Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Eyes of Sapphire ❯ Suspisions and Grueling Hate ( Chapter 7 )

Mwahahahaha!!! Thank you for the reviews! Sorry it took so long to post this one, I've also been working on Hizashi no Sawa!!! (Which is going quite well…you might want to read it too!!!) This one's kind of short, but it's starting to get very interesting… Let's go now! On with the story!

 

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

 

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“You son-of-a-bh…if you ever come near her again I'll…” Ryoku snapped, defending Aoi.

 

“You'll what?” Midori smirked, “Just remember, pretty boy, I've been fighting since I could walk, so I'd think twice before starting a fight with me. Don't you worry about that girl; she'll be fine. Just let her cry off the humiliation, then she'll go to sleep and by morning, she won't even remember it.”

 

“You…” Ryoku said angrily.

 

“To-da-lu!” Midori called, walking out of the party.

 

Ryoku and Hitomi stood, dumbfounded, watching him leave.

 

“I can't believe he…how could he…”

 

“Okay, shut up.” Hitomi snapped, “I'm going to find her. Just don't follow me.”

 

Hitomi walked in the direction that Aoi had taken.

 

After she had searched all over the bow for several minutes, Hitomi spotted Aoi sitting on a bench near the railing along the edge of the ship. She was turned to look out over the dark water, and ignored Hitomi as she approached. After a long silence, Hitomi spoke up.

 

“Well, the dance was fun.”

 

Aoi didn't reply for a moment. Hitomi turned and leaned her back against the rail to face the other side of the boat. She sighed, and decided to wait for Aoi to speak.

 

“I'm sorry about that,” she finally said.

 

“Sorry? About what?” she said awkwardly, still finding it strange to hear Aoi speak.

 

“I'm sorry you had to hear Midori run his mouth. It just ruined the night for everyone.”

 

“It's not your fault!”

 

“But if I hadn't gone…”

 

“Aoi! That's enough!”

 

“What did I tell you,” Aoi thought, “hushed again.”

 

“That jerk had no right to come up and make fun of you like that…”

 

“Don't worry about that, he's always done it. I was mad because he had to come up and humiliate me in front of lots of people that I had a chance of being friends with.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“We go to school together, ever since primary school he's made it a point to embarrass me sometime during the day. I'm used to it by now, not having friends and all, but why does he have to do it here!?” Aoi started crying again, “And I can't ever cry in front of him because that will only make him happy!”

 

She fell onto Hitomi's shoulder, sobbing. Hitomi patted her head and shushed her.

 

“It's okay, don't worry. Next time he comes up and tries to do that again, I'll beat the crap outta him.”

 

Aoi stopped crying so hard, and sat up.

 

“It seems like ever since we've spent some time together out here, he's gotten meaner and meaner. I thought that maybe I could change him, soften his heart if I could get to know him some, but it's so hard.”

 

“I don't think there's much hope for him…”

 

“I didn't used to think so either. But I know there's some good inside of him, everyone does. If I could just find it…I know I could do something. I really want to change him, I feel like that's why I know him.”

 

Hitomi sat back and listened.

 

“I feel like I met him for a reason. All those years he made fun of me, bullied me, pushed me around, I think that it was his cry for help. Inside, he wants somebody to help him because he doesn't know how to on his own.”

 

“Maybe, but he seems so…”

 

Aoi ignored Hitomi and turned around, facing her to continue.

 

“Sometimes…sometimes when he's pinned me against the wall, or when we're in silence, he watches me, he looks into my eyes.”

 

“Who could blame him…they're kinda hard to miss…”

 

“But he…it's Midori we're talking about! You don't understand, Hitomi. You don't know him, you didn't see us growing up. He really does hate me…I know he does.” Aoi stopped for a moment, swallowing what she had just said. She didn't like that thought at all, true as it might be. She thought longer, bringing small tears into her eyes. “But…no matter how much he hates me…no matter what he does…I still want to help him. I still want to see him change…I want him to live.”

 

Hitomi listened, unable to comprehend what Aoi was saying. “I know how he treats her. I've seen the things he does…but even after all that, she still wants to help him? What kind of person can be that strong? What kind of person can have that kind of unconditional love? Then again, that seems to be the kind of person that Aoi is. What makes her like that, I wonder?”

