Jasper X Oc - Blog Posts

Sunrise | Twilight J.H

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Chapter 4. A Sisterly Agreement

When she reopened her eyes, the first thing she did was immediately close them again, too blinded by the fluorescent lights above her. Mitsuko groaned as she tried to lift her hand to rub her face, quickly becoming confused when she felt resistance.

Slowly opening her eyes, she realised she wasn't at home in her own bed; in fact, she had no idea where she was. Alarmed, she tried to sit up but winced when a burning pain spread from her shoulder through the rest of her body.

Before panic could fully set in, she was able to turn her head and spot her sister sitting at her bedside. Hoshiko was busy looking at something on her phone, so she hadn't yet realised that Mitsuko was awake.

“H-hoshi?” She tried to speak, but she found herself struggling to speak. “What’s... What's going on?”

Hoshiko looked up from her phone at the sound of her sister's voice. Jumping out of her chair, she was quickly by Mitsuko’s side. “Oh my god, you scared us so much.”

“Am I in the hospital?” She asked as she continued looking around rapidly. When looked down, she realised the resistance she felt was from all the tubing connected from her hand to an IV.

Her sister nodded before explaining, “You got attacked by some kind of animal, lost a lot of blood; we thought you were going to die.”

As her sister spoke, a flash of red eyes appeared in Mitsuko's mind, and an overwhelming sense of fear settled in her stomach. “Riley… I saw Riley.”

“What?” Her little sister pulled away from her slightly, looking at her with a confused expression.

“He was there!” She exclaimed as the heart monitor’s beeps began to grow louder and faster slightly.

Hoshiko began to gently stroke her sister’s hair as she whispered in attempts to calm her down, “Hey, it’s okay; if you saw him, I believe you.”

The two sisters were silent for a moment, broken when Mitsuko suddenly turned to Hoshiko with wide eyes as she spoke.

“I think it was him…”

“What do you mean?” Her sister’s brow furrowed with confusion, eyes full of concern for a sister’s well-being.

“I think Riley… attacked me.” She whispered to her sister, afraid that someone would overhear them. Her mind was still going back to that night; Riley looked so different than the last time they’d been together. He seemed colder and more dangerous, two words that Mitsuko never thought she’d use to describe someone she’d known her whole life.

“Suki, what are you talking—“ Before Hoshiko could finish her question, the doors opened, and Dr. Cullen walked into the room flanked by two nurses.

Upon seeing that she was awake, the two nurses began to flutter about the room, checking her chart and adjusting her IV. Carlisle stepped closer to her bed and spoke softly, “Miss Tanaka, it’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

“I feel fine, just a little sore is all.” She said simply, before continuing, “When can I go home?”

“I want to keep you in just for a few more days just for observations; if all goes well, I’ll be happy to discharge you.” He said as he grabbed her chart and began the required checks.

"Your injuries were quite extensive, but I'm happy with how quickly you've been able to recover," he spoke as he carefully shined a small torch in her face, directing her to follow it with her eyes, "and although I did have some concerns about internal bleeding, it seems you got out relatively unscathed, other than the rather nasty wound on your neck."

As he pointed it out, Mitsuko couldn't help but look down as she realised her neck to her shoulder was thickly bandaged, further limiting her movement.

Carlise continued the checks silently, only speaking every now and then to check her pain levels. Mitsuko wasn't in much pain; she was just overcome with a sense of confusion and fear about what had happened that night.

When he checked her right ankle, she let out a sharp hiss as he adjusted it slightly. "Looks like just a sprain," the doctor explained. "Must have happened when you fell; you're lucky that it's not broken."

"Don't exactly feel lucky…" she pessimistically murmured, earning a small slap on the arm from Hosiko, who was still sitting close to her side. "Sorry, I'm just tired.

Dr. Cullen took her attitude in stride, "It's normal to feel this way, especially after a traumatic experience."

Next the nurse carefully lifted her into a sitting position so that Carlise could listen to her heart. As he placed the stethoscope against her, she couldn't help but shiver. Amusingly, she thought his hands felt colder than the metal.

Once Carlise seemed happy with his assessment, he looked at her softly before speaking, “All your friends have been quite worried about you. I imagine you’ll have a lot of visitors these next coming days.”

“Oh gosh,” she exclaimed as she realised where the incident happened, “I ruined the graduation party.”

At her words, Hoshiko jumped forward to grab her face, forcing Mitsuko to look at her. “You didn’t ruin anything; whatever attacked you did.”

“Speaking of which,” the doctor spoke again, causing the two sisters to look at him again, “the police are here to ask a few questions, but only if you’re comfortable, of course.”

“It’s okay…” she replied with a small smile, “You can let them in.”

