Hey, did anyone watch the
Grammy's? If you did, right at the beginning, one of the performers was Martina
McBride, and she sang 'Concrete Angel'!! So, if yall heard it, you know how
pretty it is... Usually, where I'll have random quotes and/or asterisks [*] as
page breaks, I have some of the more sad and beautiful lines of the song.
They're all from 'Concrete Angel', performed by Martina McBride, not mine.
Unfortunetly, this song goes well with this chap... If you can, listen to
'Concrete Angel' while reading this. I listened to it while typing. Thank you~
Warning: tear jerker.
Chapter Six: Concrete Angel
She was the worst.
Jonouchi Shizuka.
Shizuka was lying on her bed, her head resting on her pillow. Her eyes were red, her hair was a mess, her face tear-stained. She looked white as a ghost, with a sickly look to her. She hadn't left her room since she had returned home from the hearing her father had.
That had been about three days. And nothing anyone did would pull her out of it.
"Please, there must be something you can do," Akari begged to her doctor. The doctor shook her head sadly.
"This is something she's going through, Akari. She'll come out of it in a day or so." But that wasn't true. Shizuka had locked her door, and refused to eat anything. She occasionally came out to get a drink every once in awhile, and to use the bathroom, but besides that, she stayed in there all day. Her friends at school all wondered about her, and Honda was always growing worried. Shizuka lay in a stupor, almost in a trance. Her eyes were lifeless, all the color and light drained, two deep, empty voids. She had a photo of Jonouchi in his school uniform in her hand, crumpled.
Amane rippled into view, standing beside the white blankets and the frilly comforter that decorated Shizuka's bed. She stepped forwards, placing her fingers on the bedspread.
"Shizuka," she whispered. She placed her hand on Shizuka's shoulder, her eyes glazing over. Amane lowered her body to the floor, now kneeling. Her eyes glazed over, her emotions fell from her features. It was almost if she were a computer searching for lost data.
Jonouchi appeared in the room, hands in his pockets, blood dripping from her face. He wasn't bleeding from any open wound; his tears had run from water to thick, dark blood. He stared at her, shaking his head.
Shizuka sniffed, closing her empty eyes. Jonouchi knew why she was like this. It wasn't just because of Jonouchi's death.
It was their father's imprisonment. Shizuka was hiding a secret in her heart, one that she only told Jonouchi when they were both very little. He was sure - no, positive - that this secret was why Shizuka was so depressed. Her eyes began to tear once more, squeezing the photo as tightly as she could.
"Tousan," she whispered. "Oniichan..." Amane blinked, coming out of her trance. She looked up at Jonouchi and shook her head.
"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice, removing her hand from Shizuka's shoulder. "I couldn't see far enough to find her problem." Jonouchi shuffled his feet, wiping the blood from his stark-white skin.
"I think I know," he muttered. Amane raised her eyebrows.
"You do?" she asked, standing up. Jonouchi nodded, staring at the ground.
"I just have to get Shizuka to tell our mother."
~Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday. She hides the bruises with linen and lace.~
Shizuka swung her legs absently, her skirt just reaching her knees. The swing rocked a bit, the dying sun shining down on her. The little girl stared up at the sky, her tiny fists tightening around the chains.
"Shizuka," Jonouchi said, walking over. He sat beside her on a swing, wrapping his elbows around the swing chains. Shizuka cast her eyes to the ground, refusing to look at him. Her eyes teared. Jonouchi leaned forward, staring at her.
"Shizuka..." he murmured. "What's wrong?" Shizuka shook her head, her lower lip quivering.
"Daddy hates me," she whispered. Jonouchi stared at her, his little-boy facade clouding over with concern.
"What? No, he doesn't," Jonouchi tried to assure her of, but she shook her head. She pulled her short sleeve up, so her thin shoulder was exposed. Jonouchi gasped, a momentary chill running through him. A bruise, a bluish-blackish bruise, was on her upper shoulder. Jonouchi took Shizuka's frail arm in his hands, and gently tapped the bruise. Shizuka winced.
"Oh... Shizuka, who did this to you?" Jonouchi asked. Shizuka sniffed and refused to say. "Shizuka, please... Did Daddy do this to you?" Again, Shizuka's eyes teared.
"He hit me, when I wouldn't come with him," she explained in a quiet voice. "He said he wanted me to try on a dress, but it wouldn't go over my head, so he wanted to help me... I..." she trailed off. She shivered. "I didn't like that. It was.... I told him to let me go, then he hit me." She stared at the ground, her toes dragging in the sand. Jonouchi's mouth opened in shock.
"Did you tell Momma?"
"He said he was sorry," Shizuka said. "He's Daddy, but he hates me."
Amane stared in front of her, not focused on anything. She was thinking.
"So... Shizuka was physically abused...."
"And sexually assaulted."
