Hey, Reader-Chan! This is so cool because today I'm uploading the eighth chapter of this book and tomorrow, the 8th of December is my birthday!! I would have liked to post two chapters in celebration of my birthday, but I don't wanna mess up the order in which I post these chapters because I like only posting the even numbers last XD I know but I need some more time to revise my next chapter as well! Anyways, enjoy and let's see what happens to Ritsuko and Michael on the rooftop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't want to startle Michael, so I stayed quiet and tiptoed to him. He could jump off the rooftop at any second, I needed to stop him. What made him want to do this?

Michael inhaling sharply caused me to freeze. His hands seemed to relax their grip on the fence as if he was about to let go. I needed to act quickly.

“Michael,” I said softly. He didn't flinch or turn around. I thought he either ignored me or didn't hear me. “Michael.” I called a little louder. He turned his head to the side, a shade covering his glazed eyes looking down. This time he ignored me and leaned up to the edge again. “No, no, no, wait, Michael! Wait!” I hollered.

I saw him quickly lean forward and slowly slip his hands off. “Michael!!” I leaped forward to the open fence hoping I could catch him and at least hold him from falling.

It all felt like slow motion as I saw Michael's figure fall forward. I raced so fast to him, I couldn't even process what happened. I instantly felt a grip on Michael and exhaled a little bit.

“Ah!” Sweat drops ran down my head as I held on to Michael's waist and kept my foot on the back of the fence as a stop. Michael tensed up when he felt I held on to him. I reached my other arm around him and tried to get back on balance as I was in an awkward position bending back but my feet in front of my body.

I panted in relief, still keeping up my greatest amount of strength to keep Michael with me. I saved some strength and pulled back, taking my foot off the fence and throwing him backward. I leaned on the fence, trying to keep myself standing.

“Michael! You- you scared me.” I breathed out. Michael laid on his back, still stiff. He stared off at nothing, but I kept talking. “What the heck were you thinking?!” He sat up slowly and looked at me in awe. He probably thought why I would save him. I didn't hate him that much to just let him die.

“I-” he began, but I was too frustrated to listen and grabbed him, pinning him against the fence. “Why would you do that?!” I snapped, my voice raising in pitch. Tears stung my eyes and I knew that I was truly scared for him.

Michael was in even more shock that he looked at me as if I couldn't have pinned him against the fence. “I-I don't know…” he mumbled, looking at his hands.

“Why would you try and kill yourself?” I squeaked, blinking away the tears in my eyes. “Don't you know how important your life is?! Why would you try to take that away??” Michael grabbed my hand and took it off his shirt.

“Because…” he answered plainly. I raised my head, hoping for a better answer. “Because, because you say that my life is valuable,” he sniffled, bringing his hands around himself. “But I’m not really deserving of it.” His voice cracked. Tears filled his eyes and he covered his face, crying with remorse.

I understood he needed to vent right at the moment so I didn't ask anymore questions. He let it all out, trying to explain himself but his cries interrupting him. “Take your time, you’re okay.” I told him.

Finally after a few minutes, his crying subsided into tiny gasps for air. I did nothing but stand there, letting him do whatever he needed to. Even though I barely knew the boy, I felt so heartbroken for him.

“Michael, are you okay now?” I asked soothingly. Michael bit his lip and nodded, wiping a tear away. “Now tell me; why were you going to jump off the roof?”

He looked down sadly and sighed, “I wanted to die. There's no use in my life anymore. Ever since I was little, there was no use.” I opened my mouth as if about to say something, but no words came out. “I was cursed when I was little. The Flower of Despair cursed me.”

I looked deep into his eyes, prying into some type of vision or memory. Oh, how I wished I could go back to reality. Michael explained it all as I saw it happen, as if I experienced it.

“I found it one day, and I didn't know what it was. It was beautiful, so I wanted to give it as a gift to my Mother. I had no idea of the legend then and picked it. I was oblivious to the curse it cast on me right at the moment I grabbed it. My mother and father found me with the Flower and immediately panicked.” He sniffled, “I didn't know why they were scared. They wouldn't even let me touch anything.”

