Pri-Chan 1410: I'm glad that you liked this chapter as well. I hope this one will satisfy you too. Thank you so much for the kind praise. Your reviews always make me happy. Is that so? Well, I'm not trying to make Takashiro as the villain in here, although I am trying to expose his dark side in my story, since they don't show much of it in the anime and only a glimpse of it in the manga. And don't worry, he won't destroy the family, though with his arrival, there will be some changes on the family. Thank you for your review :D
bored411: Well you don't have to wonder anymore since you will find out what her reaction is going to be in this chapter. And thank you for your review
Tishikari: It's okay. Thank you for the lovely review and your support. It means a lot to me. You are the only one who bothers to tell me your sympathy and I really appreciate it. Thank you once again. I'm glad to know that her blindness makes the story more interesting for you. It's such a relief that I manage to make it as intense as I want it to be. Because I think it will be more intense with her being blind. Well, she will start do that kind of thing though I'm not sure when, probably in some next chapters. Hahaha, is that so? So many people said that. But it's not my intention to make him look like a villain; I just want to write his dark side as well, since they don't show it much in the anime and only a glimpse of it on the manga. Well, I was trying to make some of it since I also like Fem!Yuki aside from his male version, and besides, there are only a few of it around here so I try to make it more. And thank you once again for your review, I hope you won't mind to leave a review for this chapter as well ;D
a-kun: Thank you for the praise. Well, the reason why I don't want to write many indicators about Yuki's blindness is because I don't want to focus on her inability to see. I want people to treat her like a normal person and not like she is a fragile person who needs to be treated carefully. After all, Mizuki raised her like she was normal in the first place. She doesn't need a cane or a guide because she's been used to her surroundings. Besides, there's a special lane in the road for blind people to walk without the need of a cane or a guide, I remember seeing some in the countries I've visited, though I don't think there are any in my country. She's lived in that town for her entire life so it's normal for her to not need those kind of things.
She attends normal classes with sighted kids since her mother refused to let her enroll in special school, because Mizuki wants Yuki to live like a normal person. Actually, her teacher gives Yuki the same assignment but with Braille. Maybe I really should pay attention to those little details the next time I write the school part. And she actually uses her hearing sense to cross the street alone. Do you know that in some countries if we want to cross the street, the traffic lights will go off indicating that it is safe to cross the street? So I make Yuki able to cross the street because of that.
And she usually goes to school with Manami, like I had written, so it's safe for her since Manami usually watches over her. And yes, she had been blind since she was born. I think I wrote that part in the second chapter. What do you mean with judge? Do you mean the way she recognizes people? If you are asking about that, then Yuki is able to recognize people from their voice. And blind people are usually very sharp and sensitive to those around them that's why she's able to figure out their feelings. Hmm, it's not hard to feel when someone's looking at you, especially when you are blind; you become more sensitive to those around you so it's easy for her to feel that there is someone who is looking at her. About getting lost, in my story she never gets lost since her family is protective of her.
And it's okay, I'm glad that you aren't afraid to voice your curiosity and questions to me. I have read the manga up until the latest volume I can get in my country, although it's in Japanese. But this story of mine will have some changes in the storyline. That's why not everything in this story will be the same as in the manga or in the anime. Feel free to ask me some questions if you happen to feel confused again, I will try to answer it as best as I can. Thank you for your review~
Disclaimer: I don't own Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru. If I did, I would have made Luka do lots of stuff to Yuki and made Luze belong only to me.
Warning: This contains an OC, so don't read it if you don't like it. This story is beta-ed by Ame no Komoriuta, thank you so much for your help! There will be some changes in the storyline that are unlike the manga and the anime. May contain spoilers. Please read the authoress' note at the bottom of the story because I usually write some important things there about the story.
"..." for memories in Italics
'…' thought in Italics
And "..." present time
-Reunion-
There are so many things I want to say to you
So many words I kept only for you to hear them
But when I'm finally able to see you again,
Why I can't say anything to you?
Why do I find myself unable to say the words I want to say the most to you…?
