<3
Chapter 38: Soliloquy: Koe
I never forgave those people who hurt Ai… I never will… They made her feel like the dirt they stepped on…
She did not care about how many people she had bumped into. She never apologized. If the fools dare stop her in order to make her apologize, they would cower in fear because of the death glare. Then they would ignore her, and she would ignore them, continuing her way.
How long ago was it that I was made fun of? I remembered that I was usually extremely angry whenever I had been associated with the Orochi legend, or even Maki-san… So much that I never knew… She seemed normal… She laughed at my reactions. She spoke like she normally would. But inside, something had been tearing her apart…
I was oblivious to Ai’s pain.
“It’s okay if you don’t return,” came the voice of her mother, standing in the doorway. “Go on somewhere where I can’t see you anymore. I just don’t know anymore… I don’t know how to love you anymore… We don’t need you.”
I could empathize with her very well. I was made fun of for being the eighth head who never got to eat before its death… Now, I realize that the others meant it as a joke and that it was supposed to not mean anything against me. But still… It felt like I was the one being laughed at… I would always over-react or lose my temper at that story, or even at the mention of Maki-san… But ever since the incident of Maki at the bridge… I lost my temper less and less…
I realized how much Ai was like me…
She had watched her. She watched Ai and Rika dance to the music of tAtu with Yuko looking on shifty-eyed. Eventually, the episode recording was finished, and everyone was saying their farewells to the studio staff; however, Risa was not saying ‘good work!’ to the others like she normally was. She was more concerned about her sick friend, who also received ‘get well soon!’ among other goodbyes. When Ai finally left, Risa followed silently, for she wanted to make sure that Ai reached her house without a problem.
There was a problem.
Risa rushed forward to the collapsed Ai. She then kneeled down and bent over, her pig-tails lolled to the side. “Good, you’re still breathing! I thought you passed out, and I’d have a real problem! But I shouldn’t even be smiling! Hold on, I’ll get help!”
Risa ran back to the studio, which was actually around the block. She needed to get hold of a someone, but most of the staff have already left, and a lot of the other members were too busy recording other aspects of the episode. She ran down hallways until she finally ran into someone.
“Watch where you’re going at that speed!” came the voice of a familiar obachan.
“Nakazawa-senpai!” Risa rubbed her head, “I need your help!”
“Sounds urgent, continue…”
“Ai collapsed not far from here, she needs a hospital, and I know I’m probably going to die trying, but can you drive to the hospital?”
“That’s a lot of nerve, asking me of all people to drive you two to the hospital, but since she really needs it, I’ll do it.”
…I think I’ll never ask Yuko to drive me anywhere again… Deep urgent emergencies only...
“Although she may seem fine on the outside… She’s got a terrible flu inside. The symptoms are really obvious, I’d like to think her parents would at least notice this…” she heard a low deep voice, probably that of a doctor’s, say. “It’s not at a severely critical stage, but medicine and lots of rest should suffice for her recovery,” the doctor explained to Yuko.
Why didn’t her parents notice if it was so obvious…? Risa thought as she sat in the corner, next to Ai’s bed. She saw Ai awake, but it seemed that her first object of notice was Yuko.
“We’re at a small clinic,” Yuko reassured Ai, “In case your brain is screwed up or something, it’s your ever loveable senior, Nakazawa.”
Ai got up immediately, “I need to go home!”
“Oh, I already contacted them. You should thank Risa…” Yuko pointed to the aforementioned pigtailed girl sitting on the other corner of Ai’s bed, “for bringing me to you for transportation to the hospital. Though I have no idea why she asked me, one of the worst drivers in H!P, but she was desperate and we got here in under give minutes; bending every single driving rule in the country practically.”
Ai turned to Risa and bowed humbly, “thanks.” Risa bowed her head in return, acknowledging her thanks.
And then the situation came…
“It’s okay if you don’t return,” came the voice of her mother, standing in the doorway. “Go on somewhere where I can’t see you anymore. I just don’t know anymore… I don’t know how to love you anymore… We don’t need you.”
Risa felt the anger swell up with each incoming word Ai’s mother had said. Then, she snapped.
“…How can you say that so easily?!” Risa rose out of her seat, clearly over reacting with her anger, “If our parents tell us that, what are we supposed to do?! Ai thinks she’s a bad person, but you people don’t even think that what you’re doing to us is wrong?! Venting your anger on us, hitting us, looking down on us… You’re hurting yourselves by hurting your children! How can you not understand a simple thing like that?! Apologize!” Yuko was now trying to hold back Risa from lashing, “Apologize to Ai!”
