Disclamer: Chapter one.
Metaphor in the last chapter: Dry Gin. Dry's on top ^_~. Bad joke, huh? Well, he was for a minute... he just found himself in a mountain of snow as soon as he realised it. Anyway, I've been working on this one a lot since I've been getting so many ideas for it and I'm getting anxious to get to the climax in here, and then, maybe if there's enough people to R&R this story, I'll get into a sequel. *hint hint*
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"Piccolo." Chi-Chi seemed to be confused now. "I thought you said that the girl was a Human."
"That's what I think."
"But you're saying now that she might not be."
"Well," I paused, trying to think of the reason, "You see, something happened that disproved that idea."
There as another pause. "Are you going to say what?"
"I'm getting to it!"
"Even though that was the worst of the snow, the icy rains were still pretty bad. The roads were almost always glazed over with a layer of freeze; the same goes for the sidewalks. However, Nama refused to let the weather affect his business any more and kept the pub open as much as possible. Several of the other employees had complained time and time again about the difficulties they have to get to work, but he always retorted by gesturing to the customers, saying that if they could get there, they could get served.
"When I came in one afternoon, the first thing I noticed was an iron- like smell. Blood. I looked around, but no one seemed to be ill or injured. I glanced over at Jin. She looked a little tired, but she was already 2 hours into her own shift, so I supposed it to be fatigue. I deduced the smell to be a leaking pipe or something of the sort and went behind the bar.
"The closer I was, the more I noticed how pale she was. She was naturally white, but now even her lips were washed of all color. Her uniform also didn't look like it fit. That's unusual, I thought, When she put it on this morning, she looked fine. I wanted to ask her about it, but whenever I tried coming near her, her eyes would become very hostile.
"As her shift came to an end, she went to change in the bathroom. I became even more confused. Why did she need to change if she wore her uniform to work? Did something happen to it and she has to wear someone else's? Then my attention shifted when I felt a tugging on my sleeve. I looked to a worried Mari, her face almost as pale as Jin's.
"'Dorai-san,' she said as if she could start crying any second, 'You noticed that Jin's acting strange, haven't you?'
"'Yes. Is there something wrong?'
"She nodded slowly. 'When I was coming to work today, I got held up by a a couple of boys. Jin came up and fought with them a bit. She's pretty strong and got the upper-hand really fast. The purse they stole from me was chucked into the street, and after they ran away, she jumped into the road to pick it up, but she landed on some ice and slipped.'
"'Is that all? I don't see how--'
"'I'm not finished, Dorai-san. You know the steep hill on 32nd street? Well, this is where she was. She was trying to get up, but a large semi appeared from the hill and couldn't stop in time...'
"About this time, Jin came back out. The clothes she now had on were not her own, though what looked like her uniform, except torn and dirty, was under her arm. She weakly muttered some sort of valediction to us and left. As soon as she was gone, I grabbed Mari's shoulders.
"'What happened?! Was she hit by the truck?'
"She looked to the floor, trying to escape my stare. 'In full force. She... she was in the grill of the truck for about 20 meters, then, when the driver tried to slow down, she got dragged under and was run over...'
"Nama couldn't hear our conversation, but he became concerned about our behaviors. 'Is something going on here? Mari, is this about why Jin looked so thrashed when she came in?'
"'She...' Mari continued, 'She insisted that she was OK after she got up. She pushed the crowd away and asked to borrow my jacket since her vest and shirt were almost completely torn off. But, when she went to change in the bathroom, I was taking some extra clothes to her, when I saw a huge gash across her side. There was a lot of blood, but she cleaned it up and tore what was left of her shirt into bandages and wrapped it around her waist.'
"I felt cold sweat fall down my temples. Jin was injured, but she wouldn't allow anybody to come near her to help. Nama was about to call the hospital, but I stopped him and asked if I could have the rest of the night off.
"'You're going after her? You think she'll accept having you nearby?'
"'She has to. We live together, remember?' To this, Nama waved me to hurry off.
