Waking up, Chinabi can clearly hear Yuuki sleep. "Yuu-" She catches herself mid sentence and keeps quiet. Normally she would be greet him in the morning but, not today. She gets off the bed and head downstairs. Downstairs, she can smell the aroma of breakfast being cooked. The smell of bacon and eggs was prominent as it fills her nostrils. Turning the in corner of the kitchen, she sees Chifuni cooking and preparing breakfast. She turns around and sees a sight she never thought she will see. "Big sister is awake!? Hooray the gods have answered my prayers!"
"What are you talking about Chifuni?" She reacts quick to her sister's word and coughs to change the subject. "*cough cough* I mean... Good morning Big Sister!"
"Good morning Chifuni, cooking breakfast I see?"
"Yeah, it's going to take a little more time to finish. Go ahead and change into your uniform and come back down."
"Okay. Just after I get a cup of water then I will go back." She said as she rubs her eyes.
Going back upstairs after her cup of water, she goes back to her room and changes into her uniform. Her head, she only hears the steady breathing of a sleeping boy. That Yuuki! Still sleeping at a time like this! ... I wonder what he wished for last night.... Hmph! I guess it's for that player of emotion Kaede I suppose!
"Good morning..."
"Awake so soon? Why don't you you go back to sleep?"
"I can't. It feels like something bad is going to happen."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I wish I can describe to you the feeling, but at the moment, just be careful."
Hearing his concerned warning, she forgets the hatred for him and acknowledges him. She heads back downstairs and her sister has finally finished cooking breakfast and was eating. "I wish you would wake up yourself more often like this, Big Sister." Chifuni says while glaring daggers. Chinabi feels the fearful scorn from her sister and laughs wryly. "Hehe... Yeah, I need to change that too..."
Watching the news before heading out to school, Chinabi learns that here were more crimes happening, generally near her area. "Yuuki, is this what you were talking about?"
"Hm... No. It's not."
"Man, why only now!? Could it be that someone knows that you're me?"
"No. That's entirely impossible. No one could come up with something like that. Even if they can, then what's their proof?"
"Hmm, you're right about that I suppose....."
After giving it some thought, she leaves her house and stays alert for the rest of the day. "Today's the day.... Hehe!"
On their way to school, Chinabi was being mindful of her surroundings, always asking Yuuki if this what he meant. "Yuuki, I'm kinda scared today.... Am I going to die?"
"Hopefully not. If it comes to that, it's either you or me."
"What do you mean you or me!? I'm the one with the body!!"
"No!- I meant, they could be targeting either you or my body. They shouldn't be able to know that you and I share a body for now. At the moment, my body is vulnerable."
"So are you saying that they're targeting you?"
"Not what I'm implying but it's one of us, so stay sharp."
***
At the music room again, Chinabi meets with her gym teacher again. The purple haired and sharp green eyed young woman sits on the piano stool having a casual talk like acquaintances rather than student and teacher. "We're you able to finish the song for your nephew?" Chinabi asks her. Her teacher smiles and replies to her with confidence. "Yeah, I did. I hope he likes it." Her mature tone gave her words warmth to heart. It sounded so sincere and caring despite her mismatch appearance and voice.
"May I ask, how is your nephew? Like how is he as a person."
When Chinabi asked this, she smiles gently and sets down the cover on the ivory keys.
"Well... I don't know where to begin... I admire my older sister who birthed him. I envy that she has a son like him, but she wasn't always there for him because she worked in the city. I took regular visits to keep in touch with him and with that I became very fond of him. A kind and loving boy who listens intently and smiles brightly. Teaching him how to play the piano was one of the best skills I can give to him at such a young age.
His cooking and baking skills were superb and that kinda hurts me in a way because, I liked cooking and baking sweets for him, but he turned out to be more better than I did. He was such a great kid but, now he's all grown up, similar to you but, he's a normal high school student versus you; you are in an all private girl school."
