Chapter 7: Consequences Pt2
Ichika Nakano
I haven't been able to help myself all week. I couldn't stop the urge to go and make sure Fuutarou was keeping his word. Every day I go to the one class they have together to see if he talks to her. To my surprise, he's kept his word. Maybe he really does care about me and he just needed space? It's not like my request was absurd or anything. He probably noticed me by now and if he hasn't, he'll definitely know by the end of the day today since his friend caught me looking.
Miku hasn't spoken to me since our little fight and I haven't spoken to her. I refuse to be the one to make amends when she's the one who fucked up. She's the one who attacked me, flirted with my man in front of me, and embarrassed us in front of Akira. I haven't allowed myself to show how much it bothered me though. Every day I put on a front when we go to Akira's for our lesson, which by the way, have been excruciating lately since our midterms are tomorrow. Luckily, we have our school camping trip in a couple weeks to look forward to.
I've been getting so much satisfaction in beating Miku in all of our practice tests. It bothers the hell out of me that her history scores destroy mine, but I don't care. At the end of the day, my overall score is still better than hers. She's been in a little mood all week since I told Fuu to stay away from her, but she's not taking it as hard as I thought she would. Maybe she was telling the truth when she told me she didn't have feelings for him... Maybe I've been letting this go on long enough. I hate when we fight, and this has been the longest we've ever gone without speaking to each other and it's only been a couple of days. I miss my little sister and I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.
"Alright ladies, that should be enough for today. Go ahead and go home for some much-needed rest. I want all of you at your very best for tomorrow! You got this ladies! You've all made significant improvements!" Akira said in her cringy optimistic voice.
"Thanks teach, I think ima get the best score tomorrow" I said with a wink. I see Miku roll her eyes but doesn't say anything.
"You guys excited for the Camping trip in a couple weeks?" Akira said changing the subject. I think she saw how annoyed Miku was.
"Oh my god yes!" Yotsuba yelled out. "I can't wait to be outside with friends, eating campfire food, skiing, oh and Nino is in charge of the test of courage with Uesugi!" Yotsuba said oblivious to the world like only Yotsuba can. The room got so awkward almost immediately.
"I... We handed ina plan to our teacher talking about what we wanted to do. Fuu wanted to go all out and I told him I wasn't doing anything that required me painting my face" Nino said with an attitude as she crossed her arms. "I don't need cheap face paint clogging my pores, one night with that cheap stuff will have me breaking out for days! No thank you!"
"So, what did you guys settle on doing?" Itsuki asked
"I'm going be a sexy ghost luring them in and he's going to be a zombie with a giant axe coming in behind them to scare 'em! It was all his idea; he's surprisingly really excited about this whole thing"Nino said laughing thinking about her time planning this with him.
"Is his outfit going to have red in it?" Miku said surprising everyone since she's been quiet all day.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Nino asked
"Theres an old folk tale about a retired samurai who protects the grave of his mistress from people who come to desecrate it. Thats who he's playing" little miss know it all said as she began packing her bag.
"So I'm playing his dead whore?!" Nino said with a growl.
"You and Uesugi are such history wizzes!" Yotsuba said to Miku. She immediately blushed and looked away. I looked up and saw that Akira and I both had the same look of annoyance on our face. We locked eyes for a brief second before looking away.
"Well, I can't wait to see it!" Akira said bringing the subject matter off of Fuutarou.
Thankfully this god-awful conversation ended when Mr. Ebata showed up to pick us up and go home. The ride back was normal I guess, but the tension between Miku and I was still very much real. We wouldn't even look at each other. Luckily my nose has healed up for the most part. Unfortunately, I'm still reminded of my anger every time I have to touch it up with make up so people won't notice.
we make it back to the apartment and I start making my way up the stairs towards my room when I hear Miku call me.
"Ichika... can we talk..." Miku said quietly. The only reason I even heard her is because everything echoes in this giant apartment.
"I don't know, are you gonna attack me again if we don't?" I say back sharply.
she opens her mouth to let out a slick remark in response but instead she closes it, takes a deep breath, and says "Ichika I'm sorry, I was wrong to hit you. Can we please talk, I hate that this has gone on for this long".
"Do you have any idea how much it hurt seeing my own sister flirt with the boy I have feelings for right in front of me?!" I say snapping at her.
"Ichika please. There's nothing between us. I promise. I would never pick a boy over my own sister, please believe me" Miku said reaching out to me causing me to pull away.
I feel my chest tighten as I turn away so she can't see my face. "It's not all on you, I was a real bitch to you. I'm sorry too..." I say before feeling Miku run up behind me and hug me tightly. I smile and turn around to give her a proper hug. Next thing you know the whole apartment is filled with applause as Yotsuba, Nino, and Itsuki are looking down at us from the second floor clapping for our reconciliation.
"About fucking time, Jesus that took forever" Nino said with her trademark attitude.
"Yayyyy we're a family again!" Yotsuba said as she ran down to join in on our hug.
