Work Text:
Satori woke up from a nightmare, his dark grey covers had been kicked off and his pillows were everywhere. Satori was heavily breathing, tears still running down his face. He rubbed his eyes harshly and looked around after doing so. Seeing his room engulfed in dark made him frightened, curling up, he hid his head in his knees. "Momma...momma..." Satori cried out, hoping that somehow his mother would hear.
Heavy footsteps were heard in the hallway, stopping at his bedroom door. The door creaked open, making Satori whimper.
"Satori? It's me, I got back from work. Are you okay?" A familiar deep voice asked. Satori peeked out from his curled position, seeing that it was his father, he sat up. "Papa?" Satori asked warily. "Yes, Satori?" His father answered back softly. Satori started to sob.
"I-I had a scary dream- and there were monsters surrounding me, threatening to take me to hell...!" Satori cried out a little too loud. His father immediately made his way over and sat by him on the bed. Starting to rub his back, his father asked a question. "Why would they take you to hell?" "Be-Because, they said I was just like them! I'm not, papa, I'm not...Am I?" Satori's father hugged him and gently rocked him.
"No, no, Satori you aren't a monster, alright? You're the most pure, handsome kid ever!" Satori's father whispered. Satori's cries quieted down and he sniffled. "I am?" "Yes, yes. I love you very much, I wouldn't lie to you, ever." "Okay..." Satori snuggled into his father's embrace.
"What's wrong?" Satori's mother walked into his room, rubbing her eyes. Satori's father didn't look up. "Just a nightmare, don't worry, I got it. Go back to sleep." His mother, however, did not listen and sat down on the other side of him. She started petting his head, "It's okay now, Satori, the next time you have a nightmare, you can come to our room."
"But, I was scared of the dark..." Satori was on the verge of sleeping because of the affection he was getting. "That's okay, we can buy a nightlight for your room tomorrow. You can pick out whatever you like." His mother whispered, Satori sleepily nodding.
Finally passing out, his parents tucked him into bed and walked out, but not without leaving the door open.
-
Satori stood in his living room, looking out the window, and waiting for his father to come home. He had been gone for a few days, without warning. Satori had been waiting for the past days as well, from the time he woke up, to the time he fell asleep. Only taking breaks when he had to eat and go to the bathroom.
Satori had waited while clouds had come in and roared, and poured. Although rainstorms scared him, he would wait for his father to come home. His mother stood in the doorway to the living room, leaning against it and staring at him sadly. After watching him for a couple minutes, she sighed, "Satori, it's time to eat."
Gently grabbing Satori's arm, she led him to the kitchen. Sitting him down at a chair, a plate was placed in front of him. "Here, I made your favorite." She sat across from him. Satori picked up his fork and started eating slowly. His mother watched him from across the table and softly smiled. She started eating shortly after him.
Scarfing it all down, Satori thanked his mother and put his dishes in the sink. He walked back to his spot in the living room, laying his head on the windowsill.
Satori had spaced out, only hearing his mother washing the dishes.
The noise had stopped and light footsteps made their way behind him, Satori paid no mind. Not reacting when a hand was put on his shoulder, Satori watched the cars that went by, but none turning into the driveway. "Satori..." His mother hesitated.
Satori turned around to face her with a calm expression. "Yes, Momma?" His mother looked down at him and clenched her jaw. After a few moments of silence, she unclenched her jaw, instead replacing it with a smile. "It's time for bed." She spoke softly and gently. Satori followed his mother into his room, wondering why it took her so long just to tell him it was time for bed. She turned on the light, and let him in.
Satori got on his bed and laid down into the covers, waiting for his mother to finish turning on his nightlight. She turned off the room light and sat by him on the bed. "Momma, can you tell me a bedtime story?" Satori looked up at her with hope. His mother lightly shook her head. "Not tonight, Satori. Momma's tired." Satori softly frowned. "That's alright, can you tell me one tomorrow?" "Yes, Momma will tell you one tomorrow." She kissed his forehead and stood up. "Night, love you Satori." "Night, love you Momma."
Watching his mother leave and closing the door, Satori couldn't sleep. He stared up at his ceiling blankly. Satori listened to his mother's shuffling in the room down the hallway.
Satori had closed his eyes, trying to force himself asleep.
Hearing a door close, Satori jolted up. Satori pushed the covers off and jumped off the bed, landing with a soft 'thump'. Satori opened his door, and looked around. He tip-toed out of his room and down the stairs. He walked into the living room, pushing closed blinds away to look outside. He saw his father outside, waiting at the front door. Satori's mouth opened in shock, he immediately unlocked and opened his door. He opened it up to his father leaning down to hug him.
Satori grinned and hugged him back. "Sorry that I took so long to come home." "It's okay, me and Momma have been waiting forever." "Really?" "Yep!" Satori's father came in and Satori closed the door behind him.
He followed his father upstairs. "Where's Momma?" Satori pointed down the hallway, "She's in your guy's room." Satori's father stopped in front of his room, and turned to face him. "Go to sleep now, okay?" Satori nodded, he walked into his room and closed the door behind him.
Satori jumped into bed and covered himself up again. This time, it was much easier to fall asleep.
When he woke up again, the smell of eggs had wafted into his room. Satori had woken up in a good mood and had plenty of energy. His feet made little thumps as he made it down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen, his mother turning around to look at him surprised. "You’re not gonna immediately stick to the window today?" She chuckled, setting down eggs on the table. She turned around to grab the cups of orange juice, Satori sitting down and grabbing his fork. "I don't need to, Papa came home last night! He even went to your guy's room to sleep. He probably went to work already." Satori stated excitedly, stuffing his face with eggs.
Hearing a cup drop and liquid being spilled everywhere, Satori turned in his chair to his mother looking at him. "M-Momma...?" Satori gulped, starting to be scared. In a split second, his mother walked up to him and slapped him.
"Don't ever joke about that again." Satori grabbed his cheek and tears had gathered in his eyes, slowly sliding down his face as he blinked. Satori lip quivered, gathering up courage to ask a question. "Joke...about what?" "Your father, don't ever talk about him again." "But, he did come back...!" He flinched when his mother glared at him again. Satori's mother had grabbed a rag and cleaned up the mess.