With that, Carlisle walked out of the room for a few minutes, only to come back followed by Charlie and another partner.

“How you doing, kid?” He asked once he approached her bed, “I know your mom’s been beside herself worrying about ya.”

“Where is she?”

“At work, said she needed to, so she was distracted.” Charlie explained as he looked at her sympathetically. When all she did was nod in understanding, he cleared his throat slightly before speaking, “Do you think you could tell us exactly what happened?”

“I was at the party; erm, I was feeling a bit lightheaded, so I went outside,” she began to explain. “And I don’t know why, but I found myself walking into the woods.”

“Why?” He asked, his face furrowed with clear confusion.

“I don’t know, just like a… feeling, I guess.” She responded before continuing, “Anyway, I ended up in a clearing and…”

Mitsuko paused; as much as she trusted Charlie, she also knew how crazy she would sound. If she told them about Riley, they’d just put it down as a hallucination from grief or something, and the next thing she knows, she’s in the psych ward.

So, she took a breath and lied, “It’s all hazy from there… sorry.”

Charlie nodded in understanding, but next to him, Carlisle had a strange expression on his face. As if he knew there was more to her story, but before she could question it, he was already leading Charlie and his partner out.

"What the hell was that?" A voice broke Mitsuko from her thoughts, and she turned to face her sister. "Why didn't you tell them what you told me?”

"'Cause I know how crazy it sounds." She replied in a hushed whisper, "If I'm going to find out what happened, I think I need to do it alone."

Hoshiko almost laughed at her older sister's sheer audacity, "Absolutely not; if he tried to kill you, there's no way I'm letting you do this alone."

Shaking her head rapidly, she quickly rejected her sister's offer, "No, I'm not letting you put yourself in harm's way."

"You either let me come with you, or I go out those doors and tell everyone what you told me."

As much as she wanted to call out Hoshi's bluff, she knew her sister. If summer camp ten years ago had taught her anything, it's that Hoshi will do anything that she says she will. So with a heavy sigh of resignation, she nodded her head, "Fine, but if anything goes wrong, I told you so.”

Hoshiko nodded in understanding, "So when do we start?"

"Seattle, I think, but not till I get out of here," she said simply. "For now, you have to promise me something..."

"What?"

"Don't do any investigations without me, okay?"

Hoshiko simply rolled her eyes, so she repeated herself, "I'm serious, Hoshi, don't put yourself in danger for me; this could be some massive crime gang or something."

With a small groan she agreed, "Fine, I'll be careful, promise."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Now get out of here; you can't stay here all day; besides, you have school tomorrow.”

Before she shooed her sister out of the room, Mitsuko made sure to pull her into a tight hug. Closing her eyes, she savoured the feeling of having her little sister cradled in her arms.

As they pulled away, they looked at each other one more time before Hoshiko finally pulled away, "I'll see you later, oneesan."

"See you later." With that, her sister left the room, leaving Mitsuko in silence.

Left alone with her thoughts, all she could do was think back to that night again. She knew Riley was there; that was a fact she knew. Yet, as she thought more about that night, she still had no idea what made her walk into that clearing in the first place. It was as if her subconscious knew Riely would be there and guided her to him, but why?

"Stop thinking so hard." She whispered to herself in comfort, "Just go to sleep; everything will be fine."

Pulling the covers up, she shuffled further under them and closed her eyes, letting sleep take over her as her mind still raced.

Elsewhere, a young girl with black hair approached the service desk. The woman at the desk acknowledged the girl carefully before asking, "Where'd you need to go, darling?"

The girl paused before finally answering, "Seattle. I need to go to Seattle."

Hoshiko knew she'd be breaking her promise, but if Riley was who Mitsuko saw in the woods, then she needed to find him and quickly. It was only right to start in the city where he vanished.

Hopefully, there she'd find some answers.

Sunrise | Twilight J.H

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Chapter 3. Deadly Party Crasher

She tried not to think about Riley as much anymore. It had been a month, and the majority for the police had declared it a dead end; only Charlie was still investigating. Mitsuko wished he’d come back, but she knew the chance of that was slim now, and so she tried her best to move on.

Throwing herself into graduation planning and work, she did anything to distract herself. Mitsuko was elated to be finally graduating; as much as she loved her friends, she was excited to have the freedom that high school never gave her. The ceremony was amazing; she smiled brightly as she and her friends threw their caps in the air as several parents took pictures.

Once she’d gone home, she enjoyed a little celebratory meal with her mom and sister. After dinner, she spent some time with Hoshiko, who helped her get ready for the afterparty. She pulled a white blouse with puffy long sleeves from her closet. Pausing for a moment in thought, she turned back to her closet and pulled out a pink corset that had gold and pearl detailing. 

