Forty-Five Minutes Later:
Around 8:10 PM:
"So, now what?" Ichigo and Usagi questioned, stepping into the hall with Sayuri, Setsuna, and most of the others.
"Movies!" Pudding and Rini excitedly yelled, rushing down the stairs, followed by Hotaru, Tart, Hikaru, and Natsu.
"Anyone who wants to watch a movie, come on down! We have popcorn and two slushy machines!" Sakura called from the bottom of the steps.
"What's a slushy?" Sayuri asked, confused.
"Flavored ice drink. Come on; I think you'll like them." Kish insisted, leading the way.
"Kurgi, aren't you coming to watch a movie?" Sayuri softly questioned, watching Kurogane.
'How can I tell her "No" when she looks at me like that? Or with what she's been through and all the stress she puts on herself.' Kurogane questioned himself, watching Sayuri.
"Yeah, I'll be down in a little bit. Go with Kish and get a slushy. He's right; you'll most likely like them—so long as they have red flavored." Kurogane replied, trying not to huff until she couldn't see or hear him.
"Hey, you. Ryou, right?" Kurogane stopped Ryou from heading downstairs after sighing.
"I thought you said you wanted to go to bed—you didn't want to watch a movie." Fai popped up behind Kurogane.
"Mind your own business." Kurogane grumbled.
"He has a hard time saying no to Sayuri—especially in situations like this." Kish spoke after hearing Fai and Kurogane as he walked upstairs.
"What are you doing up here? I thought you were getting a slushy and popcorn and watching some movie." Kurogane questioned Kish, annoyed.
"Grandma and Grandpa are going to bed; Sayuri's saying goodnight and whatever else to them. I already did. Sayuri left her sticks with the adults. Sakura gave them to me and asked if I could give them to her because she didn't know how to tell Sayuri without making her feel guilty for forgetting them. I figured I'd bring them up and put them in her area instead of her going up and down the stairs. Now, if you'll excuse me." Kish answered before rushing to the room Sayuri was staying in.
"Very interesting. Kurgi is such a great big brother." Fai happily teased Kurogane.
"Don't call me that: my name is Kurogane to you. Sayuri is the only one who calls me that." Kurogane growled at Fai.
"I would say no she's not—and then I was going to call you that. But I can't. It's too weird for me." Kish spoke, walking back.
"Guess I got some thinking to do. I'll be downstairs, waiting for the movie." Fai replied, causing Kurogane to tense up.
"Yes, my name is Ryou. Did you need something?" Ryou finally got a word in.
"Well, Ryou: don't think I don't see how you look at Sayuri; I see you perfectly. I'm warning you right now: if you hurt her, you'd better be able to run—and fast. And you'd better be able to hide because I will hunt you down and gut you myself. Do you understand me?" Kurogane warned Ryou.
"Oh, relax, Dad; he's not going to hurt her. We talked—along with Keiichiro and Mamoru: they're good people. And honestly, what is he going to do with all these people here?" Kish calmly spoke, watching Kurogane.
"Not to mention, all the security cameras or whatever." Mamoru pointed out, pointing to a camera in a corner.
"This will be good for her." Kish insisted before heading downstairs.
"There you are. We've been looking for you." Ichigo and Usagi spoke, meeting up with Sayuri.
"Me? Why?" Sayuri questioned, walking over after saying goodnight to Nami and Toshi.
"We wanted to talk and get to know you. We were hoping to become friends. And we were going to take you to get a slushy with us." Usagi happily answered.
"We know that just because we're roommates, we don't have to be friends. But at the same time, we figured it'd be best if we tried. I mean we are going to be in the same room with each other; we might as well try, right?" Ichigo insisted with a smile.
"Right." Sayuri softly answered.
"Then that settles it: we're sisters now!" Usagi happily and determinedly declared.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far just yet. I say we get to know each other better first. Let's start out as friends." Ichigo calmly insisted.
"What about Setsuna?" Sayuri softly questioned.
"Well, of course, she'll be our friend as well. But I think she will hang out with the older girls more. Haruka, Michiru, Zakuro." Ichigo answered as they started walking to the kitchen.
"Can I get a blueberry slushy, please?" Usagi asked Jen.
"I'd like a strawberry slushy, please." Ichigo requested.
"Sayuri, what flavor would you like? We seem to have strawberry, blueberry, cherry, watermelon, orange, and banana." Jen calmly let Sayuri know.
"Umm… Cherry, please." Sayuri softly answered.
"Of course." Jen replied with a gentle smile.
"Come on before it gets too late. Movie time." Sakura insisted with a smile.
"What are we watching?" Berry questioned, watching Sakura.
"Well, unless any of you have any DVDs, it looks like we have two choices: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Child's Play." Jen answered, picking up two DVDs.
"I've never heard of either of them." Almost everyone replied.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is an action/adventure, fantasy, and a comedy. The other one I've never heard of." Hikaru calmly spoke.
"Child's Play is a horror movie." Ryou answered.
"What's going on?" Masaya questioned, walking in from outside along with Maya, Akira, and Taiya.
"Just where the hell have you four been?" Shintaro and Koji demanded.
"We were worried about you." Jen and Sakura insisted, watching the four.
"We were just out back. What's the big deal?" Taiya rudely questioned.
"Taiya. Don't be rude. You may have gotten away with that back home, but it won't fly here—not with how many people we're living with now. And you most certainly will not disrespect anyone here—especially the adults. That goes for you as well, Maya." Pie firmly scolded Taiya and Maya, narrowing his eyes at them. They were beyond shocked; Pie had never scolded Taiya or Maya like that. Sure, he's scolded them before, but nothing like that.
"Sorry. We were just out back. Sorry we didn't say anything." Taiya and Maya apologized.
"So, what are we doing? What?" Masaya questioned again before snapping at Ryou.
"Nothing. It's just, I know Mom and Dad didn't raise either of us to disrespect our elders." Ryou calmly replied before turning back to the tv.
"Shoot. He's right. I'm sorry for being so rude and inconsiderate." Masaya sincerely apologized while Akira stood there; he wasn't saying shit.
"Akira, if you want your bank card, I'd say something to Mr. Shintaro, Mrs. Sakura, Mr. Koji, and Mrs. Jen. Mr. Akio not only gave me my card, but yours and Natsu's as well. Apparently, I have control of your money as well as mine. No, I can't spend it, but I can confiscate your card if needed." Touya firmly warned his brother.
"Sorry." Akira mumbled.
"So, what are we doing?" Masaya questioned yet again.
"Trying to pick a movie. Pirates of the Caribbean or Child's Play." Haruka answered, annoyed.
"Sounds like fun. I'm assuming we're putting it to a vote, so I vote for Child's Play." Masaya replied.
"Those who want the pirate movie, stand to the right. Those who want the creepy-looking doll movie, stand to the left." Mamoru instructed, standing up.
"Find a spot and get comfy." Sakura instructed as Shintaro put Child's Play in the DVD player.
Twenty out of forty-two people voted for Child's Play.
Fifteen out of forty-two people voted for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Seven out of forty-two people didn't care.
So long into the movie, when Chucky started killing, Sayuri, Ichigo, Usagi, Rini, Pudding, Hotaru, Lettuce, Berry, and Mint couldn't take it.
"Come on." Kurogane sighed, carefully lifting Sayuri into his arms and carrying her upstairs to her room.
