Falling to Darkness

IX

Okay... I wasn't quite sure where to go with this chapter, so it'll be pretty short, I think.

Again, I'm sort of... just winging it at this point. I never really WAS the kind of girl to stick solidly to a specific plot/storyline. XD

Also... I'm not too good with scenes that take place at school, due to the fact that I'm an awkward outcast in social situations, therefore having little to no experience to write on what would happen in certain situations, and well... I have pretty much NO knowledge on how Japanese schools function. XD

So, please excuse my derp-ness. I'm gonna try my best to ignore at-school scenes, unless absolutely necessary to the plot XD

Enjoy! And thank you for all the support!

o.o.o.o.o

When Heba awoke the next morning, his thoughts were instantly swamped with memories of the previous night, filled with guilt and fear and unbridled anger. He recalled nothing more than yelling at his father, before hugging his body to a pillow for dear life, and crying his heart out. In fact, as he blinked, his eyes were unbelievably dry, itchy, and irritated. His cheeks were sticky with leftover tears.

Blinking more, Heba's tear ducts sprang into life once more, eagerly soothing and burning his eyes with protective moisture, making them water mildly. Wiping away the excess on his lashes with a fist tiredly, he glanced to his alarm clock. Confusion filled him.

Taped over florescent, red numbers, was a bit of paper, with a note scribbled over it.

"I called the school, told them you were out sick. Had to go to work. Be back around later tonight.

-Dad"

The thirteen-year-old couldn't help but smile, eternally grateful for the day off. Heba wasn't sure how he'd react, having to see his big brother during school.

Probably end up yelling at him or crying, if he was completely honest with himself.

But, what else was to be expected? Last night, he had found out that...

Tears pooled anew in dark blue gems.

Nii-chan...

He sighed heavily, breath trembling a little, before sweeping his legs off the bed, to dangle over the floor. He yawned again, small and quiet, rubbing at his sleep-crusted eyes with the heel of one hand. His clothes - which were still consisting of his school uniform, as he hadn't changed the night before - were badly wrinkled and twisted over his slight frame, contorted with the thrashings of what was an obviously-restless night. Heba exhaled again, and quickly unfastened his navy jacket, allowing the cloth to fall away from his shoulders, before tossing the garment, uncaring, to the floor. He sat there for a moment, simply staring off into space.

What was he to do now? He was staying home from school that day, and had already finished his homework from the day previous. There were no chores to do. No friends to hang out with until later that afternoon, and he wasn't exactly one for watching television. His mind was plagued with thoughts of his older brother, who apparently was suicidal. Maybe even a self-mutilator, on top of that. Looking back at the long sleeves, and how his brother's posture had almost anxiously kept his arms drawn in, as if to protect them, Heba's eyes widened as he realized it was more than likely. He felt another wave of tears try to break past his eyelids, but refused to cry again, biting his lip in order to hold the tears at bay. If only for a moment. His thoughts took an unexpectedly dark turn.

If Yuugi was, indeed, someone who harmed themselves... why would he do it? What on Earth could cause enough anguish to drive a man to hurting himself as an escape? Any method of it - cutting, burning, starvation - it just sounded unpleasant, to put lightly. Was there some kind of thrill to it? An adrenaline rush? Or, maybe, a specific way to do it that didn't cause as much pain?