Aaron
TW: Violence, Physical abuse
Panic was eating me alive as I rushed down the dormitory hall, barely aware of my surroundings. My heart pounded so loud, it drowned everything else out. Para akong binibingi ng kaba at takot.
Kanina, habang nasa balcony ako at hinihintay si Kakashi na makauwi, bigla akong tinawagan ng kapatid ko, using Mom’s phone.
That alone felt off. Madalang akong kausapin sa phone nu'n. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my sister lately, it’s that she prefers talking to Kakashi over me.
Kaya nang marinig ko agad ang sinabi niya—
"Kuya... I think Kuya Kakashi is in trouble..."
—I didn’t ask questions. Hindi na ako nag-isip. Tumakbo ako.
I didn’t care if I tripped. I jammed my finger on the elevator button, willing it to come faster, then shot straight down to the ground floor.
Kakashi wasn’t home yet from work, and the only thing running through my head was one place... Black Dog.
Sumugod ako palabas, heading straight to the parking lot, habang paulit-ulit kong tinatawagan si Kakashi. It just kept ringing, no answer. And every second of that silence felt like hell.
My chest started to tighten. Parang may humihigop ng hangin mula sa loob ko. I could barely breathe. Everything inside me was screaming.
Fuck. Please, please don’t let anything bad happen to him, God.
"Answer the goddamn phone, Kakashi. Putangina," I whispered, my voice shaking as I reached the car.
But just as I was about to get in, I froze.
Somewhere not too far, I heard a voice, familiar and strained.
"P-putangina mo!"
Halata sa boses niyang hirap siyang magsalita. May galit, pero may sakit din. Kahit hindi ko pa siya nakikita, I knew.
My phone slipped from my hand and hit the concrete, but I didn’t even bother picking it up.
My feet moved before I could think. I ran toward the voice, not knowing exactly where I was going. Ang alam ko lang, kailangan ko siyang makita. Kailangan ko siyang iligtas.
As I got closer, I began to hear something else, mga tawang malalalim ng mga lalaki. Nakakakulo ng dugo.
I crouched behind a parked car and peeked, and what I saw made my breath catch in my throat.
Kakashi was pinned down, both arms held by one guy, habang ’yung isa ay paulit-ulit siyang sinusuntok. His face was a mess... split lips, blood smeared down his nose, and a deep, dark bruise blooming on his jaw.
On the ground nearby, a third guy writhed in pain, hawak-hawak ang nagdudugo niyang ilong.
All three of them dressed in black, with black masks on their faces.
I could feel something snap inside me. Hindi na ako nag-isip. My fists clenched on their own as I rose to my feet and charged.
My eyes locked onto the guy throwing punches. Wala akong ibang nakita kundi siya, ’yung hayop na nananakit sa Kakashi ko.
Too slow. He looked up just as I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him toward me, and before he could react...
I slammed my fist across his face with everything I had.
He fell hard to the ground, pero hindi pa ’yon sapat para sa akin.
I climbed on top of him, and with both fists, started punching him over and over. Wala akong pakialam kung humihingi na siya ng awa o kung nawawala na siya sa ulirat. My mind was blank except for the image of Kakashi bleeding in front of me.
