(Your POV)
Your eyes were round as they vacantly stared down at your shoes. Break time had ended some time ago so it was just you in the main campus' courtyard. Walking slowly, you eventually reached the bottom of the mountain. You had to get to class...
"Huh? (Y/N)?" You suddenly heard Karma's voice.
You froze and slowly lifted your head, your eyes locking with his mercury ones.
"Did something happen?" He approached you.
You didn't say anything and only stared at him in silence.
"Maiya took the picture," you finally whispered. "Aoi and Nika sent it to the magazine."
Without saying anything else, you resumed your pace, Karma following behind, brow furrowed in concern.
The two of you soon reached the classroom and Karma slid the door open. Almost instantly, your classmates' heads were turned towards the door, as well as Koro-sensei's, who stopped writing on the board.
"(Y/N) and Karma, break time ended fifteen minutes ago." He scolded.
"It did?" Karma smiled amusingly as he tilted his head to the side. "Oops, sorry. Guess I lost track of time."
"(Y/N)?" Koro-sensei now focused his attention on you.
"Sorry," you simply mumbled.
Your teacher remained silent, his small white eyes locked on your face.
"Take a seat," he finally said. "But don't think you'll be leaving unpunished." He was quick to add as Karma groaned. "You'll be staying after class writing an essay to make up for the time you lost."
You didn't even try to complain and only sat down at your desk, Karma, surprisingly, doing the same thing. The class continued like usual but you couldn't concentrate. The only thing you could do was stare at your notebook as your mind replayed over and over the way you had treated Maiya.
You were so caught up in your own thoughts that you didn't even notice Karma was having the same difficulties concentrating, too busy stealing glances at you to see if you were okay.
The day finally came to an end. You had already texted the chauffeur you wouldn't be leaving school for another hour and had already waved off your friends with a smile. After a few minutes, the classroom emptied until the only ones left were Koro-sensei, Karma and you.
"Now (Y/N)-chan, Karma-kun," your teacher placed a blank sheet of paper in front of you, "you will be writing an 800 word essay of the book we read last semester." Karma immediately rolled his eyes. "Your question: What motivates the protagonist to act?" He grinned. "Nurufufu, good luck!"
And with that, he was gone at the speed of mach 20.
"I'm sorry Karma," you whispered, your voice making him perk up. "It's my fault we came in late and the worst part is, you wasted your whole break waiting for me."
"Nah, don't sweat it." He easily dismissed it. "And I didn't waste my break." He chuckled. "I actually had fun."
"Really?" You mumbled.
"Yeah. It's pretty entertaining poking fun at the Student Council. You should try it sometime." He began balancing himself on his chair.
"You were with... Asano?" You blinked a few times.
"He wanted to see you." He shrugged nonchalantly.
The two of you soon turned your attention back to your paper. You first started jotting down your ideas to create a mindmap. At least that way you would have some sort of plan.
'Changing one's destiny,' you began listing. 'Desire for freedom.' Your hand suddenly began to shake. 'Proving family wrong.'
Your body was now trembling slightly as you were reminded of the situation you were in, of the way your family's appearances had done nothing but suffocate you.
But you forced yourself to continue writing.
'Breaking the cycle.'
You couldn't take it anymore and abruptly stopped writing.
"K-Karma," you called, voice breaking a little bit.
The redhead stopped writing and immediately lifted his head, mercury eyes locking with yours, "Hmm?"
You hesitated for a few seconds, eyes darting down to your hands as you began fiddling with the hem of your skirt.
"What you said this morning..." you bit your bottom lip, "how my brother was in the right to manipulate my father and use his own tricks against him... do you really believe this?"
"Yeah," he said, eyebrows furrowing a little bit by your question. "Why? Something wrong?"
"It's just-..." you chewed on the inside of your cheek. "By doing this, aren't we just continuing this cycle of abuse?" Your eyes went down to your shoes in shame. "Wouldn't that make us just as bad as them? For treating others the same way they treated us?"
"Huh? What's up with all these questions?" He cocked his head to the side. "I thought you were the one to tell your brother that manipulating your father didn't make him a bad person."
"A-And I did," you stammered.
"So then?" He arched an eyebrow.
You remained silent.
"(Y/N) did something happen back on the main campus?"
His sudden question had your breathing hitching, not really expecting him to go there. Slowly lifting your gaze, you were met with Karma's mercury eyes which hadn't left your face.
