A Silent Friendship
Chapter 1 – Nishimiya Yuzuru
Yuzuru was bored. She wandered aimlessly around the city she called home. There was nothing for her to do, nowhere to go. It was Sunday and she had been to the park near to her apartment, she used to love to play in the large climbing frame when she was younger, but she had long turned 8 years old and lately it felt that she didn't deserve to be happy.
All she did now while visiting the park on her own was sit inside the inner walkway on the climbing frame. It felt like her safe space, somewhere she could think and be alone without the usual upset of the teasing she had to endure all day. Most of the children that usually visited the part were far younger and her and were not old enough to bully or be nasty. She wished she was 5 all over again when life was far more fun.
She sat in the area next to the park and admired the castle the city was known for. Maybe it wasn't the grandest castle in the country, but she liked it. She twiddled her thumbs as the thought to herself what she should do to cheer herself up. Maybe she could visit one of the shops and get a hair clip to tie back her long hair. But no, she remembered her favourite shop was closed at this time.
It was an hour before her older sister finished at the Welfare centre, it was unusual for her to visit on a Sunday but there was a special learning event that Shoko wished to attend. She had wondered if she should stay with her, even though she was not deaf herself the staff and other citizens at the welfare centre always welcomed her with open arms.
Today it was busy and far to crowded and in the down mood she was feeling today she told Her sister that she wanted to go and do something by herself today. She expected Shoko to have been sad, but she seemed oddly happy and gave Yuzuru an enthusiastic thumbs up before signing her "have fun."
She felt kind of sad that Shoko was happy that she was leaving as she spent most of her time while not at school together with her sister. She wondered why she seemed like she wanted her to go. It made her feel a bit lonely if she was honest with herself, the last year or so she found herself having to spend more time with her sister through no fault of her own.
She sighed and looked away from the castle to the dirt beneath her feet. She adored her sister yet could not understand why people were so mean to her. She was a normal big sister who always looked after Yuzuru and protected her until Shoko seemed to get more and more unwanted attention, the kids at school started to bully Shoko and make fun of her. Even Shoko's so-called friends who she knew since kindergarten started to turn on her too.
One by one Shoko lost all who she cared for at her school and with each betrayal Shoko became sadder and sadder, not that she would show it of course but Yuzuru could see it in her eyes. As time went on the roles had reversed and it was now Yuzuru who had to act like the big sister and protect Shoko.
Her love of hide and seek as a young child had also morphed into her having to hide to keep an eye on Shoko. That's how she knew how sad she really was as Shoko kept that smile on her face while with Yuzuru and wouldn't admit how it made her feel. She felt bad sneaking around, but it couldn't be helped.
Yuzuru sighed again, why did it have to be like this. Her own friends slowly drifted away too as she stopped walking home with them in order to walk her sister home, days playing at the park were gone too as Shoko could no longer go herself as she would be followed round by the kids at her school and taunted so Yuzuru stayed home with Shoko to cheer her up.
It just seemed like as Yuzuru got older her life got harder, she was grateful to have such a sweet sister as Shoko and wouldn't change a thing, she just hated the bullies that made Shoko's life so bad and in extension hers too.
Even their own mother had become more and more distant as Shoko's problems worsened. She was always on edge and started shouting at Yuzuru and seemed to just ignore her entirely now. She was thankful that Granny lived with them, or she was sure she would have gone insane by now.
She looked at her watch, 15 minutes had passed out of nowhere. She should start making her way to the Welfare centre to walk Shoko home. It was a short distance from the welfare centre to the apartment, but anything could happen to Shoko and often did.
Getting up wearily she brushed herself off and started to walk. She would walk along the Suimon river back past her apartment to the Plaza where the welfare centre was located, it would only take her about 10 minutes and then she could bum around the plaza for about half an hour until Shoko was done.
She started to walk down the road in order to get back to the river again, the shade from the trees would be a welcome relief from the heat today. She thought she could hear giggling, so she turned round with a scowl on her face but saw nothing. The heat must have been frazzling her brain.
She carried on walking through the trees at the park and heard rustling behind her. She went to turn but felt a burning pain on the back of her head and let out a yelp.
She flung her hands up to her head and tried to ease the pain. She wondered what had caused the sudden pain, when she heard laughter behind her and saw a stone whizz past her head. So that is what it was.
She felt anger boil up as she spun round with a look of thunder on her face to see them again, those boys from yesterday.
"Hey Yuzerflu, where's deafo today?" the boy mocked her.
"Yeah where is that retard, have you finally dumped her where she belongs" said the other one.
