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Runs in the family I guess.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/cancer-questions/are-all-cancers-hereditary wrote:Not really.

Kiritsugu introduces the young woman as his daughter, Rin.

It's a small world after all

Did you send me this one for proofreading? I didn't get anything.

...Seems fine anyway.

A RWBY/KS crossover. Characters will be OOC so don't hurt me... please. This is also my contribution towards the R/RWBY community of "GET WELL SOON MONTY"

And yes, I'm not dead. Still beavering away.

Interlude 2: The things we do for love.

I pinch the bridge of my nose between my fingers and heave a deep sigh. Last night and today have been an unmitigated disaster for all parties involved. Cutting off another sigh, I reach for my tea instead and take a soothing sip, at least it would have been soothing if not for the fact with my motion, I could see the last few contrails of smoke rising from the third year dorms nearby on campus.

I observed the two sorry looking teams in front of me. Heads hung low, both teams looked quite the state, not that it couldn't be helped, they had been up overnight for the rather thorough debriefing that Ms. Goodwitch had given them. I pinned team RWBY with a look. They cringed under my gaze, as after all, they had been the ones to cause most of the property destruction and damage to school grounds, with Ms Mikado coming a close second.

"Well," I said eventually after the clunk of my mug hitting the desk echoed in the quiet room. "Quite the pickle we've ended up in, no?" I remarked, observing the glum looks traded amongst the team members.

"Sorry sir, I'll take responsibility for the damage caused," Ruby said, head hanging as she spoke.

"Nonsense, easily fixed and the collateral would have been a lot worse had team CVFY, been involved as well, we all know how... eager Coco can get." There was a group wince at that comment and team RWBY sighed at relief of having some wriggle room. "I do expect you to assist with the clean up efforts though," I said off hand and got a chorus of nodding heads.

I steepled my fingers. "What I want though, is to know what happened and how," I stressed, eyeing the remains of team HARM, as I spoke.

"What do you want to know sir?" Was the quiet question from the normally exuberant Misha.

I paused as food and drink was brought in for us all. I took a bacon sandwich and took a bite, gesturing for the others to do so as well. After I swallowed my mouthful I simply said, "I think, my dear, the best place to start would be the beginning as you know It. When did you notice something was off?"

******
MIsha

No one said anŷthing for a moment and I decided to fill the silence. "3 weeks ago."

"Sorry?" Headmaster Ozpin asked.

"Three weeks ago I noticed something was off, with Hisao," I clarified as the headmaster gestured to continue.

I looked over guiltily at my two remaining team mates, and they didn't meet mŷ gaze. "I saw Hisao sneak out of the dorms about three weeks ago, early hours of the morning."

"And why were you up at that time?" Ozpin queried.

"A nightmare, a recurring one, memories from the second year field trip."

The remains of team HARM and Ozpin winced in unison. The second year trip had been a disaster, and we had lost one team to the Grimm, with team HARM nearly being a second casualty, only Hisao using his semblance saved us and that put him in hospital for nearly three weeks. Seeing the reassuring nod from the headmaster I continued. "I didn't do anything about him sneaking out, I thought he might be out training or something, he was always determined to be the best for us, the best leader, it wasn't ever odd to see him training late."

I took a breathe and recalled more slightly fuzzy memories. "Then I saw him do it again three days in a row, and on the third day I followed him. He was heading into town, unusual at the late hour, but he was heading in the twenty four hour stores direction so I left it at that, thought he was hungry, or thirsty or just needed something."

I looked at my team mates and then sighed, "Hisao didn't return to the campus until after midday the next day," I recalled, "he missed the first two classes, arrived at lunch, and ignored all of our queries."

"You mean he ignored your questions," the dreamy voice of the team faunus drifted across the table. The part tanuki wasn't focussed on me, instead spacing out and looking at something on the ceiling.

"Do you have something to add Miss Tezuka?" Headmaster Ozpin asked.

She hummed a little under her breathe and then said, "his aura changed about three months ago, flickers of pink and purple in it, his thoughts were like cotton candy, light and fluffy, so in love."

Rin Tezuka my part tanuki faunus team mate was an odd one. Her family had the ability to read people's auras and to interpret it either into sound, colour, or other tactile senses. Rin saw aura in colours, the hues and way the colours appeared telling her about a person. It also allowed her to spot a Grimm from about a mile off. She also wielded a dust infused artists palette, which allowed her to create illusions to fool the senses with.

Her aura talent made her a little spaced out generally, and most people regarded her as something of an oddity, even here at beacon.

Rins comment made me wince and Yang from team RWBY gave me a commiserating look. "As I said, he didn't answer any of my questions," I said bitterly, "and I didn't see him leave the grounds for the next few days, and Hisao got more distant, less focussed on us, the team. Something was distracting him, we all noticed it."

There was agreement from the remains of the team.

"What happened next?" The headmaster prompted.

I thought for a moment, shuffling dates around in my head. "Things seemed to go back to normal, later in the week, then the holidays started. Hisao normally goes to see his parents for the week, but this time he stayed on campus, which surprised us but we didn't say anything." I took a pause and took a drink to ease my throat. "I was doing some shopping mid week when I caught a glimpse of Hisao with a girl. Short, dark hair, skinny, carrying an umbrella. They were in an ice cream parlour and I could only see her back, but they looked like they were having a date so I left them to it."

"Of course, seemed perfectly normal," the headmaster agreed. "Anything else to add?"

"No, not until... Last night," I mumble, feeling ashamed.

"I have the report in front of me," headmaster Ozpin said, touching a stack of paper, "but I always prefer hearing things first hand, rather than reading about it."

Shame coloured my face the same shade as my hair. I had caused a significant amount of the property damage in the report when I'd lost my temper. "I had another bad dream," I started off slowly, "so I was already up and I decided to head into the grounds to get myself a drink from a vending machine. The first one wasn't working, so I left to go to another."

