Sukeban

“You’ve got a really big house here,” Rina said with amazement in her tone as Tomomi led her and Mami through the house. Walking in front of her, Tomomi smiled and thanked her softly. It was odd for her when people said that because most people didn’t. Tomomi didn’t think her house was very big but she supposed to people like Mami and Rina, it would probably seem that way. It wasn’t something the two delinquents were used to.

Mami didn’t say a thing as she followed the two. She had her arms crossed tensely over her chest, her eyes looking at the carpeted floor and her face screwed into a thoughtful expression. She wasn’t even really listening to what was being said between the two in front of her. Mami’s mind was too focused on what the teenagers had just seen. The abuse had returned to being as worse as it had been in the past; it had gotten worse again faster than Mami had imagined.

“I didn’t know what you wanted to start with,” Tomomi began, taking Mami from her thoughts, “So I just grabbed some textbooks that I thought might be useful to you guys.”

Mami’s footsteps stopped, her eyes finally looking up and blinking. When had they gotten to the living room? Mami could barely remember going through any of Tomomi’s house; she couldn’t believe she had been that lost in her own thoughts. Even when she was thinking, she could usually pay attention to her surroundings but this time, she had completely lost herself.

She pushed herself back into gear when she saw Rina and Tomomi making their way over to where Tomomi had set the books out onto the coffee table. Mami knew she had to follow and act collected, she knew Tomomi was more observant than people gave her credit for and certainly didn’t want the brunette picking up on anything.

The trio of girls sat down cross-legged on the carpeted floor and Tomomi reached for the first textbook, sliding it across the table and gently pushing the others out of the way. Mami huffed softly, leaning back against the couch, letting her head tilt backwards a bit as she watched Rina look interested in the books, although she didn’t exactly know if that was genuine interest or fake interest just to please Tomomi.

“Which one is this?” Rina asked, pointing to the textbook Tomomi had brought in front of her.

“It’s a science one. I figured it would be a fairly simple one to go over first… But we can pick a different subject if you want to…” Tomomi’s sentence trailed off, her eyes looking down at the green colored textbook. Rina smiled at the uncertainty that Tomomi was showing, it was fairly obvious this was her first time tutoring anyone.

“Science is fine, Tomo. We should listen to you anyway since you’re the only one who knows what they’re doing,” Rina told her. Tomomi nodded her head, stealing a glance at Rina and the seemingly uninterested Mami. She furrowed her eyebrows together at the sight. If Mami was so uninterested, why did she volunteer to be the one to take the first lesson? Sometimes Tomomi really didn’t understand her.

“You two are taking different science classes though so… I don’t know which you would rather start with.”

“We can start with Rina’s,” Mami answered quickly in a harsh tone that she hadn’t meant to use. Tomomi stole another glance at her before biting down on her lip and clenching her hands. Something was off here; Mami wasn’t just simply uninterested. Tomomi was beginning to see that there was more to this than a lack of interest in school.

“Earth Science it is then,” Tomomi answered. She was choosing to ignore Mami’s behavior for now. With Rina sitting here, Tomomi knew she wouldn’t be able to confront Mami’s attitude. Tomomi probably couldn’t even confront her attitude alone, she knew there was no way in hell she was going to be able to confront it with another person in the room.

The blonde observed the two brunettes as she draped an arm over the plush feeling couch. She watched as Tomomi flipped through the textbook, asking Rina what lesson her class was on. Mami found it slightly humorous how Rina wasn’t able to answer such a simple question. She was sure at least Rina would pay attention in school but it would appear their bad habits of not listening in classes had rubbed off on the once innocent first year student.

“So you can’t tell me the lesson…” Tomomi trailed off, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. She bolted her body upright, a smile on her face as she got an idea. “Then just tell me the last thing you remember hearing about in class.”

“Well… I remember the teacher saying something about minerals if that helps at all.” Tomomi could only stare at Rina. That really didn’t help at all. There were tons of chapters that covered minerals; they were a big part of Earth Science after all.

