29 Trust

Haruto's POV

A memory long forgotten had resurfaced in my mind. The was a lot of noise coming from the house close to mine which had always been empty. Me, being the elementary school brat I was went to investigate out of curiosity and I found a big truck there.

I was snooping around and peeking through the hedge to look inside to see who was moving in, hoping it was another boy I could finally be friends with. As I kept looking around I felt a finger poke on my back.

"What are you doing? Are you a thief?" I heard someone say.

I looked behind and there stood a girl with twin tails, she looked at me with a scornful gaze.

"No, I am not! What does it matter to you anyway...mind your own business" I said, repeating a new phrase I had learned recently. My face had a smug expression.

"That is my house, I am minding my own business!" she shouted.

I was surprised, the superior aura I had had instantly vanished. My naive and childish mind took offence to it.

"Hmph! Whatever...I was hoping for someone fun. I got the exact opposite" I said as I stormed off back home.

I caught a glimpse of her before I ran though, she looked down dejectedly but I was too adamant to look back.

I went back home and I saw my mother sitting on the sofa, watching the television.

"Mom! Mom! people moved into the empty house" I said out loud.

"Is that so, did you meet them, a new friend perhaps" she asked.

"No...it was just a girl, she was weird" I said.

"Really?...or did you do something unnecessary?" she said, with questioning eyes.

I chose not to answer the question.

"That girl is in a completely new place, maybe she was scared... be nice to her okay" my mother requested.

I replied only half-heartedly with a yes.

"I am going to play...see you later!" I said as I ran back to the door.

As I was leaving I heard my mom say something.

"Haruto...remember what I always say okay!" she said.

"Yes, mom! I know" I replied as usual. The true meaning and weight of what she always used to say was still a mystery to me, even now.

I went to the park and played all alone, as I used to always do. There was no one my age, after all, the closest elementary school was also too far.

I was swinging on the swings when I saw the older children gather around in a circle near the slide. I was curious but chose to stay clear of trouble, as I was leaving I caught a glimpse of the twin tails I was familiar with. She was being bullied and teased.

I turned my head away to ignore it but my head wouldn't move, my mother's infamous phrase repeating in my mind. My body wanted to leave but my heart couldn't...I couldn't hurt my mother like that.

I sighed in frustration and ran into the circle, my small frame helping me blend in but as soon as I made it to the centre, my cover was blown...I heard a few shouts and knew I didn't have much time. I grabbed her hand and we started running, barely making it out of the wall in front of us. Without looking back, we kept running through every alleyway we could find.

I forgot about it but this was the first time we had used the shortcut back home. We stopped to rest only when we reached her house. We sat down near the entrance of her house, gasping for air.

"Why-Why did you help me....." she said as she looked at me with confusion.

"Don't misunderstand...I only helped you because of my mother" I replied.

"What did she do?" she asked.

"She always tells me a phrase and she says that I should always follow it" I said, pretending to be annoyed by her question.

"What does she say?" she asked with expectant eyes.

"She always says that love and trust are the most powerful thing in the world, they can even change your future, so always be someone anyone can trust" I said repeating her words with pride.

"Oh...that's nice" she said with a smile.

I turned away as I hid my grin from her and was about to leave when I heard her clasp my hand.

"Um...thank you for helping me" she said in a soft tone.

"hmph, no problem" I replied.

"I am sorry for being so annoying before...I was scared" she continued.

I was surprised at her words, I turned around to face her.

"It's fine, I was a bit rude too. My name is Haruto by the way, what about you" I asked sincerely.

"My name is Arisa, nice to meet you" she said as she smiled....

My head started hurting from the sharp pain I felt. My eyes finally opened again after what felt like an eternity but in reality, was only a few seconds. Serena was still standing in front of me bowing down, still waiting for my reply.

I took a deep breath as just like all those years ago my mother's words kept ringing in my head. What use had that advice been till now I thought. Only used in giving me pain. Every moment of my life I had lived till now I believed those words like the gospel. I did everything in my power to be someone that the people I cared for could trust but those people had either betrayed me or they are people I would never see again for the rest of my life, in a sense I was the one that had betrayed them.

But what did I know about betrayal, hearing Lucy's past made me realise the pain I had felt was infinitesimally small compared to mine. What she felt was true betrayal, true pain. She was someone who has every right to be vengeful, she was the one with every right to be distrustful.

Then why, why me? After all that she has been through, why still trust me? She had every reason to chain me up and keep me hostage. Fuck, she had every right to kill me and to be honest, after knowing what I know now, I couldn't even blame her. So then why, why did she choose me?

The phrase I remember so fondly was only one half of it though, the other part only being said to me once. The time I had asked her what if someone breaks the trust.

"To feel pain and grief so deeply is to have loved and trusted fully, isn't that beautiful? Have enough courage to trust one more time and just one more time, because that is all it takes for you to never stop trusting again" she said.

I finally looked at Serena again.

"I have an answer, Serena, I want you to hear it" I said.

She looked up at me and her eyes were expectant and hopeful.

"I don't know why and for what reason but I know that Lucy trusts me, and I know that it is something special. I thought I wasn't capable of trusting someone ever again, I thought I would always have to live in fear of being hurt by the people I cared for but if she can choose to trust so can I. I promise with all my heart Serena, that I will be someone Lucy can trust, I promise to be someone she can depend and I promise to always be on her side no matter what" I said with a sincerity I had never shown before in my life.

"This is something I say with full conviction and it is my choice and my choice alone" I continued.

My mother was one of the most important people in my entire life. She was my idol, someone I wanted to be like when I grow up, there was no one as strong as her. But now I could never meet her again so what better opportunity to follow what she taught me to make her proud?

"I am sorry mom, I left you all alone, but don't worry I am in safe hands. You were the most important person to me and you made me what I am today but that chapter of my life is over and a new one has begun. I am sorry I doubted you and what you always used to say but now I realise how important it was. It is because of you that I choose to trust again and it is because of you that I want to become a person someone can trust, someone special. I want to be there for her like you were there for me, so please give me your strength. I love you now and forever" I prayed in my mind as tears welled up in my eyes.....