"It's just a movie." Akira muttered as Ichigo, Usagi, Rini, Pudding, Hotaru, Lettuce, Berry, Mint, and Zakuro ran upstairs. Zakuro only went because she was bored—and Mint wouldn't go without her.
Ami, Minako, and Makoto soon followed suit; they could feel an argument was about to start.
"I can't speak for the others, but I knew Sayuri wouldn't be able to handle that. She's either not going to be able to sleep or she's going to have nightmares." Kish grumbled, standing up.
"It's just a move; it's not real." Masaya spoke up.
"Maybe to you, but to Sayuri, it's not." Kish replied, about ready to head upstairs.
"Maybe if she weren't so damn sheltered and spaztic, she wouldn't be afraid of everything." Akira mumbled.
"Maybe you should mind your damn business and learn the facts. Maybe you shouldn't judge someone you don't know. You don't know us or what we've been through. And maybe with everything that recently happened to get all of us here would make you think—even with your tiny brain. From what I understand, we're all here because of some world-wide psycho gang. I should've pushed more when Ryou said it was a horror movie." Kish snapped, getting right up in Akira's face; he was pissed off.
"Hey! We were watching that!" Maya, Taiya, Masaya, and Akira exclaimed when Mamoru shut the movie and the tv off.
"Yeah, and now you're not. Now, we're going to bed—or at least to our rooms for the night. That includes you four." Pie replied, scaring Taiya and Maya.
"You know, there are some of us that just wanted to watch Child's Play because we liked it or horror movies in general. And some of us may have just wanted to see the movie in the first place. Then there are the likes of you who only voted to watch it because you just wanted to see the girls freak out—mainly the more sensitive ones. Unfortunately, I didn't catch that until ten minutes into the movie when I heard you snickering. Had I known your plan beforehand, I would've voted for the other movie." Haruka scolded Akira, Masaya, Taiya, and Maya, annoyed.
"Now, thanks to you, the movie was ruined." Setsuna added.
"How are they?" Sakura questioned when Kurogane walked into the room.
"I got Sayuri to stop panicking; she's asleep. Technically, she passed out. Ichigo and Usagi say they're fine and were getting ready to lie down and go to bed. I don't want to call it a nightlight, but I plugged in that light of Sayuri's that changes colors. They seemed rather relieved to have that. The younger girls are fine; they're in their room, giggling and talking." Kurogane answered.
"I'm surprised you remember their names. You don't strike me as the type to care about others or their names." Akira spoke, standing up.
"I make it my business to know the names of the people I'm living with—especially the ones who my sister and brother are sharing a room with. If I don't remember your name, it means I don't like you, and I certainly don't care about you."
"Well, I'm going to check on my girls, and then I'm going to bed." Sakura insisted before heading upstairs.
"Same here." Shintaro, Jen, and Koji agreed, following Sakura.
"Well, I guess it's time to hit the sack." Akira and Masaya stretched before getting ready to head upstairs.
"Ow! What the hell?!" Akira hollered after Kurogane punched him in the face.
"Leave my sister alone. Do not speak to her unless it's to apologize or she speaks to you first. I am not afraid to deal with you or anyone like you who harasses my sister or brother. I did it back home plenty of times, and I'll continue to do so whenever needed. You're just lucky I understand you're in the same situation as the rest of us." Kurogane warned Akira, explaining why he punched him. He then headed upstairs.
"You're lucky he held back." Kish noted, watching Akira.
"That was holding back?" Akira questioned, holding his face.
"You have no idea." Kish replied.
"I noticed he really didn't mention you much. It was all about Sayuri." Masaya noted, watching Kish.
"Kish knows how to take care of himself!" Kurogane yelled from halfway up the stairs, indicating he heard him.
"He knows I can take care of myself. Goodnight." Kish repeated before heading upstairs.
"This is going to be interesting." Ryou, Mamoru, and Keiichiro stated, heading upstairs.
"Indeed." Setsuna sighed.
"I agree." Michiru spoke.
"Yep." Haruka agreed.
The girls headed upstairs, followed one by one by the others.
A Few Hours Later:
Around 12:45 AM:
Everyone was asleep—except for Kish, who was up after having to use the bathroom. He had just returned to bed when he heard soft footsteps in the hallway.
"Hmmm… Not again." Kish sighed; he already knew who it was.
"Kish? What are you doing?" Ryou questioned, half-awake, waking Mizuki.
Then they heard footsteps in the hallway as Kish got up.
"Who could that be at this hour?" Mizuki questioned, looking at an alarm clock.
"Should we call for help?" Ryou asked right away, immediately sitting upright.
"No, it's fine; it's just Sayuri." Kish replied, walking to the door.
"Sayuri?" Ryou and Mizuki questioned, confused.
"Yeah. She frequently walks in her sleep." Kish explained, opening the door.
Sure enough, Sayuri was walking back and forth down the hall, asleep.
"Ok, come on. Let's get you back to bed." Kish gently spoke to Sayuri, turning her around and guiding her back to bed.
"What's going on?" Usagi and Ichigo questioned, barely waking up.
"Shh… Go back to sleep." Kish shushed the girls before helping Sayuri back into bed.
Once he made sure Sayuri was still, Kish left her room, shut the door, and made his way to Kurogane's room.
Knock. Knock.
He knocked twice and cracked the door open to peek in to make sure it was safe. Everyone in the room was asleep.
"Kurogane. Kurogane, wake up." Kish shook Kurogane until he woke him up.
"What? What do you want, Kish?" Kurogane demanded, looking at the alarm clock, pissed off.
"I got her back to bed, but Sayuri's sleep walking again." Kish explained.
Kurogane fell back to his bed, groaning in frustration.
"Ok. Leave the door cracked, so I can listen for her easier." Kurogane told Kish, holding his forehead.
"Ok." Kish replied, standing up straight.
"Now, go to bed." Kurogane ordered, sending Kish away.
"How is she?" Ryou and Mizuki questioned when Kish got back.
"Jesus! I figured you'd be asleep." Kish exclaimed in a hushed tone when he saw Ryou and Mizuki sitting up, waiting for him.
"Sorry." Ryou and Mizuki apologized.
"We may not know any of you yet, but we do worry. And we may not be related in any way, but we are somewhat of a family in some messed up way now." Mizuki responded.
"We were just concerned and wanted to make sure she was ok. Her and the rest of them." Ryou spoke, watching Kish get back into bed.
"Thanks for your concern. And you're only saying that because you like my sister. Don't try to deny it: Kurogane and I are her older brothers; we can tell. We can see it written all over your face. Don't sweat it, Ryou: I'm not going to hunt you down or anything like that; that's Kurogane's forte." Kish replied.
"So, you're saying you don't care if Ryou dates your sister? But Kurogane's an entirely different story, correct?" Mizuki questioned, watching Kish.
"No, I don't care. Sayuri's old enough now to make her own decisions about who she dates. Kurogane feels the same way; he's just far more overprotective than I am. Don't get me wrong; I'm protective, but Kurogane takes it to a whole new level. But he has his reasons; we both do." Kish answered.
"Even after everything I told you about myself? And what you learned from Keiichiro—and I'm sure whatever Masaya said about me." Ryou questioned, watching Kish.
"I don't give a flying fuck about your past and who you dated. I can tell you're a good guy. For the most part, besides from you arguing or fighting with Masaya, Keiichiro had nothing but good things to say about you. Same with Masaya. However, I can tell he's a lying piece of work. As long as Sayuri's happy, safe, and you don't physically or emotionally hurt her, I don't care. Besides, I can tell you're a good guy. So, if you want to ask her out or whatever; be my guest. And she's fine, by the way. I got her back to bed and made sure she stayed—for a little bit anyway. What I'm about to tell you three, stays in this room. You don't say anything to anyone—especially Sayuri, Kurogane, or our grandparents. Got it?" Kish seriously replied before becoming somber.