Satori picked at his food. He didn't look up when his mother placed a cup in front of him. He slowly picked up pieces into his mouth and softly chewed. He felt a stare burning on the top of his head. More tears spilled, landing on his food and on his hand.
After a few tense minutes, his mother sighed and stood up. He watched her walking come to a stop beside him, he tensed, feeling like he was gonna get hit. He flinched when a hand was put on his shoulder, then let a confused sound when his mother hugged him.
She started crying into his chest, Satori looking down at her, both confused and sad.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" Shakily breathing, she started the mantra again, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"
Satori sat there and hugged his mother as she cried into his chest for an uncountable amount of time.
-
"Satori, wake up. It's time for your first day of school!" His mother gently shook him awake, Satori had woken up as soon as he heard the word 'school'. Satori was picked up by his mother and placed in the bathroom. "Get changed, hurry! And brush your teeth too! I'll pack your bag." Satori's mother walked out of the bathroom and closed the door.
Satori picked up the clothes his mother chose for him and got ready. After changing, he picked up his red toothbrush and placed toothpaste onto it. On his toes, he watched himself brush his teeth. After brushing his teeth, he struggled with his tie for a while, before giving up and deciding to ask his mother to tie it for him. He opened the door and walked out into the hallway, walking down the stairs, he saw his mother putting his pencil case into the small bag.
Satori rushed down the stairs and ran to stand beside his mother. He watched her place various things into his bag, before she finally zipped it up. She stood up, before looking down at her son who was looking at her with a pout and an undone tie. She softly laughed, before kneeling down and tying it.
"Is it okay, not too tight?" Satori nodded, "It's okay." His mother stood up and grabbed his bag. She handed it to him, "Here, I packed everything you need. Just try not to lose anything alright?" "Okay!"
Satori held his mother's hand as they walked out of the house, and watched her lock the door. She smiled down at him and squeezed his hand. "Ready to go?" "Yep!" She softly laughed, "Alright, let's go."
They began their trip to the school, walking down the driveway, then the sidewalk. The whole time, Satori had a pep in his step. Satori had swung his hand with his mother as they walked down the road. Satori's mother was happy for him, but ultimately worried. She knew how kids could be.
She kept the smile on her face though.
"Momma, what do you do in school?" He asked, watching stray cats fight each other in a passing alley. "Well," Satori turned his attention to his mother again, "You learn, so that you can get ready for bigger school and then an even harder, bigger school, so you can get a good job." "But...why do I need a job?" Satori asked, curiously. "Well, because you need money." "Oh! Because money can buy things! Like, food and toys." Satori spoke excitedly.
"Yep, you're such a smart boy." Satori grinned at the words, feeling happy at the word. Satori swung their hands again. "Hehe! I can't wait until I can earn my own money! So, I can give you and Papa lots of presents!" Satori's mother had flinched at the mention of his father, but otherwise ignored it. "I'll be waiting."
-
Satori had entered the classroom, finding a seat at the front, he put his stuff down. "Hey! Can I have that seat? My friend and I wanna sit together, but there are no seats left together." A short, small boy had walked up to him and asked. Satori glanced at the other boy beside him, nodding. "Great! Thanks." They sat down in the seats and Satori grabbed his stuff before finding a seat at the back.
He was left alone, but that didn't really bother him. Instead, he observed his classmates, and swung his feet under his desk. Soon, the teacher came in, and everyone sat down. "Hello class, I'll be your teacher today, I'm Mrs. Li. If you would, please introduce yourself."
After a moment of waiting, no one had stood up. "Okay...We'll start from the front. You on the right, please introduce yourself." The teacher pointed to Satori's left, the whole class's attention was on the girl in the corner. She stood up promptly. "I'm Takara Aiko."
Satori had begun to space out, getting bored. He looked out of the window, continuing to swing his legs.
He jumped when the teacher called on him. "Y-Yes?" "It's your turn." "Ah, okay." Satori stood up, a small smile on his face. "I'm Tendou Satori." He bowed and sat back down. He didn't notice the laughs badly hidden under small hands.
Whenever lunch had come around, Satori had grabbed his share and sat back down at his desk. The desks were in twos, but it seemed as if his supposed partner wasn't here today. Satori had started eating, when the boys from earlier came back. The taller one looking as if he just followed the other around. The shorter one placed his hand on the desk beside him. "I thought that there was an equal number of people in class? Maybe, no one wanted to sit by you." The boy asked, looking at him. Satori shrugged.
"Hmph, you're no fun, I was trying to tease you." The boy took his hand off of the desk and walked away, with the taller one in tow. Satori didn't really mind, really.
He continued eating with no interruptions, just watching everyone else have their own conversations.
Satori's day had gone by, boringly so. As he walked home, he was aware of the boys behind him, except, he didn't meet these boys at all. Satori thought they were just walking the same route, so he kept walking. His mother was at work, she got a job a couple weeks ago, so he walked there.
The boys had become rowdy and loud, Satori just clenched his bag straps tighter.
He had passed by a pile of trash, when all of a sudden he was harshly shoved into them. In a second, Satori was laying on top of a trash bag with his eyes shut tight. When he opened them, the boys were now in front of him, laughing hysterically. Satori tried not to think anything of it.
Satori slowly got up, wiping some food off of his bag, and tried not to think about it. He walked faster to his mother's workplace. Getting there, he hesitated, before pushing the glass doors open.
He walked up to the counter and peeked up at the worker. A woman with black and blonde hair walked up to the counter, looking down at him. "Aw, you're just cute. What do you need?" Satori got up on his toes and held the counter for support. "Is my Mom working?" "Sweetie, you're gonna have to be more specific, what's her name?" The woman leaned on the counter and patiently waited.
Satori had to think for a bit, going through his mind, until he remembered introducing himself. "Ah! Tendou, her name's Tendou." Satori looked back up at the woman, grinning. The woman looked like she knew what he was talking about. "Here, I'll lead you to the break room, your mom's on her shift right now." Satori grabbed onto her extended hand and obediently followed.
