"Where the hell have you been?" my father shouted as I walked in.
"I got lost... again."
I felt the diamond on my father's ring scrape the side of my face as he back-handed me. I touched the corner of my mouth then looked at my hand and saw a bit of blood.
"Don't talk to me in that tone of voice you stupid cow!"
"I was just answering your question."
His fist collided with my jaw, knocking me off my feet. After kicking me in the stomach, he grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to my room. All the while, my mother looked on, tears welling up in her eyes because there was nothing she could do. A typical day in the home of Sohma Hatsuharu.
Momiji's right. There are two types of parents when their child is born with the Sohma family curse. I have one of each type. I'm my mother's little boy, she would protect me from anything and everything, except my father. That man has hated me since I was seven. That's when he found out the secret my mother had been keeping from him since the day I was born. I'm cursed by the ox of the zodiac. Ever since he found out he's beaten me for the slightest thing.
Now I was shirtless, a heap on my floor as the black leather of my father's belt collided with my back again, and again, and again. It hurt so much, but I refused to cry out. I knew it would only get worse if I did. Even if he was about to reopen the wound he gave me last night from hitting me with the belt buckle.
After what felt like hours of torture there was a soft knock on the door. "Dear," my mother's voice called softly. "It's five o'clock." Even though I couldn't see her face I knew she was crying. She always does. My father slipped his belt back on and left. As soon as he was gone my mother came in.
"Oh Hatsuharu, dear. I'm so sorry." She said on the brink of another wave of tears.
"It's alright, Mom." I said weakly. I coughed and heard my mother gasp. I looked and saw some blood on my once spotless white rug (It had plenty of blood stains by now).
"I'm calling Hatori." She got up and ran out of the room. I coughed again, creating yet another stain on the rug and blacked out.
---
I've never told anyone about what my father did to me. No wait, I'd tried to once when I was eight, but they laughed and told me not to make up stories. I was just the stupid ox to them and I didn't know what I was talking about. After that, I suffered in silence, always making up excuses for the marks from my beatings.
Now, I was lying in bed at Hatori's, bandaged up and taken care of for the most part. I'm glad I was unconscious when I got here. I didn't want to be awake to the see the looks on Hatori and Momiji's faces when I arrived in this condition.
"I hurt... all over." I groaned quietly. "I think he may have broken a rib or two when he kicked me... shit."
It hurt too much to breathe so after I said that I decided to shut up. That's when I heard Hatori's door slid open.
"Hatori? Are you home?" an all to familiar female voice called.
Rin, she was the last person I wanted to see me like this. And I was the only one here too. Momiji had gone to Shigure's to visit Tohru, and Hatori went to see Akito. I think he had said something about Akito running another fever. I don't know, I kind of tuned him out. I don't really care what's wrong with him to be completely honest. I just hope he dies soon. I listened to Rin's footsteps head towards me as she called out Hatori's name. She was right outside the door. I held my breath, trying not to make a sound.
"I guess he's not home."
I heard her turn to leave. I thought I was going to go without her seeing me like this. And then-
As I exhaled, I coughed.
"Someone there?" Rin called. "Hatori? Momiji?"
She opened the door and froze. "Haru?"
"Hey Rin." I sat up and groaned as I realized that moving that much was a really stupid idea.
She smirked a bit. "Get into another fight with Kyo and lose? No, wait, I know! You got lost again and this kid you ran into kicked your scrawny ass! Am I right?"
She had no idea.
"I got lost. I admit that. But I didn't get my ass kicked by some random punk."
"Then who was it?" She asked impatiently.
"My father."
The confusion on her face became too much for me. I lay back down and closed my eyes remaining silent. A small noise escaped her lips, but it was too soft to tell what it was supposed to be.
"Haru..."
"Hm?"
"Is this the first time he's beaten you?" She asked, kneeling next to me.
"This week."
"How long has he been abusing you?"
"What do you care?" I asked coldly.
"I do care!"
"You have a funny way of showing it. I think you've been around Kagura too long. You both have strange ways of showing emotion."
She paused to take in what I had said. She then shouted, "Fuck you, Haru!"
"That's the Rin I know. Cold, unfeeling, and uncaring. The Sohma Ice Queen."
She didn't respond. I opened one eye to look at her. The room was dark so I had to be seeing things. She wouldn't cry. She can't cry. "I didn't want to hurt you, Haru."
"Then why'd you break up with me?"
"To protect you."
"From what?" I snapped.
"I didn't want Akito to hurt you. I didn't want you to end up like me."
"Then you shouldn't have broken my heart!"
I turned on my side, my back to her; the pillow gripped tightly in my hands. That's when I heard two words I never thought I'd hear come from her mouth.
"I'm sorry."
"What?" I asked in disbelief.
"I'm so sorry, Haru."
She cried harder then I've ever seen anybody cry. Were these all the tears she never shed?
"Rin..."
I sat up and wrapped my arms around her. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Sure I've calmed Kisa down when she was this upset over something, but this was Rin, two completely different people. I stroked her hair gently and kissed her forehead.
"Shhh. It's ok. Don't cry, Rin. I'm here for you. Don't cry. I'm here." I whispered to her.
She looked up at me, tears still streaming down her face. I held her face in my hands and wiped the tears away.
"I love you, Sohma Rin. With all my heart, 'til the day I die, I'll love you."
"Haru," She choked on her tears as she spoke my name.
She moved her face closer to mine. "I... I..." She couldn't find the words. So instead she claimed my lips with her own. I really missed this. She wasn't as possessive when she kissed me this time compared to how she used to be, but I think it was only because I was injured.
As suddenly as she started the kiss, she broke it.