The brunette sighed heavily, hanging her head. Rina smiled at her sheepishly, chuckling nervously and scratching the back of her head. Science never was her strong suite; she could never get it no matter how hard she may try. She had just stopped having an interest in a subject that seemed impossible for her to grasp. She wasn’t intentionally making this hard on Tomomi.

Still sitting behind them, Mami smiled. She was feeling a bit better after watching Tomomi get frustrated with Rina already; it was awfully amusing to see. Tomomi was such a soft person that she never counted on her being so easily frustrated, it was something new for Mami to experience.

No matter what though, Mami knew this was going to be one long night for Tomomi if she was already frustrated.

***

“Can we please take a break, Tomomi?” Rina pleaded with her in a slightly whining tone that made Mami chuckle. The blonde had now moved to the other side of the table, the three girls having moved onto math after Tomomi and Rina had no luck with science…. Although they weren’t having much luck with math either and Tomomi blamed that on Mami who simply wouldn’t pay attention. Tomomi could swear she saw Mami falling asleep on her a few times during her lessons.

“We’ve only been working for an hour though,” Tomomi said in a surprised tone. Rina sighed softly but nodded her head in understanding.

“I know but… I have to use the bathroom so… Can we take a break please? Just a small one.” Mami rubbed one of her eyes from the tiredness Tomomi’s lessons had caused her. She watched as Tomomi stared blankly at a fidgeting Rina. The blonde knew that was more than just nervousness from having to ask to use the bathroom, she knew Rina’s thoughts had wandered away from the lesson now as well.

“You know you don’t have to ask,” Tomomi told her finally. Mami could see a small blush come onto Rina’s face and she smiled from the sight of it. Mami had to admit that being here with these two had made her feel a bit better, but it didn’t take away the thoughts. Those wouldn’t go away no matter how distracted Mami attempted to make herself be.

“W-where is your bathroom?” Rina asked with a small stutter lacing her words.

“Oh! Right… Um… It’s just up the hall, it’ll be the third door,” Tomomi instructed. Rina nodded, grabbing the cellphone off the floor and raising herself to a standing position. She patted down her skirt before making her way around the couch and down the hallway.

Rina quickened her pace, her hands gripping the phone tightly. Her eyes looked around the hallway until she spotted the door that Tomomi had mentioned. She made her way inside, shutting the door behind her and locking it. Her legs carried her over to the sink where her body bent over slightly, her free hand grasping the edge of the sink for support.

She knew she had stalled for long enough. She had attempted to use the tutoring as a way to forget what she had just seen and for a while, it had been working. The trouble Tomomi’s science lectures were giving her had taken away all thoughts except those pertaining to science. When they moved to math, however, her mind began to wander. She was much better at math so her mind didn’t have to focus completely on the subject.

Since she didn’t have to focus completely on it, Rina had found her mind wandering again. She had found it wandering back to Haruna… Back to those moments she saw at Haruna’s house. She found herself getting fidgety and frantic again as she thought of all the possible things those people could be doing to her. Who were they even? They weren’t Haruna’s parents; Rina knew who Haruna’s parents were and she had never seen those two before.

The troubled brunette pushed her body back up into a full standing position, her eyes gazing into the mirror in front of her. She could see the tears shining in her eyes and she diverted them down to her hand that clutched the cellphone inhumanly tight. Her hands were shaky as she slowly unlocked the phone, finding her way into the contacts.

She had snuck Omar’s number into Haruna’s phone when the boss wasn’t looking. She was positive that Haruna didn’t know she had done it, the boss never did check through her phone very often. Most of the time, the phone was in Rina’s possession anyway.

Sure enough, Rina came across the number. That was how she knew Haruna hadn’t bothered to look through her contacts since Rina had put it in or else the number would have been deleted and Rina probably would have gotten an earful for it.