After dressing, she allowed Hoshiko to do her makeup. It was similar to her everyday look, but her sister added some extra shimmer to her eye makeup and highlights. While her makeup was done, she braided half of her hair up and tied it in place. Just as she finished getting ready, she got a text from Jess saying her dad was on his way to pick her up. She stood up and checked herself in the mirror one last time before making her way downstairs.

"You look beautiful!" her mom exclaimed as she made her way downstairs. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, Mom, don't worry; I'll be fine." She reassured her that ever since she learnt about Riley, their mother had been hyperprotective of her two daughters. After sharing a quick goodbye, she ran outside where the car was waiting for her.

Now she found herself drinking from a red plastic cup as music blasted through the Cullens’ woodland house. Although Mitsuko thought that ‘house’ was an understatement, she’d spent some time just wandering around, and while she didn’t go into any of the rooms, she was blown away at the amount of doors alone.

She sighed as one particular Cullen popped into her mind. She hadn’t yet seen Jasper, but she knew he was here; at least he said he would be. Mitsuko presumed he was out on the balcony since she'd seen the rest of the Cullens head that way.

“SUKI!” Jessica yelled towards Mitsuko, breaking her from her thoughts, “COME OVER! MIKE MADE US SHOTS!”

She smiled towards her friend and quickly made her way over, face clear with surprise at the suspiciously neon green shots in front of her. “Mike, what the hell did you make?”

“I actually don’t know, but it does have tequila in…”

“Who cares?” Lauren butted in as she grabbed a glass, “If it’s tequila, I’m drinking.”

The group cheered and followed her lead, each grabbing a glass before clinking the glasses together and each taking a shot. Mitsuko quickly downed her drink, gagging slightly at the strength and sourness of the shot, and then giggled as she watched her friends do the same.

“Mike, what the fuck was that?” Jessica asked her boyfriend, still gagging from the shot. “My throat is burning.”

“Yeah, I think you just gave us pure ethanol.”

“Well, at least my sinuses’ are cleared now.” Angela added, trying to be positive. “Wait, there’s Bella!”

Mitsuko followed behind her friends as they approached the brunette; they each hugged her, which allowed Mitsuko to slide in at the end and pull her into a tight embrace. “Happy graduation, Bella; glad to see you here.”

“Thanks, Suki…” Bella whispered in reply, giving her friend a genuine smile when they pulled away.

“So where’s your boyfriend?” She asked, raising her eyebrow suggestively, earning a mock punch from her friend. Before her friend could reply, Jessica jumped forward to speak to Bella.

“Hey. What did you think of my speech? Too easy-breezy, too self-helpful? You may admit it.”

“No, you pretty much nailed it.” Bella complimented her friend, creating a large smile on Jess’ face.

“Yeah? It's like I was born to lead, right?”

A song began to play, which got Angela's attention. She lit up before turning to her friends, “Oh, great. I love this song; let's go.”

Mitsuko was about to follow her friends, but she noticed Bella hadn’t moved. “You coming, Bella?”

“In a sec, I just need to talk to someone.” Mitsuko noticed her looking at the door where Jacob and two other boys had just entered. She nodded to Bella in understanding before making her way to the dance floor.

Angela pulled her close into a mini group hug with Jessica, all three spinning around together to the music. She danced for a while, sipping on a drink that Mike had passed her. As much as she enjoyed hanging around her friends, she hadn’t seen the Cullens at all, even Jasper, despite his promise.

“I need some air; I’m gonna head outside for a minute.” She turned to Angela, who looked at her in slight concern and offered to come with her, which she had graciously declined.

Mitsuko pushed her way through the crowd and eventually made her way to the front entrance. Stepping outside, she breathed a sigh of relief as she stood by the tree line. “I should probably check on Hoshi,” she murmured to herself before pulling her phone out of her little white bag.

Just as she was about to hit the call button, she heard a strange rustle come from deep within the forest; at first she ignored it, looking back to her phone. Yet, the rustling persisted alongside the strangest whispering as if a voice was calling her name. She didn’t know what came over her, but she found herself walking deeper into the woods in an almost trance-like state.

She continued walking until she found herself in a large clearing and quickly turned her head as a twig snapped, revealing a familiar figure standing on the other side of the clearing.

“Riley?” Mitsuko called out to him as she began to step forward, “Everyone’s been worried sick. Where have you been?”

“Don’t lie. No one’s even missed me,” he answered her, suddenly standing right in front of her.

“What are you talking about? Of course we have... She trailed off as she looked into his eyes, “Are you wearing contacts?”

“It doesn’t matter; you weren’t supposed to be here.” Riley ignored her question, “But she won’t be happy if I leave a witness.”

“Riley, what are you talking about?” Mitsuko was feeling afraid now, unsure if she’d be able to run in her current state. “You’re starting to scare me a bit, Riley.”

