Chapter 2: Nightmare
Weeks passed after that incident in the infirmary and Lena's wounds healed up, allowing her to get back to being able to go on patrols with the others. The image of that boy was burned into her mind. She was confused. Why?
A nudge to her shoulder drove her out of her little daze and she turned around to see Akiyama and Benzai giving her worried looks. Well, they were her teammates. So it wasn't weird for them to worry about her, was it? She gave them a tired smile, assuring them that everything was okay. They looked uneasy but she couldn't blame them. After all, that weird incident was causing her to lose sleep. She herself wouldn't be surprised if she looked absolutely horrible. "Are you sure? You look a little pale." Benzai's voice floated into her mind and she brushed off the question with a simple 'Ok' sign. The two males exchanged worried looks once more before turning back to their surroundings and their faces dropped.
They were in HOMRA territory.
Lena had also seemed to have noticed this fact, and was looking around uneasily. "Well, look who stumbled into enemy ground." The sickeningly familiar voice rang out and Yata Misaki stepped out of the shadows, wearing a cocky smirk. Akiyama narrowed his visible eye at the vanguard. The former threw his skateboard to the ground and his Red Aura surrounded him. Lena growled. "We don't have time to play your stupid games, Yatagarasu. Go away."
His grin grew wider. "As if I'd listen to a Blue. The only leader I follow is MIKOTO-SAN!" At that statement, he grabbed his baseball bat and swung it at the three. They jumped backwards to dodge the blow and Lena whisked out her knives. 'This guy is too fucking stubborn.' She cursed silently as she engulfed her knives in her own Blue Aura. A swing from the side caught her off guard and as it made contact with her arm, she was happy to note that there was no crunching sound but was sure that it would hurt like a bitch for a few weeks. She was flung into a pile of rubbish that stank to high heaven. Another sharp pain from her leg told her she had somehow managed to stab herself by accident. Akiyama and Benzai rushed to try and restrain Yata but ended up almost getting smacked on the head.
'This is going nowhere!' Akiyama was panicking internally as he dodged another attack. Lena was still struggling to get up from the trash pile while he and Benzai were stuck with keeping Yatagarasu in check. However, it wasn't long before a voice sounded from the door to Bar HOMRA. "Yata! Stop it!" The owner, Kusanagi Izumo walked out and glared at Yata. Said person grumbled and gave a highly poisonous glare towards them both. "You got off lucky this time." The duo twitched a little before a pained groan attracted their attention. They turned and started freaking out. Lena was really, really pale. Her knives lay by the side, one streaked with blood, as she used the wall as a support to try and pull herself up. Not to mention her leg was bleeding really badly.
Akiyama didn't think. His body moved by itself and before he knew it, he'd picked her up bridal style and started running back to Scepter 4 HQ. He could faintly hear Benzai shouting at him but he ignored that. All that mattered at that point in time was getting Lena's wound treated. He slammed the door to the HQ open so hard that the Special Ops squad, Lieutenant Awashima and Captain Munakata came running down the stairs to see what had happened. As soon as they all saw Lena's pale and bloodied form, everyone went into panic mode. (Well, except Fushimi and Munakata.)
The girl was vaguely aware that she was being carried in someone else's arms. When she looked up, all she saw was a blurry mix of blue, black and white. A cacophony of voices sounded in her head but she couldn't understand what they were saying. 'This warmth… It's so comforting… ' She began dozing off, the image becoming more blurry. More shouts. And then, black.
When she awoke, she again could smell antiseptic. Just in a few weeks, she'd landed herself in the infirmary again. Lena sighed mentally. 'How dumb can I get? ' Tilting her head to the side, she caught sight of a figure sleeping on a chair beside her bed. It took her a while to realize it was Akiyama, and she immediately felt the heat rush to her cheeks. 'Was he the one who carried me back? ' She blushed harder at this thought and covered her head with the pillow to drown out any other such thoughts. Without warning, she could feel herself falling asleep once again.
