Taken For Granted
Assassin-G
Sousuke slowly walked down the busy streets of uptown Tokyo. Every once in a while he would look down on the crumbled piece of paper that Kurtz Weber had given him. The blonde marksman had insisted that Sousuke went to visit the young Whispered, maybe catch up on times passed. So he had given Sousuke the address. It's been so long. Sousuke wondered if Kaname would remember him. He missed her so much.
Taking a left on Todai Avenue, Sousuke walked to the very end of the street and found himself in front of an apartment complex. It was a nice place with many emergency exits, good for evacuating in case there was a terrorist situation.
Sousuke easily bypassed the lock in front of the glass door. He required a clearance pass and since he wanted his presence to be unknown to Kaname, Sousuke had no other choice but to utilize his special skills.
After climbing a flight of stairs, Sousuke found himself in front of Kaname's room. It was at the end of the corridor. It was a good place to reside in, seeing as if there was some emergency, one could easily jump out the window and climb the emergency escape. It was only the second floor after all.
Nervously, Sousuke tapped his knuckles on the wooden door. To him, it was heaven to be able to see her again after three years. Slowly, he knocked twice, then stepped back and readied himself.
The doorknob turned and a boy that looked no older than five opened the door. He had unruly brown hair and hazel eyes.
"Hoo arr youu?" the boy asked, his eyes gazing curiously at the stranger.
"I am, uh, you see, err, I believe, ahem," Sousuke stuttered, his eyes never left the young boy. Perhaps he was at the wrong address? Maybe Kurtz had given him faulty direction.
"Big brutha!! Dere's a weeid man at duh dooh!"
"Shigame, how many times have I told you not to talk to strangers?"
The next thing Sousuke saw, he was totally unprepared for. A guy in his late teenage years stepped out. He wore round glasses, his hair combed impeccably, and an AS magazine clutched in his hand.
"Sousuke?" he asked astonished. He adjusted his glasses to get a better look. "Is that you?" He placed his free hand on the boy's head and told him to go back inside. Then he returned his gaze on his former classmate.
Sousuke opened his mouth to say something when a feminine voice from inside stopped him.
"Shinji?" came a very familiar voice. "Whoever's at the door, tell him or her to buzz off! You have to prepare me for the finals next week!"
Sousuke pushed the door a bit wider to reveal Kaname Chidori walking from the living room toward the door with a heavy textbook in hand. She had shed a few pounds and looked more petite than Sousuke had remembered. Her long blue hair was tied back into a ponytail. And since uniform was not necessary in college, she was wearing a white dress shirt with shorts.
"Damnit, what idiot has…the…nerve…" she said, slowing down her speech at first before coming to a complete stop as her eyes wandered toward the spot Sousuke was standing.
Shinji, having felt the heat between his two former classmates, quickly left, dragging his little brother along with him. He had known Kaname for her short temper and knew that Sousuke could trigger her fuse in the blink of an eye. And although he had not seen the notorious halisen for some time, Shinji was quite sure Kaname could cause heavy damage without it.
"Sousuke…?" asked Kaname, her voice uncertain.
"Yes, it is I," he answered, straightening his posture.
"Come in, Sousuke," she said, stepping aside and allowing him entrance. The door slowly closed as she took his coat and hung it on a coat rack in the closet. Sousuke entered the small apartment warily. It was not unlike Chidori's former apartment, probably a bit smaller. He walked toward the fireplace and examined the pictures. They were the same from back then with the exception of a few pictures from graduation at Jindai High. He picked up the one with Kaname along with a couple of her friends and her father. She looked so happy…
Hearing a loud and obvious coughfrom behind, Sousuke placed the picture back on the mantel and turned to Kaname. She was leaning on the arm of her leather couch, propping her textbook on the side of the sofa. Her eyes studied the otaku from back in her high school years and almost immediately she noticed fresh scars around his chest. His mane was long and unkempt looking as if he had been shipwrecked for countless years.
"So…Kaname, how are you?"
That simple question stirred the beast locked within the blue-haired girl.
"I'm fine, thank you very much!" she yelled sarcastically. "Now I will give you seven seconds to explain why you decided to show your troublesome otaku romp after all these years!"
Sousuke took a deep breath and suddenly grew a fascination at the ground. Kaname was still staring angrily at Sousuke waiting for an answer.
"I got myself into some trouble. It could not be helped," he answered simply. The tone of his voice left no room for emotions or regret.
"Do I even dare ask what?" Kaname threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "The least you could've done was write to me."
"I was…looking for answers."
Silence filled the room; the only sound was coming from Shigame, and Shinji's distinct voice trying to hush his baby brother.
"Oh? And are you satisfied? With what you found I mean," she added, reading the look on his face. Sousuke remained silent, his eyes finding the same spot on the ground once again.
"Well?" Kaname tapped her foot impatiently. It was like Jindai High all over again. Sousuke diverted his attention from the ground straight into Kaname's eyes. His ice-cold eyes bore into Kaname's enraged ones. He could take a hint.
Sousuke cleared his throat. "I am sorry for the pain I've caused you, Miss Chidori. And it is obvious that my presence is beginning to aggravate you. I will take my leave and you will never have to see me again. Goodbye."
He walked across the room and stopped in front of a closet where he saw four eyes following him. He frowned, paying no attention to the two brothers as he retrieved his coat from the rack and closed the door in their face. He paused as he reached the front door, suddenly overcome with fits of pain coming from his heart.
'Damn my infirmity to hell,' Sousuke thought as he clutched his heart. 'Ack! God…Not now…'
Sousuke stumbled into the hallway and eventually found himself on the stoop of the apartment complex. The chest pain had subsided for the most part. He had gotten a whiff of an experimental disease during his days of traveling but results of a heart virus were negative. Sousuke was sure blaming it on that would not be a valid excuse.
"To hell with this overtaxed body," he muttered as his vision became blurry. He was no longer the indefatigable youth that he once was, and yet he refused to let go of the one important thing he left behind three years ago. All he thought about during those lonely years was Kaname. She was the only thing he looked forward to and that was why he came back.
A/N: I'm not sure whether to leave this story as a one-shot fic or to continue and prolong the story and maybe put a little plot in it. I will write according to what the readers decide. Give me your honest opinion and constructive criticism is appreciated.