HANA YORI DANGO UPDATE!: CHAPTER 13
The following week, when Yuto and Chinen had finally healed (partially), JUMP’s life at school became normal once more. It was the Exams month, so not much happened. Even the terrorizing JUMP had left torment and glued themselves to the books. Akiko rarely went to the lounge. She always sat n the staircase pouring over books. Sometimes she was joined by Yuto or Chinen or even Keito. Ryutaro would often study with the seniors. He was fond of asking them things he did not know. Mostly to Inoo. Inoo was very enthusiastic in helping Ryutaro. On the other hand, Ryosuke was missing completely. Akiko sometimes spotted him and Takaki in the library but most of the time he was missing. Thus, the exams dawned on. Silence followed as the whistle was blown. The only noises which could be heard was scribbling on paper, the buttons of calculators or even the noise of paint brushes sweeping the art of a student onto a blank paper. These exams lasted for at least two weeks, as every Eitoku student prevailed through them. Akiko had a sour feeling towards some students like the triplets. “Look at her she studies so much…” Mai said yawning.
“Now now Mai, not everyone can get into any University they want because of money….” Kyoko said patting Mai as Akiko ignored them and went through the letters on her books seriously. “OR maybe because their parents are powerful or have a say, I’m sure fish mongers have a say too…at the fish MARKET!!” Kei said as the three and a couple of their friends burst into fits of giggles and laughter. Akiko kept ignoring them. “Urgh, she’s boring…lets go…” Kyoko said and the group walked away. Akiko sat quietly on the staircase. She held back her burning tears. Her father was everything to her. She wanted to succeed so much in life for him. She kept reading and cramming. All of a sudden she heard a bizarre noise. She looked up and saw a woman standing there. The woman looked at her with interest. She had a very soft and charming face. Akiko bowed her head in greeting and returned to her books. “Ne, gomennasai for prying. But were they perhaps talking about you?”
Akiko nodded. The woman’s sweet face broke into a smile. “Don’t let them bring you down, you can do it…I know it…In my heart…”
Akiko stared. She smiled in return as the woman made her way up the stairs. “Sumimasen, demo…who are you?” Akiko asked running to the lady. The woman turned around. She was wearing a beautiful red dress. And she had a very professional look on her face. But she must have been in her late twenties or early thirties by the look of her face. “I’m one of the invigilators of the higher form. Well im not really an examiner, I just came by to help. I am an ex student…” The woman said smiling. Akiko nodded...”Sugoi, very glad to meet you..”
The woman nodded and the asked “What is your name?”
“Hisa Akiko”
The woman beamed. “Gambateh ne, Akiko…you’ll be okay…” and with that the woman turned away and made her way up the stairs. “Sumimasen, but how do I address you ma’am…” Akiko said politely. She was growing very fond of this woman. Her heart felt as soft as her smile.
The lady smiled...”Makino…Makino Tsukushi”
Akiko nodded and waved. “JA ne Tsukushi san…”
Makino nodded smiling. “JA ne Akiko”
With that she left. Akiko stared after her. “She was very beautiful, and I’ve read her name somewhere in the Magazine. She is some big business man’s wife…she’s nice for a rich lady…” Akiko pondered as she returned back to her studies. Consequently , the tedious exam weeks continued. But of course everything has to come to an end. Finally after two weeks of heavy reading and mind blowing educational routines…the exams came to an end. Hikaru was the first to run out of his class. But he didn’t stop. HE ran down the hallway yelling “FREEDOM!!!” Yabu laughed as he and Takaki made their way down the hall. Chinen came out with his hair flying everywhere. He looked at Ryutaro who was smiling…”IM alive”
Akiko smiled as Yuto and Keito followed her out discussing eagerly on what to do. “Let’s go eat ice cream, ne Akiko?” Inoo asked with a cheeky grin. Akiko flushed. “Haha very funny…”
Yuto looked around for Yamada. “Where is he….oh RYOSUKE!!” he called out as he saw Yamada coming up to them. He had his bag over his shoulder and his shirt untucked. “Hey sorry, they were giving out some strawberry….never mind” he said as Takaki roared into laughter. Yamada sulked as Yabu and Daiki kept calling him “STRAWBERRY kun?” until they were once again seated comfortably in their lounge.
Akiko laughed along with them. This was fun. Being in a group. Having friends. Something definitely new for Akiko. Even though they were all boys, but they were friends. As Akiko walked beside Yamada and Chinen listening to Yuto and Keito gossiping behind her about their Eigo Sensei, she closed her eyes just for a brief moment. The breeze. The evening breeze. WAH!! Someone yelled and Akiko opened her eyes with a start. Turning around she saw Takaki in Hikaru’s arms. Yabu and Inoo and Daiki were hugging each other in awe. Yamada stared in interest alongside Ryutaro. Yuto and Keito were completely confused. And Chinen laughed at the sight of Hikaru struggling to hold Takaki up. There was a man standing in front of them, talking to one of the teachers. Akiko had seen him in the newspapers plenty of times before. And standing beside him was Tsukushi san. She spotted Akiko in the crowd and waved. “AKIKO!!” Akiko blushed slightly and waved back looking down to avoid the strange gaze all the JUMP boys gave her. “EH? Akiko you know her?