The woman walked him into a room with a table and chairs and a kitchen-looking area. "You can sit on one of the chairs while you wait. Do you have any homework to do?" Satori shook his head. "Awesome, maybe you can draw if you have a notebook, do you?" Satori placed his bag on his lap, digging through it, and grabbing a notebook and pencil. "Yep!" "Cool!" The woman smiled at him before walking towards the door.
"Ah! Also, if you need anything, my name's Akira. Alright?" She turned around for an answer, Satori nodded. She gave him a thumbs up and walked out. Satori started drawing in his notebook, scribbling some random faces. He smiled, feeling a little better.
-
After the first day of school, things had only gotten worse.
He'd go to school, and since his desk partner had shown up on the second week, he was more uncomfortable than when he was alone. The boy beside him had only glanced at him a total of five times, the past eight months. He tried not to let it bother him.
Worst of all, the boys who followed him on the way to his mother's work, harassed him. They'd throw rocks, empty cans, or call him names. He didn't even know who they were.
-
Satori kept his head down and followed his remembered path to his desk. Sitting down, he quickly glanced at the white-haired boy beside him, before keeping his eyes on his desk. Satori played with his hands on his lap, squeezing his fingers and fiddling them together, he tried to focus his attention on his hands. "Class! Settle down, today, we are gonna read a book. Together." The teacher pulled out a book from her desk, and waited for everyone else to grab theirs.
Satori pulled out a thin, hardcover book out of his desk. He put it on his desk and tried to keep his arms on his side. He waited.
"Good, now go to the first page." The class collectively opened their books. "Alright, I'll go first, but someone has to go after me." The teacher cleared her throat. "The dog was happy with his owner, and always loyal to them." Satori listened, but it was hard too. The story just wasn't his cup of tea. "Tendou, it is your turn." Satori stood up and flatly read a couple sentences. "Okay. Next, Usagi." Satori tried not to look at the boy next to him.
Satori started to hate school, the lessons were boring and everyone else were mean. He felt like crying, he felt frustrated.
During lunch, he didn't eat any of his food. After lunch, he barely paid attention. As he was leaving the school grounds, the two boys from earlier in the year came up to him. "Hey! Why are you so weird? You never react whenever my cousin bullies you."
'Cousin?' "Yeah, the boys who walk your same route, are my cousin and his friends." Satori accidentally said that part out-loud. Satori looked away and tried to lose them. It worked, maybe. They probably just didn't want to follow him. Satori realized that they knew, they knew the boys who were bullying him. Yet, they didn't do anything. Satori, once again, felt severely frustrated. He wanted to cry so bad. Instead, getting interrupted by the boys' increasingly loud voices behind him, so he sped up. He kept his head down and tried to keep his tears from falling.
"Hey!! Where are you going? Slow down!" Satori hadn't realized he was running until their voice's got him out of his head. Seeing Akira outside of the restaurant, he ran faster. He collided into her, "Oof! Kid, why are you going so fast?" Akira looked down, holding onto Satori's shoulder. "Kid?" Satori had hugged her tightly, and was slightly shaking.
"Hey-" The boys had stopped short when they saw her. Seeing them made something click in her mind. "Hey, you kids, are you bullying him?" She asked, hugging Satori. The boys immediately shook their heads. "N-No!" They then turned around and ran away. She pulled him slightly off her and knelt down. "Hey, you okay? Want me to tell your mom?" Satori nodded, and wiped his nose with his sleeve.
Leading him inside, and into the break room once again, she told him to wait. Satori sat down in a chair and tried to calm down. A little while later, his mother burst through the door. "Sweetie, are you alright?" She immediately kneeled in front of him. Satori shook his head, "I, I don't wanna ever go to school again...! Everyone's so mean and there are these boys who follow me here and bully me!" Satori sobbed into his mother's shoulder.
Akira looked at him sadly from the doorway, "I can take your shift, you don't have that much time left." "No, no I can't do that." "No, go and take him home and try to sort something out." Akira stated, leaving no room for argument.
"...Okay."
-
Satori laid in his room, tucked in long ago by his mother. He was waiting for his father to return.
Satori quietly cried, letting the tears roll off his face, clutching the blanket in his hands. He stayed very still, still scared of the darkness in his room. The nightlight had brightened it more, but still left the corners dark. Satori tried to stick to looking at the ceiling, because he knew that if he looked anywhere else, he'd scare himself. Hearing the door open, Satori sat up, trying to gather the courage to get off his bed.
His feet finally hitting the floor, he tried not to think about anything else except for his father. Opening his door, Satori peeked out and saw his father walk up the stairs. "Satori? What's wrong, why are you up so late?" "Can I talk to you, Papa?" "Yeah, of course." Satori's father followed him into his room and sat by him on his bed. "So, what's wrong Satori?" Satori played with his fingers, glancing up at his father occasionally. "I don't wanna go to school anymore, everyone's so mean. There are these boys and they follow me home, and they throw things at me." Satori's father hugged him. "What does your mother wanna do?" Satori sniffled, trying not to cry again. "She wants to transfer me to a different school, but before that, she said she was gonna talk to the teacher and stuff."
"Would we have to move?" "Momma wants too. Because she doesn't know why they do it or where the boys go to school, so she wants to move somewhere faraway..." Satori's father rocked him back and forth, it was comforting. He never really sees him come home, since he works from dawn to midnight. Satori was appreciative of the time he has with him. "Hm, where to?" "She said somewhere in Miyagi." Satori's father had paused, and started laying him down and tucking him in. He sat by him and petted his hair. "That's far, but not too far."
"Yeah..." Satori had begun to become sleepy, as he fell asleep, he stared at his father's face.
-
Satori hadn't gone to school for the past couple days, instead following his mother around while she worked. She had told him she would talk to the school on her day off. He asked her why she couldn't just quit, she responded, "Because I want to get my last paycheck before we move." Satori simply clamped his mouth shut and nodded. Instead, heading into the break room and sitting down on a chair, once again, pulling out his notebook and doodling.
