[Multi-chapter] Change (14/??)
Title: Change
Authors: tsuchi8562
Bet: andreja1989 ArigaPYON~!
Pairing: SakurAiba, Aimiya (friendship), Yama (friendship), Junba (friendship)
Genre: AU, Romance, Drama, School
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They are not ours, they belong to themselves...
*MASTERPOST*
"Didn't you hear me? Get your filthy hands off him!" Sho hissed again and made a few steps closer trying to overcome the rage that was boiling in his veins. He thought that everything was okay already... But when he saw somebody else's hands on his beloved Masaki's body he couldn't stand it.
"What's your problem?" Jun stood up and looked at Sakurai with contempt in his eyes. They were in same class; Sho knew that player very well. Matsumoto was popular because of his sport activity and he was using that very well to drag some new victims to bed. If the rumors were right.
"You are my problem. Now be a good boy and go away before somebody will get hurt." Sakurai breathed slowly still looking at his rival. Somehow scared and pale Aiba was just a background.
"I have no idea what did I do but I don't think your reaction is appropriate. Now, be a good monster and get the hell out of here." Jun smirked and stood right in front of Sho.
"The only unneeded person here is you. Don't come close to Masaki ever again, understood?" Sakurai couldn't stop his hands from clenching in fists.
"You're acting weird; maybe they should lock you up somewhere? Listen, as far as I know Aiba-chan is not your property... So if..." The rest of the sentence was pushed back in Matsumoto's throat with Sho's fist. Sakurai acted like insane, hitting Jun without mercy, spitting that Masaki belongs to him and that the high jumper won't take away the only person who was brave enough to love him. He won't allow on that again... Somewhere in between the punches he recorded a name he hated... Kumiko... Sho didn't remember anything just a terrifying scream. As it occurred it was Aiba's yell and just then the older boy felt tight grip on his arm. His breath was fastened and rapid; his mind tried to accept what he had done. Jun was lying barely conscious, covering his face. He was bleeding from his eyebrow so everything looked more serious that it was in reality. Scared Jun ran away holding his head.
"What have you done, Sho-chan? We talked about it already... I have a right to have friends! You can't beat people just because they are talking to me!"
"He was touching you..." The same stranger's voice left Sakurai's throat. "You belong to me..." He added, trying to make it sound normally.
"Sho... I... I don't know anymore... I know you were hurt, but... Don't hurt others."
"Masaki... I want to be with you... You're the only one I have... Don't leave me..." The shorter boy repeated like mantra. "I love you..." Sho looked at Aiba with such pain stinging his heart that he couldn't breathe.
"If you love me let me help you and for heaven's sake don't hit people!" Masaki suddenly seemed mad. "I know you are hurting but it's just too much. You mustn't hit people. I... I don't know if we should be together anymore." Those words hurt more than every punch he had received in the past. In the end you will be alone. Those words came back and echoed in his mind, mixing with the ones said few seconds ago by Masaki. It was obvious he lost him... and he knew well why it happened. Kumiko...
***
It was long time ago but it seemed that it happened yesterday. Sho didn't remember his father, his mother told him that he died before the boy was born but later she made sure that Sakurai will have a new dad. Or even few of them. The boy was left alone, eating whatever he could find or counting on somebody's mercy. Sho didn't want his mother to have troubles, so he made sure to go to school no matter what. He was a smart kid so he didn't have problems with studying. Until... His mother started to date with a very suspicious guy. Sho will never forget his name.
His name was Matsushima Ryou and he looked darker than any of her previous ones and to be honest Sakurai was afraid of him. The boy even asked his mother to break up with him, but she just laughed saying that now everything will be better and soon all three of them will move to Kobe. Even though Sho was only thirteen years old he was mature enough not to take any of his mother's words for granted. With passing time Sho's mum started to act weirdly. She was barely conscious most of the time and when she wasn't - she was aggressive. Young Sakurai was aware what was going on, especially when he saw bruises on her arms. Drugs. This was the source of their recent income. Ryou wanted to keep Sho's mum for herself and giving her this awful stuff to get her addicted. To the drugs and him. And he managed to do it quite well.
Previously the woman pretended that she cares for the boy but now... all that mattered was the needle and getting high. One day an incident that changed their life occured. Matsushima disappeared somewhere, leaving the woman without any dose. After few days she started to scream from pain, break things in the apartment and when Sho tried to help her she hit him in his face, spitting that she doesn't love him and he is not her son. The boy had enough. Just that moment broke him and he decided to run away from home. He also decided that he won't call that woman a mother anymore.
Since then she was Kumiko for him. Sho packed his stuff and wanted to leave but then Ryou came back, gave the woman some drugs and she fell asleep soon. The boy didn't want to leave his mother, even though he wanted to escape a few moments ago. Something told him to stay and he regretted his decision until now. Kumiko backed to her old self, caring more about herself than anybody else. Time was passing by and Sho got in to the high school. Because he was smart he gained many friends immediately, even though he was also very mysterious. Sakurai never invited anyone to his apartment or talked about his mother. Except the situation at home everything was going quite well; Sho was working hard and his grades were good.
