A/N
This is the prologue; it's required reading, but I apologize if it seems a slow start. Your reviews are the fuel that drive me to continue. So, do what you can!
xoxos
Pants filled the air as a young man of age twenty-two ran through a narrow alleyway, void of light. At the end of the dark alley was a street, lined by dim lamp posts; there were no cars anywhere in the vicinity, only a lonely park across the road. Yukiteru inspected the area to remember where exactly he was as he ran. He could not stop. No matter how much pain there was in his chest from exertion and the unfamiliar exercise, he could not stop. Stopping meant a certain danger. He wanted to turn his head and see the distance between him and his attacker, but he knew that it would be all over then. Slowing down anymore would increase the possibility of him being caught. He could not risk that. He could not give his assailant the oppurtunity. Tears flowed down his cheeks without fail, crying in shame. He was scared. He was so frightened!
He crossed the park, seeing a familiar street on the opposite side. He grinned hopefully, increasing his speed. Yukiteru could hear the strong footsteps of his chaser nearing, but he had hope once again. He knew where he was! Across this street, passed the buildings, was the police station. He ran into another alley, realizing far too late that the alley was a dead end. A concrete wall hindered any ability to continue his escape.
His tears fell, his heart racing in fear. Oh, no.. this was it! He was dead without having truly lived. He had wasted his life with wishes, not making any effort to fulfill them. He spent his days alone, the few friends he had being friends from work who, even now, he was much too nervous to see outside of the convenience store. He hadn't tried to accomplish any of his dreams, feeling as if there was no point in attempting such endeavors. All stupid insecurities, and now he regretted it. He realized much too late how precious each wasted moment of his life truly had been.
Yukiteru turned around, confronting the predator closing in on him. He took an offensive stance, attempting to look dangerous.. Yukiteru knew he was physically weak, but maybe he could seem strong.
He gasped, his eyes widening in realization. He had his cell phone! He pulled it out hurriedly, preparing to call the Sakurami Police Station that was literally a street away from him, when it was knocked out of his hand. Yukiteru looked up at the man wearing a bulky trench coat and thick goggles concealing his identity, shaking violently. He tensed up and didn't dare to breathe as a sword was lifted by a gloved hand, the large blade pointing at his neck. He sobbed uncontrollably and closed his eyes. He would not see his own demise. He just hoped that his death wouldn't be drawn out.
Yukiteru felt warm liquid splash across his body and speck across his face, opening his eyes in surprise and watching the person who was originally going to cause his end crumple on to the hard cement, a dark puddle flowing out from underneath him. Shocked, he stared at the man who had the intent to kill him. After a few moments he gasped, realizing that the body laying in front of his feet was lifeless. Yukiteru laughed bitterly. Of course. Just his luck, coming across two killers in a single night.
"Yukki? What's so funny?" came a high-pitched coo. Yukiteru's eyes widened in alarm, jerking his head up to view the owner of the contradictingly sweet voice.
He couldn't see her clearly in the dark night, but her silhouette was unmistakably affeminate. A skirt was one thing he could tell on the girl, along with amazingly long hair and a small, thin frame. He began shaking again when he caught sight of a long knife, coated in blood. He heard a giggle.
"Yukki, what's wrong? You're safe now."
He was safe? Yukiteru's lips trembled, unsure if the girl was mocking him or sincere. After a few moments of silence, she spoke once more.
"I love you, Yukki. Be careful from now on, okay?" And with that, the girl left. Yukiteru noticed that her hair had been held and parted with two hair ties, it's length passing her waist. She seemingly bounced down the alley, disappearing from his sight.
Yukiteru stared at the now vacant of life area, frozen. He couldn't comprehend what ever it was that had just transpired. He couldn't accept the unreal incident. Who were those two people who wielded dangerous blades in such a natural manner, as if they were accustomed to taking part in deaths and murder? How come the strange, unknown girl so easily took another life, and yet spared him? Yukiteru reached down and grabbed the sword, his hands soaking in the blood that had been on the hilt, and tossed it away from him. He looked back down and stared at the treacherous man who was not too long ago his executioner. Gazing at the crimson that his shoes and the man were drowning in, his vision began to blur, slowly fading to black. He fell unceremoniously in the pool of blood, losing his consciousness.