Closing time came around, and Satori finally looked away from the paper full of made-up faces of people who weren't real. His mother put her hand on his shoulder, making Satori look up at her. "Are you ready to go? My check will be in the mail tomorrow." Satori nodded and pushed himself off of the chair, grabbing his stuff and putting them into his bag. Bursting with items, his bag barely held them in. Satori's mother looked at it with pity, then she extended her hand out, waiting for Satori to grab it.
Satori grabbed his mother's hand and followed her out into the front of the restaurant, where her co-workers stood. "Sorry that this happened, hope the new school will be better." Akira had come up and hugged his mother. Satori felt sad that he probably would never see her again. Akira looked down at him and smiled, patting his head, she spoke, "Good luck."
After exchanging goodbye's, they left the restaurant. Satori sagged his shoulders and held his mother's hand limply. Satori's mother looked at him with sadness. "Do you wanna get some ice cream?" "Can I get chocolate?"
Satori's mother looked relieved at the response, her shoulders becoming relaxed. "Yeah, you can."
-
Satori had sat beside his mother as she talked to the principal and teachers, he tuned most of it out though. Only looking up when his mother grabbed his hand and held it. "Okay, we're so sorry he didn't feel welcome, we'll cooperate with the school you choose to send him to. We'll have whatever needs to be transferred, readied." The principle and teacher gave them a deep bow.
"Alright, then, excuse us." Satori pushed himself off of his chair, holding his mother's sleeve as they walked out.
"Momma, can we go home now?" "Not yet, Satori. We still need to go to the bank." "Oh, alright."
-
Satori ran his hands along bare walls, and watched the paint chip off under his nails. A hand gently grabbed his wrist, "Satori, don't do that, how about you explore the rooms. You can choose which one you want." "Okay."
Satori walked into a long hallway, this house didn't have two stories, but Satori didn't care. He walked up to the first door, which was decorated with stickers. He pushed it open to reveal a medium-sized room with light pink walls. Satori liked the room, but he wanted to see what was behind the other four doors.
Walking out and leaving the previous door open, Satori walked to the one across the hall. This one had some cracks and scratches, he opened it, seeing a room with off-white walls. Satori looked around, spotting another door within this room, he walked over to it. Opening it, he found that it was a small closet. If he reached out, he could touch the back.
Satori walked out and went to the next room, only to see that it was a bathroom. Satori walked away, uninterested. Instead, heading for the last door. Opening it revealed a master bedroom, complete with sliding doors to the backyard. Satori immediately decided that it would be for his parents. He walked away and headed back to the two rooms, deciding which one would be the best.
Satori compared both their sizes, ultimately choosing the off-white room. He walked back into the main area of the house, where the living room and kitchen were located. He walked up to the kitchen, wanting to tell his mother he chose a room, instead stopping by the door frame.
"I do have money, yes, I have enough to pay next month's rent." His mother tried to be quiet, Satori realized this, and put his back to the wall beside the frame. "Yes, I'm looking for jobs. Yeah, there's an opening down the street." Satori's mother talked to the person on the phone as if she was trying to reassure them. "Just- trust me, I'll get the job."
Finally putting her phone down, she let out a sigh. Satori's eyes wavered, trying to think about why she would need money. I mean, his father worked all the time, right?
"Satori!" He jumped, gaining his composure and turning the corner. "Yes, Momma?" She walked up to him. "Did you decide which room you want?" Satori nodded.
"Do you wanna show me?" Satori nodded again. Satori's mother had grabbed his hand and followed him. Satori led her to the room he wanted. "I want this one." Satori's mother looked around, and smiled. "Do you wanna paint the walls?" Satori lit up. "Yes!"
She laughed, "How about we go shopping tomorrow? You don't go to school for another week." Satori nodded enthusiastically.
-
"Papa! Do you like the new house?" Satori sat up in his bed when his father walked into the room. His father smiled, "It's very nice. Where's me and your mother's room?" "It's down the hall and it's the one with the biggest room." Satori happily stated. His father laughed quietly. His father sat on the bed, sitting by Satori. "Do you want me to read you a bedtime story?" Satori nodded, covering back up and snuggling into the covers. His father stood up and looked in the boxes by the bed. "Ah! Here it is." His father got back up and sat down again. "After I read this to you, you have to promise to go to sleep." "I will!"
-
Satori couldn't stop the shaking in his hands as he walked closer and closer to the school. His mother held his hand tighter, "If anyone bothers you or if anything is wrong, tell me right away, okay?" "Okay..."
Satori and his mother had stopped at the gates, Satori hesitated to let go of his mother's hand. She looked down at him sadly, letting her hand go limp. "Satori, it's gonna be okay, alright? If anything happens, we can try to solve it before it becomes worse. You just have to tell me right away, okay?" Satori looked up at her and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Yes, I will."
-
It had been nine long months, but no one had bothered him at all. Everyone was neither mean nor nice, they treated him more like someone in the background. Satori was honestly happier with this, it beat being deliberately ignored and being bullied. Satori doodled in his notebook while quietly humming.
In the hallways while coming from and to the classroom, Satori would hum quietly. All was well, he was happily content with being alone.
-
Satori had walked out of his room in the middle of the night, but while returning, his father came home. Satori's feet softly hit the floor as he ran towards his father. He hugged his leg, smiling up at him as his father put his coat up. "Hey, Satori. You're always awake when I come home." His father put his hand on his head and laughed through his nose. "That's because I always wanna tell you about my day." Satori quietly giggled.
Satori's mom peeked her head out of the room. "Satori? You're supposed to be asleep." Satori's father looked up, "You better go to bed." Satori softly sighed and nodded. "Night, love you." "Love you too." His parents spoke in unison.
Satori walked into his room and closed the door behind him. His mother had gotten him a brighter nightlight, it was enough for him to see every part of his room. Satori walked up to his bed and pulled himself up. He tucked himself in. He laid on his side and stared at the red paint on his walls.
-
When Satori had entered the third year, he began to notice the hushed whispers around him. He didn't know whether or not they were directed at him, but he was getting anxious. Satori had transferred to a different class previous to this year, so everyone was a new face. Although he should have known the other people in his school at least a little bit, he always went straight home after school ended. His memories of passing hallways and other classrooms were a blur.