Just then THE incident has happened. The boy wasn't feeling well, he had fever and headache. Typical, normal flu or cold. Kumiko had one of not often semi-sober moments and suddenly started to care.
"Sho, stay at home. You're sick. Please..." Her hoarse voice sounded somehow more sad than usual.
"I have a test... I have to go..." The boy shivered and slowly started to consider the woman's offer.
"Please. Stay. I'll make you chicken soup..." She stood up and with shaking hands took a pot and poured water in it. This was so unnatural, so unexpected for Sho that this sight squeezed his heart. Something he missed so much was happening right now... The boy decided to stay. And this was his mistake... He was too overwhelmed and this covered his common sense. Kumiko made the chicken soup and give Sho few vitamins. The pills the boy took occurred to be some of Matsushima's "magic pills".
Sakurai started to feel strange, he saw things that didn't exist, monsters that were crawling from his closet. The boy was screaming, trying to escape from approaching claws that wanted to kill him. He never felt that fear before or after… His mother was terrified as well, not knowing what was going on with her son until she saw the meds he took. Probably that was the strike that sobered her up and after calling the trusted doctor (which happened to be old friend) she promised herself and Sho that she will stop taking this garbage and will try to find a job.
“Everything will be fine, you’ll see. I won’t take that shit anymore and everything will be okay, just… Please, be okay…” The woman pleaded, hugging her sleeping son. She didn’t know that Sakurai is awake and hears every word. That was the moment he stopped caring. He had enough of hiding his true life; he had enough of cleaning the mess Kumiko was making every single time… He just had enough. He was fifteen years old but felt like fifty. It wasn’t supposed to be like that… Sho felt that his heart is closing slowly for any emotions…
“You’re lying Kumiko… As always…” The boy whispered and moved away, pushing the crying woman away. “Leave me alone, you are good in that.” He curled up and covered up his head, trying to chase the huge headache away.
He was right; the woman tried to be strong and not take the drugs again but she made a mistake - she didn’t get any professional help in that. And that was her doom; Kumiko after two weeks get back to her addiction and things got even worse after Ryou left her for some new, younger and blonder woman. Sakurai’s mother didn’t have money for the drugs so she started to sell things from home first then her body. Everything happened in less than few months and Sho started to consider escape again.
One day he just packed his stuff and left, using the time when the woman was away but he didn’t have a place to go. He couldn’t go to any of his friends’ house because their parents would ask questions. He couldn’t afford any hotel or motel, not mention going to school… Sakurai didn’t have any place to go and he couldn’t stay either. Going to the police and turn in his own mother was out if question as well, he would be put in the orphanage and that was the last place he wanted to go. If he was able to shake Kumiko so badly to show her that she is destroying herself… She didn’t care about her son so blackmailing her with moving away was useless.
Fortunately the woman understand that herself. One day she just woke up after long weeks of drugging and without giving Sho any reasons she went to Kobe to the best clinic and started to treat herself. Later the boy found out that for the past couple of months of her addiction she was selling her body to earn money for the rehabilitation. Sho couldn’t leave her like that so he was going to the clinic every time he could, supporting her as much as he could. This was the time when he started losing his friends bit by bit.
Sakurai couldn’t say the real reason why sometimes he doesn’t go to school for a few days; he still couldn’t invite his classmates to his apartment, go on school trips or take part in many activities because he wanted to help Kumiko. Even though she changed and she wanted to be healthy he couldn’t forgive her what she had done and he still wasn’t calling her “mother”.
Slowly he became alone, the rumors about him being a part of some sect or having suspicious friends started to spread, growing to huge and illogical size. His shell become harder and harder, not letting anyone inside. Sho always had more important things to do than worrying about his former friends and that brought him enemies. He was an alien and surely everybody treated him like one. Well, maybe except Masaki. But he was gone too now…
“Kumiko… You did it again… You made those monsters crawl again from the closet…” The student whispered and bit his lower lip. He didn’t notice that it was already dark outside and he was standing in the same place for hours now. The rain started to pour some time ago and Sho was soaking wet but he didn’t care about that. He had one important thing to do…
“Sakurai-kun, are you okay?” Ohno’s voice brought him back from past. The doctor put an umbrella above the boy’s head and moved closer.
“I am not okay, Sensei… Kumiko took my life away again… I should have left her long time ago… Let her die…” Sho started to shiver both from cold and madness. He looked at the older man and was glad that his tears mixed with the water drops falling from the sky. “I will get him back… I swear I’ll make him mine again…” Sakurai dashed towards his apartment, hoping that scary voice from his head will stop whispering I’ll make him mine again… with force…