"I love you, Sohma Hatsuharu."
"I got lost... again."
I felt the diamond on my father's ring scrape the side of my face as he back-handed me. I touched the corner of my mouth then looked at my hand and saw a bit of blood.
"Don't talk to me in that tone of voice you stupid cow!"
"I was just answering your question."
His fist collided with my jaw, knocking me off my feet. After kicking me in the stomach, he grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to my room. All the while, my mother looked on, tears welling up in her eyes because there was nothing she could do. A typical day in the home of Sohma Hatsuharu.
Momiji's right. There are two types of parents when their child is born with the Sohma family curse. I have one of each type. I'm my mother's little boy, she would protect me from anything and everything, except my father. That man has hated me since I was seven. That's when he found out the secret my mother had been keeping from him since the day I was born. I'm cursed by the ox of the zodiac. Ever since he found out he's beaten me for the slightest thing.
Now I was shirtless, a heap on my floor as the black leather of my father's belt collided with my back again, and again, and again. It hurt so much, but I refused to cry out. I knew it would only get worse if I did. Even if he was about to reopen the wound he gave me last night from hitting me with the belt buckle.
After what felt like hours of torture there was a soft knock on the door. "Dear," my mother's voice called softly. "It's five o'clock." Even though I couldn't see her face I knew she was crying. She always does. My father slipped his belt back on and left. As soon as he was gone my mother came in.
"Oh Hatsuharu, dear. I'm so sorry." She said on the brink of another wave of tears.
"It's alright, Mom." I said weakly. I coughed and heard my mother gasp. I looked and saw some blood on my once spotless white rug (It had plenty of blood stains by now).
"I'm calling Hatori." She got up and ran out of the room. I coughed again, creating yet another stain on the rug and blacked out.
---
I've never told anyone about what my father did to me. No wait, I'd tried to once when I was eight, but they laughed and told me not to make up stories. I was just the stupid ox to them and I didn't know what I was talking about. After that, I suffered in silence, always making up excuses for the marks from my beatings.
Now, I was lying in bed at Hatori's, bandaged up and taken care of for the most part. I'm glad I was unconscious when I got here. I didn't want to be awake to the see the looks on Hatori and Momiji's faces when I arrived in this condition.
"I hurt... all over." I groaned quietly. "I think he may have broken a rib or two when he kicked me... shit."
It hurt too much to breathe so after I said that I decided to shut up. That's when I heard Hatori's door slid open.
"Hatori? Are you home?" an all to familiar female voice called.
Rin, she was the last person I wanted to see me like this. And I was the only one here too. Momiji had gone to Shigure's to visit Tohru, and Hatori went to see Akito. I think he had said something about Akito running another fever. I don't know, I kind of tuned him out. I don't really care what's wrong with him to be completely honest. I just hope he dies soon. I listened to Rin's footsteps head towards me as she called out Hatori's name. She was right outside the door. I held my breath, trying not to make a sound.
"I guess he's not home."
I heard her turn to leave. I thought I was going to go without her seeing me like this. And then-
As I exhaled, I coughed.
"Someone there?" Rin called. "Hatori? Momiji?"
She opened the door and froze. "Haru?"
"Hey Rin." I sat up and groaned as I realized that moving that much was a really stupid idea.
She smirked a bit. "Get into another fight with Kyo and lose? No, wait, I know! You got lost again and this kid you ran into kicked your scrawny ass! Am I right?"
She had no idea.
"I got lost. I admit that. But I didn't get my ass kicked by some random punk."
"Then who was it?" She asked impatiently.
"My father."
The confusion on her face became too much for me. I lay back down and closed my eyes remaining silent. A small noise escaped her lips, but it was too soft to tell what it was supposed to be.
"Haru..."
"Hm?"
"Is this the first time he's beaten you?" She asked, kneeling next to me.
"This week."
"How long has he been abusing you?"
"What do you care?" I asked coldly.
"I do care!"
"You have a funny way of showing it. I think you've been around Kagura too long. You both have strange ways of showing emotion."
She paused to take in what I had said. She then shouted, "Fuck you, Haru!"
"That's the Rin I know. Cold, unfeeling, and uncaring. The Sohma Ice Queen."
She didn't respond. I opened one eye to look at her. The room was dark so I had to be seeing things. She wouldn't cry. She can't cry. "I didn't want to hurt you, Haru."
"Then why'd you break up with me?"
"To protect you."
"From what?" I snapped.
"I didn't want Akito to hurt you. I didn't want you to end up like me."
"Then you shouldn't have broken my heart!"
I turned on my side, my back to her; the pillow gripped tightly in my hands. That's when I heard two words I never thought I'd hear come from her mouth.
"I'm sorry."
"What?" I asked in disbelief.
"I'm so sorry, Haru."
She cried harder then I've ever seen anybody cry. Were these all the tears she never shed?
"Rin..."
I sat up and wrapped my arms around her. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Sure I've calmed Kisa down when she was this upset over something, but this was Rin, two completely different people. I stroked her hair gently and kissed her forehead.
"Shhh. It's ok. Don't cry, Rin. I'm here for you. Don't cry. I'm here." I whispered to her.
She looked up at me, tears still streaming down her face. I held her face in my hands and wiped the tears away.
"I love you, Sohma Rin. With all my heart, 'til the day I die, I'll love you."
"Haru," She choked on her tears as she spoke my name.
She moved her face closer to mine. "I... I..." She couldn't find the words. So instead she claimed my lips with her own. I really missed this. She wasn't as possessive when she kissed me this time compared to how she used to be, but I think it was only because I was injured.
As suddenly as she started the kiss, she broke it.
"I love you, Sohma Hatsuharu."