Chapter 6 Akito
Thanks for the tip!
"Eh?" Yuri gasped at her parents. "Akito-san has requested a private meeting with me??" she repeated in disbelief.
Rin who was eating breakfast at the table looked up in surprise.
"Hai," her mother said worriedly. "The servant came in just now to deliver the message." She frowned. "I wonder what could be the problem. Yuri, did you do anything—"
She shook her head. Okasan "hmm" and was silent. Otosan shrugged and went out of the room.
"Well, nothing we can do but to send her there, then,"
"Darling, don't you think we should—" Okasan began.
Rin left her seat and stood beside Yuri. Wide eyes stare up at her. She smiled reassuringly.
"Daijoubu neh," she repeated the words. "You'll be alright, Yuri-neechan."
It'll be alright, she thought to herself. Akito-sama seems to like me, so he won't do anything to Yuri...
But strangely, that thought didn't comfort her at all.
"Neh, do you know who I am, Yuri-chan?"
Yuri gulped visibly and answered. "Yes."
Akito smiled his cold smile.
"I talked with your sister yesterday. She told me so much things about you. You were so kind in her view, I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, you know," he chuckled mirthlessly. His shoulders shooked , causing his loosely worn outer kimono to fall down to his elbows.
"She was such a good girl..." he continued. "Neh, are you a good girl?" Akito's eyes traveled to the open window, which was providing the only source of light in the dark room.
"...Hai," Not knowing if she was or wasn't, she thought it would be better to presume herself so.
The resounding sound of flesh hitting flesh rang through the room.
Yuri fell sideways down onto the hard wooden floor. Her locks of the same black hair her twin sister possessed covered most of her face, hiding the wide, glassy eyes beneath. Her cheek was stinging where Akito had slapped her just now.
A sound in front of her; turning quickly, she scrambled away from him. A hand shot out and caught her chin, holding her in place.
Akito's eyes were almost wide, pupils dilated.
"How dare you agree to that?" he said softly. "You ruined my plan and meddled in my business??" his voice rose.
Yuri cringed. What was he talking about? The first tears fell down her cheek.
"Why do you always have to help your sister? Are you that kind? Or do you want to challenge me then?" Slap! A sound like a whip being cracked. Yuri gasped and started to sob.
"Why do you have to be so annoyingly helpful to your sister? She got what she deserved." Akito laughed. Then he pulled her face close to his own. Purple eyes contradicted with his deathly pale face; making him a living ghost.
"She belongs to me." He hissed in her face. "All of them. They must follow my instructions. If I want them to cry, they must cry. If I want them to be happy, they must be happy. Don't you try to meddle in my business by helping or comforting them, brat." He spitted out the last word and shoved her away. Yuri fell backwards with a cry.
Akito stood up, ignoring the sobbing girl.
"I think the meeting will end now." He glanced in the direction of the shoji doors. Smirking, he faced the crouching girl.
"Remember, they all belong to me. They will do what I tell them to do." He stepped forward and grabbed her face.
"You'll be a good girl for once, won't you?" He whispered. "You'll be a good girl and stop meddling in my business, won't you?" Frightened eyes said everything, but Akito wanted to hear it himself.
Slap! "Answer me!" he screamed.
"HAI!" Yuri shrieked, wrenching away from his grasp. She lay at the floor, knees folded and sobbed. The heart-wrenching sound did nothing to soften his heart. With a final smirk, he exited through the shoji doors.
"Yowai..." he muttered under his breath. He noticed his kimono had fallen down and pale hands came up to re-tidy it.
"Yowai nee..." he muttered again, smirking even wider.
Yuri stayed in the room until her sobs subsided. Slanted ray of light crossed her tear-streaked face as she lay motionless.
You'll be a good girl and stop meddling in my business, won't you?
My mother sent me to a boarding in Hokkaido after that. I followed Akito's instructions and stopped being helpful to her. Rin was shocked and hurt at first, but gradually she ignored me. I left for Hokkaido when I was 12 years old, without a goodbye to her. It's been 5 years since I spoke to Rin. I obtained occasional information from Kagura, after she left Okasan and Otosan and stayed with them.
All this time I thought about Akito's warning. I was a coward and I knew it; a coward who couldn't even defend her own sister.
Until the day Akito pushed Rin out of the window. I was horrified. When I calmed down, I thought of all these years where I had hid. Hiding from Akito. Even though I wasn't a Jyunishi, he had the power to push me into doing what he wanted.
I felt angry. Akito had gone too far. It didn't matter that they had a bond; everyone had their right to make their own decisions. They weren't Akito's puppets. They were human beings. I couldn't believe that it took 5 years for me to notice. Baka Yuri.
I wrote a letter to Okasan. I wanted to come back. She protested but I insisted. They were making the arrangements now. I would not be at Hokkaido for the first term.
I'm coming back, Rin.
Yowai : weak
Baka : stupid
