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Chapter 6—Siege of Gold
part I.2
(the continuation of Chapter 6 — Siege of Gold part 1)
Do I really need to continue this?
She glanced at her own reflection. The white fabrics wrapped around her head. Clinging like it will not go away, just like a flea on your head.
A sigh.
She knows that it was pointless to giving up.
But thinking that she might had the chance. The thing on her hand.
Drugs.
Knife.
Rope.
Alcohol.
Cigarettes.
Can you really call a kid innocent if they already have those things on their hands?
No.
Not now.
It is funny to see someone thought they could survive in a world that slowly crushing them. In and out. No escape once you fall in.
Kazuna gripped on the sink tightly, her knuckles began to turn white slowly. Teeth gritted hard.
Her own eyes stared in that questioning black.
Hollow. Tired.
But still there, at least. Even though she's barely holding on.
At least she has the chance to show that she's here, existing.
"Kazuna?" A sudden call. "You'll be late—"
She blinked. The sink was still under her hands. And as she raise her head, the reflection was still staring back.
Right into her soul.
"...Coming—"
Kazuna quickly snapped back into her sanity. Right. There's no time to think about that. As long as she keeps playing the act as a student—anything will be fine... right?
She had prepared herself and the things she needed. She'd even take her time to study a little, just in case if there will be a sudden test.
Now she's wearing her shoes right before she leaves. The blood was still there. Evidence. Maybe after school she will clean it up...
As she stands, she thought she'll just go and leave. Thinking the argument was over.
She was wrong.
Her mom already waiting behind her.
"I'm walking you to school."
Kazuna looked around. Her mother stood by the genkan with her coat already on, house keys in hand, that particular expression on her face—the one that said this is not a discussion.
"I'll be fine—"
"You just fell into a river," Her mother's voice was calm, but firm. "And, you still have a bandage on your forehead, then you want me to let you walk alone?"
"What about dad and brothe—"
"Don't worry, they'll be fine, mom already told dad about it." Her mother cutting her words.
She widened her eyes. "Mom told dad—about it...?"
"About mom will walk Kazuna to school today,"
Kazuna felt relieved, opened her mouth. Closed it.
It was a close call.
"That's what I thought, now come on—before you late." Her mother nodded once, satisfied, then opened the front door quickly.
The morning light spilled in, softer than before—the golden hour had faded into something gentler, more ordinary. But the feeling remain the same.
The kind of feeling that she couldn't quite explain.
They walked in silence for the first block.
Kazuna kept her eyes on the pavement, watching her shadow stretch and shrink. Her schoolbag felt heavier than usual. Or maybe she was just more tired than she wanted to admit.
Of course, she only got sleep for a couple hours.
Then beside her, her mother matched her pace exactly. Not rushing. Not slowing either. Just... there. Accompanying.
Kazuna wasn't used to this.
Not the walking together part—they'd done that before, when she was younger. But the quiet between them. Usually, her mither filled the silence with questions.
Are you sleeping enough? Have you did your homework? How was school? Did you eat lunch?
But today, she just walked.
And somehow, the silence was louder than any question.
Finally, Kazuna couldn't resist it anymore. "...You're not going to ask?"
Her mother glanced at her. "Ask... what?"
"What happened. Really."
A pause. Even though they're still walking. A car passed on the road behind them, the sound fading as quickly as it came.
Not going to lie, Kazuna almost distracted.
"Do you want to tell me?"
Kazuna's fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. She stared straight ahead, at the intersection coming up, at the convenience store on the corner, at anything that wasn't her mother's face.
A sharp sigh.
"...No—"
Her mother nodded. Not disappointed, neither frustrated. Just... accepting.
"Then I won't ask."
The time still moving on as they walk. They crossed the street together. Staying on the sidewalk. The society had woken up. Starting the day like it was just another day.
"You don't have to face it all alone," her mother added quietly, "When you're ready—I'll listen."
That's the nicest thing everyone had said to her, something that could prove that someone is really care about her.
But Kazuna didn't respond. She couldn't. Her throat felt too full.
They walked another block in silence. But it was a different kind of silence now. Less heavy. More like... breathing room. And she's glad about it.
Her mother stopped first.
They were at the corner before the school gate. Other students were starting to appear—some walking alone, some in small clusters, all of them in the same uniform. Normal. Ordinary.
Like there's no chaos happened. Just—quiet.
"I'll leave you here," her mother said. "Is it okay?"
Kazuna turned to look at her. Nodded. Small. And that's enough.
Her mother smiled—small, but real. "Alright, take care—okay?"
But before she could turn away, her mother reached out and adjusted the collar of her uniform. A small gesture. Unhurried.
"Make a call if there's something happened, let me know, got it?"
Her mother's hand lingered for a moment. Then she stepped back.
"Go," she said softly. "Before you're late."
Kazuna nodded. She took two steps, then stopped.
"...Mom?" She turned around for once more.
