Chapter 2

Feather of Atonement

Near the school gate, Minato was approached by his first friend in Gekkoukan, Kenji Tomochika. The Magician seemed down about something, "Heya, Minato." Kenji sighed, his spirit long gone from the school. "What's up with you, wanna go to the ramen shop after this?" Minato looked at him funnily.

"Hah... No thanks, man. Not even ramen can heal me now," okay, now he did sounded downright disappointed. Minato quirked an eyebrow with that neutral expression on his face, which his friends could interpret as a "Speak. Now" gesture.

"Well, as long as you don't tell the Discipline Commitee," Kenji whispered conspiratively. Kenji leaned closer while Minato swept a casual gaze, no Hidetoshi or Aragaki in sight.

"I installed wiretap on the rooftop,"

What?

Minato blinked owlishly. It's a real trouble. Hidetoshi would be furious. And he'll be dragged on another trip of interrogation around the school. Minato's so not going for that.

"Why?" Minato managed. His brain still processing the time Kenji had before he'd be strangled by Hidetoshi's fury. Kenji groaned at Minato's question. "Aren't you curious? I mean, you don't know?"

Know of what?

"The Muse of Gekkoukan, duh!" now Kenji acted like he's some kind of hot stuff on gossip channel, like the ones Yukari watched in the dorm, maybe that's why she's so cautious to rumors about her. "Like, you can't open the rooftop door when the Muse sang? When you peeked from the ventilation but don't see anything?"

"What does it have to do with wiretap, anyway? It's technically illegal, you pervert, MILF hunter" Minato pressed further, still with his expressionless facade. To his credit, Kenji blushed a healthy red hue. "Ugh. No need to tell me that, Minato," his blush receded slowly and he really looked depressed now. Minato decided to humor him.

"So what about your wiretap?"

"I tried to record the Muse of Gekkoukan sang, but you guess what? The wiretap broke. No don't look at me like that, Minato. It's a serious shit," Kenji pouted while Minato didn't even try to hide his snicker.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to be involved with the Muse,"

"Huh? D-don't tell me you know who she is?!"

"No telling,"

"Why?" Kenji moaned.

You wouldn't want to deal with her big brother's fist. You wouldn't want her big brother to know that you installed wiretap on his dear sister. Trust me.

"One day, you'll be grateful that I won't tell you," Minato nodded like a sage who stroke his beard. Kenji sighed wistfully and on the next second he looked at Minato determinedly, "Next time, I'll try with cctv,"

Noooooo you'll be sacked and zapped and 91,3% chance of being sent into the next year. On hospital leave.

"Hey! I'm a proud MILF hunter, what do you expect?" Nothing, just for you to upgrade a brain and staaayy far away from the jewel of Sanada family. When Akihiko's face said murder, even Minato barely made it out alive by flirting with Miki yesterday.

Sigh.

Wishing his friend good luck and a promise to himself that the next time Minato visits the shrine he'll pray to the higher power above that Akihiko won't catch him red-handed, Minato sent Kenji on his way. In the hallway, he found Miki surrounded by adoring female seniors, they flocked around the tinier Sanada and cooed at her poor flushed face. One of them brought a white cat ear headband and currently tried to put it on Miki while her scarred jaw was pursed in a thin line. Ah, it'll complement the silverette nicely, Minato think. Popularity runs in the family.

De ja vu?

He smiled to the senior crowd who lets him in nicely. In the center of the crowd, Miki was clearly relieved that one of her dormmates showed up. "Thank you, seniors. Ok, let's get you to class." Minato pulled Miki gently yet firmly out from the suffocating crowd.

"Lucky you, Minato. I want to be in the same dorm as Miki," one of the seniors sulked, voicing the entire group's wish. It didn't help that Miki's cheeks flushed again and the seniors melted at the sight.

"Nope, Miki's our property," Minato told the seniors good naturedly and they laughed together. The crowd dispersed soon after the bell rang.

"Thank you, Senpai. I didn't think I could get out by myself. They kept forcing that damned headband to me" Miki wrote quickly as they rushed to the stairs. Minato furrowed his brows, "Why not? I think it'll look good on you." Minato smiled coyly, a thought crossed his mind. "I even think that Akihiko-senpai would agree with me."

"I don't really want to look good like that,"Miki grimaced. They reached the 1st year's class hallway and Miki waved good bye at him. "Study hard!" the midnight-haired teenager said and ran up to his class hallway.

He, however, already turned his back when the girl's soft features took on a blank expression.


The final bell that the school was over rang loudly. Minato pushed himself from his seat as his classmates cheered loudly and Junpei opened his sleep-induced eyes, he yawned with open mouth and noticed Minato walked to the door. "Hey, Minato!"