Itsuki and Nino came down too and joined us. We haven't had a Quints hug in what feels like forever when not too long ago it felt like we did this every day. It really got me thinking how much I've been away from them. Even though I live with them, the time I now spend at my shoots was time originally spent with them, even if it was time spent doing nothing but cuddling up on the couch watching cartoons with Yotsuba or baking cookies with Nino. Just being around each other 24/7 was normal for us. There was no such thing as 'wanting space' from any of us. Even Miku, who's basically the cat of the family, was never far away.
Nino began cooking with Itsuki's help only because Nino said the food would be ready faster with help. We had an amazing dinner as a family again and started talking about the upcoming test we had tomorrow.
"I'm so nervous about tomorrow guys, it's like no matter how hard I study and how hard I try in Akira's classes, I really don't feel like I've gotten any better" Yotsuba said as she sank in her chair.
"Don't be silly. Your scores on the practice quizzes have gone up by almost 20 points! As long as Akira did her job right and designed those quizzes after the real thing, we should all technically pass tomorrow" I said as I rubbed her back. Yotsuba is the most optimistic of the five of us, but she also tends to worry about things out of her control the most too.
"Well, I'm going to do some last-minute studying before bed" Itsuki said as she got up from the table.
"I'm just gonna cleanup and take a long hot bath before bed, I don't wanna overload my brain" Nino said.
"I have a short night shoot tonight" I said getting glares from all the girls. "Relax guys, it's not even going to be 20 minutes. They just need me to show my face as a background character. I'll be back before midnight".
"I'm going to go for a run to get rid of these heebi jeebies" Yotsuba said optimistically as she ran upstairs to change.
"How about you Miku? Wanna study with me?" Itsuki asked.
"No thanks, I was just going to go to the book store. A new manga chapter came out. I already pre ordered it, I just have to go pick it up" Miku said with a little smile.
Just as she said that her phone went off and she snatched it up quick before saying good bye in a hurry. That was strange. Shortly after Miku left, Yotsuba came downstairs in her pretty light blue Nike track suit and said goodbye before going on her run.
I left about 20 minutes later when Mr. Ebata called me saying it was time to go. He has my schedule at all times so he knows when to leave and when to start getting ready. Without him my life would be a wreck.
Just as we begin to pull up to the studio, I get a phone call from the directors' assistant letting me know that tonight's shoot is cancelled and I can go on and head home. If this were any other day, I would be so annoyed right now after spending about 45 minutesin the car sitting in rush hour traffic but I figured this was a blessing in disguise for me to go home and get some much-needed rest.
on the way home there was a big accident on the highway so Mr. Ebata ended up taking an alternate route through the downtown shopping area near our house.
"Hey Mr. Ebata, are we close to that book store Miku goes to? Maybe we could stop by and pick her up so she's not walking home by herself" I ask.
"Yes, of course Ms. Ichika. The book store is on the way, we're actually about to pull up to it in a couple minutes. I'll drop you off on the corner so you can find Ms. Miku while I circle the block giving you young ladies enough time to wrap up your shopping" Mr. Ebata said giving me a smile visible through the rearview mirror.
He's drops me off just a couple stores away from Miku's favorite book store, a small little manga cafe. I've been here a couple times when I wanted to spend time with her but she refused to change her plans. It's not bad actually. Super cozy with great iced coffee. The people are a little weird but overall, not a bad spot. I get to the store and just as I'm about to enter I see Miku through the store window making her way to the table with a coffee. Just as I'm about to call out to her I see that Fuutarou is already seated at the table she's walking up to. They're on a fucking date? That lying piece of shit!
I quickly move out of sight so neither one of them sees me as I continue to look at what's going on. They're clearly on a date. Fuutarou is wearing a beautiful black dress shirt perfectly fit to hit broad shoulders, his messy blonde hair is styled, and his suit jacket is draped over the back of her chair. Both of them are laughing and is she... is she fucking touching his arm?! That bitch! She was in on it the whole fucking time! They probably conspired together about apologizing to me so I wouldn't think there was anything between them because she knew I would never give her my blessing, because he told her everything that happened that went to his house!
I couldn't stand the sight of her happy. I couldn't stand the sight of Fuutarou making another woman smile let alone my sister. He's using her and she's just going along with it because she knows it'll hurt me. What did I do to deserve this level of betrayal? I understand why he would do this to me. At the end of the day, he's a fucking douchebag and just like every other piece of shit guy, he thinks with his dick. But Miku? Why does she want to stab me in the back? Tears begin forming as Mr. Ebata pulls up behind me after already having done a lap around the block.
"Ms. Ichika is everything alright? Why are you outside without Ms. Miku?" Mr. Ebata asked concerned.
I quickly wipe my tears and turn around. "She's not here, she must've left already" I said with a big fake smile as I got in the car.
"Let's just go home Mr. Ebata" I say in the most normal happy tone I can muster. We drive off and I give one last look through the storefront window and see both of their smiling laughing faces one last time. She wants to act like everything's ok? Fine. I'm a better actor.