I asked, almost unconsciously as the memory played in my mind like it was my own. He took a deep breath and explained, “They abandoned me. They took my sister and a bag and left me behind. I couldn't find them after that, but that's when I realized my curse. No one would ever want me because of the curse. No one would adopt a cursed child. That's my curse,” I rubbed my eyes, seeing Michael in front of me, sitting down.

Michael unbuttoned the top button on his uniform and pulled it down, showing me the blood red Mark of the Flower over where his heart was. “I’ll always be alone, no matter how much I try. No matter how many friends I surround myself with, no matter what family I have, I’ll always end up alone. For the rest of my life!” He emphasized that last statement.

Tears threatened to well up in my eyes, and I looked down, putting my hands to my chest. “Michael, I-...I don't know what to say.” I looked at him. “You don't have to say anything.” He said, wiping his nose off with his sleeve. “I’ve heard it all from everyone. It can't be fixed here. I’m not even sure it can be fixed if there's even a Despair Healer.”

My eyes widened. “You heard of that?” Michael nodded, “It's every cursed one’s dream. It's their only hope to someday meet one of those miracle workers. But recently,” he chuckled half-heartedly with bitterness, “I haven't seen anyone with a big tattoo of the Flower on their back or coming into the village in a special transportation. So maybe it's a myth.”

“Michael, it's not a myth. My father knew a Despair Healer.” I lied to cover myself up. Michael's expression got curious, “Really?” I nodded, “A long time ago. He said they don't come in some royal fashion or anything. The only thing you can identify them with is the tattoo.”

Michael put his hands holding his chin, “Then, why don't any of them come to Crysolia?” I shook my head, “I don't know, Michael. But I do know that you shouldn't give up just yet. Who knows, maybe a Despair Healer will come to you and heal your curse soon. You never know when something rare like that might happen.” Michael raised a brow.

“Possibly.” He responded, half optimistically. I stood up, “So, what do you say? You want to give up, or do you want to wait for the time to come?” I stretched out my hand to him. He hesitated, but took hold of it and stood up. “I’ll try.” He said. I nodded, taking his response.

“Good.” I took him off the roof and out of the school, leading him in his way home. “I’m here for you, if you need someone to talk to.” I offered. Michael accepted with a nod. “I will.” He looked at me with uncertainty, but left me into his neighborhood.

I had had enough of frights and stressful situations for that day. Michael scared me with his suicide attempt, but it made me think that this only meant he was unstable. I would need to heal him quickly before things went awfully wrong.

Heaven only knew what could happen if Michael hadn't been healed in time. I took a moment and found that I had real compassion for him. All those petty and mean deeds he did to me were not a major concern now.

Then I went on to think, what had he been through growing up? He grew up with no family, no one wanted to adopt him or take care of him, he was all alone. What would that feel like?

I had always had a bed to sleep on and parents to care for me. I felt I was never alone. But suddenly, when I saw the vision of what happened to Michael when he was little, I felt a little of that empty feeling. It appalled me.

Rin passed by me with a younger boy next to her. “Hey, Ritsuko.” I greeted, “Hi, Rin. Who’s your friend?” Rin patted the boy’s head and said, “Oh, this is my little brother Hiroshi. He goes to your school but he’s in the junior high class.” Hiroshi smiled, “Nice to meet you, Ms. Akiyama. My sister has said a lot of nice things about you.”

“Really?” I admit, I was a little surprised that she had talked about me when there was really nothing she could say about me other than the fact that I ate like a starved dog the first day we met, I was polite, and I talked to her the next day.

Hiroshi nodded, “I saw you around the school with some other upperclassmen. What's high school like?” I shrugged, “I think it's cool. It's a lot of hard work if you don't study or take it seriously.”