"I see...." From hearing her gym teacher's word of her nephew, they all seem to relate to someone who has superb cooking and baking skills.
"Tell me Chinabi...." Her teacher stops for a second and looks at her with teary eyes. "What's your relation to Yuuki?"
"!?" She hops back and was caught off guard. "Yuuki, you didn't tell me she was your aunt!?"
"What? I didn't tell you? She was my aunt all along."
"Why didn't you say anything!"
"You didn't ask..."
Her gym teacher cradles her hand into hers and sets her head down on them. "Please tell me what's your relation to him."
"Um... I don't know how to explain it either to be honest... Eheh....."
"Then tell me. How do you know him?"
"Uhhh.... Yuuki can I just tell her the truth?"
"I think it will be problematic if she doesn't understand so I guess it's okay." After getting his confirmation, she looks back her teacher who was waiting for her answer. "Um, before I answer. Can you tell me how did you know that I had some kind of connection to him?"
"I've been seeing your name on Yuuki's visitor's log recently."
"Oh, I see then. Well, answering your question earlier.... Yuuki.... Is inside of me..."
"....what? What do you mean by that?"
"Um, well... One day, Yuuki happened to wake up in my body. I can rest you assure that you are talking to the real Chinabi. Yuuki is in my mind right now, seeing what I'm seeing. Hearing what I'm and hearing and what I'm thinking. He can hear my thoughts and I can hear his."
"So you're saying that... Yuuki's conscience is with you?"
"Yes that's correct. Yuuki is saying hi at the moment."
"Hi aunt!"
"It's hard to believe this.... Is he okay at least?"
"He is very much okay. We trade spots everyday. Tomorrow, he would be taking control of my body."
"Really? ... Yuuki, if you're in there, in Chinabi's mind, can we talk here during lunch tomorrow?"
"Well?"
"Tell her I will see her tomorrow.
"He said he's looking forward to it." She smiles at her nephew's reply and thanks both of them.
***
There was an hour left before the bell rang, in class Chinabi and Yuuki were arguing over which answer was the correct one. "It's this Yuuki!"
"No it's not! It clearly states in the question and this answer has everything the question asks for!"
"No it's this one! Sometimes the question is tricky, tricking people like you who can't understand a question of this caliber!"
"Dang it woman! How can you not-"
In her head, she hears a thud and then.... "I take your silence as my win."
"Chi-Chinabi... H-hospi-hospital... N-n-now!....." After hearing his plea, the silence in her head became eerie and scary for her. "Yuuki?"
"..."
"Yuuki??"
"H-hurry..."
Hearing the dreaded voice of the one she presumably likes, she stands up abruptly and alerts the entire class. "What's wrong Chinabi? Is something the matter?" Breathing heavy with building anxiety, she grabs her books in a rush and shoves them into her bag. "I'm leaving!" She yells as she runs out the room.
"Yuuki! Please tell me your okay!"
"G-go...."
***
Arriving at the hospital entrance, she rushes inside and meets the receptionist again. "Wow! Early this time. Here, here you know the drill." The dark blue haired nurse hands her the visitors log book and just as she was about to write down her name, the name above her's shocks her and fills her with fear. She scribbles her name in and snatches the pass away from the nurse's clutches.
"Yuuki, are you still there!?" In her head she can hear him cough countless of times before steadying his breathing. "Y-yeah... I'm still here."
"I know whose trying to kill you and I'm shocked and scared to confront her. What do I do?"
"I don't know how to help you there, I'm sorry."
Arriving at his floor, she rushes to his room, but when nearing the door, she hears the frightening person she has to face, talk about something that she wasn't suppose to hear.
"Even in bed, in a coma, you're persistent on not dying by these hands. You have to die and leave this world. It's for a good cause. I don't know how you and my daughter met but, I thank you for making her happy at certain times, however; it's time to end things between both of you. ... Do you know why I'm being like this? The reason why I hate boys in general? The sole reason why I put my daughters into private all girls schools? It's because what happened on that dreadful night.
