(Your POV)
"You're serious? You really aren't nervous?!" You blinked, still having trouble believing it.
"Why would I?" Karma simply shrugged as you continued going down the mountain.
"Because you're going to space!" You insisted. "You made a big deal the other day!"
"Heh fair point but I'm not worried anymore," he simply said. "Mmm... now would be a good time to think about my bucket list," he pondered, ignoring your worries. "Ah right! I still have to get you into one of those costumes from the thrift store," he grinned devilishly.
"Karma!" You whined, "I'm being serious! What if something bad happens?! What if you get stranded out there?!"
"I guess I'll just die then," he shrugged.
"Karma!" You shrieked and slapped his arm. "That's not funny! Do I need to remind you it was you who wanted to send Terasaka because his life was as expendable as a dummy's?"
"Where's the lie though?" He grinned from ear to ear. "But, all jokes aside, you worry too much, okay?" He ruffled your hair. "I'm gonna be alright, nothing's gonna happen. Nagisa's also going and that octopus won't let any of his students die," he stated. "Trust me, I tried."
"But even so," your eyes were wider than ever. "You have to promise me you'll be careful!"
"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes. "I'll try to come back in one piece," he stuck his tongue out as you felt your soul leave your body.
At this rate, he was going to be the end of you.
"That's not very nice Karma~" Nakamura suddenly appeared as she caught up to where you were. "You're making your poor girlfriend worry about you~" she snickered.
The group finally arrived at the bottom of the mountain and made your way to the main campus, eager to get home and call it a day.
However, as you were approaching the gates, you took notice of a number of students whispering between one another as they stole curious glances at the person waiting by the fence.
"Have you seen him?" You heard one of them say, her words grabbing your attention.
See who?
"Didn't he come by a few months ago or something?" Another one said.
You paused. Was it Kaori? You remembered he had come to pick you up on more than one occasion per your mother's request, though of course he had done it in disguise.
You sped up your pace, you were dying to see him. After your last conversation, you had supposed it was going to be the last time you would see each other, at least for the time being. But the fact that he had come to pick you up must mean that he had come to say a last goodbye.
It didn't take you long before you spotted the person that had caused such a commotion. Your eyes inspected him from head to toe, black hair and-
"Akiro?!" You gasped.
Your body practically moved on its own as you ran as fast as your legs could go, ready to tackle him into a hug. But, as the distance between the two of you got smaller and smaller, your pace began to slow down until you came to an abrupt stop.
The two of you stared at each other in silence, millions of thoughts dashing through your mind.
You were supposed to be mad at him. He had called you a coward, he refused to hear you out, he left without even saying goodbye, he took weeks to reach out and worried you to no end. So why were you running into his arms?
"What are you doing here?" You finally asked though you couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over you upon seeing him safe and sound.
"I came to pick you up," he simply said.
"Huh? Who's this?" You then heard Kayano ask as the rest of the group approached you.
You slowly turned around and faced your friends. Now that you thought about it... only Karma, Nakamura and Nagisa knew about your brother and that was only because you had opened up to them about your family's appearances. The others, Sugino, Kanzaki and Kayano, didn't even know of his existence...
"This is... my brother, Akiro," you introduced him a bit awkwardly.
"You have a brother?!" Kayano and Sugino shrieked, their eyes popping out of their heads as their jaws hit the ground.
"Ye-Yeah," you sweatdropped and sent them a nervous smile.
Karma was the first one to speak up as he took a step forward and extended his hand.
"Nice to meet ya~" he greeted in that carefree voice of his.
The two of them shook hands as you only stared in silence. Karma's sharp mercury eyes stared straight into your brother's blood red ones, a small smirk tugging the corners of his lips as your brother's brow furrowed slightly.
Well this was weird...
Once the introductions were out of the way, you quickly waved goodbye to your friends and followed your brother outside the school gates.
"The chauffeur is going to pick you up, right?" He asked.
