I've discontinued "Fallen Juno" cuz I've lost inspiration for it, and cuz I have too many ideas in my head to focus on that story anywayz. Sorry. :-/
Soo, anywayz. I might be able to end this one as a one-shot. I don't think that will work very nicely, though. But we'll see, hmm? :D
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. --stops talking before a rant can break through--
--Sanded Silk--
Raindrops slit the dark sky and the humid air like knives through cloth. The moon and stars were completely blocked out of sight by the heavy stormclouds. Lightning broke through the clouds every now and then, forked and glowing, crackling ominously.
But none of this was noticed by a young girl in black sweatpants and a loose black t-shirt, standing on the edge of a huge bridge that stretched across a turbulent river. She stared down at the water that rolled restlessly many feet below her with listless viridian eyes, her shoulder-length pink hair plastered to her head. Her right hand was wound tightly around a thick metal cord that held the bridge above the water. Her other hand was down by her side, twisted into a small fist.
No one that sped in their cars past the girl seemd to notice her, but that was what she wanted.
Random thoughts and images flew through her head; images of her friends' faces, her ex-boyfriend's smirk, her parents' smiles. Then, after the happy memories, in flowed the sad ones, the ones that had driven her to the edge of the bridge; images of her friends' faces twisted into mocking frowns, her ex-boyfriend's back turned on her, recordings of her parents' fights and snarls.
Life had been going well for this young girl in her earlier years. But as time went by, her friends floated away, her love-life flowed down the drain faster than rainwater, and her parents began to hate each other, yelling words at each other that made her bury her face under her pillows to hide her sobs.
Slowly, the happiness and the will to live had been decaying in the body of this petite girl, until finally, it snapped. It had just been that afternoon when she had agreed with herself to jump off the bridge.
It was so very convenient, this bridge. It was so close to her house, and so high above the water. Plus, it had been raining all day, so the drowning would take very little time, minimizing the sufferage. Perhaps this day had been destined especially for her. Perhaps this was her fate after all.
A small smile played on her pale lips. She threw back her head and closed her eyes, a wild laugh ripping itself from her lungs. No one who drove by her heard her- their windows were rolled up and they were driving too fast. Even if they had heard, though, this girl wouldn't have cared. She didn't have anything left in the world to care about, except maybe for her plan- her last plan- to go well.
She lowered her head and stared back down into the tumbling black waters. The sound of rain and of ocean water slapping violently against the rocks that bordered the land filled her ears.
She was ready.
With a deep breath, she let go of the metal cord and plummeted into the dark waters below. As soon as her toes left the metal, she heard, above the white noise filling her ears, the screech of wheel against wet metal and the shout of a man.
--
It was just like any other night for Hyuuga Neji. He was driving back to his lone apartment on the other side of the long bridge from a long day's time of work. The rain pattered relentlessly on his windshield, and below the comforting sound, the music he had turned on played soothingly.
Rain always calmed him. Neji was glad for the rain tonight.
Then, something flashed up ahead on the edge of the bridge. Dangerously close to the edge of the bridge. Neji stepped lightly on the brakes, and pulled to the far right lane, slowing down and squinting. Was that a flash of... pink?
Suddenly, the small blob of pink threw itself back and a wild, piercing laugh rang through the night, slipping through the cracks of his windshield and windows like air. Neji shivered, eyes wide with terrified astonishment. It was a person, someone with bright pink hair.
As he neared the person, he saw that it was a girl, a young woman around his age. She was standing on the very edge of the metal bridge, her hand clamped around a metal chord, the toes of her boots hanging off the edge. She had let loose the bloodcurdling laugh he had heard earlier, and was now staring into the dark water below with intense emerald eyes.
With a sickening crunch, Neji realized what she was planning to do. He slammed on the brakes, ignoring the protesting honk of a car behind him that had nearly crashed into him, and jumped out into the pelting rain. He threw his cellphone onto his seat, not bothering to pull the keys out of the trigger, and headed for the mysterious girl.
But he was too late. He ran as fast as he could, but wasn't fast enough, and watched helplessly as the woman let go of the metal chord and flung herself down into the river. He let out an incoherent shout and pumped faster.
No.
Without a second thought- or a first one, at that- Neji grabbed the railing of the bridge, flung himself over the metal confinements, and into the water after the roseate young woman, another cry wrenching itself from his mouth.
By the time his head passed the last iron railing of the bridge, the woman had already fallen with a splash into the water below.
No, no, no.
With a second splash, Neji plunged in after her. His long chestnut hair swished gracefully about his face as he whipped his head around, silver eyes wide open with fear. Below him, he caught a glimpse of pink fading into the darkness, and without hesitation, he lunged face-down and paddled downwards as fast as he could.
The pink blur was slowly disappearing. Neji clenched his teeth and pushed himself further, ignoring the mounting pressure on his ears and the crackling white noise filling his head.
Finally, it seemed that the motionless pink blur, which began to materialize as a pale body clothed in black, was getting closer. Neji pushed himself harder, and reached his hand out. He came close enough to see that the figure's eyes were shallowly closed. Her mouth was open a crack. She hadn't bothered trying to breath. Her body was floating helplessly, her limbs moving only to the rythm of the water. Her clothes fluttered about her body. Her pale, pale body...
No!
Neji stretched his arm and grabbed her motionless wrist. He didn't stop to feel for her pulse, and began kicking upwards as fast as he could. The tightness was increasing in his chest, and his face felt like all the blood had rushed to it. Finally, as he reached a few feet below the surface of the water, he couldn't hold his breath anymore. His mouth opened, and a rush of water filled his mouth, foul-tasting and suffocating.
For a split second, Neji's limbs loosened. His onward kicks up to the surface slackened, and his eyes closed.
But then his conscience kicked in, screaming at him. His eyes snapped open at the loud, clear voice, and with a final kick and a random wave of his arm, he broke through the surface.
Gasping, Neji yanked the limp body of the young woman up to the surface and looked around for a way to get up. It took him awhile to realize that sirens were intertwining with the rythm of the rain. He looked up, blinking through the rain, and found himself being waved and yelled at by a crowd of people who were gathering by the area where he had jumped off. The red and white lights of sirens flashed around them.
Something dangling over the edge of the bridge started to lower. As it got closer, Neji realized that it was a rope ladder. He bobbed towards it as it reached the crashing waves, and grabbed onto it, hooking his feet onto the lower rung as well, holding the limp body of the young woman close to his chest.
With a jerk, the ladder began to rise. After what seemed like eternity, Neji and the strange young woman were hauled onto the bridge. Neji collapsed onto the road, holding the woman close, panting and sore. His chest felt oddly tight, yet as if it would fall apart at any moment, and his heart beat wildly against his rib cage until it felt bruised and black and blue.
A gentle voice in his ear informed him that he and the young woman in his arms would ride the ambulance to the hospital, while a member of the hospital staff who came along would drive his car.
Neji barely nodded in reply before a strong pair of arms lifted both him and the pink-haired woman and set them gently down on the soft bedding that covered the floor of the ambulance. Someone climbed in. The doors of the ambulance slammed closed, and with a screech of wheels and a wail of sirens, Neji felt the ambulance jerk into speedy action.
A/N: Whatcha think so far? I might not get very far with this story either, so whatever. I'm writing this story just to get rid of one of the ideas floating in my head right now. :-3
Eh. Review please.
--Sanded Silk--