Yuki pov:
"And guess what, nee chan! Sensei said that I'm going to play the Prince!" Arata was grinning up at me, happiness literally radiating from him.
"And I'm going to be the Tree God!" Akio chimed as well as they both held my hand while heading home. Both of them were skipping besides me totally excited about the play they would be doing in their school.
I chuckled softly, finding their excitement rather adorable. "That's wonderful, Arata, Akio! Both of you have to practice well, okay?" I chuckled again as they nodded vigorously to me.
As I opened the door of the house, they ran inside and began jumping around in the living room while trying to act out their characters as adorably as possible. Being children, they had their own ideas of what it meant to be a Prince or a Tree God. I wonder where the teachers got the idea of a Tree God from anyway. It was most definitely creative and I have to say, I was quite excited to see what kind of play the kids were going to act out!
Just imagining cute toddlers in costumes and acting on stage made me grin widely.
I shook my head before heading to the bathroom. I called the twins and they ran in behind me. I helped them wash their hands, feet and faces before letting them go on playing with each other. I too washed up, kind of tired after the long day at the vegetable store and spending time at the twins' friend's house. Arata and Akio wanted to play for a while and we had ended up staying at Hotaru san's house till almost eight.
Namiko san had given me some food that she had cooked for lunch so I didn't have to prepare anything for dinner. I was glad in fact, because I really needed this break. Leaving the kids to their playing, I headed to the kitchen to heat up the food.
Its been a whole month and two weeks since we came here. I'm really surprised at how fast time has flown by here. Well, I guess time hasn't gone by too fast but thanks to my schedule that has been keeping me busy and thanks to all the people of the town who were so nice to me, life has been better than I expected. Being with the twins, talking to all the people who came into the shop and when I went shopping; I think it really was a good decision for me to come here.
Besides, Hitoshi san and Hiru have visited us too. Hitoshi san came in twice to make sure that I had settled in well and everything in the town was to my comfort. He was a really nice person, kind of like a fatherly figure in fact. His gestures of putting his hand on my head in comfort, his gentle voice and smile....I was happy that someone as nice as him was helping the head of the town.
Hitoshi san was a busy person so it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to come and check on me often. But that's fine because I knew his concern for me was always there. As for Hiru, he dropped by to the store or to our house at least once a week.
Arata and Akio had gotten quite friendly around him too. He was a nice person but I was still a little suspicious about why all the townspeople were so nervous around him. No one would really tell me anything even if I asked and so I had just come to my own conclusion. Maybe he was just being a spoilt brat and he got whatever he wanted when he asked for it. People were just nervous to say no because they didn't want to become rude in front of the son of their town Head Minister.
I giggled to myself as I stirred the vegetable porridge on the stove. Thinking about Hiru being a bratty kid seemed funny. I wonder how much of a mischief maker he was when he was younger. My mom always told me that I caused her a lot of trouble when I was younger.
My smile fell as I thought of her. I really did miss her. There were still so many things that I didn't know how to take care of, especially when it came to Akio and Arata. I never had siblings to begin with so sometimes if they cried, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to console them....the only thing I could do was convey my own thoughts in simple words. And sometimes, it didn't work.
Namiko san had really taught me things on how to take care of children. Thanks to her guidance, I had improved on how I was able to cater to Akio's and Arata's needs. Hey, I was still pretty young myself. I didn't know the first thing about taking care of children in the way a mother would.
Nonetheless, even if times were tough, I was just glad that I was able to take care of the twins. I wanted them to always be smiling and happy.
I turned my head to the side still lost in thought. I looked out of the glass of the kitchen door. I could see the trees in the distance even though it was pretty dark outside. My thoughts floated off to the boy I had seen the other day, almost a month ago.
He had appeared so suddenly and then disappeared. I had offered for him to come to our house even though I had a feeling that he wouldn't. I mean, he had looked so scared when I had gotten close to him that day. Where did he live and where was he going that day? He was covered in scratches and bruises.....I couldn't even guess what had caused them.
Then again, I was starting to wonder if what I had seen that day was just a hallucination. Arata and Akio did say that it wasn't a dream but I was still a little confused. I hadn't seen him before and I didn't see him even once after that day either. I didn't want to ask anyone about him because I wasn't certain of the details myself. Who was that boy?
I suppose there's no point in thinking about it, is there? Even when we had gone to the stream several times after that, he hadn't turned up again. So maybe the three of us were really hallucinating after all.
Pushing unnecessary thoughts out of my mind, I switched off the stove. "Arata! Akio! C'mon, its time for dinner!" I called out and smiled as I heard their running footsteps and their cheerful giggling as they ran into the kitchen.
They kept following me around as I walked to and fro between the kitchen and dining to set up the table.