"Of course." Ryou and Mizuki replied, confused.
"Well, thanks to Mama Bitch One and Mama Bitch two, you know that our father killed our mom. He had been drinking—nothing new there. But he was insanely drunk, came home, and got into an argument with Mom because the house wasn't squeaky cleaned from top to bottom. Sayuri was sick with a mild case of pneumonia. Mom, Kurogane, and I had spent the day cleaning, making sure Sayuri was cared, for, and then Kurogane and I went out to get something for dinner—which only angered him even more." "Why? The house was getting cleaned faster, wasn't it?" Mizuki questioned, interrupting Kish, confused.
"I'm guessing he was a misogynistic who believed men shouldn't have to lift a finger except to be the breadwinner." Ryou inquired.
"Yes, that's correct. You really are smart. But anyway, Kurogane and I went out, leaving Mom and Sayuri home for a little bit. I think we were only gone for twenty minutes or so. But the moment we got home, we came home to Mom being shot in the head, and Sayuri frozen in fear; she came out to see what all the fighting was about. Then Father started screaming at and berating her. And Sayuri—she already had—has self-esteem issues. But Kurogane and I were in absolute shock. That was our mom—the woman who always put us first and cared for us. The woman who, no matter what, loved us unconditionally—and who we loved just as much. And she was reduced to a bullet to the brain in a puddle of blood. The only reason we were able to come out of shock was because he went after Sayuri. I got shot in the arm, making sure she didn't get shot. Kurogane got away with only a scratch and Sayuri ended up with a few bumps and bruises. But that's because I may have knocked her over to hard." Kish continued to explain.
"What happened to your father?" Mizuki questioned.
"He's in prison—twenty years. That was after Kurogane beat him to a bloody pulp, nearly killing him. The only reason he stopped was because Sayuri; she ended up having a panic attack and couldn't breathe because she was crying so much. Well, and the cops showed up; it took a few of them to get him off our father. Kurogane, by the way, has a different dad. It took two months for him to contact us and apologize for the drinking, killing Mom, going after Sayuri, and shooting me. He begged for us to forgive him." Kish continued.
"Did you—forgive him that is?" Mizuki questioned.
"No. And because we refused, we are ungrateful, good-for-nothing ingrates. Not only did he kill our mom; he also made Sayuri feel that it was her fault he did what he did. She was the reason he drank so much, came home, and shot Mom. We were only thirteen, eleven, and nine then. That was six years ago, and no matter what we say to her, Sayuri still blames herself. So, for her sake, we just try not to bring it up to her. It's one thing if she brings it up, but we don't want her to shut down again." Kish answered and explained why.
"Sheesh. I'm sorry." Ryou and Mizuki apologized.
"Don't worry about it; it's not any of your faults. We just watch over her a little more. Kurogane and I: we promised Mom we'd always protect Sayuri. So, we've always been protective of her—and most likely always will be. But because of that day, and what recently happened to us to get here, we're more protective now. And because of all that, Sayuri stresses out, which causes her to sleepwalk. It's off and on, but when it's on, we make sure to leave our doors open and listen for her. But remember: you can't say anything—to anyone." Kish finished explaining before reminding them.
"No, of course, not. My lips are sealed." Ryou and Mizuki promised before they all laid down to go back to sleep.
2:49 AM:
Sayuri was once again walking around—this time heading for the stairs.
"I don't think so." Kurogane grumbled, grabbing Sayuri and turning her around.
"Back to bed." Kurogane sighed, guiding Sayuri back to her room, to her bed. He proceeded to securely tuck her in before going back to bed himself.
The Next Morning:
"Good morning, all." Nami, Sakura, and Jen greeted with chipper smiles as their husbands drank coffee and read the morning paper.
Rose and Pepper were already busy working on something or other.
"Morning." Everyone groaned in response, just waking up all the way.
Mamoru, Keiichiro, Kurogane, Fai, Touya, Pie, Zakuro, Setsuna, and Michiru were the only ones under thirty who had been up for an hour or so.
"How did you all sleep?" Sakura inquired, flipping some pancakes and bacon. At the same time, Jen was making eggs and sausage.
"Ok." Everyone answered.
"Sayuri, I see you're sleepwalking again. Are you doing ok? Oh, I don't mean to embarrass you, Sweetie; I'm just concerned." Nami softly spoke, watching her granddaughter, who just looked confused.
"We heard Kish and Kurogane help you back to bed last night and this morning. Shintaro said he found you wandering down here at around four-thirtyish. And then, your grandmother and I found you on the kitchen floor around six. Mr. Keiichiro was nice enough to carry you back to your room. I don't get why you're doing this again; I thought we worked all this out. I understand what recently happened is upsetting, but it's not your fault—just like your father murdering your mother. None of it's your fault." Toshi stiffly told Sayuri, upsetting her.
"Grandpa!" "Toshi!" Kish and Nami simultaneously exclaimed, pissed off as Nami smacked Toshi over the head with a rolled-up newspaper.
"No, it's ok; he's right." Sayuri softly insisted, trying not to cry.
"Sayuri…" Nami started.
"I'm ok. I'm just going to go back to sleep for a little bit." Sayuri continued to insist as she started backing away.
"What about breakfast?" Sakura and Jen questioned, concerned.
"Oh thanks, but no thanks; I'm not hungry. I'll be fine, really. I'll see you all later." Sayuri replied before running up the stairs, Kish following right after her.
"What happened this time?" Kurogane questioned Kish.
"Grandpa." Kish plainly answered.
"Of course. Do you have her?" Kurogane huffed before asking.
"If I need you, I'll call." Kish replied, continuing upstairs.
Kurogane just continued to the kitchen.
"Should we go talk to them?" Shintaro questioned, looking over his newspaper.
"No, Kish will talk to her and sort things out." Nami replied.
"Like always." Toshi mumbled, shaking his head, disappointed.
"Toshi!" Nami exclaimed, frustrated.
"What? He's a great brother for always helping her—but he does it too much; he needs to let her figure things out for herself for once. Him and Kurogane. If she had friends she could talk to, those boys could have a life. But no… She's too shy, awkward, and weird to make friends." Toshi firmly retorted.
"Now, what did you say to her?" Kurogane demanded, walking in.
"He said something about Sayuri sleepwalking. You, Kish, Mr. Shintaro, and Keiichiro all helped her back to bed." Pudding answered when Toshi refused to answer.
"He also said he didn't understand why she was doing that again, and that he thought she worked though it all with you, Kish, and your grandparents." Rini added.
"What else?" Kurogane questioned as calmly as possible, hearing something in the girls' tones.
"Umm…" Rini and Pudding nervously started, unsure of what to say.
"He mentioned that he understands that what recently happened is upsetting, but it wasn't her fault, and neither was your father murdering my mother." Tart answered, not caring if he got in trouble or not.
"Ok, kids; why don't you go and wait elsewhere for now?" Sakura suggested with a nervous smile. Yet she was still very serious.
"We all know what that means." Pudding, Rini, and Hotaru spoke, heading out.
"The adults want to talk about something, and they don't want us to hear." Tart, Hikaru, and Natsu finished following the girls.