You arched an eyebrow in surprise. Really? He wasn't going to address the elephant in the room? Well, you could play that game too.
"Yes," you replied rather dryly, "he's over there." You then pointed at the black car with tinted windows.
Akiro simply nodded his head and, much to your surprise, marched straight towards the car, his strut full of confidence. He soon reached the driver's side, knocked on the window and once the chauffeur had rolled it down, your brother then casually started talking to him. After a few minutes, Akiro opened the door to the passenger's seat and got inside.
Your mouth was agape as you watched the chauffeur turn the car engine on and drive to where you currently were.
"Come on, get inside," your brother nudged you.
"What are you doing?" You furrowed your brow, not wanting to follow his orders until you got an explanation.
"Miss, please get inside, we're disturbing the other cars," the chauffeur then said so you had no other option but to comply.
Huffing, you opened the door and reluctantly did as you were told.
Why was your brother taking this so lightly? Hadn't he realized how much grief and stress he had caused not only you but the whole family?! And why did he refuse to even talk about it? It was the least he could do...
The ride there was completely silent. Neither of you tried to spark a conversation. Your brother even played with the radio for a while until he found the station he liked.
Throughout the whole ride, your eyes were glued to your brother, your brow furrowing as you tried to understand what game he was playing.
"We're here," the chauffeur announced and pulled over.
You were about to exit the car until you took notice of your surroundings. You weren't home. You had been so busy trying to understand your brother's behaviour that you hadn't paid any attention to where you were going.
"Thank you." Akiro got out of the car.
You were completely stiff as you watched the door close behind him.
'Did he really use me to get a ride?!' You scoffed in disbelief.
"We don't have all day (Y/N)," Akiro impatiently knocked on your window.
You remained in your place, not moving a single muscle. What was happening?
"Miss (L/N)," the chauffeur called. "Your brother is waiting for you. It'd be best if you follow him."
Slowly nodding your head in understanding, you grabbed the door handle and exited the car.
"Here, put this on," Akiro suddenly wrapped you in a big woollen scarf, your face barely visible now.
He then nudged you to follow him but you refused to do so. As much as you had missed him, you were still mad at him so you stood your ground.
"What do you want?" You crossed your arms against your chest.
"Right now, I'd love it if you just followed me," he replied.
"Why?" You pursed your lips.
"Because we're in the middle of the street," he deadpanned. "Do you really want to talk here?"
"At least answer one question."
Akiro arched his eyebrows and motioned you to continue, his hands tucked inside his pockets. His usual aura of indifference made you pause for a few seconds until you finally gathered enough courage to say those words.
"Why haven't you reached out sooner?"
Akiro stared at you in silence as your eyes took in his appearance. Compared to his usual polish looks, right now he seemed tired. His hair was quite messy compared to how he usually styled it and his usual red blood eyes now appeared to be of a ruby red with specks of orange, at least under the sunlight.
"Because I don't want to go back (Y/N)."
His voice was much softer than you remembered and dare you say... a bit hesitant?
You slowly nodded your head in understanding and, without the need of words, you followed him to wherever he wanted to take you. The walk was completely silent as you made your way through the busy streets. It was a bit difficult keeping up with his long legs and with the huge crowd of people but you managed to pull through..
About fifteen minutes went by until he finally stopped in front of a building complex. Akiro nudged you to follow him as he took out his keys and opened the door. You trailed behind him, your eyes glancing at the blank walls. You soon reached the door to his apartment and he let you inside.
The first five minutes simply consisted of you looking around his apartment in curiosity.
'So this was where he had been staying... ' You thought.
It wasn't very big but it looked quite cozy. He didn't have many things but that was something you had already expected since he had left his room intact.
"It's... nice," you said very slowly.
You stood there quite awkwardly, fiddling with the hem of your skirt. Now what?
"You can sit down," he motioned to the couch.
You didn't complain and did just that. There was another uncomfortable silence as he sat down on a chair. You then glanced down at the floor. Why did he bother to come pick you up? Did he want to tell you something? If he did... then why was he so quiet?