Satori sat at the corner closest to the door, so it was kind of hard to not get stared at as his other classmates walked in. His desk mate was a girl this year, but she usually hung out with the others. She would ignore him when class started.
Satori's first day went by in a flash, just some introductions that day. The next was harder. When told to find a partner for a project, Satori hesitated and ended up alone. Which resulted in the humiliating experience of the teacher asking someone to volunteer to be his partner. As he expected, no one did. Satori averted his eyes as far away as he could, and fiddled with his fingers.
"If no one is volunteering, then I'll just pick someone." Satori felt his heart-rate spike, he wanted to tell him it was fine, but couldn't find his voice. "How about...You." He pointed to his desk mate. "You sit with him, Right? It should be easy for you two to work together." Satori couldn't look at her.
She sat by him and put the paper they were doing together in between them. "I'll do this and you'll do that." Satori let out a quiet 'okay'.
-
Three months later, Satori had been avoided, flat-out ignored, and pointed at. These bothered him, but he thought that as long as they didn't try to hurt him, he'd be okay.
Right now, though, Satori was sitting outside of his house door after hearing his mother sob in the living room. It turned out she was fired for ruining some packages of food while stocking. Satori honestly never knew what to do when his mother was sad. He usually just let her cry while hugging him.
Satori felt bad as he just sat there and listened to his mother's muffled cries. She probably lost track of time, usually she would be greeting him around this time, but Satori supposed people needed to have a good cry then and now. So, Satori waited for his mother's cries to die down as he picked at his shoelaces. 'I really wish Papa was here, but he's always at work.' Satori thought with a pout.
Hearing the cries stop, Satori stood up and pretended as if he just got home. He opened the unlocked door, and walked in. He turned the doorway corner to his mother wiping at her face by the couch. "Momma?" His mother turned around and smiled at him. She picked him up and hugged him. "Satori, do you want to help me make dinner?" Satori nodded as his mother took both of them to the kitchen. "What do you want to eat tonight?" "I want noodles, please." Satori pointed up at the dry noodles on top of the cupboards. Satori's mother smiled and grabbed them.
"Do you want any seasonings with your noodles?" She asked teasingly. "Of course, they'd just be plain if I ate them without it!" Satori pouted. His mother laughed.
-
Satori was writing notes down in class when he felt something hit the back of his head. He looked around to see everyone looking down at their papers or at the board. Satori then looked down at the ground to see a crumpled up paper beside his feet. He grabbed it and put it in his pocket before the teacher got mad at him. After class, and during their five minute break, he pulled it out of his pocket. Looking around to see one more time if someone was being suspicious.
He uncrumpled the paper and opened it to reveal 'monster' in big scribbled, messy writing. Satori felt like everything stopped. He stared at the paper, frozen. Breaking out the trance, he looked around frantically. No one was looking at him, at all.
Satori gulped, and got up to throw the paper away. After sitting down, Satori picked at his fingernails.
-
Satori, once again, felt incredibly alone. It had been one month after that crumpled note incident, but nothing has happened yet. He walked into school and out of school, anticipating something to happen.
He didn't want to tell his mother until it got physical. He promised to himself that as soon as someone hit him or anything, he would tell his mother straight away. Satori wished they would just hurry up and do something.
But, for now, all he can do is wait.
-
Satori felt like his chest was restricting, waking up in a cold sweat, he clutched his chest. Trying to calm down, but all he could feel is fear. He remembered how before, everyday he would be ignored, isolated and bullied on the way home.
"Satori? Are you okay?" His father walked into the room, immediately sitting on the bed beside him. Satori jumped into his arms and sobbed. "What's wrong?" His father asked, putting his arms around Satori. "I'm scared."
"Of what?" "That the kids will be the same as the ones at my other school...they were always so mean."
Satori's father rocked him in a calming manner. "It'll be okay."
Satori sniffled and tried to think about other things. He ended up falling asleep in his father's arms.
The next morning, he woke up alone, and in the same spot he was in before.
-
Satori walked out of the school grounds, keeping his head down.
Whilst walking down the street leading to his house, he encountered a lost-looking boy. The boy walked around, nervously. Satori didn't know what came over him, but he felt a sudden sense of confidence wash over him. Satori took big steps toward the boy and offered a hand to him.
"Are you lost?"
Satori asked, putting his head to the side. The other boy looked at the extended hand nervously, and nodded. The boy tore his gaze off Satori's hand to look up at him. "Do you want me to ask my Momma to call your parents?"
The boy pressed his lips together, hesitating. Satori pointed his hand down the street, "It's just around that corner." The boy slowly took his hand, and gently squeezed. Taking it as a sign to go, Satori started walking.
"What's your name? I'm Tendou Satori." He asked, looking at the other waiting for a response. The other didn't answer for a couple moments, but just when Satori was about to give up, the boy spoke.
"Ushijima Wakatoshi."
-
"Wah! Wakatoshi, you'll never believe what I found behind the backyard!" Satori grabbed Wakatoshi's hand and led him to an old, wooden fence. Satori let go of the other's hand to pull up a loose board, then grabbed his hand again to pull him under. Satori tightly clasped his hand, leading the way. He walked up to a dirt mound.
Satori sat on his knees, kneeling in dirt. "Sit, sit, Wakatoshi." Satori patted the space beside him. Waiting for Wakatoshi to sit, he pushed dirt off from the little mound. Wakatoshi watched him, confused but intrigued. Satori then starts digging up the dirt with his hands, some getting under his nails. Wakatoshi grabbed his wrist and made him stop, looking at him worried. "You will hurt yourself." Satori smiled. "Don't worry, it's just soft dirt. Plus, there's a surprise buried beneath it." Wakatoshi hesitantly let go.
Satori started digging again, this time with Wakatoshi's help. After digging for almost a minute, Satori pulled out a small, beat up cardboard box. "Wakatoshi, come closer." Satori beckoned him with his hand. Wakatoshi pushed himself closer to Satori. Satori sat the box on his lap and tore off the tiny tape holding the flaps together. It burst open, revealing a small rock.
