Chapter 18 – An Otaku's Suffering Revealed
Kyoko's POV
"*moan* *moaning continued*"
"Guys…guys! She's waking up!"
"Oh, thank God!"
"Wh…What? Wh-Where am I?" I asked in a drowsy state after waking up in a bed at the hospital. Surrounded by what looked like my friends and…even my mom? My eyes were so blurry, so I couldn't see everyone clearly.
"Kyoko! Thank goodness you're okay! You had me so scared!" It sounded like Mom's voice as I felt a great mass around my weak body.
"M-Mom?"
"So I see that you've awakened from your coma, Toshinio-san." I heard another voice. A deep one, to be exact. I looked to the right of me and saw a white blur getting closer to me. Seeing how I was in a hospital, this white blur had to be the doctor.
"C-Coma?"
"You had lost so much blood by the time you got here, we had to put you in a medically induced coma. You were out for about a week."
"A-A week?"
"The gash on your neck was deep…but luckily it was only near inches from the internal carotid artery. Which supplies blood to your brain. We put you in that coma so that your brain wouldn't swell up. You're lucky that your friends brought you here as quickly as they did. They pretty much saved your life."
"W-Wait…a gash? O-On my neck?" I then went silent as I tried to figure out what he was talking about.
…
And then it hit me.
H-Holy crap…I…I-I survived? My evil psychopathic bastard of a father sliced me across the neck in an attempt to kill me…a-and I SURVIVED?!
…
"Th-That's…Th-That's unbelievable…"
"Unbelievable? More like a MIRACLE!" Aoi shouted. "Do you know how unlikely it is to survive a cut to the neck that big?! I was making bets with other students that you wouldn't make it!"
*POW*
"Ow!"
"Damnit, Aoi! Learn to read the room!" Hiro yelled after hitting her friend in the head.
"I'll leave you all alone for a bit. I'm sure you want to catch up with each other."
"Thank you, doctor." I heard Mom said.
As the doctor left the room, I felt the giant scar running across my neck. Patched up with a huge line of still-fresh stitches.
So, I really did survive. Maybe the universe was on my side for once…
…
Or maybe…it just wasn't my time yet…
"Kyoko. I'm so happy that you're okay now." With my eyesight still slightly blurry, I was now hearing Yui's voice. "You had us all scared that you wouldn't survive."
"I'm really glad you made it, Kyoko." Akari said. "I don't think I could've handled losing one of my childhood friends to something like that."
"Yui…Akari…*soft giggle* thanks, you guys…" I replied with a weak but grateful smile.
"You know, speaking of "something like that"…" I was now hearing Chinatsu's voice. "…I think it's time you guys start talking about this whole thing."
"T-Talk about what?" Yui asked.
"Don't play dumb! You two knew, didn't you?! That Kyoko's father was a serial killer!"
"Wh-What?! W-We didn't know that!"
"H-Honestly, Chinatsu! We had no idea!" Akari added as they were both trying to defend themselves.
"You're both her childhood friends. I don't see how you wouldn't know." Ayano said.
"B-But we didn't!"
"They're right, Sugiura-san. They didn't know."
"M-Mom…?" I turned to "face" her.
"In fact…it's been a family secret that Kyoko and I have been hiding for years. Mainly because we were scared…terrified, even…that he would come back for us. To finish what he started all those years ago."
"F-For years, huh?" Ayano asked.
"Geez…10 years of suffering." Sachiko said. "How did you guys manage to hide it for so long?"
"W-Well…I-I don't think Kyoko would be okay with…"
"M-Mom…i-it's fine."
"K-Kyoko…are you sure?"
"I really shouldn't be hiding this inside me anymore. It almost killed me mentally AND physically. And if everyone here is willing to help me…"
It was around this time my eyesight had returned. And seeing everyone's bright and cheerful smiles…happy that I had survived an attempted murder…only made me more confident about doing this.
"…Then…I think I can trust them."
Not only was my father a ruthless serial killer, but he was also abusive. Physically and mentally hurting us at every chance he got. And there was all the evidence in the world that proved that he enjoyed every minute of it.
Not many people know about this…but I wasn't born and raised in Takaoka. I'm originally from Harajuku. And the reason why we moved from there to here was because…well…p-people were starting to get suspicious about the bruises and injuries my mom and I were constantly getting. And my father basically forced the move on us.
…
Plus…with Takaoka being such a small town, it served as a perfect starting point for my father's career as a serial killer.
Shortly after the forced move was when I found out about my father being RTM. And I began living my life in fear and torment. Only hiding it whenever I was around other people.
Especially Yui and Akari…around the time I first met them.
*A FEW YEARS AGO…*
"Okay, girls! Let's go save the world!"
…
…
…
"W-Wait, we're doing what now?" Akari asked as both she and Yui looked at me with confused stares.