"I-I was just wondering," you managed to whisper.
"Look princess, you may be having second thoughts about what happened with your brother but your father really had it coming. He's been manipulating you two your whole lives so it's no wonder Akiro finally snapped and gave him a taste of his own medicine."
"I know," your voice wavered a little bit as you fought back the lump in your throat. "And I can understand why my father deserved it," you blinked away the tears that were starting to well up in your eyes, "but after seeing the consequences it had on Akiro," you inhaled sharply, "Karma, my brother's intentions were pure, and yet he still-" your voice cracked, "he still broke down."
You closed your eyes, not wanting to remember the way your brother had nearly lost his mind, the way he had feared he was continuing this cycle of abuse and was turning into your father.
... Not wanting to remember the way you had treated Maiya. The way you had turned into your mother.
"It's not even the first time it happens," you began breathing heavily. "It's not even the first time I lash out and act just like her," you shuddered, body shaking slightly. "So if my brother lost his mind over something so selfless," your lips trembled as they slowly quirked up to form a wonky and unhinged smile, "what will happen to me?"
"I've allowed you to take part in ice skating competitions, I even bought you new skates! So if you're not even going to shoot this movie, I don't know why I even bothered!" Her voice haunted you.
"(Y/N), I don't want to hear any of this nonsense."
"Stop speaking nonsense and just tell me the truth!" Another voice suddenly yelled. Yours.
"I've listened to you, right? So if you're not going to answer my questions then I don't know why I even bothered."
You choked, "Karma I-... I don't want to be like her."
You couldn't take it any longer and broke down crying. Just why? Why were you suddenly having these thoughts again!? Had your brother's breakdown affected you so much? Had his fears triggered yours to resurface once again?
You suddenly felt a hand being placed on your shoulder, the contact making your heart skip a beat as that familiar scent reached you. Strawberries. It was Karma's scent.
Eyes searching for the person you called home, you tried to blink away the tears but to no avail. You even did your best to even out your breathing, hoping it would at least help you make out what he was saying. But the ringing in your ears muffled his voice.
Karma's hands suddenly reached out for your face and cupped your cheeks, his action making your breathing hitch. He then murmured something you managed to more or less hear but not quite understand.
Your eyebrows knitted together, "wh-what?" You croaked as you began wiping away your tears as best as you could.
"Do you remember what I told you about the Reaper?" He hummed, voice low but calm which helped put you at ease, even if it was just for a few seconds. "He made his choice and you made yours. Same thing applies with your mother."
"I-I know b-but-" you tried to say, though your voice kept breaking.
If you were nothing like her... why had you used those same words she always told you? With Kaori, Akiro... and now Maiya too? You shuddered. Why did you always act like her whenever you got mad?
"K-Karma, I-I backed Maiya into a wall and she-" you gasped for air, "she was so scared, Karma. She-" you shut your eyes close, "she was scared of me." You sobbed. "And I saw myself there, in Maiya's position and I-I..." You looked away in shame, "I was just like my mother."
Karma remained silent, slowly taking in your words. You heard him shuffling in his place and before you knew it he had crouched down to your level to look you in the eye. Your voice was definitely full of voice cracks and your speech was probably just an incoherent row of sentences but it didn't seem to bother him as he simply listened to you and let you cry it all out. You didn't know how much time went by before you managed to more or less calm down your breathing.
There was a pregnant pause before Karma spoke up.
"Look princess, I don't know how to say this without sounding too harsh," he murmured, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he placed his hand on yours, "but you're bound to act like her from time to time."
Your breathing hitched, pupils dilating as your worst fears came true.
"You've lived with her your whole life so of course you'll slip sometimes and copy her behaviour," he continued, his words making you timidly lift your gaze. "But that doesn't make you your mother." Mercury eyes met yours.
"And I know I'm probably gonna sound like the octopus with what I'm about to say," he rolled his eyes in a playful manner, "but the fact you're freaking out about it is a good sign, cause it means you wanna be better than her," he gave you a small smile of reassurance, very different from his usual mischievous one.
At first you didn't say anything. Heart beating rapidly as you blinked away the silent tears and allowed his words to sink in. It was ironic and quite sad, honestly. Just yesterday you had reassured Akiro he wasn't like your father but now here you were, being haunted by the same fears.
"(Y/N), you're not your mother, okay?" The sincerity of his tone enveloped you in that warmth that had comforted you so many times and made you feel safe.
