Write date: 12-05; 12-09
-X-X-X-
- A few hours after Ritsu's death-
(Ch. 4) Soubi was growing nervous. It was nightfall and Ritsu was still nowhere to be found. It was as if Ritsu-sensei fell into the ocean.
Soubi swallowed, recalling all those stab wounds in his teacher's arm, moreover the eye, while he walked through the empty hallways.
He paused near one door, that lead to the boiler room. Why did it had such an eerie feeling? He jiggled the knob to find that it actually let him in with no hesitation. Why would the staff members leave this place unlocked?
The dark room did not hid the gruesomeness that took part there.
And a shrilly voice suddenly called out.
"Oh? A visitor? Well this isn't a sight for you to see." Yune peeked her head through the door, while holding a wet cloth in her hand. Soubi's eyes shot open, once he noticed his teacher's corpse laying in the far end. He stood there unable to move a single muscle.
"How about you be a good boy and wait for a minute..." Yune stated then, covering the blonde's face with a poisoned rag.
X X X
- Present-
It was long past his working hours. Although Utura Hisho hadn't put his hospital coat away just yet. He wanted to visit one particuliar patient.
And while he strode in the blinding corridors, his mind began to wander about a subject, that the man couldn't let go.
Looking back at everything, that happened, he still couldn't believe it...
He heard from a few reliable sources left in the academy, that Takehito, after finally eliminating Soubi, revealed Ritsu's death. He made it seem like a complication of a disease, thus cleared his and Yune's hands of any guilt. The other members presumably took the bait. Especially since Takehito had Nana to clear any unneeded evidence.
Honestly, Hisho couldn't understand, what did the programmer saw in him. Takehito was a liar, just a pretty face concealing his power thirsty soul... His nice manners were just a misleading vessel.
From then Takehito took complete control over Septimal Moon and publicly announced himself, as the new principal of Seven Voices...
The fact still made Hisho clench his fists in frustration. How could he? Hisho, Ritsu, Nagisa, Takehito and Nana... They were all friends back in the day, comrades, that helped one another every way possible...
Yet now... Those bonds had been shattered by Ritsu's irrational mistakes, Yune's hatred, revenge and by Takehito's distrust. But most of all, fear was the trigger, that sprung the gruesome fate into completion... Fear to admit flaws, to apologise and to forgive...,
Hisho was rather fortunate, he had to admit... The brown-haired psychologist had escaped the whole ordeal, avoided imprisonment and was not framed as the ringleader of the crime. Something that Takehito had planned to do, once Hisho stopped following his trail. Now the brown-haired man worked in one of Kyoto's local hospitals. At least now, Hisho didn't need to hide details from his family like he used to do, working in Seven Voices. By the unwritten law, it was forbidden for a person, who was not related to Septimal Moon and the spell system.
He made his way to the pediatric ward. And quickly stepped into the room, he knew quite well...
Actually upon Hisho's escape from Septimal Moon's custody, the man had taken another person from their grasp...
"Good evening, Aoyagi Ritsuka." He smiled, while closing the door behind himself.
'The worst is over now...' Hisho attempted to calm himself down. 'Ritsuka's safe... I'm safe. My wife is still alright, so is my son... And.' His trembling fists gripped the edges of the coat suddenly.' Ritsu's dead... No, I can't be calm, knowing what happened...'
X X X
- A few weeks before Minami Ritsu's death-
Hisho stood outside of a classroom. From the other side he heard children, beginning to shuffle in their seats. Before Takehito's voice called out.
"Stand up. Bow... And have a good day."
Like on cue, the classroom's door swung open and the students shuffled out in cheerful waves, as if a fire had broken out. Though in this case, it was the last class of the day. Hisho scarcely moved to the side, to allow them a quicker escape. His eyes followed every child. Once that was done and the path was free, he stepped in to the room, swiftly closing the door behind himself.
Takehito even shivered, because of the unperceived slam. Then he whirled around expecting something bigger to erupt, until he spotted Utura Hisho.
"Oh? it's you, Hisho."
"I want a quick chat."
"No hello, no nothing?... Okay, don't know, why are you so down in the dumps today. So what do you want to talk about?" Takehito asked absentmindedly, while putting away his books in a drawer below his desk.
"I think you know well enough..." Hisho hissed out. He narrowed his eyes, seeing, that his companion spun his keys by the metal loop. The dark-haired man was planning to walk off, wasn't he? Hisho swore to not give him the satisfaction." Stop, Takehito. We need to talk, now."
"Can't we do it in the cafeteria? I'm rather starving. You should try giving geography lectures all day."
Takehito was rather known for his constant light mood and for looking at everything through his fingers.
"It's about Ritsu. You have to stop!" After his heavy exhale the psychologist heard a snicker from the other. Hisho was taken aback. And Takehito shook his head, while his lips curved into a gentle smile.
"What? Why are you so concerned about it. That matter doesn't touch you, you know? Just lay low and let Yune handle this her own way."
"That's the point, I can't. This is insane, Takehito. Inhuman even. I've..." The psychologist cut off, biting his lip." Been there once... I heard Ritsu's screams in the boiler room... Damn it, Takehito I can't live knowing that!"
"Oh dear... Then why did you went there in the first place?" The dark-haired man emitted a mocking snicker. "You're like a child... You were the one, who graced me with this information, Hisho, about Agatsuma-san's misfortune. You were the one, who said, that things can't go this way anymore... So I took the reasonable solutions to expel the trash, who made them... You felt disgusted at your own boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend anymore."
