Authoress at this place at this point in time.
I've been distracted lately. Very distracted. Well...that, and my parents are asking what I'm typing, considering the end of the quarter was today and all my classes ended. They know it's not homework.
Ahh. If only my mother knew I was writing a story to post on the internet about gay men, rated R for mature themes. Speaking of which, I was intending to write a lemon...but a friend of mine got a story deleted because of that. And it was really good, too! Damn to the depths whatever muttonhead reported her! I really don't want to lose this fic, but I've never written a lemon before...what should I do?
Haru: Get on with it!
By the way, I don't own Gravitation, Monty Python, or Pirates of the Caribbean. Sadly. (sniffle)
START CHAPTER
"She's gone."
Hiroshi had sunk into a chair when Shuichi told him the news the next morning. Tairu had called, thinking maybe she had come back to the house where he had found her.
He was now sitting in Yuki's living room beside Hiroshi with his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have made her leave when she was so happy just being here," he muttered. "This is my fault."
"No good will come from blaming yourself, Tairu," Hiroshi reprimanded gently. "It isn't your fault."
Tairu gave him a sour look. "I wish saps like you would learn to keep your mouths shut. Your pointless remarks aren't helping either."
Hiroshi frowned. "I'm just trying to help. There's no need to snap at me."
"I...I'm sorry. It's just been a bit hectic since she ran away. Losing her again is harder than it was the first time...because it's my fault this time." He sighed shakily and put a hand over his forehead. He was too strong to cry, but did not look pleased nonetheless.
Hiroshi placed a hand to his shoulder in a brotherly manner. "Relax. I'll find her, Tairu. There are only so many places a teenager on the run can think of to go."
"I'm coming with you."
Hiroshi smiled hesitantly. "That may not be the best idea right now. I don't think she'd really want to talk right now."
Tairu nodded after a moments pause. "I guess you're right." As Hiroshi stood up, Tairu caught the sleeve of his shirt and halted him. "Alira said that you helped her out before when she got lost, so I feel awful that I'm asking you to do it again. But if you find her and bring her back...I won't mind if you two date."
"What?"
"When she told me about you, I thought that there was a chance...you were using her as a way to get more publicity for Bad Luck. A bass player with a love life sparks articles. More people pay attention to a guy with a girlfriend."
Hiroshi didn't reply, and waited for him to go on.
"If you do this for me," he continued. "I'll know that your feelings for my sister are honest. On top of that...I want her to be happy. I know this is your house, Yuki, but if she's happier here, I won't mind if she stays."
A smile spread across Hiroshi's face. "I'm grateful that you will accept us as a couple if Alira decides she wants it that way. If not, however, I will be content on being her friend."
Tairu dropped his sleeve, embarrassed by his sudden outburst, and watched the redheaded band member put on his jacket and head out the door. The engine to his motorcycle revved a few times as he turned the key, and then he was gone.
Tairu swallowed hard. He hadn't realized that coming to Yuki's house and having Hiroshi search for his sister would leave him alone with two gay men. What was there to talk about? This was bound to be awkward.
-Meanwhile-
Alira frowned as she looked around. It was growing darker, so it was harder to focus on people specifically. Alira was content with that so long as none of them headed towards her. It is easy to get paranoid when you are the only one walking towards a building amidst a crowd of people leaving.
Letting her feet guide her, Alira found herself standing in the lobby of Montosuwa Electronics. Her heart thumped. Her father could be in this building. Probably watching porno on his computer if he is here, she added to her thoughts bitterly.
The secretary had been watching her carefully, but didn't seem to recognize her. Alira decided she had to know if her father was really in the building, and approached her.
"Well, hello, miss. How can I help you?"
Alira glanced around a few times. She had just remembered that Hikaru Aki, the young chief of police, was probably still looking for her.
"Are you looking for someone?" the secretary asked, a smile plastered to her face.
Nodding, Alira responded, "Can you tell me if Teizo Montosuwa is here?"
"Mr. Montosuwa prefers that information in regards to his location not be distributed to the general public," the woman replied in a voice that made it sound like she had repeated it over and over again.
Chuckling lightly, Alira decided it was time to see if her name could get her anywhere. "You clearly don't know who I am."
The secretary's smile had become rather forced by now. "And just who are you, then?"
"Alira Montosuwa," she replied coldly. "His daughter."
"Oh!" The secretary was decidedly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't even recognize you! No, Mr. Montosuwa went home early today. He was feeling ill."
"That's too bad."
