affinity. takashi mitsuya.

ONE

july 3rd, 2005.

it was sunday evening when hitoka was making dinner, and her father kai came home from work. ever since her mother had died when she was seven, hitoka took it upon herself to take on the motherly role in her household. her father was mostly absent, locked up in his office, and leaving money for hitoka to mend for herself. not that she minded, because every time he was home felt like torture to her.

"hitoka! i overheard that you've been messing around with that takemichi kid again! is that true?" kai had asked her during dinner. this wasn't the first time they talked about this, hitoka knew that. he was always blaming her for things she hasn't done and looking for flaws in everything she did. just so he could have a reason to take his anger out on her.

the older nishimiya would come home expecting to be treated like a king. if something wasn't right, he always punished her. on a good day, it resorted to physical abuse. on a bad day, she had to listen to him throw words at her that always cut deep. today it was the latter. she knew she couldn't do anything about it, so she endured it, praying that he goes back to work soon. he was going on with his usual scolding that happened before it escalated into something more.

kai nishimiya was friends with the tachibana's, whose daughter, hinata, was dating takemichi hanagaki. the boy she saved a few years ago and who kept pestering her until she agreed to be his friend. the crybaby quickly grew on her, but she had no idea how her father found out she was his friend. she suspected hinata tachibana might have said something by accident, knowing her from before.

"dad, i already told you. we are just friends, and takemichi is a good person. i don't hang around any other delinquents," she said quietly to not annoy him further, hoping that this doesn't turn into one of his physical punishments. bruises from last week when he gripped her wrist were still showing. she had no problem putting people in their place, but when it came to her father, she couldn't help but turn to stone.

he, however, wasn't ready to let go of the subject yet, "and i already told you to stop whoring around and making our family name sound bad!"

hitoka knew she should back off before she made the situation worse, but she couldn't keep her mouth shut this time.

"did you ever think that maybe it is your fault that people think badly of us?"

it was silent before he swiped her plate on the ground. pieces of food and broken glass were on the floor next to her chair. hitoka got up and started cleaning. no dinner for her tonight. that was okay though, she just had to wait until kai left to have the house for herself again. if she was lucky, she wouldn't see him again until next week.

-

painful words lingered in her mind as she strolled down the street, trying to block them out. it was almost dark, but she was not about to go home soon after leaving her house so suddenly, fearing what kai would do if he was awake by the time she came back. he usually let her do whatever she wanted. unless he was in the mood like he had been earlier.

she sat down on a swing in the park she loved so much. the same one where she saved the sisters a few days before. it was the best place to clear her mind, sitting there for hours until warm spring air turned chilly as the sky grew darker.

hitoka had no idea how long she was sitting there with a blank look in her eyes until she realized it had gotten dark. the only source of light was the flickering lamp post next to the swing she was sitting on. she mentally scolded herself for leaving without taking her pepper spray. to make things even worse, she heard boisterous laughter in the distance. she pulled the hood of her thin jacket over her head and curled her body trying to make herself appear smaller. that didn't help.

the moment hitoka turned to leave she heard a voice calling out to her as the group of boys appeared around the corner, "what are you doing here, little girl?" he chuckled, trying to provoke her.

she didn't know what was more embarrassing, being called a little or obviously trying to escape as fast as she could. deciding to face them, she saw three boys wearing identical uniforms staring at her. it was too dark for her to read what the embroidery said.

"i was leaving. please leave me alone," hitoka lied, trying to get away. she couldn't see their faces, but she felt a familiar presence, and her shoulders relaxed when she heard mitsuya's voice.

"isn't it a bit too late for you to be out here all alone, toka-chan?" a voice jokingly said, and she recognized it as the boy whose sisters he saved, or as they called him, taka-chan. "let me walk you home?"

she reluctantly agreed, and mitsuya perked up.

"mitsuya, you know her?" the tall guy with long hair from before asked him. hitoka would ask about his hair care routine if her heart wasn't beating a hundred miles per hour just from his presence. her eyes quickly scanned the third, shorter boy with an undercut before looking at her feet.

"hitoka-chan is a friend, baji, and you are scaring her," mitsuya said while putting his arm on hitoka's shoulder, trying to ease her anxiety. she tensed further under their prying eyes, and mitsuya let his arm fall to his side.

to everyone, it would seem that mitsuya was just being friendly. but baji was observant, and he realized immediately that his childhood friend was interested in the girl.

he made sure to ask him about it later. mitsuya bid them his last goodbye and turned around, gently pushing hitoka to lead the way. after they were at a safe distance from the rest of his group, she initiated a conversation. "so about last time, i didn't quite catch your name, taka-chan."

as soon as the nickname left hitoka's mouth, she regretted it. mitsuya smiled when he saw how flustered she got, liking how it sounded coming from her mouth.

"takashi mitsuya. taka-chan works just as fine."

"takashi-kun, i don't really feel like going home," hitoka started, feeling a little bolder, "would you mind keeping me company for a little while?"

with the way she was smiling at him, he couldn't say no to her, "lead the way, hitoka-chan."

"nishimiya. my full name is hitoka nishimiya," she said, turning to face him and walking backward, "and you better remember it."

author's note – august 4th

the second chapter is done! i might rewrite some things later because i am not really happy with how this turned out. the next chapter is further going to develop their relationship.