The house was deathly silent that night as Natsuya lay in bed awake. He knew his parent's most likely couldn't sleep, as well as the terrible thoughts of what could have happened to Ikuya, filled everyone's minds.
"I need to find out what's wrong...Before he ends up hurt or worse...I couldn't live with myself if someone injured him..." Natsuya's mindless mumbling filled the deathly silence that night time brought with it. Hours passed and Natsuya lost track of the time, eventually collapsing into a restless sleep.
Ikuya walked for around an hour or so, praying for a signpost to tell him where he was. The cold night air raised goosebumps on his arms and made him begin to regret his decision to leave Takashi and Maya's house however, he attempted to clear his mind of those thoughts and continued walking. It was all becoming too much for him and he could feel the panic rising inside him as tears threatened to spill over.
I have no right to cry, People have it worse than me, besides, I made people worry...This is what I deserve...
He continued walking further down the road he had begun walking down before hearing a sinister chuckling behind him
"Well well well, what do we have here then?" A mocking voice asked before continuing to chuckle.
Ikuya spun around quickly, a feeling of dread settling deep inside him as he spotted a tall, muscled man stood behind him who was grinning, his eyes full of malice.
"What's a young kid doing out here all on his own, hm?" He asked, his voice dripping with hidden anger
"N...Nothing...Please...I'm going to go...Please leave me alone..." Ikuya stuttered out, backing away with his hands raised in front of him defensively
"Aw, how cute, You're nervous...It's okay I don't want any trouble, just give me any money or valuables you have," The man was smiling sadistically as he said this and it made Ikuya feel sick
This is what you deserve for worrying everyone and for leaving Takashi and Maya...
"I...I don't have anything...I swear..Please just leave me alone..." Ikuya stuttered out desperately
"Oh really? I didn't want to have to use violence but, since you ask for it..." The man immediately reached out and pushed Ikuya back harshly, causing him to stumble to the ground. The man then swung his fist hard against the side of Ikuya's jaw, causing a sickening crunching sound
Tears immediately fell from Ikuya's wide eyes as he let out an agonized cry just as the man began searching his clothing for pockets.
"No! Leave me alone!" Ikuya tried to fight the man off, simultaneously trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his jaw
"Shut up you bitch! Stop fighting an this will be so much easier!" As this was said, the man rained down hard punches on Ikuya's chest, making the boy let out choked whimpers which did nothing to stop the violent assault on his chest
Ikuya attempted to curl into a ball, covering his head with his hands as he tried to move away from the punches
"This wouldn't have happened if you just cooperated you stupid bitch!" The man's voice roared out. He landed a couple of hard punches on Ikuya's head despite his arms gripping his head harshly.
"Hey! What's going on here!" Another voice shouted angrily. The man glanced around quickly, noticing someone running towards him. He quickly stumbled up off Ikuya and began running
"Hey! Come back!" The other voice shouted as Ikuya saw a pair of feet come to a stop next to his covered face.
"Hey, kid are you okay? Shit, I'm going to call an ambulance," At this Ikuya let out a choked sound
"No! That's not necessary...I'm fine" Ikuya tried to sound convincing but it didn't work as his voice cracked with every word and each sound he uttered caused a rush of throbbing pain through his skull
"No you're not, you need an ambulance," The person said, their voice leaving no room for arguments. They pulled out their phone, quickly dialing an ambulance and explaining the place they were whilst keeping a close eye on Ikuya who let out occasional groans of pain. The person ended the phone call and came to crouch next to Ikuya, offering a hand out towards him.
"Whereabouts does it hurt?" They asked gently, not wanting to startle the boy who looked awfully young to be out at this time of night
"My head...And ribs...Breathing hurts..." Ikuya let out in between deep breaths, trying to manage the pain as best he could
"Help is on the way, they said they'd be about ten minutes. It's going to be okay...I'm sorry I never asked for your name," Although he already knew there was help on the way, hearing this stranger say it helped to reassure him more
"My name's Ikuya..." Ikuya said quietly, receiving a nod from the stranger
"I'm Yuuto, It's nice to meet you Ikuya, I just wish it could have been in better circumstances." Yuuto gave Ikuya a smile before noticing the boys eyes slipping closed
"Ikuya, no you can't close your eyes. You need to stay awake, you've been hit on the head quite a bit, you'll probably have a concussion,"
Just as Yuuto said this, the sound of sirens a few streets away became audible and it wasn't long before the flashing lights of the ambulance were visible. A couple of paramedics tended to Ikuya whilst one talked to Yuuto, asking what he knew about what had occurred earlier. They let Yuuto ride in the ambulance with them and he waited in the waiting room as doctors and nurses ran in and out of Ikuya's room. He drifted in and out of sleep until the sun began shining brightly in through the window.
Natsuya awoke the next morning with a strong feeling of dread still surrounding him. As soon as he got up, he checked Ikuya'sbedroom, only to sigh in disappointment at the empty room. He wasn't sure what he had expected but he couldn't help the bitter disappointment, sadness, and anxiety that surrounded him as he got ready for school. Maybe school could distract him for a bit, get his mind off Ikuya for a bit.
Nao walked quickly down the empty hallway, searching for Natsuya. He knew there was something wrong with him and he also knew exactly where to find him. He entered the classroom quietly, seeing Natsuya sat at his desk with his head resting on his arms. Thinking to try and distract Natsuya from whatever was bothering him, he spoke up;
"I'd really like it if the captain would stop playing hooky,"
"Shut up," came Natsuya's immediate reply, a lot quieter than usual
"Why don't you stop pushing him away already? If it's making you feel that upset," Nao approached Natsuya slowly, as if he was scared he would startle him.
