"Ow… owowow…" Akane hissed as her leg dipped into the steaming hot water of Nekomaru's bath. It had been another week since the strange day in the park.
She had lost to Nekomaru yet again in another training session, this time being knocked unconscious since she refused to give up no matter how shaky her stature became or how pathetic she began to hit. Her legs were covered in bumps and bruises, and she had received a large cut over her head after slamming into a tree one too many times. No matter how loud her siblings cheered for her, she couldn't get a hit on the ultimate manager.
He carried her to his home where she later woke up in his bed, head wrapped up as her siblings surrounded her, mostly Kurenai worried, while the others seemed ready to tease her for her loss. She growled with fury once she realized what had happened to her, swearing that she would win next time, most definitely. Nekomaru had done a number to her, she found that out quickly when she thought she could spring off the bed full of energy after her nap, only to fall face first into the floor. She was beyond irritated by that point, refusing help from Nekomaru and the twins. Upon demanding to have 'it' done to her, Nekomaru only sighed and insisted she needed to relax in hot water for some time to 'cool off'.
It didn't make a lick of sense to her; how could she cool off in hot water?
Yet, she had no choice but to give in to his demands. His bath wasn't exactly new to her; she had washed her siblings in it over the past week after Nekomaru insisted that bathing in the river wasn't hygienic. Though she tried to brush it off, her siblings won over her as they excitedly chirped with want for the bath they never got to experience. They loved the warmth the water offered them, and after getting each of them completely clean, Akane had to frantically scrub the tub down once she realized there was a ring of filth coating the sides.
She didn't expect them to be so dirty.
As she finally submerged her body into the water that reached over her chest, a long and content sigh fell from her lips. She realized she never had the chance to bathe herself since she had been so busy scrubbing her siblings and the tub instead. She leaned against the edge, moaning in delight, eyes closing, resting for a few minutes. The steam of the bath filled the room, fogging the mirror, opening her pores, making her sweat.
If only she had a chance to fully relax even a little.
"Akane!" Midori came barging into the bathroom, though it didn't startle her one bit. One of her eyes lazily opened to the girl who sat beside the tub, a large grin on her face. "Wow, it's toasty in here! How are you feeling? Isn't the water great!?"
"Mmhmm…" Akane nodded, lost in euphoria. "What do you need, kid…?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to see you." Midori giggled. "I thought I would try to scare you by busting inside, but I guess I failed again."
"You gotta try harder than that…"
"Big sis!" Kosuke ran into the bathroom, followed by Tatsuo who was playing with his scarf. Akane sighed, shutting her eye again, but she was smiling now. It wouldn't be her family if they didn't cling to her side every second of the day when they could. "Tell Tatsuo that I can wear his scarf too!"
"No, you can't!" protested Tatsuo, hugging the cloth to his chest protectively. "Big bro Neko gave it to me, not you!"
"Boys, boys… no need to fuss." alleviated their eldest sister. "Kosuke, if you want your own scarf, we can get you one later today. How's that sound?"
"Really!?" The boisterous boy shouted, dashing into the kitchen and striking a heroic pose. "Awesome! Then I'll have the newer scarf, and it will be way better than your silly one!"
"Whatever! At least mine came from coach!" growled Tatsuo, chasing after his brother and tackling him to the ground. Hearing the two were giggling up a storm as they rolled around in a play fight, Akane deemed her interference to break them up was unnecessary.
"Speaking of coach, where did he go?" She inquired from Midori.
"He went on a short run," was the girls reply, rocking back and forth on the ground. "I think he said you didn't work him enough."
Akane grumbled, turning away from her sister, "I don't care what he says. I'll beat him next time, that's a promise."
Before Midori could say anything else to further damage her self-esteem, she sank under the water, letting it soak her hair and fill her nose. The heat stung her head injury, but she stayed under for as long as she could, allowing the water to embrace her in its wonderful warmth. She sank to the bottom, waiting until she could no longer hold her breath before she shot back out, taking in a deep breath of air. A plucky cheer tore itself from her voice, her fingers pulling her hair back out of her face. Her eyes drifted blearily back to Midori, confused when her sister was no longer at her side, but recognizing a series of voices though her muddled hearing.