"Yes?"
She hesitated. Didn't know why. But she got to say it, better than say nothing at all.
"...Thank you. For walking me."
Her mother was quiet for a moment. Then,
"Always."
Kazuna almost smiled. Almost.
But she turned around quickly. Lighter on her shoulders. Kazuna walked toward the school gate. She didn't look back. No need.
Because she felt her mother's gaze on her back until she reached the entrance—warm, steady, waiting. It felt like watching your own daughter getting so much grown up quickly. Even though they're not blood related.
As she walked, she could feel the eyes staring at her. The bandage. It was annoying how it stood out so clearly.
Eyes. Whispers. As if she's the whole attention of the whole school.
It creeps her out, like there's something crawling on her back.
And it could make her die if she didn't run from there.
She quickened her pace, doesn't care if it's gonna hurt her head. It feels like her life is in danger.
As she finally get in, she swapped her shoes. Put them in the locker. And run again—to her class.
Kazuna swiftly dodges everyone in the hallway. There's no point of stopping. Because those eyes still pointed at her.
She kept her head down, hair falling over the bandage on her forehead. Hoping that no one would look at her face at this point.
Finally. Her class.
She slammed the door open, almost. Then goes to her desk like usual. Put her bag on the side and letting herself to sit down.
Gasping for air. Her head throbbed like it had been shot by a gun.
The room buzzed from the students talking about everything. It was normal, like usual. A chaos in the morning before the class even started. The students shuffling papers, whispering across desks, someone at the back laughing too loud.
She just need peace for now.
Please.
But it was already pointless to even have a hope when she first landed her foot here.
The students were scattered everywhere. Talks. Laughs. Footsteps. And weirdly, every sound that they make feels grew louder and louder.
The thing is, she couldn't try to ignore all of that voice. She can't. She doesn't know how. She got distracted easily. Maybe that's why.
And, no one looked at her. Yet.
Or maybe they did, she just didn't notice.
Because that is true.
Then—
BZZT. BZZT
It sounds like a phone vibrating against a desk. Itsuki's. His desk not too far away from her rows. Violent.
Kazuna didn't look around. She didn't want to. She couldn't even calm herself right now.
But everyone could notice easily of the sound that he's making while typing. Fast. Desperate. His thumbs hammered the keyboard like he was defusing a bomb.
Meanwhile, a message appeared on Riku's phone while he was walking to his own classroom.
[come to my class, now.]
[pls askjshsj]
[@$^&%*!]
Riku that was in the hallway, stared at the screen for half a second.
Then he ran.
——————————————————————————
In the middle of the noisy—her mind started to feel calm like the water.
She let herself drifted away into the deep of the ocean of peaceful mind.
But then.
The door slammed open so hard it bounced off the wall.
Every head turned.
Riku. Stood in the doorway, chest heaving, eyes wild, scanning the room for—something. A threat. Blood. His brother on the floor. Or anything.
But instead, he saw Itsuki sitting at his desk. Unharmed. Confused by his own brother's reaction.
"...Brother?" Itsuki tilted his head. "A- are you okay?"
Riku didn't answer right away. He could feel his heart almost dropped at any time.
"You think I'm okay after you send me that?"
Itsuki chuckles awkwardly. "Oh—well, uhm... I'm sorry..."
The older brother just nod slowly while trying to catch some air. But his gaze turned on the familiar girl two rows over.
Kazuna.
Sitting at her desk. Bandage still on her forehead. Alive.
His breathing slowly steadied. Moving forward.
"Inoue...?"
Riku. She doesn't even realize that he was already standing in front of her all this time. Almost flinched for a second.
Kazuna looked up, expression unreadable. "...Yeah—"
"Aren't you supposed to be at home now?"
She shakes her head, "I wanted to come."
Behind Riku, another figure also appeared in the doorway.
Tanaka. Also out of breath. Scanning the room. Then, eyes found Kazuna—who isn't supposed to be here, and something flickered across his face—relief, frustration, and something else he couldn't name.
"You," Tanaka firmly calls out.
Kazuna sighed. "Me."
He stepped into the classroom, ignoring the stares from every student around him. "You just got hit with a metal bat. And now you're here?"
"I have exams. And anyway, could you try not to sound so obvious?"
"That's not—" He stopped. Ran a hand through his hair. "You're crazy."
Riku crossed his arms, still standing in the doorway like a guard who forgot he wasn't on duty. "Does your mom know you're here?"
Kazuna hesitated. Just a fraction of a second.
"She walked me to school." She shrugged her shoulders.
That wasn't a yes. Riku noticed. Tanaka noticed. Itsuki noticed too.
But before either of them could push further, Kazuna gestured vaguely at the room around them. "Also—you're both seniors. In a junior classroom,"
True.
"People are staring." she darted.
Whispers had already started. Students leaned toward each other, eyes darting between the two older boys.
But they also whispering to the girl with the bandage on her head.