Akira Takebayashi
I catch myself staring at my coffee machine 2 minutes after it brews my pot. I knew this job would be a little difficult after seeing just how much help the girls needed but I definitely underestimated it. Late nights preparing course work and long tutoring sessions was hard enough but add all that to my already full plate of academics was a recipe for fatigue I didn't anticipate properly. I haven't complained because I loved having them over. Well, most of them anyway. Ichika still gets on my nerves whenever she opens her mouth. It's like every word out of her mouth is in some way condescending or a flat out lie. Miku doesn't necessarily bother me, I'm just jealous of her. Ever since Miku and Ichika got into that fight, I've noticed that Fuu and Miku barely talk in school anymore but I know he's the one texting her. She was never glued to her phone the way she is now. Being perceptive is one thing but I really feel like a stalker ex-girlfriend obsessing over who Fuu is talking to.
I finish pouring in my favorite creamer and slowly take my first sip before making my way to the table. The beautiful taste of caramel mixed with this Colombian roast coffee father had flown in this week is exactly what I needed to jump start my personal study session. I feel the corners of my mouth rise in anticipation of another sip when I hear my doorbell ring snapping me out of my little slice of peace.
So help me God, this better not be security checking in again because I told them this was beyond annoying. I stomp over to the door and swing the door open aggressively to let them know how much they're ruining my evening but to my surprise it isn't security.
"Why hello there stranger! Long time no see!" the bunny ribboned quintuplet said with a big cheerful smile.
"Yotsuba? Hey, is everything ok?" I ask confused. I look behind her and notice that she came by herself.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I was feeling nervous about the test so I went for a little run to clear my mind and that was about an hour ago" she said with a little awkward laugh.
"Oh Yotsuba, you must be exhausted. Please come in, let me get you something to drink" I say as she skips inside and hugs me. She was a little sweaty but nowhere near what I thought she would feel like for a person who just ran for an hour straight.
We walk over to the kitchen as I go and grab her one of my special electrolytes infused waters I use for my personal workouts.
"Oh? What kind of fancy water is this? Electrolytes? Like Gatorade?" she said with a puzzled look on her face.
"Electrolytes aren't exclusive to Gatorade silly. Besides, that stuff is terrible for you. This is way cleaner" I said as I watched her chug the whole thing in 5 seconds. "Oh wow, um you want another?"
"Yes please if you don't mind! I forgot to bring one with me, I didn't think I would go on this long of a run" she said as I toss her 2 more bottles and make our way to the kitchen table where all my study work is. "Are you still studying?" she asked with a concerned expression.
"Yeah, I'm not where I want to be with memorization with the class material so I'm just doing a little cram session before tomorrow's test" I say as her face grows even more concerned. "what's wrong?" I ask since she looks so down which is very out of character for her.
"I'm so flipping nervous about tomorrow! I just want to do good enough to make you proud, but I'm just not as smart as my sisters" she said as I hold in my laugh at the thought of her calling her sisters' smart.
"Yotsuba, you've come such a long way since we started. Regardless of what the scores are, they're going to be leaps and bounds higher than what they would have been if we weren't working together" I say causing her to give a small smile. "How about we do a little study session right now, just us" I say as she practically jumps into my arms giving me a tight hug cracking my back. I keep forgetting how strong she is.
I take a seat while yotsuba pulls up her chair right next to me. She gets a little closer than normal but that's probably because she wants to see the work. She unzips her track jacket and takes it off with nothing but a sports bra underneath. I look down and see the sweat dripping down her toned abs and V cut. Her waist was tiny, even compared to her sisters. Even though she was in much better shape than the other Quints, her boobs were still just as big as theirs. I never noticed just how in shape she was since she's always covered up whenever I'm around her. I guess she catches me looking as she gives me a little smirk and asks if we could go over math again.
For some reason I blush at the thought of getting caught checking her out and open the text book to the word problem section. We go over a couple algebra problems before I swear I see smoke coming out of her ears for thinking too hard. She stands up and starts pacing back and forth behind me as I explain how to break down the word problem and which steps to do first. As I'm telling her about which formula to use, she walks up behind me and presses her chest on my back as she looks over my shoulder. I know all the Quints got big boobs but for some reason it still surprises me that Yotsuba shares those same features as I feel them press against my bare shoulders since I'm wearing a tank top. the only thing separating us is the thin fabric of her little sports bra that's clearly a size too small. She points to the formula and asks me to repeat myself and for some reason I can't stop stuttering as I try to explain.
"u-um first you m-multiply... no, you divide s-sorry, then y-you add everything up and... no you g-get the percentage of..." I say awkwardly. Yotsuba and I turn our heads at the same time, inches away from each other. For some reason I feel my cheeks heat up as she just smiles at me.
"Are you ok sensei" she said emphasizing the word sensei. She lets out a little chuckle and backs away when her phone starts ringing. Her ringtone is "popular" by The Weeknd. The same song me and uncle were singing in the car when uncle told me about the job with the girls.
"Hello? Hey Itsuki, yeah I'm fine. Just taking a break, I'll be heading home soon. Mhm. Okayyyyy. Love you too" Yotsuba says as she hangs up.
"Was your ringtone popular?" I ask excited.
"Yes! I'm a huge Weeknd fan!" Yotsuba says returning my level of excitement.
