A/N: Not sure exactly where I got this idea... Might have been from that country song I heard at the store the other day though. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Please, let me know what you think since this is my first CFV story ever. Suggestions of how I can improve are always welcome.
Special thanks to EagleTsubasa for the beta!
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard. Isn't that what we all dream of though... ;)
Deadly Encounter
The quiet murmur of voices filled the small cafe. Light yellow walls and cherry red accent pieces gave off a sense of comfort to its evening patrons. In one of the far corners, two teenage girls sat chatting as they sipped their coffee and nibbled on what was left of the breaded shrimp appetizer they had shared.
"... You have to read it, Misaki. It's such a romantic and thrilling book." The blue-eyed girl resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and took another sip of her coffee instead. She really did enjoy spending time with Akari in spite of her obsession with romance. The purple-eyed girl's head always seemed to be in the clouds, dreaming up one romantic scenario after another.
'At least she isn't trying to play matchmaker again.' Misaki almost smiled at the thought, remembering her friend's overeager attempts to pair up another one of her classmates. Naturally, it had backfired on her friend, leaving her with a spectacular mess to try to clean up. There were no hard feelings, though, and Akari had, hopefully, learned a lesson.
"The shop tournament is coming up next week, so I probably won't have time to do any extra reading. There's still a lot of things we have to prepare -"
Akari rested her chin on her hand with a sigh. "You spend too much time in that shop. What you need is to get out and get some fresh air and see the real world for once." She brushed a loose piece of her aquamarine hair back behind her ear before shaking a finger at her best friend.
"When was the last time you saw the real world, Akari?" the lilac haired girl teased.
"Humph," she pouted, lower lip sticking out in such a childish manner that the blue-eyed girl started to laugh. The infectious laughter broke through Akari's already weak defense and, in seconds, she joined in as well.
The lighthearted moment was interrupted when Misaki's phone vibrated in her pocket. Reaching down, she retrieved it and read over the message.
"Who is it?" Light purple eyes studied her friend with curiosity and disappointment over the interruption.
"Shin," Misaki sighed. "I have to head home early." Her disappointment was evident. Lately, she had been so busy with the shop, school and Vanguard that she had little time to relax. An evening with nothing to do except spend some quality time with her best friend had been just what she needed. 'This always seems to happen.'
"Too bad. We were having such a good time too." Sighing dramatically, she slumped forward. Misaki gave the girl a small smile, gathering her things. Akari turned her head towards the window, studying the dull, grey sky. "It's sooo dreary out there."
"Yeah." Standing, she reached for the bill only to blink with surprise as her friend snatched it away.
"My treat. Okay?"
"Thanks." Turning away, she headed towards the door, feeling her friend's upset gaze on her.
'Shin, when I get home...'
A light wind teased her lilac locks as Misaki walked home. There were few people out on this dark day. The sky was a depressing grey with clouds moving slowly across it, blocking the warm sun from view. An Autumn chill was in the air and the wind carried the misty smell of rain. Most people were at home or in a warm, welcoming shop and she didn't blame them. Pulling her leather jacket a bit tighter around her, she picked up the pace, so frustrated with the turn of events that she didn't notice the shadowy figure following her.
"One evening with a friend. That's all I wanted. All I wanted to do was -" The angry mutters were cut of abruptly by the rough hand that gripped her shoulder.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" A sickening grin spread across the face of the towering giant looming over her. His red, beady eyes took in her light blue shorts, white sleeveless shirt and short black leather jacket in a lustful heartbeat. "Did you get lost, little lady?"
"Let go." She looked him in the eye defiantly. The nauseating smell of grease and cigarette smoke assailed her nose. "I don't need your help."
One swift kick was all she needed to get the point across. He yelped in sudden pain, letting go of the girl to clutch his throbbing shin. Not willing to pass up her chance Misaki started to run, determined to find a busier street where there would not be an opportunity for the man to attempt anything. She had barely made it thirty feet when she heard the cold metallic click.
