Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Someone’s hands were around his throat. Black spots gathered in the edge of his vision, his hands fruitlessly prying at the ones cutting off his air supply. Taro felt panic engulf him as he thrashed violently in Budo’s grip.

The panic gave way to hatred, as he stared into his hollow black eyes. Budo’s grip began to loosen, and eventually Taro fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

“I want you to suffer. It can’t be that easy.” Sadism flashed in his eyes, as he briefly retreated.

Taro fought to keep himself from blacking out, forcing himself to focus. Ayano was in the basement. Alive. Budo was keeping her there.

As the breath returned to him, he swore under his breath. The wire. Frantically scrabbling, he found himself relieved to see it was still there and apparently undamaged.

The footsteps returned, and his blood ran cold as he rolled away, ignoring the sharp pain in his throat. He dared to look up, terrified as his eyes fell on the glinting knife in the twitching, crazed boy’s hand.

“She’ll never forgive you for this.” He choked out, realising the breath hadn’t fully returned to him. Budo knelt and raised his chin slightly. Taro continued to take shallow breaths, hoping they would soon return to normal.

“You’re wrong.” He insisted. “She loves me.” Taro felt his skin crawl at his words, as an ironic smile etched itself into his face.

“In fact…” Budo had noticed the smile, and the knife was edging dangerously close to his throat – Taro urged himself to keep his eyes open and on Budo. “We’ve not just been on dates. We’ve slept together. She loves me.”

He couldn’t hide the shock and dismay in his expression – flushing when a cruel, short laugh boomed from Budo.

“That’s right, Yamada-kun. Me and Yan-chan. I took her virginity.”

Taro squeezed his eyes shut. “Shut up.” The breaths were coming back to him – it hurt significantly less with each inhale.

His face inched closer, with his breath fanning Taro’s face.

“She didn’t tell you? She asked me to do it, you know.” He smirks. “But lying’s in her nature.”

“Shut up.” The breaths were no longer coming out in short gasps – it would be time to strike soon. Taro’s gaze shifted back to the knife carelessly pressed against his throat – Budo seemed to have found a new interest.

“Is that all you can say?” The smugness in his voice sickened him.

The smirk grew bigger and more sinister.

“I took her virginity under that tree where she was meant to confess to you. Isn’t that sad? I fucked her before you could.”

He shakes his head, swallowing. “That’s not–” only to fall silent as the knife slowly moved away from his throat.

Now Taro could feel it against his abdomen, cold and slick. Forcing himself to stay still, his eyes slowly moved up to meet Budo’s.

“I ruined her for you. Sloppy seconds.” He licked his lips, seemingly recalling the memory. Taro resisted the urge to look away.

“Stop–” A quick slash silenced him, as he gritted his teeth – it couldn’t have been a deep cut, but the stinging was agonising. The throbbing cast his gaze down to the knife, the source of the wound.

Budo’s lips moved closer to his ear.

“She didn’t want to be ruined. But I was very persuasive.”

The colour drained from Taro’s face, as his entire body froze. Slowly, his eyes swivelled to meet Budo’s again – there was nothing but honesty in them. Nausea began to spill into him, as he violently jerked away.

Taro covered his ears as Budo cackled. His words erased the vague stinging from his abdomen – all he could think about was Ayano. The fear in her eyes every time he moved – how quickly she ducked away from his kisses, screaming when he tried to touch her…

Horror filled him as the realisation dawned on him.

“No. No. No!” Tears welled in his eyes. “You didn’t... tell me you didn’t…”

“I did.” A sadistic smirk replaced the laugh. “I enjoyed every second of it.” He continued, ignoring Taro’s death glare. “She’s loud. A fighter. I had to hurt her, but it was worth it. I gagged her and put her hands out of commission. Couldn’t risk the fight going on too long.” He shrugs.

Then, another unhinged smile crossed his face. “It was a private moment. I’m sure she would’ve been mortified if anyone saw us.”

For a split second, Taro ceased to exist – and so did Budo. His words were muffled, Ayano was safe, and Taro was at home with his sister. Everything was fine.

He was forced to reopen his eyes when Budo didn't stop talking.

“I loved every second of it. Her whimpering underneath me, thinking I couldn’t hear it – crying, begging me to pull out. Do you know how good that felt, Yamada-kun?”

Sadistic glee flashed in his eyes. “You know what made it even better? She called me by your name the whole time. It wasn’t me raping her. It was you.”

His blood ran cold at those words.

The knife hit the ground with a clatter, and Taro barely felt his foot lash out, kicking it out of both his and Budo’s reach. Red filled his vision as his hand clenched into a fist and connected with Budo’s jaw.

Taro could hear himself screaming with every punch – but Budo had fallen silent. The only sound was a faint, sickening crunch with each hit.

His gaze was unfocussed and scattered, he could hear his breathing and feel his heart pounding in his throat.

Pinned beneath him, Budo began to laugh, only spurring Taro on further. His hands opened up and curled, reaching for his neck – the laughter became more and more choked with each minute.

Taro stared down at Budo, who simply smiled. His face reddened with the effort to breathe, but Taro was unable to pull his hands away, only squeezing tighter in an attempt to drain all the air from him.

Once the laughter finally stopped, his grip gradually began to loosen – his eyes shot back over to the knife, too far away for a weakened Budo to reach.

Breathing wildly, he sat up, frantically pulling his hands away from Budo’s neck. Taro closed his eyes as the laughter started up again, growing less and less choked with each moment.

“That shut you up.” Budo wheezed, wriggling underneath him.

“You’re sick.” Hatred and venom dripped from Taro’s voice.

The laughter dissipated into nothing as his eyes narrowed. His fingers itched to be back around Budo’s throat, but he forced them to his sides, his gaze penetrating.

“Me? It was you, the first time.” His hand balled back into a fist, and he swung at Budo. The pain radiating from his cheek didn’t deter him – his laughter started up again. “If anything, we should both go down for it.”

Budo squirmed and bucked his hips to no avail – Taro was as stiff as a rock.

“First time?” He muttered through gritted teeth. “God, you’re such a piece of shit.”

Budo smirked. “Then kill me. You were going to, weren’t you?”

Unable to respond, he shot him a hard glare.

Rolling his eyes, Budo managed to shift slightly under the weight of Taro’s body. Taro raised an eyebrow as he managed to free a hand and almost prop himself up.

“You think you’re better than a killer? Than me?” There was nothing in his eyes now, not even hatred or disgust. They had darkened to an impossible shade, leaving behind empty husks.

Despite the fear enveloping Taro, his eyes stayed locked on his lifeless ones.

“You really think that, Yamada-kun?”

He remained silent, hand still clenched into a fist.

“Yan-chan and I aren’t that different. Why do you think she’s even my girlfriend?”

The eyes still hadn’t changed, but Taro couldn’t help but laugh at how deluded he was.

Budo rolls his eyes. “Yan-chan pushed Haruka to her death. She didn’t fall. And you know why she did it?”

He licked his lips, savouring the fear that had swiftly replaced the laughter in Taro’s eyes. “Because she liked you. I killed Hinata because I love her. What’s the difference?”

Taro froze, as Budo slowly moved out from under him. Smirking, Budo continued.

“She doesn’t care about you. All this time, she was pulling the strings – manipulating you, and those girls into leaving you alone. She wanted you all to herself.” Grinning at the completely catatonic boy before him, Budo slowly leaned in to whisper.

“Are you sure you’re better than that? Is she really all that different from me?” He pulled away, and Taro found himself rooted to the spot.

Even as Budo stood up and walked away, Taro was unmoving. Stiff. “No…” He whimpered. “She didn’t. You’re lying. She would never…”

He grinned again. “You think Najimi-san just got a new boyfriend out of nowhere? Or your sister just suddenly stopped clinging? You really believe that, Yamada-kun? You really think Haruka just fell?”

The truth weighed down on him. Ayano had lied to him this entire time. The footsteps grew further, but there was no drive in him anymore. He tried to stand and follow, but his body refused to respond.

Taro sunk. She lied to him. She was just as bad as him. He was painfully embarrassed by his idiocy – how had he fallen for it? For her?

The footsteps were louder, now. With all the energy left in him, he tilted his head upwards to look at Budo one last time. His eyes focussed on the now recovered blade in his hand, before moving back down to the ground.

Budo knelt to meet his eyes. “This is amazing. You’re just as broken as she was.”

Ayano was broken. Taro was sluggish – his limbs were weighed down with the realisation that she had been behind all of this. Osana leaving. His sister detaching completely. Kokona’s death.

It was all her fault.

Ayano was broken. He blinked. Ayano was broken. By her boyfriend. Broken.