 

“So…” Hitomi began, “When you wake up in the morning, will you forgive him for all the crap he's put you through today? Do you forgive him that easy?”

 

“I never said that…”

 

“But the way you talk…you sound as if you don't care what he does, you're still going to…” Hitomi shuddered, “love him?”

 

“Whoa!! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Where did that come from!?! I don't feel like that…and I never said I'd forgive him. I want to see him change, to be a better person, and I won't forgive him until I receive a sincere apology. Not that I ever expect that…but if he did, at that point, I would forgive him.”

 

“Wow,” Hitomi said, “I couldn't ever do something like that.”

 

Aoi smiled.

 

For a while after that, neither of them said a word, just looked out over the dark ocean. They were the only ones left on deck, and so it was completely silent.

 

“How many more days,” Aoi asked, “will we be out on the ocean, I wonder?”

 

“Who knows? Say!” Hitomi piped, changing the topic, “I bet you had fun dancing with that boy tonight, huh? What was his name?”

 

“You mean you didn't know him?”

 

“No.”

 

“Oh, I figured you would. He said he'd been working on the Hayo Tachikotsu for a long time now.”

 

“What was his name?”

 

“Ryoku…um…you know come to think of it, I don't even know his last name.”

 

“Never heard of him. Oh well, it's a big ship.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat. Aoi and Hitomi jumped up and looked off in the direction of the sound. In the shadow of one of the masts, there was a dark figure. It began walking toward them.

 

“Wh - Who are you!?!” Hitomi yelled.

 

“Don't freak out, it's just me. Ryoku.”

 

“Oi!” Aoi said with a sigh of relief.

 

Ryoku walked up to the two girls. There was an awkward silence for a moment.

 

“Well!” Hitomi announced, slowly backing away, “I guess I'll go ahead and go to my room. Leave you two alone so you can, ya know, talk…or whatever…bye!”

 

Hitomi turned and walked away, leaving Aoi and Ryoku on the deck alone. Aoi sat in silence. She had talked everything out with Hitomi now, and she felt better. She didn't really want to say everything again, not to mention she was getting sleepy.

 

“Are you okay, Aoi-chan?”

 

“Hm? Oh, yes. I'm alright now. Arigato.”

 

“That Midori - he's quite the bully, I suppose.”

 

“Hai.”

 

“Don't you worry, though. If that jerk ever comes near you again I'll…”

 

“Please…” Aoi stopped him, “don't worry about it. I'm fine, really I am. I've dealt with Midori all my life. Please don't hold it against him…we've always been like this.”

 

“That doesn't make it right.”

 

“No, but it doesn't call for you to step in either.”

 

Ryoku didn't reply.

 

“Thank you, though. For…being worried about me.”

 

“Oh. Yeah.”

 

They ceased to talk for a little while, enjoying the night.

 

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“Where is she?!?!” Midori thought, lying in the hammock in the room by himself. He had turned off the lights, in an attempt to go to sleep, but he kept looking over at the empty bed, wondering where Aoi was. He got mad at himself for wondering, pounding his head into the pillow. “Dammit! Where is that girl?!?!” He thought back to the dance. Her face when he was humiliating her in front of her friends. He smiled again, but at the same time his stomach churned.

 

“I'm so evil…” he thought.

 

He glanced back over to the bed, reminding himself again that Aoi was not there.

 

“That's it!” he exclaimed, jumping down from the hammock, “I'm going to find her!”

 

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Ryoku and Aoi sat together on the deck. Very few words had been exchanged between them, Aoi still felt kind of embarrassed about the way Midori had acted.

 

“Aoi,” Ryoku suddenly blurted out, “how long do you plan on staying with him?”

 

“Who? Midori?”

 

“Yeah!”

 

“Well, it's not like I chose to be here with him in the first place…”

 

“So you wouldn't mind leaving him?”

“Ryoku? What are you talking about?”

 

“Would you leave Midori here or not?!?” he began to raise his voice slightly.

 

“Um…it depends kind of…”

 

“Answer me!”

 

“Ryoku! What's wrong with you!”

 

“Do you want to leave Midori on the Hayo Tachikotsu and come with me?”