Manami blinked her eyes rapidly, not believing what she had just heard. These two students came because they wanted to talk to her sister? But for what? Somehow the young girl couldn't help but feel dread washing upon her being. What if they wanted to hurt her sister? The thought of her sister getting hurt terrified her. She didn't want Yuki to get hurt, and even though she was alone against two people, there was no way Manami would let them hurt Yuki.
The young girl stepped in front of Yuki, blocking the older girl from the others' view, eyes glaring threateningly at the high school students across from her and Yuki. Manami didn't know just what it was these people wanted to talk to Yuki about, but if they were here because they wanted to hurt Yuki, the young girl wouldn't hesitate to protect the older teen in an instant. Tsukumo and Touko looked at the young girl in front of them in confusion before their eyes widened at the protective aura which emitted from said girl.
It was clear for them that Manami would protect Yuki if they even tried to harm the blind teen. Somehow, the sight of the protective girl trying to protect Yuki against them made a small smile appear on their faces. It seemed like Yuki was surrounded by those who loved her.
"What do you want to talk about with Yuki-nee?" Manami asked, eyes still glaring at the two strangers.
Suddenly she was enveloped in a bear hug as the young woman named Touko squealed at her. "Waah! You're so cute! You look like a miniature Yuki! Don't worry; we won't hurt your nee-chan!" Touko said enthusiastically, still hugging the young girl who now looked so flabbergasted.
"Touko-chan, you are scaring her." Tsukumo pointed out calmly as he watched the young girl turn a ghostly white.
"Huh? Am I? Ah, I'm sorry! It seems like I'm getting too excited again," Touko said sheepishly once she realized the young girl was shaking in her arms.
Manami could feel her body tremble from the sudden hug as she put her arms around her own body to stop the shaking. She stared back at the older teen in front of her in disbelief; a small frown adorned her face. The feel of her older sister's hand on her shoulder calmed her, though it still didn't stop her from glaring back at those high school students. "Are you okay, Mana-chan?" Yuki asked, voice laced with concern for her little sister.
Manami glanced backwards at her sister, giving the older teen a soft smile as she squeezed Yuki's hand, still on her shoulder. "I'm fine, nee-chan. Come on, I don't think we should listen to them. We're going to be late if we don't go soon," Manami said reassuringly, tugging the older teen's hand in hers.
But before they could walk away from the high school students, Tsukumo had stepped right in front of them, blocking their way to the school. The silver-haired teen looked calmly at Manami, while Yuki felt anxiety wash through her as her little sister stopped again. Manami was still holding Yuki's hand in her as she glared at Tsukumo.
"What do you want? We have to go to school," she said coldly, refusing to leave Yuki in their presence any longer. Somehow their presence stirred an uncomfortable feeling within her.
"We just want to talk with Yuki. We won't hurt her. Will you please let us talk to her?" Tsukumo asked once again, his eyes looking at the young girl across from him with a gentle expression.
He could understand the young girl's desire to protect her older sibling. After all, Tsukumo also felt the same whenever he thought Touko-chan was in danger. That's why seeing the little girl try to defend Yuki like this reminded him of himself. Yuki squeezed Manami's hand, which was still holding her lightly, before she stepped up in front of her little sister, facing the strangers who wanted to talk with her calmly.
"I'm sorry about my sister's behavior, but we'll be late if we don't go now. So, what can I help you with?" Yuki said gently, her voice sounding firm as her unfocused eyes looked at the boy who she sure stood in front of her.
"Yuki-chan… actually, we are your relatives." Touko approached them, her eyes looking at the blind teen gently.
"My relatives? I never knew that we had any relatives, right Mana-chan?" Yuki tilted her head to the side, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"No. Kaa-chan never said anything about it to us. As far as I know, we don't have any relatives. Are you trying to trick us?" Manami narrowed her eyes in suspicion, feeling her anxieties rise once again.
"But we—"
Manami never gave them the chance to finish their words, as she immediately dragged her sister out of there while pushing Tsukumo to the side so that they could pass him. The silver-haired teen said nothing at the treatment, knowing that it wouldn't be good for them to push Yuki and her little sister any further now. That's why he let himself be pushed aside, and his eyes watched their forms disappear from sight.
"Tsukumo…" Touko muttered, feeling dejected at what had just happened.