But what was the difference between them?

“She tricked me.” He murmured, dazed.  “You took advantage of her.” His body screamed for him to move, but he was exhausted.

“It’s a cycle.” Budo smiled cruelly, as his grip on the blade tightened.

Taro closed his eyes as he felt the knife plunge into him for the first time. The pain was dull at first, but quickly sharpened into waves of agony that forced his breathing to become pained and staccato.

He clenched with shock the second time. Heat rushed through his body and caused his limbs to tingle, enough for him to roll away and avoid the third attack.

Hyperventilating, he examined his injury.

The darkness in Budo’s eyes had given way to a small glint that Taro could only identify as bloodlust.

Terrified, he tried to bolt, but the first stab was deep and he couldn’t move quickly enough.

A fourth stab immobilised him, as he vaguely wondered what had happened to the wire. Budo stood above him, crazed and twitching. His lips were moving as well, but yet again, his words were muffled and unintelligible.

With all the strength left in him, Taro looked up. Taro stared into his eyes, determined to be defiant to the very end.

“You should’ve killed me when you had the chance.” Budo grinned. “I’m sure she would’ve forgiven you for it. Loved it, actually. Then you’d be just as bad as her.”

Breathing sent a sharp pain from his throat down to his ribs, but Taro pushed the feeling down.

And spat at him, managing a weak smile when Budo stopped and shot him a glare.

“Rapist.” He accused, through shaky breaths. “Abuser.”

Budo simply smiled. “It’s your fault. If you’d just left her alone, I wouldn’t have had to do any of this. But at least now we can start again, and I can be a better boyfriend this time. Better than you could ever be.”

He shrugged casually. “Thanks, Yamada-kun.”

Black dots began to reappear in the edge of his vision – Taro watched, powerlessly, as the knife came down on him one final time.

Ayano leant against the door, cursing her broken fingers. A chair had been discarded in the corner from where she had thrown it, hoping the door would be destroyed. Biting back the pain from her mangled hand, she curled her undamaged fingers around the chair and swung.

Nothing had happened.

Sinking to the ground in defeat, she began to sob. There was no sound from outside – before, she could hear low, angry voices – even if they were unintelligible – but now, there was nothing.

As the basement door swung open, Ayano scrambled away from the door, lowering her eyes as her entire body began to tremble. The footsteps drew nearer, but she continued to keep her eyes on the floor.

They stopped in front of her.

Finally, she glanced up at Budo – and felt her stomach drop.

Her eyes were automatically directed to his face. Beyond his crazed, empty eyes, there was dried blood on his face, and then her eyes moved towards the knife in his hand, shiny with wet blood.

Ayano didn’t speak, continuing to scan him.

He dropped the knife and moved towards her – she froze in place as she felt his arms wrap around her. Bile built up in her throat as his embrace grew tighter, nearly driving the air from her lungs.

“Yan-chan.” He whispered, pulling away to look her in the eyes. Ayano barely felt the tears roll down her cheeks as she spoke.

“What happened?”

“I’m OK.”

He smiles and stands, outstretching a hand. Fearfully, Ayano placed her delicate hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. A hush fell over the pair as he led her up the stairs and out of the basement.

As they reached the top of the stairs, he suddenly turned to her and squeezed her hand harder. Suddenly overwhelmed with fear and disgust, Ayano attempted to pull her hand away, but he only squeezed harder. Meaningfully.

Swallowing her fear, the muscles in her hand relaxed. To her relief, he grew less stiff and another smile graced his features. Ayano stared at him in confusion.

“Don’t get mad at me.” He instructed her, before pulling her through one last door.

Ayano glanced at the blood on his face again and noted that some colour had returned to his eyes.

Abruptly, he stopped, and she slammed into his back.

Then she laid her eyes on the reason he had stopped.

He was stretched out against the wall, pale and unmoving. The distinct redness of his blood contrasted the complete lack of colour in his skin. Ayano blinked, unable to digest the sight in front of her.

“Senpai…” She breathed, almost reaching out to touch him. For a horrible second, Ayano wondered if Budo was going to kill her too.

His hand left hers and rested itself on her cheek, turning her back to face him. Gently, he smoothed his thumbs over her cheeks, wiping away her tears, before letting his hands fall to his sides.

“You didn’t…” She whimpered, trying to step back, away from him. His other hand shot out and wrapped itself around her wrist, pulling her closer to him.

“I got mad. But you understand, right?” He mumbled, no longer meeting her eyes.

Ayano paled when she realised how close they were. Her heart pounded in her ears, as his hand around her wrist forced unwanted memories to the front of her mind. Ayano whimpered, begging herself not to remember.

“Right, Yan-chan?” He asked again. “He said all this stupid stuff. I got so mad at him…” He explained, but all she could focus on were his fingers locking around her wrist.

“Let go.” She whispered. “Please.” Ayano squeezed her eyes shut as the pressure grew.

“Yan-chan…”

His hand travelled up from her wrists to her fingers, where he deliberately curled a few fingers around one of her broken ones, and pulled.

Ayano screamed.

Even when he clamped a hand over her mouth and shushed her, her screams turned to howls and sobs.

“It’s OK.” He cooed, stroking her hair with his free hand. “I’m sorry. Tell me you understand.”

She continued to choke on sobs under his hand. He eventually allowed his hand to fall to his side, limp, and pressed his lips against hers to silence her.

“Tell me.” He whispered, moving away. She stared at him, quivering in fear and pain.

Her voice shook. “What happened?”

Budo smiled a broken smile. “Self-defence. Sort of.”

He nudged her, slowly pushing her further and further back – Ayano shot a quick glance at Senpai, who had slumped over, then at her surroundings.

“He freaked out and started strangling me.” Budo continued.

Her back hit the wall, and he seemed satisfied. Ayano closed her eyes again as he continued talking. “It was kill or be killed. You understand, right? He was on top of me. Going to kill me.” He mumbled, leaning in to kiss her neck.

She tried her best not to squirm under his mouth.

“I understand.” She nodded, slowly. “Kill or be killed. Self-defence.” She said, slowly.

He sighed in relief. Ayano reached out and tenderly ran her thumbs over his cheeks, forcing herself to ignore the dried blood caking itself under her nails.

“Yan-chan…” He sighed her name as he kissed her, again. Determinedly, she kissed him back, holding back a shudder.

She couldn’t help but smile against his mouth. At least he was predictable.

Ayano swung her knee back, then forward – and caught him between the legs. The cold air met her mouth as he sunk to the ground, gasping for air.

When it returned, he spat a series of curse words at her. Breathing heavily to offset the agony of her broken fingers as well as tune him out, Ayano moved quickly.

Her unaffected hand shot out and wrapped around a vase.

He was breathing deeply and slowly now, but unsteadily returning to his feet. She had to act fast.

Ignoring the pain shooting through her other hand, she struck him on the back of the head.

He keeled over and landed on his face, as she breathed heavily, overcome with terror. Ayano scanned the room again, hoping to find something to restrain him with.

Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest as she moved closer to him – her mind was working against her, conjuring up his flared nostrils and eyes dark with desire. Slowly, her eyes travelled down to his belt.

The memories grew more and more vivid, as Ayano tried to soothe herself.

He can’t hurt me. He’s unconscious. It’s OK. I am OK.

Gingerly, she touched his hand. When he didn’t respond, she unlooped his belt, relieved as it came away with ease. Immediately, she bound his hands and stared down at him once more.

Then she turned away.

“Senpai?” She whispered, feeling tears prick her eyes again.

He didn’t respond. She cautiously stepped closer, examining the blood on the wall. Ayano attempted to look at his wounds, but his hand was covering some of them – she repeated his name, terrified.

“Senpai… please…” She whimpered.

She sunk to the ground next to him, burying her head in her knees again. This was all her fault. All of it. If she had insisted nothing was wrong when he kept asking – or if she’d just stayed with Budo – or if she’d never hurt Kokona…

Ayano wept. “I’m sorry.” She told him, wiping away tears she didn’t think she had. “This is all my fault.”

A faint warmth radiated from her knee. Alarmed, Ayano jerked her knee away and glanced over at him.

He was silent. Staring intently at her. Alive.

Significantly weakened, but alive.

The source of the warmth was his hand, which had fallen to the ground, limp.

She gasped. “Yamada-kun…” The shock gave way to tears of relief. Ayano sprawled towards the unconscious Budo, frantically searching in his pockets until she found her phone.

She then crawled back towards Senpai, who remained silent, only following her with his eyes.

“I’m so sorry.” She whispers again, solemnly. “I’m going to call an ambulance. You’ll be OK.” Her fingers stabbed desperately at the buttons on her phone.

