Needing a tutor (OPEN)

"Yes, but it dsure does explain a lot of things.

"And fifth graders usually take life science in their science section of their class, that must've been when. I dissected a fish in that class too, found a tiny squid in its stomach. It was awesome," he laughed, remembering it. Takashi had pulled the squid out and pushed it in front of Karatsu's face so that he could see it clearly and he had replied by slapping the poor creature out of his hand. They both got in trouble at the end.

'Matt' frowned at her life story, which sounded very painful. He didn't know what it was like to have any siblings, but the death of any family member, even if you didn't spend much time with them, was sad. To think that she barely knew her own family members... He felt pain because he had known his parents so well, and losing them was so horrible, but if he hadn't been close to them... It's true that he wouldn't have felt anything. But that's the point; he would've felt empty.

"It's fine," he said, accepting her apology without problem, though he wasn't sure why she was telling this to him, someone she had just met. He'd never confide his problems even with a close friend, let alone someone he just met. "It's good that you're sharing, that at least means that you're bothered by it."

Yuri laughed at his story about the squid but felt sad for the poor little creature even if she did find them disgusting. "Awsome? More like creepy but I still feel sorry for the aquid." She said smiling,She didn't like slimy things but she felt bad for any creatures death.

He was frowning about her life story,maybe thinking about what she had said.
"I just wish it would've been me instead of her." She said refering to her sister,she had loved her even if she hadn't known her,she loved all her family even if none of them were close,she still loved them and would do anything to protect them.

Her blue eyes grew sad and she looked down at the ground,her head hurt she hated thinking about things she couldn't change "I loved her...no matter what people think,I loved my sister..." her voice broke as She let her voice trail off she was more than bothered by it she had loved her and still does.
She ddin't usually feel so confident talking to someone she had just met she didn't know why she was pouring her life on him.

"Ah, yes. We gave it a small burial later when the teacher wasn't looking, though we couldn't sneak the fish in with it; its body was way too big," he said, reminiscing now with a wistful look on his face as he got hit with a small wave of nostalgia. He could remember it clearly, but it still seemed far away.

He glanced at her, no words to say. She was obviously talking about her younger sister, who had a life ahead of her that was crushed at such a young age. Did that mean, though, that Yuri herself didn't find life worth meaning?

Well, what am I to say. I'd trade my life for one of my parents' any day. he admitted to himself after a brief moment's of thought.

'Matt' stayed silent, she sounded close to tears. He thus realized that it didn't matter if she didn't know them; she still loved her family members. Wow. He hesitantly reached out an arm and patted her on the shoulder. "You still do," he said simply, noting that she used past tense. There's no reason for her feelings to diminish simply because of time. He knew that better than anyone, didn't he?

Yuri grinned as he talked about the squid "Awww,That's so sweet." She said about them giving the squid a burial,So sweet she thought aloud.

He glanced at her she must be close to crying by now,but she tried not to cry. she tried to think that her sister was in a better place,but she didn't know that that was true herself.
She thought about her life,it seemed meaningless,full of things of the moment things that could be replaced....everything in her life could be replaced,she thought EVERYTHING,she'd trade anything for another moment with her sister...her life even.

She tried to smile as he patted her shoulder but failed,she couldn't fake a smile,she couldn't do anything right she thought,maybe if she could she could've done something for Mary.
She nodded fiercly when he said she still loved her sister,she hadn't realized she'd said it in past tense...Her love for her sister would never fade away NEVER she thought to herself.

He chuckled quietly at her reply to the squid's burial. Was it really? They had felt bad after chucking the poor thing around, so they put it in a hole and covered it up. Truthfully, it would've been better to send it to the ocean, where it lived, but they were too far away to do that. Also, it probably would've been eaten by a fish again.

'Matt' let in a small breath, sighing it out. It was amazingly hard to console someone who lost a loved one; in fact, he found it the best advice to just tell them to move on. Of course, that's what they do, but that doesn't prevent them from getting into a relapse every once in a while. Even he had those.