At the age of eighteen, when I ways attending my first year in college, my own father had a liaison with her own daughter and impregnated her. I was deeply scarred by what he had done to me and I left with my mother. The child that was being developed in my own body didn't do any harm so I gave birth and raised her on my own. That girl now is Chinabi.
Her younger sister, Chifuni, is the result of my mother getting married to another man. He was such a kind man and I'm glad my mother married a man like him. She's leaving a peaceful life with himーー in the afterlife.
You see, just a few days ago, I've received word that they died in an accident. Tragic isn't? Now, I have to take care of my own daughter and my mother's daughter. I did what I can do to protect both of them. I made them go to all girl's school. I was strict about them not meeting with boys. It's your fault.... It's your fault that this family is falling apart. Everything I did to protect them! Is crumbling apart! Why!? Why did you have to come into contact with my own daughter!?"
From outside the room, Yuuki and Chinabi can hear her mother go insane. Chinabi was shocked and scared by her mother's secret efforts and hidden pains to take care both of her own daughter and her mother's daughter. "Y-Yuuki, I..."
"It's okay Chianbi. If you choose your mother over me, it's completely understandable. I destroyed a mother's efforts to keep her family safe. So please Chinabi, do what you must. It's been nice meeting you and please keep this a secret from my mother and tell my aunt, or your gym teacher I'm sorry."
"No, Yuuki, I neeー"
"Chinabi, it's okay. I will sacrifice myself to keep your family from falling apart. It's my very decision to do so. So go."
Hearing his voice crack and shake due to the arising emotions inside him, tears begin to stream down her face. With something in mind, she looks over to the glass window and her eyes couldn't believe what she saw.
Remembering that she can see Yuuki by just seeing his reflection, she was presented with a smiling boy whose tears streamed endlessly down his face. The questions like, Why are you smiling? Why are you okay with this? Were you always this selfless? Why... Does he suffer for being so nice?.....
"Yuuki.... I hate you so much....." Even after saying that, the image of him smiling even at the death's door scared her. "It's okay Chinabi, I forgive you."
"Let me see if removing all of these pipes and tubes will help me kill you even faster...." She can hear her mother remove all the IV tubes from his body, turn off the EKG, and remove the oxygen mask and tube from his mouth and throat.
In her mind, she hears him collapse and sound ill to high stakes, but yet, the words he chose bore deeper wounds into her. "Just wait a little more Chinabi, it will be all over soon." As she hears these dreaded words, she felt as if someone was hugging her from behind. A warm embrace warms her heart and he very caring voice echoes in her ear. "It's okay for me to stop breathing, right?"
"PLEASE STOP!!!" Chinabi barges into Yuuki's room and pushes her own mother away from Yuuki's body. She tumbles to the ground and sees her daughter defending him. "Please stop! Don't take him away from me, mom! Please, just stop already..." Chinabi was hugging Yuuki in her very attempt to defend him. "Chinabi... You get away from that boy! You see what's he's doing to us? He's breaking us apart."
"No! Mom, how can he do anything to us if he's here in his hospital bed 24/7!? He didn't do anything. Why can't you accept him? He's a nice person."
"How can you say that!?"
"Because mom.... He lives in me. Ever since he's been hospitalized, he has been always been with me. He lives in my mind and we switch roles every other day. Remember that day when we ate dinner and Chifuni was so happy to eat something so amazing!? That was him!! He took over my body that day and made such a wonderful dinner for you and Chifuni. He prepared tomorrow's lunch and baked a cake! You and Chifuni loved the food. His food! You guys are always happy to eat food prepared by me, but it was actually all him. Is that enough for a great reason to say that he's a good person? Mom... You don't know how happy I was to meet someone like him. Each day was full of laughter despite whoever controlled this body."
"...So you're saying that you would do anything to protect this boy?"
"Yes! I will do anything!! Even if I have to fight you! You were about to kill someone who did nothing to you. How can you do something like that?"
"Fine... Be like this... You're no longer welcome to this family Chinabi."
