[Authors' note: I can't believe I have to do this, but I might as well. I'm putting an abuse tw on this chapter. If this gives you anxiety in any way, please skip this chapter and wait for chapter 11.]
A few days later...
My phone began to ring. I looked. It was LaTanya. I answered. "Hey, T," I said. "Hey, May! You know how your birthday's comin' up, right?" "Yes, T. Why? If this is about the thing Hiro's planned, I don't wanna know." I said. "Nah, nah. It ain't about that. It's about your dad. How is he? He posted something on Facebook about it." "Oh, yeah. He's fine. He's getting better. Dad!" I called. "What?" He yelled back. "Are you getting better?" I asked, loudly. "Yes! Who's asking?" He replied, louder. "LaTanya!" "Ok!" "He said yes, T." I said. "I heard." LaTanya replied. "So, about your party, what music you want? Kid Rock, like usual, or The Lively?" "T, you know the answer to this. Kid Rock." I replied, quickly. "Oh, ok. Jeez. Hiro just wanted to know, so he can buy CDs." "Don't we have enough CDs, T?" "True, May, very true," She replied. "Ok, that's all I wanted. Thanks, May. Nice to talk to you again. Bye-bye." "Bye-bye." I replied. I heard the tone. I hung up.
"Who was it, May-May?" Abeoji asked. "LaTanya." I replied. "Which one is she? The autistic redhead? The black one?" "LaTanya is the black one, Abeoji. She's the one with the fake leg. That she got from a bar. For kicks." "Oh. That's her? I thought she was the redhead." "Wrong." I said, turning to face Abeoji. "Ollie's the redhead." "Oh. Ok. I get it now." Abeoji pushed his glasses up. "Are they bothering you?" "What is?" Abeoji asked. "Your glasses." I replied. "A little." He said, pushing them up again. "Take them off." I said. "Can't, really. I'm hypersensitive to fluorescent lighting. It hurts my eyes, May. You should know this." He said, smiling ever so slightly. "I didn't know that, Abeoji." I replied.
"Well, you should've by now. Haha." Abeoji said. He looked at Dad, then back to me. "I just realized," He said, clearing his throat, "You and your father look nothing alike." I glanced at Dad. He's right. I thought. "You're right about that, Abeoji." I replied, looking at the ceiling. My eyes darted back and forth. Shadow here, shadow there. I thought. "So, May, I have a couple questions to ask you about American trends." Oh, dear Lord here we go. "What is that dance that American teens do? The thrusting one?" Abeoji began to demonstrate. I began to do it with him. "Do you know which song it came from?" He asked. I shook my head. Dad walked in. "Hi, Dad." I said. "Hi, Jasper." Gackt echoed. "Oh, my God. Are you two seriously doing that stupid thrusting dance?" Dad asked. I nodded. "Care to join us?" Abeoji asked. Dad began to do the dance too. "I bet I can go faster than you, Dad." I teased. I began to go faster. "You sure about that?" He asked. He also began to go faster. Abeoji stopped. Dad stopped. I kept going. "C'mon, I know you two can do better than that." I stopped.
I took a breath. I heard a knock at the door. I heard the familiar voice, "Helloooooo?" I ran to the door. I opened it slowly, hoping it wasn't Hana. It was Gakuko and Kaicho. "Hi, Gakuko! Hi, Kaicho!" I said, cheerfully. "Hey, May! What's-" "What's up, May?" Gakuko asked. Kaicho turned and glared at Gakuko. "I was gonna ask that!" Kaicho yelled. Gakuko glared. "May's MY friend!" She screamed. Gackt walked up, "Will you two stop screaming in the street?!" He yelled. Kaicho began to cry. "Oh, good job, Gakuto!" Gakuko yelled. Gackt and Gakuko began to argue in Japanese. I wrapped my arms around Kaicho and put one hand on his ear and let him bury his face into my chest. I began petting his hair. I never thought it was this curly. I giggled. "I never knew your hair was this curly, Kaicho." Gakuko looked over. "Kaicho. Kaicho! KAICHO!" She yelled. "Don't yell at him!" Gackt yelled back. They began arguing again. "My God you two!" I screamed. They stopped and looked over. "Stop it! Kaicho's crying over here and you two are acting like Hiromi and Lui!" Kaicho picked his head up. "May," He whispered. I stopped to take a breath. "Yes, Kaicho?" I whispered back. "I have to tell you something, inside," He continued. I walked inside with Kaicho. "What's up?" I asked. He looked up, tears flowing. I made sure Dad was out of earshot. "My dad's been drinking again. He hit me last night." Kaicho pulled up his sleeves. There were multiple cuts and scars, from previous cuts.
