A/N: This chapter was a monster to write! I had half of it done for a while, but it was tricky writing the rest. Over all, I am pleased with the end result! I hope you guys are ready for what's to come!
Please enjoy Part 4!
Chapter 46: School Festival Part 4
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There was a stillness in the air as all members of both parties looked shell shocked, other than Hayama Akito. Chisaki's eyes were wide but immediate fear struck her as the blond-haired teen looked at her with a glare that would send her six feet under.
Kurata Sana couldn't move, the shock of Hayama protecting her. It paralyzed her to the floor. But the pain in her limb brought her out of her stupor as she immediately went to clutch her leg. She hissed, causing Akito to look back at her.
And when the former actress looked up to see him, Sana gasped at the intensity in his eyes. His golden-brown eyes were filled with a murderous rage that she had never seen before. Brows furrowed deeply, a chill filled her as his eyes burned with hatred.
Hayama Akito felt it deep in his chest.
It was festering, like a vortex of all his negative emotions. A rage churned inside of him as he fought against the overwhelming indignation deep in his heart. Fury rippled through every nerve in his body, coiled at the depths of his stomach. Gritting his teeth, Akito suppressed a growl from ripping through his mouth.
He knew pain.
Akito was well accustomed to the crunch of his bones after a punch to the face. He knew what it felt like to have the wind knocked from your lungs after a swift kick to the abdomen. And he especially knew how suffocating pain was like when pinned under the weight of a trashed vehicle.
So, this tree branch on his arm, it was nothing but a tickle.
Stepping forward, Chisaki gazed at him in absolute terror.
Eyes wide, face pale, the grip on the branch loosened; loosened enough for Akito to rip it away from her hold and twist into his hand.
Sana went wide eyed in horror as she watched Akito steal the branch away from Chisaki. The dark-haired girl stepped back, frozen with fear as Akito took another step towards her.
She tried to stand, but the pain was unbearable. Grimacing, Sana clutched her leg as the pain crawled up her body. Sana felt a warmth on her face, and when she reached up, gasped at the feel of her own blood lining down her cheek.
"No… no. Get away!"
Blood forgotten, Sana frantically whipped her head up watched as the blond raised his arm slowly in the air. Her face drained of color.
"Have you ever been on the receiving end of one of these?" Akito spoke, his voice cold, detached. Sana didn't recognize him. It left a chill down her spine.
"No? Well, guess you're about to find out."
And Akito was going to strike down the girl. Chisaki raised her arms in defense and the blond was going to strike without a moment's hesitation.
Until Sana tugged harshly at his pant leg.
Stopping mid-way, he looked down, only to find Sana staring at him with pleading eyes. He could see the bruise beginning to form on the right side of her face, blood trailing from an open cut. Her hair was disheveled, her uniform dirtied from being on the floor.
"Akito." The desperation in her voice pulled him away from his anger, "Don't do it. Please, don't hurt her."
Sana watched as he slowly lowered his arm, eyes never leaving her.
Ignoring the gut-wrenching pain in her leg, she bit down on her lip as she gripped his pant leg tighter. He dropped the branch, eyes looking at her in shock, like he couldn't believe that she made him stop.
"They hurt you." He spoke lowly, eyes incredulous, seeking answers once again.
She gave him a strained smile. "I know."
Kurata Sana was insane.
That had to be it. That was the only way Akito could justify her behavior.
These girls tormented her for weeks. They threatened her for just as long. And now they assaulted her, and she didn't want any revenge?! Akito couldn't wrap his head around it. Around her.
The world he came from, blood spilled meant blood in return.
When a rival gang member broke Tsuyoshi's nose, Akito broke the member's arm. When his sister was teased in elementary school, he put gum in the girls' hair. When Akito was humiliated, he returned the humiliation tenfold. When his father reprimanded him for his actions, the blond threw all his failures back in his face.
An eye for an eye.
These girls… what they did to Sana… it deserved the same beating, if not worse.
And Akito wasn't afraid to do it either.
Seeing how battered they left her, defenseless, outnumbered, ambushed, it didn't take long for the gears in his head to switch. No longer wearing his lone wolf persona, the blond switched to the rabid, crimson wolf he used to be.
The blood pounding furiously in his head, the adrenaline rushing through his body, the need for pain – it was foreign to him. He long forgot what it felt like; the feeling of fist colliding with a body, the rush he felt when he knocked his opponents to the ground, the victory he felt when they cowered to him in fear.
But looking at Sana now, seeing what Chisaki Ryu and her friends did to her…
It switched something in him; something ugly, something dangerous.
Because all he wanted was blood.
"Akito-kun! Why'd you take off so fast!?"
"Hey! Aki! What's the big idea running off like th – SANA!?"
Shocked at first, Sana couldn't believe that her friends were here. How did they get here? How did they know to follow? Was it Akito? Did he bring them here?
Fuka was staring at her in panic, eyes growing wider by the second. Tsuyoshi, who didn't notice her immediately, whipped his head and mimicked Fuka's face within seconds. Horror fell across his face, fear in his eyes as he noticed her current state.
"Guys! What's going on!?" Aya came running behind them and when her eyes landed on Sana, her voice died.
"Oh my god! Sana!" Fuka moved first, coming to her side, falling to her knees.
Releasing her hold on Akito's leg, she leaned back, Fuka reaching for her immediately. Her arms caught her, and the former actress allowed herself to fall back into her friends arms.
"What the hell, Sana!? What happened?!" The Osaka native asked, looking her over.