The long-haired teen had thought that they would finally be able to tell Yuki the truth, now that they had found her, but it seemed like once again they had to wait until the blind teen came to them on her own. Still, it didn't mean she would like it, since she was really worried about Yuki, especially now after she found out about her current predicament.
"We have to wait, Touko-chan. It does no good if we pressure her to go with us. Besides, I don't think her sister will let her go with us either." Tsukumo patted Touko's head gently.
"I still hope we don't have to wait long for her. It's just… I'm so worried about her when she doesn't have any protection against those creatures," Toko sighed, her eyes looking down to the ground in disappointment.
Mizuki served the tea to her guests silently. She was still surprised to see Takashiro and her little sister standing before her house, since she was sure she had erased all the traces of her disappearance. But it seemed like, once again, she just could escape from his grasp. She sighed inwardly at the thought of going back to Giou's household. No matter how nice and comfortable she was in there, she wouldn't go back there again. Because she couldn't get the freedom she wanted there.
The wavy-haired woman sat at the table, hands crossed in front of her chest as she let herself lean on the table slightly. She knew it would take a lot of energy just to talk to Takashiro. That man could be very difficult and demanding sometimes. She couldn't help but wonder how Ibuki could survive around him.
"So what brings the two of you here?" Mizuki asked after some moments, her eyes locked on the man across from her.
"First of all, you never told us the reason you disappeared from the main house all of sudden, Mizuki." Takashiro replied, sipping his tea lightly.
"I wanted to get out of the main house. I don't like being caged in there." She frowned, eyes looking solemnly at the Head of the Giou Clan.
"But nee-san, we don't—"
Takashiro raised his hand to cut off Ibuki's sentence as he averted his gaze from Mizuki towards Ibuki. He shook his head lightly at his secretary before he looked back at Mizuki. He could understand her reason for wanting to get out of the main house, but still it didn't excuse the fact that she disappeared without any warning, which caused everyone to worry about her disappearance.
"You still have to tell me or the others if you want to leave the main house, Mizuki. Don't you know that everyone is so worried about your disappearance?"
"That was exactly the reason why I never told anyone about my decision to leave the main house, Takashiro. Because I don't want any of you to get involved in my life anymore. Why can't you just leave me alone?"
Takashiro's eyes glinted hard at what the woman had just said. She wanted him to leave her alone? There was no way he could do that! She was a part of his family. Regardless of her decision to leave said family, she still a part of it. Besides, her daughter was the one who could help him in this war. There was no way he could leave her alone even if he wanted to.
"You know as well as I that I can't do that, Mizuki. You are a part of the family whether you like it or not. Besides, as much as I want to respect your choice, I just can't leave you alone now. Not after I found out that you are Yuki's mother. Surely, you know your important role in this war." Takashiro interlaced his fingers in front of his face, eyes looking solemnly at the woman across from him.
Mizuki said nothing at those words, knowing full well that she couldn't deny what he had just said. It was true that she had no other choice except to do what he said, but still she didn't want to go back, not when she was finally able to taste the freedom she had always dreamed of. After all, she didn't want her children to feel the same thing she had felt when she stayed at the main house.
She knew how hard it was to stay at the main house, when not everyone in that house was fond of you. And knowing Yuki, there was no doubt in her mind that her blind daughter would feel the same thing as she felt if Takashiro took her to the main house. It's not like everyone in that house was very fond of Yuki either, and if they found out that Yuki was blind, who knew what they would do to her daughter.
"I still don't think that I want to return there again. I feel more at ease here even though my house is nothing compared to the main house, but I feel safest here. And I don't think my children want to leave this house either," Mizuki said after some moments of silence between them.
"But it's not your decision to make, Mizuki. You do know that if Yuki agreed to it, there is nothing you can do to make her change her decision, since she has her own role to fulfill." Takashiro frowned, his eyes no longer holding the warmth she saw in them some moments ago.
"If it is her choice, then I won't say anything about it. But if she says otherwise, I want you to leave her alone, Takashiro. I don't care about the war between you and him. It's been decades since that war first started and I've been so tired of it. I don't want you to drag Yuki into something that she doesn't want to take part in. It's been hard for her to endure the same thing over and over again every time she's reincarnated. I don't want her to feel that again if she has a choice," the wavy-haired brunette said solemnly, her eyes hardening as she uttered those words to Takashiro.
