Note1: Sorry to leave it at such a cliffhanger, but that only keeps you coming back, ne? I hope you like where this is
going . . . it kind of took an unexpected turn there at the end.
Comments? Questions? Yes please. :+)
Chapter Four: Complications
It took them a moment to notice Aya leaning in the doorway. Ken had a soccer game on the T.V., and was glued to the set. Omi was tapping away at his keyboard, and had his back to the basement entrance. Flipping idly through a magazine, Youji kept one eye on the T.V. He glanced at the door just in time to see Aya slump to the ground under the weight of a girl.
"Holy shit! Aya!" He bolted out of his chair.
"Aya? What?" Ken looked up from his game. His eyes went wide. "Omi! Get the first aid kit!"
Omi ran up the stairs while Youji and Ken maneuvered Aya and the unknown woman across the floor.
"She doesn't seem to be bleeding anywhere," Ken said as he lifted her onto the couch. "But . . ." He looked solemnly at Aya on the floor.
Youji took charge. "Ken, put pressure on the wound until Omi gets here." He gently removed Aya's boots and something clattered to the floor. Youji picked up the six-inch blade. "Always prepared, aren't you?" he asked the unconscious man.
Omi clattered down the stairs just as Youji was finishing cutting Aya's pant leg off with his knife.
"Just in time, Omi," Ken said. "He's lost a lot of blood."
"There's an exit wound, so at least you won't have to dig out the bullet." Youji wiped off the blade and put it back in its sheath.
"Leave it to me." Omi shouldered them out of the way and got to work.
Youji heard a gasp behind them. He turned to see the girl pressed into the corner of the couch, her eyes wide with fear.
"Who are you?" Her voice trembled, though she tried to hide it.
"Kudou Youji, at your service," Youji bowed with a flourish. "The young man behind me is Hidaka Ken." He gestured toward Omi and Aya. "Tsukiyono Omi, our resident nurse, and Fujimiya Aya, your knight in shining armor."
Her eyes darted to Aya. "What happened to him?"
Youji laid a hand on her shoulder. "He got shot rescuing you."
"What?" She tried to stand up, but his hand on her shoulder prevented her. "What's going on?"
Youji gave an exasperated sigh. "Why don't you tell me, Miss . . ." he trailed off pointedly.
She ignored him. "I -"
Just then Aya's eyes shot open. He tried to sit up, but Omi pushed him down.
"Aya-kun! Stay still if you don't want to bleed to death!" Omi resumed bandaging his friend.
Aya lay still, but his eyes flashed rebelliously. "Where's the girl?" he asked Youji.
Youji just pointed.
Aya turned his head toward the couch. "Who were those men?"
She crossed her arms. "None of your business."
"Correction." His voice was cold. "They made it my business when they shot me. Who were they?"
The girl stared into space stubbornly.
Ken broke the silence that had descended on the group. "Ummm, do you have parents we could call or something? Someone to take you home?"
She hung her head. "My parents are dead. Those men work for the guy that killed them. He ruined my family!" Clenching her fist, she pounded the couch for emphasis.
"Revenge is not as sweet as you think it will be." Aya said as he sat up carefully.
"Sakami Meiko does not need your advice, or your help," she yelled, standing up. "I'm going home."
"I'll show you out," Ken volunteered.
"Thank you, Hidaka-san." She gave a stiff little bow and followed him up the stairs.
"Aya-kun?"
Aya slowly turned his head to look into Omi's worried eyes. "I'll be fine," he said. "Just help me to my room."
"What happened there Aya?" Youji asked as he looped the other man's arm around his shoulder.
"They were going to rape her."
"What?" Omi nearly dropped his other arm.
Youji smiled. "You're too young for these things, Omittchi," he teased.
"Maa, Youji-kun, don't tease like that."
They dropped Aya off at his room still bickering. Youji paused at the top of the stairs. "Are you going to be all right, Aya?"
"I'll be fine." He opened the door of his room and went in. He didn't want to admit it, but his leg hurt like hell. His heart hurt too. Aya.
He gingerly pulled off what remained of his pants, then drew on another pair. He knew he wasn't going to sleep tonight. He needed to get out of this small space, this space that was closing in on him, these walls that leaned on him until he felt like screaming.
The stairs were a difficult matter. He hissed at the throbbing pain in his right leg. When he reached the roof door, he sagged against it in relief for a moment. His leg had started to bleed again. He contemplated it, and decided it wasn't bad enough to warrant going back down those wretched stairs.
Aya leaned against the railing, looking out over the city. A cool breeze gently blew his hair back. He closed his eyes and savored the sensation. That girl, he thought. What was it about that girl that made me save her? Why couldn't I just walk away?