Yukiteru groaned, a sharp pain shooting through his head. He just had the worst nightmare. He was accustomed to dreamless nights; he was astonished that he had fallen asleep without being aware. Normally his body resisted sleep, his mind constantly restless. He would sit up alone in his house, wrapping his cover around himself while in his room. He would close his eyes during the silence, imagining how his life would be like if he had been more social, or had followed his dream of studying astronomy. Sadly, with his failure in sociability, it felt impossible.
He realized that he must have left the light on, for even with his eyes closed he could see the brightness behind his lids. He opened his eyes to rows of lights above his bed. He stared in confusion, wondering why his room had seemed so different. Yukiteru closed his eyes and snapped them open, the scene remaining the same. He shot his upper body up in alarm, regretting it immediately as his head began to pound. He reached up and clutched at his skull desperately, noticing during the action the wires attatched to his forearms.
After a few moments of absolute bewilderment, he realized where he was. A hospital? But why? He felt light-headed, the illumination from the room now immensely painful. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to recover his memory. Didn't he just fall asleep? Was this part of the dream? He cringed as a sharp pain shot through his head as a reminder that, no, this was definitely reality. Which would mean the incident that occurred, his date with death, had been real? His stomach churned - it felt like he was going to vomit acid.
"Amano-kun?" Yukiteru looked up, his head aching unbearably, at a girl with a kind face and dark brown hair curtaining just past her shoulders. He spotted a name tag on her white nurse uniform, reading WAKABA, "It seems you have a minor concussion," as she read through the medical sheet her glasses drooped lower on her nose, "but other than that, your health's perfectly fine. A small cold, but you only need plenty of rest and some warm soup, and that'll do the trick." She smiled sweetly, looking up at him.
Yukiteru blinked slowly, logically comprehending what she said, but unable to understand the situation. That dream couldn't have been real. Right?
"Um.. Wakaba-san.. how did I end up here?" Yukiteru asked hesitantly, honestly afraid of the answer.
The nurse adjusted her glasses, "Well, there was a call to the station. Someone disguised their voice, and he or she had said that a murder took place off of Hiromi Street. You were found unconscious and bloody; you were brought here last night and immediately placed under emergency care. Is your vision all right? How many fingers am I holding up?"
Yukiteru answered 'six' correctly, the nurse marking off a box, "Well, your vitals have been normal. You concerned me when you were sleeping - you were having nightmares and your heart pulse would shoot up suddenly! I'm relieved that you're fine. Press this button if you need anything, okay?" Yukiteru blushed and nodded as the nurse showed him what button she was referring to. Wakaba left the room, leaving Yukiteru to his pain and thoughts. How did all this happen? And why to him? He had simply been walking home from his job, and then he had been chased by that tall man that he didn't even know.. He was on the verge of tears when the door opened and two men entered, one of a more bulky stature and the other a slightly lean, yes still masculine form.
The taller man reached into his greyish-blue suit, pulling out a badge, "My name's Kurusu Keigo, and this is my suboordinate Nishijima Masumi. I'm the chief of police and I'm here to ask you questions relating to the death and murder of Hayama Takao."
Yukiteru blinked slowly once again, star-struck. Who? And why did that name sound familiar..? "I-I'm sorry.. I have no clue who you're talking about, Kurusu-san.."
The tall man scowled at him, causing Yukiteru to gnaw on his lip out of nervousness. The chief police officer looked over at his companion whom of which opened a brown briefcase that he'd been carrying, pulling out a beige portfolio and handing it to Kurusu. Kurusu read through it quickly before tossing it to Yukiteru. Yukiteru began reviewing what the paper said, listening as Kurusu talked.
"Hayama Takao, your Junior High teacher. He had been found at your feet, his blood soaking nearly every bit of your skin. Let's not beat around the bush, Yukiteru-kun. You killed him, didn't you?"
Yukiteru dropped the sheets of information aghast, the papers ruffling and floating to random spaces around the room, "No! It wasn't me! He chased me, and -"
"So it was self defense?" Nishijima gave a gentle smile, hoping to comfort the younger man's anxieties. Yukiteru's tears began to stream, the brunette not bothering to wipe them away.