"Let's check out the basement." Tasuku suggested.
"Yeah!" The youngest six excitedly exclaimed, running now.
With The Adults:
"Why would you say something like that to her? You know how she gets! Last time she was severely depressed; she stopped eating, started cutting, and shut herself away from everybody—including Kurogane and Kish! She almost had to be institutionalized for crying out loud!" Nami yelled, beyond pissed off before Kurogane could say anything.
"I don't want any of that. But she needs to deal with these things head-on instead of running away from them. You, Kurogane, and Kish need to stop babying her. What she really needs isn't her brothers—she needs friends! But she's too—different." Toshi replied as calmly as he could, trying to choose his words carefully.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Nami demanded, becoming even more pissed off.
"You know damn well what it means; she's too damn shy and awkward! And she tends to live in the past! She's never going to get over their mother's death if she never talks about it with someone who isn't biased. She needs to tell someone who wasn't there!" Toshi yelled back.
"Well, you know what? You're sleeping on the pull-out couch in the room tonight!" Nami snapped, shocking Toshi.
"Did you ever stop to think that Kish and I do what we do by choice? Did you ever stop to think that we protect and take care of Sayuri the way we do because we promised Mom we would? Mom made us promise to take care of Sayuri if anything ever happened to her. That was when Sayuri was only three and we found out all of her issues. Kish and I don't baby her; we do make her sit down and talk about Mom once a week—whether it be about that day, or some kind of happy memory. So, don't talk about shit you know nothing about without finding out why. It may be slightly annoying in the middle of the night, but Kish and I will take care of Sayuri for as long as she needs. We will make sure she doesn't hurt herself whilst she sleepwalks. I can't speak for Kish, but I will take care of her and her needs for as long as she needs it. I honestly don't give a flying fuck."
"One more thing before I go: I won't tell him or Sayuri that you're not biologically our grandfather. Don't even start. Mom told me when she was pregnant with Sayuri that you weren't her biological father; she also told me all about her biological father. The only reason I won't say anything to them is because I promised Mom. And to keep that promise, I will continue to acknowledge you as "Pops" or something along those lines when they're in earshot. If they are not anywhere near us, I will call you by your name, Toshi. Let me make something perfectly clear to you. When I was younger, I had a lot of respect for you. I loved you and considered you as my grandfather despite knowing the truth because you were always there. That's another reason I won't say anything to Kish or Sayuri; you have been there for them. However, within the last—three or four years, with how you've been acting towards or treating Sayuri, I've lost any respect to you. It also made me think about the past twelve years—since we found out about Sayuri's health issues. It took me this long to see it—or maybe I didn't want to see it, but you've treated her different since then. I don't know what your issues with her are, and I honestly don't care—not right now. But if you ever say or do anything to hurt her in any way, promises be damned: I will tell them everything I know about you." Kurogane went on a tirade, snapping at Toshi as he explained why he and Kish did what they did for Sayuri.
"Now, if you'll excuse me." Kurogane took a deep breath before leaving Toshi, Nami, Sakura, Shintaro, Jen, and Koji shocked.
"I'm sorry about all this." Nami apologized to everyone but Toshi.
"No, don't be. We understand; we're all going through a lot right now. I just hope Sayuri will be ok." Sakura replied, looking where Kurogane previously stood.
"Same here." Nami sighed.
"She'll be fine." Toshi huffed, annoyed. He loves Kurogane, Kish, and Sayuri more than anything. But he certainly didn't want to raise any more kids after his children moved away and had kids. And now, Kurogane knew things about him he didn't want anyone to know.
"I'm sure Sayuri will be fine; she has two fantastic brothers and grandparents." Jen insisted with a smile.
With Usagi & Ichigo:
"Poor Sayuri." Usagi sadly spoke, standing by the stairs.
"I know. I can't believe her grandpa would say something like that when he knows she's struggling." Ichigo replied, looking toward the kitchen.
"You want to know what they're talking about just as much as I do, don't you?" Usagi questioned, looking at Ichigo.
"Oh, good. At least I'm not the only one." Ichigo breathed, relieved.
"Come on; let's go." Usagi instructed, leading the way.
"Also, remember to be quiet." Ichigo added in a whisper.
"Right." Usagi agreed in a whisper.
They were about halfway to the kitchen when:
"What do you girls think you're doing?" Mamoru, Setsuna, Michiru, and Haruka questioned, coming from three different directions.
"I half expected it to be any of the youngest to try an eavesdrop, not you two." Setsuna calmly spoke, watching Usagi and Ichigo.
"Same here." Mamoru agreed, shaking his head.
"Nah. I don't know Ms. Strawberry and what her sleuthing skills are but knew Bun Head would try spying; she's known for that. Not even a full twenty-four hours and you're at it. Shame, shame." Haruka spoke, teasing Usagi with a smirk.
"I wasn't going to sneak around until I got to know everyone better, honest. But I like Sayuri. I really, really do; she's so kind. I don't think she's used to having friends, so Ichigo and I want to be friends with her. And what her grandpa said was just mean." Usagi sincerely explained.
"Not to mention, just plain rude and inconsiderate. And yes, I want to be Sayuri's friend as well—and not just because we're roommates. It may take some time, but I think she could be a bonus sister." Ichigo added.
"And how could you not want to know what Kurogane has to say to defend his little sister?" Usagi questioned.
"If they want us to know, I'm sure one of them will tell us." Michiru calmly spoke.
"Now, come on. Let's let them take care of their business. What do you girls like to do fun?" Mamoru insisted before questioning, trying to steer Usagi and Ichigo away from the kitchen.
"I like to play video games and read manga." Usagi answered with a smile, hypnotized by Mamoru's smile and blue eyes.
"I like to hang out with my friends and play games." Ichigo answered, following Setsuna and the others.
"Well, there you go. Maybe when you see Sayuri next, you can hang out together. Maybe you can talk to the rest of the girls and have a girl's only type of thing." Mamoru insisted, becoming awkward toward the end.
"Yeah. That sounds great, right Ichigo?" Usagi agreed before asking Ichigo.
"Yeah. But the question is, do we include all the girls? Or do we just have the girls around our ages? Do we exclude the younger or older girls? Ichigo questioned, thinking this through. You never know who will want to hang out with whom due to age and all that.
"Why don't you go in thinking about including all the girls, but ask them to see if they want to or not?" Mamoru suggested.
"That's a great idea." Ichigo and Usagi replied with smiles. Usagi also had stars in her eyes.
"Well, Bun Head's got it bad." Haruka noted, watching Usagi and Mamoru.
"She's not the only one. It looks as if Mamoru likes her as well." Michiru stated.
"Not just them either: I think Ichigo likes Kish. And it's plain to see that Kish likes her." Setsuna spoke up.
"And what of you? You like Keiichiro, yes?" Haruka inquired, watching Setsuna.
"I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about." Setsuna denied Haruka's accusations, blushing a little.
"Hey, would you three like to spend a few hours with just the girls?" Usagi asked Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru.
"We're going to ask all the girls—even the adults. If they say yes, great. If not, that's their loss." Ichigo explained.
"I'd love to." Setsuna and Michiru accepted their offer right away.
"Sounds like fun." Haruka replied.
"Yay! Let's go ask the others!" Ichigo and Usagi happily exclaimed.
"Just remember, we're supposed to go check out the trails, sheds, pools, and all that." Haruka reminded Usagi and Ichigo.
"Oh, of course. We're excited to do that as well." Ichigo and Usagi replied with smiles as they took off searching for the other girls.