"That was when I saw her. Recognised her from the posters around town, Torchwick's associate, the girl we call Neo. She was on top of the third year boys dorms and she went into Hisao's room through the window."

I took a breathe, the memory of the fright, the terror skittering through my veins at the idea of the man that I had loved from a distance being murdered in his sleep. "I called team RWBY, Arashi and Rin for back up and then headed into the dorms."

"You were already armed?" Headmaster Ozpin inquired.

I shook my head, "no, but with my semblance I'm never really unarmed, although I'd asked Arashi to pick my switch axe on the way. I... Broke into Hisao's room, using my semblance to form drills and batter my way through the door, as team RWBY arrived behind me."

I felt my fists clench involuntarily, "Neo hadn't come to kill him, when I arrived they were..."

"Two steps into the naked tango," Yang interjected, while Ruby pulled a face of disgust.

"Everyone was a little confused for a moment but then..."

"I went for her," Yang supplied, a toothy grin present on her face, "best opportunity we've ever had, so I went for it, but even caught with her pants down, she could still put up a fight."

"Then Arashi and Rin arrived. I may have not been in the best frame of mind so as soon as I had my axe, I went for her... At lest until Hisao intervened."

"And how did he intervene?" The headmaster asked gently.

Everyone at the table cringed at the memory. "He used his semblance," Blake said softly.

The headmaster made a noise of understanding. "Quite a dangerous semblance if I recall correctly, for both user and target."

I looked at the headmaster feeling miserable. "That's why people call him the heartbreaker, due to his semblance, and he turned it on us, his own team and class mates." My voice broke and a choked sob erupted from me. In the quiet of the room, everyone heard my pain filled voice say, "he chose her, over all of us. Her, the enemy, over his teammates."

Team RWBY made sounds of agreement and anger.

Arashi spoke up, his quiet voice filling the still air. "The girl, Neo, I know who she is."

Everyone one turned to face him, incredulous looks upon faces. Headmaster Ozpin fixed Arashi with a very interested look that all but screamed 'continue'. Arashi squirmed in his seat for a moment before blurting out, "she's my sister."

A Grimm could've done a ballroom dance through he room and none of us would've noticed after that little bombshell. Yang recovered first and asked, stunned, "that little psychopath is your sister?"

"I haven't seen or spoken to her in nearly eight years," Arashi spoke a little gruffly. "Our family situation wasn't the best and we ran away from home, a Grimm attack claimed our older siblings and we got split up crossing Atlas's borders. I thought she was dead Yang. Didn't think she'd fall in with the White fang and Torchwicks group." He spoke in a bitter tone, near glaring daggers at Yang.

"What about the wanted posters?" Blake asked.

Arashi shrugged, "hair was different, and I had hoped, prayed it wasn't her. Didn't expect my team leader to meet her and fall for her."

"You mean betray us," I shot back.

Arashi shrugged, "you know how Hisao feels about the white fang, Misha, I think the pair of them have likely gone on the run, from us and everyone else. Love makes people do crazy things."

"He's a traitor to beacon and his team," Weiss sneered, "in love or not. Would you betray your team for your lover?"

Arashi answered without any hesitation, "for Rin, yes I would." The girls cheeks pinked at that declaration and Arashi looked at the Schnee heiress and asked, "wouldn't you do the same for Ruby?"

There was an awkward silence as Weiss and Ruby both sat there stunned, mouths gaping. Yang chuckled and patted Weiss on the shoulder, "guess I need to talk to you about my little sister huh?"

Team RWBY promptly fell into bickering amongst themselves.

I stared at Arashi, disappointed with what he said. I never thought he'd say something like that so casually.

"So what are we going to do about Hisao," I asked headmaster Ozpin.

He frowned and mused for a moment. "I think we are simply going to have to ply the waiting game and see who makes the first move. I think, if however they have left for their own future, I'm pretty sure that's thrown a wrench in whatever plans people may have made."

The answer didn't please me and my heart ached as I wondered where Hisao was. I'd forgive him if he came back to me.

***
Hisao

Part of me wondered what my ex teammates were doing now.

Probably cursing me six ways to Sunday, as I had done the unforgivable to them and turned my semblance on them, my heart stop aura. It had earned me the academy nickname of Heartbreaker and I had always hated my semblance. It hurt me almost as much as it hurt my target. Even though I only turned it on my once comrades for only two seconds, I was still paying for it's usage now, feeling weak limbed and shivering even as I staggered with Neo into one of her little bolt holes.

She gently placed me on the small bed and I marvelled at the tiny girls strength. Her lips pursed in worry and I waved my hand at her. "I'll be fine," I reassured her, "just need a few hours to recover after my semblance usage."

She frowned at me and stomped one food, hands on hips, she obviously didn't believe me. "I'll be fine, I promise."

[Promise?] She signed.

"Cross my heart," I chuckle darkly, and she frowns at me again. "I just need rest."

She nods, then swoops in, giving me a hug and kissing me gently on the lips. She tastes of vanilla, with faint traces of saltiness. She'd been crying at some point, probably when I was half out of it after the escape from Beacon. [I'm going to hit some of my stashes, we'll need the money... Roman won't let this slide, we need to keep moving. Back soon.]

I watched as she left the small room, ascending the stairs and the door closing behind her with a small thump, leaving me with my exhausted thoughts.

The girl I had betrayed my teammates for, worked for the white fang, or at least used to. I had given her a choice some time ago and last night she made her choice. She'd chosen me, over her employers and I had chosen her over my teammates.

We'd met over ice cream of all things. She'd dyed her hair and was wearing contacts, so I hadn't recognised her from the wanted posters. On a simple whim, I'd ordered her an ice cream and things had carried on from there and here we were... on the run from both parties.

