Now, let's see how the others take the news.
…Probably not well. :P
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"She tried to WHAT?!" Junpei cried, shocked at the news.
"I know it's traumatizing… but suicide?" Freddy added, aghast.
ATF had finished telling the others about WG's suicide-attempt that night… safe to say, it wasn't exactly a good conversation starter. "It's hard for you to believe, I know…" he said; he added 'you' in reference to the class-clown and animatronic for a reason.
Junpei looked at the others; Tracker was wincing with Fangs hugging her, Swaine was rubbing the back of his neck while shaking his head, Fanatic was… squeezing a Toothless plushie with a trembling lip… and ATF just seemed mellow.
Despite hearing that their friend tried to kill herself, there wasn't much of an uproar. "Why the hell are we just standing around for?! W-We've got to go see her-!" the teen shouted.
"Pugs and FF2 are with her. We'll see her in the morning," ATF said, his voice nearly monotone despite the tears rolling down his face.
"How can you be so calm about this?!" Freddy snarled. "It's like you're used to it!"
Silence. ATF shifted uncomfortably.
Junpei's eyes widened. "You mean… She's done this before?!" he gasped.
"Got it in one," Swaine whispered.
"Y-yeah… She slit her wrists, once- b-because she thought FF2 and I were dead, and she lost her dog, Ricky…" Tracker spoke up, wincing. "She was scared, depressed- she didn't know what to do… she just felt..."
"Weak…" Fangs finished, biting his lip. He remembered the way WG was acting that day- he didn't learn the truth until after Missing in Fiction 2 was complete. Yet he still knew something was off about her. She was in bad shape back then… and she was in worse shape now. He looked at ATF. "You can see the future, right? I-Is she going to try again?"
ATF concentrated. "…I got a vision of her trying to jump over a railing. Someone grabs her but I can't tell who," he replied. He looked at everyone. "We'll have to keep an eye on her- we can't leave her alone for a single minute until this passes,"
"I'm going up to her room to remove all the sharp objects- including her sketchbook," Fanatic said.
"Why her sketchbook?" Freddy questioned.
"Dude, you know how painful a paper-cut is?"
Tracker sighed. "I'm going up, too. Ain't no way I'm letting my little sister go free-falling again," she said.
"I'll go drain all the chemicals in the room before she can drink them. And cover all the outlets. And take out the electronics that aren't bathtub-friendly. And take all the sheets too. And the pillow cases. And the pencils. And erasers. And glass objects. And socks. And forks, knives, spoons, napkins... Oh, and sneakers-" ATF was saying, listing a whole bunch of objects.
Everyone gave him odd looks.
"…What? When you're suicidal, anything can be hazardous! Trust me, I've tried them all," ATF stated.
"Brag about your immortality later, bro, we've got to suicide-proof the room!" Fanatic sneered.
"Who's bragging?!"
"Just go!" Tracker sneered, pushing her brother-figures forth.
Fangs and Freddy looked at each other. "What should we do?" Freddy asked.
Fangs took out his wallet. "Go buy a bunch of energy drinks. We may get stuck with the night-shift," he said, and they walked on.
Swaine sighed, then turned and walked towards the lobby's entrance. "Where are you going?" Junpei asked.
"Taking another walk to find information," Swaine muttered in reply.
Junpei reached forth and grabbed him by the shoulder, making him turn around. "Our friend just tried to kill herself- and it's not the first time! You're not going to go do something to help?!"
"I am helping! I'm going out-"
"To do what?! Hang around the slums and hope to hear something?! Wake up, dumbass- those fuckers aren't around! They probably went to a different city, probably a different country! You're not going to find them by just eavesdropping!"
Swaine sneered. "I'm not giving up until I'm certain of that," He turned to leave. "It's the only way I can help her,"
Junpei clenched his fists, storming after him. "You're just avoiding her…" he growled, his tone turning venomous.
Swaine paused for a beat, but continued on. "Am not,"
The teen gave a mock-shrug. "Sure, deny it… but hey, I guess I would too, if I looked like a rapist!"
