BEHIND THE SCENES

Chapter 3 : Shadows of Childhood

(( hehe ! sorry for the late update ! this chapter is full of Flashbacks . . . I'm sowwy !))

Ryuichi's POV

Watching her sleep comfortably on my feather-filled bed , I remembered the times we would lounge around the riverside . Cuddling for each other's warmth . . . Feeling her head resting on my shoulders as her slender arms wrapped around my waist . . . How relaxed I felt at those moments . Just seeing her gentle , radiant smile made me tingle all over . Her loving touch caressing my emotions ever so slowly . . . killing me . She would listen to everything that came out of my lips . . . my problems , thoughts . . . my world . . . She knew if I were sad or happy no matter how hard I try to hide it . . . and if I cried , she would cry with me . . . But there is still one thing she didn't knew . . . me feelings for her . . . I didn't tell her . . . or rather . . . I couldn't tell her . . . because . . . She was just 13 . . . I was 29 . . . and she's . . . my adopted sister . . .

Soon after , my parents knew how I felt towards her . . . No wonder they did . . . I wasn't paying too much attention to my work . They decided to kill her because I wasn't myself anymore . . . I kept on thinking about her continuously , non-stop . . . making me , Noriko and Tohma separate . . . say bye bye to Nittle Grasper . . . Not long after Nittle Grasper was gone . . . I didn't know why but . . . My parents almost assassinated her . . . Too much hatred in their eyes made them violent towards Laura . How devastated I looked as I saw her lifeless body in the hospital bed as the monitors were beeping in a slow , low tone . . . Then and there I decided to go to America with Mr. K and promised myself never to go near her again . . . or so I thought . . .

"Sakuma . . . san . . . ?" she called my name , her eyes barely open .

"Hmm ?" I smiled , tucking my pink stuffed bunny beside her .

She fully closed her eyes once again , dozing off to sleep .

I gave out a slight chuckle and remembered the time she gave me Kumagoro . . .

I sat under a tree near the riverside , crying my heart out . I got another scolding by my dad . . . Still the same topic over and over . . . His words echoed through my head , scaring me . . . paralyzing me . . .

IF YOU GO NEAR HER AGAIN , I'LL DEFINITLY KILL HER ! SO YOU CAN SEE WITH YOUR OWN EYES THAT SHE'S JUST A PEST TO YOUR SINGING CAREER !

Suddenly I heard footsteps . . . hearing the splashes created by the motion of the running and the wet grass . I can hear it going towards me . . . I looked to the right and saw her standing there . . . carrying a pink stuffed bunny .

"Ryu-oniisan . . . I want you . . . to have . . . this . . ." she said between breaths , fainting .

"Laura !" I shouted as I caught her before her body would reach the ground . She was soaking wet and she felt hot . . . I laid her head on my lap and placed back the hairs covering her pretty but now pale face .

"Oniisan . . . ?" she opened her eyes slowly , her weak amethyst eyes looking straight at my scared and worried azure ones .

"What is it ?" I asked

"Do you like it . . . ?"

I glanced at the stuffed animal beside me as more tears started trickling down my face . "I . . . love it , Laura . . ."

She reached out a hand to wipe away the wetness on my face "Don't cry oniisan . . . I'll just not come home anymore . . . okay . . . ?" she said , still smiling sweetly at me .

I grabbed her and hugged her tight . I didn't want to lose her . . . Even if my parents didn't want to see me with her . . . I don't care . . . As long as she's with me , I'm fine . Even if I will be beaten up , Let them beat me up . Just don't separate us from each other . . .

Seemingly endless tears started falling . . .

Then my worst nightmare came . . . one of our bodyguards pulled Laura away from me "Laura !" I shouted , being grabbed by another bodyguard . I struggled . I managed to punch the bodyguard's stomach with my elbow but more guards came to restrict me . "LAURA !"

"Ryu-oniisaaaaan !" she cried , pain filled her eyes from the dragging .

There . . . right in front of me . . . they beat her up . . . I saw it with both my eyes . . . how they tied both her hands and feet so tight that her wrists and ankles bled . The way they punch and kicked her weak body . . . How she forced herself not to cry for help . . . She just closed her eyes shut , not saying anything but only giving out small , painful shrieks . . . How her cries shattered every bit of me into pieces . . . Seeing her in a situation like that . . . I couldn't help her . . . I hated myself since that day . . . That explains switch personalities . . . serious to childish . . .

I walked towards the living room and laid myself in the couch , slowly closing my eyes to sleep .

Good thing she forgot what my parents did to her before . . . but . . . she also forgot everything we had and shared . . . Dammit all . . .