Here's the second chapter to this story! Have you guys seen the ending for ZNT?
IM NOT OKAY
Twelve and Nine were gone again, out on a missions like before. The auburn-haired terrorist had told Lisa to remain inside the apartment and make sure she didn't cause commotion.
"I don't want anything to happen to you." he had whispered in her ear when Nine wasn't looking, a grand smile playing on his face.
Lisa adored that smile with all her being.
The ebony-haired girl was obedient of course, she listened to Twelve's instructions and kept her word, she remained inside the apartment the whole day. She didn't want to seem like a burden when they came back so she busied herself washing some clothes and dusting the apartment for a while, she almost knocked down a few things in her haze.
After Lisa was finished cleaning the apartment was deadly silent, the two terrorist were still not back and she began to worry. Lisa almost wanted to step out the door and go look for them. She bit her lip and fumbled with the hem of her dress, remembering Twelve's instructions.
"Don't leave the apartment, okay Lisa?"
Lisa's head drops, she didn't know what else to do, there wasn't much to occupy her time here in their apartment. They didn't have anything that a normal apartment would have like a tv, movies or games. All that there was that could entertaining her was Nine's laptop on the counter top but she guessed she couldn't mess with his equipment.
She could already picture his enraged look. Lisa shivered, no, she didn't want to anger him.
Lisa walks over to the double-glass doors and opens them, walking outside on the small open rooftop they had. At least she could step outside and breathe the fresh air, she smiled a bit. As soon as she steps outside the wind hits her, her hair is tousled lightly as the wind kissed her cheeks.
The young girl closes her eyes, inhaling the fresh air deeply, imagining herself soaring into the sky. A moment later she opens her lids and walks over to the fence, placing her fingers through the wire as she gazed off into the distance.
She looks down at the cars passing by, her eyes danced over the building then, she strained to see beyond of what she didn't know. Her eyes were searching for something.
Lisa wonders where Nine and Twelve are at this moment. Then a thought struck her, what would she would be doing if Twelve had never picked her up?
Would she still be walking out there aimlessly? Would the police have found her and taken her back home to her mother? Or would she already be dead?
Lisa's eyes lower, she knew that the most probable outcome would have been being taken back to her despondent mother. The girl shut her eyes tight, memories of being with her mother filling her mind to the rim, she almost felt like drowning.
She never wanted to go back there. Not with her, not ever.
She was happy here with Twelve and Nine, happier than she's ever been in her entire desolate life. Even if she was limited to where she could go, even if it could all end in ruins one day, Lisa knew that she didn't want to be somewhere else.
Lisa was not aware that in that moment Twelve and Nine enter the apartment, exhaustion clung to them like bricks as they entered through the front door. Twelve sighed, however, despite his fatigue he smiled knowing Lisa was there waiting for them.
"That was fun, wasn't it Nine?" Twelve offered sarcastically, hoping to lighten up his partners foul mood.
Nine only grunted.
"Lisa?" Twelve called out with a bright smile, he noticed the girl standing outside near the fence so he began heading towards her, but before he could step further a hand made him halt abruptly.
"Twelve—" said Nine, a solemn look on his face as his palm rested on Twelve's shoulder.
"I know what you're going to say—" Twelve cut in, "but I'm not leaving her." he claimed without looking at Nine.
"You're rash, you know that Twelve. You're already presenting your judgment without hearing me out." Nine said with a heavy tone. Twelve sighed and turned around to face the taller male.
"Fine, I'm listening." Twelve utters, his tone rather indifferent. 'But I already know what you're going to say.' he thought.
"Thank you." Nine pauses and sighs, he knew Twelve wasn't going to like hearing what he had to say but his partner needed to be shocked back into reality, and Nine unfortunately carried the heavy burden of severing the young boy's happiness, of course, he didn't want to do it. He did care about Twelve and Lisa, mind you, but he knew it was something that had to be done.
For her safety and theirs.
"Look at Lisa," Nine grabs Twelve's shoulders and turns him around to face the girl who was still stuck standing behind the fence, clutching at the wires with her fingers. "What do you see?" the ebony-haired terrorist inquired.
Twelve raises and eyebrow, perplexed. He turns his gaze on Lisa nevertheless and examines her. "I see Lisa holding on to the fence while her hair and dress is being ruffled by the wind?" Twelve offered, wondering exactly what Nine wanted to hear.
"That's not what I see." Nine shook his head, Twelve's eyebrows scrunch together in confusion, he was about to ask Nine to clarify when the boy spoke up.
"I see a bird in a cage."
Twelve's eyes widen slightly.
"I see a bird in a cage who is unable to fly because her wings have been clipped, and guess who were the scissors." Nine's hold on Twelve's shoulders tighten as he finishes his sentence. The auburn-haired boy's fists clench, not uttering a single word. Suddenly, Twelve jerks out of Nine's hold roughly.
"No! Don't say that!" Twelve bit back as he faced his brother, a devastated look on his face.
