The next few days were some of the hardest in my life. Stares. So many stares. Accusation, anger, sadness. So many emotions in the stares. Do you know who gave me them? My mother. Dread filled my body at the thought. My mother thought I tried to kill him. Takashi. My almost brother. My role model.
After three days, I couldn't take it anymore. I hadn't attended school, afraid, and I hadn't really left my room, either. My mother always seemed to be around the corner, watching me. I never thought I'd be afraid of the one person I thought I could trust. I never thought I'd be alone.
Packing my bag was the easy part. Trying to gather the strength to leave my room was the hard part. I felt my heart being gripped and it took me a few seconds to realize it was my hand that was grabbing onto my shirt. I let go and took a deep breath. Straightening to my full height ( not that it was very tall ), I tried to look strong. By the time I had snuck out of my room and down the stairs, I had dropped the charade.
The stairs squeaked as I descended and I sighed when I was finally on the lower level. My mother had not appeared. I don't think I could go through it if she showed up. Arriving at the door to the living room, I found out why she hadn't showed. She lay on the couch, curled up in a ball, tear stains on her cheeks. I almost turned around right there and went back up the stairs, but the pull of actually getting away gripped me again. It wasn't my hand this time.
Stepping outside was even harder than leaving my room, but the second I was outside I felt a heavy weight being lifted from my shoulders. I took a deep breath of the night air. The cold night air bit at my cheeks and made me cough lightly, but I didn't care. I was finally free. I closed the door lightly behind me and started off on my way down the road.
It wasn't till about an hour of walking and resting five times that I realized I had no idea where to go. I sat on a bench, the street was empty and the only light was the street light above my head. My ears drooped and the sadness started to sink it. Not wanting to sulk, I pulled myself back up on aching legs and looked around myself to try and find a place to stay. It hadn't occurred to me that I'd end up homeless….
'Good going Yayoi. You're such an idiot. Who doesn't think about that?!' My conscience screamed at me and I ignored it, hoping my mood wouldn't get much worse.
I saw a building that looked slightly familiar and walked toward it. Doing this was, of course, absurd because half of the buildings looked exactly alike, but it's not like I had much of a choice. The sign on the side of the building was familiar as well. I practically ran toward the board, more excited than ever that I might have found a place I remembered. Reaching the sign, I read the bold letters.
My ears raised and my tail wagged as I realized I had reached none other than Soubi's apartment complex.
Walking up the stairs was harder than trying to walk out of my house. My heart beat harder and harder in my chest. It felt like it was trying to jump into my throat and choke me (although it was doing a fine job of it where it was). Trying to force myself calm (I didn't want to have to use my inhaler), I took deep breaths.
What was I supposed to say to him?! 'Oh, hi! You remember me, don't you? I'm Ritsuka's friend, Yayoi. I just wanted to ask you if you minded I stay here for a while. Even though I know you have two people already taking up your bed (information leaked by Ritsuka) and that I'm underage and that you could be arrested even by opening you door to me.' Yeah, that'll go well.
I had no choice. I was already standing in front of his door. I took a few more breaths, trying to work up some courage, when the door suddenly swung open. I squeaked as light suddenly filled my vision and I stumbled backward as a body practically slammed into mine. I let out a yell as my back hit the railing of the stairs and yelped again as another body slammed into mine again.
The shock of falling on a hard bar wasn't anything compared to the sight of the blond beauty that fell onto me.