She knew that the man would try to convince Yuki to accept his offer, but if the blind teen had a choice, Mizuki didn't want to force her into something that Yuki will regret later. That's why she would defend the young woman if Takashiro was trying to force her into the war. Even though she didn't have any power like Takashiro's, Mizuki would make sure that no one hurt her children.
"Nee-san, you…" Ibuki looked at her older sister sadly, feeling her heart swell with pride of the protectiveness the older woman showed for her children.
It seemed like her older sister hadn't changed at all. Ibuki could see that Mizuki was still the same one she had known since they were children. Her older sister was still protective over those that she loved. There was no doubt in Ibuki's mind that her sister would try with all her might to protect her children, even if it meant Mizuki had to go against Takashiro and the rest of the Giou family to do it.
Though the secretary couldn't help but feel a bit sad that she wasn't there when her sister decided to leave the main house. If she had been there, she could go with the older woman, so that Mizuki wouldn't be alone facing Takashiro now. Instead, Ibuki chose to help the man in this war while trying to find out where Mizuki was. If possible, Takashiro's mood seemed to darken, though he said nothing about it.
His eyes swept over the room, looking around the house which Mizuki had occupied for some years now. It wasn't until his eyes caught the photo on the book shelf did he freeze. He stood up from his seat on the sofa, approaching said frame slowly. His hand took the frame from its place as his eyes widened in recognition of the person in the photo.
"Mizuki, how many children do you have?" he asked, voice tight with emotions he tried to keep within his heart.
"Why of all sudden?" Mizuki asked in confusion, eyes looking at the long-haired man curiously.
"Do you have a son?" Takashiro asked once again, ignoring Mizuki's question even though she hadn't answered his earlier question.
"Yes, I do. What is it? Something wrong?"
"This man. Is he your son?" Takashiro asked, his finger pointed at the person in the photo.
"He is. His name is Kanata. What is it? What do you want with him?" Mizuki nodded in affirmation before her eyes narrowed in suspicion at Takashiro's intentions.
"No. It's nothing. Is he your biological son? He doesn't look like you. Perhaps he looks like his father?" Takashiro continued, his voice laced with curiosity and another emotion Mizuki couldn't understand.
Mizuki stood up from her seat and approached Takashiro, her delicate hand taking the frame out of his grasp as she looked at the person in the photo fondly. "He isn't. I adopted him when he was ten years old. He looks nothing like Hajime but his protectiveness over his sisters and me was the same as Hajime."
"I see. How about your youngest daughter? Manami isn't it?"
"What about her?" Mizuki frowned, disliking the fact that Takashiro was trying to find out about her family like this.
"Is she adopted too?"
"No. She is my biological daughter. I had her two years after Yuki was born. Listen Takashiro, if you are trying to drag her into this whole mess then—"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't get involved… if I can stop it," he said dismissively, though the last part was come out in a whisper. Fortunately, Mizuki didn't hear.
When Yuki and Manami finally arrived home after school, they could feel the tense atmosphere that surrounded their house. The fact that their mother was alone at the moment doesn't help ease their uneasiness as Yuki quickly searched for her mother around the room. She found the older woman in the backyard garden from the sound of shuffling paper.
"Okaa-san?" she called out for her mother tentatively, not sure if she wanted to disturb her.
"Ah, Yuki. You're home? Where's your imouto?" Mizuki glanced behind her as she smiled at the sight of her oldest daughter.
"Mana-chan is in her room. I think the meeting exhausted her, she's probably falling asleep right now."
"Is that so? I have to tell her to stop staying up late then. How's school going, anyway? Everything fine?" Mizuki asked, her hand stroking her daughter's hair softly once Yuki had taken a seat beside her.
Yuki leaned her head onto her mother's shoulder, letting herself be lulled by her mother's soft voice. She had been so tired all day with all the things that had happened at school, not to mention her morning events with those high school students. The only thing she wanted right then was to sleep while her mother sang her the lullaby she used to sing for her and her siblings when they were children.
