The Darker Side of Me

Chapter 13

Takuya woke up an hour later, his body a little stiff from the position he had slept in. He heaved himself up and stretched. Making his way to the bathroom, he sleepily scratched the back of his head. He rinsed his face with cold water, then dried it off with a small towel.

"Better go check up on Zoe," he said to himself.

He walked down the long corrider that led to her room. A moment later he came to the closed door.

"Zoe?" He knocked on the door softly.

There was no answer. He pressed his ear against the mahogany wood, trying to see if he could hear anything. All was silent within the bedroom.

She's probably sleeping, he thought to himself. Better go check on her just in case.

Takuya quietly twisted the knob, then entered the room. He partially closed the door behind him.

Zoe was lying under the covers, her blond hair strewn across the pillow. Even from where he stood, Takuya could see that her skin was unusually pale. Zoe's breathing was somewhat shallow and her eyes were fused shut from a restless slumber.

Takuya went over to her and sat on her bed beside her. He placed his hand on her forehead, almost jerking it back immediately. Her forehead felt as though it was on fire, and her skin was clammy. Zoe moaned in her sleep, rolling closer to the brunette. Takuya froze. He didn't want to wake or startle her. However, at the same time, he couldn't just leave her in this state. After debating for another moment, he went into the bathroom. He took a facecloth out of the bathroom closet, then ran it under cold water. Returning to her side, he placed it on her forehead, moving her hair out of the way.

Zoe's eyes opened slightly. "Takuya?"

"Dammit, I kinda hoping you would stay asleep," he said, a half-smile on his face.

"Yeah, well, when someone puts an ice cold cloth on your head, tell me how well you can sleep," she replied, returning his smile.

"Are you kidding? I can sleep through just about anything," he bragged.

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Takuya rubbed the back of his neck. "Well.....almost anything. J.P. snores pretty damn loud."

"I'll take your word for it." She shifted slightly, pulling the covers all the way up to her chin.

"Aren't you hot?" He asked.

"My head feels like it's on fire, but at the same time the rest of my body is freezing," she said.

Takuya sighed. "You probably have a fever or something. Let me go get a thermometer."

He found one in the bathroom cabinet, after ripping the closet apart. "Finally."

Zoe put it in her mouth and waited a few seconds. When the little beep went off, she took it and tried to read it.

"My eyes are too blurry to make this out. Can you tell me what it says?" She asked.

Takuya took the thermometer and looked at it, his heart sinking. "One-hundred and five degrees."

"That's not good," Zoe said, slightly shivering.

Takuya was torn between what he wanted to do. He longed to hold her, but he was afraid that she would think that he was trying to take advantage of her. Especially now, where she was so vulnerable. So he restrained himself. For now at least.

"Here, let me get you some water." He quickly entered the bathroom, then found a clean glass on the sink. After filling it with cold water, he went back to Zoe's bedside.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Don't know what I would do without you."

Takuya swallowed. Maybe it's just the fever getting to her, he thought. She's not thinking straight at this point.

Zoe struggled to sit up, wincing in pain as she did so. Takuya put his hand beneath her head and held the glass to her lips.

"I feel like a baby," she said before taking a sip. "Not used to this, you know?"

"I know what you mean," he replied as she drank. "I wouldn't like it, but that's just me."

Zoe finished her sip, then shook her head. "I don't like to be waited on either. Not that I don't appreciate it."

He smirked. "If I don't who will?"

Zoe chuckled. "No one."

Takuya regretted saying that, and Zoe could see it in his face.

"Don't feel bad. It's true. But it really doesn't even bother me."

"I still shouldn't have said it, though." Takuya looked away, ashamed.

Zoe gently took his hand. "It's okay. Really."

Takuya still felt terrible about it. "Do you want me to get you some soup?"

She shook her head. "No thanks. I'm not hungry."

"Too bad. I'm going to make you some soup, and you're going to like it, dammit!"

"Alright, alright. Jeez," she feigned annoyance. "If you must insist."

Takuya was about to stand up, when Zoe suddenly grabbed his arm. Confused, he sank back down.

"What is it?"

Zoe looked like she was debating something, for she seemed hesitant to tell him.

"Umm......never mind." She released him. "Sorry."

Before he could ask, she rolled onto her side, facing away from him.

"Everything okay?" Takuya asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes with that soup." He left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Zoe wiped a tear off her face. What the hell was coming over her? She barely knew him, yet she was about to pull him down into a kiss.

"Dammit," she muttered.

In the kitchen

As Takuya waited for the chicken noodle soup to heat up on the stove, his mind was going a mile minute. He didn't know what was going on with his head. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

"This is fucking crazy," he said to himself. "I'm losing it. I swear to god, I'm friggen losing it."

He stirred, hoping that he wouldn't screw the soup up. The microwave was as far as his cooking talents went. Focus, he thought. Remember what you're here for. You came here to rob the bastard, then screw and never come back. Falling in love was not part of the plan. Things usually never went the way he planned, though.

As he waited, his mind wandered again, pulling him back into his dark past. He tried to think about other things, anything but those troubled memories. They began to play through his mind, as if it had only been yesterday.......

Five years ago

"Takuya! Hurry up! We're hungry in here!"

Takuya quickly scrambled to put something together, but he didn't know how to cook. Hearing their irritated yells from the other room, he made some toast along with a few strips of bacon. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

He shakily carried the tray into the other room, where his mother and her new boyfriend were sitting. His mother had divorced that guy from Vegas within two weeks from coming back from their trip. He was now in jail for five counts of domestic violence. The new guy's name was Eddie, and he wasn't much better. A cigarette hang loosely between his mother's lips, as he rarely saw her without one. Eddie was carefully examining a small bag containing a fine white powder. Takuya knew too well what its contents were, as he learned what it was by the age of nine.

"Dinner's ready." He set the tray down on the coffee table in front of them.

"You made us bacon and toast?! What kind of dinner is this?" His mother angrily complained.

Takuya's cheeks heated up. "I don't know how to cook. It was the best that I could do, sorry."

Eddie flung the tray across the room. "Get your ass in the kitchen and make us some real food!"

"NO!"

The man stood up. "No? You better march back into that kitchen or they'll be problems."

"You know what, you guys can go fuck yourself! Make your own damn food." With that Takuya bolted out the front door.

"Get back here, you little bastard!" He heard them yell.

He continued to run. This was becoming more and more common as the days went on. He stayed at Kouji's and Kouichi's so much, he felt as though he needed to start paying rent.

Their shouts died down as he expanded the distance between them. For him, it was the greatest relief in the world.

The small pot began to bubble over, broth cascading down the sides. Takuya snapped back into reality.

"Shit!" He turned the stove off, then looked at the contents inside. "Uh...soup's ready I guess."

wow, im tired. really tired. im gonna go take a nap. hope you liked this chapter. see ya until next time. bye :]