Chapter Nine
Juritsu yawned tiredly. Luckily the rain had stopped. But that didn't mean she wasn't freezing. It was late, and she seemed to have beaten anyone trying to attack her or anyone else. She decided to call it a night and she began the long trek back to her apartment.
No, she mentally corrected herself, Takeda's apartment that you just so happen to still live at.
Where was he, anyway? Kenichi and Miu were back; surely shouldn't he have arrived at the same time as well? Knowing her fortune, he probably got himself a new apartment and left that one for her to live in by herself. It was bound to happen, what with all the trouble she constantly caused everyone.
They'll kill you… Kensei-sama…
A shudder went down her spine, and it wasn't just because of the sudden breeze that blew through the streets. Kensei – Ogata Isshinsai himself – was getting involved. Would they ever just give up and leave her alone?
All she knew was that it was clear that the past events of her life were going to repeat again. It would be best to just start avoiding everyone before they were dragged into her problems and chased away later.
Miserably, she trudged down the street, deep in her thoughts and woes as she rounded a corner to walk through the main part of the city. As she passed a local bar, two older men, possibly university students, noticed her walk by.
The first one whistled, abruptly snapping her out of her thoughts, "That's a really cute outfit! Where are you going?"
Juritsu raised an eyebrow at the two guys. "Home," she replied, "I'm tired and cold and soaked, and I'd like to go shower and go to bed."
"Aw, that's no fun!" The second one grabbed her arm, "Come hang out with us!"
"Oh, what this, Ritsuki?" two more guys appeared, "She's a real cutie!"
"She was just about to come with us!"
"Let me go!" Juritsu snapped, trying to wrench her arm free, "I'm not going to hang out with you guys!"
It was a slightly awkward situation; they weren't delinquents, obviously. They were just four hormone-driven guys who were full of themselves and their libido. That being said, it wasn't a good enough excuse to beat them to a pulp.
The one who had her arm, apparently Ritsuki, made a sulky face, "It'll be fun! Come on, we can go to a bar or something!"
"No! I'm not even out of high school yet!"
The newcomers leered at her. The third one asked, "Well what's a little girl like you doing in a place like this?"
"It's like you were looking for a fun time!" Ritsuki concluded as he began to tug her towards an alleyway.
"I said let me go! I'll hit you if you don't!"
The four guys laughed, and Juritsu took the opportunity to attack Ritsuki, sliding her foot in front of him, and using her weight to trip him and slam him into the ground. Ritsuki had released her as he fell, and Juritsu turned to run. Unfortunately, one of the guys came up from behind and grabbed her arms, pinning her.
"Wha…? Let me go!" Juritsu's voice was beginning to grow frantic as flashes of Loki appeared through her mind, "LET GO OF ME!"
"You bitch!" Ritsuki snarled through his hands. His nose had smashed into the ground and was now bleeding profusely.
"Stop it! You'll have fun, trust me!"
They began their attempts at dragging her into the alleyway.
"LET ME GO!" Juritsu screamed, launching into a full-fledged panic attack. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting the tears to fall and expose her weakness.
"Oto, we won't be having any of that!"
The guy holding her suddenly slacked his grip, as he had suddenly been punched in the face. Juritsu stumbled forward into another person, who caught her before she could fall. Instead of pinning her, like she had expected though, their arms held her up and close, almost protectively. She slowly opened her eyes, almost afraid to see what it was.
"Are you okay?" Takeda asked, his smile as reassuring as ever. Juritsu's eyes widened in shock. Takeda Ikki… was back?
Ritsuki glowered at Takeda. "Bastard, stay out of this!"
Takeda grinned playfully, "I'm sorry, but she's with me. And I won't be letting you lay a finger on her tonight."
"We'll see about that."
Juritsu was clinging onto Takeda's jacket like a lifeline, and her angle allowed her to catch a glimpse of a flickering shadow approaching Takeda.
"B-Behind you!" she suddenly shrieked, allowing her fighting instinct to take over. She pulled Takeda forward and into a spin. She used the momentum to jump into the air and kick Ritsuki's friend in the face, knocking him out in one blow. She landed easily enough, and still holding on to Takeda's jacket. The boxer smiled at her.
"Thanks, Juri-chan!" he gently pushed her behind him as he brought up his fists, "I'll take care of the rest."
It didn't take long. Obediently, she stayed behind him as he swiftly took out the other three university students. The fight went by in a daze. Juritsu couldn't get past the buzzing in her head that usually came with the fright. All she could think about were the memories of what Loki had done to her while she was Ragnarok's captive.
"Jur… Juri-chan…"
Juritsu blinked, staring up at Takeda almost fearfully. Takeda sighed, looking her over with a small smile on his face.
"Are you okay? You're shaking like a leaf."
Juritsu went to nod at first, and then shook her head as tears began to well in her eyes. She buried her face in her hands to try and hide it before she really burst into tears. She felt Takeda's arms wrapping around her and pulling her close.
"That must've been really scary for you, wasn't it?" He asked soothingly, smoothing her hair down, "It's alright, Juri-chan. You're safe now."
His words were like the light of salvation in her black void. The relief and joy she felt just from seeing him again was too much coupled with the shock from what had nearly just occurred, and she grabbed Takeda's jacket, burying her face into it and sobbing. She continued to cry until her tears had dried and she was ready to collapse from exhaustion.
Takeda had given her his jacket to wear and keep warm while he carried her on his back the rest of the way home. As he walked, he told her about the D&D tournament, what he had been up to, and what had happened.
"We all thought that Kanou was dead, but we found out that he survived the bullet wound," he said, "I had visited my master, James Shiba, after the tournament, which is why I didn't come back immediately. I wanted to train some more and get stronger."
Juritsu was half-asleep, but she smiled and nodded, her head resting against one of his shoulders.
"I'm just glad you're okay," she mumbled, clearly falling asleep, "I would've been upset… if something had happened to you…"
Takeda's smile softened, and he gently replied "I'm glad you're alright too," just as her breathing began to deepen and evened out.
