Keigo felt like being displayed. It was like everyone just waited for him to enter. And it felt not good. Most of them looked on him in a mix of shock, fear and disgust. Keigo didn't know what to do instead of smile innoncently and greet them.
"Eh... Good evening!" he said. "What happened to the music?"
The guy who was handling the music, looked on Keigo in shock like anyone else. And so he forgot to press the play button.
The silence was creepy. Keigo walked towards the middle of the room and looked around. Smiling on everyone friendly and politely. Recieving no respond from anyone. No matter from who. Nobody even give him a smile...
Yuzu meanwhile, left the kitchen to look after her guests. They smiled innoncently but in truth they were mad that she was even here. While walking back to the kitchen, her foot accidentally tiped over the backback next to Yoon, throwing out a gun...
"WHAT THE...?" she screamed before her 'boyfriend' grabbled the gun and pointed it on her face...
In her former school meanwhile, Keigo felt more and more like he was not welcome here. The first person who gave him at least a smile and a friendly nod was Ogawa who still sat at the table with the others who put thier heads together and start to blaspheme. After around 30 seconds of creepy and embarrassing silence, finally the music began to play again. Keigo felt a little bit better but he could still feel the glares of the people. His parents finally appeared out of the middle of the crowd and approached him.
"Okay, we go!" his father said and took him by his arm, to pull him out.
Keigo was shocked and surprised to meet his parents. Here!? On his class-reunion?!
"You?! What are you doing here?" he hissed abashed. He didn't want to make a scene here.
"We need to talk!" his father said.
Keigo pulled his arm out of his fathers grip while he tried to not to scream. "Sorry! This is not the right place!"
Of course he realized that everyone in the room gazed on them right now. Waiting for Keigo or his parents making a scene. Ogawa mentioned that Chizuru took her smartphone to film them. Everyone was so sure that Keigo Asano will make a scene if he appears. He was infamous for beeing loud, annoying and always exaggerating...
"I said that we go!" his father said mad, and louder.
Keigo pulled his arm away again: "Don't dare to touch me! I know you don't think so but I am an adult and I am free to go whereever I want and whenever I want. And I decided to join this class reunion. By the way... what are 'you' two doing here? Is it common now that 'parents' attend to thier children's class reunions?"
"What we are doing here?" his father asked mad. His voice became louder with every sentence. "After your sister told us that you invited yourself, she was afraid that you and your behaviour will ruin the party..."
Everyone listened closer to them now. Many became curious. Ogawa slowly slid under the table. She was sure that she did not want to hear it.
"My behaviour?" Keigo ranted and hold on to take a deep breath. He had to be careful. He was so close from making a scene. "I... am not the one... who is making a scene here..."
Some more people got thier smartphones out to film the scene. Seeing this scared Keigo so much that he became white as chalk. Suddenly Holeigo felt a little bit better inside Keigo's soul and tried to interfere...
"You want talk?" Keigo asked mad. "Make an appointment! When I needed to talk to you I had to make it, too."
Someone giggled after hearing this.
"Listen Keigo, I don't want to discuss this infront of all this foreigners. Your father and I are just here because we are worried that you..." his mother began but Keigo cut her off.
"What? That I embarras you? Or Mizuho? With her bossy and control addicted style she does it very good on her own..."
"Oh yeah, that's right!" a former classmate of his sister murmured, getting many affirmative responds from the crowd. Keigo was positively surprised that Holeigo lost a little bit of his power and was surpressed for one more moment. His parents instead were shocked.
"Where have you been when we needed you? Where have you been when we had problems? Sure Mizuho let out most anger on me! But when I needed someone..."
"You went to your false friends!" his father said mad.
That felt like a punch into his face. Now Keigo understood that it was all about Ichigo again. The colour of hif face slowly changed from white to red.
"Just for your information, I haven't talked to 'I know who you are talking about' for years now. But don't start to talk about them now. This is a family matter!"
From safe distance, Ogawa watched the scene. Despite the loud music, they could hear every word they said. Keigo's voice was so strong that not even loud music was able to drown it.
"I am not sure if I want to hear this!" Ryo murmured.
"Me, too. Chizuru, stop filming!" Mahana hissed and took her friends smartphone to stop her.
"Are you kidding? That's better than one of this scripted-reality-soaps!" Chizuru said. Her exciting faded away immediately when she saw Keigo's angry expression.