“I’m sorry for what’s about to happen.” His face changed into a snarl as he suddenly lunged towards her.

Elsewhere, a few minutes later…

Jasper rolled his eyes discreetly as he was forced to feel the tension between his brother and the young shifter. It was exhausting having to deal with teenage hormones on a regular basis, let alone the heightened hormones of two supernatural boys. He inhaled sharply in annoyance, eyes widening at the overwhelming scent that hit him. Blood and lots of it.

“HELP ME!” A shout got the attention of everyone on the balcony, looking down, spotting Mike Newton running from the woods, cradling something, Jessica running just as quickly behind him. “SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!”

The group quickly made their way down and outside, where a crowd was forming around the Newton boy. Although some of his family opted to stay back as the metallic smell of blood grew stronger the closer they got. Jasper followed closely behind Carlisle, who was making his way through the crowd.

Once the crowd parted, he froze at the bloody sight. Mike was holding Mitsuko in his arms, her body and hair almost unrecognisable from the sheer amount of blood.

“What happened?” Carlisle asked as Mike placed the girl on the ground. Jasper stepping forward and kneeling by her head.

The southern blonde heard Edward whisper a sharp, “Jasper, stay back.” But he ignored it; Mitsuko was someone he cared about; her blood wasn’t affecting him as he was too concerned with her well-being.

“I don’t know; some kind of animal attacked her; me and Jess heard a scream, and we just found her on the ground bleeding.” The young boy explained, trying to hold back tears at his friend’s condition. “She’s conscious, I think, but she’s not responding.”

“Honey, could you go grab the first aid kit?” Carlisle called to Esme, who moved back inside the house. She reappeared quickly, able to use her vampire speed since everyone was distracted outside. He thanked her gently before tearing the box open and pulling the gloves on.

As her began to clean the wounds, the young girl began to stir, muttering something, “Riley… don’t…” Jasper heard her mutter, as did his family, indicated by the sudden feeling of tension that spread through them all. It was at this moment that Carlisle wiped her neck clean and discovered a distinctive bite mark on her left side.

“Why isn’t she in pain?” Jasper quietly whispered to Carlisle so no human could hear; he was hyperfocused on her emotions as he was sending the young woman wave after wave of calm.

“I’m not sure, but she needs medical attention...” The other vampire whispered in reply, and he continued to take care of the young human.

Alongside her bite, she had several scratches and cuts across her body as if she’d been thrown around. What concerned Jasper most was the damage Riley was able to inflict without any of them becoming aware.

The ambulance drove rapidly down the drive of the Cullens house before the paramedics raced out with the gurney. The crowd parted once again as they approached the injured woman. Recognising the doctor, the older paramedic spoke to Carlisle as the other began to place Mitsuko on the gurney, “Dr. Cullen, how is she?”

“She lost a lot of blood before. I’ve wrapped a lot of the major wounds; she’ll need a transfusion for sure.” He explained as he followed them towards the ambulance, “What I’m most concerned about is the possible internal bleeding.”

“Understood. We’ll get to the hospital as quickly as possible,” the paramedic replied as they lifted the gurney into the back. “You wanna ride with us, doctor?”

“Yes, if that’s all right.” Carlisle agreed as the paramedic nodded and allowed him into the back of the ambulance.

As the ambulance raced back down the road, Jasper followed it with narrowed eyes. Everyone else had begun to rush toward Mike, who was drenched in Mitsuko's blood and clearly traumatised. Yet, despite the continuous commotion, the southern vampire’s thoughts remained solely on the young girl that lay in the ambulance.

‘Why didn’t the venom affect her?’ These were thoughts that crossed his mind as he moved his stare toward the puddle of blood she’d left behind, but another thought appeared in his mind, instilling curiosity and a small amount of dread: ‘Was she immune?’

Sunrise | Twilight J.H

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Chapter 2. Jasper

Mitsuko had spent most of the weekend at home, both comforting and receiving comfort from her family. She’d also spent time with Riley’s parents, doing the same as she did for Charlie only a couple months ago. She even helped them with the missing posters.

Her friends had messaged to check on her after she’d left school early; she’d decided to be honest with them. In their friend group chat, she’d informed them about Riley and was thankful for the support they showed her. They also told her about how Edward had taken Bella out of town, explaining her lack of response in the chat.

By Sunday, she’d given herself enough time to comprehend the situation. Yet her dreams grew worse night by night. It was the same every time: blood was everywhere, upturned or smashed cars covered the car park, and people kept screaming. She saw figures clawing at each other, tearing them apart before throwing them into fires.

