|Old wounds(part 1)

“Don’t reply him, Shirou.”

Misaka sharply turned to him, trying to grab his attention. It seemed like a desperate attempt whose result was unclear. His facial expression didn’t change even after hearing the request. It just didn’t shock him.

“You guys must have thought of it at least once, right?”

“We don’t have the right to pry into people’s lives. Stop trying to be a smart ass right now.”

“Lucas, you just don’t get it. You’re trying to tell me if you had a serial killer sitting in front of you, you’ll interact with them using a clean slate? That’s impossible. I respect your privacy but this is something that needs to be made clear.”

“What if I don’t tell you?”

“.….”

“Shirou, listen to me. You don’t have to tell him anything. Let’s just forget about the whole topic, okay?”

---If only it was that easy.

“Misaka, it’s fine.I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Too bad though, my memory is quite fuzzy.”

Harry glared at him, his suspicion rose even further. Did his words bother Shirou that much? In his head, Shirou running away from the question was something that could not be ignored.

“What do you mean by that?”

Shirou bent his transparent straw with his right fingers and pushed the drink away.

“I don’t remember much from the incident. No, not just that. The past as a whole. That was due to the incident. You didn’t expect me to come out unscathed, right? Well, maybe you did, seeing that in your eyes I might not be any different from a killer.”

He paused and braced himself. His voice was known for it’s certain level of emptiness but now it felt like he was putting an effort in the story he was about to tell.

“From what I recall and all I was told, I spent about 3 years at Uzomi. Those 3 years were fairly normal. Like now, I preferred being the background character. Of course,I had many classmates that I occasionally interacted with but there was no depth to it.I managed to make friends eventually.Thus began the bullying. It came so suddenly that I didn’t know how to react to it.At first, it wasn’t physical so I didn’t take it that deep..No, I should have but I didn’t…..The bullying gradually increased and it became more severe by the day, I guess they were on an endless quest of gaining satisfaction from it. Unfortunately for me, they never did. Instead they got more creative.”

He couldn’t help but picture the scenes in his head. The image was very clear and very disturbing. He wished that he could not remember the painful parts of his past but it was inevitable. The memories of his past were random so he could not actively select what to remember and what not to remember. He squeezed the straw tightly, his eyes narrowed and his pupils considerably shrunk.

“Now I see why you were mad at us earlier today.”

Wendy was not interested in this topic from the start but this only made her angry at Harry. It was true that she did think about it but she wanted the question to answer itself. She wasn’t a genius but it didn’t take one to know that Shirou was clearly uncomfortable.

“Wendy, let him finish.”

He dropped the straw he held in response to the twinge feeling in his head. It felt like he was struck at the center of his head with a bat. Misaka glared even harder at Harry but it was clear that only shutting him up by force could be effective. Similar to Wendy, Misaka was cursed with a very bad temper. Luckily for her, Lucas had been by her side for a long time, acting as the water to her flames. Even she could not keep quiet in such a situation but she didn’t know the least intense thing to do or say at this particular moment. “Stop” would have been effective but it was Harry she was dealing with.

“Just stop this already.”

“It’s just a headache.. I’m fine.”

“There’s no need to push…”

“Let…him…finish…”

Harry furiously slammed the table, diverting the attention of everyone to them. The restaurant that was full of different voices from each tables had now gone silent. There was a bit of confusion among them. Misaka was finally ready to say something, whatever came to her head, even if it may have potentially left a bitter taste in Shirou’s mouth. She simply couldn’t stop herself any longer.This pushed him to pick up the straw and continue.

“Right….I remember trying to jump off the rooftop; then they showed up.”

“And?”

“I don’t remember what happened after that. Like a huge gap in my memory. I woke up in the hospital soon after with 2nd degree burns and a scar on my back. Since then, I’ve been getting severe headaches out of the blue. The news spread like wildfire and different versions were made but even I don’t know the full story. I doubt it’s a closed case but I am still a suspect so you can make whatever you want up, I won’t refute anything.”

“You expect me to believe such a convenient lie?”

“You have no choice.That’s all I know.”

Those words came as an oddity to Wendy. Compared to his previous words, the way he spoke, his facial expressions,she could tell that this was a lie. He gazed at her eyes and his fell flat with a sense of betrayal. But then again, could he blame her?

“The story is kind of twisted. That is why I prefer not telling people in the first place. I hope you are happy now.”

---Because I’m not.

He bent the straw and left the seat, looking down on the others with a disappointed look.

“Wait…Shirou.”

“If you told me this from the start, I would have stayed away. I’ll pay for the drinks.”