Yabu asked. Akiko nodded slightly with a ‘sort of’ look. Takaki fell to the ground in front of and grabbed her hands. “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH DOMMYOUJI TSUKASA!! WE HAVE TO BE BEST FRIENDS!!!” He yelled as Yabu and Yamada dragged him back. “IE…I don’t know the man , however…I know Tsukushi san. She was very nice to me this morning. She found me on the stairs and we chatted a bit…thats all…” she replied. Takaki’s eyes grew small as Hikaru held his laughter. “JUSt A CHAT!! ???YOU HAD a general chat with one of JAPAN’ s greatest women!!!” he said looking into the sky as sunshine came on him. Yamada chuckled so hard that he rolled onto the floor to prevent tears from coming out of his eyes. Yabu laughed and comforted Akiko...”Dommyouji Tsukasa is an ex student from Eitoku. And Makino Tsukushi san, the woman you talked to earlier is his wife.”
Inoo nodded. “They own one of Japan’s most money making companies and are sort of our idols…Well we admire them and obviously Takaki fancies them very much ……………….. as you can see he is drooling,..”
Takaki turned around and smacked Inoo on the head. “I am not!…”
“Itai…..” Inoo muttered massaging his head. “But they seem busy right now…wow…seeing them was awesome…come on let’s go….” Yamada said and the rest nodded in agreement. They moved out of Eitoku as Akiko took one last look at the infamous couple. Makino smiled and waved at her again. This time, her husband joined in. Blushing, Akiko waved back politely and followed Yuto out.
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That afternoon, JUMP and Akiko treated themselves to ice cream. It was fun as usual. But when they returned home, Akiko felt exhausted and jumped into her bed. Never, had she felt so tired in her life. “Exams…” she muttered, and eventually fell asleep.
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Yamada sat on the cemented floor. He stared at the huge mansion in front of him. It was lovely. There were fountains in the grounds in front if the mansion engrossed in diamonds and coins. He stared at it. “I’ve seen things prettier than you…” he muttered and fell on the grass. To him the huge mansion was nothing more than a blurry dark vision of anonymous voices. Horrendous thing, how he loathed it. To think the thing you hate the most, is the only thing you have. A cigarette burned in his right hand. His body was aching. His hand phone rang. He picked it up. “Mushi mushi, Ryosuke dess…” he said in a completely different tone than the one in which he was muttering just now. “RYOSUKE…COME QUICK! PLEASE its…OKAHSAN!” Ryutaro’s voice came from the other side. “HANG ON!” Yamada yelled and stood up. HE ran to a white bike in the corner and got on. He looked at the small bottle of liquor in his hand. “You’ll have to wait…” he said and threw it at the fountains. With that, he started his bike in full speed and rushed to Ryutaro’s house. He called his driver on the phone and told him to get too Ryutaro’s house at once. His driver, although annoyed to be disturbed late night did as he was told. Ryosuke rushed through the empty streets of Tokyo. He screeched to a halt so suddenly that his bike jumped sideways. He got off and ran into Ryutaro’s house. “RYU!” he yelled as he opened the door. What he saw made his heart jump. Ryutaro was crying over his mother. There was blood on the floor. He seemed so scared and his face was white in shock. Ryosuke rushed closer and sat down beside him....”Ryu…what happened..?”
Ryotaro looked up. His face was drenched both in tears and blood. “Otousan…Otousan came home just now…he wanted money again…I …I” But Ryutaro eventually lost his voice. Ryosuke picked up his phone and dialed his driver once more. As the car came to a halt outside. The door burst opened. Akiko stood their in her night gown. She gasped at the sight of Ryutaro’s mother. But there was no time for questioning.
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In an hour, Ryutaro sat anxiously beside his mother in a solitary ward in a private hospital. Akiko sat outside and Ryosuke sat opposite to her. Ryutaro came out after a while. Akiko looked at him. His face was till drenched in tears. She hugged him as he resumed crying. “Daijobu…” she said as he hid his face. “Ryutaro…” Yamada said as he handed him a glass of water. Ryutaro nodded in thanks and sat down on a chair in front. He himself had scratches on his face but her effused to be treated. He was too worried for his mother. When the doctors had reassure him that his mother was in no critical condition and when he had slept for at least an hour or so, then only did he explain his situation to them. “Why is she here…” Yamada muttered at Akiko who was wrapping a blanket around Ryutaro. “I panicked; I called both because you both know me… I mean my condition…. the others…”
“I get it….” Yamada muttered still with a sour face. Akiko ignored him and looked at Ryutaro. “What happened?”
