Visibility

By: Aviantei

Chapter 11: Endurance

One Week Prior

Youta left the house, slamming the door behind him. He hadn't done anything like that since his childhood, and then had stopped since Airi didn't like loud noises. The fact that her hearing was becoming more and more sensitive when she stopped using her eyes had only discouraged the action more. The older Watanabe twin stood just outside the door for a while, not daring to take a step away, the energy drained from his legs.

It would be so easy to just turn around, open the door again, and go back inside. He could apologize, make up for what had happened. No one could stop him; it was his house after all, and Airi was his sister. He couldn't just leave her behind, not try and apologize whenever she needed him right now, had always needed him.

Except she didn't. Youta wasn't necessary anymore. Kuroko-san's been making sure I've been getting home safe. Airi hadn't been useless without him, and Youta hadn't expected her to be. He knew that she desired to be independent, and so he had helped her in every way possible. He had made sure she fine-tuned her senses and helped her practice making mental maps of places. She only needed him to describe things and keep track of her handwriting for homework. He took on the extra job of watching her back without making it obvious, and that had been just fine with him.

Youta had known she would be able to survive a few days without him, even if he didn't like it. The teachers knew about her eyesight, so they would have assigned someone to look over her, or even taken volunteers. Youta had been imagining that it was the class rep taking care of his sister this whole time. The confidence that she would be safe was the only reason he had been able to avoid answering the phone when she called, could delete her voicemails without listening to them.

But now he wasn't so sure. From the sounds of it, Kuroko had been the one to help her, and she had trusted him completely. Airi probably didn't notice it, but there was a certain softness in her voice when she said the blue-haired boy's name. Youta thought he had just been imagining things before the charity game, but now he knew that wasn't the case.

So what am I good for now? She has someone else to help her. I tried to fix things, and she yelled at me. I thought I would be doing something she'd want… Have I really been a bad older brother after all?

That thought was enough, and Youta pushed himself off the door. He didn't even think about going back inside. Even if he wanted to apologize, Tetsuya would already be comforting Airi, and she would let him. There was no point in seeing something like that if he couldn't even help in the end.

For a while, he wandered the streets, getting lost in the city that was supposed to be his new home. He had been aching to get back to it, working to make negotiations flow and get back home as quickly as possible. Now he didn't feel like he belonged, and it wasn't as if he could afford a train ride all the way back to Sendai, a pointless endeavor, since that place wasn't home either.

Well, he could afford it, except that wasn't what that money had been for. That, and the entire stack of bills had been left behind, still sitting on the kitchen table, awaiting a happy reunion. Youta doubted that Airi would do anything with it, but he still would need to go back sooner or later to retrieve it.

He would have to go back while she was at school. That was the only way. Youta let out an audible sigh, and stopped walking at an unfamiliar intersection. He would have to fix things as soon as possible. Then maybe things would somehow go back to normal. That was all he dared to hope for.

This time, he didn't need the business card to call the number, locating the name in his contacts.

"Ah, Youta-kun," the voice on the line answered. "I didn't expect you to be calling again so soon. Don't tell me you have another favor to ask already." It wasn't mocking. It was just bored. It sounded genuinely surprised that Youta could possibly be that stupid for dialing this number a second time.

He certainly felt it.

"Sorry to inconvenience you, Hayashi-san," Youta said. "Is there a chance I could arrange another meeting sometime soon? And possibly have a room for the night?" It would have been safer to stay at home, more hospitable, even with Airi's disappointment. The moment the request left his mouth, Youta knew it was too late to stop it.

Hayashi chuckled. "My, what is it with the youth these days? So eager to get into trouble." There was the sound of muffled conversation for a few moments, and Youta waited. "Well, if that's what you really want, you already know which station to go to. Just know that I'm not free to meet until Sunday, so it'll be a while until we can discuss things, Youta-kun."

And just like that, Hayashi hung up before Youta could give an answer. Not that it was necessary. The signal changed, and people hurried across the crosswalk, leaving the teenager behind. He took a moment to get his bearings, and walked in the opposite direction.

Having a full two weeks off from school wasn't supposed to be this stressful, but Youta really only had himself to blame for that one. Sure, he had been sitting around most of the time, put up in hotels he couldn't imagine affording on his own, but the underlying tones were a lot more difficult, making it impossible to relax. The first week he had been worrying about the loan getting approved, and the second week he had to worry about getting into a meeting with enough time to be able to pay back the interest.

The loan itself hadn't exactly been legal. Sure, the agency was a well-established business and had all their permits displayed in the walls of the lobby Youta had first gone to. But Hayashi… Hayashi was something else, a hidden crack in the system that no one seemed to have noticed was there.

