Chapter 4

Slowly waking up, the feeling of cold metal around his wrists along with the sound of dripping water filled him with dread. His body small and visibly malnourished, now an elementary aged child.

Opening his eyes and sitting up, he saw the damp, moldy brick basement around him and immediately began to hyperventilate.

Pulling on the shackle around his wrist, the chain attached to the wall rattled loudly.

Hearing footsteps above him, he pulled harder, trying desperately to pull himself free.

He flinched when the door opened with a bang, an older woman standing at the top of the stairs holding something.

"You wake up and instantly start making a racket. I thought I told you to stay quiet down here."

The woman spoke slowly with hatred and disgust in her voice as she started descending the stairs, hitting the baseball bat that she held in her hand agaisnt the wall as she slowly made her way toward him.

"You're supposed to listen to your Mother you ungrateful bastard!"

She kicked him in the face as she spoke, spitting on him.

"Oh, is the little mistake sad? Are you gonna start crying now? Piece of garbage."

Kicking him in the ribs, she pushed the bat against his cheek.

"Come on. Say something! You're Mother is talking to you!"

Shaking in fear, he looked at her over her shoulder, managing only a whimpered whisper.

"Please stop, Mom."

Hearing his whimpering pleas, she kicked him again.

"Do you hear yourself? Whimpering and begging like a little coward. You're pathetic, you know that? A waste of life and space. I should've gotten an abortion."

Spitting on him again, she hit his back with the bat.

"Stop!"

Managing one yell, he grabbed the bat, pulling it.

She immediately began laughing at Inoue's weak but deliberate defiance.

"So the little bastard finally decides to fight back? Your Father is gonna love this. Gazubiro! Come handle your son!!! He thinks he has a choice on how he gets treated."

Hearing her words and the subsequent heavy footsteps, he immediately froze, all color leaving his face as a fat man with dirty clothes and an angry scowl stomped down the stairs.

Seeing Inoue holding the bat, the man chuckled.

"So, you finally decide to fight back, hm? Do you plan to hit your Mother or me with that bat or are you going to hit yourself and take the pleasure of beating you to death away from me?"

Lifting the bat with shaky hands, Inoue struggled agaisnt his fear.

"I'll give you one shot. Make it count."

Closing his eyes, he prepared to swing thr bat but before he could, a wave of pain fludded his body when the man's heavy boot slammed into his face.

Falling back and hitting his head on the hard floor, Inoue's vision blurred as both his parents started laughing.

"Akemi. Fill the tub and get me my gloves."

As his mother walked upstairs laughing, Inoue cried out in pain as his father began pun hung and kicking him before unlocking the chain and grabbing him by the hair.

"I'm gonna make you wish that you had died that night you hung yourself. Little bastard."

Being dragged up the stairs by his hair, Inoue began crying and trying to grab anything while hyperventilating.

Shivering and shaking while curled into a ball, I our cried as the bitter cold air bit at his barely clothed body.

Wearing only a pair of shorts and a tank top, his small, malnourished body trembled.

Flinching as he heard the crunch of snow as someone walked closer to him, he curled into a tighter ball in an attempt to hide.

As the door opened, a gust of rigidly cold wind burst in along with some falling snow.

"Inoue!?! Oh my gosh!"

Hearing Yuna's voice he looked at her from over his shoulder, his right eye swollen shut.

Rushing to his side, she took off her jacket and put it over him, seeing the bruises and cuts all over his body with some still bleeding.

"You're bleeding. It's ok. I'm here now. Come on."

Lifting him to his feet, she put his arm over her shoulder to act like a crutch as she helped him out of the shed and down the street.

"It'll be ok. My Dad is home. I was coming over to ask you to come over to play and I saw the shed door open a bit. Did your Mom and Dad hit you again?"

Barely conscious, he nodded. Basically being dragged along by Yuna.

"I know I promised not to say anything Inoue, but I can't just let them hurt you like this all the time. My Dad will help. He's nice and he likes you."

Shaking his head weakly, he spoke in a whispery voice.

"If you do. I'll get sent away."

Her face saddened as she heard him but she continued to pull him along.

"I know. But you'd be safer. I'd miss you if you left but they're going to kill you one of these times and I won't let that happen."

Helping him into an appartment building, Yuna's face brightened when she saw her father, a large but kind looking man who was waiting for her.

Blinking, he saw that he was standing on the edge of the roof of his highschool, on the other side of the saftey railing.

Before he could move, he felt someone grab his waist, holding on tight

"Dont you dare, inoue! I'm not letting you jump. If you jump then I'll jump behind you! You hear me? Come back!!"

Yelling at him, she used her full strength and began pulling him back over the saftey railing and just as his feet left the ground he jolted.

Sitting up in his bed in a cold sweat, he look around. Seeing his room, his computer monitor showing his game character alone this time.

Realizing that it was all just a nightmare of years long passed, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked st the clock. Noticing that he was running late.

Jumping up and quickly getting dressed, he grabbed his bag and ran out the door. Only stopping to get his lunch from Miss. Tanaka who forced him to stop and take it while giving him a sandwich to eat as he ran toward the station.

Sitting in his seat in class at the back of the class next to the window, he flinched when Hikaru threw a book at him just before Yuna and the teacher walked in.

Sitting in her seat, right in front of him, she smiled at him as the teacher cleared his throat.

"Before we start today's lessons. We have a new student joining us. Come on in and introduce yourself to the class."

Everyone, especially the boys perked up when a gorgeous girl walked into the class, her silver hair trailing behind her. Her emerald green eyes scanning the room before seemingly locking on to Inoue.

She bowed to the class and smiled, fixing her hair that fell out of place.

"It's nice to meet you all. My name is Philomena, I'm very excited to be joining this class and I hope to get to know you all and become friends."