"What were you thinking?"
"I'm surprised the boyfriend isn't here with you after what happened with my dear cousin," Yatomi says with a smirk as you got him alone. You're both at school, however, outside in the back. Inside a storage room which is where you caught Hanamaki and Matsukawa making out. Barely anyone comes here's which is why it can be the perfect spot.
Yatomi looks at you from head to toe and then looks around. It quiet for a few seconds. You have your arms to your side as you observe Yatomi. Your sister told you what he did and you immediately went to deal with it which was a little hard as Toru didn't want to leave your side and you couldn't really say you needed to see Yatomi who is Anna's cousin. Toru wouldn't allow it unless he's there with you.
He doesn't want you to get hurt which you do find sweet but there are just some things you need to do on your own.
When you got the change, you took it and sneaked out. You got Yatomi's attention and signalled him to follow you and he did which is how you're both now alone.
"Let's stop the bullshit, Yatomi. Why don't you explain yourself for doing what you did," you ask him which has him putting his hands in his pocket and looking at you as if he's looking down on you. He has the same look on his face as Anna did.
"How many people know you're here with me?" he ask but in a more calmly matter.
"Just us," you answer.
"Listening device?"
"None."
"Recording device?"
"Off."
"What we speak stays between us?"
"Promise."
Yatomi sighs and his expression starts to softens as he takes his hands off his pockets and walks around. Looking around and making sure no one is around, that it's just you and him. After that, he looks at you, "Jia-Li has a stalker," he informs you.
"Mr. Ferly," you say as you wonder if you're both talking about the same person but also wondering how he knows.
"So you know..." Yatomi says as he crosses his arms over his chest.
"Yeah. Jia-Li told me but how did you find out?" you ask him as you lean your back on the wall as you look at him.
You watch Yatomi look at the ground with regret in his eyes but as well looking as if he's in pain. It confused you as he wasn't the same guy who was after your sister, picking fights with you and even sending you some threats.
"I know a fucking creep when I see one," Yatomi tells you as he looks at you in the eyes, "This fucking dude that comes to visit the school and past teacher has been following Jia-Li around and likes to watch her. Fucking hell... I even caught him with a fucking camera taking pictures of her," he tells you which pisses you off and makes you sick.
"Just who are you Yatomi? Are you trying to be a good person to get my sister's affection but no matter how good you are, she's never going to see you the way you want her to," you explain as you want to understand his personality or sudden change.
"I have no interest in your sister," Yatomi confesses which very much confuses you. "Listen..." Yatomi takes a deep breath as he avoids eye contact but then looks at you with pleading eyes, "You expelled Anna from school. You took the two man she loves from her. You took away her popularity from this school and to the public. To her, you're someone she wants dead and she can have it happened however, you're smart and if I talk, then I'll be hurting someone I can for," he tells you which widen your eyes.
"You're scared of Anna," you point out and he looks the other way, not deny it.
"I have an older sister who is five years older than me. She's currently in the hospital," he tells you which made you lower your guard.
"Why is she in the hospital?" you ask.
"She was ganged raped when I was thirteen," he says with a painful expression which almost made you tear up because you know how that is.
"She was eighteen?" you ask and he nods.
"She was alway followed around by these guys. I thought something was weird. I told my father who just Tod me it was natural as boys will be boys or that it's my sister's fault for looking like a whore," Yatomi chuckles as he looks at you, "I was there when they raped her. They made me watch and would beat me. When it was over, the police and my father were contacted but my father didn't press any charges and said that everything was consensual. He called my sister a disgrace and kept the whole thing a secret as he doesn't want anyone to know that the mayor's daughter is a whore," Yatomi takes another deep breath.
"She's been in the hospital ever since, haven't she?" you ask and he nods, "It's the trauma, isn't it?" you ask which has him chuckling in a way sad way.
"For five fucking year," he tells you, "She's been hospitalized. She keeps having these nightmares. She can only have female nurses and doctors or else she'll freak out. At first she had a hard time even looking at me, now, all I can do is sit down and talk to her. I can't even hold her hand," he says as he feels like crying.
"So all those threats you gave me and going after my sister was for what?" you ask him. You do feel bad for him whoever you want to understand what's going.
