#momoharuweek

Day 1: click HERE

Day 2: click HERE

Day 3: click HERE

Day 4: click HERE

Day 5: click HERE

Day 7: click HERE

Again, ended up writing two prompts at the same time because I couldn’t decide on one.

Maki left the audition room with a small smile. She had been a long time fan of Danganronpa. People at her school were talking about it and she was drawn into it very easily. The thoughts of being in a killing game was thrilling. Unlike her home life. It wasn’t bad. She had a nice home, a family in high society, a higher achieving school. The perfect life. Perfect, but boring. There was no excitement for her. That was all that she wanted. Sure there were other options, but this was the only way that she saw to have some real fun in her life.

She had done the best that she could. Now her fate was in the hands of the people behind Danganronpa.

“You little bastard! The hell were you doing?!”

“I…I’m sorry!”

“You better be!”

Maki’s attention was suddenly changed as she heard the shouting. The other kids around her didn’t seem to take any notice. They just looked droned out like this was a regular and normal occurrence. Same thing went for any staff that were watching through the cameras it seemed. Maki, however, couldn’t ignore the scene. Standing in front of her were two boys. One shorter than the other. The shorter one had purple eyes and black hair with purple ends on some of the strands. The other boy was much taller than the first, stronger too.  He had purple spiky hair and a stupid looking goatee. And he looked pissed off. His purple eyes narrowed like daggers as he seemed ready to punch the smaller boy. This bully was clearly going to win this if no one stepped in.

“Hey! Back off!” Maki shouted, getting between the two. She stood straight, arms crossed in front of her. She glared right up at the taller boy, who seemed to be baffled that she was standing up to him. The smaller boy shrinks behind Maki and hold onto her jacket, almost using her like a shield. She didn’t mind that in all honesty.

“Excuse me!” The bully exclaimed, trying to make himself look bigger.

“You heard me. Back! Off!” Maki warned, taking a daring step closer to him. He backed off a little as he took in her appearance.

“You think you’re so special just cause you go to a fancy school! That your folks are so rich!” He sneered as he realised what school Maki went to.

“That has nothing to do with this. Save that attitude for the game.” Maki warned again, gesturing at the camera in the room. The bully glanced up at it. He seemed to contemplate his actions. No matter how well he did at the audition, his actions might be taken into account later on. He needs to be careful. And then there was the sound of a name being called out.

“Whatever you say, Princess.” The bully shrugged, seeming to respond to the name that was being called out. “When I win, you’ll always remember my name: Kaito Momota!”

“You’re so full of yourself. I’m not afraid of you.” Maki rilled her eyes as she felt the smaller boy hold on to her school jacket even tighter.

“You better watch your back then.” Kaito continued to sneer, his eyes acting like knives as they pierced right into Maki. “You never know when I might kill you. I’m taking all that fame and fortune for myself.”

“Big talk from such a pathetic, little coward.” Maki challenged, deadpanned.

“Watch your mouth, you bitch!” Kaito growled, looking like he was going to raise a fist to her. However, his name was called out again, causing him to give up on what he wanted to do. He turned on his heels and started to walk away. Maki took a breath that she didn’t realise that she was holding. She didn’t realise that she was shaking until now. She steeled herself, she can’t make herself look weak. She turned to the other boy. He was still trembling and looked like he was going to cry. Maki needs to calm him down. Wanting to avoid any of the others waiting to pick on him too, she led the boy to a quieter part of the hall.

“Are you okay?” She asked as they felt like they had more open and quiet space.

“Yeah. I think so. Thank you.” The boy smiled, looking more visibly relaxed. He timidly held out a hand to shake.  “I’m Kokichi Oma.”

“Maki Harukawa.” Maki smiled, shaking the hand offered to her. She frowned a little as she took in what had happened a few seconds ago. “You don’t seem the killing type. Why are you here?”

Kokichi fidgeted a little. He didn’t seem that he was comfortable with sharing this fact. Was he forced into this? He can back out if he didn’t want to. But there was something that Maki could sense inside him. Something that wanted to prove everyone else wrong about him.