She washed herself quickly, running her fingers through her hair to untangle any knots then dove back under the water to remove any suds from her body and hair. It was refreshing to have a fully clean feeling about her. Wiping at her eyes, Akane climbed out of the bath in search of a towel, listening as her siblings became increasingly louder for an unknown reason. Initially, she ignored it until she managed to remove the water in her ears.
"The bathroom door is wide open!"
"Big brother Neko, don't look that way!"
"A-Akane!"
The ultimate gymnast barely turned her head as she patted her hair dry, gray eyes locking on a scarlet red faced and wide eyed Nekomaru. He stood frozen at the doorway that was left open, a towel around his neck to catch the sweat that ran down his face from his quick jog. Akane stared at him, unfazed by his presence, but rather amused by his flustered reactions. It was highly unlike any other man that looked her way.
"Y-you should close the door you know!" Nekomaru stumbled over his words, everything about him screaming discomfort and shame.
"Midori's the one that opened it." She shrugged nonchalantly, continuing to dry herself off. "It's her fault that it was left open too probably."
"Coach Nekomaru, it isn't polite to stare at big sis' boobies!" yapped Haruto from behind him. "Don't be a pervert unless you're gonna touch her! Or hey, give her a Benjamin first, then maybe you can be a pervert!"
Akane didn't think he could have turned any redder than he already was. She watched him from the corner of her eye, trying her best to hold back a teasing smile, "Y'know, if you really don't like seeing my body, you could close the door yourself, Nekomaru."
He never acted more hastily than he did in that moment, slamming the door closed and leaving Akane to burst into laughter. She could hear everyone else laughing at him too, the mortified male desperately trying to shush each child before leaving the building again to escape the horror he had to deal with. Akane laughed so hard that she fell to the ground and held her stomach because it began to hurt from performing the unceasing action.
When she did manage to lessen herself into a pile of giggles, Akane left the bathroom fully clothed once more, searching briefly for her coach in the home, before shrugging and deciding to wait for his return. Hana clung to her leg for fun, enjoying a ride each time she took a step, before Tatsuo jumped on her other leg and Kosuke pounced onto her back. Normally, when she was put into this situation, Akane could run around rather easily. However, the moment Kosuke jumped onto her back, she found herself moving slower than usual. It could have been due to her being beaten up hours before, but the aches and soreness didn't bother her too excessively. She looked over her darling siblings, suddenly aware that they had grown a tad bit in height and weight.
"Hey, you guys are growing!" She complimented. "Soon you'll all be so much bigger and stronger than me."
"Yay!" cheered Hikari. "Maybe we can get stronger than Coach Nekomaru too!"
"Well first you gotta beat me!" Akane grinned. "The old man is a beast, you've seen it. You have to get through me before you face him!"
"Then we'll beat you now! CHARGE!" Haruto suddenly attacked, leaping onto her sideways. She was bombarded by all of the children, even shy Kurenai joining the barrage. Akane held her ground, planting her feet firmly as she wrestled with the children, tossing them gently onto the bed when she was able to pry them off her, then tickling all of them until they were begging for mercy.
Nekomaru still hadn't returned from his escape even after their half hour of leisure. Akane conceitedly smirked to herself. Perhaps Nekomaru could beat her in training, but he didn't stand a chance against her slender body when it was bare. It crossed her mind to possibly use it to her advantage someday.
"Well, I don't know where coach went, but let's go ahead and get you a scarf, Kosuke." She announced to the eager boy, who cheered and scrambled off the bed, instantly followed by his brothers and sisters who began to chatter with excitement about going out to do something other than train or food shop.
Akane grabbed some money from the drawer where Nekomaru hid her winnings, grinning widely as she corralled the children out of the apartment in search of some new accessories that they would surely appreciate. Additionally, purchasing a few more Band-Aids was probably in her best interest as well, especially after Nekomaru had used a majority on her already.
