2 Chapter 2: A Chance to change my life

POV Katsura

Just like that, first day of school was over. I come out of the school building and walk towards home. Many students stream out alongside me. I know none of them. I feel hollow, I don't belong here. I am an animal, bred in captivity, I don't belong with humans. The weather is nice today, I feel the warm sun on my back, as I identify the streets back to my new apartment, I feel the surroundings gradually free from people. My apartment was picked carefully by handler san. She had run thorough background checks of every occupant before allowing me to get the place.

My next door neighbour had a kid who was the same age as me and attended the same class as mine, I saw him today, but its too early for me to initiate contact. I reach the elevator and click on the 5th floor. Thankfully I am alone. People tend to get chatty with the new occupant, and if that occupant tended to be a 16- year old with a crutch, they tended to be more than chatty. The last thing I need now is more pretence. The elevator opens on my floor, and I limp back to my door. I fumble for the keys in my pocket and unlock it. The place is really nice. The scenery is good, the price was reasonable butit is too big for me.

I close the door behind me and drop my bag on the floor. I go to the bathroom and clean myself. I change and come out again, and slump down on my chair. Too many things have happened over the past month. Its too hard for me to process. I feel hungry, The fridge was already stacked but I didn't feel like staying home, I picked up my crutch and decided to explore my new neighbourhood….. get some food along the way.

I walk on the street, this place is really nice, all the houses surrounding my apartment building are condos so there is no shortage of sunlight, they are intermittently spaced by trees, which look calculated but still nonetheless beautiful. I pass a few people on the way, mostly housewives, who stare long enough for me to notice, but then turn away embarrassed for staring too long. Although the crutch is the only visible apparel to my injuries, moving my body feels exhausting. Suddenly I feel coming outside was not such a good idea. I reach the convenience store and buy a meat bun. The store was full of people shopping before going home, after work. These sorts of people are my favourite, they are too tired to stare and judge, some are busy planning dinner, some just want a good nights sleep, some hurrying to pick their kids from daycare. I pick a packet and stand in the billing que. It was reasonably short. Just 6 people, When my turn comes, the clerk looks and me and gives an apologetic smile for me having to wait, I just make a polite nod to point out it was nothing. I take my bun and go outside, the store. I hate eating while waking so I slowly make my way to the park, by this time it is already dark outside, no children would be in there right now. I reach the park and pick an empty swing, I lean my crutch on the beam of the swing and unwrap the bun. A soft, cool wind blows against my skin, a peaceful evening.

Or not quite so.

A car stops outside the park, black SUV. That's just strike one. A bad guy car, I try to give it no notice, but three people come out of it, and a child. Surely, they are not here for me… I try to get a good look at them, They are reasonably built, wearing shirts and jeans, the child looked like a boy seemed like about 5. But something was definitely wrong. You see a young child like that, the people you associate accompanying him are either parents, grandparents or similar young children, maybe even a sibling, but three grown up adults in mid thirties, something was fishy for sure, the scene is far from normal. I walk to them slowly, figuring out the best approach. I could take three people on anytime on my normal self, but with half my body incapacitated, it would be pretty difficult, unless they were not pros. "Hey, guys what's going on?" I say feigning a perfectly normal smile.

By now I am sure something is wrong, I see a bulged outline of a gun at the hip of the man holding the child's hand. Carrying a gun in Japan meant serious business, if they were crooks, possessing one would be dangerous enough for them, so I assume the other two are unarmed, apart from probably baseball bats hidden in the car.

"This kid got lost and now we are taking him home" The guy with the gun spoke. His tone gave away everything, he didn't even try to pretend otherwise, His intentions were not so noble. I could see the kid shivering with fear, on a closer inspection, I see his nose bleeding slightly, and his clothes looking a bit ragged.

"Hey, come on now, let me join you, probably you guys need help navigating the neighbourhood. I can show you the way", I said in the most innocent tone I could muster.

"Beat it, boy, or else we will break the other leg too" said one of the guys, clearly a grunt.