“I just want to feel powerful for once, like nothing can hurt me.” Kokichi finally said. His voice was quiet but then he cleared his throat and tried to speak with more confidence. “And I want to lead people too. I want to try to make sure that I can get as many people to survive as I can by being a good leader.”

Maki couldn’t hold back a smile. She liked this boy’s spirit. While he did seem like an easy kill, she couldn’t deny how hard he wants to work towards doing the right thing. He wanted to be strong. He wanted to show that he had a lot of inner strength. There was a lot of potential in him. Above all else, he was honest. A fine quality in a leader. But despite that, Maki still needed to make something clear.

“If we both make it through the audition, stick close to me. I promise I’ll make sure that nothing happens to you.” She vowed. This made Kokichi’s smile to be brighter.

“Same to you.” He grinned, glad that he had someone that he could call a friend in this place.

Kaito sneered as he saw the two talking. Just another thing to piss him off. The Princess and the Freak. Perfect combination to bump off. He can’t wait to start killing them in the game.

———————————————————————————

Kaito didn’t understand what was going on. What was that dream?! No it didn’t feel like a dream. A memory? But how? He knows that the Kaito that he saw wasn’t him. He wasn’t an aggressive bully. Yeah, he can get sort tempered, but he’d never strike anyone without cause. And Maki…she was standing up to him. What was that?

That didn’t matter right now. There was another thing that was concerning him. He was alive! But he was going through Monokuma’s execution and died halfway through it. He shouldn’t be here. And yet here he was. In what seemed to be a hospital bed with a doctor shining a light into his eyes the second he opened them. When he glanced around, he saw a pod that was wide open with wires and what seemed to be a headset inside it. He could also see clothes hanging up. It looked like a school uniform, but not one that he could recognise. At least, that’s what he thought.

So the game was a VR simulation the entire time?! That’s the only explanation as to why Kaito was still alive and breathing. It also explains why his lungs didn’t feel like they were filling up with blood. If that’s the case then…

“Where are they?” Kaito asked, cutting off what the doctor was saying. What was the medical professional saying? Kaito wasn’t processing it. Never mind! He needs to get answers!

“Pardon?” The doctor asked, taken a little by surprise.

“Shuichi! Himiko! Tsumugi! Keebo! Maki Roll! Where are they?!” Kaito demanded, his body tensing up. He sat up, despite his body protesting it. That’s when he realised how weak he suddenly was. His body could barely move without him using whatever energy he had left in him. He was more skinny and his hair was longer and wasn’t spiked up, causing most of it to be in his face more.

“They are still in the game. Now let’s-” the doctor sighed, as if he had answered this a million times already.

“No!” Kaito shouted. With a sudden burst of strength he pushed the doctor away from him. The doctor was taken so off guard that he stumbled and fell backwards. Kaito ripped the IV lines out of his arm and scrambled out of the bed. After stumbling a little, he started running, leaving a trail of blood from where the IV was inserted. He ran down the corridor, hearing shouts and security being alerted. He ignored all that as he ran. This didn’t feel like a normal hospital. S he ran, he caught sight of very familiar names on each door. Hoshi, Iruma, Shinjugi, Amari. They’re all here. Wherever here was. Kaito tried not to think of that.

Yonaga, Oma, Tojo, Yumeno, Akamatsu, Harukawa-

There it was!

Harukawa!

Maki’s room!

As soon as Kaito intruded into the room, he slammed the door shut and jammed it with a chair that was close to him. People were pounding on the door and shouting for him to open it. He can’t. Not when he was this close. He looked around. The room was identical to his. A bed, an unrecognisable school uniform hung up, and a pod. Only the pod was closed, sealed shut. Swallowing a little, Kaito peered through the window. His eyes went so wide that they may as well be bulging out of his skull.

That was Maki! He could only see the lower half of her face thanks to a headset that reminded him of Miu’s VR invention, but he could still recognise her. She didn’t seem to know that he was there, watching her in horror. She was peaceful, as if she were merely sleeping. The only thing that told Kaito that she was alive, was the heart rate monitor beeping quietly in the background. It was hauntingly like she was Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, waiting for her Prince to wake her up. Kaito looked around, spotting a console by the pod. He needs to get her out of there! He can’t let Maki stay in there for a second longer! There was so much that he needs to tell her right now! He can’t wait!

