I decided to post this early because I didn't like how the last chapter ended and know how bad it sucks to wait to read the next part of a story. It's so troublesome. So I'm gonna try to update and post as fast as possible, but remember that I'm a student and have school priorities aswell, so I might not always come through so quickly. But I promise NEVER to abandon a story, and to keep updates as close as possible.
Anway, this chapter was a lot of fun. Roisin is an interesting character, she really mixes things up.
Enjoy, REVIEW! :) do it or I'll be really sad.
At around 3:45 A.M. Lucia dreamt she heard an extremely loud pounding on the front door. At first, she merely rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, but she heard Sumire mumble something about a visitor. Until then, Lucia's mind was clouded by her drowsiness; Sumire's voice woke her enough and forced her to assess the situation. Still half asleep, she wondered, 'What would bring someone to the Vanguard so late? …Serious Trouble.' Suddenly, she was wide awake. She shot up out of bed, nearly leaping to the vanity wear her gun sat. She grabbed her weapon and darted out of the room towards the front door. Sumire slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes, and as usual, was not quite sure what was going on.
As Lucia reached the door she peeked out of the eyehole, but she saw nothing. She was certain she still heard pounding, until she realized that it was her own heart beating rapidly in her chest and that the sound outside had stopped. She groaned, it had taken her so long to fall asleep and now she woke for nothing. To top it off she had been torn from a wonderful dream, which she couldn't even remember now try as she might. 'I should investigate anyway.' she thought, although crawling back into her bed seemed much more appealing. She clutched the gun and opened the door slowly. She was stunned by what she saw. A trail of blood seeped amid the cobbles in front of the door and puddled at the mat. She ran out onto the street and looked around desperately; someone was injured and needed her. She followed the trail of blood. There, in the corner of the alley she saw a pale hand outstretched from the shadows. She ran to it. "Róisín!" she yelled, she knelt beside the bleeding girl.
Róisín's eyes were barely open, multiple bloodied gashes crossed diagonally over her chest. "I'm sorry if I woke you.." she said softly, chuckling despite her terrible wounds, "I..got pretty messed up..I didn't know where else..to go." She reached up and touched Lucia's face, "..but, it's nice to see you again."
"We'll fix you up.." said Lucia, her voice shaking a bit as she looked at the girl. She abruptly remembered who she had just been dreaming about. She examined the foreigner's condition closer, almost sickened though she'd seen herself in worse shape.
"Just leave me..I heal fast and..I don't want to be a burden." She replied weakly.
"No, no, don't worry..we'll take care of you." assured the hunter, picking up Róisín gently despite her own injured shoulder . Róisín was light in Lucia's arms, and she seemed to fit just right, being almost the same size as Sumire. Lucia took a few steps towards the door, careful not to jostle the foreigner.
"You…smell..good." whispered Róisín, leaning into her chest.
"..Don't talk anymore..don't strain yourself." said Lucia quietly as she tried not to blush and carried Róisín into the shop. Róisín nodded slightly and closed her eyes. Just then, Sumire stumbled up the stairs and saw them. Lucia felt awkward for a moment, like she didn't want Sumire to see her carrying Róisín, but she didn't understand why. Sumire gasped, Lucia stopped her before she spoke. "Please..go wake Nahashi, and tell him we need his help. Urgently." Sumire immediately ran back down the stairs and into Sōichirō's room, Lucia followed with Róisín in her arms. She carried the injured girl into her room and placed her on the bed carefully. She looked over the hurt body, unsure of what to do.
"I'm sorry," said Róisín finally, opening her eyes slightly. "I'm normally much better to look at."
"..It's..not so bad." lied Lucia, "You're still beautiful." She smiled, sincere in her second statement.
"I..hoped you thought so." Replied Róisín, touching Lucia's hand before going unconscious. Sōichirō entered the room seconds later with Lola carrying medical supplies next to him. Sumire followed. Lucia's face was burning again, she looked at the floor as she stood up.