 " I am afraid that I cant do that I say" my voice steel cold. The leader went for his hip and that's when time froze for me, a 3 on one takedown is a very difficult maneuverer in my condition, I would definitely end up worsening my situation, I calculate the minimum time it would take to put 2 of them down would be around five seconds , the third would surrender automatically. My crutch was in the air, before the guy got hold of his gun, a sidewise strike to the side of his skull. On a good day, it would have shattered the entire bone sideways, pushing skull fragments into his eyes and brain, an instant death, but my blow was considerably weak, also I didn't want a murder charge in my hands right off the bat. The side of the human skull is much more fragile than the front, a product of evolution and selection, my blow, definitely fractured the skull for good, a coma for a week for sure, the guy dropped before the others could even comprehend what happened. I drop the crutch and pouncing forward on my good leg I land an uppercut on the guy next to him, I felt the jawbone shatter at my punch, knocking out quite a few teeth as well.

The left side of my body was left hurting like hell, definitely tore some stitches, that one. I look at the third guy, he had his back pressed to the van, he had probably never seen such takedowns before, definitely not by a kid. I said, "You see I am a reasonable guy, I think you deserve better, are you a smart guy?"

The man nods frantically, " Well if you are one, then, take these two and drive away, otherwise, you probably would have to live your entire life on a wheelchair" The guy, hurriedly drags his friends into the car, and drives away as fast as he can

Saved me a lot of hassle, the police are far tougher to deal with than thugs. I look at the boy, he was dumbstruck. "Are you alright?" the kid just nodded, I put aside my crutch and knelt down on my right knee, I came at his eye level and looked into his eyes. "The bad guys are gone. I can really take you home. Do you live round here?"

 "Are you a hero nii san?" The kid said looking at me. I looked at him for a moment. He had greyish white hair, large green eyes I wiped the blood off his nose and said " I am just a student, I am no hero." The kid stared at me still, with wondrous eyes. I repeat my question. "Yeah, a few houses from the park" the kid says. "Come on now, I will take you home, show me the way" I say

We started walking, "I am sorry I cant carry you on my back." I say. "Its no problem, I am fine" the kid says.

 "Oh… your shirt nii san, its covered with blood!" the kid exclaims. I look down and see blood seeping through my shirt, definitely a few stitches opened up, "Don't be afraid, I can fix it up later, just don't look at the wound. I don't want you to feel sick" "But…but" the kid tried to protest. "No buts. I can even patch myself up at your house, if your folks would let me. Are your parents home?" I ask. "My mom is working, but my sister is home, she should be very worried" I heaved a sigh of relief, adults are quite difficult to handle, and I wouldn't have gone off easy. We reach his house, the nameplate says "Hori" the family name, I have heard that name before. Probably at school. by this point I feel very dizzy. I am losing quite some blood. I grab the wound firmly on one hand, and ditch the crutch beside the door, I don't want to enter with anything that could even appear as marginally hostile. The kid opens the door and we enter the house.

The porch was well lighted and as soon as the door sounded, a girl rushed from inside the house, "Souta, I was so worried. I told to come home early" She doesn't notice me at first, halfway through she sees me. Caution flickers in her eyes. Yup, I have definitely seen her. She sat in front of me today, or better to say I was appointed the seat behind her. By this time, I was balancing myself against the wall, to steady myself. "Sorry to disturb you, but your brother had a problem and, I had to accompany him home. Do you have a first aid kit in the house?" I manage to rasp. She has already taken a glance at the wound, it was bleeding pretty badly now, either she would throw me out or call the cops. Thankfully she did neither, she ran towards us, and came at my side. "Here… lean on me. Souta, you grab him from the other side." She immediately took command, I tried to protest, I could still walk but by that time, the brother sister duo was supporting me into their living room, "Here, put your back against the wall" she said as she put me down. "Thanks" I muster. "Could you please fetch the first aid kit. A sewing kit would also be pretty helpful" I say. The girl rushes back in the house and comes back with the stuff almost instantaneously. "Souta.. was it ?" I say. The kid turns towards me. "I think you should leave the room, you shouldn't see so much blood" "No, I want to stay here ! You saved me. Now I want to help you. I am not a child, I can see blood" The kid says bravely. I couldn't say anything against that. I didn't want them gaping at my body, but they were the hosts, and I was in no condition to make them leave. I pull up my T-shirt, and see the wound. Sure enough it's the one on my stomach, the most infected one. I grab a lump of cotton, dip it in antiseptic and start to clean the wound. It stings a bit, but that's far from the worst I ever felt. I could feel their horrified eyes all over my body, horrified at all the stitches, the scars, the bandages and everything. If they weren't scared yet, they would be definitely now. I take a quick glance at their faces, and sure enough they both look scared. The girl quickly looks away and says "Souta bring a bowl of water" smart. A good way to make the kid leave. The kid was not too reluctant, this was way more than he bargained for. The stitches were torn, so I carefully pulled the threads out, and started to stitch it back up again. A cotton thread will have to do for now. It doesn't take too long; I slip back into my shirt before the kid comes back. "Thanks.. You were a big help" I say. "Sorry for ruining the mats" I smile apologetically. A lot of blood seeped through it. " I could help clean it if you want."

