VII. MAKOTO

Someone who wanted to be a mother, yet never found anyone to settle with.

She always had intense motherly instincts, which was why she never approved of how Ei treated her son. He was an innocent little boy, given unfair treatment by everyone around him.

Makoto hadn't known about the bullying until she decided to pick Kunikuzushi up from the park one day, wanting to treat him afterward before taking him home to his mother. When she arrived, however, her nephew was covered in scrapes on the ground while other kids stood above him, taunting him.

She gasped and rushed out of the car, running over to Kuni. She squeezed through the small group of kids and kneeled down beside him. Seeing his face scratched up, she furrowed her brows and her eyes were suddenly glossy. Her eyes scanned his figure and she identified each injury before turning back to his attackers.

"All of you did this?" She demanded, to which they nodded out of fear.

"Where are your parents!?" She exclaimed, glancing around the park to see no one. "Why would you all do such a thing? Honestly, what could he have possibly done to deserve this?"

"H-He was being annoying..." One of them said.

"...Despicable. If this happens again, I will find and tell your parents. Come on, Kunikuzushi."

He scrambled to his feet, wincing from the pain of his wounds. He was quick to follow Makoto out of the crowd and she held his hand, leading him to the car. Once there, she placed her hands under his arms and picked him up, putting him in the back seat. She jumped into the front seat and slammed the door shut.

"Have those kids hurt you before?" She asked, trying to be as gentle as possible.

She looked at him through the rearview mirror and he nodded silently.

She sighed, "You should've told me or your mom, Kuni."

"I did tell Mom," he murmured.

"You did...?" She suddenly cleared her throat. "Well, I'll have a talk with her about that. For now, though, how about we get some ice cream? I'll fix up your scrapes with my med-kit when we get there."

"Okay!"

She knew how to make children happy. She devoted a significant amount of time to Kunikuzushi because she knew he deserved it and if no one gave him love, he would turn out as cruel as his mother. So, she did her best.

She gave him notes with his school lunches, saying things like 'don't let anyone bother you, you're plenty better than them <3' or something as simple as 'I love you'. 

She wasn't sure when her sister became such a harsh person, but she knew it had something to do with childhood trauma, and Makoto attempted convincing Ei to attend therapy or to try  medicine. Unfortunately, Ei rejected all possibilities of her getting better, and instead settled on making her son miserable.

This put a strain on their relationship, but they still cared for each other.

Makoto was required to guard the shop she worked at one night, since their nighttime employee called out sick. Of course, she happily accepted, hoping it would gain her points for a promotion. She smiled as she gazed at the flowers on display in the windows, though shadows creeped into most of them because of the dim lighting.

There was only ten minutes until her replacement would arrive, and she was exhausted. Though, something stole her attention before she could even think of what she'd do when she returned home. She furrowed her brows as a child approached the glass doors and tried pulling on the handles to no avail. Instead, he resorted to knocking on the glass. No words left his mouth.

At closer inspection, she realized he was covered in blood and gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth. She was slightly suspicious, since she couldn't identify any evident wounds on him, but she considered it to be the poor lighting. After all, with that much blood spilling out of him, he would've died if she didn't do something.

She leaped out of her chair and rushed to grab her med kit from the desk drawer. Once it was in her hand, she dashed to the doors and unlocked them, the keys jangling in her hands. She pushed it open and tried taking his hand to pull him inside, but he resisted.

"I don't wanna go in there," he said quietly.

"O-Okay! Okay," she nodded, letting the doors close behind her as she crouched down in front of him. "Where are you hurt? What happened?"

"...I'm sorry..."

"Wha-?"

She suddenly yelped from pain as a large object was rammed into her head from the side. She cried and a sudden pounding erupted in her brain. She was knocked onto the ground, but she tried standing up. However, just as she reached her knees, someone kicked her back down from behind. Her vision was phasing in and out while she rooted her palms to the ground and lifted her torso up. She couldn't hear anything.

She hastily climbed to her feet, though her legs might as well have been broken with how disoriented she was. However, through the midsts of her dizzy, fading vision, she could see where her assailant was, so she scurried in the opposite direction.

She kicked off her heels after nearly tripping and continued down the path to hopeful safety. She could hear footsteps echoing behind her, causing her to speed up. She accidentally misstepped and rolled her ankle, causing a sharp scream to break from her lips. Still, she ran clumsily, as fast as possible.

She wailed as her feet slammed into the sidewalk, pushing her forward to who-knows-where. She couldn't even tell which direction she headed in.

Thoughts of Kunikuzushi and Ei flashed through her mind like beams of light, showing her the way out. She was a determined woman, ready to find herself in a perfectly protected hospital room with her sister and nephew beside her.

"I love you!" She cried, though her voice was incoherent and it scratched her throat severely.

She could feel herself growing closer as her attacker's footsteps appeared nearer, threatening to take her life if she wasn't quick enough. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her lips spread apart while she gritted her teeth.

The streetlights flickered and all of a sudden, everything went black.

She couldn't see anymore. She couldn't hear anymore. She couldn't feel anymore.

She wasn't there anymore.

A ten year old Kunikuzushi stared out over the crowds of people who intended to mourn his aunt's death, and all the words he intended to say got caught in his throat, choking him half to death. He looked down at the pedestal, at the paper he wrote, but he could barely say the first word.

"My aunt... She..." His voice broke only three words in, and after parting his lips for an eternity to try expressing what he wanted to, he gave up and stormed out of the room. He ran through a random door and ended up in an empty hallway of the church. His back impacted the wall and he slowly dropped to the floor as the tears finally escaped his eyes.

He looked down at the paper, now crumpled in his hand, and carefully unfolded it. Each crease became a stain on his heart as he realized he'd damaged the final words he wanted to share about the aunt who had practically become his mother.

Auntie Makoto knew how to make kids happy. She was the one who brang everyone together, no matter how much they hated each other, and I really liked her for that. Part of me wanted to be like her, but I know I never can. No one can be like her, even if she had kids of her own, like she always wanted to. She told me a bunch of stuff about what she would do with them once she got them, and talking about it made her really happy. I don't know what happened to her, but I know she's probably with the stars now, and I hope she can find happiness there, too.

Auntie Makoto saved me, but I don't know if I'll be okay anymore now that she's not here. It's hard to think about.

Auntie Makoto isn't here anymore.