Karma-... Karma was your best friend, your confidant, your knight in shining armour and the person you kept falling in love with, over and over again.
You gave him a small smile, one that carried so much gratitude, so much relief but was still filled with a hint of fear. Fear of not being able to rise above your environment, fear of failing and eventually turning into your mother. But for now, you simply slid down onto the floor with him and let yourself be embraced.
Closing your eyes, you buried your head in the crook of his neck, searching for that same warmth you had been longing for throughout your entire life as you allowed Karma's words of reassurance to take over and give you a peace of mind. Because all of this, all these doubts you were having... It was all your parent's fault.
Them and their meaningless competition were the cause of your brother's breakdowns. Them and their toxic environment had done nothing more but cause misery in your house. They were the reason why Akiro had so many demons and if you didn't get away from them in time, so would you.
"Thank you," you whispered, "for everything."
You didn't know how long you remained in that position. Could've been hours, could've been minutes. But you didn't want to let go. Not yet at least.
You pressed your temple against his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. "So how did you poke fun at Asano this time?" You murmured, getting yourself a bit more comfortable since you were sitting sideways in his lap. "You can tell me everything and spare no detail," you smiled softly, hoping he would in fact tell you everything so you could remain like that for longer.
"Well he came to see you," he hummed as you reached for his hand and interlocked them together. "Wasn't very bright though cause you were clearly not with me," he snickered. "I guess he wanted to talk about the blackmailing stuff but left once the school bell rang. You know what a square he can be," he smirked as you couldn't help but chuckle.
"And you call me a goody-goody."
"Because you are one," he deadpanned.
"No I'm not." You tiredly closed your eyes, "Would a goody two shoes be ignoring her essay?"
"Huh? What essay?" Karma cocked his head to the side, brow lowering in confusion.
You sweatdropped and opened your eyes to point at the sheets of paper on your desks, "the one we're supposed to be writing right now."
"Heh, totally forgot about that," he laughed. "But anywho, you're still a goody-goody."
"And why is that?" You pouted.
He smiled deviously, face darkening as he leaned closer to your face, "because you'll freak out over what happened with the Student Council."
Your eyes widened, "Karma, what did you do to him?"
"Pfft- you have such little faith in me," he flicked your nose.
"Well what did you expect with that face you made?" You couldn't help but exclaim, slowly starting to feel a little bit more upbeat and energized after what happened.
"I was just messing with you princess," he smiled. "I didn't do anything to him, just threatened him that's it," he shrugged casually.
You sweatdropped. "Did you really do that?"
"Mhm, I was about to," he closed his eyes and pressed his head against the wall. "But actually-" he stopped abruptly, and slowly opened his eyes. Karma remained silent for a few seconds, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Can you believe I actually apologized?"
You rolled your eyes, "ha...ha very funny Karma. I'm not going to fall for this one."
"I'm being serious, princess," he said, voice carrying no sign of its usual playfulness.
You frowned, eyes glued to the front of the classroom as you slowly processed his words.
"Wait what?" You finally said, head turning almost instantly as you sat up to take a good look at him. "You apologized to Asano!? You?"
"Well yeah. But not in the way you think," he was quick to say. "I'm not gonna kiss the floor he walks on like those main campus students do," he rolled his eyes.
"So what happened then?" You arched your eyebrows, quite curious as to what led to this moment.
"It wasn't anything big," he shrugged. "I just apologized for throwing the first punch without knowing if he was the rat or not."
You pursed your lips and silently stared into Karma's mercury eyes. He was still thinking about the fight?
"You know?" You hummed and began running your fingers through his soft, red hair. "I'm really glad you found it in yourself to be the bigger man and apologize to Asano. But you shouldn't keep blaming yourself for the fight," you frowned slightly.
"I know. I shouldn't dwell on it and instead acknowledge it so I can keep moving forward."
You couldn't help but smile softly, touched that he had remembered your words.
"It's just that the octopus' speech got to my head so when I saw Asano this morning- Ahh you probably won't believe this but I actually lowered my head," he grimaced. "Though I followed Koro-sensei's advice so at least I did it without throwing away my pride."
"And did you see the blade shining brightly at your feet?" You cocked your head to the side, quite curious of his answer.
"Ehh not really."
"Huh that's weird..." You blinked.
There was a small silence.