"Ne ne nee chan! I want to color with you!!" "We got new crayons from sensei today!" They giggled cutely as they tugged on my pant.
"New crayons! That's really nice! Did you thank sensei?" I always wanted to make sure that my brothers grew up to be good people wishing for the happiness of everyone around them. I'm sure that they would be rewarded with the best things in life too.
"Yes! We did!" "And we even made a picture for sensei!" They grinned. I patted their head with a smile, proud of how sweet they were.
"Now up you go!" They giggled as I lifted them up and sat them on the chairs of the dining table. I had stacked books on two chairs so that they would be able to reach the height of the table and eat on their own. They usually never spilled anything but I tied bibs around their necks just in case. We were low on money and I wanted to save up a little before spending some more money to buy ourselves new clothes.
Dinner was pleasant with us passing simple conversations. We laughed together as Akio described something funny that their teacher did and they excitedly recited a poem that they learnt in class today. After we were done with dinner, they helped me by wiping the dishes I washed and handed to them. Since cleaning up was done quickly thanks to Akio and Arata helping, I decided to clean up in the kitchen a bit. I hadn't wiped the stove, the counters or dusted the cupboards since we came. I had some time today so the kids went to the living room to finish their coloring homework while I stayed in the kitchen.
I had the kitchen door open as I worked. When I was done cleaning and dusting, I went to close the door. But I stopped, blinking slightly surprised as I saw a person standing near the trees. Whoever it was, was hiding behind the trunk of one of the trees. When I looked a little closed, I parted my lips in slight surprise seeing the silver haired boy over there.
When he noticed me watching him, he flinched before hiding a little more behind the tree. I smiled at him earning a curious gaze in return. I somehow felt relieved....all this time, I had thought I had hallucinated about this person. But after more than a month, he had finally decided to appear again and ease the doubts I had been having.
"Would you like to come in?" I called to him softly. He hesitated, watching me silently for a moment before slowly walking out from behind the trees. He came closer to me and I let him into the house before closing the door.
He flinched at the sound of the door lock, looking around the house rather nervously. As I passed him, he flinched again and put some distance between us. I sighed with a sad smile, feeling sympathy for how scared he seemed.
"Would you like something to eat?" I asked to which he just shook his head no.
"Then how about I have a look at your bruises and cuts? I can do something to help the pain reduce." I smiled. He didn't give me an answer, but I coaxed him with a smile and led him to the living room.
I went into the room where the twins were and got out the medical box I usually kept in my closet. The twins were too busy with their coloring so they didn't even notice that I had walked in. I didn't want to disturb them either since they looked so cute working on their homework seriously.
I walked back to the living room and the boy hadn't sat down on the couch. He was still looking around nervously and he looked at me worried when I walked out of the room. I gave a sad smile, feeling a tug in my chest for just how much he seemed to be suffering.
When I reached him, he took a step back from me.
"Why don't you sit down and take off your shirt so I can treat your injuries?" I asked.
He hesitated for a moment but slowly sat on his knees on the floor. He fumbled with the buttons of his silk shirt and unbuttoned them slowly as I sat down in front of him. He finally took it off fully and I nearly gasped seeing his body.
He was handsome. He was quite handsome even though he was sort of skinny. He was broad, just like how any person of his age would be. Not that I knew his age but I could tell that he was older than me. That's not what made me gasp in surprise thought.
He looked malnourished. I could see his ribs pretty clearly on his sides and his shoulders and neck were quite bony too. Besides that, he had so many cuts and bruises on his body besides several scars from previous injuries. He hadn't looked any better than when he did when I first saw him in the forest. Where on earth did he get all these injuries?!
I put the medical box down as I continued to observe him. I reached out and he tensed as my fingers brushed one of the bruises on his chest. My eyes stung and I looked into his scarlet eyes....those eyes that held so much fear. I pulled my hand away and his expression turned to one of confusion and curiosity.
I couldn't find my voice to ask how he had gotten all these injuries. In fact, I had a feeling that he probably wouldn't even tell me even if I asked him. So giving a sigh, I opened the medical box and reached for an antiseptic and a pain reliever spray. I proceeded to avoid looking into his eyes and I sprayed the pain reliever onto his bruises first.
He sat absolutely still and flinched every now and then. I could tell he was still pretty nervous being here but he didn't say anything as I helped him. When I was done with the pain reliever spray and began applying the antiseptic onto the open cuts, he hissed out slightly. They were open cuts so it was quite obvious for him to react that way as it burned.
"Um...." I looked up to meet his eyes when he finally decided to speak. He flinched but didn't break eye contact with me. "You don't.....hate me?"
I was a little surprised at his question. Why would he assume that I hated him?
"Why would I hate you? I don't even know who you are." I smiled slightly as I applied the antiseptic onto another cut on his arm.