“Really?” Rin chuckled and patted his head again. “Don’t stress yourself out too much about your future classes.” She looked at me and explained, “Hiroshi is nervous about going to high school next year.”

I nodded. “I understand.” I looked down at Hiroshi and advised, “Just pay attention in your classes right now. They are very important if you want to get the hang of high school classes. Okay?”

Hiroshi grinned, “Okay. Thank you, Ms. Akiyama.” He bowed gratefully to me. “You're welcome.” Rin chuckled, “Well, Hiroshi and I should get home. I’ll see you Ritsuko! You should come by the restaurant again sometime. We could use some big bills for business, you know.” She teased.

I let out a laugh and nodded. “Bye, Rin!” Rin waved and casually walked away.

Once I got to my apartment, I wanted to see Maiko and Akito and tell them what happened. But it was probably too personal for Michael to tell them, so I kept it to myself. Instead, I went to their apartment to stop by.

“Maiko, Akito?” I called. Maiko came out from the kitchen with a fork in hand, wearing her work uniform from the cafe. “Ritsuko! What are you here for?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just wanted to see if you guys maybe wanted to hang out.”

Maiko beamed, “Of course! Just in time for dinner too! You can join us.” I declined politely, “No, no, I mustn't impose. I can just come back later.” I looked around the kitchen and added, “After all, Akito's not here yet.”

Maiko snickered, “What do you mean? He’s in his room working with his photos.” I blushed, “Really?” She stirred some grilled chicken with vegetables in a pan, adding a sauce. “Yep, he would never miss dinner. Neither would my Papa.” She paused and looked toward the door, “Which should be here soon. I told him to close up now so he could eat with us.”

That statement would seem completely normal, but it made me think of Maiko and Akito's mother. Did they still have her? I never saw her once.

“But it's okay. We always have leftovers of dinner, so you can join us. Come on, I insist.” She was a good baker, and I doubt my cooking even competed with her kitchen skill. “Alright.” I accepted kindly.

Maiko closed her eyes and smiled, “Awesome!” She hollered toward the small hallway that led to the bedrooms. “Akito!! Get out here and wash your hands for dinner.” She turned off the stove and tossed the chicken mixture a bit.

Akito came out of his room, “Alright, alright, I’m here. You don't have to keep-” he froze in front of me and stared. Was it something in my face? Was it my attire? It was just a casual red blouse.

“Um, hey Ritsuko.” He greeted. I grinned slightly, “Uh, hi. I hope you don't mind; I’ve come to stay for dinner.” He immediately looked excited but contained himself. “That's great- um, good.” He gave Maiko a sort of glare and she giggled.

“Here, I’m gonna go get my dad.” Akito quickly went out the door. Maiko shrugged, “Ah, don't mind him. He was just caught off guard.” My eyes dragged from Maiko to Akito's room. “So he was messing around with his camera?”

Maiko poured some chicken and fried vegetables onto a plate as she talked, “Yes, he was probably checking which photos to print out. I forgot to ask, how did it go with the Koizumi twins?” I sat down in front of her. I didn't know why she would ask if she didn't want me involved with them. “Why do you ask now? I thought you said you don't like them.”

Maiko raised her head and gave me a mild look. I probably came off too rude. “Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that- I just-”

Maiko interrupted me. “You don't think I should be concerned about you as a friend? Why not?”

The tone and pitch of her voice was entirely new to me. This was when I knew she was serious. “Um, well, um, uh…” I stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. “I don't mean that either. It's just that you never seem to excited when I bring those classmates up. They’re not so bad.”

“You know why I mentioned them and referred to them as special students?” Maiko's challenging voice was a little eerie. I felt uncomfortable now. “No... should I have?” I asked. Maiko picked at her skirt, rubbing it between her fingers and avoiding eye contact.

“Maiko?” She finally sighed, “I was trying to warn you. You don't know what actually happened between me and the twins.”