Upstairs:
With Kish & Sayuri:
"Sayuri, it's alright; you know how Grandpa is." Kish spoke in a soothing tone, leaning against a locked door.
…
Nothing but crying.
"Please, don't do this again. Please, don't lock yourself away and start self-harming." Kish pleaded with Sayuri through the door.
"Hey, is everything ok?" Ryou questioned, walking over. He was in the shower when everything happened, so he had no clue what was going on.
"Hey, not really." Kish sighed without meaning to.
"What's going on?" Ryou asked, concerned.
"Family issues. Grandpa said something stupid, and now Sayuri is upset. I'm afraid she will shut down, stop eating, and self-harming again." Kish answered, frustrated. He usually wouldn't tell anyone this. However, as much as he hates how their grandfather phrases things, he agrees that Sayuri needs to open up and talk to someone about all this.
"May I try?" Ryou calmly requested.
"If you want. But she can be very stubborn, so good luck." Kish allowed Ryou to try, backing up a little.
"Sayuri, it's Ryou. Can we talk?" Ryou requested through the door.
…
Nothing.
"What's going on now?" Kurogane questioned, walking over to Kish.
"Sayuri's locked herself in her room, and she's not responding. Ryou asked if he could try, so I'm letting him." Kish answered, sighing.
"Ok… Then I'll talk. Your brothers are worried about you. Listen, I don't know what happened to you and your family to get you here—other than that gang. And thanks to those women, I know your father murdered your mother. I may not know or understand why he did that, but I do know and understand how you feel—I know what you're going through. I'm here because my dad refused to do something that some bad people wanted him to do; they killed both him and my mom. The only family I have left are my brothers, Keiichiro and Masaya. I know they're adopted, but I don't consider them that; they are my brothers—no matter how much Masaya pisses me off. Kurogane and Kish are your brothers: they are your family; they care a great deal about you. Don't shut them out; let them help you. My brothers and I may not always get along, but we would go crazy if we didn't talk about everything. Sure, you have a—umm… A new home full of people, but if you can't talk to your brothers or grandparents, who can you talk to?" Ryou spoke to Sayuri in a soothing tone before calmly asking through the door. He didn't see or hear Keiichiro or Masaya walking over or that they heard what he said about them.
After a few minutes, They didn't think Sayuri was coming out, so it was Kurogane's turn. However, when Kish and Ryou turned to let Kurogane through, Sayuri slowly opened the door and walked out.
"Sayuri." Kish sighed in relief, pulling his sister into a hug.
"I'm sorry." Sayuri guiltily apologized, returning Kish's hug.
"It's fine." Kish replied to Sayuri, letting her go.
"Don't you ever pull that shit again. You shut down and do any of the shit again, I won't ever forgive you. Do you understand me?" Kurogane angrily demanded, narrowing his eyes at Sayuri.
"Yes. I'm sorry." Sayuri shakily apologized.
"Jeez. Come here. I'm sorry. But I can't go through watching that again; I can't almost lose you again." Kurogane apologized, pulling Sayuri into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry." Sayuri apologized again, silently crying into Kurogane's shoulder.
"It's fine. Just promise not to shut down, shut Kish, Grandma, or me out, or start self-harming again." Kurogane replied before demanding.
"Ok… I promise." Sayuri slowly promised.
"And don't listen to Pops—or let him get to you. He's just being a grumpy horse's ass." Kurogane insisted, making Kish chuckle a little.
"Thank you." Kish and Kurogane thanked Ryou.
"Oh, no problem. You're welcome. So, if you're feeling up to it, we should eat and then go searching the trails out back." Ryou replied before suggesting.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Kish replied with a stupid grin.
"Sure." Sayuri softly agreed, some tears running down her cheeks.
"I suppose." Kurogane sighed, looking at the ceiling.
"Sounds like a blast! We'll have so much fun!" Fai excitedly declared, popping up behind Kurogane, stunning him, Sayuri, Kish, and Ryou.
"Gahhh! What the hell?!" Kurogane yelled, glaring at Fai. Well, trying to; Fai was all over the place.
"Hey! Get back here, damnit! And you get your ass down here and eat something!" Kurogane hollered, chasing after Fai as he pranced down the stairs. He then yelled at Sayuri. On the way down, he passed Ichigo and Usagi as they were headed up.
"There you are. We've been looking for you, Girly." Usagi told Sayuri, standing in front of her.
"We were wondering if you wanted to do something later. We found all the other girls; we're all going to get together and hang out. And yes, we're including my mom, Jen, and your grandma. The only ones not joining in are Pepper, Rose, Taiya, and Maya: we invited them, but they all declined." Ichigo informed Sayuri, watching her.
"We'd really like it if you joined us as well." Usagi insisted with a smile.
"Oh, umm… I was going to go with Kurogane, Kish, and Ryou on the trails behind the house." Sayuri softly replied.
"Yeah, I know; we all were. I was talking about afterwards." Ichigo and Usagi insisted.
"Oh. Ok, sure." Sayuri softly accepted the offer.
"Great! I'll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast!" Ichigo happily exclaimed before running downstairs.
"Me too. Hey, Sayuri's joining us later as well!" Usagi happily declared, following Ichigo.
Sayuri, Kish, Ryou, Keiichiro, and Masaya stood there, not knowing what to do.
"Well, let's head downstairs. Sakura and Jen made pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon. And Ryou: we love you too." Keiichiro instructed before telling Ryou with a smile, making him realize they were there and heard what he told Sayuri.
"I'm kind of surprised you care so much about me. Though, not as surprised as I am her." Masaya told Ryou, looking at Sayuri.
"What about her?" Ryou and Kish simultaneously questioned. Ryou's tone was annoyed, whereas Kish's tone was pissed off.
There was something in the way that Masaya was motioning to Sayuri that Kish didn't like. Actually, there was just something about Masaya that Kish didn't like in general.
"You know—she's not slutty or that bright. You normally go for the smart, but slutty type, not the slow mousy type. Though, you never know; she may have a dark side nobody knows about." Masaya explained with a mischievous smile, making Sayuri uncomfortable.
"Look who's talking." Ryou retorted before Kish punched Masaya in the face.
"Don't you dare talk about Sayuri like that." Kish growled.
"Ok, I deserved that." Masaya groaned, holding his face as he stood up.
"No shit! You're just lucky Kurogane isn't here!" Kish yelled, pissed off, getting the attention of pretty much everyone downstairs.
"Trust me when I say, you don't want your sister with a guy like him; you don't know who he is. He's not someone you want your dear, sweet, innocent sister with." Masaya explained, glaring at Ryou.
"I know who Ryou is and about all of his past girlfriends—and what he did with them. We're roommates—we talked last night. Kurogane and I can't pick who Sayuri dates or whatever, but we will watch over and protect her. Besides, I'd rather her with Ryou than you or someone like you. And I know for a fact that Kurogane feels the same way." Kish angrily retorted, glaring at Masaya.
"What did he tell you about me?" Masaya asked, horrified, looking at Kish.
"Nothing. But the look on your face tells me everything I need to know. I don't know anything about you—nor do I want to. I can't speak for Kurogane but leave my sister and me alone. Come on, Sayuri." Kish answered before telling Sayuri, ready to walk away.
"She definitely has a cute ass." Masaya mumbled to himself, staring at Sayuri's ass, thinking nobody would hear. He was wrong—dead wrong.
