Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot and a few extra characters… however, I own a ballpen that fails to write due to being dropped several times.
AN: By the way, I named Tsukushi's father Papa and her mother Mama. It would be confusing to use Makino-san for the both of them, and I have no idea what their first names are. Also, I couldn't think of any first name that would suit them.
Enjoy…
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Twists of Fate
Chapter Four – Crime and Punishment
by: chocopeanutplease
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One of the greatest wonders in life is how oblivion can bring peace to someone…
Makino Tsukushi unexpectedly enjoyed a good night sleep. Their dinner was deep-fried chicken skin with some vegetables. It was ordinary, for the lack of a better word, but even the slightest bit of ordinariness can make Tsukushi happy as long as it was spent with her family. Family always came first before her own will. That was the extent of her loving her family.
She suddenly woke up and looked at her clock as a matter of habit.
"Ehhhh?!"
She only had a few minutes to spare before having to leave for school. She hurriedly got up, dressed up and made all the necessary preparations.
As she was briskly walking to the front door, she felt that she stepped on something solid and small. Raising her foot from the unknown object, she found a silver ring. It was plain. Incredibly plain. There were no carvings, no markings at all.
She stared at it, awed by its immense plainness.
"OH NO!!" she shrieked as she realized that she was about to be late.
Experiencing distractions can be a way of life…
She practically ran to her room, placed the ring in one of her drawers and then dashed out to leave the house.
Her parents were not at home as she left. Her father already attended to his job as a company employee. Her mother was working early to babysit more children and earn more for their daily expenses. Her little brother Susumu had already headed off to school before she even woke up.
Her family was normal in every way, just the usual middle class family. That was before her parents were told about the information yesterday afternoon before Tsukushi reached home.
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Yesterday afternoon…
Tsukushi's parents were spending their afternoon as they habitually do every day. Papa was reading the newspaper while Mama was cooking for dinner. A characteristic sound came from the pan as she was sautéing vegetables. Susumu was also in the living room, religiously doing his homework.
No one could guess that an ominous event was about to happen.
Just then, a knock at the door came.
"I'll go answer it," Papa called out to his wife as he folded the newspaper and walked toward the door.
"Thank you," Mama said as the aroma from the food spread around the house.
The opening of the front door revealed a tall man with a suit, coat and tie. He looked as old as Tsukushi's parents, but with a more refined countenance.
"Good afternoon, Makino-san. I have an important matter to discuss with you. May I come in?" the tall guy asked politely but with a degree of self-confidence.
"Uhmm… Who are you?" was all Papa could bring himself to say after staring at him, feeling the height difference between them.
"Oh, I am sorry I forgot to introduce myself!" the tall man's face lightened up as he realized his mistake. "My name is Shirota Makoto. I was the lawyer of Doumyouji Kendo." He said bowing his head.
"Uhmm… And who exactly is Doumyouji Kendo?" Papa asked hesitantly.
"May I at least come in to explain? I have documents to show you," the tall man named Shirota Makoto said apologetically, feeling that he was intruding.
"Oh! I'm sorry… Sure, please enter. Our house is not tidy though…" Papa said as he directed Shirota Makoto to their living room.
"I'll go prepare some tea," Susumu volunteered as he saw the visitor enter. He was also glad to take a break from his studying.
Mama already finished her cooking and then went to sit with them. Susumu came back bringing four cups of tea. He served one to everyone including himself. He was also curious about what the tall guy had to say.
Shirota Makoto brought out what seemed to be legal documents from his suit case. He showed it to the Makinos.
"This is the contract between Doumyouji Kendo-san and Takashi-san before Doumyouji-san died. Please read it carefully," Shirota-san was rearranging his documents as the Makinos tried to comprehend the content of the contract.
"Ano… Shirota-san? I do not quite understand how this concerns us… It just said here that the heir of Doumyouji Kendo-san, his grandson, is supposed to marry the granddaughter of this Takashi-san. It just simply sounds like an arranged marriage…" Papa blurted out.