"Are you sure you didn't miss it?" You tried to joke, hoping to downplay the situation so he wouldn't feel bad.
"You tryna replace me or what?" He smirked.
"I just thought it would make you feel better," you smiled unsurely.
"Mhm... I guess it did. It's always adorable when you try to imitate me," he let out a small chuckle and ruffled your hair. "But don't sweat it. Not seeing that blade 'shine brightly' doesn't really bother me anymore." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"Huh? Really?"
"Ehh, I guess it did bother me at first cause I felt the octopus was messing with me. Plus, that darn square made fun of me afterwards," he rolled his eyes. "But now that I think about it I honestly shouldn't have expected it to shine cause how the hell does that even happen?" He laughed.
"So then?" You tilted your head to the side, quite invested in his story.
"Meh," he shrugged indifferently, "I guess coming clean to Asano and putting that lousy fight behind us helped us become better rivals. So I guess it was good for things to turn out like that."
You didn't say anything and only stared at him. You still had trouble believing he had actually, and genuinely apologized to Asano. And to think Karma, of all people, would follow a teacher's advice and hold Koro-sensei in such high esteem-... It always baffled you seeing how much he was growing this year.
"You're making that face, aren't you?" His groan took you out of your trance.
"Huh? What face?" You blinked.
"The one that tells me you're making a big deal out of this," he looked away, trying to seem bothered by it when he was in fact trying to hide the small blush on his cheeks.
You playfully rolled your eyes, "I wasn't making any faces. I just find it funny how you call Asano your 'rival'," you teased.
"Ehh? What's wrong with that?" He frowned.
"Nothing, it just makes you sound like a dork," you stifled a laugh as he looked at you unamused. "Aww don't get mad," you mischievously poked his cheek.
"Can't believe you're turning against me," he exhaled loudly and pressed his head against the wall to look up at the ceiling.
"Okay, okay I'll change the subject," you giggled. "Unlike you, I take mercy on other people."
"Well you gotta be careful with that princess. Wouldn't want someone taking advantage of your innocence," he smirked.
"Nurufufu," Koro-sensei's laugh startled you, his presence making you jump up from Karma's lap and spring to your feet.
Karma, on the other hand, didn't bother to hide his amusement at how panicked your teacher's appearance had made you. Especially since he had caught you two in this position.
"An hour sure goes by quickly when you're having fun, doesn't it?" Your teacher flashed you his characteristic grin. "Now, let me see what you've written."
Koro-sensei reached out his tentacle to collect your paper. Your eyes widened in panic and, with a speed rivaling his mach 20, you snatched it away from his reach.
"(Y/N)-chan, I need your essay." He gestured for you to give it back.
What essay? You hadn't written anything.
"I-I..." You fumbled for words as you desperately searched for Karma's eyes, hoping he would come up with an excuse with that sly head of his.
"Ne (Y/N)-chan~ Why don't you wanna give the octopus your essay?" He said instead, his smile full of mischief as he stood up.
Your eyes went round in shock. Was he really betraying you like that?
You opened and closed your mouth like a fish and Koro-sensei took that as an opportunity to collect your work. He then reached for Karma's paper who, from what you were able to see, had written about a page and a half.
"Good job Karma-kun," Koro-sensei chuckled. "Now, I think that's enough of a punishment for you two. You can leave." He patted both of your heads with one tentacle each.
You slowly packed up your things, too stunned to speak. You had really messed up. Your paper was practically blank which was probably why Koro-sensei hadn't even bothered to comment on the little you've done. Your shoulders drooped at this. You were really letting him down and he was most likely going to think that you didn't take him seriously...
"Wow princess," Karma whistled as the two of you began going down the mountain, "I think the octopus really liked your essay." Devil horns came out of his head as you could only cry dramatically.
"Just why would you betray me at a time like that!?"
Unknown to the two of you, Koro-sensei was watching you from a distance, chuckling softly at the playfulness in your relationship. His eyes then traveled down to your essay, one of his yellow tentacles gently tracing along the paper. He smiled, silently reading the few key points you had managed to write.
Changing one's destiny.
Desire for freedom.
Proving family wrong.
Breaking the cycle.
_________________________
"Nope. No sign of a black car," Karma said.
"Then don't worry about me," you sighed in defeat. "You can go back home. I'm sure the chauffeur won't take long."
"Aww~ Don't tell me the princess is still upset that I betrayed her?" He teasingly poked your cheek.