"But.....the color of my hair and eyes...." He looked surprised at what I said too.
"I don't find it odd....in fact, I've seen several people with silver hair and red eyes before. Seeing both features in the same person is the first time though." I said gently. I was done taking care of all of the injuries so I put the medicine back into the box.
When I looked at him, he was watching me with wide eyes. He looked shocked. And besides the look of shock, his eyes looked somewhat relieved. There were tears gathered at the corner of his eyes but they didn't roll down his cheeks.
"By the way....how did you get hurt like this?" I asked, hoping that he would open up a little now that he seemed less hesitant.
However, he looked away clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I....I fell down."
I knew that was a lie. There's no way someone could get these kinds of injuries by just falling down. The bruises, the scratches....they all indicated that he was either being abused or bullied. He couldn't be such a klutz that he would end up being covered in so many scars. Almost every inch of his skin on his chest, back, neck, shoulders and face were black and blue or red. I'm even sure that he had more on his legs.
"Nii chan should be careful and not fall down!" I looked behind me and the boy snapped his head up as well as Akio spoke.
He and Arata both came to us and stood in front of the boy watching him curiously. He leaned back slightly nervous but I guess he knew that two kids wouldn't really do anything to him. Just as they stood, Arata ran back into the room and brought a drawing of a smiling elephant that he had drawn. He held it out to the boy who watched it curiously.
"This is a present for nii chan! For good luck!" He grinned and I patted his head lovingly.
Once again tears brimmed in the boys eyes as he took it with his trembling hands. He looked over it and the tears fell without him being able to control it. "This....is for....me?" He asked softly, making my heart tug painfully at the absolute despair in his voice.
Had he never received anything from anyone? The way he was acting, I don't think he had anyone who actually cared about him at all. Perhaps this was the first time anyone had spoken to him normally....after all, he did ask me if I hated him for the color of his hair and eyes.
"Um.....what is your name?" I asked and he looked up at me still crying.
He hesitated for a moment before answering my question. "A-Akizuki Juo....."
I smiled and brought my arms around my brothers' waists. "That's a nice name, Juo....my name is Shirakawa Yuki and these are my brothers, Arata and Akio."
"They....look alike." He said slowly as he wiped off the tears that had run down his face.
I giggled and ruffled their heads earning giggles. "That's because they're twins."
Juo sat silently for a moment just observing us. I didn't interrupt his thoughts and the kids too had sat down to play with each other with some hand games. After a few moments passed, Juo got up, put on his shirt wincing and walked backwards. Curious about his sudden gesture, I too stood up.
"U-um....I have to go." He said as he held the picture that Arata had given in his hands. He had rolled it up and he held it close to his chest.
"Are you going home? Where do you live?" I asked. Perhaps I could visit him and help him if he was having a hard time with his family. Not that I should be butting into other people's lives but if I could help at least a little....
"Y-you have to promise!" He said suddenly really anxious. "You cant tell anyone....about me. And you should n-never follow me!"
He looked so scared at the moment. He didn't want anyone to know about him? But why? Was he really so scared that people would hurt him? Not knowing what else to do, I just nodded in approval.
"C-can I....can I come h-here....again?" I smiled and nodded.
"Anytime....." He tightened his hold on the paper and glanced at my brothers once.
"Nii chan has to come again! We want to play with you!" "Hai hai!! Nii chan play with us!"
Juo looked back at me once before turning around and sprinting out of the house through the kitchen door. I too ran to the kitchen door and watched as he disappeared through the trees that bordered the meadow outside. It was pretty dark and I hoped that he would find his way back home safely.
I didn't know what to do about him. He had asked me not to tell anyone about him. But he had also asked if he could come to see me again. I was quite intrigued by him....he seemed like a really nice person but his injuries and anxiousness bothered me to no end.
"Nee chan, will nii chan come back?" I looked down at Akio and Arata as they watched me with innocent curious eyes.
I smiled, placing my hands on their heads. "I'm sure he will. We just have to wait for him and keep our promise not to tell anyone about him."
"Why cant we tell anyone?" Akio asked curiously.
"Because....." I looked back at the trees. "If we do tell someone, he may not come back."
"We wont tell anyone!" "We promise, nee chan! We want nii chan to come again!" I smiled down at them once again.
"You two are such good boys. Now why don't we go inside and sleep? We have to wake up early tomorrow so that you're not late for school." They nodded and I held their hands as I led them back into the house.
Glancing one last time at the trees, I smiled. Juo....I hope that you do come visit us again. I would like to be friends with you and help you, at least a little. Shaking my head, I closed the kitchen door and headed to the room to turn in for the night.
~~~~~~~~~
Awww!! Juo kun is starting to open up a little because Yuki chan is so kind to him. I feel so sad for him :'( But things will get better, right? :)
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