He looked down as he walked to the counter. There were some scattered murmurs due to all their attention being focused on the five of them. As he left, Misaka took a deep breath and scowled at Harry. She made her voice as faint and clear as possible; the balance between these two was extremely difficult.

“Care to explain your sudden out-burst?”

“ARE YOU PEOPLE BLIND OR SOMETHING?”

“Oi, Harry.Quit yelling.”

Lucas silenced him in an uncharacteristic cold manner.For a split second, the dark look in his eyes scared him. The faint feeling of another person in the same body made him calm himself. He drank his milkshake in silence.

“He didn’t deserve any of that. He trusted us enough to tell us everything he knew so what’s your problem?”

“I never knew you would be swayed by such a sloppy ruse.”

{splash}

He wiped his eyes off with the cloth nearest to his hands as he desperately reached for the table. The drink that she held was all over his body. He let out a shiver as she also stood up, completely irritated.

“The Student Council President that is usually too busy to have a life decides to spend his free time with us. The only sloppy ruse I can see is coming from you. I’m leaving. Wendy?”

“I’m leaving, too.”

“Way to go,bro.”

Harry sat in solitude, pondering the current situation over and he slammed the table once more. A waitress rushed over to his table.

“Didn’t they read about any of it?”

“Sir, I’ll get you a face towel right away.”

“Thank you.”

“Also, please could you keep it down, you’re disturbing the other customers.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lucas dragged out the umbrella in his bag and looked at Wendy. As usual, she didn’t have hers with her.

“Looks like it’s about to rain.”

“Do you have a spare umbrella??”

“You could share with me.”

“Thanks.”

They walked back to the intersection on the right. They could spot Mikasa a couple of steps ahead and followed her.

“So I guess she was really angry.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I just thought about it now but you know scenes like this in romance movies are more…..What’s the word for it…Colourful.”

“I agree. It just confirms one thing.”

“That we stick together?”

“If we were not in such a bad mood I might have laughed. It’s not everyday you see Brent Wendy talking like this.”

“Now you make me sound like a robot.”

“I wonder where Shirou went?”

He sat in the back seat of a taxi and sighed deeply with his hands covering his face.

---My head is still aching. Seems like I did it again. Sitting on the fence always sounded so lame.At least do it well next time, idiot..I knew he was laying a trap for me and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. If they were different people seated beside me, his plan might have worked. That cunning bastard.

“Sorry to interrupt but may I ask why you are sighing so many times?”

“Oh it’s nothing. Just school work. Thanks for your concern.”

“Try not to get your parents worried over something like that.”

The taxi driver initiated a conversation. This shocked him but at the same time managed to cheer him up.

---I guess he’s right.. My mum is a worrywart so I need to shake it off. This weird feeling.

Lucas, Misaka and Wendy finally parted ways. Walking was no problem for the two but Misaka had a car just for her and Eric. At times, though, she preferred walking as it made her more comfortable. Lucas was on his way home, it was the closest from there. He felt strange using the umbrella that he offered Wendy but was swiftly rejected. Did his kindness come across as a gender stereotype? He didn’t know the answers and he didn’t care that much. It was all in his mind to prevent another recent topic from being highlighted.

He stopped by a trash can on the way and kicked it around in anger.

“What was all that about, Harry??? Fucking hell, why do you have to be a nuisance every fucking time????”

He took a deep breath and continued walking. A sight that he kept to nobody but himself.

“It’s not like he can hear me.”

Shirou opened the front door and was surprised at the image of his mother knitting. She rarely ever had any spare time before and after work so this was a huge relief.

---Wait.. Is she really having fun or she’s pretending? I really can’t tell.

With a nod of approval, he stopped himself and smiled.

---Stop overthinking things again.

“Welcome home.”

“I’m back.”

“Hey bro. There’s something I want to show you.”

“What’s it?”

She pulled out his shirt that had some blood stains on it. Those were spots that were effectively covered with his dark blazer when he had worn the shirt but now, it was naked. They were pale but regardless it had set in and was visible enough.

---I separated that from the laundry and even hid it.

“What about it?”

“This was the shirt you wore yesterday and look.”

He moved a few steps back as she moved the shirt closer to his face.

“I think you’re overreacting.”

“Tell me the truth.”

“I had a terrible fall on my way to the kendo club and I got injured. Does that explain the blood now?”

“Shirou. Are you getting bullied??”

Yuuki walked with the shirt to the couch in the living room and continued watching TV. Lisara had the usual worried look but this time, all she was pleading for was for him to open up to her and express his troubles.

“What makes you say that??”

“Shirou, answer me.”