A dry chuckle escapes me as I drift off to sleep.

The things we do for love...

I don't watch RVBY so a lot of the references likely went over my head, but this was interesting none the less. I don't think I could personally do what Hisao did as being a traitor is one of the few things that are virtually impossible for me to forgive, regardless of motivation, but this was still enjoyable enough.

Glad to see more of your work!

Even if it was way out of left field...

Yes... it's back.

Welcome to Act 3: Singing in Harmony. Just as a warning there is a bit of an H scene early on in this scene.

I'll do the first part of 'Masks' next.

Enjoy!

Act 3:

Singing in harmony

Scene 1

“Seven sins”

As soon as we arrive back at school, Hisao bundles me off to the on duty nurse. She takes one look at my feet, clucks in disappointment and unravels the bandages on my feet, before washing them gently in antiseptic - which stings like you wouldn't believe - re-wrapping them and giving me some broad spectrum antibiotics. Then to compound the humiliation just one step further, she tells me to use a wheelchair to reduce the strain on my sliced up feet.

Hisao wheels me back to my room, using the lift to get me up to the correct floor, and the whole time I feel shame burning a hole in my stomach.

Hisao doesn't complain once throughout the whole ordeal, simply taking the whole thing in his stride.

I can’t believe he’s helping me. I could've killed him if I’d hit him. He knows it, and I know it, so why is he still doing this? Why hasn't he run for the hills leaving me like I deserve?

I don’t speak any of my morbid thoughts, simply stewing like slow cooked beef, the slight squeak of the wheelchair being the only noise in the deserted corridors of the dormitory.

We reach my room, and I unlock the door, Hisao wheeling me in. I begin to stand to walk to my bed, but a light touch on my shoulder presses me back down. I look back at Hisao, and he simply has a gentle smile on his face.

He comes around to my side, lifts me up bridal style and carries me over to my bed. He then gently places me down on my sheets, as though I'm some kind of precious treasure he’s unearthed somewhere.

I'm no jewel, just a cracked and battered old piece of glass.

He gently lays me down then smooths my hair out and kisses me on the forehead.

I break the silence with a croaked “Why?”

Hisao shrugs, and smiles gently again. “Because I can,” is the simple reply, and I feel tears begin to well in the corner of my good eye.

I grab the collar of his dorky sweater vest and drag him down to me, before he can do anything further. I kiss him hungrily, my mouth seeking to devour his. For a moment Hisao doesn't respond, then surges back into the kiss, his mouth matching mine, motion for motion.

The kiss draws on, and I drown myself in the sensation, seeking Hisao, something - anything to distract me from the guilt worming in my guts.

The kiss goes on further, tongues twisting and meeting each other. I tug Hisao again, and he falls on top of me on the bed, a muffled noise of surprise as his lean body meets mine.

“Ayane -” anything else is cut off by me flipping him over, mounting him and then diving back into the kiss.

I'm not sure why I'm doing this, it just feels right. I need to atone for what I did, and this seems like a good start.

As we kiss, one hand deftly slips under Hisao’s shirt, fingers lightly tracing his abdomen and through our kiss, I hear him suck in a surprised breath.

I can also feel his response to me attacking him. The hand that was tracing his belly breaks off and slips down to his trouser buttons and pops it open, quietly and slowly unzipping his fly. I caress him through his boxers, his gasp of surprise short lived.

Hisao draws back from the kiss to speak, and I cut him off again, my mouth closing over his. I unbutton the front of his boxers to free him from the cloth confinement and wrap my hand around him.

He’s hot and hard under my hands, and I feel him make a strangled gasp as he pulls back from the kiss again. I don’t mind too much, and move my hand up and down him, enjoying the reactions from him as he moans and writhes under me.

His face is flushed, and he’s shaking slightly as I stimulate him, gasps and moans coming unbidden from his mouth. This still isn't enough though, I need to do something more.

I look down at his organ in my hands. It’s pulsing and needy in my grasp. I steel myself and then take him in my mouth.

It feels even warmer in my mouth and I begin to bob up and down, careful of my teeth. I've read about this before in some dirty fiction and even seen a couple of videos but I still have little to no idea what to do exactly.

I decide to go with my instincts and use my tongue, caressing the head of Hisao’s penis with it. There’s no real taste to it, just the taste of skin, slightly salty from the day's exertions. Hisao’s reaction though is good.

More moans and groans and vague mutters that I can’t quite hear clearly come from him as I focus on the task in hand - or rather, the task in mouth!

I keep bobbing up and down his length, not taking it all, about half, before backing off and using my tongue. I don’t want to trigger my gag reflex after all.

I look up from what I'm doing and Hisao is staring at me. Self consciously, I release him with a small ‘pop’ noise and aware I'm steadily going red. “Why?” Hisao asks, breaking the awkward silence.

“Seemed like a good idea,” I shrug, not meeting his eyes. The silence goes on, and I sigh, before speaking softly and more than a little ashamed. “I wanted to apologise.”

Hisao looks stunned at the little confession and blinks owlishly at me. “Apologise? What for?”

My tone is brittle. “For potentially nearly killing you!” My voice is rising in volume as I feel my temper beginning to slip, Hisao looks like he wants to say something, but I steam-roll on, “If you had been the one to grab me on my blind side I would've hit you Hisao, hard -” my voice chokes as I begin to feel the heat of shame on my cheeks, and I croak out, “I could've killed you Hisao, or at the very least given you a heart attack. I gave my older brother a bloody nose, and you guys just write it off?! What the hell is wrong with you -” I break off into a pained sob and sink to Hisao’s chest, wetting the front of his sweater vest.