"N-No! I.. I had been chased into an alley-way, and he pointed a sword at my throat! He was going to k-kill me! But, this girl came out of nowhere! And although I didn't see it, I know she killed him! And she just stood there, and.."
"I love you, Yukki. Be careful from now on, okay?"
"She stood there and?" Kurusu prompted, "Don't leave out any details."
Yukiteru gulped, "W-Well, she laughed.. and knew my name.. She was holding a long knife, and -"
"What did she look like?" Kurusu interrupted, similar to Nishijima from previously. Yukiteru rubbed his hands against one another nervously. His head hurt, it had been dark, and he had been panicked - his memory of her besides those eerie words was foggy at best. But he was determined to prove his innocence.
"She wasn't that tall, but had long hair that went past her waist. They were in twin tails. Um.. She was wearing a skirt that reached about one inch above her knees.. And her hair was some bright, light colour.. maybe blonde, or red.." Looking up at Kurusu's scornful frown, Yukiteru realized his unclear description wasn't strengthening his defense. If anything, it made him appear even more suspicious, "S-She had a long knife! I know she killed that guy with it.." Yukiteru grimaced at being able to say 'killed that guy' with such ease.
Kurusu's fist slammed into the wall, "Enough! You should have just claimed self-defense rather than this horribly obvious lie."
"It's not a lie!" Yukiteru protested, his voice raising an octave.
"We found your fingerprints on the weapon at the scene, a long sword with Hayama Takao's blood. Did the long-haired fantasy girl do that, too?"
Yukiteru stiffened in shock. He could recall wanting to move the deadly weapon away, just in case the man's deceased corpse hasn't been as dead as he thought. He simply wanted to ensure his own safety, if only for a moment. "I was just scared that he would wake up and kill me with it. I was just afraid. I didn't do anything, please believe me.." Yukiteru just barely whispered the plea, well aware that the chief of police would continue doubting him regardless.
Kurusu groaned, retrieving the scattered reports that had been dropped on the floor. Once he finished, he returned them to Nishijima, the private investigator replacing them in the briefcase. Kurusu glared once more at Yukiteru before stalking out. Nishijima smiled apologetically, "Get better soon, Yukiteru-kun."
When the two left, Yukiteru heaved a sigh. Why did it feel as though it had been forever since he had been home? And what about his job? He briefly wondered if Hinata or Mao-chan picked up his shift, not even bothering to consider Kousaka to be considerate without knowing the situation (All though he knew that if he stroked Kousaka's ego, he'd easily get the narcissistic boy to do whatever he asked.) Yukiteru sighed once again, laughing at the irony of it all. He meets two killers, and he's designated a murderer! His laughter soon slowed, twisting into depression. He laid back and closed his eyes, the bright light above him awfully painful. Yukiteru reached over and pressed the button that Nurse Wakaba had shown him wiping his teary ultramarine eyes as he waited.
The young woman entered the room, giving him a curious look. Yukiteru smiled weakly, a light red tinting his cheeks in embarrassment. He wasn't used to asking many favours from others, "Could you bring me a pain reliever?"
She gave him a coy smile, "Of course, Amano-kun. I'll be right back." And with that, she left the room to do as requested. Yukiteru looked himself over, vaguely wondering if the nurse had been the one to wash the blood off of him. His lips turned downwards as his blush darkened - his thoughts were quite out of character, it seemed. He supposed he had the right to be out of sorts. Who was that girl? Why was his old teacher chasing him down with an indefinite intent to kill? How could the mystery girl simply smile and giggle while looking as though a pale of deep red paint had been thrown on her? Remembering the incident caused him to shudder, fear and a sharp pain coursing through his body. There wasn't anything good about this situation. There were no silver-linings. Two people with the will to take loves not only knew him, but were so close to him yesterday. Yukiteru just barely subdued the intense want to sob like an infant, insisting his body that now was not the cry, but it was the time to recover. He couldn't wait for the pain reliever. And on cue, the nurse re-entered, receiving Yukiteru's teary blue gaze.
"Here you go, Amano-kun," she offered three capsuled and a medium-sized Styrofoam cup of water. Yukiteru smiled and thanked her, swalling the three pills simultaneously and washing it down with the comfortably cold water, closing his eyes right after and drifting to sleep.