Those little sayings like "Oh, he's in a better place" and "Now she doesn't have to suffer anymore" or "They are watching over you now, at peace" really doesn't make anyone feel better. Didn't make him, as what he wanted the most was just for them to be there, physically, with him. He knew that he wasn't alone in this feeling, either.

He waited a moment or two, respectfully giving her silence with his hand still on her shoulder, before he spoke again. "Are you feeling better?" Sadness could be a sickness sometimes.

She smiled as he chuckled at her. It was nice they had buried it,it was sad it had got eaten by a fish that was to get killed and disected,but at least the didn't throw it back out to get eaten again. She felt connected to animals -all kinds- she loved them,even if they weren't cute or anything she liked them,they had a reason to live whatever it was which was more than she could say for herself.

She was normaly hard to talk to but when she got this way -thinking about mary- she was probably even harder to talk to...
He was doing a pretty good job of comforting her,most people tried to talk to her and say she'd see her again one day,but staying silent worked better.
She often lapsed into a sad trance of what would have happened if Mary had survived...but she knew not to dwell in something she couldn't change -she knew better- but she couldn't help it,she missed her.

She thought of her sister more and more each day,of how she used to sing her a song at night for that month she had lived -every night all night- and most of the day she sat by her crib crying for her when no one was home -she was the only one who stayed home to take care of Mary- the song was beautiful,and Yuri sang it wonderfuly for some reason she felt like singing it now.
the first word Mary had said at just one month old had been 'Heaven' over and over again she would say 'heaven heaven' it made Yuri cry that even her month old sister knew where she was going and was smart enough to say it...

he asked her if she felt better and she answered "Yeah." his hand was still on her shoulder it felt good his warm fingers on her,it had been awhile since anyone had the courage to touch her as she had been moody for a long time,but he was and it made her happy that he didn't seem to think she was to crazy or weird some people were even scared of her -of her sudden mood swings and her temper- she then asked him "Have you ever lost someone?" She didn't know why she asked but she did regaining her normal impulsive way of talking,she was almost afraid of the answer.What if he had lost alot of people? she now felt bad for asking,but she couldn't take her words back.

She seemed to have calmed down quite a bit, and he believed Yuri when she answered that she felt better. Of course she didn't wasn't fine, but 'better' was enough for him.

The question got 'Matt' by surprise; you could tell by the way his expression stiffened and how his fingers clenched slightly as he momentarily forgot that he was holding onto her shoulder. He quickly let go of her, bringing his hands to his lap and clasping them together, now staring at the grass in front of him.

For a moment or two he didn't answer, making the answer way too obvious. Inside he was having a raging conflict; to tell or not to tell? He barely knew her! But she had asked, and he didn't lie. Just don't tell? No, that's rude of him, and she had told him about her story. Just don't tell a story?

Well, if she doesn't ask, then. He let out a small, almost shuddering sigh before answering her.

"Yeah." So that she didn't have to ask him further, he added, "I'm an orphan."

She looked at him as the impact of his words finally hit her,Orphan....She felt a deep pain in her heart for him,it must have been so hard for him and probably still was,she instantly wished she could erase her words,but she couldn't she couldn't take back what she had asked him and she couldn't imagine how hard it would be to answer....

his grip tightened on her shoulder and she flinched but he released her and the sadness for him flooded her heart.he placed his hands in his lap and held them tightly.

she knew she shouldn't have asked as soon as he answered... "I'm sorry." She said a little to quickly,she realized she probably had hurt him enough with her question she wasn't going to force him to talk to her. "It must be hard for you..." she said knowingly and continued "I'm sorry..." she said again,she knew saying she was here if he wanted to talk was all to common,people say that to much she thought but it was true.
she was here for him if he needed her.

He could feel sympathy and regret in the silence that followed, but he didn't do anything to ease that. After all, it was indeed a rather touchy subject, and nothing he could say would make the atmosphere any better. If he could have, he wouldn't be as bothered by his parents' death, would he?

