Shut Your Mouth
By: Toby-Chan
*Part 3*
Hitomi leaned back on the couch and stretched her arms contentedly.
"Wow, Van! Your little sister is such a good cook!" she commented, with a happy beam in her eyes.
Van smirked a little, retaining a pensive expression. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, and sat down. The tiny apartment was looking so much bigger, now with all the cleaning the three had spent the remainder of the day on. And of course, the magazine had been determined to be Miguel's, ("I swear he left it here!") and promptly thrown out. Hitomi's leniency in that situation seemed to cause some frustration in Merle.
Her eyes wandered about the room, as she sighed in satisfaction. Even though it was a mundane task, helping out with Van and Merle made her feel like she found something she'd been missing. Without even having realized she was in lack of anything, she found it. This sense of belonging; like a family.
It was still early in the evening, but Merle was curled up on the carpet, in a square of a sunbeam, resting peacefully. It was almost like she was trying to complete the setting of a picturesque home with a little cat.
'It's been a long day for her,' Hitomi mused, 'But... I wonder...'
"Ano- Van?" She asked, casually leaning against his arm.
"Hn?"
"Where has Merle been living if not with you?" She snuggled a bit closer.
Van sighed, as though he was preparing to lower a heavy burden from his shoulders.
"Well, when Merle was still pretty young, our parents died."
Hitomi looked up at him sympathetically, and he continued.
"We lived with our aunt Yuriko in Osaka. Merle and I were very close. I guess we were all eachother had, since Yuriko wasn't much of a kid-person."
Merle stirred in her sleep, exhaling happily, almost purring. How she got so comfortable on the floor was a wonder.
"When I turned eighteen, I wanted to take off on my own. I knew I couldn't take care of Merle. So I left. I guess I should have visited her more often, if she wanted to see me this badly."
"How long ago was that, then? How old are you now, exactly?"
"Twenty next month," He said proudly.
"What? You're only nineteen?" Hitomi looked up suddenly.
"Don't I look it? I know, some people confuse me for an old man." Van teased
"Well it's just, now I feel like a cradle robber."
"What, you're only twenty one." He glanced at her sideways, "You don't have to be that dramatic about it."
"I guess, but still..."
"It's not like I'll leave you for a younger woman," He teased, getting a blush out of her, "How's this? When you get old, before me I'll even push your wheelchair, and feed you."
Hitomi giggled, and hit Van playfully on the arm, "Stop it!" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Lets just tell everyone I go for older women." A wide joking grin spread over his face.
"Oh God. You're so- You're so-!" She clenched her fists, looking for the right words, then gave up and leaned back against him.
"-so comfy," She filled in her sentence quickly. She shut her eyes meditatively and thought up a new adjective,
"You're so you, Van. That's what's great about you."
He picked up her hand and smiled,
"And you're so you. Thats what I like about you. Don't ever change that goofy, headstrong Hitomi I know."
Hitomi smiled gratefully.
Merle turned over from where she was resting and purred.
The sandy haired girl turned her head and asked, "Do you have any cats in your family?" This ushered a chuckle out of Van.
"Not last time I checked." He said, "But maybe we better put her to sleep. I can sleep on the couch tonight." She nodded and got up.
He kneeled down and gently picked up his sister's sleeping form. She lifted off the ground like a feather, and gently cradled against him. He set her down on his newly made bed.
"She even changed the sheets." he said, shaking his head, "She's something, isn't she?"
"She must really think a lot of you," Hitomi commented, "After all, you're her only big brother."
Van looked to the side, "Well, if she turned out well, it's probably not because of me. There's a lot that I could have done to be a better brother."
"Don't talk like that." Hitomi chided, "She still came back to see you. She still loves you very much."
Hitomi took Merle's hat, and set it on the nightstand. Then she carefully helped the sleeping girl out of her sweatshirt.
She was wearing a blue T-shirt that said "Love" in English on the front, and had a small heart shape on the back. It wasn't the shirt, though, that Hitomi noticed.