"Nyarn ooo ahh yar nyar nyar " the third one chimed in presumably trying to do an impression of Shoko.
They all laughed as Yuzuru went beet red. Her anger was boiling up even more. Why did she have to run into these idiots again?
"Oh, so you want round three then" Yuzuru hissed at the boys, they were a lot older than herself, but she would show them.
"Ooooh Scaaary" the taller boy mocked.
"You're going to pay for throwing those stones at us yesterday and you don't have deafo to protect you today".
Yuzuru's mind wondered back to the previous day where she was with her sister. The bullies had thrown her hearing aid in the river again. She had wanted to let loose and teach them a lesson yesterday, but Shoko had stepped in front and stopped her. It made her madder remembering how her sister just stood there smiling. She should have got mad and made them pay, how was she so calm. And what did they mean that Shoko was protecting her, she was the one trying to protect Shoko.
"I don't need my sister to protect me, you are going to get it today and she's not here to stop me this time".
Yuzuru picked up a stone and lobbed it at the group striking one in the chest with a loud THWACK.
"Ow" Shouted the tallest boy, tears visibly appearing in his eyes.
"Get her" screamed the short one as they let loose with a hail of stones at Yuzuru.
She felt the pain as multiple shots hit her all over, but she wouldn't back down when it came to her sister, she never would. She tried to deflect them before she could pick up more stones to return fire.
THWACK. she felt a sharp pain above her right eye and felt lightheaded. She was dazed but she stood firm. A look of determination on her face. THWACK another hit her on the head, she went down. Her ears felt like they were ringing, stars danced in front of her eyes. She felt tears welling up, but she tried to suck it in. She could not show weakness now. She wanted to leap and run at them hoping to take them down, but before she could…
"Hey, leave her alone".
She heard a boy's voice shout out from behind. She had not seen anyone else before. She got up and looked round. Behind her was a boy, about 11 or 12 standing there with a determined look on his face. He was a little chubby with dark curly hear. He looked little scruffy wearing a t-shirt with the logo of that new movie which had just come out. He was carrying a carton of popcorn and a look of thunder on his face.
She had not seen him around before, certainly not at her sister's school or the ones she attended before. Maybe he went to one of the other schools around the outskirts of Suimon.
Another stone went whizzing by her head this time towards the boy, but it missed.
"Hey, what you say fatso" said the taller boy, quite ironically as he was no means slim himself.
"You want some too poop head" laughed the other boy.
Yuzuru smirked at the poop head comment, it was kinda funny. Then she felt a pang of guilt for thinking like that. Maybe he was called names just like Shoko was, she was no better than them if she started that too.
"Oh, is she your girlfriend? Isn't she a bit young for you fatso?" They all laughed.
"No, of course not, but do you feel tough picking on young girl, at least pick one someone your own age!" she grinned but then a look of sadness flashed across his face as if he was remembering something himself.
"OK" one of the boys said as they started hurling stones at him instead. A look of fear flushed across his face but to his credit he didn't budge. It seemed though, he was indeed worried.
Yuzuru quickly picked up a few stones to try and help him, they would win together. She did not notice one of the boys had turned his attention back to her. She turned and was about to hurl the load at them when she noticed, it was too late. A large stone hit her square on the nose. It hurt, it hurt a lot. She went down onto her hands and knees the tears welling up in her eyes again.
"HEY" came a loud angry shout from behind the trees near the boys. She could just make out one of the security guys from the castle running towards the boys. "STOP THROWING STONES ON CASTLE GROUNDS"
It didn't seem the guard had seen what or who they were throwing stones at, the boys ran in the other direction leaving Yuzuru and the boy alone. The guard ran after them "HEY I WANT YOUR NAMES. COME BACK…." His voice trailed off as they disappeared somewhere down the road.
She was still on hands and knees with her shoulders shaking as she quietly sobbed to herself, forgetting briefly he was there.
"Are you OK?" the boy finally asked.
"I could of taken them, you didn't need to butt in now its ruined".
"It looks like they had you cornered".
"No! I would have been ok, you should of just left us alone, I needed to show them, I needed to….." she broke down as full-on cries came from her mouth.
"I could not just leave you, besides if someone bullies me I hope someone would come and help…"
"…. I…..I" Yuzuru Stammered through her tears.
The boy held out his hand.
"Here…"
She looked up at him. Her cheeks streaked with tears. She looked him in the face as much as she could see through her tears. She could see that he had tears in his eyes also. His outstretched hand still hovering by her, his popcorn was all over the ground.
Yuzuru brushed it aside as she slowly stood up.
