A/N: OMG KT! I just had to mention you again because you're SO incredible!! You really truly are. I'm so glad that you can understand the method behind my madness. You interpret things very well I must say, things that I didn't think anyone would notice, you did, makes me happy (HUGS). Oh and another thank you to Akane Naomi for pointing out my silly mistake in the last chapter. For the sake of the story right now, Yuzuyu's teachers will call her by Katakura instead of Sakashita, which is her last name. I had forgotten that that was her last name. But she's living with the Katakura's so, might as well call her Katakura. Anyway this was a long a/n I'm sorry. Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
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Yuzuyu woke up in a daze after her alarm rang. She couldn't remember what time she went to sleep; she talked with her aunt for quite some time the night before. She rubbed her eyes and then blinked a couple times. She was about to get up when she realized Shouta never called her last night. How weird, Shouta would never miss out on a phone call with her. She thought for a moment; Why didn't he call me? Then again he was probably dead tired after his shower and everything that he just fell asleep. That had to be the reason. She stood up and went to the bathroom to start her day.
Oxoxoxoxoxoxo
Yuzuyu met Shouta at the entrance with a smile. Thank goodness for Fridays because everyone seems to mellow out for the day and not work as hard as usual.
"Good morning Shouta. Did you sleep well yesterday?" She asked. Though she still wondered why he didn't call her. She wasn't going to say anything about it.
"Morning Yuzu, I slept well, I fell asleep as soon as I finished my dinner. Sorry for not calling you like I said I would." Shouta looked at her with apologetic eyes.
"Its ok Shouta, I knew you'd be tired. No need to apologize." She smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks." He pulled Yuzuyu in for a hug. It wasn't just any old hug though. It seemed like he didn't want to let her go. What on earth is going on?
"Shouta?"
"Sorry, haha." He laughed weakly but let her go. Marika and Ken raised an eyebrow at each other. Shouta's weird behavior was starting to worry them even more than it did yesterday. Now he couldn't even fake it. There was something wrong and it was obvious.
"Shouta what's wrong?" Yuzuyu asked with more concern than she meant to show. She didn't want to make a big deal out of anything if it was something small.
"Nothing. I'm fine." He gave her a smile.
"But--" The bell rang for them to start school and Shouta started walking inside. Yuzuyu, Marika, and Ken still stood at the gates.
"Come on Yuzu." Marika grabbed Yuzu's hand gently and started walking inside as well.
Oxoxoxoxoxoxo
A week had gone by with Shouta still not acting like himself. Unfortunately he refused more and more to talk to anyone about what was bothering him, and nobody wanted to make any impulsive moves because they didn't know how serious the problem was. Yuzuyu was still going to his practices like everything was fine but she became more and more worried. After his practice he walked Yuzuyu to her front porch as always.
"See you tomorrow Yuzu." Shouta gave her the normal peck on the lips and headed home.
"Sleep well Shouta." She replied back. It was hard for her to say 'bye' now. He never looks like he gets enough sleep so the only thing she could think to say is 'sleep well'.
She walked inside her house feeling like a horrible girlfriend. She couldn't figure her boyfriend out, she couldn't make him smile anymore; she couldn't fix whatever problem it was he had because he won't tell her anything. She didn't know what to do. When would he tell her what's wrong?
Oxoxoxoxoxoxo
Shouta stopped at his front door when he heard his mother yelling. She sounded like she was in pain or something so Shouta went inside without a second thought. In the back of his mind though, he knew he shouldn't have even walked inside the house.
"Calm down! Please!" Shouta's dad said pleadingly.
"I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING! YOU DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT ME ANYMORE!!"
"I do! I really do! I know it seems like I'm trying to stay away but I'm not! I really am working late everyday! I swear!"
"LIAR!!" Shouta's mom yelled. His dad couldn't take it anymore. He walked past Shouta and out the door. Shouta dropped his book bag and walked slowly toward his mother.
"Mom, what happened?" He asked softly.
"GET OUT! YOU WORTHLESS BOY!! YOU'RE GOING TO GROW UP JUST LIKE THAT MAN!!"
"But mom…I love you, dad loves you too, why are you acting this way?"
"LIES!! NEITHER ONE OF YOU EVER CARED ABOUT ME!! EVER!" Shouta's mother couldn't stop crying let alone yelling.
"But we do! Something's wrong, I know it, why don't you talk to dad…or me?"
"BECAUSE YOU DON'T CARE AND YOU NEVER DID AND YOU NEVER WILL!! LEAVE!! JUST LIKE HE DID!!" She picked up a flower vase without thinking and threw it at the wall where Shouta was standing. Shouta's eyes widened as water from inside the shattered vase splashed on to his face. His eyes began to water; it was like his mom had reverted back to the woman she was when he was five.
"M-mom…"
"GET OUT! YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN!!" His mother fell to her knees and a tear fell from Shouta's eye.
It was his fault.
He wasn't a good son.
He was the cause of his mother being so miserable.