"What you should be doing, is going to a hospital." The girl says with a clear commanding tone. "What the hell happened?"

POV Switch- Hori- san

Finally, I was about to call mom. He is back. I run outside the kitchen to see him. Sure enough I see him, and I see something is wrong. He looks ragged, his clothes are dirty. Then I see the boy. His face was deathly pale, and he leant against the wall to support himself, then I see his stomach, his shirt dripping with blood. I know that face. I have seen it somewhere, where was it… He asks for a first aid kit, not hospital. Clearly there is a problem, I have to let him in. I put him in the living room, and rush for the first aid kit and a sewing set. What the hell happened? I see him pull out his T shirt. I didn't want to stare, but I couldn't look away. His entire body was a patchwork of stitches, bandages and there were layers of scars and burns, with some parts blackened out and dead, I have never seen any adult with so many injuries let alone a teenage boy, his stomach had an open gash, like a mouth, he was disinfecting it. I try to look away, but he notices my gaze. He says nothing, goes back to cleaning his wound, I feel a little embarrassed, I didn't mean to stare. Then I remember. Souta. He is too young, I send him away. I see him adeptly stitch his wound. Its not the first time he has done it, it seems. He looks pale and weak. He is quick, he puts the shirt back on, before Souta arrives. I cant hold back any longer, I have a million questions, "What the hell happened?" I ask, my tone a little more horrified than I meant it to be. The boy manages a faint attempt at a smile, he pushes himself forward and sits upright. "Long story short, I spotted you brother with a few people who shouldn't be hanging with him, I try to confront them, and they try to attack me, so I take them down, but in the process, light up some old wounds. Your brother is fine, no need to worry" It takes me a moment to comprehend what he said. I am horrified, shocked and scared all at once. What should I do.

Souta says " The big man told me that he was mom's friend, and wanted to go to our house, he wanted me to show the way. I didn't trust him so I refused, then he got angry and grabbed me and dragged me to the car, I was alone at the street, so no one helped. Then they forced me to show them the way, I lead them to the park, where nii san helped me out. You should have seen him nee chan, he was soooo cool! He took out the man with the gun with a single strike and the other with a cool punch."

 The boy blushes. He says "It was nothing, the fact that they were not pros, was my saving grace. I wouldn't want to be fighting pros in my condition" "But who were they? Why did they want Souta to show then our house?" I ask horrified , the boy shrugged and said " All I can do is a guesswork, I think they have been keeping a watch for a few days, they know your parents are not home most of the time, as Souta continently mentioned, its easier to rob houses with children by taking the younger one hostage, the elder one generally tends to comply. You don't need to worry, the blows I dealt, though not lethal would put them out of business permanently, I would be amazed if they could lead normal lives after this" I stare at the boy.

 His tone was comforting and reassuring, I don't know what to reply. "Your… wounds…" I try to ask, the boy's face turns grave " I am sorry, I cant talk about them" his tone was apologetic, like he was trying to forcefully not think about it. "No, I am sorry I shouldn't have pried, after what you did, I should be thanking you." "Don't mention it, but I would be grateful if you kept it a secret from your parents, I really don't want a big problem out of this" A weird request but I don't protest, seriously after all the stress, it would be better if mom didn't hear about it. "By the way, do I know you from somewhere she asks?"