"I wouldn't run if I were you, Missy"
She turned, blue eyes widening with horror at the sight of a small pistol in the man's right hand. He smiled, sending a cold chill down her spine that left no doubt about the man's intentions, and with the gun trained on her, she knew that she wasn't going to get away from him so easily this time.
He grinned at Misaki's reaction. "That's better."
'If I can just get my phone...'
"Don't even try it. Your phone stays where it is." He moved closer, making sure to keep the gun trained on her the entire time. Even if she hadn't been forced to look down the barrel, Misaki wouldn't have run anyway. It was just too dangerous. Helpless, she stood her ground, her heart pounding as the man reached for her.
"Don't you dare!"
She blinked, almost too startled to even breathe as her mind automatically registered the familiar voice. The man quickly shifted the gun so it was pointing directly at the blond-haired teen who had appeared—seemingly out of nowhere—before him.
"Miwa, no!" It came out in a gasped whisper. Grey eyes turned to meet blue and Misaki's breath caught in her throat at the steely determination and anger she saw. There was no trace of fear to be seen. With a calm, determined look, he turned back towards the man who was at least four inches taller than himself and almost twice as thick.
The man glanced over the boy, quickly determining how much of a threat he could possibly be. What he saw was a kid, maybe seventeen or eighteen, wearing a light pink shirt, orange jacket, and blue jeans who was trying to appear confident and intimidating. However, his actions had just now proven him to be impulsive and quite foolish. This would be easy.
"Looks like someone is trying to play the hero," he sneered, keeping his gun trained on the boy. The two teens obviously new each other which he might have been able to use against them.
"You bet." The grey-eyed boy was almost casual in his tone, as if this were some sort of normal everyday experience, but not enough hide the anger lacing his words. "In fact, I'd like to make a deal with you."
"Oh?" the man cocked an eyebrow. This was almost amusing; the kid was obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. After all, everyone knows that you don't make deals with a criminal. Well, except Hero-boy here.
"Let her go..." he nodded toward Misaki, "and I'll give you anything you want."
The man threw back his head and laughed. "That's rich, Hero-boy."
Unrattled by the man's response, the blonde-haired boy reached into his pocket. With a grim smile, he pulled out his wallet, slowly opening it to reveal the contents.
"Miwa!" She couldn't believe he was really doing this. 'You're going to get yourself killed!'
He didn't take his eyes off the man. That gun could cause a lot of trouble if he wasn't careful.
"Trust me, Misaki." Miwa winked at her and she was surprised to hear how his voice was filled quiet confidence, as if he already knew that it all was going to work out. Something within her calmed at his words. 'It's going to be fine.'
"I have about ¥2,420 yen* and some change on me." He pulled out some of the bills for the man to see. "Could throw in my credit card too if you want..."
The man was eyeing the boy with interest now. He might be able to get some good stuff out of this one. The dark-haired man waved the gun a little. "How about you just hand over your whole wallet and I might consider the deal."
"You have to let her go first." Danger lurked within his words as his eyes hardened in anger. He was no fool. That man wasn't going to get away with taking Misaki. Not on his watch, anyway.
Beady eyes narrowed, considering.
Miwa took a deep breath. "Maybe you would like a motorcycle to go with it."
Misaki's eyes widened. No. He had gotten the bright red motorcycle only a few months before, just before the Link Joker invasion. Miwa prized that motorcycle and had worked and saved for an entire year to pay for it himself. To just let the man take it...
A filthy hand gripped the silvery gun tighter. Now, a motorcycle was something that he could use. Greedily, he waved the gun at the boy in a threatening manner. "Let's see this motorcycle of yours, shall we?" The man moved towards the blond who took a slight step back. Misaki gasped as the man shoved her forward, then paled, feeling the gun's cold barrel press between her shoulder blades. Miwa's eyes widened and he clenched his trembling hands, trying to remember how to breathe.
"No tricks. You hear me, Hero-boy?" The blond nodded silently. His pounding heart was filled with fear and anger. He didn't dare trust his voice yet.