Nine really hated seeing Twelve like that, yet, he knew the consequences for allowing Lisa to remain by their side would surely come if she remained by their side. Nine knew Lisa was Twelve's weakness, he wanted to save his brother from the pain of losing her.
Nine continues. "It's true Twelve, can't you see? Open your eyes, look at her! Look at Lisa!"
"No!" Twelve shut his eyes, self loathing clear on his face.
"She's so young Twelve, she deserves to be out in the world making her own path, finding friends and going out. Not being stuck in here all day with nothing to do, not being caged in here with only the rooftop as a means of escape. That's not fair to her, Twelve." Nine's voice rises a bit, he didn't want to alarm Lisa of their little discussion but he wanted to make sure Twelve grasped the weight of the situation.
"S-she doesn't mind…" Twelve uttered, looking down at his feet. He couldn't even convince himself.
"How do you know? Have you asked her? Have you asked Lisa how it makes her feel being stuck in here all day? It's not fair that she has to suffer along with us as well, Twelve, she never did anything wrong. Why should she have to be caged in here like us as well?" Nine reasoned.
"She's not caged, she can leave if she wants to." Twelve defends, his voice only above a whisper, his shoulders were hung low and his curly hair covered his eyes. The young terrorist was clearly feeling guilt, he was blindly trying to reason with it because it pained him to think of the way they use to be.
Just the two of them, him and Nine alone, without the feeling of warmth he received from Lisa.
"Right, because that sign on the front door clearly says 'You can't leave the apartment whenever you want'." Nine points at the note Twelve had left Lisa posted on the door, it said 'Don't leave the apartment'.
Twelve flinched, knowing that Nine had got him.
"N-no—I..." Twelve stammered, a sudden weakness descending on him. He was recalling how he was telling Lisa not leave the apartment that morning, to stay inside for her safety. Twelve's eyes lower in defeat.
He was caging her in.
"Stop letting your attachment blind your judgment, Twelve. Stop being selfish." Nine finished, letting that sink in. He witnessed Twelve flinch again, he didn't raise his head yet, the boy was still overwhelmed with distraught.
"Let her go, Twelve. Don't keep her caged in here like us, she deserves better." Nine whispered this time, he wanted to touch the boy but felt unsure, instead he let the silence set around them, it was almost suffocating.
Suddenly, the door to the outside slid open and in came Lisa, a look of slight surprise on her young face.
"You guys are here," she stated to herself. "When did you get here? I didn't even notice." she said, stepping inside. She felt the uneasy atmosphere hit her immediately, her gaze flickered from Nine to Twelve.
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" she hid her hands behind her back, shifting her weight from side to side. She couldn't see Twelve's face, only his rigid shoulders. Her knit together in concern.
Nine was the first to speak. "No, I was just about to leave. I'm taking a shower." he declared, walking away from Twelve. The smaller boy remained rooted to the spot, Nine's words recurring in his mind painfully.
It felt like a bite from a snake and the poison was slowly setting in his system.
Twelve was jolted out of his reverie by a pair of soft hands on his arms, his eyes widen at the contact.
It was Lisa. "Twelve? Are you okay?" she inquired softly, giving him a troubled gaze. Twelve stepped back from her, feeling her touch burn his skin. He shook his head at her, unable to utter any words.
Then, his expression broke out into a loose smile. "Everything is fine, Lisa." he assured the ebony-haired girl. "Don't worry, I'm just going to step outside for a while." he was backing away from her, his eyes full of guilt, betraying the smile on his face.
Lisa tried following him but he held out his hand. "Don't follow, please, I.." he paused, "I just need some time alone, okay?" Twelve's eyes close as his smile widens, Lisa could tell his actions were all forced but she nodded her head nevertheless.
She knew sometimes he needed his space as well.
But something was eerie in the air, it clung to Lisa and made her look down, worried. She knew Twelve's smile was betrayed his feelings but why would he feel the need to hide his emotions from her? He was clearly troubled by something and she wanted to know what.
Lisa gazed lingered on the spot Twelve had just been, her lips forming into a line. She tore her eyes from the scene and began to prepare dinner.
That night they all ate surrounded by silence. Lisa had tried to get something out of Twelve but the young terrorist wasn't in a talkative mood it seemed because he only pushed his food around his plate while mumbling a few things to answer her. Nine wasn't much of a talker anyway so he didn't help at all.
The girl wanted to address the elephant in the room but found herself unable to, scared even, to know what the problem was. Because, even though they didn't hint it at all, she could feel it was all because of her.
She was the elephant in the room they wished not to address.
The next morning Twelve was acting distant, he would smile at her but his smile didn't hold any heat like they usually did. They felt dead.
Lisa was beyond the point of uneasy, she gathered all her courage and asked the curly-haired terrorist what was wrong but he only paused, turned and smiled.
"I already told you, nothing is wrong. Honestly!" he assured her as he feigned composure. Lisa only stared at him with the same worried expression plastered across her face. She wanted to keep asking him questions but she didn't think he would answer them honestly.