Kosuke was beyond thrilled to have his own scarf, one of a deep purple color with black diamond patterns etched in it. Haruto and Hikari took interest in similar, but different colored bandannas that they wrapped around their foreheads and pretended to have powerful bad-ass military personas on the way back to Nekomaru's. Midori asked for a new pair of shoes so she could run around more comfortably, her old ones tattered beyond repair with her toes nearly sticking out. Kurenai timidly requested a large red flower to adorn her long hair, given a red and a blue one, while Hana clung to a stuffed rabbit she happened to find misplaced in the shoe section.
Akane knew she needed to be saving money instead of spending it, but she longed to spoil her siblings as much as she could. In addition to their chosen items, she bought all of them lollipops of various flavors to eat on the way, getting a blueberry one for herself. They stayed out longer than they anticipated, the sun beginning to sink over the horizon, so Akane had the kids walk a little faster than usual. Luckily, the children understood the dangers of the darkness, so they were willing to pick up the pace, lifting Hana onto Akane's back. The siblings had just passed an alleyway when two men shifted out of the shadows and in front of Akane, stopping her in her path. She shifted the sucker in her mouth, feeling her body grow tense.
"Oy, girly." The one on the right holding a bottle of beer, spoke up first, catching her siblings' ear and getting them to stop and turn back to their sisters nervously. They knew just as well as Akane when something was about to go wrong. It certainly wasn't their first rodeo. "We know you've got money, hand it over, nice and easy."
Akane wasn't sure why, but she vaguely recognized the two strangers, assuming that they had likely been brought to her home by her stepmother, "I don't know what you're talking about." She briefly glanced into the alley, searching for any other strangers that may jump out, and found herself cursing when she could see the shadow of another male.
The second one, wearing a dilapidated baseball cap, stepped closer, "Don't play dumb with us, bitch." He brandished a knife from his pocket, smiling roguishly. "How else would you buy your little brats new things like shoes and scarves?"
"B-big sis?" Midori chirped timorously from behind them, earning the first males' attention as he also drew out a bayonet, gulping down a swig of his alcohol.
"Hey!" Akane barked at him viciously, carefully sliding Hana off her back and to the floor. "Eyes on me, leave her out of this. Go, li'l ones. Get out of here, now."
"But you haven't introduced 'em to us." bargained the drunk. "Let's start with that, shall we? I'm Ginjiro, and this is me brother, Jomei. Let's start with you, what's yer name, sweetheart?"
Akane scowled, frantically pushing Hana away from her as she began to cling to her skirt out of panic, "My name is none of your business. Get the hell away from us!"
"Yer just as rude as you were when we first met." grumbled Jomei. "Yer legs are still fucked up for some reason too."
A brief recognition crossed Akane's mind as she recalled the two men indeed as people that had been brought home the very day her leg was stabbed. Her scowl deepened, noticing a shift of movement from the shadows. Why was luck never on her side when it came to people remembering her? All she wanted was a bit of family time.
"H-hey!" Haruto bleated a pitiful shout. "Leave my big sis alone you creeps!"
"Zip it munchkin, before I cut yer tongue out!" snarled Ginjiro, pointing his knife back at the boy, and Akane swore she could see red at his threat.
In his brief distraction with Haruto's proclamation, she pounced at him, knocking him to the ground as she demanded her family to grab Hana and escape. Before any of them had a chance to act, Hana screamed in terror as Jomei grabbed her by the arm, lifting her off the ground. Any other person that was near them was suddenly alarmed, eyes locked onto the scene before them.