Since it didn't seem like he was going to start a conversation anytime soon, you decided it would be best if you took the initiative.
"So..." you bit your bottom lip, "are you finally going back to university?"
"Yeah," he said. There was a brief pause before he continued, "I got a scholarship so I'll be moving into the dorms next year."
Nodding your head, you looked back down to your hands. Well at least he hadn't given you a monosyllabic answer...
"Did you... get a part-time job?" You then decided to ask in hopes of keeping the conversation going.
"I started not long ago."
"Oh," you slowly nodded your head. "Uh... what are you doing exactly?"
"I'm teaching piano," he said nonchalantly. "Mrs Eguchi was looking for someone to take some of her classes so she recommended me and gave me the job."
"I-I didn't know you still talked to her," you arched your eyebrows in surprise.
"She's been one of the few people I decided to keep in contact," your brother simply replied.
You remained silent and processed his words. Akiro had decided to keep in contact with Mrs Eguchi but had cut off all contact from the family?
"You know father misses you, right?" You blurted out. "At the hospital... he-he was trying to contact you," you bit your bottom lip "At first he looked angry, but... I saw a hint of sadness flashing through his eyes," you recalled that day. "And on Christmas day... Well, he went to your room."
"He did?" Akiro frowned, quite surprised at the news.
"I don't know how long he stood there but he seemed sad," you looked away. "He kept staring at the photo on your desk."
"He remembers that day?" Akiro muttered to himself.
There was another uncomfortable silence where neither of you really knew what to say. Just a few hours ago you had wanted to yell at him or at least make him understand how hurt you had been by what he had said and done. But right now... you didn't even know where to start.
You sighed. Next time, you'd have to sort out your thoughts or something like that because you really couldn't think of anything to say right now.
"I think it's best if I leave," you announced.
School had already finished and your parents would be wondering where you were. You sighed, already coming up with a plan to explain your delay.
First of all, you'd have to ask the chauffeur what Akiro had told him exactly so that you could more or less assess the situation. You didn't want your parents to know Akiro had come to pick you up. Even though you were still hurt and mad at him, if he didn't want to come back, you would respect his wishes. Then, once all that was sorted out, you would have to think of an excuse so you wouldn't get scolded.
You began to stand up, hoping that by doing so, it would wake Akiro from whatever trance he was in. That way, it would force him to say whatever was on his mind. Deep down, you really hoped he was going to apologize because why else would he have bothered to even come pick you up?
"Yes, I think it's best," Akiro's agreed matter of factly.
You paused and processed his words. He... wanted you to leave? Really?
Your lips were slightly parted as you watched in bewilderment how he sat up and opened the door for you. Was he just going to let you leave? Just like that?
You slowly stood up from the couch and walked to the door. You could hear your heartbeat pumping louder than ever, adrenaline now rushing through your veins as you got closer and closer.
He really wasn't going to say anything else?!
You eventually reached the door and stole one last glance at him. As always, your brother's expression was completely unfazed by what was going on and that aura of indifference he had inherited from your father was now more painful than ever.
Was he really not aware of how much he had hurt you?!
Your hand curled into a fist the longer you thought about it. So he wasn't even going to apologize!?
"Just like that?" You seethed, your brow furrowing as your lips pressed tightly together.
"Huh?"
"You're letting me leave just like that?!" You exploded. "Without saying anything?!"
"What are you talking about?" He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he closed the door so that your yelling wouldn't disturb the neighbours.
"What am I talking about?!" You snorted. "What do you think?!" You then pointed your finger at him. "Tell me, why did you even come to pick me up if you weren't going to say anything?!"
"What do you want me to say?!" He frowned, his voice getting louder to match your tone as his eye twitched in annoyance.
"I don't know! Maybe apologize or something!" You shouted.
"Apologize?" He was taken aback. "For what?!"
"For betraying me!"
"Betraying you?!" He scoffed at the word. "Don't make me laugh."