As Kaito was looking for some kind of emergency shut off, the door was broken down. Various arms wrapped around Kaito, pulling him down to the ground. He struggled like a ferocious animal, determined to be free. Determined to save Maki!

“You can’t do this! Let me see her! Let her out! Maki Roll! Get off me! Maki Roll!” Kaito yelled, trying to fight back. His body betrayed him as he felt weaker the more he struggled. What happened to him?! What happened to his body?! Why didn’t it feel like his own?! Kaito couldn’t think anymore as a needle was suddenly stuck into his arm. Whatever it was filled with, was emptied into his system. And just like that, he passed out.

———————————————————————————

Kaito once again woke up. He didn’t need to ask where he was this time. He knew where he was. The same room that he woke up in. This time felt different. He could feel someone holding his hand. Someone being extremely gentle as if he was made of fragile glass. He looked out of the corner of his eye, spotting a girl with long, dark brown hair. Her head was bowed down, as if she were saying a prayer. But he could still see her tear streaked face, wishing that he could wipe the tears away.

“Maki Roll…”

This one was quite interesting to write. It was a challenge but I like a challenge when it comes to writing.

Day 1: click HERE

Day 2: click HERE

Day 3: click HERE

Day 4: click HERE

Day 6: click HERE

Day 7: click HERE

Not particularly proud of this one but I hope you guys still like it.

Let’s just say that I’m probably NEVER going to write a Mastermind AU anytime soon XD

Maki didn’t know what she was doing. She was heading over to her Ultimate Lab to check on something before training. She started to make her way to the training area, when she caught sight of someone lurking in the hallways. She didn’t see their face, they had their back to her. They were wearing very concealing clothes so she couldn’t make out any features from the back. She didn’t understand why they would hide themselves like this. There shouldn’t be a reason. Right?

Ignoring a red flag, Maki stalked this stranger. They didn’t seem to think to that anyone would be following them. They were being careless. Maki watched them carefully from the shadows. They were heading to the girl’s bathroom. She waited around the owner for a bit. She tried to think of an innocent reason for this, but the longer she waited, the more suspicious she became. No one takes that long in the bathroom. The person didn’t seem sick. They walked like they were alright. Keeping silent, Maki crept in. If this person really was here for an innocent reason, then she’ll just move on from this.

There was just one problem.

Maki was the only person in there. She looked in each stall, all of them were unlocked, doors open ajar. Maki couldn’t have imagined what she had seen. She knows that she saw somebody walking around. She looked at the small cleaning closet by the cubicles after double checking them.

“This is stupid.” Maki muttered to herself. She felt like an idiot as she felt along the tiles, pressing on each one. It was like those cliche things that happen in cartoons or detective shows. It was a long shot. But when Maki reseed on a tile, there was a small click. The wall opened a little. After gently pushing it, it opened even more, showing a dark corridor. At this point, Maki should’ve gone to get Kaito and Shuichi, but she didn’t want to raise the alarm just yet. She had a feeling about this. Not good or bad. Just this feeling that she needs to investigate this more first.

She crept along the short hallway, the secret passageway closing behind her. She didn’t panic. She knows that she can get out when she needs to. She could see another door that was open ajar. Maki knows that she needed to be careful now. She didn’t know where she was going but she needed to do this. She carefully pushed the door open a little more, just big enough to squeeze through. She closed the door as well before ducking behind a box. She peeked out, squinting a little as she was met with light in a darkened room. Because it was quite dark, she could make out a desk, various monitors and…is that a Monokuma head in a glass case that had wires poking out of it? She could also see someone sitting in front of the monitors. She took a better look, seeing all the rooms in the Academy on each one.

Maki ducked behind the box as she realised where she was. She found the Mastermind. The one behind this sick and twisted game!