We go on to talk about our favorite albums and songs. She tells me about his new music video and how weird it is but she loves it. I feel ashamed that I haven't seen it yet so we run to the living room and put it on. We start dancing to it, making up corny dance moves and try singing the lyrics with our terrible voices. We can't stop laughing as we look up karaoke versions of our favorite Weeknd songs and start singing to them. We use the tv remote and a water bottle as pretend microphones. Yotsuba jumps up on the couch and reaches out her hand for me to join her as we jump around dancing to "blinding lights".
We sing together in unison "the city's cold and emptyyyyy, no one's around to judge meeee. I can't see clearly when you're gone" we sing as we point to each other dramatically. "I said oooooooohhhhhhhhh I'm blinded by the li...oh shit!" I sing as I slip off the couch. Yotsuba tries to catch me falling but I end up pulling her down with me accidentally. She lands on top of me and looks at me without getting up.
"Are you ok?" she asks concerned. Her chest is pressed against mine. Our legs intertangled. I'm drawing a blank. Why can't I speak right now?
In my silence we hear the song say "No I can't sleep until I feel your touch". I can't control my face for the 20th time today as I blush at the sound of those lyrics combined with our current position. I feel her on top of me, all of her. Her solid and toned body on mine. Her breasts pressed against mine. Her lips inches away from my own. Our breathing in unison as we look into each other's eyes. It was probably in my head but I could've sworn I saw her begin to inch forward before her phone rang cutting through the air. She got up immediately and ran to her phone over at the table.
"H-hello? Yessss Nino... yessss ni... ok ok I'm almost home" she said before Nino hung up on her on the other line. "s-sisters am I right? Always worrying" she said with a little stutter. "I have to go but thanks again for the extra help!" she said as she snatched up her track jacket and ran out the house.
I lay on the floor motionless and reach up and feel the heat radiating from my cheeks. What the fuck just happened?
Ichika Nakano
I got home last night and didn't leave my room for the rest of the night. I spent the entire night thinking of ways to get back at them. How I was going to punish Fuutarou for going back on his word. How I was going to hurt Miku. I came up with about 30 different ideas before my eyes began getting heavy and noticed the sun coming up through the curtains in my room. I didn't get any fucking sleep whatsoever.
Eventually I start hearing everyone's alarm clocks start to go off. All the girls begin their morning routines while I drag myself out of bed exhausted. I don't even put on makeup. I make my way downstairs and see the girls eating breakfast while they all turned to me surprised.
"Ew, what's up with your face?" Nino scowled at me.
"Are you ok Ichika? Are you sick?" Yotsuba said as she pressed her hand against my forehead.
"Yeah, just a little under the weather" i said.
"Want me to make you a cup of tea?" Miku asked concerned. The nerve of this bitch.
"No thanks" I respond coldly catching her off guard. Before she could ask what was wrong Mr. Ebata came in to escort us down to car. Without a second look over at this traitor I walked out the door.
The ride to school was Itsuki and Yotsuba talking about how nervous they were while Miku and Nino were talking about how confident they were. I didn't join the conversation and just laid my head against the cool passenger window and tried to get some last-minute sleep before the test.
It was all a blur to me. I don't even remember spelling my name when they handed out the tests. I had to reread every word problem because I would doze off halfway through reading the question. I would fall asleep while filling out an answer causing my pencil to slide across the page. Between fixing my mistakes, falling asleep, and just flat out not knowing the answer, I know my test score was doomed. Towards the end of the test, the last thing I remember was taking a little extra time blinking. Next thing i knew, my head was bouncing off the desk causing everyone to look at me.
The teacher came around to collect the tests one by one and when she got to me, she just shook her head and said "Maybe less time on set and a little more time in bed Miss Nakano" in a condescending tone.
I didn't even break out for lunch, I just called Mr. Ebata to pick me up and went home. I walk in the door and barely make it up the stairs to my room before falling on my bed and yelling into my pillow in frustration. I royally fucked this up. no, Miku fucked this up. If it weren't for her, none of this would have happened. I would've gotten the highest grade out of all of us and instead I probably scored lower than Yotsuba. I'm exhausted mentally and physically. I'm so fucking angry right now. Angry that Miku lied to my face yesterday after apologizing to me, angry that Fuutarou picked her over me, angry that I put so much work in balancing work and school to just fuck it up at the finish line. Through my anger I start crying out of frustration.
I finally fall asleep but wake up a couple hours later when these women burst through the front door and run straight to my room to check on me. One by one they all ask me how I was feeling and if there was anything they could do. I just tell them all I was still feeling under the weather and that I just needed sleep but that didn't stop them. Every couple minutes a different one of them would come in to check on me. Yotsuba came in and put her favorite stuffed animal in my bed, Nino came and left a bowl of porridge just like mom used to make, Itsuki came and checked my temperature, and the traitor came and just sat there while she read her book as if I even wanted her company. I just wanted to be alone. I just wanted to curl into my little ball of anger, but apparently that's too much to ask for in this house.
