I Need a Hero
Sunako's found herself in a larger predicament than she can handle…but, where's Kyouhei? And who is this man that did come to her rescue? Lawliet x Sunako
I don't know what really happened.
All I do know is that when I woke up, I was being carried by an unknown man. At first, I struggled out of his grasp, but he held me firmly. It felt somewhat different from the time that Kyouhei held me.
His hold was firm, but gentle. Kyouhei was usually a bit rougher with me.
"Put me down," I snapped. He shrugged and set me down on my feet. If it was Kyouhei, he would have just dropped me.
"Are you alright?" he asked me.
I blinked. "Of course I'm alright," I said. "Why ask?"
"Do you not remember?" he asked, staring at me. He had black eyes and there were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. His hair was darker than his eyes and very wild, unruly, I guess.
Where have all the good men gone
and where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
to fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream
of what I need—
"What don't I remember?" I asked him. I really had no recollection of what happened…or where I was for that matter.
He reached to tuck a strand of hair that was in my face behind my ear and I swatted his hand away.
"You were kidnapped. You really don't remember what happened? Some rather vicious looking girls kidnapped you near my…home, you could say."
I blinked and thought. Oh! I remember now.
"Oh, that's right," I said, tapping my chin. "Kyouhei's fan-girls kidnapped me. I don't know what they were going to do, but…"
"They seemed rather murderous," he said, "Who is Kyouhei?"
"My—" I stopped. Was I about to say that Kyouhei was my boyfriend?! "He's my housemate."
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong,
And he's gotta be fast,
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
The man steered me into a great building—a skyscraper—and I sat down tensely on the couch. He left the room for a moment, giving me a chance to look around.
The entire place was dark, and at the same time, rather pristine.
Was this really some sort of mansion in the guise of a skyscraper?
He came back with a glass of juice and handed it to me.
"Thank you," I said, still amazed. But there was something that really bothered me: Why couldn't I fight off those girls? I know I'm stronger than them. And Kyouhei's stronger than me. Where was he? Normally, no matter how well I handle a situation, I could still—almost always—count on Kyouhei to come save me.
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light.
He's gotta be sure,
And it's gotta be soon,
And he's gotta be larger than life.
I thought of all the times that I was told that Kyouhei and I were in love with each other. We thought that the guys were tricking us, but…
Why am I in pain that Kyouhei didn't come save me this time? I don't know why I care—I just do.
I set down the cup and I bring my legs up to my chin and hid my face in my knees.
"What's wrong?" the man asked.
"They usually come save me, even if I don't need to be saved," I muttered. I don't know why I told him, but I needed to tell someone how hurt I felt…
Somewhere after midnight,
In my wildest fantasy,
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me.
I don't know why, but the man embraced me again.
I broke down in tears. Sure, I wasn't an ordinary girl, but I was still a girl. Even though I…I'm usually at odds with Kyouhei and the others, I always felt like I could count on at least him to come help me when I'm in trouble.
I don't know why I felt so comfortable around this man. Normally, I wouldn't let anyone touch me, but…I couldn't help trusting him.
He rubbed my back. Oddly, it felt comfortable.
I began to wonder…
Who is he?
Racing on the thunder end rising with the heat—
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet!
After a few minutes, I had stopped crying, but I still leaned against him in his embrace.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
"Yamato Ryuuzaki," he answered.
Yamato Ryuuzaki…
I was too comfortable to move off of him, I glanced up at him. He was sitting as I was at the moment. And it was strange: he dressed like me a bit too.
To a degree, I found it somewhat strange.
"I'm Nakahara Sunako," I said.
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong,
And he's gotta be fast,
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
He stood. "Come on," he said holding his hand out to me. "I'll take you home."
I took his hand and he pulled me off the couch. I didn't want to go home, but I figured I should. Otherwise, the guys would be very worried about me.
I may be angry at them right now, but I wasn't stupid enough to avoid going home. My aunt would throw a fit!
Then again…
No, I decided. I'll go home.
He led me out of the…building. I don't know what to call it to be honest: it wasn't a skyscraper, but it wasn't a mansion.
"Would you prefer to walk or do you want my valet to drive us?"
"I'd rather walk," I said.
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light.
He's gotta be sure,
And it's gotta be soon,
And he's gotta be larger than life.
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
It was dark out—very dark out.
But I could tell that, behind me, the sun was rising.
I let him lead me around the city, directing him when I needed to. When we reached my home, Ryuuzaki-san stared at the mansion with his thumb pressed to his bottom lip.
"You live here?" he asked.
"It's my aunt's house. I live here with my housemates," I entered the gate. He followed. I glanced at him curiously.
He shrugged and I continued on my way up to the front porch.
"Thank you," I said, "For helping me."