The brunette clicked on the number, bringing her thumb to hover over the call button. She could feel her breathing get caught in her throat. Could she do this? It should be a simple call. All she had to do was call Omar and tell him what she saw happen to Haruna. He could get her out of there but… What would happen to her afterwards?

Rina lived the life she did because none of the girls wanted her to be sent to a foster home – they didn’t want her taken away. If she called Omar and told him about the abuse… Would they take Haruna away? Rina didn’t want Haruna to suffer anymore but at the same time, she didn’t want to lose her either.

She knew it was selfish; she knew she should put Haruna’s needs ahead of her own but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t imagine life without Haruna; she didn’t think there would be a way for her to handle living without Haruna by her side. Maybe Haruna was rough around the edges and hard to get along with but Rina had seen a softer side of her; Rina knew who she really was inside.

A few tears began to fall down Rina’s cheeks, some of them landing onto the screen of the phone she held. What did she do? She couldn’t make a decision. Even if she did call Omar and have him go get Haruna, would Haruna even want him to? Haruna was always adamant that she didn’t need anyone’s help and she certainly wouldn’t be receptive to the help of an officer, retired or not. Doing this could make Haruna so angry at her and Rina always hated it when Haruna got angry with her.

If she talked to Haruna… They could solve it together. She could tell her about seeing the abuse. If Haruna knew that Rina knew, maybe Haruna would tell her. Maybe they wouldn’t need to get Omar involved after all…. But what if she didn’t see Haruna tomorrow? What if they kept her at home?

Rina couldn’t stop the small yell that left her lips as she dropped the phone into the sink, rustling and pulling at her hair in frustration. All of these what ifs were driving her crazy. Why did this have to be complicated? Why couldn’t anything ever be easy for them? Rina only wanted to help Haruna. Haruna had helped and saved her so often but now that Haruna needed Rina’s help… Rina felt powerless to actually be of any use to her.

Her body slouched over the sink again, the tears continuing to fall while her breathing began to become slightly labored. This wasn’t fair. Haruna didn’t deserve this; none of them deserved this.

In an impulsive action, Rina found herself grabbing onto the cellphone again, her finger hitting the call button before she could have any more second thoughts. She didn’t want to lose Haruna but she didn’t want to see Haruna be hurt any more. She couldn’t be selfish. If saving Haruna meant possibly sacrificing her happiness then that’s exactly what Rina would do. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t do something for Haruna.

Her heart began to quicken to a rapid pace in her chest as she listened to the ringing of the dial tone. She let her eyes flutter shut, placing her freehand over her beating heart. Part of her hoped Omar wouldn’t pick up the phone so she could turn back as if this call never happened. Another part of her hoped he did so Haruna could be saved.

“Hello?”

Rina’s eyes flew open when she heard the familiar voice. She opened her mouth to respond but the deafening drumbeat of her heart in her ears was making her unable to speak. She closed her mouth, drawing in a deep breath through her nose before opening it to speak again.

“Omar… Please… You have to save Haruna.”

***

[In the living room]

It had been minutes since Rina had left to the bathroom and still in the living room, Mami and Tomomi had said barely a word to each other. The only noise in the room was Mami’s soft tapping on the coffee table and Tomomi’s occasional soft humming. The brunette’s eyes were scanning the room before they fell onto Mami every now and again.

This time though, it was a bit different when Tomomi’s eyes glanced at Mami. Her eyes slipped over Mami’s shoulder, widening when she saw the purple bruise peeking out from underneath Mami’s shirt that had slid down slightly. The bored Mami looked over at Tomomi, instantly noticing where her eyes were. She quickly shifted her body, yanking up her shirt and sending Tomomi a look that the brunette couldn’t decipher.

“Mami…” Tomomi began softly but found herself quickly cut off by the blonde in question.

“It’s nothing; I just got into a fight. You know how I am, always getting into trouble.” Mami’s sentence ended up a bitter laugh, her eyes diverting away from the now saddened brunette. Tomomi gulped softly, nodding her head but already knowing that wasn’t the full story.