A particular shriek always shocked her awake, the same pitch every time, and Monday was no different. Her eyes flashed open in fear, and she quickly sat up, her pink floral duvet gathering by her legs. Bringing her hands to her face, she wiped the sleep from her eyes and moved the hair from her face.

‘Shit’ she thought as she looked to her bedside alarm clock; she’d woken up late. She scrambled out of bed to her vanity table, quickly putting on her everyday makeup and brushing her hair out.

After she was dressed in a simple white skirt and floral blouse, she made her way downstairs. She greeted her mom brightly and graciously accepted the piece of toast offered to her. Hoshiko was already sitting at the table eating a bowl of porridge, lifting her head to smile as her sister took the seat opposite.

They ate breakfast quickly and made sure to clear up their dishes after they ate. Hoshiko raced out of the house with a simple “Hurry up, we’re already late” before hopping into the passenger seat of the Mitsuko’s Mini. The drive to school was full of simple chatter and a mixture of pop and alternative music, a demand made by Hoshiko last year.

Hoshiko was busy telling Mitsuko about her classes for next year when they’d pulled up to school. The sisters parked next to Ben’s car, stepping out to greet their friends.

“Yo Suki, who do you think would win?” Mike immediately asked her instead of a greeting.

“What are you talking about?” She asked confusedly before turning towards where Mike then pointed, “Is that?“

“Edward and Jacob Black? Yep, I don’t know what they’re fighting about, but it seems pretty tense.” Jessica interrupted before she could finish.

Jacob's voice began to elevate as he got angrier, alarmed that her friend was close to a possible fight. Mitsuko stepped forward to try and intervene but was stopped by a strong grip on her wrist. Gasping at the sudden touch, she turned around, only to come face to face with Jasper Hale.

His face was stern and almost worried; brows furrowed, and he stared at her before speaking, "Don't; they know better than to get physical.”

“How do you know that?” She replied back, feeling confused again.

“Just trust me.” He smirked at her, causing a blush to spread across her cheeks.

“If you say so,” she conceded, pausing before continuing. “You have English first, don’t you?”

He didn’t speak, only nodding in reply. “Do you think I could walk with you? We’re in that class together.”

“I know.” Jasper spoke up. “And I don’t mind.” She smiled shyly at his response before gesturing for him to take the lead. It was only as they began walking that she realised Jasper hadn’t let go of her wrist the whole time they were talking, only letting go once she turned away from Edward and Jacob.

His touch returned as she walked up the front steps, a single hand placed on the small of her back to steady her as she walked. Jasper held the main doors open, which allowed her to step inside. It was then Mitsuko built up the courage to say what she’d been wanting to say to him since Friday. “Thank you, by the way.”

His steps faulted slightly as he turned to her, “What for?”

“It’s stupid,” she shook her head, “but on Friday you really helped me ground me, so thank you.”

“It’s not stupid, but you don’t need to thank me.” Jasper looked at Mitsuko deeply as he spoke. She had seen the Cullens eyes before, but Jasper’s seemed so much more intense than the others. It was like she could stare into the pools of amber all day.

‘You barely know him,’ she remained herself, unsure where these sudden feelings came from. Ever since Friday she’d felt a subtle itch under her skin as if her body was craving something; it only faded when she’d seen Jasper’s face.

Ignoring her rapid thoughts, she continued to walk next to Jasper down the corridor. Eventually, the pair arrived outside her English class. Stepping in, she noticed that her seat partner was absent today. Sighing, she sat down and prepared herself for a quiet class.

When she crouched to place her bag under her chair, she nearly jumped when she stood and found Jasper now sitting in the chair next to hers.

“You don’t mind if I sit here, do you?” He asked, looking intently.

“Not at all.” Mitsuko replied, smiling softly at him. They sat quietly next to each other while their teacher loaded up the movie on the monitor. As soon as he hit play, Jasper turned to her and whispered softly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better than Friday, but I’ve been struggling with those episodes for a while, so I’m used to it.” There was something about Jasper that put her at ease; she couldn’t help but tell the truth.

“What exactly happened to you, if you don’t mind me asking?” He continued to whisper; neither was even attempting to watch the movie. Mitsuko hesitated slightly before answering.

“I get these... hallucinations sometimes,” she explained. “It’s not often, but when they happen, they tend to overwhelm me.”

“How do you deal with them?” Jasper asked, genuinely curious.

“Mostly medication, but it doesn’t work as well as it used to.” Mitsuko answered truthfully, and Jasper listened intently, his face full of concern. “I’ve kind of had a hard week.”

"Oh, do you want to… talk about it?”

“It’s…” She paused as a shot of grief ran through her. “My friend Riley Biers went missing in Seattle almost a year ago, and I’ve only just found out.”

“I’m sorry that happened.”

“I just wish I’d known sooner, you know?” Mitsuko explained, to which Jasper nodded in understanding, “Maybe I could’ve done something.”