"Duh! Saving the world from the evil Oogle-Boogles! An alien race from the VERY out of reach planet of Elgoog Emorhc!"
"Wh-What? I-Is that katakana?"
"I think it's just the English pronunciation of "Google Chrome" backwards…" Yui said with a sweatdrop.
"So smart, Yui!" I cheered. "NOW, LET'S GO!"
"Hold on a second. Kyoko…are you feeling okay?"
"Huh? What do you mean? I'm totally fine."
"Are you, though? Yesterday, you suddenly broke into heavy tears and it took us about 30 minutes to calm you down…and now, it's like you're a completely different person."
"You're acting really weird, Kyoko-chan. It's really worrying…" Akari added.
"What? Me? Weird? Nah…I've always been like this. That knee injury was only a temporary thing."
"Temporary?" Both girls looked even more confused.
"Yep. And there's absolutely no reason to bring it up ever again. So, let's just forget about it and start our mission of saving the world from the evil alien menace! WOOOO!"
"B-But Kyoko…"
"Call me Super Sex Commander Kyoko, Akari!"
"Wh-What? What does that even…"
"*sigh* Just forget it, Akari. We're obviously getting nothing out of her." Yui said as she had made her first out of many exasperated facepalms that'll happen when talking to me.
Thank God they finally bought it…
*PRESENT TIME*
And this went on for many years after that. Having the two of them accept this very strange and nonsensical personality change I made up just to hide my true self and what was the REAL reason why I would easily break into tears…it eventually became infused within my soul. And I fooled myself into accepting it as my real personality.
But, as you all know…the act had finally dropped recently.
"And…that's the whole story. Instead of the selfish, slightly perverted, hopeless otaku most of you knew me for…I'm actually a scared, sensitive, traumatized crybaby. Hiding the fact that my father destroyed my innocence and vowed to end my life…simply because he never loved me."
"H-Holy crap…" Both Sachiko and Aoi said in disbelief.
"D-Damn, Kyoko…never would've thought that someone like you would be suffering for so long." Sakurako added with the same look of unnerving shock.
I bet her hatred of me has slightly decreased now…
"So, this "true self" as you call it…it's been bottled up inside you for all these years?" Ayano asked.
"*sigh* Yeah…pretty much. And honestly…it would have stayed bottled up if I didn't cause Akari's injury. It kept working…so, why not?"
"I see…"
"So, basically…" Akari said. "…me having my eye gouged out managed to have both of us realize our true selves, huh?"
"Th-That's a pretty gruesome way to put it, Akari…" Himawari said as we all gained sweatdrops.
*RINGTONE CHIME*
"Ugh…really?" Mom complained as she took out her phone. "And it's work, too?! I told them not to call me while I'm here!"
"It's okay, Toshinio-san. We can take it from here." Yui said.
"Thanks, girls. I'll be back, sweetie."
"Alright…" I said as Mom left the room to answer the call. Which left me alone with my friends and classmates. Making the atmosphere pretty awkward. Especially since I just confessed to them that the Kyoko Toshinio they all knew was a lie.
"S-So…I was really out in a coma for a week?" I asked. "What's happened since then?"
"Well…your father's been arrested." Yui said. "Originally for trespassing…but once we told the police that he was the RTM serial killer, they immediately took it seriously."
"Is that so?" I then made a huge sigh of relief. "At least I won't have to worry about him for a while."
"Their reactions were pretty funny, too." Hiro said. "When it was revealed that Shiro was the one that caught him, they were in SO much disbelief…I think their sense of pride went down a little, too."
"Anyone's sense of pride would go down if they lost to a spider, Hiro…" Aoi said with a huge sweatdrop.
"Well…in any case…maybe now I can focus on school again. Use this chance to start over on a good note."
But then once I said that, everyone gained an uncomfortable look on their faces. As if what I said struck a nerve or something.
"Wh-What?"
"Um…Kyoko…a-about going back to school…" Ayano said.
"*sigh* Let me guess…I got suspended?"
"W-Well…not so much suspended and more so…ex-expelled."
And once I heard that, my eyes dilated huge and my face went extremely pale. I totally felt like I was about to pass out from shock.
"E…Ex…EXPELLED?! GAK!"
But that was prevented due to the sharp pain in my neck from the giant scar.
"Hey…you shouldn't yell like that." Chinatsu said. "You only just woke up."
"B-But this is insane! GAK! H-How the hell…GAK…d-did I get expelled?!"
I think I just made my throat worse…
"Well…you know most of the teachers and even the Principal already had issues with you constantly sleeping in class and not doing any work…" Yui said.
"And then there's the fact that you ran an unofficial club for three years and it led to Akari's injury…" Ayano added.