Maki didn’t have a plan. She only had one thing in mind. Kill the Mastermind. Once the Mastermind is gone, the game is over. Everyone can go home. This nightmare would finally be over. Taking a deep breath, Maki turned to look back at the person sitting down. Only, they weren’t there anymore.

Maki scanned the room. The Mastermind was gone. It was like she was the only person in the room. It was very eerie. As Maki was cursing herself for not keeping an eye on the Mastermind, she was starting to think about getting out to tell everyone.

That was the plan until Maki sensed a change behind her. She didn’t physically feel it, but she suddenly felt like someone was right behind her. She couldn’t react in time. Whoever it was that was behind her grabbed her the instant she sensed them. Maki pushed and pulled as furiously as she could. She tried to pry this person off of her. Her elbow made contact with the attacker’s abdomen. Aside from a grunt, they didn’t react much. From the sound of it, they could be male. Maki tried again, but the attacker had tightened their grip, almost like they were attempting to squeeze the life out of her. She suddenly felt something soft pressed against her mouth and nose. She could smell something sweet but by time she noticed that, it was already too late. In mere seconds, she was falling in a black void.

———————————————————————————

Maki didn’t know how long she had been out for. She just found herself waking up on a soft bed. It felt more comfortable than the one in her room. She was covered by warm sheets. Not quite what she was expecting. She remembers what happened before she passed out. She would’ve thought that she would be dead or sleep in less than suitable conditions. The Mastermind should have at least killed her by now. They shouldn’t have her try to escape to tell everyone what she had found. So why was she alive?

There was something else as well. There was this presence of someone being right next to her. The bed felt like it was dipped a little by her side. She stared blearily at who it was. Their shape was a little fuzzy, she couldn’t make out any of their features. She thought that she could hear them, but she couldn’t make out the words. It was like she was trying to listen to this person whilst being held underwater. She closed her eyes again, waiting for her senses to come back to her. She could hear a little better now. And she could feel this person brushing some hair back from her face. That was when she opened her eyes again. And she saw an all too familiar face.

“Kaito?” Maki croaked out, her throat unexpectedly dry. She tried to sit up, but gentle hands eased her to lie back down.

“Take it easy. You’ve been out of it for a while.” Kaito spoke softly as to not overwhelm Maki.

“What…where…” she tried to ask, but she couldn’t figure out why she should ask first. She tried again to sit up, but went too fast as she felt very dizzy again.

“Slow down a bit.” Kaito spoke softly again, helping her to be eased into a sitting position. “I was starting to think that you were given too much of that drug. I’m glad that you’re okay.”

Maki didn’t quite process what he said. Her brain wasn’t fully awake still. She tried to look around at the room that she had awoken in. It wasn’t her dorm. It was roughly the same size it seemed. There wasn’t much in this room either. There was only a bed, a bedside table with a lamp (which was currently turned on with a dim light) and a wardrobe. There weren’t any windows, only two doors. One to leave the room and the other presumably for a bathroom. It wasn’t exactly the best room in the world but Maki has slept in worse conditions. After glancing around the room, her mind finally caught up to the reality of the situation. What Kaito had said hit her like a freight train. He pretty much admitted that he was responsible for knocking her out. If that was the case then…

“You…you’re the mastermind? Aren’t you?” Maki asked, her voice hesitant to ask. She didn’t notice it until now. His clothes, they were different. They looked similar. The only thing was that his coat, pants and slippers were black, and he wore one white shirt. The inside of the coat was a blood red with a galaxy pattern. And his right eye had red eye shadow in the shape of Monokuma’s right the eye.

“Wait!” Kaito exclaimed, looking like he was caught out by her question. That was a conformation for Maki. She never felt so betrayed before in her life. Kaito was the first person that made her feel like she was becoming her own person. She felt like she could be herself the more she started to be with Kaito. Despite her dislike for him at the start, she truly believed that she started to care for him. He was the one person that offered her a chance after everyone found out her Ultimate Talent.

