I N N O C E N C E (Shu Sakamaki)

Chapter 16

The girl had been tending to the injuries of her brother for two days now, and it seemed he could finally walk properly. Thankfully, no bone was broken from Shu's outburst, and his memories were magically erased.

"You fell into the thorn bushes of the manor when I stormed off, because I pushed you."

The oldest Sakamaki was sitting at the stairs of the manor's garden, his eyes closed and arms folded in his usual careless manner.

He had got up several times, before stopping and sitting back down at his previous spot, and repeating the same actions a couple of times.

"This is troublesome." He said in irritation, as he brought a hand over his face, his teeth gritted. "Why would I visit her? It should be the other way around... What a hassle humans are."

He couldn't help but think about Ayato's words that day, where he announced his ownership over the girl. It pissed off Shu, but he knew it wasn't only Ayato who wanted the human girl.

"Shit." He buried his hand further into his face, as he got up to leave.

"Are you perhaps one of the owners?" A new unfamiliar voice, which didn't belong to either his brothers or the girl came from behind him.

He turned around, only to be met with a green eyed blonde man who was awkwardly itching the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember where to go." He laughed nervously, as he noticed Shu's intense stare. "I guess that wasn't funny at all, was it?"

"The house is that way." Shu nodded in the direction of the house, as the brother awkwardly turned around, and back to look at Shu.

"Yeah, yeah I know! It's kind of hard to miss." The brother waved his hands in front of his face. "I was just- I mean- I-"

He took a deep breath in, and looked at Shu with a lighthearted smile.

"Could I talk to you?"

Shu looked at the brother for a moment, realizing this might be his only chance to find out more about the human girl he had been so curious about. This is the chance for me to get rid of that interest I have for her, he thought to himself, as he sat back down on the stairs, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Thank you." The girl's brother whispered, as he sat in front of Shu, but facing the rose garden. "You have a nice garden, and the house is very well kept."

Shu looked at the man with a glare.

"Right, sorry!" He laughed nervously. "I will get to the point."

"It's just... how is she getting treated here?" The girl's brother looked worried.

"Good." Shu simply answered.

"That's nice to know. She is probably having more freedom and time to enjoy herself than when she was back at home." The girl's brother sighed, lowering his head. "You see, back when she was... home, she had to endure a lot of pressure from our dad. He wasn't a very family-friendly or a generous person, always stuck on the idea that she had to "prove" herself. I tried to show her that our family could be normal, but there was no way."

"Hm?" Shu hummed in question.

"I guess it's hard to see why a girl like her has such a sad life, and why she always acts the way she does." Her brother chuckled lightly. "She used to be much more happier before the incident."

"What incident?" Shu asked, as a pause followed his question.

"She... she killed someone." Her brother replied, as silence enveloped them.