Sure, Lisa wasn't all that perceptive at times, but she wasn't dumb either, well sometimes. But this time she could see right through him, and it hurt her.
As soon as Twelve would turn his back on Lisa his smile would completely fade, he would look down at the ground with a solemn gaze, boring holes at the floor. He'd clench his fist tightly and walked away.
Lisa felt that perhaps Twelve was getting tired of her, maybe all that talk about staying together that one night he confessed to her was a lie just like his smiles. But then, why would he lie to her like that?
Was it just to get a reaction out of her, was it just to play with her?
Lisa shook her head, she didn't want to get ahead of herself without knowing Twelve's side of the story. For now she would just wait patiently for him to open up to her.
The next day Lisa was walking around the apartment, gathering all the dirty clothes that the two young males had discarded so she could put them in the washer. As she passed by her room a hand shot out and grabs her upper arm, softly pulling her inside the room.
Lisa shut her eyes tightly, yelping some as she couldn't help fear taking hold of her. Her eyes open moments later, after she realizes nothing is wrong, she sees Twelve in front of her, smiling softly with his eyes glazed over. She felt her back to the wall and Twelve''s hands were on either side of her head, trapping her between him and the wall.
Her heart began to pound wildly in her chest, but it wasn't a feeling she liked. This Twelve before her wasn't the one she knew, gentle and warm, this one was unpredictable and cold.
"Lisa," he began, leaning in to her neck, Lisa placed her hands on his chest, pushing on him a little. She didn't want this. Yet, Twelve still snuggled closer to her, inhaling deeply.
"I really missed you…" he trailed off, his words seemed out of place.
"Missed me?" Lisa repeats, wondering what Twelve meant. Hadn't they been together this whole time? Sure, they hadn't talk much but she hadn't ventured off anywhere. What did he mean?
"I know—" he paused, unsure. "I know that I've been neglecting you a bit."
'A bit?' Lisa thought with a slight frown, she went stiff when she felt Twelve lean his body closer to hers, she was flush against him now.
"I just—I can't anymore…" he uttered; he sounded broken then. It didn't help that his voice was frail in its consistency, it was only above a whisper. Lisa would have missed it if it weren't for the complete silence that drowned the room.
It sent chills down her spine. Her lips quivered, aching to say something but she couldn't bring herself to utter a word.
Silence spread around them like fire, engulfing the whole room. It was suppressing.
Then, Twelve spoke up again, detaching himself from Lisa to look into her eyes with something aching to regret.
"Say, Lisa, what was your mother like?"
The question rang in Lisa's ears; she remained motionless, rigid and cold like a statue.
"Why did you run away from home?"
Lisa's blood ran cold, as if the world had stopped turning in that instant. She drops the phone she had in her hand, it slips and thuds on the floor softly but in Lisa's ears it sounded like shattered glass.
Tears stood in her eyes, she didn't even notice them, all she could feel was the deathly knot in her throat. Twelve's eyes widen.
"Lisa I—I didn't mean to—" he quickly tries to patch up the whole he had wedged between her heart. Lisa's gaze falls downcast, memories of her mother forcing their way in her head.
She crumbles to the floor, her head in her hands. She tries to muffle her cries of pain but she moaned out in agony.
"Lisa!" Twelve bit out, crouching on the floor to catch Lisa in his arms.
"W-why are you asking me these questions?" Lisa rasps out, her breath wavers.
"I—" Twelve found himself unable tell her the truth, he knew the right thing to do was take heed of Nine's words but he also want to prevent hurting Lisa in the process. An impossible task now that he thought about the situation.
There was no chance of any of them winning.
Twelve knew he wanted Lisa to be happier, but was sending her back to the world really the right thing?
He didn't know anymore.
Putting his thoughts aside, Twelve lifts Lisa in his arms effortlessly, he walks to her bed and places her down nice and slow. The girl rolls her head on the pillow, a crease between her brow displayed her pain for Twelve to bare.
He clenched his teeth.
She was mumbling something Twelve couldn't make out, he sat at the edge of her bed and ran his fingers through her soft ebony hair.
"I'm sorry…" he whispers as Lisa's breathes even out, indicating that she had gone to sleep. Twelve knew he never wanted to make Lisa go through that again, his heart had torn in two.
On one side, he wanted to listen to Nine, he didn't want to stress him out even more than he already was. Plus, he didn't wish to keep Lisa trapped in a cage like this. That curse only fell to those who didn't have a future, like them.
She had her future in the palm of her hand but their future laid burned down already. It was a significant difference, an immense contrast that Twelve acknowledged.
On the other hand he loved Lisa so much, he couldn't bare the thought of losing her. He didn't want to cut down the flower he had so vigorously flourished. She was the first one to open his eyes to a new world beyond disaster, one that held some sense of hope.
How could he just turn his back on that?
Twelve often wondered why such a beautiful sensation had to be accompanied by pain. Did they go hand-in-hand? Love and pain?