I swallowed hard and questioned, “What happened?” Maiko let out another sigh, this one sounding more upset than frustrated. “I wasn't exactly the nicest to them.” She admitted. I raised a brow, “Huh?”

“No one really wanted to be their friends, so I thought I would try and be nice to some cursed students.” She began, still looking down. “At first, they were nice to me, then I started taking advantage of them. I guess they got offended when I marveled at their curse like it was some type of superpower.” She stopped for a second, inhaling deeply.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “They didn't like that so much and I was oblivious to their feelings. So one day, I showed them off like they were some prizes I won or something. They didn't like the attention at all. I made them destroy things at my will just to show off their curse. But really,” she cleared her throat, “They hated it. The twins then thought I was just their friend to make fun of them. They ignored me, didn't respond to any of my calls or even when I would greet them in the morning.That's when I knew I screwed up.” She wiped a tear on her eye and smiled sadly.

“Rosalina even snapped at me one time and almost beat me up. That's why I try to avoid them as much as I can.”

I put out my hand, but was stopped by Maiko. “I tried to apologize and everything but they didn't care. They think I’m a fake now that likes to make friends and manipulate them and use them.” She sniffled. “Oh, Maiko. I’m so sorry. Isn't there a way they could-?”

Maiko shook her head and looked at me, her wide sapphire eyes brimming with tears. “I wish I could. That's when I realized I’m not a good friend to people with special needs like that.”

There was nothing I could say. I could only walk up to her and give her a hug. Maiko put her hand on mine and gratefully whispered, “Thank you, Ritsuko.” I nodded. “You're welcome. I think you’re a great friend.”

Maiko chuckled, “Oh, why thank you!” And beamed at me. There was that old Maiko smile. I laughed back and looked at the food. “Dinner looks great! You're such a good cook, Maiko.”

“Ah,” Maiko began, “It takes practice! Hey, tomorrow, why don't we both go to Kyoko’s house? You can get more acquainted with her.” I considered for a moment and nodded, “That sounds great! I’d love to. Would Akito come with us?” Maiko gave me a sly look and asked, “Why? Do you want him to come with us?”

I blushed slightly, “Um, it would be nice. But you don't have to make him come with us if he doesn't want to. It's not like-” my gaze froze at the door as Akito and his father stepped into the apartment. Thank goodness they came before I had to admit why I wanted Akito to come with us tomorrow.

It would have been even better if I had not thought of the possibility of him hearing our conversation. I turned around swiftly, “Akito! Mr. Tanaka!”

Mr. Tanaka nodded to me, “Ms. Akiyama.” Maiko clasped her hands together, “Papa, go wash up so we can eat.” Mr. Tanaka walked toward the hall, “Alright, don't rush me, Maiko.”

After washing our hands, we sat down to eat dinner together, which was absolutely delectable. Akito and I talked about hobbies while Maiko caught Mr. Tanaka up with what she sold and what she baked downstairs.

“And why didn't you get into drawing?” Akito rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m not good at art. I can't really draw much.” I put my finger to my chin, “Really? But you're good with a camera?”

“Cameras work better for me. They capture the image for me.” He smiled at me, “Although sometimes…” his dark blue eyes boring into mine. “They kind of don't capture the beauty of what's actually in front of it.” I felt myself getting closer and closer to Akito. He leaned into me and I almost felt like this was a fantasy.

We both leaned close to each other and I felt we were about to kiss. Suddenly, Maiko questioned in a loud voice, “You got that, Akito, right?” Akito flinched but looked at his sister. “What was that?” I was a little disappointed but didn't show it.

Maiko rolled her eyes playfully, “You bought the eggs for my recipe tomorrow?” Akito blinked twice and agreed, “Yeah, along with the other groceries.” He stirred his food around and took a bite. I secretly wished to shut Maiko up just for that split second, but I shook my head and put my hand down.

Akito looked a little disappointed that we were interrupted. This could’ve been a chance to read his mind, but I respected him too much to do that. Even if it did reveal his true feelings for me, it would be terrible of me to do such a thing.