"Isn't that senior Tanaka...?"
"And Riku too—what are they doing here?"
"Why are they talking to her?"
"The weird kid?"
A girl in the front row tugged at her friend's sleeve, voice barely concealed. "Since when is Inoue friends with them?"
Kazuna kept her face neutral. But she couldn't help her fingers tightened around the edge of her desk.
"So, you guys seemed pretty popular—huh?" She said sarcastically.
Tanaka smirked. That damn smirk.
"Heh... what now—you want our photogra—"
Riku nudge his stomach by the elbow. Shut it.
Ouch. That must be hurt.
Tanaka stepped back, raising his hands like he meant no harm. "Fine, fine. We're leaving."
"Good," Kazuna said.
Riku grabbed Tanaka by the shoulder, already pulling him toward the door. "We'll talk later," he said, glancing back at Kazuna.
"Don't do anything stupid." Tanaka said, almost like a threat.
Kazuna tilted her head. "Define stupid."
"Anything you would normally do."
She rolls her eyes.
The door closed behind them, but the whispers didn't stop.
Kazuna stared straight ahead at the chalkboard, ignoning the eyes on her back.
While the boy widened his eyes and raise his eyebrows like it was a tragic event. Well it is... they did had faced a tragic event.
Kazuna noticed that, "I'm fine, don't worry about me."
"No—look at your head, it looks like it would blow up in any second...!"
"Don't make it dramatic, just keep it hush." She clicked her tongue.
——————————————————————————
It was finally lunchtime.
For this time, she decides to spend the time on the school yard. Not noisy, not quiet either.
Kazuna sat with her back against the fence, bento box balanced on her knees that her mother prepared for her. The bandage on her forehead itched in the afternoon sun, but at least there's a tree that makes shade above her.
Thankfully, there's no people around her. Well they are, but not close.
So no whispers. No eyes crawling on her back.
Just the wind. The sky. The tree—and the distant sound of the city breathing.
Just as she thought she would be alone along the lunchtime.
Itsuki.
He noticed that Kazuna eats alone.
"...H- hey." He calls as he approach.
Kazuna raise her head. "Oh, hey."
"Can I sit here?"
She just nod.
Itsuki sat beside her. Not too far. Not touching. Just quite. He crossed his leg, unwrapping a tin foil bundle with careful hands. "Riku made a little too this morning," he said, holding out a half a sandwich. "Want some?"
Kazuna looked at it. Egg salad. Simple. The bread slightly squished from being in his bag.
"...Sure."
She took it. Took a bite.
It was good. Really good. But she didn't say anything.
She wonders how Riku can make such a good meal...
They both ate in silence for a while. Not the heavy kind. Just two tired kids chewing their own lunch.
Thank God it wasn't awkward. Maybe she need to say thank you for the wind and the nature sound to help it doesn't feel like that.
It doesn't take too long for them to finish their lunch.
Then Itsuki shifted, reaching for his bag. "Oh, I almost forgot—"
Something fell out of his pocket.
A small charm. Leather cord. A single silver bead.
Kazuna's eyes caught it before it hit the ground.
Familiar.
Itsuki picked it up quickly, brushing off the dust. "Sorry—it's just fell like that,"
Kazuna stared at the bead.
Do I have seen it before?
"Itsuki."
He blinked. "Yeah?"
"Can I... see that?"
He hesitated for a second, then handed it over. His fingers were warm. And the charm was oddly cold.
"...It's a good luck charm, they said," He scratched his head. "My brother gave it to me years ago."
She turned it over in her palm. The silver bead wasn't just a bead. It had a symbol carved into it. Small. Almost invisible unless you were looking.
A deer.
Antlers curled into a circle.
Her thumb traced the shape without thinking. The world around her fuzzed—just for a second. The wind stopped. The city went quiet.
Then, everything snapped back.
Kazuna's hand was shaking.
"Itsuki," She said again, voice lower now. "Where did your brother really get this?"
Itsuki's face paled. "I... I don't know. He just said someone gave it to him a long time ago. Why?"
She didn't answer.
Because she didn't have one.
But there's something was scratching at the back of her mind.
Something she couldn't quite explain.
Snow.
Wait, snow what?
Kazuna tilted her head, just slightly. There's a memory that wasn't hers. Warm eyes watching her through glass.
A deer.
Deer? Why a deer?
No. This doesn't make sense...
"Inoue? Are you okay?"
She snapped back to her sense. "Wha—I'm fine..."
"I think you're not—"
"I'm fine. Really."
Itsuki was unsure about it. But he didn't ask further.
While her mind feels like spinning over the world. Her head becomes a lot painful now.
The charm. That symbol... where?
Then.
A necklace.
Right—she had a necklace.
She took it out quickly. Taking it off from her neck.
Then. Side by side.
The bead. Both beads are exactly the same.
"Itsuki," She calls once more.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know where's your brother right now?"