Twelve remained by Lisa's sleeping form for a while, then he rose and walked to the living room where Nine was cooking, he glanced at Nine, his shoulders dropping.
"Is something wrong with Lisa?" Nine inquired, pulling up his glasses.
Twelve looks away. "She fainted," he was his response, causing Nine to cease his movements for a bit.
"What happened?" he glanced over at his partner who was standing in the middle of the room, motionless with no incentive or reason.
Twelve shifts his weight, clearly uncomfortable. "I don't know, I just asked her about her mom. Look, Nine, I don't think sending Lisa back home is a good idea." he said.
"What's wrong with her home? Last time I checked she had over twenty missed calls from her mother, the woman must be pretty worried about her missing daughter." Nine informs, putting the pan down and facing Twelve fully.
"When I asked her about her mom...she began to cry and then—this." the younger male lets his hands drop, as if he had been carrying a grand weight. He looks into Nine's eyes and gives him a look full of dismay.
Nine's heart clenches, he disliked seeing Twelve so distressed but the boy had brought this dilemma upon himself.
With a pensive look, Nine returned to his cooking, his mind occupied by thoughts. "Maltreatment, maybe?" Nine spoke aloud. If that was the case for Lisa then maybe returning her home wasn't going to be an option.
"I don't want to take her back." declares Twelve with his fist clenched, avoiding eye contact with Nine. He feared his word.
The ebony-haired terrorist closed his eyes in anticipation, he knew Twelve would say that. He sighs. "Perhaps it's best if—" Nine begins but is cut off by a door cracking open. Both boys look towards the source of the noise and see Lisa leaning on the open door frame.
"Lisa," utters Twelve, walking towards the girl and placing his hands on her shoulders to support her. He notices Lisa's skin is coated with a thin layer of sweat, her moist hair clung to her cheeks softly.
"I need air…" she breathes out feebly, trying to take a few steps forward.
"I'll take you to the roof," began Twelve, leading her to the outside.
"No." said Lisa firmly, clutching her head again. Her voice made Twelve want to flinch, he had never seen her like this before. His worry began to give out into fear.
"I need to go—go out for a bit." Lisa bit out as she backs away from the confound Twelve, Nine only gave the girl a silent stare. Both stood in silence as Lisa stumbled towards the front door, she grabs the cold metal and turns it, the door crying as she opens it.
"Wait, Lisa! Don't go…" Twelve lets out, causing Lisa to halt and look back, her eyes opaque.
"I'll be back in a bit." she mutters, closing the door behind her. Outside she leans on the wall, she was trembling; she knew, she felt pathetic.
When Twelve hears the door shut he flinches, his gaze lingering in the direction Lisa had just went off on. His heart painfully clenched within his chest, he felt a pressure behind his head.
The auburn-haired male was about to follow Lisa but a hand made him stop, he looks back at Nine.
"Let her be, she just needs time." Nine says, allowing his hand slip from Twelve's shoulder. The boy gives Nine a hollow look, his eyes boring holes into Nine. He couldn't take much more of it.
"Twelve, come here and eat, you haven't eaten all day." announces Nine, stepping away from the shorter male and going back to the pan full of food, it wasn't much but they had make due with what was available.
"I'm not hungry." Twelve speaks with a flat voice.
"Don't be like that, come here. I need to tell you something either way." Nine pours some food onto three separate plates, he set them down on a small table and looks up at Twelve, the boy hadn't moved a muscle.
"She can stay." declared Nine, knowing it was the only way he would make the younger male listen to what he had to say. As expected, Twelve's head and shoulders immediately perk up, his grim expression completely washed off and replaced with surprise.
"What?" Twelve couldn't believe his ears. Had he really heard right?
"Lisa Mishima, she can remain here but she has to stay out of our way." Nine warned, Twelve could only nod his head vigorously, a white smile spreading across his face.
"When the time comes and the end is near you will see the error of your choice, Twelve. But for now it seems I can't deviate you from your choice because you will only end up loathing me and I don't want that." finished Nine with his eyes closed, he didn't have time to open them because he was soon enveloped in a tight hug.
His eyes widen as his feet lift from the ground as Twelve hugs him, Nine was surprised at how strong Twelve could be sometimes.
"Thank you, Nine! I promise she wouldn't get in our way and I'll take full responsibility of my actions!" claimed Twelve joyfully, a grand smile on his face, a genuine one.
Nine had to admit that he liked seeing this side of Twelve more than the solemn Twelve, but Nine also knew what was at the end of the tunnel for Twelve. He wished he'd never have to see that day come.
He knew Twelve would suffer in the end, suffer greater than himself even. Nothing good came from getting attached to someone, not in their current predicament at least. However, for now he would allow Twelve enjoy the temporary dream world he had created. He wanted him to be as happy as he could for the short time they had in this world.
"I hope Lisa comes back soon, her food is going to get cold." said Twelve, planting himself down on a seat and taking a bite out of Nine's meal.