"How can you tell I'm upset?" Natsuya asked in a small voice as he looked towards Nao with red puffy eyes that indicated he'd been crying.
"I always know when you're upset," Nao replied with a small smile
"Shut up," Natsuya mumbled once again "Besides it's not that for once," he looked away again as Nao rested a comforting hand on his back
"What's wrong then, I'll try to help any way I can," Nao offered as Natsuya sniffled.
"It's about Ikuya, I'm sure you can guess," Natusya began, gaining a nod from Nao " I...I snapped at him last night and I shouldn't have. He ran away from home and we've not heard anything yet..." Natsuya explained, hiding his tear-stained face in his arm
"Oh Natsuya, I'm sorry." Nao looked sympathetically at Natsuya "Do you want me to come with you to try and find him after school?"
"It's no use. We tried last night and couldn't find anything,"Natsuya mumbled, his voice now muffled by his arm
"You know what, you go home, I'll sort out the swim club tonight and then I'll come over and we can watch some films together, how does that sound?" Nao suggested
"No! I can't leave you to run the swim club on your own, you have enough to do with the first years, but watching films afterward sounds good..." Natsuya managed a small smile as he slowly sat up. Nao reached a hand out to wipe away the tears on Natsuya's face before pulling him into a hug.
"It's gonna be okay, I promise. Ikuya's a smart kid, he'll be okay, I can tell. But I really do think you should talk to him as soon as possible. There's something going on in his head and I think you're the only one he'll talk to about it," Nao said, feeling Natsuya nod his head as best he could in that position
"I'll explain to the others why Ikuya's not here if you want, I can make something up if you want?" Nao offered as Natsuya pulled away from the embrace
"Thanks...And yeah, could you explain to them, but you can tell them the truth, they're his friends, they deserve to know...I'd hate if you went missing and someone lied to me about it..." Natsuya smiled sadly before standing up
"We should probably go, right? We're already fifteen minutes late," He continued as Nao followed him out of the classroom to the pool
Ikuya was confused as he woke up, not remembering falling asleep and looking around to see a hospital room did nothing to help with his confusion. There was a doctor looking at a clipboard at the other side of the room, occasionally glancing over to Ikuya. When the doctor glanced up and noticed Ikuya awake, he smiled, approaching the bed with the clipboard still in hand.
"Ah, you're awake, that's good," The doctor began "I imagine you're pretty confused about what happened, don't worry, that's just a result of the concussion you've received. You also have some pretty bad bruises on your ribs and two which look like they're fractured slightly but nothing that won't heal on its own. Other than that it's just a bit of bruising and a few cuts and grazes." He paused for a minute to let Ikuya process everything he had just been told. Ikuya nodded slightly, signaling for the doctor to continue talking however he regretted it immediately when he felt pain soaring through his skull
"Now when the ambulance arrived, the person who was with you, Yuuto, only knew your first name, could you tell us your second name please and your birthday. Then we should be able to find your records and contact your parents as soon as possible," The doctor continued, making Ikuya flinch. His parents...They were going to contact his parents...
"Excuse me, are you alright?"
At the doctor's concerned question, Ikuya snapped out of his daze. He was going to have to tell them anyway, just like he would have to face his parents eventually.
"My last name is Kirishima and my birthday is the 3rd of March," Ikuya replied quietly
"Okay, we'll contact your parents as soon as possible. A couple more things though, we were informed by Yuuto that you had been attacked by someone, because of this the police would like to question you on the suspect if you don't mind?" The doctor scribbled something down on the clipboard as he spoke
"I'm okay with that," Ikuya replied, feeling his tiredness begin to take over
"And lastly, if you're up to seeing visitors, Yuuto has asked to see you but only if you feel well enough." Ikuya simply nodded in reply this time, receiving a smile from the doctor who began walking towards the door, opening it and speaking to someone outside. Almost immediately, Yuuto appeared next to the doctor, looking sleep deprived and as if he had been crying.
"I'll leave you two alone. If you require assistance at all, just press the button next to your bed." The doctor explained quickly before leaving to tend to other patients
"You're okay! I thought it would be a lot more serious, I was so scared." Yuuto sighed in relief, taking a seat next to Ikuya's bed and taking his hand within his own
"They're calling my parents..." Ikuya said in a daze
"Yeah...that's good isn't it..?" Yuuto asked concerned. What if his parents were abusive and he was running away? What if Yuuto had just ruined his one chance of getting away by bringing him here? What if...?
"Yeah, I guess...But..." Ikuya stopped, taking a deep breath and looking up at the ceiling " I ran away from home after a fight with my brother...I just don't know what to say to them..."
"Ikuya...I'm sorry..." Yuuto said, his voice full of sympathy
"No, no It's fine...I'm going to have to see them eventually...Beter now than later, right?" Ikuya tried to laugh about it but the overwhelming anxiety made it hard
"Ikuya, I know we hardly know each other but I'm going to give you my phone number and I want you to text me or call me if you ever need anyone to talk to, I don't want you to have to deal with this alone, I know what it's like so maybe I could help," Yuuto explained, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly
"Yeah, that sounds good...Oh yeah and Yuuto," Ikuya said, his eyes slipping shut slowly
"Yeah?" Yuuto asked, noticing the boy almost asleep
"Thanks, for saving me, and for staying with me, I don't think I could ever repay you..." Ikuya's voice slurred slightly as he slipped into sleep.
"It's no problem Ikuya, I promise" Yuuto knew Ikuya was asleep and couldn't hear him however, he knew Ikuya would never accept it if he said it whilst he was awake. He could tell that Ikuya had been suffering for a while now and he wanted to do anything possible to help the boy. He wrote his phone number on a piece of paper and placed it on the bedside table with his name next to it before leaving the room and heading home.