The next morning, Mamori woke up groggily and stared at the clock for several seconds before it finally hit her. She was late! Suddenly, she realized that it didn't really matter, since Hiruma hadn't set a specific time for her to be at the station. Groping around her room for the train schedule, she fished it out of a drawer and squinted at it in the late morning sun. She jumped up and began to throw her clothes on when she realized that Station Four was only running one train that day, and that if she functioned at Eyeshield21 speed until she got to the station then she would just barely make it in time.
--
"You're late."
Huffing and puffing, Mamori glared at the composed quarterback, who looked completely contradictory to the red-faced, sweating and disgruntled manager. She didn't even have time to proper brush her hair, and she realized that her socks didn't match.
"The time for the train to leave was ten minutes and forty-three seconds ago. That was the only train for the entire day. And it's the only one that goes to the destination I want to go to. Do you know what that means?"
Mamori shook her head distractedly. She really wanted to go home and just sleep a little more; it had been a bad idea to stay up so late and so actively.
"That means that I had to bring out my Threat Notebook." Hiruma chuckled darkly, and pulled her by one arm into a waiting train. Once they were on board, Mamori realized that they had a whole cabin to themselves, and that the conductor was apparently receiving orders directly from Hiruma. He barked to the shivering man, "You know where to go, so let's go already. You don't want your wife to know…"
"No, no, please, I'm going, the train's moving, see?" the conductor interrupted hastily.
The train slowly moved out of the station, and picked up speed on the rails outside. The buildings quickly faded away into a green blur of passing trees and shrubbery as the train wound further into the countryside.
"You know, Hiruma-kun, I'm surprised…you seem to have an attachment for rural areas, but I'd imagine that you'd be more of an urban guy."
"Tch, fucking manager, you'd be surprised at what you can find out here," he replied with a snort. She shuddered, and dropped the subject; she had no doubt that he was thinking about information network expansion.
--
A few (rather boring) hours later, the train finally slowed to a stop. Hiruma stood and stretched, and Mamori couldn't help but admire the lean lines of his body. Alas, she stared too long, and he caught her. "Ogling me still? Funny, even with all my clothes on, too."
She blushed slightly while scowling at him. Attempting to change the subject, she asked, "Where are we, Hiruma-kun?"
He didn't answer as they walked off the train into the warm, breezy train station. They were the only ones to get off, and the conductor seemed quite eager to get out of there. Hiruma stood with his eyes closed on the platform in the sun, and took a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, he seemed to savor every bit of the tranquil atmosphere—other than the fading sound of the train, it was quite peaceful.
"This is where I was born," he said, his voice smooth and even. Mamori was shocked. She had heard the story of his meeting with Kurita and Musashi, but couldn't imagine his history before that event. She took a closer look at her surroundings. There didn't seem to be anything about the area that would make a young boy into a devil; quite the opposite, in fact.
"Does that mean…that you have family here?" she inquired hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
"Nah, they're all gone. Those bastards didn't know how to do anything, and went bankrupt and had to move away. There isn't much around here anymore, mostly just a few farmers. There's a Buddhist temple here too, but they're more private than the fucking fatty's sect. The old houses are still here, the people who stayed keep them in good condition."
"Well, er, Hiruma-kun, why are we here?"
Hiruma smiled a little, "I come here sometimes when I'm in the mood. I haven't been back for the last couple of years, though."
Mamori was still a little unnerved. Here, Hiruma seemed to be opening himself up to vulnerability by taking her to such a place, and he even spoke of it with a tenderness that was completely out of character for him.
He led her from the train station down a stone-paved road. From there, it branched off into a dirt road that was rather unkempt but kept traces of prestige; there was evidence that it had once been well-tended and groomed, although greenery and tree roots obstructed the path somewhat. The road ended at a brick wall and a slightly corroded brass gate. Past this wall was a large and old wooden house. The style was old, but the windows were in good condition and as they walked into the house, Mamori saw that the rice-paper doors must have been replaced relatively recently.
"Kekeke…"
Mamori shuddered at the sound, and jumped a little as Hiruma whirled around.
"This fucking dump is empty, want to have some fun?" He winked impishly, and before she could react he pulled her into a room at the end of the hall. As he pulled heavily cushioned mats from a closet, she saw that they were clean and dust-free. Someone must keep the house neat while he was away. Suddenly, she felt a tug on her arm and fell onto one of the mats. He pinned her arms down and loomed over her. She felt a stab of fear as he began to descend upon her, but this subsided as he hovered above her, not moving. She could feel his heart pumping against her wrists and chest, and smiled a little.
"Nervous, are we?" she stuck her tongue out at him mischievously.
Hiruma's only response was to lean down and kiss her gently on the cheek. She remained shock still as more kisses were scattered over her—from her cheeks, to her neck, and finally to her lips. As she relaxed he removed his hands from her wrists and allowed them to roam freely over her body; she was amused to notice that he subtly avoided intimate areas such as her breasts.
She wrapped her arms around him and responded to his touch, and was rewarded with a deeper level of intimacy. He began to linger over the sensitive areas around her neck and collarbone, grinning as she gasped a little at the sensations.
Suddenly, Mamori felt lonely and cold as he stood up swiftly out of her embrace and walked towards the door. She was still clutching the air which he had occupied just a moment ago, and stared at his back in bewilderment. He pulled a duffle bag out of what seemed to be thin air (probably the same place as he kept his artillery) and tossed it to her.
"Your clothes and toiletries, fucking manager," he said tersely, "I'll be in the room across the hall. Bathroom is the third to the left. All the other doors are locked so unless you want to punch through the walls these three rooms are the only ones available. As she gawped at this sudden change of mood, he gave her an enigmatic smirk. "I'll be in my room," and left.
--
"Ugh, that…that Hiruma-kun, why did he kiss me like that? And why did he LEAVE when it was starting to get good?" Mamori refused to openly admit to herself that she wanted him to continue, and even that she wanted to just march to his room, bang open the door, and take advantage of him in his shock. She sighed dejectedly; she didn't have the courage to do something like that. Suddenly, something clicked.
She wasn't brave enough to take the initiative. She knew that.
He must know it too.
Therefore, he must have planned this. If he planned it then his motive must be to goad her into action or to confuse her.
She smiled to herself. It was time to think of a counter plan.
--
While Mamori was trying to figure out what Hiruma was doing, he was on his back thinking of his next course of action. Before he could get any plans formulated, however, he heard the door slide open. He didn't bother to look; that light, sure step could only belong to her. He did begin to pay attention, however, when he felt her presence at his side and her lips on his. His eyes widened in surprise at this sudden invasion. Suddenly, he grinned, and thought to himself, Phase four, commence.