"It's hectic. I barely had a chance to take a rest at lunch break. And Uzuki-kun was still avoiding me even though I tried to speak with him," Yuki murmured softly.
"I see. I guess you have to have some rest too later. Just give him time, Yuki. It's not easy for him to face you again after his feelings were rejected. I'm sure he will come along when he's ready."
"Hmm. Okaa-san…do we have any relatives?" Yuki asked slowly after some moments of silent.
Mizuki's hand froze in its stroking motion on Yuki's hair as her eyes widened slightly at the sudden question. She didn't know what it was that had brought this particular topic up of all sudden, since none of her children had ever asked about it before. But for Yuki to bring up something like this of all sudden, something must have triggered it.
"What's with the sudden question? You never asked this before," Mizuki replied after some moments, trying to calm her suddenly quickly-beating heart.
"Well, two high school students who probably are the same age as me approached me and Mana-chan this morning. And they said something about being our relatives, so I just thought that maybe you know something about it. But okaa-san, you never talk about your family," Yuki explained, before she pointed out Mizuki's closed off behavior.
Mizuki knew that she could always lie to her children about her not having any family or relatives if she wanted, but she didn't want to lie to them. She didn't want them to live in ignorance regardless how safe it was for them to continue live in blissful ignorance. No. She couldn't let them to live that kind of life anymore, not when Takashiro had finally found them.
Who knew what kind of lies the man would say to her children if they finally met later? That's why, as long as she lived, Mizuki wanted to tell the truth to her children even though she couldn't tell them everything.
"I have two siblings, little sisters actually. I'm the oldest one in my family," she said quietly.
"I have two aunts? Where do they live? Could we visit them someday?" Yuki asked, Mizuki could hear the enthusiastic tone in her voice.
Mizuki couldn't help but chuckle at the tone in her oldest daughter's voice. It was rare to hear Yuki so enthusiastic like that, since being blind made Yuki mature faster than any child her age. That's why hearing Yuki sounds so eager over a trivial thing like this always made Mizuki happy. Even if it meant she had to take Yuki to the main house to visit Ibuki and Tsubaki, then she would do it. She just hoped they wouldn't refuse to let them go once they had visited them.
"Okaa-san…" Yuki called out once again.
"Hmm? What is it?" Mizuki looked down at her daughter in curiosity.
"I met this man a few days ago. He saved me from a car crash. I—… I don't know much about him but when we talked with each other, I felt like I've known him for a long time. Talking with him made me felt at ease and comfortable. But I've never met him before, so how could I feel something like that towards a stranger…?" The blind teen asked aloud, her brows furrowed in deep confusion.
Mizuki could hear the hints of anxiety in her daughter's voice when she talked about this man. It seemed like she was so confused over what she was feeling for this man even though they had just met with each other. But to hear that Yuki was so close to endangering herself a few days ago without even telling Mizuki about it made her frown.
"You have to tell me if something like that happens, Yuki. Why didn't you tell me that you nearly got into a car crash a few days ago?" Mizuki scolded her daughter.
"I just didn't want you to get worried over it…" Yuki muttered apologetically.
"You still have to tell me if something like that happens. It will make me worry, but I need to know if something happens to you. Besides, you are my daughter, so it's my job to worry about you." Mizuki sighed in exasperation at Yuki's behavior.
Her oldest daughter had a tendency to hide her problems in order to not make anyone she loved worry. It annoyed Mizuki that she didn't even tell her about something like this. Especially when it was Mizuki's duties to care for her. "And about that feeling of yours…could it be that you are falling for this man, whoever he is? Because sometimes we just feel something like that when we are in the presence of those we love. But if you are still unsure of whether or not you are falling for him, it could be that you are interested in him, whether out of friendship or something else." Mizuki continued.
Yuki fell silent as she listened to her mother's answer. She didn't know which one it was that reflected her feelings for that man, but whatever it was, she was sure that it wasn't just a mere friendship. What she was feeling for that man was something deeper. She just hoped she could see him again to find out more about her feelings towards him.