I didn't know what to say to her yet. I didn't have the words to describe just how mad I was at her. She was just sitting there making sure I was ok when the truth was I was wide awake plotting on how to get back at her. Nino came in the room and told her to come grab a plate of food, I guess it was dinner time already. She got up and left the room but shortly after she left, I heard a vibrating sound come from my side table. I roll over to answer my phone to realize it wasn't my phone going off it was hers. I look at the phone and see it's a text message from Fuutarou. "Hey wanna go check out that Sengoku exhibit I told you about tomorrow?". I wanted to text him back calling him a piece of shit and explode on Miku right then and there but then it hit me.
I text him back saying "yeah that sounds like a great idea! I'll meet you at your place tomorrow at 12 so the girls don't get suspicious" and this asshole had the audacity to respond "Yeah you're right good idea".
I delete the messages and block his number. I hear Miku coming up the steps and throw her phone behind my bed and act like I'm sleeping just as she comes in. Right away I hear her looking around for her phone and when she doesn't find it, she goes back into the hallway. I hear her call out to the girls asking if anyone's seen her phone.
I end up coming out the room shortly after acting like I'm sick and play along with everyone, even Miku. It's a pretty chill Friday night for the most part in the Nakano penthouse. We all just cuddle up and watch a couple Pixar movies since it was Yotsuba's turn to pick the movie. I couldn't help but keep on glancing over at Miku who has since gave up on looking for her phone and ended up using Nino's to call daddy and ask him for another which would be arriving tomorrow. She's surprisingly the clumsiest out of the 5 of us. She has to ask our dad for a new switch every couple of months because she constantly breaks them so it wasn't surprising for him to find out she lost her phone this time.
After everyone had gone to sleep, I got up in the middle of the night to go through Miku's closet and steal some clothes I know Fuutarou's seen her wear. I grab a bland looking sweater and these basic leggings she wears all the time. The final touch was stealing her headphones to complete the look but I knew that would make her guard go up since those are the only thing she's never lost.
I wake up pretty early and make a phone call to one of my friends in the hair and makeup department and tell her I need her to style my hair like Miku. I get in the chair and show her a picture of all of us and point to her.
"Um, do I even wanna know why you want to look like your sister?" she asks.
"Oh relax, I'm just going to play a little prank on a friend" I say with a little smile hiding my true intentions.
She brings out the wig and fits it to my head before she begins styling it. Constantly looking back and forth between the wig and the photo I had of Miku. Little by little I begin to transform into my backstabbing little sister. Lucky for me, Miku doesn't even wear makeup. I give one final look in the mirror before giving my stylist a nod in approval before leaving to the electronic store to pick up a pair of blue headphones. I make it to Fuutarou's just in time. I walk past the window downstairs and see Hideo giving another class but it's for adults this time. His tone is much more stern than it was in the kid's class. I lock eyes with his friend who caught me looking at Fuutarou a couple days ago but he just rolls his eyes and continues his lesson.
I go upstairs and reach his front door. I take a deep breath before knocking. I've decided that I'm going to be a complete cunt to him before revealing myself. I knock on the door and all my nerves start jumping all over the place. I don't even feel this way when I'm on set, why do I feel them now?
Fuutarou opened the door with a giant smile on his face. He was wearing a plain grey hoodie with a random logo on it, these horribly fit jeans, and a pair of basic black vans. What the fuck? Where was my man in the beautiful designer suits? He didn't even take the time to style his hair, he just put on some old beat-up hat with his messy blonde hair poking out the was this man so well dressed to go to a fucking manga cafe but won't take the time to dress up for an actual date?
He didn't even say hello he just hugged me tightly and said "I can't wait. We're gonna have so much fun today! Look! I'm even wearing the hoodie you got me" he said excited as he pointed to the logo on his hoodie. She's buying him presents now?"FROM PEASANT TO SUPREME RULER" he yells out. I couldn't hide the look of confusion on my face. Clearly this is some weird nerd inside joke they have.
"it's a little big on you" I say as I walking past him leaving him hanging.
"Ha... um... yeah but it's ok, I like it baggy. Super comfy though, thank you again" he said as he closed the door and walked behind me to the kitchen. "Not gonna lie, i was a little surprised when you said yes to today" he said nervously. I don't think I've ever seen him nervous the entire time I've known him. Everything about him exuded confidence. What the fuck is it about Miku of all people that makes this man nervous?
"Oh? And why's that?" I ask trying to get more info out of him.
"Well, you know... You said... never mind. Want me to make you some tea before we go?" he said holding up a box of matcha tea.
I grabbed the box from him and gave a disgusted look. "Ew, no thanks, I don't like this cheap brand" I say tossing the box on the table.
"Oh... ok. I'll pick up a different one on the way back so you'll have it here whenever you come over" he said with a little smile as he put the box back in the cupboard. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, I guess" I said uninterested as I walked out the door. He sounded like he was going to say something but I didn't give him the chance since I was already in the hallway 2 seconds later.
We get downstairs and he leads me to the big garage located behind the school. We walk inside and there were cars everywhere. Some parked by themselves under car covers. Some up on lifts with the motors out being worked on. And the rest up on this crazy lift system that stacked them 3 high. I thought this building was a whole other apartment when it was just a garage.