*BAM!*
Quick as a blink, Swaine turned and swung his fist, his knuckle colliding with Junpei's jaw; the teen ended up sprawling on the ground. "I told you to stop saying that!" he snapped. "I'm doing what I can to catch the assholes who fucked her up- it's better than just sitting around and wishing she'd get better!" with that, he stormed out the door, leaving a few startled patrons to stare.
Two patrons, who were checking out during that time, walked over to Junpei- one was a purple-haired girl, the other had black hair. "Geez, what an asshole," the black-haired one scoffed. She looked at Junpei. "You alright?"
"What happened? You mentioned a friend…" the purple-haired girl asked, a bit concerned.
Junpei stood up, shaking his head. "A friend of ours… she…" he began to say, wincing; he turned around, walking to the elevators. "She needs me right now."
The two girls looked at each other. "…Do you think they'll be okay, Jita-san?" the purple-haired girl asked.
"I don't know… but let's not prod. The last thing they need is a couple strangers getting involved," Jita answered. "C'mon, Tomo."
Junpei entered an empty elevator, watching the two girls leave. Once the doors closed, he slumped down, his mind in a frenzy. WG was usually the upbeat, crazy, fun type who didn't fear death… now, she was welcoming it- no, 'forcing' it to come her way.
He thought about Chidori; she used to cut herself- she didn't care about whether she died or not… at least, until she met Junpei and became afraid of death due to attachment. She was afraid of losing him… giving her life to save his…
Tears formed in his eyes. To others, their story was just part of a game… but to him, it was a memory he had to deal with continually. Even though she was revived, even though he knew cartoons couldn't really die… it still hurt.
Suppose she got hurt the way WG had…
No, don't think that. It was bad enough one friend had to go through it… to imagine if it happened to his girlfriend- to the girl he nearly lost…
…fuck, he knew what FF2 must be feeling.
The doors opened and he stepped onto the floor. He looked out the window down at the streets; there was a crowd of people below- he didn't spot Swaine amongst them. He was out there, still trying to find answers. Junpei was sticking around to make sure WG would be okay.
They both wanted to help her.
…
Exactly, which one of them had the right idea?
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
WG woke up hours later… finding everyone was in the room.
Apparently, they had all spent the night; Tracker was sitting by one wall, leaning against Freddy like he was a pillow with Fangs right next to her- for some reason, there were empty cans of KickStart Mt. Dew© energy drinks lying around the last two.
Across the floor- where she noticed that a lot of electronics and other objects were missing- Fanatic and ATF were lying there… with overstuffed duffel bags covered in chains and padlocks… snoring quietly, holding Nerf© dart-guns as if they were guarding the stash of appliances and whatever-else. (She was curious, but at the same time didn't want to know).
Across the room, sleeping in a chair that was moved in front of the balcony doors, Junpei slept at a sideways angle- a piece of string tied to the door handle and his wrist, as if to work as an alarm. It looked like he chugged a couple Kickstarts as well, as the cans were located on a night-stand (also placed in front of the door)… and for some reason, the corners of the small table were padded with cotton-balls and band-aids.
There came light snoring from the side, and she saw FF2 sleeping in the other bed; he was in an upright position, as if he had fallen asleep sitting up watching her all night…
They were all watching me last night… WG thought- and she didn't have to think to know the reason.
It wasn't a nightmare- she had jumped to try and kill herself, to end this suffering.
She winced. All her friends were worried sick about her… and her anxiety was making it worse for them. Even if she succeeded in ending her pain through hara-kiri, it would only increase the pain everyone else was feeling. They wanted to help her. She wanted them to help- she needed their help.
…
…but how could they help?
That's what she wanted to know. What plans did they have to help her feel better? Could they make her feel better? In every situation, her friends always had some idea or answer when turmoil was in their wake.
As for her- shit, she was lucky if she could find inspiration for a story. Suicide was the only idea she had right now!
She sat up, sighing. Suicide wasn't the answer, she knew…
She wanted to feel better- namely so her friends could stop worrying. But she couldn't just smile and fake it- they would see through the charade and worry more.