Little did she know that the next time she would meet with Luka again was the first time she would meet with Takashiro. The older man had waited for her and her sister along the way which they usually took to walk to the school. The long-haired man was looking at them, or more precisely at Yuki, with a certain look on his face which made Manami feels uneasy around him. She was wondering if the man was trying to kidnap her sister when suddenly an older woman who looked like their mother stepped out beside the man.
"Good morning, Yuki. Manami." the man greeted, a smile on his face.
"Who are you?" Manami blurted out, her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the older man.
"My name is Takashiro. Giou Takashiro. And this is my secretary, Shikibe Ibuki; your mother's sister," Takashiro introduced.
"Okaa-san's sister?" Yuki asked hesitantly.
Somehow the blind teen couldn't help but feel uneasy, as if there was something malicious about them. It was only when Manami looked up at the creature in the tree did Yuki realized what it was that had bothered her. The strange creature which had eyed the both of them for quite some time attacked them. Before Manami could comprehend it, she had stepped up right in front of her sister, at whom the creature had aimed instinctively.
She would protect Yuki even though it meant that she would be the one who got hurt in Yuki's place. The middle school girl closed her eyes tightly for the pain that surely would come over her, but nothing came to her. Opening her eyes slowly, she could see the high school students who had bothered her and Yuki some days ago standing right in front of her and her sister, defending them.
The creature was wiped out instantly the moment Luka showed up in front of them. But Manami, who had been feeling uneasy the moment that strange creature had attacked her and her sister, immediately stood up in front of Yuki, as though trying to defend her from these people. She didn't understand what had just happened but she knew for sure that these people were involved in it.
"Don't get close!" Manami yelled threateningly, eyes glaring daggers at the raven-haired man who had just appeared right in front of her older sister when she had been in danger of getting hurt by the now-dead creature.
"Mana-chan…"
"It's okay, Yuki-nee. I will protect you!" Manami said determinedly.
"Ah, you really are as protective of Yuki as I have heard," Takashiro said, his eyes looking at the middle school girl in amusement.
"I don't care who you are but don't get close to Yuki-nee! What do you want? Why are you so adamant on taking Yuki-nee?" Manami glared, still refusing to move away from Yuki.
"You really are cute, Manami-chan. Don't worry, I won't hurt your precious sister. I just want to talk to her and take her back to the place where she belongs," Takashiro chuckled at the young girl across from him.
"Don't call me that! And where do you think you are going to take nee-chan? Her place is here with her family," the shoulder-length-haired girl growled.
"You do understand what we just told you, right? I'm sure you know that Yuki's place isn't with you and her family anymore, not after what just happened."
"So what? I don't care if that creature is going to attack Yuki-nee again, I refuse to let Yuki-nee go with you!"
"Such stubbornness. I wonder if you got that trait from your father… But it's not your choice to decide, is it? It's Yuki's." Takashiro frowned, eyes looking solemnly at Manami.
Manami glanced behind her towards her sister, who was still trying to take in all the information they had just told her. She could see the shock and fear on her sister's face. Manami knew that Yuki wasn't afraid of what would happen to her, but the older teen must have been worried about those people around her who unfortunately would get involved in this mess if she refused to go with them.
But even though Manami knew that Yuki would eventually choose to go in order to protect the people she loved, Manami refused to accept it. She wouldn't agree with it, regardless of what her sister's decision would be later. Yuki and her family were precious to Manami. That's why she wouldn't let anyone hurt them. Even if those people was her mother's relatives, Manami refused to let them tear her family apart.
"Mana-chan…." Yuki's gentle voice snapped the middle school girl out of her daze as she turned to look at her sister.
"Yuki-nee…?"
"Mana-chan, it's okay. Don't worry, I won't leave you," Yuki said reassuringly as she took the young girl's hand in hers.
She squeezed the girl's hand tightly as if trying to tell Manami that she would stay with the young girl. Yuki could feel it; the anxiety and fear that had emitted from Manami the moment the young girl heard that Takashiro was planning to take Yuki away. The wavy-haired teen understood her little sister's feelings, knowing that the young girl was afraid that she would leave her alone.