 "What are you saying Hori san, you don't remember me ? Its Katsura, I sat behind you today" he says, surprised

"Ehhhh…." I blush, how could I forget, he was the new kid who came in today. Toru and Yuki had a debate for the reason for his crutch. He clearly looked different at school, He looked more ragged now, but at school most of us were mainly focused on his leg. Up close, I could see he was well built. His hair was kind a long, his eyes, were big and drawn out, his face was really pretty and beneath all those scars, his body was muscular.

Pov switch- Katsura

I didn't mean to spring the question on her, but I somehow did it. I expected no one from class to remember me, plus, its very difficult to identify someone just after one day, but her eeehhhhh….. shocked me , and Souta too. "So you do remember me." I smile. "But you had a crutch this morning…" She said. I kept that outside." Last thing I needed was for you to think that I am some raving lunatic, holding your brothers hand with something like a weapon in another . People tend to assume too much on a first sight" I said. "That's fair" she mumbles.

 "Would your mother be home soon?" I ask. I try to avoid asking about the father, both of them never mentioned him once. Clearly he was out of the picture, that either meant unpleasant memories or something else entirely, I didn't want that. "Yeah, no she called home today. She has night shift too, the hospital is understaffed today. She is not going to make it back tonight" She says. "Is she a doctor ?" I ask, "nurse" Hori-san replies. "Do you live in the area?" she asks. "Yeah quite close by actually, the apartment building" I reply. "Good." She says " You are having dinner with us" I try to protest a bit, but she doesn't pay them any heed "Come on nii san stay. Its gonna be fun" Souta chimes in.

I give in. "Thanks" I say. Hori san gets up to fetch dinner. I smile to myself. If half the people I knew were so kind, the world wouldn't need people like me. Why do I feel so nice suddenly? I have beaten tons of guys before, What is so special this time? Why do I feel like breaking into a song. I smile without intending too. I never had a proper dinner with normal people. I guess every day brings something new.

Pov switch Hori san

I bring the food to the table, Souta and Katsura are already at the table. Katsura looks a lot better now. His face regained some colour. "Its nothing fancy, but please feel free to ask for more" I tell him. He nods politely and we all start. I take a sideways glance at his face, he seems like he didn't hate the food, I could even see a flicker of a smile on his lips. "Is it good?" I ask, the table had become too silent. "It's the best I had in last two years" he says. Souta nods too. "Its great sis" he says. I blush a little. Surely, he is flattering me.

"I am not kidding. I cant remember the last time I had a proper home cooked meal" Katsura says. "Don't your parents cook dinner?" I ask. His face drops again. "They are not in the country very much" he mutters. My fault I shouldn't have pushed. Surely he has somethings he doesn't want to share. "Anyways, Hori san, can I have another helping of the rice" he asks, to change the conversation. I give him some more. I was done, so I was watching him eat. He looked at ease, he was chatting with Souta about something, I didn't hear much, I was busy looking at him, I didn't understand him. He was special that's for sure, he can fight, he has severe injuries, at class Yasuda explained he had broken his leg at a soccer match, clearly that felt like a lie. So who was he?

 He was done. "Thanks again, for the meal, it was excellent" He says. Too polite. His voice is soft and calm, I cant picture a guy like him fighting. "Sure, you can come anytime for a meal" I say as I lead him to the doorway, Midway he turns around. He is too close to me, I can smell his breath…. "I don't mean to be rude, but could you save my cell number. I am mostly sure that you guys are safe but still I would sleep better, if I knew you could contact me in case of emergency. If you ever feel something is off just give me a call." He says. Then he blushes immediately. "Sure.. sure, I will write it down" I say

 He dictates and I write it down, then I escort him to the door and he bows again, thanking me for my kindness. I have never seen a polite guy like him before, then he picks up his crutch and leaves, I could see him slowly limping away. I feel a bit sorry for him. Those eyes of his, they held much innocence, but they were tinged with sadness, and hurt. It seemed like he was hurting all over. Just not only his body. I wait till he disappears at the turn, then I head back in.

Pov switch final Katsura

As I walk on the moonlit road, my heart skips a beat. I don't know why, I have never had this feeling before. My throat felt like it had a knot in it, my stomach felt like butterflies. I didn't know if I was happy or sad, but I for the first time in my life was looking forward to tomorrow, I was waiting for the new day to start, I was waiting to see her again…..