"When I entered the apartment, it was dark, except for the bathroom. The door was open slightly, and a long triangle of light emitted from it upon the floor. I could see Jin moving inside.
"'I have to hurry and patch this up,' I heard her mumble, 'Damn thing, opening my wounds and tearing my clothes.' She exhaled a growl, from both anger and pain. 'It has to be dressed before Dorai gets back. He'll ask so many questions...'
"I walked to the door as quietly as I could and tried to look through the slight opening. I could see her leg. I presumed that she was sitting on the floor. Then I noticed several rags, many of them red. Once again, I could smell the iron. It was Human blood. Her blood. 'Jin...' I muttered aloud.
"I saw her move, startled by my voice. 'Dorai? What are you doing back so early?'
"'Consern.'
"There was a great silence before she spoke again. 'I take it Mari told you.'
"'Let me see your wound, Jin.'
"'It's nothing serious.'
"'I can smell the blood. It's heavy, isn't it?'
"'I said it's nothing.'
"'Jin!'
"'Look, it's none of your business. It's not as if I'm bleeding to death here. It's just an old wound and it reopened, OK?'
"I pushed the door wide open, then almost closed it again with my embarrasment. She was shirtless, tending to a long, deep tear in her flesh. Thick blood oozed from it, and I was even able to identify some of the muscles and an organ that was visible. Despite anything I might have thought, she had Human anatomy, inside and out.
"She scowled at me. 'Bloody Hell, you can be really annoying. Can't I tend to my own lesions without someone gawking at me?'
"'I-I'm sorry... I just...' I shook my head, trying to rid myself of what shame was gnawing on me. 'This is an old wound? How did you get it?'
"'A fight went too far.' She said with an irate expression.
"I felt my eyes narrow. 'You're lying.'
"'What?'
"'You're lying to me. That's not something that you can get from a battle. Where'd you get that slash, Jin?'
"'I told you that this is none of your business.'
"I came closer to her, kneeling down to have a better look at the damage. From the discoloration around it, I determined that it was at least 6 or 7 months old. In fact, a lot of it had already healed pretty well. I tried to think of what it looked like when it was new, and I shuddered at the thought. Jin's side would have been literally ripped open, gaping from base of the hip up to the middle part of her rib cage. I tried to think of what could have caused such a great rending. 'Were you in some sort of accident?'
"'I was just hit by a semi. Didn't Mari tell you?'
"'No. Something worse.'
"She looked away; I must have hit the mark. I peered into the hole again. 'There's some metal debris in here. Let me get something to help pull it out.'
"'It's not necessary,' she said, 'I'll take care of it.' Without any more words, she reached in and plucked it out with her own hands, throwing the ruddied pieces on the floor.
"I sighed and stood. 'We'll need something to keep off the infection. I don't have anything, though.'
"'Don't worry. Do you know where my rum is?' I nodded. 'Go fetch it and bring it to me. The alcohol in it will work fine.'
"I did as she asked. She poured it into the gash, not showing much more discomfort than a flinch. After she finished cleaning the wound, she wrapped up her waist with the unused rags, managing them as bandages. With the object of distress gone, I was once again aware of her uncovered breasts, and my humility forced me to turn away and escape her presence."
"So, you have that much decency in you?" Chi-Chi interrupted with something of a smart simper.
"Lady, you are a pain in the ass," I snapped, then I presumed with the narration.
"I heard Jin stand up, but her steps were slow and dragging as she made her way to the door frame, where she nearly collapsed. Without another option, I put my arm around her and lead her to the bed. Here, she lie back, releasing a heavy breath. I think that she didn't like being given help, but she nodded her approval to me and muttered a thanks. Yet it was a while before I left the room, in fact I found myself wanting to display some sort of affection towards her. I blinked and tried to shake if off, my face growing more feverish. It wasn't helping that she had yet to pull the covers over her exposed chest... I abruptly left her, calling back that I was sleeping on the couch and all she needed was to shout if she needed anything. But, despite the mess in the bathroom and any remaining worry I had, I fell into a dull somnolence and dosed off."