This time, she woke up in a dark room. Her surroundings were black, yet splatters of red lined the walls. There was a strong metallic smell. Terror filled her as she realized what the red was. The screeching sound of a sword being dragged on the ground filled her ears. She turned around to see the same redhead, clothes splattered with red. His face was contorted into a twisted smile, sadistic and full of hatred. He got closer with every step, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider. She tried to move, but found that she was bound to the spot by the black aura he owned. When he was within striking distance, he dropped his sword and knelt down. Lena avoided his eyes but he grabbed her hair and forcefully turned her head so that she was looking straight into his eyes.
His smile softened and his eyes lost the evil glint in them. "Lena, Lena, Lena. When will you remember~?" He cooed in a sickly sweet voice. 'The fuck? The first thing you should tell me is your freaking name.' As if he'd read her thoughts, his gaze turned steely and his grip on her tightened, making her wince. "My name huh? Hah, so you waited until now to ask? Fine. It's… "
"Ritsu. Otonashi Ritsu."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Lena felt her blood run cold. She was running from his all those years and he'd found her again. Why was fate so cruel? She felt like a 14 year old again. She hated him with her entire being. She hated him. "Aw, don't look so angry. We're together again aren't we~? I love you~! " With that, he closed the distance between their lips. Her eyes widened as she desperately tried to push him away. But she just couldn't break free from the vice-like grip on her hair, which forced her head forward. She could feel the tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. It was like those times. Those times that had scarred her. A hand trailed its way up the side of her body as she struggled to break free. She couldn't take it. She needed to find a way. A way to wake up from this nightmare!
Without warning, she found herself covered in sweat and sitting upright on the infirmary bed. The sharp pain that ran up her leg made her double over, both in pain and fear. Within bare moments, Akiyama was by her side. Lena was panting heavily. The fear that ran through her body was accompanied by the pain, which made it feel even worse. Suddenly, she felt the familiar warmth enshroud her and her vision was then blocked by white fabric. The same warmth she felt when she'd been partially unconscious. It was… Really comforting. Lena let her eyes flutter shut while she took in the scent of the person who had her locked in his embrace. Lavender, with a hint of rose. Both were scents she liked, and this helped her relax.
Akiyama held her tightly, rubbing soothing circles on her back. Seeing her wake up so abruptly in a way that possibly aggravated her injury worried him. 'What sort of nightmare did she have? ' Questions ran through his mind before he felt Lena shift away. "Thank you… Akiyama… " Her voice was soft and shy, and her face was red. He felt his face start to heat up slightly and he turned away before stuttering a reply. "N-no problem. "
Ok this was awkward.
They sat together in silence for a while. "So… What happened?" The question from Akiyama made her look down, fear slowly taking over once more. Seeing her sudden change in expression made him feel a little too flustered. "I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that question! " He looked down in embarrassment. How could he have been so insensitive?! Lena looked at the flustered male and unintentionally let out a small giggle. (Ok it might have been on purpose.) He turned and gave her a questioning look, to which she responded by covering her mouth with her hands to mask her giggles. His mouth twitched a little, almost like he wanted to smile. Her giggles turned into little chuckles and he sighed. And then the door opened and freaked the both of them out.
Benzai passed Lena the knives she'd dropped. Hidaka and Fuse were busy 'interrogating' Akiyama on why he was so close to her while she sweat-dropped at their actions. "Guys please stop pestering the poor guy. He looks like he's about to pass out. " They gave her the puppy dog eyes again and she responded by throwing a pillow. Suddenly, a loud bark resonated in the room and a German Shepherd ran in. Lena gave a surprised gasp as the dog jumped onto the bed and barreled itself onto her, not affecting her wound surprisingly. The others tried to grab the dog, but were met by sharp growls.
"Whoa whoa calm down. Blackie calm down!" She was getting flustered as she tried to calm her pet, which seemed very intent on chasing her colleagues out of the room, down. The growls turned into soft barks and then to whimpers and the dog curled up beside her. She growled a little herself as she petted her canine companion.
Looking down from a nearby building, Ritsu snarled as he watched the physical interaction between the occupants of the room. "They're going to pay for getting to close to my property."