"You are hurt" he exclaimed.
"No, it's nothin', I've had much worse." She sheepishly replied.
"Your nose is bleeding; you have a scratch above your eye" as he started ruffling through his bag.
She put her hand up to her nose. She moved it away and it was covered in blood. She had not realised she was actually bleeding.
"No no its nothing, I get them all the time, its normal" she lied trying to deflect from the situation.
He pulled a handkerchief from his bag.
"No no, its ok" she protested again.
"Take it before you get even more blood on your dress."
Yuzuru was mortified, if her mother saw blood over her clothing she would throw a fit. She gazed back towards the park. Ahh that's it I fell off the climbing frame. She would surely not get in as much trouble, at least she hoped so anyway.
"Take it" He pushed it towards her again.
"But it will get ruined" she gently grabbed it.
"Meh, I lose them all the time, my grandmother gives me loads of them she makes".
Yuzuru looked unsure but he just smiled. She dabbed at her nose, it felt tender, and she flinched. She held it as tight to her nose as she dared. Her crying was subsiding now.
He sat down on the bench near to him he was looking at his watch. He grabbed a magazine from his bag and started to flip through it. She noted it was a movie guide.
She went to hand back the handkerchief. He just waved his hand. "No, its ok, Keep it, besides its not use to me now" he laughed.
Eventually her nose stopped bleeding, she awkwardly stood there waiting for him to finish the page.
He looked up and looked at his watch.
"Oh crap…." He exclaimed"
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I make you late" Yuzuru asked finally wiping herself down.
"No, it ok, it's just I'll miss the train back. But I'm ok to stay with you in case those idiots come back. There's always the next one."
"Oh, so you don't live in the city then?"
"Sadly not, I live in a village down the railway line, it sucks really as there is no cinema there…" He laughed again looking cheerful and excited all of a sudden.
"…actually, there's pretty much nothing there, I only get to come here once every 6 months or so when a new movie is released.
"Oh…. That sucks" Yuzuru said for some reason she felt a little sad hearing this.
"Yeah I love movies, I wish I could live here one day, or at least go to school here so at least I could go watch them after school or whenever really. I'd go every day…." He suddenly looked a bit embarrassed.
"Anyway… where you live, I can walk with you if you like?"
"No, its ok, I live over there, it's just a five minute walk." She pointed towards the top of a large apartment building sticking above the others round it a few blocks away.
"Are you sure" he said looking worried.
" Of course, and besides those guys won't be back, they been caught out by that guard before and they won't stick around." She smiled.
"Well ok then, just hurry back just in case, see ya!" He smiled kindly at her as he waved and started to walk away.
"Thank you, and er… sorry about your popcorn".
" I should probably stop eating the stuff anyway" he laughed patting his stomach.
He started to quickly walk away towards the station as she silently watched after him. She felt a pang of loneliness as she was again left alone. Why couldn't there be kind kids like him at Shoko's school.
She sighed as she looked at her watch.
"Arrgh" She exclaimed to herself as she realised Shoko was out in five minutes, and she was worried that those idiots were handing around, she couldn't let them see Shoko.
She ran as fast as possible down the river walk, and reached the welfare centre just to see Shoko emerge from the entrance. Yuzuru waved at her and ran to her.
"Hey sis" she signed to her.
"Yuderoo" Shoko excitedly said running towards Her younger sister. Shoko suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.
"Ot Hap ped" asked Shoko. Pointing to her eye own eye and then nose then gesturing to Yuzuru
"Oh, its nothing I just tripped on the climbing frame and hit my face" she signed back at her sister", going red in the process.
"Ar oo soor oo ookey" She questioned her.
"Yes Yes, I am fine" Yuzuru quickly signed but she could see she looked unconvinced.
"om is goig oo be angee" Shoko said pointing to the blood down the front of her dress.
"No change there then" Yuzuru replied with a smile and looked away.
Thery silently walked back to the apartment. Yuzuru was deep in thought thinking about what happened. She wondered how she could return the handkerchief to the boy who helped her, it was the least she could do. She grabbed it out of the pocket and looked at it.
It was a beautifully made handkerchief with blue piing and stitching round the edge. She then noticed a nearly embroidered motif in the corner. It wasn't Japanese but the cursive writing he could make out 2 letters. She was glad her class that started studying English as she made out the characters NT.
She felt bad as she rubbed her thumb over the material now covered in her blood. I have to get it back to him. It then dawned on her.
"Ahh its not like I'll ever see him again" she muttered to herself. She vowed to wash it and keep it on her at all times anyway just in case.
-END OF CHAPTER 1-