Satori pulled it out and showed it to Wakatoshi, who leaned in to examine it. It was a white-maroon rock that had weird angles. Satori started to speak excitedly, "Look, look, if I turn it this way, it looks like a heart." Satori turned the rock around in his hand to show the other.
It was indeed shaped like a heart, not a perfect one, but it still had the shape. Wakatoshi opened his mouth in amazement. He softly grabbed the rock, "Can I look at it?" Satori nodded. Wakatoshi grabbed it out of his grasp, and turned it in his hands.
"Do you wanna keep it?" Satori asked, his hands on his knees. Wakatoshi stopped, and looked up. "No, you're the one who found it, you should keep it." Satori looked kind of relieved, Wakatoshi went back to playing with it. "Do you want to put it in your room as a souvenir?" Wakatoshi asked, ready to get up. Satori grinned and nodded. They both stood up and walked back to the fence. Satori let Wakatoshi go before him.
Walking back into the fenced yard, Satori pulled the loose board down again.
-
Satori ran out of the school and didn't stop until he saw Wakatoshi standing at the corner of the street. "Wakatoshi!" Satori waved his hand, half-running and half-skipping. The boy smiled, waiting for him to get there. Satori stopped in front of the other and tried to catch his breath. Standing straight up, Satori grinned brightly. "Do you want to come to my house again? I want to finally introduce you to my Mom!" Satori asked. Wakatoshi nodded.
Satori held out his hand and let Wakatoshi grab it, they walked to Satori's house.
Opening the door, Satori yelled out to his mother that he was home. "Momma! I'm home, and I brought a friend!" His mother raced out of his parent's shared room and down the hallway. Only to stop short when she spotted them. "Satori...who's your friend?" His mother inquired, confused. Satori answered back gladly, "His name is Wakatoshi!"
His mother shakily smiled, flattening out her pants. "Uh, do you boys want dinner?" She asked, pointing at the kitchen. Satori nodded, "What do you want to eat, Wakatoshi?" "I kinda want boiled eggs, if that's not too much trouble." Wakatoshi answered, shuffling his feet. Satori nodded. "Momma, me and Wakatoshi want boiled eggs, please!" Satori grinned brightly at her.
She nodded, "That's alright, how much do you want?"
"I only want two." "Okay. We both want two eggs, please."
-
Satori sat at the coffee table with Wakatoshi on the other side, they were putting a puzzle together.
"Wakatoshi, does this piece look like it can go there?" Satori asked, Wakatoshi leaning over to look at the piece he has. "I think so, try it." Satori put it to where he wanted it, and it fit perfectly. Satori started humming a song. "You look like your mother." Satori was surprised by the unexpected question, but ultimately turned joyous. "I do!" Wakatoshi nodded. Satori grinned brighter, if that was possible, and grabbed Wakatoshi's hand to drag him to his mother's room. Opening it, Satori turned to the other and put a finger to his mouth, as a way to tell him that they should be quiet.
Satori crept over to his mother's wardrobe and pulled out one of his mother's pants, brown corduroys. "Wakatoshi, pick out a shirt!" Satori, whisper-yelled. Wakatoshi nodded and pulled out the first one he saw, a green-knit sweater. Satori smiled, "I'll change in the bathroom, wait here." Satori walked into the connected bathroom and lightly closed it.
Walking out, Satori had to hold up pants twice his size with way too long sleeves. "How do I look?" Wakatoshi grinned and held out a thumbs up. "You wanna show my mom?" Wakatoshi nodded.
As Satori walked down the hallway, he struggled to not fall over in his mother's clothes.
"Momma, how do I look?" She turned around, and looked surprised.
"Oh my god, look at you, Satori. You're like a mini me." His mother laughed, which in turn made Satori laugh.
-
Satori sat outside of his house, Wakatoshi sitting beside him. Satori had his head on top of his knees and played with the grass at his feet. Wakatoshi worriedly stared at him, but not knowing how to deal with it, he stayed quiet. Satori sighed, and pouted.
"Do you think I'm a monster?" Satori asked shakily, sounding as if on the verge of tears. Wakatoshi frowned, "No, why would I?" Satori softly ripped out strands of grass. "Everybody at school seems to think so." "But, I don't think you're a monster. And I actually got to know you, doesn't that make my sentence more true?" Wakatoshi asked, tilting his head, watching Satori's face. Satori sadly smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." Satori leaned against Wakatoshi's arm. "Is it okay, if I cried?" Satori asked, warily. "Of course."
When Satori's mother got home, she saw her son crying hysterically. She immediately knelt in front of him, "What's wrong, honey?" He quickly made up an excuse, "I saw a dead frog on the side of the road, it made me sad."
"Aw, poor frog...Come on inside, we can watch a movie." "Can Wakatoshi watch it too?" "Sure, honey."
-
Satori had entered his fourth year of elementary school, it was obvious he wasn't excited to go. 'I wish me and Wakatoshi could meet before school, but he goes somewhere else.' Satori pouted, rain boots kicking a puddle of water. Satori had an umbrella over his head, shielding him from the rain. Satori hung his shoulders and turned his gaze to the ground by people's feet. Satori quickly walked into the school building, already knowing where he had to go.
After the morning 'meet-up', Satori walked with his other classmates to their classroom.
Satori was always on guard during school, he always expected something to happen. Well, something did. Satori felt a light weight hit his head and he turned, hoping to catch who did it. Looking down and seeing yet another balled-up paper, Satori's heart-rate spiked. There was always a hurtful word in them, Satori hesitated between picking it up or leaving it alone. But, he considered the off-chance of it just being a note that got off it's intended path.
Picking it up, he opened it.
'freak' was drawn on in a big font with some swears on the sides, how'd these kids even know these words?
Satori clenched the paper in his hand and tried not to cry, instead stuffing the note in his desk. He glared down at his paper and tried to listen to the lecture.
-
Walking out of the school grounds, Satori anticipated seeing Wakatoshi at the corner of the street.