She picked up the girl's slender tanned wrist, and looked at the thin pink stripes that adorned her arms.
"Van," She asked concernedly, making him turn his head, "She dosen't have a pet cat, does she?"
"No... I don't think so," He cocked his head to the side, eyeing her scarred arms.
"Then, what happened?" Hitomi's eyes grew worriedly wide. She knew the answer. Saying it out loud made her shudder a bit.
Merle squirmed a bit against Hitomi, and cracked her eyelid open.
"Nii- Chan..." She muttered, with a yawn at an interval. The worried expression on her brother's face prodded her to wake herself up more. She instinctivly pressed her wrists against her sides, trying to hide the scars that decorated them.
"What's wrong?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Merle, what- what happened to your arms?"
A cold shock ran through Merle's body, as she quickly bit her lip and averted her eyes. She nervously grabbed the corner of the blanket and clenched her fist. She noticed Hitomi beside her, and scooted away, glaring.
"It's nothing." She whispered.
"Merle," Hitomi said softly, reaching out to her, "You don't have to- "
"Shut up!" Merle pushed away Hitomi's hand, "This is none of your business!" Hitomi moved away, remorsefully, making room for Van to sit down.
He extended his hand, with an understanding sentiment in his eyes, but there was still a question there.
"Naze?" He asked, "Why?"
Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she fell against his chest, holding on to him tightly.
"I'm sorry!" She sniffed painfully, "I didn't want you to know if it was going to make you sad. I'm sorry I'm a burden to you nii-san."
"Merle," He asked, "So does aunt Yuriko really know you're here?"
The pink haired girl shook her head, and held on more tightly.
He patted her back gently, and blankly stared forward.
"Tell me everything, please." His voice was soft.
She looked up at her brother with sparkling eyes. He nodded reassuringly, and she put her head back down.
"I didn't want to be there," She began, holding her sob back, "I missed you so much. I didn't have any friends at my school. They all picked on me because of my hair."
Van stroked her curly pink bob, trying to place himself in merle's life. What she was really going through.
"Yuriko-San wouldn't listen to me about it. I didn't have anyone to talk to I- I was so lonely, nii-chan." Her tears leaked out onto his shirt, "I wanted to die. I just wanted to die." She broke down sobbing again.
"Merle," He whispered, taking her into a tighter embrace. She choked a few more words,
"My teacher found out. They- just wanted to send me to a doctor. They wouldn't even listen to me. It was like I was too much trouble for them."
Hitomi watched Van holding his sister, and realized how helpless she felt.
'Nobody would even listen to what she had to say. She was completely ignored. I've felt that before.'
"Don't worry, Merle." Van whispered, cradling her gently, "You can talk to me and from I'll always listen. I'm sorry for leaving you. I never should have done that. I realize now that I should have listened more seriously when you didn't want me to leave you. I didn't know I'd be leaving you so alone."
It settled suddenly on Hitomi. Why Merle was so cruel. In her eyes, she was taking Van away. In her eyes, Van was everything.
She rested her hand on her face, brushing back a lock of dark blonde hair.
'Maybe now isn't a good time. It's not a time to be selfish.' She settled into herself, 'This isn't a time to get in the way.'
She quietly ventured back out of his room, and picked up her coat. She wrote her goodbye on a note, then headed outside for the subway.
*End part 3*
A/N: Ha! How d'ya like that? I finally put up a new chapter! Whee! ::Blows party horn:: It was a little too angsty, I think, but at least I overcame my writers block, right?
*Crickets Chirp*
To be honest, I don't know exactly where this story is going. I'm just moving along as the thoughts come. I'm really proud of myself for finally getting something done. At first this was a one-shot, then I thought it would be a three part story, now I think we're in it for the long haul. Bear with me, onegai!
Much love, and hope I don't wait so long for the next chapter!
(Oh yeah, and REVIEW!)