She hadn't hesitated in giving the money to Youta, even though he wasn't eighteen. Hayashi had taken a look at the Watanabe family's financial situation, make some checks on the standing of his parents' assets, and smiled while she told Youta just where he could pick up the money. Youta may not have known much about how loans worked beyond signatures, interests, and repayment, but he had the feeling that everything Hayashi was doing for him was illegal.

He was fully aware that he should have just walked away. He should have taken the train back and met up with Airi at the hotel, and everything would have been the same, everything would have been safe. The only problem with that was that everything would have been the same, and Youta didn't think he could stand for that.

Every moment he hesitated was another moment where Airi got closer to never being able to see again.

Now, standing in Hayashi's private meeting room (office didn't seem right, considering the lack of a desk and the presence of several potentially harmful displays of weaponry on the walls), each moment was completely different. The longer this took, the less time Youta had to prove to Airi that he had listened to her. The less time he had to make it up.

Normalcy had never seemed so appealing before.

"So I understand that you want to return the money that you borrowed from us," Hayashi said, a smile on her lips as she tossed a glance at the bag on the table. The zipper was open, the money showing from inside. Youta was more concerned with how Hayashi could appear to be so awake considering that the sun hadn't even risen yet, and on a Sunday at that. The teenager was battling the urge to yawn every second. "Did you not get approved for that surgery, even with solid cash? That's too cruel, just what has this world come to."

"No, it wasn't anything like that," Youta said. Hayashi raised an inquiring eyebrow but didn't actually pry. "There just isn't a need for us to have this anymore. So I'd like to return it to you so that someone else can take it if they need it." It was a paltry offer, considering that the money would all cycle back to Hayashi's company is due time, but Youta didn't know what else to say at a time like this.

Hayashi chuckled, pushing a bit of her bangs out of her face. It was unsettling to know that a person that looked to nice could be involved with things like this. "So it looks like you do have a head on your shoulders after all, Youta-kun. I know plenty of people that would end up spending money like that on plenty of other things they don't need. You at least recognize that if you spend money like this on something other than what we lent it to you for, that may result in something…unfavorable."

Youta flinched a little. He wondered how many people had been tricked, had used false reasons to sign off their loans on. This agency happened to employ one of the most effective debt collectors in Japan, and they tended not to take no for an answer. He had been lucky.

Hayashi seemed amused by his reaction, her smile only widening. "Well, putting that aside, let's get down to the business end of things, Youta-kun." She sat up straight, crossing her legs and resting her hands on top on them. "I'm going to trust that you've returned all of the money we gave you in cash. My men will count it up later to make sure of it. The only thing you need to worry about will be the balance we give you from your interest, alright?"

It took everything Youta had to detach his tongue from the roof of his mouth. "I understand," he said. He had been worrying so much. It felt like a dream that it was this easy, but he wasn't about to complain. "Thank you for all of your help, Hayashi-san." Out of habit, Youta dipped his head down, completing the bow while still sitting.

"No, no, thank you for your business, Youta-kun." Hayashi stood up, and Youta locked eyes with her to avoid her intentionally too-short business skirt. "I trust that you're quite tired, right? How about you let my men calculate your balance and then they can give you a ride back home. We wouldn't want you falling asleep on such a long train ride, would we?"

"Um, thank you again." Youta stood up, one of his yawns breaking through. He didn't want to trouble anyone with the drive it would take to get back, but maybe it was better than a train. At least if it was with Hayashi's employees, he wouldn't have to worry about being left behind or harassed. Not that he was carrying anything too valuable on him anyways. "I'd be glad for the ride, if you're sure about it."

"Oh, really, Youta-kun, it's no trouble at all."

In hindsight, Youta wished that he hadn't been so tired. Maybe he would have thought a little bit more about just how much Hayashi seemed like a predator whenever her eyes narrowed as she smiled.

He slept most of the car ride back. It was early evening by the time they made it back into the city, just barely avoiding traffic. Youta hadn't really considered the miles, but he felt like maybe Hayashi's drivers had possibly broken the speed limit more than once to get there in time, but he wasn't about to complain. After all, he was almost home. As long as he saved his allowance and maybe got a job, paying off the interest should have been easy.

Youta sat up, catching a look of himself in the rearview mirror. His hair was a mess and there was an imprint of the car seat on his face. Despite that, he looked happy, and the bubble of relief in his stomach was a sure accompaniment to that. He was fine, and Airi would be, too. Somehow, it would be fine, so long as they talked when he got home.