Fuutarou walks over to a key box and gets a set of keys and walks over to this giant black Lexus SUV and opens the passenger door for me. I don't say anything as I climb into this huge truck and he closes the door behind me. I look around at the beautiful blood red leather interior. I'm no stranger to luxury but this was on another level. This isn't a typical Lexus. Everything here is custom. Even the steering wheel doesn't have a Lexus logo, instead it's a crescent moon in the center. Fuutarou never drove this when he would drive us to the hotel. Looks like Miku gets the VIP treatment.
"Alright let's go!" He said as he got in the car and raised his hand for me to high five him. What the fuck? Is he five? I give him a stupid high five and we pull out of the garage. You're gonna love it in there Miku, they have Hideyoshi's armor, Nobunaga's sword, and Leyasu has a whole exhibit dedicated just to him. And before you go complaining, yes I agree with you, it should've been our boy Hideyoshi who got the..." He started rambling before I interrupted him.
"Ugh can you turn the AC on, it so stuffy in here. Did you even wash the car before today? It kinda smells" I say rudely.
"Oh... uh yeah sure" he said as he turned on the AC. "My bad about the smell, its Hideo's car and..."
"Are you trying to freeze me to death? Who sets the air conditioning so low like that in November?" I say rolling my eyes at him.
He doesn't reply this time, instead he just makes the adjustment and drives in silence. After about 10 minutes of driving in silence he finally speaks up.
"Hey Miku... Did I do something wrong? You seem... different today..." he said in a gentle tone.
"I don't know Fuutarou. DID you do something wrong?" I say with a scowl.
"Please Miku if I did something wrong, just tell me. The last thing I would want is for you to be upset with me. I was really looking forward to this trip with you and..." he said before I cut him off again.
"Well, if I'm bothering you so much, why don't you just call your other whores since you move on like nothing ever mattered to begin with" I said letting out my own insecurities.
"Nothing ever mattered? Miku what are you talking about? What whores? What have people told you about me?" He asked starting to get annoyed.
"don't give me that! You used m... Ichika and you're going to use me too!" I screamed at him almost slipping up.
"Used Ichika? Miku, I told you everything about Me and Ichika when you asked me, why are you being so angry all of a sudden?" He said trying to keep his composure. So clearly Miku knew what she was doing was wrong and tried to find out what me and Fuutarou had.
"And what did you and Ichika have? Huh? Remind me, because I... I... I think you still have feelings for her! Because she still has feelings for you and I know it's not one sided, so just admit it!" I yelled out. I don't even know where that came from. I'm getting tired of this acting. I just want him to admit that he still has feelings for me. That he's only talking to Miku to get back at me. That this whole "You're ashamed of me" excuse is bullshit and he knows It. I'm willing to get over it and forgive him if he just admits that he still has feelings for me and that he loves me!
"Ok... I think I'm done playing along" Fuutarou said in a firm tone. My face turned bright red.
"Playing along? Huh? W-what do you mean? I asked you a question and you better...!" I begin yelling at him before he interrupts me.
"I better what? Huh? I told you; I'm done playing along... Ichika" he said without taking his eyes off the road. I couldn't hide my surprised face. How the fuck did he know. Was he playing me this whole time?
I just sat there ashamed and embarrassed for being caught doing something so pathetic. "How'd you know..." I say after finally finding the courage to say something.
"The tea. Miku gave it to me to try out since it was her favorite" Fuutarou said. Once again not taking his eyes off the road.
I didn't have anything to say at this moment. I didn't want to talk. I was so ashamed. I want to yell at him. Curse him out. Call him all types of names, but right now I have absolutely zero ambition to do so. I just wanna curl into a ball and hide my face.
"I'm sure you've put two and two together. I have feelings for Miku. But before you kill us, just know that Miku told me she didn't think she could continue talking to me because she didn't want to hurt you. I should've known something was up when she accepted my invitation to this damn museum" Fuutarou said with a little laugh. "I ran into her while doing a pick up in the city and asked her out officially over coffee. I think that was the first time I've ever been rejected. That kinda sucked". Oh my god. She wasn't on a date when I caught her, she was rejecting him...
"If you're going to be mad at anybody Ichika, be mad at me. Miku didn't do anything wrong" Fuutarou said in a soft tone. He sounded... Hurt.
"Why?" I mutter.
"Why what?" He replies.
"Why Miku? Why not me? What does she have that I don't? We look the same, so it's not looks. Why were you willing to drop everything between us and start something new with Miku? I just don't get it" I say fighting back tears since I've embarrassed myself enough today.
"Honestly Ichika... I don't know. The only thing I know is that since the moment I met her, I can't stop thinking about her and I think that's how falling for someoneis supposed to feel" he said breaking my heart in two.
"C-can you take me home" I say. My voice was so quiet he probably thought I was whispering.
"Of course Momo" he said as he glanced over at me and gave me a smile. His kindness catching me off guard. Like he's sparing me from myself. My eyes start to water up at the sound of him calling me Momo again. All the memories we had together going by that name. All the nights I laid in bed with him as he whispered that name into my ear. All the days he spent making me laugh calling me by that name. All long gone, never to be heard from again.