Metaphor in the last chapter: Dry Gin. Dry's on top ^_~. Bad joke, huh? Well, he was for a minute... he just found himself in a mountain of snow as soon as he realised it. Anyway, I've been working on this one a lot since I've been getting so many ideas for it and I'm getting anxious to get to the climax in here, and then, maybe if there's enough people to R&R this story, I'll get into a sequel. *hint hint*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Piccolo." Chi-Chi seemed to be confused now. "I thought you said that the girl was a Human."
"That's what I think."
"But you're saying now that she might not be."
"Well," I paused, trying to think of the reason, "You see, something happened that disproved that idea."
There as another pause. "Are you going to say what?"
"I'm getting to it!"
"Even though that was the worst of the snow, the icy rains were still pretty bad. The roads were almost always glazed over with a layer of freeze; the same goes for the sidewalks. However, Nama refused to let the weather affect his business any more and kept the pub open as much as possible. Several of the other employees had complained time and time again about the difficulties they have to get to work, but he always retorted by gesturing to the customers, saying that if they could get there, they could get served.
"When I came in one afternoon, the first thing I noticed was an iron- like smell. Blood. I looked around, but no one seemed to be ill or injured. I glanced over at Jin. She looked a little tired, but she was already 2 hours into her own shift, so I supposed it to be fatigue. I deduced the smell to be a leaking pipe or something of the sort and went behind the bar.
"The closer I was, the more I noticed how pale she was. She was naturally white, but now even her lips were washed of all color. Her uniform also didn't look like it fit. That's unusual, I thought, When she put it on this morning, she looked fine. I wanted to ask her about it, but whenever I tried coming near her, her eyes would become very hostile.
"As her shift came to an end, she went to change in the bathroom. I became even more confused. Why did she need to change if she wore her uniform to work? Did something happen to it and she has to wear someone else's? Then my attention shifted when I felt a tugging on my sleeve. I looked to a worried Mari, her face almost as pale as Jin's.
"'Dorai-san,' she said as if she could start crying any second, 'You noticed that Jin's acting strange, haven't you?'
"'Yes. Is there something wrong?'
"She nodded slowly. 'When I was coming to work today, I got held up by a a couple of boys. Jin came up and fought with them a bit. She's pretty strong and got the upper-hand really fast. The purse they stole from me was chucked into the street, and after they ran away, she jumped into the road to pick it up, but she landed on some ice and slipped.'
"'Is that all? I don't see how--'
"'I'm not finished, Dorai-san. You know the steep hill on 32nd street? Well, this is where she was. She was trying to get up, but a large semi appeared from the hill and couldn't stop in time...'
"About this time, Jin came back out. The clothes she now had on were not her own, though what looked like her uniform, except torn and dirty, was under her arm. She weakly muttered some sort of valediction to us and left. As soon as she was gone, I grabbed Mari's shoulders.
"'What happened?! Was she hit by the truck?'
"She looked to the floor, trying to escape my stare. 'In full force. She... she was in the grill of the truck for about 20 meters, then, when the driver tried to slow down, she got dragged under and was run over...'
"Nama couldn't hear our conversation, but he became concerned about our behaviors. 'Is something going on here? Mari, is this about why Jin looked so thrashed when she came in?'
"'She...' Mari continued, 'She insisted that she was OK after she got up. She pushed the crowd away and asked to borrow my jacket since her vest and shirt were almost completely torn off. But, when she went to change in the bathroom, I was taking some extra clothes to her, when I saw a huge gash across her side. There was a lot of blood, but she cleaned it up and tore what was left of her shirt into bandages and wrapped it around her waist.'
"I felt cold sweat fall down my temples. Jin was injured, but she wouldn't allow anybody to come near her to help. Nama was about to call the hospital, but I stopped him and asked if I could have the rest of the night off.
"'You're going after her? You think she'll accept having you nearby?'
"'She has to. We live together, remember?' To this, Nama waved me to hurry off.
