I would like to start this message by saying that I'm sorry it's taken me so long to upload again, I've been going through a lot this last year in my personal life and for a while I lost my drive to write. But, I was stubborn and I refuse to give up on this story, I'm planning on finishing it and then once it's done I'll be doing a complete re-edit because I feel like I could do better. For now however, I like it and will be leaving it. Also, I believe I had mentioned a few times in my previous authors notes that I might be starting another story. I was always hesitating about it, and which genre/anime I want to write about. As well as struggling to come up with a decent plot. BUT! I have it all figured out now. If any of you are fans of Boku No Hero Academia I will be uploading a story there soon that I've been working hard on. I'll also be regularly updating Ominous now that I'm feeling more like myself again. For those of you who were still leaving lovely comments I appreciate it so so much. It's one of the main reasons that I wanted to start writing agin, seeing the positive feedback on my work just made me so happy. So please leave a comment, and let me know what you think of this story. Also once I'm ready to upload my other one, I'll be letting you all know and if you're interested feel free to pop over and take a look.
Etsuko was kissing him.
He. Kise Ryouta was kissing Honda Etsuko.
He never thought this day would come.
Kise breathes in through his nose so hard he nearly chokes. Etsuko was kissing up and into him with a purpose, a furious heat began building in his chest that had Kise feeling like he was melting on the spot. His brain was on hold, no thoughts other than, omgomgomgomg, repeated like a mantra or a prayer. His hands stayed awkwardly frozen and hovering at his sides.
Etsuko doesn't seem to mind his lack of reaction, she keeps kissing him. A crushing, and desperate kiss, the force of their lips pressed together almost hurts. And then she makes a sound against him, and Kise feels his brain turn back on and he clutches at Etsuko's waist and kisses her back.
It feels amazing:
Like his brain is melting straight out the back of his head.
Like lava had been poured right down his throat. Flipping in his stomach, boiling through his bloodstream.
They stand there kissing and kissing and even when it burns and their teeth begin to clack together in their desperation to feel more, they still kiss. They kiss, and kiss and kiss, until he can finally feel Etsuko slow her pace, a whine crawled it's way from Kise's throat when she pulled away from him. Gaze half open, he chases back after her.
Etsuko with her beautiful eyes, and pretty face. Etsuko with her strong personality, and big heart. Etsuko his savior, Etsuko with her soft lips and bruising kiss.
It's all he could think about at that moment.
The feeling of a finger on his bottom lip snapped him back to reality. His hazy vision began to focus, and he saw as she rubbed her thumb into the tender red swollen skin of his mouth. Heat curled in his lower stomach as he watched those crystal blue eyes stare at him in awe.
He can't see his own face, but Kise was fairly certain he was staring at her just the same.
Kise had kissed other girls before, this wasn't his first or even his second time; kissing Etsuko though, was an experience he'd never felt before.
"I'm sorry," her whisper was so gentle, he would have thought he imagined it if he hadn't been staring at her lips, watching them move.
She looked stunning in this moment, not that she didn't always, but exceptionally so right now. Her mouth is kissed red, cheeks flushed and pupils blown wide.
He swallows the rock in his throat, "For what?" His voice was rough, and gravely. He sounded wrecked, all because of a kiss.
A kiss with Etsuko.
Multiple kisses, actually.
For several minutes.
Okay, okay. He needs his mind out of the gutter, please and thank you.
She laughs at him, it sounds shaky and wild. Etsuko was hard to make smile, let alone laugh. She's eased up a lot since they first started hanging out, but it was rare for the girl. Kise wanted to record it, wanted to make it his ring-tone.
"For attacking you like that," her hands smooth over his neck and down his chest. He did his best to hold back the shiver of delight that shot through him at the action. "I should have said something."
"Feel free to do it again."
His words caused her to flush a deeper red than she already was, he basked in the sight, a smug grin forming.
Etsuko rolled her eyes, and huffed. "Shut up." she smiled softly, before tugging at his shirt so he could lean down and kiss her again.
He wasn't gonna tell her no.
Kise had restraint, but not with Etsuko.
This kiss was softer, but good. No heat, no pain. Just a soft press, release, press, as they pulled each other in. No fireworks, no lava. It felt right.
Just as he dragged his tongue lightly over her bottom lip, the hum of approval from Etsuko making him feel warm, her room door flung open and Saburo barreled through talking a mile a minute.
They jumped apart as if having been burned, Saburo made a sound from deep in his throat that got higher in pitch at the end, not quite a grunt or a yelp but maybe a mix between the two.
The three of them stood there.
Staring.
At each other.
Kise felt like he was gonna throw up. This was certainly not the best way to impress the family of the girl you like.
Saburo started to grin, and Kise felt his flaming face ignite even more when those familial blue eyes roamed from him, to Etsuko, back to him, until Ken walked in staring at them all with a scrunched expression.
