HIDE N SEEK | Yumark

30. Liar

"What happened?" Kaname asks, noticing how he recoiled at the question. "I can't keep hurting him..." He murmurs and Kaname tilts her head to the side in confusion. "Why? what happened?" She asks again "I saw the scars on his arms... did you know about this?" He asks looking up at Kaname with tears pouring down his cheeks and she feels her heart sink. "Did you know all along that he cut himself?" He asks, his voice barely a whisper. She felt the guilt. Kaname knew but she was too scared to tell Mark, more like she didn't know how to tell him. Yuta wasn't open about his scars, he got quite defensive about them. Kaname had a feeling that maybe... not all the scars had been self-inflicted but she'd never dare ask him something like that. Kaname flashes back to the first time she noticed them.

-----

Yuta and Kaname were preparing to paint in the art room. Ryutaro had asked Yuta to accompany her for a few days whilst he was out quite often due to work and at the time, Minako had gone on holiday but had told everyone including her husband, Ryutaro, that she'd gone on a business trip but Yuta wasn't bothered where they were going or how long they were gone for. He was more than happy to look after her. After all, he loved spending time with her. She was like a little sister to him.

"Ah, Kaname," He says jogging up to the girl who was struggling to take her coat off. "Let me help you" He smiles as he carefully helps her slide her coat off. "Before we start, we have to make sure we roll our sleeves up," He says to her as he quickly rolls his own sleeves up before carefully helping her with her sleeves.

"Uncle Yuta?" She asks and he nods looking at her wide sparkling eyes. "Why are your tattoos like that?" She asks pointing to his arms and his smile drops. "They're not tattoos," He says firmly. The sudden change in his tone had caused Kaname to feel afraid. She begins to nibble on her nails as she looks at him with worried eyes. "Don't mention it ever again," He spits, pulling his sleeves back down and she nods, lowering her head. "Sorry uncle Yuta" She mumbles and Yuta doesn't say another word.

The room became silent. No laughter or constant chatter like it usually was. The two of them spent a few hours in the art room in complete silence until Kaname burst out into tears from feeling like she was being punished by the silence. She was too scared to tell him that it was because of that and lied, telling Yuta she was crying because she missed her mum. She'd noticed how he'd been hesitant when she started crying like he didn't want to care but felt he had to at least act like he did. She felt the lack of real sympathy when he was comforting her, she didn't feel any warmth or love from the cuddles he gave her or the sweet things he told her.

-----

"Sorry..." She mutters.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mark sobs. "I couldn't! I didn't want you to know because I knew it'd upset you..." She reasons. "He's really defensive about them... I didn't know how to tell you" She frowns. "I was scared, the first time I'd pointed them out he told me to never mention it again and gave me the silent treatment for two whole hours and when I cried, I lied to him but it seemed like he didn't truly care about how upset I was, it was like watching really good acting, I hated it," She tells him.

"I feel like-" She cuts herself off. She couldn't tell him that, it would break him. He couldn't bear the thought that Yuta did it himself never mind somebody else. If she told him, he might just die from a broken heart. That's her main worry.

Mark couldn't die now.

Everyone's lives depended on one severely injured boy but he didn't realise it.

"Where's Yuta?" Mark asks and she sighs. "Not sure, he wasn't home when I found you, I have a few ideas where he'd be but I'm a little scared to check" She sighs before chucking something onto him, his phone. "I found this as well, it's a little cracked but uhh yeah," She says and he picks up the phone, inspecting it. He furrows his brows. This wasn't his phone at all. "This is Yuta's phone..." Mark says softly and Kaname freezes. How could she have not known? She knew Yuta was clever but surely she knew what his phone looked like after many years of watching him use it.