"Sana-chan! Goodness, you're bleeding!" Aya came on the other side of her, and she sighed in relief. But also, completely overwhelmed. Her friends were looking at her in complete disarray, voices suddenly growing louder around her.
But her eyes were trained on the boy in front of her.
"Akito-kun!? What happened?" Sana watched as their glass eyed friend grabbed onto the blond's arm and started shaking him. But Akito wasn't saying anything. He was looking at the ground, fist clenched.
"What is the big deal, guys! Hayama, why'd you call – what the fuck?"
Sana stilled as Hiro entered the scene, her head turning quickly to him.
He was standing, eyes wide with dismay as he stared right at her. His mouth dropped open, dread immediately filling him. His green eyes looked at her, then trailed over to Akito, then finally to Chisaki.
"Sana… what the – "
She watched as his eyes went back and forth between her and the girls. And then it must have clicked when he saw the branch on the floor next to Akito.
"What – what did you do?" Hiro's voice was low, eerie like as he took a step towards Chisaki and the girls.
"We – We didn't do anything!" One of her friends shrieked.
"Ye- Yeah! It wasn't us!" The other stated.
They both stepped away from Chisaki, who stood frozen in place. Her eyes were shot wide, standing so still one could mistake her for a mannequin.
"Ryu … what did you do!?" His voice grew louder, brows furrowed, and his eyes blazed with fury.
Immediate tears filled Chisaki's eyes, and she released a chocked sobbed.
"I – I – " The fourth year struggled to let the words out.
"It was all her fault! It was Ryu's idea to hurt her! I swear!" One of her friends started crying and the other nodded along.
"We only hit Kurata because she forced us too!"
Hiro's eyes went wild as he pushed past Akito, reaching for Chisaki's arms. Grabbing each side of her, he brought her close.
"What the hell is the matter with you!?" He shouted, and Sana flinched at the force in his voice. "Look at what you did to her!"
Chisaki shakily moved her head, locking eyes with Sana.
The former actress steeled her jaw as they stared at one another.
Sana wished she felt some sort of victory. Elation that Chisaki was getting what she deserved by Hiro scolding her.
But she felt none of that.
Other than the immense pain in her leg and the aching in her body, Sana felt sadness towards the dark-haired fourth year. Knowing she very well had no reason to feel such a way, she gave the girl a sympathetic look.
"Where in your mind did you think hurting Sana was okay!?" Chisaki didn't look back at him. "Fucking Hell, Ryu!"
He released her and took a couple steps back, hand running down his face.
"Sana, where did she hurt you?" Fuka asked sternly, her hand tenderly grabbing her shoulder.
Said girl looked up to her friend and smiled tightly.
"She got my left leg pretty good." Laughing awkwardly, Aya grabbed her other shoulder. "And my face too."
"Sana-chan! This is nothing to laugh at!" The sand-brown haired girl lectured, though Sana thought it was a bit misplaced.
"Tsuyoshi-kun! Did you grab Tanaka-sensei before you followed Akito-kun!" Aya looked at her boyfriend and he nodded firmly.
"Tanaka-sensei?" Sana looked at her two friends before shifting her gaze to Tsuyoshi.
"Yes! He should be coming here soon!"
Sana was confused. Why would Tanaka-sensei be coming?
"Aki told us something was wrong." It was like Fuka was reading her thoughts, "Then he showed us the note Chisaki left in your locker. Before we could ask him any more questions, he told Tsuyoshi-kun to grab a teacher and bolted."
Turning back to Akito, his back was still towards her, and he had been still since their arrival. He hadn't said a word since before their friends got there. His head was still facing the ground.
Sana felt her heart squeeze tight.
"I… I just wanted you to love me."
Akito heard Chisaki whisper and in that moment, he almost lost it.
Because who did something like this for a person they loved?
Ironic, coming from you.
His eyes widened, a voice he hadn't heard in months, creeping into his head.
"Love you!? You do this to her, and you expect me to love you!" Akimoto shouted out next to him, and Akito didn't think he'd ever heard the brown-haired teen so loud or angry before.
"If I can't have you, then no one can!" Chisaki Ryu shouted with tears in her eyes as she fell to the floor. She began to sob uncontrollably. Hiro looked beside himself.
His eyes were wide with disbelief and skepticism.
"Wha – what are you even talking about, Ryu?" His voice came down a level, but anger still evident. "We aren't dating. Sana rejected me! And even if we were, you can't just hurt people! That's not how that works!"
"This – this is ridiculous! How could you do this?!"
"Sasaki-san! Why did you – Oh! What is going on here!?"
Akito could hear Tanaka-sensei behind him, and a flurry of voices started speaking. A mixture of Chisaki's friends, Fuka, and Aya. Tsuyoshi started joining the fray, and soon it was too loud.
So loud. So annoying.
Shut. Them. Up.
"Kurata-san! What on earth – what happened?!"
Finally lifting his head, Akito turned towards their teacher and stepped forward.
"This note will tell you everything you need to know." Akito spoke, his voice eerily calm. He could feel Sana's eyes on him as he pulled out the crumbled paper from his pocket.
"What is this?" Tanaka-sensei took the paper from his hand.
"Chisaki and her friends attacked Sana." He explained, voice dangerously neutral.
Tanaka-sensei's face contoured into that of high concern as his eyes scanned through the note. Brows etching into a glare, he sighed heavily and looked over at the fourth years. Chisaki's two friends collapsed to the floor, as they began to sputter apologies while Chisaki herself remained quiet.