"Do you like it?" asks Nine, Twelve nods his head. The two terrorist sit as they take bites out of their meal, enjoying the light atmosphere that had settled between them anew.
It felt like old times and yet, something was amiss.
Suddenly, they hear a raw metallic rumble erupted from above. Thunder.
Lisa ambled through the sidewalk, her head bowed sluggishly as her hair covered her face. She bypassed a few people walking by her, she bumped into a few but she didn't even discern the contact, didn't hear the harsh words directed at her.
No, she only kept walking on blindly, her head throbbing painfully.
Something was stirring in her chest, something that caused her whole body to go numb. Lisa was perplexed, she didn't know why she was feeling like this but all of a sudden she couldn't think straight. Her eyes began to sting and she could barely keep them open.
She did hear the loud clap of thunder rip through the sky however, and she felt the icy droplets of rain hit her skin. Though, she didn't run or seek shelter quickly like those around her, she didn't even have much strength to keep going any further.
Lisa stumbled across the street, causing a car to halt abruptly as it honked loudly making her jolt as she clutched at her head, she stepped across the street clumsily, almost falling over in the process.
The sound emitted from the car almost ripped her head open, it made her bare her teeth in distress.
Her vision blurs then, whether it was from the rain or her own fatigue, she didn't know. All she could do was keep walking until she found something that could shelter her from the rain, though, she didn't think it would matter, Lisa was already soaked to the bone.
Unfortunately, Lisa had ventured into the heart of the city and onto an open pool area, the roof she had hazily seen and ambled to wasn't alone, others had seeked shelter there as well, people Lisa knew but could not recognize because of the fog in her mind, not until one of them spoke up to get her attention.
"Well look who it is, if it isn't pool girl," a mocking voice called out from the other end of the small shelter. Lisa brought her hands to either side of her body, fending off the cold that shook her body thoroughly. She didn't even make an effort to look at the female voice that had called out to her.
"Whats wrong with you? You look like a drenched street cat." the female voice laughed and Lisa heard snickers follow her comment. "We thought you killed yourself pool girl, we thought that was the reason why you hadn't come to school for so long."
Lisa heard the voice near her but her reflexes were dull, it wasn't until she felt the cold stings of the rain make contact with her skin again did Lisa realized the girl had pushed her into the rain.
Lisa stumbled back as she fought to regain her balance, the phone in her pocket falling to the slippery floor but that was the least of her worries. As Lisa became drenched again, she glanced up between her wet bangs to catch sight of the girls nearing her. It seemed they didn't care if they got soaked either, as long as it meant they could cause harm to her.
"So what are you even doing here?" the girl kept pushing Lisa towards the pool behind her, nudging her closer and closer. "Did you run away from home? What is it?" she sneered.
Lisa heard a ringing in her ears, her muscles tense and then she hears it, something that made her go dead inside.
"Was the reason you ran away because your parents treated you like shit too?"
And that was the moment Lisa felt something snap within her, something cold and uncanny.
She swung her fist at the girl before she could even stop, it collided with her cheek and sent the girl tumbling to the floor out of shock. The rest of the group remained transfixed as they stared at Lisa whose breath was labored, her chest bouncing up and down out of strain, adrenaline pumping through her veins.
Her fist stung as she felt something crack within her shoulder; she had never punched someone before and now she was feeling the after effects of attempting it for the first time.
"I don't understand why you always used me as your personal punching bag." Lisa whispers through the rain, as she takes a few steps back, regaining her composure. "What did I ever do to you? What did I ever do to deserve this!" her voice was steadily growing with each word until she was hollering over the rain, the girls in front of her had yet to make a move.
Then, their leader stands up and touches her swollen cheek, she bares her teeth and glares pure hatred towards Lisa. "Grab her!" she growls out, her obedient clones sprung into action and seize Lisa's arms, she tries to fight them off but found herself outnumbered and unable to fight against four other girls.
They push her up a fence violently, her head jolting from the impact. One punch to the stomach was all it took to make her movements cease, Lisa goes limp as her head bows, the cold rain kept pounding them down and for a while she felt like throwing up.
"This will teach you a lesson, pool girl." the mocking voice said and Lisa felt herself being dragged across the concrete floor, then she feels nothing but ice around her, consume her and eat her alive.
The group of girls had thrown her into the pull, laughing as they executed their devious acts, they left without a trace, allowing Lisa to sink without sparing her a single glance.
And Lisa didn't really care, she didn't even attempt to swim out of the icy water. she remains still as her body keeps sinking further and further, she couldn't even feel her body anymore as the darkness reaches her mind, her hands were outstretched before her but she couldn't even feel them.
Did she even have them? Did she ever have anything?
'No,' she thought, opening her eyes to see the dark bottom of the pool. 'I never had anything...so I guess this is okay, sinking like this. It's where I belong.' she closed her eyes, the only thing she could hear being the constant ringing in her ears.
She had always belonged at the bottom, any way you looked at it, she was never the one to come out winning. Her life had been full of constant failure that sunk her further and further into a trench she couldn't crawl out of.
