the sun and the sky | gojo satoru

windy skies and light touches

The next moments were a rushed blur. Shimizu and Fujiwara had called the police, and Daiki's father was arrested for harming school teachers. Imai was devastated at herself, and Hina told her that it wasn't her fault.

"He was constantly missing school." Imai bit out, cradling in on herself. She had bruised her ankle when Daiki's father pushed her. "He was constantly missing class, and I never ... he always smiled, and he always apologized for his wrongdoings, but I just never—his parents always refused to have a conference ... and I just .."

Hina looked down at her solemnly. "Don't blame yourself too much. We all should have noticed." Hina couldn't say anything more. At the end of the day, what happened happened. There wasn't a way to go back and fix it—all they could do now was deal with the present.

And right now, at the present—Hina was sitting on the rooftop of the apartment complex, leaning her back against the concrete fence. The air was cool—not so cold that shivers of ice would crawl up her arms—but not hot enough to make her sweat. The sky was dark, and Hina found herself trying to count all the stars she could find. It wasn't a lot.

"Having trouble sleeping?"

Her eyes, which were once closed, shot open. Her head whipped around, and Hina found herself laying her eyes on Gojo, who was standing on the ledge.

"Young master!"

"Hina." He greeted in return.

"What are you doing? Get down from there, people will see you!" She stressed, confused whether or not she should stand—but her legs felt like jelly.

He simply hopped off the concrete barrier and seated himself next to her. Hina sighed heavily, looking at him with an emotion even she herself couldn't explain.

She looked away. "Do you think he'll be alright?"

Gojo tilted his head to the side, humming in thought. "Who knows. He'll meet new friends, but his happiness isn't guaranteed."

Hina cradled in on herself at the thought of Daiki. In this society, not everyone accepts foster care. She would only have to hope that Daiki was now living a better life than he was before.

After a beat of silence, Gojo spoke. "You were angry."

Hina blinked. ". . . I was."

"Why?"

Why? Hina didn't know how to explain it. Yes, anyone would get angered at the thought of a parent abusing their child—but there was something else biting at Hina, telling her that this is personal, and you let your own personal feelings show.

"Anyone would be angry." Hina says instead.

"But," He continued. "Why were you?"

She frowned. "I . ." She trailed off, confused. Just what answer did he want? What did he want from her?

"Hina." He said quietly. It made her feel weak.

"He was being . . . hurt." She started, choosing her words carefully. "And he was—he was only a child, and I love children—so I can't help but feel . ."

Her cheek tingled. What Hina went though—it was never to that extent—Daiki faced far worse than her, but she could still imagine and just feel—

She remembered the dark, candle-lit room.

And then she thought of the dim classroom.

Her fingernails dug into her arm.

"I understand people have problems . . . it's because we are human—"

You are human. You can think. You can feel.