[Author's Note: Hey guys! Here's chapter 4 and I don't really know how to react to this...This story seems pretty hard to write for some reason but I like challenges so I won't give it up! Now, enjoy!]
Disclaimer: I only claim my plot and Nanako
Chapter 4 Deadly Reminders
Soubi's POV
I crossed the short distance of the room to the black leather couch and took a seat. Jizabel sat across from me in a black leather desk chair as well. Looks like I know what to get him next time I go to IKEA.
"So let's start off with a few introductory questions. What's your relationship like with your parents?" He asked while readying his pen and note pad.
"I only have a dad, no mom" I answered simply.
"Please don't ask about him…"
He wrote down something on the paper before looking back up at me.
"Oh? What happened to your mother?" He asked.
"I never met her. I don't even know her name." I answered, this time letting a little sadness creep into my response. I was still glad he didn't ask about father though, if he did I'm not sure how I would react…
"That's unfortunate. Did your father not like talking about her?" He placed his hands underneath his chin as he stared at me with a slight frown. I couldn't tell if he was just pretending to care or not but I didn't feel anything negative about him so far…
"I'm not sure, he…he just let it go. He only said that she left and to not ask about it anymore" I answered not entirely truthfully. I'll tell him another time, when we both get to know each other more.
"I sort of know how you feel. My sisters left home when I was very young so I only heard about them from my mother. I never did find out what happened to them though…Sorry, I didn't mean to share anything like that." He confessed with a far-off look in his eyes.
"It's fine, we both need to know more about one another if this is going to work right?" I asked matter-of-factly.
He smiled and nodded his head. "Well, while we're on the topic of siblings, do you have a brother or a sister?" He asked after writing down what I said previously.
"No, I don't have any siblings but Kio is like a brother to me." I confessed.
"Really? How so?" He asked.
"Well I've known him since elementary school in the 2nd grade. We met during art class and we seemed to hit it off after we squirted paint on everyone. We got in a lot of trouble but we had fun doing it…" I said. I chuckled lightly at the memory of that fateful day.
Jizabel seemed to find it funny too as he laughed while writing some more notes. I wonder what he's writing exactly.
"That's very funny, are there any other memories you want to share about you two? I have a feeling they'll also be very amusing."
"You're right, he and I pulled a bunch of pranks throughout middle and high school. The teachers were definitely happy at our graduation." I smirked when I remembered the principal giving us both the death glare as he gave us our diplomas. This of course only got me thinking about all of the things that we did that earned said behavior from every staff member at our high school. Well he did say he wanted to hear them…
"One time we spray painted our history teacher's car windows neon pink after she complained about her boyfriend breaking up with her during class. She seemed even angrier the next day, it was hysterical. There was this other time when we trashed our homeroom with paint that we stole from the art room after our art teacher told us we needed to think of a big idea for a project. When we showed him, he gave us an A after we served our detention. We threw flour all over the Home Ec classroom at the end of our sophomore year too, classic. This one time, in middle school, we tore apart the cheerleaders pom-poms and taped them all over the walls after one of the cheerleaders rejected Kio for homecoming. They never found out who did it, not even the janitor found out and I'm pretty sure he saw us. I miss those times…" I snapped out of my little trance only to find Jizabel looking at me with a type of amused frown, if there was such a thing.
"Uh, sorry about that. Maybe that was a little too much…" I admitted timidly.
His expression changed back to its usual calm demeanor when I started speaking. "Oh sorry, It's just…those pranks sound so familiar…What high school did you go to?" He asked, the frown back on his face.
"Um…Seven Moons Academy. I was the class of '07" I answered. Does he think we went to the same school?
"No way! I went to the same school as you!" He exclaimed with a big grin on his face.
I stared in shock at his happy expression. "Really? What class were you?"
"Class of '03, I was a senior when you were a freshman, that's so interesting!" He said in awe.
I was thinking the same thing until another thought hit me. "Wait, if you were a senior then how did you find out about my pranks when I was a sophomore?" I asked.
"I volunteered at Seven Moons, while I was still a student, with the Guidance department. It was a part of my training in order to qualify for the college I wanted to go to. I only had to stay for one school year, but I wanted to do more. To me it didn't feel like I had gotten enough experience so I stayed for about a year and a half longer before I left and during that time, I saw most of the pranks you and Kio pulled. They were funny every time" He explained.
"Thanks, they were all Kio's ideas but they were too fun for me to pass up. I'm surprised I never ran into you though…" I mused curiously.
"Did you ever visit the guidance counselor's office?" He asked, the note pad now forgotten.
"Only when I had to. I usually stayed away from that place, it annoyed me." I confessed. "All they did was spout useless knowledge about how nothing good was to going to come out of my behavior but I didn't care. As long as I did something that made me happy, who gives a crap?"