Without giving Kaito a chance to explain, Maki immediately punched him. As he was stunned, she shoved him away from her. As he landed on ground, Maki leapt from the bed. She stumbled a little but managed to run to the door. She turned the handle, pushed and pulled, but it wasn’t opening. She was about to charge into it so that she could try to break it down, when Kaito suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides.

“You traitor! Let me go!” Maki yelled, kicking the air as she was lifted off of the ground. How was Kaito this much stronger than her all of a sudden?! He pulled away from her when she punched him during the investigation of Tenko and Angie’s murder, all because he got scared by the mere thought of a “curse” looming around. She actually believed and felt like she was stronger than him. Had Kaito been holding back all this time?

Maki tried not to think about that. She kept thrashing as much as she could to get some leeway. However, that plan stopped short very quickly. Kaito had pulled out a cloth and covered her mouth and nose with it. Maki knew what was coming this time. She tried not to breathe. She kept trying to pull away, but without being able to breathe, it was a losing battle. After nearly a full minute, Maki was forced to give in. She was panting heavily. She couldn’t stop breathing in the sedative. She was blacking out fast. But before she lost consciousness, she heard Kaito say one thing:

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”

Why is he apologising? He’s the Mastermind…right?

———————————————————————————

Kaito watched as Maki’s eyes flickered closed. She went limp again, just like when he caught her before. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He didn’t want this. All that he wanted was for this to be over already. He was told to kill Maki the second she was discovered here. The damn bear said that if Kaito didn’t do anything, then the Mastermind would do it themselves. Kaito begged the bear to give him some time. He didn’t want to lose Maki. He didn’t want to lose his sidekick. She was too important to him. He’s only got a limited amount of time to convince Maki to join him and the Mastermind. If he doesn’t, then he’ll lose her.

And he can’t let one secret get out as to why he was doing this. He shuddered as he remembered how the bear just suddenly showed up, knocked him and rocked him to wake up here. And how the Mastermind threatened hm to join them. He just wishes how he shouldn’t have agreed to this. He’ll never shake off this regret.

Gently, Kaito picked her up and placed her back on the bed. Her face was still tense after what had happened. She’s not going to be please when she wakes up. He should’ve done it earlier but he didn’t want to scare Maki right away. Now he doesn’t have a choice. He pulled out a set of handcuffs and cuffed one of her hands to the bed frame. This is only temporary. Once she’s calmed down enough to listen, he take the cuffs off.

“Please forgive me.” Kaito whispered, brushing some strands of hair away from Maki’s face. Maki seemed to look more relaxed at that action, but he couldn’t be sure. He gave her a small peck on the cheek before leaving her. Maybe she just needs some time to calm down more. And he needs to rethink a couple of things. Kaito tried to get his head on straight as he locked the door behind, when he found Monokuma standing right in front of him.

“Well? Is she joining us?” He asked, sounding excited. If only Kaito could wipe that stupid permanent grin off his face.

“She will eventually.” Kaito shrugged, doing his best to make it look like nothing was wrong.

“You do realise that we might have to kill her, right?” Monokuma growled, unsheathing his claws.

“Give me time! I’ll get her to change her mind!” Kaito begged, his eyes going wide in fright. He can’t lose her! He can’t lose Maki! She’s the reason why he hasn’t lost his mind already!

“You better hurry up then before people realise that she’s missing.” Monokuma scowled. Kaito was about to protest when he felt a familiar pain in his chest. His hand shot up to his mouth as he started coughing. He felt something warm and wet in his palm as he could smell and taste something like copper. “By the way, tick tock! You’re running, out of time!”

Day 2: click HERE

Day 3: click HERE

Day 4: click HERE

Day 5: click HERE

Day 6: click HERE

Day 7: coming soon

Doing this again since it was fun last year. Any artwork that is featured in this has been done by me. Momoharu Week is hosted by @momoharuevents

Maki didn’t know what to think or feel at this time.