"Is it really that difficult for you?!" You snarled, your fists clenching so tightly your knuckles were turning white.
"You want me to apologize?!" He arched an eyebrow in disbelief.
"It's the least you could do after everything you've done to me!"
"Tch, I didn't do anything."
"You're not even going to own up to your mistakes?!" You snarled.
"Why should I apologize for moving out?!"
You scoffed, "are you being serious?!"
"What? I'm not the one who started yelling out of nowhere," he rolled his eyes.
"You're unbelievable!" You exploded. "Why can't you just own up to your mistakes?! Why can't you see what you've done?!"
"What I've done?!" He scoffed. "I didn't do anything (Y/N)," he growled through gritted teeth.
"Yes you did! But of course you haven't realized it! You're always doing what you want without thinking about anyone else!" You screamed. "You're always feeling so entitled you can't even realize your mistakes!" By now, your mind had practically gone numb, the words spilling out of your mouth without even having to think. "You're just a selfish jerk who can't even realize how betrayed I felt when you left! Who can't even realize how much you've tormented your own sister!"
"Okay, fine! I'll apologize!" He exploded.
Akiro's whole demeanor had changed as his eyes, which had appeared to be brighter just a few minutes ago, were now back to their usual blood red colour and were more intimidating than ever.
"What?! You want me to say sorry for calling you naive?! You want me to apologize for calling you a coward too?!" He roared. "Well, sorry if it offended you. Are you happy now?" An amused and crazy smile tugged at the corners of his lips, as you unconsciously took a step back. "And now you want me to apologize for never caring about you?!" He flashed you a grin which resembled that of a madman. "You want me to apologize for never thinking about you? For always dismissing that thought? That thought that we were both stuck in the same hellhole?!"
You gulped, a lump forming in your throat. What was happening?
"You're happy now, aren't you?" He yelled, those blood red eyes of his piercing your soul. "You got your apology!"
You were completely silent as you averted his gaze and looked down at the ground. Why was he acting like this? Why was he so enraged?
Just who was this Akiro?
It wasn't your family's crown jewel, that was for sure. This wasn't the Akiro that had been praised left and right by anyone who ever met him. And it sure wasn't the Akiro your father always boasted about nor the Akiro your mother would always compare you to.
It wasn't the understanding brother that had come back from his year abroad either. Nor was he the Akiro that had apologized to you that day in his car nor the one that had comforted you after your nightmare.
Whoever he was and whatever had happened to him, there was only one thing you could think about and it was the fact that... right now... you couldn't recognize him...
"What?! You want more?!" Akiro frowned, his eye twitching in annoyance upon seeing you weren't going to say anything. "You want me to say sorry for not reaching out?! You want me to say sorry for never saying goodbye?!" He barked as you couldn't help but flinch at the aggressiveness in his voice. "Well, I'm sorry, okay?!" He growled and threw his hands in the air. "I'm sorry for not meeting your expectations! I'm sorry for not fulfilling all these appearances! I'm sorry for never being the person you wanted me to be!"
You averted his gaze and bit your bottom lip to stop yourself from crying. You were on the brink of tears but you didn't want him to know that. What had happened to him?
You sadly shook your head and closed your eyes, your mind replaying over and over the way your brother had spiralled into madness. You could barely recognize him.
'What happened to him?' You repeated that question over and over.
You couldn't take it anymore and finally gave in. You broke down crying but you were quick to glue your gaze to the ground so he at least wouldn't see your tears, you didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
Just what happened to your brother?
A/N: Hmm.... Which Akiro do you find more interesting? So far we've got:
-Stuck-up Akiro: the family's crown jewel
-Post-time abroad Akiro: kinda soft but mostly nerdy, awkward and sometimes sarcastic (and somewhat of a tsundere according Leo lol)
-Crazy Akiro: the one who finally cracked because of the pressure
Oh and by the way, I've updated CHAPTER 5 of "EMPTY PROMISES" which I think will really help you understand Akiro's break down in this chapter.