446Once I Fell
Akiko
"You're too young to go in."
The hulking bouncer who blocked Akiko's path folded his arms and stared her down. Behind him, a couple of patrons filed out of the Japanese-American nightclub.
He was mildly good-looking, she'd give him that. With his sculpted cheeks and sinewy arms, he was wonderful eye candy for the average girl. But right now she had something important to do and he was in her way.
"I need to get to my father," she said.
His booming laughter rose above the pulsing dance music. "That's what they all say." He narrowed his eyes. "Get out, or I'll throw you out myself."
She lifted her chin defiantly. "I'm not going home without my father – "
"Akiko-chan!"
Both heads whipped toward the man who'd shouted her name. He was a drunk old thing – short and bald, his face flushed from drinking shots. He jumped up and down, waving at his daughter excitedly. Akiko sighed. Not again.
He vomited, giggling before slipping on his mess and falling face-flat on the ground.
Akiko's nails cut into her palms. She forced herself to act normal and bared a sweet smile at the bouncer. "Can I pick up my father now?"
His expression was unreadable as he regarded her. She felt his gaze burn into the back of her neck as she went over to her father and, grunting with great effort, heaved him to his feet and looped his arm around her shoulder for support. As they stumbled to the exit, the bouncer blocked their way once again.
"What now?" Akiko gritted through her teeth. She wouldn't be able to hold up her father for much longer – he was too heavy. Why was that insufferable man being such a nuisance?
"You're too young to drive," he said.
She almost screamed with frustration. "I'm not driving a car!"
"Then how are you getting home?"
She paused and considered him. "It's a ten-minute walk back home."
"I can drive you there. My shift ends in five minutes."
Akiko bit her lip to keep from smiling. "And why are you doing this?"
His teeth gleamed white in the darkness. "What can I say? I'm a good Samaritan."
Her father moaned and she pressed her lips against his forehead, murmuring consolation in his ears. She turned back to the bouncer, rubbed her dirty hand against her jeans and offered it to the bouncer.
"I'm Akiko."
His big hand closed over hers like a vice.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hinamoto."
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Shit. Somebody call the cops!
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"I met this girl called Delaney at school today. And her gay friend Derrick. I think we'll become good friends." Akiko smiled. "Sophomore year should be fun."
"As long as I'm still the most important person in your life," Hinamoto growled huskily. His mouth found the shell of her ear and she sighed blissfully. He sucked on it and licked it lasciviously, luxuriously.
"You'll always be important to me," she whispered. She glanced at him from beneath her lashes. "I love you."
He threaded his hand through her hair and leaned in so close their noses were almost touching. "I love you too," Hinamoto said. He watched her closely and she felt the heavy weight of his scrutiny. "Introduce me to your friends someday."
"Of course," Akiko mumbled. Her eyelids slid shut and she leaned into him, breathing him in. He looked and smelled beautiful.
Her eyes snapped open in alarm when he grabbed her chin and jerked it up. His black eyes bore into her face.
"Are you listening to me? I mean it. I want to see what your friends are like." His face softened when he registered her shocked expression. "I only want to make sure they won't be a bad influence on you. Your father isn't exactly reliable, so I want to take on the role of your father and your boyfriend. I just want to look out for you."
Akiko had stilled at the mention of her father but her face lightened up a bit when he finished speaking. His gentle words caused her heart to swell with so much joy she didn't think her tiny body could contain it.
Hinamoto would always be there for her, taking care of her. With him, she would not be protecting, but protected. With him, all her burdens were lifted from her small bony shoulders.
She smiled at the thought and kissed him.
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A five-inch laceration on her forehead… Serious concussion… Contusions all over her body… Nose… ribs… Get Doctor Kowalski – prepare for surgery immediately!
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Two months had passed since they first started going out. The water poured from the showerhead unrelentingly, the tiny needles dived at her skin and splashed.