I go to open my mouth and say sorry before his phone rings through the car radio system. He looks at the caller id and answer it immediately at the first ring. The caller ID says Isanari. I've never heard him talk about this person but the way his face changed when his name popped up must mean he's someone important.
"What do you want?" he said. His tone was so cold. It was borderline... mean. Like this person was beneath him. He disconnected his phone from the Bluetooth but it was so quiet in the car I could still make out some of what the other person was saying. Something about them threatening Raiha. I see Fuutarou's face go almost white.
"Stay there I'm on my way to pick her up" he says sternly before hanging up. I wanted to ask him if everything is ok but he immediately gets on the phone and makes another phone call. This time on speaker since he begins to drive more aggressively.
"Hey what's up kid" Hideo says through the speakers after picking up the phone.
"My dad just called me and told me some people went to the house threatening to hurt them if they didn't tell them where I was. I'm on my way to get Raiha now" Fuutarou said back. He was firm and direct in his tone. He sounded like a soldier reporting to his superior in an action movie.
"No kid. Wait for us, don't go by yourself they..." Hideo began saying before Fuutarou exploded.
"THEY WERE THREATENING RAIHA, IM GETTING HER NOW!" he screamed. I flinched at the sight of him so angry. We're cutting corners and eating red lights on the way to her.
"Fuutarou that wasn't a request, it was an order now get..." Hideo began saying before hanging up.
"Fuutarou is everything ok..." I say nervously. This is all too heavy.
"we're just going to pick up my sister, I'm sorry for dragging you into this Ichika" Fuutarou said not taking his eyes off the road. About 2 minutes late we pull up in front of his house and Fuutarou bolts out of the car and runs to the old rundown apartment building where some older guy with a bad dye job was standing outside smoking a cigarette. He looked just like Fuutarou too, is that his father. I can't hear them clearly so I crack the window to try and eaves drop on the conversation.
"Where is she?!" Fuutarou said worried. The old man just looked at him and threw out his cigarette. He didn't respond. He wasn't even looking at him. "Where is she?! Why are you ignoring me?!" Fuutarou screamed at him.
"ONII CHAN!" Raiha screamed from the front door as she walked out with 5 people. Fuutarou immediately stiffened up at the sight of her with these people. Were these the people Fuutarou's father was talking about? But he made it seem like they just stopped by, not that they were still there?
"Sasha, what the fuck are you doing? Did you forget who the fuck I was? Who I'm a protege to? Let her go!" Fuu screamed as the blonde-haired woman slowly approached his father laughing. His father hasn't looked up since we got here. She just walked up to him and pulled out a wad of cash and snatched his hand before puttingitin his hand. He just bowed and walked away without even so much as a second glance at Fuutarou and Raiha.
"You've embarrassed me for the last time pretty boy" she said with a disgusting laugh as the guys she was with began to surround Fuutarou.
"Raiha, go upstairs while I talk to my friends ok?" Fuutarou said as calmly as he could while he backed up analyzing who was surrounding him.
"Yeah little girl, we're just gonna talk, ok?"Sasha said to Raiha letting her go.
"Onii chan I..." Raiha said shakily
"NOW RAIHA! I'll be upstairs in a little bit, ok?" Fuu screamed out before calming down and reassuring her. She nervously backed up and ran upstairs.
"Ha... No you won't" Sasha said as she slowly started to walk towards him.
This whole time Fuutarou has been backing up towards the car and now his back is almost against the passenger door with all 5 peoplewithin 10feet of him. He starts pulling on my door handle but realizes it's locked.
"Ichika open the door" he says in a low tone so as not to let the guys hear him.
I'm frozen. I look at the scary men coming closer to us and this locked door being the only thing separating me from danger.
"Ichika. Open the door" Fuutarou said again this time even louder this time as the men inched closer with weapons in hand. Fuutarou begins tugging violently on the door handle hoping to open the door by force. I can't move. They're going to kill me. Why would I put myself in danger like that? Why would he ask me to?
"ICHIKA OPEN THE DOOR!" Fuutarou screamed out before being pounced on by the first two guys.
It all happened so fast. Fuutarou immediately started fighting them over their weapons. Kicking and punching them all while moving backwards. One of them had a knife and tried stabbing him but he grabbed his wrist and threw him over his head with a crazy judo throw I saw them practicing at the academy. When he landed Fuutarou delivered one quick stomp to the guy knocking him out. Fuutarou tried running for the dropped knife but it was kicked away by one of the other guys.
"Worm you fucking traitor!" Fuutarou said as he squared up with him.
"After you, we're coming for your step daddy" he said in a disgusting growl before lunging at him with a bat.
Fuutarou dodged it and went to kick him in the face before being tackled to the floor by the other 2. there's a violent scramble on the floor before they pick Fuutarou up. He headbutts one and elbows the other causing them both to stumble backwards. The one who was headbutted is bleeding from his nose profusely and screams out in pain.
One of them dropped what looks to be a tire iron and Fuutarou picks it up and starts swinging it at worm and the man he elbowed. He's able to get in a couple shots before he's attacked from behind by the man whose nose he broke.