There was a fresh wound, with a piece of glass stuck in his arm, tainted red by blood. "He doesn't dare hit Gakuko. Papa doesn't hit her because he knows he'll get hit right back," Kaicho began to cry more. "He did this one today. He hit me with the bottle he was drinking out of. Said I was a mistake, and that I shouldn't have been born!" Kaicho began to wail. I hugged him tight, being careful of his wound. Dad heard and rushed in. "May, what's the matter?" Dad asked, in a panic. "Dad," I choked. "Kaicho's getting hit." Dad gasped. "Let me see, Kaicho." He said, calmly. Kaicho turned and showed Dad his arms. I turned to look at Abeoji and Gakuko. They had stopped arguing, but Gakuko was talking to Abeoji calmly. "Come in, Gakuko. I'll see what I can do." Abeoji said. Gakuko sat next to Kaicho. I noticed Gakuko had a bruise on her cheek. She had been crying. Dad was about to cry. He sat in the chair across from us. Abeoji closed the door, Kimi behind him, in tears. Kimi and Abeoji pulled up a chair and sat down, making a circle. Kimi pulled her knees up to her chest. She put her head in her lap.
"Kimi?" Abeoji asked. She looked up. "Did you know about this?" He continued. She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me, Kimi?" He asked. "Because. I didn't want Gakuko and Kaicho to get taken away..." Kimi said, quietly. Gakuko nodded in agreement. "Kaicho gets the worse end of it... He gets hit. Sho always hits him. Not me." Gakuko said. Dad asked, "What do you mean by 'the worse end of it'?" Gakuko looked over at Kaicho. "Kaicho's the one to get cuts and scars. I get punched and slapped. Kei's the one to get the worst out of all of us." Kimi nodded. "Mama gets kicked and pushed. Only this morning Papa pushed Mama down the stairs." Gakuko nodded. "Kei has a bruise on his side. A huge one." She said, wiping her eyes. "Gakuko and Kaicho are not going to be taken away. If it was Kei, too, they would've. Kei doesn't hurt you, does he?" Dad asked. Gakuko shook her head. "He would never..." Gakuko said. "Mama would never hit us." Kaicho added. Gakuko nodded. Tears dripped off her chin onto the floor. Kaicho hugged her. Gakuko began to cry quietly. I hugged Gakuko too. Kimi also hugged her.
Dad hugged Gakuko after Kimi did. We looked over at Abeoji. "C'mon. Hug her." I mouthed. He shook his head, smiling. I nodded. "No." He mouthed. "If you can hug your fans you can hug my friend!" I mouthed again. Abeoji gave me a look. "Well, this is different!" He mouthed. I glared. He glared back. "Come. On. Abeoji. Hug. Her." I mouthed. He sighed. He got up and walked over to Gakuko. He wrapped his arms around her awkwardly. "Good." I whispered. Abeoji gave me a look. Again. I gave the look back. Everybody let go of Gakuko.
