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Chapter 10

The Broken Bond Between Sisters

Nino was gently laid down on her bed by Miku and Itsuki. Ichika stood by in the doorway watching three were deeply concerned.

After she was settled in Itsuki removed Nino's ribbons while Miku drew up the covers.

"Do you want anything, Nino?" she asked.

"Do you want one of us to stay with you?" offered Itsuki, trying not to look as scared as she did.

Nino only shook her head, unable to look at them.

"Just leave me alone," she sobbed into her pillow, "Just leave me alone!"

"Alright," Miku rubbed her shoulder, "Call us if you need us."

"We'll be right here," Itsuki patted Nino's head before the three sisters reluctantly left.

As soon as Ichika closed the door they sighed heavily.

"God," Itsuki shook her head, "I knew she was going to take it badly, but I never imagined..."

"I know," Miku sniffed, "I never thought it would hit her that hard."

"That's how much she loved Fuutarou," said Ichika, "She really believed in him."

"What did Nino mean?" Miku suddenly asked, "That she was cursed?"

Itsuki swallowed, "I think she got that from Mama."

The others looked at her, startled, "From Mama?"

Itsuki explained something to them neither had ever thought before.

"There's also something else you should know," Itsuki then told them what Nino had planned to do after graduation.

"She was going to move away?" Ichika was stunned.

Itsuki nodded, "She couldn't stand to be around Yotsuba anymore."

Miku suddenly looked around, "Hey, where is Yotsuba?"

The other two blinked. They'd been so concerned about Nino they hadn't noticed one of them was missing.

"I thought she was behind us," said Itsuki.

"I thought so too," Ichika looked down below, but the fourth quint was nowhere in sight, "Yotsuba? Are you here?"

There was no answer and the three went to look for her. Itsuki went into Yotsuba's room while Miku checked the bathroom. Ichika, however, went straight to the front door.

"She's not in her room," Itsuki called out.

"She's not in here either," Miku emerged from the bathroom.

"Guys," said Ichika, "Over here."

Itsuki came down the stairs and followed Miku to where Ichika was standing.

On the floor a pair of shoes was missing. Yotsuba's shoes.

Itsuki gasped, "Don't tell me she ran away!"

"I don't think so," Ichika had a good idea where Yotsuba was going and picked up her boots, "You two stay here and watch over Nino. In fact, get in touch with Papa. He needs to know about this. I'll bring Yotsuba back."

Itsuki was concerned, "Ichika..."

"I'm not going to do anything to her. I'm just going to bring her back. With the state Nino's in we need each other now more than ever."

Yotsuba couldn't remember how she gotten to her private spot so quickly.

It was a little kids park in a fairly secluded area. A pair of swings gave an incredible view of the town below and the ocean in the distance. Yotsuba would always come here whenever she needed some time to herself, such as to deal with her inner conflicts. However, instead of going to the swings like she always did she went straight over to the guardrail and placed her hands on it in a tight, deadly grip. Thankfully there was no one else around to see her distress.

She couldn't stay after seeing such a horrible thing. She had watched her sisters take Nino to her room before leaving the building. She had to get away. The thought of running away entirely had entered her mind, but she didn't have the courage to go through with it. Even if she had, where would she go? There was no other place she could go to.

One thing was certain. She couldn't run away anymore. Her past, her dishonesty, her selfishness, it had all finally caught up with her.

All because she couldn't face the truth about herself. All because she couldn't be honest about anything.

A coward, a liar, and a backstabber.

That's who she was. She had known it all along. Every time she had a chance to come clean she ran away. She could never lie with words, it was her actions instead.

Ruined. Everything was ruined. She'd let her personal feelings, her hatred of Ichika, get the better of her. She gave in to her selfish desires without ever thinking how wrong it was. What would Fuutarou think of her now? No, what would everyone think about her now?

Somehow Yotsuba found herself standing in front of the swing. She always used this swing to calm herself, often standing on it so she could see the view. Fuutarou had once joined her, almost having an accident himself. So had Ichika. Her hands came up and she tightly gripped the chains. Before today she always thought of this swing as her place of solitude. Now she saw it for what it really was.

The swing was her prison. Its chains were her shackles.