"God..." Amane shook her magnificent head, her hair astray. "How old was she then?"
"Six. Maybe seven. I don't remember. It was a few months before they separated, though," Jonouchi explained. He sighed. "I didn't think much of it at the time. I do know that it happened a second time before she left."
"And your father abused you as well... Physically," Amane noted. Jonouchi closed his eyes, quivering. It pained him to remember. "Mentally as well, from what I heard. You know..." Amane turned to Jonouchi. "If the court hears about this, your father could go to prison for much longer." Jonouchi didn't respond. The same scene, of when Shizuka showed him that ugly bruise replayed in his mind, over and over again, taunting him. Shizuka had never quite gotten over that. He knew. She acted... Differently when he saw her again. Not as outward, not as colorful, not as... Shizuka as the little girl had been.
"Is there anyone she can talk to?" Amane asked. Jonouchi shrugged.
"Me... I guess," he answered. "And Honda. She trusts him." Jonouchi seemed to zone out. "She trusts him..." he repeated. Amane nodded.
"Well," Amane said softly. Jonouchi put his head in his hands, trying to clear his head. He turned around to look at Shizuka once more, his eyes covering her entire body. She sat up, leaning against her headboard and her pillows. She looked over at the window, where the sun was entering. She absently played with her hair, her fingers shaking.
"Katsuya," she murmured. She looked down at her hands. She closed her eyes, and laid back, resting against the pillows, as if she were to fall asleep. "Katsuya-chan. I'm sorry." Jonouchi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Shi... Shizuka," he said, kneeling before her bed. Her arm was laying beside her, her eyes closed, breathing deeply. Jonouchi stared at her, alarmed. He looked down at her hand, and gently placed his transparent hand above hers. He picked her hand up, and turned it over, so her palm was facing him. He then turned to Amane.
"Why did she fall asleep? She was awake one moment ago," Jonouchi said, turning back to Shizuka.
"Malnutrition, I'm guessing," Amane answered. "She hasn't come out of here for a few days." Jonouchi could physically see her veins in her pale arm. It led all the way down to her wrist, where several slashes of dry blood were waiting. Jonouchi's eyes widened in shock and surprise, wearing a face like he had seen something terrifying.
"Oh my...." Amane said in her soft manner.
Shizuka had cut herself. Jonouchi stared at her.
"No... No, Shizuka, you can't!" He cried. But Shizuka was either asleep, or had lost consciousness. The situation began to dawn on Amane as being slightly familiar.
"Wait... How long has she been here?" Amane asked Jonouchi. Jonouchi shrugged.
"I don't know!" He was panicking. He stood up, dropping her hand, and shook his head, running his hands through his hair.
"This is all way too much," he said, his tears starting again. Blood trickled down his face as he backed up.
This is finally getting to him, Amane thought, running over to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders firmly, staring into his eyes.
"Jonouchi Katsuya," she ordered, making him round on her. His eyes were filled with fear. "We can still help her. You can still help her. Talk to her." Jonouchi sighed.
"I can't."
~Somebody cries in the middle of the night. The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights. A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate... When morning comes it'll be too late~
Akari was speaking to a police officer outside the house.
"...I don't know what to do," Akari was explaining. "I want Shizuka to talk to me, but the doctor said it would be good for her to sit for awhile. He said that three days ago, officer. Please..." She clasped her hands together, bowing her head, "...Help me."
"We'll do what we can, Akari," the officer said. Akari looked up, smiling gently.
"Thank you." Two officers entered the house, walking down the corridor. One was Rietta. The officer that found Jonouchi so many days ago.
They arrived to Shizuka's room, waiting patiently.
"Well..." Rietta said, knocking on Shizuka's door. No answer came from within. "Shizuka?"
"Shizuka," the second officer called, knocking as well, "can we talk to you?"
No answer.
"Think she's asleep?" Rietta asked. She grabbed onto the doorknob, turning it gently. She expected it to be locked, and was surprised to find it turned all the way. She pushed open the door, and stepped into the room.
"Shi - Oh!" Rietta cried, seeing Shizuka on her bed. "Oh... Aiji! Aiji, get someone! Hurry!" She ran over to Shizuka, gently moving the girl's hair out of her face. Shizuka was still sprawled on the bed, sleeping. Or something. Rietta checked her pulse, then made sure she was still breathing. Rietta looked down at her wrists, seeing the old cuts.
"These are so old..." she said, touching them gently. "She's had them for awhile."
"Rietta!" Aiji cried, re-entering the room. "An ambulance is coming."
"Alright," Rietta said. Jonouchi was also standing in the room, his hands in his pockets once more. He knew the problem.
Shizuka felt it was her fault that he had committed suicide. That his father abused him to the breaking point. She had been abused when they were little, and if she had said something...
Instead, she took it out on herself. Amane had disappeared without Jonouchi noticing.
