Chapter 28 Summary

The chapter opens with a quick recap of events.

Kisa has been staying at Shigure's house for a few days. During that time, the little girl hasn't budged from Tooru's side. Not that Tooru seems to mind, in fact she thinks Kisa is so adorable that she spontaneously generates hearts and shoujo bubbles several times. Kyou is rather annoyed by this, and announces that he's hungry.

Tooru (generating hearts again) asks Kisa what she wants to eat. Still unable to speak she remains silent. Kyou gets annoyed and makes a comment, which Shigure (laying on top of Kyou's back) tells her to ignore and 'que sera sera'.

Tooru comes up with a game for Kisa to decide what dinner will be. She writes several choices on a piece of paper, and connects them to a 'chutes and ladders' maze on the paper. Kisa picks a choice and Tooru sings a silly tune while she traces the chosen path. And the final choice is...

Niratama (a dish made with leeks)

Kyou of course isn't happy with this, and begins to complain sarcastically. Tooru hastens to apologize while Kisa giggles in the background. Tooru thinks to herself that surely eventually Kisa will find her voice again.

The scene switches to Yuki, who wonders how one manages to stop running away. Yuki, Tooru, Hatsuharu and Momiji are sharing lunch up on the roof. Momiji comments that it's always at Shigure's place where people are sent when there is a need to separate. Tooru wonders what will happen next. Hatsuharu says he has no idea. Yuki asks about her mother and Tooru notices Momiji looking sad.

She hastens to assure him that Kisa's mother is fine. In fact, she'd called just the other night. She asked if Kisa was eating her meals and said that she didn't like sweet stuff, and her favorite was niratama. Momiji is happy to hear that Kisa's mother is worried about Kisa, because that means she cares.

Yuki wonders why the bullying started in the first place. Hatsuharu says he doesn't know, but Momiji mentions that he overheard the aunts in the compound talking about it. It was Kisa's strange eyes and hair that started all of it. Her class cut her off (ignored her) because they were put off by her unusual coloring. Hatsuharu comments that that is the fate of the Junninshi who have different hair, but that no one says much to him.

Yuki says that that is because he'd turn "black" beat them if they did. Hatsuharu mentions off-handedly that Kyou was worse, he'd half kill people who commented about his hair. (Tooru is rather shocked by this.)

Momiji said that Kisa tries to overcome their teasing, but then they started to completely ignore her. Even worse, whenever she spoke they would whisper and giggle to themselves. Momiji, who says that no one ever treated him that way, starts to cry when he imagines how sad it would be to have someone laugh and giggle every time you spoke.

Tooru thinks of her being laughed at, all by herself and starts to cry too.

Yuki picks up the thread of thought and thinks about how suffocating it would be, until all you see is blackness, and your heart is silenced. He daubs at Momiji's eyes with a hanky while Tooru wipes her own, reminding them that class is about to begin.

Hatsuharu tells Yuki that he'll be stopping at Shigure's after school to deliver a note from Kisa's counselor at school. He's sure the contents will be nauseating. He and Momiji leave.

Yuki pauses to comment to Tooru before they go downstairs that while he doesn't think it's good to be weak, it's not bad either. That while it's sometimes that survival of the fittest that's preferred they weren't animals, they were human beings. He thinks that even the Junninshi are humans.

Tooru agrees. Yuki smiles and says to take courage, which confuses Tooru.

After school Kisa reads the note from her teacher while Hatsuharu and Yuki look on. She doesn't seem to enthusiastic about the contents, and in fact looks saddened by them. Hatsuharu asks what it says, and when she doesn't respond takes the letter.

The note asks if Kisa is ready to return to school. She says the whole class is awaiting her return. Hatsuharu comments that this *is* nauseating. The counselor wants to know if Kisa wants help improving the relationship with the class. But, the counselor writes, the most important thing is that Kisa should love herself first. Once she realized her own good points that the others would as well.

Yuki, who has taken the letter from Haru, says that once, he was like Kisa too. It was a little different, but he hated himself and was ashamed of himself. "Liking yourself" isn't something that is easy to grasp. It's hard to find your good points when all you see is the bad points of yourself. It feels useless to try to seek out those points.

Instead, it's when someone says "I like you" that you begin to understand. (There is a flash of Tooru smiling) It's after someone accepts you that you can start forgiving yourself and allowing yourself to see your good points.

Kisa remembers Tooru's hugs and says, "Yes." She says that she's happy now.

Hatsuharu starts to say her name, but Yuki interrupts, asking her if she thinks it's good to let things stay this way. She says no, that she's going to try a little harder, then corrects herself, saying no she was, slowly and steadily, even if she was being ignored, make things better. Yuki listens.

There is a flash of Akito, and a comment "This heart is not yet ready to surpass that." overlaid. It is unclear who is thinking that.

Kisa comments that she's going to do her best, even so. Yuki says that he'll try his best too. If she's in a bad situation, he continues, Kisa can come to them (Yuki and Haru separately) and that 'she' (there is a flash of Tooru again) will be here too.

Hatsuharu suddenly hugs Kisa, happy to have heard her voice after so long.

That night Tooru is walking home from work when she hears a voice cry out "Oneechan" (sister). She's so happy to hear Kisa's voice that she runs to hug her. Yuki thinks that many trapped by tears eventually overcome it.

The next day, Momiji, Hatsuharu and Tooru see Kisa off to school. Even though her speech is still awkward she was determined to go to school. Momiji says that he'd hoped Yuki would be there as well. Hatsuharu comments that he had to do something on his own.

Tooru thinks that it's sad to be separated from Kisa after being so close. She hopes for Kisa to persevere, and to take courage and keep fighting. She just wants Kisa to do her best.

Meanwhile, Yuki has decided to stop running himself. He tells a shocked student council president that he's sorry for having been a nuisance. He's ready to accept the position as his successor and become the student body president next year. The student body president is thrilled, and says that he's so happy that Yuki's doing it just for him. Yuki says "that's not it," with some finality and leaves.

There is an overlying thought that things don't change quickly. That all at once a person can't gather all their strength. You still get scared; you still shiver. Kisa is shown walking up to her classroom. She looks hesitant, but then looks determined. What's most important, a comment overlies, is that there is a determination to fight, that there is an ambition to overcome weakness.

With that thought hanging over the frame you see Yuki walking determinedly away from the council room, and Kisa opening the door to her classroom.

Chapter end.