She should have realized it long ago. Or maybe she had, but had chosen to ignore it. She looked down at the seat and she saw her reflection, faint but visible, but she didn't see herself.

She saw a face... with no eyes or a mouth. Only black pits. The image seemed to be laughing at her. Mocking her.

White hot anger suddenly coursed through her veins and she began to stomp. She wanted to destroy the very image she saw, smash it until it no longer existed. She stomped and stomped and stomped. Harder and harder. Even when her leg started to hurt she kept stomping. Each strike grew stronger, and each time her shouts of anger grew louder. Then the swing finally broke from one end, dangling off the other.

Finally getting a hold of herself Yotsuba let go of the chains and stepped back on trembling legs. The swing was damaged and bent out of shape. It could never be used again. She stood there gasping for breath as a cold realization hit her.

She thought that by breaking the swing she could free herself from her pain, but what it really represented now was the bond of the Nakano sisters. The very bond she had destroyed. She had beaten and battered it to death because of her selfish acts. It now only hanged by a mere thread, just like this swing.

She felt something wet run down her fingers and she lifted her hands. The chains had cut into her hands while she had been stomping and were now bleeding. However, it wasn't her blood that she saw. It was the blood of her sisters.

With a sob Yotsuba finally fell on her hands and knees and began to cry again. Just like with Nino she no longer had any strength. Then she began to pound the ground with her fists, no longer caring if she was hurting herself.

"Why did I have to like this?!" she screamed, "Why couldn't I just been good, honest girl who did her best and accepted the outcome no matter what?! Why did I have to be such a loser?! Why did I have to be such a coward?! Why? Why?! WHY?!"

She continued pounding the ground, wishing she could go back in time and change things. Start all over. Do the things she should have done. But no matter how many she struck the ground, nothing would change. Nothing would ease the pain or repair the damage she had caused.

"Yotsuba?"

With a gasp she lifted her head and saw Ichika standing there. Judging by the look on her face it was clear she had seen everything, but Yotsuba had to ask.

"How... how long..."

"Long enough," Ichika came over and sat down next to her, placing one arm over her shoulders.

She wanted to move away but couldn't. Instead she sat there quietly for a few minutes as Ichika tried to comfort her.

"Don't be nice to me, Ichika," she suddenly snapped, "I don't deserve it."

Ichika didn't seem to hear her.

"I killed her, Ichika. I ruined Nino's life. She may still be alive and breathing, but she's completely dead inside. All because of me."

"You're not the only who feels guilty, Yotsuba."

"But I'm the one who caused it to happen! I created my own misery for completely stupid reasons. She's suffering because of me! I took her biggest chance to finally find happiness like it was nothing! I betrayed her! I saw it in her eyes!"

Silence passed again before Ichika said, "You were driven by fear, Yotsuba. Just as I was. We were all afraid of something."

Yotsuba vehemently shook her head, "It had nothing to do with fear. It was just an excuse not to face my problems."

She felt Ichika look at her in confusion.

"Yotsuba, I know you felt guilty because we decided to transfer schools with you-"

"You don't know the half of it."

Ichikka seemed startled by her response, "I know how much Fuutarou meant to you-"

"Fuutarou had nothing to do with it. It started long before that."

Now she frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Yotsuba pushed Ichika's arm off her shoulder and stood. She went over to the frame of the swings and leaned heavily against it.

"Do you want to know the real reason why we transferred?" she said, "Do you want to know the real reason why things ended up like this?"

"Yotsuba..." she could tell Ichika was struggling, "I don't understand. Just what are you getting at?"

Yotsuba laughed, unable to help herself.

"You don't get it, do you? How about this then? Do you want to know the real reason why you blew your chances to be with Fuutarou?"

She could now sense that Ichika was gaping at her. From there, Yotsuba finally told the truth.

"It's because I hated you."

Ichika stared at Yotsuba's back, wondering if she had heard right.

"Hated me? You mean... you hated us?"

Yotsuba shook her head, "No. I was jealous of the others, but it was you I hated the most."

Ichika couldn't have been more shocked. This was the last thing she expected to hear. Especially from Yotsuba.

