DARK RED [ITADORI Y.]

―XLII. THE SAME

CHAPTER XLII. YOU JUST DON'T SEEM THE SAME ANYMORE.

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Have you ever been to a place that just feels like heaven to you? A place where, no matter what could be happening outside or in your head or to your body, when you just walked inside, it was like all of that just disappeared? A place where you knew everything would be okay, and you'd have nothing to worry about?

I remember coming home after an extraordinarily long day at school, especially right after exams, and just feeling at ease. I'd walk into the living room and be greeted by my parents, who were always happy to see me. I'd curl up on the couch next to my mom or dad and complain to them about how horrible my day was, and we'd always do something to cheer me up. Sometimes, if my grandfather was around, he and I would sneak off and get slushies from the gas station around the corner.

I wish this was one of those days. Where I was coming home after taking a shit ton of exams and when I could just flop on the couch and watch TV until I felt like doing something. When the only trouble I was in was with my teachers because my grades were shitty.

The exhaustion I felt was unreal when I stepped into my house. The smell of cinnamon wafted toward me, telling me that my mother had just finished cleaning. When I walked into the living room, I saw all of my siblings, my parents, and my grandfather, all together, watching a movie.

The guilt hit me like a train. My grandfather had been sick. I hadn't even called to check up on him. I didn't even go visit him to see if he was alright like he'd done for me.

"Onee-san!"

Kinan's chirping voice made everyone look over at me. And as if I was back in middle school, clutching my backpack, my lips wobbly and eyes filled with tears because I'd lost yet another friend, I could see the pity that flooded their faces. And just like then, I felt my throat close up and my ability to speak was stolen from me. My eyes stung with tears and my breathing turned shaky.

My dad sprung up and caught me before I fell to the ground fully. He held me up as I wrapped my arms around him, a sob breaking over my lips. He pulled me up, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I felt another pair of arms wrap around me and recognized my mom's perfume.

"What's the matter?" My dad asked, his voice flooded with concern. His hand was on the back of my head. "Y/n?"

I couldn't speak. The only thing I could do was cling to him and cry. I was crying so hard that my dad pulled me toward the sink in the kitchen, and my mom was placing a damp rag over the back of my neck. My left hand was in my mom's, and my right was in my dad's, and my head hung over the sink as they tried to calm me down.

"Shh, it's alright," My mom soothed, brushing strands of my hair away from my eyes. "You're alright, sweetheart."

That night, once I had calmed down a bit, I ended up sleeping with my parents. Despite the fact that I was almost seventeen years old, they still let me curl up between them on their bed. My mom held me in her arms, and my dad turned on cartoons I used to watch as a kid.

This, I told myself, was home.

...

The next day, I was a lot calmer. I shuffled into the kitchen after waking up, still wrapped in one of my parents' blankets. My mom was setting plates down on the table when I walked in, and she paused to greet me with a smile.

"Did you sleep well, Y/n?" She asked.

"Yeah," I walked toward the counter. "I'm sorry. About last night. I just—"

"Don't apologize for having emotions," She turned her head to look at me. "You're exhausted, Y/n. I can see it in your face. You're homesick. I don't care what that school of yours says. If you ever need to come home, I'll be there to pick you up."

"I'm tired, Mom," I whispered.

"I know, baby," She cupped my face in her hands. "It's gonna be alright. Just rest as much as you need."

"Onee-san!"

I glanced over just in enough time to see Kinan running toward me. I caught him when he jumped up, bringing him into my arms. He wrapped his arms around my neck, burying his face into my shoulder.

"I missed you," He mumbled.

"I missed you too," I wrapped my arms around him tighter.

"Kinan, buddy, leave Y/n alone," Makio shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. She plucked him from my arms, tossing him over her shoulder.

"But Nee-san!" He whined.

"You can play with her later," She yawned. "You need to go brush your teeth."

We all turned our heads when we heard a knock on the front door. I saw my dad walk past and just shrugged it off.

"Are you okay, Y/n?" My mom asked. "You just don't seem the same anymore."

You know, if anyone else would have asked me that, I would have brushed it off. But when my mom asked it? It felt like a stab in the heart. However, before I could answer her, my dad was calling my name.

"There's someone here to see you,"

My thoughts drifted toward Yuuji or my other classmates. Maybe even Gojo. So I tossed the blanket on a chair and left the kitchen, pausing in the hallway.

However, who I found standing in the hall was neither Yuuji nor Gojo. It wasn't even Nobara or Megumi.

Instantly, I was overcome with dread. My heart sunk into the pits of my stomach and made it churn and twist. I became paralyzed in the place I stood, the menacing aura that circled the room holding me in a tightening grip. Fear became a tangible, living force that crept over me like some starving beast, immobilizing me, and holding me captive. The only thing I could hear was my own pulse in my ears, everything else was drowned out. Terror sucked the breath from my lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

A rush of cold embalmed me as the hairs on the back of my neck and along my arms raised, my mouth running dry. I could no longer control my hands, as they shook in an odd trembling rhythm. I could feel the flight response in my brain kick in, increasing my heart rate, and adrenaline flooding my veins. Every muscle in my body was screaming at me to move, to shift, to do anything. But while I was under his rendering gaze, I was frozen.

He merely grinned, amused by what only his presence did to me. He chuckled, and it made bile rise into the back of my throat. I had to force it down, despite how closed my throat felt.

"Y/n, is something wrong?"

I was snapped out of a daze by my father's voice. I turned my head to look at him, watching as his eyebrows furrowed together with concern. I could only imagine the pure terror across my face. Then, it struck me.

My family was here.

I flicked my gaze back to him, and he smirked smugly.

"Did you miss me, Y/n?"

[Chapter XLII. End]
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