Rubbing her face, she slipped out of the bed. She didn't know what time it was (seemed like the alarm-clock was stuffed in that duffel-bag, too), but judging from the dark sky and moonlight, she assumed it was after midnight, maybe nearing dawn.
Not a good hour to wake up after a night of balcony-hopping, but she didn't feel like resuming sleep.
She had a nightmare… this time it involved one of her friends…
WG gave a shudder. No. He would never do that, she told herself; deciding to try to distract from dark thoughts, she walked into the bathroom.
She hadn't been keeping her hygiene in-check. Not that she was filthy- at the hospital, she was given sponge-baths… after the doctors sedated her, ATF standing by her side afterwards and assuring she was alright.
But she still felt unclean. She had the urge to take a hot shower- scrub herself until her skin felt like it would glow in the sunlight and blind people.
Anything to help her feel better…
She drew back the curtain-
And let out a small shout.
Someone was already in the tub!
"Gah! What the…?! What's going on?!" Puggsy yelped, snapping awake.
"Puggsy…? W-Why are you sleeping in the bathtub…?" WG questioned.
The short teen let out a relieved sigh, readjusting the pillow he had borrowed. "Because there wasn't any room anywhere else," he rubbed the back of his neck, turning his head until it cracked. "…ugh, sleeping on a porcelain surface really puts a crick in the neck…"
WG looked at him; he had bags under his eyes, looking as if he hadn't slept at all; actually, she didn't even hear him snoring… "How long have you've been awake?" she asked.
He looked at his watch. "Until… five minutes ago. You?"
"Just woke up… 'figured I'd shower… you can go crawl in my bed. I won't be going back to sleep anytime soon."
Puggsy stood up, taking the pillow out of the tub with him… though instead of leaving the bathroom, he sat down on the toilet lid. "By all means, go ahead."
She gave him a 'What the fuck?' look. "Pugs, I said I'm taking a shower."
"I know. I'm just going to watch- not to sound perverted, but …You know what I mean,"
"Actually, I don't. Get out."
"No."
She glared. "I'm waking the others-"
"Go ahead- then someone else can take my place. …In case you haven't figured it out, we're not letting you out of our sights for a second after the stunt you pulled last night."
Ah, that was it… of course, what else would give Pugs the nerve? "I won't do it again… I'm sorry… if you knew how I felt, you'd understand…"
"I don't… I don't think I ever will. But I'm sorry, I'm not leaving you alone until you get better," he crossed his arms, keeping himself firmly seated.
"...I don't think I ever will…" she looked at the floor. "I mean… I want to get better… but… I-I don't know. I just don't. I-I'm too on-edge. Fuck, I can't even let someone touch me without punching them…"
"Yeah, I know," he pulled the collar of his shirt down, showing a few bruises earned from last night. "It's not going to be easy to get over. I can understand that much. It's going to take time- a lot of it. …But until then, we're sticking by you whether you want us around or not."
WG stared at the floor, counting the tiles. She got up to 9 before she responded. "…I do want you guys around… I… I don't want to be alone…" she began to tear up. "I don't know what to do… you guys… you'll figure out something, right?"
He stood up. "We're going to try," he stuck his arm out, inviting her into a hug…
She bit her lip. She really liked it when he hugged her… she really needed the comfort right now…
But she took a step back. Not yet, she decided. She didn't want to risk hurting him further.
"I'm…um… I'm going to shower now. D-Don't look, okay?" she whispered.
"I promise," Puggsy replied. He then covered his eyes, listening as WG turned on the shower; a few seconds later, her heard the *thump* sound of clothes being tossed to the floor.
He counted to fifteen, then peeked out- not to be a pervert, but to make sure she wouldn't try anything. She said she wouldn't do it again… but he couldn't trust her words. Not until she could convince herself.
He watched her every movement through the foggy/clear curtains, making sure she didn't try to swallow the shampoo or use the removable nozzle to strangle herself or- least likely- hold her mouth open above the shower and drown herself, like a turkey in the rain. …Fuck, why did he listen to ATF last night?