'Please let this work.' Without turning his back on the man or Misaki, he led them further down the street, past the brightly lit shops, the whispering trees and the hum of the few automobiles that drove by, their occupants oblivious to the nightmare taking place only a few feet from them. He wished that this really was a nightmare; after all, you can wake up from a one, but you cannot wake up from reality. The cold, sharp wind reminded him that this was, in fact, reality and there was no going back.
The blond suddenly stopped and pointed across the street. In the faded light, the man could see a motorcycle, red with hand-painted flames, parked in front of an empty shop. The store's warm, welcoming lights were still on in spite of the 'Closed' sign in the window. Had the circumstances been better, Misaki might have actually enjoyed the sight of the pleasant-looking store. As things were, she was finding it hard to think about anything other than the gun poking her back.
"There it is."
Eagerly, the man forced Misaki and Miwa across the street. As soon as they were across, the lilac-haired girl sighed, relieved that the gun was removed and now hung loosely in the giant's hand. The dark-haired man was too focused on the well-kept motorcycle in front of him to focus fully on the two teens, not that he completely forgot them either. He did have some brains, after all.
Everything was going so well now that the grey-eyed kid had shown up.
"Well...?" He turned to meet the boy's questioning gaze. This guy was just too easy.
"You can have the girl." Miwa smirked, trying to mask the relief in his eyes while Misaki relaxed slightly.
'See? Everything is going to be alright.'
She moved closer to the blond who nodded reassuringly towards her. As she reached him, she heard the whisper. "Get behind me." It was soft and gentle, yet Misaki knew that it wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.
Feeling suddenly uneasy, she moved behind him as Miwa shifted his body to better shield hers. He found that he couldn't relax while that man still held the gun. Slowly, he reached into his orange jacket pocket to pull out a key ring. There were not very many keys on it. Just the one for his house, one for his motorcycle (though it wasn't his any longer, now, was it?!), a key to Card Capital since he often filled in there and one or two more that had no real purpose to him. With practiced ease he found the right one and took it off the the ring. Shoving the rest in his pocket, the blond held out the lone gold-tinted key, feeling only a slight twinge of regret. He immediately snuffed it out.
"You'll be needing this." Red eyes gleamed as a filthy hand reached out to snatch it away. It rested there in the man's palm for a moment as he continued to hold out his hand expectantly.
"The money..."
Frowning slightly in annoyance—he had been hoping the criminal would forget—the boy reached into his pocket where he had placed the cash and credit card. They were then placed into the outstretched hand. The dark haired man gave him a twisted smile, eyes gleaming dangerously. Misaki felt a wave of dread wash over her. "You have been so cooperative, Hero-boy..." the man sneered
Faster than she could think, the hand clenched into a fist and swung towards her friend who leapt back out of range. He had seen it coming with barely a second to spare, but Miwa was caught off guard when the man leapt forward as well, swinging the gun up and around. There was a sickening crack as the shot echoed down the street. The soft thud as the blond-haired boy's body hit the ground seemed a thousand times louder than it really was, but what witnesses would say later that they remembered the most was the wailing scream from the lilac-haired girl as she collapsed on the ground beside him.
"MIWA!"
Time stood still. The world dimmed until all she could hear was the sound of her own heart pounding in her chest and all she could see was him. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she fought for air, watching in horror as crimson slowly pooled around Miwa.
'This can't be happening... Please, let this be a dream!'
Grey eyes slowly opened, dimmed with pain. Searching, they turned until they found her terrified blue orbs.
'It's all my fault...'
"Misaki..." Her vision blurred as tears stung her eyes. They slid down her checks to fall heedlessly to the ground where they shattered, mixing with crimson.
"Don't talk. Please..."
'Save your strength...You..you have to hold on...'
"It's... going to... be alright... Misaki." His voice was tight with the pain. Worry flickered across his pale face.
'How? How will it ever be alright?'
"How...?" She could barely speak. Her chest ached as if a knife was being twisted inside. Misaki closed her eyes, unable to watch her friend suffer like this. Scenes with him from the past few years leapt out to her. His goofy smile and infectious laugh. How helpful he had always been. A loyal friend to the very end.
'I'm so sorry!'
