Hope ~Yato x Reader AU~

Chapter 40: Dry Throats

"You're a very bold woman," Mr. Hara chuckles. "Too bold for a woman who forced her own daughter to undergo an abortion, don't you think?"

My heart drops. My heart drops and my soul drains from my body, causing me to tremble. H-how? How did he get that info? How did he...? I ponder, feeling myself growing weaker and weaker. This information...it was never released. Only my parents, Dr. Itchi, the doctor who performed the procedure, and I were aware of this. Kaito knows now, but only after I told him and no one else knows that he knows, and I doubt he blurted that to Mr. Hara. So, how did this man learn about this?

I glimpse at the people who surround me. All their faces -my parents, Dr. Itchi, Kaito, even Rei- they're all wide-eyed with mouths agape. A mixture of astonishment, fear, and rage washes over their features. Even YM/N becomes speechless, her me/c gaze wide. Much like me and everyone else here, she is just as...confused. Confused and muted. It's almost insane. In all my life, I've never seen her this way, which leaves my heart to drop. If YM/N can't find the words to say...then I don't see how anyone else can.

That is until I hear a low tone growl, "I don't care who you are. I don't care what influence you have. How dare you? How dare you say that? How dare you broadcast their past here? You have no right. No right whatsoever."

I blink, glancing between both of my parents. Both are still standing there with their mouths open and eyes wide, their stares drifting. Still confused, I turn to Dr. Itchi and Rei. Much like my parents, they're standing there with pure surprise sprawled across their features. Seeing this, I turn to the final person I can imagine saying anything and I am almost shaken to the core.

Kaito is standing close to me, his body moving forward to separate Mr. Hara from me, his eyes throwing daggers at the man. His hands are balled into tight fists that tremble as he clenches his jaw, a sense of pure, raw rage radiates from him. He is furious. Furious and steaming as red seems to flash through his eyes. This man before me...this a part of Kaito I have never seen. Not like this.

"How fucking dare you," Kaito continues, the grumbles coming from deep within his chest as he puffs up. "That's crossing the line, even or you, Mr. Hara."

Still stunned, I lift my brows. Seeing Kaito in this way...it makes me feel...a certain kind of way. My heart swells at his reaction, his stance between me and the man allowing a sense of security to wash over me. He's standing up to Mr. Hara...he's speaking against this extremely uncomfortable situation. He's doing that and he's doing that because he knows that what Mr. Hara is trying to pull is wrong.

However, that said, though Mr. Hara appears shocked by Kaito's reaction at first, that shock quickly washes away, being replaced by agitation as he warns, "Watch yourself, Mr. Itchi. You're walking on a thin line as it is. After all, if my sources are correct, that was your child. And that looks very suspicious on your part."

I can hear my pulse strumming in my ears. Hearing all this come from someone who wasn't there during all this makes me feel uneasy. Uneasy and almost sick. My stomach is doing flips and trying to leap up into my throat, weakening my knees. I want to collapse, letting my weight fall to the ground, but I manage to remain on my feet. Somehow, anyway.

However, despite what Mr. Hara is throwing at Kaito, he stands tall, his frame continuing to shield me from the brutal reminders of what happened three years ago. Shielding me from the pain and heartache even though he is facing that exact same pain and heartache himself.

"I know that was my child," Kaito says in a hoarse voice. "You think I don't realize that? Of course, I do. It tears me to pieces to know that any of this happened. It kills me, even, but that doesn't mean I'm ashamed or threatened by this. If that's what you're trying to imply, then you don't know me very well, Mr. Hara. You don't know me at all."