Chapter 11
My vision appeared to worsen as I dug my hands into the dirt in an attempt to keep on dragging my body to a location I wasn't entirely sure of. I was blindly reaching and inching my way through the area, hoping I'd bump into Shizuru, but as I continued to pull myself further and further, my hopes dwindled with each vain attempt. I grew tired, and my limbs felt like they were about to fall out of their sockets. I stopped, and breathed heavily from exhaustion. The explosion took most of my energy, and I was slipping in and out of consciousness. I breathed out in a weak whisper, "Shizuru," and closed my eyes for what felt like would be the last time.
In my dreams, I envisioned Duran, my Child, carrying my limp body on his back, but it wasn't Duran. In reality, it was somebody else who was carrying me to safety. I could feel they were human by the shape of their body and their warmth emitting onto me. I opened my eyes, to the blurry sight of a dark figure. It was a woman from what I could tell, but it wasn't Shizuru - I without a doubt would know if it was Shizuru's touch, but it wasn't. There was something more hardened about this person, unlike Shizuru's femininely soft body. I strained my eyes to try and gain a clearer view of the person, but all I saw was their silhouette despite my efforts. "Who…are you?" I mumbled, half aware of my surroundings. My eyesight became ever more hazy as I jostled against the woman's body.
The figure looked down at me, but didn't answer. The mysterious woman walked steadily with me cradled in her arms until we reached a small building. She kicked open the door and brought me inside. By this point, I wasn't even sure if this person had good intentions. "What do you… want?" I lethargically asked again, but yet again, received no answer.
I started to worry and felt fear starting to weigh on my heart. "Shizuru," I said weakly to the woman. "Do you… know where she is?" I struggled to finish, as the unknown woman laid me onto a mat on the floor of what appeared to be a shed of some sort. She stood in the shadows as she looked silently down at my injured body. The moon still shone with a sleepy glow and it illuminated the spot where I now laid. After some time, she stepped forward into the light, and I tried my hardest to discern who she was. I was utterly shocked when I saw Nao's face smirking before me with a hint of her usual smugness traced in her smile.
"N-Nao?" I stuttered, unable to hide my disbelief. "Wha-" I sputtered, but she cut me off by placing a hand over my mouth.
"Mmph!" I squealed against her hand. I started to writhe, but she stilled me with her other arm.
"Shh!" she hushed me. "Be quiet, Natsuki!" She had a worried expression on my face, and I, warily, obliged to her demand.
Once she saw that I calmed down, she released me from her hold and sat down by where I laid. I only stared at her in silence, still too confused to form a proper sentence.
Nao got back up to double-check if the door to the place was locked and then sat back down with a huge sigh. She looked at me with a look of both disdain and pity. "I saw what happened back there," she said vaguely, and I blinked at her cryptic words.
After I couldn't take the lack of explanation any longer I said, "What exactly did you see?" I asked irritably. I really didn't have time to argue with Nao when I didn't even know where Shizuru was.
"I was walking by when I saw somebody attack you and Shizuru," she said. "I really didn't make out who it was. It was too dark, but whoever it was, took Shizuru with them."
"What?!" I cried out and sat up without thinking. I saw a bright flash of white pass by my eyes from the shooting pain coursing through every nerve in my body.
"Careful!" Nao yelled. "You're still significantly injured, you idiot!" She pushed me firmly back down, and I felt like crying and screaming at the same time. I desperately needed to find Shizuru. She was probably so afraid right now.
"I need to find Shizuru!" I said angrily as Nao struggled to keep me down.
"You're in no condition to go off running right now, Natsuki!" Nao reprimanded and I was thoroughly confused at her sudden concern for me.
"Why are you even helping me?" I voiced my concerns, but Nao only kept the same haughty look on her face. "I thought we were enemies?" I questioned her further, but she remained silent. "Are you going to answer me!" I lashed out, unable to take her silence anymore.
Nao furrowed her eyebrows and said irritably, "What? I'm so evil I can't help out someone who I just saw get blown away by an explosion? Oh, Nao is just a total demon, she'd never help somebody who is nearly dying!" she said mockingly and looked furious at my attack on her character.
"Well, you did try and hurt me that one time," I remembered when Nao captured me in a fit of rage - nearly killing me from her blind hatred toward the Himes. If it wasn't for Shizuru to come to my rescue with her Child, I may not have made it. To see this Nao helping heal my injuries made me cautious and unsure if her intentions were pure.
"What? People can't change?" she answered and looked away with both an angry and hurt expression faintly on her face.
"I-I," I stammered and decided just to accept her help. She resumed to patch my cuts on my legs and arms and tried her best to do it properly. My clothes were tattered and nearly rags. Nao noticed I was practically half-naked and she averted her eyes whenever she laid eyes on my exposed skin.
