WINDBREAKER (Sakura Haruka x Kotoha Tachibana)

Blood🩸 [II]

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She once was a noble lady with a happy family... But their family got on a huge amount of debt and couldn't pay for it all So they decided to sell their mansion and all of their property but nonetheless after that it isn't enough to pay for all of it.

Then until one day, they only got nothing and just like that they become one of the Commoners, her mother worked hard to earn money while on the other hand her father continued to gamble their money her mother earned from her work as a maid helper. Even in this kind of situation her father continued to gamble, in fact it was her father's fault why they lost everything in the first place. Kotoha was just 10 years old back then but she decided to help her mother at work since she didn't have anything to do and it seemed like commoner kids like her didn't like her for being once a noble. there, she learned more knowledge on how to cook a dish and everyone there seemed too kind to her, the maidservants there were teaching her all kinds of stuff on how to do laundry, cooking, cleaning and all kinds of maids job, every day she spent there is lively and everyone was cheerful she also likes how they complemented her for being cute that they couldn't get mad at her, but those lively moments would only last in day-time while at night all she could hear from her parents are their arguments, their shouting, things shattered everywhere, she couldn't help but cried in so much terrified. Days, months, years have passed finally Kotoha was 13 years old. Everything was normal, her birthday was always celebrated by the maids in that mansion although they only did it in secret but Kotoha deeply appreciated their efforts.

Until one day outside the mansion.... Kotoha had spotted a boy who was drowning in the clear deep pond full of blooming Water Lily's. without thinking her body moved and jumped into the pond trying to reach the boy before it's too late. luckily they got out safely from the deep water in the pond. The boy was unexpectedly the dukes son who was the owner of the mansion her mother worked for, not to mention it was the mansion of Hajime's. From that day onwards they become friends, there's no day that these two couldn't play. Umemiya was a cheerful boy back then he was so happy that finally he have someone to play with.

But to Kotoha, those happy and cheerful memories wouldn't last long because one night while her parents were arguing as always, she overheard that her mother wants divorced, her father wouldn't agree about it since her mother is the only source of the money he gambled everyday and without her he don't have any money to bet in the gambling house, hearing about it made Kotoha wondered what will happen to her ounce her mother left but those thoughts faded away after hearing her mother screamed in pain, she immediately came out of her room only to find her mother being beaten by her father, Kotoha tried to stop her father by pulling him away but she only got hit on the face that made her thrown away to the wall before hitting the floor with her head, her vision went dizzy and she also couldn't move a single muscle due to the throbbing pain all over her body.
The only thing she remembered is her father stopped beating her mother after seeing her, her mother ran to help her but she only lost her consciousness after that.

She Woke up in the morning as the sun was setting up, the light from the window was blinding. she slightly glances at every corner of the room but her mother is nowhere to be found even after roaming the whole house. normally her mother would wait for her to go to work but this time her mother didn't wait for her, she immediately ran to where her mother worked as always but there, she didn't found her. She tried asking the other maids but it seems like she didn't come to work this time. Until one of the maids informed her that her mother resigned from working as a maid, she was told that she had found another man with a prestigious family where she would spend her new life with, and without a doubt Kotoha was not a part of it.
Leaving the mansion, she only cried in silence as tears never stopped flowing down her face.

Days later... She began working at the mansion as a maid's helper, because her father forced her to work and earn money knowing he would make her a new resource of money and would make use of it, he didn't even care for their everyday food and was always drinking alcohol everyday. every night her father went home he was always drunk and frustrated and when there's nothing to eat he would always blame Kotoha for it and every night when her father isn't in the mood she would always receive a beating, sometimes those thoughts would echo to her mind, why was she still alive? What have she done to deserve this painful Beating from her father? why was she being tormented every night? What was the reason she was born? and would sometimes thought of committing suicide but she just couldn't.

Every time Kotoha goes to work maids would always treat her wounds and swollen part of her body, sometimes there are wounds that would leave a scar after healing but she really didn't care about it much. Maids would always tell her to leave their house but she really never planned on leaving since she had nowhere to go, weeks had passed but it seemed like Kotoha was getting used to every beating she would receive, every time her father would beat her she stopped crying and continued enduring the pain, she also stopped smiling anymore and her eyes isn't much lively as before and would only remained dead, that only made the maids concerned for her even more.
She also stopped hanging around with Umemiya It's as if she didn't want to, as if she lost her motivation to do so. Since she only became the hot topic among maids, who would always pity her

One night, Kotoha went home late in their house because everyone is busy with the preparations they made for Umemiya's Birthday party. Every step closer made Kotoha shiver along with her cold sweat streaming down her face, it's as if she already knew what will happen, Nonetheless she again received a beating from her father but this time it was very painful, Every hit that would landed on her was much heavier than the other one's she experienced, she tried to endure it all but it wasn't easy, it's very painful and heavy that she would collapse any moment. Until someone came to rescue her, That unknown person pushed her father away and shoved him on The table, that impact was hard that he couldn't stand up immediately. The unknown person helped Kotoha to stand up on her feet and while holding each other's hand they ran away from the house of Kotoha, and while running away the unknown person revealed itself as the black garment that covered his face got blown by the wind.
They stopped for awhile and hid behid the walls in the dark alley. In that moment Kotoha had questioned him but he only smiled at her and revealed his intention, he wanted Kotoha to never go back to that house ever again, and be his sister forever since he always wanted to have a siblings but it's too impossible for him since his mother died while giving birth to him. At first Kotoha refused because for her it seems too much and she doesn't want to be indebted to someone but after seeing Umemiya begged her he even got down on his knees, but eventually she accepted Umemiya's offer or might something you could call a wish.

After That day after, they were both standing right in front of the Duke inside his office chambers, Umemiya asked and wanted his father to adopt Kotoha, at first he refused to adopt a homeless girl but while Umemiya was babbling about the reasons why he needs to adopt her it came to the dukes mind that he could make use of her when she grows up, he could arrange a political marriage proposal. Long story short, he would sell her to someone. The Duke agreed with his son but Kotoha could see the cunning grinned from the Dukes face
And that's how it all started, as if her faith was planned by someone already from that day onwards.