Akane snapped her neck around hearing her cry, leering dangerously at her new chosen target when a sharp pain blossomed in her side, earning a grunt of agony. Her adrenaline pushed the pain away, allowing her to fight on. She pushed herself off Ginjiro before he could plunge his knife into her again, sweeping her leg out to swipe Jomei's legs from under him. Hana wailed the moment her body slammed into the ground, and Akane melted into a cartwheel, bringing her leg down fiercely on the males' arm, hearing the bone snap on impact and gaining Hana's freedom as he lost all sensation in his arm, screaming bloody murder. The youngest sibling weakly scurried to Hikari as she ran around the treacherous scene, grabbing onto her weeping baby sister and returning to the large majority of her family.
The crowds began to escape the area, no one looking back. They were all selfish… only out for their own survival.
"Get out of here li'l ones!" Akane yelled at them. "Get to Nekomaru!"
They seemed to comprehend her request, most of them reluctantly backing away from the brawl, but were unable to tear their eyes away out of concern for their sister. What mattered the most to Akane was getting them as far away as possible so they wouldn't become hostages. She returned her attention to her assailants, side-stepping away from Jomei and spitting out her lollipop as he grabbed his broken arm, howling with anger and suffering. Ginjiro scrambled to his feet, stepping protectively over his wounded brother, a crazed look in his dark eyes.
"How dare you hurt me brother!" He snarled at her, and he charged at her, swinging his bayonet wildly.
Akane dodged easily, catching his wrist and driving her elbow into his forearm to destroy his hold on the weapon, before kicking him back in the chest. He stumbled, tripping over his brother's body. Her siblings cheered for her.
"Kick their ass sis!" Haruto roared shamelessly, standing the closest of his family.
Akane nearly shouted at them to run again, when her body was tackled to the ground by yet another stranger. She had forgotten about the third shady person in the alley, wrestling for dominance as they rolled around on the ground. The cheers of her siblings became worried exclamations, she knew Ginjiro was undoubtedly going after them now that she was distracted. She heard Kurenai scream as she was pinned briefly by the newcomer, gasping when she saw Haruto pounce onto his back, hitting his head repeatedly.
"Let her go!" He demanded. "Get off my sister!"
Hikari and Midori stood guard in front of their siblings as Ginjiro retrieved his weapon and neared them menacingly. Jomei pushed himself back up, seeking revenge on the woman that broke his arm that was limp at his side. Akane grit her teeth, fighting to save her family from the three men. The newcomer reached back, grabbing Haruto by the shirt, and throwing him to the ground. His brief distraction enabled Akane to bend her legs and kick him off her, pulling her brother to his feet and pushing him away to a building before going after Ginjiro.
"Get over here!" Jomei jumped in her path, swinging his knife poorly with his weaker arm. She side stepped, the edge scratching her cheek, and she bounded onto Ginjiro's back, putting him in a choke hold as she dragged him down.
"I said get out of here kids!" She bellowed to the children. "Go, now!"
"But Akane- "
"GO!"
Hikari began to push her siblings back, Haruto joining them shortly holding his arm as they began to flee the area. With them finally safer than before, Akane could maintain her full focus on the drunkards, keeping Ginjiro in a choke hold until she was forced to avoid Jomei again. She bounced to her feet, backing away as the three surrounded her. Three against one, it was hardly fair. Her side began to pulse with aching, her blood warm and staining her white shirt crimson.
Life wasn't fair anyway. At least not to her.
Akane brought her fists up, fire in her eyes and raging in her spirit. She waited for one of them to make a move, standing her ground fiercely, eyes darting to each of theirs.
"Oy, who are you mate?" Ginjiro addressed the third stranger. "Me brother and I passed you in the alley. What business do you have with her?"
"None whatsoever." Was his snickering slurred response. "I just want a piece of the action when we knock her out."
Akane snorted to herself. Another stupid drunk. They could try to take her down, but she wasn't going to fall without a fight.
"Then take me brother's knife." Ginjiro smirked. "The bitch broke his arm, you'll do better with it."
"No worries boys, I've got my own." The drunkard reassured.