And then there was a break in the surface, Lisa could feel the ripples as she swayed from side to side but she didn't even bother opening her eyes, she was too far gone for that.
She let her lungs give their final breath as something grabs her hand.
Twelve pulls Lisa up, he kicks his feet through the icy water, his legs almost going numb from the freezing temperatures of the pool. As soon as he breaks through the surface he breathes in a heap of air, his labored lungs burning like fire.
He pulls up Lisa, fighting to keep both their heads above water, which was proving to be a difficult task since the girl had gone limp in his arms but somehow he manages to pull her out.
He lays her out on the concrete floor and examines her face, her lips had gone purple as dark patches ligned her closed eyes, he put two fingers to her pulse and feels nothing. His heart almost stops completely itself, but Twelve fought through his fear.
He wipes his moist bang from his face as he pulls Lisa's head back, allowing her throat to expand fully. He places his two hands on her chest, one on top of the other as he begins to perform thirty chest compressions, followed by two long breathes to her lungs.
Her lips were cold against his warmer ones, causing Twelve to panic even further though he remained constant in his actions. His hands shook as he repeats the process over and over again, refusing to let Lisa die before him. He had tears in his eyes but he didn't even notice them, the rain masked his pain.
And then he hears her coarse gasp, assuring him that her lungs had filled up with air again, her heart winding up and beating richly again. She coughs out water as she wretches to the side, her nose burning from the liquid.
Lisa unconsciously holds onto Twelve, her fingers digging into the damp fabric of his shirt as she regains her shaky breath. Twelve does the same and holds her trembling form, placing her in a position that could ease her pain.
"What were you thinking?" he rasps out as they sit in the rain, they both began to tremble as the cold took over again. Lisa hears his apprehensive question but couldn't move her lips to say a word, she could only look up at him, water seeping in her eyes, stinging them.
"I—I almost lost you, dammit." she hears Twelve curse above her but her sense went numb again and she loses consciousness. Twelve, realizing that the girl needed to be taken out of the rain, picks her up in his arms for the second time that day.
He places the girl on his bike and he follows soon after, securing her on his back before he went forward. Twelve advanced slowly, making sure that Lisa didn't fall off from his motorcycle as they make it back to the apartment.
The young terrorist was glad to make it out of the rain as he opens the door to the apartment, water droplets hitting the floor as he rushes to the bathroom to turn on the water in the tub. Nine walks in an halts as soon as he sees Lisa's unconscious body.
"What happened?" he asks, eyes slightly going wide as he move towards Lisa to check her pulse.
"I don't know exactly," Twelve says with a firm tone while filling the tub with water, his eyes were hard and foreboding. "I found her—drowning at the bottom of a pool."
Nine remains silent, his heart quickening at the younger male's words, wondering what exactly Lisa had done to end up in that situation. He remembered how Twelve had stood up from the dinner table as soon as the rain began to fall, he had claimed that he felt something was wrong and was out of the apartment before he could even get a word in.
Nine knew Twelve would find Lisa since the auburn-haired boy had planted a tracking device in her phone, but it was Twelve's rash actions that worried him, nonetheless he believed in his partner's abilities and allowed him find the girl on his own.
"Need any help?" the glasses-wearing terrorist inquires, though he was sure Twelve would refuse.
"No, don't worry, I can handle this." the boy says as expected, his shoulders tense.
Nine sighs and places a hand on Twelve's shoulder. "You did good." he claims.
"Did I?" was Twelves mocking tone, but he wasn't directing his hate at Nine, no, he was directing it to himself. "Isn't because of me that Lisa is like this, right? Isn't it all my fault?"
"No, it's not. Don't blame yourself, Twelve. You can't jump to conclusions now, just get her better and then you can ask her the reason why everything happened, for now care for her. Make her better. You saved her after all." was Nine's words, then he walks out of the small bathroom, leaving Twelve alone to tend to Lisa.
Twelve's dejected gaze falls on the unconscious girl before him, his eyes fill with guilt. He shakes his head and begins to undress her, he makes sure to look away as he slips her damp clothes off her skin.
He carefully places her body in the water and begins washing off the cold liquid from her hair, replacing it with much warmer fluid. He makes sure to keep her head above the surface as he remains staring at her face until life returns to her, her lips recurring back to that brisk pink shade that he knew so well.
He sighs in relief.
Satisfied, he places a few towels on the floor, then he pulls Lisa out of the water and begins drying her. Again he looks away from her body, knowing that it was wrong to take advantage of her when she was in such a vulnerable state.
After drying the fragile girl he dresses her in some of his loose clothes, he then carries her to the bedroom and settles her under the covers. Twelve sits at the edge and remains there all night. Nine had told him to get some rest as well but he had refused.
He wanted to be there for her when she woke up.
But she didn't wake up, not after three days. When Lisa did finally open her eyes, the first she saw was the plain color of the ceiling as her eyes adjusted to the light, the window was open, allowing a cool breeze to seep in and settle in the room.
