CHAPTER NINE: BLEEDING

Yayoi packed as quietly as she could without waking Nami, who had passed out at half-past eight that night. The older girl hadn't brought much to Y City to begin with, so it didn't take long for her to prepare.

She sat, waiting in the dark, for Dai to appear. Yayoi struggled to keep her eyes open, but eventually they fluttered closed.

"Yayoi, wake up." a hand lightly touched her hand, and Yayoi jumped awake.

"D-" she stuttered, nearly speaking out Dai's name, but stopped when she saw the ash-blond flash of hair that signified it was Atsuki instead of whom she had been expecting. "Oh, Atsuki." she recovered quickly and stood, rubbing her cold arm and looking anywhere but into his abysmal eyes.

"I just-" he swallowed stiffly. "I just wanted to... apologize for what I said today. What happened to Amelia... was a long time ago and you had nothing to do with it. I shouldn't have lashed at you."

"No, Atsuki-" Yayoi's heart ached for him.

"Please, let me finish." he cut her off. "I understand that while I had years to cope with the loss of my family and the fact that anyone I ever became close to would forget my existence, you've only had hours and it was insensitive of me to dump all of my issues on top of yours. I'm sorry, Kamishiro."

His formal use of her last name made her wince, and as he turned away Yayoi caught his arm and made him stay.

"I should be apologizing, Atsuki." the last thing she wanted was to distance herself from him, so Yayoi used his first name instead of his last. "I was the one being insensitive and childish. I should have thought before I spoke, and I'm sorry for that."

She let go of him, but Atsuki didn't leave right away. He didn't look at her; they stood in darkness and silence for the longest seconds of her life before Atsuki finally left the room. Yayoi remained standing, staring at the door.

"Good evening," Dai's voice came from the shadows behind her, and Yayoi whirled around, her mind suddenly overcome with images, but the one that stood out the most was an image of bugs crawling over a white piece of paper.

She flinched, squeezing her eyes shut as the bugs and the paper became all she could see. "What is happening to me?!" She whispered hoarsely, and felt a hand on her back as the image faded into nothing.

"I was trying to read your mind, Kamishiro. You saw a bugs and paper, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Well," Dai helped her to stand, grinning. "that's usually what a telepath sees when someone attempts to read his or her mind. You've had no training, but you still managed to keep me from seeing much. Impressive."

"I don't want you in my head, Dai." Yayoi pushed him away, still shaking at her thoughts being invaded. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

His smile faded. "I'm sorry, Yayoi. I'll never do it again."

"Can we leave now, please?" Yayoi picked up her bag and brushed Nami's hair from her face with one hand as she asked Dai.

"The sooner, the better. Let's be on our way, then."

Dai held open a door opposite the one Atsuki exited, and they departed the warehouse without a sound.

"Won't someone see us?" Yayoi walked at Dai's left hand as they hurriedly put the warehouse behind them. "Won't they come after me?"

"Don't worry, I took care of it." he assured her, flashing her a white smile that shone in the moonlight. "No one will even know you left until the morning."

As they made their way slowly back to Kisaragi, Yayoi sought a way to break the silence that continuously stretched its way between them.

"Which of my friends is the one in danger?" she asked quietly, and Dai's eyes flashed so quickly, Yayoi came to think she had imagined it.

"Her name is Rui Yamase. She was born with psychic powers and can read minds, and it's nearly gotten her killed many times in the past. This is no different." Dai breathed out and looked at Yayoi. "But since we're moving quickly, I expect we should be able to protect her from the Silent."

"Do you know who the... the Silent has infected, or is it just a manifestation like the one that nearly killed me?" Yayoi bit her lip, remembering the girl she was unable to save that night.

"I have no idea whom it's infected, but I know for sure it isn't a manifestation." Dai's tone was reassuring, and Yayoi relaxed. She could face a person, but a monster...

Never again.

They made good time, and were able to enter Kisaragi station as the sun was rising. Yayoi yawned impressively, and Dai laughed at her.

"You look exhausted. Don't worry, I've got a place for us to stay nearby while we work this out."

"I can just-" Yayoi stopped herself, the pain returning. "Oh, that's right. They don't remember me anymore."

"Your parents?" Dai asked softly and stopped walking; they were next to Yuzi's net cafe.

"Yes." she cleared her throat. "They aren't my biological parents, Nami and I are- were adopted, but they raised us."

"It's alright, Yayoi." he soothed her, his voice comforting Yayoi in a way only Atsuki's had before. "We'll be in an apartment near Tohodo, a few doors down from where Atsuki Saijo lived while he was here."

They walked again in silence until they reached Tohodo. It was just before six in the morning when Dai turned the key in apartment number fifteen and entered the small living space behind Yayoi.

"Welcome to our humble abode." Dai did a spin as he presented the apartment to her, and Yayoi started, realizing something.

"Our?" Yayoi asked, looking to see if she'd heard him correctly.

"Yes, our." Dai rolled his eyes, looking at her like she was crazy. "I couldn't afford two apartments, and this one has two rooms, so we'll never be sleeping close together."

"It's still strange..." Yayoi swallowed and turned red. She didn't mind sleepovers, and had had sleepovers with Rui and Mika while Shinji, Ryo, and Akira were there, but that was different. This was just the two of them.

"Don't worry. We're like roommates, and it's only for a week or so." Dai waved a hand at her and turned into a separate room.

Yayoi sighed heavily and set her things down on a nearby bed, not doubting for a second she had made the right decision, but feeling guilty about saying nothing to her sister