He managed a feeble smile, only for a pained expression to contort his face. The pain in his eyes almost made her hesitate, but she forced herself to continue, pulling up his darkened shirt. Pain shot through his entire figure as he lifted his head to properly look at her.

“I love you. I’m so sorry he did this to you. I’m sorry about everything.” She turned away, unbuttoning her own shirt.

Taking a shallow breath, he managed a brief, subdued reply.

“…Me too…”

Her father had been pale the entire drive home. Ayano glanced at her mother, whose lips were set in a grim, straight line, staring directly ahead at the road before her. She swallowed and looked back over at her father, who held his clenched fists on his lap.

Ayano examined the splint her hand was in. The focus initially hadn’t been on where her broken fingers came from, only the fact they were broken.

Fascinated, she had watched as the doctor strapped her fingers together, completely stoic. Her parents stood and watched in a mixture of stunned and jet-lagged silence.

Ayano sighed and rested her head against the window, gazing out into the distance.

Her mind wandered to Senpai – the stab wounds, the pain in his eyes as she apologised to him, the warmth from his hand. The last she had seen of him was his still, weak body being lifted into an ambulance.

Budo had woken up by the time the ambulance came, refilling her with terror – and begged for them not to be separated again.

“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to kill him. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I love you.”

Nausea filled her at his words.

“Do you feel safe? Is everything OK?”

Ayano stared weakly at the paramedic questioning her. Then, she pointed at Budo and winced as she showed off her broken fingers.

His screams of anger – along with the rapid shift from love to rage – haunted her.

She closed her eyes as the paramedic muttered something, trying to tune it all out.

Ayano dammed the tears in her eyes, determined not to let her parents see them.

For a moment, she was at peace. Then the car stopped, and a door opened – she glanced up, realising they were back at home. Sighing again, she unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of her seat.

The front door closed quietly behind her, and a silence fell over the hallway.

Turning away from them, she began to move towards the stairs. Only for her father to quietly call her name and force her back towards them.

“What happened to your fingers?” He asked, softly.

A handful of excuses flashed through her mind, but her lips were paralysed. Was there any point in lying?

Sensing an increase in tension, her mother slowly approached her.

“We’re sorry we weren’t there for you, Aya.” She murmured softly. Ayano stared at the hand on her shoulder, still unable to speak. “Please tell us what happened.”

Helplessly, she stared up into her mother’s eyes. Where would she begin?

“Please.” She begged again.

Ayano shifted her shoulder out of her mother’s soft grip and spun on her heel.

She raced up the stairs, feeling the tears roll down her cheeks with each step. Her door slammed behind her as she fell on her bed, sobbing violently.

There was a quiet knock at her door. Ayano rolled over and faced the wall, ignoring the sound of footsteps drawing nearer.

“Aya.” A voice whispered. “You can tell me what happened.” His hand gently settled on her back – tender, yet firm. “I won’t tell her anything you don’t want me to.”

She turned back to him.

“You’ll be so mad at me.” She whispered, tearfully.

A sad smile broke out on his face. “Maybe. But only for a moment.”

Slowly, she pulled herself up, wiping away the tears. “It’ll make you so mad.” She explained, huskily. “Maybe not mad at me, but…” Ayano closed her eyes. “I’m scared. It’ll change everything. I know Mum will freak out. You will, too.”

Her father hesitates. “Do you want to tell me?”

She shook her head. “I want to. I just…”

He nods, pulling his hand away. “Take your time.”

Ayano blinked away the last of her tears. She had taken enough time.

“I found him.” She muttered. “I met a boy I liked. But I ruined everything.” Ayano noticed her father tense, and fought back tears.

“Was it him? Did he hurt you? Because if he did…” The anger was beginning to surface. She sighed.

“He was good to me.” Ayano closed her eyes again. “I did something stupid. It was so stupid. I wanted to know stuff about him, so I went out with some other guy in his year. And… I wanted to make him jealous.”

She noticed the tension evaporate from her father’s body language, and couldn’t help the small, ironic smile that crossed her face.

“He was a good guy – took me out on dates, bought me whatever I wanted, and was just a good boyfriend all around. But he knew I didn’t like him the way he wanted me to.”

Their breakup was civil – she admitted that she wasn’t sure he was right for her and watched him deflate. But a cheerful smile quickly returned to his face as he agreed – almost too happily, too quickly – that they were better as friends anyway.

“I broke up with him. He took it well, even if he was a little disappointed. It took a while, but I was finally ready to be with the right guy. I wrote him a note and asked him to meet me. Everything was perfect.” She smiled.

“I waited for hours, but he didn’t come. Instead, the other guy came.”

“Don’t these boys have names?” He interjected.

She winced. “Yeah, but…”

“It’s alright.” He smiled. Ayano’s eyes darted away from his and back towards the floor, shame suddenly filling her.

“I don’t know how he found me. But he told me he loved me again, even though we’d been broken up for a while.” Ayano furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t know how he found me, actually… I didn’t tell anyone else what I was planning.”

Bewildered, she thought it over again. How did he find her? Nobody was around when she left the note in Senpai’s locker.

She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. The point is, he confessed, and I reminded him that I was interested in someone else.”

Again, her father paled and moved away from her. The faint perception of rejection stung and forced her mouth shut again. Her heart pounded in her ears, as her father’s eyes widened in shock and realisation.

“No…” He gasped. She couldn’t bear to look at him as his understanding became apparent. “He’s the one who…”

She nodded. “He freaked out when I rejected him, and told me I could learn to love him-” Ayano stopped mid-sentence to gather her thoughts, feeling the nausea overwhelm her. His hand moved towards her back again, and he soothingly rubbed it.

“It’s OK, Aya. You don’t have to tell me everything.”

“It was bad.” Her voice was low. Frightened. “I wasn’t sure how I would tell you. He…”

“Are you sure you want to talk about this?”

She hesitated. The terror set in as the gravity of the situation dawned on her – he was going to panic. He would tell her mother and she would raise hell. He would demand she marched down to the station and reported it. She would kill him as soon as she identified him.

All of these thoughts played simultaneously in her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and pulled away from him, curling up into a ball. Softly, she begged him not to touch her or even look at her as she continued.

“He gagged me so I wouldn’t scream. And then…” She could faintly feel tears splashing down her cheeks again. “I’m sorry. I tried to fight him off, I promise. But he kept hurting me whenever I tried to get away or hurt him.” She lowered her head.

“Aya-”

“I kicked, I tried to scream, I tried to hit him.” The breaths were coming out in short, painful bursts as the memories grew more and more vivid. “None of it worked. He hurt me so much that I couldn’t move. I was… so weak…”

His hands were trembling, again. The floodgates were open, and any semblance of shame or self-loathing was swept up in her words and carried off.

“I did everything he told me to. I asked him to do it. I said I loved him. I just wanted it to be over. I thought it would be a one-time thing. That he was just mad that I’d used him and wanted to use me back. I didn’t think he’d do it again.”

She continued looking away, unwilling to even imagine the look on his face.

“Again?” Her father seethed. “He did it…more than once?”

“That’s when he broke my fingers. It was my fault. I knew how mad he could get from the first time, but I-”

“No.” His voice was firm. The bed creaked as he rose up and stepped in front of her. He shook his head. “No. None of this was your fault, Aya.”

He groaned. “I’m not mad at you. I could never be mad at you for this.” He swore angrily, groaning again. “I’m angry at myself. And Ryoba. We never should’ve left you alone… if we had been here, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“I used him.” She whispered. “He wanted to be in control. That’s why he did it.”

“It doesn’t matter why he did it.” He seemed hesitant to touch her. Pausing for a moment, he tried to meet her eyes. “Who is he? What’s his name?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He was about to speak when there was a knock at the door.

As the door swung open to reveal her mother with a tray in her hands, Ayano grimaced.

A surprisingly bright aura surrounded her as she closed the door behind her, walking towards them both.

She set the tray down next to her bed, then gently perched next to her. Her hand slipped from her side to her shoulder, giving it a squeeze that was meant to be reassuring.

“I already told Dad what happened.” Ayano muttered, glaring at the floor.

“Ryoba-”

She lifted Ayano’s chin until they were looking each other in the eye. “I’m sorry we weren’t there for you.”

Before she could say anything more, her mother’s arms enveloped her in a tight embrace. Ayano tensed for a moment, suddenly forced into the past. The blood on his face, the broken smile as he squeezed her tighter and tighter.

If there was any air left in her, she would’ve screamed. Instead, she felt her body loosen up as another pair of arms wrapped around her. Warm, fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she trembled with each sob.

