BLOOM | NI-KI - Chapter 5: Chapter 5
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SAORI STRAINED HER EYES, her fingers slightly trembling as she combed through Ni-ki's sketchbook again. She was currently cooped up in the bathroom stall, legs pulled up to her chest, her heart beating way too fast.
For the past few days, she hadn't been able to get the haunting drawings of Sunoo out of her mind—especially after hearing the story behind it. As she gazed at the drawing, she took note of the shading, dark hues of grey and black casting a shadow behind the figure of the boy falling.
There were no wings. Just shadows.
She shut the sketchbook, staring straight ahead. She tried to think of happy things, anything that would soothe her mind from the mystery that plagued it.
But she couldn't.
Suicide. It couldn't have been that simple, she thought to herself, tucking the book back into her bag. Today was the day she'd decided to return the sketchbook to Ni-ki. She hadn't had the chance, allowing fear to get the best of her, but she knew he was looking for it.
She knew he must have been paranoid at the thought of someone finding something so personal. But she had to take it, she had to take it to better understand him.
Now she just needed to let him know that she did.
As soon as she exited the bathroom, she bumped into him. He looked down, eyes cold and hardened as he muttered under his breath. "Watch it,"
She merely gaped at him, her throat seeming to close in on itself. "Ni-ki, wait." She reached into her backpack, her fingers just grazing his sketchbook, when he warned her:
"Stay away from me."
Then he was gone, his tousled black hair disappearing into the shadows. She let out a shaky breath, cursing under her breath. She had just missed him.
To Saori, there seemed to be absolutely no way to get Ni-ki to let her in, no matter how hard she tried. She chewed on her lip, dropping her bag against her shoulder in defeat.
She had to think of something.
Across the hallway, Sakura watched the girl, eyebrows knit in frustration. No matter how many times she seemed to warn her, she never seemed to listen. Her heels clicked against the tile floor as she approached a crestfallen Saori.
"Saroi," She said harshly, crossing her arms.
Saori froze, eyes shutting in annoyance at the familiar sound of Sakura's voice. She was getting sick of the girl trying to meddle in her business. She knew exactly what she was doing.
"Yes?" She finally turned, her voice dripping with faux sweetness.
"Why do I keep having to tell you this? Stay away from Ni-ki," She snapped, eyes narrowing at her. Saori sighed. Inside, she was fighting against the overwhelming urge to snap at the girl, to tell her to leave her alone and stop policing who she spoke to. But instead:
"Oh, I was just returning his sketchbook–"
"I don't care. Stay away from him, you don't know what he's capable of." Sakura warns her again, her teeth clenched.
"What if he's not the one to be afraid of?"
Sakura doesn't say anything. She just glares at her, before turning and briskly walking away. There was only so much she could do to save her. She couldn't save someone didn't want to be.
𓇢𓆸
The auditorium was loud, voices bouncing off the walls as students filed in. The school had called an emergency assembly, claiming they had an important announcement to make.
Saori walked in, arms crossed, her mind racing. She had to figure out a way to give the sketchbook back to Ni-ki, to somehow talk to him about Sunoo.
She needed him to know she was on his side.
"Students, settle down!" The principal called from the front of the room, her voice booming through the microphone. The buzz of the auditorium eventually simmered into silence, the students' eyes boring into the teacher.
"As you know, there has been an influx in fights this semester." She paused, her eyes scanning the room to find Ni-ki. He was slumped in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. This was the last place he wanted to be.
"It's only the beginning of the semester, and yet we have parents calling in, complaining about school violence," She said sternly, fingers curling around the sides of the podium. "This is unacceptable!"
The students murmured, nudging each other, their eyes immediately landing on Ni-ki, who remained unbothered. Saori looked around nervously, shifting in her seat.
"We understand that with what happened last year, there has been a lot of anxiety. But that is no excuse for violence! Violence is not the answer."
Ni-ki scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"What happened was an accident. It's a shame we weren't able to save Sunoo in time, but this violence and bullying is exactly what drives people to suicide!" She said, her voice booming like a thunderous storm.
That was it.
Ni-ki stood up suddenly, shrugging the hands of the teachers off of him as he stormed out of the auditorium. Saori's eyes tracked him as she scrambled to follow him.
"Saori, where are you going?" A classmate whispered. "The restroom," She replied quickly, squeezing through the seats to follow him.
"Ni-ki!" She called, her legs aching as she struggled to catch up to him. The taller boy stopped, shoulders shaking as he turned to look at her.
"How many times do I have–"
"Ni-ki, I believe you." She huffed, her hands on her knees as she fought to catch her breath. Ni-ki stared at her, shaking his head. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I do." She finally rose to her full height, looking up at him. "I saw the drawings, I heard what happened to Sunoo. Even if I don't know exactly what happened, I don't believe it was a suicide."
"And why do you care?"
"Because I'm tired of seeing everyone make you out to be some lunatic." She stepped closer to him, her eyes never leaving his. The two had a staring match, before Ni-ki finally looked away.
"Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I don't forget. But I remember who was there." He said when they made their way to an empty classroom. "I remember who smiled when Sunoo fell. I'll never forget it." He whispered, fist clenching as he stared past Saori.
She reached her hand out, placing her palm over his bruised fist. "I understand you, Ni-ki." She said softly, her thumb tracing invisible shapes against his hand to soothe him. Saori swallowed, goosebumps forming all along her skin. It was clear this was something much deeper than simple teen drama—this was a cover-up. This was a potentially premeditated crime that involved the murder of a student.
And she was about to get involved.
"What is it that you want?" She asked, when he finally pulled his hand away.
"I want the truth." He mumbled, stalking toward the window. "And I want him to pay."
She should've walked away, should have turned back and pretended to forget Ni-ki and everything involved with him. But instead, she nodded.
