Our Story
Kitara Lira
Chapter Five: No Better Than Them
The book bag was tossed upon the couch, sterling silver pens slipping out the edges and tumbling about the old worn leather, "I told you it was fine." Natsuki held the slender silver phone up to her ear with her right hand while using her left to scan through the contents of the fridge followed by the pantry. In the end she decided upon the usual.
"You didn't get into any fights did you?" A worried voice echoed through the phone speaker, in the background there was a sudden shrill of metal against metal and a stream of curses, "Komo! What did I tell you about that, its your own fault so stop cursing!" The apology was profuse.
Popping two piece of bread into the toaster, Natsuki couldn't help but smile. Komo was one of the younger workers at the shop, but he had a memory of a guppy. He tended to leave tail pipes, wrenches and other heavy metallic objects on high shelves. Then when in a mad search for the objects he would bang and stomp about only to more often than not have the object fall on his head, or the head of one of his co-workers. Not a pleasant experience. The toast popped, and Natsuki claimed the two pieces, placing them upon the counter and layering them thick with mayonnaise.
"Natsuki," Came the voice again, this time a bit more curious, "You aren't making yourself mayo and toast again… are you?"
The young woman gulped her favourite meal merely millimetres from her lips, "N-n-n-no what would make you think that?" A nervous chuckle escaped her as she set the toast down eyeing it with a hunger.
"Several reasons. One, it's all you eat, which I don't understand. If you don't know how to cook, you know you're always welcome to share in on my meals."
"I know how to cook, but like I told you, I'm fine. I don't need special food Takishi, just enough to keep me well." Said the young woman matter-of-factly. This discussion was not an abnormal discussion. In fact it took place everyday at almost every meal. Again raising the toast to her eager mouth, Natsuki took a bite, a crunch echoing through the speaker of the cellular device, "Anyways, I'm coming in to work in a few so you can lecture me then. Later Takishi!" The man was about to say more, but Natsuki cut him off, closing her phone and tossing it onto the couch beside her bag before setting herself down on the other end, "Damn… what the hell kind of first day was that…"
Flashback
After Nao had stormed out of the cafeteria, a few nervous glances were exchanged and Mai let out yet another sigh, "I better call Miyu and Shizuru," Turning to Natsuki, Mai excused herself from the group, pulling out her cell phone and entering several numbers.
The first to break the strange silence was a girl by the name of Nina, "Don't mind Nao, she gets upset when anyone speaks ill of her mother. The reason her mother is in the hospital is because her father beat her into such a state. The newspapers, police and State Guards won't do anything against him because he owns over half of the hospitals in the city and it is stated that if he loses power of those they are to all be terminated. Immediately." The entire group sat in silence as they listened to the dark haired girl retell the story they all knew. "The public thinks of Mr. Yuuki as a real nice man, and I am sure to his clients he is, but to Nao and her mother… Her mother gave birth to a daughter, not a son. Nao is hated because of just that; she wasn't born a boy. After her birth, Mrs. Yuuki was unable to bear any more children due to a complication during Nao's birth. Ever since she was old enough to understand what happened, Nao has always tried to act tough. As a child she would always try her best to do the things a son might to, in a hope of lessening the beatings upon her mother, but it never worked, it only made them worse so eventually she gave up trying…"
"She ran away once, but it never happened again. When she saw the size of her mother's bruises Nao never left the house again. There were times were she would stand up against what her father did, but it never did anything. She would spend a week at home after it because she couldn't walk without limping and her father couldn't have his daughter look like that in public." Mai said with a heavy sigh, phone clasped tightly within her palm. To Natsuki it appeared that this wasn't the first time things had happened like this around Nao.
Lunch ended without any further incident, however in the last class of the day when the teacher performed roll call, one name stuck out: Yuuki Nao. She had missed Economics, a class she apparently shared with Natsuki, which only made the bluenette feel all the more guilty. Information had told her the Yuuki family was one of the five richest in the city. Information had told her it was a flawless family with a teenage girl who was always shied away from the public eye. Information had told her that Mrs. Yuuki had been in an accident and was in a coma as a result. Never before had her information been wrong.
But this time it was. And Natsuki felt horrible for having assumed such things about the girl.
End Flashback
Against the back of the couch she leaned, draping an arm over her forehead, staring hard at the white speckled roof, "Am I no better than them…?"
Author Note: I have noticed a common trend in my reviews. They all seem to go something along the lines of: "Okay Kitara what the hell is this I am not seeing any Shiznat and you keep posting these bloody chapters with no Shiznat and just what looks like NatNao. Wtf mate? Get your ass in gear and write us Shiznat!" *Cough cough* Okay... maybe not quite so much like that... But I just wanted to be a loving angel and tell all my readers I love them and... Shizuru might appear in chapter seven, but no Shiznat for maybe... another six or so chapters? Don't kill me! *Runs for her life*