Frantic shouts and footsteps were dimly registered, but not acknowledged. From somewhere far away she could hear someone sobbing, it would not be until later that she realized who she had been hearing, herself.
'If only...'
Trembling fingers brushed against her pale check. Her eyes opened in surprise as he tried to brush the tears away. Of its own accord, her hand reached up to grasp his. He weakly gripped hers as her blue eyes saw his gentle smile.
'How can he be smiling?'
"Don't cry," he whispered. Was he trying to comfort her? It should be the other way around. Yet, even now it seemed, he had others on his mind.
'Hold on, please...'
Miwa's eyes held her's for a moment before they drifted closed. His hand in hers went limp as he lost his grip on consciousness.
'Please, no!... Please!'
"Miwa...?"
'No!'
Everything was blurring, fading away like the ripples in a pond that soon shows no sign that it was ever disturbed after the children leave. From somewhere far away, she heard voices calling, telling her to breathe, to hold on. But she couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't feel. It was all so familiar. This was how she felt after witnessing her parents' deaths. Helplessly trapped in a place where there was nothing, a place she could not escape from. The comforting darkness of unconsciousness swirled around her, carrying her away.
'Goodbye... Miwa...'
Soft beeping echoed in her ears, slowly drawing her back to the waking world. Eyelids fluttered, then slowly rose, revealing dull blue orbs.
"Misaki!"
Her eyes turned towards the sound of her uncle's familiar voice. To her surprise, he was crying as he wrapped her in a gentle, yet fierce, hug. It was almost like the time she wasn't paying attention while shopping at the mall and had gotten lost. Shin had been frantic and, when he had finally found her, refused to let her out of his sight for days afterwards.
'What happened?'
"Shin?"
"When the police called, I thought I'd lost you. Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?" He pulled back to shake a finger in her face and she could see the shadows of lingering fear in his eyes. She guessed that he had not left her side since he had gotten here. But, why was she at the hospital? What had...?
It suddenly hit her and she saw it all clearly as if it were happening all over again. The man looming over her. Miwa's defiant smirk. The gunshot. Pooling crimson. It all came rushing back and she burst into tears. She clutched her uncle in desperation, unable to stop the torrent of tears cascading down her face.
"Shhh... It's okay, Misaki. It's okay." The words only made her sob harder. Minutes past and, slowly, the flood slowed, then stopped. Trembling with exhaustion, she leaned against him. "It's okay. Everything is going to be fine."
"No," she whispered. How could he say that after... after what she had just seen? "No, it's not."
"What do you mean?" Shin was genuinely confused. He had known that she would be emotional after waking up, but he hadn't expected this.
"How can you say that it's okay? How?! How can it be okay after..." Her voice broke off in a sob. The tears began to flow again and she knew that it would likely be this way for days. There was no chance of regaining her composure now.
"The police are working on catching the man who attacked you. You don't have to worry about that." Shin tried to reassure her with what seemed to be little success as his niece continued to cry, shaking her head.
"That's not it. I-it was all my fault, and n-now..." Her voice wavered as her heart ached. How would Miwa's family ever forgive her after this? Would Shin? She wasn't even certian she could forgive herself.
"Now... what?"
"Now, he's gone!" she practically shouted, tears rolling like rain down her checks.
Shin stared at her, trying to figure out what, or who rather, she was talking about. The criminal who had attacked her and Miwa? That couldn't be... A flash of understanding hit him.
Miwa. This was about Miwa. That made much more sense regarding why she was so upset.
"Oh, Misaki! He's not gone. Miwa is just down the hall from us," he smiled at her.
"No," she whispered brokenly. "No. You don't understand. I saw him. All the blood." Misaki shuddered as the memory flashed before her eyes. She had heard the gunshot, had seen him fall, watched in horror as the blood pooled on the cold, grey sidewalk. Wishing couldn't change the past. The lilac-haired girl knew that well.
"Misaki," Shin's voice demanded her attention. Slowly, she raised her damp eyes to meet his. "I know that what you saw looked bad." Blue eyes tried to turn away, but her uncle wouldn't allow it. Not until he was finished. "But, what you saw wasn't as bad as it looked."
