Thin as Rice Paper 10?
By Nix
Disclaimer: I don't own WK
Ten
It started with such a slight shivering, that started at his feet and had reached the back of his neck before he knew it was there. Then the ground danced under him, swaying up. He staggered forward. 'Not now,' he prayed to ancestors who were probably only concern that his name was on the crypt by his spirit hadn't shown up yet.
He shook as he hit the car, exhaustion already demonizing him. The car rocked. Car alarms screamed. People screamed. Concrete slammed into the sidewalk and he went to one knee, leaning against the car. A woman a little farther on fell, skidded on knees protected only by nylons.
Youji moved, running though still crouched over. Fear beat his heart. It couldn't be the end of the world. He wouldn't let it. His fingers brushed over the woman's back as he grabbed a hold of her jacket. She was dead weight as he pulled her up. Fear has a way of making a frozen deer of a person, held in place, eyes on the monster coming. Another chunk of building hit the ground where the woman had been and Youji ran towards an entrance way, the woman held to him with one arm. She'd turned and was clinging to him, crying.
The ground felt solid under his feet again and he put a hand on each of her shoulders, pushing her back a little. "Just an earthquake. It's over now." He smiled, and quite without warning, he felt like his smiles were working again, felt the connection to warmth and kindness within him flare. Youji leaned forward just a little, to look into her eyes. Beautiful dark brown eyes, and he loved her in that moment, loved people. She couldn't have been more than seventeen, but she smiled at him, wincing just a little from the scrap along her cheek.
"Thank you very much, Sir! I will be brave as you are!" She bowed slightly, still smiling.
She didn't know him, was all he could think. He was so afraid. Not of the earthquake, but of some great alone that he didn't want to face. Just walk home and let everything be as it was, just wait it out, and now, heart beating, the scent of blood in the air, and just going home wasn't enough. If Aya loved him or didn't; he'd fight for himself. He liked helping people, and so what was so fucking wrong with that?
Asuka wasn't clinging to him now, even if he didn't know why she wasn't. He caught the girl's hands and pulled them together, palms together between his. "No, thank you! Do you have a mobile phone that can be used?"
"Yes, of course!" She reached for her shiny pink purse, pulling out a little lavender compact type cell phone. "No service," she said. "I have to find my mother."
"There could be aftershocks," Youji pointed out. "We should stay right here. This," he patted the solid marble door way they stood under, "Will protect us."
"The cell towers are down," she argued, as if that changed what nature might do, "And my mother will worry."
"She'll understand that there's no cell signal. That was big. It must have hit all of Tokyo. Is your mother here at the hospital?"
"She is visiting my grandfather." The girl said.
And then the world tilted sideways again, throwing Youji back against the marble so hard his head bounced. He caught the girl 's arm though and both of them were thrown out onto the sidewalk. Her phone skidded forward, spun and went off the side into a storm drain.
She chased after it and Youji let her. There on his knees, riding the earth as Tokyo melted down. He closed his eyes and let the world roll under him. Some things just weren't in a person's control. And some things were. He was going to survive, if he had anything to say about it at all.