"Huh?... What are you saying mom?"
"Mom? Was I a mother to you? I was once. But no longer. I'm no longer your mother Chinabi. I'm disowning you from the family."
"W-what!?... B-but!-"
"Come by the house to pick up your stuff." Her mother gets up and heads for the door. "I will leave your beloved alone since you're no longer part of the family. Consider yourself lucky." Her mother leaves the room with her back turned towards her. "W-why Chinabi..."
"Save it! We need you to get medical attention!" She rushes out and sees a nearby nurse with shoulder-length black hair. "Excuse me! I need help!!" Chinabi yells and points toward Yuuki's room. The nurse rushes over and was shock to see a mess. "What happened in here!?" The nurse shouted in surprise. She runs in and begins to fix the mess her mother made. A few minutes later, the repairs were finish and in Chinabi's mind, she can hear Yuuki sound like his old self again.
Chinabi plants her face into his sheets and reaches for his hand. "Thank god! I saved you. I'm so happy!"
"Chinabi, why? Because of me... I broke up you and your mother... And...."
"Yuuki! It's my turn to say thank you for the things you've done for me. And even though I'm now disowned by my mother, it doesn't change the fact that I have you still. It's okay like this, I promise you. Stop taking blame for things that happened. You did nothing to my mom. She was in the fault. Please look at it that way. I can't see you torture yourself for something you didn't do."
"..."
"If you need a reason, then the only thing I can say is that I like you. Not as extreme as Kaede and Rika, I want to cherish this friendship that you and I have before falling for you. I feel happy and alive to have someone like you as a friend, especially an understanding one at that."
"I see... That's sounds like an amazing reason for saving me. I will cherish those words." She smiles and nestles her head into the sheets into a more comfortable position. "I'm going to stay like this for a while, okay?"
"Take all the time you need."
***
"No Mommy!! Stop! What are you doing!?"
"Chifuni!?" Rushing to her house, she hears her little sister yelling. "What is this doing here!? I thought she returned it!!"
"Stop it! Mommy, what happened to you!?" Turning the corner going into her house, she was witnessing a scene she thought that wouldn't happened and not only that, but a piece of Yuuki that was destroyed behind repairs.
In front of her doorstep, in a black case, was once a beautiful violin made out of redwood, but it was completely destroyed. The neck and strings were snapped in half.
Chinabi stands there in shock and as her eyes trails upwards, she sees her disorganized mother standing in the doorway. Her little sister was looking at her with fear and was trembling on her knees. She looks outside and sees her sister. "Chinabi!"
"Chifuni.... She's no longer your sister. She abandoned us for someone else. She's no longer with us."
"But Chinabi-!"
"Chifuni!! She's no longer part of this family." Her sister begins to cry out to her. "Big sis-!"
The door slams shut and in front of her house was a large suitcase and in the for that'd was the broken violin in its case. Rain begins to drizzle from the sky and soak Chinabi. She walks over to the violin, kneels down, cradles the broken violin, and cry. "Yuuki... I'm really sorry." As she cried in the rain, she again feels that warm embrace again. "As long as you're okay and unhurt, then it's fine. I can always get another one, but I can never get another you. So please don't beat yourself over it."
"Are you sure? You took care of it for a long time.... And.."
"It's okay. Take your suitcase and the violin with you as a memento of this dreadful day." She closes the violin case and takes it one hand and takes the suitcase in the other. "Yuuki, where do we go though? I don't know anyone I can go to." Chinabi asks as she trudges in the pouring rain. "What do you mean? You do have a place to go to."
***
Her cold, wet finger reaches for the doorbell and pushes the button. "Will she really take me in?"
"Of course she will. She will take care of you like your own mother."
"Hello?"
"Um, Miss Yoshida?"
"Oh Chinabi!~ What are you doing in the rain? Please come in." Chinabi walks toward the door and Yuuki's mother opens the door to see a soaked Chinabi. "What happened!? Save it! Please go upstairs and take a bath. I will prepare tea for you before we can talk." Chinabi was welcomed in and she trudges upstairs.