"Weiss," said a nasal voice, making his blood run cold.
He whirled around. "Schwarz."
Comments? Questions? Yes please. :+)
Chapter Four: Complications
It took them a moment to notice Aya leaning in the doorway. Ken had a soccer game on the T.V., and was glued to the set. Omi was tapping away at his keyboard, and had his back to the basement entrance. Flipping idly through a magazine, Youji kept one eye on the T.V. He glanced at the door just in time to see Aya slump to the ground under the weight of a girl.
"Holy shit! Aya!" He bolted out of his chair.
"Aya? What?" Ken looked up from his game. His eyes went wide. "Omi! Get the first aid kit!"
Omi ran up the stairs while Youji and Ken maneuvered Aya and the unknown woman across the floor.
"She doesn't seem to be bleeding anywhere," Ken said as he lifted her onto the couch. "But . . ." He looked solemnly at Aya on the floor.
Youji took charge. "Ken, put pressure on the wound until Omi gets here." He gently removed Aya's boots and something clattered to the floor. Youji picked up the six-inch blade. "Always prepared, aren't you?" he asked the unconscious man.
Omi clattered down the stairs just as Youji was finishing cutting Aya's pant leg off with his knife.
"Just in time, Omi," Ken said. "He's lost a lot of blood."
"There's an exit wound, so at least you won't have to dig out the bullet." Youji wiped off the blade and put it back in its sheath.
"Leave it to me." Omi shouldered them out of the way and got to work.
Youji heard a gasp behind them. He turned to see the girl pressed into the corner of the couch, her eyes wide with fear.
"Who are you?" Her voice trembled, though she tried to hide it.
"Kudou Youji, at your service," Youji bowed with a flourish. "The young man behind me is Hidaka Ken." He gestured toward Omi and Aya. "Tsukiyono Omi, our resident nurse, and Fujimiya Aya, your knight in shining armor."
Her eyes darted to Aya. "What happened to him?"
Youji laid a hand on her shoulder. "He got shot rescuing you."
"What?" She tried to stand up, but his hand on her shoulder prevented her. "What's going on?"
Youji gave an exasperated sigh. "Why don't you tell me, Miss . . ." he trailed off pointedly.
She ignored him. "I -"
Just then Aya's eyes shot open. He tried to sit up, but Omi pushed him down.
"Aya-kun! Stay still if you don't want to bleed to death!" Omi resumed bandaging his friend.
Aya lay still, but his eyes flashed rebelliously. "Where's the girl?" he asked Youji.
Youji just pointed.
Aya turned his head toward the couch. "Who were those men?"
She crossed her arms. "None of your business."
"Correction." His voice was cold. "They made it my business when they shot me. Who were they?"
The girl stared into space stubbornly.
Ken broke the silence that had descended on the group. "Ummm, do you have parents we could call or something? Someone to take you home?"
She hung her head. "My parents are dead. Those men work for the guy that killed them. He ruined my family!" Clenching her fist, she pounded the couch for emphasis.
"Revenge is not as sweet as you think it will be." Aya said as he sat up carefully.
"Sakami Meiko does not need your advice, or your help," she yelled, standing up. "I'm going home."
"I'll show you out," Ken volunteered.
"Thank you, Hidaka-san." She gave a stiff little bow and followed him up the stairs.
"Aya-kun?"
Aya slowly turned his head to look into Omi's worried eyes. "I'll be fine," he said. "Just help me to my room."
"What happened there Aya?" Youji asked as he looped the other man's arm around his shoulder.
"They were going to rape her."
"What?" Omi nearly dropped his other arm.
Youji smiled. "You're too young for these things, Omittchi," he teased.
"Maa, Youji-kun, don't tease like that."
They dropped Aya off at his room still bickering. Youji paused at the top of the stairs. "Are you going to be all right, Aya?"
"I'll be fine." He opened the door of his room and went in. He didn't want to admit it, but his leg hurt like hell. His heart hurt too. Aya.
He gingerly pulled off what remained of his pants, then drew on another pair. He knew he wasn't going to sleep tonight. He needed to get out of this small space, this space that was closing in on him, these walls that leaned on him until he felt like screaming.
The stairs were a difficult matter. He hissed at the throbbing pain in his right leg. When he reached the roof door, he sagged against it in relief for a moment. His leg had started to bleed again. He contemplated it, and decided it wasn't bad enough to warrant going back down those wretched stairs.
Aya leaned against the railing, looking out over the city. A cool breeze gently blew his hair back. He closed his eyes and savored the sensation. That girl, he thought. What was it about that girl that made me save her? Why couldn't I just walk away?
"Weiss," said a nasal voice, making his blood run cold.
He whirled around. "Schwarz."