"Sure... The thing is, Hisho, that you were the one, who started this. "The psychologist shook his head." Of course you did. This idea was yours. But since you left it, I took the responsibility of achieving it, and altered it to suit my needs."
"To become the principal." Hisho finished. And the other nodded happily. "But now this needs to end. Call it off, Takehito."
"Or what? You'll rant me out?" The dark-haired man began giggling and leaned his hand at the table for support. Hisho looked back disgusted by the fake amusement. Honestly, this conversation couldn't crack a person up like that... Takehito finally fixed his composure with an exhale, wiping his eyes for any formed tears. Though there were none. He soon swayed his index finger at his companion.
"I know a phrase you like! You poor child. Hmm, does it ring a bell Hisho? You won't have the guts to tell on me, because then you'll be in trouble too. Say, do you really want your family to worry over your sudden disappearance, your secret imprisonment, that they will know nothing about? Think about it, Hisho. How long will it last? Maybe you won't walk out of there alive. What if they will mess up your memory, make you a white sheet of paper? Would you like that? Your son, Sanou, will grow up without a father then. Your wife will cry for you every night, until forgetting you one unfortunate day... Maybe Airi will find someone else then. A person, who will cherish her and won't keep secrets from her..."
"That's enough!" The psychologist barked. His insides began to boil, from the hurtful topic. It was truth, that he was hiding things from them and he couldn't escape that fact."Don't you dare drag my family in to this."
"Oh, but why not? Let's make a deal. If you say at least a word to anyone. I'll make sure they'll die. I'm not bluffing, Hisho, I have information, I have Yune..."
Takehito began whistling then, as he went passed the stunted Hisho. The dark-haired man stuck the key in place, before turning his head at the still brown-haired man.
"Cafeteria, here I come! Sorry, Hisho, I'll have to lock you up now. You won't mind now, won't you?... Think about, what I've said in the meantime."
X X X
Hisho blinked soon, then rubbed his eyes. Was he dozing off? The man glanced at the clock, which showed that at least thirty minutes had passed already. Perhaps he needed more rest... He was barely sleeping nowadays.
The brown-haired man sighed, planning to walk off. Though stopped in his motion, once he noted, that Ritsuka's eyes were set on him, then the boy slowly sat up to get a better view of the person, who came. So he was awake after all.
"Hey. Sorry, I didn't wanted to wake you up." The psychologist greeted quietly again, while coming closer to Ritsuka. Well, Airi and Sanou will have to wait for him again. Actually the man grew quite used to the fact, that he always came back home the last. In the meantime of Hisho's thoughts, the boy's eyes traced his movements.
After Hisho escaped with Ritsuka, he took the boy to the hospital, afraid, that the teenager might have had some injuries.
He actually had plans to take Ritsuka in, after his recovery. Hisho's family hadn't minded the idea and besides the teenager hadn't had anyone else. His mother was killed, (Ch. 11) while his other relatives barely responded.
"So how are you feeling, Ritsuka?"
"I'm okay... But why do you always come so late?" The boy muttered shyly, glancing down. while Hisho opened the boy's drawer next to the bed, inspecting it's inside.
"Because I have work, I can't go off visiting random patients."
"I'm random?" Ritsuka blinked in confusion.
"To me, no... But that's, what the authorities will think anyway... I won't be able to justify me being here. I see you ate my apples?"
"Ah... Yeah... Well, I'm."
"Don't worry, I know that hospital food isn't the best. I'll bring you some more fruit tomorrow... I'm just happy that you are eating, Ritsuka. You need your strength." He smiled, straightening up soon. Ritsuka looked away. His hands clutched the white sheets then. The teenager didn't want to speak about it, though he still found himself changing the subject.
"Thank's. I... Ah... Still barely remember anything..."
"Don't worry about it. And don't push yourself to. I think it would be better that way. If nothing comes back, you can just start over, your whole life's in front of you." The older man reassured. Yet Ritsuka bit his lower lip, thinking. The other man's words hadn't brought him comfort.
Instead the boy glanced at the falling snow outside. It was scarcely visible through the darkness. He wished to go out of this place one day. The white room seemed like a cage to him, which only allowed excess to a bigger prison. It was the same, the same noises, the same colors, the same eerie atmosphere and the same disgusting food. Nothing changed and he still hadn't remembered anything about his past. The only person, who seemed to know the boy, was the brown-haired man, who constantly visited him. Still Hisho failed to explain anything more about Ritsuka besides trivial information like the teenager's name and age.
It had grown rather quiet between the two people, who were in the empty, dark ward. Neither of them spoke. Rituka's eyes traced the ivory crystals through the window, while the psychologist stood near him, keeping his hands in the lab coat's pockets.
There was hope... Hisho saw it and believed it. Even though the past will continue to haunt him, he'll deal with it somehow. He'll overcome it. He will allow himself to mourn. He'll cry a whole river for Ritsu, maybe will write a stupid poem, for all it will be worth...
Although Hisho's logical side announced, that he was not suppose to grieve right now. He had came to help the boy, or maybe because the man just needed someone to listen, what a selfish want. And so Hisho parted his lips in order to vocalize the words, that never had the right to be divulged.
"Let me tell you a story, Ritsuka..."