Jasper lent towards her, cautiously placing his hands on her. She shivered under his cold touch but didn’t pull away. “Don’t do that to yourself; you have nothing to feel guilty about.”

“I don’t feel guilty.” She tried to state it firmly, but she knew it was a lie.

He smiled slightly. “Hate to break it to you, darling, but you wear your heart on your sleeve.”

She blushed and looked down at their hands were connected, noticing how he was softly stroking the back of her right hand. They sat there in silence for the rest of the lesson, just enjoying the comfort they felt from each other.

When the bell rang and the rest of the class began to stand, their hands finally separated. Jasper stood first, grabbing Mitsuko’s bag before grabbing his things as well. She smiled brightly as he helped her put the bag on her right shoulder before following him out of the room.

They walked side by side down the corridor, earning some strange looks from the other students. Yet the dark-haired girl paid them no mind and simply kept walking. 

"You know," Jasper started, "people are staring at us."

Mitsuko simply smiled at him before replying, “Just ignore them; they have nothing better to do.”

He glanced over to her again, studying her profile as they walked. "You never get bothered by people watching you?"

“Of course I do, but if I let it affect me all the time, I'd never go anywhere.” She explained matter of factly before continuing, “You know they’re probably only staring at you.”

“Me?”

The dark-haired girl looked at him with an amused expression. "Yeah, we’ve never hung out before, and now here you are escorting me down the hallways like a boyfriend does.” but before he could respond, she continued, "Not that I mind."

"Well, my apologies," he replied with a smirk, his southern twang coming out slightly. "Maybe I just realised you were someone worth paying attention to."

“Thank you.” She blushed slightly but played it off once she realised that they’d arrived outside my classroom. "Well, this is my class; thanks for escorting me here.”

“Anytime Ma’am.” The blonde replied, dipping his head slightly in a small bow.

With a bright smile, she made her way into the class, but not before giving Jasper a small wave goodbye. For the rest of the day, Mitsuko had an extra pep in her step but also couldn’t stop thinking about Jasper.

As much as she enjoyed his company, she was confused. Ever since the Cullens returned from wherever they had disappeared, Jasper had suddenly become very interested in her, and she’d definitely noticed.

At lunch it was the same as always, the group laughing together except with a new addition. Jasper had taken the seat next to Mitsuko again, listening intently as she joked with her friends, and gently placed his hand on her back again, following the same circle motions he used yesterday. She couldn’t help but lean into the touch, feeling wave after wave of comfort and contentment.

“So Jasper,” Jessica spoke up, causing him to finally look away from the girl next to him. “Will you be there at the graduation party?”

“Um, yeah, I’m sure Alice will find a way to make me come,” he answered a little awkwardly.

Angela looked at Jessica with a bemused expression. “You know it’s happening at his house, right?”

“Well, yeah, I was just wondering; he usually keeps to himself,” she responded before trying to Jasper, “no offence though.”

“None taken.” He replied politely with a small nod.

Hoping to diffuse the tension, Mitsuko turned to the blonde and smiled at him, “It’ll be nice to see you there.”

Jasper relaxed visibly when Mitsuko spoke up. It was clear he had been feeling a bit tense from the conversation with Jessica, but her words put him at ease.

"Yeah," he agreed with a small smile. "It will be nice to see you too.”

After Jasper spoke, the bell rung, so everyone began making their way out of the cafeteria and to the next classes. Jasper again took on the duty of escorting Mitsuko to her next class. The pair walked in silence until they stopped in front of her classroom.

“We probably won’t see each other after this.” She began, “I have a committee meeting after school, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, of course.” He nodded, “I will see you tomorrow.”

The two shared a smile, both excited for tomorrow but especially the party next week.

Sunrise | Twilight

Return to Masterlist | Next Chapter Chapter 1. The Tanakas

In all the time since the Cullens had moved to Forks, Mitsuko Tanaka had probably spoken to them once. Even when Bella Swan had moved into town and had somehow quickly become entangled with them, Mitsuko still only ever saw them in passing.

If it wasn’t for a friend’s severe mental state, she probably wouldn’t have noticed when the Cullens left a few months ago. She’d tried to be there for Bella, often appearing at her house with various baked goods, but her friend remained unresponsive. Instead, she began to help Charlie around the house since Bella was unable to help in her condition.

This continued for nearly half the school year, Mitsuko’s worry never lessening even after Bella rejoined the group’s table. Then suddenly one day she’d arrived at school to discover that the Cullens had suddenly reappeared, their table occupied once more.

She’d asked Bella what had happened, but her friend simply excused that The Cullens had simply missed their friends too much. ‘What friends?’ She remembers thinking. The only people the Cullens interacted with was Bella, and that was mainly because she was dating Edward.