Ryuuzaki-san smiled. Somehow, he didn't look as intimidating when he smiled. "It was an honor, Nakahara-chan."
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above,
Out where the lightning splits the sea—
I would swear that there's someone, somewhere,
Watching me!
I watched him go from the window. By then, the sun had started to creep upwards, brightening the garden, which was cold with dew drops.
I felt warm all over.
Why?
"Sunako!" Two arms snaked around me before I could look at Kyouhei. I knew it was him from the voice. "Thank God! You're alright."
The warmth that I felt earlier seemed to evaporate.
"Where were you?" I asked.
"I couldn't find you," he said. "I'm so sorry, Sunako. I didn't know where they went."
Through the wind end the chill and the rain,
And the storm and the flood—
I can feel his approach
Like the fire in my blood!
I shoved him off of me. "That's no excuse!" I shouted. "You're always there! You're always around even if you don't know where I was taken!"
"What do you think I am?!" he shouted. "Superman? Can I read minds? Sunako, I looked everywhere! Almost all night!"
"Almost?" I asked. "Almost? What? Did you give up when you got tired? Or did you get stuck serving at a Host Club?"
Kyouhei snarled at me.
"What's going on? Are you two at it already?" Ranmaru asked groggily.
So, not one of them, save Kyouhei, noticed I was missing.
I shook with rage, too angry to reply. I high kicked Kyouhei, then slapped (and scratched) Ranmaru.
"Well, unlike someone I could mention, I was saved. And if anything, he was a lot more reliable than you damn Creatures of the Light!"
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong,
And he's gotta be fast,
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I ran into my room and slammed the door closed. For a moment, I leaned against the door breathing heavily in hurt anger.
"I hate him," I muttered. "I hate you, Kyouhei…"
I slid to the ground, still leaning against the door. For a brief moment, I thought I was being held by warm, gentle, but firm arms—and it seemed like Ryuuzaki.
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light.
He's gotta be sure,
And it's gotta be soon,
And he's gotta be larger than life.
No.
I'm not falling in love—what would be the point of falling in love? Love's an illusion.
And besides…
I don't even know him that well!
But…
I sat in front of my door, hugging my legs and hiding my face. I was still hurt from Kyouhei's…betrayal? No…that wasn't it…abandonment? He didn't really abandon me.
Either way, I still felt hurt that he didn't come to my rescue.
Someone knocked on my door.
"Sunako-chan, talk to me. Please," Kyouhei said. He even sounded…dare I say it? He sounded sad. And he never says "please." Nor has he ever used honorifics with my name before. "Sunako-chan please?"
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night!
He's gotta be strong,
And he's gotta be fast,
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight!
I opened my door ever so slightly; just enough that I could see his face, but he couldn't come in.
"What?"
"Can I come in?"
"No."
Kyouhei muttered under his breath. "I did go after you. But I couldn't keep up with the car. Sunako, I was scared. I was scared of what they were going to do to you. I panicked. Remember when Hiroshi-kun was kidnapped by my fans a while back?"
I nodded.
"I felt exactly like that. I wouldn't have stopped searching, but, as you guessed, I kept getting bombarded by my other fans and I kept running into trouble. Eventually, I lost too much time trying to fight my way through everything that I was forced to give up."
"It's never stopped you before," I snarled.
"You're right: it's not a good excuse. It's a very, very bad excuse, but it is the truth."
"Truth or not, you didn't come."
"How'd you get out? You're strong, but even you couldn't fight off all those girls."
I glared at him. "Someone saved me," I answered. "Someone probably stronger than you; I don't remember everything that happened, but when I woke up, he was carrying me."
"Some guy that you don't know saved you?" Kyouhei asked, somewhat bewildered.
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light!
He's gotta be sure,
And it's gotta be soon,
And he's gotta be larger than life!
"Is that such a shock?" I growled.
"Are you kidding me? It's a huge shock! I mean, most people are scared of you, so…"
"But he saved me anyway."
"Sunako, what if he…what if…"
I knew what he was thinking. "He didn't. He took me home after he saved me."
"Did he at least tell you his name?" Kyouhei asked me.
"He said his name was Yamato Ryuuzaki."
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night…
I closed the door.
Yamato Ryuuzaki…
Who exactly is he?
I don' really know—what I did know is that…and I don't know why, considering I don't' believe in love anymore…what I did know is that later that day, I drew him from memory.
He sort of looked like an anime character when I finished drawing him. I drew him staring, as though glaring—but he might have actually been fighting to keep his eyelids open. He was barefoot and his hands were shoved into his pockets.
I usually didn't draw, but this seemed rather good in comparison to what I usually did. I pocketed the picture and laid on my back, staring at the ceiling.
Maybe…just maybe…I'll see him again.