Chapter 11
Last chapter Mariko was caught by the Team—again—I'm happy I haven't gotten any negative reviews on this, though I must warn you. what you're about to read is going to get violent. If you do not wish to read this at the end of this chapter I will be typing a synopsis about the chapter so that you may read that and not feel confused. However if you do read this chapter remember; you were warned. ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!
My name is Mariko Miko, I'm a fifteen year old genius, and I work under Savage-sama to help the world, by forcing it into its evolution. In a way I guess you could say I love Savage-sama, I'm loyal to him anyway—but that's not what this is about—not completely. I'm going to turn back the clock—so to speak—after all not even I can turn back time for real. If I could, maybe I would have done things differently. Anyway this is my story, my past, what made me what I am today, an why I hate this world.
My once worked for the Tokyo police department. He was a good policeman a good man, at least that's what some of the people at his department told me. I never knew this because he was forced into an early retirement; a crazed man hopped up on drugs shot him in the leg and he was unable to serve anymore. It wasn't long after that he started using his retirement and disability money, on alcohol. Ironically it was because of that I was even born.
My mother wasn't much of a gem either, four years after my father's being laid off, and me being born, she started prostituting herself. It seemed that every week she would be bringing home another new 'client.' I wonder if either of them were any more than damaged goods. I remember it all, even as I began to drown out everything with anime. I'll start my story here; in the slums of Tokyo, in a rundown apartment building.
~0~
"Mariko Miko you little brat! Where are you!?" My father shouted, it was two o'clock in the morning, much earlier than any four-year old should ever be woken up for any reason at all if you ask me. However like a good little girl I got out of bed to see what my father would want at such an ungodly hour. He sat in the kitchen, an empty bottle of scotch sitting in front of him on the table.
"Yes, daddy?" I asked rubbing the sleep from my eyes and yawning. My father glared at me as if he wished I was never born. As I looked up at him with young innocent and pure blue and purple eyes. It was something I was born with, a rare mutation, even among the people who had two different eye colors.
"Y're mothersh not home." He slurred, drunk again. He then pointed to a bunch of dirty dishes on the counter, "Cleanit up."
"But daddy—"
"Don't mouth me brat!" he shouted, backhanding me across the face. "Git it done or I'll tan yer hide!"
I nodded holding the spot where my father had smacked me and got to cleaning. My father then stumbled into the living room area of the apartment and passed out on the couch.
The next morning I got dressed for school, I snuck out the front door, my father had spent the night on the couch. While my mother laid in the bedroom with three other men. I left without even being noticed.
"Ohiyo Mariko-chan." A voice across from me said as I shut the door to my home. I smiled happily as I immediately as I recognized the voice. I turned to face an older boy with blue-black hair. He was my neighbor Takumi Soma; he was a high school student who lived on his own. His parents worked over seas. They paid for his housing while he stayed in Japan to finish school. He smiled at me as I ran to him and gave him a big hug. He then plucked me from the ground.
"Ohiyo; Takumi nii-chan." I said sweetly, Takumi was aware of what went on with my parents and me, and called the police on them several times. However when you live in a place where murder, adultery and drugs tend to thrive, you soon learn it does no good to call them anymore. So instead when things got really bad, Takumi would let me stay with him. He was like a big brother to me, thus the reason I called him Onii-chan on more than one occasion. Onii-chan means big brother in Japanese.
"Mariko-chan what happened to your cheek?" Takumi asked me, concern filling his eyes. I covered my face and frowned.
"Mariko was a bad girl, and didn't clean up her mess. Daddy punished me." I said, Takumi frowned. "Takumi, is Mariko a bad girl?"
"Of course not Mariko-chan; you're a good girl, a really good girl." He said and hugged me close. "Now come on; let's get you to school."
A year later not much was different; father drank more, and mother brought home more strangers. Only now the people mother brought home were weird; where her old clients would either ignore me or storm out when they saw me. Her new clients did just the opposite, sometimes they'd ask me strange questions, that at the time I didn't understand. I know better now.
Today I sat in front of the TV, watching some old anime program that would remain unnamed. Meanwhile behind me in the kitchen my parents argued about who knew what.
"You sleazy little tart! How dare you, here I am giving you and your little brat a roof over your head and you go behind my back!" My father shouted.
"She's your child you drunkard, and if you didn't want her you should have been more careful!" Her mother shouted. I sat on the floor hugging a pillow tightly trying to block out the yelling, I went went for the remote and turned up the volume to block out the sound of a bottle hitting the ground. The crash was followed by footsteps stomping to the living room. I was too busy trying to block out the noise that I didn't realize my father was over top of me.
"Mariko Miko; you brat! How many times do I have to tell you to turn down that television!" he shouted smacking her aside and turning off the TV. He then glared down at me and grabbed me by the neck. I screamed and begged for my father to stop, however my pleas were in vain and eventually everything went black.
When I woke up I was still in the living room I dared not move in case my father wasn't far away and felt my neck where a new set of bruises began to form. I didn't understand why my mother and father hated me so much. I was just a young girl, I hadn't done anything wrong in my life except be born different. Was that why they rejected me? Why they did thing like this? I began to sob, curling up into a ball on the floor and cried myself to sleep.
