Behind The Mask

Chapter 10- Akai

I watched as (like every bus trip so far this year) Akari fell asleep on Kian's shoulder. And I watched Kio take another photo. I woke Akari up again and we hopped off the bus together, like we had last week. We talked about the day that had just passed and how our weekends went. I could tell that something was up with Kian and that it was something to do with Akari. The subtle glances and the gleam in his eye when Kian looked at him: it looked like love.

I could tell that he was surprised when I walked through the gates to his aunt's house with him. I just gave him a small grin and continued walking. When he caught up, he seemed at a loss for words and was confused. When we got there, Akari opened the door and let me through. His aunt came up to greet us: "Ah, you're here right on time. Are you ready to learn an instrument?"
"Wait," Akari interrupted, "You're learning an instrument?"

"...Yeah." I responded, "I've wanted to learn one for a while now, and so I asked your aunt and she agreed to teach me."

"Why didn't you tell me, I could've helped or something?"

"Because I wanted to keep it a surprise. That's why I'm not telling you what instrument I'm learning yet."

"Alright," Elizabeth inputted, "Let's get to work."

And so we headed up to the music room, where I had seen Akari play his instrument. It had been more inspiration towards my dream to learn an instrument. At Elizabeth's request, I went along the rows of instruments to choose from. I walked past the guitars, the basses, the violins and violas, the piano, and the harp. But I saw one instrument that just spoke out to me, so I picked it up and turned to Elizabeth. "Ah, yes: the cello. I can see why you'd pick that one out. It has a deep, moving tone that can be intimidating when it needs to be, sad and emotional when necessary, and it can bring forth emotions when we need them most. This says a lot about who you are, Akai: and I can tell that you are a good and loving person."

I spent 1 hour in that room learning the basics and the theory of playing an instrument. I learned how to tighten the bow and rosin it properly, I learned how to hold the bow and how to hold the instrument itself. She told me that the next few lessons would be focusing on how to read the music and how to understand all the terminology. I knew that it would be a long and hard road to learn how to play it properly. But I was willing to put that effort in because I knew that it would one day be rewarded.

I decided that since I was there, I would spend some time around Akari, get to know him a little bit better. I felt like I understood him more than anyone else in the group. To me, he was like my brother, and I hoped that one day I could become like his sister. So I knocked on his door, let him know it was me and waited until he invited me in before entering. When I walked in, he was sitting at his desk with one earbud in and nodding his head along to his music. His mask was a bit askew and was just under his nose, still covering his mouth. It was clear that he had put it on in a bit of a rush and was fixing it up now.

I walked over to him and sat down in the chair next to him before putting in the other earbud attached to his computer. "What are you listening to?"

"It's an artist named Melanie Martinez. This song that's on right now is called 'Show & Tell', it's from her movie called 'K-12'. I listen to her all of the time. That song I played for you guys on my violin with the cd was written by her as well."

"That's cool. I might have to check some of her music out!"

We sat there for an hour or two just talking about the music and just random stuff. I ended up just chilling on the edge of his bed. The conversation ended up turning to the topic of hair styles and I asked him about the colouring in his hair. He didn't say why he changed it but just said that he hated the way it was. I asked him if he liked styling hair, and he said that he didn't mind doing it. So we ended up sitting with my back to him while he combed his fingers through my hair before getting a spray, a brush, and a few hair ties.

"This reminds me of when my twin brother used to do this with me." I mentioned.

"You have a twin brother?" He asked, clearly surprised.

"Had," I correct solemnly, "He's not around anymore."

"Talk to me about it. I'll listen to you and see if I can help you in any way."

"I was born 5 minutes after my brother, and we grew up together. He was such a sweet and kind person, and everyone loved him. If anyone ever did anything towards me, he was there to protect me. If it meant protecting me, he would have given his life. And he did. About 3 years ago- before I met Kio and Kian- we were walking home from school when someone put us at gun point and demanded we hand everything in our possession over. The gun was pointed at me!" I choked out, "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!"

Akari stopped brushing my hair and just pulled me into an embrace, giving me the comfort that I needed for this. When I calmed down a bit, he let go of me and continued with my hair, letting me sit in silence until I was ready to talk again. "The gun was pointed at me, so he rushed him with the little pocket knife he always carried around as a precaution. He managed to get the man in the shoulder, but not before the man had changed target and pulled the trigger. The man ran away while my brother was left bleeding from his stomach. He died in my arms." I felt the tears filling my eyes to the brim. "By the time any help arrived, it was too late. He was gone. For a long time after that, my entire mental health was in a terrible state, and I had even planned to kill myself. I had a date and method set as well, but then I met them. The purple-haired dorks. They gave me reason to continue, and saved my life, even if they didn't know it." By this time, the tears were pooling out of my eyes, leaving stains down my cheeks and droplets on my pants.

"But with you around, it's almost like he's back with me. He used to play with my hair and style it the same way you just did, he used to care about others like you do. I know I haven't known you long, but to me: you are my brother. You are my family. Even if you don't think of me like family, please just never abandon me. PLEASE!"

He just wrapped his arms around me quietly, letting me cry myself out into his shoulder. "It's alright, little sis. I am right here, and I will not leave you. I promise. From this day forth, you are my family as well. You are my sister. So I swear to you- I will not abandon you. No matter what happens or what we go through, you're stuck with me until the end of time. You are not alone anymore. One day I will tell you about me, but right now, I want you to understand that you can talk to me about anything at any time. I know you don't live too far from here, so feel free to come around anytime you want. Okay?"

All I could do was nod my head while burying my face in his shoulder. His embrace felt... comforting and loving. Not in the way of romantic partners, but in the way a brother would comfort his sister. My eyes filled with tears, but this time; instead of them being tears of pain, sorrow, and anguish, these were tears of love, happiness, and hope. I had a brother again, and I knew he meant every word of his promise- he was there to stay.