"Chisaki-san… what do you have to say for yourself?" Tanaka-sensei walked past Akito, and towards the girls.
But Akito blocked out the noise behind him as he looked over towards Sana.
She was staring at him, eyes in distress, mouth turned into a frown. Eyes glossy, she dragged her fingers through the dirt beneath her. Biting her lip, he understood.
The blond gave one look to Fuka, and he was thankful he didn't have to say much else because the girl moved. Message was received. Walking to Sana, he crouched down to her level and was now face to face with her.
Hazel clashed with golden brown.
"Can you stand?" Akito asked gently, and she shook her head.
"No, I don't think so." She replied with a small voice.
Pursing his lips, he sighed deeply.
"Okay." He said as he reached for her. "I'm going to pick you up, got it?"
"Wh- What?!" Sana shouted in response, her face turning red.
"Well, you can't stand. How else are you going to get out of here?"
Akito watched her ponder his statement. She bit her lip, eyes definitely hesitant. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but Akito wanted to get her out of here.
But then something switched, and her eyes softened.
"You make a point…" She then gave him a wobbly smile, "Okay. I trust you."
Three little words.
Three little words that seeped their way into his heart.
Akito didn't reply.
Instead, he led his left arm to reach under her legs, his hand gripping the outside of her right knee. His right hand slithered across her back, under her right arm. Ignoring the stinging pain in his left arm, he used his legs to pick them both up.
Carrying her bridal style, all eyes were on them.
She "eeked!" in his arms at first, and the angle was awkward, Akito not having her secured tightly. But then he shifted, and hoisted her up, causing her to yelp again.
"Are – Are you sure you got her, Akito-kun?" Tsuyoshi asked behind him.
But the blond managed to securely tighten his grip around her legs and tighten his hold on her upper body.
Kurata Sana was in fact, very light.
"I got her."
Three words.
Three little words and Sana felt them so close to her heart.
Her cheeks were burning, and her neck felt on fire. Sana swallowed the knot in her throat as Akito held her close to him. She was embarrassed, sure. But there was something else. Something else that made it so hard to look at him.
"I'm taking her to the nurse." He said so calmly, but Sana could hear the edge in his voice.
At this, she did look up.
No longer was there that rage from earlier. His eyes, darkened and filled with an intense fury earlier, were back to their stoicism. Well, to anyone else. But Sana could see it. She could see how his eyes flickered between outrage and irritation. She could see the conflict brewing in his golden-brown irises as he attempted to keep a cool calm.
His jaw was hardened, and mouth steeled into a firm line.
"Akito."
The blond didn't acknowledge, but she knew he was listening as he walked steadily away from the scene behind them and to the school.
"Thank you. For saving me."
At this, he stopped dead.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
Sana could feel the rise of his chest, and the faint feeling of his heartbeat.
He looked down at her with a look she couldn't quite decipher. It was a mix of disappointment, irritation, but most of all, relief.
"You should have told me when I asked you."
She snorted.
"I know. I wanted to handle it on my own though."
He scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"All the good it did to you."
At this, Sana laughed. Really laughed with tears kissing her eyes. Rubbing at them, she relaxed in his arms, deciding that he was in fact, very comfortable. Not that she would ever say that out loud.
"I thought I could reach her. Like I did you."
Akito stared at her for a moment, his eyes truly unreadable this time. He looked up, eyes looking at nowhere in particular.
"Not possible." He muttered, and continued walking.
Sana didn't ask him to elaborate. Not that she needed him too.
She smiled shyly, something she didn't do often. Leaning her head against his chest, she gripped onto the front of his t-shirt.
He was warm.
Akito squeezed his hands resting on her knee and shoulder. She buried herself deeper into his chest.
I'm here.
She got his message loud and clear.
.
He laid her down gently on the bed, the nurse already pushing him aside as she began to feel the broken skin from the tree branch.
Akito glared slightly, but then decided it wasn't worth spending his energy on. He could see the grimace on Sana's face as the nurse cleaned her cuts, sighing over and over as she instructed Sana to do this and that.
"Excuse me, young man, but I am going to need you to step out." Both he and Sana looked at one another. "I need the young miss here to remove her shirt so I can inspect her for any other injuries."
Both teens pinked immediately.
"Oh. Yeah, I'll just leave."
"You're not leaving, leaving right?" Sana asked, and he shook his head.
"I'll let him know when he can come back in, okay?" The nurse reassured and Akito nodded. Sana smiled.
"Okay!"
He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Releasing a shaky breath, Akito sighed long and hard. The blond ran a hand through his hair as the events of the last hour went through his mind.
There was an annoying pain in his left arm and if he looked hard enough, a purple bruise painting his skin. But he ignored that sting as his mind trailed back to the girl in the room behind him.
She infuriated him.
All of this could have been avoided if she had just told him. They could have avoided this whole damn mess if she would have been honest with him from the beginning. Sana wouldn't have gone and gotten herself hurt and he wouldn't feel so damn powerless.
Clenching his fist tightly, Akito gritted his teeth as those dark and intrusive thoughts filled his mind.
It lingered. That ugly, violent feeling began to slither through him.
He could still feel it deep in his chest. That freedom, the sense of victory that swelled in his chest when Chisaki was on her knees, fearing him. He could see all those eyes staring at him, cowering to him, begging him to not hurt them.
It made him sick.
"Hayama-san?"
The door opened behind him, and Akito looked up. The nurse was smiling at him, and he swallowed thickly.