"Why?" she asked, hoping that she was dreaming.

Yotsuba gave a small laugh, "Do you remember our conversation back at Grandpa's inn? Remember what I said about you being a selfish person? Remember what happened in Kyoto right afterward? Do you think that it was all just a coincidence?"

Ichika felt her heart stop, "Wait... are you saying that..."

"That's right, Ichika. I set you up. I wanted that to happen. I didn't want you to be with Fuutarou."

It took a while for her to finally realize that Yotsuba wasn't lying. She was speaking the truth. There was nothing to indicate otherwise. This was a side of Yotsuba she had never seen before. She always thought that Yotsuba was too nice for her own good, but she didn't expect this.

"You hated me that much?" she had to ask one last time, hoping that she would be proven wrong.

Yotsuba slowly bobbed her head, "Remember what I said before? When we were children you were always taking things from us, especially from me. I've always known that I'm the weakest, that's why you picked on me the most. The worst of it came... when I saw you playing with Fuutarou at the inn, pretending to be me."

Ichika blinked, trying to remember what she was referring to. Then it came to her.

"The boy who came to visit us... that was Fuutarou."

"Nino can tell you if you don't believe me. She was with me that day," Yotsuba placed her head on the pole, "When I saw you with him I was convinced that you were going to take him away, just like you did with everything else I had. From that moment on... I hated you," she sighed, "Then Mama died, and you had to change so you could be our leader. I knew how hard it was for you. I'll give you credit for stepping up to the role when you had to, but it was always difficult for you couldn't be yourself. You had to be our elder sister. That's why the others were able to move on as we grew up. All but me, because of a stupid promise me and Fuutarou made."

"What promise?"

"That when we met again we would be model students," Yotsuba scoffed at herself, "Fuutarou was able to keep that promise, but look what it turned him into. As for me, I had my own personal agenda. When you told us that you wanted to become an actress and go into stardom I laughed at you. I told myself I could do better than that, and that's what I set out to do. As soon as we entered Junior High I made it my mission to surpass you in every way possible, and it continued on into High School. You remember, how I got involved in everything, winning all those awards and trophies, being the star of everything. It made me feel special. I expected you, and the rest, to acknowledge me as such. I wanted you to admit that I was better than you, but you and the rest just shrugged it off as Yotsuba being Yotsuba."

"Yes," Ichika admitted, "We did think that."

"And that angered me even more. From that point on I was going to be number in everything and make you bow down to me. I wanted it all. Everything," Yotsuba scoffed at herself again, "I did it because I thought I was useless. No one cared about me, not even Mama. She paid more attention to you guys than she did with me."

At that Ichika frowned, "That is not true, Yotsuba. Mama loved us all to the very end."

"I know that! But I was too stupid to realize it! I even told her one that I was going the best of us all and she told me be careful for I could end up making a big mistake. Turned out she was right. I didn't listen to her. I never listened to anyone. All this time I was only thinking of myself, but in the end I accomplished nothing. I forgot all about my promise to Fuutarou. In my quest to be number one I completely neglected my studies. You know what happened. I couldn't pass the exams and I had to transfer. I made the very mistake Mama had warned me about. I thought it was all over. Then you guys came to my rescue and took the fall with me. I was forever indebted to you."

Then she pounded the pole in anger.

"I should have learned my lesson that day. I should have move on, but then Fuutarou came back into my life."

"You knew it was him," said Ichika, "You knew all along."

"Yes. Yes, I did. The moment Itsuki mentioned his name I knew it had to be him. When I saw him myself the next day I recognized him right away. I thought that things wouldn't be so bad after all. Now I could be with the boy I loved. At that moment I wasn't really worried if he knew who I was," she pounded her fist again, "Then I had to watch as you started to shamelessly flirt with him right in front of me and my hatred towards you returned. This time... it really was personal."

Ichika flinched at those words.

"I couldn't stand the very thought of you two being together. I honestly wouldn't have minded if Fuutarou did end up with one of the others, as long as it wasn't you. To me that would have been the greatest insult. I thought that he was too smart to fall for your charms, but then he started hanging around you a lot more, helping you get through all your problems. He seemed to be very comfortable with you, seemed to genuinely care about you, and the thought that you two might start going out one day seemed very real. I had to find a way to stop it, but I just couldn't openly tell him to stay away from you without exposing myself. That's just one of the reasons why I keep everything a secret from him. I didn't want him to see me as anyone other than that special girl he met all those years ago. The one who had changed his life."

