Chapter Eight

I walked down the street dragging my feet on the pavement. I felt so utterly useless and pathetic. I had let Rene get away with my only brother. Hajime's house finally came into view and I ran up to his front door. I slammed my fist against it with all my strength and screamed at the top of my lungs. "Hajime! Hajime! Hajime!"

When the door opened up I stumbled inside and into Hajime. I buried my face in his chest and wept like a little child. His startled expression turned into one of sympathy as he peeled me away from his body so he could look into my eyes that were overflowing with tears.

"Satsuki." he said slowly as if he was speaking to a child. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath then said in a broken voice. "My…my father…he said…that Zoë had to leave…"

"And you're crying because of this---OOOOOW! What's wrong with you?" he yelled gripping his arm where I had just punched him.

"You're so stupid!" I screeched. "I'm not a baby!"

"Then why are you crying so much?!"

I scowled at him. "Let me finish my story and it might make a little more sense, Hajime!"

"Fine." He grabbed my arm and guided me into the living room. "But you should sit down. You look like you're on the verge of collapsing."

I sat down on the couch next to him and continued my story in a slightly calmer voice. "When she left Keiichirou and I saw that creepy Rene guy and he did this black force field thingie and then he came into my house and asked where Keii was---

"I thought that he was with you?" Hajime cut in.

"He was, but then he left."

"Where did he go---OW! Why do you keep hitting me?!"

"Let me tell my story!"

He grumbled slightly then leaned against the arm of the couch for a little comfort.

"Well," I continued. "when Rene realized that I had no idea where my brother was he went back outside to Zoë and threw her against the big oak tree across the street. The…then…he came back inside and brought me with him and told Zoë that he…that he would…kill me if…she…she didn't tell him where Keii was."

"Huh?"

I brought my hand back to hit him again but he dove off the couch and rolled across the floor. "Jeesh!" He cried. "Enough with the hitting! I'm already gonna get a nasty bruise on my arm. I don't need a broken bone to accompany that!"

"Then pay attention!" I snapped.

"I am! I just can't grasp the meaning of what you're trying to tell me, Satsuki! That's all!"

"He said—"

"Who? OW!" This time he held his side where I had just kicked him.

"Rene!" I practically screamed. Okay. I did scream! "Rene said that he would kill me if Zoë didn't tell him where Keiichirou was!"

"Oh. Okay. Continue."

"But…well, you know that I care for my brother above everyone else even myself."

"Even me?" Hajime asked throwing me a quizzical grin and earning himself another kick in the ribs.

"Well!" I continued, raising my voice to be heard above the boy's mutterings. "I told Zoë not to tell Rene where Keiichirou was hidden…"

"What?!" Hajime leapt to his feet. "Are you insane, Satsuki?! What would I have done if you died?! I would have been lost! My heart would have been crushed and my soul smashed! You're my life, Satsuki! Without you I'm nothing! Without you the world is nothing!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Enough with the drama! And think that if you keep this ridiculous act up that…things will be very different between us."

He sat up straighter and shut his mouth tight after letting just a few more words slip out of his mouth. "You're no fun, Satsuki."

"But…Zoë didn't want Rene to kill me because she says that I remind her of her sister—"

"Who's her sister?"

"Hajime!"

"Sorry! I was just wondering! Can't I ask questions?"

"Not until the end of my story. So…she didn't want me to die and said that she would tell Rene where my brother was, but I told her not to, and the creep hit me over the head and then blacked out." I stopped at this and gazed steadily at the floor, then looking up at Hajime, furious that he wasn't trying to comfort me. "Hajime! I am upset here! Console me!"

He rushed over to my side and threw his arms around my neck. My fist landed in his gut and he recoiled backwards. "What's wrong with you?!" he cried.

"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you?! Why are you acting so strange?!"

He opened his mouth up and moved his lips as if speaking, but no sound came out. groaned and let my head roll backwards. "You can speak now."

He bit his lower lip. "Satsuki," he began. "I…I…hope you're not hurt."

"What?! That's all you have to say?! Console me! Help me! Encourage me for goodness sake!"

He turned his head away from me. "Satsuki, I've always been good at hiding my feelings with laughter, but…" he turned to me. "…this is different. This it about you and I don't want to see you in any pain whether it be physical or emotional."

"Then why don't you help me?"

"I don't know how! I've never—"

"Rene would!"

My hadn't flew up over my mouth and I let out a muffled gasp at my hastily blurted out words. Hajime stared at me for a second then slowly climbed to his feet. Exactly like Rene had done earlier that day, I realized.

No! I screamed at myself. You hate Rene! Stuff these silly notions of love back where they belong!