"It's fine," he finally answered after her second apology. By the tone of her voice, she was saying that she was there if he needed to talk, but the thing was that he didn't. He never needed to talk. He only did when they absolutely wanted to hear his story; then, he would, though only if he knew them well enough to not spread it around. He'd hate for someone to do that.

'Matt' took another breath and sighed. His voice was dull when he spoke next, "It's all over now, anyway. I don't have anyone else to lose."

Yuri felt rather uncomfortable in this situation she didn't know how to console him,she had never been in a situation quite like this,she didn't know anyone who had lost someone.
She wished she knew what to say or do but she didn't she didn't know how to make him feel better like he had made her,so she kept quiet she didn't want to say the wrong thing.

She could tell he probably wouldn't ever need to talk -especially to her- as he said it was fine but she could sense it wasn't totally fine,but then again it never really was fine with people there was always something everyone had to regret or be in pain from.
But if he did want to talk to her she wouldn't betray his trust,she wouldn't hurt him more than he already was.

He sighed and she felt his pain again but remained silent, he said he didn't have anything else to lose but she knew that was never true if no one ever had nothing to lose then what would be the point of life? sometimes it came down to you being the only thing you had to lose,if you lose yourself there really is no point to life and no one would care anymore. she thought to herself.
She touched his hand carefully,she hadn't comforted anyone in a while so it was hard for her to figure out what she should do,She spoke gently "I understand." she really did know what he was going through.

The silence that followed was uncomfortable, not quite like the silence that he had made when she needed a bit of comfort. Yuri was being uncertain here, uncertain how to help someone like him, who had lost all that he had once cared for. Ah, of course, that's how most acted around him when they realize that he's an orphan. That's why he tended not to tell anyone.

Her hand felt warm, and despite that the touch was foreign he didn't draw away, just stared in front of him. 'Matt' had to will himself not to get sullen or moody at the moment, but it was hard when he was completely reminded of his parents. Wasn't he laughing just a moment ago? He should be laughing again.

The junior glanced at her when she said that she understood. "I know." They were both people that had lost someone, weren't they? This wasn't all too comforting to 'Matt', as he didn't really like to know that people had faced the same pain as him, but it meant that he wasn't alone. Of course he wasn't.

Yuri realized she was probably making him feel worse, she was screwing it up like she did everything.
She wanted to end the silence it was to dang loud...He had comforted her and now she realized that he needed to take his mind off of the sad subject, not consoling, he didn't need anyones pity -she knew that better than anyone that pity never helps- He needed a friend just like she had before and he had been there for her even though he barely knew her...Now she needed to do the same.
She couldn't change the past, no one could, she couldn't go back and save her sister and he couldn't go back and save his parents, they both need to focus on the future not the past....She thought and then WOW she had never admitted that to herself before....

She released her grip on his hand and jumped to her feet, and said energeticly
"Can't change the past. Let's go do something fun!?" It was more a question than a statement, and she stood in wait for his response.

'Matt' blinked when she suddenly spoke and stood up, staring at her for a few seconds. The first and second sentences were completely different from each other, but he knew that they both were meant to help him. He smiled. Yeah, nothing can change the past; that's going to be true for the rest of eternity, but that doesn't mean that you can't change the future.

"Sure," he said, standing up and stretching, as he had gotten a little stiff by sitting for so long. "What do you have in mind?" Though his mind was still a little bit on the sad stuff, he knew well that doing something else could make you feel better. Sure, you never forget entirely, but it just doesn't linger on your mind as much.

Yuri's face lit up when he said sure and smiled, then she said With a playful sparkle in her eyes "You don't look like the kind to raid a liquor store with sooo I'm thinking...' Of course the liquor store part was a joke but it had crossed her mind, She continued on "Roller rink?" She said it with a daring look on her face, she could out skate alot of people and she hoped him to.

She hoped she was helping, and making up for her mistake of hopelessly trying to console him earlier but she really did just want to go and have fun, not just to make him feel better but she had a good time around him.