Yotsuba slid down the pole a little.

"Then my opportunity came when I found you crying at Grandpa's inn. I knew, right at that moment, just how badly you wanted to be with him."

Ichika remembered that very moment. At the time she'd been trying to balance her acting career, her studies, and paying the rent for their apartment all at once. She never got to spend any time with Fuutarou like the rest had because she was always busy and always tired. She had fallen behind and had become desperate to catch up. She was afraid that she would never get the chance to confess her feelings, especially after Nino made hers. It had taken such a toll on her that eventually she broke down crying.

And that was when Yotsuba found her, at her most vulnerable moment. It all came together now.

"It was the perfect opportunity to finally get back at you, to teach you a lesson. I knew you well enough. When I found you that night I saw right away that you were willing to do anything to get closer Fuutarou. All you needed was a little push, and that's what I did. When I spoke to you on the rooftop I had no intention of helping you. I pushed you into being a selfish person again. It didn't take much. All I had to do then was to sit back and watch while you did the rest."

Ichika was at a loss of words. How could she had been so blind? How could she had fallen for it so easily?

"You didn't disappoint," Yotsuba went on, "You did exactly what I knew you would do. You took advantage of Miku's feelings, disguised yourself as her to make Fuutarou think of you, and it all backfired. You took the fall, just as I knew you would. It was better than I could've hoped for. Fuutarou didn't want anything to do with you after that. I was so happy that day. I finally got even with you. Now you knew what it was like to have something taken away from you."

Yotsuba... how could you? was what Ichika wanted to say but she couldn't find the words.

She seemed to have read her mind, "I know what you're thinking. How could such a nice girl like me do such an evil thing? It's simple, Ichika. I'm not a nice girl. I never was. This happy go lucky attitude of mine is nothing more than a mask to hide my ugly side. You want proof? Here it is. Right after we had that conversation I got selfish myself. I had made a promise to myself that I was going to let you guys have a fair chance of winning Fuutarou for yourselves. Yes, even you Ichika. I had to consider the possibility that my plan wouldn't work. But then... I saw him standing there underneath the bell, and I suddenly remembered that legend surrounding it. The next thing I knew... I rushed over and kissed him."

At this point Ichika was no longer surprised. She now believed that Yotsuba was truly capable of anything.

"He never knew it was me. We were all still disguised as Itsuki. He didn't seem to care anyway. But that was the moment I betrayed you all. That was the moment I stabbed you in the back! From that point on things only got worse. I suddenly wanted Fuutarou all to myself and I was willing to do anything to make him mine. I knew I had a good chance because I was the girl from his past. The one who always supported him no matter what. I fully believed that we were meant to be together and I was determined to make that happen no matter what it took. I couldn't let Fuutarou see the real me. I had to keep it a secret. I couldn't let Itsuki tell him who I was."

Ichika's gaze darkened, "Did you ever threaten her?"

"No, but I wouldn't have put it past me. You never know just what measures someone will take in order to keep a secret," Yotsuba slid further down the pole and sobbed, "I knew what I was doing was wrong, selfish, and unfair to you guys, but I didn't care! I wanted it all myself! Just like before! It wasn't until that night I realized how wrong it was and I tried to back out at the last second. Then I had to forget my stupid phone and like an idiot I went back to get it, thinking that it was already over, only to find him standing right there. Waiting for me. At first I panicked and tried to run, but he chased after me. He knew who I was all along. Then when he asked me how I felt about him I just gave in. He didn't care about my past, so I felt that I was safe. Of course, I didn't realize just how heartless he really was until we had our date."

You're not the only one, Ichika thought. She herself had been disgusted with Fuutarou's unfeeling attitude.