The water prickled her eyes. She clumsily squeezed some cheap shampoo onto her palms and lathered it over her hair.
Her hair would be perfect tonight. As smooth as the finest of silk.
She scrubbed herself furiously from head to toe.
Her body would be perfect tonight. As pleasant to touch as quality velvet.
She stepped out of the shower and padded along the broken tiles of the motel bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror and rubbed the steam away, gazing at her reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face pale. She pinched her cheeks to give it a bit more color. Then, she slipped into a bathrobe and opened the door.
"You certainly took your time."
Akiko touched a strand of wet hair self-consciously. "I wanted to look perfect for my first time," she said quietly. She took a small step toward him and met his eyes. His gaze roamed over her body, from the plunging neckline of her bathrobe to her exposed thighs.
"You look perfect," he said, lips curling. Hinamoto reached out to her and tugged at the bathrobe. It glided off her body and fluttered to the floor.
His eyes swallowed her whole and she blushed under his scrutiny. She laced her fingers and gazed at the floor as he slowly undressed before her.
"I'll be gentle, my sweet."
He lied.
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You gotta be strong, sweetheart. Hang in there!
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He was screaming things at her, but she couldn't hear anything except the roaring silence that flooded her ears. She tried to straighten her spine against the chair, and dizziness washed over her. The world spun.
Akiko thought she tasted blood in her mouth, but she couldn't be sure. Her mind was in a haze and she blinked at Hinamoto stupidly. Why was he so angry? And why did her head throb so badly?
The events of the past hour slowly trickled back into her mind.
Yes, she remembered now. Something about not picking up her phone. Ah, he was angry because she didn't respond to his seven voice mails. What was she doing today?
… She'd turned off her phone because Derrick was sleeping and she didn't want to wake him. She'd just spoon-fed him porridge in his bed because he had a fever. It was all coming back to her now.
But her cheek. What of that? She placed her palm against it. It burned. She looked at Hinamoto confusedly. He was shaking a fist at her, saliva spluttering out of his mouth as he rattled off the list of things she'd done to make him mad.
He was angry with her and she couldn't bear it. She should have been more considerate of his feelings. She opened her mouth to say something.
He punched her.
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I miss you… gosh, if you hear me, I'm sorry. I – I was such a bitch. I regretted it the moment we stopped arguing. I miss you, best friend. Please – move a finger or something – anything!
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"Did you see the way she looked at me?" Hinamoto seethed. He paced back and forth in his apartment like an agitated animal. "How dare she? I was doing my best to be polite. And you!" He turned on Akiko. "How come you didn't say anything to defend your boyfriend? Huh? You enjoyed watching her make fun of me, didn't you?"
He paused and his chest heaved as he breathed deeply. The veins on his forehead bulged with anger.
"Hinamoto, please, calm down – "
"'That's rude!'" he mimed, lips peeled back into a snarl. "That snotty foreign bitch. I'll show her!"
"Please don't call my friend a 'foreign bitch'", Akiko said quietly. "She is my friend. And she only said that because she thought it was disrespectful of you to slap my butt like that, in front of everyone."
It seemed like with Hinamoto, she grew a temporary backbone only when he insulted her best friends. How strange it was to imagine there was a time in her life when she had no friends to defend. How lonely it was.
She squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. She tried not to wilt under his scorching glare.
"So you think I'm disrespectful?" he asked in an eerily calm voice.
A chill went up her spine. She knew which direction they were heading. "No," Akiko whispered. "I never said that. But maybe next time – "
"Oh yes, you said it. I heard you loud and clear," he said in the same chillingly calm voice. "Little Aki-chan wants to educate her dumb brute of a boyfriend. Is that it?"
Akiko bit her lip and shook her head fiercely. "No, no – "
He grabbed her by the hair and towed her over to where he stood. Sobbing noiselessly, Akiko shielded her head with her arms and braced herself for the blows.
"You've misbehaved, sweetheart."