“Mami…” Tomomi repeated as her sentence trailed off. She continued to inhale and exhale deep breaths, her hands clenching and unclenching as she prepared herself mentally to say these words. It was time; Tomomi knew this had to be the time. She couldn’t hold it back and watch Mami suffer alone any longer.

“I already told you it’s nothing,” Mami said quickly in a snappy tone.

“I know that’s a lie.” Tomomi’s words should have been barely audible but in the nearly dead silent living room, Mami had heard them as if Tomomi had spoken at a normal volume.

“Excuse me?” Mami asked lowly as she turned back to face the even more nervous Tomomi. She took another deep breath as she pushed herself to her knees, crawling around the table so she was sitting next to Mami now. She wanted to reach out and touch Mami but she knew better. She already knew this would upset Mami and she knew touching the blonde would only make Mami more upset.

“Your mom did this to you, didn’t she?” Tomomi asked. Her body tensed when she saw Mami’s eyes widen, a familiar angry emotion passing through them. Tomomi kept herself steady though; she knew anger was just Mami’s defense mechanism. She needed to push to get through it. “I know your mother hits you, Mami.”

“How do you know that?” Mami practically growled out. Her hands were now clenching themselves into fists, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. “Who told you?”

“No one told me,” Tomomi admitted truthfully. She could hear her voice shaking and wavering so she knew Mami had to hear it too. She prayed that her uncertainty and nervousness would calm Mami down if the blonde did end up too angry from this confession.

“Then how the hell do you know what my mother does?” Tomomi was getting shivers from how foreboding Mami’s tone sounded but she knew she had to keep moving forward with this. She couldn’t cower and run away like she always did. She had to take what she learned from the others and use it to help Mami, even if just a little.

“That day I brought your assignments to you… When I was leaving, I heard some voices coming from one of the windows.” Tomomi paused for a moment, her eyes looking away from Mami as she saw the anger in the blonde’s expression growing. She was mentally preparing herself to be hit by Mami. “I didn’t mean to but I overheard and I… I saw her hit you.”

"You didn't mean to? That's bullshit, Tomomi. You spied on me!" Mami yelled at her suddenly. Tomomi squeaked softly, jumping and falling backwards off of her knees. She groaned softly, pushing herself back up. Mami’s fists clenched tighter, her nails making small markings onto the inside of her hand. She was using everything in her power to control her temper with Tomomi.

"Mami, I really didn't mean to," Tomomi tried again.

"You're such a liar, Tomomi! If you're going to spy on people, have the audacity to admit it and not lie," Mami told her harshly. She could feel a pang of guilt from the way Tomomi whimpered in fear. She didn't know why she was yelling at Tomomi for this. In a way, she was scared. She was scared to have another person know her secret.

"Mami, please... Please stop yelling. I want to help."

"You can't."

"Why can't I?" Tomomi asked desperately. The brunette was tired; she was tired of seeing Mami so hurt all the time. She wanted to do something. She had to do something.

"Because no one can!" Tomomi's eyes widened from the shout and the tone Mami had used. "No one is going to stop her; it's useless to try so just forget it."

"I don't want to forget," Tomomi told her weakly. She drew in a sharp breath, crawling closer to Mami. The brunette could feel an odd sensation taking over her. She could feel herself losing control and beginning to work on impulse, it was something she didn't do ever. Right now though... Tomomi didn't know what was happening.

"You should. It's not your problem." Mami's tone had softened, her eyes refusing to look at Tomomi.

"I don't like seeing you hurt. When I see you hurt... It hurts me." What was Tomomi saying? There was no way Mami would like what she was going to say but Tomomi found herself pushing forward uncontrollably anyway. She needed to say this… Mami needed to hear this.

"Tomomi, what are you saying?" For the first time in a while, Mami turned to look at Tomomi. She was surprised to see how close the fragile brunette was to her. Mami wanted to shove her away but she found herself frozen, her breathing stalling.

Her eyes widened as Tomomi slowly pressed her lips against Mami's.