She left the door open for him as she returned to her medical supplies, mumbling something about having to wrap her up like a mummy.
Akito clenched his fist again as he looked at the girl he liked with mixed emotions. She was saying something to the nurse, rubbing the back of her head with her stupid, silly smile on her face.
How?
How can she be like this right now? After what happened to her?
"Akito?"
She called out to him with concern in her eyes.
He hated it. Hated that she looked at him with worry when she was the one hurt. Akito hated making her concerned about him. All he had ever done was make her worry about his state of being and his family.
Deciding that his own feelings didn't matter, he released the grip on his hand and walked in.
"It looks like they did quite the number to you, Miss Kurata. We're going to have to bandage your leg and face. You will probably need to go to the doctor for your leg."
"What?! You think it's broken!?" She looked away from him and turned towards the nurse in horror. The blond scowled at that thought.
"Unfortunately, I do. With the bruising presentation and how swollen it is, I wouldn't be shocked if you would need to go into a cast."
Sana's mouth dropped and she immediately shook her head.
"No!"
It caught both him and the nurse off guard.
"It can't be broken! I still have the play to finish! We still have to do the play! We worked too hard to not see it through!" Sana looked to him for answers, but all Akito could do was stare at her.
"The play? That's what you're worried about?" He asked, confused, annoyed.
"Yes!" She fisted her hands and looked at him with a stubborn glare. "We've worked too hard to miss it! We can't let my stupid leg stop us!"
Akito glared, hearing enough from her.
"Listen to yourself, you idiot!" He grabbed both her shoulders. "Who cares about the stupid play!"
"Look at what they did to you! You're in no condition to even walk! How the hell are you going to go up there and act?"
But her glare didn't suffice, and she furrowed her brows deeper. "I care about the play! We can't let everyone down, not after all the hard work we all put into it!"
He released his hold on her and paced back and forth. Running his hands through his hair, he ignored the annoying sting in his left arm.
"We have to do this, Akito. I have to do this."
He could hear it in her voice. That desperation. The need to almost redeem herself. Sana wanted to prove to herself that she could do this again. That she could stand on that stage with her own two feet.
It was admirable.
Her strength, her resilience, her courage.
Despite being assaulted, she still wanted to take a stand.
How could he deny her that?
"I could always go to the doctor's afterwards, couldn't I? I mean, what's the difference between now and then anyways?" Sana asked and he looked at her.
There was already a bruise forming at the side of her face, the blood still caked to her cheek. Her hair was a mess, dirty and filled with sticks and fallen cherry blossom leaves. Her uniform was dirtied, a mix of dirt and blood on her PE uniform. Her leg was now wrapped, but there were still cuts and bruises loitering her left side that was left uncovered.
Akito wanted to tell her no.
That she was being an idiot and needed to go to the hospital.
But it was so hard to deny her.
"Miss Kurata. I do not advise that. You have significant injury that could grow worse." The nurse's voice was stern, and Sana glared.
"So, then I just deal with those consequences!"
The school nurse sighed.
"Why don't we call your mother? You two can discuss it." She stood, and Sana growled.
"Can't Mama be called after?!"
"Miss Kurata. You were just assaulted. On school grounds. Your mother needs to be notified immediately. I'm not sure if your teachers already did so, but if not, I am going to reach out to her. Once she is here, we can discuss the proper next steps."
Even Akito could tell there was no arguing with the school nurse, and Sana must have too. Because she bit her lip and crossed her arms. Sighing roughly, the nurse gave him a sympathetic smile before she excused herself to call her mom.
When she stepped out of the room, Sana swung her feet over the bed.
"What are you doing?"
Sana glared at him.
"What does it look like? I'm leaving. If they want to wait for Mama to get here to make that decision, that's on them! I have a play to get too!"
Akito moved quickly, grabbing Kurata by her shoulders, and pushing her back to the bed. Sana growled as she struggled against his hold, grabbing both his hands to peel him off of her. They both knew it was pointless though. He was much stronger than her.
"Let me go, Hayama!"
"Will you just stop for a God damn minute and listen!" He raised his voice, and she stopped fussing almost immediately.
"Just wait for you mom." Sana opened her mouth again, but Akito shot her a glare. She clamped her mouth shut. "She's probably already almost here, isn't she? Besides, you're not hurting now because adrenaline. But you're going to be hurting really soon."
"I can just take some pain medicine!"
"That's not the point, Sana." He lowered his voice, and Sana's glare on him also softened. Now, she just looked upset.
"Then why won't you just let me get up? You know how much this means to me." Her voice broke for a minute, and he had to swallow the lump in his throat.
"I'm not saying you can't." Akito reaffirmed. "But I am saying to just wait."
At this, she sighed heavily. And with a pout nodded her head.
He released his hold on her shoulders and took a step back.
"Besides, you look like shit."
The hard hit to his head from her hammer was well deserved.
.
"You're still bleeding."
Sana immediately reached for her left cheek, feeling the crust of the dried blood. When she looked at the tips of her fingers, there was bright, red blood painted on them. She frowned.
"Useless nurse." She could hear Akito mutter.
The former actress shifted her eyes to him, watching as he walked over to the tray of medical supplies. He grabbed a pack of gauze, tape, a bottle of disinfectant water, and towels. Grabbing the stool, he dragged it over to the side of the bed.
Setting everything at her bedside, he continued to mutter something under his breath. And by the look on his face, he was annoyed.
And worried.
Sana didn't see it very often. He was covert in the way he expressed his emotions. She had learned that he was a person who conveyed his thoughts and feelings through actions.