I can't stop shaking. He's being overwhelmed. I see the panic begin to set in his face as he bounces from man to man. The whole time Sasha has been pacing back and forth with an evil smile on her face. I hear screaming coming from the apartment building to find out its Raiha screaming from the second-floor window.
"ONII CHAN! ONII CHAN! NOOOO!" she cries out to her brother.
Fuutarou yells out and dives at one of their legs and picks him up high in the air and slams him on the back of his head knocking him out. He had no time to celebrate because one of the remaining two delivered a knee to his face before he could get up causing Fuutarou to stumble backwards and almost fall over.
While all my attention was on Fuutarou, I hear tugging on my door handle and look to see that it's the Sasha woman standing there with a disgusting evil smile on her face.
"Well, what do we have here?" she said before raising an old lead pipe over her head and slamming it against my window. I brace myself for the glass to shatter but instead nothing happens? Is this bullet proof glass? She looks at me frustrated and begins hitting the glass again and again in frustration as the anger in her eyes builds up. A small form begins to crack that gets bigger and bigger the more she hits it. I scream in fear loud enough for Fuutarou to hear.
I hear Fuutarou scream out "NO!" as he breaks free from the guys and runs to tackle Sasha against the car and starts beating on her before being pulled off by the 2 guys and beaten. This is it; they got him. He fought so hard, but it wasn't enough, they got him
"Hold him the fuck down!" Sasha yells as she wipes the blood from her mouth. She picks up the pipe and marches over to him. "Hold him still worm!" Fuutarou screams as he pulls and thrashes around trying to get loose to no success.
"ONII CHAN NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Raiha screams from the window look at her brother in fear.
Sasha brings the lead pipe under his chin and lifts his head to look at her. "Any last words pretty boy?" she said with a little laugh. Fuutarou's eyes narrow as he stops struggling accepting his fate. He looks up at the window and to give Raiha a final look before looking back at Sasha. "Just leave her out of this... please" he said bowing his head groveling at the feet of his attacker.
She kneels downand looks up at Fuutarou's bowed head and laughs before saying these bone chilling words. "You think I'm dumb enough to leave witnesses?"
Fuutarou's eyes shoot wide open and screams out "PLEASE SASHA DONT SHE..." before Sasha quickly stood up and swung the lead pipe against Fuutarou's skull. The ringing sound the pipe made after it made contact made me scream in agony as I saw his body collapse to the floor motionless. Blood begins to pool on the concrete. Raiha's screams in pure terror as she watches her brother fall to the floor.
Sasha lifts the pipe over her head in victory. She starts yelling and high fiving the other guys celebrating the atrocity she just committed as she prepares herself to deliver another devastating blow to his bloodied head. Once again, she lifts the pipe over her head but is interrupted by what looks to be 10 cars pulling up all at the same time seemingly out of nowhere.
"Oh fuck it's Hideo!" Yelled one of the men who immediately began to run away. He was soon followed by Sasha and the remaining men as she dropped the pipe and took off running.
Hideo ran up to Fuutarou followed by a horde of men, some in suits and the rest still in their Gi's from the class he was teaching.
"I WANT THEM ALIVE!" He screamed as the large group of men took off running after Sasha and her goons.
"No, no, no, no, no! Kid wake up! Kid please wake up!" Hideo said as he dropped to his knees and picked up Fuutarou's limp body. He gently began smacking his face trying to get him to wake up but it wasn't working. Fuutarou's body was completely limp in his arms. His head was only held up by Hideo's hand that was gently placed underneath Fuutarou's ear. He hugged his face against his bare chest and rocked his body back and forth before letting out a primal scream. "You're going to be okay; you're going to be okay, don't leave mekid please, you're going to be ok" he said softly before seeing his blood-soaked hand. "FUCKKKKKK! WAKE UP KID PLEASE WAKE UP! DAMN IT YOSHIN HELP ME GETHIM IN THE CAR!"
A/N
Man am I happy to be done with this chapter! When I first came up with the idea for The Delinquent, I was thinking about how hard of a life Fuutarou had. Growing up poor, no mother, no friends, etc. But then I thought about how much worse his life Could have been if he hadn't met Yotsuba. She set him on a path of academic excellence that ultimately led to him meeting and marrying the love of his life. Things happen in life and sometimes we think "why me?" Or "why is my life so hard" when in reality it's just the universe putting us where we need to be. This story is about choices that put him on a path where something happening to him was inevitable. Sorry if that was a little too deep for a dumb fanfic lol but yeah when I first came up with this Fanfic this was the first scene I came up with and decided to build a story around this scene in particular. I wanted to have Ichika there frozen in fear because once again I love painting her in situations where she's not wrong but God damn it, it gets you mad lol. I was so angry writing this scene and all I could imagine was you guys yelling "OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR"! And lastly, one of my favorite readers rollingcardboardbox left a comment saying how he wished Yotsuba and Itsuki had more screen time and I remember reading it right after I finished up Yotsuba's... special scene with Akira. I'm not even going to speak on it. I'm dying to see how you guys enjoyed/hated that scene. Story is officially at the halfway point and I'm excited to show you guys what happens next!