Only a month after dating Kaito, both of them finally decided to let Maki be introduced to Kaito’s grandparents. This was the first time that Maki was a Ken to the humble household and meet the elders. She had been told of them and she knew that Kaito spoke about her too. It went a bit better than Maki was expecting. The elders were nice and open to her. They weren’t aware of her talent yet (Maki decided that it was too soon to tell them), so she didn’t have any worries at the moment. They also respected her boundaries, not getting too close in case they made her feel uncomfortable. The closet that either of them had gotten was Kaito’s grandmother holding Maki’s hands as they greeted each other. They would ask Maki questions, but not too many and let it go if Maki wasn’t comfortable about saying anything. They would listen to her as she spoke. They even shared stories about when they were young. Kaito’s grandmother even showed Maki some pictures of when Kaito was young, much to Kaito’s embarrassment (his face went bright red a few times). It was a bit strange to be so welcomed like this. It felt nice. It felt great.

But it also felt like Maki was suffocating.

She was able to put up her mask and pretend like everything was okay. However, deep down, she was quite uncomfortable. She didn’t know what it was. She felt like there were too many people in such a small space. It wasn’t like school where there more people but she could easily find somewhere quiet if she felt like it was too much. In the house, it felt like she was imprisoned, even though she was welcome to leave if she wanted to. It felt loud too. Even if the noise wasn’t deafening to everyone else, it was too Maki. It was just a strange sensation and Maki wasn’t sure how she should go through with it.

Maki was staying the night, but a part of her felt like she needed to run away. She thought that being in Kaito’s room and being away from the elders for a while would help. However, this feeling still lingered,  continuing to make her feel like she was being smothered. Maybe it was a mistake to come here this soon. Trying to clear her head, Maki was able to slip out of the house and into the back garden. She went through the house so silently that she was sure that no one even sensed that she was awake. Maki gently closed the door behind her to try to keep some of the warmth in the house. She sat down on the stone bench, the grass tickling her bare feet. The night seemed to be peaceful. It wasn’t quiet thanks to cars going past as people were either coming home or starting their late shifts at work or going for a night out with friends. There was even the odd person or group of people walking past. But still, despite the noise, there was a bit of a calming atmosphere. Maybe it was because Maki was outside and she felt less like she was being pressured to stay.

Maybe this really was too soon. Maki felt like she should’ve just visited for a few hours and leave instead of staying the night. She felt like she should leave now. She can take care of herself so she wasn’t afraid of leaving so late at night. Maki was considering on leaving with an apology note to Kaito but she didn’t have a chance to go through with it. She didn’t even have a chance to go back inside or even stand up. She was so lost in thought that she jumped a little when someone gently draped a blanket over her shoulders. Maki flinched as she turned her head. Thankfully she relaxed as she saw Kaito’s grandmother standing behind her, wrapped up in a blue dressing gown.

“You looked like you were getting cold, dear.” The elderly woman sailed apologetically. Maki was about to politely decline but then she saw how blue her hands were. How did she not realise that she was indeed freezing? She must have been that deep in thought.

“Thank you.” Maki meekly spoke, instinctively wrapping the light purple blanket around her tightly. Her toes curled up as the cold started to affect them too.

“What’s on your mind?” Kaito’s grandmother asked as she carefully sat down next to Maki.

“It…it’s nothing…” Maki sighed. That feeling returned again. The one that made her feel like she was being smothered. It wasn’t as powerful as it was before. Maybe it was because she was outside or with only one person or maybe even both. Either way, it was too strong and felt like it was a struggle to contain.

“I may be old, and my eyesight might not be that good nowadays, but I know when someone’s troubled by something.” Kaito’s grandmother chuckled lightly. It wasn’t cruel or malicious towards Maki. It was kind and lighthearted. It made Maki seem like she had nothing to worry about. Especially after spotting a small glint of kindness in the woman’s eyes. “So why don’t you humour this old lady?” Maki hesitated. Should she?