"Yes. You see, years ago, Takashi-san saved Doumyouji-san from a terrible fire. The building was all in flames and Doumyouji-san's legs were stuck under a huge concrete. Takashi-san risked his life as he entered the burning building to get Doumyouji-san into safety. Doumyouji-san was immensely grateful for this. He felt that he owed Takashi-san his life. He decided that Takashi-san's granddaughter would be a good match for his grandson, the heir of the Doumyouji Group. That was why he planned an arranged marriage for the two of them. Takashi-san also approved of this. It was in the last will and testament of the both of them. As their lawyer, I need to make sure that this is executed for their sake." Shirota-san carefully told the story to the Makinos, making them feel the need to cooperate with him.
"Huh…" the three listeners chorused.
"Your story sounds moving and all, but how is this related to us? I don't get it…" Papa asked, confused.
"Eh? Don't you recognize the name 'Takashi'? 'Makino Takashi', your father." Shirota-san said, baffled that Papa Makino didn't recognize the name at once.
It took a whole minute for the information to sink in.
"My father…" Papa Makino slowly pronounced.
"So the granddaughter is… our Tsukushi?!" Mama asked, exclamatorily as she recovered from her state of confusion.
Shirota-san merely nodded in response.
"You mean to say that my father wanted my Tsukushi to marry this Doumyouji-san's grandson?!" Papa asked, outraged.
"I believe so," Shirota-san replied. He half-expected their reaction to be such.
"Onee-chan..." Susumu whispered to himself.
"According to his will, they should marry after the grandson turns 18 to make sure that the company maintains its stability." Shirota-san added.
"And how old is he now?" Papa asked, anxious to know the answer.
"17." Shirota-san replied tersely.
All the information that Shirota-san shared overwhelmed the Makinos.
"Through the act of marriage, the Doumyoujis can provide financial support for your family. The children would also be funded for their education." Shirota-san explained, with an intention to convince.
"Papa, what should we do?" Mama asked her husband uncertainly.
"I do not approve of this." Papa Makino said firmly as he slammed his hand on the table top. "I want Tsukushi to live her life the way she wants. She doesn't need to be stuck with a husband at such an early stage in life. That girl is full of dreams! I want her to pursue her dreams and be herself. I don't care about the financial support! We can through our life if we stick together as a family. Even though we need the money, it is just wrong to use her." He said heatedly. "I do not approve of this!" he said with exasperation.
Shirota-san was shocked. He didn't know what to say.
It took quite a while for Papa Makino to calm down. Mama and Susumu looked at him concernedly. Shirota-san kept glancing at him as if afraid that he might explode.
"Do not tell Tsukushi anything about this. She doesn't need to be compromised." Papa commanded them with an air of superiority.
"Please leave…" Papa Makino suddenly said.
"Uhmm… Ok." Shirota-san said, standing up and turning to leave.
"I'll escort you out," Susumu volunteered.
"Wait." Papa Makino bluntly called out. Shirota-san faced him.
"What is the grandson's name?" Papa asked.
"Doumyouji Tsukasa."
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Meanwhile, luck was still on Tsukushi's side. She still reached Eitoku on time, even after experiencing delays at home.
She sprinted from the bus stop all the way to Eitoku so as not to be late. She was almost out of breath as she reached her destination: her locker.
It has been a habit for every Eitoku student to go to the locker first to deposit or withdraw some of their stuff.
She saw a red note placed inside her locker but she barely had the energy to read it. She recklessly slid it into her bag and then slid her notebooks in such a way that the note was crumpled inside.
She was still trying to catch her breath as she climbed a flight of staircases to her classroom: 2-C.
She was absent-minded. She was putting too much attention in trying to regain her normal breathing. She sat on her designated seat and laid her arms on her desk in a manner of resting.
Some things are invisible to hopelessly inattentive people…
Makino Tsukushi didn't even notice the transparent sticky glue that had been poured on her desk. Only her placing her arms on the desk made her realize this fact.
"UGH!! What the-!" she whispered as she raised her arm from the table in disgust.
She didn't notice the people around her to be smirking stealthily at her situation. She hurried to leave to go to the girls' washroom.
"Tsukushi!" Yuki called out as she saw the distressed Tsukushi leaving through the doorway. Tsukushi prioritize reaching the washroom that she didn't even had time to respond to Yuki who was with Shigeru and Sakurako.
