~Anora~
"What did Shino say?" I asked Kaoru; he had been texting on his phone, and I knew exactly who he was talking to. But, that was fine. I wanted to know as well.
"He says he's fine," Kaoru answered.
I sighed. What Shino said and how he really felt were two totally different things. He would never admit he felt like crap. He was much too proud. No, pride had nothing to do with it. He was trying to keep strong. Then, rest of us could be strong, too. He was a great leader.
I exchanged glances with Arashi, and it seemed he felt the same way as I did, but we chose to stay quiet about the matter. No sense in scaring Kaoru. He had enough to worry about.
"Well, that's good to hear," I smiled, eating a french fry.
~Aaralyn~
"I think Shino's back!" Kai cried out, running out of my arms and heading to the door of our room.
I chuckled, "Wait, Kai!" I called after him, wanting just as much to run. As we neared the door, I heard his mom cry out. It was as though she was scared, mad, and worried all at the same time. Was it Shino? Worried, I whipped open the door. Please let him be ok.
My eyes widened at the sight before me. Shino was covered in bruises. His face wasn't nearly as bad as him arms, and I was sure that his chest and stomach would be even worse. "W-what happened to you?" I asked, fear rising in my chest. Just who was this head of the household? My hand on Kai's shoulder tightened.
Shino smiled. "Nothin really. Just some bruises." How could he be smiling? No one could want to be smiling after getting the sh*t beat out of them. How could he just rub it off as nothing?
Shino's mom was angry, and tears were forming in her eyes. This happened often? "Stop defending him!!" Shino looked down. "Why do you use yourself as a shield?! There are 13 of you! Why are you always the one to open your mouth?!"
Shino rubbed the back of his head. "Just masochistic I guess." He chucked and headed to the fridge. This wasn't funny. How could he do this?
"Keep joking Shino...it's all fun until he seriously hurts you. He's just like Akito-San was."
Shino shrugged. "He's not that bad. He hasn't stabbed any of us or blinded one of us or pushed any of us out a window..."
She stomped away. Shino walked over to the stove. "Guess I'll finish this.." He smiled at me. "Sorry you had to see that."
I turned away, opening the door to Kai and I's bedroom. "Kai, can you please stay in here for awhile. Play with some of your toys, huh?" I suggested gently. Kai nodded, understanding what I wasn't telling him. I closed the door behind me and went and stood next to Shino.
"You're mom's right," I said, not looking up at him.
He turned and looked down at me. "About what?" he asked.
"The part where he might eventually seriously hurt you," I replied. Shino was about to argue, but I put a finger to his lips. "I've seen it. One day he's going to go too far and hurt you badly. He might not even mean to, but it'll happen."
"You are blowing this out of proportion. It's really not as bad as it looks," Shino smiled down at me.
"Stop it!" I cried out, and he jumped in surprise. I took a deep breath. and grabbed his shirt, lifting up the shirt and exposing his stomach. There were bigger bruises and welts there. "It hurts, doesn't it."
Shino stood there, staring at me. I wondered what he thought of me. "It could be worse."
Suddenly, realization hit me. "What is he going to do to you if he finds out Kai and I are here?" I gasped. "I'm sorry, Shino, but Kai and I should leave. We can find some place else to go. I don't want to burden you or your family. If this guy finds out, and he hurts you, I will never be able to forgive myself!" Tears were forming in my eyes. He was one of the first people to show me such kindness. I couldn't stand the thought of being the reason of Shino getting beaten. Kai took beatings because of me. I wasn't going to let that happen to someone else, too.