Only after I saw the partially uncomfortable expression on Jizabel's face did I realize what I just said.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that, I wasn't even thinking about what I said! Sorry…" I apologized.
His reaction was unexpected to say the least. He stood up from his chair and walked over to me, an unreadable expression on his face this time. He put his hand on my shoulder and brought his head down to my eye level.
"Did you really think that?" He asked sadly.
"Um…yes, I did. I didn't really…think that they…really cared about what I wanted, only what would make the school look good. Are you okay?" I asked uncertainly. He pulled away and walked back to his desk, that same unreadable mask covering his face.
"Soubi-san, it's not that they don't care about you or that the school matters more than you, most teachers honestly want to help you. Sometimes, this means listening to their opinion even if you don't think they care. A second opinion is always good" He said sorrowfully. Or…was that pity? No one pities Soubi Agatsuma. No one.
I put on my best sneer and looked him right back into his eyes.
"Look, I don't need your pity for the stuff I did in high school. I know that those stupid counselors didn't care about what I wanted to do with my life at all. They must've tricked you good for you to believe a single word of their bullshit. Let's just forget about high school and move on the next fucking question so we can be done. Any opinions to go along with that doctor?" I snarled in a low, dangerous tone. I don't care if I just ruined any progress that we achieved so far. This stupid doctor doesn't even know what he's talking about! He wasn't there when the guidance counselors kept telling me I would fail and that they were going to send me to another school if I didn't stop what I was doing. No one was there. Except…him.
I pushed the thought from my head and met the gaze of Jizabel once again except this time his eyes were focused on the note pad once again. I want to tear that bloody note pad up.
When he returned his attention to me, I only saw a trace of his previous emotions flicker through his eyes.
"Alright, I think we're done for today. I usually like to stop once signs of anger show up during the first session. It's just how I work. See Nanako before you leave if you'd like to set up another appointment, okay? I hope to see you again Soubi-san." He said earnestly. How could he be so calm after what I said? Maybe all that patience came with the degree.
I left silently and walked to the front desk where Kio was still waiting. He and Nanako were chatting about some random topic before I interrupted and asked for another appointment and she set it to be one week from now at the same time. Once Kio and I left the office, he bombarded me with questions and once he realized that I wasn't answering anything, he provided me with a full description of everything he and Nanako had talked about. I half listened and nodded every now and then whenever he asked me a yes or no question. I didn't really fell like talking after my outburst with Jizabel. He was only trying to explain something to me and I completely freaked out. I would be pissed if I were him.
"Soubi!" Kio yelled for what might've been the thousandth time. I turned my head towards him and took notice of the fact that we were standing next to the car. When did we get here...?
"Yes?" I responded.
"What's wrong with you? You're so out of it, did something happen during the therapy session?" He asked with a serious look on his face.
I stood there in silence and looked down at my feet as I tried to think of the best way to tell him. However, in all the years I've known Kio, he was never one for delayed responses.
"Let's go get some coffee first, okay?" He offered kindly. I nodded my head and got on the passenger side of the car. We then drove to the nearest coffee shop and I told him all about what happened over a cup of hazelnut coffee with cream and two sugars.
Jizabel's POV
When Soubi's dulled footsteps echoed off into nothing, I let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding in. That was definitely not the right way to conduct a therapy session, especially if it was a patients first. What had I said wrong? Was it the whole high school thing? I should've known not to give such a biased opinion on something that serious. I set the notebook I was writing in to the side without a second glance, knowing full well that those notes were of no use to me anymore. It would be a miracle if Soubi came back. It's a shame, I actually wanted to know a lot more about him and about what exactly those guidance counselors said to him to give him that mind-set.
A sudden knocking brought me back to my senses and before I could even reply, Nanako was inside the room.
"Come in." I called out sarcastically. Nanako smiled but then frowned once she took in my sure to be tired expression.
"You look like you just aged ten years and it's only been an hour! What happened?" She exclaimed.
I sighed once again and raised my head from its previous position on my hands.
"It was very…interesting. Very interesting indeed. Did he make another appointment?" I asked, hopefully changing the subject.
Nanako gave me a strange look before replying. "Yes, he scheduled another one for same time next week."
"Really? I didn't think he'd want to come back…" I said with an honest expression of surprise on my face. If he wanted to come back, maybe I hadn't screwed up all the way, right?
"Why not? Care to tell me anything?" Nanako asked with a begging look in her eyes.
I smirked slightly at her obvious curiosity before shaking my head. "You know that my therapy sessions are between only me and the patient Nana-chan."
"I know but…could you give me a hint?" She tried again. She'll never learn…
"Nope, not even a hint. Why don't you ask your new friend?" I teased. I hadn't meant to reveal my noticing of how the two were sneaking subtle glances at each other when they came to check on Soubi.
"Who? Soubi's friend Kio? Oh please, it's not even like that and I doubt it ever will be!" Nanako huffed, though her cheeks turned red all the same.