“I don’t know what to do.” Her voice was broken up by each cry.

Her parents exchanged a meaningful look, then her father spoke up. “Do you want to report it?”

Her mother shot him a surprised look. “What? You know who-”

He closed his eyes and lowered his voice. “It was another student. She won’t tell me his name, but he broke her fingers. And…” He swallowed. “He…” Then he leaned in, and whispered the rest.

Ayano watched as her mother’s expression changed – first, the colour vanished from her skin – then her eyes widened – and finally, they narrowed into hateful slits. Her lips twitched and curled into a frown, rage turning her eyes to dark sockets.

“Who is he?”

“Ryoba, don’t-”

“No, Hideo.” It was the first time she’d seen her mother ever seem angry with him. Ayano swallowed nervously as a determined look entered her mother’s eyes.

“Who is he, Aya? When did this happen?”

Ayano withered under her scrutinising gaze.

“Please.” She softened almost immediately, reaching for Ayano’s hands. “He can’t get away with this. I’ll deal with him. Just tell me his name.”

She shook her head. “He will. There’s no evidence… nobody saw us.” Ayano groaned. “I didn’t tell anyone. It’s too late.”

“It’s not.” Her mother insisted, angrily wringing her hands. “I won’t let it be. Someone has to have seen something. Maybe there were cameras? Where did this… where did this happen?”

“The Confession Tree.” Ayano muttered bitterly. His name was on her lips, but she forced herself to remain silent.

Her father seemed surprised by her sudden compliance. “Who is he?” He asked, through gritted teeth.

Ayano stonily glared at the floor. “I don’t want you to hurt him.”

“But-”

“No. I don’t want to waste my time with this. I just want to forget about it.” She muttered, burying her head under her pillow.

“Aya…”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

There was silence for a moment, before the bed creaked again. Footsteps retreated and the door clicked shut behind them.

Ayano waited for a few minutes before lifting her head up from under her pillow, relieved to find her room empty again.

She was about to pull her duvet over herself again, when she noticed her phone on the side, vibrating for her attention. Ayano turned to look at it before picking it up.

A phone call from an unknown number.

Hesitating, Ayano accepted the call.

“Hello?”

“Aishi. I have good news.”

She held her breath.

There was a faint click over the line. “I probably should’ve told you this earlier, but someone saw what Masuta did to you under that tree. There’s a witness who’s agreed to come forward.”

Stunned, Ayano blinked. “What?”

Papers rustled in the background. Info-chan cleared her throat. “I wanted to tell you earlier, but I hadn’t sorted everything out yet.”

Rage flashed white in her vision. “You’re only telling me this now?” She growled. “How long have you known about this?”

“Look, I get why you’re mad at me, but I didn’t think… I miscalculated.”

Ayano felt the breath leave her body as she screamed. “You miscalculated? You fucking miscalculated? Do you know what Masuta-kun did to me, Info? What he did to me, to Yamada-kun, to Shita-chan, to Ren-kun, to all of us?”

Her voice raised and wobbled, and it suddenly didn’t matter whether her parents could hear her or not anymore.

“He raped me. Twice. The first time, he tried to force a pregnancy on me. He hit me, strangled me, kidnapped me, isolated me. Attacked Shita-chan. Killed Ren-kun. Threatened to kill Yamada-kun if I told him what was going on. And then he fucking did.”

Ayano was nearly out of breath, but the words wouldn’t stop flowing. “The second time, he broke my fingers and raped me until I threw up on him. He said he’d keep hurting me until I was his, so I wanted to be… I wanted to be his. I just wanted it to be over. And it could’ve been over sooner, if you’d just…”

Broken tears streamed down her face. “Why did you let him do this to me? If you knew someone saw us, why did you let this go on for so long? Do you know how many people you could’ve saved?”

After a moment of silence, the line went dead. There were frantic footsteps outside her door again, but she was too weak to even look up at who they belonged to.

Her father didn’t say anything, only gently lifting her head into his lap and stroking her hair as she bawled.

Without so much as a word, Ayano knew that he’d heard everything.

His body was a series of red rivers and bruises, wires forming a labyrinth around him. Hanako forced herself to tear her eyes away from Taro, who had managed to prop himself up in bed.

This was the second time he’d been in hospital. His parents were waiting outside, desperately trying to get a fixed date for when he would be home. Hanako had chosen to stay and keep him company.

Her lips twitched into a small smile at the sight of the cards and presents left by his bedside. He remembered leafing through them, reading all the messages with a smile, as he pushed the thought of Ayano out of his mind.

He had only asked Hanako one question so far. “Did they get him?”

Hanako nodded, slowly. “You’re lucky he didn’t puncture a lung.”

Taro looked away pointedly as she continued. “He did kind of mess up the wire you were wearing, though. They’re still working on recovering the audio from it.” She paused. “Speaking of, where did you get it?”

He groaned. “Hanako.” The stress on her name was enough for her to reconsider.

She shrugged. “Never mind. He’s in custody, anyway.” Her eyes were tired. “The other witness didn’t give a very substantial statement, though.”

“Of course not.” He muttered. “Aya- Aishi-san wasn’t there when he did it.”

Hanako shook her head. “He was already restrained when the ambulance came, though. So I can’t blame them for thinking otherwise.”

His confused expression gave way to surprise.

Hanako leaned in closer as if to inspect him. Feeling the heat rise in his cheeks, he turned away and blushed furiously. A bolt of pain shot through him at the sudden movement, but he gritted his teeth and continued.

She giggled at the sight.

“It’s not funny, Hanako.” He closed his eyes to direct the pain elsewhere. “He was holding her hostage.”

She sighed. “I know, I know.” Hanako paused, smoothing her thumb over one of the cards. “You’ve never told me about Aishi-san before.”

“Nothing to tell.” He sighed, rolling back over to face her.

“You knew where she lived.”

“She’s a friend.”

Hanako raised an eyebrow. “Girlfriend.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not my girlfriend. She was going out with Masuta-kun.” Taro swallowed a mixture of pain and jealousy at those words. It didn’t seem as though Hanako had noticed, thankfully.

“The paramedics told us they found her trying to stop the bleeding. She saved your life.” Hanako grinned. “Sounds like a great friend.”

The blush seeped back into his cheeks at the memory of her tearful confession. Before Hanako could notice and comment, Taro forced a large yawn. At the same time, his phone buzzed faintly.

“She really is.” He agreed, stifling another fake yawn. Hanako rolled her eyes. “Sorry.” He grinned, considering faking one final yawn. “It’s just been a long day. With everyone visiting.”

Hanako bit her lip. “You want me to get the doctor?”

He shakes his head. “I think I just need some rest.”

She hesitated. “Alright. We’ll be back tomorrow, though.”

He nodded. Hanako gently kissed him on the forehead, and it took all his strength not to wince.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Taro examined the messages on his phone.

<???> The jig is up. This wasn’t all that sustainable a business model, anyway.

He rolled his eyes at that.

<???> My number one client has landed himself in custody, thanks to me. And you too, I guess.
<???> I just wanted to keep you posted. I know he told you what he did, and I’m sure you’re pissed about it.
<???> I’ve anonymously sent over some evidence linking him to the murders at Akademi. The last piece of the puzzle was the rapes; which he confessed to you.
<???> That and a witness has finally agreed to come forward. Thought you might like to hear some good news.

Joy rushed into him at the thought of Ayano getting justice, only to be quickly dashed by confusion.

<Taro Yamada> Someone saw it? Why didn’t they come forward earlier?
<Taro Yamada> How long did you know about this? Did they tell you right away?

<???> is typing…

<???> Not right away. It took me a while to convince them. They wanted to be completely sure it was a crime before proceeding.

He hesitated.

<Taro Yamada> What are you gonna do about all the stuff you helped Aishi-san do?
<Taro Yamada> It’s on the recording. He mentioned it to me.

<???> Nothing. I owe her one. She’s been through a lot.
<???> And I know. But you happened to get stabbed. A lot. So the audio quality isn’t great, if you get what I mean.

He stared at the message blankly.

<???> I’m not interested in heaping any more trauma on her, Yamada.
<???> I think she’s suffered enough. What she needs is support, not more punishment.
<???> Besides, I had more of a hand in this than you know.

His confusion only deepened.

He groaned, and switched his phone off.

Rolling back over to face the wall, Taro found his thoughts constantly drifting back to Ayano. Her terror-filled eyes as she frantically pressed her blouse against his broken, bleeding body – the tears of relief that rolled down her cheeks when he reached for her…

Taro squeezed his eyes shut as he remembered Budo’s words.