"What did you just say?!" Kish snapped, growling as he turned to look at Masaya, who had just started backing away.
"Kish, please…" Sayuri started pleading with Kish to stop.
"Sayuri, go—now." Kish growled, pushing her behind him.
"Come on; we'll go get help." Ryou calmly insisted, carefully ushering Sayuri downstairs.
Just then, everyone came running because they heard Kish and Masaya yelling and beating the crap out of each other.
"What is going on up there?" Toshi, Shintaro, and Koji asked as they, Nami, Sakura, and Jen met Ryou and Sayuri at the bottom of the steps.
"Sayuri, what's wrong?" Nami asked, concerned, noticing how pale Sayuri was.
"Kish—he's really mad at Masaya." Sayuri softly spoke, upset.
"My idiot brother said something stupid, and it set Kish off." Ryou explained, annoyed.
"Stay away from her!" They heard Kish yell.
"She's a big girl; she can choose for herself who she dates! Sweet little thing—I'd tap that!" They heard Masaya yell back.
"You're not up there fighting with him?" Keiichiro asked, looking at Ryou.
"Not my fight. Whatever happens to Masaya, he deserves. I did what I thought was best and got Sayuri out of there—after Kish told her to leave." Ryou answered.
"Are they fighting about Sayuri?" Kurogane questioned, walking over with Fai.
"Yes." Everyone answered, not bothering to lie.
"Oh, he's a dead man." Kurogane growled, ready to ascend the stairs.
"Ok. Everyone, out to the kitchen and eat breakfast—now. You too, Kurogane. I'll take care of those two. Go, now!" Shintaro ordered, beyond annoyed by now.
"Uh-oh…" Ichigo and Rini exchanged looks, knowing this wasn't good; their dad was pissed.
"Come on, girls." Sakura ushered the girls to the dining area.
"Please, don't, Kurgi." Sayuri pleaded with Kurogane, grabbing his arm as Shintaro headed upstairs.
"Fine. Are you ok? He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Kurogane questioned, watching Sayuri.
"I'm ok. No; he just spoke." Sayuri softly answered, rubbing her eyes.
"Fine. I'll be right back; I'm going to get some air. You go eat." Kurogane replied, patting her head before heading out.
"Ok." Sayuri obeyed and started walking to the dining room.
"Hey." Ryou stopped Sayuri, gently grabbing her arm.
"Hmm?" Sayuri hummed, slightly confused.
"I'm sorry for everything Masaya said before. My parents adopted him when we were younger; he was a good person. Then, I'm not sure what happened… I mean, I suppose he's still a good person, but he started hanging out with a new group of people. Who knows? Maybe being here, away from those people, he'll go back to how he used to be. For his sake, I sure hope so; there's no excuse for what he said. Anyway, I know I'm not perfect, but I'd be honored if you would give me a chance and get to know me. I know I'd like to get to know you more as well." Ryou apologized and then calmly requested.
"Me?" Sayuri softly inquired, looking around, stunned.
"Yes, you." Ryou answered, looking at her.
Looking at her face and reading her body language, Ryou could tell that Sayuri wasn't used to this kind of attention—or someone asking her out.
"Where is that girl?" Toshi questioned, standing in the kitchen.
"Sayuri?" Nami replied, looking at her husband.
"Yes, Sayuri. Didn't we tell her to get her butt in her and eat something?" Toshi questioned, looking at his wife and Sakura.
"That Ryou kid stopped her to talk to her about something or other." Zakuro informed Nami and Toshi in a bored tone of voice.
"I'll get them." Nami calmly insisted. She didn't want Toshi to say something stupid or embarrass Sayuri more than he already had.
"Girls, sit your butts down and let them be. No eavesdropping. You can talk to them when they get in." Sakura stopped Ichigo and Usagi.
"Aww, man!" Ichigo and Usagi whined, wanting to see what their new friend was up to.
"Don't "aww, man" me. Whatever they're talking about, they need to be left alone so that they can have the confidence they need to talk to each other—especially Sayuri. Besides, Nami is going to get them." Sakura firmly told Ichigo and Usagi.
"Fine." Ichigo and Usagi mumbled.
"But no matter what, we need to have her sit by us." Usagi insisted right away.
"Right between us." Ichigo agreed with a smile.
"I'm so proud of you, Ichigo." Sakura proudly told Ichigo.
"Why?" Ichigo questioned, confused.
"For being so kind to not only Sayuri, but everyone else here as well. But especially for someone so shy with little confidence and seemed to have no friends before here. You as well, Usagi. I know I don't know you, but I can tell you're a good girl with a big heart. I'm sure your parents would've been proud of you." Sakura clarified with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you, Mrs. Sakura. Yes, I'm sure they would be as well." Usagi replied with a smile.
"I'm only doing what I was raised to do. You and Dad raised Rini and me to treat everyone fairly, kindly, with respect, and how we would want to be treated. Plus, I really do like Sayuri and want to get to know her better." Ichigo replied with a smile, making her mother cry even more.
"Yes, same here." Usagi agreed with a smile.
When Nami got to where Ryou had stopped Sayuri, she stopped in her tracks. Ryou and Sayuri were talking when she saw something in Sayuri that she'd never seen in her before—something she saw in her daughter when she was alive.
Nami wasn't the only one who saw them; Kurogane saw them when he walked in, a little calmer now.
Sayuri looked at Ryou like her mother looked at their birth father before he died—before she remarried their stepfather. Which, by the way, they don't know anything about: only Kurogane knows the truth.
Sayuri was looking at Ryou like Nami looked at her first husband—and now Toshi—still to this day.
"…Ok…" Sayuri slowly and shyly accepted Ryou's request.
"Great." Ryou replied with a smile, making her blush a little.
"Ok, you two—and Kurogane: come eat." Nami finally said something, getting Ryou and Sayuri's attention.
"And you two… Why are you two wet?" Nami questioned, looking at a drenched Kish and Masaya.
"Mr. Momomiya dumped hot water over our heads." Kish mumbled, walking to the kitchen.
"Then he made us clean the water up. I'm sorry I said certain things to you before; that was wrong of me." Masaya mumbled, walking to the kitchen.
"With how these two were going at it, dumping lukewarm water over their heads was the only way to get them to stop. Then to continue the punishment, I made them clean the watery mess, and think about what they were saying, doing, or whatever. They may only change their clothes after breakfast." Shintaro explained, walking to the kitchen.
"Come on, let's eat." Nami instructed with a smile, leading the way.
"I see you got one of Dad's famous punishments." Ichigo and Rini noted, looking at Kish and Masaya.
"Famous?" Kish questioned, raising an eyebrow at Ichigo.
"One of?" Masaya questioned, horrified.
"Oh, yes. You got the tamest one." Ichigo answered with a small smile.
"Sayuri, sit between us." Usagi insisted, having Sayuri sit between her and Ichigo.
"That was tame?" Masaya asked in shock.
"Well, you're only wet, had to clean up water, and only have to sit here until everyone is done eating. This ain't nothing. Rini and I got into a huge fight one time: we got this punishment, plus having to sit outside, on a busy street corner with large signs, saying what we were arguing about in the first place. If we couldn't remember what we were arguing about, Dad would write something extremely embarrassing and make us hold that." Ichigo explained.
"And that's not the worst of it either." Rini added with a smile.
"What could be worse than that?" Masaya inquired, looking at Rini.
"No TV, phone, tablet of any sort, iPod Touch, video games, or internet." Rini answered, shrinking away.