Everyone who knew Keigo from school, knew that he was an always too happy, silly, clownish, stupid and obstrusive loser and comic-relief whose only pursiut in live seemed to get attention from Kurosaki or other bully-gangs. And no matter how worse they treated him, Keigo was always seeking for thier attention, and always keeping his big smile. After school, when Keigo left town and became successful, first people start to believe that Keigo was maybe more than just the 'IIIIIIICCHIIIGOOOO-Guy'. And when the Kurosaki's secret got exposed, everyone was sure that Keigo was just jinxed and 'understood' everything (at least they thought it). So everyone was sure that the stories in the gossip-press about Keigo and Ichigo beeing close friends were wrong. They knew the truth. So most of them remained silent and just listened. For most of them it was the really first time to see Keigo Asano with an angry expression on his face. A really angry expression? And with a little bit help from Holeigo, who felt more stronger the more angrier he was, Keigo Asano was now able to scare his former schoolmates for the very first time. So nobody dared to interfere. Despite the fact that most of them didn't want to hear that drama that obviously was going on between Keigo and his family, nobody was able to overcome his fear and interfere. No mater how.
Keigo wished so much that someone cry out that they shall discuss thier problems outside. He knew that his classmates always hated it when he became louder. But this time something was different. He felt like he was on the display of a freak show. And his parents were his co-actors. Of course he mentioned the glares of his former classmates and felt worse with every second. Holeigo on the other side mentioned that he suddenly felt better again with Keigo's increasing madness and enjoyed it. But he was still to weak. So he decided to feed up a little bit more.
"I think you two should go now!" Keigo said and pointed on the door.
"We will leave, but please come with us!" his mother said.
"For what? If you want to talk, okay. So lets talk!" Keigo said, crossing his arms.
"Here?!" his father asked shocked.
"Yeah... why not! You came here to make a scene! And I decided that I can choose the spot where we talk and that is here!" Keigo said mad.
Keigo had no clue that his sister expected this situation and knew that Keigo was going to make a scene in front of everyone. But his parents didn't want it. They thought they could just pull him out and talk with him outside. On the yard, or in an alley, or maybe in Mizuho's apartment? But not in front of all of her friends. Keigo's madness increased with every second.
"Listen... You think I invited myself, but that's not true. I got an invitation..." Keigo told, what surprised many others. Especially when he pulled out the invitation of his pocket to prove it. "...I also thought very carefully about comming or not comming here, because I know how the most people in this room think about me. That I am just the 'Iiichhiiiigooo-Guy' comic-relief. But I don't care what other's think about me, I don't care for this people anyway too. I know that this big pack of delinquents is not happy to see me, too."
Keigo's insult caused many people to feel offended. Keigo turned towards them and continued.
"COME ON! You know that I am right! Our school was infamous for it!" Keigo grumbled before turning back to his parents. "So what did Mizuho told you? That I invited myself? That I embarass her? Or our family? I am honest when I say that I am not happy if I meet her tonight, but that she calls you two to keep sure that I leave, even I didn't except."
"Your sister had a lot of work to organize this evening. And you will not ruin it!" his father said now angrier.
"How do you think I will do it? What makes you so sure?"
"I... I..." his father was not sure. And he was scared by Keigo's expression.
His mother on the other side was more worried. "Keigo! Please, son! What's going on? Are you... jinxed. Are you...?"
"I want to make clear here and now that I am not jinxed, obsessed, or under anyones control." Keigo said convinced. "I know that you talk about... 'them'... You always used them as an apology for your own mistakes. When I got beaten up by Mizuho, it was Kurosaki's fault. When I and Mizuho had financial problems it was Kurosaki's fault..."
"And this violent muggers he forced you to give shelter?" his mother asked scared. "She told us that you once brought..."
"That was my own fault! I admit it. I was not brave enough to say no, I learned later that it was about this 'Shinigami-bullshit' but don't care for Mizuho. I think she was jinxed by his bald head... she would had married him instantly if he haven't reject her."
Some people giggled again.
"Your sister did nothing wrong! You did, when you desperately tried to join Kurosaki's dirty little violent bully club..." his father coughed. That were maybe the wrong words so he continued a different way. "...let's talk about it. Tell us... what did we wrong?"
"Wrong? You ask me what you two did wrong?" Keigo asked surprised. While he talked suddenly the music stopped again. Keigo didn't want everyone to listen to them and turned to the DJ madly. "HEY... START THE FUCKING MUSIC AGAIN! THIS IS A PRIVATE CONVERSATION..."
Keigo screamed so loud that the DJ almost got an heart-attack and full of fear he pressed some buttons to start the music again... That was the moment, Keigo start to make a scene. The moment everyone was waiting for...