"The threats were just all talk. Me going after your sister was a way of protecting her. Me being an asshole is an act I need to put because it's the only way--.
"You can protect the people you care for without having to look weak," you say as you know those were the words he was going to say. Yatomi nods, confirming it.
"A few other guys were looking at your sister and talking about how they wanted her. I felt disgusted because I know the trauma and pain it can be put in as my sister went through it. Your sister is only sixteen. If I can stop it for happening but declaring she's mine to them and showing it that I'm serious than they'll back off because no one would want to double cross me as I have made an image of myself," he informs you which is now making sense.
"You were never going to rape my sister. Just making me think that you were to also make Anna believe that you were eon her side," you say as you wonder if you're putting the right dots together.
"I may be an asshole but I will never EVER force myself on someone else or hurts them with my own hands without reason. I know the pain behind it. I will make it look as if I'm doing it but never will I actually do it. Anna... My father. My uncle... My family is just fucking messed up," he tells you which you couldn't disagree on.
"Tell me what I need to know," you order him.
"Mr. Ferly is now trying to get Jia-Li alone with him. I caught him following her so I confronted her, pulls her in and make it look like we were kissing. I didn't place my lips on hers but I did tell her to keep still and to go along. When he walked away, I let her go and told her that she shouldn't be walking alone. That she shouldn't think that school is a safe place," he explains as he thinks this is what you wanted to know.
And he wasn't wrong. School isn't a safe place. You know that better than anyone.
"Another thing is that Anna still believes I'm on her side," he adds.
"Why?" you ask.
"Anna knows about my sister. She thinks that talking about her will make me snap which almost does every time but I keep my act together. I help her to her dirty work because of her fucking father," he says.
"What's so great about her father?" you ask as you don't understand.
"Your aunt works at a hospital?" he ask as he changes the subject.
"Yes," you answer without hesitation.
"I want to make a deal. Make it happen and I can give you information that can take away Anna's power," he suggest as he looks at you.
"I'm open ears," you say softly to which he takes a deep breath to as what he's doing is risky.
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"Where were you?" Toru ask you as he hugs you as you return back to the classroom as instead of eating in the cafeteria, everyone stayed in the classroom to work on the school festival.
"It's a surprised," you tell him as with a smile as you get out of the hug and take hold of his hand, "So tell me everything I missed," you say as you go back to your spot to continue to work on your project for the festival.
"Nothing much, just..."
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"I don't like this. Not one bit. You can't," Jia-Li argues as she erases her math solution she written as it was wrong.
"Yes I can but of course the choice is yours, Jia. You have alway trusted me, why is this any different?" you ask her as you look at what she's writing now, "No, you're trying to find racing square of 72," you tell her which frustrated her.
"How is that possible without using a fucking calculator? Why would I need to know this for the future?" Jia-Li ask as she starts erasing again.
"Wanna know a trick?" you ask her and she nods as she shows you her paper and pencil. You take hold of it and start writing down as you explain it to her which made her want to flip the table.
"Why doesn't the teacher teach it like this?! What the fuck?" Jia-Li says as she takes her paper and pencil back and start doing it how you showed it to her. You just laugh and then look at your sister sweetly.
It's after school and Jia-Li still had some homework that needed to be done however, she doesn't want to do it at home as she's know she won't get anything done. Toru has his volleyball practice and you do to however you were given a break as you did get hurt yesterday.
While Jia-Li does her homework, you have also explained her what happened with Yatomi and his reason but you didn't give all the information. You kept the information he wanted secret to yourself.
A promise is a promise.
However, Jia-Li wasn't happy about the plan you and Yatomi made. Not one bit.
"Jia, do you trust me?" you ask her softly which cause her to sigh and put her pencil down.
"... I do... It's just... I don't know. Are you sure about this?" she ask as her eyes meet yours.
"Yes," you answer confidently.
"Alright then I'll play along," she says which made you happy. You love how much she trust you but that also scared you because what if you make a mistake? "(Name)... Ever since you got your memorizes back... You have been..."
"Normal?" you ask and she just shrugs as she wasn't sure if that's the word she would have used.