"What's so bad about that?" Kish inquired, looking from Rini to Ichigo.
"For a whole month." Rini explained, causing almost everyone to gasp, horrified.
"We could only read books. And for music, we had to use something called MP3 Player, or some kind of fossil iPod or worse—CDs. It was horrible." Rini continued to explain in horror.
"Again… What's wrong with any of that?" Kurogane questioned in disbelief.
"Maybe it's because they like sports, martial arts, and other stuff like that. Sayuri, you understand, don't you?" Rini inquired, looking at Sayuri.
"Understand what? Internet?" Sayuri asked, only slightly confused.
"Yes, the internet. You type stories, don't you?" Rini replied, watching Sayuri.
"No, I hand-write everything; I don't own a computer—none of us do. Kish and I do have our own MP3 player." Sayuri softly answered.
"What about the internet? Don't you miss it?" Berry probed, confused.
"I've heard of it—and know what it is, but we've never had it. So, I guess there's nothing to miss." Sayuri answered, getting stares from a good chunk of people.
"Did I say something wrong?" Sayuri asked after a few minutes of silence.
"No, you didn't." Kurogane replied, sighing a little.
"I think, except for us, everyone here is used to having internet." Nami calmly explained with a smile.
"You poor people. I'm so sorry. What did you do for fun?" Maya questioned, looking at Kurogane, Kish, and Sayuri.
"Wait. You said you enjoyed playing video games—most systems need internet." Tart, Hikaru, and Natsu insisted.
"I have a NES. Sayuri and I usually play different Mario games, Mortal Kombat, or Donkey Kong Country. Otherwise, I usually kickbox, do Karate, play tetherball, soccer, football, basketball, softball, and hockey—or I read. Yes, we have MP3 players, but we just got those a few months ago; for the most part we have CDs. I don't think we have anything on those MP3s. And Kurogane doesn't care for any of that except for maybe CDs." Kish calmly explained, scratching his head.
"I write or read. Sometimes Kish makes me play NES with him. Yes, we mainly use CDs and CD players. Yes, we have MP3s; we won them in something, but we haven't opened them yet." Sayuri softly explained.
"What's a NES?" Tart, Hikaru, and Natsu asked, looking around, confused.
"A really old system that came out in 1985." Shintaro calmly answered, looking at everyone.
"And what's so wrong with not having internet or any of that stuff anyway? It's nothing but a pain." Kurogane questioned, looking at and shocking everyone.
"Hey, does anyone know when we're supposed to be getting internet here?" Rose and Pepper asked, walking in from wherever.
"Maybe, because of our situation, we won't be able to have internet." Ryou suggested, leaning back in his chair.
"Oh, hahaha. Very funny. But seriously, does anyone know?" Rose asked, looking at the adults.
"He's right, you know. The internet connects people to the outside world; it would be a risk for any of you youngsters to have social media or whatever and have someone finding any of us. It's a miracle that Koji, Shintaro, and you two are able to have a job outside of the house. Not to mention Sakura, Jen, and the ones who aren't in school. The younger ones who still have school are all stuck here to do any kind of schooling; Witness Protection teachers will be coming here to teach them instead of them going to an actual school. We may not ever have the internet here." Nami explained, causing Rose and Pepper to faint.
"What are we supposed to do for fun?" Most of the teens whined.
"Actual school?" Sayuri questioned, confused.
"Not home school. We went to actual school for preschool and Kindergarten." Kish calmly answered.
"Like when I was in school; I went to public school." Kurogane added, watching Sayuri.
"Oh. That's right; I forgot about that." Sayuri replied, thinking about it a little.
"Before you dropped out." Toshi mumbled, earning glares from Kurogane and Nami.
"Home school? How could your parents handle you all the time?" Rose asked in shock.
"Well, obviously they couldn't. Stepdad went crazy and killed their mom." Pepper answered Rose, causing Sayuri to stiffen up.
"Stepdad?" Sayuri and Kish asked, confused.
"Well yeah, stepdad. Sometimes I wondered about that woman—her first husband was killed months before the oldest was born. Then she remarried a year later only to be brutally murdered in cold blood shortly after her second child was born. And then she claims to have been raped when the youngest boy was a little over a year old and ended up pregnant again." Pepper answered, eerily calm.
"Oh, yeah… I remember that. How she could keep the rape child is beyond me. The second son was shot protecting the mistake. I wonder how the girl can live with herself when she's the rea—." "Will you shut the fuck up already?!" Kish had enough and interrupted Rose, throwing a salt and pepper shaker at Rose and Pepper..
Rose and Pepper were in their own little world, forgetting they weren't the only ones in the dining area—including the ones they were talking about.
"Excuse me." Sayuri excused herself, running out of the room to find a bathroom to throw up.
"What the hell?!" Rose and Pepper yelled in shock.
"Shut the fuck up and look around you, stupid bitches! And no, I will not apologize! Not everything is about you or your whatever; there are other people in the world—and most certainly here! You do not know what happened that day—the day that that man killed our mom! That man was a drunk—an angry drunk! Sayuri wasn't sleeping that day; she was awake—barely. Sayuri was sick! That man came home from wherever, drunk and pissed off because the house wasn't fully clean enough for him! Do you know how long it took for us to get Sayuri to believe and understand that what happened wasn't her fault?!" Kurogane angrily yelled at Rose and Pepper before Kish took over.
"Well, this was certainly a great way to find out that our dad wasn't really our dad—that my real dad was murdered and Sayuri's dad was a rapist. So, thanks for that. Don't talk about shit you don't know! I mean, seriously! Yes, that man brutally killed mom—the woman who loved and raised us. Yes, I was shot protecting our sister! And I'd do it again! Why? Because she's our sister, and she most certainly is not a mistake! So, before you go talking shit about shit you don't know, grow the fuck up! And like Kurogane asked before: do you know how long it took to get Sayuri to understand that what happened wasn't her fault? Well, here's a new question: do you know how long it's going to take for her to get over what we just learned? You had better hope she doesn't hurt herself or shut down. Because if she does, I promise you will regret it." Kish exclaimed, getting up.
"Aren't you going to do something about your disrespectful grandsons?" Rose and Pepper outright demanded Nami and Toshi.
"Yes, I am. Kurogane, Kish: come back here right now! Your sister will be just fine for a few minutes." Nami called her grandsons before they rounded a corner.
"What? We're not apologizing to them!" Kish shot back.
"Lose the attitude—both of you. I'm not asking you to apologize to these two." Nami started.
"What?!" "Excuse me?!" Pepper and Rose screeched, shocked.
"Oh, boy." Toshi sighed.
"You two, knock it off! I could fire you on the spot." Nami scolded Rose and Pepper.
"Why would you fire us? We're your best workers." Pepper cockily spoke with a smile.
"How do we know that? We know virtually nothing about our other workers; they could be ten times better than you've ever been or ever will be. Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I don't give a damn how good of a worker either of you are—not when it comes to my family—my grandchildren. We had this discussion yesterday when we first arrived: our grandchildren watched their mother being murdered. That monster of a man killed our only daughter, shot our grandson, and attempted to kill our granddaughter and other grandson. Sayuri had to witness it all. She did not take it well and blamed herself—nearly killing herself in the process. As Kurogane and Kish said before, it took forever to get her to understand that it wasn't her fault. And here you are—two grown ass, immature women, none of us know—talking about something you don't understand. So yes, I should fire you on the spot. However, I'm not going to do that: I am going to give you both one more shot. You cross me, my husband, my grandchildren, or anyone in this house again, you will be fired. Now, boys: I kept you here because I want to let you know that you will be their bosses and are to monitor them. Kurogane, you have Pepper, and Kish, you're in charge of Rose. Do not abuse this power. Now, go check on Sayuri." Nami explained before walking away, beyond pissed off, leaving everyone who was there, standing or sitting in the dining area, stunned.