After all, Yuki was the closest person to Manami, after their mother, as they were the only family the middle school girl had left. When Kanata was adopted into their family, it had taken some weeks for Manami to get used to his presence. Even at that time, sometimes the young girl was still reluctant on sharing Yuki with Kanata. But now, Manami was close to Kanata too, since the older male had a tendency to spoil her. Still, Yuki was the closest person to Manami.
After feeling her sister calm down, Yuki turned her eyes to where she was sure the others were. She knew the consequences of the choice she made, but she didn't regret it, knowing that this was where she belonged, regardless of the obstacles that would come because of her choice.
"Umm…I can't go with everyone. I'll stay here. As long as the people here need me…regardless of what it is, I want to be able to help them. To be there for them," Yuki said slowly.
"But …your power...what are you going to do about your power?" Touko asked, eyes looking worriedly at the blind teen.
"Well…I think, I'll be able to figure out something on my own. Besides, I have managed to do it until now," Yuki smiled.
Takashiro looked at the blind girl in front of him solemnly, a thoughtful look on his face. He didn't expect Yuki to refuse him like this, not when he knew her nature was to protect everyone around her. That was why getting rejected like this by the blind teen surprised him. Though when he thought about it again, he should have expected it. After all, Yuki always held those people close to her dear, so surely the wavy-haired teen would choose her family over Takashiro's offer. Still, there was something that he should tell Yuki about her family. Something that Yuki had to know.
"I see. But Yuki, I think you have to stay away from your brother. He isn't good for you and it's dangerous for you to get close with him. Besides, he isn't really your brother, is he?" Takashiro said after some moments of silence.
"What do you mean that I have to stay away from nii-sama? He is my brother regardless of whom he really is. Besides, I don't think I could stay away from my family. I'm sorry, Takashiro-san but I don't think I can go with you," Yuki said apologetically, her body trembling from the amount of emotions she felt within her.
"Even if you could stay with Luka if you go with us?" Takashiro asked, his eyes watching the high school girl across him curiously.
"Luka?" Yuki asked in confusion.
"Luka, the man who saved you from a car crash a few days ago. So, are you going to come with us?"
Yuki could feel her heart freeze at the question. She wanted to be close to that man again. After all, Luka was someone she'd grown close to, despite their brief meeting. And although she didn't understand it, her heart was also longing for his presence. But she couldn't leave them. She couldn't leave her family behind. She didn't know what to choose.
'What should I do? I don't want to leave Manami and the others but Luka…I—…I want to stay close with him…'
Manami could feel the confusion her sister was feeling at that moment. Even though she didn't know what the raven-haired man's presence meant for Yuki, she knew for certain that the man was someone precious to Yuki. But she didn't want Yuki to leave her. She didn't want Yuki to go with Takashiro and the others. 'If just I could help Yuki-nee…' she thought silently.
Before any of them could reply, Luka had stepped right in front of Yuki. His body covered the blind teen's form from Takashiro and the Murasame siblings' sight as he looked at them coldly.
"For now, why not just let her be?" Luka asked, silver eyes looking at Takashiro. The moment those words came out of him, all attention shifted to him. Even Manami was looking at the man called Luka incredulously.
"That's not possible. Without Yuki, Touko and the other Zweilt Guardians can't fight-…If we don't fight, then eventually this world will meet its demise," Takashiro said seriously.
Luka gritted his teeth at the words Takashiro said as he turned away from the other man. His silver eyes looked at the blind girl behind him softly as his hand caressed Yuki's face gently. "You aren't hurt, are you?" he asked softly.
"Uhm…I—…I'm fine. Thank you for saving me again," Yuki stammered, feeling the heat rising up to her cheeks at the feel of his hand.
"I'm glad."
"But you—…Are you okay? Are you hurt again?" Yuki asked, feeling worried at the possibility of the raven-haired man getting hurt again while saving her.
"It's okay. I'm fine," Luka said reassuringly.
"That's good. I—…" Yuki sighed in relief, but before she could finish off her sentence, Luka had placed his finger on her lips, stopping her completely as Yuki immediately blushed from the contact.
"I will stay with you. Regardless of what your choice is going to be, I will stay with you. So don't worry, I won't leave you," Luka said solemnly as he gazed at Yuki softly.