His hands around his throat, squeezing tighter and tighter as he laughed about how much he’d hurt Ayano. In that moment, the thought of killing him was feasible.

All that had mattered was Ayano. That he would never be able to hurt her again.

Realising Hanako was right, Taro groaned and buried his head in his hands.

Swallowing his embarrassment, he began typing.

<Taro Yamada> I think I love you.

He flushed.

<Taro Yamada> I don’t know where to go from here. I know you’ve been through a lot, so I understand if you’re not interested.
<Taro Yamada> But I want to see you. Please.
<Taro Yamada> I’m stable. They’ll let you visit me.

The message sent instantly. Nervously, he glanced at his phone, waiting to see when she would read it. Doubt began to bloom inside him – what if he just felt sorry for her? Or he was too pushy, and made her uncomfortable?

What if Budo was right, and Ayano didn’t care about him?

Checking his phone again, he let out a sigh when he saw the message had been opened.

Minutes passed, and there was no reply.

Taro stared at the screen, hoping for some sort of change.

More time passed and there was still no reply.

Then there was a quiet pop as the notification appeared.

<Ayano Aishi> is typing…

They were returning from the hospital in complete silence. Hideo watched as Ayano climbed into the car and did not speak. He didn’t dare ask her what had happened, only sadly glancing over at Ryoba.

She was examining the splint again.

Ayano had been withdrawn ever since they had talked her into taking it to trial.

Even when they were together, it seemed as though she was elsewhere. Trapped in her memories.

Yet slowly but surely, he could feel his daughter edging out of her shell. Her eyes locked on his, and she managed a small smile.

“You’re wondering what happened in there.”

He nods.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, she sighed. “I’ll show you when we get home.” Ayano went back to staring at her splint or out of the window, lost in thought again.

“Have you spoken to that counsellor?” He asked his wife quietly.

Ryoba gave him a brief nod, remaining focussed on the road. Then, she spoke. “I haven’t told her about it yet. We have a lot to talk about.”

He managed a small nod back, swallowing.

If Ayano had heard them, she gave no sign of it, continuing to stare out of the window.

Hideo had never noticed how quiet their home was until they were back inside, realising none of them had spoken for at least ten minutes.

“Can I do it here?” Ayano suddenly broke the silence.

Ryoba and Hideo briefly exchanged a fearful look, then nodded slowly.

She fell quiet again.

Then she began to peel back her shirt, turning so that her back faced them. Ayano took a deep breath as she struggled to undress with only one hand – Hideo watched as Ryoba stepped forward pre-emptively, ever observant.

“Help me.” Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

Before he could even move, Ryoba was guiding Ayano’s shirt off her back.

“Thank you.” She murmured.

His eyes widened when he saw it. It was an ugly wound, dark with dried blood and…

He tilted his head to get a better look, convinced his eyes were deceiving him.

They weren’t.

Faint teeth marks – small, yet angry – lined the edges of the injury. Ayano was completely silent as they scanned her.

Ryoba swore. His skin paled.

“What an animal.” He muttered through gritted teeth.

“It was the second time. Much more recent.” Her tone was nonchalant, though she was shaking. “They took pictures at the hospital.” She shuddered, then attempted to pull her shirt back on. “I don’t know if it’ll be enough to get a conviction.”

Ryoba’s eyes turned dark. “If it isn’t…”

“I know.” Ayano said. “I hope it is. For his sake.”

Hideo tried his best to hide his surprise.

“I think it might be.” She took a deep breath. “I tried to fight him off both times. And he liked…” She shuddered, again.

“Aya-” He began.

“He liked when I…” Ayano grimaced, nausea visibly working its way through her. “He liked leaving marks like that. That’s why it took so long. There was so much they needed pictures of. Bruises, bite marks, scratches. Lots of DNA. Saliva, skin, fingerprints.”

She heaved a deep sigh. “That’s it. They took a bunch of pictures, did a few examinations. A couple swabs. I did the right thing, didn’t I?”

“Yes.” He swallowed. “Of course.”

Ayano managed to smile for all but a few seconds, before collapsing back into sobs. She fell to the ground as Ryoba rushed forward to soothe her. Hideo stood there, stunned as his daughter continued to wail.

He slowly moved forward, resting his hand on her head. Hideo smoothed her head and gently kissed it, holding back his own tears. Ryoba pulled her head into her chest and gently patted her back, whispering reassurances into her ear.

Her face was a dark red, streaked with tears as she kept sobbing.

The tears continued streaming down her face as she desperately wiped them away, gasping for air.

“I…”

Ryoba shook her head. “We’re so proud of you.”

Ayano sobbed harder as Ryoba continued to coo into her ear, attempting to calm her.

“You’re being so brave.” She insisted, stroking Ayano’s hair. “We’ll be there if you need anything. You won’t have to look at him, talk to him, or anything. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I know, I know.” Ayano sniffed. “But I’m scared.” She pulled away, lifting her skirt. “They took pictures of this too.” She explained, pointing to her bruised thighs. “They’re going to think I’m disgusting.” Ayano whispered.

“What?” Hideo blinked, stunned. “Why would they…?”

“I didn’t want him to do any of this to me, but how will they know that?” Ayano broke down into sobs again and her words filled Hideo with fear.

Silently, he looked on as Ryoba continued to try and comfort her, knowing he didn’t have an answer to her question.

His hand was warm. A perfect fit for hers – Mina beamed up at Sho, seeing the grim expression on his face. They had stopped in front of the hospital, tightly clutching each other for comfort.

Gently, she pulled him forward, only for him to pull back. Sho shook his head, swallowing in fear.

She withdrew her hand from his and cupped his cheek. “He’s OK.” Mina promised, flashing another warm smile.

He shivered. “I hate this place. Where Shita-chan ended up. And Yan-chan…” His eyes flickered shut as pain rippled across his face.

The smile didn’t slip off her face, though it was growing strained. “Yan-chan came back. Shita-chan got better. So will Yamada-kun.” Her hands settled on her hips, away from his. “Besides, I’m sure he’s itching to hear from us.”

Sho swallowed, again. Then he nodded, slowly. And reached for her hand, allowing a small smile to appear on his face as she gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Come on.” Mina gently pulled him forward, relieved when he didn’t resist.

Taro was sitting upright, though she could tell he was straining himself by the beads of sweat on his forehead. Sho picked up and gently stroked one of the cards by his bedside, averting his eyes from him as Mina smiled warmly.

“You look good.” She says.

Taro nodded. “Still hurts if I move too quickly, though.”

She paused, watching as Sho finally placed the card back on the side. “Have you heard from Yan-chan?”

He nodded, again. “I texted her a couple days ago.” A smirk pulled at her lips when she noticed the blush lightly tinting his cheeks.

“Yeah?” Her smile grew bigger as Sho raised an eyebrow, curious.

His tone remained casual as he continued, despite the blush growing darker.

“Yeah.” He breathed. “I told her she could visit me, but she said no.”

The smile immediately disappeared. “Yamada-kun-”

Taro shrugged, swallowing. “She said she doesn’t want to come back here. Didn’t say why.”

Mina closed her eyes and the colour drained from Sho’s face.

It took a moment, but the realisation hit him. She watched the blush fade and his skin blanch. Then, he lowered his eyes and groaned. “I wanted to see her so badly. I didn’t think…” His face was scrunched up.

“When are you being discharged?” Mina asked brightly, trying to change the subject.

Taken aback, he blinked. “I… don’t know. Nobody does, really. Maybe in a couple weeks?” He swallowed. “I don’t think I’ll be out in time for her trial, if Info-chan’s dates were correct.”

Mina turned back to Sho, who was no longer staring at the ceiling – instead, directly at Taro.

“Maybe it’s better that way. You could do with the rest.”

“That’s what the officers said.” He smiled lightly. “Well enough to give statements, but not to attend a trial. Funny that.”

Mina pulled a face and Taro chuckled. Sho’s expression was more serious.

He paused, seemingly measuring his words.

“You shouldn’t worry about Yan-chan.” He hesitated, again. “We saw her a couple days ago.”

Mina raised an eyebrow at that.

Ayano’s parents had very nearly fobbed them off at the door, insisting that Ayano was under the weather and couldn’t take visitors. It was only when she appeared at the foot of the stairs that they relented.

She sat on the opposite side of the room and barely smiled.

Her voice was clipped and empty – the life that had once sparkled behind her eyes was gone, shattered. When Ayano looked at them, Mina wasn’t sure that she truly saw them.

There was the briefest flicker of light in her eyes when she found out Taro was still alive. But it had vanished as soon as it had appeared – Mina watched warily, trying to gauge if the others had also seen it.