"I took it hard, but Nino...," Yotsuba's knees finally touched the ground, "Seeing her breakdown like that... right in front of me... knowing that I had helped caused it... it's something I'll never forget as long as I live. It finally made me realize what I'd done. In my quest to get revenge on you, I ended up hurting Nino. I hurt all of you, but it's Nino who's suffering right now. She was always there to help me, and I betrayed her. She didn't deserve this. If I had only known what happened to her before, I wouldn't have done all these things."

Ichika looked away. She no longer felt sympathy towards her sister.

"So you see, Ichika, the reason why Nino is in her room right now with her heart broken and her spirit shattered is all because of my stupidity. You were never the snake. I was. There's no point in denying anymore. I'm no good. I'm nothing but a weak pathetic loser who can't be honest about anything or with anyone, including myself, and had to resort to cheating to get what I wanted. That's the whole truth, Ichika. That's who I am. That's who Yotsuba Nakano is."

She went silent after that, waiting to hear what her sister would say. Ichika wanted to deny it all, to say that wasn't who Yotsuba was, but all her actions, all the events that had happened leading up to now made it impossible. This was the real Yotsuba. Her sister. With a heavy sigh she finally accepted the truth.

"You really hated me that much," she slowly said, "And you called me the selfish one."

She stood, brushing sand off her bottom, and approached her.

"Well, Yotsuba," she looked down at her, "What are you going to do about this?"

"I don't know," Yotsuba cried, "I don't know! I don't trust myself anymore. Every decision I make only makes things worse."

"Well, that's going to have to change," Ichika clasped Yotsuba's arm and pulled her to her feet, "Come on. Let's go."

"Wha-" Yotsuba blinked in confusion, "Where are we going?"

"Back home. You're going to tell the others what you just told me," Ichika's eyes turned deadly, "It's time for you to face the music, Yotsuba. If you try to run after all this, you won't be welcomed back into our lives."

When they returned they found that Maruo had come back after receiving Itsuki phone call concerning Nino. When he arrived he didn't ask any questions. Instead he told Miku and Itsuki to remain downstairs before going straight to Nino's room, where he had been since.

Ichika placed Yotsuba on one of the coaches.

"You stay right there," she ordered before glancing at the other two, "Make sure she doesn't move from that spot."

She left both Miku and Itsuki bewildered and marched straight to her room to retrieve something. When she came back out Maruo emerged from Nino's room, looking very worn out. Ichika followed him downstairs. He'd noticed the look of fury on her face but didn't ask why. He had a feeling he would find out soon enough.

Yotsuba had remained where Ichika left her. The others saw that she was carrying something in her hands but they couldn't see what it was. They did notice how angry she was, but there was a more important matter at the moment.

"How is Nino?" Itsuki asked first, "Is she going to be okay?"

It was a while before Maruo answered.

"To be honest... I don't know," he kept his voice low, "Physically there's nothing wrong with her. However, it's very clear that she's had a nervous breakdown and has gone into a deep depression. If you know anything about depressions they can have a very negative effect on the individual. Low self-esteem, lack of interest in the things they normally enjoy, and having no energy whatsoever. Little to no sleep, no appetite, and a slow deterioration of health. Worse case scenarios go from drug abuse to insanity. She could end up going either way. Or both."

Everyone was silent as they took in his words.

"We'll have to keep a close eye on her from now on," he continued, "She can't go to school or anywhere else in this state. It would raise too many questions. The rest of you still have to attend. I'll have Ebata come over to watch over her until you return. I'll also drop by whenever I can."

"Is there really nothing we can do for her?" Itsuki sounded desperate.

"Shouldn't we be taking her to see a counselor?" said Ichika.

"Normally I would have done that, but..." Maruo's lips twisted and he looked irritated, "Something tells me that won't be enough. All we can do right now is give her our love and support and hope for the best."

Itsuki shook her head in protest, "There must something we can do! I can't stand seeing her like this!"

Maruo looked up at the Nino's door and sighed reluctantly, "There might be one way."

Their faces lit up as he looked back down.

"Nino is still very much in love with Uesugi, and this time I think it's serious. It's not like before. Much as I hate to say it, he may be the only one who can help her."

All four gaped at him in disbelief.

"You can't be serious!" Itsuki was incredulous, "How can you even suggest that after what happened today?"

