Dancing in a Cage (Mafia!Brothers and Sister!Reader)

Chapter 12

I hadn't heard anything from my brothers since Karamatsu's text, and that was almost two weeks ago. The bruises that Atsushi had left were finally starting to fade and the scratches had fully healed a few days ago, and I was mercifully left alone. I buried myself in playing my violin for as long as I could, even pushing myself into fatigue.

I didn't want to think about anything.

The Gala was scheduled for tonight, and I was to escort Atsushi to it and be a decorative piece. I knew how to do it well enough. I was more excited to see my brothers again, and kept sending texts to their numbers throughout the days leading up to the Gala but didn't get anything in reply. It made me a little sad, but I thought that if they were going to attend, they probably needed to finish up any kind of business that could interfere with it.

"Mr. Kanemochi will be expecting you in the main lobby by 3:00p. Will you require my services to be ready?" Aya asked from the doorway as I lounged in one of the sitting chairs with my phone in my hands.

"No, I will not, but thank you," I looked up and gave a small smile. Aya bowed and left the doorway, disappearing behind the door she closed. I waited a moment before letting out a heavy sigh, tilting my head back and looking at the ceiling. I could sit here in silence for the last two hours, but I felt the need to move around and do something. Grabbing my violin case, I quietly moved towards the music room and settled into the room. There had been several househands bustling about, cleaning and dusting the major rooms, doing their assigned chores and not paying attention to what I was doing.

Lifting the violin out of its case, I took a studied look at it and noticed the obvious signs of wear and tear from constant use. The body under the chin piece was faded from use, the bridge was starting to show a crack that would need to be repaired soon, the pegbox itself was in need of tightening, and there were scuffs and marks under the strings where I placed my bow. It was an old oak-stained violin, but I wouldn't replace it no matter the offer. Making a mental note to find a luthier in the nearby vicinity, I brought the bow to the strings and began to play after a quick string tune.

I didn't play any specific song, just letting my fingers designate any notes they wanted, playing on auto-pilot and ignoring any sharps or flats that didn't sound correct. I lost myself in my thoughts as the music continued, beginning to think of what could happen at the Gala, who I'd meet and what I'd have to say in order to make Atsushi look like a good person in the public eye. Thinking of my brothers, I felt my thoughts waver.

What would they think or say when they saw me in that revealing yellow dress? Why were they so quiet and not responding to my texts? What was going on with my family? I suddenly stopped playing when I felt a slight throb from the gunshot wound in my leg, the fresh surgical scar like a white line against my skin.

They weren't killed by Atsushi -- were they?

I pushed the dark thoughts out of my head and turned to look at the clock on the wall, showing that it was 2:49p.

"Ah, shoot!" I rushed to put the violin back in the case, mentally apologizing to it as I hustled back to my room and began to take off most of my clothing. I remembered that Atsushi demanded that I wear nothing underneath, but I gave the memory a middle finger and grabbed the non-slip covers from my dresser, applying them before sliding into the yellow maxi-style dress again. Giving a quick look in the mirror, I applied a small amount of red lip gloss and brushed my hair out before tucking the locket underneath the neckline of the dress and fastening the sash around my waist. Slipping on the thick black kitten heels, I grabbed the cat mask I had gone in once before.

Despite being sized for a child, it still fit the frame of my face. The dyed leatherwork of the mask was still crisp and brand new, remaining firm as I slid it on to test the size while walking towards the lobby. The stretched leather of the ears curved upwards before bending downwards toward the mask to give them a more pointed look. The black and silver coloring didn't clash with the bright yellow dress, the silver lacing trimmed around every edge still sparkling with color. As I took it off, I recognized Atsushi waiting in the lobby talking to two butlers, and calmly walked up to him and waited in silence.