If they had, they showed no sign of it.

Afterwards, Ayano folded her hands in her lap.

And still in complete monotone, explained everything that had happened to her. When she was finished, she turned away, seemingly ashamed.

Mina had silently watched her, pity darkening her features and anger boiling inside her at the truth. She briefly glanced over at Sho, who was sat upright in a dazed, catatonic state.

Shima’s lips were trembling, and Saki’s hands were balled into tight fists.

Ayano did not cry. She stared at the wall, hard. Anything to avoid meeting their eyes.

Even when Mina wrapped her arms around her in an embrace, whispering apologies into her hair, Ayano did not react. She didn’t stiffen or loosen up, only staring past her.

As she pulled away, Ayano murmured in gratitude.

Shima had started speaking and emphatically gesturing to her abdomen – the stab wounds – attempting to forge a connection, some sort of understanding with Ayano, who had retreated within herself yet again.

Mina blinked at the memory, then glanced back over at Taro, who seemed relieved.

“Who told you about Masuta-kun?” She asked, softly.

He groaned. “He did. I mean, Info-chan confirmed it. But he told me about it first.”

Taro closed his eyes tightly. “He described it in so much detail. I nearly killed him. Just the thought of him doing that to her…” He shakes his head. “I need to see her. I have to apologise.”

Sho sighed. “I think she wants to see you. She seemed happy when we told her you were recovering.”

Taro nodded. “My family freaked out when they found out I was in hospital again. Especially Hanako. And now that I know about everything that happened to Yan-chan, I can’t even begin to imagine how she feels.”

Finally, she watched as Sho leaned forward and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure she’ll visit you as soon as you’re home.”

Without even thinking, she had pulled Taro into another hug.

“They’ll give him a life sentence. He won’t ever bother you or Yan-chan again.”

His body shook beneath hers, and a faint patch of wetness spread against her chest. Mina cried with him.

Her mother had been right. Budo was nowhere in sight, and it was better that way.

But his parents were.

She found herself examining them – his mother’s eyes were tired, seemingly defeated.

Pity almost filled Ayano at the sight, at the realisation that she also didn’t want to be there. As if she knew the allegations were true.

On the other hand, his father hadn’t taken his eyes off his son’s lawyer since she had arrived.

She was slightly grateful that his unwavering, intense gaze was not focussed on her.

Her eyes flitted over to her parents, who, to her relief, were sat as far away from them as possible.

There was no sign of Taro, but Sho, Mina, Shima and Saki were all sat together at the back.

Ayano swallowed the lump in her throat, counting her breaths. In four, out four. She had shown her parents the ugliest parts of it – the bruises, the bite, the hickeys. How hard could it to be to show the judges?

Or the steely-eyed lawyer scanning her for any signs of weakness?

Closing her eyes once more, Ayano counted her breaths again as the trial began.

The story was the same each time – she had barely felt the words leaving her mouth with each question.

“Where exactly is this tree?”

“At the back of the school. Near the incinerator.”

“What were you doing under this tree?”

“Waiting for someone.” She paused. “Yamada-kun. I’d left him a note.”

“And what happened after that?”

“Masuta-kun came to me and tried to confess again. I turned him down.”

“How would you describe your relationship to him at the time?”

“He was my ex.”

“What happened after you turned him down?”

“He freaked out, and said a bunch of things that didn’t make sense.” She narrowed her eyes. “Stuff like how I didn’t need anyone other than him, and he could be whoever I wanted him to be. I was about to tell him that I appreciated it, but wasn’t interested – again – when he gagged me.”

“What did he use to gag you?”

She flushed. “A martial arts tie.”

“How did you react to being gagged?”

“As soon as he did it, I knew he was going to do something bad. So I started screaming and trying to fight him, but he told me not to fight him. I kept trying to hit him so he’d let go of me, and he decided to hurt me back.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He squeezed my wrists until it hurt too much to move them, so I couldn’t fight back.”

“What happened next?”

“Um…” She hesitated. They’d practised this, but it was still difficult to admit. “He started undressing me and said some stuff.”

“What did he say?”

“He saw my underwear and…” She blushed again. “He thought I wanted to impress Yamada-kun.”

“Why?”

“I was wearing black.” She muttered.

“And how did that make you feel, Aishi-san?”

“Embarrassed. He was taunting me. I hated it.”

“Why do you think that?”

“He was jealous. He kept bringing up Yamada-kun.” Ayano swallowed. “He even told me to pretend I was being raped by him. He asked me to say a bunch of stuff as well.”

“What did he ask you to say?”

“That I hated Yamada-kun and loved him. Then he told me to ask him to…” She hesitated again. “You know.” The volume of her voice dropped as she mumbled in embarrassment. “He told me to tell him to do it.”

“Was there anything else he did?”

The blush was unrelenting – she attempted to hide it behind her hair to no avail. Ayano tried to ignore the quiet awareness that her parents were hearing this again in excruciating detail.

“I… didn’t see what it was. But he put something in me when I wouldn’t say I hated Yamada-kun at first.” She paused, again, collecting her thoughts. “And obviously… the rape… he was rough. It only lasted a couple of minutes, but he bit me and he kept asking me to scream. I think he knew he was hurting me.”

Ayano heard someone sniffle, but forced herself to remain composed.

“And what happened after he was finished?”

She grimaced. “He kissed me and said he loved me. Then he left.”

“And what did you do after that?”

“I walked my bike home and took a bath. I took some painkillers for my wrists as well.”

“Did you see him again after that?”

“A day later. He acted like nothing had happened and asked if I wanted to get back together.”

“Did you want to?”

“No. But he warned me that he hadn’t used protection, and I was worried that I…” She choked back a sob. “He said he’d tell Yamada-kun about me. About how easy I was. That I didn’t even ask him to use protection. Stuff like that.”

“Did you end up together again?”

“Yes.”

“How would you describe his behaviour this time around?”

“Awful. He got jealous easily, and whenever he was mad, he took it out on me.”

“And how exactly did he do that?”

“He’d hit me, force kisses on me, touch me when I didn’t want him to. Once, he strangled me when I didn’t want to sleep with him. The second time he raped me, he broke my fingers.” She held up the splint emphatically.

“May I ask you some questions about the second rape?”

She nods.

“Where did it occur?”

“In my house, specifically my bedroom.”

“Did you let him into your house?”

“No. I was visiting a friend he’d injured in hospital when he grabbed me. I woke up in my house with him there a couple hours later.”

“What happened after you woke up?”

“He’d gagged me again. I was scared from the last time, so I lashed out. I stopped when he pinned me down and explained that he wanted to get me alone because I wouldn’t respond to any of his messages. He apologised and asked me what he had to do for me to take him back.”

She shrugged. “I said there was nothing he could do.”

“How did he react to this?”

“He thought I was dating Yamada-kun and that’s why I didn’t want to be with him anymore. I explained that I just wanted to move on and he had nothing to do with it.”

“How did he react to that?”

“He forced another kiss on me. I realised he was probably going to hurt me again, so I tried to talk him out of it.”

“And what happened after that?”

“He used a belt to tie my hands up so I couldn’t fight back. I told him I would cover for him if he stopped before it was too late. He ignored that, broke my fingers and started undressing himself.”

The lawyer nodded. “And then?”

“He… got inside. I begged him to stop, but he didn’t… he just…”  She had to stop, desperately trying to stop herself from spiralling. “He bit me whilst he was inside and told me to say I loved him. I tried to push him off me, but…” She closed her eyes. “He just laughed it off, because he’s a lot stronger than me.”

“How did this make you feel?”

“Disgusting. I mean, I’d let him do this to me again.” Ayano closed her eyes, unable to look at anyone. “He warned me that he’d do it again and again until I was his. I felt so disgusting that I… I threw up on him afterwards.”

The questions finally stopped, and her advocate thanked her.

She reopened her eyes and managed a small smile that quickly faded under the watchful gaze of the other lawyer.

Her fear grew at the sight of him. There was no warmth in his eyes, only a calculating gleam. His lips were set in a straight line, the cogs visibly turning in his head as he considered ways to discredit her.

She glanced back over at Budo’s parents, noting that his mother was staring at the ground, whereas his father had shifted his gaze to the judges, appearing to be analysing their expressions.

Ayano didn’t dare look at her parents again, instead focussing on the lawyer.

“Aishi-san.” He began, straightening his tie.

“The two of you had an on-off relationship, didn’t you?”

She hesitates. “Kind of. We wanted different things. He wanted on. I wanted off.”

“How long were you together the first time?”

Ayano blinked, innocently. “A couple months.”

“You broke things off with him the first time, didn’t you?”