Satori smiled at Wakatoshi, his mood already becoming better. Satori put his umbrella over the both of them, Wakatoshi scooted closer to the other. "You want to ask my mom if we can have ice cream?" Satori asked, Wakatoshi, once again, nodded. Satori held out his hand, waiting for Wakatoshi to take it. Wakatoshi grabbed his hand and squeezed, nodding.
Satori swung his hand with Wakatoshi's as they walked.
-
Satori had sat for thirty minutes, trying to draw Wakatoshi's face. Wakatoshi sat still for those thirty minutes, waiting for Satori's 'masterpiece' to be done. Satori got the last strands of Wakatoshi's hair done, and jumped up. "I'm done! Look, look Wakatoshi, it's you!" Satori picked up his drawing and turned it to face the other. Wakatoshi examined it for a few seconds, then gave a smile to Satori, who in turn, was elated.
Wanting to show his mother, he walked up to her in the kitchen. He tugged at her pants, "Momma, look! I drew Wakatoshi!" He proudly held the drawing up to her face. He held it up for, forever.
Satori made a sad noise and pulled the paper down to his chest, "Do you...not like it?" He looked up at his mother who had a baffled expression. She snapped out of her trance, and immediately bent down. "No, no, it's nothing like that!" She grabbed his paper gently and smiled, "It's wonderful! You're so talented." Satori basked in the praise.
Walking back to the table, Satori offered Wakatoshi to watch a movie with him. The other accepted.
-
Satori swung his legs on a chair outside of an office, or more specifically a doctor's office. His mother had taken him here all of a sudden, he had been excused for the day at school, but he was more worried about Wakatoshi. He played with the hem of his shorts, worrying about Wakatoshi.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his mother burst into tears. Satori was surprised, he held his breath, trying to hear what they were saying. Failing to do so, because all he heard was muffled talking, he began to worry even more.
Sitting there for an eternity, his mother finally walked out, subtle signs of tears on her cheeks. Her face was red and puffy as well. Satori stood up immediately and hugged his mother's side, "Momma...Is there something wrong with me?" His mother was surprised by the question. "No, nothing's wrong, why would you think that?" Satori stared up at his mother with teary eyes. "Because I heard you crying."
His mother's expression softened. "No, I just...The doctor gave me a shot to become big and strong." She smiled, flexing her arm. Satori's mouth made an 'o'
-
"Wakatoshi!!" Satori ran to the corner of the street after getting home, seeing how Wakatoshi looked lonely. "Where were you?" Wakatoshi asked, concerned. Satori looked guilty as he held out his hand, "I had to go to the doctor." Wakatoshi grabbed his hand. "But, why?" They both started walking.
"I don't know, but my mom got a shot, so she can be big and strong! I didn't know there was a shot like that." Satori carried the conversation on, until they got to his house. Satori turned to Wakatoshi, who gave his attention to him. "Do you, maybe wanna spend the night? If your parents don't mind."
"Yeah, they wouldn't mind." "Yay! I'll ask if my mom can get some extra blankets and pillows." Satori led Wakatoshi into the house, opening the unlocked door.
-
Satori's fourth year went by in a flash, Wakatoshi made everything seem better that year, considering he met him halfway into his third year. Satori would always have notes thrown at him, with mean words in them, but that was it. Satori got used to them and ignored them by the end of the year.
During school, it was always boring, Satori never liked sitting in one position for hours. After school, was the time he was always excited for. Even on a bad day, he could walk down the street and see Wakatoshi at the corner, waiting for him. It never failed to raise his mood through the roof.
During breaks, he could walk out of his house and turn to see Wakatoshi at the same corner, everyday. It was kind of strange, but Satori assumed Wakatoshi liked him just as much as Satori liked him. Satori always felt like he could count on Wakatoshi for some sort of consistency in his life.
No matter what, he could always count on him, even far into the future, at least that was what Satori planned.
His mother liked Wakatoshi too, Satori was happy about that. He could have the other over without having to ask, his mother said so. Satori kind of felt bad that Wakatoshi spent more time with them than his actual family, but all was good.
Right?
==
Satori's mother's view of the story was considerably different from Satori's. Let's call her, Jun.
First off, the relationship she had with his father was...complicated.
He absolutely hated her, but loved Satori. One day, she didn't have a clue why, but he woke her up and told her he was leaving. For good. She watched for days as her son waited for his father, which made her sad. Satori still had a good relationship with his father, she thought he would've at least stayed for longer. Which made her a dangerous combination of angry and sad.
It was kind of understandable when Satori brought his father up, she got mad. He talked about him even after she told him that his father left. Jun was disappointed, she thought he would understand.
-
"I don't need to, Papa came home last night! He even went to your guy's room to sleep. He probably went to work already." The cup Jun was holding had slipped out of her hand and hit the counter, spilling juice all over. She saw red, her beloved son, joking about that man who was so mean to her.
Regrettably, she immediately slapped him. Seeing the hurt look in her son's eyes hadn't affected her, until she watched him hang his head over his meal. Guilt had flooded her mind and she got up to apologize. When she went to hug him, even Jun herself, didn't expect to burst into tears. Crying into her young son's chest made her feel shameful.
Of course, she tried not to cry in front of him.
-
Jun worked everyday to the bone after Satori's father left. She was comfortable without a job, their little family getting their income from Satori's father's work. When he up and left, their income had been cut off. Satori didn't realize their rapidly draining money, but Jun did. She applied for every job she could a week after, only one accepting her. A restaurant, where she worked as a waitress.
Even then, the pay was little.
It was too bad when her friend had come to her, telling her, her son was crying in the break room.
Hearing Satori say he never wanted to go to school again was heartbreaking, she trusted the school to make him feel welcome and take care of him while he was away. She knew what she had to do, a thought came to her mind. She could move away from that house, her 'lover' bought, and transfer Satori to another school.
Needless to say, she was lucky when she found a rental house near her childhood home in Miyagi. She just needed to get her last paycheck and notify the school.
-
Jun had hired movers and met the landlord in a couple days, her son Satori following her around.