"Whatever, none of my business right?" I said nonchalantly, my smirk growing larger by the second.
"Right! Now wipe that smirk off your stupid face and get your jacket! Soubi was your last appointment of the day and I want to eat some of those muffins you got from the bakery, got it?" She demanded. I chuckled and lifted my hands up in mock surrender.
"Yes boss, I'll be right out." I said jokingly.
~Jizabel's House~
"Mmm…these are so amazingly good. Why won't you tell me where you get these from?" Nanako yelled from across the small coffee table in my dining room.
"It's fun to see you get so worked up over simple muffins." I said back.
"You're such a sadist Jizabel!" She yelled again. I laughed and grabbed a muffin for my own. We sat there making small talk until Nanako brought up Soubi once again.
"So, I know you can't tell me a lot of things about the therapy session and the whole check-up but…can you at least tell me what kind of state he's in?" She tried once again. I sighed at the realization that she probably would never stop asking about him. Damn curiosity…
"Okay...well I can tell you that his physical condition is very bad and he mostly has old scars and signs of abuse. And during the therapy session, things got really bad once I brought up the subject of high school." I said. I hope I hadn't said too much.
"Oh really? Which high school did he go to?" Nanako asked with a frown.
"The same one that I went to, isn't that strange? Although it was when I was training with the guidance department so I never really saw him" I added in.
"Wow, what a coincidence. Can you tell me what made him act that way about high school?" She asked curiously.
"No, I don't feel comfortable telling you that much but I definitely screwed this up. I'm still so surprised that he made another appointment…" I mumbled into my half-eaten muffin. "I can only imagine how the next session will go."
"Well, I'm always here for you when you completely screw up everything so that's good right?" Nanako said will with a false encouragement.
"Yes, you are definitely my source of sanity Nana-chan" I said, playing along.
She laughed and leaned over the table to steal my muffin but before she did, she looked me in the eyes with a type of compassion only we have for each other.
"I'm serious, I'll always be here for you Jizabel" She said.
I returned the look and allowed a smile to cross my face for my 'sister'.
"I know"
She smiled back at me before taking my muffin and eating it in a few seconds.
"Ya gotta tell meh where ya get these m'ffins!" She managed to mumble out.
Soubi's POV
After the coffee and talking about the session, Kio and I went back to my place and he fell asleep on the couch while we were watching Batman: The Dark Knight for the 5th time. I couldn't blame him though, the movie was freaking two and a half hours long, but we both love it more and more each time. I turned the TV off once the credits started running and made sure Kio was in a comfortable position with the blanket over him before heading into my own room.
Today had been very interesting what with the whole therapy session with Jizabel and even talking with Kio about it all. Although, talking with Kio had been very helpful to his murderous mood towards the doctor. Kio just had this way of calming him…there must be something in those lollipops that he always has. That must be it.
I took off my shirt and changed into my pajama pants before finally slipping beneath the soft sheets. Just as I was about to be fully immersed in a dreamless sleep, my phone went off from its spot on the nightstand next to me. Not wanting the ringer to wake up Kio, I quickly (or as quickly as a 3/4 asleep person could move) grabbed it and answered before looking at the caller ID.
"Hello?" I answered somewhat grumpily.
"Wake up. Honestly, do you even have a little bit of manners?" The instantly recognizable voice asked harshly from the other line.
"O-Oh, sorry Seimei!" Shit I stuttered again. "Is there something you need?"
"Didn't I say to stop that goddamn stuttering? You are so worthless. Anyways, I do need something. Or rather, need to know something. What did you do today?" He asked coldly over the phone.
I gulped nervously and decided mentally to try and keep out as much truth as possible.
"Well I went to get some coffee with Kio today and I ran into a friend from high school. We talked a little before he left then Kio and I came back here to watch a movie." I said. Not a lie per say, just a different twist on the truth.
"What did you do before you went to get coffee with Kio?" He asked in the same tone as before.
"I cleaned up around the house." I answered. At least this was completely true.
"I will find out if you are lying, you know that right?" He said in an indescribable tone.
"I am not lying to you at all Seimei." I said.
"You better not be Soubi…Just remember to not do anything stupid while I'm away, I don't want my reputation ruined simply because of your idiocy." He told me in a flat voice.
"Yes. I know."
"Good. Sei-!" The telltale click that signaled the calls end sounded soon after. I closed my phone and couldn't stop the tears that rolled down my cheeks for right before the call ended, I heard Ritsuka's sweet, innocent voice coming from the back ground calling out Seimei's name. No matter how much I tried to hate him, I just couldn't bring myself the person that Seimei used me to replace. I just couldn't…
[A/N: Aww poor Soubi. Then again, my friends have called me a sadist... Well I hope you liked it and give me some feedback on everything you liked, disliked, the works (just no flames please!) Okay, see you next chapter!