Maki didn’t think long about it before her mouth suddenly opened and started talking before she could stop herself. A part of her was screaming at her to stop but she couldn’t. She truly didn’t want to. She laid out all of her thoughts and feelings that she had experienced today. The feeling of being enclosed and like she was a prisoner, even though she knew that she wasn’t. The sensation of not being used to people that were kind and their feelings of care were genuine. All of these alien thoughts and feelings that just came crashing to her like a freight train. All the while, Kaito’s grandmother sat there patiently. She didn’t interrupt or stop Maki from talking. She didn’t seem upset or angry. She just seemed to be at peace and full of all the patience in the world. She gave off this calming aura that gently encouraged Maki to keep letting out all of her troubles. By time Maki finished, she felt light. Light as in she was floating off of the bench right now. However, she still felt troubled. She just unloaded all of her troubles rather suddenly. A part of her felt like she shouldn’t have done it this late at night.

“I’m sorry. I’m just causing problems.” Maki sighed, slouching a little. She felt like she should get up and go back inside, but she couldn’t move. It felt like some invisible force was holding her down. And it seemed like it needed to be there and have her stay just a little longer.

“Maki, listen to me sweet heart. I know of your situation, or at least most of it. Kaito wouldn’t tell us the full story.” Kaito’s grandmother gently spoke, her hand comfortingly laying on Maki’s shoulder. Maki didn’t show it but she was thankful again for Kaito not telling his family about her talent, but that was besides the pint. She listened intently to the elder. “But what I do know was that the ones who adopted you weren’t the nicest of people. They may have taken you in, but they’re not family. Having a family doesn’t mean that you have to be related by blood or being forced to stay under their roof because you feel obligated to. Family is the people that you are close to and that you care about with all your heart. And they listen when you need a shoulder to cry on and to help make you feel better.

Take Kaito for instance. He cares so much about you, dear. Because of that, you are a part of this family now. I understand that this all strange and even frightening to you, but take your time with all of this. The last thing that we need is for you to feel like you shouldn’t be here. You have nothing to worry about with us. I know that we’ve only just met today, but already you feel like a granddaughter that I’ve never got to have. That is, if you’re okay with me saying such.”

It was like a switch had been flicked so suddenly. Those words deafened every other noise that dared to interrupt the peace. The voice was loud and clear despite having a frail sound. Maki felt like she had been changed so suddenly as the elder spoke to her. The feeling of being suffocated was suddenly erased, like it had never been there to begin with. Instead of being uncomfortable, Maki felt more comfort than she had ever had her whole life. She no longer felt like there was this invisible force that was weighing her down. She felt light, weightless. Like as though she could fly off into the stars at that moment. All the worries and doubts that she had and felt were washed away.

The feeling of that was so quick that Maki didn’t have any time to try to stop the tears from falling. She tried to stop them from flowing. Kaito’s grandmother seemed to have a teary smile herself. She opened her arms, being patient with Maki. She didn’t rush. She only waited. She allowed Maki to leave if she wanted to. Maki stayed. She found herself enveloped in a hug. It was so gentle that it felt like Maki was wrapped up in a second hug. The tears seemed to keep coming as all the emotions that Maki had felt were finally let out with full force. It was just what she needed.

Maki didn’t know how one she had cried for. She just kept going until the tears finally stopped running like a waterfall. By time they stopped, her body felt heavy with sleep. She felt like she needed to sleep for a hundred years after letting all of those tears out. As she pulled back slightly, Kaito’s grandmother gently wiped away any remaining tears that hadn’t dried up yet. They both sat there for a minute longer before they finally ent back inside. Maki still had the small blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she said goodnight to the elder. She crept into Kaito’s room. Kaito was still asleep, snoring quietly. Seems like he didn’t notice that Maki had left the bedroom in the first place. Maki slipped silently into the bed. She thought that she didn’t wake up her boyfriend until she felt the mattress shift.

“You okay, Maki Roll? You were gone for quite a while.” Kaito mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep. Maki’s lips curled up into a tired smile as she looked over her shoulder. Kaito looked so drowsy that she wasn’t sure if he’d fall asleep on her right then and there.

“I’m fine.” She reassured him, making sure that he was out at ease. Kaito didn’t give a coherent response to that. He only grumbled a little before his body slumped back down on the mattress. His arm however looped lazily around Maki. Maki waited until she heard him snoring quietly again. Then she sighed in content as she fell into a peaceful slumber, finally feeling like she had a family that night.