"Tch, I'm not upset." Your eye twitched as you slapped his hand away.
"Doesn't look like it~" He laughed as you sent him a murderous glare.
"I swear, Karma-" You pinched your nose. "You're only lucky I like you."
"Heh, what can I say? I'm irresistible." He half shrugged as you rolled your eyes at his inflated ego.
But just as you were about to talk back, the sudden 'bing' of your phone grabbed both of your attention. You lazily turned it on, expecting it to be your mother scolding you for coming late but you were pleasantly surprised at who it was.
"It's Kaori," you announced and motioned Karma to get closer.
You then scrolled up so he could read your conversation and get up to date. However, what you didn't expect was to cringe so much at some of the messages you sent.
You: Oops- sorry for hanging up on you Kaori
Kaori: Don't worry, I just hope it wasn't anything too serious. Did your mother catch you on the phone or something?
You: Nah, it was my brother
You: He came say hello
Kaori: At 3am?
You: He has weird quirks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You: We cried a little bit too
Kaori: ... Okaaay?
You: Hahaha I was just kidding Kaori
You: Though we did cry
You: But I'll tell you about it another day. I'm a bit tired now
Kaori: I can see...
Kaori: Oh, btw, ever since I left I've been shutting down my phone for a few days so I can clear my mind
Kaori: Just letting you know in case you need anything because I might take some time
You: Ahh rightttt
You: I have a huge, huge favour to ask you
You: But it's very important so it'd be best if we talked about it once I'm 100% awake
You: So pleeease don't shut down your phone. At least until I get my energy back
You: Spoiler alert, I'm running away :)
Kaori: Wait what???
Kaori: (Y/N)????
Kaori: What do you mean you're running away?
Kaori: Did you leave already?
Kaori: Please tell me you're with Akiro. Or Karma. Or one of your friends
Kaori: (Y/N) I swear I'm gonna call you if you don't answer me
You: Hahaha look who's freaking out now. Ohh how the tables turned (◣∀◢)ψ
You: But don't worry you drama queen, relaxxxx
You: I'm just emancipating myself :P
Kaori: ...
Kaori: Goodnight (Y/N)
"Pfft- were you drunk or something?" Karma snorted.
"I was tired and running on autopilot, okay?" You puffed your cheeks.
"How come you never show me this side of yourself?" He continued teasing you. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine~"
"Just read Kaori's new messages, Karma," you rolled your eyes.
Kaori: I hope you're more awake today -_-
Kaori: But anyways just letting you know I'll be returning to Japan in a few weeks or so
Kaori: So we could meet up and talk about the arrangements if you want
"I can't believe it's finally happening," you mumbled after a brief silence, a small smile slowly starting to form in your lips.
Were you finally leaving that house? It seemed like a dream.
"(Y/N)," a voice suddenly called your name.
Your head instantly turned upon recognizing that voice.
"Akiro?"
You watched as your brother walked over to where you were and you were quite taken aback by his change in appearance. It wasn't anything major really. But for you, Akiro was practically unrecognizable, very different from the brother you grew up with, even from the one that came back from his time abroad.
Akiro, right now, looked happy.
Of course he wasn't healed and still had a lot of scars. His trauma wasn't going away anytime soon but, just comparing this Akiro to the one that had appeared at your family house at 3 in the morning, or the one you ate takeout with, or even the one that was supposed to be the family's crown jewel... Well, there surely was a very big difference.
And, as you watched this new Akiro approach the two of you, you suddenly realized how, for the first time, both you and your brother were willing to mend your relationship and support each other through thick and thin. For the first time in your family, love would be unconditional, no ulterior motives, no expectations.
The future certainly looked bright. For both of you.
"How did you know I was leaving school late?" You asked once he finally reached you.
"I texted the chauffeur." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. You found yourself smiling at the thought. He had planned on driving you home today?
"Oh, right," you quickly snapped back to reality. "Akiro, this is Karma, my brother- Wait no!" You shrieked at your mistake. "I meant to say, Karma, this is Akiro, my brother. Akiro, Karma." You smiled rather nervously. Geez, where did this come from?
"Er... We already met." Karma pointed out.
...
"Oh."
There was an awkward silence where neither of you said anything. Karma was too busy snickering at your clumsiness, Akiro was awkwardly standing there, a bit out of place and you, well, you were freaking out on the inside.