"You ask me what you two did wrong?" Keigo continued and went closer. "Don't worry you two did nothing wrong. You two were almost never at home. So there wasn't anything you two could make wrong..."
"We worked very hard, to get you and your sister a carefree and well ordered life... why do you talk so bad about your sister and how dare you to..."
"OH... so you don't know it? The youth-welcare-office didn't tell you? Let me guess you were gone once again. Or she told them that it is your fault and they decided to not to contact you?"
"What?" Keigo's mother asked confused. "The youth-welcare-office?"
"What about them?" his father asked. Suddenly his mood changed from angry to worried.
"Woah... okay! I'll tell you... two years ago, Mizuho's ex-husband called me and asked me for advice. He was worried because of Mizuho's unpredictability and was worried because she was alone with thier son. I knew that she was freaking out about every little shit so I was worried and went with him together to the youth-welcare-office and told them to keep an eye on her. A few days later... I recieved a another call. This time from the youth-welcare-office! They said that I possibly safed the boys life..."
Everyone was shocked. But also some people were not surprised. Mizuho Asano was indeed able to be so dirty and that even her own child would not be spared from her outbursts. As Keigo was infamous for beeing a nuisance, Mizuho was infamous for beeing dominant and crazy. Keigo's parent's became pale. They couldn't believe it. They didn't want to believe it.
"Is this... really... true...?" his father was definetely shocked now.
"Call the youth-welcare-office! Ask for Takamuri-san!" Keigo said and pulled his wallet out of his pocket to pull a small hand-written note out he always carried with him since he recieved the call. "She will confirm every word I said! But that's no problem for you... I mean your little angel is your favourite anyway."
"What do you mean with that?"
"I mean with that, that if you two have spend a little bit more time at home and not somewhere else in this god-dammed world, beeing parents for me and Mizuho, taking care of us... yeah, you send us money, so we didn't starve. Yeah, we had a roof over our heads. But where have you been when we had birthday. When someone of us was sick, injured, or in trouble? When you two didn't attend to the parents-day Mizuho once organized she was so mad that she throw a hot frying pan after me. You two think that I am a troublemaker, but in truth you don't know anything. Neighter about me, nor about Mizuho. She won't admit it but she was always so mad on you. I know it, because I had to live with her madness. And believe me... I called the youth-welcare-office not because I wanted to hurt her... It was because I wanted to help her. She wasn't always like she is. It just began after you two decided to work more and farer away. For that, that we didn't recieved any education when we went into puberty, I am pretty sure that things would have went different if we had someone who did not just call to tell me what I did wrong..."
A woman start to cry. That was a sad story. Some people start to feel sorry for Keigo now. A tear ran down Ogawa's face, while her friend Natsui carefully hold her baby-bump. Chizuru couldn't stop filming. Despite the loud music, everyone could hear Keigo's frustration. Some others didn't endure it anymore and went outside to get some air. Others listened now more carefully. Some of them had children by themself. And some people start to think about thier relationships to thier own children. Or about the relationships to thier parents.
"Is... this the reason you... left?" his mother asked scared.
Keigo shrugged. "Well, when Mizuho throw me out I had no other choise. I knew that I couldn't ask anyone from school. So I left. I left to go my way. I successfully escaped the street and build up a life. But no matter what I do, you will never be satisfied. That's because I gave up to try. I finally learned when it is time to pull the emergency break. I never make this mistake anymore."
His father became pale. "Did Kurosaki..."
"NOT AGAIN!" Keigo yelled. "Kurosaki, Kurosaki, Kurosaki... I can't hear that name anymore. I know you can't stand him, for what ever reason you won't tell anyway. But I can ensure you that all this is not about them right now. Believe me I wanted to die! I wanted to die in shame when I saw the report in TV! But I also know that your rejection against him didn't start just after thier exposure. You really want to talk about Ichigo? Fine? What is it? His weird hair-colour? His delinquent nature?"
"You called him a friend, but he treated you like trash?!" his father said. "I heared horrible storys and I knew that someday he will pull you into something that will destroy us..."
"Yeah... I was pulled into that shit. Yeah, I regret it! And yeah, they were a bunch of wrong friends who only 'tolerated' me." Keigo said. Now a tear ran down his face, too. "But even if they saw in me just a nuisance, they were also there for me. Yeah, nobody is perfect. And maybe I was blended by Ichigo's superpowers he, by the way, didn't use to eat souls... They didn't had a easy life, too. They all had to fight against prejudices like yours..."
"What do you want to tell us with that? You tell us... you prefer to be a... a Kurosaki?" his father asked with trembling voice.