 

“Leave him here?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Well, we have to get home together…we both need the Time Crystal…”

“I could get you the time crystal! You could be home in no time at all!”

 

“But I couldn't just leave Midori here! That would be cruel!”

 

“Cruel? You don't want to be cruel to him after all the horrible things he's done to you?”

 

“You don't even know what you're talking about! Why are you so determined all of a sudden anyway? I'm perfectly happy here on the Hayo Tachikotsu, and if I were to leave Midori I could never help him.”

 

“Help him? What are you talking about?!?”

 

“Ryoku? What's going on?”

 

“Come with me, Aoi!”

 

“Where?!?”

 

“Hey butt face!” another voice called from the shadows. Ryoku and Aoi turned and looked into the shadows to see another abadoo approaching.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, ugly! Leave the girl alone! She don't wanna go with you.”

 

Midori emerged from the shadows.

 

“Keh! Like you're one to talk! Aoi, go on, tell that bastard to get outta here.”

 

Aoi stepped away from Ryoku, up against the railing of the ship.

 

“Well, go on, Aoi! Tell him! Tell him you're not a mute! Talk to him, Aoi! Talk to him!”

 

“Yeah, go on, Motohashi. Talk to me,” Midori said with a laugh.

 

“Yeah right. I ain't sayin' a word.”

 

After it was clear that Aoi didn't intend on speaking, Ryoku told Midori himself.

 

“Leave her alone, you bas…”

 

“Shut up. What are you thinkin'? Keepin' a girl out so late, huh? It's nearly 2 in the morning. Can't you see how tired she is?” Midori walked up and grabbed Aoi's arm firmly, “That's pretty irresponsible of a date, if you ask me.”

 

“I didn't hear anybody.”

 

Midori glared at him for a second before turning to walk back down to the room. “C'mon, wench. Let's go.”

 

“Hey!” Ryoku exclaimed, reaching out to grab him. But Aoi put a hand out and stopped him. She shook her head, and followed Midori off the deck. Ryoku stared after them in disbelief. “That idiot! How come she wants to go with him!?!”

 

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Midori opened the door to the room. Aoi walked in after him and got some clothes to change into for bed. She walked toward the small bathroom door.

 

“Oi,” Midori said before she got in.

 

She turned back to look at him, now sitting in the hammock.

 

“I…I don't like him.”

 

She gave him a questioning face.

 

“He…there's something about him I just don't like. I don't want you to see him anymore.”

 

Aoi stared at him in disbelief. “Yeah! Like you're one to tell me who I can and can't associate with! In your dreams!”

 

She flung her head around and walked into the bathroom, nose in the air. Midori laughed at her gesture. He laid down in the hammock. A few minutes later, Aoi emerged from the bathroom, in pajamas and ready for bed. She climbed in, closed her eyes and before another thought, she was asleep.

 

Midori glanced over at her. She looked so…cute…when she slept. He watched her for a minute, thinking about hating her, and finding it harder and harder the longer he looked at her. “Damn, this is annoying!” He had to keep hating her…it was his job! He tried hard and long, but got exausted from the hard work, so he closed his eyes as well, knowing it was okay to sleep now; Aoi was safe in bed.

 

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After Aoi and Midori had been gone a few minutes, Ryoku, too, decided to call it a night. He sighed and started walking toward the stairs, but something stopped him.”

 

“Ryoku!” a deep voice called. He jerked around to see a huge figure standing in the darkness and the tip of the bow.

 

“Oh man!” he thought. “Yes?”

 

“You failed.”

 

“Sumimasen! I know.”

 

“Why didn't you do as ordered?”

 

“It wasn't time yet…”

 

“What were you to do if she refused?”

 

“I know! But please, I'll do it when the time is right…please, just wait.”

 

“It better be soon…I am not a patient being.”

 

“No, sir.”

 

“You have one more week. By this time in 7 days, the girl better be in your possession.”

 

“One week then.”

 

“Otherwise, your life will be mine.”

 

Ryoku gulped. “Yes, sir.”

 

The dark figure leaped off the bow and disappeared into the night. Ryoku sighed and turned to go back down stairs. “One week…”

 

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dum dum dum!!! Oooo……..7 days……….

 

Next Chapter: Mysterious Fog and the Disappearing Act