A pat on the head. A flick on the forehead. Grabbing her school bag for her. Setting aside his sister's favorite drink at lunch. Dropping his notes on Aya's desk. Letting Tsuyoshi borrow his lab coat when he forgot his.
All things he did for the people he cared for.
"What are you doing?"
Moving the stool in between her legs, Sana's face grew very red, very quickly. He sat in between her legs like it was nothing.
"No, seriously! What are you doing?!" She sputtered, attempting to get out of the cage he locked her in.
But his mesmerizing, golden-brown eyes sat her in place, even as she continued to fight away from him.
"Sit still, idiot." His voice was firm, and Sana pouted.
"How can I sit still when I have no idea what you're doing!"
Sana could see frustration flash across his face. "I'm going to clean your cut! Now, will you just calm the hell down?"
As soon as his words registered in her mind, Sana stilled. Embarrassed by her actions, she sheepishly smiled until she laughed awkwardly.
"Oh." She rubbed the back of her head. "You should of just said that!"
Akito sighed roughly.
And then he moved himself again, this time her left leg trapped in between his legs. Though it was slightly better than himself being in between her, Sana still found it embarrassing.
"I'm going to grab your jaw now, okay? So, don't freak out."
She blew a raspberry at him.
"Haven't you ever heard of consent?"
"Why do you think I asked?"
Point taken.
Sana didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't unusual for people to touch her like this. She could recall so many times that Shimura or her mother had rubbed dirt off her face from her playing outside.
Why was this any different?
He grabbed one of the washcloths on the bed and dumped disinfectant on it. With his left hand, he carefully grabbed her cheek, tilting her face slightly away from him.
"This is probably going to sting."
It did sting.
Sana immediately flinched as he touched the cut on her face. She felt his fingers grasp her cheek with enough force to hold her still, but not enough to hurt her.
Her stomach turned at the way his fingers touched her face so gingerly.
But then he was back to rubbing away the crusted blood and dirt from her face. She scrunched her brows, hissing in pain as she flinched away. Though not far enough as he held her face in place.
"Don't move." He commanded.
His voice was so close, she could hear the deep vibrations that echoed from his words. Biting her lip, Sana tried not to concentrate on the feel of his fingers, the callous and roughness against her softer skin.
Rubbing roughly against her skin, she peeled away from him and glared.
"What the hell, Akito? Why you gotta be so rough?"
"I'm just making sure it's clean." He so nonchalantly said, and Sana pouted.
"Why can't ya be a little gentler?!"
Rolling his eyes, the blond reached for her again, and Sana pulled away.
For a moment, they just stared at one another.
Sana focused on his eyes, trying to get a read from him. It was so difficult to look at him at times. Akito's eyes, for better or worse, had sucked her in so many times. Half the time, she couldn't decipher anything. The other half, she was able to see what he let her see.
But Sana liked to think she could read him better now too.
Almost as if they were asking for permission, she tilted her injured cheek towards him, eyes away from him again.
She ignored the blush that spread on her cheeks, across her nose. And prayed that he didn't notice it.
"This doesn't look deep. Shouldn't take long to heal. Might scar though."
Sana pursed her lips.
"They disfigured me. Great."
He scoffed and she shot him a look.
"Don't you dare say a word."
He snorted instead and she rolled her eyes as he wiped away the last of the dirt. His hands pulled away and he reached over her leg for the gauze.
"You make it too easy sometimes."
"No. You're just a jerk." Sana huffed and he placed the gauze on her cheek.
He applied a subtle pressure, not too hard, but not too soft. She looked down at his hands and then back to his face.
His brows were furrowed as he looked down at the tape on his lap.
"You're just sensitive." He replied, but before she could counter, he added, "here, hold this."
Grabbing her hand, he replaced his with hers and hand her apply the same pressure to her cheek.
"I am not!"
His eyes flicked up to hers for a moment.
She glared at him, brows furrowed and mouth in a frown.
"Case and point."
Akito grabbed the tape from his leg and cut a piece with his mouth.
"Move your hand." He put his hand back on her cheek and placed the tape along the edge.
"You enjoy infuriating me, don't you?"
The blond didn't reply, but he smirked.
Smirked.
Bastard.
Another piece of tape cut, another placed around the edge. He did the same thing two more times before he looked over the bandage. Sana continued to gripe at him, ignoring the way her heart squeezed at the focuses in his eyes on her.
"What? Admiring your work?" She asked with a snarky tone, their eyes essentially at eye level with him sitting on the stool.
"A little bit, yeah."
"Don't get a big head about it."
But Sana watched as his eyes trailed up to her forehead, and his brows scrunched.
Suddenly, she felt as his fingers brushed away her bangs, and his thumb traced along the corner of her forehead.
Her entire face burned at the feel of something so gentle, so intimate, that she almost missed the sting from the cut there.
"This one doesn't look that bad. Should heal up soon. Definitely will bruise though." He muttered, and Akito's voice was closer than before. Sana could feel the warmness of his breath on her skin and her lungs felt so incredibly tight.
Akito wasn't staring at her, but it was so hard for her to stop looking at him.
And of course, her luck would have it that Akito would feel her staring at him and turn his eyes towards her.
Being only about a foot apart, Sana felt like she stopped breathing. Looking into his eyes, she saw his worry, his frustration, his relief. And it touched her to think that he cared about her like that. Cared about her enough to sit here and patch her up.