Sōichirō glanced over the injured girl and sighed. "This might take awhile..you don't have to stay and watch…she's unconscious anyway." Lucia shook her head, she wanted to stay in the room with Róisín. She sat by the side of the bed and watched Sōichirō and Lola work. Sumire also stayed, but she watched Lucia instead. At first, she was touched by how compassionate Lucia was, taking in a complete stranger and showing her such care. Then, as she studied Lucia's expression, she wondered what the hunter was thinking. She didn't even know Róisín, yet here she was, more worried than Sumire had ever seen her. She looked helpless and distressed. Sumire doubted Lucia was ever so concerned over her. She frowned. Sōichirō removed Róisín's shirt and Lucia's face blazed; she quickly looked at her feet. Sumire saw the reaction but still couldn't understand, dense as ever. He motioned at the door, "Sumire, if you could please go heat up some water..so we can clean off the blood." Sumire nodded and left the room, relieved that she couldn't watch Lucia anymore..it was beginning to hurt. The procedure took the rest of the night because, though they were shallow, the cuts were long and many in number, as well as close to Róisín's heart. Sumire was constantly getting things for Sōichirō, but Lucia never once left Róisín's side. Finally, Sōichirō finished and looked at his work. He pulled the sheets over her chest gently, nodded sleepily, and touched Lucia on the shoulder as he got up. "She'll be fine..It wasn't as bad as it looked." he said, "Please, go get some rest..you can sleep in my room."
"No, thank you Nahashi..you've worked hard, please sleep." Lucia responded, she gazed at the unconscious girl in front of her. Sōichirō knew there was no arguing with her and gestured toward Lola to follow him. She watched Lucia for a moment more, shrugged, and walked out of the room behind him.
In the kitchen, Sumire silently filled the kettle with water to make tea. She couldn't go to her room, that's where Lucia and Róisín were, and Sumire felt like she'd be intruding. Part of her, however, didn't want them to be alone together anymore. She groaned, not sure of what to do. She placed the kettle on the stove with a heavy sigh. Lola entered the kitchen, unaffected by the lack of sleep. She skipped to the counter where Sumire leaned, unconscious of the doll's entrance. Lola crept up behind her, watching Sumire sigh thoughtfully. Immediately understanding the reason for such a drawn out and solemn sound, Lola was eager to test her personal hypothesis.
"Lucia seems real attached to that stranger." mused Lola, ever curious to study Sumire's reactions, "I've never even seen this part of her."
"Yea…" Sumire said, yawning to hide her displeased expression, "me neither.."
"Yup! I mean like..really attached though. It's almost like she has a crush or something, the way she was blushing...I have never even seen her blush..and now she won't even leave her side!" she said bluntly. Sumire froze and Lola grinned slyly at her response.
"Y-you think so?" she stuttered, "I…didn't think Lucia was like that."
"Well..yea, she's never had much contact with people so it's not like we could know..However, I never have noticed her take an interest in boys. It does fit her personality a little bit, and we've even seen women swoon in the store and buy things merely because of Lucia's charm. And the foreigner is like a model or something. I've never seen someone so beautiful. Anyone would fall for those eyes! ..plus she's a westerner, Lucia has European blood too, you know? So you really can't blame her." Lola continued mercilessly.
"Oh.." Sumire coughed, looking at the teakettle. All of the things Lola mentioned seemed viable, but she wasn't sure if she like it.
"What are you thinking?" asked Lola, deviously.
"I..don't know. Nothing really.." She lied. She thought frantically, 'How can Lucia have a crush on a girl?..Would she date Riosin?! Would she replace me as Lucia's partner? What would happen to me?' Sumire forced herself to calm down, "..I'm just surprised, I guess." She said, suddenly wishing she could leave the kitchen, but the doll blocked her path.
"Really? I'm not surprised at all! They'd make a pretty attractive couple.." Sumire made an unreadable expression, "Well, I might just be looking into it too much!" chimed Lola, skipping around the kitchen, "So there's no need to get jealous or anything."
"j-j-JEALOUS!?" exclaimed Sumire, "I'm not! I'm not jealous!" But before she could argue, Lola had already left the kitchen and disappeared into her own room. Sumire was shaking. No, no she was NOT jealous. Not at all. 'I've got Yoshiki..and I'm not interested in Lucia like that..just as a friend.' She thought about how she felt when Lucia touched her and grimaced. 'I mean…sure, I admire her. But..' It was different than how she felt when she was with Yoshiki, entirely different. She bit her lip. 'Yoshiki..Yoshiki, Yoshiki, Yoskiki.' She repeated in her head, trying to imagine his kind face. She relaxed, certainly he was the one she was interested in..not Lucia. The only reason she had to feel jealous was that she wanted to be best friends with the hunter, and already Lucia seemed to be closer to Róisín. She frowned, that explained her unhappiness with the situation, right? 'Yea..that's it.' She told herself.
In the other room, Lucia felt herself begin to slouch down; sleep was trying to overcome her. She didn't want to give in, so she got up, deciding she needed something to wake her up. She went to the kitchen and found Sumire. Mechanically, she went over to the counter and started making tea. Sumire watched her, she poured the hot water into a cup with shaky hands. She started to pour it on the counter without even noticing. Sumire rushed to her side and put her hands over Lucia's.