Hiring movers and the money for the trip was enough to drain enough of her money, so that if she didn't find a job soon, they would be completely broke. She, of course, had money for next month's rent, giving her enough time to find a job.
-
One night, she woke up to her son's muffled voice in the hallway. She didn't really think anything of it, only that he was supposed to be asleep by now. Jun rose from her bed and opened the door to her son hugging nothing. Assuming he was sleep walking, she quietly spoke to him. "Satori? You're supposed to be asleep." She watched her son do something, but she couldn't really see, because it was dark.
"Night, love you." Jun nodded sleepily. "Love you too." She stated before turning around, and throwing herself on the bed.
-
"Momma, I'm home, and I brought a friend!" Hearing that, Jun jumped up from her bed and ran out the door. She slowed to a stop in front of her son, who was holding the air beside him. She was confused, before assuming it was just an imaginary friend.
"Satori...who's your friend?" Jun asked, trying to act normal, but failing miserably. "His name is Wakatoshi!" Assuming his friend was a 'he', she offered to make them something to eat. She watched him talk to the air beside him in a bad whisper. "Momma, me and Wakatoshi want boiled eggs, please!"
Jun proceeded to watch her son talk to air, and hold hands with air.
She walked into the kitchen, pulling out a couple of eggs and boiling water. While waiting for the water to boil, she peeked into the living room to see her son had gotten out a puzzle from somewhere. She watched as he talked to nothingness, only silence answering him back.
While watching him, she decided she would make something else in case he was still hungry.
Thirty minutes later, Satori walked in alone, and in her clothes. He looked adorable, "Oh my god, look at you, Satori. You're like a mini-me!" Jun laughed hysterically.
-
Returning from work, Jun turned the gate to see her son sobbing. She rushed over and asked if anything was wrong, she accepted his excuse, thinking it was the truth.
"Come on inside, we can watch a movie." "Can Wakatoshi watch it too?" Jun, assuming having imaginary friends were normal, just agreed.
-
Satori had come in asking for ice cream for both him and 'Wakatoshi', Jun humored him and gave him two. Watching Satori animatedly talk to air, Jun turned back into the kitchen to grab herself a drink.
-
Jun was understandably surprised and horrified when her son came up to her with a detailed drawing of a boy's face, telling her it was Wakatoshi. She was in shock, but snapped out of it when Satori became sad. She praised him, and watched him walk back to an empty table...watched him talk to the empty space across from him.
-
The next day, she called in sick for Satori and brought him to a clinic. Wanting to know if there was anything 'wrong' with her son.
The response to her question shocked her more than the drawing ever could.
-
Satori sat outside of the office, in which Jun sat in front of a doctor, who had a diagnosis in hand.
"Miss Tendou, we have gone through tests and everything, plus the drawing." The doctor put the clipboard down. "We see a similarity in Satori with people who have Dainisekai Syndrome. A very rare case that usually happens to people who were traumatized and alone, which means someone like your son, Satori." Jun began to frown, her eyebrows creasing. She listened intently.
"This syndrome allows the patient's mind to create other people aside from him and exist along with him, even if it's not visible in other's eyes. It goes to school with them, plays with them, basically goes through everyday things with them." Jun nodded. Unconsciously, her eyes started to tear up, her frown deepening.
"In this syndrome, it is very easy to trick the mind that everything is true. That's why you see Satori holding hands with air all the time, but he doesn't suspect a thing, because his mind is commanding the hand to coordinate with it to make him feel like he's holding something." The doctor explained, standing up and sitting down in the chair beside her.
"You say, he still thinks his father is here?" Jun nodded, biting on her knuckle. The doctor nodded as well.
"His father, well, the thought of his father, and 'Wakatoshi' are his creations. As you can see, Satori doesn't have a single idea that they aren't real, because his mind is working that way, in order to protect him from the truth." Jun gulped, guilt creeping up on her. The doctor placed his hand on her shoulder, as a way to comfort her.
"The syndrome was made in a way that whatever you say, the patient won't believe it, since it is in their minds since day one, and you'll just end up confusing them. Even if Satori did believe you, you'll never make him feel any better." Jun looked down remembering the bullying incidents.
"You say he has been bullied before? Right?" "Yeah..." The doctor sighed, "If I'm being honest...Dainisekai, in the patient's perspective, isn't a mental health condition, it is their savior. The syndrome occurs when they're at their lowest, when they're the saddest, when they feel so alone, they become hopeless."
"So...what you're saying is...it's more of a blessing?" Jun asked and the doctor nodded.
"Oh god..." Jun rubbed her face, tears starting to race down. She let out a sob, then another, then they just kept coming. The doctor looked at her sadly.
"Am- am I a bad mother?" Jun asked, hiding her face in her hands. "No, no. Why would you think that?" The doctor asked. "You...you wanna know what I did when he said his father came back? When I thought he was just trying to lighten the mood or something stupid like that?"
"What?" Jun shakily sobbed, "I-I slapped him...he looked so scared of me."
The doctor rubbed her back in comfort, "It's okay, he probably doesn't remember, does he?"
"I don't know..." Jun's cries slowly quieted down, "It's just, his father was always such an ass to me." "It's okay." "Satori didn't even know that, he thought we loved each other dearly...he had such a good relationship with him. I don't even know why he left."
Jun vented for almost fifteen minutes, before finally walking out of the office, her son latching onto her leg.
She was glad Satori bought her lie.
-
When Satori would 'invite' Wakatoshi over, Jun always said yes. What harm would it do? Satori doesn't even know Wakatoshi isn't real, if he did, if he could, then he would be miserable. Jun always is subject to Satori's rants about Wakatoshi, what fun they would have while exploring the small area behind the house. She would always smile, although sad that her son didn't have real friends.
Jun would probably be happier with Wakatoshi anyway, in Satori's rants, Wakatoshi seemed like a polite boy. (better than any other kid Satori's met)
==
Jun sat on the back porch, watching her son play with bugs, with Wakatoshi. The boy had entered his last year of elementary, Satori wasn't too over-joyous, but was happy he could move up to a different school. Jun watched Satori walk to the fence, holding hands with the air.
"Be careful the both of you!"