Hajime was facing the window and I could hear his heavy breathing and smell the odor of his body. I kept seeing myself climbing to my feet and kissing him right then and there but…for some reason instead of it being Hajime standing at the window in front of me…it was Rene.

I shook my head desperately before rushing over to Hajime's side. I gripped his arm tightly and leaned my head on his shoulder. He pulled away his head shaking back and forth.

"Satsuki," he said, "if your heart is for someone else, we can't be together. I'm sorry."

He can't remember your love because you've given it to someone else. Zoë's voice flashed through my head.

But I don't love him!

He held me.

I don't love him!

He smiled at me.

I don't love him!

He cares for me.

I don't love him!

But he loves me.

"Hajime."

"No." he turned away from me.

"I don't love him!" I cried out desperately. "I really don't! Hajime, please! Don't you believe me?"

"I wish I could, Satsuki, but…I'm not sure that I can."

"But, Rene—"

Hajime held up his hand. "No! I don't want o hear about Rene." he spat the name out like it was some type of poisonous venom. "And I don't want you making up excuses for falling in love with him."

"But I don't love him." My voice was one of defeat.

Hajime stared out the window as I sucked in the air though it didn't work too well considering that I was crying way too hard keeping me from breathing. I held my hand out giving the boy in front of me one more chance to accept me, but he didn't even turn around.

My hand recoiled backwards like a wounded snake and I closed my eyes against the flood of tears that threatened to spill out.

"You have to help me." I said in a weary voice.

He finally turned around to face me, his mouth set into a firm line. "You've been getting along fine without me. Why don't you go ask your new boyfriend if he can help?"

"You don't understand!"

"Yeah! I've realized that! You did it all behind my back!"

"But Rene—"

"Enough, Satsuki! I want you to leave. Now."

Now the tears did spill out of my eyes, running down my flushed cheeks. "Hajime—"

"NOW!"

I walked towards the door, defeated, but tried to talk sense into him one more time. "Hajime, Keii is in trouble!"

Silence followed my statement so I turned around only to find that Hajime had disappeared from the room. I left the house, my heart heavy within my chest.

Everything seemed to be mocking me. Laughing at my painful broken heart. I trudged down the street in despair until I reached Momoko's house. I knocked on her door until my knuckles hurt. Then I leaned against the side of the house and wept bitter tears. The door finally opened up, revealing a girl with long purple hair and a tear stained face.

"Satsuki." Her voice was cold. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help. Please."

"Why doesn't Hajime help you. I mean he is your boyfriend now since you stole him from me."

I shook my head. "Hajime hates me."

"Why?" Her face had softened a little. "What happened?"

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes again. "He thinks that I was cheating on him."

"That's stupid! Who could be better than Hajime?"

"He thinks that I love Rene!"

She blinked. "Rene? Who's that?"

"Oh yeah. You weren't aware of any of it. The reason Hajime isn't going out with you anymore is because your mom made him break up with you because she thought he had hurt you, but it was really Rene who had somehow possessed your body."

"What?"

"The creep Rene was controlling you and Zoë—"

"Who?"

"Zoë…the ghost girl…oh yeah…you weren't aware of that either. She's this ghost…well, not really a ghost…but…well she knew that Rene had control of your body and told him to leave."

"Satsuki, no one had control of my body. I would have known."

My hands clenched into fists, but I pushed my anger down. "Well, it doesn't matter if you believe me, but Keii is in danger."

"Danger? How?"

"Rene had him, and I think that he's going to hurt him." I threw my head backwards and let out a mournful wail, which echoed around the street. Momoko pulled me inside and slapped her hand over my mouth.

"Satsuki," she hissed. "stop this, now."

I silence myself, but could not control my heavy breathing.

"Look." Momoko said guiding me to the couch. "I'll call Hajime and talk to him. Okay?"

I nodded my head then stretched out on the couch totally and utterly exhausted. Momoko stepped into the kitchen and I could see hr pressing the buttons on her cordless phone.

"Oh, hi! This is Momoko. Can I speak with Hajime, please…oh. well, can you tell him that I called…yeah and I need to speak with him right away…yeah that would be good…bye to you too." She hung the phone up and came to sit by me. "Hajime wasn't home, but his father is going to send him over here when he shows up there."

I nodded my head, but I didn't really believe that he would come.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Momoko asked.

"Get me something…strong."

She paused. "Strong?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Coffee. Black coffee."

Oh. Okay." She went back into the kitchen. I let my eyes drift shut and I could feel myself slipping into the unknown. Into the part of my mind that I only see at night wile dreaming.