"B-be care Lucia-san, you'll burn yourself!" she exclaimed, aiming the spout back at the cup. Lucia flinched at Sumire's touch, then let go of the kettle, allowing Sumire pour the steaming water. Now, she felt uncomfortable when Sumire touched her, like she had done something wrong to the younger girl. "I know you're worried, but Róisín will be ok. Sōichirō has fixed us up after worse injuries." said Sumire.
"Oh..I don't even know her, why would I be worried?" replied Lucia, stiffening as she tried to look unconcerned. Even though those were the words Sumire wanted to hear, she knew they were a lie.
"Because you're a good person." Replied Sumire, touching her shoulder. Lucia sighed.
"So you say.." she muttered. Sumire scowled at her.
"Stop it, you know you are." said Sumire.
"I'm not a good person. I'm cold and cruel and selfish and uncaring. I am detached from the world." stated Lucia, crossing her arms.
"Oh, don't you be like that. You risk your life for people every day!" she argued.
"Yea, but I don't save everyone… and Róisín got hurt because I didn't go on patrol tonight." Lucia said.
"Róisín's lucky you went out and found her!" replied Sumire, "I mean..you just met her and already you're so concerned about her." She paused and remembered what Lola said, "I've never seen you worry like this actually." Lucia tensed. "But you're missing my point, you've got a kind heart, Lucia-san. You sacrifice so much for people you don't even know..you are a strong, caring person."
"I don't think so.." retorted Lucia bluntly.
"WELL YOU ARE!" yelled Sumire, the older girl could see her getting angry. Lucia couldn't help but smile at how cute she was. She looked across the kitchen trying to hide the grin on her face. She was grateful for Sumire, she didn't feel so anxious and guilty anymore. The younger girl always had that affect on her. Sumire scowled again at her reaction, thinking that Lucia still didn't agree with her. "Fine then..don't believe me!" She turned to stomp away from Lucia, who noticed and grabbed her shoulder. Suddenly she pulled her into her arms.
"Thank you." Whispered Lucia, wrapping her arms around Sumire and hugging her tightly. Sumire blushed furiously and her breath caught, 'Why does Lucia insist on expressing thanks in such strange ways?...but friends hug, right?' She couldn't pretend like she minded the unexpected hug though, Lucia smelt good and her arms were muscular despite her womanly figure. It was comfortable, she wanted to nuzzle against Lucia and stay there. However, it was over before Sumire wanted it to be. Lucia abruptly let go. "You really cheered me up, I guess you're right, I was really worried. I'm gonna go take a shower..and then check on Róisín again." she said with a smile, "Are you going to school?" She was already back to the charming Lucia façade Sumire knew so well. Sumire's heart was still pounding from the embrace; she could only shrug. "Well, it's up to you. I can take care of Róisín." said the hunter before she walked out of the kitchen. Sumire watched her leave, her face still burning. 'Róisín..that foreigner...you haven't even known her for a day..and already you care for her so much… What do you think of Róisín, Lucia-san?' Instantly, she felt alone and wished Lucia's arms were still around her. Her face flushed again at such a thought and quickly dismissed it.
Sumire went into the room where Róisín was resting. She brushed her hair and changed into her school uniform. She wondered if she should even bother attending school with all that was going on, Lucia didn't seem to care either way. She looked at the sleeping foreigner and sighed.
"..Does Lucia really like you?" she asked aloud, however she didn't anticipate an answer.
"Well..I hope so, because I really like Lucia." whispered Róisín, though her eyes were closed and Sumire thought she was asleep. "She's a very interesting girl; so tough, but so innocent... quite lovely too."
"Yea..she's really amazing." Replied Sumire awkwardly, if she'd known the foreigner was awake she wouldn't have asked such an embarrassing question.
"More than amazing..I could fall for her." She said frankly, opening her eyes as she spoke to see Sumire's face change. The younger girl gasped. "Couldn't you?"
"What? n-no, I..I don't like girls. I've got a b-…a boy I like." stammered Sumire.
"Oh but girls are so divine! You're missing out. I'm relieved though, that you don't have dibs on her!" stated Róisín, "She has such a timid heart; I will be the one to change that."
"Oh?" replied Sumire, "You think a stranger like you can?" She didn't like this conversation, all of the sudden she was feeling rather angry. Sumire had known Lucia for months now and still hadn't managed to secure their friendship, how could this outsider expect to make Lucia her lover already?