Hisao gives a deep, heavy sigh and runs one hand through my hair. “Yes, it could've been worse, a lot worse, but it wasn't.” A beat of silence and then Hisao chuckles. “And as for the why, Ayane, it’s because I love you, that’s why I'm forgiving you.”

His simple words soothe me, and I sniffle. “One thing though,” Hisao says, and I hear embarrassment in his voice. “You don’t have to go that far to apologise.”

I snort. “You still enjoyed it though.”

Hisao says nothing but gently lifts me slightly rearranging himself and putting everything back in place before pulling up his trousers. “You don’t need to do that kind of stuff to apologise.”

“A blowjob you mean?” I can’t resist teasing him slightly but the serious look on his face has me swiftly back-pedalling. “Sorry, couldn't resist.”

Hisao moves beneath me as if to get up, but I stubbornly keep him down. “Stay,” I whisper in the quiet. “Just stay please.” Hisao smiles again and kisses me softly and sweetly, before encircling me in his arms.

We fall asleep together like this - safe in each others arms, and I feel… content.

***
I wake later, the sun beginning to set in the distance through the window, to the smell of freshly cooked food.

The first thing I notice is that Hisao left the bed at some point and covered me in the blanket.

The second thing I notice is that I also have company. I blink for a moment, a little off kilter, but in my room, sat on various cushions and chairs - the cushions retrieved from Fujiko’s room no doubt, is the little family that I've assembled entirely by accident here at Yamaku.

No one has realised that I'm awake yet, so I take the moment to watch the scene before me. Arashi signing something to the triumphantly grinning Shizune, Misha making Fujiko blush and Hisao quietly reading a book and occasionally shaking his head at the madness around him.

Misha notices I'm awake first, and her squeal of, “Ayachan!” gets the whole room's focus on me.

“Evening,” I say through a yawn and glance at the clock. I've been asleep for about six hours give or take. “Not that I mind but why is everyone in my room?” I pointedly look at Hisao.

“Hisao wouldn't leave you alone,” Fujiko chimes in, smiling softly.

“You mean you all barged in,” Hisao grumbles, “Arashi used his key.” Arashi at least has the decency to look a little embarrassed. Traitor of a brother.

[So we came here,] is the firm declaration in broad swift hand signs from the ever fierce Shizune.

Misha mock swoons and sighs, “so romantic, bringing you food.”

At the mention of food, my stomach growls, and I feel a blush creep up my face.

Forget a growl, it’s more like the roar of a hungry beast!

The room promptly bursts into laughter, and still blushing I move to get out of bed moving the covers away from me, and the room goes quiet at the sight.

Fujiko breaks the silence first as Hisao gives me my tray of food. It’s just some sandwiches and onigiri, enough to settle my hunger but light enough not to keep me up later. “Ayane what happened at the ball?” I see Misha signing to Shizune, and she just shakes her head in response.

I look at Hisao and my brother and sigh. “I made a rather large error in judgement,” is all I say. “I got injured in the process, so I'm wrapped up like the start of a bad mummy flick, and I have the squeaky wheelchair of doom over in the corner.”

The dry sarcasm does not fly with Fujiko, and she crosses her arms with a small huff of disappointment. I simply shrug and take a large bite out of the sandwich, nearly half in one go.

Fujiko is still staring at me, and I feel like a child that’s been caught with the hand in the cookie jar. “I might’ve… lost my temper a little bit.”

Fujiko just looks at Hisao, and he collapses like a bad tower of Jenga blocks, the traitor. “She got a little… agitated.”

Fujiko’s not dim, and she’s had some experience with my family before, so she simply nods and says, “I think I can see the picture. Mt Ayane erupts, someone restrained her, you flipped out afterwards, probably ran away into those woods near your house.”

[Nail on head, pretty much,] Arashi signs, and Misha translates for Fujiko, as my cheeks bulge like a hamster’s with food. I was hungry after all.

Fujiko clicks her tongue and sighs, “So I guess you’re wheel-bound for the next few days, yes?” I simply nod and Fujiko gives me a thumbs up. “Cheer up, you know we’ll all help out.”

“I know,” is all the response needed, and we happily dissolve back into a group of friends, catching up after the three day weekend.

***
Being back at school after the three day weekend is very jarring, especially after the surroundings I was in. Still even though the change back into routine is a bit of a shock, actually being back in the academy is nice. It feels more like ‘home’ than that house ever was.

Fujiko has been on cloud number nine ever since I've seen her. She cannot stop babbling about the hot springs resort. It’s adorable but after listening to it for several minutes, I beg off from hearing every single excruciating detail repeated to me.

There’s only so much sweetness I can handle before I begin to feel nauseous.

It is good to see her so happy. Fujiko deserves it really; she’s such a sweet girl, and if Misha makes her happy, who am I to complain about it?

Although if Misha does ever break Fujiko’s heart, I shall be having words with the pink haired girl. Words that will not be pleasant.

Not that they’re officially dating. Everything's being kept very low key and quiet. For a school for disabled children, some people can still be very old fashioned in certain aspects.

I feel better, too - lighter as if a large weight I had not been aware of has been removed from my shoulders. It’s a good feeling, liberating and refreshing, although a coal of guilt does still burn in me for what happened.

I know Hisao has forgiven me, but I still can’t let go of the fact that I could’ve seriously hurt him. I chew over that thought like a dog would gnaw on a bone.

I know that I have a temper, god knows I’m aware of it.

The question is what do I do with it?

What do I do with myself?

And how can I stop myself from causing another situation like the one that happened?

***

Days pass by slowly, blurring together in a haze of memory. Routine becomes the norm - wake up, coffee, pills, breakfast, lessons, lunch, lessons then homework, dinner and bed.

Of course time is spent with Hisao and the rest of the little family I’ve made here, and everything is good - better than good in fact.