When the water shut off, he covered his eyes, listening as WG stepped out of the shower. After a few seconds, she gave him the okay. "You can look now,"
He looked at her, seeing she was dressed, towel-drying her hair. Despite she was clean, she didn't seem very refreshed…
They walked out of the bathroom. WG sat on the bed, Puggsy next to her- keeping a two-foot gap between them- and they remained silent for a moment.
"We're going to be checking out, soon. …Do you want to do anything before we leave?" Puggsy asked after five minutes of quietness. "Just… anything to get your mind off things for a while…"
WG clenched her fists… but had to agree he had a point. If she remained moping around, the haunting memory would just continue to plague her. If she made some good memories while she could in the city, maybe it would be easier to move on…
…
But there was only one thing that she wanted to do.
"There is something…" WG said quietly, and Puggsy noticed a dark look in her eye. "I want to find them… and kill them."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Swaine sat on a bench in the park. It was early in the morning- he had spent the whole night walking around the city; he asked Celty twice if she had seen anything suspicious when the Headless Rider rode by him.
Nothing.
That's all he kept coming up with.
He looked at the sky, seeing the stars still out. Marcassin was probably wondering what was keeping him… It wouldn't be a surprise if his brother called Oliver and Esther to come find him and find out what was going on. Maybe the young wizard would be able to find something with his magic…
Not that Swaine would allow them to come to the city. He didn't want his brother or the kids he had grown so close to get involved in this. …Worst case, what if those sick bastards hurt them? Granted, if anyone dare lay a finger on Marcassin, Oliver, or Esther like that, he'd shoot the fiend between the eyes, the whole lot of them ganging up on their foe with an All-Out Attack and giving them hell.
…
But this was different. Suppose whoever managed to subdue a powerful cartoon-hybrid managed to do the same to a powerful young wizard…?
Swaine… he had no powers. He just had his gun and light fingers. Unless he could sneak up on the asshole without them knowing and shoot them in the heads, he wouldn't be a match.
That's why he was still searching. He had to find out who these creeps were, and find out how they could be stopped before someone else got hurt. God help them if they happen to run into him-
*Thud!*
"Oof!"
Someone tripped over his outstretched legs just then; the thief sat up straight, breaking out of his thoughts. "You okay?" he asked, the person in front of him wearing a black hoodie that covered his head.
"Watch where you stretch your legs!" The stranger grumbled, picking up a cell phone. "(No, I'm still here- just tripped. …No, I'm fine! Just don't leave school! *sigh* …I'll tell you later)," he then hung up and took off in a sprint.
"What a jerk," Swaine muttered; he looked down, noticing that a wallet had fallen out of the stranger's pocket. He picked it up. "Hey, you dropped something!"
The stranger was across the street; he didn't hear.
Swaine shrugged, opening the wallet to find some ID. …All that was in there were several pictures of young kids, four in all- they looked alike, so he assumed they were siblings. He checked the folds, finding an old beat-up driver's license (from the faded date, he assumed it was 4 years past its expiration).
"Josh… Phry…" he tried to read, but the words were faded, scuffed, and/or smudged- the license surely had seen better days. The picture itself was all scratched, so there wasn't much of a chance he'd find the owner in a crowd. "Damn, take better care of your property, weirdo…"
He pocketed the wallet, then headed down the street; tired from yet another unsuccessful search, he decided to return to the hotel. He would take the wallet to the police-station later. Maybe the bar-code on it wasn't too damaged.
But right now, he needed sleep.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
A/N: Am I just typing at random now? …Maybe. ;) Thought I'd try to throw in some more humor and drama in order to keep things balanced.
And suspense- though let's face it, this isn't the first time WG wanted to kill someone.
…Okay, next chapter, we'll see if any of the randomness leads anywhere.
Cameos:
-Tomo and Jita: Seikon no Qwaser (*yes, I've watched a few episodes… most fucked up anime I've ever seen- but, I like some of the characters, so… meh. I'm insane, just carry on*)
*Mentions
-Oliver, Esther and Marcassin (Ni no Kuni)
