Ulterior Motives

Chapter 20 This is War

Natsuki's POV:

This was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo unfair, though Sayori wasn't even going to Yuri's house or anything, she was just staying in her own house communicating through email and texting which according to Yuri was short and straight to the point. Here I was stuck with Annie the psychopath. She was emancipated so she had her own place. I was going over there Sunday to make the cupcakes. I was so not looking forward to it! However I was going over to Yuri's today because she wanted to hang out. I smiled to myself.

"Where are you going you bitch?" My dad hiccuped, he was obviously very drunk. Here it was four o'clock on a Saturday and he was wasted. He stormed over to me, swaying slightly. I backed up fearfully.

............................

I was six hours late, I just prayed that Yuri was awake. I shakily brought my phone up to my ear as it dialed Yuri's number.
  "N-natsuki?" She rasped sounding somewhat sleepy, it was ten thirty, normal people went to bed at this time. "Wait...where are you? You were supposed to be here at five?" I panted leaning against the street light across the street from her house.
   "I'm...I'm so sorry... I wanted to...to come to you...honest..." I sniffed rubbing the tears from my eyes then hissing when my hand made contact with tender skin.
   "What's the matter? What's wrong?" She sounded more alert, more awake than before. I didn't have anywhere else to turn... My friends I couldn't be such a bother to them.
   "I'm sorry, I couldn't come to you...I tried...I swear I did ...he didn't...I didn't...know...he was awake .." I sniffed again as tears and blood blurred my vision.

  "Natsuki slow down, what are you talking about? Who stopped you from coming to my house?" I could hear Yuri shuffling around her room, obviously she was trying to get dressed on the crazy notion that she would come looking for me or something. However something broke inside of me, and I lowered my head sadly.
   "My Papa." There's a long moment of tense silence and I slide down the light, unable to keep myself stable as I blink back my dizziness.

  "Natsuki!" I vaguely hear Yuri's voice through the receiver as she calls to me frantically. "Natsuki are you alright?" She exclaimed fearfully. Then the phone clicked off and I sat it in my lap. I sat there for awhile in a half asleep daze when my phone buzzed.
   "Natsuki baby where are you?" My Papa sounded like he had been crying, he always did this, he'd drink until he was merely a shell of the man I love then he'd pass out and wake up realizing too late what he'd done.

  "I'm safe, don't worry I'm coming home. Not tonight but I'll come home soon okay?" I reassured him because if my mother had done one thing it was make my father and I have major abandonment issues. I wanted him to know that I was mad but I wasn't leaving him like she had.
   "Natsuki I'm so sorry, I didn't ...I'm sorry ..I'll be better... Please tell me where you are....I'll pick you up...please..." He rasped, he was in the hungover phase, which meant he was all emotional and regretful. That would wear off real fast and then he'd be angry again. He might be angry tomorrow night but at least he won't be after buzz angry.

  "No, that will only put you and other people in danger. I love you okay? Now goodnight, take some Tylenol." I hung up the phone knowing he'd be pissed and returned it to my pocket. He had been thrashing around, and didn't mean to shatter the bottle on my head, but he did, knocked me out cold for a good few hours then he was sobbing at the TV, I tried to leave, he rammed me into the wall. I called him  abusive asshole, he actually stopped and threw me to the ground got another beer and fell asleep in his arm chair. Usually he was more verbal but it was the anniversary of the day my mom walked out on us... He was hurting badly.

  "Natsuki!" I looked down at my phone in confusion, it was off. What the heck? Then Yuri was sitting in front of me, her eyes were sparkling with tears in the moon light and she tried to pick me up.
  "Yuri, I'm fine...just go home...sleep here..." I murmur and she scoffs grabbing me up in her arms, holding me close to her protectively and starts across the street and up the stairs.

  "Yuri what you doing?" A voice I didn't recognize whispered.
   "Shh Edgar just go back to sleep, my friend is just hurt, I need to fix her up." She whispered and the little boy with the purple hair and blue eyes nodded pressing his palm against my cheek.
  "Feel better Yuri's friend." Then he was gone. Yuri carried me to her room. I was too out of it to really remember what happened next I just remember Yuri brushing back my hair and looking at the cut on my forehead.

I woke up feeling like a semitruck had  rammed into me. I groaned sitting up with a grunt of pain.
  "Don't move, you're still liable to be in tremendous amounts of pain." Yuri insisted and I frowned, she wasn't wrong there everything was throbbing.

  "I gotta go to Annie's..." I grumbled feeling like I'd rather go find that previously mentioned truck and let it run me over. Yuri's face scrunched up in an unrecognizable emotion, though it didn't look happy.
   "I don't see why. You're injured surely Annie can manage on her own." She whispered sitting next to me on the bed.

  "Probably, but I won't give her the satisfaction. Plus she lives alone and is probably all lonely and sad and my visit will probably be the only visit she's ever had." I teased and Yuri frowned looking at her hands, her eyebrows were furrowed and it looked almost as if Yuri was pouting...but that couldn't be right...right?

  "She lives alone?" She grumbled and I smiled slightly.
   "Yeah she's emancipated and what not." I heaved myself off the bed, swaying slightly and Yuri carefully steadied me.
   "Oh." Yuri bit her lip glaring at the floor.
 
   "Then I have to go home...deal with my papa...he's gonna be so mad..." Suddenly her head snapped up her expression was dark and protective.
   "You're not going home!" She insisted and I shook my head.
   "Not right away, but later I am... Look my papa is all I have and I'm all he has... My mom didn't bother to stick around and sure my dad isn't the greatest but I mean...I deserve it... I'm not exactly perfect or anything." I was rambling as I searched for my phone and shoes.
   "He shouldn't expect you to be perfect! Natsuki he needs help...look at how beat up you are!" Yuri exasperated grabbing my shoulders and looking at me pleadingly.
   "Yuri I'll be fine." I tried and she rested her forehead against mine.
  "But what if you're not? What if he drinks again and takes it to far?" She whispered tearfully and I sighed.
   "Yuri why do you care so much about this? Who cares if I die?"
Before I knew what was happening her lips were on my own. The kiss was soft and pleading. Then she pulled away looking at me sadly.
   "I'd care."

To Be Continued....
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