Jomei gripped his weapon unreservedly, seething resentment clear in his expression as he glared at Akane. He would be the most useless fighter of the trio since he didn't have the use of both of his arms, but he would be a nuisance all the same. Ginjiro moved first, launching at the ultimate gymnast with his brother right at his side. Akane deflected his attack, palming his forearm away then grabbing Jomei's broken arm and jerking him forward into the building behind her, before spinning around to swat Ginjiro away again.
The newcomer joined in, drawing his pocket knife and swiping at her chest and barely grazing the cloth of her shirt. She jumped into the air immediately after, her foot slamming into the back of his hand, the knife flying free as he shouted. There was no doubt in her mind that she either broke or sprained his wrist from the harsh attack, grinning triumphantly to herself when he stepped away squeezing his bruising wrist. Her body acted on instinct anytime she was approached, beating the men down brutally, guarding herself when necessary. They managed to cut her arms and legs occasionally, far more persistent than she hoped they would be.
Jomei was knocked to the ground behind her, ankle fragmented after she slammed her foot into his achilles, Ginjiro covered in bruises and swellings from her vicious strikes, his lips busted, nose shattered and bleeding, and the stranger had received a black eye and potential broken knee after his leg was bent sharply the wrong way. Akane panted, feeling lightheaded after the wound on her side continued to bleed endlessly, worsened from her frenzied state of mind. She hoped that they would have given up by now, seeing they were standing on shaky legs anymore, but their wrath kept them going, desiring to see her blood spattered on the ground, lifeless.
"C'mon guys, give it up…" Akane bargained, not wanting to potentially have to kill the men to escape. "You won't beat me, I'm not going to let you."
"Shut up you whore." Ginjiro spat, wobbling in place. "There ain't no way we would let you go after what you've done to us. You deserve to die."
"Besides… you've almost reached your limit too." commented the third male, holding all his weight on his healthy leg. "You're slowing down. All that blood you've lost, it's catching up to you now, isn't it?"
She swallowed, but shook her head defiantly, "I don't slow down. Nothing stops me."
"Well that changes today." smirked Ginjiro, his eyes looking past her for a split second. Akane didn't have the chance to counter as her neck turned, recognizing an immediate threat in the form of Jomei.
Her upper arm was grabbed from behind by him, and in her swift struggle to slip out of his grasp, she wheezed as Ginjiro's knife plunged into her shoulder, followed all too shortly by Jomei driving his own into her back side just under her ribs. She staggered forward, dropping to the ground at the newcomer's feet who mocked her, kicking her in the stomach though it certainly hurt him to place weight on his other leg. Akane felt the air rush out of her lungs at once, gagging as she hugged her stomach and coughed.
"You see?" Ginjiro slammed a foot onto the gash in her shoulder, earning a scream from her. "Yer not as indestructible as you think you are. Everyone bleeds the same, everyone get tired and weak. No single person, no woman can take down three men!"
Akane regarded him with a glare, wincing when Jomei pinned one of her legs down, the stranger handling the other. Each breath she respired stirred the dirt under her nose, stray pebbles digging into her cheek. Warmth trickled down her forehead, the wound on her head had reopened from the fall. Her vision was starting to blur, the loss of blood becoming more than she was used to. She was frustrated, losing to weapons was intolerable as it was, but losing to a bunch of drunks was even more degrading. However, she had kept her siblings safe, and managed to get them out of there without any severe injuries.
Still, she wasn't done fighting. Akane was not one to stop rebelling until she was knocked unconscious.
Her body squirmed ferociously, free arm pressing into the ground to help lift herself against Ginjiro's weight. His foot lifted, and slammed down on the back of her head in response. Her forehead struck the ground harshly, and she shouted when his other foot crushed her hand. She could feel the third male and Jomei press the tips of their knives against her skin, promising to stab into the back of her legs if she tried to escape. Reluctantly, Akane ceased her movement, and with that, her adrenaline came to a bitter end, introducing the entirety of her wounds to her nerves as the pain surged through her body.
"Now be a good girl, will you?" Jomei snickered from behind. "We'll let you live if you just behave and do as we say."