"Did you tell them?"
The tease in Saburo's eyes dimmed, and Etsuko asked. "Tell us what?"
Saburo licked at his lips, and seemed to steel himself before saying. "They found Chihiro."
On the drive to the hospital, Kise got a call from his mother. She was livid, scolding him but the hiccup of fear he could hear in her voice, caused the most extreme feeling of guilt he ever experienced to build in his chest.
Amid her yelling, Kise told her. "Mom, they found Chihiro." The sudden silence on the other end of the phone prompted him to continue speaking. "I'm so so sorry for leaving without asking," he winced at the shocked and loaded glare Etsuko sent his way, her mouth open as if she herself was also ready to lash out at him.
"We're heading to the Kanegawa Hospital, can . . . can you meet me there?" the silence on the phone continued, Kise swallowed. "I need you."
"Give your father and I twenty minutes. You better not go anywhere from there, you're already in big trouble."
Kise felt the sweet release of relief over take him. "I love you mom."
"I love you too." The line went dead.
Etsuko was staring at him, her arms crossed. "You didn't tell your parents before coming over?"
He laughed awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck.
Saburo snickered from behind the driver's seat of his truck, Ken shushed him smacking at his bicep as he sat shotgun.
"Ooo," Saburo sang. "Couples first fight. Ken, take a picture for their scrapbook."
Etsuko kicked- hard at the back of his seat, enough to make him jerk a bit, a loud yelp followed. "I'm driving!" he snapped with no heat in his tone, his eyes, glancing at them both from the rear view mirror, sparkled with mischief.
Estuko growled, getting ready to kick him again, but Kise grabbed her hand hoping to calm her, even though she was upset with him a second ago. "You're incorrigible." she hissed her glare sharp like shards of ice. She relaxed at his touch though, a feeling of pride blossomed in Kise's stomach.
They arrived at the hospital fairly quickly, as they were stepping into the elevator Rima ran up to them, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her father was trailing close behind, his face blank.
"I know," Etsuko whispered as Rima flung herself into her arms. Kise watched the two girls hug, Rima was shaking like a leaf, sobbing ugly and loud.
Chihiro was found in critical condition, but alive. Momo was yet to be discovered. It was a bitter-sweet feeling.
As Saburo and Ken began chatting up Rima's father, several other people approached them in a hurry, Katsuki with a flustered Satomi in toe. Papa and Mama Honda, Kise's father and mother. They all squished themselves into the elevator, grateful at how big it was.
The ride to the fourth floor critical care unit was buzzing with nervous energy.
As they stepped out, Kise saw someone who resembled Chihiro just older, sobbing as she talked to the two detectives who were allegedly in charge of the case.
As the doors dangled open Chihiro's mother, looked over at them, and started to sob again she excused herself from the officers and rushed toward their little group pulling Rima and Estuko into a tight hug.
Detective Nakajima and Maeda approached them hesitantly.
"She's going to be okay," Chihiro-san sniffed after pulling away from the hug. "The doctors said it looks bad, but she has a high chance of pulling through. They just don't know how long she'll be out."
A collective sigh sounded from their group, and Kise clenched his fists in silent celebration, tears stinging the backs of his eyes.
The male detective cleared his throat. "Meilani Katsuki? Honda Saburo?" he started, squaring his shoulders, a firm look on his face.
"Yes?"
"Present."
Nakajima huffed a quiet laugh, "I have some questions for you both if you two don't mind coming with my partner and I down to the station."
Katsuki bristled, Saburo blinked.
Everyone else stood frozen. Kise felt himself physically jerk at the words.
"Uhh. . ." Saburo started scratching at his cheek. "Why?"
Detective Maeda attempted a soothing smile, but it looked forced and wobbly. "We just have some private things we'd like to discuss."
Katsuki crossed his arms. His sharp crystal blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why can't we just talk here, or in a private room then?" Both detectives glanced at each other. " Besides, everyone knows the details of the case here."
Chihiro's mother stepped forward towards the officers, her mouth was pinched and her brow furrowed. "I want to find who did this as much as the next person, but I'm telling you, you've got it wrong." she mumbled.
When Papa Honda heard her words, his face turned red with rage.
At the same time as his grandfather, everything seemed to click for Katsuki as well, he kissed his teeth and somehow the older boy had this way of making the simple sound ring with rage. Etsuko was buzzing, vibrating in her spot, Kise could see she understood too.
"I'm confused?" Buro spoke, he seemed frightened like he didn't want to understand. Mama Honda stood near him running a hand up and down his back, as Ken stood on his other side gripping his fingers so hard both of their hands turned white.
Satomi was blank when Kise looked at her. She was blank and empty and dead as she stared at Chihiro-san and the detectives. Then almost as if she sensed Kise's eyes, her own filled with tears, and her lips wobbled.