"Shizuka-chan," he whispered. "Please. Tell someone." A soft whirring sound came from down the street as an ambulance appeared. It roared up to the house, paramedics rushing out with a stretcher. Akari was shaking, an officer talking to her quietly. Jonouchi watched from the window.
One of the meds came into the room, walking at a brisk pace. He stopped in the doorway, trying to get Rietta's attention.
"Rietta," he hissed. Rietta turned. "Can you carry her here? We brought the wrong stretcher, and it won't fit." Rietta nodded, and bent down, running her arms underneath Shizuka's body.
Jonouchi watched the whole thing as if he were watching a movie. When Shizuka's limp body was lifted, the scene seemed to speed up, then slow when everyone was gone. The next thing he knew, he was alone in the room, staring at Shizuka's bed.
The photo lay crumpled on the floor.
~But her dreams give her wings, and she flies to a place where she's loved.... Concrete Angel~
"She should be fine soon, Miss Jonouchi," a doctor assured Akari a few hours later. Akari nodded, smiling thankfully.
"Thank you so much, doctor," Akari breathed. The doctor bowed, then walked away. Akari, standing in the doorway on Shizuka's room. The girl hadn't regained consciousness, but she wasn't as pale. A thin tube inserted into her arm fed her nutrients and vitamins, ones she had been lacking for the past few days. Akari sighed, partly angry at herself that she hadn't force Shizuka to come out of the room.
Jonouchi, invisible to Akari, was sitting beside Shizuka's bed, watching her. He was staring at her right shoulder, where their father had hurt her so many years ago. The bruise was long gone, but the memory of it still haunted him. He couldn't believe he never told anyone about it.
"Shizuka... Are you okay?" he asked gently. Akari lifted her head and opened her eyes, looking around.
"Wha..." she muttered. She felt the strange feeling that someone else was in the room...
Shizuka made a small, high-pitched sound, then turned her head to the side, facing Jonouchi. Her eyes opened. Jonouchi moved back for a second, staring down at her.
Can she see me...? he wondered, breathing hard. Shizuka stared at him, her large eyes completely lifeless. Her face showed no emotion. However, Akari noticed, and ran over, forcing Jonouchi to step to the side.
"Oh, oh Shizuka, my girl, you're awake," Akari said, crying to herself. Shizuka smiled a tiny
smile, her eyes focused on her mother. Those two blue orbs gently went from Akari to Jonouchi, and a bit of light entered them.
"Oniichan..." she whispered. Jonouchi gasped, biting his lower lip. Akari looked over at where Shizuka was looking, then looked back, smiling.
"No, no, dear, shh, it's alright...." She leaned over Shizuka soothingly. The blankets were pulled up to Shizuka's shoulders, one of her arms outside of it. Shizuka's eyes remained half-open, her voice weak.
"Mama... Is Daddy in jail...?"
"Hopefully, baby," Akari said, her voice barely above a whisper. All was silent in the hospital room, Shizuka lying in the soft, white bed, looking at her scared mother. Jonouchi watched, tears starting in his eyes. He wished, for one moment, he could be alive, so he could go over to her and soothe her, let her know that, even though they were both hurt, they could pull through.
But Jonouchi hadn't pulled through.
Shizuka kept her pain and her suffering to herself all these years. She even cut herself long ago.
"Mama," she said softly. "I have something to tell you." Akari raised her eyebrows. Shizuka looked back over at Jonouchi, the weak girl barely clinging to life. Jonouchi nodded, tears flowing freely. The tears flowed into blood, so he had trails of dark blood, along with clear tears running down his face. Shizuka closed her eyes, then turned to Akari. Jonouchi, for the life of him, could not figure out why Shizuka was so weak...
"One's mind and body as connected, as well as our souls," Amane's soft voice came to his ears. Jonouchi turned his eyes to see Amane standing beside him. "Her soul has been torn, her mind has been restless with worries of the past, present, and future. Your death, mixed with both of your pasts and worries of the future tore her soul and weakened her mind. Her body reflects it." Jonouchi stared at her in disbelief.
"No, no she can't! Not Shizuka! listen, Amane," Jonouchi cried, rage getting the better of him. Amane turned to him, slightly amused. "I'm not gonna take it much longer. First Yugi, then Honda, then Anzu, then Ryou, and then Otogi - now Shizuka?! What's happening?" His cheeks red, his body shaking, his anger rising. Amane turned away from him.
"My death was accidental," she explained softly. "Yours was not. Your friends needed you; you needed them. Without each other, each of you is a puzzle piece, slowly falling apart." Jonouchi stared at her, dumbfounded. He shook his head in disbelief.
How is it she knows the Pharaoh's metaphor? [1]
He pushed it to the side and glared at her.
"Why me?" he demanded. "Tell me that. Why me?" Amane shrugged.
