CHAPTER 3: ABANDONED
I run. You scatter.
I seek. You hide.
And here I stand about to cry yet there isn't even an echo of your good bye.
I rushed home today. From the hospital. I had another attack. The doctor told me to get plenty of rest and yet I still rushed home because I knew I was late and I didn't want you to get too hungry. You never did like to cook and you were so happy when you discovered that I had a talent for it. You encouraged me to cook and to clean, saying that you were giving me the opportunity to perfect these talents of mine and I never complained. After all, you are my family, mum and dad even though you don't always respect that term or acknowledge the responsibilities attached to it.
I needed you today. Or perhaps I just needed someone to go to for comfort, to sulk and whine to. My friends would not understand for they only have the attention span of a gold fish for matters non-Rukawa related. And so there was only you, because you are family.
You're a strong kid, you once told me when I fell down on the pavement and started crying. I reached for you and yet you just told me that I was strong. Perhaps that was your type of encouragement or perhaps you just didn't want to get your clothes dirty.
I wasn't strong then and I cried for a good five minutes before I realised that you weren't getting up from the bench. And so I picked myself up. And I became a little stronger.
And over the years, all the moments, I became stronger and stronger until I didn't reach for your hand anymore. But you know what? Even strong people break down sometimes. And today is one of those days. Yet, when I arrived home today, there isn't even a shadow left of you. Only a letter… only a letter…
I watch as it flickers in the ashtray, dancing in the flames that slowly engulf it.
How can you do this to me? You promised not to do this again. Not to get involved in things like that, not to abandon me. And yet, here I am abandoned. Alone with nothing but this letter that you have left me.
But that soon, shall leave me too…
I waited until the last of the letter disintegrated into ash, then grabbed my backpack. At the same time I heard a knock at the front door.
Uh oh…
"Anybody home?" a muffled voice sneered.
I opened the nearest window and threw my backpack through it.
Knock, knock. "I know you are in there, Hiroyasu." Another voice whistled and this was followed by laughter from at least two others.
I gasped, then lifted one of my legs out of the window.
Knock, knock, knock. There was silence for a moment and then THUD! Which was followed by a dreadful Crrrreeeeak!
I bumped my head on the window as I heard the front door give way slightly. The "guests" appeared to be growing impatient. But then again so was I. My head was already throbbing from the fall earlier (damn redheaded baka) and this new bump wasn't really helping. I could practically feel my own IQ dropping as I struggled to fit through the small opening. If only they would break down my door more quietly so I could concentrate. Yep. IQ was definitely decreasing rapidly.
Another Crrrreeeeak as one of the guests ran against the door. The whole house appeared to shake under the impact and the window loosened up and fell on my shoulders. I lifted it back up only to have it fall down again as I heard yet another THUD. I tried to get through the window again and again, however they were just as persistent with each THUD louder and more nerve wracking (for me at least) than the last. More laughter followed from the group although I really couldn't see the humour of it all at the moment.
I had just managed to squeeze myself through the window when I heard one last THUD.
Ah… poor door.
I didn't have time to pray for the unfortunate and unappreciated door that had just had its life cut short though as I quickly began crawling away. After all, I had no intention of sharing the same fate.
I tapped my fingers nervously on the public phone and delved deep into my pockets. Only a few coins, not even enough for a burger.
Call this uncle. He will be able to help you.
I dialled the number I had memorised from the letter and listened impatiently to the dial tone.
Ring…ring…ring…
Pick up, pick up… I thought as I tried to send subliminal messages through the line. I stared at an empty bench on the other side of the street and felt a shiver run down my spine at the thought of what possible fate awaited me otherwise.
Ring… ring… ring…
Click.
My heart jumped.
"Moshi Moshi?" My heart made another leap.
"Sorry, but I am not available at the moment… so please leave a message after" I hung up and sighed as I heard the phone click and swallow up 10 of my total wealth.
Great. Now what was I going to do?
I left the phone booth in disappointment and then…
Ring. Ring.
I picked it up before the third ring.
"Hello…?"
I stood uncertainly just outside Nishi Street which led to a long line of cheap and identical terrace houses.They were typical early 1960s buildings constructed under the government's development plan to use the cheapest materials to accommodate the poorest people in the region. Today, the area housed mostly people on the brink of poverty, namely widows, single mothers, estranged wives, bankrupt stockbrokers and low-level criminals. And today, another category would join the already rather colourful bunch whether she wanted to or not - the abandoned teen.
I had been standing on the corner for almost 20 minutes now. Standing just outside the path of no return. Yes. I felt ashamed. I didn't want to be a part of 'that' kind of community. And most of all I didn't want to accept the cold hard truth that I really didn't have much of a choice. I was good at denial and so I continued standing there, pretending to be waiting for a friend. The harsh wind pierced my skin and I wrapped my arms around myself as I realised that I had forgotten to bring a jacket in my haste. An elderly gentleman in a trench coat passed me on the street and gave me a warm smile. My teeth were clattering by then and I attempted to smile back weakly.
"Can I help you, hun?"the kind man asked, just as I was wondering the very same thing.
However, before I could answer him, he began to open up his trench coat. At first I thought he was going to offer his coat to me. Then, as his smile turned into more of a grin I thought perhaps he was trying to sell me stolen watches. However both those theories proved to be entirely incorrect, as his coat dropped to the ground.
EEP!
I looked away, but it was too late. My innocence and appetite had already been taken away. And so I did the next best thing. I ran. I ran into the dark and narrow street and kept running as if I could leave the string of bad luck behind. I kept running and the road kept on getting longer and longer until I felt like I couldn't run anymore. I looked behind me, but there was no sign of the old geezer.