Keigo shrugged again. "Hmm... well his father might be a goofy, energetic and loud fun-loving weirdo... But he always stood behind his children. If I had the chance to choose between him and you... I would had chosen him..."
Pretty hard words...
Present...
Keigo stopped talking when he could hear Isshin wailing happily in the corridor. Knowing that he eavesdropped Keigo crossed his arms and shaked his head. Happily and full of excitement, Isshin opened the door, reavealing that almost everyone was eavesdropping them and went closer to Keigo before falling on his knees.
"Awww... that's the most wonderful thing someone ever said about me!" Isshin said with tears in his eyes and with a smile that was so big that it already looked very painful.
Keigo decided to just smile back in respond. "You're welcome!"
Isshin grabbled Keigo's hands and to hold them, not stopping to smile. "Keigo Asano, I hereby adopt you!"
Suprised, Keigo said: "Okay!"
"YEAHHH... MASAKI... OH MASAKI, we got a second son..." Isshin yelled happily towards a photo of his late wife that was hanging on the wall.
"Ehm... may we continue later... I am still talking to them about woaaahh..." Keigo stopped when he got captured in a strong and slightly painful hug. He looked towards the door, seeing his son, among the others standing there. "Hey kids,... please go a few steps to the side..."
His son knew what will follow and shooed his friends away. When the kids where out of the danger zone, Keigo used a Kidou to send his adoptive-father back to the corridor, smashing him against the wall where he was trapped like a fly in a spider's net. But also the other adults and the teenagers where pushed away from the wall to stop them from eavesdropping. Isshin was still happy, and now very very proud.
"I taught him that one!" Isshin said proudly smiling before Keigo used another Kidou to shut the door close.
The others, who were partly lie on one other and couldn't move too, were not very happy. Rukia, who was laying under Chad and had Orihime's hair in her mouth start to complain: "I knew it... cough... we should have send him to the Kidou-Corps..."
"Don't tell me!" Renji moaned back. He was hanging next to Isshin on the wall and his face was pressed against it. "Your brother urgently wanted him in the sixth..."
In the living-room, Keigo turned back to his parents. "Okay. Let's go on!"
"Ehm... Excuse me... But so far I don't understand it! You are mad because of something we did that evening. But so far everything you told sounds like you dominated that war of words?" his father asked confused.
"Yes... what... what really happend?" his mother asked.
Keigo became pale... "...well... after that it became really worse..."
10 years ago...
Keigo's harsh words hit his parents pretty hard. Thier 'audience' was very upset too.
"Is this the reason you are here tonight?" his mother asked sad.
Keigo realized that he was a little bit too hard. "No! I didn't come here to fight with you two. I just thought that I could spend at least one evening without that shit that is going on. Without thinking about the Kurosaki's, my job, my girlfriend, or whatever... I think in one point you were right: It was a mistake to come!"
Keigo turned away from them and looked for the door. They were surrounded by others and he would have to fight his way threw them.
"You go nowhere!" his father ranted grabbling his arm.
Keigo pulled his arm out of his fathers grip and turned back towards him in anger: "Just a minute ago, you wanted me to go and now you want me to stay? What's going on with you?"
"What's going on with me? What's going on with you?" his fathers voice became louder again. "You are running away! As always..."
"How..." Keigo tried to interfere but his father cut him off.
"You look like you are drunk. You are making a scene. And you still defend people who hurt you? Sometimes I reget that we didn't listen to the others and send you to an psychatrist!"
Keigo became pale. His inner-hollow suddenly felt stronger again and decided to interfere.
"Why you to can't just shut up like you always did. No I am not surprised why even the Shinigami who lived with us thought that we are sick and broken family..."
That was enough for his father. Suddenly the lights turned to them, the music stopped because someone accidentaly unpluged a cable so everyone could see and hear how Keigo got a hard slap by his father into his face.
"YOU WERE ALWAYS A SHAME FOR OUR FAMILY!" his father screamed so loud that really everyone could hear it.
Keigo wanted to die! He wanted to die on the spot, in shame! Never ever he got so embarrassed by someone. Sure he recieved many slaps in his life. From Ichigo, Tatsuki, bullys, his sister... also in front of others. But now that his father does it in front of douzens of witnesses and cameras was enough. And his words felt like a stinch into his heart much more.
His father meanwhile realized his shocked expression and also the shocked and disgusted expressions on the others.
"Now we know where Mizuho Asano got her abusive behaviour from?" someone murmured abashed.
Now it was his father who wanted to die on the spot, in shame. Because he realized that he made a scene. That he proved that they were not the perfect family, he always told everyone. "Oh... ehm... Keigo I..."
