Hey! Long time no see!! As I promised, I'm done with my exam! Actually, today was my last one and I just came home about at around 12 in the morning. Hopefully, I'll get a good grade. I only got like, 2 hours of sleep last night so... guess who's only running on tea right now? Couldn't be me! N e ways, I figured you guys deserved this more than I deserved sleep so enjoy!!

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You didn't try looking at your father and brother, knowing damn well that if you looked, you would have been consumed by guilt from the look on their faces.

Instead, they continued to gawk at you through the glass that separates you and Makoto from your family. Thankfully, your brother was beside your father in case the poor man stumbled to the floor in shock.

"Well, then... Let's begin, [Last Name]-san." Makoto's voice cut through the silence that was present in the interrogation room. You stared at his flashing golden eyes before nodding slowly, and he finally started the recorder to record your confession.

"Let's start with the beginning, [Last Name][Name]-san. Can you tell me what had happened on the day you were kidnapped?"

"Yes... I was coming back from meeting my friends and stopped by a convenience store to buy myself something to snack on." You made sure to purposefully leave out the fact that the meeting was actually your gang meeting.

"-that's when I heard a woman cry in an alleyway... I thought it might be someone getting hurt, so I rushed in the alleyway." Makoto nodded and he jotted something down in front of him.

"I see, and did you see who made that noise? I mean, did you come across that woman after you entered the alleyway?"

"No, I suppose they must have used a recording to lure me in, which... now that I think about it, was stupid of me since I should have been able to differentiate a recording from a real voice." You couldn't help beating yourself up over your amateur mistake. It really was what got you in trouble.

"No need to beat yourself over it. You are but a child, you couldn't have expected that." His words don't bring much comfort but you appreciate it nonetheless. Bowing your head in gratitude, you continued on explaining what had took place in order.

You explained how you were suddenly attacked and forced to take down the more than 70 men your grandfather had sent for your capture, how they shot you and how your arm doesn't allow much movement now. How [Grandfather Name] offered you to join and how he had ordered his men to toy with you until you finally broke. You told him about how you picked your locks and stabbed people just to get out.

You told him about how you ran out, purposefully not mentioning Naoki. But you did mention Izumi-san, because you realised that there wasn't any harm in mentioning her.

During the entire time you spoke, you could feel Makoto's rage slowly building up.

You knew he was a good person, and seeing a child about the same age as his daughter, going through such a traumatic experience must have angered him to the core. You also knew your father and brother could hear you, but you couldn't bear to look at them in the eye.

So you just kept your head hung low the entire time you spoke. You didn't know what kind of face they were making, but you knew that they were most probably extremely horrified.

"I see..." That was Makoto said as you finished explaining the entire ordeal. For a while, both you and Makoto sat in silence. He stopped the recording and just placed the recorder back on the table, but made no motion in getting up.

He just sat there with his head hung low, almost as if he was afraid that if he looked up, you would see the tears that filled his eyes. He didn't pity you, no... You didn't need anyone's pity, but God did it hurt... It hurt so much seeing a child your age having to go through all this when you had just freed yourself from your psychotic mother just a few months ago.

Just what the fuck is wrong with the entire Amaji family?! Are they all just a bunch of sexist, power-hungry psychopaths?!

"Sakamoto-san?" You softly whispered, hoping that you wouldn't have disturbed him. You heard him softly hum under his breath, as if he were telling you to go on, "If I may... Can I please meet my family now?"

Just hearing the slight voice crack in your voice made his heart break. You sounded... like a lost child. He slowly looked up to you and nodded, trying to force a smile so you wouldn't see his saddened expressions, "Of course, kid. Come on, let's go meet 'em."

You gave him a shaky smile and got up, while he gave a smile back.

As you began to walk out the interrogation room, your family followed suit. It wasn't until you came out of the interrogation room that they also stepped out of the viewing room.

[Father Name]'s breath stopped for a minute.

Looking at you, his baby, after such a painful event, he couldn't even form words in his mouth. He just stood there gaping at you. Tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes were beginning to burn his eyes, his throat was aching as he held back a sob.

Usually, he was the emotional one in your family.

But for once, your brother took the initiative. He rushed over to you and wrapped his arms around your frame. You winced slightly when he pressed against your half healed shoulder. But you didn't dare mutter another word.

Even if you were the one who was kidnapped, it was your family that looked like they had seen hell. Your brother looked so fragile at that moment when he held you in his arms that you were scared that if you asked him to ease up a bit, he might break from the guilt.

You didn't cry.

You know you should have.

But you felt like you couldn't.

Yes, you were happy to be reunited with your family, but a part of you felt like it was too early to be crying happy tears, at least for you. You knew this was only the beginning.

And it terrified you. Not because you were worried for yourself.

But you worried for your family.

Unlike you, they never had to deal with severe injuries that would bring anyone to a near death state. They weren't the ones who dealt with [Mother Name]'s psychotic tendencies since they could walk. They didn't know how to deal with all this new, painful stuff.

You didn't think they would be able to handle the pain that would come in the future.

And that was what scared you.

But you still kept quiet. Instead of voicing out your worries, you just held your brother against your chest and let him cry his heart out. But before you could even look up to your father, you felt another set of arms being wrapped around your already enveloped frame.

A series of soft sobs accompanied the new pair of arms; your father...

For a long while, none of you exchanged any words.

You all just stood there, in each other's arms and let your heavy hearts easen up the weight that weighed them down.

All, but you... because you just couldn't find it in you to ease the aching in your chest, knowing well that you would have to hear their sobs in the futurea rn reassure them that it would be the last time, only to lie, for this was not the end.

But at the very least, you were now back in their arms...

At the very least, it was way warmer than that cold, disgusting basement that didn't let you get a wink of sleep because you had to be alert. You were the only one who could save yourself at that time.

At least... you were back.

"I'm home... don't worry, I'm home."