Shattered Mirror
Niki rushed to a bathroom. He stopped in front of a sink and leaned on it. All the words that Mina said lingered in his head. He wasn't mad at her, no. He was mad at himself. Is it actually safe to revolve around Hitomi, for her sake? If he still manages to hurt her sometime? It can not happen. Never.
Niki unbuttoned his collar and shirt a little to breath properly. He turned the sink on and wiped his face with water.
It was my fault. All my fault. The problem is within me, I am the problem. Why am I like this? Why the fuck was I born like this? I hate myself. I want to disappear.
He looked himself from the mirror a while. His hands began to feel the need to do something, to break something. Without a long time of hesitation he punched the reflection of his face in the mirror. The sound of shattering glass echoed in the room, but there was no one else around and no one was within the earshot.
Shards dripped onto the floor and into the sink with a clatter, whilst his knuckles began to bleed. He looked at his hand for a moment, but just let it be.
-
After the little discussion on the lounge sofa they all went looking for Niki. Mina as well. She had things to apologize. Hitomi remembered that the rooftop was 'Niki's place', but when they checked it, he wasn't there.
Yuma checked the boys' restrooms while the girls waited outside. He was nowhere in them. But Yuma got an idea that he could have gone to the locker room since it's empty at the moment. And since it's empty, the girls came with Yuma.
As they entered there, it was quiet and there wasn't no one. For a while they roamed through the locker aisles, but still with no sight of Niki.
"Girls.." Yuma called them while he was checking the bathroom of the locker room. Hitomi looked at Mina in relief. Maybe Yuma found him now? The girls headed to Yuma quickly, but they did not see Niki there.
Yuma quietly pointed at the sinks. "Could that be his?" He asked slowly. Hitomi turned her gaze there and saw a shattered mirror. Someone had punched it, sure enough. The broken point had blood on it and there were shards on the floor nearby. Hitomi felt her heart dropping. He might be hurt..
"It wasn't here in the morning." Yuma added.
"Let's keep looking for him." Mina suggested hastily and hitted both their shoulders gently.
Yuma and Mina left to check all the lounges and cafeteria, while Hitomi began to wander by herself through the corridors. She asked few people, if they had seen him, but no one had. Now she stood in front of the library on the second floor.
Could he have gone here?
She didn't hesitate much and had the urge to check the library too. It's a quiet place, but she would not think that Niki is there. But just in case.
The library was empty and there was no one studying at the moment. Hitomi walked through the aisles, one to another, while her footsteps echoing softly. There really wasn't anyone and she started to feel desperate. She yet walked to the last self, already pretty sure he wasn't there. But she froze to her place. There he was, sitting besides the window.
Hitomi took a deep breath and approached him slowly. He didn't seem to see or hear her yet.
When she was close enough, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder to make sure he knew she was there. Niki didn't flinch, but quickly glanced at her direction. He didn't say anything and directed his gaze back to the window. He didn't look sad at all, he looked like he was frustrated and tired.
Hitomi sat besides him on the small bench, where he was sitting. She thought for a while what to exactly say to him. "Niki, you know Mina meant no harm, she was just worried."
"I know." Niki answered shortly.
"She's really sorry."
"I know." He repeated again, but while raising his voice slightly.
"Then, why are you sulking?" Hitomi inquired gently. Niki didn't answer her, he didn't say anything for a while. Hitomi noticed his right hand, it was bleeding. It really was Niki's blood in the locker room. She was about to say something about it, but Niki spoke first.
"Do you ever think of me as a threat, Hitomi? Like, don't you ever feel threatened around me?" He enquired melancholy, but did not look at Hitomi.
"What? No. What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. Don't lie."
Hitomi knew what he meant. And it's true, she has felt threatened around him sometimes, but it's in the past. He has changed. "Don't think like that. That doesn't make you a threat in any way. Listen to me, Niki. You're not a bad person, seriously. Why would I have come looking for you, if I wasn't worried." Hitomi said to console, while taking Niki's left hand and holding it lightly. He didn't shake it away.
"But you said that I'm the villain in your story."
"I-I didn't- or, of course you were. But not all villains remain as ones, you know? Some switch to the good side. And you pissed me off, I didn't mean to.."
Niki didn't say anything again. He lifted his injured hand on his face. Hitomi wasn't sure, but he maybe was crying. She has never seen him cry and it hurt her.
Hitomi released her grip on his hand and wrapped both of her arms around Niki's neck, hugging him. Niki turned fully to her and gave the hug back, wrapping his own arms around Hitomi's waist. He squeezed her firmly, but it didn't bother Hitomi.
Niki's familiar scent, that reminded of lime and tangerine. And in addition the scents of the detergents from his school uniform. His warm and rigid hug somehow calmed Hitomi as well. He didn't let go for a moment and Hitomi just continued to stroke his back gently.
"Niki, we need to go to the nurse." Hitomi urged after a moment, while Niki was holding her tightly for minutes.
"Just.. a little longer." Niki grumbled. His voice didn't sound like he had cried, it sounded more happy and normal. Maybe it was all he needed, a single hug.
"Okay." Hitomi gave in.
-
Hitomi took Niki to the nurse, even though he refused plenty of times. She feels like she'll be a lot in the nurse with him in the future, but that was okay. The nurse examined Niki's hand and still found there some small pieces of glass. She had to pull them out with tweezers, which looked painful. But Niki didn't seem to be hurt.
Lastly, the nurse wrapped Niki's hand in a bandage and let them go. She didn't bother to ask where he got such bruises. She seemed to know as well, why Niki is so often at her place.
Hitomi texted Mina and Yuma that she found Niki and everything was okay, so they don't need to keep looking.
-
Niki and Hitomi were walking together in a corridor after they left the nurse. Hitomi saw Mina and Yuma approaching them from a distance.
"Where were you?" Yuma asked them both.
"In the library, then we went to the nurse." Hitomi informed.
"Nurse? Then it was yours, in the bathroom." Yuma clarified. He quickly glanced Niki's hand, that was now wrapped in a bandage. "Did it hurt badly?" He asked.
"No, it's nothing." Niki ensured.
"I'm sorry, for the earlier. I didn't kno-" Mina started, but she got cut off by Niki. "It's alright, seriously. Just forget it." He urged.
Mina got a little surprised. He was okay with it and didn't really need an apology from her. For a brief moment they all were in a kind of silence.
"This is so weird.. Why do we fight so often?" Yuma said, pondering in a dreamy way. "Or actually, no we don't. You do!" Yuma pointed at Niki and Hitomi suddenly, but not in a bad way. "Anyway. Then, should we do something? Let's hang out with the four of us." Yuma suddenly suggested.
Why does all these sudden ideas come from Yuma? Well, they all seemed to be fine with it and agreed. Hitomi's and Niki's mother's are today in a late night shift, so they could hang out in either house.
"Or actually whatever we do, I want to ask Hikaru too." Yuma added.
"Oh! Well, if you bring your own little princess, I'll ask Haruto too!" Mina snapped at Yuma.
"What little princess?! And what do you mean? Do you like him or something!" Yuma snapped back.
"So what if I do like?!"
"Calm down. Ask who you want. But let's go to Hitomi's house, it's nicer ." Niki calmly interrupted.
"Alright then." Mina and Yuma simultaneously replied and gave a disapproving look at each other. Hitomi started smiling in amusement and in disbelief.
Oh, me and Niki are always the ones who fight with each other? You should see yourselves, gosh.
"Wait. What do you mean nicer? You've been there?" Yuma inquired in confusion, which Niki only shrugged.
Yuma gave a suspicious look, but then let it be.
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