"The kid's awake," the man in the driver's seat commented. Youta waved at the other man in the passenger seat that looked back at the words. "Give him his balance so we can finalize his terms out."

"You don't have to tell me twice," the passenger said. Youta waited in silence, not wanting to overstep his role. He was lucky enough to have had his meeting with Hayashi go well, and she liked him. It was best to just be passive until he was dropped off. "Here you go, Watanabe. Straight from the Boss."

"Thank you," Youta said, just because he didn't like the silence. The sound of the motor running was the only other noise he got in response. At least the view in the windows was increasingly close to home. Figuring that he wouldn't be able to get out until he at least looked at the contents of the envelope, Youta took it, opening it from the side.

It was a familiar form to him, identical to the one that he had received after the initial deal with Hayashi. The top detailed the basic terms—what the money was owed for, how the interest policy worked, the minimum amount of money and how often the payments would be due. It was the same as it had been before, except the total number owed was far smaller than it had been before.

And yet it was with that number that Youta found a problem.

"Hey, this is wrong." The man in the passenger seat looked back, eyebrows raised. "This is way more than I owe. Hayashi-san must have given me the wrong form." After all, he had done the math while he was waiting, and the interest shouldn't have been that high. Hayashi was shady, sure, but she gave the impression of someone who didn't need to use dirty tricks to get what she wanted.

"Listen, Kid, the Boss doesn't make mistakes," the man on the passenger side said, one arm slung over the back of his seat. "That piece of paper has your name on it, right?" Looking back down, Youta could see the characters of his name marked near the top. Attempting to swallow the lump in his throat, he nodded. "Then that's yours, no questions asked."

"Then where the hell did the rest of this money come from?!" Youta couldn't stop himself from shouting if he had tried. "I know I incurred interest, but it wasn't this much!" He gripped harder onto the paper, destroying the smooth surface. It was better than punching one of Hayashi's employees after all.

"You were housed for a good two weeks, right, Watanabe?" This time, it was the driver that spoke. Youta didn't need the explanation—his blood was cold enough already—but the driver continued, "Hayashi-sama knew that you couldn't afford that sort of thing on your own. So as a show of good faith in you for following the terms of your agreement, she decided to lend you the money and let you return it in time."

Youta slumped back into the seat, not bothering to let go of the paper. He hadn't thought anything of the places he had been staying. He had thought that Hayashi was being generous because of the trip he had to take. He had been put up in five-star hotels for two weeks and was only considering how to pay for it now.

Dammit. I screwed up.

"I… I can't afford this…" he whispered. Sure, he would have been able to pay off the interest, but this was a different matter entirely. He and Airi could live without his half of allowance for a month, maybe two? But it would take even longer than that—four months? Half a year? Two years?—and at some point his parents and Airi would catch on. At this rate, he'd be in debt for the rest of his life.

The driver pulled to a stop, even though they weren't at the house yet. Youta looked around. The doors weren't locked. If he was lucky, then maybe he could get out the door, run away. If he went far enough, maybe they'd at least leave Airi alone.

Ai-chan—

Youta could have sworn that his heart stopped. Standing on the other side of the street was Airi, out on her own for whatever reason. She had stopped, probably having heard the car and not wanting to cross until she was sure it was safe. Youta was grateful for that much, but he really wished she would just leave, because if she didn't, this whole scenario could end horribly.

Not that it wasn't already bad enough as it was.

Youta made sure to tear his eyes away from his sister. Maybe they wouldn't notice her if he didn't acknowledge her presence. The real best thing to do in a situation like this would be to pretend that he didn't care what happened to her, but he'd never be able to make it convincing. The fact that he had risked everything to get money for her surgery was enough to prove that.

Youta closed his eyes. Just get going Ai-chan, he prayed. Please just get going. Everything will be just fine if you do. If you cross the street they won't think twice about it. Airi didn't move. Whatever nonsense ideas others had about twin telepathy obviously weren't real. Ai-chan, please, why don't you move!

"Hey, Kid, is that your sister?" one of the men asked. Youta was too distraught to figure out which one had spoken.

"No," he said, his voice an octave too high to be convincing.

"I think it is," the other man said. "Yeah, she matches the description that the Boss gave us perfectly." The passenger door opened. "You keep the kid in check. I'll go pick her up."

"Hey, wait—!" Youta protested, only to have the driver's hand at his throat the next instant. His head hit against the window on the driver's side, probably bruising the skin. The door shut the next instant as the employee that had left the car approached Airi. She seemed confused, tried to struggle, but couldn't get away as the man grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards the car.