"When I entered the apartment, it was dark, except for the bathroom. The door was open slightly, and a long triangle of light emitted from it upon the floor. I could see Jin moving inside.
"'I have to hurry and patch this up,' I heard her mumble, 'Damn thing, opening my wounds and tearing my clothes.' She exhaled a growl, from both anger and pain. 'It has to be dressed before Dorai gets back. He'll ask so many questions...'
"I walked to the door as quietly as I could and tried to look through the slight opening. I could see her leg. I presumed that she was sitting on the floor. Then I noticed several rags, many of them red. Once again, I could smell the iron. It was Human blood. Her blood. 'Jin...' I muttered aloud.
"I saw her move, startled by my voice. 'Dorai? What are you doing back so early?'
"'Consern.'
"There was a great silence before she spoke again. 'I take it Mari told you.'
"'Let me see your wound, Jin.'
"'It's nothing serious.'
"'I can smell the blood. It's heavy, isn't it?'
"'I said it's nothing.'
"'Jin!'
"'Look, it's none of your business. It's not as if I'm bleeding to death here. It's just an old wound and it reopened, OK?'
"I pushed the door wide open, then almost closed it again with my embarrasment. She was shirtless, tending to a long, deep tear in her flesh. Thick blood oozed from it, and I was even able to identify some of the muscles and an organ that was visible. Despite anything I might have thought, she had Human anatomy, inside and out.
"She scowled at me. 'Bloody Hell, you can be really annoying. Can't I tend to my own lesions without someone gawking at me?'
"'I-I'm sorry... I just...' I shook my head, trying to rid myself of what shame was gnawing on me. 'This is an old wound? How did you get it?'
"'A fight went too far.' She said with an irate expression.
"I felt my eyes narrow. 'You're lying.'
"'What?'
"'You're lying to me. That's not something that you can get from a battle. Where'd you get that slash, Jin?'
"'I told you that this is none of your business.'
"I came closer to her, kneeling down to have a better look at the damage. From the discoloration around it, I determined that it was at least 6 or 7 months old. In fact, a lot of it had already healed pretty well. I tried to think of what it looked like when it was new, and I shuddered at the thought. Jin's side would have been literally ripped open, gaping from base of the hip up to the middle part of her rib cage. I tried to think of what could have caused such a great rending. 'Were you in some sort of accident?'
"'I was just hit by a semi. Didn't Mari tell you?'
"'No. Something worse.'
"She looked away; I must have hit the mark. I peered into the hole again. 'There's some metal debris in here. Let me get something to help pull it out.'
"'It's not necessary,' she said, 'I'll take care of it.' Without any more words, she reached in and plucked it out with her own hands, throwing the ruddied pieces on the floor.
"I sighed and stood. 'We'll need something to keep off the infection. I don't have anything, though.'
"'Don't worry. Do you know where my rum is?' I nodded. 'Go fetch it and bring it to me. The alcohol in it will work fine.'
"I did as she asked. She poured it into the gash, not showing much more discomfort than a flinch. After she finished cleaning the wound, she wrapped up her waist with the unused rags, managing them as bandages. With the object of distress gone, I was once again aware of her uncovered breasts, and my humility forced me to turn away and escape her presence."
"So, you have that much decency in you?" Chi-Chi interrupted with something of a smart simper.
"Lady, you are a pain in the ass," I snapped, then I presumed with the narration.
"I heard Jin stand up, but her steps were slow and dragging as she made her way to the door frame, where she nearly collapsed. Without another option, I put my arm around her and lead her to the bed. Here, she lie back, releasing a heavy breath. I think that she didn't like being given help, but she nodded her approval to me and muttered a thanks. Yet it was a while before I left the room, in fact I found myself wanting to display some sort of affection towards her. I blinked and tried to shake if off, my face growing more feverish. It wasn't helping that she had yet to pull the covers over her exposed chest... I abruptly left her, calling back that I was sleeping on the couch and all she needed was to shout if she needed anything. But, despite the mess in the bathroom and any remaining worry I had, I fell into a dull somnolence and dosed off."