"Please, Nao," I started. "Is there anything you can tell me about the person who took Shizuru?"
She furrowed her brows in concentration and bit her bottom lip. "I'm not quite sure since it was so dark and they moved so quick, but I think it was a tall male. Other than that, I really couldn't see much else," she said regretfully.
A tall male? I thought, and wondered if it was Reito who was behind everything. If it was, who knows what unspeakable things he may be doing to Shizuru. I felt my heart aching with worry. I felt so helpless and wanted to run and frantically search for Shizuru everywhere. Every second that passed, was another second Shizuru may be under harm's way.
Nao finished bandaging my injuries and gave me some painkillers along with a bottle of water. "What is this place?" I asked, after I gulped down the pills.
Nao looked around, and said somewhat timidly - a tone I wasn't used to hearing from her, "It's sort of my own secret hideout," she confessed. "I just need to get away sometimes. You know, a sanctuary from the world."
I looked at Nao and saw her in a different light. Maybe she really wasn't as terrible as she portrayed herself to be. I at once saw my own self reflected in the younger girl - a person trying their best to hide themselves from the world.
"I know you must want to go and find Shizuru," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "But you really do need to heal first."
I only stayed silent and groaned inwardly to myself. I really couldn't take doing nothing when I knew Shizuru needed my help.
Nao placed a hand on my leg and I froze from her unexpected touch. "Are you feeling better Natsuki?" she asked in an oddly sweet tone. I started to become uncomfortable from her touch. Could she…? My mind wandered off when she leaned in closer towards me, her cat-like green eyes shining with gentleness. "Why do you like Shizuru?" she asked me bluntly out of nowhere.
My throat felt dry as I blundered with my own thoughts. What was happening? "What are you talking about Nao?" I asked her in a low whisper.
Nao only smiled slightly, but frowned quickly afterwards. "You mean you never realized?" she asked me, her vividly green eyes now searching my face.
I was truly puzzled with everything. I didn't have time to dawdle with Nao's riddles. "I really don't know," I told her and she frowned again.
"You truly are dense, Natsuki," she scoffed. "I like you Natsuki, for a long time now. There I said it," she groaned. "I've fallen for the ice queen of Fuka Academy," she said more to herself than to me. She grasped the sides of her head as if wanting more than anything to not have feelings for me.
My body stiffened from her confession and I opened my mouth in awe at the sudden turn of events. I looked down and soon everything started to click in my head. "You're the one who fired the explosion at us, aren't you?" I said surely, and she released her hands from her head to smirk wryly at me.
"Hmph," she huffed. "I guess you're not so dense after all," she answered, and I quickly tried to scuffle to my feet, but she swiftly pulled me down with a hard tug. I fell back to the floor with a hard thud - knocking the wind out of me. I coughed and deeply inhaled a breath of air.
Nao stood above me with a crazed look on her face. "I can be more for you than Shizuru could ever be," she said gravely, and crouched down closer to my crumpled body.
"Where… is Shizuru?" I questioned between weak breaths. Nao looked irritated at the mention of Shizuru's name. "Please, do what you want with me, just don't hurt her," I pleaded, causing Nao to appear both sad and angry at my barter.
"You're just too much Natsuki," she chuckled and smiled mischievously at me. I became fearful and anxious - I just wanted to know if Shizuru was okay.
"Please, Nao, just at least tell me she's okay," my voice cracked from trying to hold back tears.
Nao took my chin into her hands and smirked. "She's fine, I'm sure," and I let out a shaky breath of relief. "At least that's entirely up to Reito," Nao added. My heart leapt at the news, and I was suddenly filled with blind rage when I figured that Nao had been stalling me all this time. I tackled Nao to the ground and grappled her neck. I was no longer thinking rationally. My eyes saw red, and I breathed heavily as I pinned Nao to the floor.
"Tell me where he took her!" I roared in her face. Nao struggled to regain her position of power, but my anger gave me a surge of strength she could not conquer.
When she figured she'd be unable to tear me off, she smiled with an air of arrogance and said, "He took her to the church last I heard. Who knows where he is now?" Nao said, with no hint of remorse in her voice. I nearly decided to choke her, but I saw a faint glint sparkling in her eyes - not quite as intense and beautiful as the one in Shizuru's eyes, but it was similar. It was a vague look of admiration, and I couldn't bring myself to inflict any further harm onto her. I roughly let her go and didn't look back as I got up to leave. When I nearly reached the door, I heard Nao sniffle faintly behind me.
"You know I did this all for you, Natsuki," she cried out, but I didn't turn to face her. "I really do like you despite what you may think," was the last thing I heard Nao say before I walked out the door and shut it behind me.