"What do you mean?"
He smiled at her—that fond smile that reminded her of her dad. "Miwa is alive and will soon bewell."
Misaki stared at him, barely able to comprehend this new information.
"Alive?"
'Could he really still be alive? Even after...'
"Yes. It was a miracle that he wasn't shot like they first thought. They're not sure how that happened, but the doctors say he should be able to head home in a few days. He did end up with a nasty concussion, though..."
'A miracle... Could it be true? Am I dreaming?'
"Where is he?!" She was standing before Shin could answer. She had to find him. Misaki need to be sure. "Where, Shin!?"
"D-down the hall. Room 143, I think..." Before he could finish, she was gone. Running down the hall as fast as she could, she glanced at the room numbers before coming to a sudden halt outside one of the doors. The sterilized room smelled of antiseptic, reminding her of other times and places. Things she would rather forget. There was a stiff, white curtain blocking most of the view while soft voices lingered within. Those died away as she stepped inside, moving towards the curtain beyond which she glimpsed a bed.
She barely took note of the man and woman who had risen from the stiff leather chairs, though the man's grey eyes and the woman's long blond hair were enough to confirm that she was in the right room. The lilac-haired girl's only thought was for the figure in the bed; Shin would deal with the parents, she knew.
The blond-haired boy slowly moved his head towards the sound of approaching feet, grey eyes widening with surprise when he saw who it was. They stared at one another, taking in every detail.
He was wearing one of those gowns that hospitals provide—white with some sort of pattern that couldn't quite be made out—and was lying in the bed in a position halfway between sitting up and lying down. His legs were covered by a thin, lightweight blanket, also courtesy of the hospital. The blond hair was rather wild as it had not yet had a brush or comb taken to it and a large white bandage was wrapped around his forehead. Several monitors were beeping, relaying information across their distinct black and green screens.
She was still wearing the white sleeveless shirt from earlier in the evening, though now there were several crimson stains that marred it's once pristine color. The leather jacket was gone and the light blue shorts were dirty and bloodstained, as well. Her lilac hair appeared wind-blown and he could see the dark smears down her checks from the tears that she had already shed; but she was up and walking which reassured him greatly that she really was okay like his parents had said.
"Hey, Misaki." She blinked, trying to refocus her turbulent thoughts. Relief rolled over her like a cresting wave, momentarily overwelming her.
"Y-your...Y-your really..."
"Yep!" He grinned sheepishly at her. "You won't get rid of me that easily."
She winced at the blond's teasing words. Biting her lip, she turned away with regret. If only she had been able to get away from that man faster, then Miwa never would have gotten involved.
Realising that he had unintentionally hurt her, he quickly followed up with, "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that." She looked up with an apologetic smile and he brightened. "See! Everything turned out alright!"
Taking a step forwards, she gave him a quick punch to the shoulder, although not too hard as he was obviously already injured, but hard enough. Miwa yelped, more startled then hurt.
"What was that for?"
She smirked. "For acting like a fool."
"Huh?" 'What was that suppose to mean?'
"Taking on a desperate criminal without any weapons was a pretty risky move."
"Yeah, well..." He sheepishly reached up and scratched the back of his head before going on. "It was better than the alternative." He had a light, easygoing smile on his face, but his eyes darkened, conveying to Misaki that he truly meant what he had said.
Reaching out, she touched his hand. "Thank you for looking out for me, Miwa." As risky as his actions had been, he had saved her from what may have become a nightmarish ordeal, even willing to put his life on the line with no guarantee that what he planned would even work. But then, that was really like him, always watching out for the people around him. Willing to do anything for a friend.
"Anytime." He suddenly yawned. The medication was making him awfully tired. "After all, what are friends for?"
Misaki smiled, watching him. "Get some rest," she said, turning away to leave. As she reached the edge of the curtain, the lilac-haired girl looked back to see her blond friend already asleep. A gentle smile danced on her lips as she walked away.
He was right. Everything was going to be just fine.
*about $20 in the USA