He really should have never been born…
Oxoxoxoxoxoxo
Yuzuyu sat up instantly. What was this feeling she had. It was horrible, like someone had kicked her in her stomach over and over and over again. Something was wrong. She flinched when she heard something hit her window. It sounded like a small rock or something light. She jumped up and ran to it. She looked outside and it was raining, then she looked down and saw Shouta looking up at her with sad eyes. Yuzuyu couldn't tell if that was rain that covered his face or tears. She jumped out of her bed and onto the floor, her gut had warned her that something was wrong but she didn't think that it would be about Shouta.
She ran to her door but then realized, she couldn't wake anyone up or it would mean trouble. She tiptoed quickly down the stairs and opened the door. She went out in her slippers and called to Shouta because she didn't see him. Yuzuyu could have sworn he was at her window though.
"Yuzuyu…" Shouta walked around the side of the house to the front. He walked on to the porch slowly dripping from the rain and Yuzuyu's eyes widened.
"Sh-Shouta what are doing out in the rain with no umbrella? You're soaked. What ha--" Shouta pulled Yuzuyu into a tight hug. He leaned his head onto her shoulder.
"Shouta?" Yuzuyu said softly.
"She told me I should have never been born…" Yuzuyu's eyes widened. Who on earth would say that him?
"Who told you?"
"It's my fault she's so miserable…she…hates me…"
"Who?" She asked even softer. Yuzuyu stroked Shouta's hair gently. As Yuzuyu held Shouta his body shivered; he was so cold, if he stayed outside any longer he would get sick.
"Shouta come on let's go inside." Yuzuyu said trying to gently push him away so she could see his face. He held her for a few moments longer and said ok. Yuzuyu turned around making sure to hold his hand as they went inside. They took off their shoes and went back upstairs to her room. They walked inside and Yuzuyu closed her door. She walked over to her bed and made Shouta sit down. She looked at his lifeless eyes and her heart began to ache.
"I'll be right back ok. I'm going to get you a towel. Take off your shirt before you get sick." Yuzuyu said softly. She had never seen Shouta looking so weak before. It was like the Shouta she had fallen for was gone. She had to get him back; she had to fix this. She walked out of the room quietly and got a towel for Shouta. She hurried back into her room and closed the door. She put the towel over Shouta's head and moved it around so she could get the water out of his head. Shouta looked down at the floor and let Yuzuyu massage his head dry.
"Shouta, I'm so worried about you." Yuzuyu bent down on her knees so she could be closer to Shouta's face. If he wasn't happy than neither was she. Shouta grabbed both of Yuzuyu's arms and brought one hand to his face. Yuzuyu cupped his face in her hand tenderly and he leaned in to her touch. He took that hand and kissed it.
"I'm sorry Yuzuyu." Shouta said in a low tone. The towel slid off his silky hair and down to his neck. He lifted his head slowly to meet Yuzuyu's eyes.
"Shouta…You are my world. If there's something wrong you can tell me. It doesn't matter what it is. I promise I'll be there for you." Shouta pulled Yuzuyu up and on to his lap. He held her tight for a moment and Yuzuyu stroked his hair softly yet again. It was the most comforting thing that Shouta had ever felt. He actually felt like nothing could hurt him. Shouta inhaled slowly and exhaled, his eyes were closed and he clung to Yuzuyu.
"Shouta. Talk to me." Yuzuyu said as she ran her fingers through his soft brunette hair. There was silence for a while until Shouta began to speak.
"Ever since I was little my mom has always had a problem. I don't know what it is or why but it makes her very unstable mentally. She's very insecure and if you don't tell her you love her constantly than she'll start to think you don't." Shouta paused for a minute to enjoy Yuzuyu stroking his hair.
"As I got older my mom didn't get any better. She'll sometimes ignore my dad's and my presence completely or she'll yell at us for messing up the smallest things. She acts like she doesn't love us and I can't stand it. But I've been thinking lately that she really hates me Yuzu. She threw a vase near the wall I was standing and told me I should have never been born…is it my fault she's like this?" Yuzuyu kissed him on his head and rested her cheek on it. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to storm over to Shouta's house and smack his mother for making her son feel like he should have never been born but violence solves nothing. Her first goal was to make him feel better. They were going to conquer this problem one step at a time. She was going to wait a bit longer before she bothered to talk because she didn't think Shouta was done.
"She thinks my dad is cheating on her. He hasn't told her he loves her in a while and its just driving her more insane."
"Do you think your dad is cheating?" She asked.
"No. He loves my mom more than anything else in this world, he just has a problem showing it and my mom's mood swings don't help much, they don't communicate well at all with each other." Shouta looked up at Yuzuyu. "For a while I was starting to feel like I was turning into my dad with the way I kept things locked up. But my mom is worried about how much he loves her because of it. I didn't want you to start thinking I didn't care about you anymore. I won't act like this ever again, I promise." Shouta hugged Yuzuyu tightly once again.