Phew!
I took a moment to catch my breath before taking a look around at my surroundings.
The street was even shoddier than it appeared from the outside. The air reeked of decaying food and mould and the neighbours appeared to be competing in a 'whose lawn is taller, weedier, and smellier' contest. I glanced at the nearest house.
Number 4/129.
Hmmm… that's right next to…
And then I saw it… the most horrible image I had ever seen during my young life, made only more horrifying by the fact that I, gulp, would have to live there. The house itself was identical to all the other houses on the street, plain and clad in cheap metal sidings. However, the front lawn put all the other lawns to shame. The grass, along with a mass of weeds, was almost my height, and scattered across the lawn was an assortment of rubbish - plastic bags, rotten food and who knew what else. It appeared that this abandoned property had become a littering ground for passers-by.
There is a little problem with the place, the uncle on the phone had told me, but I assured him that I would be able to take care of it. As so I must.
Using my school bag to shield my face, I brushed aside the tall weeds with my free arm. After much struggle, I finally managed to navigate my way to the front door… only to find it was sealed with large timber planks. And so I laughed. I laughed at my own bad luck and I laughed at what a fool I had been and I laughed and laughed and laughed until it hurt and I felt hot tears burning down my face. I banged the back of my head on the door as if the physical pain might numb away the emotional. It didn't help, for all I felt was more pain and so I tried again and again, until all I could think of was the throbbing pain in my head and then BANG. I felt something hit me on the head and as it fell into my hands, I realised that it was one of the wooden planks. I turned around and cautiously pulled at another plank. It came off quite easily. Too easily. And that was when I realised that the doors and windows weren't really sealed. They were only made to look like they were. I suddenly felt my life literally glow a little brighter, but only by a little as I pulled one plank after another off the walls and threw open the door to the dark and dingy room inside.
I tried a light switch near the door.
Hmmm… no electricity. I took a few candles out of my backpack (a backup for those days when you forgot to pay the bills, or couldn't afford to) and lit them, balancing them carefully on the counter. I trailed my fingers across the surface and collected a handful of dust, and as the candlelight glimmered playfully on my hand, I allowed the dust, the history of the place, to slowly filter through my fingers.
A family must've lived here, once upon a time…
I grabbed my washcloth and ran it over the old oak table next to the counter, carving a clear path through the layers of dust.
A small family… I thought, spotting three chairs, each taking up a corner of the square table.
I made more irregular patterns on the table as I imagined how it must've been.
A mama, a papa and a child... no… I spotted a picture frame in the corner of the window-sill and took it in my hands and drew a deep breath before letting it all out… I laughed as some of the ancient powder splattered in my face and the photo began to reveal itself… and a boy! A mischievous little boy he must've been… I could tell from his cheeky smile.
I moved onto the floors, dipping a newly cobweb-ridden mop into a neglected bucket. As the water swirled under the pressure of the mop, both mop and bucket appeared to have been brought back to life. With a mop in one hand and a feather duster (that I had found in one of the cupboards) in the other, I began to work. And as I did, I felt as if I was uplifting this imaginary (or perhaps not so imaginary) cloth that had been suffocating the place for so long, and as I slowly lifted its load, the place began to trust me, and as I rejuvenated the very fibres of the house, I began to unveil one mystery after another – a "World's Best Mum" mug, once broken but taped back together, lying forgotten under the kitchen counter, an old basketball trading card buried in the couch, an old family portrait hidden a pillow.
They weren't very well off, this family of three. In fact, they were quite poor and yet… they were happy for they appreciated every moment that they shared with each other. I wrapped my arms around the photo as I lay down on the small futon bed in the corner of the room, the only corner in the whole house that wasn't dusty for some reason. But I was too exhausted to care as the overly stressful and tiring day was finally overcoming me. As I felt my eyelids growing heavier and heavier, I clutched my fingers around the frame more tightly, envying this imaginary family and thinking, why couldn't I have the same?
Some time later, a door opened and an exhausted Sakuragi Hanamichi walked in. Running his fingers under the counter near the door, he found the hidden switch beneath one of the drawers and flipped it on.
The basketball practice today had been intense and he couldn't wait to crawl under the covers of his bed.
Then, as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light and the room came into view, he gasped.
What the hell happened in here!
Disclaimer: Most of the characters belong to Inoue-san, I just delve deeper into their character
Authoress' Note: As always huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed, its means a lot to me to know that people are actually reading this little fic . Also thanks to my beta readers, hopefully my grammar would keep on improving…hehe
Yun Fei: hehe…well…it's not exactly SakuragixOC since Wa is already in the anime. But yes, I think I will concentrate on SakuragixWa for the moment in case I end up confusing myself. And if there is an opportunity for Rukawa to step in… hehehe
Iced T: I'm still learning to respect it. eats the gold star…hmmm…chocolate covered wrapping…
Calliope Medina Erato: Sorry, I'm not too familiar with the names of the grades so sorry for confusing you. I have fixed it. At the time, Wa was a first year just like Sakuragi and Rukawa. Now they are in second year.
Eliar Swiftfire: hehe…the first part was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend. Oh well…as for the name thing, I think it still makes sense…it gives a feeling as if being friends with those girls took away a part of her identity from the very beginning.
Momo: Well, I suppose it's the fact that people cannot accept the things that Wa has done in the first act that she had so much trouble fitting in.
biggest anime fan: Thanks for reviewing For the moment there will be no triangles because I don't want to force any triangles from happening.
frozenfemale: I'm glad you enjoyed it.