• Akiza POV


    Slam!

    That's what the door had done after I'd slammed it closed. Hard.
    I was not having a good day.

    I'd lost a bet to Andore of Team Unicorn, which meant that I had to be his girlfriend, and if I didn't find a way out of the deal by the end of the month, which was in two days, I would have to be his girlfriend, then his fiance, then his wife.
    “Ewwwwww!” I screamed into my pillow, thrashing against my bed.
    I heard the door creak open slightly, but did not stop to look and see who it was. They'd probably be too scared to come into the room to begin with. My best guess was that it was probably Luna, considering that I was living in their house, still not feeling strong enough to go back home to my parents yet. They'd welcomed me as a sister, a member of their family and I felt very happy; until today.


    Luna POV

    I creaked open the door to Akiza's room slightly, wanting to know where all the noise was coming from. I peeked through the thin opening to see Akiza, dressed in her new usual clothes, a red short sleeve shirt and faded jean shorts; her black ballet flats had been tossed on the floor it seemed. I closed the door and ran downstairs, a seriously worried expression on my face. Leo ran over to me and grabbed my shoulders to keep me steady.
    “Luna, what's wrong?” he asked, serious, for once.
    “It's Akiza, she's thrashing and crying on her bed, she looks hurt...” I said trailing off.
    “She's not bleeding or anything is she?” he asked, suddenly feeling sorry for Akiza.
    “No, not like that, she looked like she was being forced to do something she didn't want to do,” I said locking eyes with my twin for the first time in this conversation.
    Leo nods to me and I nod back. He releases his grip on my shoulders, but leads me over to the couch, still thinking I was very fragile, and right now, I was. Once seated on the couch, Leo half walks, half runs to the kitchen to the phone. I look up the stairs to Akiza's room.
    'Don't worry Akiza, we'll help you get through this.' I tell myself while listening to Leo, talking, or should I say yelling, into the phone.

    Yusei POV


    “What is it Crow?” I asked leaning closer to the phone that was getting tighter and tighter in Crow's grip with every passing second.
    “Okay...yep...we understand...okay...yep, we'll be right over...uh-huh...yep...goodbye,” he said before putting the phone back onto the receiver.
    “What's wrong Crow?” I prompt him again.
    “It's Akiza.”
    That was all he needed to say. If anything was wrong with Akiza or if something was bothering her, it was serious.
    “Come on guys, we have to get over there,” I said flatly.
    They all nod to me, with smirks taking place on their mouths. I scowl at them, for what would be the first of many times tonight. They'd all been mocking me about having a crush on Akiza, only based on that I went over to the twins' mansion a lot more because she was over there, but that wasn't the case. I wanted to make sure she was settled and that she felt safe.
    We all rush down the metal steps into the garage section of the apartment Jack, Crow, Bruno and I were living in. I rev my runner and we all take off into the night.
    The highway was dark. It was dusk, so the streetlights hadn't come on just yet. I turned on my headlights and took the next exit, heading for Tops where the twins' mansion was. We got there about 10 minutes later and saw Leo waiting outside the door waving to us; but not with a happy/hyperactive expression. No, this one was one of worry and a hint of fear.
    “Where's Akiza?” I asked the short teal-haired boy in front of me.
    “In her room, Luna's with her,” he said leading us into the house and to the stairs.
    'Don't worry Akiza...I'm here to help.' I kept thinking to myself as I took the first step up the tall staircase.



    Akiza POV

    “A-Akiza?” a child's voice asked from the doorway. “Are you okay?”
    “Luna? Is that you...?” I asked her as I rolled over and sat up.
    “Yes, is there anything I can do to help?” he replied, sorrow glistening in the tears about to roll down her cheeks.
    She was going to cry.
    “Oh Luna,” I say standing up and walking over to her.
    I kneel down in front of her and hug her.
    “Oh Luna, please don't cry. I just had a bad day is all, no need to worry,” I kept murmuring to her, over and over again, desperately trying to soothe her.
    I pulled back to let her breathe and so I could see her eyes.
    Those sad eyes.
    “Are you okay?” I asked her putting my hands on her shoulders.
    She nodded to me, seeming as her words were caught in her throat. I grabbed a tissue off my desk and began wiping away her tears. After I finished she smiled at me. I smiled back, glad to see her not crying over something dumb. So dumb...
    “Here, blow your nose,” I said handing her a clean tissue while disposing of the other one in my wastebasket.
    She blew her nose and threw away the tissue. We were sitting on my bed now. She was leaning on me and I had my arm around her, acting more like a mother than a sister. She looked up at me with a questioning gaze and said:
    “Akiza, why were you crying?” she said softly.
    “May I be blunt for now?” I asked her.
    “Sure.”
    “I had a bad day,” I said standing up and offering her my hand. “You should go play with your brother, I'm sure he's worried about you.”
    “Okay, but, what about you?” she asked stopping in front of the door to the hallway.
    “I'll be fine; I just need to think,” I reassured her, watching as she opened the door and walked out. As soon as her footsteps faded, I threw myself back down onto my pillow and began to cry again.
    'How could I have let this happen?'


    Yusei POV

    I saw Luna walking down the stairs, her eyes slightly red, but right now Akiza needed help.
    “Luna,” I said, reaching for the small child. “What happened? Is Akiza alright?” I asked her softly.
    “She said she was going to be okay, but I don't believe her, the way she was thrashing against her bed like that...” she said the last part looking away.
    “Why was she thrashing?” I asked her, trying to find out as much information as possible.
    “She said she had a bad day.”

    'She had a bad day...'

    “Thank you Luna,” I said before walking past her and the rest of the way to Akiza's room.
    I knocked on the door, like any gentleman would. I heard her mumble softly as a sign to enter. I opened the door slowly and saw her lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face. I walked over to her and sat her up. I got behind her so I was leaning against her headboard and let her lean on my chest.
    “Akiza, what happened? Were some kids picking on you at school again?” I asked her after a long period of silence.
    My arms were around her now and she was facing me. She looked up at me and shook her head, then returned her gaze to mine. I was staring into her now dull brown eyes. The same eyes that had held fear, excitement, sadness, accomplishment, were dull.
    Her eyes were never dull.
    Never. Not even on her worst days when a group of kids would decide to tease her about being the Black Rose Witch.
    No this was worse.
    It even felt painful to me. But I knew that from the pain I was feeling, she must feel a hundered times worse.