Yet, despite the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of the Cullens, the strangest thing Mitsuko experienced was that Edward would now follow Bella to their group's table at lunch. Mitsuko had never even had a single conversation with this guy, and now he was suddenly sitting with them at lunch. Additionally, even then he never really spoke to her; he simply held Bella’s hand and would listen to the rest of the group interact.

She tried to ignore her overthinking and focus on her studies; graduation was coming up, and she wanted to be prepared for college and enjoy her time with her friends before some moved away.

Mitsuko had grabbed her lunch bag from her locker before going to the cafeteria and sitting down at her usual table. She uttered a ‘Hi’ to Bella and her boyfriend, who was already sitting down, before joining in with the lively conversation.

"Jess, are you still worried about your speech?” She’d asked her friend, and she scribbled away on a notepad.

“I just don’t want it to be a stereotypical graduation speech, ya know?”

“You’re getting too stressed about it, here." Mike spoke before stealing the notepad from the girl, “My fellow students. Cool. Right? We are the future. Anything is possible, if you just believe.”

Both Mitsuko and Angela laughed at his antics, with Angela adding a sarcastic “Nice” between her laughter. Ignoring the two, he continued, “Blah, blah, blah, and you got yourself a speech.”

He passed the notepad back to Jess, who ripped the bag out before speaking, “No, this will be my speech. When I want everyone to throw diplomas at my head. So, thank you.” As she spoke, she crumpled the piece of paper and threw it back at Mike’s face.

He ignored the paper and smiled smugly before replying, “Ya gotta embrace the cliches, Jess.”

“They have the bread and butter of all valedictorians,” Eric chimed in from next to Angela, causing her to also chime into the conversation. “And that is why you are not valedictorian.”

“Give the guy a break, Ang,” her boyfriend Ben spoke up, his arms wrapping around her shoulder.

“And Jess doesn't need clichés. Speech is gonna be epic.” Bella spoke up, smirking at the boys, earning a proud smile from Jess.

“Epic? It'll change lives.” She stated confidently.

“I’m sure it’ll change mine." She nudged Jessica as she spoke, earning an appreciative side hug. The group was interrupted from continuing when three other Cullens approached the table and sat down.

Alice and Emilie would occasionally join their group during lunch, mainly so Alice could spend time with Bella. However, Mitsuko found herself getting along with the pixie’s gorgeous girlfriend the more they spoke. Today, Alice had somehow managed to drag Jasper to the table as well, pushing him down into the seat next to Mitsuko.

“I’ve decided to throw a party.” Alice announced brightly as she took her seat.

“After all, how many times are we gonna graduate high school?” Emilie smirked as she spoke, and Mitsuko heard Edward stifle a laugh. Weird.

“A party? At your place?” Angela asked, confused by the sudden invite.

Jessica had immediately perked up at the invitation, “I’ve never seen your house.”

“No one's ever seen their house.” Eric leaned in, replying to Jessica.

“I’ve heard it’s in the woods or something…” Lauren spoke up in mock disgust, but Mitsuko knew she was just as excited as Jessica.

“Another party, Alice?” Edward uttered, seemingly annoyed with his sister, to which Alice insisted, “It'll be fun.”

“Yeah. That's what you said last time.” Bella spoke, agreeing with her boyfriend’s hesitation.

“I think it’ll be fun…” She began to encourage when she noticed Alice start to zone out, probably upset at the less than enthusiastic reaction, but trailed off when she noticed Jasper stiffen next to her. “Hey, you okay?”

Surprised at the sudden question, the blonde turned towards her.  "Apologies, just had a sudden thought.”

“Oh yeah, I get those too; don’t worry.” Mitsuko comforted, unconsciously patting his arm in comfort. He stiffed again, and she was going to apologise until a feeling of dread washed over her. “Hey Angie, could you pass me my clear bag?”

Her friend furrowed her brows in confusion but still pushed the clear bag towards her. Mitsuko quickly unzipped it to pull out a strip of tablets. Before she could take her tablet though, a loud pained scream blared into her head, causing her to jump slightly and cover her ears.

"Suki, are you okay?” Katie whispered to her gently to avoid too much attention, “Did you miss your dosage this morning?”

Her close friends were the only ones aware that she took medicine due to her auditory hallucinations. She’d had from the age of fifteen, just before the Cullens had moved to Forks. Her mother had consulted with several doctors who had all come to the conclusion that while it wasn’t schizophrenia, they didn’t have any other diagnosis; she’d been on a prescription ever since.

The scream was continuous and getting louder, joined by various other screams making Mitsuko press her hands into her ears harder. Her head was pounding from the noise, and she was completely unaware of what was happening around; expect for a single comforting hand on her back rubbing her in circles. She tried to focus on the motion of the hand, forcing the screaming to quieten, allowing her to remove her hands and lift her head back up to face a table of concerned faces.

