Love and Lies [Saioumami]

Beaten Bloody and Dead

"Haha imagine falling on Rainbow Road!" Kokichi laughed at Shuichi, taking his eyes off the screen to glimpse over at the detective.

"Like you just did?" Kokichi darted back at the screen to see he indeed fell off the track, causing him to frown as Shuichi overtook him and won the race. "It looks like I won this time."

"That was totally a fluke!" He shouted, a brief silence enveloping the two before they broke out in simultaneous laughter.

"Hey, Saihara?" A knock on the door interrupted them. Shuichi climbed to his feet and made his way to the bedroom door, opening it to display Celestia carrying a plate of food. "Kyoko asked me to give this to you. Oh, Kokichi, you're still here?" She noticed her arranged boyfriend sitting on the floor as she positioned the plate of food atop a drawer.

"Where else would I be?"

"Home, your parents should've been there fifteen minutes ago. Would you like someone to drive you so you get there quicker?" Celestia questioned, approaching Kokichi and assisting him off the floor.

"No, no it's fine. I'll find my way home." Kokichi stumbled, rushing around to look for his phone that he couldn't find. Behind his false smile, the boy felt terrified, wondering if he'd be any safer if he turned up at home in the middle of the night instead.

"I can walk you home, it'll be easier to create an excuse so you're not in trouble." Celestia held Kokichi's hand in hers, the boy knew by the look in her eyes that she knew how terrified he was.

"No, you enjoy your time with Kirigiri." He smiled, slipping his hand from the girl's grip and skipping to the door, flicking two fingers away from his forehead as one last goodbye to the two before racing downstairs. Before he left, he threw a quick 'thank you' to Jin out of courtesy, apologising for the sudden departure. Kokichi ran, knowing he had a thirty-minute walk ahead of him and his parents might've been home for just over fifteen minutes. Please God, just let me beat them home.

~💙/💜/💚~

Home is just around the corner, I'm almost there. Kokichi panted, running out of stamina as he turned the corner to his street, slowing to a jog as his legs burned from the exercise. His racing heart dropped to the pavement, all hope abandoned his body as he noticed a car pulling into his driveway. I'm a few minutes too late. He approached the home, walking up the pathway leading to the front door as his family exited their car. "Kokichi, what are you doing out of the house?" 

Flicking his glance between his mother and father, it landed on Kaho's confused expression. What are you possibly confused about? You're just waiting for me to die, don't act all innocent. "How dare you glare at your sister? She'd never sneak out of the house without permission because she's an angel."

"Get inside." His father barked, pointing to the front door. With his tail between in legs, Kokichi shuffled inside, preparing himself for the hell that was about to break loose. "Where did you go?!" The man shouted as Kokichi watched his mother escort Kaho through the house, away from the commotion.

"School."

"What did you need from school on the weekend?!"

"I left some stuff there. The principal let me in."

"Oh really? I would've thought you'd have all your stuff after you skipped yesterday." Kokichi's eyes widened, knowing he was royally fucked. After leaving Hoshi in the bathroom, he'd decided last minute not to go to the principal's office and wag instead. "The school communicates with us, are you that stupid to forget that little fact?" With every threatening step his father took towards him, Kokichi took a shaky step back, running out of space and feeling his back hit the wall. He had nowhere to run now.

"You think you're so tough to get into fights at school? Show me how tough you are, come on, throw a punch at me instead." His father held his arms out at his side in surrender. Kokichi dared not move a muscle, desiring a hole would open up in the wall and protect him. Dread assumed that place, enveloping him as his father grew a malevolent smile. "That's what I thought."

Kokichi's cheek collided with the wall, a burning sensation erupting on his face from his father slapping him. "You skip school, you start fights, and now you think you can get away with leaving the house without permission?" With his arms in the air, Kokichi attempted to block the punches and slaps thrown at him with almost every word, not expecting the kick to his hip. A piercing crack cut through the commotion, accompanying the pain flaring at the point of impact as the boy yelped. "You're weak!" His father spat.

Lifting him by the hair, his father dragged the bruised boy to his basement and threw him down the stairs. Kokichi grunted with every impact into the hard edges of each step, vision blurring as his head collided with the basement floor. "Get up." His father spat, shoving the boy out of his way as he descended the stairs behind him. "I said, get. Up." Voice rising, his father's anger increased at Kokichi's lack of compliance.

The boy writhed in agony on the ground, unable to stand or see straight. Again, he was yanked by his hair, this time to his feet. After depleting his stamina from running home, he couldn't defend himself as his father lifted him into the air, feet grazing the ground. Kokichi received punch after punch to his abdomen, chest and head before crashing back to the ground. "That'll teach you not to get into fights. Pathetic, sorry excuse of a son. You don't deserve anything your mother and I give you!" With the last words, Kokichi's father stormed up the basement steps and closed the door behind him, leaving the boy to his lonesome as he slipped unconscious on the cold, hard floor.

~💙/💜/💚~

Sirens filled Kokichi's ears as he felt his body be turned around and lifted, pain stabbing every inch of his body. Unable to open his eyes, he could only listen as people talked about his horrid state of being. "You'll be okay Kokichi, everything will be alright." His heart warmed at the sound of a familiar emo's voice faintly comforting him. Kokichi smiled, groaning incoherent noises in an attempt at speaking as he fell unconscious again.

He had no sense of time, randomly waking up only to have no control over his eyelids or body. Every now and again he could hear Rantaro, Shuichi or Celestia's voice speaking to him about their day, or painfully asking him to open his eyes. Kokichi felt guilty, he wanted nothing more than to wake up and hug his friends, to tell them he's okay and take their pain and sorrow from them. The only thing he could do was lightly squeeze their hands from time to time with the sliver of control he obtained.

Unfortunately, he didn't always hear nice things. His parents' voices filled his head when they visited, telling him that he fell down the stairs, his father never did anything and not to dare tell anyone. Kokichi had no intention of telling anyone, after all why go to the police when you yourself are a criminal? Hoping he'd be able to open his eyes soon, Kokichi fell back asleep in the hospital bed.