Rebellion

Changes

Ayase woke up in Naoki's room. After she was let out of the hospital, it seemed like he just wanted to keep her close. They'd always sleep together, often times she'd cry in her sleep. She'd always get a hug because of it. She was scared. She was so scared. Scared of being hurt, both physically and emotionally, and from that day even sexually. She wasn't touched since that day, but it made her scared.

"Please wake up..." Naoki tried to wake her up.

"I don't want to, let me be alone, please, I want to lay in bed..." She whispered out, hugging her pillow and crying.

It was a problem to get her out of bed. It looked like it became harder and harder to get her out of it. She didn't have the will, and it seemed like she was terrified of living. Like she'll get hurt. She was always tired.

"Ayase, please, just a little bit more. It'll be done soon." Naoki tried to get her out of bed.

Only a little more. Just until they're done. It would be over. She can't give up now. He didn't want more trouble with their father. But she just wouldn't get up. He pulled her by the hand, trying to drag her out. She started screaming histerically.

"DON'T HURT ME!" She yelled as soon as he dragged her out of bed.

She kept on screaming and begging him not to hurt her.

"I swear I've been good! Don't touch me!" She shook as she tried to crawl in the corner of the room.

Naoki gulped. He felt like he was doing something to her, even though he wasn't. He needed to drag her out, even if it causee this reaction. He just picked her up, not wanting to get something worse to happen. He can't baby her anymore.

She kicked and screamed. She clawed her nails into his arms, making him bleed. He wanted to block out her screams, but it was so hard. It reminded him of that day. Where Hiroji did that wonderful thing he did.

Suddenly he saw her throwing up. He got surprised, but she seemed a bit calmer after it. He felt so bad making her work while she's sick, but he couldn't risk it. Better that than Hiroji beating her again, or even worse.

When he got her in the car, she seemed to calm down. She laid in the back seats, looking more like a corpse than anything.

"Naoki, I feel bad..." Ayase mustered out barely.

"I know... Just try to bare with it." His pained voice was obvious.

He saw Ayase nod. She was calm finally. He sighed. He hated that man for doing this to her. For the scarring he was causing her.

He stopped to pick up Benjiro, just like every time. The man came inside, his eye still a bit swollen and a huge cut on his other cheek.

"Is she okay?" Benjiro asked Naoki, worry obviously written on his face.

"She threw up." Naoki answered, thinking of future plans.

"I got the pills you asked for." Benjiro added, taking them out.

"Good. She should drink them so she doesn't throw up anymore. Just give them to her before parting ways." He explained to Benjiro, who already knew what to do anyway.

Ayase barely walked, but she drank the pills Benjiro gave her before heading off.

"Thank you, Benjiro." She mumbled.

"Why can't you tell me what happened?" Benjiro asked her, dying out of worry.

"... I don't want you to know." She answered, her voice without any energy.

Benjiro felt guilty. He knew something happened to her because of him. Because of their sneaking out. He felt guilty for it, but he didn't know any details of what happened. Neither Ayase nor Naoki wanted to tell him. Naoki saying something like 'you better not know'.

"Goodbye, Benjiro." She went the other direction.

"... Goodbye, Ayase." His response was equally as monotone.

He knew he was responsible for this. He felt horrible and the worst thing about it is that he didn't know how to fix it. That was the worst combination he could think of. Usually he'd at least think of some way of fixing something, but it was impossible if he didn't even know the situation.

He knew she got the worse end of the part, and so did Naoki. Both of them looked horrible since that day. The only thing Benjiro got was a good beating, but he felt like that wasn't even close to enough.

He sighed. By trying to help Ayase and Teruo he fucked this whole group apart. The group that was just growing closer and closer. Hiroji decided a good decision would be to mix up the group. That seemed like the most rational decision he ever made, but it only made him question if it was even his decision and not Naoki's.

The group he was used to was gone. The only person he was left with was Satoko. He thought the girl was a bit bitchy, but he knew she didn't mean anything bad. It was just a bad feeling when he was left in a group full of people he didn't quite like, except Satoko. He didn't have problems fitting in, the problem was that he knew all of these people, and he knew they were all loyal to Hiroji.

Benjiro was quite disliked in this gang. The only people he knew liked him were Naoki and Teruo, and of course some people loyal to Naoki that were disguised as Hiroji's people. But being insulted by these people all of the time felt bad.

"Can you leave the guy alone?" Satoko asked, looking like she was firmly pissed off.

"What, are you his girlfriend?" One of the men, who just looked the same as the other three, questioned.

"No, your shitty insults are just hard to listen to." Satoko deadpanned.

"I don't have anything against beating women." He threatened.

Satoko only grinned at that.

"I don't have anything against hitting below the belt." And just as she said that, he got hit with a shovel somewhere where he really didn't want to be hit.

After that most of them were quiet, except the man's ocassional grunts of pain.

"Thank you very much, Miki-San." Benjiro thanked the taller girl.

"No problem, Seto. They're seriously annoying." Satoko grumbled as she continued digging.

He sighed. Maybe this won't be as bad as he thought it would. He just couldn't stop feeling guilty, and the thought he couldn't see Ayase nearly as much made him very sad.