"Hinamoto, please – "
He wrenched her head back with such a force her neck almost snapped.
Once, twice, he rammed her into the floor. She tried to scramble away but he had the advantage. He hooked an arm around her neck and she choked, clawing at his arm in a vain attempt to break free.
Out of nowhere his other fist appeared, slamming into her cheekbone. Black spots burst across her vision. A tear slipped out of her eye and trickled down the swollen flesh. She cupped her cheek and bit her lip to keep herself from whimpering. She wouldn't let him see that pathetic side of her. Not today, at least.
But he wasn't done. He dug his knee in her stomach to keep her rooted to the floor and backhanded her. His fists lashed at her from left and right until darkness slowly, but steadily, swallowed up her vision.
When the world faded to black, Akiko only saw stars.
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My poor Akiko-chan. I'm sorry I wasn't the father you wanted me to be. After your mother died, I just couldn't – Oh, daughter. Don't leave me as well. What will I do without you?
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It took Akiko half an hour before she could finally cover up all those bruises on her face. Her atrocious black eye had been concealed, but she could do nothing about her red, swollen retina. It hurt to eat with the split lip she was rocking, so she decided to skip breakfast.
Hinamoto had gone too far the other night. When she'd first woken up she stared up at the flaking ceiling of his apartment and gazed at the mess he'd left behind. Her ripped clothes lay strewn across the floor, soaked in the blood he'd managed to punch out of her in his blind fury.
He probably expected her to clean up his mess, from replacing the broken plates to scrubbing her blood clean off his floor.
A cold fury fisted around her heart and choked her. How – how could he? He'd promised her he'd go to the anger management classes, but look at her now!
Her phone buzzed and she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Akiko… I'm so sorry," Hinamoto choked out from the other end. "I lost control."
She clenched her phone so hard her knuckles turned white. She should hang up. It would be the right thing to do, but… he sounded like he was in real pain. Like he really was sorry.
"Then why?" A sob choked in her throat and she crumpled to the floor, hugging the phone to her ear. "Why would you do this to me?"
"I don't know what came over me… I love you Akiko. I really do. Don't leave me… please. I – "
She hung up before she started crying.
When Akiko was done, she cleaned herself up and went to the living room to check on her father. He was lying on the couch, bleary-eyed and hungover. She knelt beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, angling her head so that he wouldn't see her black eye.
"Father… do you think it is right for a man to hit someone he loves?" she whispered.
He closed his eyes, yawned and patted her head clumsily. "Sure, sure… Whatever you say, my dear." He shrugged off her touch and rolled onto his side. A while later, his quiet snores filled the living room.
Akiko curled herself into a ball and cried.
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That sonofabitch. How could he – I know you're a fighter. You're strong, and you've always given me some of that strength. So please – Aki – wake up!
Please… I love you.
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"Where's your lover boy now?" he sneered, drawing back his foot.
She heard the sickening crack before she felt it. Then her head exploded with pain.
She screamed.
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authorsnote
As you can see, this story is getting progressively darker. But we can't expect the entire story to be all sunshine and rainbows, right? ;)
Question - What are your thoughts on how I fleshed out Akiko and Delaney as characters? Any suggestions for improvement? Constructive criticism is very welcome!
A Love Letter to My Readers
My dear readers,
Whether you are old or new, stuck with this story from the beginning or recently hopped along for the ride, I just wanted to tell you that you're all stars. Though I may not have the time to write back to every one of you, I read every single review and am heartened by your compliments, your constructive criticism, and your enthusiastic support for my writing endeavors.
In short, I adore you all and I feel so unworthy, receiving so much love from you guys. This four year-old story is solid proof of my changing (and hopefully improving) writing style, and as bad as it is at the beginning, I'm glad you've all stuck with it. You're all such forgiving readers and so good at pointing out problems with 'The ABC's' - thank you so much for everything.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
- Aurora Corona