She felt something on her lap and looks over to find Twelve resting his head on her legs, his even breathes indicating that he was asleep. Lisa swallows the dryness in her throat, she wanted to utter something but instead she remains quiet, not wanting to awaken the boy on her lap from his slumber.
"He's been there for hours, just staring at you." came the deep voice of a male, Lisa looks to the side to find Nine standing there. She blinks slowly, his words registering in her head, she looks back at Twelve tenderly.
"He wouldn't budge an inch, tenacious, really. Stupid, maybe." Nine speaks again, taking a sip of his drink he had in his hand, then he offers it up to Lisa.
"Here, I bet your throat is dry."
"How—long…" she trails off as her voice cracks from lack of use, but Nine is smart enough to piece her words together.
"Three days in total, four if you want to count this one. You've been unconscious for four days now, Lisa."
The girl remains silent and still, to say she was shocked was an understatement. She couldn't even fully grasp the weight of Nines words, to her it felt like mere seconds being under, it hadn't felt like full four days at all.
Lisa rose the upper half of her body from the bed, the sheets sliding down her frame as she gazes down at Twelve. That was when he awoke, blinking his eyes hazily as he was still somewhat swallowed up in his sleep.
He quickly withdrew, only to see the girl of his dreams staring back at him. His heart leaps, his chest filling with a sensation he could only get from her.
"Lisa, you're awake…" he utters, the statement was meant more to himself than to anyone else. He had to assure himself that this was really her and it wasn't his dream anymore.
"Yes," she acknowledges, stretching her hand out to touch Twelve's face tentatively, he lets her skin make contact with his as his eyes never stray from hers, he grabs her hand.
"Tell me what happened." he says, straightening up his posture on the bed. He knew it was a rather blunt question but he needed to know what had happened to the girl the night she had went off. Why did he find her at the bottom of the pool like that? Why did it feel like she had given up on everything?
Why did he have this ominous sensation crawling on his skin?
Lisa looks away, ashamed of the events that had transpired, she didn't want them to think she was weak nor did she want to make them worry. She pictured their mocking faces, she didn't want them to think she was pathetic.
Because that was how she felt. Completely and utterly pathetic.
"I can't remember," she lies, hoping that he would drop the subject.
"Bullshit, Lisa and you know it." claims Twelve, grabbing both of her hands, causing the girl to flinch at the contact, as if his skin was made of fire, her brows clashed together in distress.
"Tell me." he demands in a serious tone. "Do you expect me to let the subject go so easily after I found you like—like that?" his voice rose, ringing in Lisa's ears. Nine only stares at them, observing his partners actions, he wouldn't intervene, he would let Twelve carve out his own path.
"I found you dying, Lisa! You scared me to death—do you have any idea how frightened I was to find you like that? Did you even take my feelings into consideration?" he shook her lightly, he wanted to make sure she understood how her actions affect—not only her—but him as well.
Most of all, though, he wanted her to see the value of her own life. Twelve wanted Lisa to acknowledge her life, to find it as precious as he did. Because he could tell that she was still stuck on the mentality that she was a burden, that she was lesser than everyone else. Even after he had assured her time and time again that she wasn't, she still felt like a hindrance and that wasn't right.
Because then he would blame himself.
"I-I'm sorry!" she half yelled, closing her eyes as she couldn't look at Twelve anymore, the boy loosened his hold on her arms.
"I just don't want you to—I don't want you to—" she stutters.
"To what? To think you're weak? To think you're a problem for us?" he says, causing Lisa to look down in shame, he had hit the nail on the head, he knew. Twelve's hands move to her face, cupping either side of her cheeks to tilt her head into his direction. He stares wholeheartedly into her eyes.
Lisa's mouth was agape, her eyes fearful yet understanding. She knew that he could see straight through her, anticipate her every move and word.
"Didn't I tell you already that you're not a burden to us. You never were and you never will be. I will never think you're weak, all that is in the past now so please—" Twelve leans into her face and for a second, Nine thinks the boy is going to kiss her, but instead he leans his forehead against Lisa's.
"Please never give up like that again." he says and the only thing Lisa can do is let a few tears slip from her eyes. Twelve closes his, allowing the girl before him to cry silently, he was surprised that she hadn't wailed, no, instead she let her emotions go silently.
She was strong, he was undoubtedly sure of that.
"I wasn't in my right mind," the girl began, breathing faintly, Twelve leans back to examine her. "I couldn't even really feel anything…"
Her words made Twelve frown, he disliked to hear her say things like that but he remains silent, urging her to go on.
"When the rain began I tried to find somewhere I could use as shelter—everything was kind of hazy but I think I encountered the girls at my school."
At this Twelve's eyes widen a bit, memories of the foul girls that had bullied Lisa popping into his mind. His fists clench as he pieces the puzzle together in his head.
'It was them all along,' his jaw clenches.