The next thing I heard was a knock on the door, I awoke and stood up, my body still ached from my father's abuse. I opened the door to find Takumi standing outside, he looked at me with pity and worry. He then knelt down and wrapped his arms around me in a hug.
"Oh God Mariko, are you alright?" He asked me with worry. I nodded.
"Mariko was bad again." I replied. Takumi broke away from me and frowned.
"Mariko this wasn't your fault. Come on, you're going to stay with me for a little while ok?" he said, I nodded and took Takumi's hand as he took me back to his apartment. When he opened his door his dog, Sumi, a dog I loved almost as much as Takumi barked and ran for us wagging her tail behind her.
"Sumi-chan!" I exclaimed happily. I loved staying with Takumi, he would teach me about computers and other machines. His father worked for a tech company overseas so Takumi knew a little bit of it too, and he would teach me.
"Come on Mariko, I'll run a bath for you and you can get ready for bed alright?" Takumi asked me, I smiled and nodded.
"Can Sumi-chan sleep with me Onii-chan?"
Takumi smiled warmly and nodded.
"I think Sumi would like that." He said. Sumi barked and wagged her tail at his response.
~0~
"Takumi! Takumi Soma you no good punk! Gimme back my daughter!" My father shouted, early the next morning. He was loud, loud enough for me to hear him back in Takumi's room. Takumi's dog Sumi growled. I guess she didn't like my father either.
"Go home Mr. Miko; Mariko's sleeping." I heard Takumi shout back from the living room. I laid back in Takumi's bed and cuddled Sumi who stared at the closed door and growled until my father eventually kicked open the door.
"Takumi! Where is she?" He shouted, as he entered the room. Suddenly Sumi jumped from the bed and bark ferociously as she ran after my drunken father. He let out a pain yowl as Sumi bit into his leg.
"Oh god. Sumi! Down girl!" Takumi shouted trying to pry the overly protective dog from my father's leg. My father in his drunken state cursed and grabbed something the lamp from the stand, he then smashed it over Sumi's head. Takumi's dog laid there, blood pooling on the floor. Takumi and eye stared, as my father had killed the poor dog. I looked to Takumi who fell to his knees and stared at his dog.
"S-sumi…" he mumbled his voice cracking. My father said nothing, just grabbed me by the shirt collar and dragged me out of the room. leaving Takumi his dog behind.
It was a week before I saw Takumi again. Within that time my mother and father had pulled me out of school, since we could no longer afford tuition. Today I was kicked out of the house I sat outside the door hugging my knees as I waited for my mother to leave, and unlock the door. As I waited Takumi had come back from school.
"Mariko, is everything ok? Why haven't you been in school?" he asked me. I looked up at him, my cheeks wet with tears.
"Takumi…Is Mariko a bad girl?" I sobbed. Takumi dropped his things and came to me wrapping his arms around me.
"They locked you out again didn't they?" He asked, I nodded. "No Mariko, you're a good, sweet, and innocent girl. It's your parents that are bad."
"Takumi, Mariko's sorry about Sumi-chan." I cried hugging Takumi as he picked me up from the ground.
"It's not your fault Mariko." He assured me, "Sumi was a good dog; she was protecting you, you know."
"Really?"
"Of course; Sumi loved you, just as much as I do." He said with a smile, "Now come on; let's dry your eyes, I've got some ice cream."
A month later I was back in my house, sitting on the couch watching TV once again. My parents arguing and shouting at each other once again, when suddenly the door burst open and a man in a mask came in with a knife. I stared and hid behind the couch, while the strange man stomped into the kitchen. My father cursed and my mother screamed when she saw the man raise the knife over his head. My mother's screams where cut short as he plunged the knife deep into her neck. I watched as blood sprayed on the walls of the kitchen. My father stared in horror, then ran into the living room and grabbed me from the couch.
"Please, leave me alone," My father shouted, then shoved me in front of the intruder, "Here, take her, just leave me alone! I have a career to go back to!"
I stared at the man who had just murdered my mother with fear. Anger burned in his eyes.
"You low-life," He shouted, then pushed me aside and lunged at my father plunging the knife deep into his chest, staining his hands with blood. I stared as the murder stood breathing heavily; he then removed his mask and turned to me and recognized the face. Takumi looked to me and sighed.
"Mariko, I'm sorry." He said, then stretched out his hand toward me, "Everything's going to be ok now, I promise."
More to come from Mariko's memory! However this won't be said from her point of view. So as I promised I'm typing the synopsis for this chapter for those who've decided to skip this. Mariko's parents were neglectful of her, her father was a drunkard who abused her daily, and her mother basically ignored her. Her only salvation was her neighbor Takumi; who she thought of as her big brother. Takumi knew what went on with Mariko's parents and often took care of her when her parents kicked her out. he would treat whatever wounds she had and let Mariko play with his dog Sumi. One day Takumi found Mariko locked out of her home and crying. He decided that he wouldn't let Mariko suffer anymore, so he broke in and murdered the Mr. and Mrs. Miko. Now he promises little Mariko that everything will be ok. Will Mariko take Takumi's hand and run away with her big brother figure? You'll just have to figure that out in the next chapter. 'See you later armadillos—unless I see you first.' Review!