Keigo was furious. "DON'T DARE TO TOUCH ME! I AM DONE WITH YOU!"
As strong as he could he pushed his father away. The man fell against a table, where some photo's, Mizuho prepared to show around laid. Keigo meanwhile stormed towards the door... he wanted to leave the room before he breaks out in tears. Some people, who didn't attend to thier school and were just accompaining thier husbands or wifes, tried to comfort him. But Keigo pushed everyone beside, even punshing his elbow into a man's nose...
His father meanwhile was laying on the table, looking on the photos Mizuho prepared. Many of these photos were very embarrassing... Slowly he realized that this reunion... was possibly not just a reunion!
Keigo stormed threw the door. Some people tried to follow him but Keigo successfully escaped them. Immediately he smashed the door close and used a chair, that stood next to the door to block it, trapping these people inside...
Keigo knew it. It was a mistake. It was a fucking mistake to come here. Thinking that the times have changed... Full of fear and shame he ran to his car, to leave this god-dammed place...
Present...
"Before that evening. I always hoped that some day we would have a normal conversation. I thought about forgiving you. I thought that the time will heal all wounds. But after that evening, embarrassed in front of so many people... I am just so happy that at least Mizuho was not there to enjoy it!"
"You left just in time!" Michiru, who suddenly stood in the other door, said. She and Kaneda just arrived. Kaneda greeted them before going to the other door to look for his son and to not to disturb them. Keigo and his parents looked towards her. She remembered everything what happened that evening. A tear ran down her face. "I don't know how much time passed from the moment you stormed out, till the moment she returned. 3 minutes, maybe less. But it was enough time for all of us to decide to leave... unfortunately it was too late."
10 years ago...
While Keigo raced away, his parents realized that the escallation between them and Keigo was planned and left as quick as possible to escape from the angry and reproachful views of the others. Finally someone was able to break the door open. More than the half of the people already left the hall, when Mizuho finally arrived back. Unaware that she missed the escallation and that it went different than she expected. Her plan was to let her parents in after Keigo made a scene and not that they encounter each other before! When she entered the gym threw the side-entrace she had to see that just a few people were still there. No music was playing and everyone else prepared to leave too. So something was not running as she planned.
"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!" she screamed angrily catching the attention of everyone. Two of her former classmates stormed out immediately. Others looked on her reproachful and in disgust. "I AM STILL WAITING FOR AN ANSWER! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
"We are leaving!" Natsui said, while Ogawa helped her into her coat.
Another former classmate of her start to yell from the other side of the gym. "If I had known that you are organizing this evening I wouldn't have come!"
"I hope Kurosaki sends your soul to hell, you maniac!" another one yelled.
A former classmate of her carefully got closer to ask her directly. "Asano... your brother and your parents had a little fight here a few minutes ago..."
"WHAT? THAT WAS NOT THE PLAN!" she yelled mad before she hold her mouth.
Everyone looked on her in disgust. Now everyone realized it. Ogawa bend to Ryo to whisper to her.
"So, this party was only really only to embarrass Asano with the Shinigami thing. I leave!" Ogawa said and stormed with others towards the door.
"WHERE YOU ARE GOING?!" Mizuho screamed angrilly. "AND WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?"
Mahana Natsui, who was going to be a mommy soon, gave Mizuho a poisonous view to show her how she think about her: "That you are a crazy maniac everyone knew. But that you go so far, noone exected!"
"What did you call me?" Mizuho asked shocked.
"Now I know why Keigo was always so obtrusive... With such a sick sister you have to become like that!" Natsui said... now totally anger up Mizuho.
Mizuho let out an angry and terrifying scream, before grabbing a chair and throwing it against the pregnant woman. Mahana tried to dodge, but the chair hit her on the right hip. She roared in pain when whe fell down, hitting a table, that shattered under her weight and stopped screaming as she was already unconscious.
Ryo and Chizuru stormed towards Mizuho to stop her while Michuru looked after her pregnant friend. Others came to help too... Everything was like in time-elapse. People screamed, she could hear shattering glass and other stuff. At some point Michiru could see Ryo falling down to the ground, too. Holding her face with both hands and with blood pouring forth between her fingers. Chizuru and two other people she didn't recognize, were finally able to overwhelm Mizuho and to push her on the ground. When her friend Mahana regained her consciounes again, she start to scream in in pain, holding her baby bump while blood run out of her abdomen...
The only thing Michiru was able to was screaming in fear... she wished so much that Orihime was here... a witch with healing-powers was that her friend needed now most...
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