Yuki could feel it: the warmth that emitted from the words Luka said to her. Those words he said to her meant something to her, and she felt her heart swell up with happiness. She still didn't know if what she felt for him was love or something else, but Yuki was sure that she would find out about it as long as he stayed there for her.
Manami watched her sister interacting with the raven-haired man silently. Somehow the sight of them together made something within her heart stir. It was like there was something that was sleeping inside her heart, even though Manami didn't understand what it is. It was a strange feeling, like longing, something which Manami couldn't understand. Why she should feel longing for something like that?
"Are you sure you're not going to regret it later?" she asked, her hazel eyes looking back at the General Opast behind her sadly.
The sudden voice echoed in her mind and her head started to spin. Manami could feel a pain in her head as the voice continued echoing.
"As long as you keep your promise, I won't regret it," he said firmly, his silver eyes looking solemnly at her.
"Are you going to stay with me through all of this then?" she asked once again, a wistful smile on her face as she looked at him.
"I'm going to stay with you regardless of what your choice is going to be. I will be there with you,"
Manami blinked her eyes rapidly as the pain in her head slowly faded away. She had no idea just what it was that she had seen, but the middle school girl could tell that it was some sort of memory, even though she wasn't sure just whose memory it was. She didn't recognize the people she had just seen, and although the older woman looked like her, Manami wasn't sure if it was her.
'What was that…? Those images…was that me…? But who was that person…? He looked like Luka-san but it wasn't Luka-san… then who…?'
Manami frowned at the thought of the man she had just seen in her head. Whoever that man was, she was sure that she would find out more about him if she could meet with him. Besides, she could always try and ask Luka-san about it later when they were alone. What was important now was for her to take care of her sister. Yuki was far more important than a stranger she had just seen in her head. That's why she would protect her older sister with everything she had.
Authoress' Note: I'm sorry for the very late update. I've just been so busy with my life, I haven't had time to write. Anyway, I'm not sure when I will be able to update this story again because I will be pretty busy with my life this year, so maybe I will try to update it when I have time. Don't worry, I will make sure to tell you if I decided to put this story in temporary HIATUS. So, the next chapter will come a little longer than this one I guess. This story is beta-ed by Ame no Komoriuta. Thank you for your help on betaing my story, I really appreciate it.
Anyway, this chapter is pretty much focused on Yuki's relationship with her family, and also a little bit of Manami in the last part, since I wanted to write a bit about her. Though I think the last part will make you start questioning Manami's real identity, and what's with the sudden memories she just got. So yeah, that was the mystery about her that I wanted to put. I tried my best to make sure that the characters aren't OOC. But do forgive me if I happen to do it unconsciously.
Lastly, please give me your reviews. It'll help me a lot to improve and to know what you think about this story. There are a lot of people who put this story in their alert list but they refused to give me a review for it. I don't want to force any of you to give me a review, but it will be helpful if you want to tell me what you think of this story. I mean, I won't know what you think about this story of mine if you don't tell me about it. So please if you don't mind, please give me a review so I could know what you are thinking of this story. Because I don't know if my story is well-liked or not from the amount of reviews it gets. That's why if I just get a few reviews, I will think that my story is not well-liked and maybe I just have to stop writing it. And do remember that I'm not threatening you on stopping the story, I just hope you could understand that every writer needs feedback to know if their stories are well-liked or not. And no flames please because I'm still an amateur and I know I have a long way to improve.
Next Chapter: Scarlet
"You are—…" Shuusei gasped as his eyes widened at the sight of the older man in front of him.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," Kanata said apologetically, a small smile adorning his serene face.
"I—"
The sudden ring from the raven-haired man's pocket cut off Shuusei's words as Kanata fished his cell phone out. The older man answered the phone warmly before his face suddenly lit up once the person on the other line said something to him. It was obvious for Shuusei that whoever it was, that person was important for the raven-haired man, as his expression was gentle while they were talking.
But what surprised him the most was the next words that the raven-haired man said. "I will see you there then, Yuki," Kanata said gently before he ended the conversation.
'No. It can't be…There is no way this man in front of me knows Yuki, right…?' Shuusei thought in disbelief.