There was curiosity burning in his eyes – Ayano forced herself to retain her composure as she managed a small nod. “I did.”

“And that’s because you were interested in a different boy. Is that correct?”

Her grimace seemed to please him. “Yes.”

“You were using my client to get closer to him, weren’t you?”

She gritted her teeth. “No.”

“You were manipulating him. Toying with his feelings.” His eyes flashed, and Ayano averted hers. “And that made him angry, didn’t it?”

Ayano stared at the splint silently for a moment. “No.” She couldn’t bear to look at him.

“That’s why he became more prone to losing his temper over the course of your relationship, isn't it?”

After another painful silence, she stared at him. “Would all of that mean I deserved it? I guess I wasn’t the best girlfriend, but…” she shuddered. “I didn’t deserve him forcing himself on me.”

He smiled a knowing smile. “I’ll ask again. Your manipulation of him caused his behavioural changes – is that correct?”

Irritated, Ayano shook her head. “No.”

“You like to play games, don’t you, Aishi-san?”

“Excuse me?”

“My mistake. I'll be more specific: manipulating the feelings of others. Dressing provocatively. Having brief, non-traditional relationships. You enjoy all of that, don't you?”

Her skin crawled as disbelief filled her. “No. I’m nothing like that.”

The smile stayed on his face. “You mentioned being threatened earlier. Would you care to repeat the exact nature of the threat?”

Ayano opted for a half-truth again. “He said he’d tell Yamada-kun about me. Convince him that I was fickle. Manipulative. Promiscuous. That way he wouldn’t want me either, even if I did leave him.”

“How well did you know Yamada-san?”

Ayano froze. “I…” She faltered, and he moved on, still grinning.

“Why do you think he would believe that about you? You knew him well, didn’t you?”

“That’s not…” She forced herself to keep her eyes on him. “I didn’t…”

“In fact, if you knew him so well, surely you could’ve come forward about this sooner?”

“Don’t you dare.” Ayano whispered.

“What made you wait so long? You wanted out of this relationship as soon as possible, did you not?”

For a split second, Ayano saw red. It was such an underhanded, lazy trick. She wanted to scream at him, grab his stupid tie and force it down his throat until he choked on it. Her hands were shaking in her lap, splint and all.

“No. That is not why I’m coming forward now. I didn’t want to come forward.” She spat. “Even now, I hate thinking about it. Both times it happened, I felt disgusting. Dirty. I believed awful things about myself and thought that others would, too. Do you know how hard it is to say something… anything, when deep down, you think you deserved it? Do you know how hard that makes it to come forward?”

Ayano felt wetness on her cheeks again, and her breathing was hotter than normal.

The smallest tinge of satisfaction filled her when she saw his face fall and her breathing began to steady.

Whether the reality had dawned on him, or it was something else, some kind of realisation had briefly flashed in his eyes.

A pregnant pause followed.

“Again, Aishi-san.” His eyes flitted down to his hands, briefly, then back up to her eyes again as his gaze hardened once more. “What was the weight of this alleged threat, if it was based on lies?”

“You know the answer already.” She seethed. “There was a small chance he could’ve believed him. I was scared.”

He smirked. “Why? Did you have a reputation for dishonest behaviour already?”

“No.”

“A history of unstable relationships?”

“No.”

“A reputation for being… fickle, as you put it? Perhaps even promiscuous?”

“Neither of those things. I hadn’t been with anyone before he…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

“You thought that my client revealing the sexual nature of your relationship to your next target would damage your reputation, didn’t you?”

“No. He wasn’t a target. Neither of them were.”

“There were no rapes, were there, Aishi-san?” He grinned.

Pain rippled through her at his words, but she steeled herself against it. “There were. I know there were, and you know there were.”

“The two occasions you described were completely consensual, albeit non-traditional, weren’t they?”

“No.” Her bottom lip began to quiver, the sudden burst of strength beginning to fade.

“All of this was just an act of self-preservation, wasn’t it? Maintaining the image of a suitable partner.”

“Stop it.” She whispered.

“You didn’t want the other boy to know what you were truly like, did you?”

Ayano blinked, and suddenly the world was on mute. His lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear anything. Again, she counted her breaths as she closed her eyes again.

When they reopened, she was outside. Someone was speaking to her, but she was staring at them blankly, unable to understand them.

Ayano tried to open her mouth, but her muscles were paralysed. She wasn’t even sure how she was standing.

Fickle. Manipulative. Promiscuous.

Is that what they thought of her? As she began to fall, someone’s arms wrapped around her.

Ayano stared up into her mother’s tear-filled eyes. Idly, she noted that it was the first time she had seen genuine tears in her eyes.

Then she closed her eyes again, no longer willing to look at the world.

His parents were terrified when he was discharged. Taro moved an inch and they winced, telling him to rest and mind his stitches. At night, when he could feel the knife in his gut and his mouth filled with dirt, he did not call for them.

Hanako, however, noticed how haunted he was from the persistent bags under his eyes.

It was hard for his thoughts not to idly wander back to it – what would’ve happened if he hadn’t let Ayano out? Or she hadn’t called an ambulance?

Taro closed his eyes, sinking back into his thoughts.

The trial had begun, but he hadn’t been well enough to go and see her.

He wished she knew how brave she was being – sighing, he reopened his eyes and turned to his window.

Ayano had ruined his life. And saved it. He mulled over it again, bewildered by his heart pounding at the thought of her.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

Taro hobbled towards the door and pushed it shut before answering.

“Info-chan?”

“You got it.”

He tensed. “What is it?”

“It’s good to know you’re back home, Yamada. You were a great client. The investment was definitely worth it.”

Taro rolled his eyes. “Why are you calling?”

He could hear the smile in her voice. “Mystery witness did an awesome job. And so did we, technically. They managed to unscramble most of the audio from your wire. Masuta’s screwed.”

“Great.” His voice was flat.

There was a pause on the other side of the phone. “Well… it’s not all great. I can’t say I was there, but it was a bad scene for Aishi. I figured you already knew, but I guess not.”

“What do you mean?” Fear began to trickle into him, causing his heart to begin pounding in his ears.

“I thought Rai and the others would’ve told you.” She tsked. “Masuta’s parents picked a brutal guy, that’s all. Doesn’t matter, though. The evidence speaks for itself. All those photos. The recording, the other witness… he’s going down.”

Taro placed the phone down and groaned. Then frantically turned to his wardrobe, haphazardly pulling a shirt off the hanger. His fingers trembled as he unbuttoned his current shirt and slipped out of it.

“You OK, Yamada?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He was short. “You’re sure he’ll get convicted?”

“I’m almost certain.” The smile was audible in her voice.

Poison oozed out of his voice. “At least you finished this.” For a split second, he considered apologising, but immediately changed his mind as he fastened the final button.

She sighed. “I miscalculated. I didn’t take the guy for a rapist, that’s all.”

Taro’s lips trembled. “That same day he almost killed me. Yet you still supported him. Then you let him attack Shita-chan and kill a bunch of people, including Ren-kun. You even let him hurt her again.” He shakes his head.

Info-chan fell silent. As he was about to pocket his phone, she spoke.

“The delinquent who found you…” She coughed. Another pause followed. “Never mind.”

Then she hung up.

Taro stared at his phone in confusion for a moment, before turning back to fixing his clothes. That could wait, but Ayano couldn’t. He took a deep breath as he examined himself in the mirror, and attempted a smile.

Then he took a deep breath, and pushed his door open.

He clutched the flowers in one hand, and rapped on the door with the other. Anxiety filled him as the door swung open, revealing her father.

“Can I help you?” His eyes flitted down to the flowers in Taro’s hand. For a split second, Taro swore he saw his lips twitch into a smile.

“I’m Yamada Taro. Can I come in?”

Her father’s eyes moved up from the flowers back to him. “I’ve heard about you.” He leaned on the door. “You’re here for Aya.”

He nodded.

The man sighed, then nudged the door open further. “I think she’ll want to see you.” He gestured for Taro to enter.

As he was led up the stairs, he examined the house more closely – it was as if he had never been there. Everything was polished and clean – even when he turned to the wall where he’d seen his blood splatter, there was nothing there.

Ayano’s door was closed, and there was no noise behind it. He watched as her father lightly knocked before opening the door.

“Aya? You have a visitor.”

She wasn’t even facing them.

“Ayano?”

The sound of his voice jolted her – she turned to look at him – and for the first time, he saw her eyes. There was pain behind them – a different kind to the night he was stabbed – it seemed almost matured in how broken her eyes were.

“Yamada-kun…”

The door clicked shut quietly behind them, as her father withdrew.