Something in her stirred. A feeling she didn't recognize, a warmth that she never knew. As Akito stared at her so intently, so focused, it made her mouth dry. Her heart was loud in her ears, thrumming against the cage around it. Her lungs squeezed, but no air seemed to leave her.
It was like time was standing still as she searched for something in him.
Anything that would explain this feeling in her.
"Sana-chan!"
"Sana!"
A collective group of voices erupted through the door and said girl blinked, the space in front of her empty.
"Akito-kun!?"
"What the hell!? Aki!? Why are you on the floor?!"
It took her a moment to register the situation, but her eyes fixated on the blond-haired teen, who was in fact, on the floor. The stool he was previously sitting on was rolling away from him.
"Fuck." He hissed, grabbed onto his left arm.
"Are you okay?!" Tsuyoshi went to his side immediately, but Sana's focus was pulled away as both Aya sat to her left and Fuka stood in front of her.
"How are you feeling, Sana-chan? Are you hurting still?" Her sweet friend asked, worry laced in her voice. Aya gave her the pity eyes and Sana wanted to frown at that.
"No, I'm okay right now. My left leg is bothering me a little. But I think I'm okay."
"Why didn't you say anything, you idiot!?" When the relief hit both her and Aya, Fuka's face turned to that of relief to that of fury. Hands at her hips, frustration crossed her eyes and she frowned.
"Fuka-chan…" Aya murmured but the brown-haired girl shook her head.
"Nah uh! You should have said something! Look at what they did to you!"
Pursing her lips, Sana sighed roughly. "I didn't think she was actually crazy enough to hurt me, you know!"
"Besides, I thought this was going to be an easy fix. I didn't expect her to go crazy!"
"We're just happy Akito-kun got to you when he did. When he showed us the note, and took off with saying much of anything else, we all got really worried." Aya said next to her.
The girl grabbed her arm in comfort and Sana smiled tiredly. Her eyes then trailed to her blond-haired savior standing behind Fuka. Tsuyoshi was talking to him, eyes laced in his own worry. Sana could see the panic in his eyes.
"Speaking of Aki – " Fuka turned around and called out to him. Said boy and Tsuyoshi shifted their attention to the three girls.
Tsuyoshi looked over to her and the panic in his eyes grew heavier.
"Sana-chan… " He muttered worriedly but Sana gave him a smile instead. She already made these guys worry too much about her.
"Why didn't you say something earlier too, huh? You knew something was up!"
Akito furrowed his brows at Fuka.
"I didn't know until I read the note. That was when I told you three."
"Tch!" Fuka snorted and crossed her arms.
"Guys… I promise I'm okay! Besides, surprisingly enough, this wouldn't be the first time I was attacked by someone. I did used to be a famous actress you know?"
But the room remained quiet, and everyone looked at her like she grew horns from her head. Sighing with dejection, she let her shoulders drop.
"Geez, tough crowd."
"You're taking this very calm, Sana-chan." Aya commented, and Sana huffed.
"Aren't you angry, Sana-chan? I mean, they seriously hurt you!" Tsuyoshi added fuel to the fire. The former actress looked to Fuka, who's own nose was flaring with obvious anger. And then finally, to Akito, who's own eyes were swirling with a fury that he didn't show earlier.
Looking down to her own hands, she glared.
"Of course I'm angry." Sana bit her lip, feeling a heat swirling in her chest. "Of course I am pissed off about this whole situation!"
Looking up, her eyes scanned the room.
"But there is nothing I can do about it now, can I? It happened already. The only thing I can do from here is prove those jerks wrong. It's getting up on that stage and not letting them ruin this whole thing for me!"
"You're joking." Fuka whispered and began to shake her head. "You are not still acting like that!"
"Yes I am."
"Sana! You're seriously hurt! You need to go to a hospital and get everything looked at!" Fuka argued and Sana felt her chest beginning to bubble.
"I will once the play is done!"
Fuka's mouth was agape and quickly, she turned to Akito and stared at him incredulously.
"And you're going to let her?"
Sana furrowed her brows, upset that Fuka thought the oldest Hayama had any say in what she could and couldn't do.
"It's her decision."
He left it at that, and Sana was thankful to at least have him on her side.
"Sana-chan. I admire your resolve, but don't you think it's a little careless?" Aya spoke next to her, her eyes looking up and down her body as to indicate her injuries.
"I have to agree with Fuka-chan and Aya-chan. It's not that I don't think you can't, but don't you think your injuries are more important?"
Tsuyoshi added his thoughts to the mix and Sana could feel her chest growing tighter and tighter. She knew her friends meant well. She knew that they were just looking out for her.
But she really wished they would just stop.
"The play is most important to me."
"It's just a stupid play!" Fuka's voice carried, surprising everyone in the room with her increased tone of voice. "I know why you're doing it; we all do. But it's not worth risking your own body!"
Her chest couldn't take it anymore, and the visceral feel of hot air in her throat was too much. Anger bubbled and she couldn't stop herself now even if she wanted too. Hot tears kissed her eyes as her lips trembled with anger.
"None of you know a thing about why I'm doing this! And none of you will ever understand! So just leave it!"
Her own eyes went wide as a voice she didn't recognize left her mouth.
All eyes in the room grew to saucers, Aya pulling away from her on the bed. Feeling like she could breathe again, the auburn-haired teen took a deep, shuddered breath.
Closing her eyes shut, she dropped her head to her lap, not wanting to face her closest friends. She did feel better though.
"Let's leave her alone for a minute." Akito's voice broke through the silence, his calm demeanor refreshing.