Ai’s mother looked horrified, but kept silent, perhaps thinking about what Risa had said. The doctor simply ushered Ai’s mother out of the room. “I said apologize to Ai!” Risa ran around the bed and was about to drag Ai’s mother back, but she was held back by the arm by Yuko.
“Thank you…”
Risa looked back at Ai, and she was crying, “Thank you so much…” Ai said again, crying into the sheets.
Risa could not help but let tears fall from her face as well.
I hate people like that very much…
Risa slammed the door open, much to the surprise of the manager and the head inside.
“Niigaki-san! She and I are in an important meeting right now! Don’t interfere!” The manager stood up, raising his voice threateningly.
“Shut up, and get lost…” Risa glared menacingly back at the man.
“How dare you be so rude!” The manager yelled, only to be cut off by Rika.
“I’m sorry, can we discuss this later? Come by again when I have an empty time slot in my schedule. Now is not the time, because Risa seems to have something of greater importance than simply discussing my hair color for the new single,” Rika smiled as she waved her hand dismissively.
The manager scowled at Rika before he walked briskly past the fifth generation member and slammed the door shut, leaving Risa in the room with Rika.
“So, what is it you wish to speak with me of, my dear eighth head?” Rika said as she stood up, walking towards the rather uptight woman.
“Why did you push Ai off the balcony?”
“Where did you hear such a thing?” Rika frowned.
“The heaven…”
“The heaven? How silly,” Rika turned around and walked over to the glass balcony door, looking out to the world on the other side of it, “You’re so funny,” Rika held the tips of her fingers to her mouth and giggled.
“Where is Ai?”
“I don’t know.”
“Lies! I know you had something to do with her disappearance!”
Rika lowered her head in an irritated manner before turning to Risa, “You believe in heaven, but not in God?”
“You know where Ai is… And you will tell me!” Risa rose her voice despite receiving lash from the spirit within her.
“I don’t know, stop asking me the same things that I do not have an answer for!” Risa also raised her voice, getting aggravated with the interrogation.
“Don’t give me that shit! I know you hid her or left her somewhere!” Risa walked closer to Rika, getting a firm stand.
“Feh! I seriously don’t know what you are talking abou—”
“Takahashi-san…”
Risa and Rika turned to look at the owner of the voice.
“…Has been sent to the hospital by car to avoid unnecessary attention from the press.”
“Yui…?” Rika’s eyes were no longer full of hatred.
“Ojou-sama…” Yui walked over and caressed Rika’s cheek with her hand, “You should not lock people up. It is morally wrong.”
“Where was she?” Risa asked in a low and almost inaudible voice.
“With our original ancestor…”
Risa’s eyes flared.
“…Inside a sealed shrine which also was the tomb of the Orochi…”
Risa charged and grabbed the collar pf Rika’s shirt, “This isn’t some twisted joke! You tried to kill her again!” she screamed at her.
“What’s it to you?!” Rika shouted back, still keeping a calm stance.
“Because I love her so damn much that I can’t stand to lose her! I thought it was obvious to you! Are you that oblivious?!”
“Aren’t you being the oblivious one?” Rika said, no longer yelling, but simply used a solemn voice, “You already knew I am not so lenient of relationships, yet, you declare your love for her. Was my inevitable wrath not obvious to you?
Ai felt the crimson rising in her cheeks, and she shook her head, “We can’t… Rika would be mad…”
“You know, she’s suffering because of you.”
“Weren’t you the one who gave her the scar?!” Risa yelled in reply.
“You’re the guilty one that’s strangling her with your love!” Rika shouted back.
Risa backed Rika into the glass wall. Yui could not stop Risa’s flying fist in time…
I won’t forgive those people for hurting you at all… I hate people who never apologize for their wrong-doings but act like they were the victims… I wanted to protect Ai from those good-for-nothing people… Not by depending on others, but with my own strength…
“You’re the guilty one that’s strangling her with your love!
I knew that… Somewhere inside of me, sirens went off… Acting like this…I knew it from the start… But…
Ai… I love you so much… Every time I see you, I would always feel content. Every time I hug you, I would always feel the greatest comfort from your warmth. Every time I kiss you, I would always feel wanted by you…
There was a loud crashing noise when Risa’s punch connected. Yui and Rika were both shocked…
But it’s exactly as Ojou-sama said… I made you suffer… I forced you into this and knew you might get hurt from this… I’m… I’m like those people… I thought that if it was me, then that was okay… That whatever was amiss, I pretended not to notice… I’m exactly like those people I had wanted to protect you from…
It’s useless…
Risa had hit the glass door, shattering the glass she had hit, thus her hand was bloody from the shards. She had narrowly missed Rika, for her extended arm rested on the head’s shoulder. The eighth head looked up at the demi-goddess slowly…
…Risa had a tear of blood coming from her left eye.