"I hope he's feeling better by tomorrow," the secretary continued, placing a manicured finger to her lower lip.
Alira stared at her for a moment. "I don't," she replied finally, enjoying the look on the other woman's face. At that, she turned on her heel and left.
Angered and obviously thinking that she had been fooled by an imposter, the secretary shouted, "Security!"
Alira paused. "Shit," she muttered right before a fist slammed into the middle of her back.
Without thinking, Alira slammed her elbow back into the security guard's stomach, making him double over and gasp. Looking around, she could see three others approaching. One of them had a gun.
Deciding she should worry about the armed one first, Alira waited until he had come within range.
"Calm down, lady, and nobody gets hurt," he said calmly. When she lowered her fists, he lowered the gun slowly.
Taking a chance, Alira turned and ran out the door. She kept running until she could no longer hear pursuing footsteps behind her, then leaned against a wall to catch her breath.
A taxi rolling by slowed down in front of her, and a man in the backseat rolled down the window to look at her. Alira watched him apprehensively until he rolled the window up again and signaled to the driver to keep going.
Using that event to back up her decision to move somewhere else, Alira started walking down the broken sidewalks of Tokyo. She sighed as she entered a dimly lit part of town. Leave it to her to get lost again. This time, however, she was prepared. If anyone grabbed her, she would fight back this time.
I don't need anyone to protect me.
Alira stopped dead on the sidewalk when she saw a parking lot. There was a car parked there. She recognized it.
I'm scared.
"No one can hear you except me."
Alira's fists clenched, and she walked towards the car. A few feet away, she heard a muffled scream. Goosebumps formed on her arms. He had someone else.
Dashing to the car, she tugged at the door. It was locked. Looking in, she saw the man who had almost raped her on top of a younger girl. His back was to her, but she could still tell who he was. Tears streamed down the girl's face.
Pure rage flowed through Alira's body, enough to make her shake with fury. Without thinking, she punched through the window, ripping up the flesh on her right hand and raining glass down on the man. He let out a cry, and got out of the car as fast as he could. The girl crawled out too, tears distorting her vision, and huddled behind some trashcans.
Alira bit her lower lip as she looked at her hand. It would scar.
"You," breathed the man, fury contorting his face.
"Me," she replied, looking at him in disgust. "You're a bastard. How old was she? Twelve? Eleven?"
He didn't answer her question. "You're dead, girl. You shouldn't have come back here."
"Lucky thing about that. I got lost again and wound up here."
The man pulled his knife from his belt. Alira recognized it from before. "That again? You had it last time, too."
"You're not going to get away this time," he snarled, tightening his grip on the knife.
"I don't need to this time. I'm going to make sure you never hurt anyone ever again." Alira raised her fists. "And I don't care if I get hurt in the process. No one deserves to get raped."
He stepped closer. "Once I kill you, I'll fuck the wound," he hissed.
Quite suddenly, a gunshot sounded through the night air and the man fell to the ground heavily, blood seeping from his chest. The knife was still clutched tightly in his hand. It was then that Alira realized that someone must had phoned the police, and they had shot him when they saw the knife.
A group of police officers ran forward, guns drawn and pointed at the man on the ground. In the chaos and screams from civilians that followed, Alira slipped away through the shadows.
I never got the chance to learn who the girl was, Alira realized at she hobbled down the street, holding her bleeding hand tightly in the uninjured one.
It's not really that important. She's safe now, and that's all that matters to me.
A noise that Alira easily recognized soon filled her ears. A motorcycle was approaching her. The tires screeched as the driver stopped suddenly. She heard the sound of the bike tipping over followed by feet slapping against the pavement.
Her vision slid in and out of focus as she turned around. Hiroshi was running towards her. Her eyes fluttered, and she slumped forward.
That was when Hiroshi knew something was wrong.
There was blood flowing freely from her hand. Acting quickly, Hiroshi held her in one arm while he ripped off the sleeve to his t-shirt. After wrapping it around her hand tightly, he placed his hand to her forehead. She was getting a fever from blood loss and exhaustion.
The hospital was several miles away, but Hiroshi didn't care. Grabbing onto her, he climbed back onto his motorcycle and drove off at a reckless speed towards the hospital.
I won't let her die, Hiroshi thought firmly as he sped down an empty street.
END CHAPTER
Ahhh...my finger hurts because I hit a chair earlier, but other than that I'm very happy. I love writing stories!
(stretches) Review my fic!
Authoress leaving the room and building.