The rest of dinner was fairly quiet, due to the awkward moment Akito and I had since Maiko interrupted us. I pushed away any questions or thoughts for the night and went to my apartment. Maiko told me she would come by my apartment in the morning so we could go explore the village or something like that. I didn't really get a chance to say goodbye to Akito, unfortunately.

I was slightly glad to be in bed at an early time, but feared I would have another nightmare. Soon, I became too sleepy to worry about it and drifted away to sleep.

No nightmares or dreams that were specifically important happened that night. That was a good sign. It could’ve possibly meant that I was going the right way and nothing would happen. I got out of bed and began writing a letter to my parents.

Dear Mama and Papa, I began, How have you all been? Do you two miss me? I miss you a lot. So far, things have been alright. There have been some strange occurrences going on, but nothing totally alarming. I am concerned about some of the cursed kids. They're not kids anymore, that's for sure.” I gripped my pencil hard and decided what to say about them. “They're all still here in my high school class, but some of them come off as cold or rude. I don't know how I should approach them. No one knows my identity yet, luckily. Please inform my Master of my struggles, maybe he could advise me in some way. Wish me luck. I love you guys.

“I do love you.” I breathed, putting the pencil down and tucking the letter under an envelope. “Maiko!” I reminded myself and grabbed my purse. Then, I walked out of the apartment, locking it with my key just in time to have Maiko come up to me, panting.

“Ritsuko!” She smiled at me, out of breath, “Here, let's go!” I stepped back, puzzled. “Why are we in a rush?” Maiko pointed back, “Akito is after me right-aah!!” She squealed as Akito came up behind her, picking her up.

Akito growled, “Maiko, give it back!!” Maiko shrieked and laughed hysterically while I just stood there in confusion. Akito shook her back and forth, her feet off the floor. “Never!” She resisted, trying to slip her hands out.

“That's mine, Maiko!” Akito groaned, putting her down and grabbing her left arm. He gripped at her fist, trying to open it. It seemed he wanted to grab something from her.

I decided to grab Maiko and help pull her first open. “No!” She laughed as Akito snatched what she had. It was a little piece of paper. “Don't take my pictures without asking, Maiko! I already told you.” Maiko put a hand over her mouth, “Well I just thought maybe she would want to see it.” Akito clenched a fist and his face got red.

“See what?” I requested curiously. Maiko pointed at Akito, “Ask him.” She tittered. I looked to Akito and put my hands together. Akito stammered, “It’s...it’s not really...it’s nothing. It's just a picture I took. I don't know, don't know why Maiko would want to show you.” He slipped it into his pants pocket.

I didn't want to grill him, as he already looked a little embarrassed, so I shrugged it off. “Alrighty. So where should we go first?” Maiko asked, “Did you eat breakfast?”

“Made myself an egg about a half hour ago.” I answered. Maiko winked, “So you're taking care of yourself I see.” I scoffed playfully, “Hey, I can feed myself without someone doing it for me.” Maiko chuckled.

Akito mentioned, “Weren't we going to Kyoko’s house first?” Maiko gasped, “Oh yeah! It's Saturday, so she might still be asleep.” I added, “Yeah. We could go somewhere else, then.”

Maiko lifted her finger, “Nope! If she’s not awake, we’ll wake her up for her!” She skipped off downstairs. Akito and I exchanged unsure expressions and followed after her. “Uh, wait, wait. Maiko, what if her parents are still asleep? We’ll wake them all up!” Akito reasoned.

Maiko ran out the door with us on her tail, “No worries! I got this!!” I whimpered, “Maiko!! Wait up!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so now you know Michael is still alive! But now that Ritsuko knows his curse, how will she approach him when the time comes to heal him? Maiko also  confessed a truth that Ritsuko didn't even think about. How will this affect Ritsuko and her mission with the twins? So many questions, I know!! Thanks for reading, however, and I hope God blesses you tomorrow for my birthday! 💜💜