"But – " She could hear Tsuyoshi say, but his sentence was never finished.
Sana felt the school bed shift in weight next to her. "… We'll come back and check on you in a little bit Sana-chan." Aya's voice was soft and cautious as she moved further away.
Fuka's rough sigh was loud, but then she heard something soft. "I'm sorry. We'll give you the room, okay?"
She could hear shuffling of feet as she kept her eyes closed, voices muttering softly as they walked out of the room. She didn't want them to see her cry. And she didn't want to give Chisaki Ryu the satisfaction of her tears.
But Sana felt them.
"Akito?" She said brokenly, and suddenly she felt it.
He took the seat next to her.
When did his presence become so calming? So vital to her?
Opening her eyes, she slowly lifted her head and felt the tears drop on her cheeks. Sana rubbed her eyes, not wanting him to see her cry. Because she was strong, right? She didn't cry over silly things like this.
He grabbed her hand.
"Stop." Akito commanded softly, "I already told you. You don't have to pretend with me."
It was like all the strength in her vanished because she crumpled right there next to him. He held onto her hand as she dropped her head into his shoulder. Sana closed her eyes as the silent tears started.
Finding comfort in his warmth, Sana sniffled into his shirt, clutching onto his hand tightly.
"I want to do this, Akito." She muttered into his chest, "I want to do this play."
She looked up to him with hard eyes, determined eyes.
He didn't waver.
"Okay." He replied, "Then let's do it."
.
Akito didn't know how long they sat there in silence, holding each other's hand until her mom did arrive. When Kurata Misako knocked and announced herself before coming in, he had already released his hold on Sana. Before walking out to leave the two alone, Misako had grabbed his arm and thanked him.
"Thank you." She said with a smile of gratitude. "For saving my daughter."
He would do it again, and again, and again.
However many times he needed too, he would do it.
Before walking out of the room, he looked back at Sana one more time. Locking eyes with one another, she grinned at him, and he felt his throat dry immediately. Knowing she was in safe hands with her mom, he walked out.
Tsuyoshi, Aya, and Fuka were standing outside, talking in hushed tones.
When Tsuyoshi noticed him, they turned their attention to him.
"How is she doing?" The brown-haired boy asked meekly.
"Better."
"Oh, we overwhelmed her, didn't we?" Aya said to no one in particular.
"She knows you guys meant well. And that you just care about her." He reassured the sand-brown haired teen.
"Is she still going to do it? Be in the play?"
His silence was confirmation to Fuka's question.
Cursing under her breath, she shook her head.
"Idiot. She's got nothing to prove, doesn't she know that?" Fuka looked to him in genuine concern. That frustration and anger she directed towards Sana earlier turned into warranted worry.
Fuka came off strong, but Akito knew it was from a place of love.
She loved Sana.
"That isn't for you to decide." He replied and she sighed.
"If I could hurt Chisaki without consequence, I would." Fuka scowled as she seethed through her teeth. "Damn bitch deserves it."
If only Fuka knew how close Akito was to making that a reality.
"What did Tanaka-sensei do after I left?" The blond asked, and Tsuyoshi nodded.
"He had Hiro, Chisaki, and her friends follow him."
"Akimoto?"
Tsuyoshi nodded again. "Wanted to get to the bottom of why everything happened the way it did."
"After Tanaka-sensei gathered everyone, he asked us to come back to the nurse's office and make sure you and Sana-chan were okay. We saw the school nurse on the phone on our way over. We assumed she was calling Sana's mom." Aya added.
"Then that's when we came in." Fuka joined in the conversation. "And when you kicked us out, we saw her mom walk up eventually. She asked us why we were outside, and I told her that Sana was overwhelmed but you stayed with her."
Akito could say that Sana didn't want him to leave. But he wasn't wanting to add anymore arsenal to Tsuyoshi or Fuka's pack.
"Hey, did you get hurt?"
The blond perched a brow and followed Fuka's direct line of site.
To his left arm.
There was the beginning of an ugly, yellow and green bruise forming. Now that he thought about it, he flinched at the annoying pain that crawled up his arm. The pulsing was there, along with some pain if he flicked his wrist a certain way. But Chisaki Ryu definitely gave all her strength behind that swing.
It made his blood boil.
"Wait, did she hit you?" Tsuyoshi asked, eyes furrowed.
"I stopped her from hitting Sana."
All three of his friends went wide eyed at his statement, and Fuka's eyes darkened almost immediately.
"Holy… she was going to hit her that hard?"
Aya's and Tsuyoshi's jaws dropped as they realized what he and Fuka already knew.
"Why would she do such a thing?" Aya looked in between the three, her eyes crossed between horrified and perplexing. Tsuyoshi put a hand to her shoulder in comfort.
"Because she's insane!" Fuka grabbed at her hair and paced.
Akito knew what insanity looked like. Or at least, he had thought. He thought himself insane when he was running alongside Hitorashi in parts of elementary and middle school. But seeing the absolute jealousy in Chisaki Ryu's eyes made him think otherwise.
"Hey! Guys!"
Akimoto Hiro shouted as he came running down the hall.
Clearly in his own disheveled state, concern plagued his own features, guilt filled in his eyes. He looked towards the door of the nurse's office, and then back towards Akito and the gang.
"Is she…?" Out of breath, he looked to Akito.
"She has a broken leg and is pretty bruised up, but otherwise, she is okay." Fuka answered for him, her own voice neutral.