But I still feel troubled by my temper.

I’m noticing now how I can snap easily or what particularly pushes my buttons. Controlling my temper is harder than it seems.

But I’m too stubborn to admit that I need help.

And so the days go on.

***

It’s a little over two weeks after the ball when the routine is broken.

The break comes in the form of the lovely Mr. Nakai.

“My English grades are still low,” is how he greets me when he finds me in the library this sunny afternoon.

“Afternoon to you, too, sunshine,” I respond dryly as I put my pen down from my maths homework. Hisao looks tousled from being outside in the wind. He plonks himself down at the table and sighs, rubbing his eyes. I frown and lean across the table to give him a quick peck on the lips.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him softly, taking one hand in my own.

Hisao looks up from the table. “Remember how I ended up in Yamaku?” he asks, and I nod gently. “I missed out on a fair amount of school and English has always been my weakest subject. Your sister says I need to get my grades up as it’s beginning to affect my overall performance.”

“Akiho is not someone to just tell you that and then walk off. She gave you some options right?”

Hisao sighed and nodded. “Yeah she gave me an option to do an extra credit assignment.” I raise my eyebrow, and Hisao elaborates further. “A reading of one of the circles of hell in Dante’s inferno,then she’ll quiz me on it.”

Ouch. “Wow, that seems a little over the top.”

“Tell me about it,” Hisao moans. “I don’t even know where to begin!”

“A copy of the text would be a good place to start,” I say as I give his hand a squeeze.

“You’re telling me that,” Hisao grouses.

I grin and wiggle my eyebrows at Hisao. “Although I do know who might have a copy…” I let my voice trail off as I tease him.

“Who!” Hisao seizes upon my comment with glee.

“Three guesses,” I tease further, giving him another quick kiss.

Hisao grins at me, mood cheering, “Well, give me the first clue then!”

“Blonde hair, teaches you English.” I see the lightbulb go on behind Hisao’s eyes, and he grins and gives me a quick kiss, before darting out of the library, startling Yuuko as he does so.

Dantes Inferno. I muse over that little tidbit as I pack my stuff up. One of Akihos favourites if I remember correctly. She loves the imagery and the metaphors that the author uses. I’ve never read the whole piece - snippets yes, and I’ve heard Akiho quote parts of it, but I’ve never read the whole thing.

As I go to leave the library, Fujiko is waiting in the corridor, fiddling with her sleeves, a sure signal she’s feeling guilty over something. She sees me, and the fiddling increases in intensity. Oh boy, what’s happened now?

“Ayane…” Fujiko trails off lamely, poking her index fingers together, “I… er… well. Kiko and Daichi want to speak to you!”

Date Kiko and Kato Daichi are the joint heads of the music club. Kiko oversees the vocal part of the club and Daichi specialises in instruments. Daichi used to be a bit of an ass, especially in first year. He’s a type one diabetic, and his parents are the rich ‘career’ type. Job and money comes before their own child, and as they were often in other countries for their job, they shipped him off here, so he could be looked after.

Daichi was not amused and was really very vocal about, I quote: “Being stuck at a school for cripples” - at least until the end of first year where Kiko literally slapped some sense into him. She broke her hand in the process too due to her brittle bones syndrome, and ever since then, the pair has been as thick as thieves.

Last time Kiko tried to speak to me about the music club (Just before Hisao started at Yamaku if I have my dates correct) I scared her off, so I guess she’s bringing Daichi along for backup. I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose before giving in to the inevitable.

Kiko and Daichi are stubborn - as bad as me. It is immovable object meet unstoppable force - not a pretty combination.

“Fine,” I bite out, “where are they?”

“Why right here of course darling,” Kiko draws out the ‘ar’ in ‘darling’, and I sniff in response as I turn to face her.

“Your pronunciation is terrible Date,” I huff, giving her a sharp glance as she said ‘darling’ in English. Kiko always was one for trying to tease.

“Second person who’s said that today,” Daichi chimes in, his rough baritone a stark contrast to Kiko’s soprano.

“Let me guess, my sister was the other?”

Daichi chuckles, confirming my guess as Kiko pouts and pokes Daichi on the shoulder. Daichi rubs his chin, dark eyes under shaggy eyebrows watching me shrewdly. “Gotta say this conversation is already going better than I thought.”

“Oh?”

A snort from Kiko, “normally you’d have walked off or yelled at us by now, have we caught you in a good mood or something? Freshly fucked possibly?” Kiko, all for looking like a pretty porcelain princess has the most indecent sense of humor I’ve ever seen, and that includes Akihiro.

I stare at Kiko, and she sighs and shakes her head. “Prude,” she accuses me, her dark eyes glimmering with mischief.

I raise one eyebrow and then decide to go for it. I’d been considering this since seeing grandmother back home and the pair of unwitting idiots have dropped this opportunity into my lap. “Actually, I’ve been intending to find one of you two at some point.”

The two of them trade glances at my little confession and seem to be having a quiet conversation between them. It is slightly disconcerting to watch. “And what did you wish to speak to us about?”

Go for the throat Ayane. If you hesitate your fear will get the better of you. “I may need the studio at some point for some private practice.” I can feel my nerves jitter as I say it, and it’s not helped by Kiko grinning in triumph.

“And why should we do that?” Kiko purrs, wrapping an arm around Dachi.

I grit my teeth. “Because my grandmother has asked me to sing at her funeral you smug bitch, and the last time I sung for an audience my father died while listening to me.” My voice is like chips of ice, positively arctic in tone.

Kiko and Dachi both stop, and the eager expressions on their face give way to horror. Fujiko hurries over to me and wraps me in a hug.

“I…” Kiko trails off. My face is buried in Fujikos hair, unable to see her expression.

