To see how Tenma had it after the death of his brother ;)
~'0'~
"Not exactly something that a sibling would want to hear, is it?"
Tenma couldn't help but make a slight joke out of it, especially now that he's remembering how badly he bawled his eyes out back then.
As if crying could bring back the deceased.
Nonetheless, he made sure to not make too careless of a joke. Knowing that Tsurugi is here and how sensitive his friend is regarding the topic of older brothers, he decides it's better for him to somewhat restrain himself from pushing his joke too far.
Unless he wants to deal with a sudden outburst from his friend screaming at him for being insensible.
Little does he know that Tsurugi's too far gone to even possibly bother with something that minor. The ace striker is in no mindset to even pay attention to the somewhat darkly humored joke.
The exact same goes for the rest of the team
"There wasn't a funeral, nor was there any official statement that told the public about the untimely death. Whenever asked, it was always either brushed off or backed up with a hiatus excuse. Rumours then began spreading around, but they were never dealt with nor acknowledged by neither the organization or the parents. No one grieved for the deceased brother and much to the younger one's dismay, he was prohibited from grieving."
Prohibited from grieving.
An interesting choice of words.
It wasn't that the younger brother didn't want to grieve, but the matter of fact is that he wasn't allowed to. He wasn't allowed to pay respect nor cry for the one person he cared for.
His only loved one, and arguably, the single person who could be considered family, wasn't even given a burial.
How much would that kill someone on the inside?
"The parents feared his grieving would taint the family picture even more, not that it wasn't already tainted from their lack of interest whenever asked about their oldest child, of course. But, they were adamant about that and forced their child to hold back his tears. On top of that, they always made him play clueless, whenever asked about his brother"
As if the disgust for the parents couldn't mount any higher, Tenma went ahead and proved them wrong.
And even worse, the brunet still isn't done with his storytelling yet
"Now, since they've lost their talented oldest child, who was the main bringer of fame, they instantly turned their interest to the youngest child, who, by then had basically become an only child."
That...
Just hurts the soul.
The child that used to have a loving and supportive brother, suddenly lost his loved one due to manipulative adults and thus, no longer had a sibling and became an only child.
None of them could imagine how that would feel, especially Tsurugi, who firmly believes he would've gone insane had that happened to him
"They essentially applied all the same methods, strictness and abuse onto their only child. They made him enter in competitions, participate in interviews, make him wear a mask of fakeness all the time... And it wasn't long until the young one established a firm place for himself under the spotlight. The exact outcome his parents had hoped for."
To hear that the adults got away with what they wanted made it all the more infuriating. But honestly, at this point, they would all be fuming even at the slightest mention of the parents
"Although, to be fair, none of the stuff his parents made him do was enough to break him the same way his brother's death did nor did they really scare him. The one fear he had was being possibly sold to the same organization as his brother. However, before the organization could reach the family, the boy finally saw glimmer of hope."
At last, it seems like the story is taking a turn for the better. It's the long-awaited relief Tsurugi was agonizingly waiting for.
However, maybe it shouldn't exactly be called relief...
"When the boy turned approximately 11, 3 stranger, 2 adults and 1 young man, came to his home and almost immediately began having a feud with his parents. From what he could hear, apparently the parents had botched their responsibilities regarding a family business they were a part of, not that he could perfectly understand what it was about. But, that's when he knew they were his relatives. The first relatives he's ever seen since he had been born."
Well, that's no surprise, is it?
If a boy could understand a fight between adults, then it would probably make the situation a whole lot worse.
Yet, that last part regarding the revelation of meeting his relatives is just...
"It was mainly the adults who found themselves in a heated fight, the young man mostly stayed out of it, even though he was constantly glaring at his parents. The boy was hiding behind a door, but he wasn't careful enough and so the young man took notice of him."
Despite not saying it outloud, the teammates all took noticed of the sudden softness that's taken over their friend's voice and the newly found glimmering shine in his orbs.