Minato stopped on his track while Junpei packed his things in a haste. "You saved my bacon again from Ms. T, dude. Let's eat something on the way back! My treat," Junpei snickered and Minato got pulled out from the class. They met Aragaki-senpai, the Head of Discipline Commitee on the hallway, though. He's also the inactive member of SEES. "Senpai! Wanna go for a beef bowl? You're paying for yourself, though." To his response, Junpei got a raised eyebrows in return.

"Council day," Aragaki said gruffly. He spotted Minato and flicked his neck to him, "Get in, lazy ass" to which Minato pouted at, "Sorry, Junpei. Next time."

Junpei guffawed, "Lucky I'm not in the council. Try not to get burned out, dude. Later" they were about to part their ways when Chihiro, the Treasurer appeared from the hallway while she talked quietly with Miki, writing in Miki's case. They were in the same Book Club, Minato remembered.

Chihiro smiled shyly at him and Miki teased-shoved her to Minato's direction. The poor girl blushed and almost shrieked when her phobia set in. She covered her face with a book instead and walked to Miki. They could –almost, hear a giggle from Miki.

Then, Miki looked starry-eyed at Aragaki. Yeah, she did reminded Minato of his deceased sister. She wrote something quickly. "Shinji-san, big bro had practice today but didn't let me go back alone. Are you busy?"

Ah, so Aragaki-senpai was the same Shinji-san she mentioned when they went to the ramen shop. They lived in the same dorm, for God's sake. Why didn't he realized that sooner? Then... those three... they came from the same orphanage? If Minato seemed surprised by his revelation or that Aragaki-senpai looked torn between accompanying Miki home and attending student council, he didn't show it.

" I-I would worry if M-Miki-chan returned to the dorm a-alone," Chihiro quipped. Miki crossed her arms defiantly. "Well, I happen to be free, Miki-chan. We could even go to the batting center"Junpei heroically stepped in. Aragaki-senpai sighed and Minato rolled his eyes, but at least that solved one problem.

"I'd rather you to wait and we'd return together, but whatever. Junpei, you know the consequence if something happened to her, got it?" Aragaki smirked evilly, Junpei sweatdropped in response. "What are you, Senpai? Her father? Nah, we always go to that batting center, anyway. Let's go!" Junpei marched with one hand up in the air, Miki genially copied his moves and they disappeared from sight.


The first time Minato met the half-mute girl was after Yukari visited him on the hospital. He was about to be discharged when Akihiko entered his room with a silverette with scarred jawline behind him, saying that he's picking up his sister from her yearly treatment and got his arm sling replaced, visited him on their way. When Akihiko and his sister –Miki, she wrote her name on her notebook- sat on his either sides of bed to ask his condition, he saw her badly burnt thighs and looked away politely.

The fire trapped everyone in the orphanage, Akihiko told him. A rotten cupboard fell on his sister's lower body and she screamed and screamed. He watched her there, frozen on his track while his best friend yelled for help. They got away alive and Miki was diagnosed with selective mutism along with a second degree burn. But he was glad that they could face it together, Akihiko reminisced.

Her ruby eyes stared at him as he was back to reality, to his hospital room. For a second, Minato thought that it was Minako's eyes that looked back at him. Minako's eyes were a more vibrant hue of red, a legacy from their mother. Akihiko helped him to pack his belongings and the three of them returned to the dorm. They never spoke about that again.

So, starting from then, he talked to Miki. It was an agonizing process at first. The younger Sanada would dismiss him like a fly. Her first writing to him was a 'no' and a week passed and it improved to her telling Minato that her hobby is singing. She had yet to give him a smile back then. Another week passed and all he learnt was that even Akihiko has yet to make her speak. The next day on lunchtime, he saw Akihiko sat by the school rooftop door as a lulling singing voice resounded through them. Akihiko smiled and Minato joined him as they rested by the stairs, the magnitude of sincerity of that voice rejuvenated his tired body. Then, Minato opened his eyes to see Miki roused Akihiko from his nap. They fell asleep on the stairs, apparently. The siblings smiled at each other but what Minato saw was his younger self and Minako. Miki looked back at him and for the first time in a month, she smiled to him.

Maybe, just maybe, Minako wanted him to atone.

Maybe, just maybe, Minato wanted to give himself an illusion of forgiveness for surviving.

Author Note:

Forgive me for surviving. The guilt would still seeps through my bones whenever they mentioned what a great person you were.

So, this chapter will be a parting gift before I went to Bogor for a training. See you later in two months^^ Review, guys. I would be lost without that because I'd like to know what the readers are thinking, teehee.