“No, I’m not being bullied.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“I know that and that’s why I’m telling you not to worry about it.”

“Okay, dinner would be ready in a bit.”

He caught a glimpse of Yuuki’s expression too and it was a poker face.

“That goes for you too, Yuuki.”

He grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and walked up the stairs.

“Did we go too far?”

“It’s my fault. I thought he was going to tell me.”

“Seems like your detective side is kinda rusty”

“I guess. Wait what does that have to do with this??”

“Hehe.. We can’t drag this out for too long but we also can’t do much. I’ll be more careful with him.”

“I’ll appreciate that.”

Compared to his previous days, this one seemed pretty overwhelming. He sat and pondered on those four. Is it better to cut them off and start from square one? He pulled on his black hair that was moist from the bath he just took.

{knock}

“What do you want?”

“Dinner is ready.”

“I’m not eating, go away…”

“What’s wrong..You’re being unnecessarily mean??”

“Nothing.It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“I can’t stop worrying about you,brother.”

“Yuuki…”

“Whatever. Dinner is ready..”

The mood on the table was rather off putting and awkward. He stared at his food while Yuuki and Lisara ate with a bit of caution.

“I have some great news. I passed the interview for the new job I talked about a few weeks ago.”

“Really? I knew you could do it.”

“Congratulations, mom.”

“That means no late night shifts. Although I still close late in the night but there’s still a considerable time difference.”

“Does this mean I get a higher allowance????”

Lisara nodded her head and Yuuki jumped off her chair and hugged her.

”I love you, mom.”

---What’s got her so excited?

“I’ll do anything for the both of you.”

The smile on his face softened and Yuuki grinned from ear to ear. The news was a mood changer.

“We would do the same. We are family, after all.”

---Why am I being so cautious around my own family?? If there’s anyone that wouldn’t betray me, it’s the two of them.

“Mum. Could I ask a question?”

“Sure.”

“Do you know anyone by the name Shinji??”

Yuuki froze up but luckily for her, she was already seated and his gaze rested on Lisara and only Lisara. She could not afford to make any intense reactions. Lisara brushed the shock off so easily that it would seem as though she was prepared for it ages ago.

“Shinji, huh?? No, I don’t think anyone called Shinji. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.I mean…… No... I had a weird dream and heard the name so I just wanted to find out.”

“I see..Is that all?”

“Also, I got bullied yesterday.I’m sorry for lying.That was where the blood came from… but..”

“But??”

“Some classmates helped me out and I felt much better. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know how you would react.I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Trust me more, that’s all I want. I am your mother, I only act based on your best interests so please don’t hide things from me,okay?”
“Got it.”

“Besides, after some thinking, I decided to let you handle things like that by yourself. Although I’m worried, I know you will be able to come with your own solution.”

“I need to use the bathroom, I’ll be back.”

Her smile soon faded as she ran to the bathroom. The very name triggered some unwanted memories. She continued hitting the wall as soft as possible while vomiting.

“Be strong…Be strong….Be strong.”

She washed her sweaty face and looked at her face in the mirror. This wasn’t the time or place to think about anything.

“I have to continue acting.. For his sake.”

She slapped her cheeks and jumped out of the bathroom in her usual mood.

“Sorry I took so long…I think I ate too much.. How about we all go somewhere on Saturday??”

“Huh??”

“Where?”

“I haven’t thought that out yet. Maybe the Aquarium?”

“I don’t mind the zoo.”

---I want to see a snake.

“The cinema too would be nice.”

“Hey hey hey. Let’s pick one.”

“Okay the both of you can pick any one.”

“Hear that, bro?”

“Yes, since it’s come to this. Pick whatever you want.”

“No fun.. No fun at all. Let’s settle this with a game of rock paper scissors.”

“Fine.”

After a lengthy game of rock paper scissors, Yuuki came out victorious and Shirou took a long sigh. He tried quitting many times but she didn’t allow him. She went behind him and playfully dragged his ears.

“You better not ruin the mood when we get there.”

“Okay.”

“Does anything get you excited???”

“It’ll be out of character for me to be excited over anything and everything.”

“What do you mean??This is a special family outing. Not just anything.”

“I know that.”

“Liesssss…”

“Mom, tell her to stop.”

“Yuuki, calm down,Okay?”

“Mom, why are you taking his side?? No fair.. No fair.. No fair..”

The conversation seamlessly switched over to it’s usual nature in about no time. That was just how strong their bond was. The true definition of family.

( “---” represents the thoughts of the main character. “--” represents the thoughts of any other character. “[]” represents an important event, most likely past events. “{}” represents various sounds made.)