Why was your brother and your boyfriend meeting so awkward? Heck it wasn't even the first time they were seeing each other!
"So Karma," your brother suddenly broke the silence. "I was planning on driving (Y/N) home. Do you," he chewed on the inside of his cheek, "do you need a ride?"
You froze at your brother's suggestion. The three of you in the car? How would you be able to deal with it? You hadn't even been able to handle a one-minute-long conversation!
"Sure," Karma simply said, restraining himself from smiling at the way you were silently having a mental breakdown.
Akiro gestured for the two of you to follow him to his car. He walked in front of you so you took that as an opportunity to have a silent conversation with Karma.
"Why aren't you freaking out?" You whispered.
Karma simply shrugged, not really fazed by what was happening.
'That's my brother,' you mouthed, your eyes wide as you still couldn't believe how awkward this was.
'So what?' He simply smiled.
The three of you got in the car and you decided to sit in the back with Karma. After all, he was the guest and it would be disrespectful if you left him alone.
"So," Akiro cleared his throat and momentarily glanced at the two of you through the rear-view mirror. "Why did you leave an hour late today?"
You were about to come up with a lie until Karma beat you to it.
"We got punished," he said just like that, making your jaw comically hit the ground.
"Really?" Your brother's brow furrowed in surprise and stole another glance at the mirror.
"Yeah." Karma shrugged nonchalantly and continued staring out the window. "Had to write an 800 word essay."
"800?" He whistled and slowly began nodding his head in understanding. "And what was the topic about?" He asked quite curiously.
"A book we read last semester." Your redheaded boyfriend answered as you could only stare in disbelief at how casual and relaxed he was. "Miss Goody Two Shoes over here didn't even write a thing." He suddenly said as he turned his head to look at you, a devious smirk present on his face.
Wait what!? He was betraying you!? Again!? You narrowed your eyes. That devil...
"You didn't write anything?" Akiro now asked you, fighting back what looked like an amused smile.
You could only open and close your mouth, no sound coming from you.
"I-I wrote some key phrases!" You finally managed to defend yourself.
"The bare minimum." Your brother grimaced, his remark making Karma burst out laughing.
You scoffed in outrage, your eyebrows knitting in incredulity as your eyes darted from Karma's face to your brother's. Were they really teaming up against you?
But as outraged as you were by their betrayal, their little alliance actually did the trick and broke the ice. So the three of you spent the rest of the ride joking around although it was mostly them teaming up to poke fun at you. But honestly, it didn't really bother you. In fact, you were smiling throughout the whole exchange because the two people you cared about most were getting along and that was more than you could have ever asked for.
"It was nice talking to you, Karma." Your brother said as soon as your boyfriend got out of the car.
"Likewise," he smirked. "See ya tomorrow, ~princess~" He snickered at your nickname and waved goodbye.
Akiro and you watched as Karma disappeared into the distance and once he was out of sight, you let out a loud sigh escape your lips. You didn't know how Karma was able to do it but he had some type of gift. With that playful and mischievous personality of his, he was able to downplay every situation.
Of course this wasn't news to you. He did it a lot, especially when you were feeling stressed or overwhelmed by your family's appearances. It allowed you to take a step back and look at the bigger picture without freaking out.
But what he had just done... You couldn't help but gawk as your respect for him grew even more.
Karma had carefully analyzed the situation. He saw how nervous you were and how awkward your brother felt and, in mere seconds, he came up with the best possible solution to dissipate the tension. That mind of his... It was certainly something to admire...
"I'll park the car nearby." Your brother's voice brought you back to reality.
He ended up parking the car right at the entrance of your neighborhood, which was a huge relief since you weren't wearing your disguise. The last thing you needed right now was getting your privacy violated twice this week.
"So," your brother awkwardly chewed on the inside of his cheek as he tried to start a conversation, "uh... Why did your teacher punish you? I think I forgot to ask."
"Oh," you blinked. "Well, we came in late to class."
"Huh? Really? What were you doing?"
"I went to the main campus." You paused for a few seconds before continuing. "I told Principal Asano who I thought had leaked the picture so he could help me deal with the problem."
"You know who did it?" He arched his eyebrows in surprise.
"Well, I thought I did," you grimaced. "You remember Hiroko, right?" You turned to face him though he didn't seem to recognize that name. "Anyways," you cleared your throat, "she was one of the friends mother picked for me."