Taking a dip in the warm bath water, Chinabi exhales in delight and loathes in the wonderful water. "Yuuki, can I really stay here?"
"Yes you can. I lived in your home for a while so, it's my turn to take you in."
"...okay"
Later that night, I was taken into the Yoshida's residence. His mother took me in once I told her that I fought with my mother over Yuuki. I found refuge from my dear friend and I was taken care of. A new place where I can call home...
Before going to bed, they hear a knock on the door. "Hey Sis! Open the door. It's freezing out here!"
"That voice!?"
"Hold on! Hold on!" His mother opens up the door and she sees the familiar green sharp eyes and purple hair. "Jeez, what took you so long!?"
"I have a guest as you can see." She steps aside and both of them were surprised. "Chinabi! What are you doing here?"
"I fought with my mother and she disowned me."
"Was your fight really that bad? Wow..."
"Chinabi, we don't have any spare rooms at the moment, so if you like, you can sleep in Yuuki's room if you like." Yuuki's mother suggested. Without denying it, she happily accepts. "That's fine by me. Even if Yuuki wakes up from the hospital, I will gladly sleep with him."
I think she messed up on her wording......
After a few seconds has passed, embarrassment begins to build on her face and soon realizes her mistake. "W-wait! I didn't mean like that!" His mother and his aunt looks at each other and gave their nod of approval.
"Chinabi."
"Hmm?"
"When Yuuki wakes up, please take care of him in the future."
"I will be rooting for ya!"
With a quick burst of support from his family, she felt like her odds in being with him in the end has doubled. She smiles brightly and thanks them.
***
"Yuuki, your room is fairly simple now that I'm sitting here on your bed." With her back against the wall, she examines the room. "I kinda feel at peace here..." She hugs the pillow in her arms and sinks in. "I'm glad you like my room. It's not heavily decorated like your room though."
"No it's okay. I like it actually."
"Chinabi are you still awake?" The familiar voice of her gym teacher was heard behind the door. "Yeah, I'm still awake."
"Can I come in?"
"Sure." Entering the room, she was taken by surprised at how... cute her teacher looks. Despite her age, she was wearing a very cute looking pajamas. The ends of the sleeves and collar were read and the rest of the pajamas was filled in with white. She stands in the doorway and rubs her eyes as Chinabi welcomes her in. "Is there something you need...."
"Since were both living under the same roof, you can just call me Mayumi."
"Mayumi?"
"That's my name Chinabi. Honestly, I don't really like to be called teacher or miss so Mayumi would be fine at the house." Chinabi nods her head and continues, "What brings you here?"
"The fact that I get to talk to Yuuki again is making me anxious. I really miss him and I can't wait."
"I'm pretty sure you and his mom both miss him. Just go to sleep and wait for tomorrow. He will take control of this body by then."
"Hehe... You're right... Alrighty then!" She turns off the lights and gets in bed with Chinabi. "Mayumi what are you doing?"
"Sleeping with you of course. I want to greet Yuuki when he wakes up, so let's go to sleep!" After saying that, she hugs Chinabi in her arms and holds on to her. "Mayumi?! Mayumi!! Let go of me!"
"Zzzzzzz"
"Fast asleep already!?"
"Just let her be, she's like that."
"It's kind of suffocating in here, but at the same time, it feels warm and safe in here... Goodnight Yuuki..."
"Goodnight Chinabi, see you in the morning."
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Author's Note:
Well... Screw you Yuuki. Hah! I'm basically insulting myself since I'm a selfless person as well :D There's really no need to go into a subject like being selfless because it's more of a sad and painful topic. This chapter was a bit of an emotional trip for me once again, due to my selfless being coming out when Yuuki was willing to die for the sake of Chinabi's family status. Anyway! See ya in the next chapter! Side Yuuki: Chapter Five - New life in a new school.
See ya till then!