"Of course. I have conquered many girls' hearts, made them favor girls over boys, oh..you know! I'm..well, experienced to say the least. But, Lucia is so different than other girls. This will be a fun challenge." She admitted with a grin, sitting up regardless of her injuries.
"She's not just some challenge, you know!" exclaimed Sumire, feeling protective of the hunter.
"Oh?" question Róisín simply, as she laid down again.
"Yea! She's stunning and kind and caring, and she's been through a lot in her life but she won't give up, no matter what. She's not a game, you can't play with her like that! She's been hurt too much!" yelled Sumire, clenching her hands into tight fists.
"…I see." Replied Róisín, "You care a lot about Lucia, don't you? Were you lying to me? You want to heal her heart too, don't you? Are you interested in her aswell?"
"What? ..no!" gasped Sumire.
"Then stop acting like you have some claim on her!" responded Róisín, turning away from Sumire.
"I…I'm not saying I do, I just don-" Sumire argued.
"Who are you talking to, Sumire?" said a sultry voice. Lucia walked up behind her, confused. Sumire realized that Róisín pretended to be back asleep and she gasped, then scowled at her trickery.
"No..no one." She replied, she quickly left the room. Lucia didn't pay much mind to Sumire's strange behavior. She returned to her seat by the bed and waited in the dim room for another hour or so, until the foreigner finally stirred. She winced as she rolled over and tried to sit up. Lucia jumped up and held her down gently. "Don't move, you'll open it up." She advised.
"I..don't want to take your bed.." replied Róisín, her entire personality changing from a fickle flirt with an agenda to a fragile victim, "I can tell it's yours because it smells like you." Her statement flustered Lucia.
"I..don't mind. I don't need to sleep anymore anyway, and if I do..I'll take the couch in the main room." She said, sitting again when Róisín relaxed.
"Or…you can sleep beside me." Offered the foreigner. Lucia's gasped unintentionally.
"No, no..it's fine." She stammered, taken aback.
"I feel like I must insist, otherwise I'll be causing you discomfort." Persisted Róisín, her gray eyes gleamed.
"Really, the couch is nice." claimed Lucia, moving back a bit.
"She can always share my bed." interrupted Sumire, returning with a tray of tea. Lucia and Róisín hadn't even noticed Sumire enter the room. "We've already shared this room for so long, it wouldn't be a big deal." Róisín glared at Sumire, Lucia looked at them both helplessly, "Here, have some tea, Lucia-san. And you too, Róisín?"
"Lucia..could you help me up?" asked Róisín. Sumire scowled; the foreigner had sat up on her own just moments before and seemed to have no trouble with it. Lucia was still a bit confused, but she quickly and carefully helped Róisín sit up. Sumire handed her tea, though part of her wanted to spill it on the foreigners lap.
"Thank you, Sumire." said Lucia, once again returning to her calm self. She drank the tea and smiled.
"Yea..thanks a lot." Said Róisín, sipping her tea. She quickly pulled back with a disgusted expression, "What is this, steamed grass water?" Lucia sipped hers and seemed perfectly contented, but her face shifted dejectedly at Róisín's statement.
"If you don't like it, I can make you a different kind." offered Lucia, standing up.
"Oh no, please don't leave." begged Róisín, "Couldn't you send Sumire?" The younger girl glowered at Róisín. The tea was fine, she just wanted to be alone with Lucia. Lucia looked at Sumire beseechingly, Sumire felt betrayed, but she couldn't argue with that face.
"Oh..of course." She mumbled, taking back Róisín's cup angrily. She turned to leave the room, but stopped before she left, "Lucia-san, my offer still stands, I really think you should take my bed…you wouldn't want to roll over during one of your nightmares and injure Róisín worse."
"Thank you Sumire, I will." She replied softly, a bit mystified by the tension in the room. Róisín leered at Sumire who smirked as she left the room. 'Sumire – 1, Foreigner – 0! Beat that one, Miss Dubh!' She applauded herself. Sumire brought back fresh tea, but then she had to go to school, leaving Lucia and Róisín alone again. They talked for hours, though Róisín kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Lucia was intrigued, asking Róisín about her home country, her training, and the viruses she fought there. Róisín was pleased to tell her anything she asked about, but she kept one goal in mind the entire time.
"Do you have a boyfriend, Lucia?" inquired Róisín "You're very pretty, I would expect you to have one." She reached up to touch Lucia's face, but the hunter backed away.
"No, I don't have time for relationships." Replied the hunter, rather impassively, "And I don't know many people anyway. Sumire is the only one besides Nahashi and Lola." She laughed.