"What's up with her?" Sakurako asked.
"Where is she going? The class is about to start." Shigeru added.
"Tsukushi…" Yuki whispered with worry.
Upon reaching the washroom, Tsukushi immediately washed off the glue from her arm. Good thing there was a supply of liquid soap there necessary for times like these. That was one of the perks of studying in a classy high school: having liquid soap in every washroom.
After finishing her washing up, she entered a cubicle to rid herself of some bodily fluids. Just then, a downpour of water came over her, followed by the sound of shrill laughter and the sound of hurried footsteps to leave.
"What the hell!? Why do I feel that people are targeting me for their sadistic needs?" Tsukushi said as she got out of the cubicle.
"I look as if I took a shower…" she whispered lifelessly as she stared at her reflection on the mirror.
She seriously needed to dry herself up.
As Tsukushi got out of the washroom with the intention of finding a place to dry herself, she was suddenly surrounded by people with silly smirks on their faces and with eggs and balls of flour on their hands. As if on cue, eggs and flour were aimed at her face and body as if they were attracted to her. Tsukushi deliberately shrieked in alarm. She pushed to break away from the people who were ganging up on her. As she managed to stop them from surrounding her, she ran as if trying to break a world record, but without a destination.
After a while, she found herself somewhere in the ground floor of the building. She could no longer hear the sounds of rapid footsteps from her pursuers.
"I think I've lost them." She brought out her handkerchief but realized that it was soaking wet due to her 'showering' at the washroom. She still used it anyway to wash off the traces of egg and floor on her face.
"I think you need this." Tsukushi was alarmed as she heard the deep voice of the guy behind him. He was holding out a handkerchief, offering it to her.
The young guy was wearing a white sweater with a blue shirt inside. He paired it with denim jeans to produce a casual look. He was wearing huge sunglasses that seemed to cover most of his face so Tsukushi couldn't quite recognize him.
"Arigatou." Tsukushi accepted the guy's handkerchief as she was trying her best to take off her overcoat, which was wet, dirty and sticky.
"Do you know where the Principal's Office is?" the guy asked, amused at Tsukushi's state of clothing.
"I believe it's at the second floor. Somewhere there…" Tsukushi replied as she finally managed to get rid of her overcoat, which landed on the floor.
The young guy couldn't help but notice the noise of a group of people that was nearing them.
"Nee… Why are there people running toward this direction?" the guy innocently asked without looking at Tsukushi.
Panic came over Tsukushi.
"Yabai!" she ran her world record speed once again to escape her 'fans'.
The young guy understood the situation right away but noticed that Tsukushi left her overcoat lying on the ground. He hurriedly hid it behind one of the posts and turned to face the horde of people.
"Where is she?!" "Did you see her?!" The group demanded an answer from the young guy.
"Who?" the young guy feigned innocence.
"The girl! The dirty girl running around!!" the leader said, frustrated at the guy's apparent uselessness.
"Oh her! You see, there are a lot of people who could be referred to by the pronouns 'she' and 'her'. Understand? You have to clarify whom you are referring to. How do you expect me to respond right away if you do not construct your questions clearly and effectively? Also, be polite in asking. Learn to have some manners! Impatience is a no-no. And -"
"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?!" the crowd bellowed.
The young guy gave them a smile. It was one of those rare occasions when he had a good deal of fun exercising his sadism with people who deserved it. It had been a while since he had done that. It had been a while since he spoke that much for the sake of his own amusement and for the sake of sparing someone else from pointless suffering in the hands of bullies.
"Now, now. Calm down, you people." He said slowly as if biding more time to toy with them. "She ran off that way," pointing, of course, the direction opposite of where Tsukushi actually ran off to.
The young guy smiled, pleased with himself.
Meanwhile, Makino Tsukushi was on the rooftop of the school building. She didn't know why. Her feet just led her there for reasons only her instinct could tell.
Luckily, there was a faucet there. She then realized that she was holding the handkerchief the young guy lent her. That handkerchief was relatively clean as compared to her current condition. She set it aside to keep it clean and to prevent it from being stained. She took her own handkerchief, wet it, and use it to get rid of the stain of eggs and flour on her uniform.