"It's just... You act like it never happened. As if you don't care it did... I mean, it all came at once for you. it must have been overwhelming for you yet you're like how you were when you didn't have those memories," she says as she was still unsure on how to explain it but also worried about you.
"It's in the past, Jia. I can't stay in the past and cry about it. I mean, what's done is done. All I can do now is move on and focus on the present and my future or else how am I suppose to move on with my life if I'm stuck in the past?" you ask her which made her look down on her paper and then back at you.
"(Name)... I admire how strong you are. If it were me, I would be broken to pieces. But... Please remember that even thought I am your little sister, I am also your friend and someone you can talk to. If you're having trouble, lean on me, please," Jia-Li begs as she want to be able to help you and not stand back and watch you get hurt.
You smile, "I'm fine. Truly."
She believes you.
Jia-Li nods and get back to work as you look over at her work, making sure she doing it correctly.
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.
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"(Name), you're still here?" Yuna ask as she and the rest of the girls walk out of the changing room. They look at you as they make their way to you.
"Yeah, I'm walking with Toru," you tell them.
"Does that mean you waited for him or are you walking with him with your sister?" Jen ask nonchalant so that the other girls don't know that her question is actually asking you if Jia-Li went home or still in the school.
"She already left. I decided to stay," you tell her and then everyone said goodnight as they were heading home but as soon as you stood next to Jen to walk past her, you gently grab her hand to slip a note which she takes.
You walk past her but stop to look behind to see what she does. You watch her move her bag and make it look like she was looking for something inside. You knew she's reading the note and then you watch her say something to the girls.
It's going to be taken care of so you head to the boy's changing room to see if Toru is done and to your expectations, he is as he walks out with the others. Toru smiles and quickly walks to you with a smile.
The first and second-years as well as a few third-years say goodnight as they head home. The only one that stayed behind was Iwaizumi, Toru, Hanamaki and Matsukawa. The usual. You did wonder where Ena was.
"Hey, thanks for waiting," he says and you just nod, "Love, are you really going to the filed trip?" Toru ask you.
"If she goes, she goes," Hanamaki says which has everyone looking at him, you do too but with a friendly smile.
"I'm not going to the filed trip," you say which has them all looking at you.
The thing with the filed trip is that Hanamaki has what he would call a genius plan. Instead of gong to the filed trip, he suggested---strongly suggested that they all go to his cabin to hang out. It was the same plan he had about going to hang out on his roof, a little party but instead of it being one night, it will be on the days of the filed trip.
Everyone was in, especially since Anna won't be showing up however, you haven't gave your answer in yet. They still think that you're going on the filed trip which is causing Toru to be sad as he wants you to be there at the cabin but if you weren't going to go, he will decide to go to the field trip to just spend time with you.
However, you have already talked about this to your parents. Your mother showed her hatred for it right away. She doesn't want you to go. She's scared for you. She's worried. She's even terrified that something is going to happen to you as there's going to be no adults even though everyone that's there is a third-year and either an adult to the law or will be soon.
And you could understand that fear for hers. Because every time you left the house late at night, something horrible happens to you but that was in California and even though you're now in Japan, she still has that fear.
She doesn't want anything horror to happen to you and even though she has already met Ena and likes her, she's still afraid. She even suggested that you take your brother with you who right away said no as he would just be bored.
Your father who is usually pretty open to these sort of ideas was hesitating and sort of taking your mother's side as he's also worried. If it was over night, he would be okay however, this is for three nights.
But after many arguments and you staying calm and proving your point. They decided to let you go. All you did was tell them that they couldn't have you locked up at home forever. That you understand their fear because of what happened to you but you also explained that the people you're with are nothing like the kids in California.
That Toru would never do anything to hurt you. That he wouldn't force himself on you and you even had your dad admit that as Toru did call him by using your phone when you had a panic attack in his home and even been honest and told your father the truth.
And so, your father sided with you and knew you were right while your mother still argued. It's was annoying and you wanted to yell at her and just be angry at her but you also knew you couldn't because you understand where she came from.
You're her first born child. You're her daughter who she loves very much and would do anything to protect however, she feels like she has failed as a mother from letting all these horrible things happen to you. All those trips to the hospital. All those times she prayed for your safety or survival. All those times she has cry for you.