“I’m sorry guys, I don’t know what happened." She said quietly, still recovering from her small episode.

“It’s okay, we’re just worried about you, is all. Maybe you should go home and have some rest?” Angela suggested gently.

Mitsuko nodded in agreement and gathered her things, and as she stood, the hand finally moved from her back, and she realised who it belonged to. Jasper Hale had been the one gently rubbing her back; he was the hand that had grounded her. ‘Don’t overthink it; he’s just being nice,’ she chastised herself mentally before her mind could reel.

As she was walking through the cafeteria, she spotted her younger sister, Hoshiko, sitting with her own group of friends. She figured she should tell her sister rather than letting her worry, plus she was her ride home. “Hoshi!” She called to her sister, getting her attention.

“Suki, are you okay?” She asked as Mitsuko got closer. Hoshiko was aware of her older sister’s mental health and hallucination issues, but Mitsuko had made sure it didn’t affect her life too much. As the older sister, she felt her sister should always come first and had also instructed her mom as such, even when they were only a year and two months apart.

Mitsuko waved her sister off before reassuring her, “I’m okay, but I am going home early today, so could Rory give you a ride today?”

"Yeah, that’s fine." Hoshiko nodded in understanding, “Just message when you get home, okay?”

“Of course.” She then placed a soft kiss on her sister's head before heading to the nurse office. After she got the okay from the nurse, not that she really needed one, Mitsuko left the building and began walking to her car. It was a little white Mini Cooper; she was lucky enough to find one she could afford that was still in pretty good condition. She opened the doors and tossed her pink shoulder bag onto the pink leathered back seats, which she had done over the summer.

She tried to ignore the leftover feeling of dread from her episode and listened to the music on her custom CD on the way home. It was luckily a very relaxing car journey. Lucky because as she pulled in to her house, she noticed a police car waiting outside.

Concerned, Mitsuko scrambled to grab her and things and got out of the car. As she stepped into the house, she was greeted by Charlie and her mom sitting down in the living room, pausing in their conversation when the door audibly latched.

“I um had an episode today,” she said meekly, explaining her early arrival home. “What’s going on?”

“What don’t you sit down?” The police chief offered as her mom shuffled on the couch to give her daughter room to sit. Cautiously, she walked to the couch and gently sat down, preparing herself for the obviously bad news. “It’s Riley Biers; he’s gone missing.”

As Charlie spoke, Mitsuko felt the felling of dread return. She let out a small gasp in disbelief. “He’s studying at UW; he should be in Seattle.”

“Nobody’s seen him since last November,” he replied grimly. “Have you heard from him at all?”

“We haven’t really talked since he moved; he said that he’d been too busy with his friends.” She answered, rubbing her lips together while trying to stop the tears. “Why are you only telling us now?”

“His parents were mainly talking to the Seattle police, but they’ve just closed the case." He explained, his voice measured and calm, “So they’ve contacted me, and Forks PD are going to take the case.”

Mitsuko nodded in understanding, but her mind began to buzz, overwhelmed with her emotions. Her mom pulled into a hug, and she finally broke down as a sob escaped her lips. They stayed there for a few minutes, Charlie wanting to let her calm down before he left.

“I’m sorry, kid; let me know if you need anything.” He said to her a final time before heading out the door. Still buried in her mom’s tight embrace, she barely lifted her head to nod before burying her face again when she heard the click of the lock.

“I’m so sorry, Mitsuko.” Her mother whispered softly to her, pulling away. She allowed her mom to gently wipe her tears away. “How about to get some rest and make you some tea, okay?”

She nodded as much as she could with her face cupped in mom’s hands. Her mom stood and made her way to the kitchen to get everything ready. Mitsuko made the decision to get off the couch and make her way upstairs to her room; she pulled back her covers before lying down. Under the comfort of her bed, she felt her eyes grow heavy; the day had clearly taken its toll on her. 

So tired, she fell into a deep sleep, only awoken when she felt some pull back the covers again and crawl into the bed next to her. She opened her eyes to come face to face with her younger sister’s concerned face. “I guess mom told you what happened?”

“Yeah…” Hoshiko whispered back, “I just can’t believe it.”

She nodded before reaching out and pulling her sister into a tight hug. The sisters had always been close to Riley, having been his neighbours since they moved to forks at the ages of ten and nine, respectively. While Riley had drifted from them as he grew up, he still contacted them every now and then, always making the same joke about how they were only a year away from being twins. Neither of them would get that message again.

Yet as they held each other close, their pain washed away. While the world was harsh, the Tanaka sisters would always have each other.