Daichi coughs. “We’re sorrying for treading on a… ah delicate subject in our enthusiasm to recruit you. Kiko once had the pleasure to see you perform a few years ago at one of your masquerade balls, and she was… very taken with your performance.”

I look up from Fujikos shoulder. “S’alright,” is my curt reply, “Not many people know… I’m rather private about this.”

Kiko nods, her lips set in a thin line, white from the pressure, “you can borrow the studio anytime you want Tsukino. Let us know, and we’ll arrange it so you have privacy and… I’m sorry for being so pushy.”

I shrug in response, anger ebbing away, “You didn’t know, not your fault.” The pair look at each other again, having another one of those fast paced conversations before they give a quick dip of their heads and hurry off down the corridor, rounding the corner and out of sight.

The tension leaves my body, and I sigh in relief and release Fujiko. She steps back and looks at me in concern. “Your grandmother asked you to sing at her funeral? That’s a little morbid Aya.”

“It’s the least I can do for her, if I can work up the courage to sing in public ever again.”

“Don’t force yourself.”

“I need to be able to sing again,” I hiss, “I need to, Fuji, so badly.”

She looks at me softly and nods. “You know I’ll help, we all will. You know that right?”

“I know,” I whisper and give her another hug.

Today has been a long day, and this last incident has been the straw that broke the camel's back. Time for bed.

***

Hisao and I have ‘study dates’. Contrary to popular belief, we do actually get some studying done - in between dinner and some making out of course.

Some days Hisao is the needier one, other times I am - it depends on each party's mood.

Today however, Hisao is fretting over his extra credit assignment set by my darling older sister. I swear she’s a sadist sometimes, I really do. Tired of hearing his muttering and almost actual hair tearing I drape myself over his shoulders and nibble on his earlobe, distracting him from his work.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“The text is all in English, and although Tsukino sensei assured me it was a more modern translation, it’s still… old fashioned, and I’m really struggling to make sense of any part of it.” The frustration in his voice is clear, and it’s obvious that Hisao is close to losing his temper, an unusual event.

I pull back from the hug I was giving and drag the other chair next to him and pull the text away from Hisao. “I’ll read, you write notes down you need for the quiz.” Hisao looks as if he’s about to protest; then he just nods, getting a pen and paper ready.

I look at the text, Hisao is right, it is in rather old fashioned English. “Where do you want me to start?” I ask, I’ll need to translate from Old English into Japanese for Hisao to understand, this could be an interesting test of my capabilities.

“Ah, I’ve done some research. There are nine circles but Tsukino sensei recommended the fifth circle, so we’ll start there I guess, books open on it.”

I shrug and look down at where Hisao had the book open. I begin to read about Dante’s trip into the fifth circle of hell.

The Fifth Circle of Hell is where the wrathful and sullen are punished for their sins. Transported on a boat by Phlegyas, Dante and Virgil see the wrathful fighting each other on the surface of the river Styx and the sullen gurgling beneath the surface of the water.

The wrathful fight and fight, while the the sullen drown in the river. As I read, a sick feeling develops in my stomach. If this was real, I’d be in that circle I think.

Wrath. My main sin - that and pride/stubbornness, call it what you will.

I finish the reading and put the book down. Hisao looks at me, and I give him a small, sad smile. “Just, hit a bit too close to home you know.” Hisao doesn’t quite understand, but he doesn’t press me for an explanation.

I’ve made my decision.

Although not much more studying is done that night.

***

The next day, after classes, I go and visit the nurse.

I decide that this needs to be done quick, like ripping off a plaster, so I don’t even knock, simply open the door.

In retrospect, that wasn’t a good idea, as I could have been interrupting something delicate, while I barged in like a bull in a china shop.

Two puzzled men stare at me as I barge in. One is the nurse, the other is a man I’ve never seen before. He’s older than the nurse, dark hair going silver, particularly in his beard, wide framed glasses over blue eyes. This is a man who enjoys the finer things in life, I can tell from the faint smell of cigar smoke and the slight gut he has.

He’s dressed in a tan suit, with an eye watering shade of green shirt and a yellow fruit patterned tie. I know Fujiko ribs me about my poor fashion sense but even I have some form of colour co-ordination.

This man apparently doesn’t have any sense of colour co-ordination.

The nurse recovers from his surprise first. “Ah Ms. Tsukino, everything okay? Or are we having some signs?”

I drag my gaze from the very green shirt and shake my head. “No, everything is normal on that front, I just wanted to ask you something if you had a moment, but I can see that I’m interrupting.”

I move to leave but a deep rumbling chuckle from the oddly dressed man stop me. “Ah, don’t mind me, I was only dropping off some notes. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.” His voice is a rich baritone. The only comparison I can think of is silk sliding over gravel: Smooth but with a faint hint of roughness, probably from his smoking habit if I were to hazard a guess.

He hands over several files to the nurse and shakes his hand, before swiftly leaving the small office. The nurse takes the files and puts them in a filing cabinet, taking a few moments to organise the files.

“So what can I do for you then?” he asks cheerfully, taking a sip from his mug.

I fidget for a moment then sigh, “I’m assuming we have some kind of er… counselor or therapist on staff here?”

The nurse blinks for a moment. “No we don’t Ayane, not for what you're thinking of. Yamaku deals with mainly physical or genetic problems, life long conditions, not mental health issues I’m afraid.”

I sag, “oh -”

The nurses raised finger stops me, “however, for some students, especially in first year, or if the condition or injury is fresh, we do bring someone in for a few session to help iron things out. Losing a hand for example can be a traumatic event, and students need to be settled in.”

“Someone from outside the school?”

The Nurse grins at me from over his mug, “Why yes, you just missed him in fact.”

There is silence for a moment, and then I curse softly.

