brother. Everyone except their father. He didn't even seem to care. "I still have you, Aya-Chan...My beautiful little doll". "LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!", Aya screamed, and ran away from him. Ran away from the torture...the pain...everything...She could hear Yanagi calling her name, but nothing mattered... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Aya-Chan!". She looked up and saw Kurama standing over her. Quickly, she jumped up. "H-how embarassing", she stammered, shakily wiping her tears away. Kurama caught one of her small, white hands in his own. "Let them flow, Aya-Chan. Let the tears flow. That's the only way you're gonna heal is by crying and getting everything out". Kurama looked at her trembling frame, at what a mess she was. He knew she needed it, though. Deep-rooted pain and hatred such as hers needed the time to heal. Aya cried for a few minutes longer, until all her tears were used up. "K-Kurama-San? D-do you think maybe we could go out for tea or something? I want to tell you...". Kurama held up his hand to stop her. "If that's what you wish, Aya-Chan. There's a coffee shop not too far from here. Is that OK?". She nodded in agreement.
Half an hour later, Aya and Kurama were sitting in the coffee shop with a cup of coffee and a slice of fruit pie apiece. Kurama watched her dump about thirty spoons of sugar into her coffee and half the container of creamer, but didn't say anything. He was waiting for her to spill to him what she wanted to tell him. Finally, in a voice just barely above a whisper, she told him about her father. About what he used to do to her. About her older half brother, and how he used to try to protect her. How her father used to beat on him. For an hour and a half, she talked.And for that hour and a half, Kurama listened in stunned silence.
"...So I ran away from him. My mother found me a while later, but all she did was take me home and told me I didn't have to visit my father if I didn't want to for a little while. Than life went back to "normal", except that Yanagisawa came by frequently to be sure I was OK. It's thanks to him and my mother that I'm still alive, they gave me reason to live. And then I met your brother, and Mitari, and you...And well...I'm just glad I didn't commit suicide". Kurama looked at his watch. "We'd better hurry up and finish here, we need to be back home soon." Quickly they finished their coffee and pie, and Kurama went to pay the bill. "There's no need for you to do that. I have money", Aya said, fishing into the pocket of her jacket. "I want to, though", Kurama said firmly.
They walked home in silence after that, Kurama chancing glimpses at her to see if she was truely "fine" as she said she was upon leaving the coffee shop. She wasn't crying anymore, but her pale eyes were fixed ahead of her, as though she were deep in contemplation. He wanted to inturupt her thoughts, to find out what she was thinking, but knew it would be best to keep his mouth shut. When they arrived back at his house, Kurama held the door open for her. "Sorry our first date together had to be like this", he whispered to her as she walked past him into the house. She stopped short, a sparkle in her eyes that he'd never seen before. "K-Kurama-San...do you mean...". Kurama smiled and nodded. "I love you, Aya-Chan, and I will never let anything happen to you.". Then he dropped his voice to a whisper and added "We have to be careful about this, though. I think it's pretty odd that those youkai attacked almost two months ago, and still haven't launched a second attack. They're plotting something...keep your guard up". She nodded and hugged him. "I will, Kurama-San. I will keep my eyes peeled at all times for anything unusual". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Well, how was it? I hope this didn't totally stink.=P I have some news for all of you. The DarkAngel's fiction days are through. All of her fiction is gonna be moved to my name where they will be completed.(Heart) I'm so excited! (Heart) So if any of you are Sensui Saga fans (WEE!!! GO SENSUI! GO ITSUKI! *Holds up a flag that says "I Love Sensui and Itsuki"*), you can look for her fiction titled "Tears of the World" (Probably under a new title name) re-vised and re-written under my name. This will be yaoi, so you have been forwarned.