Success evaded her.
As the result of her cleaning, her uniform had tinges of yellowness at scattered parts due to the yolk. Her clothes were yellowish and wet.
"My cell phone!" Tsukushi had forgotten that her phone was on her pocket. Of course it also got wet. Fortunately enough, it was still working properly. As she was about to place it on the bench, a familiar ringing came from it. She knew who the caller was right away.
"Tsukushi!! Where are you? Are you all right?!"
Typical Yuki, worrying about her best friend.
"Yuki, I'm fine now. I'm on the rooftop. Don't worry anymore," Tsukushi said calmly, trying to pacify her friend.
"Rooftop? We'll go there right away." It was apparent that Tsukushi failed in pacifying Yuki. She was still dead worried.
Yuki's voice was sounding just a few seconds after their conversation. Yuki, Shigeru and Sakurako were at the rooftop almost immediately.
"What happened to you?" Yuki held Tsukushi's arms and demanded an answer while surveying her clothing.
Tsukushi provided them a detailed account of the events that happened. They listened attentively and reacted at all the proper times.
A moment of silence followed her story.
"By chance, did you see a red note in your locker this morning?" Sakurako curiously asked, apprehensive of Tsukushi's answer.
"Yeah. I placed it in my bag. I didn't read what's in it though…"
"Oh yeah, I brought your bag, Tsukushi-chan," Shigeru handed Tsukushi the bag with unfailing energy.
"Well, that explains it." Sakurako asserted, nodding slowly.
"What do you mean? Wait, it's somewhere in here." Tsukushi tried to extract the red note from the messy inside of her school bag. As she held it facing her, it read 'F4'.
"So, tell us. What on earth did you do to offend the F4?" Sakurako asked boredly now that she knew the reason for Tsukushi's current situation.
"The F4? Nothing, I just…" then Tsukushi recounted the tale about the splashing-water-on-Doumyouji-Tsukasa's-shirt thing, which she hadn't told anybody before.
Yuki and Shigeru eyed Tsukushi with concern and worry and… pity.
"Rule Number One: Never offend any of the F4 or else your life would be hell, as you've obviously experienced." Sakurako taught Tsukushi but she was still confused.
"Tsukushi, anyone who offends the F4 will receive a red tag. Then the whole student body will torture him or her." Yuki explained.
"It's inescapable. Every person can be an enemy and target you. This red tag thing has been going on since last year. A lot of people have left Eitoku because of this. They were terrified. You have to be careful, Tsukushi-chan," Shigeru added.
Tsukushi sighed. "I understand it now. Now go to class. I'm fine now."
"Are you sure, Tsukushi? I can stay if you need someone." Yuki offered.
"Don't use me as an excuse to skip classes." Tsukushi smiled at the three and winked at Yuki. "I think I'll go home now."
"Be careful, okay?"
"And run fast whenever necessary, okay?"
"Don't do anything reckless around the F4 again. Take care, Tsukushi!"
The three waved Tsukushi goodbye as they headed to class.
Tsukushi let the wind fan her face for a while to refresh her spirit. She grabbed her phone and placed it in her pocket. She took the young guy's handkerchief, folded it properly and carefully laid it in her bag.
She didn't want to go home right away. She knew her parents would worry if she went back early.
Once again, she let her instincts take over. She trusted her instincts that it wouldn't lead her right to her sadistic pursuers.
Before she knew it, she was in the emergency staircases where she had been the day before.
'Must be fate, huh?' she thought as she went to get a good view of the outside.
Tsukushi breathed in deeply and heaved a deep sigh, as if releasing all the stress she had been through just this morning.
"Sugoi." A deep voice of a guy broke the silence.
Tsukushi abruptly turned; alarmed once again that someone was with her, alarmed by the same young guy as before.
"What is so amazing?" Tsukushi required an answer right away. That was when she noticed that the young guy was no longer wearing his sunglasses. Her marble eyes were stunning to Tsukushi. She felt that she was mirrored in his eyes. It was magical.