Whenever a mother says to their kid that they don't understand until they have a kid themselves is something a kid never understands. Only because they think they would do something completely different but you try to put yourself in your mother's position.
You have no idea how hard it is to raise a child. You're infertile so you'll never be able to understand the pain of morning sickness, the stress, the sudden change of hormone or mood swings. How it feels to have your stomach grow as a you're creating something amazing inside. The fear of making a mistake or not being a good mother. The pain of labor, having to push out but then the joy of holding the child in your arm. How you were able to give birth to a child who you know you'll love forever.
Your mother went through it three times however, the first one will alway be the most difficult than the second and third as they have somewhat experience but the thing is that a good mother never wants anything to hurt their child or children. And when something or someone does, they feel hurt but they also want to trust.
However, when you get hurt over and over, a mother would want to lock you up to avoid it from happening, not noticing that she too is hurting you. Sometimes, parent think that what they're doing is good. Is protecting who they love.
You went through so much and your mother can't watch you cry or hurt again. You feel for her and can understand that because you would be the same in her place. You would want to do anything you can to protect your child.
You know you may never have one of your own but you grew up taking care of others so you understand what it's like to protect others.
Which is why when your mother finally gave you the permission to go, she only asked you one thing.
To be safe.
You look at Toru with a soft smile, "Going to the filed trip without you guys would just be boring," you admit.
"So you'll be coming with us?" Ena ask as she comes out of nowhere. You chuckle as you shake your head.
"No, I'll be staying home," you answer which was unexpected as they all thought that you would come.
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"Is the great asshole making a love letter and a flower bouquet?" Yatomi jumps and drops the scissors as he looks at the door in surprise. That's when he sees Jia-Li looking at him with a stare that clearly shows she doesn't trust him.
"Fucking hell!" Yatomi says as he calms him heart down as he goes to pick up the scissors from the floor and then placing it on the table. "The fuck are you doing here?" he ask her as he gets up and hides what he was doing.
"My sister told me," Jia-Li starts as she walks in and closes the door behind her.
"Don't talk about that shit here. Who know who may be listening," Yatomi tells her as he looks at the windows.
"It's the art room," Jia-Li reminds him, "Now listen here as I have to be quick about this because someone will come looking for me," she says which has him sighing as he wants this to be quick, "If it was truly all an act, then I applaud your act but I will not apologize for the times I stepped on you or hurt you," she mention which has him laughing in a way that surprised Jia-Li because he did not look like those bad guys or an asshole, instead, attractive and kind.
"Don't worry about it. The way I was acting deserve it but if you know how it's going to go then do not hesitate to hit me. It will make it more believable," Yatomi tells her, "So now, get the fuck out before you blow my cover. I came this far," he tells her and Jia-Li looks at him and then tries to look what's he hiding behind him.
She was only able to get a glance of it but it does look like he was trying to do something but having trouble with it.
"I have five minutes," she says as she walks towards him which confused him. And then he watches her sit down. He sits down where he was originally, making her sit in front of him. She grabs what he was making and analyzed it, "This is how you'll want to do it. You"re just making life harder for yourself," she says as she grabs a new paper and shows him how to do it.
She make a much better and beautiful paper flower in different shape and form. She also quickly explained how to make it and gave some tip and advice which he took note of. "Will you be able to remember everything I said?" she ask him and Yatomi nods as he makes the paper flower without struggling.
"I don't know if you're sister mentioned it but I am placed in the top five with her when it comes to academics. Why do you think I don't get in trouble much?" he ask her as he glues the flowers on something else.
"Because you're a man, rich and daddy is a powerful man," she says which had him chuckling.
"Fair point," Yatomi says as he grabs the paint brush.
"Then my job here is done," she says as she standup from her seat and head towards the door.
"Thank you for not asking why I'm doing this," Yatomi says before she teases for the door.
"Thank you for protecting me," Jia-Li says and then she opens the door to have her eyes widening. Yatomi doesn't hear the door close as his eyes were on what he was doing until he heard what Jia-Li said.
"Mr. Ferly."