"Oh, that's too bad. I had a girlfriend back home." Róisín said, "But we broke up a couple days before I left..she didn't approve of me coming here."
"A girlfriend?" asked Lucia, perplexed and surprised, "You mean...?"
"Yes, I like girls, but only the really pretty ones." Róisín admitted, winking at Lucia.
"Oh.." was all Lucia managed to whisper. She recalled Róisín calling her "pretty" only a minute before and her heart quickened.
"What do you think of girls?" Róisín asked, she was adamant. Lucia blushed.
"I..I don't know." She replied sheepishly.
"What about Sumire?" Róisín continued, Lucia hadn't really thought about Sumire in that sense. She'd never been close to someone before, she didn't understand her feelings towards Sumire any better than the ones she was experiencing now with Róisín. She did like Sumire's face though, and her voice, and the way she laughed. She liked it when Sumire's skin accidentally brushed against her own, or the way she got all flustered when she made a mistake. She liked Sumire, but..she didn't want to.
"..She was my first friend, we're just friends. Actually, I don't really have friends..so, she's my partner, I guess..yes, that's how I'd put it." Lucia finally said.
"She's cute though." Responded the foreigner.
"I..suppose." confessed Lucia, picturing Sumire in her head. 'More than cute..'
"Does she have a boyfriend?" Róisín questioned, studying Lucia's responses closely again.
Lucia frowned and got silent for a moment, "..I..think so. She goes to see some boy every day after school." She looked down, "She likes him..a lot." Róisín smiled.
"Well, that's nice for her…but what about you?" she asked innocently.
"..What do you mean?" replied Lucia, confused again.
"If she falls in love with that boy, won't she just leave you someday? To go be with him or something? What will you do then, without a partner?" Lucia felt herself tense, she had thought of that a few times. She recalled how excited Sumire was about the date she would be going on. She knew deep inside her that Sumire would leave someday, though she didn't want to admit it. That's why she wanted to keep the young girl at a distance, but somehow..she ..she… Lucia groaned. 'Idiot', she thought, 'Sumire is nothing to me..not my friend, and definitely not someone to be jealous over.. She can go out with whomever she likes! Why should I care?' She tried to force her heart to believe the lies in her head, but it wasn't working. Over the months, Lucia had grown much too attached to Sumire. 'I should've known she was no different than anyone else…she'll just desert me too.' Lucia clenched her jaw and stared at the floor. She felt weak and hated herself for it. "It doesn't seem very fair..that's all." concluded the foreigner.
"I…don't care, actually. I worked fine on my own, before she came here. I don't need her, besides it's my fault she got the sight anyway, that she got dragged into this..unseen war. She has every right to do what she wants. She could leave tomorrow if she wanted to." Said Lucia, solemnly. "..I'm going to go make some more tea." The hunter got up and went to the door.
"Lucia, I understand your feelings..and I was born with my sight too. Sumire is different from us. I won't ever be able to stop fighting viruses, so… I can help you. I know I just met you, but I feel a strong connection between us and I care about you. When Sumire isn't here anymore, I can be, you don't need to be alone." Offered Róisín softly, watching Lucia open the door.
She turned and smiled half-heartedly at the injured girl, "I'll keep that in mind." She exited the room. Róisín grinned, she felt she had more than evened the score.
See where my jealousy ramblings from the last chapter came into play? Don't you love it a little bit? It makes you so frustrated when you read it, it's like.."Damn if they'd just admit what they're thinking things would be so much easier!" but humans are foolish and complicated, we dwell too much in our own minds and worries. That's why our lives can be such dramas. I've been in situations similar to this, so it's realistic, you know? minus the virus thing, obviously.
And damn, some people are so munipulative, I mean..Poor Lucia. She doesn't understand how people work, she hasn't had much social contact outside her customers..so she's probably sooooo confused about everything that's going on. Obviously, she's a headstrong character and doesn't let things like emotions and feelings trouble her..for the most part. She is still a teenage girl and is totally prone to mood swings and to losing her head. As mature as she is, she's still a child and at a disadvantage because she's so socially sheltered. Roisin is taking advantage of this, where as Sumire tried to be gentler about the situation and never really ended up going anywhere because she was too subtle. Sumire needs to step up or Lucia might be lost to her forever.
REVIEW! :D It's important to me.
And thanks to one reader in specific, Melah94, whose reviews really make me happy! Thank you for reading! :) I'd give you an award if I had one. I think I'm going to make one up, just because your so wonderful for always giving me your feedback. Also, check out Melah94's piece "The Gladiator", it's rad.