They could tell that the story is coming to a close
"The young man gently approached the boy, who evidently tensed and instantly put up a formal appearance, just like how he'd been taught to do. The young man managed to slowly gain some of his trust, even though the fight between the adults was still going on in the living room. The man was extremely careful and gentle with his interaction, and for the first time in a long time, the boy felt as if he could trust someone and so, he seized the opportunity and took the man to another room, before confessing everything that has happened in his family."
The teammates clearly got the hint that Tenma glossed over some of the details, probably because they aren't that relevant to the story. Also, probably because Tenma kind of wants this to be over
"One could say he finally had the meltdown he had been suppressing for way too long."
Or maybe not.
Seems like the brunet, while looking quite tired and overwhelmed, still knows what needs to be told
"Thankfully, he trusted the right person, because once he was done, the man stormed off to the parents. The boy stayed in his room, afraid of going out as the screams elevated in volume. Never before had he felt so scared. At some point, he shut out the outside world and all that he knew was panic, until the man returned, calmed him down and carefully laid out the idea for
the boy to move in with him."
Well, that part seems to have been sped up quite a bit. But, none of them are about to complain.
Because, honestly, it's probably for the better, because who knows what else they would've thought about those shitty parents, had Tenma described the fight in full detail
"Now, one would've probably thought that that's a good idea, considering that the boy literally met him not even 15 minutes ago-"
Not really.
Who's to get concerned if the boy decides to leave his parents- Actually, more like karma-deserving-adults.
In fact, it's simply preferable for the boy to move away as soon as possible
"-But the boy couldn't have cared less and he instantly agreed, believing that even if the young man turned out being horrible, at least he'd be able to get away from that hell hole and have a chance at a fresh start. Thus, after agreeing and a lot crying, the boy fainted from exhaustion and the next time he woke up, it was in the young man's house."
With that, the teammates thought that the story's finally over and that the poor boy had, at last, gotten his golden opportunity at a new life.
But, although that last part is correct, the story isn't over just yet...
"The boy tried settling into his new lifestyle, but it presented to be difficult. He didn't know how to behave like a child nor did he know how to let go of the past. He had a lot of therapy sessions in order to establish a more stable mindset and he received a lot of help from the young man, who took up the role of guardian."
That's... To be expected.
As sad as it is, anyone would've undoubtedly a hard time.
However, while that part didn't come as a shock, the next part certainly did.
Well, for everyone apart from Tsurugi...
"With time, he overcame his demons, but at 13, he was scouted by a soccer organization that aimed to take down the organization that took away the life of his brother. The boy agreed to help them and he was sent to enroll into the school that was famous thanks to the fact that their soccer team had won the international soccer competition in the past, with remarkable players, such as the legendary goalkeeper."
Wait, what?
Scouted by a soccer organization that ultimately sent him to a school renowned for its soccer players and team? Made it into the international competition and had a legendary goalkeeper?
Isn't that...?
"He joined for pure revenge, but unexpectedly, he found a sense of belonging in his team and along with it, a more important reason for him to take down the organization."
It's only now that they realize a big mistake they'd done from the very start of this whole situation.
They'd been so engrossed and so captivated by the story that they completely forgot to question why Tenma's telling them all of this in the first place.
But now...
"Any guesses on who that boy is...?"
It really couldn't be any clearer...
And quite frankly, maybe it was better for them to not have known throughout the story.
Because God only knows what stupidity they would've done not even halfway through the story.
Well, not even story.
To put it properly, it's a biography...
"Tenma..." Muttered out Shindou, not believing that what came out of him is his voice.
For some reason, it sounds foreign and he felt his lips barely even move.
The brunet turned to him with glossy eyes and flashed a smile that radiated years of loneliness, before quickly looking away and staring at the ceiling.
Everyone caught sight of that smile and it sent shivers down their entire body.
It didn't seem right. It wasn't the smile they're used to and it certainly wasn't the smile they've come to identify with the brunet.
A smile they hadn't seen before.
A broken smile that reflected a misery that none of them could nor will understand.
A smile that belongs to the real Tenma...
"I miss Sora-nii..."
~'0'~
Ok, so this chapter's a little shorter than the rest. And by that I mean a little under 2000 words and maybe somewhat rushed.
But I'm so glad to have finally finished Tenma's storytelling!