Disclaimer's Note: I own the nameless teacher, the plot, and nothing else. Sad, isn't it?
Regrets
Of all the children under her care, he worried her the most. He was not a troublemaker, by any means. He was just the quietest, most well-behaved child in her class. Which was an understatement, of course, on all counts.
'Quiet' meant that he had hardly spoken more than two words to anyone since the beginning of school; 'well-behaved' meant that he almost never moved from his spot by the window, much less participated in any on-going activities, be it for mischief or academics. He was a loner; he was different.
She didn't notice him at first, but once she did, she found that it was hard to look away. There was something very... unusual about his silence that struck her. And yet, he emitted a very strong, bitter, stand-off-ish aura that made her want to retreat back to the other children and forget him. He had the mark of a person who had been through more than what was healthy for his age, and, perhaps, she, having had a pleasant childhood, had been too afraid to ask. She didn't want to ruin the pretty pictures she had painted of her youth with the hardships of another.
She could hardly be blamed. She was inexperienced. New to the life of a teacher. And selfish, yes, but she would learn. And regret. Regret not helping him when she had a chance.
But something good came out of her moment of hesitation.
"Ha'ari?"
She watched as two boys approached him, and was surprised by their familiarity. Apparently, they wanted him to play with them. He, on the contrary, was doing everything in his power to avoid reaching this conclusion.
But those two were not to be gotten rid of that easily. They knew they would get to him.
And they did.
Even if they were half-dragging him along the way.
Bound.
Gagged.
And tied to his chair.
It didn't matter because he forgave them for it later.
She knew because she was there. And, although it had relieved her to see that he was finally opening up, regret had indeed burned steadily in her heart. For she knew that she could have done something to contribute to this miraculous phenomenon. She could have, but didn't.
END
A/N: Guess who the two kids in the end are. Three words: Mabudachi trio forever. :)