"The one with green eyes?" He tried to remember.
"No. That's Maiya. Hiroko's the one with purple hair."
"Oh." He looked away, a bit embarrassed for the lack of interest his past self had shown in your life.
"Anyways," you awkwardly spoke up, not wanting to remember the past. "I told the principal it had been Hiroko who had leaked the picture. She had even confessed to me the other day and told me she was responsible." You pursed your lips. "But, turns out she wasn't even involved."
"That's... unfortunate." He grimaced.
You continued telling your brother the whole story as he listened carefully. He only interrupted you once, though he was quick to shut up upon realizing. His intervention hadn't bothered you in the least, but apparently your brother didn't think the same. It seemed he took it as a big mistake and decided to remain silent all throughout the rest of your story.
Honestly, it saddened you seeing him so scared to mess up. You just hoped that, with time, you would be able to help him realize there was nothing wrong with making mistakes...
"But," he finally spoke up, not before double-checking you had finished, "why don't you just tell Asano-san it was Aoi and Nika who leaked the photo? Wouldn't that solve your problem?" He arched an eyebrow.
"It's not like I didn't consider it," you chewed on the inside of your cheek. "But, Maiya kept begging me not to involve them in this. I don't really know why she keeps defending them but she seemed desperate and was on the brink of tears." You pursed your lips. "And honestly," your gaze lowered, "I-I just want to forget about it altogether."
Your pursuit to find out the perpetrator had only brought out the worst parts of yourself. When Itona tracked down the number, the first thing that crossed your mind was making them pay. Had it not been for Koro-sensei, you might've picked up a fight with them. And then, when you confronted Hiroko, the first thing you did was blame her for everything. Even when you clearly saw how weirdly calm she was, you still jumped to conclusions.
But the worst part was the way you had exploded on Maiya. You had treated her just like your mother treated you. You had even used the same expre-... You closed your eyes at this, your breakdown running through your mind. If it hadn't been for Karma... Would you have lost your mind? Just like it happened to your brother back in his apartment?
Shaking your head, you tried to cast those thoughts aside. The only reason why you had wanted to find out who had leaked the photo was to finally confront them and stand up for yourself. But the only thing it had done was give you even more stress. So it wasn't really worth it anymore, was it?
At the end of the day, it didn't really matter who did it because the damage was already done. The press already had that photo in their possession and your parents already knew about your relationship with Karma. So it was now time you put yourself first and focus on the matter at hand: your relationship with your brother and Koro-sensei's assassination.
"Are you... are you alright?"
You opened your eyes and blinked a few times, suddenly realizing you had stopped walking. You glanced at Akiro who was a few steps ahead of you, face etched with confusion and worry and you couldn't help but smile. It was weird seeing him like this but you found it quite wholesome nevertheless. So without warning, you ran towards him and tackled him to a hug.
Your brother's body stiffened at first, blood red eyes widening in shock. But very slowly, he began to relax as he awkwardly wrapped his arms around you and returned the embrace.
You giggled and closed your eyes, hoping to savour the moment. Because all this suffering, all that pain you had endured this year just to get closer to your brother, was finally bearing its fruit and it made you feel complete.
"Akiro," you mumbled, your voice grabbing his attention. "You're not alone." You whispered and hugged him tighter. "I understand you. I know what it feels like to fear turning into mother and father." You felt his body stiffen at your words. "But I promise you that we'll get through this." Your voice faltered a little bit upon saying this. "We're not like them, okay? We're going to break this cycle."
His heartbeat pumped faster at your promise yet he didn't say anything. Instead, he simply pulled you closer as the soft sigh of relief that escaped his lips tickled your cheek.
You smiled and melted into his embrace. You would remain positive. You wouldn't allow those fears to take over you because you had to prove to your brother you weren't your parents.
You had to do this for him.
You had to do this for yourself.
A/N: So I was thinking about it. And do you guys remember how Hanami is always saying that sacrifices are important?
Well if you think about it, teen Hanami probably repeated those words to herself over and over again to the point it got engraved inside her head. Because Hanami sacrificed her future and agreed to an arranged marriage just so she could see her father again.
Of course that doesn't excuse everything she's done nor how much she has tormented her children. But I find it very interesting to think about...
I don't know, I feel like, at this point, my OCs have acquired a will and life of their own and I'm just watching everything unfold.
Do any of my fellow writers feel like this too?