"You seem harassed at such an early morning." The young guy declared. He seemed to be interested about Tsukushi. Or perhaps he was just plain entertained.
"Yeah. Tell me about it…" Tsukushi snorted. "Thanks to the F4 and their stupid red tag." she bitterly replied.
Her answer made the young guy raise an eyebrow, though unnoticeable to Tsukushi.
"Red tag?"
"Yeah. Once you get one, anybody from the student body can target you for torture. What a stupid thing! Are the people here that bored that watching other people suffer entertains them?! Damn!" Tsukushi stated, utterly disconcerted.
"Huh." The young guy said, awed by the information.
"You should be careful with the F4 too! Never offend them, okay?" Tsukushi said with genuine concern.
"Uhmm… yeah, I will…" the young guy felt weird to be reminded about such.
"Thanks for your help earlier ; it gave me time to escape. I owe you!" her eyes glimmering with evident gratitude.
"Your overcoat!"
"Hmmm?"
"I left it at the Principal's Office. I forgot! I'll go get it…" he started to stand up with panic.
"No, it's fine. Please stay. I need company more than that stupid overcoat. Plus, it's filthy anyway." She insisted.
"Whatever you say," he shrugged. "I'll just return it tomorrow, then."
"Why were you looking for the Principal's Office anyway?"
"I'm transferring here. I'll be studying here starting tomorrow. I just came from France. I'm in second year."
"Sugoi! We're in the same year. Perhaps we're classmates too!" Tsukushi was delighted to at least have an additional friendly classmate.
"I hope so," the young guy beamed at her, revealing his perfectly aligned set of teeth.
A ring suddenly came from the young guy's phone. Tsukushi surveyed him as he received the call. She didn't hear the conversation. She was too busy staring at his figure with intense curiosity.
"I need to go," he stated all of a sudden.
"Oh!" Tsukushi was taken aback. She didn't detect that his phone call was already over. "Ok, then. I'll stay here."
"I'm sorry. Are you sure you are going to be okay?" he asked anxiously.
"It's all right! I'm fine! Please leave…" Tsukushi realized what she had just said and then laughed. The young guy's lips curled into a smile.
"What I mean is: you can leave if you need to leave," she spoke while still laughing at her words.
"I understand," he assured. "Take care, okay?"
"I will!" she called out. Tsukushi then closed her eyes, displaying a peaceful face, in spite of her endeavor earlier. She didn't notice that the young guy had not yet left and was even watching her vigilantly.
"This emergency staircase sure is peaceful, isn't it?" the young guy said. Tsukushi took in a sharp breath. She gasped; shocked at discovering that she was still not alone. The look on her face amused the young guy.
"Ja ne!" the young guy waved as he officially left. Tsukushi, however, stood there staring at the door where he left from.
The young guy headed to the Principal's Office to get his papers that would formally make him a student of Eitoku. He was still smiling to himself though about what he witnessed at the emergency staircase.
The look on Tsukushi's face was just too disarming, too peaceful, and too angelic.
Upon reaching the Principal's Office, the secretary handed the documents to him right away, along with his ID.
"Arigatou gozaimasu," he said to the secretary.
"Welcome to Eitoku, Hanazawa-san."
...to be continued...
AN:
Thank you for reading this chapter!
How was it? Read and review please.
I have to admit that it has been a REALLY long while since I updated. I have just entered college. Perhaps I got overwhelmed with trying to adjust and all. Plus, I am aiming for a scholarship so I try to do my best in every test. Here I go again. Grade-conscious mode…
Yes, I was busy with studying. What a pity. Still, I was inspired by your reviews to add another chapter for you to enjoy.
Recently, I watched La Corda d'Oro, an anime. It was nice. The opening song became my LSS for a week. And I got addicted to the violin duet of Ave Maria by Schubert.
It was very enjoyable! I recommend that you watch it…
To those who read and reviewed, thank you very much! Love you!
To anime07, addieXmitsume, lhotshot83, blueprincess16 and NorikoTheGhost, thank you for taking time to review. I really enjoyed reading your reviews. They inspired me to write more.
I will try my best to update as regularly as possible…
Once again, any comments are highly appreciated and welcome...
Arigatou yo!