She stood from her bed, staring at him. “Yamada-kun.” She echoed.

He placed the flowers on the side before approaching her. Ayano watched, half cautiously and half excitedly as he moved closer, the flowers seemingly forgotten.

His arms moved without conscious thought to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Her head was buried in his shoulder as she cried, and one of his hands moved up to her hair, stroking it lovingly.

A sharp pain radiated from his stitches, but he ignored it.

“I wanted to see you so badly.” He admits.

It was enough to make her smile through her tears. “I know.”

He pulled his hand away from her hair, slowly stepping back from her. His hand glided over to hers, folding around it. Silently, she watched as they clasped hands.

“I reported it.” She whispers.

He smiles. “I know.” He gave her hand a warm squeeze. “I’m so proud of you.”

Ayano wiped away the remaining tears from her eyes. “Thank you.”

“It can’t have been easy. But you did it anyway.”

Again, she nodded. “I didn’t even have to see him. I won’t have to see him ever again. I think we’re going to win.” She explained. “And even if we don’t…” she breathed, heavily. “He’s still going away for a long time for what he did to you and Shita-chan. To everyone. Ren-kun, Hinata-chan, Rio-chan… all of them.”

It was Taro’s turn to bristle, as he bit his lip. “I almost killed him.”

She pulled away from him, stunned. “What?”

Taro bit his lip again. “When he told me what he did to you.”

“He…” Ayano looked overwhelmed with nausea.

He closed his eyes. “He sounded so proud of himself for hurting you. I wanted him gone. I didn’t want you to have to see him ever again. So I started strangling him. And I realised I was going to kill him, but for a second…” Pain rippled through him.

“It didn’t matter.” He swallowed. “I hope he rots. I hope you never have to see him again.”

Ayano stared at him, stunned by the poison in his voice. Then a small smile crossed her face, and she nodded.

“I hope we never have to see him again.”

His mind was racing with unanswered questions. The most pertinent leapt out when he least expected it.

“Did you stay with him because of Haruka-chan?” He couldn’t stop himself – when he saw her face fall, he cursed himself internally. But the curiosity had been building up inside him for weeks.

Ayano looked away. “I should’ve told you myself. I didn’t deserve you then, and I still don’t now.”

Taro waited for the anger to fill him, but there was nothing there. Every time he thought it about it, he was confused – or his mind forced him back to the moment where his hands were around Budo’s throat, ready to kill.

Her feelings felt familiar. Palpable.

“I stayed with him for more than that. I mean…” She wrung her hands. “He said he would tell you about her and the others if I left, and I knew you'd never forgive me for it – understandably. But also that he’d make sure you knew what kind of a girl I was. You know, since he…” She shuddered. “He just meant that he’d tell you I was damaged goods. Possibly pregnant.”

Taro was silent for a moment. “Was.” He murmurs.

She stared at him, wide-eyed.

“I don’t know what you were like before.” He admits. “And I don’t know what you’ll be like in the future. But… I love this version of you. If you don’t want to be with me right now, I get it. If you need more time, I’ll wait. If you don’t ever want to be together, that’s fine too. But you’re so important to me.”

He blushed again, averting his gaze.

A single tear rolled down Ayano’s cheek. “I really don’t deserve you. I messed with your life for ages, and you still want to be a part of mine.”

Taro fell quiet for a moment, as he eased himself out of another flashback. “None of this is perfect, but I want you in my life. I want to see you grow because I love you.”

Before he could react, her lips were on his. Stunned, his eyes flickered shut as he melted into her touch, hands falling back around her waist.

The kiss felt tentative and almost uncertain, and he found himself savouring every second of it. Taro could feel his heart pounding with each moment her arms were around his shoulders. Absently, he wondered if she could hear it.

Did it matter? He had dreamt about this moment for months. And now it was here.

When she pulled away, there were tears of joy in her eyes. “Thank you.” She whispered.

“I love you too. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.” The smile on her face was completely genuine, causing a light pang in his chest.

He laughed, his forehead pressed against hers. “I’ve been itching to say it in person for ages. Couldn’t let a little hospitalisation and bed-rest orders stop me.”

Ayano smiled. “I would like to be with you.” She nodded. “But…”

“I understand.” He said, slowly. “Boundaries. Whatever you want, I’ll respect it.”

Delighted, she kissed him again.

A stream of curses flew out of Ayano’s mouth as soon as she made it to Taro’s room. Although she suspected his family could hear her, she was indifferent.

As the door slammed shut behind her, the volume of her voice rose and she began to pace across the room.

“Fuck him. Fuck her. Fuck all of them. Stupid fucking coward. Such a fucking asshole.” She was on a roll, refusing to stop for breath. “Fucking scumbag. Sure, this piece of shit could find time to beat the shit out of me and rape me until I threw up on him. But the minute he faces consequences, he shrivels up like he’s nothing.”

Ayano closed her eyes. “How the fuck did this even happen to me? He’s pathetic. Fuck him. Fuck me. Fuck Info-chan for letting this happen.” She wrapped her arms around herself, quivering in both anger and pain.

Taro lightly tapped her, before pulling her into an embrace.

“Aya.” He began, softly.

She pulled away. “He bragged about it to you, told you how big and strong it made him feel – and then when he gets convicted, he has the nerve to fucking cry.”

“What a piece of shit.” Ayano gasped, realising she was out of breath. “The audacity, the gall, the nerve to get upset about consequences for his actions.”

“I should be crying. He hurt me. But he couldn’t resist victimising himself, could he? And don’t even get me started on his dad’s reaction. Glaring at me as if I ruined his son’s life? As if I told him to do all of that stuff to me? I hate him. I hate them both. I hate them all.”

The rage began to bubble inside her again, just as she thought it was starting to fade. “And that’s without even considering the fact he almost killed you and Shita-chan, or everyone he actually did. No surprise he didn’t cry at the sentencing for that. He deserves to rot.”

“Aya-” Taro began, faltering when she stopped to look at him, biting her lip.

“I’m sorry.” He murmured, unsure what else he could say.

“You shouldn’t be!” She screamed. For a second, she looked taken aback and apologetically murmured before continuing. “He should be. He should apologise to me, and then… and then…” She slumped onto the ground, head in her hands.

“I don’t know what he should do. Maybe he should just die? I don’t know what would make any of this better.”

Taro was silent as Ayano sighed. “There’s nothing he can do. He can’t make any of this better. I don’t know why I thought…” She groaned and rested her head in her knees.

He moved closer to her and crouched to her level. “Aya.” Her head lifted up, her eyes on his.

Lightly, he kissed her. She gasped against his mouth, and he immediately pulled away, flooded with shame.

“Sorry. I should’ve-”

“No, no.” She shakes her head. “That’s not why I… you don’t usually initiate.”

Taro shifted to her side. Without thinking, his hand slipped into hers and gave it a squeeze.

“It’s not about him anymore.” He muttered. “It’s about you.” He swallowed. “Us.” The hesitance in his voice filled him with a vague sense of self-loathing, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Us.” Ayano echoed, staring down at their intertwined hands. “I know, but I’m still…”

“Of course.” He paused again. Then, he spoke. “Info-chan told me about what happened with his lawyer. You have every right to be angry about all of this.”

Ayano pulled a face. “Info-chan had that witness on hold for months. I know she feels kind of bad for me, but…” She sighed. “I don’t need her pity. I told her that much.”

Taro looked surprised. “What?”

She shrugged. “She doesn’t have anything to offer me anymore. The witness did their job and he’s gone, now. There’s nothing Info can do for me now that my parents can’t. It’s not like they can’t afford the therapist.”

“You cut ties with her?”

Ayano nodded. “I told her she didn’t need to worry.” She pulled her hand out of his and idly twisted a finger. “I think she was stressed about her reputation tanking if I decided to speak up. But… I don’t want to. Everyone already knows what happened. I don’t need any more attention.”

It was his turn to nod, feeling the blush rising in his cheeks. “You’re amazing.”

“You’re just saying that.” She was smiling despite herself.

“No.” He shakes his head. “You reported it, you won, and you’re staying at Akademi.”

“Well… I have you and the others. There’s no reason to leave.”

Taro stared into her eyes for a moment, before leaning in for another kiss.

This time, she was expecting it. Her lips turned up into a smile against his as she pulled him closer. Both were breathless, grinning at each other when they finally moved apart.

Their hands met each other again, naturally. Ayano rested her head on his shoulder, smiling contently.

“Aya.” Taro was still smiling.

“Hm?” Lifting her head from his shoulder, she turned to look at him.

“Are we ever going to take Rai and Kunin up on that double date offer?”