"I thought you didn't like him," Miku mentioned.

"I don't, and I don't want to approach him, but I may have no choice," he gathered his coat and gloves, "I'll go over to his place tomorrow and speak with him."

"Wait, Papa," Ichika stepped forward, "That might not be a good idea. I know he feels terrible about what he's done. If you go to see him he'll just be intimidated by you. Let's wait a few days and see if Nino improves. If not, I'll go see him. He'll be more comfortable talking with me than with you."

Maruo thought it over before he agreed, "Very well. I'll leave it to you."

He turned to leave, but Ichika stopped him.

"One last thing," she pointed, "Yotsuba has a confession to make. Miku, Itsuki, sit down over there. Papa, please stay a little longer. You need to hear this too."

The other two quints were confused but did what she asked. Maruo remained standing where he was.

Miku and Itsuki sat at the other couch while Ichika placed herself at her right, effectively trapping her. Once everyone had settled down, she turned to the fourth quint.

"All right, Yotsuba. Tell them."

The other two blinked at the harshness in her voice.

"Tell us what?" said Miku.

"Ichika, what's going on?" Itsuki glanced back and forth between her other two sisters.

"Tell them, Yotsuba," Ichika said again, this time more firmly, "Tell them what you told me. Or I will."

All eyes were now on Yotsuba. Seeing that there was no way to avoid this, Yotsuba gave in.

"This is the truth," she said, "The whole, entire truth."

A short time later Yotsuba emerged from the apartment building, pulling a suitcase behind her and her school bag slung over one arm.

When the sliding doors closed behind her it felt like the door of a prison cell slamming shut.

She reached up to touch her cheek, at the very spot where Itsuki had struck her. She winced in pain, but she deserved it. After telling Miku and Itsuki the truth, Ichika gave her the choice of either finding a to make up for her mistakes or leave. She chose the latter. She had caused too much damage to even consider staying after what she'd done.

She couldn't go to Fuutarou. He had enough on his plate after what happened today. She would only add to his problems. Thankfully Maruo had offered her a place to stay until she could figure out what to do, but offered nothing else. Yotsuba could only be grateful.

She began walking down the path, then stopped halfway and turned to look up where their penthouse was. She had to take one last look. Her family, the family she had betrayed. Miku was probably still in Itsuki's room, trying to comfort her, while Ichika was probably in Nino's, telling her what had just happened. Ichika had made it very clear that unless she found a way to make things right, she was to never speak to them ever again. As of now she was no longer their sister.

What would their mother say if she here right now?

Yotsuba turned back around and walked to where the car was waiting. Ebata took her suitcase and bag and placed it in the trunk before opening the passenger door. Maruo sat at the other side but he refused to look at her. She could, however, see the anger on his face from the window's reflection and how tightly his arms were crossed. She couldn't blame him. He had every right to be angry with her. Everyone did.

The car began to roll and Yotsuba watched as the place that had been her home for the last three years disappeared from view.

She was all alone now.

She looked down at her injured hands, and a tear fell down her cheek as she saw what they represented. The broken bond between sisters.

Inside the darkened penthouse, a letter had been left on the table. The last line read: I'm sorry. For everything. I love you all, Yotsuba.

Author's Note

This is the end of the first act. As you can see, things have now fallen completely apart. What should have been a happy ending has now become a complete disaster, but this is what happens when you keep secrets, refuse to be honest, avoid facing your problems, and try to take things for yourself without ever considering the consequences. Getting hurt is often unavoidable, but making poor decisions can lead to tragedy. And that's pretty where we're at now.

So while everything and everyone has sunk to their very lowest, the story will not end this way. While they're not out of the woods yet, hope is on the horizon. Remember at the beginning chapter when I said I was going to RE-introduce an old character from an old anime? Well, the second act will be her coming into the story and playing a major role in both helping Yotsuba and bringing peace to Fuutarou and the Nakano family. I think you guys are really going to like when you discover who she is and what anime she's originally from. It won't necessarily be a crossover(I'm a little stingy when it comes to that) but I think you'll like it nonetheless.

Thank you for all the reviews so far, even if it is just two people. I hope they'll be more in the future and from others. Stay tuned for Act Two!