"You were a puzzle piece, Jonouchi. You can't finish a puzzle without all the pieces." Jonouchi didn't want to hear that. He wanted answers.
"Amane - !" he said, trying to grab her. She disappeared, Jonouchi reaching for air. He stood, glaring at the spot where she stood.
"Amane..."
"What do you want to tell me, Shizuka?" Akari asked. Jonouchi turned back. He forgot about the on-going story of his beloved sister. Shizuka cleared her throat, and began to cry. It started with two tears, and then steadily became small sobs. The doctor was passing by, when he stopped, noticing Shizuka's sobs.
"Shizuka, Shizuka, what is it? Tell me," Akari pleaded gently. The doctor stopped to listen. Rietta was behind him, listening as well. Shizuka wiped her eyes, and turned her head - still resting on the pillow - to face her mother.
"It's about Daddy," she said softly. Akari's eyes widened.
"What is it, darling? What about Daddy?" she asked softly. Shizuka sighed deeply.
"He... He hit me. A long time ago." Akari gasped, horrified.
"He.... He did?" she stammered. Rietta's eyes widened, and the doctor raised his eyebrows to her. Shizuka nodded, tears still rolling down her face.
"He.... He also...." her hand was shaking, and Akari grasped it.
"Come on, Shizuka," Jonouchi coached. "You can do it." Shizuka took a breath and continued.
"He hit me several times, and he sexually abused me as well," she said in a small voice. Akari closed her eyes and brought Shizuka's hand to her lips, kissing her hand.
"Oh... Shizuka, when was this...?"
"Right before the divorce." Akari began to cry as well. She lowered her head to the bed, crying. Shizuka watched, still looking like she could die any moment. Akari raised her head, shaking.
"Oh my God...."
"Oniichan knows," Shizuka whispered. Akari looked at her, wiping her face.
"He did?"
"He does," Shizuka corrected. Her voice sounded strained.
"Call the police," the doctor whispered to Rietta.
"I am the police," she whispered back.
"Call more."
"Honey... How does Katsuya...." she sighed. "Shizuka..."
"He helped me," she whispered, relaxing her shoulders. "He's my angel, and he helped me. He told me you wouldn't get mad at me." Jonouchi smiled, a joyous smile unlike any other he had shown in a long time. Shizuka's thin hand wrapped around Akari's. The machine she was attached to began to beep, but it was so soft, no one noticed it.
"Oh, Shizuka..." Akari said, smiling amid her tears. Shizuka closed her eyes, squeezing Akari's hand. Jonouchi stared at her, the smile still across his face, his tears turning from blood to water once more.
"Mama," she whispered, her eyes still closed. Akari looked up.
"Yes?"
"Is it okay if..."
"What, Shizuka? Anything," Akari said, both her hands clinging Shizuka's. Shizuka opened her eyes and looked at her mother.
"Is it okay if I be Daddy's angel?" she whispered. Akari smiled, biting her lower lip, hands shaking.
"Yes, Shizuka. You can."
"And Oniichan yours?"
"....Yes...." Shizuka smiled, and closed her eyes. Her body relaxed, her heartbeat slowing. Jonouchi smiled at his sister. She was so beautiful, he thought. Even in death she still loved her father.
Akari clung to Shizuka, never letting her go. Not until Shizuka's still hand grew cold as ice.
Jonouchi smiled, shaking, falling to his knees.
....She deserves it, he thought. Only an angel could be that beautiful...
*
On her gravestone, words were written straight from Akari's heart.
~*Jonouchi Shizuka, the fallen angel*~
The world wasn't meant for one as beautiful as you.
She was right next to Jonouchi.
*
A statue stands in a
shaded place
An
angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished
rock
A broken heart that the world
forgot....
Through
the wind and the rain
She
stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise
above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where
she's loved.....
....Concrete angel...
~ ~Footnotes~ ~
[1] Pharaoh's metaphor: a metaphor from another fic, called Learn to Live. It's not up on FF.net, it was written by a dear friend, and the pharaoh uses the Puzzle metaphor.
Chap Preview:
Mai comes back to Japan to visit all her friends. Especially to see Jonouchi again. But when she finds out that he died, and she sees what's happening to all of them, she does the only thing she can. She holds a front. She becomes a solid wall.
…But even walls can break…
Chapter Eight: Courageous Girl with a Heart of Glass
This chap was dedicated to all the people out there who are victims of child abuse. Or abuse of any kind. Yes, I was listening to 'Concrete Angel' while writing, could ya tell? I first heard this song when I read my friend's fic, entitled Concrete Angel. It's on my favorite's list. It's about Shizuka. It's based after the music video, which is why her mother is the abuser, not her dad. It was written by my friend Missy. Her name is 'Black Mistress'
This is the first time a chapter I wrote made me cry.
Never give up~
Shibby-One