He knew it wasn't Akimoto's fault, but the oldest Hayama couldn't help but feel anger towards him. This was all done because of Chisaki's jealousy of Sana. Because of their friendship. Because of the feelings he harbored towards her. Even though Sana had rejected him, Chisaki still came after her.
"Shit." He muttered, running a hand through his hair. He paced and bit his lip.
"I didn't think this would happen." The fourth year mumbled to himself.
"None of us did." Tsuyoshi attempted to soothe.
"I knew Ryu liked me, but I didn't think she would do something like this." Akimoto ran a hand down his face and shook his head. "I can't believe she would hurt her like that. I mean – fuck."
"Did you ever tell her to back off?" Fuka asked next to him, and Akito eyed the brown-haired teen carefully.
"Yes! I told her before I told Sana my feelings."
"What about after Sana turned you down?" Fuka asked, and he sighed with dejection.
"No. I didn't."
It wasn't Akimoto's fault. It wasn't. But Akito could feel his palms sweating with the urge to retaliate for Sana.
If he did that though, Sana would never forgive him though.
"So, what happened when Tanaka-sensei took you guys back to the teacher's room?" Tsuyoshi stepped in and asked.
"They took Ryu alone into Principal Nara Nara's office. The other girls and I stayed back. Tanaka-sensei asked us individually what happened. I told him I had just gotten there right before he did."
"I see."
"What about the other two girls? Did they go talk to Principal Nara Nara?" Aya spoke up and Akimoto nodded.
"We all did."
"Gotta hand it to you, Akimoto – " Fuka started, hands on her hips, "your fan girls are seriously demented."
He pursed his lips. "I just never thought Ryu would do this. I mean, we've been friends since elementary school. I always knew she liked me, but I just didn't think she would hurt someone over it."
"You didn't think anything when my sister was bullied for being your friend, either?" Akito finally spoke and he felt every single set of eyes on him. Akimoto's face hardened and he bit the inside of his cheek.
"Of course I was mad about that, but once I told her to back off, she did."
"And you thought it would be the same this time around?" Akito's voice was cold, and his eyes darkened. Akimoto should have done more. He should have shut it down years ago.
The fourth year frowned.
"Like I said, I didn't have a reason to think otherwise."
"Okay, you two. Cut it out." Fuka placed herself between Akito and Akimoto, and the blond looked away in a scoff.
"Aki, you've made your point. We're all pissed about this situation, okay? But barking at Akimoto isn't going to make the situation any better. He was just as clueless about this as the rest of us were."
"And Akimoto – " Fuka turned to look at the fourth year, "he's pissed because obviously, he caught Chisaki in the act, trying to hurt our friend. And honestly, you've could have told her one more time. But it's not your fault that she went crazy and attacked Sana anyway."
"So, put your dicks away and try focusing on oh, I don't know, our friend that's in there?"
Rubbing the back of his neck, Akimoto sighed heavily and nodded.
"You're right, Matsui. I'm sorry." He didn't specify to him, but Akito didn't need his apology anyway. Fuka turned to him with a look of annoyance. He frowned.
"Whatever." The blond rolled his eyes, and Fuka shook her head in frustration.
"Good as it's gunna get I guess."
But then the door opened to the nurse's office and all eyes were focused on that.
Kurata's mom stepped out with a small smile on her face.
"Sana is okay. If you would like to return to the room, you may."
There was a hesitancy between the four teens. Akito could see Akimoto's urgency and knowing that he hadn't seen Sana since she was brought up here, it would only make sense to let him go in there first.
But Akito wasn't kind, and he definitely didn't want Akimoto near her.
"Just go and talk to her."
He was sort of surprised when the words came out of his mouth, and by the wide-eyed look on the fourth year's face, he was too.
His mind was saying one thing, but apparently his mouth wasn't following.
Akimoto nodded and mouthed a quick thank you before walking into the room. He closed the door shut behind him and he felt all eyes on him.
"Wow, Akito-kun. That was awfully nice of you." Tsuyoshi said next to him.
"Did not see that coming." Fuka added.
"Tch. The idiot would have been standing outside the door like a lost dog. Better to let him say whatever he has to say." Akito didn't need to explain, but he did anyway.
Kurata Misako smiled at him, and he gulped.
"I am going to find Tanaka-sensei as he has summoned me to the principal's office. Can I entrust in you to keep an eye on her?" She didn't say who, but she was staring right at Akito.
He nodded.
"Why don't I show you where it's at? That way you don't get lost!" Fuka offered and Aya nodded.
"I'll join! Tsuyoshi-kun. You stay with Akito-kun."
"Wonderful! Thank you, girls." Misako was joined by both girl's, and they wandered down the school hall.
There was silence for a moment, some muffled voices from the other side of the wall, but Akito could hear his own thoughts so loudly.
"Akito-kun… are you okay?" His friend asked again, in a softer and gentler tone.
Akito didn't want to tell Tsuyoshi about his thirst, about these feelings he had locked away. He didn't want to tell him about how good it felt to make someone cower to him again, how eager he was to swing the branch at Chisaki after she hurt someone he cared deeply for.
How revenge consumed him.
So, instead, he turned to stare at the brown-eyed teen and said, "I'm fine."
And he was.
He was fine.
A/N: This had Sana and Akito all over it. And I loved writing every, single moment of it. I hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry for the long break in between, but well, wedding planning has kept me quite busy you know?
Anyway, please let me know what you think! Reviews, comments, thoughts, etc. are always welcomed!
As always! Till next time!
- Dark Waffle