"I only wanted to get out of the rain but they were pushing me towards the pool, then they started saying these really awful things and I—I snapped—I punched one of them." Lisa says in her haze, she could remember the pain that had shot through her arm perfectly.
"You punched one of them?" Twelve repeats, shocked. Nine was rather surprised as well as he leans on a nearby wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"That's good!" Twelve says, smiling as he looks between Lisa and Nine, he was glad to hear that the girl had tried to defended herself, but it was when he saw Nine shake his head in shame did his smile falter.
Lisa continues rigidly. "After that the girl got really mad, she made her friends hold me against the fence and then—I couldn't really see who it was because of the rain but one of them punched me in the stomach, hard." she touches her belly, remembering the pain as if it had occurred two seconds ago.
At that Twelve's smile quickly fades completely, instead replaced by anger yet again.
"They threw me into the pool and that's all I remember...everything was really hazy." she touches her face, regretting ever going out that night. She had been foolish to thinking she could clear her mind by going out aimlessly with no sense of her own surroundings.
She never wanted to do that again.
"Well Lisa, it was a close call. From what Twelve has told me he had to perform CPR on you when he got you out of the water, if he hadn't trusted his instincts as quick as he did then you would have surely die that night." says Nine, staring at Lisa solemnly.
The girl bows her head as she fiddles with the hem of the sheets, knowing that she couldn't blame anyone but herself for her mistake, Twelve was the only reason she was alive right now.
He had saved her again, just like before, she had acted unreasonably and just like before she had caused him to worry.
"I don't mind, really." says Twelve. "I would do it time and time again for you Lisa, but—that was a really close call. Too close for my preference. If I had arrived a minute later I would have lost you and I—I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing you had died. Please don't do that again." he pleas, staring at his hands.
"Yes, if you are to remain with us you can not risk your life like that anymore. Think before you act, Lisa." Nine declares and Twelve shoots him a frown.
"Don't say it like that," he defends, knowing that Nine's blunt words could hurt the girl before him without the glasses-wearing terrorist realizing it.
"It's only the truth, if she's going to be apart of Sphinx then she's going to have to take things more seriously, we're reaching the end and we can't afford any more slip ups." and with that Nine uncrosses his arms and heads out the room, shutting the door to give the two teens privacy.
Twelve smiles as he closes his eyes; Nine knew him so well.
He looks up at Lisa only to find tears standing in her eyes, he could tell she was fighting back the lump in her throat. His eyes quickly soften as he pulls her into his chest.
"I told you before, his words are blunt but he means well, Lisa. Just—don't do that again." whispers Twelve, feeling the girl hug his stomach as she clung to his back.
"I know," her voice was full of guilt, it saddened Twelve even further. "I'm sorry." she says.
"It's okay," assures Twelve, holding her for a few minutes until he was sure that she had calmed down. The girl retreats from his chest, wiping the residue of her tears with the balls of her palm. She looked down at herself and notices that the shirt she was wearing was not hers.
"This shirt—" she begins.
"It's mine, I needed to change you into something loose and easy to put on, also, something warm." he informs, casing the girl to stare at him in shock.
"You—you changed me?" her face goes red. Had he seen her?
"Relax, I didn't see anything, I made sure to look away. But I did need to get you out of those wet clothes, you could have developed pneumonia or gone into hypothermia with how cold they were." Twelve says, placing his hands behind his head in a nonchalant manner.
Lisa looks at herself again, finally realizing that she didn't have on a bra this whole time. Though Twelve's shirt did its job in hiding everything, she still felt abashed knowing the boy had done something so intimate to her, albeit it was for the sake of her well-being, yet Lisa couldn't help her quickening heart.
She lifts the sheets over her head, flattening her body down on the bed once again. This action causes Twelve to raise a questionable eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he inquires, trying to take the cover off of Lisa's face.
"No, don't—don't look at me!" came her muffled response, Twelve's efforts went undiminished.
"Get out of there." he says.
"No," responds Lisa, clutching at the sheets strongly as she felt something lean on her, though she couldn't see him, she could feel Twelve's face dip the sheets, placing his lips where hers would be, the sheets being the only thin layer between them.
A few seconds later he retreats, Lisa slowly lifts the sheets from her face, exposing only her eyes as she peeks at Twelve.
"Be more careful next time, Lisa." he says, his voice suddenly losing its playfulness and going firm, although it was still soft Lisa could tell he was being serious. His wavy hair covers his face as he looks at something in the distance, Lisa could only look down at his hands.
Twelve stood up from the bed, walking over to the door, he looks back and smiles at the girl. "Get some rest, I know you must still be a little tired from the aftereffects, right?"
Now that he mentioned it, Lisa was still feeling rather sluggish. Her eyes were half lidded as she strains to keep her vision on the young male.
"I'll wake you up for dinner, now, go to bed." and with that he exits the door, leaving Lisa to once again begging to be swallowed by the darkness, she left the world but not after whispering a low 'thank you' as she drifted into unconsciousness again.
I don't know where I'm taking this story but I hope you enjoy it!