Who I'm allowed to be- an Ishimondo fic

Chapter 14

A/N: I found the paper I put the plot order on and I've broken the order, so now my goal is just putting everything that's on the page into the book 💀💀

Mondo sighed as he caught up to the two, sitting on the sidewalk. "Look, I'm sorry I said that- I didn't mean to offend-"

"It's fine." Fujisaki started.

Mondo interrupted. "No, it's not! I-"

Ring. "Huh?" Ring. Ring. Mondo froze, pulling out his phone, his eyes wide as he looked at the screen. Fujisaki motioned that it was okay, letting him answer the phone. He brought the phone to his ear, listening silently for a minute. He hung up the phone quickly, running past them in the direction of the school. "I need to go."

"Huh?! What's wrong?!" Taka said, getting up quick.

Mondo didn't say another word, running faster than the two. They didn't see him for a week after that. He came back eventually, but he was just an empty vessel of a biker. Fujisaki and Taka decided to give him space and the others thought it best not to interact with the biker. Taka was called to the office. Mondo didn't come with him this time. This time he was met with the principal and Ms. Yukizome. "Is something wrong?" he asked, stepping in.

Principal Kirigiri looked at him glumly. "I'm so sorry. We got news about your father and..."

Taka's eyes darted between Principal Kirigiri and Ms. Yukizome, both giving them this same sad look. Then their condolences. Taka backed away, trembling. "No... that's not true- my dad... he would never..."

"He was shot by a kidnapper in Kyoto. They still haven't found the kidnapper yet, but I'm sure they will soon-" Ms. Yukizome said in an attempt to show some optimism.

Taka dropped to the floor, tears spilling from his eyes. He covered his mouth, muffling the small hiccups and coughs as he sobbed. Ms. Yukizome held him close as he cried, Taka holding her even tighter. He felt empty, broken, touch-starved, alone. In this room of three people, he felt isolated. But not in the same way middle school treated him. He simply felt like the world disappeared beneath his feet. This was true despair.

He walked back to his classroom, claiming he was okay, but he couldn't listen to the lecture the teacher gave. Fujisaki desperately tried to work on the project with the two, trying to keep their mind off whatever was hurting them. She finally snapped as they were leaving the library. "Guys, come on, I want to know what's wrong! Did something happen between you two? You haven't talked all day- what's wrong?!" she said in both anger and fear.

Taka's frown grew wider as did Mondo's. Fujisaki recoiled. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad... but I just wish you two would talk to me. You're both so sad, it's not good to bottle it up! Come on, we can go to my place and watch a movie if you don't want to talk."

"I should really head home-"

"Come on, Mondo. It'll probably help us a little bit." Taka muttered, begging for a way to forget the news.

Mondo sighed. "Fine..."

Fujisaki smiled and led them to her house, using the key to unlock the door. "Taichi-ani! I brought friends!"

Her older brother, Taichi, peeked his head around the corner from the kitchen. "Chihiro! How was school!" he said, rushing to his younger sister.

She smiled. "It was good! Where's dad?"

"Still at work."

Fujisaki sighed. "He needs to stop overworking himself. He's getting old." She said, walking to the bar counter with Mondo and Taka trailing behind.

"I was able to pick up more hours at the foundation at least." Taichi shrugged.

"I got a job for this weekend too... oh, right! This is Ishimaru and Owada!" Fujisaki said, gesturing to the two glum boys behind her.

Taichi smiled uneasy. "Nice... to meet you." He said, leaning in close to his sister. "What's up with them?" he muttered for her to hear.

She shrugged. "I'll get it sorted out, don't worry. They're not always like this." She said, walking to the pantry to grab a microwavable bag of popcorn. "So, what movie do we want to watch, guys?" she said, tossing it into the microwave.

As Taichi continued making dinner, now making a much bigger proportion to eat, the two tried to find a movie to watch with no luck.
As Taka and Mondo sat on the couch, Mondo dropped the remote suddenly, dropping his head into his hands. "Mondo? What's-"

Taka reeled back a bit, tears escaping between his fingers as he jerked and hiccuped. "This sucks. It all sucks!" He said, getting up.

He stood and stared at the two siblings for a minute. "Mondo, please, sit down. Talk to me."

Taka gasped as he was pushed into the coffee table, falling over it and onto the other side. Taka held his head in pain, a little sliver of blood dripping down the side. Mondo stared at him with wide eyes, then at his shaking hands. "I..."

Taka got up quick, at his side in the blink of an eye to comfort him. "No, no, it's fine! Look, see, I'm fine!" He said, smiling, though he couldn't hide his worried expression.

Mondo hadn't cried the entire time but now he couldn't stop the tears from falling. "Daiya, he..."

Taka knew. He knew more than anyone, especially after today. He hugged him tight, the biker crying with him. "I'm so sorry, Mondo."

"You did nothin' wrong... it's all my fault."

Taka stayed silent as he spoke words of guilt. "It's all my fault. It's my fault he's gone. I'm so selfish. I just want him back."

Taka felt weak in his arms, but he felt safe enough to rest and cry as well. "It's not your fault." He said to both Mondo and himself.

As he spoke into his chest he hoped at least it would reach his heart. Fujisaki rushed and joined them too, crying for them. "I'm so sorry, guys... I wish I knew sooner..."

Mondo sniffled, holding back the tears as best he could. "It's not your fault, Fujisaki."

"It's not yours either, Mondo."

Taka sniffled and sobbed, though he tried to get the same point across. Mondo put his arms around him again. "Thanks for that, Taka... it's all I really needed right now. And if you ever wanna talk about what's goin' on with you, I'm here." He pulled away, caressing his cheek gently.

He just stared at him for a minute. No words were spoken between the two until he cleared his throat. "I... need to go. But I'll see you guys around, okay?"

Fujisaki just nodded. Taka couldn't comprehend what had happened within this small amount of time. Fujisaki sat down, taking Taka's hand and letting him sit beside her. She put a hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly. "How are you, Taka?"

Taka broke into sobs once more, hugging Fujisaki tightly. He couldn't take it anymore. All the memories, good and bad, of his father came crashing down on him at once. He missed him.

They didn't see Mondo for a month. And when they did, he was in the same hospital his brother was in.

A/N: I really need to work on this book more. Sorry for the inconsistency!