“Risa…” Rika said softly, eyes widened at the even before.
The younger removed her arm from the jagged hole in the door and turned around to leave.
“Risa?”
“Shut up,” Risa turned her head coldly, “If the spirit in me cannot kill you, I might as well kill myself.”
“Wait, Risa!” Rika called out, but it was too late, the door was slammed shut again. The head collapsed to her knees, still trying to proves what had just happened before her eyes.
“Ojou-sama?” Yui kneeled in front of Rika.
“Why is everyone betraying me?” Rika looked up at Yui with tears in her eyes. “I was born to be loved… Everyone was waiting for me…!” She cried harder, “ Why was I betrayed…?!”
Yui could not think of anything to say in order to comfort the head. Instead, she patted Rika’s head, and then she left the room to pursue Risa. The eighth head was just about to leave the building before Yui called out to her.
“You are not going to kill yourself, are you?”
“No… But you saw what happened when I said those words to her…” Risa did not turn her head to look at her fellow member.
“Go to the hospital when Takahashi-san is allowed to have visitors. The first thing she said when I found her was your name… She wants to see you badly… Risa-san.”
The fifth generation member’s expression soften, realizing the sense of Yui’s words. “Thank you…” Risa said, her voice slightly choking under her tears. But she wiped them away, and left the apartment
Ai…
“Gaki-san!” came a voice, snapping Risa from any further thought.
“Tanakacchi?”
“Your hand! It’s bleeding!” Reina pointed at the almost limp hand that belonged to the eighth head.
“Oh this?” Risa lifted her hand, to the confusion of the yankii, “I… I confronted her.”
“Rika?!” Reina’s wonky eyes widened, “And you weren’t lashing or panicking or anything? Wow… I admire your change…”
There was a silence.
Risa’s eyes enlarged to the shape of huge dinner plants and she grabbed her head and twisted her upper body in random directions, “I WAS SO SCARED! I THOUGHT MY LIFE WAS OVER THE SECOND I STEPPED IN! THE ATMOSPHERE ALMOST MADE ME PISS MY PANTS! I WAS SOOOOO FREAKING SCARED!!!!”
“…I take that back. You haven’t changed at all,” Reina looked off into the distance. “But I still can’t believe you tried to walk out with a hand like that.”
“Ehhhh… I guess I forgot to wrap it….”
“But, how did you bust your hand?”
“ I broke a glass door trying to hit her… Since you know, the spirit diverted my aim…Ugh… I have a huge migraine now thanks to the backlash…”
“…I see…” Reina looked down.
“Nn, mind if you come into my room with me? I’ll just bandage my hand and I’ll take you out for dinner.”
“Eh? What for?” Reina tilted her head in confusion.
“I’m hungry, and I don’t want to dine alone,” Risa smiled.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - Later, around the night…
She stirred slightly. She realized where she was, and thoughts came flooding back into her. She got up immediately, and ripped the wires that monitored her heart rate from her body. She saw her clothes in the nearby chair, and then she quickly tore off the hospital dress and wore her original clothes.
She also realized that she was on the first floor of the hospital, so she opened the window and jumped out, landing on the grass on the other side.
“I hate hospitals…” She muttered, and then she disappeared into the night…
Somewhere....
Risa was looking out into the night behind her balcony doors when she heard her cell phone ring. Surprisingly, it was Yui who called. “Yes?”
“Ai… She ran away from the hospital, I can’t find her anywhere, and the nurses and doctors can’t find her either… You should find her…”
A place for her to return to…
“Seriously?! I’m on it!” Risa hung up. She left her phone in her pants pocket, and took off her sweater, revealing a tanktop. With her sweater in her arms, she opened the balcony door and shut it behind her. The eighth head jumped on the railing and then sprouted her corresponding eight wings, ripping the tanktop where the wings had pierced.
“Ai…” Risa simply said, before flying off into the night.
She could no longer find it…
<3 I expect my fifteen comments you know.
Topic: Our Cursed Gift [Chapter 47: Our Final Promise][COMPLETE] (Read 170910 times)