The driver clicked his tongue, and the sound almost seemed to be filled with pity. "You really should have kept your mouth shut, Kid," he said, even if Youta was only half comprehending the words. "If you hadn't started going on about not being able to afford this, we wouldn't have needed to collect collateral."

Collateral. And Hayashi had told her employees what Airi looked like… She had planned this. She had known. No wonder she seemed so satisfied by a near non-profitable deal. And Youta had played into it, not even realized what had been happening as she laid her trap.

Airi was shoved into the backseat, almost falling over onto Youta. She managed to keep her balance. Only once the doors were locked did the driver let go of Youta's throat, and the boy gasped, trying to reestablish a flow of oxygen to his lungs. The car was in motion as soon as the passenger returned to his seat, and Airi's head tilted up in Youta's direction.

"Nii-san?"

I screwed up. I'm sorry. I screwed up. I'm so, so sorry, Ai-chan.

Even if the words were at the back of his mind, Youta couldn't make himself say them. His mouth refused to function, his vocal cords not even producing the slightest bit of vibration. Ever trusting—and somehow not panicking—Airi reached her hands up to Youta's face, fingers brushing over his skin, mouth, nose, ears, and finally down to his neck where her thumb brushed against a mole. She stopped here, but didn't let go.

"Nii-san, what's going on? Are you alright? Say something."

There was no way to explain it, at least not one that could possibly make up for the trouble he had gotten them in. Even if Youta told the truth, there was no guarantee that Airi would believe him. All he could do was stare at her, unable to find a way to fix this. Even if he went for the cell phone in his pocket, Youta was sure that Hayashi's men could easily find ways to make him not call the police—verbal or otherwise.

"Sorry, Ojou-chan, but your brother here just dug himself a hole that he's not gonna be able to get out of anytime soon," the driver said. Airi's head turned to the man out of habit, but Youta could only watch her. He couldn't even protest because the driver was right. "You see, when he found out he was in debt, this idiot basically said he couldn't pay us. We don't want to, but we've got orders and—"

"How dare you," Airi said, and Youta was shocked to find that she wasn't talking to him. "Don't you have better ways of dealing with this?" The volume of her voice was rising, and Youta didn't think Airi had ever let herself get this angry before. "I know he's made some mistakes, but that doesn't give you the right to insult him, to hurt him through me, just because you can't be civil—!"

Airi was leaning closer to the front of the car, supporting herself off the back of the seat. Youta reached out to take her arm and pull her back, instead catching her when the man in the passenger seat forcefully shoved her back. "Listen here, you little bitch—"

That was all it took.

Youta managed to pull back him arm far enough to deliver a punch to the man's face, and Airi let out a small gasp as his head hit the glass. She didn't, however, stop him, although Youta wasn't sure it would have mattered if she did try. This was different from what Sakamoto and Miura had done. They were just bullies. These people meant to hurt her.

"Try and say that again, you bastard!" Youta shouted, almost propelling himself out of the back seat. Without thinking, his hands went for the wheel, attempting to pull the driver's grip away. "Stop the damn car! Just call Hayashi-san and I'll tell her what a shit job you assholes are up to! Jesus, can't even make a fucking reasonable—!"

And just like that, the air was gone from his lungs, there was the sound of shattering glass, Airi let out a soft scream, and Youta felt the driver's seat dig into his stomach before losing consciousness.

And this is the week where everyone hates me.

Thanks to CherryPop0120, little101, Pikamuu, 2Seoulmate, TheAdorableNerd, anomaly . 1, StarrySky0103, Evan Akira-kun, michelle . kong. 7, Chuu112, Tamani, JuniorRaptor, Hentai Spandex, Hazuki Mashiro, CloudEnvy12, AxCxP, Peaceful Watcher Soul, 19Teardrop94, celebbi, and mute-by-choice for your respective reviews, follows, and favorites. I'll be expecting your hate mail and death threats shortly.

When it comes down to it, this was one of the plot points that occurred to me after I had started writing the story. Then again, I didn't really know how I wanted this story to end, then... Well, in any case, it happened, and there's no turning back now.

Haha, I don't think anything I say will make people forgive me until the next few chapters come out so I should probably keep my rambling to myself...

Besides, I've been kind of having some stress this week, so I'll just go ahead and close up this author's note. Chapter twelve will be coming in two week's time, just like always.

Next time, Tetsuya and Kagami learn of Airi's accident, Youta is unsure whether or not he's actually facing his problems or just trying to make himself think he is, and Airi gets a glimpse of the world from her own eyes. Please look forward to it.