Tiny swifts of air made it through my lungs, but my heart needed more. I gasped for more, but hardly any air made it through.
I hate how my asthma attacks come so sudden.
My friends and the surrounding kids were inside the school to get my bag; leaving me alone.
I think I've gotten a little too arrogant.
Thinking that my asthma won't hurt me anymore.
Slowly, and I mean slowly, my the need for air raised.
This was torture!
My hand clutched at my chest; the pain inside seriously never stopped hurting.
Not pain-pain, but the pain of not being able to get air.
Scary really.
Not a happy experience.
I started to open and close my free hand; soon my head won't be able to think clearly enough to grab the inhaler.
Just as the pain got worse, I felt something in my open hand.
Without thinking, I fumbled it into mouth and pressed it.
I felt my heart wriggle in response to the sudden amount of air.
Breathing out a huge huff, I looked to see who my savior was.
Hibari Kyoya.
Wow.
This was literally like seeing a devil give a flower to a kid.
But, he saved me.
Thanks to him, I'll live another day.
"Thanks, Hibari," I said after catching my breath. I realized that he had patiently waited for me to calm down-which was a long minute.
"Don't go dying in Namimori Middle's school entrance, degenerate," he said in his usual threatening tone. "If you do, I'll bite you to death."
Feeling a little giddy, I couldn't help but reply, "But won't I already be dead?"
His eyes glared at me, "I said 'dying', not 'dead'."
I laughed for no apparent reason.
He turned around and started walking away.
I stopped and called him again. "Hibari!"
He tilted his head toward me.
"Thank you."
He walked off without a word.
I decided to wait for my friends to return.
...
'Wait a sec.'
I examined the inhaler Hibari had thrown me.
It was mine.
'Whoa. How'd he do that?'
Then it hit me.
Hibari saw me gasping for air from his office window, quickly looked at my profile to find my classroom, ran into the classroom to fetch my inhaler, ran back down outside, and given me my inhaler.
...
No.
Probably not.
Hibari Kyoya?
He only cares about his dumb Namimori.
Right?
"Heh, that guy...he really isn't what he seems."
-_-_-_-_-Ten years ago-_-_-_-_-
Young Hibari respected his parents very much.
He loved how they would stand up to what they believe in and protect others.
He wanted to be just like them.
When he grows up, he too wants to be respected and protect what he believes in; and while doing that, he'll protect others too.
Maybe a police officer!
He wasn't sure yet.
But for now, he'll do his best to do what's right.
One day, he and his parents were out shopping for groceries.
The sidewalks were crowded by pedestrians-which irked him-and the roads were unusually filled with passing cars.
His parents were inside the store.
He had decided to wait for them outside while eating his ice cream cone.
Hibari noticed a suspicious looking man standing near a public table.
He knew judging a person by their looks was wrong, but he was very sensitive when it came to emotions and vibes given off by people.
Right now, the man's vibes were very bad.
Hibari decided to keep an eye on him; but was disturbed when something pushed him.
"Oh, I'm sorry!"
The young boy turned to see a young woman in a wheelchair.
She had an apologetic expression; this woman was being sincere.
He shook his head for her not to worry.
He stepped aside to let her pass.
She pushed the wheels and started moving past him.
Just then, the suspicious man ran past Hibari and took the woman's handbag.
"No, wait!" she called to him, but he kept running.
Hibari grunted in annoyance; he was right to keep an eye on him.
He started going after the man and was quickly at his tail.
The man yelled at Hibari to leave him alone, but the little kid was determined to catch him.
The crowds of people moved aside for the man, not knowing he was a thief.
Hibari, being small and young, managed to get through a few times.
He didn't know that the man had run into a busy street.
It all happened so quick.
One second Hibari is chasing the man, and the next, Hibari's lying on the street, bleeding.
He had no idea what had happened.
Looking around, he saw the man also on the street, dead; his body was mangled, obvious that he had been hit by a car.
He then heard screams and cars screeching before crashing.
Hibari looked at the man again, he no longer had the handbag.
He tried standing up, but fell on his knees.
One of his legs was broken.
His eyes then wandered to the store.
The woman was still there, but she'd been knocked off her wheelchair.
She looked as if she were crying, but Hibari knew that wasn't true.
She was trying to breath.
He quickly searched for the handbag; it was near the other sidewalk.
Biting his bottom lip, he forced himself to stand up.
He limped but ran; grabbing the handbag and running back to the woman.
By the time he got to her, she was gasping for her last breaths.
She saw him and her bag.
She smiled, and mouthed, "Thank you," before collapsing on the pavement.
Hibari froze.
He waited.
And waited.
And waited for her to get up.
The cars' fuel finally were enough for an explosion.
When he woke up, Hibari heard from his parents that they were moving to a small town far from the city.
He also heard that he'd been awake since the last two weeks in the hospital.
...
So what had he been doing those first two weeks?
Ah yes.
Now he remembers.
Hibari was doing nothing.
He was not talking.
He was not thinking.
He was dead.
Now he was awake.
Now he won't be like before.
Now he'll change.
He'll change, so that nothing like this ever happens again.
He decided that he will protect one thing.
That one thing will be everything to him.
Nothing and no one else.
Just That.
That will keep him focused.
That will keep him from doing anything unnecessary.
That will also help him protect others; but no one will know.
Only him.
He'll protect That and care about That.
That way everyone will think that That is all he cares about.
That That is why he 'protects' them; so that they won't harm That.
A week later, Hibari's family moved just like they said they would.
Hibari liked this town.
He liked the houses, the animals, the scenery.
Everything.
He decided that That, was this.
Namimori.
-_-_-_-_-Present Day-_-_-_-_-
As I walked away from the boy, he called me again; and with a smiling, tear streaked face said, 'Thank you.'
I couldn't help but picture that lady I tried to help back then; when I was nothing but a hopeless kid.
Maybe, just maybe that lady had come back into this boy.
...
I couldn't resist the urge to smile.
Just a little of course.
fin`