Toby-Chan
By: Toby-Chan
*Part 3*
Hitomi leaned back on the couch and stretched her arms contentedly.
"Wow, Van! Your little sister is such a good cook!" she commented, with a happy beam in her eyes.
Van smirked a little, retaining a pensive expression. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, and sat down. The tiny apartment was looking so much bigger, now with all the cleaning the three had spent the remainder of the day on. And of course, the magazine had been determined to be Miguel's, ("I swear he left it here!") and promptly thrown out. Hitomi's leniency in that situation seemed to cause some frustration in Merle.
Her eyes wandered about the room, as she sighed in satisfaction. Even though it was a mundane task, helping out with Van and Merle made her feel like she found something she'd been missing. Without even having realized she was in lack of anything, she found it. This sense of belonging; like a family.
It was still early in the evening, but Merle was curled up on the carpet, in a square of a sunbeam, resting peacefully. It was almost like she was trying to complete the setting of a picturesque home with a little cat.
'It's been a long day for her,' Hitomi mused, 'But... I wonder...'
"Ano- Van?" She asked, casually leaning against his arm.
"Hn?"
"Where has Merle been living if not with you?" She snuggled a bit closer.
Van sighed, as though he was preparing to lower a heavy burden from his shoulders.
"Well, when Merle was still pretty young, our parents died."
Hitomi looked up at him sympathetically, and he continued.
"We lived with our aunt Yuriko in Osaka. Merle and I were very close. I guess we were all eachother had, since Yuriko wasn't much of a kid-person."
Merle stirred in her sleep, exhaling happily, almost purring. How she got so comfortable on the floor was a wonder.
"When I turned eighteen, I wanted to take off on my own. I knew I couldn't take care of Merle. So I left. I guess I should have visited her more often, if she wanted to see me this badly."
"How long ago was that, then? How old are you now, exactly?"
"Twenty next month," He said proudly.
"What? You're only nineteen?" Hitomi looked up suddenly.
"Don't I look it? I know, some people confuse me for an old man." Van teased
"Well it's just, now I feel like a cradle robber."
"What, you're only twenty one." He glanced at her sideways, "You don't have to be that dramatic about it."
"I guess, but still..."
"It's not like I'll leave you for a younger woman," He teased, getting a blush out of her, "How's this? When you get old, before me I'll even push your wheelchair, and feed you."
Hitomi giggled, and hit Van playfully on the arm, "Stop it!" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Lets just tell everyone I go for older women." A wide joking grin spread over his face.
"Oh God. You're so- You're so-!" She clenched her fists, looking for the right words, then gave up and leaned back against him.
"-so comfy," She filled in her sentence quickly. She shut her eyes meditatively and thought up a new adjective,
"You're so you, Van. That's what's great about you."
He picked up her hand and smiled,
"And you're so you. Thats what I like about you. Don't ever change that goofy, headstrong Hitomi I know."
Hitomi smiled gratefully.
Merle turned over from where she was resting and purred.
The sandy haired girl turned her head and asked, "Do you have any cats in your family?" This ushered a chuckle out of Van.
"Not last time I checked." He said, "But maybe we better put her to sleep. I can sleep on the couch tonight." She nodded and got up.
He kneeled down and gently picked up his sister's sleeping form. She lifted off the ground like a feather, and gently cradled against him. He set her down on his newly made bed.
"She even changed the sheets." he said, shaking his head, "She's something, isn't she?"
"She must really think a lot of you," Hitomi commented, "After all, you're her only big brother."
Van looked to the side, "Well, if she turned out well, it's probably not because of me. There's a lot that I could have done to be a better brother."
"Don't talk like that." Hitomi chided, "She still came back to see you. She still loves you very much."
Hitomi took Merle's hat, and set it on the nightstand. Then she carefully helped the sleeping girl out of her sweatshirt.
She was wearing a blue T-shirt that said "Love" in English on the front, and had a small heart shape on the back. It wasn't the shirt, though, that Hitomi noticed.