A clunk, is the only sound the nurse makes as he puts down his mug and regards me steadily. “Ayane, do you really think this is something you need? I can get you sessions but you have to be sure you want them.”

I simply nod mutely, unable to say anything, to afraid to voice my guilt, frustration and fears. Instead the nurse looks at me for a long, slow moment then dips his head in acknowledgement and pulls a sheaf of papers from a drawer near his chair.

“Let's get these filled out then and get the ball rolling.”

End scene

Yaaaaaayyyy we have liftoff!

Its good to see Ayane taking steps to improve herself like this. Sure it'll be hard, Ayane's temper and pride will make sure of that, but it's a good first step. Looking forward to seeing where this is going.

Act 3

Scene 2

“A little more conversation a little less action”

Several days later

The room was surprisingly normal. A small shelf of books, some comfy chairs, a large wooden desk that the doctor was sitting behind. All in all, a pretty normal room.

The doctor had noted my surprise on entering the room and laughed, stating that no there were no lounge chairs, it was far too cliche after all.

I did like the window in the room though. It was a expansive bay window, filtering in dappled sunlight through the tree just outside. The room felt brighter, less stuffy as the shadows danced on the plain walls. The doctor himself was… odd for lack of a better word. He liked the finer things in life, I could tell from the cut of his suit, the bottle of expensive whiskey slightly hidden on a shelf behind him, the smell of expensive cigars that lingered in the office, the slight gut he had; yet his office was surprisingly spartan.

I had been taking in the details and he had yet to offer a single word. He’d simply watched me out of the corner of his eye, while he idly typed out something on his computer. I was on the clock, so to speak, but I wasn’t sure where to start. So I bided my time, took in the office, looked at the books of psychology sitting side by side with fantasy novella and recipe books, in a haphazard jumble of English and Japanese.

Finally, the silence became too much after over twenty minutes. “Alright Doc, I’ll bite, how do we start?”

My tone has a distinct bite of sarcasm to it, but a small smile quirked the corner of the doctor's mouth before he responds, seemingly unruffled by my petulance. “We’ll begin very simply, sit down and talk to me.”

I sit down as I respond at the chair he gestured at and with a surly huff ask, “Talk about what? My family?”

He waves off my tone of voice again, “Nothing like that my dear, just tell me how your week has been.” He regards me from behind his desk, eyes twinkling like goddamn Dumbledore.

I chew over my words for a few moments before I begin speaking. “I’ve got a friend. My best friend actually, since I started at Yamaku. She’s been there for me through thick and thin, even when I’ve been less than friendly to her.” I pause and the Doc signals me to continue. “Well… she recently uh… came out to me.”

“Not unusual,” he remarks gently, watching me, “People are far more accepting than they would've been ten, twenty years ago.”

“You would think that,” I drawl sarcastically, huffing a short breath out through my nose. The doc raised an eyebrow. “She kept it quiet from everyone else, but she started seeing someone I know, from another class. She got spotted earlier this week…” my voice trails off as I watch the shadows dance. “You would think being a school for disabled children that people would be more accepting you know?”

“What makes you say that?” The Doc places his hands together in a gentle gesture and I bite my lip gently, measuring my following words.

“Someone saw her kissing her girlfriend and word spread, you know how a school is, any kind of salacious rumour makes the rounds pretty quickly,” I pause and look at the ceiling, “the bad jokes and snide comments began the next lesson and then at lunch time someone made a rather rude comment.”

“And how did you react?”

“I wanted to punch the pricks lights out,” I admitted with a shrug - expecting to see condemnation from the Doc, all I got was a raised eyebrow.

“How did your friend react?”

“She tried to ignore it but I could see the hurt it caused her. I actually began to get up but she stopped me and told me it wasn’t worth it.” I frowned and felt my hand clench into a fist involuntarily. “I had thought being the type of school it was people would be more accepting... “ I see the Doctor's eyes narrow, “There were more comments than I was expecting. It disappointed me, I was hoping for at least acceptance rather than lewd humour, disapproving looks and thinly veiled insults.”

Doc leaned forward, “not everyone is accepting Ayane, as I’m sure you’re well aware of that fact.”

Doc was right. I had first hand knowledge of that fact, from school before Yamaku. I nod slowly at his comment and then sit back for a moment. How had the rest of my week been?

The question startles me from my thoughts and I wasn’t sure how to begin really or respond. I mean, it had been routine, nothing out of the ordinary apart from Fujiko’s situation. “Not much else really… it’s been a normal week all given.”

The doctor nods, fiddling with his glasses for a short moment as he looks down at the paperwork on his desk. “It’s a good start. Not everyone wants to open up and I get the feeling that you’re one of them.” A frown crosses my face but I nod in reluctant agreement. “So I want to set a small task for you to complete, ready for our next session. I want you to go to your close friends and family and ask them to write down what they believe are your best and worst points. We’ll then read them together at our next session.” He looks at me sternly adding, “I also want you to seal them in an envelope when you receive them, as I want to see your initial reaction to them. Am I being clear?”

I give him a wary look but agree. I did promise my sister I’d spend at least three sessions with the man. Seems an odd request, but I’ll humour him.

He claps his hands and beams at my agreement. He looks at his watch. “We’ve got half an hour of this session left so, is there anything you have a burning need to ask?”

His question throws me a little off balance. Did I want to ask anything? I wasn’t sure, this was so far out of my comfort zone, it may as well have been in America!

“So just to clarify, we’re not going to talk about my family?”

An eyebrow raises minutely as he replies. “No, but judging by the fact you’ve brought that up twice now, it will likely be the subject of a future session.” I scowl, but he is right.

Family issues are kinda my thing I guess - whoo go Daddy issues!