Ryutaro took a deep breath… “I never told you about my dad, Akiko. Otousan is not considered a part of our family anymore. Although I was very close to him once, he suddenly left me and mom when I was seven years old. He left mom for some rich girl who was very much younger than him actually. They wanted to get married. So he divorced mom. But in the end, the anonymous lover of my dad’s eventually dumped him and ran of to some other man from the high society. So dad went broke. He quit his job you see….he thought he’d get filthy rich…but he didn’t. So now he bugs my mum to send him money, as often as possible. We barely make ends meet because of him.”
Akiko stared. Her heart felt heavy. But she knew Ryutaro’s heart was way more in pain. It was too much pain for him.
Ryosuke was not looking up. He was listening intently. Ryutaro continued. “I didn’t want Okasan to suffer like this…so I studied hard to get into Eitoku and graduate eventually. Otousan stopped bugging us for a while since he had no legal attachment to us. Demo sa Okahsan…” he stopped. Tears were filling his eyes.
“Okahsan still loves him…she would give him money if he asked. But when she realized we were financially troubled, she stopped. We also heard he later had joined an underground organization to keep living. So mom did not want….me to have anything to do with him. But he came again…earlier…”
Akiko held his hand tightly as it began to shiver. Ryosuke moved closer. “HE came again and threatened Okahsan to give him money. I heard loud noises and came out. I saw him there. I was angry. I…I...saw him try to harm Okahsan. HE had a knife in his hand. I couldn’t take it. I …I fought him off….I took the knife in his hand…and stabbed him…” At this Ryutaro almost fell as Yamada’s eyes widened. “Okahsan got hurt and feinted… As for Otousan…I mean that guy….I only hurt his leg…. I stabbed his upper leg.…and then…he ran away but with difficulty. Still before he left, he hit me. I couldn’t move. His hands felt like metal. They were different from the time he used to take me to the park when I was four….they were softer back then…now I felt like they were hard bricks…it was agonizing… But Okahsan…she was already on the floor. Her hands were cut where he had hurt her…I’m sorry. But I had to save her…” Ryutaro said weeping. Akiko held him close…”Its okay, you were defending yourself.”
Ryosuke looked up. “NO, it’s not okay Akiko. That man could come back at any time. A man like that will want revenge. And if he is in the underground, he’ll bring people. Ryutaro, you have to move.”
Ryutaro looked up…”What do you mean?”
Yamada stood up. “From tomorrow onwards you and your mother are moving into my house…No buts…and no arguments…” he said sternly. Ryutaro was speechless. And so was Akiko.
“HAi...” Ryutaro said weekly and lied down in Akiko’s lap. She patted his head softly. “He’s so pale…” she wondered.
After another hour, Akiko decided to bring something up for the petrified boy and his mother from the canteen. She stood up and walked down. After purchasing some sandwiches and energy drinks, she made her way back up. She stopped as she saw Yamada standing near the window. There was dim light outside. He was sleeping while standing. His eyes were shut tight. “It must be dawn...” Akiko said looking outside. She went near the window and looked out. “Akiko…” Yamada muttered. Akiko looked at him in surprise. ‘I thought you were…never mind…”
HE looked at her. “How’s your family right now?”
She looked at him and smiled. “Their good, demo Otousan and Okahsan are out of town. And my little brothers have gone camping for a week. They will all be back next week…”
Yamada looked up. “No wonder you were able to escape late night…”
“Sharp aren’t you..” she said grinning staring at Ryutaro who was snoring not so far away on a bench outside his mother’s room.
“Ryutaro’s mother will need a little female company; I only have maids in my house. I usually live alone...” he said staring at Akiko.
‘Eh?” Akiko asked in a shock.
“Can you come and live with us too?”
Akiko looked taken aback. “Demo, Ryosuke san…It’s….”
“Don’t get any ideas…” Ryosuke said eyeing her firmly. “I’m serious, just until your family comes back. Take care of her…Onegaishimas…” he said bowing. Akiko took a deep breath. She did not know what to say. Then she looked at Ryutaro’s mother who had woken up and came out of the room to see her son who had committed such a courageous deed to save her… Ryutaro kept snoring as his mother seated herself beside him. Akiko sighed at the sight of her. “Alright then…”
Yamada nodded. “Arigatou…”
“Un...” she said nodding. As she walked away to Ryutaro and his mother to hand them the food and sit with them, Yamada eyed her closely. He kept staring at her as she took Ryutaro’s mothers hands in hers and smiled. Ryutaro’s mother became a little teary and accepted the food Akiko gave them humbly. Ryosuke continued to gaze at her and sighed. “Something more than just diamond studded fountains….Nani ga?” He then looked away, sighing and stared out of the window. The sun had risen completely. It felt chilly and cold. A strange morning, but it seemed like a relief after such a terrifying night.
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