There was a very loud knock on the door. Then the sound of glass breaking. "Gakuko! Kaicho!" The words were slurred. "It's Sho." Gakuko panicked. "Hide." Abeoji commanded. Gakuko and Kaicho began to run into Abeoji's bedroom. They closed and locked the door. "Gakuko! KAICHO! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!" Another glass bottle broke. Abeoji stood up and walked to the door. I followed behind. "Stand behind me. I don't know if he has a gun or not." Abeoji muttered. He opened the door slowly. There he stood. Sho Seito. "Where are Gakuko and Kaicho?" He growled, words slurring together. "I know they're here. Let me in!" Abeoji shook his head. "They're not here." He said. "I watched them run here. Now, WHERE ARE THEY?!" Sho yelled. "They're not here!" Abeoji raised his voice. Sho prepared to spit. Abeoji took his glasses off. Sho spit into Abeoji's face. Abeoji looked angry, but didn't do anything. He carefully wiped it off. Sho growled, "I KNOW YOU HAVE THEM HERE! GIVE THEM TO ME!" Abeoji sighed loudly, "I told you. They're not here." Sho punched Abeoji with his right fist. I heard the crack of the bone in Abeoji's nose. Abeoji now looked very angry. His brows furrowed. Blood began to drip onto the front steps. "Now, give Gakuko and Kaicho to me and there'll be no more issues. Aight?" Abeoji screamed, "I TOLD YOU MORE THAN ONCE! THEY'RE NOT HERE!" Sho began to laugh. The drunken laugh I've heard more than once. "They're here. I know it." He laughed more. "They aren't here. Now get out before I call the police." Abeoji warned. Sho kept laughing drunkenly. He pulled out a glass bottle and drank from it. "Empty. Damn." He muttered. Sho slammed the bottle onto the ground. It shattered. Abeoji was still standing there, the blood still dripping. A police siren was heard. "They're here." I muttered. Sho looked over Abeoji's shoulder, to me. "You, girl! You know where Gakuko and Kaicho are?" I shook my head. Abeoji stepped to the side, exposing me to Sho. Sho lunged at me. I stepped back. "Don't put your hands on her, Seito!" Abeoji commanded. A police officer came up behind Sho and handcuffed him. "Stop it! Stop! Let go of me! LET GO!" He screamed and thrashed around. The officer pulled out a taser and shocked Sho. He fell to the ground. Abeoji then quickly closed the door. He turned to face Dad and Kimi. "Oh my God, Gackt, are you ok? You're bleeding!" Dad stood up and rushed to him. "Oh my God, you need to sit down." Dad continued. Kimi pulled a chair over. Abeoji sat down, while Dad ran back with a wet paper towel and a couple dry ones. Dad knelt down and gently grabbed the back of Abeoji's head. He used the wet paper towel to wipe the blood from his top lip and lips. "Are you in any pain?" Abeoji shook his head. "You sure?" He nodded. "I wish Sho Seito didn't drink." He mumbled. Dad wiped the blood from Abeoji's chin and nodded. "I wish that too." Dad said. Abeoji's bedroom door clicked.
"Is it safe?" Gakuko asked. I nodded. Her and Kaicho walked out slowly. "What are they doing to Papa?" Kaicho asked. "They're arresting him." I said. The tears rolled down Gakuko and Kaicho's faces. "I'm sorry." I said again. "I think he also broke my nose." Gackt added, before wincing. "It hurts." "I know, sweetheart, I know." Dad said, gently cupping Abeoji's cheek. I stared at them. "Sweetheart?" I asked. "Yeah. So?" Dad asked back. "I'm telling Hiromi." I said. "Go ahead." Abeoji said. I nodded. "I will." I said again. "Mr. White?" Kaicho asked. Dad replied, "Yes, Kaicho?" "May we call our mom?" Dad nodded. "Of course you can!" Kaicho pulled out his phone and dialed a number. He put the phone to his ear. "Hi, Mama. I'm at May's house. Mama, can I tell you something? They arrested Papa... He watched us run there. He smashed bottles on the ground. He punched Mr. Camui in the nose. He broke it, Mama!" Kaicho began to cry. "Please, Mama. Pick us up. We don't wanna walk back..." Kaicho cried. Gakuko hugged him. He kept crying. "I love you too, Mama. Bye." Kaicho hung up. He cried more. "Oh, my God. I'm sorry, Kaicho." Kaicho sniffled, "It's not your fault, Mr. Camui. It's ours." He sniffled again, loudly. "Kaicho, it's not your fault. You came to us. You did the right thing by coming to us." Abeoji said. Kaicho sniffled again, Gakuko still wrapped around him. "Mama's coming to pick us up." Kaicho said. "Good, good." Abeoji said. I looked around, tears welling in my eyes. "May? You alright?" Gakuko asked. I nodded, solemnly. "You don't seem okay." She said. There was a loud knock on the door. "Gakuko! Kaicho!" Someone called. "It's me, Mama! C'mon, please open the door!" They kept calling. "Abeoji? Permission to open the door?" I asked. He nodded. I went to the door and opened it. A blonde man rushed in and threw his arms around Gakuko and Kaicho. "Mama..." Gakuko began to cry. Kaicho did the same, as both him and Gakuko threw their arms around the blonde man. "Thank you, thank you!" The man stood up. He had a slight muscular build, blonde hair and brown eyes. He wasn't very tall, around 5'6". "Thank you for saving them." He said to Abeoji. "You don't thank me, thank my stepdaughter, May." He gestured to me. I smiled a little bit, the corners of my mouth twitching upward.