"Shouta. You don't have to promise me anything. You were worried about your mom and you didn't think that there was anyone who could possibly understand. My family doesn't really fight with each other and neither does Marika or Ken's. You thought that we were perfectly happy and that if you told us about your problems you would be messing up our happiness." Shouta listened quietly as Yuzuyu saw straight through him. Everything was beginning to make sense to Yuzuyu now, why Shouta would always lie and say he was ok when he obviously was not, why he still tried to smile for everyone even though he really wanted to cry.
"You were wrong though. Everything isn't perfect for us. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think why my dad had to pass away. My mom felt like she didn't have the strength to take care of me anymore so she dropped me off here. For a long time I thought she abandoned me. Ken's mom and dad fought a WHOLE lot when he was younger as well. They would fist fight right in front of him. They're just starting to make things right again after about six years. And Marika's dad is over seas, she has to treasure the moments her father comes and when he leaves again, her mom feels lonely so she has to do everything in her power to make sure her mom stays happy." Yuzuyu looked into Shouta's eyes.
"There are always going to be bumps in life, but we all have each other to depend on to make things just a tiny bit easier. If you know you have a shoulder to cry on when you need it, then you won't have to feel like you carry the world on your shoulders." Tears began to fall from Shouta's eyes. He felt stupid for not telling them what was wrong. He probably wouldn't have felt as miserable as he did. He looked away from Yuzuyu's brown eyes, there was no way he could let her see him cry. Yuzuyu pulled his face back to hers gently.
"I love you. I didn't think that it was possible to love some one SO much in such a short time but I do. I thought I was going to be afraid to say it…but I'm not. I love you Shouta, I really truly do." Her eyes were serious and Shouta's eyes widened. He looked at her; she meant it. She really meant it.
"I love you too Yuzuyu." He kissed her passionately. Finally he was able to say it with out worry. They were silent for a minute holding each other and listening to the rain as it fell. This wasn't how Yuzuyu pictured her first time saying 'I love you' but she wasn't about to complain.
"Your mother loves you too Shouta. She's just frustrated and angry. No matter what she says the day you were born was the happiest day of her life. You make her life worth living; you make my life worth living too. I'm sure she feels terrible about the way she acted and wants to apologize." He listened to Yuzuyu's kind and soft words and smiled.
"Thank you Yuzu. But…I can't go back…"
"I'm not saying you have to but you know you really want to. You love your mom more than anything, I can tell. Seeing her this way hurts you so much." Shouta was quiet. "You won't have to go alone. I'll come with you and soften any blow she tries to throw at you."
"You'll come with me?"
"Yep. I'll be right by your side holding your hand. I think if your mom had someone to talk to she wouldn't have so much pent up rage. Maybe she could come talk to Reiko or my aunt. And when she gets angry she won't say things she'll regret later on." Yuzuyu said sounding very sure of herself.
"You're probably right." Shouta said agreeing with Yuzuyu. He yawned and Yuzuyu smiled. He looked just like a little kid from where she was. She didn't realize it until just then. She kissed him on the forehead, climbed off his lap and went into her closet to grab one of Kippei's old T-shirts. Shouta would be able to fit it perfectly. Once Shouta put it on Yuzuyu climbed onto one side of her full size bed.
"You need some sleep. You haven't been sleeping a lot lately and I can tell so come lay down."
"But what if someone finds me here in the morning?"
"Tomorrow is Saturday, everyone sleeps late. And if I have to explain why you're here then I will."
"But I don't want you to get in trouble. They might think something happened between us and--" Yuzuyu rolled her eyes and patted the bed so he could lie down.
"Stop worrying so much and get some sleep." Shouta smiled and climbed up to the top of the bed next to Yuzuyu. She sat up quickly to turn off her lamp so she could lie back down. She turned on her side and so did Shouta and Yuzuyu grabbed his hand and held it tightly.
"Yuzu…thank you."
"Don't thank me for doing my job as a friend and a girlfriend. It makes me feel like I've been doing a bad job up until now."
"But you haven't. I love you." He said with a smile.
"I love you too. Sleep well Shouta."
Yuzuyu laid there until Shouta fell asleep. She pulled her blanket over them; she then began to caress Shouta's hair again. She listened to him breathe peacefully in his sleep. She smiled; she had finally gotten to bottom of his problem. Of course she only covered his part but meeting his mother was probably going to be a whole other experience for her. Hopefully she would be ready for it.
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WELL that's the end of that chappy. What'd you think? I've been dying to write this part into the story; like it was eating away at my brain so I'm happy I finally got it down. I'm not very good with drama or sad stuff so I don't really know if this chapter was dramatic enough or sad enough. I know it was fluffy enough though because I'm good with fluff. Let me know what ya think. Love ya!! See ya next chappy!!
Oh and I'm not really sure when the next chapter will be out. I'm not abandoning the story or anything its just, I'm moving into a new house and its just me and my mom by ourselves and its coming close to when we start moving things into the house, which means no computer for a long while. We have to wait for our internet and cable to kick in...we don't know how long its going to take. I'll do my best though to get the next chapter written. I think once that chapter is done you'll be satisfied long enough to wait for the chapter after...i'm hoping at least. So i'm gonna do my best to make the nexy chappy good and long to hold you over!