She picked up the girl's slender tanned wrist, and looked at the thin pink stripes that adorned her arms.
"Van," She asked concernedly, making him turn his head, "She dosen't have a pet cat, does she?"
"No... I don't think so," He cocked his head to the side, eyeing her scarred arms.
"Then, what happened?" Hitomi's eyes grew worriedly wide. She knew the answer. Saying it out loud made her shudder a bit.
Merle squirmed a bit against Hitomi, and cracked her eyelid open.
"Nii- Chan..." She muttered, with a yawn at an interval. The worried expression on her brother's face prodded her to wake herself up more. She instinctivly pressed her wrists against her sides, trying to hide the scars that decorated them.
"What's wrong?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Merle, what- what happened to your arms?"
A cold shock ran through Merle's body, as she quickly bit her lip and averted her eyes. She nervously grabbed the corner of the blanket and clenched her fist. She noticed Hitomi beside her, and scooted away, glaring.
"It's nothing." She whispered.
"Merle," Hitomi said softly, reaching out to her, "You don't have to- "
"Shut up!" Merle pushed away Hitomi's hand, "This is none of your business!" Hitomi moved away, remorsefully, making room for Van to sit down.
He extended his hand, with an understanding sentiment in his eyes, but there was still a question there.
"Naze?" He asked, "Why?"
Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she fell against his chest, holding on to him tightly.
"I'm sorry!" She sniffed painfully, "I didn't want you to know if it was going to make you sad. I'm sorry I'm a burden to you nii-san."
"Merle," He asked, "So does aunt Yuriko really know you're here?"
The pink haired girl shook her head, and held on more tightly.
He patted her back gently, and blankly stared forward.
"Tell me everything, please." His voice was soft.
She looked up at her brother with sparkling eyes. He nodded reassuringly, and she put her head back down.
"I didn't want to be there," She began, holding her sob back, "I missed you so much. I didn't have any friends at my school. They all picked on me because of my hair."
Van stroked her curly pink bob, trying to place himself in merle's life. What she was really going through.
"Yuriko-San wouldn't listen to me about it. I didn't have anyone to talk to I- I was so lonely, nii-chan." Her tears leaked out onto his shirt, "I wanted to die. I just wanted to die." She broke down sobbing again.
"Merle," He whispered, taking her into a tighter embrace. She choked a few more words,
"My teacher found out. They- just wanted to send me to a doctor. They wouldn't even listen to me. It was like I was too much trouble for them."
Hitomi watched Van holding his sister, and realized how helpless she felt.
'Nobody would even listen to what she had to say. She was completely ignored. I've felt that before.'
"Don't worry, Merle." Van whispered, cradling her gently, "You can talk to me and from I'll always listen. I'm sorry for leaving you. I never should have done that. I realize now that I should have listened more seriously when you didn't want me to leave you. I didn't know I'd be leaving you so alone."
It settled suddenly on Hitomi. Why Merle was so cruel. In her eyes, she was taking Van away. In her eyes, Van was everything.
She rested her hand on her face, brushing back a lock of dark blonde hair.
'Maybe now isn't a good time. It's not a time to be selfish.' She settled into herself, 'This isn't a time to get in the way.'
She quietly ventured back out of his room, and picked up her coat. She wrote her goodbye on a note, then headed outside for the subway.
*End part 3*
A/N: Ha! How d'ya like that? I finally put up a new chapter! Whee! ::Blows party horn:: It was a little too angsty, I think, but at least I overcame my writers block, right?
*Crickets Chirp*
To be honest, I don't know exactly where this story is going. I'm just moving along as the thoughts come. I'm really proud of myself for finally getting something done. At first this was a one-shot, then I thought it would be a three part story, now I think we're in it for the long haul. Bear with me, onegai!
Much love, and hope I don't wait so long for the next chapter!
(Oh yeah, and REVIEW!)
Toby-Chan