She could feel calloused hands run up her thighs slowly, dust tickling the back of her throat. If she coughed, they would kill her. If she screamed, they would kill her. There wasn't any winning this time. Her skirt was slowly pushed up, exposing her panties. She closed her eyes and waited.
BANG.
The hands on her rear tensed, then suddenly slid backwards and away. Faint screams could be heard in the distance; citizens who were close enough to hear the terrible racket. Ginjiro shouted something loudly, his feet lifting off her. The weight on her legs disappeared instantly, Jomei also shouting something incoherent.
BANG.
Akane heard something fall beside her, tiredly turning her head to view her surroundings. A body lay near her, unmoving. She recognized it as Ginjiro, a bullet wound to his head.
"Brother!" Jomei's voice wailed out. "Please, don't- "
BANG. BANG.
Another thud at her feet. Akane knew the sound of a gunshot all too well, but the noise resounded in her ears. It sounded like it was only feet away, but she was too disoriented to search. Seeing that everything was silent, however, she also knew that she had been rescued. Her arms pushed her up feebly, the coughs escaping her rapidly to expel the dust in her throat and lungs. Each convulsion hurt her side and back iniquitously.
Akane twisted back somewhat, viewing Jomei and the stranger dead with bullet wounds to their chest. She felt nauseous; never having been this close to freshly killed bodies. Her eyes searched the area for the mysterious hero, her immediate assumption unable to fall on Nekomaru. He had saved her many times before, but he wasn't someone to use a weapon. It was something she deeply respected about him, and there was no way he would ever resort to it.
There wasn't a single person in sight from what she could tell. Akane swallowed back a mixture of bile and blood, climbing to her feet and avoiding any further eye contact with the deceased. She moved to a building for support, becoming increasingly light headed with every step she took. It was a strange sensation. Everything hurt, but also felt numb. Her heart was beating rapidly, yet slowing down simultaneously. The world was tilting, but seemed normal too. Akane leaned against the wall, breathless. Walking was difficult, like she was a year-old baby. Her hearing became garbled, listening to the thump of her heart and her ragged breaths. The taste of blood lingered on her tongue.
This sensation… was it was death felt like?
"…Li'l ones…" Akane wheezed for her siblings, more than aware that they were far away from her.
They were her first and foremost thought. Had they made it to Nekomaru's place? She pressed forward a few more steps before stopping again, a dizzy spell falling over her. She glanced back at the ground behind her, following the trail of blood she was leaving. There was so much…
"…"
Akane looked forward, unsure if she had heard something or someone through the constant ringing in her ears. Her legs moved again, nearly collapsing under her by the fourth step. She wanted to see her siblings again, to make sure they were all safe at Nekomaru's. They were probably crying, worried about her well-being as they always were. She could already see it in her head; how they would smile when she would enter the room and give them all big hugs, how they would complement her strength and kickass abilities. Silly kids…
Big sis was a strong one… she wasn't beaten so easily…
"…Huh…?"
Akane didn't know that she was on the ground until her eyes opened once more to the warm dusty sidewalk. She didn't even remember falling over. Getting back to her feet was more challenging than the last time, her entire body pressed into the wall now. It was getting harder to breathe for some reason. Her head lifted wearily, eyes catching movement in the distance.
Was… someone running towards her?
Her fist could barely remain clenched, the effort requiring too much energy that she no longer had. Anyone could take her down now if they wanted to. She tried to focus, making out the color black on the majority of the person's clothes. From what she could tell, their run was peculiarly familiar.
"Akane!"
Their voice was too… and as they reached her, she smiled, loosening her fist. He was seriously late this time in regards to helping her out, but… she didn't mind.
"Hey… coach…" Akane fell into his chest almost immediately, unable to hold herself up any longer. She felt his arms wrap around her, lifting her from the ground, his voice failing to reach her ears. Wet droplets hit her face as she slowly faded into darkness.
Dying was an incredibly inexplicable sensation.
Author Notes:
Hoooo boy, this was a stressful chapter. There will be a lot of crazy things happening soon, so be prepared!