"Long story short…the fact that you led a serial killer onto schoolgrounds…and that he was your father…was the last straw for them. And they all agreed that you needed the "harshest punishment they can give". Which led to this."
"Y-You're kidding me…a-and they ALL agreed to this?!"
"Hey, don't include me into that group." Nishigaki joined the conversation as she was walking into the hospital room. "I tried my best to defend you…but they were dead-set on kicking you out."
"Rise even made an argument claiming that you get god grades regardless of your lack of classwork…but that didn't do much, either." Akari said. With an added nod from Rise-senpai.
"*sigh* Geez…well, that's just great." I whined as I flopped onto my bed in agonizing despair.
Can my situation get any worse than it already is?
"Uh…hey, Kyoko. I've…got some bad news." Mom said as she came back inside the room."
Why do I feel like I just jinxed myself?
"Wh-What bad news?" I asked. Already not liking where this was going.
"Well…my boss just called me and said that I have to go overseas for work."
"Wh-What?! S-Seriously?! GAK!" I yelled, causing my neck to hurt again.
"Overseas? To where?" Akari asked.
"London, of all places. He insisted that I do it because I'm one of the few people working there that can speak English fluently. And it's supposed to be for a year."
"A year? Damn, that sucks." Aoi said.
"Ugh! I get slashed across the neck, expelled from school, and now I'm going to be alone for a whole year…why are so many bad stuff happening to me?!" At this point, I was probably the gloomiest I've ever been in my life. Wondering if this was the universe's price tag for letting me survive.
So, it's just as cruel as I imagined it to be…
*SOUND OF A DING COMING FROM AN INTERCOM*
"Minasan, chūi shite kudasai. Haikan jikan wa shūryō shimashita. Deguchi made o susumi kudasai. Okoshi itadaki arigatōgozaimasu."
*SOUND OF A DING COMING FROM AN INTERCOM*
"Geez…It's already time to go?" Sachiko asked.
"Yeah…they've been shortening visitation hours in hospitals recently." Nishigaki said. "They're trying to prevent viral contaminations or stuff like that."
"Well, that's dumb. I mean…this is a hospital. If that were to happen, they can treat it on-sight."
"You're forgetting that a certain worldwide pandemic made that extremely difficult…" Yui said with a sweatdrop.
"In any case…" Akari spoke out. "…we'll just come back tomorrow to visit, Kyoko."
"Yeah, don't worry, Kyoko." Sakurako added. "You and your bunny-print panties will never be lonely with us here every day."
"M-Me and myWHAT?!" I shouted with a huge blush of embarrassment on my face."Ch-Chinatsu! Y-You freaking told them?!"
"S-Sorry…" Chinatsu said with a small smirk. "…I couldn't help it. It's just so unexpected that you would be into that stuff. It's the shock of the century."
"I wanted to sell the story to the Newspaper Club to make a quick buck…but freaking Ayano kept stopping me…" Aoi pouted.
"Because I wasn't going to let you devalue someone else's dignity…" Ayano retorted with a sweatdrop.
"Ugh~! This is the worst~!" I whined as I hid my bright red face underneath my pillow.
"You know…this wouldn't be an issue if you started wearing age-appropriate underwear." Mom said to me.
"You are NOT helping, Mom!"
Soon, everyone had gone home for the day and it was just me and my mom sitting in the room together. Reflecting on the messed-up stuff in our lives that brought us to this moment.
"H-Hey…M-Mom…"
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"A-Are we…f-finally free? D-Do we no longer have to suffer because of him?"
"W-Well…I wouldn't be too certain. Especially with how often the justice system fails people. But for now…I'd say we're free."
"Oh. Well…that's good to hear, at least."
"By the way…I received a message from your cousin Rukia. She heard what happened and wants to come visit."
"Rukia? Wow…it's been awhile since I've heard from her."
"Surprised that she cares about someone other than her "precious Daddy"." Mom grew an exasperated look from simply thinking about my cousin Rukia.
"Go easy on her, okay?" I said with a sweatdrop.
"Fine, fine."
With that said, I laid back in my bed thinking of all the things that happened in the past, present, and especially the future. A future that consists of me being expelled from my school, my mom's going to be working overseas for a year, and I'm going to be spending a lot of time healing my sliced throat and shattered mind.
So, I have a second chance at life, huh? I can only hope it gets better than how it is so far…
This was my last thought for the day. Before closing my eyes and going to sleep for the night.
Author's Note: Shocked out of her mind that she survived the murder attempt by her own father, Kyoko confesses to the others that her real identity is NOTHING like they've known her for years. And soon accepts the possibility that she's finally free of torment.
So, I hope you guys have notifications from the app itself when it comes to FanFiction…because the emails are not working AGAIN! I'm really getting tired of the constant issues on this site. I'm seriously considering fully migrating to AO3. Still haven't decided, though.
Thanks for reading. Later.