There was no turning back.
Bloom.
For the past few days, she hadn't been able to get the haunting drawings of Sunoo out of her mind—especially after hearing the story behind it. As she gazed at the drawing, she took note of the shading, dark hues of grey and black casting a shadow behind the figure of the boy falling.
There were no wings. Just shadows.
She shut the sketchbook, staring straight ahead. She tried to think of happy things, anything that would soothe her mind from the mystery that plagued it.
But she couldn't.
Suicide. It couldn't have been that simple, she thought to herself, tucking the book back into her bag. Today was the day she'd decided to return the sketchbook to Ni-ki. She hadn't had the chance, allowing fear to get the best of her, but she knew he was looking for it.
She knew he must have been paranoid at the thought of someone finding something so personal. But she had to take it, she had to take it to better understand him.
Now she just needed to let him know that she did.
As soon as she exited the bathroom, she bumped into him. He looked down, eyes cold and hardened as he muttered under his breath. "Watch it,"
She merely gaped at him, her throat seeming to close in on itself. "Ni-ki, wait." She reached into her backpack, her fingers just grazing his sketchbook, when he warned her:
"Stay away from me."
Then he was gone, his tousled black hair disappearing into the shadows. She let out a shaky breath, cursing under her breath. She had just missed him.
To Saori, there seemed to be absolutely no way to get Ni-ki to let her in, no matter how hard she tried. She chewed on her lip, dropping her bag against her shoulder in defeat.
She had to think of something.
Across the hallway, Sakura watched the girl, eyebrows knit in frustration. No matter how many times she seemed to warn her, she never seemed to listen. Her heels clicked against the tile floor as she approached a crestfallen Saori.
"Saroi," She said harshly, crossing her arms.
Saori froze, eyes shutting in annoyance at the familiar sound of Sakura's voice. She was getting sick of the girl trying to meddle in her business. She knew exactly what she was doing.
"Yes?" She finally turned, her voice dripping with faux sweetness.
"Why do I keep having to tell you this? Stay away from Ni-ki," She snapped, eyes narrowing at her. Saori sighed. Inside, she was fighting against the overwhelming urge to snap at the girl, to tell her to leave her alone and stop policing who she spoke to. But instead:
"Oh, I was just returning his sketchbook–"
"I don't care. Stay away from him, you don't know what he's capable of." Sakura warns her again, her teeth clenched.
"What if he's not the one to be afraid of?"
Sakura doesn't say anything. She just glares at her, before turning and briskly walking away. There was only so much she could do to save her. She couldn't save someone didn't want to be.
𓇢𓆸
The auditorium was loud, voices bouncing off the walls as students filed in. The school had called an emergency assembly, claiming they had an important announcement to make.
Saori walked in, arms crossed, her mind racing. She had to figure out a way to give the sketchbook back to Ni-ki, to somehow talk to him about Sunoo.
She needed him to know she was on his side.
"Students, settle down!" The principal called from the front of the room, her voice booming through the microphone. The buzz of the auditorium eventually simmered into silence, the students' eyes boring into the teacher.
"As you know, there has been an influx in fights this semester." She paused, her eyes scanning the room to find Ni-ki. He was slumped in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. This was the last place he wanted to be.
"It's only the beginning of the semester, and yet we have parents calling in, complaining about school violence," She said sternly, fingers curling around the sides of the podium. "This is unacceptable!"
The students murmured, nudging each other, their eyes immediately landing on Ni-ki, who remained unbothered. Saori looked around nervously, shifting in her seat.
"We understand that with what happened last year, there has been a lot of anxiety. But that is no excuse for violence! Violence is not the answer."
Ni-ki scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"What happened was an accident. It's a shame we weren't able to save Sunoo in time, but this violence and bullying is exactly what drives people to suicide!" She said, her voice booming like a thunderous storm.
That was it.
Ni-ki stood up suddenly, shrugging the hands of the teachers off of him as he stormed out of the auditorium. Saori's eyes tracked him as she scrambled to follow him.
"Saori, where are you going?" A classmate whispered. "The restroom," She replied quickly, squeezing through the seats to follow him.
"Ni-ki!" She called, her legs aching as she struggled to catch up to him. The taller boy stopped, shoulders shaking as he turned to look at her.
"How many times do I have–"
"Ni-ki, I believe you." She huffed, her hands on her knees as she fought to catch her breath. Ni-ki stared at her, shaking his head. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I do." She finally rose to her full height, looking up at him. "I saw the drawings, I heard what happened to Sunoo. Even if I don't know exactly what happened, I don't believe it was a suicide."
"And why do you care?"
"Because I'm tired of seeing everyone make you out to be some lunatic." She stepped closer to him, her eyes never leaving his. The two had a staring match, before Ni-ki finally looked away.
"Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I don't forget. But I remember who was there." He said when they made their way to an empty classroom. "I remember who smiled when Sunoo fell. I'll never forget it." He whispered, fist clenching as he stared past Saori.
She reached her hand out, placing her palm over his bruised fist. "I understand you, Ni-ki." She said softly, her thumb tracing invisible shapes against his hand to soothe him. Saori swallowed, goosebumps forming all along her skin. It was clear this was something much deeper than simple teen drama—this was a cover-up. This was a potentially premeditated crime that involved the murder of a student.
And she was about to get involved.
"What is it that you want?" She asked, when he finally pulled his hand away.
"I want the truth." He mumbled, stalking toward the window. "And I want him to pay."
She should've walked away, should have turned back and pretended to forget Ni-ki and everything involved with him. But instead, she nodded.
There was no turning back.
Bloom.
End of BLOOM | NI-KI Chapter 5. Continue reading Chapter 6 or return to BLOOM | NI-KI book page.