Love and Lies [Saioumami]

It's the Last Time They'll Hurt Me

Kaho, Maki and Celestia approached the hyperventilating groom, taking his arms and leading him out into the hallway of the wedding venue. Tears poured down Kokichi's cheeks as he cried, flashbacks of his childhood filling his vision. The three let him lean sit on a bench, standing around him with worry. Maki reached out to place her hand on Kokichi's shoulder, stopping midair as the male flinched at the sudden action. "Kokichi, you have not behaved this way since moving in with the Amami family. Would you prefer me to fetch-"

"No, no don't. I'm embarrassed enough as it is," Kokichi mumbled between sniffles. His arms fell limp in his lap, engulfed by his dress skirt.

"Take deep breaths. The situation is being taken care of, you're safe," Maki whispered to the male, sitting next to him.

"I'm not letting them hurt you again," Kaho glared at the ground, her hands balled into fists. "Not like when I was a kid," she whispered.

"Please shut up, please!" Kokichi hissed. His breathing became jagged again, the male's eyes travelling to his exposed arms. He no longer saw the scars as healed, white lines, but as open, bloody and fresh wounds. Slipping into his memories, Kokichi looked up at his father as he lay on the ground, helpless, his father bringing the knife down. "Stop it, please stop," he cried, folding his arms as he scratched them rapidly, attempting to remove the trigger. I want to be normal, I want to be sane, I don't want to be like this!

"Kokichi stop!" Kaho shouted, hurrying to grab Kokichi's hands and holding them in the air. "I won't let you hurt yourself!" He struggled, attempting to break his arms free as he saw his parents holding him down, ready to beat him. His sister never let go, tears pricking her own eyes that she refused to let fall.

Feeling Kaho let go of his arms, he looked up to see Hirohito sitting down, pulling him into a fatherly hug. Kokichi squirmed, attempting to break free from the trap as Hirohito shushed him, doing nothing but holding his son-in-law close. Breathing in the father's pine scent, Kokichi's nightmares started fading away, being replaced with pleasant memories with his caring second family. He remembered the times Kimi and Miki had practised their medical skills on him, or when he taught Rikoho about gardening, only for her to become the Ultimate Botanist.

Kokichi's breathing steadied, the tears subsiding as he leant into his father-in-law's embrace, smiling to himself. He finally felt safe with the only true dad he ever knew, a man who'd only given him pleasant memories. "Do you want to continue the wedding? No one will blame you if you want to postpone," he whispered.

"I want to talk to Shuichi and Rantaro. In private," Kokichi whispered back.

"I'll go get them for you." With that, the older man broke the hug, smiling at Kokichi before leaving. The four remaining people stood around each other in silence. Maki and Celestia seemed ready to kill someone, whilst Kaho tried her hardest not to cry as she hugged her brother. Shuichi and Rantaro hurried to Kokichi's side, their expressions wrought with concern.

The three women turned to leave the fiancees alone, although Maki hesitated for a moment. "Arms," she stated before turning to catch up with the others.

"Kokichi, why are your arms so red?" Rantaro asked, taking a seat beside the purplette. Shuichi knelt in front of him, holding one of Kokichi's hands.

"I wanted to get rid of them," Kokichi mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, it's not your fault," Shuichi soothed, rubbing his thumb on the back of Kokichi's hand. "Take as much time as you need, okay? If you want to wait and postpone the wedding, that's perfectly okay."

"It's not like money's an issue either, we'll discuss this with the venue and get everything sorted," Rantaro added.

"I'm still a little out of it. I knew they were fucked in the head but not enough to shoot me at our wedding." Kokichi huffed a laugh, attempting to lighten the tense situation. "Sorry for ruining the big day, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be," Shuichi interrupted, holding a finger to Kokichi's lips to quieten him. "No one knew this would happen, it's not your fault. You can't be held accountable for other people's actions."

"If anyone seems mad, it's not at you. We're all on your side. I mean, Chabashira knocked the gun away to save a 'degenerate male' so that should tell you enough," Rantaro joked. The three laughed together, Kokichi wiping away his tears with a smile.

"Alright then. Let me fix myself up and we can continue if you're both up for it. I can't go out there looking like this," Kokichi grinned.

"Take your time babe, no one is going anywhere. We need to calm down everyone and call the police anyway." Rantaro and Shuichi kissed the male before leaving Kokichi, Celestia approaching the male in their place.

"Woah, stalker much?" Kokichi laughed, standing up and fixing his dress.

"I didn't want you to be alone," she smiled, dropping her fake, European accent. "Before you ask, no, I didn't hear what you were talking about."

"Good," Kokichi smiled. "Come on, I need to fix up this shit." Shooting a quick text to Shirogane, the two made their way towards the bridal suite to fix up Kokichi's makeup. Entering the suite, the two found Shirogane already taking out her beauty supplies. Without wasting any time, Shirogane started wiping away Kokichi's makeup, preparing a blank canvas. "Um, do you think I could wear those gloves after all?"

"Hm? Why is that?" Celestia asked, her false accent returning.

"I don't want to see them... It's disgusting and ugly. I've made my arms pretty red," Kokichi explained.

"What happened to them being a part of you? I thought you refused to be ashamed by them?" Shirogane asked.

"You say that like you're not covering up the scar on my eye. That and you act like my father didn't just almost shoot me," Kokichi huffed, attempting to laugh away the trauma.

"You ended up showing that bitch that you're the most powerful." Celestia took Kokichi's hand in hers, squeezing gently. "Mum informed me they are getting arrested at this very moment, you will be free from them."

"I guess so, but it's still scary. I'll do anything I need to if it means they suffer for what they've done to me." Kokichi frowned, quickly relaxing his face when Shirogane glared at him. "You know what, fuck this. I'm not covering anything up, but can I do anything to make it less red?"

"I have just the thing." Reaching into her bag, Celestia pulled out supplies to help her best friend and ex-boyfriend.