"Thank you, May. So much. You saved them. You saved me." He took my hands and kissed them. I blushed a little. The man stood up. "My name is Kei. Kei Seito. How can I ever repay you? I will do absolutely anything. Anything at all." He said, rocking on his heels. "It's ok," I said. "You don't have to do anything. Really. I'm just doing what I did back in Michigan." "Hold on. I have to tell Gakuko and Kaicho something." He knelt down to Gakuko and Kaicho, who were whispering to each other in Japanese. He said in a half-whisper, "Watashi wa akanbō o ushinatta." Gakuko and Kaicho gasped. They began to cry more. "What happened?" I asked Gakuko. She leaned on me and said, "Mama lost the-" She sniffled. "baby." She began to cry more, tears running down her cheeks and onto my lap. Kaicho leaned on me too, sniffling and whimpering every now and again. Kei then leaned me, too, and cried a little bit. I patted Kaicho and Gakuko's heads. "Daijobu." I said, while still patting their heads. "Daijobu," I gently pet their heads, in an effort to calm them down. "Soreha daijobu." I said one last time. The crying and sniffling stopped. "Daijobu." I said. "Soreha daijobu." I said one last time. "Thank you, May. Thank you." Gakuko said. "Yeah, May. Thank you." Kaicho and Kei said in unison. I smiled. "Just doing my civic duty." I heard snickering behind me. I turned to see Abeoji, snickering. "What is so funny?" I asked. He kept snickering. "Ha. Ha. I said 'duty'. Ha. HA." I said, bluntly. I stood up. "HA!" I said again, even more bluntly. "May!" Dad said. "What, Queenie?" I replied. "Be nice." He said.
I nodded. "Yes, Dad." I said, without a hint of sarcasm in my voice. "You're lying." He said. "Anata wa usotsukidesu. Soshite, kan'ningu." Abeoji said. "What does that mean?" I replied, angrily. "You are a liar. And a cheat." He replied. "Is that some obscure reference?" Abeoji nodded. "Yeah. An obscure reference from 2010. From a movie called Bunraku." He stuck his tongue out. I did the same. Abeoji snickered. I rolled my eyes. "What?" He asked, with a surprised look. I glared. "What did I do?" Abeoji asked again. I shook my head. "Nothing." I said, sarcastically. "May," Dad warned. "Yes?" I said. "Stop being so damn sarcastic." He replied. I gave Dad a thumbs up. "Thank you." Kimi picked her head up. "Kimi?" Abeoji asked. "Yes, Gackt-sama?" "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?" Kimi shook her head. "Ok." Abeoji said. Kei looked over to Abeoji and I. "Are we allowed to leave?" Kei asked. "Abeoji? Permission to check the door?" "Go ahead." I opened the door slightly. No cops. No Sho. Nobody. "It's all clear." I turned to Kei. "You sure?" Abeoji asked.
I nodded. "Ok, let's go Gakuko, Kaicho." They stood up on command. Kei smiled. "Thank you all, again. So much. Thank you." I went to the door and opened it. "Thank you." Gakuko said. She hugged me. Kaicho did the same. All three of them exited, then bowed slightly. "Arigato." They said in unison. I bowed slightly, nodded, then closed the door. "May," Abeoji said, "can I ask, what in the hell was that?" I turned and replied, "I was being polite." He snickered. "You Americans never cease to amaze me." He began to laugh. "Gackt," Dad warned. Abeoji kept laughing. "Gackt." Dad said again. Abeoji said in between laughs, "Yeah, Jasper?" Dad replied, "I think she's being serious." Abeoji's laughs stopped automatically. "Oh. I'm sorry, May. I thought you weren't being serious." "Eh. Half and half." I replied. "Half and- Jesus Christ, kid." Gackt said, running a hand through his hair. "God." He smiled. He snickered, looking at Dad, then me. Dad gave me an 'I don't know' look. "Just Gackt being Gackt." He mouthed. I shrugged with a half smile on my face. Dad did the same.