Kise felt unnerved by it.
Rima was clutching at his shirt hard, while her father stood silent.
Detective Nakajima sighed, he ran a hand tiredly down his face. "Look, we understand your concern." his eyes bored into Chihiro's mother. "But this is our job and we have to do our job, and question them."
Katsuki stepped forward, pressing a hand to Chihiro-san's back. "If you have something to ask my cousin and I, asking right here is honestly, just fine."
Detective Maeda put her hands up to calm him. "Okay," she glanced at her partner who seemed just as cautious as she is. "We found evidence of house keys that belong to either of you near the scene of where Chihiro was found."
The silence in the hall was almost deafening. "It was attached to a lanyard with "Teiko Middle School, 'Honda Saburo' embroidered on it. It was covered in still undetermined blood, as well as fingerprints on the keys. We just wanted you two to come down, answer some questions one on one, and give some DNA over."
Katsuki barked a harsh, mean laugh at the same time that Saburo blanched paper white. Etsuko was erriely still, and Kise could feel worry and confusion burning deep within him.
"This is a joke," the older boy started as he moved back, he was still laughing, his teeth bared in an angry, aggressive way Kise has never seen before. "Right?"
"No son, I'm afraid it's not."
Papa Honda reflexively pulled Katsu towards him, glowering at the detectives that stood in front of them all. "I don't know what you two are trying to accuse my grandsons of right now. But, you must see us as fools here if you think I'll let them willingly go with you and potentially incriminate themselves over something they had NOTHING TO DO WITH!"
His face was the picture of rage, no one spoke for several minutes. The whole hospital seemed to hush as doctors and passing nurses even the odd pedestrian/patient lingering nearby, shot them startled looks over.
"So," Papa Honda took a deep calming breath. "If you don't have a warrant for an arrest, I suggest that you leave my boys alone."
The next few seconds, time seemed to pass in blinks, Kise closed his eyes, opened them and the detectives looked at each other. He closed his eyes, opened them and Nakajima pulled out a piece of paper from the inside pocket of his suit. Kise closed his eyes, opened them and Detective Madea was speaking with her handcuffs out.
"Meliani Katsuki, and Honda Saburo. You're under arrest for kidnapping, assault . . ." The words seemed to fizz out from Kise's cognitive reasoning. He knew she was talking, but he heard nothing except for the painful ring in his ears.
All hell broke loose.
Etsuko was no longer screaming. Her voice was raw, and her eyes puffy as her tears continued to fall in waves.
Kise tried his best to hold her back, to stop her shouts. To not let her see the panic on Saburo's face, the fear.
To not let her see how explosive Katsuki was getting, how he argued with the detectives, Papa Honda screaming loudly along with him. Ken was hugging Saburo tightly as the tall blonde shook his head, tears falling. He started to sob.
"I didn't do anything. We didn't do anything."
Even as the men pulled their own sets of keys, as proof, from their pockets the two detectives stood grimly and waited for both of them to turn, so the handcuffs could be put on. They seemed almost reluctant, like they knew there could be no possible way. Yet, they didn't smile, they didn't put the cuffs down and say, gotcha!
It was too real, even after they took both men away in two seperate cop cars, even after Papa Honda took Mama Honda into his own vehicle and drove after the police calling a criminal attorney on the way.
He made Kise and his family promise seven times that they would get Etsuko home safely, before feeling comfortable enough to leave. Papa Honda refused to allow her to come, which had only caused her fit to be worse.
Kise has never seen Etsuko so distraught. He's seen her cry, sob, disassociate from pain, but completely lose control of herself like the way she had, was something he only ever heard her describe when they talked about her surfing accident.
It took 30 minutes to calm her down. Rima tried to help, as did the others but she was hyperventilating in a way that made Kise deeply concerned. He managed to take her outside for some fresh air.
She hid in his arms, tears falling, but no sounds anymore. She wasn't even shaking, for a second Kise thought she stopped breathing.
He kissed her forehead, muttering reassurances against her flushed skin. He chased away the flood gate of tears one after another, as if it was his personal mission. He tilted her head back, hand under her chin and pressed his lips to hers, despite the snot and salt of her pain.
"Shhhh," he soothed into their embrace, kissing her again and again, wiping her tears over and over.
Their moment was ruined however, when his phone rang. For a second he believed it could have been his parents, telling him it's time to come back so they could all get going. But when he reluctantly pulled away to check, an unsaved number was displayed on his screen.
An image attachment. Several actually.
Etsuko stood in front of him, silent tears still falling, only the occasional sniffle being made.
He opened the message and felt his blood run cold. It was a picture taken from the glass doors of the hospital, him and Etsuko kissing, hugging, Kise wiping her tears. A total of 10 different photos.
Another message came through as soon as he scrolled through all the pictures.
How cute.