Ongoing Cycle

59

While Kuro was taking a shower, [Y/N] was laying in bed, feeling happy that it was the weekend. She tried to close her eyes shut again, but a vibration on hard wood was ringing through the room. Groaning, she groggily pushed herself into a sitting position to see that she had gotten a call on her phone. Reaching over, she pulled the device to her and looked down. It was an unknown number. Hesitantly accepting it, she brought it up to her ear.

A woman's stern voice spoke on the other end. "Hello, is this [Y/N] [L/N]?"

For a few seconds, she didn't respond. Worriedly glancing around the room, she didn't understand how this person got her number. She didn't know who they were and what they wanted with her either. Unsure of what to say, she could only mumbled out a quiet "yes".

"We don't know if you have heard about this yet, but a fire burnt your house down last night," the woman explained slowly. The way the lady spoke to her sounded as if she was explaining something new to a child. Except...that wasn't what [Y/N] was focused on at the moment. Her mind whirling as she imagined the flames engulfing the home that she'd been living in since the day she was born, she couldn't find words. So the lady continued. "I'm really sorry to say this, but...your parents didn't make it out in time."

She dropped her phone and sat there, unmoving. Her eyes stuck to the white wall across from her, the water in the shower echoed loudly into her ears. She could barely process a thing as her mind blanked. What...did this stranger say...? There was a fire? Her...parents were no longer here?

"Hello? Hello? Ma'am, are you still there?" the voice on the phone called out. With a shaky finger, she jabbed her pointer onto the red button and ended the call.

She couldn't breath. Hurriedly, she swiped at the TV remote from the nightstand and turned the thing on. The first thing she saw was the news...and a picture of her house on fire. She shook her head in denial at it as tears began to pour right out of her eyes. This couldn't be true...this wasn't fucking real. She pinched at her arm and in horror, felt pain. This was not a nightmare. This was real. Her parents were dead.

Letting out a whimper, she cried and curled into a ball. All she could see in her head was the building blackening up and breaking down to the ground. She could see her parents caught in the fire, screaming and writhing at the pain as it burned them alive. She could see the blisters and their raw skin peeling away, leaving them as ashes and bones.

She let out an ear splitting scream, her throat growing hoarse while she dug her nails onto the bed. The water stopped and the door clicked open to the room, revealing a wet Kuro with a towel wrapped around his waist. He came up to her with fear in his blue eyes. "[Y/N]! What's wrong?"

"M-my parents are dead," she whispered, before she pitifully sobbed, covering her face with her hands. Cold, wet arms wrapped around her and she leaned against his bare chest. Her salty tears mixing with the water droplets on Kuro's body, she cried and cried and cried.

Her parents were terrible human beings, but that didn't mean she wanted them dead. They raised her up and provided her the necessities to live. Why was it always her? Why did things have to go wrong the second she felt like her life was improving? Why was she so alone in this world?

They didn't deserve to die like this. No one deserved to die like this. The pain must've been excruciating and she doubted it was a quick death.

It may have been wrong to feel this way, but she was hoping that her parents would change their ways in the future. They could reunite and start fresh, building up the trust and love they had for one another. They would be supportive for the things she liked to do and would never punish her again. She would be a caring daughter and would help them with their stressful work.

This hope went down the drain, with her heart crushed, beaten, and bruised. They could never be a happy family. She should've known by now that no matter how hard she tried, life was going to continue to kick her straight in the face.

"I-I need some time alone," she said, her voice cracking. She pulled away from Kuro's embrace and pushed herself up. When her weak legs were stable enough, she wiped at the nonstop tears off her face.

"I'm always here for you," Kuro told her softly. "I love you."

She let out a staggered breath and nodded her head. Wordlessly, leaving Kuro's bedroom and entering her own, she closed the door behind her and sank to the ground.

Fumbling with her phone, she typed in a phone number. As it tried to reach the other line, she prayed that they would answer.

"[Y/N]?"

"Miku," she said in relief. "I don't want to fight anymore. I just lost my parents in a fire and it made me realize that I don't want to lose you too. I don't know what to do, I'm just so confused and sad and angry and...dammit! Please help me. I don't know what to do. I don't know. I just don't know." She blurted it all out and by the end, her stable condition was broken down again by her waterworks.

Her friend gasped and solemnly responded. "I'm so sorry. I...I can't believe...your parents...do you want me to come over?"

For some reason, she had a feeling that Kuro wouldn't really like it if Miku came over. "...I need a few days. I'll call you when I'm ready."

A/N: Hello lovelies! I never got the chance to include my discord server here, but I would love for you guys to join! I have a role just for Ongoing Cycle and if you ever want to talk about the book there, feel free. Just be sure to be 13+ pls and follow the rules if you do join. Thank you!

Server link: https://discord.gg/4GzchBT5pE