“I do however have a question for you, Ayane.” I blink, taken aback for a moment - “What are you expecting to get from these sessions, what is it you want from me?” His hands are steepled and he looks at me intently, his blue eyes almost laser like in their focus on me.

I swallow, my mouth feeling dry as I answer. “I want to control my anger… and I want to be able to sing again.” The doctors questioning frown, makes me elaborate further, “there was… an incident when I was younger…” I trail off, sighing. The doc says nothing, simply sits back and watches me. I grit my teeth. Why is this so hard?!

“You killed your father”

Mothers vile words echo in my mind for a moment before I remember the letter. No, I was not at fault and had never been, although a large part of me had blamed myself. “My father died in front of me while I was singing on stage.” It feels like a confession, like I’m confessing to some great sin, even though there is no guilt to portion out in neat little packages.

The doc nods slowly. “I see. A traumatic event.”

His words shut me up faster than a bullet from a gun would. I can feel what I want to say wriggling in my brain but I just can’t get it out. I shake my head after a moment, but he just smiles gently. “Do not worry. A later session then.” He pauses for a moment and gathers his thoughts. I see him reach by his side, to a draw in his desk perhaps and then he produces a piece of paper. A4, and I giggle internally at the thought of him handing out a worksheet.

He stands from his chair and moves towards me and passes me the sheet. “Do you want something to drink?” he asks softly.

“Coffee or juice,” I request, “I’m not fussy on the flavour if it’s juice.” He nods and leaves the office and I read the paper in my hands.

1. Think before you speak
In the heat of the moment, it's easy to say something you'll later regret. Take a few moments to collect your thoughts before saying anything — and allow others involved in the situation to do the same.

2. Once you're calm, express your anger
As soon as you're thinking clearly, express your frustration in an assertive but non-confrontational way. State your concerns and needs clearly and directly, without hurting others or trying to control them.

3. Get some exercise
Physical activity can help reduce stress that can cause you to become angry. If you feel your anger escalating, go for a brisk walk or run, or spend some time doing other enjoyable physical activities.

4. Take a timeout
Timeouts aren't just for kids. Give yourself short breaks during times of the day that tend to be stressful. A few moments of quiet time might help you feel better prepared to handle what's ahead without getting irritated or angry.

5. Identify possible solutions
Instead of focusing on what made you mad, work on resolving the issue at hand.. Remind yourself that anger won't fix anything and might only make it worse.

6. Stick with 'I' statements
To avoid criticizing or placing blame — which might only increase tension — use "I" statements to describe the problem. Be respectful and specific. For example, say, "I'm upset that you left the table without offering to help with the dishes," instead of, "You never do any housework."

7. Don't hold a grudge
Forgiveness is a powerful tool. If you allow anger and other negative feelings to crowd out positive feelings, you might find yourself swallowed up by your own bitterness or sense of injustice. But if you can forgive someone who angered you, you might both learn from the situation. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to behave exactly as you want at all times.

8. Use humor to release tension
Lightening up can help diffuse tension. Use humor to help you face what's making you angry and, possibly, any unrealistic expectations you have for how things should go. Avoid sarcasm, though — it can hurt feelings and make things worse.

9. Practice relaxation skills
When your temper flares, put relaxation skills to work. Practice deep-breathing exercises, imagine a relaxing scene, or repeat a calming word or phrase, such as, "Take it easy." You might also listen to music, write in a journal or do a few yoga poses — whatever it takes to encourage relaxation.

10. Know when to seek help
Learning to control anger is a challenge for everyone at times. Consider seeking help for anger issues if your anger seems out of control, causes you to do things you regret or hurts those around you.

I’m on the last tip when the door opens back up and a glass of juice is presented to me. I take it and quaff a sip, orange juice meeting my pallet. I look at the doctor as he sits down with his own glass of juice as well and I simply wave the sheet at him.

“I want you to take it with you,” he says, again with that small soft smile on his face. “I know it seems a little trite, but the tips do help, I should know, I used it when I was younger myself.” We’re both silent for a moment, the echo of the clocks tick the only sound for a brief few moments. The doctor looks up at the clock and takes note of the time.

Tick-tock doc, time's nearly up.

“Take the sheet and use the techniques over the coming week Ayane. You’ve already come to me and began the path, now with me, you can finish it.” He locks eyes with me for a long moment and I nod slowly.

“I’ll try,” I say quietly, “I’ll try.”

The doctor nods, a smile across his face as the session finishes. I leave his plush room and walk to the outside, where the sun greets me, along with Akihiro, Hisao and transport back to the school.

I will try my best doc, because I want to get better. I can feel the sands of time trickling through my fingers and I want to be able to honour that last request from my grandmother.

Come heaven and high water I bloody well will!

End Scene 2

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Not gonna lie, as soon as I saw a post was up for this, I dropped everything and got to reading.

Good to see this, and you, again

I take it and quaff a sip, orange juice meeting my pallet.

You mean her "palate", right?

Didn't expect this one to be continued at this point. Are you planning on finishing it?

Yes I am planning on finishing it. Might take a while. Shit has been seriously real on my end. I've just about scraped myself out of a hole, and as long as I land a job soon TM, I should be ok.

Thanks for pointing that out Mirage. I'll edit in a bit.

It is always upsetting when the real world intrudes on us. I cannot find my plac in Latin so I will give the English of the legal saying. "Don,t let the bastards wear you down"
Came upon your story about a week ago. Really enjoying it. As a cancer survivor, I understand Connor's reluctance. I was lucky - simple and early.
Have no idea how I came across story. Hope the rw let's you continue. Do you have any other writing?

Considering the last update was a little over two years ago, I doubt this will be finished but I still want to say this was an excellent work that I greatly enjoyed reading. You gave all your characters distinct personalities and interesting developments. This was a great piece of work.