He raised his eyebrows. Raiding the liquor store? Nah, 'Matt' didn't drink, the one time he did he had no idea what happened. He wasn't too fond of not remembering things (as he remembers everything), so she was quite right when she said that he wasn't the type to, even if she was just joking with her proposition.

Roller rink? By the look on her eyes, she was good at it. 'Matt' on the other hand... I haven't roller bladed once in my life. He had ice skated once, when Takashi literally dragged him over there and watched him slip and stumble on the ice. 'Matt' wasn't exactly a graceful one, see.

"Uhhh... Sure." If roller blading was like ice skating (which he got the hang of later) then it'd be okay.... right?

Yuri smiled grabbed her bag that was covered in bumper stickers like
'Fight crime: Shoot back!' or 'Eat Right, Exercise, Die Anyway." and her personal favorite
'I took an IQ test and the results were negative.'

"Let's go then." She said her deep blue eyes still sparkling as she spoke.
She pulled her hair into a pony tail and pulled her skirt down as it was wrinkled from sitting so long.

'Matt' smiled, though he was a bit wary now. What exactly had he gotten himself into? Surely rollerblading couldn't be all too bad...

Right?

"Okay," he said, knowing that they had plenty of time on their schedule.

Wait.

"Um.. I don't have a car." This wasn't the first time he had told someone this at this school, but this was the first time he was a bit embarrassed saying so. Yeah, yeah, he didn't have a car. Yes, he was old enough to, but the thing is that it's basically illegal for him to get one. Blind people are not allowed to drive, he's not allowed to drive. If he went driving he'd die in a second.

Yuri thought for a second...No car? Ok... They could either steal one or walk....
"Alright...so we can 'borrow' one from a teacher, or we can walk..."
"It shouldn't be to far from here." She mumbled to herself, and pulled out the map she had been given upon arriving at WHA and started to trace out a path...

He seemed a bit embarrassed that he didn't have a car...Sure, he was a Junor but that didn't mean he HAD to have a car...No big deal...

She found a route that could take them straight to the rink she didn't know how long it would take though...She showed him the map, and pointed her finger quickly in between the space from the rink and their present location and asked "how long is that?" It couldn't be to long.

"No stealing a car," he said firmly. There was no way he was going to steal, because one he didn't know how to and two he hated taking risks. Funny how someone one-eyed like him doesn't like taking risks, huh?

He glanced at the map despite that he already knew the route there. One of the first things he did when he moved here was memorize the map of the city. "That's around forty minutes by walking, depending on the traffic." He knew, of course. He'd walked around the city plenty of times before. "There's several shortcuts, but they're a bit risky and that'll only cut off around fifteen minutes. However, this bus stop here---" he pointed at one a bit eastward to the school, the opposite direction of the rink. "--takes ten minutes to this bus stop here--" here he points at one near the rink. "And then there's an empty alley we can cross to get to the rink.

"How's that?"

Yuri laughed at his firmness in no car-theft, "Alright, alright, But it's only bad if you get caught. Trust me I know from expirience." She said still half-laughing.

She blinked for a few seconds at his directional skills, then she said half teasing half serious "What are you a human map!?" He sure seemed like it, She on the other hand could get lost in her own house. "Ok, well I'll just follow you then, since I have the directional skills of a, well actually I have none." She thought about that for a second, She couldn't even say she had the amount of directional skills of any half brained animal...Exept maybe those rats that run off cliffs...
She got her mind back on the subject at hand "Wow, that sounds confusing but quick."
"Perfect!" She smiled again and draped her bag over one shoulder.

Eh? She got caught before? He blinked at her, twice. However, guessing on her rather... strange past, this didn't seem all too surprising. Stealing a car must've been fun for her, huh?

"Ah, no.." he replied to her question, though he did realize just how informative he had been. Well, it really didn't take him long to memorize the map of the city and all the bus stops and schedules.. "Alright, then, I'll guide you."

He checked his watch, bringing it up to his face, and blinked. "Alright, well let's go right away. The next bus comes up in five minutes."

He nodded to her and began to walk to the nearest bus stop (all not too far away).

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