"Kish, wait!" Ichigo called, running after him, along with Usagi and Ryou.
"What is it?" Kish asked as calmly as he could as Kurogane kept going.
"Can we help?" Ichigo and Usagi requested, looking at Kish, getting Kurogane's attention.
"Why?" Kish asked, confused.
"Because we want to be friends with her." Usagi answered.
"Well, we want to be friends with her. I think Ryou wants to be more than friends with her—but I think you know that already." Ichigo clarified, looking at Kish, shocking him—and Kurogane.
"She didn't have very many friends, did she?" Ryou inquired, watching Kish, noticing his face.
"She me and Kurogane; that was it. She had the one boyfriend—but he was a piece of crap who wanted nothing but sex. And when she refused to do that, he beat the crap out of her." Kish answered, clenching and unclenching his hands.
"And I took care of that asshat." Kurogane added, indicating he heard them.
"Well, we'll be her friend. Everyone needs friends, including her. We'll show her what true friends are." Usagi determinedly replied.
"Yes, we'll be her friends. And I think there are a few other girls here who'd like to be her friend as well. And who knows? Maybe you two will make some new friends as well." Ichigo insisted with a smile.
"Right. You really don't hide anything, do you? You're not really good at playing coy." Kish responded to Ichigo, watching her, making her blush.
"Help me with Sayuri and then we'll talk." Kish added, flashing a smile that made Ichigo melt.
"Can we move on?" Ryou requested, walking ahead of Kish.
"Quit flirting." Kurogane ordered, annoyed.
"Let's go!" Usagi determinedly exclaimed.
"Right." Kish and Ichigo replied, embarrassed.
"Sayuri?" The group asked when they got to her, Ichigo, Usagi, and Makoto's room.
The door was open, and it didn't look like anyone was there. There was, however, a knife with some blood on it on the floor.
"She had better not have." Kurogane growled.
"Sayuri?!" Kish called, frantically looking around.
"What are you doing?" Mamoru questioned, walking by.
"Looking for our sister." Kurogane and Kish answered.
"Your sister? Sayuri?" Mamoru asked, looking at Kish.
"Yes, that's her. What of it?" Kish defensively questioned.
"Kish, relax a little. He's just asking." Kurogane instructed.
"She's sleeping in your bed. I would assume it's your bed anyway; there's a few pictures of you, her, your brother, and your grandparents on your nightstand." Mamoru informed Kish and Kurogane.
"How do you know that?" Kish asked, becoming defensive.
"I chased that Masaya guy away from her. From all the tension earlier, it seems to me that she's uncomfortable around him—and it's clear you don't like him." Mamoru explained.
"Well, thanks for that." Kish replied as calmly as he could; he'd beat Masaya's ass later.
"You're welcome. Oh, and I bandaged her arm." Mamoru added.
"Huh?" Kish asked, looking at Mamoru.
"Why?" Kurogane questioned, narrowing his eyes.
"I bandaged her arm; she had a decent sized cut on her upper right arm. Before you assume anything—because I heard she used to self-harm; it didn't look self-inflicted. Plus, she's right-handed: there is no way she could intentionally cut herself in that specific spot unless she were left-handed. And again, before you jump to conclusions, I don't think Masaya did anything either. I think it was just an accident. It really wasn't that bad—no stitches were needed; she just needed to be bandaged up—properly." Mamoru calmly explained.
"If it was just an accident, why didn't she come get help?" Ichigo asked, confused.
"Is she that afraid of us?" Usagi questioned, concerned.
"I don't think she's afraid of you; I think she just wanted to be left alone." Ryou insisted.
"Anyway, it looked like she tried to bandage her own arm. She must've got it to where she thought it was good enough and then cried herself to sleep. Yes, she's fine." Mamoru continued to explain.
"How do you know that? How do you know what to look for?" Usagi questioned, watching Mamoru, interested.
"I was studying to be a doctor. I graduated high school early at sixteen and immediately went onto college. I was supposed to be going into my first year of medical school." Mamoru explained before Usagi ran into him.
"I'm going to check up on Sayuri. Thanks for bandaging her up." Kurogane thanked Mamoru, walking away.
"See ya around." Kish and Ryou told Mamoru, following Kurogane.
"It's no problem. I hope she feels better, and all gets settled soon." Mamoru replied, heading to his room to read a book.
"Come on, Usagi; we can talk about boys and all that in our girl time later." Ichigo insisted, dragging Usagi to Kish's room.
Sure enough, when the five of them got to Kish, Ryou, and Mizuki's room, Sayuri was passed out on Kish's bed with her upper arm bandaged with tear stains down her cheeks.
"Poor Sayuri. I wish there was something we could do for her." Usagi sadly spoke, watching Sayuri.
"I'm sorry for all you and your sister had to go through." Ichigo apologized, looking at Kurogane and Kish.
"Thanks, but it's not your fault." Kish started but stopped when he saw two people he didn't want to see.
"There you are. We've been searching all over for you." Rose and Pepper said, out of breath.
'I highly doubt that.' Kurogane, Kish, Ryou, Usagi, and Ichigo thought to themselves with blank stares.
"What do you want?" Kurogane and Kish rudely questioned, looking at them.
"Now, you listen here…" "No, you listen to me. I don't give a crap on what you want or don't want. Stay out of my way and leave my brother, sister, and me alone, and we won't have a problem. I could care less if you get fired or not. So, just get out of my room." Kish angrily interrupted Rose.
"It's not just your room; you do have roommates. And from what I can tell, this isn't even your room." Pepper retorted, watching Kish and noticing Kurogane glaring at them.
"This is very true: he does have two other roommates. I'm one of them, and I don't want you in here either. And Mizuki's not here right now, so he has no say. Not that would matter; he doesn't like you either." Ryou informed Rose and Pepper, annoyed.
"Well, I never." Rose and Pepper huffed in shock.
"Get out of here." Kurogane demanded, trying not to yell.
"Go to work or whatever." Kish ordered.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"We told you we didn't want you here. Sorry. We thought you were someone else." Kish and Ryou jumped to conclusions before seeing Keiichiro; they quickly apologized.
"I figured as much. Rose and Pepper just left and I kind of heard some of your conversation. I just came to see if you found Sayuri and to see how she was doing. But—it seems she's ok?" Keiichiro replied, looking at the sleeping girl on Kish's bed.
"Yeah, she's ok. That Mamoru guy said she somehow accidentally cut herself and that he bandaged her up. You can tell Grandma Sayuri's fine." Kish replied.
"Are you going to let her sleep? I mean, it's almost 9:30 AM." Maya questioned, walking by.
"She can sleep until she wakes up." Kurogane retorted, slightly annoyed.
"Ok." Maya said, walking away, arms up.
"Well, I guess I should go get changed. We'll talk later?" Ichigo asked, looking at Kish.
"Yeah—you can count on it." Kish replied with a smile as she walked away.
"Stop screwing off and tell her how you feel, Lovesick Fool." Kurogane firmly told Kish, covering Sayuri.
"Shut up!" Kish growled, embarrassed, making Usagi giggle a little as she walked away…